Crystal structure of meteoritic schreibersites: determination of absolute structure

Minerals of the schreibersite–nickelphosphide series (Fe,Ni)₃P crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric space group . As a consequence, they can possess two different spatial arrangements of the constituting atoms within the unit cell, related by the inversion symmetry operation. Here, we present the crystal structure refinements from single crystal X-ray diffraction data for schreibersite grains from iron meteorites Acuña, Carlton, Hex River Mts. (three different crystals), Odessa (two different crystals), Sikhote Alin, and Toluca aiming for the determination of the absolute structure of the examined crystals. The crystals studied cover the composition range from ~58 mol% to ~80 mol% Fe₃P end-member. Unit-cell parameter a and volume of the unit cell V, as well as certain topological structural parameters tightly correlate with Fe₃P content. Unit-cell parameter c, on the other hand, does not show such strong correlation. Eight of the nine crystal structure refinements allowed unambiguous absolute structure assignment. The single crystal extracted from Toluca is, however, of poor quality and consequently the structure refinement did not provide as good results as the rest of the materials. Also, this crystal has only weak inversion distinguishing power to provide unequivocal absolute structure determination. Six of the eight unambiguous absolute structure determinations indicated inverted atomic arrangement compared to that reported in earlier structure refinements (here called standard). Only two grains, one taken from Odessa iron and the other from the Hex River Mts. meteorite, reveal the dominance of standard crystal structure setting.     

Aridic crusts and vein mineralisations in the playa Areg el Makrzene, South Tunisia

The playa Areg el Makrzene is situated in the north of the escarpment of the Djebel Rehach in southern Tunisia. It is characterised by more than 70 spring mounds which are bound to faults in the Triassic sandstone, and by (sub-) recent calcareous and iron hydroxide precipitations. The artesian spring water contains high amounts of Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, and HCO₃, shows slightly alkaline character and a temperature of 25 °C. The spring mounds consist of porous travertine (calcite), goethite, gypsum and of Na–Mg evaporites and are up to 10 m high. Few metres away from the springs the amorphous iron hydroxides have altered to badly ordered goethite and ferrihydrite and finally to well ordered goethite. The muddy precipitate has altered to hard crusts (calcrete, ferricrete). The source of the precipitated material is discussed.

The faults in the sandstone are filled with (hydr-)oxides of iron and manganese, e.g. with goethite, hollandite and pyrolusite. The amount of Mn-oxides may reach 60 mass%.     

Induced strains and defect continuum theory: Internal reorganization of load

Induced strains play an important role in mining regions and water dam areas. We consider a mechanism of reorganization of the applied stress load by some changes in rock-body defect distribution caused by human activity. A defect content increases with increasing stress load and related deformations; hence, a relationship could appear between seismic risk and deformation level. Recent progress in the Asymmetric Continuum Theory permits to consider some internal reorganization of the applied load due to internal defect content and distribution; in this paper we consider an increase of internal defect densities due to mining works and the appearance of reorganized internal stress distribution.     

Hillslope response to tectonic forcing in threshold landscapes

Hillslopes are thought to poorly record tectonic signals in threshold landscapes. Numerous previous studies of steep landscapes suggest that large changes in long‐term erosion rate lead to little change in mean hillslope angle, measured at coarse resolution. New LiDAR‐derived topography data enables a finer examination of threshold hillslopes. Here we quantify hillslope response to tectonic forcing in a threshold landscape. To do so, we use an extensive cosmogenic beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be)‐based dataset of catchment‐averaged erosion rates combined with a 500 km² LiDAR‐derived 1 m digital elevation model to exploit a gradient of tectonic forcing and topographic relief in the San Gabriel Mountains, California. We also calibrate a new method of quantifying rock exposure from LiDAR‐derived slope measurements using high‐resolution panoramic photographs. Two distinct trends in hillslope behavior emerge: below catchment‐mean slopes of 30°, modal slopes increase with mean slopes, slope distribution skewness decreases with increasing mean slope, and bedrock exposure is limited; above mean slopes of 30°, our rock exposure index increases strongly with mean slope, and the prevalence of angle‐of‐repose debris wedges keeps modal slopes near 37°, resulting in a positive relationship between slope distribution skewness and mean slope. We find that both mean slopes and rock exposure increase with erosion rate up to 1 mm/a, in contrast to previous work based on coarser topographic data. We also find that as erosion rates increase, the extent of the fluvial network decreases, while colluvial channels extend downstream, keeping the total drainage density similar across the range. Our results reveal important textural details lost in 10 or 30 m resolution digital elevation models of steep landscapes, and highlight the need for process‐based studies of threshold hillslopes and colluvial channels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of a varying gravitational constant on the SN Ia Hubble diagram,AGN luminosity evolution,and X-ray source counts

