Automated mapping of rock slope geometry,kinematics and stability with RSS-GIS

A GIS-implemented, deterministic approach for the automated spatial evaluation of geometrical and kinematical properties of rock slope terrains is presented. Based on spatially distributed directional information on planar geological fabrics and DEM-derived topographic attribute data, the internal geometry of rock slopes can be characterized on a grid cell basis. For such computations, different approaches for the analysis and regionalization of available structural directional information applicable in specific tectonic settings are demonstrated and implemented in a GIS environment. Simple kinematical testing procedures based on feasibility criteria can be conducted on a pixel basis to determine which failure mechanisms are likely to occur at particular terrain locations. In combination with hydraulic and strength data on geological discontinuities, scenario-based rock slope stability evaluations can be performed. For conceptual investigations on rock slope failure processes, a GIS-based specification tool for a 2-D distinct element code (UDEC) was designed to operate with the GIS-encoded spatially distributed rock slope data. The concepts of the proposed methodology for rock slope hazard assessments are demonstrated at three different test sites in Germany.     

Sea‐level and ocean‐current control on carbonate‐platform growth,Maldives, Indian Ocean

Multichannel high‐resolution seismic and multibeam data were acquired from the Maldives‐isolated carbonate platform in the Indian Ocean for a detailed characterization of the Neogene bank architecture of this edifice. The goal of the research is to decipher the controlling factors of platform evolution, with a special emphasis on sea‐level changes and changes of the oceanic currents. The stacking pattern of Lower to Middle Miocene depositional sequences, with an evolution of a ramp geometry to a flat‐topped platform, reflects variations of accommodation, which here are proposed to be primarily governed by fluctuations of relative sea level. Easterly currents during this stage of bank growth controlled an asymmetric east‐directed progradation of the bank edge. During the late middle Miocene, this system was replaced by a twofold configuration of bank development. Bank growth continued synchronously with partial bank demise and associated sediment‐drift deposition. This turnover is attributed to the onset and/or intensification of the Indian monsoon and related upwelling and occurrence of currents, locally changing environmental conditions and impinging upon the carbonate system. Mega spill over lobes, shaped by reversing currents, formed as large‐scale prograding complexes, which have previously been interpreted as deposits formed during a forced regression. On a regional scale, a complex carbonate‐platform growth can occur, with a coexistence of bank‐margin progradation and aggradation, as well as partial drowning. It is further shown that a downward shift of clinoforms and offlapping geometries in carbonate platforms are not necessarily indicative for a sea‐level driven forced regression. Findings are expected to be applicable to other examples of Cenozoic platforms in the Indo‐Pacific region.     

Evidence for delayed poleward expansion of North Atlantic surface waters during the last interglacial (MIS 5e)

The Last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage or MIS 5e) surface ocean heat flux from the Rockall Basin (NE Atlantic) towards the Arctic Ocean was reconstructed by analysing dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages in four sediment cores. Together with records of stable isotopes and ice-rafted detritus, the assemblage data reflect the northward retreat of ice(berg)-laden waters and the gradual development towards interglacial conditions at the transition from the Saalian deglaciation (Termination II) into MIS 5e. At the Rockall Basin, this onset of the Last Interglacial is soon followed by the appearance of the thermophilic dinocyst species Spiniferites mirabilis, with relative abundances higher than those observed at present in the area. North of the Iceland-Scotland Ridge, however, S. mirabilis only appears in significant numbers during late MIS 5e, between ～118 and 116.5 ka. Hence, fully marine Last Interglacial conditions with most intense Atlantic surface water influence occurred during late MIS 5e in the Nordic seas, and consequently also farther north in the Arctic Ocean, and at times when northern hemisphere summer insolation was already significantly decreased. The stratigraphic position of this Late Interglacial optimum is supported by planktic foraminifers and contrasts with the timing of the early Holocene climatic optimum in this area. We interpret the delayed northward expansion of Atlantic waters towards the polar latitudes as a result of the Saalian ice sheet deglaciation and its specific impact on the subsequent water mass evolution in this region.     

