The phenomenon of deficient electron microprobe totals in radiation-damaged and altered zircon

The phenomenon of deficient electron microprobe analyses, with sums of analyzed constituents often below 95 wt%, is assigned to the analysis of altered, porous minerals. With the example of three zircon populations we show that low totals are related to textural features (i.e., numerous pores of tens to hundreds of nanometers size) as well as to the chemical composition (i.e., water content well within the wt% range, which may affect partial sample degradation under the electron beam). The formation of the spongy texture is explained by the alteration of a previously radiation-damaged and, thus, volume-expanded material in a fluid-driven replacement reaction. The smaller volume of the reaction product (crystalline, non volume-expanded zircon) accounts for the formation of numerous voids and pores, which are perfect candidates for the incorporation of water. The alteration has also resulted in uptake of non-formula elements such as Al, P, Ca, Fe, Y, and REEs whereas Si and Zr are depleted. In one case, strong uptake of non-radiogenic Pb in altered zircon was observed. Because porous, low-total zircon has formed in secondary alteration process, its occurrence can be considered as an indicator of a secondary alteration history of the host rock. Low-total zircon is easily recognized by very low electron back-scatter intensities, which are closely related to the two main causes of the analytical shortfall (i.e., water content and porosity) and often lowered furthermore by the presence of light non-formula elements (especially P and Fe) up to the wt% range.     

Lithospheric structure and tectonics at Isidis Planitia, Mars

We characterize the lithospheric structure of Isidis Planitia on Mars by analyzing Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey gravity and topography data using a flexural model of a thin elastic shell including bending and membrane stresses. Isidis Planitia is a circular, relatively flat plain formed near the end of the Early Noachian, at the edge of the highlands-lowlands boundary and the site of a large free-air gravity anomaly, features consistent with modification and filling of an impact basin. Our results suggest that the bulk density of the fill material inside Isidis must be more than 2600 kg m⁻³ and higher densities are probable. A comparison of the faulting observed at Nili Fossae to the predicted zone of extensional strain northwest of Isidis constrains the thickness of the elastic lithosphere to be 100-180 km thick beneath the basin at the time of loading. We also find that loads outside of the basin play a significant role in the interpretation of the tectonics; simplified models tend to overestimate the lithospheric thickness. We place relatively narrow bounds on the thermal gradient (3.4-6.5 K km⁻¹) and heat flux (13.6-26 mW m⁻²) at Isidis at the time of loading.     

Formation and evolution of the Lower Terrace of the Rhine River in the area of Basel

The response of fluvial systems to tectonic activity and climate change during the Late Pleistocene influenced sedimentary processes and hence the conditions of river terraces formation. The northern Alpine foreland is well adapted for such studies due to the high sediment input and the variety of depositional environments. This study focuses on sediments of a part of the Rhine River in the area of Basel, at the Border between Switzerland, Germany and France. A detailed evolution of the Lower Terrace is inferred from sedimentological, geomorphologic and pedological observations as well as historical documents, and calibrated using different dating methods (optically stimulated luminescence, uranium series disequilibrium, radiocarbon). The Lower Terrace was deposited during two periods (30–15 ka and 13–11 ka), which correlate with two cold climatic phases, representing the Last Glaciation of the Alps and the Younger Dryas. These ages underline that main incision of the Lower Terrace braidplain in the area of Basel is restricted to post Younger Dryas times, as sediments of that age (13–11 ka) are found atop the highest levels. From then on, a flight of cut-terraces were formed with minor re-accumulation due to Holocene flood events. These findings demonstrate that the surface of a terrace does not always represent the age of sediment aggradation, and this should be remembered when using terraces to reconstruct the tectonic history of an area.     

朝鲜半岛的核试验时期

过去20年中, 北朝鲜在核不扩散问题的外交政策方面一直与西方国家争论不休. 迫于前苏联的压力, 北朝鲜于1985年勉强加入了1968年签订的《核武器不扩散条约》. 但是, 在加入该条约之后, 北朝鲜就停止了必须履行的谈判, 而且也没有令其与国际原子能机构（IAEA）签署的全面安全协议（CSA）生效. 该协议本应于1986年生效, 但直到1992年4月10日它才有了合法约束力. 同年, 国际原子能机构基于其在伊拉克的经验, 在核安全方面实施了新方法. 在原有系统下, 国际原子能机构采用了一种“材料审计”的方法, 该方法只是检查其所申报核材料的存货清单是否正确. 然而, 自1992年开始, 国际原子能机构对接受其检查的国家所申报内容的完备性也开展了评估工作.     

