ALBERT

Notizen: For regions of shallow ground water, a shallow well point sampler can provide cost-effective sampling of contaminant plumes. A miniature well point sampler allows rapid sampling of ground water down to a maximum depth of 12 feet below grade. A high ratio of striking force to cross-sectional area of the shaft enables the well point to penetrate soils grading from silt through sand to fine gravel. Three slot sizes have proved satisfactory for the slotted well point. For fine gravel through silty sand, a receiver flask serving as a silt trap with a hand pump can withdraw water samples. For silt or clay, a special shielded point is used to expose a porous screen upon withdrawal of the shaft. The points can be left imbedded in the strata and a vacuum drawn to recover a sample under saturated or unsaturated conditions.Such a sampler has been shown to be effective in tracing plumes from individual on-site septic systems and hazardous waste sites. The text describes a simple procedure for plume analysis and description of the extent of dewatered strata near the point based upon different sample volumes. The probe has been used with conductivity meters and fluorometers for profiling subsurface plumes. A cost comparison is shown between monitoring well installation and the portable well point for varying sample frequency and depth.

Notizen: In the past 30 to 40 years, floodplain areas of large rivers, such as the Missouri River, have been extensively used for large industrial and municipal landfills. Many of these sites are now causing varying degrees of ground water contamination. Rapid geophysical characterization techniques have proven useful for delineation of anomalous areas indicative of potential contaminant plumes. These methods have also resulted in a cost effective approach to the location and number of monitoring wells.An effective technique to initially characterize ground water contamination at such landfills along the Missouri River in northwestern Missouri involved a combination of electrical resistivity and electromagnetic conductivity methods. Resistivity was used to obtain soundings of the alluvium by using a modified Wenner array and to corroborate shallow electromagnetic conductivity measurements by using short Wenner array electrode spacings.Upon confirmation of similar measurements of the upper soils for the two methods, numerous electromagnetic conductivity traverses were made at each landfill site. The data generated from these surveys were graphed and contoured to delineate anomalous areas. Based on the geophysical study, a ground water monitoring well network was then designed for each landfill.As a result, a minimal number of wells were required to initially characterize the ground water quality at these two sites. In general, analysis of water samples from these wells displayed good correlation with the geophysical results.

Notizen: The U.S. Department of Energy is investigating the Palo Duro Basin of West Texas along with locations in Nevada, Washington, Utah, Mississippi and Louisiana as potential sites for storage of high-level nuclear waste. Ten wells have been drilled to depths between 3,000 and 8,300 feet. Short-term testing has included conventional oil-field-type drill stem tests and drill stem equipment with surface pressure readout. Long-term testing has consisted of a series of production and recovery tests.Fluid sampling was performed in two stages. The first was at the well head under an imposed pressure of several hundred psi. The second fluid samples were collected downhole at the production zone under pressures close to ambient pressure. The geochemical data and hydrologic data can be used as independent checks on each other in many cases. Test results from the well along with examination of recovered core provided maximum data from each well.

Notizen: Borehole television has been successfully utilized to gather in situ information on boreholes and wells in several ground water monitoring programs. Borehole television surveys are proposed as a viable alternative to other downhole instruments in the subsurface investigation stages of a ground water monitoring program.The borehole television camera used by the authors was originally developed for use in the examination of nuclear reactor cores; the camera has since been modified for use in borehole investigations. The lens attachments are capable of looking sideward or downward and include built-in lighting assemblies. Use of the camera, lenses and various support equipment are discussed.The in situ characterization of fractures that can provide pathways for contaminant migration poses a significant challenge. Borehole television inspection can provide information on the frequency, size and orientation of these fractures. Vertical correlations of rock cores in areas where voids are present (i.e. deep mining or karst topography) can also be simplified by this technique. In addition, borehole television can also be used to check monitoring well integrity. Casing inspections are especially useful where construction details are not known. Well screens may be inspected in place to determine if rusting has enlarged the screen openings or if screens have been damaged during emplacement or well development operations (i.e. surge block, air jetting, etc.). This information may prove to be very valuable in the decision to decommission a well. Examples of these successful applications in ground water monitoring programs at several Superfund hazardous waste sites are presented.

