Rock salt mass in the Paleoproterozoic sequence of the Onega trough in Karelia (from the Onega parametric well data)

A thick (200 m) rock salt mass covering Late Archean granitoids was exposed for the first time in the Early Proterozoic volcanogenic-sedimentary formations in the Onega trough of the east Baltic Shield by the Onega parametric well. The mineral composition of salts, their geochemical features, and the isotopic composition of carbonate carbon and oxygen have been studied. After fluid inclusions present in salts, their metamorphism temperature and isotopic composition of helium and argon were determined. The obtained results give evidence of the fact that rock salts and magnesites associated with them were formed in an evaporate basin with participation of deep crustal processes. The age of the underlying granitoids (2.716 ± 9 Ma) is determined using the Pb—Pb method.     

Metal accumulation in mussels of the Kuril Islands, north-west Pacific Ocean

Concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc were investigated in two species of mussel from the Kuril Islands in the north-western Pacific Ocean: the short-lived mussel Mytilus trossulus and the much larger and longer-lived Crenomytilus grayanus. The concentrations of most elements were low, and these reported levels are believed to reflect background values for pristine locations. However, both iron and zinc concentrations were elevated in some samples taken from areas of hydrothermal vent activity, and these are believed to reflect the enrichment of the two metals in solution at such sites. Furthermore, the concentrations of cadmium were unusually elevated in both species of mussel, especially in the longer-lived C. grayanus. The high accumulation of cadmium in mussels from the Kuril Islands is believed to reflect regional upwelling, but it is also postulated that filtration rates of the mussels are high due to low levels of suspended matter, and this leads to a high assimilation efficiency for cadmium. The distribution of cadmium amongst the tissues of C. grayanus is also reported, and the need for further ecotoxicological studies in the area is proposed.     

Variability of the Blazar 4C 38.41 in 2006–2017

The results of multicolor photometric and polarization observations of the blazar 4C 38.41 (Q 1633+382) performed at St. Petersburg State University, the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Boston University, and Steward Observatory in 2006–2017 are analyzed. Separate variable sources responsible for the observed activity are distinguished, whose power-lawspectra and high degree of polarization confirm their synchrotron nature. The observed color variability of the object (redder when brighter) can be explained by an increase in the contribution to the total emission of a red component with variable flux and a constant relative spectral energy distribution. A close correlation between the optical and gamma-ray light curves is identified, suggesting the same location of the variable sources responsible for the radiation in these bands.

     

Biomorphic microstructures of ferromanganese stromatolites

It was found as a result of detailed study of ferromanganese stromatolites that columnar formations, i.e., fossilized stratified bacterial tufts with rhythmically alternating layers of glycocalyx, accumulations of filamentous bacteria, and lens-shaped two-layered (alternation of homogeneous microlayers with porous ones containing filamentous bacteria trichomes) packages, serve as the basis for stromatolite buildup.     

On the estimation of volume of strain in earthquakes

Summary A relation between the volume of strain and the area of faulting in earthquakes has been derived. An empirical linear relationship between the magnitudeM of an earthquake and the logarithm of the volume of strainV has been obtained using data from 20 earthquakes.     

UTCHEM model application for prediction of crude oil removal from contaminated sand columns

Soil pollution by crude oil is a challenging environmental issue for oil producing countries. Several methods have been developed for remediation of the contaminated soil including washing with different detergents. In this work, we applied UTCHEM simulator model to the sand columns polluted by 10000 and 30000 ppm of crude oil which was treated with 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 wt% of a biological detergent, saponin. The results showed a good agreement between simulated and pilot study. The maximum remediation was 61% with a pH of 9 when we utilized 0.2 wt% saponin for the column contaminated with 30000 ppm of crude oil. 47% remediation was achieved with a pH of 9 when 0.1wt% of detergent was applied to the same column. Sensitivity analysis indicated an increase in remediation by increasing the pH with the optimum pH of 11. The best possible concentrations of surfactant solutions were 0.1 and 0.2 wt% for 10000 and 30000 ppm pollution, respectively, resulting in crude oil removal efficiencies of 69% and 72%, respectively. Simulation results also indicated that an increase in the permeability of the sand columns would also result in an increased remediation.     

Structural parageneses in a discrete geological medium

The theoretical bases of the structural-paragenetic method for the reconstruction of geodynamic environments are critically analyzed in view of ideas about nonlinear dynamics and the coarse discrete fractality of the geological medium. The work shows the incorrectness of reconstructions without considering bifurcations of structurization and its strong dependence on differences in initial conditions, the unreliability of recognizing particular parageneses of different ages, types, and ranks, as well as that without immediate observational and experimental examination of the conformity of reconstructions to the real environments of the geological past.