SHRIMP zircon dating and Nd isotopic systematics of Palaeoproterozoic migmatitic orthogneisses in the Epupa Metamorphic Complex of northwestern Namibia

The Epupa Metamorphic Complex constitutes the southwestern margin of the Congo Craton and is exposed in a hilly to mountainous terrain of northwestern Namibia, bordering the Kunene River and extending into southern Angola. It consists predominantly of granitoid gneisses which are migmatized over large areas. This migmatization locally led to anatexis and produced crustal-melt granites such as the Otjitanda Granite. We have undertaken reconnaissance geochemical studies and single zircon U–Pb SHRIMP and Pb–Pb evaporation dating of rocks of the Epupa Complex. The granitoid gneisses, migmatites and anatectic melts are similar in composition and constitute a suite of metaluminous to peraluminous, calc-alkaline granitoids, predominantly with volcanic arc geochemical signatures. The zircon protolith ages for the orthogneisses range from 1861 ± 3 to 1758 ± 3 Ma. Anatexis in the migmatitic Epupa gneisses was dated from a melt patch at 1762 ± 4 Ma, and the anatectic Otjitanda Granite has a zircon age of 1757 ± 4 Ma. Migmatization and anatexis therefore occurred almost immediately after granitoid emplacement and date a widespread high-temperature Palaeoproterozoic event at ∼1760 Ma which has not been recorded elswhere in northern Namibia. The Nd isotopic systematics of all dated samples are surprisingly similar and suggest formation of the protolith from a source region that probably separated from the depleted mantle about 2.4–2.0 Ga ago. A major Archaean component in the source area is unlikely.     

Statistical distribution of natural fractures and the possible physical generating mechanism

We have fitted field measurements of fracture spacings (from the vicinity of Lake Strom Thurmond, Georgia, U.S.A.) to the Weibull, Schuhmann and fractal distributions. The fracture spacings follow a fractal and Weibull distribution which implies that they were formed as a result of a repetitive fragmentation process. The limited variation of the fracture density with orientation in the study area suggests that the stress distribution generating these fractures may be uniform.     

Steady models for the hard X-ray loops in the solar corona

In some gradual hard X-ray bursts with high intensity, hard X-ray source (15–40 keV) is steadily located in the corona along with softer X-ray source (5–10 keV).Two stationary models, high density and high temperature models, are proposed to solve the difficult problem of confinement of hot (or nonthermal) plasma in the direction of the magnetic field along the loops in the corona. In both models, an essential point is that the effective X-ray source is composed of fine dense filamentary loops imbeded in a larger rarefied coronal loop, and the electron number density in the filaments is so high as 10¹¹–10¹² cm^-3. If the density is so high heat conduction can be as reasonably small as of the order of 10²⁷ erg s ^-1 for the given emission measures of observed X-rays, since the required cross-sectional area is small and also classical conduction is valid. Collisional confinement of thermal tail, and nonthermal electrons if any, up to 50–60 keV in the filaments is also possible, so that the hard X-ray images can be loop like structure instead of double source (foot points).High density model is applicable to the coronal filamentary loops with temperature T _m < 5 × 10⁷ K at the loop summit. The heat flow from the summit downwards is lost almost completely by the radiation from the loop during the conduction to the foot points. A continuous energy release is assumed near the summit to maintain the stationary temperature T _m, and pressure balance is maintained along the loop. In this model, the number density at the summit is given by n _m - 10⁶ T _m ² /s_m, where s _m is the length of the loop from the summit to the foot point, and the distribution of temperature and density along the loop are given by T = T _m(s/s_m)^1/3 and n = n _m(s/s_m)^-1/3, respectively.High temperature model is applicable to the filamentary loops with higher temperature up to about 10^8.5 K and comparatively lower number density as 10¹¹ cm^-3 for the requirement of magnetic confinement of the hot plasma in radial direction. The radiation from the loop is negligibly small in this model so that the heat flux is nearly conserved down to the foot points. In this case, temperature gradient is smaller than that of the high density model, depending on the tapering of the magnetic bottle.In both models, the differential emission measure is maximum at the highest temperature T _m and the brightness distribution along the loop shows a maximum around the summit of the loop if some magnetic tapering is taken into account.     

Influence of salinity on permeability characteristics of marine sediments

Abstract

Laboratory tests were conducted on compacted marine sediments to study the effect of salt concentration of permeating fluid on its permeability characteristics. Deep sea sediment samples were collected from water depths varying from 3700 to 4500 m off Mauritius coast. Liquid limit and plasticity index varied widely from 45 to 75 and 10 to 35, respectively. Permeability was found at different void ratios with distilled water and 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 N NaCl solutions as permeating fluid. It was found that permeability increases with an increase in salt concentration for a given void ratio. This is explained by diffused double layer theory. Also, the rate of increase in permeability decreases with increase in salt concentration. The effect of salt concentration seemed to be less at higher void ratios.     

On the formation of cluster radio relics

In several merging clusters of galaxies so-called cluster radio relics have been observed. These are extended radio sources which do not seem to be associated with any radio galaxies. Two competing physical mechanisms to accelerate the radio-emitting electrons have been proposed: (i) diffusive shock acceleration and (ii) adiabatic compression of fossil radio plasma by merger shock waves. Here the second scenario is investigated. We present detailed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of the passage of a radio plasma cocoon filled with turbulent magnetic fields through a shock wave. Taking into account synchrotron, inverse Compton and adiabatic energy losses and gains, we evolved the relativistic electron population to produce synthetic polarization radio maps. On contact with the shock wave the radio cocoons are first compressed and finally torn into filamentary structures, as is observed in several cluster radio relics. In the synthetic radio maps the electric polarization vectors are mostly perpendicular to the filamentary radio structures. If the magnetic field inside the cocoon is not too strong, the initially spherical radio cocoon is transformed into a torus after the passage of the shock wave. Very recent, high-resolution radio maps of cluster radio relics seem to exhibit such toroidal geometries in some cases. This supports the hypothesis that cluster radio relics are fossil radio cocoons that have been revived by a shock wave. For a late-stage relic the ratio of its global diameter to the filament diameter should correlate with the shock strength. Finally, we argue that the total radio polarization of a radio relic should be well correlated with the three-dimensional orientation of the shock wave that produced the relic.