The Agulhas Ridge, South Atlantic: The Peculiar Structure of a Fracture Zone

The Agulhas Ridge is a prominent topographic feature that parallels the Agulhas-Falkland Fracture Zone (AFFZ). Seismic reflection and wide angle/refraction data have led to the classification of this feature as a transverse ridge. Changes in spreading rate and direction associated with ridge jumps, combined with asymmetric spreading within the Agulhas Basin, modified the stress field across the fracture zone. Moreover, passing the Agulhas Ridge’s location between 80 and 69 Ma, the Bouvet and Shona Hotspots may have supplied excess material to this part of the AFFZ thus altering the ridge’s structure. The low crustal velocities and overthickened crust of the northern Agulhas Ridge segment indicate a possible continental affinity that suggests it may be formed by a small continental sliver, which was severed off the Maurice Ewing Bank during the opening of the South Atlantic. In early Oligocene times the Agulhas Ridge was tectono-magmatically reactivated, as documented by the presence of basement highs disturbing and disrupting the sedimentary column in the Cape Basin. We consider the Discovery Hotspot, which distributes plume material southwards across the AAFZ, as a source for the magmatic material.     

Oil and gas resource assessment: The linkage between geological analysis and discovery process model results

Two widely-used techniques to estimate the volume of remaining oil and gas resources are discovery process modeling and geologic assessment. Both were used in a recent national assessment of oil and gas resources of the United States. Parallel estimates were obtained for 27 provinces. Geological-based estimates can typically see into areas not available to discovery process models (that is areas with little or no exploration history) and thus, on average, yield higher estimates. However, a linear relation does exist between the mean estimates obtained from these two methods. In addition, other variables were found in a multiple regression model that explained much of the difference. Thus, it is possible to perform discovery process modeling and adjust the estimates to yield results that might be expected from geological-based assessments.     

马来半岛地区New Discovery金矿地球化学特征及意义

本文对马来半岛中央金成矿带北段的New Discovery金矿地球化学特征进行了分析。主要得出:主量元素特征表明该矿床火山碎屑岩为钙碱性铝过饱和系列岩石。微量元素表明可将13种元素分成4个组合:Cr、Co、Cu、Sc、W、Ba;Pb、Ag、Zn;Sb、Ni;Bi、Mo。第一组合为成矿成晕组合,第二组合为多金属矿化组合,第三组合为硫化物蚀变组合;元素组合也对应于不同的矿化阶段。稀土元素分析结果表明,该岩石属轻稀土富集型,铕弱负异常。稀土配分曲线为平缓的右倾。New Discovery金矿床的原岩为中性火山岩,且形成于岛弧——活动大陆边缘区域。     

Scleractinian coral population size structures and growth rates indicate coral resilience on the fringing reefs of North Jamaica

Coral reefs throughout the world are under severe challenges from many environmental factors. This paper quantifies the size structure of populations and the growth rates of corals from 2000 to 2008 to test whether the Discovery Bay coral colonies showed resilience in the face of multiple acute stressors of hurricanes and bleaching. There was a reduction in numbers of colonies in the smallest size class for all the species at all the sites in 2006, after the mass bleaching of 2005, with subsequent increases for all species at all sites in 2007 and 2008. Radial growth rates (mm yr⁻¹) of non-branching corals and linear extension rates (mm yr⁻¹) of branching corals calculated on an annual basis from 2000–2008 showed few significant differences either spatially or temporally. At Dairy Bull reef, live coral cover increased from 13 ± 5% in 2006 to 20 ± 9% in 2007 and 31 ± 7% in 2008, while live Acropora species increased from 2 ± 2% in 2006 to 10 ± 4% in 2007 and 22 ± 7% in 2008. These studies indicate good levels of coral resilience on the fringing reefs around Discovery Bay in Jamaica.     

GEOCAB Portal: A gateway for discovering and accessing capacity building resources in Earth Observation

The discovery of and access to capacity building resources are often essential to conduct environmental projects based on Earth Observation (EO) resources, whether they are Earth Observation products, methodological tools, techniques, organizations that impart training in these techniques or even projects that have shown practical achievements. Recognizing this opportunity and need, the European Commission through two FP7 projects jointly with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) teamed up with the Committee on Earth observation Satellites (CEOS). The Global Earth Observation CApacity Building (GEOCAB) portal aims at compiling all current capacity building efforts on the use of EO data for societal benefits into an easily updateable and user-friendly portal. GEOCAB offers a faceted search to improve user discovery experience with a fully interactive world map with all inventoried projects and activities. This paper focuses on the conceptual framework used to implement the underlying platform. An ISO19115 metadata model associated with a terminological repository are the core elements that provide a semantic search application and an interoperable discovery service. The organization and the contribution of different user communities to ensure the management and the update of the content of GEOCAB are addressed.     

