Intrusion of igneous rocks — Physical aspects

Igneous rocks occur in two predominant modes. The plutonic mode is characterized by intrusive emplacement under compressional tectonic stress regimes. The volcanic mode is dominated by the eruption of large volumes of magma through fault controlled dyke structures in extensional tectonic stress regimes.Those typical intrusive phenomena are discussed in the light of the physical parameters like the dynamic-thermal regime of the lithosphere, the nature and source of buoyant forces as well as mechanical aspects of subsolidus flow of rocks.Twodimensional numerical models on the basis of typical parameter specifications and by means of a coupled dynamic-thermal physical approximation are presented. The simulation of buoyantly-driven diapiric intrusions has been adopted to derive parameters which are critically controlling the transport and emplacement of intrusion under surroundings of variable viscosity. Both sill-type and batholith-type structures are presented and discussed with respect to their predominant dependence on mechanical and physical conditions.

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Zusammenfassung Magmatische Gesteine treten in zwei vorherrschenden Erscheinungsformen auf. Die Plutonite sind charakterisiert durch eine intrusive Platznahme unter kompressiven tektonischen Spannungsbedingungen. Die Vulkanite werden beherrscht von gro\en Volumina eruptierten Magmas, das vorzugsweise durch weiträumige Bruchsysteme unter Zugspannungsbedingungen aufsteigt.Derartige magmatische Phänomene werden aus der Sicht physikalischer Parameter wie dynamisch-thermische Bedingungen der Lithosphäre, der Natur und des Ursprungs von Auftriebskräften sowie der Mechanik von Gesteinsformationen diskutiert.Es werden zweidimensionale numerische Modellrechnungen auf der Grundlage typischer Parameterbereiche vorgestellt. Die Rechnungen basieren auf einer dynamisch-thermischen Approximation von Flie\vorgängen. Sie werden eingesetzt zur Untersuchung von diapirartigen Intrusionsvorgängen, die durch Dichteinversionen angetrieben sind. Hierbei sollen die Parameter bestimmt werden, die Aufstieg und Platznahme der Intrusionen bestimmen. Die Umgebung ist charakterisiert durch eine vorgebbare variable Viskosität. Sowohl linsenförmige Sill-Strukturen als auch typische Batholith-Strukturen werden mathematisch simuliert. Ihr Zusammenhang mit den strukturbestimmenden Parametern wird aufgezeigt.

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Résumé Les roches magmatiques se répartissent en deux catégories principales: la catégorie plutonique est caractérisée par une mise en place dans des régimes de contraintes tectoniques compressives; la catégorie volcanique est dominée par l'éruption de volumes importants de magma à travers des systèmes de cassures dans des régimes de contraintes tectoniques d'extension.Ces phénomènes intrusifs sont discutés à la lumière de paramètres physiques tels que: le régime thermique et dynamique de la lithosphère, la nature et l'origine des forces ascensionnelles, ainsi que les aspects mécaniques du fluage sub-solidus des roches.Les auteurs présentent des modèles numériques bidimensionnels basés sur des domaines paramétriques typiques, au moyen d'une approximation dynamo-thermique de phénomène d'écoulement. La simulation d'intrusions diapiriques permet de déduire les paramètres qui déterminent le transport et la mise en place d'une intrusion dans diverses conditions de viscosité de l'encaissant. Les structures de type sill et de type batholite sont discutées en relation avec les conditions mécaniques et physiques dont elles dépendent.

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Climate change effects on hydrological system conditions influencing generation of storm runoff in small Alpine catchments

