Preliminary investigation of the surficial sediments in the Cap-Breton Canyon (southwest France) and the surrounding continental shelf

A total of 120 grab samples of the surficial sediments in the Cap-Breton submarine canyon and surrounding continental shelf were collected and analyzed by grain-size sieving. A Q-mode Factor Analysis was made on the grain-size data in order to define the most meaningful facies types. Four distinct lithological facies were found to exist: silt and clay, very fine sand, fine sand, and coarse sand. Comparison with previous work and a ¹⁴C date on the silt and clay facies showed that the facies are not contemporaneous. The sands and coarse sands on the shelf were emplaced during the pre-Würm and Würm regressions, and later probably reworked during the Holocene (Flandrian) transgression. The silty clays found in the canyon and on the shelf to the south are younger and represent sediments brought in as suspended load by the Adour and other nearby rivers during the Holocene (Flandrian) transgression.     

Foreword

Destructive earthquakes have caused great damage in China and the United States and collapsing buildings havecaused many deaths and injuries. The field of earthquake engineering studies earthquake hazards, the occurrence ofearthquakes of various magnitudes, the nature of the ground shaking during an earthquake, the vibration of structuresduring earthquakes, the strengthening of existing structures and the design of new structures to be earthquake resistant,and finally, how to cope with earthquake damage and restore a city to normal functioning. Such efforts are in progressin both countries, but unfortunately, the language barrier interferes with the free flow of information between China andthe Untied States. It would be mutually beneficial if some means could be developed to promote the exchangeof information across the Pacific Ocean. This new journal has been established for this purpose and its success willbe an important step in promoting earthquake engineering in China and the United States.     

pp′-DDT adsorption to suspended particulate matter in sea water

A procedure was devised to study pp′-DDT [2,2-bis($\text{p-}\text{chlorophenyl}$)-1,1,1-trichloroethane] adsorption and desorption to suspended particulates in aqueous solutions. DDT adsorption to a marine sediment, sediment fractions, clay and humic acid suspended in sea water was investigated and the humic fraction was found to have a greater adsorbing capacity than the clay or sediment. Removal of the humic fraction from sediment reduced the adsorption capacity to less than 60 per cent of the original sediment sample. It was concluded that suspended humic particulates may be important agents for transporting chlorinated hydrocarbons through the water column and for concentrating them in sediments and in detritus-feeding organisms.     

Rutile occurrence and trace element behavior in medium-grade metasedimentary rocks: example from the Erzgebirge, Germany

Metamorphic textures in medium-grade (~500–550°C) metasedimentary rocks from the Erzgebirge give evidence of prograde rutile crystallization from ilmenite. Newly-crystallized grains occur as rutile-rich polycrystalline aggregates that pseudomorph the shape of the ilmenites. In-situ trace element data (EMP and SIMS) show that rutiles from the higher-grade samples record large scatter in Nb content and have Nb/Ti ratios higher than coexisting ilmenite. This behavior can be predicted using prograde rutile crystallization from ilmenite and indicates that rutiles are reequilibrating their chemistry with remaining ilmenites. On the contrary, rutiles from the lowest grade samples (~480°C) have Nb/Ti ratios that are similar to the ones in ilmenite. Hence, rutiles from these samples did not equilibrate their chemistry with remaining ilmenites. Our data suggest that temperature may be one of the main factors determining whether or not the elements are able to diffuse between the phases and, therefore, reequilibrate. Newly-crystallized rutiles yield temperatures (from ~500 to 630°C, Zr-in-rutile thermometry) that are in agreement with the metamorphic conditions previously determined for the studied rocks. In quartzites from the medium-grade domain (~530°C), inherited detrital rutile grains are detected. They are identified by their distinct chemical composition (high Zr and Nb contents) and textures (single grains surrounded by fine grained ilmenites). Preliminary calculation, based on grain size distribution of rutile in medium-grade metapelites and quartzites that occur in the studied area, show that rutiles derived from quartzites can be anticipated to dominate the detrital rutile population, even if quartzites are a minor component of the exposure.     

Nature of polymerization and properties of silicate melts and glasses at high pressure

The structures of sodium silicate and aluminosilicate glasses quenched from melts at high pressure (6-10 GPa) with varying degrees of polymerization (fractions of nonbridging oxygen) were explored using solid-state NMR [¹⁷O and ²⁷Al triple-quantum magic-angle spinning (3QMAS) NMR]. The bond connectivity in melts among four and highly coordinated network polyhedra, such as ^[4]Al, ^[5,6]Al, ^[4]Si, and ^[5,6]Si, at high pressure is shown to be significantly different from that at ambient pressure. In particular, in the silicate and aluminosilicate melts, the proportion of nonbridging oxygen (NBO) generally decreases with increasing pressure, leading to the formation of new oxygen clusters that include 5- and 6-coordinated Si and Al in addition to 4-coordinated Al and Si, such as ^[4]Si-O-^[5,6]Si, ^[4]Si-O-^[5,6]Al and Na-O-^[5,6]Si. While the fractions of ^[5,6]Al increase with pressure, the magnitude of this increase diminishes with increasing degrees of ambient-pressure polymerization under isobaric conditions. Incorporating the above structural information into models of melt properties reproduces the anomalous pressure-dependence of O²⁻ diffusivity and viscosity often observed in silicate melts.     

