Subsurface Disposal of Liquid Low-Level Radioactive Wastes at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Liquid low-level radioactive wastes have been disposed of by subsurface injection at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the last two decades. The process entails mixing the wastes with cement and other additives, then pumping the slurry under pressure into a highly impermeable shale; the pressure is sufficient to create bedding plane fractures in which the grout, containing the wastes, sets. Research is being conducted to develop an understanding of the hydrology of the site and monitoring methods. The present regulatory climate regarding injection wells has created an uncertain future for this technique.     

A near-bottom geophysical traverse of the Reykjanes Ridge

We report here the results of a near-bottom geophysical survey of the Reykjanes Ridge, a mid-ocean ridge that is oriented obliquely to the perpendicular spreading direction. From a combination of the bathymetric profiles, side-scan sonar data, and regional bathymetric maps we infer that the present center of spreading is made up of a number of N15°E-trending en echelon ridge segments in the southern half of our survey area. Insufficient data prevent the identification of the spreading pattern in the northern half. The side-scan records show that the ridge flanks are highly fractured by inward-facing faults displaced 40 m or less and trending in a N21°E direction. The lack of side-scan features parallel to the spreading direction except in the southernmost portion of the survey area suggests that the ridge segments are not connected by transform faults in the usual sense. Although the mechanism by which en echelon ridge segments can be maintained during sea-floor spreading over time is unclear, similar patterns of crustal accretion have been reported on Iceland. It appears that the accretionary processes along the Reykjanes Ridge are more related to those of Iceland than to those of typical mid-ocean ridges.     

Structure of hydrothermal plumes at the Logatchev vent field, 14°45′N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge: evidence from geochemical and geophysical data

In the Seventh cruise of R/V “Professor Logatchev” anomalies of natural electric field (EF), Eh and pS were discovered using a towed instrument package (RIFT) at 14°45′N on the MAR (Logatchev hydrothermal field). The anomalous zone (AZ) is situated close (10–35 m) to two low-temperature venting areas of degrading sulphides and a black smoker (Irina-Microsmoke) forming a distinct buoyant plume. Over or close to the main area of high-temperature venting situated to the south-east from the AZ, no EF or Eh anomalies were observed. According to the results of Mir dives the highly mineralised solutions from smoking craters at the main mound mostly form non-buoyant plumes (reverse-plumes). The buoyant plume structure shows the differentiation of the electrical and Eh fields within the plume. Maxima of the EF, Eh and E_H2S anomalies were revealed in the lower part (15 m) of the plume. The negative redox potential plume coupled with a sulphide anomaly is more localized in comparison with the EF. This observation indicates a distinct change in the composition of buoyant plume water, which may be due to the formation and fallout of early formed Fe sulphide particles soon after venting.     

Constraining potential earthquake sources from the geophysical data

The spatial models describing the physico-mechanical properties of the rocks within the seismically active segment of the Altai–Sayan region are constructed from the ground-based geophysical data. The comparative analysis of their probability density functions at the nodes of the spatial grid covering the studied domain and at the hypocenters of the previous earthquakes shows that the bulk and shear moduli are the most efficient markers of the weakened crustal zones, which are prone to earthquakes. The algorithm for constraining the potential earthquake sources based on the spatial distributions of the elastic moduli of the rocks is suggested. When applied to the Taellin segment of the Altai–Sayan region, this algorithm has localized four echelons of the potential source zones of earthquakes at different depths in the crust. The horizontal positions of two of these zones were delineated by the previous studies based on the ground observations of seismicity, whereas the other two zones have been identified by the suggested algorithm for the first time.     

Methods of data compression in geophysical research

The urgent geophysical research problem of seismic data storage is considered. To reduce the volume of the stored data, it is suggested to compress data, i.e., to eliminate the information redundancy using algorithms of reversible compression (compression without data loss, nondistorting compression). A review of modern compression algorithms is given. Recommendations on using compression algorithms for accumulation as well as storage of seismic data are offered.     

Multifractal characterization of Vesuvio lava-flow margins and its implications

The digitized lava-flow margins of well-defined extended eruptions occurring at Vesuvio in 1760, 1794, 1861, 1906, 1929 and 1944 are found to follow fractal behaviours inside a scaling region enclosed between 50 and 400 m. Although the invariance region is well respected, the fractal dimension D varies from one lava flow to another: the more irregular the lava-flow margin, the larger the value of D. The ascertained dependence of D on the duration of premonitory activity, preceding the emission of lavas, might provide some insight into the inner volcanic processes before the eruption and into the dynamical processes operating during flow emplacement.     

