The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants

I briefly present the Organizing Committee's and my own motivation for organizing this workshop, and I suggest a few key questions for which we will try to find possible answers in the coming days. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stray-light measurements at the Observatorio del Teide

A new procedure to separate the instrumental and atmospheric components of stray light is presented. It is based on the dependence of the aureole's atmospheric component on the air mass and is applied to measurements taken with the Vacuum Newton Telescope (VNT) at the Observatorio del Teide (Tenerife). The resulting instrumental part is independent of the air mass.The variation of both components with wavelength is also studied. The instrumental component shows no dependence on wavelength, in contrast to the atmospheric one which is greater in the blue than in the red.It is concluded that observations with air masses larger than two will probably be strongly affected by stray light.     

Lithium Abundances in the Atmospheres of SLR C-Giants WZ Cas and WX Cyg from Resonance and Subordinate Li I Lines

Lithium abundances in the atmospheres of the super Li-rich C-giants WZ Cas and WX Cyg are derived by the spectral synthesis technique using the Li I resonance line at λ670.8 nm and three subordinate lines at λλ 812.6, 610.4 and 497.2 nm. The differences between the Li abundances derived from the λ670.8 nm line and the λλ 497.2, 812.6 nm lines do not exceed ±0.5 dex. The lithium line at λ610.4 nm provides typically lower abundances than the resonance line (by ≈ 1 dex). The mean LTE and NLTE Li abundances from three Li I lines (excluding λ610.4 nm) are 4.7, 4.9 for WZ Cas, and 4.6, 4.8 for WX Cyg, respectively. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detailed <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of geologic events associated with the Mantos Blancos copper deposit,northern Chile

The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological method was applied to date magmatic and hydrothermal alteration events in the Mantos Blancos mining district in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile, allowing the distinction of two separate mineralization events. The Late Jurassic Mantos Blancos orebody, hosted in Jurassic volcanic rocks, is a magmatic-hydrothermal breccia-style Cu deposit. Two superimposed mineralization events have been recently proposed. The first event is accompanied by a phyllic hydrothermal alteration affecting a rhyolitic dome. The second mineralization event is related to the intrusion of bimodal stocks and sills inside the deposit. Because of the superposition of several magmatic and hydrothermal events, the obtained ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age data are complex; however, with a careful interpretation of the age spectra, it is possible to detect complex histories of successive emplacement, alteration, mineralization, and thermal resetting. The extrusion of Jurassic basic to intermediate volcanic rocks of the La Negra Formation is dated at 156.3 ± 1.4 Ma (2σ) using plagioclase from an andesitic lava flow. The first mineralization event and associated phyllic alteration affecting the rhyolitic dome occurred around 155–156 Ma. A younger bimodal intrusive event, supposed to be equivalent to the bimodal stock and sill system inside the deposit, is probably responsible for the second mineralization event dated at ca. 142 Ma. Other low-temperature alteration events have been dated on sericitized plagioclase at ca. 145–146, 125, and 101 Ma. This is the first time that two distinct mineralization events have been documented from radiometric data for a copper deposit in the metallogenic belt of the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Late Carboniferous porphyry copper mineralization at La Voluntad,Neuquén,Argentina: Constraints from Re–Os molybdenite dating

The La Voluntad porphyry Cu–Mo deposit in Neuquén, Argentina, is one of several poorly known porphyry-type deposits of Paleozoic to Early Jurassic age in the central and southern Andes. Mineralization at La Voluntad is related to a tonalite porphyry from the Chachil Plutonic Complex that intruded metasedimentary units of the Piedra Santa Complex. Five new Re–Os molybdenite ages from four samples representing three different vein types (i.e., quartz–molybdenite, quartz–sericite–molybdenite and quartz–sericite–molybdenite ± chalcopyrite–pyrite) are identical within error and were formed between ~312 to ~316 Ma. Rhenium and Os concentrations range between 34 to 183 ppm and 112 to 599 ppb, respectively. The new Re–Os ages indicate that the main mineralization event at La Voluntad, associated to sericitic alteration, was emplaced during a time span of 1.7 ± 3.2 Ma and that the deposit is Carboniferous in age, not Permian as previously thought. La Voluntad is the oldest porphyry copper deposit so far recognized in the Andes and indicates the presence of an active magmatic arc, with associated porphyry style mineralization, at the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana during the Early Pennsylvanian.     

