Determination of Radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr and Stable δ88/86SrSRM987 Isotope Values of Thirteen Mineral,Vegetal and Animal Reference Materials by DS‐TIMS

This work presents new ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 isotopic values of thirteen mineral, vegetal and animal reference materials. Except for UB‐N, all our results are consistent with previously published data. Our results highlight intermediate precisions among the best presently published and a non‐significant systematic shift with the calculated δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 mean values for the three most analysed reference materials in the literature (i.e., IAPSO, BCR‐2 and JCp‐1). By comparison with the literature and between two distinct digestions, a significant bias of δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 values was highlighted for two reference materials (UB‐N and GS‐N). It has also been shown that digestion protocols (nitric and multi‐acid) have a moderate impact on the δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 isotopic values for the Jls‐1 reference materials suggesting that a nitric acid digestion of carbonate can be used without significant bias from partial digestion of non‐carbonate impurities. Different δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 values were measured after two independent Sr/matrix separations, according to the same protocol, for a fat‐rich organic reference material (BCR‐380R) and have been related to a potential post‐digestion heterogeneity. Finally, the δ^88/86Sr_SRM987 value differences measured between animal‐vegetal and between coral‐seawater reference materials agree with the previously published results, highlighting an Sr isotopic fractionation along the trophic chain and during carbonate precipitation.     

Nachweis einer fortschreitenden Welle in der südlichen Nordsee

Zusammenfassung Am 4. November 1957 wurde an den deutschen und niederländischen Küsten der Nordsee eine Störung des Gezeitenverlaufes beobachtet. Trotz eines Sturmes aus ablandiger Richtung wurde der mittlere Wasserstand bis zu mehreren Metern erhöht. Eine Analyse der Wasserstandsbeobachtungen von vierzehn Stationen ergab, daß es sich um eine fortschreitende Welle handelte, die sich im Seegebiet der südwestlichen Nordsee gebildet hatte. Es wird die Entstehung dieser Welle untersucht. Sie wird erklärt 1. aus ungewöhnlich stark ausgeprägten Luftdruckschwankungen im Küstengebiet Südostenglands und 2. aus dem besonderen Windfeld im Bereich eines Tiefdrucktroges über der südwestlichen Nordsee. Die beobachteten Durchgangszeiten der Welle stimmen mit den berechneten Werten überein; auch die beobachteten Amplituden lassen sich größenordnungsmäßig erklären. Ein Parallelfall vom 13./14. Dezember 1956 weist schließlich auf die Ähnlichkeit der Erscheinung mit den an der englischen Ostküste häufiger beobachtetenexternal surges hin, die als fortschreitende Wellen vom Atlantischen Ozean her in die Nordsee vordringen.

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Verification of a progressive wave in the southern North Sea

Summary On November 4, 1957, a disturbance of the tide was observed on the German and Netherlandish North Sea coasts. Although a storm associated with offshore winds was dominating, the water rose up to several meters above mean sea level. The analysis of sea level observations from 14 stations showed that the rise of water was due to a progressive wave that had been produced in the sea region of the southwestern North Sea. The origin of the progressive wave is the subject of the present investigations. Its occurrence is attributed firstly to atmospheric pressure variations of extraordinary intensity over the southeastern coastal area of England, secondly to a particular wind field in the neighbourhood of a trough of low pressure over the southwestern North Sea. The observed times of passage of the progressive wave correspond to the calculated values; the order of magnitude of the observed amplitudes, too, allows a satisfactory interpretation. A parallel case occurring on December 13/14, 1956 reveals the resemblance of the progressive wave to the phenomenon of external surges, frequently observed on the east coast of England; taking its origin as a progressive wave in the Atlantic Ocean, it penetrates into the North Sea.

