A PORTABLE PROTON PRECESSION MAGNETOMETER*

The paper describes a transistorised, portable proton precession magnetometer constructed for surface geophysical prospecting. Constructional and circuit details are furnished. The readout of the instrument is digital. The accuracy of measurement is ± 1 part in 20,000. The maximum gradient of the total field under which a satisfactory measurement can be made is about 1 gamma/cm. The sensing head uses a single coil system with distilled water as the proton sample.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF MAJOR,MINOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SIX CCRMP (TDB-1, WGB-1, UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1 AND WMS-1) AND ONE IWG (ZW-C) GEOCHEMICAL CANDIDATE REFERENCE MATERIALS*

Elemental compostions of six CCRMP (TDB-1, WGB-1, UMT-1, WPR-1, WMG-1 and WMS-1) and one IWG (ZW-C) geochemical candidate reference materials were determined by XRF, ICP-AES, ICP-MS, GFAAS and other modern instrumental techniques. Inter-method results compared favourably in the case of elements for which multiple data were available.     

ORDERED PEAK STATISTICS THROUGH DIGITAL SIMULATION

A detailed knowledge of the seismic response time history in the form of the first, second, third, … largest peak amplitudes is useful to understand the progressive damage in a structure. This information is however not available from the conventionally used response spectra. This paper provides a formulation of the statistics of these higher order peaks by proposing a digitally simulated joint density function for the peaks in a stationary, Gaussian process. A digital experimentation has been done by generating an ensemble of the single-degree-of-freedom oscillator response to several artificial accelerograms, and the corresponding ordered peak distributions have been found to be in close agreement with the predictions based on the formulation in this paper. The peak factors based on the proposed formulation have also been compared with those from the existing formulations based on the Markov theory and on the assumption of peak independence. It has been found that whereas the peak factors from the proposed and Markovian formulations are compatible, the assumption of independence may give reasonable estimates only for the first few orders of peaks.     

PROPAGATION OF TORSIONAL SURFACE WAVES IN A HOMOGENEOUS SUBSTRATUM OVER A HETEROGENEOUS HALF-SPACE

The paper discusses the propagation of torsional surface wave in a homogeneous substratum over a half-space with linearly varying rigidity and density. The study reveals that under assumed conditions, a torsional surface wave propagates in the medium. The velocities of torsional surface waves have been calculated numerically and are presented in a number of graphs. It is also observed that for a stratum over a homogeneous half-space, the velocity of torsional surface waves coincides with that of Love waves. For a non-homogeneous half-space it is observed that the velocity of torsional surface waves is always higher than that of Love waves propagated in a homogeneous layer over a homogeneous half-space. An attempt is also made to assess the possible propagation of torsional surface waves in a half-space with linearly varying rigidity and density, lacking a superficial layer. It is concluded that such a half-space allows two solutions for torsional waves while a homogeneous half-space has one.     

DIKE FORMATION WITH SUBMERGED VANE

1 INTRODUCTION Increasing capital costs, emerging environmental concerns and rising maintenance expenses of conventional river training works around the world have led to the development of submerged vanes in practice. Submerged vanes are being favoured f…     

Controls on sedimentation in distal margin palaeovalleys in the Early Tertiary Alpine foreland basin, south-eastern France

The influence of palaeodrainage characteristics, palaeogeography and tectonic setting are rarely considered as controls on stratigraphic organization in palaeovalley or incised valley systems. This study is an examination of the influence of source region vs. downstream base level controls on the sedimentary architecture of a set of bedrock-confined palaeovalleys developed along the distal margin of the Alpine foreland basin in south-eastern France. Three distinct facies associations are observed within the palaeovalley fills. Fluvial facies association A is mainly dominated by poorly sorted, highly disorganized, clast-to-matrix-supported cobble-to-boulder conglomerates that are interpreted as streamflood deposits. Facies association B comprises mainly yellow siltstones and is interpreted as recording deposition in an estuarine basin environment. Estuarine marine facies association C comprises interstratified estuarine siltstones and clean, well-sorted washover sandstones. The sedimentary characteristics of the valley fill successions are related to the proximity of depositional sites to sediment source areas. Palaeovalleys located proximal to structurally controlled basement palaeohighs are entirely dominated by coarse fluvial streamflood deposits. In contrast, distal palaeovalley segments, which are located several kilometres downstream, contain successions showing upward transition from coarse fluvial facies into estuarine central basin fines, and finally into estuarine-marginal marine facies. Facies distributions suggest that the fluvial deposits form wedge-shaped, downstream-thinning sediment bodies, whereas the estuarine deposits form an upstream-thinning wedge. The vertical stacking of fluvial to estuarine to marginal marine depositional environments records the fluvial aggradation and subsequent transgression of relatively small bedrock-confined river valleys, which drained a rugged, upland terrain. Facies geometries suggest that a fluvial sediment wedge initially prograded downvalley, in response to high bed load sediment yields. Subsequently, palaeovalleys became drowned during the passage of a marine transgression, with the establishment of estuarine conditions. Initial fluvial aggradation and subsequent marine flooding of the palaeovalleys is a consequence of the interaction of high local rates of sediment supply and relative sea-level rise driven by flexural subsidence of the basin.     

