Parentage Identification of Differentiated Achondritic Meteorites by Hand‐held Energy Dispersive X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

We evaluate the potential of a hand‐held energy dispersive XRF spectrometer for the preliminary classification of non‐chondritic differentiated meteorites. The studied achondrites include nine lunar meteorites, seventeen Martian meteorites, five angrites and eighteen meteorites from asteroid 4 Vesta. Analytical precision and accuracy was tested on thirty‐nine terrestrial igneous rock slabs with a wide range of composition. Replicate analyses, performed on the studied meteorites, show that Fe/Mn values together with Si and Ca/K ratio can be used in the discrimination of different achondrite groups. Fusion crust's Fe/Mn values of meteorites from Vesta and Mars are indistinguishable from those of the interior implying that even measurements on the fusion‐crusted external surface could be sufficient to pigeonhole non‐chondritic meteorites. Hand‐held energy dispersive XRF spectrometer is a non‐destructive but very effective technique for preliminary classification of achondrites in the field and in laboratory and for the identification of mislabelled meteorites in museum collections.     

Drought analysis in New Zealand using the standardized precipitation index

The present article investigates drought events in New Zealand through the application of the SPI at various timescales (3, 6, 12 and 24 months). First, a temporal analysis has been performed, and the most severe dry episodes have been detected. Then, the spatial distribution of the percentage of data falling within the different level of drought has been evaluated. In addition, a trend analysis has been conducted at seasonal scale, considering the wet and the dry seasons, and at annual scale. Finally, the relationship between drought and ENSO has been investigated. Results show that, in every area currently subject to drought, an increase in this phenomenon can be expected. Specifically, the results of this paper highlight that agricultural regions on the Eastern side, such as the Canterbury Plains, are the most consistently vulnerable areas, as well as other regions in the North Island, including primary industry regions like Waikato. Moreover, a clear link between drought and the two phases of the ENSO has been detected.     

The growth and contamination mechanism of the Cana Brava layered mafic-ultramafic complex: new field and geochemical evidences

Mineralogy and Petrology - The Cana Brava complex is the northernmost of three layered complexes outcropping in the Goiás state (central Brasil). New field and geochemical evidences suggest...     

Carbonate assimilation in magmas: A reappraisal based on experimental petrology

The main effect of magma–carbonate interaction on magma differentiation is the formation of a silica-undersaturated, alkali-rich residual melt. Such a desilication process was explained as the progressive dissolution of CaCO₃ in melt by consumption of SiO₂ and MgO to form diopside sensu stricto. Magma chambers emplaced in carbonate substrata, however, are generally associated with magmatic skarns containing clinopyroxene with a high Ca-Tschermak activity in their paragenesis. Data are presented from magma–carbonate interaction experiments, demonstrating that carbonate assimilation is a complex process involving more components than so far assumed. Experimental results show that, during carbonate assimilation, a diopside–hedenbergite–Ca-Tschermak clinopyroxene solid solution is formed and that Ca-Tschermak/diopside and hedenbergite/diopside ratios increase as a function of the progressive carbonate assimilation. Accordingly, carbonate assimilation reaction should be written as follows, taking into account all the involved magmatic components:CaCO₃^solid + SiO₂^melt + MgO^melt + FeO^melt + Al₂O₃^melt → (Di–Hd–CaTs)_ss^solid + CO₂^fluidThe texture of experimental products demonstrates that carbonate assimilation produces three-phases (solid, melt, and fluid) whose main products are: i) diopside–hedenbergite–Ca-Tschermak clinopyroxene solid solution; ii) silica-undersaturated CaO-rich melt; and iii) C–O–H fluid phase. The silica undersaturation of the melt and, more importantly, the occurrence of a CO₂-rich fluid phase, must be taken into account as they significantly affect partition coefficients and the redox state of carbonated systems, respectively.     

