Petrology of the Baszkówka L5 chondrite: A record of surface‐forming processes on the parent body

Abstract— We review the petrology of Baszkówka, present new microprobe data on mineral constituents, and propose a model for surface properties of the parent body consistent with these data. The low shock index and high porosity of the Baszkówka L5 chondrite mean that considerable primary textural and petrographic detail is preserved, allowing insight into the structure and evolution of the parent body. This meteorite formed in a sedimentary environment resembling that in which pyroclastic rocks are deposited. The origin of the component chondrules, achondritic fragments (mostly olivine and pyroxene aggregates), chondritic‐achondritic aggregates, and compound chondrules can be explained by invoking collision of 2 melted or partially melted planetesimals, each covered with a thin crust. This could have happened at an early stage in the evolution of the solar system, between 1 and 2 Myr after its origin. The collision resulted in the formation of a cloud containing products of earlier magmatic crystallization (chondrite and achondrite fragments) from which new chondrules were created. Particle collision in this cloud produced fragmented chondrules, chondritic‐achondritic aggregates, and compound chondrules. Within this low‐density medium, these particles were accreted on the surface of the larger of the planetesimals involved in the collision. The density of the medium was low enough to prevent grain‐size sorting of the components but high enough to prevent the total loss of heat and to enable the welding of fragments on the surface of the body. The rock material was homogenized within the cloud and, in particular, within the zone close to the planetesimal surface. The hot material settled on the surface and became welded as molten or plastic metal, and sulfide components cemented the grains together. The process resembled the formation of welded ignimbrites. Once these processes on the planetesimal surface were completed, no subsequent recrystallization occurred. The high porosity of the Baszkówka chondrite indicates that the meteorite comes from a near‐surface part of the parent body. Deeper parts of the planetesimal would have been more massive because of compaction.     

System for normalization of a hamiltonian function based on lie series

A software system for normalization of a Hamiltonian function is described. A few examples of its applications are given. It is written in PASCAL and runs on an IBM XT/AT with 640 KB memory.     

Origin of minerals with intermediate chlorite-vermiculite structure (Szklary, Poland)

The vermiculite-like minerals show varied relative intensities of basal reflections and do not collapse fully when saturated with K and heated up to 700°C.

Transmission oblique texture X-ray diffraction patterns were used to determine a continuous series of the vermiculite-chlorite intermediate structures. Relative diffraction intensities in the region (060) were correlated with the amount of water released at 500–700°C to show that the investigated samples belong to two structurally distinctive series: vermiculitic and chloritic types. The structural premises indicate that the parent mineral for the chloritic intergrades should be chlorite and that for the vermiculitic series phlogopite.     

Microlaboratory study on magnetic,gravity and high-tension separation of hercynite and pleonaste from low-grade ilmenite concentrates

Some ilmenite concentrates obtained from oleate flotation of ilmenite ores from NE Poland contain less than the required 45% TiO₂ due to the presence of green spinels (hercynite and pleonaste). Such concentrates were further upgraded by different separation techniques. It was established at microlaboratory scale that magnetic, gravity and high-tension separations can provide qualified ilmenite concentrates with TiO₂ recovery in the order of 50 to 80%.     

Mining exploitation influence range

Mining exploitation has a negative impact on the natural environment. Voids created in the rockmass result in displacements and deformations of land surface. During planning and conducting the exploitation, the range of exploitation influence in the form of linear deformations is being determined. On the basis of mining-geological parameters of exploitation, the exploitation range of influences is calculated. According to the literature, many different ranges of exploitation influences can be determined depending on what has been the purpose of it. Different types of exploitation influence ranges can be distinguished, such as theoretical, damage or measurable. In the paper, the matters connected with determining those three types of the influence range are taken under consideration. The comparison of magnitudes of determined influence ranges is illustrated with two practical examples.     

