Rays and foci in a magneto-ionic medium with linearly varying magnetic field

An analytical study is carried out of rays from a source in a magneto-ionic medium in which the magnetic field is linear in the position coordinates. A general solution is given, and special cases, including that in which the magnetic field vector is confined to a plane, are examined.In the latter case, the specific sub-case of null current density, in which the field lines are rectangular hyperbolas, has been the subject of detailed numerical calculations. It is shown that focusing of rays can occur, though perhaps less readily than in the case of parabolic field lines considered by previous workers. We relate our parametrisation quantitatively to the terrestrial magnetic field.     

Hydraulic Effects of Shales in Fluvial-Deltaic Deposits: Ground-Penetrating Radar, Outcrop Observations, Geostatistics, and Three-Dimensional Flow Modeling for the Ferron Sandstone, Utah

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, outcrop measurements, and cores provide a high-resolution 3D geologic model to investigate the hydraulic effects of shales in marine-influenced lower delta-plain distributary channel deposits within the Cretaceous-age Ferron Sandstone at Corbula Gulch in central Utah, USA. Shale statistics are computed from outcrop observations. Although slight anisotropy was observed in mean length and variogram ranges parallel and perpendicular to pale of low , the anisotropy is not statistically significant and the estimated mean length is 5.4 m. Truncated Gaussian simulation was used to create maps of shales that are placed on variably dipping stratigraphic surfaces interpreted from high-resolution 3D GPR surveys, outcrop interpretations, and boreholes. Sandstone permeability is estimated from radar responses calibrated to permeability measurements from core samples. Experimentally designed flow simulations examine the effects of variogram range, shale coverage fraction, and trends in shale coverage on predicted upscaled permeability, breakthrough time, and sweep efficiency. Approximately 1500 flow simulations examine three different geologic models, flow in the 3 coordinate directions, 16 geostatistical parameter combinations, and 10 realizations for each model. ANOVA and response models computed from the flow simulations demonstrate that shales decrease sweep, recovery, and permeability, especially in the vertical direction. The effect on horizontal flow is smaller. Flow predictions for ideal tracer displacements at Corbula Gulch are sensitive to shale-coverage fraction, but are relatively insensitive to twofold variations in variogram range or to vertical trends in shale coverage. Although the hydraulic effects of shale are statistically significant, the changes in flow responses rarely exceed 20%. As a result, it may be reasonable to use simple models when incorporating analogous shales into models of reservoirs or aquifers.     

Radio Detection of a Rapid Disturbance Launched by a Solar Flare

We report the direct observation of motion associated with a solar flare at a speed of 26,000 km s-1. The motion is seen from a radio source at 0.33 GHz, which suddenly starts moving during the flare. At its peak, the radio source covers a quiet region of dimension 500&arcsec;. Emission from any given location is sporadic. The disturbance itself does not seem to radiate, but it excites coronal features that continue to radiate after it passes. The inferred velocity is larger than any previously inferred velocity of a disturbance in the solar atmosphere apart from freely streaming beams of accelerated electrons. The observed motion of the source at a fixed frequency, low polarization, and moderate bandwidth are more consistent with the typical properties of moving type IV radio bursts than with classical coronal shock-associated type II bursts, but any disturbance at such a high velocity must be highly supersonic and should drive a shock. We speculate that the disturbance is associated with the realignment of magnetic fields connecting different portions of an active region.     

Temporal properties of He I 1083 nm dark points

The intensity of a sample of large, high-contrast and isolated dark points has been observed with full-disk images in the light of Hei 1083 nm from the Chromospheric Helium line Intensity Photometer (CHIP) on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Temporal variations in the intensity encompassing a broad range of time scales have been recorded. Long-term changes in the intensity, although highly variable, are characterized by e-folding times on the order of 5 h. Superposed on these variations are frequent intensity variations, which occur over time scales ranging from the typical observing cadence of 3 min, to tens of minutes. Microflares-involving intensity changes of at least 50% over periods of minutes are observed frequently. Rapid cadence ( min) observations reveal differences between rise and decay times and shorter-term variations in the intensity profiles of these microflares.     

