Organotemplate silica deposition in Neoproterozoic deep-marine environments: evidence from the Penganga Group, Adilabad, India

Silica in bedded cherts interstratified with manganese carbonates in a deep‐water carbonate ramp succession of the Neoproterozoic Penganga Group, India, displays film‐like, spherical to rod‐shaped, and tubular branching microstructures. The microstructures resemble mineralized extracellular polysaccharides, biofilms and bacterial morphologies. The microstructures suggest silicification by nucleation of silica on organic‐templates or indirectly as sorbed species accumulating on organic templates. Given that similar microstructures have also been documented in Archean cherts it is proposed that organotemplates might have been an important sink for the deposition of silica in Precambrian deep‐water marine environments.     

Disturbances produced by variable body forces in a layer of finite thickness resting on a rigid foundation

Summary The disturbances produced by time-dependent torsional body forces in a layer of elastic material lying on a rigid foundation have been discussed in this paper. Solutions have been obtained first for a general type of body force, and the solutions for an impulsive cylindrical source and an impulsive torsional line source of finite length have been deduced. It has been found that for any point in the layer, there is no disturbance up to a certain instant, after which there is a sudden displacement, which gradually falls off and tends to zero as the timet increases.     

Free vibration of semisubmersibles: A parametric study

Like any other engineering structure, the dynamic aspects of semisubmersible offshore platforms require serious consideration. The free vibrations of the semisubmersible structures have been investigated in the present work, in which the effect of the variation of the length, draft and hull spacings on the natural frequencies and mode shapes has been studied and the nature of the variations and their reasons have been discussed.     

Response of rectangular plates with edges possessing different degrees of elastic rotational restraints, in harmonic excitation

The response of thin elastic plates having edges elastically restrained in rotation to different degrees and subjected to sinusoidal excitation has been investigated. The displacement and bending moment amplitudes have been determined for plates having different aspect ratios, rotational restraints at supports and frequency values. Comparison with available results indicated good accuracy. The formulation is based on a simple numerical procedure.     

Cordierite-garnet-sillimanite-quartz equilibrium: I. New experimental calibration in the system FeO−Al2O3−SiO2−H2O and certain P-T-X H2O relations

The equilibrium in which hydrous Fe-cordierite breaks down to almandine, sillimanite, quartz, and water was previously experimentally determined by Richardson (1968) and Holdaway and Lee (1977) using QMF buffer and by Weisbrod (1973) using QIF buffer. All these studies yielded similar results — a negative dP/dT slope for the equilibrium curve. However, based on theoretical arguments, Martignole and Sisi (1981), and based on Fe-Mg partitioning experiments on coexisting cordierite and garnet in equilibrium with sillimanite and quartz, Aranovich and Podlesskii (1983) suggested that this equilibrium curve has a positive dP/dT slope and its position depends on the water content of the equilibrium cordierite. We have redetermined this equilibrium using a much improved tecnique of detecting reaction direction, and cordierite starting material that contained virtually no hercynite. Hercynite was present as a contaminant in the cordierites of previous experimental studies and possibly reacted with quartz during the experimental runs to expand the apparent stability field of Fe-cordierite. We synthesized Fe-cordierite from reagent grade oxides at 710°C and 2 kbar (using QMF buffer) with two intermediate stages of grinding and mixing. The cordierite has a unit cell volume of 1574.60 ų (molar volume=23.706 J/bar) and no Fe³⁺ as indicated by X-ray diffraction and room temperature Mössbauer studies respectively. Reaction direction was concluded by noting20% change of the ratios of intensities of two key X-ray diffraction peaks of cordierite and almandine. Our results show that the four-phase equilibrium curve passes through the points 2.1 kbar, 650°C and 2.5 kbar, 750°C. This disagrees with all previous experimental studies. H₂O in the Fe-cordierite, equilibrated at 2.2 kbar and 700°C and determined by H-extraction line in the stable isotope laboratory, is 1.13 wt% (n=0.41 moles). H₂O content of pure Mg-cordierite equilibrated under identical conditions and determined by thermogravimentric conditions and determined by thermogravimetric analysis is 1.22 wt% (n=0.40). Similar determinations on Fe-cordierite and Mg-cordierite equilibrated at 2.0 kbar and 650°C show 1.27 wt% (n=0.46) and 1.47 wt% (n=0.48) of H₂O respectively. Thus, H₂O content appears to be independent of Fe/Mg ratio in cordierite, a conclusion which supports previous experimental determinations. The experimentally determined equilibrium curve represents conditions of P_H2O=P_total. From this we calculated the anhydrous curve representing equilibrium under conditions of X _H2O ^V =0.0. A family of calculated equilibrium curves of constant n _H2O ^Cord cut the experimentally determined curve at a very small angle indicating a slight variation in n _H2O ^Cord in cordierite in equilibrium with almandine, sillimanite, and quartz under the conditions of constant X _H2O ^V . Ancther set of calculated equilibrium curves, each representing constant a _H2O ^V demonstrate that the slopes of the curves vary with X _H2O ^V , and are all positive in the full range of 0.0X _H2O ^V 1.0.     

