Changes of environments and human activity at the Sannai-Maruyama ruins in Japan during the mid-Holocene Hypsithermal climatic interval

Sannai-Maruyama is one of the most famous and best-researched mid-Holocene (mid-Jomon) archaeological sites in Japan, because of a large community of people for a long period. Archaeological studies have shown that the Jomon people inhabi1ted the Sannai-Maruyama site from 5.9 to 4.2 ± 0.1 cal kyr BP However, a continuous record of the terrestrial and marine environments around the site has not been available. Core KT05-7 PC-02, was recovered from Mutsu Bay, only 20 km from the site, for the reconstruction of high-resolution time series of environmental records, including sea surface temperature (SST). C₃₇ alkenone SSTs showed clear fluctuations, with four periods of high (8.4–7.9, 7.0–5.9, 5.1–4.1, and 2.3–1.4 cal kyr BP) and four of low (?8.4, 7.9–7.0, 5.9–5.1, and 4.1–2.3 cal kyr BP) SST. Thus, each SST cycle lasted 1.0–2.0 kyr, and the amplitude of fluctuation was about 1.5–2.0 °C. Total organic carbon (TOC) and C₃₇ alkenone contents, and the TOC/total nitrogen ratio indicate that marine biogenic production was low before 7.0 cal kyr BP, but was clearly increased between 5.9 and 4.0 cal kyr BP, because of stronger vertical mixing. During the period when the community at the site prospered (between 5.9 and 4.2 ± 0.1 cal kyr BP), the terrestrial climate was relatively warm. The high relative abundance of pollen of both Castanea and Quercus subgen. Cyclobalanopsis supports the interpretation that the local climate was optimal for human habitation. Between 5.9 and 5.1 cal kyr BP, in spite of warm terrestrial climates, the C₃₇ alkenone SST was low; this apparent discrepancy may be attributed to the water column structure in the Tsugaru Strait, which differed from the modern condition. The evidence suggests that at about 5.9 cal kyr B.P, high productivity of marine resources such as fish and shellfish and a warm terrestrial climate led to the establishment of a human community at the Sannai-Maruyama site. Then, at about 4.1 ± 0.1 cal kyr BP, abrupt marine and terrestrial cooling, indicated by a decrease of about 2 °C in the C₃₇ alkenone SST and an increase in the pollen of taxa of cooler climates, led to a reduced terrestrial food supply, causing the people to abandon the site. The timing of the abandonment is consistent with the timing (around 4.0–4.3 cal kyr BP) of the decline of civilizations in north Mesopotamia and along the Yangtze River. These findings suggest that a temperature rise of ～2 °C in this century as a result of global warming could have a great impact on the human community and especially on agriculture, despite the advances of contemporary society.     

Culture-dependent and independent analyses of subsurface microbial communities in oil-bearing strata of the Sagara oil reservoir

Abstract   Culture-dependent and independent methods were used to evaluate the microbial communities in cores collected at depths up to 200 m in oil-bearing and oil-free strata near the Sagara oil reservoir near Shizuoka, Japan. Direct microbial counts revealed much higher numbers (2.2 × 10⁴−7.9 × 10⁶/g) of microbes in the oil-bearing strata than in the oil-free zones, where counts were uniform at approximately 1.0 × 10⁴/g. Molecular taxonomic analyses via 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons showed that the oil-free strata were dominated by members of the γ-Proteobacteria including Pseudomonas , Stenotrophomonas and Sphingomonas , whereas the oil-bearing strata were dominated by a single species closely related to Pseudomonas stutzeri . All archaeal clones were phylogenetically affiliated with the uncultured soil group in Crenarchaeota with the exception of a single phylotype that belonged to the genus Thermococcus . Culture-dependent analysis was carried out by most-probable-number culturing as well as direct plating to determine viable cell counts, using both complex organic substrates or native oil and autotrophic media. Both culture-dependent and independent methods revealed the abundant cultivable member was the aerobic oil-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri and neither autotrophs nor anaerobic heterotrophs could be detected in the oil-bearing strata.     

Photoelectric photometry of the RS CVn binary EI Eridani = HD 26337

DifferentialUBV(RI) _KC andUBVRI photometry of the RS CVn binary EI Eridani obtained during December 1987 and January 1988 at fourteen different observatories is presented. A combined visual bandpass light curve, corrected for systematic errors of different observatories, utilizes the photometric period of 1.945 days to produce useful results. Analysis shows the visual light curve to have twin maxima, separated by about 0.4 phase, and a full amplitude of approximately 0.06 mag for the period of observation, a smaller amplitude than reported in the past. The decrease in amplitude may be due to a decrease or homogenization of spot coverage. To fit the asymmetrical light curve, a starspot model would have to employ at least two spotted regions separated in longitude.     

Damage assessment after 2001 Gujarat earthquake using Landsat-7 satellite images

In this paper, we present a method of earthquake damage detection by comparing the optical images with panchromatic bands for the Gujarat, India earthquake, which occurred on January 26, 2001. The data used in this study are optical remote sensing images taken by Landsat-7 satellite on January 8 and February 29, 2001, before and after the earthquake. We have investigated the pre and post-earthquake satellite images calculating the differences in the reflection intensity (digital number) of the two images. The estimated affected area has been subtracted on a pixel unit based on the obtained frequency distributions of the differences in the optical sensor values, which show significant changes in the reflectance due to the earthquake disaster. We have investigated the accuracy of our analysis result using a classification method for the training areas with aerial photographs taken after the earthquake. The two damage detection methods show a very similar result.     

