Subject: Where Can I Obtain Core Boxes??
From: "Keith littlejo@comm.net"
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 15:50:32 -0600 (CST)
x-no-archive: yes
Subject: Where Can I Obtain Core Boxes??
Distribution: world
Newsgroups: sci.geo.petroleum@dispatch.demon.co.uk
sci.geo.geology@dispatch.demon.co.uk
Recently, I have gotten involved in a project that
will involve the continuous coring of 4 to 5 holes,
each being 100 to 150 feet deep, (from the surface).
The material to be cored are unconsolidated to
slightly over-consolidated sands, clayey sands,
silty clays, etc. (The work will be north of New
Orleans, Louisiana on the Prairie Terrace.)
Normally, I have been just involved in "shallow,"
20 to 30 ft-deep holes. In these holes, the cores were
described and tested in the field and dumped while
the hole was plugged with bentonite. Thus, I am
unaware where buy appropiate core boxes.
Where might I buy fiberboard core boxes for 3 and
3/8 inch cores. I am looking for boxes tops, inserts,
that take 10 feet of core per box. What I need
are the names and addresses of the companies that
sell such boxes.
Are these appropriate boxes for continuous cores of
surficial sediments? Neither hazardous chemicals,
pore fluids, nor other materials are involved.
This involves just "plain old fashion dirt".
IMPORTANT NOTE
Please, send any e-mail replies to "littlejo@comm.net."
The automatic reply on newsreaders, Netscape,
and Explorer will send the reply to a incorrect address
because I am posting to newsgroups by e-mail.
Yours,
Keith Littleton
littlejo@comm.net
New Orleans, LA
Subject: Postdoctoral position
From: roberts17@llnl.gov (Jeffery Roberts)
Date: Tue, 05 Nov 1996 00:55:14 GMT
Below is the posting for a post-doctoral position in experimental
geophysics at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. General
information regarding the Laboratory and the application process is
listed at the end of this message. Formal applications are necessary
and will be examined starting November 25.
It may be possible to meet informally with potential candidates at the
Fall AGU meeting in San Francisco, and we would also like to see the
presentations of interested people. Individuals wishing to discuss
this position should contact me, Jeff Roberts, by sending email to the
following addresses:
roberts17@llnl.gov AND jroberts@tdl.com
As I will be away from the lab much of the time preceding the meeting,
email will be the best method of communication.
Jeff Roberts, Ph.D.
Experimental Geophysics
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POST DOCTORAL RESEARCH STAFF MEMBER (220.0) - EV-3850 - Environmental
Programs/Geophysics and Global Security - 9743 -
Posting Date - October 25, 1996
Salary Open
NOTE: This is a one year appointment with the possibility of
extension to a maximum of three years.
NATURE AND SCOPE OF POSITION:
An opening exists for a post-doctoral Geophysicist to participate in
studying the electrical properties of saturated and unsaturated rocks
and soils containing clay and contaminants and the hydrological
properties of rocks at high confining pressures and high temperatures,
in the laboratory and in the field. This research is supported by
environmental research/management programs and by high level nuclear
waste management programs. Will interact in a team environment.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Planning and execution of laboratory experiments to measure the
electrical properties of rocks and soil as functions of saturation,
clay and contaminant content, and temperature. Analysis and modeling
of data. Participate in development of joint inversion of electrical
and seismic data from field measurements.
Planning and execution of experiments to measure hydrological
properties of rocks at high pressure and high temperatures in the
laboratory. The laboratory studies include determination of moisture
retention curves, 1-D imbibition and dehydration, and fracture flow
versus matrix imbibition.
Participation in field experiments of coupled
thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical processes. The field
experiments include imaging of moisture content and movement within a
heated rock mass using electrical resistance tomography, neutron
logging, and measurement of rock and fracture mechanical properties.
Preparation of data for publication and present results at conferences
and meetings.
MARGINAL DUTIES:
Study physical, mechanical, and other transport properties of
geological materials.
Contribute expertise in hydrology, geophysics, and environmental
science to other programs as required.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:
Recent Ph.D. in experimental hydrology, geophysics, or related field.
Experience in the measurement of frequency-dependent electrical
properties and other physical properties of rocks and soils .
Experience with high-pressure, high-temperature experimental
techniques.
Demonstrated effective communication skills.
DESIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge in automated data acquisition using Labview is desirable.
