Changes in water chemistry along the newly formed High Arctic fluvial–lacustrine system of the Brattegg Valley (SW Spitsbergen,Svalbard)

Changes in water chemistry along the High Arctic fluvial–lacustrine system located in Wedel Jarlsberg Land in the SW Spitsbergen (Svalbard) were investigated during the summer season of 2010 and 2011. The newly formed river–lake system consists of three lakes connected with the Brattegg River. The first bathymetric measurements of these lakes were made by the authors in 2010. The Brattegg River catchment represents a partly glaciered Arctic water system. The studied lakes are characterized by low mineralization and temperature of water. The value of the electrolytic conductivity (EC) ranges from 30.2 to 50.5 μS cm^?1 and the temperature of surface water from 1.5 to 7.8 °C. The temperature increase takes place downstream starting from Upper Lake to the outflow from Myrktjørna Lake. The waters of lakes have higher temperatures than the stream. The predominant ions are HCO₃ ^? (up to 16.5 mg L^?1), Cl^? (6.66–8.53 mg L^?1), Ca²⁺ (2.40–4.45 mg L^?1) and Na⁺ (2.65–3.36 mg L^?1). The highest values of ammonium and DOC found in the lowest Myrktjørna Lake seem to be related to the presence of aquatic organisms and also birds. From the group of 10 analyzed microelements, increased concentrations of aluminum, up to almost 500 μg L^?1, are present in the lakes’ water. Water isotopic composition ranges for δ¹⁸O and δ²H, from ?10.6 to ?10.9‰ and from ?70.8 to ?72.3‰, respectively. The vertical zonality of lake waters is manifested in a decrease in the temperature and increase in EC and chemical elements concentrations.     

Application of electrical and electromagnetic methods to study sedimentary covers in high mountain areas

The results of geophysical studies conducted with selected electrical and electromagnetic methods in the Kondratowa Valley in the Tatra Mountains (the Carpathian Mountains, Poland) are presented in the article. The surveys were performed with the following methods: electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), georadar (GPR) and conductivity meter (CM). The objective of the noninvasive geophysical measurements was to determine the thickness of the Quaternary postglacial sediments that fill the bottom of the valley and to designate the accumulation of boulders deposited on Quaternary sediments. The results of ERT surveys conducted along the axis of the valley allowed to determine the changeability of the thickness of the postglacial sediments and allowed to designate a few areas of occurrence of boulders. The ERT, GPR and CM surveys conducted across the valley allowed to designate with high accuracy the thickness of the accumulation of boulders sliding down the valley bottom from the couloirs surrounding the valley.     

Piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate: Bieszczady Mountains,eastern Carpathians

Piping has been recognized as an important geomorphic, soil erosion and hydrologic process. It seems that it is far more widespread than it has often been supposed. However, our knowledge about piping dynamics and its quantification currently relies on a limited number of data for mainly loess‐derived areas and marl badlands. Therefore, this research aimed to recognize piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate, where piping occurs in Cambisols, not previously considered as piping‐prone soils. It has been expressed by the estimation of erosion rates due to piping and elongation of pipes in the Bere?nica Wy?na catchment in the Bieszczady Mountains, eastern Carpathians (305 ha, 188 collapsed pipes). The research was based on the monitoring of selected piping systems (1971–1974, 2013–2016). Changes in soil loss vary significantly between different years (up to 27.36 t ha^?1 yr^?1), as well as between the mean short‐term erosion rate (up to 13.10 t ha^?1 yr^?1), and the long‐term (45 years) mean of 1.34 t ha^?1 yr^?1. The elongation of pipes also differs, from no changes to 36 m during one year. The mean total soil loss is 48.8 t ha^?1 in plots, whereas in the whole studied catchment it is 2.0 t ha^?1. Hence, piping is both spatially and temporally dependent. The magnitude of piping in the study area is at least three orders of magnitude higher than surface erosion rates (i.e. sheet and rill erosion) under similar land use (grasslands), and it is comparable to the magnitude of surface soil erosion on arable lands. It means that piping constitutes a significant environmental problem and, wherever it occurs, it is an important, or even the main, sediment source. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tectonic analysis of mine tremor mechanisms from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin

Fault network of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) is built of sets of strike-slip, oblique-slip and dip-slip faults. It is a typical product of force couple which acts evenly with the parallel of latitude, causing horizontal and anti-clockwise movement of rock-mass. Earlier research of focal mechanisms of mine tremors, using a standard fault plane solution, has shown that some events are related to tectonic directions in main structural units of the USCB. An attempt was undertaken to analyze the records of mine tremors from the period 1992–1994 in the selected coal fields. The digital records of about 200 mine tremors with energy larger than 1×10⁴ J (M _L >1.23) were analyzed with SMT software for seismic moment tensor inversion. The decomposition of seismic moment tensor of mine tremors was segmented into isotropic (I) part, compensated linear vector dipole (CLVD) part and double-couple (DC) part. The DC part is prevalent (up to 70%) in the majority of quakes from the central region of the USCB. A group of mine tremors with large I element (up to 50%) can also be observed. The spatial orientation of the fault and auxiliary planes were obtained from the computations for the seismic moment DC part. Study of the DC part of the seismic moment tensor made it possible for us to separate the group of events which might be acknowledged to have their origin in unstable energy release on surfaces of faults forming a regional structural pattern. The possible influence of the Cainozoic tectonic history of the USCB on the recent shape of stress field is discussed.     

Orthogneisses due to irrotational extension,a case from the Sudetes,Bohemian massif

Orthogneisses occurring in the core of the Orlica-Kodzko dome, NE part of the Bohemian massif, exibit a penetrative, N-S stretching lineation defined by mostly ductile elongation of quartz and dilation of K-feldspar crystals of the former granite, now turned into quartz rods and variously elongated K-feldspar porphyroclasts. N-S stretching of the granite seems to be inconsistent with W-E tectonic transport shown by major folds and thrusts developing concurrently in its schistose envelope. The two major lithologies of the dome, differing in their fabrics and rheological properties, offered a drastically different response to an overall shortening. It is interpreted that folds due to buckling evolved in the mantle rocks and after a certain definite range of incremental shortening suffered extension parallel to their hinges. At that time the statistically isotropic granite body was subjected to the same N-S extension and was deformed in common with its schistose mantle under conditions of irrotational strain which represents an early but significant part of the protracted deformation history related to the granite-gneiss transformation.

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Zusammenfassung Die Orthogneise, die im NE-Teil der Böhmischen Masse den Kern der Adlergebirge-Kodzko-Kuppel bilden, zeigen eine N-S-ausgerichtete Streckungslineation. Die Streckungsfaser ist an plastisch gedehnten Quarz-Aggregaten zu erkennen sowie an Klastenzügen von Kalifeldspat. Große Falten und Überschiebungen in der Schieferhülle des Granits hingegen geben eine W-E Richtung des tektonischen Transports an. Diese entspricht nicht der Längung des Granits.Zur Deutung werden die unterschiedlichen rheologischen Eigenschaften des Granits und seiner Hüllgesteine herangezogen, die auf Unterschieden der Zusammensetzung und des Gefüges beruhen. Diese Unterschiede bewirken, daß die Hüllgesteine zunächst Biegefaltung erleben bis weitere Einengung durch Faltung unmöglich wird. Daraufhin werden die Hüllgesteine parallel zur Faltenachse in N-S-Richtung gedehnt. Diese Dehnungsrichtung ist allein und von Anfang an den isotropen Graniten überprägt.Die Deformation erfolgte irrotational und nahezu als achsialsymmetrische Streckung. Sie stellt ein frühes, aber wichtiges Stadium der Umwandlung dieses Granits zu Gneisen dar.

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Résumé Les orthogneiss qui constituent le coeur du dôme d'Orlica-kodzko (région nord-est du massif de Bohème) présentent une linéation d'étirement pénétrative orientée nordsud. Cette linéation est exprimée principalement par l'allongement ductile en bâtonnets d'agrégats de quartz et par l'alignement de porphyroclastes de feldspath potassique. D'autre part, dans l'encaissant schisteux du granite, les grands plis et les charriages indiquent une direction ouest-est du transport tectonique, ce qui ne semble donc pas correspondre à la structure de l'orthogneiss central.Ce contraste est interprété par la différence entre les propriétés rhéologiques des deux ensembles lithologiques, qui ont répondu de manières différentes au processus de raccourcissement régional. Dans les roches de l'enveloppe, se sont formés d'abord des plis de courbure, jusqu'à un certain degré de raccourcissement, après quoi, ce processus n'étant plus possible, elles ont subi un étirement parallèle aux axes de ces plis. Le corps granitique isotrope, au contraire, a réagi dès le début par une extension nord-sud. Ces conditions de déformation irrotationnelle, à symétrie quasi-axiale, représentent un stade précoce, mais significatif de la transformation du granite en orthogneiss.

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Versuch der Geschlechtsbestimmung beim Wels,Silurus glanis L., mit Hilfe der Diskriminanzanalyse von Brustflossendaten

Width of the first ray of the pectoral fin has been measured in two places for 154 young and 89 adult wels. Statistical relationships between the above characters and fish length as well as its maturity and sex have been proved. Three models of discriminant function for identification of adult fish sex have been derived and verified. The accuracy of sex separation has been 89,5% in a standard sample of wels, and 90,6% in a routine sample, after an adjustment in the procedure.