EURONEAR—Recovery, follow-up and discovery of NEAs and MBAs using large field 1–2 m telescopes

We report on the follow-up and recovery of 100 program NEAs, PHAs and VIs using the ESO/MPG 2.2 m, Swope 1 m and INT 2.5 m telescopes equipped with large field cameras. The 127 fields observed during 11 nights covered 29 square degrees. Using these data, we present the incidental survey work which includes 558 known MBAs and 628 unknown moving objects mostly consistent with MBAs from which 58 objects became official discoveries. We planned the runs using six criteria and four servers which focus mostly on faint and poorly observed objects in need of confirmation, follow-up and recovery. We followed 62 faint NEAs within one month after discovery and we recovered 10 faint NEAs having big uncertainties at their second or later opposition. Using the INT we eliminated four PHA candidates and VIs. We observed in total 1286 moving objects and we reported more than 10,000 positions. All data were reduced by the members of our network in a team effort, and reported promptly to the MPC. The positions of the program NEAs were published in 27 MPC and MPEC references and used to improve their orbits. The O−C residuals for known MBAs and program NEAs are smallest for the ESO/MPG and Swope and about four times larger for the INT whose field is more distorted. For the astrometric reduction, the UCAC-2 catalog is recommended instead of USNO-B1. The incidental survey allowed us to study statistics of the MBA and NEA populations observable today with 1–2 m facilities. We calculate preliminary orbits for all unknown objects, classifying them as official discoveries, later identifications and unknown outstanding objects. The orbital elements a, e, i calculated by FIND_ORB software for the official discoveries and later identified objects are very similar with the published elements which take into account longer observational arcs; thus preliminary orbits were used in statistics for the whole unknown dataset. We present a basic model which can be used to distinguish between MBAs and potential NEAs in any sky survey. Based on three evaluation methods, most of our unknown objects are consistent with MBAs, while up to 16 unknown objects could represent NEO candidates and four represent our best NEO candidates. We assessed the observability of the unknown MBA and NEA populations using 1 and 2 m surveys. Employing a 1 m facility, one can observe today fewer unknown objects than known MBAs and very few new NEOs. Using a 2 m facility, a slightly larger number of unknown than known asteroids could be detected in the main belt. Between 0.1 and 0.8 new NEO candidates per square degree could be discovered using a 2 m telescope.     

云南双江白水河金矿成矿地质特征

白水河金矿属断裂构造控制的热液蚀变型金矿床,金矿体产于新元古界澜沧群变质岩区多期断裂的次级分支断裂破碎带内。沿构造带有辉绿岩脉、石英斑岩脉、煌斑岩脉侵入,首次在临沧地区新元古界澜沧群变质岩区找到金矿。     

Inspirations from IODP Expedition 361

International Ocean Discovery Program, or present IODP that has been evolved from the early Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is one of the international ocean drilling and exploration programs originated from USA. IODP 361 cruse supported by JOIDES Resolution is characterized of high maneuverability, high tectonic integrity, high comprehensive disciplinary, information aggregation, international researcher gathering, global study targeting, quantity study production, isolated close working environments and huge investment, which is one of the most important international cooperation platforms of the geosciences, especially global changes. It is also one of the super powerful engines not only guiding but also pushing the study on global change via exploring the records of ocean evolution, and also the fountainhead to understand the processes and mechanism of the global changes. As one the main members of the IODP, China is not only participating the activities and scientific researches of IODP, but also needs to improve the capabilities to monitor the ocean and establish our own facilities, laboratories and research centers. These are not only very important for the global research and the future development, but also crucial for the preservation of the ocean environment. Leaning and mastering mature operation models from the JOIDES Resolution, using the experience of IODP management for reference may benefit our research work and yield twice the result with half the effort.     

柴达木盆地北缘麻粒岩的发现及地质特征

在柴达木盆地北缘东段,首次从古元古代达肯大坂岩群中发现太古宙麻粒岩,并取得3450Ma Sm-Nd等时线同位素年龄。该麻粒岩以包体产出于元古代变质侵入体中,原岩为拉斑玄武质岩石,其形成于大洋岛弧构造环境,经高温高压麻粒岩相变质作用形成。     

遥感监测子系统在国土资源信息系统中的应用研究

详细介绍了遥感监测子系统的构成和一般技术流程,对比介绍了目前我国遥感监测自动发现的方法和研究情况,并提出一种新的影像变化信息自动发现的方法--小波系数差值法.最后针对我国现阶段遥感监测主要存在的问题,提出了相应的解决方案.