Tempos of Elderly Age and Geographical Concentration*

This paper presents a method to measure two types of tempos: 1) the tempo of elderly age concentration, the rate of change in the elderly proportion in a region; and 2) the tempo of elderly geographical concentration, the rate of change in a region's share of the national elderly population. The two measurements are applied to historical data for the United States. The results reveal that both tempos vary spatially and temporally. Relative tempos are also introduced to compare the indices between different age groups and regions.     

Fracture induced emission of alkali atoms from feldspar

Emission of neutral atoms (K and Na) and molecules (H₂O and KOH) observed during fracture of K-feldspar have been accounted for by two independent mechanisms. H₂O and KOH emissions are attributed to the venting of fluid-filled inclusions, while emission of atomic K is due to surface effects accompanying cleavage of crystalline feldspar. The intensity of emitted potassium, at least 6 × 10¹⁴ atoms/cm² of surface area, is sufficient to affect K activities in solution during microbrecciation in the presence of rock-dominated fluids.     

Sulfur isotopes of the Nairne Pyrite deposit,South Australia

The Nairne Pyrite deposit occurs in at least five horizons in a succession of graywackes, quartzites, and siltstones of Cambrian age. Pyrite and pyrrhotite have been traced along bedding planes for almost 100 km suggesting, of course, a syngenetic origin for the sulfides. Sulfur isotopic analyses of samples from the Nairne Pyrite open-cut project provide S³⁴ values ranging from –12.8 to –20.6 permil. Such enrichment in S³², even though the spread in S³⁴ values is comparatively narrow, is suggestive of bacteriogenic sulfur which corroborates the geological evidence that the deposit is bacteriogenic — syngenetic in origin.

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Zusammenfassung Die Pyrit-Lagerstätte Nairne umfaßt wenigstens fünf Horizonte cambrischer Grauwacken, Quartzite und feine Sand- bis Tonsteine. Pyrit und Magnetkies sind über eine Distanz von fast 100 km schichtgetreu, was auf einen syngenetischen Ursprung der Sulfide hinweist. Schwefelisotop-Analysen von Pyrit aus dem Tagebau-Projekt erstrecken sich über einen S³⁴-Bereich von –12,8 bis –20,6 Promille. Diese Anreicherung weist auf einen bakteriellen Ursprung des Schwefels hin, obgleich die Spannweite der Resultate sehr eng ist. Somit ist die Feldvermutung einer syngenetisch-bakteriellen Entstehung bekräftigt.

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The isotopic analyses included in this paper were supported through the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission Contract AT (11-1) 1553, for which we are most grateful.     

Geo-electrical investigations of Manganese ore bodies in India

Summary The Manganese ore-bodies in India are producing certain electrical potential-fields on the surface, which are typical for those deposits and which can exactly be surveyed by combined Potentiometer- and Resistivity-Method. The range of the relative Potentials, recorded so far, are generally varying between 150 to 200 millivolts, near deeper burried deposits accordingly lower but not lower than 100 millivolts, the relative resistivities varying from 50 to 400 megohms. The electrical surface indications are so clear that the respective position of an ore body can be located with an evident exactness as it is proved in this paper. Furthermore it is demonstrated how vaste geological areas can be prospected in a minimum of time by this method for the benefit of the mining industry.

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Zusammenfassung Die Manganerzkörper in Indien erzeugen an der Erdoberfläche elektrische Potentialfelder, die für die Lagerstätten typisch sind und durch kombinierte Potentiometer- und Widerstandsmessungen exakt aufgenommen werden können. Die bisher ermessenen Werte der relativen Potentiale bewegen sich zwischen allgemein 150 bis 200 Millivolt, bei tieferer Lage entsprechend niedriger, jedoch nicht unter 100 m V. Die scheinbaren Widerstände schwanken zwischen 50 und 400 megohm. Die elektrischen Oberflächenindikatoren sind so ausgeprägt, dass das Einschieben der Erzkörper mit beachtlicher Genauigkeit bestimmt werden kann wie in diesem Aufsatz nachgewiesen wird. Des weiteren wird dargetan, wie mittels dieses Verfahrens grosse geologische Räume in kürzester Zeit zum Nutzen des Erz-Bergbaues prospektiert werden können, wofür bislang noch keine geeignete Methode erprobt war.

