Trace elements in olivine and the petrogenesis of the intermediate,olivine‐phyric shergottite NWA 10170

Olivine‐phyric shergottites represent primitive basaltic to picritic rocks, spanning a large range of Mg# and olivine abundances. As primitive olivine‐bearing magmas are commonly representative of their mantle source on Earth, understanding the petrology and evolution of olivine‐phyric shergottites is critical in our understanding of Martian mantle compositions. We present data for the olivine‐phyric shergottite Northwest Africa (NWA) 10170 to constrain the petrology with specific implications for magma plumbing‐system dynamics. The calculated oxygen fugacity and bulk‐rock REE concentrations (based on modal abundance) are consistent with a geochemically intermediate classification for NWA 10170, and overall similarity with NWA 6234. In addition, we present trace element data using laser ablation ICP‐MS for coarse‐grained olivine cores, and compare these data with terrestrial and Martian data sets. The olivines in NWA 10170 contain cores with compositions of Fo₇₇ that evolve to rims with composition of Fo₅₈, and are characterized by cores with low Ni contents (400–600 ppm). Nickel is compatible in olivine and such low Ni content for olivine cores in NWA 10170 suggests either early‐stage fractionation and loss of olivine from the magma in a staging chamber at depth, or that Martian magmas have lower Ni than terrestrial magmas. We suggest that both are true in this case. Therefore, the magma does not represent a primary mantle melt, but rather has undergone 10–15% fractionation in a staging chamber prior to extrusion/intrusion at the surface of Mars. This further implies that careful evaluation of not only the Mg# but also the trace element concentrations of olivine needs to be conducted to evaluate pristine mantle melts versus those that have fractionated olivine (±pyroxene and oxide minerals) in staging chambers.     

Analytical‐numerical solution for stress distribution around tunnel reinforced by radial fully grouted rockbolts

This paper presents an analytical‐numerical approach to obtain the distribution of stresses and deformations around a reinforced tunnel. The increase in the radial stress of the reinforced tunnel, based on the performance of a bolt, is modeled by a function, which its maximum value is in the vicinity of the bolt periphery and it exponentially decreases in the far distance from the bolt. On the basis of this approach, the shear stiffness between the bolt and the rock mass and the shear stress distribution around the bolt within the rock mass are also analytically obtained. The results are compared with those obtained by the assumption of ‘uniform increase of radial stress’ method, which is made by the previous studies. The analyses show when the bolts' spacing is large, the safety factor must be increased if the ‘uniform increase of radial stress’ method is used for the design. Finally, a procedure is introduced to calculate the non‐equal deformation of the rock mass between the bolts at any radius that can be useful to compute the bending moment in shotcrete layer in New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphometric and rheological study of lunar domes of Marius Hills volcanic complex region using Chandrayaan-1 and recent datasets

Marius Hills volcanic complex is one of the most important regions on the lunar surface having an abundant number of volcanic features like domes and cones. Systematic mapping of 106 domes/cones in the Marius Hills region was carried out in this study using high-resolution orthoimage and digital elevation models of Chandrayaan-1 and Kaguya missions. Various morphometric parameters like diameter, height, volume, flank slope, circularity index and form factor are derived for all the mapped domes. The rheological parameters, such as viscosity and eruption rate are estimated for isolated domes and cones superimposed over low domes. The morphometric and rheological properties of these domes are comparable to those located in the area near to Hortensius crater and other mare regions. Surface ages derived for a selected region in NW portion of the Marius Hills volcanic complex using crater size-frequency distribution technique yields ages of 2.98 and 1.91 Ga. It suggests that the domes in this region formed at about 2.98 Ga ago, and then, the younger mare basalts likely embayed this region about 1.98 Ga ago. Stratigraphic sequence of rilles, wrinkle ridge and domes shows that wrinkle ridges are the oldest, while the rilles are younger than the domes.     

