A sensitive search for nitric oxide in the lower atmospheres of Venus and Mars: Detection on Venus and upper limit for Mars

High-resolution spectra of Venus and Mars at the NO fundamental band at 5.3 μm with resolving power ν/δν=76,000 were acquired using the TEXES spectrograph at NASA IRTF on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The observed spectrum of Venus covered three NO lines of the P-branch. One of the lines is strongly contaminated, and the other two lines reveal NO in the lower atmosphere at a detection level of 9 sigma. A simple photochemical model for NO and N at 50-112 km was coupled with a radiative transfer code to simulate the observed equivalent widths of the NO and some CO₂ lines. The derived NO mixing ratio is 5.5±1.5 ppb below 60 km and its flux is . Predissociation of NO at the (0-0) 191 nm and (1-0) 183 nm bands of the δ-system and the reaction with N are the only important loss processes for NO in the lower atmosphere of Venus. The photochemical impact of the measured NO abundance is significant and should be taken into account in photochemical modeling of the Venus atmosphere. Lightning is the only known source of NO in the lower atmosphere of Venus, and the detection of NO is a convincing and independent proof of lightning on Venus. The required flux of NO is corrected for the production of NO and N by the cosmic ray ionization and corresponds to the lightning energy deposition of . For a flash energy on Venus similar to that on the Earth (∼¹⁰⁹ J), the global flashing rate is ∼90 s⁻¹ and ∼6 km⁻² y⁻¹ which is in reasonable agreement with the existing optical observations. The observed spectrum of Mars covered three NO lines of the R-branch. Two of these lines are contaminated by CO₂ lines, and the line at 1900.076 cm⁻¹ is clean and shows some excess over the continuum. Some photochemical reactions may result in a significant excitation of NO (v=1) in the lowest 20 km on Mars. However, quenching of NO (v=1) by CO₂ is very effective below 40 km. Excitation of NO (v=1) in the collisions with atomic oxygen is weak because of the low temperature in the martian atmosphere, and we do not see any explanation of a possible emission of NO at 5.3 μm. Therefore the data are treated as the lack of absorption with a 2 sigma upper limit of 1.7 ppb to the NO abundance in the lower atmosphere of Mars. This limit is above the predictions of photochemical models by a factor of 3.     

Oblique rifting in the Havre Trough and its propagation into the continental margin of New Zealand: Comparison with analogue experiments

The Havre Trough is opening by oblique back-arc rifting which is propagating into the continental margin of New Zealand at the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Variations of deformational style along the rift axis have been investigated by comparison with analogue experiments which incorporate brittle and ductile rheologies and are scaled for gravity. Based on the results of the analogue experiments, we present a tectonic model for oblique rifting in the Havre Trough, which involves the rheological contrast between oceanic and continental lithosphere and the oblique geometry of the continental margin of New Zealand with respect to the regional rift trend. The model shows that the continental margin, which is weaker than both oceanic and continental lithosphere, cannot support large shear stresses. The two lithospheres can be decoupled during extensional events along the marginal shear and, depending on the continental margin orientation, this shear can modify the regional stress field. A heterogeneous stress field will rotate normal stresses to be perpendicular or parallel to the margin. As the two lithospheres decouple during extension, the rift grabens and internal faults of the oblique rift system propagate normal to the marginal shear. This model explains the oblique trend of the Havre Trough's tectonic fabric and its relationships to the Vening Meinesz Fracture Zone which represents the oceanic/continental lithospheric boundary.As the Havre Trough rift propagates into the continental margin, rheological differences between oceanic and continental lithosphere result in variations in distribution of strain along the rift axis. Extension of oceanic sub-arc lithosphere is localized into a single rift graben. At the transition into continental rifting, the zone of extension widens into a number of rift grabens forming complex indentations into the margin. This change in deformation style is consistent with analogue experiments as well as other natural examples and results from the contrast in lithospheric rheology and its influence on the process of strain localization.     

