A reconstruction of the pre‐8th century B.C. palaeotopography of central Corinth,Greece

The pre‐8th century B.C. palaeotopography of the center of Corinth, southern Greece, was reconstructed using a combination of geological and geomorphological observation and archaeological evidence. Preserved areas of calcrete and overlying calcareous soil, which represent surviving remnants lying close to the pre‐8th century B.C. land surface, were mapped. The geology of the site was also mapped. The topography of Corinth in pre‐8th century B.C. times was radically different from that observed today. Most topographic modification occurred as a result of quarrying from a line of Pleistocene oolitic sand dunes for construction‐stone during antiquity. The reconstruction presented differs in key respects from previously published palaeotopographies, which did not include geological evidence. The results of the new reconstruction illustrate the importance of combining geological, geomorphological, and archaeological evidence and have implications for the urban development of Corinth in post‐8th century B.C. times. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A seismic reflection and GLORIA study of compressional deformation in the Gorringe Bank region, eastern North Atlantic

Seismic reflection and GLORIA side-scan sonar data obtained on RRS Charles Darwin cruise CD64 reveal new information on the styles of deformation in the Gorringe Bank region, at the eastern end of the Azores–Gibraltar plate boundary. Previous studies suggest that Gorringe Bank was formed by the overthrusting of a portion of the African plate upon the Eurasian plate. The new seismic data show, however, that the most intensely deformed region is located south of Gorringe Bank, on the northern flanks of a NW–SE-trending submarine ridge which includes the Ampere and Coral Patch seamounts. The deformation is expressed as long-wavelength (up to 60  km), large-amplitude (up to 800  m) folds in the sediments and underlying acoustic basement, which in places are associated with one or more reverse faults, and as a fabric of short-wavelength folds (up to 3  km) with a NE trend. In contrast, the same sedimentary units when traced beneath the flanking plains are undeformed, except for some faults with a small throw (~30  m), some of which offset the seafloor. GLORIA data show that recent deformation is broadly distributed over the region. Structural trends rotate from 45° in the west to 70° in the east of the region, nearly perpendicular to the NW-verging plate motion vectors as determined from plate kinematic models. Flexure modelling suggests that a portion of Gorringe Bank has loaded 152  Ma oceanic lithosphere and that a maximum of 50  km of shortening has occurred at Gorringe Bank since the mid-Miocene. Our observations support a model in which there is no single plate boundary in the region, rather that the deformation is distributed over a 200–330  km wide zone.     

Emerging Memorial Landscapes of Labor Conflict in the Cotton Textile South

While research into the formation of memorial landscapes in the American South has focused on those resulting from racial conflicts, a new landscape memorializing labor conflict and class consciousness is also emerging in the region's textile‐producing Piedmont. This memorialization poses significant challenges to dominant regional discourses of economic development and class mutuality in a region in which labor organizing and radical politics remain anathema. This paper examines this emerging landscape for what it can tell us about class relations in the region and the process by which memorial landscapes are formed.     

Contrasting effects of managed opening regimes on water quality in two intermittently closed and open coastal lakes

Intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs) are shallow barrier lakes which are intermittently connected to the sea and experience saline intrusions. Many ICOLLs are mechanically opened to prevent flooding of surrounding agricultural and urban land and to flush water of poor quality. In this study, the effects of modified opening regimes (frequency and duration of barrier openings and closures) on water quality and phytoplankton in two New Zealand ICOLLs were investigated over a number of opening/closure cycles. Water quality in Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora) responded weakly to both opening and closing events, indicating that sea–ICOLL exchange did not markedly improve water quality. Conversely, water quality in Waituna Lagoon responded rapidly to barrier openings; water level decreased to near sea level within days of opening and subsequent seawater exchange resulted in rapid decreases in nitrate and chlorophyll a concentrations. The closure of Waituna Lagoon resulted in rapid rise in water level and a pulse of nitrate and phosphorus in the water column and phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentrations increased with increasing closed-period duration. Based on data on the underwater light climate and nutrient dynamics, phytoplankton in Lake Ellesmere was probably light-limited, whereas phytoplankton in Waituna Lagoon was rarely light-limited, and appeared to be predominately P-limited. The marked differences in responses of Lake Ellesmere and Waituna Lagoon to barrier openings and closures reflected differences in ICOLL water levels and morphological characteristics, which dictated the degree of tidal flushing when the barriers were open. The inter-ICOLL differences observed in this study indicate that unless the effects of ICOLL openings/closures on phytoplankton and nutrient dynamics are understood, changes to ICOLL opening regimes may have unintended consequences for the water quality and ecology of these systems.     

The Structure of manganese oxide formed by the fungus Acremonium sp. strain KR21-2

Manganese oxides are observed to form by the oxidation of aqueous solutions of Mn(II) catalyzed by the action of microorganisms. In contrast to the widely studied material produced by bacteria, manganese oxide phases produced by the action of fungi have received only limited attention.A detailed study of the MnO_x material produced by the action of the fungus Acremonium KR21-2, utilizing X-ray diffraction, XANES, EXAFS and transmission electron microscopy is reported. The MnO_x material is produced as small crystalline particles which adopt a todorokite-like tunnel structure, in striking contrast to previously reported microbial MnO_x materials which adopt layered birnessite-type structures. ICPMS measurements reveal there are no templating metal ions present in the fungally mediated MnO_x material, in contrast to analogous bacterially mediated material, suggesting these cations play a critical role in determining the structure of the material precipitated. A phylogenetic analysis places KR21-2 with other Acremonium species in the Hypocreales.