Estimating agricultural deep drainage lag times to groundwater: application to Antelope Valley,California, USA

Estimates of groundwater volumes available in semiarid regions that rely on water balance calculations require the determination of both surface to groundwater lag times and volumes from irrigation or rainfall initiated recharge. Subsurface geologic material hydraulic properties (e.g. hydraulic conductivities, water retention functions) necessary for unsaturated flow modelling are rarely available as are the instrumented field tests that might determine such lag times. Here we develop a simple two‐parameter (specific yield, S_y, and pore‐size distribution index, λ), one‐dimensional unsaturated flow model from simplifications of the Richards equation (using the Brooks‐Corey relationships) to determine lag times from agricultural deep drainage associated with the irrigation of alfalfa hay and various row crops in the Antelope Valley of California, USA. Model‐predicted lag times to depths of 85 m bgs (below ground surface) were similar to that measured in a 2‐year ponded recharge field trial, slightly overestimating that measured by approximately 15% (0.51 vs 0.44 years). Lag time estimates were most sensitive to estimated deep percolation rates and roughly equally sensitive to the model hydraulic parameters. Generally, as subsurface material textures coarsen towards larger S_y and λ values for all S_y >10%, lag times progressively increase; however, at S_y <10%, lag times decrease substantially suggesting that particular combinations of S_y and λ values that may be associated with similarly textured materials can result in the prediction of different lag times for S_y approximately 10%. Overall, lag times of 1–3 years to a depth of 69 m bgs were estimated from deep drainage of agricultural irrigation across a variety of irrigation schedules and subsurface materials. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three-dimensional P-wave Velocity Structure of the Bear Valley Region of Central California

—The three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure of the Bear Valley region of central California is determined by applying a circular ray-tracing technique to 1735 P-wave arrivals from 108 locally recorded earthquakes. Comparison of the results obtained from one-dimensional and laterally varying starting models shows that many of the features in the structure determined are fairly insensitive to the choice of the starting model. Velocities associated with the Gabilan granites southwest of the San Andreas Fault are slightly higher than those in the Franciscan formation to the northeast, and these two features are separated in the southern part of the region by a narrow fault zone with very low velocities. In the southeastern part of the region, where the Gabilan granites do not abut the San Andreas Fault, the low velocities of the fault zone cross over to the southwestern side of the fault. They also appear to extend to depths of at least 15km, thus locally reversing the contrast across the San Andreas Fault that prevails farther to the northwest. In the northwestern part of the region, the low velocities of the fault zone split and follow the surface traces of the San Andreas and Calaveras Faults, but do not appear to extend to depths much deeper than about 6km. There also appears to be a well-defined contrast in structure in the middle of the Santa Clara Valley, suggesting the existence of a fault in the basement of the valley that may be a southern extension of the Sargent Fault into this region. Relocated hypocenters beneath the San Andreas Fault cluster in a zone that dips about 80° southwest and intersects the surface trace of the fault in the southern part of region.     

Climate change triggered sedimentation and progressive tectonic uplift in a coupled piedmont–axial system: Cuyama Valley,California, USA

Channels on the north‐facing piedmont of the Sierra Madre range in Cuyama Valley, California have alternated between three process regimes during the late Quaternary: (1) vertical incision into piedmont alluvium and older sedimentary deposits; (2) lateral erosion; and (3) sediment accumulation. The state of the piedmont system at a given time has been controlled by upstream sediment flux, regional tectonic uplift and incision of the axial Cuyama River. To better understand the timing and to attempt to interpret causes of past geomorphological processes on the Sierra Madre piedmont, we mapped the surficial geology and dated alluvial deposits using radiocarbon, cosmogenic and optical dating methods. Four primary episodes of sedimentation have occurred since ca. 100 ka, culminating in the most recent period of extensive piedmont sedimentation between 30 and 20 ka. Fill terraces in Cuyama Valley formed by piedmont sediment accumulation followed by vertical incision and lateral erosion are fairly planar and often mantle strath bedrock surfaces. Their vertical spatial arrangement is a record of progressive regional tectonic uplift and concomitant axial Cuyama River channel incision migrating up tributary piedmont channels. Subparallel longitudinal terrace profiles which have a linear age–elevation relationship indicate that multiple episodes of climatically controlled sedimentation overprints ～1 m kyr^?1 of regional uplift affecting the Cuyama River and its tributaries. Sedimentation was probably a result of increased precipitation that caused saturation landsliding in steep catchments. It is possible that increased precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum was caused by both continental‐scale circulation pattern reorganization and increased Pacific storm frequency and intensity caused by ‘early warming’ of nearby Pacific Ocean surface waters. Older episodes of piedmont sedimentation are difficult to correlate with specific climate regimes, but may correlate with previous periods of increased precipitation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Progressive failure of sheeted rock slopes: the 2009–2010 Rhombus Wall rock falls in Yosemite Valley,California, USA

