Estimating the masses of Saturn’s A and B rings from high-optical depth N-body simulations and stellar occultations     

Stuart J. Robbins  Glen R. Stewart  Joshua E. Colwell 《Icarus》2010,206(2):431-445

We have completed a series of local N-body simulations of Saturn’s B and A rings in order to identify systematic differences in the degree of particle clumping into self-gravity wakes as a function of orbital distance from Saturn and dynamical optical depth (a function of surface density). These simulations revealed that the normal optical depth of the final configuration can be substantially lower than one would infer from a uniform distribution of particles. Adding more particles to the simulation simply piles more particles onto the self-gravity wakes while leaving relatively clear gaps between the wakes. Estimating the mass from the observed optical depth is therefore a non-linear problem. These simulations may explain why the Cassini UVIS instrument has detected starlight at low incidence angles through regions of the B ring that have average normal optical depths substantially greater than unity at some observation geometries [Colwell, J.E., Esposito, L.W., Srem?evi?, M., Stewart, G.R., McClintock, W.E., 2007. Icarus 190, 127-144]. We provide a plausible internal density of the particles in the A and B rings based upon fitting the results of our simulations with Cassini UVIS stellar occultation data. We simulated Cassini-like occultations through our simulation cells, calculated optical depths, and attempted to extrapolate to the values that Cassini observes. We needed to extrapolate because even initial optical depths of >4 (σ > 240 g cm⁻²) only yielded final optical depths no greater than 2.8, smaller than the largest measured B ring optical depths. This extrapolation introduces a significant amount of uncertainty, and we chose to be conservative in our overall mass estimates. From our simulations, we infer the surface density of the A ring to be , which corresponds to a mass of . We infer a minimum surface density of for Saturn’s B ring, which corresponds to a minimum mass estimate of . The A ring mass estimate agrees well with previous analyses, while the B ring is at least 40% larger. In sum, our lower limit estimate is that the total mass of Saturn’s ring system is 120-200% the mass of the moon Mimas, but significantly larger values would be plausible given the limitations of our simulations. A significantly larger mass for Saturn’s rings favors a primordial origin for the rings because the disruption of a former satellite of the required mass would be unlikely after the decay of the late heavy bombardment of planetary surfaces.  相似文献   

A late Pleistocene steppe bison (Bison priscus) partial carcass from Tsiigehtchic, Northwest Territories, Canada     

Grant D. Zazula  Glen MacKay  Thomas D. Andrews  Beth Shapiro  Brandon Letts  Fiona Brock 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2009,28(25-26):2734-2742

A partial steppe bison (Bison priscus) carcass was recovered at Tsiigehtchic, near the confluence of the Arctic Red and Mackenzie Rivers, Northwest Territories, Canada in September of 2007. The carcass includes a complete cranium with horn cores and sheaths, several complete post-cranial elements (many of which have some mummified soft tissue), intestines and a large piece of hide. A piece of metacarpal bone was subsampled and yielded an AMS radiocarbon age of 11,830 ± 45 ¹⁴C yr BP (OxA-18549). Mitochondrial DNA sequenced from a hair sample confirms that Tsiigehtchic steppe bison (Bison priscus) did not belong to the lineage that eventually gave rise to modern bison (Bison bison). This is the first radiocarbon dated Bison priscus in the Mackenzie River valley, and to our knowledge, the first reported Pleistocene mammal soft tissue remains from the glaciated regions of northern Canada. Investigation of the recovery site indicates that the steppe bison was released from the permafrost during a landslide within unconsolidated glacial outwash gravel. These data indicate that the lower Mackenzie River valley was ice free and inhabited by steppe bison by 11,800 ¹⁴C years ago. This date is important for the deglacial chronology of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the opening of the northern portal to the Ice Free Corridor. The presence of steppe bison raises further potential for the discovery of more late Pleistocene fauna, and possibly archaeological evidence, in the region.  相似文献   

Diatom-inference models for surface-water temperature and salinity developed from a 57-lake calibration set from the Sierra Nevada, California, USA   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Amy M. Bloom  Katrina A. Moser  David F. Porinchu  Glen M. MacDonald 《Journal of Paleolimnology》2003,29(2):235-255

