Paleomagnetic study of a vertical sequence of traps from Mount Pavagarh,Gujrat, India

The paleomagnetism of 22 flows which range in composition from olivine basalts to rhyolite and in elevation from 450 ft. to 2680 ft., from Mount Pavagarh, situated in Gujrat, India, has been studied. The igneous activity represented by these flows belongs to the Deccan Trap Plateau Basalt Series. Sixteen flows ranging in elevation from 900 to 2680 ft. showed normal magnetization with upward inclination, consistent with the position of India in the southern hemisphere during the period of their eruption. Four flows from elevation 450 ft. to 730 ft. showed intermediate as well as discordant directions. The paleomagnetic results obtained from these flows have been correlated with those of Deccan traps from other areas. The amount of paleosecular variation represented by these flows has been estimated and compared with that from similar vertical sequences of traps studied from other areas. It has been found that the magnitude of paleosecular variation varied during the period of Deccan trap activity. An estimate of continental drift has been made from mean pole position of the several vertical sequences of traps. This indicates that a drift of the Indian landmass of the order of 24° took place during the entire period represented by the Deccan trap activity. The results of paleomagnetic studies of other sedimentary and igneous formations of Cretaceous age are reviewed in the light of recent results on Deccan traps.     

Gravity anomalies and the Indian lithosphere: Review and analysis of existing gravity data

The upper part of the lithosphere has been actively involved in various exogenic and endogenic processes which have left their imprint on the gravity field on the Indian Peninsula and the Himalaya. Analysis of the gravity field over the Dharwar craton shows that the greenstone belts of this craton have been formed as a result of development of deep fractures in the earth's crust during Archaean times. Precambrian mountain ranges such as the Aravallies, Vindhyans, Satpura and Eastern Ghats are located peripheral to Archaean cratons. Most of these mountain belts are characterized by gravity highs suggesting that the underlying crust is of higher than normal density. These mountain ranges with the exception of the Eastern Ghats do not appear to be locally compensated. Regional compensation seems to prevail over all these areas. Eastern Ghats ranges are also underlain by a crust of higher than normal density relative to the Dharwar and Bastar cratons and exist with a sharp contact with the cratons in the West. Isostatic compensation in the Eastern Ghats appears to have been achieved by thickening of the underlying crust. The Himalaya has attained a fairly high degree of isostatic compensation.     

Dump slope stability analysis – A case study

In opencast mining operation, the stability of waste materials stands at high priority from the safety and economic perspective. Poor management of overburden (OB) dump results the instability of slope in an opencast mine. The present paper deals with the stability analysis of dump material of an opencast coal mine at Talcher coal field, Angul district, Odisha, by means of different geotechnical parameters and mineralogical composition affecting the dump slope. The prolonged rainfall in the mining area causes dump failure and loss of valuable life and property. A recent dump failure that occurred in 2013 at Basundhara mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Odisha, took 14 lives, and created problems for the mining industry. Most of the dump failure that occurs in the study area are mainly due to increase in pore water pressure as a result of rainfall infiltration. The stability of the waste dump was investigated using the limit equilibrium analysis to suggest an economical, sustainable and safe disposal of the dump in the study area.     

Carbon dioxide exchange in a temperate grassland ecosystem

Carbon dioxide exchange was measured, using the eddy correlation technique, over a tallgrass prairie in northeastern Kansas, U.S.A., during a six-month period in 1987. The diurnal patterns of daytime and nocturnal CO₂ fluxes are presented on eight selected days. These days were distributed throughout most of the growing season and covered a wide range of meteorological and soil water conditions. The midday CO₂ flux reached a maximum of 1.3 mg m^-2 (ground area) s^-1 during early July and was near zero during the dry period in late July. The dependence of the daytime carbon dioxide exchange on pertinent controlling variables, particularly photosynthetically active radiation, vapor pressure deficit and soil water content is discussed. The nocturnal CO₂ flux (soil plus plant respiration) averaged -0.4 mg m^-2 (ground area) s^-1 during early July and was about -0.2 mg m^-2 s^-1 during the dry period.Published as Paper No. 9061, Journal Series, Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, U.S.A.Research Associate and Professor, respectively.     

