Retrograde fluid infiltration in the high-grade Modum Complex South Norway: evidence for age,source and REE mobility

The high-grade metamorphic basement of the Modum Complex, South Norway,exhibits retrogradation and alteration due to late stage fluid infiltration.Extensive alteration zones of albite-and calcite-rich veining occur especiallywithin and around numerous metagabbros. The gabbros, intruded at 1224±15Ma, are now partly altered to amphibolites due to the subsequent high-grade metamorphism.Two generations of albite-rich rocks have been recognized: (1) a fine-grained, foliated type;(2) a coarse-grained, crosscutting type. Both types show a typical greenschist facies mineralassemblage; albite ± actinolite ± chlorite ± talc. The calcite veins/dykesrepresent a younger generation of veins than both albite-rich types. U–Pb data for spheneof type (1) yielded an age of 1080±3 Ma, determining a point on the retrogradeP-T-t path of the Modum Complex. Increasing albitisation of themetagabbros leads to a decrease in(¹⁴³ND/¹⁴⁴Nd)_oand an increase in (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶)_o.Albite- and calcite-rich samples show negative _Nd and positive _Sr, suggesting that fluids which interacted with the metagabbros originated from a crustal reservoir. The Nd and Sr isotopic data show disequilibrium at the microscale as well as at the macroscale. Negative Sm–Nd model ages of the albite-rich rocks demonstrate that rare-earth elements (REEs) were mobile and fractionated during albitisation.     

Interpretation of single-well tracer tests using fractional-flow dimensions. Part 1: Theory and mathematical models

Generalized equations using fractional-flow dimensions were derived to estimate the Darcy and seepage velocities obtained from the point-dilution and the single-well injection-withdrawal field tests conducted in fractured-rock aquifers. Seepage velocities can only be estimated from single-well tests if the hydraulic conductivity and the hydraulic gradient are known a priori. However, if a radial-convergent test is also performed between two boreholes, the kinematic porosity can be estimated and be used to estimate the seepage velocity from the single-well test results. To apply the generalized equations, the flow dimension and the extent of the flow region must be known. Therefore, the generalized radial flow (GRF) model of Barker (1988; a generalized radial flow model for hydraulic tests in fractured rock. Water Resour Res 24(10):1796–1804) is used to estimate the flow dimension because of its wide range of applications. A pumping test performed on the boreholes will yield an estimate of the fractional-flow dimension by applying the GRF model. Electronic Publication     

Improved regional groundwater flow modeling using drainage features: a case study of the central northern karst aquifer system of Puerto Rico (USA)

In northern Puerto Rico (USA), subsurface conduit networks with unknown characteristics, and surface features such as springs, rivers, lagoons and wetlands, drain the coastal karst aquifers. In this study, drain lines connecting sinkholes and springs are used to improve the developed regional model by simulating the drainage effects of conduit networks. Implemented in an equivalent porous media (EPM) approach, the model with drains is able to roughly reproduce the spring discharge hydrographs in response to rainfall. Hydraulic conductivities are found to be scale dependent and significantly increase with higher test radius, indicating scale dependency of the EPM approach. Similar to other karst regions in the world, hydraulic gradients are steeper where the transmissivity is lower approaching the coastline. This study enhances current understanding of the complex flow patterns in karst aquifers and suggests that using a drainage feature improves modeling results where available data on conduit characteristics are minimal.     

Can cod farming affect cod fishing? A system evaluation of sustainability

The cod resources in the Barents Sea constitute the most important fisheries in Norway. In order to reduce resource allocation conflicts among different gear and vessel groups and to ensure profit for all participants throughout the value chain, the sector is thoroughly organized. The institutions established to ensure long-term sustainability, have been developed within the framework of a joint Norwegian–Russian fisheries management regime. However, due to a very high fishing mortality, the cod stock is now under severe pressure. In addition, a major part of the cod fisheries is highly seasonal and unable to be a stable supplier to neither the land-based industry nor demanding international markets. In parallel, cod farming is expected to become a new emerging industry, with potential to copy the success of farmed Atlantic salmon. Many actors within the cod fisheries fear the future competition from the growing cod farming sector. With reference to important attributes that characterize the cod fisheries and cod farming, this paper discusses how a future farming industry may affect the traditional cod fisheries. Moreover, we discuss how the fisheries may be forced to organize in the future to encounter the expected competition from cod farming.     

PSR J1753−2240: a mildly recycled pulsar in an eccentric binary system

We report the discovery of PSR J1753−2240 in the Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey data base. This 95-ms pulsar is in an eccentric binary system with a 13.6-d orbital period. Period derivative measurements imply a characteristic age in excess of 1 Gyr, suggesting that the pulsar has undergone an episode of accretion-induced spin-up. The eccentricity and spin period are indicative of the companion being a second neutron star, so that the system is similar to that of PSR J1811−1736, although other companion types cannot be ruled out at this time. The companion mass is constrained by geometry to lie above 0.48 solar masses, although long-term timing observations will give additional constraints. If the companion is a white dwarf or a main-sequence star, optical observations may yield a direct detection of the companion. If the system is indeed one of the few known double neutron star systems, it would lie significantly far from the recently proposed spin-period/eccentricity relationship.     

