Noble gases in the Martian meteorite Northwest Africa 2737: A new chassignite signature

Abstract— We report noble gas data for the second chassignite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737, which was recently found in the Moroccan desert. The cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age based on cosmogenic ³He, ²¹Ne, and ³⁸Ar around 10–11 Ma is comparable to the CRE ages of Chassigny and the nakhlites and indicates ejection of meteorites belonging to these two families during a discrete event, or a suite of discrete events having occurred in a restricted interval of time. In contrast, U‐Th/He and K/Ar ages <0.5 Ga are in the range of radiometric ages of shergottites, despite a Sm‐Nd signature comparable to that of Chassigny and the nakhlites (Misawa et al. 2005). Overall, the noble gas signature of NWA 2737 resembles that of shergottites rather than that of Chassigny and the nakhlites: NWA 2737 does not contain, in detectable amount, the solar‐like xenon found in Chassigny and thought to characterize the Martian mantle nor apparently fission xenon from ²⁴⁴Pu, which is abundant in Chassigny and some of the nakhlites. In contrast, NWA 2737 contains Martian atmospheric noble gases trapped in amounts comparable to those found in shergottite impact glasses. The loss of Martian mantle noble gases, together with the trapping of Martian atmospheric gases, could have occurred during assimilation of Martian surface components, or more likely during shock metamorphism, which is recorded in the petrology of this meteorite.     

Iodine Chemistry and its Role in Halogen Activation and Ozone Loss in the Marine Boundary Layer: A Model Study

A detailed set of reactions treating the gas and aqueous phase chemistry of the most important iodine species in the marine boundary layer (MBL) has been added to a box model which describes Br and Cl chemistry in the MBL. While Br and Cl originate from seasalt, the I compounds are largely derived photochemically from several biogenic alkyl iodides, in particular CH2I2, CH2ClI, C2H5I, C3H7I, or CH3I which are released from the sea. Their photodissociation produces some inorganic iodine gases which can rapidly react in the gas and aqueous phase with other halogen compounds. Scavenging of the iodine species HI, HOI, INO2, and IONO2 by aerosol particles is not a permanent sink as assumed in previous modeling studies. Aqueous-phase chemical reactions can produce the compounds IBr, ICl, and I2, which will be released back into the gas phase due to their low solubility. Our study, although highly theoretical, suggests that almost all particulate iodine is in the chemical form of IO-3. Other aqueous-phase species are only temporary reservoirs and can be re-activated to yield gas phase iodine. Assuming release rates of the organic iodine compounds which yield atmospheric concentrations similar to some measurements, we calculate significant concentrations of reactive halogen gases. The addition of iodine chemistry to our reaction scheme has the effect of accelerating photochemical Br and Cl release from the seasalt. This causes an enhancement in ozone destruction rates in the MBL over that arising from the well established reactions O(1D) + H2O 2OH, HO2 + O3 OH + 2O2, and OH + O3 HO2 + O2. The given reaction scheme accounts for the formation of particulate iodine which is preferably accumulated in the smaller sulfate aerosol particles.     

Age constraints on Pleistocene megafauna at Tight Entrance Cave in southwestern Australia

A well-stratified succession of fossiliferous sediments occurs in Tight Entrance Cave, southwestern Australia. These infill deposits contain the remains of megafauna and have accumulated intermittently since the Middle Pleistocene: >137, 137–119 and 50–29 ka, according to the results of ¹⁴C, U–Th, ESR and OSL dating techniques. Megafaunal species richness was highest in the latest part of the penultimate glacial maximum and during the subsequent last interglacial (137–119 ka), but remains are less abundant following an apparent 70 ka depositional hiatus in the sequence. Most megafaunal specimens from the upper (<44 ka) units are fragmentary, and reworking from older strata cannot yet be ruled out. However, one specimen of Simosthenurus occidentalis (a large extinct kangaroo), a pair of articulated dentaries showing no signs of secondary transportation, was found within a sedimentary layer deposited between 48 and 50 ka. This represents one of the youngest demonstrably in situ occurrences of an Australian megafaunal taxon.     

Fine structure of the magnetic field in M31

Abstract

The detailed magnetic field structure of M31, as deduced from radio polarization measurements, is analyzed. The field closely follows a dust lane parallel to the most conspicuous optical spiral arm, but also exhibits three-dimensional arc-like deviations from the otherwise axisymmetric configuration.     

