Martian rampart crater ejecta: Experiments and analysis of melt-water interaction

Viking images of Martian craters with rampart-bordered ejecta deposits reveal distinct impact ejecta morphology when compared to that associated with similar-sized craters on the Moon and Mercury. Topographic control of distribution, lobate and terraced margins, cross-cutting relationships, and multiple stratigraphic units are evidence for ejecta emplacement by surface flowage. It is suggested that target water explosively vaporized during impact alters initial ballistic trajectories of ejecta and produces surging flow emplacement. The dispersal of particulates during a series of controlled steam explosions generated by interaction of a thermite melt with water has been experimentally modeled. Preliminary results indicate that the mass ratio of water to melt and confining pressure control the degree of melt fragmentation (ejecta particle size) and the energy and mode of melt-ejecta dispersal. Study of terrestrial, lobate, volcanic ejecta produced by steam-blast explosions reveals that particle size and vapor to clast volume ratio are primary parameters characterizing the emplacement mechanism and deposit morphology. Martian crater ramparts are formed when ejecta surges lose fluidizing vapors and transported particles are deposited en masse. This deposition results from flow yield strength increasing above shear stress due to interparticle friction.     

Eclipse of radio emission on 7 March, 1970 at 10 cm wavelength from the active region associated with McMath plage 10 618

Radio emission of 10 cm from the whole disk was monitored during the eclipse of 7 March, 1970 by the Aerospace San Fernando Observatory and AFCRL Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory. For both, the active region associated with sunspot 17 774, McMath region 10 618, was occulted. At Sagamore Hill the entire region was occulted. At SFO only the southern half of the sunspot group and the hydrogen plage southeast of the group was occulted. This region produced an importance class 1N flare and 10 cm burst beginning at 1601 UT and was enhanced about 15 flux units above the mean value of 190 units at onset.The Sagamore Hill data indicate the region was about 3.8 and contributed about 0.21 of the total radiation from the disk. The SFO data gave about 5.4 for the size of the southern half of the region and showed that about 0.20 of the total radiation came from there. Radiation came primarily from the hydrogen plage southeast of the major spot of the group. The hydrogen plage northwest of the group did not contribute significantly. Although the small flare occurred in this region, it did not contribute more than 0.04 of the total (0.20 of the active region) at occultation of region 10 618.     

Graphite content and isotopic fractionation between calcite-graphite pairs in metasediments from the Mgama Hills,Southern Kenya

Amphibolite-grade metasediments from the Mgama Hills region, Kenya, contain conspicuous quantities of graphite, most probably derived from organic progenitor materials. The highest graphite contents (5.1–20.4%) are found in schists whereas calcite marbles intercalated in the sequence contain relatively low amounts (0.1–2.0%). The graphitic constituents are consistently enriched in ¹³C relative to common sedimentary organic material, with the highest isotopic ratios in graphite from the marbles (δ¹³C = ?7.3 ± 5.0%.; n = 10). Carbon isotope fractionations between calcite and graphite mostly vary between 3.3 and 7.1‰, which comes close to both empirically recorded and thermodynamically calculated fractionations in the temperature range of the upper amphibolite faciès (550–650°C). However, larger values occasionally encountered in the marbles suggest that complete isotopic equilibrium is not always attained in amphibolite-facies metamorphism.     

Potency of constructed wetlands for deportation of pathogens index from rural,urban and industrial wastewater

Pathogen removal is essential for wastewater treatment and its potential reuse in agriculture. Three field-scale wastewater treatment systems consisting of free surface flow were operated around 1.5 years receiving water from urban domestic, rural domestic and industrial sources. The study was conducted to evaluate seasonal performance of constructed wetland systems in removing Escherichia coli, Enterococci and total coliforms under continuous hydraulic flow. Results displayed that all three wetlands gain recognition in removing pathogen load with high removal efficacy till water reaches output ports. Removal efficiencies were even higher, 66–93, 78–92 and 80–94% for E. coli, Enterococci and total coliforms, respectively, within constructed wetlands. Remarkably at shorter temporal scales in CW-A, greater homogeneity of pathogen concentrations was assessed at wetland outlet sites. In outlet ports, results displayed a highly effective removal of E. coli concentration 80–90% (June 2015), 86–92% (October 2015) and 79–92% (February 2016), Enterococci 80–94% (June 2015), 83–94% (October 2015) and 80–94% (February 2016) and total coliforms 85–93% (June 2015), 87–95% (October 2015) and 88–96% (February 2016). Positive correlation was observed between bacterial indicators (E. coli–Enterococci, r = 0.038; p < 0.01 and E. coli–total coliforms, r = 0.142; p < 0.01). Removal of bacterial indicators in constructed wetland was also displayed by PCA in which three-component analysis of variance was 98.39% and showed a clear decrease in measured parameter gradients toward samples from outlet ports. Constructed wetlands provide cost-effective treatment systems for reducing the pathogen load in wastewater in variable agro-climatic conditions and thus improve water quality.     

Post-collisional transition from calc-alkaline to alkaline magmatism during transcurrent deformation in the southernmost Dom Feliciano Belt (Braziliano–Pan-African, Uruguay)

In the southernmost Dom Feliciano Belt of Uruguay, highly fractionated calc-alkaline granites, mildly alkaline granites, shoshonitic volcanics, and peralkaline intrusions and volcanics are spatially and temporal associated with the evolution of shear zones. Four representative magmatic unites of this diverse association were petrographic and geochemically investigated: the Solís de Mataojo Complex, a medium to high K2O calc-alkaline granite with signature typical of mature continental arcs and post-collisional settings; the Maldonado granite, highly fractionated calc-alkaline to alkaline, with characteristics that are transitional between both types of series; the Pan de Azúcar Pluton, with characteristics typical of post-collisional alkaline granites and the Las Flores shoshonitic basalts.

