Spatial and temporal evolution of soft and hard X-ray emission in a solar flare

We study the spatial and temporal characteristics of the 3.5 to 30.0 keV emission in a solar flare on April 10, 1980. The data were obtained by the Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer aboard the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite. It is complemented in our analysis with data from other instruments on the same spacecraft, in particular that of the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer.Key results of our investigation are: (a) Continuous energy release is needed to substain the increase of the emission through the rising phase of the flare, before and after the impulsive phase in hard X-rays. The energy release is characterized by the production of hot (5 × 10⁷ T 1.5 × 10⁸ K) thermal regions within the flare loop structures. (b) The observational parameters characterizing the impulsive burst show that it is most likely associated with non-thermal processes (particle acceleration). (c) The continuous energy release is associated with strong chromospheric evaporation, as evidenced in the spectral line behavior determined from the Bent Crystal Spectrometer data. Both processes seem to stop just before flare maximum, and the subsequent evolution is most likely governed by the radiative cooling of the flare plasma.     

Problems in relating the optical and X-ray emissions from a solar flare

We evaluate the possibility that the short-lived Balmer line emission at H9 3835 Å of the 1972, August 2 (1839 UT) solar flare is due to heating of the chromosphere by bombarding electrons. We point out some of the problems of comparing the time behavior and spatial distribution of simultaneous hard and soft X-ray emissions. It is concluded that the present data do not justify the attribution of the short-lived optical emission to the presumed hard X-ray producing electrons.     

Strength and stability of frictional sliding of gabbro gouge at elevated temperatures

To investigate the strength of frictional sliding and stability of mafic lower crust, we conducted experiments on oven-dried gabbro gouge of 1 mm thick sandwiched between country rock pieces (with gouge inclined 35° to the sample axis) at slip rates of 1.22 × 10^− 3 mm/s and 1.22 × 10^− 4 mm/s and elevated temperatures up to 615 °C. Special attention has been paid to whether transition from velocity weakening to velocity strengthening occurs due to the elevation of temperature.Two series of experiments were conducted with normal stresses of 200 MPa and 300 MPa, respectively. For both normal stresses, the friction strengths are comparable at least up to 510 °C, with no significant weakening effect of increasing temperature. Comparison of our results with Byerlee's rule on a strike slip fault with a specific temperature profile in the Zhangbei region of North China shows that the strength given by experiments are around that given by Byerlee's rule and a little greater in the high temperature range.At 200 MPa normal stress, the steady-state rate dependence a − b shows only positive values, probably still in the “run-in” process where velocity strengthening is a common feature. With a normal stress of 300 MPa, the values of steady-state rate dependence decreases systematically with increasing temperature, and stick-slip occurred at 615 °C. Considering the limited displacement, limited normal stress applied and the effect of normal stress for the temperatures above 420 °C, it is inferred here that velocity weakening may be the typical behaviour at higher normal stress for temperature above 420 °C and at least up to 615 °C, which covers most of the temperature range in the lower crust of geologically stable continental interior. For a dry mafic lower crust in cool continental interiors where frictional sliding prevails over plastic flow, unstable slip nucleation may occur to generate earthquakes.     

Modeling the seismic response of basin-edge structure by a sequential waveform method

A sequential waveform method is developed to simulate the seismic response of basin-edge structure excited by a plane incident P-wave. The full procedure involves: (a) a previous parameterization of the investigated model using the seismic wave velocities and depths of the sedimentary stratifications; (b) an input motion determined from the records at stations installed on hard rock; (c) forward computation of the P-SV elastic wave field by means of a two-dimensional finite difference (FD) method; (d) the optimization of the model vector using simulated annealing technique and comparing the simulated seismic response of the tested structure with the observed wave field; (e) the correction of the initial model by trial-and-error by testing the differences between synthetics and observed data, and (f) the final solution obtained by iteration using the conjugate gradient algorithm. The search of an optimal basin-edge model has been parallel processed by varying the shapes and velocities of strata on the basis of the fitting of relative timing, amplitude and phase between the output and the observed data. The input motion and sensitivity have been checked and the validity of the method has been demonstrated by numeric analysis. Using the teleseismic records generated by 7 earthquakes recorded at 26 broadband seismic stations, we have studied the seismic velocity structure of the southern edge of the Jiyang depression located in the Bohai Bay basin, northern China. Two cross sections show an agreement between the velocity results and the geological sections available in the region. In addition, we obtain evidence of three hidden faults under the sections and features that suggest major extensions at the Paleogene.     