Changes in abundance and nature of microimpact craters on the surfaces of Australasian microtektites with distance from the proposed source crater location

Abstract– Over 4600 Australasian microtektites from 11 sediment cores along an N–S transect in the Central Indian Ocean have been investigated optically for microimpact features on their surfaces. Detailed scanning electron microscope examination of 68 microtektites along this transect shows 4091 such features. These samples are located between approximate distances of 3900–5000 km from the suggested impact site in Indochina and therefore constitute distal ejecta. The morphology of the microimpacts seems to show distinct variations with distance from the source crater. The total number of microcraters on each microtektite decreases drastically from North to South indicating systematic decrease in the spatial density of the ejecta, and decrease in collisional activity between microtektites with distance from the proposed source crater location. Closer to the proposed source crater location, the microcraters are predominantly small (few μm), pit bearing with radial and concentric cracks, suggestive of violent interparticle collisions. The scenario is reverse farther from the source crater with smaller numbers of impacted microtektites due to increased dispersion of the ejecta and the microcraters are large and shallow, implying gentle collisions with larger particles. These observations provide systematic ground truth for the processes that take place as the ejecta of a large oblique impact which generated the Australasian tektite strewn field is emplaced. The microimpacts appear to take place during the descent of the ejecta and their intensity and number density decrease as a function of the spatial density of the ejecta at any given place and with distance from the source region. These features could help understand processes that take place during ejecta emplacement on planets with substantial atmosphere such as Mars and Venus.     

Bacterial response to contrasting sediment geochemistry in the Central Indian Basin

In order to investigate whether geochemical, physiographic and lithological differences in two end‐member sedimentary settings could evoke varied microbe–sediment interactions, two 25 cm long sediment cores from contrasting regions in the Central Indian Basin have been examined. Site TVBC 26 in the northern siliceous realm (10°S, 75·5°E) is organic‐C rich with 0·3 ± 0·09% total organic carbon. Site TVBC 08 in the southern pelagic red clay realm (16°S, 75·5°E), located on the flank of a seamount in a mid‐plate volcanic area with hydrothermal alterations of recent origin, is organic‐C poor (0·1 ± 0·07%). Significantly higher bacterial viability under anaerobic conditions, generally lower microbial carbon uptake and higher numbers of aerobic sulphur oxidizers at the mottled zones, characterize core TVBC 26. In the carbon‐poor environment of core TVBC 08, a doubling of the ¹⁴C uptake, a 250 times increase in the number of autotrophic nitrifiers, a four‐fold lowering in the number of aerobic sulphur oxidizers and a higher order of denitrifiers exists when compared with core TVBC 26; this suggests the prevalence of a potentially autotrophic microbial community in core TVBC 08 in response to hydrothermal activity. Microbial activity at the northern TVBC 26 is predominantly heterotrophic with enhanced chemosynthetic activity restricted to tan‐green mottled zones. The southern TVBC 08 is autotrophic with increased heterotrophic activity in the deepest layers. Notably, the bacterial activity is generally dependent on the surface productivity in TVBC 26, the carbon‐rich core, and mostly independent in TVBC 08, the carbon‐poor, hydrothermally influenced core. The northern sediment is more organic sink‐controlled and the southern sediment is more hydrothermal source‐controlled. Hydrothermal activity and associated rock alteration processes may be more relevant than organic matter delivery in these deep‐sea sediments. Thus, this study highlights the relative importance of hydrothermal activity versus organic delivery in evoking different microbial responses in the Central Indian Basin sediments.     

Determination of Ruthenium,Palladium and Iridium in 27 In ternational Reference Silicate and I Ron-Formation Rocks,Ores and Related Materials By Isotope Dilution Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry*

Ruthenium, palladium and iridium have been determined in 27 international reference rocks, ores and related materials by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry using isotope dilution and sample introduction by solution nebulization and electrothermal vaporization, after chemical separation by co-precipitation with tellurium. The accuracy of the procedure is discussed by comparison of the results obtained with synthetic solutions and standard samples.