Ability to work in a variety of computing environments, including
UNIX, DOS, and Macintosh operating systems.
SECURITY: Anticipated clearance level "L"
As an equal opportunity employer, LLNL encourages all persons to apply
for positions throughout the organization.
EMPLOYMENT REP: Quincy McClain (Approved Q. McClain 10/22/96)
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
P.O. Box 5510
L-725
Livermore, CA 94551 USA
HOW TO APPLY
The Laboratory uses an optical scanning system to review your
resumes against any openings. All resumes and Employee Resume forms
received are reviewed. During the review, applicants may also be
considered for other employment opportunities. Those that closely
match the qualifications are referred for consideration to the hiring
organization. The hiring organization interviews the applicants with
the most suitable qualifications and makes a final selection. The
employment process is thorough and lengthy. Due to the large volume we
receive, it is not possible to interview all interested applicants.
To apply for a position submit a personal resume with a one page
cover letter to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. All resumes
should be originals or a good reproduction typed on plain white paper
with no underlining graphics or shading. After we receive your
resume, you will receive a postcard acknowledgment. You will be
considered for any openings for which you meet the requirements.
Resumes will remain and circulate within the system for one year.
Please do not resubmit your resume during that period, unless you are
updating pertinent information. Please submit your resume by mail to
Recruiting & Employment Division, P.O. Box 5510, L-725, Livermore, CA
94551. Please do not send your resume directly to, or otherwise
contact the hiring department.
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY
Except in unusual circumstances, U.S. citizenship is required for
employment at LLNL in positions requiring Department of Energy
security clearances. Under Federal Law, Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory may employ individuals who are legally able to work in the
U.S. as established by providing documents specified in the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
The Laboratory will provide, upon the applicant's request,
reasonable accommodations to enable the applicant to participate in
the selection process and/or perform the essential functions of the
job.
OFFICE HOURS
We are open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PST Monday through Friday
at the Satellite Employment Office, Trailer 6526, Greenville Road,
Livermore, CA. Accommodations for persons with disabilities can be
arranged by calling the Employment Receptionist in the Satellite
Employment Office (510) 423-9757. For TDD please call (510) 422-4327.
ABOUT THE LABORATORY
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a world-renowned research
and development center. The mission of the Laboratory is to serve as
a national resource of scientific, technical, and engineering
capability with special focus on global security, global ecology and
bioscience.
We have major initiatives in national security, energy, environment,
economic competitiveness, technology transfer, education,
high-performance computing, education and biotechnology.
The Laboratory's main facility is located in Livermore, California,
approximately 50 miles south east of San Francisco. LLNL employs
approximately 7321 employees and has an annual budget of over $860
million.
Subject: Galileo Makes Close Pass by Callisto
From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Date: 5 Nov 1996 00:54 UT
Douglas Isbell
Headquarters, Washington, DC November 4, 1996
(Phone: 202/358-1753)
Franklin O'Donnell
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
(Phone: 818/354-5011)
RELEASE: 96-226
GALILEO MAKES CLOSE PASS BY CALLISTO
For the first time, NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew
close to Jupiter's moon Callisto this morning (Nov. 4),
passing within 686 miles of the stark, crater-studded natural
satellite at 8:34 a.m. EST.
The flyby was by far the closest any spacecraft has
ever come to Callisto, the outermost of the four big moons
orbiting Jupiter that were first discovered by the
spacecraft's namesake, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilee.
Signals confirming the event were received on Earth 46
minutes later.
Data from this Callisto flyby and another one next
June should help resolve questions about why this seemingly
inactive, pockmarked moon is so different from its vastly
more active siblings -- tectonic Ganymede, volcanic Io and
Europa, which may have an ocean beneath its cracked, icy crust.
Callisto is the outermost and, apparently, least
active of Jupiter's four major Galilean satellites. The
2,400-mile-diameter moon is the second largest of Jupiter's
16 known moons. Its aged appearance is its most distinctive
known feature. It has the oldest, most cratered face of any
body yet observed in the solar system.
"With data from this encounter, we'll know more about
why Callisto is so different from Jupiter's more lively
moons," said Galileo Project Scientist Dr. Torrence V.
Johnson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA.
"Some of the most interesting aspects of the Callisto
flyby are actually the observations we're making of other
bodies, such as Jupiter and Europa. We're coming to within
about 21,100 miles of Europa and about 409,000 miles of
Jupiter. Looking at their dark sides, we should get some
very good data from atmospheric measurements and auroral
searches," he said.
