Physics and Seismic Modeling for Monitoring CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Storage

We present a new petro-elastical and numerical-simulation methodology to compute synthetic seismograms for reservoirs subject to CO₂ sequestration. The petro-elastical equations model the seismic properties of reservoir rocks saturated with CO₂, methane, oil and brine. The gas properties are obtained from the van der Waals equation and we take into account the absorption of gas by oil and brine, as a function of the in situ pore pressure and temperature. The dry-rock bulk and shear moduli can be obtained either by calibration from real data or by using rock-physics models based on the Hertz-Mindlin and Hashin-Shtrikman theories. Mesoscopic attenuation due to fluids effects is quantified by using White's model of patchy saturation, and the wet-rock velocities are calculated with Gassmann equations by using an effective fluid modulus to describe the velocities predicted by White's model. The simulations are performed with a poro-viscoelastic modeling code based on Biot's theory, where viscoelasticity is described by generalizing the solid/fluid coupling modulus to a relaxation function. Using the pseudo-spectral method, which allows general material variability, a complete and accurate characterization of the reservoir can be obtained. A simulation, that considers the Utsira sand of the North Sea, illustrates the methodology.     

Diffuse CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> degassing at Vesuvio,Italy

At Vesuvio, a significant fraction of the rising hydrothermal–volcanic fluids is subjected to a condensation and separation process producing a CO₂–rich gas phase, mainly expulsed through soil diffuse degassing from well defined areas called diffuse degassing structures (DDS), and a liquid phase that flows towards the outer part of the volcanic cone. A large amount of thermal energy is associated with the steam condensation process and subsequent cooling of the liquid phase. The total amount of volcanic–hydrothermal CO₂ discharged through diffuse degassing has been computed through a sequential Gaussian simulation (sGs) approach based on several hundred accumulation chamber measurements and, at the time of the survey, amounted to 151 t d^–1. The steam associated with the CO₂ output, computed assuming that the original H₂O/CO₂ ratio of hydrothermal fluids is preserved in fumarolic effluents, is 553 t d^–1, and the energy produced by the steam condensation and cooling of the liquid phase is 1.47×10¹² J d^–1 (17 MW). The location of the CO₂ and temperature anomalies show that most of the gas is discharged from the inner part of the crater and suggests that crater morphology and local stratigraphy exert strong control on CO₂ degassing and subsurface steam condensation. The amounts of gas and energy released by Vesuvio are comparable to those released by other volcanic degassing areas of the world and their estimates, through periodic surveys of soil CO₂ flux, can constitute a useful tool to monitor volcanic activity.Editorial responsibility: H. Shinohara     

Uncertainty analysis of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux components in subtropical evergreen coniferous plantation

We present an uncertainty analysis of ecological process parameters and CO₂ flux components (R _eco, NEE and gross ecosystem exchange (GEE)) derived from 3 years’ continuous eddy covariance measurements of CO₂ fluxes at subtropical evergreen coniferous plantation, Qianyanzhou of ChinaFlux. Daily-differencing approach was used to analyze the random error of CO₂ fluxes measurements and bootstrapping method was used to quantify the uncertainties of three CO₂ flux components. In addition, we evaluated different models and optimization methods in influencing estimation of key parameters and CO₂ flux components. The results show that: (1) Random flux error more closely follows a double-exponential (Laplace), rather than a normal (Gaussian) distribution. (2) Different optimization methods result in different estimates of model parameters. Uncertainties of parameters estimated by the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) are lower than those derived from ordinary least square method (OLS). (3) The differences between simulated R_eco, NEE and GEE derived from MLE and those derived from OLS are 12.18% (176 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹), 34.33% (79 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹) and 5.4% (92 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹). However, for a given parameter optimization method, a temperature-dependent model (T_model) and the models derived from a temperature and water-dependent model (TW_model) are 1.31% (17.8 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹), 2.1% (5.7 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹), and 0.26% (4.3 g C·m⁻²·a⁻¹), respectively, which suggested that the optimization methods are more important than the ecological models in influencing uncertainty in estimated carbon fluxes. (4) The relative uncertainty of CO₂ flux derived from OLS is higher than that from MLE, and the uncertainty is related to timescale, that is, the larger the timescale, the smaller the uncertainty. The relative uncertainties of R_eco, NEE and GEE are 4%−8%, 7%−22% and 2%−4% respectively at annual timescale. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30570347), Innovative Research International Partnership Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. CXTD-Z2005-1) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2002CB412502)     

