Evidence for a very high carbon/iridium ratio in the Tunguska impactor

Abstract— We have measured excess Ir and depletion of ¹⁴C, two independent indicators of cosmic material, in peat cores from the central Tunguska impact site. Both Ir and ¹⁴C show pronounced anomalies in the same stratigraphical depth interval. We have estimated an integral deposition of nonradioactive cosmogenic C of 6.8 ± 1.0 mg C cm^?2, and an integrated Ir deposition of 5.9 ± 1.2 pg Ir cm^?2. The very high C/Ir ratio and a deduced δ¹³C value of +55 ± 10% relative to V Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB) of the impactor material found in this study points towards a cometary type impactor, rather than a chondritic or achondritic asteroidal type impactor.     

Central European Cenozoic plume volcanism with OIB characteristics and indications of a lower mantle source

Average concentrations of incompatible elements and isotopes of radiogenic Sr, Nd and Pb in a 350 km long belt of Central European volcanics (CECV) resemble those in OIB in general and in OIB from the N Atlantic in particular. This similarity allows to infer comparable sources for CECV and OIB which might have been located in the lower mantle according to seismic tomography and chemistry, with the latter unlike a MORB source. The incompatible element contribution of lower mantle origin can be modelled from primitive mantle minus continental crust and upper mantle inventories. Alkali basaltic magmas from the modelled source are close in composition to CECV and OIB. The continental crust contains almost half of the silicate Earth's content of Rb, K, Pb, Ba, Th and U, which were mobilized to a major extent through dehydration of subducted ocean crust. Related losses from the lower mantle had to be replaced by deep subductions of oceanic lithosphere recognized from their isotopic imprint. From a balance based on Nd isotopes it can be concluded that average CECV contains 60% matter from residual primitive mantle and 40% from deeply subducted lithosphere (including some young upper mantle materials). Plume products from separate CECV regions developed, within 45 Ma, from rather depleted to more primitive isotopic signatures. Four periods of volcanism from Eocene to late Quaternary time are explained as four pulses of an almost stationary ultrafast plume uprise as modelled by Larsen and Yuen (1997). Magma production has increased from the first to the third pulse with the peak during Miocene time in the Vogelsberg region. The final pulse produced the Quaternary Eifel volcanoes. Tectonism from the Alpine orogen has probably triggered the synchronous volcanism of CECV, Massif Central etc. The European lithospheric plate has moved under the control of the opening Atlantic almost in an eastern direction with a velocity of 1 cm per year and has shifted extinct volcanoes off their source channels. Received: 10 July 1998 / Accepted: 10 February 1999     

A first Holocene leaf wax isotope-based paleoclimate record from the semi-humid to semi-arid south-eastern Caucasian lowlands

The Holocene paleoclimate of the Caucasus region is rather complex and not yet well understood: while existing studies are mainly based on pollen records from high-altitude and humid lowland regions, no records are available from the semi-humid to semi-arid south-eastern Caucasian lowlands. Therefore, this study investigated compound-specific δ²H and δ¹³C isotopes of leaf wax biomarkers from Holocene floodplain soils in eastern Georgia. Our results show that the leaf wax δ²H signal from the paleosols mostly reflects changes in the moisture source and its isotopic composition. Depleted δ²H values before ~8 cal ka bp change towards enriched values after ~5 cal ka bp and become again depleted after ~1.6 cal ka bp. This trend could be caused by Holocene changes of the isotopic compositions of the Black and eastern Mediterranean Sea, and/or by varying contribution of both moisture sources linked with the North Atlantic Oscillation. The leaf wax δ¹³C signal from the paleosols directly indicates varying local water availability and drought stress. Depleted δ¹³C values before ~8 and after ~5 cal ka bp indicate wetter local conditions with higher water availability, whereas more enriched values during the middle Holocene (~8 until at least 5 cal ka bp ) indicate drier conditions with increased drought stress.     

A METHOD TO CORRECT YIELD SURFACE DRIFT IN SOIL PLASTICITY UNDER MIXED CONTROL AND EXPLICIT INTEGRATION

When applying an explicit integration algorithm in e.g. soil plasticity, the predicted stress point at the end of an elastoplastic increment of loading might not be situated on the updated current yield surface. This so-called yield surface drift could generally be held under control by using small integration steps. Another possibility, when circumstances might demand larger steps, is to adopt a drift correction method. In this paper, a drift correction method for mixed control in soil plasticity, under drained as well as undrained conditions, is proposed. By simulating triaxial tests in a Constitutive Driver, the capability and efficiency of this correction method, under different choices of implementation, have been analysed. It was concluded that the proposed drift correction method, for quite marginal additional computational cost, was able to correct successfully for yield surface drift giving results in close agreement to those obtained with a very large number of integration steps. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Slow persistent mixing in the abyss

Ocean Dynamics - Knowledge about deep-ocean turbulent mixing and flow circulation above abyssal hilly plains is important to quantify processes for the modeling of resuspension and dispersal of...     

