Stable and unstable orbits around Mercury

This paper provides a study of the stable and unstable regions around the smaller primary in the framework of the spatial elliptic restricted three-body problem. The definitions and methods used to determine stable and unstable regions are extended to three dimensions. New results concerning the stable and unstable regions around Mercury are obtained in the Sun–Mercury system.     

Effect of hot desert weathering on the bulk‐rock iron isotope composition of L6 and H5 ordinary chondrites

Abstract– Although iron isotopes are increasingly used for meteorites studies, no attempt has been made to evaluate the effect of terrestrial weathering on this isotopic tracer. We have thus conducted a petrographic, chemical, and iron isotopic study of equilibrated ordinary chondrites (OC) recovered from hot Moroccan and Algerian Saharan deserts environment. As previously noticed, we observe that terrestrial desertic weathering is characterized by the oxidation of Fe‐Ni metal (Fe⁰), sulfide and Fe²⁺ occurring in olivine and pyroxene. It produces Fe‐oxides and oxyhydroxides that partially replace metal, sulfide grains and also fill fractures. The bulk chemical compositions of the ordinary chondrites studied show a strong Sr and Ba enrichment and a S depletion during weathering. Bulk meteoritic iron isotope compositions are well correlated with the degree of weathering and S, Sr, and Ba contents. Most weathered chondrites display the heaviest isotopic composition, by up to 0.1‰, which is of similar magnitude to the isotopic variations resulting from meteorite parent bodies’ formation and evolution. This is probably due to the release of isotopically light Fe²⁺ to waters on the Earth’s surface. Hence, when subtle Fe isotopic effects have to be studied in chondrites, meteorites with weathering grade above W2 should be avoided.     

近30年西藏汛期强降水事件的时空变化特征

利用1980-2008年汛期(5～9月)西藏38个气象站逐日降水量资料,定义了西藏强降水标准,并采用REOF、SSA等统计方法,分析了汛期强降水发生频次的时空分布特征。结果表明,西藏地区汛期强降水发生频数自东南向西北逐渐减少,但总体呈不明显的增多趋势,即从20世纪80年代中期开始减少,90年代中期降至最少,之后逐渐增多;频数存在5个异常分布空间型,即南部型、沿江型、东部型、北部型和东南部型。各空间型的强降水发生频数随时间变化均不同,其中南部型、东南部型表现为减少趋势;沿江型、东部型和北部型表现为增多趋势。汛期强降水发生频数的准2～3年和准5～6年周期在5个异常空间型普遍存在。     

Thermo‐tectonic evolution of the south‐central Pyrenees from rifting to orogeny: insights from detrital zircon U/Pb and (U‐Th)/He thermochronometry

Constraining the thermal and denudational evolution of continental margins from extensional episodes to early orogenic stages is critical in the objective to better understand the sediment routing during the growth of orogenic topography. Here, we report 160 detrital zircon U/Pb ages and 73 (U‐Th)/He ages from Albian, Upper Cretaceous and Eocene sandstones from the south‐central Pyrenees. All samples show dominant zircon U/Pb age peaks at 310–320 Ma, indicating a primary contribution from Variscan granites of the central Pyrenean Axial Zone. A secondary population at 450–600 Ma documents zircon grains sourced from the eastern Pyrenees. Zircon (U‐Th)/He ages recovered from older samples document, a Triassic age peak at ca. 241 Ma, corresponding to denudation coeval with the initiation of Atlantic rifting. An Early Cretaceous cooling event at ca. 133 Ma appears consistent with rift‐related exhumation and thermal overprint on the Iberian margin. The (U‐Th)/He age peaks from ca. 80 Ma to ca. 68 Ma with decreasing depositional ages are interpreted to reflect the southward‐migrating thrust‐related exhumation on the pro‐wedge side of the Pyrenean orogen. The increase in lag times, from ca. 15 Ma in the Tremp Formation (ca. 65 Ma) to 28 Ma in the Escanilla Formation (ca. 40 Ma), suggests decreasing exhumation rates from 0.4 km Myr^–1 to 0.2 km Myr^–1. The apparent inconsistency with convergence rates is used to infer that rocks cooled at 68 Ma may have resided in the crust before final exhumation to the surface. Finally, the cooling event observed at 68 Ma provides support to the inferred acceleration of convergence, shortening and exhumation during Late Cretaceous times.     

