Drumlin formation in Southern Anglesey and Arvon,Northwest Wales

This is a study of Late Devensian drumlins formed in southern Anglesey and Arvon, northwest Wales. This area was affected by ice sheet coalescence when the Welsh ice sheet met with the lrish Sea ice sheet, and drumlins were formed once the two had coalesced. It is suggested that the drumlins were the result of net subglacial soft-bed erosion, and that they represent more resistant cores within the subglacial deforming layer. The drumlins have either gravel or till cores, and where the core was deformable, large-scale compressive glaciotectonic structures were seen (e.g. Dinas Dinlle) with local subglacial compression of –59%. Where the cores were more resistant (e.g. Lleiniog) these were not deformed but remained as more competent masses within the deforming layer. It is suggested that the less competent material flowed around the cores, some remaining as a thin carapace, but most of the material being removed down glacier, leaving the drumlins as erosional remnants. In northwest Wales there is a multi-till sequence that traditionally has been interpreted as having been deposited as the result of separate ice-sheet advances and retreats. However, in this study, it is suggested that the different tills were deposited as the result of ice-sheet coalescence, and that sites such as Dinas Dinlle do not show evidence of a major readvance in the retreat of the Devensian ice, but are indicative of continuously changing conditions within the subglacial deforming bed.     

On the observations of Mount St Helens volcanic emissions: Research note

Abstract

The envelopes of dust clouds from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington State, U.S.A. were plotted as they traversed the northern United States and southern Canada. Visibility observations at many meteorological stations indicated the presence of volcanic ash and smoke and verified trajectory calculations. In addition, sulphur dioxide released by the volcano was detected as it passed over Toronto, Ontario, while satellite photographs showed dust clouds in the upper atmosphere.     

The rate of grain release by pore-ice sublimation in cold-aeolian environments

Pore‐ice sublimation is a prerequisite for aeolian activity in cold environments where surface sediments hold significant amounts of frozen water. Few quantitative studies have defined the rate of grain release from cemented surfaces by pore‐ice sublimation. In 1996–1997, controlled field experiments at Presqu'ile Beach, Ontario, were implemented to measure sediment release from frozen surfaces. The release rates were compared to the local wind regime, ambient temperature and humidity. In additional field experiments, the effect of sediment water content on grain release by sublimation was examined. From the experimental results, an equation which predicts grain release based on local wind speed, ground temperature, humidity, and surface water content is proposed. Predicted release rates show reasonable agreement with natural deflation measured on the beach at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.     

Benthic Carbon Mineralization and Nutrient Turnover in a Scottish Sea Loch: An Integrative In Situ Study

Based on in situ microprofiles, chamber incubations and eddy covariance measurements, we investigated the benthic carbon mineralization and nutrient regeneration in a ~65-m-deep sedimentation basin of Loch Etive, UK. The sediment hosted a considerable amount of infauna that was dominated by the brittle star A. filiformis. The numerous burrows were intensively irrigated enhancing the benthic in situ O₂ uptake by ~50 %, and inducing highly variable redox conditions and O₂ distribution in the surface sediment as also documented by complementary laboratory-based planar optode measurements. The average benthic O₂ exchange as derived by chamber incubations and the eddy covariance approach were similar (14.9 ± 2.5 and 13.1 ± 9.0 mmol m^?2 day^?1) providing confidence in the two measuring approaches. Moreover, the non-invasive eddy approach revealed a flow-dependent benthic O₂ flux that was partly ascribed to enhanced ventilation of infauna burrows during periods of elevated flow rates. The ratio in exchange rates of ΣCO₂ and O₂ was close to unity, confirming that the O₂ uptake was a good proxy for the benthic carbon mineralization in this setting. The infauna activity resulted in highly dynamic redox conditions that presumably facilitated an efficient degradation of both terrestrial and marine-derived organic material. The complex O₂ dynamics of the burrow environment also concurrently stimulated nitrification and coupled denitrification rates making the sediment an efficient sink for bioavailable nitrogen. Furthermore, bioturbation mediated a high efflux of dissolved phosphorus and silicate. The study documents a high spatial and temporal variation in benthic solute exchange with important implications for benthic turnover of organic carbon and nutrients. However, more long-term in situ investigations with like approaches are required to fully understand how environmental events and spatio-temporal variations interrelate to the overall biogeochemical functioning of coastal sediments.     

Caledonian eclogite-facies metamorphism of Early Proterozoic protoliths from the North-East Greenland Eclogite Province