Science instruments on the spacecraft were pre-
programmed to take measurements of Callisto's surface to
determine its composition and history, to look for evidence
of any activity such as tectonism, and to search for hints of
any magnetic field that may be generated by the moon. While
some of the data are sent back to Earth immediately, much of
it, including all the images, are being recorded on the
spacecraft tape recorder for playback to Earth over the next
few weeks.
Like Jupiter's biggest moon, Ganymede, Callisto seems
to have a rocky core surrounded by ice. Unlike the other
large moons of Jupiter, however, the surface of Callisto is
completely covered with scars left by tens of thousands of
meteoric impacts. Although the exact rate of impact crater
formation is not known, scientists estimate that it would
require several billion years to accumulate the number of
craters found there, so Callisto is believed to have been
inactive at least that long.
The Callisto flyby marks the start of a new
telecommunications capability created to maximize the amount
of data that can be received from Galileo. The giant
antennas that listen to NASA's exploratory robots in deep
space have been augmented this week with the inauguration of
a new link between the agency's Deep Space Network
telecommunications stations in California and Australia and
Australia's Parkes radio astronomy antenna.
NASA's intercontinental link-up -- or "arraying" --
of giant antennas was developed to retrieve the maximum
amount of data possible from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, whose
planned high-speed, high-power telecommunications voice was
reduced to a whisper when its main antenna failed to open
four years ago.
For several hours a day, large collecting areas on
these big antennas are being devoted to receiving the
spacecraft's faint transmissions concurrently as Galileo
nears Callisto and returns data from its flyby. The Callisto
encounter occurred with the spacecraft at one of its most
distant points from the Earth, which makes receipt of
Galileo's weak signal even more difficult. The arraying
technique, however, allows more of the spacecraft's signal to
be captured, thereby enabling a higher data rate. The
arraying will be used daily throughout most of the remainder
of the mission.
The debut of routine arraying of the Deep Space
Network antennas represents the final installment of several
imaginative engineering solutions that have enabled the
Galileo Project team to carry out its mission despite the
loss of the spacecraft's main telecommunications antenna.
"With our spacecraft software and ground receiving
station improvements already in place, this new arraying
capability is the icing on the cake," said Galileo Mission
Director Neal Ausman of JPL. "The new array is critical to
getting Galileo's scientific data from the Jupiter orbital
tour back to Earth."
Arraying, together with other improvements in the
space-to-ground communications link, increases by 10 times
the quantity of raw data received from Galileo than would
otherwise be possible. Changes in the way the Galileo
spacecraft edits and compresses data, results in an
additional factor of 10. When taken together, these
improvements enable Galileo to meet 70 percent of its
original science goals.
Software changes on the spacecraft now ensure that
every bit of science and engineering telemetry from the
spacecraft is crammed with as much information as possible.
So while the data amount received from Galileo is
comparatively small, all of it is highly valued.
Galileo's high-gain antenna was to have provided a
134-kilobit-per-second real-time data rate from Jupiter. Had
no improvements been made in the Deep Space Network, only a
10-bit-per-second data rate would have been possible with
Galileo's small low-gain antenna for most of the mission.
These improvements, however, along with the changes made on
the spacecraft, further increase the downlinked data to an
effective rate of 1,000 bits per second.
"As the Earth turns relative to Galileo's position in
the sky, different arrayed antennas will hand-off the receipt
of data from Galileo over a 12-hour period," said Leslie J.
Deutsch of JPL, one of the principal innovators behind the
solution for Galileo's communications problem. The array
electronically links the stadium-size, 230-foot diameter dish
antenna at the Deep Space Network complex in Goldstone, CA,
with an identical antenna located at the Australia site, in
addition to two 112-foot antennas at the Canberra complex.
The California and Australia sites concurrently pick up
communications with Galileo. The Parkes radio telescope
joins in with the Canberra station for six hours each day.
"For two hours each day, a total of up to five
antennas are pointing in unison to receive transmissions from
Galileo," Deutsch said.
The new hardware, software and operations that make
antenna arraying possible for Galileo represents a major
improvement in the world's deep space telecommunications
system for other missions as well, said Paul Westmoreland,
director of telecommunications and mission operations at JPL.
The effort cost $30.5 million.
