The radio and X-ray properties of Abell 2319

New radio and X-ray data are reported for the rich cluster Abell 2319. This object is known from optical data to consist of two separate clusters, which are displaced by about 10′ in the NW direction, and could be in a pre-merger state.

In the radio domain, the cluster is characterized by the presence of a central diffuse halo source, more extended and powerful than the prototype halo in the Coma cluster. The radio halo shows an irregular structure, elongated in the NE-SW direction, and also extended towards the NW. We also report data on the extended radio galaxies located within the halo, or in its proximity.

The cluster X-ray brightness distribution shows an elongated structure towards the NW, in the radial region between 6′–12′, i.e. in the direction of the subcluster. This feature is exactly coincident with the NW extension of the radio halo. In addition, more substructural features are identified which could be due to an ongoing merger of the cluster with yet another mass component.

The radio halo morphology is correlated with the X-ray structure and the existence of merger processes in the cluster. The cluster merger can provide energy to maintain the radio halo, while the origin of the relativistic particles seems more problematic.     

Low-cost volcano surveillance from space: case studies from Etna, Krafla, Cerro Negro, Fogo, Lascar and Erebus

 Satellite data offer a means of supplementing ground-based monitoring during volcanic eruptions, especially at times or locations where ground-based monitoring is difficult. Being directly and freely available several times a day, data from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) offers great potential for near real-time monitoring of all volcanoes across large (3000×3000 km) areas. Herein we describe techniques to detect and locate activity; estimate lava area, thermal flux, effusion rates and cumulative volume; and distinguish types of activity. Application is demonstrated using data for active lavas at Krafla, Etna, Fogo, Cerro Negro and Erebus; a pyroclastic flow at Lascar; and open vent systems at Etna and Stromboli. Automated near real-time analysis of AVHRR data could be achieved at existing, or cheap to install, receiving stations, offering a supplement to conventional monitoring methods. Received: 21 January 1997 / Accepted: 3 April 1997     

Geochemistry and shock petrography of the Crow Creek Member,South Dakota,USA: Ejecta from the 74‐Ma Manson impact structure

Abstract— The Crow Creek Member is one of several marl units recognized within the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale Formation of eastern South Dakota and northeastern Nebraska, but it is the only unit that contains shock‐metamorphosed minerals. The shocked minerals represent impact ejecta from the 74‐Ma Manson impact structure (MIS). This study was aimed at determining the bulk chemical compositions and analysis of planar deformation features (PDFs) of shocked quartz; for the basal and marly units of the Crow Creek Member. We studied samples from the Gregory 84‐21 core, Iroquois core and Wakonda lime quarry. Contents of siderophile elements are generally high, but due to uncertainties in the determination of Ir and uncertainties in compositional sources for Cr, Co, and Ni, we could not confirm an extraterrestrial component in the Crow Creek Member. We recovered several shocked quartz grains from basal‐unit samples, mainly from the Gregory 84‐21 core, and results of PDF measurements indicate shock pressures of at least 15 GPa. All the samples are composed chiefly of SiO₂ (29–58 wt%), Al₂O₃ (6–14 wt%), and CaO (7–30 wt%). When compared to the composition of North American Shale Composite, the samples are significantly enriched in CaO, P₂O₅, Mn, Sr, Y, U, Cr, and Ni. The contents of rare earth elements (REE), high field strength elements (HFSE), Cr, Co, Sc, and their ratios and chemical weathering trends, reflect both felsic and basic sources for the Crow Creek Member, an inference, which is consistent with the lithological compositions in the environs of the MIS. The high chemical indices of alteration and weathering (CIA' and CIW': 75–99), coupled with the Al₂O₃‐(CaO*+Na₂O)‐K₂O (A‐CN'‐K) ratios, indicate that the Crow Creek Member and source rocks had undergone high degrees of chemical weathering. The expected ejecta thicknesses at the sampled locations (409 to 219 km from Manson) were calculated to range from about 1.9 to 12.2 cm (for the present‐day crater radius of Manson), or 0.4 to 2.4 cm (for the estimated transient cavity radius). The trend agrees with the observed thicknesses of the basal unit of the Crow Creek Member, but the actually observed thicknesses are larger than the calculated ones, indicating that not all of the basal unit comprises impact ejecta.     

