The late Holocene mollusc fauna of the Aral Sea and its biogeographical and ecological interpretation

The Aral Sea, in 1960 the fourth largest lake on Earth, has since experienced a catastrophic environmental change, which appears to be mainly a result of human impact. Here, we attempt to add to a better understanding of environmental changes during the last millennium by using fossil mollusc assemblages obtained from 10 sediment cores, which were taken by gravity coring in 1991. The biogeographical analysis demonstrates that no endemic molluscs have existed in the Aral Sea during the last 1000 years. The investigated taxa are of Caspian and Palaearctic origin. The molluscan biodiversity is much lower than previously assumed and particularly low for such a large lake, indicating unstable ecological conditions during the period investigated. Using comparative ecological analyses of thanatocoenoses and stable isotope ratios in gastropod shells, we conclude that the main lake level changes of the last millennium were strong and abrupt, showing relative high stands at about 1300 AD and 1650 AD.     

The first discovery of natural duralumin

The results of X-ray structural, electron-microscopic, and X-ray spectral microprobe studies of Al-based metal solid solutions that underwent nuclear disintegration and that were discovered in nature for the first time are presented. Based on the similarity to technical counterparts, it is suggested to recognize the previously unknown alloys as natural duralumin.     

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. III. Catastrophe of the Eruptive Filament at a Magnetic Null Point and Formation of an Opposite-Handedness CME

Our analysis in Papers I and II (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. 289, 289, 2014b and Solar Phys. 289, 1279, 2014c) of the 18 November 2003 solar event responsible for the 20 November geomagnetic superstorm has revealed a complex chain of eruptions. In particular, the eruptive filament encountered a topological discontinuity located near the solar disk center at a height of about 100 Mm, bifurcated, and transformed into a large cloud, which did not leave the Sun. Concurrently, an additional CME presumably erupted close to the bifurcation region. The conjectures about the responsibility of this compact CME for the superstorm and its disconnection from the Sun are confirmed in Paper IV (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. submitted, 2014a), which concludes about its probable spheromak-like structure. The present article confirms the presence of a magnetic null point near the bifurcation region and addresses the origin of the magnetic helicity of the interplanetary magnetic clouds and their connection to the Sun. We find that the orientation of a magnetic dipole constituted by dimmed regions with the opposite magnetic polarities away from the parent active region corresponded to the direction of the axial field in the magnetic cloud, while the pre-eruptive filament mismatched it. To combine all of the listed findings, we propose an intrinsically three-dimensional scheme, in which a spheromak-like eruption originates via the interaction of the initially unconnected magnetic fluxes of the eruptive filament and pre-existing ones in the corona. Through a chain of magnetic reconnections their positive mutual helicity was transformed into the self-helicity of the spheromak-like magnetic cloud.     

Structure of solar-wind streams at the maximum of solar cycle 23

We study the formation of solar-wind streams in the years of maximum solar activity 2000–2002. We use observations of the scattering of radio emission by solar-wind streams at distances of ～4–60R_S from the Sun, data on the magnetic field structure and strength in the source region (R ～ 2.5R_S), and observations with the LASCO coronagraph onboard the SOHO spacecraft. Analysis of these data allowed us to investigate the changes in the structure of circumsolar plasma streams during the solar maximum. We constructed radio maps of the solar-wind transition, transonic region in which the heliolatitudinal stream structure is compared with the structure of the white-light corona. We show that the heliolatitudinal structure of the white-light corona largely determines the structure of the solar-wind transition region. We analyze the correlation between the location of the inner boundary of the transition region R_in and the magnetic field strength on the source surface |B_R|. We discuss the peculiarities of the R_in = F(|B_R|) correlation diagrams that distinguish them from similar diagrams at previous phases of the solar cycle.     

First finds of Late Tithonian and middle-late Albian radiolarian assemblages in volcanogenic-siliceous rocks of the Amur River right lower reaches and their tectonic significance

The lithological-stratigraphic study of volcanogenic-siliceous rocks developed on the left side of the Machtovaya River, a right tributary of the Amur River, yielded the first radiolarian assemblages of the late Late Tithonian, the late Late Tithonian-early Valanginian, and the middle-late Albian age. It is established that the stratigraphic succession of volcanogenic-siliceous rocks in this area is composed of upper Tithonian-Valanginian dark red to red-brown cherts with basalts in the lower part of the section and Albian dark gray clayey cherts, olive-gray siliceous-tuffaceous argillites, and tufaceous siltstones in its upper part. The replacement of cherts by their clayey varieties likely occurred in the Aptian. The composition, structure, and age of these strata and the rocks constituting the Kiselevka-Manoma accretionary complex are different, which indicates their different tectonic origin.     

