Fumarolic gases at Mombacho volcano (Nicaragua): presence of magmatic gas species and implications for volcanic surveillance

Mombacho is a deeply dissected volcano belonging to the Quaternary volcanic chain of Nicaragua. The southern, historic collapse crater (El Crater) currently hosts a fumarolic field with a maximum temperature of 121°C. Chemical and isotopic data from five gas-sampling field campaigns carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2005 highlight the presence of high-temperature gas components (e.g. SO₂, HCl and HF), which indicate a significant contribution of juvenile magmatic fluids to the hydrothermal system feeding the gas discharges. This is strongly supported by the mantle-derived helium and carbon isotopic signatures, although the latter is partly masked by either a sedimentary subduction-related or a shallow carbonate component. The observed chemical and isotopic composition of the Mombacho fluids seems to indicate that this volcanic system, although it has not experienced eruptive events during the last centuries, can be considered active and possibly dangerous, in agreement with the geophysical data recorded in the region. Systematic geochemical monitoring of the fumarolic gas discharges, coupled with a seismic and ground deformation network, is highly recommended in order to monitor a possible new eruptive phase.     

On the geology of the Indoburman ranges

The mountains of western and northwestern Burma consist chiefly of colossal accumulations of Palaeocene to Eocene (Arakan and Chin Hills) or Senonian to Eocene (Naga Hills) Flysch of varying, including “exotic”, facies.

The main frontal thrust zone of the Alpino‐Himalayan Tectogene lies along and within the easternmost ranges of this Indoburman system, not along the western margin (Shan Scarp) of the Sinoburman Highlands. Some of the highest mountains in the Naga Hills are “Klippen” of metamorphics lying on Flysch.

The Flysch ranges arose during the Oligocene but along the Arakan Coast there is ample evidence of an equally important earlier orogenic phase (latest Cretaceous) now almost totally buried beneath the western half of the Indoburman system and the post‐Oligocene “Argille Scagliose” and “Macigno” on‐lapping eastwards from the Bengal‐Assam embayment.

The lowlands of Central and Lower Burma do not represent a foreland feature, but an intramontane Molasse‐filled basin to which the sea retained access because of a general southerly plunge of the Alpine Tectogene. Geotec‐tonically, it is analogous to the Tibetan Plateau, not the Indo‐Gangetic lowlands.     

A fractal-multifractal approach to groundwater contamination. 2. Predicting conservative tracers at the Borden site

 In a companion paper (Puente et al., this issue), the capability of a deterministic fractal-multifractal (FM) approach to faithfully and compactly describe the geometry of chloride and bromide tracers gathered at the Borden site was illustrated. As trends in surrogate parameter space were found for successive plume contours (i.e. linear growth in coordinates by which fractal interpolating functions pass, nearly constant rotations and fairly high scalings), this article reports usage of a variety of prediction schemes, based on linear regressions and the aforementioned trends, in order to study the evolving plumes. It is shown that the FM representation leads to plausible non-Gaussian plume evolutions and yields predictions that closely approximate records for a period of time that extends even beyond one year. It is illustrated that such predicted geometries are also consistent with predictions made via stochastic theories (i.e. Dagan, 1984).     

Surface Energy Balance Measurements Above an Exurban Residential Neighbourhood of Kansas City,Missouri

Previous measurements of urban energy balances generally have been limited to densely built, central city sites and older suburban locations with mature tree canopies that are higher than the height of the buildings. In contrast, few data are available for the extensive, open vegetated types typical of low-density residential areas that have been newly converted from rural land use. We made direct measurements of surface energy fluxes using the eddy-covariance technique at Greenwood, a recently developed exurban neighbourhood near Kansas City, Missouri, USA, during an intensive field campaign in August 2004. Energy partitioning was dominated by the latent heat flux under both cloudy and near clear-sky conditions. The mean daytime Bowen ratio (β) values were 0.46, 0.48, and 0.47 respectively for the cloudy, near clear-sky and all-sky conditions. Net radiation (R _n ) increased rapidly from dawn (−34 and −58W m⁻²) during the night to reach a maximum (423 and 630W m⁻²) after midday for cloudy and near clear-sky conditions respectively. Mean daytime values were 253 and 370W m⁻², respectively for the cloudy and near clear-sky conditions, while mean daily values were 114 for cloudy and 171W m⁻² for near clear-sky conditions, respectively. Midday surface albedo values were 0.25 and 0.24 for the cloudy and near clear-sky conditions, respectively. The site exhibited an angular dependence on the solar elevation angle, in contrast to previous observations over urban and suburban areas, but similar to vegetated surfaces. The latent heat flux (Q _E ), sensible heat flux (Q _H ), and the residual heat storage ΔQ _s terms accounted for between 46–58%, 21–23%, and 18–31% of R _n , respectively, for all-sky conditions and time averages. The observed albedo, R _n , and Q _E values are higher than the values that have been reported for suburban areas with high summer evapotranspiration rates in North America. These results suggest that the rapidly growing residential areas at the exurban fringe of large metropolitan areas have a surface energy balance that is more similar to the rural areas from which they were developed than it is to the older suburbs and city centres that make up the urban fabric to which they are being joined.     

