Origin and transportation history of lunar breccia 14311

In this paper, we compare the U‐Pb zircon age distribution pattern of sample 14311 from the Apollo 14 landing site with those from other breccias collected at the same landing site. Zircons in breccia 14311 show major age peaks at 4340 and 4240 Ma and small peaks at 4110, 4030, and 3960 Ma. The zircon age patterns of breccia 14311 and other Apollo 14 breccias are statistically different suggesting a separate provenance and transportation history for these breccias. This interpretation is supported by different U‐Pb Ca‐phosphate and exposure ages for breccia 14311 (Ca‐phosphate age: 3938 ± 4 Ma, exposure age: ~550–660 Ma) from the other Apollo 14 breccias (Ca‐phosphate age: 3927 ± 2 Ma, compatible with the Imbrium impact, exposure age: ~25–30 Ma). Based on these observations, we consider two hypotheses for the origin and transportation history of sample 14311. (1) Breccia 14311 was formed in the Procellarum KREEP terrane by a 3938 Ma‐old impact and deposited near the future site of the Imbrium basin. The breccia was integrated into the Fra Mauro Formation during the deposition of the Imbrium impact ejecta at 3927 Ma. The zircons were annealed by mare basalt flooding at 3400 Ma at Apollo 14 landing site. Eventually, at approximately 660 Ma, a small and local impact event excavated this sample and it has been at the surface of the Moon since this time. (2) Breccia 14311 was formed by a 3938 Ma‐old impact. The location of the sample is not known at that time but at 3400 Ma, it was located nearby or buried by hot basaltic flows. It was transported from where it was deposited to the Apollo 14 landing site by an impact at approximately 660 Ma, possibly related to the formation of the Copernicus crater and has remained at the surface of the Moon since this event. This latter hypothesis is the simplest scenario for the formation and transportation history of the 14311 breccia.     

Changes in Venice Lagoon dynamics due to construction of mobile barriers

The MoSE project (construction of mobile barrier to safeguard the Lagoon of Venice) entails changes to the structure of the lagoon's inlets. This could have consequences for the areas near the inlets and for the dynamics of the lagoon ecosystem as a whole. In order to predict the effects of the proposed alterations on the hydrodynamics of the lagoon, a well-tested hydrodynamic-dispersion model was applied. Simulations were carried out considering both idealised and realistic tide and wind scenarios.     

Mass transport triggered by heavy rainfall: the role of endorheic basins and epikarst in a regional karst aquifer

This study aims at recognizing the mechanisms of mass transport between the karst surface and the saturated zone in a morphostructural relief of the Mesozoic karst carbonate platform of Murgia (Puglia, Southern Italy). The large dimension of the karst aquifer, the regional scale of the flow system, the boundary condition constituted by the sea, and the lack of freshwater springs constrain to the use of wells as monitoring points and limit the study area to the recharge area comprising 986 endorheic basins. The concentrations of non‐reactive tracers (nitrates) in the waters of autogenic recharge (from endorheic basins) have been modeled through the evaluation of effective infiltration, land use, and nitrogen surplus, with reference to a time window, which includes a low precipitation period followed by significant rainfall events. The comparison between the modeled nitrate concentrations and the nitrate concentrations measured in ground waters, coupled with the analysis of groundwater chemograms and records of hydraulic heads (all referred to the same time window), allows inferring the mechanism of mass transport between the karst surface and the groundwater table. The mass transport conceptual model requires the presence of the epikarst. The infiltration of significant rainfall in the endorheic basins after a low precipitation period displaces waters stored in the epikarst toward the saturated zone. Ground waters in the post‐event period show higher concentrations of nitrates, lower concentrations of total organic carbon, and higher Mg/Ca ratios than both those of the pre‐event period and the autumn‐winter recharge period. The post‐event recharge from epikarst storage determines a transient hazard of groundwater pollution with a time lag from the occurrence of the heavy rainfall.     

