Geochemistry and magnetostratigraphy of deccan flows at Anjar, Kutch

Chemical analysis of nine Deccan flow basalts at Anjar, Kutch, western India, indicates that all, except the uppermost flow F-9, are alkaline. In their major and trace element composition, the alkali basalts resemble Ocean island basalts (OIB). Similarities of many diagnostic trace element ratios (e.g. Sm/Nd, Ba/Nb,Y/Nb and Zr/Nb) are similar to those found in the Réunion Island basalts. The uppermost basalt is tholeiitic and chemically resembles the least contaminated Deccan basalt (Ambenali type). The Anjar basalts have iridium concentration ranging between 2 and 178 pg/g. Some of these values are higher by about an order of magnitude compared to the Ir concentration in other basalts of the Deccan. A synthesis of chemical, palaeomagnetic and geochronologic data enables us to construct a chemical and magnetic stratigraphy for these flows. The three flows below the iridium enriched intertrappean bed (IT III) show normal magnetic polarity whereas all except one of the upper basalts show reversed magnetic polarity. The sequence seems to have started in polarity zones 31N and probably continued up to 28R or 27R. The results presented here support the view that Deccan volcanism in Kutch occurred on a time span of a few million years.     

Soil responses near Delhi ridge and adjacent regions in Greater Delhi during incidence of a local earthquake

In this study, soil response was carried out for the Greater Delhi region. A folded Proterozoic formation was identified as Delhi ridge, passes through its central part along SSW–NNE direction, and appears to be a main geomorphic feature for the study area. The Delhi ridge is an exposed quartzite rock of about 10–100 m wide and ~25 km long with gentler dipping both toward east and west. We have considered the exposed part as an outcrop side near the ridge axis and the dipping area as rigid base away from the ridge axis for ground motion study during the occurrence of the 25 November 2007 earthquake with magnitude M _L 4.3 (Richter scale) that occurred at Delhi–Haryana State boundary. The degree of shaking was very strong and reported major cracks in the buildings near the epicenter area. We have studied the soil response parameters at the surface level, considering horizontally stratified soil layers above rigid base. The equivalent linear method was used for soil response analysis at 25 sites in Greater Delhi area. The peak amplification factors vary from 3.2 to 5.9 and peak resonance frequency varies from 1.2 to 5.3 Hz. The correlation among the peak amplification factor (A) and frequency (f) was empirically established as A = 0.36f + 3.60. Increasing peak amplification factor was found at sites with increasingly thicker alluvium deposit with lower frequency contains ground motion and vice versa. Seismic zoning map was also reconstructed for peak amplification factors and predominant periods for the study area for the mitigation purposes of earthquake damage. The average shear wave velocity up to 30 m soil depth is also obtained for site classification. The average velocity to 30 m [ $ \overline{{V_{\text{s}} }} (30) $ ] is a widely used parameter for classifying sites for predicting their potentiality to amplify seismic shaking. A lower value [ $ \overline{{V_{\text{s}} }} (30) $ ] thus yields a more conservative estimate of ground motion, which generally increases as $ \overline{{V_{\text{s}} }} (30) $ decreases. Present estimate of $ \overline{{V_{\text{s}} }} (30) $ varies from 315 to 419 m/s. In this study, we have identified two site classes C and D, as per National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program. The city planner or engineers can directly use these data for site-specific assessment during retrofitting of the existing structure, demolition of the old buildings and design a new structure to avoid major destruction of the buildings due to future earthquake.     

Solar coronal heating by high-frequency dispersive Alfvén waves

It is shown that high-frequency dispersive kinetic Alfvén waves can cause significant electron heating in the solar corona. The heating is produced by collisionless electron Landau dissipation of the parallel electron current associated with high-frequency dispersive kinetic Alfvén waves, which have a parallel electric field.     

Mycorrhizal Colonization Affects the Survival of Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash Grown in Water Containing As(III)

The presence of arsenic (As) in water is of great public concern. Arsenic exists in three common valence states viz., As(0) metalloid arsenic, As(III) (arsenite) and As(V) (arsenate). Arsenite [As(III)] is the most toxic form among arsenicals which, predominates in anaerobic conditions, generally in flooded soils and in the water with high BOD. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of As(III) on the mycorrhization in vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash) grass in hydroponics. Studies showed significant alteration in the mycorrhizal colonization in the roots of vetiver exposed to higher concentrations of As(III) starting from 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 to 5.0 mg/L prepared in 5% Hoagland nutrient solution without addition of phosphate ions. Considerable reduction in the mycorrhizal intensity (M) was observed in all the treatment sets as compared to the control suggesting a negative impact of the As(III) on the mycorrhizal association. Simultaneously, the study also showed that, As(III) is toxic to the vetiver plants having mycorrhizal association however plants with non‐mycorrhizal (cleansed) roots were found to be able to survive for a longer period exposed to As(III).     

Effects of cloud types on cloud-radiation interaction over the Asian monsoon region

This paper quantifies the sensitivity of radiation budget quantities to different cloud types over the Asian monsoon region using the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. Multiple regression was used to estimate the radiative effects of individual cloud type. It was observed that the regression performed better when the solution was constrained with clear sky fluxes, which is evident by an improvement in R ² statistics. The sensitivity coefficients calculated for the Asian monsoon region reveal that, while the LWCRCF and SWCRF will be most vulnerable to changes in cloud cover of deep convective clouds, NETCRF will be susceptible to changes in the nimbostratus clouds. Although the cloud radiative forcing of individual cloud types are found to be similar in sign to previous global findings, their magnitudes are found to vary. It is seen that cirrus clouds play an important role in governing the radiative behavior of this region.     

