Quantifying weathering on variable rocks,an extension of geochemical mass balance: Critical zone and landscape evolution

We present a statistical model of soil and rock weathering in deep profiles to expand the capacity to assess weathering to heterogeneous bedrock types, which are common at the Earth's surface. We developed the Weathering Trends (WT) model by extending the fractional mass change calculation (tau) of the geochemical mass balance model in two important ways. First, WT log transforms the elemental ratio data, to discern the log‐linear patterns that naturally develop from thermodynamic and kinetic laws of chemistry. Second, WT statistically fits log‐transformed element concentration ratio data – log(c_j/c_i), the only depth‐varying term in tau – as a function of depth to determine characteristic depths of transitions in weathering processes, along with confidence intervals. With no prior assumptions, WT estimates average parent material composition, average composition of the upper weathered zone and mean fractional mass change of each element over the entire weathering profile. WT displays the mean shape of weathering profiles of log‐transformed geochemical data bounded by calculated confidence intervals. We share the WT model code as an open‐source R package ( https://github.com/fisherba/WeatheringTrends ). The WT model was designed to interpret two 21 m cores from the Laurels Schist bedrock in the Christina River Basin Critical Zone Observatory in the Pennsylvania Piedmont, where our morphological and elemental data provided inconclusive estimates of bedrock depth. The WT model differentiated between rock variability and weathering to delineate the maximum extent of weathering at 12.3 m (CI 95% [9.2, 21.3]) in Ridge Well 1 and 7.2 m (CI 95% [4.3, 13.0]) in Interfluve Well 2. The water table was 5–8 m below fresh rock at Ridge Well 1, but at the same depth as fresh rock at the lower elevation interfluve. We assess statistical approaches to identify the best immobile element for use in WT and tau calculations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Homotherium serum and Cervalces from the Great Lakes Region,USA: geochronology,morphology and ancient DNA

A scimitar‐toothed cat (Homotherium serum) and stag moose (Cervalces sp.) are described from Tyson Spring Cave, Fillmore County, Minnesota. These specimens represent the first records of both species in the state, and the first record for H. serum in the Great Lakes region. Although the Cervalces specimen remains undated, it shares features with pre‐Wisconsin specimens from the eastern Great Plains. The H. serum individual dates to c. 26.9 ka, when the Wisconsin ice margin was less than 60 km away. Genetic analyses support the identity of the Homotherium specimen as conspecific with Homotherium serum found in older Beringian deposits, as well as both the early divergence of tribes Homotherini and Smilodontini within Machairodontinae and the early divergence of this Machairodontinae from the lineage that produced extant cats.     

Chemical evolution of an inland sabkha: a case study from Sabkha Matti,Saudi Arabia

Hydrogeology Journal - Sabkha Matti is a potential discharge point for regional groundwater systems in the Rub’ al Khali topographic basin of Saudi Arabia. The hydrogeochemical evolution of...     

Visible–near infrared spectral indices for mapping mineralogy and chemistry with OSIRIS‐REx

The primary objective of the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS‐REx) mission is to return to Earth a pristine sample of carbonaceous material from the primitive asteroid (101955) Bennu. To support compositional mapping of Bennu as part of sample site selection and characterization, we tested 95 spectral indices on visible to near infrared laboratory reflectance data from minerals and carbonaceous meteorites. Our aim was to determine which indices reliably identify spectral features of interest. Most spectral indices had high positive detection rates when applied to spectra of pure, single‐component materials. The meteorite spectra have fewer and weaker absorption features and, as a result, fewer detections with the spectral indices. Indices targeting absorptions at 0.7 and 2.7–3 μm, which are attributable to hydrated minerals, were most successful for the meteorites. Based on these results, we identified a set of 17 indices that are most likely to be useful at Bennu. These indices detect olivines, pyroxenes, carbonates, water/OH‐bearing minerals, serpentines, ferric minerals, and organics. Particle size and albedo are known to affect band depth but had a negligible impact on interpretive success with spectral indices. Preliminary analysis of the disk‐integrated Bennu spectrum with these indices is consistent with expectations given the observed absorption near 3 μm. Our study prioritizes spectral indices to be used for OSIRIS‐REx spectral analysis and mapping and informs the reliability of all index‐derived data products, including a science value map for sample site selection.     

