Unburned coal as a source of hydrocarbons in surface sediments

The isolation and quantification of the various sources of trace levels of hydrocarbons in environmental samples is a difficult analytical task. Based on the hydrocarbon concentrations found in non-polluted surface sediment and an estimate of the amounts of coal particles found in similar areas we conclude that unburned coal can be a significant source of sediment hydrocarbons in the coastal marine environment.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy: A suggested approach to trace metal analysis in marine environments

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy analysis of marine samples from different environments appears to differentiate between adsorbed and structural Mn (II) and Fe (III) sites in the sediment. This suggests that EPR may provide a means of distinguishing different environmental influences on sediment. Acid extract solutions from sediment samples exhibit clearly defined EPR spectra due to Mn(II), Ti(III), Fe(III), and VO(IV), which are amenable to qualitative and quantitative analysis at concentrations below one part per million. Spectra of several shellfish vary considerably, both between species, and within a species, depending on sampling localities. Resonances from Mn(II), Mo(V), and Fe(III) can be obtained. Mn(II) is substituted for Ca(II) in the calcite structure of some shells. The low detection limits, small sample size, required and identification of oxidation states by EPR complement other analytical techniques and may prove useful in marine systems.     

Model systems for anatexis of pelitic rocks

Subsolidus and melting reactions involving calcic plagioclase in pelitic assemblages in the K-Na-Ca model system occur at higher temperatures than their K-Na counterparts. For the most calcic plagioclase compositions observed in high-grade pelitic rocks (An₂₅-An₄₀) the equilibria are rarely extended by more than 30 ° C above those in KA1O₂-NaAlO₂-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O, although all discontinuities in facies inferred for the K-Na system are continuously displaced when they involve Ca-bearing plagioclase. The maximum pressure-temperature overlap between muscovite dehydration and initial melting reactions occurs in the pressure range of 4–6 kbar between about 640 ° and 720 ° C. This provides optimum conditions for anatectic melt generation in felsic rocks of the appropriate compositions progressively metamorphosed in kyanite-sillimanite facies series. Progressive regional metamorphism at pressures of 2–4 kbar, corresponding to andalusite-sillimanite facies series, shows little overlap between muscovite dehydration and initial melting reactions. Consequently anatectic melt generation in andalusite-sillimanite facies series would require the participation of biotite in dehydration-melting reactions. Felsic intrusive rock in andalusite-sillimanite terranes could have risen upward from their anatectic sites in high grade kyanite-sillimanite facies series at depth. Many andalusite-sillimanite facies series terranes culminating in migmatites could represent upward movement of kyanite-sillimanite facies series rocks to shallower depths with uplift rates faster than cooling rates.     

Freshwater reserves of mid-atlantic coast barrier Islands

A multiple regression model was constructed for the purpose of predicting barrier island hydrology from easily measureable island characteristics. The model was developed using data obtained from 17 sites on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The accuracy of the model for predicting key hydrologic variables was evaluated by statistical and graphic procedures. In general, agreement between observed and predicted values of the hydrologic variables was very good, suggesting that the quantity of potable water at various island sites can be estimated without resorting to extensive field investigations. The model was then applied to Assateague Island, a barrier island located off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Results indicate that the original model developed for the Outer Banks may be applied to other barrier islands but that errors involved may necessitate corrections in detailed studies. Correction for bias in predictions for Assateague was shown to be possible with limited field data from surface resistivity surveys.     

Quaternary Antarctic Bottom-Water history: Deep-sea benthonic foraminiferal evidence from the southeast Indian Ocean

