Structural similarity of glasses and melts relevant to petrological processes

High-temperature Ramun spectroscopic investigations of melts in the systems GeO₂. Na₂O-SiO₂ and Na₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ demonstrate the close structural relationships between melts and glasses. No coordination changes with temperature and no new anionic species have been observed in the melt relative to those in the glass. The relative concentration of different anionic units changes only slightly in the temperature range 100–1350 C. With increasing temperature, compositions with three-dimensionally connected structural units exhibit an intensity increase of a band characteristic of a defect in the network structure, but the network still remains essentially intact.     

Chemical compositions and classifica tion of five thermally altered carbonaceous chondrites

To establish the chemical group provenance of the five thermally altered carbonaceous chondrites Asuka (A‐) 881551, Asuka‐882113, Elephant Moraine (EET) 96026, Mulga (west), and Northwest Africa (NWA) 3133, we quantified 44 trace elements in each of them. We also analyzed Larkman Nunatak (LAR) 04318 (CK4), Miller Range (MIL) 090001 (CR2), Roberts Massif (RBT) 03522 (CK5) as reference samples as their chemical group affinity is already recognized. We conclude that Asuka‐881551, Asuka‐882113, and Mulga (west) are thermally metamorphosed CK chondrites. Compositionally, Elephant Moraine 96026 most resembles the CV chondrites. NWA 3133 is the most significantly thermally altered carbonaceous chondrite in our suite of samples. It is completely recrystallized (no chondrules or matrix remain), but its bulk composition is consistent with a CV–CK clan provenance. The thermally labile element (e.g., Se, Te, Zn, and Bi) depletion in NWA 3133 indicates a chemically open system during the heating episode. It remains unclear if the heat necessary for its thermal alteration of NWA 3133 was due to the decay of ²⁶Al or was impact related. Finally, we infer that MIL 090001, Mulga (west), and NWA 3133 show occasional compositional signatures indicative of terrestrial alteration. The alteration is especially evident within the elements Sr, Ba, La, Ce, Th, U, and possibly Sb. Despite the alteration, we can still confidently place each of the altered chondrites within an established chemical group or clan.     

Ancient porosity preserved in ordinary chondrites: Examining shock and compaction on young asteroids

We use a combination of 2D and 3D petrographic examination and ⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar analyses to examine the impact histories of a suite of seven ordinary chondrites (Baszkówka, Miller, NWA 2380, Mount Tazerzait, Sahara 98034, Tjerebon, and MIL 99301) that partially preserve their ancient, but postaccretionary, porosity ranging from 10 to 20%. We examine whether materials that seem to be only mildly processed (as their large intergranular pore spaces suggest) may have more complex shock histories. The ages determined for most of the seven OCs studied here indicate closure of the ⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar system after primary accretion, but during (Baszkówka) or shortly after (others) thermal metamorphism, with little subsequent heating. Exceptions include Sahara 98034 and MIL 99301, which were heated to some degree at later stages, but retain some evidence for the timing of thermal metamorphism in the ⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar system. Although each of these chondrites has olivine grains with sharp optical extinction (signaling an apparent shock stage of S1), normally indicative of an extremely mild impact history, all of the samples contain relict shock indicators. Given the high porosity and relatively low degree of compaction coupled with signs of shock and thermal annealing, it seems plausible that impacts into materials that were already hot may have produced the relict shock indicators. Initial heating could have resulted from prior collisions, the decay of ²⁶Al, or both processes.     

Metal phases in ordinary chondrites: Magnetic hysteresis properties and implications for thermal history

Magnetic properties are sensitive proxies to characterize FeNi metal phases in meteorites. We present a data set of magnetic hysteresis properties of 91 ordinary chondrite falls. We show that hysteresis properties are distinctive of individual meteorites while homogeneous among meteorite subsamples. Except for the most primitive chondrites, these properties can be explained by a mixture of multidomain kamacite that dominates the induced magnetism and tetrataenite (both in the cloudy zone as single‐domain grains, and as larger multidomain grains in plessite and in the rim of zoned taenite) dominates the remanent magnetism, in agreement with previous microscopic magnetic observations. The bulk metal contents derived from magnetic measurements are in agreement with those estimated previously from chemical analyses. We evidence a decreasing metal content with increasing petrologic type in ordinary chondrites, compatible with oxidation of metal during thermal metamorphism. Types 5 and 6 ordinary chondrites have higher tetrataenite content than type 4 chondrites. This is compatible with lower cooling rates in the 650–450 °C interval for higher petrographic types (consistent with an onion‐shell model), but is more likely the result of the oxidation of ordinary chondrites with increasing metamorphism. In equilibrated chondrites, shock‐related transient heating events above approximately 500 °C result in the disordering of tetrataenite and associated drastic change in magnetic properties. As a good indicator of the amount of tetrataenite, hysteresis properties are a very sensitive proxy of the thermal history of ordinary chondrites, revealing low cooling rates during thermal metamorphism and high cooling rates (e.g., following shock reheating or excavation after thermal metamorphism). Our data strengthen the view that the poor magnetic recording properties of multidomain kamacite and the secondary origin of tetrataenite make equilibrated ordinary chondrites challenging targets for paleomagnetic study.     

