Tectonics and sedimentation in the Fohnsdorf-Seckau Basin (Miocene, Austria): from a pull-apart basin to a half-graben

The Miocene intramontane Fohnsdorf-Seckau Basin is situated at the junction of the sinistral Mur-Mürz-fault system and the dextral Pöls-Lavanttal fault system. The basin comprises a 2,400-m-thick coal-bearing fluviodeltaic-lacustrine succession (Lower to Middle Miocene, Upper Karpatian?/Lower Badenian) which is overlain by a 1,000-m-thick alluvio-deltaic conglomeratic succession (Apfelberg Formation, ?Middle/Upper Badenian) in the south. A three-stage model for the basin evolution has been reconstructed from structural analysis and basin fill geometries. During a first pull-apart phase, subsidence occurred along ENE-trending, sinistral strike-slip faults of the Mur-Mürz fault system and NE-SW to N-S-trending normal faults, forming a composite pull-apart basin between overstepping en-echelon strike-slip faults. The Seckau and Fohnsdorf sub-basins are considered as two adjacent pull-aparts which merged into one basin. During the second phase, N-S to NNW-SSE extension and normal faulting along the southern basin margin fault formed a half-graben, filled by wedge-shaped alluvial strata (Apfelberg Formation). During the third phase, after the end of basin sedimentation, the dextral Pöls-Lavanttal fault system reshaped the western basin margin into a positive flower structure.     

Mesoscale physical processes and zooplankton transport-retention in the northern Norwegian shelf region

Northern Norwegian shelf regions are highly productive, supporting fisheries rich in commercially important species such as cod, herring and capelin. It has been long recognized that the mesoscale jets, meanders and eddies associated with interactions between the North Atlantic Current, Norwegian Coastal Current and regional bottom topographic features such as troughs, banks and shelfbreaks play important roles in transporting and retaining zooplankton. To investigate zooplankton distributions and their correspondence with the physical fields, three large-scale surveys with mesoscale resolutions on physical and biological fields were conducted in northern Norwegian shelf regions between latitudes 68°15′N and 70°15′N in springs of 2000–2002. Survey results provide insights into the relationships between zooplankton distributions and the physical features such as fronts, the Norwegian Coastal Current and eddies related to topographic features. The physical and biological data are integrated and analyzed focusing on water types, estimation of geostrophic currents from direct current measurements, along-shelf transport of zooplankton, and retention of zooplankton by the mesoscale meander–eddy over a typical bank area on the shelf. The estimated mean transport in the upper 100 m on the shelf in the survey region is approximately 6.4×10³ tonnes wet weight day⁻¹ northward. High zooplankton abundances were found over both Malangsgrunnen and Sveinsgrunnen banks. The specific accumulation rate from northward–southward transport in the upper 100 m over Malangsgrunnen was approximately 0.08 day⁻¹, while variable currents with an offshore gradient of zooplankton abundance over Sveinsgrunnen implies an offshore dispersion of coastal-originated zooplankton cohort.     

Erwiderung zu dem Aufsatz von Dr. Georgi: Das neue Absolut-Pyrheliometer von Prof. K. Wegener

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Crooked line, rough topography: advancing towards the correct seismic image

Seismic exploration in mountainous areas imposes serious compromises on both acquisition and processing. Access restrictions usually result in profiles that are not straight and are not recorded along the true dip direction (if there is a true dip direction!). Processing constraints often result in very poor approximate corrections for elevations and for deviations from a straight line. Most fundamentally, 2D acquisition and processing assumes that the earth is 2D; this assumption is often seriously violated in mountainous areas. While we cannot efficiently correct 2D seismic data for the effects of a fully 3D subsurface, we can improve the data quality in thrust areas where the assumption of 2D subsurface variation is reasonable. We do this in a series of small steps, which improves the accuracy of several approximations made in processing 2D land data.     

Cladocora caespitosa bioconstructions in the Columbretes Islands Marine Reserve (Spain,NW Mediterranean): distribution,size structure and growth

Today, living banks of the coral Cladocora caespitosa appear to be restricted to a few Mediterranean locations and are threatened by the escalating impacts affecting coastal areas. In this study the exceptional occurrence of the Mediterranean coral C. caespitosa in the Columbretes Islands Marine Reserve (NW Mediterranean, Spain) is characterised in terms of spatial distribution, cover area, colony size and growth rates. The coral colonies form beds and banks in rocky bottoms within a semi‐enclosed bay that offers both hydrodynamic protection and high water exchange. The spatial distribution of the C. caespitosa colonies, from 5 to 27 m depth, is highly aggregated, depending on sea‐floor morphology and showing up to 80% of substrate coverage. The annual corallite growth rates obtained through the alizarin red staining method and x‐ray image analysis are similar, and range between 2.55 ± 0.79 mm and 2.54 ± 0.81 mm, respectively. The exceptional nature of these bioconstructions is due to their cumulative cover area, which is comparable in size to the largest C. caespitosa bioconstructions described to date in Mljet National Park (Croatia, Adriatic Sea).     

Die Bedeutung der Überschiebungen in Zentralasien

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Schwefel-Isotope und die Genese von Erzlagerstätten

Zusammenfassung Die Möglichkeiten und Probleme der genetischen Ausdeutung von Schwefel-Isotopen-Verhältnissen in Erzmineralien werden an Beispielen (vorwiegend nach Messungen verschiedener Autoren im Göttinger Zentrallabor) diskutiert. Es ergeben sich z. B. Anhaltspunkte, ob eine Lagerstätte von basaltischen Magmen aus dem Erdmantel abzuleiten sein kann oder nicht. Die Meßdaten von Meggen und vom Rammeisberg sind mit einer Ableitung aus dem Erdmantel höchstens bei wesentlichen Zusatzannahmen (sehr starke Assimilation von ungewöhnlichem Krustenmaterial oder extreme Fraktionierung in einem Sekundärherd) vereinbar. Aus der Kruste abzuleitende hydrothermale Lagerstätten können schwankende (Harz) oder auch ziemlich einheitliche S-Isotopen-Verhältnisse zeigen (Freiberg/ Sa.; Süddeutschland). Extreme Unterschiede innerhalb der Lagerstätte Wiesloch bei Heidelberg werden durch bakterielle Fraktionierung eines begrenzten Sulfat-Vorrates gedeutet. — In Abb. 6 sind außerdem Blei-Isotopen-Verhältnisse aus Süddeutschland dargestellt.

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The possibilities and problems of the genetical interpretation of sulfur isotope ratios in ore minerals are discussed using mainly results from the Göttingen isotope laboratory. For example, criteria are obtained regarding the question whether a certain deposit can be derived from basaltic magmas from the Earth's mantle, or not. The sulfur isotope data for minerals from the deposits of Meggen and Rammelsberg (Germany) are only consistent with a derivation from the mantle if substantial additional assumptions are made (very strong assimilation of unusual crustal material or extreme fractionation in a secondary magma chamber). Hydrothermal deposits derived from the Earth's crust can show variable (Harz mountains) or also rather uniform isotope ratios (Freiberg/Saxony; Southern Germany). Extreme variations within the deposit of Wiesloch near Heidelberg are interpreted as caused by bacterial fractionation of a limited amount of sulfate. - Fig. 6 shows lead isotope ratios from Southern Germany.

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Résumé La composition isotopique du soufre dans les minéraux des gîtes métallifères: données et problèmes pour une interprétation génétique.

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(Meggen, Rammelsberg, Freiberg, Wiesloch) . .

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Der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft sei auch an dieser Stelle für die Ermöglichung der Schwefel-Isotopen-Messungen in Göttingen gedankt.