Petrological and source region characteristics of ophiolitic hornblende gabbros from the Aksaray and Kayseri regions, central Anatolian crystalline complex, Turkey

Many Neo-Tethyan ophiolitic bodies are well exposed as thrust-slices in Central Anatolia and are predominantly represented by massive hornblende gabbros, most of which are cut by Supra Subduction Zone (SSZ) plagiogranites. The allochthonous gabbros are distinct from their autochthonous counterparts, with their mineralogy including both igneous hornblende, relict diopside rimmed by replacement hornblende and their chemical composition corresponding mostly to gabbro rather than diorite.The results of major and trace element analyses of forty-two samples, and REE analyses of nine samples, indicate that the hornblende gabbros are SSZ-type and formed from a wet magma by high-degree partial melting of peridotite possibly coupled with contamination by predominantly neighbouring-slab derived fluids within an intra-oceanic back-arc basin. The mafic magmas then underwent high-level fractional crystallization involving titaniferous magnetite, diopside, tschermakite and possibly olivine. Emplacement was followed by extensive ocean–floor metamorphism, which has induced crystallization (or recrystallization) of chlorite, biotite, amphiboles and mobilisation of most of the major elements such as alkali and alkali earth elements, and some LREE.     

Structure and Dynamics of the Centaur Population: Constraints on the Origin of Short-Period Comets

The origin of Jupiter-family comets is linked to the intermediate stage of evolution through the Centaur region. Thus the structure of the Centaur population provides important constraints on sources of short-period comets. We show that our model of the Oort cloud evolution gives results which are consistent with the orbital distribution of observed Centaurs. In particular, it explains the existence of the large population of Centaurs with semimajor axes greater than 60 AU. The main source for these objects is the inner Oort cloud. Both Jupiter-family and Halley-type comets are produced by Centaurs originating from the Oort cloud. The injection rate for Jupiter-family comets coming from the inner Oort cloud is, at least, not less than that for a model based on the observed sample of high-eccentricity trans-Neptunian objects.     

Magmatism of the submarine Vityaz Ridge (Pacific slope of the Kuril Island Arc)

Original results of igneous rock studies are presented. The rocks were dredged during a marine expedition (cruise 37 of R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrent’ev in August–September, 2005) in the region of the submarine Vityaz Ridge and Kuril Arc outer slope. Several age complexes (Late Cretaceous, Eocene, Late Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene) are recognizable on the Vityaz Ridge. These complexes are characterized by a number of common geochemical features since all of them represent the formations of island arc calc-alkali series. At the same time, they also have individual features reflecting different geodynamic settings. The outer slope of the Kuril Arc demonstrates submarine volcanism. The Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks dredged here are similar to the volcanites of the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc frontal zone.     

Fractionation of Colloidal Matter of Stratal Waters during Deep Burial of Radioactive Wastes

The paper presents ultrafiltration and microscopic study of colloidal matter from radioactive waste disposal site at the Siberian Chemical Plant. It is established that most part of actinides (55–90%) are mainly bonded to colloidal particles, whereas only 20% natural uranium are bonded to >5–µm particles at the background site. In general, the retention of transuranium elements (TUE) from contaminated waters by membranes with pore size from 200 to 5 nm increases with increase of anthropogenic uranium content in water     

Migration of Giant Gaseous Clumps and Structure of the Outer Solar System

Solar System Research - New data on the distribution of distant trans-Neptunian objects and on the properties of comets indicate the importance of dynamical processes in the outer part of the...     

Measuring the processes and outcomes of post-disaster housing recovery: lessons from Gölcük, Turkey

Despite a growing literature on post-disaster recovery, our understanding of how housing recovery is measured remains limited. This paper is a step in filling the gap in the literature by presenting an overview of how recovery organizations measured post-disaster permanent housing recovery in Gölcük, Turkey, following the August 17, 1999 earthquake. Based on in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and review of secondary sources, the paper highlights the limitations of measuring housing recovery as the number of permanent housing units built in a timely manner. It suggests that recovery organizations need to measure post-disaster housing recovery by developing context-specific, process- and outcome-oriented measures. In the case of Gölcük, process-oriented measures could have been related to the land appropriation, public participation processes, and inter-organizational collaboration while outcome-oriented measures could have been related to the level of satisfaction with homes built and equity among the housing beneficiaries.     

