1,811 research outputs found
Magnetostratigraphy of the Zobzit and Koudiat Zarga sections (Taza-Guercif basin, Morocco): implications for the evolution of the Rifian Corridor
Magnetostratigraphic analyses for two Neogene `post-nappes' successions of the Taza-Guercif basin enable a reliable
correlation of the sedimentary sequence to the astronomical polarity time scale. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that hematite is
the dominant carrier of the magnetisation in the marine marls of the Melloulou Formation, whereas both magnetite and
hematite contribute to the NRM of the near-shore and continental sediments of the Kef Ed Deba and Bou Irhardaiene
Formations. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements indicate that the maximum axes of the magnetic fabric
are aligned in a direction SW-NE. This suggests that the AMS is tectonically induced, related to SE-NW compression, in
agreement with the major fold and fault systems in the basin. Our magnetostratigraphic correlation shows that the oldest marine
sediments in the basin, which are related to the development of the Rifian Corridor, are dated at approximately 8 Ma. Between
7.2 and 7.1 Ma, just after the Tortonian/Messinian boundary, an important shallowing of the Taza-Guercif basin takes place.
This shallowing phase is primarily related to active tectonics, although a small glacio-eustatic sea level lowering also took place.
Our results indicate that at least the Taza-Guercif basin, and perhaps the entire Rifian Corridor, became emerged at an age
between 6.7 and 6.0 Ma. Continental deposits, separated from the underlying deposits by a considerable hiatus of 700 kyr,
extend into the Pliocene (up to 4.7 Ma)
Optimal parameters for a hierarchical grid data structure for contact detection in arbitrarily polydisperse particle systems.
The objective of this paper is to find the optimum number of hierarchy levels and their cell sizes for contact detection algorithms based on a versatile hierarchical grid data structure, for polydisperse particle systems with arbitrary distribution of particle radii. These algorithms perform as fast as O(N) for N particles, but the prefactor can be as large as N for a given system, depending on the algorithm parameters chosen, making a recipe for choosing these parameters necessary. We estimate theoretically the calculation time of two distinct algorithms for particle systems with various packing fractions, where the sizes of the particles are modelled by an arbitrary probability density function. We suggest several methods for choosing the number of hierarchy levels and the respective cell sizes, based on truncated power-law radii distributions with different exponents and widths. The theoretical estimations are then compared with simulation results for particle systems with up to one million particles. The proposed recipe for selecting the optimal hierarchical grid parameters allows to find contacts in arbitrarily polydisperse particle systems as fast as the commonly-used linked-cell method in purely monodisperse particle systems, i.e., extra work is avoided in presence of polydispersity. Furthermore, the contact detection time per particle even decreases slightly with increasing polydispersity or decreasing particle packing fraction
Chronology of the late Turolian deposits of the Fortuna basin (SE Spain): implications for the Messinian evolution of the eastern Betics
The magnetostratigraphy of the mammal-bearing alluvial fan-fan delta sequences of the Fortuna basin (SE Spain) has
yielded an accurate chronology for the late Turolian (Messinian) basin infill. From early to late Messinian (at least between
6.8 and 5.7 Ma), the Fortuna basin records the sedimentation of alluvial-palustrine deposits over a confined shallow
basin. Changing environmental conditions in the latest Messinian are illustrated by the retreat of palustrine facies. A rapid
progradation of the marginal clastic wedges and the initiation of an efficient basin drainage at 5.8 Ma (lower part of
chron C3r) most likely represents the onshore response to the drastic drop of base level taking place during the Messinian
salinity crisis. This study further provides improved age estimates for the late Turolian land mammal events in southern
Spain. The oldest MN 13 locality in the studied sections is correlated to chron C3Ar at an age of 6.8 Ma. The entry
of camels and the murid Paraethomys in southern Spain occurs in chron C3An.1n at 6.1 Ma, and gives further support
for land mammal exchange between Africa and the Iberian peninsula prior to the salinity crisis, in good agreement with
results from northern Africa [M. Benammi, M. Calvo, M. Pre´vot, J.J. Jaeger, Magnetostratigraphy and paleontology of Ai¨t
Kandoula basin (High Atlas, Morocco) and the African-European late Miocene terrestrial fauna exchanges, Earth Planet.
