An Early Cretaceous extinct spreading center in the northern Natal valley

We have identified an extinct E–W spreading center in the northern Natal valley on the basis of magnetic anomalies which was active from chron M11 (133 Ma) to 125.3 Ma, just before chron M2 (124 Ma) in the Early Cretaceous. Seafloor spreading in the northern Natal valley accounts for approximately 170 km of north–south motion between the Mozambique Ridge and Africa. This extension resolves the predicted overlap of the continental (central and southern) Mozambique Ridge and Antarctica in the chron M2 to M11 reconstructions from Mesozoic finite rotation parameters for Africa and Antarctica. In addition, the magnetic data reveal that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from at least 133 to 125 Ma. The northern Natal valley extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the Mozambique Basin and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east. It follows that the northern Mozambique Ridge was either formed after the emplacement of the surrounding oceanic crust or it is the product of a very robust spreading center. To the west the extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the southern Natal valley and Georgia Basin via a transform fault. Prior to chron M11, there is still a problem with the overlap of Mozambique Ridge if it is assumed to be fixed with respect to either the African or Antarctic plates. Some of the overlap can be accounted for by Jurassic deformation of the Mozambique Ridge, Mozambique Basin, and Dronning Maud land. It appears though that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from the breakup of Gondwana, 160 Ma, until it became part of the African plate, 125 Ma.     

A spatial perspective for predicting enrollment in a regional pharmacy school

Having the ability to predict enrollment is an important task for any school’s recruiting team. The purpose of this study was to identify significant factors that can be used to predict the spatial distribution of enrollments. As a case study, we used East Tennessee State University (ETSU) pharmacy school, a regional pharmacy school located in the Appalachian Mountains. Through the application of a negative binomial regression model, we found that the most important indicators of enrollment volume for the ETSU pharmacy school were Euclidean distance, probability (based on competing pharmacy schools’ prestige, driving distance between schools and home and tuition costs), and the natural barrier of the Appalachian Mountains. Using these factors, together with other control variables, we successfully predicted the spatial distribution of enrollments for ETSU pharmacy school. Interestingly, gender also surfaced as a variable for predicting the pharmacy school’s enrollment. We found female students are more sensitive to the geographic proximity of home to school.     

Geochemistry of Neogene quartz andesites from the Oaş and Gutâi Mountains,Eastern Carpathians (Romania): a complex magma genesis

The Neogene quartz andesites from the Oa? and Gutâi Mountains (Romania) are mid-K calc-alkaline rocks and contain plagioclase-orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene-amphibole-magnetite phenocrysts as well as quartz crystals. They are associated with a volcanic sequence ranging from basalts and basaltic andesites to dacites and rhyolites, but form a separate magma group, mostly in respect to the trace elements. Based on the geochemical data combined with inferences from complex zoning patterns in plagioclase and pyroxene, the evolution of quartz andesites is interpreted in terms of fractional crystallization, AFC and magma mixing. A parental magma deriving from a MORB- or OIB-type source modified by fluids and melts originating from sediments is envisaged.     

First astronomical detection of the cumulene carbon chain molecule H2C6 in TMC-1

The cumulene carbenes are important components of hydrocarbon chemistry in low-mass star-forming cores. Here we report the first astronomical detection of the long-chain cumulene carbene H2C6 in the interstellar cloud TMC-1, from observations of two of its rotational transitions: J(K,K') = 7(1,7) --> 6(1,6) at 18.8 GHz and 8(1,8) --> 7(1,7) at 21.5 GHz, using NASA's Deep Space Network 70 m antenna at Goldstone, California. In addition we also observed the shorter cumulene carbene H2C4 at the same position. The fractional abundance of H2C6 relative to H2 is about 4.7 x 10(-11) and that of H2C4 is about 4.1 x 10(-9). The abundance of H2C6 is in fairly good agreement with gas-phase chemical models for young molecular cloud cores, but the abundance of H2C4 is significantly larger than predicted.     

