Groundwater residence times and flow paths in fractured rock determined using environmental tracers in the Mission Tunnel; Santa Barbara County,California, USA

Multiple geochemical tracers [ion chemistry, stable isotopes of water, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), tritium] and a 25-year-long record of discharge were used to understand residence times and flow paths of groundwater seeps in the fractured rock aquifer surrounding the Mission Tunnel, Santa Barbara, California. Tritium data from individual seeps indicate that seep waters are a mixture of >45-year-old (recharged prior to the nuclear bomb tests) and young groundwater. CFC data support this interpretation, however, a two-end member mixing model cannot completely explain the age tracer data. Microbial degradation and partial re-equilibration complicate the CFC signal. Spectral analysis of precipitation and groundwater seepage records shows that seepage lags precipitation by 3 months. This delay is related to the advancement of the wetting front and increasing the number of active flow paths. Additionally, the amount of seepage produced by precipitation is less during extended periods of drought than during normal or wet periods, suggesting antecedent conditions strongly affect flow through this fractured rock aquifer.     

Lower crustal granulite xenoliths from the Pannonian Basin,Hungary, Part 2: Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf and O isotope evidence for formation of continental lower crust by tectonic emplacement of oceanic crust

Mafic granulite xenoliths from the lower crust of the Pannonian Basin are dominated by LREE-depleted bulk-rock compositions. Many of these have MORB-like ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd but ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is elevated relative to most MORBs. Their '¹⁸O values cover a wide range from +3.8 to +9.5‰. A group of LREE-enriched mafic granulites have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.704-0.708) and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.5128-0.5124), with higher '¹⁸O values on average (+7.8 to +10.6‰) than the LREE-depleted granulites. The LREE-enriched granulites are, however, isotopically similar to newly discovered metasedimentary granulite xenoliths. A sublinear correlation in )Hf-)Nd isotope space has a shallower slope than the crust-mantle array, with the metasedimentary rocks forming the low )Hf end member; the radiogenic end is restricted to the LREE-depleted granulites and these overlap the field of MORB. Pb isotopes for the LREE-depleted samples are less radiogenic on average than those of the LREE-enriched and metasedimentary xenoliths, and metasedimentary granulites have consistently higher ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. The wide range in '¹⁸O over a restricted range in Nd and Sr isotope values, in combination with the predominance of LREE-depleted trace-element compositions, is consistent with an origin as a package of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust. The existence of '¹⁸O values lower than average MORB and/or mantle peridotite requires that at least some of these rocks were hydrothermally altered at high temperature, presumably in the oceanic lower crust. The low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of the LREE-enriched mafic granulites cannot be explained by simple mixing between a LREE-depleted melt and an enriched component, represented by the recovered metasediments. Instead, we interpret these rocks as the metamorphic equivalent of the shallowest levels of the ocean crust where pillow basalts are intimately intercalated with oceanic sediments. A possible model is accretion of oceanic crustal slices during subduction and convergence, followed by high-grade metamorphism during the Alpine orogeny.     

Application of visual,statistical and artificial neural network methods in the differentiation of water from the exploited aquifers in Kuwait

The ability of artificial neural network to differentiate water samples from the two aquifers of Kuwait on the basis of their major ion chemistry has been demonstrated. The major ion concentration distribution in the groundwater of the Kuwait Group and the Dammam Formation aquifers of Kuwait appears very similar. Cross-plots, supported by the discriminant function analysis of the data, however, suggest that there are some subtle differences in the overall composition of the water from the two aquifers that make it possible to differentiate the water from the two aquifers in almost 80% of the cases. An artificial neural network improved the differentiation capability to 90% of the cases. It is also possible to estimate the fraction of Kuwait Group water in the flow stream of dually completed wells with the help of an artificial neural network developed for this purpose. Electronic Publication     

Environmental impact assessment in the Moradabad industrial area (rivers Ramganga-Ganga interfluve), Ganga Plain,India

Sediment samples collected in the Moradabad area, lying in the interfluve of the Ganga and Ramganga Rivers, were analysed for heavy metals, after studying the geomorphology of the area. Geomorphologically, the area can be divided into three terraces - the T₀, T₁ and T₂ surfaces. The rivers on these three surfaces show varying amounts of pollution depending upon the input from industries and urban settlements. The Ramganga River on the T₀ surface shows the highest amount of pollution. However, the pollution levels in all these rivers show a downstream dilution effect. The characteristic feature of the vast interfluve area (T₂ surface) is the presence of several, independent basins which are closed and rarely interact with each other or with any river. The sediments are redistributed and redeposited within the basin itself, and thus these basins serve as sinks. The sediments of one such basin in the study area show significant concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc and organic carbon. The concentrations of heavy metals in such a basin will show exponential increases with time, because there is no activity to funnel out the sediments and dilute the effect of pollution. This increase will pose more threats, as ultimately it will make its way laterally and vertically through the sediments, thereby polluting groundwater.     