3-D seismic structure of the source area of the 1993 Latur, India, earthquake and its implications for rupture nucleations

The Latur earthquake (M_w 6.1) of 29 September 1993 is a rare stable continental region (SCR) earthquake that occurred on a previously unknown blind fault. In this study, we determined detailed three-dimensional (3-D) P- and S-wave velocity (V_p, V_s) and Poisson's ratio (σ) structures by inverting the first P- and S-wave high-quality arrival time data from 142 aftershocks that were recorded by a network of temporary seismic stations. The source zone of the Latur earthquake shows strong lateral heterogeneities in V_p, V_s and σ structures, extending in a volume of about 90 × 90 × 15 km³. The mainshock occurred within, but near the boundary, of a low-V_p, high-V_s and low-σ zone. This suggests that the structural asperities at the mainshock hypocenter are associated with a partially fluid-saturated fractured rock in a previously unknown source zone with intersecting fault surfaces. This might have triggered the 1993 Latur mainshock and its aftershock sequence. Our results are in good agreement with other geophysical studies that suggest high conductivity and high concentration of radiogenic helium gas beneath the source zone of the Latur earthquake. Our study provides an additional evidence for the presence of fluid related anomaly at the hidden source zone of the Latur earthquake in the SCR and helps us understand the genesis of damaging earthquakes in the SCR of the world.     

Application of visual,statistical and artificial neural network methods in the differentiation of water from the exploited aquifers in Kuwait

The ability of artificial neural network to differentiate water samples from the two aquifers of Kuwait on the basis of their major ion chemistry has been demonstrated. The major ion concentration distribution in the groundwater of the Kuwait Group and the Dammam Formation aquifers of Kuwait appears very similar. Cross-plots, supported by the discriminant function analysis of the data, however, suggest that there are some subtle differences in the overall composition of the water from the two aquifers that make it possible to differentiate the water from the two aquifers in almost 80% of the cases. An artificial neural network improved the differentiation capability to 90% of the cases. It is also possible to estimate the fraction of Kuwait Group water in the flow stream of dually completed wells with the help of an artificial neural network developed for this purpose. Electronic Publication     

Comparison of source rock geochemistry of selected rocks from the Schei Point group and Ringnes formation, Sverdrup basin, arctic Canada