"The methods used and much of the equipment will be
especially useful for the new era of our faster, better,
cheaper interplanetary missions," Westmoreland said. "This
opens the way for mission developers to reduce future
spacecraft costs by using smaller spacecraft antennas and
transmitters."
In the future, after the Galileo mission, other
antennas may be added to routine arraying for spacecraft
communications and radio science experiments. Among them are
the twenty-seven 82-foot diameter antennas that make up the
Very Large Array of radiotelescopes in Socorro, NM, and the
210-foot radio telescope facility at Usuda, Japan.
The new arraying capability sprang forth as an
emergency measure to mitigate the loss of Galileo's high-gain
antenna, but the effort now represents a permanent change and
improvement in the way deep space telecommunications will be
conducted from now on, said Joseph I. Statman,
telecommunications specialist at JPL, who engineered the
system.
"Galileo gets credit for giving arraying a huge
push," said Statman. "This is the first time we will see
routine arraying of antennas for spacecraft communications
day in, day out. The Deep Space Network is now implementing
arraying at Goldstone, as part of its standard
configuration."
Several 112-foot antennas at Goldstone are to be
outfitted with the equipment needed so they can operate
together as an array, he said. "This represents the wave of
the future because no more 70-meter antennas will be built
for the Deep Space Network; only 34-meter antennas will be
added to the network from now on. When future spacecraft
with small transmitters and antennas require a higher
downlink data rate, we will have a field of antennas with
which we can manage and satisfy our customers' demands for
telecommunications resources."
JPL manages the Galileo project for NASA's Office of
Space Science, Washington, DC.
-end-
Subject: Re: Evidence of Life Found in 2nd Mars Meteorite
From: ladasky@leland.Stanford.EDU (John Ladasky)
Date: 4 Nov 1996 21:11:18 -0800
In article <327C2EDF.1B6F@scn.org>, Phillip Bigelow wrote:
>Graham Shields wrote:
>
>> >EVIDENCE OF LIFE FOUND IN SECOND MARS METEORITE
>> >Written by Ron Baalke
>
>> >scientists in England claimed that they've
>> >found traces of organic material in a second Mars meteorite, EETA 79001.
>> >The same team also reported that they've found organic matter in the ALH 84001
>> >meteorite, the same meteorite that a NASA team reported last August as having
>> >possible microfossils. A critical finding by the British team is that
>> >EETA 79001 contains significant amounts of organic material, up to
>> >1,000 parts per million. This organic material has yet to be identified.
>
>
>> Woah, I think we should hold our horses a little. Traces of organic matter
>> do not mean by a long shot that there was life. There are organic
>> molecules in many meteorites, the aromatic hydrocarbons from the
>> Murchison meteorite were discovered way back in the seventies.
>
>The Murchinson meteorite is a epic story in itself. This meteorite
>is the 2nd most studied meteorite in the scientific literature
>(Allende is of course numero uno).
>The aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons found in Murchison
>are quite numerous...and relatively concentrated.
>Robert Haag ("the meteorite man") reported buying a fragment of
>Murchy from an Australian woman, who had promptly put the
>meteorite in a sealed glass jar only days after the fall...and
>had never taken the cover off again until Haag showed up.
> When Haag opened the jar, he reported that the "ether" smell
>was so strong, it nearly knocked him out (Haag tends to go for
>the dramatic in his writings).
>Esters, alcohols, alkanes, alkenes, polycyclics, water, formaldehyde,
>and, most importantly, AMINO ACIDS were found in Murchy.
>This caused a stir in the pop press, a few of whom claimed that
>"proof of alien life in the universe" had been found.
>None of the researchers involved in studying Murchy had EVER
>claimed anything like that, of course. Ever since the
>Cornell experiment that made making organics in a electrified glass
>container (by Carl Sagan and Dr. P. (1960's)), scientists had known
>that amino acids, although an interesting discovery, were
>pretty-much predicted to be eventually found in space.
> The non-biologic (at least non-earth-type biologic) genesis of
>the Murchy amino acids was confirmed soon after, when the
>molecular structures of some of the acids were found to be
>"mirror images" of the amino acids produced by living organisms
>on earth.
>Apparently, on earth, living organisms synthesize amino acids
>only in one structure type. No mirror image molecules are made.
>But in the Murchinson meteorite, both regular(?) and mirror-image
>molecules occured.
