Roomalaista oikeutta kreikaksi 500-luvun Palestiinassa : Eräitä lakitermejä papyruksessa P. Petra inv. 83

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on analysoida eräitä lakitermejä, jotka esiintyvät papyruksessa P. Petra inv. 83. Kyseinen dokumentti, joka sisältää sopimuksen kahden naapuruksen välisen kiistan lopettamiseksi, ajoittuu todennäköisesti vuodelle 574 jKr. ja se kuuluu Jordanian Petrasta vuonna 1993 löydettyyn hiiltyneeseen papyrusarkistoon. Papyrus on tällä hetkellä vielä julkaisematon, ja tämä työ on osa siihen liittyvää perustutkimusta, jonka tarkoituksena on toisaalta selittää tekstin itsensä sisältö, toisaalta arvioida sen antaman informaation merkitystä laajemmassa historiallisessa kontekstissa. Papyrus on kirjoitettu kreikaksi, Bysantin eli Itä-Rooman valtakunnan virallisella kielellä, mutta itse lakitermeistä suurin osa liittyy alun perin latinan kielellä luotuun roomalaiseen oikeuteen. Paikallinen väestö puolestaan oli seemiläistä alkuperää, jolla ei ainoastaan ollut oma kieli, vaan jolla oli ollut ennen valtakuntaan liittämistä omat oikeustraditionsakin. Niinpä papyruksessa esiintyvien termien tutkimuksen kautta nousevat esille monenlaiset laajemmatkin kysymyksenasettelut. Lakitermejä analysoidaan pääasiassa kolmesta näkökulmasta. Ensisijaisena pyrkimyksenä on selvittää niiden tarkka merkitys asiayhteydessään, joka papyruksen fragmentaarisuuden vuoksi ei ole etukäteen selvä, ja siten edistää tekstissä puheena olevien asianhaarojen ymmärtämistä. Toiseksi termien käyttöä koskevat tulokset suhteutetaan yleiseen oikeushistoriaan ja pyritään arvioimaan niiden merkitystä Petrassa käytössä olleen oikeusjärjestelmän kannalta. Kolmas näkökulma on kielitieteellinen, sillä termien käyttö papyruksessa on nähtävä osana laajempaa kehitystä, jossa roomalaisen oikeuden vähittäinen muuttuminen bysanttilaiseksi johti kielten vaihtumiseen ja koko juridisen käsitteistön siirtymiseen latinasta kreikkaan. Siksi tässä työssä käytetään itse papyruksen analyysin lisäksi laajaa vertailumateriaalia, joka koostuu ennen kaikkea roomalaisesta ja bysanttilaisesta lakikirjallisuudesta sekä dokumentaarisesta lähdeaineistosta, etenkin egyptiläisistä papyruksista. Niin tässä papyruksessa kuin muissakin kreikankielisissä lähteissä esiintyvät roomalaiseen oikeuteen liittyvät termit voidaan jaotella suoriin lainoihin, käännöslainoihin sekä komparaatiolainoihin. Jälkimmäisillä tarkoitetaan kreikan kielessä jo aiemmin käytössä olleita termejä, jotka eivät sananmukaiselta merkitykseltään vastaa latinalaisia, mutta joita alettiin käyttää jonkin latinalaisen termin vastineina. Tutkimus tekee selväksi, että olipa kyse mistä lainakategoriasta tahansa, lakitermien siirtyessä kielestä toiseen tapahtui yleensä semanttisia muutoksia eikä termejä aina käytetty samalla tavalla kuin alkukielessä. Merkityskenttä saattoi esimerkiksi supistua taikka laajentua tai sanalle saattoi kehittyä lainautumisen jälkeen täysin uusiakin merkityksiä. Oikeushistorian suhteen on huomioitava ero virallisten säännösten ja provinsseissa noudatettujen käytäntöjen välillä. Kaiken kaikkaan Petra näyttää kuitenkin olleen kiinteä osa Bysantin valtakuntaa, jonka lakeja ainakin pääpiirteissään noudatettiin. Kaikkien termien käytötavat eivät tosin ole johdettavissa suoraan virallisiin lakikorpuksiin, mutta ne eivät myöskään sodi niitä vastaan. Roomalaisen oikeuden tuntemus näyttää olleen Petrassa jopa parempaa kuin esimerkiksi Egyptissä. Mitä tulee papyruksessa puheena oleviin konkreettisiin asianhaaroihin, termien merkityksen ymmärtäminen selventää joidenkin aspektien pääpiirteitä, kun taas yksityskohdat jäävät tekstin fragmentaarisuuden takia useimmiten epäselviksi. Avainsanat: papyrologia, Petra, roomalainen oikeus, terminologia, kreikan kieli, latinan kieli, lainasanat

