Large-scale structure in the NIR-selected MUNICS survey

The Munich Near-IR Cluster Survey (MUNICS) is a wide-area, medium-deep, photometric survey selected in the K' band. The project's main scientific aims are the identification of galaxy clusters up to redshifts of unity and the selection of a large sample of field early-type galaxies up to z < 1.5 for evolutionary studies. We created a Large Scale Structure catalog, using a new structure finding technique specialized for photometric datasets, that we developed on the basis of a friends-of-friends algorithm. We tested the plausibility of the resulting galaxy group and cluster catalog with the help of Color-Magnitude Diagrams (CMD), as well as a likelihood- and Voronoi-approach. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stratospheric methane and nitrogen dioxide from infrared spectra

Values of the mixing ratio by volume of stratospheric NO₂ and CH₄ deduced from infrared spectra taken by means of balloon-borne spectrometers are presented. Possible evidence for the presence of formaldehyde in the stratosphere is also given.     

Deep inside a neoproterozoic intra-oceanic arc: growth,differentiation and exhumation of the Amalaoulaou complex (Gourma,Mali)

We show here that the Amalaoulaou complex, in the Pan-African belt of West Africa (Gourma, Mali), corresponds to the lower and middle sections of a Neoproterozoic intra-oceanic arc. This complex records a 90–130-Ma-long evolution of magmatic inputs and differentiation above a subducting oceanic slab. Early c. 793 Ma-old metagabbros crystallised at lower crustal or uppermost mantle depths (25–30 km) and have geochemical characteristic of high-alumina basalts extracted from a depleted mantle source slightly enriched by slab-derived sedimentary components ((La/Sm)_N < 1; ε_Nd: +5.4–6.2; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7027–0.7029). In response to crustal thickening, these mafic rocks were recrystallised into garnet-granulites (850–1,000°C; 10–12 kbar) and subject to local dehydration–melting reactions, forming trondhjemititic leucosomes with garnet–clinopyroxene–rutile residues. Slightly after the granulitic event, the arc root was subject to strong HT shearing during partial exhumation (detachment faults/rifting or thrusting), coeval with the emplacement of spinel- and garnet-pyroxenite dykes crystallised from a high-Mg andesitic parental magma. Quartz and hornblende-gabbros (700–660 Ma) with composition typical of hydrous volcanic rocks from mature arcs ((La/Sm)_N: 0.9–1.8; ε_Nd: +4.6 to +5.2; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7028–0.7031) were subsequently emplaced at mid-arc crust levels (~15 km). Trace element and isotopic data indicate that magmas tapped a depleted mantle source significantly more enriched in oceanic sedimentary components (0.2%). Exhumation occurred either in two stages (700–660 and 623 Ma) or in one stage (623 Ma) with a final exhumation of the arc root along cold P-T path (550°C, 6–9 kbar; epidote–amphibolite and greenschist facies conditions) during the main Pan-African collision event (620–580 Ma). The composition of magmas forming the Cryogenian Amalaoulaou arc and the processes leading to intra-arc differentiation are strikingly comparable to those observed in the deep section of exposed Mezosoic oceanic arcs, namely the Kohistan and Talkeetna complex. This evolution of the Amalaoulaou oceanic arc and its accretion towards the West African craton belong to the life and closure of the Pharusian Ocean that eventually led to the formation of the Greater Gondwana supercontinent, a similar story having occurred on the other side of the Sahara with the Mozambique Ocean.     

Energetic electron signatures of Saturn's smaller moons: Evidence of an arc of material at Methone

We present several energetic charged particle microsignatures of two Lagrange moons, Telesto and Helene, measured by the MIMI/LEMMS instrument. These small moons absorb charged particles but their effects are usually obscured by Tethys and Dione, the two larger saturnian satellites that occupy the same orbits. The scales and structures of these microsignatures are consistent with standard models for electron absorption from asteroid-sized moons in Saturn's radiation belts. In the context of these observations, we also examine the possibility that the 3 km Satellite Methone is responsible for two electron microsignatures detected by Cassini close to this moon's orbit. We infer that a previously undetected arc of material exists at Methone's orbit (R/2006 S5), we speculate how such a structure could form and what its physical characteristics and location could be. The origin of this arc could be linked to a possible presence of a faint ring produced by micrometeoroid impacts on Methone's surface, to E-ring dust clump formation at that distance or to temporary dust clouds produced by enceladian activity that spiral inwards under the effect of non-gravitational forces.     

