Organic matter assimilation and selective feeding by holothurians in the deep sea: some observations and comments

The selective feeding behaviour and assimilation efficiencies of deep-sea holothurians were investigated in order to assess their impact on carbon and nitrogen remineralisation on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP; 49°N 16°W, 4850 m water depth). Unfortunately, reliable determination of organic matter in the gut contents of the organisms proved to be difficult, because of the lysis of cells associated with the death of the animals on recovery. This was expressed in high levels of free fatty acids in the gut contents of Oneirophanta mutabilis, which we ascribe to unregulated lipolysis of phospholipids and triacylglycerides. It was not possible to estimate accurately the contribution that such material made to the gut contents, but based on the distributions of sterols in the gut sediments, it is likely to have been substantial. Therefore, all assimilation efficiencies calculated for holothurians in the deep sea should be treated with caution.Fortuitously, a bloom of holothurians that feed on the sediment surface (namely Amperima rosea and Ellipinion molle) during the period of study provided an opportunity indirectly to assess the impact of megafauna on organic matter cycling at the PAP. Observations suggest that the depletion of phytosterols from the surficial sediments between July and October 1997 resulted from the selective uptake of fresh phytodetritus by the blooming species. Deep-sea holothurians do not biosynthesise sterols de novo and an estimate of the sterol required by the increased population of A. rosea and E. molle is equivalent to the sterol flux to the seafloor during the spring/summer of 1997. The implications are dramatic. Firstly, these and other megafauna apparently turned over and selectively removed phytosterols from the freshly arrived phytodetritus and the surficial sediment (0–5 mm) at the PAP in less than four months. Secondly, their action impacted the food resource available to other organisms. Finally, as phytosterols are expensive to biosynthesise and are apparently an important resource for holothurians, we speculate that the supply of these compounds to the sedimentary community may be one important control on their population in the abyssal ocean.     

Quadratic normal moveouts of symmetric reflections in elastic media: A quick tutorial

The design of reflection traveltime approximations for optimal stacking and inversion has always been a subject of much interest in seismic processing. A most prominent role is played by quadratic normal moveouts, namely reflection traveltimes around zero-offset computed as second-order Taylor expansions in midpoint and offset coordinates. Quadratic normal moveouts are best employed to model symmetric reflections, for which the ray code in the downgoing direction coincides with the ray code in the upgoing direction in reverse order. Besides pure (non-converted) primaries, many multiply reflected and converted waves give rise to symmetric reflections. We show that the quadratic normal moveout of a symmetric reflection admits a natural decomposition into a midpoint term and an offset term. These, in turn, can be be formulated as the traveltimes of the one-way normal (N) and normal-incidence-point (NIP) waves, respectively. With the help of this decomposition, which is valid for propagation in isotropic and anisotropic elastic media, we are able to derive, in a simple and didactic way, a unified expression for the quadratic normal moveout of a symmetric reflection in its most general form in 3D. The obtained expression allows for a direct interpretation of its various terms and fully encompasses the effects of velocity gradients and Earth surface topography.     

Engineering geological mapping developed in the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region, State of Ceara, Brazil

Engineering geological mapping was carried out, at a scale of 1:100,000, in the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region, located in northeastern Brazil, to provide engineering geological information as an aid in planning land use and occupation. In this study, eight basic maps were produced drawing: urban areas, lithology, unconsolidated materials in addition to geomorphological map showing slopes, water resources, engineering geological zoning and distribution of geological–geotechnical environmental problems based on information collected through field and laboratory investigations. The region was divided into nine engineering geological zones analyzed in terms of geohazard susceptibility and foundation, excavation and waste disposal conditions.     

