Responses of interrill runoff and erosion rates to vegetation change in southern Arizona

Vegetation change, fi-om grassland to shrubland, has occurred over much of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts during the past century. The effect of this vegetation change on interrill runoff and erosion was examined by conducting rainfall-simulation experiments on large runoff plots on contemporary grassland and shrubland hillslopes. These experiments show that, compared to the grassland, the interrill portions of shrubland hillslopes (1) have higher runoff rates, (2) experience equilibrium runoff conditions much more frequently, (3) exhibit higher overland flow velocities, and (4) are subject to greater rates of erosion. The environmental change that has led to the vegetation change has been relatively minor, but its geomorphic impact has been substantial.     

Distribution and morphology of sinkholes triggered by flooding following Tropical Storm Alberto at Albany, Georgia, USA

Flooding of the Flint River in July 1994 triggered the collapse of at least 312 sinkholes in the karstic Dougherty Plain at Albany, Georgia. We examined the distribution and morphology of these new sinkholes to evaluate the mode of formation, to characterize early stages of the evolution of sinkhole form, and to estimate the lowering of the surface associated with the development of new sinkholes.Eighty-eight percent of sinkholes occur inside the limits of flooding, especially in areas of sandy overburden, and they often follow joint-controlled linear trends. Sinkhole dimensions are log-normally distributed with median values of circumference = 5.7 m, length = 1.8 m, width = 1.6 m, and depth = 0.7 m; asymmetry (L:W) = 1.2. Cross-sectional forms range from narrow cylinders to large bowls, with many sinkholes having undercut sides.Flooding triggered the formation of sinkholes by saturating and liquefying overburden, which caused soil arches to collapse and flow into cavities in bedrock. The prevalence of sinkholes near the periphery of flooding suggests that drainage and loss of buoyant support as flood waters subsided may also have contributed to failure. A volume ratio index is used to quantify the three dimensional geometric form of sinkholes. Initially, small cylindrical shafts open over a bedrock joint, followed by progressive slumping that leads to widening and increases in volume to a final bowl form. Estimates of the aggregate volume of overburden transported underground in flooded areas range from 7,990 to 11,130 m3. Averaged over flooded areas, this accounts for 0.26 to 0.37 mm/km² lowering of the surface. Based on a 500 year recurrence interval for the flood event, values for lowering of the surface range from 0.52 to 0.74 mm per 1,000 years. These values are an order of magnitude less than estimates of carbonate dissolution and suggest that transport of overburden underground is limited by triggering events.     

Cation ordering of orthopyroxenes from the Skaergaard Intrusion: implications for the subsolidus cooling rates and permeabilities

 We have determined the quenched cation ordering states of five orthopyroxene crystals collected from the marginal border group and the lower zone a and b of the Skaergaard intrusion, and modeled these data to retrieve their closure temperatures (T _c) of Fe–Mg ordering and cooling rates. According to existing thermal models for the Skaergaard pluton, conductive cooling dominated the high and low temperature regimes, which were separated by an intermediate temperature regime in which the cooling was controlled primarily by convective fluid circulation. The cooling rates retrieved from the quenched cation ordering states of the orthopyroxene crystals strictly apply to temperatures around the closure temperatures of the ordering states, ∼340–400^° C, which fall at the transition from convective to the lower temperature conductive cooling. The cooling rates obtained from the cation ordering states of orthopyroxene vary from ∼1 to 270 K/ka. These results agree well with a thermal model calculated using an assumed average permeability of 10^-12 cm² for the pluton, but not completely with a model calculated on the basis of an average permeability of 10^-13 cm², although both values produced shifts of δ¹⁸O that are comparable to those observed in the pluton. Received: 27 February 1995/Accepted: 20 July 1995     

A new, instantaneous aeolian sand trap design for field use

A new aeolian sediment trap is described which can give up to 1 Hz measurement frequency in field conditions. The trap adopts a circular, horizontal trap design with a load cell connection to give continuous, unobtrusive trap measurement of sediment flux. Simultaneous velocity recording is carried out using an anemometer. Trap construction costs are approximately £200. Initial results in field conditions using a direct comparison of wind velocity data, sampled at an equivalent frequency, have given a first-order relationship between sediment flux and velocity. The trap enables simultaneous sampling of wind velocity and sediment flux at a sufficiently short interval to enable investigation of sediment transport dynamics under a variety of field conditions.     

The contributions of H.N. Fisk to engineering geology in the Lower Mississippi Valley

Fisk's work provided a three-dimensional pattern of occurrence and composition of sediments in the alluvial valley and deltaic plain of the lower Mississippi River. He also interpreted the processes by which the sediments were deposited and the relevance of tectonism in their history. These data provide site characterizations that are basic for all major categories of engineering. His work has found applications in better methods for control of the river, stabilizing its banks, locating sources of aggregate for concrete, management of groundwater, maintenance of wetlands, and generally for more reliable, timely and economical evaluations in selecting optimum site locations and determining foundation conditions. Since then, work in the Lower Mississippi Valley (LMV) has expanded enormously and continues to be greatly indebted to formative interpretations by Fisk.     

The first occurrence of platinum group minerals (PGM) in a chromite deposit in the Eastern Desert, Egypt

 The platinum-group mineralogy (PGM) of the chromitite from Gebel Lawi, in the southeastern desert has been investigated. The most abundant base metal sulfides (BMS) associated with the Lawi chromite are pentlandite, millerite and heazlewoodite. The major platinum-group minerals identified were as follows: laurite (IrOsRu)S2, osmian iridium (OsIr), hollingworthite (RhAsS), tellurian arsenopalladinite (PdTeSbAs), potarite (PdHg) besides cuprian palladian gold (CuPdAu), a Pd-Sb-Hg and HgTe phases. Laurite and osmian iridium occur preferentially in chromite. Os-Ir commonly forms composite PGM with laurite. Hollingworthite and tellurian arsenopalladinite are included within serpentine and, close to the base-metal sulfides, the cuprian palladian gold shares boundaries with chromite. Potarite together with the Pd-Sb-Hg and HgTe phases are embedded in serpentine. Palladium is the most abundant PGE in the Gebel Lawi chromite. A paragenetic sequence of PGM formation is described. Textural evidence indicates that Os-, Ir- and Ru-bearing PGM formed early and were followed by Rh- and Pd-bearing PGM. The concentration of all five PGE could be magmatic, but much of the PGE mineralogy except for laurite and osmian iridium in the center of chromite grains, has been modified by subsequent processes. At later stages, the environment became Te-, Sb-, As- and Hg-rich, which finally led to the formation of low-temperature alteration minerals. Received: 24 April 1995 / Accepted: 28 March 1996     

Biochemical and histological alterations in the prawn Macrobrachium lamerrei following exposure to automobile discharge

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), important constituents of petroleum products, are known to enter freshwater systems via industrial effluents. In the present study the possible toxicity of automobile effluent presumably containing PAH was demonstrated in the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lamarrei. The prawns were exposed for 1, 8, 15 and 28 days to two sublethal concentrations (0.75% and 3.75%) of automobile effluent. A decrease was noted in the total protein content in haemolymph and hepatopancreas of prawns exposed for 28 days to both these sublethal concentrations. SDS-PAGE revealed that the effluent caused reduction in high molecular weight proteins (106-90 kD) of the haemolymph. The exposure to automobile effluent resulted in changes in the lamellar structure of the gills and shrinkage of hepatopancreatic cell types. Thus it is imperative to discard such wastes carefully ensuring that there is no entry into aquatic ecosystems.author for correspondence