A quasi 3-D model of an outburst pattern that explains the behavior of Comet 17P/Holmes

Upon discovery, in November of 1892, Comet 17P/Holmes was experiencing a very strong explosion, which repeated itself on an even greater scale in October of 2007. Using a numerical scheme, based on mass and energy conservation laws, a model is presented simulating the outbursting nature of Comet 17P/Holmes by regarding the comet as a stratified sphere. The model, adopting input parameters for physical and chemical characteristics, produces output for volatile, water and dust production rates and temperature distribution. Providing the model with known properties of Comet 17P/Holmes, and then filling in the blanks based on properties of other short period comets, allowed the derivation of a specific chemical composition and thermal conductivity that produced a recurring outburst pattern every ～30 years, while within these there is a near-perihelion outburst every ～10² years. The specific composition that generated the desired results, consists of an ice-dust ratio of 0.6/0.4, and mass fractions of 0.015, 0.002 and 0.0005 for CO, CO₂ and NH₃ accordingly. The effective dust conductivity accompanying this composition is K_d = 0.7 W/(m K). The results are consistent with observations on multiple levels, including the various production rates during outbursts and the time span between near perihelion outbursts.     

The time-space distribution of Eocene to Miocene magmatism in the central Peruvian polymetallic province and its metallogenetic implications

Eocene to late Miocene magmatism in the central Peruvian high-plain (approx. between Cerro de Pasco and Huancayo; Lats. 10.2–12°S) and east of the Cordillera Occidental is represented by scattered shallow-level intrusions as well as subaerial domes and volcanic deposits. These igneous rocks are calc-alkalic and range from basalt to rhyolite in composition, and many of them are spatially, temporally and, by inference, genetically associated with varied styles of major polymetallic mineralization. Forty-four new ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar and three U/Pb zircon dates are presented, many for previously undated intrusions. Our new time constraints together with data from the literature now cover most of the Cenozoic igneous rocks of this Andean segment and provide foundation for geodynamic and metallogenetic research.The oldest Cenozoic bodies are of Eocene age and include dacitic domes to the west of Cerro de Pasco with ages ranging from 38.5 to 33.5 Ma. South of the Domo de Yauli structural dome, Eocene igneous rocks occur some 15 km east of the Cordillera Occidental and include a 39.34 ± 0.28 Ma granodioritic intrusion and a 40.14 ± 0.61 Ma rhyolite sill, whereas several diorite stocks were emplaced between 36 and 33 Ma. Eocene mineralization is restricted to the Quicay high-sulfidation epithermal deposit some 10 km to the west of Cerro de Pasco.Igneous activity in the earliest Oligocene was concentrated up to 70 km east of the Cordillera Occidental and is represented by a number of granodioritic intrusions in the Milpo–Atacocha area. Relatively voluminous early Oligocene dacitic to andesitic volcanism gave rise to the Astabamba Formation to the southeast of Domo de Yauli. Some stocks at Milpo and Atacocha generated important Zn–Pb (–Ag) skarn mineralization. After about 29.3 Ma, magmatism ceased throughout the study region. Late Oligocene igneous activity was restricted to andesitic and dacitic volcanic deposits and intrusions around Uchucchacua (approx. 25 Ma) and felsic rocks west of Tarma (21–20 Ma). A relationship between the Oligocene intrusions and polymetallic mineralization at Uchucchacua is possible, but evidence remains inconclusive.Widespread magmatism resumed in the middle Miocene and includes large igneous complexes in the Cordillera Occidental to the south of Domo de Yauli, and smaller scattered intrusive centers to the north thereof. Ore deposits of modest size are widely associated with middle Miocene intrusions along the Cordillera Occidental, north of Domo de Yauli. However, small volcanic centers were also active up to 50 km east of the continental divide and include dacitic dikes and domes, spatially associated with major base and precious metal mineralization at Cerro de Pasco and Colquijirca. Basaltic volcanism (14.54 ± 0.49 Ma) is locally observed in the back-arc domain south of Domo de Yauli approximately 30 km east of the Cordillera Occidental.After about 10 Ma intrusive activity decreased throughout Central Perú and ceased between 6 and 5 Ma. Late Miocene magmatism was locally related to important mineralization including San Cristobal (Domo de Yauli), Huarón and Yauricocha.Overall, there is no evidence for a systematic eastward migration of the magmatic arc through time. The arc broadened in the late Eocene to early Oligocene, and thereafter ceased over wide areas until the early Miocene, when magmatism resumed in a narrow arc. A renewed widening and subsequent cessation of the arc occurred in the late middle and late Miocene. The pattern of magmatism probably reflects two cycles of flattening of the subduction in the Oligocene and late Miocene. Contrasting crustal architecture between areas south and north of Domo de Yauli probably account for the differences in the temporal and aerial distribution of magmatism in these areas.Ore deposits are most abundant between Domo de Yauli and Cerro de Pasco and were generally emplaced in the middle and late Miocene during the transition to flat subduction and prior to cessation of the arc. Eocene to early Oligocene mineralization also occurred, but was restricted to a broad east–west corridor from Uchucchacua to Milpo–Atacocha, indicating a major upper-plate metallogenetic control.     