Notizen: A ground water monitoring program should include an investigation of all possible areas of concern. To be completely effective, the program should include soil sampling, soil analysis and water-quality examination of both the saturated and unsaturated zones. A well-tooled drill rig can take all the proper soil samples, perform all necessary tests and install a functional monitoring well. With the introduction of the fluoropolymer (Teflon(r)) sleeve lysimeter, a single monitoring well can be constructed to monitor both the saturated and unsaturated zones in one installation. The monitoring well screen and casing may also be completely constructed of fluoropolymer.The sleeve lysimeter is designed with a threaded hollow inner diameter, allowing it to be attached between the joints of a casing string. This hollow I.D. acts as an extension of the casing; the lysimeter surrounds the casing. This creates an isolated vessel for sampling the vadose zone. Access to the screened monitoring well below is unaffected. Tests have shown that when properly installed, these porous fluoropolymer filter units can collect samples with no interaction between the filter and collected fluids.

Notizen: More than 40 years of ground water quality monitoring data from the aquifer of the Upper Mad River Valley have been accumulated by various agencies in Ohio. The data consist of concentrations for more than 30 chemical substances found in the ground water. Evaluation of this data using statistical analysis, tables and graphs indicates that there have been moderate increases in total dissolved solids, sulfate, fluoride, calcium, magnesium and potassium. More significant increases were discovered for chloride and sodium. Iron and zinc show a general decline in concentration. The metals arsenic, barium and lead also show increases in recent years. However, large variations in the concentrations and limited data for these metals limit the reliability of the apparent trends shown in the tabulated data.The increases in chloride and sodium are attributed to the use of road de-icing salt. Increases in sulfate and potassium may be due to use of fertilizers in a region which is largely agricultural. The most recent data may indicate that the ground water quality is improving in terms of these two parameters. Although most of the data indicate increases in concentrations with time, inconsistencies in sampling procedures and difficulties in assessing many factors which affect ground water quality preclude the broad conclusion that urbanization and industrialization have caused regional ground water quality degradation.The inability to interpret much of the data underlies the need for an integrated environmental monitoring program. Such a program should provide a data base for assessing factors such as air and river quality and historical land use practices so that their impact on ground water quality in the Mad River Valley can be better understood.

Notizen: The reliability of ground water monitoring information can be assured by careful selection of sample handling and analytical procedures. Sampling mechanism selection has been studied far less than analytical methodologies (Scalf et al. 1981, Nacht 1983). This study has as its primary goal the identification of reliable sampling mechanisms for purgeable organic compounds and gas-sensitive chemical parameters in ground water. Carefully controlled sampling experiments were run to investigate the error contributed to chemical results due to sampling mechanism alone. Fourteen commercial sampling devices in five mechanistic categories were evaluated for their performance in sample collection for solution parameters, dissolved gases and purgeable organic compounds. Systematic errors related to sampling mechanism can reduce the accuracy of monitoring data by factors of two to three times that involved in analytical procedures.

Notizen: Traditional monitoring methods using chemical analysis of ground water samples to detect pollutant migration are being superseded or used in conjunction with innovative approaches. A need to detect pollutants before they reach the water table has drawn interest to vadose (unsaturated) zone monitoring and brought together hydrogeologists, soil scientists and agricultural engineers who have been working on this subject for years.Recent studies have identified over 50 different types of vadose zone monitoring devices and methods that have optimum utility in varying hydrogeologic settings. In general, measurements made in the vadose zone are trying to define storage, transmission of liquid waste in terms of flux and velocity, and pollutant mobility.Criteria for the selection of alternative vadose zone monitoring methods are important for the development of site-specific systems. These criteria include: type of site; applicability to new, active, and abandoned sites; power requirements; depth limitations; multiple use capability; type of data collection system; reliability and life expectancy; degree of operational complexity; direct versus indirect methods; applicability to alternate media; effect on flow regime; and effect of hazardous waste on sampling or measurements. Application of the selection criteria is discussed in Everett et al. (1982a).