Religion and Science in Abraham Ibn Ezra's Sefer ha-Olam

The thesis examines rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra's (11096-1064) conceptions of the relationship between religion and science with special focus on his seventh astrological treatise Sefer ha-Olam (The Book of the World). The thesis includes an analysis of medieval arabic astrology and the concepts science and religion in the relevant period. The appendix holds a tentative english translation of the hebrew text.

Rhetoric and Representation : Exploring the Cultural Meaning of the Natural Sciences in Contemporary Popular Science Writing and Literature

Kirjallisuuden- ja kulttuurintutkimus on viimeisten kolmen vuosikymmenen aikana tullut yhä enenevässä määrin tietoiseksi tieteen ja taiteen suhteen monimutkaisesta luonteesta. Nykyään näiden kahden kulttuurin tutkimus muodostaa oman kenttänsä, jolla niiden suhdetta tarkastellaan ennen kaikkea dynaamisena vuorovaikutuksena, joka heijastaa kulttuurimme kieltä, arvoja ja ideologisia sisältöjä. Toisin kuin aiemmat näkemykset, jotka pitävät tiedettä ja taidetta toisilleen enemmän tai vähemmän vastakkaisina pyrkimyksinä, nykytutkimus lähtee oletuksesta, jonka mukaan ne ovat kulttuurillisesti rakentuneita diskursseja, jotka kohtaavat usein samankaltaisia todellisuuden mallintamiseen liittyviä ongelmia, vaikka niiden käyttämät metodit eroavatkin toisistaan. Väitöskirjani keskittyy yllä mainitun suhteen osa-alueista popularisoidun tietokirjallisuuden (muun muassa Paul Davies, James Gleick ja Richard Dawkins) käyttämän kielen ja luonnontieteistä ideoita ammentavan kaunokirjallisuuden (muun muassa Jeanette Winterson, Tom Stoppard ja Richard Powers) hyödyntämien keinojen tarkasteluun nojautuen yli 30 teoksen kattavaa aineistoa koskevaan tyylin ja teemojen tekstianalyysiin. Populaarin tietokirjallisuuden osalta tarkoituksenani on osoittaa, että sen käyttämä kieli rakentuu huomattavassa määrin sellaisille rakenteille, jotka tarjoavat mahdollisuuden esittää todellisuutta koskevia argumentteja mahdollisimman vakuuttavalla tavalla. Tässä tehtävässä monilla klassisen retoriikan määrittelemillä kuvioilla on tärkeä rooli, koska ne auttavat liittämään sanotun sisällön ja muodon tiukasti toisiinsa: retoristen kuvioiden käyttö ei näin ollen edusta pelkkää tyylikeinoa, vaan se myös usein kiteyttää argumenttien taustalla olevat tieteenfilosofiset olettamukset ja auttaa vakiinnuttamaan argumentoinnin logiikan. Koska monet aikaisemmin ilmestyneistä tutkimuksista ovat keskittyneet pelkästään metaforan rooliin tieteellisissä argumenteissa, tämä väitöskirja pyrkii laajentamaan tutkimuskenttää analysoimalla myös toisenlaisten kuvioiden käyttöä. Osoitan myös, että retoristen kuvioiden käyttö muodostaa yhtymäkohdan tieteellisiä ideoita hyödyntävään kaunokirjallisuuteen. Siinä missä popularisoitu tiede käyttää retoriikkaa vahvistaakseen sekä argumentatiivisia että kaunokirjallisia ominaisuuksiaan, kuvaa tällainen sanataide tiedettä tavoilla, jotka usein heijastelevat tietokirjallisuuden kielellisiä rakenteita. Toisaalta on myös mahdollista nähdä, miten kaunokirjallisuuden keinot heijastuvat popularisoidun tieteen kerrontatapoihin ja kieleen todistaen kahden kulttuurin dynaamisesta vuorovaikutuksesta. Nykyaikaisen populaaritieteen retoristen elementtien ja kaunokirjallisuuden keinojen vertailu näyttää lisäksi, kuinka tiede ja taide osallistuvat keskusteluun kulttuurimme tiettyjen peruskäsitteiden kuten identiteetin, tiedon ja ajan merkityksestä. Tällä tavoin on mahdollista nähdä, että molemmat ovat perustavanlaatuisia osia merkityksenantoprosessissa, jonka kautta niin tieteelliset ideat kuin ihmiselämän suuret kysymyksetkin saavat kulttuurillisesti rakentuneen merkityksensä.

