Volcanic dykes in the north Chilean Coast Range

Dense swarms of predominantly mafic dykes outcrop in the north Chilean Coast Range. These rocks are not lamprophyres. They mark channelways used by Jurassic-to-Lower Cretaceous extrusives.The dykes can be divided into three groups according to their petrography, major and trace element compositions. Rocks of the oldest group (series I) are essentially andesitic with high Na, K, Fe, Ti, Mn, P, V and low Al and Sr values. The rocks of series II are normal calc-alkaline basalts and andesites, whereas the rocks of series III are rhyodacites with calc-alkaline affinities.It is proposed that the series I dykes are genetically related to a continental fault system, whereas the dykes of series II and III are directly related to the post-Triassic evolution of the Andean active continental margin.

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Zusammenfassung Die nordchilenische Küstenkordillere wird von einem dichten Netz vorwiegend mafischer Gänge durchzogen. Es sind dies keine Lamprophyre, sondern sie stellen Zufuhrsysteme effusiver Tätigkeit im Zeitraum Jura bis Unterkreide dar.Die Ganggesteine lassen sich petrographisch und aufgrund Haupt- und Spurenelementchemischer Charakteristika in drei Serien einteilen. Die ältere alkaline Serie I zeichnet sich durch erhöhte Na-, K-, Fe-, Ti-, Mn-, P-, V- sowie niedrige Al- und Sr-Gehalte aus. Die Basalte und Andesite der zweiten Serie hingegen zeigen eine normale kalkalkaline Entwicklung, die sich in den Rhyodaziten der dritten Serie fortsetzen dürfte.Während die Magmen der ersten Serie Affinitäten zu Basaltassoziationen kontinentaler Bruchsysteme aufzeigen, sind die kalkalkalinen Zusammensetzungen für die Magmenentwicklung des andinen, aktiven Kontinentalrandes seit dem Jura typisch.

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Resumen La Cordillera de la Costa en el Norte de Chile es atravesada por una densa red de filones principalmente máficos. No se trata de rocas lamprofidicas sino representan sistemas de conductión de un volcanismo Jurásico/Cretácico Inferior.Basandose en sus caracteristicas petrográficas y geoquímicas las rocas filonianas se pueden dividir en tres series. La serie I, la más antigua, demuestra altas concentraciones de los elementos Na, K, Fe, Ti, Mn, P y V así como bajos contenidos de Al y Sr. Al contrario, las rocas basálticas y andesíticas de la serie II son caracterizadas por un desarollo calco-alcalino normal, lo cual habrá continuado en las rocas riodacíticas de la serie III.Mientras los magmas de la primera serie se pueden comparar con asociaciones basálticas de sistemas de fallas continentales, las series calco-alcalinas, por el contrario, son tipicas para un magmatismo que actuó en el borde continental activo andino desde el Jurásico.

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- , , . , , . . . — 1 — Na, K, Fe, Mn, P, V . - ; . , - .

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Prof. Dr. W. Zeil zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet     

Validation of daily increment deposition in the otoliths of spot (Leiostomus xanthurus)

The otoliths of 200 postlarval spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) were marked by immersing the fish for 24 hr in a solution of 0.4 g tetracycline HCl l^?1 of salt water (15 ‰). The resulting time-mark could later be identified under ultraviolet (UV) light with an epifluorescence microscope. Spot were held in the laboratory or in the field for up to 30 d. Two validation methods were employed to document daily increment formation. The total number of increments per otolith, or the number of increments formed after the time-mark, were regressed against days held in an experiment. The hypothesis of one increment per day would result in a regression coefficient not significantly different from 1.0. In the field both the total count method (b=1.05) and the time-mark method (b=0.90) supported a one-increment-per-day hypothesis and were not significantly different from each other (p>0.05). In the laboratory the total count method (b=0.56) and the time-mark method (b=0.36) were significantly different from 1.0 (p<0.05), and thus did not support the one-increment-per-day hypothesis. Failure to resolve a one-increment-per-day deposition rate in the laboratory was primarily attributed to food limitation in the experiments.     

