A contribution to the geochemistry of “Egyptian Alabaster”

Summary Egyptian Alabaster (marble) exhibits a variety of structures the most common of which are: botryoidal structure, banding, cockade structure, vugs and cavities. Banding which is a characteristic feature consists of alternating translucent and white bands of different sizes. The mineralogical composition of the translucent bands has been determined as magnesian calcite and that of the milky-white bands as normal calcite. Differences in the Ca/Mg and Sr/Ca ratios between both types of bands have been noticed and are attributed to differences in the solubilities of Ca–, Mg–, and Sr-carbonates. The origin of the marble is discussed and is considered to be the product of recrystallization of limestone.

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Beitrag zur geochemie des Ägyptischen Alabasters

Zusammenfassung Agyptischer Alabaster (Marmor) zeigt eine Reihe von Strukturen, von denen am häufigsten sind: traubige Struktur, Bänderung, Kokarden-Struktur, drusige und löchrige Struktur. Die charakteristische Bänderung besteht aus abwechselnd durchscheinenden und weißen Bändern wechselnder Stärke. Die mineralogische Zusammensetzung der durchscheinenden Bänder wurde als Mg-haltiger Calcit und die der milchig-weißen Bänder als gewöhnlicher Calcit bestimmt. Unterschiede im Ca/Mg- und Sr/Ca-Verhältnis zwischen den beiden Typen der Bänder wurden beobachtet; sie werden Löslichkeitsunterschieden der Ca–, Mg– und Sr-Karbonate zugeordnet. Die Genese des Marmors wird diskutiert; er wird als Rekristallisationsprodukt von Kalkstein angesehen.

     

Early Wisconsinan (MIS 4) Arctic ground squirrel middens and a squirrel-eye-view of the mammoth-steppe

Fossil arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) middens were recovered from ice-rich loess sediments in association with Sheep Creek-Klondike and Dominion Creek tephras (ca 80 ka) exposed in west-central Yukon. These middens provide plant and insect macrofossil evidence for a steppe-tundra ecosystem during the Early Wisconsinan (MIS 4) glacial interval. Midden plant and insect macrofossil data are compared with those previously published for Late Wisconsinan middens dating to ～25–29¹⁴C ka BP (MIS 3/2) from the region. Although multivariate statistical comparisons suggest differences between the relative abundances of plant macrofossils, the co-occurrence of steppe-tundra plants and insects (e.g., Elymus trachycaulus, Kobresia myosuroides, Artemisia frigida, Phlox hoodii, Connatichela artemisiae) provides evidence for successive reestablishment of the zonal steppe-tundra habitats during cold stages of the Late Pleistocene. Arctic ground squirrels were well adapted to the cold, arid climates, steppe-tundra vegetation and well-drained loessal soils that characterize cold stages of Late Pleistocene Beringia. These glacial conditions enabled arctic ground squirrel populations to expand their range to the interior regions of Alaska and Yukon, including the Klondike, where they are absent today. Arctic ground squirrels have endured numerous Quaternary climate oscillations by retracting populations to disjunct “interglacial refugia” during warm interglacial periods (e.g., south-facing steppe slopes, well-drained arctic and alpine tundra areas) and expanding their distribution across the mammoth-steppe biome during cold, arid glacial intervals.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary Sagara oil from an active forearc basin, Shizuoka, Japan

Abstract   The Sagara oil field is located in the Neogene Kakegawa Basin, close to the Izu collision zone at the junction between the main Japanese Islands and the Izu–Bonin Arc. The Sagara oil field is one of the few oil fields situated in a forearc basin on the Pacific side of Japan and is present in a sedimentary basin with poor oil-generating potential. Several crude oils from Sagara oil field were investigated to infer their origin. Organic geochemical characteristics of Sagara oils showed the influences of light biodegradation, migration-contamination, and migration-fractionation. The maturity levels of Sagara oils evaluated based on abundant alkylnaphthalenes corresponded to 0.9–1.2% vitrinite reflectance. Sagara oils were characterized by significant amounts of higher plant biomarkers, a high pristane/phytane ratio and an absence of organic sulphur compounds, suggesting a siliciclastic source rock deposited under nearshore to fluvial–deltaic environments. Numerous faults and fractures in the active forearc basin provided excellent conduits and facilitated upward migration of light hydrocarbons generated at greater depth in the Kakegawa Basin.     