Blended head analyses to reduce uncertainty in packer testing in fractured-rock boreholes

Open boreholes in fractured rock often cross-connect fractures with differing hydraulic head and the head differences between these fractures cause vertical flow in the water column. This cross-connection has potential to bias transmissivity (T) values obtained from straddle packer tests. This study demonstrates how measurements of the blended head in the open-hole segments above and below the straddle-packer test interval can be used to correct packer tests for cross-connection effects. A pressure response observed in the open-hole segment above and/or below the packers isolating a test interval during a hydraulic test indicates short-circuiting of water from the injection interval through the vertically connected fracture network to the open-hole segments, resulting in the overestimation of T. A method is presented using blended head concepts to minimize this error using a trial-and-error procedure to determine the short-circuiting flow rate to account for the head conditions in the open-hole segments during each hydraulic test. Observed differences between the measured head and the calculated blended head in the open-hole segments above and below the test interval are attributed to cross-connection effects around the 1-m-long packers. The head and corrected T values determined from packer tests are used to estimate the flow in and out of the open hole at each of the intervals tested for assessing the cross-connection effects under open borehole conditions. Understanding open-hole flow dynamics gives insight about the potential for vertical cross connection of chemical constituents caused by the open hole.     

Spectral properties and geologic processes on Eros from combined NEAR NIS and MSI data sets

Abstract— From April 24 to May 14, 2000, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker mission's near infrared spectrometer (NIS) obtained its highest resolution data of 433 Eros. High signal‐to‐noise ratio NIS reflectance spectra cover a wavelength range of 800–2400 nm, with footprint sizes from 213 times 427 m to 394 times 788 m. This paper describes improvement in instrument calibration by remediation of internally scattered light; derivation of a “pseudo channel” for NIS at 754 nm using Multispectral Imager (MSI) Eros approach maps at 951 and 754 nm; synthesis of a 3127‐spectrum high‐resolution data set with the improved calibration and expanded wavelength coverage; and investigation of global and localized spectral variation with respect to mineralogy, composition, and space weathering of Eros, comparing the findings with previous analyses. Scattered light removal reduces the “red” slope of Eros spectra, though not to the level seen by telescopic observations. The pseudo channel completes sampling of Eros' 1 micron (Band I) absorption feature, enabling direct comparison of NIS data with other asteroid and meteorite spectra without additional scaling or correction. Following scattered light removal and wavelength range extension, the spectral parameters of average Eros plot well inside the S(IV) field of Gaffey et al. (1993) and are consistent with the L6 chondrite meteorite fields of Gaffey and Gilbert (1998). Although Eros shows no evidence of mineralogical heterogeneity, modest spectral variations correlate with morphologically and geographically distinct areas of the asteroid. Eros bright‐to‐dark spectral ratios are largely consistent with laboratory “space weathering” experiment results and modeling of space weathering effects. Eros brightness variation unaccompanied by significant spectral variation departs from “lunar‐type”—where band depths, slopes, and albedoes all correlate—and “Ida‐type”—where significant spectral variation is unaccompanied by corresponding brightness variation. The brightest areas on Eros—steep crater walls—have lesser spectral slope and deeper Band I, consistent with exposure of “fresher,” less space weathered materials. Bright crater slope materials have opx/(opx + olv) of 0.24–0.29 and may be more representative of the subsurface mineralogy than “average” Eros, which is probably affected by space weathering. The floors of the large craters Psyche and Himeros have lower albedo and contain the most degraded or altered looking materials. NIS spectra retain a “red” spectral slope at greater than 2 microns. The recalibrated and expanded NIS spectra show better agreements with mixing models based on space weathering of chondritic mixtures.     

CAD-DRASTIC: chloride application density combined with DRASTIC for assessing groundwater vulnerability to road salt application

Road salt is pervasively used throughout Canada and in other cold regions during winter. For cities relying exclusively on groundwater, it is important to plan and minimize the application of salt accordingly to mitigate the adverse effects of high chloride concentrations in water supply aquifers. The use of geospatial data (road network, land use, Quaternary and bedrock geology, average annual recharge, water-table depth, soil distribution, topography) in the DRASTIC methodology provides an efficient way of distinguishing salt-vulnerable areas associated with groundwater supply wells, to aid in the implementation of appropriate management practices for road salt application in urban areas. This research presents a GIS-based methodology to accomplish a vulnerability analysis for 12 municipal water supply wells within the City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The chloride application density (CAD) value at each supply well is calculated and related to the measured groundwater chloride concentrations and further combined with soil media and aquifer vadose- and saturated-zone properties used in DRASTIC. This combined approach, CAD-DRASTIC, is more accurate than existing groundwater vulnerability mapping methods and can be used by municipalities and other water managers to further improve groundwater protection related to road salt application.     

Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36: Spectroscopy from 0.4 to 2.4 μm and meteorite analogs

We present reflectance spectra from 0.4 to 2.4 μm of Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36, the target of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft mission. The visible spectral data were obtained at the McDonald Observatory 2.1-m telescope with the ES2 spectrograph. The infrared spectral data were obtained at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility using the SpeX instrument. The average visible spectrum is combined with the average near-infrared wavelength spectrum to form a composite spectrum. We use three methods to constrain the compositional information in the composite spectrum of Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 (hereafter RQ36). First, we perform a least-squares search for meteorite spectral analogs using 15,000 spectra from the RELAB database. Three most likely meteorite analogs are proposed based on the least-squares search. Next, six spectral parameters are measured for RQ36 and their values are compared with the ranges in parameter values of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorite classes. A most likely meteorite analog group is proposed based on the depth of overlap in parameter values. The results of the least-squares search and the parametric comparisons point to CIs and/or CMs as the most likely meteorite analogs for RQ36, and COs and CHs as the least likely. RQ36 has a spectrally “blue” continuum slope that is also observed in carbonaceous chondrites containing magnetite. We speculate that RQ36 is composed of a “CM1”-like material. Finally, we compare RQ36 to other B-type asteroids measured by Clark et al. (Clark, B.E. et al. [2010]. J. Geophys. Res. 115, E06005). The results of this comparison are inconclusive. RQ36 is comparable to Themis spectral properties in terms of its albedo, visible spectrum, and near-infrared spectrum from 1.1 to 1.45 μm. However, RQ36 is more similar to Pallas in terms of its near-infrared spectrum from 1.6 to 2.3 μm. Thus it is possible that B-type asteroids form a spectral continuum and that RQ36 is a transitional object, spectrally intermediate between the two end-members. This is particularly interesting because Asteroid 24 Themis was recently discovered to have H₂O ice on the surface (Rivkin, A., Emery, J. [2010]. Nature 464, 1322–1323; Campins, H. et al. [2010a]. Nature 464, 1320–1321).     

Global mapping of the degree of space weathering on asteroid 25143 Itokawa by Hayabusa/AMICA observations

Abstract— We obtained color images of near‐Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa multiband imaging camera to characterize the regional color properties. Images were obtained for the whole disk from the gate position (GP) and home position (HP) at a spatial resolution of 0.8–3.7 m/pixel. Whole‐disk spectra are adjusted to the telescopic data obtained by the University of Hawai'i's 88‐inch telescope using the Eight Color Asteroid Survey (ECAS) system. The disk‐resolved measurements show large variations in the three visible channels. We present a map of an index related to the degree of space weathering, which has been newly developed based on laboratory measurements. We find large variations in the degree of space weathering on Itokawa. Fresh materials are observed in regions of steep slopes and craters, whereas mature materials are ubiquitously distributed. This result suggests that pristine ordinary chondrite‐like materials have been exposed through weathered layers by excavation. By also examining close‐up images obtained during touchdown rehearsal, we find that most rocks in Itokawa's rough terrains are weathered. Instead of a regolith blanket, the surface of this small asteroid is covered with weathered rocks and gravels.     

Differential kinetics and temperature dependence of abiotic and biotic processes controlling the environmental fate of TNT in simulated marine systems

This work seeks to understand how the balance of abiotic and biotic kinetic processes in sediments control the residual concentration of TNT in marine systems after release from ocean-dumped source. Kinetics of TNT disappearance were followed using marine sediments at different temperatures and under both biotic and presumably abiotic conditions (through sodium azide addition). Sediments exhibiting the highest rate of TNT disappearance under biotic conditions also exhibited the highest sorption affinity for TNT under abiotic conditions. Significant temperature dependence in the abiotic processes was observed in the diffusion coefficient of TNT and not sediment sorption affinity. At higher temperature, kinetics of biotic processes outpaced abiotic processes, but at low temperature, kinetics of abiotic processes were much more significant. We concluded that the differential influence of temperature on the kinetics of abiotic and biotic processes could provide distinguishing predictions for the potential residual concentration of TNT contamination in marine-sediment systems.