Origin and depositional environment of Ordovician stratiform iron mineralization from Zamora (NW Iberian Peninsula)

The Ordovician stratiform iron deposits at Zamora (NW Iberia) are arranged in several levels ranging between 0.2 and 1.5 m in thickness, which are interstratified in the upper member of the “Pielgo” Quartzites Formation (Arenig). The sandy nature, and trace-fossils corresponding to the ichnogenus Cruziana and Daedalus, together with major and trace element contents of this formation suggest an inter and subtidal, shallow marine depositional environment, which on a global scale formed part of a broad shelf situated in the northern margin of the Gondwana continent. The iron mineralization displays a foliated and banded structure due to the alternation of quartzitic, phosphatic (apatite), chamositic, chamositic-biotitic and ferriferous (magnetite and hematite) beds. They have high TiO₂, Ta, Sc, V, Nb, Co, Zn and Y contents. The magnetite contains unusually large amounts of TiO₂, V, Cr and Ni; there is also a clear depletion in Eu and the (Eu/Sm)_CN ratio is <1 and the (Sm/Yb)_CN ratio is >1. The chamosite contains high concentrations of Cr and V. These results suggest that iron was supplied from the weathering of a continental source, in combination with volcanic activity, such as within-basin basic volcanism or the presence of basic volcanic rocks in the exposed land. The physicochemical conditions of iron mineral crystallization calculated from chamosite compositions are the following: log f O₂: −38.8 to −30.7, log f S₂: −13.2 to −9.5 and T: 200 to 330 °C. These results together with the δ¹⁸O value (∼2‰) of the magnetite suggest that chamosite and magnetite were crystallized during later diagenesis and early low-grade metamorphism under redox conditions below the magnetite-hematite buffer. Received: 25 September 1996 / Accepted: 2 February 1998     

Release of 222Rn from some soils

Measurements have been made of ²²²Rn release from diverse soils in the region surrounding Malaga, Spain. These flux measurements were carried out by two methods. A direct method using a static chamber technique and another indirect method obtained from concentration profile measurements of ²²²Rn in the soil air. The effects of meteorological variables and other parameters on ²²²Rn flux were studied. The factors that most affected the instantaneous value of ²²²Rn release were humidity and soil thermal gradient. The directly measured ²²²Rn fluxes at investigated sites are higher than ²²²Rn fluxes derived by the indirect method.     

Infrared and electron microprobe analysis of tourmalines

Infrared and electron microprobe analysis of natural tourmalines from the dravite-schorl and elbaite-schorl series were carried out. The infrared study differentiates between OH groups located at the centre of hexagonal rings and those which are placed between hexagonal pillars and are coordinated to two Al ions. The correlation of infrared spectra with chemical composition of tourmalines made possible the assignment of different OH stretching bands to the more frequent octahedral cation associations. The study of the thermal dehydroxylation of tourmalines in air indentified the IR bands corresponding to OH bonded to Fe⁺² ions in AlAlFe, AlFeLi or FeFeFe environments. The change in intensity of the OH absorption lines with the sample orientation has permitted the identification of several orientations of the OH bond axes. Electron microprobe analysis of zoned coloured samples has shown that the Fe, Mn distribution is partially ordered in some samples of the elbaite-schorl series.     

Plant macrofossil assemblages from surface sediment represent contemporary species and growth forms of aquatic vegetation in a shallow Mediterranean lake

Macrofossils are known as a useful tool in reconstructing their original plant communities. However, most studies have been focused on comparing the composition and distribution of living plant communities and their remains in temperate lakes. Mediterranean shallow lakes have been historically far less studied and little is known about the relationships between Mediterranean macrophyte communities and their remains. The aim of our study is to assess how contemporary aquatic macrophyte communities are represented by their sedimentary remains in terms of composition, distribution and concordance between the contemporary and the subfossil assemblages in a procrustean superimposition space, and to determine which surface sediment cores, collected along a depth gradient, may represent best the whole-lake macrofossil assemblage. These analyses were carried out for both species and macrophyte growth forms (submerged hydrophytes, floating-leaved hydrophytes, helophytes and charophytes) in order to check which of the two (species and growth forms) were represented best by their macro-remains. The most abundant present-day species (Myriophyllum alterniflorum DC. and Potamogeton trichoides L.) were under-represented while Characeae and some floating-leaved hydrophytes (Polygonum amphibium L. and Ranunculus peltatus Schrank) were over-represented in sedimentary samples. Additionally, macro-remains of submerged hydrophytes and helophytes were generally found in the central areas and in close proximity to contemporary vegetation, whereas floating-leaved hydrophytes distributed close to the near-shore. Notwithstanding some disparities between contemporary vegetation and their macrofossil assemblages, we found a good agreement between present-day and sedimentary datasets for both species and macrophyte growth forms. Furthermore, our study suggests that sediment cores from deep areas are more likely to represent best the whole-lake macrofossil assemblage because of their high diversity, equitability and heterogeneity. We conclude that aquatic macrophyte subfossils from the central areas of the basin can be a very useful tool in tracking the species composition and structure of the original macrophyte communities in shallow Mediterranean lakes. Additionally, when considering the use of macro-remains to reconstruct the composition and structure of macrophyte growth forms, we recommend a multicore approach that uses transects running from the shore to the lake center.     

