Changes in abundance and nature of microimpact craters on the surfaces of Australasian microtektites with distance from the proposed source crater location

Abstract– Over 4600 Australasian microtektites from 11 sediment cores along an N–S transect in the Central Indian Ocean have been investigated optically for microimpact features on their surfaces. Detailed scanning electron microscope examination of 68 microtektites along this transect shows 4091 such features. These samples are located between approximate distances of 3900–5000 km from the suggested impact site in Indochina and therefore constitute distal ejecta. The morphology of the microimpacts seems to show distinct variations with distance from the source crater. The total number of microcraters on each microtektite decreases drastically from North to South indicating systematic decrease in the spatial density of the ejecta, and decrease in collisional activity between microtektites with distance from the proposed source crater location. Closer to the proposed source crater location, the microcraters are predominantly small (few μm), pit bearing with radial and concentric cracks, suggestive of violent interparticle collisions. The scenario is reverse farther from the source crater with smaller numbers of impacted microtektites due to increased dispersion of the ejecta and the microcraters are large and shallow, implying gentle collisions with larger particles. These observations provide systematic ground truth for the processes that take place as the ejecta of a large oblique impact which generated the Australasian tektite strewn field is emplaced. The microimpacts appear to take place during the descent of the ejecta and their intensity and number density decrease as a function of the spatial density of the ejecta at any given place and with distance from the source region. These features could help understand processes that take place during ejecta emplacement on planets with substantial atmosphere such as Mars and Venus.     

An Experimentally Constrained Petrogenetic Grid in the Silica-Saturated Portion of the System KFMASH at High Temperatures and Pressures

Experiments in the quartz-saturated part of the system KFMASHunder fO₂ conditions of the haematite–magnetite bufferand using bulk compositions with X_Mg of 0·81, 0·72,0·53 define the stability limits of several mineral assemblageswithin the P–T field 9–12 kbar, 850–1100°C.The stability limits of the mineral assemblages orthopyroxene+ spinel + cordierite ± sapphirine, orthopyroxene + garnet+ sapphirine, sapphirine + cordierite + orthopyroxene and garnet+ orthopyroxene + spinel have been delineated on the basis ofP–T and T–X pseudosections. Sapphirine did not appearin the bulk composition of X_Mg = 0·53. A partial petrogeneticgrid applicable to high Mg–Al granulites metamorphosedat high fO₂, developed in our earlier work, was extended tohigher pressures. The experimental results were successfullyapplied to several high-grade terranes to estimate P–Tconditions and retrograde P–T trajectories. KEY WORDS: KFMASH equilibria; experimental petrogenetic grid at high fO₂     

TRANSFORMATION OF SCHLUMBERGER APPARENT RESISTIVITY TO DIPOLE APPARENT RESISTIVITY OVER LAYERED EARTH BY THE APPLICATION OF DIGITAL LINEAR FILTERS *

A simple extension of our previous work in which digital filters were developed to transform dipole resistivity measurements over layered earth to Schlumberger ones leads us to the development of filters for transforming the latter to the former. As in the previous work we use a sampling interval of 1/6 In 10 in designing the filters that are both accurate and fast in operation.     

DIGITAL LINEAR FILTER FOR COMPUTING TYPE CURVES FOR THE TWO-ELECTRODE SYSTEM OF RESISTIVITY SOUNDING*

In this paper a technique for computing type curves for the two-electrode resistivity soundings is presented. It is shown that the apparent resistivity due to the system can be represented by a convolution integral. Thus, it is possible to apply the principle of digital linear filtering and compute the desired type-curves. The filter function required for the purpose is found to be identical with that used to compute the EM sounding curves for the two coplanar horizontal loop system. It is further shown that from the two-electrode apparent-resistivity expression one can easily derive the apparent resistivities for other configurations. A comparison of depths of investigation for various systems reveals that the two-electrode system has greater depth of investigation than other conventional systems. This is also supported by the field example presented in the end, which illustrates the relative performance of the two-electrode system vis-a-vis the Wenner system.     

Determination of Ruthenium,Palladium and Iridium in 27 In ternational Reference Silicate and I Ron-Formation Rocks,Ores and Related Materials By Isotope Dilution Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry*

Ruthenium, palladium and iridium have been determined in 27 international reference rocks, ores and related materials by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry using isotope dilution and sample introduction by solution nebulization and electrothermal vaporization, after chemical separation by co-precipitation with tellurium. The accuracy of the procedure is discussed by comparison of the results obtained with synthetic solutions and standard samples.     

RESISTIVITY AND INDUCED POLARIZATION RESPONSES OF ARBITRARILY SHAPED 3-D BODIES IN A TWO-LAYERED EARTH*

Numerical computations using the integral equation method are presented for resistivity and IP responses due to arbitrarily shaped 3-dimensional bodies in a layered earth. The unknown surface charge density distribution is expressed as the solution of Fredholm's integral equation of the second kind. Use of moment method (with pulse basis function and point-collocation) yields the matrix equations for the unknowns. The contributions to Green's function are solved (a) analytically for the primary and (b) by convolution for the secondary contributions resulting in a fast algorithm. The further step of computing potential, apparent resistivity, chargeability etc., for any electrode system, is straightforward. Our results show a good agreement with those from finite difference methods and physical tank experiments. The CPU time is only 138 s on a super-minicomputer for an apparent resistivity pseudo-section, even with 96 elementary cells as used for discretization. A large number of models for different geological situations were studied; some are presented here.