Felsic tuff from Rutland Island — A pyroclastic flow deposit in Miocene-sediments of Andaman-Java subduction complex

The bedded felsic tuff exposed in Rutland Island, Andaman, consists of two facies:

Gelatinous macroplankton in the Black Sea in the autumn of 2010

In October and November of 2010, the gelatinous macroplankton in the northwestern Black Sea and at the Crimean shelf was represented by the scyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia aurita, three species of ctenophores (Beroe ovata, Mnemiopsis leidyi, and Pleurobrachia pileus), and three species of hydromedusae. A. aurita was more common at the shelf, M. leidyi and P. pileus prevailed at the deeper sea stations, and B. ovata was almost ubiquitous with a biomass from below 1 to 49 g/m² A. aurita, which had an average biomass of 82–224 g/m², was dominant at all the stations. M. leidyi, which had a biomass from below 1 to 115 g/m², was recorded in October at only 14 of the 52 stations and in November at 20 of the 46 stations. The highest biomass of M. leidyi in October (105 to 116 g/m²) was recorded in the deep sea areas; in November, it was also the highest in these areas, but it reached at most 100 g/m². The average daily ration of Aurelia ranged from 19.4 to 27.3 mg/m² in October and from 7.0 to 17.2 mg/m² in November; in both cases, it was insufficient to provide for the minimal physiological requirements. The average daily ration of the Mnemiopsis population (2.8–20.5 mg of zooplankton per m²) was invariably more than sufficient to provide for the minimal physiological requirements. Both predatory species together consumed less than 5% of the daily zooplankton production of the sea.     

Wave runup on a concentric twin perforated circular cylinder

The regular wave interaction with a twin concentric porous circular cylinder system consisting of an inner impermeable cylinder and an outer perforated cylinder was studied through physical model and numerical model studies. The experiments were carried out on the twin concentric cylinder model in a wave flume to study the wave runup and rundown at the leading and trailing edges of the perforated cylinder. It was found that the maximum wave runup on the perforated cylinder is almost same as the incident wave height. The experimental results were used to develop the predictive formulae for the wave runup and rundown on the perforated cylinder, which can be easily used for design applications. The wave runup profiles around the perforated cylinder for different values of ka and porosities were studied numerically using Green's Identity Method. The results of the numerical study are presented and compared with the experimental measurements.     

Signs and Geological Prerequisites of Seawater Intrusion into Coastal Aquifers (the Example of the Black Sea)

Doklady Earth Sciences - Signs of seawater intrusion into aquifers on the Black Sea coast have been considered. A review of publications showed that this dangerous hydrogeological process develops...     

Numerical simulation of ground flow caused by seismic liquefaction

Flow failure of sandy subsoil induced by seismic liquefaction is known to cause significant damage to structures. It is induced not only by the dynamic forces exerted by seismic acceleration but also by the static gravity force in consequence of the topography of the ground. The ground flow may sometimes continue after the end of the seismic loading and finally the ground is significantly deformed to cause a failure.This paper numerically predicts the magnitude of flow that could occur when soil liquefaction continues for a sufficiently long period. It is considered that liquefied soil behaves like a viscous liquid, and hence, ground flow is governed by the principle of minimum potential energy. In the calculation, liquefied sand is assumed to be a viscous liquid that deforms in undrained conditions with its volume remaining constant. To consider the non-linearity due to large displacement, the updated Lagrangian method is used to solve the equation of motion. The Newmark β method is employed to calculate the time history of the ground motion. Finally, a simulation using this calculation method shows that the proposed method gives reasonable results for the conditions indicated.     

