Depositional environment in and around Tamiraparani estuary,and off Tuticorin,Tamil Nadu,India: clues from grain size studies

The sediments of the estuaries and offshore Tuticorin along the southern coast of Tamil Nadu were studied for their textural variation. Ninety sediment samples were collected from three sectors (river, estuary, offshore) on the basis of prevailing energy conditions and oceanographic parameters. Frequency curves show unimodal to bimodal in nature. Offshore samples also fall in bimodal with medium and fine sand where sediment is additionally deposited by the Tamiraparani River. The mean values ranging from 1.69 to 2.01 φ with medium to fine sand. The fine sand in the riverine region indicates the depositional nature of the sediments. In pre-monsoon, the standard deviation ranges from 0.29 to 0.81 φ, which falls in the very well sorted to moderately well sorted. Estuary ranges from 0.63 to 1.30 φ, with moderately sorted, whereas in the marine sediments ranges from 0.4 to 1.01 φ, with moderately to moderately well- sorted and some patches of poorly sorted is observed. In both monsoons, the grain size variations are mostly influenced in river and offshore samples compared to the estuaries. The CM pattern indicates the deposition of sediments in graded suspension. In estuary, the sediments are medium sand with moderately to poorly sorted, fine skewed which are indicative of denudation processes taking place there. In marine, the sediments are medium-to-fine, moderately-to-well sorted, and fine skewed to very fine skewed sediments, probably as a result of the influence of palaeo-sediments deposited by rivers from inland as well as by waves and currents from offshore. Further, the marine samples also highlight depositional processes.     

离子色谱法测定水样中S~(2-)、SO_3~(2-)、SO_4~(2-)、S_2O_3~(2-)

该种方法利用离子色谱仪的电导检测器与电化学检测器串联 ,十几分钟即可连续完成水中S2 - 、SO2 - 3 、SO2 - 4、S2 O2 - 3 的测定 ,方法具有快速、高效、方便、灵敏、选择性好等特点。方法的检出限分别为 :S2 - 12 5 μg/L ;SO2 - 3 2 2 4 μg/L ;SO2 - 45 0 μg/L ;S2 O2 - 35 0 μg/L。相对标准偏差在 1 5 %～ 6 9%之间 ,能够满足水中S2 - 、SO2 - 3 、SO2 - 4、S2 O2 - 3四种阴离子分析测试的需要。     

韧性剪切变形对岩石地球化学行为的制约——以北阿尔金巴什考供韧性剪切带为例

韧性剪切变形对岩石地球化学行为的制约一直是地质学家们探讨的课题。本文以构成北阿尔金红柳沟——拉配泉俯冲碰撞杂岩带与北阿尔金地块边界的巴什考供斜向逆冲型韧性剪切带为例,通过对韧性剪切带内花岗岩变形前后不同变形强度构造岩的地球化学组成进行对比,确定等比线斜率,探讨韧性变形对岩石体积和成分变异的影响。计算结果表明,在糜棱岩化过程中,糜棱岩化花岗岩体积亏损21％,花岗质糜棱岩体积亏损31％。质量平衡计算结果和等比线图表明,韧;陛剪切作用导致SiO2,流失量最大,A12O3、K2O及Ba、Rb、Sr等都有不同程度的丢失,显示出较强的活动性,MnO、P2O5、Sc位于等比线上或附近,表现出相对的稳定性。岩石中活动组分的变异是流体渗滤作用引起的,不活动组分的变异是体．积亏损造成的。     

Mafic magmas from Mount Baker in the northern Cascade arc,Washington: probes into mantle and crustal processes

