Sub-seismic scale fracture pattern and in situ permeability data in the chalk atop of the Krempe salt ridge at Lägerdorf, NW Germany: Inferences on synfolding stress field evolution and its impact on fracture connectivity

Chalk is exposed in the Heidestrasse quarry at Lägerdorf, at the top of the NE-SW trending Krempe salt ridge. Structural data indicate the presence of two joint sets, striking almost parallel and perpendicular to the salt ridge, respectively, and of a set of conjugate extensional faults and fault zones striking NW-SE, i.e. almost perpendicular to the salt ridge. Within the overall NW-SE trend of joints and faults, strike variations occur from the massive chalk exposed in the lower half of the quarry, to the overlying layered chalk. A large variability characterizes the normalized spacing of both joint sets, which does not show any clear trend with layer dip. In situ measurements indicate that the cross-sectional permeability of tight joints increases 1-2 orders of magnitude with respect to the undeformed chalk. We propose that joint and fault azimuthal variability resulted from changes through time of the stress ellipsoid at the top of the salt ridge, while joint spacing variability is associated with the weak mechanical influence of bedding in chalk. Azimuthal variability improves fracture connectivity and, hence, permeability and fluid flow.     

Interpretation of combined infrared,submillimeter, and millimeter thermal flux data obtained during the Rosetta fly-by of Asteroid (21) Lutetia

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft is the first Solar System mission to include instrumentation capable of measuring planetary thermal fluxes at both near-IR (VIRTIS) and submillimeter–millimeter (smm–mm, MIRO) wavelengths. Its primary mission is a 1 year reconnaissance of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko beginning in 2014. During a 2010 close fly-by of Asteroid 21 Lutetia, the VIRTIS and MIRO instruments provided complementary data that have been analyzed to produce a consistent model of Lutetia’s surface layer thermal and electrical properties, including a physical model of self-heating. VIRTIS dayside measurements provided highly resolved 1 K accuracy surface temperatures that required a low thermal inertia, I < 30 J/(K m² s^0.5). MIRO smm and mm measurements of polar night thermal fluxes produced constraints on Lutetia’s subsurface thermal properties to depths comparable to the seasonal thermal wave, yielding a model of I < 20 J/(K m² s^0.5) in the upper few centimeters, increasing with depth in a manner very similar to that of Earth’s Moon. Subsequent MIRO-based model predictions of the dayside surface temperatures reveal negative offsets of ～5–30 K from the higher VIRTIS-measurements. By adding surface roughness in the form of 50% fractional coverage of hemispherical mini-craters to the MIRO-based thermal model, sufficient self-heating is produced to largely remove the offsets relative to the VIRTIS measurements and also reproduce the thermal limb brightening features (relative to a smooth surface model) seen by VIRTIS. The Lutetia physical property constraints provided by the VIRTIS and MIRO data sets demonstrate the unique diagnostic capabilities of combined infrared and submillimeter/millimeter thermal flux measurements.     

Using XMM-Newton to measure the spectrum of the Vela pulsar and its phase variation

We report on our analysis of two XMM-Newton observations of the Vela pulsar performed in December 2000 (total exposure time: 96.5 ks). We succeeded in resolving the pulsar spectrum from the surrounding bright nebular emission taking advantage both of the accurate calibration of the EPIC point spread function and of the Chandra/HRC surface brightness map of the nebula. This made it possible to assess to pulsar spectral shape disentangling its thermal and non-thermal components. Exploiting the photon harvest, we have also been able to perform a phase-resolved study of the pulsar emission.      

Mineralogy and temperature of crater Haulani on Ceres

We investigate the region of crater Haulani on Ceres with an emphasis on mineralogy as inferred from data obtained by Dawn's Visible InfraRed mapping spectrometer (VIR), combined with multispectral image products from the Dawn Framing Camera (FC) so as to enable a clear correlation with specific geologic features. Haulani, which is one of the youngest craters on Ceres, exhibits a peculiar “blue” visible to near‐infrared spectral slope, and has distinct color properties as seen in multispectral composite images. In this paper, we investigate a number of spectral indices: reflectance; spectral slopes; abundance of Mg‐bearing and NH₄‐bearing phyllosilicates; nature and abundance of carbonates, which are diagnostic of the overall crater mineralogy; plus a temperature map that highlights the major thermal anomaly found on Ceres. In addition, for the first time we quantify the abundances of several spectral endmembers by using VIR data obtained at the highest pixel resolution (~0.1 km). The overall picture we get from all these evidences, in particular the abundance of Na‐ and hydrous Na‐carbonates at specific locations, confirms the young age of Haulani from a mineralogical viewpoint, and suggests that the dehydration of Na‐carbonates in the anhydrous form Na₂CO₃ may be still ongoing.     

