Early core formation in asteroids and late accretion of chondrite parent bodies: Evidence from Hf-W in CAIs, metal-rich chondrites, and iron meteorites

The ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W isotopic systematics of Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs), metal-rich chondrites, and iron meteorites were investigated to constrain the relative timing of accretion of their parent asteroids. A regression of the Hf-W data for two bulk CAIs, various fragments of a single CAI, and carbonaceous chondrites constrains the ¹⁸²Hf/¹⁸⁰Hf and ε_W at the time of CAI formation to (1.07 ± 0.10) × 10⁻⁴ and −3.47 ± 0.20, respectively. All magmatic iron meteorites examined here have initial ε_W values that are similar to or slightly lower than the initial value of CAIs. These low ε_W values may in part reflect ¹⁸²W-burnout caused by the prolonged cosmic ray exposure of iron meteorites, but this effect is estimated to be less than ∼0.3 ε units for an exposure age of 600 Ma. The W isotope data, after correction for cosmic ray induced effects, indicate that core formation in the parent asteroids of the magmatic iron meteorites occurred less than ∼1.5 Myr after formation of CAIs. The nonmagmatic IAB-IIICD irons and the metal-rich CB chondrites have more radiogenic W isotope compositions, indicating formation several Myr after the oldest metal cores had segregated in some asteroids.Chondrule formation ∼2-5 Myr after CAIs, as constrained by published Pb-Pb and Al-Mg ages, postdates core formation in planetesimals, and indicates that chondrites do not represent the precursor material from which asteroids accreted and then differentiated. Chondrites instead derive from asteroids that accreted late, either farther from the Sun than the parent bodies of magmatic iron meteorites or by reaccretion of debris produced during collisional disruption of older asteroids. Alternatively, chondrites may represent material from the outermost layers of differentiated asteroids. The early thermal and chemical evolution of asteroids appears to be controlled by the decay of ²⁶Al, which was sufficiently abundant (initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al >1.4 × 10⁻⁵) to rapidly melt early-formed planetesimals but could not raise the temperatures in the late-formed chondrite parent asteroids high enough to cause differentiation. The preservation of the primitive appearance of chondrites thus at least partially reflects their late formation rather than their early and primitive origin.     

Warm winds from the Pacific caused extensive Arctic sea-ice melt in summer 2007

During summer 2007 the Arctic sea-ice shrank to the lowest extent ever observed. The role of the atmospheric energy transport in this extreme melt event is explored using the state-of-the-art ERA-Interim reanalysis data. We find that in summer 2007 there was an anomalous atmospheric flow of warm and humid air into the region that suffered severe melt. This anomaly was larger than during any other year in the data (1989?C2008). Convergence of the atmospheric energy transport over this area led to positive anomalies of the downward longwave radiation and turbulent fluxes. In the region that experienced unusual ice melt, the net anomaly of the surface fluxes provided enough extra energy to melt roughly one meter of ice during the melting season. When the ocean successively became ice-free, the surface-albedo decreased causing additional absorption of shortwave radiation, despite the fact that the downwelling solar radiation was smaller than average. We argue that the positive anomalies of net downward longwave radiation and turbulent fluxes played a key role in initiating the 2007 extreme ice melt, whereas the shortwave-radiation changes acted as an amplifying feedback mechanism in response to the melt.     

Synthetic RapidEye data used for the detection of area-based spruce tree mortality induced by bark beetles

Tree mortality caused by outbreaks of the bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) plays an important role in the natural dynamics of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) stands, which could cause far-reaching changes in the occurrence and duration of vegetation phenology. Field-based early detection of tree disturbances is hampered by logistic, terrain, and technical shortcomings, and by the inability to continuously monitor disturbances over large areas. Despite achievements in remote mapping of bark-beetle-induced tree mortalities, early warning has been mostly unsuccessful mainly because of the lack of spectral sensitivity and discrepancies in definitions of field- and image-based disturbance classes. Here we applied a method based on inter-annual phenology of Norway spruce stands derived from synthetic multispectral data to part of the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany. We fused temporally continuous Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and discrete RapidEye data using a flexible spatiotemporal data fusion method to achieve validated 8-day RapidEye-like composites of normalized difference vegetation index for 2011. We assumed that the dead trees delineated on 2012 aerial photographs were those in which bark beetle infestations were initiated in 2011. Samples were drawn with variable-sized buffering to represent the areas prone to infestations and their surroundings. We applied a conditional inference random forest to select the best image date among the entire 46 synthetic datasets to best discriminate between the core infestation patches and their surroundings from the subsequent year. Of the discrete time points identified, day 281 of the year represented the highest discrepancy between aerial image-based dead trees and their surroundings. Classification results were significantly correlated with beetle count data obtained using pheromone traps. Our method provided valuable information for management purposes and enabled wall-to-wall mapping of stands prone to infestation and its uncertainty. The results offer potential implications for rapid and cost-effective monitoring of bark beetle outbreaks using satellite data, which would be of great benefit for both management and research tasks.     