Tectonics and sedimentation in the Curitiba Basin, south of Brazil

The Curitiba Basin, Paraná, lies parallel to the west side of the Serra do Mar range and is part of a continental rift near the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil. It bears unconsolidated and poorly consolidated sediments divided in two formations: the lower Guabirotuba Formation and the overlying Tinguis Formation, both developed over Precambrian basement. Field observations, water well drill cores, and interpretations of satellite images lead to the inference that regional tectonic processes were responsible for the origin of the Basin in the continental rift context and for morphotecatonic evolution through block tilting, dissection, and erosion. The structural framework of the sediments and the basement is characterized by NE–SW-trending normal faults (extensional tectonic D₁ event) reactivated by NE–SW-trending strike–slip and reverse oblique faults (younger transtensional tectonic D_2′ to transpressional tectonic D_2″ event). This tectonic event, which started in the Paleogene and controlled the basin geometry, began as a halfgraben and was later reactivated as a pull-apart basin. D₂ is a neotectonic event that controls the current morphostructures. The Basin is connected to the structural rearrangement of the South American platform, which underwent a generalized extensional or trantensional process and, in late Oligocene, changed to a compressional to transpressional regime.     

Chemistry and palynology of carbon seams and associated rocks from the Witwatersrand goldfields, South Africa

Carbon seams in the Witwatersrand System of South Africa host some of the richest gold concentrations in the world. A study of the microscopic characteristics in thin sections and acid residues, and of the chemical and physical nature of the carbon-bearing phases, was undertaken to gain some understanding of the biological precursors and thermal changes that have occurred since the seams were buried.The HCl---HF acid-resistant organic tissues in this Early Proterozoic coal are filamentous and spherical, which are typical morphologies for microorganisms. The tissues are carbonized black as would be expected for metamorphic rocks, so usual palynological techniques were of limited use. Therefore, the chemical and physical nature of the organic remains was studied by ratios, X-ray diffraction (XRD), ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), reductive chemistry, crosspolarization/magic angle spinning NMR (CP/MAS), and electron spin resonance (ESR).The ratios of the samples examined are similar to those of semi-anthracite and petroleum cokes from delayed cokers. XRD shows graphite is not present and that the gold is in elemental form, not chemically bound or intercalated between carbon planes. NMR shows that both aromatic and paraffinic carbons are present. Integration of the carbon NMR spectra suggests that 80% of the carbon is sp²-hybridized and 20% is sp³-hybridized. Reductive chemistry shows that the benzenoid entities are larger than common polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons such as perylene and decacyclene. Dipolar dephasing CP/MAS NMR suggests the presence of two types of paraffinic carbons, a rigid methylene group and a rotating methyl group. The narrowing of the ESR linewidth between room temperature and 300°C shows that the materials examined have not previously been subjected to temperatures as high as 300°C.     

Scaling Issues in Forest Succession Modelling

This paper reviews scaling issues in forest succession modelling, focusing on forest gap models. Two modes of scaling are distinguished: (1) implicit scaling, i.e. taking scale-dependent features into account while developing model equations, and (2) explicit scaling, i.e. using procedures that typically involve numerical simulation to scale up the response of a local model in space and/or time. Special attention is paid to spatial upscaling methods, and downscaling is covered with respect to deriving scenarios of climatic change to drive gap models in impact assessments. When examining the equations used to represent ecological processes in forest gap models, it becomes evident that implicit scaling is relevant, but has not always been fully taken into consideration. A categorization from the literature is used to distinguish four methods for explicit upscaling of ecological models in space: (1) Lumping, (2) Direct extrapolation, (3) Extrapolation by expected value, and (4) Explicit integration. Examples from gap model studies are used to elaborate the potential and limitations of these methods, showing that upscaling to areas as large as 3000 km² is possible, given that there are no significant disturbances such as fires or insect outbreaks at the landscape scale. Regarding temporal upscaling, we find that it is important to consider migrational lags, i.e. limited availability of propagules, if one wants to assess the transient behaviour of forests in a changing climate, specifically with respect to carbon storage and the associated feedbacks to the atmospheric CO₂ content. Regarding downscaling, the ecological effects of different climate scenarios for the year 2100 were compared at a range of sites in central Europe. The derivation of the scenarios is based on (1) imposing GCM grid-cell average changes of temperature and precipitation on the local weather records; (2) a qualitative downscaling technique applied by the IPCC for central and southern Europe; and (3) statistical downscaling relating large-scale circulation patterns to local weather records. Widely different forest compositions may be obtained depending on the local climate scenario, suggesting that the downscaling issue is quite important for assessments of the ecological impacts of climatic change on forests.     

