Studies of scintillations and TEC variations with GPS satellite links together with soil radon anomalies preceding Nepal earthquakes of April–May 2015

Natural Hazards - Ionospheric effects like scintillations and anomalous variations in total electron content (TEC) monitored with Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites of L1 frequency over...     

Increased soil gas radon and indoor radon concentrations in Neoproterozoic olistostromes of the Teplá-Barrandian unit (Czech Republic)

The Neoproterozoic olistostromes were first distinguished as a special geological unit in a generalised geological map of the Czech Republic on a scale 1:500,000. The olistostromes represent a tectonic mélange or subaquatic continental slope-slides formed by a mixture of black shales, greywackes, carbonates and shales, forming an extremely inhomogeneous geological environment. The extreme over-limit values of indoor radon (Rn, ²²²Rn) were first detected during check measurements performed for final building approval by team of the National Radiation Protection Institute in a house situated on bedrock of black shales—lithological component of olistostromes north-eastward from Plzeň. Additional measurements of soil gas Rn performed by the Czech Geological Survey were oriented to cover the whole olistostrome belt extending over 65 × 25 km area NE of Plzeň–Prague general direction. The increased concentrations both of soil gas and indoor Rn were confirmed in the whole extent of Neoproterozoic olistostrome belt compared to neighbouring geological units (Neoproterozoic metasediments on NW and Cambrian Palaeovolcanites and Ordovician sediments on SE). This observation lead to increasing the radon index of olistostromes to medium radon category (from the low one) both in general and detailed Rn index maps. Drawing the attention to this lithological type enables to improve the radon risk prevention for newly built houses and interest of remediation of existing houses not only in the specific area of the Czech Republic, but also in other European countries, where Neoproterozoic olistostromes form the geological basement.     

Timing of glacier fluctuations and trigger mechanisms in eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau during the late Quaternary

It is highly debated whether glacial advances on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) occurred as a response to temperature cooling, or whether they were forced by an increase in moisture brought by the intensive Indian summer monsoon. We here report a case study investigating this issue. Multiple moraine series in the Yingpu Valley, Queer Shan ranges of the Hengduan Mountains, and eastern QTP, provide an excellent archive for examining the timing and trigger mechanism of glacier fluctuations. Twenty-seven optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples of glacial sediments were collected from this valley. The quartz OSL ages show that the moraine series of Y-1, I, M and O were formed during the Late Holocene, Late Glacial, the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (likely mid-MIS-3). The youngest Y-2 moraines probably formed during the Little Ice Age (LIA). The oldest H moraines formed before MIS-3. We found that glacial advances during the late Quaternary at the Yingpu Valley responded to cold stages or cold events rather than episodes of enhanced summer monsoon and moisture. As a result, glaciers in the monsoonal Hengduan Mountains were mainly triggered by changes in temperature. Millennial time scale temperature oscillations might have caused the multiple glacial advances.     

Simulation and assessment of soil temperature and moisture in seasonally frozen soil regions of the Tibetan Plateau based on SHAW model北大核心CSCD

