Arctic worlds and the geography of imagination

The intent of this paper is to contribute to a larger discussion of the history of geographical thought and its consequences by gently drawing attention to the Arctic as a place where alternative visions of nature, home and horizon persist; by contrasting many of our unchallenged geographical assumptions with what might be the logical consequence had we started in a different place, under different conditions and with a different perspective. It is never easy to comprehend the perspective of another and it is unwise to presume that one has indeed done so. For this reason, while this paper explores the dichotomy between the geographic perspectives of the Arctic, particularly those of the Inuit who know it best, and those of the Western Europeans who have literally laid claim to the Arctic geography, it does not purport to be anthropological or ethnographical. Rather it is an attempt to sketch the intellectual landscapes implicit in the contrast between Inuit and European approaches to the Arctic.     

Vibrational and thermodynamic properties of Ni<Subscript>3</Subscript>S<Subscript>2</Subscript> polymorphs from first-principles calculations

We have calculated the compressional, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of Ni₃S₂ heazlewoodite and the high-pressure orthorhombic phase (with Cmcm symmetry) using the generalized gradient approximation to the density functional theory in conjunction with the quasi-harmonic approximation. The predicted Raman frequencies of heazlewoodite are in good agreement with room-temperature measurements. The calculated thermodynamic properties of heazlewoodite at room conditions agree very well with experiments, but at high temperatures (especially above 500 K) the heat capacity data from experiments are significantly larger than the quasi-harmonic results, indicating that heazlewoodite is anharmonic. On the other hand, the obtained vibrational density of states of the orthorhombic phase at 20 GPa reveals a group of low-frequency vibrational modes which are absent in heazlewoodite. These low-frequency modes contribute substantially to thermal expansivity, heat capacity, entropy, and Grüneisen parameter of the orthorhombic phase. The calculated phase boundary between heazlewoodite and the orthorhombic phase is consistent with high-pressure experiments; the predicted transition pressure is 17.9 GPa at 300 K with a negative Clapeyron slope of −8.5 MPa/K.     

Geochronology and sedimentology of the lower Passaic River,New Jersey

In an attempt to characterize localized rates of sediment accretion, 10 sediment cores were collected from the lower reach of the Passaic River, a major tributary of Newark Bay, New Jersey. Sediments were assayed for ²¹⁰Pb activity at predetermined depths and the rate of sediment accretion (cm yr^?1) was estimated from the least squares regression of the log of unsupported activity versus depth. Sediment accretion rates, derived from ²¹⁰Pb measurements (R_Pb) were used to predict the depth interval within the core containing sediments deposited around 1954; subsequent ¹³⁷Cs analyses were focused on this depth interval. Sediment accretion rates derived from ¹³⁷Cs measurements (R_Cs) were extrapolated from the depth of the 1954 horizon. Lead-210 derived sediment accretion rates in cores collected from a sediment bench extending along the inside bend on the southern shore of a meander in the river, ranged from 4.1 cm yr^?1 to 10.2 cm yr^?1 and averaged 6.8 cm yr^?1. The R_Cs estimates for cores from this area ranged from 3.8 cm yr^?1 to 8.9 cm yr^?1 and averaged 6.6 cm yr^?1. The R_Cs for cores collected in a more hydrologically dynamic reach of the river upstream of the sediment bench, were only 0.41 cm yr^?1 and 0.66 cm yr^?1. The results of this investigation indicate that this reach of the lower Passaic River is an area of high sediment accumulation, retaining much of the sediment load deposited from upstream and downstream sources. The rates of sediment accretion in the lower Passaic River are among the highest reported anywhere in the Newark Bay estuary.     

Public policy and the changing landscape

The paper illustrates how spatially explicit forecasting of residential development can be undertaken and how it can be made sensitive to policy instruments available to local and state governments. Predicted values in residential use based on a hedonic analysis of residential property prices is found to have a significant effect on the hazard of development in a survival model used to explain the likelihood that a farm or forest will be converted to residential use. Policy instruments are imbedded in both the hedonic model of residential property values and a hazard model of parcel conversion, so as to test how effective changes in policies can be at changing the pattern of land-use change. Some of the statistical and modeling obstacles that impede progress on this spatially explicit modeling are also discussed.     

Diffusion-limited REE uptake by eclogite garnets and its consequences for Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd geochronology

Garnets from the Zermatt-Saas Fee eclogites contain narrow central peaks for Lu + Yb + Tm ± Er and at least one additional small peak towards the rim. The REE Sm + Eu + Gd + Tb ± Dy are depleted in the cores but show one prominent peak close to the rim. These patterns cannot be modeled using Rayleigh fractionation accompanied by mineral breakdown reactions. Instead, the patterns are well explained using a transient matrix diffusion model where REE uptake is limited by diffusion in the matrix surrounding the porphyroblast. Observed profiles are well matched if a roughly linear radius growth rate is used. The secondary peaks in the garnet profiles are interpreted to reflect thermally activated diffusion due to temperature increase during prograde metamorphism. The model predicts anomalously low ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf and ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios in garnets where growth rates are fast compared to diffusion of the REE, and these results have important implications for Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd geochronology using garnet.     

