Die Schlüsselstellung des Malm-Schichtkammes der Hilsmulde in der Morphologie des nordwestdeutschen Berglandes

Zusammenfassung Der Malm der Ith-Hils-Mulde wird am. SE-Ende des Ith diskordant von Unterkreide überlagert, und im Innern der Mulde sind in einer Umgebung von Jura und Wealden Schichten des Neokom und des Tertiär erhalten, die durch Ablaugung auf dem Salzstock von Weenzen versenkt worden sind. Aus diesen Lagerungsverhältnissen ergibt sich folgende Vorstellung von der Entstehung des Malm-Schichtkammes der Ith-Hils-Mulde:Die Malm- und Wealdenschichten des Ith-Hils-Gebietes sind während ihrer Ablagerung eingemuldet worden; die Mulde ist nach Einebnung ihrer Ränder von den Schichten der marinen Kreide überlagert worden und hat bis zum Ende der Oligozänzeit unter Kreide- und Tertiärschichten gelegen. Soweit diese Schichten infolge einer nacholigozänen Hebung wieder abgetragen worden sind, wurden die Kalke des Unteren und Mittleren Malm in jungtertiärer Zeit als Schichtkamm herausgearbeitet.Der Malm-Schichtkamm der Ith-Hils-Mulde ist insofern ein Schlüssel zur Morphologie des nordwestdeutschen Berglandes, als seine morphologische Entwicklung in allen wesentlichen Phasen aus dem geologischen Befund abgeleitet werden und damit auch für andere Teile dieses Berglandes, deren geologische Überlieferung weniger vollständig ist, als Beispiel gelten kann.

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At the south-east spur of the secondary chain of mountains of the Ith situated between the valleys of the Rivers Weser and Leine the Malm of the Ith-Hils Trough is unconformably overlain by the Lower Cretaceous. In the interior of this trough, strata of the Neocomian and of the Tertiary have been preserved in a surrounding of Jurassic and Wealden. Salt dissolution and evacuation have caused these strata to subside on top of the salt dome of Weenzen. From these circumstances of stratification the following concept ensues regarding the formation of the Malm stratum ridge of the Ith-Hils Trough:During strata deposition the Malm and Wealden strata of the Ith-Hils region have been subjected to trough formation. After levelling of its rims the trough has been overlain by strata of the Cretaceous, and, until the end of the Oligocene, it had been situated underneath Cretaceous and Tertiary strata. Insofar as these latter strata have been destroyed again in consequence of a post-oligocene uplift, the limestones of the Lower and Middle Malm have been shaped out as the stratum ridge in the late Tertiary epoch.The Malm stratum ridge of the Ith-Hils Trough represents a key to the explanation of the morphological conditions of the mountainous country of north-western Germany, as the morphological development of the same can be derived from the geological findings in all its essential phases. Thereby the Malm stratum ridge of the Ith-Hils Trough can be set as a validated example for other parts of this stretch of mountainous country, whose structural aspect is less complete.

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Résumé Au contrefort sud-est de la chaîne de montagnes de l'Ith située entre les vallées des rivières Weser et Leine, le Malm (Jurassique Supérieur) du synclinal de l'Ith-Hils est couvert par le Crétacé Inférieur sous forme d'une discordance de stratification. A l'intérieur de ce synclinal des strates du Néocomien et du Tertiaire se sont conservées dans un entourage du Jurassique et du Wealdien. Au-dessus du dôme de sel de Weenzen la dissolution et l'écoulement des sels ont causé que ces strates se soient enfoncées. De ces circonstances de stratification le concept suivant s'ensuit en ce qui concerne la formation de la crête de strate du Malm du synclinal de I'Ith-Hils:Pendant le processus de stratification les strates du Malm et du Wealdien de la région de l'Ith-Hils ont subi une formation de synclinal. A la fin du processus de nivellement de ses bords le synclinal a été couvert par les strates du Crétacé (marin), et, jusqu'à la fin de l'Oligocène, il a été situé au-dessous des strates du Crétacé et du Tertiaire. En tant que ces dernières strates ont été enlevées à nouveau en conséquence d'un soulèvement post-oligocène, les calcaires des strates de Malm inférieur et moyen ont été façonnés en qualité de crête de strate à l'époque du Néogène.La crête de strate du Malm du synclinal de l'Ith-Hils représente une explication fondamentale des conditions morphologiques du pays de montagnes de l'Allemagne du nord-ouest jusqu'à un tel point que le développement morphologique de ce pays peut être dérivé des constatations géologiques de l'état récent dans toutes ses phases essentielles. De cette manière la crête de strate du Malm peut servir d'exemple corroboré à d'autres parties de cette région de pays de montagnes, dont l'aspect structurel est moins complet.

