Mass distribution of Perseid meteoroids

An analysis of the Perseid meteoroid mass distribution is given. It is shown that particle mass distributions are qualitatively the same along the entire orbit of the stream. The extra minima in the cross sections of the stream at the ascending and descending branches of the curve of the parameter S indicate a jetlike nature of the stream. The variations of the nodal longitudes of maximum stream activity versus the minimum observed mass of meteoroids are found along the entire orbit of the stream. The positions of maximum activity for particles with minimum detectable masses larger than 1 and 10^?3 g are shifted by 1.4 degrees in solar longitude, with larger longitudes for smaller particles.     

Climate Change and Pastoral Economy in Kenya:A Blinking Future

Abstract: The present paper examines the changing climatic scenarios and associated effects on livestock farming (pastoralism) in the arid and semi arid lands (ASAL) of Kenya, which cover over 80% of the country. The study was carried out in the semi arid Mukogodo Division of Laikipia District in Kenya. This division received a mean annual rainfall of approximately 507.8?mm and the main source of livelihood was pastoralism. Questionnaire, structured interview, observation and literature review were the main methods of data collection. Rainfall was used in delineating changes in climate. Standardized precipitation index (SPI) and Markov process were used in analyzing drought severity and persistence, respectively. Approximately 38% of all droughts between 1975 and 2005 were prolonged and extremely severe, with cumulative severity indices ranging between ?2.54 and ?6.49. The probability that normal climatic conditions persisted for two or more consecutive years in Mukogodo Division remained constant at approximately 52%. However, the probability of wet years persisting for two or more years showed a declining trend, while persistence of dry years increased with duration. A drying climatic trend was established. This drying trend in the area led to increased land degradation and encroachment of invasive nonpalatable bushes. The net effect on pastoralism was large-scale livestock loss through starvation, disease and cattle rustling. Proper drought monitoring and accurate forecasts, community participation in all government interventions, infrastructural development in the ASAL and allocation of adequate resources for livestock development are some of the measures necessary for mitigating the dwindling pastoral economy in Kenya and other parts of the world.     

New hydrothermal sulfide fields of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Yubileinoe (20°09′ N) and Surprise (20°45.4′ N)

Two new sulfide fields (Yubileinoe, 20°09′ N, and Surprise, 20°45.4′ N) were discovered between 20°01′ and 20°54′ N within the Russian Application Area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The Yubileinoe field is located at a depth of 2300–2550 m in the near-top area of the first rift ridge, which is a boundary of the western wall of the rift valley. This new field and the Zenith-Victory field, which was previously discovered in the eastern wall, occur symmetrically relative to the rift valley of this MAR segment. The Surprise field at a depth of 2800–2850 m is situated in the eastern wall of the rift valley, on the slope of the volcanic uplift. After the discovery of these inactive sulfide fields, the number of hydrothermal fields within the Russian Application Area reached ten.     

Hydrocarbon reservoir characterization of “AY” field,deep-water Niger Delta using 3D seismic and well logs

Three-dimensional seismic and well log data from nine wells were used for the characterization of “AY” field in the deep-water, Niger Delta. Result shows that the field has a complex structural arrangement consisting of series of northeast-southwest-trending and northwest-dipping synthetic faults. Petrophysical evaluation of the available well logs helped in identifying 11 hydrocarbon-bearing sands noted as A1000, A1100, A1200, A2000, B2000, B2100, C3000, C3100, D4000, D4100, and E5000. Reservoirs A1000, A1100, A1200, A2000, B2000, C3000, and D4000 are gas-bearing sands while reservoirs B2100, C3100, D4100, and E5000 are oil bearing. The average effective porosity of these reservoirs ranges from 0.168 to 0.292; water saturation is estimated to be between 0.177 and 0.59 and net-to-gross (NTG) ratio from 0.081 to 0.734. Considering the uncertainty in the input petrophysical parameters as well as structural uncertainty particularly in fluid contact, the total hydrocarbon reserves in the field were estimated to vary between 266.942 and 334.457 Bscf and 132.612 and 150.036 MMbbl for gas and oil volumes, respectively.     

The use of multivariate statistical analysis in the assessment of groundwater hydrochemistry in some parts of southwestern Nigeria

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - Turabah area is located in the southwestern Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. The present study aims to shed light on the origin and mechanism of formation of the...     

