Impact melting of the Cachari eucrite 3.0 Gy ago

Both the host phase and glass veins of the Cachari eucrite have been analyzed by microprobe and neutron activation analysis for their chemical compositions and by mass spectrometry for their ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar gas retention ages. Cachari is chemically similar to other non-cumulate eucrites. The vesicular glass veins vary from pure glass, to devitrified glass, to areas that are substantially crystalline. The glassy areas have nearly the same concentrations of major and trace elements as the unmelted portions of Cachari, but some differences, probably due to preferential dissolution, occur along melt contacts. The glass formed by shock melting of Cachari host or of rock identical to it. ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar data for the host and glass suggest distinctly different ages of 3.04 ±.07 Gy and 3.47 ±.04 Gy, respectively. The time of glass formation, which may also be the time of brecciation, is most likely given by the 3.0 Gy age of the host. The higher age for the glass is interpreted to represent incomplete Ar degassing during the 3.0 Gy event due to the greater resistance to Ar diffusion shown by the glass compared to the host. Event ages significantly younger than 4.5 Gy have now been determined for several eucrites and howardites and suggest a long dynamic regolith history for the parent body.     

Noble gas contents of shergottites and implications for the Martian origin of SNC meteorites

Isotopic concentrations of the noble gases have been measured in several different phases of Elephant Moraine A79001 and in whole rock samples of Zagami and Allan Hills A77005, three meteorites which belong to the rare group of SNC achondrites that may have originated from the planet Mars. Shocked phases of EETA79001 contain a trapped Ar, Kr, and Xe component characterized by ${}^{84}\text{Kr}{}^{132}\text{Xe}$ ～15, ${}^{40}\text{Ar}{}^{36}\text{Ar}\text{> 2000}$, ${}^{129}\text{Xe}{}^{132}\text{Xe ≥ 2}$, and ${}^4\text{He}{}^{40}\text{Ar}\text{≤ 0.1}$. These elemental and isotopic ratios are unlike those for any other noble gas component except analyses of the Martian atmosphere made by Viking spacecraft. The isotopic composition of the trapped Kr shows an approximate 1% per mass unit enrichment of lighter isotopes compared to terrestrial Kr, and the traped Xe may show either a fission component or a fractionated enrichment of heavier isotopes compared to terrestrial Xe. It is hypothesized that these gases represent a portion of the Martian atmosphere which was shock-implanted into EETA79001, and that they constitute direct evidence of a Martian origin for the shergottite meteorites. Cosmic ray-produced gases in the eight known SNC meteorites form three distinct groups with exposure ages of ～11 MY (Chassigny and the nakhlites), ～2.6 MY (Shergotty, Zagami, and ALHA77005), and ～0.5 MY (EETA79001). These ages suggest three distinct events and cannot have been produced by irradiation for a common time under greatly different shielding. Comparison of cosmogenic ${}^3\text{He}{}^{21}\text{Ne}$ measured in EETA79001 with two independent models for the production of this ratio as a function of shielding indicates that this meteorite was irradiated in space as a relatively small object. If the SNC meteorites were ejected from Mars ～ 180 My ago, the shock age of the shergottites, they must have been relatively large objects (>6 meters diameter) which experienced at least three space collisions to initiate cosmic ray exposure. Ejection from Mars by three events at the times of initiation of cosmic ray exposure would permit the ejected objects to have been much smaller (<1 meter diameter), but would require three such events on 1.3 Gy Martian terraine in the past ～10 MY and would not explain the common 180 MY shock age seen in all four shergottites.     