In recent years,more and more attention has been paid to the problem of the cryosphere changes on the Tibetan Plateau,and it has gradually become a hot issue for scholars. Known as the“water tower of Asia”,the Tibetan Plateau is the source of many major rivers in Asia. Under the combined influence of climate change and human activities,water resources on the Tibetan Plateau have undergone profound changes,especially soil water,as an important component of water resources,which plays an important role in regulating vegetation and crop growth,rainfall and runoff. However,global warming leads to the degradation of permafrost and seasonal⁃ ly frozen soil,which affects the original water cycle process and the spatial and temporal pattern of water re⁃ sources by changing the properties of soil water storage and water transport. In the Tibetan Plateau,where there are few data,it is difficult to directly study the soil water cycle process under freezing-thawing by using original data. Therefore,it is an important means to simulate the variation characteristics of soil water and temperature under freezing-thawing in seasonally frozen soil regions of the Tibetan Plateau by using coupling model of soil water and heat. Aiming at the key problem of the difference of soil temperature and moisture characteristics in typical seasonally frozen soil regions under different meteorological conditions,this paper simulated the charac⁃ teristics of soil moisture and temperature change in Maqu,Naqu（Nagqu）and Shiquanhe from 2017 to 2018 by using SHAW（Simultaneous Heat and Water）model and three soil moisture characteristic curve models. The simulation effect and variation characteristics of soil moisture and temperature under different meteorological conditions were analyzed,and the influence of soil moisture characteristic curve model on the simulation effect was studied. The results show that SHAW model can well simulate the temporal variation and vertical distribu⁃ tion of soil temperature and moisture under different meteorological conditions. The simulation effect of soil tem⁃ perature is better than that of soil moisture. The average NSE,R2 and RMSE of soil temperature are 0. 88,0. 96 and 2. 20 ℃,respectively. The mean NSE,R2 and RMSE of soil moisture are 0. 60,0. 72 and 0. 03 m3·m-3,respec⁃ tively. In terms of different meteorological conditions,the simulation effect of soil temperature in relatively dry region was significantly better than that in humid region,while the simulation effect of soil water in relatively hu⁃ mid region was significantly better than that in arid region. From different depths in soil,the simulation effect of soil temperature decreases gradually with the increase of depth,while the simulation effect of soil moisture in the middle and lower layers is better than that in the surface layer. From the view of different soil moisture character⁃ istic curve models,different soil water characteristic curve models have no significant effect on soil temperature simulation effect,but there are significant differences in soil moisture simulation effect. In addition,there are great differences and uncertainties in simulating soil temperature and moisture in different freezing-thawing stag⁃ es. With the increasing trend of climate warming,permafrost and seasonally frozen soil on the Tibetan Plateau may continue to degrade,may change the current water resources pattern,resulting in frequent extreme weather events. Therefore,from the perspective of numerical simulation,this paper verified the applicability of soil moisture and heat coupling model in soil temperature and moisture simulation under different meteorological con⁃ ditions,revealed the influence of precipitation and temperature on soil temperature and moisture simulation at different depths in seasonally frozen soil regions,and analyzed the differences in simulation effects of different soil moisture characteristic curve models. The results provide reference for the study of soil water resources vari⁃ ation under freezing-thawing conditions. © 2023 Chinese Journal of General Practitioners. All rights reserved.     

Petrography and provenance of Upper Cretaceous – Palaeogene sandstones in the foreland basin system of Central Nepal

Sedimentary deposits of the Cretaceous to Miocene Tansen Group of Lesser Himalayan association in central Nepal record passive-margin sedimentation of the Indian Continent with direct deposition onto eroded Precambrian rocks (Sisne Formation onto Kaligandaki Supergroup rocks), succeeded by the appearance of orogenic detritus as the Indian continent collided with Asia on a N-dipping subduction zone. Rock samples from two field traverses were examined petrographically and through detrital zircon U–Pb dating, one traverse being across the Tansen Group and another across the Higher and Tethyan Himalaya (TH). The Tansen Group depositional ages are well known through fossil assemblages. We examined samples from three units of the Tansen Group (Amile, Bhainskati, and Dumri Formations). The Sedimentary petrographic data and Qt F L and Qm F Lt plots indicate their ‘Quartzose recycled’ nature and classify Tansen sedimentary rocks as ‘recycled orogenic’, suggesting Indian cratonic and Lower Lesser Himalayan (LLH) sediments as the likely source of sediments for the Amile Formation (Am), the TH and the Upper Lesser Himalaya (ULH) as the source for the Bhainskati Formation (Bk), and both the Tethyan and Higher Himalaya (HH) as the major sources for the Dumri Formation (Dm). The Cretaceous–Palaeocene pre-collisional Am is dominated by a broad detrital zircon U–Pb ~1830 Ma age peak with neither Palaeozoic nor Neoproterozoic zircons grains, but hosts a significant proportion (23%) of syndepositional Cretaceous zircons (121–105 Ma) would be contributions from the LLH volcanosedimentary arc, Gangdese batholith (including the Xigaze forearc). The other formations of the Tansen Group are more similar to Tethyan units than to Higher Himalaya Crystalline (HHC). From the analysed samples, there is a lack of distinctive evidence or HH detritus in the Tansen basin. Furthermore, the presence of ~23±1 Ma zircons from the HH unit suggests that they could not have been exposed until the earliest Miocene time.     

Estimating tsunami potential of earthquakes in the Sumatra–Andaman region based on broadband seismograms in India

