The Bashilsky swell: an Upper Pleistocene extrusion in the Verkhnechegemskaya caldera (Northern Caucasus)

This work describes a young extrusive massif in the uppermost reaches of the Chegem River (Bashilauzu-su River), which had been considered as a feeder of the great sequence of Upper Pliocene rhyolite ignimbrites of the Verkhnechegemskaya caldera. The Upper Pleistocene age of the stratum, extrusive origin of automagmatic breccias and fluidolites, as well as its difference from rhyolites of the caldera are proven. The Bashilsky swell, located in the Late Pleistocene glacial trough, is evidence of young volcanism in this area, which has not been previously proposed.     

Streaming potential near a hydrofracture

We suggest a mathematical model for the dynamics of the streaming potential near a hydrofracture of a seam after termination of water pumping into the fracture.     

Cycles of seismic activity in the second half of the holocene in the Western Caucasus and their correlation with stages of civilization development: A case study of the upper reach of the Mzymta River

The results of comprehensive research into the area of the upper reach of the Mzymta River (Western Caucasus) are presented. The evidence of strong earthquakes that struck the study area throughout history is studied. The periods when mud flows and rockslides associated with the earthquakes are identified to fall between 3100–4000 and 700–1200 years ago. Paleoseismological results are correlated to the results of archeological excavations. As a result, it is revealed that the periods of tectonic disasters coincided with the onsets of the period when the area was uninhabited (abandoned) by people. The results of the present comprehensive research provide additional information to specify the seismic hazard and the chronology of human habitation in the region.     

Search for differences in the velocities and directions of the kiloparsec-scale jets of quasars with and without X-ray emission

The X-ray emission of the kiloparsec-scale jets of core-dominant quasars is usually interpreted as inverse Compton scattering on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) emission (Sample I). By analogy with the situation on parsec scales, ultrarelativistic motion along a jet oriented at a small angle to the line of sight is usually invoked to explain the X-ray emission while also satisfying the condition of equipartition between the energies associated with the relativistic particles and the magnetic field on kiloparsec scales. This leads to an increase in the energy flux of the CMB radiation in the rest frame of the kiloparsec-scale jets. Consequently, the intensity of the CMB radiation is enhanced to the level required for detectable X-ray emission. This suggests that kiloparsec jets of quasars with similar extents and radio flux densities that are not detected in the X-ray (Sample II) could have subrelativistic speeds and larger angles to the line of sight, due to deceleration and bending of the jet between parsec and kiloparsec scales. This suggests the possible presence of differences in the distributions of the difference between the position angle for the parsec-scale and kiloparsec-scale jets for these two groups of quasars; this is not confirmed by a statistical analysis of the data for Samples I and II. It is deduced that most of the sources considered exhibit bending of their jets by less than about 1.5 times the angle of the parsec-scale jet to the line of sight. This suggests that the X-ray emission is generated by other mechanisms that there is no equipartition.     

Meeting the Challenge of Systemic Change in Geography Education: Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s Young Geographers

The history of K–12 geography education has been characterized by recurrent high hopes and dashed expectations. There have, however, been moments when the trajectory of geography education might have changed to offer students the opportunity to develop a thorough working knowledge of geography. Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s geography program developed in the 1920s and 1930s was brilliant in its conception and execution but it did not lead to large-scale systemic change. Analyzing the origins, development, and outcome of her program suggests the conditions that facilitate and inhibit systemic change, and therefore perhaps we can learn to capitalize on comparable moments in the future.