A search for magnetic fields in cool sdB stars

Hot cluster horizontal branch (HB) stars and field subdwarf B (sdB) stars are core helium burning stars that exhibit abundance anomalies that are believed to be due to atomic diffusion. Diffusion can be effective in these stars because they are slowly rotating. In particular, the slow rotation of the hot HB stars (T_eff > 11000 K), which show abundance anomalies, contrasts with the fast rotation of the cool HB stars, where the observed abundances are consistent with those of red giants belonging to the same cluster. The reason why sdB stars and hot HB stars are rotating slowly is unknown. In order to assess the possible role of magnetic fields on abundances and rotation, we investigated the occurrence of such fields in sdB stars with T_eff < 30 000 K, whose temperatures overlap with those of the hot HB stars. We conclude that large‐scale organised magnetic fields of kG order are not generally present in these stars but at the achieved accuracy, the possibility that they have fields of a few hundred Gauss remains open. We report the marginal detection of such a field in SB 290; further observations are needed to confirm it (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Triassic to Middle Jurassic stratigraphy of the Kerr McGee 97/12-1 exploration well,offshore southern England

The Triassic through to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) stratigraphy of the Kerr McGee 97/12-1 exploration well is described using petrophysical logs, in association with lithological and palaeontological analyses. Over 6210′ of sediment was penetrated, with sixteen Triassic and fourteen Lower–Middle Jurassic sedimentary units recognised, with a total measured depth (T.D) of 7310′ within the Sherwood Sandstone Group, Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds of Early/Middle Triassic, Olenekian/Anisian age. As expected the sedimentary sequences are comparable to those described from the Wessex Basin, especially the Portland–Wight and Dorset (sub) basins. Of particular note, however, is the very thick halite sequence (1074′) within the Carnian, Dunscombe Mudstone Formation and also an expanded “Paper Shales” (27′) sequence within the earliest Toarcian. A normal fault is noted at 1260′ with the Late Bajocian, Inferior Oolite Group in fault contact with the latest Toarcian, Bridport Sand Formation, Down Cliff Clay Member. The Late Triassic (Rhaetian) to Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) yielded rich microfaunal and palynomorph assemblages, all of which have been previously described throughout northwest Europe. Four microfossils groups (foraminifera, ostracods, dinocysts and miospores) have been used to interpret stratigraphic ages and palaeoenvironments.This study provides new lithological and microfossil data for the Triassic to Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) sequences preserved in the offshore Portland–Wight Basin and provides a key tie-point/reference section for future offshore drilling.     

James Stanley Hey, 1909–2000

Fellow and Eddington Medallist of the RAS, Fellow of the Royal Society, MBE,pioneer in radar and radio astromy.
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THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE BENARES CHONDRITE

The Benares meteorite is an LL4 chondrite, not LL6 as recorded in the literature. Some specimens labelled Benares are misidentified.     

Academic Performance Indicators for Departments of Geography in the United States and Canada

A common problem faced by geography departments, particularly during times of fiscal compression and mounting pressure for accountability, is how to compare themselves and their faculty with others. The recent revolution in bibliometrics provides a growing volume of data that can be used in benchmarking exercises. In this article, we assess the production and citation of journal articles and books by tenure-track and tenured faculty in selected U.S. and Canadian geography departments (n = 17) according to a set of readily derived and transparent performance indicators derived from publicly available data. Scopus was used to assess article production and citation; Google Scholar was used for book citation. Results point to significant heterogeneity in department characteristics, productivity, and citation of published work. The number of publications, citations, and h-Index scores among scholars in the sample (n = 369) is related strongly to academic age and subfield of enquiry (i.e., physical or human geography) but not—despite apparently marked differences in output and citations—to gender.