Iron and Sulfur Chemistry in a Stratified Lake: Evidence for Iron-Rich Sulfide Complexes

A four month study of a man-made lake used for hydroelectric power generation in northeastern Pennsylvania USA was conducted to investigate seasonal anoxia and the effects of sulfide species being transported downstream of the power generation equipment. Water column analyses show that the system is iron-rich compared to sulfide. Total Fe(II) concentrations in the hypolimnion are typically at least twice the total sulfide levels. In situ voltammetric analyses show that free Fe(II) as [Fe(H₂O)₆]²⁺ or free H₂S as H₂S/HS^- are either not present or at trace levels and that iron-rich sulfide complexes are present. From the in situ data and total Fe(II) and H₂S measurements, we infer that these iron-rich sulfide complexes may have stoichiometries such as Fe₂SH³⁺ (or polymeric forms of this and other stoichiometries). These iron-rich sulfide complexes appear related to dissolution of the iron-rich FeS mineral, mackinawite, because IAP calculations on data from discrete bottle samples obtained from bottom waters are similar to the pK_sp of mackinawite. Soluble iron-sulfide species are stable in the absence of O₂ (both in lake waters and the pipeline) and transported several miles during power generation. However, iron-sulfide complexes can react with O₂ to oxidize sulfide and can also dissociate releasing volatile H₂S when the waters containing them are exposed to the atmosphere downstream of the powerplant. Sediment analyses show that the lake is rich in oxidized iron solids (both crystalline and amorphous). Fe concentrations in FeS solids are low (<5 μmole/gr_{dry wt}) and the pyrite concentration ranges from about equal to the solid FeS to 30 times the solid FeS concentration. The degree of pyritization is below 0.12 indicating that pyrite formation is limited by free sulfide, which can react with the iron-rich sulfide complexes.     

FT-IR Spectroscopic Investigation of Hydrous Components in Sillimanite from Eastern Ghat Granulite Belt, India

FT-IR spectra of sillimanite samples from high grade regionally metamorphosed rocks belonging to the granulite terrain (amphibolite to pyroxene granulite facies) deciphers prominent OH features. Heating experiments indicate growth of prominent band at 3161cm⁻¹. Heating above 1000°C all OH features disappear in intensity into broad features with slight shift of bands towards lower energies. Complete dehydration requires temperatures above 1000°C. Coexistence of boron and OH features are also observed in all sillimanite samples. The high temperature behaviour of sillimanite from the granulite terrain discerns that the hydrous species in sillimanite were incorporated much below 700°C, however, secondary hydration due to pegmatite activity, retrograde metamorphism and migmatisation is not ruled out. Thus a near anhydrous condition were probably not achieved during the granulite facies metamorphism in Eastern ghat granulite terrain.     

A Preliminary Survey of the Level of Microbiological Pollution of Major Rivers in Northern Greece

The objective of the present survey was to assess the microbiological quality of river waters used mainly to irrigate the large plains of Macedonia and Thessaly in Northern Greece. Five rivers (Aliakmonas, Axios, Loudias, Mavroneri and Pineios) were sampled during a 10‐month period (June 2002 – March 2003) for Total Microbial Flora (TMF) at 22 °C and 37 °C, Total Coliforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC), enterococci, staphylococci, Pseudomonas, fungi, Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. The results indicate moderate to high microbiological pollution, with the highest levels of microbial pollution found in Mavroneri and Pineios Rivers, and moderate pollution levels in Aliakmonas, Axios and Loudias Rivers. The extent of microbiological pollution is accentuated by the fact that Giardia‐ and/or Cryptosporidium cysts were detected in nine out of eleven samples collected in June 2002 with excessive Giardia counts demonstrated for Pineios River. The microbiological pollution of the surveyed rivers is attributed to various degrees of human interference and to lack of ample pollution monitoring systems, which emphasize the need for implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.     

On a modal damping identification model for non-classically damped linear building structures subjected to earthquakes

A simple modal damping identification model developed by the present authors for classically damped linear building frames is extended here to the non-classically damped case. The modal damping values are obtained with the aid of the frequency domain modulus of the roof-to-basement transfer function and the resonant frequencies of the structure (peaks of the transfer function) as well as the modal participation factors and mode shapes of the undamped structure. The assumption is made that the modulus of the transfer function of the non-classically damped structure matches the one of the classically damped structure in a discrete manner, i.e., at the resonant frequencies of that function modulus. This proposed approximate identification method is applied to a number of plane building frames with and without pronounced non-classical damping under different with respect to their frequency content earthquakes and its limitations and range of applicability are assessed with respect to the accuracy of both the identified damping ratios and that of the seismic structural response obtained by classical mode superposition and use of those identified modal damping ratios.