Field and geochemical characteristics of the Coolac Ophiolite suite and its possible origin in a marginal sea

Geological and geochemical data from the Coolac Serpentinite Belt, North Mooney Complex and Honeysuckle Beds in southern New South Wales indicate that the association represents a partially dismembered ophiolite suite. All the ideal ophiolite units are present, although the sheeted dyke unit is apparently of limited extent. Major and trace element (including rare‐earth) results, relationships of mafic volcanics and dolerite to massive and layered gabbroic and ultramafic intrusives, the occurrence of tectonised harzburgite with podiform chromitite, and the nature of pyritic sulphide occurrences, are consistent with a marginal sea or back‐arc environment for the generation of the ophiolite suite.     

Drivers of social media use among African Americans in the event of a crisis

Research has examined the role of social media during the time of a crisis in various fields; however, there is a paucity of research in this area as it relates to tourism. Moreover, few studies have examined at-risk populations, such as tourists, in times of crisis. To assess the drivers of turning to social media during a crisis, a national survey of 1,018 African American travelers was conducted. Respondents were asked to indicate on a 5-point scale the likelihood of turning to social media for information “if they were currently in the middle of their trip and heard that a crisis has just occurred within the immediate vicinity of their current location.” Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine drivers on African American travelers’ decisions to use social media during a crisis. These drivers were age, perceptions of risk during their trip, and frequency and type of social media use engaged in on a regular basis. Overall, findings suggested that when controlling for age only, crime, financial, and physical perceptions of risk drove social media use during a crisis, while controlling for age and perception of risk, use of social media in one's daily life showed no influence.     

Paleoenvironmental context of archaeological sites,implications for subsistence strategies under Holocene climate change,northern Kenya

The Holocene was time of dramatic climate change in East Africa, shifting from wetter climate in the Early–Mid Holocene (∼10–5ka) to drier climates in the Late Holocene, followed by a slight reversal at <1ka. The Holocene was a time of cultural change from hunter‐gatherer and fishing to pastoralism. Recent excavations along the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, Kenya (4°N) provide new archaeological materials, a high‐resolution stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental data set, OSL dates, and cultural records in the context of documented environmental change (falling lake levels). Archaeological site FwJj25 (4.20 ± 0.28ka), on the northeastern margin of Lake Turkana, provides one of the earliest records of pastoralism in the region. The palimpsest record of FwJj5 (0.90 ± 0.06ka) was in a small valley containing a groundwater seep located 5km from the lake. FwJj5 reflects occupation by people who may have covered great distances in accessing resources, but were likely drawn to an environmental refugia of freshwater springs during times of regional aridity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Avalanche fatalities in the western United States: a comparison of three databases

Reported avalanche fatalities in the United States increased markedly through the latter half of the twentieth century, a result of the increasing popularity of winter sports. Despite this increase, the literature concerning US avalanche fatalities is sparse. This paper presents a comparison of three US databases containing avalanche fatality information: Storm Data, the West Wide Avalanche Network (WWAN) dataset, and the National Avalanche Database (NAD). The frequency of avalanche fatalities, their temporal trends, spatial distributions, and the demographic characteristics of the victims were analyzed in each database for the years 1998–2009 for the US mountainous west. The data were then pooled to arrive at an estimate of avalanche fatality frequency in the United States for the study period. While the results indicate a considerable amount of overlap between the datasets, Storm Data reports fewer avalanche fatalities than both the WWAN and NAD datasets. All three datasets report a maximum of fatalities in January and display three spatial maxima: the Rocky Mountains of west-central Colorado, the intermountain region from central Utah through Idaho to west-central Montana, and the northern Cascade Ranges of Washington; however, a large void appears in the Storm Data records in the vicinity of the Montana maximum. These maxima result from a juxtaposition of avalanche hazard in these mountainous environments with a high concentration of winter sports activities.     

Comparative Analysis and Assessment of Forest Landowner Typologies

Landowner typologies help researchers and practitioners understand similarities and differences among landowners, allowing more targeted education and communications. These typologies have rarely been rigorously assessed before recommended for use. We assessed three typologies created with one data set using three methods: reliability through split halves, predictive validity using external variables, and application of quality typology criteria. We conducted the work using a New York State landowner survey data set about early successional habitat management behavior. According to the assessment, none of the three typologies stood out as clearly the best—each had its strengths and weaknesses. The assessment provided a more complete understanding of different approaches and will allow researchers to be more informed when they select a typology to use to inform education and communications.     