How Well Does Chlorophyll Explain the Seasonal Variation in Phytoplankton Activity?

The seasonal variation in phytoplankton activity is determined by analysing 1385 primary production (PP) profiles, chlorophyll a (Chl) concentration profiles and phytoplankton carbon biomass concentrations (C) from the period 1998–2012. The data was collected at six different stations in the Baltic Sea transition zone (BSTZ) which is a location with strong seasonal production patterns with light as the key parameter controlling this productivity. We show that the use of Chl as a proxy for phytoplankton activity strongly overestimates the contribution from the spring production to annual pelagic carbon flow. Spring (February and March) Chl comprised 16–30% of the total annual Chl produced, whereas spring C was much lower (8–23%) compared to the annual C. Spring PP accounted for 10–18% of the total annual PP, while the July–August production contributed 26–33%, i.e. within the time frame when zooplankton biomass and grazing pressure are highest. That is, Chl failed in this study to reflect the importance of the high summer PP. A better proxy for biomass may be C, which correlated well with the seasonal pattern of PP (Pearson correlation, p < 0.05). Thus, this study suggests to account for the strong seasonal pattern in C/Chl ratios when considering carbon flow in coastal systems. Seasonal data for PP were fitted to a simple sinusoidal wave model describing the seasonal distribution of PP in the BSTZ and were proposed to present a better parameterizaton of PP in shallow stratified temperate regions than more commonly applied proxies.     

Modeling undertow due to random waves

A numerical model of undertow due to random waves is developed. The model includes three sub-models: (i) a model for multi-directional and multi-frequency random wave transformation, (ii) a surface roller evolution model, and (iii) a model for calculating the vertical distribution and the mean value of the undertow velocity. The calculation of wave trough level is performed based on a theory for the wave asymmetry. The model was successfully validated against small- and large-scale laboratory experiments. Thus, the model is expected to provide reliable input for the modeling of sediment transport and morphological change due to waves and currents.     

The response of saltation to wind speed fluctuations

The response time of saltation to spatial or temporal wind speed fluctuations constitutes an important control parameter for aeolian sediment transport and deposition. In this paper, we present direct measurements of the response time obtained from several field experiments. The sand transport was studied using six small microphones arranged in a vertical profile and collocated with a sonic anemometer, a webcam and a cup anemometer tower. The webcam was coupled with the sonic anemometer via a personal computer and provides information on creeping and saltating grains with a sampling rate of 10 Hz. Sediment transport measurements were obtained over four periods. The Wiener filter, a signal processing technique, is used to obtain a discrete transfer function that relates the horizontal wind speed and the non‐intermittent sand transport. The transfer function can be established using an exponential function with a time constant or characteristic response time τ without time shift. The response time fluctuated between zero and 1·5 seconds depending on the turbulence intensity, the saltation activity, the measuring height and sampling rates. The Wiener filter coefficients suggest that the response of saltation to wind speed alterations is determined by more than one process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subglacial emplacement of tills and meltwater deposits at the base of overdeepened bedrock troughs

The sedimentary infills of subglacially eroded bedrock troughs in the Alps are underexplored archives for the timing, extent and character of Pleistocene glaciations but may contain excellent records of the Quaternary landscape evolution over several glacial–interglacial cycles. The onset of sedimentation in these bedrock troughs is often reflected by diamicts and gravels directly overlying bedrock in the deepest basin segments. Subglacial or proglacial depositional environments have been proposed for these coarse‐grained basal units but their characteristics and origin remain controversial. This article presents results from drill cores that recovered a coarse‐grained basal unit in a major buried bedrock‐trough system in the Lower Glatt Valley, northern Switzerland. The excellent core recovery allowed a detailed study combining macroscopic, microscopic and geochemical methods and gives unprecedented insights into the transition from erosion to deposition in overdeepened bedrock troughs. These results show that the basal infill comprises diamicts, interpreted as subglacial tills, separated by thin sorted interbeds, originating from subglacial cavity deposition. The stacking of these units is interpreted to represent repeated switching between a coupled and decoupled ice–bed‐interface indicating an ever‐transforming mosaic of subglacial bed conditions. Decoupling in response to high basal water pressures is probably promoted by the confined subglacial hydraulic conditions resulting from the bedrock acting as aquitards, the narrow reverse sloping outlet and a large catchment area. While stratigraphic and lithological evidence suggests that erosion and the onset of basal sedimentation occurred during the same glaciation, different scenarios for the relative timing of infilling in relation to formation and glaciation of the bedrock trough are discussed. Overlying deltaic and glaciolacustrine sediments suggest deposition during subsequent deglaciation of the bedrock trough. The basal sediment characteristics are in agreement with previous reports in hydrogeological and seismic exploration and suggest the occurrence of similar basal successions in other subglacially overdeepened basins in the Alps and elsewhere.