Gamma-ray bursts as a result of the interaction of a shock from a supernova and a neutron-star companion

A supernova explosion in a close binary system in which one of the components is a compact magnetized object (neutron star or white dwarf) can form a narrow “tail” with length l _t ～10⁹ cm, width h _t ～10⁸ cm, and magnetic field B _t ～10⁶, due to the resulting shock wave flowing around the magnetosphere of the compact object. The energy released by the reconnection of magnetic field lines in this tail can accelerate electrons to relativistic speeds (γ≈10⁴), creating the conditions required for powerful synchrotron radiation at energies from hundreds of keV to several MeV, i.e., for a gamma-ray burst (GRB). The duration of this radiation will depend on the power of the shock that forms during the supernova. If the shock is not sufficiently powerful to tear off the magnetosphere tail from the compact object, the duration of the GRB will not exceed l _t /V _A ≤1 s, and the conditions necessary for an “afterglow” at softer energies will not arise. If the shock is more powerful, the tail can be torn from the magnetosphere, forming a narrow ejection, which is perceived in its relativistic motion toward the observer(Γ～10⁴) as an afterglow whose duration grows from tens of seconds at gamma-ray energies to tens of days in the optical. This may explain why afterglows are observed only in association with long GRBs (T ₉₀>10 s). Very short GRBs (T ₉₀<0.1 s) may be local, i.e., low-power, phenomena occurring in close pairs containing compact, magnetized objects, in which there is again an interaction between the magnetosphere of the compact object and a shock wave, but the shock is initiated by a flare on the companion, which is a red-dwarf cataclysmic variable, rather than by a supernova.     

Mathematical modeling of a jet in the vicinity of a compact object

An MHD model for the formation of a jet in the vicinity of a compact object with a supersonic accretion regime is constructed, assuming that the plasma is perfectly electrically conducting. A stable, collimated jet of plasma along the z axis symmetric about the plane of the accretion disk is obtained. The parameters of the jet are in good agreement-with available observational data on the structure and properties of jets.     

Measuring the waterbalance of a three-layer cover of a domestic waste landfill

A covering system is described that is to be installed at a domestic waste landfill to reduce the generation of leachate.

The covering system consists of three parts: 1.5 m top- and subsoil, 0.5 m barrier layer and 0.3 m gas drainage layer. The waterbalance of the covering system is measured by two large-scale lysimeters (9.5 X 16.5 m) and soil moisture measurements with neutron moisture probe.     

Towards a new concept of the tectogenesis of the Pyrenees

Crustal structures of the Central and Eastern Pyrenees are compared with those of the Alps and Carpathians. By analogy, northward subduction/underthrusting in the Central and Eastern Pyrenees is proposed. Southward subduction/underthrusting is found along the North Iberian margin and Western Pyrenees. Hence, a flip—a change in the direction of subduction/underthrusting—is postulated between the Central and Western Pyrenees.     

Finite layer analysis of the behaviour of a raft on a consolidating soil

A numerical method is developed in this paper for the analysis of the behaviour of a raft resting on a consolidating soil. The response of the raft under an applied loading is determined using the finite layer method for the soil and the finite element method for the raft. By considering deflection compatibility on the contact surface, the distribution of contact pressure is computed at various time steps. The settlement and bending moment in the raft is then evaluated by applying the calculated contact pressure back to the raft. It is shown that, in some cases, the maximum moment in the raft occurs during consolidation and that checking the final moment in the raft by use of elastic theory may not be sufficient.     

The impact of a severe drought on the vegetation of a subtropical estuary

In order to document the effect of the recent drought and the resulting marine intrusion event on plant-community shifts in a Louisiana estuary, we analyzed two vegetation data sets collected in Barataria estuary in 1997 and 2000 and compared community shifts to surface salinity changes at four points along the estuarine gradient within the study area. We used the major vegetation types identified in our previous research of larger data sets and tested the use of a simple vegetation classification technique. This vegetation classification technique is based primarily on the dominant and co-dominant species, and secondarily on the number of taxa observed. To distinguish vegetation types with similar dominant species but different associated species, the vegetation classification technique used a salinity score derived from the species composition. Surface water salinity increases were reflected by a change in species composition in the mesohaline to fresh marshes. The largest species composition shift observed was the shift from oligohaline wiregrass (species rich vegetation type dominated bySpartina patens) to mesohaline wiregrass (vegetation type dominated byS. patens with few other species). Shifts in vegetation composition may have been enhanced by the presence of the major dominant species at a low abundance in other vegetation types. The vegetation classification technique used could classify over 95% of the stations. This vegetation classification technique provides a simple method to classify Louisiana's coastal vegetation based on plant species composition.     

