Quartz fabrics in shear-zone mylonites: Evidence for a major imprint due to late strain increments

Geometrical relations between quartz C-axis fabrics, textures, microstructures and macroscopic structural elements (foliation, lineation, folds…) in mylonitic shear zones suggest that the C-axis fabric mostly reflects the late-stage deformation history. Three examples of mylonitic thrust zones are presented: the Eastern Alps, where the direction of shearing inferred from the quartz fabric results from a late deformation oblique to the overall thrusting; the Caledonides nappes and the Himalayan Main Central Thrust zone, where, through a similar reasoning, the fabrics would also reflect late strain increments though the direction of shearing deduced from quartz fabric remains parallel to the overall thrusting direction. Hence, the sense of shear and the shear strain component deduced from the orientation of C-axis girdles relative to the finite strain ellipsoid axes are not simply related nor representative of the entire deformation history.     

Mechanisms of siderophore sorption to smectite and siderophore-enhanced release of structural Fe

Sorption of the trihydroxamate siderophores desferrioxamine-B and -D (DFOB and DFOD, respectively) and of the monohydroxamate ligand acetohydroxamic acid (aHA) to smectite were examined in batch sorption studies (pH 5.5, 0.1 M ionic strength) coupled with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Both DFOB and DFOD, which have similar molecular structures but different charge properties (cationic versus neutral, respectively) showed a high affinity for smectite. In contrast, the smaller aHA molecule did not sorb appreciably. XRD analysis indicated that DFOB and DFOD each absorbed in the interlamellar region of the clay to give d-spacings of 13.4-13.7 Å at equilibrium solution concentrations <250 μM. FTIR spectra of sorbed DFOB and DFOD indicated that the conformation of each species was distinct from its conformation in the crystalline or dissolved states. At elevated initial solution concentrations of 500-1500 μM, DFOB formed a bilayer in the clay interlayer. Changes in the FTIR spectra of the DFOB-loaded clay samples at these higher surface loadings were consistent with the presence of a metal-siderophore complex in the interlayer. DFOB and DFOD both enhanced Fe and Al release from smectite, but aHA did not. Possible dissolution mechanisms are discussed in light of the FTIR and batch dissolution results.     

Application of Multi-Temporal MODIS NDVI Data to Assess Practiced Maize Calendars in Rwanda

Crop calendar is an important tool providing relevant information on crops cycles in a specific area for effective agricultural management. Crop calendars vary in different areas given dissimilarities in agro-ecosystems’ characteristics. This research used multi-temporal MODIS NDVI stratification to assess differences in practiced maize crop calendars in various areas of Rwanda. Four (4) sample NDVI strata dominated by agriculture were purposively chosen, and 433 local farmers were randomly selected from the strata for interviews. The collected information helped to know about their maize planting as well as harvesting dates in order to generate maize calendars per NDVI strata. The generated crop calendars were later classified using k-means unsupervised classification, and produced 4 groupings of practiced maize calendars irrespective of NDVI strata. ANOVA results revealed significant differences between both the generated maize crop calendars by NDVI strata and the practiced crop calendars irrespective of NDVI strata, at p = 0.05. Moreover, chi-square tests and t-tests revealed not only a significant relationship between maize calendars and number of crop growing seasons, but also a significant relationship between maize calendars and NDVI strata, at p = 0.05. Finally, findings of this research contrasted the present conviction that there exist a single general maize calendar all over the country. Instead, the results were in accordance with the fact that Rwanda agro-ecosystems differ from East to West in terms of, mainly, altitude and rainfall patterns variations.     

Using modular 3D digital earth applications based on point clouds for the study of complex sites

This article discusses the use of 3D technologies in digital earth applications (DEAs) to study complex sites. These are large areas containing objects with heterogeneous shapes and semantic information. The study proposes that DEAs should be modular, have multi-tier architectures, and be developed as Free and Open Source Software if possible. In DEAs requiring high reliability in the 3D measurements, point clouds are proposed as basis for the 3D Digital digital earth representation. For the development of DEAs, we propose to follow a workflow with four components: data acquisition and processing, data management, data analysis and data visualization. For every component, technological challenges of using 3D technologies are identified and solutions applied for a case study are presented. The case study is a modular 3D DEA developed for the archaeological project Mapping the Via Appia. The 3D DEA allows archaeologists to virtually analyze a complex study area.     

Observations of shallow layering utilizing the Pingerprobe echo-sounding system

A “Pingerprobe” is a system of echo sounding in which the sound source is placed near bottom to improve resolution by restricting the area investigated. It is demonstrated that a commercially available 12-kHz “pinger” with a synchronized shipboard receiver is useful not only in the monitoring of the positioning of a bottom or near-bottom instrument package (such as a corer) but also in making observations on the acoustic nature of the sea floor. In rough terrain the Pingerprobe has measured stratified sediments in some places where the PDR (Precision Depth Recorder) cannot. Observations on proximal abyssal plains indicate that the prolonged echo character common to these areas may result from small-scale roughness or inhomogeneity. When a suspended instrument is sent to the bottom in rough terrain, or in areas of intermittent subbottom reflections, use of a Pingerprobe improves information about the conditions at the point of contact and permits selection of the desired topographic setting.     

Geochemical evaluation of mineralization potential of the Somie-Ntem area within the Tikar plain,Cameroon: implication on petrogenesis

Acta Geochimica - Somie-Ntem area of the Tikar plain belongs to the western Cameroon Domain. The lithology of the plain has been characterized, and the mineral potential is still unclear despite...     

How do bedform patterns arise? New views on the role of bedform interactions within a set of boundary conditions

One explanation for bedform patterns is self‐organization in which the pattern emerges because of interactions among the bedforms themselves. Models, remote images, field studies and lab experiments have identified bedform interactions that involve whole bedforms, only bedform defects, or that are remote interactions between bedforms. It is proposed that bedform interactions form a spectrum from constructive to regenerative in pattern development. Constructive interactions, including merging, lateral linking, cannibalization, and remote transfer of sediment, push the system toward fewer, larger, more widely spaced bedforms. Regenerative interactions, including bedform splitting, defect creation and calving, push the system back toward a more initial state. Other interactions, including off‐center collision, defect migration, and bedform and defect repulsion, cause pattern change, but may not be strongly constructive or regenerative. Although bedform interactions are ubiquitous to any field of bedforms, their dynamics, flow‐field modification, and impact upon measurable pattern parameters are yet poorly understood. Most bedform interactions span bedform types and fluids, supporting the hypothesis that pattern emerges from dynamics at the bedform level in a hierarchy that includes lower levels of bedform‐flow and grain–fluid interactions. Bedform interactions alone, however, cannot account for the rich diversity of bedform patterns in nature. It is proposed that field diversity arises because of boundary conditions, which are the environmental variables within which a field evolves. Conceptually, boundary conditions modify the shape of the attractor toward which a field evolves, possibly by altering the type and frequency of bedform interactions. Boundary conditions are broadly similar within system types, but are unique for each bedform field so that no two are ever exactly alike. Although aeolian and fluvial systems share some types of boundary conditions, flow depth is a unique boundary condition in shallow fluvial systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.