The formation of the Hubble sequence of disc galaxies: the effects of early viscous evolution

We investigate a model of disc galaxies whereby viscous evolution of the gaseous disc drives material inwards to form a protobulge. We start from the standard picture of disc formation through the settling of gas into a dark halo potential well, with the disc initially coming into centrifugal equilibrium with detailed conservation of angular momentum. We derive generic analytic solutions for the disc–halo system after adiabatic compression of the dark halo, with free choice of the input virialized dark halo density profile and of the specific angular momentum distribution. We derive limits on the final density profile of the halo in the central regions. Subsequent viscous evolution of the disc is modelled by a variation of the specific angular momentum distribution of the disc, providing analytic solutions to the final disc structure. The assumption that the viscous evolution time-scale and the star formation time-scale are similar leads to predictions of the properties of the stellar components. Focusing on small 'exponential' bulges, i.e., ones that may be formed through a disc instability, we investigate the relationship between the assumed initial conditions, such as halo 'formation', or assembly, redshift z _f, spin parameter λ , baryonic fraction F , and final disc properties such as global star formation time-scale, gas fraction, and bulge-to-disc ratio. We find that the present properties of discs, such as the scalelength, are compatible with a higher initial formation redshift if the redistribution by viscous evolution is included than if it is ignored. We also quantify the dependence of final disc properties on the ratio F λ , thus including the possibility that the baryonic fraction varies from galaxy to galaxy, as perhaps may be inferred from the observations.     

Assessment of NMR Logging for Estimating Hydraulic Conductivity in Glacial Aquifers

Glacial aquifers are an important source of groundwater in the United States and require accurate characterization to make informed management decisions. One parameter that is crucial for understanding the movement of groundwater is hydraulic conductivity, K. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging measures the NMR response associated with the water in geological materials. By utilizing an external magnetic field to manipulate the nuclear spins associated with ¹H, the time-varying decay of the nuclear magnetization is measured. This logging method could provide an effective way to estimate K at submeter vertical resolution, but the models that relate NMR measurements to K require calibration. At two field sites in a glacial aquifer in central Wisconsin, we collected a total of four NMR logs and obtained measurements of K in their immediate vicinity with a direct-push permeameter (DPP). Using a bootstrap algorithm to calibrate the Schlumberger-Doll Research (SDR) NMR-K model, we estimated K to within a factor of 5 of the DPP measurements. The lowest levels of accuracy occurred in the lower-K (K < 10⁻⁴ m/s) intervals. We also evaluated the applicability of prior SDR model calibrations. We found the NMR calibration parameters varied with K, suggesting the SDR model does not incorporate all the properties of the pore space that control K. Thus, the expected range of K in an aquifer may need to be considered during calibration of NMR-K models. This study is the first step toward establishing NMR logging as an effective method for estimating K in glacial aquifers.     

Lateral stirring of large-scale tracer fields by altimetry

Ocean surface fronts and filaments have a strong impact on the global ocean circulation and biogeochemistry. Surface Lagrangian advection with time-evolving altimetric geostrophic velocities can be used to simulate the submesoscale front and filament structures in large-scale tracer fields. We study this technique in the Southern Ocean region south of Tasmania, a domain marked by strong meso- to submesoscale features such as the fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Starting with large-scale surface tracer fields that we stir with altimetric velocities, we determine ‘advected’ fields which compare well with high-resolution in situ or satellite tracer data. We find that fine scales are best represented in a statistical sense after an optimal advection time of ～2 weeks, with enhanced signatures of the ACC fronts and better spectral energy. The technique works best in moderate to high EKE regions where lateral advection dominates. This technique may be used to infer the distribution of unresolved small scales in any physical or biogeochemical surface tracer that is dominated by lateral advection. Submesoscale dynamics also impact the subsurface of the ocean, and the Lagrangian advection at depth shows promising results. Finally, we show that climatological tracer fields computed from the advected large-scale fields display improved fine-scale mean features, such as the ACC fronts, which can be useful in the context of ocean modelling.     

Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Black Sea: A test of depth-dependent stretching models

Subsidence analysis of the eastern Black Sea basin suggests that the stratigraphy of this deep, extensional basin can be explained by a predominantly pure-shear stretching history. A strain-rate inversion method that assumes pure-shear extension obtains good fits between observed and predicted stratigraphy. A relatively pure-shear strain distribution is also obtained when a strain-rate inversion algorithm is applied that allows extension to vary with depth without assuming its existence or form. The timing of opening of the eastern Black Sea, which occupied a back-arc position during the closure of the Tethys Ocean, has also been a subject of intense debate; competing theories called for basin opening during the Jurassic, Cretaceous or Paleocene/Eocene. Our work suggests that extension likely continued into the early Cenozoic, in agreement with stratigraphic relationships onshore and with estimates for the timing of arc magmatism. Further basin deepening also appears to have occurred in the last ～ 20 myr. This anomalous subsidence event is focused in the northern part of the basin and reaches its peak at ～ 15–10 Ma. We suggest that this comparatively localized shortening is associated with the northward movement of the Arabian plate. We also explore the effects of paleowater depth and elastic thickness on the results. These parameters are controversial, particularly for deep-water basins and margins, but their estimation is a necessary step in any analysis of the tectonic subsidence record stored in stratigraphy.     

Geochemistry of volcanic glass from Oligocene detrital sediments at DSDP Site 296, Kyushu Palau Ridge: Interpreting the magmatic evolution of the early northern Izu–Bonin–Mariana Island Arc

Understanding the petrologic and geochemical evolution of island arcs is important for interpreting the timing and impacts of subduction and processes leading to the formation of a continental crust. The Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) Arc, western Pacific, is an outstanding location to study arc evolution. The IBM first arc (45–25 Ma) followed a period of forearc basalt and boninite formation associated with subduction initiation (52–45 Ma). In this study, we present new major and trace element data for the IBM first arc from detrital glass shards and clasts from DSDP Site 296, located on the northernmost Kyushu Palau Ridge (KPR). We synthesize these data with published literature for contemporaneous airfall ash and tephra from the Izu–Bonin forearc, dredge and piston core samples from the KPR, and plutonic rocks from the rifted eastern KPR escarpment, locations which lie within or correlate with KPR Segment 1 of Ishizuka, Taylor, Yuasa, and Ohara (2011). Our objective is to test ways in which petrologic and chemical data for diverse igneous materials can be used to construct a complete picture of this section of the Oligocene first arc and to draw conclusions about its evolution. Important findings reveal that widely varying primary magmas formed and differentiated at various depths at this location during this period. Changes in key trace element ratios such as La/Sm, Nb/Yb, and Ba/Th show that mantle sources varied in fertility and in the inputs of subducted sediment and fluids over time and space. Plutonic rocks appear to be related to early K‐poor dacitic liquids represented by glasses sampled both in the forearc and volcanic fronts. An interesting observation is that the variation in magma compositions in this relatively small segment encompasses that inferred for the IBM Arc as a whole, suggesting that sampling is a key factor in inferring temporal, across‐arc, and along‐strike geochemical trends.     

Geochemical variations in Andean basaltic and silicic lavas from the Villarrica-Lanin volcanic chain (39.5° S): an evaluation of source heterogeneity,fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation

At 39.5° S in the southern volcanic zone of the Andes three Pleistocene-recent stratovolcanoes, Villarrica, Quetrupillan and Lanin, form a trend perpendicular to the strike of the Andes, 275 to 325 km from the Peru-Chile trench. Basalts from Villarrica and Lanin are geochemically distinct; the latter have higher incompatible element abundances and La/Sm but lower Ba/La and alkali metal/La ratios. These differences are consistent with our previously proposed models involving: a) a west to east decrease in an alkali metal-rich, high Ba/La slab-derived component which causes an across strike decrease in degree of melting; or b) a west to east increase in the contamination of subduction-related magma by enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Silicic and mafic lavas from the stratovolcanoes have overlapping Sr, Nd and O isotopic ratios. Silicic lavas also have geochemical differences that parallel those of their associated basalts, e.g., rhyolite from Villarrica has lower La/Sm and incompatible element contents than high-SiO₂ andesite from Lanin. At each volcano the most silicic lavas can be modelled by closed system fractional crystallization while andesites are best explained by magma mixing. Apparently crustal contamination was not an important process in deriving the evolved lavas. Basaltic flows from small scoria cones, 20–35 km from Villarrica volcano have high incompatible element contents and low Ba/La, like Lanin basalts, but trend to higher K/Rb (356–855) and lower ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr (0.70361–0.70400) than basalts from either stratovolcano. However all basalts have similar Nd, Pb and O isotope ratios. The best explanation for the unique features of the cones is that the sources of SVZ magmas, e.g., slab-derived fluids or melts of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, have varying alkali metal and radiogenic Sr contents. These heterogeneities are not manifested in stratovolcano basalts because of extensive subcrustal pooling and mixing. This model is preferable to one involving crustal contamination because it can account for variable Sr isotope ratios and uniform Nd and Pb isotope ratios among the basalts, and the divergence of the cones from across-strike geochemical trends defined by the stratovolcanoes.     

