The early despinning of the Sun

It is shown that if the Sun passed through a T Tauri stage, then a mass loss of only 15% would be sufficient to despin the Sun to an angular velocity of 0 (10^–5 rad/sec) at 10⁷ years without the additional braking effect of an enhanced magnetic field. Thus the present Sun could have a core rotating at most ten times faster than its surface.     

Standards for multilateral and worldwide exchange of geothermal data

Standards for the exchange of machine-readable data are discussed at five levels covering (1) physical characteristics of the medium used in the exchange, (2) overall structure of the data file, (3) format of individual records, (4) types of information contained in a record, and (5) authority files for information definition. The standards are used by the National Geothermal information Resource for compilations of geothermal energy data.This paper was presented at the International Geological Correlation Program (IGCP) Project 98 entitled Standards for Computer Applications in Resource Studies held at Loen, Norway, September 27–October 1, 1976.     

Premières datations directes de défrichements protohistoriques sur les chaumes secondaires des Vosges (Rossberg,Haut-Rhin). Approche pédoanthracologique

The age of the upland grasslands of the Vosges Mountains is still not well known. On the basis of the study of historical archives, it was assumed that the forest clearings, which led to grasslands establishment, were done by the monks who colonized the Vosges valleys between the 7th and the 8th centuries. Our pedo-anthracological study raises questions about this hypothesis, based on the discovery of Juniperus communis charcoal in soils from the 2nd or 1st century BC. This plant specie is characteristic of grasslands developing into fallows. The occurrence of Juniperus communis charcoals indicates that upland grasslands did exist at least 800 years earlier than it was expected before our study, i.e. at least since the late Iron Age. To cite this article: D. Schwartz et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Cooling history of lunar Mg-suite gabbronorite 76255, troctolite 76535 and Stillwater pyroxenite SC-936: The record in exsolution and ordering in pyroxenes

We have determined cooling rates of orthopyroxene crystals from two Mg-suite lunar samples (gabbronorite 76255 and troctolite 76535) and one terrestrial sample (orthopyroxenite SC-936 from the Stillwater Complex), on the basis of their Fe–Mg ordering states. In addition, a cooling rate of 76255 was determined by modeling the formation of exsolution lamellae in pyroxenes. The M1–M2 site occupancies of the orthopyroxene crystals were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and the rate constant for the ordering reaction was used along with calibrations of the equilibrium intracrystalline fractionation of Fe and Mg as a function of temperature to calculate cooling rates. The closure temperatures (T_C) of cation ordering are 525 °C for 76255, 500 °C for 76535 and 350 °C for SC-936 corresponding to cooling rates of 4 × 10⁻² °C/year at the closure temperature for the lunar samples and 10⁻⁶ °C/year for the Stillwater sample. A cooling rate for 76255, determined by simulating the exsolution process, is 1.7 × 10⁻² °C/year at a closure temperature for exsolution of 700 °C. The Fe–Mg ordering cooling rate determined for 76535 reflects a complex thermal history superimposed on the initial plutonic provenance established for this sample [McCallum, I.S., Schwartz, J.M., 2001. Lunar Mg suite: thermobarometry and petrogenesis of parental magmas. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 27969–27983]. The preservation of a crystallization age of 4.51 Ga and a metamorphic age of 4.25 Ga for 76535 is consistent with a model in which excavation of this sample from the lower lunar crust took place while the sample was at a temperature above the closure temperatures for the Sm–Nd, U–Pb and Ar–Ar isotopic systems. Temperatures in excess of the isotopic closure temperatures (i.e., >600 °C) in the lower lunar crust were maintained by heat diffusing from concentrations of U- and Th-rich KREEP material at the base of the crust. On the other hand, 76255 formed at a much shallower depth in the lunar crust (2 km) and was well below its isotopic closure temperatures at the time of excavation, most likely during the Serenitatis basin-forming impact event. Both lunar samples were reheated during transport to the surface and deposition in hot ejecta blankets. The reheating was short lived but apparently sufficient to redistribute Fe and Mg in M sites in orthopyroxenes. For the lunar samples, the cooling rates based on Fe–Mg ordering represent final stage cooling within an ejecta blanket.     