Progressive rock‐fall failures in natural rock slopes are common in many environments, but often elude detailed quantitative documentation and analysis. Here we present high‐resolution photography, video, and laser scanning data that document spatial and temporal patterns of a 15‐month‐long sequence of at least 14 rock falls from the Rhombus Wall, a sheeted granitic cliff in Yosemite Valley, California. The rock‐fall sequence began on 26 August 2009 with a small failure at the tip of an overhanging rock slab. Several hours later, a series of five rock falls totaling 736 m³ progressed upward along a sheeting joint behind the overhanging slab. Over the next 3 weeks, audible cracking occurred on the Rhombus Wall, suggesting crack propagation, while visual monitoring revealed opening of a sheeting joint adjacent to the previous failure surface. On 14 September 2009 a 110 m³ slab detached along this sheeting joint. Additional rock falls between 30 August and 20 November 2010, totaling 187 m³, radiated outward from the initial failure area along cliff (sub)parallel sheeting joints. We suggest that these progressive failures might have been related to stress redistributions accompanying propagation of sheeting joints behind the cliff face. Mechanical analyses indicate that tensile stresses should occur perpendicular to the cliff face and open sheeting joints, and that sheeting joints should propagate parallel to a cliff face from areas of stress concentrations. The analyses also account for how sheeting joints can propagate to lengths many times greater than their depths behind cliff faces. We posit that as a region of failure spreads across a cliff face, stress concentrations along its margin will spread with it, promoting further crack propagation and rock falls. Published in 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Effects of changes in winter snowpacks on summer low flows: case studies in the Sierra Nevada,California, USA

Seasonal low flows are important for sustaining ecosystems and for supplying human needs during the dry season. In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, low flows are primarily sustained by groundwater that is recharged during snowmelt. As the climate warms over the next century, the volume of the annual Sierra Nevada snowpack is expected to decrease by ~40–90%. In eight snow‐dominated catchments in the Sierra Nevada, we analysed records of snow water equivalent (SWE) and unimpaired streamflow records spanning 10–33 years. Linear extrapolations of historical SWE/streamflow relationships suggest that annual minimum flows in some catchments could decrease to zero if peak SWE is reduced to roughly half of its historical average. For every 10% decrease in peak SWE, annual minimum flows decrease 9–22% and occur 3–7 days earlier in the year. In two of the study catchments, Sagehen and Pitman Creeks, seasonal low flows are significantly correlated with the previous year's snowpack as well as the current year's snowpack. We explore how future warming could affect the relationship between winter snowpacks and summer low flows, using a distributed hydrologic model Regional Hydro‐ecologic Ecosystem Simulation System (RHESSys) to simulate the response of two study catchments. Model results suggest that a 10% decrease in peak SWE will lead to a 1–8% decrease in low flows. The modelled streams do not dry up completely, because the effects of reduced SWE are partly offset by increased fall or winter net gains in storage, and by shifts in the timing of peak evapotranspiration. We consider how groundwater storage, snowmelt and evapotranspiration rates, and precipitation phase (snow vs rain) influence catchment response to warming. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of perched aquifers in hydrological connectivity and biogeochemical processes in vernal pool landscapes,Central Valley,California