Karl Popper's Philosophy of Science - And the Evolution of the Popperian Worlds

This doctoral thesis in theoretical philosophy is a systematic analysis of Karl Popper's philosophy of science and its relation to his theory of three worlds. The general aim is to study Popper's philosophy of science and to show that Popper's theory of three worlds was a restatement of his earlier positions. As a result, a new reading of Popper's philosophy and development is offered and the theory of three worlds is analysed in a new manner. It is suggested that the theory of three worlds is not purely an ontological theory, but has a profound epistemological motivation. In Part One, Popper's epistemology and philosophy of science is analysed. It is claimed that Popper's thinking was bifurcated: he held two profound positions without noticing the tension between them. Popper adopted the position called the theorist around 1930 and focused on the logical structure of scientific theories. In Logik der Forschung (1935), he attempted to build a logic of science on the grounds that scientific theories may be regarded as universal statements which are not verifiable but can be falsified. Later, Popper emphasized another position, called here the processionalist. Popper focused on the study of science as a process and held that a) philosophy of science should study the growth of knowledge and that b) all cognitive processes are constitutive. Moreover, the constitutive idea that we see the world in the searchlight of our theories was combined with the biological insight that knowledge grows by trial and error. In Part Two, the theory of three worlds is analysed systematically. The theory is discussed as a cluster of theories which originate from Popper's attempt to solve some internal problems in his thinking. Popper adhered to realism and wished to reconcile the theorist and the processionalist. He also stressed the real and active nature of the human mind, and the possibility of objective knowledge. Finally, he wished to create a scientific world view.

Logic as the Universal Science : Bertrand Russell's Early Conception of Logic and Its Philosophical Context

Bertrand Russell (1872 1970) introduced the English-speaking philosophical world to modern, mathematical logic and foundational study of mathematics. The present study concerns the conception of logic that underlies his early logicist philosophy of mathematics, formulated in The Principles of Mathematics (1903). In 1967, Jean van Heijenoort published a paper, Logic as Language and Logic as Calculus, in which he argued that the early development of modern logic (roughly the period 1879 1930) can be understood, when considered in the light of a distinction between two essentially different perspectives on logic. According to the view of logic as language, logic constitutes the general framework for all rational discourse, or meaningful use of language, whereas the conception of logic as calculus regards logic more as a symbolism which is subject to reinterpretation. The calculus-view paves the way for systematic metatheory, where logic itself becomes a subject of mathematical study (model-theory). Several scholars have interpreted Russell s views on logic with the help of the interpretative tool introduced by van Heijenoort,. They have commonly argued that Russell s is a clear-cut case of the view of logic as language. In the present study a detailed reconstruction of the view and its implications is provided, and it is argued that the interpretation is seriously misleading as to what he really thought about logic. I argue that Russell s conception is best understood by setting it in its proper philosophical context. This is constituted by Immanuel Kant s theory of mathematics. Kant had argued that purely conceptual thought basically, the logical forms recognised in Aristotelian logic cannot capture the content of mathematical judgments and reasonings. Mathematical cognition is not grounded in logic but in space and time as the pure forms of intuition. As against this view, Russell argued that once logic is developed into a proper tool which can be applied to mathematical theories, Kant s views turn out to be completely wrong. In the present work the view is defended that Russell s logicist philosophy of mathematics, or the view that mathematics is really only logic, is based on what I term the Bolzanian account of logic . According to this conception, (i) the distinction between form and content is not explanatory in logic; (ii) the propositions of logic have genuine content; (iii) this content is conferred upon them by special entities, logical constants . The Bolzanian account, it is argued, is both historically important and throws genuine light on Russell s conception of logic.

