Large sand waves in Navarinsky Canyon head,Bering Sea

Sand waves are present in the heads of large submarine canyons in the northwestern Bering Sea. They vary in height between 2 to 15 m and have wavelengths of 600 m. They are not only expressed on the seafloor, but are also well defined in the subsurface and resemble enormous climbing bed forms. We conjecture that the sand waves originated during lower stands of sea level in the Pleistocene. Although we cannot explain the mechanics of formation of the sand waves, internal-wave generated currents are among four types of current that could account for these large structures.     

Some Aspects of Fluorite and Vaterite Precipitation in Marine Environments*

Abstract. Mysid shrimps of the genus Schistornysis precipitate either fluorite (CaF₂; S. spiritus) or vaterite (CaCO3; S. assimilis) for the formation of static bodies (statoliths). In S. assirnilis, 2.44 μg calcium and 3.66 μg carbonate are precipitated for each statolith. This corresponds to 69 mg or 30 mg ambient water, respectively, using the ion content of seawater for stoichiometrical comparison. Concentmtion factors of calcium or carbonate in relation to equivalent amounts of ambient water in the statocyst cavity are 760 or 3100, respectively. In S. spiritus, 3.79 μg calcium and 3.60 μg fluoride are precipitated. This corresponds to 9.3 mg or 2788 mg ambient water, respectively. Concentration factors with respect to statocyst water mass are 610 or 183.000. respectively. Ile high fluoride accumulation for the formation of statoliths alone contributes to a fluoride content of 4500 ppm with respect to body dry weight A minimum estimate for the role of mysids in the global fluoride cycle suggests that at least 62,000 tons of fluoride are bound in mysid statoliths. Due to rapid turnover of about seven days, mysid fluorite statoliths are a crucial factor by contributing to a turnover of at most 570,000 years for overall fluoride in the oceanic system.     

Vergleichende geochemische Untersuchungen an ost- und südalpinen Graniten,Granodioriten und Tonaliten

Zusammenfassung Im Anschluß an vergleichende Untersuchungen Karls (1959) zur Petrographie und chemischen Zusammensetzung metamorpher Tonalite nördlich des Alpenhauptkammes und nichtmetamorpher Intrusivgesteine des Periadriatischen Bogens wurden für geochemische Untersuchungen insgesamt 113 Gesteinsproben aus beiden Gebieten entnommen.Diese wurden auf folgende Hauptbestandteile: SiO₂, Fe ges. (als Fe₂O₃), CaO, MgO, Na₂O und K₂O sowie die Spurenelemente: Zn, Co, Ni, V, Cr, Sr, Pb (ferner Cu, Sn und Be) untersucht.Getrennt für beide Gesteinsgruppen wurden aus den Analysendaten die statistischen Mittelwerte und deren Standardabweichungen für die einzelnen Elemente berechnet.Beide Gruppen stimmen innerhalb der Standard-Abweichungen weitgehend überein, d. h. die metamorphen Tonalite der Nord-Gruppe entsprechen bezüglich der gefundenen Spurenelementgehalte den nichtmetamorphen periadriatischen Intrusivgesteinen der Süd-Gruppe. Eine Ausnahme bilden Co und Ni, die in der Nord-Gruppe deutlich höher liegen.Eine Beeinflussung des Spurenelementhaushaltes in den Gesteinen der Nord-Gruppe durch die Metamorphose (Tauernkristallisation) läßt sich nicht folgern. Die Co- und Ni-Gehalte müssen im Norden primär höher gewesen sein, denn die hier gegebenen Mittelwerte der Spurenelemente zeigen im Vergleich mit Werten aus Datensammlungen gute Übereinstimmung und deuten auf ein der Norm saurer Intrusiva entsprechendes geochemisches Milieu hin. Nur das Pb weicht mit erhöhten Werten von der Norm ab. Auch Grohmann (1965) gibt in Analysen vergleichbarer ostalpiner Gesteine erhöhte Pb-Gehalte an.Aus dem stofflich konservativen Verlauf der Tauernkristallisation wird ersichtlich, daß die Bildung der alpinen Lagerstätten dieses Raumes nicht auf die Metamorphose bezogen werden kann.

