QUEST on DASI: a South Pole CMB polarization experiment     

Sarah Church  Peter Ade  James Bock  Melanie Bowden  John Carlstrom  Ken Ganga  Walter Gear  James Hinderks  Wayne Hu  Brian Keating  John Kovac  Andrew Lange  Eric Leitch  Olivier Mallie  Simon Melhuish  Anthony Murphy  Ben Rusholme  Creidhe O&#x;Sullivan  Lucio Piccirillo  Clem Pryke  Andy Taylor  Keith Thompson 《New Astronomy Reviews》2003,47(11-12):1083

QUEST on DASI is a ground-based, high-sensitivity, high-resolution (ℓ_max2500) experiment designed to map CMB polarization at 100 and 150 GHz and to measure the power spectra from E-modes, B-modes from lensing of the CMB, and B-modes from primordial gravitational waves. The experiment comprises a 2.6 m Cassegrain optical system, equipped with an array of 62 polarization-sensitive bolometers (PSBs), located at the South Pole. The instrument is designed to minimize systematic effects; features include differencing of pairs of orthogonal PSBs within a single feed, a rotatable achromatic waveplate, and axisymmetric rotatable optics. In addition the South Pole location allows both repeatable and highly controlled observations. QUEST on DASI will commence operation in early 2005.  相似文献   

Authors' Reply     

Kaare L. Rasmussen  Hans J. F. Olsen  Raymond Gwozdz  Evgeniy M. Kolesnikov 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2001,36(7):1001-1006

Abstract— Jull et al. propose an alternative interpretation of our depth vs. ¹⁴C data measured on a peat core from the central Tunguska impact site (Rasmussen et al., 1999). We find that the proposed alternative is untenable.  相似文献   

Radar observations of Itokawa in 2004 and improved shape estimation     

Steven J. Ostro  Lance A. M. Benner  Christopher Magri  Jon D. Giorgini  Randy Rose  Raymond F. Jurgens  Donald K. Yeomans  Alice A. Hine  Michael C. Nolan  Daniel J. Scheeres  Stephen B. Broschart  Mikko Kaasalainen  Jean‐Luc Margot 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2005,40(11):1563-1574

Abstract— We present June 2004 radar images of asteroid 25143 Itokawa (1998 SF36) that improve upon the longitude‐latitude coverage of images obtained in 2001 by Ostro et al. (2004) and use the 2001–2004 data to refine that paper's constraints on Itokawa's shape. The 2004 images, the first of the asteroid's southern side, look distinctly different from the 2001 images, revealing leading edges that are much more curved and rugged than the nearly convex leading edges seen at northern latitudes in 2001. Itokawa is shaped like a slightly asymmetrical, bent, lumpy ellipsoid with dimensions along the principal axes within 10% of 594 times 320 times 288 m. To illustrate the uncertainty space associated with shape reconstruction from images with suboptimal orientational coverage, we present two alternative three‐dimensional models of the object.  相似文献   

Geochemistry and shock petrography of the Crow Creek Member,South Dakota,USA: Ejecta from the 74‐Ma Manson impact structure     

Crispin KATONGO  Christian KOEBERL  Brian J. WITZKE  Richard H. HAMMOND  Raymond R. ANDERSON 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2004,39(1):31-51

