U-Pb and Rb-Sr dating of a polymetamorphic nappe terrain: The Caledonian Jotun nappe,southern Norway

The Caledonian Jotun nappe in the Tyin area of southern Norway has been investigated using U-Pb analysis of zircon and sphene and Rb-Sr measurements of minerals and whole rocks, with special reference to the reaction of the isotope systems to various kinds of metamorphic event. The nappe consists of Precambrian basement rocks and their cover, inversely thrust over the Baltic shield and its parautochthonous, presumably lower Paleozoic sediments during the Caledonian orogeny. While the nappe basement retained its pre-Caledonian structures, the nappe cover was penetratively deformed and metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies conditions.U-Pb analyses of zircon and sphene ofnappe basement rocks point to the crystallization of a syenitic to monzonitic magma at 1694± 20m.y., the intrusion of gabbros into the syenites and monzonites at 1252_?25⁺²⁸ m.y., and the metamorphism (upper greenschist-lower amphibolite facies) and deformation (gneissification and mylonitization) of the whole complex at 909± 16m.y. Although this latest event caused strong lead loss in all zircon populations, it had no influence on the Rb-Sr system on a whole rock scale. The Caledonian movements did not disturb the U-Pb system of zircon and sphene but strongly influenced the Rb-Sr system in certain minerals and zircon and/or its inclusions (K-feldspar and brown biotite partially, green biotite completely reset).In contrast to the nappe basement, zircons from thecover rocks show pronounced lead loss during the Caledonian metamorphism/deformation — U-Pb analysis give discordia lower intercept ages of 415± 21 m.y. and 395± 6m.y. Again, however, the Rb-Sr whole-rock system has not been reset in Caledonian time. Minerals from the same rocks which provided the zircons give Rb-Sr isochron ages of 390± 11m.y. and 386 ± 20 m.y.Comparison of U-Pb and Rb-Sr results from the nappe basement demonstrates that only the analysis of U-Pb systematics in zircon and especially sphene resolved the 900-m.y. event. Rb-Sr mineral data alone yield ambiguous results.The results from the nappe cover confirm that U-Pb analyses from penetratively deformed sediments are very useful in dating a metamorphic/tectonic event in lower greenschist facies conditions.From the measured cell dimensions of the zircon populations it is concluded that lead can be completely retained in zircon during recrystallization.     

A fast convolution approach to the transformation of surface gravity waves: Linear waves in 1DH

The transformation of irrotational surface gravity waves in an inviscid fluid can be studied by time stepping the kinematic and dynamic surface boundary conditions. This requires a closure providing the normal surface particle velocity in terms of the surface velocity potential or its tangential derivative. A convolution integral giving this closure as an explicit expression is derived for linear 1D waves over a mildly sloping bottom. The model has exact linear dispersion and shoaling properties. A discrete numerical model is developed for a spatially staggered uniform grid. The model involves a spatial derivative which is discretized by an arbitrary-order finite-difference scheme. Error control is attained by solving the discrete dispersion relation a priori and model results make a perfect match to this prediction. A procedure is developed by which the computational effort is minimized for a specific physical problem while adapting the numerical parameters under the constraint of a predefined tolerance of damping and dispersion error. Two computational examples show that accurate irregular-wave transformation on the kilometre scale can be computed in seconds. Thus, the method makes up a highly efficient basis for a forthcoming extension that includes nonlinearity at arbitrary order. The relation to Boussinesq equations, mild-slope wave equations, boundary integral equations and spectral methods is briefly discussed.     

INTEGRAL/XMM views on the MeV source GRO J1411-64

The COMPTEL unidentified source GRO J 1411-64 was observed by INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton in 2005. The Circinus Galaxy is the only source detected within the 4σ location error of GRO J1411-64, but in here excluded as the possible counterpart. At soft X-rays, 22 reliable and statistically significant sources (likelihood >10) were extracted and analyzed from XMM-Newton data. Only one of these sources, XMMU J141255.6-635932, is spectrally compatible with GRO J1411-64 although the fact the soft X-ray observations do not cover the full extent of the COMPTEL source position uncertainty make an association hard to quantify and thus risky. At the best location of the source, detections at hard X-rays show only upper limits, which, together with MeV results obtained by COMPTEL suggest the existence of a peak in power output located somewhere between 300–700 keV for the so-called low state. Such a spectrum resembles those in blazars or microquasars, and might suggest at work by the models accordingly. However, an analysis using a microquasar model consisting on a magnetized conical jet filled with relativistic electrons, shows that it is hard to comply with all observational constrains. This fact and the non-detection at hard X-rays introduce an a-posteriori question mark upon the physical reality of this source, what is discussed here.     

Micro-XCT chondrule classification for subsequent isotope analysis

Chondrules are microscopic, recrystallized melt droplets found in chondritic meteorites. High-resolution isotope analyses of minor elements require large enough element quantities which are obtained by dissolving entire chondrules. This work emphasizes the importance of X-ray computed tomography (XCT) to detect features that can significantly affect the bulk chondrule isotope composition. It thereby expands on other works by looking into chondrules from a wide range of chondrites including CR, CV, CB, CM, L, and EL samples before turning toward complex and time-consuming chemical processing. The features considered are metal and igneous rims, compound chondrules, matrix remnants, and metal contents. In addition to the identification of these features, computed tomography prevents the inclusion of non-chondrule samples (pure matrix or metal) as well as samples where two different chondrule fragments with potentially different isotope compositions are held together by matrix. Matrix surrounding chondrules is also easily detected and the affected chondrules can be omitted or reprocessed. The results strongly encourage to perform XCT before dissolution of chondrules for isotope analysis as a non-invasive method.     

Active region asymmetry as a result of the rise of magnetic flux tubes

The magnetic flux tubes that rise across the convection zone to produce active regions are shown to develop a difference in inclination between their preceding and follower sides. This asymmetry is such that the follower wing is more vertical (i.e., closer to the radial direction) than the preceding side. An asymmetry of this kind can be obtained as a natural consequence of the conservation of angular momentum along the rise. This process may explain a number of the observed asymmetries in morphology and behavior of the preceding and follower parts of the active regions. We present results of numerical simulations showing this effect and discuss possible observational consequences.