Relatively little is known about the role of perched aquifers in hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological processes of vernal pool landscapes. The objectives of this study are to introduce a perched aquifer concept for vernal pool formation and maintenance and to examine the resulting hydrological and biogeochemical phenomena in a representative catchment with three vernal pools connected to one another and to a seasonal stream by swales. A combined hydrometric and geochemical approach was used. Annual rainfall infiltrated but perched on a claypan/duripan, and this perched groundwater flowed downgradient toward the seasonal stream. The upper layer of soil above the claypan/duripan is ～0·6 m in thickness in the uplands and ～0·1 m in thickness in the vernal pools. Some groundwater flowed through the vernal pools when heads in the perched aquifer exceeded ～0·1 m above the claypan/duripan. Perched groundwater discharge accounted for 30–60% of the inflow to the vernal pools during and immediately following storm events. However, most perched groundwater flowed under or around the vernal pools or was recharged by annual rainfall downgradient of the vernal pools. Most of the perched groundwater was discharged to the outlet swale immediately upgradient of the seasonal stream, and most water discharging from the outlet swale to the seasonal stream was perched groundwater that had not flowed through the vernal pools. Therefore, nitrate‐nitrogen concentrations were lower (e.g. 0·17 to 0·39 mg l^?1) and dissolved organic carbon concentrations were higher (e.g. 5·97 to 3·24 mg l^?1) in vernal pool water than in outlet swale water discharging to the seasonal stream. Though the uplands, vernal pools, and seasonal stream are part of a single surface‐water and perched groundwater system, the vernal pools apparently play a limited role in controlling landscape‐scale water quality. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of radon gas on major faults in California,USA

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Granulometric study of the Hanaupah Fan,Death Valley,California

We applied new granulometric techniques to the various surfaces of the Hanaupah Fan, Death Valley, California, namely the Q1 surface, with an estimated age of 800–490 ka, the younger Q2 (170–105 ka) and Q3 (50–14 ka) surfaces, the <14 ka deposits of the incised channel, and to a (c. 14 ka) Lake Manly shoreline deposit at the northern periphery of the fan. We used these techniques to generate quantitative information on surface clast grain-size distributions, clast sphericity, roundness, and clast orientation to provide a data set that could be used to define fan-segment surfaces, and to help interpret fan genesis. Grain-size analyses were carried out by photo-sieving of 139 surface pictures, by petrographic identification of samples taken in the incised channel, and by identification and measuring of the largest clasts (1452 measurements) on the Q3 surface. The results show that all fan-segment surfaces, regardless of age, have similar size distributions, with a well-defined gravel mode of −2·3 to −3·0 phi, and are poorly to moderately sorted. Samples from the incised channel have distributions that are very similar to each other, regardless of distance from the apex, but display reduced sorting compared to the fan surfaces (which largely lack fines, perhaps from winnowing by secondary overland flow). Only the shoreline deposit is different from the other elements, showing a much narrower, well-defined gravel mode (−3·0 phi), and is moderately well sorted. Sphericity and roundness of clasts on all surfaces show only minor differences, similar to the other sedimentary parameters, indicating a remarkable homogeneity of the surfaces of the sediment body. In addition, measurements of the largest clasts (>100 cm long axis) on the Q3 surface showed no discernible trend either with radial distance or with rock type. These data suggest large depositional episodes that produce extensive sedimentary units without differentiation relative to distance from the source. Of the examined parameters, clast orientation is the best predictor of relative age of fan surfaces. Clast orientation in the main channel is bimodal, i.e. the long axes of clasts are either at right angles or parallel to transport direction. This bimodality disappears with increasing age, and the preferred orientation becomes unimodal (long clast axes normal to transport direction) on the Q1 surface. Although the causes of this change are still in debate, use of this parameter as a relative-age dating tool seems possible. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mercury in soils of the Long Valley, California, geothermal system

