Three-dimensional numerical simulation of wind-induced barotropic circulation in the Gulf of Patras

The barotropic, wind-induced circulation, which develops in the Gulf of Patras in Western Greece during the winter, is studied using three-dimensional numerical simulations. The simulations are performed using the numerical code MIKE 3 FM (HD). The Gulf's basin is bracketed between two sills, one on the west at the opening with the Ionian Sea and the other on the east at the Straits of Rio-Antirio at the opening with the Gulf of Corinth. The simulations show that the wind-induced flow creates strong currents near the coasts, which determine the sense of rotation of the gyres that develop in the Gulf. Strong currents are also created at the Rio-Antirio Straits. The wind-induced, barotropic currents do not seem to contribute to the direct replenishment of bottom waters, which recirculate between the two sills. Depending on the wind-speed forcing of the flow, the residence time of the waters in the Gulf of Patras is estimated to range from one week to one month.     

Preface: Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk

Magmatic rocks from the pre-Mesozoic basements of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes have been dated by U–Pb zircon ages with the LA-ICPMS technique. Several magmatic events have been identified in the Sambuco nappe. The mafic banded calc-alkaline suite of Scheggia is dated at 540 Ma, an age comparable to that of mafic rocks in the Austroalpine Silvretta nappe. The Sasso Nero peraluminous augengneiss has an age of 480–470 Ma, like many other “older orthogneisses” in Alpine basement units. It hosts a large proportion of inherited zircons, which were dated around 630 Ma, a Panafrican age indicating the Gondwanan affiliation of the Sambuco basement. The calc-alkaline Matorello pluton yielded ages around 300 Ma, similar to numerous Late Carboniferous intrusions in other basement units of the Lower Penninic (Monte Leone, Antigorio, Verampio) and Helvetic domains (Gotthard and other External Crystalline Massifs). Associated lamprophyric dykes are slightly younger (300–290 Ma), like similar dykes sampled in gneiss blocks included in the sedimentary cover of the underlying Antigorio nappe (290–285 Ma). The Cocco granodiorite and Rüscada leucogranite, both intruding the basement of the neighbouring Maggia nappe, yielded ages of ca. 300–310 Ma, identical within errors to the age of the Matorello pluton. They are significantly older than former age determinations. This age coincidence, coupled with remarkable petrologic similarities between the Cocco and Matorello granodiorites, strongly suggests paleogeographic proximity of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes in Late Carboniferous times. In recent publications these two nappes have been interpreted as belonging to distinct Mesozoic paleogeographic domains: “European” for Sambuco and “Briançonnais” for Maggia, separated by the “Valais” oceanic basin. In this case, the similarity of the Matorello and Cocco intrusions would demonstrate the absence of any significant transcurrent movement between these two continental domains. Alternatively, according to a more traditional view, Sambuco and Maggia might belong to a single large Alpine tectonic unit.     

Refining the timing of eclogite metamorphism: a geochemical,petrological, Sm-Nd and U-Pb case study from the Pohorje Mountains,Slovenia (Eastern Alps)

High-pressure metamorphism in the Pohorje Mountains of Slovenia (Austroalpine unit, Eastern Alps) affected N-MORB type metabasic and metapelitic lithologies. Thermodynamic calculations and equilibrium phase diagrams of kyanite–phengite-bearing eclogites reveal PT conditions of >2.1 GPa at T<750°C, but within the stability field of quartz. Metapelitic eclogite country rocks contain the assemblage garnet + phengite + kyanite + quartz, for which calculated peak pressure conditions are in good agreement with results obtained from eclogite samples. The eclogites contain a single population of spherical zircon with a low Th/U ratio. Combined constraints on the age of metamorphism come from U/Pb zircon as well as garnet–whole rock and mineral–mineral Sm-Nd analyses from eclogites. A coherent cluster of single zircon analyses yields a ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 90.7±1.0 Ma that is in good agreement with results from Sm-Nd garnet–whole rock regression of 90.7±3.9 and 90.1±2.0 Ma (εNd: +8) for two eclogite samples. The agreement between U-Pb and Sm-Nd age data strongly suggests an age of approximately 90 Ma for the pressure peak of the eclogites in the Pohorje Mountains. The presence of garnet, omphacite and quartz inclusions in unfractured zircon indicates high-pressure rather than ultrahigh pressure conditions. The analysed metapelite sample yields a Sm-Nd garnet–whole rock scatterchron age of 97±15 Ma. These data probably support a single P-T loop for mafic and pelitic lithologies of the Pohorje area and a late Cretaceous high-pressure event that affected the entire easternmost Austroalpine basement including the Koralpe and Saualpe eclogite type locality in the course of the complex collision of the Apulian microplate and Europe.     

