Age and intensity of thermal events by fission track analysis: The Ries impact crater

A thermal event reduces the number of previously registered fission tracks in a mineral dependent upon the track retention properties of the individual mineral. Apatite, sphene and zircon have retention properties over a wide range of temperatures (from 100° to 550°C); apatite data reveal information at lowest temperatures while sphene and zircon data are useful for higher temperatures.Thermal events within this temperature range of 100°C to about 550°C are suitable for study with this technique. The age of the event is determined from samples in which the fission tracks are completely erased, while minerals containing partially removed (erased) tracks provide information on the temperatures occurring during the thermal event.As a test case, the analysis of the temperatures developed by the meteorite impact which produced the Ries crater at 14.7 m.y. ago is presented.     

Post-collisional tectonics of the Turkish-Iranian plateau and a comparison with Tibet

The Turkish-Iranian Plateau (Fig. 1) is a high region with an average elevation of about 1.5 km. During the late Miocene the last piece of oceanic lithosphere between the Eurasian and Arabian continents was eliminated at the Bitlis/Zagros suture zone. Continued convergence across the collision site resulted in the shortening of the plateau across strike by thickening and by sideways motion of parts of it. Predominantly calcalkaline volcanism is present on the highest portions of the area, despite the absence of a descending slab of lithosphere. Surface geology and volcanism of the Turkish-Iranian Plateau resemble greatly those of the Tibetan Plateau, and both are underlain by a zone of seismic attenuation. From a comparison of these features and their tectonic setting we argue that the two plateaux are homologous structures, albeit at different stages of their evolution. Both areas appear to be tectonically alive and actively shortening. Available evidence lends little support to the hypothesis of large-scale underthrusting of continental lithosphere and of plastic-rigid indentation where such high plateaux, located directly in front of the “rigid indenter”, are considered to be tectonically “dead”. Their peculiar features are best explained in terms of shortening and thickening the continental crust whereby its lower levels are partially melted to give rise to calc-alkaline surface volcanism. Minor associated alkaline volcanism may be due to local longitudinal cracking of the crust to provide access to mantle.     

Absorption spectra of Cr3+ in Al2O3 under shock compression

Unpolarized absorption spectra of single crystals of Cr³⁺ doped Al₂O₃ (synthetic ruby) have measured using a new, time-resolving, dispersive, streak photographic system over the range ～350 to ～700 nm during a series of shock loading experiments. The crystal field absorptions assigned to the transition ⁴ A _2g→⁴ T _2g were observed to shift in a series of experiments from 555±1 nm at atmospheric pressure to 503±5 nm at 46 GPa. In a single experiment at 32 GPa the ⁴ A _2g→⁴ T _1g transition was observed to shift from 405±1 to 386±5 nm. The present data extrapolate downwards in compression toward the 10 GPa data of Stephens and Drickamer (1961) although both crystal field absorption energies increase considerably less with compression than predicted by the simple ionic point charge model. The single datum observed for the Racah parameter B, 588±38 cm^?1 at 32 GPa, is consistant with previous results to 10 GPa and the trend of decreasing B, with compression expected from the divergence of the data from the point charge model due to increasing covalancy.     

Some life history aspects of the seaboard goby (gobiosoma ginsburgi) in Rhode Island

This paper represents the first report of adultG. ginsburgi from Rhode Island waters since 1938. Gobies were collected only from subtidal shell communities in high salinity waters. Seaboard gobies eat a variety of benthic invertebrates but feed most heavily on harpacticoid copepods. Gravid females collected in July contained one size class of ova indicating a single spawning per season. Egg counts ranged from 1268 to 1977 per female. Larval densities indicate that peak spawning occurs in July and suggest thatG. ginsburgi is more abundant in the Sakonnet River and nearby Narragansett Bay than previously reported.     

