A new occurrence of thorianite from syenitic pegmatite near Bhaluchuan,Odisha

We report a new occurrence of thorianite from syenitic pegmatite near Bhaluchuan, Sambalpur district, Odisha. The thorianite is brown to deep-brown with round grains of 2 to 10 mm size. The chemical analysis of the investigated thorianite reveals 64.8% ThO₂, 25% U₃O₈, 3.81% PbO and 1.7% Fe₂O₃. Calculated structural formula of the thorianite is (Th⁺⁴ _0.61U⁺⁴ _0.14U⁺⁶ _0.08ΣREE⁺³ _0.017Pb⁺² _0.04Ca⁺² _0.01Mn⁺² _0.001Fe⁺³ _0.05Al⁺³ _0.003Sc⁺² _0.002K⁺¹ _0.005Na⁺¹ _0.008 Si⁺⁴ _0.04Ti⁺⁴ _0.02)O_2.08. Chondrite-normalised rare-earth element (REE) plot of the thorianite reveals enrichment of light REE (LREE) over heavy REE (HREE) with pronounced negative Eu-anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.35). The (ΣLREE/ΣHREE)_N ratio is perceptibly high (2.76). The (La/Lu)_N (42.31), (La/Yb)_N (27.49) and (Ce/Yb)_N (21.58) ratios are also very high. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the investigated thorianite displays sharply-defined reflections. Corresponding interplanar spacings (d-spacings) of all the reflections are in very close agreement with those published for thorianite standard in International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD) Card No. 4-556. However, I/Io of two reflections (1.9694Å and 1.6787Å) are lower than those published for thorianite standard. The unit cell parameter (a_o) of the investigated thorianite (a_o 5.5750Å) is also less than a_o of thorianite standard (a_o 5.6000Å and V 175.62ų), which is because of extensive substitution of Th by U.     

Geomagnetic disturbances associated with disappearing solar filaments

To gain an insight into the origin of enhanced geomagnetic activity that is recently reported to follow the disparition brusque (DB) of quiescent solar filaments, a study is made of the interplanetary plasma and magnetic field data at 1 AU, in relation to DBs over the period January 1967 through March 1978. The investigation revealed that the minor (Ap 30) and major (Ap 50) geomagnetic disturbances that manifested within 8 days of DBs, almost invariably occurred (in 28 out of the 30 events studied) in association with the passage at Earth of high-speed streams in the solar wind. A majority of the streams (19 out of the 28 streams) exhibited a 27-day recurrence pattern and, thus, the associated enhancement in geomagnetic activity (and apparently followed DBs). The date of transit of the high-speed stream at Earth seems to control the delay time of the geomagnetic disturbance, rather than the size of the filament. A systematic spatial relationship between DB's and the potential solar sources of the high-speed streams (coronal holes and flares) does not appear to be present. The results point out the relevance and a prominent role of recurrent and transient high-speed structures in the solar wind in the enhancement of geomagnetic activity that accompagnies DBs.     

Mineral weathering and elemental transport during hillslope evolution at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory

Located in the uplands of the Valley and Ridge physiographic province of Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHO) is a tectonically quiescent, first-order catchment developed on shales of the Silurian Rose Hill Formation. We used soil cores augered at the highest point of the watershed and along a subsurface water flowline on a planar hillslope to investigate mineral transformations and physical/chemical weathering fluxes. About 25 m of bedrock was also drilled to estimate parent composition. Depletion of carbonate at tens of meters of depth in bedrock may delineate a deep carbonate-weathering front. Overlying this, extending from ∼6 m below the bedrock-soil interface up into the soil, is the feldspar dissolution front. In the soils, depletion profiles for K, Mg, Si, Fe, and Al relative to the bedrock define the illite and chlorite reaction fronts. When combined with a cosmogenic nuclide-derived erosion rate on watershed sediments, these depletion profiles are consistent with dissolution rates that are several orders of magnitudes slower for chlorite (1-5 × 10⁻¹⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹) and illite (2-9 × 10⁻¹⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹) than observed in the laboratory. Mineral reactions result in formation of vermiculite, hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite, and minor kaolinite. During weathering, exchangeable divalent cations are replaced by Al as soil pH decreases.The losses of Mg and K in the soils occur largely as solute fluxes; in contrast, losses of Al and Fe are mostly as downslope transport of fine particles. Physical erosion of bulk soils also occurs: results from a steady-state model demonstrate that physical erosion accounts for about half of the total denudation at the ridgetop and midslope positions. Chemical weathering losses of Mg, Na, and K are higher in the upslope positions likely because of the higher degree of chemical undersaturation in porewaters. Chemical weathering slows down in the valley floor and Al and Si even show net accumulation. The simplest model for the hillslope that is consistent with all observations is a steady-state, clay weathering-limited system where soil production rates decrease with increasing soil thickness.     

Role of Hydrology in the Formation of Co-rich Mn Crusts from the Equatorial N Pacific,Equatorial S Indian Ocean and the NE Atlantic Ocean

Co-rich Mn crusts from four different locations of the world ocean have been studied to understand the role of dissolved oxygen of the ambient seawater in the formation of Co-rich Mn crusts. WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) oxygen profiles of modern seawater in the Equatorial North Pacific Ocean, Equatorial South Indian Ocean and the North East Atlantic Ocean have been evaluated with respect to the occurrence of Co-rich Mn crusts at depths ranging from 1500 to 3200 m. The oxygen content at these depths varied from ∼90–240 µmol/kg. The oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), with oxygen contents in the range ∼45–100 µmol/kg, is located in the depth range 800–900 m in these regions. The age of the ocean crust on which seamounts formed is in the range 80.3–180 Ma. Profiles of the oxygen contents of seawater with depth in the oceans are shown to be extremely useful in establishing the optimum conditions for the formation of Co-rich Mn crusts. The use of WOCE oxygen profiles to study geochemical processes in the oceans is highly recommended.     

Revealing the coastal event-history of the Andaman Islands (Bay of Bengal) during the Holocene using radiocarbon and OSL dating

Earthquakes that trigger tsunamis are of great geological, ecological and socio-economic importance. The knowledge of the recurrence interval of these events will give information about the hazard for a region. Coastal sediments on the Andaman Islands located in the eastern Bay of Bengal were investigated to find evidence for palaeotsunamis and palaeoearthquakes. Fieldwork was conducted on Red Skin Island and North Cinque Island, south of South Andaman. Sediment material from event-layers was dated by optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating method. The results show evidence possibly for one earthquake at about 1,000 or 3,000 years before the present together with deposits from possible tsunamis and storms. The complex pattern of co- and post-seismic uplift and subsidence of the Andaman Islands is reflected in the investigated sections and made it possible to reconstruct an event-history for the last 3,000 years.     

The Chemical Nature of Phosphorus in Subtropical Lake Sediments

The phosphorus (P) composition of sediment profiles in three subtropical lakes of contrasting trophic state in Florida, USA, was determined by sequential fractionation and solution ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. Sediment from Lake Annie, an oligo-mesotrophic sinkhole with moderately acidic sediment (pH 5.4; loss on ignition 58 %), contained higher total P concentrations than sediment from eutrophic Lake Okeechobee (pH 7.7, loss on ignition 36 %) and hyper-eutrophic Lake Apopka (pH 7.5, loss on ignition 69 %). The chemical nature of sediment P varied markedly among the three lakes, suggesting the predominance of different diagenetic processes. Lake Okeechobee sediment was dominated by inorganic P, indicating the dominance of abiotic reactions; Lake Annie sediment contained abundant organic P throughout the sediment profile, indicating the importance of organic P stabilization at acidic pH; Lake Apopka contained almost half of its sediment P in microbial biomass, indicating the importance of biotic processes in regulating P dynamics. Solution ³¹P NMR spectroscopy of NaOH–EDTA extracts revealed that organic P occurred mainly as phosphomonoesters in all lakes. However, sediment from Lake Apopka also contained abundant phosphodiesters and was the only lake to contain detectable concentrations of polyphosphate, perhaps due to a combination of alternating redox conditions and high concentrations of inorganic phosphate and organic carbon. Organic P concentrations determined by sequential fractionation and solution ³¹P NMR spectroscopy were similar for all lakes when microbial P was included in values for sequential fractionation. We conclude that the chemical nature of sediment P varies markedly depending on trophic state and can provide important information on the dominant processes controlling P cycling in subtropical lakes.     

