Inverse modeling and uncertainty analysis of potential groundwater recharge to the confined semi-fossil Ohangwena II Aquifer,Namibia

The identification of potential recharge areas and estimation of recharge rates to the confined semi-fossil Ohangwena II Aquifer (KOH-2) is crucial for its future sustainable use. The KOH-2 is located within the endorheic transboundary Cuvelai-Etosha-Basin (CEB), shared by Angola and Namibia. The main objective was the development of a strategy to tackle the problem of data scarcity, which is a well-known problem in semi-arid regions. In a first step, conceptual geological cross sections were created to illustrate the possible geological setting of the system. Furthermore, groundwater travel times were estimated by simple hydraulic calculations. A two-dimensional numerical groundwater model was set up to analyze flow patterns and potential recharge zones. The model was optimized against local observations of hydraulic heads and groundwater age. The sensitivity of the model against different boundary conditions and internal structures was tested. Parameter uncertainty and recharge rates were estimated. Results indicate that groundwater recharge to the KOH-2 mainly occurs from the Angolan Highlands in the northeastern part of the CEB. The sensitivity of the groundwater model to different internal structures is relatively small in comparison to changing boundary conditions in the form of influent or effluent streams. Uncertainty analysis underlined previous results, indicating groundwater recharge originating from the Angolan Highlands. The estimated recharge rates are less than 1% of mean yearly precipitation, which are reasonable for semi-arid regions.     

Estimation of instantaneous peak flows from maximum mean daily flows using the HBV hydrological model

The record length and quality of instantaneous peak flows (IPFs) have a great influence on flood design, but these high resolution flow data are not always available. The primary aim of this study is to compare different strategies to derive frequency distributions of IPFs using the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) hydrologic model. The model is operated on a daily and an hourly time step for 18 catchments in the Aller‐Leine basin, Germany. Subsequently, general extreme value (GEV) distributions are fitted to the simulated annual series of daily and hourly extreme flows. The resulting maximum mean daily flow (MDF) quantiles from daily simulations are transferred into IPF quantiles using a multiple regression model, which enables a direct comparison with the simulated hourly quantiles. As long climate records with a high temporal resolution are not available, the hourly simulations require a disaggregation of the daily rainfall. Additionally, two calibrations strategies are applied: (1) a calibration on flow statistics; (2) a calibration on hydrographs. The results show that: (1) the multiple regression model is capable of predicting IPFs with the simulated MDFs; (2) both daily simulations with post‐correction of flows and hourly simulations with pre‐processing of precipitation enable a reasonable estimation of IPFs; (3) the best results are achieved using disaggregated rainfall for hourly modelling with calibration on flow statistics; and (4) if the IPF observations are not sufficient for model calibration on flow statistics, the transfer of MDFs via multiple regressions is a good alternative for estimating IPFs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rift induced delamination of mantle lithosphere and crustal uplift: a new mechanism for explaining Rwenzori Mountains’ extreme elevation?

With heights of 4–5 km, the topography of Rwenzori Mountains, a large horst of old crustal rocks located inside a young passive rift system, poses the question “Why are the Rwenzori Mountains so high?”. The Cenozoic Western Rift branch of the East African Rift System is situated within the Late Proterozoic mobile belts between the Archean Tanzania Craton and Congo Craton. The special geological setting of the massif at a rift node encircled by the ends of the northern Western Rift segments of Lake Albert and Lake Edward suggests that the mechanism responsible for the high elevation of the Rwenzoris is related to the rifting process. Our hypothesis is based on the propagation of the rift tips, surrounding the stiff old lithosphere at Rwenzori region, thereby triggering the delamination of the cold and dense mantle lithosphere (ML) root by reducing viscosity and strength of the undermost lower crust. As a result, this unloading induces fast isostatic pop-up of the less dense crustal Rwenzori block. We term this RID—“rift induced delamination of Mantle Lithosphere”. The physical consistency of the RID hypothesis is tested numerically. Viscous flow of 2D models is approximated by a Finite Difference Method with markers in an Eulerian formulation. The equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy are solved for a multi-component system. Based on laboratory data of appropriate rock samples, a temperature-, pressure- and stress-dependent rheology is assumed. Assuming a simple starting model with a locally heated ML, the ML block between the weakened zones becomes unstable and sinks into the asthenosphere, while the overlying continental crust rises up. Thus, RID seems to be a viable mechanism to explain geodynamically the extreme uplift. Important conditions are a thermal anomaly within the ML, a ductile lower crust with visco-plastic rheology allowing significant strength reduction and lateral density variations. The special situation of a two-sided rifting or offset rift segments to decouple the ML laterally from the surrounding continental lithosphere seems to be most decisive. Further support for the RID mechanism may come from additional crustal thickness and an extensive stress field. Some parameters, such as the excess temperature and yield stress, are very sensitive, small changes determine whether delamination takes place or not.     

