The Market Gate of Miletus: damages, material characteristics and the development of a compatible mortar for restoration

The indoor exhibit of the Market Gate of Miletus is unique for an archaeological monument. The reconstruction of the gate was done in such a way that most marble fragments were removed leaving cored marble columns 3–4 cm in thickness. These cored columns were mounted on a steel construction and filled with different mortars or filled with specially shaped blocks of brick combined with mortar. All the missing marble elements were replaced by copies made of a Portland cement based concrete, which is compositionally similar to the original building materials. During the Second World War the monument was heavily damaged by aerial bombardment. For 2 years the Market Gate of Miletus was exposed to weathering, because a brick wall protecting the gate was also destroyed. The deterioration phenomena observed are microcracks, macroscopic fractures, flaking, sugaring, greying, salt efflorescence, calcitic-sinter layers and iron oxide formation etc. The rapid deterioration seems to be due to indoor atmospheric effects, and also by a combination of incompatible materials (e.g. marble, steel, mortar, concrete, bricks etc.). Compatible building materials like mortars or stone replacing materials have to be developed for the planned restoration. The requirements for restoration mortars are chemical-mineralogical and physical-mechanical compatibilities with the existing building materials. In detail this means that the mortar should ensure good bonding properties, adapted strength development and not stain the marble when in direct contact. The favoured mortar was developed with a hydraulic binder based on iron-free white cement and pozzolana based on activated clay. A special limestone and quartz sand mixture was used as an aggregate. The cement was adjusted using chemical additives. Specially designed tests were applied extensively to prove whether the developed mortar is suitable for the restoration of this precious monument.     

Mesozoic (Late Jurassic) palynomorphs and charcoal from a sandstone pebble from Quaternary glacial deposits of the North Sea

The palynological contents as well as macroscopic charcoal fragments from a calcareous sandstone pebble from Quaternary glacial deposits of the North Sea (80 km SW of the Dogger Bank) are described. The taxonomic composition of the palynoflora points to a Late Jurassic (or Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous) age of the sandstone. The charcoal is interpreted as direct evidence of palaeo‐wildfire occurring during this period in the source area of the sediments of this particular sandstone. This finding, together with already published data on Mesozoic deposits, allows to conclude that wildfires were obviously widespread during this period in the area of the modern day North Sea and adjacent areas. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The barometric tides at Zürich and on the summit of Säntis

Summary Lunar barometric tidal determinations (L ₂) have been made by the Chapman-Miller method for Zürich (493 m) and Säntis (2000 m) based on 49 years' data. The seasonal variations ofL ₂ are much larger at Zürich than on the Säntis summit. However, a comparison with the five other pairs of stations for which tidal determinations at different altitudes, but short horizontal distances, are available do not indicate that this result is as an altitude effect, nor do they show any other systematic differences betweenL ₂ at the lower and the higher station. The solar tidal determinations agree well with those made byEggenberger (1944) and fit in with those obtained for other stations. From the difference between the pressure oscillations at Zürich and on Säntis the corresponding meantemperature oscillations of the air column between the two stations has been computed.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Continuous Multi‐probe Measurements in Fastflowing Waters Using a Hydrographic Slot

Taking continuous spatiotemporal in situ measurements with multi‐probes in fast‐flowing waters/rivers can be problematic because the sensors may be damaged by high shear forces and flotsam. To protect the multi‐probe and to enable easy access for the maintenance and calibration of the sensors, a special multi‐probe holder fixed in a hydrographic slot was developed. The validation of the probe system revealed a “memory effect” at short time scales (< 10 s) within sharp gradients caused by the overflow container of the multi‐probe rack keeping the sensors submerged in the sample water. Continuously recorded data (conductivity, temperature, pH, oxygen concentration and saturation, as well as in vivo fluorescence of chlorophyll‐a) from a research cruise on board the RV ALBIS along the river Elbe (river km 309) and entering the river Saale are presented. This river stretch upstream of the city of Magdeburg to the mouth of the Saale tributary was found to have a complex physicochemical character, which is attributable to the long mixing process of water from the river Saale and the river Elbe.     

