Maribo—A new CM fall from Denmark

Abstract– Maribo is a new Danish CM chondrite, which fell on January 17, 2009, at 19:08:28 CET. The fall was observed by many eye witnesses and recorded by a surveillance camera, an all sky camera, a few seismic stations, and by meteor radar observatories in Germany. A single fragment of Maribo with a dry weight of 25.8 g was found on March 4, 2009. The coarse‐grained components in Maribo include chondrules, fine‐grained olivine aggregates, large isolated lithic clasts, metals, and mineral fragments (often olivine), and rare Ca,Al‐rich inclusions. The components are typically rimmed by fine‐grained dust mantles. The matrix includes abundant dust rimmed fragments of tochilinite with a layered, fishbone‐like texture, tochilinite–cronstedtite intergrowths, sulfides, metals, and carbonates often intergrown with tochilinite. The oxygen isotopic composition: (δ¹⁷O = ?1.27‰; δ¹⁸O = 4.96‰; Δ¹⁷O = ?3.85‰) plots at the edge of the CM field, close to the CCAM line. The very low Δ¹⁷O and the presence of unaltered components suggest that Maribo is among the least altered CM chondrites. The bulk chemistry of Maribo is typical of CM chondrites. Trapped noble gases are similar in abundance and isotopic composition to other CM chondrites, stepwise heating data indicating the presence of gas components hosted by presolar diamond and silicon carbide. The organics in Maribo include components also seen in Murchison as well as nitrogen‐rich components unique to Maribo.     

Modelling Geophysical Precursors to the Prehistoric c. AD1305 Kaharoa Rhyolite Eruption of Tarawera Volcano, New Zealand

The 1305 Kaharoa rhyolite eruptive episode is the largest volcanic event(4 km³ magma) to have occurred in New Zealand during the last 1000 years. Proximal areas were devastated by pyroclastic flows, and tephra fell over much of the northern North Island. No eyewitness observations are recorded, but ejecta analyses show that the rhyolite eruptions were primed and triggered by basalt intrusions. This key finding, combined with observations of similar modern eruptions, has allowed construction of a conceptual scenario of the seismic and other activity that likely preceded the Kaharoa episode.The precursory scenario begins at -5 years (before the first eruption). Rising basalt magma intrusions generate deep long-period earthquakes in the lower crust, before intersecting and heating a rhyolite magma body at 6 km depth beneath Tarawera. By -1 year, increased heat flux from the rhyolite magma body had raised temperatures and pressures in the overlying hydrothermal system; generating shallow long-period earthquakes and increased heat flow at the surface. At -2 months, shallow volcano-tectonic earthquake activity intensified, driven by inflation of the rhyolite magma body, with magmatic gas appearing in fumarole discharges. Rapidly accelerating seismicity, ground deformation and surface heat flow occurred in the last few weeks and days, before the initial vent-opening explosions intensified into major plinian eruptions.Effectiveness of the present volcano monitoring system at Tarawera can be evaluated against this scenario. The precursory seismic activity, including the critical deep long-period earthquakes, would be recorded but not accurately located. Similarly, the existing ground deformation monitoring systems would detect early magma chamber inflation, but discrimination from the background tectonic tilting signal would be difficult. Continuous telemetering of geodetic data from existing and additional instruments would be required for any useful monitoring of rapid ground deformation in the final precursory phases.     

Ultraviolet-B radiation effects on natural phytoplankton assemblages of central San Francisco Bay

Since the discovery of a depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer over Antarctica in 1979, scientific attention has been directed towards the effects of increased doses of ultraviolet radiation on phytoplankton in other ecosystems. Little is known about the effects of ultraviolet-B (280–320 nm) radiation (UVBR) on temperate estuarine phytoplankton. Freshly collected phytoplankton samples from Central San Francisco Bay were exposed to ambient UVBR in quartz bottles and monitored for biomass and nutrient uptake rates for comparison with phytoplankton dispensed into bottles made of polycarbonate that effectively filtered out the UVBR to evaluate response to natural UVBR exposure. Short-term (10–12 h) exposure experiments were carried out monthly from October 1998 to October 1999. No significant effect of UVBR on chlorophylla concentrations was found but a clear deleterious effect of UVBR on nutrient uptake was observed.     

