Thermal surface characteristics of coal fires 1 results of in-situ measurements

Natural underground coal fires are fires in coal seams occurring subsurface. The fires are ignited through a process named spontaneous combustion, which occurs based on a natural reaction but is usually triggered through human interaction. Coal mining activities expose coal to the air. This leads to the exothermal oxidation of the carbon in the coal with the air's oxygen to CO₂ and – under certain circumstances – to spontaneous combustion. Coal fires occur in many countries world wide – however, currently the Chinese coal mining industry faces the biggest problems with coal fires. Coal fires destroy the valuable resource coal and furthermore lead to many environmental degradation phenomena such as the deterioration of surrounding vegetation, land subsidence and the emission of toxic gasses (CO, N₂O). They additionally contribute to the emission of green house relevant gasses such as CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere.In this paper we present thermal characteristics of coal fires as measured in-situ during a field campaign to the Wuda coal fire area in south-central Inner Mongolia, China. Thermal characteristics include temperature anomaly measurements at the surface, spatial surface temperature profiles of fire areas and unaffected background areas, diurnal temperature profiles, and temperature measurements inside of coal fire induced cracks in the overlying bedrock. For all the measurements the effects of uneven solar heating through influences of slope and aspect are considered.Our findings show that coal fires result in strong or subtle thermal surface anomalies. Especially the latter can easily be influenced by heating of the surrounding background material through solar influences. Temperature variation of background rocks with different albedo, slope, aspect or vegetation cover can substantially influence the detectability of thermal anomalies. In the worst case coal fire related thermal anomalies can be completely masked by solar patterns during the daytime. Thus, night-time analysis is the most suitable for thermal anomaly mapping of underground coal fires, although this is not always feasible. The heat of underground coal fires only progresses very slowly through conduction in the rock material. Anomalies of coal fires completely covered by solid unfractured bedrock are very weak and were only measured during the night. The thermal pattern of underground coal fires manifested on the surface during the daytime is thus the pattern of cracks and vents, which occur due to the volume loss underground and which support radiation and convective energy transport of hot gasses. Inside coal fire temperatures can hardly be measured and can only be recorded if the glowing coal is exposed through a wider crack in the overlaying bedrock. Direct coal fire temperatures measured ranged between 233 °C and 854 °C. The results presented can substantially support the planning of thermal mapping campaigns, analyses of coal fire thermal anomalies in remotely sensed data, and can provide initial and boundary conditions for coal fire related numerical modeling.In a second paper named “Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: results of measurements on simulated coal fires” [Zhang J., Kuenzer C., Tetzlaff A., Oettl D., Zhukov B., Wagner W., 2007. Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: Result of measurements on simulated coal fires. Accepted for publication at Journal of Applied Geophysics. doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2007.08.003] we report about thermal characteristics of simulated coal fires simulated under simplified conditions. The simulated set up allowed us to measure even more parameters under undisturbed conditions — especially inside fire temperatures. Furthermore we could demonstrate the differences between open surface coal fires and covered underground coal fires. Thermal signals of coal fires in near range thermal remotely sensed imagery from an observing tower and from an airplane are presented and discussed.     

Evaluation of approximations in modelling the cooling of magmatic bodies

The cooling of a magmatic intrusion is simulated by a simple model of a non-homogeneous earth, with thermal properties depending on temperature, in which heat transfer is assumed to take place by conduction only. The mathematical problem consists in solving a non-linear partial differential equation with continuity conditions on temperature and heat flux imposed at the contacts between different rocks. This has been done numerically by a finite difference method. The model is then adopted as “reality” against which a number of commonly used approximations are tested. It is found that the effect of latent heat liberation can be reasonably taken into account by attributing an effective initial temperature to the magma (errors within 20°C for t > 10⁵ years, when the temperature of the magma is still as high as 600°C); the effective specific heat approximation does not work as well. The dependence of thermal conductivity and specific heat on temperature may be eliminated by maintaining the errors within 30°C for t < 5 × 10⁵ years. The assumption that magma and country rocks have the same thermal properties allows an estimate of the temperature field in the host rocks with errors of 50°C at most. The assumption that all rocks have the same constant conductivity yields results that are far from “reality” (errors of 100–200°C even at shallow depth).     