Simulating coseismic deformation of quartz in the middle crust and fabric evolution during postseismic stress relaxation — An experimental study

Non-steady state deformation and annealing experiments on vein quartz are designed to simulate earthquake-driven episodic deformation in the middle crust. Three types of experiments were carried out using a modified Griggs-type solid medium deformation apparatus. All three start with high stress deformation at a temperature of 400 °C and a constant strain rate of 10^− 4 s^− 1 (type A), some are followed by annealing in the stability field of α-quartz for 14–15 h at zero nominal differential stress and temperatures of 800–1000 °C (type A + B), or by annealing for 15 h at 900 °C and at a residual stress (type A + C).The quartz samples reveal a very high strength > 2 GPa at a few percent of permanent strain. The microstructures after short-term high stress deformation (type A) record localized brittle and plastic deformation. Statisc annealing (type A + B) results in recrystallisation restricted to the highly damaged zones. The new grains aligned in strings and without crystallographic preferred orientation, indicate nucleation and growth. Annealing at non-hydrostatic conditions (type A + C) results in shear zones that also develop from deformation bands or cracks that formed during the preceding high stress deformation. In this case, however, the recrystallised zone is several grain diameters wide, the grains are elongate, and a marked crystallographic preferred orientation indicates flow by dislocation creep with dynamic recrystallisation. Quartz microstructures identical to those produced in type A + B experiments are observed in cores recovered from Long Valley Exploratory Well in the Quaternary Long Valley Caldera, California, with considerable seismic activity.The experiments demonstrate the behaviour of quartz at coseismic loading (type A) and subsequent static annealing (type A + B) or creep at decaying stress (type A + C) in the middle crust. The experimentally produced microfabrics allow to identify similar processes and conditions in exhumed rocks.     

Evidence for the trapped liquid shift effect in the Mount Ayliff Intrusion,South Africa

Postcumulus trapped liquid shift in layered complexes produces cumulate minerals with more fractionated compositions than the original primary phases. This effect is shown by olivine compositions from the base of the Mount Ayliff Intrusion, where varying proportions of olivine to interstitial liquid produce a suite of rocks which define a tight linear trend on a binary whole-rock plot of MgO versus FeO. Extrapolation of this trend constrains the composition of the primary cumulus olivine to the range Fo_84–86, whereas olivine actually present have compositions Fo_77–83. The magnitude of the discrepancy between the theoretical and observed olivine compositions correlates directly with the weight fraction of interstitial liquid. These observations are quantitatively predicted by the trapped liquid shift model. They also argue against significant migration of residual liquid. Trapped liquid shift is documented over a vertical interval of 60 m. It occurred in rocks lying only 1 m above the basal contact of the intrusion and hence must be a comparatively rapid process.     

Focused ion beam technique and transmission electron microscope studies of microdiamonds from the Saxonian Erzgebirge, Germany

A focused ion beam of Ga ions is a relatively new technique that has been developed for microelectronic industries. Now researchers of the Earth sciences find it to be a promising tool for studying various geological materials. Using the FIB technique and an FEI Strata DB 235 dual beam system, we have successfully prepared several electron-transparent foils, which crossed μm-sized diamonds included in host minerals such as zircon and garnet from quartzofeldspathic rocks of the Saxonian Erzgebirge, Germany. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy applied to these foils revealed that the diamonds contain crystalline nanometric inclusions. These inclusions consist of minerals of known stoichiometries such as SiO₂ and Al₂SiO₅, whereas others are characterized by different combinations of Si, K, P, Ti, and Fe in the presence of oxygen (stoichiometries are not clear at this stage of research). One suite of inclusions is assumed to be represented by archerite, KH₂PO₄, which is known to be stable at pressures of 4–22 GPa, and one nanocrystal containing Pb, oxygen and carbon is interpreted to be Pb_xO_y or PbCO₃. Along with solid crystalline inclusions, the diamonds contain cavities filled by liquid/gas that escaped during sample preparation. These are associated with dislocations of diamond growth. Our data are consistent with the concept of diamond crystallization from a COH-rich multicomponent supercritical fluid and suggest that the composition of such a fluid is more consistent with a local crustal source rather than that of a mantle origin.     

