Electrical properties of Titan's surface from Cassini RADAR scatterometer measurements

We report regional-scale low-resolution backscatter images of Titan's surface acquired by the Cassini RADAR scatterometer at a wavelength of 2.18-cm. We find that the average angular dependence of the backscatter from large regions and from specific surface features is consistent with a model composed of a quasi-specular Hagfors term plus a diffuse cosine component. A Gaussian quasi-specular term also fits the data, but less well than the Hagfors term. We derive values for the mean dielectric constant and root-mean-square (rms) slope of the surface from the quasi-specular term, which we ascribe to scattering from the surface interface only. The diffuse term accommodates contributions from volume scattering, multiple scattering, or wavelength-scale near-surface structure. The Hagfors model results imply a surface with regional mean dielectric constants between 1.9 and 3.6 and regional surface roughness that varies between 5.3° and 13.4° in rms-slope. Dielectric constants between 2 and 3 are expected for a surface composed of solid simple hydrocarbons, water ice, or a mixture of both. Smaller dielectric constants, between 1.6 and 1.9, are consistent with liquid hydrocarbons, while larger dielectric constants, near 4.5, may indicate the presence of water-ammonia ice [Lorenz, R.D., 1998. Icarus 136, 344-348] or organic heteropolymers [Thompson, W.R., Squyres, S.W., 1990. Icarus 86, 336-354]. We present backscatter images corrected for angular effects using the model residuals, which show strong features that correspond roughly to those in 0.94-μm ISS images. We model the localized backscatter from specific features to estimate dielectric constant and rms slope when the angular coverage is within the quasi-specular part of the backscatter curve. Only two apparent surface features are scanned with angular coverage sufficient for accurate modeling. Data from the bright albedo feature Quivira suggests a dielectric constant near 2.8 and rms slope near 10.1°. The dark albedo feature Shangri-La is best fit by a Hagfors model with a dielectric constant close to 2.4 and an rms slope near 9.5°. From the modeled backscatter curves, we find the average radar albedo in the same linear (SL) polarization to be near 0.34. We constrain the total-power albedo in order to compare the measurements with available groundbased radar results, which are typically obtained in both senses of circular polarization. We estimate an upper limit of 0.4 on the total-power albedo, a value that is significantly higher than the 0.21 total albedo value measured at 13 cm [Campbell, D., Black, G., Carter, L., Ostro, S., 2003. Science 302, 431-434]. This is consistent with a surface that has more small-scale structure and is thus more reflective at 2-cm than 13-cm. We compare results across overlapping observations and observe that the reduction and analysis are repeatable and consistent. We also confirm the strong correlations between radar and near-infrared images.     

中国西部铂矿床类型与找矿方向探讨

中国铂矿资源严重不足,主要分布在中国西部,根据原生矿床特征可划分为4类：①硫化物型;②铬铁矿型;③辉石岩型;④层控型。寻找铂矿新类型和富铂(岩石)资源,应成为解决中国铂矿资源紧缺的重要任务。铂矿找矿方向：地台与地槽接合部位,特别是围绕着基性、超基性岩内外接触带,铂的预富集岩带与层控型铂矿带,另外还有砂铂型铂矿发育区有望扩大找铂前景。     

Titan's surface from the Cassini RADAR radiometry data during SAR mode

We present initial results on the calibration and interpretation of the high-resolution radiometry data acquired during the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode (SAR-radiometry) of the Cassini Radar Mapper during its first five flybys of Saturn's moon Titan.We construct maps of the brightness temperature at the 2-cm wavelength coincident with SAR swath imaging. A preliminary radiometry calibration shows that brightness temperature in these maps varies from 64 to 89 K. Surface features and physical properties derived from the SAR-radiometry maps and SAR imaging are strongly correlated; in general, we find that surface features with high radar reflectivity are associated with radiometrically cold regions, while surface features with low radar reflectivity correlate with radiometrically warm regions. We examined scatterplots of the normalized radar cross-section σ⁰ versus brightness temperature, outlining signatures that characterize various terrains and surface features. The results indicate that volume scattering is important in many areas of Titan's surface, particularly Xanadu, while other areas exhibit complex brightness temperature variations consistent with variable slopes or surface material and compositional properties.     

Observation of water vapor in the stratosphere of Jupiter with the Odin space telescope

The water vapor line at 557 GHz has been observed with the Odin space telescope with a high signal-to-noise ratio and a high spectral resolution on November 8, 2002. The analysis of this observation as well as a re-analysis of previously published observations obtained with the submillimeter wavelength astronomy satellite seem to favor a cometary origin (Shoemaker-Levy 9) for water in the stratosphere of Jupiter, in agreement with the ISO observation results. Our model predicts that the water line should become fainter and broader from 2007. The observation of such a temporal variability would be contradictory with an IDP steady flux, thus supporting the SL9 source hypothesis.     

