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1.
Peter Styles 《Geology Today》2010,26(2):53-54
A devastating earthquake of magnitude 7 struck very close and almost beneath Port au Prince the capital of Haiti, the western half of the island of Hispaniola, early in the morning of Tuesday, 12 January 2010 ( Fig. 1 ). While in absolute terms this was by no means the largest earthquake recorded this year globally, the death toll is around 230 000, making it one of the world's worst earthquakes in terms of casualties in recorded history, with almost uncountable economic loss to one of the poorest countries in the world.
2.
R.J. King 《Geology Today》2008,24(3):112-118
In Part 1 (Minerals explained 43, Geology Today 2006, v.22, no.2, pp.71–77) graphite was examined, the polymorph of carbon that is stable over a wide temperature range, but only at relatively low pressures. The other principal polymorph of carbon, diamond, is dealt with here in Part 2. Diamond has a very large stability range over both temperatures and pressures, although it is created at similar depths in the Earth's crust, probably in the mantle ( Fig. 1 ). It would probably have remained there unsuspected, had it not been brought to the Earth's surface by volcanic mechanisms. This will be looked at in detail in the section on the genesis of diamond below, as will the apparently anomalous stability of diamond at NTP.
3.
Ian Stimpson 《Geology Today》2011,27(3):96-98
The magnitude 9.0 Tohoku or Sendai Earthquake ( Fig. 1 ) struck just off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan on 11 March 2011 making it the fourth largest earthquake to be recorded since 1900, and the largest Japanese earthquake since modern seismometers were developed 130 years ago. Despite the earthquake being much more powerful than had been expected from the subduction zone east of Honshu, the earthquake preparedness of Japan resulted in relatively little earthquake damage—despite the protracted shaking with ground accelerations up to three times that of gravity. However, it was the resulting 10–15 metre high tsunami waves that wreaked havoc along the coastal plain, resulting in a death toll in the tens of thousands and an on‐going drama at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant. Modern seismology has its origins in the analyses of the 1906 San Francisco and 1923 Great Kanto earthquakes. The 2011 Tohoku (or ‘northeast’) earthquake looks set to similarly significantly advance our understanding of earthquakes and tsunamis due to the unprecedented volume of seismic, GPS, tide gauge and video data available. There is much information to be gained on how large earthquakes rupture, how buildings behave under prolonged severe shaking and how tsunamis propagate.
4.
Paul C. Ensom 《Geology Today》2007,23(5):178-185
The late Jurassic to early Cretaceous Purbeck Limestone Group of Dorset has been a focus for media and academic attention for the last 150 years. For example, The Illustrated London News in 1857 carried an article by the Revd Charles Kingsley, (of The Water Babies fame), titled ‘Geological Discoveries at Swanage’. describing fossil‐hunting endeavours of Samuel Husband Beckles (1814–1890; Fig. 1 ). Beckles had been encouraged by Richard Owen (1804–1892) to go in search of the tiny fossilized mammalian remains in these strata. Beckles rose to the challenge and at his own expense employed a team of workmen to carry out the excavations; in the process they uncovered a thin layer containing the numerous remains of diminutive mammals along with the remains of other vertebrates, including turtles, crocodiles and ornithischian dinosaurs. Since then, dinosaur tracks and related discoveries from these same strata have often caught the imagination of the press, inspiring sensational headlines such as ‘Builder digs up giant lizard fight’ and ‘Dinosaur graveyard in Swanage Bay’!
5.
Adam Stuart Smith 《Geology Today》2008,24(2):71-75
Plesiosaurs are an unusual and intriguing group of extinct aquatic reptiles ( Fig. 1 ). They are sauropterygians, a group known from an array of semi‐aquatic forms during the Triassic period: placodonts, pachypleurosaurs and nothosaurs. The first plesiosaurs are known from the very latest Triassic, but by the Early Jurassic plesiosaurs were cosmopolitan in distribution and lasted successfully to the latest Cretaceous, when they became victims of the K‐T extinction event. Plesiosaurs were predominantly marine organisms, although their fossils are not uncommon in brackish or even fresh water deposits. We know that all plesiosaurs were carnivorous; many of them were top predators in their respective ecosystems. But with no living descendants (or analogues) plesiosaurs are mysterious fossil organisms—as we will see, many questions regarding their biology remain unanswered or contentious. However, plesiosaurs are currently undergoing renewed scientific attention.
6.
