Statistical properties of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) micrometeorite collection

Micrometeorites have been recovered from traps located at the summit of nunataks in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), Antarctica. They constitute the TAM micrometeorite collection. Micrometeorites accumulated by direct infall for hundreds of thousands of years. This long collection duration is confirmed by the wide range of weathering by dissolution of olivine in the stony micrometeorites from the TAM collection. A statistical study of the size distribution and frequency by type of this collection, and comparison with other Antarctic micrometeorite collections (the South Pole Water Well collection and the Walcott Névé collection), suggest that the TAM collection is essentially unbiased. Thanks to the very long exposure of the traps, large diameter (>1000 μm) micrometeorites are present in sufficiently large numbers to allow a statistically meaningful estimate of their size distribution in this size range for the first time. We found that the slope of the size distribution remains constant in the 100–1600 μm size range. Therefore, the size distribution of micrometeorites in this size range is controlled by a single process.     

“传统”农业景观旅游保护困局的反思（英文）

全球范围对"文化景观"重新燃起兴趣需要从多维方式来解释。传统栖息地,人民和他们在特殊环境里的生活方式的价值改变过程是和与遗产地有关的"文化、社会和经济建设"的引入密不可分的。自上世纪90年代开始,文化景观作为一种新型遗产列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录,它强调人类与环境相互作用的重要性,需要了解景观在时空上的动态性。观念的变化产生了对标志性景观和传统社区的"动态保护"。从交叉学科的视角来理解这一交互过程对规划和保护可持续遗产景观至关重要。遍及全世界的各试点项目和案例研究都引起了关于遗产景观的可持续性和旅游的至高无上作用的批判性反思。全球重要农业文化遗产(GIAHS)能否受益于旅游产生的经济资源,需要基于研究的方法来分析机会和预期,评估其战略政策和自上而下的政策。     

EXOTIME: searching for planets around pulsating subdwarf B stars

In 2007, a companion with planetary mass was found around the pulsating subdwarf B star V391 Pegasi with the timing method, indicating that a previously undiscovered population of substellar companions to apparently single subdwarf B stars might exist. Following this serendipitous discovery, the EXOTIME (http://www.na.astro.it/~silvotti/exotime/) monitoring program has been set up to follow the pulsations of a number of selected rapidly pulsating subdwarf B stars on time scales of several years with two immediate observational goals:

1. determine $\dot{P}$ of the pulsational periods P
2. search for signatures of substellar companions in O–C residuals due to periodic light travel time variations, which would be tracking the central star’s companion-induced wobble around the centre of mass

These sets of data should therefore, at the same time, on the one hand be useful to provide extra constraints for classical asteroseismological exercises from the $\dot{P}$ (comparison with “local” evolutionary models), and on the other hand allow one to investigate the preceding evolution of a target in terms of possible “binary” evolution by extending the otherwise unsuccessful search for companions to potentially very low masses. While timing pulsations may be an observationally expensive method to search for companions, it samples a different range of orbital parameters, inaccessible through orbital photometric effects or the radial velocity method: the latter favours massive close-in companions, whereas the timing method becomes increasingly more sensitive toward wider separations. In this paper we report on the status of the on-going observations and coherence analysis for two of the currently five targets, revealing very well-behaved pulsational characteristics in HS?0444+0458, while showing HS?0702+6043 to be more complex than previously thought.     

Experimental shock metamorphism of terrestrial basalts: Agglutinate-like particle formation,petrology, and magnetism

