Search results for "Planetary Science"
showing 10 items of 4367 documents
Tectonic and lithological constraints on the evolution of the Karoo graben of northern Malawi (East Africa)
1995
The results of a lithostratigraphic, tectonic and kinematic study of the Karoo deposits of northern Malawi are reported. The objective of the lithostratigraphic study is to correlate the deposits of the Karoo basins of northern Malawi with the well-known deposits of southern Tanzania, thus establishing a stratigraphic framework through which the timing of faulting can be constrained. The kinematic analysis of faulting constrains the opening direction for the Karoo graben in this area and provides basic data to discuss the Karoo graben development within the regional tectonic framework of south-eastern Africa. The studied adults are defined by moderately to steeply dipping cataclastic zones …
Contrasting styles of deep-marine pyroclastic eruptions revealed from Axial Seamount push core records
2015
Abstract A comprehensive understanding of explosive basaltic eruption processes in the deep-sea relies upon detailed analysis and comparison of the variety of volcaniclastic lithologies on the seafloor, which has been challenged by insufficient sample recovery. A dedicated ROV-based sampling approach using long push cores offers an unparalleled opportunity to fully characterize the diversity of unconsolidated volcaniclastic lithofacies on a recently active seamount. Lithofacies from Axial Seamount record two styles of pyroclastic eruptions, strombolian and phreatomagmatic, at 1.5 km water depth. Strombolian eruptions are represented by abundant fluidal and highly vesicular (up to 50%) vitri…
Seismo-stratigraphic model of “La Bandita” area in the Palermo Plain (Sicily, Italy) through HVSR inversion constrained by stratigraphic data
2018
Ambient noise Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) technique is commonly used approach to obtain 1D models of the shear-wave velocity in the shallow surface of an investigated area. However, obtained models can have a wide margin of uncertainty if inversions have not been appropriately constrained by detailed stratigraphic information. An application of HVSR inversion constrained by lithostratigraphic data is presented in order to verify the effectiveness of this technique for purposes of geological and geophysical reconstruction of a sedimentary basin in a densely urbanized area. This is often the case of seismic microzonation studies, in which almost all the information derives fr…
A continuous high-resolution dust record for the reconstruction of wind systems in central Europe (Eifel, Western Germany) over the past 133 ka
2009
[1] The last glacial cycle in Central Europe is dominated by processes of aeolian dust transport and accumulation. These dust deposits are preserved in soils and lake sediments and provide detailed information about the climate variability during cold and dry periods. Especially the transitions from warm into cold periods are characterized by turbulent climate conditions. The main problems of terrestrial paleoclimate reconstructions are the completeness of the core material and a sampling resolution. To detect single dust storms we use a particle detection method, which allows high resolution, sub-annual analyses of sediment structures in undisturbed samples. The ELSA (Eifel Laminated Sedim…
A comparison of different methods for speleothem age modelling
2012
Abstract Speleothems, such as stalagmites and flowstones, can be dated with unprecedented precision in the range of the last 650,000 a by the 230Th/U-method, which is considered as one of their major advantages as climate archives. However, a standard approach for the construction of speleothem age models and the estimation of the corresponding uncertainty has not been established yet. Here we apply five age modelling approaches ( StalAge , OxCal, a finite positive growth rate model and two spline-based models) to a synthetic speleothem growth model and two natural samples. All data sets contain problematic features such as outliers, age inversions, large and abrupt changes in growth rate a…
Age, geodynamic setting, and mantle enrichment processes of a K-rich intrusion from the Meissen massif (northern Bohemian massif) and implications fo…
1997
The plutonic complex of the Meissen massif (northern margin of the Bohemian massif) comprises dioritic to mainly monzonitic and granitic rocks. The diorite to monzonite intrusions show major and trace element patterns typical for shoshonitic series. The chemical signatures of less crustally contaminated diorites are similar to arc-related shoshonitic rocks derived from continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) sources previously enriched by subduction of altered oceanic crust. Laser step heating 40Ar/39Ar analyses on actinolitic to edenitic amphiboles from geographically different occurrences of the monzonitic intrusion yielded concordant plateau ages as well as total gas ages ranging from 329.…
Helium isotopes and tectonics in southern Italy
1989
Geodynamic evolution of southern Italy can be understood within the framework of the Mediterranean-Alpine System. Subduction of a plate along the Sicily-Calabrian forearc under the Tyrrhenian Sea has been suggested by many geophysicists, although it is not yet confirmed and remains somewhat controversial. Helium isotope ratios provide useful information on the geotectonic structure of the region. The authors report here the {sup 3}H/{sup 4}He ratios of terrestrial gas samples from southern Italy. The observed {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He ratios are relatively high in the Eolian volcanic arc region and low in the other areas. Dichotomous explanations are presented. Firstly, volcanic arc-forearc hypot…
Recycling and transport of continental material through the mantle wedge above subduction zones: A Caribbean example
2016
Abstract Estimates of global growth rates of continental crust critically depend upon knowledge of the rate at which crustal material is delivered back into the mantle at subduction zones and is then returned to the crust as a component of mantle-derived magma. Quantification of crustal recycling by subduction-related magmatism relies on indirect chemical and isotopic tracers and is hindered by the large range of potential melt sources (e.g., subducted oceanic crust and overlying chemical and clastic sediment, sub-arc lithospheric mantle, arc crust), whose composition may not be accurately known. There is also uncertainty about how crustal material is transferred from subducted lithosphere …
Volcanic-gas monitoring
2015
The environmental impact of volcanoes is closely related to the rates, style and chemistry of their gas emissions (Delmelle, 2003). Monitoring the composition and mass flux of volcanic gases is therefore central to understanding how volcanism impacts our planet, on both global and local scales. There are two main modes of volcanic-gas release on Earth (Chapter 14): (i) the impulsive emission of large quantities of gases during episodic, large-scale volcanic eruptions, and (ii) the far more sluggish, but persistent, passive gas release from quiescent or mildly erupting volcanoes. Characterising the chemical composition of impulsive emissions has remained a challenge, and direct measurements …
The assessment of volcanic gas hazard by means of numerical models: An example from Vulcano Island (Sicily)
1999
Volcanic activity can inject large quantities of gases and aerosols into the atmosphere both during and between eruptions, creating a health risk for the local population. The paper describes how the volcanic gas concentration in the air can be computed by a flow model simulating the wind field over a digital terrain model of the volcano coupled with a Lagrangian particle model that uses the known (measured) gas emission rates to simulate gas dispersion. The coupling provides hazard maps for a number of meteorological conditions, introduced as boundary and initial conditions to the wind flow model, and permits the estimation of the risk both for actual and increased emission rates. An appli…