Geochemistry and geotectonic setting point out that slab breakoff was most likely the mechanism associated with the generation of high-K calc-alkaline magmas (Solís de Mataojo and Maldonado) shortly after collision. Extension associated to the formation of molassic basins and emplacement of dolerites and basalt flows with shoshonitic affinity (Las Flores) 15and finally a shift to magmas with alkaline signatures (Pan de Azúcar) simultaneous with a second transpressional phase were probably linked with lithospheric thinning through delamination. This evolution took place between 615 and 575 Ma, according to available data. Contrary to previous proposals, which considered this magmatism to represent the root of a continental magmatic arc, a post-collisional environment, transitional from orogenic to anorogenic, during transcurrent deformation is proposed.     

Weibull statistical analysis of granite bending strength

Summary  This paper describes and discusses the adequacy of Weibull statistical analysis to analyse the bending strength of granite. The experimental results show that strength variability is related with a specific origin of failure. This conclusion is based on analysing the influence of the surface condition (extrinsic defects) on the bending strength results treated by the Weibull statistics. The conclusions drawn from this study have been validated by analysing the results of the critical flaw dimension estimated by applying the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) formulae. Results obtained from fractographic examination also have been used to describe the location of the origin of the fracture and understand the distribution of defects; i.e., there is a unimodal distribution of defects (intrinsic defects), despite the fact that some outlier values are normally observed in the fractured surfaces. Correspndence: P. M. Amaral, Department of Materials Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal     

Heat capacity, entropy, and magnetic properties of jarosite-group compounds

Jarosite phases are common minerals in acidic, sulfate-rich environments. Here, we report heat capacities (C _p) and standard entropies (S°) for a number of jarosite samples. Most samples are close to the nominal composition AFe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆, where A = K, Na, Rb, and NH₄. One of the samples has a significant number of defects on the Fe sites and is called the defect jarosite; others are referred to as A-jarosite. The samples, their compositions, and the entropies at T = 298.15 K are:

Occurrence and geochemistry of arsenic in the groundwater of Eastern Croatia

In order to examine the extent of the As enrichment and the factors influencing this enrichment in the groundwater of Eastern Croatia, groundwater samples were collected from 56 production wells in two counties, Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem, suspected to be more affected. Hydrochemical analyses were performed at all locations including in situ As speciation at 32 locations. Arsenic was detected in 46 out of 56 groundwater samples with total As concentrations up to 491 μg/L. Thirty-six of the studied wells yielded groundwater with total As concentrations that exceeded the WHO Maximum Contaminant Level for arsenic in drinking water of 10 μg/L. Only inorganic As species were detected with arsenite As(III) as the predominant form. The spatial distribution of As in the groundwater was significantly linked with geological, geomorphological and hydrogeological development of the alluvial basin of the Drava and Sava rivers. The most probable groundwater As sources are deeper sediments from the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. The results obtained suggest that biogeochemical processes controlling As concentration in the groundwater are complex and location-specific. Reductive dissolution of Fe oxides, desorption of As from Fe oxides and/or clay minerals as well as competition for the sorption sites with organic matter and phosphate could be the principal mechanisms that control As mobilization. The extent of those processes vary in the different parts of the Drava and Sava depressions and could be linked to different site related parameters, such as lithology, mineralogy, local hydrology and hydrogeology; thus different processes of As mobilization have been proposed for the different types of water in relation to groundwater evolution.     

A New Appraisal of Sri Lankan BB Zircon as a Reference Material for LA‐ICP‐MS U‐Pb Geochronology and Lu‐Hf Isotope Tracing

A potential zircon reference material (BB zircon) for laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) U‐Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry is described. A batch of twenty zircon megacrysts (0.5–1.5 cm³) from Sri Lanka was studied. Within‐grain rare earth element (REE) compositions are largely homogeneous, albeit with some variation seen between fractured and homogeneous domains. Excluding fractured cathodoluminescence bright domains, the variation in U content for all analysed crystals ranged from 227 to 368 μg g^?1 and the average Th/U ratios were between 0.20 and 0.47. The Hf isotope composition (0.56–0.84 g/100 g Hf) is homogeneous within and between the grains – mean ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf of 0.281674 ± 0.000018 (2s). The calculated alpha dose of 0.59 × 10¹⁸ g^?1 for a number of BB grains falls within the trend of previously studied, untreated zircon samples from Sri Lanka. Aliquots of the same crystal (analysed by ID‐TIMS in four different laboratories) gave consistent U‐Pb ages with excellent measurement reproducibility (0.1–0.4% RSD). Interlaboratory assessment (by LA‐ICP‐MS) from individual crystals returned results that are within uncertainty equivalent to the TIMS ages. Finally, we report on within‐ and between‐grain homogeneity of the oxygen isotope systematic of four BB crystals (13.16‰ VSMOW).     

Dynamics and control of a towed underwater vehicle system, part I: model development

Autonomous vehicles are being developed to replace the conventional, manned surface vehicles that tow mine hunting towed platforms. While a wide body of work exists that describes numerical models of towed systems, they usually include relatively simple models of the towed bodies and neglect the dynamics of the towing vehicle. For systems in which the mass of the towing vehicle is comparable to that of the towed vehicle, it becomes important to consider the dynamics of both vehicles. In this work, we describe the development of a numerical model that accurately captures the dynamics of these new mine hunting systems. We use a lumped mass approximation for the towcable and couple this model to non-linear numerical models of an autonomous surface vehicle and an actively controlled towfish. Within the dynamics models of the two vehicles, we include non-linear controllers to allow accurate maneuvering of the towed system.