Experimental and texture-derived P-wave anisotropy of principal rocks from the TRANSALP traverse: An aid for the interpretation of seismic field data

A representative suite of deformed, metamorphic rocks from the TRANSALP reflection seismic traverse in the Eastern Alps was studied in the laboratory with respect to elastic properties and whole-rock texture. Compressional wave (P-wave) velocities and their anisotropies were measured at various experimental conditions (dry, wet, confining pressure), and compared to the texture-related component of anisotropy. Here ‘texture’ refers to crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs), which were determined by neutron texture goniometry. In gneisses and schists P-wave anisotropies are mainly controlled by the microcrack fabric. In marbles and amphibolites CPO contributes very significantly to anisotropy. At 200 MPa confining pressure the degree of anisotropy is between 5% and 15%, depending on rock composition and/or CPO intensity. Special emphasis was also put on discussing possible effects of fluids on seismic velocity and anisotropy. Distributions of water-filled microcracks and pores are distinctly anisotropic, with maximum contribution to bulk rock velocity mostly parallel to the foliation pole. Decreasing P-wave velocity and increasing anisotropy of immersed samples may be explained by crack-induced changes of the elastic moduli of bulk rock. The main conclusion regarding interpretation of TRANSALP data is that strong reflections in the deep Alpine crust are probably due to marble–gneiss and metabasite–gneiss contacts, although P-wave anisotropy and boundaries between zones of ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ series may contribute to reflectivity to some extent.     

Late Paleozoic deformation and exhumation in the Sierras Pampeanas (Argentina): 40Ar/39Ar-feldspar dating constraints

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Systematic 40Ar/39Ar feldspar data obtained from the Sierras Pampeanas are presented, filling the gap between available high-...     

Unsuitability of TAC management within an ecosystem approach to fisheries: An ecological perspective

Fisheries management in European waters is gradually moving from a single-species perspective towards a more holistic ecosystem approach to management (EAM), acknowledging the need to take all ecosystem components into account. Prerequisite within an EAM is the need for management processes that directly influence the ecological effects of fishing, such as the mortality of target and non-target species. Up until recently, placing limits on the quantities of fish that can be landed, through the imposition of annual total allowable catches (TACs) for the target species, has been the principal management mechanism employed. However, pressure on non-target components of marine ecosystems is more closely linked to prevailing levels of fishing activity, so only if TACs are closely related to subsequent fishing effort will TAC management serve to control the broader ecosystem impacts of fishing. We show that in the mixed fisheries that characterise the North Sea, the linkage between variation in TAC and the resulting fishing effort is in fact generally weak. Reliance solely on TACs to regulate fishing activity is therefore unlikely to mitigate the impacts of fishing on non-target species. Consequently, we conclude that the relationship between TACs and effort is insufficient for TACs to be used as the principal management tool within an EAM. The implications, and some alternatives, for fisheries management are discussed.     

Damage phenomenon and petrophysical properties of sandstones at the Phnom Bakheng Temple (Angkor,Cambodia): first investigations and possible conservation measures

Sandstones, clay in the form of bricks and laterite are the building materials used by the Khmer to construct the imposing and magnificent temples in Southeast Asia. Many of these monuments suffer from fracturing, sanding, contour scaling, crust formation and salt weathering. The affinity to weathering is closely connected to the type of material. Two sandstone types classified as feldspathic arenite and quartz arenite of Angkor as well as two arkosic sandstones from Thailand are described and investigated in this study. Important petrophysical properties determined for the different sandstones consist of hydric expansion, thermal expansion, pore radii distribution and ultrasonic velocity. Different investigations such as capillary water uptake, surface hardness, hygroscopic water sorption, and salt resistance tests were undertaken in the laboratory to characterize the various rock types. Observations and quantified damage mapping were done onsite at the Phnom Bakheng Temple. Contour scaling in the form of weathering crusts is one of the main deterioration features observable at the Angkor monuments. Comparisons are made between the building stone, the crust material from the Phnom Bakheng Temple and fresh stone material used for restoration. Significant differences in hydric and especially in thermal expansion of the crust and sandstone have been determined. The results seem to indicate that extensional processes occur, which can be considered a force for detachment (i.e., contour scaling, flaking). In an experimental trial, the hydric and thermal expansion of the weathering crust and the building stone was significantly reduced by using a weak acid for the crust and a swelling inhibitor for the original building stone.     

