OBSERVATIONS ON THE QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF THE LADAKH RANGE, NORTHWEST INDIAN HIMALAYA

OBSERVATIONS ON THE QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF THE LADAKH RANGE, NORTHWEST INDIAN HIMALAYA     

CCD BV photometry of the old rich open cluster king 2

We present preliminary results of CCD BV photometry of the old open cluster King 2. The values obtained for the main parameters are:E(B-V)=0.31, (m-M)₀=13.78, metal content approximately solar, and age 6×10⁹ yr. From the comparison with synthetic colour-mgnitude diagrams generated by models with overshoot we try to answer the question whether or not convective elements generated in the core can penetrate into the surrounding stable zone (separated by a discontinuity of molecular weight).Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

A formation mechanism of magnetic elements in regions of mixed polarity

We present 2-D, fully compressible radiation-MHD simulations of the solar photospheric and subphotospheric layers that run for 2 hours of solar time starting from a magnetic configuration with mixed polarities. In the atmospheric layers the simulation reveals a correlation between field strength and inclination, with a nearly vertical strong-field magnetic component and a more horizontal weak-field component, in agreement with the observations. Our simulation also shows that magnetic flux is converted from one of these states to the other. In particular, magnetic flux sheets can also be formed when a new downflow lane starts due to granule fragmentation. The dynamics of the granulation and field-line reconnection are found to play a role in the initial stages of a magnetic element's formation. The simulation predicts that during or shortly after their formation magnetic elements could be associated with oppositely polarized flux at a small spatial scale.     

Agate as an indicator of impact structures: An example from Sääksjärvi,Finland

Abstract— Mineralogical, petrographical and chemical determinations were made for 743 agate (banded variety of chalcedonic quartz) nodules (diameters from 5 mm to 5 cm) formed during postimpact, low-temperature hydrothermal activity as vesicle fillings in the melt rocks of the Sääksjärvi meteorite impact structure (diameter 5 km) in southwest Finland. Other hydrothermal vesicle fillings in the impact melt rocks include chlorite, mordenite, smectite and kaolinite. The agates were classified into two types, whose mineralogical properties and chemical compositions fall within the range of volcanic agates (basaltic and rhyolitic host rocks). The relatively high age (～510 Ma) of the Sääksjärvi impact melt rocks, however, is reflected by the presence of recrystallization textures, which are rare in younger volcanic agates. The Sääksjärvi structure was initially located after following the fortuitous discovery of agate “path-finders” in the glacial overburden. It is recommended that wherever volcanic type agates are found as float in Precambrian shield areas devoid of younger volcanic rocks, the possible presence of impact (or volcanic) craters in the vicinity should be considered.     

On the magnitude and direction of the anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays

The results of measuring the diurnal cosmic-ray intensity variations in the energy range 1–100 TeV are discussed. Whereas the phase of the first harmonic of the sidereal daily wave directly determines the phase (right ascension) of the cosmic-ray anisotropy vector, the amplitude and declination of the true anisotropy cannot be reconstructed directly from the amplitude of the first harmonic. However, they can be determined by invoking data on the zero harmonic. The results of some recent experiments purporting to measure the cosmic-ray anisotropy with a particularly high accuracy are shown to be interpreted erroneously.     

Dynamics of Mars-orbiting dust: Effects of light pressure and planetary oblateness

This paper deals with dynamics of impact ejecta from Phobos and Deimos initially on near-circular equatorial orbits around Mars. For particles emitted in a wide size regime of 1 micron and greater, and taking into account the typical particle lifetimes to be less than 100 years, the motion is governed by two perturbing forces: solar radiation pressure and influence of Mars' oblateness. The equations of motion of particles in Lagrangian non-singular elements are deduced and solved, both analytically and numerically, for different-sized ejecta. We state that the coupled effect of both forces above is essential so that on no account can the oblateness of Mars are be neglected. The dynamics of grains prove to be quite different for the ejecta of Phobos and Deimos. For Deimos, the qualitative results are relatively simple and imply oscillations of eccentricity and long-term variations of orbital inclination, with amplitudes and periods both depending on grain size. For Phobos, the dynamics are shown to be much more complicated, and we discuss it in detail. We have found an intriguous peculiar behavior of debris near 300 µm in size. Another finding is that almost all the Phobos ejecta with radii less than 30 µm (against the values of 5 to 20 µm adopted earlier by many authors) should be rapidly lost by collisions with martian surface. The results of the paper may be the base for constructing an improved model of dust belts that presumably exist around Mars.     

Impacts of Large Planetesimals on the Early Earth

We considered the impacts of very large cosmic bodies (with radii in the range 100–200 to 1000–2000 km) on the early Earth, whose mass, radius and density distribution are close to the current values. The impacts of such bodies were possible during the first hundreds of million years after the formation of the Earth and the Moon. We present and analyze the results of a numerical simulation of the impact of a planetesimal, the size of which is equal to that of the contemporary Moon (1700 km). In three-dimensional computations, the velocity (15 and 30 km/s) and the angle (45°, 60°, and 90°) of the impact are varied. We determined the mass losses and traced the evolution of the shape of the Earth's surface, taking into account the self-consistent gravitational forces that arise in the ejected and remaining materials in accordance with the real, time-dependent mass distribution. Shock waves reflected from the core are shown to propagate from the impact site deep into the Earth. The core undergoes strong, gradually damped oscillations. Although motions in the Earth's mantle gradually decline, they have enough time to put the Earth in a rotational motion. As a result, a wave travels over the Earth's surface, whose amplitude, in the case of an oblique impact, depends on the direction of the wave propagation. The maximum height of this wave is tremendous—it attains several hundred kilometers. Some portion of the ejected material (up to 40% of the impactor mass) falls back onto Earth under the action of gravity. This portion is equivalent to the layer of a condensed material with a thickness on the order of ten kilometers. The appearance of this hot layer should result in a global melting of near-surface layers, which can limit the age of terrestrial rocks by the time of the impact under consideration. For lesser-sized impactors, say, for impactors with radii of about 160 km, the qualitative picture resembles that described above but the amplitude of disturbances is considerably smaller. This amplitude, however, is sufficient to cause a crustal disruption (if such a crust has already formed) and intense volcanic activity.