For understanding the Mesozoic tectonics of Yanshan (燕山 ) belt, the authors took geological mapping in the belt. A large-scale thrust structure was identified in Yonganpu (永安堡) area. in the western part of Suizhong (绥中 ) County, Liaoning (辽宁 ) Province during our recent mapping in the Yanshan belt. The hanging wall of the thrust was composed of Archean gneiss and the overlying Early Cretaceous Zhangjiakou (张家口 ) Formation; meanwhile, the strongly ductile deformed volcanic rocks of Zhangjiakou Formation comprised the footwall in Yong'anpu tectonic window. This discovery indicates the existence of strongly contractional deformation in the Yanshan belt after the eruption of Early Cretaceous Zhangjiakou volcanic rocks. On the basis of mapping and research, it is concluded that the published official geological maps have failed to identify the major structural features of the Yanshan belt. 相似文献
7.
Carbonate concretions are common features of sedimentary rocks of all geological ages. They are most obvious in sandstones and mudstones as ovoid bodies of rock that protrude from natural outcrops: clearly harder or better cemented than their host rocks. Many people are excited by finding fossils in the centre of mudstone‐hosted concretions ( Fig. 1 ) but spend little time wondering why the fossils are so well preserved. While the study of concretions has benefitted from the use of advanced analytical equipment, simple observations in the field can also help to answer many questions. For example, in cliff sections, original sedimentary beds and sedimentary structures can be traced right through concretions ( Fig. 2 ): so it can be deduced that the concretion clearly formed after these depositional structures were laid down. In this article we explain how and where concretions form and discuss the evidence, ranging from outcrop data to sophisticated laboratory analyses, which can be used to determine their origins. The roles of microbes, decaying carcasses, compaction and groundwaters are highlighted. Concretions not only preserve fossils but can also subdivide oil, gas and water reservoirs into separate compartments.
8.
The word ‘treasure’ conjures an image of objects of silver and gold, perhaps encrusted with gemstones, and some treasures dug from the ground certainly match this image (Fig. 1 ). However, a theme that ran through the recent exhibition of Treasure at the British Museum was that the archaeological value of treasure does not depend only on its content of precious metals or gems. Many items recovered from archaeological sites are made from or include natural rocks, minerals and gemstones, so that geological and mineralogical techniques and interpretative approaches often make an essential contribution to their study. This article explores the role of scientific examination in realizing the full archaeological value of treasure.
9.
The reports that relate to the biomarker's fate and characteristics of the modern soil in the karst area are very lacking. By using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), a series of biomarkers were identified from the soils collected over Heshang cave (和尚洞) in Qingjiang (清江), Hubei (湖北) Province. The distribution of n-alkanes is mainly from C2s to C33 in carbon number, with a maximum at C31. They have a strong odd-over-even carbon number predominance. These characteristics represent an input mainly from higher plants. The lipid parameters, including CPIh (carbon preference index), Rb/t(ratio of lower- to higher-molecular-weight homologues) and ACL (average chain length), show comparable trends with depth, probably reflecting vegetation change and microbial degradation. Series of monomethylalkanes and diploptene are present in the extractable organic matter; they might be derived from soil microbes, cyanobacteria in particular. 相似文献
10.
Bor-Ming Jahn A.Y. Glikson J.J. Peucat A.H. Hickman 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》1981,45(9):1633-1652
Eighteen silicic volcanic rocks of the Warrawoona Group and ten associated plutonic rocks from the Pilbara Block, Western Australia, have been chosen for geochemical and isotopic studies. Silicic volcanics of the UNSB (Upper member of North Star Basalt) are dated at 3.56—3.57 , by both the Rb-Sr and the Sm-Nd methods. The respective 1 (initial isotopic composition) values are 0.7005 ± 5 (Sr) and 0.50810 ± 39 (Nd). This age is consistent with the stratigraphic interpretation that the TalgaTalga Subgroup, in which the North Star Basalt occupies the lowermost position, is overlain by the Duffer Formation, whose age was earlier established at 3.45 by the zircon U-Pb method. The new Rb-Sr data on six silicic lava samples from the Duffer Formation yield an isochron of 3.23 ± 0.28 (2v). Though imprecise, this age agrees with the zircon age within error limits. Rb-Sr ages of 2.3–2.4. obtained for the ‘Panorama’ rocks and the Wyman Formation do not correspond to their initial eruption ages. Chemical arguments suggest that these ages represent the time of metasomatism associated with the widespread thermal event in this region about 2.3–2.4 ago.Geochemically, most of these analyzed rocks (volcanic and plutonic) are of tonalite-trondhjemitegranodiorite (TTG) composition, a typical feature found in many other Archean terrains. They generally show fractionated REE patterns, except the Panorama Formation rocks. Furthermore, the Wyman Formation rhyolites and the post-tectonic adamellites show significant negative Eu anomalies, suggesting a similar mode of magma generation and a probable genetic link. Theoretical considerations suggest that most of these TTG rocks could have been generated by partial melting of amphibolitic or basaltic sources, followed by fractional crystallization.Although the Archean granitic gneisses often possess mantle-like Isr values, the trace element data indicate that they could not have been derived by direct melting of upper mantle materials. The immediate tectonic implication is that in any Archean terrain, the formation of Na-rich continental crust of TTG suite must be preceded by the presence of basaltic crust. The occurrence of this basaltic crust is a matter of controversy. Such crust might have been totally destroyed by repeated melting processes, or its remnants are now represented by some of the mafic-ultramafic enclaves within the tonalite-trondhjemite batholiths. 相似文献
11.
