Decompression experiments as an insight into ascent rates of silicic magmas

An experimental study of H₂O exsolution, bubble growth and microlite crystallisation during ascent (decompression) of silicic magmas in the volcanic conduit is presented. Isobaric and decompression experiments were performed on a rhyolitic melt at 860 °C, NNO+1, H₂O saturation, and pressures between 15 and 170 MPa. Two sets of decompression experiments were performed, with decompression rates varying between 0.001 and 960 MPa/min: (1) from 150 to 50 MPa (high-pressure decompression), and (2) from 50 to 15 MPa (low-pressure decompression). The experiments highlight incomplete H₂O exsolution for decompression rates>100 MPa/min, incomplete bubble growth for decompression rates>0.1 MPa/min, crystal nucleation time lags, and incomplete chemical re-equilibration to final pressures. The observed crystallisation process, i.e. growth versus nucleation, depends on the decompression range. Indeed, decompression-induced crystallisation during high-pressure decompressions is dominated by growth of existing crystals, whereas during low-pressure decompressions crystal nucleation is the dominating process. This study provides a means to infer magma ascent rates in eruptions of silicic magmas through a combined petrologic and experimental approach.     

Comparison of Two Wavelet Transform Coherence and Cross-Covariance Functions Applied on Polar Motion and Atmospheric Excitation

The wavelet transform techniques were applied to compute time-frequency spectra, coherence and cross-covariance functions between complex-valued polar motion and atmospheric excitation functions. These wavelet transform approaches are based on the classical wavelet transform with Morlet wavelet and the harmonic wavelet transform. The computed coherence and cross-covariance functions enable comparison of polar motion and atmospheric excitation functions data in the chosen frequency band. In the study we concentrate on short period oscillations with periods ranging from several to about 250 days. The time lag functions show frequency dependent time lags corresponding to maxima of the modules of cross-covariance functions between the polar motion and atmospheric excitation functions.     

Environmental records of carbon in recent lake sediments

Based on careful sampling and accurate analysis of recent sediments in Lake Chenghai, this paper discusses the staggered positive/negative correlation between organic carbon (OC) concentration and inorganic carbon (IC) concentration. The result indicates that temperature change, and its induced relative changes are the main factors affecting the relationship between IC concentration, δ¹³C of carbonate and OC concentration. When temperature and its induced photosynthesis strength change control autochthonous calcite precipitation, OC concentration is positively correlated with IC concentration and δ¹³C of carbonate. When temperature and its induced physical/chemical changes dominate, OC concentration displays negative correlation with IC concentration and δ¹³C of carbonate. IC concentration and δ¹³C of carbonate in sediments of Lake Chenghai are good proxies for climatic warm/cold changes.     

湖泊现代沉积物碳环境记录研究

通过对云南程海现代沉积物的精细采样和分析, 研究了湖泊沉积物中有机碳与无机碳含量阶段性的正相关和负相关变化. 结果表明, 温度及其引起的相关变化是控制沉积物无机碳含量、碳酸盐δ ¹³C和有机碳含量变化关系的主要因素. 当温度及其引起的光合作用强度变化对湖泊自生碳酸钙沉淀起主导作用时, 沉积物有机碳含量与无机碳含量及碳酸盐δ ¹³C呈正相关变化; 当温度及其引起的蒸发速率等其他物理化学因素变化对湖泊自生碳酸钙沉淀起主导作用时, 沉积物有机碳含量与无机碳含量及碳酸盐δ ¹³C呈负相关变化. 程海沉积物无机碳含量和碳酸盐δ ¹³C是湖区气候冷暖变化的良好代用指标.     

Morphological Investigations in the River Odra

Since 1992, the Federal Institute of Hydrology (Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde – BfG) performs morphological investigations in the river Odra downstream from the confluence of the river Neiße (Nysa Luzycka). The results of these investigations give a clear insight into the morphodynamic behaviour of this part of the river and indicate that on average 380 000 t of suspended solids and 130 000 t of bed load are transported by the river Odra at Hohensaaten per year, with a distinct seasonal variability in the case of suspended solids. Detailed studies on type and composition of the bed substrates have revealed that the river bottom is composed of very fine material: at Ratzdorf already 75 % of the bed material is finer than 2 mm, at Widuchowa almost all of the river bed material consists of sand finer than 0.63 mm. Because of the high sensitivity of the river bottom to discharge increases and the corresponding increases of bottom shear stress sand was found to be the dominating fraction of the suspended load in case of extreme flood events.     

