Glacial-isostatic Adjustment and the Viscosity Structure Underlying the Vatnajökull Ice Cap,Iceland

We examine the dependence of glacial-isostatic adjustment (GIA) due to changes in the Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland, on the underlying viscosity structure. Iceland offers a unique case study for GIA research, with a thinner elastic lithosphere underlain by a low-viscosity zone or asthenosphere, as opposed to regions such as Fennoscandia or North America described by a thicker lithosphere, while not necessarily featuring an asthenosphere.A laterally homogeneous spherical earth model is used consisting of an elastic lithosphere, a viscoelastic asthenosphere, a viscoelastic upper and lower mantle and a fluid core. We examine the response of the earth model to three ice models with circular plans and cross-section profiles based on the assumption of perfectly plastic material, but with different load histories. These are: (1) A history where the ice cap grows from a AD 900 minimum to a maximum at 1890, followed by a uniform decrease until 1991, continuing to the present day at an average rate based on recent mass-balance measurements, (2) a history that is the same as the first, except for constant ice volumes prior to 1890, and (3) a history that is again the same as the first model, except that the post-1991 changes correspond to the measured mass-balance values. We first compare the response to each ice model using typical earth-model parameters for Iceland presented in the literature. We then undertake a parameter-space search, where we assess the importance of lithosphere thickness, asthenosphere viscosity and basal asthenosphere depth, to predicted vertical-displacement rates, and compare them to rates determined from GPS measurements obtained from campaigns conducted between 1991 and 1999.The earth-viscosity structure that provides the optimum predictions with respect to the GPS-derived vertical-displacement rates consists of an elastic lithosphere with a thickness of between 20 and 30 km, an asthenosphere viscosity between 1 and 2 × 10¹⁸ Pa s, and a basal asthenosphere depth between 250 km and possibly greater than 400 km. We find that the very low asthenosphere viscosity values of ca. 10¹⁷ Pa s sometimes suggested in the literature are not necessary to account for the rapid vertical-displacement rates observed, which are the result of the contemporary decrease in the mass of the ice cap not considered previously.     

Computation of the heat function connected with short-wave radiation fluxes

Summary A report is presented on the use of the method, suggested by H. and K. Lettau, for the purposes of computing short-wave radiation fluxes and the heat function, connected with them, in atmospheric models, used for short-range numerical weather forecasting.Dedicated to 90th Birthday of Professor Frantiek Fiala     

Daily variations of the characteristics of beating-typePc3 (Bpc3) pulsations

Summary The spectra of nearly 100 samples of Bpc3 pulsations were computed in the X and Y components of data from the Budkov Observatory. These spectra were used to study the daily variations of the fundamental characteristics of the pulsations, the frequency f ₀ and amplitude A ₀ of the main spectral peaks. The daily variation of the ellipticity of the polarization ellipses of oscillations in frequency f ₀ was also studied in the XY-plane.Part of these results was reported at the XVth General Assembly of the IUGG, Moscow, August 1971.     

Spectral analysis of geomagneticPc3 pulsations recorded at the observatories of Budkov and Belsk

Summary The numerical method of Fourier's spectral analysis is used to treat 29 pairs of samples of pc3 pulsations recorded at the observatories of Budkov (Czechoslovakia) and Belsk (Poland). The amplitude, frequency and phase characteristics of their spectra are compared. The polarization characteristics of the spectral frequency components of pulsations recorded at both observatories are compared in a quasi-stationary approximation of a plane oscillation.     

Two-component spectral analysis of geomagneticpi2 pulsations

Summary The method of two-component spectral analysis is described in two versions: as the so-called static analysis, in which the pulsation sample being studied is treated as a whole, and as the dynamic analysis, in which the given sample is processed piecewise in order to determine the time variations of various parameters. Both versions were applied to geomagnetic pi2 pulsations. The pi2 oscillations are resolved into several frequency components. The properties of these components are studied in dependence on the frequency and local time. The time variation of the amplitude (attenuation) and the polarization characteristics (precession) of pi2's are also studied.     

Geochemistry and origin of volcanic rocks of the Andes (26°–28°S)

Mesozoic to Recent volcanic rocks from a transect of the Central Andes between latitudes 26 ° and 28 ° South in northern Chile and Argentina show chemical and temporal zonation with respect to the Peru-Chile trench. Jurassic to Eocene lavas occur closer to the trench and are comparable to calc-alkaline rocks of island arcs. Eastwards they are followed by Miocene to Quaternary sequences of typical continental margin calc-alkaline rocks which have higher contents of K, Rb, Sr, Ba, Zr, and REE and also higher K/Na and La/Yb ratios. The rocks occurring farthest from the trench have shoshonitic affinities. The distribution of major and trace elements is consistent with a model in which magmas were derived by anatexis of an upper mantle source already enriched in LILE and located above the descending oceanic slab. It is suggested that the chemical variations across the volcanic belt reflect systematic changes in the composition of the magmas due to a decreasing degree of partial melting with increasing depth, and probably also due to the heterogeneity of the source materials.     

Spectra and polarization characteristics of geomagneticPc4 pulsations recorded at field station štrkovec

ama nm u nmam nuau aamumuuaum nau muna Pc4 n ¶rt;a u mauu m, a¶rt; a m m anam ¶rt;u amu u¶rt;a umu. n¶rt;a auum nu¶rt;a u anum¶rt; nau u u nuau aamumu mu ¶rt; u m aum amumu, u au uu m¶rt; naam. mam auam mamau amu nau Pc3 u Pi2 n ¶rt;a u mau ¶rt; u u.