A statistical analysis of the distribution of cordierite and biotite in hornfels from the Bugaboo contact aureole: implications for the kinetics of porphyroblast crystallization

The three‐dimensional disposition of cordierite and biotite crystals in a hornfels from the contact aureole of the Bugaboo Batholith is quantified using high‐resolution X‐ray micro‐computed tomography and global as well as scale‐dependent pattern statistics. The results demonstrate a random distribution of cordierite and biotite crystal sizes for all scales across the entire rock volume studied indicative of interface‐controlled prograde metamorphic reaction kinetics. The reaction considered responsible for the mineral assemblage and the formation of cordierite and biotite in the hornfels is Ms + Chl + Qtz = Crd + And + Bt + . Rock‐specific phase equilibria point to metamorphic conditions of ~520 –550 °C and 3 kbar for this reaction. The common approach to approximate the shape of crystals as spherical underestimates the influence of the Strauss hard‐core process on rock texture and may be misinterpreted to reflect ordering of crystal sizes by inhibition of nucleation and growth commonly associated with diffusion‐controlled reaction kinetics. According to our findings, Strauss hard‐core ordering develops at length scales equal to and less than the average major axis of the crystal population. This is significantly larger than what is obtained if a spherical crystal geometry would be assumed, and increases with deviation from sphericity. For the cordierite and biotite populations investigated in this research, Strauss hard‐core ordering developed at length scales of up to ～2.2 and 1.25 mm, respectively, which is almost 1 mm longer than the scales that would be obtained if a spherical geometry would have been assumed. Our results highlight the importance of a critical assessment of the geometrical model assumptions commonly applied in the three‐dimensional analysis of crystal size distributions, and underline the need for a quantitative understanding of interface processes in order to appreciate their role in the kinetics of contact metamorphic reactions and rock texture formation.     

冰晶异质核化对雷暴云电过程影响的数值模拟

引入一种新型冰晶异质核化方案, 基于二维雷暴云模式, 探讨雷暴云电过程对三种异质核化的响应。结果表明: 浸润核化是冰晶生成的最重要异质核化过程, 较高数浓度的冰晶消耗雷暴云内液态水含量, 抑制淞附过程, 导致霰粒子比含水量低, 表现为较强的负极性非感应起电率; 接触核化生成的冰晶量最少, 仅对雷暴云中下层3~5 km处的冰晶有贡献, 同时霰粒子数浓度较低, 导致该方案下的起电过程最弱; 沉积核化主要影响云砧处的冰晶, 有利于提高霰收集云滴的效率, 表现为极高的霰比含水量, 促进低温区非感应起电过程的发生。总体上来看, 三个方案下的电荷结构均由较复杂的多极性发展为偶极性。其中浸润方案中主正电荷区的抬升最明显, 而接触方案过低的冰晶分布高度与沉积方案过高的冰晶分布高度, 都直接导致了次正电荷区更快消散。      

Determining the amount of overstepping required to nucleate garnet during Barrovian regional metamorphism,Connecticut Valley Synclinorium

The novel method of inclusion barometry coupled with the calculation of the required affinity for garnet nucleation is applied to three samples from the previously well‐characterized Connecticut Valley Synclinorium in central Vermont. Raman shifts for quartz inclusions record a range of maximum peak shifts of the quartz 464 cm^?1 peak from 2.4 to 3.0 cm^?1. Temperature of garnet nucleation was constrained by calculating mineral assemblage diagrams in the MnNCKFMASHT system and plotting the intersection of quartz inclusion in garnet barometry (QuiG, quartz‐in‐garnet) with Zr‐in‐rutile thermometry. Utilizing the intersection of Zr‐in‐rutile thermometry with QuiG barometry, garnet nucleation is inferred to have occurred within a P–T range of ~8.6–9.5 kbar and ~560–575°C. These P–T conditions for garnet nucleation are significantly higher than calculated equilibrium garnet‐in isograds for the three samples. Affinities for garnet nucleation were calculated as the difference between the free energy of a fictive garnet composition based on the matrix assemblage and the free energy of the nucleated garnet. The calculated nucleation affinity varied from 300 to 600 kJ/mol O for St–Ky grade samples. These results suggest that the assumption that metamorphism proceeds as a sequence of near‐equilibrium conditions cannot, in general, be made for regional metamorphic terranes. This body of work agrees with numerous recent studies showing that garnet‐producing reactions must be overstepped in order to for garnet to nucleate.     

Aerosol Indirect Effects on Warm Clouds in the Grid-Point Atmospheric Model of IAP LASG (GAMIL)

Aerosol indirect effects on warm clouds are estimated in the Grid-point Atmospheric Model of the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics,Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP LASG)(GAMIL) with a new two-moment cloud microphysics scheme using two different physically-based aerosol activation parameterizations:Abdul-Razzak and Ghan,and Nenes and Seinfeld.The annual global mean changes in shortwave cloud forcing from preindustrial times to present day(a measure of the aerosol indirect effects) estimated from these two parameterizations are remarkably similar:0.76 W m?2 with the Abdul-Razzak and Ghan parameterization,and 0.78 W m?2 with the Nenes and Seinfeld parameterization.Physically-based parameterizations can provide robust representations of aerosol effects on droplet nucleation,meaning that aerosol activation is no longer the most uncertain factor in modeling aerosol indirect effects.     

