Early Neoarchaean A-type granitic magmatism by crustal reworking in Singhbhum craton: Evidence from Pala Lahara area,Orissa

Several volumetrically minor \(\sim \)2.8 Ga anorogenic granites and rhyolites occur along the marginal part of the Singhbhum craton whose origin and role in crustal evolution are poorly constrained. This contribution presents petrographic, geochemical, zircon U–Pb and trace element, and mineral chemical data on such granites exposed in the Pala Lahara area to understand their petrogenesis and tectonic setting. The Pala Lahara granites are calc-alkaline, high-silica rocks and define a zircon U–Pb age of 2.79 Ga. These granites are ferroan, weakly metaluminous, depleted in Al, Ca and Mg and rich in LILE and HFSE. They are classified as A2-type granites with high Y/Nb ratios. Geochemical characteristics (high \(\hbox {SiO}_{2}\) and \(\hbox {K}_{2}\hbox {O}\), very low MgO, Mg#, Cr, Ni and V, negative Eu anomaly, flat HREE and low Sr/Y) and comparison with melts reported by published experimental studies suggest an origin through high-temperature, shallow crustal melting of tonalitic/granodioritic source similar to the \(\sim \)3.3 Ga Singhbhum Granite. Intrusion of the Pala Lahara granites was coeval with prominent mafic magmatism in the Singhbhum craton (e.g., the Dhanjori mafic volcanic rocks and NNE–SSW trending mafic dyke swarm). It is suggested that the \(\sim \)2.8 Ga A-type granites in the Singhbhum craton mark a significant crustal reworking event attendant to mantle-derived mafic magmatism in an extensional tectonic setting.     

Assessment of bearing capacity of interfering strip footings located near sloping surface considering artificial neural network technique

The bearing capacity of interfering footings located near the slope face suffers from reduced bearing capacity due to the formation of the curtailed passive zone. Depending upon the position of the footing, their spacing and steepness of the slope, different extents of bearing capacity reduction can be exhibited. A series of finite element investigation has been done with the aid of Plaxis 3D vAE.01 to elucidate the influence of various geotechnical and geometrical parameters on the ultimate bearing capacity of interfering surface strip footings located at the crest of the natural soil slope. Based on the large database obtained from the numerical simulation, a 6-8-1 Artificial Neural Network architecture has been considered for the assessment of the ultimate bearing capacity of interfering strip footings placed on the crest of natural soil slope. Sensitivity analyses have been conducted to establish the relative significance of the contributory parameters, which exhibited that for the stated problem, apart from shear strength parameters, the setback ratio and spacing of footing are the prime contributory parameters.     

Comparative Analysis of Phytoplankton Composition and Abundance over a Two-Decade Period at the Land–Ocean Boundary of a Tropical Mangrove Ecosystem

Inter-annual variations of phytoplankton abundance and community organization were observed over a two-decade period along with the ancillary parameters at the land–ocean boundary associated with the Sundarban mangrove forest (21°32′ and 22°40′ N and 88°05′ and 89° E), along the NE Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The number of definable Bacillariophyceae species exceeded Dinophyceae taxa, and the total number of bloom-forming species declined from a maximum of ten in 2000 and a minimum of two in 2007. Blooms of the diatom Coscinodiscus radiatus were common in 2000 and 2007. Tide cycles and the onset of the monsoon season played important roles in diurnal and seasonal variability of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton biovolume showed seasonality, with the highest levels during post-monsoon periods and lowest levels during the monsoon period. Phytoplankton abundance was correlated to rainfall patterns, which may be altered by long-term changes in climate.     

Dynamics of intensification of the boreal summer monsoon flow during IOD events

The present study focuses on understanding the dynamics of intensification of the boreal summer monsoon cross-equatorial flow generally observed during positive-Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events, by taking 1994 as a case study. In particular, the influence of the anomalous divergent motions during 1994 (i.e., east–west circulation over equatorial Indian Ocean and the monsoon Hadley-type circulation) on the intensification of summer monsoon cross-equatorial flow is investigated. This problem is examined using diagnostic analyses and simulation experiments from a multi-level global atmospheric model forced with observed diabatic heating. The results suggest that the transfer of kinetic energy (KE) from the divergent motions to the rotational flows can be very effective during IOD periods like 1994; and provides a plausible explanation for the increase of KE of the monsoon cross-equatorial flow over Bay-of-Bengal and adjoining areas. The study also investigates the enhanced activity of westward propagating disturbances observed during 1994 over the monsoon region.     

Rapid assessment of community needs and fisheries status in tsunami-affected communities in Aceh Province,Indonesia

This paper describes the application of the methodology called Rapid Appraisal of Fisheries Management System (RAFMS) to assess quickly the situation in tsunami-affected coastal fisheries in Aceh Province, Indonesia. As a diagnostic tool, the RAFMS is introduced in terms of its conceptual framework and procedures. The RAFMS was used to appraise the status of the fisheries sector in selected 15 villages. Information generated concerning level of fishing effort, marketing patterns and community perspectives on livelihood options are used as three illustrative examples. The paper also provides some insights in applying the RAFMS methodology in the context of disasters and in the broader context of tropical fisheries management.     

