Taylor expansion of the theoretical gravity formula

A recurrence relation has been derived to obtain the derivatives required for the Taylor expansion of the theoretical gravity formula in powers of latitude. The computations using the relationship derived can provide easily all required derivatives for any reference ellipsoid.     

Composition of the Precambrian Llano Uplift,central Texas,U.S.A.

The Llano uplift exposes rocks of approximately 1000 m.y. age. The weighted average composition of the exposed crust is: 70.7% SiO₂; 0.35% TiO₂; 13.6% A1₂O₃; 3.4% total Fe as Fe₂O₃; 1.1% MgO; 2.6% CaO; 3.3% Na₂O; and 4.4% K₂O. This composition is similar to, but more potassic, than equivalent estimates for the Canadian shield.     

A study of the upward continuation of gravity data from a plane surface

Summary A summation method of upward continuation of gravity data has been considered under the assumption that observations are available at regular intervals. The upward continued value has been obtained as the sum of products of individual gravity values and corresponding theoretical coefficients. Besides the usual parameter involving horizontal and vertical distances, the theoretical coefficients have been generalized to be dependent also on i) the order of a low order polynomial assumed to represent the gravity variation around a grid point and ii) the weights assigned to the gravity values at the nearest four grid points used for least-squares determination of the polynomial. Since the observations in practical cases are available over a finite area only, the effect of truncation of the area of the integration has also been discussed separately. The method has been programmed and tested on a three-dimensional model, whose true gravity effects were computed at various levels over a finite area. Upward continued values have been computed under various assumptions about the gravity field in the outside region. Comparisons of these results with the true values indicate that the truncation effect becomes increasingly important for larger values of the ratio of elevation to grid separation and/or when the gravity field is not a local one. It has also been found that the greater is the above ratio, the less important is the effect of weights on the theoretical coefficients and practically vanishes(<10 ^–4 ) when the ratio is greater than5.0.     

The evaluation ofHeuman's Lambda function and its application to calculate the gravitational effect of a right circular cylinder

Summary A computational scheme has been derived to generateHeuman's Lambda function. This has been applied to compute the gravitational attraction of a right vertical circular cylinder. Test computations show that the error introduced by assuming a semifinite cylinder in place of a finite one of depth 30 times its radius is 1.77%.     

On the relationship between auriferous talc deposits hosted in volcanic rocks and massive sulphide deposits in Egypt

The volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits in the Eastern Desert of Egypt (e.g., Um Saki deposit) are associated with Precambrian coarse acid pyroclastic rocks. The upper contacts of the massive sulphide body are sharp and well-defined; while the keel zone to the mineralization is always associated with pervasive alteration, characterized by the presence of septechlorite and talc, associated with variable amounts of carbonate and tremolite. On the other hand, the economic talc deposits in Egypt are hosted intensively altered volcanic rocks. Besides talc, chlorite, carbonates and tremolite that occur in variable amounts in these deposits, anomalously high concentrations of gold are also present.The present study showed that alterations in the talc deposits of Darhib, El Atshan, Abu Gurdi, Egat, Um Selimat and Nikhira are similar to those occurring in the keel zone underlying the VHMS of Um Samuki and that the chemical modifications due to alteration processes (additions of Mg, Fe, Mn and Ca coupled with depletions in silica, alkalies, alumina and titanium) are comparable, even the host rocks are different, thus reflecting a genetic relationship. It is suggested that, the examined localities of talc deposits are hosted in the intensively altered volcanics in the keel zones of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. Recently, detailed geophysical prospecting program, including electric (resistivity, self-potential and induced polarization), electromagnetic and magnetic methods, was carried out at Darhib, Abu Gurdi and Um Selimat talc deposits. The quantitative interpretation of these geophysical measurements revealed the presence of subsurface bodies of sulphides. The present distribution of talc and allied minerals in Darhib, El Atshan, Abu Gurdi, Egat, Um Selimat and Nikhira could be explained by a tectonic process in which the coarse acid pyroclastic rocks with massive sulphides have tilted in such way that the footwall rock alterations (talc and allied minerals) are exposed on the present-day surface at these localities. Structural studies are currently under way in an attempt to explain the deformation regime that led to the present situation of talc deposits.Two distinct spatial and mineralogical associations of gold mineralization could be identified in the volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits and their footwall alterations (the keel zone) in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. These are (1) gold–silver–zinc association, and (2) gold–copper association. In the former, gold grades are very low and silver is anomalous. This association occurs typically in the upper levels of the VHMS deposit where low-temperature sulphides are abundant. Gold was deposited because of the mixing between the ascending hot solutions and the sulphate-rich seawater. The upper levels of Um Samuki sulphide body represent this association. Gold–copper association, on the other hand, typically occurs in the footwall altered rocks (the keel zone) and the lowest parts of the massive sulphide body. Gold grades reach up to 5.54 ppm, but the average is 1 ppm. Silver is very low, usually in the range of 4–10 ppm. Lead usually, but not always, accompanies gold in this association. Deposition of gold probably took place due to decreasing of temperature and/or increasing pH of the ascending hot brines. The keel zones at Darhib, Abu Gurdi, El Atshan, Um Selimat, Nikhira and Egat talc mines better represent this association.     