Growth of a young, frequently active composite cone: Ngauruhoe volcano, New Zealand

Ngauruhoe cone, in southern Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, has grown rapidly over the last 2,500 years in an alternation of effusive, strombolian, vulcanian, and sub-plinian eruptions of andesitic magma. At times growth has been 'staccato' in fashion as evidenced in the historical record. Each historical eruption typically lasted days to months, alternating with repose periods of years to decades. Major historic eruptions occurred in 1870 1949 1954-1955 and 1973-1975, encompassing wide variations in eruptive style over short timescales. The early period of cone building appears to have been dominated by a more continuous form of activity characterised by a series of numerous frequent explosive eruptions, with associated lava flows. The 2.2-km³ cone has grown in a piecemeal sectorial manner reflecting constant modification to the morphology of the summit, which has funnelled eruption products to specific sectors of the cone. Eruption rates can be calculated on several different timescales. Discharge rates averaged over individual eruptive pulses vary by two orders of magnitude (2.7-280 m³ s^-1), reflecting variations in high level magma ascent rates and processes such as degassing, which are, in turn, reflected in contrasting eruptive styles. Lower rates (e.g. 0.65 m³ s^-1) are obtained by averaging the discharge over an entire eruption lasting several months and may correspond to the ascent rate of magma batch(es) feeding the eruption. The long-term growth rate of Ngauruhoe is 0.9 km³ ky^-1. This is an average rate reflecting the long-term deep supply rate of magma to crustal reservoirs. By looking at eruption rates on these different timescales we are better able to constrain processes occurring at various depths within the plumbing system. There are few detailed studies of the growth patterns of young volcanic cones, but such data are essential in understanding the dynamics of andesitic systems. More than 60 lavas and pyroclastic units mapped on different sectors of Ngauruhoe cone have been correlated by flow chronology and their distinctive compositions into five groups. Although the cone has grown rapidly, Ngauruhoe shows little evidence for the existence of large crustal magma reservoirs and long-lived magma batches. Instead, abrupt and non-systematic changes in magma chemistry and isotopic composition between and within the five groups indicate that the volcano has an open-system, multi-process, multi-directional character and erupts small (<0.1 km³) and short-lived (10⁰-10³ years) magma batches with no simple time-composition relationships between successive batches.     

Using suitability analysis to prioritize demolitions in a legacy city

Abandoned properties are a significant problem facing legacy cities. Given historic and ongoing population losses, many legacy cities turn to demolitions as one solution to their surplus property problems. Unfortunately, cities lack the resources needed to demolish all of the buildings that should arguably come down. Determining which properties should receive highest priority is a difficult task. Therefore, this paper presents an empirical method, based on basic suitability analysis, for prioritizing demolitions city-wide. Using Youngstown, Ohio as an example, every vacant property in the city was assigned a demolition score based on four factors: property characteristics, vacancy, neighborhood potential, and crime. Properties with higher scores were deemed stronger candidates for timely demolition. In addition to prioritizing demolitions, the proposed method can facilitate the creation of hotspot maps of proposed demolitions, and a per se strategic demolition plan.     

The 1976–1982 Strombolian and phreatomagmatic eruptions of White Island,New Zealand: eruptive and depositional mechanisms at a ‘wet’ volcano

White Island is an active andesitic-dacitic composite volcano surrounded by sea, yet isolated from sea water by chemically sealed zones that confine a long-lived acidic hydrothermal system, within a thick sequence of fine-grained volcaniclastic sediment and ash. The rise of at least 10⁶ m³ of basic andesite magma to shallow levels and its interaction with the hydrothermal system resulted in the longest historical eruption sequence at White Island in 1976–1982. About 10⁷ m³ of mixed lithic and juvenile ejecta was erupted, accompanied by collapse to form two coalescing maar-like craters. Vent position within the craters changed 5 times during the eruption, but the vents were repeatedly re-established along a line linking pre-1976 vents. The eruption sequence consisted of seven alternating phases of phreatomagmatic and Strombolian volcanism. Strombolian eruptions were preceded and followed by mildly explosive degassing and production of incandescent, blocky juvenile ash from the margins of the magma body. Phreatomagmatic phases contained two styles of activity: (a) near-continuous emission of gas and ash and (b) discrete explosions followed by prolonged quiescence. The near-continuous activity reculted from streaming of magmatic volatiles and phreatic steam through open conduits, frittering juvennile shards from the margins of the magma and eroding loose lithic particles from the unconsolidated wall rock. The larger discrete explosions produced ballistic block aprons, downwind lobes of fall tephra, and cohesive wet surge deposits confined to the main crater. The key features of the larger explosions were their shallow focus, random occurrence and lack of precursors, and the thermal heterogeneity of the ejecta. This White Island eruption was unusual because of the low discharge rate of magma over an extended time period and because of the influence of a unique physical and hydrological setting. The low rate of magma rise led to very effective separation of magmatic volatiles and high fluxes of magmatic gas even during phreatic phases of the eruption. While true Strombolian phases did occur, more frequently the decoupled magmatic gas rose to interact with the conduit walls and hydrothermal system, producing phreatomagmatic eruptions. The form of these wet explosions was governed by a delicate balance between erosion and collapse of the weak conduit walls. If the walls were relatively stable, fine ash was slowly eroded and erupted in weak, near-continous phreatomagmatic events. When the walls were unstable, wall collapse triggered larger discrete phreatomagmatic explosions.