Os Isotopes and the Origin of the Tasmanian Dolerites

New Os isotope data obtained for oxides separated from samplesof the Jurassic dolerites of Tasmania (Australia) are used toconstrain the petrogenesis of the Ferrar continental flood basaltprovince. It is proposed here that the unradiogenic initialOs ratio (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0·145 ± 0·049 2     

Winter severity in Europe: The fourteenth century

The fourteenth century is known to include a period of winter cooling in Central and Western Europe, but its timing and magnitude are not clearly established. An attempt to obtain a coherent picture from verified documentary evidence yielded 2133 records from a region covering Central Europe and Northern Italy, mostly originating from the Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Temperatures were assessed using semi-quantitative indices on the basis of proxy information on snow-cover, ice and untimely activity of vegetation. Results: A run of cold winters from 1303 to 1328 was followed by a run of average winters up to 1354. Then winter temperatures were extremely variable up to 1375. For the rest of the century they fluctuated somewhat below the average of the twentieth century. The pattern in the first five decades is compared to that in the Late Maunder Minimum (1675–1715). The possible role of forcing factors (variations in solar output, North Atlantic Deep Water formation) is briefly discussed.     

Elasticity of polycrystalline stishovite

Ultrasonic data for the velocities of SiO₂-stishovite have been determined as a function of pressure to 10 kbar at room temperature for polycrystalline specimens hot-pressed at pressures P = 120kbar and temperatures T = 900°C. These cylindrical specimens are 2 mm in diameter and 0.9–1.4 mm long and have a grain size less than 10 μm. Compressional and shear wave velocities were measured both parallel and perpendicular to the axis of pressing and were found to be isotropic at 10 kbar with ν_p = 11.0 ± 0.2km/sec andν_s = 6.9 ± 0.3km/sec; this shear velocit is substantially higher than that of Mizutani et al. (1972) perhaps due to the presence of crack orientations in their specimen which affected ν_s but not ν_p. The Murnaghan P-V trajectories calculated from the ultrasonic data [bulk modulus K_s = 2.5 ± 0.3Mbar and assuming (?K_s/?P)_T = 6 ± 2] are consistent with recent hydrostatic compression data and with the shock wave compression data above 600 kbar. The combined evidence from the data of the ultrasonic and hydrostatic compression techniques suggests that the most probable value of the bulk modulus of stishovite at zero pressure is close to the upper limit of the uncertainty of our ultrasonically determined value, K₀ = 2.7?2.8Mbar. Elasticity data for rutile-type oxides are not compatible with normal K_s-V₀ systematics perhaps due to the neglect of non-central forces in the lattice model. These new stishovite data would make it impossible to satisfy the elasticity-density data of the lower mantle using an oxide mixture with either olivine or pyroxene stoichiometry.     

A procedure for identifying significant environmental aspects in sea ports

A new methodology has been designed to identify and rank the significant environmental aspects in sea ports. The main objective of the Strategic Overview of Significant Environmental Aspects (SOSEA) is to help port managers to identify significant environmental aspects and to reinforce the awareness about them in order to prioritise work in environmental management. Developed in close collaboration with port environmental managers and tested in a set of ports, it is a user-friendly tool that can be applied in approximately half a working day. It is based on ISO 14001 vocabulary and requirements and it can be considered as the base for the implementation of any Environmental Management System for port communities.     

230Th-238U radioactive disequilibria in tholeiites from the FAMOUS zone (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 36°50′N): Th and Sr isotopic geochemistry

We analyzed, U, Th and²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity ratios for a few tholeiites from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge FAMOUS zone at 36°50′N. The results show a fairly wide scatter for both Th/U and (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratios. Seawater contamination appears to be responsible for this scatter and, for the uranium, produces an increase in content yielding a (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) ratio greater than 1 and, for the Th, an increase of the (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratio which is a very sensitive indicator for contamination. Also, the latter often is selective: U, Th and Sr are not affected in the same manner.When discarding all data for contaminated samples, the FAMOUS zone appears to be very homogeneous with aTh/U ratio value of 3.05 and a (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratio value of 1.24. Comparison with other active volcanic areas reveals a negative correlation between (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for present lavas which is indicative of a consistency in Th-U and Rb-Sr fractionation in the source regions of these magmas. The Th isotopic geochemistry can thus provide useful information for the study of present volcanism, information as valuable as that from Sr, Pb or Nd isotopes.     

