Timing of the Northern Prince Gustav Ice Stream retreat and the deglaciation of northern James Ross Island,Antarctic Peninsula during the last glacial–interglacial transition

The Northern Prince Gustav Ice Stream located in Prince Gustav Channel, drained the northeastern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum. Here we present a chronology of its retreat based on in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be from erratic boulders at Cape Lachman, northern James Ross Island. Schmidt hammer testing was adopted to assess the weathering state of erratic boulders in order to better interpret excess cosmogenic ¹⁰Be from cumulative periods of pre-exposure or earlier release from the glacier. The weighted mean exposure age of five boulders based on Schmidt hammer data is 12.9 ± 1.2 ka representing the beginning of the deglaciation of lower-lying areas (< 60 m a.s.l.) of the northern James Ross Island, when Northern Prince Gustav Ice Stream split from the remaining James Ross Island ice cover. This age represents the minimum age of the transition from grounded ice stream to floating ice shelf in the middle continental shelf areas of the northern Prince Gustav Channel. The remaining ice cover located at higher elevations of northern James Ross Island retreated during the early Holocene due to gradual decay of terrestrial ice and increase of equilibrium line altitude. Schmidt hammer R-values are inversely correlated with ¹⁰Be exposure ages and could be used as a proxy for exposure history of individual granite boulders in this region and favour the hypothesis of earlier release of boulders with excessive ¹⁰Be concentrations from glacier directly at this site. These data provide evidences for an earlier deglaciation of northern James Ross Island when compared with other recently presented cosmogenic nuclide based deglaciation chronologies, but this timing coincides with rapid increase of atmospheric temperature in this marginal part of Antarctica.     

Unique documentation,analysis of origin and development of an undrained depression in a subsidence basin caused by underground coal mining (Kozinec,Czech Republic)

This article aims to explain and demonstrate the origin and development of a subsidence basin caused by coal mining as well as to point out important aspects of this phenomenon in engineering geology. Engineering geology needs to deal with a number of issues related to the origin and development of subsidence basins in areas affected by deep coal mining. An interesting case study from the Upper-Silesian Basin in the northeast of the Czech Republic near the Polish border is presented in this paper. There is a clear time chronological succession in the ground surface changes manifested by a ground subsidence gradation, both in their absolute values as well as in their spatial distribution. The phenomenon is documented by aerial photo time series, which optimally depict the origin and development of the subsidence. In the study area, there are changes in the landscape elements and it is essential to be considered in future land use plans. The marginal conditions of the Quaternary geological structure and hydrogeological conditions are responsible for an unconfined aquifer which manifests there as a water body in an undrained depression in the course of the ground subsidence.     

The evolution of meandering rivers in sedimentary basins: Insights from the lower Drava (Hungary/Croatia)

Rivers flowing through sedimentary basins are subjected to a variety of controls. The main goal of our study was to identify the effect of external (e.g. climate changes, tectonics) and internal controls (e.g. sediment transport, deposition, vegetation cover) on the evolution of meandering rivers flowing through sedimentary basins using the example of the lower Drava River (Europe, Hungary/Croatia). Field research was conducted along a 50-km-long section of the valley. Sedimentary data from boreholes and corings, 35 km of ground-penetrating radar surveys and analyses of digital maps were conducted to reconstruct channel planform changes. Traces of four meander belts were identified, and 39 AMS radiocarbon dates were used to distinguish the chronology of the fluvial events. The evolution of the lower Drava River comprised alternating periods of deposition (formation of aggrading meander belt) and avulsions. The channel belts were formed owing to upstream sediment delivery and floodplain storage. Changes in climate humidity and the occurrence of high flows influenced the planform of the meanders within particular channel belts. The oldest channel was active at least ~40 000 cal. BP before being reworked by subsequent meanders active between the Late Pleniglacial (30 000–14 700 cal. BP) and Late Glacial (~11 000 cal. BP) periods. The channel belts shifted to the south in the Holocene, between ~11 000 and 250 cal. BP due to the presence of a thrust fault situated diagonally to the Drava Valley. Results show channel width, channel belt width and the surface area of point bar deposits increased in the succeeding generations of meanders and that the style and sedimentary architecture of the channel belts were dominantly dependent on autogenic controls, that is, sediment delivery, aggradation and erosional events (e.g. formation of chute cut-offs).     