The Swedish Deep Drilling Program (SDDP) has been initiated to study fundamental problems of the dynamic Earth system, its natural history and evolution. Many key scientific questions can be addressed through in situ investigations only, requiring deep continental drilling. Some are unique to Scandinavia, most are of international interest and significance. At present, five core projects ( Fig. 1 ) with international teams are integrating scientific problems with societal and industrial applications. If SDDP succeeds to attract the funding required, Sweden will have a number of world‐class boreholes at key locations by 2020.
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13.
On Bagnold's sediment transport equation in tidal marine environments and the practical definition of bedload 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
CHANG-SHU YANG 《Sedimentology》1986,33(4):465-486
Bagnold's sediment transport equation has proved to be important in studying tidal marine environments. This paper discusses three problems concerning Bagnold's transport equation and its practical application:
- 1 Bagnold's suspended-load transport equation and the total-load transport equation with are incorrect from the viewpoint of energy conservation. In these equations the energy loss due to bedload transport has been counted twice. The correct form should be for suspended-load transport and for total-load transport with
- 2 The commonly used Bagnold's transport coefficient K varies as a non-linear function of the dimensionless excess shear stress, which can be represented best by the power law , where the coefficient A and exponent B depend on sediment grain size D. The empirical values of A and B for fine to medium grained sands are determined using Guy et al.'s (1966) flume-experiment data.
- 3 The sediment transport rates predicted from this equation are compared with bedform migration measurements in the flume and the field. This comparison shows that the sediment transport rates measured from bedform migrations are higher than the predicted bedload transport rates, but comparable to the calculated total-load (bedload plus intermittent suspended-load) transport rates. This indicates that bedform migration involves both bedload and intermittent suspended-load transport. As a logical conclusion, bedform migration data should be compared with Bagnold's total-load transport equation rather than with his bedload transport equation. In this respect the term ‘bed material’ might be more appropriate than the term ‘bedload’ for estimating sediment transport rate from bedform migration data.
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15.
Francis Wenban‐Smith 《Geology Today》2010,26(5):175-179
As anyone travelling on the roads of southeast England between 2006 and 2008 has probably been aware, major improvements have recently been made at the junction of the M25 and A2 motorways, south of the main Dartford crossing of the River Thames ( Fig. 1 ). The roadworks, funded by the UK Highways Agency, with the main contractors Jacobs Babtie and Costain, were accompanied by archaeological investigations carried out by Oxford Archaeology between 2003 and 2006. The archaeological programme had a major Palaeolithic/Pleistocene element under my direction ( Fig. 2 ) that has produced evidence of Neanderthal occupation early in the last glaciation (the Devensian, which lasted from 115 000 to 10 000 bp ), during a period when Britain had until now, been thought to have been entirely deserted.
16.
Peter Walsh Yvonne Battiau‐Queney Sid Howells Cliff Ollier Matt Rowberry 《Geology Today》2008,24(4):137-145
The thickest development of Carboniferous Limestone in Great Britain (about 1200 m) is in the Pembroke Peninsula of SW Wales. In various places, the regularity of the normally well‐stratified limestone is broken by zones of disturbance, which are spectacularly displayed in magnificent near‐vertical cliff sections. The zones generally occupy the whole of the 50 m‐high cliffs and are up to 300 m wide. The chief component of these zones is a chaotic, clast‐supported breccia, composed of angular limestone fragments welded together with varying degrees of firmness by sparry calcite veining or a normally sparse, red‐pink sandy or silty matrix. The breccias are very easy to distinguish and form a striking contrast to the grey cliff scenery hereabouts ( Figs 1, 2 ), yet they have not been discussed much—until now.
17.
