Fracture induced emission of alkali atoms from feldspar

Emission of neutral atoms (K and Na) and molecules (H₂O and KOH) observed during fracture of K-feldspar have been accounted for by two independent mechanisms. H₂O and KOH emissions are attributed to the venting of fluid-filled inclusions, while emission of atomic K is due to surface effects accompanying cleavage of crystalline feldspar. The intensity of emitted potassium, at least 6 × 10¹⁴ atoms/cm² of surface area, is sufficient to affect K activities in solution during microbrecciation in the presence of rock-dominated fluids.     

Detection of iodine monoxide radicals in the marine boundary layer using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy

A Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) instrument has been developed to detect iodine monoxide (IO) radicals in the atmosphere. An all solid-state Nd:YAG pumped Ti:Sapphire laser operating at approximately 445 nm was used to excite the (2,0) band of the IO A²Π_3/2 ← X²Π_3/2 electronic transition, with off-resonance fluorescence in the (2,5) band detected at 521 nm. The sensitivity of the instrument was determined by calibration. IO (between 10 and 150 pptV) was generated following the 184.9 nm photolysis of N₂O/CF₃I/N₂ mixtures with O₃ actinometry used to determine the photolysis flux. The detection limit was determined to be 0.3 pptV for a 300 s integration period, with an uncertainty of 23% (1σ). The instrument was deployed in August/September 2006 during the RHaMBLe (Reactive Halogens in the Marine Boundary Layer) campaign in Roscoff, France. Located on a small jetty, a few metres from the water’s edge at high tide, the instrument measured significant levels of IO on 11 days, with a maximum of 27.6 ± 3.2 pptV observed on one day (averaged over 10 s) representing the highest IO mixing ratio recorded in the marine boundary layer to date. IO displayed a clear diurnal profile with a maximum at low tide during the daytime. These results represent the first point measurements of IO in the atmosphere by LIF.     

The electrification of flowing gases by mechanical abrasion of mineral surfaces

In the past, a number of workers have shown that both charged and neutral particles are released from inorganic materials during fracture and abrasion. In this work we show that charge can be transported by electrification of flowing gases over a surface undergoing abrasion. These results are relevant to possible mechanisms of a number of observed electrical phenomena associated with fault motion and earthquake activity. Received: 14 July 1997 / Revised, accepted: 2 January 1998     

Experimental duplication of a high-pressure megacryst/cumulate assemblage in a near-saturated hawaiite

The occurrence of corroded megacrysts and cumulates of olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, plagioclase, ilmenite and apatite in near-saturated hawaiites from the mid-north coast of New South Wales point to the derivation of these hawaiites at elevated pressures. In an experimental study on one of these hawaiites under conditions ranging from 5–15 kb and 0–5% H₂O, orthopyroxene was identified in only one run with 2% H₂O at 1040° C and 6.5 kb. In this run it was associated with olivine, clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxide. The early appearance of plagioclase in the “dry” experimental runs and amphibole in runs with 5% H₂O, indicates that the water content in the natural hawaiite was intermediate to these values. The near-duplication of the natural megacryst-cumulate assemblage suggests that the hawaiite host precipitated these phases at a depth of approximately 20–24 km, prior to rapid eruption to higher crustal levels.     

Quasi-geostrophic motions in a galactic flow

Summary We continue the theoretical investigation of geostrophically balanced motions of a star gas in a rotating galaxy. The method of small perturbations is employed to derive a quasi geostrophic vorticity equation suitable for solving initial value problems for slow galactic eddying motions. The results derived for this simple theoretical model are then generalized to obtain approximate geostrophic forecast equations suitable for study of nonlinear galactic motions over a whole disk galaxy. A simple discussion of the stability of our approximate vorticity equation is presented. It is expected that in the absence of rapid gravitational instabilities, actual eddy motions observed in spiral galaxies will be at least approximately of the type of motion discussed in this paper. The Rossby adjustment problem is investigated in this context.     

Cordierite breakdown under high-pressure,hydrous conditions

Clear evidence exists for a cordierite breakdown reaction to amphibole-kyanite-quartz in high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Arunta Complex, Australia. Using the natural minerals this reaction has been duplicated experimentally. It proceeds over a divariant band with a slope of 12±4 bars/°C, occurring between 8 and 10.4 kb at 750° C and between 9.5 and 11.3 kb at 850°C. The reaction is cut off at low temperature by the appearance of talc and at high temperature by the appearance of orthopyroxene. The maximum pressure stability of the amphibole-kyanite-quartz assemblage is about 20 kb. These data suggest that the natural rock was subjected to pressures of at least 8 kb at 750–850° C for high water fugacities. Other experimental data on the hydration of hypersthene and cordierite-hypersthene stability, point to a temperature below 820° C and an upper pressure limit of 9.5 kb at 750–820°C. Experiments at \(P_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}}\) total indicate that the breakdown of cordierite to amphibole-kyanite-quartz is a hydration reaction, and occurred in the natural rock as a result of an increase of water fugacity at constant total pressure (8–9.5 kb) and temperature (750–820°C).