Loess studies in central United States: evolution of concepts

Few words in the realm of earth science have caused more debate than “loess”. It is a common term that was first used as a name of a silt deposit before it was defined in a scientific sense. Because this “loose” deposit is easily distinguished from other more coherent deposits, it was recognized as a matter of practical concern and later became the object of much scientific scrutiny. Loess was first recognized along the Rhine Valley in Germany in the 1830s and was first noted in the United States in 1846 along the lower Mississippi River where it later became the center of attention. The use of the name eventually spread around the world, but its use has not been consistently applied. Over the years some interpretations and stratigraphy correlations have been validated, but others have been hotly contested on conceptual grounds and semantic issues.

The concept of loess evolved into a complex issue as loess and loess-like deposits were discovered in different parts of the US. The evolution of concepts in the central US developed in four indefinite stages: the eras of (1) discovery and development of hypotheses, (2) conditional acceptance of the eolian origin of loess, (3) “bandwagon” popularity of loess research, and (4) analytical inquiry on the nature of loess. Toward the end of the first era around 1900, the popular opinion on the meaning of the term loess shifted from a lithological sense of loose silt to a lithogenetic sense of eolian silt. However, the dual use of the term fostered a lingering skepticism during the second era that ended in 1944 with an explosion of interest that lasted for more than a decade. In 1944, R.J. Russell proposed and H.N. Fisk defended a new non-eolian, property-based, concept of loess. The eolian advocates reacted with surprise and enthusiasm. Each side used constrained arguments to show their view of the problem, but did not examine the fundamental problem, which was not in the proofs of their hypothesis, but in the definition of the term.

Between 1944 and about 1950, the debates about loess reached a maximum level of complexity. The main semantic problem was submersed in peripheral arguments about physical properties and genetic interpretations. The scholarly treatment of the subject by Fisk and Russell stimulated quality responses from a diversity of earth scientists interested in academic and applied studies, particularly geo-history, pedology, soil mechanics and stratigraphy. The long-lasting popularity of loess studies during the bandwagon era lasted to about 1970. By that time, the analytical and technical interests had attracted the mainstream into the fourth era with a focus beyond the old arguments. Although Fisk and Russell found themselves defending an unpopular theory, they stimulated a scientific interest in the late Quaternary history of the Mississippi Valley that may never be exceeded.     

The behavior of magneto-acoustic-gravity waves near the cusp resonance in a lossless,compressible, isothermal,stratified, electrically conducting and uniformly magnetized atmosphere. II: The valve effect

Abstract

In the present paper the behavior of (internal) magneto-acoustic-gravity waves near the cusp resonance in a lossless, compressible, isothermal, stratified, electrically conducting atmosphere that is permeated by a uniform, nearly horizontal magnetic field is re-addressed (Kamp, 1989). The previously analyzed linear conversion of long acoustic-gravity waves into short magneto-acoustic waves that carry off the energy from the resonance region along the magnetic field, is re-analyzed with boundary layer techniques that are based on the smallness of the vertical component of the magnetic field. More specifically the existence of the so-called valve effect for the generated magneto-acoustic mode near the critical level is explicitly demonstrated and shown to be governed by two rivalling effects.     

Archean (about 2500 Ma) anatexis in eastern North China Block

Two Neoarchean alkaline feldspar-rich granites sourced from partially melted granulite-facies granodioritic orthogneiss have been here recognised in the eastern part of the North China Block (NCB). These poorly foliated granites have previously been assumed to be Mesozoic in age and never dated, and so their significance has not been recognised until now. The first granite (AG1) is a porphyritic syenogranite with megacrystic K-feldspar, and the second (AG2) is a quartz syenite with perthitic megacryst. Zircons from the granites yield LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of 2499 ± 10 Ma (AG1), and 2492 ± 28 Ma (AG2), which are slightly younger than the granodioritic orthogneiss that they intrude with a crystallisation U-Pb age of 2537 ± 34 Ma. The younger granites have higher assays for SiO₂ (71.91% for AG1 and 73.22% for AG2) and K₂O (7.52% for AG1 and 8.37% for AG2), and much lower assays for their other major element than the granodioritic orthogneiss. All of the granodioritic orthogneiss and granite samples have similar trace element patterns, with depletion in Th, U, Nb, and Ti and enrichment in Rb, Ba, K, La, Ce, and P. This indicates that the granites are derived from the orthogneiss as partial melts. Although they exhibit a similar REE pattern, the granites have much lower total REE contents (30.97×10⁻⁶ for AG1, and 25.93×10⁻⁶ for AG2), but pronounced positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 8.57 for AG1 and 27.04 for AG2). The granodioritic orthogneiss has an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70144, εNd(t) value of 3.5, and εHf(t) values ranging from −3.2 to +2.9. The orthogneiss is a product of fractional crystallisation from a dioritic magma, which was derived from a mantle source contaminated by melts derived from a felsic slab. By contrast, the AG1 sample has an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.6926 that is considered too low in value, εNd(t) value of 0.3, and εHf(t) values between +0.57 and +3.82; whereas the AG2 sample has an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70152, εNd(t) value of 1.3, and εHf(t) values between +0.5 and +14.08. These assays indicate that a Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic disequilibrium exists between the granite and granodioritic orthogneiss. The elevated εHf(t) values of the granites can be explained by the involvement of Hf-bearing minerals, such as orthopyroxene, amphibole, and biotite, in anatectic reactions in the granodioritic orthogneiss. Based on the transitional relationship between the granites and granodioritic orthogneiss and the geochemical characteristics mentioned above, it is concluded that the granites are the product of rapid partial-melting of the granodioritic orthogneiss after granulite-facies metamorphism, and their crystallisation age of about 2500 Ma provides the minimum age of the metamorphism. This about 2500 Ma tectonic-metamorphic event in NCB is similar to the other cratons in India, Antarctica, northern and southern Australia, indicating a possible connection between these cratons during the Neoarchean.     