航空重力测量数据的滤波与处理

我国首套航空重力测量系统(CHAGS)于2002年研制成功.本文设计了CHAGS观测数据的滤波处理流程,着重讨论了比力及各项改正的滤波计算方法,提出了'两步滤波法'.基于某航空重力测量实测数据,对测线重力异常的计算精度作了比较和分析,重复测线计算结果表明,CHAGS确定测线重力异常的内符合精度优于±3mGal,相应的波长分辨率为8km;与地面实测数据向上延拓数值比较表明,对于同样的波长分辨率,外部符合精度优于±4mGal.     

野外实验场地球物理电磁数据采集与分析

地球物理电磁数据观测实验场的建立在国内仍属空白,根据开展电磁法的方法技术要求,我们率先选择具备条件的已知矿区作为实验场地,开展了包括国内、外多种型号电磁法仪器(GDP 32Ⅱ、V8、DEM-V、DJS-8A)的相同装置下的同剖面同点位对比试验.对野外实验场上所开展的不同方法每种仪器的数据采集方式与取得结果进行比较分析,并与地质资料进行了结合分析;通过地球物理电磁数据的综合观测研究,形成标准化的数据,将对电磁法仪器开发、仪器引进提供实验检测场地与标准的检测数据,促进地球物理电磁探测技术的研究与发展.     

Dimension of the phase space of a dynamic system from geophysical data

The possibility of determining parameters of complex geophysical processes is considered in terms of nonlinear dynamics. In accordance with modern approaches in the theory of nonlinear dynamic systems, the number of independent parameters controlling the behavior of a nonlinear system can be estimated from the available time realization of only one of these parameters. Model calculations showed that the dimension of the phase space of a dynamic system can be estimated from a sample of one variable. Experimental data on variations in the apparent electric resistivity (AER) and the relative vertical movement of the surface (RVMS) in a seismically active region are analyzed and the dimension of the dynamic system determining its behavior in the phase space is estimated. The resulting estimates of the embedding dimension m = 7?8 for AER variations and m = 6 for RVMS variations possibly characterize the complexity of the dynamic system describing the given fields. The method presented in the paper is also applied to the analysis of the degree of connectivity of different dynamic systems and their parameters. By the connectivity we mean the number of independent parameters simultaneously involved in the formation of the dynamic behavior of various physical fields. The model estimates demonstrate the possibility of such an approach. It is shown that variations in the AER in perpendicular directions are described by a general system of dynamic equations, whereas dynamic systems controlling the AER field and the RVMSs are interconnected only partially. The resulting dimension m = 12 estimated for the AER-RVMS system provides an estimate for the number of common controlling parameters: n = (8 + 6)?12 = 2. The methods and results presented in the paper are applicable to the construction of models of complex geophysical processes and the development and the development of new approaches and methods of identification of prognostic characteristics for the behavior of physical fields of various origins.     

Crustal structure of the Mizuho Plateau, East Antarctica from geophysical data

Various kinds of geophysical surveys have been carried out in the Mizuho Plateau, East Antarctica by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expeditions (JARE). The correlation between the high-level gravity anomaly and the bedrock elevation is examined along a route where both data are sufficient to permit deriving a crustal model from gravity, radio-echo sounding and explosion seismic data. The bedrock elevation usually correlates well with the high-level gravity anomaly. However, along the traverse route S-H-Z from the Syowa to Mizuho stations, the bedrock elevation has a weak negative correlation with the high-level gravity anomaly. Such a weak negative correlation is attributed to the deeper part of the crust.The crustal structure between the Syowa and Mizuho stations is modeled from the gravimetric data and the radio-echo sounding of bedrock elevations, so as to fit the P-wave velocity structure derived from the data of explosion seismic experiments. Then the structure is extended from Syowa Station seaward across Lützow-Holm Bay and from Mizuho Station southeastwards inland, where only gravimetric data are available. Thus, a crustal section about 600 km long is obtained on a margin of East Antarctica. The depth of the Moho increases by about 7 km from Syowa Station to the point Y200 (71° 46′S, 48° 56′E), about 500 km from the coast. A graben-like structure is obtained along the line across Lützow-Holm Bay. This suggests that both sides of the bay are bounded by faults.     

