Motion of charged particles in the magnetosphere

The adiabatic motion of charged particles in the magnetosphere has been investigated using Mead-Fairfield magnetospheric field model (Mead and Fairfield, 1975). Since the motion of charged particles in a dipolar field geometry is well understood, we bring out in this paper some important features in characteristic motion due to non-dipolar distortions in the field geometry. We look at the tilt averaged picture of the field configuration and estimate theoretically the parameters like bounce period, longitudinal invariant and the bounce averaged drift velocities of the charged particle in the Mead-Fairfield field geometry. These parameters are evaluated as a function of pitch angle and azimuthal position in the region of ring current (5 to 7 Earth radii from the centre of the Earth) for four ranges of magnetic activity. At different longitudes the non-dipolar contribution as a percentage of dipole value in bounce period and longitudinal invariant show maximum variation for particles close to 90° pitch angles. For any low pitch angle, these effects maximize at the midnight meridian. The radial component of the bounce averaged drift velocity is found to be greatest at the dawn-dusk meridians and the contribution vanishes at the day and midnight meridians for all pitch angles. In the absence of tilt-dependent terms in the model, the latitudinal component of the drift velocity vanishes. On the other hand, the relative non-dipolar contribution to bounce averaged azimuthal drift velocity is very high as compared to similar contribution in other characteristic parameters of particle motion. It is also shown that non-dipolar contribution in bounce period, longitudinal invariant and bounce averaged drift velocities increases in magnitude with increase in distance and magnetic activity.     

Geospatial and geostatistical approach for groundwater potential zone delineation

Over the past few decades, groundwater has become an essential commodity owing to increased demand as a result of growing population, industrialization, urbanization and so on. The water supply situation is expected to become more severe in the future because of continued unsustainable water use and projected change in hydrometeorological parameters due to climate change. This study is based on the integrated approach of remote sensing, geographical information system and multicriteria decision‐making techniques to determine the most important contributing factors that affect the groundwater resources and to delineate the groundwater potential zones. Ten thematic layers, namely, geomorphology, geology, soil, topographic elevation (digital elevation model), land use/land cover, drainage density, lineament density, proximity of surface water bodies, surface temperature and post‐monsoon groundwater depth, were considered for the present study. These thematic layers were selected for groundwater prospecting based on the literature; discussion with the experts of the Central Ground Water Board, Government of India; field observations; geophysical investigation; and multivariate techniques. The thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty's scale according to their relative significance for groundwater occurrence. The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized by using the analytic hierarchy process and eigenvector method. Finally, the selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final groundwater potential zone map. The final output map shows different zones of groundwater potential, namely, very good (16%), good (35%), moderate (28%) low (17%) and very low (2.1%). The groundwater potential zone map was finally validated using the discharge and groundwater depth data from 28 and 98 pumping wells, respectively, which showed good correlation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New record of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plectoidothyris</Emphasis> from the Middle Jurassic Sequence of Jaisalmer Basin,Western India: Implications on the easterly brachiopod migrations

The Bathonian sediments of the Jaisalmer Basin, India host a terebratulide brachiopod Plectoidothyris which has been previously known from the Bajocian rocks of the Boreal Province. The sharp and prominent plication of the anterior commissure and increased length of costae separates the Jaisalmer specimens from other known species of the genus and the population represents an endemic species — Plectoidothyris jaisalmerensis. The population was only cursorily described earlier lacking in details of precise stratigraphic control and was wrongly assigned to a different genus. The present study is based on a large number of specimens from different localities with precise stratigraphic data, coupled with this some recent findings of time-diagnostic ammonites have helped determine the Plectoidothyris jaisalmerensis duration in the Jaisalmer Basin as the Late Bathonian. Presence of lower Jurassic Boreal brachiopod genera in the Middle Jurassic rocks of Ethiopian and Indo — Madagascan biogeographic provinces has been noticed earlier whereto Plectoidothyris is a new addition while it is also the first report of the genus from the Jurassic of India. The brachiopod migrations from the north to south of the Tethys provide evidences for opening of shallow water routes in the Tethyan seaway and are probably indicative of warmer water conditions in the Indo-Madagascan and African areas during the Middle Jurassic.     

The effect of a uniform external pressure on the ionospheric boundary of a non-magnetic planet in a steady solar wind

The interaction of the solar wind with non-magnetic planets has been investigated theoretically taking account of the dilution of a planet's gravity field with distance and a uniform static external pressure of the incident solar wind. This results in the termination of the ionospheric boundary at a finite distance on the nightside of the planet. Numerical results are obtained for the shape of the boundary for different values of the scale height of the ionosphere, and for ratios of static to dynamic pressure of the incident solar wind.     

Neutron stars and the equation of state

The interior of neutron stars consists of the densest, although relatively cold, matter known in the universe. Here, baryon number densities might reach values close to ten times the nuclear saturation density. These suggest that the constituents of neutron star cores not only consist of nucleons, but also of more exotic baryons like hyperons or a phase of deconfined quarks. We discuss the consequences of such exotic particles on the gross properties and phenomenology of neutron stars. In addition, we determine the general phase structure of dense and also hot matter in the chiral parity-doublet model and confront model results with the recent constraints derived from the neutron star merger observation.     