The dynamics of phytoplankton, bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates at two Banks near Magdeburg in the River Elbe (Germany)

The main objectives of this study were to describe the seasonal standing stock dynamics of phytoplankton, bacterioplankton and heterotrophic flagellates in the highly eutrophic River Elbe (Germany), and to compare the seasonal patterns observed with other streams. Emphasis was placed on examining and assessing abiotic and biotic controlling factors influencing the structure and dynamics of the riverine plankton. All the physico-chemical and biological parameters determined were within the range or somewhat higher (in the case of phytoplankton abundance and biomass) than reported for other large streams. The underwater light conditions resulting from atypically short phytoplankton growth periods of about 6 months per year and the low phytoplankton carbon to chl a ratio of 23 were identified as a major limiting factor for phytoplankton development in the River Elbe. The seasonal distribution pattern of bacterioplankton indicated probable tight trophodynamical coupling both with phytoplankton and with heterotrophic flagellates, whereas heterotrophic flagellates showed a more trophic link with bacterial densities. Although approximately constant DOC and DON levels throughout the year sustained bacterial growth rates, during the phytoplankton growing season an increase of bacterial standing stocks was observed. Although the left-bank sampling site of the Elbe is strongly influenced by the tributaries Mulde and Saale containing higher concentrations of chloride, nitrogen nutrients, heavy metals and organic pollutants, no clear differences were observed between the two sides of the river concerning the biological parameters measured. Possible reasons and the slightly higher phytoplankton abundance and diversity at the right bank are discussed.     

Footwall mineralization during Late Miocene extension along the West Cycladic Detachment System,Lavrion, Greece

The West Cycladic Detachment System (WCDS) has been mapped from the western Cycladic islands to Lavrion (mainland Greece), where several top‐to‐SSW low‐angle normal faults at different structural levels are observed. Near the detachment horizon, hydrothermal fluid flow originating from Miocene intrusions lead to high‐temperature carbonate strata‐bound Pb–Ag–Zn ore deposits. Zircon (U–Th)/He cooling ages from the mineralized footwall are 7.1 ± 0.6 to 7.9 ± 0.6 Ma. Carbon‐ and O‐isotope analyses of the carbonate host indicate high water‐to‐rock ratios during brittle deformation‐induced metasomatism, and that this interaction, unrelated to proximity of the intrusions, plays the dominant role in the mineralization. The Late Miocene geology of Lavrion is strikingly similar to Serifos island on the SE termination of the WCDS, both characterized by strong localization of detachment faulting and the interaction of brittle deformation with the injection of fluids related to granitoid intrusions.     

Levelling of helicopter-borne frequency-domain electromagnetic data

For about three decades helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM) measurements have been used to reveal the resistivity distribution of the upper one hundred metres of the earth's subsurface. HEM systems record secondary fields, which are 3–6 orders of magnitude smaller than the transmitted primary fields. As both the primary fields and the secondary fields are present at the receivers, well-designed bucking coils are often used to reduce the primary fields at the receivers to a minimum. Remaining parts of the primary fields, the zero levels, are generally corrected by subtracting field values recorded at high altitudes (standard zero levelling) or estimated from resistivities of neighbouring lines or from resistivity maps (advanced zero levelling). These zero-levelling techniques enable the correction for long-term, quasi-linear instrumental drift. Short-term variations caused by temperature changes due to altitude variations, however, cannot be completely corrected by this procedure resulting in stripe patterns on thematic maps.Statistical methods and/or 2-D filter techniques called statistical levelling (tie-line levelling) and empirical levelling (microlevelling), respectively, used to correct stripe patterns in airborne geophysical data sets are, in general, not directly applicable to HEM data. Because HEM data levelling faces the problem that the parameter affected by zero-level errors, the secondary field, differs from the parameter generally levelled, the apparent resistivity. Furthermore, the dependency of the secondary field on both the resistivity of the subsurface and the sensor altitude is strongly nonlinear.A reasonable compromise is to microlevel both half-space parameters: apparent resistivity and apparent depth, followed by a recalculation of the secondary field components based on the half-space parameters levelled. Advantages and disadvantages of the diverse levelling techniques are discussed using a HEM data set obtained in a hilly region along the Saale River between the cities of Saalfeld and Jena in central Germany. It turns out from a comparison of apparent resistivity and apparent depth maps derived from levelled HEM data that manually advanced zero levelling of major level errors and automatic microlevelling of remaining minor level errors yield the best results.