In this paper, we report that the ratio of broadband energy (0.01?C2?Hz) to high-frequency energy (0.3?C2?Hz), E _r, estimated from regional seismograms of India, might be a useful parameter in estimating tsunami potential of earthquakes in the Sumatra?CAndaman region. E _r is expected to be sensitive to the depth as well as to the source characteristics of an earthquake. Since a shallow and slow earthquake has a greater tsunamigenic potential, E _r may be a useful diagnostic parameter. We base our analysis on broadband seismograms of the great earthquakes of Sumatra?CAndaman (2004, M _w?~?9.2) and Nias (2005, M _w 8.6), 41 of their aftershocks, and the earthquakes of north Sumatra (2010, M _w 7.8) and Nicobar (2010, M _w 7.4) recorded at VISK, a station located on the east coast of India. In the analysis, we also included the two recent, great strike-slip earthquakes of north Sumatra (2012, M _w 8.6, 8.2) recorded at VISK and three south Sumatra earthquakes (2007, M _w 8.5; 2007, M _w 7.9; 2010, M _w 7.8) recorded at PALK, a station in Sri Lanka. We find that E _r is a function of depth; shallower earthquakes have higher E _r values than the deeper ones. Thus, E _r may be indicative of tsunamigenic potential of an earthquake. As M _w and E _r increase so does the tsunami potential. In addition to the parameter E _r, the radiated seismic energy, E _s, may be estimated from the regional seismograms in India using empirical Green??s function technique. The technique yields reliable E _s for the great Sumatra and Nias earthquakes. E _r and E _s computed from VISK data, along with M _w and focal mechanism, may be useful in estimating tsunami potential along the east coast of India from earthquakes in the Sumatra?CAndaman region in less than ~20?min.     

Changes in soil organic carbon and its active fractions in different desertification stages of alpine-cold grassland in the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

In recent years, the desertification of alpine-cold grasslands has become increasingly serious in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China, but it has not received the same amount of attention as has desertification in (semi)arid areas. Little is thus known about the change in soil organic carbon (SOC) during alpine-cold grassland desertification. To quantify the impacts of desertification on vegetation, SOC and its active fractions in alpine-cold grasslands, areas of light desertified grassland, medium desertified grassland, heavy desertified grassland, serious desertified grassland, and nondesertified grassland were selected as experimental sites in the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China. The species number, height and coverage of vegetation were surveyed, and the soil particle fractions, SOC and SOC active fractions (including dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and labile organic carbon (LOC) were measured to a depth of 0–100 cm. The results showed that alpine-cold grassland desertification resulted in a significant reduction in vegetation cover, plant biomass, fine soil particles, SOC, DOC, LOC and MBC. The decreases in DOC, LOC and MBC were more rapid and apparent than were those in SOC, and the decrease in MBC was the most obvious among them. The rates of reduction in SOC concentrations accelerated as desertification progressed; most of the SOC was lost in the middle and later desertification stages, with lower losses during early desertification. The results indicate that active SOC fractions, particularly MBC, are more sensitive to desertification and can be used as sensitive indicators of desertification. Efforts to limit desertification and reduce SOC loss in alpine-cold grasslands should focus on early desertification stages and adopt strategies to prevent overgrazing and control the erosion of soil by wind.     

Oxidation mechanisms and chemical bioavailability of chromium in agricultural soil – pH as the master variable

Chromium (Cr) is a heavy metal that exists in soils in two stable oxidation states, +III and +VI. The trivalent species is an essential nutrient, whereas the hexavalent species is highly toxic. This study investigated the environmental impact of Cr^III potentially released into soil from wastes and various materials by determining the risk of oxidation of initially soluble inorganic Cr^III into hazardous Cr^VI. The principal aim was to describe the pH-dependent mechanisms that regulate 1) the formation of Cr^VI from the easily soluble Cr^III and 2) the potential bioavailability of Cr^III and that of Cr^VI species produced in the oxidation of Cr^III in agricultural soil (fine sand, organic carbon 3.2%). The amount of Cr^VI formed in oxic soil conditions was regulated by two counteracting reactions: 1) oxidation of Cr^III into Cr^VI by manganese oxide (Mn^IVO₂) and 2) the subsequent reduction of Cr^VI by organic matter back to Cr^III. The effect of pH on this net-oxidation of Cr^III and on the chemical availability of both Cr^III and Cr^VI species was investigated in soil samples incubated with or without excessive amounts of synthetic MnO₂, over the chemically adjusted pH range of 3.9–6.3 (+22 °C, 47 d). In soil subsamples without added MnO₂, the net-oxidation of Cr^III into Cr^VI (1 mM CrCl₃ in soil suspensions, 1:10 w/V) was negligible. As for the MnO₂-treated soils, at maximum only 4.7% of added Cr^III was oxidized – regardless of the high oxidation potential of these subsamples. The lowest production of Cr^VI was observed under acidic soil conditions at pH ∼4. At low pH, the net-oxidation diminished as result of enhanced reduction of Cr^VI back to Cr^III. At higher pHs, the oxidation was limited by enhanced precipitation (or adsorption) of Cr^III, which lowered the overall amount of Cr^III susceptible for oxidation. Moreover, the oxidation reactions by MnO₂ were inhibited by formation of Cr(OH)₃ coverage on its surface. The pH-dependent chemical bioavailability of added Cr^III differed from that of the Cr^VI formed. At elevated pHs the chemical availability of Cr^III decreased, whereas that of Cr^VI produced increased. However, the risk of Cr^VI formation through oxidation of the easily soluble inorganic Cr^III was considered to be low in agricultural soils high in organic matter and low in innate MnO₂.     

