Petrogenesis of Na-rich paralava formed by methane flares associated with mud volcanism, Altyn-Emel National Park, Kazakhstan

High-Na slag-like rocks (paralava) with 4.5–11 % Na₂O from the Altyn-Emel mud volcanic field, Kazakhstan, are the products of melting of sediment + salt mixtures by methane flares associated with mud extrusion. The main minerals of the paralavas are diopside and wollastonite which have quench morphologies. Other high-temperature phases (crystallizing from melt and vapour phase) are tridymite, cristobalite, chlorapatite, alkali feldspar, pyrrhotite, native iron and silicon, iron phosphides, titanite, rutile, and carbon. The paralavas lack the Na–Ca silicates devitrite and combeite, but have high-Na and Na–K glasses that have not been homogenized despite low viscosities of <10^?3.5 Pa s. The large number of ignition foci in the Altyn-Emel mud volcano field indicates gas venting from small, shallow reservoirs. The methane flares are inferred to have been small and the fire events short-lived. Fires were extinguished once overpressure released during eruption, methane venting stopped and melted rocks rapidly quenched. The periodicity of eruptions and methane flaring most likely depends on the recurrence of earthquakes (M < 5) which are frequent in this tectonically active area.     

Natural analogue approaches to prediction of long-term behaviour of Ca<Subscript>2</Subscript>UO<Subscript>5</Subscript>∙2-3H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O X-phase: case study from Tulul Al Hammam site,Jordan

The Tulul Al Hammam area in central Jordan is an advantageous natural analogue site to study long-term U(VI) retention in ~?1 Ma old U-bearing combustion metamorphic marbles with clinker-like mineralogy exposed to prolonged supergene alteration for at least ~?100 kyr. The marbles contain abundant grains of high-temperature (ca. 800–850 °C) primary double Ca-U(VI) oxides (mainly Ca₃UO₆ and CaUO₄), which are commonly replaced by hydrated calcium uranates with various impurities (Si, Fe, Al and F). A more hydrous natural analogue of X-phase (Ca₂UO₅·2-3H₂O) occurs as a predominant secondary U compound after primary Ca-U(VI) oxides. The phase was studied by single-crystal XRD, SEM/EDX and electron microprobe (EPMA) analyses and Raman spectroscopy. It is a non-crystalline phase with a specific finger-like microtexture consisting of thin (no wider than 1–2 μm) lamellar particles. Its Raman spectrum shows a single strong band at 706–713 cm^?1, sometimes coexisting with up to three weak diffuse bands (ν ~?390, ~?540 and 1355–1400 cm^?1). The find of the natural X-phase (Ca₂UO₅·2-3H₂O) is evidence of its long-term stability in a natural environment. It proves explicitly that the compound Ca₂UO₅·nH₂O is a solubility-limiting phase in aged cements. The results have implications for geological disposal of radioactive wastes.     

Geochemical and Isotope Characteristics of Carbonates from Ejecta of Mud Volcanoes of the Kura Basin,Azerbaijan

Lithology and Mineral Resources - This paper is devoted to the vein and dispersed carbonates from ejecta of mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan. The vein calcites are morphologically diverse and related to...     

The inclusion of surface synoptic data in very short range predictions of convective events

Summary Predictor vectors, including upper air as well as surface data, were used for categorical forecasting convective events over a subregion of the Czech territory, and the effect of including surface variables in the predictor vector was examined. While upper air data were considered as Perfect Prognosis, the surface data were successively included according to the time of their origin. The forecasting technique was based on linear multiple regression with learning, and the accuracy of the forecast was measured by the Critical Success Index. The input data from the three May-September periods in 1989–91 were used, and the first year served as the learning set. The aerological data from TEMP 12 UTC, simulating Perfect Prognosis, were the source of the upper air predictors. The performance of all, upper air, surface and combined, predictors were evaluated and compared. It turned out that the improvement of prediction accuracy due to the inclusion of surface variables was not negligible. Significant improvements were made in the forecasts of thunderstorm occurrence between 18 and 24 UTC.     

UBV observations of post-AGB supergiants and peculiarities of their photometric variability

The systematic UBV observations of six variable post-AGB supergiants in 1991–1999 are presented. Their variability is analyzed. The coolest stars V1027 Cyg and V354 Lac exhibit bimodal pulsations with variable amplitudes. Apart from pulsations, the hotter stars V887 Her and IRAS 19386+0155 show light variations associated with a stellar wind. A variable stellar wind appears to be mainly responsible for the photometric variations in the still hotter stars SAO 163075 and IRAS 20572+4919. Distinct trends in the yearly mean brightness have been found in three of the six supergiants studied, with the trend amplitude being independent of the spectral range. They are interpreted as the result of dust envelopes composed of large grains with R=A _V /E(B?V)≥7 becoming optically thin.     

Bemerkungen über Flußterrassen

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