Research Note: First results of a low‐altitude unmanned aircraft system gamma survey by comparison with the terrestrial and aerial gamma survey data

In order to increase the efficiency of geological survey in difficult landscape‐morphological conditions, the authors have developed low‐altitude gamma technology surveys based on a multi‐rotor unmanned aircraft system, also known informally as Drones. These results have been compared against those from standard terrestrial and aerial gamma surveys. The successful results obtained at the reference site show that the developed methodology enables compilation of high‐quality data in difficult landscape conditions. These results yield the same level of information content as standard terrestrial gamma surveys. The exact unmanned aircraft system altitude over the earth must be maintained for carrying out high‐quality surveys. It was found that a CsI(Tl) detector with sizes 80 × 80 mm (vol. 0.4 dm³) enables obtaining of high‐quality radiometric data at altitudes of up to 70 m, at a speed of at least 20 km/h. The authors believe that low altitude ‘quasi‐terrestrial’ gamma surveys with a terrain drape may in the future replace terrestrial gamma surveys since they can offer better effectiveness at a lower cost.     

AERIAL RADIOMETRY OF EL ALAMEIN OILFIELD,EGYPT, U.A.R.*

Total gamma airborne radiometric survey of El Alamein area in the Western Desert has been carried out by the Atomic Energy Establishment. The flight lines are directed north-south with 500 m spacing, while the ground clearance is about 50 m. Superimposition of the radioactivity profiles over El Alamein Oilfield shows a general decrease of gamma radiation in the central part of the structure framed by zones of relatively higher values. The aerial radioactivity of El Alamein Oilfield is described and it is correlated with some reported radiometric characteristics of other oil bearing structures. The distribution of aeroradiometric measurements over El Alamein Oilfield and its environment has been found to be lognormal.     

A COMPUTERIZED GROUND-WATER RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM

Abstract. The MCGRIB system is a computerized data base of hydrogeologic information recorded in drillers' logs. It also includes software that allows the user to display hydrogeologic data for any specified area in tabular or map form. Although the system is designed mainly for glaciated regions it can be adapted to almost any geologic setting. The main advantages of the system are that it can be updated regularly and can rapidly provide pertinent information about subsurface hydrogeologic conditions.     

MAPPING OF TECTONICS OF SEDIMENTS BY AIRBORNE MAGNETICS*

The considerable increase of sensitivity of new magnetometers allows the elaboration of magnetometric maps with contour intervals of fractions of one gamma. On these maps, small anomalies appear which had never been visible before. They are caused by susceptibility contrasts within the sediments. The areal distribution of these small undulations of the magnetic field depends on tectonics, therefore their analysis can give useful information about the tectonic pattern of the sediments. This paper discusses the automatic transformation of these small anomalies into tectonic units. The problem is solved by a method called Digital Template Analysis which has already yielded very useful results in gravity interpretation. The application of the method described is restricted to surveys executed by high sensitivity magnetometers. Therefore it is supposed that in most oil exploration problems these magnetometers will replace instruments with lower sensitivity. The improved magnetometer surveys in combination with the interpretation method described represent a most efficient, fast and unexpensive reconnaissance method.     

Distributed hydrological modelling of a heavily glaciated Alpine river basin

Abstract

A glacier submodel was successfully integrated into the distributed hydrological model WaSiM-ETH to simulate the discharge of a heavily glaciated drainage basin. The glacier submodel comprises a distributed temperature index model including solar radiation to simulate the melt rate of glaciated areas. Meltwater and rainfall are transformed into glacier discharge by using a linear reservoir approach. The model was tested on a high-alpine sub-basin of the Rhone basin (central Switzerland) of which 48% is glaciated. Continuous discharge simulations were performed for the period 1990–1996 and compared with hourly discharge observations. The pronounced daily and annual fluctuations in discharge were simulated well. The obtained efficiency criterion, R², exceeds 0.89 for all years. The good performance of the glacier submodel is also demonstrated by integrating it into the hydrological model PREVAH.     