Calcification depth and spatial distribution of Thoracosphaera heimii cysts: Implications for palaeoceanographic reconstructions

For the optimal use in palaeoceanographic studies of the stable oxygen isotopic signal and elemental composition of the calcareous photosynthetic dinoflagellate Thoracosphaera heimii, it is essential to gain detailed information about its calcification depth and spatial distribution. We therefore studied the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of T. heimii in the upper water column (0–200 m) along three transects: an inshore–offshore gradient off Cape Blanc (CB), a south–north transect from CB to the Portuguese coast and a north–south transect off Tanzania. We compared concentrations of living cysts (cells with cell content) with chlorophyll-a, salinity and temperature measurements at the sampling depth. In order to explore the seasonal variability in cyst production, three transect off CB were sampled at three different times of the year.Living T. heimii cysts were found in the upper 160 m of the water column with highest concentrations in the photic zone indicating that the calcification of T. heimii occurs in the upper part of the water column. Maximal abundances of living cysts were found relatively often in or just above the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), the depth of which varies regionally from about 20–40 m off CB to about 80 m off Tanzania and along the transect from CB to the Portuguese Coast. However, there was no significant correlation at the 95% confidence level between the cyst concentrations and temperature, salinity and chlorophyll-a concentrations at the sampling depths observed.In both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the highest abundances of T. heimii were observed in regions where the upper water masses contained relatively low nutrient concentrations that are influenced only sporadically, or not at all, by enhanced photic zone mixing related to the presence of upwelling cells or river outflow plumes at or close to the sampling sites. The seasonal production of cysts by T. heimii appears to be negatively related to the presence of upwelling filaments across the sampling sites. Our study suggests that turbulence of the upper water masses is a major environmental factor influencing T. heimii production.     

Epikarst hydrology and implications for stalagmite capture of climate changes at Grotta di Ernesto (NE Italy): results from long‐term monitoring

Grotta di Ernesto is a cave site well suited for palaeoclimate studies because it contains annually laminated stalagmites and was monitored from 1995 to the end of 2008 for microclimate, hydrology and hydrochemistry. Long‐term monitoring highlighted that cave drips show three different hydrological responses to rainfall and infiltration: (1) fast seasonal drips in the upper part of the cave, which are mostly fed by fractures, (2) slow seasonal drips, located at mid‐depth in the cave characterized by mixed feeding and (3) slow drips, mostly located in the deeper gallery, which are fed by seepage flow from bulk porosity with a minor fracture‐fed component. The slow drips display daily cycles during spring thaw. Monitoring also indicated that drip waters are only slightly modified by degassing within the soil zone and aquifer and by prior calcite precipitation. Hydrochemical studies show a clear seasonality in calcite saturation index, which results in most cave calcite precipitation occurring during late autumn and winter with similar amounts of precipitated calcite on most stalagmites, regardless of drip rate (discharge) differences. Drip rate, and drip rate variability, therefore, has a minor role in modulating the amount of annual calcite formation. In contrast, drip rate, when associated with moderate reduction in calcite saturation index, clearly influences stalagmite morphology. Increasing drip rate yields a passage from candle‐, to cone‐ to dome‐shaped stalagmites. Very high drip rates feed speleothems with flowstone morphology. In summary, monitoring provides information about the karst aquifer and how hydrology influences those physical and chemical characteristics of speleothems which are commonly used as climate proxies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat at Viosca Knoll,Gulf of Mexico

The Lophelia pertusa community at Viosca Knoll (VK826) is the most extensive found to date in the Gulf of Mexico. As part of a multi-disciplinary study, the physical setting of this area was described using benthic landers, CTD transects and remotely operated vehicle observations. The site was broadly characterised into three main habitats: (1) dense coral cover that resembles biogenic reef complexes, (2) areas of sediment, and (3) authigenic carbonate blocks with sparse coral and chemosynthetic communities. The coral communities were dominated by L. pertusa but also contained numerous solitary coral species. Over areas that contained L. pertusa, the environmental conditions recorded were similar to those associated with communities in the north-eastern Atlantic, with temperature (8.5–10.6 °C) and salinity (～35) falling within the known species niche for L. pertusa. However, dissolved oxygen concentrations (2.7–2.8 ml l^?1) and density (σ_Θ, 27.1–27.2 kg m^?3) were lower and mass fluxes from sediment trap data appeared much higher (4002–4192 mg m^?2 d^?1). Yet, this species still appears to thrive in this region, suggesting that L. pertusa may not be as limited by lower dissolved oxygen concentrations as previously thought. The VK826 site experienced sustained eastward water flow of 10–30 cm s^?1 over the 5-day measurement period but was also subjected to significant short-term variability in current velocity and direction. In addition, two processes were observed that caused variability in salinity and temperature; the first was consistent with internal waves that caused temperature variations of 0.8 °C over 5–11 h periods. The second was high-frequency variability (20–30 min periods) in temperature recorded only at the ALBEX site. A further pattern observed over the coral habitat was the presence of a 24 h diel vertical migration of zooplankton that may form part of a food chain that eventually reaches the corals. The majority of detailed studies concerning local environmental conditions in L. pertusa habitats have been conducted within the north-eastern Atlantic, limiting most knowledge of the niche of this species to a single part of an ocean basin. Data presented here show that the corals at VK826 are subjected to similar conditions in temperature, salinity, and flow velocity as their counterparts in the north-east Atlantic, although values for dissolved oxygen and density (sigma-theta: σ_Θ) are different. Our data also highlight novel observations of short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat.     

