Limb darkening in the solar ultraviolet

New photoelectric limb-darkening data are given for 38 of the windows in the UV solar spectrum in which Houtgast has supplied absolute energy measurements. The region, 4000 Å to 3000 Å, is marked by unaccounted opacity. Results are given also for 13 longer wavelengths. The measurements are fully corrected for atmospheric seeing and scattering. The corrected drift curves exhibit a quasi-periodic character suggestive of the supergranulation.     

The reason for magnetospheric substorms and solar flares

It has been proposed that magnetospheric substorms and solar flares are a result of the same mechanism. In our view this mechanism is connected with the escape, or attempted escape, of energized plasma from a region of closed magnetic field lines bounded by a magnetic bottle. In the case of the Earth, it must be plasma that is able to maintain a discrete auroral arc, and we propose that the cross-tail current connected to the arc is filamentary in nature to provide the field-aligned current sheet above the arc. A localized meander of such an intense current filament could be caused by a tearing instability in the neutral sheet. Such a meander will cause an inductive electric field opposing the current change everywhere. In trying to reduce the component of the induction electric field parallel to the magnetic field lines, the plasma must enhance the transverse or cross-tail component; this action leads to eruptive behavior, in agreement with tearing theories. This enhanced induction electric field will cause a discharge along the magnetic neutral line at the apex of the magnetic arches, constituting an impulsive acceleration of all charged particles originally near the neutral line. The products of this phase then undergo betatron acceleration for a second phase. This discharge eventually reduces the electric field along the neutral line, and thereafter the enclosed magnetic flux through the neutral line remains nearly constant. The result is a plasmoid that has definite identity; its buoyancy leads to its escape. The auroral breakup (and solar flare) is the complex plasma response to the changing electromagnetic field.     

Complex refractive index of Martian dust: Mariner 9 ultraviolet observations

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectra of the 1971 Mars dust storm were studied to determine the cloud particle size distribution and complex index of refraction. The method consisted of matching the observed single particle scattering albedo and phase function with Mie scattering calculations for size distributions of spheres of homogeneous and isotropic material. Preliminary results indicate that the effective particle radius is 1 μm with an effective variance (a measure of distribution width) $\text{?0.2}$. The real component of the index of refraction is $\text{?1.8}$ at both 268 and 305 nm. For the imaginary index, a value of 0.02 was found at 268 nm and 0.01 at 305nm. These ultraviolet refractive indices are compatible with measurements at visible wavelengths which indicate that the real part of the refractive index is 1.75 with a negligible imaginary term. The rapid increase of refractive index and absorption coefficient with decreasing wavelength are indicative of an ultraviolet absorption band.An ultraviolet absorption band is not only diagnostic of the composition of the Mars material, but may have important implications for the development and evolution of life on Mars. A 30 μm layer of material that absorbs uv but transmits visible light can shield organisms from harmful irradiation while providing for photosynthesis.Comparison of the Mars ultraviolet refractive indices with laboratory measurements indicates that none of the terrestrial analog samples of limonite, basalt, andesite, or montmorrillonite have the required ultraviolet properties.     

The influence of doubly excited levels on the ionization formula for the solar corona

The existence of doubly excited levels causes dielectronic recombination and autoionization. These effects influence respectively the total recombination rate and the total ionization rate of different ions. The ratios of dielectronic recombination to radiative recombination and of autoionization to collisional ionization are given as a function of the electron temperature for the term systems of Oiv, Ov, Ovi, Siix and Fexv. While autoionization can contribute appreciably to the total ionization rate, dielectronic recombination is always the most effective recombination mechanism.     

Holocene dryness and human occupation in Brazil during the “Archaic Gap”

An overview of the archaeological data produced over the last decades for Brazil, coupled with a background of recent paleoenvironmental studies, suggests that during the mid-Holocene vast areas of Central Brazil ceased to be occupied by human groups. Independent data from dated human skeletons, rock-shelter stratigraphy, and chronology of open-air sites converge to support the inference that these areas were depopulated or altogether abandoned. Paleoenvironmental data suggest that dryness events constitute the major cause behind the observed trends. This phenomenon expands the already perceived notion that climatic stresses had a major role in the shaping of human settlement patterns in marginal environments, such as deserts and high-altitude settings.     

The stability of primary alluaudites in granitic pegmatites: an experimental investigation of the Na2(Mn2−2x Fe1+2x )(PO4)3 system

In order to assess the geothermometric potential of the Na₂(Mn_2−2x Fe_1+2x )(PO₄)₃ system (x = 0–1), which represents the compositions of natural weakly oxidized alluaudites, we performed hydrothermal experiments between 400 and 800°C, at 1 kbar, under an oxygen fugacity (f(O₂)) controlled by the Ni–NiO (NNO), Fe₂O₃–Fe₃O₄ (HM), Cu₂O–CuO (CT), and Fe–Fe₃O₄ (MI) buffers. When f(O₂) is controlled by NNO, single-phase alluaudites crystallize at 400 and 500°C, whereas the association alluaudite + marićite appears between 500 and 700°C. The limit between these two fields corresponds to the maximum temperature that can be reached by alluaudites in granitic pegmatites, because marićite has never been observed in these geological environments. Because alluaudites are very sensitive to variations of oxygen fugacity, the field of hagendorfite, Na₂MnFe²⁺Fe³⁺(PO₄)₃, has been positioned in the f(O₂)–T diagram, and provides a tool that can be used to estimate the oxygen fugacity conditions that prevailed in granitic pegmatites during the crystallization of this phosphate.     

