Holocene explosive activity of Hudson Volcano, southern Andes

 Fallout deposits in the vicinity of the southern Andean Hudson Volcano record at least 12 explosive Holocene eruptions, including that of August 1991 which produced ≥4 km³ of pyroclastic material. Medial isopachs of compacted fallout deposits for two of the prehistoric Hudson eruptions, dated at approximately 3600 and 6700 BP, enclose areas at least twice that of equivalent isopachs for both the 1991 Hudson and the 1932 Quizapu eruptions, the two largest in the Andes this century. However, lack of information for either the proximal or distal tephra deposits from these two prehistoric eruptions of Hudson precludes accurate volume estimates. Andesitic pyroclastic material produced by the 6700-BP event, including a  1 10-cm-thick layer of compacted tephra that constitutes a secondary thickness maximum over 900 km to the south in Tierra del Fuego, was dispersed in a more southerly direction than that of the 1991 Hudson eruption. The products of the 6700-BP event consist of a large proportion of fine pumiceous ash and accretionary lapilli, indicating a violent phreatomagmatic eruption. This eruption, which is considered to be the largest for Hudson and possibly for any volcano in the southern Andes during the Holocene, may have created Hudson's 10-km-diameter summit caldera, but the age of the caldera has not been dated independently. Received: 31 January 1997 / Accepted: 29 October 1997     

Segment boundaries, the 1894 ruptures and strain patterns along the Atalanti Fault, Central Greece

The Atalanti Fault is a large active normal fault segment inside the Gulf of Evia Rift system (Central Greece), that last ruptured during the April 1894 earthquake sequence. Using structural and geomorphological interpretations of digitally processed Landsat TM satellite imagery, two regions of i) low topography, ii) minimum hinterland development and iii) transverse bedrock ridge development, 34 kilometres apart were identified; these regions are suggested to be segment boundaries constraining the length of the fault. From throw profiles and displaced syn-rift strata, we estimate a minimum slip of 810m at the central region of the fault (Tragana), increasing to a value of 1200 meters within the Asprorema embayment area. These figures averaged over a time span of 3 million years (age of oldest offset syn-rift), yield mean slip rates of at least 0.27 to 0.4 mm/year.Field studies were also conducted along the length of the Atalanti Fault Segment to reexamine and map the 1894 ruptures. The surface break is only preserved locally where the footwall comprises a resistant bedrock lithology (limestone), whilst the rest of the rupture noted in historical records propagated along the contact with the volcanic pre-rift, as well as within the syn-rift, and has since been eradicated due to man-made changes in surface morphology. The surface breaks appear not to have crossed over the segment boundaries that we propose, but seem to have ruptured the full length of the Atalanti Fault Segment, that is, 34km. These observations suggest that the 1894 rupture is the longest mapped within Central Greece. However, it remains unclear whether the ruptures were produced solely by the 27/4/1894 earthquake, or by two events, one week apart. We discuss the implications for fault-behavioural models and seismic hazards for the Atalanti area.     

Two mantle sources, two plumbing systems: tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism of the Maymecha River basin, Siberian flood volcanic province

Rocks of two distinctly different magma series are found in a ∼4000-m-thick sequence of lavas and tuffs in the Maymecha River basin which is part of the Siberian flood-volcanic province. The tholeiites are typical low-Ti continental flood basalts with remarkably restricted, petrologically evolved compositions. They have basaltic MgO contents, moderate concentrations of incompatible trace elements, moderate fractionation of incompatible from compatible elements, distinct negative Ta(Nb) anomalies, and _Nd values of 0 to +2. The primary magmas were derived from a relatively shallow mantle source, and evolved in large crustal magma chambers where they acquired their relatively uniform compositions and became contaminated with continental crust. An alkaline series, in contrast, contains a wide range of rock types, from meymechite and picrite to trachytes, with a wide range of compositions (MgO from 0.7 to 38 wt%, SiO₂ from 40 to 69 wt%, Ce from 14 to 320 ppm), high concentrations of incompatible elements and extreme fractionation of incompatible from compatible elements (Al₂O₃/TiO₂∼1; Sm/Yb up to 11). These rocks lack Ta(Nb) anomalies and have a broad range of _Nd values, from −2 to +5. The parental magmas are believed to have formed by low-degree melting at extreme mantle depths (>200 km). They bypassed the large crustal magma chambers and ascended rapidly to the surface, a consequence, perhaps, of high volatile contents in the primary magmas. The tholeiitic series dominates the lower part of the sequence and the alkaline series the upper part; at the interface, the two types are interlayered. The succession thus provides evidence of a radical change in the site of mantle melting, and the simultaneous operation of two very different crustal plumbing systems, during the evolution of this flood-volcanic province. Received: 6 January 1998 / Accepted: 29 June 1998     