Hypervelocity impacts occur on bodies throughout our solar system, and play an important role in altering the mineralogy, texture, and magnetic properties in target rocks at nanometer to planetary scales. Here we present the results of hypervelocity impact experiments conducted using a two-stage light-gas gun with 5 mm spherical copper projectiles accelerated toward basalt targets with ~6 km s⁻¹ impact velocities. Four different types of magnetite- and titanomagnetite-bearing basalts were used as targets for seven independent experiments. These laboratory impacts resulted in the formation of agglutinate-like particles similar in texture to lunar agglutinates, which are an important fraction of lunar soil. Materials recovered from the impacts were examined using a suite of complementary techniques, including optical and scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and high- and low-temperature magnetometry, to investigate the texture, chemistry, and magnetic properties of newly formed agglutinate-like particles and were compared to unshocked basaltic parent materials. The use of Cu-projectiles, rather than Fe- and Ni-projectiles, avoids magnetic contamination in the final shock products and enables a clearer view of the magnetic properties of impact-generated agglutinates. Agglutinate-like particles show shock features, such as melting and planar deformation features, and demonstrate shock-induced magnetic hardening (two- to seven-fold increases in the coercivity of remanence B_cr compared to the initial target materials) and decreases in low-field magnetic susceptibility and saturation magnetization.     

Holocene chronostratigraphy of northeastern Baffin Bay based on radiocarbon and palaeomagnetic data

The northeastern Baffin Bay continental margin, which experiences high sediment accumulation rates, is an excellent location to study Holocene sedimentary variations. However, it is often difficult to obtain reliable chronologies of the sediment archives using traditional methods (δ¹⁸O and radiocarbon) due to specific oceanographic conditions (e.g. corrosive bottom waters). Here we propose a chronostratigraphy of three cores collected on the northwestern Greenland margin (AMD14‐204, AMD14‐210 and AMD14‐Kane2B) based on a combination of radiocarbon dating and palaeomagnetic records. Geophysical properties of discrete samples were used to verify the reliability of the palaeomagnetic records. Palaeomagnetic analyses indicate a strong and stable natural remanent magnetization carried by low coercivity ferrimagnetic minerals (magnetite) in the pseudo‐single domain grain size range. Correlation of the full palaeomagnetic vector (inclination, declination, and relative palaeointensity) was used to establish a reliable chronostratigraphical framework for two of the cores (AMD14‐204 and AMD14‐210) and to propose an original palaeomagnetic record for the previously ¹⁴C‐dated core AMD14‐Kane2B that covers most of the Holocene. Overall, this new chronostratigraphy allowed improvement of the timing of the main palaeoenvironmental changes that occurred in this area during the Holocene.     

On the dynamic response of regular structures exhibiting tilt

The mechanical characteristics of earthquake‐resistant structures and the ground motion properties that have an important influence on the seismic performance of structures with asymmetric load–deformation behaviour, are identified from the results obtained from a parametric study of the dynamic response of single‐degree‐of‐freedom systems. The dynamic response of tilted single and multi‐degree‐of‐freedom systems, designed according to Mexican requirements for the design of asymmetric structures is studied. After a general understanding of this phenomenon is offered, shortcomings in current design requirements for tilted structures are discussed. Research needs to establish a rational design approach of this type of structures are identified. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Joint Electrical and Time Domain Electromagnetism (TDEM) Data Inversion Applied to the Super Sauze Earthflow (France)

In order to evaluate the risk of an earthflow to evolve abruptly into torrential surge, knowledge of its internal structure is necessary. This study deals with the internal structure of the Super Sauze earthflow developed in black marls in the southern French Alps. Difficulties in this study area are a rough topography, surface heterogeneities and a large thickness variability of the earthflow mass. These conditions hamper the application of geotechnical methods as a preferred investigation mean. Moreover, they pose problems to geophysical investigations and their interpretation.This paper shows the advantage offered by the joint inversion of Time Domain ElectroMagne-tism data (TDEM) and data obtained from Direct Current soundings (DC). The results of the joint inversions are checked using geotechnical data. The internal structure of the earthflow interpreted on the basis of joint inversion data is comparable to that obtained from geotechnical results. Moreover, contrary to separate electrical and TDEM inversions, a satisfactory joint inversion model can be derived without supplying additional a priori information.     

Changes in microstructure and water retention property of a lime-treated saline soil during curing

Acta Geotechnica - This study aims at investigating the lime treatment effect on the changes in microstructure and water retention property of compacted saline soil, with consideration of the...