Heat-capacity measurements and absolute entropy of ɛ-Mg2PO4OH

The low-temperature heat capacity of -Mg₂PO₄OH was measured between 10 and 400 K by adiabatic calorimetry. No phase transition was observed over this temperature range. A relative enthalpy increment of 22,119 J mol^–1 and an absolute entropy value of 127.13±0.25 J mol^–1 K^–1 at 298.15 K are derived from the results. The low-temperature heat-capacity data are compared with the DSC data obtained from 143 K to 775 K and show marginal differences in the common temperature range. The latter data are fitted by the polynomial

Analytical expression for fresnel volumes and interface fresnel zones of seismic body waves. Part 1: Direct and unconverted reflected waves

Summary Fresnel volumes, plane-sectional Fresnel zones and interface Fresnel zones of direct and unconverted reflected waves are studied. Exact analytical expressions for various parameters of Fresnel volumes and Fresnel zones are derived and discussed. Among others, these expressions are related to semi-axes of Fresnel zones, to overshooting and penetration distances, and to the off-ray shifts of Fresnel zones.     

On the origin of rotation of a celestial body

The differential equations of the self-rotation of a celestial body have been evaluated. From an integral of these equations a formula for angular velocity of the celestial body was obtained. This formula after being applied to the rotation of the Sun and of the Earth gives, respectively, the following angular velocity ranges: 0.588×10^–6<<18, 187×10^–6 and 0.7533×10^–5<<12,4266×10^–5. These are up to three times narrower than those previously obtained by Savi and Kaanin [1].     

Geometrical aspects of differential GPS positioning

Differential GPS positioning is considered from the purely geometric point of view. The tetrahedron formed by two ground stations and two satellite locations is the basic geometrical building block for differential satellite positioning. Relationships between the various vectors involved in this tetrahedron are described. These relationships are used to develop linear mathematical models which relate the vector baseline between the two ground stations to various kinds of differential GPS observations. Geometrically, all proposed observation types can be considered as either differential range observations or differential range difference observations. In the absence of instrumental and refraction effects, it is found that differential range observations are geometrically superior to differential range difference observations. Some implications of these geometrical considerations to practical differential GPS positioning are discussed.     

Repeated activity of the 0.8–1.2 GHz radio source of March 20, 1993

During March 20, 1993, from 12:00 to 16:00 UT, repeated radio burst activity was observed in the 0.8–1.2 GHz frequency range. Periods in intervals 0.1–0.5, 0.7–1.0, 2.8–3.9, 75–170 s, and 15–25 min were recognized. This long-lasting narrowband activity consisted mainly of pulsations and continua. In some intervals it was accompanied not only by spikes, broadband pulsations, and fibers in the 1–2 GHz frequency range, but also by type III and U burst activity at lower frequencies as well as by hard X-ray bursts. From several radio bursts, two characterized by different fine structures were selected and compared. The observed differences are explained by different distribution functions of superthermal electrons. The position of the 0.8–1.2 GHz radio source above the photosphere and the magnetic field in the fiber burst source were estimated to be 66 000–75 000 km and 120–135 G, respectively.Presented at te CESRA-Workshop on Coronal Magnetic Energy Release at Caputh near Potsdam in May 1994.     

Binary Star Detection with the GAIA Radial Velocity Spectrometer

Accuracy of the radial velocities and efficiency of the spectroscopic binary detection with the GAIA radial velocity spectrometer (RVS) is evaluated by employing the observed spectra (Cenarro et al., 2001) and simulated GAIA observations. Evaluation is performed in the magnitude range V =10-17 by applying the cross-correlation method. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.