The analysis of 6-component measurements of a random electromagnetic wave field in a magnetoplasma – II. The integration kernels

Summary. General expressions are derived for the kernels of the set of integral equations that relates the spectral matrix of the six components of a random electromagnetic wave field in a magnetoplasma to the wave distribution function for the field. The dependence of the kernels on wave-normal direction is examined, with particular reference to the propagation of very low-frequency waves in the whistler mode.     

Morphostratigraphy and fan morphology of doon valley

In the present study analysis of Landsat MSS, TM and SPOT imagery and digital analysis of IRS LISS-1 data of Doon Valley was carried out. Various geomorphic features were identified and classified, morphostratigraphy of the area has been established. Main geomorphic units of the area are Mussoorie Hill Range (Denudational), Siwalik Hills (Structural), Remnant Hills (Residual). Siwalik Piedmont. Doon Piedmont, River Terraces and Flood Plain. Three large fan lobes are identified on Doon Piedmont deposits, viz., Western fan lobe, Central fan lobe and Eastern fan lobe. Average slope of these three fan lobes are 2°21′, 2°3′, and 1°24′ for the western, central and eastern fan lobes respectively. Western and central fan lobes have been affected by neotectonic activity which is reflected in transverse profiles.     

Bedded jaspers of the Ordovician Løkken ophiolite,Norway: seafloor deposition and diagenetic maturation of hydrothermal plume-derived silica-iron gels

Sedimentary beds of jasper (red hematitic chert) in the Ordovician Løkken ophiolite of Norway are closely associated with volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. The jaspers occur in the immediate hangingwall and laterally peripheral to the large Løkken (25–30 Mt) and small Høydal (0.1 Mt) VMS deposits, and are exposed discontinuously for several kilometres along strike. Massive or laminated types predominate; jasper-sulphide debris-flow deposits are also abundant near VMS deposits. The jaspers contain hematite-rich laminae showing soft-sediment deformation structures and microtextural evidence that record the presence of a colloidal precursor and an origin as gels. Early textures include: (1) straight or curved chains of hematitic filaments 3–10 µm in diameter and 20–100 µm long; (2) branching networks of 15–25 µm-thick, tubular structures surrounded by cryptocrystalline hematite and filled with quartz and euhedral hematite; (3) small (up to 10 µm) spherules composed of cryptocrystalline hematite and silica; and (4) up to 50 µm silica spherules with hematitic cores. The small filaments seem to have been deposited in varying proportions in the primary laminae, possibly together with hematitic and siliceous microspheroids. Diagenetic changes are represented by polygonal syneresis cracks, and the presence of cryptocrystalline (originally opaline) silica, chalcedony, quartz, carbonate and cryptocrystalline hematite and/or goethite forming botryoidal masses and spheroids <10 µm to 5 mm in diameter. Coarser euhedral grains of quartz, carbonate, and hematite are integral parts of these textures. Bleached, silica-rich jaspers preserve only small relics of fine-grained hematite-rich domains, and locally contain sparse pockets composed of coarse euhedral hematite±epidote. The jaspers are interpreted to record colloidal fallout from one or more hydrothermal plumes, followed by maturation (ageing) of an Si-Fe-oxyhydroxide gel, on and beneath the Ordovician sea floor. Small hematitic filaments in the jaspers reflect bacteria-catalysed oxidation of Fe ²⁺ within the plume. The larger tubular filaments resulted from either microbial activity or inorganic self-organized mineral growth of Fe-oxyhydroxide within the Si-Fe-oxyhydroxide gel after deposition on the sea floor, prior to more advanced maturation of the gel as represented by the spheroidal and botryoidal silica-hematite textures. Bleaching and hematite±epidote growth are interpreted to reflect heat and fluids generated during deposition of basaltic sheet flows on top of the gels.     

Responses of marsh fishes and breeding wading birds to low temperatures: A possible behavioral link between predator and prey

In the Everglades of southern Florida, several species of spring- and winter-nesting wading birds (Ciconiiformes) often abandon their nests in response to periods of cold or wet and windy weather. Using stepwise logistic regression of a variety of hydrologic and meteorologic variables on the probability of great egret nest failure, we found that cold temperatures and high wind speeds were most closely associated with nest failure in the Everglades. Water level fluctuation was not a significant correlate of failure. Quantitative visual surveys in the field showed that even moderate cooling events (15°C minimum daily temperature) dramatically altered the observed densities of marsh fishes. In controlled conditions in the laboratory, we observed centrarchid, poeciliid, and cyprinodontid fishes during normal high (19–23°C) and simulated cold snap (8–11°C) temperatures. At low temperatures, the fishes exhibited reduced activity, sought refuge by hiding in vegetation and/or substrate, and fled our approach to the tank at much greater distances. Threshold temperatures for these behaviors varied considerably between the laboratory (9–11°C) and field (15–20°C), and may be explained by differences in the previous thermal experience of the two groups of fishes. We hypothesize that the temperature-induced scarcity of fishes during spring cold snaps is an important cause of disruption of nesting for several species of wading birds in the Everglades.     