Reclassification of four aubrites as enstatite chondrite impact melts: Potential geochemical analogs for Mercury

We present petrologic and isotopic data on Northwest Africa (NWA) 4799, NWA 7809, NWA 7214, and NWA 11071 meteorites, which were previously classified as aubrites. These four meteorites contain between 31 and 56 vol% of equigranular, nearly endmember enstatite, Fe,Ni metal, plagioclase, terrestrial alteration products, and sulfides, such as troilite, niningerite, daubréelite, oldhamite, and caswellsilverite. The equigranular texture of the enstatite and the presence of the metal surrounding enstatite indicate that these rocks were not formed through igneous processes like the aubrites, but rather by impact processes. In addition, the presence of pre‐terrestrially weathered metal (7.1–14 vol%), undifferentiated modal abundances compared to enstatite chondrites, presence of graphite, absence of diopside and forsterite, low Ti in troilite, and high Si in Fe,Ni metals suggest that these rocks formed through impact melting on chondritic and not aubritic parent bodies. Formation of these meteorites on a parent body with similar properties to the EHa enstatite chondrite parent body is suggested by their mineralogy. These parent bodies have undergone impact events from at least 4.5 Ga (NWA 11071) until at least 4.2 Ga (NWA 4799) according to ³⁹Ar‐⁴⁰Ar ages, indicating that this region of the solar system was heavily bombarded early in its history. By comparing NWA enstatite chondrite impact melts to Mercury, we infer that they represent imperfect petrological analogs to this planet given their high metal abundances, but they could represent important geochemical analogs for the behavior and geochemical affinities of elements on Mercury. Furthermore, the enstatite chondrite impact melts represent an important petrological analog for understanding high‐temperature processes and impact processes on Mercury, due to their similar mineralogies, Fe‐metal‐rich and FeO‐poor silicate abundances, and low oxygen fugacity.     

Paired nakhlites MIL 090030, 090032, 090136, and 03346: Insights into the Miller Range parent meteorite

Abstract– Miller Range (MIL) 03346 is the most oxidized and least equilibrated nakhlite known and displays the highest amount of intercumulus phase. The discovery of three new nakhlites, MIL 090030, MIL 090032, and MIL 090136, in the Miller Range, Antarctica, geographically close to the location of MIL 03346, suggests that they may come from the same parent meteorite. In this study, we investigate the mineralogy and texture of cumulus and intercumulus phases, in situ major and trace element compositions for the cumulus phases, as well as pyroxene crystal size distribution patterns and spatial distribution patterns of MIL 090030, 090032, and 090136. Using these combined results, we conclude that the three nakhlites studied here are paired with MIL 03346. However, modal mineral abundances of MIL 090030, 090032, 090136, and 03346 exhibit variations indicating that a single sample of a Miller Range nakhlite is not modally representative of the parent meteorite and that analyses of multiple samples for a single nakhlite may be necessary to obtain representative modal data for placement in the cumulate pile. Our calculated parental melt composition based on all the paired samples confirms a previous study suggesting that the nakhlite parent melt crystallized as a closed system.     

A New Approach for Regional Groundwater Level Simulation: Clustering,Simulation, and Optimization

Natural Resources Research - In this study, a new 3-stage approach that consists of clustering, simulation, and optimization stages is proposed for the simulation of groundwater level (GWL) in an...     

High-altitude charged aerosols in the atmosphere of Titan

Observations by several instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft revealed the existence of heavy hydrocarbon and nitrile species with masses of several thousand atomic mass units in the ionosphere of Titan. These very large molecules are in fact aerosols. The goal of this paper is to compute the concentrations of the charged aerosols in the upper atmosphere (950-1200 km) of Titan. The charging of these aerosols has been studied using the charge balance equations, where positive ions, negative ions, electrons, neutral and charged aerosols are included. Number concentrations of charged aerosols are compared with those observed by the Cassini instruments. The present work estimates the aerosol mass density as 1-10 kg/m³, which is within the predicted range. The results show that the aerosols must be smaller than 10 nm in order to have reasonable agreement with observations by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer.     