An assessment of the ENSO forecast skill of GEOS-5 system

The seasonal forecast skill of the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office atmosphere–ocean coupled global climate model (AOGCM) is evaluated based on an ensemble of 9-month lead forecasts for the period 1993 to 2010. The results from the current version (V2) of the AOGCM consisting of the GEOS-5 AGCM coupled to the MOM4 ocean model are compared with those from an earlier version (V1) in which the AGCM (the NSIPP model) was coupled to the Poseidon Ocean Model. It was found that the correlation skill of the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) forecasts is generally better in V2, especially over the sub-tropical and tropical central and eastern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the improvement in skill in V2 mainly comes from better forecasts of the developing phase of ENSO from boreal spring to summer. The skill of ENSO forecasts initiated during the boreal winter season, however, shows no improvement in terms of correlation skill, and is in fact slightly worse in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). The degradation of skill is found to be due to an excessive ENSO amplitude. For V1, the ENSO amplitude is too strong in forecasts starting in boreal spring and summer, which causes large RMSE in the forecast. For V2, the ENSO amplitude is slightly stronger than that in observations and V1 for forecasts starting in boreal winter season. An analysis of the terms in the SST tendency equation, shows that this is mainly due to an excessive zonal advective feedback. In addition, V2 forecasts that are initiated during boreal winter season, exhibit a slower phase transition of El Nino, which is consistent with larger amplitude of ENSO after the ENSO peak season. It is found that this is due to weak discharge of equatorial Warm Water Volume (WWV). In both observations and V1, the discharge of equatorial WWV leads the equatorial geostrophic easterly current so as to damp the El Nino starting in January. This process is delayed by about 2 months in V2 due to the slower phase transition of the equatorial zonal current from westerly to easterly.     

Opening a new window to other worlds with spectropolarimetry

A high level of diversity has already been observed among the planets of our own Solar System. As such, one expects extrasolar planets to present a wide range of distinctive features, therefore the characterisation of Earth- and super Earth-like planets is becoming of key importance in scientific research. The Search (Spectropolarimetric Exoplanet AtmospheRe CHaracerisation) mission proposal of this paper represents one possible approach to realising these objectives. The mission goals of Search include the detailed characterisation of a wide variety of exoplanets, ranging from terrestrial planets to gas giants. More specifically, Search will determine atmospheric properties such as cloud coverage, surface pressure and atmospheric composition, and may also be capable of identifying basic surface features. To resolve a planet with a semi major axis of down to 1.4 AU and 30 pc distant Search will have a mirror system consisting of two segments, with elliptical rim, cut out of a parabolic mirror. This will yield an effective diameter of 9 m along one axis. A phase mask coronagraph along with an integral spectrograph will be used to overcome the contrast ratio of star to planet light. Such a mission would provide invaluable data on the diversity present in extrasolar planetary systems and much more could be learned from the similarities and differences compared to our own Solar System. This would allow our theories of planetary formation, atmospheric accretion and evolution to be tested, and our understanding of regions such as the outer limit of the Habitable Zone to be further improved.     

Noble gas record and cosmic‐ray exposure history of the new CO3 chondrite Moss––Comparison with Lancé and other CO chondrite falls

Abstract– The Moss meteorite is the first CO chondrite fall after a time period of 70 yr and the least terrestrially contaminated member of its group. Its cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE) age (T₃ ～ 13.5 Ma; T₂₁ ～ 14.6 Ma) is distinct among CO chondrites and, within witnessed falls is the shortest after Lancé, which we have reanalyzed. Gas retention ages are approximately 3.95 × 10⁹ yr (U/Th‐He) and approximately 4.43 × 10⁹ yr (K/Ar), respectively. Trapped Ar, Kr, and Xe are present in Moss in abundances typical for CO chondrites, with “planetary” elemental and isotopic compositions. Presence of HL‐xenon from presolar diamonds is observed in the stepwise release analysis of Lancé. It may also be present in Moss, but it is difficult to ascertain in single‐step bulk analyses. It follows from our new data combined with a survey of the literature that the abundance of trapped gases in CO chondrites is not a good indicator of their petrological subtype.