Numerical Investigation of the Somali Jet Interaction with the Western Ghat Mountains

—Several major features of the interaction of the Somali jet with the Western Ghat Mountains have been observed. These include a pressure ridge, strong vertical motions, and occurrences of highly reflective cloud and heavy rainfall rates along the west coast of India. A triple nested regional weather prediction model has been used to investigate the dynamic interaction between the Somali jet and the Western Ghat Mountains. Two numerical experiments were conducted; one with the topography of western India and the other without. In the experiment without topography, the Western Ghat Mountains were removed from the innermost domain. The results for the innermost domain in the two experiments were analyzed and compared. The results from the simulation with topography captured several of the observed features of the Somali jet interaction with the Western Ghat Mountains. The simulation without topography failed to reveal these features. The results suggest that the blocking effect of the Western Ghats plays an important role in the prediction of the rainfall over the west coast of India.     

Observations on the Abiotic Factors and Planktonic Periodicity in a Shallow Pond of the Highlands of Shillong (India)

The pond, situated at an altitude of 4862 m, shows an annual variation of temperature between 15 and 27 °C in a close correlation with the air temperature. In the case of a weakly acidic reaction of water an inverse relation exists between pH and conductivity and between free CO₂ and alkalinity. The nutrient content of 0.05 mg/l PO₄-P and NO₃-N each is low, the phosphorus concentration being maintained by re-solution from the sediment. Chlorophyceae and diatoms are dominant in the phytoplankton alternately, and rotatoria and copepoda are dominant in the zoo-plankton in winter and in summer, respectively. The pronounced changes in the composition of plankton do not show any definite dependence on the physico-chemical factors, particularly since a significant share of the nutrient metabolism and the oxygen balance in the pond investigated is determined by macrophytes.     

Seismicity of the Koyna region and regional tectonomagmatism of the Western Margin (India)

Recent findings on the Meso-Cenozoic tectonomagmatism and deep-seated anomalous geophysical structures suggest a close linkage between the seismicity of the Koyna region, the Westernghat uplift (WG-U) and associated thermomechanical and fluid activities. The WG-U seems to be the result of late Cretaceous thermal mobilization, erosion of the Deccan trap cover and superposition of compressional stress. The association of seismicity with uplift seems to result from movement of deep-seated heat and fluids/volatiles along the edges (or boundary faults) of the uplift; because the force required for crustal deformation depends on the relief. Observed gradients in relief may be attributed to the differential erosion-rates and heat inputs, due to the time gap of 50 Ma in the break-ups and plume activities on the eastern and western sides and consequence magmatism. Further, the geology and tectonics strongly indicate that the western margin (WM) is a relic of a mobile arm (MA), that included Madagascar, and which formed a part of the Proterozoic mobile belt of greater India (fort>85 Ma). The mobile nature of the WM facilitates mantle upwellings and transient elevation of isotherms at depth, raising the possibility of intermittent metamorphism and greater deformation.Superposition of the ongoing compression and uplift-induced forces make local permeability and pore-fluid pressure vital in triggering the seismic slip over the Peninsular shield. Certain representative model calculations have been carried out to estimate change in the e.m. induction characteristics caused by an intermittent hydraulic connectivity. The results show a drop in the resistivity which could be a useful monitoring index. The close connection of uplift and fluid activity as discussed here seems applicable for other active parts of the South Indian Shield (SIS) also.     

QLg tomography in Gujarat,Western India

We propose a novel Lg attenuation tomography model (Q_Lg tomography) for the state of Gujarat, Western India, using earthquake data recorded by the Gujarat Seismic Network, operated by the Institute of Seismological Research in Gandhinagar. The waveform dataset consist of 400 3-component recordings, produced by 60 earthquakes with magnitude (M_L) spanning from 3.6 to 5.1, recorded at 60 seismic stations having epicentral distances spanning between 200 and 500 km. Spectral amplitude decays for Lg wave displacement were obtained by generalized inversion at 17 frequencies spanning between 0.9 and 9 Hz. Lg wave propagation efficiency was measured by Lg/Pn spectral ratio categorizing as efficient ratio ≥6 for 86%, intermediate ratio of 3–6 for 10% and inefficient ratio <3 for 4% paths of total 400 ray paths. The earthquake size and quality of waveform recorded at dense network found sufficient to resolve lateral variation of Q_Lg in Gujarat.Average power-law attenuation relationship obtained for Gujarat as Q_Lg(f) = 234f^0.64, which corresponds to high attenuation in comparison to peninsular India shield region and other several regions around the world. Q_Lg tomography resolves the highly attenuating crust of extremely fractured Saurashtra region and tectonically active Kachchh region. The Gujarat average attenuation is also lying in between them. The low attenuation in Cambay and Narmada rift basins and extremely low attenuation in patch of Surendranagar area is identified. This study is the first attempt and can be utilized as pivotal criteria for scenario hazard assessment, as maximum hazard has been reported in highly attenuating tectonically active Kachchh region and in low attenuating Cambay, Narmada and Surendranagar regions. The site and source terms are also obtained along with the Q_Lg inversion. The estimated site responses are comparable with observed local geological condition and agree with the previously reported site amplifications at the same sites. The source terms are comparable with local magnitude estimated from Network. The M_w (Lg) is nearly equivalent to M_L (GSN) and the slight differences are noted for larger magnitude events.     

