Late Quaternary vegetation changes around Lake Rutundu,Mount Kenya,East Africa: evidence from grass cuticles,pollen and stable carbon isotopes

Woody, subalpine shrubs and grasses currently surround Lake Rutundu, Mount Kenya. Multiple proxies, including carbon isotopes, pollen and grass cuticles, from a 755‐cm‐long core were used to reconstruct the vegetation over the past 38 300 calendar years. Stable carbon‐isotope ratios of total organic carbon and terrestrial biomarkers from the lake sediments imply that the proportion of terrestrial plants using the C₄ photosynthetic pathway was greater during the Late Pleistocene than in the Holocene. Pollen data show that grasses were a major constituent of the vegetation throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The proportion of grass pollen relative to the pollen from other plants was greatest at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Grass cuticles confirm evidence that C₄ grass taxa were present at the LGM and that the majority followed the cold‐tolerant NADP‐MEC₄ subpathway. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prospects for the William Herschel Telescope

René Rutten, Director of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, sets the scene for future developments in international astronomy on La Palma.     

Über den Eisengehalt von Alumosilikaten aus Quarzknauern

Zusammenfassung Der Eisengehalt von Andalusiten und Disthenen aus Quarzknauern im Gebiet des Ötztaler—Stubaier Altkristallins wurde regional untersucht. Der Gehalt and Gesamteisen in primären Disthen liegt zwischen 0,17 und 0,22 Gew.% Fe₂O₃, während primäre Andalusite zwischen 0,26 und 1,93 Gew.% Fe₂O₃ schwanken. Dieser Unterschied in den Andalusiten wird auf ein wechselndes Angebot von Fe₂O₃ aus dem Nachbargestein der Knauern zurückgeführt.Ein Zusammenhang zwischen dem Eisengehalt der Andalusite und den verschiedenen Umwandlungsstadien Andalusit—Disthen konnte nicht nachgewiesen werden.

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On the iron content of alumosilicates in quartz nodules

Summary A determination of the regional distribution of the ironcontent of andalusites and kyanites in quartz-segregations of the Oetztal—Stubai crystalline complex gave values of 0.17–0.22% for the total iron in primary kyanite and 0.26–1.93% in andalusite. This difference is probably due to a variation in the Fe₂O₃-content in the country rocks of the quartz veins. No relationship between the iron-content in andalusite and the different stages of transformation from andalusite to kyanite could be established.

     

Electron acceleration in solar flares

For the period September 1978 to December 1982 we have identified 55 solar flare particle events for which our instruments on board the ISEE-3 (ICE) spacecraft detected electrons above 10 MeV. Combining our data with those from the ULEWAT spectrometer (MPI Garching and University of Maryland) electron spectra in the range from 0.1 to 100 MeV were obtained. The observed spectral shapes can be divided into two classes. The spectra of the one class can be fit by a single power law in rigidity over the entire observed range. The spectra of the other class deviate from a power law, instead exhibiting a steepening at low rigidities and a flattening at high rigidities. Events with power-law spectra are associated with impulsive (<1 hr duration) soft X-ray emission, whereas events with hardening spectra are associated with long-duration (<1 hr) soft X-ray emission. The characteristics of long-duration events are consistent with diffusive shock acceleration taking place high in the corona. Electron spectra of short-duration flares are well reproduced by the distribution functions derived from a model assuming simultaneous second-order Fermi acceleration and Coulomb losses operating in closed flare loops.     

Stratigraphie und Fazies des Erzgebirgischen Kristallins im Rahmen des Mitteleuropäischen Varistikums

Zusammenfassung Es läßt sich zeigen, daß im erzgebirgischen Raum die jungalgonkische Serie des varistischen Sockels von der Petrofazies diskordant geschnitten wird. Im Bereich des erzgebirgischen Kristallins steigt die Amphibolitfazies beulenförmig bis an die Basis des varistischen Sedimenttroges auf. Mit diesem Aufstieg wird eine Granitbildung regionalen und lokalen Charakters als möglich in Verbindung gebracht.

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It can be demonstrated that the Upper Algonkian rocks of the Hercynian basement are disconformably cut by the petrofacies of the Erzgebirge. In the environment of crystallin rocks amphibolitic facies ascend to the bottom of the hercynian sedimentary trough. With this rise a granitisation of regional and locally restricted character might seem to be possible.

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Résumé On peut montrer que dans la région de l'Erzgebirge les couches de l'Algonkien supérieur du socle hercynien sont recoupées en discordance par le petrofacies. Dans le domaine du cristallin de l'Erzgebirge, le facies amphibolite a la forme d'un dûme atteignant la base de la fosse sédimentaire varisque. On croit pouvoir établir une relation entre la formation de granite à l'échelle régionale et locale et cette montée métamorphique.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c.Erich Bederke zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.