Use of sinkhole and specific capacity distributions to assess vertical gradients in a karst aquifer     

Kurt J. McCoy  Mark D. Kozar 《Environmental Geology》2008,54(5):921-935

The carbonate-rock aquifer in the Great Valley, West Virginia, USA, was evaluated using a database of 687 sinkholes and 350 specific capacity tests to assess structural, lithologic, and topographic influences on the groundwater flow system. The enhanced permeability of the aquifer is characterized in part by the many sinkholes, springs, and solutionally enlarged fractures throughout the valley. Yet, vertical components of subsurface flow in this highly heterogeneous aquifer are currently not well understood. To address this problem, this study examines the apparent relation between geologic features of the aquifer and two spatial indices of enhanced permeability attributed to aquifer karstification: (1) the distribution of sinkholes and (2) the occurrence of wells with relatively high specific capacity. Statistical results indicate that sinkholes (funnel and collapse) occur primarily along cleavage and bedding planes parallel to subparallel to strike where lateral or downward vertical gradients are highest. Conversely, high specific capacity values are common along prominent joints perpendicular or oblique to strike. The similarity of the latter distribution to that of springs suggests these fractures are areas of upward-convergent flow. These differences between sinkhole and high specific capacity distributions suggest vertical flow components are primarily controlled by the orientation of geologic structure and associated subsurface fracturing.  相似文献   

A locking-compass for in situ sample orientation     

S. Selwyn  F.W. McCoy 《Ocean Engineering》1981,8(1):85-90

A mechanically-actuated locking-compass was designed for mounting on corers to record equipment orientation during the sampling process, thereby providing magnetic orientation data on the recovered deep-sea core. Locking occurs upon impact by the corer with the sea-floor; after retrieval, the device is easily unlocked and reset for another station. Compass construction makes use of commercially available parts, requires no welding and little machining, and thus allows inexpensive and easy assembly at sea.  相似文献   

Climate and human health: synthesizing environmental complexity and uncertainty     

James D. Tamerius  Erika K. Wise  Christoper K. Uejio  Amy L. McCoy  Andrew C. Comrie 《Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (SERRA)》2007,21(5):601-613

Broad relationships between weather and human health have long been recognized, and there is currently a large body of research examining the impacts of climate change on human health. Much of the literature in this area examines climate–health relationships at global or regional levels, incorporating mostly generalized responses of pathogens and vectors to broad changes in climate. Far less research has been done to understand the direct and indirect climate-mediated processes involved at finer scales. Thus, some studies simplify the role of climate and may over- or under-estimate the potential response, while others have begun to highlight the subtle and complex role for climate that is contingent on other relevant processes occurring in natural and social environments. These fundamental processes need to be understood to determine the effects of past, current and future climate variation and change on human health. We summarize the principal climate variables and climate-dependent processes that are believed to impact human health across a representative set of diseases, along with key uncertainties in these relationships.  相似文献   

A study of the Rima Sirsalis lunar magnetic anomaly     

L.J. Srnka  J.L. Hoyt  J.V.S. Harvey  J.E. McCoy 《Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors》1979,20(2-4):281-290

The source of the lunar magnetic anomaly associated with the Rima Sirsalis linear rille has been modelled using the vector field intensities due to arbitrary uniform magnetization in a rectangular prism. It is shown that in order to match the Apollo 16 subsatellite data, the lunar surface near the rille must have a vertical magnetization of 6–9 × 10⁻³ G if the anomaly is due to flux leakage from a gap in the crust with the dimensions of the rille. This is more than one order of magnitude larger than the magnetization of any lunar sample, but is comparable with the high magnetization recently deduced for the Reiner γ formation in Oceanus Procellarum. An alternative explanation is that Rima Sirsalis and its surroundings are the site of a vertical magnetization contrast of 10⁻⁵ – 10⁻⁴ G which is at least as wide as the rille and extends to a depth of tens of kilometers in the crust. A wider magnetic source reduces the required magnetization (or depth) proportionately, since to first order the field at high altitude is proportional to the magnetic dipole moment per unit length.  相似文献   

Paleoclimatic implications of the spatial patterns of modern and LGM European land-snail shell δO     

Natalie M. Kehrwald  William D. McCoy  Stephen J. Burns 《Quaternary Research》2010,74(1):166-6869

