The Pre- Carboniferous rocks of the western Cobequid Hills, Avalon zone, Nova Scotia

Pre-Carboniferous rocks of the western Cobequid Hills outcrop north of the Cobequid Fault, are cut by several major east-west faults, and are onlapped unconformably to the north by the Late Carboniferous Cumberland Group. The oldest rocks comprise the Late Hadrynian Jeffers Formation. In the south, this unit consists of mafic and felsic volcanic rocks, interbedded with mudstones and carbonates, that are overlain by turbidites. To the north, the Jeffers Formation consists of a thick sequence of felsic volcanogenic turbidites. This stratigraphic succession of volcanic rocks passing up into turbidites differs from some other Late Hadrynian Avalonian sequences In the predominance of sedimentary rocks, but does resemble the Georgevllle Group of the Antigonish Highlands. Mafic dykes and sills, and associated porphyritlc rbyolite Intrusions, Intruded the Jeffers Formation prior to the formation of a regional flat-lying cleavage. The Late Hadrynian Jeffers Brook Pluton, which post-dates this cleavage, consists of diorite with marginal granitic phases that also occur as dyke-like intrusions beyond the main pluton. Several smaller intrusions petrographically similar to the Jeffers Brook Pluton also occur. At least two series of later dykes, probably pre-Silurlan in age, cut the Jeffers Formation and the Late Hadrynian intrusions. The Silurian Wilson Brook Formation outcrops only at the extreme northern edge of the Cobequid Hills: it consists of fossiliferous fine-grained sandstones and shales which overlie thin rhyolites, basalts and red clastic sediments. This sequence is very similar to the lower part of the Arisaig Group north of the Antigonish Highlands to the east. It is overlain unconformably by the Devono-Carboniferous Fountain Lake Group of volcanic rocks and by Carboniferous sedimentary rocks which are significantly deformed only near the Cobequid Fault. Carboniferous granite plutons appear spatially related to the Kirkhill and Cobequid Faults. They are in places foliated and contain abundant mafic sills and dykes that appear to reflect continuing motion on the Cobequid Fault during emplacement and cooling of the granites. RÉSUMÉ Dans l'Ouest des Honts Cobequid, les roches précarbonifères affleurent su nord de la Faille de Cobequid, sont recoupées par plusieurs failles majeures de direction est-ouest et sont recouvertes en discordance, au nord, par le Groupe de Cumberland d'âge tardicarbonifère. Les roches les plus vieilles englobent la Formation de Jeffers du Tardihadrynien. Au sud, cette derniére se compose de volcanites mafiques et felsiques interlitées avec des mudstones et des carbonates, le tout couronne de turbidites. Vers le nord, la Formation de Jeffers renferme une pulssante assise de turbidites volcanogènes felsiques. Cette succession stratigraphique de volcanites passant vers le haut à des turbidites différe certes de quelques autres séquences tardihadrynlennes avalonlennes par la prédominance, en son sein, de roches sédimentalres male rappelle aussi le Groupe de Georgevllle dans les Monts Antigonish. La mise en place de dykes et filons-couches mafiques, ainsi que des intrusifs de rhyollte qui lcur sont associés. eut lieu avant la formation d'un clivage régional horizontal. Le Pluton tardihadrynien de Jeffers Brook, qui est postérieur à ce cllvage, est formé de diorite avec des phases granitiques marginales qui se présentent aussi au-delà du pluton principal sous formé d*intrusions ressemblant à des dykes. On rencontre aussl plusieurs intrusifs plus petlis mais de pétrographle similaire au Pluton de Jeffers Brook. Au molns deux ensembles de dykes plus tardlfs. probablepent d'âge presilurien, recoupent la Formation de Jeffers et les intrusifs tardlhadryniens. On n'observe la Formation silurienne de Wilson Brook qu'a la llsiere la plus au nord des Monts Cobequid: elle englobe des grès fins fosslliferes et des argilites qui recouvrent, tous deux, de minces rhyolites, basaltes et sédiments clastiques rouges. Cette séquence rappelle fortement la partie inférieure du Groupe d'Arisaig au nord des Monts Antigonish plus à l'est. Bile est recouverte en discordance par le Groupe de volcanites dévono-carbonifères de Fountain Lake et par des roches sédimentalres carbonifères qui ne sont déformées de façon importante qu'auprés de la Faille de Cobequid. Les plutons granitiques carbonifères semblent rattachés dans l'espace aux failles de Kirkhill et Cobequid. lis sont folies par endroits et contieiment d'abondants filons-couches et dykes mafiques qui semblent tradulre le jeu continu de la Faille de Cobequid durant la mise en place et le refroidissement des granites. [Traduit par le journal

