Oxygen isotopes in single micrometer-sized quartz grains: tracing the source of Saharan dust over long-distance atmospheric transport

Oxygen isotope compositions were measured by ion microprobe in individual micrometer-sized quartz grains extracted from one aerosol sample collected on the Cape Verde Islands and from four surface samples (three soils and one sediment) representing potential source regions of aerosols in Western and Central Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Niger, and Chad). A large range of δ¹⁸O values, from +6.2‰ to +39.3‰ is present within the aerosol quartz grains. The different size fractions of the quartz grains from the surface samples overlap nearly entirely this range but show significant differences in their δ¹⁸O distributions for the different size fractions of the grains (i.e., different modes, different proportions of grains with low or high δ¹⁸O, ...). These differences in δ¹⁸O distributions can be related to different geological formations (i.e., mantle-derived magmatic rocks, crustal magmatic rocks, or sedimentary rocks) outcropping in each region, thus giving a fingerprint of the source region. Quartz grains with unusually high δ¹⁸O values between +30‰ and +40‰ were attributed to lacustrine cherts formed in evaporitic environments (Chad basin).The existence of distinct δ¹⁸O distributions for the surface samples, which reflect regional geology but indicate some transport of the grains, enables the characterization of mixing processes during dust emission in the atmosphere. Particles are mixed at a regional scale in the dust reservoir, but injection of fine particles into the high troposphere occurs as a discrete and localized event with no mixing during the subsequent long-range transport by the easterlies. The comparison of the δ¹⁸O distribution of the quartz from the aerosol sample with the equivalent size fractions in surface samples shows that the Niger area is the more probable source region for the aerosol although the Moroccan source cannot be excluded. This method gives a valuable tool to trace the source region of dust into the atmosphere or into sediment samples, allowing the reconstruction of air mass circulations.     

A borehole investigation of zircon radiation damage annealing

This contribution reports Raman radiation damage measurements of zircons from the Kontinentale Tiefbohrung, on the western border of the Bohemian Massif. The mean wavenumbers (ω₃) and widths (Γ₃) of the ν₃(SiO₄) Raman band are constant down to 3 km, decrease (ω₃) resp. increase (Γ₃) between 3 and 5 km, and are again constant between 5 and 7 km. Uniform high Γ₃ values associated with ω₃ values close to those of undamaged zircon between 5 and 7 km are interpreted as due to residual damage predating the exhumation of the Bohemian Massif. A superimposed post‐exhumation signal indicates full damage retention down to 3 km depth, partial annealing between 3 and 5 km, and zero retention at greater depth. An attempt to calculate radiation damage ages gives results of a meaningful order of magnitude but also exposes difficulties associated with dating basement samples with complex damage accumulation and annealing histories.     

A fast tracking mirror for adaptive optics

A piezo driven tilt mirror was developed and built as one component of an image motion compensation system for a solar telescope. The bandwidth of the mirror with a diameter of 60 mm is about 1 kHz with negligible phase shift between input signal and mirror response up to 900 Hz. The tilt range is 1.6 mrad. Special care was taken to maintain the surface quality of the mirror to better than /15 after fixing it to the substrate.     

The HLMA project: determination of high Δm LMA mixing parameters and constraint on |Ue3| with a new reactor neutrino experiment

In the forthcoming months, the KamLAND experiment will probe the parameter space of the solar large mixing angle MSW solution as the origin of the solar neutrino deficit with ’s from distant nuclear reactors. If however the solution realized in nature is such that Δm²_sol2×10⁻⁴ eV² (thereafter named the HLMA region), KamLAND will only observe a rate suppression but no spectral distortion and hence it will not have the optimal sensitivity to measure the mixing parameters. In this case, we propose a new medium baseline reactor experiment located at Heilbronn (Germany) to pin down the precise value of the solar mixing parameters. In this paper, we present the Heilbronn detector site, we calculate the interaction rate and the positron spectrum expected from the surrounding nuclear power plants. We also discuss the sensitivity of such an experiment to |U_e3| in both normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchy scenarios. We then outline the detector design, estimate background signals induced by natural radioactivity as well as by in situ cosmic ray muon interaction, and discuss a strategy to detect the anti-neutrino signal ‘free of background’.     

