Die Herkunft der „Porphyr“-Gerölle im Rotliegenden Süd-Hessens

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe petrographischer und geochemischer Untersuchungsmethoden wurde versucht, die Liefergebiete der Gerölle saurer Vulkanite im Unter-Perm des sdlichen Hessischen Troges zu ermitteln. Dabei zeigte sich, daß Rhyolith-Gerölle, angeliefert von den Rhyolithvorkommen der Odenwald-Spessart-Rhön-Schwelle, nur auf das schmale Gebiet der Schwellenrand-Sedimente beschränkt sind. Im eigentlichen Becken der Wetterau führen die Konglomerate nahezu ausschließlich Keratophyr-Gerölle, die von der nördlich gelegenen Taunus-Schwelle stammen.Die Verteilung der Rhyolith- und Keratophyr-Gerölle in den Rotliegend-Konglomeraten deutet auf eine stete Dominanz der Taunus-Schwelle gegenüber der Spessart-Schwelle. Es läßt sich ferner wahrscheinlich machen, daß die Taunus-Schwelle durch eine N-S-streichende Querdepression gegliedert war, die die spätere Hessische Senke bereits vorzeichnet. Der Spessart-Schwelle war im basalen Unter-Rotliegenden eine Barriere nördlich vorgelagert (Nördliche Gneise), die im Laufe des Rotliegenden in den Ablagerungsraum einbezogen wurde.

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Petrographical and geochemical investigations were carried out to determine the source areas of volcanite pebbles in the Lower Permian Hessischer Trog (southern Chattia, West-Germany). The pebbles of rhyolites have been derived from the Permian rhyolites of the Odenwald-Spessart-Rhön-Uplift in the south. They are restricted to marginal deposits, which accompanied the uplift in a narrow zone. In the corresponding Wetterau-Basin only pebbles of keratophyres have been found, which originated in the Taunus-Uplift in the north.The distribution of pebbles of rhyolites and keratophyres in the Lower Permian conglomerates points out the dominance of the Taunus-Uplift during the Lower Permian. The Taunus-Uplift probably had been devided by a N/S-directed depression which traced out the later Hessische Senke. At the very beginning of the Lower Permian (Unter-Rotliegendes) a barrier had existed in front of the Spessart-Uplift — probably composed of the Nordliche Gneise — which became an area of deposition later on in the Lower Permian.

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Résumé Cette étude a pour but de rechercher la source des cailloux volcaniques du Permien inférieur du bassin méridional d'Hesse à l'aide des méthodes pétrographiques et géochimiques. Les cailloux rhyolithiques, dérivés du haut-fond Odenwald-Spessart-Rhön se rencontrent seulement dans les sédiments d'une zone étroite au bord de ce haut-fond. Dans le bassin de la Wetterau les conglomérats contiennent prèsque exclusivement des cailloux keratophyriques qui proviennent de la partie septentrionale du haut-fond du Taunus.La distribution des cailloux rhyolithiques et keratophyriques démontre que toujours le haut-fond du Taunus a été plus important que le seuil du Spessart. En outre il est probable que le haut-fond du Taunus a été subdivisé par une dépression transversale de direction N-S qui indique déjà la future Hessische Senke. Au début du Rotliegend inférieur une barrière a existé devant le seuil du Spessart qui avait été compris dans la région de la sédimentation au cours du Rotliegend.

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Authigenic carbonates in sediments from the Gulf of Mexico

The carbon isotopic composition of diagenetic dolomite and calcite in some sediments of the Gulf of Mexico varies between “normal-marine” (δ¹³C ca. 0‰) and −14.6‰ which suggests that biogenic CO₂ contributed to the carbonate formation. The δ¹³O values of dolomite and coexisting calcite are very similar but variable down-core.Dolomite and calcite precipitated early from pore water where SO₄²⁻ was not reduced. However, during (and after?) SO₄²⁻ reduction dolomite and calcite still formed and there are at least two generations of carbonate minerals present.     

