The late Quaternary sedimentary infill of Lake Annecy (northwestern Alps): an overview from two seismic-reflection surveys

The sedimentary fill of Lake Annecy (northwestern Alps) - related to the last glacial/post-glacial episode - was investigated through high resolution (sparker) and very high resolution (2.5 kHz) seismic-reflection surveys. A seismostratigraphic approach led to subdivision of a 150 m-thick pile (maximum thickness in axial part) into five units. Basal units (1 and 2) represent an imbrication of subglacial and glacio-lacustrine deposits, close to the grounding line of the glaciers' fronts (respectively at the northern and southern terminations of the lake). The first acoustically well-stratified unit (3) developed during a fast retreat of the glaciers fronts far from the lake basin, and a progradational alluvial regime, with abundant underflows, in a lake larger than the present one. Unit 4 represents the progressive decrease of this clastic input mixed with the progressive development of in situ bio-induced production. As in many other alpine lakes, a topmost unit (5), relatively thin (about 8-10 m) and with a conspicuous drape configuration, is the signature of the Holocene interglacial climatic conditions with a sedimentation rate of about 1 mm/yr. On the lacustrine basin slopes, slumps and debris flow occurred mainly within Unit 3; they may be due to, either climate-induced high rate terrigenous sedimentation, or/and to a period of increased seismo-tectonic activity.     

Two dynamical models for solar spicules

Solar spicules are luminous jets that erupt up to 10 000 km from the surface of the Sun and have diameters, all along their length, of only about 150–200 km. We first review some recent observations made at the H wavelength. According to our models, a solar spicule is a self-channelled proton beam emitted by a magnetic element and surrounded by a cold sheath. The beam originates in a self-excited dynamo that exploits a v × B field and that could be situated either below or above the element, where v is the local plasma velocity and B is the local magnetic flux density. In falling back, the sheath provides a return current of protons that cancels the outgoing current. We discuss the channelling of charged-particle beams of very large cross-section and propose velocity channelling, which is apparently a new concept. We assume a steady state and a hydrogen plasma.     

Predictive Geological Mapping Using Closed-Form Non-stationary Covariance Functions with Locally Varying Anisotropy: Case Study at El Teniente Mine (Chile)

This paper is concerned with the problem of predicting the surface elevation of the Braden breccia pipe at the El Teniente mine in Chile. This mine is one of the world’s largest and most complex porphyry-copper ore systems. As the pipe surface constitutes the limit of the deposit and the mining operation, predicting it accurately is important. The problem is tackled by applying a geostatistical approach based on closed-form non-stationary covariance functions with locally varying anisotropy. This approach relies on the mild assumption of local stationarity and involves a kernel-based experimental local variogram a weighted local least-squares method for the inference of local covariance parameters and a kernel smoothing technique for knitting the local covariance parameters together for kriging purpose. According to the results, this non-stationary geostatistical method outperforms the traditional stationary geostatistical method in terms of prediction and prediction uncertainty accuracies.     

Requiem

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Permineralization process promotes preservation of Holocene macrofossil charcoal in soils

The use of macrofossil soil charcoal as a palaeoecological tool to reconstruct past vegetation, climate or fire history has gained much interest in recent years. Yet little is known about taphonomy of charcoal in soils. Here we assessed the putative loss of palaeoecological information due to charcoal fragmentation after burial. We found no significant loss of charcoal mass with time. Instead, we found a significant positive relationship between the mass of charcoal particles and their age. Permineralization of charcoal particles older than ca. 5200 a explained the increased charcoal mass with time in mineral soils. The permineralization process increased the density of charcoal particles (resulting in a twofold particles mass increase) and thus offers a protection against subsequent degradation. Our results suggest high stability of palaeoecological information from charcoal macrofossils buried in mineral soils at least over the Holocene timescale. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geotechnical Behavior and Physico-Chemical Changes of Lime-Treated and Cement-Treated Silty Soil

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - An investigation performed on the interactions of silty soil treated with cement or lime demonstrates the strong relationship between microstructural...     

Peat Accumulation and Early Carboniferous Environments of the Kizel Coal Basin, the Urals, Russia

The lithological and geochemical composition and conditions of formation of the coal-bearing deposits of the Kizel Coal Basin in the Perm region of the Urals (central Russia) are described using the two most representative sections, Gubakha–Stary Most and Krestovaya Mountain, based on a detailed “layer-by-layer” technique. Brief characteristics of the Lower Carboniferous paleosols from fossil paleosol (FPS-) profiles of the studied region are given. Special attention is paid to the parent vegetation of the coal-forming processes, based on an analysis of both plant macrofossils and palynoflora. The peat accumulation in conditions of permanent incoming of clastic material from the Paleo-Urals to the Kizel Basin was probably effective only in more or less stable environments, when the accumulated organic matter produced by plant mortmass was not dissolved by clastic particles. Thus, the conditions of coal-forming are reconstructed as a forest swamp, where the main dominants are represented by lycopodiopsids of the order Lepidodendrales, predominantly Lepidodendron veltheimii. These plants in particular were the source of the initial organic matter for the peat (and later coal) of the Kizel Coal Basin.     

Spatial Variation of Sea-Spray Fluxes over a Mediterranean Coastal Zone Using a Sea-State Model

We first deal with sea-spray flux estimates for short fetch conditions in coastal Mediterranean areas. To this end, a sea-state dependent model for the whitecap fraction was included in three different formulations for the sea-spray source function. A comparison with the sea-spray fluxes, calculated on the basis of aerosol size distributions measured at the island of Porquerolles located south off the French Riviera, evaluates the predictions of different whitecap dependant flux formulations. Then we deal with the spatial distribution of the whitecap fraction and the sea-spray fluxes in the study area. To achieve this, a whitecap dependant flux formulation was forced by a wave numerical model that was implemented in the study area. Experimental results on wave conditions have been used to adjust the model in the Mediterranean coastal area. Numerical simulations of wave and whitecap coverage have been carried out during typical regional wind events, and they show a nonhomogeneous distribution of the sea-surface production over the northern Mediterranean as a consequence of the spatial variation of the sea state. In particular, we note the occurrence of a narrow band of high sea-surface production following the northern coast and along the east part of the Gulf of Lions.