Magmatic versus metamorphic origin of olivine-plagioclase coronas

An SEM, REE, and mineral Sm-Nd isotope study on olivine-plagioclase coronas in the Vestre Dale gabbro, Norway, was carried out in order to solve the temporal relationships within these coronas. It is demonstrated that in contrast to common models, corona formation is a multistage, late-magmatic process, starting with the formation of orthopyroxene by (partial) dissolution of olivine, followed by the nucleation and rapid outward growth of orthopyroxene+spinel symplectites at its outer margin, and concluded by replacement of this precursory outer shell by calcic amphibole. Isotopic equilibrium between inner shell orthopyroxene and the magmatic assemblage, and the REE contents of orthopyroxene and outer shell amphibole also provide strong arguments for a magmatic origin, with the local availability of fractionated magma acting as a limiting factor. The absence of replacement of intercumulus clinopyroxene by amphibole also favours a late stage magmatic rather than a metamorphic origin for corona amphibole.     

Ultra-rapid earth rotation determination with VLBI during CONT11 and CONT14

We present earth rotation results from the ultra-rapid operations during the continuous VLBI campaigns CONT11 and CONT14. The baseline Onsala–Tsukuba, i.e., using two out of the 13 and 17 stations contributing to CONT11 and CONT14, respectively, was used to derive UT1-UTC in ultra-rapid mode during the ongoing campaigns. The latency between a new observation and a new UT1-UTC result was less than 10 min for more than 95% of the observations. The accuracy of the derived ultra-rapid UT1-UTC results is approximately a factor of three worse than results from optimized one-baseline sessions and/or complete analysis of large VLBI networks. This is, however, due to that the one-baseline picked from the CONT campaigns is not optimized for earth rotation determination. Our results prove that the 24/7 operation mode planned for VGOS, the next-generation VLBI system, is possible already today. However, further improvements in data connectivity of stations and correlators as well in the automated analysis are necessary to realize the ambitious VGOS plans.     

Complex structural pattern of the Alpine–Dinaridic–Pannonian triple junction

Due to the political boundaries between the Central European countries, on one hand, and the thick Tertiary cover in the Pannonian Basin, on the other, the eastward continuation of the Alpine and Dinaridic units has been ambiguous and poorly documented. Based on comparative analyses, the aim of the present paper is to define the pre-Tertiary structural units in the junction area of the Alpine, Dinaridic, and Pannonian regions, in the SW part of the Pannonian Basin, and to draw conclusions on the continuation of the Alpine and Dinaridic units. According to diagnostic characteristics of the Periadriatic Lineament system, the Balaton Lineament system may be considered as its direct eastern continuation. North of the Periadriatic–Balaton Lineament system, the Transdanubian Range Unit, due to its pre-Tertiary paleogeographic setting, shows mainly South Alpine facies relations; however, its present structural position is identical to that of the Upper Austroalpine nappes. Between the Periadriatic–Balaton and Zagreb–Zemplin Lineament systems heterogeneous structural units are juxtaposed, forming the Sava Composite Unit. In the northern part of this composite unit non-metamorphosed nappes occur which can be considered the eastern continuation of the South Alpine units. These nappes are overthrust onto Internal Dinaridic units in the Tertiary. The Zagreb–Zemplin (Mid-Hungarian) Lineament separates the Sava Unit from the Tisza Unit showing close affinity to the Tethyan margin of the Eurasian plate during the early stage of the Alpine evolution. Received: 1 June 1999 / Accepted: 14 March 2000     

Topographic forcing of tidal sandbar patterns for irregular estuary planforms

Estuaries typically show converging planforms from the sea into the land. Nevertheless, their planform is rarely perfectly exponential and often shows curvature and the presence of embayments. Here we test the degree to which the shapes and dimensions of tidal sandbars depend on estuary planform. We assembled a dataset with 35 estuary planforms and properties of 190 tidal bars to induce broad‐brush but significant empirical relations between channel planform, hydraulic geometry and bar pattern, and tested a linear stability theory for bar pattern. We found that the location where bars form is largely controlled by the excess width of a channel, which is calculated as the observed channel width minus the width of an ideal exponentially widening estuary. In general, the summed width of bars approximates the excess width as measured in the along‐channel variation of three estuaries for which bathymetry was available as well as for the local measurements in the 35 investigated estuaries. Bar dimensions can be predicted by either the channel width or the tidal prism, because channel width also strongly depends on local tidal prism. Also braiding index was predicted within a factor of 2 from excess width divided by the predicted bar width. Our results imply that estuary planform shape, including mudflats and saltmarsh as well as bar pattern, depend on inherited Holocene topography and lithology and that eventually convergent channels will form if sufficient sediment is available. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Active Galactic Nuclei