Suitability of Existing Numerical Model Codes and Thermodynamic Databases for the Prognosis of Calcite Dissolution Processes in Near-Surface Sediments Due to a CO2 Leakage Investigated by Column Experiments

Among the risks of CO₂ storage is the potential of CO₂ leakage into overlaying formations and near-surface potable aquifers. Through a leakage, the CO₂ can intrude into protected groundwater resources, which can lead to groundwater acidification followed by potential mobilisation of heavy metals and other trace metals through mineral dissolution or ion exchange processes. The prediction of pH buffer reactions in the formations overlaying a CO₂ storage site is essential for assessing the impact of CO₂ leakages in terms of trace metal mobilisation. For buffering the pH-value, calcite dissolution is one of the most important mechanisms. Although calcite dissolution has been studied for decades, experiments conducted under elevated CO₂ partial pressures are rare. Here, the first study for column experiments is presented applying CO₂ partial pressures from 6 to 43 bars and realising a near-natural flow regime. Geochemical calculations of calcite dissolution kinetics were conducted using PHREEQC together with different thermodynamic databases. Applying calcite surface areas, which were previously acquired by N₂-BET or calculated based on grain diameters, respectively, to the rate laws according to Plummer et al. (Am J Sci 278:179–216, doi:10.2475/ajs.278.2.179, 1978) or Palandri and Kharaka (US Geol Surv Open file Rep 2004–1068:71, 2004) in the numerical simulations led to an overestimation of the calcite dissolution rate by up to three orders of magnitude compared to the results of the column experiments. Only reduction of the calcite surface area in the simulations as a fitting procedure allowed reproducing the experimental results. A reason may be that the diffusion boundary layer (DBL), which depends on the groundwater flow velocity and develops at the calcite grain surface separating it from the bulk of the solution, has to be regarded: The DBL leads to a decrease in the calcite dissolution rate under natural laminar flow conditions compared to turbulent mixing in traditional batch experiments. However, varying the rate constants by three orders of magnitudes in a field scale PHREEQC model simulating a CO₂ leakage produced minor variations in the pH buffering through calcite dissolution. This justifies the use of equilibrium models when calculating the calcite dissolution in CO₂ leakage scenarios for porous aquifers and slow or moderate groundwater flow velocities. However, the selection of the thermodynamic database has an impact on the dissolved calcium concentration, leading to an uncertainty in the simulation results. The resulting uncertainty, which applies also to the calculated propagation of an aquifer zone depleted in calcite through dissolution, seems negligible for shallow aquifers of approximately 60 m depth, but amounts to 35 % of the calcium concentration for aquifers at a depth of approximately 400 m.     

A geological database for parameterization in numerical modeling of subsurface storage in northern Germany

Underground land use can play a significant role in future concepts of energy and gas storage and requires an improved understanding of the parameters of potential storage formations (saline aquifers), for instance of porosity and permeability, and also of mineralogical and gas compositions. This study aims at providing data examples and calculating vertical spatial variations through variogram analyses of important North German geological reservoirs from Dogger, Rhaetian, Middle Buntsandstein, and Rotliegend (Sub)Groups and Formations, focusing on the western part of the North German Basin. Vertical correlation lengths of porosity and permeability data range between 0 and 30 m, while most results are calculated at approximately 2–4 m and do not show relevant differences among the evaluated formations. In the majority of the regarded formations, the Kozeny–Carman relationship between porosity and permeability is supported as long as low porosity and permeability values are excluded from the evaluation. Mineral percentages varied significantly among the evaluated sediments. Besides quartz, ankerite is the main compound in the Dogger Group, while feldspars and clay minerals were more frequent in the Rhaetian, Middle Buntsandstein, and Rotliegend sediments. Methane was the main gas compound in the reservoirs, followed by nitrogen, ethane, and carbon dioxide. This study serves as preparatory work to allow for the parameterization of geological models and a subsequent simulation of fluid transport to evaluate (long-term) safety and impacts of geothermal and gas storage projects.