Geological evaluation of EIGEN-6C4 and GOCE derived gravity models in and around Karakoram shear zone,Leh, India

New generation high resolution gravity models derived from space-borne gravity data, integrated with land based surveys, have enabled understanding of regional gravity field over regions, which are till date considered to be inaccessible for land surveys, especially in mountainous terrains. In this study, we evaluate two high resolution gravity models EIGEN-6C4 and GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R5 in order to understand its usability in identification of meso-scale regional geological features and lithological boundaries around the Karakoram shear zone, in Leh, India. The EIGEN-6C4 is a “hybrid” model integrating data from space-borne sensors and terrestrial data, whereas GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R5 is a model derived from the latest space-borne GOCE sensor. Bouguer gravity anomaly has been derived for both the models and compared. It is seen that, the GOCE derived model pertains to the regional gravity field of the region and compares well with the regional derivative of the EIGEN-6C4 model. Further, the EIGEN-6C4 has been analyzed using horizontal derivatives (dx, dy), analytical signal (ANS) and tilt derivative (TDR) techniques. These, derived maps are then overlain on published geological map of the area to understand the correlation between sub-surface geology vis a vis gravitational signal. The major and distinct geological signatures as derived from the various derivative maps correlate well with the existing geological map. The source boundaries derived from the TDR map agrees reasonably well with the lithological boundaries. Further, the anomaly and derivative maps from EIGEN-6C4 indicates towards a possible continuation of the Shyok suture zone in the region. Therefore, for the given spatial extent of the area under consideration, the GOCE derived model represents the regional field, whereas the EIGEN-6C4 data and derivatives are of sufficient resolution for understanding the geological variability in and around the Karakoram shear zone.     

Local ice caps in Finderup Land,North Greenland,survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum

Local glaciers and ice caps (GICs) comprise only ~5.4% of the total ice volume, but account for ~14–20% of the current ice loss in Greenland. The glacial history of GICs is not well constrained, however, and little is known about how they reacted to Holocene climate changes. Specifically, in North Greenland, there is limited knowledge about past GIC fluctuations and whether they survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, ~8 to 5 ka). In this study, we use proglacial lake records to constrain the ice‐marginal fluctuations of three local ice caps in North Greenland including Flade Isblink, the largest ice cap in Greenland. Additionally, we have radiocarbon dated reworked marine molluscs in Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines adjacent to the Flade Isblink, which reveal when the ice cap was smaller than present. We found that outlet glaciers from Flade Isblink retreated inland of their present extent from ~9.4 to 0.2 cal. ka BP. The proglacial lake records, however, demonstrate that the lakes continued to receive glacial meltwater throughout the entire Holocene. This implies that GICs in Finderup Land survived the HTM. Our results are consistent with other observations from North Greenland but differ from locations in southern Greenland where all records show that the local ice caps at low and intermediate elevations disappeared completely during the HTM. We explain the north–south gradient in glacier response as a result of sensitivity to increased temperature and precipitation. While the increased temperatures during the HTM led to a complete melting of GICs in southern Greenland, GICs remained in North Greenland probably because the melting was counterbalanced by increased precipitation due to a reduction in Arctic sea‐ice extent and/or increased poleward moisture transport.     

Seismic and well logging interpretation for evaluation of the lower Bahariya reservoir,southwest Qarun (SWQ) Field,Gindi Basin,Egypt

This paper focuses on seismic and well log interpretations for evaluating the sandstones of the Cenomanian Bahariya Formation in the southwest Qarun Field, Gindi Basin, northern Western Desert of Egypt. The seismic profiles display a clear anticlinal structure intersected by reverse faults in the study area. This faulted anticline has been interpreted to be one of the Syrian arc system folds formed by Upper Cretaceous tectonic inversion, which resulted from the NW movement of the African Plate relative to Laurasia. This anticline has been recommended as a target for exploration by the present work as it may represent a structural trap for hydrocarbon accumulation. The sandstones of the Lower Bahariya Formation in the southwest Qarun Field display good reservoir characteristics. The interpretation of the available well log data for the SWQ-21 and SWQ-25 wells for the Lower Bahariya Formation reflects a good reservoir quality for oil production in its topmost part. This reservoir possesses low S_W (<50%), high porosity (16%), low S_W/S_XO and low BVW (<0.09) which all reflect a high potential for oil production.     

