Middle Paleozoic paleomagnetism of east Kazakhstan: post-Middle Devonian rotations in a large-scale orocline in the central Ural–Mongol belt

In order to test different hypotheses concerning the Paleozoic evolution of the Ural–Mongol belt (UMB) and the amalgamation of Eurasia, we studied Middle Devonian basalts from two localities (11 sites) and Lower Silurian volcanics, redbeds, and intra-formational conglomerates from three localities (20 sites) in the Chingiz Range of East Kazakhstan. The Devonian rocks prove to be heavily overprinted in the late Paleozoic, and a high-temperature, presumably primary, southerly, and down component is isolated at only four sites from a homoclinal section. Most Silurian redbeds are found to be remagnetized in the late Paleozoic; in contrast, a bipolar near-horizontal remanence, isolated from Silurian volcanics, is most probably primary as indicated by positive tilt and conglomerate tests. Analysis of paleomagnetic data from the Chingiz Range shows that southward-pointing directions in Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian rocks are of normal polarity and hence indicate large-scale rotations after the Middle Devonian. The Chingiz paleomagnetic directions can be compared with Paleozoic data from the North Tien Shan and with the horseshoe-shaped distribution of subduction-related volcanic complexes in Kazakhstan. Both paleomagnetic and geological data support the idea that today's strongly curved volcanic belts of Kazakhstan are an orocline, deformed mostly before mid-Permian time. Despite the determination of nearly a dozen new Paleozoic paleopoles in this study and other recent publications by our team, significant temporal and spatial gaps remain in our knowledge of the paleomagnetic directions during the middle and late Paleozoic. However, the paleomagnetic results from the Chingiz Range and the North Tien Shan indicate that these areas show generally coherent motions with Siberia and Baltica, respectively.     

Evidence for fullerenes in solid bitumen from pillow lavas of Proterozoic age from Mítov (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

Andesitic pillow lavas containing biogenic, solid bitumen (SB) are a constituent of a Neoproterozoic volcanosedimentary sequence (Teplá-Barrandian unit, Bohemian Massif) in the Mítov area of the Czech Republic. A black shale formation that is crosscut by these andesitic basalts is 565 Ma old. Carbon disulfide extracts of two powdered samples of SB contain 0.2 and 0.3 ppm of C₆₀, respectively, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The peak assignment based on retention time is fully supported by high-resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS). No C₇₀ was detected, nor was C₆₀ found in two other SB samples from this locality. Other investigated carbonaceous samples from Bohemia (coals and anthracites of Upper Paleozoic age and anthraxolite, graphitoids, and graphite of Upper Proterozoic age) did not contain fullerenes at concentrations above the detection limit of 0.01 ppm. The absence of C₆₀ in these samples was confirmed by EI-MS. The proposed mechanism of fullerene formation involves a primary algal phase, generation of a hydrocarbonaceous mixture in the course of thermal evolution of the sedimentary series, and their high-temperature transformation related to the extrusion of basalt. An important feature for fullerene conservation was the enclosure of fullerenes in SB with a structure similar to glasslike carbon, where the fullerene was protected against oxidation.     

Use of phytoplankton species indicators to track the origin of phytoplankton blooms in Willapa Bay, Washington

We focus on the question of whether high phytoplankton production events observed in a United States Pacific Northwest estuary consist of estuarine species blooms fueled by oceanic nutrient input or reflect offshore oceanic blooms that have advected into the estuary. Our approach is to use certain phytoplankton species as indicators associated with water mass origin, either estuarine or oceanic, to help resolve this question in Willapa Bay, Washington. We used species analysis and primary production data from 10 selected dates in May–September of 1998 and 1999, representing periods of high through low productivity. Out of 108 phytoplankton species identified from Willapa Bay, nine were selected and tested as indicators of oceanic species, six as estuarine, and two as surf zone. Our test results demonstrated the oceanic and estuarine species to be satifactory indicators of source waters. The prevalence of these species indicators in our samples revealed that the highest primary production and the appearance ofPseudo-nitzschia spp. were associated with oceanic intrusions of phytoplankton biomass into Willapa Bay. While the largest blooms were oceanic in origin, numerous medium-sized production events were from either oceanic, surf zone, or estuarine sources, indicating a complex situation.     

