The CM carbonaceous chondrite regolith Diepenveen

A carbonaceous chondrite was recovered immediately after the fall near the village of Diepenveen in the Netherlands on October 27, 1873, but came to light only in 2012. Analysis of sodium and poly‐aromatic hydrocarbon content suggests little contamination from handling. Diepenveen is a regolith breccia with an overall petrology consistent with a CM classification. Unlike most other CM chondrites, the bulk oxygen isotopes are extremely ¹⁶O rich, apparently dominated by the signature of anhydrous minerals, distributed on a steep slope pointing to the domain of intrinsic CM water. A small subset plots closer to the normal CM regime, on a parallel line 2 ‰ lower in δ¹⁷O. Different lithologies in Diepenveen experienced varying levels of aqueous alteration processing, being less aqueously altered at places rather than more heated. The presence of an agglutinate grain and the properties of methanol‐soluble organic compounds point to active impact processing of some of the clasts. Diepenveen belongs to a CM clan with ~5 Ma CRE age, longer than most other CM chondrites, and has a relatively young K‐Ar resetting age of ~1.5 Ga. As a CM chondrite, Diepenveen may be representative of samples soon to be returned from the surface of asteroid (162173) Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft.     

Abbildung der Großtektonik in einem Handstück aus der Silvrettadecke

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A new approach for vertical impedance in radially inhomogeneous soil layer

In the past studies on pile vibrations, the soil around the pile is mainly regarded as homogeneous or multi‐layered piecewise homogeneous. However, under most engineering conditions, the surrounding soil becomes seriously disturbed due to construction effects. This may strengthen or weaken the shear modulus of the soil resulting in the soil becoming radially inhomogeneous. As a consequence of this, El Naggar extended Novak's plane‐strain model to account for the radial inhomogeneity by the use of multiple springs connected in series. Rather than using this approach, this paper proposes a new model which is thought to be theoretically more rigorous and one which may be described as complex stiffness transfer model. It is shown that the solution developed in this study agrees well with the more limited solutions of Novak and Dotson and Veletsos under several special conditions. Finally, the scope of application has been enlarged as a result of the generalizations made in the present model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of aerosol chemical composition on microphysics and precipitation in deep convection

Aerosols affect precipitation by modifying cloud properties such as cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC). Aerosol effects on CDNC depend on aerosol properties such as number concentration, size spectrum, and chemical composition. This study focuses on the effects of aerosol chemical composition on CDNC and, thereby, precipitation in a mesoscale cloud ensemble (MCE) driven by deep convective clouds. The MCE was observed during the 1997 department of energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) summer experiment. Double-moment microphysics with explicit nucleation parameterization, able to take into account those three properties of aerosols, is used to investigate the effects of aerosol chemical composition on CDNC and precipitation. The effects of aerosol chemical compositions are investigated for both soluble and insoluble substances in aerosol particles. The effects of soluble substances are examined by varying mass fractions of two representative soluble components of aerosols in the continental air mass: sulfate and organics. The increase in organics with decreasing sulfate lowers critical supersaturation (S_c) and leads to higher CDNC. Higher CDNC results in smaller autoconversion of cloud liquid to rain. This provides more abundant cloud liquid as a source of evaporative cooling, leading to more intense downdrafts, low-level convergence, and updrafts. The resultant stronger updrafts produce more condensation and thus precipitation, as compared to the case of 100% sulfate aerosols. The conventional assumption of sulfate aerosol as a surrogate for the whole aerosol mass can be inapplicable for the case with the strong sources of organics. The less precipitation is simulated when an insoluble substance replaces organics as compared to when it replaces sulfate. When the effects of organics on the surface tension of droplet and solution term in the Köhler curve are deactivated by the insoluble substance, S_c is raised more than when the effects of sulfate on the solution term are deactivated by the insoluble substance. This leads to lower CDNC and, thus, larger autoconversion of cloud liquid to rain, providing less abundant cloud liquid as a source of evaporative cooling. The resultant less evaporative cooling produces less intense downdrafts, weaker low-level convergence, updrafts, condensation and, thereby, less precipitation in the case where organics is replaced by the insoluble substance than in the case where sulfate is replaced by the insoluble substance. The variation of precipitation caused by the change in the mass fraction between the soluble and insoluble substances is larger than that caused by the change in the mass fraction between the soluble substances.     

