Tektites: A post-Apollo view     

Stuart Ross Taylor 《Earth》1973,9(2):101-123

Prior to the receipt of the lunar samples, it was the scientific consensus that tektites were melted and splashed material formed during large cometary or meteorite impact events. Whether the impact took place on the Earth or the Moon was the topic of a long-standing scientific debate, which raged with particular intensity during the decade previous to the lunar landings.Four definite and separate tektite-strewn fields are known: bediasites (North America, 34 m.y.); moldavites (Czechoslovakia, 14 m.y.); Ivory Coast (1.3 m.y.); and Southeast Asian and Australian fields (0.7 m.y.). A fifth possible occurrence, of high-Na australites, possibly 3–4 m.y. old, remains to be substantiated. The age of infall of the australites is not agreed upon. Radiometric and fission track dates agree with the magnetic stratigraphy for deep-sea core microtektite occurrences at about 0.7 m.y. Terrestrial stratigraphic evidence favours a recent (30,000 years) date.The chemistry of tektites appears to reflect that of the parent material, and losses during fusion appear to be restricted to elements and compounds more volatile than cesium. Terrestrial impact glasses provide small-scale analogues of tektite-forming events, and indicate that only the most volatile components are lost during fusion.The Apollo lunar missions provide critical evidence which refutes the hypothesis of lunar origin of tektites. Tektite chemistry is totally distinct from that observed in lunar maria basalts. These possess Cr contents which are two orders of magnitude higher than tektites, distinctive REE patterns with large Eu depletions, high Fe and low SiO₂ contents, low K/U ratios and many other diagnostic features, none of which are observed in the chemistry of tektites. The lunar uplands compositions, as shown by Apollo 14, 15 and 16 samples and the μ-ray and XRF orbiter data, are high-Al, low-SiO₂ compositions totally dissimilar to those of tektites. The composition of lunar rock 12013 shows typical lunar features and is distinct from that of tektites. The small amounts of lunar K-rich granitic material found in the soils have K/Mg and K/Na ratios 10–50 times those of tektites.The ages of the lunar maria (3.2–3.8 aeons) and uplands (> 4.0 aeons) are an order of magnitude older than the parent material of the Southeast Asian and Australian tektites, which yield Rb-Sr isochrons indicating ages of the order of 100–300 m.y. The lunar lead isotopic compositions are highly radiogenic whereas tektites have terrestrial Pb isotopic ratios. Lunar δ¹⁸ O values are low (< 7 per mil) compared with values of +9.6 to +11.5 per mil for tektites. In summary, a lunar impact origin for tektites is not compatible with the chemistry, age or isotopic composition of the lunar samples. A lunar volcanic origin, recently revived by O'Keefe (1970) encounters most of the same problems. Recent lunar volcanism (< 50 m.y.), if the source of tektites, should contribute tektite glass to the upper layers of the regolith. None has been found. The presence of meteoritic components in tektites, and the high pressure phase coesite, are more readily interpreted as evidence of impact.The element abundances and inter-element variations in tektites do not resemble those in terrestrial igneous rocks, but show a close similarity to terrestrial sandstones. The composition of the Southeast Asian tektites, australites and moldavites resembles that of micaceous sandstones or subgreywackes, the Ivory Coast tektite composition is similar to that of greywacke, and the bediasite chemistry is analogous to that of arkose.No suitable terrestrial impact site has been identified for the bediasites, Southeast Asian tektites and australites. It is suggested that a search for the source of these latter strewnfields be made using satellite photographs to look for wide shallow craters produced by super-Tunguska type events on areas of Mesozoic sandstones. The moldavites were possibly formed during the Ries Crater event but, if so, the precise source of the material remains to be identified. The Ivory Coast tektites are linked by chemistry, isotope and age evidence to the Bosumtwi Crater, Ghana. The overall evidence now supports the origin of tektites by cometary (or meteorite) impact on terrestrial sedimentary rocks.  相似文献   

Observations from space of the solar corona/inner zodical light     

R.M. Macqueen  C.L. Ross  T. Matingly 《Planetary and Space Science》1973,21(12):2173-2176

Observations, from the Apollo 16 Spacecraft, in lunar orbit, of the total radiance of the K + F corona, from 3 R to 55 R are presented and discussed.