The impact of migration on the spatial structure of rural settlement

"Changes in the system of settlement in Staraya Russa Rayon, Novgorod Oblast [USSR], are traced. Migration from peripheral areas of the rayon to the suburban zone of Staraya Russa and to larger inhabited places along highways has transformed the historical pattern of settlement focused on river valleys into a new pattern focused on the central city of Staraya Russa, i.e., from the traditional dendritic configuration into a monocentric pattern. The impact of the migration process on land use is discussed, and it is suggested that abandoned peripheral villages be converted to recreation uses."     

Mapping of sound scattering objects in the northern part of the Barents Sea and their geological interpretation

On cruises 25 (2007) and 28 (2011) of the R/V Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the northern part of the Barents Sea, the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, conducted comprehensive research on the bottom relief and upper part of the sedimentary cover profile under the auspices of the International Polar Year program. One of the instrument components was the SeaBat 8111 shallow-water multibeam echo sounder, which can map the acoustic field similarly to a side scan sonar, which records the response both from the bottom and from the water column. In the operations area, intense sound scattering objects produced by the discharge of deep fluid flows are detected in the water column. The sound scattering objects and pockmarks in the bottom relief are related to anomalies in hydrocarbon gas concentrations in bottom sediments. The sound scattering objects are localized over Triassic sequences outcropping from the bottom. The most intense degassing processes manifest themselves near the contact of the Triassic sequences and Jurassic clay deposits, as well as over deep depressions in a field of Bouguer anomalies related to the basement of the Jurassic–Cretaceous rift system     

Experimental petrology of alkalic lavas: constraints on cotectics of multiple saturation in natural basic liquids

Experimental study of natural alkalic lava compositions at low pressures (pO₂QFM) reveals that crystallization of primitive lavas often occurs in the sequence olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, nepheline without obvious reaction relation. Pseudoternary liquidus projections of multiply saturated liquids coexisting with plagioclase (±olivine±clinopyroxene±nepheline) have been prepared to facilitate graphical analysis of the evolution of lava compositions during hypabyssal cooling. Use of (TiAl₂)(MgSi₂)_–1 and Fe³⁺ (Al)_–1 exchange components is a key aspect of the projection procedure which is succesful in reducing a wide range of compositions to a systematic graphical representation. These projections, and the experiments on which they are based, show that low pressure fractionation plays a significant role in the petrogenesis of many alkalic lava suites from both continental and oceanic settings. However, the role of polybaric fractionation is more evident in the major element chemistry of these lava suites than in many tholeiitic suites of comparable extent. For example, the lavas of Karisimbi, East Africa, show a range of compositions reflecting a polybaric petrogenesis from primitive picrites at 1360° C/18 kb and leading to advanced low pressure differentiates. Evolved leucite-bearing potassic members of this and other suites may be treated in a nepheline-diopside-kspar (+olivine+leucite) projection. Compositional curvature on the plagioclase+clinopyroxene+olivine+leucite cotectic offers a mechanism to explain resorption of plagioclase in alkalic groundmass assemblages and the incompatibility of albite and leucite. This projection is useful for evaluating the extent of assimilation of the alkalic portions of crustal granulites. Assimilation appears to have played some role in the advanced differentiates from Karisimbi.     

Flood control failures in a Third World City: Benin City,Nigeria — some environmental factors and policy issues

GeoJournal - Inspite of step-up efforts at controlling flood hazards in Third World cities, the frequency and magnitude of the flood problem have more than doubled in recent years. A survey of the...