Study of geothermal water intrusion due to groundwater exploitation in the Puebla Valley aquifer system, Mexico

Significant intrusion of geothermal water into fresh groundwater takes place in the Puebla Valley aquifer system, Mexico. The decline in the potentiometric surface due to the overexploitation of the groundwater induces this intrusion. This hydrological system comprises three aquifers located in Plio-Quaternary volcanic sediments and Mesozoic calcareous rocks. The hydraulic balance of the aquifer shows that the annual output exceeds the natural inputs by 12 million m³. Between 1973 and 2002, a drop in the potentiometric surface, with an 80 m cone of depression, was identified in a 5-km-wide area located southwest of the city of Puebla. Chemical analyses performed on water samples since 1990 have shown an increase in total dissolved solids (TDS) of more than 500 mg/L, coinciding with the region showing a cone of depression in the potentiometric surface. A three-dimensional flow and transport model, based on the hydrogeological and geophysical studies, was computed by using the MODFLOW and MT3D software. This model reproduces the evolution of the aquifer system during the last 30 years and predicts for 2010 an additional drawdown in the potentiometric surface of 15 m, and an increase in the geothermal water intrusion.     

3D numerical modelling of fluid flow in the Val-d’Or orogenic gold district: major crustal shear zones drain fluids from overpressured vein fields

Fluid flow patterns have been determined using oxygen isotope isopleths in the Val-d’Or orogenic gold district. 3D numerical modelling of fluid flow and oxygen isotope exchange in the vein field shows that the fluid flow patterns can be reproduced if the lower boundary of the model is permeable, which represents middle or lower crustal rocks that are infiltrated by a metamorphic fluid generated at deeper levels. This boundary condition implies that the major crustal faults so conspicuous in vein fields do not act as the only major channel for upward fluid flow. The upper model boundary is impermeable except along the trace of major crustal faults where fluids are allowed to drain out of the vein field. This upper impermeable boundary condition represents a low-permeability layer in the crust that separates the overpressured fluid from the overlying hydrostatic fluid pressure regime. We propose that the role of major crustal faults in overpressured vein fields, independent of tectonic setting, is to drain hydrothermal fluids out of the vein field along a breach across an impermeable layer higher in the crust and above the vein field. This breach is crucial to allow flow out of the vein field and accumulation of metals in the fractures, and this breach has major implications for exploration for mineral resources. We propose that tectonic events that cause episodic metamorphic dehydration create a short-lived pulse of metamorphic fluid to rise along zones of transient permeability. This results in a fluid wave that propagates upward carrying metals to the mineralized area. Earthquakes along crustal shear zones cause dilation near jogs that draw fluids and deposit metals in an interconnected network of subsidiary shear zones. Fluid flow is arrested by an impermeable barrier separating the hydrostatic and lithostatic fluid pressure regimes. Fluids flow through the evolving and interconnected network of shear zones and by advection through the rock matrix. Episodic breaches in the impermeable barrier along the crustal shear zones allow fluid flow out of the vein field.     

Spectral Simulation and Conditioning to Local Continuity Trends in Geologic Modeling

Spectral simulation has gained application in building geologic models due to the advantage of better honoring the spatial continuity of petrophysical properties, such as reservoir porosity and shale volume. Distinct from sequential simulation methods, spectral simulation is a global algorithm in the sense that a global density spectrum is calculated once and the inverse Fourier transform is performed on the Fourier coefficient also only once to generate a simulation realization. The generated realizations honor the spatial continuity structure globally over the whole field instead of only within a search neighborhood, as with sequential simulation algorithms. However, the disadvantage of global spectral simulation is that it traditionally cannot account for the local information such as the local continuity trends, which are often observed in reservoirs and hence are important to be accounted for in geologic models. This disadvantage has limited wider application of spectral simulation in building geologic models. In this paper, we present ways of conditioning geologic models to the relevant local information. To account for the local continuity trends, we first scale different frequency components of the original model with local-amplitude spectrum ratios that are specific to the local trend. The sum of these scaled frequency components renders a new model that displays the desired local continuity trend. The implementation details of this new method are discussed and examples are provided to illustrate the algorithm.     