Probability of radial anisotropy in the deep mantle

It is well established that the Earth's uppermost mantle is anisotropic, but observations of anisotropy in the deeper mantle have been more ambiguous. Radial anisotropy, the discrepancy between Love and Rayleigh waves, was included in the top 220 km of PREM, but there is no consensus whether anisotropy is present below that depth. Fundamental mode surface waves, for commonly used periods up to 200 s, are sensitive to structure in the first few hundred kilometers and therefore do not provide information on anisotropy below. Higher mode surface waves, however, have sensitivities that extend to and below the transition zone and should thus give insight about anisotropy at greater depths, but they are very difficult to measure. We previously developed a new technique to measure higher mode surface wave phase velocities with consistent uncertainties. These data are used here to construct probability density functions of a radially anisotropic Earth model down to approximately 1500 km. In the uppermost mantle, we obtain a high probability of faster horizontally polarized shear wave speed, likely to be related to plate motion. In the asthenosphere and transition zone, however, we find a high probability of faster vertically polarized shear wave speed. To a depth of 1500 km in the lower mantle, we see no significant shear wave anisotropy. This is consistent with results from laboratory measurements which show that lower mantle minerals are anisotropic but LPO is unlikely to develop in the pressure–temperature conditions present in the mid-mantle.     

Thermal segmentation along the N. Ecuador–S. Colombia margin (1–4°N): Prominent influence of sedimentation rate in the trench

Along the deformation front of the North Ecuador–South Colombia (NESC) margin, both surface heat flow and trench sediment thickness show prominent along-strike variations, indicating significant spatial variations in sedimentation rate. Investigating these variations helps us address the important question of how trench sedimentation influences the temperature distribution along the interplate contact and the extent of the megathrust seismogenic zone. We examine this issue by analysing 1/ a new dense reflection data set, 2/ pre-stack depth migration of selected multichannel seismic reflection lines, 3/ numerous newly-identified bottom-simulating reflectors and 4/ the first heat probe measurements in the region. We develop thermal models that include sediment deposition and compaction on the cooling oceanic plate as well as viscous corner flow in the mantle wedge. We estimate that the temperature from 60–150 °C to 350–450 °C, commonly associated with the updip and downdip limits of the seismogenic zone, extends along the plate interface over a downdip distance of 160 to 190 ± 20 km. We conclude that the updip limit of the seismogenic zone for the great megathrust earthquake of 1979 is associated with low-temperature (60–70 °C) processes. Our models also suggest that 60–70% of the two-fold decrease in measured heat flow from 3°N to 2.8°N is related to an abrupt southward increase in sedimentation rate in the trench. Such a change may potentially induce a landward shift of the 60–150 °C isotherms, and thus the updip limit of the seismogenic zone, by 10 to 20 km.     

Interpretation of magnetic resonance soundings in rocks with high electrical conductivity

Magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) is an electromagnetic method designed for groundwater investigations. MRS can be applied not only for studying fresh-water aquifers, but also in areas where intrusion of saline water is rendering the subsurface electrically conductive. In the presence of rocks with a high electrical-conductivity attenuation and a phase shift of the MRS signal may influence the efficiency of the MRS method. We investigated the performance of MRS for allowing us to propose a procedure for interpreting MRS data under these conditions. For numerical modeling, we considered a subsurface with a resistivity between 0.5 and 10 Ω m. The results show that the depth of investigation with MRS depends upon the electrical conductivity of groundwater and surrounding rocks, on the depth of the saline water layer, and on the amount of fresh water above the saline water. For interpreting MRS measurements, the electrical conductivity of the subsurface is routinely measured with an electrical or electromagnetic method. However, due to the equivalence problem, the result obtained with these methods may be not unique. Hence, we investigated the influence of the uncertainty in conductivity distribution provided by transient electromagnetic measurements (TEM) on MRS results. It was found that the uncertainty in TEM results has an insignificant effect on MRS.     