Genesis of the Paleoproterozoic Rare-Metal Granites of the Katugin Massif

We studied the petrography, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the Paleoproterozoic (2.06 Ga) granites of the Katugin massif (Stanovoy suture zone), which hosts the combined rare-metal Katugin deposit. Three groups of granites were distinguished: (1) biotite (Bt) and biotite–riebeckite (Bt–Rbk) granites of the western block of the massif; (2) biotite–arfvedsonite (Bt–Arf) granites of the eastern block; and (3) arfvedsonite (Arf), aegirine–arfvedsonite (Aeg–Arf), and aegirine (Aeg) granites of the eastern block. The Bt and Bt–Rbk granites of the first group are mainly metaluminous and peraluminous rocks with rather high CaO contents and the minimum F contents among the granites described here. It was suggested that the granites of this group could be derived from a source dominated by crustal rocks with a small addition of mantle materials. These granites probably crystallized from a metaluminous–peraluminous melt with elevated CaO and moderate F contents. Melts of such compositions are least favorable for the crystallization of ore minerals. The Bt–Arf granites of the second group are mainly peralkaline and show high contents of CaO and Y and low contents of Na₂O and F. A mixed mantle–crust source was proposed for the Bt–Arf granites. The initial melt of the Bt–Arf granites could have a peralkaline composition with elevated CaO content and moderate to high F content. The Arf, Aeg–Arf, and Aeg granites of the third group are enriched in ore mineral and were classified as peralkaline granites with very low CaO contents, elevated Na2O and F contents, and usually very high contents of Zr, Hf, Nb, and Ta. Based on the geochemical and isotopic data, it was supposed that the source of the granites of the third group could be derivatives of basaltic magmas produced in an OIB-type source with a minor addition of crustal material to the magma generation zone. It was suggested that the primary melt of this granite group could be a peralkaline CaO-poor and F-rich silicic melt, which is most favorable for the crystallization of ore minerals. Based on the analysis of the geochemical characteristics of the three granite groups and their relationships within the Katugin massif, a qualitative model of its formation was proposed. According to this model, the Bt and Bt–Rbk granites of the western block crystallized first, followed by the Bt–Arf granites of the eastern block and, eventually, the Arf, Aeg–Arf, and Aeg granites enriched in ore minerals.     

Changes in the hydrography of Central California waters associated with the 1997–98 El Niño

Oceanographic conditions off Central California were monitored by means of a series of 13 hydrographic cruises between February 1997 and January 1999, which measured water properties along an oceanographic section perpendicular to the California Coast. The 1997–98 El Niño event was defined by higher than normal sea levels at Monterey, which began in June 1997, peaked in November 1997, and returned to normal in March 1998. The warming took place in two distinct periods. During June and July 1997, the sea level increased as a result of stronger than normal coastal warming below 200 dbars and within 100 km of the coast, which was associated with poleward flow of saltier waters. During this period, deeper (400–1000 dbar) waters between 150–200 km from shore were also warmed and became more saline. Subsequently, sea level continued to rise through January 1998, mostly as a result of the warming above 200 dbars although, after a brief period of cooling in September 1997, waters below 200 dbar were also warmer than normal during this period. This winter warm anomaly was also coastally trapped, extending 200 km from shore and was accompanied by cooler and fresher water in the offshore California current. In March and April 1998, sea level dropped quickly to normal levels and inshore waters were fresher and warmer than the previous spring and flowed southward.The warming was consistent with equatorial forcing of Central California waters via propagation of Kelvin or coastally-trapped waves. The observed change in heat content associated with the 1997–98 El Niño was the same as that observed during the previous seasonal cycle. The warming and freshening events were similar to events observed during the 1957–58 and 1982–83 El Niños.     

Mineral composition of gold-bearing veins and typomorphic features of their minerals in the Kirovskoe deposit (Upper Amur region)

A collection of quartz veinlets with ore mineralization sampled from the dumps of the abandoned pit of the Kirov mine was analyzed with defining the mineral assemblages productive for gold mineralization and determining the composition of the main ore minerals and their typomorphic features, which are used for interpreting the genesis of the mineral associations and the deposit as a whole.     

Hydrologic and water isotope characterization of a regulated Canadian Shield river basin

Stable water isotope surveys have increasingly been integrated into river basins studies, but fewer have used them to evaluate impact of hydropower regulation. This study applies hydrologic and water isotope survey approaches to a Canadian Shield river basin with both regulated and natural flows. Historical streamflow records were used to evaluate the influence of three hydroelectric reservoirs and unregulated portions of the basin on downstream flows and changes in water level management implemented after an extreme flood year (1979). In 2013, water isotope surveys of surface and source waters (e.g., rainfall, groundwater, snowmelt) were conducted to examine spatial and temporal variation in contributions to river flow. Seasonal changes in relative groundwater contribution were assessed using a water‐isotope mass balance approach. Within the basin, two regulated reservoirs exhibited inverted hydrographs with augmented winter flows, whereas a third exhibited a hydrograph dominated by spring snowmelt. In 2013, spatial variation in rain‐on‐snow and air temperatures resulted in a critical lag in snowmelt initiation in the southern and northern portions of the basin resulting in a dispersed, double peak spring hydrograph, contrasting with 1979 when a combination of rain‐on‐snow and coincident snowmelt led to the highest flood on record. Although eastern basin reservoirs become seasonally enriched in δ¹⁸O and δ²H values, unregulated western basin flows remain less variable due to groundwater driven baseflow with increasing influence downstream. Combined analysis of historical streamflow (e.g., flood of 1979, drought of 2010) and the 2013 water isotope surveys illustrate extreme meteorological conditions that current management activities are unable to prevent. In this study, the influence of evaporative fractionation on large surface water reservoirs provides important evidence of streamflow partitioning, illustrating the value of stable water isotope tracers for study of larger catchments.