Formal proposal for the Bathonian GSSP (Middle Jurassic) in the Ravin du Bès Section (Bas-Auran, SE France)

The Bathonian Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is proposed at the base of limestone bed RB071 (bed 23 in Sturani 1967) in the Ravin du Bès Section (43° 57′ 38′′ N, 6° 18′ 55′′ E), Bas-Auran area, “Alpes de Haute Provence” French department. The Ravin du Bès Section, as formal candidate GSSP for the base of the Bathonian Stage, satisfies most of the requirements recommended by the International Commission on Stratigraphy: 1) The exposure extends over 13 m in thickness. At the Bajocian-Bathonian transition, no vertical (bio-, ichno- or tapho-) facies changes, condensation, stratigraphic gaps or hiatuses have been recorded. Structural complexity, synsedimentary and tectonic disturbances, or important alterations by metamorphism are not relevant constraints. 2) There is a well-preserved, abundant and diverse fossil record across the boundary interval, with key markers (ammonites and nannofossils) for worldwide correlation. The base of the Bathonian Stage and Zigzag Zone in Bas-Auran corresponds to the first occurrence level of Gonolkites convergens Buckman, which coincides with the first occurrence of Morphoceras parvum Wetzel. Calcareous nannofossils, as secondary global marker, are present in all beds and allow characterizing the Bajocian-Bathonian transition. 3) Regional analyses of sequence stratigraphy and manganese chemostratigraphy are available. Spectral gamma-ray data corroborate an Early Bathonian deepening half-cycle of second order. 4) The criteria of accessibility, conservation and protection are assured by the “Réserve Naturelle Géologique de Haute Provence”. The Cabo Mondego Section (Portugal) is suggested as the Bathonian auxiliary section and point (ASSP) within this GSSP proposal.     

Stratigraphy and composition of lava flows in Mare Nubium and Mare Cognitum

Abstract— Three major periods of basaltic activity characterize the infill of the basins. Each of these periods was itself punctuated by discrete phases of widespread magma eruptions: three during both the Late Imbrian Epoch and the early Eratosthenian Period and then two in the late Eratosthenian Period. We found the youngest lavas off the eastern border of the Fra Mauro peninsula and, mantling a much larger area, over most of the central western Nubium basin. Our results place the Nubium/Cognitum basalts in the low‐Ti category (1–5 wt% TiO₂). The data indicate that the majority (?90%) of the mare terrain has iron content between 18 and 22 wt%. In particular, FeO contents tend to concentrate toward two compositional poles, each of ?20 wt%, and a much smaller one of ?15 wt%. These values are typical of nearside lunar maria. To complement our compositional data, we present a census of craters larger than 500 m using Orbiter IV images. The result was a crater count average with frequency 5.6 × 10^?2 km^?2, translating into an inferred mean age of 3300 Ma for the exposed lava flows. By combining lava chemistry with age, we find a possible correlation between the ages of the most prominent flow units and their estimated titanium content, with younger basalts becoming progressively Ti‐richer with time (from 2–3 to 4–5 wt% TiO₂).     

Petrogenetic relationships between peralkaline rhyolite dykes and mafic rocks in the post-Variscan gabbroic complex from Bocca di Tenda (northern Corsica, France)

The Lower Permian complex from Bocca di Tenda (Corsica island, France) consists of a gabbroic sequence crosscut by chilled dykes ranging in composition from basalt to trachyandesite and peralkaline rhyolite. The gabbroic sequence is mostly composed of olivine gabbronorites, quartz gabbronorites/diorites locally displaying high ilmenite amounts, and hornblende-rich tonalites. The quartz gabbronorites/diorites and the hornblende-rich tonalites have similar initial ε_Nd values (+0.9 to ?1.1) and record a fractional crystallization process driven by separation of plagioclase, pyroxene, and ilmenite. The olivine gabbronorites have slightly higher initial ε_Nd than the quartz gabbronorites/diorites and the hornblende-rich tonalites, thereby documenting that the early evolution of the melts that gave rise to the gabbroic sequence was controlled by concomitant fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation. The trachyandesite dykes are rare and rich in dark mica. The selected trachyandesite has initial ε_Nd of +0.4, which is slightly lower than the ε_Nd of the basalt dykes. The basalt and the trachyandesite dykes are most likely genetically related through a process of fractional crystallization controlled by segregation of plagioclase, clinopyroxene and minor ilmenite, and assimilation of crustal material. The peralkaline rhyolites have initial ε_Nd values ranging from +0.3 to ?0.3. Whole-rock chemical variations and trace element compositions of Na-amphibole (arfvedsonite) indicate that the peralkaline rhyolite dykes record a process of fractional crystallization mainly controlled by separation of alkali feldspar and minor ilmenite and arfvedsonite. A plausible petrogenetic hypothesis for the genesis of the peralkaline rhyolite melts implies a protracted process of fractional crystallization from the trachyandesitic melts. This fractionation process would be initially ruled by separation of plagioclase, dark mica, and minor ilmenite. An alternative hypothesis for the origin of the peralkaline rhyolite melts implies partial melting of nearly coeval amphibole-rich mafic intrusives, which formed by crustally contaminated mantle-derived melts. The genesis of the peralkaline rhyolites is in any case correlated with mantle-derived melts that experienced extensive crustal contamination.     

