Groundwater flow model of the Pipiripau watershed, Federal District of Brazil

In order to understand the groundwater dynamics and to improve the management of water resources in the Federal District of Brazil, this research proposes a 3D groundwater flow model to represent the groundwater level and flow system. The selected test site was the Pipiripau catchment. The development of the model was based on available geological, hydrogeological, geomorphological, climatological and pedological data. Geological and hydrogeological data were used to generate the 3D groundwater flow model. The 3D mesh elements of the domain were generated through the Groundwater Modeling System software, based on the logs of the well materials. The numerical simulation of the finite element method was implemented in the framework of the scientific software OpenGeoSys. With the 3D mesh-appropriated boundary conditions, annual average infiltration data and hydrogeological parameters were incorporated. Afterwards, the steady-state model was calibrated by the PEST software using available data of the water level from wells. The results showed the distribution of the steady-state hydraulic heads in the model domain, where the highest values occurred in the east and west recharge areas and the lowest values were found in the southwest of the basin. The results of this study can be a used as initial condition for the transient groundwater flow simulation and to provide a scientific basis for water resource management.     

Origin of ultra-nickeliferous olivine in the Kevitsa Ni–Cu–PGE-mineralized intrusion, northern Finland

The 2,058 ± 4 Ma mafic–ultramafic Kevitsa intrusion is located in the Central Lapland greenstone belt, northern Finland. It is hosted by a Paleoproterozoic volcano–sedimentary sequence that contains komatiitic volcanic rocks and sulfide- and graphite-rich black schists. Economic Ni–Cu–(PGE) sulfide mineralization occurs in the middle part of the ultramafic lower unit of the intrusion. Two main types of ore are distinguished, “normal” and “Ni–PGE” ores. The normal ore is characterized by ~2 to 6 vol% disseminated sulfides and average Ni and Cu grades of 0.3 and 0.42 wt %, respectively (Ni/Cu < 1). The Ni–PGE ore has broadly similar sulfide contents, but a higher Ni grade and lower Cu grade. As a result, the Ni/Cu ratio reaches 15, much higher than in the normal ore. The Ni–PGE ores occur as irregular, discontinuous, lense-like bodies in the ultramafic rocks. Notably, the olivines in the Ni–PGE ore contain extremely high Ni contents of up to 14,000 ppm, which is significantly higher than the Ni content of olivine in other mafic–ultramafic igneous rocks globally (up to ~5,000 ppm) and in harmony with the associated Ni-rich sulfide assemblage containing pentlandite, millerite and pyrite. Microprobe mapping of olivine from the Ni–PGE ore suggests relatively low and homogeneous S contents and homogeneous distribution of Ni, Mg, Fe, which is inconsistent with the presence of sulfide inclusions in the olivine grains, or diffusion of Ni from interstitial sulfides into the olivine grains. We therefore conclude that Ni substitutes for Mg in the olivine lattice. The clinopyroxenes from the Ni–PGE ore also have unusually high Ni concentrations reaching 1,500 ppm and show a positive correlation with the nickel content of the associated olivine. The Ni_cpx/Ni_olivine is ~0.1 to 0.2 corresponding to high T partitioning of Ni between clinopyroxene and olivine. K _D of 20 can account for the partitioning of nickel between olivine and the sulfide phase, consistent with magmatic equilibration. These data suggest that the olivine, clinopyroxene, and sulfides all crystallized from a basaltic magma with an unexceptionally high Ni content ranging from 300 to 1,100 ppm. The Ni–PGE ores are spatially associated with ultramafic xenoliths. Olivine in these ultramafic xenoliths have relatively high Fo contents (up to 90 mol %) and high Ni contents (up to 5,200 ppm) suggesting that the xenoliths formed from a komatiitic parental magma. It is proposed that assimilation by the Kevitsa magma of massive or semi-massive sulfides associated with komatiitic rocks elevated the Ni content of the magma and resulted in the formation of Ni–PGE ores and related extremely Ni-rich olivines.     

Evidence of Solar Variation in Tree-Ring-Based Climate Reconstructions

Analyses of the summer temperature anomalies in northern Fennoscandia for A.D. –1991 and mean annual temperature in the northern hemisphere for A.D. 1000–1990 (both reconstructed by means of dendrochronological methods) are performed using Fourier and wavelet approaches. It is revealed that the century-type (65–140 yr) periodicity is present in both series during most of the full time range. A comparison of the northern Fennoscandian temperature record with a variety of indicators of solar activity (direct measurements and proxies) shows that this century-scale periodicity most probably was forced by a centennial cycle of solar activity (Gleissberg cycle). Despite the fact that the connection between the centennial variation of global northern hemispheric temperature and that of the Sun's activity is weaker, a link between the two can also not be excluded. The results obtained give us new evidence of the reality of the solar–climate link over a record long-time scale (at least during the last millennium). Variable length of the century-long temperature periodicity may reflect the corresponding changes in the length of the Gleissberg solar cycle. The effects, which can obscure the Sun's influence on the global hemispheric climate, are discussed.     

Infrared Observations Of Dust Emission From Comet Hale-Bopp

We present infrared imaging and photometry of the bright, giant comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp). The comet was observed in an extended infrared and optical observing campaign in 1996–1997. The infrared morphology of the comet was observed to change from the 6 to 8 jet “porcupine” structure in 1996 to the “pinwheel” structure seen in 1997; this has implications for the position of the rotational angular momentum vector. Long term light curves taken at 11.3 μm indicate a dust production rate that varies with heliocentric distance as ∶ r^−1.4. Short term light curves taken at perihelion indicate a rotational periodicity of 11.3 hours and a projected dust outflow speed of ∶ 0.4 km s⁻¹. The spectral energy distribution of the dust on October 31, 1996 is well modeled by a mixture of 70% silicaceous and 30% carbonaceous non-porous grains, with a small particle dominated size distribution like that seen for comet P/Halley (McDonnell et al., 1991), an overall dust production rate of 2 × 10⁵ kg s⁻¹, a dust-to-gas ratio of ∶5, and an albedo of 39%. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.