Robust H∞ control for aseismic structures with uncertainties in model parameters

This paper presents a robust H∞ output feedback control approach for structural systems with uncertainties in model parameters by using available acceleration measurements and proposes conditions for the existence of such a robust output feedback controller. The uncertainties of structural stiffness, damping and mass parameters are assumed to be norm-bounded. The proposed control approach is formulated within the framework of linear matrix inequalities, for which existing convex optimization techniques, such as the LMI toolbox in MATLAB, can be used effectively and conveniently. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed robust H∞ strategy, a six-story building was subjected both to the 1940 El Centro earthquake record and to a suddenly applied Kanai-Tajimi filtered white noise random excitation. The results show that the proposed robust H∞ controller provides satisfactory results with or without variation of the structural stiffness, damping and mass parameters.     

Cluster analysis of soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> data from Mt. Etna (Italy) reveals volcanic influences on temporal and spatial patterns of degassing

Soil CO₂ concentration data were collected periodically from July 2001 to June 2005 from sampling site grids in two areas located on the lower flanks of Mt. Etna volcano (Paternò and Zafferana Etnea–Santa Venerina). Cluster analysis was performed on the acquired data in order to identify possible groups of sites where soil degassing could be fed by different sources. In both areas three clusters were recognised, whose average CO₂ concentration values throughout the whole study period remained significantly different from one another. The clusters with the lowest CO₂ concentrations showed time-averaged values ranging from 980 to 1,170 ppm vol, whereas those with intermediate CO₂ concentrations showed time-averaged values ranging from 1,400 to 2,320 ppm vol, and those with the highest concentrations showed time-averaged values between 1,960 and 55,430 ppm vol. We attribute the lowest CO₂ concentrations largely to a biogenic source of CO₂. Conversely, the highest CO₂ concentrations are attributed to a magmatic source, whereas the intermediate values are due to a variable mixing of the two sources described above. The spatial distribution of the CO₂ values related to the magmatic source define a clear direction of anomalous degassing in the Zafferana Etnea–Santa Venerina area, which we attribute to the presence of a hidden fault, whereas in the Paternò area no such oriented anomalies were observed, probably because of the lower permeability of local soil. Time-series analysis shows that most of the variations observed in the soil CO₂ data from both areas were related to changes in the volcanic activity of Mt. Etna. Seasonal influences were only observed in the time patterns of the clusters characterised by low CO₂ concentrations, and no significant interdependence was found between soil CO₂ concentrations and meteorological parameters. The largest observed temporal anomalies are interpreted as release of CO₂ from magma batches that migrated from deeper to shallower portions of Etna’s feeder system. The pattern of occurrence of such episodes of anomalous gas release during the observation period was quite different between the two studied areas. This pattern highlighted an evident change in the mechanism of magma transport and storage within the volcano’s feeder system after June 2003, interpreted as magma accumulation into a shallow (<8 km depth) reservoir.     

Experimental study on N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O and CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> fluxes from the dark coniferous forest zone soil of the Gongga Mountain,China