The logarithmic slope of the K + F coronal radiance, in the region r > 20 R, is found to be n = 1.93, slightly less steep than previous determinations. The photometric axis of the radiance is found to be displaced 3 ± 1° north of the ecliptic, for the region r > 20 R, and this displacement is interpreted as an annual variation due to non-coincidence of the ecliptic and the symmetry axis of the zodiacal cloud.  相似文献   

Episodic colonization of an intertidal mudflat by native cordgrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina foliosa</Emphasis>) at Tijuana Estuary     

Kristen?M.?WardEmail author  John?C.?Callaway  Joy?B.?Zedler 《Estuaries and Coasts》2003,26(1):116-130

Following heavy winter storms and sedimentation in 1993,Spartina foliosa (Pacific cordgrass) clones established on a 6.5-ha mudflat in Tijuana Estuary, with over 80 new clones counted by 1997. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) storms in 1993 apparently facilitated the habitat conversion through river flooding, which caused a temporary reduction in soil salinity and delivered large volumes of sediment. Extreme sedimentation likely raised mudflat elevations enough to allowSpartina establishment. We hypothesized that clones, once established, increased sedimentation in a positive feedback loop leading to accelerated habitat conversion. We collected data on elevation,Spartina expansion, and sediment accretion in two consecutive years (1998–1999). The elevation range of the mudflats in 1998 (0.5–0.83 m NGVD) was within the elevation range ofSpartina at this site (0.39–0.83 m NGVD), indicating that remaining mudflats are at elevations suitable for further expansion. Sediment accretion ranged from 4.0–12.7 cm between 1997–1998 (ENSO conditions), but was close to long-term averages (? cm yr^?1) in 1998–1999 (nonflood year) indicating how susceptible Tijuana Estuary is to sedimentation from episodic storms. Although accretion rates were similar withinSpartina clones and on bare mudflats over the ENSO winter, clones were typically dome-shaped suggesting higher sediment retention rates within clones. The radial expansion rates of clones (1.31±0.25 m in 1998; 1.12±0.07 m in 1999) approximated the maxima reported for this species and were not related to clone size or vigor. Conditions on the mudflat appear ideal forSpartina growth, masking differences that might otherwise be observed. Given the likelihood of sedimentation-driven habitat conversion in southern California and other Mediterranean-type estuaries, management efforts are needed to address sedimentation issues on a watershed scale. We recommend that wetland restoration projects in southern California include large areas of intertidal mudflat, both to maintain habitat for shorebird feeding and to allow colonization by salt marsh vegetation.  相似文献   

Past and future polar amplification of climate change: climate model intercomparisons and ice-core constraints   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

V. Masson-Delmotte  M. Kageyama  P. Braconnot  S. Charbit  G. Krinner  C. Ritz  E. Guilyardi  J. Jouzel  A. Abe-Ouchi  M. Crucifix  R. M. Gladstone  C. D. Hewitt  A. Kitoh  A. N. LeGrande  O. Marti  U. Merkel  T. Motoi  R. Ohgaito  B. Otto-Bliesner  W. R. Peltier  I. Ross  P. J. Valdes  G. Vettoretti  S. L. Weber  F. Wolk  Y. Yu 《Climate Dynamics》2006,27(4):437-440

  相似文献   

Platinum-group elements (Ir,Pd, Pt and Rh) in road-deposited sediments in two urban watersheds,Hawaii     

Ross A. Sutherland  D. Graham Pearson  Chris J. Ottley 《Applied Geochemistry》2007

