Association of phosphate with rhyolite glass in marine Neogene tuffs from Patagonia,Argentina

The precipitation/replacement of Ca‐phosphate is a complex process that commonly takes place during the early diagenesis in marine sediments. The unusual occurrence of shallow marine, early diagenetic phosphatic deposits associated with glassy tuffs in the Neogene Gaiman Formation, in the Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, constitutes a good case example for the study of replacement and precipitation of Ca‐phosphate on an unstable substrate. Isocon diagrams illustrate that chemical changes during glass diagenesis include gains in loss on ignition and Ca, and losses of K. These changes are the result of glass hydration during sea water–glass interaction, together with adsorption and diffusion of ions into the bulk shard; combined, these represent an incipient process of volcanic glass replacement by Ca‐phosphate. Subsequent early diagenetic P enrichment in the pore solutions led to phosphate precipitation, associated with pitting on the glass shards and pumice. The associated development of a reactive surface promoted the incorporation of P and Ca into their margins. Lastly, precipitation of calcium phosphate filled the vesicles and other open cavities, inhibiting further glass dissolution. The high porosity and reactivity of the volcanic glass provided an appropriate substrate for phosphate precipitation, leading to the development of authigenic apatite concretions in the volcanic‐glass bearing strata of the Gaiman Formation. This research is of significance for those concerned with marine phosphatic deposits and sheds light on the processes of early diagenetic phosphate precipitation by replacement of an atypical, unstable substrate like hydrated volcanic glass.     

Microscopic impactor debris in the soil around Kamil crater (Egypt): Inventory,distribution, total mass,and implications for the impact scenario

We report on the microscopic impactor debris around Kamil crater (45 m in diameter, Egypt) collected during our 2010 geophysical expedition. The hypervelocity impact of Gebel Kamil (Ni‐rich ataxite) on a sandstone target produced a downrange ejecta curtain of microscopic impactor debris due SE–SW of the crater (extending ~300,000 m², up to ~400 m from the crater), in agreement with previous determination of the impactor trajectory. The microscopic impactor debris include vesicular masses, spherules, and coatings of dark impact melt glass which is a mixture of impactor and target materials (Si‐, Fe‐, and Al‐rich glass), plus Fe‐Ni oxide spherules and mini shrapnel, documenting that these products can be found in craters as small as few tens of meters in diameter. The estimated mass of the microscopic impactor debris (<290 kg) derived from Ni concentrations in the soil is a small fraction of the total impactor mass (~10 t) in the form of macroscopic shrapnel. That Kamil crater was generated by a relatively small impactor is consistent with literature estimates of its pre‐atmospheric mass (>20 t, likely 50–60 t).     

Island-arc and underthrust-plate geometry

Geophysical data describing the geometry of underthrust crustal plates at the island arcs are fitted to the relation for strain-free buckling of a thin spherical shell as given by Frank (1968). Agreement of this relation with the data is notable for extensive arcs of large radius. The geometry associated with arcs of smaller radius is less strongly constrained and the dip of descending plates at arcs of small radius is greater than that predicted by the buckling relation. The data have implications concerning the growth of island arcs and the direction in which they may develop.     

Influence of Rock Mass Parameters on the Performance of a TBM in a Gneissic Formation (Varzo Tunnel)

Summary The paper analyses the influence of rock mass quality on the performance of a double shield TBM in the excavation of a tunnel in a gneiss formation which is characterized by high strength and low fracture intensity.As full observation of the rock conditions was prevented by the use of segmental lining, a geomechanical survey of the face was performed during maintenance downtime and the observed conditions were correlated with the machine performance parameters for that same day. A statistical analysis of the data shows that penetration rate correlates well with a slightly modified RMR index (in which the influence of the water conditions and joint orientation were discounted), but the most important factor is by far the partial rating of the RMR classification related to joint spacing only. However in tunnels characterized by greater variability in rock strength and joint conditions, it could be worthwhile using the complete RMR index.Given the toughness of the rock, failure of the cutter bearings and supports were a frequent occurrence during excavation. Owing to this factor the influence of rock quality on the rate of advance was found to be weak and the correlation more scattered.The results obtained for the Varzo tunnel were compared with those relative to other tunnels in granitic rocks and found to be in good agreement. However the relationships obtained should be considered valid only for this type of rock; machine behaviour could be found to be markedly different in other rock types, even where rock material strength and joint frequency are the same.     