Abstract— The Crow Creek Member is one of several marl units recognized within the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale Formation of eastern South Dakota and northeastern Nebraska, but it is the only unit that contains shock‐metamorphosed minerals. The shocked minerals represent impact ejecta from the 74‐Ma Manson impact structure (MIS). This study was aimed at determining the bulk chemical compositions and analysis of planar deformation features (PDFs) of shocked quartz; for the basal and marly units of the Crow Creek Member. We studied samples from the Gregory 84‐21 core, Iroquois core and Wakonda lime quarry. Contents of siderophile elements are generally high, but due to uncertainties in the determination of Ir and uncertainties in compositional sources for Cr, Co, and Ni, we could not confirm an extraterrestrial component in the Crow Creek Member. We recovered several shocked quartz grains from basal‐unit samples, mainly from the Gregory 84‐21 core, and results of PDF measurements indicate shock pressures of at least 15 GPa. All the samples are composed chiefly of SiO₂ (29–58 wt%), Al₂O₃ (6–14 wt%), and CaO (7–30 wt%). When compared to the composition of North American Shale Composite, the samples are significantly enriched in CaO, P₂O₅, Mn, Sr, Y, U, Cr, and Ni. The contents of rare earth elements (REE), high field strength elements (HFSE), Cr, Co, Sc, and their ratios and chemical weathering trends, reflect both felsic and basic sources for the Crow Creek Member, an inference, which is consistent with the lithological compositions in the environs of the MIS. The high chemical indices of alteration and weathering (CIA' and CIW': 75–99), coupled with the Al₂O₃‐(CaO*+Na₂O)‐K₂O (A‐CN'‐K) ratios, indicate that the Crow Creek Member and source rocks had undergone high degrees of chemical weathering. The expected ejecta thicknesses at the sampled locations (409 to 219 km from Manson) were calculated to range from about 1.9 to 12.2 cm (for the present‐day crater radius of Manson), or 0.4 to 2.4 cm (for the estimated transient cavity radius). The trend agrees with the observed thicknesses of the basal unit of the Crow Creek Member, but the actually observed thicknesses are larger than the calculated ones, indicating that not all of the basal unit comprises impact ejecta.  相似文献   

Offshore granulites from the Bay of Biscay margins: fission tracks constrain a Proterozoic to Tertiary thermal history     

Bernhard Fügenschuh  Nikolaus Froitzheim  Raymond Capdevila  Gilbert Boillot 《地学学报》2003,15(5):337-342

Zircon and apatite fission track ages were determined on granulites dredged along the Bay of Biscay margins. A sample from Ortegal Spur (Iberia margin) yielded 725 ± 67 Ma (zircon). A sample from Le Danois Bank (Iberia margin) yielded 284 ± 58 Ma (zircon), indicating post‐Variscan cooling. Apatite from this sample gave 52 ± 2 Ma, interpreted as final cooling after ‘Pyrenean’ thrust imbrication. Two other samples from Le Danois Bank have Early Cretaceous apatite ages (138 ± 7 and 120 ± 8 Ma), interpreted to result from exhumation during rifting. Finally, a granulite from Goban Spur (Armorican margin) gave 212 ± 10 Ma (apatite), coinciding with a precursory rifting phase. Together with published radiometric results, these data indicate a Precambrian high‐grade terrane at the site of the current margins. The distribution of the granulites on the seafloor reflects tectonic and erosional processes related to (a) Mesozoic rifting and (b) Early Tertiary incipient subduction of the Bay of Biscay beneath Iberia.  相似文献   

Carbon biogeochemistry of the Betsiboka estuary (north-western Madagascar)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Olivier Harifidy Ralison  Alberto Vieira Borges  Frank Dehairs  J.J. Middelburg  Steven Bouillon   《Organic Geochemistry》2008,39(12):1649

Madagascar’s largest estuary (Betsiboka) was sampled along the salinity gradient during the dry season to document the distribution and sources of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) as well as dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The Betsiboka was characterized by a relatively high suspended matter load, and in line with this, low DOC/POC ratios (0.4–2.5). The partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) was generally above atmospheric equilibrium (270–1530 ppm), but relatively low in comparison to other tropical and subtropical estuaries, resulting in low average CO₂ emission to the atmosphere (9.1 ± 14.2 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹). Despite the fact that C4 vegetation is reported to cover >80% of the catchment area, stable isotope data on DOC and POC suggest that C4 derived material comprises only 30% of both pools in the freshwater zone, increasing to 60–70% and 50–60%, respectively, in the oligohaline zone due to additional lateral inputs. Sediments from intertidal mangroves in the estuary showed low organic carbon concentrations (<1%) and δ¹³C values (average −19.8‰) consistent with important inputs of riverine imported C4 material. This contribution was reflected in δ¹³C signatures of bacterial phospholipid derived fatty acids (i + a15:0), suggesting the potential importance of terrestrial organic matter sources for mineralization and secondary production in coastal ecosystems.  相似文献   