This study represents the first detailed investigation of platinum-group elements (PGEs) in road-deposited sediment (RDS) in Hawaii, USA. Thirty-three sample locations, in two urban watersheds in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii were sampled. The <63 μm fraction of RDS was digested with aqua regia, followed by matrix separation with Dowex AG50-X8 cation exchange resin. PGEs were analyzed with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipped with a desolvating nebulizer. Concentrations of Rh, Pd and Pt in residential streets reached 64, 105 and 506 ng/g, respectively. Maximum enrichment ratios, computed as RDS concentrations relative to baseline values, exceeded 400, indicating a significant anthropogenic signal with the sequence Rh > Pt > Pd. Iridium concentrations were uniformly low <1 ng/g, and enrichment ratios support a geogenic source. Significant interelement PGE correlations (Pd–Pt–Rh), combined with the magnitude of PGE pair-wise ratios (Pt/Pd, Pt/Rh and Pd/Rh), and relative percentages comparable to European RDS and roadside soil in Indiana, USA all suggest an automobile source. Attrition of PGE-loaded automobile catalytic converters and subsequent loss to the environment by exhaust emissions explains the significant environmental signal of PGEs in road environments of Hawaii. Further PGE work is required to quantify urban transport paths as PGEs are known to bioaccumulate, cause cellular damage and may have detrimental human health effects.  相似文献   

Improved seasonal climate forecasts for the Caribbean region using the Florida State University Synthetic Superensemble     

R. S. Ross  A. Chakraborty  A. Chen  L. Stefanova  S. Sirdas  T. N. Krishnamurti 《Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics》2007,98(3-4):137-174

Summary Climate variations in the Caribbean, largely manifest in rainfall activity, have important consequences for the large-scale water budget, natural vegetation, and land use in the region. The wet and dry seasons will be defined, and the important roles played by the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in modulating the rainfall during these seasons will be discussed. The seasonal climate forecasts in this paper are made by 13 state of the art coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (CGCMs) and by the Florida State University Synthetic Superensemble (FSUSSE), whose forecasts are obtained by a weighted combination of the individual CGCM forecasts based on a training period. The success of the models in simulating the observed 1989–2001 climatology of the various forecast parameters will be examined and linked to the models’ success in predicting the seasonal climate for individual years. Seasonal forecasts will be examined for precipitation, sea-surface temperature (SST), 2-meter air temperature, and 850 hPa u- and v-wind components during the period 1989–2001. Evaluation metrics include root mean square (RMS) error and Brier skill score. It will be shown that the FSUSSE is superior to the individual CGCMs and their ensemble mean both in simulating the 1989–2001 climatology for the various parameters and in predicting the seasonal climate of the various parameters for individual years. The seasonal climate forecasts of the FSUSSE and of the ensemble mean of the 13 state of the art CGCMs will be evaluated for years (during the period 1989–2001) that have particular ENSO and NAO signals that are known to influence Caribbean weather, particularly the rainfall. It will be shown that the FSUSSE provides superior forecasts of rainfall, SST, 2-meter air temperature, and 850 hPa u- and v-wind components during dry summers that are modulated by negative SOI and/or positive NAO indices. Such summers have become a feature of a twenty-year pattern of drought in the Caribbean region. The results presented in this paper will show that the FSUSSE is a valuable tool for forecasting rainfall and other atmospheric and oceanic variables during such periods of drought.  相似文献   

Economic consequences of consideration of permanence, leakage and additionality for soil carbon sequestration projects     

Brian C. Murray  Brent Sohngen  Martin T. Ross 《Climatic change》2007,80(1-2):127-143

