Controls on the evolution and demise of Lower Carboniferous carbonate platforms,northern margin of the Dublin Basin,Ireland

Shallow water platform limestones of the Chadian–Asbian Milverton Group are restricted to the north-eastern part of the Lower Carboniferous (Dinantian) Dublin Basin. Here, they are confined to two granite-cored fault blocks, the Kentstown and Balbriggan Blocks, known to have been active during the late Dinantian. Three areas of platform sedimentation are delimited (the Kentstown, Drogheda and Milverton areas), although in reality they probably formed part of a single carbonate platform. Resedimented submarine breccias and calciturbidites (Fingal Group) composed of shallow water allochems and intraclasts sourced from the platform accumulated, along with terrigenous muds, in the surrounding basinal areas. Sedimentological evidence suggests that the Kentstown and Balbriggan Blocks possessed tilt-block geometries and developed during an episode of basin-wide extensional faulting in late Chadian time. Rotation of the blocks during extension resulted in the erosion of previously deposited sequences in footwall areas and concomitant drowning of distal hangingwall sequences. Antithetic faults on the northern part of the Balbriggan Block aided the preferential subsidence of the Drogheda area and accounts for the anomously thick sequence of late Chadian platform sediments present there. Continued subsidence and/or sea-level rise in the late Chadian–early Arundian resulted in transgression of the Kentstown and Balbriggan Blocks; carbonate ramps developed on the hangingwall dip slopes and transgressed southward with time. Subsequent progradation and aggradation of shallow water sediments throughout the Arundian to Asbian led to the development of carbonate shelves. Several coarse conglomeratic intervals within the contemporaneous basinal sequences of the Fingal Group attest to periodic increases of sediment influx associated with the development of the shelves. Sedimentological processes controlled the development of the carbonate platforms on the hangingwall dip slopes of the Kentstown and Balbriggan Blocks, though periodic increases of sediment flux into the basinal areas may have been triggered by eustatic falls in sea level. In contrast, differential subsidence along the bounding faults of these blocks exerted a strong control on the margins of the late Dinantian shelves, maintaining relatively steep slopes and inhibiting the progradation of the shelves into the adjacent basins. Tectonically induced collapse and retreat of the platform margins occurred in the late Asbian–early Brigantian. Platform sediments are overlain by coarse-grained proximal basinal facies which fine upwards before passing into a thick shale sequence, indicating that by the late Brigantian carbonate production had almost stopped as the platforms were drowned.     

A technique for computing geoid height anomalies over two-dimensional earth models

Summary A technique is presented for calculating geoid height anomalies over two-dimensional models of Earth structure. The method consists of convolving gravity anomalies over the structure with filters which take into account the finite size of the structure in the third dimension and the curvature of the Earth. Similar filters are also developed for a flat earth case. The method is applied to a sea-surface gravity profile crossing the Tonga-Kermadec trench and is found to give good agreement with a Geos-3 radar altimetry profile in the same region. The example demonstrates that introducing arbitrary offsets in computing gravity anomalies can result in spurious long-wavelength effects in the computed geoid. Comparison of the results obtained using flat earth and spherical earth filters suggests that the effects of the curvature of the Earth only become significant for wavelengths in the gravity field greater than about 1000 km.     

Gulfwatch: monitoring spatial and temporal patterns of trace metal and organic contaminants in the Gulf of Maine (1991-1997) with the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis L

Gulfwatch, established in 1991, is an international contaminant monitoring program in which the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is used as an indicator of the level and extent of contamination in the Gulf of Maine. Since 1991, trace metals, PAHs, PCBs, and OC pesticides have been measured in mussel tissues at 56 sites. The distribution of most metals was relatively uniform throughout the Gulf with the exception of Ag, Pb and Cr. However, the concentration of organic contaminants increased in a north-to-south direction. High concentrations of contaminants were correlated with large human population density and proximity to large rivers. Temporal analysis of five sites revealed that the majority of contaminant concentrations were either unchanged or decreasing. The concentrations of most contaminants were lower than the median of the National Status and Trends (NS & T) Mussel Watch with the exceptions of Cr, Hg, Pb and sigma PCB24. Hg concentrations at > 80% of the Gulfwatch sites exceeded the NS & T median +1 SD. Gulfwatch continues as a primary contaminant monitoring program in the Gulf of Maine.     

Numerical modeling of the development of a preferentially leached layer on feldspar surfaces

Compositional depth profiles in the leached layer of feldspar surfaces are usually interpreted by using analytical solutions which introduce oversimplifying assumptions. Here we present a general multicomponent interdiffusion numerical model for simulating cation release from a preferentially leached layer on feldspar surfaces in acid solutions. The numerical model takes into account interdiffusion, dissolution of the solid phase (represented by a moving boundary problem), and adsorption in the leached layer. Effective diffusion coefficients of ions vary with concentration along the leached layer. Governing equations of ions diffusion in the leached layer are solved numerically with a finite element method implemented in a multicomponent reactive transport code, CORE^3D, previously verified against analytical solutions of compositional depth profiles. The numerical model is tested with published X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data on early development of compositional profiles of labradorite leached in pH 2 HCl solutions. Model parameters are estimated by fitting depth profiles of Ca and Al measured at 12, 26, 48, 72, and 143 h. The best fit is achieved with tracer diffusion coefficients of 4 × 10⁻¹⁸, 8 × 10⁻¹⁷, 3.4 × 10⁻¹⁷, and 7 × 10⁻¹⁸ cm²/s for H, Na, Ca, and Al, respectively, which fall within the range of values reported in the literature. Our estimate of the retreat velocity corresponding to the dissolution rate is 3 × 10⁻¹³ cm/s. Results of sensitivity runs show that computed compositional profiles are sensitive to most model parameters.     

