The formation of auriferous quartz-sulfide veins in the Pataz region, northern Peru: A synthesis of geological, mineralogical, and geochemical data

The Pataz region in the eastern part of the North Peruvian Department La Libertad hosts a number of important gold mining districts like La Lima, El Tingo, Pataz, Parcoy, and Buldibuyo. Economic gold mineralization occurs in quartz-sulfide veins at the margin of the calc-alkaline Pataz Batholith, that mainly consists of granites, granodiorites, and monzodiorites. The batholith is of Paleozoic age and cuts the Precambrian to Early Paleozoic low-grade metamorphic basement series. Its intrusion was controlled by a NNW-trending fault of regional importance. The gold-bearing veins are characterized by a two-stage sulfide mineralization. Bodies of massive pyrite and some arsenopyrite were formed in stage 1, and after subsequent fracturing they served as sites for deposition of gold, electrum, galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. It is concluded that gold was transported as a AuCl ₂ ^- -complex by oxidizing chloride solutions and deposited near older pyrite by micro-scale redox changes and a slight temperature decrease. Mineralogical, textural, geochemical, and microthermometric features are interpreted as a consequence of mineralization at considerable depth produced by a hydrothermal system linked with the emplacement of the Pataz Batholith. acteristics in order to outline a general physicochemical model of the hydrothermal ore-forming processes.     

The East African Rift System and the impact of orographic changes on regional climate and the resulting aridification

Several proxy data indicate an aridification of the East African climate during the Neogene, which might be influenced by the orographic changes of the East African Rift System (EARS) induced by tectonic forcing during the last 20 million years. To investigate the impact of the orography and especially of the rifts, the regional climate model CCLM is used, covering the EARS with Lake Victoria in the centre of the model domain. CCLM is driven by the ERA-Interim reanalysis and applied with a double-nesting method resulting in a very high spatial resolution of 7 km. The resolution clearly shows the shoulders and rifts of the western and eastern branch of the EARS and the Rwenzoris within the western branch. To analyse the orographic influence on climate, a new technique of modifying the orography is used in this sensitivity study. The shoulders of the branches are lowered and the rifts are elevated, resulting in a smoothed orography structure with less altitude difference between the shoulders and rifts. The changes in 2 m-temperature are very local and associated with the changes in the orography. The vertically integrated moisture transport is characterised by less vortices, and its zonal component is increased over the branches. The resulting amount of precipitation is mainly decreased west of the western branch and increased in the rift of the western branch. In the eastern branch, however, the changes in the amount of precipitation are not significant. The changes in the precipitation and temperature patterns lead to a shift of biomes towards a vegetation coverage characterised by more humid conditions in the northern part of the model domain and more arid conditions in the South. Thus, the aridification found in the proxy data can be attributed to the orographic changes of the rifts only in the northern model domain.     

Expulsion of Shallow Gas in the Skagerrak—Evidence from Sub-bottom Profiling, Seismic, Hydroacoustical and Geochemical Data

A combined high resolution seismic, sub-bottom profiling, and multi-beam echo-sounding survey in the Skagerrak (Danish sector of the North Sea) together with gas analyses at a station along the profile exhibit the expulsion of gas (mainly methane) and the presence of gas-charged sediments at shallow depth. The echo-soundings yield detailed insight into the distribution and shape of typical sea-floor features associated with gas seepage, such as pockmarks. The pockmarks reach dimensions of 800 m in length, 300 m in width, and 15 m in depth, with the long axis running parallel to the slope of the Norwegian Trench. Processing of the multi-channel high resolution seismic data and the digitally recorded sub-bottom profiler signals indicate an internal compressional velocity of about 1050 m s^-1 within the gas-charged sediments reaching from the sea-floor to a sub-bottom depth of about 23 m. Using the lateral distribution and thickness of the gas-charged sediments in conjunction with a mean concentration of gas of 3000 ppb, the present amount of trapped gas is estimated to be 6·45 × 10¹¹ g CH₄. The flux of methane through the sea-bed into the water column appears to be 7·2 × 10¹⁰ g CH₄ per year. To explain the small difference in size between the methane pool in near-surface sediments and the annual flux through the sea-bed, a constantly high supply of methane from leaking hydrocarbon reservoirs at greater depths has to be active.     