Grossular activity-composition relationships in ternary garnets determined by reversed displaced-equilibrium experiments

Activity-composition relationships of Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ (grs) in ternary Ca-Mg-Fe garnets of various compositions have been determined by reversed displaced equilibrium experiments at 1000° C and 900° C and pressures of 8 to 17 kbar. The mixing of grs in garnet is nearly ideal at 30 mol% grs, with positive deviations from ideality at lower grs contents. Models of garnet mixing currently in the literature do not predict this trend. Analysis of the present reversals, in conjunction with a garnet mixing model based solely on calorimetry measurements on the binary joins, indicates that a ternary interaction constant for a ternary asymmetric Margules model (Wohl 1953) cannot be constrained. Apparently, some aspects of the garnet binary joins are still not well-known. An alternative asymmetric empirical model, based on analysis of pseudobinary joins of constant Mg/Mg + Fe(Mg #), reproduces the data well and is able to predict grs activity coefficients for garnets with grs contents between 3 and 40 mol% and Mg numbers between 0 and 0.60. The grossular activity coefficient, _grs, is given by:

Shape analysis and multispectral classification in geological remote sensing

This paper discusses the usage of mathematical morphology in image processing of remotely-sensed data for geologic interpretation. Particular attention is given to noise-reducing transformations of spectral bands before and after different methods of classification, and to the usage of textural context. The development of a viable processing strategy requires a multidisciplinary approach and expert knowledge in different areas: (a) geology, geomorphology, and vegetation in a study area, (b) properties of the sensor for imagery photointerpretation, (c) spectral/spatial properties of the digital data within an integrated dataset (remote sensing and ancillary data), and (d) data-processing tools including mathematical morphology theory. Examples of geometric characterization of Canadian LANDSAT scenes are described in which shape measurements are obtained using a PC-based hybrid image-processing and geographic information system, termed ILWIS, which was developed at ITC, in the Netherlands. Classes from supervised and unsupervised classification are compared to guide in geological mapping. Classes over individual occurrences of broad vegetation-landform units are studied to aid in environmental mapping. Field knowledge is the context necessary to construct expert procedures to drive sequences of data-processing steps toward a target result such as optimal classification, enhancement, or feature extraction. The interaction between expert rules and the image-processing steps can be based on synthetic measurements of shape to quantize the information either spatially or spectrally. Many useful geometrical transformations of spatially-distributed data are extensions or generalizations of spatial analysis functions typical of geographic information systems.     

The effect of crystallization on the rheology and dynamics of lava flows

The dynamics of a lava flow is studied by a two-dimensional model describing a viscous fluid with Bingham rheology, flowing down a slope. The temperature in the flow is calculated assuming that heat is transferred through the plug by conduction and is lost by radiation to the atmosphere at the top of the flow. Taken into account is that the increasing crystallization takes place in the flow as a consequence of cooling. The lava viscosity and yield stress are expressed as a function of crystallization degree as well as of temperature: in particular it is assumed that yield stress reaches a maximum value above the solidus temperature, according to experimental data. Dynamical variables, such as velocity and thickness of the flow, are calculated for different values of the maximum crystallization degree and the flow rate. The model shows how the lava flow dynamics is affected by cooling and crystallization. The cooling of the flow is controlled by the increase of yield stress, which produces a thicker plug and makes the heat loss slower. The increasing crystallization has two opposing effects on viscosity: it produces an increase of viscosity, but at the same time produces an increase of yield stress and hence reduces the heat loss and keeps the internal temperature high. As a consequence, lava flows are significantly affected by the dependence of yield stress on temperature and scarcely by the maximum crystallization degree.