Analysis of Baishuihe landslide influenced by the effects of reservoir water and rainfall

Since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir in June 2003, a number of new landslides have occurred and existing landslides have been made worse. The 1,260 × 10⁴ m³ Baishuihe landslide, located at 56 km west of the Three Gorges Dam, began to deform more noticeably after the first impoundment in early July 2003. The sliding of the two blocks comprising the landslide, one an active block and the other a relatively stable block, became apparent after approximately 5 years of monitoring. Field recordings show that the landslide displacement is affected by the combined effects of the rainfall and water level in the reservoir. These effects have been investigated in the present paper, including the deformation characteristics (movement pattern, direction, displacement and velocity) earmarking the temporal evolution of the active block. Based on a practical creep model of a large rock slide, alert velocity thresholds for pre-alert, alert and emergency phases have been computed corresponding to the imminence of failure. The alert velocity thresholds are being proposed to be included as a part of an early-warning system of an emergency plan drawn up to minimize the adverse impact in the event of landslide failure. The emergency plan is intended to be implemented as a risk management tool by the relevant authorities of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the near future.     

Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of a 3-km-thick Miocene lava pile in the Mjoifjördur area,eastern Iceland

We have carried out stratigraphic mapping in the Upper Miocene basalt lava pile around the fjords Mjoifjördur and Seydisfjördur, eastern Iceland. The mapping is based on conventional methods including the use of interbasaltic clastic horizons and petrographically distinct lava groups. These units are also used to provide correlations with the Nordfjördur area south of Mjoifjördur. We present a 3-km composite stratigraphic column for the area between Mjoifjördur and Seydisfjördur. The geology of this area shows some differences from the classical model of Walker for the structure of eastern Iceland partly due to the fact that most of Mjoifjördur is not in the vicinity of central volcanoes. Detailed laboratory measurements of remanent magnetization were carried out on oriented core samples from 363 lavas in 10 selected profiles. The local paleomagnetic polarity stratigraphy supports correlations made on the basis of other criteria. Over 20 geomagnetic reversals are recorded in the eastern Iceland lava pile in a period approximately 13-10 Ma ago. The geomagnetic field during this period averages to a central axial dipole field, and its overall statistical properties resemble those obtained in earlier surveys in Iceland.     

Metals in Okefenokee peat-forming environments: relation to constituents found in coal

Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn were studied in cores of peat from two major vegetational areas of the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia; both total peat and organic fractions were investigated. Except for Hg and Pb, metal concentrations were either higher or equal to Clarke values. The sandy bedrock is not an important contributor to metal concentrations found in peat. Levels of metals in a given peat sample were related to plant materials which gave rise to the peat; it does not appear that vegetational environment plays a critical role in determining trace metal distribution, but does play a role in determining the amount of humic or pre-vitrinitic constituents that eventually are found in coal.     

Practical flood frequency estimates

The best information on which to base estimates of future flood frequencies is records of past flood events. Where there is a substantial record at the location for which estimates are desired the estimation process is generally straighforward, although a variety of methods is used and there is major uncertainty in the estimates. In general, the frequency of future events is assumed to be indicated by the observed frequency of past events under constant controlling watershed conditions.Techniques are available for using information on historical (pre-record) flood data to improve the reliability of flood frequency estimates. There are methods for detecting and managing extremely unusual actual events (outliers) and for improving the reliability of short-record estimates based on long-record data at related locations. Regional correlation analysis is usable for establishing flood frequency estimates for locations where records are not available.Detailed hydrologic analysis, usually involving rainfall-runoff studies, is required for establishing flood frequency relationships for modified conditions of the watershed or, in many cases, for establishing flood frequency estimates for newly formed drainage systems such as in urban areas and airports.The principal use of flood frequency functions is to compare expected changes in flood damages (due to a contemplated action) with the economic and social costs or benefits of the contemplated action.     

On the standardization of measurements of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility

The magnetic anisotropy of several artificially constructed samples has been measured with different types of instruments in several laboratories. Susceptibility bridge determinations have given consistent results, but the magnitude of the anisotropy determined by the Digico anisotropy delineator is incorrect. For future measurements with this instrument it is necessary to make either a simple calibration change or to make a minor change in the associated computer program. A set of equations for correcting the old published data is given.