The Upper Adriatic borderland: From conflict to harmony

The paper presents an overview of the Upper Adriatic as a contact area between different cultural, social, economic and political entities, producing potential conflicts in the last century. The first part of the 20th century represented a classic example of geopolitical conflict through two World Wars and their related Peace Conferences that deeply impacted the region. Conflicts arising from the mid-century solution of the Trieste question transformed the Upper Adriatic into a laboratory of contemporary political geographic transformation. Changing geopolitical patterns have also modified the political, social and ethnic construction of the Upper Adriatic. The process of creating new international boundaries in the region ended in 1991 with the independence of Slovenia and Croatia. Through these geopolitical transformations in the Upper Adriatic, new political geographic attitudes evolved. Early on, Ratzel's geopolitical principles of defining borders as power barometers between neighbors dominated. More recently, attitudes have reflected modern integrative ideas with a focus on looking for harmony and the elimination of international conflicts. Greater attention has thus been given to the political geography of `everyday life', inter-ethnic relations, and cross-border contacts. Hence, `new' borderlands of the Upper Adriatic are more receptive to integration because they seek to overcome conflicts caused by the division of traditionally homogeneous spaces as local level political and ideological hindrances disappear. The region divided among Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia is becoming a new and special type of European borderland in the new century.     

The scale of ore-depositional systems: an important restraint on epigenetic vs remobilized syngenetic origins for Archaean mesothermal gold deposits

There is general consensus that the majority of gold deposits in the important group hosted by volcanic or intrusive host rocks within Archaean granitoid-greenstone terrains have an epigenetic origin. However, there is controversy surrounding those stratabound deposits hosted by Fe-rich sedimentary rocks, such as banded iron formation (BIF), for which epigenetic, syngenetic and remobilized syngenetic (lateral secretion) origins have all been proposed.In Western Australia, such controversial gold deposits in Fe-rich sedimentary units have similar ore mineralogies, ore-element ratios and, in places, alteration assemblages and, on the craton scale, show very similar structural controls to the other deposits: equivalent relationships are recorded for similar deposits in other cratons. All Western Australian deposits occur along kilometre-scale shear or fault zones linked to trans-craton, obliqueto strike-slip shear zones that were a focus for: i) carbonation with a mantle-like isotopic signature, and ii) emplacement of high-level A- and I-type granitoids, felsic porphyries and/or calc-alkaline lamprophyres. The scale of the mineralizing systems and the broad contemporaneity of mineralization, as indicated by radiogenic isotope studies, is much larger than that envisaged in conceptual secretion models which involve volumetrically small, locally-enriched source rocks. Instead, Archaean gold mineralization in Western Australia, at least, is probably the result of high fluid-flux during deformation, hightemperature metamorphism and magmatism which may be related to tectonism at convergent plate margins, as in modern examples. There is strong evidence for similar tectonic and mineralizing processes from the Canadian Shield.