Thermal characterization of the Vulcano fumarole field

Ground-based thermal infrared surveys can contribute to complete heat budget inventories for fumarole fields. However, variations in atmospheric conditions, plume condensation and mixed-pixel effects can complicate vent area and temperature measurements. Analysis of vent temperature frequency distributions can be used, however, to characterise and quantify thermal regions within a field. We examine this using four thermal infrared thermometer and thermal image surveys of the Vulcano Fossa fumarole field (Italy) during June 2004 and July 2005. These surveys show that regions occupied by low temperature vents are characterised by distributions that are tightly clustered around the mean (i.e., the standard deviation is low), highly peaked (positive kurtosis) and skewed in the low temperature direction (negative skewness). This population is associated with wet fumaroles, where boiling controls maximum temperature to cause a narrow distribution with a mode at 90–100°C. In contrast, high temperature vent regions have distributions that are widely spread about the mean (i.e., the standard deviation is high), relatively flat (negative kurtosis) and skewed in the high temperature direction (positive skewness). In this dry case, fumaroles are water-free so that maximum temperatures are not fixed by boiling. As a result greater temperature variation is possible. We use these results to define two vent types at Vulcano on the basis of their thermal characteristics: (1) concentrated (localized) regions of high temperature vents, and (2) dispersed low temperature vents. These occur within a much larger region of diffuse heat emission across which surfaces are heated by steam condensation, the heat from which causes elevated surface temperatures. For Vulcano's lower fumarole zone, high and low temperature vents occupied total areas of 3 and 6 m², respectively, and occurred within a larger (430 m²) vent-free zone of diffuse heat emission. For this lower zone, we estimate that 21–43 × 10³ W of heat was lost by diffuse heat emission. A further 4.5 × 10³ W was lost by radiation from high temperature vents, and 6.5 × 10³ W from low temperature vents. Thus, radiative heat losses from high and low temperature vents within Vulcano's lower fumarole zone respectively account for 10% and 15% of the total heat lost from this zone. This shows that radiation from open vents can account for a non-trivial portion of the total fumarole field heat budget.     

An earthquake precursor mobile network

It is widely known that very low frequency/low frequency (VLF/LF) radiation has been recorded prior to large earthquakes in several seismically active countries of the world. The networks employed to detect this radiation consist of stationary transmitters and receivers. However, there are reported cases of existing networks being unable to detect any electromagnetic radiation prior to large earthquakes. In this study, we determined the optimal arrangement of a mobile VLF/LF electromagnetic radiation network to ensure the detection of an upcoming earthquake precursor. We consi-dered the possible arrangements of the VLF/LF mobile network based on certain physical considerations, and deve-loped a relatively simple arrangement that is completely different from the existing stationary networks. The suggested design will significantly increase the number of detected/predicted earthquakes by using the relevant electromagnetic radiation receivers strategically placed in regions of increased tectonic and seismic activity.     

A SURVEY OF HIGH RESOLUTION GEOMAGNETICS *

The development of optically pumped and monitored “atomic” magnetometers has allowed the application of greater resolution in geomagnetic measurements for exploration purposes. This paper presents a survey of instrumentation in use, the variety of exploration techniques that are being used in practice, and an estimate of their state of development. Alkali metals (rubidium and cesium) and helium have been used as active elements to obtain the magnetic-field dependent Larmor frequency. Each of these instruments is capable of obtaining high resolution data (data with sensitivity numerically smaller than one-tenth gamma). They have been adapted for airborne, land, and marine usage. Such sensitivity has enabled the rapid development of geomagnetic gradiometers, high sensitivity aeromagnetics, diurnally reduced ground surveys, broad-band magneto-telluric surveys, susceptibility measurements, and convenient magnetic search and location techniques. Outlines of each procedure and an example of its application are given.     

Evaluation of rapid reservoir storage-yield procedures

Relatively rapid and reliable procedures are required to determine reservoir storage-yield relationships during preliminary studies or reconnaissance surveys associated with regional assessments of surface water resources. Several techniques are available, but all are limited in their application. The following eight procedures were evaluated: Hurst (empirical), Alexander (gamma), Gould (synthetic), Dincer, Gould (gamma), Hardison (carryover), Guglij and McMahon (empirical). Each procedure was evaluated by application to 33 Australian and 12 Malaysian streams. The storage estimates determined from the rapid procedures were compared with those from behaviour (or simulation) analysis and Gould's transition matrix method. Limitations in theoretical models result from the basic assumptions upon which they were developed. For empirical models, difficulties arise through the non-representativeness of the basic data. Some procedures are restricted in the range of conditions within which they are applicable. The results indicate that Gould's (gamma) and McMahon's (empirical) procedures provide satisfactory storage estimates for preliminary assessments.     

Evidence for glaciation predating MIS-6 in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range,southeastern Tibet

Southeastern Tibet is one of the most glaciated regions on the Tibetan Plateau both at present and during the Quaternary. Numerical dating of glacial deposits has allowed the establishment of a provisional chronology of Quaternary glacial fluctuations in this region, with the oldest glaciation(Guxiang Glaciation) occurring in marine oxygen isotope stage 6(MIS-6).During our recent field investigations, a morphostratigraphically older lateral moraine than that of the Guxiang Glaciation has been first identified, which is ~500–600 m above the Guxiang Glaciation moraine and discontinuously preserved on valley shoulders in the Bodui Zangbo River valley, eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range in southeastern Tibet. Considering the moraine is best preserved at Nitong Village, here we name the glacier advance which deposited the moraine as "Nitong Glaciation". Using electron spin resonance(ESR) technique, we dated the Nitong Glaciation moraine to 506.3±60.4 ka. Taking into account the age error and climatic conditions, we consider it most likely that the Nitong Glaciation occurred during MIS-12, although it might had happened sometime earlier.     

