Dynamics of Saxothuringian subduction channel/wedge constrained by phase‐equilibria modelling and micro‐fabric analysis

Subduction and exhumation dynamics can be investigated through analysis of metamorphic and deformational evolution of associated high‐grade rocks. The Erzgebirge anticline, which forms at the boundary between the Saxothuringian and Teplá‐Barrandian domains of the Bohemian Massif, provides a useful study area for these processes owing to the occurrence of numerous meta‐basites preserving eclogite facies assemblages, and coesite and diamond bearing quartzofeldspathic lithologies indicating subduction to deep mantle depths. The prograde and retrograde evolution of meta‐basite from the Czech portion of the Erzgebirge anticline has been constrained through a combination of thermodynamic modelling and conventional thermobarometry. Garnet growth zoning indicates that the rocks underwent burial and heating to peak conditions of 2.6 GPa and at least 615 °C. Initial exhumation occurred with concurrent cooling and decompression resulting in the growth of amphibole and zoisite poikiloblasts overgrowing and including the eclogite facies assemblage. The development of clinopyroxene–plagioclase–amphibole symplectites after omphacite and Al‐rich rims on matrix amphibole indicate later heating at the base of the lower crust. Omphacite microstructures, in particular grain size analysis and lattice‐preferred orientations, indicate that the prograde evolution was characterized by a constrictional strain geometry transitioning into plane strain and oblate fabrics during exhumation. The initial constrictional strain pattern is interpreted as being controlled by competing slab pull and crustal buoyancy forces leading to necking of the subducting slab. The transition to plane strain and flattening geometries represents transfer of material from the subducting lithosphere into a subduction channel, break‐off of the dense slab and rebound of the buoyant crustal material.     

Neutral sodium atoms release from the surface of the Moon induced by meteoroid impacts

In this work, we calculate the vapour and neutral Na production rates on the Moon, as due to the impacts of meteoroids in the radius range of 10⁻⁸–0.15 m. We limit our calculations to this size range, since meteoroids with radius larger than 0.15 m have not been found to be important for the production of the exosphere in a time interval comparable with that of the observations.
We have considered a new dynamical model of the flux of meteoroids at the heliocentric distance of the Moon, regarding objects in the radius range of 10⁻²–0.15 m. Instead, the flux of smaller meteoroids (radius range 10⁻⁸–10⁻² m) has been calculated using the two distributions adopted by Cintala and Love & Brownlee.
The results of our model are that (i) the neutral Na production rate is  ∼3–4.9 × 10⁴ atoms cm⁻² s⁻¹  , slightly larger than the previous estimates  (∼2–3 × 10⁴ atoms cm⁻² s⁻¹)  , and (ii) only about 6 per cent of neutral Na is produced by the impacts of meteoroids in the size range 10⁻³–0.15 m, whereas about 94 per cent of the Na comes from the  10⁻⁵–10⁻³ m  size range.     

Unique isoprene oxidation products demonstrate chlorine atom chemistry occurs in the Houston,Texas urban area

As part of the 2000 Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS), we studied the isoprene oxidation process under ambient conditions to discern the presence of chlorine atom (Cl) chemistry in the Houston, Texas urban area. By measuring chloromethylbutenone (CMBO) and an isomer of chloromethylbutenal (CMBA), we clearly observed sixteen episodes of active Cl chemistry during the 24-day experiment. Estimated median Cl concentration during each of these episodes was between the detection limit of ~10² atoms cm⁻³ and 50 _{- 30} ^{+ 70} ×10⁴ 50_{ - 30}^{ + 70} \times {10^4} atoms cm⁻³. Cl concentration during all the episodes averaged 7.6 _{- 2.0} ^{+ 4.7} ×10⁴ 7.6_{ - 2.0}^{ + 4.7} \times {10^4} atoms cm⁻³ and thus amounted to less than 3% of the OH concentration during the same periods. During the episodes, the fraction of oxidation chemistry initiated by Cl ranged from 3–43% and was strongly dependent on the quantity and type of hydrocarbons present in the atmosphere. Because of its intermittent presence and low concentration, Cl is not a broadly influential oxidant in the Houston, Texas urban area.     

Water renewal estimates for aquaculture developments in the Richibucto estuary,Canada

Water renewal in semi-enclosed coastal areas is crucial for the supply of oxygen and seston and for the removal of organic loadings from finfish or shellfish aquaculture sites. Water renewal depends on hydrodynamic processes and can have a complex spatial distribution due to irregular topographic features. This study describes some physical oceanography observations gathered in the Richibucto estuary, New Brunswick, Canada, and provides an estimate of the spatial distribution of water renewal in the North Arm, a location in the estuary where the largest American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) aquaculture operation in eastern Canada is located. The estuary changes from a well mixed estuary to a partially stratified estuary depending on runoff conditions. Tides are mixed but mainly diurnal due to the nearby presence of the second M₂ amphidromic point in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Tidal amplitudes vary from 0.3 to 0.6 m and show a slight increase some 35 km upstream. Currents in the main channel can reach over 0.60 m s⁻¹ during ebb and 0.3 m s⁻¹ during flood, with a slack water period of approximately 8 h. Low frequency sea level fluctuations have a range of 0.5 m at the mouth and are coherent within the estuary. Hydrodynamic and advection-dispersion models are used to calculate the spatial distribution of the local renewal time (LRT) in the North Arm for high and low freshwater discharge conditions, using the dissolved tracer method. Results show that the LRT varies from less than 5 d at the downstream end of the North Arm to over 100 d further upstream. When averaged over the entire North Arm, the integral renewal time (IRT) is estimated to vary only from 8 to 21 d depending on the season. The LRT and IRT estimates are major improvements over conventional renewal estimates using tidal prism methods.     