Sulfur isotope measurement of sulfate and sulfide by high-resolution MC-ICP-MS   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

Paul R. Craddock  Olivier J. Rouxel  Lary A. Ball  Wolfgang Bach   《Chemical Geology》2008,253(3-4):102-113

We have developed a technique for the accurate and precise determination of ³⁴S/³²S isotope ratios (δ³⁴S) in sulfur-bearing minerals using solution and laser ablation multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). We have examined and determined rigorous corrections for analytical difficulties such as instrumental mass bias, unresolved isobaric interferences, blanks, and laser ablation- and matrix-induced isotopic fractionation. Use of high resolution sector-field mass spectrometry removes major isobaric interferences from O₂⁺. Standard-sample bracketing is used to correct for the instrumental mass bias of unknown samples. Background on sulfur masses arising from memory effects and residual oxygen-tailing are typically minor (< 0.2‰, within analytical error), and are mathematically removed by on-peak zero subtraction and by bracketing of samples with standards determined at the same signal intensity (within 20%). Matrix effects are significant (up to 0.7‰) for matrix compositions relevant to many natural sulfur-bearing minerals. For solution analysis, sulfur isotope compositions are best determined using purified (matrix-clean) sulfur standards and sample solutions using the chemical purification protocol we present. For in situ analysis, where the complex matrix cannot be removed prior to analysis, appropriately matrix-matching standards and samples removes matrix artifacts and yields sulfur isotope ratios consistent with conventional techniques using matrix-clean analytes. Our method enables solid samples to be calibrated against aqueous standards; a consideration that is important when certified, isotopically-homogeneous and appropriately matrix-matched solid standards do not exist. Further, bulk and in situ analyses can be performed interchangeably in a single analytical session because the instrumental setup is identical for both. We validated the robustness of our analytical method through multiple isotope analyses of a range of reference materials and have compared these with isotope ratios determined using independent techniques. Long-term reproducibility of S isotope compositions is typically 0.20‰ and 0.45‰ (2σ) for solution and laser analysis, respectively. Our method affords the opportunity to make accurate and relatively precise S isotope measurement for a wide range of sulfur-bearing materials, and is particularly appropriate for geologic samples with complex matrix and for which high-resolution in situ analysis is critical.  相似文献   

Assessment of sandstone deterioration at Ta Keo temple (Angkor): first results and future prospects     

Marie-Françoise André  Samuel Etienne  Denis Mercier  Franck Vautier  Olivier Voldoire 《Environmental Geology》2008,56(3-4):677-688

A first application of geomorphological methods to the assessment of sandstone deterioration at Angkor is presented. Damage diagnosis was carried out on the first eastern tier of the central pyramid of the 1,000 year-old Ta Keo temple. Methods combine field observations and measurements at 230 sampling points, high-resolution lasergrammetry and stereophotogrammetry on a 2-m² test zone, and SEM observations. The first results indicate that decay operates through a synergistic combination of weathering phenomena dominated by scaling and solution, and exhibits a high spatial variability. Percentages of deteriorated surfaces vary from 17.6 to 93.8%, and average stone recession values from 0.00 to 2.71 cm (minimum) and 0.34 to 5.49 cm (maximum). On the test-zone, stereophotogrammetry and 3D-mapping of the present and reconstructed initial states using lasergrammetry indicate that erosion scars up to 6 cm deep have formed since 1963. On the whole, the amount of deteriorated surfaces more than tripled between 1963 and 2008. The degree of implication of salts in stone decay remains unclear for most efflorescences are composed of calcite (CaCO3), with secondary importance of barite (BaSO4) and gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O). Future prospects aim to evaluate the impact on stone decay of the clearing out of the temple from the forest in the 1920s.  相似文献   