Notizen: In recent years we have seen major advances in the variety and quality of ground water sampling instrumentation, in almost every case involving increases in sensitivity of one or more orders of magnitude. Software number-crunching ability brings us the capability of running sophisticated mathematical and statistical programs, while modern analytical chemistry routinely makes determinations of metals, organics and radioactive elements accurate in the parts per billion range.The construction of sample points rarely supports these levels of precision. The well is the basic sampling machine for the ground water industry and its ability to produce a truly representative sample underpins all data and conclusions. Regardless of the type of instrumentation employed, a sample point that cannot be shown to be truly representative and that fails to provide a series of reliable samples over the long term–let us say 25 years minimum–is a negative investment.In the authors’professional sampling work, it has been observed that, wherever it is possible to improve the quality of the ground water sample point, a reduction in the measured level of pollutant elements in the sample is found and the confidence level improves. Volatile organic values are the sole exception to this observed reduction in concentration, the reason being that sample point and method improvements capture the fully representative water sample, thus reducing volatile losses.It is not possible to address all hydrogeologic environments and sampling methods in this review. Instead, features were selected that had been found to be important in commercial, high-precision, water quality sampling in Western U.S. environments. In this area, water movement is slow and little or no exchange of water occurs between wells and the surrounding aquifer without artificial stimulation. Water quality stabilization requires multiple casing volume evacuations in wells ranging to 1,000 feet deep. High-volume pumping or mechanized bailing is an economic requirement. Dedicated installations cannot supply the volume of water required for comprehensive analytical programs.It is the nature of these sources, as well as practical recommendations for corrective action, that will be addressed in this article.Any attempted improvement in utilization of data by mathematical processing or statistical treatment will be inadequate because:〈list xml:id="l1" style="custom"〉• Samplings are infrequent and often accumulate at rates of only two or four sample suites per year. Seasonal variations may obscure evidence of passage of a low-intensity pollution front and some years may elapse before the true situation becomes apparent from statistical analyses. By such time, the problem pollutant may have escaped from the treatment area.• Powerful biases occur due to the failure of the sample point to eliminate false contributions to the sample from sources other than the natural environment or a pollution source, most frequently originating in casing materials and annular seal leakage.

Notizen: At present, there is no direct evidence of rocks predating the late Paleocene opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea on the Jan Mayen Ridge. A review of the available geophysical data, DSDP drilling results and plate tectonic reconstructions convincingly indicates a continental nature of the northern part of the ridge. On the other hand, there is still considerable uncertainty about the southern part of the ridge and its possible continuation towards Iceland. Two reflectors, A and O, have been mapped regionally. A appears to reflect an unconformity of middle Oligocene age. Most investigators have indicated that O forms a late Paleocene rift unconformity associated with the opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. By analogy with the North Sea and the continental margin off Norway we propose that it should be investigated whether this reflector might be older, relating to an earlier Mesozoic regime of tension.

Notizen: Finds of pumice on raised beaches in the inner Isfjorden area are reported. Pumice is abundant in two zones, and four levels can be distinguished in some areas. The highest lying level has the greatest concentration of pumice and is dated to a maximum of 6, 500 years B.P. Tentative correlations with pumice levels from other places in Svalbard indicate approximate ages of 6, 000, 4, 100, and 3, 100 years for the lower levels in inner Isfjorden. A shoreline displacement curve based on the pumice levels and on 10, 000 year old driftwood is presented.

Notizen: Bioherms found in the Lower Permian Tyrrellfjellet Member of Central Spitsbergen contain bindstones produced by the ?hydrozoan taxon Palaeoaplysina. We briefly describe the bioherms’stratigraphical and environmental setting and note their development on hardground surfaces. The association of these structures with bituminous limestones is interesting in view of the petroleum resources of similar buildups in the USSR.

Notizen: Tertiary and Quaternary deposits outcrop in the coastal cliff of Balanusviken at Sarsbukta in Vest-Spitsbergen. The Tertiary deposits appear by their foraminifera to belong to the Middle to Upper Oligocene. The Quaternary deposits consist of an upper part of Late Pleistocene to Holocene age, and a lower part which had previously been considered Middle Weichselian of age. Its foraminiferal assemblages suggest a higher age (Late Saalian, Eemian?). This lower part of the Quaternary deposits is related to a series of raised beaches with an upper limit at SO m above present day sea level. They were probably formed during the Eemian, and have not been distorted by later glaciation. The present study is based on sediment samples collected from the coastal cliff of Balanusviken, and particularly from that of Balanuspynten, Sarsbukta, Spitsbergen, during the summer expedition of Norsk Polarinstitutt in 19Sø.