The isotopic composition and elemental abundance of lutetium in meteorites and terrestrial samples and the 176Lu cosmochronometer

The isotopic composition of lutetium has been measured in a range of terrestrial and meteoritic materials using solid-source mass spectrometric techniques. The meteoritic and terrestrial isotopic abundances are identical within experimental errors. The absolute ¹⁷⁵Lu/¹⁷⁶Lu ratio as determined in this work is 37.36 ± 0.07 at the 95% confidence level. On the basis of this measurement the atomic weight of lutetium has been calculated to be 174.967 ± 0.002, which is in good agreement with the currently accepted figure of 174.97 ± 0.01.Using the stable isotope dilution technique the abundance of lutetium has been determined in 25 stone, 1 stony-iron and 8 iron meteorites, and in 12 standard rocks, with an accuracy of ±5% at the 95% confidence level. In general, there is good agreement between this work and other published data.The ¹⁷⁶Lu-¹⁷⁶Hf pair has been proposed as an s process nucleocosmochronometer, because of the long half-life of ¹⁷⁶Lu and the unique fact that both are s process isobars. The isotopic and elemental abundances of lutetium as measured in this work have been used with published nuclear data to estimate the mean age of s process nucleosynthesis for this isobaric pair, using the Schramm-Wasserburg formalism. The mean age cannot be accurately determined at the present time because of the lack of 30 keV neutron capture cross-section data for s only process nuclides and an accurate measurement of the branching ratio of ¹⁷⁵Lu + n. However, it is possible to place constraints on the nuclear parameters in this mass region using a reasonable s process chronology based on the decay of ¹⁷⁶Lu.     

SHRIMP zircon dating and Nd isotopic systematics of Palaeoproterozoic migmatitic orthogneisses in the Epupa Metamorphic Complex of northwestern Namibia

The Epupa Metamorphic Complex constitutes the southwestern margin of the Congo Craton and is exposed in a hilly to mountainous terrain of northwestern Namibia, bordering the Kunene River and extending into southern Angola. It consists predominantly of granitoid gneisses which are migmatized over large areas. This migmatization locally led to anatexis and produced crustal-melt granites such as the Otjitanda Granite. We have undertaken reconnaissance geochemical studies and single zircon U–Pb SHRIMP and Pb–Pb evaporation dating of rocks of the Epupa Complex. The granitoid gneisses, migmatites and anatectic melts are similar in composition and constitute a suite of metaluminous to peraluminous, calc-alkaline granitoids, predominantly with volcanic arc geochemical signatures. The zircon protolith ages for the orthogneisses range from 1861 ± 3 to 1758 ± 3 Ma. Anatexis in the migmatitic Epupa gneisses was dated from a melt patch at 1762 ± 4 Ma, and the anatectic Otjitanda Granite has a zircon age of 1757 ± 4 Ma. Migmatization and anatexis therefore occurred almost immediately after granitoid emplacement and date a widespread high-temperature Palaeoproterozoic event at ∼1760 Ma which has not been recorded elswhere in northern Namibia. The Nd isotopic systematics of all dated samples are surprisingly similar and suggest formation of the protolith from a source region that probably separated from the depleted mantle about 2.4–2.0 Ga ago. A major Archaean component in the source area is unlikely.     

