The NAIAD experiment for WIMP searches at Boulby mine and recent results

The NAIAD experiment (NaI Advanced Detector) for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter searches at Boulby mine (UK) is described. The detector consists of an array of encapsulated and unencapsulated NaI(Tl) crystals with high light yield. Six crystals are collecting data at present. Data accumulated by four of them (10.6 kg × year exposure) have been used to set upper limits on the WIMP–nucleon spin-independent and WIMP–proton spin-dependent cross-sections. Pulse shape analysis has been applied to discriminate between nuclear recoils, as may be caused by WIMP interactions, and electron recoils due to gamma background. Various calibrations of crystals are presented.     

Vegetation dynamics during the late Pleistocene in the Barreirinhas region, Maranhão State, northeastern Brazil, based on carbon isotopes in soil organic matter

The study place is in the Barreirinhas region, Maranhão State, northeastern Brazil. A vegetation transect of 78 km was studied among four vegetation types: Restinga (coastal vegetation), Cerrado (woody savanna), Cerradão (dense woody savanna), and Forest, as well as three forested sites around Lagoa do Caçó, located approximately 10 km of the transect. Soil profiles in this transect were sampled for δ¹³C analysis, as well as buried charcoal fragments were used for ¹⁴C dating. The data interpretation indicated that approximately between 15,000 and ∼9000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., arboreal vegetation prevailed in the whole transect, probably due to the presence of a humid climate. Approximately between ∼9000 and 4000-3000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., there was the expansion of the savanna, probably related to the presence of drier climate. From ∼4000-3000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. to the present, the results indicated an increase in the arboreal density in the area, due to the return to a more humid and probably similar climate to the present. The presence of buried charcoal fragments in several soil depths suggested the occurrence of palaeofires during the Holocene. The vegetation dynamic inferred in this study for northeastern Brazil is in agreement with the results obtained in areas of Amazon region, based on pollen analysis of lake sediments and carbon isotope analysis of soil organic matter (SOM), implying than similar climatic conditions have affected these areas during the late Pleistocene until the present.     

Rare,metal micrometeorites from the Indian Ocean

Metal in various forms is common in almost all meteorites but considerably rare among micrometeorites. We report here the discovery of two metal micrometeorites, i.e., (1) an awaruite grain similar to those found in the metal nodules of CV chondrites and (2) a metal micrometeorite of kamacite composition enclosing inclusions of chromite and merrillite. This micrometeorite appears to be a fragment of H5/L5 chondrite. These metal micrometeorites add to the inventory of solar system materials that are accreted by the Earth in microscopic form. They also strengthen the argument that a large proportion of material accreted by the Earth that survives atmospheric entry is from asteroidal sources.     

Perceptive of the pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites and their relation to chondrites

We studied 149 pyroxenes from 69 pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites collected from deep-sea sediments of the Indian Ocean and South Pole Water Well at Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. The minor elements in pyroxenes from micrometeorites are present in the ranges as follows: MnO ~0.0–0.4 wt%, Al₂O₃ ~0.0–1.5 wt%, CaO ~0.0–1.0 wt%, Cr₂O₃ ~0.3–0.9 wt%, and FeO ~0.5–4 wt%. Their chemical compositions suggest that pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites are mostly related to precursors from carbonaceous chondrites rather than ordinary chondrites. The Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio of the pyroxenes and olivines in micrometeorites shows similarities to carbonaceous chondrites with values lying between 0 and 0.2, and those with values beyond this range are dominated by ordinary chondrites. Atmospheric entry of the pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites is expected to have a relatively low entry velocity of <16 km s⁻¹ and high zenith angle (70–90°) to preserve their chemical compositions. In addition, similarities in the pyroxene and olivine mineralogical compositions between carbonaceous chondrites and cometary particles suggest that dust in the solar system is populated by materials from different sources that are chemically similar to each other. Our results on pyroxene chemical compositions reveal significant differences with those from ordinary chondrites. The narrow range in olivine and pyroxene chemical compositions are similar to those from carbonaceous chondrites, and a small proportion to ordinary chondrites indicates that dust is largely sourced from carbonaceous chondrite-type bodies.     

Geothermal energy prospects in Brazil: A preliminary analysis

Results of geothermal gradient measurements in 44 localities in Brazil are presented. The Precambrian shield areas are found to be characterized by relatively low temperature gradients in the range 6 to 20°C/km while younger sedimentary basins are characterized by gradients in the range 15 to 35°C/km. An inverse correlation between geothermal gradient and tectonic age has been observed. This as well as the favourable hydrological conditions suggest that the best sites for extraction of geothermal energy in Brazil are the younger sedimentary basins. The Parana Basin is found to offer at present the best site for extraction of geothermal energy in Brazil. Preliminary examination of the temperature distributions in the major aquifer (Botucatu sandstone) suggest that this aquifer contains substantial quantities of warm waters in the temperature range 40 to 90°C. The water layer in this confined aquifer is in convective motion and can be considered as a low enthalphy geothermal system. Many of the routine uses to which geothermal waters are put, such as space heating and soil warming, are not applicable in Brazil mainly because of the favourable climatic conditions. Conversion of this geothermal energy into electrical energy is also unlikely to be economical. Hence we do not consider the Parana Basin geothermal system as an independent ec9nomically exploitable energy resource. However, a few other applications are pointed out where geothermal waters can be used as a supplementary or supporting energy source in increasing the efficiency of economically viable systems utilizing hot waters.     

