Neogene basanites in western Kamchatka: Mineralogy,geochemistry, and geodynamic setting

Neogene (N ₁ ² -N ₂ ¹ ?) K-Na alkaline rocks were found in western Kamchatka as a subvolcanic basanite body at Mount Khukhch. The basanites have a microphyric texture with olivine phenocrysts in a fine-grained doleritic groundmass. The olivine contains inclusions of Al-Cr spinel. The microlites consist of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, magnetite, and apatite, and the interstitial phases are leucite, nepheline, and analcime. The Mount Khukhch basanites are characterized by elevated concentrations of MgO, TiO₂, Na₂O, and K₂O, high concentrations of Co, Ni, Cr, Nb, Ta, Th, U, LREE (La_N/Yb_N = 10.8?12.6, Dy_N/Yb_N = 1.4?1.6) at moderate concentrations of Zr, Hf, Rb, Ba, Sr, Pb, and Cu. The values of indicator trace-element ratios suggest that basanites in western Kamchatka affiliate with the group of basaltoids of the within-plate geochemical type: Ba/Nb = 10?12, Sr/Nb = 17?18, Ta/Yb = 1.3?1.6. The basanites of western Kamchatka show many compositional similarities with the Miocene basanites of eastern Kamchatka, basanites of some continental rifts, and basalts of oceanic islands (OIB). The geochemistry of these rocks suggests that the basanite magma was derived via the ～6% partial melting of garnet-bearing peridotite source material. The crystallization temperatures of the first liquidus phases (olivine and spinel) in the parental basanite melt (1372–1369°C) and pressures determined for the conditions of the “mantle” equilibrium of the melt (25–26 kbar) are consistent with the model for the derivation of basanite magma at the garnet depth facies in the mantle. The geodynamic environment in which Neogene alkaline basaltic magmas occur in western Kamchatka was controlled by the termination of the Oligocene—Early Miocene subduction of the Kula oceanic plate beneath the continental margin of Kamchatka and the development of rifting processes in its rear zone. The deep faulting of the lithosphere and decompression-induced magma generation simultaneous with mantle heating at that time could be favorable for the derivation of mantle basite magmas.     

Variations in Wind Speed and Air Temperature in the Surface Layer during Blowing Snow Analyzed from Empirical Data

Variations in wind speed and air temperature during blowing snow are considered in detail using data from the Canadian weather observation network with high spatiotemporal resolution. It is revealed that blowing snow considerably affects the lower atmospheric layer regime. The analysis of observational data illustrates the fact of wind speed increase during the snowstorm. The local minima of air temperature during the period of blowing snow are identified. The method is determined for calculating the threshold wind speed that provokes the onset of blowing snow. The highest skill scores were obtained for the method which takes into account air temperature and humidity.     

Geochemical features,depositional settings,and provenances of Lower Paleozoic rocks in the Mamyn terrane,Central Asian Fold Belt

New data on geochemical features of the Lower Paleozoic terrigenous rocks in the Mamyn terrane (eastern Central Asian Fold Belt) and U–Pb geochronological studies of the detrital zircon from these rocks are presented. The obtained results suggest the following conclusions. 1. At present, the Kosmataya sequence includes different age Lower Cambrian terrigenous–carbonate and Lower Ordovician terrigenous rocks or represents Lower Ordovician olistostromes including limestone blocks with the Lower Cambrian fauna. Lower Ordovician terrigenous rocks were formed in an island arc or active continental margin, mainly, owing to the erosion of Cambrian–Early Ordovician plutons and volcanics that are widespread in structures of the Mamyn terrane and weakly reworked by the chemical weathering. 2. The Silurian Mamyn Formation was developed at a passive continental margin. The main sources of clastic material for this formation were the same Cambrian–Early Ordovician igneous rocks as for the Cambrian sequence, with the participation of Early Silurian and Vendian igneous complexes. The obtained data significantly refine concepts about the geological structure of the Mamyn terrane, which is a member of the Argun Superterrane, one of the largest tectonic structures in the eastern Central Asian Fold Belt.     

Age of terrigenous deposits of the Khingan Group in the Lesser Khingan terrane in the eastern part of the Central Asian fold belt

The results of investigations of gneissose hornblende granitoids, which intrude terrigenous deposits of the Murandav Formation of the Khingan Group and which were deformed together with them due to later structural transformations, are given. It is shown that by their geochemical properties these granitoids are comparable with granitoids of type I and are 535 ± 6 Ma old (U?Pb method on zircons). The obtained data indicate that dikes of hornblende granites, which intrude terrigenous rocks of the Murandav Formation of the Khingan Group and are deformed together with them, were embedded at the Cambrian and Ediacaran transition. The assumption that terrigenous deposits of the Khingan Group (at least the Murandav and underlying Igincha formations) were accumulated in the Neoproterozoic is supported.     

