Anthropogenic platinum,palladium and rhodium concentrations in road dusts from Hyderabad city,India

This paper presents the first study of accessing the Pt, Pd and Rh levels in road dusts collected from Hyderabad city, India, as these metals, emitted from automobile catalytic converters, are accumulating in the environment causing concern about human health and ecological risks. Samples were analyzed by ICP-MS following preconcentration by NiS-fire assay and Te coprecipitation. Pt (1.5–43 ng/g), Pd (1.2–58 ng/g) and Rh (0.2–14.2 ng/g) concentrations obtained were above upper crust values, but were lower when compared with several other cities around the world. Dust samples from road junctions and traffic signals with heavy and erratic traffic flow showed higher PGE levels than those from roads with low and free flow traffic suggesting that traffic flow conditions greatly influenced emission of PGE from the catalyst. Significant correlation of Pt, Pd and Rh indicate a common source for these metals. PGE were also positively correlated with Ce, Zr, Hf and Y. These positive inter-element correlations identified traffic as the main source of PGE emission to the roadway environment. The results obtained indicate to an appreciable increase in auto catalyst-derived PGE. In consideration of the adverse effects of PGE, monitoring their level and transformation paths is of prime importance.     

Nitrogen sources for new production in the NE Arabian Sea

New productivity measurements using the ¹⁵N tracer technique were conducted in the north-eastern (NE) Arabian Sea during six expeditions from 2003 to 2007, mostly in winter. Our results indicate that the NE Arabian Sea has a potential for higher new productivity during blooms. Nitrate uptake by plankton is the highest during late winter. New productivity and f-ratios in the NE Arabian Sea are mainly controlled by hydrodynamic and meteorological parameters such as wind strength, sea surface temperature (SST), mixed layer depth (MLD) and mixed layer nitrate. Deepening of the mixed layer supplies nitrate from below, which supports the observed nitrogen uptake. Higher f-ratios during blooms indicate the strong coupling between surface layers and sub-surface layers. Deepening of mixed layer below 100 m (from its inter-monsoon value between 30 and 40 m) transferred often more than 100 mmol N–NO₃ m^? 2 into the surface layers from below. The observed winter blooms in the region are supported by such input and are sustained for more than a month. Higher new productivity has been found in late winter, whereas transport of nitrate is maximum in early winter. In general, new production varies progressively during winter. Diurnal cycling of the mixed layer could be the reason for the under utilization of entrained nitrate during early winter. New productivity values and wind strength show significant differences during Feb–Mar 03 and Feb–Mar 04. These differences indicate that the winter cooling and parameters related the biological productivity also vary inter-annually. However, the difference between the new productivity values between Feb–Mar 03 and Feb–Mar 04 is much lower than the difference between Jan 03 and Feb–Mar 03. The results suggest that amplitude of seasonal variation is higher than the inter-annual variation in the region. During spring, Fickian diffusive fluxes of nitrate into the surface layer range from 0.51 to 1.38 mmol N–NO₃ m^? 2 day^? 1, and can account for 67% and 78% of the observed nitrogen uptake in the coastal and open ocean regions, respectively. We document the intra-seasonal and inter-annual variations in new productivity during winter and identify sources of nitrate which support the observed productivity during spring.     

Bastnaesite from Kanigiri granite, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh

For the first time we report bastnaesite and hydroxyl bastnaesite (lanthanum cerium fluoro-carbonate) from the Kanigiri granite. The host granitoids are of A-type and vary in composition from quartz syenites to peralkaline granites. Rare metal and rare earth-bearing minerals identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies in Kanigiri granite are bastnaesite and hydroxyl bastnaesite, besides columbite-tantalite, monazite, fergusonite, thorite and euxenite. Petromineralogical studies have also revealed the presence of bastnaesite. The presence of bastnaesite in Kanigiri granite suggests that the host felsic rocks may also form a potential source for light rare earth mineral, bastnaesite, apart from the already known rare-metal minerals.     

Signature of potassium enrichment in granite of the Chitrial area, Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh: Inferences using its U, Th, K2O, Na2O, Rb, Ba and Sr contents

A medium tonnage unconformity proximal uranium deposit has been established at Chitrial by the Atomic Minerals Directorate in the Srisailam sub-basin. In this type of deposits, the association of uranium with potassic alteration (illitization) is well-documented. The present study is directed towards understanding such an association in the Chitrial area for which the uranium mineralized borehole core samples were collected and analyzed. It is observed that the average concentrations of K₂O, Na₂O, Rb, Ba and Sr in the granite of the Chitrial area are 5.35%, 1.78%, 252 ppm, 564 ppm and 52 ppm, respectively, and they show average critical elemental ratios of K/Rb, Ba/Rb and Rb/Sr as 191, 2.37 and 7.13, respectively. The granites show low K/Rb, low Rb/Ba and high Rb/Sr ratios compared to that of the average crust indicating its derivation from crustal source. The samples have higher values of uranium (av. 53 ppm), thorium (av. 66 ppm) and lead (av. 41 ppm). The U/Th ratio in the granite varies from 0.07 to 20.86 with an average of 1.68. They also exhibit high K₂O/Na₂O ratio typical of post-Archaean granite and very high values suggest the possibility of later potassium enrichment.     