An evaluation of the Hg distribution in soils of the Long Valley, California, geothermal area, was made. A₁-horizon soil samples were collected utilizing a grid system from the resurgent dome area and the Long Valley area. In addition, samples were collected in five traverses across three fault systems and four traverses across east-west-oriented gullies to measure the importance of aspect. Additional samples were collected in an analysis of variance design to evaluate natural variability in soil composition with sampling interval distance.The primary objectives of this study were to further evaluate the applicability of anomalously high Hg concentration in soils to exploration for geothermal systems and the importance of secondary controls on Hg concentration in soils above geothermal systems.Statistical analysis indicates that there are two populations of Hg concentrations in soils; one affected by geothermal activity and the other unaffected. Samples from the resurgent dome are shown to be statistically different from the samples collected in Long Valley proper with respect to Hg, organic carbon, and pH. This suggests that secondary influences may be important in controlling Hg distribution in soils.Organic carbon in soils is shown by stepwise multiple regression to be the most important secondary parameter controlling Hg concentration. For the most part, the secondary controls of Hg are overwhelmed in an area of prominent geothermal activity. Some faults exhibit prominent anomalies in total Hg concentration and others do not, indicating the possibility of low levels of hydrothermal activity or effective sealing of faults to gas leakage.The analysis of variance results indicate that there is a regional trend in Hg concentration across the resurgent dome. Soils can be sampled for Hg by utilizing a grid of about 0.4 km spacing. However, some local irregularities appear in this pattern and anomalous areas should be prospected at intervals of 100 m or less.     

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic study of forearc basin sediments: Lower to Upper Cretaceous Budden Canyon Formation (Great Valley Group), northern California,USA

The results of a calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic investigation of the North Fork Cottonwood Creek section of the Budden Canyon Formation (BCF; Hauterivian–Turonian) in northern California are summarized using the Boreal – cosmopolitan Boreal Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (BC) – Upper Cretaceous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (UC) nannofossil zonal schemes of Bown et al. and Burnett et al. Sixteen intervals, ranging from the BC15 to UC8 zones, were established in the section. Combined biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic studies suggest a Hauterivian to mid‐Turonian age for the studied sequence. The Hauterivian–Barremian, Barremian–Aptian, Aptian–Albian, Albian–Cenomanian, and Cenomanian–Turonian stage boundaries were delineated near the top of the Ogo Member, below the Huling Sandstone Member, within the upper Chickabally Member, in the upper portion of the Bald Hills Member and within the Gas Point Member, respectively. Unconformities probably exist at the base of the Huling Sandstone Member and the upper part of the upper Chickabally Member. The nannofossil assemblage in the North Fork Cottonwood Creek suggests that the study area was under the influence of cold‐water conditions during the Barremian to Lower Aptian interval, shifting to tropical/warm‐water conditions during the Albian to Turonian interval as a result of the mid‐Cretaceous global warming. Although oceanic anoxic events have not yet been reported in the BCF, preliminary total organic carbon, along with nannofossil data, suggest the presence of the global Cenomanian–Turonian boundary oceanic anoxic event 2.     

Radon-222 in groundwater of the Long Valley caldera,California

In the Long Valley caldera, where seismicity has continued essentially uninterrupted since mid-1980 and uplift is documented, samples of water from hot, warm, and cold springs have been collected since September, 1982, and their²²²Rn concentrations analyzed. Concurrently, rocks encompassing the hydrologic systems feeding the springs were analyzed for their radioelement contents, because their uranium is the ultimate source of the²²²Rn in the water.The²²²Rn concentration in the springs varies inversely with their temperature and specific conductance. High concentrations (1500 to 2500 picocuries per liter) occur in dilute cold springs on the margins of the caldera, while low contents (12 to 25 pCi/l) occur in hot to boiling springs. Springwater radon concentrations also correlate slightly with the uranium content of the encompassing rocks.A continuous monitoring system was installed in August, 1983, at a spring issuing from basalt, to provide hourly records of radon concentration. A gamma detector is submerged in a natural pool, and we have observed that the radioactivity measured in this manner is due almost entirely to the²²²Rn concentration of the water. Initial operation shows diurnal and semidiurnal variations in the²²²Rn concentration of the springwater that are ascribed to earth tides, suggesting that those variations are responding to small changes in stress in the rocks encompassing the hydrologic system.     