Floods and debris flows in small Alpine torrent catchments (<10 km²) arise from a combination of critical antecedent system state conditions and mostly convective precipitation events with high precipitation intensities. Thus, climate change may influence the magnitude–frequency relationship of extreme events twofold: by a modification of the occurrence probabilities of critical hydrological system conditions and by a change of event precipitation characteristics. Three small Alpine catchments in different altitudes in Western Austria (Ruggbach, Brixenbach and Längentalbach catchment) were investigated by both field experiments and process‐based simulation. Rainfall–runoff model (HQsim) runs driven by localized climate scenarios (CNRM‐RM4.5/ARPEGE, MPI‐REMO/ECHAM5 and ICTP‐RegCM3/ECHAM5) were used in order to estimate future frequencies of stormflow triggering system state conditions. According to the differing altitudes of the study catchments, two effects of climate change on the hydrological systems can be observed. On one hand, the seasonal system state conditions of medium altitude catchments are most strongly affected by air temperature‐controlled processes such as the development of the winter snow cover as well as evapotranspiration. On the other hand, the unglaciated high‐altitude catchment is less sensitive to climate change‐induced shifts regarding days with critical antecedent soil moisture and desiccated litter layer due to its elevation‐related small proportion of sensitive areas. For the period 2071–2100, the number of days with critical antecedent soil moisture content will be significantly reduced to about 60% or even less in summer in all catchments. In contrast, the number of days with dried‐out litter layers causing hydrophobic effects will increase by up to 8%–11% of the days in the two lower altitude catchments. The intensity analyses of heavy precipitation events indicate a clear increase in rain intensities of up to 10%.     

The distribution of atomic gas and dust in nearby galaxies – I. Presentation of matched-resolution VLA H i and SCUBA 850-μm maps

We present matched-resolution VLA H  i and SCUBA 850-μm maps of 20 IRAS -bright galaxies. Of the galaxies observed, two were not detected in H  i and two were detected in absorption. The H  i distributions of the galaxies have a range of morphologies. Some of the systems appear H  i deficient in the central regions which could be due to a high conversion rate of H  i into molecules or H  i absorption. In contrast to the H  i , the 850-μm emission has a smooth distribution which is concentrated towards the optical centre of each galaxy. We also find evidence for 850-μm emission extending to the periphery of the optical disc in some of the galaxies. Finally, we note that the relative lack of 850-μm emission when compared with H  i does not necessarily mean that the atomic gas and dust do not have similar mass distributions.     

A statistical retrieval algorithm for root zone soil moisture

An algorithm for the estimation of root zone soil moisture is presented. Global fields of the soil moisture within the uppermost metre of soil are derived with a temporal resolution of 10 days. For calibration, long-term soil moisture observations from the former Soviet Union are used. The variance of the measurements is largely dominated by the spatial variability of the long-term mean soil moisture, while the temporal variability gives comparatively small contribution. Consequently, the algorithm is organised into two steps. The first step concentrates on the retrieval of the spatial variance of the long-term means, which comprises more than 85% of the total soil moisture variability. A major part of the spatial variance can be explained by four easily available fields: the climatological precipitation, land use, soil texture, and terrain slope. The second step of the algorithm is dedicated to the local temporal variability. This part of variability is recovered by using passive microwave data from scanning multichannel microwave radiometre (SMMR) supported by monthly averaged fields of air temperature and precipitation. The 6-GHz channel of SMMR is shown to be severely disturbed by radio frequency interference, so that information from the 10-GHz channel is used instead. The algorithm provides reasonable soil moisture fields which is confirmed by a comparison with independent measurements from Illinois.     

Structural insights from boron tribromide ether cleavage into lignites and low maturity coals from the New Zealand Coal Band

Ether functionalities form an important cross-linking structure within the macromolecular organic matrix of lignites and coals. To obtain a deeper insight into the complex internal structure of such macromolecules and the maturation related changes of the ether compounds within the network structure, boron tribromide (BBr₃) ether cleavage was applied to a series of lignite and coal samples of different maturity (R₀ 0.27-0.80%) obtained from coal mines and natural outcrops from the North and South Island of New Zealand. Terminal ether-bound alcohols rapidly decrease during diagenesis and occur only in low amounts during the catagenetic stage. Comparison between ester- and ether-bound terminal alcohols indicates a parallel decreasing trend during the diagenetic stage, suggesting that the stability differences between both linkages are not large enough to be observed in maturation processes over geological time scales. Polyether compounds were detected with chain length up to five carbon atoms. After a small decrease during the diagenetic phase these compounds occur in relatively high concentrations, even in the main catagenetic stage. This suggests that these linkage structures represent important cross-linking substructures within the macromolecular matrix of lignites and coals being sterically protected within the macromolecular network during the maturation process. Additional cross-linking substructures were (poly)ether aromatics, esters and ketones.     