Geodetic methods for detecting volcanic unrest: a theoretical approach

In this paper we study the application of different geodetic techniques to volcanic activity monitoring, using theoretical analysis. This methodology is very useful for obtaining an idea of the most appropriate (and efficient) monitoring method, mainly when there are no records of geodetic changes previous to volcanic activity. The analysis takes into account the crustal structure of the area, its geology, and its known volcanic activity to estimate the deformation and gravity changes that might precede eruptions. The deformation model used includes the existing gravity field and vertical changes in the crustal properties. Both factors can have a considerable effect on computed deformation and gravity changes. Topography should be considered when there is a steep slope (greater than 10°). The case study of Teide stratovolcano (Tenerife, Canary Islands), for which no deformation or gravity changes are available, is used as a test. To avoid considering topography, we worked at the lowest level of Las Cañadas and examined a smaller area than the whole caldera or island. Therefore, the results are only a first approach to the most adequate geodetic monitoring system. The methodology can also be applied to active areas where volcanic risk is not associated with a stratovolcano but instead with monogenetic scattered centers, especially when sites must be chosen in terms of detection efficiency or existing facilities. The Canary Islands provide a good example of this type of active volcanic areas, and we apply our model to the island of Lanzarote to evaluate the efficiency of the monitoring system installed at the existing geodynamic station. On this island topography is not important. The results of our study show clearly that the most appropriate geodetic volcano monitoring system is not the same for all different volcanic zones and types, and the particular properties of each volcano/zone must be taken into account when designing each system.     

Long-term effect of beach replenishment on natural recovery of shallow Posidonia oceanica meadows

The recovery capacity of shallow Posidonia oceanica meadows degraded by beach replenishment eighteen years before was assessed in two impacted meadows and compared with other two undisturbed localities. Inside each locality, we selected randomly three sites separated by 500–1000 m. At site level we study the vitality of P. oceanica meadow assessing the vegetative growth, leaf characteristics, and non-structural carbohydrates of the plants. Additionally, at locality level, silt-clay fraction, organic matter, pH and light intensity incident on the sea bottom were measured to evaluate the environmental conditions. Covering of P. oceanica was significantly lower at the impacted localities while amount of dead “matte” was higher. Leaf production of horizontal rhizomes (14.6 ± 1.11 vs 19.47 ± 1.45 leaves y⁻¹), net total rhizomes recruitment (2.33 ± 0.17 vs 4.3 ± 0.33 branches y⁻¹) and starch concentration (43.625 ± 0.67 vs 54.45 ± 0.74 mg per g of rhizome) at impacted meadows were significantly lower than controls. Leaf features, epiphytes biomass, colonization, elongation and horizontal and vertical rhizome production did not show significant differences. Sediments at impacted localities contained higher silt-clay fraction and higher organic matter load while pH was lower. Light intensity on the sea bottom measured at all localities was over the minimum light requirements estimated for P. oceanica. Our results show that the press impact produced by beach replenishment was enduring in the time slowing natural recovery by 45%. This impact may be related with changes in the sediment features.     

