Land use change under conditions of high population pressure: the case of Java

A long history of increases in population pressure in Java has caused agricultural land use to expand and intensify. More recent land use changes caused the conversion of prime agricultural land into residential and industrial area. Results of a dynamic, regional-scale, land use change model are presented, defining the spatial distribution of these land use changes. The model is based on multi-scale modelling of the relations between land use and socio-economic and biophysical determinants. Historical validation showed that the model can adequately simulate the pattern of land use change. Future patterns of land use change between 1994 and 2010 are simulated assuming further urbanization. The results suggest that most intensive land use changes will occur in Java's lowland areas.     

Glacial advances constrained by Be exposure dating of bedrock landslides, Kyrgyz Tien Shan

Numerous large landslide deposits occur in the Tien Shan, a tectonically active intraplate orogen in Central Asia. Yet their significance in Quaternary landscape evolution and natural hazard assessment remains unresolved due to the lack of "absolute" age constraints. Here we present the first ¹⁰Be exposure ages for three prominent (> 10⁷ m³) bedrock landslides that blocked major rivers and formed lakes, two of which subsequently breached, in the northern Kyrgyz Tien Shan. Three ¹⁰Be ages reveal that one landslide in the Alamyedin River occurred at 11–15 ka, which is consistent with two ¹⁴C ages of gastropod shells from reworked loess capping the landslide. One large landslide in Aksu River is among the oldest documented in semi-arid continental interiors, with a ¹⁰Be age of 63–67 ka. The Ukok River landslide deposit(s) yielded variable ¹⁰Be ages, which may result from multiple landslides, and inheritance of ¹⁰Be. Two ¹⁰Be ages of 8.2 and 5.9 ka suggest that one major landslide occurred in the early to mid-Holocene, followed by at least one other event between 1.5 and 0.4 ka. Judging from the regional glacial chronology, all three landslides have occurred between major regional glacial advances. Whereas Alamyedin and Ukok can be considered as postglacial in this context, Aksu is of interglacial age. None of the landslide deposits show traces of glacial erosion, hence their locations and ¹⁰Be ages mark maximum extents and minimum ages of glacial advances, respectively. Using toe-to-headwall altitude ratios of 0.4–0.5, we reconstruct minimum equilibrium-line altitudes that exceed previous estimates by as much as 400 m along the moister northern fringe of the Tien Shan. Our data show that deposits from large landslides can provide valuable spatio-temporal constraints for glacial advances in landscapes where moraines and glacial deposits have low preservation potential.     

Orbital Evolution of Příbram and Neuschwanstein

The orbital evolution of the two meteorites Příbram and Neuschwanstein on almost identical orbits and also several thousand clones were studied in the framework of the N-body problem for 5,000 years into the past. The meteorites moved on very similar orbits during the whole investigated interval. We have also searched for photographic meteors and asteroids moving on similar orbits. There were five meteors found in the IAU MDC database and six NEAs with currently similar orbits to Příbram and Neuschwanstein. However, only one meteor 161E1 and one asteroid 2002 QG46 had a similar orbital evolution over the last 2,000 years.     

Stratigraphy and sedimentation rates of Upper Cretaceous deep-water systems of the Rhenodanubian Group (Eastern Alps, Germany)