Social perception and cognition : processing of gestures, postures and facial expressions in the human brain

Humans are a social species with the internal capability to process social information from other humans. To understand others behavior and to react accordingly, it is necessary to infer their internal states, emotions and aims, which are conveyed by subtle nonverbal bodily cues such as postures, gestures, and facial expressions. This thesis investigates the brain functions underlying the processing of such social information. Studies I and II of this thesis explore the neural basis of perceiving pain from another person s facial expressions by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). In Study I, observing another s facial expression of pain activated the affective pain system (previously associated with self-experienced pain) in accordance with the intensity of the observed expression. The strength of the response in anterior insula was also linked to the observer s empathic abilities. The cortical processing of facial pain expressions advanced from the visual to temporal-lobe areas at similar latencies (around 300 500 ms) to those previously shown for emotional expressions such as fear or disgust. Study III shows that perceiving a yawning face is associated with middle and posterior STS activity, and the contagiousness of a yawn correlates negatively with amygdalar activity. Study IV explored the brain correlates of interpreting social interaction between two members of the same species, in this case human and canine. Observing interaction engaged brain activity in very similar manner for both species. Moreover, the body and object sensitive brain areas of dog experts differentiated interaction from noninteraction in both humans and dogs whereas in the control subjects, similar differentiation occurred only for humans. Finally, Study V shows the engagement of the brain area associated with biological motion when exposed to the sounds produced by a single human being walking. However, more complex pattern of activation, with the walking sounds of several persons, suggests that as the social situation becomes more complex so does the brain response. Taken together, these studies demonstrate the roles of distinct cortical and subcortical brain regions in the perception and sharing of others internal states via facial and bodily gestures, and the connection of brain responses to behavioral attributes.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Electroluminescent ZnS, SrS, and BaS Thin Films

The light emitted by flat panel displays (FPD) can be generated in many different ways, such as for example alternating current thin film electroluminescence (ACTFEL), liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), or plasma display panel (PDP) technologies. In this work, the focus was on ACTFEL devices and the goal was to develop new thin film processes for light emitting materials in ACTFEL devices. The films were deposited with the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method, which has been utilized in the manufacturing of ACTFEL displays since the mid-1980s. The ALD method is based on surface-controlled self-terminated reactions and a maximum of one layer of the desired material can be prepared during one deposition cycle. Therefore, the film thickness can be controlled simply by adjusting the number of deposition cycles. In addition, both large areas and deep trench structures can be covered uniformly. During this work, new ALD processes were developed for the following thin film materials: BaS, CuxS, MnS, PbS, SrS, SrSe, SrTe, SrS1-xSex, ZnS, and ZnS1-xSex. In addition, several ACTFEL devices were prepared where the light emitting material was BaS, SrS, SrS1-xSex, ZnS, or ZnS1-xSex thin film that was doped with Ce, Cu, Eu, Mn, or Pb. The sulfoselenide films were made by substituting the elemental selenium for sulfur on the substrate surface during film deposition. In this way, it was possible to replace a maximum of 90% of the sulfur with selenium, and the XRD analyses indicated that the films were solid solutions. The polycrystalline BaS, SrS, and ZnS thin films were deposited at 180-400, 120-460, and 280-500 °C, respectively, and the processes had a wide temperature range where the growth rate of the films was independent of the deposition temperature. The electroluminescence studies showed that the doped sulfoselenide films resulted in low emission intensity. However, the emission intensities and emission colors of the doped SrS, BaS, and ZnS films were comparable with those found in earlier studies. It was also shown that the electro-optical properties of the different ZnS:Mn devices were different as a consequence of different ZnS:Mn processes. Finally, it was concluded that because the higher deposition temperature seemed to result in a higher emission intensity, the thermal stability of the reactants has a significant role when the light emitting materials of ACTFEL devices are deposited with the ALD method.