Crystal fractionation and partial melting in the petrogenesis of a Proterozoic high-MgO volcanic suite,Ungava, Québec

There is little concensus on the relative importance of crystal fractionation and differential partial melting to the chemical diversity observed within most types of volcanic suites. A resolution to this controversy is best sought in suites containing high MgO lavas such as the Chukotat volcanics of the Proterozoic Cape Smith foldbelt, Ungava, Quebec. The succession of this volcanic suite consists of repetitive sequences, each beginning with olivine-phyric basalt (19-12 wt% MgO), grading upwards to pyroxene-phyric basalt (12-8 wt% MgO) and then, in later sequences, to plagioclase-phyric basalt (7-4 wt% MgO). Only the olivine-phyric basalts have compositions capable of equilibrating with the upper mantle and are believed to represent parental magmas for the suite. The pyroxene-phyric and plagioclase-phyric basalts represent magmas derived from these parents by the crystal fractionation of olivine, with minor chromite, clinopyroxene and plagioclase. The order of extrusion in each volcanic sequence is interpreted to reflect a density effect in which successively lighter, more evolved magmas are erupted as hydrostatic pressure wanes. The pyroxene-phyric basalts appear to have evolved at high levels in the active part of the conduit system as the eruption of their parents was in progress. The plagioclase-phyric basalts may represent residual liquids expelled from isolated reservoirs along the crust-mantle interface during the late stages of volcanic activity.A positive correlation between FeO and MgO in the early, most basic olivine-phyric basalts is interpreted to reflect progressive adiabatic partial melting in the upper mantle. Although this complicates the chemistry, it is not a significant factor in the compositional diversification of the volcanic suite. The preservation of such compositional melting effects, however, suggests that the most basic olivine-phyric basalts represent primitive magmas. The trace element characteristics of these magmas, and their derivatives, indicate that the mantle source for the Chukotat volcanics had experienced a previous melting event.     

Relationship between the effective diffusion coefficient of soil radon and groundwater recharge in semi-arid areas

Herein, the relationship between soil radon behavior and groundwater recharge in the town of Hosha, a semi-arid area of Jordan is explored. The annual rainfall average in this area is between 60–100 mm year⁻¹. Soil radon concentration levels, using CR-39 detectors, have been measured at several depths. Nine sampling sites on a hill slope, in the summer and winter 2006 were chosen. Other soil parameters such as moisture, soil type and porosity were also measured. Correlation between the latter and the calculated effective diffusion coefficients, based on a linear approximation, was done in order to explore water movement. A weak correlation between the soil radon concentration and water recharge in this particular semi-arid area is observed. The results show that water recharge takes place vertically, i.e., water moves downward and in one of the nine sampling sites this movement seems to be more rapid compared to the other sites.     

Variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 6819

We report on the discovery of 25 variable stars plus 13 suspected variables found in the field of the open cluster NGC 6819. The stars were identified from time-series photometric data obtained on the Isaac Newton Telescope, La Palma, during two observing runs covering the 19 nights between 1999 June  22–30  and 1999 July  22–31  . The variables found include 12 eclipsing binaries with an additional three suspected, nine BY Draconis systems, plus four variables of other types, including one star believed to be a Cepheid. Three of the 15 eclipsing binaries are believed to be cluster members. Details of a further 10 suspected variable stars are also included.     

Grain-scale variations in trace element composition of fluid-altered zircon,Acasta Gneiss Complex,northwestern Canada

SEM back-scattered electron images of zircon separates from a 2.9 Ga granitic dyke from the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Slave Province, reveal primary igneous oscillatory zoning which is transgressively overprinted by irregular alteration domains. Electron microprobe analyses show that altered zircon domains are depleted in Zr and Si relative to unaltered zircon while retaining a constant Zr/Si ratio. SIMS trace element analyses indicate that LREE are preferentially enriched in the altered domains. Altered zircon contains elevated concentrations of Ba (up to 580 ppm), Ca (up to 2% weight of the element) and common Pb (>50 ppb). The presence of LREE, Ca, Ba and common Pb in the zircons is interpreted to be the result of secondary alteration by an aqueous fluid, and not by primary incorporation during crystallization. We propose that the alteration-related elements are located in amorphous zircon domains.     

