Early Maastrichtian larger foraminifera of the Qahlah Formation, United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman border region

The Early Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) Qahlah Formation is the oldest stratigraphical unit lying upon the eroded top of the obducted Semail Ophiolite, of Santonian–Campanian age, in the Northern Oman Mountains. It crops out as a series of low hills on the western flank of the mountains, which are located along the boundary between the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the bio- and lithofacies of the Qahlah Formation in the Jabal Huwayyah section (at the boundary between the Al Ain area of the United Arab Emirates and the Buraimi area of Oman). The data collected were used to determine the age and depositional environment of the rock unit studied. In addition, the section is lithostratigraphically correlated with other sections in the study area. Microfossils from Jabal Huwayyah are represented mainly by the larger benthic foraminifera Loftusia elongata, L. morgani, Pseudorbitolina marthae, Orbitoides media, Omphalocyclus macroporus and Lepidorbitoides minor. These foraminifera are reported for the first time from this section. The diversity and abundance of fauna, particularly within the calcareous siltstone bed near the top of the formation (unique to the Huwayyah area), reflect a shallow marine depositional environment.     

Mechanism of sulfide mineralization through successive metasomatic replacement stages of zoned host dolomite in Cracow-Silesian Zn-Pb deposits (Mississippi Valley type), Pomorzany Mine,Poland

Replacement of dolomite rhombs is zone selective in Cracow-Silesian Zn-Pb deposits. The discussed replacement of dolomite by sphalerite occurs as spotted sphalerite ore constituting about one-fourth of the economic sulfide mineralization of the Pomorzany Mine. Replacement is controlled by two factors, i.e., microporosity and chemical composition. The epigenetic host dolomite rhombs are zoned into three main zones, i.e., the outer rhombohedral rim which is hard and Fe rich with remarkable Zn content, the inner zone which is porous and Zn rich but usually low in Fe content, and the core of the dolomite rhombs which is Fe free but may contain some Zn. Zones rich in Zn were the first to be replaced by sphalerite; the same holds true for zones with higher microporosity showing a high degree of crystallographic disorder of cations. The other zones seem to be intact. There are four successive replacement stages, i.e., partial, moderate, intense, and advanced. During replacement the intact parts become more Zn-rich, consequently being replaced completely in the later stages, the greater the zinc content in the host dolomite is, the more reactive it is to replacement by sphalerite. The liberated iron from replaced Fe-rich zones is fixed as finely crystalline pyrite.     

Elimination of the critical terms in a first-order general planetary theory

We construct a first order canonical general planetary theory, assuming the solar system to be composed of 8 planets excluding Pluto, referring to common fixed plane and applying the Jacobi-Radau set of origins. We eliminated by von Zeipel's method the 2:5 and 1:2 critical terms of Jupiter-Saturn and Uranus-Neptune inequalities. Our variables are those of Poincaré, and we expanded up to power three in the eccentricities and sines of the inclinations.     

The construction of a third order secular analytical J-S-U-N theory by Hori-Lie technique

The first and second order generating functions and the first second and third order new J-S-U-N Hamiltonians are calculated by the Hori-Lie procedure.     

Assessment of advective–dispersive contaminant transport in heterogeneous aquifers using a meshless method

Groundwater solute transport phenomena typically occur in water-bearing zones with heterogeneous solute dispersive characteristics and/or media hydraulic properties. A radial basis function collocation method (RBFCM)-based numerical method was developed in order to investigate the ability of RBFCM to accurately portray solute transport phenomena under heterogeneous conditions. Simulations were performed for 1-D and 2-D transport scenarios in which scale-dependent dispersivity fields were taken into consideration and compared with available analytical solutions. Different radial basis functions (RBFs) were employed for assessing the sensitivity of the present method on the selected RBFs. The simulation results were also compared with the results of MT3DMS which is a modular three-dimensional transport model with alternative solution schemes including the method of characteristics, the implicit central finite difference and the third order total variation diminishing finite volume. The proposed model was also used to simulate a real case condition where solute transport through a two-layer soil medium had been investigated experimentally. The results showed that RBFCM represented a powerful tool for predicting the solute transport occurrence under heterogeneous conditions with high accuracy.     

Seismic behavior of multiple reinforcement,high-strength concrete columns:experimental and theoretical analysis

This study investigates the seismic performance of multiple reinforcement,high-strength concrete(MRHSC)columns that are characterized by multiple transverse and...     

Temporal variations in the fractal properties of seismicity in the North Anatolian Fault Zone between 31°E and 41°E

We investigate the nature of temporal variations in the statistical properties of seismicity associated with the North Anatolian Fault Zone between longitudes 31°–41°E during the instrumental period 1900–1992. Temporal variations in the seismicb value and the fractal (correlation) dimensionD _c of earthquake epicenters are examined for earthquakes of magnitudeM _S 4.5, using sliding windows of 100 consecutive events.b varies temporally between 0.6 and 1.0, andD _c between 0.6 and 1.4, both representing significant fluctuations above the errors in measurement technique. A strong negative correlation (r=–0.85) is observed betweenb andD _c , consistent with previous observation of seismicity in Japan and southern California. Major events early in this century (M _S 7) are associated with lowb and highD _c , respectively consistent with greater stress intensity and greater spatial clustering of epicenters—both implying a greater degree of stress concentration at this time.     

Pressure–temperature evolution of lawsonite eclogite in Sivrihisar; Tavşanlı Zone–Turkey

The Cretaceous blueschist belt, Tavşanlı Zone, representing the subducted and exhumed northern continental margin of the Anatolide–Tauride platform is exposed in Western Anatolia. The Sivrihisar area east of Tavşanlı is made up of tectonic units consisting of i) metaclastics and conformably overlying massive marbles (coherent blueschist unit), ii) blueschist-eclogite unit, iii) marble–calcschist intercalation and iv) metaperidotite slab. The metaclastics are composed of jadeite–lawsonite–glaucophane and jadeite–glaucophane–chloritoid schists, phengite phyllites, and calcschists with glaucophane–lawsonite metabasite layers. The blueschist-eclogite unit representing strongly sheared, deeply buried and imbricated tectonic slices of accreted uppermost levels of the oceanic crust with minor metamorphosed serpentinite bodies consists of lawsonite-bearing eclogitic metabasites (approximately 90% of the field), lawsonite eclogites, metagabbros, serpentinites, pelagic marbles, omphacite–glaucophane–lawsonite metapelites and metacherts. The mineral assemblage of the lawsonite eclogite (garnet + omphacite > 70%) is omphacite, garnet, lawsonite, glaucophane, phengite and rutile. Lawsonite eclogite lenses are enclosed by garnet–lawsonite blueschist envelopes.Textural evidence from lawsonite eclogites and country rocks reveals that they did not leave the stability field of lawsonite during subduction and exhumation. The widespread preservation of lawsonite in eclogitic metabasites and eclogites can be attributed to rapid subduction and subsequent exhumation in a low geothermal gradient of the oceanic crust material without experiencing a thermal relaxation. Peak P–T conditions of lawsonite eclogites are estimated at 24 ± 1 kbar and 460 ± 25 °C. These P–T conditions indicate a remarkably low geotherm of 6.2 °C/km corresponding to a burial depth of 74 km.     

Deposition in a changing paleogulf: evidence from the Pliocene–Quaternary sedimentary succession of the Nile Delta,Egypt

Sedimentary complexes of ancient gulfs provide valuable information about paleoenvironmental dynamics. The study of several Pliocene–Pleistocene sections allowed reconstruction of the regional stratigraphical framework in the southwestern fringes of the Nile Delta. The Kafr El-Shiekh, the Gar El-Muluk, and the Kom El-Shelul formations of the Zanclean Age and the Wastani Formation of the Piacenzian Age constitute the Pliocene sedimentary succession in the study area. The establishment of 11 facies types related to 5 facies associations coupled with the results of the stratigraphical study indicate the existence of a paleogulf corresponding to the modern delta and lower valley of the Nile. This Nile Paleogulf appeared and reached its maximum spatial extent in the beginning of the Pliocene. Then, it retreated gradually and disappeared before the end of this epoch when alluvial sedimentation reestablished. There was significant flux of siliciclastic material to the study area. The Zanclean Flood in the Mediterranean Sea allowed marine incursion in the study area where the river valley incised during the precedent Messinian Salinity Crisis. Regional tectonic uplift and filling of the accommodation space with siliciclastic material from the eroded land were the main controls on the paleogulf evolution. Strengthened glaciation triggered global sea level fall, and alluvial deposition dominated the study area in the late Pliocene–Pleistocene.