Preliminary Results of the Ground-Based Orographic Snow Enhancement Experiment for the Easterly Cold Fog （Cloud） at Daegwallyeong during the 2006 Winter

The snow enhancement experiments, carried out by injecting AgI and water vapor into orographically enhanced clouds (fog), have been conducted to confirm Li and Pitter’s forced condensation process in a natural situation. Nine ground-based experiments have been conducted at Daegwallyeong in the Taebaek Mountains for the easterly foggy days from January–February 2006. We then obtained the optimized condi- tions for the Daegwallyeong region as follows: the small seeding rate (1.04 g min-1) of AgI for the easte...     

Effect of soot on immersion freezing of water and possible atmospheric implications

More than 3000 water droplets with soot particles immersed were monitored individually to identify the effect of heterogeneous freezing and establish the link between soot properties and freezing efficiency. A set of soot samples from many combustion sources, including an aircraft engine combustor were examined. The list of key soot properties affecting freezing were determined. It appears that soot effectiveness in causing the droplets to freeze mainly depends on the soot behaviour in water defined by the mass density of soot agglomerates, size and wetting. When large mass particles were homogeneously distributed through droplets and were stable to sedimentation effects median freezing temperatures of such droplets were significantly warmer than pure water droplets. The long-term presence of large soot agglomerates in water leads to an increase in the freezing efficiency over time because of the slow kinetics of wetting. Small sizes of soot agglomerates stimulate aggregative instability in droplets with large soot mass which decreases the total soot surface area and the freezing temperature. The highest freezing efficiency is found for homogeneously distributed soot agglomerates of high porosity. A gradual increase of the freezing temperature in correspondence with number density of active oxygen-containing sites is observed for soots having surfaces of low or intermediate polarity. However, highly soluble surface compounds, such as sulfates, may be easily dissolved in water leading to a decrease in the potential freezing efficiency. This was the case found for aircraft engine combustor generated soot. Therefore relatively hydrophobic soot with a significant number of oxygen-containing functional groups but not covered totally by hydrophilic sites and soluble compounds is proposed to act as the most efficient immersion freezing nuclei in the atmospheric cloud droplets.     

Simulation of the influence of aerosol particle characteristics on clouds and precipitation with LM-SPECS: Model description and first results

The novel model system LM-SPECS is presented combining a spectral bin microphysics scheme and the three-dimensional Lokalmodell (LM, today called COSMO) of the German Weather Service (“Deutscher Wetterdienst”). The model is designed to investigate in detail the interaction of atmospheric aerosol particles, clouds and precipitation. The microphysics scheme includes a combined spectrum of wetted aerosols, cloud droplets and rain drops. As a first application of the model, sensitivity studies on an artificial deep convective cloud were done. The results produced by LM-SPECS are satisfying. The studies show, e.g., that a diminished initial particle number leads to larger cloud droplets and thus to a higher efficiency of coalescence. This results in a larger amount of precipitation. Furthermore, studies on mixed phase clouds show the influence of varying ice nuclei, such as bacteria, kaolinite and soot, on cloud properties. Here, a more effective freezing leads to an increased number of ice particles with smaller radii. The results point to the importance of a detailed knowledge of the underlying microphysical processes in order to understand the formation of clouds and precipitation more accurately. Though to date the model was applied to artificial cases only, the use of the mesoscale weather model allows for more complex realistic cases which are subject to further studies.     

Implications of a percolation model for earthquake 'nucleation'

A percolation model is applied to the explanation of some of the qualitative and quantitative aspects associated with the recent observations of earthquake 'nucleation'. An additional assumption is introduced that nucleation starts at the critical point of percolation. The model explains the order of magnitude of the seismic moment release during the nucleation, the dependence of the seismic moment of the main shock on the duration of the nucleation process, and the observation that the fraction of the moment release during the nucleation has no systematic variation with the size of the main shock. The model also suggests that the source time function of the nucleation phase may be complex, and also that not all earthquakes are accompanied by a nucleation process, which is supported by observational results. By assuming that there exists a scale invariance associated with the criticality, a Widom scaling model is proposed to describe the electromagnetic emission during earthquake rupture.     

1999年岫岩地震序列研究

用相对定位法对1999年11月29日辽宁省岫岩地区5.4级地震序列的前震、主震和余震进行了重新定位。结果是该序列的主震震源位置为40.538°N,123.026°E,深度为6.958km;重新定位的前震震中分布长短轴差别不大,分布在长轴约1.38km,短轴约1.23km,深度为6～11km的震源范围内,其中4级以上前震明显沿NW向分布,主震位于前震震中NW向分布的东南端;重新定位的余震明显沿NW走向分布,长轴约3.26km,短轴约0.79km,深度为5～12km,余震分布范围比前震分布范围大,主要是后期余震活动向SE向发展的结果。分析表明,1999年岫岩地震序列主要沿NW向分布,这个方向与1975年海城地震序列的NW向分布一致,与海城7.3级主震和岫岩5.4级主震震源机制解NW走向节面一致,也与海城 岫岩震区活动构造方向和岫岩主震的等震线长轴方向一致。并认为岫岩5.4级主震可能被前震触发,这为主破裂成核过程提供了一次实例。