High-Resolution Vertical Profile Measurements for Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapour Concentrations Within and Above Crop Canopies

We present a portable elevator-based facility for measuring \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\), water vapour, temperature and wind-speed profiles between the soil surface and the atmospheric surface layer above crop canopies. The end of a tube connected to a closed-path gas analyzer is continuously moved up and down over the profile range (in our case, approximately 2 m) while concentrations are logged at a frequency of \(20 \hbox { s}^{-1}\). Using campaign measurements in winter wheat, winter barley and a catch crop mixture (spring 2015 to autumn 2016) during different stages of crop development and different times of the day, we demonstrate a simple approach to correct for time lags, and the resulting profiles of 30-min mean mole fractions of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) and \(\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O}\) over height increments of 0.025 m. The profiles clearly show the effects of soil respiration and photosynthetic carbon assimilation, varying both during the diurnal cycle and during the growing season. Profiles of temperature and wind speed are based on a ventilated finewire thermocouple and a hot-wire anemometer, respectively. Measurements over bare soil and a short plant canopy were analyzed in the framework of Monin–Obukhov similarity theory to check the validity of the measurements and raw-data-processing approach. Derived fluxes of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\), latent and sensible heat and momentum show good agreement with eddy-covariance measurements.     

Dissolution/crystallization kinetics recorded in the 2002–2003 lavas of Stromboli (Italy)

On 28 December 2002, new vents opened on the flanks of Stromboli, just below the summit craters, interrupting the persistent activity of the volcano with a 7-month-long effusive eruption. We here report on the plagioclase size distribution (PlgSD) in lava samples collected following the chronology of the 2002–2003 eruption. Data reveal a linear PlgSD similar to that found in samples of normal Stromboli activity, indicating that the switch from Strombolian explosive to effusive activity is not associated with changes in texture. Nevertheless, the crystal size distribution slopes and intercepts exhibit slight sinusoidal temporal variations that are here ascribed to a magma supply mechanism able to induce “resonance” in the crystal size distribution, with an amplitude that depends on the supply rate.     

Microstructural Investigation of Naturally Deformed Leucogneiss from an Alpine Shear Zone (Southern Calabria – Italy)

In order to reveal any correlation between the preferred orientation of quartz and progressive intensity of strain, a suite of deformed leucogneiss collected within a ductile shear zone outcropping in Calabria (southern Italy) was investigated. Based on the microstructural approach and matrix-clast relationships, the method applied here may be useful for appraising the connection between deformation mechanisms of constituent minerals and bulk textural properties of naturally sheared rocks. Accordingly, quartz c-axis orientation patterns were determined by image-assisted analysis. Results revealed a correlation between finite strain and textural features: As strain increases, the matrix develops at the expense of the clast counterpart, which is instead progressively reduced in both size and amount.     

Length-specific carbon content of theDaphnia population in a large subalpine lake, Lago Maggiore (Northern Italy): The importance of seasonality

We compared three methods for calculating the standing stock biomass ofDaphnia hyalina galeata population in Lago Maggiore during a single year. We applied body length/carbon regression equations (LCR) obtained under controlled laboratory conditions and directly from field data on carbon and body length to field data on length-specific abundance. Laboratory-derived equations satisfactorily described our field estimates of length-specific carbon content in spring. As the length-standardized carbon content decreased exponentially along the season, we included time of the year as an auxiliary variable, and tested whether it affected slope, intercept or both. The decrease had no effect on slope but reduced the intercept of the LCR. We also calculated biomass, using a single mean value from the literature. By comparing the results with those obtained by simple conversion of individuals number into carbon we might discriminate between the effect of changes in the size frequency distribution of the population and the decrease with time of the length-standardized carbon content. Although we tested the different models for non-ovigerous females, the results did not change when we included also data on females with eggs in the first three developmental stages, whereas they changed substantially when we included females with embryos. We formulate two hypotheses to explain this result and discuss possible implications for the calculation of the standing stock biomass ofDaphnia population.     

The Oeschinensee rock avalanche,Bernese Alps,Switzerland: a co-seismic failure 2300 years ago?

Landslide deposits dam Lake Oeschinen (Oeschinensee), located above Kandersteg, Switzerland. However, past confusion differentiating deposits of multiple landslide events has confounded efforts to quantify the volume, age, and failure dynamics of the Oeschinensee rock avalanche. Here we combine field and remote mapping, topographic reconstruction, cosmogenic surface exposure dating, and numerical runout modeling to quantify salient parameters of the event. Differences in boulder lithology and deposit morphology reveal that the landslide body damming Oeschinensee consists of debris from both an older rock avalanche, possibly Kandertal, as well as the Oeschinensee rock avalanche. We distinguish a source volume for the Oeschinensee event of 37 Mm³, resulting in an estimated deposit volume of 46 Mm³, smaller than previous estimates that included portions of the Kandertal mass. Runout modeling revealed peak and average rock avalanche velocities of 65 and 45 m/s, respectively, and support a single-event failure scenario. ³⁶Cl surface exposure dating of deposited boulders indicates a mean age for the rock avalanche of 2.3 ± 0.2 kyr. This age coincides with the timing of a paleo-seismic event identified from lacustrine sediments in Swiss lakes, suggesting an earthquake trigger. Our results help clarify the hazard and geomorphic effects of rare, large rock avalanches in alpine settings.