Notizen: Luminance measurements of water-sky and snow-sky were carried out at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard. The luminance of a well-developed water-sky is found to be about 40% of that of the adjacent snow-sky. Once the‘luminance level’of a comparatively pure snow-sky is reached, there is only a very slight further luminance increase towards zenith. This is in good agreement with FRITZ’theory as well as with the light conditions experienced during‘white-out’situations. By measuring the angular elevation of the border between water-sky and snow-sky and the height of the cloud base, good estimates are obtained of the distance to the corresponding border on the ground between snow surface and open water.

Notizen: Vitrinite reflectance measurements on coals and dispersed organic matter in Tertiary deposits in the Adventdalen area show that there is a continuous rank increase from 'sub-bituminous C (Ro = 0.40) at the top through 950 m to‘high volatile bituminous B’(Ro = 0.70) at the base. Rank of the economically important coal horizon at the base of the Tertiary shows regional variation ranging from 'sub-bituminous B’(Ro = 0.41) to Tiigh volatile bituminous A-B’(Ro = 0.78). It is concluded that 1.0 - 1.5 km of Tertiary deposits were eroded during the postorogene uplift of Svalbard, and the area of greatest sediment accumulation migrated eastwards during deposition.

Notizen: Two thermal springs were discovered in the Raudfjellet region in Spitsbergen. They had a total discharge of about 0.1 m3/sec and were found in metamorphic carbonate rocks on bare ground under the eastern part of Torellbreen. Water with temperatures between 12.3 and 6.5°C caused thermoerosive phenomena to take place at the end of the eastern Torellbreen snout and formed an ice sheet covering the ground after cooling and freezing.

Notizen: Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous dolerite intrusions have a widespread occurrence throughout the Svalbard archipelago, especially in the Hinlopenstretet area. Petrographic and geochemical studies of ten samples collected near intrusion contacts from the Lomfjorden Sill and Wilhelmeya Island confirm that these dolerites are tholeiitic. Augite in these rocks is colorless to a distinct purplish-brown, which is unusual for this mineral in tholeiitic rocks. In spite of the high Ti02 contents (0.8–2.9 wt. %), which classify it as titania-rich augite to titanaugite, this augite is compositionally more similar to augite from other tholeiitic intrusions than to titanaugite from alkalic basalts. The samples are compositionally uniform (SiOa – 49.7–50.4 wt. %, MgO = 5.1–5.8 wt. %) and are characterized by high contents of Ti02 (3.3–3.6 wt. %) and opaque minerals (6–11 vol. %). The age and tholeiitic nature of these intrusions are consistent with the interpretation that they were associated with the extensional tectonics related to the generation of the Amerasia Basin.

Notizen: Raised beaches, glacial erratics, glacial striae and ice marginal features along the north coast of Spitsbergen have been studied. Two series of raised beaches occur in the area bordering the outer part of Woodfjorden. The lower marine limit has an altitude of approximately 40 m and is close to 11,000 years in age. The upper marine limit is at 80 m above sea level and predates 40,000 years B.P. Emergence between 11,000 and 10,000 years ago took place at a rate exceeding 2 m/century, and approximately one-half of the total emergence took place during this interval.Three main directions of glacier ice movement are recorded, and marginal features from the Late Weichselian maximum glaciation occur on both sides of Liefdefjorden.Sediment cores from six shallow lakes on Reinsdyrflya show extremely slow rates of sedimentation and low organic production. The maximum sediment thickness encountered was 143 cm (Lake F, at 35 m above sea level). No radiocarbon dates have been obtained from these lakes.The Younger Dryas (11,000 to 10,000 years B.P.) seems to be a period of deglaciation. The deglaciation on the northern coast of Spitsbergen predates the final deglaciation in a number of other Arctic regions. Mytilus edulis immigrated to the area about 9400 years ago or earlier, indicating a warm early Holocene climate on the north coast of Spitsbergen.