Greenhouse Gases and Global Change: A Challenge for Canadian Geoscience

Climate change is the most pressing societal issue of our time. The Canadian geological community is deeply divided as to whether or not anthropogenic carbon dioxide is the principal driver of the global warming that we see around us. As geologists, we have the scientific understanding to be effective stewards of Planet Earth and thus have a critical role to play in the climate change debate. Many of the basic scientific principles in this debate, however, are more a matter of atmospheric physics than classical geology: this may be one reason why so much uncertainty continues in the geological community. Also, we have a professional responsibility to inform ourselves and our colleagues beyond the level of knowledge of the general public. We must apply the precautionary principle in assessing the response of the Earth to human activity. We should learn from the engineering and medical communities that our students should be well educated in fundamental principles and that a balanced assessment of issues should be presented to the public and decision-makers. The scientific debate over climate change should be carried on at mainstream meetings and in the peer-reviewed literature

How successful have lobbyists been at influencing state and national policy to further the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, since the 2008 US Election?

This study sets out to investigate a contemporary example of lobbying, by enquiring as to whether lobbyists have successfully influenced state and national policy which furthered the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline since 2008. This involves an analysis of campaign contributions made to key federal candidates by organisations related to the pipeline. The results of this analysis, suggests that lobbyists have been highly successful in influencing policy which led to the completion of the pipeline. The data collected in this study, highlights lobbyists use of "natural allies" with "proximate objectives" (Hall and Deardoff 2006, p.69), creating a network of allies, to enable the completion of the pipeline. The study raises concerns over the nature of President Trump's relationship with the 'Energy Transfer Partners' CEO, Kelcy Warren. Campaign funding and apparent conflicts of interest at state and national level and their impact on the democratic process are explored, including whether President Trump's personal investments may have played a significant role in influencing his policy decisions concerning the pipeline. This study helps provide an insight into modern lobbying, revealing the power and influence money, through campaign finance, has in the democratic system

Spatiotemporal variability of lightning activity in Europe and the relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation teleconnection pattern

Comprehensive lightning statistics are presented for a large, contiguous domain covering several European countries such as France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spatiotemporal variability of convective activity is investigated based on a 14-year time series (2001–2014) of lightning data. Based on the binary variable thunderstorm day, the mean spatial patterns of lightning activity and regional peculiarities regarding seasonality are discussed. Diurnal cycles are compared among several regions and evaluated with respect to major seasonal changes. Further analyses are performed regarding interannual variability and the impact of teleconnection patterns on convection. Mean convective activity across central Europe is characterized by a strong northwest-to-southeast gradient with pronounced secondary features superimposed. The zone of maximum values of thunderstorm days propagates southwestward along the southern Alpine range from April to July. Diurnal cycles vary substantially between both different months and regions, particularly regarding the incidence of nighttime lightning. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is shown to have a significant impact on convective activity in several regions, which is primarily caused by variations of the large-scale lifting pattern in both NAO phases. This dynamical effect is partly compensated for by thermodynamical modifications of the pre-convective environment. The results point to a crucial role of large-scale flow in steering the spatiotemporal patterns of convective activity

A Review of Prospective Study of Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction by Bacon et al.

Recent studies have indicated a possible link between risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer to an increased prevalence of erectile dysfunction. Smoking, weight, and exercise were all assessed in respect to erectile dysfunction in a study conducted by Bacon et al