The GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam/Groupe de Recherche de Gèodésie Spatiale satellite-only and combined gravity field models: EIGEN-GL04S1 and EIGEN-GL04C

The recent improvements in the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) tracking data processing at GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ) and Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale (GRGS) Toulouse, the availability of newer surface gravity data sets in the Arctic, Antarctica and North-America, and the availability of a new mean sea surface height model from altimetry processing at GFZ gave rise to the generation of two new global gravity field models. The first, EIGEN-GL04S1, a satellite-only model complete to degree and order 150 in terms of spherical harmonics, was derived by combination of the latest GFZ Potsdam GRACE-only (EIGEN-GRACE04S) and GRGS Toulouse GRACE/LAGEOS (EIGEN-GL04S) mean field solutions. The second, EIGEN-GL04S1 was combined with surface gravity data from altimetry over the oceans and gravimetry over the continents to derive a new high-resolution global gravity field model called EIGEN-GL04C. This model is complete to degree and order 360 and thus resolves geoid and gravity anomalies at half- wavelengths of 55 km at the equator. A degree-dependent combination method has been applied in order to preserve the high accuracy from the GRACE satellite data in the lower frequency band of the geopotential and to form a smooth transition to the high-frequency information coming from the surface data. Compared to pre-CHAMP global high-resolution models, the accuracy was improved at a spatial resolution of 200 km (half-wavelength) by one order of magnitude to 3 cm in terms of geoid heights. The accuracy of this model (i.e. the commission error) at its full spatial resolution is estimated to be 15 cm. The model shows a reduced artificial meridional striping and an increased correlation of EIGEN-GL04C-derived geostrophic meridional currents with World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA01) data. These improvements have led to select EIGEN-GL04C for JASON-1 satellite altimeter data reprocessing. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Isotope hydrological study of mean transit times in an alpine basin (Wimbachtal, Germany)

Measurements of tritium and ¹⁸O concentrations in precipitation and runoff were used to provide further insight into the groundwater storage properties of the Wimbachtal Valley, a catchment area of 33.4 km², extending between 636 and 2713 m a.s.l. in the Berchtesgaden Alps. The catchment includes three aquifer types: a dominant porous aquifer; a fractured dolomite; a karstic limestone aquifer. Employing a simple hydrological model, information about mean transit times of environmental tracers is derived for the groundwater runoff component and several karst springs from the application of the exponential and dispersion flow models to the isotopic input and output data. The mean transit times calculated from a dispersion model with transit times of 4.1 years for ¹⁸O and 4.2 years for tritium, which agree well, allow calculation of total (mobile + stagnant) groundwater storage volume, which is equivalent to 6.6 m of water depth. Direct runoff appears negligible as in many other cases.     

4He diffusion in specular hematite

In order to test the chronometer qualities of speculante for the (U + Th)/He dating method, ⁴He release experiments by stepwise heating of two specularites from the Rimbach mineralization locality in the southern Vosgues (France) have been carried out. The diffusion coefficients define linear Arrhenius plots within a temperature interval of 250 to 830 °C, which is suggestive of volume diffusion. Extrapolation of the diffusion behavior to 20° C yields diffusion coefficients (D₂₀ values) smaller than 10^?26 [cm² s^?1] for both hematites with activation energies at 116 [kJ/mole]. The results of our study suggest that specularite is a very helium retentive hematite variety which is capable of quantitatively retaining radiogenic helium over geologic periods of time.     

‘PALEOVAN’, International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP): site survey results and perspectives

