Role of time variant and invariant terms on soil moisture spatio-temporal variability in a subhumid coastal wetland

The knowledge of soil moisture spatio-temporal variability is highly relevant for water resources management. This paper reports an analysis of the spatial–temporal variability of soil moisture data for a small to medium-scale soil-sensors network in a coastal wetland of southwestern Spain. Measurements were taken from five sites located in the Doñana National Park over the time-period of one hydrological year from September 2017 to September 2018. The total area of the soil-sensors network shows an extension about 25 × 3 km. Soil moisture data was separated into time invariant (the temporal mean of the whole period at each site) and time-variant terms (the deviations of soil moisture from the mean, or anomalies). The time-invariant component was generally the main contributor to the total spatial variance of soil moisture and it was mostly controlled by the groundwater levels in the area. Nevertheless, the time variant terms have a huge effect on soil moisture variability in very dry states. Characteristic convex time-dependent patterns for this field site were found between spatially averaged soil moisture and its variability. This information could be used for the up and downscaling of soil moisture from satellite data. Those patterns of relation between spatial mean and variability of soil moisture were only affected by heavy rainfalls giving rise to hysteretic behaviour. This study shows that even though groundwater level is a time-variant variable, it significantly affects soil moisture's time-variant but also time-invariant terms due to the different average groundwater level depths at the different sites.     

High-resolution seismic stratigraphy of the late Neogene of the central sector of the Colombian Pacific continental shelf: A seismic expression of an active continental margin

The sedimentary prism of the central Pacific continental shelf of Colombia was affected by regional folding and faulting, and probably later mud diapirism, from the Late Miocene to the Holocene. Interpretation of high-resolution seismic lines (2 s/dt) revealed that the prism consists of 13 high-resolution seismic units, that can be separated into 5 seismic groups.Deposition of the prism and the associated stacking pattern, are probably the response to variable uplift and subsidence in a fore-arc basin that underwent important tectonic events by the end of the Miocene. Throughout the Pliocene, the continental shelf sedimentation was affected by the growing of a dome structure probable due to mud diapirism. This fact caused peripheral faults both normal and reverse that controlled the distribution of some of the seismic units. During the Late Pleistocene (Wisconsin stage?) a eustatic sea level fall caused the shoreline to advance about 50 km westward of its present position. Because of this eustatic sea level change, a strong fluvial dissection took place and is interpreted as the probable extension of the San Juan River to the south of the present day river mouth. Within this framework it is believed that the Malaga and Buenaventura Bays were the passageways of branches of the old drainage system of the San Juan River. The inner branch circulated through the present Buenaventura Bay and runs southward leaving the mark of an apparent valley identified in the seismic information in the eastern sector of the study area. This old fluvial valley and its filling material located in the present day inner continental shelf front of Buenaventura are postulated as important targets to find placer minerals such as gold and platinum.     

Metal content and environmental risk assessment around high-altitude mine sites

Gold mining activities in Apolobamba area, northwest of La Paz, Bolivia have created serious environmental concern and great risk to human health. The current methods used to extract gold are too primitive resulting in metal contamination of soil and water. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the degree of metal pollution, and (2) assess the risk to human health and environment in the Apolobamba area. Soil, water, sediment samples, and mine spills were collected and analyzed. Metals including Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Hg concentrations were higher in surface soils than in subsurface soils indicating active atmospheric deposition of metals. Sediment samples had elevated levels of metals probably from mine spills discharged into the Sunchulli River. Surface soils in the Sunchulli community show the highest levels of Pb and Hg in all soil samples and may pose a risk to the health of the human population and environment.     

Alkaline lamprophyre and related dyke rocks in NE Transdanubia,Hungary: The Alcsutdoboz-2 (AD-2) borehole

Summary The Alcsutdoboz-2 (AD-2) core contains 12 magmatic dykes which belong to the Late Cretaceous lamprophyric-carbonatitic association of NE Transdanubia, Hungary. Petrographically, 11 dykes can be considered alkaline lamprophyre (mainly monchiquite), and the remainder might be called carbonatite. The lamprophyre dykes are similar to both alkaline lamprophyres and ultramafic lamprophyres in major element composition, whereas the carbonatite dyke has some features that are similar to carbonatites but others that are dissimilar. Nevertheless, both of the two types of AD-2 dykes possess higher LILE content than the ultramafc lamprophyres and kimberlites, but strongly differ from average carbonatite. Based on the REE pattern, crystal fractionation (mainly of olivine) and separation of a carbonate phase from the parental lamprophyric magma are proposed for genesis of the carbonatite dyke. These characteristics and the compositional zoning of clinopyroxene and mica suggest a complex crystallization history for these dykes. The likeliest origin for the parental lamprophyric melt is through a very small degree of partial melting of metasomatized mantle.

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Alkalische Lamprophyre und assoziierte Ganggesteine in Nordost-Transdanubien, Ungarn: die Bohrung Alcsutdoboz-2 (AD-2)

Zusammenfassung Der Kern der Bohrung Alcsutdoboz-2 (AD-2) enthält zwölf magmatische Gänge, die zu der jung-kretazischen Lamprophyr-Karbonatit-Assoziation des nordöstlichen Transdanubiens in Ungarn gehören. Petrographisch gesehen gehören elf Gänge zu den alkalischen Lamprophyren (hauptsächlich Monchiquit), und der Rest kann als Karbonatit bezeichnet werden. Die Lamprophyrgänge sind in ihrer Hauptelementzusammensetzung sowohl alkalischen Lamprophyren wie ultramafschen Lamprophyren ähnlich. Der Karbonatitgang hingegen zeigt Parameter, die denen von Karbonatiten teilweise, aber nicht durchwegs, ähnlich sind. Beide Typen der AD-2-Gänge zeigen höhere LILE-Gehalte als ultramafische Lamprophre und Kimberlite, unterscheiden sich aber deutlich vom durchschnittlichen Karbonatit. Auf der Basis der Seltenen ErdVerteilung, werden Kristallfraktionierung (hauptsächlich von Olivin) und Abtrennung einer Karbonatphase von lamprophyrischen Magma als Vorgänge gesehen, die für die Entstehung der Karbonatit-Gänge relevant sind. Diese Aspekte und die Zonierung der Zusammensetzungen von Klinopyroxen und Glimmer weisen auf eine komplexe Kristallisationsgeschichte dieser Gänge hin. Sehr wahrscheinlich ist die lamprophyrische Ausgangsschmelze durch eine geringfügige teilweise Aufschmelzung von metasomatisiertem Mantel entstanden.