Distinct assemblages of Recent deep-sea benthonic foraminifera from the southeast Indian Ocean have been shown to be associated with Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) and Indian Bottom Water (IBW). The AABW assemblage is divided into two groups. One is dominated by Epistominella umbonifera and is associated with AABW having temperatures between ?0.2° and 0.4°C. The second group is dominated by Globocassidulina subglobosa and is associated with AABW having temperatures between 0.6° and 0.8°C. The IBW assemblage is marked by the strong dominance of Uvigerina spp. and Epistominella exigua. The faunal-water-mass relationships have been used to infer the history of bottom-water circulation over the last 500,000 yr in this region using faunal data from four Eltanin cores. One core was taken from the Southeast Indian Ridge in association with IBW, and three were taken from the flank of the ridge associated with AABW flowing within a western boundary contour current in the South Australian Basin. Little faunal variation exists in the core beneath IBW (E48-22), indicating that IBW was present on the Southeast Indian Ridge during the last 300,000 yr. A record of the intensity of AABW circulation during the last 500,000 yr is inferred from the benthonic foraminiferal data in the three cores located within the western boundary contour current. Marked oscillations in the relative proportions of AABW and IBW faunal assemblages are found in one core, E48-03. The faunal variations are inferred to have resulted from variation in intensity of AABW circulation between 500,000 and 195,000 yr B.P. In E48-03, the AABW assemblage was present most of the time between 500,000 and 195,000 yr B.P., with low intensity of AABW circulation occurring primarily during the equivalent of stages 8 and 7 (t = 305,000 to 195,000 yr B.P.). The intensity of AABW circulation varied, with a maximum occurring during the equivalent of stage 11 (t = 420,000 yr B.P.). Two additional cores, E45-27 and E45–74, show relatively constant intensity of AABW circulation from 195,000 yr B.P. to the present. The intensity of AABW circulation at the present appears to be intermediate between a maximum during the equivalent of stage 11 (t = 420,000 yr B.P.) and the minimum during the equivalent of stage 8 (t = 275,000 yr B.P.). AABW production has occurred during both glacial and interglacial episodes. Bottom-water productivity has been suggested to play an important role in glacial/interglacial oscillations during the late Quaternary (Weyl, 1968; Newell, 1974). In this study, the relationship between bottom-water circulation and climatic fluctuations appears to be more complex than had been previously suggested, since a simple relationship between Quaternary bottom-water circulation and paleoclimatic fluctuations is not shown.     

Risø 1978: Further investigations into the effects of local terrain irregularities on tower-measured wind profiles

Observations of flow over complex terrain taken at Risø during June–July 1978 and numerical studies confirm earlier findings that small variations in surface elevation have significant effects on mean wind profiles. Measured shear stresses in the nonequilibrium region of the flow are consistent with theory but quite different from those obtained assuming simple flux-profile relationships. These findings imply that flux-profile relationships can be quite complicated over other than simple homogeneous terrain.     

The peterson limestone — early cretaceous lacustrine carbonate deposition in western wyoming and southeastern idaho

The lacustrine Peterson Limestone of western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho comprises six lithofacies throughout its 20,000 km² aerial extent. These are: (1) calcareous sandstone and shale, (2) red nodular limestone, (3) pink sandy micrite, (4) biomicrite, (5) graded silty micrite, and (6) limestone conglomerate. The first two represent floodplain deposition and paleosols, whereas the remaining are shallow nearshore and deeper lacustrine sediments.This sequence was developed in a large fresh, hardwater lake surrounded by fluvial systems and associated flood plains in a warm temperate climate. Well-oxidized sandy terrigenous rocks, together with calcareous paleosol nodules, indicate that flood-plain deposition both preceded and was concurrent with lacustrine carbonate deposition. Micrite and biomicrite formed in deeper parts of the basin while sandy and silty carbonate accumulated in shallower lake-margin areas. Less-calcareous shale units which are interbedded with deeper-water carbonate were deposited either during rapid basin subsidence and deepening of the lake center or during periods of slower carbonate precipitation. Turbidity currents and subaqueous debris flows generated along steeper lake margins, resulted in the deposition of rhythmic layers of graded silty micrite and diamictic limestone conglomerate in the deepest part of the basin. The carbonate-rich sediments comprising these two lithofacies were originally deposited on shallow lake-margin benches and subsequently were transported downslope toward the lake center.Comparison with other carbonate-precipitating lacustrine systems indicates that this lake was not like modern playas. Although no known modern lacustrine system is precisely like Lake Peterson, the flora, fauna, composition, and distribution of facies within modern temperate-region lakes most closely resemble those of the Peterson Limestone.     

Baseline levels of benzo(a)pyrene in southern California mussels

Marine mussels accumulate the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene from contaminated environments. Baseline studies in California indicate that levels of the carcinogen in mussels are at or near zero, except in areas of human activity. This finding runs counter to previous suggestions that benzo(a)pyrene is widely distributed in marine organisms.