The kinetics and reactivity of several polyatomic free radicals in reactions with NO2, O2, Cl2, and HCl

In this thesis, the kinetics of several alkyl, halogenated alkyl, and alkenyl free radical reactions with NO2, O2, Cl2, and HCl reactants were studied over a wide temperature range in time resolved conditions. Laser photolysis photoionisation mass spectrometer coupled to a flow reactor was the experimental method employed and this thesis present the first measurements performed with the experimental system constructed. During this thesis a great amount of work was devoted to the designing, building, testing, and improving the experimental apparatus. Carbon-centred free radicals were generated by the pulsed 193 or 248 nm photolysis of suitable precursors along the tubular reactor. The kinetics was studied under pseudo-first-order conditions using either He or N2 buffer gas. The temperature and pressure ranges employed were between 190 and 500 K, and 0.5 45 torr, respectively. The possible role of heterogeneous wall reactions was investigated employing reactor tubes with different sizes, i.e. to significantly vary the surface to volume ratio. In this thesis, significant new contributions to the kinetics of carbon-centred free radical reactions with nitrogen dioxide were obtained. Altogether eight substituted alkyl (CH2Cl, CHCl2, CCl3, CH2I, CH2Br, CHBr2, CHBrCl, and CHBrCH3) and two alkenyl (C2H3, C3H3) free radical reactions with NO2 were investigated as a function of temperature. The bimolecular rate coefficients of all these reactions were observed to possess negative temperature dependencies, while pressure dependencies were not noticed for any of these reactions. Halogen substitution was observed to moderately reduce the reactivity of substituted alkyl radicals in the reaction with NO2, while the resonance stabilisation of the alkenyl radical lowers its reactivity with respect to NO2 only slightly. Two reactions relevant to atmospheric chemistry, CH2Br + O2 and CH2I + O2, were also investigated. It was noticed that while CH2Br + O2 reaction shows pronounced pressure dependence, characteristic of peroxy radical formation, no such dependence was observed for the CH2I + O2 reaction. Observed primary products of the CH2I + O2 reaction were the I-atom and the IO radical. Kinetics of CH3 + HCl, CD3 + HCl, CH3 + DCl, and CD3 + DCl reactions were also studied. While all these reactions possess positive activation energies, in contrast to the other systems investigated in this thesis, the CH3 + HCl and CD3 + HCl reactions show a non-linear temperature dependency on the Arrhenius plot. The reactivity of substituted methyl radicals toward NO2 was observed to increase with decreasing electron affinity of the radical. The same trend was observed for the reactions of substituted methyl radicals with Cl2. It is proposed that interactions of frontier orbitals are responsible to these observations and Frontier Orbital Theory could be used to explain the observed reactivity trends of these highly exothermic reactions having reactant-like transition states.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Multicomponent Oxide Materials

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a method for thin film deposition which has been extensively studied for binary oxide thin film growth. Studies on multicomponent oxide growth by ALD remain relatively few owing to the increased number of factors that come into play when more than one metal is employed. More metal precursors are required, and the surface may change significantly during successive stages of the growth. Multicomponent oxide thin films can be prepared in a well-controlled way as long as the same principle that makes binary oxide ALD work so well is followed for each constituent element: in short, the film growth has to be self-limiting. ALD of various multicomponent oxides was studied. SrTiO3, BaTiO3, Ba(1-x)SrxTiO3 (BST), SrTa2O6, Bi4Ti3O12, BiTaO4 and SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) thin films were prepared, many of them for the first time by ALD. Chemistries of the binary oxides are shown to influence the processing of their multicomponent counterparts. The compatibility of precursor volatilities, thermal stabilities and reactivities is essential for multicomponent oxide ALD, but it should be noted that the main reactive species, the growing film itself, must also be compatible with self-limiting growth chemistry. In the cases of BaO and Bi2O3 the growth of the binary oxide was very difficult, but the presence of Ti or Ta in the growing film made self-limiting growth possible. The application of the deposited films as dielectric and ferroelectric materials was studied. Post-deposition annealing treatments in different atmospheres were used to achieve the desired crystalline phase or, more generally, to improve electrical properties. Electrode materials strongly influenced the leakage current densities in the prepared metal insulator metal (MIM) capacitors. Film permittivities above 100 and leakage current densities below 110-7 A/cm2 were achieved with several of the materials.

