Graptolite biostratigraphy of the Lower Silurian (Llandovery and Wenlock) of Bohemia

Nearly 50 sections through the Llandovery and Wenlock black shales of the Barrandian area (Bohemia) have been examined bed by bed. This has made possible the compilation of an improved and well defined graptolite zonal scheme with much new biostratigraphic data included. A total of 268 graptolite species and subspecies have been found. Their stratigraphic distribution allows the recognition of 27 graptolite zones: ascensus–acuminatus, vesiculosus, cyphus, triangulatus–pectinatus, simulans, convolutus, sedgwickii, linnaei, turriculatus, crispus, griestoniensis, tullbergi, spiralis, grandis, insectus, centrifugus, murchisoni, riccartonensis, dubius, belophorus, rigidus, ramosus–perneri, lundgreni, parvus, nassa–frequens, praedeubeli–deubeli, ludensis, and several subzones. The biozones are defined by the vertical ranges of their ‘index’ species and are characterized by rich accompanying associations. The zonal scheme is correlated with graptolite sequences elsewhere.     

Non-double-couple mechanisms of microearthquakes induced during the 2000 injection experiment at the KTB site, Germany: A result of tensile faulting or anisotropy of a rock?

Moment tensors of microearthquakes induced during the 2000 injection experiment at the KTB deep drilling borehole at a depth level of 5.4 km are studied. A family of 37 most reliable moment tensors contains significant non-double-couple (non-DC) components. The DC is on average 60% and the non-DC is 40%. Fault plane solutions computed from the DC part show preferred strike-slip mechanisms with small normal or reverse components. A predominant azimuth of P and T axes is in the range of N320°–340°E and of N230°–250°E, respectively. The non-DC components contain both the isotropic (ISO) and compensated linear vector dipole (CLVD) components. The mean value of ISO is 1.5%, the mean value of CLVD is − 5.7%. The predominantly negative CLVD components are inconsistent with the concept of the non-DC mechanisms as a result of tensile faulting due to fluid injection into the rock. The main origin of the non-DC components is probably anisotropy in the focal area. The other origins are errors produced by mismodelling of the medium when calculating the Green functions, and numerical errors produced by noise and limitations of input data. Adopting four alternative models of anisotropy obtained by other seismic measurements at the KTB, we have employed the non-DC components for estimating an optimum orientation of anisotropy in the focal area. The optimum orientation of the symmetry plane of anisotropy is nearly vertical with a strike of N335°–340°E. This strike coincides well with the strike of 330° typical for many major lithological units and faults and with the orientation of the transversely isotropic model inferred by other authors. After removing the anisotropy effects from the moment tensors by calculating the source tensors, the distribution of ISO is significantly narrowed. This indicates predominantly shear, but not tensile faulting.     

Windstorm of the eighteenth century in the Czech Lands: course,extent, impacts

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - This paper addresses the course, extent, and impacts of a windstorm that occurred on 20–21 December 1740, in the Czech Lands. The analysis is based on...     

Lake Balkhash,Kazakhstan

Lake Balkhash is a large (18,000 km³), closed, and slightly saline lake in the south-west of Kazakhstan. It is divided into two basins, a south-western and an eastern basin. These have somewhat different limnological conditions, but the most obvious one is that the south-western basin has a salinity of <2 g L⁻¹ whereas the salinity of the eastern basin is ∼4 g L⁻¹. Numerous fish and invertebrate introductions, many successful, have been made. In 1969, a dam impounding the Kapchagay reservoir was constructed on the River Ili, the major river flowing into the lake. The impoundment of water in this reservoir caused a fall of some 1.5 m in the water-level of the lake. This fall, together with other events on the catchment, caused considerable damage to reedswamps in the lake, to the fishery and to conservation values. A number of suggestions has been made on how to prevent further damage. Some, particularly those involving a moratorium on further filling of Kapchagay reservoir and irrigation, have been implemented, at least in part. This has caused some remission in environmental damage and provides for cautious optimism with regard to the lake’s future. Even so, the environmental status of the lake remains vulnerable and many dangers persist.     

Climate Change in the Urals,Russia, Inferred from Borehole Temperature Data

Borehole temperatures in the central and south Urals were analysed for the past ground surface temperature (GST) signal. 31 highquality temperature logs were selected for this purpose and inverted with algorithms based on the generalised least squares theory. The signal to noise ratio was improved by averaging the results of individual borehole inversions. No distinct regional trends were found in the studied region except for some indications of more pronounced warming in the south. The mean GST history (GSTH) was characterised by cooling down to –0.6 °C in the 18th century and subsequent warming to 0.5 °C above the longterm mean at the beginning of this century, and to 1 – 1.5 °C by 1980. The stability of the mean GSTH was tested in dependence on the number of holes used for the averaging. It showed that any subset of 15 holes yielded a GSTH similar to that obtained from the whole set. A surface air temperature (SAT) time series comprising the period 1832 – 1989 was combined from 17 meteorological records. Its least squares warming rate of 1.1 °C per 100 years is somewhat higher than that of the GST (0.7 – 0.8°C/100 years) in the same period.     

European temperature records of the past five centuries based on documentary/instrumental information compared to climate simulations

Two European temperature reconstructions for the past half-millennium, January-to-April air temperature for Stockholm (Sweden) and seasonal temperature for a Central European region, both derived from the analysis of documentary sources and long instrumental records, are compared with the output of climate simulations with the model ECHO-G. The analysis is complemented by comparisons with the long (early)-instrumental record of Central England Temperature (CET). Both approaches to study past climates (simulations and reconstructions) are burdened with uncertainties. The main objective of this comparative analysis is to identify robust features and weaknesses in each method which may help to improve models and reconstruction methods. The results indicate a general agreement between simulations obtained with temporally changing external forcings and the reconstructed Stockholm and CET records for the multi-centennial temperature trend over the recent centuries, which is not reproduced in a control simulation. This trend is likely due to the long-term change in external forcing. Additionally, the Stockholm reconstruction and the CET record also show a clear multi-decadal warm episode peaking around AD 1730, which is absent in the simulations. Neither the reconstruction uncertainties nor the model internal climate variability can easily explain this difference. Regarding the interannual variability, the Stockholm series displays, in some periods, higher amplitudes than the simulations but these differences are within the statistical uncertainty and further decrease if output from a regional model driven by the global model is used. The long-term trend of the CET series agrees less well with the simulations. The reconstructed temperature displays, for all seasons, a smaller difference between the present climate and past centuries than is seen in the simulations. Possible reasons for these differences may be related to a limitation of the traditional ‘indexing’ technique for converting documentary evidence to temperature values to capture long-term climate changes, because the documents often reflect temperatures relative to the contemporary authors’ own perception of what constituted ‘normal’ conditions. By contrast, the amplitude of the simulated and reconstructed inter-annual variability agrees rather well.     

The telluric field in a halfspace with a spherical inhomogeneity

Summary An exact solution of the distribution of the intensity of the telluric field in a halfspace with a spherical inhomogeneity has been obtained by solving the Laplace equation in bipolar coordinates. This exact solution is compared with the presently known approximate solution, obtained by the method of images, and the region of their coincidence has been determined. For the image solution theoretical relations have been derived for computing the anomaly of the magnetic field. Craphs depict many of the properties of the telluric and magnetic fields on the surface of the considered halfspace for various parameters of the given problem.Dedicated to 90th Birthday of Professor Frantiek Fiala