Major and trace elements in igneous rocks from apollo 15

The concentrations of major and trace elements have been determined in igneous rocks from Apollo 15. All materials analyzed have typical depletions of Eu except for minerals separated from sample 15085. Four samples have concentrations of trace elements that are similar to those of KREEP. The samples of mare basalt from Apollo 15 have higher concentrations of FeO, MgO, Mn, and Cr and lower concentrations of CaO, Na₂O, K₂O, and rare-earth elements (REE) as compared to the samples of mare basalt from Apollos 11, 12, and 14. The samples can be divided into two groups on the basis of their normative compositions. One group is quartz normative and has low concentrations of FeO while the other is olivine normative and has high concentrations of FeO. The trace element data indicate that the samples of olivine normative basalt could be from different portions of a single lava flow. At least two and possible three parent magmas can be identified from the samples of the quartz normative group on the basis of their concentration ratios of Sm to Eu. Within each group, the compositions of the samples appear to be related by crystallization of olivine or pyroxene. Significant variations of the ratio of concentration of Sm to Eu cannot be produced without plagioclase-liquid equilibrium. The source material of mare basalt may be depleted in Eu. Alternatively, the magmas may have assimilated a small volume of material similar to KREEP.Paper dedicated to Prof. Harold C. Urey on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 29 April 1973.     

On redshifts and number counts of extragalactic objects in two cosmological models

Observed redshifts and magnitudes of seven classes of extragalactic objects, and number counts of QSRS are compared with predictions made by cosmological models. The uniform model U 1 and the proposed non-expanding model RHL 5 represent the observations very well. The latter offers numerous advantages. Absolute magnitudes and colors are determined.     

An evaluation of the role played by remote sensing technology following the World Trade Center attack

Remote sensing technology has been widely recognized for contributing to emergency response efforts after the World Trade Center attack on September 11th, 2001. The need to coordinate activities in the midst of a dense, yet relatively small area, made the combination of imagery and mapped data strategically useful. This paper reviews the role played by aerial photography, satellite imagery, and LIDAR data at Ground Zero. It examines how emergency managers utilized these datasets, and identifies significant problems that were encountered. It goes on to explore additional ways in which imagery could have been used, while presenting recommendations for more effective use in future disasters and Homeland Security applications. To plan adequately for future events, it was important to capture knowledge from individuals who responded to the World Trade Center attack. In recognition, interviews with key emergency management and geographic information system (GIS) personnel provide the basis of this paper. Successful techniques should not be forgotten, or serious problems dismissed. Although widely used after September 11th, it is important to recognize that with better planning, remote sensing and GIS could have played an even greater role. Together with a data acquisition timeline, an expanded discussion of these issues is available in the MCEER/NSF report “Emergency Response in the Wake of the World Trade Center Attack; The Remote Sensing Perspective” (Huyck and Adams, 2002)     

Paleoenvironmental analysis of a middle Wisconsinan biota site, southwestern Virginia, U.S.A.

The Ratcliff Site in southwestern Virginia lies in a small second-order stream valley filled with approximately 3.5 m of organic-rich deposits that contain bones of mammoth, mastodon, deer (or antelope), logs, and plant macrofossils. Radiocarbon analyses indicate the age of the organic-rich sediment ranges from > 44,000 to 29,100 ¹⁴C yr BP, a time period with no fossil remains reported in this region of the Appalachians. Analyses of field observations, textural data, organic carbon content, and plant macrofossils indicate that the organic-rich sediments contain interbedded standing-water and debris-flow deposits. Up to 6 m of oxidized debris-flow sediments bury the organic-rich sediments. The presence of Rubus parviflorus (Thimble Berry) throughout the deposit indicates the site had a boreal environment from > 44,000 to 29,100 ¹⁴C yr BP. Plant macrofossil evidence indicates the uplands had stands of spruce/jack-pine forests while the valley contained ponds and associated wetlands. Three debris flows occurred at the site between approximately 38,000 and 29,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, suggesting a recurrence interval for major storms of approximately 3000 yr, even though the apparent stability of the boreal environment implies a climate not conducive to catastrophic rainstorms. This conflicting combination of features suggests that during the middle Wisconsinan this area experienced generally cool climates, dominated by polar air masses, but was punctuated by relatively brief warm periods marked by incursions of tropical air masses.     

Adakitic Dacites Formed by Intracrustal Crystal Fractionation of Water-rich Parent Magmas at Nevado de Longavi Volcano (36{middle dot}2{degrees}S; Andean Southern Volcanic Zone, Central Chile)

The mid-Holocene eruptive products of Nevado de Longavívolcano (36·2°S, Chile) are the only reported occurrenceof adakitic volcanic rocks in the Quaternary Andean SouthernVolcanic Zone (33–46°S). Dacites of this volcano arechemically distinct from other evolved magmas of the regionin that they have high La/Yb (15–20) and Sr/Y (60–90)ratios and systematically lower incompatible element contents.An origin by partial melting of high-pressure crustal sourcesseems unlikely from isotopic and trace element considerations.Mafic enclaves quenched into one of the dacites, on the otherhand, constitute plausible parental magmas. Dacites and maficenclaves share several characteristics such as mineral chemistry,whole-rock isotope and trace element ratios, highly oxidizingconditions (NNO + 1·5 to >NNO + 2, where NNO is thenickel–nickel oxide buffer), and elevated boron contents.A two-stage mass-balance crystal fractionation model that matchesboth major and trace elements is proposed to explain magmaticevolution from the least evolved mafic enclave to the dacites.Amphibole is the main ferromagnesian phase in both stages ofthis model, in agreement with the mineralogy of the magmas.We also describe cumulate-textured xenoliths that correspondvery closely to the solid assemblages predicted by the model.We conclude that Nevado de Longaví adakitic dacites arethe products of polybaric fractional crystallization from exceptionallywater-rich parent magmas. These basaltic magmas are inferredto be related to an exceptionally high, but transient inputof slab-derived fluids released from serpentinite bodies hostedin the oceanic Mocha Fracture Zone, which projects beneath Nevadode Longaví. Fractional crystallization that is modallydominated by amphibole, with very minor garnet extraction, isa mechanism for generating adakitic magmas in cold subductionzones where a high flux of slab-derived fluids is present. KEY WORDS: adakite; amphibole; Andes; differentiation; Southern Volcanic Zone     

An 'outside-in' outburst of Aql X–1

We present optical spectroscopy and optical and infrared photometry of the neutron star soft X-ray transient Aql X–1 during its X-ray outburst of 1997 August. By modelling the X-ray, optical and IR light curves, we find a 3-d delay between the IR and X-ray rise times, analogous to the UV–optical delay seen in dwarf novae outbursts and black hole X-ray transients. We interpret this delay as the signature of an 'outside-in' outburst, in which a thermal instability in the outer disc propagates inward. This outburst is the first of this type definitively identified in a neutron star X-ray transient.