Late Quaternary marine terraces in the Mediterranean coastal area of Syria: Geochronology and neotectonics

In order to provide new data on the neotectonics and geodynamic properties of western Syria, studies of marine terraces have been carried out. The most attention was paid to the lower terraces in the range of 3–5 to 30–35 m above sea level, because they have more complete distributions along the shore. The lower terraces were examined along the coastal area from Tartus to Latakia, and along the carbonate cliff on Arwad Island. Seven ²³⁰Th/U dates for these terraces are in the range of 85–130 ka, suggesting the age interval of the last interglacial (MIS 5). New dates on the lower terraces provide a basis for stratigraphical and geomorphological interpretation as well as neotectonic reconstruction. According to the geomorphological data and lithological composition of those terraces, two main uplifted blocks can be established. One coincides with the Latakia block, and another corresponds to the western margin of the Banias volcanic plateau. These blocks are divided by a subsided structure corresponding to the Nahr el Kebir graben. The amplitude of neotectonic uplifting in the Latakia and Banias blocks reaches 15–20 m for the Late Pleistocene.     

Investigation of the stable isotope fractionation in speleothems with laboratory experiments

Many speleothems show evidence for calcite precipitation under disequilibrium conditions. To improve the understanding of these kinetic processes, several laboratory experiments were performed to study the fractionation of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes during the precipitation of calcite. Carbonate was precipitated under controlled conditions from both a body of standing water (beaker experiments) and a solution flowing along a channel (channel experiments) at a relative humidity of 100%. Slow degassing of CO₂, simulated by the beaker experiments, results in δ¹⁸O values in equilibrium with the solution. In contrast, the δ¹³C values show a significant enrichment, inversely proportional to the height of the solution in the beakers. Fast degassing of CO₂, simulated by the channel experiments, showed an enrichment of both δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O and a slope of Δδ¹³C/Δδ¹⁸O of 1.4±0.6. These results represent experimental evidence for the Hendy effect, which is manifested in (i) a progressive increase in δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C away from the growth axis and (ii) a positive correlation between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C along a single growth layer of a stalagmite.     

The Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect in elliptical galaxies

The history of the discovery of hot gas in galaxies is briefly reviewed, and the main properties of this gas described, emphasizing the need to refine these properties, in particular, the mass of the gas. It is proposed to do this via observations of the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect due to hot gas in the coronas of elliptical galaxies. The absolute and relative perturbations of the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation due to scattering of the CMB photons by electrons with a Maxwellian energy distribution are calculated. The possibility of observing the SZ effect is demonstrated using three elliptical galaxies as examples. The kinematic SZ effect arising due to the peculiar motions and rotations of the galaxies is also accessible to observations. Together with X-ray data, such observations would enable refinement of the properties of gas in galaxies, and also yield additional information about the rotation of galaxies, possible accretion flows in the galactic gas, and hot galactic winds.     

Elpasolite from hyperalkaline pegmatite of the Khibiny pluton, Kola Peninsula. Symmetry of elpasolite

Elpasolite, K₂NaAlF₆, has been found for the first time in a pegmatite related to peralkaline foid syenite at Mt. Koashva, Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia, as pale pink octahedral crystals up to 2 mm in size within cavities in the natrolite core of pegmatite in association with amicite, sodalite, aegirine, pectolite, catapleiite, sitinakite, lemmleinite-K, and vinogradovite. The chemical composition determined with an electron microprobe is as follows, wt %: 31.53 K; 9.22 Na; 11.20 Al; 47.21 F; total is 99.16. The empirical formula is K_1.96Na_0.98Al_1.01F_6.05. The infrared spectrum is given. The crystal structure has been refined to R = 0.030, space group Fm $ \bar 3 Elpasolite, K₂NaAlF₆, has been found for the first time in a pegmatite related to peralkaline foid syenite at Mt. Koashva, Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia, as pale pink octahedral crystals up to 2 mm in size within cavities in the natrolite core of pegmatite in association with amicite, sodalite, aegirine, pectolite, catapleiite, sitinakite, lemmleinite-K, and vinogradovite. The chemical composition determined with an electron microprobe is as follows, wt %: 31.53 K; 9.22 Na; 11.20 Al; 47.21 F; total is 99.16. The empirical formula is K_1.96Na_0.98Al_1.01F_6.05. The infrared spectrum is given. The crystal structure has been refined to R = 0.030, space group Fm m, a = 8.092 ?. The result of a special X-ray powder diffraction study confirmed the suggestion made by Morss (1974) that reflections violating space group Fm m in some published X-ray powder patterns of natural elpasolite are Kβ-lines. Original Russian Text ? I.V. Pekov, N.V. Chukanov, N.N. Kononkova, N.V. Zubkova, M.Kh. Rabadanov, D.Yu. Pushcharovsky, 2007, published in Zapiski Rossiiskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva, 2007, No. 6, pp. 76–84.