美国加州发生里氏6.5级地震

2003年12月22日当地时间上午约11时16分，美国加州发生里氏6．5级地震，震中位于加州中部海滨城市圣西蒙市以东大约11km处，距震中以南大约400km的洛杉矶市和距震中以北大约300km的旧金山市都有明显震感。在地震袭来时，距震中     

美国加州地震预警系统发展，应用及启示

In this paper we outline the science, engineering, and societal considerations of the prototype Earthquake Early Warning System （EEWS） in California and detail the development and testing of methodologies in the last 10 years in America. Also, we give a brief introduction of Earthquake Early Warning （EEW） in China, and based on the summary of EEW in California we make an analysis of the perspectives, misconceptions, and challenges that China may have.     

Pesticide residues in ground water of the San Joaquin Valley, California

A regional assessment of non-point-source contamination of pesticide residues in ground water was made of the San Joaquin Valley, an intensively farmed and irrigated structural trough in central California. About 10% of the total pesticide use in the USA is in the San Joaquin Valley. Pesticides detected include atrazine, bromacil, 2.4-DP, diazinon, dibromochloropropane, 1,2-dibromoethane, dicamba, 1,2-dichloropropane, diuron, prometon, prometryn, propazine and simazine. All are soil applied except diazinon.

Pesticide leaching is dependent on use patterns, soil texture, total organic carbon in soil, pesticide half-life and depth to water table. Leaching is enhanced by flood-irrigation methods except where the pesticide is foliar applied such as diazinon. Soils in the western San Joaquin Valley are fine grained and are derived primarily from marine shales of the Coast Ranges. Although shallow ground water is present, the fewest number of pesticides were detected in this region. The fine-grained soil inhibits pesticide leaching because of either low vertical permeability or high surface area; both enhance adsorption on to solid phases. Soils of the valley floor tend to be fine grained and have low vertical permeability. Soils in the eastern part of the valley are coarse grained with low total organic carbon and are derived from Sierra Nevada granites. Most pesticide leaching is in these alluvial soils, particularly in areas where depth to ground water is less than 30m. The areas currently most susceptible to pesticide leaching are eastern Fresno and Tulare Counties.

Tritium in water molecules is an indicator of aquifer recharge with water of recent origin. Pesticide residues transported as dissolved species were not detected in non-tritiated water. Although pesticides were not detected in all samples containing high tritium, these samples are indicative of the presence of recharge water that interacted with agricultural soils.     

Design and Implementation of Evapotranspiration Measuring Equipment for Owens Valley, California

As part of a plant survivability and ground water study in Owens Valley, California, semipermanent installations are used to measure continuous range-land evapotranspiration in the valley's phreatophyte community. A proposed mobile installation also has been designed. The semipermanent micrometeoro-logical station collects continuous data for solution of the Bowen ratio/energy budget equation and the Penman combination equation. Three sites were chosen for this type of installation to provide a representative sampling of Owens Valley. The proposed mobile aerodynamic installation should be capable of calculating evapotranspiration by the eddy correlation method. This instrumentation will be used throughout the valley for short periods of time (up to five days). Many problems with equipment operation, calibration and design have been identified and resolved by means of improved calibration techniques, systematic error-removal techniques, reduced cycle times, modified equipment design and proper observer training. The collected evapotranspiration data will be instrumental in developing a one-dimensional evapotranspiration flux algorithm for a model of valleywide ground water flow.     

