Multi-interferogram method for measuring interseismic deformation: Denali Fault, Alaska

Studies of interseismic strain accumulation are crucial to our understanding of continental deformation, the earthquake cycle and seismic hazard. By mapping small amounts of ground deformation over large spatial areas, InSAR has the potential to produce continental-scale maps of strain accumulation on active faults. However, most InSAR studies to date have focused on areas where the coherence is relatively good (e.g. California, Tibet and Turkey) and most analysis techniques (stacking, small baseline subset algorithm, permanent scatterers, etc.) only include information from pixels which are coherent throughout the time-span of the study. In some areas, such as Alaska, where the deformation rate is small and coherence very variable, it is necessary to include information from pixels which are coherent in some but not all interferograms. We use a three-stage iterative algorithm based on distributed scatterer interferometry. We validate our method using synthetic data created using realistic parameters from a test site on the Denali Fault, Alaska, and present a preliminary result of  10.5 ± 5.0  mm yr⁻¹ for the slip rate on the Denali Fault based on a single track of radar data from ERS1/2.     

Gender Differences in Chauffeuring Children among Dual‐Earner Families

The chauffeuring of children to/from school and childcare providers has received limited attention in previous research, although it structures parents' everyday activities in important ways. Combining analytical and cultural perspectives on juggling employment and caregiving, I explore the impact of such factors as household structure, employment and commute characteristics, residential location, and culturally defined norms about parenthood on chauffeuring arrangements for dual‐earner households in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Fathers conduct a considerable share of chauffeuring trips, but arrangements are often informed by traditional gender norms. The spatial variability in the gendering of chauffeuring is limited.     

Desert Potholes: Ephemeral Aquatic Microsystems

An enigma of the Colorado Plateau high desert is the “pothole”, which ranges from shallow ephemeral puddles to deeply carved pools. The existence of prokaryotic to eukaryotic organisms within these pools is largely controlled by the presence of collected rainwater. Multivariate statistical analysis of physical and chemical limnologic data variables measured from potholes indicates spatial and temporal variations, particularly in water depth, manganese, iron, nitrate and sulfate concentrations and salinity. Variation in water depth and salinity are likely related to the amount of time since the last precipitation, whereas the other variables may be related to redox potential. The spatial and temporal variations in water chemistry affect the distribution of organisms, which must adapt to daily and seasonal extremes of fluctuating temperature (0–60 °C), pH changes of as much as 5 units over 12 days, and desiccation. For example, many species become dormant when potholes dry, in order to endure intense heat, UV radiation, desiccation and freezing, only to flourish again upon rehydration. But the pothole organisms also have a profound impact on the potholes. Through photosynthesis and respiration, pothole organisms affect redox potential, and indirectly alter the water chemistry. Laboratory examination of dried biofilm from the potholes revealed that within 2 weeks of hydration, the surface of the desiccated, black biofilm became green from cyanobacterial growth, which supported significant growth in heterotrophic bacterial populations. This complex biofilm is persumably responsible for dissolving the cement between the sandstone grains, allowing the potholes to enlarge, and for sealing the potholes, enabling them to retain water longer than the surrounding sandstone. Despite the remarkable ability of life in potholes to persist, desert potholes may be extremely sensitive to anthropogenic effects. The unique limnology and ecology of Utah potholes holds great scientific value for understanding water–rock–biological interactions with possible applications to life on other planetary bodies.     

Regional-scale Proterozoic IOCG-mineralized breccia systems: examples from the Wernecke Mountains, Yukon, Canada

A large scale Proterozoic breccia system consisting of numerous individual breccia bodies, collectively known as Wernecke Breccia, occurs in north-central Yukon Territory, Canada. Breccias cut Early Proterozoic Wernecke Supergroup sedimentary rocks and occur throughout the approximately 13 km thick deformed and weakly metamorphosed sequence. Iron oxide–copper–gold ± uranium ± cobalt mineralization is associated with the breccia bodies and occurs as veins and disseminations within breccia and surrounding rocks and locally forms the breccia matrix. Extensive sodic and potassic metasomatic alteration occurs within and around breccia bodies and is overprinted by pervasive calcite and dolomite/ankerite, and locally siderite, alteration, respectively. Multiple phases of brecciation, alteration and mineralization are evident. Breccia bodies are spatially associated with regional-scale faults and breccia emplacement made use of pre-existing crustal weaknesses and permeable zones. New evidence indicates the presence of metaevaporitic rocks in lower WSG that may be intimately related to breccia formation. No evidence of breccia-age magmatism has been found to date.

An obliquity-controlled Early Pleistocene river terrace record from Western Turkey?

Investigation of the Pleistocene sequence of the Gediz River, Western Turkey, has revealed a record of Early Pleistocene river terraces. Eleven terraces spanning the interval from 1.67 to 1.245 million years ago (MIS 59–37) are preserved beneath basaltic lava flows. The high number of terraces over this short time period reflects high-frequency sedimentation/incision cycles preserved due to the fortuitous combination of relatively high uplift rates (0.16 mm yr⁻¹) and progressive southwards valley migration. Comparison of this record with ODP967 from the Eastern Mediterranean Basin suggests a link between the production of terraces and obliquity-driven 41,000 year climate cycles in the Early Pleistocene.