Laser microprobe for the study of noble gases and nitrogen in single grains: A case study of individual chondrules from the Dhajala meteorite

A laser microprobe capable of analysing nitrogen and noble gases in individual grains with masses less than a milligram is described. It can be used in both continuous wave (CW) mode, useful for stepwise heating of an individual grain, as well as in pulsed mode, useful for ablating material from a small selected area of a sample, for gas extraction. We could achieve low blanks (in ccSTP units) for 4He(4.8 x 10{-12}),²²Ne(1.0 x 10{-12}),³⁶Ar(1.0 x10 ^-13),⁸⁴Kr(2.9 x 10{-14}),¹³² Xe(2.6 x 10{-14}), and N (87 pg), using this system. Preliminary data for individual chondrules from the Dhajala meteorite show that noble gases and nitrogen from grains as small as 170 microgram can be analysed using the present laser microprobe setup. The amount of trapped neon in Dhajala chondrules is very small, and nitrogen in the chondrules is isotopically heavier as compared to the bulk meteorite.     

An innovative priming system - emulsion-based booster

The mineral industry is leading towards a technology driven optimization process. Drilling and blasting are such unit operations in a mine, which can alter the balance sheet of the mine if not planned properly. The development, improvement and utilization of innovative technologies in terms of blast monitoring instruments and explosives technology are important for cost effectiveness and safety of mineral industries.

The ever-growing demand for minerals has compelled the industry to adopt large opencast projects using heavy equipment. This has necessitated use of a few hundred tonnes of explosives in each blast. The bulk delivered fourth generation explosives have solved the problem of explosive loading to a large extent as it provides improved safety in manufacturing, transportation and handling. Bulk delivered emulsion is non-explosive until gasification is complete and a large quantity of explosive can be transported and loaded into blast holes efficiently and with safety. The priming of bulk delivered explosives in Indian mines uses the conventional PETN/TNT-based boosters. The conventional booster possesses safety problems in terms of handling and use, so Indian Explosives Ltd has developed an emulsion-based booster (Powergel Boost).

This paper explores the potential of an emulsion-based booster used as a primer to initiate bulk delivered emulsion explosives used in mines. An attempt has been made at a comparative study between the conventional booster and the emulsion-based booster in terms of the initiation process developed and their capability of developing and maintaining a stable detonation process in the column explosives. The study has been conducted using a continuous velocity of detonation (VOD) measuring instrument, the VODMate two channel system manufactured by Instantel Inc. of Canada. During this study three blasts were monitored. In each blast two holes were selected for study, the first hole was initiated using a conventional booster while the other one used an emulsion-based booster. The findings of the study advocates that the emulsion-based booster is capable of the efficient priming of bulk delivered column explosive with a stable detonation process in the column.     

Marine regression along parts of the Indian Coast during the Quaternary — A study using satellite images

Features of marine regression along the Indian Coast during the Quaternary have been studied using the Landsat Imagery for the possible causes and mechanisms of their formation. The occurrence of these features, specially cheniers, is very prominent along the Krishna — Godavari coast. Variations in the inland distances of the cheniers at different locations along the coast indicate differential regressions of the coast at different places. Progradation of the coast and local uplift are identified as the main factors for the same. The topography of the shelf before the regression has played an important role in the development of the regression surfaces of varying widths and the spatial arrangement of the regression features. Morphostructural factors have hindered the formation of deltas along the western coast and also the formation of regression features. Some of the gently sloping coasts without the regression features are the active zones of sediment erosion. The study points to the possibility that some of the coasts/deltas are tectonically active zones. The Krishna Godavari delta is undergoing uplift and the coasts/deltas of the Sundarbans, Mahanadi, Kerala and Saurasthtra are undergoing down-warping. This fact needs to be confirmed using data form deep drillings, geophysical tests and other sources. The confirmation of these phenomena will have a significant effect on the depth of sediment deposition, their maturity and finally on the formation, occurrence and migration of hydrocarbons.     

Fall,classification and cosmogenic records of the Sabrum (LL6) chondrite

Abstract— The petrographic and chemical characteristics of a fresh Indian meteorite fall at Sabrum are described. Its mean mineral composition is defined by olivine (Fa_31.4), orthopyroxene (Fs_25.1,Wo_2.0), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₅En_45.6Fs_9.4) and plagioclase (An_10.6Ab_83.6Or_5.8). The meteorite shows moderate shock features, which indicate that it belongs to the S4 category. Based on mineralogical and chemical criteria the meteorite is classified as an LL6 brecciated veined chondrite. Several cosmogenic radioisotopes (⁴⁶Sc, ⁷Be, ⁵⁴Mn, ²²Na and ²⁶Al), noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe), nitrogen isotopes, and particle tracks density have been measured. Concentrations of cosmogenic ²¹Ne and ³⁸Ar indicate that its cosmic‐ray exposure age is 24.8 Ma. Small amounts of trapped Kr and Xe, consistent with petrologic class 5/6, are present. The track density in olivines is found to be (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10⁶/cm². Activities of most of the short‐lived isotopes are lower than those expected from solar cycle variation. ²²Na/²⁶Al (1.12 ± 0.02) is found to be significantly anomalous, being ?25% lower than expected from the Climax neutron monitor data. These results indicate that the cosmic‐ray flux during the terminal segment of the meteoroid orbit was low. The activities of ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Co and the track density indicate small meteoroid size with a radius ?15 cm.     

