Exile and exclusion: The legacy of soviet forestry for villages in the north of Perm oblast

This paper explores the relationship between the forestry enterprises (leskhozi) and the inhabitants of forestry villages in the northern rayony of Perm oblast, Russian Federation in the context of the `new regional geography'. These relationships are compared with those identified between peasant farmers and collective and state farms post-1991, and a theory of the cultivation of these relationships as a coping mechanism for both households and enterprises facing difficult economic circumstances is advanced. The situation in the northern rayony is contextualised through discussion of the settlement and development history of the region, which was a recipient of forced and voluntary labour migration during the Soviet period. The paper concludes that in accordance with recent theories of post-communist regional development, the experience of transition in the northern rayony of Perm oblast is determined at least in part by its social and economic context. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coeval potassic and sodic calc-alkaline series in the post-collisional Hercynian Tanncherfi intrusive complex, northeastern Morocco: geochemical, isotopic and geochronological evidence

The post-collisional late Hercynian Tanncherfi intrusive complex (TIC) is part of a widespread intrusive episode in the Moroccan Meseta. The complex contains a wide range of rock types, from monzogabbros to monzogranites. Two distinct magmatic series are recognized: (1) a potassic (shoshonitic) series consisting of monzogabbros, quartz monzonites and monzogranites; and (2) a sodic (granodioritic) series represented by quartz monzodiorites and granodiorites. All the Tanncherfi plutonic rocks display similar spider-diagram profiles, with LILE and LREE enrichment and Nb, Ta, Ti depletion, which are typical of subduction-related magmas. Combined major, trace element compositions and Sr, Nd isotopic results indicate that the two series have been derived from a LILE- and LREE-enriched continental lithospheric mantle source, under different partial melting and/or depth conditions. Intrusion of the Tanncherfi rocks was not temporally related to subduction and the enrichment of their source is likely to be linked to preceding subduction events. The two series evolved by fractional crystallization, of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, K-feldspar and accessories (Fe–Ti oxide minerals, titanite, apatite and zircon) for the potassic series while the sodic series combined fractional crystallization with assimilation of felsic magmas with lower Sr isotopic ratio than the more mafic term of the series, the quartz monzodiorite. The intrusion of the potassic magmas (344±6 Ma) marks a major change in the tectonic regime of eastern Meseta. These magmas intruded during post-thickening uplift and extension, both probably favored by convective thinning of the lithosphere. This model provides a reasonable mechanism for the genesis of other Hercynian intrusive complexes in Morocco.     

Determination of deployment specific chemical uptake rates for SPMD and PDMS using a passive flow monitor

Passive sampling techniques facilitate the time-integrated measurement of pollutant concentrations through the use of a selective receiving phase. Accurate quantification using passive sampling devices rely on the implementation of methods that will negate the effects of environmental factors (flow, temperature, etc.) or that will allow the calculation of the chemical specific rates of uptake (R(s)) into the passive sampler employed. We have applied an in situ calibration technique based on the dissolution of gypsum to measure the average water velocity to which a sampler has been exposed. We demonstrate that the loss of gypsum from the passive flow monitor (PFM) can be applied to predict changes in R(s) dependent on flow when using the absorbent SPMD (semipermeable membrane device) and PDMS (polydimethyl siloxan) passive samplers. The application of the PFM will enhance the accuracy of measurements made when calculating and reporting environmental pollutant concentrations using a passive sampling device.     

Toward a unified model of Altaids geodynamics: Insight from the Palaeozoic polycyclic evolution of West Junggar (NW China)

The Altaid tectonic collage extends over Central Asia, exposing numerous accretionary orogens that can account for the Palaeozoic continental crust growth. A pluridisciplinary approach, using geochronological, geochemical, structural and palaeomagnetic tools was carried out to unravel the architecture and the evolution of West Junggar(Northwestern China), a segment of the Altaid Collage. A polycyclic geodynamic evolution is inferred and includes:(1) an Early Palaeozoic cycle, characterized by the closure of two oceanic basins bounded by island-arc systems;(2) an Early Devonian subduction jamming resulting in a minor-scale collision documented by thrusting, syntectonic sedimentation and subsequent crutal thinning associated with alkaline magmatism;(3) a Late Palaeozoic cycle, driven by the evolution of two opposite subduction zones developed upon the Early Palaeozoic basement. Detailed structural analysis and paleomagnetic data provide constraints for the late evolution of Junggar in the frame of the development of the Late Palaeozoic Kazakh orocline, which led to oblique subduction and transpression in the West Junggar accretionary complex. Progressive buckling of the Kazakh orocline further resulted in Late Carboniferous to Permian wrench tectonics, and lateral displacement of lithotectonic units. Block rotations that continued after the Late Triassic are due to diachronous intraplate reactivation. This scenario mirrors the Palaeozoic geodynamics of the Altaid Collage. Multiple Early Palaeozoic collisions of intra-oceanic arcs and micro continents have contributed to the formation of the Kazakhstan Microcontinent. Since the Late Palaeozoic, subductions formed around this microcontinent and the final oblique closure of oceanic domains resulted in the transcurrent collage of Tarim and Siberia cratons. Palaeozoic strike-slip faults were later reactivated during Mesozoic intracontinental tectonics.     