Seismically induced variations in Mariánské Lázně fault gas composition in the NW Bohemian swarm quake region, Czech Republic — A continuous gas monitoring

A continuously operated gas monitoring station was emplaced within the epicentral area of the NW Bohemian swarm earthquakes overlying directly the active Mariánské Lázně fault. The recordings of 8-month continuous monitoring period are presented. The variations in radon concentrations are similarly to variations in CO₂, i.e. CO₂ is considered to be the carrier gas for radon. Very small diurnal variations in gas concentration are caused by the earth tides, as daily variations in meteorological conditions cannot explain a short daily minimum at midday times. Sudden changes in gas concentration, which clearly exceed these diurnal variations occur and are always linked with seismic activities. Decreased gas concentration may indicate compression resulting in reduced fault permeability as is implied by negative peaks following local earthquake swarms. A sudden increase in CO₂ and Rn concentration may indicate an increased fault permeability caused by stress redistribution, giving rise to opening of migration pathways. This implies a repeatedly sudden rise in gas concentration before local earthquake swarms. Several variations in gas concentration were monitored linked with remote earthquakes of ground motion amplitudes  >1 μm. These seismic events are accompanied by an interference of the diurnal gas concentration–stress-cycle along the Mariánské Lázně fault. However, if shocks of remote earthquake can alter properties of the migrating fluids or the fault properties it can be suggested that these are able to trigger local seismicity, as indicated in the case of the Slovenia earthquake on 12th July 2004.     

The Stellar Ages of Elliptical Galaxies

Integrated broad-band colors and metallic lines cannot discriminate clearly between the effects of age and Z in old stellar populations. Such data are more sensitive to Z than to age. The Hβ feature provides a way to break this degeneracy. New measurements indicate that the mean stellar ages of typical E galaxy nuclei are fairly young, ranging from 2 to ∼12 Gyr. The outer parts of E galaxies are both older and more metal-poor than nuclei, consistent with the formation of E galaxies via mergers and starbursts. Age effects contribute strongly to the classic color-line strength sequence of E galaxies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A paleoclimate record for the past 250,000 years from Summer Lake, Oregon, USA. 1. chronology and magnetic proxies for lake level

This study presents the age control and environmental magnetism components of a new, late Pleistocene paleoclimate record for the Great Basin of western North America. Two new cores from the Summer Lake sub-basin of pluvial Lake Chewaucan, Oregon, USA are correlated to basin margin outcrops on the basis of tephrochronology, lithostratigraphy, sediment magnetism and paleomagnetic secular variation. Eleven tephra layers were found in the cores that correlate to tephra identified previously in the outcrop. The Olema ash was also found in one of the cores; its stratigraphic position, relative to 3 dated tephra layers, indicates that its age is 50-55 ka, somewhat younger than has been previously reported. The Summer Lake sediments are divided into deep and shallow lake lithosomes based on sedimentary features. The stratigraphic position of these lithosomes support the tephra-based correlations between the outcrop and the cores. These sediments contain a well resolved record of the Mono Lake Excursion (MLE) and an earlier paleomagnetic excursion as well as a high quality replication of the paleosecular variation immediately above the MLE.Relative sedimentation rates increased dramatically toward the depocenter during intervals of low-lake level. In contrast, during intervals of high-lake level, relative sedimentation rates were comparable along the basin axis from the basin margin to the depocenter. The magnetic mineralogy of the Summer Lake sediments is dominated by pseudo-single domain (titano)magnetite and intervals of high/low magnetite concentration coincide with lithosomes that indicate high/low lake levels. Magnetic grain size also varies in accord with bulk sediment grain size as indicated by the silt/clay ratio. To a first order, variations in magnetic parameters, especially those attributable to the concentration of magnetic minerals, correlate well with global glacial/interglacial oscillations as indicated by marine oxygen isotope stages. This relationship can be explained by increased dissolution of (titano)magnetite minerals as lake level dropped and the lake became more productive biologically. This inference is supported by a correspondence between lower concentrations of magnetite with higher levels of total organic carbon and vice-versa.     