A numerical model study of the structure and similarity scaling of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL)

A one-dimensional numerical model based on the equations of mean motion and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), with Delage's (1974) mixing-length parameterization has been used to simulate the mean and turbulent structure of the evolving stably stratified nocturnal boundary layer (NBL). The model also includes a predictive equation for the surface temperature and longwave radiational cooling effects.In the absence of advective and gravity wave effects, it is found that the model-simulated structure, after a few hours of evolution, could be ordered fairly well by a similarity scaling (u _*0, _*0, L ₀, and h) based on surface fluxes and the NBL height. Simple expressions are suggested to describe the normalized profiles of momentum and heat fluxes, TKE, eddy-viscosity and energy dissipation. A good ordering of the same variables is also achieved by a local scaling (u _*0, _* and L) based on the height-dependent local fluxes. The normalized TKE, eddy viscosity and energy dissipation are unique functions of z/L and approach constant values as z/L , where L is the local Monin-Obukhov length. These constants are close to the values predicted for the surface layer as z/L , thus suggesting that the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory can be extended to the whole NBL, by using the local (height-dependent) scales in place of surface-layer scales. The observed NBL structure has been shown to follow local similarity (Nieuwstadt, 1984).     

An assessment of proposed similarity theories for the atmospheric boundary layer

The various similarity theories proposed for the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are critically examined in the light of some recent atmospheric observations as well as the results of numerical modeling experiments. For the surface layer, the theory proposed by Monin and Obukhov (1954) is still the best, although by no means perfect. For the whole ABL, the older Kazanski-Monin (1961) similarity theory is found to be less satisfactory, and must be replaced by the generalized version of Deardorff's (1972a) hypothesis, which considers the effects of varying boundary-layer height, latitude, stability, and baroclinicity. The latter presents no conceptual or mathematical difficulties when applied to low latitudes. The free convection similarity scaling is valid only for certain turbulent quantities, under well-developed convection. The shear convection hypothesis of Zilitinkevich (1973) for the surface layer, as well as its extension for the whole ABL, are found wanting on both theoretical and physical grounds, and lead to unrealistic predictions about the turbulence structure.Contribution No. 350, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington.     

Lithium isotopes and light lithophile element abundances in shergottites: Evidence for both magmatic degassing and subsolidus diffusion

Degassed magmatic water was potentially the major source of surficial water on Mars. We measured Li, B, and Be abundances and Li isotope profiles in pyroxenes, olivines, and maskelynite from four compositionally different shergottites—Shergotty, QUE 94201, LAR 06319, and Tissint—using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). All three light lithophile elements (LLE) are incompatible: Li and B are soluble in H₂O‐rich fluids, whereas Be is insoluble. In the analyzed shergottites, Li concentration decreases and Be concentration increases from cores to rims in pyroxenes. However, B concentrations do not vary consistently with Li and Be abundances, except in QUE 94201 pyroxenes. Additionally, abundances of these three elements in olivines show a normal igneous‐fractionation trend consistent with the crystallization of olivine before magma ascent and degassing. We expect that kinetic effects would lead to fractionation of ⁶Li in the vapor phase compared to ⁷Li during degassing. The Li isotope profiles, with increasing δ⁷Li from cores to rims, as well as Li and B profiles indicate possible degassing of hydrous fluids only for the depleted shergottite QUE 94201, as also supported by degassing models. Conversely, Shergotty, LAR 06319, and Tissint appear to have been affected by postcrystallization diffusion, based on their LLE and Li isotope profiles, accompanied by diffusion models. This process may represent an overlay on a degassing pattern. The LLE profiles and isotope profiles in QUE 94201 support the hypothesis that degassing of some basaltic shergottite magmas provided water to the Martian surface, although evidence may be obscured by subsolidus diffusion processes.