海相沉积物中的氧化作用和有机质保存:来自富有机碳古沉积物的直接实验证据

什么变量控制着海相沉积物中的有机质(OM)保存是当今生物地球化学研究中的一个最复杂和有争议的问题(Hedges等,1999),使均变论的应用复杂化,即不能简单地用现在的现象去解释过去。具体说,氧化作用在形成富有机碳古沉积物(如地中海腐泥)中扮演一个什么角色一直是人们争论的问题。实验室试验研究了氧对现代沉积物OM降解的影响,研究中主要使用了富碳的海岸沉积物,揭示了除最具反应性的部分之外,在缺氧情况下OM降解过程明显缓慢。然而,在氧化性好、有机质缺乏的深海沉积物中可能有不同的趋势,现在我们仍需要弄清在地质年代中是否缺氧条件增强…     

Evaluation of policy options for the live reef food fish trade in the province of Palawan,Western Philippines

The live reef food fish (LRFF) trade has an estimated annual retail value of US$1 billion in the Asia-Pacific region and at least US$30 million in the Philippines. Palawan Province is the trade's center accounting for as much as 55% of the commodity's total export. Concern about the LRFF trade has caused the Palawan Provincial government to take action to regulate the trade. Four key policy options to address the short-term policy objective of developing a sustainable LRFF industry through the reduction of threats associated with destructive fishing and overfishing were proposed. These four policy options and associated analyses were presented to stakeholders at three separate policy consultations. The stakeholders reached a consensus that a regulated LRFF trade was the most sensible option. As a result, the Provincial Government of Palawan took action to enact “The Palawan Live Reef Fish Ordinance of 2006”, which provides for the sustainable and integrated regulation of the LRFF industry. This provincial ordinance will assist in crafting a national policy for the LRFF trade and may also be useful in revising the 1998 Philippine Fisheries Code. The key challenge is how to translate the ordinance provisions into effective on-the-ground actions.     

Response of the mesozooplankton community of the St Lucia estuary,South Africa,to a mouth-opening event during an extended drought

Mesozooplankton samples were collected between March 2005 and November 2008 in St Lucia, the largest estuarine lake system in South Africa. St Lucia experienced an extended period of drought before and during the present study. This drought led to natural closing of the estuary mouth as a result of flood-tide marine sediment deposition in 2002. In March 2007 the mouth was washed open by exceptionally high tidal and wave conditions. This resulted in an influx of a large volume of seawater. The mouth closed again in August 2007. Before opening of the mouth salinities in the Estuary were below 10 and large parts of North Lake dried up while South Lake retained a relatively stable waterbody with salinities between 10 and 30. When the mouth opened seawater flooded the system and salinities changed to about 35. After the mouth had closed again in August 2007 salinities increased in the lakes and decreased in the Estuary. The mesozooplankton community was dominated by copepods during all sampling sessions, especially by the estuarine calanoids Pseudodiaptomus stuhlmanni and Acartia natalensis. Mean mesozooplankton densities were significantly higher in South Lake before the mouth opened in March 2007. While zooplankton density decreased when the mouth opened species richness increased with the influx of coastal marine species, especially in the Estuary. Overall zooplankton densities declined progressively as salinity increased to hypersaline levels after mouth closure. Multivariate analyses supported significant differences between the lakes and the Estuary in terms of mesozooplankton community composition. Taxa mostly responsible for the similarities within and dissimilarity between sections of the system were the copepods P. stuhlmanni and A. natalensis with the meroplankton, crab zoeae and mollusc larvae, also contributing significantly after the mouth-opening event.     

Subsoil zoning of Mexico City using qualitative relationships between soil strength and electrical resistivity

Summary The seismic events occurring on 19 and 20 September 1985, whose epicentre was located in the coastal region of Michoacan, Mexico, produced tremendous damage in Mexico City. As a result of these losses the civil authorities of the city decided to study and evaluate the mechanical characteristics of the subsoil. To achieve this, it was necessary to drill several boreholes to obtain needed geophysical and geotechnical information. The geophysical method of electrical resistivity was the most appropriate to the research. This method enabled us to understand the structure and soil characteristics of the Mexican Valley.     

Estimation of a multidimensional covariance function in case of anisotropy

A model of a multivariate covariance function with an ellipsoidal directional correlation scale has been developed. The axes of the ellipsoidal scale are related to the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a matrix B which characterizes the ellipsoid of the range of influence. The matrix B is found to be related to a matrix T which can be estimated directly from sparse sampling data and can be used to determine estimates of the matrix B. The method has been applied to both two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases. The numerical results show that the satisfactory accuracy is obtained with sparse sampling data from an anisotropic random function.