Paleowaters in Silurian-Devonian carbonate aquifers: Geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Great Lakes region since the Late Pleistocene

Changes in the climatic conditions during the Late Quaternary and Holocene greatly impacted the hydrology and geochemical evolution of groundwaters in the Great Lakes region. Increased hydraulic gradients from melting of kilometer-thick Pleistocene ice sheets reorganized regional-scale groundwater flow in Paleozoic aquifers in underlying intracratonic basins. Here, we present new elemental and isotopic analyses of 134 groundwaters from Silurian-Devonian carbonate and overlying glacial drift aquifers, along the margins of the Illinois and Michigan basins, to evaluate the paleohydrology, age distribution, and geochemical evolution of confined aquifer systems. This study significantly extends the spatial coverage of previously published groundwaters in carbonate and drift aquifers across the Midcontinent region, and extends into deeper portions of the Illinois and Michigan basins, focused on the freshwater-saline water mixing zones. In addition, the hydrogeochemical data from Silurian-Devonian aquifers were integrated with deeper basinal fluids, and brines in Upper Devonian black shales and underlying Cambrian-Ordovician aquifers to reveal a regionally extensive recharge system of Pleistocene-age waters in glaciated sedimentary basins. Elemental and isotope geochemistry of confined groundwaters in Silurian-Devonian carbonate and glacial drift aquifers show that they have been extensively altered by incongruent dissolution of carbonate minerals, dissolution of halite and anhydrite, cation exchange, microbial processes, and mixing with basinal brines. Carbon isotope values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) range from −10 to −2‰, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.7080 to 0.7090, and δ³⁴S-SO₄ values range from +10 to 30‰. A few waters have elevated δ¹³C_DIC values (>15‰) from microbial methanogenesis in adjacent organic-rich Upper Devonian shales. Radiocarbon ages and δ¹⁸O and δD values of confined groundwaters indicate they originated as subglacial recharge beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet (14-50 ka BP, −15 to −13‰ δ¹⁸O). These paleowaters are isolated from shallow flow systems in overlying glacial drift aquifers by lake-bed clays and/or shales. The presence of isotopically depleted waters in Paleozoic aquifers at relatively shallow depths illustrates the importance of continental glaciation on regional-scale groundwater flow. Modern groundwater flow in the Great Lakes region is primarily restricted to shallow unconfined glacial drift aquifers. Recharge waters in Silurian-Devonian and unconfined drift aquifers have δ¹⁸O values within the range of Holocene precipitation: −11 to −8‰ and −7 to −4.5‰ for northern Michigan and northern Indiana/Ohio, respectively. Carbon and Sr isotope systematics indicate shallow groundwaters evolved through congruent dissolution of carbonate minerals under open and closed system conditions (δ¹³C_DIC = −14.7 to−11.1‰ and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7080-0.7103). The distinct elemental and isotope geochemistry of Pleistocene- versus Holocene-age waters further confirms that surficial flow systems are out of contact with the deeper basinal-scale flow systems. These results provide improved understanding of the effects of past climate change on groundwater flow and geochemical processes, which are important for determining the sustainability of present-day water resources and stability of saline fluids in sedimentary basins.     

Crustal structure of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane to the Ordos basin

The 1000-km-long Darlag–Lanzhou–Jingbian seismic refraction profile is located in the NE margin of the Tibetan plateau. This profile crosses the northern Songpan-Ganzi terrane, the Qinling-Qilian fold system, the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region, and the stable Ordos basin. The P-wave and S-wave velocity structure and Poisson's ratios reveal many significant characteristics in the profile. The crustal thickness increases from northeast to southwest. The average crustal thickness observed increases from 42 km in the Ordos basin to 63 km in the Songpan-Ganzi terrane. The crust becomes obviously thicker south of the Haiyuan fault and beneath the West-Qinlin Shan. The crustal velocities have significant variations along the profile. The average P-wave velocities for the crystalline crust vary between 6.3 and 6.4 km/s. Beneath the Songpan-Ganzi terrane, West-Qinling Shan, and Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region P-wave velocities of 6.3 km/s are 0.15 km/s lower than the worldwide average of 6.45 km/s. North of the Kunlun fault, with exclusion of the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region, the average P-wave velocity is 6.4 km/s and only 0.5 km/s lower than the worldwide average. A combination of the P-wave velocity and Poisson's ratio suggests that the crust is dominantly felsic in composition with an intermediate composition at the base. A mafic lower crust is absent in the NE margin of the Tibetan plateau from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane to the Ordos basin. There are low velocity zones in the West-Qinling Shan and the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region. The low velocity zones have low S-wave velocities and high Poisson's ratios, so it is possible these zones are due to partial melting. The crust is divided into two layers, the upper and the lower crust, with crustal thickening mainly in the lower crust as the NE Tibetan plateau is approached. The results in the study show that the thickness of the lower crust increases from 22 to 38 km as the crustal thickness increases from 42 km in the Ordos basin to 63 km in the Songpan-Ganzi terrane south of the Kunlun fault. Both the Conrad discontinuity and Moho in the West-Qinling Shan and in the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region are laminated interfaces, implying intense tectonic activity. The arcuate faults and large earthquakes in the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region are the result of interaction between the Tibetan plateau and the Sino–Korean and Gobi Ala Shan platforms.