A contribution to the population biology of horseshoe crabs,Limulus polyphemus (L.), in Delaware Bay

The 1977 peak population of spawning horsehoe crabs,Limulus polyphemus, in Delaware Bay, was comprised of about 222,000 males and 51,000 females. This estimate, based upon a shoreline survey of spawning intensity along Delaware and New Jersey beaches at the time of full moon tides in June, was corroborated by a quantification of egg clusters in a beach. Fecundity of gravid females was used, in conjunction with the egg cluster estimate, to approximate the number of females responsible for the observed quantity of eggs. The present spawning population of Delaware Bay is several fold larger than that which existed during the 1960’s. From a longer historical perspective, however, the population is far from approaching the numbers and spawning intensity reported a century ago.     

Homogenous deformation in precambrian supracrustal rocks of Kumlinge area,southwest Finland

Supracrustal rocks form a trough-like prolonged syncline surrounded by granitic rocks.They consist of quartz-feldspar schists (leptites) overlain by amphibolites. The stratigraphic succession in the syncline is as follows: undermost lie leptites followed by amphibolitic pillow lavas, which are gradually superseded by pillow breccias and agglomerates. A small area of polygonally jointed amphibolites lies above the pillow breccias. The succession gives the impression of volcanic activity in a gradually declining depth of water.The pillow lavas and agglomerates are commonly flattened or elongated and only locally undeformed. Elongation-type deformation is most pronounced in the agglomerates of the central parts of the syncline, where it now reaches its maximum breadth. The axial ratios of the elongated agglomerate fragments are approx. 2/3/75. Around the margins of the syncline the pillow lavas are strongly flattened. The most flattened pillows have axial ratios of approx 1/60/60.The flattening deformation in the adjacent leptitic rocks can be estimated from boudinage and folding in numerous pegmatite dikes. The estimated deformation in the leptites agrees reasonably well with the observed deformation in the adjacent pillow lavas.A gravitative sinking of the dense amphibolites into the underlying granitic material could possibly account for variations in the type of deformation within the syncline.     

Use of oxygen isotope ratios in correlation of tuffs,East Rudolf Basin,northern Kenya

Oxygen isotope determinations were made using CoF₃ to extract oxygen from 27 volcanic glass samples from the East Rudolf Basin, northern Kenya. Results show that the older tuffs are progressively enriched in¹⁸O and that this index can be used in the correlation of volcanic ash units. This method could not distinguish individual samples from the youngest units studied because their ranges of δ¹⁸O overlap. The δ¹⁸O values for the shards in the Tulu Bor Tuff, the KBS Tuff, the Koobi Fora Tuff and the Chari Tuff range from 14.5 to 16.4, from 8.9 to 9.5, from 6.6 to 7.0 and from 7.0 to 7.2, respectively, in decreasing age. Determinations from pumice cobbles are consistently higher than the above values.     

Pollen and fragments of plant tissue in core samples from the Greenland Ice Cap

Investigation of two Late-Wisconsin and two sub-recent core samples from the Greenland Ice Cap has shown the presence ol determinable pollen, wood fragments and other plant remains in the ice.     

Migration of a pattern of plate motion

A pattern of plate motion is documented to have migrated from the South Pacific into the Indian Ocean during the Cretaceous and Early Tertiary, and then across the Indian Ocean during the Tertiary. The opening of the Gulf of Aden may be a more recent extension of this migration. The migration takes place by the episodic formation of new segments of sea-floor spreading having the new direction of plate motion; or by development of the new direction of motion in segments where sea-floor spreading had previously been active. In this manner plate motions can extend beyond their previously limiting plate boundaries.     

SUPRPUMP: An Interactive Program for Well Test Analysis and Design

Abstract. We have developed a program which aids in the design and analysis of pumping tests and slug tests. In design mode, the program emphasizes calculation and plotting of the sensitivities of drawdown (or head) to well function parameters. In analysis mode, the program can analyze a given set of experimental data. For pumping tests, the program allows multiple observation wells and multiple variable-rate pumping wells. The program is written in a modular fashion, allowing easy addition of well functions to the currently existing library. An example based on a hypothetical pumping test illustrates the utility of sensitivity analysis for well test design.