An isopycnal view of the Nordic Seas hydrography with focus on properties of the Lofoten Basin

Few basins in the world exhibit such a wide range of water properties as those of the Nordic Seas with cold freshwaters from the Arctic in the western basins and warm saline waters from the Atlantic in the eastern basins. In this study we present a 50-year hydrographic climatology of the Nordic Seas in terms of depth and temperature patterns on four upper ocean specific volume anomaly surfaces. This approach allows us to better distinguish between change due to variations along such surfaces and change due to depth variations of the stratified water column. Depth variations indicate changes in the mass field while property variations along isopycnals give insight into isopycnal advection and mixing, as well as diapycnal processes. We find that the warmest waters on each surface are found in the north, close to where the isopycnal outcrops, a clear indication of downward mixing of the warmer, more saline waters on shallower isopycnals due to convective cooling at the surface. These saline waters come from the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current by means of a very high level of eddy activity in the Lofoten Basin.The isopycnal analyses further show that the principal water mass boundary between the waters of Arctic origin in the west and Atlantic waters in the east aligns quite tightly with the Jan Mayen, Mohn, Knipovich Ridge system suggesting little cross-ridge exchange. Instead, the main routes of exchange between the eastern and western basins appear to be limited to the northern and southern ends of ridge system: Atlantic waters into the Greenland Sea in the Fram St and Artic waters into the southern Norwegian Sea just north of the Iceland-Faroe Ridge.Analysis of a representative isopycnal in the main pycnocline shows it to be stable over time with only small variations with season (except where it outcrops in winter in the Greenland and Iceland Seas). However, two very cold winters, 1968–1969, led to greater than average heat losses across the entire Lofoten Basin that eroded away much of the Lofoten eddy and induced the greatest temperature anomaly in the entire 50-year record. Interannual variations in isopycnal layer temperature correlate with the NAO index such that waters in the Iceland Sea become warmer than average with warming air temperatures and conversely in the Lofoten Basin.     

The Elastic Strain Energy of Damaged Solids with Applications to Non-Linear Deformation of Crystalline Rocks

Laboratory and field data indicate that rocks subjected to sufficiently high loads clearly deviate from linear behavior. Non-linear stress–strain relations can be approximated by including third and higher-order terms of the strain tensor in the elastic energy expression (e.g., the Murnaghan model). Such classical non-linear models are successful for calculating deformation of soft materials, for example graphite, but cannot explain with the same elastic moduli small and large non-linear deformation of stiff rocks, such as granite. The values of the third (higher-order) Murnaghan moduli estimated from acoustic experiments are one to two orders of magnitude above the values estimated from stress–strain relations in quasi-static rock-mechanics experiments. The Murnaghan model also fails to reproduce an abrupt change in the elastic moduli upon stress reversal from compression to tension, observed in laboratory experiments with rocks, concrete, and composite brittle material samples, and it predicts macroscopic failure at stress levels lower than observations associated with granite. An alternative energy function based on second-order dependency on the strain tensor, as in the Hookean framework, but with an additional non-analytical term, can account for the abrupt change in the effective elastic moduli upon stress reversal, and extended pre-yielding deformation regime with one set of elastic moduli. We show that the non-analytical second-order model is a generalization of other non-classical non-linear models, for example “bi-linear”, “clapping non-linearity”, and “unilateral damage” models. These models were designed to explain the abrupt changes of elastic moduli and non-linearity of stiff rocks under small strains. The present model produces dilation under shear loading and other non-linear deformation features of the stiff rocks mentioned above, and extends the results to account for gradual closure of an arbitrary distribution of initial cracks. The results provide a quantitative framework that can be used to model simultaneously, with a small number of coefficients, multiple observed aspects of non-linear deformation of stiff rocks. These include, in addition to the features mentioned above, stress-induced anisotropy and non-linear effects in resonance experiments with damaged materials.     

Inversion of normal moveout for monoclinic media1

Multiple vertical fracture sets, possibly combined with horizontal fine layering, produce an equivalent medium of monoclinic symmetry with a horizontal symmetry plane. Although monoclinic models may be rather common for fractured formations, they have hardly been used in seismic methods of fracture detection due to the large number of independent elements in the stiffness tensor. Here, we show that multicomponent wide-azimuth reflection data (combined with known vertical velocity or reflector depth) or multi-azimuth walkaway VSP surveys provide enough information to invert for all but one anisotropic parameters of monoclinic media. In order to facilitate the inversion procedure, we introduce a Thomsen-style parametrization for monoclinic media that includes the vertical velocities of the P-wave and one of the split S-waves and a set of dimensionless anisotropic coefficients. Our notation, defined for the coordinate frame associated with the polarization directions of the vertically propagating shear waves, captures the combinations of the stiffnesses responsible for the normal-moveout (NMO) ellipses of all three pure modes. The first group of the anisotropic parameters contains seven coefficients (ε^(1,2), δ^(1,2,3) and γ^(1,2)) analogous to those defined by Tsvankin for the higher-symmetry orthorhombic model. The parameters ε^(1,2), δ^(1,2) and γ^(1,2) are primarily responsible for the pure-mode NMO velocities along the coordinate axes x₁ and x₂ (i.e. in the shear-wave polarization directions). The remaining coefficient δ⁽³⁾ is not constrained by conventional-spread reflection traveltimes in a horizontal monoclinic layer. The second parameter group consists of the newly introduced coefficients ζ^(1,2,3) which control the rotation of the P-, S₁- and S₂-wave NMO ellipses with respect to the horizontal coordinate axes. Misalignment of the P-wave NMO ellipse and shear-wave polarization directions was recently observed on field data by Pérez et al. Our parameter-estimation algorithm, based on NMO equations valid for any strength of the anisotropy, is designed to obtain anisotropic parameters of monoclinic media by inverting the vertical velocities and NMO ellipses of the P-, S₁- and S₂-waves. A Dix-type representation of the NMO velocity of mode-converted waves makes it possible to replace the pure shear modes in reflection surveys with the PS₁- and PS₂-waves. Numerical tests show that our method yields stable estimates of all relevant parameters for both a single layer and a horizontally stratified monoclinic medium.     