The pathway of mercury in contaminated waters determined by association with organic carbon (Tagus Estuary,Portugal)

Reactive dissolved Hg (Hg_R), non-reactive dissolved Hg (Hg_NR), particulate Hg (Hg_P), dissolved organic C (DOC), particulate organic C (POC), salinity and other interpretative parameters were determined in water samples collected in the North Channel and in adjacent areas of the Tagus estuary (Portugal). Higher concentrations of both dissolved and particulate Hg in the North Channel indicate a pollution source and raise the possibility of Hg escaping to adjacent areas by tidal action. This transport was confirmed by the increase of Hg_R with salinity and Hg_NR with DOC, along a longitudinal axis paralleling the North Channel. Apparently, Hg leaving this channel is progressively complexed by inorganic and organic ligands. Near the mouth of the estuary, values decreased reflecting dilution with seawater. Moreover the Hg_P:POC ratio also increased seaward, suggesting mixing with Hg enriched particles that escaped the North Channel, or incorporation of dissolved Hg species in river-derived particles. These results suggest that the pathway of anthropogenic Hg in contaminated waters may be identified by their enrichment in organic matter, both in the dissolved and particulate fraction.     

The passivation of calcite by acid mine water. Column experiments with ferric sulfate and ferric chloride solutions at pH 2

Column experiments, simulating the behavior of passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage, have been performed. Acid solutions (HCl or H₂SO₄, pH 2), with initial concentrations of Fe(III) ranging from 250 to 1500 mg L⁻¹, were injected into column reactors packed with calcite grains at a constant flow rate. The composition of the solutions was monitored during the experiments. At the end of the experiments (passivation of the columns), the composition and structure of the solids were measured. The dissolution of calcite in the columns caused an increase in pH and the release of Ca into the solution, leading to the precipitation of gypsum and Fe–oxyhydroxysulfates (Fe(III)–SO₄–H⁺ solutions) or Fe–oxyhydroxychlorides (Fe(III)–Cl–H⁺ solutions). The columns worked as an efficient barrier for some time, increasing the pH of the circulating solutions from 2 to 6–7 and removing its metal content. However, after some time (several weeks, depending on the conditions), the columns became chemically inert. The results showed that passivation time increased with decreasing anion and metal content of the solutions. Gypsum was the phase responsible for the passivation of calcite in the experiments with Fe(III)–SO₄–H⁺ solutions. Schwertmannite and goethite appeared as the Fe(III) secondary phases in those experiments. Akaganeite was the phase responsible for the passivation of the system in the experiments with Fe(III)–Cl–H⁺ solutions.     

Short-Term Benthic Recolonization after Dredging in the Harbour of Ceuta, North Africa

Abstract. The benthic recovery after dredging (area: 2625 m²) was studied in a polluted and enclosed area of the harbour of Ceuta, in which the recolonization through the water column (larvae and adult bedload transport) could be limited by the lack of renewal. The benthos was sampled at two sites (control and dredged) using a van Veen grab and adopting a BACI (Before, After, Control, Impacted) approach. Five samplings were conducted after dredging (3, 15, 30, 90, 180 days). The proportion of gravel in the sediment of the dredged site increased after dredging, while the organic matter decreased. The impact on the community was estimated at species level, using both univariate and multivariate analyses. The maximum negative effect on benthic macrofauna was a reduction by 65% for species richness (15 days after dredging) and by 75% for abundance (3 days after dredging). Between 15 and 30 days after dredging, the abundance of some species such as the molluscs Parvicardium exiguum and Retusa obtusa and the polychaete Pseudomalacoceros tridentata increased considerably in the dredged site, while typical ‘opportunistic’ species such as Capitella capitata were disfavoured by the disturbance. For this small‐scale dredging, about 6 months are required for the disturbed area to re‐establish a sediment structure and a macrobenthic community similar to the undisturbed area. Small‐patch dredging operations are proposed in harbour management whenever possible, since they allow a quick re‐adjustment of the initial sediment structure and benthic communities.