某铁路大桥钻孔灌注桩工程性状浅析

通过对某铁路特大桥钻孔灌注桩单桩竖向静载荷试验、桩身轴力测试，探讨钻孔灌注桩侧摩阻力发挥的影响因素及荷载传递中的工程性状，为钻孔灌注桩的设计、施工提供参考。     

Implementation of a Flaw Model to the Fracturing Around a Vertical Shaft

Summary This paper investigates whether a micromechanical model developed to investigate the relation between the basic failure processes at grain-scale and the macroscopic failure pattern can be applied to model the fracturing around large-scale excavations. The simulated fracture pattern around a vertical shaft is compared to the fracturing around a shaft at a depth of 3400 m. The simulations suggest that wedge-shaped zones, called dog-ears, are formed by a progressive splitting-like failure of the rock. The fractures forming these slabs nucleate in the zones subjected to the highest compressive stresses. Both shear and tensile mechanisms are responsible for the fracturing. The dog-ears deepen and widen as spalling continues. Received June 5, 2001; accepted September 24, 2002; Published online January 21, 2003 Acknowledgements The simulations presented in this paper form part of the PhD study of B. Van de Steen at the KULeuven. The authors wish to thank the sponsors of the Deepmine project for the permission to use the information pertaining to the fracturing around the South shaft at Western Deep Levels. Authors' address: André Vervoort, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail: andre.vervoort@bwk.kuleuven.ac.be     

Avoiding Singularities in the Numerical Solution of the Motion of a Deformable Ellipse Immersed in a Viscous Fluid

Geological materials are largely heterogeneous and are typically comprised of approximately ellipsoidal objects immersed in a matrix with different physical properties. Methodologies for the identification of ancient regional tectonic patterns may be developed based on an understanding of the behaviour of heterogeneous materials. In this contribution, the differential equation governing the rotation of a deformable ellipse immersed in a viscous fluid is considered and is found to contain a singularity when the ellipse becomes circular in shape. This problem is avoided by reformulating the equations using the standard algebraic representation of an ellipse. Thus, the equations can be numerically solved without difficulty.     

On a model simulating lack of hydraulic connection between a man-made reservoir and the volume of poroelastic rock hosting the focus of a post-impoundment earthquake

The idea that a direct hydraulic connection between a man-made reservoir and the foci of post-impoundment earthquakes may not exist at all sites is eminently credible on geological grounds. Our aim is to provide a simple earth model and related theory for use during investigations of earthquakes near new man-made reservoirs. We consider a uniform circular reservoir which rests on the top surface of a no-hydraulic-connection earth model (NHCEM). The model comprises a top elastic (E) layer, an intermediate poroelastic (P) layer, and a bottom elastic half space. The focus of a potential earthquake in the P layer is located directly under the reservoir. The E layer disrupts the hydraulic connection between the reservoir and the focus. Depth of water in the reservoir varies as H ^′ + hcos(ω t). Expressions for reservoir-induced stresses and pore pressure in different layers of the NHCEM are obtained by solving the boundary-value problem invoking full coupling between mean normal stress and pore pressure in the P layer. As an application of the derived mathematical results, we have examined and found that earthquakes on 60^° normal faults may occur in the P-layer of a selected NHCEM at epochs of low reservoir level if the reservoir lies mostly in the footwall of the fault. The exercise was motivated by observations of such earthquakes under the man-made Lake Mead after it was impounded.     

Groundwater transformation of a low-sulfur to a high-sulfur coal, the Harlem coal of the northern Appalachian basin

The Harlem coal is postulated to have been deposited in raised-bog settings. It was initially deposited as low-sulfur peat, but groundwater of a later origin altered portions of it to high-sulfur coal. The total sulfur content of 172 samples from 31 locations on a moisture- and ash-free basis have a quadrimodal distribution with two major modes at 0.75% S and 2.0%S. Multiple sampling and analyses at specific mine sites indicate that the addition of sulfur of a later origin occurred either laterally adjacent to sandstone channels or vertically adjacent to faults. Significant sulfur addition also occurred above clay partings at these sites. The original low-sulfur nature is preserved where the coal bed is isolated from descending groundwater by a thick impervious layer. Trace-element analyses show high concentrations of mobile elements such as Na and Mn in the high-sulfur coals.     

