Graphite in Kupferschiefer (Poland) and its genetic meaning

Graphite forms crystals up to 0.08 mm in size in carbonates or argillaceous carbonates directly under- and overlying black shale. Increased contents of Si, Al, Ca, and K in graphite are related to intercalations of graphite-montmorillonite and less to intercalations of graphite-illite. Quartz and gibbsite are also detected. The formation of graphite was probably a two-stage process:

1. Catalytic oxidation of organic matter. As a result of oxidation original organic matter has been enriched as aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene ring compounds) being most resistant to oxidation.
2. Ordering of conjugated benzene rings on the 001 montmorillonite plane as a matrix. As a result, the c₀ of dry montmorillonite increased to 1.678±0.020 or 2.450±0.050 nm. Primary layers of graphite became themselves matrices for the next layers of conjugated rings producing microscopically visible graphite.

To a less extent the process of dehydrogenesis and conjugation of aromatic rings took place in a reaction with Al, Si, and OH of phyllosilicates producing Al(OH)₃ (gibbsite), former H₄SiO₄ (now quartz), and H₂O.     

Milankovic’s theory: multidimensional visualisation of the change of insolation and indicators of climatic change from 100000 before present to 100000 after present (in intervals of 1,000 years)

The deviation of the insolation on the earth’s surface from the past to the present and the present to the future for cloudless days is calculated in intervals of 1,000 years from 100000 years before present (BP) to 100000 years after present (AP), its basis being Milankovic’s theory. But the result are not the well-known Milankovic-curves, which are calculated for different latitudes and in which the x-axis represents years and the y-axis represents the insolation difference to present during the North-summer half-year. The calculations are made for each day of the selected years from the South Pole to the North Pole. Thus, two temporal dimensions are represented, that of a year and that of a day, furthermore the spatial dimension “latitude” and the dimension “energy” (insolation deviation). The performance of modern PCs allows the results of the calculations to be presented by a graphical animation. A determined deviation pattern of the insolation is obtained for each year. δ¹⁸O data, the mean global temperature and the additional ice volume on the continents are added to the graphic representations of those patterns for the period from 100000 years BP to the present. During that period insolation deviation patterns can be recognised which correlate with cool climates or climates getting cooler, and others which correlate with relatively warm climates or climates getting warmer. Correlations between the patterns are calculated and groups of similar patterns can be composed which can be associated in most cases with specific climatic conditions or specific climatic change. Comparison of patterns between 100000 years and present BP with patterns between present and 100000 years AP can help to estimate climatic change during the 100000 years ahead.     

Electrokinetic remediation of an electroplating site: design and scale-up for an in-situ application in the unsaturated zone

In-situ electrokinetic remediation of contaminated soils requires integrated approaches and adequately engineered setups to control relevant mass fluxes. Based on laboratory findings, this study presents the design of a pilot-scale remediation at an operating electroplating site. The fine-textured soil developed from Jurassic limestone exhibits a chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc contamination down to depths of more than 4 m. The feasibility of an electrokinetic remediation in the unsaturated zone was tested in a lab-scale experiment with subsoil material sampled at the site. The electrodes were placed in water-impermeable, ion-selective membrane wells. This construction allows the necessary watering of the electrodes, maintains unsaturated conditions in the soil compartment, and enables the transfer of contaminant ions into the wells. In addition, the soil is protected from pH changes caused by water electrolysis at the electrodes. The setup includes a watering and drainage system to compensate the electroosmotic water flux and impede desiccation of the anodic region. With a direct current of 70 V and an electric field strength of 2.2 V cm⁻¹, contaminant removal rates amounted up to 27% and 66% (w/w) of the initial zinc/copper and chromium/nickel concentrations. Copper, nickel, and zinc accumulated in the cathode well, while chromate species were enriched in the anode well. Given the successful lab-scale remediation, the pilot plant was designed for the in-situ treatment of a soil volume of 12 m³ below a production hall. A power of 500 V DC at a maximum current of 30 A is supplied by a transformer rectifier. This yields an electric field strength comparable to the lab-scale experiment and thereby similar contaminant transport velocities. A vacuum distillation unit is employed for process water reuse and to control electrolyte conductivity. To cope with chlorine gas generation at the anodes a gas absorber unit is employed. According to the lab-scale results, about 2, 9, 9, and 15 kg zinc, chromium, copper, and nickel, respectively, are expected to be removed from the field plot during an operation time of 10 months.     

