The palaeoenvironment associated with a partial Iguanodon skeleton from the Upper Weald Clay (Barremian, Early Cretaceous) at Smokejacks Brickworks (Ockley, Surrey, UK), based on palynomorphs and ostracods

In 2001 a partial skeleton of an Iguanodon was discovered in the Upper Weald Clay (Barremian, Early Cretaceous) at Smokejacks Brickworks near Ockley, Surrey, UK. When the dinosaur was excavated, a detailed stratigraphic section was logged and 25 samples taken for palynological and micropalaeontological (ostracod and megaspore) analysis, including a detailed sample set of the dinosaur bed itself. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the palynoflora revealed rich and well-preserved non-marine assemblages of pollen and spores, including early angiosperms, and freshwater green algae. Four types of angiosperm pollen are described and assigned to the genus Retimonocolpites Pierce, 1961, but left in open nomenclature. Some marine elements such as dinoflagellate cysts are identified as the result of reworking of Middle and Upper Jurassic sediments. The pollen/spore assemblages depict a vegetational change from principally gymnosperm-dominated assemblages at the base to principally pteridophyte-dominated assemblages at the top of the section. The dinosaur bed shows a pteridophyte-dominated assemblage, with a significantly high amount of the freshwater green alga Scenedesmus novilunaris He Cheng-quan et al., 1992. Samples close to the dinosaur bed yielded the first useful ostracod finds from Smokejacks Brickworks: well-preserved assemblages containing Cypridea clavata (Anderson, 1939), Damonella cf. pygmaea (Anderson, 1941), Stenestroemia cf. cressida Anderson, 1971 and Stenestroemia sp. A, and fragments and damaged valves of a thin-shelled ostracod, possibly belonging to Mantelliana Anderson, 1966. Those identified as Cypridea clavata show a wide range of morphological variety and in opposition to Anderson's (1967, 1985) taxonomic scheme, which would assign them to up to five different taxa, they are considered to be intraspecific variants of a single species. The possibilities and limitations of age determination of the Wealden sediments using palynomorphs and ostracods are discussed; distinct forms of early angiosperm pollen, together with the ostracod fauna, are consistent with an early Barremian age. Pollen and spores are discussed in terms of their parent plants and the reconstruction of vegetation and palaeoclimate. Palynology and ostracods give evidence for temporary freshwater conditions at the time when the Iguanodon died and the carcase was buried.     

Inversion for seismic anisotropy using genetic algorithms1

A general inversion scheme based on a genetic algorithm is developed to invert seismic observations for anisotropic parameters. The technique is applied to the inversion of shear-wave observations from two azimuthal VSP data sets from the Conoco test site in Oklahoma. Horizontal polarizations and time-delays are inverted for hexagonal and orthorhombic symmetries. The model solutions are consistent with previous studies using trial and error matching of full waveform synthetics. The shear-wave splitting observations suggest the presence of a shear-wave line singularity and are consistent with a dipping fracture system which is known to exist at the test site. Application of the inversion scheme prior to full waveform modelling demonstrates that a considerable saving in time is possible whilst retaining the same degree of accuracy.     

西藏日喀则地区德村-昂仁蛇绿岩内基性岩的元素与Sr-Nd-Pb同位素地球化学及其揭示的特提斯地幔域特征

系统研究了西藏雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带中部日喀则地区德村、吉丁和昂仁蛇绿岩中基性岩石的元素与 Sr-Nd-Pb 同位素地球化学特征。这些基性岩石,包括玄武岩、辉长岩和辉绿岩,属于低钾拉斑玄武岩系列,球粒陨石标准化稀土元素分配模式为轻稀土元素亏损的 N-MORB 型,(La/Yh)_N=0.31～0.65(除样品 DC993为1.17)。在原始地幔标准化微量元素图上,亏损高度不相容元素,与 N-MORB 配分模式一致。相对于 Th,无 Nb、Ta的亏损,显示样品不是产于 SSZ 环境。经构造环境图解判别,样品落入了 N-MORB 区域内;这些元素成分特征表明样品具有洋中脊环境或成熟的弧后盆地环境属性。Sr、Nd 和 Pb同位素组成特征表明特提斯地幔源区以 DM(亏损地幔)为主,同时存在少量 EMⅡ(富集地幔类型Ⅱ)、Sr,Nd 和 Pb 同位素组成特征还表明特提斯地幔域具有印度洋 MORB 型的 Sr-Nd-Pb 同位素组成特征。本文的结果进一步支持 Zhang et al.(2005)的研究结果,现今印度洋不仅在地理位置上占据了曾经是特提斯洋的大部分,而且它的地幔域还继承了曾经特提斯的地幔域的地球化学特征。     

