Deep solid-state equilibration and deep melting of plagioclase-free spinel peridotite from the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge, ODP Leg 153

A petrological investigation of abyssal, plagioclase-free spinel peridotite drilled during ODP cruise 153 in the North Atlantic revealed that the peridotite represent refractory, partial residual mantle material that experienced depletion of incompatible trace elements during upper mantle melting. The degree of partial melting as estimated from spinel compositions was c. 12%. Fractionated middle and heavy rare earth elements imply polybaric melting, with c. 1–4% initial melting in the garnet peridotite stability field and subsequent partial melting of ~7–10% in the spinel peridotite stability field. Geothermobarometric investigations revealed that the solid-state equilibration of the spinel peridotite occurred at some 1,100–1,150°C and c. 20–23 kbar, corresponding to an equilibration depth of c. 70?±?5 km and an unusually low thermal gradient of some 11–17°C/km. A thermal re-equilibration of the peridotite occurred at ~850–1,000°C at similar depths. Naturally, the initial mantle melting in the garnet-peridotite stability field must have commenced at depths greater than 70?±?5 km. It is likely that the residual peridotite rose rapidly through the lithospheric cap towards the ridge axis. The exhumation of the abyssal peridotite occurred, at least in parts, via extensional detachment faulting. Given the shallow to moderate dip angles of the fault surfaces, the exhumation of the peridotite from its equilibration depth would imply an overall ridge-normal horizontal displacement of c. 50–160 km if tectonic stretching and detachment faulting were the sole exhumation mechanism.     

New constraints on neutrino masses from cosmology

By combining data from cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments (including the recent WMAP third year results), large scale structure (LSS) and Lyman-α forest observations, we derive upper limits on the sum of neutrino masses of Σm_ν < 0.17 eV at 95% c.l. We then constrain the hypothesis of a fourth, sterile, massive neutrino. For the third massless +1 massive neutrino case we bound the mass of the sterile neutrino to m_s < 0.26 eV at 95% c.l. These results exclude at high significance the sterile neutrino hypothesis as an explanation of the LSND anomaly. We then generalize the analysis to account for active neutrino masses which tightens the limit to m_s < 0.23 eV and the possibility that the sterile abundance is not thermal. In the latter case, the constraints in the (mass, density) plane are non-trivial. For a mass of >1 eV or <0.05 eV the cosmological energy density in sterile neutrinos is always constrained to be ω_ν < 0.003 at 95% c.l. However, for a sterile neutrino mass of 0.25 eV, ω_ν can be as large as 0.01.     

Groundwater use and policy in community water supply in Finland

Selection between ground and surface water in community water supply has been one of the key strategic questions in Finland since the early 1900s. After some cities failed to find reliable groundwater sources, many turned to surface waters. Since the 1950s the use of groundwater and artificial recharged groundwater have continuously increased. Presently their use is promoted by the government and European water policy through technical advice and financial support. It is obvious that the share of groundwater and artificial recharged groundwater will increase in the future. This requires active public response and transparency in decision-making.

---

Resumen Desde el principio de 1900 una de las preguntas estratégicas clave en Finlandia es la selección entre agua subterranea y de superficie para el suministro de agua de la comunidad. Muchas ciudades renunciaron al agua de superficie luego de haber fracesado en encontrar fuentes de agua subterránea confiables. Desde 1950 el uso de agua subterránea y de agua subterránea recargada artificialmente ha aumentado continuamente. Actualmente los políticas de agua del gobierno y de Europa promueven su uso por medio de asesoría técnica y apoyo financiero. Es obvio que la participación del agua subterránea y del agua subterránea recargada artificialmente va a aumentar en el futuro. Esto requiere una respuesta activa pública y transparencia en el proceso de toma de decisiones.

---

Resumé Le choix parmi lutilisation de leau de surface ou de leau souterraine comme source dapprovisionnement en eau potable est, depuis le début des années 1900, une question stratégique en Finlande. Suite à léchec de certaines villes à sapprovisionner en eau souterraine, plusieurs se sont tournées vers leau de surface. Depuis les années 1950, lutilisation de leau souterraine et la recharge artificielle des aquifères est en constante croissance. Actuellement, leur utilisation est encouragée par le Gouvernement ainsi que par la politique européenne de leau qui fournit une expertise technique et un soutient financier. Il est évident que les proportions occupées par lapprovisionnement en eau souterraine et la recharge artificielle vont augmenter avec le temps. Ceci requiert une participation active du public ainsi que de la transparence lors du processus décisionnel.