Water release patterns of heated speleothem calcite and hydrogen isotope composition of fluid inclusions     

Sophie Verheyden  Dominique Genty  Olivier Cattani  Martin R. van Breukelen 《Chemical Geology》2008,247(1-2):266-281

Speleothem fluid inclusions are a potential paleo-precipitation proxy to reconstruct past rainwater isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O, δD). To get a better insight in the extraction of inclusion water from heated speleothem calcite, we monitored the water released from crushed and uncrushed speleothem calcite, heated to 900 °C at a rate of 300 °C/h, with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Crushed calcite released water in three not well individualised peaks between 25 and 360 °C, 360 and 650 °C and between 650 and 800 °C while uncrushed calcite released water in two distinct temperature intervals: between 25 and 550 °C and between 550 and 900 °C.Water from two speleothems from the Han-sur-Lesse cave was recovered using three different techniques: i) the crushing and heating to 360 °C technique, ii) the decrepitation by heating to 550 °C and iii) the decomposition by heating to 900 °C technique. Measurements of the δD of water recovered by the decomposition of Han-sur-Lesse calcite heated to 900 °C did not show a 20 to 30‰ offset as found by previous authors. However a difference of 7‰ was observed between water released before and after decomposition of the calcite. Water recovery from the Han-sur-Lesse samples suggests that a simple heating technique (up to 550 °C) without crushing could both (a) recover water with δD representative of that of the drip water and (b) double the water yield as compared to the crushing and heating method.Our study warns for possible contamination of the recovered inclusion water with hydration water of lime, responsible for the recovery of water with very negative δD values.  相似文献   

Iron isotope fractionation in subterranean estuaries     

Olivier Rouxel  Edward Sholkovitz  Katrina J. Edwards 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2008,72(14):3413-3430

Dissolved Fe concentrations in subterranean estuaries, like their river-seawater counterparts, are strongly controlled by non-conservative behavior during mixing of groundwater and seawater in coastal aquifers. Previous studies at a subterranean estuary of Waquoit Bay on Cape Cod, USA demonstrate extensive precipitation of groundwater-borne dissolved ferrous iron and subsequent accumulation of iron oxides onto subsurface sands. Waquoit Bay is thus an excellent natural laboratory to assess the mechanisms of Fe-isotope fractionation in redox-stratified environments and determine potential Fe-isotope signatures of groundwater sources to coastal seawater. Here, we report Fe isotope compositions of iron-coated sands and porewaters beneath the intertidal zone of Waquoit Bay. The distribution of pore water Fe shows two distinct sources of Fe: one residing in the upward rising plume of Fe-rich groundwater and the second in the salt-wedge zone of pore water. The groundwater source has high Fe(II) concentration consistent with anoxic conditions and yield δ⁵⁶Fe values between 0.3 and −1.3‰. In contrast, sediment porewaters occurring in the mixing zone of the subterranean estuary have very low δ⁵⁶Fe values down to −5‰. These low δ⁵⁶Fe values reflect Fe-redox cycling and result from the preferential retention of heavy Fe-isotopes onto newly formed Fe-oxyhydroxides. Analysis of Fe-oxides precipitated onto subsurface sands in two cores from the subterranean estuary revealed strong δ⁵⁶Fe and Fe concentration gradients over less than 2m, yielding an overall range of δ⁵⁶Fe values between −2 and 1.5‰. The relationship between Fe concentration and δ⁵⁶Fe of Fe-rich sands can be modeled by the progressive precipitation of Fe-oxides along fluid flow through the subterranean estuary. These results demonstrate that large-scale Fe isotope fractionation (up to 5‰) can occur in subterranean estuaries, which could lead to coastal seawater characterized by very low δ⁵⁶Fe values relative to river values.  相似文献