Paleogeochemical deposits in northern Chile are a rich source of naturally occurring sodium nitrate (Chile saltpeter). These ores are mined to isolate NaNO3 (16-0-0) for use as fertilizer. Coincidentally, these very same deposits are a natural source of perchlorate anion (ClO4-). At sufficiently high concentrations, perchlorate interferes with iodide uptake in the thyroid gland and has been use...

Our goal is to measure carbon balance of our southern California desert ecosystems, with a particular focus on teasing apart weathering of inorganic C and mineralization of organic C, versus sequestration by native desert communities in the face of soil and vegetation disturbances to place solar electricitygenerating projects. We will: 1) develop techniques to assess caliche layering and amount...

Historical releases and subsequent migration of toxic metals and radionuclides within the soil and vadose zone at various sites over the DOE Complex pose serious technological challenges, including the design and implementation of cost-effective remediation and/or monitoring strategies. This requires knowledge of the fundamental processes that govern contaminant mobility and reactivity with the...

Tarapacá, en la medida que industria del salitre comenzaba a tener éxito el mercado internacional de los fertilizantes fines década 1860, comenzó transformarse lentamente un territorio interés extrarregional. Las demandas tarapaqueñas por alcanzar categoría Provincia Litoral y se construyera ferrocarril uniera sus principales puertos (Pisagua e Iquique) con pampa salitrera, comenzaban ser escuc...

Natural chlorate (ClO3?) is widely distributed in terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. To improve understanding of the origins distribution ClO3?, we developed tested methods to determine multi-dimensional isotopic compositions (?18O, ?17O, ?37Cl, 36Cl/Cl) ClO3? then applied samples natural nitrate-rich caliche-type salt deposits Atacama Desert, Chile, Death Valley, USA. Tests with re...

The Santa Vitória Formation is a lithostratigraphic unit known for its fossil assemblage of Pleistocene mammals, established in 1973 from sediments exposed along the banks Chuí Creek, southern coastal plain state Rio Grande do Sul (CPRS), Brazil. original description was presented Masters’ dissertation and never formally described peer-reviewed publication. Moreover, surveys collecting efforts ...

Stromatolites, laminated columnar and branched structures of limestone and dolomite, are the only macroscopic evidence of life for the first few billion years of earth history. These organo-sedimentary structures are a prominent constituent of Precambrian carbonate successions and occur sporadically throughout the Phanerozoic. They are hosts for metallic ores and serve as reservoir rocks for hy...

Ground-penetrating radar was used successfully to discover and map buried archaeological sites containing pit-structures in the American Southwest. Sites tested contained different archaeological features, geological matrix, and varying deptlis of burial. These varying site conditions necessitated the application of different acquisition, data processing and interpretation techniques. With pit-...

As part of the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, Sri harbors a rich and diverse fauna with considerable number endemic species, especially in wet southwestern island. Understanding origin this requires consideration land bridge history between island southern Peninsular India. To examine influence fluctuating sea levels climate on connectivity isolation during Miocene, we describe l...