Anomalous strontium and lead isotope signatures in the off-rift Öræfajökull central volcano in south-east Iceland: Evidence for enriched endmember(s) of the Iceland mantle plume?

The currently active off-rift central volcano Öræfajökull in south-east Iceland sits unconformably on much older (10–12 Ma) and eroded crust. The composition of recent volcanics ranges from basalt to rhyolite, but the series is more sodic alkaline than the common rift zone tholeiitic suites. In this study we present Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotopic data for a suite of Öræfajökull samples. The complete suite shows typical mantle values for oxygen isotopes. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (average of 15 SAMPLES=0.703702) of the modern Öræfajökull rocks (basalts as well as rhyolites) are much higher than observed so far for any other Icelandic rocks. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (average=0.512947; n=15) are lower than for rift rocks, but similar to rocks of the off-rift Snæfellsnes volcanic zone. Furthermore, the Öræfajökull rocks are enriched in the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotope ratios compared to Icelandic rift basalts. The enriched nature of the suite indicates that Öræfajökull samples a source component that has characteristics common with EM2 type mantle. Furthermore, it is concluded that the silicic rocks of Öræfajökull formed by fractional crystallization from mafic melts rather than by partial melting of older crust.     

The use of oxygen isotope variation in shells of estuarine mollusks as a quantitative record of seasonal and annual Colorado river discharge

We describe a new method for the calculation of river flow that uses the oxygen isotope composition of bivalve mollusk shells that grew in the river-water/seawater mixing zone of the Colorado River estuary. Sclerochronological techniques are used to identify tidally-induced, fortnight-scale bundles of daily growth increments within shell cross-sections. These fortnightly markers are used to establish a chronology for samples taken for δ¹⁸O analysis. A composite seasonal δ¹⁸O profile derived from five shells that grew in the absence of river-water flow is used as a baseline against which profiles of river-influenced shells are compared. Because this comparison is between matched fortnights within a year, the temperature of shell growth is likely to be very similar. The difference in δ¹⁸O between the river-influenced shell and the “no-flow” composite shell therefore represents the change in the δ¹⁸O of the water due to the presence of river water in the mixing zone. The river water end-member is also determined within a fortnightly context so that the change in the δ¹⁸O of mixing-zone water can be used to calculate the relative proportions of seawater and fresh-water. The fresh-water end-member is calculated from the δ¹⁸O of bivalves alive prior to the emplacement of dams and water diversions on the Colorado River. The marine end-member is based on direct measurements of the δ¹⁸O of northern Gulf of California water during times of no Colorado River flow. The system has been calibrated to absolute flow amounts using recent releases of known volume and rate.     

Private property restitution: the geographical consequences of official government policies in Central and Eastern Europe

The restitution of private property has been a widespread and controversial part of the post-socialist transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, raising issues about social justice and the responsibilities of national governments for the actions of their predecessors. This paper reviews the implementation of the restitution process in the countries of the region and assesses the impact on the social and economic landscape. The policy has been most extensive in Germany and most controversial in Poland, and the impacts in these two countries are considered in detail. The results show that everywhere restitution has resulted in winners and losers, with some claimants having long-lost property returned, but too often at the cost of residents losing their homes. However, an important benefit, notably in Germany's New Bundesländer, has been the introduction of much-needed new investment into the urban fabric of towns and cities, although the landscape impacts elsewhere have been less significant. Nevertheless, throughout Central and Eastern Europe restitution policies have helped governments to come to terms with a difficult aspect of the past and move forward.     

The loss and maintenance of native crops in mountain agriculture

The fate of agricultural biodiversity varies among the native crops produced in a mountainous region. Four native crops (potatoes, maize, ulluco, quinoa) cultivated in the southern Peruvian sierra demonstrate different patterns of cultivar loss and cultivar maintenance. Contingent social, economic and environmental conditions in mountain agriculture shape the distinct fates befalling the cultivars in each crop. Three sets of specific conditions contribute to differences in the patterning of cultivar loss and maintenance: (1) proximate conditions in the local peasant economy, particularly access among agricultural households to land, labor, and capital, and changes in the availability and quality of the three endowments; (2) the social and cultural value of the crop in the local diet and cuisine; and (3) the biogeographic patterning of cultivars. Maintenance of cultivars currently marks the ulluco and quinoa crop as well as many potato and maize types. Cultivar loss besets the fast-maturing potato S. phureja and the slow-maturing maize types. To incorporate variable in situ crop-conservation programs into development planning for montane regions requires thoroughly assessing the contingent conditions for continued production.     