Organic-rich from the Schei Point group (middle to late Triassic in age) and the Ringnes formation (late Jurassic) from the Sverdrup basin of the Canadian arctic archipelago have been geochemically evaluated for source rock characterization. Most samples from the Schei Point group are organic-rich (> 2% TOC and are considered as immature to mature oil-prone source rocks [kerogen types I, I–II (IIA) and II (IIA)]. These kerogen types contain abundant AOM1, AOM2 and alginite (Tasmanales, Nostocopsis, Leiosphaeridia, acritarch and dinoflagellate) with variable amounts of vitrinite, inertinite and exinite. Samples from the Ringnes formation contain dominant vitrinite and inertinite with partially oxidized AOM2, alginite and exinite forming mostly immature to mature condensate- and gas-prone source rocks [kerogen type II–III (IIB), III and a few II (IIA)]. Schei Point samples contain higher bitumen extract, saturate hydrocarbons and saturate/ aromatic ratio than the Ringnes samples. Triterpane and sterane (dominant C₃₀) distribution patterns and stable carbon isotope of bitumen and kerogen suggest that the analyzed samples from the Schei Point group are at the onset of oil generation and contain a mixture of sapropelic (algal) and minor terrestrial humic organic matter. Sterane carbon number distributions in the Ringnes formation also suggest a mixed algal and terrestrial organic matter type. There are some variations in hopane carbon number distributions, but these are apparently a function of thermal maturity rather than significant genetic differences among samples. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the two samples with similar maturity shows that the Schei Point sample generates three times more pyrolyzate than the Ringnes sample. Both samples have a dominant aliphatic character, although the Ringnes sample contains phenol and an aromaticity that is higher than that of the Schei Point sample.     

Absence of extraterrestrial He in Permian-Triassic age sedimentary rocks

Helium concentration and isotopic composition were measured in a suite of samples across the Permian-Triassic boundary at Opal Creek, Canada, to determine whether high extraterrestrial helium concentrations are associated with a possible extinction-inducing impact event at this time. No extraterrestrial ³He was detected, implying that neither fullerene-hosted nor IDP-hosted He is present at or near the boundary. This observation is consistent with similar studies of some Permian-Triassic sections, but contrasts sharply with reports of both fullerene- and IDP-hosted extraterrestrial ³He at other sections.Step-heat experiments indicate rapid diffusion of extraterrestrial helium from sediments heated to temperatures above ∼ 70 °C. Given the likelihood of burial and associated heating in Permian-Triassic age rocks, the initially unexpected absence of IDP-hosted ³He likely indicates thermally induced diffusive loss. Indeed one of the key sections (Graphite Peak, Antarctica) from which extraterrestrial ³He has been reported at and near the Permian-Triassic boundary has been sufficiently heated that the reported preservation of extraterrestrial helium, in both IDPs and fullerenes, is inexplicable. Recent contamination provides a plausible explanation for extraterrestrial ³He in these samples.While no extraterrestrial ³He was detected at Opal Creek, there is a sharp increase in nucleogenic ³He very close to or at the Permian-Triassic boundary. This presumably arises from the major lithologic change at this time, from cherts in the Permian to shales and siltstones in the Triassic. Increased nucleogenic ³He is associated with increases in both lithium and organic carbon content into the Triassic. Either the production rate or the retention of this ³He is higher in the shales and siltstones than in the cherts. Care must be taken to eliminate such artifacts before interpreting changes in ³He concentration in terms of fluctuations in the delivery of ³He from space.     

Evidence for the thrust emplacement of the ‘Lesser Himalaya’ Chur granite,Himachal Pradesh

Numerous peraluminous and porphyritic granitic bodies and augen gneisses of granitic compositions occur in the nappe sequences of the Lower Himalaya. They are Proterozoic-to-lower Paleozoic in age and have been grouped into the ‘Lesser Himalaya granite belt’. The mode of emplacement and tectonic significance of these granites are as yet uncertain but they are generally considered to be sheet-like intrusions into the surrounding rocks. The small and isolated granite body (the Chur granite) that crops out around the Chur peak in the Himachal Himalaya is one of the more famous of these granites. Several lines of evidence have been adduced to show that the Chur granite has a thrust (the Chur thrust) contact with the underlying metasedimentary sequence (locally called the Jutogh Group). The Chur granite with restricted occurrence at the highest topographic and structural levels represents an erosional remnant of a much larger sub-horizontal thrust sheet. The contact relations between the country rocks and many of the other granite and granitic augen gneisses in the Lesser Himalaya belt are apparently similar to that of the Chur granite suggesting that at least some of them may also represent thrust sheets.