Circulation characteristics of a monsoon depression during BOBMEX-99 using high-resolution analysis

The skill and efficiency of a numerical model mostly varies with the quality of initial values, accuracy on parameterization of physical processes and horizontal and vertical resolution of the model. Commonly used low-resolution reanalyses are hardly able to capture the prominent features associated with organized convective processes in a monsoon depression. The objective is to prepare improved high-resolution analysis by the use of MM5 modelling system developed by the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR). It requires the objective comparison of high and low-resolution analysis datasets in assessing the specific convective features of a monsoon depression. For this purpose, reanalysis datasets of NCAR/NCEP (National Center for Atmospheric Research/National Centers for Environmental Prediction) at a horizontal resolution of 2.5‡ (latitude/longitude) have been used as first guess in the objective analysis scheme. The additional asynoptic datasets obtained during BOBMEX-99 are utilized within the assimilation process. Cloud Motion Wind (CMW) data of METEOSAT satellite and SSM/I surface wind data are included for the improvement of derived analysis. The multiquadric (MQD) interpolation technique is selected and applied for meteorological objective analysis at a horizontal resolution of 30 km. After a successful inclusion of additional data, the resulting reanalysis is able to produce the structure of convective organization as well as prominent synoptic features associated with monsoon depression. Comparison and error verifications have been done with the help of available upper-air station data. The objective verification reveals the efficiency of the analysis scheme.     

Volatiles in glasses from Mauna Loa Volcano,Hawai'i: implications for magma degassing and contamination,and growth of Hawaiian volcanoes

Glasses from Mauna Loa pillow basalts, recent subaerial vents, and inclusions in olivine were analyzed for S, Cl, F, and major elements by electron microprobe. Select submarine glasses were also analyzed for H₂O and CO₂ by infrared spectroscopy. The compositional variation of these tholeiitic glasses is dominantly controlled by crystal fractionation and they indicate quenching temperatures of 1,115-1,196 °C. Submarine rift zone glasses have higher volatile abundances (except F) than nearly all other submarine and subaerial glasses with the maximum concentrations increasing with water depth. The overwhelming dominance of degassed glasses on the submarine flanks of Mauna Loa implies that much of volcano's recent submarine growth involved subaerially erupted lava that reached great water depths (up to 3.1 km) via lava tubes. Anomalously high F and Cl in some submarine glasses and glass inclusions indicate contamination possibly by fumarolic deposits in ephemeral rift zone magma chambers. The relatively high CO₂ but variable H₂O/K₂O and S/K₂O in some submarine rift zone glasses indicates pre-eruptive mixing between degassed and undegassed magma within Mauna Loa's rift system. Volatile compositions for Mauna Loa magmas are similar to other active Hawaiian volcanoes in S and F, but are less Cl-rich than Ll'ihi glasses. However, Cl/K2O ratios are similar. Mauna Loa and Ll'ihi magmas have comparable, but lower H₂O than those from Kilauea. Thus, Kilauea's source may be more H₂O-rich. The dissimilar volatile distribution in glasses from active Hawaiian volcanoes is inconsistent with predictions for a simple, concentrically zoned plume model.     

A coupled,dynamical and chemical model for the prestellar core L1544: Comparison of modeled and observed C<Superscript>18</Superscript>O,HCO<Superscript>+</Superscript>, and CS emission spectra

We consider radiative transfer in C¹⁸O, HCO⁺, and CS molecular lines in a spherically symmetrical, coupled, dynamical and chemical model of a prestellar core whose evolution is determined by ambipolar diffusion. Theoretical and observed line profiles are compared for the well-studied core L1544, which may be a collapsing protostellar cloud. We study the relationship between the line shapes and model parameters. The structure of the envelope and kinematic parameters of the cloud are the most important factors determining the shape of the lines. Varying the input model parameters for the radiative transfer—the kinetic temperature and microturbulent velocity—within the limits imposed by observations does not result in any substantial variations of the line profiles. The comparison between the model and observed spectra indicates that L1544 displays a flattened structure, and is viewed at an oblique angle. A two-dimensional model is needed to reproduce this structure.