Nearby galaxies. IV. The global Hubble parameter and the dispersion of the Hubble relation

Using a spherically symmetric model of the Virgo flow the global Hubble parameter has been estimated from the observed radial velocities and the photometrically measured distances of nearby galaxies. Adopting the observed recession velocity of the Virgo Cluster to about 1000 km s⁻¹ and the infall velocity of the Local Group to 350 km s⁻¹ the global Hubble constant results to 73 ± 10 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹. This value corresponds with the distance of the Virgo Cluster of 18 ± 2 Mpc. The cosmic dispersion of the galaxies around the Hubble relation is of order of 35 km s⁻¹.     

Hamiltonian Formulation and Perturbations for Dust Motion Around Cometary Nuclei

In this paper we analyze the dynamical behavior of large dust grains in the vicinity of a cometary nucleus. To this end we consider the gravitational field of the irregularly shaped body, as well as its electric and magnetic fields. Without considering the effect of gas friction and solar radiation, we find that there exist grains which are static relative to the cometary nucleus; the positions of these grains are the stable equilibria. There also exist grains in the stable periodic orbits close to the cometary nucleus. The grains in the stable equilibria or the stable periodic orbits won’t escape or impact on the surface of the cometary nucleus. The results are applicable for large charge dusts with small area-mass ratio which are near the cometary nucleus and far from the Solar. It is found that the resonant periodic orbit can be stable, and there exist stable non-resonant periodic orbits, stable resonant periodic orbits and unstable resonant periodic orbits in the potential field of cometary nuclei. The comet gravity force, solar gravity force, electric force, magnetic force, solar radiation pressure, as well as the gas drag force are all considered to analyze the order of magnitude of these forces acting on the grains with different parameters. Let the distance of the dust grain relative to the mass centre of the cometary nucleus, the charge and the mass of the dust grain vary, respectively, fix other parameters, we calculated the strengths of different forces. The motion of the dust grain depends on the area-mass ratio, the charge, and the distance relative to the comet’s mass center. For a large dust grain (> 1 mm) close to the cometary nucleus which has a small value of area-mass ratio, the comet gravity is the largest force acting on the dust grain. For a small dust grain (< 1 mm) close to the cometary nucleus with large value of area-mass ratio, both the solar radiation pressure and the comet gravity are two major forces. If the a small dust grain which is close to the cometary nucleus have the large value of charge, the magnetic force, the solar radiation pressure, and the electric force are all major forces. When the large dust grain is far away from the cometary nucleus, the solar gravity and solar radiation pressure are both major forces.     

Proterozoic melting in the northern peridotite Massif, Zabargad Island: Os isotopic evidence

The geodynamic history of the three Zabargad peridotite bodies is the key to their significance as samples of the upper mantle. Currently, there are two main hypotheses that differ greatly in their implications for the origin and age of the peridotite complex as a whole. In the first, the Zabargad peridotite bodies all represent young asthenospheric mantle that was juxtaposed with ancient crustal gneisses during the opening of the Red Sea. In the second, the complex may represent a single package of residual mantle and lower crust of Pan-African age that was uplifted during the Miocene. In order to distinguish between these two models, we have analysed five samples of Zabargad peridotite and two pyroxenites for Os isotopes. The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os results range from 0.1198 to 0.1320 and correlate with Al₂O₃, allowing an age inference for the northern body, based on the Os isotopic evolution curve for the bulk Earth, of 1.4±0.3 Gyr. This is at least as old as the previously inferred Pan-African age and may be older, and agrees with previous suggestions that the northern and central peridotite bodies probably represent ancient continental lithospheric mantle, while the southern body represents recent asthenospheric mantle. Our results from both central and southern bodies are consistent with either crustal age hypothesis.     

Methods to Estimate Source Zone Depletion of Fuel Releases by Groundwater Flow

We compare two methods for estimating the natural source zone depletion (NSZD) rate at fuel release sites that occurs by groundwater flow through the source zone due to dissolution and transport of biodegradation products. Dissolution is addressed identically in both methods. The “mass budget method”, previously proposed and applied by others, estimates the petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation rate based on dissolved electron acceptor delivery and dissolved biodegradation product removal by groundwater flow. The mass budget method relies on assumed stoichiometry for the degradation reactions and differences in concentrations of dissolved species (oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, reduced iron, reduced manganese, nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon, methane) at monitoring locations upgradient and downgradient of the source zone. We illustrate a refinement to account for degradation reactions associated with loss of reduced iron from solution. The “carbon budget method,” a simplification of approaches applied by others, addresses carbon‐containing species in solution or lost from solution (precipitated) and does not require assumptions about stoichiometry or information about electron acceptors. We apply both methods to a fuel release site with unusually detailed monitoring data and discuss applicability to more typical and less thoroughly monitored sites. The methods, as would typically be applied, yield similar results but have different constraints and uncertainties. Overall, we conclude that the carbon budget method has greater practical utility as it is simpler, requires fewer assumptions, accounts for most iron‐reducing reactions, and does not include CO₂ that escapes from the saturated to the unsaturated zone.