Risk of nitrate leaching from two soils amended with biosolids

High concentrations of N and P in biosolids are one of the strongest appeals for their agronomic use. However, it is essential to understand the fate of N in soils treated with biosolids for both plant nutrition and managing the environmental risk of NO ₃ ⁻ -N leaching. This work aims to evaluate the risk of nitrate leaching from a sandy Podosol soil and from a clay Ferrosol soil, each one amended at the range 0.5–8.0 dry Mg/ha rates of freshly tertiary sewage sludge, composted sludge, limed sludge, heating-dried sludge and solar-irradiated sludge. Results showed that for similar biosolids application rates NO ₃ ⁻ -N accumulated up to 3 times as much in the Ferrosol than in Podosol soil. However, there was a fixed 20% NO ₃ ⁻ -N loss from the 20 cm amended-Ferrosol topsoil, whilst the N-nitrified expected to leach down from 20 cm amended-Podosol topsoil layer ranged from 42% to 76% of the accumulated NO ₃ ⁻ -N, depending on the biosolid type. After all, NO ₃ ⁻ -N expected to leach from Podosol soil ranged from 0.6 (heating-dried sludge) to 3.9 times (limed sludge) relative to Ferrosol soil at similar biosolid application rates. Nevertheless, the risk of NO ₃ ⁻ -N groundwater contamination caused by biosolids applied at 0.5−8.0 dry Mg/ha rates could be considered very low. Published in Russian in Vodnye Resursy, 2006, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 492–503.     

Large phreatomagmatic vent complex at Coombs Hills, Antarctica: Wet, explosive initiation of flood basalt volcanism in the Ferrar-Karoo LIP

The Mawson Formation and correlatives in the Transantarctic Mountains and South Africa record an early eruption episode related to the onset of Ferrar-Karoo flood basalt volcanism. Mawson Formation rocks at Coombs Hills comprise mainly (≥80% vol) structureless tuff breccia and coarse lapilli tuff cut by irregular dikes and sills, within a large vent complex (>30 km²). Quenched juvenile fragments of generally low but variable vesicularity, accretionary lapilli and country rock clasts within vent-fill, and pyroclastic density current deposits point to explosive interaction of basalt with groundwater in porous country rock and wet vent filling debris. Metre-scale dikes and pods of coherent basalt in places merge imperceptibly into peperite and then into surrounding breccia. Steeply dipping to sub-vertical depositional contacts juxtapose volcaniclastic rocks of contrasting componentry and grainsize. These sub-vertical tuff breccia zones are inferred to have formed when jets of debris + steam + water passed through unconsolidated vent-filling deposits. These jets of debris may have sometimes breached the surface to form subaerial tephra jets which fed subaerial pyroclastic density currents and fall deposits. Others, however, probably died out within vent fill before reaching the surface, allowing mixing and recycling of clasts which never reached the atmosphere. Most of the ejecta that did escape the debris-filled vents was rapidly recycled as vents broadened via lateral quarrying of country rock and bedded pyroclastic vent-rim deposits, which collapsed along the margins into individual vents. The unstratified, poorly sorted deposits comprising most of the complex are capped by tuff, lapilli tuff and tuff breccia beds inferred to have been deposited on the floor of the vent complex by pyroclastic density currents. Development of the extensive Coombs Hills vent-complex involved interaction of large volumes of magma and water. We infer that recycling of water, as well as recycling of pyroclasts, was important in maintaining water supply for phreatomagmatic interactions even when aquifer rock in the vent walls lay far from eruption sites as a consequence of vent-complex widening. The proportion of recycled water increased with vent-complex size in the same way that the proportion of recycled tephra did. Though water recycling leaves no direct rock record, the volcaniclastic deposits within the vent complex show through their lithofacies/structural architecture, lithofacies characteristics, and particle properties clear evidence for extensive and varied recycling of material as the complex evolved. Editorial responsibility: J. Donnelly-Nolan