High-energy facility development plan

Plans for the deployment of a comprehensive set of instruments designed to study the high-energy emissions of solar flares have been developed as part of a series of studies for an Advanced Solar Observatory (ASO). These studies have identified the Space Station as the preferred mode for the deployment of the full ASO. The accident of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, and the growth in the estimated costs for the Space Station during the fiscal year 1989 budget discussions, have created an uncertain climate within the United States Space Program, making it difficult to predict the schedule for major programs such as the ASO. Approaches to the deployment of instruments for the study of high-energy solar emissions alone, or in conjunction with other solar instruments are discussed. As an independent entity the High-Energy Facility could be on a co-orbiting platform.     

Spatial Response to Major Volcanic Events in or about AD 536, 934 and 1258: Frost Rings and Other Dendrochronological Evidence from Mongolia and Northern Siberia: Comment on R. B. Stothers, ‘Volcanic Dry Fogs, Climate Cooling, and Plague Pandemics in Europe and the Middle East’ (Climatic Change, 42, 1999)

Hypothesized large-scale climatic extremes require verification from distantregions in order toconfirm the magnitude and timing of such events. Three of the most massivehypothesized volcanic events of the past two millennia, occurring in or aboutAD 536, 934 and1258, had profound climatic and demographic repercussions over much of Europe,the MiddleEast, and other areas, according to historical accounts recently described inStothers (1998, 1999,2000) as well as other research. Here we report on frost ring and otherdendrochronologicalevidence derived from a 1738-year tree-ring chronology from Mongolia andmillennial-scaletree-ring data from northern Siberia which demonstrate that these three eventsmay have alsoimpacted conditions in these distant regions.     

Melt density and the average composition of basalt

Densities of residual liquids produced by low pressure fractionation of olivine-rich melts pass through a minimum when pyroxene and plagioclase joint the crystallization sequence. The observation that erupted basalt compositions cluster around the degree of fractionation from picritic liquids corresponding to the density minimum in the liquid line of descent may thus suggest that the earth's crust imposes a density filter on the liquids that pass through it, favoring the eruption of the light liquids at the density minimum over the eruption of denser more fractionated and less fractionated liquids.     

Crystal reaming during the assembly, maturation, and waning of an eleven-million-year crustal magma cycle: thermobarometry of the Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster

Phenocryst assemblages of lavas from the long-lived Aucanquilcha Volcanic Cluster (AVC) have been probed to assess pressure and temperature conditions of pre-eruptive arc magmas. Andesite to dacite lavas of the AVC erupted throughout an 11-million-year, arc magmatic cycle in the central Andes in northern Chile. Phases targeted for thermobarometry include amphibole, plagioclase, pyroxenes, and Fe–Ti oxides. Overall, crystallization is documented over 1–7.5 kbar (~25 km) of pressure and ~680–1,110 °C of temperature. Pressure estimates range from ~1 to 5 kbar for amphiboles and from ~3 to 7.5 kbar for pyroxenes. Pyroxene temperatures are tightly clustered from ~1,000–1,100 °C, Fe–Ti oxide temperatures range from ~750–1,000 °C, and amphibole temperatures range from ~780–1,050 °C. Although slightly higher, these temperatures correspond well with previously published zircon temperatures ranging from ~670–900 °C. Two different Fe–Ti oxide thermometers (Andersen and Lindsley 1985; Ghiorso and Evans 2008) are compared and agree well. We also compare amphibole and amphibole–plagioclase thermobarometers (Ridolfi et al. 2010; Holland and Blundy 1994; Anderson and Smith 1995), the solutions from which do not agree well. In samples where we employ multiple thermometers, pyroxene temperature estimates are always highest, zircon temperature estimates are lowest, and Fe–Ti oxide and amphibole temperature estimates fall in between. Maximum Fe–Ti oxide and zircon temperatures are observed during the middle stage of AVC activity (~5–3 Ma), a time associated with increased eruption rates. Amphibole temperatures during this time are relatively restricted (~850–1,000 °C). The crystal record presented here offers a time-transgressive view of an evolving, multi-tiered subvolcanic reservoir. Some crystals in AVC lavas are likely to be true phenocrysts, but the diversity of crystallization temperatures and pressures recorded by phases in individual AVC lavas suggests erupting magma extensively reams and accumulates crystals from disparate levels of the middle to upper crust.     

