Rates of sulfur dioxide and particle emissions from White Island volcano,New Zealand,and an estimate of the total flux of major gaseous species

Airborne correlation spectrometry (COSPEC) was used to measure the rate of SO₂ emission at White Island on three dates, i.e., November 1983, 1230 ± 300 t/d; November 1984, 320 ± 120 t/d; and January 1985, 350 ± 150 t/d (t = metric tons). The lower emission rates are likely to reflect the long-term emission rates, whereas the November 1983 rate probably reflects conditions prior to the eruption of December 1983. The particle flux in the White Island plume, as determined with a quartz crystal microbalance/cascade in November 1983, was 1.3 t/d, unusually low for volcanic plumes. The observed plume particles, as shown from scanning electron microscopy, include halite, native sulfur, and silicates and are broadly similar to other volcanic plumes.Gas analyses from high-temperature volcanic fumaroles collected from June 1982 through November 1984 werde used together with the COSPEC data to estimate the flux of other gas species from White Island. The rates estimated are indicative of the long-term volcanic emission, i.e., 8000–9000 t/d H₂O, 900–1000 t/d CO₂, 70–80 t/d HCl, 1.5–2 t/d HF, and about 0.2 t/d NH₃. The long-term thermal power output at White Island is estimated at about 400 MW.     

Dynamic behaviour of rigid foundations of arbitrary shape on a halfspace

An approximate method for computation of the compliance functions of rigid plates resting on an elastic or visco-elastic halfspace excited by forces and moments in all degrees of freedon is presented. The method is based on a Green's function approach. These functions are given for all degrees of freedom in form of well-behaved integrals. The numerical procedure is described and is used to evaluate the vertical, horizontal, rocking and torsion compliance functions of rectangular plates with side ratios 1 ≤ b/a ≤ 10 and non-dimensional frequency 0≤a₀≤10. It is shown how this method can be extended to problems concerning a linear visco-elastic halfspace and a halfspace with variable stiffness.     

Behavior of diorite under impact by variously-shaped projectiles

SummaryBehavior of Diorite Under Impact by Variously-Shaped Projectiles The effects of striker diameter and tip geometry on the crater and crack network produced in diorite by normal projectile impact in the energy range from 4–30 J was investigated. Ejecta kinematics were determined by high-speed photography; elastic strain wave propagation was measured by embedded gages in a composite specimen; and the damage pattern was ascertained from an examination of the sectioned specimen. It was found that the projectile nose shape exerts a strong influence on the shape of the elastic transient, on the crater geometry, on the extent of the crack network and on the average size of the ejecta. The crater depth was found to be the most repeatable parameter in identical tests using the same striker and initial kinetic energy.With 7 Figures     

Carbon-13 exchange between CO2 and CH4 under geothermal conditions

On the basis of recently reported data on the kinetics of carbon-13 exchange between CO₂ and CH₄ at temperatures above 500°C, first order rate constants $\text{log k = 11.16?10,190/T}$ were derived allowing variations in Δ, the difference in the isotopic composition of coexisting CO₂ and CH₄, to be evaluated as a function of initial composition and cooling rate of the rising geothermal fluid. Observed Δ-values in geothermal discharges are likely to represent frozen in compositions attained after minimum residence times of 20 ka at 400°C or 10 Ma at 300°C. The carbon-13 contents of any biogenic gases are unlikely to have been affected by thermal re-equilibration at temperatures below 200°C. The chemical equilibrium involving CO₂ and CH₄ can be expected to proceed about a hundred times faster than isotopic equilibration.     

Mineralogical,geochemical and microfabric evidences of gypsum crusts: a case study from Budapest

High levels of SO₂ and particulate pollution enable the rapid development of gypsum-rich weathering crusts in Budapest. Two types of white crusts, thin and thick ones, and two forms of black crusts, laminar and framboidal ones, were studied in limestone buildings of the parliament and Citadella. The percentage of crust cover and damage categories were documented on selected walls. Petrographic, XRD, XRF and sulphur isotope analyses were performed under laboratory conditions to understand the mechanism of crust formation. White crusts found both on exposed and sheltered walls display a calcite-rich layer with gypsum, while black crusts are enriched with gypsum. The sulphur isotopic composition of white and black crusts overlaps, but the crusts are slightly enriched in heavy isotopes compared to rainwater. S content, Si/Al ratios and particulates in black crusts suggest that air pollution (SO₂, dust) contributes to black crust formation. The accumulation of sulphur and Zn enrichment of white crusts were also documented indicating that under high pollution levels, even these compound can accumulate on exposed facades.     

