Deterioration of Sediment Quality in Seagrass Meadows (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Posidonia oceanica</Emphasis>) Invaded by Macroalgae (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caulerpa</Emphasis> sp.)

Species of the macroalgae Caulerpa sp. are increasingly being observed in meadows of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, and in particular Caulerpa taxifolia, has been considered as an invasive species leading to seagrass decline. Studies have so far failed to reveal the underlying mechanisms of the success of the macroalgae, and here, we examine how biogeochemical changes of the environment associated to indigenous (Caulerpa prolifera) and non-indigenous (Caulerpa racemosa and C. taxifolia) species affect the habitat of P. oceanica. Two of the species (C. prolifera and C. racemosa) affect the sediment biogeochemical conditions by increasing organic matter pools, microbial activity, and sulfide pools of the sediments, and limited effects were found for C. taxifolia. Biomass of the macroalgae contributed to the extent of impacts, and high sulfide invasion into the seagrasses and regression of the meadow were pronounced at the location with the highest Caulerpa biomass. This suggests that Caulerpa invasion contributes to seagrass decline probably because Caulerpa thrives better than the seagrasses in the modified environment.     

Die stratiforme Sulfidlagerstätte Walchen,Steiermark, Österreich: Geochemie und Genese

Zusammenfassung Die Neubearbeitung derstratiformen Sulfidlagerstätte Walchen bei Öblarn, Steiermark, offen-bart eine eisenbetonte submarin-exhalative Metallkonzentration in einem vulkano-sedimentären Rahmen. Dieser liegt heute in Form metamorpher Gesteine der untersten Grünschieferfazies vor. Mineralchemische Untersuchungen zeigen, daß die ehemalige intensivste metamorphe Überprägung der Lagerstätte im Bereich von 450°–500°C oberhalb 4 kb stattgefunden hat. Metavulkanite, vertreten durch Grünschiefer, lassen alkalibasaltische Affinität erkennen. Die vulkano-tektonische Position der Lagerstätte ist in einem intrakontinentalen Riftsystem zu sehen.

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The stratiform sulphide deposit at walchen, styria, austria: Geochemistry and genesis

Summary The Walchen deposit consists of a 1–2 m thick layer of massive to disseminated pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite ore with an average grade of 1% Cu. It has been mined intermittently in the past. The ore horizon occurs within sericitic and quartzitic phyllites which carry intercalations with significant carbonate, garnet and graphite contents. The succession is of lower Paleozoic age and forms part of the Grauwackenzone, a volcano-sedimentary unit which separates the Central Alps from the Northern Calcareous Alps.The precursor rocks of the ore environment have been pelites and sandstones; greenschists occur in the hanging wall of the mineralization. Major and trace element analyses of greenschists reveal them as low-grade metamorphic equivalents of continental alkali basalts. Hydrothermal systems generated by volcanic activity were responsible for deposition of stratiform sulphides. The predominance of clastic sediments and the absence of stringer zones point towards a shallow depositional basin.Microprobe analyses of garnets from the ore environment reveal an increase in spessartine contents from 7 mol% in phyllites to 20 mol% in the vicinity of the ore horizon. Similar data have been reported from other stratabound base metal deposits (Broken Hill, N.S.W.; Kreuzeck Mountains, Austria; Gamsberg, South Africa); the manganese concentrations represent fossil manganese haloes.Pyrite carries minor Ni and Co (up to 0.03, respectively 0.3%), pyrrhotite averages 0.8% Ni and 0.1% Co, Fe-contents of sphalerite vary from 6.41–9.33%; Cd, In and Mn have not been recorded.Garnet-biotite pairs suggest maximum metamorphic temperatures of 450°–500°C: pressures of 4 to 5 kb have been estimated. The Walchen deposit is interpreted as the product of submarine exhalative processes in an incipient rift. It was affected by prograde metamorphism during the Variscan orogeny, and by retrograde affects during a later event. Isochemical metamorphism resulted in the preservation of a primary manganese halo.

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Reconstruction of the harmonic component of the magnetic field modulus anomalies

An algorithm is proposed for calculating a harmonic function equal to the projection of the anomalous magnetic field vector onto the normal field direction from in situ measurements of the anomalous magnetic field modulus (the scalar magnetic anomaly) ΔT, which is a nonharmonic function and is nonlinearly related to the magnetization of anomaly sources. It is shown that the inferred estimates tend to the desired harmonic function if the iterative algorithm converges. The convergence conditions and stability of the process are studied numerically in a wide range of amplitudes of the anomalous field. The results of the modeling simulation demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in solving magnetic field interpretation problems often encountered in practice.     

Energy density inhomogeneities with polynomial f(R) cosmology

In this paper, we study the effects of polynomial f(R) model on the stability of homogeneous energy density in self-gravitating spherical stellar object. For this purpose, we construct couple of evolution equations which relate the Weyl tensor with matter parameters. We explore different factors responsible for density inhomogeneities with non-dissipative dust, isotropic as well as anisotropic fluids and dissipative dust cloud. We find that shear, pressure, dissipative parameters and f(R) terms affect the existence of inhomogeneous energy density.     

New U-Pb ages of zircons in the Owk Shale (Kurnool Group) with reflections on proterozoic porcellanites in India

Felsic tuff beds with some presumed sedimentary components were reported from the Owk Shale (Kurnool Group; bearing Neoproterozoic fossils) in the upper part of the sedimentary succession in the Cuddapah basin in India by Saha and Tripathy (2012a). Our optical and SEM petrographic study of three thin sections, however, indicates that the parent samples are sandy mudstones with variable amounts of a felsic volcaniclastic component. New highquality U-Pb (SHRIMP and LA-MC-ICPMS) ages of 133 detrital zircon grains from a sample show that one grain is ca. 1880 Ma, one grain is ca. 3300 Ma, and the ages of the remaining 131 grains fall between 2690 Ma and 2429 Ma, the population averaging 2522 ± 36 Ma. The data indicate that the zircons are detrital grains derived from the ca. 2.5 Ga granitic/gneissic/greenstone basement of the Dharwar cratons that also host minor older Archean enclaves. The single 1880 Ma grain could have come from a ca. 1.9 Ga LIP. In the absence of any younger magmatic zircon, the absolute age of the Owk Shale remains elusive.     

Modelling road surface sediment production using a vector geographic information system

Field investigations indicate that unpaved roads are the largest sediment source on St John, US Virgin Islands. Cross-sectional measurements of eroded road surfaces were used to establish an empirical relationship to predict annual road surface erosion as a function of road gradient and contributing drainage area. A model (ROADMOD) for estimating and mapping average annual sediment production from a road network was developed by combining this empirical relationship with a series of network algorithms to analyse road data stored in a vector geographic information system. ROADMOD was used to estimate road surface erosion in two St John catchments with very different road densities but similar land cover, topography and soils. Unpaved roads were found to increase sediment production in the more densely roaded catchment by a factor of three to eight, and in the less-roaded catchment by a factor of 1·3–2·0. Turbidity measurements in the receiving bays of these two catchments are consistent with model predictions and observed sediment delivery processes. Although this model was developed specifically for St John, it can easily be adapted to other locations by substituting a locally derived predictive equation for road erosion. Model assumptions, limitations and potential improvements are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.