中国大陆科学钻探（CCSD）主孔地区岩石圈热结构

岩石圈热结构是指地球内部热量在壳幔的配分比例、温度以及热导率和生热率等热学参数在岩石圈中的分布特征。岩石圈的热结构直接影响着岩石的物理性质和流变学性质,同时还控制了化学反应的类型和速度,从而制约着岩石圈的发展和演化。本文在前人CCSD主孔岩石主、微量元素研究基础上,利用Rybach生热率公式计算了钻孔岩石的放射性生热率,并结合岩石热导率的测定研究了CCSD主孔100-2000m岩石的热结构和主孔榴辉岩在不同退变质程度下生热率、热导率的变化:钻孔中岩石的平均生热率为0.95μWm-3,平均热导率为2.96mWm-1K-1。,其中片麻岩生热率高迭1.01-1.7μWm-3,热导率为2.76-2.96mWm-1K-1;基性超基性岩石生热率最低(<0.21μWm-3),热导率则高达3.20mWm-1K-1以上;新鲜榴辉岩生热率、热导率居中,分剐为0.16-0.44μWm-3和3.31-3.85mWm-1K-1。钻孔中榴辉岩生热率、热导率变化主要受岩性控制:从新鲜榴辉岩到完全退变榴辉岩,热导率总体上降低,但从强退变榴辉岩到完全退变榴辉岩,岩石热导率升高;而在此过程中岩石生热率总体上升高,仅当从中等退变质榴辉岩退变为强退变质榴辉岩时,岩石生热率出现降低趋势。在综合研究的基础上预测CCSD主孔5000m深度处温度为139℃,温度范围为131-151℃。根据区域深部地球物理探测成果对CCSD主孔地区岩石圈热结构进行了研究:上地壳底部温度为256℃,中地壳底部温度为492℃,Moho面温度为683℃,岩石圈底部温度为1185℃,来自地幔的热流为44.1mWm-2,对地表热流的贡献率为58%。研究结果表明,由岩石物理方法获得的CCSD主孔地区岩石圈地温曲线与石榴石-二辉橄榄岩包体推断的中国东部地温曲线十分吻合,本文从实验岩石物理学角度为CCSD主孔地区岩石圈热结构研究提供了重要约束     

How Far Is Too Far? – A Statistical Approach to Context‐contingent Proximity Modeling

Proximity is a fundamental concept in any comprehensive ontology of space ( Worboys 2001 ). The provision of a context‐contingent translation mechanism between linguistic proximity measures (e.g. “near”, “far”) and metric distance measures is an important topic in current GIS research. After a discussion of context factors that mediate the relationship between linguistic and metric distance measures, we present a statistical approach, Ordered Logit Regression, to the context‐contingent proximity modeling. The approach can predict proximity given the corresponding metric distance and context variables. An empirical case study with human subjects is carried out using this statistical approach. Interpretation and predictive accuracy of the empirical case study are discussed.     

西北区东部一次暴雨的数值模拟试验

运用双向嵌套的中尺度数值预报模式MM5，对1998年7月上旬西北区东部一次暴雨过程进行了高分辨率数值模拟和敏感性试验。结果表明，该模式能较好地模拟这次暴雨过程，对这次暴雨过程相关的中尺度系统的发生发展也作出了较成功的模拟；大尺度及积云对流尺度的凝结潜热在降水过程中是一个主要因子，潜热释放将加热中高层大气，促使高层大气辐散，低层辐合，垂直运动加强，导致较大的降水；初始时刻不同地区低层大气水汽含量的多寡直接对本次暴雨产生影响，并为这次暴雨提供了水汽源；地面水汽和感热的垂直输送为暴雨的发生发展补充了能量。