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Vortrag, gehalten auf der 58. Jahrestagung der Geologischen Vereinigung in Göttingen am 19. 2. 1968.     

Size-Resolved Aerosol Characterization for a Polluted Episode at the IfT Research Station Melpitz in Autumn 1997

Inorganic ions, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and a variety of organic single species in airborne particles have been determined at the research station of the Leibniz – Institut für Troposphärenforschung (IfT) in Melpitz (Germany) in autumn 1997.Samples of eight selected measurement events were divided in two groups in order to investigate differences in the chemical composition of particles originating from southwesterly (SW – developed EU countries) or from easterly directions (E – less developed eastern countries). Differences between these two groups were tested statistically by Student's t-test.Five stage cascade impactor samples show nitrate as most abundant in the accumulation mode in the SW group. EC and sulphate show the most abundant mass fractions in the E group. That can be considered as a consequence of domestic coal heating and coal-fired power plant emissions in the region of westerly Poland, northern Czech Republic and easterly Germany. Higher nitrate concentrations in the SW group can be explained by stronger NO _x emissions caused by the leeward plume of the conurbation of Leipzig, as well as by the still higher traffic density in western Germany.The methane sulphonic acid (MSA) mass fraction was higher for SW air masses in accumulation mode particles, probably indicating marine origin. Succinic acid also showed higher mass fractions for the SW group. This could be caused by primary emission in automobile exhaust gases and photochemical formation during transport from SW. Indeed, during SW sampling, solar radiation intensity was higher than during E sampling.The observed differences in the particle composition are an expression of the still existing technology gradient in Europe. Future campaigns could show the development to a joint economy with smaller differences in anthropogenic emissions.     

Presolar nanodiamonds: faster, cleaner, and limits on platinum-HL

We have developed a procedure that allows extraction of clean nanodiamond samples from primitive meteorites for isotopic analyses of trace elements on a timescale of just a week. This procedure includes microwave digestion and optimization of existing isolation techniques for further purification. Abundances of trace elements that are difficult to dissolve using standard procedures (e.g., Ir) are lower in the diamond residues prepared using the new technique. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) was explored as a means for isotopic measurements. Results obtained on diamond fractions from Allende and Murchison show the need for suitable matrix-adjusted standards to correct for fractionation effects; nevertheless they allow putting an upper limit on the abundance of ¹⁹⁸Pt-H in nanodiamonds of ∼1 × 10¹⁴ atoms/g. This limit is on the order of what can be expected from predictions of competing nucleosynthesis models and extrapolation of the apparently mass dependent abundance trend of the associated noble gases.Unfortunately, and unexpectedly, presolar silicon carbide is almost quantitatively dissolved during microwave digestion with HCl/HF/HNO₃. Re-evaluation of the standard extraction technique, however, shows that it also may lead to severe loss of fine-grained SiC, a fact not commonly appreciated. A lower limit to SiC abundance in Murchison is 20 ppm, and previous conclusions that Murchison SiC is unusually coarse-grained compared to SiC in other primitive meteorites seem not to be warranted. Graphite and silicon nitride may survive and possibly can be separated after this step as suggested by a simulation experiment using terrestrial analog material, but the detailed behavior of meteoritic graphite requires further study.     