On Modeling Dry Deposition of Long-Lived and Chemically Reactive Species over Heterogeneous Terrain

An explicit multi-layer subgrid-scheme was developed for ameso-/-scale model to consider subgrid-scale surface heterogeneity, dry deposition, biogenic and anthropogenic emission of trace gases. Since dry deposition measurements of highly reactive trace species are scarce we try to evaluate this scheme by heuristic principles. The results of simulations conducted for a 5×5 km² resolution with and without thisscheme are evaluated by using results of a model run with 1×1 km²resolution, which is taken as a `grand thruth' and which has the same resolution as the subgrid. The explict multi-layer subgrid scheme provides a similar distribution of dry deposition fluxes as the much more computationally expensive simulation with the 1×1 km² resolution.Dry deposition fluxes determined from observations give evidence that the explicit multi-layer subgrid scheme which does not require a constant flux approximation for a layer of several decameters leads to an improvement in determining the exchange between the atmosphere and the ground.Results of simulations with a microscale model show that the inhomogeneity at forest edges leads to an increase of the turbulent transports of up to a factor 4 compared to horizontally homogeneous terrain, which is assumed to be the conditions of the subgrid cells (and which is usually the assumption for the entire grid cell in mesoscale models). Inhomogeneity inside an extended stand of trees causes an overall increase of 5–10% withhigh local extremes, i.e. such an inhomogeneity results to an underestimation of dry deposition in meso-/-scale models. The effects are most pronounced for a wind direction perpendicular to the forest edge.     

Properties and origin of small particles in the atmosphere of Central Asia

The properties and originof small C-bearing and mineral particles are thoroughly studied above the Central Asian Region. It is shown that the Aral Sea soils play a significant role in accumulation of the higher concentrations of the metals of the crustal origin and rare-earth elements in small mineral particles of samples     

Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism in the Darfur volcanic province: mantle source, phonolite-trachyte genesis and relation to other volcanic provinces in NE Africa

Chemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of Late Cenozoic to Quaternary small-volume phonolite, trachyte and related mafic rocks from the Darfur volcanic province/NW-Sudan have been investigated. Isotope signatures indicate variable but minor crustal contributions. Some phonolitic and trachytic rocks show the same isotopic composition as their primitive mantle-derived parents, and no crustal contributions are visible in the trace element patterns of these samples. The magmatic evolution of the evolved rocks is dominated by crystal fractionation. The Si-undersaturated strongly alkaline phonolite and the Si-saturated mildly alkaline trachyte can be modelled by fractionation of basanite and basalt, respectively. The suite of basanite–basalt–phonolite–trachyte with characteristic isotope signatures from the Darfur volcanic province fits the compositional features of other Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism scattered in North and Central Africa (e.g., Tibesti, Maghreb, Cameroon line), which evolved on a lithosphere that was reworked or formed during the Neoproterozoic.     

Institut für Geophysik ETH­Zentrum CH­8092 Zürich Switzerland

编者按11月22日是刘东生先生的生日,在先生离开我们的一年多时间里,我们时刻在怀念他。这里我们刊登了刘先生的密友之一、瑞士的Heller教授的短文,怀念与刘先生一起研究黄土磁学的点点滴滴。本文是Heller教授为刘先生的纪念文集撰写的,但因故未及在文集中刊出。现在本刊补登,除了表示对先生的深切怀念,也表示对Heller教授的感谢和歉意。     

Zur Frage der Ausbildung und Schlußprüfung der „praktischen Geologen“

Zusammenfassung Prinzipiell sollte zwischen praktischen Geologen, die eingehende Kenntnisse in Stratigraphie und Paläontologie haben müssen, und solchen mit nur allgemeinen Kenntnissen dieser Disziplinen unterschieden werden. Erstere sollten an der Universität, letztere an den Technischen Hochschulen und Bergakademien studieren, als Schlußprüfung der Dr. phil. bezw. Dr. der technischen Geologie. Der Examenstitel ist vorläufig und schließt Änderungen im Laufe der Zeit nicht aus. Ein weiteres Examen für die angehenden praktischen Geologen wird als überflüssig erachtet.     

Ob-Stars on the utmost Borders of M 31

In a field of 4 square degrees, including the southwestern part of M 31 18 blue starlike objects are found by a photometric statistics in U,B,V of all starlike objects in this field. With great probability 13 of them are OB stars of M 31. Their utmost distances from the nucleus of M 31 are 35…50 kpc. Three further objects are probably quasistellar objects. Two others are striking by their extraordinary position in the two-colour diagram and cannot be classified in a distinct category of objects.