俄罗斯贝加尔湖北部 Yoko-Dovyren 层状纯橄岩-橄长岩-辉长岩地块: 结构、成分以及作为矿物原材料的用途

Yoko-Dovyren层状纯橄岩-橄长岩-辉长岩地块位于西伯利亚克拉通南部的一处褶皱构造框架中(俄罗斯贝加尔湖地区北部)。该地块的结构在其厚度最大的中部得到了着重研究。剖面底部主体成分为斜长橄榄岩,并依据内部的堆晶成分变化从下往上可分为五个主要的地层序列:纯橄岩→橄长岩→橄榄辉长岩→橄榄辉长苏长岩→石英辉长苏长岩以及含易变辉石的辉长岩。该地块的矿化包括铜-镍矿化、低硫型富铂族元素(PGE)矿化以及铬铁矿化等。另外,该地块也含多种非金属矿物原材料,如硼矿化、透辉石、各种镁质硅酸盐岩等。它们也包括纯橄岩、异剥橄榄岩和橄长岩,并以较高的品质产出,有望采掘加工成为建筑材料(水泥、混凝土、沥青混凝土和建筑陶瓷)。综合利用矿物原材料可增加矿床价值,并有助于建设环保型采矿工作体系。     

Multi-Waveband Emission Maps of Blazars

We are leading a comprehensive multi-waveband monitoring program of 34 γ-ray bright blazars designed to locate the emission regions of blazars from radio to γ-ray frequencies. The ‘maps’ are anchored by sequences of images in both total and polarized intensity obtained with the VLBA at an angular resolution of ～0.1 milliarcseconds. The time-variable linear polarization at radio to optical wavelengths and radio to γ-ray light curves allow us to specify the locations of flares relative to bright stationary features seen in the images and to infer the geometry of the magnetic field in different regions of the jet. Our data reveal that some flares occur simultaneously at different wavebands and others are only seen at some of the frequencies. The flares are often triggered by a superluminal knot passing through the stationary ‘core’ on the VLBA images. Other flares occur upstream or even parsecs downstream of the core.     

Vibration diagnostics of weak base embankments

In this paper the theoretical background was analyzed for vibration diagnostics method and experience in its application for weak base embankments. General schemes of survey and recommendations on hard...     

Assimilation of altimetry data for nonlinear shallow-water tides: Quarter-diurnal tides of the Northwest European Shelf

Non-linear tidal constituents, such as the overtide M₄ or the compound tide MS₄, are generated by interaction in shallow seas of the much larger astronomically forced “primary” tidal constituents (e.g., M₂, S₂). As such, errors in modeling these “secondary” shallow-water tides might be expected to be caused first of all by errors in modeling the primary constituents. Thus, in the context of data assimilation, observations of primary-constituent harmonic constants can indirectly constrain shallow-water constituents. Here we consider variational data assimilation for primary and secondary tidal constituents as a coupled problem, using a simple linearized perturbation theory for weak interactions of the dominant primary constituents. Variation of the resulting penalty functional leads to weakly non-linear Euler–Lagrange equations, which we show can be solved approximately with a simple two-stage scheme. In the first stage, data for the primary constituents are assimilated into the linear shallow water equations (SWE), and the resulting inverse solutions are used to compute the quadratic interactions in the non-linear SWE that constitute the forcing for the secondary constituents. In the second stage, data for the compound or overtide constituent are assimilated into the linear SWE, using a prior forced by the results of the first stage. We apply this scheme to assimilation of TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason altimetry data on the Northwest European Shelf, comparing results to a large set of shelf and coastal tide gauges. Prior solutions for M₄, MS₄ and MN₄ computed using inverse solutions for M₂, S₂, and N₂ dramatically improve fits to validation tide gauges relative to unconstrained forward solutions. Further assimilation of along-track harmonic constants for these shallow-water constituents reduces RMS differences to below 1 cm on the shelf, approaching the accuracy of the validation tide gauge harmonic constants.     

Defect distribution and dissolution morphologies on low-index surfaces of α-quartz

The dissolution of prismatic and rhombohedral quartz surfaces by KOH/H₂O solutions was investigated by atomic force microscopy. Rates of dissolution of different classes of surface features (e.g., steps, voids, and dislocation etch pits) were measured. The prismatic surface etched almost two orders of magnitude faster than the rhombohedral surface, mostly due to the difference in the number and the rate of dissolution of extended defects, such as dislocations. Because of the presence of imperfect twin boundaries, defect densities on the prismatic surface were estimated at 50-100 μm⁻², whereas the rhombohedral surface possessed only ∼0.5-1.0 μm⁻², mostly in the form of crystal voids. Crystal voids etched almost one order of magnitude faster on the prismatic surface than on the rhombohedral surface due to differences in the number and the density of steps formed by voids on the different surfaces. In the absence of extended defects, both surfaces underwent step-wise dissolution at similar rates. Average rates of step retreat were comparable on both surfaces (∼3-5 nm/h on the prismatic surface and ∼5-10 nm/h on the rhombohedral surface). Prolonged dissolution left the prismatic surface reshaped to a hill-and-valley morphology, whereas the rhombohedral surface dissolved to form coalescing arrays of oval-shaped etch pits.