Five mafic lava flows located on the southern flank of Mount Baker are among the most primitive in the volcanic field. A comprehensive dataset of whole rock and mineral chemistry reveals the diversity of these mafic lavas that come from distinct sources and have been variably affected by ascent through the crust. Disequilibrium textures present in all of the lavas indicate that crustal processes have affected the magmas. Despite this evidence, mantle source characteristics have been retained and three primitive endmember lava types are represented. These include (1) modified low-K tholeiitic basalt (LKOT-like), (2) typical calc-alkaline (CA) lavas, and (3) high-Mg basaltic andesite and andesite (HMBA and HMA). The Type 1 endmember, the basalt of Park Butte (49.3–50.3 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 64–65), has major element chemistry similar to LKOT found elsewhere in the Cascades. Park Butte also has the lowest overall abundances of trace elements (with the exception of the HREE), indicating it is either derived from the most depleted mantle source or has undergone the largest degree of partial melting. The Type 2 endmember is represented by the basalts of Lake Shannon (50.7–52.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 58–62) and Sulphur Creek (51.2–54.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 56–57). These two lavas are comparable to calc-alkaline rocks found in arcs worldwide and have similar trace element patterns; however, they differ from each other in abundances of REE, indicating variation in degree of partial melting or fractionation. The Type 3 endmember is represented by the HMBA of Tarn Plateau (51.8–54.0 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 68–70) and the HMA of Glacier Creek (58.3–58.7 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 63–64). The strongly depleted HREE nature of these Type 3 units and their decreasing Mg# with increasing SiO₂ suggests fractionation from a high-Mg basaltic parent derived from a source with residual garnet. Another basaltic andesite unit, Cathedral Crag (52.2–52.6 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 55–58), is an Mg-poor differentiate of the Type 3 endmember. The calc-alkaline lavas are least enriched in a subduction component (lowest H₂O, Sr/P_N, and Ba/Nb), the LKOT-like lavas are intermediate (moderate Sr/P_N and Ba/Nb), and the HMBA are most enriched (highest H₂O, Sr/P_N and Ba/Nb). The generation of the LKOT-like and calc-alkaline lavas can be successfully modeled by partial melting of a spinel lherzolite with variability in composition of slab flux and/or mantle source depletion. The HMBA lavas can be successfully modeled by partial melting of a garnet lherzolite with slab flux compositionally similar to the other lava types, or less likely by partial melting of a spinel lherzolite with a distinctly different, HREE-depleted slab flux.     

Synthesis in Estuarine and Coastal Ecological Research: What Is It,Why Is It Important,and How Do We Teach It?

During the last two decades, there has been growing interest in the integration of existing ideas and data to produce new synthetic models and hypotheses leading to discovery and advancement in estuarine and coastal science. This essay offers an integrated definition of what is meant by synthesis research and discusses its importance for exploiting the rapid expansion of information availability and for addressing increasingly complex environmental problems. Approaches and methods that have been used in published synthetic coastal research are explored and a list of essential steps is developed to provide a foundation for conducting synthetic research. Five categories of methods used widely in coastal synthesis studies are identified: (1) comparative cross-system analysis, (2) analysis of time series data, (3) balance of cross-boundary fluxes, (4) system-specific simulation modeling, and (5) general systems simulation modeling. In addition, diverse examples are used to illustrate how these methods have been applied in previous studies. We discuss the urgent need for developing curricula for classroom and experiential teaching of synthesis in coastal science to undergraduate and graduate students, and we consider the societal importance of synthetic research to support coastal resource management and policy development. Finally, we briefly discuss the crucial challenges for future growth and development of synthetic approaches to estuarine and coastal research.     

Detection of smectites in ppm and sub-ppm concentrations using dye molecule sensors

Methylene blue and rhodamine 6G were used as molecular sensors for the spectrophotometric titrations of the aqueous colloids of clay minerals (montmorillonite, illite and kaolinite). The dyes adsorbed on colloid particles form molecular aggregates, which exhibit spectral properties significantly different from those of dye solutions. Spectrophotometric titrations provide the most sensitive detection of smectites in aqueous colloids (sub-ppm concentrations); and the sensitivity further increases using second derivative spectroscopy. The endpoint of spectrophotometric titrations can be used for the determination of exchange capacity of the mineral in colloids and in this way to estimate its amount. The method is selective only to expandable clays, which was proven by experiments with kaolinite and illite. Spectrophotometric titrations have promising future in the analysis of clays and can be applied in many fields of geology, mineralogy, chemistry, material sciences or in industry. Its application may expand to the analysis of other nanomaterials built from charged particles and exhibiting metachromasy in the systems with organic dyes.     

