Petrology, geochemistry, and age of low-Ti mare-basalt meteorite Northeast Africa 003-A: A possible member of the Apollo 15 mare basaltic suite

Northeast Africa 003 (NEA 003) is a lunar meteorite found as a two paired stones (6 and 118 g) in Libya, 2000 and 2001. The main portion (∼75 vol%) of the 118 g meteorite, used for this study, (NEA 003-A) consists of mare-basalt and a smaller adjacent portion (∼25 vol%) is a basaltic breccia (NEA 003-B). NEA 003-A has a coarse-grained magmatic texture consisting mainly of olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase. The late-stage mineral association is composed mainly of elongated plagioclase, ilmenite, troilite, fayalite, Si-K-rich glass, apatite, and a rare SiO₂ phase. Other accessory minerals include ulvöspinel, chromite, and trace Fe-Ni metal. Olivine and pyroxene contain shock-induced fractures, and plagioclase is completely converted into maskelynite.The Fe/Mn values of the whole rock, olivines and pyroxenes, and the bulk-rock oxygen isotopic composition provide evidence for the lunar origin of NEA 003-A meteorite. This is further supported by the presence of Fe-Ni metal and the anhydrous mineral association.NEA 003-A is geochemically and petrographically distinct from previously described mare-basalt meteorites and is not paired with any of them. The petrography and major element composition of NEA 003-A is similar to the composition of low-Ti olivine mare basalts from Apollo 12 and olivine-normative basalts from Apollo 15. The NEA 003-A meteorite shows obvious geochemical similarities in trace elements contents with Apollo 15 olivine-normative basalts and could represent a yet unknown geochemically primitive member of the olivine-normative basalt series. The meteorite is depleted in rare earth elements (REE) and incompatible trace elements indicating a primitive character of the parental magma. The bulk-rock chemical composition demonstrates that the parent melt of NEA 003-A was not contaminated with KREEP components as a result of magma mixing or assimilation processes. Results of crystallization modelling and low minimum cooling rate estimates (∼0.07 °C/h) suggest that the parent melt of NEA 003-A crystallized in the lower part of a lava flow containing cumulate olivine (∼10%) and was probably derived from more primitive picritic magma by fractional crystallization processes.Sm-Nd dating yields an age of 3.09 ± 0.06 Ga which corresponds to the period of lower Eratosthenian lunar volcanic activity, and the near-chondritic ε_Nd value of −0.4 ± 0.3 indicates that the meteorite could be derived from a slightly enriched mantle source similar to the Apollo 15 green glasses. Ar-Ar step release results are inconsistent with Sm-Nd ages suggesting that NEA 003-A was exposed to one or more impact events. The most extensive event took place at 1.8 Ga and the shock intensity was likely between 28 and 45 GPa. The absence of solar Ar suggests that NEA 003-A has not been directly exposed at the lunar surface but the cosmic ray exposure age of 209 ± 6 Ma suggests that NEA 003-A resided in the upper regolith for part of its history.     

An alternative approach to overcome shortcomings with multiple testing of binary data in ecotoxicology

Binary data such as survival, hatching and mortality are assumed to be best described by a binomial distribution. This article provides a simple and straight forward approach for derivation of a no/lowest observed effect level (NOEL/LOEL) in a one-to-many control versus treatments setup. Practically, NOEL and LOEL values can be derived by means of different procedures, e.g. using Fisher’s exact test in coherence with adjusted p values. However, using adjusted p values heavily decreases statistical power. Alternatively, multiple t tests (e.g. Dunnett test procedure) together with arcsin-square-root transformations can be applied in order to account for variance heterogeneity of binomial data. Arcsin-square-root transformation, however, violates normal distribution because transformed data are constrained, while normal distribution provides data in the range \((-\infty ,\infty )\). Furthermore, results of statistical tests relying on an approximate normal distribution are approximate too. When testing for trends in probabilities of success (probs), the step down Cochran–Armitage trend test (CA) can be applied. The test statistic used is approximately normal. However, if probs approach 0 or 1, normal approximation of the null-distribution is suboptimal. Thus, critical values and p values lack statistical accuracy. We propose applying the closure principle (CP) and Fisher–Freeman–Halton test (FISH). The resulting CPFISH can solve the problems mentioned above. CP is used to overcome \(\alpha\)-inflation while FISH is applied to test for differences in probs between the control and any subset of treatment groups. Its applicability is presented by means of real data sets. Additionally, we performed a simulation study of 81 different setups (differing numbers of control replicates, numbers of treatments etc.), and compared the results of CPFISH to CA allowing us to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the CPFISH.     