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Zusammenfassung Goldlagerstätten in vulkanischen oder intrusiven Gesteinskörpern innerhalb von Granitoid-Grünstein Regionen archaischen Alters gelten im allgemeinen als epigenetisch. Unklarheit besteht dagegen bei Lagerstätten, die an eisenreiche Sedimentgesteine wie gebänderte Roteisensteine (banded iron formation (BIF) gebunden sind und für die epigenetische, syngenetische sowie remobilisierte syngenetische (laterale Sekretion) Entstehungstheorien diskutiert werden.In West-Australien gibt es diese kontroversen Goldvorkommen in eisenreichen Sedimentgesteinen. Sie haben ähnliche Lagerstättenmineralogien, Elementverteilungen und z. T. auch ähnliche Umwandlungsprodukte wie die zuerst genannten, eindeutig epigenetischen Goldvorkommen, außerdem erkennt man vergleichbare strukturelle Kontrollen der Lagerstätte und Ähnlichkeiten, wenn sie mit Vorkommen in anderen Kratonen verglichen werden. Alle westaustralischen Lagerstätten befinden sich in trans-kratonischen Scher- und Störungszonen mit kilometergroßen Versatzbeträgen. An diesen Störungszonen fand Inkohlung mit einer den Mantel ähnlichen Isotopensignatur und der Aufstieg von A- und I-Typ Granitoiden, felsischen Porphyren und/oder kalk-alkalischen Lamprophyren statt. Das Größenverhältnis des mineralisierenden Systems und die weitreichende, zeitgleiche Mineralisation, auf die Untersuchungen an radiogenen Isotopen hindeuten, ist viel größer als sie durch Sekretions-Modelle, die auf kleinen Volumina und nur lokal angereichertem Gold im Gestein basieren, prognostiziert werden können.In der Zeit des Archaikums resultiert die Goldanreicherung in West-Australien wahrscheinlich aus einem enormen Lösungsdurchfluß während der Deformation, aus Hoch-Temperatur-Metamorphose und Magmatismus, was in möglichem Zusammenhang mit tektonischen Vorgängen an konvergierenden Plattenrändern, ähnlich modernen Beispielen, steht. Es gibt zahlreiche Hinweise auf entsprechende tektonische und mineralogische Prozesse des Kanadischen Schildes.

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Résumé Il existe un consensus général quant à l'origine épigénétique des dépôts d'or contenus dans les ensemble volcaniques ou intrusifs des formations de granitoïdes — greenstones d'âge archéen. Par contre, une controverse subsiste à propos des dépôts stratiformes contenus dans les roches sédimentaires riches en Fe, telle que la «banded iron formation» (BIF), pour lesquels ont été proposées des origines épigénétique, syngénétique et syngénétique de remobilisation (sécrétion latérale).Il existe en Australie occidentale de tels dépôts d'or situés au sein d'unités sédimentaires riches en Fe. Ces dépots présentent, par rapport aux dépôts épigénétiques du premier type, un certain nombre de similitudes: leur minéralogie, les rapports entre leurs éléments, en certains endroits leurs produits d'altération et, à l'échelle du craton, leurs relations avec la structure. Des similitudes analogues peuvent être relevées à propos de gisements de même type situés dans d'autres cratons. Tous les gisements ouest-autraliens sont localisés le long de zones de failles ou de cisaillement d'échelle kilométrique liées à des shear zones transcratoniques à rejet oblique ou horizontal. Ces zones sont marquées par: 1) une carbonisation avec signature isotopique mantélique; 2) la mise en place de granitoïdes peu profonds de type A et I, de porphyres felsitiques et/ou de lamprophyres calco-alcalins. L'échelle du système minéralisant et la simultanéité des minéralisations révélée par la géochronologie isotopique sont bien supérieures à ce qu'impliqueraient les modèles par sécrétion, qui mettent en jeu des sources de faible volume à enrichissement local.En conclusion, les minéralisations de l'Australie de l'ouest ont probablement pour origine l'action d'un flux important de fluide minéralisant au cours de la déformation, du métamorphisme de haute température et du magmatisme, phénomènes que l'on peut mettre en relation avec une convergence de plaques par analogie avec des exemples récents. Il existe de nombreux indices d'une tectonique et d'une minéralisation analogues dans le bouclier canadien.

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Angular momenta in binary systems