Air-Sea Interaction over the Indian Ocean During the Two Contrasting Monsoon Years 1987 and 1988 Studied with Satellite Data

Summary The air-sea interaction processes over the tropical Indian Ocean region are studied using sea surface temperature data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor onboard the NOAA series of satellites. The columnar water-vapour content, low-level atmospheric humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and back radiation from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager on board the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program are all examined for two contrasting monsoon years, namely 1987 (deficit rainfall) and 1988 (excess rainfall). From these parameters the longwave radiative net flux at the sea surface and the ocean-air moisture flux are derived for further analysis of the air-sea interaction in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the south China Sea and the southern Indian Ocean. An analysis of ten-day and monthly mean evaporation rates over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal shows that the evaporation was higher in these areas during the low rainfall year (1987) indicating little or no influence of this parameter on the ensuing monsoon activity over the Indian subcontinent. On the other hand, the evaporation in the southern Indian Ocean was higher during July and September 1988 when compared with the same months of 1987. The evaporation rate over the south Indian Ocean and the low-level cross-equatorial moisture flux seem to play a major role on the ensuing monsoon activity over India while the evaporation over the Arabian Sea is less important. Since we have only analysed one deficit/ excess monsoon cycle the results presented here are of preliminary nature. Received November 5, 1997 Revised March 20, 1998     

A study on the distinct features of the Asian summer monsoon during the years of extreme monsoon activity over India

Summary In this paper, interseasonal characteristics of the Asian summer monsoon in the years of 1987 and 1988 are studied as 1987 is characterized by a large deficiency of monsoon rainfall (drought) and that of 1988 by a large excess monsoon rainfall (flood) over India. In order to compare the similarities and differences seen in the large scale dynamics and energetics of the Asian summer monsoon during the years of extreme monsoon activity, uninitialized analyses (12 Z) of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), U.K. are utilized in this study for the summer monsoon seasons of 1987 and 1988.It is found that the excess rainfall season (1988) is characterized by much stronger tropical easterly jet (TEJ) associated with the upper tropospheric easterlies and the East African low level jet (Somali Jet) associated with lower tropospheric westerlies. Such a feature mainly determines the strength of the reverse Hadley circulation which normally covers the South Asian continent during the northern summer. Further, the energetics of the TEJ show that the monsoon of 1988 has comparatively stronger zones of kinetic energy flux divergence (convergence) at its entrance (exit) regions. These zones of kinetic energy flux divergence are largely maintained by the adiabatic processes over the strong kinetic energy flux divergence zones over the Bay of Bengal and east central Arabian Sea as compared to that of 1987. Apart from this, both the zonal and meridional components of the ageostrophic flows are found to be stronger during 1988 monsoon season. Analysis of the vertically integrated thermodynamical features of the monsoon indicate that the monsoon of 1988 was characterized by an excess import of heat and moisture into the monsoon atmosphere as compared to that of 1987. Further, from the quantitative estimation of certain significant heat and moisture budget parameters during the contrasting monsoon seasons of 1987 and 1988, it becomes evident that considerable differences exist in the quantities of adiabatic production of heat energy, diabatic heating and the moisture source/sink.With 13 Figures