Stratabound barite deposits in Nevada

The barite deposits in the Shoshone Range contain rhythmic layering of several types. One type includes interlayered barite and clay seams with iron oxide grains and stains, where the barite beds gradually change in thickness upwards. Top-bottom (geopetal) features are present but differ from those observed in the Arkansas Stanley Shale deposits. Chert and very fine-grained quartz are interlayered with the barite. The thickest barite beds lie where the chert and shaly layers are thinnest. These are features one would normally find in a sediment. These and other observations suggest a formation by syn-diagenetic processes.

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Zusammenfassung Die Schwerspatlagerstätten der Shoshone Range in Nevada zeigen rhythmische Lagen verschiedener Arten. So gibt es eine Wechsellagerung von Schwerspat mit Tonhäutchen, die Eisenoxidkörner und -filme enthalten. Bei diesem Typ schwankt die Schichtmächtigkeit von unten nach oben. Die Lagen sind sehr reich an Geopetalgefügen aber unterscheiden sich von denjenigen in den Schwerspatlagerstätten von Stanley Shale, Arkansas. Die rhythmischen Lagen bestehen aus Flint (Chert), feinkörnigem Quarz und Schwerspat. Dichte Schwerspat-Lagen treten da auf, wo die Flint-Lagen sehr dünn sind oder fehlen. Solche Erscheinungen treten normalerweise sehr häufig in Sedimenten auf. Diese und andere erwähnte Beobachtungen geben Anlaß zur Annahme, daß es sich hier um synsedimentäre Lagerstätten handelt.

     

Eine einfache Methode zur Unterscheidung feldspatreicher Sedimente durch statistische Erfassung des Plagioklasbestandes

Zusammenfassung Zur Charakterisierung und Unterscheidung vulkanischer Aschen und Tuffe der mittelamerikanischen Republik El Salvador konnte der unterschiedliche Anorthitgehalt der Plagioklase mit Erfolg herangezogen werden. Jede Probe wurde in eine Folge von Einbettungsflüssigkeiten mit Brechungsindizes von n=1,53 bis n=1,58 eingebettet und jeweils ausgezählt, ob der Brechungsindex na' der Plagioklase größer, kleiner oder gleich dem Brechungsindex der Einbettungsflüssigkeit war. Im Rahmen der hier erforderlichen Genauigkeit konnte auf diese Weise der prozentuale Anteil der Plagioklase mit unterschiedlichem Anorthitgehalt ermittelt werden. Die hieraus gewonnenen Verteilungsdiagramme erwiesen sich als charakteristisch für die verschiedenen Fördergebiete und Förderperioden der Vulkane.Eine eingehendere Darstellung dieser Methode erscheint demnächst im Neuen Jahrbuch Geol. Paläontol. unter dem Titel Beiträge zur Geologie El Salvadors — VII. Stoffbestand und regionale Verteilung vulkanogener Sedimente.     

Reporting negative results to stimulate experimental hydrology: discussion of “The role of experimental work in hydrological sciences – insights from a community survey”*

ABSTRACT

Experimental work in hydrology is in decline. Based on a community survey, Blume et al. showed that the hydrological community associates experimental work with greater risks. One of the main issues with experimental work is the higher chance of negative results (defined here as when the expected or wanted result was not observed despite careful experimental design, planning and execution), resulting in a longer and more difficult publishing process. Reporting on negative results would avoid putting time and resources into repeating experiments that lead to negative results, and give experimental hydrologists the scientific recognition they deserve. With this commentary, we propose four potential solutions to encourage reporting on negative results, which might contribute to a stimulation of experimental hydrology.     

Salt transport on islands in the Okavango Delta: Numerical investigations

This study uses a numerical model to investigate the groundwater flow and salt transport mechanisms below islands in the Okavango Delta. Continuous evapotranspiration on the islands results in accumulation of solutes and the formation of a saline boundary layer, which may eventually become unstable. A novel Lagrangian method is employed in this study and compared to other numerical methods. The numerical results support the geophysical observations of density fingering on Thata Island. However, the process is slow and it takes some hundreds of years until density fingering is triggered. The results are sensitive to changes of the hydraulic gradient and the evapotranspiration rate. Small changes may lead to different plume developments. Results further demonstrate that density effects may be entirely overridden by lateral flow on islands embedded in a sufficiently high regional hydraulic gradient.     

SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION BY SURFACE EROSION IN MIDDLE MOUNTAIN CATCHMENTS OF NEPAL

1 INTRODUCTION Soil erosion in the foothills of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) is considered to be a hot topic in land degradation research in the region (Scherr and Yadav, 1996). The land degradation research has mainly addressed the issue of topsoil los…     

Pre-Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism along the Central Andes (17–34°S): Composition of the mantle at an active margin

Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios of alkaline mafic intra-plate magmatism constrain the isotopic compositions of the lithospheric mantle along what is now the eastern foreland or back arc of the Cenozoic Central Andes (17–34°S). Most small-volume basanite volcanic rocks and alkaline intrusive rocks of Cretaceous (and rare Miocene) age were derived from a depleted lithospheric mantle source with rather uniform initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ( 0.5127–0.5128) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ( 0.7032–0.7040). The initial ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are variable (18.5–19.7) at uniform ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios (15.60 ± 0.05). A variety of the Cretaceous depleted mantle source of the magmatic rocks shows elevated Sr isotope ratios up to 0.707 at constant high Nd isotope ratios. The variable Sr and Pb isotope ratios are probably due to radiogenic growth in a metasomatized lithospheric mantle, which represents the former sub-arc mantle beneath the early Palaeozoic active continental margin. Sr–Nd–Pb isotope signatures of a second mantle type reflected in the composition of Cretaceous (one late Palaeozoic age) intra-plate magmatic rocks (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd  0.5123, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr  0.704, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb  17.5–18.5, and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb  15.45–15.50) are similar to the isotopic composition of old sub-continental lithospheric mantle of the Brazilian Shield.

Published Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of Mesozoic to Cenozoic arc-related magmatic rocks (18–40°S) represent the composition of the convective sub-arc mantle in the Central Andes and are similar to those of the Cretaceous (and rare Miocene) intra-plate magmatic rocks. The dominant convective and lithospheric mantle type beneath this old continental margin is depleted mantle, which is compositionally different from average MORB-type depleted mantle. The old sub-continental lithospheric mantle did not contribute to Mesozoic to Cenozoic arc magmatism.     

Methodological aspects of surveying the volume, structure, activities and perceptions of city centre visitors

Counting pedestrians on a street and visitors entering a store is a method used to measure the attractiveness of these places. Their volumes are governed by daily, weekly, monthly and yearly cycles and are subject to random influences. This must be taken into account especially where comparison counts reveal changes. When single streets or stores are counted, it must be ascertained whether this figure is representative of the whole city centre and its retailing. Pedestrian volumes can be used for adjusting interview samples to the distribution in time and space of the city centre visitors. Counts of the qualitative characteristics of the pedestrian with respect to composition of groups reveal that surveys among pedestrians are biased in relation to the size of the group. Special attention in surveys should be given to the linking of activities. Whereas much emphasis is given to the accessibility of the city centre from outside, the ‘inner accessibility’ of the city centre is just as important. Long distances are often walked and many destinations visited. This is best recorded by conducting interviews at public transport stops and car parks. The attractiveness of the city centre depends not only on its physical structures but very much on the subjective perception of them; therefore judgements on accessibility, goods and services offered and the urban ambiance should be recorded. Retailer's attitudes concerning the qualities of the city centre should also be compiled for comparison. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Buchbesprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Solar and meteoritic abundance of silicon

Recent lifetime measurements on excited electronic states of neutral silicon (Beckeret al., Phys. Lett. In press, 1980) lead to a reassessment of widely used experimental transition probabilities Garz, Astron. Astrophys., 26, 471–477, 1973 of Si I lines. This translates into a 25% downward revision of the Si abundance determined from the solar spectrum.A solar atomic ratio, Si/Ca = 15.5 is inferred. This value coincides with that found in carbonaceous chondrites, but contrasts with ordinary and enstatite chondrites.