Comparison of Five Eulerian Air Pollution Forecasting Systems for the Summer of 1999 Using the German Ozone Monitoring Data

Eulerian state-of-the-art air pollution forecasting systems on the European scale are operated routinely by several countries in Europe. DWD and FUB, both Germany, NERI, Denmark, NILU, Norway, and SMHI, Sweden, operate some of these systems. To apply such modeling systems, e.g. for regulatory purposes according to new EU directives, an evaluation and comparison of the model systems is fundamental in order to assess their reliability. One step in this direction is presented in this study: The model forecasts from all five systems have been compared to measurements of ground level ozone in Germany. The outstanding point in this investigation is the availability of a huge amount of data – from forecasts by the different model systems and from observations. This allows for a thorough interpretation of the findings and assures the significance of the observed features. Data from more than 300 measurement stations for a 5-month period (May–September 1999) of the German monitoring networks have been used in this comparison. Different spatial and temporal statistical parameters were applied in the evaluation. Generally, it was found that the most comprehensive models gave the best results. However, the less comprehensive and computational cheaper models also produced good results. The extensive comparison made it possible to point out weak points in the different models and to describe the individual model behavior for a full summer period in a climatological sense. The comparison also gave valuable information for an assessment of individual measurement stations and complete monitoring networks in terms of the representativeness of the observation data.     

Tests of phase center variations of various GPS antennas, and some results

Phase variations of GPS receiving antennas are a significant error component in precise GPS applications. A calibration procedure has been developed by Geo++ and the Institut für Erdmessung, which directly determines absolute phase center variations (PCVs) without any multipath influence by field measurements. The precision and resolution of the procedure allows the determination of reliable azimuthal variations. PCV may affect long-term static GPS differently than real-time GPS, depending on the applications. At the same time, different antenna types are involved. Less investigations have been done on absolute PCV of rover antennas than on geodetic antennas which, however, becomes more important due to the mixed antenna situation in GPS reference networks and RTK networks. The concepts of the absolute PCV field calibration are summarized and emphasis is placed on a variety of absolute PCV patterns of geodetic and rover antennas. Electronic Publication     

Pelagic ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) of different brackish and freshwater lakes — a community analysis at the species level

The pelagic ciliate communities from 58 north German lakes differing in their origin (natural lakes and artificial ponds), morphology (from shallow ponds with a maximum depth of below 0.5 m to relatively deep lakes with a maximum depth of more than 10 m, surface areas from below 10 ha to more than 100 ha), trophic state (from mesotrophic to hypertrophic) and salinity (freshwater lakes and brackish water lakes) are described and compared at species level. Each lake was comprehensively sampled quarterly in the years 1996 and 1997, respectively. Applying a quantitative protargol stain, about 140 ciliate species could be identified and quantified in all investigated lakes. 35 species, mainly members of the Prostomatida and Oligotrichida, were found commonly in all types of lakes at all seasons and dominated the pelagic ciliate communities. 3 species were common in freshwaters, but never occurred in brackish lakes. In the brackish waters a mixture of common freshwater species and marine species was found with 13 species exclusively occurring in brackish waters. Lowest ciliate cell numbers were observed for deep freshwater lakes, highest cell numbers were determined for brackish waters. Highest species richness was found in artificial peat ponds with an average of 24 pelagic ciliate species in spring samples. The range of occurrence for the identified species was wide for most common species. However, the influence of some environmental factors could be enlightened.     

On the origin of andesite in the northern Mariana Island Arc: Implications from Agrigan