The static closed chamber technique is used in the study on the CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from the soils of primeval Abies fabri forest, the succession Abies fabri forest and the clear-cut areas of mid-aged Abies fabri forest in the Gongga Mountain from May 1998 to September 1999. The results indicate the following: (i) The forest soil serves as the source of atmospheric N₂O at the three measurement sites, while the fluxes of CH₄ are all negative, and soil is the sink of atmospheric CH₄. The comparative relations of N₂O emissions between the three sites are expressed as primeval Abies fabri forest < clear-cut areas < succession Abies fabri forest, and those of CH₄ consumption fluxes are primeval Abies fabri forest < succession Abies fabri forest < clear-cut areas, (ii) Significant seasonal variations of N₂O emission at various sites were observed, and two emission peaks of N₂O occurr during summer (July—August) and spring (February—March), whereas N₂O emission is relatively low in winter and spring (mid March—April). Seasonal variations of CH₄ consumption at each measurement site fluctuate drastically with unclear regularities. Generally, CH₄ consumption fluxes of succession Abies fabri forest and clear-cut areas are higher from mid May to late July but lower in the rest of sampling time, while the CH₄ flux keeps a relatively high value even up to September in primeval Abies fabri forest. In contrast to primeval Abies fabri forest, the CH₄ absorbabilities of succession Abies fabri forest and clear-cut areas of mid-aged Abies fabri forest are weaker. Particularly, the absorbability of the clear-cut areas is even weaker as compared with the other two sites, for the deforestation reduces the soil absorbability of atmospheric CH₄. (iii) Evident diurnal variation regularity exists in the N₂O emissions of primeval Abies fabri forest, and there is a statistic positive correlation between the fluxes of N₂O and air temperature (R=0.95, n=11, α· 0.01), and also the soil temperature of 5-cm layer (R=0.81, n=11, α> 0.01), whereas the CH₄ diurnal variation regularities are unclear and have no significant correlation with the soil temperature of 5-cm layer and air temperature.     

Soil organic carbon storage and soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux in the alpine meadow ecosystem

High-resolution sampling, measurements of organic carbon contents and ¹⁴C signatures of selected four soil profiles in the Haibei Station situated on the northeast Tibetan Plateau, and application of ¹⁴C tracing technology were conducted in an attempt to investigate the turnover times of soil organic carbon and the soil-CO₂ flux in the alpine meadow ecosystem. The results show that the organic carbon stored in the soils varies from 22.12×10⁴ kg C hm⁻² to 30.75×10⁴ kg C hm⁻² in the alpine meadow ecosystems, with an average of 26.86×10⁴ kg C hm⁻². Turnover times of organic carbon pools increase with depth from 45 a to 73 a in the surface soil horizon to hundreds of years or millennia or even longer at the deep soil horizons in the alpine meadow ecosystems. The soil-CO₂ flux ranges from 103.24 g C m⁻² a⁻¹ to 254.93 gC m⁻² a⁻¹, with an average of 191.23 g C m⁻² a⁻¹. The CO₂ efflux produced from microbial decomposition of organic matter varies from 73.3 g C m⁻² a⁻¹ to 181 g C m⁻² a⁻¹. More than 30% of total soil organic carbon resides in the active carbon pool and 72.8%281.23% of total CO₂ emitted from organic matter decomposition results from the topsoil horizon (from 0 cm to 10 cm) for the Kobresia meadow. Responding to global warming, the storage, volume of flow and fate of the soil organic carbon in the alpine meadow ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau will be changed, which needs further research. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40231015, 40471120 and 40473002) and the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 06300102)     

Characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in surface water of the Bering Abyssal Plain and their effects on carbon cycle in the

Characteristics of the pCO₂ distribution in surface water of the Bering Abyssal Plain and their relationships with the ambient hydrological conditions were discussed using variations of the partial pressure of CO₂ in surface water of the Bering Abyssal Plain and the Chukchi Sea. Data in this study are from a field investigation during the First Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in 1999. Compared to the high productivity in the Bering Continental Shelf, much lower levels of chlorophyll a were observed in the Bering Abyssal Plain. The effect of hydrological factors on the pCO₂ distribution in surface seawater of the Plain in summer has become a major driving force and dominated over biological factors. The Plain also presents a High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC). In addition, the pCO₂ distribution in the Bering Abyssal Plain has also been found to be influenced from the Bering Slope Current which would transform to the Anadyr Current when it inflows northwestward over the Plain. The Anadyr Current would bring a high nutrient water to the western Arctic Ocean where local nutrients are almost depleted in the surface water during the summer time. Resupplying nutrients would stimulate the growth of phytoplankton and enhance capacity of absorbing atmospheric CO₂ in the surface water. Otherwise, in the Bering Sea the dissolved inorganic carbon brought from freshwater are not deposited down to the deep sea water but most of them would be transported into the western Arctic Ocean by the Alaska Coastal Current to form a carbon sink there. Therefore, the two carbon sinks in the western Arctic Ocean, one carried by the Anadyr Current and another by the Alaska Costal Current, will implicate the western Arctic Ocean in global change.     