In the Bavarian Alps (Germany), west of the Isar River, the abyssal deposits of the Lower Barremian to Upper Campanian Rhenodanubian Group consist of siliciclastic and calcareous turbidites alternating with hemipelagic non-calcareous mudstones. The up to 1500-m-thick succession, deposited in the Penninic Basin to the south of the European Plate, is characterized by a low mean sedimentation rate (c. 25 mm kyr⁻¹) over 60 million years. Palaeocurrents and turbidite facies distribution patterns suggest that sedimentation occurred on a weakly inclined abyssal plain. The highest sedimentation rates (up to 240 mm kyr⁻¹) were associated with the calcareous mud turbidites of the newly defined Röthenbach Subgroup, which includes the Piesenkopf, Kalkgraben and Hällritz formations (Middle Coniacian to Middle Campanian). These calcareous turbidites prograded from the west, and interfinger towards the east with red hemipelagic claystone. A high sea level presumably favoured pelagic carbonate production and accumulation on the shelves and on internal platforms in the western part of the basin, whereas siliciclastic shelves with steep slope angles have bordered the eastern part of the basin, where a dearth of turbidite sedimentation and increased Cretaceous oceanic red beds deposition occurred. In contrast to the eustatically-induced Middle Coniacian to Lower Campanian Cretaceous oceanic red beds (calcareous nannoplankton zones CC14 to CC18), red hemipelagites of Early Cenomanian age (upper part of calcareous nannoplankton zone CC9) and early Late Campanian age (upper part of zone CC21 and zone CC22) are interpreted as the result of regional tectonic activity.     

Babbling brook to thunderous torrent: Using sound to monitor river stage

The passive, ambient sound above the water from a river has previously untapped potential for determining flow characteristics such as stage. Measuring sub-aerial sound could provide a new, efficient way to continuously monitor river stage, without the need for in-stream infrastructure. Previous published work has suggested that there might be a relationship between sound and river stage, but the analysis has been restricted to a narrow range of flow conditions and river morphologies. We present a method to determine site suitability and the process of how to record and analyse sound. Data collected along a 500 m length of the River Washburn during July 2019 is used to determine what makes a site suitable for sound monitoring. We found that sound is controlled by roughness elements in the channel, such as a boulder or weir, which influences the sound produced. On the basis of these findings, we collect audio recordings from six sites around the northeast of England, covering a range of flow conditions and different roughness elements, since 2019. We use data from those sites collected during storms Ciara and Dennis to produce a relationship between this sound and river stage. Our analysis has shown a positive relationship between an R² of 0.73 and 0.99 in all rivers, but requires careful site selection and data processing to achieve the best results. We introduce a filter that is capable of isolating a river's sound from other environmental sound. Future work in examining the role of these roughness elements is required to understand the full extent of this technique. By demonstrating that sound can operate as a hydrometric tool, we suggest that sound monitoring could be used to provide cost-effective monitoring devices, either to detect relative change in a river or, after more research, a reliable stage measurement.     

The effect of mechanical waves on empirical solar models

Empirical solar models contain the effect of heating due to radiative energy loss from acoustic waves. We estimate here the temperature difference between the radiative equilibrium model and the empirical model. At optical depth ₅₀₀₀ = 0.1 this difference is small, but near the temperature minimum (₅₀₀₀ = 10^–4) it reaches between 53 and 83 K. The temperature difference between the equator and the poles caused by a hypothetical difference in the heating is estimated.     

Post-breakup basaltic magmatism along the East Greenland Tertiary rifted margin

Mafic and ultramafic intrusions in East Greenland adjacent to the offshore Greenland–Iceland ridge were emplaced 5–9 My after continental breakup at 55 Ma [1]. Rare earth element (REE) concentrations determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry are reported for cumulus clinopyroxene from these intrusions, and the data are used to estimate REE abundance in equilibrium melts using available partitioning data. Estimated equilibrium melts from intrusions have strongly fractionated REE patterns with Nd/Dy(N) in the range 2 to 5.6 and Yb/Dy(N) 0.55 to 0.92, similar to values for coeval basalts. These melts have markedly higher Nd/Dy(N) than earlier breakup related flood basalts. The moderately low Yb/Dy(N) for the post-breakup volcanism is indicative of residual garnet in the source, while their high Nd/Dy(N) ratios can best be explained by aggregating low degree melts from a light-REE-enriched garnet- and spinel-bearing mantle source. We also report He, Sr, and Nd isotopic data for the intrusions. The highest ³He/⁴He ratios (>10 R/R_a) are found in the samples whose REE data reflect the largest proportion of melts from a garnet-bearing source, and having Sr and Nd isotopic compositions identical with the radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd isotope end of the Iceland compositional field. There is no indication of a MORB-type mantle in the source of the intrusions. We postulate that post-breakup volcanism along the East Greenland coastline reflects the increasing proximity of the mantle plume to the East Greenland continental margin. The low degree of melting at high mean pressure inferred for the parental melts for the intrusions may reflect re-thickening of the lithosphere, which in turn was caused by the vigorous volcanism during breakup, with accompanying depletion of upper mantle and underplating of the crust at the continental margin.     