Putting Japanese investment in Europe in its place

Summary Research on Japanese economic activity in Europe concentrates almost exclusively on investment in manufacturing. However, this paper demonstrates that this emphasis both underestimates the longevity of Japanese direct investment in Europe and also grossly underdefines the importance of services. Not only does Japanese direct investment have a much longer history in Europe than is usually recognized but also—and perhaps more significantly—the bulk of that investment is not in manufacturing production per se but in a variety of circulation services. Using establishment-level data, this paper shows that the spatial manifestation of these circulation services is very different from that of manufacturing production.     

Detecting lateral resistivity inhomogeneities with the Schlumberger array

A method of detecting lateral resistivity inhomogeneities with a multi-electrode cable for the Schlumberger array is presented. Using such a cable system, two dipole-dipole soundings are gathered in addition to the Schlumberger sounding at each point. Offset differences calculated from the dipole-dipole data give qualitative information about lateral resistivity inhomogeneities. Results from 1D modelling can give quantitative information about the 2D resistivity distribution since the dipole-dipole soundings are made to either side of the Schlumberger sounding point. Examples from two different locations in Norway are shown. At Reinøya, northern Norway, a dipping layer, confirmed by refraction seismic data, was identified. In a sedimentary basin with a contamination plume at Haslemoen, southern Norway, the method has revealed lateral variations in resistivity. In both cases, the Schlumberger soundings could be fitted with a 1D resistivity model.     

Gravity reduction with three-dimensional atmospheric pressure data for precise ground gravity measurements

The redistribution of air masses induces gravity variations (atmospheric pressure effect) up to about 20 μgal. These variations are disturbing signals in gravity records and they must be removed very carefully for detecting weak gravity signals. In the past, different methods have been developed for modelling of the atmospheric pressure effect. These methods use local or two-dimensional (2D) surface atmospheric pressure data and a standard height-dependent air density distribution. The atmospheric pressure effect is consisting of the elastic deformation and attraction term. The deformation term can be well modelled with 2D surface atmospheric pressure data, for instance with the Green's function method. For modelling of the attraction term, three-dimensional (3D) data are required. Results with 2D data are insufficient.From European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 3D atmospheric pressure data are now available. The ECMWF data used here are characterised by a spacing of Δ and Δλ = 0.5°, 60 pressure levels up to a height of 60 km and an interval of 6 h. These data are used for modelling of the atmospheric attraction term. Two attraction models have been developed based on the point mass attraction of air segments and the gravity potential of the air masses. The modelling shows a surface pressure-independent part of gravity variations induced by mass redistribution of the atmosphere in the order of some μgal. This part can only be determined by using 3D atmospheric pressure data. It has been calculated for the Vienna Superconducting Gravimeter site.From this follows that the gravity reduction can be improved by applying the 3D atmospheric attraction model for analysing long-periodic tidal waves including the polar tide. The same improvement is expected for reduction of long-term absolute gravity measurements or comparison of gravity measurements at different seasonal times. By using 3D atmospheric pressure data, the gravity correction can be improved up to some μgal.     