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Following the comparative studies of Karl (1959) regarding the petrography and the chemical composition both of metamorphic tonalites in the north of the Alpen main ridge and the neighbouring nonmetamorphic periadriatic plutonic rocks in the south, 113 samples were taken from both areas for geochemical investigations. They have been analysed for the following main components: SiO₂, Fe₂O₃ (total Fe), CaO, MgO, Na₂O, and K₂O as well as for the trace elements Zn, Co, Ni, V, Cr, Sr, Pb, and also Cu, Sn, and Be.The arithmetic means of the analytical data have been calculated separately for the different elements inside both groups. Within the standard deviations the two groups agree with each other, except for Co and Ni, which have distinctive higher values in the Northern group. The dominant conformity of both groups indicates that the trace element content of the Northern group was not changed by the Tauern metamorphism. The contents of Co and Ni must have been primarily higher in the north.Comparisons with corresponding data of trace element contents given in diverse geochemical tables agree well with the values of means given here. Only Pb deviates with higher values from the standard content of acid plutonic rocks. This is in accordance with the results of Grohmann (1965), who also found higher values of Pb in comparative plutonic rocks of the Eastern Alpen mountains.

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Unser Dank gilt der Bundesanstalt für Bodenforschung, Hannover, namentlich Herrn Prof. Dr. H. J. Martini und Herrn Prof. Dr. H. R. v. Gaertner, ferner der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bad Godesberg, für die Förderung unserer Arbeit.Herrn Dr. H. Fesser, Bundesanstalt für Bodenforschung, danken wir für die Durchführung spektrographischer Untersuchungen, Frau M. Elstner für Fleiß und Sorgfalt bei den chemischen Arbeiten.     

Faseriger Hedyphan von Långban (Schweden): eine orientierte Verwachsung mit Antigorit

Zusammenfassung Wahrscheinlich eine wiederholte Aufeinanderfolge von Hedyphan- und Antigoritwachstum führte zu einer orientierten Verwachsung, mit b des Antigorits //c des Hedyphans und (001) des Antigorits // (100) des Hedyphans. Diese Verwachsung verursacht eine sehr gute Teilbarkeit des Hedyphans parallel zu den Flächen (10¯10), (01¯10) und (¯1100). Die einzelnen Hedyphanfasern zeigen z. T. Partien, welche nach den Mikrosonden-Untersuchungen aus fast reinem Calcium und Barium-Karbonat bestehen.

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Hedyphane (Pb, Ca)₅(AsO₄)₃Cl without distinct cleavage is known from Långban and Pajsberg, Sweden and Franklin, U.S.A. On samples of such a hedyphane from Långban, fibrous hedyphane with a very good cleavage //c-axis was found and studied by optical, x-ray and electron microprobe methods. It is shown that this cleavage is a result of an oriented intergrowth with antigorite stretched //b-axis on (10¯10), (01¯10) and (¯1100) of the hedyphane. The b-axis of this antigorite is // to the c-axis of the hedyphane and (001) of antigorite is // (100) of hedyphane. Some of the fibres of the hedyphane contain parts of almost pure Caor Ba-carbonate.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. H. Wondratschek danke ich für die Überlassung des Themas und anregende Diskussionen, der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft für Unterstützung durch Geräte und dem Institut für Chemische Technik der TH Karlsruhe und Herrn Dr. F. Dörr, Fa. Schott und Gen., Mainz für die Anfertigung der Elektronenmikrosondenanalysen.     

Sind das Rote Meer und der Golf von Aden Einbruchsgräben oder Kontinentalrisse?

