Relationship between some trace elements and magmatic processes

Relationships between magmatic differentiation, volcanological evolution and occurrence of some trace elements have been pointed out by a petrographic and volcanological study of the Quaternary magmatic products of the Northern Latium alkali-potassic volcanoes (Sabatini, Vico, Vulsini).Several hundred analyses of U, Th, Be, Zr, Rb, Sr have been carried out. The above elements are contained in exceptional quantity in the examined alkaline rocks. The distribution pattern of these elements helps for a better understanding of some types of differentiation and, above all, allows to identify the processes related to the uplift and outflow of magmas which are undetectable with the usual petrochemical methods.In particular, the trace elements considered allow us to distinguish a deepseated magma evolution from superficial differentiations related to the volcanic conditions. Moreover, a loss of alkalies from the upper levels of the magmatic chambers has been ascertained which determines peculiar deformations in the normal petrogenetic trends.-- (: Sabatini, Vico, Vulsini). , . .

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Zusammenfassung Das petrographische und vulkanologische Studium der quartären Vulkanite der Mediterranen Sippe des nördlichen Latiums (die Vulkane Sabatini, Vico und Vulsini) haben uns die Gelegenheit gegeben, die Verhältnisse zwischen Magmenentwicklung, vulkanologischer Evolution und Verteilung einiger Spurenelemente zu bestätigen.Zu diesem Zweck sind Hunderte von Analysen von U, Th, Be, Zr, Sr, Rb — Elemente welche in ungemein großen Mengen in den untersuchten alkalischen Gesteinen enthalten sind — vorgenommen worden. Das Studium der Verteilung dieser Elemente hat ein gründliches Verstehen einiger Differentiationstypen erlaubt, und vor allem den Ablauf des Prozesses des Magmen-Aufstiegs und Abflusses gezeigt, welcher nicht mittels der normalen petrochemischen Untersuchungen ersichtlich ist.Besonders die in Betracht gezogenen Spurenelemente erlauben die Unterscheidung der magmatischen Evolution in den tiefen Lagen von den oberflächlicheren Differentiationen, welche an das vulkanische Geschehen gebunden sind.In dieser Hinsicht ist ein wichtiges Schlußergebnis die Bestätigung des Alkaliverlustes seitens der oberflächlichen Sektoren der Magmaherde, ein Verlust welcher eigenartige Deformationen von den normalen petrogenetischen Linien gezeigt hat.

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Résumé L'étude pétrographique et volcanologique des manifestations magmatiques quaternaires de la province alcalin-potassique du Latium septentrional (Volcans Sabatini, Vico et Vulsini) nous a permis de vérifier les rapports entre la différenciation magmatique, l'évolution volcanologique et la distribution de quelques éléments en traces.Dans ce but on a exécuté plusieurs centaines d'analyses de U, Th, Be, Zn, Rb, Sr, éléments qui sont présents en quantité exceptionellement élevé dans les roches alcalines examinées.L'étude de la distribution de ces éléments a permis une compréhension plus approfondie de certains types de differenciation et surtout, elle a indiqué l'existence de processus liés à la remontée et effusion des magmas, qui ne sont pas relevables par les examens pétrochimiques normaux.En particulier les éléments en traces considérés permettent de distinguer l'évolution magmatique de milieu profond des différenciations superficielles liées aux situations volcaniques.A ce propos une conclusion importante a été la constatation de la perte d'alcali par les portions plus superficielles des réservoirs magmatiques; une perte qui a déterminé des déformations particulières qui les éloignent des lignes pétrogénétiques normales.

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Authors are indepded to Dr. S.Smcana and to Dr. G.Falchi for the analyses performance.     

Plio-Quaternary volcanotectonic activity in the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift: relationships with oblique rifting

Deformation and magmatism within the 90 km wide northern Ethiopian Rift system is concentrated along a narrow zone - the Wonji Fault Belt. Two key areas (the Nazret-Dera and Asela-Ziway areas), located along the eastern margin of the north-northeast to northeast trending Main Ethiopian Rift, have been investigated in order to reconstruct the recent tectonomagmatic evolution of the northern branch of the Main Ethiopian Rift. In these areas, Early Pleistocene volcanic products (Wonji Group) overlie Pliocene volcanic rocks (Eastern Margin Unit). Detailed stratigraphical reconstructions have revealed the presence of several tectonomagmatic units which can be correlated between the two study areas. The stratigraphical and petrological study of these units outlined (1) the bimodal composition (basalts-pantellerites) of the oldest and youngest units and the unimodal character (pantellerites) of the products erupted during the intervening period; (2) the mainly fissural origin of the ignimbrites and oldest basalts; and (3) a mafic/felsic volumetric ratio of 1:5.The geological data suggest that, around the Pliocene-Quaternary boundary, a change in the stress field occurred in this Main Ethiopian Rift sector, passing from a direction of extension roughly orthogonal to the rift shoulders, to oblique rifting related to an east-west trending extension. In this framework the change in the style of volcanism observed in the Nazret-Dera and Asela-Ziway areas can be related to the change of the stress field. A new geodynamic model is presented for the Late Pliocene to Recent evolution of this sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift. According to this model, a large volume of rhyolitic products was erupted during an oblique rifting phase, following a previous period of pure extension. The change in the tectonic regime favoured partial melting of the underplated basalts as a decrease in the pressure and an elevation of isotherms occurred.     