> Which raises this question: Would a good test for the "biogenic"
>nature of amino acids in Mars meteorites (if any amino acids are
>ever discovered there) be the presence of only one structural
>"mirror-type" of the molecules?
Probably not. There are scientists interested in studying DNA
from ancient organisms -- preserved museum specimens, corpses, bones,
or even fossils. It has proven difficult to measure the extent of
DNA degradation that occurs in dead tissue directly. However, it was
recently found that racemization (conversion of one mirror image form
[the formal term is "stereoisomer"] into the oppostie form) of amino
acids begins once an organism dies. This racemization correlates well
with the ability to extract and analyze DNA from the tissue. The rate
of racemization is fairly rapid for tissue that decays here on Earth --
it goes to completion within several thousand years at best. (I think
that this paper appeared in Nature -- email me if you want me to try to
find the reference.)
A meteorite probably would have been exposed to too much abuse
before we would get our hands on it to analyze. Some environments may
be more favorable than others for the preservation of stereospecific
molecules. Space might be excellent, because of the vaccuum. On the
other hand, all the models suggest that meteorites ejected from the
surface of a planet have probably been subjected to considerable heating
during the impact. This is probably not good for stereospecific molec-
ules. Additionally, the meteorites that we find have also been sitting
on the Earth for a unknown (probably long) period of time. Antarctica
may or may not be hospitable to stereospecificity. I doubt that anyone
has checked.
On the other hand, checking for stereospecific molecules would
probably be an excellent test for the presence of life in *freshly-iso-
lated* Martian soil. Let's send a retrieval robot or some astronauts.
And if we bring home the Andromeda Strain, at least we can say that he
human race died in pursuit of a noble cause... :^)
--
Unique ID : Ladasky, John Joseph Jr.
Title : BA Biochemistry, U.C. Berkeley, 1989 (Ph.D. perhaps 1998???)
Location : Stanford University, Dept. of Structural Biology, Fairchild D-105
Keywords : immunology, music, running, Green
Subject: Re: Earthlight
From: Bob
Date: Mon, 04 Nov 1996 22:44:51 -0800
Gerard Fryer wrote:
>
> In article <847052952.11927.0@cisft64.demon.co.uk>, Martin Hogbin writes:
> >Does anyone have any information on the so called earthlights that
> >may be connected with earthquakes?
>
> Earthquake lights are bright luminescences at ground level, as much as
> a quarter-mile across, which may last for as long as two minutes. They
> are seen during an earthquake or immediately before. They are pretty
> obviously some sort of electromagnetic effect, though quite what has
> yet to be explained. The most popular explanation invokes
> piezoelectricity (voltage induced by squeezing rock) or
> triboluminescence (photon discharge on breaking atomic bonds).
>
> Earthquake lights are pretty well documented and have been
> photographed in Japan. Several of the photographs are reproduced in
> "Earthquake lights: a review of observations and present theories," by
> J.S. Derr, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 63, p.
> 2177-2187, 1973. Derr also includes this old haiku:
>
> The Earth speaks softly
> To the mountain
> Which trembles
> And lights the sky
>
> Here in Hawaii the phenomenon is sometimes called "Pele's Dog" (I guess
> because a big earthquake may be a precursor to volcanic eruption and
> Pele is the Volcano Goddess). The last reliable report I heard of
> Pele's Dog was from Honuapo on the Big Island of Hawaii right after the
> magnitude 7.2 Kalapana earthquake of 1975: lights started flickering in
> the sky in an area with no roads or power lines, followed within a few
> seconds by the shaking. Bloke says to his wife "We have to get out of
> here!" They run out the front door of the house as the first wave of
> the tsunami pushes in the back door.
>
> Dunno if you have wintergreen LifeSavers(tm) in the Old Sod, but if
> you can find some, take them into a dark room and smash them with a
> hammer. Triboluminescence. Sure is weird.
>
> --
> Gerard Fryer
> gerard@hawaii.edu http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/~gerard/
>
> Personal views only.
Then what was that brilliant purple flash to the northwest that I and
several friends saw the night before the Landers and Big Bear quakes? I
also cannot explain why, as soon as I saw it,I knew that we would have
an earthquake. Six to eight hours later, voila! BTW, I live in Orange
County, California, to put the above in the proper geographic frame of
reference (both Big Bear and Landers lie in the general direction of the
observed flash).
Bob
I use AOL for mail ONLY; I use Netcom and Netscape for everything else.