Biocides in Relation to Water Pollution Part I: Bioassay Studies on the Effects of a few Biocides on Fresh Water Fish,Channa gachua

• - In the present paper the toxicity of four biocides, endrin, thiodon, malathion and phosvel, has been measured by performing static bioassay experiments with Channa gachua as test fish to establish the median Tolerance Limits (TL_m and TL₅₀).
• - The results of bioassay experiments indicate that the fish is harmed even at a very low concentration of these biocides. The values of TL_m are 0.0076, 0.0073, 0.00695 and 0.0068 for endrin; 0.01120, 0.01088, 0.01069 and 0.01064 for thiodon; 9.20, 8.10, 7.90 and 7.60 for malathion and 32.90, 32.10, 31.65 and 31.15 mg/l for phosvel for the time interval of 24, 48, 76 and 96 hours, respectively.
• - As indicated by TL_m's, endrin is most toxic and phosvel least. Thiodon and malathion came in a descending order between endrin and phosvel.
• - During bioassay studies, the effect of some variables, like temerature, pH and fish-size, on TL_m's has also been observed. They gave the following results.
• a) An increase in temperature increased the toxicity of all the biocides.
• b) An increase in pH decreased the TL_m as such, making the biocides more toxic to Channa gachua.
• c) For larger fishes, the biocide solutions were less toxic, but the same solutions were more toxic to fishes of a smaller size.
• - The safe harmless concentrations of endrin, thiodon, malathion and phosvel are - 0.00289 mg/l, 0.00337 mg/l, 1.88365 mg/l and 9.16736 mg/l, respectively.

     

Assessment of tunnel instability—a numerical approach

This paper outlines the application of numerical modeling to predict deformation and stability of tunnel to be excavated in Bansagar, M.P., India. To meet the ever-increasing demand of transportation, energy, and other infrastructure projects, a large volume of rock tunneling is being carried out throughout the world. The geotechnical properties along the route of the 1,800-m long tunnel in the Bansagar region of India have been studied. The rock mass rating and rock mass quality systems were employed for empirical rock mass quality determination. Numerical analysis for the stress–strain distribution of the tunnel excavation and support systems was also carried out. In order to simulate the excavation of tunnel (NATM) at a depth of 150 m below the ground , a series of finite element analyses using Mohr-coulomb elasto-plastic constitutive model has been carried out using PLAXIS 2D. The stability of tunnel has been analyzed, and stress pattern have been discussed.     

Juxtaposition of India and Antarctica During the Precambrian: Inferences from Geochemistry of Mafic Dykes

There are several geological, geochemical and geophysical evidences, which corroborate reconstruction of Gondwanaland and juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Petrology of the Precambrian mafic dykes of East Antarctica and Central-East India also support juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Mafic dykes of different generations are emplaced in the Archaean granite gneisses of these regions. These dykes appear to be an important tool to support juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Geological and petrological data of the Central-East India Precambrian mafic dykes suggest four episodes of mafic magmatism in the region - three tholeiitic and one noritic (?). Similarly, East Antarctica also comprises four dyke suites, emplaced during three distinct periods. These suites are 2.4 Ga meta-tholeiites, 2.4 Ga high-Mg tholeiites, 1.8 Ga dolerites and 1.2–1.4 Ga dolerites. Geochemical compositions of these mafic dykes are compared and they show good relationships with each other. Similarities in petrological and geochemical characteristics of Precambrian mafic dykes of East Antarctica and Central-East India strongly support juxtaposition of these two continents.     

Propagation of sonic waves in an optically thick medium in the presence of magnetic field

This paper studies sonic waves in an optically thick medium under the influence of a magnetic field. The conductivity of the medium has been taken to be infinite. The effects of radiation, radiation energy density, radiative heat transfer and magnetic field have been taken into account. It has been obtained that the magnetic field has significant effect on sonic velocity. The fundamental differential equations governing the growth and decay of sonic waves are determined and solved.     

Longitudinal distribution of the hard X-ray bursts on the Sun

The analysis of 315 hard X-ray bursts (HXR) producing solar flares observed by Hinotori satellite shows that the HXR bursts occur most prominently at 110°, 140°, 290°, and 320° longitude, respectively. These longitudes are not only prolific in producing flares in number but also in producing flares with large photon counts.