Composition of airborne material from yellow snow fallen in the Russian North

Large amounts of dust responsible for bright colors of atmospheric precipitation in the temperate, subpolar and polar zones of the northern hemisphere have been rarely observed. In the twentieth century and in the beginning of the twenty first century in the Northern European Russia such events were not registered up to March 25-26, 2008. At that time in some parts of the Arkhangel'sk region, Komi Republic, and Nenets Autonomous Area atmospheric precipitation as sleet and rain responsible for sand- and saffron colors of ice crust formation on the snow surface was observed. During detailed mineralogical, geochemical, pollen, diatom and meteorological investigations it was established that semidesert and steppe regions of the Northwest Kazakhstan, Volgograd and Astrakhan' regions, and Kalmykia are the main sources of the yellow dust.

Clay mineralogy and organic carbon content of sediment core GeoB1401-4

Late Quaternary sediments recovered in a core from the area of the Zaire Fan, Central Africa, were analyzed for clay mineral composition in order to reconstruct fluctuations in the sediment input and freshwater discharge of the Zaire River. Clay mineral assemblages are dominated by kaolinite and smectite, which both originate mainly from the Zaire River and contain only minor contributions of eolian dust. Smectite crystallinity and chemical character of illites (Fe, Mg- or Al-rich) are used to track sediment input from the Zaire River and assess fluctuations in the freshwater discharge. Both parameters record a high-latitude forcing of river runoff at 100 ka periodicities reflecting glacial aridity and increased runoff during interglacials 1, 5 and 7. This signal is also observed in kaolinite/smectite ratios which represent the extension and intensity of the freshwater plume of the Zaire River. Clay mineral proxies reveal that river discharge and associated sediment input fluctuated in tune with precessional cycles of African monsoon intensity. Increased eolian input of kaolinite-rich dust with intensified northeast trades during glacials flattens the precessional signal in kaolinite/smectite ratios.

Mineralogy ol late Quaternary marine sediments from the West and East Greenland shelves offshore from early Tertiary basalt outcrops

We use quantitative X-ray diffraction to determine the mineralogy of late Quaternary marine sediments from the West and East Greenland shelves offshore from early Tertiary basalt outcrops. Despite the similar basalt outcrop area (60 000-70 000 km**2), there are significant differences between East and West Greenland sediments in the fraction of minerals (e.g. pyroxene) sourced from the basalt outcrops. We demonstrate the differences in the mineralogy between East and West Greenland marine sediments on three scales: (1) modern day, (2) late Quaternary inputs and (3) detailed down-core variations in 10 cores from the two margins. On the East Greenland Shelf (EGS), late Quaternary samples have an average quartz weight per cent of 6.2 ± 2.3 versus 12.8 ± 3.9 from the West Greenland Shelf (WGS), and 12.02 ± 4.8 versus 1.9 ± 2.3 wt% for pyroxene. K-means clustering indicated only 9% of the samples did not fit a simple EGS vs. WGS dichotomy. Sediments from the EGS and WGS are also isotopically distinct, with the EGS having higher eNd (-18 to 4) than those from the WGS (eNd = -25 to -35). We attribute the striking dichotomy in sediment composition to fundamentally different long-term Quaternary styles of glaciation on the two basalt outcrops.

Mineralogy at DSDP Site 82-558 and Hole 82-563

Downhole bulk-sample and clay-mineral analytical results for Sites 558 and 563 are presented in this chapter. These results show a Tertiary climatic and hydrologic evolution similar to that at other DSDP drill sites in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean (Sites 398, 403-406, 548-550, 552-555). The sediments recovered at both sites are primarily calcareous and chalky oozes characterized by >90% carbonate and minor quartz and plagioclase feldspar. Clay minerals smectite, kaolinite, illite, and chlorite are present throughout the cores; upsection, illite increases at the expense of smectite. The clay mineralogy suggests climatic cooling and increased ocean circulation during the Miocene. Intervals rich in very fine grained (<2 µm) quartz suggest times of increased eolian input. This could have resulted from development, during Oligocene and late Miocene time, of an arid, desertlike sediment provenance that lasted until the present day.