Chronology and petrogenesis of young achondrites,Shergotty, Zagami,and ALHA77005: late magmatism on a geologically active planet

A study was undertaken to determine the chronology, petrogenesis and relationships among the shergottites, Shergotty and Zagami and the unique achondrite ALHA77005. These meteorites are the product of a variety of complex processes.Petrogenesis: Chondrite-normalized abundance patterns of Shergotty and Zagami are very similar and show pronounced depletions of both the light REE (La-Nd) and heavy REE (Dy-Lu) relative to Sm-Gd. These characteristic depletions are even more pronounced for ALHA77005. The light REE depletion is qualitatively consistent with the presence of cumulus pyroxene and/or olivine in these meteorites, but trace element models show that the parental magmas of all three meteorites were probably also light REE depleted. Both trace element model calculations and combined Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic systematics show that the meteorites could not have been co-magmatic nor can ALHA77005 be representative of the source material of the shergottites. Light REE depletion of the parental magmas also implies light REE depletion of the source material. The Sm-Nd systematics of the shergottites require a time-averaged sub-chondritic (light REE enriched) Sm-Nd ratio since 4.6 AE ago. The Sm-Nd systematics of ALHA77005 permit a time-averaged super-chondritic (light REE depleted) Sm/Nd ratio if its crystallization age is less than T_ICE = 0.72 AE.Chronology. Rb-Sr internal isochrons for all three meteorites and a Sm-Nd internal isochron for Zagami are concordant at ~ 180 Myr. ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar plateau ages of Shergotty and Zagami maskelynite are ~250–260 Myr. These ages apparently reflect resetting of these isotopic systems by shock metamorphism which converted the feldspar to maskelynite. The concordance of these ages suggests a single shock event during which the meteorites were in close physical proximity. The time of this event is most precisely given by the Rb-Sr age of 180 ± 4 Myr for Zagami.The crystallization ages of the meteorites were not precisely determined. Extreme upper limits are determined by Sm-Nd model ages relative to an eucrite initial ${}^{143}\text{Nd}{}^{144}\text{Nd = 0.505835}$ at 4.6 AE ago. These model ages for Shergotty, Zagami and ALHA77005 are 3600, 3500 and 2850 Myr, respectively. The Sm-Nd whole rock age of 1340 ± 60 Myr for the three meteorites gives the crystallization age if the Sm/Nd ratios of the precursor materials were always the same. We consider this 1340 Myr age as a “best estimate” upper limit. “Best estimate” lower limits for Shergotty and Zagami are taken from the average ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar ages of 1200 and 900 Myr of pyroxene separates. The average ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar age of a whole rock sample of ALHA77005 was 1600 Myr and can be partitioned between a low temperature (feldspar) phase and a high temperature (olivine + pyroxene + inclusions) “phase”. The average apparent ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar age of the low temperature phase is ~1050 Myr, which is chosen as the “best estimate” lower limit to the age. The crystallization ages of Shergotty, Zagami and ALHA77005 probably lie within the ranges of 1200–1300, 900–1300 and 1000–1300 Myr, respectively. The Rb-Sr whole rock age of 4400 ± 400 Myr and single-stage BABI model ages of ~4800–5100 Myr are interpreted as reflecting differentiation of the parent body at ~4600 Myr ago.The complex geochemical and isotopic evolution recorded by these meteorites suggests a geologically active parent body capable of sustaining melting at two or more epochs in its history.     

Wind erosion of blanket peat during a short period of surface desiccation (North Pennines,Northern England)

Strong winds are a characteristic feature of UK upland areas. Despite this, understanding of aeolian processes in upland environments of the UK is limited. This paper presents direct measurements and observations of blanket peat erosion by wind action during a two week period of desiccation in the North Pennines, Northern England. A circular configuration of mass flux sediment samplers was used to collect peat eroded by wind action from 16 cardinal compass directions. Meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, precipitation and temperature) were recorded by an automatic weather station set up adjacent to the site. Surface desiccation led to peat crust erosion and dust deflation. During short (≤1 hour) periods of precipitation, wind‐driven rainfall also caused erosion. Typically, dust flux rates were up to two orders of magnitude lower than recorded during periods of sustained wet weather. Measurements demonstrate the hitherto unreported rapid switch in process regime between wind‐driven rainfall and dry blow deflation in blanket peat environments. Dry blow processes of blanket peat erosion may become more important in UK upland areas if climate change promotes more frequent surface desiccation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Significance of geomorphological and subsurface drainage controls on failures of peat‐covered hillslopes triggered by extreme rainfall