Precursory signatures in the visibility graph analysis of seismicity: An application to the Kachchh (Western India) seismicity

The Visibility Graph (VG) method maps time series into networks or graphs, converting dynamical properties of time series in topological properties of networks. The VG method was applied to the aftershock depleted catalogue of the Kachchh Gujarat (Western India) seismicity from 2003 to 2012, in order to identify possible precursory signatures in the pattern of the VG parameters. The k–M slope (the slope of the line fitting the relationship between the magnitude of the events and their connectivity degrees) seems to sharply increase significantly before the occurrence of the largest shocks (M ⩾ 4.5) of the sequence.     

查尔斯·里克特(之二)

在本文上半部分中,福里斯特博士回顾了里克特的童年、受教育情况和里氏震级的发展。在下半部分,他为我们展示了作为凡人和科学家的里克特在其鼎盛时期及以后的生活。福里斯特博士大量引用了保存于加州理工学院档案馆中的里克特的文章。该档案馆曾慷慨地允许作者在这里利...     

Streams in the Harz National Parks (Germany) — a hydrochemical and hydrobiological evaluation

Between 1995 and 2001, 16 measuring points at small and medium sized brooks in the Harz National Parks were sampled. The samples have been evaluated by means of hydrochemistry and macroinvertebrate biology. Although nearly all streams are largely uncontaminated by oxygen-consuming substances, they are settled only by a small number of macroinvertebrate species. There is a clear correlation between this number and pH. The reduction in species number with decrease of pH is mainly caused by the absence of most Ephemeroptera, some Coleoptera and Trichoptera. Comparing biological evaluation of acidity with physico-chemical measurements, a unacceptable underestimation was found. The reason could be that different sensitivities to acidification between regional populations seem to exist.

Despite of the low species number, there is a very specific macroinvertebrate fauna that emphasizes the conservation value of the Harz National Parks.     

Magnetic study of metabasic rocks of Gomoh (India)

Summary A magnetic study of metabasic dykes of pre-Cambrian age in Gomoh has been done. 9 magnetic profiles have been taken with Schmidt vertical force variometer. Direction and intensity of NRM have been determined for 25 oriented samples with an astatic magnetometer. Magnetic susceptibility of the samples has been determined. The magnetic profiles have been interpreted by considering both natural remanence and susceptibility of the rock samples. The remanent magnetic directions have two groups, one corresponding to the northern hemisphere and the other to the southern hemisphere. The corresponding latitudes of the place would then be 34°N and 42°S. It is suggested here that metamorphism of the basic rocks of this area took place during two distinct geologic epochs, one when India was in northern hemisphere and the other when in southern hemisphere, presuming that continental drift has taken place.     

Two types of ELF hiss observed at Varanasi, India

The morphology of ELF hiss events observed at low-latitude ground station Varanasi (L = 1.07, geomagnetic latitude 14°55′N) are reported, which consist of two types: (1) events which propagated in ducted mode along the geomagnetic field line corresponding to observing station Varanasi and (2) events which propagated in ducted mode along higher L-values (L = 4–6), after reaching the lower edge of ionosphere excite the Earth-ionosphere wave guide and propagate towards equator to be received at Varanasi. To understand the generation mechanism of ELF hiss, incoherent Cerenkov radiated power from the low latitude and middle latitude plasmasphere are evaluated. Considering this estimated power as an input for wave amplification through wave-particle interaction, the growth rate and amplification factor is evaluated which is too small to explain the observed wave intensity. It is suggested that some non-linear mechanism is responsible for the generation of ELF hiss.     