Magmatic evolution of topaz-bearing granite stocks within the Wiborg rapakivi granite batholith

This study brings new insights into the magmatic evolution of natural F-enriched peraluminous granitic systems. The Artjärvi, Sääskjärvi and Kymi granite stocks within the 1.64 Ga Wiborg rapakivi granite batholith have been investigated by petrographic, geochemical, experimental and melt inclusion methods. These stocks represent late-stage leucocratic and weakly peraluminous intrusive phases typical of rapakivi granites worldwide. The Artjärvi and Sääskjärvi stocks are multiphase intrusions in which the most evolved phase is topaz granite. The Kymi stock contains topaz throughout and has a well-developed zoned structure, from the rim to the center: stockscheider pegmatite equigranular topaz granite porphyritic topaz granite. Geochemically the topaz granites are enriched in F, Li, Be, Ga, Rb, Sn and Nb and depleted in Mg, Fe, Ti, Ba, Sr, Zr and Eu. The anomalous geochemistry and mineralogy of the topaz granites are essentially magmatic in origin; postmagmatic reactions have only slightly modified the compositions. The Kymi equigranular topaz granite shows the most evolved character, and the topaz granites at Artjärvi and Sääskjärvi resemble the less evolved porphyritic topaz granite of the Kymi stock. Stockscheiders are found at the roof contacts of the Artjärvi and Kymi stocks. The stockscheider at Artjärvi is composed of biotite-rich schlieren and pegmatite layers parallel to the contact. The schlieren layering is considered to have formed by velocity-gradient sorting mechanism parallel to the flow, which led to the accumulation of mafic minerals along the upper contact of the topaz granite. Cooling and contraction of the topaz granite formed fractures parallel to the roof contact and residual pegmatite magmas were injected along the fractures and formed the pegmatite layers. The zoned structure of the Kymi stock is the result of intrusion of highly evolved residual melt from deeper parts of the magma chamber along the fractured contact between the porphyritic granite crystal mush and country rock. The equigranular topaz granite and marginal pegmatite (stockscheider) crystallized from this evolved melt. Phase relations of the Kymi equigranular topaz granite have been investigated utilizing crystallization experiments at 100 to 500 MPa as a function of water activity and F content. Fluorite and topaz can crystallize as liquidus phases in F-rich peraluminous systems, but the F content of the melt should exceed 2.5 - 3.0 wt % to facilitate crystallization of topaz. In peraluminous F-bearing melts containing more than 1 wt % F, topaz and muscovite are expected to be the first F-bearing phases to crystallize at high pressure, whereas fluorite and topaz should crystallize first at low pressure. Overall, the saturation of fluorite and topaz follows the reaction: CaAl2Si2O8 (plagioclase) + 2[AlF3]melt = CaF2 (fluorite) + 2Al2SiO4F2 (topaz). The obtained partition coefficient for F between biotite and glass D(F)Bt/glass is 1.89 to 0.80 (average 1.29) and can be used as an empirical fluormeter to determine the F content of coexisting melts. In order to study the magmatic evolution of the Kymi stock, crystallized melt inclusions in quartz and topaz grains in the porphyritic and the equigranular topaz granites and the marginal pegmatite were rehomogenized and analyzed. The homogenization conditions for the melt inclusions from the granites were 700 °C, 300 MPa, and 24 h, and for melt inclusions from the pegmatite, 700 °C, 100 MPa, and 24/96 h. The majority of the melt inclusions is chemically similar to the bulk rocks (excluding H2O content), but a few melt inclusions in the equigranular granite show clearly higher F and low K2O contents (on average 11.6 wt % F, 0.65 wt % K2O). The melt inclusion compositions indicate coexistence of two melt fractions, a prevailing peraluminous and a very volatile-rich, possibly peralkaline. Combined petrological, experimental and melt inclusion studies of the Kymi equigranular topaz granite indicate that plagioclase was the liquidus phase at nearly water-saturated (fluid-saturated) conditions and that the F content of the melt was at least 2 wt %. The early crystallization of biotite and the presence of muscovite in crystallization experiments at 200 MPa contrasts with the late-stage crystallization of biotite and the absence of muscovite in the equigranular granite, indicating that crystallization pressure may have been lower than 200 MPa for the granite.