Lake Van is the fourth largest terminal lake in the world (volume 607 km³, area 3570 km², maximum depth 460 m), extending for 130 km WSW–ENE on the Eastern Anatolian High Plateau, Turkey. The sedimentary record of Lake Van, partly laminated, has the potential to obtain a long and continuous continental sequence that covers several glacial–interglacial cycles (ca 500 kyr). Therefore, Lake Van is a key site within the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) for the investigation of the Quaternary climate evolution in the Near East (‘PALEOVAN’). As preparation for an ICDP drilling campaign, a site survey was carried out during the past years. We collected 50 seismic profiles with a total length of ～850 km to identify continuous undisturbed sedimentary sequences for potential ICDP locations. Based on the seismic results, we cored 10 different locations to water depths of up to 420 m. Multidisciplinary scientific work at positions of a proposed ICDP drill site included measurements of magnetic susceptibility, physical properties, stable isotopes, XRF scans, and pollen and spores. This core extends back to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a more extended record than all the other Lake Van cores obtained to date. Both coring and seismic data do not show any indication that the deepest part of the lake (Tatvan Basin, Ahlat Ridge) was dry or almost dry during past times. These results show potential for obtaining a continuous undisturbed, long continental palaeoclimate record. In addition, this paper discusses the potential of ‘PALEOVAN’ to establish new results on the dynamics of lake level fluctuations, noble gas concentration in pore water of the lake sediment, history of volcanism and volcanic activities based on tephrostratigraphy, and paleoseismic and earthquake activities.     

Calcite Dissolution Kinetics

We compare the canonical treatment of calcite’s dissolution rate from the literature in a closed system, particle batch reactor, with the alternative approach suggested by Truesdale (Aquat Geochem, 2015). We show that the decay of rate over time can be understood in terms of the evolution and distribution of reactive sites on the surface of these particles. We also emphasize that interpretation of observed rates must not exclude the fundamental role of crystal defects, whose importance is already implicitly reflected in the common form of rate laws in geochemistry. The empirical behavior of overall rate in closed systems, such as those described by Truesdale, may thus reflect relationships between defect centers and the generation of steps over the calcite surface (previously documented for silicates), such that below a critical free energy limit, there is insufficient driving force to open hollow cores and thus a loss of reaction mechanism. Dissolution in this very-near-equilibrium regime will be dependent on the distribution of extant steps and the energetics of new kink site nucleation. However, these sensitivities are complicated in the case of particle systems by grain boundaries, edges, corners, and other terminations. Such discontinuities constitute a defect class whose overall kinetic importance will be strongly tied to particle diameter and which can act independently of the internal strain field imposed by screw and edge dislocations.     

Stellung des Experimentes im Rahmen tektonischer Forschung

Zusammenfassung Die Genese tektonischer Strukturen ist nicht direkt beobachtbar. Unsere einzige Arbeitsgrundlage sind die Spuren der Deformation im Fels, also das tektonische Gefüge. Im Gegensatz zu den meisten anderen naturwissenschaftlichen und technischen Fächern ist in der Tektonik ein Vergleich der Vorgänge im Experiment mit denen im Objekt im allgemeinen nicht möglich. Hieraus erklärt sich, daß das Experiment in der Tektonik bisher nur eine geringe Bedeutung erlangt hat. Jede tektonische Deutung ist aber ein Analogieschluß, bei dem Erfahrungen aus dem täglichen Leben oder die anderer Naturwissenschaften eingesetzt werden. Dieses Vorgehen muß durch ein exakteres, nämlich durch den Einsatz gezielter Experimente, abgelöst werden.Da aus dem obengenannten Grunde die Rückkopplung zwischen Experiment und Natur nur unvollkommen durchzuführen ist, besteht der Sinn tektonischer Experimente nicht darin, eine bestimmte natürliche Struktur nachzubilden, sondern darin, die Reaktionsmöglichkeiten von Festkörpern bei Deformation kennenzulernen. Experimente und Naturbeobachtung zeigen, daß es nur eine begrenzte Zahl von Reaktionsarten festen Materials bei Deformationen gibt. Diese Reaktionsarten unterscheiden sich nach der Art der Gefügeelemente, die bei der Deformation ausgebildet werden (Abb. 1). Bei den hier besprochenen Gefügeelementen handelt es sich um Trennbrüche (Spalten), Verschiebungsbrüche, Knickzonen und Normalfalten. Die Faltenachsenfläche der Knickzonen liegt einer Ebene größter Scherung etwa parallel, die der Normalfalten senkrecht zur Richtung größter Einengung.Die einzelnen Gefügeelemente treten in verschiedenen räumlichen Anordnungen auf, die als Gefügetypen bezeichnet werden. Die folgenden Ausführungen beschränken sich auf Gefügetypen mit rhombischer und monokliner Symmetrie.Die Abb. 1 stellt einen Ausschnitt aus einem System der Gefügetypen dar, in dem die einzelnen Gefügetypen entsprechend ihrer gegenseitigen Verwandtschaft angeordnet sind. Dieses System erlaubt es uns, die bisherigen tektonischen Experimente zu ordnen und auf Lücken unserer experimentellen Erfahrung hinzuweisen.