The correlations angular momentaL to massesM are studied for different types of spectroscopic binaries. The functionsL=AM ^b have the coefficientb with the values expected from a Keplerian mechanics, but the valuesA(q, T), A(q, a), A(q, v), associated tob=5/3, 3/2, and 2, respectively, are given (statistically speaking) by multiples or submultiples of discrete values of: the mass ratiosq, the semi-major axesa, periodsT, and velocitiesv of the reduced mass. This indicates the existence of a discrete unit of actionL=(1/2)×potential energy xperiod. Postulates about equivalent states of angular momenta for different orbital parameters are introduced, being this coherent with the analysis of the up-to-date data. Among other examples of the application of such equivalence postulates, we haveL(M) (W-type of the WUMa systems)L(M) (main group of the Algol binaries). The quantum units of action seen here are equivalent to those seen in the solar system in one of our previous works. From comparisons with galaxies and single stars, it is evidence that there is not an unique universal functionL=AM ^b, when the fine structure of the relation is analysed: each type of object has its own coefficients,A, b. It sems to be that there are an upper and a lower limit for all the possible functions. The upper limit isL=A _gM^5/3, withA _g1 associated to periodsT Hubble time, and the lower limit isL=GM ^2/c, with 1. The existence of the upper limit can be investigated with studies of pairs of galaxies, and the lower limit can be tested with analysis of single G, K, M stars. The quantical hypothesis introduced here can be checked definitely, when available larger samples of data with low errors, with similar quality as the selected list of almost 80 eclipsing binaries (mainly detached systems) analysed here.     

A model of the ground surface temperature for micrometeorological analysis

Micrometeorological models at various scales require ground surface temperature, which may not always be measured in sufficient spatial or temporal detail. There is thus a need for a model that can calculate the surface temperature using only widely available weather data, thermal properties of the ground, and surface properties. The vegetated/permeable surface energy balance (VP-SEB) model introduced here requires no a priori knowledge of soil temperature or moisture at any depth. It combines a two-layer characterization of the soil column following the heat conservation law with a sinusoidal function to estimate deep soil temperature, and a simplified procedure for calculating moisture content. A physically based solution is used for each of the energy balance components allowing VP-SEB to be highly portable. VP-SEB was tested using field data measuring bare loess desert soil in dry weather and following rain events. Modeled hourly surface temperature correlated well with the measured data (r ² = 0.95 for a whole year), with a root-mean-square error of 2.77 K. The model was used to generate input for a pedestrian thermal comfort study using the Index of Thermal Stress (ITS). The simulation shows that the thermal stress on a pedestrian standing in the sun on a fully paved surface, which may be over 500 W on a warm summer day, may be as much as 100 W lower on a grass surface exposed to the same meteorological conditions.     

gLucifer: next generation visualization framework for high-performance computational geodynamics

High-performance computing provides unprecedented capabilities to produce higher resolution 4-D models in a fraction of time. Thus, the need exists for a new generation of visualization systems able to maintain parity with the enormous volume of data generated. In attempting to write this much data to disk, each computational step introduces a significant performance bottleneck, yet most existing visualization software packages inherently rely on reading data in from a dump file. Available packages make this assumption of postprocessing at quite a fundamental level and are not very well suited for plotting very large numbers of specialized particles. This necessitates the creation of a new visualization system that meets the needs of large-scale geodynamic modeling. We have developed such a system, gLucifer, using a software framework approach that allows efficient reuse of our efforts in other areas of research. gLucifer is capable of producing movies of a 4-D data set “on the fly” (simultaneously with running the parallel scientific application) without creating a performance bottleneck. By eliminating most of the human efforts involved in visualizing results through postprocessing, gLucifer reconnects the scientist to the numerical experiment as it unfolds. Data sets that were previously very difficult to even manage may be efficiently explored and interrogated without writing to disk, and because this approach is based entirely on memory distributed across as many processors as are being utilized by the scientific application, the visualization solution is scalable into terabytes of data being rendered in real time.     

A Practical Approach to Mine Equipment Sizing in Relation to Dig-Limit Optimization in Complex Orebodies: Multi-Rock Type,Multi-Process,and Multi-Metal Case

Equipment sizing is a developed field of mining engineering, which considers all aspects related to productivity, and grade distribution. Current methods of equipment sizing consider block dilution, but do not analyze the impact of the selectivity changes on practical dig-limits. This research analyzed the impact of varying equipment sizes on a highly variable three destination, Au and Cu bench, in a sulfide/oxide deposit. The study shows that selectivity sizing profit and size relationships are nonlinear, and exhibit severe break points if insufficiently selective equipment is used. The proposed technique can be used for sizing mine equipment in complex deposits.     