岩石红外比辐射率简易测定方法及意义

利用地表辐射 (亮温 )求取地面温度需要通过岩石比辐射率进行换算。地球上的岩石千差万别 ,即使岩石学上分类一致的岩石 ,比辐射率也可以显著不同 ,需要大量的比辐射率时 ,现有测量方法显得过于复杂或环境要求过高 ,发展简便的比辐射率测量方法十分必要。实际上 ,在室温情况下 ,比辐射率为常数 ,可以通过测量一系列的温度和相应的辐射值 ,仪器本身的辐射和环境辐射可直接当作未知量参加反演 ,最终利用最小二乘法拟合获得比辐射率 ,大大降低了测量的难度。文中测量了1 6种岩石标本的比辐射率 ,方差一般保持在 0 .0 1左右 ,大多数 <0 .0 1 ;线性拟合的相关系数均 >0 99     

Spatial variations and temporal changes in potential evaporation in the Tarim Basin,northwest China (1960–2006): influenced by irrigation?

The spatial pattern and temporal changes in potential evaporation (1960–2006) were evaluated using data from 48 meteorological stations in the Tarim Basin. These stations are located in four typical landscapes with varying irrigation influences. Mean annual potential evaporation is low in stations in the mountainous regions, next in the large oasis regions with extensive irrigation and small oasis regions with restricted irrigation, whereas they are high in the desert regions. The spatial pattern of annual mean potential evaporation is owing to the aerodynamic term, while the radiation term is relatively constant in different regions. The significant levels of the trends in potential evaporation and the radiation and aerodynamic terms in different regions were detected using the non‐parametric Mann–Kendall test. More significant decreasing trends in annual potential evaporation with relatively constant radiation term were found in the oasis regions (especially the large oasis regions) than that in the mountainous and desert regions. In the large oasis regions, the pronounced decrease in potential evaporation is mainly attributed to the decrease in wind speed and the increase in relative humidity. The long‐term mean and annual potential evaporation with an almost constant radiation term were found to be complementary with actual evaporation influenced by irrigation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

STATISTICAL MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL DATA ON THE SE BORDER OF THE CENTRAL LAPLAND GREENSTONE COMPLEX*

Statistical multivariate methods for the integrated processing of airborne geophysical data were tested. The data consisted of magnetic, electromagnetic and gamma radiation measurements, to which cluster analysis, principal components analysis and discriminant analysis were applied. Also, auxiliary variables were derived from the original ones and their value was tested. Although the frequency distributions of the data do not favour statistical analysis, the practical results are acceptable. Principal component analyses show geological and technical aspects that are difficult to obtain from the original observations. In cluster analyses, the sources of measured fields control the grouping of variables. Discriminant analysis was applied to the automatic identification of rocks by geophysical data. The rocks investigated are metasediments and metavolcanics, some magnetic and others conductive. When all available geophysical data were included, correct identifications were made in more than 60% of cases. In particular, gamma ray observations were found to improve the discrimination of non-magnetic and non-conductive rocks. The geophysical similarity of rocks studied by cluster analysis depends on electrical and magnetic properties as well as on their origin; the content of radioactive elements in turn is related to the origin.     

Mineshaft imaging using surface and crosshole 3D electrical resistivity tomography: A case history from the East Pennine Coalfield, UK

Hidden mineshafts located in urban areas are a significant problem across much of the industrialized world. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a technique that can detect and characterize hidden mine entries by exploiting resistivity contrasts between the shaft and surrounding materials, resulting from either compositional or structural differences. A case study is presented in which both surface and crosshole 3D ERT surveys are used to image a hidden backfilled mineshaft at a built environment site, situated on Carboniferous Lower Coal Measures strata in the UK.Backfilled shafts generally present the greatest challenge for detection using geophysical methods, as contrasts between the fill and bedrock are typically low compared to air or water-filled conditions. Nevertheless, the shaft in this case was identified by both the surface and crosshole 3D surveys. The shaft appeared as a strongly resistive anomaly relative to background materials, which we interpreted as resulting from the disturbed fabric of the fill materials rather than any significant compositional differences. The study highlighted the respective strengths and weaknesses of the surface and crosshole ERT methodologies for this type of problem. The surface survey, which covered a non-rectangular area to accommodate irregular boundaries and other physical obstructions, provided a relatively rapid means of investigating the study site. However, this method had a limited depth of investigation and was constrained in its coverage by the locations of buildings. By contrast, the 3D crosshole method was able to image the shaft to the level of the deepest borehole electrodes. Although crosshole ERT is too expensive to be used for large-scale mineshaft surveys, this study clearly demonstrates its suitability for targeted investigations where surface methods cannot be deployed, such as scanning beneath surface structures or in situations where it is essential for resolution to be maintained with depth.     

