Transport of U in the Opalinus Clay on centimetre to decimetre scales

The Opalinus Clay formation in North Switzerland is a potential host rock for a deep underground radioactive waste repository. The distribution of ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U and ²³⁰Th was studied in rock samples of the Opalinus Clay from an exploratory borehole at Benken (Canton of Zurich) using MC-ICP-MS. The aim was to assess the in situ, long-term migration behaviour of ²³⁴U in this rock. Very low hydraulic conductivities of the Opalinus Clay, reducing potential of the pore water and its chemical equilibrium with the host rock are expected to render both ²³⁸U and ²³⁰Th immobile. If U is heterogeneously distributed in the Opalinus Clay, gradients in the supply of ²³⁴U from the rock matrix to the pore water by the decay of ²³⁸U will be established. Diffusive redistribution separates ²³⁴U from its immobile parent ²³⁸U resulting in bulk rock ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity disequilibria. These may provide a means of estimating the mobility of ²³⁴U in the rock if the diffusion rate of ²³⁴U is significant compared to its decay rate. Sampling was carried out on two scales. Drilling of cm-spaced samples from the drill-core was done to study mobility over short distances and elucidate possible small-scale lithological control. Homogenized 25-cm-long portions of a 2-m-long drill-core section were prepared to provide information on transport over a longer distance. Variations in U and/or Th content on the cm-scale between clays and carbonate-sandy layers are revealed by β-scanning, which shows that the (dominant) clay is richer in both elements.     

Suspended sediment transport in the German Wadden Sea—seasonal variations and extreme events

The German Wadden Sea (southern North Sea) sediments are composed of both cohesive and non-cohesive deposits. The spatial distribution patterns are mainly driven by wind-induced waves and tidal currents. Transport intensity and duration depend on the hydrodynamic conditions, which vary over time. In this paper, the transport of suspended sediment was investigated on seasonal, tidal and hourly time scales in the back-barrier system of Spiekeroog Island. Long- and short-term data of fair weather periods and two storm events were investigated based on stationary and mobile measurements of currents and waves by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), in situ particle size and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) measurements by laser in situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) as well as wind records. The ADCP backscatter intensities were calibrated by means of LISST volume concentration data in order to quantify longer term SSCs and fluxes in the back-barrier system. Values up to 120 mg l⁻¹ were recorded, but concentrations more commonly were below 60 mg l⁻¹. The long-term results confirm former observations of a balanced budget during low-energy (fair weather) conditions in the study area. In general, SSCs were higher during spring tides than during neap tides. The data also clearly show the remobilisation of sediment by tidal current entrainment. The records include two severe storm events, “Britta” (1st November 2006) and “Kyrill” (18th January 2007). The data reveal very complex temporal flow and transport patterns. During both storm events, the export of material was mainly controlled by the interaction of wind, waves and tidal phase. The typical ebb-dominance occurring during fair-weather conditions was temporarily neutralised and even reversed to a flood-dominated situation. During “Kyrill”, the wind and high-waves setup in conjunction with the tidal phase was even able to compress the duration of two successive ebb cycles by over 70%. Although SSCs increased during both storms and higher turbulence lifted particle clouds upwards, an export of suspended matter towards the North Sea was only observed under the conditions taking place during “Britta”. Such fluxes, however, are currently still difficult to quantify because the backscatter intensity during high energy events includes a substantial amount of noise produced by the high turbulence, especially near the water surface.     

Optical off-nuclear spectra of quasar hosts and radio galaxies

We present optical (∼3200 to ∼9000 Å) off-nuclear spectra of 26 powerful active galaxies in the redshift range 0.1≤ z ≤0.3, obtained with the Mayall and William Herschel 4-m class telescopes. The sample consists of radio-quiet quasars, radio-loud quasars (all with −23≥ M _V ≥−26) and radio galaxies of Fanaroff–Riley Type II (with extended radio luminosities and spectral indices comparable to those of the radio-loud quasars). The spectra were all taken approximately 5 arcsec off-nucleus, with offsets carefully selected so as to maximize the amount of galaxy light falling into the slit, whilst simultaneously minimizing the amount of scattered nuclear light. The majority of the resulting spectra appear to be dominated by the integrated stellar continuum of the underlying galaxies rather than by light from the non-stellar processes occurring in the active nuclei, and in many cases a 4000-Å break feature can be identified. The individual spectra are described in detail, and the importance of the various spectral components is discussed. Stellar population synthesis modelling of the spectra will follow in a subsequent paper.     

Crustal Architecture of the Inverted Central Lapland Rift Along the HUKKA 2007 Profile

We have studied the lateral velocity variations along a partly buried inverted paleo–rift in Central Lapland, Northern Europe with a 2D wide-angle reflection and refraction experiment, HUKKA 2007. The experiment was designed to use seven chemical explosions from commercial and military sites as sources of seismic energy. The shots were recorded by 102 stations with an average spacing of 3.45 km. Two-dimensional crustal models of variations in P-wave velocity and Vp/Vs-ratio were calculated using the ray tracing forward modeling technique. The HUKKA 2007 experiment comprises a 455 km long profile that runs NNW–SSE parallel to the Kittilä Shear Zone, a major deformation zone hosting gold deposits in the area. The profile crosses Paleoproterozoic and reactivated Archean terranes of Central Lapland. The velocity model shows a significant difference in crustal velocity structure between the northern (distances 0–120 km) and southern parts of the profile. The difference in P-wave velocities and Vp/Vs ratio can be followed through the whole crust down to the Moho boundary indicating major tectonic boundaries. Upper crustal velocities seem to vary with the terranes/compositional differences mapped at the surface. The lower layer of the upper crust displays velocities of 6.0–6.1 km/s. Both Paleoproterozoic and Archean terranes are associated with high velocity bodies (6.30–6.35 km/s) at 100 and 200–350 km distances. The Central Lapland greenstone belt and Central Lapland Granitoid complex are associated with a 4 km-thick zone of unusually low velocities (<6.0 km/s) at distances between 120 and 220 km. We interpret the HUKKA 2007 profile to image an old, partly buried, inverted continental rift zone that has been closed and modified by younger tectonic events. It has structural features typical of rifts: inward dipping rift shoulders, undulating thickness of the middle crust, high velocity lower crust and a rather uniform crustal thickness of 48 km.