Macrofauna Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Deep Sea

Abstract. During two expeditions with RV ‘Meteor’ in summer 1993 and winter 1997/98 the structural and functional diversity of the benthic system of the highly oligotrophic eastern Mediterranean deep sea was investigated. The macrofauna communities were dominated by polychaetes even at the deepest stations. The fauna at shallow stations was dominated by surface deposit feeders, whereas subsurface deposit feeders and predators generally increased with depth. A high percentage of suspension‐feeding Porifera was found in the Levantine Basin. Mean abundance and number of taxa of both expeditions were significantly correlated to depth and distance to the nearest coast as well as to the total organic carbon (TOC) content in sediments. Numbers of taxa and abundance decreased generally with depth, although lowest numbers were not found at the deepest stations but in the extremely oligotrophic Levantine and Ierapetra Basin. Biomass measured during the second cruise was extremely low in the Ierapetra Basin and comparable to other extreme oligotrophic seas. The significant correlations found for TOC contents and macrofauna with distance to coast during both expeditions apparently reflect the role of hydrographically governed transport of organic matter produced in coastal regions into greater and extreme depths of the Mediterranean Sea. Seasonal differences in macrofauna communities due to seasonal differences in food supply were not found. However, recent large‐scale hydrographic changes (Eastern Mediterranean Transient, EMT) might change the oligotrophy and, thus, the structure of the benthic communities in the Eastern Mediterranean deep sea.     

Timing of Proterozoic magmatism in the Sunsas belt,Bolivian Precambrian Shield,SW Amazonian Craton

We present new U-Pb zircon and monazite ages from the Sunsas belt granitic magmatism in Bolivia,SW Amazonian Craton.The geochronological results revealed four major magmatic events recorded along the Sunsas belt domains.The older igneous event formed a granitic basement coeval to the Rio Apa Terrane(1.95-1.85 Ga)in the southern domain.The second magmatic episode is represented by 1.68 Ga granites associated to the Paraguá Terrane(1.69-1.66 Ga)in the northern domain.The 1.37-1.34 Ga granites related to San Ignacio orogeny represent the third and more pervasive magmatic event,recorded throughout the Sunsas belt.Moreover,magmatic ages of～1.42 Ga revealed that the granitogenesis asso-ciated to the Santa Helena orogeny also affected the Sunsas belt,indicating that it was not restricted to the Jauru Terrane.Lastly,the 1.10-1.04 Ga youngest magmatism was developed during the Sunsas oro-geny and represents the final magmatic evolution related to Rodinia assembly.Likewise,the 1.95-1.85 and 1.68 Ga inherited zircon cores obtained in the～1.3 Ga and 1.0 Ga granite samples suggest strong par-tial melting of the Paleoproterozoic sources.The 1079±14 Ma and 1018±6 Ma monazite crystallization ages can be correlated to the collisional tectono-thermal event of the Sunsas orogeny,associated to reac-tions of medium-to high-grade metamorphism.Thus,the Sunsas belt was built by heterogeneous 1.95-1.85 Ga and 1.68 Ga crustal fragments that were reworked at 1.37-1.34 Ga and 1.10-1.04 Ga related to orogenic collages.Furthermore,the 1.01 Ga monazite age suggests that granites previously dated by zir-con can bear evidence of a younger thermal history.Therefore,the geochronological evolution of the Sunsas belt may have been more complex than previously thought.     

Sediment concentration changes in runoff pathways from a forest road network and the resultant spatial pattern of catchment connectivity

Hydrological connectivity is a term often used to describe the internal linkages between runoff and sediment generation in upper parts of catchments and the receiving waters. In this paper, we identify two types of connectivity: direct connectivity via new channels or gullies, and diffuse connectivity as surface runoff reaches the stream network via overland flow pathways. Using a forest road network as an example of a landscape element with a high runoff source strength, we demonstrate the spatial distribution of these two types of linkages in a 57 km² catchment in southeastern Australia. Field surveys and empirical modelling indicate that direct connectivity occurs primarily due to gully development at road culverts, where the average sediment transport distance is 89 m below the road outlet. The majority of road outlets were characterised by dispersive flow pathways where the maximum potential sediment transport distance is measured as the available hillslope length below the road outlet. This length has a mean value of 120 m for this catchment. Reductions in sediment concentration in runoff plumes from both pathways are modelled using an exponential decay function and data derived from large rainfall simulator experiments in the catchment. The concept of the volume to breakthrough is used to model the potential delivery of runoff from dispersive pathways. Of the surveyed road drains (n=218), only 11 are predicted to deliver runoff to a stream and the greatest contributor of runoff occurs at a stream crossing where a road segment discharges directly into the stream. The methodology described here can be used to assess the spatial distribution and likely impact of dispersive and gullied pathways on in-stream water quality.     

Measuring impact crater depth throughout the solar system

One important, almost ubiquitous, tool for understanding the surfaces of solid bodies throughout the solar system is the study of impact craters. While measuring a distribution of crater diameters and locations is an important tool for a wide variety of studies, so too is measuring a crater's “depth.” Depth can inform numerous studies including the strength of a surface and modification rates in the local environment. There is, however, no standard data set, definition, or technique to perform this data-gathering task, and the abundance of different definitions of “depth” and methods for estimating that quantity can lead to misunderstandings in and of the literature. In this review, we describe a wide variety of data sets and methods to analyze those data sets that have been, are currently, or could be used to derive different types of crater depth measurements. We also recommend certain nomenclature in doing so to help standardize practice in the field. We present a review section of all crater depths that have been published on different solar system bodies which shows how the field has evolved through time and how some common assumptions might not be wholly accurate. We conclude with several recommendations for researchers which could help different data sets to be more easily understood and compared.