Experimental constraints on the relative stabilities of the two systems monazite-(Ce) – allanite-(Ce) – fluorapatite and xenotime-(Y) – (Y,HREE)-rich epidote – (Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite,in high Ca and Na-Ca environments under P-T conditions of 200–1000 MPa and 450–750 °C

Mineralogy and Petrology - The relative stabilities of phases within the two systems monazite-(Ce) – fluorapatite – allanite-(Ce) and xenotime-(Y) – (Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite...     

Bivalve population health: Multistress to identify hot spots

This study investigated some stress (metals, parasites) and response (immunity, metallothionein) factors in two cockle and two Manila clam populations. Data from eight seasons were averaged to obtain global baseline values. Stress/response characteristics of each population were compared to population health status that was determined through population dynamics parameters. Four different scenarios were discussed: (1) a lightly stressed cockle population with correct population health but with a risk of deterioration (hot spot); (2) a lightly stressed introduced cockle population threatened of extinction. In this case ecological factors were suspected; (3) a moderately stressed clam population with moderate adaptative response. The population was sustainable but the level of stress should not increase (hotspot); and (4) a stressed clam population and unfavourable ecological conditions preventing clam settlement. This monitoring highlighted that the discrepancy between population health and stress levels could be due to insufficient response by bivalves and/or by unfavourable ecological factors.     

Early angiosperm diversification: evidence from southern South America

In this report, we analyze the angiosperm fossil record (micro- and megafossil) from the central and southern basins of Argentina, southern South America, deposited between the late Barremian (128.3 Ma) to the end of the Coniacian (85.8 Ma). Based on this analysis, three major stages in the evolution of the angiosperms in the southernmost region of South America are established as follows: the late Barremian–Aptian, the latest Aptian-earliest Albian, and the middle Albian- Coniacian. The comparison between our fossil data set and those from Australia, North America, Asia and Europe suggest that the evolution and diversification of the angiosperms at mid and high latitudes in both hemispheres occurred roughly synchronously.     

The impact of climatic and non-climatic factors on land surface temperature in southwestern Romania

Land surface temperature is one of the most important parameters related to global warming. It depends mainly on soil type, discontinuous vegetation cover, or lack of precipitation. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between high LST, synoptic conditions and air masses trajectories, vegetation cover, and soil type in one of the driest region in Romania. In order to calculate the land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index, five satellite images of LANDSAT missions 5 and 7, covering a period of 26 years (1986–2011), were selected, all of them collected in the month of June. The areas with low vegetation density were derived from normalized difference vegetation index, while soil types have been extracted from Corine Land Cover database. HYSPLIT application was employed to identify the air masses origin based on their backward trajectories for each of the five study cases. Pearson, logarithmic, and quadratic correlations were used to detect the relationships between land surface temperature and observed ground temperatures, as well as between land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index. The most important findings are: strong correlation between land surface temperature derived from satellite images and maximum ground temperature recorded in a weather station located in the area, as well as between areas with land surface temperature equal to or higher than 40.0 °C and those with lack of vegetation; the sandy soils are the most prone to high land surface temperature and lack of vegetation, followed by the chernozems and brown soils; extremely severe drought events may occur in the region.     

High tolerance to tributyltin in embryos and larvae of the horseshoe crab,Limulus polyphemus

The effects of acute and chronic exposure to tributyltin (TBT) were examined in bioassays using horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) embryos and “trilobite” larvae. Larvae had>95% survival after 24-h exposure to nominal concentrations of 1–500 μg l^?1 TBT. Survival was also high following 48-h and 72-h exposure to ≤100 μg l^?1 TBT; >50% mortality was seen only after 48-h and 72-h exposure to 500 μg l^?1 TBT. Estimated median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) were >1000 μg l^?1, 742 μg l^?1, and 594 μg l^?1 for 24-h, 48-h, and 72-h exposure, respectively. Much higher toxicity LC₅₀=42 μg l^?1) was seen following chronic exposure of larvae to TBT. Acute exposure to TBT significantly increased the time required by larvae to molt into the first-tailed stage. LC₅₀ for horseshoe crab embryos exposed to TBT were 44 μg l^?1, 20 μg l^?1, and 14 μg l^?1 for 24, 48, and 72 h acute exposure, indicating that this earlier developmental stage was about 30–40 fold more susceptible to TBT than larvae. Horseshoe crabs are highly tolerant of TBT in comparison to early developmental stages of other marine arthropods. The ability of horseshoe crab embryos and larvae to survive in the presence of organotin pollution suggests the possibility of bioaccumulation and movement into the estuarine food chain via shorebirds, gulls, and fish.     

