Zone of main contribution to the measured signal for a circular current loop source and receiver on the surface of a conductive half‐space

The electric and magnetic fields generated by an individual horizontal current ring induced inside a homogeneous conductive half‐space, originating from an external large circular loop source of current in the presence of a flat half‐space, are deduced. A check of self‐consistency for these expressions led to the known general functions for these fields due to the same external source in the presence of that medium. The current rings’ mutual coupling related to the magnetic field's radial component is thoroughly analysed and its specific members are presented. The existence of a relatively small zone inside the half‐space responsible for the main contribution for the signal measured at the observation point, with the source and receiver on the ground surface, is made evident. For increasing values of frequency, at a given transmitter‐receiver (T–R) configuration, this zone shrinks and its central point moves away from a maximum depth of about 30% and horizontal distance of nearly 85%, of the T–R separation, to a point very close to the receiver position. The coordinates of the central point of this zone of main contribution are provided as approximated functions in terms of the induction number .     

A New R Program for Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes (FLASH-R)

A new version of the computer program FLASH (Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes) is presented for the analysis of borehole vertical flow logs to estimate fracture (or layer) transmissivities and far-field hydraulic heads. The program is written in R, an open-source environment. All previous features have been retained and new features incorporated including more rigorous parameter estimation, uncertainty analysis, and improved data import. The program has a dynamic user interface compatible with most operating systems.     

Assessment of the groundwater favorability of fractured aquifers from the southeastern Brazil crystalline basement

ABSTRACT

Groundwater favorability maps can aid groundwater exploitation in fractured aquifers, such as those of the Bação and Northern Bonfim complexes (Quadrilátero Ferrífero) southeastern Brazil, bringing alternatives for water supply in regions where water availability is at risk. These maps were obtained by means of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), using six information levels: the height above the nearest drainage (HAND) model, the declivity map, three lineament maps (morphostructural, radiometric and magnetometric), and the lithological map. The E–W strike of the lineaments was emphasized for the integration, because it is the most frequent and subparallel to the present strike of the maximum principal stress σ₁. The favorability maps were validated by varying the input parameters and comparing the maps with 82 specific capacity values obtained from well tests. Although more data should be necessary to confirm this method, the results are promising and can be tested in other crystalline basement areas.     

Coastal dune fields at the São Francisco River strandplain,northeastern Brazil: morphology and environmental controls

Extensive coastal dune ?elds occur on the Quaternary strandplain associated with the São Francisco River mouth. Two different generations of dunes are identi?ed. One is inactive, already ?xed by vegetation, comprising parabolic dunes. The other generation is active, bordering the present‐day shoreline and transgressing over the inactive dune ?eld. Three morphological provinces in the active coastal dune ?elds are recognized. On the updrift side of the São Francisco River mouth, they are: (a) sand‐sheet with shrub coppice and shadow dunes; (b) isolated dunes of the barchan‐transversal type up to 5 m high, and interdune areas; and (c) a 23 m high compound dune, with superimposed small dunes. The same provinces are recognized on the downdrift side of the river mouth, with two important exceptions: the barchan‐transversal and compound dunes are replaced, respectively, by (i) zibar‐type dunes up to 5 m high, and (ii) a 19 m high precipitation dune, which is associated with numerous blowouts. The prevailing eastern winds from August to January favour the development of the aeolian bedforms and the migration of dunes. The shoreline orientation almost transversal to the winds and the great supply of ?ne‐grained sediments contribute to the formation of barchan‐transversal types and compound dunes in the updrift side. On the other hand, in the downdrift side the shoreline orientation is almost parallel to the prevailing winds. This fact, in association with a coarser grain size in the beachface, favours the formation of zibar‐type and precipitation dunes with numerous blowouts. The rate of migration of individual dunes is about 20 to 24 m per year. This study suggests that the aeolian sedimentation is a relatively recent phenomenon at the Quaternary strandplain of the São Francisco River. The ?rst generation of dune ?elds initiated some time after 3000 years BP and the second generation originated some centuries ago. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A laboratory model of Saturn’s North Polar Hexagon

A hexagonal structure has been observed at ∼76°N on Saturn since the 1980s (Godfrey, D.A. [1988]. Icarus 76, 335-356). Recent images by Cassini (Baines, K., Momary, T., Roos-Serote, M., Atreya, S., Brown, R., Buratti, B., Clark, R., Nicholson, P. [2007]. Geophys. Res. Abstr. 9, 02109; Baines, K., Momary, T., Fletcher, L., Kim, J., Showman, A., Atreya, S., Brown, R., Buratti, B., Clark, R., Nicholson, P. [2009]. Geophys. Res. Abstr. 11, 3375) have shown that the feature is still visible and largely unchanged. Its long lifespan and geometry has puzzled the planetary physics community for many years and its origin remains unclear. The measured rotation rate of the hexagon may be very close to that of the interior of the planet (Godfrey, D.A. [1990]. Science 247, 1206-1208; Caldwell, J., Hua, X., Turgeon, B., Westphal, J.A., Barnet, C.D. [1993]. Science 206, 326-329; Sánchez-Lavega, A., Lecacheux, J., Colas, F., Laques, P. [1993]. Science 260, 329-332), leading to earlier interpretations of the pattern as a stationary planetary wave, continuously forced by a nearby vortex (Allison, M., Godfrey, D.A., Beebe, R.F. [1990]. Science 247, 1061-1063). Here we present an alternative explanation, based on an analysis of both spacecraft observations of Saturn and observations from laboratory experiments where the instability of quasi-geostrophic barotropic (vertically uniform) jets and shear layers is studied. We also present results from a barotropic linear instability analysis of the saturnian zonal wind profile, which are consistent with the presence of the hexagon in the North Pole and absence of its counter-part in the South Pole. We propose that Saturn’s long-lived polygonal structures correspond to wavemodes caused by the nonlinear equilibration of barotropically unstable zonal jets.     