The zircon evidence of temporally changing sediment transport—the NW Gondwana margin during Cambrian to Devonian time (Aoucert and Smara areas,Moroccan Sahara)

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Detrital zircon provenance studies are an established tool to develop palaeogeographic models, mostly based on zircon of siliciclastic rocks and isotope...     

High-frequency fluctuations of surface temperatures in an urban environment

This study presents an attempt to resolve fluctuations in surface temperatures at scales of a few seconds to several minutes using time-sequential thermography (TST) from a ground-based platform. A scheme is presented to decompose a TST dataset into fluctuating, high-frequency, and long-term mean parts. To demonstrate the scheme’s application, a set of four TST runs (day/night, leaves-on/leaves-off) recorded from a 125-m-high platform above a complex urban environment in Berlin, Germany is used. Fluctuations in surface temperatures of different urban facets are measured and related to surface properties (material and form) and possible error sources. A number of relationships were found: (1) Surfaces with surface temperatures that were significantly different from air temperature experienced the highest fluctuations. (2) With increasing surface temperature above (below) air temperature, surface temperature fluctuations experienced a stronger negative (positive) skewness. (3) Surface materials with lower thermal admittance (lawns, leaves) showed higher fluctuations than surfaces with high thermal admittance (walls, roads). (4) Surface temperatures of emerged leaves fluctuate more compared to trees in a leaves-off situation. (5) In many cases, observed fluctuations were coherent across several neighboring pixels. The evidence from (1) to (5) suggests that atmospheric turbulence is a significant contributor to fluctuations. The study underlines the potential of using high-frequency thermal remote sensing in energy balance and turbulence studies at complex land–atmosphere interfaces.

     

Dynamics of decadal variability in the Atlantic subpolar gyre: a stochastically forced oscillator

Internal variability of the Atlantic subpolar gyre is investigated in a 600 years control simulation of a comprehensive coupled climate model. The subpolar gyre shows irregular oscillations of decadal time scale with most spectral power between 15 and 20 years. Positive and negative feedback mechanisms act successively on the circulation leading to an internal oscillation. This involves periodically enhanced deep convection in the subpolar gyre center and intermittently enhanced air-sea thermal coupling. As a result, anomalies of the large-scale atmospheric circulation can be transferred to the ocean on the ocean’s intrinsic time scale, exciting the oscillator stochastically. A detailed understanding of oscillatory mechanisms of the ocean and their sensitivity to atmospheric forcing holds considerable potential for decadal predictions as well as for the interpretation of proxy data records.     

A look at the ocean in the EC-Earth climate model

EC-Earth is a newly developed global climate system model. Its core components are the Integrated Forecast System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) as the atmosphere component and the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) developed by Institute Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) as the ocean component. Both components are used with a horizontal resolution of roughly one degree. In this paper we describe the performance of NEMO in the coupled system by comparing model output with ocean observations. We concentrate on the surface ocean and mass transports. It appears that in general the model has a cold and fresh bias, but a much too warm Southern Ocean. While sea ice concentration and extent have realistic values, the ice tends to be too thick along the Siberian coast. Transports through important straits have realistic values, but generally are at the lower end of the range of observational estimates. Exceptions are very narrow straits (Gibraltar, Bering) which are too wide due to the limited resolution. Consequently the modelled transports through them are too high. The strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is also at the lower end of observational estimates. The interannual variability of key variables and correlations between them are realistic in size and pattern. This is especially true for the variability of surface temperature in the tropical Pacific (El Ni?o). Overall the ocean component of EC-Earth performs well and helps making EC-Earth a reliable climate model.     

Fluorite dissolution at acidic pH: In situ AFM and ex situ VSI experiments and Monte Carlo simulations

Dissolution of the fluorite (1 1 1) cleavage surface was investigated by means of in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ex situ vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) experiments at pH range 1-3 in HCl solutions. Surface retreat was quantified at different pH values, yielding dissolution rates that were used to derive an empirical rate law for fluorite dissolution: