Electrical structure of the upper mantle beneath Central Europe: Results of the CEMES project

In the years 2001–2003, we accomplished the experimental phase of the project CEMES by collecting long-period magnetotelluric data at positions of eleven permanent geomagnetic observatories situated within few hundreds kilometers along the south-west margin of the East European Craton. Five teams were engaged in estimating independently the magnetotelluric responses by using different data processing procedures. The conductance distributions at the depths of the upper mantle have been derived individually beneath each observatory. By averaging the individual cross-sections, we have designed the final model of the geoelectrical structure of the upper mantle beneath the CEMES region. The results indicate systematic trends in the deep electrical structure of the two European tectonic plates and give evidence that the electrical structure of the upper mantle differs between the East European Craton and the Phanerozoic plate of west Europe, with a separating transition zone that generally coincides with the Trans-European Suture Zone.     

The first ever application of electromagnetic sounding for mapping the submarine permafrost table on the Laptev Sea shelf

The inconsistency between the position of the submarine permafrost table in the East Arctic seas revealed by simulation and anomalies in the distribution of dissolved methane associated with ascending torchlike ejections of bubbling methane made it necessary to develop a representative geophysical express method, which allows the position of the submarine permafrost table to be determined. The method is based on sounding of the generated primary electromagnetic field in the near zone of the medium and measurement of the induced secondary EM field. The reliability of the method is confirmed by core drilling in the Laptev Sea.     

The creation of a geophysical observatory at the Aleksandrovka research base of the geological faculty of Moscow State University in the Kaluga region

Since May 2011, long-period magnetotelluric (MT) data have been collected in the non-magnetic pavilion at the geophysical base of Moscow University in the Kaluga Region. The non-magnetic pavilion was constructed in compliance with the following conditions: selection of non-magnetic materials, control of local magnetic field anomalies, and setting the basement for magnetometers separately from the main building. Recording equipment with fluxgate and optomechanical magnetometers with three sets of electric lines with different electrodes was installed. The parallel testing of channels was performed. Currently, the seismo-logical equipment and meteorological station are being prepared for installation.     

Hopanes and hopenes of the Lower Cambrian Sinyaya Formation (northern slope of the Aldan Anteclise)

Hopane hydrocarbons contained in organic matter from the Lower Cambrian Sinyaya Formation, southeast of the Siberian platform, were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. This study first identified C₂₈ 28, 30-bisnorhopane and its homologues present in high concentrations in autochthonous organic matter from East Siberian sedimentary basins. These biomarkers can be used in distinguishing between the sources of naphthides on the northern slope of the Aldan anteclise. Two saturated naphthenic hydrocarbons, C₃₁ homohopene and C₃₁ 28-norhomohopene, were also detected. This study provides some details on hopane distribution, organic matter accumulation conditions, and the degree of OM catagenesis.     

Chromite composition and platinum-group mineral assemblage in the Uktus Uralian-Alaskan-type complex (Central Urals,Russia)

Chromitite segregations in dunites of the Uktus Uralian-Alaskan-type complex (Central Urals, Russia) display large variation of the chromite composition: Cr/(Cr+Al)=0.46-0.77, Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg)=0.28-0.66, and Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Fe²⁺)=0.23-0.59. Three types of PGM assemblages have been recognized, varying in accordance with chromite composition: type I, dominated by Ru-Os-Ir (sulfides), is associated with magnesiochromite having Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Fe²⁺)<0.30, in the southern dunite body. Type II, containing abundant Pt-Ir (alloys, minor sulfides), is found in magnesiochromite with Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Fe²⁺)=0.40-0.44; type III, consisting of Ir-Rh-Pt-Pd (alloys, sulfarsenides, antimonides) in Fe-rich chromite having Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg)=0.66 and Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Fe²⁺)=0.59. Positive anomalies of Ir and Pt, and a negative peak of Ru characterize the PGE patterns of chromitites with type II and III PGM assemblages, whereas a positive Pt anomaly is observed in their dunite host. Intensive fractionation of Pt-Fe alloys in the Uktus chromitites reflects the anomalous behavior of Pt which is decoupled from Rh and Pd. Among other factors, the high iron activity and oxygen fugacity in the parent melt appear to exert a major control on precipitation of Pt-Fe alloys, below sulfur saturation. The strong Pt anomaly in chromitites from Uktus may indicate that Uralian-Alaskan-type magmas were derived from a Pt-rich mantle source.     

Influence of Star Formation on Large Scale Structures of Galactic Magnetic Fields

In order to study magnetic field generation in galaxies with active processes such as intensive star formation, supernovae explosions, etc, a model is needed to differentiate between the properties of interstellar medium in different parts of the galactic disk. In this paper we consider galactic dynamo equations with stochastic coefficients where the parameters responsible for dissipation randomly depend on time and spatial coordinates and are distributed around two values corresponding to aweakly heated neutral component and a hot ionized component. Ionized gas is assumed to be concentrated in small regions evenly distributed over the galactic disk plane. The ratio of the total area of such regions to the entire disk plane corresponds to the mean surface star-formation density in the given region of the galactic disk. Unlike in our previous papers, we take into account the dissipation in the disk plane. We have obtained numerical estimates of the exponential growth rate for different numbers of areas containing ionized gas. We show that the influence of the fluctuations on the magnetic field behavior has a threshold nature; intensive star formation leads to the destruction of large scale magnetic field structures.     

Inverse Compton Scattering of Radiation from a Central Source as a Possible Mechanism for the Formation of X-Ray Radiation from Kiloparsec Jets of Core-Dominated Quasars

Astronomy Reports - For the interpretation of X-ray radiation from kiloparsec jets of quasars, the inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background has been widely used for almost 20...     

Unusual radio properties of the BL Lac object 0820+225

We present the results of simultaneous VLBA polarization observations of the BL Lacertae object 0820+225 at 5, 8 and 15 GHz, together with earlier images at 5 GHz. This source has an unusually rich total intensity and polarization structure compared with other objects with comparable redshifts. The magnetic field in the inner part of the complex and highly twisted VLBI jet is transverse, as is typical of BL Lacertae objects, but becomes roughly longitudinal further from the core, possibly as a result of shear. Although the integrated rotation measure of 0820+225 is modest, the rotation-measure distribution on parsec scales is non-uniform, and clearly shows regions where the rotation measure is substantially higher than the integrated value.