A peculiar distribution of radial velocities of faint radio-galaxies with 13.0≤m corr≤15.5

A sample of 41 radio-galaxies with 13.0m _corr15.5 has been analyzed to test the angular redshift anisotropy discovered on Sc I galaxies by Rubin, Rubin and Ford. The sample does not present their anisotropy but contains an even more curious distribution of radial velocities which suggests that the Rubin-Ford effect results from an anomalous redshift of light when it travels through clusters of galaxies.     

Mineralogy of silicate inclusions of the Colomera IIE iron and crystallization of Cr-diopside and alkali feldspar from a partial melt

We studied the mineralogy, mineral chemistry, and compositions of 48 interior silicate inclusions and a large K-rich surface inclusion from the Colomera IIE iron meteorite. Common minerals in the interior silicate inclusions are Cr diopside and Na plagioclase (albite). They are often enclosed by or coexist with albitic glasses with excess silica and minor Fe-Mg components. This mineral assemblage is similar to the “andesitic” material found in the Caddo County IAB iron meteorite for which a partial melt origin has been proposed. The fairly uniform compositions of Cr diopside (Ca₄₄Mg₄₆Fe₁₀) and Na plagioclase (Or_2.5Ab_90.0An_7.5 to Or_3.5Ab_96.1An_0.4) in Colomera interior inclusions and the angular boundaries between minerals and metal suggest that diopside and plagioclase partially crystallized under near-equilibrium conditions from a common melt before emplacement into molten metal. The melt-crystal assemblage has been called “crystal mush.” The bulk compositions of the individual composite inclusions form an array between the most diopside-rich inclusion and plagioclase. This is consistent only with a simple mechanical mixing relationship, not a magmatic evolution series. We propose a model in which partly molten metal and crystal mush were mixed together by impact on the IIE parent body. Other models involving impact melting of the chondritic source material followed by growth of diopside and plagioclase do not easily explain near equilibrium growth of diopside and Na plagioclase, followed by rapid cooling. In the K-rich surface inclusion, K feldspar, orthopyroxene, and olivine were found together with diopside for the first time. K feldspar (sanidine, Or_92.7Ab_7.2An_0.1 to Or_87.3Ab_11.0An_1.7) occurs in an irregular veinlike region in contact with large orthopyroxene crystals of nearly uniform composition (Ca_1.3Mg_80.5Fe_17.8 to Ca_3.1Mg_78.1Fe_18.9) and intruding into a relict olivine with deformed-oval shape. Silica and subrounded Cr diopside are present within such K-feldspar regions. Some enrichments of the albite component have been detected at the end of curved elongated nodules of K feldspar intruded into the mafic silicates. The textural relationships suggest that a K-rich melt was present. A K-rich melt is neither the first melt of a chondritic system nor a differentiation product of a Na-rich partial melt of chondritic material. The K-rich material may have originated as a fluid phase that leached K from surrounding materials and segregated by a mechanism similar to that proposed for the Na-rich inclusions.     

Estimating the windward slope profile of a barchan dune

A new theoretical scheme is presented to model the shape of a sand dune at equilibrium that does not require iterative calculations of the interaction between the wind flow and topography. The model is constructed by incorporating theory based on aerodynamics into a grain‐scale model that estimates the shear velocity at the dune crest through the calculation of the sand trapping efficiency of the slipface in the lee of the dune. Published field data, collected in southern Peru, California and southern Morocco, show that as a dune becomes higher the windward slope becomes steeper. For the model proposed, the wind flow over a dune was first assumed to be similar to that over a Gaussian hill. By further assuming a fixed shear velocity on the level surface, the windward slope angle and migration speed of dunes in southern Peru can be explained. To comply with all available data, some aspects are still open to further investigation. However the theoretical insight presented herein implies that the upper limit of dune height may be greater in windier environments.     

Dynamics of Wood Transport in Streams: A Flume Experiment

The influence of woody debris on channel morphology and aquatic habitat has been recognized for many years. Unlike sediment, however, little is known about how wood moves through river systems. We examined some dynamics of wood transport in streams through a series of flume experiments and observed three distinct wood transport regimes: uncongested, congested and semi-congested. During uncongested transport, logs move without piece-to-piece interactions and generally occupy less than 10 per cent of the channel area. In congested transport, the logs move together as a single mass and occupy more than 33 per cent of the channel area. Semi-congested transport is intermediate between these two transport regimes. The type of transport regime was most sensitive to changes in a dimensionless input rate, defined as the ratio of log volume delivered to the channel per second (Q_log) to discharge (Q_W); this ratio varied between 0·015 for uncongested transport and 0·20 for congested transport. Depositional fabrics within stable log jams varied by transport type, with deposits derived from uncongested and semi-congested transport regimes having a higher proportion of pieces orientated normal to flow than those from congested transport. Because wood input rates are higher and channel dimensions decrease relative to piece size in low-order channels, we expect congested transport will be more common in low-order streams while uncongested transport will dominate higher-order streams. Single flotation models can be used to model the stability of individual pieces, especially in higher-order channels, but are insufficient for modelling the more complex intractions that occur in lower-order streams. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Siderophile element characteristics of acapulcoite–lodranites and winonaites: Implications for the early differentiation processes of their parent bodies

