Nation states, ideological power and globalisation: can geographers catch the boat?

After a period of considerable and sustained hegemony, many commentators have argued that contemporary processes of globalisation are acting as a challenge to nation state sovereignty. The paper argues that geographers need to focus on the ways in which the nation state continues to act, albeit in a modified manner, within the era of globalisation. This might help to position geography within globalisation debates, which--according to Dicken [Geographers and `globalization': (yet) another missed boat? forthcoming, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 2004]--we have not been centrally involved in. Drawing on the work of Michael Mann, we focus on a neglected dimension of state power--namely, its ideological form--as a means of exploring how the nation state is being differentially re-engineered under globalisation. Using Mann's classification of forms of ideological organisation, we deploy three vignettes in order to demonstrate the evolving nature of ideological power within the contemporary UK State.     

The thermodynamic influence of subgrid orography in a global climate model

Assessments of the impacts of climate change typically require information at scales of 10 km or less. Such a resolution in global climate simulations is unlikely for at least two decades. We have developed an alternative to explicit resolution that provides a framework for meeting the needs of climate change impact assessment much sooner. We have applied to a global climate model a physically based subgrid-scale treatment of the influence of orography on temperature, clouds, precipitation, and land surface hydrology. The treatment represents subgrid variations in surface elevation in terms of fractional area distributions of discrete elevation classes. For each class it calculates the height rise/descent of air parcels traveling through the grid cell, and applies the influence of the rise/descent to the temperature and humidity profiles of the elevation class. Cloud, radiative, and surface processes are calculated separately for each elevation class using the same physical parametrizations used by the model without the subgrid orography parametrization. The simulated climate fields for each elevation class can then be distributed in post-processing according to the spatial distribution of surface elevation within each grid cell. Parallel 10-year simulations with and without the subgrid treatment have been performed. The simulated temperature, precipitation and snow water are mapped to 2.5-minute (~5 km) resolution and compared with gridded analyses of station measurements. The simulation with the subgrid scheme produces a much more realistic distribution of snow water and significantly more realistic distributions of temperature and precipitation than the simulation without the subgrid scheme. Moreover, the 250-km grid cell means of most other fields are virtually unchanged by the subgrid scheme. This suggests that the tuning of the climate model without the subgrid scheme is also applicable to the model with the scheme.     

Sr and Pb isotopic disequilibrium between coexisting plagioclase and orthopyroxene in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa: microdrilling and progressive leaching evidence for sub-liquidus contamination within a crystal mush

Progressive leaching of plagioclase for Sr isotopes and microdrilling for Sr and Pb isotopes from grains of plagioclase and orthopyroxene from the Critical Zone and the Lower Zone indicates that these minerals are not in isotopic equilibrium. Leaching suggests Critical Zone plagioclase either lost Rb or had a more radiogenic Sr_i rim relative to the core, whereas plagioclase from an Upper Zone sample is isotopically homogeneous for Sr_i. Microdrilling analyses of plagioclase from the Lower and Critical Zones consistently have a higher initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (Sr_i) and a less radiogenic modeled ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb composition (μ₂) than coexisting orthopyroxene. The range of calculated Sr_i for plagioclase and orthopyroxene is 0.70506–0.70662(34) and 0.70290–0.70654(36), respectively. The average difference in Sr_i between mineral pairs was 0.00095. The range of calculated μ₂ for plagioclase and orthopyroxene is 9.42–10.30 (average 9.7) and 9.83–15.75 (average 10.1), respectively. The range of measured ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb for plagioclase and orthopyroxene is 34.757–36.439(33) and 36.669–41.845(85), respectively. One orthopyroxenite without evidence for more than one population of crystal size distribution, nonetheless had Sr_i = 0.70654 (36) with calculated μ₂ of 10.32 for larger grains as compared with Sr_i = 0.70290 (32) and calculated μ₂ of 9.97 for smaller grain-size fractions. Isotopic results from this study demonstrate that whole-rock isotopic data may not provide the appropriate level of detail necessary to address some processes in the Bushveld Complex. However, systematic changes have the potential to elucidate the timing of contamination with regard to other processes (crystal aging, compaction-driven recrystallization, and mineral exsolution) occurring within a slowly cooled crystal–liquid–vapor mush system.     