Early Cambrian Ichnofossils from the Mussoorie Syncline and revision of Trace Fossil Biozonation of the Lesser Himalaya,India

A new locality bearing ichnofossils of the Cruziana Assemblage Zone-Ⅲ from the Mussoorie syncline,Lesser Himalaya,is located in rocks of Member-B of the Dhaulagiri Formation,Tal Group,exposed along the Maldewta-Chhimoli fresh road cut section.The site yielded ichnofossils Bergaueria perata,Cochlichnus anguineus,？Diplocraterion isp.,Dimorphichnus obliquus,diplichnitiform Cruziana bonariensis,Diplichnites gouldi,Glockeria isp.,Helminthopsis isp.,Monomorphichnus lineatus,Phycodes palmatum,Palaeophycus striatus,Planolites beverleyensis,Planolites montanus,Treptichnus cf.T.pedum,scratch marks and an undetermined worm impression.An Early Cambrian age （Cambrian Series 2） is assigned to the ichnofossil-bearing strata based on the stratigraphic position between the Drepanuroides and Palaeoolenus trilobite zones.A revised Cambrian ichnofossil zonation is presented for the Tal Group of the Mussoorie syncline.Together with their occurrence on rippled surfaces,and the lateral displacement of some trackways （due to current action）,a sub-aqueous shallow-marine depositional setting is proposed for the rocks of Member-B.     

The effect of uncertainty on estimates of hurricane surge hazards

It is shown here that uncertainty can significantly affect estimated surge levels over a wide range of annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs). For AEPs in the range of 1 × 10^?2–5 × 10^?2 in the New Orleans area, estimated surge values with and without consideration of uncertainty differ by about 0.5–1.0 m. Similarly, suppression of natural variability, such as using a single value for Mississippi River discharge in surge simulations, rather than allowing the discharge to vary probabilistically, is shown to produce deviations up to 1 m for the 1 × 10^?2 AEP in locations within the mainline river levees in this area. It is also shown that uncertainty can play a critical role in the analysis of very low probability events in the AEP range 1 × 10^?4–1 × 10^?6. Such events are typically used in designs of structures with major societal impacts. It is shown here that, for this range of AEPs along the west coast of Florida, the neglect of uncertainty can under-predict design surge levels by about 20 % compared to estimated surge levels that include uncertainty.     

The Fe-C system at 5 GPa and implications for Earth’s core

Earth’s core may contain C, and it has been suggested that C in the core could stabilize the formation of a solid inner core composed of Fe₃C. We experimentally examined the Fe-C system at a pressure of 5 GPa and determined the Fe-C phase diagram at this pressure. In addition, we measured solid metal/liquid metal partition coefficients for 17 trace elements and examined the partitioning behavior between Fe₃C and liquid metal for 14 trace elements. Solid metal/liquid metal partition coefficients are similar to those found in one atmosphere studies, indicating that the effect of pressure to 5 GPa is negligible. All measured Fe₃C/liquid metal partition coefficients investigated are less than one, such that all trace elements prefer the C-rich liquid to Fe₃C. Fe₃C/liquid metal partition coefficients tend to decrease with decreasing atomic radii within a given period. Of particular interest, our 5 GPa Fe-C phase diagram does not show any evidence that the Fe-Fe₃C eutectic composition shifts to lower C contents with increasing pressure, which is central to the previous reasoning that the inner core may be composed of Fe₃C.     

The iron-nickel-phosphorus system: Effects on the distribution of trace elements during the evolution of iron meteorites

To better understand the partitioning behavior of elements during the formation and evolution of iron meteorites, two sets of experiments were conducted at 1 atm in the Fe-Ni-P system. The first set examined the effect of P on solid metal/liquid metal partitioning behavior of 22 elements, while the other set explored the effect of the crystal structures of body-centered cubic (α)- and face-centered cubic (γ)-solid Fe alloys on partitioning behavior. Overall, the effect of P on the partition coefficients for the majority of the elements was minimal. As, Au, Ga, Ge, Ir, Os, Pt, Re, and Sb showed slightly increasing partition coefficients with increasing P-content of the metallic liquid. Co, Cu, Pd, and Sn showed constant partition coefficients. Rh, Ru, W, and Mo showed phosphorophile (P-loving) tendencies. Parameterization models were applied to solid metal/liquid metal results for 12 elements. As, Au, Pt, and Re failed to match previous parameterization models, requiring the determination of separate parameters for the Fe-Ni-S and Fe-Ni-P systems.Experiments with coexisting α and γ Fe alloy solids produced partitioning ratios close to unity, indicating that an α versus γ Fe alloy crystal structure has only a minor influence on the partitioning behaviors of the trace element studied. A simple relationship between an element’s natural crystal structure and its α/γ partitioning ratio was not observed. If an iron meteorite crystallizes from a single metallic liquid that contains both S and P, the effect of P on the distribution of elements between the crystallizing solids and the residual liquid will be minor in comparison to the effect of S. This indicates that to a first order, fractional crystallization models of the Fe-Ni-S-P system that do not take into account P are appropriate for interpreting the evolution of iron meteorites if the effects of S are appropriately included in the effort.