Trend of monthly temperature and daily extreme temperature during 1951–2012 in New Zealand

A new method for calculating evaporation is proposed, using the Penman–Monteith (P-M) model with remote sensing. This paper achieved the effective estimation to daily evapotranspiration in the Ziya river catchment by using the P-M model based on MODIS remote sensing leaf area index and respectively estimated plant transpiration and soil evaporation by using coefficient of soil evaporation. This model divided catchment into seven different sub-regions which are prairie, meadow, grass, shrub, broad-leaved forest, cultivated vegetation, and coniferous forest through thoroughly considering the vegetation diversity. Furthermore, optimizing and calibrating parameters based on each sub-region and analyzing spatio-temporal variation rules of the model main parameters which are coefficient of soil evaporation f and maximum stomatal conductance g _sx . The results indicate that f and g _sx calibrated by model are basically consistent with measured data and have obvious spatio-temporal distribution characteristics. The monthly average evapotranspiration value of simulation is 37.96 mm/mon which is close to the measured value with 33.66 mm/mon and the relative error of simulation results in each subregion are within 11 %, which illustrates that simulated values and measured values fit well and the precision of model is high. In addition, plant transpiration and soil evaporation account for about 84.64 and 15.36 % respectively in total evapotranspiration, which means the difference between values of them is large. What is more, this model can effectively estimate the green water resources in basin and provide effective technological support for water resources estimation.     

Displacement of a landslide retaining wall and application of an enhanced failure forecasting approach

The 10-mile Slide is contained within an ancient earthflow located in British Columbia, Canada. The landslide has been moving slowly for over 40 years, requiring regular maintenance work along where a highway and a railway track cross the sliding mass. Since 2013, the landslide has shown signs of retrogression. Monitoring prisms were installed on a retaining wall immediately downslope from the railway alignment to monitor the evolution of the retrogression. As of September 2016, cumulative displacements in the horizontal direction approached 4.5 m in the central section of the railway retaining wall. After an initial phase of acceleration, horizontal velocities showed a steadier trend between 3 and 9 mm/day, which was then followed by a second acceleration phase. This paper presents an analysis of the characteristics of the surface displacement vectors measured at the monitoring prisms. Critical insight on the behavior and kinematics of the 10-mile Slide retrogression was gained. An advanced analysis of the trends of inverse velocity plots was also performed to assess the potential for a slope collapse at the 10-mile Slide and to obtain further knowledge on the nature of the sliding surface.     

Measurements and Observations in the XXI century (MOXXI): innovation and multi-disciplinarity to sense the hydrological cycle

To promote the advancement of novel observation techniques that may lead to new sources of information to help better understand the hydrological cycle, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) established the Measurements and Observations in the XXI century (MOXXI) Working Group in July 2013. The group comprises a growing community of tech-enthusiastic hydrologists that design and develop their own sensing systems, adopt a multi-disciplinary perspective in tackling complex observations, often use low-cost equipment intended for other applications to build innovative sensors, or perform opportunistic measurements. This paper states the objectives of the group and reviews major advances carried out by MOXXI members toward the advancement of hydrological sciences. Challenges and opportunities are outlined to provide strategic guidance for advancement of measurement, and thus discovery.     

Uncertainty analysis of flow velocity estimation by a simplified entropy model

The velocity field in a river flow cross‐sectional area can be determined by applying entropy as done in 1978 by Chiu, who developed a two‐dimensional model of flow velocity based on the knowledge of maximum velocity, u_max, and the dimensionless entropic parameter, characteristic of the river site. This is appealing in the context of discharge monitoring, particularly for high floods, considering that u_max occurs in the upper portion of flow area and can be easily sampled, unlike velocity in the lower portion of flow area. The simplified form of Chiu's entropy‐based velocity model, proposed in 2004 by Moramarco et al., has been found to be reasonably accurate for determining mean flow velocity along each vertical sampled in the flow area, but no uncertainty analysis has been reported for this simplified entropy‐based velocity model. This study, therefore, performed uncertainty analysis of the simplified model following a procedure proposed by Misirli et al. in 2003. The flow velocity measurements at the Rosciano River section along the Chiascio River, central Italy, carried out for a period spanning 20 years were used for this purpose. Results showed that the simplified entropy velocity model was able to provide satisfactory estimates of velocity profiles in the whole flow area and the 95% confidence bands for the computed estimated mean vertical velocity were quite representative of observed values. In addition, using these 95% confidence bands, it was possible to have an indication of the uncertainty in the determination of mean cross‐sectional flow velocity as well. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.