Practical VTI approximations: a systematic anatomy

Transverse isotropy (TI) with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) often provides an appropriate earth model for prestack imaging of steep-dip reflection seismic data. Exact P-wave and SV-wave phase velocities in VTI media are described by complicated equations requiring four independent parameters. Estimating appropriate multiparameter earth models can be difficult and time-consuming, so it is often useful to replace the exact VTI equations with simpler approximations requiring fewer parameters. The accuracy limits of different previously published VTI approximations are not always clear, nor is it always obvious how these different approximations relate to each other. Here I present a systematic framework for deriving a variety of useful VTI approximations. I develop first a sequence of well-defined approximations to the exact P-wave and SV-wave phase velocities. In doing so, I show how the useful but physically questionable heuristic of setting shear velocities identically to zero can be replaced with a more precise and quantifiable approximation. The key here to deriving accurate approximations is to replace the stiffness a₁₃ with an appropriate factorization in terms of velocity parameters. Two different specific parameter choices lead to the P-wave approximations of Alkhalifah (Geophysics 63 (1998) 623) and Schoenberg and de Hoop (Geophysics 65 (2000) 919), but there are actually an infinite number of reasonable parametrizations possible. Further approximations then lead to a variety of other useful phase velocity expressions, including those of Thomsen (Geophysics 51 (1986) 1954), Dellinger et al. (Journal of Seismic Exploration 2 (1993) 23), Harlan (Stanford Exploration Project Report 89 (1995) 145), and Stopin (Stopin, A., 2001. Comparison of v(θ) equations in TI medium. 9th International Workshop on Seismic Anisotropy). Each P-wave phase velocity approximation derived this way can be paired naturally with a corresponding SV-wave approximation. Each P-wave or SV-wave phase velocity approximation can then be converted into an equivalent dispersion relation in terms of horizontal and vertical slownesses. A simple heuristic substitution also allows each phase velocity approximation to be converted into an explicit group velocity approximation. From these, in turn, travel time or moveout approximations can also be derived. The group velocity and travel time approximations derived this way include ones previously used by Byun et al. (Geophysics 54 (1989) 1564), Dellinger et al. (Journal of Seismic Exploration 2 (1993) 23), Tsvankin and Thomsen (Geophysics 59 (1994) 1290), Harlan (89 (1995) 145), and Zhang and Uren (Zhang, F. and Uren, N., 2001. Approximate explicit ray velocity functions and travel times for P-waves in TI media. 71st Annual International Meeting, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Expanded Abstracts, 106–109).     

西藏南部郎杰学群碎屑物质来源的古水流证据

新近对西藏山南琼果和贡嘎地区(特提斯喜马拉雅北亚带)弱变质的上三叠统深海—半深海沉积地层——郎杰学群地质填图调查,在出露槽模沉积构造的37个古水流点获得了43组数据。赤平投影数据恢复后发现,这一地区主力古水流有南东140°～160°和南西190°～210°两个方向。这一分析结果为郎杰学群沉积物来自北边(未知块体)而非印度次大陆的观点提供了有力证据。     

燕山地区中元古代常州沟组潜穴化石

在燕山地区中元古代常州沟组中发育有大量的潜穴化石，潜穴产于常州沟组中部的泥质粉砂岩中。潜穴呈个体较大的直管状，垂直层面保存。这是我国迄今为止发现的最古老的遗迹化石，表明在距今近1800Ma前就已出现古老的后生动物，这对于研究后生动物的起源及演化具有重要意义。     

华北燕山裂陷槽中元古代的深水沉积

对燕山沉降带中元古代的沉积相，有关学者大多定位于以滨海－浅海相为主体。根据在冀北地区的研究，于中元古代团山子组、高于庄组、杨庄组、雾迷山组、洪水庄组和铁岭组中发现大量深水沉积，主要有硅质页岩、含锰页岩、深水浊积岩及各种碳酸盐岩溶解相的系列沉积等。这对于深入研究燕山裂陷槽发展演化具有重要意义。     

Application of visual,statistical and artificial neural network methods in the differentiation of water from the exploited aquifers in Kuwait

The ability of artificial neural network to differentiate water samples from the two aquifers of Kuwait on the basis of their major ion chemistry has been demonstrated. The major ion concentration distribution in the groundwater of the Kuwait Group and the Dammam Formation aquifers of Kuwait appears very similar. Cross-plots, supported by the discriminant function analysis of the data, however, suggest that there are some subtle differences in the overall composition of the water from the two aquifers that make it possible to differentiate the water from the two aquifers in almost 80% of the cases. An artificial neural network improved the differentiation capability to 90% of the cases. It is also possible to estimate the fraction of Kuwait Group water in the flow stream of dually completed wells with the help of an artificial neural network developed for this purpose. Electronic Publication     

大别山北麓梅山群中韧性剪切带变形特征及形成机制

梅山群为分布于北淮阳地区位于佛子岭群之下、逆掩于晚泥盆世—石炭纪杨山煤系和中侏罗统红层之上的一套中—浅变质岩系，在其中、上部发育ＮＷ走向的韧性剪切带，产状与区域片理一致。对韧性剪切带及其变形岩石———糜棱岩的宏微观构造研究表明，韧性剪切变形发生于区域变质岩形成之后，具有右旋剪切的运动特点，反映大别山地块向北仰冲过程中所派生的侧向滑移作用     

滇中昆阳群火成碳酸岩的发现及其意义

在武定西矿带发现的已大理岩化的滇中昆阳群（Pt2k)火成碳酸岩富含钠长石、更长石、金云母、黑云母等硅酸盐矿物，发育火成结构构造，如斑状结构、隐晶结构，流纹构造、带状构造、气孔、杏仁构造等，与沉积围岩相比，岩石高Si、Al、Fe、Mg、Mn、P，富K2O Na2O，低钙，轻稀土富集，富含Nb、Zr、Hr、U、Th、Sr、Ba、稀土等不相容元素，与粗面质、粗安质等碱性硅酸盐岩共生。（铁）白云石（＞５０％）内，含有粗面南、碳酸质熔融包裹体；流体包裹体均一温度可达４５０℃以上。其发现证明滇中元古代曾有碳酸质岩浆活动。     

栖霞金矿床成矿流体地球化学研究

栖霞金矿床是胶东地区产在变质岩中的石英脉型金矿床较典型的代表。该矿床属中低温热液矿床，成矿流体的盐度较低，气相成分以Ｈ２Ｏ，ＣＯ２为主；液相成分中Ｎａ＾＋，Ｃａ＾２＋和Ｃｌ＾－的含量料高，相对贫Ｋ＾＋和Ｆ＾－，流体的成分与大气降水热液的相类似。     

扬子克拉通北缘中、新元古代洋壳俯冲及壳幔再循环作用的同位素地球化学证据

报道和总结了近期陕西汉中碑坝和西乡地区重要地质体系统同位素年代研究成果，在重新厘定的年代学基础上，就扬子克拉通北缘同位素特征及其地质意义进行剖析，依据该区岩浆作用的上地幔源区性质及演化规律，提出了中、新元古代扬子克拉通北缘存在与现代板块运动类似的洋壳俯冲和壳幔再循环作用的同位素地球化学证据     

华北板块南缘栾川群研究

栾川群出露于东秦岭北部。在栾川群分布区域，古华北板块不同时代的地层往南逆冲，构成北秦岭的太华推覆体。栾川群存在于该推覆体内部的特定逆冲岩席之中，沿这一逆冲岩席追索，确定古华北板块南缘的栾川群是连续沉积的，而受后期推覆构造的改造，栾川群在推覆体前缘的分布是断续相连的。根据地层之间的接触关系、岩浆活动、沉积作用的研究，对栾川群的划分提出了新的看法，认为栾川群由三川组、南泥湖组、煤窑沟组及大红口组构成。栾川群形成于震旦纪晚期，由湖坪及潮下斜坡等滨浅海沉积物构成。栾川群的岩浆岩为具双众数特征的岩套，具典型的大陆裂谷岩浆岩特征。并认为中元古代以来，古华北板块南缘处于裂陷拉张环境。早期的裂陷形成了熊耳群、汝阳群、官道口群及竞坪群，晚期裂陷的过程形成了栾川群、陶湾群，其进一步发育导致以二郎坪群为代表的洋壳生成。