Effect of degassing on sulfur contents and δ34S values in Somma-Vesuvius magmas

Sulfur contents and δ³⁴S values of Somma-Vesuvius magmas are consistent with syneruptive, open-system degassing at temperatures of 800–850°C for Plinian pumices and 1100–1200°C for lavas. The extent of degassing appears to be greater in lavas than in pumices. The key parameter controlling the ³⁴S/³²S ratio of Somma-Vesuvius volcanics is the average magma oxidation state, which generally varies from 0.85 to 1.20 Δ NNO units for lavas and from 1.20 to 1.40 Δ NNO units for pumices. Consequently, S contents and δ³⁴S values of magmas constitute a potentially valuable tool in estimating their average redox conditions. The results of this study may help in risk mitigation when the Vesuvius magmatic system evolves toward eruptive conditions. Received: 20 January 1998 / Accepted: 5 May 1998     

Using Mahalanobis Distance to Detect and Remove Outliers in Experimental Covariograms

Experimental variograms are crucial for most geostatistical studies. In kriging, for example, the variography has a direct influence on the interpolation weights. Despite the great importance of variogram estimators in predicting geostatistical features, they are commonly influenced by outliers in the dataset. The effect of some randomly spatially distributed outliers can mask the pattern of the experimental variogram and produce a destructuration effect, implying that the true data spatial continuity cannot be reproduced. In this paper, an algorithm to detect and remove the effect of outliers in experimental variograms using the Mahalanobis distance is proposed. An example of the algorithm’s application is presented, showing that the developed technique is able to satisfactorily detect and remove outliers from a variogram.

     

Evolution of the X-ray luminosity and metallicity of starburst blown superbubbles

We have modelled the evolution of hot superbubbles in starbursts, taking into account the rapid changes in the chemical composition of the interior of the superbubbles resulting from the large stellar mass loss, i.e. stellar winds from massive young stars and type II supernovae. We have followed in detail the time-dependent production and mixing of oxygen and iron in the interior of the hot superbubbles and showed that while the oxygen abundance rapidly climbs to over solar values in less than 10 Myr, iron abundance remains always under solar. This highly enhanced oxygen metallicity boosts the early X-ray luminosity of superbubbles while keeping the iron abundance subsolar. This brings theory and X-ray observations of the luminosity and metal content of young starbursts closer together.     

The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: the nature of the relative bias between galaxies of different spectral type

We present an analysis of the relative bias between early- and late-type galaxies in the Two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) – as defined by the η parameter of Madgwick et al., which quantifies the spectral type of galaxies in the survey. We calculate counts in cells for flux-limited samples of early- and late-type galaxies, using approximately cubical cells with sides ranging from 7 to  42 h ⁻¹ Mpc  . We measure the variance of the counts in cells using the method of Efstathiou et al., which we find requires a correction for a finite volume effect equivalent to the integral constraint bias of the autocorrelation function. Using a maximum-likelihood technique we fit lognormal models to the one-point density distribution, and develop methods of dealing with biases in the recovered variances resulting from this technique. We then examine the joint density distribution function,   f (δ_E, δ_L)  , and directly fit deterministic bias models to the joint counts in cells. We measure a linear relative bias of ≈1.3, which does not vary significantly with ℓ. A deterministic linear bias model is, however, a poor approximation to the data, especially on small scales  (ℓ≤ 28  h ⁻¹ Mpc)  where deterministic linear bias is excluded at high significance. A power-law bias model with index   b ₁≈ 0.75  is a significantly better fit to the data on all scales, although linear bias becomes consistent with the data for  ℓ≳ 40  h ⁻¹ Mpc  .     

Optical and infrared signatures of ultra-luminous X-ray sources

We have constructed a model to describe the optical emission from ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). We assume a binary model with a black hole accreting matter from a Roche lobe filling companion star. We consider the effects of radiative transport and radiative equilibrium in the irradiated surfaces of both the star and a thin accretion disc. We have developed this model as a tool with which to positively identify the optical counterparts of ULXs, and subsequently derive parameters such as the black hole mass and the luminosity class and spectral type of the counterpart. We examine the dependence of the optical emission on these and other variables. We extend our model to examine the magnitude variation at infrared wavelengths, and we find that observations at these wavelengths may have more diagnostic power than in the optical. We apply our model to existing HST observations of the candidates for the optical counterpart of ULX X-7 in NGC 4559. All candidates could be consistent with an irradiated star alone, but we find that a number of them are too faint to fit with an irradiated star and disc together. Were one of these the optical counterpart to X-7, it would display a significant temporal variation.