Notizen: The cold-hardiness, high temperature tolerance and metabolic activity of summer specimens of staphylinid beetles (Atheta graminicola), collembolans (Onichiurus groenlandicus), spiders (Erigone arctica), and prostigmatid mites (Molgus littoralis) from Spitsbergen were investigated. The animals displayed cold-hardiness and haemolymph melting points within the normal ranges for summer insects from temperate regions, but were less tolerant to high temperatures. Haemolymph from spiders and from one species of collembolans (Isotoma sp.) was found to contain thermal hysteresis factors. The beetles, collembolans, and mites were found to have oxygen consumption rates above the values of their relatives in other climatic zones, whereas the spiders had values within the range of temperate arachnoids. The study supports the view that polar arthropods have activation energy values lower than those of temperate animals.

Notizen: By means of high resolution acoustic profiling and correlation of echo character and sediment lithology, fjords in western and northern Spitsbergen are shown to be blanketed by a 5-20 m layer of acoustically transparent sediments consisting mainly of soft homogeneous mud with ice rafted clasts. Acoustically semi-transparent material is found on slopes and sills reflecting their coarser composition. The areal average depositional rate in the outer fjord is in the range of from 0.1 to 1.0 mm/year, increasing towards the glaciers. In Kongsfjorden, 50-100 mm/year of muddy sediments is deposited at a distance of 10 km from the calving Kongsvegen glacier. Close to the ice front (〈0.5 km) coarser grained, interbedded (sand/mud) sediments are deposited. The main sediment sources are from settlement out of the turbid surface sediment plume, combined with various types of gravity flow (sediment creep, minor slides, and slumping). Material deposited from turbidity current is probably of minor importance. On shallow sills the sediments are remobilized by icebergs. The sediment adjacent to the ice front is reworked and compacted during surges, a common form of glacial advance for Spitsbergen glaciers. During the surge considerable amounts of coarse-grained sediment are deposited by meltwater in front of the ice margin.

Notizen: Some unusual karst structures occur in the upper part of the evaporite-dominated sequence of the Gipshuken Formation. This Lower Permian unit is characterized by interbedded anhydrite and dolomites, and is now interpreted in terms of superimposed sabkha cycles. The karst structures are found in the inner Part of Skansdalen in Dickson Land, and have not yet been observed elsewhere in corresponding horizons in Svalbard. These structures, often seen as linked hemispheroids, consist of almost pure anhydrite and are here interpreted as representing the remnants of consolidated sabkhas; the original sabkha plain was flooded and partly dissolved, and abandoned channels between the hemispheroidal structures were then filled with sediments of later sabkha cycle. The younger sediments which fill the relief between and above the structures contain small enterolithic folds which indicate primary formed anhydrite. Anhydrite is still the most common subsurface mineral in these sulphatic deposits, and there is no evidence of gravitational or tectonic movements within these beds.

Notizen: It has been previously suggested that the high-pressure metamorphic rock complex of Motalafjclla, central-western Spitsbergen, is older than Lower Silurian. An unconformity has been discovered at the base of a limestone which contains fossils similar to those reported as Lower Silurian from the same massif. This proves that the high-pressure metamorphics represent an older rock complex. The unconformity surface is inverted in the area, and large recumbent folds involving the Silurian Bulltinden Formation have been mapped. These folds are considered to be pre-Carboniferous.

Notizen: A quantitative study of palynomorphs and palynodebris in a shallow core from the central part of Bjørnøyrenna, western Barents Sea, is presented. The core could be subdivided into a lower part characterized by a complete dominance of reworked plant debris of Mesozoic age and an upper part with considerable input of first cycle algal debris and dinoflagellate cysts. Two hypotheses are suggested to explain this radical change in palynodebris composition. Either it represents a transition from a situation with permanent ice to normal marine conditions, or the absence of first cycle plant debris in the lower part of the core is caused by a masking of this component due to extremely high input of glacially eroded material from the bordering shallow parts of the Barents Sea. The present study shows that palynodebris analysis may contribute important information to the study of composition and depositional environment of Quaternary marine sediments in the area.