Limnological Studies in a Subtropical System (Lake Sattal,India)

A limnological study was carried out in the subtropical Lake Sattal (Kumaun Himalaya) during 1979. The lake was thermally stratified during warm months and a low percentage saturation of dissolved oxygen occurred in the bottom waters. Two maxima of phytoplankton occurred in the Eastern basin in contrast to only one in the Western basin. The peak in the latter developed more than a month (October) after the second peak in the former (August). Bacillariophyceae contributed highest in the Western basin (43.2%) whereas the Dinophyceae had the least share in the Eastern basin (8.0%). Most of the dominant phytoplankters were: Synedra ulna, Fragilaria, Gymnodinium, Crucigenia and Closteridium siamensis. Interestingly, blue-green alga Nostoc, dominated for some time in autumn. A total of 12 genera of rotifers, 6 genera of cladocerans and 1 genus of copepods were found in Lake Sattal basins. Dominant zooplankters included Keratella, Cyclops, Anuraeopsis, Polyarthra and Trichocerca, and there is a high ratio of rotifers to copepods and cladocerans. On comparing the averaged values of both the basins, the Eastern basin showed a 64% larger population of zooplankton than the Western basin. A comparison is made with the plankton of the other subtropical lake-systems of this region.     

Periodicity in time series of wind direction data

Summary The existence of periods of 24 and 92 hours has been proved on the basis of the analysis of time series of hourly mean wind direction data measured at the meteorological station in Praha-Ruzyn in the period from January to June, 1978. Besides, the closest mutual interdiurnal dependence of wind direction data observed at the climatological observation hour, at 7 a.m., has been proved. A method applicable to analysing time series of wind direction data by means of a computer is described.     

Attenuation of Coda Waves in the Saurashtra Region, Gujarat (India)

The attenuation characteristics based on coda waves of two areas—Jamnagar and Junagarh of Saurashtra, Gujarat (India)—have been investigated in the present study. The frequency dependent relationships have been developed for both the areas using single back scattering model. The broadband waveforms of the vertical components of 33 earthquakes (Mw 1.5–3.5) recorded at six stations of the Jamnagar area, and broadband waveforms of 68 earthquakes (Mw 1.6–5) recorded at five stations of the Junagarh area have been used for the analysis. The estimated relations for the Junagarh area are: Q _c?=?(158?±?5)f^(0.99±0.04) (lapse time : 20?s), Q _c?=?(170?±?4.4)f^(0.97±0.02) (lapse time : 30?s) and Q _c?=?(229?±?6.6)f^(0.94±0.03) (lapse time : 40?s) and for the Jamnagar area are: Q _c?=?(178?±?3)f^(0.95±0.05) (lapse time : 20?s), Q _c?=?(224?±?6)f^(0.98±0.06) (lapse time : 30?s) and Q _c?=?(282?±?7)f^(0.91±0.03) (lapse time : 40?s). These are the first estimates for the areas under consideration. The Junagarh area appears to be more attenuative as compared to the Jamnagar area. The increase in Q _c values with lapse time found here for both the areas show the depth dependence of Q _c as longer lapse time windows will sample larger area. The rate of decay of attenuation (Q ^?1) with frequency for the relations obtained here is found to be comparable with those of other regions of the world though the absolute values differ. A comparison of the coda-Q estimated for the Saurashtra region with those of the nearby Kachchh region shows that the Saurashtra region is less heterogeneous. The obtained relations are expected to be useful for the estimation of source parameters of the earthquakes in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where no such relations were available earlier. These relations are also important for the simulation of earthquake strong ground motions in the region.     

Study of indices for drought characterization in KBK districts in Orissa (India)