Potential of legacy 2D seismic data for deep targeting and structural imaging at the Neves–Corvo massive sulphide-bearing deposit,Portugal

Seismic methods are becoming an established choice for deep mineral exploration after being extensively tested and employed for the past two decades. To investigate whether the early European mineral-exploration datasets had potential for seismic imaging that was overlooked, we recovered a low-fold legacy seismic dataset from the Neves–Corvo mine site in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in southern Portugal. This dataset comprises six 4–6 km long profiles acquired in 1996 for deep targeting. Using today's industry-scale processing algorithms, the world-class, ca. 150 Mt, Lombador massive sulphide and other smaller deposits were better imaged. Additionally, we also reveal a number of shallow but steeply dipping reflections that were absent in the original processing results. This study highlights that legacy seismic data are valuable and should be revisited regularly to take advantage of new processing algorithms and the experiences gained from processing such data in hard-rock environments elsewhere. Remembering that an initial processing job in hard rock should always aim to first obtain an overall image of the subsurface and make reflections visible, and then subsequent goals of the workflow could be set to, for example understanding relative amplitude ratios. The imaging of the known mineralization implies that this survey could likely have been among one of the pioneer studies in the world that demonstrated the capability of directly imaging massive sulphide deposits using the seismic method.     

Paleoecology and radiocarbon dating of the Pleistocene megafauna of the Brazilian Intertropical Region

During the Pleistocene a fauna composed of large (biomass > 44 kg) and giant mammals (biomass > 1000 kg) that are usually associated with open environments lived in the Brazilian Intertropical Region. We present here new information concerning the paleoecology and chronology of some species of this megafauna. Carbon isotope analyses were performed for a better understanding of the paleoecology of the species Eremotherium laurillardi (Lund, 1842), Notiomastodon platensis (Ameghino, 1888) and Toxodon platensis (Owen, 1849). The δ¹³C data allow attributing a generalist diet to these species, which varied according to the kind of habitat in which they lived. In more open habitats all species were grazers; in mixed habitats E. laurillardi and T. platensis were mixed feeders, and N. platensis was grazer; and in more closed habitats all species were mixed feeders.     

Isotope geochemistry of Paleoproterozoic metacarbonates from Itatuba,Borborema Province,Northeastern Brazil: Evidence of marble melting within a collisional suture

Strongly-deformed marbles may be easily confused with linear and elongated carbonatite intrusions. Both rocks may present similar texture and foliation to the host rock, or even cross cutting field relationships, which could be interpreted either as igneous or high-grade metamorphosed marble. Diagnostic criteria are even more complex when there is evidence of melting of the metasedimentary carbonate rock, such as has been described in the Himalayas and in the Eastern Ghats, India.In the Alto Moxotó Terrane, a high-grade gneissic domain of the Borborema Province, Northeastern Brazil, there are metacarbonates associated with banded gneisses and different metaplutonic rocks. Field evidence indicates the absence of other metasedimentary rocks associated with these marbles, thus suggesting that these carbonates were separated from other siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks. The presence of marble also suggests that it may represent the initial stage of a crustal carbon recycling into the mantle. These marbles present many field similarities to carbonatites (e.g., fluid-flow structure) and, together with metagranites and metamafic intrusions, may represent a major collisional tectonic suture.A detailed study of the carbon, oxygen and strontium isotopic composition of these marbles is presented. This study aims to identify the origin of the different isotopic components. It is argued that these rocks were subjected to temperature and pressure conditions that were sufficiently high to have melted them. The isotopic data presented here support this interpretation and indicate the mixing of two components: (i) one characterized by radiogenic Sr isotopes and mantle-like carbon isotopes, which is associated with the gneissic and mafic rocks, and (ii) another characterized by low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and highly positive δ¹³C values. Available geochemical data for the upper Paleoproterozoic indicate that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of ocean water, varying between 0.7050 (2.25 ± 0.25 Ga) and 0.7047 (1.91 Ga), falls within the lower range of the samples from Itatuba and thus reinforces the interpretation that these marbles are sedimentary-derived and were partially contaminated by interaction with the host gneissic and mafic rocks.     

Spatial and Temporal Variability of the CO2 Fluxes in a Tropical, Highly Urbanized Estuary

The spatial and temporal variations of the flux of CO₂ were determined during 2007 in the Recife estuarine system (RES), a tropical estuary that receives anthropogenic loads from one of the most populated and industrialized areas of the Brazilian coast. The RES acts as a source of nutrients (N and P) for coastal waters. The calculated CO₂ fluxes indicate that the upstream inputs of CO₂ from the rivers are largely responsible for the net annual CO₂ emission to the atmosphere of +30 to +48 mmol m^?2 day^?1, depending on the CO₂ exchange calculation used, which mainly occurs during the late austral winter and early summer. The observed inverse relationship between the CO₂ flux and the net ecosystem production (NEP) indicates the high heterotrophy of the system (except for the months of November and December). The NEP varies between ?33 mmol m^?2 day^?1 in summer and ?246 mmol m^?2 day^?1 in winter. The pCO₂ values were permanently high during the study period (average ~4,700 μatm) showing a gradient between the inner (12,900 μatm) and lower (389 μatm) sections on a path of approximately 30 km. This reflects a state of permanent pollution in the basin due to the upstream loading of untreated domestic effluents (N/P?=?1,367:6 μmol kg^?1 and pH?=?6.9 in the inner section), resulting in the continuous mineralization of organic material by heterotrophic organisms and thereby increasing the dissolved CO₂ in estuarine waters.