Lunar X-ray fluorescence observations by the Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS): Results from the nearside southern highlands

The Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) flown on-board the first Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, measured X-ray fluorescence spectra during several episodes of solar flares during its operational period of ∼9 months. The accompanying X-ray Solar Monitor (XSM) provided simultaneous spectra of solar X-rays incident on the Moon which are essential to derive elemental chemistry. In this paper, we present the surface abundances of Mg, Al, Si, Ca and Fe, derived from C1XS data for a highland region on the southern nearside of the Moon. Analysis techniques are described in detail including absolute X-ray line flux derivation and conversion into elemental abundance. The results are consistent with a composition rich in plagioclase with a slight mafic mineral enhancement and a Ca/Al ratio that is significantly lower than measured in lunar returned samples. We suggest various possible scenarios to explain the deviations.     

Regolith thickness over the lunar nearside: Results from Earth-based 70-cm Arecibo radar observations

The inversion of regolith thickness over the nearside hemisphere of the Moon from newly acquired Earth-based 70-cm Arecibo radar data is investigated using a quantitative radar scattering model. The radar scattering model takes into account scattering from both the lunar surface and buried rocks in the lunar regolith, and three parameters are critically important in predicting the radar backscattering coefficient: the dielectric constant of the lunar regolith, the surface roughness, and the size and abundance of subsurface rocks. The measured dielectric properties of the Apollo regolith samples at 450 MHz are re-analyzed, and an improved relation among the complex dielectric constant, bulk density and regolith composition is obtained. The complex dielectric constant of the lunar regolith is estimated globally from this relation using the regolith composition derived from Lunar Prospector gamma-ray spectrometer data. To constrain the lunar surface roughness and abundance of subsurface rocks from radar data, nine regions are selected as calibration sites where the regolith thickness has been estimated using independent analysis techniques. For these sites, scattering from the lunar surface and buried rocks cannot be perfectly distinguished, and a tradeoff relationship exists between the size and abundance of buried rocks and surface roughness. Using these tradeoff relations as guidelines for globally representative parameters, the regolith thickness of four regions over the lunar nearside is inverted, and the inversion uncertainties caused by calibration errors of the radar data and model input parameters are analyzed. The regolith thickness of the maria is generally smaller than that of highlands, and older surfaces have thicker regolith thicknesses. Our approach cannot be applied to regions where the surface roughness is very high, such as with young rocky craters and regions in the highly rugged highlands.     

Farside explorer: unique science from a mission to the farside of the moon

Farside Explorer is a proposed Cosmic Vision medium-size mission to the farside of the Moon consisting of two landers and an instrumented relay satellite. The farside of the Moon is a unique scientific platform in that it is shielded from terrestrial radio-frequency interference, it recorded the primary differentiation and evolution of the Moon, it can be continuously monitored from the Earth–Moon L2 Lagrange point, and there is a complete lack of reflected solar illumination from the Earth. Farside Explorer will exploit these properties and make the first radio-astronomy measurements from the most radio-quiet region of near-Earth space, determine the internal structure and thermal evolution of the Moon, from crust to core, and quantify impact hazards in near-Earth space by the measurement of flashes generated by impact events. The Farside Explorer flight system includes two identical solar-powered landers and a science/telecommunications relay satellite to be placed in a halo orbit about the Earth–Moon L2 Lagrange point. One lander would explore the largest and oldest recognized impact basin in the Solar System— the South Pole–Aitken basin—and the other would investigate the primordial highlands crust. Radio astronomy, geophysical, and geochemical instruments would be deployed on the surface, and the relay satellite would continuously monitor the surface for impact events.