Composition and origin of holotype Al‐Cu‐Zn minerals in relation to quasicrystals in the Khatyrka meteorite

We investigated the khatyrkite–cupalite holotype sample, 1.2 × 0.5 mm across. It consists of khatyrkite (Cu,Zn)Al₂, cupalite (Cu,Zn)Al, and interstitial material with approximate composition (Zn,Cu)Al₃. All mineral phases of the holotype sample contain Zn and lack Fe that distinguishes them from khatyrkite and cupalite in the Khatyrka meteorite particles (Bindi et al. 2009 , 2011 , 2012 , 2015 ; MacPherson et al. 2013 ; Hollister et al. 2014 ). Neither highly fractionated natural systems nor geo‐ or cosmochemical processes capable of forming the holotype sample are known so far. The bulk chemistry and thermal history of khatyrkite–cupalite assemblage in the holotype sample hint for its possible industrial origin. Likewise, the aluminides in the Khatyrka meteorite particles may also be derived from industrial materials and mixed with extraterrestrial matter during gold prospecting in the Listvenitovy Stream valley.     

Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Northern Hemisphere’s climate variability

Proxy and instrumental records reflect a quasi-cyclic 50–80-year climate signal across the Northern Hemisphere, with particular presence in the North Atlantic. Modeling studies rationalize this variability in terms of intrinsic dynamics of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation influencing distribution of sea-surface-temperature anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean; hence the name Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). By analyzing a lagged covariance structure of a network of climate indices, this study details the AMO-signal propagation throughout the Northern Hemisphere via a sequence of atmospheric and lagged oceanic teleconnections, which the authors term the “stadium wave”. Initial changes in the North Atlantic temperature anomaly associated with AMO culminate in an oppositely signed hemispheric signal about 30?years later. Furthermore, shorter-term, interannual-to-interdecadal climate variability alters character according to polarity of the stadium-wave-induced prevailing hemispheric climate regime. Ongoing research suggests mutual interaction between shorter-term variability and the stadium wave, with indication of ensuing modifications of multidecadal variability within the Atlantic sector. Results presented here support the hypothesis that AMO plays a significant role in hemispheric and, by inference, global climate variability, with implications for climate-change attribution and prediction.     

The surface chemistry of multi-oxide silicates

The surface chemistry of natural wollastonite, diopside, enstatite, forsterite, and albite in aqueous solutions was characterized using both electrokinetic techniques and surface titrations performed for 20 min in batch reactors. Titrations performed in such reactors allow determination of both proton consumption and metal release from the mineral surface as a function of pH. The compositions, based on aqueous solution analysis, of all investigated surfaces vary dramatically with solution pH. Ca and Mg are preferentially released from the surfaces of all investigated divalent metal silicates at pH less than ∼8.5-10 but preferentially retained relative to silica at higher pH. As such, the surfaces of these minerals are Si-rich and divalent metal poor except in strongly alkaline solutions. The preferential removal of divalent cations from these surfaces is coupled to proton consumption. The number of protons consumed by the preferential removal of each divalent cation is pH independent but depends on the identity of the mineral; ∼1.5 protons are consumed by the preferential removal of each Ca atom from wollastonite, ∼3 protons are consumed by the preferential removal of each Mg or Ca atom from diopside or enstatite, and ∼4 protons are consumed by the preferential removal of each Mg from forsterite. These observations are interpreted to stem from the creation of additional ‘internal’ adsorption sites by the preferential removal of divalent metal cations which can be coupled to the condensation of partially detached Si. Similarly, Na and Al are preferentially removed from the albite surface at 2 > pH > 11; mass balance calculations suggest that three protons are consumed by the preferential removal of each Al atom from this surface over this entire pH range. Electrokinetic measurements on fresh mineral powders yield an isoelectric point (pH_IEP) 2.6, 4.4, 3.0, 4.5, and <1, for wollastonite, diopside, enstatite, forsterite, and albite, respectively, consistent with the predominance of SiO₂ in the surface layer of all of these multi-oxide silicates at acidic pH. Taken together, these observations suggest fundamental differences between the surface chemistry of simple versus multi-oxide minerals including (1) a dependency of the number and identity of multi-oxide silicate surface sites on the aqueous solution composition, and (2) the dominant role of metal-proton exchange reactions on the reactivity of multi-oxide mineral surfaces including their dissolution rate variation with aqueous solution composition.     

Shilin： The Formation of Stone Forests in Various Rock Types （Lunan, Yunnan, China）

Shilin is among the most interesting form of stone forest to occur in karst landscapes. They develop from karren subsoil, and their shapes, entire forests or just individual pillars and their rock relief, depend on the conditions under which they were formed, their location in the karst landscape, and above all on the characteristics of the rock： its composition, stratification, and fissuring. Because of the exceptional characteristics of this karst phenomenon in China, we propose that the term ＂shilin＂ be used in the professional literature for this type of stone forest.     

