Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “CHILE”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15

Baseline ozone results from 1923 to 1955

Baseline total atmospheric ozone values from the year 1923 to 1955 are reported which have been derived from observations of the solar constant made by Smithsonian Institution sites in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Ozone was determined from absorption by the broad, weak Chappuis band near 0.6 microns as measured on 1194 days at Mt. Montezuma, Chile and 970 days at Table Mountain, California. Results show systematic changes on the order of 25 percent in the ozone level at Montezuma with a time scale of 10-20 years, although the previously reported 30 percent decrease between 1920-1930 and 1940-1950 is found to have been erroneous. Comparisons of ozone data with geomagnetic indices and sunspot number show a suggestive correlation of ozone with sunspot number, although the relation is not borne out by comparison of ozone and sunspot cycles, or by Fourier analysis. Comparison of ozone data in the Chappuis band obtained by a modern filter-wheel radiometer with that obtained from a Dobson spectrometer at Mauna Loa Observatory shows Chappuis band measurements to be 14 percent lower.

Angione, R. J.↗

Relationships between mineralization and silicic volcanism in the central Andes

Existing models for the genesis of porphyry copper deposits indicate that they formed in granodioritic stocks located in the infrastructure of andesitic stratovolcanoes. It is noted that sites of porphyry-type subvolcanic tin mineralization in the Eastern Cordillera of Bolivia are distinguished by the absence of such andesitic structures. The surface expression of a typical subvolcanic porphyry tin deposit is thought to be an extrusive dome of quartz latite porphyry, sometimes related to a larger caldera structure. Evidence from the El Salvador porphyry copper deposit in the Eocene magmatic belt in Chile indicates that it too may be more closely related to a silicic volcanic structure than to an andesitic stratovolcano. The dome of La Soufriere, Guadeloupe is offered as a modern analog for the surface expression of subvolcanic mineralization processes, with the phreatic eruptions there indicating the formation of hydrothermal breccia bodies in depths. It is pointed out that the occurrence of mineralized porphyries, millions of years after caldera formation, does not necessarily indicate that tin intrusions and mineralization are not genetically related to the subcaldera pluton, but may be a consequence of the long thermal histories (1-10 million years) of the lowermost parts of large plutons.

Francis, P. W.↗

Cometary astrometry with Schmidt cameras

A great many of the professional comet discoveries are made using wide field Schmidt telescopes. In particular the Palomar Schmidt, the ESO Schmidt in Chile and the UK Schmidt at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. The wide field of view and fast f ratio are two of the distinctive features of this design which make it attractive for comet work. The techniques described refer to those in current use on the UK Schmidt. However in large part the methods described may be applied quite widely.

Russell, K. S.↗

Astometry at La Silla

Astronomy of comets and minor planets is done regularly at ESO, La Silla, Chile. Plates are obtained with the 1 m Schmidt telescope and the 40 cm GPO, and CCD frames with the Danish 1.5 m telescope. Reductions are carried out by microdensitometer scanning and image processing at ESO, Garching, FRG. P/Halley will be observed intensively during the interval from perihelion passage on 9 February 1986 until the middle of March 1986. Almost real-time, accurate positions will be made in support of the spacecraft missions.

West, R. M.↗

Evidence for spreading in the lower Kam Group of the Yellowknife greenstone belt: Implications for Archaean basin evolution in the Slave Province

The Yellowknife greenstone belt is the western margin of an Archean turbidite-filled basin bordered on the east by the Cameron River and Beaulieu River volcanic belts (Henderson, 1981; Lambert, 1982). This model implies that rifting was entirely ensialic and did not proceed beyond the graben stage. Volcanism is assumed to have been restricted to the boundary faults, and the basin was floored by a downfaulted granitic basement. On the other hand, the enormous thickness of submarine volcanic rocks and the presence of a spreading complex at the base of the Kam Group suggest that volcanic rocks were much more widespread than indicated by their present distribution. Rather than resembling volcanic sequences in intracratonic graben structures, the Kam Group and its tectonic setting within the Yellowknife greenstone belt have greater affinities to the Rocas Verdes of southern Chile, Mesozoic ophiolites, that were formed in an arc-related marginal basin setting. The similarities of these ophiolites with some Archean volcanic sequences was previously recognized, and served as basis for their marginal-basin model of greenstone belts. The discovery of a multiple and sheeted dike complex in the Kam Group confirms that features typical of Phanerozoic ophiolites are indeed preserved in some greenstone belts and provides further field evidence in support of such a model.

