928 research outputs found
Age Progressive Volcanism Opposite Nazca Plate Motion: Insights from Seamounts and Drowned Islands on the Northeastern Margin of the Galápagos Platform
Highlights
• Four of the seven seamounts northeast of the Galápagos Platform are drowned islands
• The ages of the seamounts range from 5.2 Ma to 0.5 Ma
• Seamount morphology changes from conical to elongate at ~1.5 Ma
• The locus of volcanism appears to migrate eastward at the rate of Nazca plate motion
Abstract
We present new geochemical and 40Ar/39Ar analyses from seven seamounts located off the northeastern margin of the shallow Galápagos Platform. Initial volcanism at 5.2 Ma created a small island (Pico) over the current location of the hotspot with geochemically enriched lavas. There is no further record of magmatism in the study area until 3.8 to 2.5 Ma, during which four roughly conical volcanoes (Sunray, Grande, Fitzroy, and Beagle) formed through eruption of lavas derived from a depleted mantle source. Sunray, Fitzroy, and Grande were islands that existed for ~3 m.y. ending with the submergence of Fitzroy at ~0.5 Ma. The youngest seamounts, Largo and Iguana, do not appear to have been subaerial and were active at 1.3 Ma and 0.5 Ma, respectively, with the style of edifice changing from the previous large cones to E-W elongate, composite structures. The progression of magmatism suggests that Pico erupted near 91.5°W near the location of the Galápagos plume while the others formed well east of the plume center. If the locations of initial volcanism are calculated using the eastward velocity of the Nazca plate, there appears to be a progression of younger volcanism toward the east, opposite what would be expected from a fixed mantle plume source. The rate that initial volcanism moves eastward is close to the plate velocity. A combination of higher temperature and geochemical enrichment of the thickened lithosphere of the Galápagos platform could have provided a viscosity gradient at the boundary between the thick lithosphere and the thinner oceanic lithosphere to the northeast. As this boundary moved eastward with the Nazca plate, it progressively triggered shear-driven mantle upwelling and volcanism
Magma genesis by rifting of oceanic lithosphere above anomalous mantle: Terceira Rift, Azores
[1] The Terceira Rift formed relatively recently (∼1 Ma ago) by rifting of the old oceanic lithosphere of the Azores Plateau and is currently spreading at a rate of 2–4mm/a. Together with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Terceira Rift forms a triple junction that separates the Eurasian, African, and American Plates. Four volcanic systems (São Miguel, João de Castro, Terceira, Graciosa), three of which are islands, are distinguished along the axis and are separated by deep avolcanic basins similar to other ultraslow spreading centers. The major element, trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of submarine and subaerial lavas display large along-axis variations. Major and trace element modeling suggests melting in the garnet stability field at smaller degrees of partial melting at the easternmost volcanic system (São Miguel) compared to the central and western volcanoes, which appear to be characterized by slightly higher melting degrees in the spinel/garnet transition zone. The degrees of partial melting at the Terceira Rift are slightly lower than at other ultraslow mid-ocean ridge spreading axes (Southwest Indian Ridge, Gakkel Ridge) and occur at greater depths as a result of the melting anomaly beneath the Azores. The combined interaction of a high obliquity, very slow spreading rates, and a thick preexisting lithosphere along the axis probably prevents the formation and eruption of larger amounts of melt along the Terceira Rift. However, the presence of ocean islands requires a relatively stable melting anomaly over relatively long periods of time. The trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes display individual binary mixing arrays for each volcanic system and thus provide additional evidence for focused magmatism with no (or very limited) melt or source interaction between the volcanic systems. The westernmost mantle sources beneath Graciosa and the most radiogenic lavas from the neighboring Mid-Atlantic Ridge suggest a mantle flow from Graciosa toward the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and hence a flux of mantle material from one spreading axis into the other. The Terceira Rift represents a unique oceanic rift system situated within the thickened, relatively old oceanic lithosphere and thus exhibits both oceanic and continental features
A Textured Silicon Calorimetric Light Detector
We apply the standard photovoltaic technique of texturing to reduce the
reflectivity of silicon cryogenic calorimetric light detectors. In the case of
photons with random incidence angles, absorption is compatible with the
increase in surface area. For the geometrically thin detectors studied, energy
resolution from athermal phonons, dominated by position dependence, is
proportional to the surface-to-volume ratio. With the CaWO4 scintillating
crystal used as light source, the time constants of the calorimeter should be
adapted to the relatively slow light-emission times.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Applied Physic
Vergleichende Untersuchung der endokrinen Ophthalmopathie mittels Ultrasonographie, Computertomographie und Fischbioassay
Bei 35 Patienten mit endokriner Ophthalmopathie (eO) wurde zu den Parametern der Schilddrüsenfunktion (T3, T4, TBI, TRH-Test), dem Szintigramm und der Bestimmung der Schilddrüsenantikörper ergänzend die Ultrasonographie (A-scan) und Computertomographie (CT) der Orbita, sowie der Nachweis exophthalmogener Serumaktivität im Fischbioassay durchgeführt. Charakteristische Sonogramme für eine eO fanden sich in 26 Fällen. Die CT ergab bei 24 von 33 Patienten die Verdickung der musculi recti mediales und/oder der musculi recti laterales, sowie bei 17 Patienten eine Verdichtung im Bereich der Orbitaspitze. Im retrobulbären Bindegewebe zeigte sich nach Kontrastmittelgabe keine signifikante Dichtezunahme. Mit beiden Verfahren zusammen waren nur bei 2 Patienten die Kriterien einer eO nicht erfüllt. Die exophthalmogene Serumaktivität wurde in der IgG-Fraktion im Fischbioassay nachgewiesen; die Trefferquote war mit 69% relativ hoch. Zur Diagnostik der eO kann jedoch der Fischbioassay nicht empfohlen werden
The -cleus experiment: A gram-scale fiducial-volume cryogenic detector for the first detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering
We discuss a small-scale experiment, called -cleus, for the first
detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering by probing nuclear-recoil
energies down to the 10 eV-regime. The detector consists of low-threshold
CaWO and AlO calorimeter arrays with a total mass of about 10 g and
several cryogenic veto detectors operated at millikelvin temperatures.
Realizing a fiducial volume and a multi-element target, the detector enables
active discrimination of , neutron and surface backgrounds. A first
prototype AlO device, operated above ground in a setup without
shielding, has achieved an energy threshold of eV and further
improvements are in reach. A sensitivity study for the detection of coherent
neutrino scattering at nuclear power plants shows a unique discovery potential
(5) within a measuring time of weeks. Furthermore, a site
at a thermal research reactor and the use of a radioactive neutrino source are
investigated. With this technology, real-time monitoring of nuclear power
plants is feasible.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figure
The CRESST Dark Matter Search
We present first competitive results on WIMP dark matter using the
phonon-light-detection technique. A particularly strong limit for WIMPs with
coherent scattering results from selecting a region of the phonon-light plane
corresponding to tungsten recoils. The observed count rate in the neutron band
is compatible with the rate expected from neutron background. CRESST is
presently being upgraded with a 66 channel SQUID readout system, a neutron
shield and a muon veto system. This results in a significant improvement in
sensitivity.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the 5th
International Workshop on the Identification and Detection of Dark Matter IDM
2004, Edinburgh, Sept. 2004, World Scientifi
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