Isotopic records of terrestrial ice age environments in mammoth bioapatite

Palaeoenvironments of the latter half of the Weichselian ice age and the transition to the Holocene, from ca. 52 to 4 ka, were investigated using isotopic analysis of oxygen, carbon and strontium in mammal skeletal apatite. The study material consisted predominantly of subfossil bones and teeth of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach), collected from Europe and Wrangel Island, northeastern Siberia. All samples have been radiocarbon dated, and their ages range from >52 ka to 4 ka. Altogether, 100 specimens were sampled for the isotopic work. In Europe, the studies focused on the glacial palaeoclimate and habitat palaeoecology. To minimise the influence of possible diagenetic effects, the palaeoclimatological and ecological reconstructions were based on the enamel samples only. The results of the oxygen isotope analysis of mammoth enamel phosphate from Finland and adjacent nortwestern Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and Sweden provide the first estimate of oxygen isotope values in glacial precipitation in northern Europe. The glacial precipitation oxygen isotope values range from ca. -9.2±1.5 in western Denmark to -15.3 in Kirillov, northwestern Russia. These values are 0.6-4.1 lower than those in present-day precipitation, with the largest changes recorded in the currently marine influenced southern Sweden and the Baltic region. The new enamel-derived oxygen isotope data from this study, combined with oxygen isotope records from earlier investigations on mammoth tooth enamel and palaeogroundwaters, facilitate a reconstruction of the spatial patterns of the oxygen isotope values of precipitation and palaeotemperatures over much of Europe. The reconstructed geographic pattern of oxygen isotope levels in precipitation during 52-24 ka reflects the progressive isotopic depletion of air masses moving northeast, consistent with a westerly source of moisture for the entire region, and a circulation pattern similar to that of the present-day. The application of regionally varied δ/T-slopes, estimated from palaeogroundwater data and modern spatial correlations, yield reasonable estimates of glacial surface temperatures in Europe and imply 2-9°C lower long-term mean annual surface temperatures during the glacial period. The isotopic composition of carbon in the enamel samples indicates a pure C3 diet for the European mammoths, in agreement with previous investigations of mammoth ecology. A faint geographical gradient in the carbon isotope values of enamel is discernible, with more negative values in the northeast. The spatial trend is consistent with the climatic implications of the enamel oxygen isotope data, but may also suggest regional differences in habitat openness. The palaeogeographical changes caused by the eustatic rise of global sea level at the end of the Weichselian ice age was investigated on Wrangel Island, using the strontium isotope (Sr-87/Sr-86) ratios in the skeletal apatite of the local mammoth fauna. The diagenetic evaluations suggest good preservation of the original Sr isotope ratios, even in the bone specimens included in the study material. To estimate present-day environmental Sr isotope values on Wrangel Island, bioapatite samples from modern reindeer and muskoxen, as well as surface waters from rivers and ice wedges were analysed. A significant shift towards more radiogenic bioapatite Sr isotope ratios, from 0.71218 ± 0.00103 to 0.71491 ± 0.00138, marks the beginning of the Holocene. This implies a change in the migration patterns of the mammals, ultimately reflecting the inundation of the mainland connection and isolation of the population. The bioapatite Sr isotope data supports published coastline reconstructions placing the time of separation from the mainland to ca. 10-10.5 ka ago. The shift towards more radiogenic Sr isotope values in mid-Holocene subfossil remains after 8 ka ago reflects the rapid rise of the sea level from 10 to 8 ka, resulting in a considerable reduction of the accessible range area on the early Wrangel Island.