Cretaceous synsedimentary tectonics in the Atlas system of Central Morocco

Cretaceous sediments in Central Morocco were deposited in various depositional environments and comprise an undetermined Lower Cretaceous base up to Maastrichtian. The sedimentary columns show a similar facies evolution. Basal unconformities, conglomeratic layers and significant differences in thicknesses reflect pre- and synsedimentary vertical tectonic movements. These tectonic movements took place along large NE/SW striking fault systems, one of the major features of the present tectonic framework. Permanent displacement of the subsidince maxima in time and space indicate the development of small tectonic blocks which were tilted and/or compressed between the fault zones. High sedimentation rates in areas of strong subsidence, however, prevented the evolution of intraplatformbasins. Although tectonic influence was important, eustatic sea level changes ruled the whole sedimentary regime.

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Zusammenfassung Im Mittleren Atlas und der Haute Moulouya reichen die Kreidesedimente von nicht genauer datierbarer Unterkreide bis ins Maastricht. Sie entstanden unter ständig wechselnden Ablagerungsbedingungen. Die einzelnen Sedimentsäulen weisen jeweils große Ähnlichkeiten in ihrer Faziesentwicklung auf, welche hauptsächlich den eustatischen Meeresspiegelschwankungen folgten. Basale Diskordanzen, Konglomeratlagen und signifikante Unterschiede in den Sedimentmächtigkeiten zeigen ständige synsedimentäre Vertikalbewegungen an. Diese erfolgten hauptsächlich an ausgedehnten, NE-SW streichenden Störungssystemen. Die ständigen, sowohl räumlichen als auch zeitlichen Verschiebungen der Subsidenzmaxima deuten auf die Entstehung von kleinräumigen tektonischen Blöcken hin, die zwischen den Störungszonen entweder gefaltet oder gekippt wurden. Dabei verhinderten die hohen Sedimentationsraten und die geringe räumliche Ausdehnung der Subsidenzzonen die Entstehung von tieferen Becken. Trotz der permanenten tektonischen Bewegungen waren eustatische Meeresspiegelschwankungen bestimmend für die Faziesentwicklung im gesamten Sedimentationsraum.

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Résumé Dans le Moyen Atlas et la Haute Moulouya, la sédimentation crétacée s'est effectuée dans des environnements variables depuis l'Eo-Crétacé jusqu'au Maastrichtien. Les colonnes sédimentaires dans les différentes localités sont caractérisées par une grande analogie d'évolution de faciès. Les discordances basales, les niveaux conglomératiques et la différence des épaisseurs d'une localité à une autre traduisent les mouvements verticaux pré- et synsédimentaires; ceci est surtout clair le long des failles de direction NE-SW qui ont constamment influencé la sédimentation. Les variations de la subsidence dans le temps et dans l'espace trouvent leur explication dans un modèle de basculement ou de plissement de petits blocs entre les zones de failles. Dans les zones à subsidence élevée, le taux de sédimentation était également élevé, ce qui a empêché la formation de bassins profonds. Ainsi, en dépit de l'action tectonique, les changements eustatiques du niveau de la mer ont déterminé tout le régime sédimentaire.

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Thermodynamic properties and equation of state of fcc aluminum and bcc iron, derived from a lattice vibrational method

We use a lattice vibrational technique to derive thermophysical and thermochemical properties of the pure elements aluminum and iron in pressure–temperature space. This semi-empirical technique is based on either the Mie–Grüneisen–Debye (MGD) approach or an extension of Kieffer’s model to incorporate details of the phonon spectrum. It includes treatment of intrinsic anharmonicity, electronic effects based on the free electron gas model, and magnetic effects based on the Calphad approach. We show that Keane’s equation of state for the static lattice is better suitable to represent thermodynamic data for aluminum from 1 bar to pressures in the multi-megabar region relative to Vinet’s universal and the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state. It appears that the MGD and Mie–Grüneisen–Kieffer approach produce similar results, but that the last one better represents heat capacity below room temperature. For iron we show that the high temperature behavior of thermal expansivity can be explained within the Calphad approach by a pressure-dependent Curie temperature with a slope between –1 and 0 K/GPa.