We have re-examined the historical evidence in the circum-Pacific for the origin of the 1586 orphan tsunami of Sanriku, Japan, previously attributed to a Lima, Peru, earthquake and tsunami in 1586. New evidence comes from corals found in a unique paleotsunami deposit on Kaua‘i. Dated by 230 Th- 238 U geochronology these corals determine an absolute age in high precision of a Pacific tsunami event that was previously dated to approximately the sixteenth century by 14 C methodology. Detrital corrected ages of three low thorium, well-preserved coral clasts range from 415 to 464 years old (relative to 2016), with a mean age of 444 years ±21 (\( 2\sigma_{{\bar{X}}} \)). Literature evidence for circum-Pacific paleotsunami in this time range is reviewed in light of the new high-precision dating results. Modeled and observed tsunami wave amplitudes in Japan from several Peruvian events are insufficient to match the 1586 Sanriku observation, and paleodated earthquakes from Cascadia, the Alaskan Kodiak region, and Kamchatka are incompatible with the Sanriku data in several ways. However, a mega-earthquake (M w > 9.25) in the Aleutians is consistent with the Kaua‘i evidence, Pacific Northwest observations, and the Sanriku tsunami amplitude. The Kaua‘i coral paleotsunami evidence therefore supports the origin of the 1586 Sanriku tsunami in the Aleutian Islands. 相似文献
18.
To analyze the genesis of Sr isotopes in groundwater of Hebei plain, time-accumulative effect of 87Sr/86Sr ratio was studied. It is shown that 87Sr/86Sr ratio increases with the increasing age and depth of groundwater and has a positive correlation to 4Heexc and a negative correlation to δ18O and δD. The groundwater is divided into three groups to discuss the relation between 87Sr/86Sr ratio and Sr2 content: ① moderate Sr2 content and higher 87Sr/86Sr ratio (water I); ② lower Sr2 content and higher 87Sr/86Sr ratio (water II); and ③ higher Sr2 content and lower 87Sr/86Sr ratio (water III), that is hot water. On the basis of integrated analysis, it was considered that ① the radiogenic Sr in the Quaternary groundwater (Q4-Q1) originates from weathering of silicate rich in Na and Rb, mainly from plagioclase; ② the radiogenic Sr of hot water in Huanghua port is attributed to carbonate disso- lution, with lower 87Sr/86Sr ratio and higher Sr/Na ratio; ③ the recharge area is laterally recharged by the groundwater flowing through igneous and metamorphic rocks, with moderate 87Sr/86Sr ratio. How- ever, the formation mechanism of Sr isotopes in Tertiary groundwater needs further studies. 相似文献
19.
Nd Isotopes and Geochemistry of Phanerozoic Clastic Sedimentary Rocks from the Yangtze Block and Their Tectonic Implications 总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0
This article presents Sm-Nd and geochemical data on fine-grained sediments of the northern margin from the Yangtze block, China, to understand the variations of Nd isotopic compositions and crustal evolution history in this area. The results are as follows: (1) Nd isotopic compositions for clastic sedimentary rocks of the Middle-Late Proterozoic have relatively positive Nd(t) values ( 2.72 to 0.69), with Nd model ages from 1.38 Ga to 1.55 Ga, corresponding to the contemporaneous volcanic rocks from the Xixiang (西乡) Group. This indicates that the arc-related materials from Middle-Late Proterozoic dominate the provenances of the Middle-Late Proterozoic periods. (2) The gradual decrease in εNd(t) during the Cambrian-Carboniferous periods is likely to reflect the progressively increasing proportion of erosion materials from the Foping (佛坪) and Qinling (秦岭) complexes, corresponding to a gradually decreasing trend in the La/Th ratios. (3) A prominent increase in the εNd(t) value of the Late Permian strata probably reflects the significant incorporation of the mantle-derived materials. The trace element data are compared with data of the Emeishan (峨嵋山) flood basalts. These data indicate that the volcanic dust has been added to the Late Permian strata during the Late Permian, represented by periods of extremely high Emeishan flood basalt activity in the south-eastern margin of the Yangtze block. 相似文献
20.
<正>1.Introduction The continental crust,covering nearly a third of the Earth's surface,is dominantly made up of granites and granodiorites(Rudnick and Gao, 2003).Although the vast majority of these granitoids are amphiboleand /or biotite-bearing,orthopyroxene-bearing granitoids form a minor but important component of the lower continental crust in many high-grade terrains(e.g.,Bohlender et al.,1992;Kilpatrick and Ellis,1992;Sheraton et al.,1992;Berger et al.,1995;Zhou et al., 1995;Peucat et al.,1996;Duchesne and Wilmart,1997;Hughes et al.,1997;Prame.1997;Frost et al.,2000;Janasi,2002;Mendes 相似文献