Detailed abundances of rare earth elements,thorium and uranium in chondritic meteorites: An ICP-MS study

Abstract— Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was successfully applied to bulk samples of Allende, Jilin, Modoc, Saint-Séverin and Atlanta for the determination of rare earth elements (REE) (Y and 14 lanthanoids), Th and U. The results of ICP-MS showed good agreement with recommended values, and their reproducibilities were high enough to discuss the detailed abundances of lanthanoids and actinoids in chondritic meteorites. For the Allende reference sample issued by the Smithsonian Institution, a positive anomaly of Tm, a fractionation between light REE and heavy REE and a high Th/U ratio were observed in the CI-normalized abundances of REE, Th and U. These features are common for group II inclusions in Allende, suggesting that the abundances of refractory lithophiles in Allende are somewhat influenced by those in a specific constituent. For the other chondritic meteorites, a zigzag alteration was commonly observed in the heavy-REE region of their CI-normalized abundance patterns. It is suggested that such a zigzag pattern is attributable to erratically high abundances of monoisotopic REE (Tb, Ho and Tm) in the CI values. Abundances of REE, Th and U in the bulk samples are also discussed separately in detail.     

Solar-system abundances of the elements

A new abundance table has been compiled, based on a critical review of all C1 chondrite analyses up to mid-1982. Where C1 data were inaccurate or lacking, data for other meteorite classes were used, but with allowance for fractionation among classes. In a number of cases, interelement ratios from meteorites or lunar and terrestrial rocks as well as solar wind were used to check and constrain abundances. A few elements were interpolated (Ar, Kr, Xe, Hg) or estimated from astronomical data (H, C, N, O, He, Ne).For most elements, the new abundances differ by less than 20% from those of Cameron (1982a). In 14 cases, the change is between 20 and 50% (He, Ne, Be, Br, Nb, Te, I, Xe, La, Gd, Tb, Yb, Ta and Pb) and in 5 others, it exceeds 50% (B, P, Mo, W, Hg). Some important interelement ratios ($\text{Na}\text{K}$, $\text{Se}\text{Te}$, $\text{Rb}\text{Sr}$, $\text{Kr}\text{Xe}$, $\text{La}\text{W}$, $\text{Th}\text{U}$, $\text{Pb}\text{U}$, etc.) are significantly affected by these changes.Three tests were carried out, to see how closely C1 chondrites approximate primordial solar system abundances. (1) A plot of solar vs Cl abundances shows only 7 discrepancies by more than twice the nominal error of the solar abundance: Ga, Ge, Nb, Ag, Lu, W and Os. Most or all apparently reflect errors in the solar data or f-values. (2) The major cosmochemical groups (refractories, siderophiles, volatiles, etc.) show no significant fractionation between the Sun and C1's, except possibly for a slight enrichment of volatiles in Cl's. (3) Abundances of odd-A nuclides between A = 65 and 209 show an almost perfectly smooth trend, with elemental abundances conforming to the slope defined by isotopic abundances. There is no evidence for systematic fractionation of the major cosmochemical groups from each other. Small irregularities (10–15%) show up in the Ag-Cd-In and Sm-Eu regions; the former may be due to a ~ 15% error in the Ag abundance and the latter, to a 10–20% fractionation of Eu during condensation, to contamination of C1 chondrites with interplanetary dust during regolith exposure, or to a change from s-process to r-process dominance.It appears that the new set of abundances is accurate to at least 10%, as irregularities of 5–10% are readily detectable. Accordingly, Cl chondrites seem to match primordial solar-system matter to ? 10%, with only four exceptions. Br and I are definitely and B is possibly fractionated by hydrothermal alteration, whereas Eu seems to be enriched by nebular condensation or regolith contamination.     

Formation of bipolar flow by the stellar wind embeded in molecular disk

The interaction of the isotropic stellar wind with the rotating isothermal cloud surrounding the young star is investigated. The density distribution of the cloud is taken as that for the equilibrium state of the rotating isothermal cloud modified by adding the rarefied interstellar gas in the polar region. The development of the shock envelope and the structure of the shell induced by the stellar wind are obtained. It is shown that the envelope of the shock front elongates and opens to the polar direction with half opening angle of about 20 degrees resulting the bipolar flow which is able to reproduce well the observed properties for the outflow in the bipolar sources.     

U–Pb zircon ages of the Nakanogawa Group in the Hidaka Belt,northern Japan: Implications for its provenance and the protolith of the Hidaka metamorphic rocks

Zircon U–Pb ages of two acidic tuff and two turbidite sandstone samples from the Nakanogawa Group, Hidaka Belt, were measured to estimate its depositional age and the development of the Hokkaido Central Belt, northeast Japan. In the northern unit, homogeneous zircons from pelagic acidic tuff from a basal horizon dated to 58–57 Ma, zircons from sandstone from the upper part of the unit dated to 56–54 Ma, and zircons from acidic tuff from the uppermost part dated to 60–56 Ma and 69–63 Ma. Both of the tuff U–Pb ages are significantly older than the youngest radiolarian fossil age (66–48 Ma). Therefore, the maximum depositional age of the turbidite facies in the northern unit is 58 Ma and the younger age limit, estimated from the fossil age, is 48 Ma. In the southern unit, homogeneous zircons from turbidite sandstone dated to 58–57 Ma. Thus the depositional age of this turbidite facies was interpreted to be 66–56 Ma from the fossil age, probably close to 57 Ma. Most of the zircon U–Pb ages from the Nakanogawa Group are younger than 80 Ma, with a major peak at 60 Ma. This result implies that around Hokkaido volcanic activity occurred mainly after 80 Ma. Older zircon ages (120–80 Ma, 180–140 Ma, 340–220 Ma, 1.9 Ga, 2.2 Ga, and 2.7 Ga) give information about the provenance of other rocks in the Hidaka Belt. It is inferred that the Nakanogawa Group comprises protoliths of the upper sequence of the Hidaka Metamorphic Zone, which therefore has the same depositional age as the Nakanogawa Group (66–48 Ma). The depositional ages of the lower sequence of the Hidaka Metamorphic Zone and the Nakanogawa Group are probably the same.     

