Tellurides from Sunrise Dam gold deposit, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia: a new occurrence of nagyágite

Summary The Cu–Fe–Au–Mo (W) deposits in southeastern Hubei are an important component of the Middle–Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt. Molybdenite from the Fengshandong Cu- (Mo), Ruanjiawan W–Cu- (Mo), Qianjiawan Cu–Au, Tongshankou Cu–Mo and Tonglüshan Cu- (Fe) deposits yielded Re–Os ages of 144.0 ± 2.1 Ma, 143.6 ± 1.7 Ma, 137.7 ± 1.7 Ma, 142.3 ± 1.8–143.7 ± 1.8 Ma and 137.8 ± 1.7–138.1 ± 1.8 Ma, respectively. Phlogopite from the Tieshan Fe- (Cu) deposit yielded an Ar–Ar age of 140.9 ± 1.2 Ma. These data and other published isotopic ages (Re–Os molybdenite and Ar–Ar mica ages) for the Cu–Fe–Au–Mo (W) deposits in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt show that Cu–Fe–Au–Mo (W) mineralisation in the Tongling, Anqing, Jiurui and Edong ore districts developed in a narrow time span between 135.5 and 144.9 Ma, reflecting an important regional metallogenic event. An integrated study of available petrological and geochronological data, together with relationships to magmatism and the regional geodynamic framework, indicate that the Cu–Fe–Au–Mo (W) mineralisation in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River belt occurred during a regime of lithospheric extension. This extension is probably related to Late Mesozoic processes of lower crustal delamination and lithospheric thinning in East China.     

Dust in the Wind: Long Range Transport of Dust in the Atmosphere and Its Implications for Global Public and Ecosystem Health

Movement of soil particles in atmospheres is a normal planetary process. Images of Martian dust devils (wind-spouts) and dust storms captured by NASA's Pathfinder have demonstrated the significant role that storm activity plays in creating the red atmospheric haze of Mars. On Earth, desert soils moving in the atmosphere are responsible for the orange hues in brilliant sunrises and sunsets. In severe dust storm events, millions of tons of soil may be moved across great expanses of land and ocean. An emerging scientific interest in the process of soil transport in the Earth's atmosphere is in the field of public and ecosystem health. This article will address the benefits and the potential hazards associated with exposure to particle fallout as clouds of desert dust traverse the globe. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An experiment proving that dilatancy is a pervasive volumetric property of brittle rock loaded to failure

Summary An Experiment Proving that Dilatancy is a Pervasive Volumetric Property of Brittle Rock Loaded to Failure. Dilatancy, that is, volumetric expansion relative to the compression resulting from elastic deformation is often observed in the compression of rock specimens to failure. This phenomenon is of considerable importance to the understanding of the processes of rock failure and in their application to geological and engineering problems. Most of the observations to date have been made on small cylindrical specimens of rock, with a high surface area to volume ratio; frequently by means of resistance strain gauges cemented to the surface of the specimen. The possibility of the measured dilatancy being a superficial phenomenon due to anomalous surface deformations cannot be excluded. Measurements of dilatant deformation on the inside and outside of hollow cylindrical specimens during compression under homogeneous stresses provide a means of resolving this uncertainty. Superficial dilatancy would result in a relative diminution of the cross-section of the hole as that of the outside of the specimen increases with deformation; whereas pervasive volumetric dilatancy would result in similar relative increases in the cross-section of both the hole and the specimen. Experiments on hollow cyclindrical specimens of quartzite show that dilatancy is a pervasive volumetric phenomenon.