Magmatic evolution on the active volcano of Agrigan in the northern Mariana Island Arc is interpreted as resulting in the production of calc-alkaline andesites by the fractional crystallization of high-alumina basalt. Basaltic products predominate, but the ratio of andesites to basalts increases with time up to an event of voluminous andesitic pyroclastic ejection accompanied by caldera-collapse; post-collapse lavas are entirely basaltic. Moderate iron-enrichment is demonstrated for the volcanic suite, with indications of a progressive, pre-caldera decrease in iron-enrichment; post-caldera lavas display a return to moderate Fe-enrichment. Overall, the lavas are enriched in the LIL elements (K, Rb, Ba, Sr) and depleted in Ti, Mg, Cr, and Ni. From the oldest to the youngest pre-caldera volcanic sequence, the LIL elements increase 3-6X while Ca and Mg decrease by 50% or more. Approximately constant K/ Rb (430±60) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7032–0.7034) indicate consanguinity of the basalts and the andesites. Cumulate plutonic xenoliths, common in the lavas, are composed of mineral phases also encountered as phenocrysts. The following order of crystallization is indicated: olivine; anorthite-bytownite; clinopyroxene; orthopyroxene and titanomagnetite. Co-existing xenolithic olivines (Fo_74–83) and plagioclase (An_88–96) are typical of calc-alkaline island-arc assemblages and contrast with assemblages in the tholeiites from the Mariana Trough to the west. The relatively fayalitic composition and low abundances of Ni in olivines and Cr in clinopyroxenes indicate equilibrium with an already-fractionated liquid. These data, along with structural evidence, high Ca in the olivines, and comparison of the observed assemblages with experimental studies, suggests that these xenoliths formed as crystal cumulates at the floor of a shallow ( 7 km) crustal magma chamber.Major element modeling studies using the separation of observed xenocrystic and phenocrystic phases from assumed parental liquids reproduce the observed temporal and geochemical variations in the lavas. Trace element modeling parallels this evolution with the exception of Cr and Ni in the andesites. An extensive (16.3 km³) gabbroic body is required by this modeling to be present beneath Agrigan to produce the inferred volumes of the various lithologies preserved in the volcano's evolution. The sum of stratigraphic, geochemical, and isotopic evidence on Agrigan supports the derivation of calc-alkaline andesite by the removal of about 75% solids from a high-alumina basalt accompanied by a process of K and Rb enrichment, such as volatile-transfer. Considerations of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and ³He/⁴He isotopic data indicate that the source region of these parental liquids lies in the mantle, not subducted crust. In the northern Marianas, the model of a shallow-crustal origin for andesite is preferred over one requiring andesite generation in the deeper mantle and/or subducted slab.     

Inter-Nodal Association of Bus Services

Summary and Conclusion Geographers constructing inter-nodal association patterns are generally utilizing flow volumes as a means for interaction. Instead of representing interaction by a demand component, the inter-nodal association pattern in the present study is based on the supplied opportunities for travel. The study suggests two indices, one representing supply of bus services in a complex transport system, and a second determining service adjustment priorities. An interesting finding is the high positive correlation between car-ownership rate and the demand for public transport services. On the other hand, distance appears to be the least contributing variable in explaining that demand, because of the small geographical dimensions of the State of Israel. The discrepancies between supply and demand are explained by two factors. The first is the nodal location within the service transport network, and the second is subsidy provided by the Ministry of Transportation in order to maintain a reasonable level of service in sparsely populated areas¹⁷). Results of the residual analysis with regard to over-supplied nodes and the adjustment priority index may be used to optimize the allocation of sudsidy in order to meet better social and economic goals.     

An approach to the classification of Utah mine spoils and tailings based on surface hydrology and erosion

The physical similarities among mine spoils may be strongly influenced by the geologic source of the spoils where overburden is produced from areas of simple geologic structure. Textures and bulk densities are influenced by the methods of handling the materials during mining and disposal operations. Where these influences are the same in more than one mining site, surface hydrology and erosion parameters are often similar. A specific tailing deposit may be highly variable with respect to the physical and chemical characteristics produced by methods of ore treatment and concentration. This variability makes it difficult to classify tailings based on surface hydrology and erosion. Hydrologic characteristics of spoil deposits as related to future successful rehabilitation may be improved by (1) conducting mining activities to permit identification and segregation of favorable overburden strata for use in revegetation, (2) reconstituting soil for optimum plant growth, (3) shaping spoils to be compatible with surrounding topography, (4) mulching with organic materials, and (5) avoiding or ameliorating compaction of the soil-spoil surface. Mr. Burton is currently hydrologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Lewiston, Montana, U.S.A.     

Oxygen- and strontium-isotopic investigations of subduction zone volcanism: the case of the Volcano Arc and the Marianas Island Arc

Recent, fresh, volcanic rocks of the intra-oceanic Mariana and Volcano Arcs were analyzed for O and Sr isotopic compositions in order to determine the source of these magmas. Fresh, non-arc, volcanic rocks from the regions surrounding the Mariana-Volcano Arcs and some DSDP sediments were also analyzed for comparison. The oxygen isotopic ratios of the arc lavas (5.5–6.8‰) exhibited a small inter-island variation that cannot be entirely explained by fractional crystallization. The Sr isotopic composition of the arc lavas is remarkably uniform (0.70332–0.70394 for the Marianas). Three models are considered in order to explain the observed isotopic characteristics: (1) bulk mixing and melting of MORB-type mantle with (a) subducted sediments, and (b) subducted oceanic crust (excluding sediments); (2) melting of a mixture of sediment-derived fluids and MORB-type mantle; and (3) melting of a mixture of sediment-derived fluids and oceanic island or “hot-spot” type mantle. The last model fits the data best. The conclusion that very small, and variable, amounts of sediment-derived fluid ( 1%) are required to explain the observed inter-island O isotopic variation, is consistent with that of other workers who used different isotopic and trace element methods. The generation of magmas in the Mariana-Volcano Arcs involves very little sediment and the source region of Mariana lavas is isotopically indistinguishable from that of hot-spot basalts.