Notizen: DiaPhragma and masseter muscles from 376 polar bears (Ursus maritimus), 252 ringed seals (Phoca hispida), 84 bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus), and 77 arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) from Svalbard were examined for Trichinella. Infection rates in polar bears varied between 23 and 58%, and between 3 and 67% in arctic fox- None of tne seals were infected. Trichinella in polar bears is probably transferred through cannibalism and scavenging upon polar bear carcasses. Infection rate in arctic fox was high when they preyed upon polar bear carcasses before polar bear hunting was prohibited in 1973. A low infection rate seems more natural when such prey is not available. No difference could be found in infection rate between male and female polar bears. There is only a slight increase in infection rate with age, as calculated from hide lengths, and many adult animals remain uninfected. Geographical isolation of polar bear populations may explain differences in Trichinella infection rates between bears from arctic America and arctic Europe. Possible explanations are that discrete polar bear populations have different food habits, or that they are exposed to different Trichinella strains.

Notizen: The uranium content of twelve rock reference samples, five from the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology, four from the Czechoslovakian Institute of Mineral Raw Materials and three from the United States Geological Survey was determined by neutron activation followed by delayed-neutron counting. Uranium contents measured ranged from 0.20 to 560 ppm. Three of the Canadian samples have relatively well established uranium contents. Of these we agree well with two of them; our value on the third is ∼13% lower than the recommended value. Comparison of our data on the other samples with other researchers is not yet possible because (i) no determinations are yet reported on several of these samples and (ii) even when several reported values are available, the wide disparity of those values does not allow meaningful comparison.

Notizen: Reviews already published on the state of “standard samples” of silicate rocks and minerals, as well as of some samples of other materials that can be used as reference standards for the general analysis of silicate rocks and minerals, have been updated. Usable values of varying degrees of reliability are suggested for major, minor and trace constituents of nearly one hundred different samples. Presentation of the information has been improved with a view to making it more convenient for readers’use.

Notizen: Chemical analyses for major and minor constituents are reported for two standard manganese nodule samples available from the U.S. Geological Survey. Description is given of the analytical methods used in the analyses, including gravimetric, titrimetric, and instrumental techniques.

Notizen: A demonstration is given that the Gamma Transformation Method (GTM) does not achieve its objective insofar as it gives an estimate of the median and not of the mode (unless they coincide) of a given distribution.Nevertheless, because of the inherent high capability of the method to symmetrize a group of data and of its potential validity and use in other statistical fields, a GTM program which can be used on a programmable pocket or portable calculator is presented.

Notizen: The trace elements Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Dy, Eu, Gd, Hf, La, Nd, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Tb, Th, Tm, U, V, Yb and Zr have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and U by delayed neutron counting in the USGS standard rock samples STM-1, RGM-1, QLO-1, SDC-1, BHVO-1, SCo-1, SGR-1 and MAG-1. The results are compared with those found in the literature.

Notizen: A suldge ash reference sample has been prepared. It has been analyzed by twenty-one independent laboratories. Information is presented on the number of analysts reporting each element, and the various instrumental methods used. Results are reported for twenty-six elemental determinations. Recommended elemental composition of the sample is given for twenty-one elements.

Notizen: Zinc and lead in the six S.A. NIMROC Standards and in DTS-1 and PCC-1 have been determined accurately by means of atomic absorption spectrometry. A selective ion exchange separation procedure, using AG5OW-X8 cation exchange resin and 0.5 M HCl - 60% acetone as eluent, has been employed to separate zinc and lead from the matrix elements. To increase the sensitivity of lead, a slotted stainless steel tube, which is positioned on top of the air-acetylene burner head, has been used during atomic absorption measurements. The accuracy and precision of the described method is demonstrated by the analysis of synthetic mixtures containing various amounts of zinc and lead as well as major rock-forming elements.

Notizen: A method which consists essentially in ranking and then plotting on rectangular coordinates the data of a skewed set of results to the purpose of identifying the modal value of the set, is described. The method is simple, fast (if a plotter is used) and requires no calculations.