Methode zur Bestimmung des Ammoniakstickstoffes in Gewässern

For the spectrophotometrical determination of ammonia in surface water the reaction with hypochlorite and thymol in alkaline solution is used. Compared with other techniques, expenditure is low, the reagents are stable for a long period of time and the reaction is little dependent on external conditions. In 2 cm cuvettes there can be determined 0.05… 0.5 mg/l ammonia nitrogen. Comparative investigations carried out at nine sites in the area of the lake Balaton have revealed concentrations of 0.2… 0.7 mg/l ammonia nitrogen.     

The effect of Al(OH)4 on the dissolution rate of quartz

The influence of Al(OH)₄⁻ on the dissolution rate of quartz at pH 10-13 and 59-89 °C was determined using batch experiments. Al(OH)₄⁻ at concentrations below gibbsite solubility depressed the dissolution rate by as much as 85%, and this effect was greater at lower pH and higher Al(OH)₄⁻ concentration. Dissolution rates increased with increasing temperature; however, the percent decrease in rate due to the presence of Al(OH)₄⁻ was invariant with temperature for a given H⁺ activity and Al(OH)₄⁻ concentration. These data, along with what is known about Al-Si interactions at high pH, are consistent with Al(OH)₄⁻ and Na⁺ co-adsorbing on silanol sites and passivating the surrounding quartz surface. The observed pH dependence, and lack of temperature dependence, of inferred Al(OH)₄⁻ sorption also supports the assumption that the acid-base behavior of the surface silanol groups has only a small temperature dependence in this range. A Langmuir-type adsorption model was used to express the degree of rate depression for a given in situ pH and Al(OH)₄⁻ concentration. Incorporation of the rate data in the absence of aluminate into models that assume a first-order dependence of the rate on the fraction of deprotonated silanol sites was unsuccessful. However, the data are consistent with the hypothesis proposed in the literature that two dissolution mechanisms may be operative in alkaline solutions: nucleophilic attack of water on siloxane bonds catalyzed by the presence of a deprotonated silanol group and OH⁻ attack catalyzed by the presence of a neutral silanol group. The data support the dominance of the second mechanism at higher pH and temperature.     

Thermal electron energy distribution measurements in the ionosphere

Results of electron spectrometer and cylindrical Langmuir probe measurements of ionospheric electron energy distribution in the range from about 0·2 eV to 4·0 eV are presented and discussed in this paper.     

Distribution of barium and fulvic acid at the mica-solution interface using in-situ X-ray reflectivity

The interfacial structures of the basal surface of muscovite mica in solutions containing (1) 5 × 10⁻³ m BaCl₂, (2) 500 ppm Elliott Soil Fulvic Acid I (ESFA I), (3) 100 ppm Elliott Soil Fulvic Acid II (ESFA II), (4) 100 ppm Pahokee Peat Fulvic Acid I (PPFA), and (5) 5 × 10⁻³ m BaCl₂ and 100 ppm ESFA II were obtained with high resolution in-situ X-ray reflectivity. The derived electron-density profile in BaCl₂ shows two sharp peaks near the mica surface at 1.98(2) and 3.02(4) Å corresponding to the heights of a mixture of Ba²⁺ ions and water molecules adsorbed in ditrigonal cavities and water molecules coordinated to the Ba²⁺ ions, respectively. This pattern indicates that most Ba²⁺ ions are adsorbed on the mica surface as inner-sphere complexes in a partially hydrated form. The amount of Ba²⁺ ions in the ditrigonal cavities compensates more than 90% of the layer charge of the mica surface. The electron-density profiles of the fulvic acids (FAs) adsorbed on the mica surface, in the absence of Ba²⁺, had overall thicknesses of 4.9-10.8 Å and consisted of one broad taller peak near the surface (likely hydrophobic and positively-charged groups) followed by a broad humped pattern (possibly containing negatively-charged functional groups). The total interfacial electron density and thickness of the FA layer increased as the solution FA concentration increased. The sorbed peat FA which has higher ash content showed a higher average electron density than the sorbed soil FA. When the muscovite reacted with a pre-mixed BaCl₂-ESFA II solution, the positions of the two peaks nearest the surface matched those in the BaCl₂ solution. However, the occupancy of the second peak decreased by about 30% implying that the hydration shell of surface-adsorbed Ba²⁺ was partially substituted by FA. The two surface peaks were followed by a broad less electron-dense layer suggesting a sorption mechanism in which Ba²⁺ acts dominantly as a bridging cation between the mica surface and FA. When the muscovite reacted first with FA and subsequently with BaCl₂, more Ba²⁺ could be adsorbed on the FA-coated mica surface. The peak closest to the mica included Ba²⁺ ions adsorbed directly on the mica in an amount similar to that in the BaCl₂ solution but more broadly distributed. A second peak observed within the FA layer suggests that the FA coating provides additional sites for Ba²⁺ sorption. The results indicate that enhanced uptake of heavy metals can occur when an organic coating already exists on a mineral surface.