Circumstellar line of Cai λ6572 in Zeta Aurigae and 31 Cygni

In the 1974 eclipse of Zeta Aurigae the satellite line of the Cai intercombination line at 6572 Å appeared in all the phases observed, i.e., near the mid-eclipse and egress, although its equivalent width, 100–200 mÅ, and velocity deviation, –20 im s^–1, from the principal line were considerably less than those for the satellite line found just after the fourth contact of the 1971–72 eclipse. 31 Cygni also showed a similar satellite line to Zeta Aurigae's in the 1974 eclipse, not only in the 1972 eclipse but also outside the eclipse. These satellite lines should be due to the circumstellar gas expanding from the binary systems.     

Gelifluction within a solifluction lobe in the Kärkevagge valley, Swedish Lapland

Soil displacement, soil temperature, depths of thaw plane and groundwater level were continuously monitored during the period from July 1999 to June 2000 within a solifluction lobe in the Kärkevagge valley, northern Sweden. The strain–probe method was used to measure soil displacement, and we found significant soil displacements in the thawing period 2000. These displacements were the result of gelifluction. The ice content profile showed that gelifluction occurred at the same time as the thaw plane reached the layers with high ice content at shallow soil depths (0–6 and 16–25 cm deep). In contrast, gelifluction did not occur when the thaw plane reached the layers with high ice content at greater depth (46–49 cm deep). These observations indicate that thawing of ice lenses in the near–surface layer triggers gelifluction.     

Permian felsic magmatism in the Neoproterozoic Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex of the Malani Igneous Suite: Evidence from zircon U–Pb age

We report Permian (ca. 272 Ma ±5.4 Ma) felsic dykes that intrude into the Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) magmatic suite of the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex (NPIC), the western extension of the Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). The NPIC consists of Neoproterozoic basement amphibolites and granites (riebeckite–aegirine gray granites and the biotite–hornblende pink granites), all of which are intruded by several generations of mafic and felsic dykes. Granitic magmatism occurred in the Late Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) due to the subduction‐, followed by the rift‐related tectonic regime during the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. U–Th–Pb zircon and monazite CHIME age data of 700–800 Ma from the earlier generation porphyritic felsic dykes suggest the dyke intrusion was coeval or soon after the emplacement of the host granites. Our findings of Permian age orthophyric felsic dykes provide new insights for the prevalence of active tectonics in the MIS during late Paleozoic. Textural features and geochemistry also make the orthophyric dykes distinct from the early‐formed porphyritic dykes and the host granites. Our newly obtained age data combined with geochemistry, suggest the existence of magmatism along the western margin of India (peri‐Gondwana margin) during Permian. Like elsewhere in the region, the Permian magmatism in the NPIC could be associated with the rifting of the Cimmerian micro‐continents from the Gondwana.     

Metamorphic K-Feldspar in Low-grade Metasediments from the Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt in South Korea

Metamorphic K-feldspar was found in the low-grade pelitic rocks from the Ogcheon metamorphic belt in South Korea. It occurs as extremely fine-grained crystals (5-15 mm in width and 15-25 mm in length) closely associated with fine-grained muscovite and biotite. Their micro structural relations by X-ray mapping analyses using an electron-probe microanalyzer strongly suggest that K-feldspar has grown directly from the matrix phases as a stable phase coexisting with muscovite and biotite during the Ogcheon metamorphism. The phengite component in muscovite indicates about 4.2 kbar at 400°C, suggesting intermediate P/T type of metamorphism. Muscovite separates of two size fractions, 2-4 and 4-8 mm, give K-Ar ages of 153.4±3.3 and 156.7±3.4 Ma, respectively. The biotite separate is 156.5±3.3 Ma in age. Coarse-grained biotite crystal (ca. 0.5 mm) often occurs and it was analyzed by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method using a laser probe step heating technique. It gives a plateau age of 158.2±0.5 Ma that is the same as the K-Ar muscovite and biotite ages. These data, including the previous works, suggest that intermediate P/T type of Ogcheon metamorphic belt exhumed in Middle Jurassic with the dextral strike-slip fault movement.     