Geoelectric structure of the Ein Gedi sinkhole occurrence site at the Dead Sea shore in Israel

Hazardous sinkholes started to appear in alluvial fans and unconsolidated sediments along the western Dead Sea coast in 1990. Since then hundreds of sinkholes have appeared from north to south along the shoreline. The Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) method was used to achieve a better understanding of the subsurface geoelectric structure at the sinkhole development sites, taking into account that electric parameters (such as resistivity or conductivity) are very sensitive to formation properties and their variations in time. Fifteen image lines were surveyed at the Ein Gedi area during a period of active sinkhole development (in 2001–2002) over an area of 300 × 550 m². Resistivity cross-sections and maps were constructed from 2-D linear surveys. The process of sinkhole formation in the surveyed area is located in a strip 50–70 m wide and 300–500 m long, extending approximately in a north–south direction. The sinkholes are arranged along a tortuous line within this strip. On resistivity maps and sections this U-shaped zone appears as an alternation of high resistivity anomalies of 350–1000 Ωm (at sinkhole group locations) with narrow background resistivity zones of 50–100 Ωm. The large size of resistivity anomalies (250 × 300 m²), which are considerably greater than those of the sinkholes, form one of the features of the sinkhole sites in the Ein Gedi area. The anomalies continue down to the water table or even deeper (maximum of 25–35 m depth). A low resistivity layer of 1–8 Ωm underlies them. The combined analysis of the image results and other geophysical data shows that high resistivity anomalies are associated with the decompaction of the soil mass at the sinkhole development sites and surrounding areas. Recent studies have shown that sinkholes in the Ein Gedi area are developing along the salt western edge located at a depth of 50 m. The subsurface high resistivity anomaly conforms to the sinkhole line (and salt boundary). They are presumably located above the great dissolution caverns at the salt edge. The heterogeneity of the resistivity structure within the high resistivity anomaly (seen in both lateral and vertical planes) confirms that a disintegration of internal formation structure takes place. Away from the sinkhole sites the subsurface resistivity distribution is homogeneous.     

Phase relations of iron and iron–nickel alloys up to 300 GPa: Implications for composition and structure of the Earth's inner core

We have investigated the phase relations of iron and iron–nickel alloys with 18 to 50 wt.% Ni up to over 300 GPa using a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell. The synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements show the wide stability of hcp-iron up to 301 GPa and 2000 K and 319 GPa and 300 K without phase transition to dhcp, orthorhombic, or bcc phases. On the other hand, the incorporation of nickel has a remarkable effect on expanding the stability field of fcc phase. The geometry of the temperature–composition phase diagram of iron–nickel alloys suggests that the hcp–fcc–liquid triple point is located at 10 to 20 wt.% Ni at the pressure of the inner core boundary. The fcc phase could crystallize depending on the nickel and silicon contents in the Earth's core, both of which are fcc stabilizer.     

Inversion approach for thermal data from a convecting hydrothermal system

Hydrothermal systems are often studied by collecting thermal gradient data and temperature/depth curves. These data contain important information about the flow field, the evolution of the hydrothermal system, and the location and nature of the ultimate heat sources. Thermal data are interpreted by the “forward” method; the thermal field is calculated based on selected initial conditions and boundary conditions such as temperature and permeability distributions. If the calculated thermal field matches the data, the chosen conditions are inferred to be possibly correct. Because many sets of initial conditions may produce similar thermal fields, users of the “forward” method may inadvertently miss the correct set of initial conditions. Analytical methods for “inverting” data also allow the determination of all the possible solutions consistent with the definition of the problem. In this paper we suggest an approach for inverting thermal data from a hydrothermal system, and compare it to the more conventional approach. We illustrate the difference in the methods by comparing their application to the Salton Sea Geothermal Field by Lau (1980a) and Kasameyer, et al. (1984). In this particular example, the inverse method was used to draw conclusions about the age and total rate of fluid flow into the hydrothermal system.     

Infrared surveillance of crater lakes using satellite data

Under optimum circumstances, thermal infrared data recorded from satellites can measure water surface temperatures to accuracies of a few tenths of a degree Celsius. Such techniques are applied here to evaluate volcanic crater lake temperatures. At present, band 6 of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) is the most pertinent sensor in this respect, although its nominal 120 × 120 m “footprint” only permits useful measurements of circular lakes exceeding 340 m in diameter. In addition, the radiative properties of the atmosphere between sensor and target at the instant of observation should be well-characterised in order to make confident measurements of surface temperatures with single-band infrared data.An analysis is presented of three TM band-6 images of the crater lake at Poás volcano, Costa Rica, recorded on February 6, 1986, March 13, 1987, and May 10, 1988. In the February 1986 scene, the band-6-derived water surface temperature is 36°C which is 3°C less than a field measurement made in the same month. Since the satellite measurement was integrated over some 14,400 m² of the lake surface, while the field measurement was obtained at a single point below the surface, the former may be more representative of surface heat losses. Subsequent TM data reveal an increasing discrepancy between contemporaneous field and satellite observations, probably because the lake diameter had decreased to 250 m by March 1987, and to less than 200 m by mid-1988, greatly reducing the likelihood of obtaining a pure “lake” pixel.The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) which is earmarked for orbit on the first of NASA's Earth Observing System satellite platforms later this decade has five discrete spectral bands in the thermal infrared region and will produce data composed of 90 × 90 m pixels. These specifications could enable the determination of water surface temperatures of > 250 m diameter crater lakes by algorithms that implicitly account for atmospheric effects.     

