Architecture of an Oligocene fluvial ribbon sandstone in the Ebro Basin,North‐eastern Spain

Fluvial ribbon sandstone bodies are ubiquitous in the Ebro Basin in North‐eastern Spain; their internal organization and the mechanics of deposition are as yet insufficiently known. A quarrying operation in an Oligocene fluvial ribbon sandstone body in the southern Ebro Basin allowed for a three‐dimensional reconstruction of the sedimentary architecture of the deposit. The sandstone is largely a medium‐grained to coarse‐grained, moderately sorted lithic arenite. In cross‐section, the sandstone body is 7 m thick, occupies a 5 m deep incision and wedges out laterally, forming a ‘wing’ that intercalates with horizontal floodplain deposits in the overbank region. Three architectural units were distinguished. The lowest and highest units (Units A and C) mostly consist of medium‐grained to coarse‐grained sandstone with medium‐scale trough cross‐bedding and large‐scale inclined stratasets. Each of Units A and C comprises a fining‐up stratal sequence reflecting deposition during one flood event. The middle unit (Unit B) consists of thinly bedded, fine‐grained sandstone/mudstone couplets and represents a time period when the channel was occupied by low‐discharge flows. The adjoining ‘wing’ consists of fine‐grained sandstone beds, with mudstone interlayers, correlative to strata in Units A and C in the main body of the ribbon sandstone. In plan view, the ribbon sandstone comprises an upstream bend and a downstream straight reach. In the upstream bend, large‐scale inclined stratasets up to 3 m in thickness represent four bank‐attached lateral channel bars, two in each of Units A and C. The lateral bars migrated downflow and did not develop into point bars. In the straight downstream reach, a tabular cross‐set in Unit A represents a mid‐channel transverse bar. In Unit C, a very coarse‐grained, unstratified interval is interpreted as deposited in a riffle zone, and gives way downstream to a large mid‐channel bar. The relatively simple architecture of these bars suggests that they developed as unit bars. Channel margin‐derived slump blocks cover the upper bar. The youngest deposit is fine‐grained sandstone and mudstone that accumulated immediately before avulsion and channel abandonment. Deposition of the studied sandstone body reflects transport‐limited sediment discharges, possibly attaining transient hyperconcentrated conditions.     

Rhyacian (2.23–2.20 Ga) juvenile accretion in the southern São Francisco craton,Brazil: Geochemical and isotopic evidence from the Serrinha magmatic suite,Mineiro belt

The Serrinha magmatic suite (Mineiro belt) crops out in the southern edge of the São Francisco craton, comprising the Brito quartz-diorite, Brumado de Cima and Brumado de Baixo granodiorites, granophyres and felsic sub-volcanic and volcanic rocks, part of which intruded into the Nazareno greenstone belt. The suite rocks have petrographic features that are consistent with magma supercooling due to the low water content combined with volatile loss, leading to crystallization of quartz and alkaline feldspar at the rims of plagioclase phenocrysts (granophyric intergrowth). The investigated rocks are sub-alkaline, calc-alkaline and show low content in rare earth elements. The U–Pb zircon crystallization ages for the Brumado de Cima granodiorite [2227 ± 22 (23) Ma] and a coeval granophyre [2211 ± 22 (23) Ma], coupled with available single-zircon Pb evaporation ages for the Brito and Brumado de Baixo plutons, are significantly older than the “Minas orogeny” (ca. 2100–2050 Ga) of Quadrilátero Ferrífero area, eastward from the Serrinha suite. Our data establish an early Rhyacian event tectonically linked with the evolution of the Mineiro belt. The bulk Nd isotopic signature [low negative to positive ε_Nd(t) values] of the Serrinha samples are consistent with the important role of Paleoproterozoic mantle components in the magma genesis. The integrated geologic, geochemical and isotopic information suggests that Paleoproterozoic evolution of the Mineiro belt initiated in a passive continental margin basin with deposition of the Minas Supergroup at ca. 2500 Ma. This stage was succeeded by outboard rupture of the oceanic lithosphere with development and coalescence of progressively younger magmatic arcs during Rhyacian time. One of the earliest arcs formed the Serrinha suite. The tectonic collage of the Serrinha and Ritápolis (2190–2120 Ma) arcs produced the NE–SW Lenheiro shear zone, resulting in mylonitization and recrystallization of both the granitoid intrusions and host rocks. As a matter of fact juxtaposition of distinct magmatic units in age and origin took place along the Lenheiros structure in this sector of the Mineiro belt.     