内蒙古温都尔庙和巴彦敖包-交其尔蛇绿岩的元素与同位素地球化学：对古亚洲洋东部地幔域特征的限制

内蒙古中部发育的三条蛇绿岩带是华北板块和西伯利亚板块之间的缝合带。本文系统研究了其中的温都尔庙和巴彦敖包-交其尔两个蛇绿岩带中变质玄武岩的元素和 Sr、Nd、Pb 同位素地球化学。苏右旗温都尔庙碱性玄武岩为轻稀土富集型;岩石具有板内和大陆裂谷区玄武岩的特征,可能代表了600Ma 左右,温都尔庙地区开始发育的新洋盆。采自苏左旗的巴彦敖包-交其尔玄武岩分为两类,一类呈现轻稀土富集型,呈洋岛玄武岩特征;另一类具有明显的 Nb、Ta 负异常,显示大洋岛弧玄武岩特征,洋岛玄武岩的存在表明古亚洲洋曾经发育洋盆,大洋岛弧玄武岩的存在表明古亚洲洋内部有大洋岩石圈之间的俯冲。将本文的古亚洲洋洋岛玄武岩与中国西南地区的特提斯洋岛玄武岩进行系统的元素和同位素地球化学特征对比表明,古亚洲洋的洋岛玄武岩显示高 U/Pb(HU)和北大西洋和太平洋省的特征,而特提斯洋岛玄武岩属于印度洋省。这些说明古亚洲洋地幔域与特提斯地幔域是两个独立的构造域,它们代表了长期演化的两个不同的地幔地球化学域。     

WASP-1b and WASP-2b: two new transiting exoplanets detected with SuperWASP and SOPHIE

We have detected low-amplitude radial-velocity variations in two stars, USNO-B1.0 1219–0005465 (GSC  02265–00107 = WASP–1  ) and USNO-B1.0 0964–0543604 (GSC  00522–01199 = WASP–2  ). Both stars were identified as being likely host stars of transiting exoplanets in the 2004 SuperWASP wide-field transit survey. Using the newly commissioned radial-velocity spectrograph SOPHIE at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, we found that both objects exhibit reflex orbital radial-velocity variations with amplitudes characteristic of planetary-mass companions and in-phase with the photometric orbits. Line-bisector studies rule out faint blended binaries as the cause of either the radial-velocity variations or the transits. We perform preliminary spectral analyses of the host stars, which together with their radial-velocity variations and fits to the transit light curves yield estimates of the planetary masses and radii. WASP-1b and WASP-2b have orbital periods of 2.52 and 2.15 d, respectively. Given mass estimates for their F7V and K1V primaries, we derive planet masses 0.80–0.98 and 0.81–0.95 times that of Jupiter, respectively. WASP-1b appears to have an inflated radius of at least 1.33 R _Jup, whereas WASP-2b has a radius in the range 0.65–1.26 R _Jup.     

Photoionized Hβ emission in NGC 5548: it breathes!

Emission-line regions in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and other photoionized nebulae should become larger in size when the ionizing luminosity increases. This 'breathing' effect is observed for the Hβ emission in NGC 5548 by using Hβ and optical continuum light curves from the 13-yr (1989–2001) AGN Watch monitoring campaign. To model the breathing, we use two methods to fit the observed light curves in detail: (i) parametrized models and, (ii) the memecho reverberation-mapping code. Our models assume that optical continuum variations track the ionizing radiation, and that the Hβ variations respond with time-delays τ due to light travel-time. By fitting the data using a delay-map  Ψ(τ, F _c)  that is allowed to change with continuum flux F _c, we find that the strength of the Hβ response decreases and the time-delay increases with ionizing luminosity. The parametrized breathing models allow the time-delay and the Hβ flux to depend on the continuum flux so that,  τ∝ F ^β_c  and   F _Hβ∝ F ^α_c  . Our fits give  0.1 < β < 0.46  and  0.57 < α < 0.66. α  is consistent with previous work by Gilbert and Peterson, and Goad, Korista and Knigge. Although we find β to be flatter than previously determined by Peterson et al. using cross-correlation methods, it is closer to the predicted values from recent theoretical work by Korista and Goad.