西藏地区人体舒适度指数的变化特征

采用1980～2009年西藏地区38个气象站的观测资料,分析了该地区人体舒适度指数的时空分布特征。结果表明:(1)无论年或者季节变化,舒适度指数均呈现从东南向西北方向逐渐减少的分布规律,普遍舒适的区域主要位于西藏南部和东南部地区;近30a来西藏地区人体舒适度指数呈现显著增加的趋势;舒适度指数与海拔高度、纬度、温度和相对湿度密切相关;(2)从舒适日数来看,西藏地区基本处于冷或偏冷、凉或偏凉的舒适度状态,寒冷和普遍舒适的日数较少;近30a来西藏地区1级和2级不舒适天数呈现逐渐减少趋势,3级、4级不舒适天数和5级舒适天数呈现逐渐增加的趋势;(3)从适合旅游的舒适天数来看,西北部以6～9月为适宜旅游月份,中部以5～9月或10月为适宜旅游月份,过渡到东南部地区以5～9月或10月为适宜旅游月份,甚至可以提前到4月;旅游适宜月份数和天数由北向南呈逐渐增加的趋势。     

Sub-fossil chironomids are significant indicators of turbidity in shallow lakes of northeastern USA

Small, shallow, temperate lakes are predominant landscape features in North America, however, little is known about their long-term ecosystem dynamics, and few data exist on the chironomid fauna they harbor. Using multivariate analyses, we defined relationships between sub-fossil chironomid assemblage composition and environmental variables in 26 shallow lakes of northeastern USA and quantified how differences in taxonomic resolution affect transfer function model performance. Using redundancy analysis, we found that chironomid assemblages are best explained by turbidity, dissolved inorganic carbon and drainage basin/lake area ratio. Turbidity explained the greatest proportion of variance found in the chironomid assemblage (10.4%), followed by total nitrogen. Through ordination analyses and an analysis of similarity, we found that macrophyte density was also a significant predictor of chironomid assemblages. We used partial least squares analysis to develop a robust model for quantitative reconstruction of turbidity, with r _jack² = 0.62. When using a more coarsely resolved taxonomic dataset, we found that model performance statistics were weaker, suggesting the need for fine-resolution taxonomy. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of variables related to lake trophic state in structuring chironomid assemblages in shallow, temperate lakes and provide tools for inferring past ecological changes in these ecosystems.     

An analytical solution for Kepler's problem

In this paper, we present a framework which provides an analytical (i.e. infinitely differentiable) transformation between spatial coordinates and orbital elements for the solution of the gravitational two-body problem. The formalism omits all singular variables which otherwise would yield discontinuities. This method is based on two simple real functions for which the derivative rules are only required to be known, all other applications – e.g. calculating the orbital velocities, obtaining the partial derivatives of radial velocity curves with respect to the orbital elements – are thereafter straightforward. As it is shown, the presented formalism can be applied to find optimal instants for radial velocity measurements in transiting explanatory systems to constrain the orbital eccentricity as well as to detect secular variations in the eccentricity or in the longitude of periastron.     

Multi-spacecraft Observations of CIR-Associated Ion Increases During the Ulysses 2007 Ecliptic Crossing

The period between 21 June and 8 October, 2007 (Carrington rotations 2058 to 2061), comprising the Ulysses ecliptic plane crossing, was characterized by low solar activity. Excluding the small solar energetic particle events observed during July, the ion increases observed in the inner heliosphere between 100?keV/n and 10?MeV/n were associated with Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs). In this work, we investigate CIR-related ion increases using multipoint observations from Ulysses, ACE, and the twin STEREO spacecraft. The ballistic backmapping technique has been used to correlate in situ observations of these spacecraft and remote-sensing observations of coronal holes. Although the radial, longitudinal and latitudinal separation of the spacecraft (except Ulysses) are relatively small, we find discrepancies when a detailed comparison of narrow structures like stream interfaces and CIR-associated shocks is performed. Therefore we concentrate on the two CIR events from day 5 to day 10 of August 2007 and from day 25 to day 31 of August 2007, which lend themselves to a more undisturbed comparison. Using the multi-spacecraft measurements we could determine a radial gradient of 230±30% AU^?1, which is consistent with previous results by van Hollebeke et al. (J. Geophys. Res. 83, 4723, 1978) of ～?350% AU^?1 using Helios and Pioneer data.

