Search results for "Geophysics"
showing 10 items of 2645 documents
Recycling in the subduction factory: Archaean to Permian zircons in the oceanic Cretaceous Caribbean island-arc (Hispaniola)
2018
Abstract Little mineralogical evidence is left of the recycling of continental and oceanic crust into the mantle at subduction zones. Zircon, because of its exceptional robustness, is probably the only surviving phase and the best mineral tracer of this global-scale process. This article combines new in-situ U-Pb dating and O and Hf isotope analyses on Cretaceous (co-magmatic) and pre-Cretaceous (inherited) zircons separated from Albian-Aptian arc-related igneous rocks from the Dominican Republic. The O and Hf systematics of Cretaceous zircons reflect derivation from predominantly juvenile sources and variable mixing with evolved melts, as expected for an oceanic island-arc. Inherited zirco…
Cold plumes trigger contamination of oceanic mantle wedges with continental crust-derived sediments: Evidence from chromitite zircon grains of easter…
2018
The origin of zircon grains, and other exotic minerals of typical crustal origin, in mantle-hosted ophiolitic chromitites are hotly debated.We report a population of zircon grains with ages ranging from Cretaceous (99 Ma) to Neoarchean (2750 Ma), separated from massive chromitite bodies hosted in the mantle section of the supra-subduction (SSZ)-type Mayarí-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt in eastern Cuba. Most analyzed zircon grains (n = 20, 287 +/- 3 Ma to 2750 +/- 60 Ma) are older than the early Cretaceous age of the ophiolite body, show negative εHf(t) (+/-26 to +/-0.6) and occasional inclusions of quartz, K-feldspar, biotite, and apatite that indicate derivation from a granitic continental crust…
Recent changes in measured wind in the NE Atlantic and variability of correlation with NAO
2010
The paper deals with wind measurements, recorded since the 1950s, at twelve meteorological stations along a transect near the westernmost European border, between 64° and 44° N. Extreme wind speed tends to decrease sharply near the northern boundary (at Reykjavick), near the middle of the study area (at Shannon and Valentia) and near the southern boundary (at Brest and Cap Ferret), to increase at Thorshavn, with less significant trends at the other stations. Average wind speeds confirm the above tendencies, with an additional increasing speed at Lerwick, Kirkwall, Malin Head, Belle-Ile and Cap Ferret. To compare changes in wind activity, the data have been subdivided into three periods: unt…
Global atmospheric response to specific linear combinations of the main SST modes. Part I: numerical experiments and preliminary results
1996
Abstract. This article investigates through numerical experiments the controversial question of the impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomena on climate according to large-scale and regional-scale interhemispheric thermal contrast. Eight experiments (two considering only inversed Atlantic thermal anomalies and six combining ENSO warm phase with large-scale interhemispheric contrast and Atlantic anomaly patterns) were performed with the Météo-France atmospheric general circulation model. The definition of boundary conditions from observed composites and principal components is presented and preliminary results concerning the month of August, especially over West Africa and the …
The relationship between the Sahelian and previous 2nd Guinean rainy seasons: a monsoon regulation by soil wetness?
2002
The correlation of 0.61 found between observed July–September Sahelian rainfall in year 0 and September–November Guinean rainfall in year - 1, led us to explore the statistical relationships between precipitation, soil moisture and near surface Moist Static Energy (MSE) gradients in West Africa. These analyses were performed over successive 30-year periods and specifically, the most recent period between 1968–1998. It is shown from observations, National Centers for Environmental Predictions and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalyses and from the Global Soil Wetness Project (GSWP) database, that wet Sahelian rainy seasons are preceded by abnormally wet soils over th…
The role of the subtropical and equatorial forcing in the development of the Atlantic Niños after 1970s.
2013
International audience; Previous works have reported a connection betweeen Atlantic and Pacific Niños occurring since 1970s. Accordingly, an Atlantic Niño (Niña) seems to favor the development of a Pacific la Niña (Niño) next winter, through an alteration of the Walker circulation. These Atlantic Niños occurring since 1970s are characterized by anomalous SSTs covering the entire tropical band during the summer months, which differs from a more equatorial warming pattern observed in previous decades. The development of this striking spatial pattern of the Atlantic Niños after 70s seems to be associated with an alteration of both North and South Subtropical Highs during the previous Winter-sp…
Foreword for the thematic volume of the 8ISCPP. Recent advances in present and past cephalopod studies.
2012
3 pages, éditorial.; International audience
Enhancements of the refractory submicron aerosol fraction in the Arctic polar vortex: feature or exception ?
2014
In situ measurements with a four-channel stratospheric condensation particle counter (CPC) were conducted at up to 20 km altitude on board the aircraft M-55 Geophysica from Kiruna, Sweden, in January through March (EUPLEX 2003, RECONCILE 2010) and in December (ESSenCe 2011). During all campaigns air masses from the upper stratosphere and mesosphere were subsiding inside the Arctic winter vortex, thus initializing a transport of refractory aerosol into the lower stratosphere (Θ 3 were generally detected. Up to 8 of these 11 particles per cm3 were found to contain thermo-stable (at 250 °C) residuals with diameters of 10 nm to about 1 μm. Particle mixing ratios (150 mg−1) and fractions of non-…
Towards a rapidly rotating liquid sodium dynamo experiment
2002
The main characteristics of the Earth's dynamo are reviewed. The combined actions of Coriolisand Lorentz forces lead to the so--called ``magnetostrophic'' regime. We derive an estimate of the power needed to sustain the magnetic field in this regime. We show that an experimentwith liquid sodium can be designed to operate in the magnetostrophic regime. Such an experiment would bring most valuable informations on the mechanisms of planetary dynamos. In order toprepare this large--scale experiment and explore the magnetostrophic balance, a smaller scale liquid sodium set--up has been designed and is being built. It consists of a rapidly rotating spherical shell filled with liquid sodium, in wh…
On the use of geophysical methods to characterize heterogeneities of quaternary alluvial deposits. Application to stormwater infiltration.
2007
Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. International.; International audience; Stormwater infiltration basins are generally built on geological formations with large values of hydraulic conductivity. Such is the case for quaternary alluvial formations, among which are glaciofluvial deposits. Two geophysical investigation methods, namely ground-penetrating radar and electrical tomography, were tested on an infiltration basin built on a glaciofluvial deposit. Geophysical profiles were calibrated on a trench wall dug in the glaciofluvial formation. A sedimentological study coupled to geophysical measurements behind the trench wall highlights the three-dimensional architecture of the deposit…