Little Black Holes: Dark Matter and Ball Lightning

Small, quiescent black holes can be considered as candidates for the missing dark matter of the universe, and as the core energy source of ball lightning. By means of gravitational tunneling, unidirectional radiation is emitted from black holes in a process much attenuated from that of Hawking radiation, P, which has proven elusive to detect. Gravitational tunneling emission is similar to electric field emission of electrons from a metal in that a second body is involved which lowers the barrier and gives the barrier a finite rather than infinite width. Hawking deals with a single isolated black hole. The radiated power here is P ∝ e^-2Δγ P, where e^-2Δγ is the transmission probability. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons in marine animals from the central Mediterranean

Concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT and metabolites, PCBs, aldrin, dieldrin, HCB and BHCs) have been determined in the tissues of five species of marine animals sampled in selected areas of the central Mediterranean.     

Solar constant and sunspots

Summary The relationship, already found by the authors, between sunspot numbers and the solar constant, as deduced from the highest global irradiance values at noon, is here reexamined and confirmed. Some attempts at explanation and further inferences are presented.     

Variazioni del moto polare della Terra e loro correlazioni meteorologiche

Riassunto Vengono documentate ed illustrate alcune correlazioni fra le alterazioni del moto di rotazione terrestre iniziatesi nel 1923 con gli eventi meteorologici; in particolare si discutono e si spiegano in tal modo le forti anomalie della pressione osservate a Genova nel periodo 1924–32.

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Zusammenfassung Störungen in der Bewegung des Erdkörpers und Verschiebungen seiner Rotaktionsachse rufen Wirkungen hervor, welcke mit der Anpassung der Luftmassen an den neuen Bewegungen und an den neuen Lagen der Rotaktionsachse sich ausdrucken. Das führt zu Veränderungen der Luftströmungen, der Luftdruckverteilungen und daher der Grossewetterlagen. Einige meteorologischen Korrelationen dieser Art werden für die bedeutende Störung der Polarbewegung des 1923 gezeigt. Nachher werden damit besonders die starken Luftdruckanomalien erklärt, welche in Genua in der Periode 1924–32 beobachtet worden sind.

     

Multi-year drought frequency analysis at multiple sites by operational hydrology - A comparison of methods

This paper compares two generators of yearly water availabilities from sources located at multiple sites with regard to their ability to reproduce the characteristics of historical critical periods and to provide reliable results in terms of the return period of critical sequences of different length. The two models are a novel multi-site Markov mixture model explicitly accounting for drought occurrences and a multivariate ARMA. In the case of the multisite Markov mixture model parameter estimation is limited to a search in the parameter space guided by the value of parameter λ to show the sensitivity of the model to this parameter. Application to two of the longest time series of streamflows available in Sicily (Italy) shows that the models can provide quite different results in terms of estimated return periods of historic droughts, although they seem to perform more uniformly when it comes to simulate drought-related statistics such as drought length, severity and intensity. The role of parameter selection for the multisite Markov mixture model and of the marginal probability of generated flows in providing results consistent with the characteristics of the observed series is discussed. Both models are applied to the system of sources supplying the city of Palermo (Sicily) and its environs showing the applicability of the newly developed multisite Markov mixture model to medium-to-large scale water resources systems.     

High-pressure behaviour along the jadeite NaAlSi2O6–aegirine NaFeSi2O6 solid solution up to 10 GPa

The volume variation as a function of pressure along the jadeite–aegirine solid solution was determined at room temperature up to pressures between 6.5 and 9.7 GPa by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The unit-cell volumes collected at room pressure for the different compositions indicate a slight deviation from linearity along the join. The pressure–volume data have been fitted using a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state (BM3-EoS). The bulk modulus, K _T0, varies from 134.0(7) GPa for pure jadeite to 116.1(5) GPa for pure aegirine. Its evolution with composition along the join is not linear and can be described by the following second order polynomial:

Applied hydrodynamic wave-resistance computation by Fourier transform

An applied Fourier transform computation for the hydrodynamic wave-resistance coefficient is shown, oriented to potential flows with a free surface and infinity depth. The presence of a ship-like body is simulated by its equivalent pressure disturbance imposed on the un-perturbed free surface, where a linearized free surface condition is used. The wave-resistance coefficient is obtained from the wave-height downstream. Two examples with closed solutions are considered: a submerged dipole, as a test-case, and a parabolic pressure distribution of compact support. In the three dimensional case, a dispersion relation is included which is a key resource for an inexpensive computation of the wave pattern far downstream like fifteen ship-lengths.