Grain growth in partially molten olivine aggregates

Grain growth rates in partially molten olivine aggregates were determined experimentally at a pressure of 1 GPa. The aim of the experiments with fine-grained starting material (solution–gelation derived Fo₉₀ olivine with a grain size of ∼1 μm with 2 and 4 wt.% added basaltic glass) was to determine growth rates during steady-state grain growth. A series of experiments was conducted at a fixed temperature of 1,350°C for durations from 2 to 700 h, and a second series at fixed duration (168 h) at temperatures from 1,250 to 1,450°C. The resulting activation energy (E=390 kJ/mol) and growth exponent (n=4.3) are comparable to melt-free results (Nichols and Mackwell 1991). The observed grain size distributions are broader than those predicted for normal grain growth or Ostwald ripening and most similar to the Log-normal distribution. The observed melt distribution is influenced by the continuous rearrangement of neighboring grains during growth. The relatively large growth exponent observed in this study and by Nichols and Mackwell (1991) where secondary phases are present suggests that grain growth in the upper mantle is slower than predicted by Karato (1989).     

Geometric methods for estimating representative sidewalk widths applied to Vienna’s streetscape surfaces database

Space, and in particular public space for movement and leisure, is a valuable and scarce resource, especially in today’s growing urban centres. The distribution and absolute amount of urban space—especially the provision of sufficient pedestrian areas, such as sidewalks—is considered crucial for shaping living and mobility options as well as transport choices. Ubiquitous urban data collection and today’s IT capabilities offer new possibilities for providing a relation-preserving overview and for keeping track of infrastructure changes. This paper presents three novel methods for estimating representative sidewalk widths and applies them to the official Viennese streetscape surface database. The first two methods use individual pedestrian area polygons and their geometrical representations of minimum circumscribing and maximum inscribing circles to derive a representative width of these individual surfaces. The third method utilizes aggregated pedestrian areas within the buffered street axis and results in a representative width for the corresponding road axis segment. Results are displayed as city-wide means in a 500 by 500 m grid and spatial autocorrelation based on Moran’s I is studied. We also compare the results between methods as well as to previous research, existing databases and guideline requirements on sidewalk widths. Finally, we discuss possible applications of these methods for monitoring and regression analysis and suggest future methodological improvements for increased accuracy.     

Indirect determination of the heat budget of tidal flats

A method is presented to calculate indirectly the heat budget of a tidal flat area from downstream observations of temperature and horizontal velocity in a tidal channel. It is only necessary to establish a relationship between the velocity and the volume flux. Then the heat budget of the upstream region is determined by integrating the heat flux over one tide. The proposed method is applied to long-term measurements obtained in 2004 at two sites in a tidal channel in the Hörnum Basin, German Wadden Sea. At the site located farther downstream in the channel, the upstream catchment area is diagnosed to export heat (heat gain in the interior) from March to August, while import is diagnosed for the same period of time at the other upstream site. From September to November the situation is reversed. An analytical estimate suggests that the sign of the budget is controlled by the tidal prism and the length of the dry-falling period of the flats in the respective upstream region. In addition, a simple model is developed which can be used to determine the integral bottom heat flux of the tidal flats.     

Nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in the freshwater tidal zone of a turbid,Mediterranean estuary

Identification of the limiting nutrient(s) is a requirement for the rational management of eutrophication. Here, we present the first experimental analysis of nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth and its seasonal variation in the Guadiana estuary (SE Portugal-SW Spain). Ten microcosm experiments were performed during 2005 and 2008, using water samples collected in the freshwater tidal zone of the Guadiana estuary. Nitrate, phosphate and silicate were added in a single pulse, alone and in combinations. Experimental treatments were incubated for 4 days under controlled laboratory conditions. Phytoplankton response to nutrient enrichment was evaluated through changes in biomass (Chla), and abundance of specific phytoplankton groups.     

Hydraulic fracturing: a toxicological threat for groundwater and drinking-water?

This paper deals with the possible impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), employed in the exploitation of unconventional shale gas and tight gas reservoirs, on groundwater, which is the most important source of drinking-water in Germany and many other European countries. This assessment, which is part of an interdisciplinary study by a panel of neutral experts on the risks and environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, is based mainly on data obtained from three ExxonMobil drilling sites in northern Germany. First, the basic technical aspects of fracking and its relevant water fluxes are explained. The type, purpose and fate of the constituents of the fracking fluids are discussed. The chemicals used in the fracking fluids are assessed with regard to their hazardous properties according to the Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP regulation) and the German “Water Hazard Classes”. Contamination of groundwater by ingredients of fracking fluids may occur from under ground or may result from above-ground accidents associated with the transport, storage and handling of hazardous substances used as additives in fracking fluids. The degree of groundwater contamination cannot be predicted in a general way. Therefore, different dilutions of the fracking fluid in groundwater are considered. It is shown that the concentrations of most ingredients resulting from a 1:10,000 up to 1:100,000 dilution of the fracking fluid in groundwater are below health-based reference values such as the limit values of the European Drinking Water Directive, the WHO Guideline Values for Drinking-water Quality, and other health-based guide values for drinking-water. Regarding the salinity of fracking fluids, a dilution of 1:1,000 is sufficient to reach concentrations which are acceptable for drinking-water. From the human-toxicological point of view, the constituents of flowback water are more problematic with respect to drinking-water produced from groundwater than those of the fracking fluids. The few reliable data which have become available, as well as hydrogeological considerations, point in the direction of considerable salt concentrations and toxic constituents, e.g., Hg, As, Pb, Zn, Cd, BTX, PAHs, or even radioactive elements. The identification and assessment of reaction products and metabolites, which are produced as a result of the fracking operation and the metabolic activity of microorganisms, are important topics for further research. The recommendations include the need for a better understanding of the environmental impact of fracking operations, especially with regard to the development of sustainable rules for planning, permission, performance and management of fracking, and for the monitoring of groundwater quality around fracked drilling sites.     

