Coesite in suevite from the Ries impact structure (Germany): From formation to postshock evolution

Coesite is one of the most common and abundant high‐pressure phases occurring in impactites. The mechanism of formation of coesite and its postshock evolution is revisited in this paper based on Raman microspectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy of a coesite‐bearing suevite from the Ries impact structure. Our data indicate that coesite forms through a single process, i.e., by crystallization from high‐pressure silica melt, and that its formation is related to fluid inclusions in precursor quartz. During the postshock phase, coesite aggregates are partially modified by annealing and interactions with fluids. In an early stage of the postshock evolution, coesite is back‐transformed to quartz and the surrounding diaplectic glass devitrifies into β‐cristobalite, which transforms into α‐cristobalite and then into microcrystalline quartz during subsequent stages of the postshock evolution. Altogether these postshock modifications result in a significant volume loss and extensional fracturing. During a late postshock stage, the fractures are filled with clay minerals due to circulation of hydrothermal fluids.     

A simple model of hillslope response for overland flow generation

This paper deals with the derivation of the hydrological response of a hillslope on the assumption of quick runoff by surface runoff generation. By using the simple non‐linear storage based model, first proposed by Horton, an analytical solution of the overland flow equations over a plane hillslope was derived. This solution establishes a generalization for different flow regimes of Horton's original solution, which is valid for the transitional flow regime only. The solution proposed was compared successfully with that of Horton and, for the turbulent flow regime, to the one derived from kinematic wave theory. This solution can be applied easily to both stationary and non‐stationary rainfall excess events. An analytical solution for the instantaneous response function (IRF) was also derived. Finally, simple expressions to compute peak and time to peak of IRF are proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermodynamical Gruneisen's function for pure iron at the Earth's core conditions

summary . Calculations of the thermodynamical Gruneisen's gamma as a function of temperature and volume for iron are presented. The ranges of the relevant pressures and temperatures extend to those corresponding to the Earth's core. The various crystal structures of iron and several kinds of inter-molecular potential functions are considered. It is found that it is not possible to describe the Gruneisen's gamma for iron with the accuracy needed for an assessment of the thermal state of the core mainly because the available experimental data do not allow a definite choice among the possible potential functions.     

Protogalactic explosions and intracluster chemical enrichment

Using a hydrodynamic model of protogalactic evolution, we explain the amount of iron in rich clusters, deduced from X-ray observations. In fact, our calculations show that a strong shock wave originates in the first violent collapse phase and leaves the protogalaxy, carrying out a substantial fraction of its mass, with roughly solar metallicity and high temperature (10⁷–10⁸ K). We also show that hot material ejected from proto-cD galaxies can probably explain the observed X-ray emission in clusters.     

Spatial and temporal variability of hard-bottom macrofauna in a disturbed coastal lagoon (Sacca di Goro, Po River Delta, Northwestern Adriatic Sea)

The sessile and mobile macrobenthos on artificial hard bottoms was studied in 12 stations of the Sacca di Goro lagoon, a brackish, highly stressed water basin in the delta of the river Po, open to the Northwestern Adriatic Sea. Three sampling surveys were carried out in June and September 2000 and June 2001 in order to make three types of temporal comparisons: (i) on a seasonal scale, before and after a summer dystrophic event; (ii) on an annual basis, before and after the works of excavation of a canal through the outer sand bank; (iii) on a multiannual scale, comparing the data with those of a survey carried out in 1988. The biocoenoses did not show large fluctuations after a moderately severe summer dystrophic crisis, while the digging of the canal caused clear changes in the macrobenthos community structure after one year. The long-term comparison showed a shift in the community patterns after a decade.     

Quartz preferred orientation in naturally deformed mylonitic rocks (Montalto shear zone–Italy): a comparison of results by different techniques,their advantages and limitations

International Journal of Earth Sciences - In the geologic record, the quartz c-axis patterns are widely adopted in the investigation of crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) of naturally...     

Critical appraisal on the identification of Reference Conditions for the evaluation of ecological quality status along the Emilia-Romagna coast (Italy) using M-AMBI

According to the European Water Framework Directive, the ecological status (ES) of a water body is determined by comparing observation data with undisturbed Reference Conditions (RCs). Defining RCs is crucial when evaluating the ES of a water body as it strongly affects the final outcome of any index application. Identifying RCs by observing real sites is not feasible in many marine environments, such as the Emilia-Romagna coast (Italy, N-Adriatic Sea). We used a statistical approach on a large dataset to derive RCs for the application of the benthic index M-AMBI in this area. We then applied M-AMBI to samples collected along a gradient of presumed environmental disturbance. The results put 14.8% of the Emilia-Romagna samples in “High” ES, 60.2% in “Good”, 23.0% in “Moderate” and 2.0% in “Poor”, showing a spatial gradient of improving quality. These results are in agreement with the extensive ecological knowledge available for this area.     

Surface complexation modeling for predicting solid phase arsenic concentrations in the sediments of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, Arkansas, USA

The potential health impact of As in drinking water supply systems in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in the state of Arkansas, USA is significant. In this context it is important to understand the occurrence, distribution and mobilization of As in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Application of surface complexation models (SCMs) to predict the sorption behavior of As and hydrous Fe oxides (HFO) in the laboratory has increased in the last decade. However, the application of SCMs to predict the sorption of As in natural sediments has not often been reported, and such applications are greatly constrained by the lack of site-specific model parameters. Attempts have been made to use SCMs considering a component additivity (CA) approach which accounts for relative abundances of pure phases in natural sediments, followed by the addition of SCM parameters individually for each phase. Although few reliable and internally consistent sorption databases related to HFO exist, the use of SCMs using laboratory-derived sorption databases to predict the mobility of As in natural sediments has increased. This study is an attempt to evaluate the ability of the SCMs using the geochemical code PHREEQC to predict solid phase As in the sediments of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in Arkansas. The SCM option of the double-layer model (DLM) was simulated using ferrihydrite and goethite as sorbents quantified from chemical extractions, calculated surface-site densities, published surface properties, and published laboratory-derived sorption constants for the sorbents. The model results are satisfactory for shallow wells (10.6 m below ground surface), where the redox condition is relatively oxic or mildly suboxic. However, for the deep alluvial aquifer (21-36.6 m below ground surface) where the redox condition is suboxic to anoxic, the model results are unsatisfactory.     

Microstructural Investigation of Naturally Deformed Leucogneiss from an Alpine Shear Zone (Southern Calabria – Italy)

In order to reveal any correlation between the preferred orientation of quartz and progressive intensity of strain, a suite of deformed leucogneiss collected within a ductile shear zone outcropping in Calabria (southern Italy) was investigated. Based on the microstructural approach and matrix-clast relationships, the method applied here may be useful for appraising the connection between deformation mechanisms of constituent minerals and bulk textural properties of naturally sheared rocks. Accordingly, quartz c-axis orientation patterns were determined by image-assisted analysis. Results revealed a correlation between finite strain and textural features: As strain increases, the matrix develops at the expense of the clast counterpart, which is instead progressively reduced in both size and amount.