Differenzenbildung mit Lochkartenmaschinen

Zusammenfassung Es werden Methoden angegeben, die es gestatten, Differenzen höherer Ordnung mit Lochkartenmaschinen zu berechnen. Mit diesen Methoden lassen sich sowohl aufoder absteigende, als auch zentrale Differenzen bilden, so daß die Koeffizienten der Interpolationsformeln von Newton, Gauß, Stirling und Bessel auf einfache Weise erhalten werden können. Schließlich wird noch gezeigt, wie eine Funktion mit Lochkartenmaschinen untertafelt werden kann.

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Differencing by punching card machines

Summary Methods are stated enabling higher order differences to be calculated with the aid of punching card machines. These methods allow the calculation of forward and backward differences as well as of central differences so that the coefficients of the interpolation formulae after Newton, Gauß, Stirling, and Bessel will be obtained in a simple manner. Finally, it is demonstrated how to subtabulate a function by means of punching card machines.

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Le calcul de différences avec des machines de comptabilité à cartes perforées

Résumé On expose des méthodes qui, à l'aide de machines de comptabilité à cartes perforées, permettent de calculer des différences finies. Ces méthodes rendent possibles l'interpolation par des différences successives et centrales de sorte que l'on peut obtenir d'une simple façon les coefficients des formules d'interpolation de Newton, Gauß, Stirling et Bessel. Enfin, on montre comment la subdivision d'une fonction peut être effectuée à l'aide des machines de comptabilité à cartes perforées.

     

Coronal velocity measurements with Ulysses: multi-link correlation studies during two superior conjunctions

A well-known method for studying the solar wind very close to the Sun (heliocentric distances: 4 to 40 solar radii) is by radio sounding between a spacecraft at superior conjunction and the Earth. The Ulysses Solar Corona Experiment was performed at the spacecraft's two solar conjunctions in summer 1991 and winter 1995, during which dual-frequency ranging and Doppler observations were conducted globally on a nearly continuous basis at the NASA Deep Space Network and other ground stations. The dual-frequency Doppler measurements were used to determine coronal plasma velocities by a cross-correlation analysis during those occasions when tracking data were recorded simultaneously at two well-separated ground stations. A filtering technique was developed to suppress noise and enhance the 2-station correlations, a procedure particularly effective at small solar offsets. From the electron content measurements during the two solar conjunctions it was found that regions of higher electron density tend to occur when the two-station correlations yield slower outward flow velocities.     

Laborversuche zum Abbau von Biotit

Zusammenfassung Laborversuche zum Abbau von Biotit und Umbau zu Montmorillonit, Vermiculit oder einer Vermiculit-Chlorit-Wechsellagerung wurden bei pH-Werten von 3,0, 6,0 und 9,8 durchgeführt, wobei sowohl im reduzierenden als auch im oxidierenden Milieu gearbeitet wurde. Aus den Untersuchungsergebnissen kann geschlossen werden, daß durch einen stärkeren Abbau der Oktaeder-Schicht im Verhältnis zum Gesamt-Abbau in saurem Milieu gegenüber basischem die Bildung von Vermiculit bis Chlorit-Vermiculit-Wechsellagerungen gefördert wird. Verstärkt wird dabei die Tendenz zur Chlorit-Bildung durch eine Durchströmung des Biotits. Die Entstehung eines Montmorin-Minerals (eines trioktaedrischen Beidellits) ist nur im basischen Milieu bei stagnierenden Lösungen möglich. Ein Einfluß reduzierender Bedingungen auf den Abbau von Biotit war nur im sauren Bereich festzustellen. In diesem Falle wurde der Abbau erheblich verstärkt. Als eine Hauptursache für die unterschiedliche Auflösung des Biotits unter den verschiedenen Bedingungen kann die Bildung oder das Fehlen einer Eisenhydroxid-Schutzschicht angesehen werden. Durch das Entstehen einer solchen Schicht kann der Abbau behindert werden. Wichtig ist weiterhin die Anwesenheit von Kationen, die den Kalium-Austausch fördern. In verdünnten Lösungen von Ca, Mg und Al konnte in einmonatigen Versuchen aus Hydrobiotit ein Montmorin-Mineral hergestellt werden.Die Ergebnisse der Laboruntersuchungen stimmen gut mit den bisher gemachten Beobachtungen an Biotitumwandlungen in Böden überein.

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Laboratory experiments on weathering phenomena in biotite

Treatment of biotite with solutions of different pH (3.0; 6.0; 9.8) in oxidizing environs showed, that under more acid conditions with good drainage of the solution through the biotite the alteration to vermiculite or even a vermiculite-chlorite interlayer is favoured, while the formation of montmorillonite from biotite can only take place in stagnant basic solutions. An accelerating influence of reducing environs in respect to the dissolution of biotite could only be stated at low pH. The more or less complete formation or the absence of Fe(OH)₃layers, which can help to protect the biotite from being dissolved, is regarded as one reason for the different alterations of biotite.Montmorillonite was easily prepared from hydrobiotite by treatment with 0.02 — n solutions of Ca, Mg and Al.

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Herrn Professor Dr. Dr. hc. C.W. Correns und Herrn Dozent Dr. E. Althaus, Karlsruhe danke ich für Anregungen und Diskussionen. Frau E. Bayer, Karlsruhe, danke ich für die Anfertigung der chemischen Analysen, Herrn Dr. R. Emmermann, Petrographisches Institut der Universität Karlsruhe, für die Überlassung des Biotits aus dem Albtal-Granit mitsamt der chemischen Analyse und Herrn Dr. W. Lücke, Petrographisches Institut der Universität Karlsruhe, für die Atomabsorptions-Bestimmungen.     

Die Problematik paläogeographischer Rekonstruktion

Zusammenfassung Mit der heute wohl begründeten Annahme von Lageveränderungen der geotektonischen Großeinheiten während der Erdgeschichte ist die paläogeographische Rekonstruktion problematisch geworden, da sie nicht auf der Basis der heutigen geographischen Lagebeziehungen aufbauen kann. Auf der anderen Seite ist gerade die paläogeographische Rekonstruktion, die unvoreingenommen möglichst alle Einzeldaten der verschiedenen Spezialdisziplinen berücksichtigt, die Voraussetzung für eine kritische Analyse der wechselnden Lagebeziehungen. Gerade seine Problematik macht den paläogeographischen Rekonstruktionsversuch zum unentbehrlichen methodischen Hilfsmittel geologischer und geotektonischer Forschung — unter der Voraussetzung, daß man sich dabei nicht vom heutigen Kartenbild leiten läßt. An den Beispielen des Amazonas-Beckens, des Atlantischen Ozeans und der Paläogeographie Mittelamerikas—Westindiens werden diese Zusammenhänge dargelegt.

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By the well-founded hypothesis of changes in the position of geotectonical major units during earth history, a paleogeographical reconstruction becomes problematical, since it cannot be based on the present geographical situation. On the other hand, it is above all the paleogeographical reconstruction which considers the greatest possible number of single data of the various branches of earth sciences, thus being the presupposition for a critical analysis of the changing position of the geotectonical units. By its complexity, the attempt of paleogeographical reconstruction is an indispensable methodical aid for geological and geotectonical research — under the condition that it is done independently of the actual geographical map. These correlations are demonstrated on the examples of the Amazon basin, the Atlantic Ocean and the paleogeography of Middle America and the West Indies.

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Résumé L'hypothèse bien fondée des changements de position des blocs continentaux pendant l'histoire de la terre, rend problématique la réconstruction paléogéographique, puisque celle-ci ne peut pas se baser sur la situation géographique actuelle. De l'autre coté, c'est surtout la réconstruction paléogéographique qui tient compte des dates individuelles des branches géoscientifiques particulières, étant ainsi le fondement pour une analyse critique des changements de position des éléments tectoniques. Par son caractère problématique, l'essai d'une réconstruction paléogéographique est une aide indispensable pour la recherche géologique et géotectonique — sous la condition qu'on ne regard pas la figure des cartes modernes. L'auteur démontre ces relations par l'exemple du bassin des Amazones, de l'Océan atlantique et de la paléogéographie de l'Amérique centrale et des Indes occidentales.

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Resumo A hipótese é bem fundamentada que, durante a história da terra aconteceram alterações da posiçào dos blocos continentais; em consequência disso a reconstrução palaogeográfica é um pouco problemática; pois não pode basear-se na configuração geográfica atual. Por outro lado, é exatamente a reconstrução paleogeográfica, baseada nas observações e experiências das diversas disciplinas geológicas, que constitui o único fundamento certo de uma análise das alterações consecutivas da posição das unidades geotectônicas. A tentativa da reconstrução paleogeográfica torna-se, dêste modo, um método indispensável para a pesquisa geológica e geotectônica, caso que a reconstrução paleogeográfica é executada independentemente da configuração geográfica atual. Estas relações são demonstradas pelos exemplos do desenvolvimento geológico da bacia do Amazonas, do Ozeano Atlântico e da América Central e das ilhas centralamericanas.

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