Time evolution and temperatures of hypervelocity impact‐generated tracks in aerogel

Abstract— Aerogel collectors have been used to capture cometary, interplanetary, and interstellar dust grains by NASA's Stardust mission, highlighting their importance as a scientific instrument. Due to the fragile and heterogeneous nature of cometary dust grains, their fragments are found along the walls of tracks that are formed during the capture process. These fragments appear to experience a wide range of thermal alteration and the causes of this variation are not well understood at a theoretical level as physical models of track formation are not well developed. Here, a general model of track formation that allows for the existence of partially and completely vaporized aerogel material in tracks is developed. It is shown that under certain conditions, this general track model reduces to the kinetic “snowplow” model that has previously been proposed. It is also shown, based on energetic considerations, that track formation is dominated by an expansion that is snowplow‐like in the later stages of track formation. The equation of motion for this snowplow‐like stage can be solved analytically, thus placing constraints on the amount of heating experienced by cometary dust fragments embedded in track walls. It is found that the heating of these fragments, for a given impact velocity, is expected to be greater for those embedded in larger tracks. Given the expected future use of aerogels for sample return missions, the results presented here imply that the choice of aerogel compositions can have a significant effect on the modification of samples captured and retrieved by these collectors.     

Formation of supermassive black holes

Evidence shows that massive black holes reside in most local galaxies. Studies have also established a number of relations between the MBH mass and properties of the host galaxy such as bulge mass and velocity dispersion. These results suggest that central MBHs, while much less massive than the host (~0.1%), are linked to the evolution of galactic structure. In hierarchical cosmologies, a single big galaxy today can be traced back to the stage when it was split up in hundreds of smaller components. Did MBH seeds form with the same efficiency in small proto-galaxies, or did their formation had to await the buildup of substantial galaxies with deeper potential wells? I briefly review here some of the physical processes that are conducive to the evolution of the massive black hole population. I will discuss black hole formation processes for ‘seed’ black holes that are likely to place at early cosmic epochs, and possible observational tests of these scenarios.     

SANARIS Project: A Satellite Network for Natural Risk Monitoring

A new satellite communication system specificallydesigned for low-rate data applications has beendeveloped and prototyped. A validation project isproposed to install a pilot network to be operated for6 months. One of the target markets related tovolcanoes, has been selected, so that a group of usersis integrated in the project. A specific applicationfor this market will be developed regarding dataacquisition, processing, storage and dissemination todistant users. The feasibility of using the newsatellite system to provide a new Eutelsat service forlow-rate data applications, will be evaluated from theperformance of the pilot network. The system ofautomatic acquisition, field storage and communicationwith the local control center is already functioning,as well as the circulation of information viaInternet. The development of the application andtransmission via satellite to distant users is stillin an evaluation phase for the volcanoes of Timanfaya(Lanzarote, Canary Island), Vesuvius (Naples) and SeteCidades Caldera (Sao Miguel, Azores Islands).     

Spectra and polarization characteristics of geomagneticPc4 pulsations recorded at field station štrkovec

ama nm u nmam nuau aamumuuaum nau muna Pc4 n ¶rt;a u mauu m, a¶rt; a m m anam ¶rt;u amu u¶rt;a umu. n¶rt;a auum nu¶rt;a u anum¶rt; nau u u nuau aamumu mu ¶rt; u m aum amumu, u au uu m¶rt; naam. mam auam mamau amu nau Pc3 u Pi2 n ¶rt;a u mau ¶rt; u u.     

Radon anomalies and volcanic eruptions

A well-documented case of ²²²Rn anomaly preceding the eruptive activity of Karymsky volcano (Kamchatka) was recently reported in the literature. Stimulated by this example, we have attempted to utilize the available data on radon emanation from rocks, its solubility, and its circulation in waters to discuss how a ²²²Rn anomaly can be produced by magma approaching the surface. It is shown that the most likely process of radon release is the flushing of gases through pore fluids. Heating of extensive fracture surfaces by high-temperature gases may also be important. In order to survive in detectable amounts after moving distances greater than a few meters, radon must be transported by fast-moving fluids, such as those rising toward the surface through a fracture or in the ascending limbs of fluids convecting in very porous rocks under high temperature gradients. The pattern observed at Karymsky volcano is interpreted on the basis of these relations.     

Spatial variability of soil nutrients in disturbed riverine mangrove forests at different stages of regeneration in the San Juan River estuary,Venezuela

Geostatistical analysis of selected soil properties were performed in two mangrove sites (B7 and B9) dominated by the mangrove speciesRhizophora mangle along the San Juan River, Venezuela, to evaluate the effect of forest disturbance on nutrient spatial distributions. Plots within area B7 were clear-cut in 1972–1973 and in area B9 in 1982–1983. Four plots within each area were systematically selected and represented natural (2) and regenerated (2) forests. Individual plots were 1.5 ha in B7 and 1.25 ha in B9 and sampled at a resolution of 25 m. Soil samples were obtained at the intersection of an aligned grid with 90 points in B7 and 78 points in B9. Measured soil properties included salinity, total nitrogen, total carbon, total phosphorus, osmolality, and pore water cation concentrations (potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium). Sites were sampled in May 1996 and 1997, although spatial analysis was performed only for the data obtained in May 1997. Geostatistical analysis showed that most of the variables tested were spatially auto-correlated within each area and that there were no differences between regenerated and natural plots. Structural variance as a proportion of sample variance ranged from 55–99% for most of the properties. The significant spatial dependence observed for most of the variables in natural and regenerated plots, despite management schedules, indicates that clear-cutting did not have an effect on modifying the distribution of nutrient concentrations. These results suggest that after 15 and 25 yr following forest disturbance nutrient distributions were reestablished either there was not a net effect on patterns of element loss or tidal input was stronger than plant modifications of soils.     

