Age and tectonostratigraphic significance of the Upper Carboniferous series in the basement of the Andean Frontal Cordillera: Geodynamic implications

The age and tectonosedimentary environment of the Palaeozoic sediments on the Frontal Cordillera is not well known and earlier studies have been unable to satisfactorily explain the geological history of the basement of the Andes.In the vicinity of the old Castaño Viejo mine crop out various levels of partially metamorphosed microbialite limestones, which alternate with thin marly–lutitic interstrata. These levels contain abundant palynomorph remains, which allow the series to be dated as Silurian–Devonian. These data, together with the presence of warm climate fossils, lend support to the hypothesis of a major allochtony of the Chilenia Terrane (of which the Frontal Cordillera formed part), relative to the Cuyania Terrane (which included the Precordillera), prior to their amalgamation.Upper Carboniferous palynomorphs found during this study occur in association with resedimented palynomorphs and chitinozoa, of possible Devonian age. This demonstrates the equivalence of both fossiliferous series and their location within the upper part of the Upper Carboniferous Agua Negra Fm. The Silurian–Devonian elements, deformed during a phase prior to the Gondwanic orogeny, were eroded and transported to the foreland basin during the Upper Carboniferous.The palynomorph associations found in all samples correspond to the Ancistrospora palynological zone and to the Raistrickia densa–Convolutispora muriornata Biozone, which are indicative of Upper Carboniferous times. Characteristic forms such as Ancistrospora verrucosa and C. muriornata, both indicative of an Upper Carboniferous age, were found in samples from the Castaño Viejo area.Earlier interpretations of the Frontal Cordillera attributing the sedimentation to a palaeo-latitude at some distance from Gondwana, were based on the presence of Silurian–Devonian hot water stromatolithic limestones. Our results suggest that Cuyania and Chilenia were not necessarily separated by a great distance before their amalgamation. This in turn means that a large ocean was not necessarily consumed in the process.     

Applications géodésiques du système DORIS à l'Institut géographique national

IGN is in charge of the installation and maintenance of the DORIS orbit determination network. More recently, in collaboration with JPL, precise geodetic computations were performed. The goal of this paper is to recall the various historic contributions of IGN to the DORIS system in their international context and then to describe a new estimation technique developed for a multi-satellite mode, making full profit of a better modeling for satellites and ground clocks as well as tropospheric correction parameters. Derived geodetic results demonstrate a precision in the order of 1 cm for station positions. To cite this article: P. Willis et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

An Alternative Protocol for Single Zircon Dissolution with Application to (U‐Th‐Sm)/He Thermochronometry

Zircon (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (ZHe) thermochronometry is a powerful tool that has been widely used in geology to constrain the exhumation histories of orogens. In this study, we present an alternative protocol for dissolving zircon grains for determination of parent nuclides. This new alkali fusion procedure developed at the SARM (Service d'Analyse des Roches et des Minéraux) in Nancy, France, is fast (requiring only 2 d, including cleaning steps) and offers several advantages over conventional methods by avoiding: (i) use of HF pressure dissolution and (ii) complete removing of grains from the metal microvials. After dissolution, U, Th and Sm were measured using an ICP‐MS. We tested the new procedure on two different ZHe reference materials, the Fish Canyon Tuff and Buluk Tuff; these provided precision values for ZHe‐age estimations of 9 and 6% (1s), respectively. In addition, using this method, zircons from the Buluk Tuff are shown to be chemically more homogenous and more suitable for assessing the uncertainty of the entire integrated procedure.     

The tectono‐stratigraphic evolution of the Austral Basin and adjacent areas against the background of Andean tectonics,southern Argentina,South America

The Austral Basin (or Magallanes Basin) in southern Argentina is situated in a highly active tectonic zone. The openings of the South Atlantic and the Drake Passage to the east and south, active subduction in the west, and the related rise of the Andes have massively influenced the evolution of this area. To better understand the impacts of these tectonic events on basin formation to its present‐day structure we analysed 2D seismic reflection data covering about 95 000 km² on‐ and 115 000 km² offshore (Austral ‘Marina’ and Malvinas Basin). A total of 10 seismic horizons, representing nine syn‐ and post‐ rift sequences, were mapped and tied to well data to analyse the evolution of sedimentary supply and depocenter migration through time. 1D well backstripping across the study area confirms three main tectonic stages, containing (i) the break‐up phase forming basement graben systems and the evolution of the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous ancient backarc Austral/Rocas Verdes Basin (RVB), (ii) the inversion of the backarc marginal basin and the development of the foreland Austral Basin and (iii) the recent foreland Austral Basin. Synrift sedimentation did not exceed the creation of accommodation space, leading to a deepening of the basin. During the Early Cretaceous a first impulse of compression due to Andes uplift caused rise also of parts of the basin. Controlling factors for the subsequent tectonic development are subduction, balanced phases of sedimentation, accumulation and erosion as well as enhanced sediment supply from the rising Andes. Further phases of rock uplift might be triggered by cancelling deflection of the plate and slab window subduction, coupled with volcanic activity. Calculations of sediment accumulation rates reflect the different regional tectonic stages, and also show that the Malvinas Basin acted as a sediment catchment after the filling of the Austral Basin since the Late Miocene. However, although the Austral and Malvinas Basin are neighbouring basin systems that are sedimentary coupled in younger times, their earlier sedimentary and tectonic development was decoupled by the Rio Chico basement high. Thereby, the Austral Basin was affected by tectonic impacts of the Andes orogenesis, while the Malvinas Basin was rather affected by the opening of the South Atlantic.     

On the Final Gravitational Wave Burst from Binary Black Holes Mergers

We use perturbation theory in the strong-field regime to study the inspiral-to-plunge transition of a test particle into a Kerr black hole. We found a smooth transition, without burst, and with lower energy and angular momentum radiated in gravitational waves with respect to previous treatments in the literature. Besides their theoretical interest, our results are relevant for the waveform templates of binary black hole mergers used for gravitational waves detection which are constructed on the basis of a inspiral-to-plunge transition with a high energetic burst.     

Definition of the Spatial Propagator and Implications for Magnetic Field Properties

Solar Physics - We study a quiet-Sun blowout jet which was observed on 2014 May 16 by the instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We find the twin CME as jet-like and bubble-like...     

A new method to determine the gravity field of small bodies from line-of-sight acceleration data

We present a new method to derive line-of-sight acceleration observables from spacecraft radio tracking data. The observables can be used to estimate the mass and gravity of a natural satellite as a spacecraft flyby. The corresponding observation model adapts to one-way and two/three-way tracking modes. As a test case for method validation and application, we estimated the mass and degree two gravity field for the Martian moon Phobos using simulated tracking data when the spacecraft Mars Express flew by Phobos on 2013 December 29. We have a few real tracking data during flyby and they will be used to confirm raw data simulation. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the method of line-of-sight acceleration reduction from raw tracking data and the feasibility to estimate mass and gravity of a natural satellite using this type of observable. This novel method is potentially applicable to planet and asteroid gravity field studies combined with Doppler tracking data.