Lu-Hf garnet geochronology of eclogites from the Balma Unit (Pennine Alps): implications for Alpine paleotectonic reconstructions

Three samples of eclogite from the Balma Unit, an ophiolite sheet on top of the Monte Rosa Nappe in the Pennine Alps, were investigated in terms of their P-T evolution, geochemistry, and Lu-Hf geochronology. The paleogeographic origin of this unit is controversial (North Penninic vs. South Penninic). It has been interpreted as a piece of Late Cretaceous oceanic crust, on the basis of ca. 93 Ma U-Pb SHRIMP ages of synmagmatic zircon cores in an eclogite. Trace element and isotope data suggest a mid ocean ridge (MOR) rather than an intraplate or OIB setting for the protoliths of the eclogites. Electron microprobe analyses of representative garnets show typical prograde zoning profiles. Estimated peak metamorphic temperatures of 550–600 Cº most likely did not exceed the closure temperature of the Lu-Hf system. Hence, Lu-Hf ages most likely reflect garnet growth in the studied samples. To minimize inclusion effects on age determinations, a selective digestion procedure for garnet was applied, in which zircon and rutile inclusions are not dissolved. The ages obtained for three samples, 42.3 ± 0.6 Ma (MSWD: 0.47), 42 ± 1 Ma (MSWD: 3.0) and 45.5 ± 0.3 Ma (MSWD: 0.33), are younger than all Lu-Hf ages reported so far for South Penninic Units. Metamorphic zircon domains of the 42.3 Ma sample (PIS1) were previously dated by U-Pb SHRIMP at 40.4 ± 0.7 Ma, indicating that the growth of metamorphic zircon post-dated the onset of garnet growth.These new data put important constraints on the paleogeographic reconstruction of the Alps. The MORB character of the rocks, together with their previously published protolith age, imply that oceanic spreading was still taking place in the Late Cretaceous. This supports a North Penninic origin for our samples because plate tectonic models predict Cretaceous spreading in the North Penninic but not in the South Penninic Ocean. If the Balma Unit is indeed North Penninic, the new Lu-Hf data, in combination with published geochronological data, require that two independent subduction zones consumed the South and North Penninic oceans.     

Biodegradation of forest floor organic matter bound to minerals via different binding mechanisms

Mineral-associated organic matter (OM) represents a large reservoir of organic carbon (OC) in natural environments. The factors controlling the extent of the mineral-mediated OC stabilization, however, are poorly understood. The protection of OM against biodegradation upon sorption to mineral phases is assumed to result from the formation of strong bonds that limit desorption. To test this, we studied the biodegradation of OM bound to goethite (α-FeOOH), pyrophyllite, and vermiculite via specific mechanisms as estimated from OC uptake in different background electrolytes and operationally defined as ‘ligand exchange’, ‘Ca²⁺ bridging’, and ‘van der Waals forces’. Organic matter extracted from an Oa forest floor horizon under Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) was reacted with minerals at dissolved OC concentrations of ∼5-130 mg/L at pH 4. Goethite retained up to 30.1 mg OC/g predominantly by ‘ligand exchange’; pyrophyllite sorbed maximally 12.5 mg OC/g, largely via ‘van der Waals forces’ and ‘Ca²⁺ bridging’, while sorption of OM to vermiculite was 7.3 mg OC/g, mainly due to the formation of ‘Ca²⁺ bridges’. Aromatic OM components were selectively sorbed by all minerals (goethite ? phyllosilicates). The sorption of OM was strongly hysteretic with the desorption into 0.01 M NaCl being larger for OM held by ‘Ca²⁺ bridges’ and ‘van der Waals forces’ than by ‘ligand exchange’. Incubation experiments under aerobic conditions (initial pH 4; 90 days) revealed that OM mainly bound to minerals by ‘ligand exchange’ was more resistant against mineralization than OM held by non-columbic interactions (‘van der Waals forces’). Calcium bridges enhanced the stability of sorbed OM, especially for vermiculite, but less than the binding via ‘ligand exchange’. Combined evidence suggests that the extent and rate of mineralization of mineral-associated OM are governed by desorption. The intrinsic stability of sorbed OM as related to the presence of resistant, lignin-derived aromatic components appears less decisive for the sorptive stabilization of OM than the involved binding mechanisms. In a given environment, the type of minerals present and the solution chemistry determine the operating binding mechanisms, thereby the extent of OM sorption and desorption, and thus ultimately the bioavailability of mineral-associated OM.     

