HORIZONS IN EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH VOLUME 4 -- HORIZONS IN EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH VOLUME 4 -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- PLANETARY CONDITIONS AT THE HADEAN AND ARCHEAN TRANSITION: POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR THE ORIGIN OF LIFE -- ABSTRACT -- I. INTRODUCTION -- II. HADEAN EARTH -- II.1. Temporal Limits -- II.2. Magma Ocean -- II.3. Late Heavy Bombardment -- II.4. Redox State of the Primitive Mantle -- II.5. Primitive Lithosphere -- II.6. Plate Tectonics and Mineral Evolution -- III. GEOPHYSICAL ASPECTS OF EARTH'S PRIMITIVE OUTER LAYERS -- III.1. Introduction -- III.2. The Young Faint Sun Paradox -- III.3. The Earth's Early magnetosphere -- III.4 Cosmic Rays and the Early Earth -- III.5. Hydrosphere -- III.6. Atmosphere -- IV. THE CHEMICAL APPROACH TO THE ORIGIN OF LIFE -- IV.1. The Heterotrophic Hypothesis -- IV.2. Autotrophic Hypothesis -- IV.3. Energy and Matter on Early Earth -- IV.3.1. Energy Sources of Early Earth -- UV Radiation -- Thermal Energy -- Hydrothermal Vents -- Electric Discharges -- Shock Energy -- Radiation and Radioactivity -- IV.3.2. Organic Matter Sources -- Internal Sources -- External Sources -- Comets -- Meteorites -- IDPs -- IV.4. Stability of Organic Compounds in the Primitive Earth -- IV.5. Chemical Components in Contemporary Life -- IV.6. Prebiotic Chemistry -- IV.6.1. The Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis -- IV.6.2. Simulated Experiments -- Synthesis of Monomers -- Abiotic Synthesis of Amino Acids -- Mildly Reducing and Non-Reducing Atmospheres -- Abiotic Synthesis of Carbohydrates -- The Nucleic Acids and Their Constituents -- Nucleosides and Nucleotides -- Polymerization Reactions -- Template Polymerization -- IV.6.3. RNA World -- IV.6.4. Thioester World -- IV.6.5. Pre-Rna World -- IV.6.6. Clay Theory -- IV.6.7. Thermal Vents -- IV.7. The Optical Activity Problem -- IV.8. Remarks -- V. PRE-CELLULAR SYSTEMS AND FIRST ORGANISMS.

V.1. Earliest Fossils and Paleontology -- VI. DISCUSSION -- Reflections about the Importance of Different Energy Sources -- When and Where Life Originated on Earth? -- ACNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- SHIELD VOLCANOES OF SIBERIAN FLOOD BASALTS: DYNAMICS OF LAVA SHEETS FORMATION -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. GEOLOGIC-TECTONIC AERIALS OF PERMIAN-TRIASSIC SP TRAPS -- 2. CYCLICITY OF EFFUSIVE PROCESSES DURING THE FORMATION OF TUFF-LAVA SP TRAPS -- 3. METHODOLOGY OF THE DIGITAL ANALYSIS FOR CYCLICITY OF EFFUSIVE PROCESSES IN TIME SERIES OF VOLCANIC EVENTS -- 4. INITIAL DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS OF PETROGENIC ELEMENTS IN SP LAVA PROFILES -- 5. PETROCHEMICAL PERIODICITY OF LAVA PROFILES FORMATION FOR THE MULDES OF THE NORILSK REGION -- 6. HYDRODYNAMIC CONDITIONS OF FEEDING OF FISSURE VOLCANOES FOR PERMIAN-TRIASSIC SP TRAPS DURING THE FORMATION OF ANOMALOUSLY THICK LAVA SHEETS -- 7. MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE FORMATION OF ANOMALOUSLY THICK TS LAVA COVERS -- 8. KINETICS OF VITRIFICATION OF BASIC MELTS DURING COOLING OF LAVA FLOWS, THIN DYKES AND SILLS -- DISCUSSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- P CYCLING AND BIOGEOCHEMISTRY IN WELL DRAINED AND FLOODED VENEZUELAN SAVANNAS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- P CYCLING AND BIOGEOCHEMISTRY IN WELL DRAINED SAVANNAS -- General Remarks -- Study site -- Soils and vegetation -- Main P inputs -- Main P outputs -- Losses by Fires -- Losses by Leaching -- Phosphorus in the Plant-Soil System -- Soil P Forms -- Plant Production -- P uptake and storage in vegetation -- P Released by Decomposition Processes -- P Microbial Forms -- Soil Fauna -- Phosphorus Budget -- P CYCLING AND BIOGEOCHEMISTRY IN FLOODED SAVANNAS -- General Remarks -- Study site -- Soils and vegetation -- Main P inputs -- Main outputs -- Soluble P forms -- Particulate P forms -- Losses through wading birds -- PHOSPHORUS IN THE PLANT-SOIL SYSTEM.