Coupling hydrogeological with surface runoff model in a Poltva case study in Western Ukraine

This paper presents the hydrological coupling of the software framework OpenGeoSys (OGS) with the EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Conceptual models include the Saint Venant equation for river flow, the 2D Darcy equations for confined and unconfined groundwater flow, a two-way hydrological coupling flux in a compartment coupling approach (conductance concept), and Lagrangian particles for solute transport in the river course. A SWMM river–OGS aquifer inter-compartment coupling flux is examined for discharging groundwater in a systematic parameter sensitivity analysis. The parameter study involves a small perturbation (first-order) sensitivity analysis and is performed for a synthetic test example base-by-base through a comprehensive range of aquifer parametrizations. Through parametrization, the test cases enables to determine the leakance parameter for simulating streambed clogging and non-ocillatory river-aquifer water exchange rates with the sequential (partitioned) coupling scheme. The implementation is further tested with a hypothetical but realistic 1D river–2D aquifer model of the Poltva catchment, where discharging groundwater in the upland area affects the river–aquifer coupling fluxes downstream in the river course (propagating feedbacks). Groundwater contribution in the moving river water is numerically determined with Lagrangian particles. A numerical experiment demonstrates that the integrated river–aquifer model is a serviceable and realistic constituent in a complete compartment model of the Poltva catchment.     

The assessment of health impact caused by energy use in urban areas of China: an intake fraction–based analysis

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 caused inundation of seawater along the Northern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, resulting in loss of 8,000 people with extensive damage to properties. The paper describes the inundation of seawater in two northern districts, namely Kancheepuram and Villupuram districts, which showed distinct patterns of inundation of seawater and run-up levels due to variations in geomorphic features. TUNAMI N2 model was used to predict the seawater inundation for earthquakes occurred in 1881 at Car Nicobar, Sumatra 2004 and a worst-case scenario. The coastal areas with beaches having gentle slope showed more inundation compared with coastal areas having varied slope and habited by sand dunes and coastal vegetation. Appreciable inundation of seawater with tsunami simulated for 1881 Car Nicobar indicated that proximity to the source plays a major role besides earthquake parameters in causing inundation. The worst-case scenario generated from subduction zone of Car Nicobar using Sumatra 2004 earthquake parameters revealed extreme vulnerability of coasts of both the districts to giant tsunamis.     

Relations between the emplacement and fabric-forming conditions of the Kapitan-Dimitrievo pluton and the Maritsa shear zone (Central Bulgaria): magnetic and visible fabrics analysis

The Kapitan-Dimitrievo pluton was emplaced within the 15 km wide Maritsa shear zone during the Late Cretaceous. It has well-known U–Pb zircon age (78.54 ± 0.13 Ma) and appears as a late-syntectonic intrusion that marked the last ductile deformation in the Maritsa shear zone. Magnetite is believed to be the main carrier of the magnetic fabric in this pluton, and crystallized mainly late, after the main rock-forming minerals. Two fabrics are recorded, a visible syn-magmatic fabric (due to magma flow) and magnetic late-magmatic fabric (related to regional stresses). Although different, both are mainly related to the shearing along this shear zone. These results constrain in age the dextral strike-slip controlled emplacement and evolution of the Late Cretaceous plutons from Central Bulgaria.     

A protoceratopsid skeleton with an associated track from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia

The Djadokhta Formation of the Gobi Desert is known for the number and diversity of dinosaur and other vertebrate bones and skeletons found there, but only theropod, hadrosaur and supposed ankylosaurid footprints have been reported from this stratum. Dinosaur footprints are also noted from the Nemegt Formation, and occur as typical dinosaur track accumulations (tracksites). An articulated protoceratopsid skeleton - specimen ZPAL Mg D-II/3 - was collected by the Polish-Mongolian Expedition of 1965 from the Djadokhta Formation of Flaming Cliffs in Mongolia. Recently, the natural cast of a tetradactyl digitigrade footprint was found underneath the pelvic girdle while the skeleton and matrix were being prepared. This is possibly the first find of a dinosaur track in close association with an articulated skeleton. Although Protoceratops is an extremely common dinosaur in Mongolia, its footprints have never previously been reported from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert.