Magnetic properties of some tertiary basalts from West Greenland

Summary Measurements of bulk magnetic properties, including the natural remanent magnetization (NRM), susceptibility and the Königsberger ratio, on over 250 samples of Tertiary basalts from Disko and Nûgssuaq, West Greenland are reported.The NRM intensities in basalts (geometric mean value 3.3 A/m in SI units) were on average three to four times as large as the induced magnetization intensities. The susceptibilities (geometric mean value 2.1×10^–2 SI units) were much more uniform than the NRM intensities. In the majority of samples, the NRM was predominantly of reverse (R) polarity, but samples from a few sites showed a remanence of normal (N) polarity.The NRM of both polarity classes (N, R) was very stable against alternating field (AF) demagnetization with median destructive fields of the order of 20,000–30,000 A/m (250–350 Oe), comparable to those for many stable continental and oceanic basalts. The viscous remanence intensity, as studied by storage tests on some specimens, was found to be an insignificant fraction of the original NRM, except in few cases.The low field hysteresis loops (Rayleigh loops) were studied for some specimens. A qualitative association was noted between wide hysteresis loop and relatively low AF stability, but no correlation was apparent between the loop type and the Königsberger ratio (Q _n) of a specimen.Contribution no. 6 Institute of Geophysics, University of Copenhagen.     

Deformational and crystallization history of the Precambrian rocks in north-central Aravalli Mountain,Rajasthan, India

Large-scale structures, textures and mineral assemblages in the Precambrian rocks of the Banded Gneissic Complex and the overlying Delhi Group in north-central Aravalli Mountain reveal a complex deformational-crystallization history. In the basement Gneissic Complex at least three deformational events, D₀, D₁ and D₂, and two separate episodes of metamorphism, M₁ and M₂, are recognized. The supracrustal Delhi Rocks display only two phases of deformation, D₁ and D₂, associated with a single protracted period of metamorphism, M₂.The first phase of deformation (D₁) of the Delhi orogeny (1650-900 m.y.) produced large isoclinal folds that are overturned towards the southeast and have gentle plunges in NE and SW directions. The second phase of deformation (D₂) gave rise to tight open folds on the limbs and axial-plane surfaces of the D₁ folds. These folds generally plunge towards the N and NNW at 30°–80°. In the Basement Complex one more deformation (D₀) of the Pre-Delhi orogeny (> 2000 m.y.) is recorded by the presence of reclined and recumbent folds with W to WNW trending fold axes. The D₀ folds were superimposed by D₁ and D₂ folds during the Delhi orogeny.The three deformational events have been correlated with the crystallization periods of minerals in the rocks and a setting in time is established for this part of the Aravalli range.     

Variation of δ18O, δD and 3H in karst springs of south Kashmir,western Himalayas (India)

Water samples were collected from cold and warm karst springs for stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δD) and ³H from SE of Kashmir valley (western Himalayas) to distinguish the sources of recharge and infer their recharge areas. The spring water samples were most depleted in heavier isotopes in May (average δ¹⁸O: ?8.87‰ and δD: ?50.3‰) and enriched in September (average δ¹⁸O: ?7.58‰ and δD: ?48.1‰). The depleted ¹⁸O and ²H of spring waters bear the signatures of winter precipitation while as the enriched ¹⁸O and ²H of spring waters bear the signature of summer rainfall. D‐excess and ³H corroborate with the stable isotope results that the spring flow in spring season (May) and autumn (September) is dominantly controlled by the melting of winter snowmelt and summer rainfall, respectively. The results showed that unlike δD, the δ¹⁸O value in the karst spring waters decreases in January suggesting δ¹⁸O shift. The spring water samples also fall above the Local Meteoric Water Line and Global Meteoric Water Line indicating the δ¹⁸O shift due to interaction of groundwater with the host carbonate rocks during its traverse. The mean elevation of the recharge areas of the springs using δ¹⁸O and δD tracers was also estimated. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GIS-based landslide susceptibility zonation for roadside slope repair and maintenance in the Himalayan region

Roadside slope failure is a common problem in the Himalayan region as road construction activities disturb natural slopes. Therefore, landslide susceptibility zonation is necessary for roadside slope disaster management and planning development activities. In this study, we consider a 53-kin section of a major highway in Nepal where road services are suspended for several days in the monsoon season every year. A number of methods have been used for landslide susceptibility zonation. We employed a bivariate statistical approach for this study. Relevant thematic layer maps represent- ing various factors （e.g., slope, aspect, land use, lithology, drainage density, proximity to stream and proximity to road） that are related to landslide activity, have been prepared using Geographic Information System （GIS） techniques. A total of 277 landslides （covering a total of 29.90 km2） of various dimensions have been identified in the area. A landslide susceptibility map was prepared by overlaying a landslide inventory map with various parameter maps segmented into various relevant classes. The landslide susceptibility index was seg- mented into five zones, viz. very low, low, moderate, high and very high susceptibility. Landslide susceptibility zonation maps are useful tools for the efficient planning and management of roadside slope repair and maintenance tasks in the Himalayan region.     

Transient Evolution of Nonlinear Localized Coherent Structures of Kinetic Alfvén Waves

We present numerical simulations of kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) and inertial Alfvén waves (IAWs) applicable to the solar wind, the solar corona, and the auroral regions, respectively, leading to the formation of coherent magnetic structures when the nonlinearity arises from ponderomotive effects and Joule heating. The nonlinear dynamical equation satisfies the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The effect of nonlinear coupling between the main KAW/IAW and the perturbation, producing filamentary structures of the magnetic field, has been studied. Scalings in the spectral index of the power spectrum at different times have been calculated. These filamentary structures can act as a source for particle acceleration by wave?–?particle interaction because the KAWs/IAWs are mixed modes and Landau damping is possible.     

Concurrent Use of OSCAT and AltiKa to Characterize Antarctic Ice Surface Features

Radar altimetry provides an important geophysical parameter, backscatter coefficient (σ₀), which is useful in studying target surface characteristics. Ku-band (Oceansat-2 scatterometer- OSCAT) and Ka-band (SARAL-AltiKa altimeter) data are concurrently used to characterize polar surface features over the Antarctic region. Maximum-likelihood classification has been employed to classify combined data set (AltiKa and OSCAT) for discrimination among sea ice, open water, and ice sheet (interior and exterior). The sea ice region obtained using the current approach has been compared with sea ice boundary derived from passive microwave data.     

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Insecticide Carbaryl to Flounder Gill Cells and Its Teratogenicity to Zebrafish Embryos

In this study, we determined the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of carbamate insecticide carbaryl to flounder gill(FG) cells and its teratogenicity to zebrafish embryos. The cytotoxicity of carbaryl to FG cells was determined with methods including MTT and neutral red uptaking(NRU), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) releasing and Hoechst 33342 and propidium idodide(PI) double staining. Moderate cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner was observed. The 24 h-IC50 value of 53.48 ± 1.21, 59.13 ± 1.19 and 46.21 ± 1.24 mg L-1 carbaryl was obtained through MTT, NRU and LDH assays, respectively. Double fluorescence staining demonstrated that carbaryl induced the death of FG cells mainly through necrosis. There was no significant genotoxicity found in the FG cells exposed to the highest testing concentration of carbaryl(20 mg L-1, P 0.05) as was demonstrated by Comet assay. Zebrafish embryos exposed to carbaryl at concentrations ≥10 mg L-1 displayed moderate toxic effects on the survival, spontaneous movement, hatching, heart rates of the embryos and their development, which were evidenced by yolk and pericardial sac edemas, body length reduction and tail flexure in time- and concentration-dependent manners at specific stages. The 24 h-, 48 h- and 96 h-LC50 values of carbaryl to zebrafish embryos were 41.80 ± 1.10, 17.80 ± 1.04 and 14.46 ± 1.05 mg L-1, respectively. These results suggested that carbaryl is moderately toxic to FG cells cultured in vitro and zebrafish embryos, and the FG cells were similar to zebrafish embryos in their sensitivity to carbaryl as 24 h-IC50 and LC50 indicated.     

Modelling the 21-cm Signal from the Epoch of Reionization and Cosmic Dawn

Studying the cosmic dawn and the epoch of reionization through the redshifted 21-cm line are among the major science goals of the SKA1. Their significance lies in the fact that they are closely related to the very first stars in the Universe. Interpreting the upcoming data would require detailed modelling of the relevant physical processes. In this article, we focus on the theoretical models of reionization that have been worked out by various groups working in India with the upcoming SKA in mind. These models include purely analytical and semi-numerical calculations as well as fully numerical radiative transfer simulations. The predictions of the 21-cm signal from these models would be useful in constraining the properties of the early galaxies using the SKA data.     

Gravitational Instability of Cylindrical Viscoelastic Medium Permeated with Non Uniform Magnetic Field and Rotation

The self-gravitating instability of an infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder of viscoelastic medium permeated with non uniform magnetic field and rotation is studied for both the strongly coupled plasma (SCP) and weakly coupled plasma (WCP). The non uniform magnetic field and rotation are considered to act along the axial direction of the cylinder. The normal mode method of perturbations is applied to obtain the dispersion relation. The condition for the onset of gravitational instability has been derived from the dispersion relation under both strongly and weakly coupling limits. It is found that the Jeans criterion for gravitational collapse gets modified due to the presence of shear and bulk viscosities for the SCP, however, the magnetic field and rotation whether uniform or non uniform has no effect on the Jeans criterion of an infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder of a self-gravitating viscoelastic medium.