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Preuve de la présence d'une onde progressive dans la région sud de la mer du Nord

Résumé Le 4 novembre 1957, on observa une perturbation de la marée sur la côte allemande et sur la côte néerlandaise. Bien qu'une tempête, associée aux vents de terre, dominât, la surface de la mer atteignit une hauteur supérieure au niveau moyen de la mer de plusieurs mètres. Une analyse basée sur des observations du niveau de la merde 14 stations révéla qu'il s'agit d'une onde progressive originaire de la région sud-ouest de la mer du Nord. La génération de cette onde est le sujet des recherches actuelles. Sa formation est ramenée 1⁰ aux variations extraordinairement prononcées de pression atmosphérique au-dessus du littoral sud-est de l'Angleterre, et 2⁰ au champ particulier du vent au voisinage d'un couloir de basse pression au-dessus de la région sud-ouest de la mer du Nord. Les observations des heures de passage de l'onde progressive s'accordent avec les valeurs calculées; de même, l'ordre de grandeur des amplitudes observées permet une interprétation satisfaisante. Un cas analogue, survenu le 13/14 décembre 1956, révéla enfin la ressemblance de l'onde progressive avec le phénomène des ondes externes («external surges») observées fréquemment sur la côte est de l'Angleterre; ce type d'onde tire son origine dans l'Océan Atlantique pour pénétrer dans la mer du Nord.

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Dank. Diese Untersuchung wurde ermöglicht, weil verschiedene Dienststellen entgegenkommenderweise Beobachtungsmaterial zur Verfügung stellten: Die Wasser- und Schifffahrtsämter Emden, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven und Tönning sowie die Marschenbauämter Heide und Husum stellten ihre Pegelaufzeichnungen zur Verfügung, der Rijkswaterstaat, 's-Gravenhage, die der niederländischen Stationen. Die englischen und niederländischen Luftdruckbeobachtungen wurden mir freundlicherweise von Mr. Virgo, Chief Meteorological Officer, Headquarters Second ATAF, und Herrn M. P. H. Weenink, De Bilt, vermittelt. Das Seewetteramt Hamburg des Deutschen Wetterdienstes stellte wiederum, wie schon bei früheren Untersuchungen, bereitwillig die Arbeitswetterkarten zur Einsicht zur Verfügung. Schließlich sei dankend hervorgehoben, daß die im internationalen Wetterfernschreibnetz verbreiteten Wasserstandsbeobachtungen des englischen Sturmflutwarndienstes die Untersuchung wesentlich gefördert haben.     

Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Mineralogischen Gesellschaft

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Paleoenvironmental evolution of the Paratethys in the Slovenian Basin during the Late Paleogene

Several sections from the uppermost Eocene and Oligocene of northern Slovenia have been investigated with respect to sedimentary facies, foraminiferal assemblages, stable isotopes, carbonate microfacies, and palynology. The main objective was to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental history of the Paleogene Paratethys in this region of the eastern Alpine realm. The sediments exhibit a transgressive succession beginning with conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones of fluvial and lacustrine origin followed by carbonates and muddy marls indicating marine conditions. The foraminiferal faunal changes from brackish to shallow marine to deeper marine assemblages and the distribution of the palynofloras corroborate the sedimentological results. Microfacies analysis of the limestones shows a wide variation of shallow water, generally mud-rich facies dominated by coralline algae, foraminifera, and corals. Microfaunas adapted to low-oxygen conditions indicate temporal sluggish bottom-water circulation which can be associated with high fresh-water fluxes. These results are discussed as reflecting both the global sea-level rise during the Early Oligocene and the regional tectonic and climatic evolution.     

Die Darstellung des geomagnetischen Potentials zur Epoche 1945,0 durch eine Entwicklung nach Kugelfunktionen bis zur 15. Ordnung

Zusammenfassung Es werden die Ergebnisse einer Berechnung des geomagnetischen Potentials in Form einer Reihenentwicklung nach Kugelfunktionen bis zur 15. Ordnung auf Grund der magnetischen Weltkarten für die Epoche 1945,0 vonE. H. Vestine und andern vorgelegt. Bei der Ableitung des Potentialausdrucks nach der Methode der kleinsten Quadrate wurden die Orthogonalitätseigenschaften der Kugelflächenfunktionen vollständig ausgenutzt.