Drought is a temporary, random and regional climatic phenomenon, originating due to lack of precipitation leading to water deficit and causing economic loss. Success in drought alleviation depends on how well droughts are defined and their severity quantified. A quantitative definition identifies the beginning, end, spatial extent and the severity of drought. Among the available indices, no single index is capable of fully describing all the physical characteristics of drought. Therefore, in most cases it is useful and necessary to consider several indices, examine their sensitivity and accuracy, and investigate for correlation among them. In this study, the geographical information system‐based Spatial and Time Series Information Modeling (SPATSIM) and Daily Water Resources Assessment Modeling (DWRAM) software were used for drought analysis on monthly and daily bases respectively and its spatial distribution in both dry and wet years. SPATSIM utilizes standardized precipitation index (SPI), effective drought index (EDI), deciles index and departure from long‐term mean and median; and DWRAM employs only EDI. The analysis of data from the Kalahandi and Nuapada districts of Orissa (India) revealed that (a) droughts in this region occurred with a frequency of once in every 3 to 4 years, (b) droughts occurred in the year when the ratio of annual rainfall to potential evapotranspiration (Pae/PET) was less than 0·6, (c) EDI better represented the droughts in the area than any other index; (d) all SPI, EDI and annual deviation from the mean showed a similar trend of drought severity. The comparison of all indices and results of analysis led to several useful and pragmatic inferences in understanding the drought attributes of the study area. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2001年1月26日印度7.7级地震

20 0 1年 1月 2 6日 ,印度西部发生一次大地震 ,当时正值印度全国庆祝共和日。这次地震对独立的印度来说 ,无疑是一次破坏极其惨重的地震。自地震发生后 ,救援人员一直在努力清理废墟 ,并从倒塌的瓦砾中救出可能的幸存者。政府也已承认这次地震给印度造成的损失惨重。科学家们认为 ,过去没有对这一地区进行过全面的研究 ,最近几年才开始对该地区的古地震活动性进行了一些研究。其中一项研究是在卡奇沼泽地进行卡奇地区的地震历史研究。这里有一份关于卡奇地震带形变特征的详细报告的摘要。 1 81 9年发生在印度西北部的卡奇地震 ,是最显著的…     

地震标准化进展综述(之二)

4　“十五”地震标准化工作设想与发展 地震标准化的实质是它的技术性 ,主要是立足于防震减灾体系中的技术指标。地震标准作为一种技术性规范文件 ,是根据我国防震减灾规划和地震科学技术发展需要 ,按照规定的程序 ,对地震科技成果和实践的先进经验进行总结制定出来的。因此 ,地震标准化一定要以建立防震减灾工作的最佳工作秩序和提高地震科学技术水平为最终目的。为了达到这一目的 ,除了依据《中华人民共和国防震减灾法》来调整防震减灾领域中各个方面的关系外 ,就是要依据一整套行之有效的、科学合理的地震技术法规对地震行业存在共同的、…     

Geochemical and petrological relations in some deccan basalts, Western Maharashtra, India

Petrographic and geochemical data are given for some basaltic rocks from the Koynaghat, Ambaghat and Panvel sections of the western Deccan volcanic province. This study confirms geochemical features established earlier for the Deccan basalts but brings out minor additional characters. Mineralogical and major-element compositions of the basaltic flows from the Koyna and Panvel sections indicate tholeiitic affinity; the Ambaghat flows exhibit a slight affinity towards alkali basalt. Rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns and trace-element abundances suggest minor fractionation of olivine and plagioclase during the evolution of the flows. The general similarity of chemical and mineralogical features over a wide area and the lack of conspicuous inter-element relationships suggest that the flows reflect the combined effects of partial melting, minor mineral fractionation and selective crustal contamination.     

Early Paleozoic basement diorite of arc-magmatism from Kutch basin,Western India

In this study, we report for the first time an Early Palaeozoic basement diorite from the drilled well Nirona-A in the Banni Half-Graben of the Kutch basin, western India. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dates provided a plateau age of 441.84 ± 2.66 Ma and another pseudo plateau of 441.28 ± 5.82 to 388.08 ± 16.65 Ma for the basement diorite. These ages constrain the basement formation age to the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian period. The obtained basement ages are correlatable with the later...     

灾害对策实例 (之二)

2　台湾地震发生之后的对策2 .1　当局的反应在台湾 ,由于控制灾害的主体是台湾当局 ,因而形成一个集权化系统 ,震灾之后由台湾当局组建机构和实施计划。2 .2　紧急措施2 .2 .1　信息与公共事务工作信息收集方面 ,由于道路和通讯网的阻断等诸缘故 ,山区不能与外界取得通讯联系 ,没有办法无延迟地掌握其破坏情况。信息传递和公共事务工作方面 ,可通过各种途径获得即时行动情况和确切信息。“行政院”在地震发生之后于 9月 2 5日立即作出一个包括给付慰问金的 1 9条紧急救济措施的决定。值得提出的是 ,条款包括了紧急响应 ,如给付死亡和房屋完…