Phase-lagged warming and the disruption of climatic rhythms during the Matuyama–Brunhes magnetic polarity transition

The influence of the geomagnetic field on climate, a long hotly disputed issue, was examined for the Matuyama–Brunhes (MB) magnetic polarity transition using palynological and paleomagnetic data sets from a high accumulation rate (ca. 50 cm/kyr) sediment core from Osaka Bay. During the period from marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 20 to 18, climate change is well correlated with global ice volume variation in the precession cycle, with the exception of the early half of MIS 19. The postglacial warming after substage 20.2 was interrupted by cooling that began just before the sea-level highstand correlated with substage 19.3 and persisted until about a mid-point between 19.3 and 19.2, followed by a rapid warming. The thermal maximum clearly postdates the highest sea-level highstand by 6–7 kyr, and the connection between orbital forcing and climate was disrupted. The cooling event coincided with the center of the paleointensity low during the MB transition. This unusual climate cooling across a sea-level peak is very likely related to the field intensity decrease. The data from Osaka Bay may suggest an instance where the geomagnetic field has influenced climate in the past.     

Strength Anisotropy of Compacted Decomposed Granite Soils

In order to investigate the strength and deformation anisotropy of compacted decomposed granite soils, a series of drained triaxial compression tests was performed on unsaturated and saturated decomposed granite soils. The specimens were subjected to compression tests such that the angle δ of the direction of the major principal stress, σ ₁, during triaxial compression relative to the compaction plane (bedding plane) varies, with δ = 0°, 45° and 90°. Test results indicated that the compressive strain of the specimens subjected to isotropic consolidation was influenced strongly by the angle δ. In addition, the effect of the angle δ on the triaxial compressive strength and deformation was more evident in unsaturated specimens than in saturated specimens. Based on the test results, a procedure which can be used to estimate the shear strength of unsaturated soils taking into account various angles δ was proposed.     

Assessing flood disaster impacts in agriculture under climate change in the river basins of Southeast Asia

Natural Hazards - This study focused on flood damage assessment for future floods under the impact of climate change. Four river basins of Southeast Asia were selected for the study. They included...     

Felsic dykes in the Neoproterozoic Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex,SE Sindh,Pakistan: geochemistry and tectonic settings

The Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex consists of Neoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks dissected by mafic, felsic, and rhyolitic dykes. The latter can be classified broadly into porphyritic felsic dykes intruding gray and pink granites at Nagar Parkar and the surrounding areas, and the orthophyric felsic dykes intruding amphibolites, deformed pink granites, and the alkaline mafic dykes in the Dhedvero area, north of Nagar Parkar. The porphyritic felsic dykes are composed of perthites, quartz, and albitic plagioclase whereas the orthopheric felsic dykes contain K-feldspar (dominant), plagioclase, and minor quartz. Geochemically, the porphyritic and orthophyric felsic dykes are subalkaline and alkaline demonstrating post-orogenic A2- and OIB-A1-type characteristic on Nb–Y–Ce and Nb–Y–3Ga ternary plots, respectively. One orthophyric felsic dyke contains normative acmite and sodium metasilicate. This study suggests two distinct tectonic regimes for the origin of the felsic dykes of the area. The porphyritic felsic dykes show similarities with the ~800–700 Ma granites of the area, the rhyolite dykes of the Mount Abu, western Rajasthan in India, and the granites of the Seychelles microcontinent. The orthophyric felsic dykes show chemical resemblance with the Tavidar volcanic suite of western Rajasthan and the Silhouette and North islands of the Seychelles microcontinent. This study confirms spatial and temporal links among the Rodinian fragments exposed in the Nagar Parkar area of Pakistan, western Rajasthan of India, and the Seychelles microcontinent.