The oxygen isotopic composition of land-snail shells may provide insight into the source region and trajectory of precipitation. Last glacial maximum (LGM) gastropod shells were sampled from loess from Belgium to Serbia and modern land-snail shells both record δ¹⁸O values between 0‰ and − 5‰. There are significant differences in mean fossil shell δ¹⁸O between sites but not among genera at a single location. Therefore, we group δ¹⁸O values from different genera together to map the spatial distribution of δ¹⁸O in shell carbonate. Shell δ¹⁸O values reflect the spatial variation in the isotopic composition of precipitation and incorporate the snails' preferential sampling of precipitation during the warm season. Modern shell δ¹⁸O decreases in Europe along a N-S gradient from the North Sea inland toward the Alps. Modern observed data of isotopes in precipitation (GNIP) demonstrate a similar trend for low-altitude sites. LGM shell δ¹⁸O data show a different gradient with δ¹⁸O declining toward the ENE, implying a mid-Atlantic source due to increased sea ice and a possible southern displacement of the westerly jet stream. Balkan LGM samples show the influence of a Mediterranean source, with δ¹⁸O values decreasing northward.  相似文献   

The lithology of Ogallala gravels and hunter‐gatherer procurement strategies along the Southern High Plains eastern escarpment of Texas,USA     

Stance Hurst  Eileen Johnson  Zaneta Martinez McCoy  Doug Cunningham 《Geoarchaeology》2010,25(1):96-121

Ogallala gravels are an important lithic material source for stone tool manufacture across the Great Plains. The lithology of eight gravel sample locations along the eastern escarpment of the Southern High Plains has been examined to quantify the composition and variability in Ogallala deposits. In addition, three Ogallala gravel quarry sites have been analyzed to determine how the lithology of Ogallala gravels influenced procurement and tool production strategies. Results indicate deposits of Ogallala gravels differ in their composition related to their position on the landscape, and the types of rocks vary by size and shape. Investigation of the quarry sites has revealed that the lithology of Ogallala gravels had an impact on testing and the initial stages of lithic reduction. Different rock types, however, may have more of an influence on later stages of tool manufacture at nearby campsites and other locations where Ogallala gravels are not as dense. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.  相似文献   

Geological controls on submarine groundwater discharge in Long Bay,South Carolina (USA)     

Richard Viso  Clay McCoy  Paul Gayes  Dimitri Quafisi 《Continental Shelf Research》2010,30(3-4):335-341

A combination of geophysical methods including continuous electrical resistivity and high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom profiling were utilized to characterize geologic controls on pore fluid salinity in the nearshore of Long Bay, SC. Resistivity values ranged from less than 1 Ω m to greater than 40 Ω m throughout the bay. Areas of elevated electrical resistivity suggest the influence of relatively fresher water on pore water composition. Geophysical evidence alone does not eliminate all ambiguity associated with lithological and porosity variations that may also contribute to electrical structure of shallow marine sediments. The anomalous field is of sufficient magnitude that lithological variation alone does not control the spatial distribution of elevated electrical resistivity zones. Geographical distribution of electrical anomalies and structures interpreted from nearby sub-bottom profiles indicates abrupt changes in shallow geologic units control preferential pathways for discharge of fresh water into the marine environment. Shore parallel resistivity profiles show dramatic decreases in magnitude with increasing distance from shore, suggesting a significant portion of the terrestrially driven fresh SGD in Long Bay is occurring via the surficial aquifer within a few hundred meters of shore.  相似文献   

Spinel-bearing,Al-rich chondrules in two chondrite finds from Roosevelt County,New Mexico: Indicators of nebular and parent body processes     

Timothy J. McCoy  Aurora Pun  Klaus Keil 《Meteoritics & planetary science》1991,26(4):301-309