Motion in a Central Field in the Presence of a Constant Perturbing Acceleration in a Coordinate System Comoving with the Velocity Vector

The motion of a zero-mass point under the action of gravitation toward a central body and a perturbing acceleration P is considered. The magnitude of P is taken to be small compared to the main acceleration due to the gravitation of the central body, and the components of the vector P are taken to be constant in a reference frame with its origin at the central body and its axes directed along the velocity vector, normal to the velocity vector in the plane of the osculating orbit, and along the binormal. The equations in the mean elements were obtained in an earlier study. The algorithm used to solve these equations is given in this study. This algorithm is analogous to one constructed earlier for the case when P is constant in a reference frame tied to the radius vector. The properties of the solutions are similar. The main difference is that, in the most important cases, the quadratures to which the solution reduces lead to non-elementary functions. However, they can be expressed as series in powers of the eccentricity e that converge for e < 1, and often also for e = 1.     

Optimizing a piezometric network in the estimation of the groundwater budget: a case study from a crystalline-rock watershed in southern India

An estimate of the groundwater budget at the catchment scale is extremely important for the sustainable management of available water resources. Water resources are generally subjected to over-exploitation for agricultural and domestic purposes in agrarian economies like India. The double water-table fluctuation method is a reliable method for calculating the water budget in semi-arid crystalline rock areas. Extensive measurements of water levels from a dense network before and after the monsoon rainfall were made in a 53 km² watershed in southern India and various components of the water balance were then calculated. Later, water level data underwent geostatistical analyses to determine the priority and/or redundancy of each measurement point using a cross-validation method. An optimal network evolved from these analyses. The network was then used in re-calculation of the water-balance components. It was established that such an optimized network provides far fewer measurement points without considerably changing the conclusions regarding groundwater budget. This exercise is helpful in reducing the time and expenditure involved in exhaustive piezometric surveys and also in determining the water budget for large watersheds (watersheds greater than 50 km²).     

Exeter: the geology of a cathedral

Cathedrals are geologically fascinating and that of Exeter is no exception. Outward appearances are deceptive; although the outer medieval walls are made of Greensand, the core is made of local Permian breccia and volcanics. Beer Stone is used less extensively than generally supposed, although it is important for carving. Nineteenth-century improvements in transport encouraged greater use of Cotswold and East Midland oolites for the cathedral repairs. Over time, these and local stones have weathered differentially, which has encouraged masons to return to Greensand for very recent repairs.     

On the indentation of a poroelastic layer

The paper examines the axisymmetric contact problem related to the indentation of a fluid saturated poroelastic layer by a smooth rigid punch. The layer rests in bonded contact with a rigid impermeable base and the surface of the layer is considered to be either permeable or impermeable. The paper develops the integral equations governing the problem for the generalized case where the pore fluid exhibits compressibility. The numerical results presented in the paper illustrate the influence of the relative layer thickness, drainage conditions and the compressibility of the pore fluid on the degree of consolidation settlement of the indenting punch.     

介绍一个产生玄武岩的模型

地幔柱存在的一个主要证据是大规模高熔玄武岩省的出现,而且多认为玄武岩的来源依赖于地幔柱从下地幔输送。Michele Lustrino研究了造山时下地壳和岩石圈地幔的拆沉和拆离作用,提出了产生玄武岩的一个新模型。该模型认为即使地幔柱不存在,拆沉到地幔的下地壳物质再循环同样可以解释小规模的板内(大洋岛弧和大陆内部)火山岩和大洋、大陆溢流玄武岩及洋中脊玄武岩的生成及其常见的几种地球化学特征。在陆-陆碰撞过程中,下地壳中的变质反应生成石榴石,导致岩石的密度增大,致使过厚岩石圈底部(下地壳和岩石圈地幔)和上地壳分离并沉入上地幔。下地壳发生部分熔融形成富SiO2的熔体,和上涌的软流圈地幔(充填在下沉的岩石圈地幔和下地壳的空间)发生变质交代反应,导致具有强烈的地壳特点的富含斜方辉石层的形成。这个变质交代地幔体可以在拆沉后保持不变长达几个百万年。这种源的部分熔体可以保有下地壳的明显特征,产生类似富集地幔1型玄武岩浆作用。因此,该模型是提供了玄武岩浆来源的一个新选择。