An Early Investigation Of The Striated Tail Of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

The Sekanina-Farrell particle fragmentation model for the striated tails of dust comets is successfully applied to two images of comet Hale-Bopp to study the motions of 12 striae in a time span of March 12–15, 1997. There is evidence for recurring outbursts with a periodicity of 11^h21^m, consistent with results based on analysis of dust jets. The ejecta in all the striae appear to have been released from one source on the nucleus between the end of January and the second half of February 1997, some 60 to 40 days before perihelion. The parent particles were subjected to a radiation pressure acceleration of β_p ≃ 0.55 and their fragmentation lifetimes in 11 of the 12 striae were practically constant and equal to 13–15 days, when normalized to 1 AU from the Sun. Brief analysis of Watanabe et al.'s measurements of striae on their images from March 5–9, 1997 shows even shorter fragmentation lifetimes for the parent particles, mostly about 7–11 days at1 AU. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Water and power networks and urban fragmentation in Los Angeles: Rethinking assumed mechanisms

Los Angeles is often described as the epitome of urban fragmentation, a notion which in this context is frequently connected to, or even conflated with urban sprawl. At the same time, the city features integrated water and power networks which have been under public ownership for over 70 years. We thus have an apparent paradox in the context of the debate on ‘splintering urbanism’, between socio-spatial fragmentation and the integration of networks. In discussing the idea that deregulation of infrastructural networks exacerbates urban fragmentation, the authors use the case of Los Angeles in order to highlight the central role of private interests in management decisions concerning infrastructure networks. The authors carry out their analysis in an historical perspective, revealing that network integration and universal access can often serve private interests more than the public good. Urban fragmentation in Los Angeles, they conclude, is the result of a complex process of instrumentalisation of network development and management.     

海南岛海岸环境特征

海南岛虱热带季风岛屿型气候，为南海大陆架岛屿，中央为山地，临海为多种类型海岸，以处于动态平衡的海蚀-海积型海岸为主。海南岛主要是基岩岬湾海岸，潮汐属日潮型，东部与南部为不规则日潮混合潮。海岸构造运动与气候变化的双重影响，更新世初期，海岸属基岩港湾型，晚更新世构造运动频敏，使不少海湾底部抬升为阶地。构造抬升运动持续到全新世，使一些珊瑚抬升为高出海面数米的阶地。海岸类型按其成因与形态可分为两大类：基岩港湾海岸与砂砾质平原海岸。基岩港湾海岸分布于山地与丘陵临海处，砂砾质平原海岸（或为三解洲平原海岸）其表现形式多为沙坝与泻湖海岸，沙坝上叠置发育着海滩、沙堤或沙丘，随着海岸加积展宽或地壳上升，老的沙坝可抬高成为海积阶地。潮流作用对洪湾众多的海南岛的发育演变以及开发利用亦有重要作用。潮汐汊道港湾规模较大，水域面积达数十平方公理。     

Timing effects on the fragmentation of small scale blocks of granodiorite

A series of small scale tests, simulating multi-hole blasts have been performed to establish the effect of delays on blast fragmentation. The blasts were performed in high quality granodiorite blocks, which were cut from stone prepared by dimensional stone quarry operations. The pattern used was equilateral triangular, with a distance of 10.2 cm between boreholes, which had a diameter of 11 mm, were loaded with detonating cord and the coupling medium was water. The delays used were achieved using different lengths of detonating cord for the cases of delays between 0 and 100 μs between holes and a sequential blasting machine firing seismic detonators for larger delays up to 4 ms. All fragments were collected and screened. The experiments showed that the worst fragmentation was achieved with simultaneous initiation of all charges. Fragmentation improved with the delay time between holes up to 1 ms between holes. If the experiments are scaled up, the results show that in granodiorite, fragmentation optimization requires delays of few milliseconds per metre of burden. The findings, agree with previously published work, involving larger scale experiments and other rock types.     

A Practical Procedure for the Measurement of Fragmentation by Blasting by Image Analysis

Summary. The operation of a digital image analysis system in a limestone quarry is described. The calibration of the system, required in order to obtain moderately reliable fragmentation values, is done from muckpile sieving data by tuning the image analysis software settings so that the fragmentation curve obtained matches as close as possible the sieving. The sieving data have also been used to extend the fragment size distribution curves measured to sizes below the system’s optical resolution and to process the results in terms of fragmented rock, discounting the material coming from a loose overburden (natural fines) that is cast together with the fragmented rock. Automatic and manual operation modes of the image analysis are compared. The total fragmentation of a blast is obtained from the analysis of twenty photographs; a criterion for the elimination of outlier photographs has been adopted using a robust statistic. The limitations of the measurement system due to sampling, image processing and fines corrections are discussed and the errors estimated whenever possible. An analysis of consistency of the results based on the known amount of natural fines is made. Blasts with large differences in the amount of fines require a differentiated treatment, as the fine sizes tend to be the more underestimated in the image analysis as they become more abundant; this has been accomplished by means of a variable fines adjustment factor. Despite of the unavoidable errors and the large dispersion always associated with large-scale rock blasting data, the system is sensitive to relative changes in fragmentation.     