Pacific superplume-related oceanic basalts hosted by accretionary complexes of Central Asia, Russian Far East and Japan

Plume-related oceanic magmatism form oceanic islands, seamounts and plateaus (hereafter “seamounts” or “paleoseamounts”), which are important features in geological history. The accretion of oceanic seamounts to active continental margins significantly contributed to the formation of the continental crust. This paper reviews occurrences of Late Neoproterozoic–Mesozoic seamounts of the Paleo-Asian and Paleo-Pacific oceans, which are hosted by accretionary complexes (ACs) of Russian Altai, East Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russian Far East and Japan. The paleoseamounts commonly consist of Ti–LREE–Nb-enriched plume-related basalts (OIB-type or intraplate basalts) capped with massive limestone and associated with other units of oceanic plate stratigraphy (OPS): oceanic floor basalts (MORB), pelagic chert, epiclastic slope facies, etc. The paper presents available geochemical data on the plume-related basalts including the first geochemical data on the Middle Paleozoic OIB-type basalts of the Paleo-Asian Ocean hosted by the Ulaanbaatar AC of Mongolia. An emphasis is made for the structural setting of OPS units, specific geochemical features of intraplate basalts, problems of their identification, and distinguishing from magmatic units of a different origin such as MORB, island-arc and back-arc basalts. Finally, we propose a continuous, though periodical, evolution of the Pacific superplume-related magmatism, which can be more reliably proved by studying Middle Paleozoic OPS units hosted by ACs of Mongolia and Tien Shan, and discuss prospects of future studies.     

About the prominence heating mechanisms during its eruptive phase

Recent EUV observations reveal that the `image' of the prominence overlaying coronal emission sometimes suddenly changes from absorption of EUV radiation to emission during the eruptive phase. This change reveals fast heating of the plasma within the prominence. We propose a kinetic mechanism of heating the fluid particles that transforms magnetic energy of the pre-eruptive magnetic configuration stored in the filament electric current into heat through collision processes of counteracting flows. The shape of the flux that the filament is made of should include upward concave segments to provide the counter flows within the erupting prominence. A typical twisted flux rope easily meets this requirement. Gas dynamic calculations are offered in addition to permit a quantitative evaluation of the relevant parameters and their time variations.     

Accuracy estimates for some global analytical models of the Earth’s main magnetic field on the basis of data on gradient magnetic surveys at stratospheric balloons

Two global analytical models of the main magnetic field of the Earth (MFE) have been used to determine their potential in deriving an anomalous MFE from balloon magnetic surveys conducted at altitudes of ～30 km. The daily mean spherical harmonic model (DMSHM) constructed from satellite data on the day of balloon magnetic surveys was analyzed. This model for the day of magnetic surveys was shown to be almost free of errors associated with secular variations and can be recommended for deriving an anomalous MFE. The error of the enhanced magnetic model (EMM) was estimated depending on the number of harmonics used in the model. The model limited by the first 13 harmonics was shown to be able to lead to errors in the main MFE of around 15 nT. The EMM developed to n = m = 720 and constructed on the basis of satellite and ground-based magnetic data fails to adequately simulate the anomalous MFE at altitudes of 30 km. To construct a representative model developed to m = n = 720, ground-based magnetic data should be replaced by data of balloon magnetic surveys for altitudes of ～30 km. The results of investigations were confirmed by a balloon experiment conducted by Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radio Wave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Moscow Aviation Institute.     

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. IV. Unusual Magnetic Cloud and Overall Scenario

The geomagnetic superstorm of 20 November 2003 with Dst=?422 nT, one of the most intense in history, is not well understood. The superstorm was caused by a moderate solar eruptive event on 18 November, comprehensively studied in our preceding Papers I?–?III. The analysis has shown a number of unusual and extremely complex features, which presumably led to the formation of an isolated right-handed magnetic-field configuration. Here we analyze the interplanetary disturbance responsible for the 20 November superstorm, compare some of its properties with the extreme 28?–?29 October event, and reveal a compact size of the magnetic cloud (MC) and its disconnection from the Sun. Most likely, the MC had a spheromak configuration and expanded in a narrow angle of ≤?14^°. A very strong magnetic field in the MC up to 56 nT was due to the unusually weak expansion of the disconnected spheromak in an enhanced-density environment constituted by the tails of the preceding ICMEs. Additional circumstances favoring the superstorm were i) the exact impact of the spheromak on the Earth’s magnetosphere and ii) the almost exact southward orientation of the magnetic field, corresponding to the original orientation in its probable source region near the solar disk center.     

The initial trajectories of eruptive solar prominences

Trajectories of eruptive prominences are compared with the shapes of coronal neutral surfaces calculated in a potential approximation using photospheric measurements. Space-based Solar Dymamics Observatory and STEREO observations carried out at different viewing angles enable a precise determination of a prominence’s position at successive times during its eruption. In the initial segments of their trajectories, eruptive prominences move along neutral surfaces (B_r = 0) of the potential coronal magnetic field. This can be used to predict the directions of subsequent coronal mass ejections and to estimate their geoefficiency.