The Carbonate Radical (HCO3·/CO3–·) as a Reactive Intermediate in Water Chemistry: Kinetics and Modelling

Results from kinetic laboratory studies of reactions of the carbonate radical anion (CO₃^–·) with aromatic compounds in aqueous solution at T = 298 K are presented. Data were obtained in using a laser photolysis laser long-path absorption (LP-LPLA) apparatus which was designed for direct time-resolved studies of radical reactions. For the reactions of CO₃^–· with hydroquinone dimethyl ether (2), methyl anisole (3), benzene (4), p-xylene (5), toluene (6), chlorobenzene (7), nitrobenzene (8), and benzonitrile (9), rate coefficients of k₂ = (3.0 ± 0.6)·10⁷ M^–1 s^–1, k₃ = (9.7 ± 1.7)·10⁵ M^–1 s^–1, k₄ = (3.2 ± 0.7)·10⁵ M^–1 s^–1, k₅ = (3.8 ± 0.9)·10⁴ M^–1 s^–1, k₆ = (6.8 ± 2.3)·10⁴ M^–1 s^–1, k₇ = (2.7 ± 0.6)·10⁵ M^–1 s^–1, k₈ = (1.4 ± 0.5)·10⁴ M^–1 s^–1, and k₉ < 1.3·10² M^–1 s^–1 were obtained. In further studies the effect of temperature on the reactions (2), (4), and (5) has been studied. The kinetic data obtained for the reaction of the carbonate radical anion with aromatic compounds were compared to the corresponding reactions of the hydroxyl radical. Finally, these kinetic data were used within a simple model system to investigate the implications of carbonate radical anion kinetics within water treatment processes. It is shown that the degradation of organic pollutants in ^·OH-radical based water treatment may proceed via the CO₃^–·/HCO_3· radical under certain conditions.     

Diagnostics of the Non-Linear Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability

We study analytically and numerically the evolution of the two-dimensional coherent structure of bubbles and spikes in the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) for fluids with a finite density ratio. New diagnostics and scalings are suggested for accurate quantification of RMI dynamics. New similarity features of the late-time instability evolution are observed. The results obtained can serve as benchmarks for high energy density laboratory experiments.     

Evolution of the Peak Hill high-sulfidation epithermal Au–Cu deposit,eastern Australia

The early Palaeozoic Macquarie Arc, southeastern Australia, hosts a variety of major late Ordovician to earliest Silurian subduction-related deposits (e.g., Cadia East, Ridgeway, Cadia Hill, Cowal and Northparkes). However, there is uncertainty about whether coeval high-sulfidation epithermal deposits, which occur in intra-oceanic metallogenic belts elsewhere in the West Pacific, (e.g., Lepanto and Chinkuashih), are also present in the Macquarie Arc. This has led to suggestions that their absence may be due to the poor preservation potential of deposits that form at relatively shallow crustal levels in ancient rocks. We present here an interpretation for evolution of the Peak Hill Au–Cu deposit based on the distribution of alteration facies, sulfur isotope data from several textural forms of pyrite and barite, and an assessment of the regional volcanic and sedimentary facies architecture. These data show that the Peak Hill deposit displays a distinct sub-vertical zoning with a pyrophyllite and vuggy-quartz core, that today extends about 350 m east–west and at least 550 m north–south, which grades out through paragonite+muscovite, kaolinite to a chlorite+epidote alteration zone at the margin. The alteration zoning reflects both lower temperatures and neutralisation of acid fluids with increasing distance from the core, which represents the conduit along which hot acidic hydrothermal fluids were channelled. Several temporally overlapping events of silicification, bladed-quartz-pyrite veining, brecciation and pyrite veining occurred during the last stages of hydrothermal alteration, although most appear to predate mineralisation. Au–Cu mineralisation was associated with late quartz-pyrite-barite veins, and the highest gold grades occur mainly in microcrystalline-quartz-altered rocks in the paragonite+muscovite alteration zone, generally within 50 m outward from the boundary of the pyrophyllite and vuggy-quartz core. Sulfur- and lead-isotope data, and the characteristic zoning of ore minerals and alteration assemblages support a magmatic source for the hydrothermal fluids. Similarities in many of the isotopic signatures between Peak Hill and deposits such as Northparkes support generation of the high-sulfidation mineralisation during the Late Ordovician to earliest Silurian (possibly ca. 440 Ma) metallogenic event. The Late Ordovician to Early Silurian volcanic and sedimentary facies associations at Peak Hill are consistent with alteration and mineralisation occurring in rocks deposited in a submarine setting.     