On the fate of processed matter in dwarf galaxies

Two-dimensional calculations of the evolution of remnants generated by the strong mechanical energy deposited by stellar clusters in dwarf galaxies ( M  ∼ 10⁹–10¹⁰ M⊙) are presented. The evolution is followed for times longer than both the blowout time and the presumed span of energy injection generated by a coeval massive stellar cluster. The remnants are shown to end up wrapping around the central region of the host galaxy, while growing to kiloparsec-scale dimensions. Properties of the remnants such as luminosity, size, swept-up mass and expansion speed are given as functions of time for all calculated cases.   The final fate of the swept-up galactic gas and of the matter processed by the central starburst is shown to be highly dependent on the properties of the low-density galactic halo. Superbubbles powered by star clusters, with properties similar to those inferred from the observations, slow down in the presence of an extended halo to expansion speeds smaller than the host galaxy escape velocity. Values of the critical luminosity required for the superbubbles to reach the edge of the galaxies with a speed comparable to the escape speed are derived analytically and numerically. The critical luminosities are larger than those in the detected sources, and thus the superbubbles in amorphous dwarf galaxies must have already undergone blowout and are presently evolving into an extended low-density halo. This will inhibit the loss of the swept-up and processed matter from the galaxy.     

The AUSTRAL VLBI observing program

The AUSTRAL observing program was started in 2011, performing geodetic and astrometric very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) sessions using the new Australian AuScope VLBI antennas at Hobart, Katherine, and Yarragadee, with contribution from the Warkworth (New Zealand) 12 m and Hartebeesthoek (South Africa) 15 m antennas to make a southern hemisphere array of telescopes with similar design and capability. Designed in the style of the next-generation VLBI system, these small and fast antennas allow for a new way of observing, comprising higher data rates and more observations than the standard observing sessions coordinated by the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS). In this contribution, the continuous development of the AUSTRAL sessions is described, leading to an improvement of the results in terms of baseline length repeatabilities by a factor of two since the start of this program. The focus is on the scheduling strategy and increased number of observations, aspects of automated operation, and data logistics, as well as results of the 151 AUSTRAL sessions performed so far. The high number of the AUSTRAL sessions makes them an important contributor to VLBI end-products, such as the terrestrial and celestial reference frames and Earth orientation parameters. We compare AUSTRAL results with other IVS sessions and discuss their suitability for the determination of baselines, station coordinates, source coordinates, and Earth orientation parameters.     

Thermoelastic properties of chromium oxide Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (eskolaite) at high pressures and temperatures

A new synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of chromium oxide Cr₂O₃ (eskolaite) with the corundum-type structure has been carried out in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus to pressure of 15 GPa and temperatures of 1873 K. Fitting the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EoS) with the present data up to 15 GPa yielded: bulk modulus (K _0,T0), 206 ± 4 GPa; its pressure derivative K′_0,T , 4.4 ± 0.8; (?K _0,T /?T) = ?0.037 ± 0.006 GPa K^?1; a = 2.98 ± 0.14 × 10^?5 K^?1 and b = 0.47 ± 0.28 × 10^?8 K^?2, where α _0,T  = a + bT is the volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. The thermal expansion of Cr₂O₃ was additionally measured at the high-temperature powder diffraction experiment at ambient pressure and α _0,T0 was determined to be 2.95 × 10^?5 K^?1. The results indicate that coefficient of the thermal expansion calculated from the EoS appeared to be high-precision because it is consistent with the data obtained at 1 atm. However, our results contradict α ₀ value suggested by Rigby et al. (Brit Ceram Trans J 45:137–148, 1946) widely used in many physical and geological databases. Fitting the Mie–Grüneisen–Debye EoS with the present ambient and high-pressure data yielded the following parameters: K _0,T0 = 205 ± 3 GPa, K′_0,T  = 4.0, Grüneisen parameter (γ ₀) = 1.42 ± 0.80, q = 1.82 ± 0.56. The thermoelastic parameters indicate that Cr₂O₃ undergoes near isotropic compression at room and high temperatures up to 15 GPa. Cr₂O₃ is shown to be stable in this pressure range and adopts the corundum-type structure. Using obtained thermoelastic parameters, we calculated the reaction boundary of knorringite formation from enstatite and eskolaite. The Clapeyron slope (with \({\text{d}}P/{\text{d}}T = - 0.014\) GPa/K) was found to be consistent with experimental data.     

Jusa and Barsuchi Log Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits from the Southern Urals of Russia: Devonian Analogs of the Kuroko Deposits of NE Honshu, Japan

Chemical analysis of 60 samples from the Jusa and Barsuchi Log volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry shows that, on average, the Jusa deposit is more enriched in the chalcophilic elements than the Barsuchi Log deposit, whereas the Barsuchi Log deposit is more enriched in the lithogenous elements and Te. In addition, the yellow ores in these deposits are more enriched on average in Cu, As and Mo and the black ores more enriched in Zn, Ga, Cd, Sb, Ba , Hg and Pb relative to each other. Both these deposits are similar in composition to the Kuroko deposits of NE Honshu and may be considered to be analogs of these deposits. The Kuroko deposits, however, contain much higher concentrations of As, Ag, Sb, Ba, Hg and lower contents of Te on average than the Jusa and Barsuchi Log deposits. Based on the higher contents of Te in the Barsuchi Log deposit compared to the Jusa deposit, as well as on textural considerations, it is concluded that the Barsuchi Log deposit is intermediate between the Urals- and Kuroko-type deposits, whereas the Jusa deposit is more analogous to the Kuroko-type deposits. Based on the compositional data presented here, the Jusa and Barsuchi Log deposits may be described as Zn-Pb-Cu-Ba deposits rather than as Zn-Cu-Ba deposits, as the Baimak-type deposits of the west Magnitogrosk zone have previously been described.