The usefulness of UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopies to study the chemical nature of humic substances from soils and composts

The aim of this work is to study the suitability of the use of fluorescence and UV–visible spectroscopies to evaluate the humification degree of different organic alkaline extracts obtained from diverse materials (humic substances, composted and non-composted materials). Our results indicate that the complementary utilization of the fluorescence index proposed by Milori et al. [Milori, D., Martin-Neto, L., Bayer, C., Mielniczuk, J., Vagnato, V., 2002. Humification degree of soil humic acids determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Soil Science, 167, 739–749] (the total area of the emission spectra collected over a range of 460–650 nm using an excitation wavelength of 465 nm), the ratio between the electron-transfer band and benzenoid band of benzene UV light absorption, and the molar absorption coefficients at 600 nm and 280 nm proved capable of discriminating between extracts obtained from non-humified, partially humified and very humified materials.Likewise, our results suggest that humification is related to increments in the aromatic character of the molecules, which may be reflected in the presence of more aromatic rings and/or more condensed polyaromatic structures, and the degree of substitution in aromatic rings with polar functional groups, as well as to the possible increase in the conjugation degree in unsaturated aliphatic chains.     

Dynamic response of axisymmetric embedded foundations

The boundary element method is used to obtain dynamic stiffness functions of rigid cylindrical foundations embedded in a uniform or layered viscoelastic half-space. Dynamic stiffness functions of hemispherical foundations embedded in a uniform half-space are also computed. The direct integral equation formulation is used in combination with the complete space point load fundamental solution that is integrated numerically along the azimuthal coordinate. The approach is easy to implement because of the simplicity of the fundamental solution. The numerical results obtained by this method for cylindrical and hemispherical foundations are very close to corresponding published results obtained by different procedures. A parametric study shows the important effects of the Poisson's ratio on the dynamic stiffness functions of cylindrical foundations embedded in a uniform viscoelastic half-space. The effect of the bedrock compliance on the stiffness functions is also shown in the case of cylindrical foundations embedded in a soil layer that rests on a bedrock.     

Field-scale Variations in Plant and Grasshopper Communities: A GIS-based Assessment

GIS technology allowed us to examine species-specific occurrence and abundance patterns of important grassland herbivore species through the use of appropriate statistical methods and the superior spatial representation commonly available in existing GIS packages. The study was conducted on a 254 ha grassland area located 10 km south of Three Forks, Gallatin County, Montana, in the Agropyron spicatum province of the western steppe region of the U.S.A. From an ecological perspective, grasshopper species distribution and abundance patterns observed on a local, non-uniform landscape (2.6 km 2) were consistent with results found in other studies at the valley (≈1,400 km 2) and state-level (≈237,000 km 2) scales. Our observations at the local scale further demonstrate the importance of vegetation type and specific local stand physiognomies in structuring grasshopper populations. The application of results from studies conducted at various scales to the development of decision support tools for resource managers is also discussed.     

Fluid seepage along the San Clemente Fault scarp: basin-wide impact on barium cycling

Material fluxes associated with fluid expulsion at cold seeps and their contribution to oceanographic budgets have not been accurately constrained. Here we present evidence that the barium released at cold seeps along the San Clemente Fault zone may significantly impact the geochemical budget of barium within the basin. Barium fluxes at seep localities on the fault scarp, measured with benthic chambers, reach values as high as 5 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹. This is the largest dissolved barium flux measured to date at a cold seep. The discharge of barium-rich fluids results in formation of massive barite deposits along the escarpment wall. The deposits are young (approximately 8 yr) and appear to grow at a minimum rate of 0.2 cm yr⁻¹. This rapid growth rate requires a barium efflux rate that is about two orders of magnitude higher than the measured dissolved flux. We believe that the discrepancy reflects a highly localized seepage system and that chambers positioned as close as possible to the growing chimneys did not sample the foci of fluid discharge. Transport of fine barite particles from the seeps may be responsible for excess rates of barium accumulation throughout the San Clemente Basin, relative to other basins in the California Margin. Based on a preliminary budget, we estimate that cold-seep barite is accumulating at the basin floor in San Clemente at a rate of 2 μmol m⁻² day⁻¹, a value that is comparable to the total barium accumulation rates driven by detrital and biogenic components in neighboring basins. Remobilization of cold-seep barite on the basin floor adds to that driven by the biogenic barium flux and results in benthic barium recycling rates (effluxes) within the San Clemente Basin that are as much as seven times higher than the effluxes from surrounding borderland basins. Our estimates imply that processes associated with fluid seepage along the San Clemente Fault significantly contribute to the basin’s barium cycle. The strontium isotopic composition of the seep barite is significantly different from marine ‘biogenic’ barite, which is known to accurately record seawater composition. In addition, the seep deposits are depleted in ²²⁶Ra relative to their modern biogenic counterparts, and are likely to be a source of radium-depleted particulate barium to the basin. Thus the impact of barite transport from seeps on the San Clemente escarpment to the basin floor might also have implications for the geochemistry of elements other than barium.