Heliocentric evolution of the degradation of polyoxymethylene: Application to the origin of the formaldehyde (H2CO) extended source in Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)

The H₂CO production rates measured in Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) from radio wavelength observations [Biver, N., and 22 colleagues, 2002a. Earth Moon Planets 90, 5-14] showed a steep increase with decreasing heliocentric distance. We studied the heliocentric evolution of the degradation of polyoxymethylene (formaldehyde polymers: (CH₂O)_n, also called POM) into gaseous H₂CO. POM decomposition can indeed explain the H₂CO density profile measured in situ by Giotto spacecraft in the coma of Comet 1P/Halley, which is not compatible with direct release from the nucleus [Cottin, H., Bénilan, Y., Gazeau, M.-C., Raulin, F., 2004. Icarus 167, 397-416]. We show that the H₂CO production curve measured in Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) can be accurately reproduced by this mechanism with a few percents by mass of solid POM in grains. The steep heliocentric evolution is explained by the thermal degradation of POM at distances less than 3.5 AU. This study demonstrates that refractory organics present in cometary dust can significantly contribute to the composition of the gaseous coma. POM, or POM-like polymers, might be present in cometary grains. Other molecules, like CO and HNC, might also be produced by a similar process.     

Sedimentary archives of the French Atlantic coast (inner Bay of Vilaine,south Brittany): Depositional history and late Holocene climatic and environmental signals

The late Holocene is of particular interest to our understanding of the evolution of coastal sedimentary systems because this period encompasses warmer and cooler periods, and rising sea level in northern Europe. Based on an approach combining AMS ¹⁴C, sedimentological and rock magnetic analyses on sediment cores complemented with seismic data collected in the macrotidal Bay of Vilaine (south Brittany), we document the depositional history of the inner bay coeval to the mid- to late-Holocene transgression in south Brittany. Correlation between sedimentary archives revealed the main sedimentary infilling phases during the last 6000 years. Four units (U1–U4) are recognized in the coastal sediment wedge of the system, corresponding to the stepwise marine invasion of the bay. We show that (1) marine inundation, due to the steep morphology of the bedrock, is diachronous between distal and proximal records. A time lag of ～1000 years is inferred over a distance of less than 5 km; (2) in the outer areas, the sedimentation has been condensed since 3000 years; (3) proximal estuarine archives offer the best record of sedimentary processes covering the last 2000 years, including the Medieval Warm Period (MWP).Correlations in proximal records in the Bay of Vilaine assess the connection between coastal sedimentary dynamics, climatic conditions and anthropogenic activities during the MWP. We match the preservation of clay deposits to increased river-borne suspended matter transported to the estuary probably as a result of accelerated land-use development (higher soil erosion) in the catchment area between ca. 880 and 1050 AD. Because the preservation of estuarine sedimentary successions is favoured when coastal wave sediment reworking is minimal, it is proposed that the prevailing climatic regime in south Brittany during the MWP likely resembled to that of the preferred negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Our data are fairly consistent with other late Holocene records from northern Europe including the Atlantic seaboard. However, they outline the difficulty in interpreting climatic and anthropogenic signatures in coastal sedimentary records where high-resolution chronologies required to unravel their respective influences are still missing.     

Detailed gravity study of the offshore structure of Piton de la Fournaise volcano,Reunion Island

We present an interpretation of gravity data acquired in 1984 by the French R/V Jean Charcot on the submarine part of the eastern flank of Piton de la Fournaise volcano. We comment on the Bouguer anomaly map and give a quantitative interpretation of three gravity profiles. The main results are that a gravity high over Grand Brûlé, the lower subaerial part of the eastern flank, does not extend far offshore and that an anomalous topographic feature, discovered in 1982 on the submarine eastern flank, is characterized by a large negative anomaly. We propose three hypotheses to explain the origin of this anomaly, i. e., it marks the site of a new volcano, or it is a consequence of lateral volcanism from a volcano older than Piton de la Fournaise, or more probably, it represents a great landslide deposit.     

Field‐based and spectral indicators for soil erosion mapping in semi‐arid mediterranean environments (Coastal Cordillera of central Chile)

The Coastal Cordillera of central Chile is naturally sensitive to soil erosion due to moderate to steep slopes, intense winter rains when the vegetation cover is scarce, and deeply weathered granitic rocks. In 1965, 60 per cent of its surface was moderately to very severely eroded. Today this process is still largely active, but no data are currently available to evaluate the real extent, distribution and severity of soil degradation on a regional scale. This information is vital to support efficient soil conservation plans. A multi‐scale approach was implemented to produce regional land degradation maps based on remote sensing technologies. Fieldwork has shown that the surface colour or ‘redness’ and the density of coarse fragments are pertinent erosion indicators to describe a typical sequence of soil degradation in the context of mediterranean soil developed on granitic materials and micaschists. Field radiometric experiments concluded that both factors influence the reflectance of natural surfaces and can be modelled using radiometric indices accessible from most satellites operating in the optical domain, i.e. redness index and brightness index. Finally the radiometric indices were successfully applied to SPOT images to produce land degradation maps. Only broad classes of erosion status were discriminated and the detection of the degradation processes was only possible when most of the fertile layer had already been removed. This technology provides decision‐making information required to develop regional soil conservation plans and to prioritize actions between catchment areas, especially in vast inter‐tropical regions where spatialized data are not always readily available. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical composition of Luna 20 soil and rock fragments

Abundances of 22 elements, including 9 rare earth elements (REE), have been determined by ‘monostandard’ instrumental neutron activation analysis of samples from the Luna 20 soil and in 6 rock fragments, including a crystalline rock of highland origin, a breccia of similar composition, a glass and a feldspar grain. The soil appears to have been contaminated with W and Mo. The REE content of the soil is very low, being close to 2.3 times below the level in the Luna 16 soil. Sampling errors, for most elements, are negligible in the case of analyses performed on one or several tens of mg of soil, but they become significant on crystalline rock fragments in the 1–2 mg range.