Geodetic and seismic constraints on recent activity at Long Valley Caldera,California: evidence for viscoelastic rheology

Long Valley Caldera is an active volcanic region in east central California. Surface deformation on the resurgent dome within the caldera was an order of magnitude higher for the five-month period September 1997 through January 1998 compared to the previous three-year average. However, the location of the immediate (shallow) source of deformation remained essentially constant, 5–7 km beneath the dome, near the top of a region of probable magma accumulation defined by seismic data. Similarly, although the rate of seismic moment release increased dramatically, earthquake locations remained similar to earlier periods. The rate of deformation increased exponentially between April–May 1997 and late November 1997 with a time constant of ∼55–65 days, after which it decreased exponentially with about the same time constant. We develop a model consistent with these observations and also consistent with independent constraints on sub-surface rheology from thermal, geochemical and laboratory data. Deformation at sites on the resurgent dome most sensitive to the shallow deformation source are well fit by a model with a single pressure source at 6 km depth which experienced a pressure pulse that began in late 1996, peaked in November 1997, close to the time of major seismic moment release, and essentially ended in mid-1999. The pressure source in our model is surrounded by a 1 km thick “shell” of Maxwell viscoelastic material (shell viscosity 10¹⁶ Pa s) within an elastic half space, and has peak values that are much lower than corresponding purely elastic half space models. The shell viscosity is characteristic of a weak, deformable solid, e.g. quartz-bearing country rock surrounding the magma chamber at temperatures in the range 500–600°C, i.e. above the brittle–ductile transition, and/or largely crystallized rhyolite near its solidus temperature of ∼670°C, material that probably exists near the top of the zoned magma chamber at Long Valley.     

Catastrophic rock avalanche 3600 years BP from El Capitan,Yosemite Valley,California

Large rock slope failures from near‐vertical cliffs are an important geomorphic process driving the evolution of mountainous landscapes, particularly glacially steepened cliffs. The morphology and age of a 2·19 × 10⁶ m³ rock avalanche deposit beneath El Capitan in Yosemite Valley indicates a massive prehistoric failure of a large expanse of the southeast face. Geologic mapping of the deposit and the cliff face constrains the rock avalanche source to an area near the summit of ～8·5 × 10⁴ m². The rock mass free fell ～650 m, reaching a maximum velocity of 100 m s^?1, impacted the talus slope and spread across the valley floor, extending 670 m from the base of the cliff. Cosmogenic beryllium‐10 exposure ages from boulders in the deposit yield a mean age of 3·6 ± 0·2 ka. The ～13 kyr time lag between deglaciation and failure suggests that the rock avalanche did not occur as a direct result of glacial debuttressing. The ～3·6 ka age for the rock avalanche does coincide with estimated late Holocene rupture of the Owens Valley fault and/or White Mountain fault between 3·3 and 3·8 ka. The coincidence of ages, combined with the fact that the most recent (AD 1872) Owens Valley fault rupture triggered numerous large rock falls in Yosemite Valley, suggest that a large magnitude earthquake (≥M7.0) centered in the south‐eastern Sierra Nevada may have triggered the rock avalanche. If correct, the extreme hazard posed by rock avalanches in Yosemite Valley remains present and depends on local earthquake recurrence intervals. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Occurrence and Persistence of MTBE in Groundwater in Windham,Maine, USA

A study was conducted from July 1998 through November 2007 on the occurrence and distribution of the fuel oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in a large sand and gravel aquifer located in southern Maine. MTBE was detected in 44% of 129 water samples collected from monitoring wells in concentrations up to 38.7 µg/L (reporting limit = 0.1 µg/L). The number of wells with detectable quantities of MTBE declined slightly between 1999 and 2007, but in general MTBE persisted throughout the period of study. Overall, MTBE was detected more frequently in the shallow and more transmissive parts of the aquifer. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) for MTBE concentrations relative to nearby land uses. MTBE was detected in 83% of the samples collected from wells in low-density residential areas, in 50% of samples from urban areas, and in 60% of samples from undeveloped areas. The concentrations of MTBE in the test wells were compared across the sample dates for trends and seven wells had a positive trend (Mann–Kendall statistic), but none was significant at p < 0.05. Nine wells had a negative trend, but only one was significant at p < 0.05. Three wells had no trend. The absence of strong or even consistent trends indicates that MTBE persists in shallow groundwater, even after gasoline formulations were changed to reduce or eliminate MTBE.