Helmstaedt, H.↗

Earthquake deformation cycle in the Andean Back Arc, western Argentina

It is pointed out that the 1977 Caucete earthquake was an east-west compressive event which occurred at a depth of about 17 km in the Andean back arc approximately 450 km east of the Chile trench. The present study is primarily concerned with the mechanics of fault behavior prior to and after the 1977 earthquake, as evidenced by preseismic and postseismic vertical deformation. Simple fault models for each phase of deformation are presented. The models of preseismic slip, coseismic slip, and postseismic slip consist of uniform dislocations in an elastic half-space following the method of Chinnery (1961). The basically elastic models presented demonstrate that deformations in the vicinity of the 1977 Caucete, Argentina, earthquake are consistent with activity on some portion of the coseismic fault. This is evidence that these deformations are directly related to the processes of strain accumulation and release associated with the event.

Reilinger, R.↗

Simulations of SAR wave spectra using high spectral resolution estimates from the SCR and ROWS instruments

A numerical model for predicting the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of a moving ocean surface is described, and results are presented for two SIR-B data sets collected off the coast of Chile. Wave height spectra measured by the NASA radar ocean wave spectrometer (ROWS) and surface contour radar (SCR) were used as inputs to this model, and results are compared with actual SIR-B image spectra from orbits 91 and 106.

Lyzenga, D.↗

A comparison of SIR-B directional ocean wave spectra with aircraft scanning radar spectra

Directional ocean wave spectra derived from Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) L-band imagery collected off the coast of Southern Chile on 11 and 12 October 1984 were compared with independent spectral estimates from two airborne scanning radars. In sea states with significant wave heights ranging from 3 to 5 meters, the SIR-B-derived sspectra at 18 deg and 25 deg off nadir yielded reasonable estimates of wavelengths, directions, and spectral shapes for all wave systems encountered, including a purely azimuth-traveling system. A SIR-B image intensity variance spectrum containing predominantly range-traveling waves closely resembles an independent aircraft estimate of the slope variance spectrum. The prediction of a U.S. Navy global spectral ocean wave model on 11 October 1984 exhibited no significant bias in dominant wave number but contained a directional bias of about 30 deg with respect to the mean of the aircraft and spacecraft estimates.

Beal, R. C.↗

Global distribution of peroxyacetyl nitrate

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) atmospheric concentration samples were collected hourly from an ocean vessel 50 mi off the continental coast traveling from Seattle to Chile in 1984. Air concentration data for PAN and light hydrocarbons (LHC) were also taken by aircraft in the same period over Wyoming and Colorado and over the eastern Pacific. The PAN concentrations were higher and more variable in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, increased with altitude, and were higher in the winter than in summer. The summer PAN concentrations were higher in the continental troposphere than in the marine troposphere. The results show that photochemical models of the atmosphere which do not account for the reaction between nonmethane hydrocarbons and PAN will probably overestimate the abundances of NO(x) and HNO3. The collection of further PAN concentration data is recommended as a means to characterizing the moderating role of PAN in the photochemistry of the troposphere.

Singh, H. B.↗

Thematic mapper studies of central Andean volcanoes

A series of false color composite images covering the volcanic cordillera was written. Each image is 45 km (1536 x 1536 pixels) and was constructed using bands 7, 4, and 2 of the Thematic Mapper (TM) data. Approximately 100 images were prepared to date. A set of LANDSAT Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images was used in conjunction with the TM hardcopy to compile a computer data base of all volcanic structure in the Central Andean province. Over 500 individual structures were identified. About 75 major volcanoes were identified as active, or potentially active. A pilot study was begun combining Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR) data with TM for a test area in north Chile and Bolivia.

Francis, Peter W.↗

Numerical simulation of synthetic aperture radar image spectra for ocean waves

A numerical model for predicting the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of a moving ocean surface is described, and results are presented for two SIR-B data sets collected off the coast of Chile. Wave height spectra measured by the NASA radar ocean wave spectrometer (ROWS) were used as inputs to this model, and results are compared with actual SIR-B image spectra from orbits 91 and 106. Additional parametric variations are presented to illustrate the effects of nonlinearities in the imaging process.

Lyzenga, D. R.↗

Wave-measurement capabilities of the surface contour radar and the airborne oceanographic lidar

The 36-gigahertz surface contour radar and the airborne oceanographic lidar were used in the SIR-B underflight mission off the coast of Chile in October 1984. The two systems and some of their wave-measurement capabilities are described. The surface contour radar can determine the directional wave spectrum and eliminate the 180-degree ambiguity in wave propagation direction that is inherent in some other techniques such as stereophotography and the radar ocean wave spectrometer. The Airborne Oceanographic Lidar can acquire profile data on the waves and produce a spectrum that is close to the nondirectional ocean-wave spectrum for ground tracks parallel to the wave propagation direction.

