Intrusive processes at ocean ridges: Evidence from the sheeted dyke complex of Masirah, Oman

Masirah Island largely consists of a late Mesozoic ophiolite which includes extensive areas of near-vertical, ENE—WSW striking, sheeted dykes. Previously the possibility has been suggested of a correlation between the similarly-aged ophiolites of Masirah and the Semail Complex of the Oman Mts. However, the Masirah ENE–WSW trend contrasts with N—S dyke trends from the Wadi Jizi area of the Semail, possibly suggesting two unrelated spreading centres. The dykes pass up into a pillow lava—minor sediment sequence, down into both layered and unlayered gabbros and are bounded to the west by a major N—S mélange zone which may have originated as a ridge transform fault. Age relations of the dykes and the gabbros are complex: the dykes contain a variable proportion of gabbro screens representing earlier crystallization, but they are also intruded by several small gabbro bodies which are themselves cut by still later dykes. The lava and dyke—gabbro screen sequence shows evidence of metamorphism from zeolite to low amphibolite grade. This metamorphism was caused by ridge hydrothermal activity which appears to have been effective approximately to the lower levels of the dykes. The rapid passage from low-amphibolite dykes to fresh gabbro suggests lithological control of the metamorphism. A combination of structural, geochemical and mineral phase studies may indicate generation in a slow spreading ridge environment and near-ridge metamorphism caused by a geothermal gradient of approximately 200°C/km.     

Photometric period and rotational brightness modulation of V833 Tau

Photometric data covering 1994–2009, obtained at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory or retrieved from the ASAS and SuperWASP catalogs, were used to analyze the brightness variations of the rapidly rotating star V833 Tau, whose activity level is close to saturation. Combined with previously published results, these data represent for the first time all stages in the development of the star’s 19- year activity cycle. The photometric period and rotational-modulation amplitude for different epochs are determined, and the qualitative pattern of the spots is considered. The photometric period is close to the orbital period, but always exceeds it, indicating that surface inhomogeneities are located far from the equatorial plane. With the high spottedness of the star, reaching 28% at the cycle maximum, the rotationalmodulation amplitude is 0.05?0.1 ^m , and increases during the growth and decline phases of the 19-year cycle. The rotational modulation is due to spots with higher latitudes than in the case of the Sun, and concentrating on active longitudes.     

The mussel Mytilus edulis as a bio-assay organism for mercury in seawater

Surveys of natural populations of mussels have identified areas of mercury contamination in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. A field bio-assay technique has been devised which accurately reflects the mean total mercury concentration in the surrounding seawater. The detection limit of the technique is estimated at 5–20 ng Hg l.^?1, and consequently the method can detect comparatively small enhancements over background mercury concentrations in estuarine and sea water.     

Applying the new method of time-frequency transforms to the analysis of the characteristics of geomagnetic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Рс</Emphasis>5 pulsations

This study considers the possibility of using the new methods of time-frequency transforms, such as chirplet and warblet transforms, to analyze the digital observational data of geomagnetic pulsations of Pc5 type. For this purpose, necessary algorithms of calculation and appropriate software were developed. The chirplet transform method (CT) is used to analyze signals with a linear frequency modulation. A chirplet variation, the so-called warblet transform, is used to analyze signals with a nonlinear frequency modulation. Since, in studying geomagnetic pulsations, it is difficult to make assumptions on the character of the behavior of the instantaneous frequency of the signal, the special generalized warblet transform (GWT) was used for the analysis. The GWT has a high spatiotemporal resolution and was developed to analyze oscillations both with a periodic and nonperiodic change of the instantaneous frequency. The software developed for GWT calculation was used to study daytime geomagnetic Pc5 pulsations with durations of several hours that were detected via the network of ground-based magnetometers of the Scandinavian IMAGE profile during the magnetic storm of May 29–30, 2003. For the first time, temporal variations of the instantaneous frequency of geomagnetic pulsations are determined and their possible use in studying the fine spatial structure of Pc5 waves is shown.     

Estimating the Contributions of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Variations in the Atmospheric Concentration of Greenhouse Gases to Surface Air Temperature Trends from Observations

We have quantitatively estimated the contributions of anthropogenic forcing characterized by variations in the atmospheric content of greenhouse gases and of natural variability characterized by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation to the trends of global surface air temperature from observations since the middle of the nineteenth century on the basis of three-component autoregressive models.     

Phenomenology of seismic macrofracture formation

A phenomenological scheme is proposed for the formation of a seismic macrofracture in the crust through multiscale avalanche-like crack coalescence of the inverse cascade type. Relations connecting fractal dimensions of crack sets and the concentration criterion of coalescence of cracks that are required for the onset of multiscale fracture are obtained. It is shown that the enlargement of cracks from micro-to macroscales includes a relatively small number of hierarchical coalescence stages.