The dali ash,island of rhodes,greece: a problem in interpreting submarine volcanigenic sediments

In the southern part of Rhodes, Greece, rhyolitic subaqueous pyroclastic deposits are interbedded with Tertiary, deep water, marine sediments. The lowermost and best exposed of these deposits — the Dali Ash — is described here. The deposit has been previously described as a deep water welded subaqueous ignimbrite. This paper shows that there is no evidence of welding, and texture previously reported were misidentified. The Dali Ash consists of a lower massive unit (5 m thick), overlain by a sequence of ash-turbidites (2.5 m thick). The lower unit was deposited by a high concentration turbidity current and the ash-turbidites by dilute turbidity currents. Foraminifera are dispersed throughout the deposit and indicate that all the sedimentary gravity flows were cold water/particulate systems. A palaeomagnetic study also suggests they were deposited cold. The Dali Ash can be interpreted as the lateral equivalent of a subaerial pumiceous pyroclastic flow deposit (ignimbrite). The ash-turbidites then may be redeposited slumps off the submarine slope of the lower massive unit, or, may represent later, smaller pyroclastic flows in the eruption. Other alternatives for the origin of the Dali Ash are fully discussed to show the problems in interpreting submarine volcanigenic sediments. It is possible that the deposits are not even a primary eruptive product and are remobilized pyroclastic debris, slumped, for example, off the sides of a shallow marine rhyolitic tuff ring.     

The structure of the crust and upper mantle to depths of 320 km beneath the Kaapvaal craton, from P wave arrivals generated by regional earthquakes and mining-induced tremors

Travel times from earthquakes recorded at two seismic networks were used to derive an average P wavespeed model for the crust and upper mantle to depths of 320 km below southern Africa. The simplest model (BPI1) has a Moho depth of 34 km, and an uppermost mantle wavespeed of 8.04 km/s, below which the seismic wavespeeds have low positive gradients. Wavespeed gradients decrease slightly around 150 km depth to give a ‘knee’ in the wavespeed-depth model, and the wavespeed reaches 8.72 km/s at a depth of 320 km. Between the Moho and depths of 270 km, the seismic wavespeeds lie above those of reference model IASP91 of Kennett [Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia (1991)] and below the southern African model of Zhao et al. [Journal of Geophysical Research 104 (1999) 4783]. At depths near 300 km all three models have similar wavespeeds. The mantle P wavespeeds for southern Africa of Qiu et al. [Geophysical Journal International 127 (1996) 563] lie close to BPI1 at depths between 40 and 140 km, but become lower at greater depths. The seismic wavespeeds in the upper mantle of model BPI1 agree satisfactorily with those estimated from peridotite xenoliths in kimberlites from within the Kaapvaal craton.The crustal thickness of 34 km of model BPI1 is systematically lower than the average thickness of 41 km computed over the same region from receiver functions. This discrepancy can be partly explained by an alternative model (BPI2) in which there is a crust–mantle transition zone between depths of 35 and 47 km, below which seismic wavespeed increases to 8.23 km/s. A low-wavespeed layer is then required at depths between 65 and 125 km.     

Documenting surface magmatic activity at Mount Etna using ATSR remote sensing

Analysis of thermally generated night-time volcanic radiances recorded with a 1-km pixel size at 1.6 and 11 µm during 1991-1993 and 1996-1999 for Mount Etna shows that lava flows extending beyond the summit craters can be distinguished from vent activity. The two phenomena plot in different regions of feature space when the mean volcanic radiance (per anomalous pixel) at 11 µm is plotted against the mean volcanic radiance at 1.6 µm. The distinct feature space characteristics of lava flow fields are apparent within 1-2 days of the onset of each effusive event. Such a plot also enables lava flow fields being fed by open channels to be distinguished from tube-fed flow fields. Rank order analysis of the total 1.6-µm volcanic radiance series shows that vent activity and lava flows belong to different populations, and offers further scope for remotely identifying changes in eruptive state.     

Water-related defects and oxygen diffusion in albite: a computer simulation study

 Computer simulation techniques have been used to investigate the energetics of defect formation in Albite and to calculate O and (OH) migration activation energies. We find that the Na Frenkel defect has the lowest formation energy, whilst interstitials associated with impurities are the most favourable O defects. Water can be accommodated in the albite structure as both OH groups and as H₂O molecules with solution energy of 0.73 eV and 0.9 eV respectively. The activation energies for O migration is reduced by up to 50% when the O is migrating as part of an (OH) group. In addition, we find a marked diffusional anisotropy for both O and (OH) in albite. Received: 15 September 1995 / Accepted: 29 April 1996     

The relationships between disappearing solar filaments,coronal mass ejections,and geomagnetic activity

The relationships between disappearing solar filaments and geomagnetic activity are examined using data obtained between 1974 and 1980. The average level of geomagnetic activity is found to increase after the disappearance of large filaments. The magnitudes of the geomagnetic disturbances depend upon the sizes and, to a lesser extent, upon the darkness of the filaments. The delays between filament disappearances and resulting geomagnetic disturbances are typically 3–6 days, corresponding to Sun-Earth velocities 580–290 km s^–1. These are consistent with the observed velocities of those coronal mass ejections that are associated with disappearing filaments.The average delay is: (a) shorter for large and dark filaments than for small and faint filaments respectively; (b) shorter during solar maximum than during solar minimum; (c) dependent in a complex way upon the longitudes of the filaments. Disturbances associated with filaments with longitudes 50 ° have delays 10 days.Quieter than average geomagnetic conditions sometimes occur for several days prior to the geomagnetic disturbances that follow disappearing filaments.     