Carbon Isotope Geochemistry of the Orinoco Basin

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been used to study the sources of particulate organic carbon (POC) and total dissolved inorganic carbon in the Orinoco Basin. The isotopic composition of total dissolved inorganic carbon shows a range of from -8·1 to -23·0 ppt, an indication of dominance of biological processes. The isotopic composition of POC exhibits a range of from -24·1 to -34·6 ppt with little seasonal variation. The isotopic evidence indicates that the POC is predominantly of terrestrial origin rather than a result of in situ planktonic production. The similarity of isotopic composition of POC and coastal sediments suggests that riverine organic detritus has been transported 30-50 km offshore in a direction parallel to the Orinoco river channel.     

Bioconcentration factors for petroleum hydrocarbons, PAHs, LABs and biogenic hydrocarbons in the blue mussel

Bioconcentration factors (K_bc) for petroleum hydrocarbons, PAHs, LABs and biogenic hydrocarbons in Mytilus edulis were measured in field experiments using time-integrating water samplers. Seven deployments at five sites gave lipid weight K_bcs for total hydrocarbons ranging from 0.99 × 10⁶ to 3.1 × 10⁶ (mean 1.6 × 10⁶)—a narrower range than has been obtained previously. Bioconcentration factors for the PAHs were similar to those for total hydrocarbons where the major hydrocarbon source was oil. However, at other sites the factors for PAHs were an order of magnitude lower than those for petroleum and for hydrocarbons originating from algae. Compositional profiles for the linear alkyl benzenes (LABs) suggested that these compounds were assimilated primarily from the dissolved phase, despite their greater abundance on particles.     

Was the M<Subscript>w</Subscript> 7.5 1952 Kern County,California, earthquake induced (or triggered)?

Several recent studies have presented evidence that significant induced earthquakes occurred in a number of oil-producing regions during the early and mid-twentieth century related to either production or wastewater injection. We consider whether the 21 July 1952 M_w 7.5 Kern County earthquake might have been induced by production in the Wheeler Ridge oil field. The mainshock, which was not preceded by any significant foreshocks, occurred 98 days after the initial production of oil in Eocene strata at depths reaching 3 km, within ~1 km of the White Wolf fault (WWF). Based on this spatial and temporal proximity, we explore a potential causal relationship between the earthquake and oil production. While production would have normally be expected to have reduced pore pressure, inhibiting failure on the WWF, we present an analytical model based on industry stratigraphic data and best estimates of parameters whereby an impermeable splay fault adjacent to the main WWF could plausibly have blocked direct pore pressure effects, allowing the poroelastic stress change associated with production to destabilize the WWF, promoting initial failure. This proof-of-concept model can also account for the 98-day delay between the onset of production and the earthquake. While the earthquake clearly released stored tectonic stress, any initial perturbation on or near a major fault system can trigger a larger rupture. Our proposed mechanism provides an explanation for why significant earthquakes are not commonly induced by production in proximity to major faults.     

Fisheries mismanagement

We analysed the extent to which European politicians have adhered to scientific recommendations on annual total allowable catches (TACs) from 1987 to 2011, covering most of the period of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). For the 11 stocks examined, TACs were set higher than scientific recommendations in 68% of decisions. Politically-adjusted TACs averaged 33% above scientifically recommended levels. There was no evidence that the 2002 reform of the CFP improved decision-making, as was claimed at the time. We modelled the effects of such politically-driven decision-making on stock sustainability. Our results suggest that political adjustment of scientific recommendations dramatically increases the probability of a stock collapsing within 40 years.In 2012 European fisheries policy will undergo a once-a-decade reform. Ten years ago radical reforms were promised but the changes failed to improve sustainability. It is likely that the 2012 reform will be similarly ineffective unless decision-making is changed so that catch allocations are based on science rather than politics.