Structural Setting of Strong Earthquakes in the Huabei Area of China

— Using P and S arrival times, which occurred within the Huabei seismic network, we carried out a tomographic inversion and compared results with the earthquake catalogue of the last 1000?years in the area. The results are as follows:¶1) The hypocenters of most of the strong shocks are distributed in the transitional zones between high- and low-velocity areas in the crust, especially at edges of high-velocity blocks.¶2) Strong shocks predominantly lie above low-velocity blocks, or in transitional zones between low- and high-velocity areas, in the lower crust.¶3) The tectonic settings for the Tangshan and the Sanhe-Pingu earthquakes are similar. Both are not known near large fault belts, and in zones with a sharp lateral velocity gradient.¶4) The Ninghe, Tangshan and Luanxia earthquakes are located in high-velocity blocks that differ in size and depth. This difference can explain the focal depth distribution of the Tangshan earthquake sequence, i.e., earthquakes are shallower in the northeastern Luanxian area but deeper in the southwestern Ninghe area.     

Acoustic stratigraphy and hydrothermal activity within Epi Submarine Caldera,Vanuatu, New Hebrides Arc

Geological and geophysical surveys of active submarine volcanoes offshore and southeast of Epi Island, Vanuatu, New Hebrides Arc, have delineated details of the structure and acoustic stratigraphy of three volcanic cones. These submarine cones, named Epia, Epib, and Epic, are aligned east-west and spaced 3.5 km apart on the rim of a submerged caldera. At least three acoustic sequences, of presumed Quaternary age, can be identified on single-channel seismic-reflection profiles. Rocks dredged from these cones include basalt, dacite, and cognate gabbroic inclusions with magmatic affinities similar to those of the Karua (an active submarine volcano off the southeastern tip of Epi) lavas.     

The northern sea route as an element of the ICZM system in the Arctic: problems and perspectives

Characteristics of the current state of transportation problems along the Northern Sea Route are given. The required ice data necessary to guarantee the safety of navigation are discussed. A variety of developing transportation prospects along the Northern Sea Route, including international aspects, are disputed. Effective economic alternatives of the Northern Sea Route under the conditions of the current Russian economic crisis are analyzed.     

Fattening of wild short‐finned eels,Anguilla Australis schmidtii Phillipps

Short‐finned wild eels fed an artificial diet containing either a low (5%) or a high (20%) oil content were found to increase their mass by an average of more than 30% after a 34‐day feeding period; the lipid content of the eels’ muscle was also increased from about 10% to around 20%.     

Seasonal variations in the speciation of dissolved iodine in the Chesapeake Bay

The speciation of dissolved iodine and the distributions of the iodine species in the deep Chesapeake Bay underwent seasonal variations in response to changes in the prevailing redox condition. In the deep water, the ratios of iodate to iodide and iodate to inorganic iodine decreased progressively from the Winter through the Summer as the deep water became more poorly oxygenated before they rebounded in the Fall when the deep water became re-oxygenated again. The composition of the surface water followed the same trend. However, in this case, the higher biological activities in the Spring and the Summer could also have enhanced the biologically mediated reduction of iodate to iodide by phytoplankton and contributed to the lower ratios found during those seasons. Superimposed on this redox cycle was a cycle of input and removal of dissolved iodine probably as a result of the interactions between the water column and the underlying sediments. Iodine was added to the Bay during the Summer when the deep water was more reducing and removed from the Bay in the Fall when the deep water became re-oxygenated. A third cycle was the inter-conversion between inorganic iodine and ‘dissolved organic iodine’, or ‘‘DOI’’. The conversion of inorganic iodine to ‘DOI’ was more prevalent in the Spring. As a result of these biogeochemical reactions in the Bay, during exchanges between the Bay and the North Atlantic, iodate-rich and ‘DOI’-poor water was imported into the Bay while iodide- and ‘DOI’-rich water was exported to the Atlantic. The export of iodide from these geochemically reactive systems along the land margins contributes to the enrichment of iodide in the surface open oceans.     

Seismic imaging of deep hydrocarbon reservoirs

This paper examines those aspects of reflection seismology which require special consideration when imaging deeper hydrocarbon reservoirs, including the constraints imposed by vertical resolution, lateral resolution, and velocity analysis. We derive quantitative expressions relating the uncertainties in stacking velocities and in interval velocities derived from stacking velocities to acquisition parameters, as well as expressions for the lateral resolution which can theoretically be achieved for migrated seismic images. This analysis shows that the most significant limitations of seismic imaging at depth involve the finite lateral resolution of the seismic method, and the proper lateral positioning of seismic images. These difficulties are overcome in large measure through the proper migration of a seismic dataset, which becomes more critical as deeper horizons are imaged. If these horizons are suspected of having significant 3-D structure, a strong argument may be made for acquiring a 3-D seismic survey over the prospect. Migration of this dataset will then generate an image of the subsurface with good lateral resolution in both the X and Y directions.