High-pressure metamorphic assemblages occur in mafic, ultramafic and a few intermediate rocks in a gneiss complex that covers an area of approximately 400 × 100 km in the North-East Greenland Caledonides. Detailed petrologic and geochronologic studies were carried out on three samples in order to clarify the P-T-t evolution of this eclogite province. Geothermobarometry yields temperature estimates of 700–800 °C and pressure estimates of at least 1.5 GPa from an eclogite sensu stricto and as high as 2.35 GPa for a garnet websterite. The eclogite defines a garnet-clinopyroxene-amphibole-whole rock Sm-Nd isochron age of 405 ± 24 Ma (MSWD 0.9). Isofacial garnet websterites define garnet-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene-amphibole-whole rock-(biotite) ages of 439 ± 8 Ma (MSWD =2.1) for a coarse-grained sample and 370 ± 12 Ma (MSWD=0.6) for a finer-grained variety. Overgrowths on zircons from the fine-grained pyroxenite and the eclogite give a pooled ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U SHRIMP age of 377 ± 7 Ma (n=4). Significantly younger Rb-Sr biotite ages of 357 ± 8, 330 ± 6 and 326 ± 6 agree with young Rb-Sr, K-Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral ages from the gneiss complex and indicate slow cooling of the eclogitic rocks. High-pressure metamorphism may have been at least 439 Ma old (Siluro-Ordovician) with cooling through amphibolite-facies conditions in the Devonian and continued crustal thinning and exhumation well into the Carboniferous. Sm-Nd whole rock model ages indicate the eclogite protoliths are Early Proterozoic in age, while ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb SHRIMP ages of 1889 ± 18 and 1981 ± 8 from anhedral zircon cores probably reflect Proterozoic metasomatism. The samples have negative ɛ_Nd values (−5 to −16) and elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.708–0.715), consistent with field evidence that the eclogite protoliths were an integral part of the continental crust long before Caledonian metamorphism. The presence of a large Caledonian eclogite terrane in Greenland requires modification of current tectonic models that postulate subduction of Baltica beneath Laurentia during the Caledonian orogeny. Received: 9 October 1996 / Accepted: 7 July 1997     

Hawaii bibliographic database

 The Hawaii bibliographic database has been created to contain all of the literature, from 1779 to the present, pertinent to the volcanological history of the Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain. References are entered in a PC- and Macintosh-compatible EndNote Plus bibliographic database with keywords and abstracts or (if no abstract) with annotations as to content. Keywords emphasize location, discipline, process, identification of new chemical data or age determinations, and type of publication. The database is updated approximately three times a year and is available to upload from an ftp site. The bibliography contained 8460 references at the time this paper was submitted for publication. Use of the database greatly enhances the power and completeness of library searches for anyone interested in Hawaiian volcanism. Received: 1 June 1997 / Accepted: 17 September 1997     

New Modes of Environmental Governance in Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation in Oregon

Abstract

Natural resource challenges often span administrative jurisdictions and include actors and processes operating at different spatial and political scales. We applied concepts of new environmental governance to analyze Oregon’s approach to greater sage-grouse conservation. Through one in-depth case study in Lake County, we traced features of new environmental governance (cross-scale interactions, decentralization, and capacities of actors) through different governance levels. Interviews and qualitative analysis revealed that decentralization of administrative functions facilitated cross-scale interactions and relied on intermediaries, gap-filling, and perceptions of legitimacy at lower levels. State and agency guidelines steered the effort and were accompanied by financial and technical resources from multiple arenas, which increased local capacity. This study adds to the understandings of environmental governance for implementing multi-actor, multi-level conservation arrangements in resource-dependent communities. Further exploration of connections between higher levels and local contexts will reveal important, new ways to link policies with on-the-ground outcomes.     

Metabolic conversion of cyclohexane by Pacific salmon microsomal preparations

Hydrocarbons are being introduced into the marine environment from a variety of sources including combustion processes, crude oil spills, fuel oil spills, and controlled disposal such as processed ballast water. Even in the relatively clean waters of Alaska hydrocarbons are being released at an alarming rate. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum conditions for the metabolism of a representative hydrocarbon by Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch liver microsomes. The product of cyclohexane metabolism in the salmon microsomal system was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as cyclohexanol. Conditions of the microsome incubation were varied systematically to determine the optimum temperature, pH, and ionic strength for cyclohexanol production. Cyclohexanol was quantified by capillary column gas chromatography. Maximum cyclohexanol formation was achieved at 20°C, a pH of 8·0–8·5 and an ionic strength of 0·026. A linear rate of cyclohexanol formation is seen from 0–60 min of incubation and there is an apparent decrease in the rate from 60–90 min. Poor stability of the microsomal preparation from the species studied was also identified and several stability studies have been undertaken using cyclohexane metabolism as a monitor.     

Magma plumbing beneath Anak Krakatau volcano, Indonesia: evidence for multiple magma storage regions

Understanding magma plumbing is essential for predicting the behaviour of explosive volcanoes. We investigate magma plumbing at the highly active Anak Krakatau volcano (Indonesia), situated on the rim of the 1883 Krakatau caldera by employing a suite of thermobarometric models. These include clinopyroxene-melt thermobarometry, plagioclase-melt thermobarometry, clinopyroxene composition barometry and olivine-melt thermometry. Petrological studies have previously identified shallow magma storage in the region of 2–8 km beneath Krakatau, while existing seismic evidence points towards mid- to deep-crustal storage zone(s), at 9 and 22 km, respectively. Our results show that clinopyroxene in Anak Krakatau lavas crystallized at a depth of 7–12 km, while plagioclase records both shallow crustal (3–7 km) and sub-Moho (23–28 km) levels of crystallization. These magma storage regions coincide with well-constrained major lithological boundaries in the crust, implying that magma ascent and storage at Anak Krakatau is strongly controlled by crustal properties. A tandem seismic tomography survey independently identified a separate upper crustal (<7 km) and a lower to mid-crustal magma storage region (>7 km). Both petrological and seismic methods are sensitive in detecting magma bodies in the crust, but suffer from various limitations. Combined geophysical and petrological surveys, in turn, offer increased potential for a comprehensive characterization of magma plumbing at active volcanic complexes.