Diffuse Emission of Hydrogen from Poás Volcano,Costa Rica,America Central

We report the results of four soil H₂ surveys carried out in 2000–2003 at Poás volcano, Costa Rica, to investigate the soil H₂ distribution and evaluate the diffuse H₂ emission as a potential surveillance tool for Poás volcano. Soil gas H₂ contents showed a wide range of concentration from 0.2 to 7,059 ppmV during the four surveys. Maps of soil gas H₂ based on Sequential Gaussian Simulation showed low H₂ concentration values in the soil atmosphere (<0.7 ppmV) for most of the study area, whereas high soil gas H₂ values were observed inside the active crater of Poás. A significant increase in soil gas H₂ concentration was observed inside the active crater during 2001 and 2002 with respect to year 2000, followed by a decrease in 2003. The observed spatial and temporal variations of soil H₂ concentration have been well correlated with seismicity, microgravimetry and fumarolic chemistry changes which occurred during this study. These observations evidence changes in the shallow magmatic-hydrothermal system of Poás, and it might be related to a potential magmatic intrusion during the period 1998–2004. Therefore, monitoring diffuse H₂ emission of Poás has become an important geochemical tool for the monitoring of its volcanic activity.     

Morphological and kinematic signatures of a binary central star in the planetary nebula Hu 2-1

We present H α , [N  ii ] and [O  iii ] ground-based and HST archive images, VLA–A 3.6-cm continuum and H92 α emission-line data and high-resolution long-slit [N  ii ] spectra of the planetary nebula Hu 2-1. A large number of structural components are identified in the nebula: an outer bipolar and an inner shell, two pairs of collimated bipolar structures at different directions, monopolar bow-shock-like structures, and an extended equatorial structure within a halo. The formation of Hu 2-1 appears to be dominated by anisotropic mass ejection during the late-AGB stage of the progenitor and by variable, 'precessing' collimated bipolar outflows during the protoplanetary nebula and/or early planetary nebula phases. Different observational results strongly support the existence of a binary central star in Hu 2-1, among them (1) the observed point-symmetry of the bipolar lobes and inner shell, and the departures from axial symmetry of the bipolar lobes, (2) the off-centre position of the central star, (3) the detection of mass ejection towards the equatorial plane, and (4) the presence of 'precessing' collimated outflows. In addition, (5) an analysis of the kinematics shows that the systemic velocity of the bipolar outflows does not coincide with the systemic velocity of the bipolar shell. We propose that this velocity difference is a direct evidence of orbital motion of the ejection source in a binary system. From a deduced orbital velocity of ∼10 km s⁻¹, a semimajor axis of ∼ 9–27 au and period of ∼ 25–80 yr are obtained, assuming a reasonable range of masses. These parameters are used to analyse the formation of Hu 2-1 within current scenarios of planetary nebulae with binary central stars.     

Observational Constraints On Surface Characteristics Of Comet Nuclei

Direct observations of the nuclear surfaces of comets have been difficult; however a growing number of studies are overcoming observational challenges and yielding new information on cometary surfaces. In this review, we focus on recent determinations of the albedos, reflectances, and thermal inertias of comet nuclei. There is not much diversity in the geometric albedo of the comet nuclei observed so far (a range of 0.025 to 0.06). There is a greater diversity of albedos among the Centaurs, and the sample of properly observed TNOs(2) is still too small. Based on their albedos and Tisser and invariants, Fernández et al. (2001) estimate that about 5% of the near-Earth asteroids have a cometary origin, and place an upper limit of 10%. The agreement between this estimate and two other independent methods provide the strongest constraint to date on the fraction of objects that comets contribute to the population of near-Earth asteroids. There is a diversity of visible colors among comets, extinct comet candidates, Centaurs and TNOs. Comet nuclei are clearly not as red as the reddest Centaurs and TNOs. What Jewitt (2002) calls ultra-red matter seems to be absent from the surfaces of comet nuclei. Rotationally resolved observations of both colors and albedos are needed to disentangle the effects of rotational variability from other intrinsic qualities. New constraints on thermal inertia of comets are consistent with previous independent estimates. The thermal inertia estimates for Centaurs 2060 Chiron and 8405 Asbolus are significantly lower than predicted by thermal models, and also lower than the few upper limits or constraints known for active, ordinary nuclei.     

Astrophysical Molecules AlD and CaH: Transition Probabilities and Dissociation Energy

The Franck-Condon (FC) factors and r-centroids for the bands systemC ¹ Σ ⁺ → X ¹ Σ ⁺ of AlD and E ² Π → X ² Σ ⁺ of CaH have been evaluated by means of a reliable numerical integration procedure by using a suitable potential. The dissociation energy, D _e, for the electronic ground states of AlD and CaH have been estimated by the curve fitting method to the RKRV experimental potential curve turning out to be 3.01 eV and 2.32 eV, respectively. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.