Volcanic activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io

Galileo's Solid State Imager (SSI) observed Tvashtar Catena four times between November 1999 and October 2001, providing a unique look at a distinctive high latitude volcanic complex on Io. The first observation (orbit I25, November 1999) resolved, for the first time, an active extraterrestrial fissure eruption; the brightness temperature was at least 1300 K. The second observation (orbit I27, February 2000) showed a large (∼500 km²) region with many, small, hot, regions of active lava. The third observation was taken in conjunction with Cassini imaging in December 2000 and showed a Pele-like, annular plume deposit. The Cassini images revealed an ∼400 km high Pele-type plume above Tvashtar Catena. The final Galileo SSI observation of Tvashtar (orbit I32, October 2001), revealed that obvious (to SSI) activity had ceased, although data from Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) indicated that there was still significant thermal emission from the Tvashtar region. In this paper, we primarily analyze the style of eruption during orbit I27 (February 2000). Comparison with a lava flow cooling model indicates that the behavior of the Tvashtar eruption during I27 does not match that of simple advancing lava flows. Instead, it may be an active lava lake or a complex set of lava flows with episodic, overlapping eruptions. The highest reliable color temperature is ∼1300 K. Although higher temperatures cannot be ruled out, they do not need to be invoked to fit the observed data. The total power output from the active lavas in February 2000 was at least ¹⁰¹¹ W.     

Shocked molecular gas towards the supernova remnant G359.1–0.5 and the Snake

We have found a bar of shocked molecular hydrogen (H₂) towards the OH(1720 MHz) maser located at the projected intersection of supernova remnant (SNR)  G359.1–0.5  and the non-thermal radio filament known as the Snake. The H₂ bar is well aligned with the SNR shell and almost perpendicular to the Snake. The OH(1720 MHz) maser is located inside the sharp western edge of the H₂ emission, which is consistent with the scenario in which the SNR drives a shock into a molecular cloud at that location. The spectral line profiles of ¹²CO, HCO⁺ and CS towards the maser show broad-line absorption, which is absent in the ¹³CO spectra and most probably originates from the pre-shock gas. A density gradient is present across the region and is consistent with the passage of the SNR shock, while the H₂ filament is located at the boundary between the pre-shock and post-shock regions.     

Effect of deepwater trawling on the macro-invertebrate assemblages of seamounts on the Chatham Rise,New Zealand

Seamounts, knolls, pinnacles and other “seamount-like” features are prominent and widely distributed features of the New Zealand marine environment, and also the focus of important commercial fisheries and some exploratory mineral mining. There is considerable debate about the effects of such activities on the benthic habitat of deep-water seamounts. In 2001 a study was undertaken of eight seamount-features on the Chatham Rise, an area that has been heavily trawled for orange roughy since the early 1990s. Half of the study seamounts were considered unfished and the other half fished. Benthic macro-invertebrate assemblages of each seamount were sampled using epibenthic sleds, whilst the presence of habitat-forming fauna (e.g., live corals), substrate type and indications of trawling (e.g., trawl door marks) were determined using a towed underwater camera. Fisheries catch-effort data were examined to determine the amount and distribution of bottom trawling effort on the seamounts. Analyses of camera data revealed that unfished seamounts possessed a relatively large amount of stony coral habitat comprising live Solenosmilia variabilis and Madrepora oculata (predominantly on the seamount peaks) whereas fished seamounts had relatively little coral habitat. Indications of trawling were observed over six times more frequently on seabed images from fished as opposed to unfished seamounts, and appeared related to the amount of fishing effort on individual seamounts. Multivariate analyses of sled data revealed a significant difference in macro-invertebrate assemblage composition between fished and unfished seamounts. The variability observed in assemblage composition between seamounts can in part be explained by the relative fishing pressure measured by a fishing effects index. The results of the study are discussed with respect to management of seamount habitat, and the need for ongoing monitoring and research to derive conservation practices that allow for sustainable seamount fisheries.