     

Spatial Size and Plasma Variables of RHESSI Flares

We have analysed 64 flares observed with GOES and RHESSI in the 3.1?–?24.8 keV band (0.5?–?4 Å). Flares were randomly chosen to represent different GOES classes, between B1 and M6. RHESSI was used to image the flaring region on the surface of the Sun. We derived the spatial area of the flare on the surface of the Sun from the imaging observations, scaled it dimensionally to volume, and used the spectroscopically derived emission measure to obtain several flare parameters. We experimented with several imaging methods and selected the use of 50% maximum image photon flux contours to define the flare area (F _50%). Most of the flares showed a single spherical loop-top source. The volume measurement for V, temperature T, and electron density N produced power indices that showed no correlation within the boundaries of error. Larger flares by loop-top source volume are thus neither hotter nor denser. The background-subtracted GOES flux?–?RHESSI Total Emission Measure (TEM _RHESSI) and TEM _GOES?–?TEM _RHESSI dependencies were in agreement with the instrument characteristics and earlier studies. Nonthermal flux was noticed to increase with thermal energy and TEM, which can be said to agree with the “Big Flare Syndrome,” with nonthermal photon flux being considered as one flare manifestation.     

Die gitter-, netz- und wabenförmige Verwitterung der Sandsteine

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The FORS Deep Field: the photometric catalog

The FORS Deep Field project is a multi-colour, multi-object spectroscopical investigation of a ∼ 7′ × ′' region near the south galactic pole based mostly on observations carried out with the FORS instruments attached to the VLT telescopes. It includes the QSO Q 0103-260 (z = 3.36). The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the young Universe. In this contribution, the photometric observations are presented. In particular, a combined B and I selected UBgRIJKs photometric catalog of 8753 objects in the FDF is presented and its content is briefly described. The formal 50% completeness limits for point sources, derived from the coadded images, are 25.64, 27.69, 26.86, 26.68, 26.37, 23.60 and 21.57in U, B, g, R, I, J and Ks, respectively. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Time Evolution of the Altitude of an Observed Coronal Wave

The nature of coronal wave fronts is intensely debated. They are observed in several wavelength bands and are frequently interpreted as magnetosonic waves propagating in the lower solar atmosphere. However, they can also be attributed to the line-of-sight projection of the edges of coronal mass ejections. Therefore, estimating the altitude of these features is crucial for deciding in favor of one of these two interpretations. We took advantage of a set of observations obtained from two different view directions by the EUVI instrument onboard the STEREO mission on 7 December 2007 to derive the time evolution of the altitude of a coronal wave front. We developed a new technique to compute the altitude of the coronal wave and found that the altitude increased during the initial 5 min and then slightly decreased back to the low corona. We interpret the evolution of the altitude as follows: the increase in the altitude of the wave front is linked to the rise of a bubble-like structure depending on whether it is a magnetosonic wave front or a CME in the initial phase. During the second phase, the observed brightness of the wave front was mixed with the brightening of the underlying magnetic structures as the emission from the wave front faded because the plasma became diluted with altitude.     

Two-Way Frequency Fluctuations Observed During Coronal Radio Sounding Experiments

Coronal radio-sounding experiments were carried out using two-way coherent dual-frequency carrier signals of the ESA spacecraft Rosetta (ROS) in 2006. Frequency measurements recorded at both NASA and ESA tracking stations (sample rate: 1 Hz) are analyzed in this work. Spectral analysis of the S-band, X-band, and differential frequency records has shown that the mean frequency fluctuation of each signal can be described by a radial power-law function of the form σ _i =A _i (R/R_⊙)^?mi , where i=x,s,sx. The ratio of the coefficients A _s and A _x is not the expected theoretical value A _s/A _x=f _s/f _x. This occurs because the X-band fluctuations underlie a two-way propagation mode while the S-band fluctuations are essentially the product of a one-way propagation experiment. Results are compared with similar, but not identical, two-way radio propagation experiments performed during the 1991 solar conjunction of the Ulysses spacecraft.