Influence of Site and Source Dependent Ground Motion Scenarios on the Seismic Safety of Long-span Bridges in Cologne, Germany

An overlap in frequency between the 1D resonance frequency of sediments and the vibrational frequencies of long-span bridges might lead to a strongly increased structural response of the latter. Interference of surface waves caused by reflections at dipping interfaces may introduce additional unfavourable amplifications. Therefore, the vulnerability of two bridges crossing the Rhine River in Cologne, Germany, was assessed using ground motion scenarios computed for four profiles crossing the Lower Rhine Embayment. Due to their vibrational frequencies being in the vicinity of resonant peaks in the response spectra, the Severinsbridge showed critical loading and the bridge Cologne-Deutz even exhibited grave failure according to the dynamic FE-simulations.     

Combination of common-midpoint-refraction seismics with the generalized reciprocal method

A useful method for increasing the signal/noise ratio of refracted waves is Common-Midpoint (CMP)-refraction seismics. With this technique the shallow underground can be described in detail using all information (amplitude, frequency, phase characteristics) of the wavetrain following the first break (first-break phase). Thus, the layering can be determined and faults, weak zones, and clefts can be identified. This paper deals with the optimization of CMP-refraction seismics used in combination with the Generalized Reciprocal Method (GRM). Theoretical studies show a close relationship of both methods to the kinematics of wave propagation. Velocities and optimum offsets determined by the GRM can be used directly in the partial Radon transformation in CMP-refraction seismics. The integration of refracted waves leads to an increase in the signal/noise ratio but simultaneously the integration boundaries must be restricted to deal only with selective parts of the investigated refractor. The result of this process is an intercept-time section which can be converted directly to a depth section using standard refraction seismic techniques. Another possibility of depth conversion is the transformation of this intercept-time section to a `pseudo-zero-offset section', known from reflection seismics. Thus, zero-offset sections can be migrated using wave-equation techniques such as Kirchhoff migration.     

Investigation of the pyrolytic liberation of molecular nitrogen from Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks

Open-system non-isothermal pyrolysis up to 1,200°C in combination with elemental analysis was used to study the thermal liberation of molecular nitrogen (N₂) from sedimentary rocks and kerogen concentrates of Palaeozoic age from the Central European Basin system and an Eocene shale (Liaohe Basin, China) with a high content (36%) of ammonium feldspar (buddingtonite). The N/C_org (atomic) ratios of the kerogen concentrates ranged from 0.005 to 0.014, which represents the range commonly observed for coals. Bulk N/C_org ratios of the Palaeozoic shales extended from 0.035 to 0.108, indicating the presence of significant amounts of inorganic nitrogen. Namurian A and A-B (CnA; CnA-B) samples typically exhibited the earliest onset of N₂ generation with intense, characteristic peaks around 600°C. N₂ liberation from the buddingtonite-rich sample occurred at higher temperatures, with a broad peak around 700°C. Pyrograms of the kerogen concentrates showed no or strongly reduced N₂ generation in the 500–700°C range. On-line isotope-specific analysis of the pyrolytically liberated N₂ on one sample revealed a variability of ∼10‰ in the δ¹⁵N values and a steady increase in δ¹⁵N with temperature during the main phase of N₂ generation.     

Crustal volatile release at Merapi volcano; the 2006 earthquake and eruption events

High‐temperature gas in volcanic island arcs is widely considered to originate predominantly from the mantle wedge and from subducted sediments of the down‐going slab. Over the decade (1994–2005) prior to the 2006 eruption of Merapi volcano, summit fumarole CO₂ gas δ¹³C ratios are relatively constant at ?4.1 ± 0.3‰. In contrast, CO₂ samples taken during the 2006 eruption and after the May 26th 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake (M6.4) show a dramatic increase in carbon isotope ratios to ?2.4 ± 0.2‰. Directly following the earthquake (hypocentre depth 10–15 km), a 3–5‐fold increase in eruptive intensity was observed. The elevated carbon isotope gas data and the mid‐crustal depth of the earthquake source are consistent with crustal volatile components having been added during the 2006 events, most probably by the thick local limestone basement beneath Merapi. This ‘extra’ crustal gas likely played an important role in modifying the 2006 eruptive behaviour at Merapi and it appears that crustal volatiles are able to intensify and maintain eruptions independently of traditional magmatic recharge and fractionation processes.