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Summary The results of the analysis of the main geomagnetic field for the epoch 1945.0 in a series of spherical harmonics to the 15th degree are presented. The analysis is based on the world magnetic charts derived byVestine et al. The coefficients of the potential are calculated by least-squares approximation taking advantage of the orthogonality of the spherical harmonics over discrete ranges.

     

Zur geomagnetischen Tiefensondierung

Zusammenfassung Eine Kurvenvergleichsmethode zur Interpretation räumlicher Induktions-pfeilprofile wird unter der Voraussetzung entwickelt, dass die Verteilung der von den geomagnetischen Variationen im Erdinnern induzierten Ströme linear ist. Sie gründet sich auf die lineare Abhängigkeit der Länge des Induktionspfeils von der vertikalen Komponente des Biot-Savartschen Gesetzes. Die Frequenzabhängigkeit des Induktionspfeiles ermöglicht die Angabe eines für die Leitfähigkeitsstruktur charakteristischen Widerstandes und einer Induktivität. Wird zur Bestimmung von Induktionspfeilen das gesamte Horizontalfeld benutzt, so geht die Linearität der Beziehung zwischen Pfeillänge und Ortsfunktion verloren. Für eine Reihe von Strommodellen werden derartige Ortsfunktionenp _z berechnet und diskutiert. Sie dienen als Beispiele von Musterkurven für die entwickelte Interpretationsmethode.

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Summary One curve-matching method is developed in order to interprete the geomagnetic induction arrow profiles when the distribution of telluric currents in the underground is assumed to be linear. It bases on the linear dependence of the lengths of the induction arrows from the vertical component of the Biot-Savarts Law, which is a function of the radius vector. This is valid when the inducing field has only a horizontal component and the induced horizontal field is zero. In case that the model approximates the current distribution one gets a resistivity and an inductivity from the dependence of frequency of the induction arrows. Some model curves concerning several current distributions are drawn and discussed.

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Mitteilung aus dem Geomagnetischen Institut der DAW, Potsdam, Nr. 212.     

Vitreous state in nature—Origin and properties

Vitreous materials are quite routinely found in natural settings. Most of them are aluminosilicates, which often occur in large deposits. Considering the geological formations in which naturally occurring vitreous aluminosilicates are found, they have generally remained stable for more than 1 Ma on the earth's surface, even in different geological and climatic environments. These non-crystalline solids played a very important role in the development of ancient human civilizations, long before the introduction of metallic tools. Today, however, the properties of natural glasses are of interest to mankind for completely different reasons. For example, industrial glasses are used today for encapsulating toxic wastes, especially radioactive waste, which remains active for centuries or more, in order to prevent the unwanted transfer of harmful materials to the environment. The chemical compositions of industrially produced glasses are in large part different from the compositions of natural glasses. Little is quantitatively known about the stability of industrial glasses over very long periods of time (>10,000 years). However, the physical and chemical stability of natural aluminosilicate glasses is known to extend over very long periods of time.The advancement of technological design to prevent or at least minimize the melt down of toxic waste during the encapsulation process is currently a major challenge, using glasses of natural chemical composition. Brecciated glass, which is found frequently in natural settings, provides a special clue to the possibility of producing vitreous solids by sintering glass fragments without melting the cullets. It is essential to prevent melting of the cullets because the melt has the potential of chemically reacting with the toxic waste.This paper summarizes the geological, chemical, and physical facts concerning naturally produced glasses, and seeks to establish a recognized database for further research in the domain of understanding the glass-forming processes that occur in nature. Furthermore, the authors hope to stimulate research into the utilization of natural resources that to solve the problem of storing of toxic waste safely.Major and trace element data have been collected over the past 100 years. These data constitute a sufficient basis for the chemical characterization of natural glasses. More information about the major elements is not required, in order to understand the chemical properties of these materials. On the other hand, large gaps in compositional data exist where other related components are concerned: e.g., in the case of “water-species”, with its different forms of bonding in silicates or oxygen (oxygen fugacity), CO₂-, sulphur - or hydrocarbons (methane)-, hydrogen-, chlorine-and fluorine-species. All these components have a significant impact on the properties of glasses, even when present only in minor quantities. Glass textures and crystal morphologies reflect the processes of nucleation and crystal growth in a glass-forming matrix during the cooling and reheating cycles which are currently not thoroughly understood. In nature, the processes that led to the formation of vitreous materials are very different from those used in the production of industrial glasses. The different genetic conditions under which glass formation occurs permit differentiation between magmatic and metamorphic vitreous solids. Sedimentary and biogenetic processes also contribute to the formation of non-crystalline solids.     