Rainfall-triggering response patterns of post-seismic debris flows in the Wenchuan earthquake area

Several giant debris flows occurred in southwestern China after the Wenchuan earthquake, causing serious casualties and economic losses. Debris flows were frequently triggered after the earthquake. A relatively accurate prediction of these post-seismic debris flows can help to reduce the consequent damages. Existing debris flow prediction is almost based on the study of the relationship between post-earthquake debris flows and rainfall. The relationship between the occurrence of post-seismic debris flows and characteristic rainfall patterns was studied in this paper. Fourteen rainfall events related to debris flows that occurred in four watersheds in the Wenchuan earthquake area were collected. By analyzing the rainfall data, characteristics of rainfall events that triggered debris flows after the earthquake were obtained. Both the critical maximum rainfall intensity and average rainfall intensity increased with the time. To describe the critical conditions for debris flow initiation, intensity–duration curves were constructed, which shows how the threshold for triggering debris flows increased each year. The time that the critical rainfall intensities of debris flow occurrences return to the value prior to the earthquake could not be estimated due to the absent rainfall data before the earthquake. Rainfall-triggering response patterns could be distinguished for rainfall-induced debris flows. The critical rainfall patterns related to debris flows could be divided on the basis of antecedent rainfall duration and intensity into three categories: (1) a rapid triggering response pattern, (2) an intermediate triggering response pattern, and (3) a slow triggering response pattern. The triggering response patterns are closely related to the initiation mechanisms of post-earthquake debris flows. The main difference in initiation mechanisms and difference in triggering patterns by rainfall is regulated by the infiltration process and determined by a number of parameters, such as hydro-mechanical soil characteristics, the thickness of the soil, and the slope gradient. In case of a rapid triggering response rainfall pattern, the hydraulic conductivity and initial moisture content are the main impact factors. Runoff erosion and rapid loading of solid material is the dominant process. In case of a rainfall pattern with a slow triggering response, the thickness and strength of the soil, high hydraulic conductivity, and rainfall intensity are the impact factors. Probably slope failure is the most dominant process initiating debris flows. In case of an intermediate triggering response pattern, both debris flow initiation mechanisms (runoff erosion and slope failure) can play a role.     

Chemical Mechanism Development: Laboratory Studies and Model Applications

Within the German Tropospheric Research Programme (TFS) numerous kinetic and mechanistic studies on the tropospheric reaction/degradation of the following reactants were carried out: oxygenated VOC, aromatic VOC, biogenic VOC, short-lived intermediates, such as alkoxy and alkylperoxy radicals.At the conception of the projects these selected groups were classes of VOC or intermediates for which the atmospheric oxidation mechanisms were either poorly characterised or totally unknown. The motivation for these studies was the attainment of significant improvements in our understanding of the atmospheric chemical oxidation processes of these compounds, particularly with respect to their involvement in photooxidant formation in the troposphere. In the present paper the types of experimental investigations performed and the results obtained within the various projects are briefly summarised. The major achievements are highlighted and discussed in terms of their contribution to improving our understanding of the chemical processes controlling photosmog formation in the troposphere.     

Centrifuge model tests on sand specimen under extensional load

The appearance of shear banding in granular materials has been investigated intensively during the last decades and is still of ongoing importance in terms of understanding the stress–strain behaviour of the material, the localization phenomena and the interaction between soil and structure. Only less attention has been paid to the occurrence of systems of shear bands although such systems can be identified in geotechnical structures as well as in geological formations. In this paper we present results of experiments on sand specimens under extensional load in natural gravity as well as in increased gravity in the centrifuge where the influence of the stress level on the geometry of a shear band pattern, specified by the spacing of the shear bands and the angle between failure surfaces and minor stress direction, has been investigated. X‐ray technique has been used to visualize the failure zones inside the specimen, an optical measurement system called Digital Image Correlation has been applied to identify and observe the appearing deformation mechanism on the sides of the specimens in natural gravity as well as during the flight in the centrifuge. It can be shown that the geometry of the shear band pattern is sparsely influenced by the change of the stress level. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Intermittently Embedded Herbig Ae/Be Stars ISO and Ground-Based IR Observations

We discuss silicate emission profiles observed with the ISO SWS and ground-based IR observations in a population of intermittently embedded Herbig Ae/Be stars which are viewed edge-on to their polarimetrically identified dust and gas disks. The ISO SWS observations confirm the lack of a simple correlation between system age and the profile shape. Comparison with laboratory silicates suggests that much of the observed variation is due to different annealing histories of the grains. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Discovery of an albite gneiss from the Ile de Groix (Armorican Massif, France): geochemistry and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb geochronology of its Ordovician protolith

For the first time, an albite orthogneiss has been recognised and dated within the HP–LT blueschist facies metabasites and metapelites of the Ile de Groix. It is characterised by a peraluminous composition, high LILE, Th and U contents, MORB-like HREE abundances and moderate Nb and Y values. A U–Pb age of 480.8?±?4.8?Ma was obtained by LA-ICP-MS dating of zircon and titanite. It is interpreted as the age of the magmatic emplacement during the Early Ordovician. Morphologically different zircon grains yield late Neoproterozoic ages of 546.6–647.4?Ma. Zircon and titanite U–Pb ages indicate that the felsic magmatism from the Ile de Groix is contemporaneous with the acid, pre-orogenic magmatism widely recognised in the internal zones of the Variscan belt, related to the Cambro-Ordovician continental rifting. The magmatic protolith probably inherited a specific chemical composition from a combination of orogenic, back-arc and anorogenic signatures because of partial melting of the Cadomian basement during magma emplacement. Besides, the late Devonian U–Pb age of 366?±?33?Ma obtained for titanite from a blueschist facies metapelite corresponds to the age of the HP–LT peak metamorphism.