Delineating and defining the boundaries of an active landslide in the rainforest of Puerto Rico using a combination of airborne and terrestrial LIDAR data

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) is a remote sensing technique that uses light, often using pulses from a laser to measure the distance to a target. Both terrestrial- and airborne-based LIDAR techniques have been frequently used to map landslides. Airborne LIDAR has the advantage of identifying large scarps of landslides covered by tree canopies and is widely applied in identifying historical and current active landslides hidden in forested areas. However, because landslides naturally have relatively small vertical surface deformation in the foot area, it is practically difficult to identify the margins of landslide foot area with the limited spatial resolution (few decimeters) of airborne LIDAR. Alternatively, ground-based LIDAR can achieve resolution of several centimeters and also has the advantages of being portable, repeatable, and less costly. Thus, ground-based LIDAR can be used to identify small deformations in landslide foot areas by differencing repeated terrestrial laser scanning surveys. This study demonstrates a method of identifying the superficial boundaries as well as the bottom boundary (sliding plane) of an active landslide in National Rainforest Park, Puerto Rico, USA, using the combination of ground-based and airborne LIDAR data. The method of combining terrestrial and airborne LIDAR data can be used to study landslides in other regions. This study also indicates that intensity and density of laser point clouds are remarkably useful in identifying superficial boundaries of landslides.     

Diurnal variability of upper ocean temperature and heat budget in the southern Bay of Bengal during October–November, 1998 (BOBMEX-Pilot)

Time-series data on upper-ocean temperature, Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VM-ADCP) measured currents and surface meteorological parameters have been obtained for the first time in the southern Bay of Bengal at 7‡N, 10‡N, and 13‡N locations along 87‡E during October–November, 1998 under BOBMEX-Pilot programme. These data have been analysed to examine the diurnal variability of upper oceanic heat budget and to estimate the eddy diffusivity coefficient of heat in the upper layer. Diurnal variation of near-surface temperature is typical at northern location (13‡N) with a range of 0.5‡C while the diurnal range of temperature is enhanced to 0.8‡C at the central location (10‡N) due to intense solar radiation (1050 W/m²), clear skies and low wind speeds. At the southern location (7‡N), the diurnal variation of temperature is atypical with the minimum temperature occurring at 2000 hrs instead of at early morning hours. In general, the diurnal curve of temperature penetrated up to 15 to 20 m with decreasing diurnal range with depth. The VM-ADCP measured horizontal currents in the upper ocean were predominantly easterly/northeasterly at southern location, north/northerly at central location and northwesterly at northern location, thus describing a large-scale cyclonic gyre with the northward meridional flow along 87‡E. The magnitudes of heat loss at the surface due to air-sea heat exchanges and in the upper 50 m layer due to vertical diffusion of heat are highest at the southern location where intense convective activity followed by overcast skies and synoptic disturbance prevailed in the lower atmosphere. This and the estimated higher value (0.0235 m²/s) of eddy diffusivity coefficient of heat in the upper ocean (0–50 m depth) suggest that 1-D processes controlled the upper layer heat budget at the southern location. On the other hand, during the fair weather conditions, at the central and northern locations, the upper layer gained heat energy, while the sea surface lost (gained) heat energy at northern (central) location. This and lower values of eddy diffusivity coefficient of heat (0.0045 and 0.0150 m²/s) and the northward intensification of horizontal currents at these locations suggest the greater role of horizontal heat advection over the 1-D processes in the upper ocean heat budget at these two locations.     

Landslide risk analysis between Giri and Tons Rivers in Himachal Himalaya (India)

The area around Sataun in the Sirmur district of Himachal Pradesh, India (falling between the rivers Giri and Tons; both tributaries of the Yamuna River) was studied for landslide vulnerability on behalf of the inhabitants. The study was made using extensive remote sensing data (satellite and airborne). It is well supported by field evidence, demographic and infrastructural details and aided by Geographic Information System (GIS) based techniques. Field observations testify that slope, aspect, geology, tectonic planes, drainage, and land use all influence landslides in the region. These parameters were taken into consideration using the statistical approach of landslide hazard zonation. Using the census data of 1991, vulnerability of the populace to the landslide hazard was accessed. As most of the infrastructure in the region is concentrated around population centres, population data alone was used for vulnerability studies.     