Plant productivity, predation, and the abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico

The abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) can fluctuate dramatically. We used data from the Chihuahuan Desert to test the relative strength of top-down (predation) or bottom-up (food availability) limiting forces. Predictions for the top-down hypothesis were, 1) a positive relationship between coyote (Canis latrans) and jackrabbit abundance (numerical response) and 2) a positive relationship between percent occurrence of jackrabbits in coyote scats and jackrabbit abundance (functional response). Predictions for the bottom-up hypothesis were, 1) plant productivity is directly related to precipitation, 2) jackrabbit abundance is positively related to precipitation and plant productivity, and 3) changes in abundance of jackrabbits over the reproductive season will be directly related to precipitation and plant productivity. We found a limited numerical response but no functional response of coyotes to jackrabbit abundance. Forb productivity was significantly related to annual precipitation levels (r² = 0.69, p = 0.002). Grass productivity was related to annual precipitation (r² = 0.34, p = 0.028). Jackrabbit abundance (r² = 0.38, p = 0.002) and changes in abundance (r² = 0.73, p < 0.001) were significantly related to precipitation and forb and grass productivity. We conclude that precipitation levels and plant productivity affect jackrabbit abundance more than predation levels.     

Use of remote sensing in lineament analysis for tectonic evolution and resource study of a part of Vindhyan Basin,Jhalawar area,India

Synoptivity and the exemplified fracture systems exhibited by the space borne imagery data has helped in solving many of the geological enigma in various parts of the world. The study conducted, using such remotly sensed data, in Jhalawar anticline, part of Proterozoic Cratonic Vindhyan Basin, Rajasthan, India, led to infer the history of tectonic evolution of peribasinal deformation which has been a matter of controversy for a century and more. In Landsat MSS data the Jhalawar region displays a panorama of lineaments and their analysis through azimuthal frequency diagrams, isofracture, lineament incidence and lineament intersection incidence density maps shows that the mean orientation of the lineaments fall in NW-SE and NE-SW and the shape of the various lineament density contours also show NE-SW and NW-SE orientations. In aerial photographs the area exhibits four sets of lineaments in NE-SW, NW-SE, N-S and E-W directions. Amongst these the former two sets are expressed as wide open master fracture systems with prolific vegetation fills along them and the latter two sets are characteristically observed as thin vegetation linears with frequent strike slip faulting along them. The further analysis of these fracture/lineament systems derived from multi-level remote sensing data shows that the Jhalawar anticline, which followed the pattern of flexural slip fold mechanism, was evolved by horizontally disposed σ1 (greatest principal stress) and 3σ (least principal stress) with the former oriented in NE-SW and the latter aligned in NW-SE directions with vertically disposed 2σ. The inference of such palaeostress environment of the Jhalawar region lead in the identification of a buried rigid basement high southwest of Jhalawar anticline, beneath the Deccan pile and loci of ground water, silica sand and probable igneous plug.     

Connectivity of post-fire runoff and sediment from nested hillslopes and watersheds

Wildfire increases the potential connectivity of runoff and sediment throughout watersheds due to greater bare soil, runoff and erosion as compared to pre-fire conditions. This research examines the connectivity of post-fire runoff and sediment from hillslopes (< 1.5 ha; n = 31) and catchments (< 1000 ha; n = 10) within two watersheds (< 1500 ha) burned by the 2012 High Park Fire in northcentral Colorado, USA. Our objectives were to: (1) identify sources and quantify magnitudes of post-fire runoff and erosion at nested hillslopes and watersheds for two rain storms with varied duration, intensity and antecedent precipitation; and (2) assess the factors affecting the magnitude and connectivity of runoff and sediment across spatial scales for these two rain storms. The two summer storms that are the focus of this research occurred during the third summer after burning. The first storm had low intensity rainfall over 11 hours (return interval <1–2 years), whereas the second event had high intensity rainfall over 1 hour (return interval <1–10 years). The lower intensity storm was preceded by high antecedent rainfall and led to low hillslope sediment yields and channel incision at most locations, whereas the high intensity storm led to infiltration-excess overland flow, high sediment yields, in-stream sediment deposition and channel substrate fining. For both storms, hillslope-to-stream sediment delivery ratios and area-normalised cross-sectional channel change increased with the percent of catchment that burned at high severity. For the high intensity storm, hillslope-to-stream sediment delivery ratios decreased with unconfined channel length (%). The findings quantify post-fire connectivity and sediment delivery from hillslopes and streams, and highlight how different types of storms can cause varying magnitues and spatial patterns of sediment transport and deposition from hillslopes through stream channel networks.