地震地球物理数据监控软件设计与实现

台站设备故障响应和风险排除是地震监测工作的基本内容,针对其便捷性和高时效性要求,采用Java语言,开发基于Android平台的地震地球物理数据监控软件.该软件整合重庆市地震局监测工作中的各项业务需求,采用云服务、Tomcat服务器及百度地图等技术,实现了数据实时查看及历史数据波形浏览等功能,及时获取仪器设备工作状态,及...     

Geodynamic evolution of the lithosphere of the Sea of Okhotsk region from geophysical data

The tectonic structure and anomalous distributions of geophysical fields of the Sea of Okhotsk region are considered; the lack of reliable data on the age of the lithosphere beneath basins of various origins in the Sea of Okhotsk is noted. Model calculations based on geological and geophysical data yielded an age of 65 Ma (the Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary) for the Central Okhotsk rise underlain by the continental lithosphere. This estimate agrees with the age (the end of the Cretaceous) derived from seismostratigraphic data. A comparative analysis of theoretical and measured heat fluxes in the Akademii Nauk Rise, underlain by a thinned continental crust, is performed. The analysis points to a higher (by 20%) value of the measured thermal background of the rise, which is consistent with a high negative gradient of gravity anomalies in this area. Calculations yielded an age of 36 Ma (the Early Oligocene) and a lithosphere thickness of 50 km for the South Okhotsk depression, whose seafloor was formed by processes of backarc spreading. The estimated age of the depression is supported by kinematic data on the region; the calculated thickness of the lithosphere coincides with the value estimated from data of magnetotelluric sounding here. This indicates that the formation time (36 Ma) of the South Okhotsk depression was estimated correctly. Numerical modeling performed for the determination of the basement age of rifting basins in the Sea of Okhotsk gave the following estimates: 18 Ma (the Early Miocene) for the Deryugin basin, 12 Ma (the Middle Miocene) for the TINRO basin, and 23 Ma (the Late Oligocene) for the West Kamchatka trough. These estimates agree with the formation time (Oligocene-Quaternary) of the sedimentary cover in rifting basins of the Sea of Okhotsk derived from geological and geophysical data. Model temperature estimates are obtained for lithologic and stratigraphic boundaries of the sedimentary cover in the Deryugin and TINRO basins and the West Kamchatka trough; the temperature analysis indicates that the latter two structures are promising for oil and hydrocarbon gas generation; the West Kamchatka trough possesses better reservoir properties compared to the TINRO and Deryugin basins. The latter is promising for the generation of hydrocarbon gas. Paleogeodynamic reconstructions of the Sea of Okhotsk region evolution are obtained for times of 90, 66, and 36 Ma on the basis of kinematic, geomagnetic, structural, tectonic, geothermal, and other geological and geophysical data.     

Rift tectonics development in the light of geophysical data: Red sea region

Summary The paper discusses geophysical phenomena observed over tholeiitic dykes detected in the Eastern Desert of Egypt (Nubian Block). The dykes show specific physical properties and are either normally or reversely polarized along their whole length over 120 km. Dykes of similar properties may also be interpreted from airborne geophysical maps in Saudi Arabia (Arabian Block). Magnetic fields of the tholeiitic dykes were interpreted quantitatively: they fit the magnetic pattern over the Red Sea. The study emphasizes those geophysical phenomena which may serve as criteria for recognition of regions with rift tectonics development.     

时间域航空电磁快速成像研究

基于电磁法理论,编写了时间域中心回线航空电磁正演算法程序,并通过查表法求取了视电阻率,时间域航空电磁的快速成像采用了经本文改进的快速一阶与二阶近似成像算法,通过四种典型地电模型对两种成像方法进行了对比,分析了两种算法在航空物探应用中的优缺点.试算结果表明,本文的两种快速成像算法均得到了比较理想的拟合效果,二阶近似成像算法对地层电阻率变化灵敏性尤为突出.     