Scale of pluton/wall rock interaction near May Lake,Yosemite National Park,CA, USA

Interaction of magma with wall rock is an important process in igneous petrology, but the mechanisms by which interactions occur are poorly known. The western outer granodiorite of the Cretaceous Tuolumne Intrusive Suite of Yosemite National Park, California, intruded a variety of metasedimentary and igneous wall rocks at 93.1 Ma. The May Lake metamorphic screen is a metasedimentary remnant whose contact zone exhibits a variety of interaction phenomena including xenolith incorporation, disaggregation, and partial melting. The chemical contrast of these metasedimentary rocks with the invading pluton provides an excellent measure of pluton/wall rock interactions. Wall rock xenoliths (mostly pelitic quartzite) are predominantly located in an elongate horizon surrounded by a hybridized fine-grained granodiorite. Initial Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of the hybridized granodiorite indicate significant local incorporation of crustal material. Major- and trace-element geochemical data indicate that contamination of the granodiorite occurred via selective assimilation of both high-K and low-K, high-silica partial melts derived from pelitic quartzite. Although the hybridized granodiorite shows significant amounts of contamination, adjacent to xenoliths the proportion of contamination is undetectable more than a meter away. These results indicate that the chemical and isotopic variability of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite is not caused by magma contamination via in situ wall rock assimilation.     

Influence of relative sea level changes on the construction of the Mississippi Fan

A conceptual sea-level-driven depositional model for individual fanlobes (channel-overbank systems) of the Mississippi Fan does not permit direct application of the sequence stratigraphic principles of Vail and colleagues. Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 96 results suggest that, during initial relative lowering of sea level, the canyon and upper fan channel were formed; excavated fine-grained slope sediments may have formed a debris flow deposit base for the fanlobe. Continued lowering produced constructional channel-levee-overbank deposits. Rising relative sea level inhibited input of coarse clastics, and channel depressions filled with muds. A blanket of (hemi)pelagics represents relative high sea level stand.     

阿尔泰-阿尔金地学断面地壳结构

根据阿尔泰—阿尔金地学断面的地震纵、横波资料,建立了地壳速度及泊松比结构. 测区的地壳具有明显的三分结构特征,其纵波速度自上而下依次为6.0～6.3km/s、6.3～6.6km/s及6.9～7.0km/s;阿尔泰南缘的地壳最厚,为56km,准噶尔盆地的地壳最薄,为46km,大部分地区的地壳厚度为50km 左右. 准噶尔盆地与天山之间上地幔顶部的纵波速度为7.7～7.8km/s ;阿尔泰南缘及塔里木盆地上地幔顶部的纵波速度较高,为7.9～8.0km/s. 测线南部,包括东天山及塔里木东缘,自地表至30km深处的地壳纵波速度低,泊松比为0.25,表明上地壳主要为石英及花岗质成分;而测线北部(包括阿尔泰及准噶尔盆地)的中、上地壳则呈现较高的泊松比（0.26～0.27）,可能为基性地壳的体现. 厚15～30km的下地壳纵波速度（6.9～7.0km/s）较高,泊松比为0.26～0.28,可能以镁铁质的麻粒岩成分为主. 位于天山及其南侧地壳中部的低速层（VP=5.9km/s, σ=0.25）则可能为晚古生代的构造热事件中的花岗质侵入岩.     