Ein stratiformes Fluoritvorkommen im Zechsteindolomit bei Eschwege und Sontra in Hessen

Zusammenfassung Im Hauptdolomit (Ca₂) und im Plattendolomit (Ca₃) des mittleren Zechsteins bei Eschwege und Sontra in Hessen wurde 1974 erstmals Fluorit entdeckt. Durch Bohrungen, chemische und geochemische Untersuchungen konnte nachgewiesen werden, daß im Hauptdolomit der Fluorit schichtgebunden, gelegentlich in dunklen Lagen und Linsen bis 0,5 m mächtig, makroskopisch sichtbar auftritt. Häufiger kommt er in 18–20 m mächtigen Zonen vor, die aber wegen des geringen Fluoritgehaltes von unter 10 % CaF₂ sich von dem grauweißen Dolomit ohne Fluorit nicht unterscheiden.In den dunklen bis schwarz gefärbten Lagen schwanken die Fluoritgehalte zwischen 10 und 50 % CaF₂. Einzelproben enthalten bis 80 % CaF₂. Die Dunkelfärbung ist teils durch den Gehalt von violettem Fluorit, mehr noch durch Bitumen bedingt.Fluorit wurde ferner im stratigraphisch höher gelegenen Plattendolomit (Ca₃) der Leine-Serie Z3 gefunden. In Aufschlüssen und Steinbrüchen in der Nähe von Sontra enthält der Plattendolomit lokal 1–4 % CaF₂.Die makro- und mikroskopisch sichtbare Wechsellagerung von Fluorit und Dolomit mit einem deutlichen Lagengefüge und das Fehlen von hydrothermalem Fluorit und anderen Mineralien auf Gängen und Klüften sind Beweise für eine synsedimentäre Bildung des Fluorites im Hauptdolomit (Ca₂) und Plattendolomit (Ca₃) in Hessen. Für den Hauptdolomit wird angenommen, daß er spätdiagenetisch entstanden ist. Dies dürfte auch für den Fluorit zutreffen. Als Bildungsbereich werden flache Lagunen mit salinärer Fazies angenommen. Das Fluor stammt aus dem normalen Gehalt des Meerwassers. Es muß aber angenommen werden, daß der Fluorgehalt des Meerwassers durch Zufuhr von Fluor aus dem Festlande, z. B. aus den fluorreichen Graniten des Harzes merklich erhöht wurde. Nur so sind die großen Fluoritmengen im Zechsteindolomit in Hessen zu erklären. Sie werden auf 5–7·10⁶ + CaF₂ geschätzt.