First geophysical and shallow ice core investigation of the Kazbek plateau glacier,Caucasus Mountains

First-ever ice core drilling at Mt. Kazbek (Caucasus Mountains) took place in the summer of 2014. A shallow ice core (18 m) was extracted from a plateau at ~4500 m a.s.l. in the vicinity of the Mt. Kazbek summit (5033 m a.s.l.). A detailed radar survey showed that the maximum ice thickness at this location is ~250 m. Borehole temperature of ?7 °C was measured at 10 m depth. The ice core was analyzed for oxygen and deuterium isotopes and dust concentration. From the observed seasonal cycle, it was determined that the ice core covers the time interval of 2009–2014, with a mean annual snow accumulation rate of 1800 mm w. eq. Multiple melt layers have been detected. δ¹⁸O values vary from ?25 to ?5‰. The dust content was determined using a particle sizing and counting analyzer. The dust layers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Dust can be separated into two categories by its origin: local and distant. Samples reflecting predominantly local origin consisted mainly of magmatic rocks, while clay minerals were a characteristic of dust carried over large distances, from the deserts of the Middle East and Sahara. The calculated average dust flux over three years at Kazbek was of 1.3 mg/cm² a^?1. Neither δ¹⁸O nor dust records appear to have been affected by summer melting. Overall, the conditions on Kazbek plateau and the available data suggest that the area offers good prospects of future deep drilling in order to obtain a unique environmental record.     

Simulating the Taipei basin response by numerical modeling of wave propagation

Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, suffered from destructive earthquakes four times during the 20th century (M _L = 7.3 on April 15, 1909; M _L = 6.8 on November 15, 1986; the Chi–Chi M _L = 7.3 earthquake on September 21, 1999; and M _L = 6.8 on March 31, 2002). Analysis of recorded data shows a strong dependence of spectral amplification in the Taipei Basin on earthquake depth and azimuth. At low frequencies (f < 3 Hz) significant larger amplifications are observed for shallow earthquakes as compared to intermediate depth events. The former ones also display strong azimuthal dependence. As structures with large response periods such as bridges and tall buildings are sensitive to these low frequencies the understanding of the associated wave effects within the basin and their role for site effect amplification is critical. The tool we employ is 3D finite-difference modeling of wave propagation of incident wave fronts. The available detailed model of the basin allows studying the wave effects. Modeling clearly reveals that basin edge effects as observed in data are related to surface wave generation at the basin edges with a high degree of azimuthal dependency. The reproduced site amplification effects are in qualitative agreement with the observations from strong motion data.     

Metalliferous coals: A review of the main genetic and geochemical types

This paper presents a review of the genetic types and geochemical processes that have formed ‘metalliferous’ coals around the world. Primary attention is given to elements in coal that are currently being extracted from coal as raw material (Ge and U) or have, in our opinion, the best chance for such use (REE, Ag, Au, and PGE). Coals with anomalously high concentrations of other metals having potential for economic by-product recovery (Be, Sc, V, Ga, Sb, Cs, Mo, W, and Re) are briefly considered. Original data and a survey of the literature indicate that metalliferous coals are in many coal basins. Ore formation in coal-bearing structures may occur during peat accumulation, during diagenesis of the organic matter, or by epigenesis. Various metals are supplied to sedimentary basins as minerals that are transported by water and wind or as ionic species in surface water and descending and ascending underground water and may be incorporated into peat or coals. The modes of occurrence of metals in the enriched coals are diverse. The data presented in this review indicates that metalliferous coals should be regarded as promising for economic recovery for by-products in the course of coal mining and combustion.