Notizen: A method is described for the determination of mercury at nanogram levels in geological materials by flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy after metal vapor generation. Mercury is converted to a soluble form by H2SO4-HNO3 attack in a teflon bomb at 180°C for 90 minutes. Metal Hg vapor is obtained by reaction with combined NaBH4-NaOH using the Perkin-Elmer MHS - 10 hydride system and determined at room temperature. Mercury can be easily determined in most silicate materials. The sensitivity of the method depends essentially on the purity of the reagents and contaminations during handling rather than on instrumental capabilities. A detection limit of about 10 ng/g Hg for 0.5 g samples has been achieved with the use of normal “suprapure” reagents. Mercury contents on some USGS, CRPG and ANRT reference samples are reported.

Notizen: An account is given of the formulation and preparation of synthetic standards suitable for the routine analysis of minerals, ores and ore concentrates by instrumental neutron activation. Fifteen standards were prepared, each containing from one to seven elements. The standards contain forty-four elements that produce isotopes with half-lives longer than 12 hours. An evaluation of the accuracy and precision of the method of preparation is given.

Notizen: Twenty seven geochemical reference samples have been analysed for cadmium using the stable isotope dilution technique. These include four USGS, one NBS, five CRPG, eleven ANRT and six NIMROC samples. Each sample has been analysed at least in duplicate.The four USGS samples have previously been measured in this laboratory by Rosman and De Laeter, but the present results are believed to be more accurate than the earlier data. Our results for the other twenty three samples are much lower than most of the published data. There is also evidence of cadmium inhomogeneities in some of the samples.

Notizen: A survey on the Common Eider Somateria mollissima in wing-feather moult and females with young was carried out in connection with Norsk Polarinstitutt's expedition to Svalbard in July and August 1979. A total of 3450 moulting eider were found on a water area of approximately 2500 km2; 18% of these were flightless. Females dominated in the population with about 82%. Of the breeding population, 109 females with 336 young were found. The average ratio of female to young has been calculated at 1:3.08. This ratio in relation to other studies of eider productivity is discussed briefly.

Notizen: Observations of walrus in the Svalbard area in the period 1954-1982 indicate an increase since 1970 in the numbers summering in this area. The numbers of walrus observed show annual fluctuations. With the exception of 1973, when at least 300 animals were observed on one occasion at Kvitøya, the observations indicate a summering stock of about 100 animals. In 1982, when most walrus habitats in Svalbard were surveyed, observations of 248-274 animals were recorded. These observations were estimated to represent 82–85 individuals.During summer, walrus are most frequently observed at Tusenøyane, in Murchisonfjorden and along adjacent coasts, along the northern coast of Nordaustlandet, at Kvitoya, and at Moffen. Apparently, the walrus re-established the use of Moffen as a summer haul-out site about the beginning of the 1970s.An apparent under-representation of observations of females with dependent calves in Svalbard indicates that the area is mainly used as a summering area by males and that Svalbard is in the process of being repopulated by an extension of a population centred elsewhere. It is suggested that the walrus summering in Svalbard belong to a population with its main distribution in the Frans Josef Land archipelago, but at least some may be derived from a walrus population(s) occurring at Novaja Zemlja and in the Kara Sea.

Notizen: Aeolian deposits are described in terms of their areal distribution, sedimentary and pedological characteristics. These deposits, which have accumulated at the valley margins, result from deflation of fluvian sediments deposited in the valley bottom. Fine horizontal lamination in the upper horizons is tentatively attributed to winnowing of primary depositional units following partial cementation by salt precipitates. This stratification breaks down at depth and is replaced by a gleyed horizon, resulting from drainage impedance by permafrost. Proximal aeolian accumulations on flu-vially inactive areas of the valley bottom may typify many other valleys in Spitsbergen.

Notizen: Occurrence of Salterella rugosa Billings on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, is reported for the first time. The rocks that produced these fossils belong to the upper part of the Kapp Sparre Formation. This unit can be correlated with the Oslobreen Dolomite in Ny Friesland (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) from which the same species has been reported earlier; these fossils have not been illustrated previously. In both areas many specimens are poorly preserved, and it is becoming increasingly evident that the difference between Salterella and Volborthella simply may be the result of loss of the outer shell in the Volborthella.