Physical, chemical, and biological data were collected from a suite of 57 lakes that span an elevational gradient of 1360 m (2115 to 3475 m a.s.l.) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA as part of a multiproxy study aimed at developing transfer functions from which to infer past drought events. Multivariate statistical techniques, including canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), were used to determine the main environmental variables influencing diatom distributions in the study lakes. Lakewater depth, surface-water temperature, salinity, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus were important variables in explaining variance in the diatom distributions. Weighted-averaging (WA) and weighted-averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) were used to develop diatom-based surface-water temperature and salinity inference models. The two best diatom-inference models for surface-water temperature were developed using simple WA and inverse deshrinking. One model covered a larger surface-water temperature gradient (13.7 °C) and performed slightly poorer (r² = 0.72, RMSE = 1.4 °C, RMSEP_jack = 2.1 °C) than a second model, which covered a smaller gradient (9.5 °C) and performed slightly better (r² = 0.89, RMSE = 0.7 °C, RMSEP_jack = 1.5 °C). The best diatom-inference model for salinity was developed using WA-PLS with three components (r² = 0.96, RMSE = 4.06 mg L^–1, RMSEP_jack = 11.13 mg L^–1). These are presently the only diatom-based inference models for surface-water temperature and salinity developed for the southwestern United States. Application of these models to fossil-diatom assemblages preserved in Sierra Nevada lake sediments offers great potential for reconstructing a high-resolution time-series of Holocene and late Pleistocene climate and drought for California.  相似文献   

Wavelet-based correlation (WBC) of zoned crystal populations and magma mixing   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Glen S. Wallace  George W. Bergantz 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》2002,202(1):133-145

Magma mixing is a common process and yet the rates, kinematics and numbers of events are difficult to establish. One expression of mixing is the major, trace element, and isotopic zoning in crystals, which provides a sequential but non-monotonic record of the creation and dissipation of volumes of distinct chemical potential. We demonstrate a wavelet-based correlation (WBC) technique that uses this zoning for the recognition of the minimum number of mixing, or open-system events, and the criteria for identifying populations of crystals that have previously shared a mixing event. When combined with field observations of the spatial distribution of crystal populations, WBC provides a statistical link between the time-varying thermodynamic and fluid dynamic history of the magmatic system. WBC can also be used as a data mining utility to reveal open-system events where outcrop is sparse. An analysis of zoned plagioclase from the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite provides a proof of principle for WBC.  相似文献   

Component migration patterns during the formation of a metamorphic layering, Mount Franks area, Willyama Complex, N.S.W., Australia     

R.A. Glen 《Journal of Structural Geology》1982,4(4):457-467

Mineral shapes, sizes and proportions in mica rich (M) and quartz-mica (QM) domains of an S₄ metamorphic layering have been compared in two mutually perpendicular orientations with shapes, sizes and proportions in mildly crenulated S₂ enclaves preserved within a rock from part of the Willyama Complex, N.S.W., Australia. The study has shown that data from two orientations are necessary to place constraints on the movement of mineral components dissolved in solution during formation of the layering. Comparison of mineral data has shown that SiO₂ has been dissolved from quartz grains in both M and QM domains. The SiO₂ lost from M domains has not migrated into QM domains. Measurements have also shown that biotite has undergone less solution than quartz. Most of the biotite components have probably undergone reaction to form probable syn—S₄ muscovite and chlorite. The muscovite-forming reaction requíres some silica on the lefthand side of the reaction, probably more than can be supplied by the chlorite-forming reaction. Some of this extra silica was supplied from dissolved quartz grains. However, only a small amount is needed for this purpose and most of the SiO₂ has left the system. Some syn—S₄ muscovite may have formed in M domains where it lies within the crenulated S₂. Direct evidence for its growth is hard to find.  相似文献   

Zoned Cr,Fe-spinel from the La Perouse layered gabbro,Fairweather Range,Alaska     

Gerald K. Czamanske  Glen R. Himmelberg  Fraser E. Goff 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》1976,33(1):111-118

Zoned spinel of unusual composition and morphology has been found in massive pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pent-landite ore from the La Perouse layered gabbro intrusion in the Fairweather Range, southeastern Alaska. The spinel grains show continuous zoning from cores with up to 53 wt.% Cr₂O₃ to rims with less than 11 wt.% Cr₂O₃. Their composition is exceptional because they contain less than 0.32 wt.% MgO and less than 0.10 wt.% Al₂O₃ and TiO₂. Also notable are the concentrations of MnO and V₂O₃, which reach 4.73 and 4.50 wt.%, respectively, in the cores. The spinel is thought to have crystallized at low oxygen fugacity and at temperatures above 900°C, directly from a sulfide melt that separated by immiscibility from the gabbroic parental magma.  相似文献   

Kinematic Modeling of Pyroclastic Flows Produced by Gravitational Dome Collapse at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat     