The status quo of radon concentrations and mitigation measures in underground working places of China

1Introduction Radonisaradioactivegasarisingfromtheurani umdecaychain,andisthelargestsinglesourceofra diationexposuretothepopulation(Fovtetal.,1999).Highradonexposureshavebeenshownto causelungcancer(JonMiles,1998),anditiscom monlybelievedthatthegreatertheexposureofradon radiation,thegreatertheriskofdevelopinglungcanc er(YangWenjieetal.,1999).Theairradoncomes mainlyfromundergroundsoilandconstructionmateri als.Ingeneral,222Rnhasthehighestlevelinthebase mentsandundergroundspacesthatareincontact…     

Surface and adsorptive properties of wood char particles in soil

Char and soot （black carbon, BC） are highly surface-active materials that can play an important role in contaminant fate and bioavailability in soils and sediments. This report summarizes our research on the influence of adsorbate structure and BC properties on adsorption of organic compounds, and the possible attenuation of BC surface activity by humic substances in the environment. The BC was a maple wood char formed at 400 ℃ in air and under other conditions. The solutes were polar and apolar aromatic compounds. The following points will be discussed. （1） By comparing adsorption to nonporous graphite, it was shown that molecular sieving effects （steric restriction） in the char micropore system occur in the order of increasing substitution on the benzene ring and in the order of increasing fused ring size. （2） By accounting for hydrophobic and steric effects it was shown that aromatic rings substituted with strongly pi-electron-accepting functional groups, such as nitro, undergo pi-pi electron donor-acceptor （EDA） interactions with the pi-donor polyaromatic （graphene） surface of the char. The free energy of adsorption due to pi-pi EDA interactions correlated with the free energy of molecular complexation in chloroform with model compounds representing the graphene surface （napthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene）. （3） A series of chars were prepared of different polarity （O content） but similar surface area and pore size distribution by varying temperature and atmosphere. Single- and bi-solute experiments showed that polar interactions with surface O are not a significant driving force for adsorption of polar compounds. Rather, surface O attracts water molecule clusters that inhibit adsorption of both polar and nonpolar compounds by competition. （4） Aging of char particles in a soil-water suspension strongly reduced char SA and sorption of added benzene. Studies were conducted with dissolved humic （HA） acid, HA-char co-precipitates, Ala＋-HA-char co-flocculates, and soybean oil representing humic lipid components.     

Source parameters of earthquakes in the reservoir-triggered seismic (RTS) zone of Koyna–Warna, Western India

New empirical relations are derived for source parameters of the Koyna–Warna reservoir-triggered seismic zone in Western India using spectral analysis of 38 local earthquakes in the magnitude range M _L 3.5–5.2. The data come from a seismic network operated by the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, India, during March 2005 to April 2012 in this region. The source parameters viz. seismic moment, source radius, corner frequency and stress drop for the various events lie in the range of 10¹³–10¹⁶ Nm, 0.1–0.4 km, 2.9–9.4 Hz and 3–26 MPa, respectively. Linear relationships are obtained among the seismic moment (M ₀), local magnitude (M _L), moment magnitude (M _w), corner frequency (fc) and stress drop (?σ). The stress drops in the Koyna–Warna region are found to increase with magnitude as well as focal depths of earthquakes. Interestingly, accurate depths derived from moment tensor inversion of earthquake waveforms show a strong correlation with the stress drops, seemingly characteristic of the Koyna–Warna region.     