Streamwater quality as affected by wild fires in natural and manmade vegetation in Malaysian Borneo

In 1998 a wild fire struck a paired catchment research area under long‐term monitoring of hydrological and nutrient budgets. Streamwater quality as concentrations of dissolved and suspended particulate matter was monitored during 1·5–2·5 years after the fire in streams from seven different catchments. As the catchments, due to earlier experimental treatments, had different vegetations, varying effects related to different fire intensities were observed. The highest, mean stormflow, suspended sediment concentrations resulted from intensive fire in secondary vegetation that had experienced severe soil disturbance in previous treatments (crawler tractor timber extraction 10 years earlier). Stormflow concentrations were typically still about 400 mg l^?1 in 1999 (10–21 months after the fire), which was about the maximum recorded concentration in streams during initial soil disturbance in 1988. Forest fire in natural forest resulted in less than half as high stormflow concentrations. For dissolved elements in streamwater there was a positive relation between fuel load (and fire intensity) and concentration and longevity of effects. Stream baseflow dissolved nutrient concentrations were high in the months following the fire. Mean baseflow K concentrations were 8–15 mg l^?1 in streams draining catchments with intensive fire in secondary vegetation with large amounts of fuel. After controlled fire for forest plantation establishment in 1988 corresponding concentrations were 3–5 mg l^?1, and after forest fire in natural forest in this study about 2 mg l^?1. This study shows differences in response from controlled fire for land management, forest fire in natural forests and wild fires in manmade vegetations. These differences relate to resistance and resilience to fire for the involved ecosystems. There is reason to believe that wild fires and repeated wild fires during or after droughts, in successions caused by human influence, may lead to larger losses of ecosystem nutrient capital from sites compared with forest fires in natural forests. As fire in the humid tropics becomes more common, in an increasingly spatially fragmented landscape, it will be important to be aware of these differences. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of wildfires on surface water repellency in soils of northwest Spain

Soil water repellency (hydrophobicity) is a naturally occurring phenomenon that can be intensified by soil heating during fires. Fire‐induced water repellency, together with the loss of plant cover, is reportedly the principal source of increased surface runoff and accelerated erosion in burned soils. In this study, the surface water repellency of several soils affected by summer forest fires in northwest Spain was studied and compared with that of adjacent unburned soils. Soil water repellency was determined using the ethanol percentage test (MED). Most of the unburned soil samples exhibited water repellency that ranged from strong to very strong; only four of the unburned soil samples were non‐repellent. Water repellency in the unburned soils was significantly correlated with the organic carbon content (r = 0·64, p < 0·05). Overall, fires increased the surface water repellency in soils with previously low degrees of water repellency and caused little change in that of originally strongly hydrophobic soils. In order to examine in detail the changes in water repellency with temperature, three unburned soil samples were subjected to a controlled heating program. Water repellency increased between 25 and 220 °C, water repellency peaked between 220 and 240 °C and disappeared above 260–280 °C. Extrapolation of the results of the heating tests to field conditions suggested that the intensity of fire (temperature and time of residence) reached by most soils during fires is not too high. Based on the results, the determination of water repellency could be used as a simple test for the indirect estimation of the intensity levels reached on the soil surface during a fire. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics of phosphate adsorption onto granulated coal ash in seawater

The deterioration of sediments is a serious environmental problem. Controlling nutrient release fluxes from sediments is important to alleviating eutrophication and to reducing terrigenous nutrient loads. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the phosphate removal performance of granulated coal ash (GCA) from seawater, which is produced from coal thermal electric power generation. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the removal kinetics of phosphate from seawater under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Phosphate was removed well from seawater under both oxic and anoxic conditions. The adsorption isotherm for phosphate revealed that GCA could remove phosphate effectively from seawater above a concentration of 1.7 μmol L⁻¹. GCA can reduce the concentration of phosphate in seawater effectively under anoxic conditions where iron type adsorbents cannot be applied. Therefore, GCA could potentially be used to adsorb phosphate in the organically-enriched sediment, which generally occurs under highly reductive conditions.     