Sedimentologic and magnetic data of sediment cores on the western slope of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The relative paleointensity (RPI) method assumes that the intensity of post depositional remanent magnetization (PDRM) depends exclusively on the magnetic field strength and the concentration of the magnetic carriers. Sedimentary remanence is regarded as an equilibrium state between aligning geomagnetic and randomizing interparticle forces. Just how strong these mechanical and electrostatic forces are, depends on many petrophysical factors related to mineralogy, particle size and shape of the matrix constituents. We therefore test the hypothesis that variations in sediment lithology modulate RPI records. For 90 selected Late Quaternary sediment samples from the subtropical and subantarctic South Atlantic Ocean a combined paleomagnetic and sedimentological dataset was established. Misleading alterations of the magnetic mineral fraction were detected by a routine Fe/kappa test (Funk, J., von Dobeneck, T., Reitz, A., 2004. Integrated rock magnetic and geochemical quantification of redoxomorphic iron mineral diagenesis in Late Quaternary sediments from the Equatorial Atlantic. In: Wefer, G., Mulitza, S., Ratmeyer, V. (Eds.), The South Atlantic in the Late Quaternary: reconstruction of material budgets and current systems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York/Tokyo, pp. 239-262). Samples with any indication of suboxic magnetite dissolution were excluded from the dataset. The parameters under study include carbonate, opal and terrigenous content, grain size distribution and clay mineral composition. Their bi- and multivariate correlations with the RPI signal were statistically investigated using standard techniques and criteria. While several of the parameters did not yield significant results, clay grain size and chlorite correlate weakly and opal, illite and kaolinite correlate moderately to the NRM/ARM signal used here as a RPI measure. The most influential single sedimentological factor is the kaolinite/illite ratio with a Pearson's coefficient of 0.51 and 99.9% significance. A three-member regression model suggests that matrix effects can make up over 50% of the observed RPI dynamics.

Geochemistry, grain sizes and radiocarbon age of sediment core Lz1005 from Amery Oasis, East Antarctica

The clay mineralogical composition of a 552 cm long sediment core from Lake Terrasovoje in Amery Oasis, East Antarctica, was analysed and compared with that in surface sediments from other locations in the vicinity. The lower part of the sediment core is formed by sub- and proglacial sediments with a dominance of smectite and illite, and lower amounts of kaolinite and chlorite. The upper part of the core is deposited after 12 500 cal yr bp and mainly composed of illite and kaolinite, with low amounts of smectite and chlorite, such as found in samples from rock outcrops and covering sediments throughout Amery Oasis. The clay composition in the lower section of core Lz1005 suggest that the basin of Lake Terrasovoje was filled by a 150-200 m thickened Nemesis Glacier prior to 12 500 cal yr bp rather than by local ice caps.

Clay mineralogy and shear strength of subglacial and glaciomarine sediments in the southern Bellingshausen Sea

