Tithonian–Early Valanginian evolution of deposition along the proto-Caribbean margin of North America recorded in Guaniguanico successions (western Cuba)

In the Guaniguanico Mountains of western Cuba, the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous limestones occur in three stratigraphic successions, which have accumulated along the proto-Caribbean margin of North America. The Late Jurassic subsidence and shallow-water carbonate deposition of the Guaniguanico successions have no counterpart on the northeastern Maya block, but some distant similarities with the southeastern Gulf of Mexico may exist. Four facies types have been distinguished in the Tithonian–Lower Valanginian deposits of the Guaniguanico tectonic units. Drowning of the Late Jurassic carbonate bank of the Sierra de los Organos occurred at the Kimmeridgian/Tithonian boundary. During this boundary interval, sedimentation in the west Cuban area and southwestern margin of the Maya block (Mexico) has evolved in a similar way in response to a major second-order transgression.The Lower Tithonian ammonite assemblages of the Guaniguanico successions indicate, in general, the neritic zone. Presence of juvenile gastropods and lack of adult specimens suggest unfavorable environment for these molluscs, probably related to low oxygenation levels. The Early Tithonian transgressive phase terminated about the lower boundary of the Chitinoidella Zone. The Late Tithonian “regressive” phase is weakly marked, whereas the latest Tithonian–earliest Berriasian strata were deposited during a deepening phase. The latter transgressive phase has ended in the Late Berriasian Oblonga Subzone. We correlate the bioturbated pelagic biomicrites of the Tumbitas Member of the Guasasa Formation with a significant fall of the sea level during the latest Berriasian–Early Valanginian. The average sedimentation rate for the Tumbitas Member biomicrites was about three times faster than for the Berriasian Tumbadero Member limestones. Sedimentation rates for the Tumbitas Member and the Valanginian limestones at the DSDP Site 535 in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico were similar. In the Los Organos succession, the Late Valanginian transgressive interval is associated with radiolarian limestones and black chert interbeds in the lower part of the Pons Formation. In the Southern Rosario succession, the pelagic limestones pass into the radiolarian cherts of the Santa Teresa Formation indicating a proximity of CCD during Late Valanginian–Hauterivian times.     

Very long baseline interferometry detection of an Infrared-Faint Radio Source

Infrared-Faint Radio Sources represent a new and unexpected class of object which is bright at radio wavelengths but unusually faint at infrared wavelengths. If, like most mJy radio sources, they were either conventional active or star-forming galaxies in the local Universe, we would expect them to be detectable at infrared wavelengths, and so their non-detection by the Spitzer Space Telescope is surprising. Here, we report the detection of one of these sources using very long baseline interferometry, from which we conclude that the sources are driven by active galactic nuclei. We suggest that these sources are either normal radio-loud quasars at high redshift or abnormally obscured radio galaxies.     

On photospheric and chromospheric penumbral waves

The full magnetoatmospheric wave equation is numerically solved for the particular penumbral model of Nye and Thomas (1974). For chromospheric running penumbral waves it is found that the maximum vertical velocity occurs at the base of the Hα region (z ≈ 300 km) much lower than previous WKB estimates have suggested. The maximum ‘vertical’ kinetic energy occurs at z ≈ - 130 km. Very significant horizontal velocities are also found for these waves, and, in the absence of shear flow it appears that previous estimates of photospheric vertical velocities of order 10^?1 km s^?1 could be substantial underestimates. For the photospheric events of Musman et al. (1976), a high vertical velocity maximum is found in the corona, and the modes appear highly dispersive for periods ≥ 220 s. The effects of a sinusoidal shear flow profile on running penumbral waves are examined, and it is found that the eigenvalues (horizontal wavenumber k) are changed little, but the eigenmodes become significantly distorted; the position of the vertical velocity peak rises compared to the zero flow case, and the velocity below that peak drops significantly. This effect may well cancel the increased estimates based on zero flow.     

Upper mantle anisotropy: evidence from free oscillations

Summary Isotropic earth models are unable to provide uniform fits to the gross Earth normal mode data set or, in many cases, to regional Love-and Rayleigh-wave data. Anisotropic inversion provides a good fit to the data and indicates that the upper 200km of the mantle is anisotropic. The nature and magnitude of the required anisotropy, moreover, is similar to that found in body wave studies and in studies of ultramafic samples from the upper mantle. Pronounced upper mantle low-velocity zones are characteristic of models resulting from isotropic inversion of global or regional data sets. Anisotropic models have more nearly constant velocities in the upper mantle.
Normal mode partial (Frediét) derivatives are calculated for a transversely isotropic earth model with a radial axis of symmetry. For this type of anisotropy there are five elastic constant. The two shear-type moduli can be determined from the toroidal modes. Spheroidal and Rayleigh modes are sensitive to all five elastic constants but are mainly controlled by the two compressional-type moduli, one of the shear-type moduli and the remaining, mixed-mode, modulus. The lack of sensitivity of Rayleigh waves to compressional wave velocities is a characteristic only of the isotropic case. The partial derivatives of the horizontal and vertical components of the compressional velocity are nearly equal and opposite in the region of the mantle where the shear velocity sensitivity is the greatest. The net compressional wave partial derivative, at depth, is therefore very small for isotropic perturbations. Compressional wave anisotropy, however, has a significant effect on Rayleigh-wave dispersion. Once it has been established that transverse anisotropy is important it is necessary to invert for all five elastic constants. If the azimuthal effect has not been averaged out a more general anisotropy may have to be allowed for.