Middle Pleistocene environments,landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley

The significance of the southern Caucasus in understanding Pleistocene hominin expansions is well established. However, the palaeoenvironments in which Palaeolithic occupation of the region took place are presently poorly defined. The Hrazdan river valley, Armenian Highlands, contains a rich Palaeolithic record alongside Middle Pleistocene volcanic, fluvial and lacustrine strata, and thus offer exciting potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical, tephrostratigraphical and biological (diatoms) study of the sequence of Bird Farm 1, located in the central part of the valley. These data show six phases of landscape development during the interval 440–200 ka. The sequence represents the first quantitative Pleistocene diatom record from the Armenian Highlands and the southern Caucasus, and indicates the persistence of a deep, stratified lacustrine system, with evidence for changing lake productivity that is tentatively linked to climate. Furthermore, major element chemical characterization of visible and crypto-tephra horizons in the sequence enables the first stages of the development of a regional tephrostratigraphy. Together, the evidence from Bird Farm 1 demonstrates the importance of lacustrine archives in the region for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and highlights the potential for linkages between archives on both a local and regional scale.     

Normal fault growth influenced by basement fabrics: The importance of preferential nucleation from pre‐existing structures

Reactivation of pre‐existing intra‐basement structures can influence the evolution of rift basins, yet the detailed kinematic relationship between these structures and overlying rift‐related faults remains poorly understood. Understanding the kinematic as well as geometric relationship between intra‐basement structures and rift‐related fault networks is important, with the extension direction in many rifted provinces typically thought to lie normal to fault strike. We here investigate this problem using a borehole‐constrained, 3D seismic reflection dataset from the Taranaki Basin, offshore New Zealand. Excellent imaging of intra‐basement structures and a relatively weakly deformed, stratigraphically simple sedimentary cover allow us to: (a) identify a range of interaction styles between intra‐basement structures and overlying, Plio‐Pleistocene rift‐related normal faults; and (b) examine the cover fault kinematics associated with each interaction style. Some of the normal faults parallel and are physically connected to intra‐basement reflections, which are interpreted as mylonitic reverse faults formed during Mesozoic subduction and basement terrane accretion. These geometric relationships indicate pre‐existing intra‐basement structures locally controlled the position and attitude of Plio‐Pleistocene rift‐related normal faults. However, through detailed 3D kinematic analysis of selected normal faults, we show that: (a) normal faults only nucleated above intra‐basement structures that experienced late Miocene compressional reactivation, (b) despite playing an important role during subsequent rifting, intra‐basement structures have not been significantly extensionally reactivated, and (c) preferential nucleation and propagation of normal faults within late Miocene reverse faults and folds appears to be the key genetic relationship between contractionally reactivated intra‐basement structures and rift‐related normal faults. Our analysis shows that km‐scale, intra‐basement structures can control the nucleation and development of newly formed, rift‐related normal faults, most likely due to a local perturbation of the regional stress field. Because of this, simply inverting fault strike for causal extension direction may be incorrect, especially in provinces where pre‐existing, intra‐basement structures occur. We also show that a detailed kinematic analysis is key to deciphering the temporal as well as simply the spatial or geometric relationship between structures developed at multiple structural levels.     

Nearshore suspended sediment variations,central Surinam coast

Nearshore suspended sediment concentration along the muddy Surinam coast is highly variable; maximum values are many times greater than on other muddy coasts. Water samples taken at four field stations during various stages of the tide range in concentration from 15 to 3,700 mg/l near the surface and from 100 to 30,000 mg/l near the bottom. Highest overall concentrations and greatest variability in concentration occur in water over large banks of fluid mud (thixotropic gel) that extend 2–3 km offshore and 5–10 km along-shore. On both the intertidal and subaqueous portions of these mudbanks highest concentrations are found at low tide. Results provide evidence that an exchange between fluid mud and suspended sediment takes place during each tidal cycle.     

Resurveys of active mudslides,Mississippi Delta

A survey procedure using digitally acquired, scale-corrected sidescan sonar has been applied to document active submarine landslides in the Mississippi Delta region. Periodic resurveys have been completed for a 70-km² area in water depths of 10 to 50 m. Sufficient resurvey precision allowed short-term changes in seafloor mapping to be observed. Mudslides showed enlargement by retrogression and downslope surging within a single 5-month period.