The pressure–temperature–time path of migmatites from the Sikkim Himalaya

A combined metamorphic and isotopic study of lit‐par‐lit migmatites exposed in the hanging wall of the Main Central Thrust (MCT) from Sikkim has provided a unique insight into the pressure–temperature–time path of the High Himalayan Crystalline Series of the eastern Himalaya. The petrology and geochemistry of one such migmatite indicates that the leucosome comprises a crystallized peraluminous granite coexisting with sillimanite and alkali feldspar. Large garnet crystals (2–3 mm across) are strongly zoned and grew initially within the kyanite stability field. The melanosome is a biotite–garnet pelitic gneiss, with fibrolitic sillimanite resulting from polymorphic inversion of kyanite. By combining garnet zoning profiles with the NaCaMnKFMASHTO pseudosection appropriate to the bulk composition of a migmatite retrieved from c. 1 km above the thrust zone, it has been established that early garnet formed at pressures of 10–12 kbar, and that subsequent decompression caused the rock to enter the melt field at c. 8 kbar and c. 750 °C, generating peritectic sillimanite and alkali feldspar by the incongruent melting of muscovite. Continuing exhumation resulted in resorption of garnet. Sm–Nd growth ages of garnet cores and rim, indicate pre‐decompression garnet growth at 23 ± 3 Ma and near‐peak temperatures during melting at 16 ± 2 Ma. This provides a decompression rate of 2 ± 1 mm yr^?1 that is consistent with exhumation rates inferred from mineral cooling ages from the eastern Himalaya. Simple 1D thermal modelling confirms that exhumation at this rate would result in a near‐isothermal decompression path, a result that is supported by the phase relations in both the melanosome and leucosome components of the migmatite. Results from this study suggest that anatexis of Miocene granite protoliths from the Himalaya was a consequence of rapid decompression, probably in response to movement on the MCT and on the South Tibetan detachment to the north.     

Utilization of high-resolution EGM2008 gravity data for geological exploration over the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton,India

High-resolution EIGEN6C4 and EGM2008 Bouguer gravity data of 2190 degree spherical harmonic over the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton, India, have been generated from the International Centre for Global Earth Models. The Bouguer gravity anomaly difference maps of (i) in situ and EIGEN6C4, (ii) in situ and EGM2008 and iii) EIGEN6C4 and EGM2008 of the study area are compared. It reveals that EIGEN6C4 has lesser systematic error than EGM2008. However, from different profile plots of Bouguer gravity, east–west horizontal derivative and north–south horizontal derivative anomalies of the in situ, EIGEN6C4 and EGM2008, it is observed that most of the signatures of lithounits and geological structural elements are delineated very well by EGM2008 and match 94–98% with those of EIGEN6C4. Further, the Bouguer gravity, east–west horizontal derivative and north–south horizontal derivative anomalies of EGM2008 data over the study area have been used effectively for identifying various lithounits and geological structural elements.     

The synthesis of26Al during combined hydrogen and helium-burning reactions

We have studied the synthesis of²⁶Al during combined hydrogen and helium-burning processes in high temperature and density conditions. The possible sites for these processes are believed to be the neutron star surfaces where the density ranges from =10⁴–10⁷ g cm^–3 and temperature range from 10⁸–8×10⁸ K. The screening effect which leads to an enhancement of nuclear reaction rates is taken into account whenever necessary. A detailed calculation of the abundances of²⁶Al and²⁷Al isotopes is presented here. Finite amounts of²⁶Al is found to be produced atT=2×10⁸ K and =10⁸ g cm^–3 due to these combined reactions. This situation is likely to be realized during the -ray burst events on neutron star surface. The amount of material processed in the burst sources is very little compared to the amount of material processed in Novae or Supernovae. Thus it is suggested that rather than contributing to the overall amount of²⁶Al, -ray bursts are likely to contribute more significantly to the inhomogeneity of²⁶Al distribution in interstellar medium.     

Temporal variations in Sr and 87Sr/86Sr of the Ganga headwaters: estimates of dissolved Sr flux to the mainstream

The headwaters of the Ganga (the Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and the Ganga) were analysed for their dissolved major ions, Sr and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr on a biweekly to monthly basis over a period of one year to determine their temporal variations and the factors contributing to them. The concentrations of major ions and Sr show significant seasonal variation with lower values during monsoon period in all the three rivers. A similar trend is also observed for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Na*/Ca (Na* = Na_r? Cl_r) suggesting relatively lower contribution of Sr and Na from silicates (which are more radiogenic in Sr) during monsoon. Budget calculations show that silicate derived dissolved Sr (Sr_s) in the river Ganga, Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi varied from 10 ± 4 to 27 ± 11, 7 ± 3 to 30 ± 12, 16 ± 6 to 57 ± 23% of measured Sr respectively with lower values during monsoon. The relative decrease in silicate erosion compared to carbonate during monsoon can result from several factors, these include higher dissolution kinetics of the carbonates, lower water–rock interaction time and availability of larger area for weathering. The annual discharge weighted Sr flux derived from the time series data is higher by ～20% from that based on peak flow Sr, and lower by ～40% compared to that derived from lean flow Sr concentration. The area‐normalized annual flux of dissolved Sr from the Ganga at Rishikesh is about five times its flux at Rajshahi (Bangladesh) and a few other major global rivers, such as the Amazon, indicating higher erosion rate over the Himalaya. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The sensitivity of the northern hemisphere summer mean meridional circulation to changes in the large scale eddy forcing

A zonally averaged version of the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences (GLAS) climate model is used to study the sensitivity of the northern hemisphere (NH) summer mean meridional circulation to changes in the large scale eddy forcing. A standard solution is obtained by prescribing the latent heating field and climatological horizontal transports of heat and momentum by the eddies. The radiative heating and surface fluxes are calculated by model parameterizations. This standard solution is compared with the results of several sensitivity studies. When the eddy forcing is reduced to 0.5 times or increased to 1.5 times the climatological values, the strength of the Ferrel cells decrease or increase proportionally. It is also seen that such changes in the eddy forcing can influence the strength of theNH Hadley cell significantly. Possible impact of such changes in the large scale eddy forcing on the monsoon circulation via changes in the Hadley circulation is discussed. Sensitivity experiments including only one component of eddy forcing at a time show that the eddy momentum fluxes seem to be more important in maintaining the Ferrel cells than the eddy heat fluxes. In the absence of the eddy heat fluxes, the observed eddy momentum fluxes alone produce subtropical westerly jets which are weaker than those in the standard solution. On the other hand, the observed eddy heat fluxes alone produce subtropical westerly jets which are stronger than those in the standard solution.     

Determination of rare earth and refractory trace element abundances in early solar system objects by ion microprobe

Experimental and analytical procedures devised for measurement of rare earth element (REE) abundances using a secondary ion mass spectrometer (ion microprobe) are described. This approach is more versatile than the conventional techniques such as neutron activation analysis and isotope dilution mass spectrometry by virtue of its high spatial resolution that allows determination of REE abundances in small domains (10-20 micron) within individual mineral phases. The ion microprobe measurements are performed at a low mass-resolving power adopting the energy-filtering technique (Zinner and Crozaz 1986) for removal and suppression of unresolved complex molecular interferences in the REE masses of interest. Synthetic standards are used for determining various instrument specific parameters needed in the data deconvolution procedure adopted for obtaining REE abundances. Results obtained from analysis of standards show that our ion microprobe may be used for determining REE abundances down to ppm range with uncertainties of ∼ 10 to 15%. Abundances of rare earth and several other refractory trace elements in a set of early solar system objects isolated from two primitive carbonaceous chondrites were determined using the procedures devised by us. The results suggest that some of these objects could be high temperature nebular condensates, while others are products of melting and recrystallization of precursor nebular solids in a high temperature environment.     

Four-dimensional structure and sub-seasonal regulation of the Indian summer monsoon multi-decadal mode

A better understanding of the drivers and teleconnection mechanisms responsible for the multi decadal mode (MDM) of variability of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) with major socio-economic impacts in the region through clustering of large-scale floods or droughts is key to improving the poor simulation of ISMR MDM by most climate models. Here, using the longest instrumental record of ISMR available (1813–2006) and longest atmospheric and oceanic re-analyses, the global four dimensional (space–time) structures of atmospheric and oceanic fields of the multi-decadal mode of ISMR and sub-seasonal evolution of the teleconnection mechanism are brought out, essential for understanding underlying drivers but lacking so far. The relationships between the spatial structure of winds, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and thermocline depth with the ISMR MDM indicate that the tropical ocean over the Indo-Pacific domain is passive responding primarily to the surface winds associated with the mode. A close association between the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), north Atlantic (NA) SST, NA sea surface salinity (SSS) and the ISMR MDM indicate a slow oceanic pathway linking NA SST and the ISMR. In addition to strong correlation (~ 0.9) between global spatial patterns of JJAS SST associated with the MDMs of ISMR, NA SST and AMOC, strong temporal coherence (correlations ~ 0.9) between them is suggestive of regulation of the ISMR MDM (T ~ 65-years) by the NA SST associated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) through a ‘fast’ atmospheric bridge. On a seasonal time scale, the atmospheric bridge manifests in the form of a stationary Rossby wave train generated by an anticyclonic (cyclonic) barotropic vorticity located above positive (negative) SST anomaly over NA in two phases of the AMO. That the AMO SST is the driver of the ISMR MDM is further supported when we unravel the sub-seasonal face of the teleconnection between the two. We show that phase locking of active (break) spells with annual cycle during positive (negative) phases of the ISMR MDM are forced by a similar phase locking of barotropic anticyclonic (cyclonic) vorticity over the NA SST with the annual cycle through the generation of a quasi-stationary Rossby wave train with an anticyclonic (cyclonic) vorticity at upper level over the Indian region with the NA columnar vorticity leading Indian monsoon rainfall by about a week. Our findings provide a basis for enhanced predictability of tropical climate through slow modulation by extra-tropical SST.

     

Assessment of citrus crop condition in Umling block of Ri-Bhoi district using RS and GIS technique

Orange orchards of Meghalaya are small in size and are found together with other plants on the slopes of hills. It is also reported that the productivity of orchards is declining in some parts of the state. Therefore in this study, we have attempted to map areas prone to citrus productivity decline based on the integrated effect of soil erosion, vegetation condition and moisture stress. It is difficult to identify orchards on hilly terrain using standard FCC of IRS-P6 LISS III data. Hence, an enhanced color composite image was prepared from three images generated from indices namely SBI, NDWI and NDVI. This enhanced color image was classified using the maximum likelihood classification method and enabled identifying villages prone to citrus decline. The study shows that orchards of 29 villages which are suffering from moisture stress and mostly located on steep slopes that cause heavy soil loss leading to nutrient imbalances are prone to citrus decline. These data will be useful in mapping potential citrus decline areas over zones having similar climatic conditions so that the concerned state horticulture/agriculture departments and citrus growers can take necessary remedial actions.