Subject: A demonstration earthquake prediction program 11/05/96
From: edgrsprj@ix.netcom.com(EDG Research Projects)
Date: 5 Nov 1996 06:39:21 GMT
A DEMONSTRATION EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION PROGRAM 11/05/96
From: E.D.G., Scientific Consultant, edgrsprj@ix.netcom.com
Web Site: http://www.prairienet.org/~edgrsprj/homepage.html
Posted To: Earthquake And Geology Related Newsgroups
This notice will discuss a demonstration version of a proposed
earthquake prediction program which I recently installed at my
Internet World Wide Web site at address (URL):
http://www.prairienet.org/~edgrsprj/152.htm
All of the information in this notice represents expressions of
personal opinion.
An article in the September 13, 1996 issue of "SCIENCE" magazine
pages 1484 to 1486 discussed an earthquake prediction
(forecasting) program which has been running in the People's
Republic of China for the past 30 years. The program relies on
the collection and evaluation of earthquake precursor data
(earthquake warning signals). When certain warning signs are
observed an earthquake alert is circulated. The "SCIENCE"
magazine article stated that the program has reportedly enabled
earthquake prediction workers in that country to predict a number
of earthquakes and save a tremendous number of lives.
Here in the U.S. it would probably be relatively easy for us to
develop that type of earthquake prediction program by using the
Internet. Private citizens, scientific groups, and government
agencies would collect earthquake precursor information and send
it to the computer running the program by using a Web site data
entry screen, by e-mail, by telephone, with simple, inexpensive
radio transmitters, and even by regular mail. The data would be
evaluated, stored in downloadable files at some Web site and
displayed on expandable, interactive maps at that site. To
determine how reliable the submitted data was likely to be the
program would check to see if it had been submitted by a
registered data supplier or by someone who was not registered.
When unusually large numbers of earthquake precursor observations
were being reported from some location, efforts would be made to
determine if an earthquake might be about to occur there. When
an earthquake did occur researchers would go though the
downloadable earthquake precursor data files and attempt to
determine which precursors, if any, provided us with reliable
warnings about approaching earthquakes.
Such an earthquake prediction program could probably be developed
with a relatively small amount of effort and run for very little
money compared to the amount of devastation that it might enable
us to avoid if it produced just one accurate earthquake
prediction. And the success which the government of the People's
Republic of China has reportedly had with their program suggests
to me that it would likely work.
For almost a year now there has been a proposal (presently due to
be updated) at my Web site which explains how we could create and
run that type of program. The proposal can be found at address:
http://www.prairienet.org/~edgrsprj/108.htm
Recently I installed a demonstration version of that proposed
earthquake prediction program at my Web site (152.htm). It is
based on made-up data and shows how such a program might have
worked if it had been running on January 16, 1994, the day before
a devastating earthquake occurred in Northridge, California, USA.
My demonstration program has an operational data entry screen
(150.htm) and a "Help File" for that screen (151.htm), color maps
which show how earthquake precursor data might be displayed, and
examples of how precursor data could be stored in downloadable
files. Also in the "Help File" are links to Internet Web sites
where earthquake predictions (forecasts) are being made and to
sites where people can post their own earthquake predictions if
they wish.
E.D.G., Scientific Consultant
Subject: Re: Coriolis effect and creeper plants
From: Peter Halls
Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 15:46:05 +0000
I seem to remember that some twine one way - and aothers t'other ...
indeed, back in the '60's there was a popular song in the UK regarding the
offspring of the union between a honeysuckle and a bindweed ... which
could not work out whether "to twine to the left, or to twine to the
right" (and, of course, "went straight up and fell flat on its face"!).
Whilst there will be something genetic in the makeup of the plants,
whether it is a coriolis effect is probably a very different matter!
Peter
{OK, yes, the song *is* Flanders and Swann!]
On Tue, 5 Nov 1996 s1045099@iplabs.ins.gu.edu.au wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> On the weekend, while walking in a local rainforest national park, I noticed
> that all the vines which use trees to climb and reach the canopy were
> ascending in an anticlockwise spiral when looking from the top. I wondered if
> the coriolis effect was being taken advantage of here. Was this due to the
> way that rain water spirals down the trunk of the host tree, or perhaps the
> the vine was utilising the coriolis effect to bring water up from the ground
> in the most efficient way.
>
> Anyone got any info on this?