<Superscript>57</Superscript>Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy,X-ray single-crystal diffractometry,and electronic structure calculations on natural alexandrite

Natural alexandrite Al₂BeO₄:Cr from Malyshevo near Terem Tschanka, Sverdlovsk, Ural, Russia, has been characterized by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron microprobe, X-ray single-crystal diffractometry and by electronic structure calculations in order to determine oxidation state and location of iron. The sample contains 0.3 wt% of total iron oxide. The ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrum can be resolved into three doublets. Two of them with hyperfine parameters typical for octahedrally coordinated high-spin Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺, respectively, are assigned to iron substituting for Al in the octahedral M2-site. The third doublet is attributed to Fe³⁺ in hematite. Electronic structure calculations in the local spin density approximation are in reasonable agreement with experimental data provided that expansion and/or distortion of the coordination octahedra are presumed upon iron substitution. The calculated hyperfine parameters of Fe³⁺ are almost identical for the M1 and M2 positions, but the calculated ligand-field splitting is by far too large for high-spin Fe³⁺ on M1.     

Application of wavelet transformation to determine wavelengths and phase velocities of gravity waves observed by lidar measurements

During the last two decades, important advances have been made in the investigation of gravity waves. However, more efforts are needed to study certain aspects of gravity waves. In the real atmosphere, gravity waves occur with different properties at different altitudes and, most often, simultaneously. In this case, when there is more than one dominant wave, the determination of gravity wave characteristics, such as the vertical wavelength and the phase velocity, is difficult. The interpretation of temperature perturbation plots versus the altitude and time as well as the application of the Fourier spectral analysis can produce errors.Exact knowledge of the wave characteristics is important both for determination of other characteristics, for example, the horizontal wave components, and for study of wave climatology. The wavelet analysis of vertical temperature profiles allows one to examine the wave's location in space. Up to now, gravity waves have been studied mainly by continuous wavelet transformation to determine dominant waves. We apply wavelet analysis to a time series of temperature profiles, observed by the ALOMAR ozone lidar at Andoya, Norway, and by the U. Bonn lidar system at ESRANGE, Sweden, both for determination of the dominant waves and for specifying the vertical wavelengths and the vertical component of the phase velocities. For this purpose, the wavelet amplitude spectra and the wavelet phase spectra are filtered and Hovmöller diagrams for dominant wavelengths are constructed. The advantage of this type of diagrams is that they give clear evidence for the localization of the dominant waves in space and time and for the development of their phase fronts.     

Isotope hydrological study of mean transit times in an alpine basin (Wimbachtal, Germany)

Measurements of tritium and ¹⁸O concentrations in precipitation and runoff were used to provide further insight into the groundwater storage properties of the Wimbachtal Valley, a catchment area of 33.4 km², extending between 636 and 2713 m a.s.l. in the Berchtesgaden Alps. The catchment includes three aquifer types: a dominant porous aquifer; a fractured dolomite; a karstic limestone aquifer. Employing a simple hydrological model, information about mean transit times of environmental tracers is derived for the groundwater runoff component and several karst springs from the application of the exponential and dispersion flow models to the isotopic input and output data. The mean transit times calculated from a dispersion model with transit times of 4.1 years for ¹⁸O and 4.2 years for tritium, which agree well, allow calculation of total (mobile + stagnant) groundwater storage volume, which is equivalent to 6.6 m of water depth. Direct runoff appears negligible as in many other cases.     

Temporal variability of global Topex/Poseidon altimetry: tide and annual signals?

Summary The global power of the differences of altimetric sea heights at collocated points in the first 44 cycles of the Topex/Poseidon (T/P) mission, apparently shows the influence of errors in the major tides and long period ocean signals. Results show the principal semidiurnal tides (M2/S2 lumped together) in the Cartwright and Ray (1991) model are probably in error globally by 3–4 cm (rms). The dominant fluctuation in the differences over the 44 cycles (14 months total) arises from an annual signal of 4–6 cm (rms), significantly greater than long term climate data suggests (but with considerable uncertainty due to unresolved semiannual effects).     

Über kristallstrukturelle Beziehungen zwischen Amblygonit,Kieserit und Titanit

Zusammenfassung Der Vergleich der Gitterkonstanten und der Atomparameter von Amblygonit LiAI[PO₄](OH,F), Kieserit Mg[SO₄](H₂O) und Titanit CaTi[SiO₄](O) zeigt, daß diese Strukturen analog gebaut sind. Das Geriist von tetraedrischen und oktaedrischen Koordinationspolyedern ist in allen 3 Fallen gleich. Die Grundstruktur ist die des Kieserits. Die Amblygonitstruktur entsteht aus ihr durch Verzerrung und Auffüllung mit einem weiteren Bauelement, dem Li, die Titanitstruktur nur durch Auffullung ohne Symmetrieverminderung.