The impact of a cosmic time evolution of the gravitational constant on SN Ia luminosity and AGN/QSO luminosity functions is studied. The gravitational constant scales linearly with the Hubble parameter, its present-day variation being \(\dot{G}_{0}/G_{0}\approx 1.9\times 10^{-4}\)?Gyr^?1, compatible with current bounds from lunar laser ranging. Distance moduli of Type Ia supernovae are fitted with a cosmic expansion factor derived from temperature variations of planetary paleoclimates, and a luminosity dependence on look-back time proportional to the varying gravitational constant is inferred from the Hubble diagram. A fit is performed to the comoving space density of X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and optically selected quasars (QSOs) extending to redshifts z≈6. The initial steep increase of the AGN space density is reproduced by a redshift evolution depending solely on the Hubble parameter as scaling variable. The AGN luminosity scales with the Hubble parameter, and the scaling exponents of the luminosity function, composed of two competing power laws with exponential cutoff, are obtained. Based on the AGN luminosity function, flux-limited X-ray source counts are investigated. The counting functions are derived and put to test by fitting cumulative number counts of soft X-ray point sources compiled from ROSAT, XMM-Newton, and Chandra surveys.     

Accounting for velocity jitter in planet search surveys

The role of radial velocity (RV) jitter in extrasolar planet search surveys is discussed. Based on the maximum-likelihood principle, improved statistical algorithms for RV fitting and period search are developed. These algorithms incorporate a built-in jitter determination, so that resulting estimations of planetary parameters account for this jitter automatically. This approach is applied to RV data for several extrasolar planetary systems. It is shown that many RV planet search surveys suffer from periodic systematic errors which increase effective RV jitter and can lead to erroneous conclusions. For instance, the planet candidate HD 74156 d may be a false detection made due to annual systematic errors.     

Charcoal records from thermokarst deposits in central Yakutia, eastern Siberia: Implications for forest fire history and thermokarst development

Macroscopic charcoal records from a thermokarst lake deposit in central Yakutia, eastern Siberia, were used to reconstruct the history of forest fires and investigate its relationship to thermokarst initiation. High accumulation rates of charcoal and pollen were coincident in the basal deposits of the thermokarst lake, which suggests that both were initially deposited on the forest floor and subsequently reworked and accumulated in the thermokarst depression. High charcoal and pollen accumulation rates in the basal deposits, dating to 11,000-9000 cal yr BP, also indicate that the thermokarst topography developed during the early Holocene. A lower charcoal accumulation rate after ca. 9000 cal yr BP suggests that thermokarst development has been inhibited since this time. It also indicates that a surface-fire regime has been predominant at least since ca. 9000 cal yr BP in central Yakutia.     

Multiobjective analysis of a public wellfield using artificial neural networks

As competition for increasingly scarce ground water resources grows, many decision makers may come to rely upon rigorous multiobjective techniques to help identify appropriate and defensible policies, particularly when disparate stakeholder groups are involved. In this study, decision analysis was conducted on a public water supply wellfield to balance water supply needs with well vulnerability to contamination from a nearby ground water contaminant plume. With few alternative water sources, decision makers must balance the conflicting objectives of maximizing water supply volume from noncontaminated wells while minimizing their vulnerability to contamination from the plume. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were developed with simulation data from a numerical ground water flow model developed for the study area. The ANN-derived state transition equations were embedded into a multiobjective optimization model, from which the Pareto frontier or trade-off curve between water supply and wellfield vulnerability was identified. Relative preference values and power factors were assigned to the three stakeholders, namely the company whose waste contaminated the aquifer, the community supplied by the wells, and the water utility company that owns and operates the wells. A compromise pumping policy that effectively balances the two conflicting objectives in accordance with the preferences of the three stakeholder groups was then identified using various distance-based methods.     

Organic matter characteristics in a Mediterranean stream through amino acid composition: changes driven by intermittency

Amino acid composition (quality) and abundance (quantity) of organic matter (OM) in an intermittent Mediterranean stream were followed during transitions from wet to dry and dry to wet conditions. Amino acids were analyzed in benthic material (epilithic biofilms, sand sediments, leaf material) as well as in the flowing water (dissolved organic matter, DOM). A principal component analysis and the estimation of the amino acid degradation index (DI) elucidated differences in amino acid composition and quality among the wet–drought–wet cycle. Amino acid content and composition were dependent on the source of OM as well as on its diagenetic state. The highest-quality OM (high DI and high N content) occurred on epilithic biofilms and the most degraded and lowest-quality OM occurred in sandy sediments. Differences between the pre- and post-drought periods were evident in DOM quality; autochthonous-derived material was predominant during the pre-drought (wet period preceding drying), while allochthonous inputs dominated during the post-drought period (wet period following drying). In contrast, benthic OM compartments were more stable, but benthic OM quality decreased continuously throughout the drought period. This study revealed that wet–drought–wet cycles resulted in subtle changes in benthic OM quality, and degradation of DOM was related to flow intermittency.