Condensed species in Titan's stratosphere: Confirmation of crystalline cyanoacetylene (HC3N) and evidence for crystalline acetylene (C2H2) on Titan

Infrared spectra of crystalline HC₃N and C₂H₂ were investigated at several temperatures between 15 and 150 K. The characteristics of the 505 and 753 cm⁻¹ bands of HC₃N are in complete agreement with the emission spectral data on Titan obtained by the Voyager IRIS instrument, thus confirming the identification of crystalline HC₃N on Titan. A composite spectrum in the 720-800 cm⁻¹ region, with contributions from HC₃N and C₂H₂ in crystalline phases, reproduces the Voyager emission data in that region, thus providing a suggestion for the identification of crystalline C₂H₂ on Titan.     

Dynamical friction and the escape of a compact supermassive object shot from the center of a galaxy

A numerical study has been made of the motion of a compact object consisting of a supermassive black hole with a dense cluster of stars around through a galaxy which has recoiled from the center of the latter as a result of anisotropic emission of gravitational radiation or asymmetrical plasma emission. We find that the effect of dynamical friction on its motion through the galaxy (mass10¹¹ M ) estimated using the impulsive approximation technique, is minimal for an object mass 10⁹ M and for recoil taking place at a velocity larger than that of escape. A velocity 1.1 times the escape velocity is needed for the object to escape from the galaxy, whereas for velocities of recoil less than this critical velocity, damped oscillatory motion ensures. The energy exchange of the object with the galaxy is not large enough to cause appreciable change in the internal energy of the latter.     

Geochemical and isotopic constraints on the age and origin of the Nidar Ophiolitic Complex, Ladakh, India: Implications for the Neo-Tethyan subduction along the Indus suture zone

The Nidar ophiolite complex is exposed within the Indus suture zone in eastern Ladakh, India. The suture zone is considered to represent remnant Neo-Tethyan Ocean that closed via subduction as the Indian plate moved northward with respect to the Asian plate. The two plates ultimately collided during the Middle Eocene. The Nidar ophiolite complex comprises a sequence of ultra-mafic rocks at the base, gabbroic rocks in the middle and volcano-sedimentary assemblage on the top. Earlier studies considered the Nidar ophiolite complex to represent an oceanic floor sequence based on lithological assemblage. However, present study, based on new mineral and whole rock geochemical and isotopic data (on bulk rocks and mineral separates) indicate their generation and emplacement in an intra-oceanic subduction environment. The plutonic and volcanic rocks have nearly flat to slightly depleted rare earth element (REE) patterns. The gabbroic rocks, in particular, show strong positive Sr and Eu anomalies in their REE and spidergram patterns, probably indicating plagioclase accumulation. Depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE) in the spidergram patterns may be related to stabilization of phases retaining the HFSE in the subducting slab and / or fractional crystallization of titano-magnetite phases. The high radiogenic Nd- and low radiogenic Sr-isotopic ratios for these rocks exclude any influence of continental material in their genesis, implying an intra-oceanic environment.

Nine point mineral–whole rock Sm–Nd isochron corresponds to an age of 140 ± 32 Ma with an initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.513835 ± 0.000053 (E_Nd t = + 7.4). This age is consistent with the precise Early Cretaceous age of Hauterivian (132 ± 2 to 127 ± 1.6 Ma) to Aptian (121 ± 1.4 to 112 ±1.1 Ma) for the overlying volcano-sedimentary (radiolarian bearing chert) sequences based on well-preserved radiolarian fossils (Kojima, S., Ahmad, T., Tanaka, T., Bagati, T.N., Mishra, M., Kumar, R. Islam, R., Khanna, P.P., 2001. Early Cretaceous radiolarians from the Indus suture zone, Ladakh, northern India. In: News of Osaka Micropaleontologists (NOM), Spec. Vol., 12, 257–270.) and cooling ages of 110–130 Ma based on ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar for Nidar–Spontang ophiolitic rocks (Mahéo, G., Berttrand, H., Guillot, S., Villa, I. M., Keller, F., Capiez, P., 2004. The South Ladakh Ophiolites (NW Himalaya, India): an intra-oceanic tholeiitic arc origin with implications for the closure of the Neo-Tethys. Chem. Geol., 203, 273–303.). As these gabbroic and volcanic rocks are interpreted to be arc related, the new Sm–Nd age data may indicate that intra-ocean subduction in the Neo-Tethyan ocean may have started much before  140 ± 32 Ma as this date is interpreted as the age of crystallization of the arc magma. Present and published age data on the arc magmatic rocks from the Indus suture zone may collectively indicate episodic magmatism with increasing maturity of the arc from more basic (during ~ 140 ± 32 Ma) when the arc was immature through intermediate (andesitic/granodioritic) at ~ 100 Ma to more felsic (rhyolitic/dioritic) magmatism at ~ 50–45 Ma, when the Indian and the Asian plates collided.