Oppositely-verging thrusting structures in the North Argentine Andes compared with the German Variscides

Los Andes del Norte argentino y el Varíscico de Alemania, a pesar de sus diferentes edades y situación geológica, se consideran buenos ejemplos de orógenos conve rgentes con cabalgamientos con ve rgencia opuesta. Los retrocabalgamientos están relacionados con cabalgamientos ciegos profundos con los que componen sistemas conjugados que son signifi c a t ivos en el acortamiento de la corteza media y superior. Tanto en los Andes del Norte argentino como en los Variscides se detectaron sistemas profundos de fallas conjugadas, en los primeros mediante cart ografía geológica e investigaciones de conductividad eléctrica y en los segundos mediante sísmica de reflexión. En los Varíscides se pueden reconocer estructuras conjugadas a todas las escalas en la corteza superior y combinaciones giga ntescas en la corteza inferior. En los Andes las zonas de alta conductividad eléctrica, situadas en la corteza inferior, están ordenadas en sistemas conjugados que pueden representar grandes fallas corticales asociadas a la subducción de la placa de Nazca. Debajo del borde oriental de las Sierras Pampeanas y del tramo Sur de las Sierras Subandinas (Sistema de Santa Bárbara) que tienen vergencia hacia el Oeste, es probable que exista una combinación conjugada a escala cortical similar a las descriptas en los Varíscides. Los otros cinturones con ve rgencia hacia el Este y hacia el Oeste de los Andes del Norte argentino muestran dispositivos en abanico similares a los reconocidos en cinturones orogénicos como los Alpes y los Pirineos. La comparación con orógenos cuya estructura profunda está bien estudiada permite especular sobre la estructura profunda de los Andes del Norte argentino donde la información cortical es aún insuficiente. Los Varíscides y otros orógenos cuya estructura ha sido investigada con sísmica de reflexión profunda sugieren que los frentes retrove rgentes están sistemáticamente asociados con cabalgamientos corticales profundos. En el caso de los Andes esto implicaría que debajo de los frentes retrove rgentes de la Cordillera Oriental y de las Sierras Pampeanas pueden existir cabalgamientos litosféricos significativos.The Andes of north Argentina and the german Variscides, in spite of their different ages and geological settings, are considered good examples of conve rgent orogens displaying oppositely ve rgent thrusts. The back-thrusting is related to deep seated blind thrusts forming conjugate fault combinations which are significant in upper and mid-crustal shortening. Deep-seated conjugate fault systems in the Variscides were detected in reflection seismic profiles and in the Andes of north A rgentina by mapping and through electrical conductivity investigations. In the Variscides conjugate fault systems may be recognized at eve ry scale in the upper crust and they form giant combinations in the lower crust. In the Andes the enhanced conductivity zones within the lower crust are arranged in conjugate systems, that could represent crustal detachments associated with Nazca plate subduction. In the Andes crustal conjugate fault structures similar to those described in the Variscides, could be present under the west verging eastern border of the Pampean Ranges and beneath the southern Subandean Ranges (Santa Bárbara System). The other oppositely - vergent belts of the north Argentine Andes show fan arrangements similar to those recognized in other orogenic zones such as the Alps and the Pyrenees. The comparison with other well-studied orogens allows speculation about the deep structure of the north A rgentine Andes, where there is insufficient crustal information. The Variscides and other orogens whose deep structure has been investigated by deep seismic reflection profiles, suggest that in the oppositely ve rgent orogens the back-thrusting fronts are systematically associated with crustal - scale thrusting. In the case of the Andes this could imply that significant lithospheric thrusting may be present below the big back-thrusting fronts of the Eastern Cordillera and Pampean Ranges

Neue Erkenntnisse zum geologischen Bau des “Kleinen Berges” zwischen Bad Laer und Bad Rothenfelde (südwestliches Niedersachsen) aufgrund der Ergebnisse der Tiefbohrung ‘Bad Laer Z 1’