Soil-water behaviour of sandy soils under semi-arid conditions in the Duero Basin (Spain)

This paper examines the soil-water behaviour of sandy soils representative of a broad area in the Duero river basin (Spain), with semi-arid bioclimatic characteristics. Soil-moisture measurements of the first 25 cm of soil profile were taken using time domain reflectometry (TDR) methodology. The infiltration process was studied by means of field experiments combining rainfall simulations and TDR techniques. Finally, a set of hydrodynamic variables was calculated in the laboratory (i.e. available soil-water content, soil-water-retention curves and hydraulic conductivity).The average available soil-water content is 0·07 cm³ cm⁻³, in accordance with the predominance of the sandy textural fraction (85%). The rainfall simulation experiments show that infiltration prevails over overland flow, with a steady-state infiltration rate higher than rainfall application (40mmh⁻¹) in most cases; a low water-retention capacity was also observed. The evolution of soil-moisture over time indicates a close dependence on intra-annual rainfall variability due to the low water-retention capacity of sandy soils. With a maximum water-storage capacity of around 0·18 cm³ cm⁻³, the soils studied show high sensitivity to dry spells and may remain with <50% of the available soil-water content for several months during the year.     

Aspects of the geology, petrology and chemistry of some Angolan carbonatites

Using published data and the results of a new study, the main characteristics of seven Angolan carbonatite complexes are here presented. With the exception of the Lupongola complex which intrudes anorthosites, the remaining complexes are hosted by Precambrian silicic rocks. The complexes are of central or dike type and are well exposed. They represent some of the seven morpholithological types present in the province and have some intermediate lithochemical features between those of Brazilian and East African examples.Sovites at Lupongola are the richest in Sr and F, and also have the highest CaO/MgO and La/Y ratios of all sovites studied. Carbonatites from Bonga and Bailundo are the richest in P₂O₅, while those from Coola and Longonjo are the richest in BaO. Ferrocarbonatites from Bailundo and Virulundo have the highest REE contents. TiO₂ contents are usually low. Only Bonga carbonatites show well-defined variation between Ba and Mn contents and the index CaO/(CaO+Fe₂O₃+FeO+MnO+MgO).The CO₂-SiO₂-(Al₂O₃+Na₂O+K₂O) diagram distinguishes silicified carbonatites, feldspar-bearing carbonatites in which the main silicate mineral is K-feldspar, carbonatites and fenites. Potassic fenitization of country rocks is well developed at Bailundo, Bonga and Virulundo, and probably it also affected cogenetic nepheline syenites at Tchivira and Monte Verde.Fluorcarbonates of Ca and REE are encountered in all chemical varieties of carbonatites, and crystallized during late stages of rock formation. They have a strong influence both on total REE contents and on the slopes of chondrite-normalized patterns. Fluorapatite and pyrochlore are other important potential REE host minerals in the rocks studied. The REE patterns usually have discrete negative Ce anomalies, and sometimes show very discrete negative Eu anomalies. Apart from these anomalies, some rocks have very near-linear patterns, but most show inflections, which may occur between light and middle, and between middle and heavy REE. The origins of these variations are still uncertain.Other aspects of rock geochemistry show that, while some features could be explained by crystal fractionation differentiation processes, late-stage or secondary chemical modifications were widespread.     

An ultrasonic method for the separation of carbonaceous material from schists for the determination of graphitization degree by X-ray diffraction

Previous studies have shown that the metamorphic grade of carbonaceous material (CM) can be quantified by an index known as the degree of graphitization. This index uses XRD to measure the interplaner d-spacings of graphitic material and to assess the degree of polymerization and ordering in the CM structure.

Traditional methods employ digestion of the silicate and oxide fractions by HF and HCl acid treatments. Unfortunately, this procedure often leaves behind insoluble residues of heavy minerals and fluorosilicate by-products. A new method was tried, taking advantage of the density difference between CM and the inorganic mineral phases prior to treatment with acids. Using ultrasonic disaggregation, separation is achieved by removing the low-density fraction that floats on top of a ground sample suspension after sedimentation. Subsequently this low-density fraction can be acid treated to concentrate CM. This paper is essentially a comparison of the two techniques for sample preparation with an examination of both pre- and post-treatment products by XRD and an evaluation of the graphitization index.