Modelling the IDV Emissions of the BL Lac Objects with a Langevin Type Stochastic Differential Equation

In this paper, we introduce a simplified model for explaining the observations of optical intra-day variability (IDV) of the BL Lac Objects. We assume that the source of the IDV are the stochastic oscillations of an accretion disk around a supermassive black hole. The stochastic fluctuations on the vertical direction of the accretion disk are described by using a Langevin type equation with a damping term and a random, white noise type force. Furthermore, preliminary numerical simulation results are presented, which are based on the numerical analysis of the Langevin stochastic differential equation.     

中生代复杂构造体系的成矿过程与成矿作用——以华北大陆北缘西拉木伦钼铜多金属成矿带为例

西拉木伦钼铜多金属成矿带处于华北克拉通与中亚造山带的过渡区,是古生代古亚洲构造域与中生代西太平洋构造域的交汇部位。在中生代受多种构造体系的制约,如中亚造山带造山后期局部伸展、蒙古-鄂霍茨克俯冲-碰撞造山作用、古太平洋板块的向西俯冲和中国东部岩石圈减薄事件的影响等。西拉木伦成矿带成矿斑岩锆石U-Pb年龄和辉钼矿Re-Os同位素年龄资料显示,钼铜矿成岩成矿主要集中在260～220Ma、180～150Ma和140～120Ma三个时期。结合华北克拉通北缘构造演化历史,推测这三期成矿作用主要与造山后局部伸展、构造体系转折和陆内伸展(岩石圈减薄)过程有关,并相应建立了"车户沟式"、"鸡冠山式"和"敖伦花式"三类斑岩钼铜矿床成矿模式。进一步研究表明,岩石的酸碱性、岩浆来源、岩浆的氧逸度、岩浆演化方式、构造背景等因素,制约了成矿作用的专属性。     

内蒙古半砬山钼矿含矿斑岩U-Pb年龄和地球化学及其地质意义

内蒙古半砬山钼矿位于西拉木伦钼多金属矿带东北段,是新近发现的一个中型斑岩钼矿床。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年结果表明,含矿花岗闪长斑岩成岩年龄133.5±1.7Ma,说明半砬山钼矿是早白垩世构造-岩浆活动的产物;赋矿围岩流纹斑岩的成岩年龄为160±2Ma,早于成矿年龄27Ma。锆石Hf同位素组成显示流纹斑岩和花岗闪长斑岩的εHf(t)基本为不大的正值,集中在+2～+3.5左右,说明其岩浆来自亏损地幔新增生的地壳物质。除同位素特征相似外,流纹斑岩与花岗闪长斑岩具有类似的地球化学特征,比如都具有富Al、K,低Mg、Ca及TFe,呈高钾钙碱性特征;稀土和微量元素组成特征上,流纹斑岩与花岗闪长斑岩都具有轻重稀土分馏较明显,相对富集Rb、Ba、Th等大离子亲石元素,而亏损Nb、Ta、Zr等高场强元素的特征,所不同的是流纹斑岩∑REE含量较花岗闪长斑岩高,Eu负异常也较明显,并且流纹斑岩为低Sr高Yb(Sr平均为37.3×10-6,Yb平均为4.81×10-6),而花岗闪长斑岩为高Sr低Yb(Sr平均为628×10-6,Yb平均为1.64×10-6)。这些特征暗示流纹斑岩形成的源区可能为中上地壳,花岗闪长斑岩源区物质可能为加厚的下地壳熔融产物,即在岩石圈不断伸展过程中,成岩岩浆源区不断加深。     

Transmission electron microscope study of experimentally deformed K-Feldspar single crystals

Single crystals of sanidine which were experimentally deformed so as to introduce the (010)[100] slip system were examined by transmission electron microscopy (tem). Dislocation glide is mainly manifested in the samples deformed at 700° C, with a strain rate \(\dot \varepsilon = 1 - 2 \times 10^{ - 6} s^{ - 1} \) . In addition to the expected slip system another more important one, (12 \(\bar 1\) )[101], was found. The dislocations lying in (010) present a glissile dissociation. These observations have been discussed in term of the feldspar structure. Models for glissile dissociation in (010) are proposed: [100]=1/2[100]+1/2[100] or 1/2[101]+1/2[10 \(\bar 1\) ] and [101]=1/2[101]+1/2[101].