     

Mineralogical,geochemical and microfabric evidences of gypsum crusts: a case study from Budapest

High levels of SO₂ and particulate pollution enable the rapid development of gypsum-rich weathering crusts in Budapest. Two types of white crusts, thin and thick ones, and two forms of black crusts, laminar and framboidal ones, were studied in limestone buildings of the parliament and Citadella. The percentage of crust cover and damage categories were documented on selected walls. Petrographic, XRD, XRF and sulphur isotope analyses were performed under laboratory conditions to understand the mechanism of crust formation. White crusts found both on exposed and sheltered walls display a calcite-rich layer with gypsum, while black crusts are enriched with gypsum. The sulphur isotopic composition of white and black crusts overlaps, but the crusts are slightly enriched in heavy isotopes compared to rainwater. S content, Si/Al ratios and particulates in black crusts suggest that air pollution (SO₂, dust) contributes to black crust formation. The accumulation of sulphur and Zn enrichment of white crusts were also documented indicating that under high pollution levels, even these compound can accumulate on exposed facades.     

The dynamics of tourist excursion ratios in Slovakia show caves from 2000 to 2014

Show caves are one of the most important targets in developing local ecotourism strategies. This work focuses on a tourism visit rate incidence through an Attractiveness Index concerning 12 selected show caves in Slovakia. Our study focuses on visitor counts published from 2000 to 2014. A set of eight criteria were selected in order to analyse and determine the appeal that each cave may have for visitors. Establishing the “degree” of appeal as an indicator of the tourism and geographic absolute attractiveness value is based on a principal components factor analysis; the resultant single factor was correlated with our selected criteria. We find a strong correlation between touristic cave attractiveness and cave locations, ease of cave passage access (vehicle and trail) infrastructures, cave location in main tourism regions, and the growth of urban areas as they encroach on show cave locations. Similar studies in valorization of show caves tourism have not been attempted in Slovakia or Eastern Europe. The data and result from this study are also clearly important from a managerial perspective. This general framework could be easily expanded to include additional attributes that might be relevant for other market segments or other vacation experiences.     

Amazonite from the alkali granite of the Avdar Massif,Mongolia

Summary The green feldspar in alkali granite from the Avdar deposit of decoration stone (150 km W of Ulan-Bator) has been identified by means of physical and chemical methods as amazonite. Its structural state corresponds to that of microcline with a high degree of triclinicity and displaying the following anomalous dimensions of the unit cell (nm):a=0.8568,b=1.2967,c=0.7217 nm, =90.732, =115.851, =87.702°;V=0.72115 nm³.The amazonite contains in increased amount of Pb (1950 ppm) as well as of Rb (1.15 mass %). The genesis of this amazonite is associated with younger metasomatic processes in the alkali granite.

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Amazonit aus dem Alkali-Granit des Avdar-Massivs, Mongolei

Zusammenfassung Der grüne Feldspat im Alkaligranit aus der Dekorationsstein-Lagerstätte im Avdar Massiv (150 km W von Ulan-Bator) wurde auf Grund physikalischer und chemischer Methoden als Amazonit bestimmt. Sein Strukturzustand entspricht demjenigen eines Mikroklins, der eine hohe Triklinität und anomale Elementarzelle aufweist (in nm):a=0.8568,b=1.2967,c=0.7217 nm, =90.732, =115.851, =87.702°;V=0.72115 nm³.Der Amazonit hat einen erhöhten Gehalt an Pb (1950 ppm) und an Rb (1.15 Gew.-%). Die Genesis dieses Amazonits ist mit jüngeren metasomatischen Prozessen im Alkaligranit verknüpft.

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Can Brans-Dicke universes in five dimensions be interpreted as 4-dimensional general relativity cosmologies?

The 5-dimensional Jordan-Brans-Dicke cosmologies in vacuum are found for the Bianchi type I metric, their relation with general relativity cosmologies is studied. Two solutions are possible, both produce effective pressure and energy density in the 4-dimensional G.R.-universes. One is a power-law relation, with two cases, the first one is forp _eff=_eff and the other forp _eff=_eff(– 1 < < 1) has a behaviour as the open flat universe. The second solution is an exponential only valid forp _eff=–_eff. In all cases the three-space expansion reaches infinity ast and the fifth dimension can be made to decrease approaching zero. The scalar field can increase or decrease with time.     

Ecological quality assessment of small estuaries from the Portuguese coast based on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages indices

Benthic macroinvertebrates communities are the most consistently emphasized biotic component of aquatic ecosystems and are one of the biological indicators required for assessment by the European Water Framework Directive. In this context, several indices based on these communities have been developed in order to assess ecological quality of estuarine systems. In the present work we used AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX and BAT to distinguish ecological status of five small estuarine systems of the Portuguese south and southwest coasts. Although indices outputs did not differ between systems and sampling seasons, results indicated that the metrics in which these indices are based could differentiate community structures as a result of two main gradients that force these communities: the natural variability, and the anthropogenic impact.