Trend analysis using nonhomogeneous stochastic diffusion processes. Emission of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>; Kyoto protocol in Spain

In this study, we propose a methodology to analyse the gradual secular trends present in the time evolution of certain endogenous variables, which are of particular interest in environmental research. This methodology is based on modelling such variables by nonhomogeneous stochastic diffusion processes, the trend functions of which may be made to depend on other, exogenous, variables, which are controllable and which affect and model, in turn, the possible irregularities of such trends. The methodology is applied to analyse the evolution of the emission of CO₂ in Spain, and it is shown that the evolution of the Spanish GDP affects the trend component. These circumstances are considered in the context of Spain’s non-compliance with the Kyoto protocol on controlling the emission of greenhouse gases.     

Deep tectonic setting of the 2008 Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>s</Subscript>8.0 earthquake in southwestern China

Teleseismic P-wave receiver functions at 20 broadband seismic stations in the Longmenshan fault zone (LMFZ) and its vicinity were extracted, and the crustal thickness and the P- and S-wave velocity ratio were calculated by use of the H-k stacking algorithm. With the results as constraints, the S-wave velocity structures beneath each station were determined by the inversion of receiver functions. The crustal structure of the Rear-range zone is similar to that of the Songpan-Garze Block, whereas the velocity structure of the Fore-range zone resembles that of Sichuan Basin, implying that the Central Principal Fault of LMFZ is the boundary between the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze Block. Lower velocity zone exists in lower crust of the Songpan-Garze Block and the central-southern segment of the Rear-range zone, which facilitates the detachment of the material in upper and middle crust. Joint analysis of the receiver functions and the Bouguer gravity anomalies supports the thesis on the detachment-thrust mode of the LMFZ. A double-detachment pattern is suggested to the tectonic setting in the Songpan-Garze Block. The upper detachment occurs at the depth of 10-15 km, and represents a high-temperature ductile shear zone. There is a lower detachment at the depth of about 30 km, below which the lower crust flow exists in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Interpretation of the Bouguer gravity anomalies indicates that the Sichuan Basin is of higher density in upper and middle crust in comparison with that of the Songpan-Garze Block. The LMFZ with higher density is the result from the thrusting of the Songpan-Garze Block over the Sichuan Basin. In the lower crust, higher P velocity and higher density in the Sichuan Basin are related to more rigid material, while lower S velocity and lower density in the Songpan-Garze Block are related to the softened and weakened material. The higher density block beneath the Sichuan Basin obstructs the eastward flow of lower crustal material from the Tibetan Plateau, which is driven by the compression of northward movement of Indian Plate. The eastward movement of upper and middle crustal material is also obstructed by the rigid Yangtze Block, resulting in the stress concentrated and accumulated along the LMFZ. When the stress releases sharply, the Wenchuan M _s8.0 earthquake occurs. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40334041, 40774037) and Joint Foundation of Earthquake Science (Grant No. 1040062)     

Estimation of the Maximum Earthquake Magnitude, <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis><Subscript>max</Subscript>

