150 research outputs found
Ultra-shallow-marine anoxia in an Early Triassic shallow-marine clastic ramp (Spitsbergen) and the suppression of benthic radiation
Lower Triassic marine strata in Spitsbergen accumulated on a mid-to-high latitude ramp in which high-energy foreshore and shoreface facies passed offshore into sheet sandstones of probable hyperpycnite origin. More distal facies include siltstones, shales and dolomitic limestones. Carbon isotope chemostratigraphy comparison allows improved age dating of the Boreal sections and shows a significant hiatus in the upper Spathian. Two major deepening events, in earliest Griesbachian and late Smithian time, are separated by shallowing-upwards trends that culminated in the Dienerian and Spathian substages. The redox record, revealed by changes in bioturbation, palaeoecology, pyrite framboid content and trace metal concentrations, shows anoxic phases alternating with intervals of better ventilation. Only Dienerian–early Smithian time witnessed persistent oxygenation that was sufficient to support a diverse benthic community. The most intensely anoxic, usually euxinic, conditions are best developed in offshore settings, but at times euxinia also developed in upper offshore settings where it is even recorded in hyperpycnite and storm-origin sandstone beds: an extraordinary facet of Spitsbergen's record. The euxinic phases do not track relative water depth changes. For example, the continuous shallowing upwards from the Griesbachian to lower Dienerian was witness to several euxinic phases separated by intervals of more oxic, bioturbated sediments. It is likely that the euxinia was controlled by climatic oscillations rather than intra-basinal factors. It remains to be seen if all the anoxic phases found in Spitsbergen are seen elsewhere, although the wide spread of anoxic facies in the Smithian/Spathian boundary interval is clearly a global event
Huge quadratic magneto-optical Kerr effect and magnetization reversal in the CoFeSi Heusler compound
CoFeSi(100) films with L2 structure deposited onto MgO(100) were
studied exploiting both longitudinal (LMOKE) and quadratic (QMOKE)
magneto-optical Kerr effect. The films exhibit a huge QMOKE signal with a
maximum contribution of up to 30 mdeg, which is the largest QMOKE signal in
reflection that has been measured thus far. This large value is a fingerprint
of an exceptionally large spin-orbit coupling of second or higher order. The
CoFeSi(100) films exhibit a rather large coercivity of 350 and 70 Oe for
film thicknesses of 22 and 98 nm, respectively. Despite the fact that the films
are epitaxial, they do not provide an angular dependence of the anisotropy and
the remanence in excess of 1% and 2%, respectively
Magnetic anisotropies and magnetization reversal of the CoCrFeAl Heusler compound
Magnetic anisotropies and magnetization reversal properties of the epitaxial
Heusler compound CoCrFeAl (CCFA) deposited on Fe and Cr
buffer layers are studied. Both samples exhibit a growth-induced fourfold
anisotropy, and magnetization reversal occurs through the formation of stripy
domains or 90 degree domains. During rotational magnetometric scans the sample
deposited on Cr exhibits about 2 degree sharp peaks in the angular dependence
of the coercive field, which are oriented along the hard axis directions. These
peaks are a consequence of the specific domain structure appearing in this
particular measurement geometry. A corresponding feature in the sample
deposited on Fe is not observed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Ion beam induced modification of exchange interaction and spin-orbit coupling in the CoFeSi Heusler compound
A CoFeSi (CFS) film with L2 structure was irradiated with different
fluences of 30 keV Ga ions. Structural modifications were subsequently
studied using the longitudinal (LMOKE) and quadratic (QMOKE) magneto-optical
Kerr effect. Both the coercivity and the LMOKE amplitude were found to show a
similar behavior upon irradiation: they are nearly constant up to ion fluences
of ion/cm, while they decrease with further
increasing fluences and finally vanish at a fluence of
ion/cm, when the sample becomes paramagnetic. However, contrary to this
behavior, the QMOKE signal nearly vanishes even for the smallest applied
fluence of ion/cm. We attribute this reduction of the
QMOKE signal to an irradiation-induced degeneration of second or higher order
spin-orbit coupling, which already happens at small fluences of 30 keV Ga
ions. On the other hand, the reduction of coercivity and LMOKE signal with high
ion fluences is probably caused by a reduction of the exchange interaction
within the film material
An abrupt extinction in the Middle Permian (Capitanian) of the Boreal Realm (Spitsbergen) and its link to anoxia and acidification
The controversial Capitanian (Middle Permian, 262 Ma) extinction event is only known from equatorial latitudes, and consequently its global extent is poorly resolved. We demonstrate that there were two, severe extinctions amongst brachiopods in northern Boreal latitudes (Spitsbergen) in the Middle to Late Permian, separated by a recovery phase. New age dating of the Spitsbergen strata (belonging to the Kapp Starostin Formation), using strontium isotopes and d13C trends and comparison with better-dated sections in Greenland, suggests that the first crisis occurred in the Capitanian. This age assignment indicates that this Middle Permian extinction is manifested at higher latitudes. Redox proxies (pyrite framboids and trace metals) show that the Boreal crisis coincided with an intensification of oxygen depletion, implicating anoxia in the extinction scenario. The widespread and near-total loss of carbonates across the Boreal Realm also suggests a role for acidification in the crisis. The recovery interval saw the appearance of new brachiopod and bivalve taxa alongside survivors, and an increased mollusk dominance, resulting in an assemblage reminiscent of younger Mesozoic assemblages. The subsequent end-Permian mass extinction terminated this Late Permian radiation
Synthetic seismic model of a Permian biosiliceous carbonate – carbonate depositional system (Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago)
Progressive environmental deterioration in northwestern Pangea leading to the latest Permian extinction
Stratigraphic records from northwestern Pangea provide unique insight into global processes that occurred during the latest Permian extinction (LPE). We examined a detailed geochemical record of the Festningen section, Spitsbergen. A stepwise extinction is noted as: starting with (1) loss of carbonate shelly macrofauna, followed by (2) loss of siliceous sponges in conjunction with an abrupt change in ichnofabrics as well as dramatic change in the terrestrial environment, and (3) final loss of all trace fossils. We interpret loss of carbonate producers as related to shoaling of the lysocline in higher latitudes, in relationship to building atmospheric CO2. The loss of siliceous sponges is coincident with the global LPE event and is related to onset of high loading rates of toxic metals (Hg, As, Co) that we suggest are derived from Siberian Trap eruptions. The final extinction stage is coincident with redox-sen- sitive trace metal and other proxy data that suggest onset of anoxia after the other extinction events. These results show a remarkable record of progressive environmental deterioration in northwestern Pangea during the extinction crises
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