Expected ground motion in the south-east of Spain due to an earthquake in the epicentral area of the 1910 Adra earthquake

To study the ground motion levelassociated with historical earthquakeslocated in Southern Spain, we have chosen ascenario placed in the Poniente Almeriense(Southeast Spain). In this zone, somerelevant historical earthquakes haveoccurred, such as those of 1522, 1804 and1910. In particular, the earthquakes of 1804 and 1910 the estimated and calculatedmagnitudes are of M = 6.3. Those earthquakestook place near the epicentral zone of aseismic series happened in 1993–94. As partof this series, two earthquakes with M5were recorded by strong ground motioninstruments on 23^rd December 1993, and 4^th January, 1994 at Adra, Almeríaand Motril. We have used the accelerationrecords as empirical Green functions inorder to simulate the expected groundmotion associated with a hypotheticalearthquake of magnitude M = 6.3 like those of1804 and 1910. The simulations have beencarried out for three sites (Almería,Adra and Motril) using three differentapproaches. A total of 30 simulations, foreach approach, have been carried out foreach ground motion component in each site.The peak ground acceleration (PGA) and theresponse spectra are compared with thevalues obtained through empiricalrelationships for the distances and soilconditions corresponding to the threechosen sites. The results of thesimulations show that the horizontal PGAcould exceed the values observed in23/XII/93 and 4/I/94 by a factor of 5–8,surpassing in some cases the value of 140gals. Besides, some of the peak spectralaccelerations simulated reach Sa_max =400 gals, Adra being the location where thehighest values of a_max andSa_max are reached, due to the nearnessof this station to the epicentres of 23/XII/93 and 4/I/94. At Almeria, the PGAvalues reach 40 gals, which may beconsidered as input in the bedrock. InMotril, the PGA surpass a value of 130gals, considering as due to a strong localsite effect. Finally, the peak groundacceleration (PGA) and the response spectraobtained with the simulations have beencompared with other values estimated through empirical relationships for similarconditions. The conclusions about theexpected ground motion levels have animportant application aimed at the revisionof the maximum acceleration and responsespectra of the Spanish building Code,NCSE-94.     

Hydrothermal alteration and sulfide mineralization in gabbroids of the Markov Deep (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 6° N)

A new type of sulfide occurrence related to metasomatically altered brecciated gabbroids has been studied at the Sierra Leone site situated in the axial rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Markov Deep, 6° N). Two associations of plutonic, subvolcanic, and volcanic rocks were dredged: (1) mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and their intrusive analogues and (2) rocks of the silicic Fe-Ti-oxide series with dominating gabbronorites and sporadic trondhjemites. Almost all igneous rocks at the Sierra Leone site are enriched in Pb, Cu, U, Ga, Ta, Nb, Cs, and Rb and depleted in Zr, Th, and Hf. The rocks of the Fe-Ti-oxide series are enriched in Zn, Sn, and Mo and depleted in Ni and Cr. The main ore-bearing zone is situated at the foot of the eastern wall of the deep, where it is hosted in cataclastic hornblende gabbro and gabbronorite of the Fe-Ti-oxide series. Ore mineralization in metasomatically altered rocks is composed of quartz-sulfide and prehnite-sulfide veinlets, disseminated sulfide, and veined copper sulfide ore. The ore consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, bornite, chalcocite, and digenite. The δ³⁴S value of sulfides varies from 3.0 to 15.3‰. At the foot of the eastern wall of the Markov Deep, directly downslope from the ore-bearing zone, loose sediments contain grains of native Cu, Pb, Zn, and Sn and intermetallic compounds (isoferroplatinum, tetraferroplatinum, and brass) apparently derived from the ore. Mineral assemblages of ore-bearing metasomatic rocks and fluid inclusions therein were studied. Ore metasomatism developed under a low oxygen potential within a temperature interval from 400 to 160°C, though initial hydrothermal alteration of rocks proceeded at temperatures of 800–450°C. The temperature of stringer-disseminated ore mineralization is estimated at 170–280°C. The hydrothermal fluids are considered to be of magmatic origin; as the hydrothermal system evolved, they became diluted with seawater that was contained in fractured oceanic crust. The ore matter could have been derived from magmatic fluids that were released from water-saturated melts of the Fe-Ti oxide series during their ascent and leached from host gabbroids in the process of metasomatic alteration.     

Age et croissance de la truite lacustre (Salmo trutta lacustris L.) du Léman

The age and growth of adult Lake Geneva trout (Salmo trutta lacustris L.) caught from 1964 to 1974 for mark-and-recapture experiments was studied by scale analysis. The median lengths of 3 years and older fish were fitted to Von Bertalanffy growth curves. Their growth rates are higher than those of the fish younger than 3 years. It is conculded that this increase of growth rate concides with beginning of life in the lake, after the downstream migration of the juvenile trout which probably takes place in the second and third summer. No general increase of growth rates between cohorts could be detected from the beginning to the end of the period studied, in spite of a serious increase of eutrophication of Lake Geneva during the same time.