Imprinting chemical remanent magnetization in claystones at 95 °C

Thermal effects related to burial and hydrothermal alteration leads to chemical remanent magnetization (CRM). We present an experimental study of CRM production by heating claystones at 95 °C. A vertical magnetic field of 2 mT was applied to the claystones during heating and the evolution of the remanence during heating in air is monitored intermittently for up to four months. Solid fragments (9 to 26 g) of claystones are included in a Teflon holder that is placed in the oven under a controlled atmosphere. Newly formed grains acquire a CRM and a thermoviscous magnetization (TVRM), both being parallel to the applied magnetic field. CRM is related to the amount of newly formed grains that pass the critical volume during the reaction. To measure the acquired remanence, the claystones are first cooled in a zero magnetic field and then measured using a 2G SQUID magnetometer.In the frame of the research programme on the feasibility of radioactive waste disposal in a deep geological formation, we investigate the magnetic transformation of Mont Terri Lower Dogger claystones (Switzerland) due to thermal imprinting at 95 °C. We simulate the dehydration that occurs in the walls of galleries after excavation when interstitial water evaporates and rehydration when the galleries are refilled allowing water to move towards dehydrated zones. During dehydration, the remanence gains one order of magnitude at the beginning of the experiment and then it follows a linear rate of 0.23 ± 0.07 mA m^− 1/day between 3 and 14 days. The magnetic susceptibility increases by a few percent. The increase of the remanence and of the magnetic susceptibility stops after 15 days. Mass monitoring indicates that interstitial water evaporates when remanence and magnetic susceptibility stabilizes. During rehydration, the remanence increases again whilst magnetic susceptibility drops by a few percent. After 20 days, the remanence during rehydration follows a rate of 0.42 ± 0.15 mA m^− 1/day. By contrast, when rehydration takes place later, after 66 days, the rate is much lower (0.09 ± 0.04 mA m^− 1/day). Low temperature investigation of magnetic properties indicates an initial magnetic assemblage of magnetite and pyrrhotite. Newly formed magnetite and hematite carry the remanence. We propose that magnetite is formed at the expense of pyrite. Hematite results from the progressive oxidation of newly formed magnetite. Our results suggest the possibility that any claystones that pass the oil window can be remagnetized due to the unique action of temperature.     

Viscosity measurements of subliquidus magmas: Alkali olivine basalt from the Higashi-Matsuura district, Southwest Japan

We carried out viscosity measurements and sampling of a crystal suspension derived from alkali olivine basalt from the Matsuura district, SW Japan, at subliquidus temperatures from 1230 °C to 1140 °C under 1 atm with NNO oxygen buffered conditions. Viscosity increased from 31 to 1235 Pa s with a decrease in temperature from 1230 to 1140 °C. On cooling, olivine first appeared at 1210 °C, followed by plagioclase at 1170 °C. The crystal content of the sample attained 31 vol.% at 1140 °C (plagioclase 22%, olivine 9%). Non-Newtonian behaviors, including thixotropy and shear thinning, were pronounced in the presence of tabular plagioclase crystals. The cause of such behavior is discussed in relation to shear-induced changes in melt–crystal textures. Relative viscosities, η_r (= η_s / η_m, where η_s and η_m are the viscosities of the suspension and the melt, respectively), were obtained by calculating melt viscosities from the melt composition and temperature at 1 atm using the equation proposed by Giordano and Dingwell [Giordano, D., Dingwell, D.B., 2003. Non-Arrhenian multicomponent melt viscosity: a model. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 208, 337–349.]. The obtained relative viscosities are generally consistent with the Einstein–Roscoe relation, which represents η_r for suspensions that contain equant and equigranular crystals, even though the crystal suspension analyzed in the present experiments contained tabular plagioclase and granular olivine of various grain sizes. This consistency is attributed to the fact that the effect of crystal shape was counterbalanced by the effect of the dispersion of crystal size. The applicability of the Einstein–Roscoe equation with respect to crystal shape is discussed on the basis of the present experimental results. Our experiments and those of Sato [Sato, H., 2005. Viscosity measurement of subliquidus magmas: 1707 basalt of Fuji volcano. Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences, 100, 133–142.] show that the relationship between relative viscosity and crystal fraction is consistent with the Einstein–Roscoe relationship for axial ratios that are smaller than the critical value of 4–6.5, but discrepancies occur for higher ratios.     