Distribution of the near-earth objects

This paper analyzes the distribution of the orbits of near-Earth minor bodies from the data on more than 7500 objects. The distribution of large near-Earth objects (NEOs) with absolute magnitudes of H < 18 is generally consistent with the earlier predictions (Bottke et al., 2002; Stuart, 2003), although we have revealed a previously undetected maximum in the distribution of perihelion distances q near q = 0.5 AU. The study of the orbital distribution for the entire sample of all detected objects has found new significant features. In particular, the distribution of perihelion longitudes seriously deviates from a homogeneous pattern; its variations are roughly 40% of its mean value. These deviations cannot be stochastic, which is confirmed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test with a more than 0.9999 probability. These features can be explained by the dynamic behavior of the minor bodies related to secular resonances with Jupiter. For the objects with H < 18, the variations in the perihelion longitude distribution are not so apparent. By extrapolating the orbital characteristics of the NEOs with H < 18, we have obtained longitudinal, latitudinal, and radial distributions of potentially hazardous objects in a heliocentric ecliptic coordinate frame. The differences in the orbital distributions of objects of different size appear not to be a consequence of observational selection, but could indicate different sources of the NEOs.     

Inhibitory effects of divalent metal ions on liver microsomal 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity of leaping mullet

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate in vitro effects of Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ on cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) dependent EROD activities in leaping mullet liver microsomes. Fish captured from the most polluted part of Izmir Bay, had highly elevated EROD activities, and induced CYP1A1 protein levels as determined by Western blotting. Although all of the metal ions caused inhibition of the initial velocity of the reaction, Hg²⁺ and Cd²⁺ exhibited much higher inhibitory effect at lower concentrations and they were evidently more potent inhibitors than others. The inhibitor concentration giving 50% inhibition (IC₅₀ values) of Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺ of initial EROD activity were 107, 16, 1.3 and 0.15 micromolar, respectively. Glutathione (GSH) at 0.5 mM final concentration, completely reversed Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ inhibition of EROD activity indicating the protective action of GSH.     

Mineralogy of Holocene Sediments from the Southwestern Black Sea Shelf (Turkey) in Relation to Provenance, Sea-level and Current Regimes

Grain size and mineral composition of core sediments were used to investigate influences of various terrestrial and marine conditions, which have prevailed on the southwestern Black Sea shelf during the Holocene. Siliciclastic mud with small amounts of sand and gravel from nearby coastal hinterland is the principal sediment type, whereas sediments deposited near the shelf edge and the Istanbul Strait and off the Duru Lake （a paleo-river mouth） constitued large quantities of sand and gravel of both biogenic and terrigenic origin. Variable amounts of aragonite, 1 nmmicas, quartz, feldspars, calcite and dolomite constitute the dominant non-clay minerals in bulk sediments. The clay mineral assemblage in the 〈 2 μm fraction is made up of smectite, illite, kaolinite and chlorite. Aragonite and calcite are mainly derived from benthic accumulations, whereas feldspars （mainly plagioclase） and smectite reflect magmaticvolcanic provenance and the distribution of 1 nm-micas and chlorite correlate with nearby metamorphic sources onland. Nevertheless, grain size and mineral distribution generally indicate a combination of effects of wind and wave climate, longshore and offshore cyclonic currents, changing sea-level stands and nearby source rock and morphological conditions. It is also suggested that at least part of clay minerals could be derived from the northwesterly Danube River input.     

A risky business: Mining, rent and the neoliberalization of “risk”

Natural resource investment in the mining sector is often mediated through conflicts over rent distribution between corporate capital and landowner states. Recent rounds of neoliberal policy promoted by the World Bank have highlighted the need for landowner states to offer incentives in order to attract “high risk” capital investment. In Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, countries have been pushed to offer attractive fiscal terms to capital, thereby lowering the proportion traditionally called rent. This paper examines how the concept of “risk” has been mobilized to legitimate such skewed distributional arrangements. While certain conceptions of social and ecological “risk” have been prevalent in political and social theoretic discourse on mining, such focus elides the overwhelming contemporary power of our notion of “neoliberal risk” – or the financial/market risks – in actually setting the distributional terms of mineral investment. We illustrate our argument by examining the nexus of World Bank mining policy promotion and Tanzanian policy in the late 1990s meant to attract foreign direct investment in gold production. In closing, we suggest that just as “risk” is used to legitimate attractive fiscal terms for investment, recent events highlight how skewed distribution of benefits may set into motion risks that corporate capital had not bargained for.