Regional moment tensor uncertainty due to mismodeling of the crust

The retrieval of earthquake moment tensor (MT) requires the response of the medium, in which seismic waves travel from the hypocenter to the stations, to be known. In inverting long-period (LP) seismic data (teleseismic and LP regional records), a gross earth model is sufficient; with decreasing periods, a more detailed model is needed. This is the case when waveforms of weak earthquakes at regional distances are to be inverted. Regional moment tensors (RMTs) of mostly Mediterranean earthquakes are determined on a routine basis by the Swiss Seismological Survey (SED) by using averaged models of the earth's crust. By inverting broad-band records of the M_w=4.8 earthquake near Udine, N Italy, on Feb. 14, 2002, we tested the sensitivity of the MT solution with respect to possible errors in the earth model used and in the location of the hypocenter depth. We perturbed the P and S velocities and the thickness in the 1-D earth model in the range from 3% to 30% of the parameter values and constructed estimates of confidence regions of the MT and error bars of the source time function (STF) and scalar moment in three frequency bands. Similarly, these error characteristics were determined assuming a mislocation in the hypocenter depth. We found that, in the band of periods from 25 to 50 s, the mechanism is resolved well (at the confidence level 95% at least) up to an earth model uncertainty of 30%, in the passband 10–25 s up to about 10%, but it is undetermined completely at periods of 5–10 s. An error in hypocenter depth of as much as double the value reported by the location procedure does not destroy the resolution of the mechanism at periods above 10 s. In the RMT catalog of the SED, earthquakes of M_w greater than about 3.5 are processed at periods above 30 s; thus, the solutions for these events are robust with respect to a possible uncertainty in the earth model used. Mechanisms of weaker earthquakes, retrieved from short periods, should be interpreted with caution.     

Record of Late Pleistocene Glaciation and Deglaciation in the Southern Cascade Range. I. Petrological Evidence from Lacustrine Sediment in Upper Klamath Lake, Southern Oregon

Petrological and textural properties of lacustrine sediments from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, reflect changing input volumes of glacial flour and thus reveal a detailed glacial history for the southern Cascade Range between about 37 and 15 ka. Magnetic properties vary as a result of mixing different amounts of the highly magnetic, glacially generated detritus with less magnetic, more weathered detritus derived from unglaciated parts of the large catchment. Evidence that the magnetic properties record glacial flour input is based mainly on the strong correlation between bulk sediment particle size and parameters that measure the magnetite content and magnetic mineral freshness. High magnetization corresponds to relatively fine particle size and lower magnetization to coarser particle size. This relation is not found in the Buck Lake core in a nearby, unglaciated catchment. Angular silt-sized volcanic rock fragments containing unaltered magnetite dominate the magnetic fraction in the late Pleistocene sediments but are absent in younger, low magnetization sediments. The finer grained, highly magnetic sediments contain high proportions of planktic diatoms indicative of cold, oligotrophic limnic conditions. Sediment with lower magnetite content contains populations of diatoms indicative of warmer, eutrophic limnic conditions. During the latter part of oxygen isotope stage 3 (about 37–25 ka), the magnetic properties record millennial-scale variations in glacial-flour content. The input of glacial flour was uniformly high during the Last Glacial Maximum, between about 21 and 16 ka. At about 16 ka, magnetite input, both absolute and relative to hematite, decreased abruptly, reflecting a rapid decline in glacially derived detritus. The decrease in magnetite transport into the lake preceded declines in pollen from both grass and sagebrush. A more gradual decrease in heavy mineral content over this interval records sediment starvation with the growth of marshes at the margins of the lake and dilution of detrital material by biogenic silica and other organic matter.     

Kinetic energy–rainfall intensity relationship for Central Cebu, Philippines for soil erosion studies

In the study of soil erosion, specifically on detachment of soil particles by raindrop impact, kinetic energy is a commonly suggested indicator of the raindrop's ability to detach soil particles from the soil mass. Since direct measurement of kinetic energy requires sophisticated and costly instruments, the alternative approach is to estimate it from rainfall intensity. The present study aims at establishing a relationship between rainfall intensity and kinetic energy for rainfalls in Central Cebu, Philippines as a preface of a wider regional investigation.

Drop size distributions of rainfalls were measured using the disdrometer RD-80. There are two forms of kinetic energy considered here. One is kinetic energy per unit area per unit time (KE_R, J m⁻² h⁻¹) and the other is kinetic energy per unit area per unit depth (KE, J m⁻² mm⁻¹). Relationships between kinetic energy per unit area per unit time (KE_R) and rainfall intensity (I) were obtained using linear and power relations. The exponential model and the logarithmic model were fitted to the KE–I data to obtain corresponding relationships between kinetic energy per unit area per unit depth of rainfall (KE) and rainfall intensity (I). The equation obtained from the exponential model produced smaller standard error of estimates than the logarithmic model.