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of sand‐filled wedge structures and their fine‐grained host sediment from Jonzac,SW France

Two sand wedge structures and their host sediments, from Jonzac in SW France, were successfully dated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) measurements on both small aliquots and single grains of quartz from the 180–212 μm size fraction. One of the sand wedges clearly contains primary infilling. However, grain‐size analysis and field observations do not clearly indicate whether the other feature represents a primary sand wedge or a composite sand wedge with primary and secondary infilling. OSL results and the geological setting justify using the Central Age Model (CAM) for the calculation of age estimates. Grain‐size analysis and detailed investigations of OSL results revealed the contamination of one sand wedge sample with host sediment. However, age calculation using the Finite Mixture Model (FMM) provided what is considered to be a reliable age estimate for the contaminated sample. The age estimates for all samples correspond to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. While fine‐grained sediments were deposited in the middle of MIS 3 (c. 43–55 ka), the sand wedges unexpectedly correspond to the end of this period (c. 33 ka) or the onset of MIS 2 (c. 27 ka). The sand wedges were probably formed during intense but short cold periods, possibly correlated with a Heinrich event (H2 and/or H3). The results help us to assess how effective luminescence dating is on sand wedges and the limitations involved in correlating sand wedge ages with Heinrich events, and contribute to the debate on the timing of cryogenic formation processes and the permafrost distribution in SW France.     

Spatio‐temporal variability of zooplankton biomass and environmental control in the Northern Benguela Upwelling System: field investigations and model simulation

Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of zooplankton are highly variable in the Northern Benguela Upwelling System. We studied the distribution of zooplankton (size class ≥ 0.33 mm) and used field data from four cruises that took place between March 2008 and February 2011, as well as simulation results of a regional ecosystem model. Remotely sensed sea surface temperatures (SST) and surface chlorophyll concentrations were analysed to investigate environmental influences on zooplankton biomass. The Intense Benguela Upwelling Index showed a distinct seasonal signal throughout the years and the highest upwelling peaks in August/September. Even though surface chlorophyll concentrations were very variable throughout the year, the highest concentrations were always detected in September, following the upwelling of nutrient‐rich water. In field catches, zooplankton biomass concentration in the upper 200 m was highest above the outer shelf and shelf‐break in December 2010 and February 2011, i.e. 6 months after the upwelling peaks. In contrast, zooplankton biomass simulated by the model in the surface water was highest in September. In March/April, biomass maxima were typically measured in the field at intermediate water depths, but the vertical distribution was also affected by extensive oxygen minimum zones. The ecosystem model reproduced this vertical pattern. Although general trends were similar, simulation data of zooplankton standing stocks overestimated the field data by a factor of 3. In upwelling systems, food webs are generally considered to be short and dominated by large cells. However, our field data indicate more small‐sized zooplankton organisms above the shelf than offshore.     

Altimetry and transponder ground simulation experiment

We have designed and built a compact demonstrator unit for the investigation of altimetry and transponder applications. A small light-weight breadboard carries a compact frequency doubled Nd:YAG pulse laser, an afocal beam expansion optics, a small receiver telescope with spectral and spatial filter arrangements and a sensitive photo-detector. The output laser energy can be as high as 45 mJ with a pulse-width of 3 ns and the telescope aperture is 10 cm. Simulations [Degnan, J.J., 2006. Simulating interplanetary transponder and laser communications experiments via dual station ranging to SLR satellites. In: Proceedings of the 15th International Workshop on Laser Ranging, Canberra, Australia, pp. 457-462] suggested that the link margin for low Earth orbiting satellites (LEO) is comfortable. Successful satellite laser ranging from this dual-station experiment in several different configurations was achieved up to the MEO orbit in a 10 day provisional installation.     

