Distribution of major, minor and trace elements in Hat Creek Deposit No. 2, British Columbia, Canada

The major-, minor- and trace-element contents of coals from Hat Creek No. 2 deposit, British Columbia, are determined using INAA and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (boron only).

Al, Cr, Fe, Mn and Na were found to be inorganically bound in the coal while As, B and S are associated with the organic fraction of the coal. The rare-earth element concentrations in the coal are variable, however, the LREE/HREE ratio decreases from base to the top of the deposits. Many elements show little variation in concentration with depth; however, the gradual increase of As and S with depth appears to be rank related and indicative of progressive decrease in porosity with increasing rank.

Concentrations of B and Cr are sensitive to the environment of coal deposition, with coal deposited in a freshwater environment (Hat Creek No. 2 deposit), having low B and high Cr compared with more brackish coals.     

Theoretical pv-magnitude calibrating curves for deep foci

Summary The theoretical medium period PV-magnitude calibrating curves were computed for the Earth model PREM and a wide range of focal depths. The calculated set of curves reflects the distribution of model parameters, the influence of source radiation was not taken into account. The widely used Gutenberg's empirical calibrating curves were compared with the theoretical ones. Pronounced deviations in the shape and differences in the level of isolines were found. Thus, if model PREM is considered to be representative of the Earth's structure, the empirical calibrating curves (D, h) for magnitude determination currently used in seismological practice, have to be verified.

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auma mmuu au u u ¶rt; n¶rt;u aum¶rt; - n ¶rt;nu¶rt; annaam ¶rt; ¶rt;u u RE u ¶rt;uanau aa. uu maam an¶rt;u naam ¶rt;u ma uu u umua. u nu nuuu au u ma u a mmuuu uu. u a¶rt; mu auu n u u. au a, u num ¶rt; RE n¶rt;maum ¶rt; mu u, m ¶rt;u num nuuu au u (D, h) ¶rt; n¶rt;u aum¶rt;, m am unm u namu.

     

A calibration system for gravimeters using a sinusoidal acceleration resulting from a vertical periodic movement

An inertial force is induced by the oscillating vertical displacementA sin ωt of a platform supporting a feedback LaCoste Romberg gravimeter. The resulting accelerationdg is proportional to the square of the frequency and allows to perform an absolute calibration of the instrument. The effects of the vertical gradient and of the residual tilt are eliminated by operating at different frequencies. After the experiment with a first prototype, a new platform based on a different mechanical principle has been developed. The relative precision is at least 0.25 % as confirmed by the study of a 6 months tidal record. Some applications are described.     

Immunological studies on microbial mats from Solar Lake (Sinai)— A contribution to the organic geochemistry of sediments

Immunological and biochemical techniques were used to investigate organic matter in microbial mats from Solar Lake (Sinai, Egypt). Antibodies, elicited in rabbits against samples taken at different depths from a core of these mats, were used for the detection of immunological determinants preserved in these samples. Special attention was given to an antiserum directed against a top mat fraction (3–10 mm depth) and an antiserum against a fraction from a lower section of the core (380–390 mm depth). Both antisera, tested in a dot-blot immunobinding assay, were found to give positive reactions with organic matter from different depths of the sediment. An immunohistochemical experiment with the antisera points to antigenic determinants on Recent and subfossil sheaths of Microcoleus. In addition, extracts of sediment samples were submitted to electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels in order to characterize the separated macromolecules by immunological means. The results showed a rapid decrease in the number of antigenic determinants from Recent to subfossil samples. However, even in the deepest layers of the sediment (690–700 mm depth) intact biopolymers were detected.     

Monsoon fluctuations in two 20,000-Yr B.P. Oxygen-isotope/pollen records off southwest India

Two marine pollen diagrams for sediments off the southwest coast of India provide a 20,000-yr history of the nearby continental vegetation, determined by the monsoon climate, within the framework of the isotopic stratigraphy. Two important phases of the evolution of the monsoon climate are a very arid period about 22,000–18,000 yr B.P. and a very humid period culminating at 11,000 yr B.P. The very arid period corresponds to the lowest pollen representation of mangrove vegetation, which is used here as an indirect indicator of monsoonal runoff. This aridity is due to a very weak southwest airflow, a great reduction of summer monsoonal rainfall, and reduced runoff of the western Ghats rivers. The extension of the monsoon over India after the last glacial maximum has been a gradual process following the northward progression of the Intertropical Convergene Zone. The very humid period, corresponding to the highest pollen representation of mangrove vegetation and the heaviest summer rainfall, is a climatic response to the maximum summer insolation of the Northern Hemisphere at 11,000 yr B.P.     

Estuarine pollution as a probable cause of increase of estuarine birds

A long-term increase of estuarine birds does not always appear to be a good indication of the improvement of the environmental quality of an estuary. This paper shows that an incontestable ecological deterioration in a part of the Scheldt estuary has led probably to a greater food supply for intertidal birds. They respond to this phenomenon by visiting the area in increasing numbers, and the period of migration of birds on other feeding grounds nearby differs from theirs.     

Salt marsh cliff stability in the oosterschelde

Salt marsh cliff erosion in the Oosterschelde, due to basal scour and small-scale failure, was monitored during a two-year period using reference stakes. The composite marsh cliffs have a cantilever profile. Their stability is evaluated from beam failure analysis. A model is proposed, in which the cantilever weight is taken as the motive force; the major resistive force is the tensile strength. By substituting height, undermining width and soil mechanical properties of the cliff in the model, one can identify the cliffs that are likely to fail. Salt marsh cliffs, which combine a large tensile strength due to roots at the top of the profile with a large compressive stress at the cliff base due to the sandy texture of the subsoil, display the highest resistance to beam failure. The critical cliff dimensions, observed in the field, correspond with the values calculated from the proposed model of beam failure.     

The role of algae in the stabilization of coastal dune blowouts

A number of mechanisms prevent blowouts in the dunes along the Dutch-coast from growing beyond a certain length. Plants play an important role in the stabilization process. Algae are the first plants to colonize the blowouts. Their filaments are surrounded by mucilaginous sheaths which adhere to the sand grains and increase the resistance of the sand to entrainment by wind. This suggests that artificially induced algal growths might be used in cheap, and ecologically justifiable, stabilization measures.