Importance of Charles Lyell’s works for the formation of scientific geological ideology

Ch. Lyell’s works, the main work among which entitled Principles of Geology was published 180 years ago in 1830, created a new concept and laid the groundwork for modern geological science, methods for the study of geological processes and geological history based on the investigation of recent environments and processes. These propositions with natural corrections are also used in geological works at present. They have demonstrated persistence of the geological history and absence of global geological catastrophes. This fact was of great importance in science and ideology, because it changed basically the perception of the Earth’s nature and history based on the biblical world pattern.     

Variations of the total content of carbon monoxide over Moscow megapolis

The results of the carbon monoxide total content measurements over Moscow and Zvenigorod for 2005–2008 are compared with the same data sets for Moscow 1986–2005 and Beijing, 1992–2007. Two identical medium resolution diffraction spectrometers (resolution 0.2 cm^?1) with solar tracking system were used. The CO total content measured simultaneously over the city and over Zvenigorod Scientific Station (ZSS) of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (60 km west from Moscow). This method allows to isolate an urban part of CO content. The acoustic locator SODAR LATAN-3 measurements permitted us to study the influence of the carbon monoxide ventilation conditions upon level of pollution. Correlation coefficients between the urban part of CO content and average wind speed for cold and warm seasons were obtained. The data sets analysis showed a preeminent effect of the wind within boundary layer (up to 300 m) over the CO ventilation. The urban part of the CO content hasn’t increased in spite of more than quintuple increase of the motor-vehicles number in Moscow. An increase of the rural CO total column for the 1970–1985 has transformed into its virtually stable amount in between of 1986 to 2000, changed then to a decrease for 2001–2008. We noted the 2008 as “the year of the CO total column minimum” over the past decade. The effect of urban CO sources influence on the CO total column in rural area is small, i.e. on a level of 3% of the total number of measurements. The number of extremal daily values for Moscow is estimated as 5%, and 20% for Beijing.     

Evolution of silica accumulation in the earth’s history and its relation to biota development

Two branches of silica rockevolution related to oceans and continental blocks have been outlined. The boundaries of changes in types of silica rocks, their formation, and development of the organic world were established: (i) the beginning of the Phanerozoic was related to transformation from microbial to biogenic silica deposition (or to a change in the influence of microbial activity on silica accumulation); (ii) cessation of the formation of cherts enriched in organic matter, which was synchronized with land colonization by organisms in the Devonian, and (iii) an explosive style of global silica accumulation related to the appearance and development of diatoms, which correlates with appearance of angiosperm plants in tropical forests.     

The effect of viscosity on the flow morphology in semidetached binary systems. Results of 3D simulations. II

We present the results of three-dimensional simulations of matter flows in semidetached binary systems with various viscosities. In low-viscosity systems, the flow structure displays the same qualitative features as in high-viscosity computations. A self-consistent solution shows the absence of a shock interaction between the stream flowing from the inner Lagrange point and the forming accretion disk (or hot spot) for any viscosity.     

Late Quaternary marine terraces in the Mediterranean coastal area of Syria: Geochronology and neotectonics

In order to provide new data on the neotectonics and geodynamic properties of western Syria, studies of marine terraces have been carried out. The most attention was paid to the lower terraces in the range of 3–5 to 30–35 m above sea level, because they have more complete distributions along the shore. The lower terraces were examined along the coastal area from Tartus to Latakia, and along the carbonate cliff on Arwad Island. Seven ²³⁰Th/U dates for these terraces are in the range of 85–130 ka, suggesting the age interval of the last interglacial (MIS 5). New dates on the lower terraces provide a basis for stratigraphical and geomorphological interpretation as well as neotectonic reconstruction. According to the geomorphological data and lithological composition of those terraces, two main uplifted blocks can be established. One coincides with the Latakia block, and another corresponds to the western margin of the Banias volcanic plateau. These blocks are divided by a subsided structure corresponding to the Nahr el Kebir graben. The amplitude of neotectonic uplifting in the Latakia and Banias blocks reaches 15–20 m for the Late Pleistocene.