The Bonneville Estates Rockshelter rodent fauna and changes in Late Pleistocene–Middle Holocene climates and biogeography in the Northern Bonneville Basin,USA

Excavations at Bonneville Estates Rockshelter, Nevada recovered rodent remains from stratified deposits spanning the past ca. 12,500 ¹⁴C yr BP (14,800 cal yr BP). Specimens from horizons dating to the late Pleistocene and early Holocene include species adapted to montane and moist and cool habitats, including yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) and bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea). Shortly after 9000 ¹⁴C BP (10,200 cal yr BP) these mammals became locally extinct, or nearly so, taxonomic diversity declined, and the region became dominated by desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida) and other species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation settings. The timing and nature of changes in the Bonneville Estates rodent fauna are similar to records reported from nearby Homestead and Camels Back caves and provide corroborative data on terminal Pleistocene–early Holocene environments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification. Moreover, the presence of northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) at Bonneville Estates adds to a sparse regional record for that species and, similar to Homestead Cave, it appears that the ca. 9500 ¹⁴C yr BP (10,800 cal yr BP) replacement of the northern pocket gopher by Botta's pocket gopher in the Great Salt Lake Desert vicinity was also in response to climate change.     

Provenance discrimination of fine sediments by mid-infrared spectroscopy: Calibration and application to fluvial palaeo-environmental reconstruction

Determining sediment provenance allows a better understanding of fluvial palaeo-dynamics, and identifying involved watersheds, at broad spatio-temporal scales. Conventional approaches for source identification are usually based on the physical, mineralogical, geochemical, magnetic or isotopic properties of sediments. Rapid, non-destructive and, in well-established contexts, highly accurate, mid-infrared spectroscopy is an alternative method for investigating sediment sources. The present research objectives are: (i) to use the mid-infrared spectroscopy method to discriminate the provenance of fine sediments, by applying discriminant analysis on a large set of reference samples from three different watersheds in the Upper Rhine area (associated with the Rhine, Ill and Vosges tributaries); (ii) to clarify whether the provenance spectra signatures are influenced by riverine depositional contexts (bars versus banks) and, to some extent, by grain size and/or high organic matter content; and (iii) to apply the mid-infrared spectroscopy – discriminant analysis method to a study of fluvial palaeo-dynamics and determine the provenance of palaeo-channel infillings. Three main sedimentary sources, divided into eight sub-categories, have been characterized by 196 modern reference samples from 78 collecting sites. Discriminant analysis displayed a strong separating power by classifying correctly the origin of samples without any inter-group overlap, independently from the geomorphological context (bar or bank) and associated slight changes in organic matter contents or grain size. Mid-infrared spectroscopy – discriminant analysis investigations of the palaeo-channel infill, complemented by radiocarbon dates and mineralogical data, allowed reconstructing general trends for the local morpho-sedimentary dynamics over the last ca 12 millennia.