Kaveri crater – An impact structure in the Precambrian terrain of southern India

The region to the east of Palghat gap is of low elevation and nearly circular in shape. It forms a part of the Kaveri river basin. The predominantly gneissic terrain is surrounded by the charnockitic hill ranges, prominent among which are Nilgiris and Biligirirangan to the north; and Anaimalai and Kodaikanal to the south. The charnockite massifs have a steep slope facing the circular feature and a gentler slope in the opposite direction. Fractures/faults/shear zones are noticed in many parts. The Bouguer anomaly in the gneissic terrain is elliptical in shape and positive, relative to the surrounding elevated region. The magnetic contours are also elliptical and the magnetic basement is deeper by about one km compared to regions in the periphery. The shallow seismic velocity picture from Chennimalai to Palani indicates a graben structure. The velocity structure also depicts a 4–5 km Moho upwarp near Chennimalai. Junction between the gneissic and charnockitic terrain and even beyond, is marked by the presence of pseudotachylites and breccia. Field and petrographic studies indicate presence of suevite, Planar Deformation Features (PDF), Planar Fractures, diaplectic glass of quartz and plagioclase and spherical inclusion in suevite. These evidences taken together point to an extra-terrestrial impact which created a crater of approximately 120 km in diameter. Several lines of indirect evidences point to Neoproterozoic age for the impact. Kaveri Crater is the fourth largest crater on the surface of the Earth; other larger craters being Vredefort (160 km), Chicxulub (150 km) and Sudbury (130 km).     

Numerical analyses of uplift behavior of pile foundation for transmission line structure in frozen soil regions北大核心CSCD

Pile foundation is one of the most commonly used and suitable foundations to support transmission line structure, especially in seasonally frozen soil regions and permafrost regions. Axial compression is the controlling condition in the design of foundations for such structures as bridges and buildings, while uplift and overturning will control the design of transmission line structure foundations. This paper presents an extensive overview of previous studies including experimental (e. g., laboratory model test and full-scale field load test), analytical/theoretical (e. g., limit equilibrium and limit analysis based on plasticity)and numerical(e. g., finite difference and finite element methods). The review indicates that study on the uplift behavior of pile foundation in frozen soil is relatively limited, particularly in the case of combined effect of axial uplift and lateral loading. Interaction between pile and frozen soil and mechanism of load transfer along the pile shaft and around the pile tip still remain unclear. Therefore, this paper implements finite difference analysis within FLAC3D to investigate the behavior of pile foundation in frozen silty clay and gravelly sand under axial uplift behavior and the effect of ground condition and lateral loading on the uplift behavior. Because of the axisymmetric condition of the problem studied, only half of the model is simulated. The chosen domain of the medium is discretized into a set of quadrilateral elements and the pile is discretized by the cylinder element. The interaction between the soil and pile is considered according to interface elements. Mohr-Coulomb criterion is adopted to model the soil behavior (perfectly elastic-plastic), while the pile is simply considered as a rigid body. The soil parameters such as Young’s modulus, cohesion and internal friction angle used for numerical analyses are determined by laboratory tests and estimated according to the empirical correlations with in-situ tests. The present numerical modeling is verified with the results from field loading tests on pile foundations in Qinghai-Tibet ±550 kV transmission line project. On this basis, parametric studies are carried out to uncover the behavior of pile in frozen soil. It is observed that pullout is the dominant failure mechanism of pile and the uplift load-displacement curve clearly exhibits an asymptote, consisting of initially linear elastic, nonlinear transition, and finally linear regions. These results are consistent with the observations in a few previous studies. In addition, larger uplift capacity of pile foundation in freezing period and gravelly sand is gained (about 20%). Lateral loading increases the deflection and therefore, decreases the uplift capacity of pile foundation. For the convenience of using the results obtained in practice, the values of uplift factor for pile foundation in silty clay and gravelly sand are provided. Finally, it should be noted that the method used, and the results obtained in the current work could be useful for engineers and designers, at least providing them some qualitative evidence for pile design in seasonally frozen soil regions and permafrost regions. This is important and necessary to ensure the safety of construction in such regions. Meanwhile, numerical analyses in the current work can be a benchmark example for subsequent research studies. © 2022 Science Press (China).     

Nb–V-enriched sövites of the northeastern and eastern part of the Amba Dongar carbonatite ring dike,India – A reflection of post-emplacement hydrothermal overprint?

Wakefieldite-(Ce,La) and vanadinite in coarse-grained calciocarbonatites (sövites) are for the first time reported from the northeastern part of the worldwide largest fluorite deposit at the Amba Dongar carbonatite ring dike, India. Sövite in this part of the carbonatite ring dike is rich in pyrochlore, calcite and magnetite. Pyrochlore makes up almost 50% of some sövite samples and shows core-to-rim compositional changes. The core of pyrochlore consists of primary fluorcalciopyrochlore with high F and Na contents while the margins gained elevated amounts of Pb, La and Ce with the associated loss of F and Na due to circulation of hydrothermal solutions. The presence of wakefieldite-(Ce,La) and vanadinite points to an exceptionally high V abundance in hydrothermal solutions formed towards the end of the carbonatite magma activity. This investigation thus opens new promising areas for Nb and REE prospection in the eastern part of the Amba Dongar carbonatite body.