This paper provides a generic equation for the evaluation of the maximum earthquake magnitude m_max for a given seismogenic zone or entire region. The equation is capable of generating solutions in different forms, depending on the assumptions of the statistical distribution model and/or the available information regarding past seismicity. It includes the cases (i) when earthquake magnitudes are distributed according to the doubly-truncated Gutenberg-Richter relation, (ii) when the empirical magnitude distribution deviates moderately from the Gutenberg-Richter relation, and (iii) when no specific type of magnitude distribution is assumed. Both synthetic, Monte-Carlo simulated seismic event catalogues, and actual data from Southern California, are used to demonstrate the procedures given for the evaluation of m_max.The three estimates of m_max for Southern California, obtained by the three procedures mentioned above, are respectively: 8.32 ± 0.43, 8.31 ± 0.42 and 8.34 ± 0.45. All three estimates are nearly identical, although higher than the value 7.99 obtained by Field et al. (1999). In general, since the third procedure is non-parametric and does not require specification of the functional form of the magnitude distribution, its estimate of the maximum earthquake magnitude m_max is considered more reliable than the other two which are based on the Gutenberg-Richter relation.     

High-resolution dating of Co-rich crusts: A comparative study using the methods of orbital pacing and <Superscript>230</Superscript>Th<Subscript>ex</Subscript>/<Superscript>232</Superscript>Th dating

Due to their slow growth rates, seamount Co-rich crusts are very difficult to date with high resolution and precision. This paper is to test the use of orbital pacing on the growth profile of crusts to determine high-resolution age and growth rate. Crust CB14 from the central Pacific Ocean was selected for this study. We first examined the growth pattern in detail under a reflected-light microscope and ascertained that the growth environment was stable for the sub-layer 1 (0–3 mm). We then used electron microprobe line-scanning to obtain elemental profiles. The pattern of the power spectrum analysis of the Al-profile revealed that there are significant cycles of 113.9, 87.8, 51.5, 42.2 and 25.8 μm. These cycles correspond to the Milankovitch cycles of 53.1, 41, 24, 19.7 and 12 ka, respectively, and yield the growth rate of about 2.14 mm/Ma and an age of about 1.40 Ma for the boundary between the sub-layer 1 and sub-layer 2. We also used a drilling machine with a numerically controlled drive to obtain high-resolution samples at 0.1mm intervals, and used the ²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th method to date the samples. For the uppermost 1.3 mm, the growth rate was about 2.15 mm/Ma, and the age for the layer at the depth of 3 mm was about 1.40 Ma, which coincides perfectly with the results obtained from orbital pacing. Thus, it is considered that orbital pacing is a new and effective method to determine the growth rate of the seamount Co-rich crust. This method is applicable for establishing a high-resolution age frame for the crusts of the world’s oceans. Supported by China Ocean Mineral Resources R & P Association (Grant No. DY105-01-01-08) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40106005, 40476050)     

Focal depths for moderate-sized aftershocks of the Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>8.0 earthquake and their implications

Sliding-window cross-correlation method is firstly adopted to identify sPn phase, and to constrain focal depth from regional seismograms, by measuring the time separation between sPn and Pn phases. We present the focal depths of the 17 moderate-sized aftershocks (M _S⩾5.0) of the Wenchuan M _S8.0 earthquake, using the data recorded by the regional seismic broadband networks of Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan. Our results show focal depths of aftershocks range from 8 to 20 km, and tend to cluster at two average depths, separate at 32.5°N, i.e., 11 km to the south and 17 km to the north, indicating that these aftershocks are origin of upper-to-middle crust. Combined with other results, we suggest that the Longmenshan fault is not a through-going crustal fault and the Pingwu-Qingchuan fault may be not the northward extension of the Longmenshan thrust fault. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40604009 and 40574040) and Special Project for the Fundamental R & D of Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration (Grant No.DQJB08B20)     

Environmental influences on soil CO2 degassing at Furnas and Fogo volcanoes (São Miguel Island,Azores archipelago)

Since October 2001, four soil CO₂ flux stations were installed in the island of São Miguel (Azores archipelago), at Fogo and Furnas quiescent central volcanoes. These stations perform measurements by the accumulation chamber method and, as the gas flux may be influenced by external variables, the stations are equipped with several meteorological sensors. Multivariate regression analysis applied to the large datasets obtained allowed observing that the meteorological variables may influence the soil CO₂ flux oscillations from 18% to 50.5% at the different monitoring sites. Additionally, it was observed that meteorological variables (mainly soil water content, barometric pressure, wind speed and rainfall) play a different role in the control of the gas flux, depending on the selected monitoring site and may cause significant short-term (spike-like) fluctuations. These divergences may be potentially explained by the porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the soils, topographic effects, drainage area and different exposure of the monitoring sites to the weather conditions. Seasonal effects are responsible for long-term oscillations on the gas flux.     