Visual analytics for diagnosing spatial interpolation models

The development and widespread use of statistical learning models have brought the need for tools that help analysts diagnose, build, and refine those models. In this work, in particular, we focus on interpolation models, which spatially predict the value of a variable based on the values of its neighborhood. Investigating these results spatially or comparing them with other models at different levels of granularity is still a challenge for the analysts trying to understand and refine their models. To deal with that, we propose a visual analytics model-agnostic tool for facilitating the comparison and refinement of spatial models at different levels of granularity using interactive visualization techniques. The tool was built in collaboration with specialists who used it to diagnose and improve a spatial model for predicting residential real estate prices.     

Hydrodynamical simulations of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect

With detections of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effect induced by galaxy clusters becoming routine, it is crucial to establish accurate theoretical predictions. We use a hydrodynamical N -body code to generate simulated maps, of size 1 deg², of the thermal SZ effect. This is done for three different cosmologies: the currently favoured low-density model with a cosmological constant, a critical-density model and a low-density open model. We stack simulation boxes corresponding to different redshifts in order to include contributions to the Compton y -parameter out to the highest necessary redshifts. Our main results are as follows.
(i) The mean y -distortion is around 4×10⁻⁶ for low-density cosmologies, and 1×10⁻⁶ for critical density. These are below current limits, but not by a wide margin in the former case.
(ii) In low-density cosmologies, the mean y -distortion is contributed across a broad range of redshifts, with the bulk coming from z ≲2 and a tail out to z ∼5. For critical-density models, most of the contribution comes from z <1.
(iii) The number of SZ sources above a given y depends strongly on instrument resolution. For a 1-arcmin beam, there are around 0.1 sources per deg² with y >10⁻⁵ in a critical-density Universe, and around 8 such sources per deg² in low-density models. Low-density models with and without a cosmological constant give very similar results.
(iv) We estimate that the Planck satellite will be able to see of order 25 000 SZ sources if the Universe has a low density, or around 10 000 if it has critical density.     

The Rondonian-San Ignacio Province in the SW Amazonian Craton: An overview

The Rondonian-San Ignacio Province (1.56–1.30 Ga) is a composite orogen created through successive accretion of arcs, ocean basin closure and final oblique microcontinent–continent collision. The effects of the collision are well preserved mostly in the Paraguá Terrane (Bolivia and Mato Grosso regions) and in the Alto Guaporé Belt and the Rio Negro-Juruena Province (Rondônia region), considering that the province was affected by later collision-related deformation and metamorphism during the Sunsás Orogeny (1.25–1.00 Ga). The Rondonian-San Ignacio Province comprises: (1) the Jauru Terrane (1.78–1.42 Ga) that hosts Paleoproterozoic basement (1.78–1.72 Ga), and the Cachoeirinha (1.56–1.52 Ga) and the Santa Helena (1.48–1.42 Ga) accretionary orogens, both developed in an Andean-type magmatic arc; (2) the Paraguá Terrane (1.74–1.32 Ga) that hosts pre-San Ignacio units (>1640 Ma: Chiquitania Gneiss Complex, San Ignacio Schist Group and Lomas Manechis Granulitic Complex) and the Pensamiento Granitoid Complex (1.37–1.34 Ga) developed in an Andean-type magmatic arc; (3) the Rio Alegre Terrane (1.51–1.38 Ga) that includes units generated in a mid-ocean ridge and an intra-oceanic magmatic arc environments; and (4) the Alto Guaporé Belt (<1.42–1.34 Ga) that hosts units developed in passive marginal basin and intra-oceanic arc settings. The collisional stage (1.34–1.32 Ga) is characterized by deformation, high-grade metamorphism, and partial melting during the metamorphic peak, which affected primarily the Chiquitania Gneiss Complex and Lomas Manechis Granulitic Complex in the Paraguá Terrane, and the Colorado Complex and the Nova Mamoré Metamorphic Suite in the Alto Guaporé Belt. The Paraguá Block is here considered as a crustal fragment probably displaced from its Rio Negro-Juruena crustal counterpart between 1.50 and 1.40 Ga. This period is characterized by extensive A-type and intra-plate granite magmatism represented by the Rio Crespo Intrusive Suite (ca. 1.50 Ga), Santo Antonio Intrusive Suite (1.40–1.36 Ga), and the Teotônio Intrusive Suite (1.38 Ga). Magmatism of these types also occur at the end of the Rondonian-San Ignacio Orogeny, and are represented by the Alto Candeias Intrusive Suite (1.34–1.36 Ga), and the São Lourenço-Caripunas Intrusive Suite (1.31–1.30 Ga). The cratonization of the province occurred between 1.30 and 1.25 Ga.