Estimation of strong motion distribution in the 1995 Kobe earthquake based on building damage data

The 1995 Kobe earthquake caused unprecedented damage to buildings and civil infrastructures in the city of Kobe and its surrounding areas. In order to evaluate the structural damage in this area due to the earthquake, it is important to estimate the distribution of earthquake ground motion. However, since the number of strong ground motion records is not enough in the heavily damaged areas, it is necessary to estimate the distribution using other data sources. In this paper, the fragility curves for low‐rise residential buildings were constructed using the recorded motions and the building damage data from the intensive field survey by the AIJ and CPIJ group. The fragility curves obtained were then employed to estimate the strong motion distribution in the district level for Kobe and the surrounding areas during the earthquake. The results may be useful to investigate the various damages caused by the earthquake. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Correlation of JMA instrumental seismic intensity with strong motion parameters

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) seismic intensity (I_JMA) has been used as a measure of strong shaking for many years in Japan, and it necessitates to know the correlation between the JMA seismic intensity and other strong motion indices, e.g. Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), Peak Ground Velocity (PGV), and Spectrum Intensity (SI). In this study, two strong motion data sets were selected; in which, the first set consists of 879 three‐components non‐liquefied records selected from 13 major earthquake events that occurred in Japan, the United States, and Taiwan, and the second set consists of 17 liquefied records selected from 7 major earthquake events that occurred in Japan and the United States. The JMA seismic intensity and other ground motion indices were calculated using the selected data sets. The relationships between the JMA seismic intensity and PGA, PGV, and SI were then derived performing a two‐stage linear regression analysis. Results from the analysis show that the JMA instrumental seismic intensity shows higher correlation with SI than PGA or PGV, and it shows the highest correlation with the parameters such as the combination of PGA and SI or the product of PGA and SI. The obtained relationships are also compared with the ones obtained by other studies, which may be useful for the disaster management agencies in Japan and deployment of new SI‐sensors that monitor both PGA and SI. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Active fault traces along Bhuj Fault and Katrol Hill Fault, and trenching survey at Wandhay, Kachchh, Gujarat, India

Several new active fault traces were identified along Katrol Hill Fault (KHF). A new fault (named as Bhuj Fault, BF) that extends into the Bhuj Plain was also identified. These fault traces were identified based on satellite photo interpretation and field survey. Trenches were excavated to identify the paleoseismic events, pattern of faulting and the nature of deformation. New active fault traces were recognized about 1km north of the topographic boundary between the Katrol Hill and the plain area. The fault exposure along the left bank of Khari River with 10m wide shear zone in the Mesozoic rocks and showing displacement of the overlying Quaternary deposits is indicative of continued tectonic activity along the ancient fault. The E-W trending active fault traces along the KHF in the western part changes to NE-SW or ENE-WSW near Wandhay village. Trenching survey across a low scarp near Wandhay village reveals three major fault strands F1, F2, and F3. These fault strands displaced the older terrace deposits comprising Sand, Silt and Gravel units along with overlying younger deposits from units 1 to 5 made of gravel, sand and silt. Stratigraphic relationship indicates at least three large magnitude earthquakes along KHF during Late Holocene or recent historic past.     

内蒙古苏尼特地下水氟污染形成机理研究

为了研究内蒙古苏尼特地区地下水氟污染机理,本文运用水文地球化学分类方法,从水文地质、水化学特征两方面研究其地下水的水质特征、氟的起源、分布规律及污染形成机理。研究结果发现:高氟地下水的主要水质类型为HCO3—Na型,pH值在7.08～9.38之间,氟浓度与井深有关,即井越浅,氟浓度越高;地下水中氟浓度最高达14.78mg/L,5～9月地下水氟浓度相对增长率在7.8～23.1之间;F-浓度与Li+、Br-相关系数达0.89和0.82,受断层影响的深层地下水中F-浓度几乎与Li+、Br-没有相关关系,这暗示着氟来源于浅部,并受到强烈的蒸发作用影响而使水中的氟浓缩;地质调查发现该地区还有数个萤石矿存在,显微镜分析结果证实表层土壤中普遍存在CaF2,地下水中的氟来自CaF2。高氟地下水存在于潜水层,深部含水层的地下水可供开采。从断层带涌出的水对潜水层有稀释作用。     

Seismic microzonation of the greater Bangkok area using microtremor observations

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is located at a remote distance from seismic sources. However, it has a substantial risk from these distant earthquakes due to the ability of the underlying soft clay to amplify ground motions. It is therefore imperative to conduct a detailed seismic hazard assessment of the area. Seismic microzonation of big cities, like Bangkok, provides a basis for site‐specific hazard analysis, which can assist in systematic earthquake mitigation programs. In this study, a seismic microzonation map for the greater Bangkok area is constructed using microtremor observations. Microtremor observations were carried out at more than 150 sites in the greater Bangkok area. The predominant periods of the ground were determined from the horizontal‐to‐vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique. A microzonation map was then developed for the greater Bangkok area based on the observations. Moreover, the transfer functions were calculated for the soil profile at eight sites, using the computer program SHAKE91, to validate the results from the microtremor analysis. The areas near the Gulf of Thailand, underlaid by a thick soft clay layer, were found to have long natural periods ranging from 0.8s to 1.2s. However, the areas outside the lower central plain have shorter predominant periods of less than 0.4s. The study shows that there is a great possibility of long‐period ground vibration in Bangkok, especially in the areas near the Gulf of Thailand. This may have severe effects on long‐period structures, such as high‐rise buildings and long‐span bridges. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.