3D parallel inversion of time-domain airborne EM data

To improve the inversion accuracy of time-domain airborne electromagnetic data, we propose a parallel 3D inversion algorithm for airborne EM data based on the direct Gauss–Newton optimization. Forward modeling is performed in the frequency domain based on the scattered secondary electrical field. Then, the inverse Fourier transform and convolution of the transmitting waveform are used to calculate the EM responses and the sensitivity matrix in the time domain for arbitrary transmitting waves. To optimize the computational time and memory requirements, we use the EM “footprint” concept to reduce the model size and obtain the sparse sensitivity matrix. To improve the 3D inversion, we use the OpenMP library and parallel computing. We test the proposed 3D parallel inversion code using two synthetic datasets and a field dataset. The time-domain airborne EM inversion results suggest that the proposed algorithm is effective, efficient, and practical.     

Subduction influence on magma supply at the East Scotia Ridge

Despite a spreading rate of 65–70 km Ma⁻¹, the East Scotia Ridge has, along most of its length, a form typically associated with slower rates of sea floor spreading. This may be a consequence of cooler than normal mantle upwelling, which could be a feature of back-arc spreading. At the northern end of the ridge, recently acquired sonar data show a complex, rapidly evolving pattern of extension within 100 km of the South Sandwich Trench. New ridge segments appear to be nucleating at or near the boundary between the South American and Scotia Sea plates and propagating southwards, supplanting older segments. The most prominent of these, north of 56°30′S, has been propagating at a rate of approximately 60 km Ma⁻¹ for at least 1 Ma, and displays a morphology unique on this plate boundary. A 40 km long axial high exists at the centre of this segment, forming one of the shallowest sections of the East Scotia Ridge. Beneath it, seismic reflection profiles reveal an axial magma chamber, or AMC, reflector, similar to those observed beneath the East Pacific Rise and Valu Fa Ridge. Simple calculations indicate the existence here of a narrow (<1 km wide) body of melt at a depth of approximately 3 km beneath the sea floor. From the topographic and seismic data, we deduce that a localised mantle melting anomaly lies beneath this segment. Rates of spreading in the east Scotia Sea show little variation along axis. Hence, the changes in melt supply are related to the unique tectonic setting, in which the South American plate is tearing to the east, perhaps allowing mantle flow around the end of the subducting slab. Volatiles released from the torn plate edge and entrained in the flow are a potential cause of the anomalous melting observed. A southward mantle flow may have existed beneath the axis of the East Scotia Ridge throughout its history.     

Earthquake precursory research in western Himalaya based on the multi-parametric geophysical observatory data

The opening of cracks and influx of fluids in the dilatancy zone of impending earthquake is expected to induce short-term changes in physical/chemical/hydrological properties during earthquake build-up cycle, which should be reflected in time-varying geophysical fields. With this rationale, eleven geophysical parameters are being recorded in continuous mode at the Multi-Parametric Geophysical Observatory (MPGO), in Ghuttu, Garhwal Himalaya, for earthquake precursory research. The critical analysis of various geophysical time series indicates anomalous behavior at few occasions; however, the data is also influenced by many external forces. These external influences are the major deterrent for the isolation of precursory signals. The recent work is focused on the data adoptive techniques to estimate and eliminate effects of solar-terrestrial and hydrological/environmental factors for delimiting the data to identify short-term precursors. Although any significant earthquake is not reported close to the observatory, some weak precursory signals and coseismic changes have been identified in few parameters related to the occurrence of moderate and strong earthquakes.     

一种适合多源地球物理数据三维可视化的快速空间索引技术

识别复杂地质条件下的地质构造,常需要融合多种地球物理探测技术的数据进行分析,应用地球物理数据三维可视化技术可以更好地解释复杂的地质现象,传统的可视化方法由于缺乏对多源地球物理数据一体化的存储管理与索引机制,使得在对大范围多源地球物理数据进行空间局部更加精细可视化时的效率很低.为了更有效地洞察研究区域的地下构造,本文研究了适合多源地球物理数据三维可视化技术的快速空间索引技术.首先根据各类地球物理数据空间分布特点,提出了一种改进的四叉树结构,用于建立对多源地球物理数据一体化存储与管理.接着利用该数据结构,文章现实了多源地球物理数据快速空间查询的机制.将此结构和机制服务于大规模多源地球物理数据精细尺度下的三维可视化,提高对特定空间范围的局部多源地球物理数据动态可视化的效率.最后给出了该数据结构下空间查询与可视化的效率分析,并通过实验对整个算法的效率进行了验证.实验表明,通过建立相应的索引机制,可在大规模多源地球物理数据条件下更高效地展示任意位置岩矿石多个物理特性之间的空间关系,为多源地球物理数据的三维可视化提供技术支撑.