Carbon-isotope records of the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) oceanic anoxic event from the Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps) sections: palaeoceanographic and stratigraphic implications

The Toarcian oceanic anoxic event ( ca 183 Ma) coincides with a global perturbation marked by enhanced organic carbon burial and a general decrease in calcium carbonate production, probably triggered by changes in the composition of marine plankton and elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This study is based on high-resolution sampling of two stratigraphic successions, located in Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps), Italy, which represent expressions of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in deep-water pelagic sediments. These successions are characterized by the occurrence of black shales showing relatively low total organic carbon concentrations (compared with coeval strata in Northern Europe), generally < 2%, and low hydrogen indices. On this basis, they are similar to other Toarcian black shales described from the Tethyan region. The positive and negative carbon-isotope records from the two localities permit a high-resolution correlation such that ammonite biostratigraphy information from Valdorbia can be transferred to those parts of the Monte Mangart section that lack these fossils. Spectral analyses of δ¹³C_org values and of CaCO₃ percentages from the sedimentary records of both the Valdorbia and Monte Mangart sections reveal a strong cyclic pattern, best interpreted as an eccentricity signal which hence implies a duration of ca 500 kyr for the negative carbon-isotope excursion. Based on the carbon-isotope curves obtained, the high-resolution correlation between the Italian successions and a section in Yorkshire (Northern Europe) confirms the supposition that the apparent mismatch between the dating of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in the Boreal and Tethyan realms is an artefact of biostratigraphy.     

Book review

Nga tini a Tangaroa, a Maori‐English, English‐Maori dictionary offish names. By R. R. Strickland. New Zealand fisheries occasional publication 5. 1990. 64 unnumbered pages, ISSN 0113–227X. Available from Primedia Bookshop, P.O. Box 2526, Wellington, New Zealand. Price: $26.95.     

Experimental evaluation of biases associated with sampling estuarine fishes with seines

Beach seines are widely used to estimate the density and species richness of fishes in estuaries. We evaluated the causes and extent of bias in estimates from seines using a series of field experiments in small estuaries in southern California, USA. Seining in spatially paired areas that were either enclosed by block nets or not, revealed that seines used without block nets und erestimated density by more than 4-fold and species richness by more than 2-fold relative to blocked areas. Seining in paired blocked areas with seines of two lengths revealed that net length affected estimates of density, but not species richness; a 7.6-m long seine produced 1.6-fold higher estimates of total density than did a 15.2-m long seine due to increased catches of demersal fishes, but not midwater species. Paired sampling in blocked areas also revealed that many fishes initially evaded capture by the seine. Estimates of density but not species richness were significantly higher in areas through which a seine was swept 5 times compared to once. This was due to higher catches of demersal fishes but not midwater fishes in areas seined 5 times. Repeated seining through blocked areas revealed that the vast majority (90% or more) of species and individuals of midwater fishes were captured within the first 5 sweeps, compared to only about 50% of the individuals of demersal species. A mark-recapture study in blocked areas revealed lower probabilities of capture for demersal species relative to midwater species.     

Underground Temperature Measurements as a Tool for Volcanic Activity Monitoring in the Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands

The spatial distribution of groundwater temperatures in the volcanic island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, has been inferred through measurements of water temperatures collected in the vast network of wells and subhorizontal tunnels, locally called “galleries,” which constitutes the main water supply of the island. The spatial coverage of the network of galleries allows us to reach from depth almost any geological feature of the island. The complex spatial distribution of temperatures in the interior of Tenerife is the result of the complex geological evolution of the island. Groundwater temperatures are greatly affected by groundwater flow and are considerably warmer in those galleries located in areas where water circulation is reduced due to the low permeability of materials and/or to the low infiltration rate of cooling meteoric water. In this sense, groundwater temperature should be characterized in quiescent conditions (background level), in order to facilitate monitoring changes in heat flow, such as those induced by ascending gases expected with an increase in volcanic activity.     

The charge distribution on interstellar grains—The effect of induced charge

A calculation of the equilibrium charge acquired by interstellar grains is given, which takes account of polarization charges that are induced in a grain by incident ions and electrons.Both metal and dielectric grains are considered and photoionization of the latter grains by UV radiation is taken into account where necessary. It is found that the inclusion of the polarization charges in the calculation is only important in gas clouds where the mean charge on a grain is low (<1e); that is, for HI regions and dense molecular clouds. In such clouds, the effect of the polarization charges is to increase the amount of negative charge acquired by a grain. A discussion is given concerning the validity of the classical electrostatic theory employed in the paper for small grains of radius 10^–6 cm, and some astrophysical consequences of the modification of the grain charge by polarization effects are considered.