     

Seismically induced shale diapirism: the Mine d’Or section,Vilaine estuary,Southern Brittany

The Pénestin section (southern Brittany) presents large regular undulations, commonly interpreted as evidence of periglacial pingos. It is an upper Neogene palaeoestuary of the Vilaine River reactivated during the middle Quaternary (middle terrace). It is incised into a thick kaolinitic saprolite and deformed by saprolite diapirs. This paper presents the arguments leading to a mechanistic interpretation of the deformations at Pénestin. Neither recent transpressive tectonics nor diagnostic evidence of periglacial pingo have been found despite evidence for a late paleo-permafrost. The major deformational process is shale diapirism, initially triggered by co-seismic water supply, with further loading and lateral spreading on an already deformed and deeply weathered basement, which allowed the shale diapirism to develop. Deformations are favoured by the liquefaction of the saprolite and a seaward mass movement and recorded, rather distant, effects of an earthquake (c. 280 ka B.P.) resulting from the progressive subsidence of the southern Armorican margin. These deformations triggered by an earthquake are similar to those induced by classical shale diapirism. They are probably common in tectonically active continental environments with shallow water table.     

‘Invisible gold’ in bismuth chalcogenides

Gold concentrations have been determined by LA-ICPMS in bismuth chalcogenides (tellurides and sulfosalts, minerals with modular structures; chalcogen X = Te, Se, and S) from 27 occurrences. Deposit types include epithermal, skarn, intrusion-related and orogenic gold. The samples comprised minerals of the tetradymite group, aleksite series, bismuth sulfosalts (cosalite, lillianite, hodrushite, bismuthinite, and aikinite), and accompanying altaite. Gold concentrations in phases of the tetradymite group range from <0.1 to 2527 ppm. Phases in which Bi > X tend to contain lower gold concentrations than Bi₂X₃ minerals (tellurobismuthite and tetradymite). Cosalite and lillianite contain Au concentrations ranging up to 574 and 3115 ppm, respectively. Bismuthinite derivatives have lower Au concentrations: <2 ppm in bismuthinite and up to 542 ppm in aikinite. In our samples, Au concentrations in altaite range from <0.2 to 1662 ppm.Smoother parts of the LA-ICPMS profiles suggest lattice-bound gold, whereas irregularities on the profiles are best explained by the presence of gold particles (?1 μm in diameter). Plotting Au vs. Ag for the entire dataset gives a wedge-shaped distribution, suggesting that Ag underpins Au uptake in both bismuth tellurides and sulfosalts. In the tellurides, correlation trends suggest statistical substitution of Ag(Au), together with Pb, into the octahedral site in the layers. In sulfosalts, Au follows coupled substitutions in which M¹⁺ (Ag, Cu) enters the structure. In tellurides, the presence of van der Waals gaps at chalcogen-chalcogen contacts provides for p-type semi-conductive properties critical for gold scavenging from fluids. Such weak bonds may also act as sites for nucleation of Au (nano)particles. In sulfosalts, contacts between different species that replace one another are also highly predictable to act as traps for (nano)particulate gold.Invisible gold in Bi-chalcogenides is useful to (i) identify trends of orefield zonation, (ii) discriminate between ‘melt’ and ‘fluid-driven’ scavenging, and (iii) interpret replacement and remobilisation processes. Bismuth chalcogenides have the potential to be significant Au carriers in sulfide-poor Au systems, e.g., intrusion-related gold, with impact on the overall Au budget if mean Au concentrations are high enough and the minerals are sufficiently abundant.