D01 Direct evidence of the receding ‘torus’ around active galactic nuclei of FRII radio galaxies and quasars D02 Infrared emission from a clumpy and dusty torus around AGN D03 Size and properties of AGN narrow–line regions from emission–line diagnostics D04 Structural Variability of Intraday Variable Sources D05 Stability of self‐gravitating accretion disks in galactic centers D06 Supermassive Binary Black Holes in AGN D07 The extreme flare in III Zw 2: Evolution of a radio jet in a Seyfert galaxy D08 Radio Linear and Circular Polarization from M81* D09 A fundamental relation between Supermassive Black Holes and Dark Matter Haloes D10 Hunting for radio‐quiet BL Lacs – the 2dF BL Lac survey D11 The Eddington limit in accretion discs D12 Molecular Tori in AGN: A search using excited states of OH D13 The X‐Ray Properties of Radio‐Loud Core‐Dominated AGN: The 2 cm‐X‐Sample D14 The X‐Ray Properties of Radio‐Loud Core‐Dominated AGN: Extension to the High Redshift Regime D15 Line Profile Variability in AGN D16 Jet Superwind Interaction D17 Radio Interferometric Observations of AGN – Probing the Nucleus of M87 with 20 Schwarzschild radii resolution D18 The ISO–2MASS AGN survey D19 Supermassive binary black holes driving the activity of galactic nuclei D20 Proton acceleration at quasi‐perpendicular shocks: A case study for Active Galactic Nuclei D21 Super‐luminal shocks in Active Galactic Nuclei D22 Unconventional quasars from the variability and proper motion survey D23 Radio observations of starburst and AGN activity in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies D24 Kinematics in Active Galactic Nuclei at Parsec Scales: the VLBA 2cm Survey D25 Three‐dimensional models of clumpy tori in Seyfert galaxies D26 Silicate emission in active galaxies ‐ From LINERs to QSOs D27 Discovery of 10 µm silicate emission in quasars. – Evidence of the AGN unification scheme. D28 Near‐IR adaptive optics imaging of luminous infrared galaxies D29 Interferometric observations of the Circinus galaxy with MIDI D30 Infrared Interferometry of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068     

Survival of refractory presolar grain analogs during Stardust‐like impact into Al foils: Implications for Wild 2 presolar grain abundances and study of the cometary fine fraction

We present results of FIB–TEM studies of 12 Stardust analog Al foil craters which were created by firing refractory Si and Ti carbide and nitride grains into Al foils at 6.05 km s^?1 with a light‐gas gun to simulate capture of cometary grains by the Stardust mission. These foils were prepared primarily to understand the low presolar grain abundances (both SiC and silicates) measured by SIMS in Stardust Al foil samples. Our results demonstrate the intact survival of submicron SiC, TiC, TiN, and less‐refractory Si₃N₄ grains. In small (<2 μm) craters that are formed by single grain impacts, the entire impacting crystalline grain is often preserved intact with minimal modification. While they also survive in crystalline form, grains at the bottom of larger craters (>5 μm) are typically fragmented and are somewhat flattened in the direction of impact due to partial melting and/or plastic deformation. The low presolar grain abundance estimates derived from SIMS measurements of large craters (mostly >50 μm) likely result from greater modification of these impactors (i.e., melting and isotopic dilution), due to higher peak temperatures/pressures in these crater impacts. The better survivability of grains in smaller craters suggests that more accurate presolar grain estimates may be achievable through measurement of such craters. It also suggests small craters can provide a complementary method of study of the Wild 2 fine fraction, especially for refractory CAI‐like minerals.     

Noise characteristics of an electromagnetic sea-ice thickness sounder on a fixed wing aircraft

In this paper, the noise sources of an airborne electromagnetic frequency domain instrument used to measure sea-ice thickness are studied. The antennas are mounted on the wings of an aircraft. The paper presents real data examples showing that strong noise limited the accuracy of the thickness measurement to ± 0.5 m in the best case. Even drift cor­rection and frequency ?ltering did not reduce the noise to a level necessary for sea ice thickness measurements with an accuracy of 0.1 m. We show results of 3D ?nite element modeling of the coupling between transmitter and receiver coils and the aircraft, which indicate that wing ?exure is the primary cause of the strong noise. Wing de?ection angles below 5° relative to the fuselage are large enough to cause changes higher than the wanted signal from the seawater under the ice. Wing ?exure noise can be divided into an inductive and geometric contribution, both of the same order. Most of the wing ?exure signal appears on the inphase component only, hence the quadrature component should be taken for sea ice thickness retrievals when wing ?exure is present even when the inphase produces a larger ocean sig­nal. Results also show that pitch and roll movements of the aircraft and electromagnetic coupling between seawater and aircraft can contribute signi?cantly to the total noise. For ?ight heights of 30 m over the ocean these effects can change the sig­nal by about 10% or more. For highly quantitative measurements like sea-ice thickness all these effects must be taken into account. We conclude that a ?xed wing electromagnetic instrument for the purpose of measure­ments in a centimeter scale must include instrumentation to measure the relative position of the antenna coils with an accuracy of 1/10 mm. Furthermore the antenna separation distance should be as large as possible in order to increase the measured ratio of secondary to primary magnetic field strength.     

A major widespread climatic change around 5300 cal. yr BP at the time of the Alpine Iceman

Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data from Arbon Bleiche, Lake Constance (Switzerland) give evidence of a rapid rise in lake‐level dated by tree‐ring and radiocarbon to 5320 cal. yr BP. This rise event was the latest in a series of three successive episodes of higher lake‐level between 5550 and 5300 cal. yr BP coinciding with glacier advance and tree‐limit decline in the Alps. This west‐central European climate change may have favoured the quick burial and the preservation of the Alpine Iceman recently found in the Tyrolean Alps. It has possible equivalents in many records from various regions in both hemispheres dating to 5600–5000 cal. yr BP and corresponds to global cooling and contrasting patterns of hydrological changes. This major mid‐Holocene climate event marks the Hypsithermal/Neoglaciation transition possibly resulting from a combination of different factors including orbital forcing, changes in ocean circulation and variations in solar activity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.