Hysteretic freezing characteristics of riparian peatlands in the Western Boreal Forest of Canada

Freezing characteristics were investigated for a sedge covered floating fen and spruce covered swamp located beside a shallow lake in the Western Boreal Forest of Canada. Thermal properties were measured in situ for one freeze‐thaw cycle, and for two freeze‐thaw cycles in laboratory columns. Thermal conductivity and liquid water content were related to a range of subsurface temperatures above and below the freezing thresholds, and clearly illustrate hysteresis between the freezing and thawing process. Thermal hysteresis occurs because of the large change in thermal conductivity between water and ice, high water content of the peat, and wide variation in pore sizes that govern ice formation. Field and laboratory results were combined to develop linear freezing functions, which were tested in a heat transfer model. For surface temperature boundary conditions, subsurface temperatures were simulated for the over‐winter period and compared with field measurements. Replication of the transient subsurface thermal regime required that freezing functions transition gradually from thawed to frozen state (spanning the ?0·25 to ?2 °C range) as opposed to a more abrupt step function. Subsurface temperatures indicate that the floating fen underwent complete phase change (from water to ice) and froze to approximately the same depth as lake ice thickness. Therefore, the floating fen peatland froze as a ‘shelf’ adjacent to the lake, whereas the spruce covered swamp had a higher capacity for thermal buffering, and subsurface freezing was both more gradual and limited in depth. These thermal properties, and the timing and duration of frozen state, are expected to control the interaction of water and nutrients between surface water and groundwater, which will be affected by changes in air temperature associated with global climate change. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of the thermal regime and subsurface properties of a tidally affected,variably saturated streambed

Temperature and moisture content in the variably saturated subsurface are two of the most important physical parameters that govern a wide variety of geochemical and ecological processes. An understanding of thermal and hydraulic processes and properties of transient vadose zones is therefore fundamental in the evaluation of such processes. Here, an investigation of the thermal regime and subsurface properties of a tidally affected, variably saturated streambed is presented. Field and laboratory measurements, as well as a forward numerical model, are jointly employed in the investigation. Temperature, soil moisture, surface level, and water level data were recorded in a transect perpendicular to a tidally driven stream. Frequency‐domain analysis of the subsurface temperature measurements revealed the rapid decay of the tidal temperature driver within the top ～30 cm of sediment. Several techniques were used to evaluate subsurface thermal and hydraulic properties, including thermal conductivity and the soil water retention curve. These properties were used to constrain a forward numerical model that included coupled treatment of relevant variable saturation thermal and hydraulic physics. Even though the investigated vadose zone is intermittent and relatively shallow ( 20 cm), the results illustrate how error can be introduced into heat‐transport calculations if unsaturated conditions are not taken into account.     