Enhanced Joule Heating in Umbral Dots

We present a study of magnetic fields in umbral dots (UDs) and its consequences on the Joule heating of the UDs. Hamedivafa (Astron. Astrophys. 407, 761, 2003) studied the Joule heating using the vertical component of the magnetic field. In this paper the magnetic field profile in the UDs is investigated by including a new azimuthal component of the magnetic field that might explain a relatively large enhancement of Joule heating causing higher brightness near the circumference of the UDs.     

Environmental Effects on the Toxicity of Methyl Mercuric Chloride to Chorella vulgaris.

The effect of different concentrations, viz. 0.01, 0.001 and 0.0001 ppm of methyl mercuric chloride on survival, growth behaviour and chlorophyll content of Chlorella vulgaris has been studied under various environmental conditions. Methyl mercury at 0.01 ppm is 100% toxic to the test alga. At a sublethal (0.001 ppm) dose of CH₃HgCl, Chlorophyll a was more inhibited than Chlorophyll b. Toxicity was found to be very much under the influence of pH as at acid pH growth is highly reduced by a sublethal concentration, whereas the same concentration does not have an inhibitory influence in the alkaline range of pH. Eutrophic waters seem to reduce the heavy metal toxicity in general.     

Torsional wave under initial stress

Summary In this paper, the frequency equation for phase velocity of torsional wave in a rod of circular cross section under initial tension has been obtained. The graphs are plotted to compare the velocity with that in the absence of initial tension. Some analytical informations have been obtained for instability of the body under initial compression.     

Depositional Record of Tidal-Flat Sedimentation in the Permian Coal Measures of Central India: Barakar Formation, Mohpani Coalfield, Satpura Gondwana Basin

The Permian Barakar Formation in the Mohpani coalfield, Satpura Gondwana basin, is composed of three broad lithologies that occur repetitively and are iterdigitated: (1) several metres thick coarse- to medium-grained sandstone bodies with scoured bases, (2) 5-20 m thick medium- to fine-grained sandstone bodies and (3) 5-20 m thick mudstone-dominated packages with variable proportions of centimetre- to decimetre-scale, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, carbonaceous shale and coal. The Barakar strata were previously interpreted as deposits of braided rivers and associated inter-channel flood basin in a continental setting. However, this study recognizes signatures of tidal current from the mudstone-dominated packages implying marine influence during Barakar sedimentation.

The mudstone-dominated sediment bodies are the focus of this paper and comprise of three lithofacies that bear imprints of tidal processes during Barakar sedimentation: (1) heterolith, (2) sandstone, and (3) coal-carbonaceous shale, which alternate with one another within individual bodies. The heterolithic facies show interlayering of sandstone and claystone resembling flaser, wavy and lenticular bedding, as well as pinstripe stratification. Successive sandstone-mudstone couplets indicate periodic waxing and waning of flows. Within individual heterolithic packages, the sandstone:claystone ratio along with the bedding style, varies cyclically upwards giving rise to alternate sandstone-dominated and claystone-dominated intervals suggesting tidal velocity fluctuation reflective of spring-neap lunar cycle. Thickness plots of successive sand-mud couplets also reveal cyclic variation with a conspicuous periodicity of around 12 couplets per cycle, which corroborates the spring-neap-spring (or neap-spring-neap) lunar cycle. Presence of abundant desiccation cracks indicates periodic emergence and points towards an intertidal setting. The sandstone facies is characterized by a variety of wave-generated features such as bundled and chevron upbuilding of lamina, bi-directional foreset orientations, offshooting and draping laminae, scour-and-drape feature, swollen lens-like geometries suggesting their emplacement under storm-induced combined-flow on the tidal-flat. The coal-carbonaceous shale facies represent supratidal marsh environment.     

Cyclone track forecasting based on satellite images using artificial neural networks

Many places around the world are exposed to tropical cyclones and associated storm surges. In spite of massive efforts, a great number of people die each year as a result of cyclone events. To mitigate this damage, improved forecasting techniques must be developed. The technique presented here uses artificial neural networks to interpret NOAA-AVHRR satellite images. A multi-layer neural network, resembling the human visual system, was trained to forecast the movement of cyclones based on satellite images. The trained network produced correct directional forecast for 98% of test images, thus showing a good generalization capability. The results indicate that multi-layer neural networks could be further developed into an effective tool for cyclone track forecasting using various types of remote sensing data. Future work includes extension of the present network to handle a wide range of cyclones and to take into account supplementary information, such as wind speeds, water temperature, humidity, and air pressure.