A disequilibrium compaction model constrained by seismic data and application to overpressure generation in The Eastern Black Sea Basin

Locating and quantifying overpressures are essential to understand basin evolution and hydrocarbon migration in deep basins and thickly sedimented continental margins. Overpressures influence sediment cohesion and hence fault slip in seismically active areas or failure on steep slopes, and may drive catastrophic fluid expulsion. They also represent a significant drilling hazard. Here, we present a method to calculate the pore pressure due to disequilibrium compaction. Our method provides an estimate of the compaction factor, surface porosity and sedimentation rate of each layer in a sediment column using a decompaction model and the constraints imposed by seismic data and geological observations. For a range of surface porosities, an ad hoc iterative equation determines the compaction factor that gives a calculated layer thickness that matches the observed thickness within a tolerance. The surface porosity and compaction factor are then used to obtain a density profile and a corresponding estimate of P‐wave velocity (V_p). The selected parameters are those that give a good match with both the observed and calculated layer thicknesses and V_p profiles. We apply our method to the centre of the Eastern Black Sea Basin (EBSB), where overpressures have been linked to a low‐velocity zone (LVZ) at ca. 5500–8500 m depth. These overpressures were generated by the relatively high sedimentation rate of ca. 0.28 m ka^?1 of the low permeability organic‐rich Maikop formation at 33.9–20.5 Ma and an even higher sedimentation rate of ca. 0.85 m ka^?1 at 13–11 Ma. We estimate a maximum pore pressure of ca. 138 MPa at ca. 8285 m depth, associated with a ratio of overpressure to vertical effective stress in hydrostatic conditions () of ca. 0.7. These values are lower than those presented in a previous study for the same area.     

Identification of Pathways for Hydrogen Gas Migration in Fault Zones with a Discontinuous,Heterogeneous Permeability Structure and the Relationship to Particle Size Distribution of Fault Materials

Previous studies have reported that high concentrations of H₂ gas are released from active fault zones. Experimental studies suggest that the H₂ gas is derived from the reaction of water with free radicals formed when silicate minerals are fractured at hypocenter depths during fault activities. However, the pathways for migration of deep-seated fluids to surface are still unknown. In this study we performed quick, multipoint H₂ gas measurements across a fault zone using a portable gas monitor and a hand drill. The fault zone studied includes a smectite-rich fault core dividing two clearly distinguishable damage zones: granite cataclasite and welded tuff fault breccia. The measurements show that H₂ gas emissions collected in 2–3 h sampling periods from start of measurement range from 320.3 to 446.2 ppm/min in the granite cataclasite and 60.5 to 137.8 ppm/min in the welded tuff fault breccias. Negligible quantities of H₂ gas could be collected from the fault core. Particle size distribution analyses of fault rocks indicate that the granite cataclasite tends to be rich in particles that are finer, i.e., less cohesive and easy to disaggregate, which leads to the inference that the granite cataclasite has high permeability. Based on the H₂ gas measurements and the particle size distribution analyses, the H₂ gas is considered to have migrated in permeable damage zones mostly by advection with groundwater. Multipoint H₂ gas measurement will be effective in qualitative delineation of variations in permeability of regional structures.     

The Kasila Group,Sierra Leone,an interpretation of new data

Recent geological mapping and U/Pb age determinations show that the Kasila Group has many of the characteristics shown by the Limpopo Belt and other high-grade linear metamorphic belts. The Kasila Group appears to form the southwestern periphery of the dominantly low-grade West African Archaean Craton.