Understanding the time‐varying importance of different uncertainty sources in hydrological modelling using global sensitivity analysis

Simulations from hydrological models are affected by potentially large uncertainties stemming from various sources, including model parameters and observational uncertainty in the input/output data. Understanding the relative importance of such sources of uncertainty is essential to support model calibration, validation and diagnostic evaluation and to prioritize efforts for uncertainty reduction. It can also support the identification of ‘disinformative data’ whose values are the consequence of measurement errors or inadequate observations. Sensitivity analysis (SA) provides the theoretical framework and the numerical tools to quantify the relative contribution of different sources of uncertainty to the variability of the model outputs. In traditional applications of global SA (GSA), model outputs are aggregations of the full set of a simulated variable. For example, many GSA applications use a performance metric (e.g. the root mean squared error) as model output that aggregates the distances of a simulated time series to available observations. This aggregation of propagated uncertainties prior to GSA may lead to a significant loss of information and may cover up local behaviour that could be of great interest. Time‐varying sensitivity analysis (TVSA), where the aggregation and SA are repeated at different time steps, is a viable option to reduce this loss of information. In this work, we use TVSA to address two questions: (1) Can we distinguish between the relative importance of parameter uncertainty versus data uncertainty in time? (2) Do these influences change in catchments with different characteristics? To our knowledge, the results present one of the first quantitative investigations on the relative importance of parameter and data uncertainty across time. We find that the approach is capable of separating influential periods across data and parameter uncertainties, while also highlighting significant differences between the catchments analysed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Hydrological Processes. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

A review of volatiles in the Martian interior

Multiple observations from missions to Mars have revealed compelling evidence for a volatile‐rich Martian crust. A leading theory contends that eruption of basaltic magmas was the ultimate mechanism of transfer of volatiles from the mantle toward the surface after an initial outgassing related to the crystallization of a magma ocean. However, the concentrations of volatile species in ascending magmas and in their mantle source regions are highly uncertain. This work and this special issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science summarize the key findings of the workshop on Volatiles in the Martian Interior (Nov. 3–4, 2014), the primary open questions related to volatiles in Martian magmas and their source regions, and the suggestions of the community at the workshop to address these open questions.     

Lunar heat flow experiments: Science objectives and a strategy for minimizing the effects of lander-induced perturbations

Reliable measurements of the Moon's global heat flow would serve as an important diagnostic test for models of lunar thermal evolution and would also help to constrain the Moon's bulk abundance of radioactive elements and its differentiation history. The two existing measurements of lunar heat flow are unlikely to be representative of the global heat flow. For these reasons, obtaining additional heat flow measurements has been recognized as a high priority lunar science objective. In making such measurements, it is essential that the design and deployment of the heat flow probe and of the parent spacecraft do not inadvertently modify the near-surface thermal structure of the lunar regolith and thus perturb the measured heat flow. One type of spacecraft-related perturbation is the shadow cast by the spacecraft and by thermal blankets on some instruments. The thermal effects of these shadows propagate by conduction both downward and outward from the spacecraft into the lunar regolith. Shadows cast by the spacecraft superstructure move over the surface with time and only perturb the regolith temperature in the upper 0.8 m. Permanent shadows, such as from thermal blankets covering a seismometer or other instruments, can modify the temperature to greater depth. Finite element simulations using measured values of the thermal diffusivity of lunar regolith show that the limiting factor for temperature perturbations is the need to measure the annual thermal wave for 2 or more years to measure the thermal diffusivity. The error induced by permanent spacecraft thermal shadows can be kept below 8% of the annual wave amplitude at 1 m depth if the heat flow probe is deployed at least 2.5 m away from any permanent spacecraft shadow. Deploying the heat flow probe 2 m from permanent shadows permits measuring the annual thermal wave for only one year and should be considered the science floor for a heat flow experiment on the Moon. One way to meet this separation requirement would be to deploy the heat flow and seismology experiments on opposite sides of the spacecraft. This result should be incorporated in the design of future lunar geophysics spacecraft experiments. Differences in the thermal environments of the Moon and Mars result in less restrictive separation requirements for heat flow experiments on Mars.     

From a Weak to a Strong Comet – 3d Global Hybrid Simulation Studies

Plasma structures resulting from the solar wind interaction with weakcomets are discussed. Numericalsimulations using a newly developed hybrid code are presented. The simulations are primarily applied to quantitative data for cometWirtanen, which will be the target of the Rosetta mission. It isexpected that Wirtanen is very weak during the first encounter. The main purpose is the discussion of the different features of the plasmaenvironment, such as the structured cycloidal plasma tail and non-linear Mach cones typical for weak comets and their relation tostructures like shocklets, bow shock, diamagnetic cavity and the “classical”magnetotail found at stronger comets. Furthermore, the sensitivity ofthese various features in dependence on the plasma parameters is investigated.