> Scott
>
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PPPPPH H | Peter Halls - University of York Computing Service -
P P H | GIS Advisor
P P H | Email: P.Halls@YORK.AC.UK
PPPPPJHHHHHH | Telephone: 01904 433806 FAX: 01904 433740
P J H | Smail: Computing Service,
P J H | University of York,
P J H | Heslington.
J | YORK Y01 5DD
J J | England.
JJJ This message has the status of a private & personal communication
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Milankovitch theory ?
From: jnhead@suds.lpl.arizona.edu (James Head)
Date: 5 Nov 1996 22:59:25 GMT
In article Will.Howard@antcrc.utas.edu.au (Will Howard) writes:
>In article <5583j3$fjs@news.ccit.arizona.edu>,
>jnhead@anaxamander.lpl.arizona.edu (James Head) wrote:
>> However, due to Kepler's Laws, the
>> time-averaged distance from the sun does change, by a factor of
>> 1+e if I recall my cel mech correctly. The planet moves slower
>> farther from the sun, spending more time in the cold and less
>> close to the fire.
>True, I should have mentioned that, though that's a very small effect
>compared to, say, the amplitude of the 65N summer insolation variations,
>which are themselves small subtle changes. Big area of active research and
>controversy, to say the least.
Consulting my faulty memory banks, the variation would have been
fairly large (5%). Consulting my (4-year-old) notes, the correct
factor is 1+0.5*e^2, a factor of about 1 per mil (the time-averaged
planet-sun distance is the semi-major axis times one plus half the
eccentricity squared). Tiny, but interesting.
--
James N. Head | IMP Calibration Team
Lunar and Planetary Lab | So many pixels
jnhead@lpl.arizona.edu | So little time
Subject: Re: Milankovitch theory ?
From: Will.Howard@antcrc.utas.edu.au (Will Howard)
Date: Wed, 06 Nov 1996 12:55:33 +1100
In article <55ogsd$lvq@news.ccit.arizona.edu>, jnhead@suds.lpl.arizona.edu
(James Head) wrote:
> In article
Will.Howard@antcrc.utas.edu.au (Will Howard) writes:
> >In article <5583j3$fjs@news.ccit.arizona.edu>,
> >jnhead@anaxamander.lpl.arizona.edu (James Head) wrote:
>
> >> However, due to Kepler's Laws, the
> >> time-averaged distance from the sun does change, by a factor of
> >> 1+e if I recall my cel mech correctly. The planet moves slower
> >> farther from the sun, spending more time in the cold and less
> >> close to the fire.
>
> >True, I should have mentioned that, though that's a very small effect
> >compared to, say, the amplitude of the 65N summer insolation variations,
> >which are themselves small subtle changes. Big area of active research and
> >controversy, to say the least.
>
> Consulting my faulty memory banks, the variation would have been
> fairly large (5%). Consulting my (4-year-old) notes, the correct
> factor is 1+0.5*e^2, a factor of about 1 per mil (the time-averaged
> planet-sun distance is the semi-major axis times one plus half the
> eccentricity squared). Tiny, but interesting.
Actually your expansion of the relationship between energy receipt (over a
full year) by the earth and eccentricity suggests that more energy should
be received at high eccentricity. Following Berger and Loutre (1994):
W_e = S_a/4 = S_a/(4*(1-e^2)^0.5)
where
W_e = energy received over a full year (in energy per unit time per unit area)
S_a = energy received per unit time for a unit perpendicular area at
distance "a" from the sun (the semi-major axis)
e = eccentricity = ((a^2 - b^2)^0.5)/a
where b is the semiminor axis
In Berger and Loutre's example, taking present-day incoming radiation
(S_a) at 1360 w/m^2 and a present-day eccentricity of 0.016:
W_e would increase 3.7 w/m^2 (0.27%) for e = 0.075
W_e would decrease 0.17 w/m^2 (0.01%) for e = 0
Note that 0.075 is somewhat greater than the maximum value for
eccentricity (about 0.06) during the past 1 million years in the Berger
and Loutre (1991) solution. The geological record shows that intervals of
high eccentricity actually are associated with the low-ice-volume,
interglacial stages of the late Quaternary. However, this association in
Milankovitch terms is due to eccentricity's modulation of the precession
effect (the e*sin(omega) term), i.e. the earth-sun distance in boreal
summer.
Thanks for making me think about about this rigorously.
References:
Berger, A., M. Loutre, and C. Tricot, Insolation and earth's orbital
periods, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 10341-10362, 1993.