A framework of Holocene and Late Pleistocene environmental change in eastern Iran inferred from the dating of periods of alluvial fan abandonment,river terracing,and lake deposition

We review studies of the Holocene and Late Pleistocene stratigraphy of eastern Iran to infer past changes in the environment within this presently arid region. We build a scenario of widespread, and presumably climatically driven, evolution of the landscape through the Holocene. Six sites, covering a 10° range in latitude, indicate a regional abandonment of alluvial fan surfaces at ～10 ± 3 ka, with the younger (～9 ka) end of this age range supported by several of the best-constrained studies. Incision of rivers into the fan surfaces has occurred in discrete stages in the early to mid-Holocene (～9–7 ka) leading to the formation of flights of river terraces. Detailed records of lakebed deposition in the presently arid interior of Iran are rare, though the available data indicate lake highstand conditions at <7.8 ka at South Golbaf in SE Iran and at < 8.7 ± 1.1 ka at the Nimbluk plain in NE Iran. The major periods of Holocene landscape development hence correlate with a period of time where water was more abundant than at present, with incision of rivers into thick alluvial deposits possibly occurring due to a combination of decreased sediment supply and high levels of precipitation, and with the formation of inset river terraces possibly responding to century-scale fluctuations in precipitation. No major geomorphic changes are identified within the later part of the Holocene, from which we infer that increased aridity has slowed evolution of the landscape. A decrease in precipitation in the mid-Holocene may have had a detrimental effect on bronze age societies in eastern Iran as has been inferred elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean region. The pre-Holocene environmental changes in eastern Iran are less well constrained, though there are suggestions of alluvial fan abandonment at 40–60 ka, at ～80 ka, and at ～120 ka.     

Effects of Volcanic Ash on Computers and Electronic Equipment

Computers and electronic equipment are an important component of the infrastructure of our modern environment. It is therefore essential that we know the effects of volcanic ash on such equipment. This paper presents the results of a pilot study to test computers and cooling fans in an ash-charged environment to assess their vulnerability. In the experiment, ash was poured on to computers and cooling fans in a sealed 0.216 m³ perspex box, with the effects on both the ash and the equipment monitored. Three different types of ash (1996 Ruapehu andesitic ash, Sakurajima andesitic ash and Kaharoa rhyolitic ash) were used in the experiments.In the first experiment each type of ash was photographed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), then passed through the bearing unit of a cooling fan and photographed again afterwards. The bearings within the cooling fan continued to work even after 720 h of testing and there was no significant abrasion of the fan-shaft bearing. The ash was however fragmented, suggesting that the brittle ash shattered to fine dust, which caused significantly less abrasion to the bearings or shaft than expected. Three computers were then tested in the sealed box. Ash was introduced at increasing rates to simulate catastrophic entry of ash into a work environment, and computers were tested throughout using the BURNIN^® testing programme. Failure times ranged from 100 to 150 h; most failures occurring when humidity was increased by spraying water mist into the airflow. If dried out the computers continued to operate again if failure was not catastrophic. Card slot edge connectors proved to be one of the weakest links, as a bridge of ash formed across the gap. They were also subject to abrasion with some of the gold plating being removed. This did not however cause operating difficulties.The conclusions are that computers are more resilient than originally thought, unless the ash is moist. Simple low-tech procedures should be adequate to protect computers from small amounts of dry and moist ash contamination.     