Disequilibrium partial melting experiments on the Leedey L6 chondrite: Textural controls on melting processes

Abstract— A series of experiments were designed to investigate the textural and compositional changes that take place during disequilibrium partial melting of chondritic material. Chips of the L6 chondrite, Leedey, were heated at 1200 °C and log ?O₂ = IW‐1 for durations of 1 h to 21 days. We observed a progression of kinetically‐controlled textural changes in melt and restite minerals and changes in the liquidus mineralogy in response to factors such as volatile loss. During the course of the experiments, both olivine and orthopyroxene recrystallized at different times. Rare relic chondrules could still be identified after 21 days. The silicate melts that form are very heterogeneous, in terms of both major and trace element chemistry, reflecting heterogeneity of the localized mineral assemblage, particularly with respect to phosphates and clinopyroxene. Metal‐sulfide melts formed in short‐duration runs are also heterogeneous. The experimental data are relevant to aspects of the genesis of primitive achondrites such as the acapulcoites. The observed textures are consistent with a model for acapulcoite petrogenesis in which silicate melting was limited to only a few volume percent of the chondritic source rock. The experiments are also relevant to the behavior of chondritic material that has been partially melted in an impact environment.     

Balloon observations of the 86 OH band in the day and night airglow

OH day and night airglow intensity variations were measured with a three-channel balloon-borne i.r. photometer in four separate flights from southern France in June 1970 and June 1971. The nightglow intensity showed a minimum at some time between midnight and 0200 hr local mean time followed by a steady increase until the end of the night. In all four flights a rapid pre-sunrise decrease in intensity was observed at a solar elevation of ?6°. The dayglow intensities increased slowly after sunrise with the emission reaching half its pre-dawn value near a solar elevation of 36°. The morning twilight observations are compared with other observations and with theoretical predictions.     

Comments on the paper: Diurnal,annual and solar cycle variations of hydroxyl and sodium nightglow intensities in the Europe-Africa sector

Night-time variations of the OH nightglow intensity reported by Wiens and Weill are compared with the theoretical predictions of a number of models. The behaviour of this emission agrees better with the theoretical one for locations in the equatorial zone but becomes more variable and less predictable for mid-latitude stations. It is calculated that, as a result of an increase of the eddy diffusion coefficient K, the OH emission can deviate from the typical night-time variation and increase by a factor as high as 2 if K is multiplied by 10. It is suggested that the eddy diffusion coefficient in the upper atmosphere is lower and undergoes lower amplitude variations in the equatorial zone than in the mid-latitude regions.     

Climate change, patch choice, and intensification at Pont d'Ambon (Dordogne, France) during the Younger Dryas

This paper considers the impact of the Younger Dryas on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon, a site in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, through an examination of the zooarchaeological remains from this site. An investigation of patch choice indicates that patch choice evenness declines during the Younger Dryas due to increasing local dominance of the grassland patch. Analyses of demographic composition, cutmark frequency, and marrow processing in the wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) assemblage suggest intensified rabbit use during this period. This study thus supports the hypothesis that changing climate had significant impacts on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon. However, the traditional climate hypothesis—that changing climate negatively impacted the availability of larger fauna, forcing a switch to smaller, lower-ranked prey items—is not supported here. The inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon seem to have adapted to changing climate by efficiently exploiting the new species available to them, and possibly, during the Younger Dryas, by intensifying their use of one of these new species, the European rabbit.     

北京PM10的生物活性与微量元素的相关性研究

在使用质粒DNA评价法对北京PM₁₀的生物活性进行研究的基础上, 结合PM₁₀中微量元素分析结果, 探讨了PM₁₀对质粒DNA产生损伤的原因. 研究表明北京不同季节、不同地区PM₁₀对DNA的氧化性损伤有明显的差别. 冬季市区和对照点PM₁₀(全样)的TM50分别是900和74 μg·mL^-1, 水溶组分的TM50分别是540和86 μg·mL^-1; 夏季市区和对照点PM₁₀(全样)的TM50分别是116和210 μg·mL^-1, 水溶组分的TM50分别是180和306 μg·mL^-1; 北京PM₁₀的生物活性的差别主要来自PM₁₀中微量元素含量的不同. PM₁₀(全样)中Pb, Zn和As三种元素对质粒DNA氧化性损伤能力较强; 而PM₁₀水溶组分中Mn, V, Zn同TM50的相关性较高; Zn元素可能是导致PM10具有氧化性损伤能力的主要微量重金属元素.