On 19 September 2003, 40 landslides of 140–18 000 m³ volume occurred within 2·5 km² on the slopes of Dooncarton Mountain (Republic of Ireland) during a storm that may have exceeded 90 mm within 90 minutes. The landslides were investigated to determine the reasons for such a high density of slope failures. All of the landslides were surveyed within four months, and nine of them were investigated in detail. The six largest landslides, all peat failures, accounted for 57% of the more than 100 000 m³ of material displaced during the event. A consistent sequence of superficial materials was found on the failed hillslopes, including an extensive iron pan at the base of a buried soil horizon 0·3 m below the base of the peat. Morphologically, almost all of the landslides occurred on steep planar slopes or around sharp convexities, with the latter failures developing retrogressively upslope. The only significant relationship found from analysis of 371 subsurface pipes and 142 seepage cracks (defined here as contiguous fissures conducting concentrated subsurface flow) across all the failures was that the thinner the peat cover, the deeper the pipes and seepage cracks occurred below the base of peat. It is concluded that most of the landslides were probably caused by a combination of excess water pressures in the buried soil horizon and the thinner overburden of peat or peaty soil associated with the steeper slope segments. Pipes and seepage cracks formed on the iron pan probably existed prior to the failure event and may have contributed to the high water pressures as rainwater inputs exceeded their discharge capacities. One large peat slide was probably triggered by excess water pressures developed within and between artificial tine cuts. The properties of the blanket peat were generally of little consequence in the occurrence of the landslides, but relict desiccation cracks and other structural weaknesses through the peat mass were probably highly significant. Although several aspects of the peat failures correspond to previously published examples, the context of these failures in terms of the topography and upland catena is distinctive. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Noble gas and carbon abundances of the Haverö, Dingo Pup Donga,and North Haig ureilites

Total carbon determinations on the Haverö, Dingo Pup Donga, and North Haig ureilites yield values of 2.07, 3.17, and 5.58 wt.%, respectively. Haverö and Dingo Pup Donga contain relatively large amounts of trapped Ar, Kr and Xe, which like the carbon content varies with grain size for Haverö. These two meteorites also contain dominant cosmic rayproduced He and Ne, and show ³He exposure ages of ~23 m.y. and ~7 m.y., respectively. North Haig contains much smaller amounts of trapped gases and spallogenic gases, which may result from loss due to terrestrial weathering. The isotopic composition of Xe in five grain size analyses of Haverö and a whole rock analysis of Dingo Pup Donga shows the presence of a major solar-like Xe component. The presence of this solar component adds an additional complication to the concept of forming ureilites from carbonaceous chondrites.     

The emergence of a Galápagos shield volcano, Roca Redonda

Roca Redonda volcano is a mostly submarine shield volcano that rises nearly 3 km from the adjacent seafloor. Over twenty lava flows and palagonite tuff are exposed in a 60 meter high oblong outcrop above sea level, and several other flows are exposed in the shallow water surrounding the islet. Thick, slightly alkaline picritic flows form the base of the section. Thinner picrites interbedded with sparsely porphyritic alkali-olivine basaltic pahoehoe toes characterize the upper section. The subaerial section probably records the filling of a palagonite tuff cone with younger lavas. Numerous fumaroles that may have a magmatic component are present in the shallow (<30 m) submarine zone and indicate that the volcano is probably still active. Three lava types are exposed: the basal picrites with 19% > MgO > 14%, high-Mg basalts with MgO of about 9%, and low-Mg basalts with MgO of about 6%. The Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of the three lava types are within analytical uncertainty. Olivine compositions indicate that the picrites are basaltic liquids that have accumulated olivine whose composition is in equilibrium with the host basaltic liquid. Apparently, basaltic magmas percolated through dunite and troctolite that had crystallized from slightly older Roca Redonda basaltic magma. Lavas from Roca Redonda have enriched trace element contents and isotopic ratios relative to nearby Wolf volcano, but they are quite similar to lavas from Cerro Azul and Ecuador volcanoes. The common characteristic of these volcanoes is that they lie on the periphery of the archipelago and are in a stage of subaerial growth. This suggests that Galápagos volcanoes may go through a juvenile alkaline stage before a mature tholeiitic stage, analogous to the Loihi stage of Hawaiian volcanism. A low ³He/⁴He ratio in olivine from one of the picrites indicates a small contribution by the Galápagos mantle plume. Received: 15 December 1997 / Accepted: 6 May 1998     