Zusammenfassung Das Rote Meer und der Golf von Aden werden im Gegensatz zuH. Cloos als kontinentale Risse gedeutet. Der Verfasser erkennt vor allen Dingen in den morphologischen Erscheinungen des Golfbodens, den Rinnen und Rücken deutliche Hinweise für die Richtigkeit derWegener'schen Kontinentalverschiebungstheorie. Weitere Argumente sind: Schwereüberschuss des Roten Meeres und des Adengolfes, Parallelität der gegenüberliegenden Küstenumrisse, globale Verbreitung der kontinentalen Risse.

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Summary In contrast withH. Cloos, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are explained as continental gaps. In the morphological appearance of the bed of the Gulf, in the ridges and depressions, the author sees above all, clear indications of the rightness of theWegener theory of continental drift. Further arguments are: the excess of gravity of the Red Sea and of the Gulf of Aden, the parallelism of the opposite coastlines and the wide extent of the continental gaps.

     

Anwendung Gefügeanalytischer Arbeitsmethoden am Beispieleines Bergbaues

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Insights on the growth and mobility of debris flows from repeat high-resolution lidar

Landslides - How debris flows erode and deposit material along their paths is difficult to determine in natural settings due to the lack of warning and the rapid pace at which they occur....     

Sediment transport in an alpine river before and after a dambreak flood event

Fluvial sediment transport in the high mountain Partnach River (Reintal Valley, Bavarian Alps) was investigated during a 10‐year observation period (2001–2010). During this period, the downstream reach of the Partnach River was decoupled from upstream sediment throughput by a rockslide deposit until 2005. In August 2005, the dam was partially breached during a flood event resulting in renewed sediment coupling between the upstream and downstream reaches. A comparison of pre‐ and post‐dambreak river sediment load data showed that the dissolved load dominated sediment transport prior to August 2005 with a switch to the dominance of bedload transport, post‐dambreak. The higher post‐dambreak bedload rates were particularly evident during the first years after the dam failure due to significant coarse material coupling between active sediment sources (undercut banks/talus cones) and the Partnach River. In the last years of the observation period (2009 and 2010) the dominance of dissolved load transport was re‐established. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporation of conceptual and parametric uncertainty into radionuclide flux estimates from a fractured granite rock mass

Detailed numerical flow and radionuclide simulations are used to predict the flux of radionuclides from three underground nuclear tests located in the Climax granite stock on the Nevada Test Site. The numerical modeling approach consists of both a regional-scale and local-scale flow model. The regional-scale model incorporates conceptual model uncertainty through the inclusion of five models of hydrostratigraphy and five models describing recharge processes for a total of 25 hydrostratigraphic–recharge combinations. Uncertainty from each of the 25 models is propagated to the local-scale model through constant head boundary conditions that transfer hydraulic gradients and flow patterns from each of the model alternatives in the vicinity of the Climax stock, a fluid flux calibration target, and model weights that describe the plausibility of each conceptual model. The local-scale model utilizes an upscaled discrete fracture network methodology where fluid flow and radionuclides are restricted to an interconnected network of fracture zones mapped onto a continuum grid. Standard Monte Carlo techniques are used to generate 200 random fracture zone networks for each of the 25 conceptual models for a total of 5,000 local-scale flow and transport realizations. Parameters of the fracture zone networks are based on statistical analysis of site-specific fracture data, with the exclusion of fracture density, which was calibrated to match the amount of fluid flux simulated through the Climax stock by the regional-scale models. Radionuclide transport is simulated according to a random walk particle method that tracks particle trajectories through the fracture continuum flow fields according to advection, dispersion and diffusional mass exchange between fractures and matrix. The breakthrough of a conservative radionuclide with a long half-life is used to evaluate the influence of conceptual and parametric uncertainty on radionuclide mass flux estimates. The fluid flux calibration target was found to correlate with fracture density, and particle breakthroughs were generally found to increase with increases in fracture density. Boundary conditions extrapolated from the regional-scale model exerted a secondary influence on radionuclide breakthrough for models with equal fracture density. The incorporation of weights into radionuclide flux estimates resulted in both noise about the original (unweighted) mass flux curves and decreases in the variance and expected value of radionuclide mass flux.