Solar radio pulsations at 410 MHz

On 6 September, 1982 very regular, narrow-band radio pulsations of solar origin were observed on the 410 MHz solar radiometer at the Learmonth Solar Observatory. Initial low-amplitude pulsations with a period of about 3 min gave way to large-amplitude pulsations with a period of about 5 min following a 1B solar flare. Position measurements at 327 MHz with the Culgoora Radioheliograph indicated two sources: a strong, extended source located above a unipolar magnetic region near the centre of the disk and a much weaker source near the west limb. Polarisation measurements indicate the burst to be plasma emission.The radio pulsations were unique in their association with both sympathetic radio emission and optical flares at widely different locations. Interpretation of the observations in terms of sausage mode standing oscillations in a coronal flux tube leads to an estimate of the magnetic flux density B = 45 G at the 400 MHz plasma level. Also a 2.8-fold density increase in the loop after the 1B flare is inferred.     

Bacteria,fungi and biokarst in Lechuguilla Cave,Carlsbad Caverns National Park,New Mexico

Lechuguilla Cave is a deep, extensive, gypsumand sulfur-bearing hypogenic cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, most of which (>90%) lies more than 300 m beneath the entrance. Located in the arid Guadalupe Mountains, Lechuguilla's remarkable state of preservation is partially due to the locally continuous Yates Formation siltstone that has effectively diverted most vadose water away from the cave. Allocthonous organic input to the cave is therefore very limited, but bacterial and fungal colonization is relatively extensive: (1)Aspergillus sp. fungi and unidentified bacteria are associated with iron-, manganese-, and sulfur-rich encrustations on calcitic folia near the suspected water table 466 m below the entrance; (2) 92 species of fungi in 19 genera have been identified throughout the cave in oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) soils and pools; (3) cave-air condensate contains unidentified microbes; (4) indigenous chemoheterotrophicSeliberius andCaulobacter bacteria are known from remote pool sites; and (5) at least four genera of heterotrophic bacteria with population densities near 5×10⁵ colony-forming units (CFU) per gram are present in ceiling-bound deposits of supposedly abiogenic condensation-corrosion residues. Various lines of evidence suggest that autotrophic bacteria are present in the ceiling-bound residues and could act as primary producers in a unique subterranean microbial food chain. The suspected autotrophic bacteria are probably chemolithoautotrophic (CLA), utilizing trace iron, manganese, or sulfur in the limestone and dolomitic bedrock to mechanically (and possibly biochemically) erode the substrate to produce residual floor deposits. Because other major sources of organic matter have not been detected, we suggest that these CLA bacteria are providing requisite organic matter to the known heterotrophic bacteria and fungi in the residues. The cavewide bacterial and fungal distribution, the large volumes of corrosion residues, and the presence of ancient bacterial filaments in unusual calcite speleothems (biothems) attest to the apparent longevity of microbial occupation in this cave.     

Field measurements of fairweather bottom boundary layer processes and sediment suspension on the Louisiana inner continental shelf

Field measurements of bottom boundary layer and sediment-transport processes were made on the Louisiana inner continental shelf in spring 1992 at a depth of 15.5 m, and in spring and summer 1993 at a depth of 20.5 m. Two different wave–current boundary layer/sediment-transport models were applied to the measured near-bed flows. In addition, the log-profile method was applied to estimate hydraulic roughness and bed stress. Consistent with the results of others, our measurements show that near-bed flows were very weak under non-storm conditions. Bed stresses were typically too low to resuspend bed sediments. However, the advection of high-turbidity layers or plumes past the instrumentation apparently caused a sustained period of high suspended sediment concentration throughout the log layer in spring 1993. In the absence of wave activity or high suspended sediment concentrations, boundary layer profiles showed the bed to have been hydraulically very smooth with

Full-size image

cm. However, wave agitation, combined with increased suspended sediment concentration caused hydraulically rough conditions with

Full-size image

cm.     

Mapping subtidal estuarine habitats with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV)

Subtidal habitats have not yet been accounted for in habitat maps of South African estuaries. In this study, a novel method for mapping subtidal estuarine habitats, using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) piloted from a boat, was developed and tested in the Knysna Estuary. Video footage was recorded along 48 transects across the width of the estuary, and then reviewed to identify, classify and map habitats. Using the method developed in this study, 21 hours of footage was recorded over 15 days of sampling, and about 30 hours of post-processing was carried out to map an area exceeding 850 ha. This study has produced the first baseline dataset of subtidal habitats for a South African estuary. Additionally, the study revealed the previously unknown distribution of the invasive red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis, and the underestimation in previous studies of the estuary of area cover of eelgrass Zostera capensis by 130 ha.