Mercury and mercury compounds in surface air, soil gas, soils and rocks

Secondary mercury dispersion haloes were detected and defined above sulphide mineralization by in-situ mercury in soil gas measurements. The meteorological factors controlling the concentration of mercury in soil gas were investigated by long-term experiments. Different mercury compounds in soils and rocks have been determined by a thermal destruction technique. In areas with sulphide mineralization, adsorbed mercury, HgCl₂, HgS, HgSO₄ and organically fixed mercury are the most important mercury compounds. The concentrations, transport and secondary formation of mercury and its compounds is controlled by: (1) the content of organic matter, Fe-oxides/hydroxides and clay minerals of the soils; and (2) the composition of the underlying rocks.The occurrence of mercury-sulphur compounds indicates the topographic influence on down-slope dispersion and the direction of inclination of the ore body. HgS and HgSO₄ are the dominant mercury compounds in the ore; in the bedrock, mercury occurs mainly as adsorbed mercury.     

Presolar nanodiamonds: faster, cleaner, and limits on platinum-HL

We have developed a procedure that allows extraction of clean nanodiamond samples from primitive meteorites for isotopic analyses of trace elements on a timescale of just a week. This procedure includes microwave digestion and optimization of existing isolation techniques for further purification. Abundances of trace elements that are difficult to dissolve using standard procedures (e.g., Ir) are lower in the diamond residues prepared using the new technique. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) was explored as a means for isotopic measurements. Results obtained on diamond fractions from Allende and Murchison show the need for suitable matrix-adjusted standards to correct for fractionation effects; nevertheless they allow putting an upper limit on the abundance of ¹⁹⁸Pt-H in nanodiamonds of ∼1 × 10¹⁴ atoms/g. This limit is on the order of what can be expected from predictions of competing nucleosynthesis models and extrapolation of the apparently mass dependent abundance trend of the associated noble gases.Unfortunately, and unexpectedly, presolar silicon carbide is almost quantitatively dissolved during microwave digestion with HCl/HF/HNO₃. Re-evaluation of the standard extraction technique, however, shows that it also may lead to severe loss of fine-grained SiC, a fact not commonly appreciated. A lower limit to SiC abundance in Murchison is 20 ppm, and previous conclusions that Murchison SiC is unusually coarse-grained compared to SiC in other primitive meteorites seem not to be warranted. Graphite and silicon nitride may survive and possibly can be separated after this step as suggested by a simulation experiment using terrestrial analog material, but the detailed behavior of meteoritic graphite requires further study.     

A vacuum sampler for subsampling freeze-dried laminated sediments with the application toin situ frozen varves of Mondsee,Austria

A method was developed for subsampling freeze-dried laminated sediments that employs a vacuum to draw off sediment from the sample in a precise way. The technique was tested on anin situ frozen sediment core of Mondsee containing varves 2 to 7 mm thick. Material was subsampled for¹³⁷Cs dating.     

Temporal Gravity Variations near Shrinking Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland

Repeated gravity measurements were carried out from 1991 until 1999 at sites SE of Vatnajökull, Iceland, to estimate the mass flow and deformation accompanying the shrinking of the ice cap. Published GPS data show an uplift of about 13 ± 5 mm/a near the ice margin. A gravity decrease of –2 ± 1 μGal/a relative to the Höfn base station, was observed for the same sites. Control measurements at the Höfn station showed a gravity decrease of –2 ± 0.5 µGal/a relative to the station RVIK 5473 at Reykjavík (about 250 km from Höfn). This is compatible, as a Bouguer effect, with a 10 ± 3 mm/a uplift rate of the IGS point at Höfn and an uplift rate of ~20 mm/a near the ice margin. Although the derived gravity change rates at individual sites have large uncertainties, the ensemble of the rates varies systematically and significantly with distance from the ice. The relationship between gravity and elevation changes and the shrinking ice mass is modelled as response to the loading history. The GPS data can be explained by 1-D modelling (i.e., an earth model with a 15-km thick elastic lithosphere and a 7·10¹⁷ Pa·s asthenosphere viscosity), but not the gravity data. Based on 2-D modelling, the gravity data favour a low-viscosity plume in the form of a cylinder of 80 km radius and 10¹⁷ to 10¹⁸ Pa·s viscosity below a 6 km-thick elastic lid, embedded in a layered PREM-type earth, although the elevation data are less well explained by this model. Strain-porosity-hydrology effects are likely to enhance the magnitude of the gravity changes, but need verification by drilling. More accurate data may resolve the discrepancies or suggest improved models.