A 1500-year record of temperature and glacial response inferred from varved Iceberg Lake, southcentral Alaska

We present a varve thickness chronology from glacier-dammed Iceberg Lake in the southern Alaska icefields. Radiogenic evidence confirms that laminations are annual and record continuous sediment deposition from A.D. 442 to A.D. 1998. Varve thickness is positively correlated with Northern Hemisphere temperature trends, and more strongly with a local, ∼600 yr long tree ring width chronology. Varve thickness increases in warm summers because of higher melt, runoff, and sediment transport (as expected), but also because shrinkage of the glacier dam allows shoreline regression that concentrates sediment in the smaller lake. Varve thickness provides a sensitive record of relative changes in warm season temperatures. Relative to the entire record, temperatures implied by this chronology were lowest around A.D. 600, warm between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1300, cooler between A.D. 1500 and A.D. 1850, and have increased dramatically since then. Combined with stratigraphic evidence that contemporary jökulhlaups (which began in 1999) are unprecedented since at least A.D. 442, this record suggests that 20th century warming is more intense, and accompanied by more extensive glacier retreat, than the Medieval Warm Period or any other time in the last 1500 yr.     

Joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave dispersion observations

We implement a method to invert jointly teleseismic P wave receiver functions and surface wave group and phase velocities for a mutually consistent estimate of earth structure. Receiver functions are primarily sensitive to shear wave velocity contrasts and vertical traveltimes, and surface wave dispersion measurements are sensitive to vertical shear wave velocity averages. Their combination may bridge resolution gaps associated with each individual data set. We formulate a linearized shear velocity inversion that is solved using a damped leastsquares scheme that incorporates a priori smoothness constraints for velocities in adjacent layers. The data sets are equalized for the number of data points and physical units in the inversion process. The combination of information produces a relatively simple model with a minimal number of sharp velocity contrasts. We illustrate the approach using noisefree and realistic noise simulations and conclude with an inversion of observations from the Saudi Arabian Shield. Inversion results for station SODA, located in the Arabian Shield, include a crust with a sharp gradient near the surface (shear velocity changing from 1.8 to 3.5 km s¹ in 3 km) underlain by a 5kmthick layer with a shear velocity of 3.5 km s¹ and a 27kmthick layer with a shear velocity of 3.8 km s¹, and an upper mantle with an average shear velocity of 4.7 km s¹. The crustmantle transition has a significant gradient, with velocity values varying from 3.8 to 4.7 km s¹ between 35 and 40 km depth. Our results are compatible with independent inversions for crustal structure using refraction data.     

Linking Cree hunters’ and scientific observations of changing inland ice and meteorological conditions in the subarctic eastern James Bay region, Canada

For the Cree First Nation communities of the eastern James Bay region in the Canadian Subarctic, local weather plays a key role in traditional subsistence activities. There is rising concern among the Cree about changes in inland ice conditions as they pose challenges to Cree livelihood, health and culture. Here we contrast Crees’ observations of inland ice conditions and long-term measurements obtained to foster interdisciplinary climate change research between scientists and Cree communities. We compiled qualitative observations of inland ice conditions and compared them with long-term measurements (> 25 years) of air temperature, precipitation and snow depth from three meteorological stations in the Cree territory. Cree hunters observed a weakening of lake ice cover (e.g., change in ice composition and structure, increased rain in winter). Trend analysis of long-term measurements showed a significant increase in mean autumn air temperature as well as in winter and autumn precipitation. By contrasting Cree hunters’ observations with climate data, we identified that an increase in fall and winter precipitation could be causing a weakening of inland ice through a change in its composition (i.e., snow ice instead of congelation ice). We conclude that Cree and scientific knowledge are complementary when investigating and understanding climate change in the Subarctic.