原地应力状态三维分布估算方法的发展及初步应用

日本原子能机构(Japan Atomic Energy Agency)提出了一种方法,即通过地表原地应力测量所得的有限数据精确估算任意一点的实际原地应力状态分布.我们假定实际地应力是由上覆岩层压力和板块构造力的综合作用形成的,并建立了两种模型:三维有限元模型和边界元模型,模型考虑了地质情况的不均匀性,如岩石类型的变化和...     

Paleocene large-scale normal faulting along the Median Tectonic Line, western Shikoku, Japan

Abstract   The Median Tectonic Line (MTL) in southwest Japan, a major east–west-trending arc-parallel fault, has been defined as the boundary fault between the Cretaceous Sambagawa metamorphic rocks and Ryoke granitic and metamorphic rocks, which are unconformably covered by the Upper Cretaceous Izumi Group. The juxtaposition by faulting occurred after the deposition of the Izumi Group. Based on detailed fieldwork and previous studies, the authors reconstruct the kinematic history along the MTL during the Paleogene period, which has not been fully understood before. It is noted that although the strata of the Izumi Group along the MTL dip gently, east–west-trending north-vergent folds with the wavelength of ∼300 m commonly develop up to 2 km north from the MTL. Along the MTL, a disturbed zone of the Izumi Group up to 400 m thick, defined by the development of boudinage structures with the transverse boudin axis dipping nearly parallel to the MTL, occurs. Furthermore, east–west-trending north-vergent folds with the wavelength of 1–5 m develop within the distance up to 60 m from the MTL. The disturbed zone with the map-scale north-vergent folds along the MTL, strongly suggests that they formed due to normal faulting with a top-to-the-north sense along the MTL. Considering that the normal faulting is associated with the final exhumation of the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks, and its juxtaposition against the Izumi Group at depth, this perhaps occurred before the denudation of the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks indicated by the deposition of the Lower Eocene Hiwada-toge Formation. Dynamic equilibrium between crustal thickening at depth (underplating) and extension at shallow level is a plausible explanation for the normal faulting because the arc-normal extension suggests gravity as the driving force.     

Thermodynamic analysis of Fe and Mg partitioning between plagioclase and silicate liquid

 Thermodynamic analysis of Fe- and Mg-bearing plagioclase and silicate liquid was carried out based on reported element partitioning data between plagioclase and silicate liquid in reduced conditions, solution properties of ternary feldspar, standard state properties of plagioclase endmembers and solution properties of multicomponent silicate liquid. Derived mixing properties of Fe- and Mg-bearing plagioclase are in harmony with estimated results from synthetic experiments in the systems CaAl₂Si₂O₈-CaFeSi₃O₈ and CaAl₂Si₂O₈-CaMgSi₃O₈. Based on the determined solution properties of the plagioclase, a computer program to calculate the element partition relationships between Fe- and Mg-bearing plagioclase and multicomponent silicate liquid was developed. The FeO, MgO and MgO/(MgO + FeO) in plagioclase predicted from known liquid compositions and pressure are in agreement with measurements within 0.2 wt%, 0.1 wt% and 0.1 (mol ratio), respectively. The Fe³⁺ content in plagioclase crystallized at high oxygen fugacity can be estimated with this program. The Fe³⁺/total Fe ratio in plagioclase crystallized near the quartz-fayalite-magnetite buffer ranges from 0 to 0.5, which is consistent with previous study on natural plagioclase in submarine basalt. Derived solution properties of the Fe- and Mg-bearing plagioclase are also used to calculate equilibrium composition relationship between olivine and plagioclase. Change of X _Fo in olivine coexisting with plagioclase affects MgO and FeO contents in plagioclase greatly. The present model predicts X _Fo of coexisting olivine from the chemical composition of plagioclase to ±0.1 accuracy at given pressure and temperature. Received: 27 March 1998 / Accepted: 30 September 1999     

Satellite Navigation and Geospatial Awareness: Long-Term Effects of Using Navigation Tools on Wayfinding and Spatial Orientation

This article examined long-term effects of using navigation tools on wayfinding and spatial orientation, through a survey analysis of the experience of using navigation tools and spatial aptitudes, and a behavioral experiment of real-world navigation. Experience of tool use was measured in terms of regular use (time length and frequency) and accumulated experience (time length multiplied by frequency). The survey analysis showed that frequent users of pedestrian navigation systems tended to be low on sense of direction and mental rotation. In contrast, longtime users of maps tended to be high on sense of direction and favor survey navigation strategies. The behavioral experiment showed that people who had more accumulated experience of using in-car navigation systems traveled less efficiently and learned the configurations of traveled routes less accurately with a mobile tool and a paper map. The analysis of long-term effects through structural equation modeling showed that spatial aptitudes and accumulated experience of tool use independently affect wayfinding and spatial orientation and that the negative effects of accumulated experience were larger than the positive effects of spatial aptitudes. The results and implications are discussed in relation to existing studies of short-term effects and spatial thinking.     