Accurate Determination of Chlorine,Bromine and Iodine in U.S. Geological Survey Geochemical Reference Materials by Radiochemical Neutron Activation Analysis

Trace amounts of three halogens (chlorine, bromine and iodine) in seventeen U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geochemical reference materials were determined by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA). The materials analysed were AGV‐2 (andesite), BCR‐2, BHVO‐2 and BIR‐1a (basalts), CLB‐1 (coal), COQ‐1 (carbonatite), DGPM‐1 (disseminated gold ore), DNC‐1a (dolerite), DTS‐2b (dunite), GSP‐2 (granodiorite), Nod‐A‐1 and Nod‐P‐1 (manganese nodules), QLO‐1a (quartz latite), SBC‐1 (marine shale), SDC‐1 (mica schist), SGR‐1b (shale rock) and W‐2a (diabase). The chlorine, bromine and iodine contents were determined to be 5.64 mg kg^?1 (BIR‐1a) to 4410 mg kg^?1 (Nod‐A‐1), 0.039 mg kg^?1 (BIR‐1a) to 52.1 mg kg^?1 (CLB‐1), and 0.041 mg kg^?1 (BIR‐1a) to 599 mg kg^?1 (CLB‐1), respectively. The RNAA data of the three halogens were compared with the corresponding data in the literature.     

A kinematical consideration on behavior of a front within a typhoon area

Summary Considering that a front is a substantial line, the behavior of a pre-existing front is investigated kinematically within a typhoon area in middle latitudes. The wind field of a typhoon is represented by the Rankine combined vortex to determine the deformation and displacement of the pre-existing front from trajectories of each point constituting the front by Petterssen's method of successive approximations. Comparison of the results thus obtained for the cases of typhoons Doris and Winnie, 1966, with those by the surface analysis shows good agreement.

---

Eine kinematische Betrachtung über das Verhalten einer Front in einem Taifunbereich

Zusammenfassung Unter der Annahme, daß eine Front eine substantielle Linie ist, wird das Verhalten einer bereits vorhandenen Front, die in einen Taifun-Bereich in mittleren Breiten einbezogen wird, kinematisch untersucht. Das Windfeld eines Taifuns wird durch einen zusammengesetzten Rankine-Wirbel dargestellt, um die Deformation und Verlagerung der bereits vorhandenen Front aus den Trajektorien jedes Punktes der Front nach der Petterssen-Methode der sukzessiven Approximation zu berechnen. Ein Vergleich der Resultate, die auf diese Weise für die Taifune Doris und Winnie (1966) erhalten wurden, mit Ergebnissen von Bodenkarten-Analysen zeigt gute Übereinstimmung.

---

---

With 7 Figures     

The impact of a supernova explosion in a very massive binary

We consider the effect of a supernova (SN) explosion in a very massive binary that is expected to form in a portion of Population III stars with the mass higher than  100 M_⊙  . In a Population III binary system, a more massive star can result in the formation of a black hole (BH) and a surrounding accretion disc. Such BH accretion could be a significant source of the cosmic reionization in the early Universe. However, a less massive companion star evolves belatedly and eventually undergoes a SN explosion, so that the accretion disc around a BH might be blown off in a lifetime of companion star. In this paper, we explore the dynamical impact of a SN explosion on an accretion disc around a massive BH, and elucidate whether the BH accretion disc is totally demolished or not. For the purpose, we perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of a very massive binary system, where we assume a BH of  10³ M_⊙  that results from a direct collapse of a very massive star and a companion star of  100 M_⊙  that undergoes a SN explosion. We calculate the remaining mass of a BH accretion disc as a function of time. As a result, it is found that a significant portion of gas disc can survive through three-dimensional geometrical effects even after the SN explosion of a companion star. Even if the SN explosion energy is higher by two orders of magnitude than the binding energy of gas disc, about a half of disc can be left over. The results imply that the Population III BH accretion disc can be a long-lived luminous source, and therefore could be an important ionizing source in the early Universe.     

Contributions of sandy lands and stony deserts to long-distance dust emission in China and Mongolia during 2000–2006

More than 400 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images of dust storm events were collected and analyzed, and individual events were tracked back to their origins. Dust tracks were determined from color composite images, brightness temperature difference (BTD) and the NOAA Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model. The results showed that five regions (sandy lands in central Inner Mongolia and the adjacent area of Mongolia; the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang and Gansu provinces, western Inner Mongolia, and the adjacent southwestern area of Mongolia; the Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia and the adjoining area of northern Inner Mongolia; sandy lands and deserts around the middle reaches of the Yellow River; and the area rimming the Taklimakan Desert) were the main contributors to long-lived mineral dusts in northern China and Mongolia. Of these dust production areas, sandy lands and stony deserts, rather than the sandy deserts of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, were found to be the dominant dust sources, accounting for more than 75% of regional dust emission events. Dust events in the Taklimakan Desert were often local phenomena, although they could also be transported eastward if they were uplifted high enough to escape the enclosing topographic highs. Dust sources in northwestern China are mainly alluvial fans and dry lake and river beds. Success in identifying the sources and trajectories of Asian dust storms would guide future ground-based research and steppe degradation countermeasures and help reduce the uncertainties in modern modeling of Asian dust.