On hyperelasticity for clays

Under purely elastic conditions a constitutive model for clays should be conservative. This can be achieved by using a hyperelastic stress–strain relation derived from an elastic potential. To circumvent problems connected with formulation of a suitable potential a simple concept of back-stress elasticity is proposed. Several elastic models are critically reviewed, two of which had been originally incorrectly classified as hyperelastic. A novel elastic potential which can be used to generate various hyperelastic models is proposed. Its salient feature is that the resulting stiffness is a homogeneous function of order 1 with respect to stress. An example of Mathematica calculation with tensorial differentiation is enclosed (Wolfram S. Mathematica. A system for doing mathematics by computer. Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1988). ©     

Variation of the ionospheric scintillation index with elevation angle of the transmitter

We have analyzed GPS data from 2007–2011 to determine the nature of variation of scintillation index with elevation of the direction of propagation at an observing point Warsaw, Poland, and Hornsund, Svalbard. To compare with the theory, the intensity scintillation index is simulated as a function of elevation angle, azimuth, magnetic field inclination, and shape of irregularities, using the phase screen model of scintillation as formulated by Rino (1979). Data analysis has been done for the seasonal as well as geomagnetic activity dependence of ionospheric scintillation. Scintillation index is a power-law function of the cosecant of the elevation angle. Results show that the power law strongly depends on the form of irregularities, being larger than in isotropic case for irregularities with dimension along the magnetic field direction smaller than those across the magnetic field. The present work also shows the need to use experimentally derived dependence on elevation.     

ECHOBASE—A portable geographic fishery research database system

A geographic fishery research database system (GFRDBS), called ECHOBASE, for storing and management of data on pelagic fish resources from acoustic surveys and catch samples, combined with environmental data in a geographic context, has been developed. The system constitutes a portable and inexpensive yet powerful tool for fishery research and environmental monitoring and provides on‐board data processing and mapping capabilities.

Data are acquired from an echosounder, echo signal processor, environmental profiler (CTD probe), and Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The electronic digitized maps (based on C‐MAP public format files) provide active on‐screen nautical charts.

The basic GFRDBS platform is a portable PC 486 machine, which is used as an on‐board data acquisition and processing tool running under MS Windows 3.1 operating environment. The system is designed around the Borland's PARADOX package, which provides a relational database for managing acoustic, catch, and environmental data. The ECHOBASE programs were written in Borland C ++ language as a Windows application.     

Application of predictive regional ionosphere model to medium range RTK positioning

Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS positioning over longer distances requires a support of atmospheric (ionospheric and tropospheric) corrections, since the atmospheric errors decorrelate with the growing distances and cannot be completely eliminated by double differencing of the satellite observations. Currently, the most commonly used approach is to derive the atmospheric corrections at the reference station network and provide them in real time to the roving receiver. Another solution, proposed here, is to use predictive atmospheric models in order to derive the atmospheric corrections. This paper presents the test results of the performance assessment of the predictive ionosphere model (UWM-IPM) application to medium-range RTK positioning. The rover data collected within 25 to 67 km from the closest reference station were processed in the kinematic mode with the support of the ionospheric corrections derived from the UWM-IPM model. The RTK solution was derived in both single-and multi-baseline modes, and compared to the two reference solutions obtained without the ionospheric corrections. All numerical tests were carried out using the MPGPS software developed in cooperation with The Ohio State University; a recent extension to the software, developed at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, introduces the predictive ionosphere model to the RTK solution. The test results are very promising, and indicate that predicted ionosphere corrections can effectively support medium-range RTK positioning, and allow for fast ambiguity resolution over distances of several tens of kilometers under moderate ionospheric conditions.     

Strain accumulation in sand due to cyclic loading: drained triaxial tests

Our aim is the prediction of the accumulation of strain and/or stress under cyclic loading with many (thousands to millions) cycles and relatively small amplitudes. A high-cycle constitutive model is used for this purpose. Its formulas are based on numerous cyclic tests. This paper describes drained tests with triaxial compression and uniaxial stress cycles. The influence of the strain amplitude, the average stress, the density, the cyclic preloading history and the grain size distribution on the direction and the intensity of strain accumulation is discussed.