Mechanisms of weathering of meteorites recovered from hot and cold deserts and the formation of phyllosilicates

Petrographic, mineralogical and chemical analysis of naturally weathered equilibrated ordinary chondrites collected from ‘ hot’ deserts and Antarctica has revealed striking similarities and also pronounced differences in weathering between the two environments. Terrestrial weathering in all meteorites studied is dominated by oxidation and hydration of Fe,Ni metal, producing Fe-oxides and oxyhydroxides that have partially replaced the metal grains and have also occluded primary intergranular pores to form veins. Troilite weathers readily in ‘ hot’ desert environments but undergoes very little alteration under Antarctic conditions. Most of the primary porosity of ordinary chondrites has been occluded by the time that ∼ 15 to 25% of the initial Fe⁰ and Fe²⁺ has been oxidised to Fe³⁺ in both environments. Results from modelling the volume changes upon alteration of primary minerals to a range of weathering products demonstrates that the primary porosity of most meteorites is sufficient to accommodate weathering products. Dilation of primary pores and brecciation, which has been observed in parts of some meteorites, will only occur if the meteorite is especially metal-rich, or has a low primary porosity. These weathering products are absent from recent falls but have formed in a fall after ∼ 100 yr of museum storage.Cl-bearing akaganéite and hibbingite are common weathering products in Antarctic finds but occur in abundance in only one ‘ hot’ desert meteorite, Daraj 014. The majority of Fe-rich weathering products in meteorites from both environments contain low, but variable concentrations of Si, Mg and Ca. In most meteorites a proportion of these elements are inferred to be present as a very finely crystalline mineral with a ∼ 1.0-nm lattice fringe spacing; where seen within intragranular fractures this mineral has a topotactic relationship with olivine and orthopyroxene. In the heavily-weathered Antarctic finds ALHA 78045 and 77002, Si is concentrated in cronstedtite, a Fe-rich phyllosilicate. An unidentified hydrous Si-Fe-Ni-Mg mineral or gel has also partially replaced taenite in ALHA 78045. In addition to Fe-rich weathering products, ‘ hot’ desert meteorites contain sulphates, Ca-carbonate and silica, whereas such minerals are largely absent from Antarctic finds. The abundance of silicate weathering products in Antarctic meteorites is unexpected and indicates that olivine and pyroxene undergo significant chemical weathering in these environments. As preterrestrial cronstedtite is abundant in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites, the Antarctic environment may be a powerful analog for aqueous alteration in the asteroidal parent bodies of primitive meteorites.     

Hans Cloos in seinen Breslauer Jahren

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Australien C. Teichert,Stratigraphy of Western Australia

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Capturing the complete stress–strain behaviour of jointed rock using a numerical approach

This paper presents the results of a series of numerical experiments using the synthetic rock mass (SRM) approach to quantify the behaviour of jointed rock masses. Field data from a massive sulphide rock mass, at the Brunswick mine, were used to develop a discrete fracture network (DFN). The constructed DFN model was subsequently subjected to random sampling whereby 40 cubic samples, of height to width ratio of two, and of varying widths (0.05 to 10 m) were isolated. The discrete fracture samples were linked to 3D bonded particle models to generate representative SRM models for each sample size. This approach simulated the jointed rock mass as an assembly of fractures embedded into the rock matrix. The SRM samples were submitted to uniaxial loading, and the complete stress–strain behaviour of each specimen was recorded. This approach provided a way to determine the complex constitutive behaviour of large‐scale rock mass samples. This is often difficult or not possible to achieve in the laboratory. The numerical experiments suggested that higher post‐peak modulus values were obtained for smaller samples and lower values for larger sample sizes. Furthermore, the observed deviation of the recorded post‐peak modulus values decreased with sample size. The ratio of residual strength of rock mass samples per uniaxial compressive strength intact increases moderately with sample size. Consequently, for the investigated massive sulphide rock mass, the pre‐peak and post‐peak representative elemental volume size was found to be the same (7 × 7 × 14 m). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A partial list of southern clusters of galaxies

A list of clusters of galaxies, classified according to several criteria and drawn from inspection of 34 SRC/ESOJ southern sky fields, previously circulated privately, is presented and discussed. We give new available redshifts and draw a rough comparison with the new Abellet al. (1989) cluster catalogue.     

The influence of urbanization of sinkhole development in central Pennsylvania

The karsted limestone valleys of central Pennsylvania contain two populations of sinkholes. Solution sinkholes occur in the Champlainian limestone units along the margins of the valleys. Solution sinkholes are permanent parts of the landscape and, although a nuisance to construction, do not present other problems. The second population is the suffosional or soil-piping sinkholes These occur on all carbonate rock units including the Beekmantown and Gatesburg dolomites that comprise the two principal carbonate aquifers in the valley. Suffosional sinkholes are the principal land-use hazard. Suffosional sinkholes are transient phonomena. They occur naturally but are exacerbated by runoff modifications that accompany urbanization Suffosional sinkholes are typically 1.5–2.5 m in diameter depending on soil thickness and soil type. The vertical transport of soil to form the void space and soil arch that are the precursors to sinkhole collapse is through solutionally widened fractures and cross-joints and less often through large vertical openings in the bedrock. The limited solution development on the dolomite bedrock combined with soil thickness, seldom greater than 2 m, limits the size of the sinkholes. All aspects of suffosional sinkhole development are shallow processes: transport, piping, void and arch formation, and subsequent collapse take place usually less than 10 m below the land surface Factors exacerbating sinkhole development include pavement, street, and roof runoff which accelerates soil transport Such seemingly minor activities as replacing high grass and brush with mowed grass is observed to accelerate sinkhole development. Dewatering of the aquifer is not a major factor in this region     

A computer simulation study of Al/Si ordering in gehlenite and the paradox of the low transition temperature

The ordering of Al and Si in gehlenite is considered using computer simulation. The enthalpy of ordering ΔH per 2Al+2Si atoms is found to be 0.52 eV. It is dominated by the nearest neighbour interaction, but the analysis is carried out to fifth neighbours. The nearest neighbour interaction differs significantly from that for other materials. The structure does not have a connected network of ordering sites, which mainly accounts for the unobservably low transition temperature for Al/Si ordering. Two alternatives are given for the likely ordering pattern.     

Linking censuses through time: problems and solutions

This paper reviews the difficulties encountered when attempting to study social change by comparing data from successive censuses, and describes a system designed to provide integrated online access to data from the 1971, 1981 and 1991 Censuses in Great Britain at http://census.ac.uk/cdu/lct/.