Laser guide stars for extremely large telescopes: efficient Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor design using the weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm

Over the last few years increasing consideration has been given to the study of laser guide stars (LGS) for the measurement of the disturbance introduced by the atmosphere in optical and near-infrared (near-IR) astronomical observations from the ground. A possible method for the generation of a LGS is the excitation of the sodium layer in the upper atmosphere at approximately 90 km of altitude. Since the sodium layer is approximately 10 km thick, the artificial reference source looks elongated, especially when observed from the edge of a large aperture. The spot elongation strongly limits the performance of the most common wavefront sensors. The centroiding accuracy in a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor, for instance, decreases proportionally to the elongation (in a photon noise dominated regime). To compensate for this effect, a straightforward solution is to increase the laser power, i.e. to increase the number of detected photons per subaperture. The scope of the work presented in this paper is twofold: an analysis of the performance of the weighted centre of gravity algorithm for centroiding with elongated spots and the determination of the required number of photons to achieve a certain average wavefront error over the telescope aperture.     

An ice-core based history of Siberian forest fires since AD 1250

Forest fires play a key role in the global carbon cycle and thus, can affect regional and global climate. Although fires in extended areas of Russian boreal forests have a considerable influence on atmospheric greenhouse gas and soot concentrations, estimates of their impact on climate are hampered by a lack of data on the history of forest fires. Especially regions with strong continental climate are of high importance due to an intensified development of wildfires. In this study we reconstruct the fire history of Southern Siberia during the past 750 years using ice-core based nitrate, potassium, and charcoal concentration records from Belukha glacier in the continental Siberian Altai. A period of exceptionally high forest-fire activity was observed between AD 1600 and 1680, following an extremely dry period AD 1540–1600. Ice-core pollen data suggest distinct forest diebacks and the expansion of steppe in response to dry climatic conditions. Coherence with a paleoenvironmental record from the 200 km distant Siberian lake Teletskoye shows that the vegetational shift AD 1540–1680, the increase in fire activity AD 1600–1680, and the subsequent recovery of forests AD 1700 were of regional significance. Dead biomass accumulation in response to drought and high temperatures around AD 1600 probably triggered maximum forest-fire activity AD 1600–1680. The extreme dry period in the 16th century was also observed at other sites in Central Asia and is possibly associated with a persistent positive mode of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). No significant increase in biomass burning occurred in the Altai region during the last 300 years, despite strongly increasing temperatures and human activities. Our results imply that precipitation changes controlled fire-regime and vegetation shifts in the Altai region during the past 750 years. We conclude that high sensitivity of ecosystems to occasional decadal-scale drought events may trigger unprecedented environmental reorganizations under global-warming conditions.     

Eastern Himalayan alpine plant ecology,Tibetan ethnobotany,and climate change

Tibetan culture and livelihoods depend on native plants for medicine, food, grazing, wood, as well as cash from market sales. The Medicine Mountains (part of the Hengduan Mountains) of the eastern Himalayas, with tremendous plant diversity derived from steep gradients of both elevation and precipitation, have traditionally been an important source of Tibetan medicinal plants. We examine climate change in this area and vegetation patterns influenced by biogeography, precipitation and elevation (NMS and CCA ordinations of GLORIA plots). The Alpine environment has the highest plant diversity and most useful plants and is the most susceptible to climate change with impacts on traditional Tibetan culture and livelihoods—particularly Tibetan medicine and herding.     

Aspects Of Ring Lasers As Local Earth Rotation Sensors

Ring laser rotation sensors are best known from inertial navigation, wherethey have many advantages over mechanical gyroscopes. They have recentlybeen greatly improved, and show potential as fully independent length-of-daysensors. We discuss some important aspects of current limitations in theirperformance. In particular we demonstrate a novel scheme for thestabilisation of a large ring laser against frequency pulling effectsinduced by backscatter.