Giant pulses from the pulsar PSR B0950+08

Analysis of individual pulses of the pulsar B0950+08 at 112 MHz has shown that giant pulses with intensities exceeding the peak amplitude of the mean profile at these longitudes by two orders of magnitude are observed at the longitudes of all three components of the mean pulsar profile (the precursor and two-component main pulse). The maximum peak flux density of a recorded pulse is 15 240 Jy, and the energy of this pulse exceeds the mean pulse energy by a factor of 153. Strong but infrequent pulses at the longitude of the first component (precursor) can reach peak flux densities of 5750 Jy, exceeding the amplitude of the mean profile at this longitude by a factor of 490. It is shown that the emission at the precursor longitudes is virtually absent when giant pulses appear at the main-pulse longitudes, and vice versa: the presence of giant pulses at the precursor longitude results in the absence or considerable attenuation of the emission at other longitudes. The analysis shows that the cumulative probability function of the pulse peak flux densities has a piecewise power-law form. The power-law index for pulses with intensities exceeding 600 Jy appearing at the longitudes of the main pulse in the mean profile varies from n ₁ = ?1.25 ± 0.04 to n ₂ = ?1.84 ± 0.07. The obtained pulse energy distribution also has an inflection at E > 3000 Jy ms and a power-law form with the same index. The distribution of the pulse intensities at the precursor longitude was obtained, and forms a power law with index n = ?1.5 ± 0.1. The studied properties of the pulses at various longitudes of the mean profile are interpreted in the framework of induced scattering of the main-pulse emission by particles of ultrarelativistic, strongly magnetized plasma in the pulsar magnetosphere.     

The Chenka sandstone Sequence (Lower Jurassic) of the Crimean Mountains: Stratigraphy and depositional environments

The position of the Chenka Sequence in the section, original data on its clay minerals, facies and structural parageneses with consideration of volcanic and climatic events, as well as the available published information provide grounds for accepting it as Pliensbachian-Toarcian in age. It is shown that the Chenka sandstones are a facies or group of facies deposited in deltaic-plain or delta-front environments and that it cannot be ranked as an autonomous formation or other stratigraphic unit.     

Measurement of the inner turbulence scale of the interstellar plasma toward the pulsar PSR B2111+46

The pulsar PSR B2111+46 has been observed at 112 MHz, and a new approach to analyzing pulsar pulses scattered in turbulent interstellar plasma applied. This method is based on the dependence of the normalized energy in the trailing part of a pulse on the intrapulse time. Since the trailing edge of a pulse follow exponential law to high accuracy, the inner turbulence scale of the interstellar plasma exceeds the field coherence scale. The measured scattering parameter is τ _sc = 147 ± 1 ms. Analysis of the parameters of diffractive and refractive scintillations of the pulsar at 610 MHz together with the 112 MHz data shows that the spectrum of the interstellar plasma toward PSR B2111+46 is a piecewise power law: on scales of 10¹³–10¹⁴ cm, the exponent of the turbulence spectrum is n ≃ 4, whereas n = 3.5 on scales of 2 × 10⁸−10¹³ cm. The spectrum flattens with approach to the inner turbulence scale l: n = 3–3.2. The obtained inner turbulence scale is l = (3.5 ± 1.5) × 10⁷ cm. The distribution of the interstellar plasma toward the pulsar is close to statistically homogeneous. The local density (N _e = 0.4 cm⁻³) and filling factor (F = 0.04) of the interstellar plasma have been estimated. The similarity of N _e estimates obtained from the inner scale of the inhomogeneities and the ratio of the emission measure to the dispersion measure provides evidence that the inner turbulence scale corresponds to the ion inertial length.     

俄罗斯达吉斯坦地区早白垩世小嘴贝腕足动物的地层意义

在俄罗斯达吉斯坦共和国早白垩世地层中,极少见到菊石化石,但是可以利用地层中腕足动物化石组合为基础划分贝利阿斯阶(Berriasian)、凡兰吟阶(Valanginian)、上下欧特里夫维阶(Lower and Uppet Hauterivian)和下巴雷姆阶(Lower Barremian)地层.     

Synorogenic psammites: Major lithochemical features

Some lithochemical features of sandstone associations formed at the orogenic stage of the evolution of mobile belts are analyzed on the basis of literature and original data along with the wide application of discrimination diagrams. Psammites of the flysch and molasse formations of foreland basins, as well as sand-stones from intermontane troughs and postcollisonal grabens, are considered synorogenic sediments. Analysis of the chemical composition showed that sandstones were formed by the mixing of clastic material from heterogeneous (proximal included) source areas. In discrimination diagrams, the compositional fields of sandstones are variable, because they were derived from diverse igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks of different geodynamic settings. Hence, data based on the generally accepted discrimination diagrams cannot be considered as the single (decisive) argument for establishing the geodynamic nature of sandstones without the consideration of textural-structural features of rocks and the analysis of geological structure of sedimentary associations therein.     

Are polar rings indeed polar?

We have considered polar ring galaxy candidates, the images of which can be found in the SDSS survey. The sample of 78 galaxies includes the most reliable candidates from the SPRC and PRC catalogs, some of which already have kinematic confirmations. We analyze the distributions of studied objects by the angle between the polar ring and the central disk, and by the optical diameter of the outer ring structures. In the vast majority of cases, the outer structures lie in the plane close to polar (within 10°–20°) which indicates the stability of the corresponding orbits in the gravitational potential of the halo. Moderately inclined outer structures are observed only in about 6% of objects which probably indicates their short lifetime. In such an unstable configuration, the polar ring would often cross the disk of the galaxy, being smaller than it in the diameter. We show that the inner polar structures and outer large-scale polar rings form a single family in the distribution of diameters normalized to the optical size of the galaxy. At the same time, this distribution is bimodal, as the number of objects with d _ring = (0.4–0.7) d _disk is small. Such a shape of size distribution is most likely due to the fact that the stability of polar orbits in the inner regions of galaxies is maintained by the bulge or the bar, while in the outer regions it is provided by the spheroidal (or triaxial) halo.