The Belgica Trough and the adjacent Belgica Trough Mouth Fan in the southern Bellingshausen Sea (Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean) mark the location of a major outlet for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Late Quaternary. The drainage basin of an ice stream that advanced through Belgica Trough across the shelf during the last glacial period comprised an area exceeding 200,000 km**2 in the West Antarctic hinterland. Previous studies, mainly based on marine-geophysical data from the continental shelf and slope, focused on the bathymetry and seafloor bedforms, and the reconstruction of associated depositional processes and ice- drainage patterns. In contrast, there was only sparse information from seabed sediments recovered by coring. In this paper, we present lithological and clay mineralogical data of 21 sediment cores collected from the shelf and slope of the southern Bellingshausen Sea. Most cores recovered three lithological units, which can be attributed to facies types deposited under glacial, transitional and seasonally open-marine conditions. The clay mineral assemblages document coinciding changes in provenance. The relationship between the clay mineral assemblages in the subglacial and proglacial sediments on the shelf and the glacial diamictons on the slope confirms that a grounded ice stream advanced through Belgica Trough to the shelf break during the past, thereby depositing detritus eroded in the West Antarctic hinterland as soft till on the shelf and as glaciogenic debris flows on the slope. The thinness of the transitional and seasonally open-marine sediments in the cores suggests that this ice advance occurred during the last glacial period. Clay mineralogical, acoustic sub-bottom and seismic data furthermore demonstrate that the palaeo-ice stream probably reworked old sedimentary strata, including older tills, on the shelf and incorporated this debris into its till bed. The geographical heterogeneity of the clay mineral assemblages in the sub- and proglacial diamictons and gravelly deposits indicates that they were eroded from underlying sedimentary strata of different ages. These strata may have been deposited during either different phases of the last glacial period or different glacial and interglacial periods. Additionally, the clay mineralogical heterogeneity of the soft tills recovered on the shelf suggests that the drainage area of the palaeo-ice stream flowing through Belgica Trough changed through time.

Water chemistry and fluffy layer geochemistry and mineral content at four sites in the western Baltic Sea

The fluffy layer was sampled repeatedly during nine expeditions between October 1996 and December 1998 at four stations situated along a S-N-transect from the Oder Estuary to the Arkona Basin. Geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the fluff show regional differences (trends) in composition, attributed to provenance and to hydrographical conditions along their transport pathways. Temporal variability is very high at the shallow water station of the estuary, and decreases towards the deeper stations in the north. In the shallow water area, intensive resuspension of the fluff due to wind-driven waves and currents leads to an average residence time of only one to two days. Near-bottom lateral transport of the fluff is the main process that transfers the fine grained material, containing both nutrients and contaminants, from the coastal zone into the deeper basins of the Baltic Sea. Seasonal effects (e.g. biogenic production in relation to trace metal variation) are observed at the Tromper Wiek station, where the residence time of the fluffy material is in the scale of seasons. Thus, the fluffy layer offers suitable material for environmental monitoring programs.

Clay mineralogy of sediment cores from the Arctic Ocean

This study focuses on sedimentological investigations of sediment cores recovered during the international Arctic'91, expeditions with the German research ice breaker RV "Polarstern" to the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. Here, we deduce the last glacial/interglacial changes in transport mechanism and sedimentation from the clay mineral group smectite. We choose the smectites as an example of how sediment mineralogy can be linked with particular source regions (the Kara and Laptev seas), distinct transport mechanism (sea ice and surface currents) and sedimentation processes. Smectite contents in Arctic sediments discussed for two time slices, including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and the last deglaciation (Termination I), reveal the highest variability subsequent to the retreat of the Eurasian ice sheets. Our results show that smectite anomalies in the Eurasian Basin are associated with distinct meltwater pulses and occurred around 13.5-13.0 14C ka B.P. Compelling evidence is provided that these anomalies are deduced from sea-ice entrained sediments from the eastern Kara Sea that entered the Arctic Ocean after ice-sheet break-up and eventually flooding of the Kara Sea. We propose that smectite anomalies in sediments of the eastern Arctic Ocean can be utilized to identify deglacial events and to help decipher configurations of the Eurasian ice sheets. The identification of smectite maxima along the modern sea-ice edge in the Eurasian Basin further indicates biologically enhanced sedimentation from melting sea ice allowing the reconstruction of seasonally open water in the region. Hence, considering the poor preservation conditions of primary paleoceanographic proxies in the Arctic Ocean, the clay mineral contents, particularly the smectite group, may be one alternative tool for paleoclimatic reconstruction in the Eurasian Basin.