Vertical migration ofcentropages typicus (copepoda) in Chesapeake Bay,with some thoughts on migration studies

Centropages typicus was collected at two hour intervals over a diel cycle at a station near the Chesapeake Bay mouth. The species migrated upward at dusk and downward at dawn. Neither light, temperature, salinity, nor density appeared to cue the migration. Attention is drawn to the need for information on the extent and regularity of migration by individual organisms, and how the lack of such information may lead to poor interpretations of migration data.     

On the calculation of cosmic-ray exposure ages of stone meteorites

Abundances of cosmic ray-produced noble gases and ²⁶Al, including some new measurements, have been compiled for some 23 stone meteorites with exposure ages of < 3 × 10⁶ yr. Concentrations of cosmogenic He, Ne, and Ar in these meteorites have been corrected for differences in target element abundances by normalization to L-chondrite chemistry. Combined noble gas measurements in depth samples of the Keyes and St. Séverin chondrites are utilized to derive equations for normalizing the production rates of cosmogenic ³He, ²¹Ne, and ³⁸Ar in chondrites to an adopted ‘average’ shielding: ${}^{22}\text{Ne}{}^{21}\text{Ne}\text{= 1.114.}$ The measured unsaturated ²⁶Al concentrations and the calculated equilibrium ²⁶Al for these meteorites are combined to estimate exposure ages. These exposure ages are statistically compared with chemistry- and shielding-corrected concentrations of cosmogenic He, Ne, and Ar to derive absolute production rates for these nuclides. For L-chondrites, at ‘average’ shielding, these production rates (in 10^?8 cm³/g 10⁶ yr) are: ³He = 2.45,²¹Ne = 0.47, and ³⁸Ar = 0.069, which are ~ 25% higher than production rates used in the past. From these production rates and relative chemical correction factors, production rates for other classes of stone meteorites are derived.     

南海北部陆架区两个台风过境时近惯性运动的若干特征

Features of near-inertial motions on the shelf(60 m deep) of the northern South China Sea were observed under the passage of two typhoons during the summer of 2009. There are two peaks in spectra at both sub-inertial and super-inertial frequencies. The super-inertial energy maximizes near the surface, while the sub-inertial energy maximizes at a deeper layer of 15 m. The sub-inertial shift of frequency is induced by the negative background vorticity. The super-inertial shift is probably attributed to the near-inertial wave propagating from higher latitudes. The near-inertial currents exhibit a two-layer pattern being separated at mid-depth(25–30 m), with the phase in the upper layer being nearly opposite to that in the lower layer. The vertical propagation of phase implies that the near-inertial energy is not dominantly downward. The upward flux of the near-inertial energy is more evident at the surface layer(17 m). There exist two boundaries at 17 and 40 m, where the near-inertial energy is reflected upward and downward. The near-inertial motion is intermittent and can reach a peak of as much as 30 cm/s. The passage of Typhoon Nangka generates an intensive near-inertial event, but Typhoon Linfa does not. This difference is attributed to the relative mooring locations, which is on the right hand side of Nangka's path(leading to a wind pattern rotating clockwise with time) and is on the left hand side of Linfa's path(leading to a wind pattern rotating anti-clockwise with time).