Properties of Galaxies in the Second Byurakan Survey. II. Characteristic Features of a Separate Sample of Galaxies

Some features of a sample of galaxies from the Second Byurakan Survey are discussed. Most of them are small galaxies with star formation. It is shown that different types of galaxies are in the Survey, with high, medium, and low levels of excitation and continua ranging from blue to relatively red. Many of the galaxies have absorption lines in their spectra; their continua are formed by stars in later spectral classes.     

Dynamical and compositional assessment of near‐Earth object mission targets

Abstract— Using an H‐plot analysis, we identify 234 currently known near‐Earth objects that are accessible for rendezvous with a “best case” delta‐V of less than 7 km/s. We provide a preliminary compositional interpretation and assessment of these potential targets by summarizing the taxonomic properties for 44 objects. Results for one‐half (22) of this sample are based on new spectroscopic measurements presented here. Our approach provides an easy‐to‐update method for giving guidelines to both observers and mission analysts for focusing on objects for which actual mission opportunities are most likely to be found. Observing prospects are presented for categorizing the taxonomic properties of the most accessible targets that are not yet measured.     

Depositional and post‐depositional history of warm stage deposits at Knocknacran,Co. Monaghan,Ireland: implications for preservation of Irish last interglacial deposits

Organic‐rich deposits, uncovered during overburden removal from mantled gypsum karst at Knocknacran opencast gypsum mine, Co. Monaghan, are the best candidate to date for a last interglacial record in Ireland. The two till and organic‐rich deposits (preserved at different quarry elevations) were emplaced on to a Tertiary dolerite surface during high‐energy flood events and subsequently folded and faulted by movement towards sinkholes in underlying gypsum. Uranium–thorium disequilibrium dating suggests that the organic‐rich deposits in the upper section were hydrologically isolated at ca. 41 ka and those in the lower section at ca. 86 ka. Interpretation of the pollen content, although tentative because of the depositional and post‐depositional history of the material, suggests that the organic material originated in a warm stage possibly warmer than the post‐Eemian interstadials. The unusual setting of preservation may indicate that in situ, last interglacial deposits have generally been removed by erosion in Ireland. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Directional wave measurement at Haifa,Israel, and sediment transport along the Nile littoral cell

Results of three years of directional wave measurement at the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Haifa, Israel are presented. The wave-height and energy-flux distributions reveal a moderately high-energy coast with a bimodal annual cycle.The rate of wave-induced longshore sediment transport is estimated from the directional energy flux distributions. It describes an annual cycle with a maximum northward transport of 75 ± 14 × 10³ m³/month in midwinter and a southward transport of 26 ± 5 × 10³ m³/month in summer. The net annual transport is northward and computed at 110 ± 100 × 10³ m³/yr.We show that a wave-induced transport is sufficient in explaining the apparent transport of sediments in the Nile Littoral Cell, from the Nile Delta source to the Haifa Bay sink.     

Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of Macrobrachium petersi (Hilgendorf) in the Keiskamma River and estuary,South Africa

A dry (1979–1980) and a wet (1980–1981) season had a marked effect on the freshwater inflow into the Keiskamma estuary. Under low inflow conditions, which results in elevated salinities in the upper reaches, an upstream migration of adult Macrobrachium petersi (Hilgendorf) to freshwater takes place. During periods of increased river inflow adult M. petersi move downstream to the more saline reaches of the estuary. These two migratory responses have been interpreted as (a) a breeding migration under high inflow conditions which ensures that larvae are in close proximity to salinities that favour growth and development, and (b) an adult upstream migration back to freshwater to escape elevated estuarine salinities as a result of the low freshwater inflow.