PHYSICO‐GEOCHEMICAL AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF NEEM TREE SOILS AND RELATION TO ORGANIC PROPERTIES

The Neem tree, the oil of which has a long history of pesticide, fertilizer and medicinal use in India, has been studied extensively for its organic compounds. Here we present a physical, mineralogical and geochemical database resulting from the analyses of two Neem soil profiles (epipedons) in India. Neem tree derivatives are used in the manufacture of a variety of products, from anti‐bacterial drugs and insecticides to fertilizers and animal feeds. A preliminary geochemical and mineralogical analysis of Neem soils is made to explore the potential for chemical links between Neem tree derivatives and soils. Physical soil characteristics, including colour, texture and clay mineralogy, suggest the two pedons formed under different hydrological regimes, and hence, are products of different leaching environments, one well‐drained site, the other poorly drained. Geochemically, the two Neem soils exhibit similarities, with elevated concentrations of Th and rare earth elements. These elements are of interest because of their association with phosphates, especially monazite and apatite, and the potential link to fertilizer derivatives. Higher concentrations of trace elements in the soils may be linked to nutritional derivatives and to cell growth in the Neem tree.     

Oil in Chalk

Chalk is not the sort of rock that you would expect to yield oil. Although it has a high porosity when first formed, the permeability is low. Even the porosity is normally much reduced under overburdens of more than 1000 m. Yet in the North Sea there are special conditions that allow major reservoirs in the Chalk beneath thousands of metres of Tertiary sediments.     

Neotectonics

Neotectonics is the study of Earth movements of late Cenozoic age, especially those in harmony with contemporary horizontal and vertical crustal motions. Precise information about the character, frequency and rate of recent movements is an essential part of planning how to reduce earthquake hazard, and it also allows tectonicians to devise realistic models of crustal behaviour.     

The Morávka meteorite fall: 3. Meteoroid initial size,history, structure,and composition

Abstract— The properties and history of the parent meteoroid of the Morávka H5–6 ordinary chondrites have been studied by a combination of various methods. The pre‐atmospheric mass of the meteoroid was computed from fireball radiation, infrasound, seismic signal, and the content of noble gases in the meteorites. All methods gave consistent results. The best estimate of the pre‐atmospheric mass is 1500 ± 500 kg. The fireball integral bolometric luminous efficiency was 9%, and the acoustic efficiency was 0.14%. The meteoroid cosmic ray exposure age was determined to be (6.7 ± 1.0) × 10⁶ yr. The meteorite shows a clear deficit of helium, both ³He and ⁴He. This deficit can be explained by solar heating. Numerical backward integration of the meteoroid orbit (determined in a previous paper from video records of the fireball) shows that the perihelion distance was probably lower than 0.5 AU and possibly as low as 0.1 AU 5 Ma ago. The collision which excavated Morávka probably occurred while the parent body was on a near‐Earth orbit, as opposed to being confined entirely to the main asteroid belt. An overview of meteorite macroscopic properties, petrology, mineralogy, and chemical composition is given. The meteorites show all mineralogical features of H chondrites. The shock level is S2. Minor deviations from other H chondrites in abundances of trace elements La, Ce, Cs, and Rb were found. The ablation crust is enriched with siderophile elements.     

Genesis and diagenesis of hiatus- and breccia-concretions from the mid-Cretaceous of Texas and northern Mexico

A study of septarian concretions from late Cretaceous shale sequences of Texas and northern Mexico reveals complex burial-exhumation histories. First generation concretions and pre-fossilized moulds formed in silty clays before significant compaction occurred. Syneresis cracks developed and were filled by length slow fibrous calcite with a decrease in iron content toward the centre of each vein; in some cases this was succeeded by growth of equant or bladed calcite. Subsequent erosion of enclosing sediment caused collapse and break up of concretions, leaving fragments and some unbroken concretions exposed to encrustation and boring on the sea floor. These were subsequently buried and enclosed in a second generation of concretions, which also developed syneresis cracks. The calcite that filled these latter cracks was generally bladed (sometimes followed by equant calcite) and contains more iron toward the centre of the vein. Differences between the calcite filling first and second generation septarian veins indicates changing diagenetic regimes during burial in the marine environment, without a major shift in diagenetic conditions, such as the introduction of meteoric waters. These conclusions have significant implications to cementation in ancient limestones, which show textural and chemical sequences similar to those present in the septarian concretions described.