Abstract— Two rare, spinel-bearing, Al-rich chondrules have been identified in new chondrite finds from Roosevelt County, New Mexico—RC 071 (L4) and RC 072 (L5). These chondrules have unusual mineralogies, dominated by highly and asymmetrically zoned, Al-Cr-rich spinels. Two alternatives exist to explain the origin of this zoning—fractional crystallization or metamorphism. It appears that fractional crystallization formed the zoning of the trivalent cations (Al, Cr) and caused a localized depletion in chromites around the large Al-Cr-rich spinels. The origin of the zoning of the divalent cations (Fe, Mg, Zn) is less certain. Diffusive exchange and partitioning of Fe and Mg between olivine and spinel during parent body metamorphism can explain the asymmetric zoning of these elements. Unfortunately, appropriate studies of natural and experimental systems to evaluate the formation of zoning of the divalent cations by fractional crystallization have not yet been conducted. The bulk compositions of the chondrules suggest affinities with the Na-Al-Cr-rich chondrules, as would be expected from the abundance of Al-Cr-rich spinels. Melting of rare and unusual precursors produced the compositions of Na-Al-Cr-rich chondrules, possibly including a spinel-rich precursor enriched in Cr₂O₃ and ZnO. The two chondrules we studied have larger modal abundances of Al-Cr-rich spinels than reported in other Na-Al-Cr-rich chondrules of similar composition, and Al-rich chondrules even more enriched in spinel are reported in the literature. These differences indicate that factors other than bulk composition control the mineralogy of the chondrules. The most important of these factors are the temperature to which the molten chondrule was heated and the cooling rate during crystallization. These two chondrules cooled rapidly from near the liquidus, as indicated by the zoning, occurrence and sizes of spinels, radiating chondrule textures and localized chromite depletions. The range of mineralogies in other Al-rich chondrules of similar composition reflect a range of peak temperatures and cooling rates. We see no reason to believe that this range is fundamentally different from the range of thermal histories experienced by “normal” Fe-Mg-rich chondrules.  相似文献   

Mineralogy,petrology, chronology,and exposure history of the Chelyabinsk meteorite and parent body          下载免费PDF全文

K. Righter  P. Abell  D. Agresti  E. L. Berger  A. S. Burton  J. S. Delaney  M. D. Fries  E. K. Gibson  M. K. Haba  R. Harrington  G. F. Herzog  L. P. Keller  D. Locke  F. N. Lindsay  T. J. McCoy  R. V. Morris  K. Nagao  K. Nakamura‐Messenger  P. B. Niles  L. E. Nyquist  J. Park  Z. X. Peng  C.‐Y. Shih  J. I. Simon  C. C. Swisher III  M. J. Tappa  B. D. Turrin  R. A. Zeigler 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2015,50(10):1790-1819

Three masses of the Chelyabinsk meteorite have been studied with a wide range of analytical techniques to understand the mineralogical variation and thermal history of the Chelyabinsk parent body. The samples exhibit little to no postentry oxidation via Mössbauer and Raman spectroscopy indicating their fresh character, but despite the rapid collection and care of handling some low levels of terrestrial contamination did nonetheless result. Detailed studies show three distinct lithologies, indicative of a genomict breccia. A light‐colored lithology is LL5 material that has experienced thermal metamorphism and subsequent shock at levels near S4. The second lithology is a shock‐darkened LL5 material in which the darkening is caused by melt and metal‐troilite veins along grain boundaries. The third lithology is an impact melt breccia that formed at high temperatures (~1600 °C), and it experienced rapid cooling and degassing of S₂ gas. Portions of light and dark lithologies from Chel‐101, and the impact melt breccias (Chel‐102 and Chel‐103) were prepared and analyzed for Rb‐Sr, Sm‐Nd, and Ar‐Ar dating. When combined with results from other studies and chronometers, at least eight impact events (e.g., ~4.53 Ga, ~4.45 Ga, ~3.73 Ga, ~2.81 Ga, ~1.46 Ga, ~852 Ma, ~312 Ma, and ~27 Ma) are clearly identified for Chelyabinsk, indicating a complex history of impacts and heating events. Finally, noble gases yield young cosmic ray exposure ages, near 1 Ma. These young ages, together with the absence of measurable cosmogenic derived Sm and Cr, indicate that Chelyabinsk may have been derived from a recent breakup event on an NEO of LL chondrite composition.  相似文献   

The Fayette County,Texas, meteorites     

Timothy J. McCoy  Arthur J. Ehlmann  Klaus Keil 《Meteoritics & planetary science》1995,30(6):776-780

Abstract— We report the first petrologic examination of all stone meteorites of Fayette County, Texas. The 10 stones represent four or five different fall events. The three recovered Bluff stones represent two falls. Bluff (a), which includes the 145.5-kg Bluff #1 stone, is classified as L5(S4), whereas Bluff (b) is classified as L4(S3) and is represented by a single stone. The studied Cedar stones are classified as H4(S3), and all four Cedar stones appear to define a strewnfield. Round Top (a), classified as L5(S3) and represented by two stones, is unrelated to either Bluff or Cedar. Round Top (b) [H4(S3); 1 stone], whose exact provenance is unknown, might be a transported fragment of the Cedar shower.  相似文献