The 2108,0 m deep exploration well "Bad Laer Z 1" (1993) has been carried down in order to investigate the deeper ground lying beneath the "Kleiner Berg" anticline, concerning the existence of reservoir beds which was postulated according to preceeding seismic investigations. This aim of the borehole was not attained, because no formations have been drilled suitable for the construction of an artificial gas reservoir. On the other hand the bore hole revealed a great amount of new regional geologic, stratigraphic, mining, coalification and coal bed gas data. Therefore, from a scientific point of view the exploration well must be considered successful. After the drilling of a stratigraphic succession, mainly consisting of cretaceous "Pläner" limestones (from Albian to Turonian), surprisingly in a depth of only 439 m productive Upper Carboniferous rocks formed by the Lembeck beds of uppermost Westfalian C have been found. In addition to this discovery, nearly the whole Westfalian C and B reaching down to the coal bed "Katharina" at the Westfalian A boundary were drilled through revealing over 66 partly minable coal beds. Investigations of the coalification pattern showed a more or less continuous increase of the rank gradient with depth reaching from the step of gas flame coal down to 700 m over that of gas coal down to 1600 m to that of fat coal down to the bottom of the borehole. An additional surprising result of the exploration well was the observation, that immediately below the base of the Cretaceous the coal beds revealed a high gas content without the presence of a desorption zone. This result must also be considered as success of the drilling with respect to the strong interest in a potential utilization of coal bed methane nowadays.Durch die 2108,0 m tiefe Untersuchungsbohrung "Bad Laer Z 1" ist 1993 der tiefere Untergrund unter der Struktur des "Kleinen Berges" im Hinblick auf das Vorkommen speicherfähiger Gesteinsformationen erkundet worden, deren Vorhandensein aufgrund geophysikalischer Voruntersuchungen postuliert worden war. Dieses Ziel ist nicht erreicht worden, da keine Formationen angetroffen wurden, die für den Aufbau eines Gasspeichers geeignet gewesen wären. Andererseits hat die Bohrung eine Fülle regionalgeologisch, stratigraphisch, montangeologisch sowie inkohlungs- und gastechnisch wichtiger Daten geliefert, so daß die Bohrung im wissenschaftlichen Sinne als voller Erfolg bewertet werden muß. In der Bohrung wurde nach Durchteufen einer vom Turonium bis ins Albium hinunterreichenden, überwiegend aus sog. Plänerkalksteinen aufgebauten Schichtenfolge überraschenderweise in einer Tiefe von nur 439 m produktives Oberkarbon in Gestalt der Lembeck- Schichten des obersten Westfal C angetroffen. Danach ist nahezu das gesamte Westfal C und das Westfal B bis hinunter zum Flöz Katharina an der Grenze zum Westfal A mit insgesamt über 66, z.T. bauwürdigen Kohlenflözen durchteuft worden. Inkohlungsuntersuchungen zeigten einen mehr oder weniger kontinuierlichen Anstieg des Inkohlungsgrades mit der Teufe vom Stadium der Gasflammkohlen in der Teufe bis zu 700 m über das Stadium der Gaskohlen bis ca. 1600 m bis hin zum Fettkohlenstadium in über 1600 m Tiefe. Als weiteres überraschendes Ergebnis kann die, ohne erkennbare Desorptionszone, unmittelbar unter dem Kreide-Deckgebirge einsetzende hohe Gasführung der Flöze angesehen werden. Dieses Ergebnis kann auch im Hinblick auf das derzeitige große Interesse an einer potentiellen Nutzung des Flözgases als Erfolg der Bohrung betrachtet werden

Surveying rip current survivors: Preliminary insights into the experiences of being caught in rip currents

This paper begins a process of addressing a significant gap in knowledge about people's responses to being caught in rip currents. While rip currents are the primary hazard facing recreational ocean swimmers in Australia, debate exists about the best advice to give swimmers caught in rip currents. Such surf rescue advice - on what to do and how to respond when caught in a rip - relies on empirical evidence. However, at present, knowledge about swimmers reactions and responses to rip currents is limited. This gap is a considerable barrier to providing effective advice to beach goers and to understanding how this advice is utilised (or not) when actually caught in the rip current. This paper reports the findings of a pilot study that focussed on garnering a better understanding of swimmers' experiences when caught in rip currents. A large scale questionnaire survey instrument generated data about rip current survivors' demographics, knowledge of beach safety and their reactions and responses when caught in a rip current. A mix of online and paper surveys produced a total of 671 completed surveys. Respondents were predominantly an informed group in terms of rip current knowledge, beach experience and had a high self-rated swimming ability. Preliminary insights from the survey show that most respondents recalled a "swim across the rip/parallel to the beach" message when caught in the rip and most escaped unassisted by acting on this message. However, while nearly a quarter of respondents recalled a message of "not to panic", short answer responses revealed that the onset of panic inhibited some respondents from recalling or enacting any other type of beach safety message when caught in the rip current. Results also showed that despite the research sample being younger, competent and frequent ocean swimmers, they were more likely to swim at unpatrolled beaches and outside of the red and yellow safety flags. Moreover, they were still caught in a rip current and they panicked. The findings of this study have significant implications for a range of demographic groups of differing beach safety knowledge and swimming ability who may be caught in rip currents behave, we know very little about how beach goers may respond to being caught in them. © 2012 Author(s)

Playing Games with Tito:Designing Hybrid Museum Experiences for Critical Play

This article brings together two distinct, but related perspectives on playful museum experiences: Critical play and hybrid design. The article explores the challenges involved in combining these two perspectives, through the design of two hybrid museum experiences that aimed to facilitate critical play with/in the collections of the Museum of Yugoslavia and the highly contested heritage they represent. Based on reflections from the design process as well as feedback from test users, we describe a series of challenges: Challenging the norms of visitor behaviour, challenging the role of the artefact, and challenging the curatorial authority. In conclusion, we outline some possible design strategies to address these challenges

Survival and subversion in the neoliberal university

Response to the Participatory Geographies Research Group\u27s \u27Communifesto for Fuller Geographies: Towards Mutual Security\u27, September 201