Silica in Lake Superior: mass balance considerations and a model for dynamic response to eutrophication

The dissolved silica concentration in waters of Lake Superior probably is in a steady state because it is not influenced significantly by man, and the climate, topography and vegetation in the drainage area of the lake have been stable for the past 4000 years. Therefore the rate at which dissolved silica is introduced to the lake should equal the output rate.The primary inputs are: tributaries (4.1–4.6 × 10⁸kgSiO₂/yr), diffusion from sediment pore waters (0.21?0.78 × 10⁸kgSiO₂/yr) and atmospheric loading (0.26 × 10⁸kgSiO₂/yr). Silica is lost from the lake waters by: outflow through the St. Marys River, diatom deposition, adsorption onto particulates in the sediments, and authigenic formation of new silicate minerals. Tributary outflow accounts for less than one half the annual input of silica, and diatom deposition and silica adsorption withdraw less than 10% of the annual input. Therefore the formation of new silicate phases must be the dominant sink for dissolved silica in Lake Superior. The specific phases formed are not identified in the bottom sediments. X-ray diffraction studies suggest that smectite is one product, and amorphous ferroaluminum silicates may be another product.Mathematical modeling of the dissolved silica response to lake eutrophication suggests that the phosphate loading to Lake Superior would have to increase by about 250-fold to cause a silica depletion rate equal to that reported for Lake Michigan, assuming no change in the rate of upwelling of deep waters.     

Economic development,technological change,and the new international economic order

This paper examines dimensions of technological change and selected relationships between new technology and the process of economic development within the general framework of the New International Economic Order. Concepts discussed include economic growth and development, structural change, technological change, innovations, the transfer of technology, and appropriate technology. The relationships between these concepts are described and their significance with regard to the economic development of lesser-developed countries is assessed.     

Geochronology of high-pressure rocks on Sifnos (Cyclades,Greece)

Polymetamorphic rocks of Sifnos (Greece) have been investigated by Rb-Sr, K-Ar, and fission track methods. Critical mineral assemblages from the northern and southernmost parts of Sifnos include jadeite+quartz+3T phengite, and omphacite+garnet +3T phengite, whereas the central part is characterized by the assemblage albite+chlorite+epidote+2M ₁ phengite.K-Ar and Rb-Sr dates on phengites (predominantly 3T) of the best preserved high P/itTmetamorphic rocks from northern Sifnos gave concordant ages around 42 m.y., indicating a Late Lutetian age for the high P/T metamorphism. Phengites (2M ₁+3T) of less preserved high P/T assemblages yielded K-Ar dates between 48 and 41 m.y. but generally lower Rb-Sr dates. The higher K-Ar dates are interpreted as being elevated by excess argon.K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages on 2M ₁ phengites from central Sifnos vary between 24 and 21 m.y. These ages date a second, greenschist-facies metamorphism which overprinted the earlier high-pressure metamorphic rocks.     

Intercomparison of New Zealand filter ozonometer and Dobson spectrophotometer total ozone measurements

A commercial version of the prototype New Zealand narrowband interference filter instrument has been run at Garmisch-Partenkirchen since autumn 1977. The vicinity of the Dobson stations Hohenpeissenberg and Arosa permitted a check of the filter instrument's utility, reliability and long-term stability in total ozone measurement by (i) station to station-or short-range intercomparisons of daily means and (ii) a several days' direct intercomparison at Arosa in spring 1978.The regression analysis with the Hohenpeissenberg data-covering the five month autumn-winter 1977/78 period with highly variable ozone-shows that the filter instrument's direct-sun modeX _AD total ozone values were systematically too low by a conversion factor of 0.93. The excellent proportionality between the instruments is indicated by the standard deviation of only 1,3%. The (–7.0±1.3%) bias perfectly agrees with the result reported byBasher [1] for a similar, yet direct, intercomparison.During the direct Arosa intercomparison the filter instrument also tracked down short-time variations in a remarkable, though biased, parallelism with the Dobson instruments, and theX _AD daily means fit well into the prognostic relationship derived from the preceding autumn-winter short-range intercomparison.A creeping deterioration of the characteristics of the 305.5 nm double filter then prevented any furtherX _AD total ozone intercomparison. No final decision is possible whether this behaviour after a half year's run is typical or just an unusual exception. The otherwise excellent long-term stability is demonstrated by the comparison of theX _CD daily means with the HohenpeissenbergX _AD data for a 1 1/2 year's period (autumn 1977–spring 1979), resulting in the same bias relationship as for theX _AD total ozone measurements.