Kanonaite-rich viridines from the Venn-Stavelot Massif,Belgian Ardennes

In highly oxidized Mn- and Al-rich layers of the low-grade metamorphic metasediments north of Salmchâteau, Belgium, three types of viridine porphyroblasts can be distinguished: (a) single-phase porphyroblasts, (b) composite porphyroblasts with a core consisting of very fine-grained kaolinite, which is interpreted as a pseudomorph after andalusite, and a rim of viridine and, (c) composite porphyroblasts with a viridine core, a first mantle of kaolinite (as a pseudomorph after andalusite) and a second rim of viridine. These grains form an assemblage with muscovite, paragonite, Mg-chlorite, piemontite, braunite, hematite, quartz, rutile, and apatite. In the single-phase porphyroblasts the chemical composition of the core, (Mn _0.51 ³⁺ Al_0.44Fe _0.04 ³⁺ )Al(O/SiO₄), grades continuously into (Mn _0.79 ³⁺ Al_0.15Fe _0.06 ³⁺ )Al(O/SiO₄) of the rim. The outer zones of the analyzed grains are thus richer in kanonaite-component, MnAl(O/SiO₄), than the original kanonaites described recently by Vrána et al. (1978) from the type locality in Zambia. Taking into consideration also other chemical data of viridines of the Salmchâteau locality there exists a complete solid solution series in the system Al₂SiO₅ (And)-MnAlSiO₅ (Kan)-FeAlSiO₅ at least from And₆₁Kan₃₇(FeAlSiO₅)₂ to And₁₅Kan₇₉(FeAl-SiO₅)₆ for the P-T conditions verified here ( 400 ° C/1–2 kb). The oxygen fugacity of the rocks is estimated to correspond to f _O2 of the MnO₂/ Mn₂O₃-buffer or to exceed it. Single-phase and composite porphyroblasts of the andalusite-type minerals contain S-shaped internal structures, which, in the marginal parts of the grains, are always oriented perpendicular to the schistosity planes. Together with the zoning of the composite grains these structures give clear evidence, that the andalusite formation is preceded by viridine growth in suitable rocks high in manganese. Thus, the viridines of the cores are formed under P-T conditions of less than 360–380 ° C/1–2 kb. The recurrent availability of Mn to form the kanonaite-rich rims in all three types of porphyroblasts may be explained by Mn release out of the recrystallizing hematites along the schistosity planes during decreasing temperatures.Although the Commision on New Minerals and Mineral Names, IMA, has deleted the classical name viridine it is preferred here and used as a varietal name for all intermediate members of the solid solution series between andalusite, Al₂(O/SiO₄), and the recently described kanonaite, MnAl(O/SiO₄) (Vrána et al., 1978). This is done with special regard to the petrographie purpose of this investigation, since it is impracticable and by simple optical methods in strongly zoned crystals even impossible to distinguish between manganian andalusite [Al(6)>Mn] and aluminous kanonaite [Al(6)相似文献   

The age and petrology of the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion, NW Zimbabwe: first evidence for early Paleoproterozoic magmatism in Zimbabwe

The mafic-ultramafic Chimbadzi Hill intrusion in the NW of the Zimbabwe craton is a dyke with inward-dipping margins comprising magnetite peridotite, troctolite and magnetite melatroctolite. The magnetite peridotite is composed of about equal amounts of V- and Ti-bearing magnetite and olivine (Fo₆₀). The troctolite is composed of about 50% olivine (Fo_50-54), 40% plagioclase (An_53-58), 7% clinopyroxene and minor apatite and magnetite with ilmenite lamellae. Geochemical trends suggest that the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion formed by fractional crystallisation from a single initial magma. However, the more primitive magnetite peridotite overlies the more evolved troctolite in the intrusion. This ‘apparent’ inverted stratigraphy may be due to emptying of a fractionated magma chamber from the top, or to floor subsidence during intrusion.U–Pb dating on baddeleyite reveals that the age of the Chimbadzi Hill Intrusion is 2262 ± 2 Ma. This age does not correspond to any known tectono-thermal event in the Zimbabwe Craton or adjacent metamorphic belts. It is 300 Ma younger than the late Archean Great Dyke, and 230 Ma older than other Paleoproterozoic events in and around the craton. Therefore, it may represent a so far undocumented very early Proterozoic igneous event in the Zimbabwe Craton. The intrusion represents a vanadium resource for Zimbabwe, with titanium potentially being mined as by-product.