Geothermal effects in the formation of electrically conducting zones and temperature distribution in the earth

Pollack and Chapman have shown that the surface heat flow in continental regions is dependent not only on the earth's crust below the observation site, but also on the upper mantle there. Therefore heat flow can be used to investigate the role of the thermal conditions in the creation of the electrically conductive zones in both the crust and mantle.Empirical exponential formulas describe the depth to the conductivity increase in the crust corresponding to granitization, the depth to the conductive zone at the top of the asthenosphere (SLVZ), as a function of heat flow. Comparing the latter with temperature estimations in the asthenosphere it is concluded that partial melting of the upper mantle occurs only where $\text{q ? 42}\text{m W m}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}\text{? 1}\text{HFU}$.The depth to the conductivity increase corresponding to the mineralogic phase transition in the upper mantle is increased with high temperatures. Such a conductive zone shows that the maximum temperature difference between stable platform areas and active zones is about 1000°C.     

Solar-Blind Diamond Detectors for Lyra, the Solar VUV Radiometer on Board Proba II

Fabrication, packaging and experimental results on the calibration of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors made on diamond are reported. LYRA (Lyman- RAdiometer onboard PROBA-2) will use diamond detectors for the first time in space for a solar physics instrument. A set of measurement campaigns was designed to obtain the XUV-to-VIS responsivity of the devices and other characterizations. The measurements of responsivity in EUV and VUV spectral ranges (40–240 nm) have been carried out by the Physkalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany at the electron storage ring BESSY II. The longer wavelength range from 210 to 1127 nm was measured with monochromatic light by using a Xe-lamp at IMO-IMOMEC. The diamond detectors exhibit a photoresponse which lie in the 35–65 mA/W range at 200 nm (corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 20–40%) and indicate a visible rejection ratio (200–500 nm) higher than four orders of magnitude.     

A Comparative Analysis of Transpiration and Bare Soil Evaporation

Transpiration E^v and bare soil evaporation E^b processes are comparatively analysed assuming homogeneous and inhomogeneous areal distributions of volumetric soil moisture content . For a homogeneous areal distribution of we use a deterministic model, while for inhomogeneous distributions a statistical-deterministic diagnostic surface energy balance model is applied. The areal variations of are simulated by Monte-Carlo runs assuming normal distributions of .The numerical experiments are performed for loam. In the experiments we used different parameterizations for vegetation and bare soil surface resistances and strong atmospheric forcing. According to the results theE^v()-^Eb() differences are great, especially in dry conditions. In spite of this, the available energy flux curves of vegetation A^v() and bare soil A^b() surfaces differ much less than the E^v() and ^Eb() curves. The results suggest that E^v is much more non-linearly related to environmental conditions than ^Eb. Both E^v and ^Eb depend on the distribution of , the wetness regime and the parameterization used. With the parameterizations, ^Eb showed greater variations than E^v. These results are valid when there are no advective effects or mesoscale circulation patterns and the stratification is unstable.     

A record of pre-Variscan Barrovian regional metamorphism in the eastern part of the Slavonian Mountains (NE Croatia)

Summary Petrological investigations and monazite dating are carried out on medium-grade metamorphic rocks (micaschist, gneiss and amphibolite) from the Kutjevačka Rijeka transect in the Slavonian Mts., Tisia Unit (NE Croatia). Field, mesoscopic and microstructural observations, as well as the preserved mineral chemistry, point to a single metamorphic event during peak assemblage growth reaching amphibolite facies conditions of ca. 600–650 °C and 8–11 kbar. Th, U and Pb contents of yttrium-rich accessory monazites indicate a pre-Variscan, i.e. Ordovician-Silurian age (444 ± 19 and 428 ± 25 Ma) for the medium-grade metamorphism of garnet-bearing micaschist.     

Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic intraplate contractional deformation at the Norwegian continental shelf: timing, magnitude and regional implications

Contractional structures (large anticlines and synclines, reverse faults and inverted centres of deposition) of assumed Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic age are common in Cretaceous–Tertiary basins of the northwestern European margin. The similarities in style, orientation and timing of these structures are striking. The present detailed analysis of one anticline (the Ormen Lange Dome) of the mid-Norwegian continental shelf indicates that the total contraction is moderate (less than 2–3%), and that the analysed anticline has been growing almost continuously since its initiation in Eocene till Present. Inversion in the Barents Sea started already in the Late Cretaceous. This episode is suggested to be related to far-field effects of active plate-margin processes, and transfer of stresses across the plate as a consequence of the sub Hercynian and Paleocene ‘Laramide' event of the Alpine Orogeny. The development of co-axial structures was facilitated by stress focusing along pre-existing, high-relief N–S- and NE–SW-trending fault complexes. Far-field plate tectonic stresses originating mainly from the Alpine Orogeny seem to have been the most important cause of contractional deformation on the NW European shelf. In addition, ridge push from the North Atlantic spreading may have contributed significantly, particularly during the Neogene.