Bacterial methane in the Atzbach-Schwanenstadt gas field (Upper Austrian Molasse Basin), Part I: Geology

Bacterial methane gas accumulations occur in Upper Oligocene to Early Miocene clastic deepwater sediments in the Austrian Molasse Basin. Methane gas is produced from the Upper Puchkirchen Fm. (Aquitanian) in the Atzbach-Schwanenstadt gas field which is one of the largest gas fields in this basin.     

Hybrid frequency–time domain models for dynamic response analysis of marine structures

Time-domain models of marine structures based on frequency domain data are usually built upon the Cummins equation. This type of model is a vector integro-differential equation which involves convolution terms. These convolution terms are not convenient for analysis and design of motion control systems. In addition, these models are not efficient with respect to simulation time, and ease of implementation in standard simulation packages. For these reasons, different methods have been proposed in the literature as approximate alternative representations of the convolutions. Because the convolution is a linear operation, different approaches can be followed to obtain an approximately equivalent linear system in the form of either transfer function or state-space models. This process involves the use of system identification, and several options are available depending on how the identification problem is posed. This raises the question whether one method is better than the others. This paper therefore has three objectives. The first objective is to revisit some of the methods for replacing the convolutions, which have been reported in different areas of analysis of marine systems: hydrodynamics, wave energy conversion, and motion control systems. The second objective is to compare the different methods in terms of complexity and performance. For this purpose, a model for the response in the vertical plane of a modern containership is considered. The third objective is to describe the implementation of the resulting model in the standard simulation environment Matlab/Simulink.     

High-resolution methane profiles across anoxic brine–seawater boundaries in the Atlantis-II, Discovery, and Kebrit Deeps (Red Sea)

A decrease in temperature (ΔT up to 45.5 °C) and chloride concentration (ΔCl up to 4.65 mol/l) characterises the brine–seawater boundary in the Atlantis-II, Discovery, and Kebrit Deeps of the Red Sea, where redox conditions change from anoxic to oxic over a boundary layer several meters thick. High-resolution (100 cm) profiles of the methane concentration, stable carbon isotope ratio of methane, and redox-sensitive tracers (O₂, Mn⁴⁺/Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺, and SO₄²⁻) were measured across the brine–seawater boundary layer to investigate methane fluxes and secondary methane oxidation processes.

Substantial amounts of thermogenic hydrocarbons are found in the deep brines (mostly methane, with a maximum concentration up to 4.8×10⁵ nmol/l), and steep methane concentration gradients mainly controlled by diffusive flow characterize the brine–seawater boundary (maximum of 2×10⁵ nmol/l/m in Kebrit Deep). However, locally the actual methane concentration profiles deviate from theoretical diffusion-controlled concentration profiles and extremely positive δ¹³C–CH₄ values can be found (up to +49‰ PDB in the Discovery Deep). Both, the actual CH₄ concentration profiles and the carbon-13 enrichment in the residual CH₄ of the Atlantis-II and Discovery Deeps indicate consumption (oxidation) of ¹²C-rich CH₄ under suboxic conditions (probably utilizing readily available—up to 2000 μmol/l—Mn(IV)-oxihydroxides as electron acceptor). Thus, a combined diffusion–oxidation model was used to calculate methane fluxes of 0.3–393 kg/year across the brine–seawater boundary layer. Assuming steady-state conditions, this slow loss of methane from the brines into the Red Sea bottom water reflects a low thermogenic hydrocarbon input into the deep brines.     

Methane oxidation in sediment and water column environments—Isotope evidence

Microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane in sediments is a kinetic process associated with a carbon isotope effect which enriches the remaining methane in ¹³C. Three, models: % residual methane, higher hydrocarbon enrichment, and CO₂-CH₄ coexisting pairs are used to independently calculate fractionation factors (αc) in the range of 1.002–1.014, which overlap the range determined by culture studies, αc is smaller than that associated with methanogenesis by CO₂ reduction or by acetate-type fermentation, and comparison of the coexisting CO₂-CH₄ pairs can distinguish between the formation and consumption processes. Methane oxidation in sediments continues to a threshold concentration of ca. 0.2 mM; the residual methane is either unavailable or unattractive to consumption. Minor amounts of methane may also be produced simultaneously in the methane consumption zone, influencing the apparent fractionation factor in this zone.