Stochastic inversion of pressure and saturation changes from time-lapse multi component data

Knowledge about saturation and pressure distributions in a reservoir can help in determining an optimal drainage pattern, and in deciding on optimal well designs to reduce risks of blow‐outs and damage to production equipment. By analyzing time‐lapse PP AVO or time‐lapse multicomponent seismic data, it is possible to separate the effects of production related saturation and pressure changes on seismic data. To be able to utilize information about saturation and pressure distributions in reservoir model building and simulation, information about uncertainty in the estimates is useful. In this paper we present a method to estimate changes in saturation and pressure from time‐lapse multicomponent seismic data using a Bayesian estimation technique. Results of the estimations will be probability density functions (pdfs), giving immediate information about both parameter values and uncertainties. Linearized rock physical models are linked to the changes in saturation and pressure in the prior probability distribution. The relationship between the elastic parameters and the measured seismic data is described in the likelihood model. By assuming Gaussian distributed prior uncertainties the posterior distribution of the saturation and pressure changes can be calculated analytically. Results from tests on synthetic seismic data show that this method produces more precise estimates of changes in effective pressure than a similar methodology based on only PP AVO time‐lapse seismic data. This indicates that additional information about S‐waves obtained from converted‐wave seismic data is useful for obtaining reliable information about the pressure change distribution.     

EIDOSCOPE: particle acceleration at plasma boundaries

We describe the mission concept of how ESA can make a major contribution to the Japanese Canadian multi-spacecraft mission SCOPE by adding one cost-effective spacecraft EIDO (Electron and Ion Dynamics Observatory), which has a comprehensive and optimized plasma payload to address the physics of particle acceleration. The combined mission EIDOSCOPE will distinguish amongst and quantify the governing processes of particle acceleration at several important plasma boundaries and their associated boundary layers: collisionless shocks, plasma jet fronts, thin current sheets and turbulent boundary layers. Particle acceleration and associated cross-scale coupling is one of the key outstanding topics to be addressed in the Plasma Universe. The very important science questions that only the combined EIDOSCOPE mission will be able to tackle are: 1) Quantitatively, what are the processes and efficiencies with which both electrons and ions are selectively injected and subsequently accelerated by collisionless shocks? 2) How does small-scale electron and ion acceleration at jet fronts due to kinetic processes couple simultaneously to large scale acceleration due to fluid (MHD) mechanisms? 3) How does multi-scale coupling govern acceleration mechanisms at electron, ion and fluid scales in thin current sheets? 4) How do particle acceleration processes inside turbulent boundary layers depend on turbulence properties at ion/electron scales? EIDO particle instruments are capable of resolving full 3D particle distribution functions in both thermal and suprathermal regimes and at high enough temporal resolution to resolve the relevant scales even in very dynamic plasma processes. The EIDO spin axis is designed to be sun-pointing, allowing EIDO to carry out the most sensitive electric field measurements ever accomplished in the outer magnetosphere. Combined with a nearby SCOPE Far Daughter satellite, EIDO will form a second pair (in addition to SCOPE Mother-Near Daughter) of closely separated satellites that provides the unique capability to measure the 3D electric field with high accuracy and sensitivity. All EIDO instrumentation are state-of-the-art technology with heritage from many recent missions. The EIDOSCOPE orbit will be close to equatorial with apogee 25-30 RE and perigee 8-10 RE. In the course of one year the orbit will cross all the major plasma boundaries in the outer magnetosphere; bow shock, magnetopause and magnetotail current sheets, jet fronts and turbulent boundary layers. EIDO offers excellent cost/benefits for ESA, as for only a fraction of an M-class mission cost ESA can become an integral part of a major multi-agency L-class level mission that addresses outstanding science questions for the benefit of the European science community.     

Modelling radionuclide transport in large fractured-media systems: the example of Forsmark, Sweden

The planned high-level nuclear waste repository at Forsmark, Sweden, will accommodate 6,824 containers with a total of 13,920 tonnes of uranium in burnt fuel at approximately 400 m depth in a fractured-granite aquifer. The transport of radionuclides, which may be released from the disposed waste, is simulated with the TOUGHREACT code for a three-dimensional model with 305,571 elements. The model performs coupled flow-transport simulations. It aims to achieve more realistic simulations of contaminant transport than the commonly used decoupled procedure consisting of three-dimensional flow and one-dimensional transport simulations. The model has a relatively small problem size because it is designed as a double-porosity model (one matrix continuum) that is the parameterised equivalent of a much larger multiple-interacting continua (MINC) model, i.e. a model with a finely discretised matrix (several matrix continua). The parameterisation is performed with two-dimensional models. Only one or two variables among three variables (diffusive transport distance between fracture and matrix, retardation factor and effective diffusivity) have to be parameterised. The results obtained with the parameterised three-dimensional model are very close to those that can be obtained with a much larger MINC model but may be quite different from those that can be obtained with the conventional decoupled procedure.     