     

Preliminary evidence for human fecal contamination in corals of the Florida Keys,USA

Corals and reef environments are under increased stress from anthropogenic activities, particularly those in the vicinity of heavily populated areas such as the Florida Keys. The potential adverse impacts of wastewater can affect both the environment and human health; however, because of the high decay rate of bacterial indicators in coral reef waters it has been difficult to document the presence of microbial contaminants and to assign risks in these environments. Here we show initial evidence that microorganisms associated with human feces are concentrated along the surface of coral heads relative to the overlying water column in the Florida Keys. Bacterial indicators (fecal coliform bacteria, enterococci or Clostridium perfringens) were detected in 66.7% of the coral surface microlayer (CSM) samples at levels between five and 1000 CFU/100 ml, but were found infrequently and at low numbers in the overlying water column ( < or = 2.5 CFU/100 ml). Similarly, enterovirus nucleic acid sequences, an indicator of human-specific waste, were detected in 93.3% of the CSM samples and only once in the water column by cell culture. Results show that coral mucus may accumulate enteric microorganisms in reef environments, and may indicate a risk to public and environmental health despite low indicator levels in the surrounding water.     

Gullying and erosion control at archaeological sites in Grand Canyon,Arizona

Gully erosion of cultural sites in Grand Canyon National Park is an urgent management problem that has intensified in recent decades, potentially related to the effects of Glen Canyon Dam. We studied 25 gullies at nine sites in Grand Canyon over the 2002 monsoon–erosion season to better understand the geomorphology of the gully erosion and the effectiveness of erosion‐control structures (ECS) installed by the park under the direction of the Zuni Conservation Program. Field results indicate that Hortonian overland flow leads to concentrated flow in gullies and erosion focused at knickpoints along channels as well as at gully heads. Though groundcover type, soil shear strength and permeability vary systemat‐ically across catchments, gradient and, to a lesser degree, contributing drainage area seem to be the first‐order controls on gully extent, location of new knickpoints, and ECS damage. The installed ECS do reduce erosion relative to reaches without them and initial data suggest woody checkdams are preferable to rock linings, but maintenance is essential because damaged structures can exacerbate erosion. Topographic data from intensive field surveys and detailed photogrammetry provide slope–contributing area data for gully heads that have a trend consistent with previous empirical and theoretical formulations from a variety of landscapes. The same scaling holds below gully heads for knickpoint and ECS topographic data, with threshold coefficients the lowest for gully heads, slightly higher for knickpoints, and notably higher for damaged ECS. These topographic thresholds were used with 10‐cm digital elevation models to create simple predictive models for gully extent and structure damage. The model predictions accounted for the observed gullies but there are also many false‐positives. Purely topographical models are probably inadequate at this scale and application, but models that also parameterize the variable soil properties across sites would be useful for predicting erosion problems and ECS failure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationships between tropical Atlantic sea level variability and major climate indices

Relationships were examined between variability in tropical Atlantic sea level and major climate indices with the use of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter and island tide gauge data with the aim of learning more about the external influences on the variability of the tropical Atlantic ocean. Possible important connections were found between indices related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the sea levels in all three tropical regions (north, equatorial, and south), although the existence of only one major ENSO event within the decade of available altimetry means that a more complete investigation of the ENSO-dependence of Atlantic sea level changes has to await for the compilation of longer data sets. An additional link was found with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in the equatorial region, this perhaps surprising observation is probably an artifact of the similarity between IOD and ENSO time series in the 1990s. No evidence was obtained for significant correlations between tropical Atlantic sea level and North Atlantic Oscillation or Antarctic Oscillation Index. The most intriguing relationship observed was between the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and sea level in a band centered approximately on 10°S. A plausible explanation for the relationship is lacking, but possibilities for further research are suggested.