We have studied magnetic fractions of five acapulcoites, three lodranites, and two winonaites to investigate chemical compositions of their precursor materials and metallic partial melting processes occurring on their parent bodies. One winonaite metal is similar in composition to low Au, low Ni IAB iron subgroup, indicating genetic relationship between them. Magnetic fractions of chondrule‐bearing acapulcoite and winonaite have intermediate chemical compositions of metals between H chondrites and EL chondrites. This fact indicates that the precursor materials of acapulcoite–lodranites and winonaites were similar to H and/or EL chondrites in chemical compositions. Magnetic fractions in acapulcoite–lodranites have a large variety of chemical compositions. Most of them show enrichments of W, Re, Ir, Pt, Mo, and Rh, and one of them shows clear depletion in Re and Ir relative to those of chondrule‐bearing acapulcoite. Chemical compositional variations among acapulcoite–lodranite metals cannot be explained by a single Fe‐Ni‐S partial melting event, but a two‐step partial melting model can explain it.     

Eccentric installation of splice plates for compressive strength improvement of rectangular hollow section braces

Steel hollow section members are often applied as bracing in steel structures. Field-bolted connections of the slotted-in single splice plate and the gusset plate are popular because of their ease of construction. However, eccentricity between the splice and gusset plate axes reduces the compressive strength of the brace. This study proposes compressive strength improvement of rectangular hollow section braces using eccentrically installed splice plates such that the gusset plate axis coincides with the brace axis. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed concept, four compressive loading test results are examined in this study. Test results reveal the influences of splice plate eccentric installation on the brace compressive strength, the out-of-plane displacement, and the strain distribution. The proposed concept is effective for the brace with stiffened splice plates for inducing overall buckling with plastic hinges in the gusset plates. Variation of compressive strength is finally discussed based on the discrepancy between the brace axis and the axis of the plates in which the plastic hinges form at the overall buckling mode ends.     

Thermal structure of hot events and their possible role in maintaining the warm isothermal layer in the Western Pacific warm pool

Ocean Dynamics - The short-lived events of high SST are called hot events (HEs) and can only be generated under the conditions of large daily heat gain due to strong solar radiation and weak wind....     

Variations in trace elements,isotopes, and organic geochemistry during the Hangenberg Crisis,Devonian–Carboniferous transition,northeastern Vietnam

The Hangenberg Crisis at the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary is known as a polyphase extinction event that affected more than 45 % of marine and terrestrial genera. As the cause of this event is still debated, analyses were carried out on sedimentary samples from the Devonian–Carboniferous Pho Han Formation in northeastern Vietnam to reconstruct the paleoenvironment around the time of this event using stable carbon isotopes; total sulfur; manganese; vanadium; molybdenum; and sedimentary organic matter, such as dibenzothiophenes, cadalene, and regular steranes. These geochemical signatures provide a high‐resolution redox history for this section and show that transgression‐driven high primary productivity, possibly enhanced by terrestrial input, caused severe oxygen depletion along the continental margin of the South China block during the Hangenberg Crisis.     

Detrital zircon multi‐chronology,provenance, and low‐grade metamorphism of the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex,eastern Shikoku,Southwest Japan: Tectonic evolution in response to igneous activity within a subduction zone

Detrital zircon multi‐chronology combined with provenance and low‐grade metamorphism analyses enables the reinterpretation of the tectonic evolution of the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex in Southwest Japan. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages and provenance analysis defines the depositional age of trench‐fill turbidites associated with igneous activity in provenance. Periods of low igneous activity are recorded by youngest single grain zircon U–Pb ages (YSG) that approximate or are older than the depositional ages obtained from radiolarian fossil‐bearing mudstone. Periods of intensive igneous activity recorded by youngest cluster U–Pb ages (YC1σ) that correspond to the younger limits of radiolarian ages. The YC1σ U–Pb ages obtained from sandstones within mélange units provide more accurate younger depositional ages than radiolarian ages derived from mudstone. Determining true depositional ages requires a combination of fossil data, detrital zircon ages, and provenance information. Fission‐track ages using zircons estimated YC1σ U–Pb ages are useful for assessing depositional and annealing ages for the low‐grade metamorphosed accretionary complex. These new dating presented here indicates the following tectonic history of the accretionary wedge. Evolution of the Shimanto accretionary complex from the Albian to the Turonian was caused by the subduction of the Izanagi plate, a process that supplied sediments via the erosion of Permian and Triassic to Early Jurassic granitic rocks and the eruption of minor amounts of Early Cretaceous intermediate volcanic rocks. The complex subsequently underwent intensive igneous activity from the Coniacian to the early Paleocene as a result of the subduction of a hot and young oceanic slab, such as the Kula–Pacific plate. Finally, the major out‐of‐sequence thrusts of the Fukase Fault and the Aki Tectonic Line formed after the middle Eocene, and this reactivation of the Shimanto accretionary complex as a result of the subduction of the Pacific plate.