Silicate liquid immiscibility in impact melts

We have investigated silicate emulsions in impact glasses and impact melt rocks from the Wabar (Saudi Arabia), Kamil (Egypt), Barringer (USA), and Tenoumer (Mauritania) impact structures, and in experimentally generated impact glasses and laser-generated glasses (MEMIN research unit) by scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Textural evidence of silicate liquid immiscibility includes droplets of one glass disseminated in a chemically distinct glassy matrix; sharp phase boundaries (menisci) between the two glasses; deformation and coalescence of droplets; and occurrence of secondary, nanometer-sized quench droplets in Si-rich glasses. The compositions of the conjugate immiscible liquids (Si-rich and Fe-rich) are consistent with phase separation in two-liquid fields in the general system Fe₂SiO₄–KAlSi₃O₈–SiO₂–CaO–MgO–TiO₂–P₂O₅. Major-element partition coefficients are well correlated with the degree of polymerization (NBO/T) of the Si-rich melt: Fe, Ca, Mg, and Ti are concentrated in the poorly polymerized, Fe-rich melt, whereas K, Na, and Si prefer the highly polymerized, Si-rich melt. Partitioning of Al is less pronounced and depends on bulk melt composition. Thus, major element partitioning between the conjugate liquids closely follows trends known from tholeiitic basalts, lunar basalts, and experimental analogs. The characteristics of impact melt inhomogeneity produced by melt unmixing in a miscibility gap are then compared to impact melt inhomogeneity caused by incomplete homogenization of different (miscible or immiscible) impact melts that result from shock melting of different target lithologies from the crater's melt zone, which do not fully homogenize and equilibrate due to rapid quenching. By taking previous reports on silicate emulsions in impact glasses into account, it follows that silicate impact melts of variable composition, cooling rate, and crystallization history might readily unmix during cooling, thereby rendering silicate liquid immiscibility a much more common process in the evolution of impact melts than previously recognized.     

A multidisciplinary investigation of deep-seated landslide reactivation triggered by an extreme rainfall event: a case study of the Monesi di Mendatica landslide,Ligurian Alps

Landslides - In November 2016, an extreme rainfall event affected the Ligurian Alps (NW Italy). Consequently, several landslides and debris flows occurred in the upper Tanarello stream basin. In...     

Spitzer IRAC infrared colours of submillimetre-bright galaxies

High-redshift submillimetre-bright galaxies identified by blank field surveys at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths appear in the region of the Infra Red Array Camera (IRAC) colour–colour diagrams previously identified as the domain of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our analysis using a set of empirical and theoretical dusty starburst spectral energy distribution (SED) models shows that power-law continuum sources associated with hot dust heated by young (≲100 Myr old), extreme starbursts at z > 2 also occupy the same general area as AGNs in the IRAC colour–colour plots. A detailed comparison of the IRAC colours and SEDs demonstrates that the two populations are distinct from each other, with submillimetre-bright galaxies having a systematically flatter IRAC spectrum (≳1 mag bluer in the observed [4.5]–[8.0] colour). Only about 20 per cent of the objects overlap in the colour–colour plots, and this low fraction suggests that submillimetre galaxies powered by a dust-obscured AGN are not common. The red infrared colours of the submillimetre galaxies are distinct from those of the ubiquitous foreground IRAC sources, and we propose a set of infrared colour selection criteria for identifying SMG counterparts that can be used even in the absence of radio or Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) 24 μm data.     

Geophysical surveys to study a landslide body (north-eastern Sicily)

Almost the entire Italian territory is prone to hydrogeological risk mostly due to landslides and flooding. The high frequency of extreme weather events in areas prone to geological–hydraulic hazards contributes significantly to increasing the risk for cities and its infrastructure, but above all for the people living there. Therefore, it is vital to research into rapid monitoring techniques to be applied following a disaster such as a landslide, so that important background information, useful for planning interventions aimed at hazard mitigation, can be obtained. This work seeks to identify the depth of the sliding surface of a landslide affecting the municipal area of Tripi (village in the Messina province, Sicily), through two geophysical field surveys (MASW and HVSR) undertaken in the same area at an interval of about 5 years. The MASW surveys have enabled to reconstruct the distribution of shear wave velocity with depth. The HVSR surveys have provided information on resonant frequency and directional effects. The data integration obtained by the two methods allowed to reconstruct impedance contrast sections indicating the depth of the sliding surface of the landslide.     

Extended structures around yso in Mid-IR broad emission features

We present CO(1-0) observations toward the soft gamma-ray repeater SGR 1806-20. We discuss the implications on the distance to the X-ray counterpart: AX 1805.7-2025. We also present an upper limit at = 1.3 mm for the thermal emission from dust and high resolution IRAS maps of the region. SGR 1806-20 is very likely associated with the H II complex W31. The G10.0-0.3 supernova remnant (SNR) could be expanding in the very low density region produced by the wind of the bright O9-B2 star recently detected.National Academy of Sciences / National Research Council Resident Research Associate