Analysis of minerals from Arctic Ocean sediments

The Arctic Ocean System is a key player regarding the climatic changes of Earth. Its highly sensitive ice Cover, the exchange of surface and deep water masses with the global ocean and the coupling with the atmosphere interact directly with global climatic changes. The output of cold, polar water and sea ice influences the production of deep water in the North Atlantic and controls the global ocean circulation ("the conveyor belt"). The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by the large Northern Hemisphere ice sheets which not only affect the sedimentation in the Arctic Ocean but also are supposed to induce the Course of glacials and interglacials. Terrigenous sediment delivered from the ice sheets by icebergs and meltwater as well as through sea ice are major components of Arctic Ocean sediments. Hence, the terrigenous content of Arctic Ocean sediments is an outstanding archive to investigate changes in the paleoenvironment. Glazigenic sediments of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and surface samples of the Arctic Ocean and the Siberian shelf regions were investigated by means of x-ray diffraction of the bulk fraction. The source regions of distinct mineral compositions were to be deciphered. Regarding the complex circumpolar geology stable christalline shield rocks, active and ancient fold belts including magmatic and metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks and wide periglacial lowlands with permafrost provide a complete range of possible mineral combinations. Non- glaciated shelf regions mix the local input from a possible point source of a particular mineral combination with the whole shelf material and function as a sampler of the entire region draining to the shelf. To take this into account, a literature research was performed. Descriptions of outcropping lithologies and Arctic Ocean sediments were scanned for their mineral association. The analyses of glazigenic and shelf sediments yielded a close relationship between their mineral composition and the adjacent source region. The most striking difference between the circumpolar source regions is the extensive outcrop of carbonate rocks in the vicinity of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and in N Greenland while siliciclastic sediments dominate the Siberian shelves. In the Siberian shelf region the eastern Kara Sea and the western Laptev Sea form a destinct region defined by high smectite, (clino-) pyroxene and plagioclase input. The source of this signal are the extensive outcrops of the Siberian trap basalt in the Putorana Plateau which is drained by the tributaries of the Yenissei and Khatanga. The eastern Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea can also be treated as one source region containing a feldspar, quartz, illite, mica, and chlorite asscciation combined with the trace minerals hornblende and epidote. Franz Josef Land provides a mineral composition rich in quartz and kaolinite. The diverse rock suite of the Svalbard archipelago distributes specific mineral compositions of highly metamorphic christalline rocks, dolomite-rich carbonate rocks and sedimentary rocks with a higher diagenetic potential manifested in stable newly built diagenetic minerals and high organic maturity. To reconstruct the last 30,000 years as an example of the transition between glacial and interglacial conditions a profile of sediment cores, recovered during the RV Polarstern" expedition ARK-VIIIl3 (ARCTIC '91), and additional sediment cores around Svalbard were investigated. Besides the mineralogy of different grain size fractions several additional sedimentological and organo-geochemical Parameterswere used. A detailed stratigraphic framework was achieved. By exploiting this data set changes in the mineral composition of the Eurasian Basin sediments can be related to climatic changes. Certain mineral compositions can even be associated with particular transport processes, e.g. the smectitel pyroxene association with sea ice transport from the eastern Kara Sea and the western Laptev Sea. Hence, it is possible to decipher the complex interplay between the influx of warm Atlantic waters into the Southwest of the Eurasian Basin, the waxing and waning of the Svalbard1Barents- Sea- and Kara-Sea-Ice-Sheets, the flooding of the Siberian shelf regions and the surface and deep water circulation. Until now the Arctic Ocean was assumed to be a rather stable System during the last 30,000 years which only switched from a completely ice covered situation during the glacial to seasonally Open waters during the interglacial. But this work using mineral assemblages of sediment cores in the vicinity of Svalbard revealed fast changes in the inflow of warm Atlantic water with the Westspitsbergen Current (< 1000 years), short periods of advances and retreats of the marine based Eurasian ice sheets (1000-3000 years), and short melting phases (400 years?). Deglaciation of the marine-based Eurasian and the land-based north American and Greenland ice sheets are not simultaneous. This thesis postulates that the Kara Sea Ice Sheet released an early meltwater signal prior to 15,000 14C years leading the Barents Sea Ice Sheet while the western land-based ice sheets are following later than 13,500 14C years. The northern Eurasian Basin records the shift between iceberg and sea-ice material derived from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and N-Greenland and material transported by sea-ice and surface currents from the Siberian shelf region. The phasing of the deglaciation becomes very obvious using the dolomite and quartd phyllosilicate record. It is also supposed that the flooding of the Laptev Sea during the Holocene is manifested in a stepwise increase of sediment input at the Lomonosov Ridge between the Eurasian and Amerasian Basin. Depending on the strength of meltwater pulses from the adjacent ice sheets the Transpolar Drift can probably be relocated. These movements are traceable by the distribution of indicator minerals. Based on the outcome of this work the feasibility of bulk mineral determination can be qualified as excellent tool for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the Arctic Ocean. The easy preparation and objective determination of bulk mineralogy provided by the QUAX software bears the potential to use this analyses as basic measuring method preceding more time consuming and highly specialised mineralogical investigations (e.g. clay mineralogy, heavy mineral determination).