Modeling land surface phenology in a mixed temperate forest using MODIS measurements of leaf area index and land surface temperature

The development of satellite-derived vegetation indices and metrics has enabled researchers to monitor land surface phenology (LSP). While the use of satellite data to monitor LSP is prevalent, there has been minimal effort to model LSP in temperate climates using satellite observations of the land surface. Satellite-derived LSP models are beneficial for studying past and future changes in phenology and related ecosystem processes (e.g., water, energy, and carbon fluxes). The purpose of this study was to model LSP during the spring in a mixed temperate forest using satellite-derived measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and land surface temperature (LST). As part of the model validation process, the use of LST as a proxy for air temperature to model LSP was also investigated. The results indicate that LST derived from the MODIS Terra sensor at 10:30?a.m. (local solar time) can be used to develop a LSP model that predicts the full profile of LAI from winter dormancy to maturity and the date when LAI reaches half of the annual maximum (LAI_50%) with relatively low error. In addition, the modeled LAI values closely tracked in situ observations of the phenological development of the dominant deciduous tree species located in the study area where the model was developed. A comparison of LST and daily maximum air temperature at two levels above the ground surface revealed distinct differences and nonlinearities in the relationship between these two variables. However, accumulated growing degree-days calculated from each of these variables were similar because the largest differences between LST and daily maximum air temperature occurred prior to the beginning of heat accumulation. Consequently, the model predictions of LAI_50% derived from the use of LST and daily maximum air temperature were similar. When the developed model was applied in two other mixed forests, the errors were larger due to substantial interannual variability in the relationship between LAI and heat accumulation and systematic differences in this relationship between sites. Although the model cannot be successfully applied in these other mixed forests, the ability of the model to capture a consistent relationship between satellite estimates of LAI and LST in the study area where it was developed demonstrates that satellite observations of the land surface can be used in certain locations to create LSP phenology models. When validated, the models can be used to examine past and future changes in phenology and related ecosystem processes.     

Early Mesoproterozoic evolution of midcontinental Laurentia: Defining the geon 14 Baraboo orogeny

New geochronologic data from midcontinental Laurentia demonstrate that emplacement of the 1476-1470 Ma Wolf River granitic batholith was not an isolated igneous event,but was accompanied by regional metamorphism,deformation,and sedimentation.Evidence for such metamorphism and deformation is best seen in siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Baraboo Interval,which were deposited closely following the1.65-1.63 Ga Mazatzal orogeny.In Baraboo Interval strata,muscovite parallel to slatey cleavage,in hydrothermal veins,in quartzite breccia,and in metamorphosed paleosol yielded ~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar plateau age s of 1493-1465 Ma.In addition,U-Th-total Pb dating of neoblastic overgrowths on detrital monazite gave an age of 1488±20 Ma,and recrystallized hematite in folded metapelite gave a mean U/Th-He age of 1411± 39 Ma.Post-Baraboo,arkosic polymictic conglomerate,which contains detrital zircon with a minimum peak age of 1493 Ma,was intruded by a 1470 Ma granite porphyry at the northeastern margin of the Wolf River batholith.This episode of magmatism,regional deformation and metamorphism,and sedimentation,which is designated herein as the Baraboo orogeny,provides a midcontinental link between the Picuris orogeny to the southwe st and the Pinware orogeny to the northeast,completing the extent of early Mesoproterozoic(Calymmian) orogenesis for 5000 km along the southern margin of Laurentia.This transcontinental orogen is unique among Precambrian orogenies for its great width(～1600 km),the predominance of ferroan granites derived from partial melting of lower continental crust,and the prevalence of re gional high T-P metamorphism related to advective heating by granitic magmas emplaced in the middle to upper crust.     

Exploring the past through lynchet landscapes in the Vosges Mountains and the Lorraine Plateau (France)

Lynchets are ridges formed by erosion and sediment accumulation downstream of agricultural plots and offer valuable insights into past agricultural activity. These microtopographies cover vast areas and serve as indicators of historical changes in land use. As a result, their ubiquity across Europe makes them particularly interesting. In this study, we propose a geoarchaeological approach to analyze six lynchets, four in the Vosges Mountains and two on the Lorraine Plateau (France). The lynchets can be considered soil archives with no stratigraphic organization or chronological sequence from bottom to top, making it difficult to determine the age of the lynchets and identify changes in land use over time. To this end, we propose the analysis of historical and geo-historical archives combined with the “pedosedimentary” archives of lynchets through charcoal identification and dating combined with near-infrared spectroscopy to determine the age, vegetation, and past land use changes associated with lynchet landscapes. By combining these multiple data sources, we are better able to show the chronological development of these ancient agricultural systems and uncover valuable information on landscape history. Charcoal dating suggests a higher frequency of fires from the Middle Ages. The dating aligns with the regional dynamics of anthropogenic fires, indicating a potential use of fire for cultural purposes. We also demonstrate the difficulty of extrapolating the dating of a lynchet to the entire lynchet system. Our results highlight the difficulties of interpreting the formation and dating of lynchets and the lynchet system on the sole basis of charcoal analysis. However, we highlight the value of applying pedoanthracology to lynchets to determine the dynamics of land use change in former fields.