RADIATION AND RECEIVER PATTERN OF SHEAR AND COMPRESSIONAL WAVES AS A FUNCTION OF POISSON'S RATIO*

Shear (= S) wave studies in addition to compressional (= P) wave surveys have revealed that S-wave velocities are much more variable than P-wave velocities. This strongly affects Poisson's ratio σ, especially in young sediments. It is shown that σ has a great influence on the directivity pattern, i.e., on the radiation and receiving characteristic of horizontal sources and receivers. For their calculation, well-known surface boundary conditions and White's statement of the reciprocity relation (White 1965) are used. They also form the basis for the combination of source and receiver patterns essential for practical field work. The various combinations of horizontally and vertically arranged sources and receivers are investigated with regard to their directivity pattern, their amplitude ratio and, in general, to their usefulness in seismic prospecting.     

Studying the solar corona above active regions from microwave observations during solar flares recorded by CORONAS-F satellite

In 2001–2003, 45 flares of hard X ray (HXR) and gamma ray radiation, identified with a particular active region (AR) that produced each event, were recorded during the experiments onboard the Russian Solar Observatory CORONAS-F using the SONG (solar neutrons and gamma ray quanta) instrument. The solar corona structure and dynamics above these ARs is studied on the basis of the microwave observations with two Russian radio telescopes RATAN-600 and Siberian Solar Radio Telescope (SSRT). The results are illustrated using the active region NOAA 9601 and flare of September 5, 2001 (～ 1430 UT) as an example. The flare is interesting because the energy of its gamma radiation exceeded 1 MeV, while its power was only M6.0 in soft X rays. Such a combination of the event characteristics is not too frequent, which indicates that the spectrum of the studied event was rather hard. The type of the source of microwave radiation above NOAA 9601 has been determined. Some properties of this-type sources of a diagnostic value for detecting ARs capable of producing HXR and gamma radiation are indicated.     

华东地区近期强震前地电阻率的前兆信息

讨论了自1976年唐山地震后,在华东地区地电阻观测台网范围内发生6级强震前ρ_s异常的时空分布特征。对观测值ρ_s的异常变化与地震活动性、岩石体积应变以及应力降等的关系作了对比。指出它们之间在空间上存在有一致性,且在时间上有同步性。研究结果表明:中强地震前,ρ_s的异常变化与地震活动性有关。这说明在某种程度上,ρ_s异常可视为异常信息。ρ_s异常持续时间较短,幅度较小,异常数目也相对较少,空间分布呈散射状,且异常形态的叠加小于唐山大震前的ρ_s异常叠加值。表明使用ρ_s观测方法预测中强地震比预测强震要困难得多,因此目前最根本的是要提高观测台网的监测能力,增大台网的密度,并通过深入研究震源区周围异常特征、改善观测台站条件来完善地震预报研究。     

How useful are port surveys focused on target pest identification for exotic species management?

Monitoring surveys are an important tool for detecting new arrivals of exotic species, for documenting patterns of invasion, and exotic species impacts. Faced with time and cost constraints, these surveys are increasingly focused on lists of target pest species, identified as being most likely to arrive and cause significant harm. We used the national survey of Australian international ports for introduced marine pests as a case study to assess: (1) the taxonomic rigor of surveys focused on detection of target species; and (2) how the ability of port surveys to inform invasion patterns is dependent on taxonomic approach. Our analysis of the 46 available reports revealed common sub-optimal taxonomic practices that compromised their utility to identify abiotic conditions that are good predictors of biological invasion. Thus, although surveys for target species may provide information on the distribution of a handful of species, they may fail to do much else.     

Postglacial topographic evolution of glaciated valleys: a stochastic landscape evolution model

The retreat of valley glaciers has a dramatic effect on the stability of glaciated valleys and exerts a prolonged influence on the subsequent fluvial sediment transport regime. We have studied the evolution of an idealized glaciated valley during the period following retreat of ice using a numerical model. The model incorporates a stochastic process to represent deep‐seated landsliding, non‐linear diffusion to represent shallow landsliding and an approximation of the Bagnold relation to represent fluvial sediment transport. It was calibrated using field data from several recent surveys within British Columbia, Canada. We present ensemble model results and compare them with results from a deterministic linear‐diffusion model to show that explicit representation of large landslides is necessary to reproduce the morphology and channel network structure of a typical postglacial valley. Our model predicts a rapid rate of fluvial sediment transport following deglaciation with a subsequent gradual decline, similar to that inferred for Holocene time. We also describe how changes in the model parameters affect the estimated magnitude and duration of the paraglacial sediment pulse. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.