Red dust rain within the Spanish Mediterranean area

Dust rain belongs to the climatological conditions of the Iberian Peninsula's Mediterranean seaboard. Traditionally known as muddy' or bloody rains, red dust rain has become a topical issue as a result of more frequent rainfall of this kind in recent years. In spite of the difficulties that studying this phenomenon involves, owing to the lack of systematically kept records at meteorological observatories, details are provided of the high frequency of such phenomena within the Spanish Mediterranean area, using records from other phenological sources. The study analyzes the chemical composition of red dust rain and the atmospheric factors giving rise to such phenomena. Whether there is a relationship betwen the higher frequency of dust rain and possible changes in global atmospheric circulation is as yet unclear.     

The role of bathymetry and directional wave conditions on observed crescentic bar dynamics

Nearshore sandbars are important features in the surf zone of many beaches because they strongly influence the mean circulation and evolving morphology. Due to variations in wave conditions, sandbars can experience cross-shore migration and vary in shape from alongshore uniform (shore-parallel) to alongshore rhythmic (crescentic). Sandbar dynamics have been studied extensively, but existing observational studies usually do not quantify the processes leading to crescentic bar formation and straightening. This study analyses the dynamics of crescentic bar events at the fetch-limited beach of Castelldefels (northwestern Mediterranean Sea, Spain) using 7.5 years of hourly time-exposure video images and detailed wave conditions. The results show that, despite the generally calm wave conditions, the sandbars were very dynamic in the cross-shore and longshore directions. They often migrated rapidly offshore during storms (up to 70 m in one day) and more slowly onshore during post-storm conditions. Crescentic bars were often present at the study site (48% of the time), but only when the sandbar was at least 10 m from the shoreline. They displayed a large variability in wavelengths (100–700 m), alongshore migration speeds (0–50 m/day) and cross-shore amplitudes (5–20 m). Wavelengths increased for larger bar–shoreline distances and the alongshore migration speeds were strongly correlated with the alongshore component of the radiation stresses. Crescentic patterns typically developed during low–medium energetic waves with limited obliquity ( $\theta \lesssim 20$° at 10 m depth), while bar straightening occurred during medium–high energetic waves with strong oblique angles of incidence ( $\theta \gtrsim 15$°). Overall, this study provides further proof for the important role of wave direction in crescentic bar dynamics and highlights the strong dependence of crescentic bar development on the initial bathymetric configuration.     

Periodic orbits of an electric charge in a magnetic dipole field

Periodic orbits in the Stormer problem are studied using the symmetry lines of the Poincaré map introduced by De Vogelaere. Many known facts are explained by mean of these lines. The dynamics of four special symmetry lines when the Stormer parameter ₁ changes is presented, and we obtain a clear global view of the structure of the simple periodic orbits and their bifurcations, including the asymmetrical ones. New asymmetrical multiple periodic orbits are obtained.     

New insight on the rapid rotator HD 199178

Optical spectra were obtained of the rapidly rotating star HD 199178 to analyze the H profile. Excess emission was derived by subtracting a comparison star spectrum. The H line fluxes variability is stressed together with the discussion of this and previous data in the context of the surface phenomena for the FK Com family of stars.Paper presented at the 1th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary, Islands, Spain.     

Observations of Jupiter at 26.3 MHz using a large array

A 640 element phase-steerable dipole array has been used to make highly sensitive observations of the planet Jupiter during the 1973 apparition. The satellite Io is found to have very little influence at the low flux levels, whereas the definition of sources A and B appears to be relatively flux independent. A two-dimensional analysis of the data in the Jupiter-Io plane has revealed considerable source B activity at low intensities which is not influenced by Io.     

The “El Pilote” fluorite skarn: A crucial deposit in the understanding and interpretation of the origin and mobilization of F from northern Mexico deposits

Fluorite deposits are widespread in northern Mexico and those deposits have traditionally been categorized as exclusively hydrothermal–magmatic in origin. Recently, two different fluorite-bearing type models have been proposed for the Northern Mexican deposits: (1) MVT-like deposits formed from basinal brines mobilized during the Laramide Orogeny (La Encantada deposit, Gonzalez-Partida et al., [Gonzalez-Partida, E., Carrillo-Chavez, A., Grimmer, J.O.W., Pironon, J., 2002. Petroleum-rich fluid inclusions in fluorite, Purisima mine, Coahuila, Mexico. International Geological Review 44 (8), 751–763.]; Tritlla et al., [Tritlla, J., Gonzalez-Partida, E., Levresse, G., Banks, D., Pironon, J., 2004. Fluorite deposits at Encantada-Buenavista, Mexico: products of Mississippi Valley type processes — a reply. Ore Geology Reviews 25, 329–332.]); and (2) fluorite-bearing skarns in close contact with rhyolite intrusives (Levinson, [Levinson, A.A., 1962. Beryllium–fluorine mineralization at Aguachile Mountain, Coahuila, Mexico. American Mineralogist 47, 67–75.]). The El Pilote fluorite deposit falls into the second category, and is the only known example of a magmatic-related fluorite deposit in the area. The fluorite trace-element patterns from both the El Pilote skarn and La Encantada MVT deposits display comparable and very low relative abundances as well as comparable chondrite-normalized REE patterns; this would suggest that the skarn F-source comes from the remobilization of a MVT fluorite manto.     

Enregistrement de la variabilité hydroclimatique au cours des 6500 dernières années sur le littoral de Cabo Frio (Rio de Janeiro,Brésil)

This study concerns a core collected in Brejo do Espinho's lagoon from Cabo Frio littoral (Brazil) submitted to dry influence of local upwelling controlled by north-east trade winds from the South Atlantic and particularly strengthened during El Niño events. Diatoms study supported by sedimentological and isotopic analyses shows dry phases infrequent before 4000 yr, a highly variable climatic phase between 3600 and 2900 yr and from 2400 yr onward a dryness enhancement. To cite this article: B. Laslandes et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Oxydation expérimentale de Fe-tourmalines et corrélation avec une déprotonation des groupes hydroxyleAnnealing in oxidising conditions of Fe-tourmalines and correlated deprotonation of OH groups

Annealing at 400?T?600 °C (40?P?60 MPa and HM buffer-controlled f(O₂)) of tourmalines synthesised at the same T and P with NNO buffer induces an oxidation of Fe²⁺ into Fe³⁺ in some Y sites only (Mössbauer Spectroscopy data). Annealing in the same conditions of natural tourmalines is consistent with these results. FTIR spectroscopy shows that oxidation of Fe²⁺ into Fe³⁺ is charge-balanced by deprotonation of the external OH₍₃₎ groups. To cite this article: Y. Fuchs et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 245–249.     

Le Bassin lusitanien (Portugal) à l'Aptien supérieur–Albien : organisation séquentielle,proposition de corrélations, évolutionThe Lusitanian Basin (Portugal) during the late Aptian–Albian: sequential arrangement,proposal of correlations,evolution

. Three transgressive–regressive 2nd-order cycles were identified in the Upper Aptian–Albian fluvial and marine deposits of the Lusitanian Basin. Its widespread nature, probably including eustatic origin, allows correlation between the southern package, with precise stratigraphic positioning, and the northern series with a poorly constrained age. The main unconformities can be related to the onset of an oceanic crust, in the western margin of Galicia during the Late Aptian, in the bay of Biscay during the Early Albian, and, to the northwest of the Galicia triple point, during the Middle to Late Albian transition, and, at the Albian–Cenomanian boundary, to a probable compressive event with Africa due to the rotation of Iberia. To cite this article: J. Dinis et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 757–764.