REE fractionation and Ce anomalies in weathered Karoo dolerite

Analyses of samples from a weathering profile on Karoo dolerite allow elements to be divided into three groups depending on their behaviour. Si, K, Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and V are mobilized and removed from weathered products. Fe, Al. Ti, Zr, Hf, Zn, Cu, Sc, Co and Ni are immobile. REE, Y, and to a lesser extent Cr, are mobile and redistributed within the profile without a net loss of these elements from the profile. Large positive Ce anomalies are developed in oxidized weathered products by preferential leaching of the other REE's. Negative Ce anomalies and REE enrichment is a feature of less altered dolerite.     

Information infrastructure for Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System

Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS, imos.org.au) is research infrastructure to establish an enduring observing program for Australian oceanic waters and shelf seas. The observations cover physical, biological, and chemical variables to address themes of multi-decadal ocean change, climate variability and weather extremes, boundary currents and inter-basin flows, continental shelf processes and ecosystem responses.IMOS observations are collected by national facilities based on various platform types and operated by partner institutions around the country. In this paper we describe the infrastructure and workflows developed to manage and distribute the data to the public. We highlight the existing standards and open-source software we have adopted, and the contributions we have made. To demonstrate the value of this infrastructure we provide some illustrations of use and uptake.All IMOS data are freely and openly available to the public via the Ocean Portal (https://imos.aodn.org.au). All IMOS-developed software is open-source and accessible at https://github.com/aodn.     

Weighted merge context for clustering and quantizing spatial data with self-organizing neural networks

This publication presents a generalization of merge context, named weighted merge context (WMC), which is particularly useful for clustering and quantizing spatial data with self-organizing neural networks. In contrast to merge context, WMC does not depend on a predefined (sequential) ordering of the data; distance is evaluated by recursively taking neighboring observations into account. For this purpose, WMC utilizes a weight matrix that describes the neighborhood relationships between observations. This property distinguishes WMC from existing approaches like contextual neural gas (NG) or the GeoSOM, which force spatially close observations to be represented by similar prototypes, but neglected the similarity of the observations’ neighborhoods. For practical studies, WMC is combined with the NG algorithm to obtain weighted merging NG (WMNG). The properties of WMNG and its usefulness for clustering and quantizing spatial data are investigated on two different case studies which utilize an simulated binary grid and a real-world continuous data set.     

The two basic components of the interstellar neutral hydrogen and its relation with the galactic structure

The two basic components of the neutral hydrogen, cool dense clouds merged in a hotter tenuous medium, are studied using 21 cm absorption data of the Parkes Survey. The mean parameters obtained for the typical clouds next to the galactic plane are τ_p = 1.7, velocity half-width=3.3 km s^?1. Their temperatures areT _sc ≥40 K with a meanT _sc =63±12 K and the obtained hot gas density isn _HH=(0.15±0.05) atom cm^?3. Theoretical analysis following Giovanelli and Brown (1973) reveals that the pressure equilibrium condition (n _HH+2n _e )·T _SH≈n _HC·T _sc is compatible with the quoted values if it is assumed that the cosmic abundances in the interstellar medium are below the adopted normal solar abundance. This lack of heavy elements suggests accretion to grains which is consistent with the observed narrow concentration of the dark matter on the galactic layer (≤100 pc halfwidth). The same pressure condition leads to a mean cool cloud density ofn _HC～30 atom cm^?3 and a hot gas temperature ofT _SH～10 500 K. Comparison with data from Hii regions suggests that the cool clouds are somewhat denser and less extensive than such regions. An explanation for it is the expansion that the Hii regions went through in their origin. Comparison with 21 cm emission data shows that the cloud galactic layer is only about a quarter as thick as the hot gas layer. All the present results suggest that only such clouds can be spatially related with the typical I population associated with the spiral structure.