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In 1974, fluorite was detected for the first time in the Hauptdolomit (Ca₂) and in the Plattendolomit (Ca₃) of the Middle Zechsteinformation near Eschwege and Sontra, Hessia. It was confirmed by means of drilling, chemical and geochemical investigations that the fluorite in the Hauptdolomit is stratabound. It occurs both locally in the form of macroscopic dark layers and lenses of up to 0,5 m thickness and moreoften, as zones up to 18–20 m thick which cannot macroscopically be distinguished from the greyish white dolomite without fluorite because of the low CaF₂ content (less than 10 %).The fluorite contents vary between 10 an 50 % CaF₂ in the dark black layers. Special samples may contain up to 80 % CaF₂. The dark colour derives partly from the lilac fluorite but to a greater degree from bitumous material.Fluorite has also been detected in the stratigraphically higher Plattendolomit (Ca₃) of the Leine-Series Z 3. Outcrops and quarries near Sontra have local contents of 1–4 % CaF₂.The macroscopic and microscopic interstratification of fluorite and dolomite with clear layer textures and the absence of hydrothermal fluorite and other minerals in veins of fissures are evidence for a synsedimentary formation of the fluorite in the Hauptdolomit (Ca₂) and the Plattendolomit (Ca₃). The Hauptdolomit is thought to have developed during late diagenesis. This should be valid for the fluorite, too. Shallow lagoons of a salinar facies are thought to have been the depositional environment. The fluorite precipitated from the sea waters, which were apparently enriched in fluorine by erosion at the fluorine rich granites of the Harz mountains. This is the only obvious explanation of the large amounts of fluorine in the Zechstein dolomite, estimated at 5–7×10⁶ tonnes CaF₂.

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Résumé En 1974, de la fluorine fut découverte dans la dolomie dite »Hauptdolomit« (Ca₂) et dans la dolomie dite »Plattendolomit» (Ca₃) du Zechstein moyen, près d'Eschwege et de Sontra, en Hesse. Les sondages effectués ainsi que les analyses chimiques et géochimiques ont montré que la fluorine se rencontre de façon stratiforme dans la »Hauptdolomit«, quelquefois en couches et lentilles foncées d'une épaisseur maximale de 0,5 m, ou elle est visible macroscopiquement. La fluorine est souvent présente en faibles teneurs (moins de 10% de CaF₂) dans des couches de 18 à 20 m d'épaisseur; de ce fait, ces dernières ne se distinguent pas de la dolomie gris-blanche exempte de fluorine.La teneur en fluorine varie de 10 % à 50% de CaF₂ dans les couches foncées à noires. Certains échantillons renferment jusqu'à 80% de CaF₂. La coloration foncée est due en partie à la fluorine violette, mais plus encore à la présence de bitume.De la fluorine fut également localisée dans la »Plattendolomit« (Ca₃) de la »LeineSerie Z 3«, qui est située à un niveau stratigraphique supérieur. Cette »Plattendolomit« telle qu'on la rencontre dans les affleurements et carrières des environs de Sontra, contient de 1–4% de CaF₂.L'alternance de fluorine et de dolomie qui, avec sa structure en couches nettement développées, est visible tant macroscopiquement que microscopiquement, ainsi que l'absence de fluorine hydrothermale et d'autres minéraux dans les filons et cassures, sont considérées comme preuves de la formation syn-sédimentaire de la fluorine dans la »Hauptdolomit« (Ca₂) et dans la »Plattendolomit« (Ca₃) de la Hesse. On suppose que la formation de la »Hauptdolomit« est diagénétique tardive. Cette hypothèse devrait également s'appliquer à la fluorine. Il est probable que ce processus a eu lieu dans les lagunes peu profondes à faciès salin. Le fluor provient de l'eau de mer à teneur normale. On peut cependant supposer que la teneur en fluor de l'eau de mer s'est accrue suite à l'apport de fluor provenant du continent, p.ex. à partir de granites riches en fluor du Harz. C'est seulement ainsi que peuvent s'expliquer les grandes quantités de fluorine de la dolomie du Zechstein, en Hesse. Elles sont évaluées entre 5 et 7 · 10⁶ de CaF₂.

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(Ca₂) (Ca₃) . , , , 0,5 . 18–20 , - — CaF₂ 10% — , . 10 50% CaF₂. 80% CaF₂. , . (Ca₃). 1–4% CaF₂. , , ; , . , Ca₂ . . , . . , ., , . . 5–7 × 10⁶ CaF₂.

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Unserem Lehrer, Herrn Professor Dr. Georg Fischer, München, zum 80. Geburtstag gewidmet.