Fault-controlled Soil CO2 Degassing and Shallow Magma Bodies: Summit and Lower East Rift of Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii), 1997

Soil CO₂ flux measurements were carried out along traverses across mapped faults and eruptive fissures on the summit and the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano. Anomalous levels of soil degassing were found for 44 of the tectonic structures and 47 of the eruptive fissures intercepted by the surveyed profiles. This result contrasts with what was recently observed on Mt. Etna, where most of the surveyed faults were associated with anomalous soil degassing. The difference is probably related to the differences in the state of activity at the time when soil gas measurements were made: Kilauea was erupting, whereas Mt. Etna was quiescent although in a pre-eruptive stage. Unlike Mt. Etna, flank degassing on Kilauea is restricted to the tectonic and volcanic structures directly connected to the magma reservoir feeding the ongoing East Rift eruption or in areas of the Lower East Rift where other shallow, likely independent reservoirs are postulated. Anomalous soil degassing was also found in areas without surface evidence of faults, thus suggesting the possibility of previously unknown structures. Received: November 2003, revised: January 2005, accepted: January 2005     

Links between global CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> variability and climate anomalies of biomes

The global rate of fossil fuel combustion continues to rise, but the amount of CO₂ accumulating in the atmosphere has not increased accordingly. The causes for this discrepancy are widely debated. Particularly, the location and drivers for the interannual variability of atmospheric CO₂ are highly uncertain. Here we examine links between global atmospheric CO₂ growth rate (CGR) and the climate anomalies of biomes based on (1986–1995) global climate data of ten years and accompanying satellite data sets. Our results show that four biomes, the tropical rainforest, tropical savanna, C₄ grassland and boreal forest, and their responses to climate anomalies, are the major climate-sensitive CO₂ sinks/sources that control the CGR. The nature and magnitude by which these biomes respond to climate anomalies are generally not the same. However, one common influence did emerge from our analysis; the extremely high CGR observed for the one extreme El Niño year was caused by the response of the tropical biomes (rainforest, savanna and C₄ grassland) to temperature.     

Sudden enhancement of sedimentation flux of <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb<Subscript>ex</Subscript> as an indicator of lake productivity as exemplified by Lake Chenghai

The fundamental assumption of ²¹⁰Pb sediment dating is the stable flux of ²¹⁰Pb_ex, which was derived from atmosphere and then transferred into sediments via lake water. When the sedimentation rate is relatively constant, the ²¹⁰Pb_ex activity in sediments will be exponentially reduced with sedimentation age. ²¹⁰Pb_ex in lake water is incorporated into sediments mainly via organic particulates. If the sedimentation flux of organic matter in lake water is suddenly increased, ²¹⁰Pb_ex will be significantly deposited and then transferred into sediments. On the one hand such sudden purification effect is obviously unfit for the fundamental assumption of ²¹⁰Pb dating; on the other hand, the sudden enhancement of ²¹⁰Pb_ex flux would be indicative of the conspicuous variation of primary productivity of lake water. This problem will be discussed in accordance with the variation trend of ²¹⁰Pb_ex in the vertical profile of recent sediments of Lake Chenghai, Yunnan Province. The sediment core was collected from the deep-water area of Lake Chenghai in June 1997. The vertical profile of ¹³⁷Cs activity is characterized by a tree-peak pattern. This profile gave reliable ages, and also showed the stability of sediment accumulation in the recent ten years. The vertical profile of ²¹⁰Pb_ex activity displays a specific distribution of peaks, and is similar to the vertical profile of C_org. This phenomenon seems to be related to the mechanism of constraining the transfer of ²¹⁰Pb_ex into lake sediments. The average atomic ratios of H_org/C_org and C_org/N_org in Lake Chenghai sediments are 5.51 and 7.04, respectively, indicating that the organic matter was predominantly derived from the remains of endogenic algae. In terms of the three-stage evolutionary characteristics of organic matter in sediments, i.e., “deposition-de-composition-accumulation”, the sedimentation fluxes (F(C_org)) of organic carbon (C_org) since 1970 were calculated by modeling. The sedimentation fluxes of ²¹⁰Pb_ex (F(²¹⁰Pb_ex)) in different years display good synchronous relations with the sedimentation flux of organic carbon (F(C_org)), especially in the years of 1972–1974 and 1986–1989. The variation of F(C_org) led to the variation of F(²¹⁰Pb_ex); the variation of F(²¹⁰Pb_ex) reflects, to some extent, the historical variation of lake productivity.     