Sci. Lett. 145 (1996) 15-29]. The age of the studied sequences provides important constraints on the understanding of
the sedimentary evolution of the eastern Betic margin, and shows that previous interpretations of the evaporitic-diatomitic
sequences of the Fortuna basin, as being coeval to the late Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean, are not correct.
The confinement leading to the emergence of the Fortuna basin occurred in the late Tortonian to earliest Messinian, similar
to other intramontane basins in the Betics. Therefore, the inclusion of the Fortuna basin in a hypothetical marine Betic
Corridor during the late Messinian is no longer tenable. Ó 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
Segmented copolymers of uniform tetra-amide units and poly(phenylene oxide): 2. Crystallisation behaviour
The crystallisation behaviour of copolymers of telechelic poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) segments with terephthalic methyl ester endgroups (PPE-2T), 13 wt% crystallisable tetra-amide segments of uniform length units (two-and-a-half repeating unit of nylon-6,T) and dodecanediol (C12) was studied. The crystallisation rate of the T6T6T units was found to be very high despite the high Tg/Tm ratio. The supercooling (Tm−Tc) as measured by DSC is 18 °C at a cooling rate of 20 °C/min. WAXD has elucidated that the tetra-amide units remain organised in the melt
Late Miocene Mediterranean desiccation: topography and significance of the 'Salinity Crisis' erosion surface on-land in southeast Spain: Comment
One of the most striking aspects of the Mediterranean
"Messinian Salinity Crisis" as observed in landbased
sections, is the basin-wide synchronicity in
facies change (Krijgsman et al., 1999a). The Messinian
succession of the Caltanisetta Basin on Sicily
serves as the classical standard for these facies
changes, which can also be recognised elsewhere in
the Mediterranean, i.e. on Cyprus, Crete, northern
Italy and southern Spain. It starts with an alternation
of open marine marls and sapropels, passes via diatomites
into evaporitic limestones, gypsum and halite of
the "Lower Evaporites" (of marine origin) and,
following an erosional unconformity, ends with the
"Upper Evaporites" and associated fresh to brackish
water deposits of the Lago Mare that are essentially of
non-marine origin and contain a caspi-brackish ostracode
fauna. The erosional unconformity between the
"Lower and Upper Evaporites" is assumed to reflect
the phase of most extreme sea level drawdown in the
Mediterranean that caused significant erosion and
localised channel entrenchment on the continental
shelves and slopes
Astrochronology for the Messinian Sorbas basin (SE Spain) and orbital (precessional) forcing for evaporite cyclicity
The Sorbas basin of SE Spain contains one of the most complete sedimentary successions of the Mediterranean reflecting the
increasing salinity during the Messinian salinity crisis. A detailed cyclostratigraphic study of these successions allows a
correlation of the sedimentary cycle patterns to astronomical target curves. Here, we present an astrochronological framework
for the Messinian of the central part of the Sorbas basin. This framework will form a solid basis for high-resolution correlations
to the marginal carbonate facies and to the Central Mediterranean area.
The early Messinian Abad Member contains 55 precession induced sedimentary cycles marked by homogeneous marl-opalrich
bed alternations in the `Lower Abad' and by homogeneous marl-sapropel alternations in the `Upper Abad'. Astronomical
tuning results in an age of 5.96 Ma for the transition to the Yesares evaporites and thus for the onset of the `Messinian salinity
crisis'. The marl±sapropel cycles of the `Upper Abad' are replaced by gypsum±sapropel cycles (14) in the Yesares Member,
indicating that the evaporite cyclicity is related to precession controlled oscillations in (circum) Mediterranean climate as well.
As a consequence, gypsum beds correspond to precession maxima (insolation minima) and relatively dry climate, sapropelitic
marls to precession minima (insolation maxima) and relatively wet climate. An alternative (glacio-eustatic) obliquity control
for evaporite cyclicity can be excluded because the number of sedimentary cycles with a reversed polarity is too high.
Sedimentation during the Abad, Yesares, and the overlying coastal sequences of the Sorbas Member, took place in a
continuously marine environment, indicating that marine conditions in the Sorbas basin prevailed at least until
5.60-5.54 Ma. According to our scenario, deposition of the Yesares and Sorbas Member took place synchronously with
deposition of the `Lower Evaporites' in the Central Mediterranean. Finally, the continental Zorreras Member consists of 8
sedimentary cycles of alternating reddish silts (dry climate) and yellowish sands (wet climate) which correlates very well with
the `Upper Evaporites' and Lago Mare facies of the Mediterranean
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