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Because the formation of tectonic structures cannot be observed directly, the study of such structures is restricted to an investigation of the traces of deformation within the rock itself, i.e. the tectonic fabric. In contrast to most other fields of research in science and technology the study of tectonics does not allow a direct comparison between experimental and natural processes, and for this reason, experimentation has until now played only a minor role in tectonic research. All tectonic interpretations, however, are based on analogies with observations made in everyday life or phenomena in related scientific fields. Clearly this procedure should be replaced by more accurate methods, which include objective experiments.Since the link between experiment and nature is at best incomplete, the goal of tectonic experimentation is not to simulate specific natural structures, but to investigate the different ways by which solids may react to deformations. Experiments and observations show that solid material may undergo only a limited number of such reactions. These reactions differ due to the form of fabric elements formed during deformation (Fig. 1).The discussion below is restricted to the following fabric elements: tension fissures, faults, kink-bands, and normal folds. The axial plane of kink-bands nearly parallels the plane of maximum shearing strain. The axial plane of normal folds is normal to the direction of maximum shortening.The various fabric elements are found in different spatial arrangements called fabric types. The discussion below is restricted to fabric types with orthorhombic and monoclinic symmetry.Fig. 1 illustrates part of a fabric type system in which the different fabric types are arranged according to their reciprocal relationship. This system allows the ordering of previous tectonic experiments and indicates the gaps in our experimental knowledge.

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Résumé La genèse des structures tectoniques n'est pas directement observable. Nos seules bases de travail sont les traces de la déformation dans les roches, autrement dit la texture tectonique. A l'opposé de la plupart des autres branches des sciences naturelles et des branches techniques, on ne peut généralement pas comparer, en tectonique, les processus fournis par l'expérimentation avec ceux qui en font l'objet. Ce qui explique que jusqu'à présent, l'expérimentation en tectonique n'a eu qu'une portée médiocre. Chaque interprétation tectonique est en fait liée à une finalité analogique tirée de comportements dans la vie quotidienne ou dans d'autres sciences naturelles. Ce procédé doit faire place à un autre, plus exact, principalement par la mise en oeuvre d'expériences bien orientées.Comme, pour les raisons citées plus haut, le couplage entre l'expérimentation et la nature ne peut être réalisé que de façon imparfaite, il faut que le sens de l'expérimentation tectonique consiste, non pas à reproduire une structure naturelle donnée, mais à reconnaître quelles sont les possibilités de réaction des corps solides à la déformation. L'expérimentation et l'observation de la nature montrent que les modalités réactionelles des matériaux solides vis-à-vis de la déformation existent seulement en nombre limité. Ces modalités différent selon les éléments structuraux impliqués dans la déformation. Les éléments texturaux discutés ici sont les fissures, les plans de glissement, les zones en chevron et les plis normaux. Le plan axial des zones en chevrons es parallèle à un plan de fort cisaillement; celui des plis normaux est perpendiculaire à la direction de plus grand resserrement.Chacun des éléments texturaux répond à différentes dispositions spatiales dont la signification est celle de types texturaux. Les déductions qui suivent se limitent à des types texturaux à symétrie rhombique et monoclinique.La fig. 1 représente une coupe dans un système de types texturaux dans lequel chacun de ceux-ci a été rangé conformément à leur parenté réciproque. Ce système nous permet de mettre de l'ordre dans les expériences tectoniques poursuivies jusqu'à ce jour, et de mettre en évidence les lacunes dans notre pratique expérimentale.

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Aus dem SFB 77 - Felsmechanik - Karlsruhe.

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Die Untersuchungen über Gefügetypen im Gelände und im Experiment wurden dankenswerterweise von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, seit 1970 im Rahmen des Sonderforschungsbereichs Felsmechanik, unterstützt. Meinen Mitarbeitern, Herrn Dipl.-Phys. H.Mischke, Herrn Dipl.-Ing.Klaus Müller und Herrn Dr. G.Schäfer danke ich für ihre Hilfe bei der Abfassung des Manuskriptes.