Propriétés fractales de la fragmentation et processus stochastiques de fracturation : approche géométrique 3D à l'aide du modèle ObsifracFractal properties of fragmentation and stochastic fracturing processes: geometrical 3D approach by OBSIFRAC model

A numerical rock fragmentation model was elaborated, producing a 3D puzzle of convex polyhedra, geometrically described in a database. In the first scenario, a constant proportion of blocks are fragmented at each step of the process and leads to fractal distribution. In the second scenario, division affects one random block at each stage of the process, and produces a Weibull volume distribution law. Imposing a minimal distance between the fractures, the third scenario reveals a power law. The inhibition of new fractures in the neighbourhood of existing discontinuities could be responsible for fractal properties in rock mass fragmentation. To cite this article: L. Empereur-Mot, T. Villemin, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 127–133.     

福建省海岸基岩节理的分形性质及其与宏观断裂系的关系

该文以福建省福州市海岸基岩为例，通过野外实地勘测与室内分析相结合的研究方法，探讨了海岸基岩节理的分形性质及其与福建省宏观断裂系的相互关系。得到的基本结论为：第一，研究区节理与宏观断裂系的分形性质是客观存在的；第二，研究区节理与宏观断裂系在方向上存在着一定的响应关系；第三，研究区10^-2～10^-1m尺度的节理与福建省10^3～10^4m尺寸的断裂系存在一定的相似性。     

采用环境同位素方法研究北江大堤石角段基岩渗漏通道

论述了采用环境同位素与人工示踪的方法探测北江大堤石角段频发"管涌"的原因,通过对洪水期间不同区域层位的稳定同位素δD(‰)与δ18O(‰)的分析确定了地面涌水的来源,结合孔中的人工示踪方法,最终确定出北江大堤石角段的"管涌"来自基岩断裂强渗漏通道,为下一步的加固工程提供了重要的科学依据。     

Characterisation of the 1997 Vulcanian explosions of Soufrière Hills Volcano,Montserrat, by video analysis

The activity of Convention at Montserrat Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, during the period 1995–1999 included numerous violent explosions. Two major cycles of Vulcanian explosions occurred in 1997: a first of 13 explosions between 4 and 12 August and a second of 75 between 22 September and 21 October. The explosions were short-lived events lasting a few tens of seconds during which partial fountain collapse generated pyroclastic surges and pyroclastic flows, and buoyant plumes ascended 3–15 km into the atmosphere. Each explosion discharged on average 3×10⁵ m³ (dense-rock equivalent, DRE) of magma, draining the conduit to depths of 1–2 km. The paper focuses on the first few seconds of three explosions of the 75 that occurred in September/October 1997: 6 October 1997 at 17:50, 7 October 1997 at 16:02 and 9 October 1997 at 12:32. Physical parameters such as exit velocities, magmatic water contents and magma pressures at fragmentation are estimated by following and modelling the ascent of individual momentum-dominated finger jets visible on videos during the initial stages of each explosion. The model treats each finger jet as an incompressible flow sustained by a steady flux of gas and particles during the few seconds of ascent, and produces results that compare favourably with those using a multiphase compressible code run using similar eruptive parameters. Each explosion reveals a progressive increase in eruptive intensity with time, jet exit velocities increasing from 40 m s^–1 at the beginning of the explosion up to 140 m s^–1 after a few seconds. Modelling suggests that the first magma to exit was largely degassed, whereas that discharged after a few seconds contained up to 2 wt% water. Magma overpressures up to ~10 MPa are estimated to have existed in the conduit immediately prior to each explosion. Progressive increases in jet exit velocity with time over the first few seconds of each explosion provide direct evidence for strong pre-eruptive gradients in water content and magma pressure in the upper reaches (probably 100–500 m) of the conduit. Fountain collapse occurred during the first 10–20 s of each explosion because the discharging jets had bulk densities up to 100 times that of the atmosphere and were unable to entrain enough air to become buoyant. Such high eruptive densities were due to the presence of partially degassed magma in the conduit.Editorial responsibility: A. Woods