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Zusammenfassung Experimenteller Nachweis zur Dilatanz als volumenbezogene Eigenschaft spröder, bis zum Bruch belasteter Körper. Dilatanz, d. h. relative Volumenvergrößerung im Vergleich zur elastischen Zusammendrückung, ist ein Phänomen, welches häufig bei der Druckbeanspruchung von Gesteinen beobachtet werden kann. Diese Erscheinung ist für das Verständnis der Bruchvorgänge von Gesteinen und deren Anwendung auf geologische und technische Probleme von beträchtlicher Bedeutung. Ein Großteil der bisherigen Untersuchungen zu dieser Frage wurde an kleinen zylindrischen Probekörpern mit großem Verhältnis von Oberfläche : Volumen durchgeführt. Bei diesen Versuchen wurden meist Dehnmeßstreifen an die Oberfläche der Probekörper geklebt. Demnach kann die Möglichkeit nicht ausgeschlossen werden, daß die beobachtete Dilatation infolge abnormaler Oberflächenverformungen ein Oberflächenphänomen ist. Messungen der Dilatation an der Innen- und Außenseite eines hohlen zylindrischen Probekörpers während der Druckbeanspruchung in einem homogenen Spannungsfeld bilden eine Möglichkeit, diese Ungewißheit zu beseitigen. Im Falle einer oberflächengebundenen Dilatation würde es zu einer relativen Verkleinerung des inneren Querschnittes des hohlen Probekörpers kommen, während die Dilatation der Außenseite mit der Verformung anwachsen würde. Demgegenüber würde es im Falle der Dilatation als einer volumetrischen Eigenschaft zu einer ähnlichen relativen Vergrößerung des inneren Querschnittes des hohlen Probekörpers und des Probekörpers selbst kommen. Die Experimente an hohlen zylindrischen Probekörpern aus Quarzit zeigen, daß die Dilatanz ein volumetrisches Phänomen ist.

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Résumé Expérience prouvant que la dilatance est répartie dans tout le volume des roches fragiles chargées jusqu'à la rupture. La dilatance, c'est-à-dire l'augmentation de volume par rapport à la déformation élastique en compression, se manifeste souvent quand on comprime des échantillons de roche jusqu'à la rupture. Ce phénomène a une importance considérable pour la compréhension des processus de rupture des roches, et pour les applications aux problèmes géologiques et géotechniques. La plupart des essais ont été faits à ce jour sur de petits échantillons cylindriques, dont la surface est grande par rapport au volume, le plus souvent au moyen de jauges à résistance collées sur la surface de l'échantillon. Il reste la possibilité que la dilatance mesurée ne soit qu'un phénomène superficiel, dû à des déformations anormales de la surface.Pour lever cette incertitude, on peut mesurer la dilatance à la fois sur la surface externe et sur la surface interne de cylindres creux soumis à des contraintes homogènes: une dilatance superficielle produirait une diminution de la section du trou et une augmentation de la section totale, tandis qu'une dilatance répartie dans tout le volume produirait des augmentations de section similaires. Les essais sur cylindres creux de quartzite montrent que la dilatance est un phénomène réparti dans tout le volume.

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With 4 Figures     

Enhanced data and methods for improving open and free global population grids: putting ‘leaving no one behind’ into practice

ABSTRACT

Data on global population distribution are a strategic resource currently in high demand in an age of new Development Agendas that call for universal inclusiveness of people. However, quality, detail, and age of census data varies significantly by country and suffers from shortcomings that propagate to derived population grids and their applications. In this work, the improved capabilities of recent remote sensing-derived global settlement data to detect and mitigate major discrepancies with census data is explored. Open layers mapping built-up presence were used to revise census units deemed as ‘unpopulated’ and to harmonize population distribution along coastlines. Automated procedures to detect and mitigate these anomalies, while minimizing changes to census geometry, preserving the regional distribution of population, and the overall counts were developed, tested, and applied. The two procedures employed for the detection of deficiencies in global census data obtained high rates of true positives, after verification and validation. Results also show that the targeted anomalies were significantly mitigated and are encouraging for further uses of free and open geospatial data derived from remote sensing in complementing and improving conventional sources of fundamental population statistics.     