Understanding the Spatial Variability of Chlorophyll a and Total Suspended Matter Distribution Along the Southwest Bay of Bengal Using In-Situ and OCM-2 & MODIS-Aqua Measurements

Spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll a (chl a) and Total Suspended Matter (TSM) and inter comparison of Ocean Color Monitor-2 (OCM-2) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS-Aqua) derived chlorophyll a and TSM was made along the southwest Bay of Bengal (BoB). The in-situ chl a and TSM concentration measured during different seasons were ranged from 0.09 to 10.63 μgl^?1 and 11.04–43.75 mgl^?1 respectively. OCM-2 and MODIS derived chl a showed the maximum (6–8 μgl^?1) at nearshore waters and the minimum (0–1 μgl^?1) along the offshore waters. OCM-2 derived TSM imageries showed the maximum (50–60 mgl^?1) along the nearshore waters of Palk Strait and the moderate concentration (2–5 mgl^?1) was observed in the offshore waters. MODIS derived minimum TSM concentration (13.244 mgl^?1) was recorded along the offshore waters, while the maximum concentration of 15.78 mgl^?1 was found along the Kodiakarai region. The inter-comparison of OCM-2 and MODIS chl a data (R ² ?=?0.549, n?=?49, p?<?0.001, SEE?=?±0.117) indicate that MODIS data overestimates chl a concentration in the nearshore waters of the southern BoB compared to the OCM-2. The correlation between OCM-2 and MODIS-Aqua TSM data (R ² ?=?0.508, N?=?53, P?<?0.001 and SEE?=?±0.024) confirms that variation in the range of values measured by OCM-2 (2–60 mgl^?1) and the MODIS (13–16 mgl^?1) derived TSM values. Despite problems in range of measurements, persistent cloud cover etc., the launch of satellites like OCM-2 with relatively high spatial resolutions makes job easier and possible to monitor chl a distribution and sediment discharges on day to day basis in the southwest BoB.     

Filamentation instability of Alfvén waves

The filamentation instability of finite amplitude left-hand circularly polarized Alfvén waves has been investigated taking into account the second-order density and magnetic field perturbations that are created by the Alfvén wave pressure. The minimum scale length and time over which the filamentation occurs, are found. Our results are applied to Alfvén waves that should scatter cosmic rays in the interstellar medium (ISM).     

Age and geochemistry of the Newania dolomite carbonatites, India: implications for the source of primary carbonatite magma

The Newania carbonatite complex of India is one of the few dolomite-dominated carbonatites of the world. Intruding into Archean basement gneisses, the rocks of the complex have undergone limited diversification and are not associated with any alkaline silicate rock. Although the magmatic nature of the complex was generally accepted, its age of emplacement had remained equivocal because of the disturbed nature of radioisotope systems. Many questions about the nature of its mantle source and mode of origin had remained unanswered because of lack of geochemical and isotopic data. Here, we present results of our effort to date the complex using ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd, ²⁰⁷Pb–²⁰⁶Pb and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating techniques. We also present mineral chemistry, major and trace element geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotopic ratio data for these carbonatites. Our age data reveal that the complex was emplaced at ~1,473 Ma and parts of it were affected by a thermal event at ~904 Ma. The older ²⁰⁷Pb–²⁰⁶Pb ages reported here (~2.4 Ga) and by one earlier study (~2.3 Ga; Schleicher et al. Chem Geol 140:261–273, 1997) are deemed to be a result of heterogeneous incorporation of crustal Pb during the post-emplacement thermal event. The thermal event had little effect on many magmatic signatures of these rocks, such as its dolomite–magnesite–ankerite–Cr-rich magnetite–magnesio-arfvedsonite–pyrochlore assemblage, mantle like δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O and typical carbonatitic trace element patterns. Newania carbonatites show fractional crystallization trend from high-Mg to high-Fe through high-Ca compositions. The least fractionated dolomite carbonatites of the complex possess very high Mg# (≥80) and have similar major element oxide contents as that of primary carbonatite melts experimentally produced from peridotitic sources. In addition, lower rare earth element (and higher Sr) contents than a typical calcio-carbonatite and mantle like Nb/Ta ratios indicate that the primary magma for the complex was a magnesio-carbonatite melt and that it was derived from a carbonate bearing mantle. The Sr–Nd isotopic data suggest that the primary magma originated from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Trace element modelling confirms such an inference and suggests that the source was a phlogopite bearing mantle, located within the garnet stability zone.     

High-resolution profile of stable isotopes and iridium across a K/T boundary section from Koshak Hill, Mangyshlak, Kazakhstan

Oxygen and carbon isotopes were measured to a high depth resolution in a nannoplankton carbonate sequence spanning the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at Koshak Hill, Mangyshlak Peninsula, Kazakhstan. The boundary is characterized by the presence of a ∼ 1 cm thick clay layer having a sharp peak in iridium concentration with a maximum value of 3.7 ng g^-1. The δ¹⁸O data reveal rapid (∼10³ years) excursion of sea-surface temperature at the boundary where an initial cold pulse is followed by a persistent warm period. The δ¹³C data, in contrast, indicate only a gradual change in productivity across the boundary. The observations suggest a biogeochemical scenario for the boundary event pertaining to shallow epicontinental seas.