Dynamo currents representing geomagnetic L variation demonstrated by a multi-layer ionospheric model

A multi-layer ionospheric model and lunar (2,2) tidal mode have been used to calculate dynamo current systems representing lunar geomagnetic semidiurnal variations. Since both the height variation of the ionospheric conductivities and latitudinal dependence of the height of the conductivity peaks have been taken into account, the dynamo current systems agree with equivalent ones (estimated from geomagnetic data) better than those for a thin shell model of the ionospheric conductivity, especially in the polar region.     

Fall,classification and cosmogenic records of the Sabrum (LL6) chondrite

Abstract— The petrographic and chemical characteristics of a fresh Indian meteorite fall at Sabrum are described. Its mean mineral composition is defined by olivine (Fa_31.4), orthopyroxene (Fs_25.1,Wo_2.0), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₅En_45.6Fs_9.4) and plagioclase (An_10.6Ab_83.6Or_5.8). The meteorite shows moderate shock features, which indicate that it belongs to the S4 category. Based on mineralogical and chemical criteria the meteorite is classified as an LL6 brecciated veined chondrite. Several cosmogenic radioisotopes (⁴⁶Sc, ⁷Be, ⁵⁴Mn, ²²Na and ²⁶Al), noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe), nitrogen isotopes, and particle tracks density have been measured. Concentrations of cosmogenic ²¹Ne and ³⁸Ar indicate that its cosmic‐ray exposure age is 24.8 Ma. Small amounts of trapped Kr and Xe, consistent with petrologic class 5/6, are present. The track density in olivines is found to be (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10⁶/cm². Activities of most of the short‐lived isotopes are lower than those expected from solar cycle variation. ²²Na/²⁶Al (1.12 ± 0.02) is found to be significantly anomalous, being ?25% lower than expected from the Climax neutron monitor data. These results indicate that the cosmic‐ray flux during the terminal segment of the meteoroid orbit was low. The activities of ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Co and the track density indicate small meteoroid size with a radius ?15 cm.     

The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes

Fusion crusts form during the atmospheric entry heating of meteorites and preserve a record of the conditions that occurred during deceleration in the atmosphere. The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite closely resembles that of other stony meteorites, and in particular CM2 chondrites, since it is dominated by olivine phenocrysts set in a glassy mesostasis with magnetite, and is highly vesicular. Dehydration cracks are unusually abundant in Winchcombe. Failure of this weak layer is an additional ablation mechanism to produce large numbers of particles during deceleration, consistent with the observation of pulses of plasma in videos of the Winchcombe fireball. Calving events might provide an observable phenomenon related to meteorites that are particularly susceptible to dehydration. Oscillatory zoning is observed within olivine phenocrysts in the fusion crust, in contrast to other meteorites, perhaps owing to temperature fluctuations resulting from calving events. Magnetite monolayers are found in the crust, and have also not been previously reported, and form discontinuous strata. These features grade into magnetite rims formed on the external surface of the crust and suggest the trapping of surface magnetite by collapse of melt. Magnetite monolayers may be a feature of meteorites that undergo significant degassing. Silicate warts with dendritic textures were observed and are suggested to be droplets ablated from another stone in the shower. They, therefore, represent the first evidence for intershower transfer of ablation materials and are consistent with the other evidence in the Winchcombe meteorite for unusually intense gas loss and ablation, despite its low entry velocity.     

Simulation of scree‐slope dynamics: investigating the distribution of debris avalanche events in an idealized two‐dimensional model

We present a two‐dimensional model of the development of scree slopes using the discrete‐element method. We concentrate on the dynamics of the accumulating debris at the cliff foot rather than on the failure modes of the cliff‐face or shape of the underlying rock surface. The evolution of this unconsolidated material is intermittent and systematically changing over time, with an early high disturbance regime, dominated by a characteristic event size (where 65% of particles in the debris are in motion to some extent), replaced at later times by many shallow slides interspersed with infrequent large events that involve motion through almost the full scree depth. These large slides lead to a stratigraphy in which the layers of material are stretched almost horizontal near the base of the slope. The scree surface thus shows a gradient in age with most recent rock‐fall close to the cliff and the oldest rock‐fall debris outcropping at the foot. The final surface slope tends to show little curvature, and the final mean slope is well correlated with the angle of internal friction of the particles, although the change is very small over a wide range of friction angles [final slope (in degrees relative to horizontal) ~ 0.043 × internal friction angle + 17.49, with a correlation coefficient of 0.89, p‐value 0.0001]. Some weak size‐segregation of the debris is found, but this seems to have little to do with individual particles bounding down the slope. The shape of the rock core agrees largely with the analytic forms given by Fisher–Lehmann and Bakker–Le Heux expressions, but the original simple Fisher quadratic can give the best fit. Overall the evolution shows a remarkable insensitivity to the model parameters, suggesting that the controls on dry scree‐slope evolution are primarily geometric in character. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.