Climate Change and Winter Wheat Management: A Modelling Scenario for South-Eastern England

Crop models are useful tools for assessing the impact of climate change on crop production. The dynamic crop-growth model, CERES-Wheat is used to examine crop management responses, including yield, under six climate change scenarios for the years 2025 and 2050 on the Estate of Imperial College at Wye, Kent, U.K. Sensitivity analysis shows a dry matter yield decrease in response to increases in temperature alone. CERES-Wheat was then constrained to assess the crop performance under water-limited production scenarios with different soils, and the results show that crop grain yield actually increases, largely due to CO₂ fertilisation leading to increased rates of photosynthesis. Different management practices (planting dates and nitrogen application) were applied to find the best adaptation strategies. In general, `early' sowing (10th September) had the highest simulated yield, and `late' sowing (10th November) the lowest. For the soils tested, the highest and sustained crop production was obtained from Hamble soils (silt loam) compared with either the Fyfield (sandy) or Denchworth (clay). Adding nitrogen and other fertilisers would likely be necessary to take full advantage of the CO₂ fertilisationeffect and to compensate, in some cases, for yield losses caused by climate change where water shortage becomes serious.     

Spatial and temporal variability of ground water recharge in central Australia: a tracer approach

Two environmental tracer methods are applied to the Ti-Tree Basin in central Australia to shed light on the importance of recharge from floodouts of ephemeral rivers in this arid environment. Ground water carbon-14 concentrations from boreholes are used to estimate the average recharge rate over the interval between where the ground water sample first entered the saturated zone and the bore. Environmental chloride concentrations in ground water samples provide estimates of the recharge rate at the exact point in the landscape where the sample entered the saturated zone. The results of the two tracer approaches indicate that recharge rates around one of the rivers and an extensive floodplain are generally higher than rates of diffuse recharge that occurs in areas of lower topographic relief. Ground water 2H/1H and 18O/16O compositions are all depleted in the heavier isotopes (delta2H = -67 per thousand to -50 per thousand; delta18O = -9.2 per thousand to -5.7%o) compared with the long-term, amount-weighted mean isotopic composition of rainfall in the area (delta2H = -33.8 per thousand; delta18O = -6.3 per thousand). This indicates that recharge throughout the basin occurs only after intense rainfall events of at least 150 to 200 mm/month. Finally, a recharge map is developed to highlight the spatial extent of the two recharge mechanisms. Floodout recharge to the freshest ground water (TDS <1,000 mg/L) is approximately 1.9 mm/year compared with a mean recharge rate of approximately 0.2 mm/year to the remainder of the basin. These findings have important implications for management of the ground water resource.     

A Pb-Ra-Th-U study of Klyuchevskoy and Bezymianny volcanoes, Kamchatka

Lavas from Klyuchevskoy and Bezymianny volcanoes, Kamchatka, appear to show a link between the extent of partial melting in their mantle source region and the subsequent degree of fractionation suffered by the magmas during passage through the crust. This fractionation may have occurred on timescales significantly less than 1000 years if observed ²²⁶Ra excesses largely reflect variable residual porosity in the source melting region. Unlike most arc lavas, those with the highest MgO contents and Ba/Th ratios have the lowest ²²⁶Ra excess. Forward models suggest that those portions of the source which had undergone the greatest addition of U by fluids from the subducting plate also underwent the greatest extents of partial melting at the highest residual porosity. At Kluchevskoy, a change from eruption of high-MgO to high-Al₂O₃ basaltic andesites around 1945 is reflected in an increase in size of ²²⁶Ra excess which seems to require a simultaneous decrease in residual porosity and suggests a rapid changes in the melting regime. The eruption of andesites at Bezyminanny, simultaneous with the eruption of basaltic andesites at Klyuchevskoy, further suggests that different degree melts produced at differing residual porosity can be formed and extracted from the melt region at the same time. Thus, the melting processes beneath Klyuchevskoy and Bezyminanny are demonstrably complex. They have clearly been influenced by both fluid addition from the subducting plate and extension and decompression beneath the Central Kamchatka Depression. Finally, the ²¹⁰Pb data are, with one or two exceptions, in equilibrium with ²²⁶Ra, suggesting that there was restricted relative magma-gas movement in this highly productive magmatic system.