Clay minerals in the Norwegian Sea and Fram Strait, investigation from sediment traps and cores

The grain size distribution and clay mineral composition of lithogenic particles of ice-rafted material, sinking matter, surface sediments, as well as from deep-sea cores are analysed. The samples were collected in the Fram Strait, the Arctic Ocean, and the Norwegian Sea during several expeditions with the research vessels "Polarstern", "Meteor" and "Poseidon", and Norwegian rearch vessels. Sinking matter was caught with sediment traps, fitted with timer-controlled sample changers, which had been deployde in the sea for usually one year.

Sedimentology of cores from the shelf of Lazarev Sea, East Antarctica

Distinct facies types, classified in radiocarbon-dated sediments from the shelf of the Lazarev Sea, East Antarctica, reveal a detailed history of processes that have controlled sedimentation during the deglaciation over the last 10,000 yr. The ice retreat on this part of the Antarctic shelf started 9500 yr BP, marked by the deposition of laminated sediments, deposited from a floating ice shelf. These laminites, which occur on top of diamictons laid down from a grounded ice sheet, are the basal sediments of the postglacial sequence. The intensity of the Antarctic Coastal Current (ACC), directed by shelf morphology, controlled sedimentation of the postglacial facies. A residual glaciomarine sediment with the fine fraction winnowed by strong currents developed from 9000-8000 yr BP in the western part of the investigation area and from 9000-5000 yr BP in the eastern part, closer to the prominent 'Fenno Deep' trough. Current velocities apparently decreased between 8000 and 2000 yr BP due to a deflection of the ACC by advancing ice tongues to the east of the investigation area during the 'Hypsithermal'. This led to a deposition of fine-grained sediments, and clay mineralogy suggests a continental source, possibly near the grounding line of the Nivl Ice Shelf, rather than a winnowing of sediments near the shelf break or advection from deeper water. Current velocities intensified after 2000 yr BP, removed fine material from these sediments and led to a relict sediment, consisting of coarse bryozoan and molluscan debris.

Alton Towers Triptych

1 ft. 2 1/4 in.x 1 ft. 5 19/32 in.x 4 41/64 in.; copper gilt with champlevé enamel, bordered by strips of copper gilt, set with six semi-precious stones and partly decorated with vernis brun (brown varnish) on wood

Die Fragmente der epischen Poesie der Griechen.

[v. 1] Die Fragmente der epischen Poesie der Griechen bis zur Zeit Alexander's des Grossen. 1840.--[v. 2] Die Fragmente der epischen Poesie der Griechen von Alexander dem Grossen bis zum ende des fünften Jahrhunderts nach Christus. 1842.--[v. 3] Nachtrag zu den Fragmenten der epischen Poesie der Griechen bis zur Zeit Alexander's des Grossen. 1841.

Siebenbürgisches Archiv.

Publication suspended 1945-1961.