High-pressure silicate liquidus data: Retrieval of partial molar enthalpy and partial molar entropy of mixing,a test of the regular solution formulation,and comments on theP-T modelling of ascending magmas

The activity of a silicate liquid component in a melt at an elevated liquidus temperature and pressure may be expressed analytically in terms of the 1-bar liquidus temperature activity and functions of the partial molar volume and partial molar enthalpy of mixing. Alternatively, the activity of the elevated (i.e. higherP-T) liquidus may be expressed in terms of the difference of heat content, heat capacity, entropy and volume of the component in the crystalline form and in the melt. Equating these two expressions, the partial molar enthalpy of mixing and there-from the partial molar entropy of mixing may be determined, provided the liquidus temperatures of the phase in question at both 1 bar and higher pressure and at a constant melt composition are known. Several such retrievals for CaMgSi₂O₆, Mg₂SiO₄, NaAlSi₃O₈, and TiO₂ from experimental phase equilibrium data are presented. It is argued that as the partial molar enthalpy of mixing generally has large values, the regular solution formulation on the basis of a constant function of the activity coefficient would lead to erroneousP-T estimates for ascending magmas.     

Geologic,geomorphic and hydrologic framework and evolution of the Bengal basin,India and Bangladesh

The Bengal basin, the largest fluvio-deltaic sedimentary system on Earth, is located in Bangladesh and three eastern states of India. Sediment accumulates in the basin from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GBM) river systems and is dispersed into the Bay of Bengal, forming the largest submarine fan in the world. The basin is located in the Himalayan foreland at the junction of the Indian, Eurasian, and Burmese plates. The basin is bounded by the Indian craton on the west and the Indo-Burmese fold belts on the east. It can be broadly divided into a stable shelf and a foredeep separated by a deep seismic hinge zone. Basin sediments overlie Gondwanan basement and vary in thickness from a few kilometers on the stable shelf to more than 16 km in the foredeep. The basin was initiated at the breakup of Gondwanaland in the late Mesozoic and evolved through the formation of the proto-GBM delta to the present delta starting around 10.5 Ma. The stratigraphy of the different parts of the basin differs considerably, because of contrast in depositional history within the several sub-basins that were produced by intra-plate tectonic activities associated with ongoing Himalayan orogeny. The present-day geomorphology is dominated by the extensive Holocene GBM floodplain and delta. The vertical succession of the deltaic plain can be classified into five units on the basis of differences in grain size, which reflect differing depositional environments. The initiation of the modern GBM delta at the onset of the Pleistocene glacial maximum and its evolution to the present configuration are intricately related to Holocene fluvio-dynamic processes, eustatic sea-level changes, and tectonic movements.The sedimentology and mineralogy of the different parts of the basin reflect differences in sediment provenance. The mineralogy is dominated by detrital quartz, some feldspar, and minor amounts of carbonates; illite and kaolinite are the main clay minerals. The basin has profuse groundwater resources, but the architecture of the aquifers is not yet well resolved. Different classification schemes have been proposed on the basis of lithology. Regional groundwater flow follows a low hydraulic gradient from north to south, but pumping for irrigation during the past several decades appears to have severely distorted regional flow. Recharge occurs primarily during the monsoon season. Groundwater chemistry is dominated by anoxic, Ca–HCO₃-type water with relatively high concentrations of Fe, Mn, and As. Carbonate dissolution, silicate weathering, FeOOH reduction, and mixing with saline water are the primary processes controlling hydrochemistry.     

Efficiency of organic ligands in adsorptive dissolution and photoreductive dissolution of hematite

Organic ligands, especially oxalate, play an important role in iron dissolution from iron-containing minerals. To study the effects of organic acid ligands on the dissolution of iron-containing minerals, the dissolution kinetics of hematite in the presence of oxalate, acetate, and formate were studied under ultraviolet radiation with varying ligand concentrations (10–3 mM). The results indicate that for adsorption dissolution, oxalate is the dominating ligand for producing soluble iron (III) from hematite; for photoreductive dissolution under ultraviolet radiation and in oxic conditions, the production of iron (II) is highly proportional to the concentrations of oxalate, whereas the effects of varying concentrations of formate and acetate are not significant. At low oxalate concentrations (10–500 µM), the photoreductive dissolution of iron (II) is substantially low, while at high oxalate concentrations (3 mM), oxalate is equally effective as formate and acetate for producing photoreduced iron (II) from hematite. Combining with field data from other works, it is likely that the ratios of oxalate to total iron need to be higher than a threshold range of ~1.2–5.5 in order for oxalate to effectively produce photoreduced iron (II) from hematite. This study demonstrates that the iron (II) yield from photoreduction of hematite is significantly lower when the hematite surface is pre-coated with organic ligands versus when it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation instantaneously.