Walsh, Edward J.↗

Synergistic use of MOMS-01 and Landsat TM data

Imagery covering the Socompa volcano and debris avalanche deposit in northern Chile was acquired by MOMS-01 when the sun was low in the western sky. Illumination from the west shows many important topographic features to advantage. These are inconspicuous or indistinguishable on Landsat TM images acquired at higher solar elevation. The effective spatial resolution of MOMS-01 is similar to that of the TM and its capacity for spectral discrimination is less. A technique has been developed to combine the multispectral information offered by TM with the topographic detail visible on MOMS-01 imagery recorded at a time of low solar elevation.

Rothery, David A.↗

Was the eclipse comet of 1893 a disconnected coronal transient?

The comet-like feature obsereved in the solar corona by the Lick Observatory eclipse expedition to Chile in 1893 bears an interesting resemblance to the disconnection coronal transient reported by Illing and Hundhausen. Reports of possibly-related limb activity are reviewed to see whether a pre-discovery observation of a relatively rare type of coronal mass ejection was mis-interpreted. The goal of this study is to learn more about the morphology of mass ejections by examining observations that extend down to the low corona of a disconnection event.

Cliver, E. W.↗

The 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment: the Nimbus-7 TOMS Data Atlas

Total ozone data taken by the Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) played a central role in the successful outcome of the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment. The near-real-time TOMS total ozone observations were suppled within hours of real time to the operations center in Punta Arenas, Chile, over a telecommunications network designed specifically for this purpose. The TOMS data preparation and method of transfer over the telecommunications links are reviewed. This atlas includes a complete set of the near-real-time TOMS orbital overpass data over regions around the Palmer Peninsula of Antarctica for the period of August 8 through September 29, 1987. Also provided are daily polar orthographic projections of TOMS total ozone measurements over the Southern Hemisphere from August through November 1987. In addition, a chronology of the salient points of the experiment, along with some latitudinal cross sections and time series at locations of interest of the TOMS total ozone observations are presented. The TOMS total ozone measurements are evaluated along the flight tracks of each of the ER-2 and DC-8 missions during the experiment. The ozone hole is shown here to develop in a monotonic progression throughout late August and September. The minimum total ozone amount was found on 5 October, when its all-time lowest value of 109 DU is recorded. The hole remains well defined, but fills gradually from mid-October through mid-November. The hole's dissolution is observed here to begin in mid-November, when it elongates and begins to rotate. By the end of November, the south pole is no longer located within the ozone hole.

Krueger, Arlin J.↗

Near-real-time TOMS, telecommunications and meteorological support for the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

The goal of the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment was to improve the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the formation of the Antarctic ozone hole. Total ozone data taken by the Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) played a central role in the successful outcome of the experiment. During the experiment, the near-real-time TOMS total ozone observations were supplied within hours of real time to the operations center in Punta Arenas, Chile. The final report summarizes the role which Research and Data Systems (RDS) Corporation played in the support of the experiment. The RDS provided telecommunications to support the science and operations efforts for the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment, and supplied near real-time weather information to ensure flight and crew safety; designed and installed the telecommunications network to link NASA-GSFC, the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO), Palmer Station, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to the operation at Punta Arenas; engineered and installed stations and other stand-alone systems to collect data from designated low-orbiting polar satellites and beacons; provided analyses of Nimbus-7 TOMS data and backup data products to Punta Arenas; and provided synoptic meteorological data analysis and reduction.

Ardanuy, P.↗

Pluton emplacement and magmatic arc construction: A model from the Patagonian batholith

A model of batholithic construction in Andean arcs and its applicability to possibly similar environments in the past is described. Age and compositional data from the Patagonian batholith of southern Chile show a long history of magmatism in any given area (total age range is 15 to 157 Ma), but different regions appear to have different magmatic starting ages. Furthermore, mafic rocks seem to be the oldest components of any given region. An assembly line model involving semicontinuous magmatism and uplift was outlined, which has implications for other terranes: uplift rates will be proportional to observed ranges in age, and total uplift will be proportional to the age of the oldest pluton in any given area. It is suggested that misleading results would be obtained if only small areas of similar terranes in the Archean were available for study.

Bruce, Robert↗

Volcano monitoring using short wavelength infrared data from satellites

It is shown that Landsat TM and MSS data provide useful and sometimes unique information on magmatic and fumarolic events at poorly monitored active volcanoes. The digital number data recorded in each spectral band by TM and MSS can be converted into spectral radiance, measured in W/sq m per micron per sr, using calibration data such as those provided by Markham and Barker (1986) and can provide temperature information on the lava fountain, lava lakes, pahoehoe flows, blocky lava, pyroclastic flow, and fumarole. The examples of Landsat data documenting otherwise unobserved precursors and/or activity include the September 1986 eruption of Lascar volcano, Chile; the continued presence of lava lakes at Erta 'Ale, Ethiopia (in the absence of any ground-based observations); and minor eruptions at Mount Erebus, Antarctica.

Rothery, D. A.↗