Palaeointensity studies of a late Permian lava succession from Guizhou Province, South China: implications for post-Kiaman dipole field behaviour

Palaeomagnetic results are presented from a volcanic sequence in Zhijin County, Guizhou Province, Southern China. The lavas and associated volcanic breccias comprising the sequence represent a southern extension of the Emeishan volcanic province. Biostratigraphic dating of interbedded limestone units and stratigraphic constraints indicate that the section formed during the late Permian (∼263–255  Ma), and is thus somewhat older than the Emei stratotype section in Sichuan Province, and close in age to reported estimates of the termination of the Permo-Carboniferous (Kiaman) reverse superchron. Rock magnetic analyses and reflected light microscopy indicate that the magnetic mineralogy of the lava units is dominated by fresh, primary magnetites containing a significant fraction of single-domain grains. Thermal demagnetization behaviour of the breccia units is poor, but most lava samples have one or two components of remanence above 250 °C. The normal polarity characteristic remanence held by the lavas implies a post-Kiaman age for this succession and suggests that the termination of the Kiaman occurred prior to 263  Ma, supporting recently published estimates. According to standard criteria, Thellier palaeointensity results from the lavas are of good quality and reveal that the dipole field strength was comparatively low shortly after the termination of the superchron. 80 per cent of samples record relative VDM values in the range 42–52 per cent of the present-day value, supporting recent studies of mid-Kiaman field intensity. This suggests that a low-energy dipole existed at least between 300 and 255  Ma and does not appear to have been confined to the stable reverse polarity interval.     

Lower Paleozoic extensional tectonics in the limit between the West Asturian-Leonese and Central Iberian Zones of the Variscan Fold-Belt in NW Spain

The limit between the West Asturian-Leonese and Central-Iberian Zones in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula is described in the area of Caurel-Truchas (Provinces of Orense and León). From the distribution of the sedimentary formations and the Variscan structures it is inferred that the transition between the two zones was a fault system, which was active during, at least, the Ordovician and Lower Silurian. The faults were supposedly normal, though they had probably some strike-slip component, and gave rise to a half-graben in which a syn-rift sequence was deposited. The latter underwent inversion at the onset of the Variscan tectonism, producing a ramp anticline-syncline pair that forms the more important folds in the area. The varying geometry of these folds is interpreted partly as being due to the existence of previous en échelon folds related to the strike-slip component of the faults and, partly, as a result of the variable intensity of the shear strain undergone during the first variscan phase.

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Zusammenfassung Die Grenze zwischen der West-Asturischen-Leonesischen und Zentral-Iberischen Zone im NW der Iberischen Halbinsel wird aus dem Gebiet von Caurel-Truchas (Provinz Orense und León) beschrieben. Aufgrund der Verteilung der sedimentären Formationen, sowie der variszischen Strukturen wird abgeleitet, daß der Übergang zwischen den beiden Zonen durch ein Störungssystem bedingt wurde, das zumindest zwischen Ordovizium und Untersilur aktiv war. Dabei handelte es sich vermutlich um Abschiebungen mit einer Horizontalverschiebungskomponente. Diese Ausbildung führte zu einem Halbgraben mit darin abgelagerter sedimentärer Syn-Riftsequenz. Letztere wurde während der Anfangsphase der variszischen Tektonik invertiert, so daß es zu einem Rampen-Antiklinal-Synklinal Paar kam, welches die wichtigsten Falten der Gegend bildet. Die variable Geometrie der Falten wird zum einen der Existenz von frühen En-échelon Falten zugeschrieben, die durch die Horizontalverschiebungskomponente der Störungen hervorgerufen wurden; zum anderen sind sie das Resultat der veränderlichen Intensität der Scherspannung während der ersten variszischen Phase.

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Resumen Se describe el límite entre las Zonas Asturoccidental-Leonesa y Centroibérica en el NO de la Península Ibérica en el área del Caurel-Truchas (Provincias de Orense y León). Partiendo de la distribución de las formaciones sedimentarias y de la geometría de las estructuras varíscicas, se deduce que la transición entre las dos zonas fue un sistema de fallas, que fue activo al menos durante el Ordovício y el Silúrico Inferior. Se supone que la principal componente de las fallas fue normal, aunque debió de existir también una componente de desgarre, y su juego originó un semi-graben en el que se acumuló una secuencia sin-rift. Esta última experimentó una inversión al principio de la tectogénesis Varíscica, formándose un par de pliegues de rampa que son los pliegues más importantes del área. La geometría variable de esos pliegues se interpreta como debida, en parte, a la existencia previa de pliegues en escalón relacionados con la componente de desgarre de las fallas y, en parte, como consecuencia de la variable intensidad de la deformación por cizallamiento sufrida durante la primera fase de deformación varíscica.

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Fourteen years of multifrequency-coordinated observations of the X-ray/Be system A 0535+26/HDE 245770

Within the framework of a very long multifrequency campaign of coordinated, and very often simultaneous, observations of the transient X-ray/Be system A 0535+26/HDE 245770, we present a summary of this large collection of data taken with IUE and ASTRON satellites as well as with many ground-based telescopes in optical and IR regions.In this paper we emphasize the study of the physics and dynamics of the mass transfer at periastron and subsequent X-ray flaring, which is a typical problem of the X-ray/Be binary system class.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Real-Time Tsunami Forecasting: Challenges and Solutions

A new method for real-time tsunami forecasting will provide NOAAs Tsunami Warning Centers with forecast guidance tools during an actual tsunami event. PMEL has developed the methodology of combining real-time data from tsunameters with numerical model estimates to provide site- and event-specific forecasts for tsunamis in real time. An overview of the technique and testing of this methodology is presented.