Spatial distribution of lead and lead isotopes in soil B-horizon, forest-floor humus, grass (Avenella flexuosa) and spruce (Picea abies) needles across the Czech Republic

Lead concentrations were determined in samples of soil B-horizon (N = 258), forest-floor humus (O-horizon, N = 259), grass (Avenella flexuosa, N = 251) and spruce (Picea abies, N = 253) needles (2nd year) collected at the same locations evenly spread over the territory of the Czech Republic at an average density of 1 site/300 km². Median Pb concentrations differ widely in the four materials: soil B-horizon: 27 mg/kg (3.3-220 mg/kg), humus: 78 mg/kg (19-1863 mg/kg), grass: 0.37 mg/kg (0.08-8 mg/kg) and spruce needles: 0.23 mg/kg (0.07-3 mg/kg). In the Pb distribution maps for humus, grass and spruce a number of well-known Pb-contamination sources are indicated by unusually high concentrations (e.g., the Pb smelter at Pribram, the metallurgical industry in the NE of the Czech Republic and along the Polish border, as well as the metallurgical industry in Upper Silesia and Europe’s largest coal-fired power plant at Bogatynia, Poland). The ratio ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb was determined in all four materials. The median value of the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratio in the soil B-horizon is 1.184 (variation: 1.145-1.337). In both humus and grass the median value for the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratio is 1.162 (variation: 1.130-1.182), in spruce needles the median ratio is 1.159 (variation: 1.116-1.186). In humus, grass and spruce needles the known contamination sources are all marked by higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratios in the maps. Furthermore, the soil B-horizon, humus, grass and spruce needles show distinctly different spatial distribution patterns of the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratios. The B-horizon does not provide a viable background value for metal concentrations in the O-horizon or plant materials. None of the maps provides evidence for the importance of traffic-related emissions for the observed isotope ratios at the scale of the Czech Republic.     

The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops,UK

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ～183 Ma) was characterized by enhanced carbon burial, a prominent negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonate and organic matter, and numerous geochemical anomalies. A precursor excursion has also been documented at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, but its possible causes are less constrained. The T-OAE is intensively studied in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK, whose sedimentary deposits have been litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphically characterised. Here, we present new elemental data produced by hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis to test the expression of redox-sensitive trace metals and detrital elements across the upper Pliensbachian to mid-Toarcian of the Cleveland Basin. Detrital elemental concentrations (Al, Si, Ti, Zr) are used as proxies for siliciclastic grain content and thus, sea-level change, which match previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations from the Cleveland Basin. The timescale of the event is debated, though our new elemental proxies of relative sea level change show evidence for a cyclicity of 350 cm that may be indicative of ～405 kyr eccentricity cycles in Yorkshire. Trends in total organic carbon and redox-sensitive elements (S, Fe, Mo, As) confirm scenarios of widespread ocean deoxygenation across the T-OAE. The correlation of comparable trends in Mo across the T-OAE in Yorkshire and the Paris Basin suggests a similar oceanic drawdown of this element accompanying widespread anoxia in the two basins. Data from Yorkshire point to a transgressive trend at the time of the Mo drawdown, which contradicts the “basin restriction” model for the euxinic conditions that characterise the CIE interval.     

Brixenbach research catchment: Quantification of runoff process proportions in a small Alpine catchment depending on soil moisture states and precipitation characteristics

The Brixenbach valley is a small Alpine torrent catchment (9.2 km², 820–1950 m a.s.l., 47.45°, 12.26°) in Tyrol, Austria. Intensive hydrological research in the catchment since more than 12 years, including a hydrogeological survey, pedological and land use mapping, measurements of precipitation, runoff, soil moisture and infiltration as well as the conduction of rainfall simulations, has contributed to understand the hydrological response of the catchment, its subcatchments and specific sites. The paper presents a synthesis of the research in form of runoff process maps for different soil moisture states and precipitation characteristics, derived with the aid of a newly developed Soil-hydrological model. These maps clearly visualize the differing runoff reaction of different subcatchments. The pasture dominated areas produce high surface flow rates during short precipitation events (1 h, 86 mm) with high rainfall intensity, whilst the forested areas often develop shallow subsurface flow. Dry preconditions lead to a slight reduction of surface flow, long rainfall events (24 h, 170 mm) to a dominance of deep subsurface flow and percolation.