Notizen: Foraminiferal faunas were analysed from 22 cores (length 30-165 cm), three grab samples and one dredge sample taken from Spitsbergenbanken and the trenches Storfjordrenna and Bjørnøyrenna. The distribution pattern of selected taxa and eight assemblages are discussed in relation to water depth, currents and sedimentation. The assemblages found on Spitsbergenbanken where currents are particularly active, are clearly different from the assemblages occurring in the more quiet environments of the trenches.In the Quaternary evolution of the area three successive stages are distinguished: glacial shelf environment of the Weichselian; semiglacial, or transitional environment of the Late Weichselian and Early Holocene; open, or deglaciated shelf environment of the Holocene. Minor faunal changes in Storfjordrenna are explained by changes in the current pattern.In some assemblages marked postmortem changes have taken place which include solution of calcareous shells, breakage and abrasion by currents, and transport of shells out of the high energy bank area with assumed redeposition in deeper water.

Notizen: Recent karst forms in gypsiferous beds are reported from Mathiesondalen in Central Spitsbergen, where several sinkholes (dolines) and swallow holes have been formed after the deposition of Holocene raised beach sediments. The bedrock of the area is mostly interbedded gypsum/anhydrite and dolomites of the Carboniferous Ebbadalen Formation.

Notizen: Data on the uranium concentration in 25 rock, soil, and fly ash standards obtained by delayed neutron assay are presented.

Notizen: The uranium contents of thirteen rock reference samples from the Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Nancy, France, were determined by delayed-neutron activation analysis. Four others from the same laboratory were found to have uranium concentrations below our limit of detection. Meaningful comparison of our data with other workers is presently not possible (i) because of the paucity of uranium data and (ii) because of the disparity of uranium data on the samples for which uranium data exist.

Notizen: The molybdenum and tungsten contents of 40 geochemical reference samples have been determined by a spectrophotometric procedure. The agreement between the present results and published data is generally good.

Notizen: Sixteen international and six inter-laboratory geochemical reference samples have been analysed for their selenium content. No previous Sedata are available for thirteen of them. Selenium has been separated from silicate matrix by volatilization and was determined with flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. An outline of the procedure is given. The limit of detection is 10 ng Se per 1 g of sample. Time required for one full analysis is 1.2 to 2.5 hours depending on amount of sample to be volatilized.

Notizen: Geostandards are needed to intercalibrate environmental research and routine environmental monitoring programs. Because a principal concern in both types of analyses is the elemental concentrations of discrete phases, values for partial extractions of geostandards are also needed. This and other information are solicited for an intercalibration among laboratories which monitor metals in marine sediments and wastewater sludge.

Notizen: Ayant eu à ré-étalonner sur une base euro-péenne des lots de deux minerais de fer et d'un laitier de haut fourneau préalablement étalonnés uniquement par des laboratoires français, il y a 6 à 10 ans, on a pu montrer que:-les moyennes certifiées n'ont pas évoluées,- que les dispersions de mesure se sont réduites,- que l'absorption atomique permet de doser correctement les très basses teneurs en Ca et Mg dans les minerais de fer riches.

Notizen: An international iron-formation reference sample is warranted as a basis for geochemical investigations of Precambrian iron-formations. A better knowledge of the geochemistry of iron formations will hopefully elucidate the long standing discussion on the genesis of iron-formations. The reference sample can furthermore be used in studies of deep-sea metalliferous deposits.

Notizen: Après avoir décrit la structure du laboratoire d'analyse de l'IRSID à Maizières-lès-Metz, en abordant les éléments dosés par spectrométrie de fluorescence X et l'absorption atomique, les auteurs passent en revue les méthodes chimiques dans le cadre de l'analyse des minerais de fer.Quelques informations sont données sur l'activité au sein de l'ISO/TC 102/SC1 puis le point est fait sur les matériaux de référence certifiés actuellement connus dans le monde.Si le laboratoire comporte comme équipement de base un spectromètre de fluorescence X associéà diverses autres techniques qui devraient peu évoluer dans le futur, il semble qu'à l'avenir une bonne place soit réservée pour les minerais tout comme pour bien d'autres matrices, à la spectrométrie avec torche à plasma inductif.