Diverse protolith ages for the Mindoro and Romblon Metamorphics (Philippines): Evidence from single zircon U–Pb dating

Within the north‐eastern part of the Palawan Continental Terrane, which forms the south‐western part of the Philippine archipelago, several metamorphic complexes are exposed that are considered to be rifted parts of the Asian margin in South‐East China. The protolith age(s) and correlations of these complexes are contentious. The largest metamorphic complex of the Palawan Continental Terrane comprises the Mindoro Metamorphics. The north‐eastern part of this metamorphic complex has recently been found to be composed of protoliths of Late Carboniferous to Late Permian protolith age. However, meta‐sediments exposed at the westernmost tip and close to the southern boundary of the exposure of the Mindoro Metamorphics contain detrital zircons and with U–Pb ages, determined by LA–ICP–MS, in the range 22–56 Ma. In addition, zircons as young as 112 Ma were found in a sample of the Romblon Metamorphics in Tablas. As the youngest detrital zircons provide an upper age limit for the time of deposition in meta‐sediments, these results suggest that the Mindoro and Romblon Metamorphics comprise protoliths of variable age: Late Carboniferous to Late Permian in NE Mindoro; Eocene or later in NW Mindoro; Miocene at the southern margin of the Mindoro metamorphics; and Cretaceous or later on Tablas. The presence of non‐metamorphic sediments of Late Eocene to Early Oligocene age in Mindoro (Lasala Formation), which are older than the youngest metasediments, suggests that metamorphism of the young meta‐sediments of Mindoro is the result of the collision of the Palawan Continental terrane with the Philippine Mobile Belt in Late Miocene. Similarities of the age spectra of zircons from the Eocene to Miocene metamorphics with the Eocene to Early Miocene Lasala Formation suggest that the protoliths of the young metamorphics may be equivalents of the Lasala Formation or were recycled from the Lasala Formation.     

The first post‐injection seismic monitor survey at the Ketzin pilot CO2 storage site: results from time‐lapse analysis

The injection of CO₂ at the Ketzin pilot CO₂ storage site started in June 2008 and ended in August 2013. During the 62 months of injection, a total amount of about 67 kt of CO₂ was injected into a saline aquifer. A third repeat three‐dimensional seismic survey, serving as the first post‐injection survey, was acquired in 2015, aiming to investigate the recent movement of the injected CO₂. Consistent with the previous two time‐lapse surveys, a predominantly west–northwest migration of the gaseous CO₂ plume in the up‐dip direction within the reservoir is inferred in this first post‐injection survey. No systematic anomalies are detected through the reservoir overburden. The extent of the CO₂ plume west of the injection site is almost identical to that found in the 2012 second repeat survey (after injection of 61 kt); however, there is a significant decrease in its size east of the injection site. Assessment of the CO₂ plume distribution suggests that the decrease in the size of the anomaly may be due to multiple factors, such as limited vertical resolution, CO₂ dissolution, and CO₂ migration into thin layers, in addition to the effects of ambient noise. Four‐dimensional seismic modelling based on dynamic flow simulations indicates that a dynamic balance between the newly injected CO₂ after the second repeat survey and the CO₂ migrating into thin layers and being dissolved was reached by the time of the first post‐injection survey. In view of the significant uncertainties in CO₂ mass estimation, both patchy and non‐patchy saturation models for the Ketzin site were taken into consideration.     

Grappling with Growth: Perceptions of Development and Preservation in Faster- and Slower-Growing Amenity Communities*

Amenity-rich rural communities attract tourists, retirees, second-home owners, and others whose values are often assumed to conflict with those of longtime residents. While prior research has examined attitudinal differences across types of residents, questions about the effects of community growth on residents’ attitudes remain unanswered. This study examines whether and how seasonal and permanent residents differ within and across towns experiencing different rates of growth, and the implications of differences for attitudes toward community development and preservation. Results showed that permanent residents (both short- and long-term) perceived community development initiatives as more important to maintaining future quality of life than did seasonal homeowners. Further, community growth rates had statistically significant effects: residents of slower-growth towns attributed higher importance to both development and preservation initiatives than did residents of faster-growing towns. Growth rate was thus a stronger predictor of attitudes toward both development and preservation than resident type.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvinia natans</Emphasis> in medieval wetland deposits in Gdańsk,northern Poland: evidence for the early medieval climate warming

Large numbers of sub-fossil remains of the aquatic fern Salvinia natans (L.) All. have been found in several early medieval sites in Gdańsk, N. Poland. This record indicates a population expansion of this species around 7th–8th century A.D., similar to the recently observed rapid spread and high population dynamics of S. natans in northern Poland, which recent studies have attributed to climate warming. Our results suggest that in the Vistula deltaic area the S. natans expansion in the Early Middle Ages (7th–8th century A.D.) was similarly stimulated by climate warming, while its subsequent decline was mainly due to climate cooling, especially during the Little Ice Age. Warmer winters and springs and a longer growing season seem to be the most important factors forcing the expansion of S. natans in medieval times. According to our data, the co-occurrence of S. natans with other aquatic plant species was similar in both the medieval and present-day vegetation. Also, the high density of S. natans in the medieval population caused impoverishment of the local ecosystems in a way that has been observed in recent water bodies affected by invasive pleustophytes (free-floating plants).