An approach to palaeoseismicity in the Olkiluoto (sea) area during the early Holocene

Olkiluoto Island is situated in the northern Baltic Sea, near the southwestern coast of Finland, and is the proposed location of a spent nuclear fuel repository. This study examined Holocene palaeoseismicity in the Olkiluoto area and in the surrounding sea areas by computer simulations together with acoustic-seismic, sedimentological and dating methods. The most abundant rock type on the island is migmatic mica gneiss, intruded by tonalites, granodiorites and granites. The surrounding Baltic Sea seabed consists of Palaeoproterozoic crystalline bedrock, which is to a great extent covered by younger Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks. The area contains several ancient deep-seated fracture zones that divide it into bedrock blocks. The response of bedrock at the Olkiluoto site was modelled considering four future ice-age scenarios. Each scenario produced shear displacements of fractures with different times of occurrence and varying recovery rates. Generally, the larger the maximum ice load, the larger were the permanent shear displacements. For a basic case, the maximum shear displacements were a few centimetres at the proposed nuclear waste repository level, at proximately 500 m b.s.l. High-resolution, low-frequency echo-sounding was used to examine the Holocene submarine sedimentary structures and possible direct and indirect indicators of palaeoseismic activity in the northern Baltic Sea. Echo-sounding profiles of Holocene submarine sediments revealed slides and slumps, normal faults, debris flows and turbidite-type structures. The profiles also showed pockmarks and other structures related to gas or groundwater seepages, which might be related to fracture zone activation. Evidence of postglacial reactivation in the study area was derived from the spatial occurrence of some of the structures, especial the faults and the seepages, in the vicinity of some old bedrock fracture zones. Palaeoseismic event(s) (a single or several events) in the Olkiluoto area were dated and the palaeoenvironment was characterized using palaeomagnetic, biostratigraphical and lithostratigraphical methods, enhancing the reliability of the chronology. Combined lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and palaeomagnetic stratigraphy revealed an age estimation of 10 650 to 10 200 cal. years BP for the palaeoseismic event(s). All Holocene sediment faults in the northern Baltic Sea occur at the same stratigraphical level, the age of which is estimated at 10 700 cal. years BP (9500 radiocarbon years BP). Their movement is suggested to have been triggered by palaeoseismic event(s) when the Late Weichselian ice sheet was retreating from the site and bedrock stresses were released along the bedrock fracture zones. Since no younger or repeated traces of seismic events were found, it corroborates the suggestion that the major seismic activity occurred within a short time during and after the last deglaciation. The origin of the gas/groundwater seepages remains unclear. Their reflections in the echo-sounding profiles imply that part of the gas is derived from the organic-bearing Litorina and modern gyttja clays. However, at least some of the gas is derived from the bedrock. Additional information could be gained by pore water analysis from the pockmarks. Information on postglacial fault activation and possible gas and/or fluid discharges under high hydraulic heads has relevance in evaluating the safety assessment of a planned spent nuclear fuel repository in the region.

Eurasian large mammal dynamics in response to changing environments during the Late Neogene

Nisäkkäiden levinneisyyteen, niiden morfologisiin ja ekologisiin piirteisiin vaikuttavat ympäristön sekä lyhyet että pitkäkestoiset muutokset, etenkin ilmaston ja kasvillisuuden vaihtelut. Työssä tutkittiin nisäkkäiden sopeutumista ilmastonmuutoksiin Euraasiassa viimeisen 24 miljoonan vuoden aikana. Tutkimuksessa keskityttiin varsinkin viimeiseen kahteen miljoonaan vuoteen, jonka aikana ilmasto muuttui voimakkaasti ja ihmisen toiminta alkoi tulla merkittäväksi. Tämän takia on usein vaikea erottaa, kummasta em. seikasta jonkin nisäkäslajin sukupuutto tai häviäminen alueelta johtui. Aineistona käytettiin laajaa venäjänkielistä kirjallisuutta, josta löytyvät tiedot ovat kääntämättöminä jääneet aiemmin länsimaisen tutkimuksen ulkopuolelle. Työssä käytettiin myös NOW-tietokantaa, jossa on fossiilisten nisäkkäiden löytöpaikat sekä niiden iät.