This paper introduces, explains, and describes methods for addressing the issues of permanence, leakage, and additionality (PLA) of agricultural soil carbon sequestration (ASCS) activities at the project level. It is important to cast these as project-level issues, because they relate to the integrity and consistency of using location-specific ASCS projects as an offset against GHG emissions generated in other sectors (e.g., energy). The underlying objective is to understand and quantify what the net carbon benefits of an ASCS project are once we account for the fact that (1) the sequestered carbon may be stored impermanently, (2) the project may displace emissions outside the project boundaries (leakage), and (3) the project’s carbon sequestration may not be entirely additional to what would have occurred anyway under business-as-usual (no project) conditions. This article evaluates methods for identifying and estimating PLA and gauges the potential magnitude of these effects on the economic returns to a project. This work reflects ongoing collaborative efforts of the authors and Bruce McCarl (Texas A&M University), Allan Sommer, Jui-Chen Yang, and Laurel Clayton (RTI International), Sandra Brown (Winrock International), Ken Andrasko and Ben DeAngelo (US EPA), and various participants in the World Resources Institute/World Business Council workgroup to develop GHG project reporting protocols. All opinions, errors and omissions are those of the authors only.  相似文献   

High pressure study of ScAlO3 perovskite     

Nancy L. Ross 《Physics and Chemistry of Minerals》1998,25(8):597-602

The crystal structure of orthorhombic (Pbnm) ScAlO₃ perovskite has been refined to 5 GPa using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compression of the structure if anisotropic with β _a =1.39(3)×10⁻³ GPa⁻¹, β _b =1.14(3)×10⁻³ GPa⁻¹ and β _c =1.84(3)×10⁻³ GPa⁻¹. The isothermal bulk modulus of ScAlO₃, K _T , determined from fitting a Birch-Murnaghan equation of state (K ^′ _T =4) to the volume compression data is 218(1) GPa. The interoctahedral angles to not vary significantly with pressure, and the compression of the structure is entirely attributable to compression of the AlO₆ octahedra. The compressibilities of the constituent AlO₆ and ScO₁₂ are well matched: β_Al−O=1.6×10⁻³ GPa⁻¹ and β_Sc−O=1.5×10⁻³ GPa⁻¹. Therefore the distortion of the structure shows no significant change with increasing pressure. Received: 18 August 1997 / Revised, accepted: 11 November 1997  相似文献   

Iron line profiles including emission from within the innermost stable orbit of a black hole accretion disc     

A. J. Young  R. R. Ross  & A. C. Fabian 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》1998,300(1):L11-L15

We propose a model for the source of the X-ray background (XRB) in which low-luminosity active nuclei ( L  ∼ 10⁴³ erg s⁻¹) are obscured ( N  ∼ 10²³ cm⁻²) by nuclear starbursts within the inner ∼ 100 pc. The obscuring material covers most of the sky as seen from the central source, rather than being distributed in a toroidal structure, and hardens the averaged X-ray spectrum by photoelectric absorption. The gas is turbulent with velocity dispersion ∼ few × 100 km s⁻¹ and cloud–cloud collisions lead to copious star formation. Although supernovae tend to produce outflows, most of the gas is trapped in the gravity field of the star-forming cluster itself and the central black hole. A hot ( T  ∼ 10⁶ − 10⁷ K) virialized phase of this gas, comprising a few per cent of the total obscuring material, feeds the central engine of ∼ 10⁷ M⊙ through Bondi accretion, at a sub-Eddington rate appropriate for the luminosity of these objects. If starburst-obscured objects give rise to the residual XRB, then only 10 per cent of the accretion in active galaxies occurs close to the Eddington limit in unabsorbed objects.  相似文献   

Proper motions and variability of the H₂ knots in the HH 111 and 121 protostellar outflows     

Kristen E. K. Coppin  Christopher J. Davis  & Milena Micono 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》1998,301(1):L10-L14

We discuss the formation of spectral features in the decelerating ejecta of gamma-ray bursts, including the possible effect of inhomogeneities. These should lead to blueshifted and broadened absorption edges and resonant features, especially from H and He. An external neutral ISM could produce detectable H and He, as well as Fe X-ray absorption edges and lines. Hypernova scenarios may be diagnosed by Fe Kα and H Lyα emission lines.  相似文献