HALL-MHD turbulence in the Solar atmosphere

When the velocity field of a magneto-fluid is accorded an intrinsically equal status with the magnetic field, standard magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) must be replaced by the dispersive or Hall MHD which retains some crucial two-fluid effects, in particular the physics on the ion skin depth scale. The larger system has three quadratic invariants: the generalized helicity (a sum of the cross and fluid helicities) is added to the ranks of the standard total energy and the magnetic helicity invariants. Based on this extended set, dimensional arguments à la Kolmogorov are invoked to derive the turbulent spectral distributions of the kinetic and the magnetic energy densities in the inertial range. By using the selective dissipation hypothesis, we construct the spectra on three different scales within the inertial range, and acknowledge the possible role of the dual cascade of the kinetic and the magnetic energy densities. The additional structure imparted to the spectral laws (by the inclusion of the generalized helicity) allows us to reproduce, remarkably well, the essentials as well as details of the observed spectra of the motions and of the magnetic fields of the solar atmosphere on the scales of a few thousand km.     

Solar and galactic cosmic‐ray records of the Fermo (H) chondrite regolith breccia

Abstract— ‐We demonstrate the presence of solar flare as well as neutron capture effects in the isotopic composition of rare gases in the Fermo regolith breccia acquired on its parent body based on the measurements of tracks, rare gases and radionuclides. The track density along a 3.2 cm long core decreases by a factor of about 6 and by more than a factor of 13 within the meteorite, indicating small (2–9 cm) and asymmetrical ablation. Rare gases show a large trapped component; the isotopic ratios, particularly ²⁰Ne/²²Ne ? 11 and ²⁰Ne/³⁶Ar = 10 are indicative of a solar component. The galactic cosmic‐ray exposure age is determined to be 8.8 Ma. Activities of a dozen radionuclides ranging in half‐life from 16 day ⁴⁸V to 0.73 Ma ²⁶Al are consistent with their expected production rates. Track, rare gas and radionuclide data show that the meteoroid was a small body (≤ 120 kg) and had a simple, one‐stage exposure history to cosmic rays in the interplanetary space. However, ⁸²Kr and ¹²⁸Xe show an excess due to neutron irradiation on the parent body of the meteorite. The presence of solar gases and the neutron capture effects indicate several stages of irradiation on the parent asteroid. The chemical composition of Fermo confirms that it belongs to the H group of ordinary chondrites with lithic clasts having varying compositions. δ¹⁵N is found to be 8.3 ± 1.2%0, close to the typical values observed in H chondrites.     

On out of plane equilibrium points in photo-gravitational restricted three-body problem

We have investigated the out of plane equilibrium points of a passive micron size particle and their stability in the field of radiating binary stellar systems Krüger-60, RW-Monocerotis within the framework of photo-gravitational circular restricted three-body problem. We find that the out of plane equilibrium points (L _i , i = 6, 7, 8, 9) may exist for range of β ₁ (ratio of radiation to gravitational force of the massive component) values for these binary systems in the presence of Poynting-Robertson drag (hereafter PR-drag). In the absence of PR-drag, we find that the motion of a particle near the equilibrium points L _6,7 is stable in both the binary systems for a specific range of β ₁ values. The PR-drag is shown to cause instability of the various out of plane equilibrium points in these binary systems.     

Monitoring of TDS and conductivity in groundwater in the seismically active region in NW Himalayas,India

<正>The earthquake precursors and earthquake prediction are the burning issue among the community of earth scientists and engineers. Studies of earthquake precursory phenomena since the last several decades have shown that significant geophysical and geochemical changes may occur prior to intermediate and large earthquakes (Hartmann and Levy, 2005; Yang et al, 2005;     

Petrogenesis of the ü?kap?l? Granitoid and its Mafic Enclaves in Elmal? Area (Ni?de, Central Anatolia, Turkey)

The Late Cretaceous ükapili Granitoid including mafic microgranular enclaves intruded into metapelitic and metabasic rocks, and overlain unconformably by Neogene ignimbrites in the Ni de area of Turkey. It is mostly granite and minor granodiorite in composition, whereas its enclaves are dominantly gabbro with a few diorites in composition. The ükapili Granitoid is composed mainly of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite and minor amphibole while its enclaves contain mostly plagioclase, amphibole, minor pyroxene and biotite. The ükapili Granitoid has calcalkaline and peraluminous (A/CNK= 1.0-1.3) geochemical characteristics. It is characterized by high LILE/HFSE and LREE/HREE ratios ((La/Lu) N = 3-33), and has negative Ba, Ta, Nb and Eu anomalies, resembling those of collision granitoids. The ükapili Granitoid has relatively high 87Sr/86Sr (i) ratios (0.711189-0.716061) and low εNd (t) values (-5.13 to -7.13), confirming crustal melting. In contrast, the enclaves are tholeiitic and metaluminous, and slightly enriched in LILEs (K, Rb) and Th, and have negative Ta, Nb and Ti anomalies; propose that they were derived from a subduction-modified mantle source. Based on mineral and whole rock chemistry data, the ükapili granitoid is H-(hybrid) type, post-collision granitoid developed by mixing/mingling processes between crustal melts and mantle-derived mafic magmas.