Mantle flow and melting beneath oceanic ridge–ridge–ridge triple junctions

Plate boundary geometry likely has an important influence on crustal production at mid-ocean ridges. Many studies have explored the effects of geometrical features such as transform offsets and oblique ridge segments on mantle flow and melting. This study investigates how triple junction (TJ) geometry may influence mantle dynamics. An earlier study [Georgen, J.E., Lin, J., 2002. Three-dimensional passive flow and temperature structure beneath oceanic ridge-ridge-ridge triple junctions. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 204, 115–132.] suggested that the effects of a ridge–ridge–ridge configuration are most pronounced under the branch with the slowest spreading rate. Thus, we create a three-dimensional, finite element, variable viscosity model that focuses on the slowest-diverging ridge of a triple junction with geometry similar to the Rodrigues TJ. This spreading axis may be considered to be analogous to the Southwest Indian Ridge. Within 100 km of the TJ, temperatures at depths within the partial melting zone and crustal thickness are predicted to increase by ~ 40 °C and 1 km, respectively. We also investigate the effects of differential motion of the TJ with respect to the underlying mantle, by imposing bottom model boundary conditions replicating (a) absolute plate motion and (b) a three-dimensional solution for plate-driven and density-driven asthenospheric flow in the African region. Neither of these basal boundary conditions significantly affects the model solutions, suggesting that the system is dominated by the divergence of the surface places. Finally, we explore how varying spreading rate magnitudes affects TJ geodynamics. When ridge divergence rates are all relatively slow (i.e., with plate kinematics similar to the Azores TJ), significant along-axis increases in mantle temperature and crustal thickness are calculated. At depths within the partial melting zone, temperatures are predicted to increase by ~ 150 °C, similar to the excess temperatures associated with mantle plumes. Likewise, crustal thickness is calculated to increase by approximately 6 km over the 200 km of ridge closest to the TJ. These results could imply that some component of the excess volcanism observed in geologic settings such as the Terceira Rift may be attributed to the effects of TJ geometry, although the important influence of features like nearby hotspots (e.g., the Azores hotspot) cannot be evaluated without additional numerical modeling.     

Ar–Ar age and thermal history of martian dunite NWA 2737

We report an ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar age determination of a whole rock sample of the olivine-rich, martian meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737. Those extractions releasing 0–48% of the ³⁹Ar define an ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar isochron age of 160–190 Ma, when evaluated in various ways. Higher temperature extractions show increasing ages that eventually exceed the reported Sm–Nd age of 1.42 Ga. At least part of this excess ⁴⁰Ar may have been shock implanted from the martian atmosphere. We considered two possible interpretations of the Ar–Ar isochron age, utilizing the measured Ar diffusion characteristics of NWA 2737 and a thermal model, which relates Ar diffusion to the size of a cooling object after shock heating. One interpretation, that ⁴⁰Ar was only partially degassed by an impact event ~ 11 Ma ago (the CRE age), appears possible only if NWA 2737 was shock-heated to temperatures > 600 °C and was ejected from Mars as an object a few 10 s of cm in diameter. The second interpretation, which we prefer, is that NWA experienced an earlier, more intense shock event, which left it residing in a warm ejecta layer, and a less intense event ~ 11 Ma ago, which ejected it into space. Our evaluation would require NWA 2737 to have been heated by this first event to a temperature of ~ 300–500 °C and buried in ejecta to a depth of ~ 1–20 m. These conclusions are compared to model constraints on meteorite ejection from Mars reported in the literature. The second, Mars-ejection impact ~ 11 Ma ago probably heated NWA 2737 to no more than ~ 400 °C. NWA 2737 demonstrates that some martian meteorites probably experienced shock heating in events that did not eject them into space.     

On the validation of a coupled water and energy balance model at small catchment scales

Catchment runoff is the most widely used catchment scale measurement in modelling studies, and we have a reasonable degree of confidence in its accuracy. The advent of satellites gives access to a new suite of measurements taken over a defined spatial range. These measurements, principally reflected or emitted radiation, provide hydrologists with new possibilities for quantifying the state of a catchment. Surface temperatures can be readily measured by a satellite on a scale comparable to the size of a small catchment.

In this paper we show that satellite sensed temperatures can provide an important measure of catchment status, which can complement runoff measurements in water balance studies. A one-dimensional model, which couples the land surface energy balance with the soil and surface water balance is tested by comparison with runoff and with remotely sensed surface temperature measurements. Simulations have been run over four years for two small catchments which have a fairly homogeneous vegetation, one being forest and its neighbour pasture. Satellite “surface” temperatures have been interpreted in terms of the energy balance, and used as a test of modelling accuracy. An “effective” surface temperature is calculated as a weighted mean of temperatures of the separate soil and leaf surfaces. This modelled “effective” temperature correlates well with Landsat TM surface temperatures.

When pasture replaces forest, the model predicts a reduction in evapotranspiration of around 30%, a three-fold increase in runoff, and an increase in mean soil moisture status. The change to pasture also results in a rise in mean effective surface temperature of about 4°C, and an increase in summer diurnal temperature range from 10 to 22°C. The winter diurnal temperature range is similar for both vegetation systems.

Inclusion of soil moisture variability in thermal properties results in an increase in mean daily maximum temperature of about 2°C in summer and winter, without much change in daily minima. The daily mean temperature is not significantly affected.