Gamma-Hadron Separation using Čerenkov Photon Density Fluctuations

In the atmospheric Čerenkov technique γ-rays are detected against the abundant background produced by hadronic showers. In order to improve the signal to noise ratio of theexperiment, it is necessary to reject a significant fraction of hadronic showers. Traditional background rejection methods based on image shape parameters have been extensively used for the data from imaging telescopes. However, non-imaging Čerenkov telescopes have to develop very different means of statistically identifying and removing cosmic ray events. Some of the parameters, which could be potentially important for non-imaging arrays, are the temporal and spectral differences, the lateral distributions and density fluctuations of Čerenkov photons generated by γ-ray and hadron primaries. Here we study the differences in fluctuations of Čerenkov photon density in the light pool at the observation level from showers initiated by photons and those initiated by protons or heavier nuclei. The database of simulated events for the PACT array has been used to evaluate the efficiency of the new technique. Various types of density fluctuations like the short range and medium range fluctuations as well as flatness parameter are studied. The estimated quality factors reflect the efficiencies with which the hadrons can be rejected from the data. Since some of these parameters are independent, the cuts may be applied in tandem and we demonstrate that the proton rejection efficiency of ∼90% can be achieved. Use of density fluctuations is particularly suited for wavefront sampling observations and it seems to be a good technique to improve the signal to noise ratio. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Compositional Zoning of the Bishop Tuff

Compositional data for >400 pumice clasts, organized accordingto eruptive sequence, crystal content, and texture, providenew perspectives on eruption and pre-eruptive evolution of the>600 km³ of zoned rhyolitic magma ejected as the Bishop Tuffduring formation of Long Valley caldera. Proportions and compositionsof different pumice types are given for each ignimbrite packageand for the intercalated plinian pumice-fall layers that eruptedsynchronously. Although withdrawal of the zoned magma was lesssystematic than previously realized, the overall sequence displaystrends toward greater proportions of less evolved pumice, morecrystals (0·5–24 wt %), and higher FeTi-oxide temperatures(714–818°C). No significant hiatus took place duringthe 6 day eruption of the Bishop Tuff, nearly all of which issuedfrom an integrated, zoned, unitary reservoir. Shortly beforeeruption, however, the zoned melt-dominant portion of the chamberwas invaded by batches of disparate lower-silica rhyolite magma,poorer in crystals than most of the resident magma but slightlyhotter and richer in Ba, Sr, and Ti. Interaction with residentmagma at the deepest levels tapped promoted growth of Ti-richrims on quartz, Ba-rich rims on sanidine, and entrapment ofnear-rim melt inclusions relatively enriched in Ba and CO₂.Varied amounts of mingling, even in higher parts of the chamber,led to the dark gray and swirly crystal-poor pumices sparselypresent in all ash-flow packages. As shown by FeTi-oxide geothermometry,the zoned rhyolitic chamber was hottest where crystal-richest,rendering any model of solidification fronts at the walls orroof unlikely. The main compositional gradient (75–195ppm Rb; 0·8–2·2 ppm Ta; 71–154 ppmZr; 0·40–1·73% FeO*) existed in the melt,prior to crystallization of the phenocryst suite observed, whichincluded zircon as much as 100 kyr older than the eruption.The compositions of crystals, though themselves largely unzoned,generally reflect magma temperature and the bulk compositionalgradient, implying both that few crystals settled or were transportedfar and that the observed crystals contributed little to establishingthat gradient. Upward increases in aqueous gas and dissolvedwater, combined with the adiabatic gradient (for the 5 km depthrange tapped) and the roofward decline in liquidus temperatureof the zoned melt, prevented significant crystallization againstthe roof, consistent with dominance of crystal-poor magma earlyin the eruption and lack of any roof-rind fragments among theBishop ejecta, before or after onset of caldera collapse. Amodel of secular incremental zoning is advanced wherein numerousbatches of crystal-poor melt were released from a mush zone(many kilometers thick) that floored the accumulating rhyoliticmelt-rich body. Each batch rose to its own appropriate levelin the melt-buoyancy gradient, which was self-sustaining againstwholesale convective re-homogenization, while the thick mushzone below buffered it against disruption by the deeper (non-rhyolitic)recharge that augmented the mush zone and thermally sustainedthe whole magma chamber. Crystal–melt fractionation wasthe dominant zoning process, but it took place not principallyin the shallow melt-rich body but mostly in the pluton-scalemush zone before and during batchwise melt extraction. KEY WORDS: Bishop Tuff; ignimbrite; magma zonation; mush model; rhyolite