Berger, A. L., and M. F. Loutre, Insolation values for the climate of the
last 10 million years, Quat. Sci. Rev., 10, 297-317, 1991.
Berger, A., and M. F. Loutre, Long-term variation of the astronomical
seasons, in Topics in Atmospheric and Interstellar Physics and Chemistry,
edited by C. Boutron, pp. 33-61, Les Editions de physique, Le Ulis,
France, 1994.
****************************************************************
email: Will.Howard@antcrc.utas.edu.au
Antarctic CRC / University of Tasmania
GPO Box 252-80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001 AUSTRALIA
****************************************************************
Subject: Today on Galileo - November 5, 1996
From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Date: 5 Nov 1996 23:36 UT
TODAY ON GALILEO
November 5, 1996
After successfully studying Callisto yesterday, Galileo spends much of
today observing Jupiter, at a distance of only 875,000 km (or 12 lengths of
Jupiter's radius). Early in the day, the spacecraft will actually fly
through Jupiter's northern auroral zone. Some lines of Jupiter's magnetic
field cause plasma (hot ionized gases) to be driven into Jupiter's
atmosphere and cause aurora. Galileo will for the first time actually pass
through these lines and the imaging camera, UVS, PPR and Fields and
Particles instruments will take measurements together that can help us
understand why the aurora happen. The imaging camera (visible
wavelengths), NIMS (infrared, to determine atmospheric composition), PPR
(infrared, to determine atmospheric temperature), and UVS (ultraviolet, to
determine chemical makeup) instruments will spend most of the day studying
transition regions between wind belts of different directions. These will
cover a full Jupiter rotation (10 hours) to measure cloud movement and wind
patterns. Amalthea will be imaged this afternoon, Jupiter's largest minor
moon, and third closest to the planet. Amalthea is only 135 kilometers (84
miles) across. The day ends with monitoring of Io's hot spots by NIMS, PPR,
and the imaging camera.
For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter,
see the Galileo home page:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
___ _____ ___
/_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
| | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab |
___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ Pasadena, CA | I am doing basic research, when
/___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| | I don't know what I'm doing.
|_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | Wernher Von Braun
Subject: post-doc, metamorphic petrology
From: sainieid@badlands.NoDak.edu (Bernhardt Sainieidukat)
Date: 5 Nov 1996 21:29:11 GMT
POST-DOC RESEARCH POSITION AT THE INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES, MINING
UNIVERSITY LEOBEN, AUSTRIA
A project entiteled "Granulite-amphibolite facies transitions and ore
deposits in high-T low-P terrains" is being funded by the Austrian
Research Council (FWF). It aims to contribute to the understanding of the
evolution of high-grade terrains and their ore deposits; i.e the polyphase
nature of high-T low-P terrains; the relation between high-grade
metamorphism, tectonics, intrusive and mineralising events; the role of
fluids and magmas in ore deposit genesis. It will include field work in
two areas, in South Africa (Western Namaqualand) and central Australia
(Arunta Inlier), in addition to extensive petrological and isotope
studies. The latter will be done in cooperation with international
laboratories.
A post-doctoral position is available within the above project. The
successful applicant will have a Ph. D. in geology or equivalent
qualification and experience in metamorphic terrains. He/she should be
prepared to work in remote field areas under trying conditions.
The salary (before tax) will be ca. US$ 45000/year from which social
insurance contributions, health insurance and taxes will be deducted.
Travel and field expenses are covered seperately. The cananditate will be
based at the Mining University Leoben, a small (ca. 2500 students) but
highly ranked Austrian university, and work in close cooperation with me.
Appointment will be for two years, with a possible extension to three
years total. The position should be filled by January/February 1997.
Applications comprising (1) a cover letter outlining research interests,
(2) an up-to-date curriculum vitae with a list of publications, (3)
reprints/preprints of recent ones, and (4) the names and addresses of 3
references should be sent to: Dr. Johann G. Raith, Institute of
Geological Sciences, Mining University Leoben, A-8700 Leoben, Austria by
end of November 1996.
For further enquiries please do not hesitate to contact:
Dr. Johann G. Raith
Institut fueŸr Geowissenschaften
Montanuniversitaet
A-8700 Leoben, Austria
phone...43 (0)3842 402 652
Fax ....43 (0)3842 47016
email: raith@unileoben.ac.at