Beyond 'someone else's agenda': An example of indigenous/academic research collaboration

In recent years, Māori and wider indigenous geographies have flourished. These include works by scholars identifying specific Māori or indigenous issues but less attention has been paid to the way such research is conducted. This paper engages with these developments and presents the practices and lessons learnt from one particular research collaboration. Relationship building, multiple methods, flexibility, communication choices and wider support are all noted as key elements in establishing a supportive and fruitful collaboration.     

中国狗头金分布特征与成因讨论

中国大部分狗头金分布在湖南、四川、黑龙江、青海与山东五省。狗头金分布与水系有密切关系。狗头金可划分为两大类成因类型:表生成矿型(物理风化、化学溶解、再生-齐汞化)与原生成矿型(原生金块与原生改造)。含金地貌与新构造运动在成矿作用中占有重要地位。     

Better models are more effectively connected models

Water‐ and sediment‐transfer models are commonly used to explain or predict patterns in the landscape at scales different from those at which observations are available. These patterns are often the result of emergent properties that occur because processes of water and sediment transfer are connected in different ways. Recent advances in geomorphology suggest that it is important to consider, at a specific spatio‐temporal scale, the structural connectivity of system properties that control processes, and the functional connectivity resulting from the way those processes operate and evolve through time. We argue that a more careful consideration of how structural and functional connectivity are represented in models should lead to more robust models that are appropriate for the scale of application and provide results that can be upscaled. This approach is necessary because, notwithstanding the significant advances in computer power in recent years, many geomorphic models are still unable to represent the landscape in sufficient detail to allow all connectivity to emerge. It is important to go beyond the simple representation of structural connectivity elements and allow the dynamics of processes to be represented, for example by using a connectivity function. This commentary aims to show how a better representation of connectivity in models can be achieved, by considering the sorts of landscape features present, and whether these features can be represented explicitly in the model spatial structure, or must be represented implicitly at the subgrid scale. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphological controls on the dynamics of carbonate landscapes under a mediterranean climate

The influence of the morphological setting on the denudation of carbonate landscapes and the respective contributions of mechanical and chemical weathering processes are still debated. We have addressed these questions by measuring ³⁶Cl concentrations in 40 samples from the Luberon mountain, SE France, to constrain the denudation of various landscape elements. We observe a clear contrast between the local denudation rates from the flat summit surface, clustered around 30 mm/ka, and the basin‐average denudation rates across the flanks, ranging from 100 to 200 mm/ka. This difference highlights the transient evolution of the range, whose topography is still adjusting to previous uplift events. Such a pattern also suggests that carbonate dissolution is not the only driver of denudation in this setting, which appears to be significantly controlled by slope‐dependent processes.     

Design and development of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

Led by the National Solar Observatory, plans have been made to design and to develop the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST). The ATST will be a 4‐m general‐purpose solar telescope equipped with adaptive optics and versatile post‐focus instrumentation. Its main aim will be to achieve an angular resolution of 0.03 arcsec (20 km on the solar surface). The project and the telescope design are briefly described.     

南岭东段赣南地区天门山花岗岩体及花岗斑岩脉的SHRIMP定年及其意义

赣南地区岩浆岩分布广泛,其中燕山期岩浆活动最为强烈,与W、Sn、Nb、Ta成矿的关系尤为密切。选择天门山岩体及附近的花岗斑岩脉为研究对象,应用SHRIMP锆石微区U-Pb测年技术,对天门山岩体的主体、补体和花岗斑岩脉进行了精确测年:天门山岩体的主体——中细粒斑状黑云母花岗岩锆石的9个点SHRIMP谐和年龄为152±2Ma(MSWD=1.09);补体——细粒斑状黑云母花岗岩锆石的5个点SHRIMP谐和年龄为152±2.6Ma(MSWD=0.16);花岗斑岩(墙)脉锆石10个点的SHRIMP谐和年龄为150.8±1.8Ma(MSWD=1.6)。结合区域资料,研究表明:①天门山岩体的主体形成于中侏罗世,补体是主体进一步分异演化的产物;②在赣南西部的崇余犹矿集区内成岩与成矿的年龄基本上是协调一致的,成矿集中期为150~155Ma;③岩浆活动由中深成相花岗岩侵入体演化到浅成相花岗斑岩脉仅相差1~5Ma,表明存在成矿集中期。