Donald M. Hooper  Glen S. Mattioli 《Natural Hazards》2001,23(1):65-86

Volcanic activity commenced 18 July 1995 at SoufriereHills volcano and has led to the creation of a newlava dome, which has repeatedly collapsed between 1996and 1999 resulting in highly mobile pyroclastic flows. The majority of associated pyroclastic flow phenomenaare consistent with initiation by gravitationalcollapse as blocks fall from oversteepened flanks ofthe new dome. If gravity controls the energy transferof such collapses, then areas likely to be affectedcan be predicted on the basis of topography. We focuson `dense' flows initiated by non-explosive,gravitational collapse (`Merapi-type' pyroclasticflows) and employ a graphical computer model (Flow3D)written to simulate this type of volcanic flow. Theprogram constructs a digital terrain model based upona 3D network of (x, y, z) triplets, which serves as thebasis for the numerical computations. A synthetic domewas added to the topographic model to improve theaccuracy of the simulations. After estimating thesmall number of key adjustable parameters, simulatedflow pathways, runout distances, and velocitiesclosely approximated observed Merapi-type pyroclasticflows on Montserrat. These simulations demonstrate thevalidity of a simple kinematic method to model densepyroclastic flow phenomena. While the simulationspresented here do not elucidate additional physics ofpyroclastic flow phenomena, this type of modeling canbe completed easily and without extensivea priori knowledge of volcano-specific parameters otherthan topography. Accordingly, it may serve as a rapidand inexpensive first-order approach for initialhazard assessment.  相似文献   

The changing dietary habits of nineteenth‐century Australian explorers     

William Cooper  Glen McLaren 《The Australian geographer》1997,28(1):97-105

In the first decade of white settlement in New South Wales, ground exploration was limited by the critical shortage of horses and the inability to live off the land. Bush skills were lacking and muskets were extremely inaccurate. Subsequently, the introduction of kangaroo dogs, the willingness to consume even the least appetising animals, and the identification of edible native plants made explorers less dependent on what they could carry. Such skills were to become largely irrelevant after 1840, as fully mounted expeditions began to penetrate the interior, where game was scarce and there was no time for hunting.  相似文献   

Combining measurements of transpiration and stable isotopes of water to determine groundwater discharge from forests   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Peter J. Thorburn  Thomas J. Hatton  Glen R. Walker 《Journal of Hydrology》1993,150(2-4):563-587

Discharge of saline groundwater from Eucalyptus forests on a semi-arid floodplain was directly determined by first measuring transpiration rates from the forests, and then partitioning the transpiration flux into groundwater discharge and soil water depletion. This partitioning was achieved by identifying the source of the transpired water with naturally occurring stable isotopes of water. Transpiration rates were low, being about 0.3 mm day⁻¹ from three E. largiflorens sites and up to 2 mm day⁻¹ from an E. camaldulensis site. There was no significant variation in transpiration across seasons, indicating that transpiration was limited by environmental factors other than evaporative demand. Despite its salinity (electrical conductivities of 11–33 dS m⁻¹), the groundwater was used by the forests at all sites and all times, and made up 100% of transpiration in more than half of the measurements, and 40–80% in the remainder. There was some consistency in water uptake patterns. E. camaldulensis tended to take up shallow soil water and groundwater simultaneously, as did trees at one of the E. largiflorens sites. At the driest sampling time, however, groundwater was the only source of water for trees at both of these sites. Trees at the remaining two E. largiflorens sites generally relied solely on the groundwater. The tree water source results indicate that groundwater discharge fluxes were between 40 and 100% of the transpiration fluxes at these sites. These groundwater discharge fluxes were small in terms of regional groundwater balances, but would be important in the salinisation of the soils. Additionally, uptake of water from the soil profile by the trees substantially increased groundwater discharge compared with discharge from the soils had they been bare of vegetation.  相似文献   

Sulfate reduction and porewater chemistry in a gulf coast<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juncus roemerianus</Emphasis> (Needlerush) marsh     

Glen?A.?Miley  Ronald?P.?KieneEmail author 《Estuaries and Coasts》2004,27(3):472-481

Sulfate reduction rates were measured over the course of a year in the sediments of aJuncus roemerianus marsh located in coastal Alabama. Sulfate reduction rates were typically highest in the surface 0–2 cm and at depths corresponding to peak belowground biomass of the plants. The highest volume-based sulfate reduction rate measured was 1,350 μmol liter-sediment⁻¹ d⁻¹ in September 1995. Areal sulfate reduction rates (integrated to 20 cm depth) were strongly correlated to sediment temperature and varied seasonally from 15.2 mmol SO ₄ ²⁻ m⁻² d⁻¹ in January 1995 to 117 mmol SO ₄ ²⁻ m⁻² d⁻¹ in late August 1995. Despite high sulfate reduction rates porewater dissolved sulfide concentrations were low (<73 μM), indicating rapid sulfide oxidation or precipitation. Sulfate depletion data indicated that net oxidation of sediment sulfides occurred in March through May, following a period of infrequent tidal flooding and during a period of high plant production. Porewater Fe(II) reached very high levels (maximum of 969 μM; mean for all dates was 160 μM), particularly during periods of high sulfate reduction. The annual sulfate reduction rate integrated over the upper 20 cm of sediment was 22.0 mol SO ₄ ²⁻ m⁻² yr⁻¹, which is among the highest rates measured in a wetland ecosystem. Based on literature values of net primary production inJ. roemerianus marshes, we estimate that an amount equivalent to 16% to 90% of the annual belowground production may be remineralized through sulfate reduction.  相似文献