Boron isotopic fractionation in laboratory inorganic carbonate precipitation: evidence for the incorporation of B(OH)<Subscript>3</Subscript> into carbonate

A laboratory inorganic carbonate precipitation experiment at high pH of 8.96 to 9.34 was conducted, and the boron isotopic fractionations of the precipitated carbonate were measured. The data show that boron isotopic fractionation factors (α_carb-3) between carbonate and B(OH)₃ in seawater range 0.937 and 0.965, with an average value of 0.953. Our results together with those reported by Sanyal and collaborators show that the α_carb-3 values between carbonate and B(OH)₃ in solution are not constant but are negatively correlated with the pH of seawater. The measured boron isotopic compositions of carbonate precipitation (δ¹¹B_carb) do not exactly lie on the best-fit theoretical δ¹¹B₄-pH curves and neither do they exactly parallel any theoretical δ¹¹B₄-pH curves. Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that a changeable proportion of B(OH)₃ with pH of seawater should also be incorporated into carbonate except for the dominant incorporation of B(OH)₄ ⁻ in carbonate. Hence, in the reconstruction of the paleo-pH of seawater from boron isotopes in marine biogenic carbonates, the use of theoretical boron isotopic fractionation factor (α₄₋₃) between B(OH)₄ ⁻ and B(OH)₃ is not suitable. Instead, an empirical equation should be established. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 40573013 and 40776071), State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No SKLLQG0502) and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences     

兰州市活动断层土壤气汞、氡地球化学特征场地试验

在兰州市主要活动断层上选择有断层露头或有钻孔资料的典型场地开展了断裂带土壤气异常特征及其影响因素的试验研究。结果显示断层带上方土壤气氡、汞不仅具有明显的峰值异常显示,而且其异常的形态特征对断层产状和断层性质有显著的反映,断层土壤气测量是活断层探测和研究的有效方法。结果还显示覆盖层厚度对断层带土壤氡、汞浓度的峰值形态及特征具有显著的影响。     

汤东活动断裂带土壤H2、Rn地球化学特征

为研究汤东断裂带土壤气体地球化学特征及其所反映的构造地球化学背景, 采用野外监测的方法分析了张河村与邢李庄村两条测线的土壤H₂、 Rn分布特征。 结果表明, 张河村H₂浓度、 Rn活度浓度的分布范围分别为0.24×10^-6～174.7×10^-6、 13.3～69.8 kBq·m^-3, 背景值分别为14.26×10^-6, 24.8 kBq·m^-3。 邢李庄测线H₂浓度、 Rn活度浓度的分布范围11.8×10^-6～67.06×10^-6、 43.6～72.6 kBq·m^-3, 背景值分别为37.13×10^-6、 72.6 kBq·m^-3。 张河村测线在90～105 m处, H₂、 Rn出现强烈高值异常, 而120～150 m处出现高值异常。 异常值位于断裂带附近, H₂、 Rn气体测值对断裂位置具有良好的指示作用。 气体异常主要受汤东活动断裂构造控制, 汤东断裂下方的深大断裂和汤阴地堑中下地壳的低速体对深部气体释放有重要作用。