Upper Mantle Velocity Structure Estimated From Ps-Converted Wave Beneath the North-Eastern Japan Arc

Summary. The upper boundary of the descending oceanic plate is located by using PS -waves (converted from P to S at the boundary) in the Tohoku District, the north-eastern part of Honshu, Japan. the observed PS-P time data are well explained by a two-layered oceanic plate model composed of a thin low-velocity upper layer whose thickness is less than 10 km and a thick high-velocity lower layer; the upper and lower layers respectively have 6 per cent lower and 6 per cent higher velocity than the overriding mantle. the estimated location of the upper boundary is just above the upper seismic plane of the double-planed deep seismic zone. This result indicates that events in the upper seismic plane, at least in the depth range from 60 to 150 km, occur within the thin low-velocity layer on the surface of the oceanic plate.     

Relationship between atmospheric conditions at Dhaka, Bangladesh, and rainfall at Cherrapunjee, India

To improve flood forecasting, the understanding of the atmospheric conditions associated with severe rainfall is crucial. We analysed the atmospheric conditions at Dhaka, Bangladesh, using upper-air soundings. We then compared these conditions with daily rainfall variations at Cherrapunjee, India, which is a main source of floodwater to Bangladesh, and a representative sample of exceptionally heavy rainfall events. The analysis focussed on June and July 2004. June and July are the heaviest rainfall months of the year at Cherrapunjee. July 2004 had the fourth-heaviest monthly rainfall of the past 31 years, and severe floods occurred in Bangladesh. Active rainfall periods at Cherrapunjee corresponded to “breaks” in the Indian monsoon. The monsoon trough was located over the Himalayan foothills, and strong westerly winds dominated up to 7 km at Dhaka. Near-surface wind below 1 km had southerly components, and the wind profile had an Ekman spiral structure. The results suggest that rainfall at Cherrapunjee strongly depends on the near-surface wind speed and wind direction at Dhaka. Lifting of the near-surface southerly airflow by the Meghalaya Plateau is considered to be the main contributor to severe rainfall at Cherrapunjee. High convective available potential energy (CAPE) also contributes to intense rainfall.     

High temporal and spatial resolution observations of meso-scale features of pre- and mature summer monsoon cloud systems over Bangladesh

Meso-scale characteristics of disturbances that bring about atmospheric disasters in pre- and mature monsoon seasons in Bangladesh are analyzed. Several types of meteorological instruments capable of observations with high temporal and spatial resolutions were introduced for the first time in this area to capture the meso-scale structure of rainfall systems. We installed an automatic weather station (AWS) and several automatic raingauges (ARGs) and utilized the weather radar of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). From the radar image in the summer of 2001 (16–18 July), a striking feature of the systematic diurnal variation in this area was elucidated. In these 3 days, the diurnal evolutions of convective activity were remarkably similar to each other, implying that this pattern can be understood as a typical response of local cloud systems to the diurnal variation of insolation under some summer monsoon situations. The ARG data show the difference in characteristics of rainfall between pre- and mature monsoon seasons. The short intense downpour tends to occur more frequently in the pre-monsoon season than in the mature monsoon season. The pre-monsoon rainfall also has clear diurnal variation with a peak that is more strongly concentrated in time. In the northern part the rainfall peak is found in between midnight and early morning, while it is observed in the daytime in central to western parts of the country. Two disaster cases caused by meso-scale disturbances are analyzed. Although they occurred in the same season, the structures of the cloud systems were largely different from each other. The disturbance brought about tornadoes on 14 April 2004, consisting of many spherical cloud systems of approximately 20 km size. On the other hand, another one that caused the tragic river water transport accident on 23 May 2004 had meso-scale rain band structure. The latter case was captured by the AWS located at Dhaka. Sudden changes in temperature, wind and pressure were observed clearly, showing the typical structure of convective rain bands.