Pyroclastic geology of the rhyolitic volcano of La Primavera,Mexico

Explosive eruptions of this large Quaternary rhyolitic volcano have produced voluminous pumice fall deposits and ignimbrites. A stratigraphie study reveals more than 30 fall deposits, totalling more than 90 km³, which have come from many different vents. Some are of plinian type, and one is among the largest known in the world. The main ignimbrite (Rio Caliente) is of intra-plinian type. In all, 140 km³ of rhyolitic material were erupted during the past 10⁵ years, of which 50 km⁵ are dispersed well outside the volcano. The dense rock equivalent volume is 60 km³, of which fall deposits, ignimbrites and lava bodies comprise 45 %, 25 % and 30 % respectively. The average output rate of 0.06 km³ per century is nearly an order of magnitude less than for the most productive rhyolitic volcanoes known. A circular area 10 km across in the centre of La Primavera contains updomed lacustrine ashes and associated sediments, including a remarkable giant pumice bed, which probably accumulated in a caldera lake. La Primavera has no record of historical eruptions, and hot springs are the only signs of present activity, but the updoming is thought to be due to the uprise of a new acid pluton beneath the volcano and future eruptions are probable.

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Zusammenfassung Explosionsartige Eruptionen des gro\en quartÄren Rhyolith-Vulkans La Primavera haben mÄchtige Bimstuffe und Ignimbrite aufgehÄuft. Eine stratigraphische Untersuchung hat über 30 Aschelagen erkennen lassen, die aus verschiedenen Schloten stammen und insgesamt mehr als 90 km³ an Volumen ausmachen. Einige davon gehören zum plimanischen Typ, von denen eine sogar die grö\te bisher bekannte Lage der Erde ist. Der Haupt-Ignimbrit (Rio Caliente) gehört zum intraplimanischen Typ. Insgesamt wurden in den letzten 100 000 Jahren 140 km³ rhyolithisches Material ausgeworfen, von denen 50 km³ deutlich au\erhalb des eigentlichen Vulkans liegen. Das Äquivalentvolumen des dichten Gesteins betrÄgt 60 km³, von dem 45 % auf Tuffe, 25 % auf Ignimbrite und 30 % auf Lavakörper entfallen. Die durchschnittliche Auswurfrate von 0,06 km³ pro Jahrhundert liegt fast eine Grö\enordnung unter den meisten bekannten aktiven Rhyolith-Vulkanen. Ein kreisrundes Gebiet von 10 km Durchmesser im Zentrum des La Primavera zeigt aufgewölbte lakustrine Aschen und damit assoziierte Sedimente, darunter eine bemerkenswerte riesige Bimslage, die wahrscheinlich in einem Caldera-See abgelagert wurde. Der Vulkan La Primavera ist in historischer Zeit nicht ausgebrochen und hei\e Quellen sind die einzigen Anzeichen heutiger AktivitÄt, aber die Aufwölbung wird als Hinweis auf das Hochdringen eines neuen sauren Plutons unter dem Vulkan angesehen, so da\ zukünftige Eruptionen wahrscheinlich sind.

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Résumé Des éruptions explosives de ce grand volcan rhyolitique quaternaire ont produit de volumineux dépÔts de ponces et d'ignimbrites. Une étude stratigraphique fait apparaÎtre plus de 30 dépÔts totalisant plus de 90 km³ provenant de nombreuses bouches volcaniques différentes. Certaines sont du type plinien, dont l'une est parmi les plus grandes connues au monde. L'ignimbrite principale (Rio Caliente) est du type intraplinien. En tout 140 km³ de matériaux rhyolitiques ont été rejetés au cours des 10⁵ dernières années, dont 50 km³ ont été dispersés bien au delà du volcan. Le volume de roche compact équivalent est de 60 km³, parmi lequel les tuffs, les ignimbrites et les laves occupent respectivement 45%, 25% et 30%. L'émission moyenne, de 0,06 km³ par siècle, est d'un ordre de grandeur moindre que pour la plupart des volcans rhyolitiques les plus productifs actuellement connus. Une région circulaire de 10 km de diamètre dans le centre de La Primavera contient des domes de cendres lacustres et autres sédiments associés, et parmi eux une couche géante de ponce remarquable, qui s'est probablement accumulée dans un lac-caldère. On ne connaÎt pas d'éruptions historiques de la Primavera, et seules des sources chaudes témoignent d'une activité actuelle; toutefois on pense que l'allure en dome est due à la poussée d'un nouveau pluton acide sous le volcan, et que des éruptions sont probables dans le futur.

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