Eclogites of the Snowbird tectonic zone: petrological and U-Pb geochronological evidence for Paleoproterozoic high-pressure metamorphism in the western Canadian Shield

Eclogite occurs within the southern domain of the East Athabasca mylonite triangle in northern Saskatchewan. Situated at the boundary between the Archean Rae and Hearne Provinces of the western Canadian Shield, the East Athabasca mylonite triangle is a fundamental exposure of the ~3,000-km-long Snowbird tectonic zone. The eclogite occurs in association with a variety of lower crustal high-pressure granulites that record a complex metamorphic history from 2.6 to 1.9 Ga. Temperatures of the eclogite facies metamorphism are constrained by garnet-clinopyroxene exchange thermometry at 920–1,000 °C. Minimum pressure conditions are recorded by the jadeite+quartz=albite geobarometer at 1.8–2.0 GPa. A near-isothermal decompression path to granulite facies conditions is inferred from retrograde reaction textures involving the formation of granulite facies assemblages such as orthopyroxene-plagioclase and pargasite-plagioclase. U-Pb IDTIMS zircon geochronology of the eclogite yields a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb date of 1,904.0±0.3 Ma, which we interpret as the time of peak eclogite facies metamorphism. SHRIMP in situ analyses of metamorphic zircons included within omphacitic clinopyroxene support this interpretation with a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb date of 1,905±19 Ma. Inclusion suites of high-pressure phases and the petrographic setting of zircon are a direct link between zircon growth and eclogite facies metamorphism. Zircon from one eclogite sample has older cores that are 2.54 Ga, which is a minimum age for the emplacement or earliest metamorphism of the gabbroic protolith. U-Pb rutile data indicate slow cooling at ~1°C/Ma below ~500 °C from 1.88 to 1.85 Ga. The formation and exhumation of the eclogites at ca.1.9 Ga has important implications for the tectonic significance of the Snowbird tectonic zone during the Paleoproterozoic. The eclogites described here are consistent with transport of continental crust to mantle depths during the Paleoproterozoic, followed by rapid buoyancy-driven exhumation to normal lower crustal depths.Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

Dune mobility and vegetation cover in the Southwest Kalahari desert

As part of a wider project investigating the palaeoenvironmental significance of partially vegetated linear dunes in the southwest Kalahari, data collected in the latter part of 1992 concerning dune movement and vegetation cover suggest that sediment transport is occurring on some dune surfaces, and that the majority of surface activity occurs on the crests and upper slopes of the dunes. The data suggest that the limiting variables on surface sediment movement vary on different parts of a dune. On interdunes and lower dune slopes the primary limiting variable is available wind energy, while on dune crests and upper slopes it is vegetation cover. Ground cover by litter has much greater importance in protecting the surface sediment from erosion than rooted vegetation. From individual data points, no evidence is found to support a threshold vegetation cover below which sediment movement occurs. Rather, a gradient of activity is suggested whereby a reduction in vegetation cover increases the potential for sediment movement and surface change. However, dunes with differing amounts of mean vegetation cover display differing degrees of surface activity, and at this scale, a vegetation cover threshold in the region of 14 per cent may be recognized.     

Characterisation of choline esterases and their tissue and subcellular distribution in mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Acetylcholinesterase in mussel is potentially a useful biomarker of exposure to organophosphates (OP) in the marine environment. This study looked at cholinesterase activity in subcellular fractions of various tissues from the common mussel, Mytilus edulis. Measurement of enzyme rates demonstrated that although highest specific activity was found in foot 'mitochondrial' fraction, recovery of activity was very low. Gill 'microsomal' fraction had the second highest specific activity with a useful level of recovery and therefore was the most suitable tissue fraction for biomarker applications. Comparative studies of alternative alkylthiocholine substrates and competitive inhibitors suggest there is a single cholinesterase enzyme type present in this fraction. Inhibition of alkylcholine hydrolysis by BW284C51, specific to acetylcholinesterase in vertebrates, showed that cholinesterase activity in gill 'microsomal' fraction is inhibited by this compound but to a lesser extent than in vertebrate AChE. Inhibition of cholinesterase activity by azamethiphos in gill 'microsomal' fraction gave an IC50 of approximately 100 microM and showed both time and concentration dependence. However this indicates a lower potency compared to other animals and it is debatable whether mussel cholinesterase activity is useful as a biomarker of exposure in the field.     

Distribution and abundance of the Weddell seal in the western Ross Sea,Antarctica

The distribution and abundance of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli Lesson) in the fast ice and pack ice of the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, were investigated during 1967 and 1968 from icebreakers and accompanying helicopters. It was estimated that there were about 50,000 Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea between Cape Adare and McMurdo Sound. Weddell seals appear to breed mainly in the fast ice along the Victoria Land coast and less frequently in some nearby areas of pack ice. Fast ice is preferred to pack ice. Most Weddell seals in the pack ice were adults. General observations on the distribution of crabeater, leopard, and Ross seals are included.     

A process to design a network of marine no-take areas: Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef

In the absence of consensus on the quantity and level of zoning protection required for coral reef and lagoon ecosystems, which process can guide decision makers? The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) worked with experts in a collaborative process to develop a set of Biophysical Operational Principles to guide the design of a network of no-take areas. First, 82 expert scientists were asked to provide data and advice on the physical, biological and ecological dimensions of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. They recommended that an independent Scientific Steering Committee (the Committee) was set up. How this Committee worked successfully with the GBRMPA staff is detailed here in a manner to enable other resource managers to adopt the process if they are working in data-limited marine environments.     

X-ray observations of the edge-on star-forming galaxy NGC 891 and its supernova SN1986J

We present XMM–Newton observations of NGC 891, a nearby edge-on spiral galaxy. We analyse the extent of the diffuse emission emitted from the disc of the galaxy, and find that it has a single-temperature profile with best-fitting temperature of 0.26 keV, though the fit of a dual-temperature plasma with temperatures of 0.08 and 0.30 keV is also acceptable. There is a considerable amount of diffuse X-ray emission protruding from the disc in the north-west direction out to approximately 6 kpc. We analyse the point-source population using a Chandra observation, using a maximum-likelihood method to find that the slope of the cumulative luminosity function of point sources in the galaxy is  −0.77^+0.13_−0.1  . Using a sample of other local galaxies, we compare the X-ray and infrared properties of NGC 891 with those of 'normal' and starburst spiral galaxies, and conclude that NGC 891 is most likely a starburst galaxy in a quiescent state. We establish that the diffuse X-ray luminosity of spirals scales with the far-infrared luminosity as   L _X∝ L ^0.87±0.07_FIR  , except for extreme starbursts, and NGC 891 does not fall in the latter category. We study the supernova SN1986J in both XMM–Newton and Chandra observations, and find that the X-ray luminosity has been declining with time more steeply than expected  ( L _X∝ t ⁻³)  .     

Potential performance of parametric communications

From a designer viewpoint, a parametric array should not appear different from any other type of acoustic transducer and should be described by a limited set of design equations together with their range of validity. In this paper, these design equations are stated and discussed. They are used to optimize the acoustic parameters of an underwater communication system using parametric transduction and to evaluate its performance in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and data-rate limits as a function of transmission range. It turns out that, for a maximum data transmission rate at a given range, there is a set of optimum design parameters which is a function of the array size only. This means that, once given an operational range, the primary frequency, the electrical power, the maximum acoustic source level, and the directionality of the transducer can be deduced directly from the array diameter