Forms of Soil P in Flooded Savanna -- Primary Production in Flooded Savannas -- P uptake and storage in the vegetation -- Decomposition and P release -- P microbial forms -- P recirculation by earthworms and termites -- Phosphorus budget in flooded savannas -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- STRATEGY FOR LAVA FLOW DISASTER MITIGATION: IMPLICATIONS OF NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- LAVA FLOW SIMULATON PROGRAM: LAVASIM -- CASE STUDY: LAVA FLOW AT SAKURAJIMA VOLCANO, JAPAN -- History of Sakurajima Volcano Lava Flow -- Normal Simulation -- First Trial: Artificial Barrier -- Second Trial: Water-Cooling Pool -- Third Trial: Guiding Duct in the Upstream -- Fourth Trial: Long Barriers Guiding Toward the Seashore -- DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- KRYOSPHERE - HYDROSPHERE RELATIONSHIP -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. SPATIAL UNIFORMITARIANISM -- 3. DEFINITIONS -- 3.1. Hydrosphere -- 3.2. Kryosphere -- 3.3. Water -- 3.4. Ice -- 3.5. Permafrost -- 4. THE DISCUSSION OF TERMS AND THEIR SCOPE -- 4.1. Hydrosphere -- 4.2. Kryosphere -- 4.3. Water -- 4.4. Ice -- 4.5. Permafrost -- 5. CHARACTERISTIC OF THE KRYOSPHERE COMPONENTS -- 5.1. The Occurrence of Ice on the Earth -- 5.1.1. Ice Sheets and Ice Caps -- 5.1.2. Mountain Glaciers -- 5.1.3. Sea Ice -- 5.1.4. Snow -- 5.2. Permafrost Occurrence on the Earth -- 6. TWO KEY PROCESSES -- 6.1. Movement in the Hydrosphere and Kryosphere - Or What Can Flow? -- 6.2. Solidification -- 7. THE PHENOMENON OF ANTARCTICA -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- SAVANAGUA: A SPATIALLY EXPLICIT COMPETITION MODELING OF SAVANNA ECOSYSTEMS -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. THE SAVANAGUA MODEL -- 3. FIELD METHODS -- 4. MATHEMATICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANTS -- 4.1. Matrix Equation -- 4.2. Calculating The Transition Matrix -- 4.3. Maximum Transpiration Per Plant.

4.4. Mathematical Convolution for the Roots -- 5. SOIL HUMIDITY -- 5.1. Rain Generator -- 5.2. General Equation for Soil Humidity -- 5.3. Infiltration Rate -- 5.4. Loss of Soil Water -- 6. SHOOT DYNAMICS -- 7. RESULTS -- 8. DISCUSSION -- SUMMARY OF MODEL PARAMETERS -- APPENDIX 1. CALCULATION OF THE TRANSITION MATRIX FOR PLANTS WITH BRANCHES -- APPENDIX 2. MATHEMATICAL CALCULATION OF CONVOLUTION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- THE HIDDEN VALUE OF WATER FLOWS: THE CHEMICAL EXERGY OF RIVERS -- ABSTRACT -- NOMENCLATURE -- SUBSCRIPTS -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. THERMOECONOMIC BASIS -- 2.1. Water Plant Approach -- 2.1.1. Potential Exergy Device or Conventional Dam -- 2.1.2. Chemical Exergy Device (CED) -- 2.1.3. Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) -- 2.2. Whole River Approach -- 2.2.1. Pro-Energy River Approach -- 2.2.2. Anti-Energy River Approach -- 3. METHODOLOGY -- 3.1. Exergy Value of a Water Flow -- 3.1.1. Potential Exergy Component -- 3.1.2. Chemical Exergy Component -- 4. CASE STUDY -- 4.1. Results. Exergy Value of La Muga River -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- THE CHEMISTRY OF PRECIPITATION AND GROUNDWATER IN A COASTAL PINUS PINEA FOREST (CASTEL FUSANO AREA, CENTRAL ITALY) AND ITS RELATION TO STAND AND CANOPY STRUCTURE -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- STUDY AREA -- Castel Fusano Forest -- Climate -- Hydrogeological Setting -- MATERIALS AND METHODS -- Field Sampling -- Laboratory Analysis -- RESULTS -- Chloride and Sodium Contents of Throughfall and Stemflow -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- THERMAL ENHANCEMENT OF RADON EMISSION FROM GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS. IMPLICATIONS FOR LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS ON ROCKSUNDER INCREASING DEFORMATION -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- MATERIALS -- EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE -- RESULTS -- The Effect Of Exhalation Temperature On 222Rn And 220Rn Emission.

The Effect of Ambient Temperature on Detection Efficiency -- THE USE OF THERMAL ENHANCEMENT FOR UNRAVELLING RADON EMISSION FROM ROCKS UNDER INCREASING DEFORMATION -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- OXYGEN GENESIS IN THE EARLY EARTH ATMOSPHERE -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. ABIOGENIC ORIGIN OF OXYGEN -- 2.1. Desilicification and Formation of BIF -- 2.2. Reduction of Magnetite (Fe3O4): -- 2.3. Reduction of Hematite (Fe2O3) if Present: -- 2.4. Generation of Oxygen by Atmospheric Means: -- 3. FORMATION OF STROMATOLITES WITHOUT PHOTOSYNTHESIS INVOLVEMENT -- 4. DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- ADDENDUM FOR CLARIFICATION -- WILL EUROPEAN SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS ON BIOENERGY BE EFFECTIVE TO PROTECT SAVANNAS? -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA OF THE RED AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS TO PROTECT SAVANNAS -- Land of High Biodiversity Value -- Will Requirements Regarding Land of High Biodiversity Value Protect Savannas? -- Land of High Carbon Stock -- Will Requirements Regarding Land of High Carbon Stock Protect Savannas? -- Greenhouse Gas Savings -- Will Required GHG Savings Protect Savannas? -- SUMMARY -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.