Redistribution of archaeological assemblages in plowzones

Archaeological surface surveys have located open‐air sites on cropland in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). To what degree agricultural disturbances have impacted archaeological site integrity is poorly defined and may greatly affect interpretations of prehistoric land use. This paper presents the results of three experiments concerned with the effects of tillage on artifact distribution, focusing specifically on lateral and vertical artifact displacement. We demonstrate highly variable horizontal displacement of artifacts by plowing and overall downward movement of lithic materials within the soil. This results in an expansion of site boundaries and reduction of surface artifact density, yielding a biased and unrepresentative picture of past human activity. More experimental studies are needed to better define agricultural disturbances to surface archaeological assemblages. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Numerical Simulation of Moisture Movement in Unsaturated Expansive Soil Slope Suffering Permeation

INTRODUCTION Theinfiltrationandevaporationofwaterinasoil slopeareofparamountimportanceindetermining slopestability.Previousengineeringcasesandstud ieshaveshownthatrainwaterisoftenamajorfactor intheslopefailureofexpansivesoils.Expansivesoils intropicalandsubtropicalzonesareoftenunsaturat ed,andsoilslopesareinastablestateinnormalcli mateconditionsbecauseofthehighsuctionandshear strengthofthesoilmass.However,oncepermeation happensrainwaterwillinfiltrateintothesoilmasswhichleadstoanincreasein…     

Desert Pavement Disturbance and Artifact Taphonomy: A Case Study from the Eastern Libyan Plateau,Egypt

Accretionary desert pavements on the eastern Libyan Plateau of central Egypt support a rich Middle and Upper Paleolithic artifact assemblage exhibiting intensive blank production and minimal tool production. These assemblages appear to be in primary context with numerous examples of lithic refits showing on‐site lithic production. However, the smallest (length ≤2.5 cm) archaeological fragments are recovered at a much lower rate on this desert pavement surface than expected given comparable data from lithic assemblages in cave and shelter contexts in France. Excavation of archaeological contexts on the Libyan Plateau reveals the loss of small artifact fragments into the subsurface due to aeolian accumulation of silts, whereas geomorphic examination of desert pavement surfaces suggests a potential for relatively isolated bioturbation as a source of lateral and vertical disturbance of desert pavement surfaces over small areas. Archaeologists should be aware of the potential for long‐term assemblage stability as well as small artifact burial in surficial desert pavement contexts.     

Liquefaction potential of coastal slopes induced by solitary waves

Tsunami runup and drawdown can cause liquefaction failure of coastal fine sand slopes due to the generation of high excess pore pressure and the reduction of the effective over burden pressure during the drawdown. The region immediately seaward of the initial shoreline is the most susceptible to tsunami-induced liquefaction failure because the water level drops significantly below the still water level during the set down phase of the drawdown. The objective of this work is to develop and validate a numerical model to assess the potential for tsunami-induced liquefaction failure of coastal sandy slopes. The transient pressure distribution acting on the slope due to wave runup and drawdown is computed by solving for the hybrid Boussinesq—nonlinear shallow water equations using a finite volume method. The subsurface pore water pressure and deformation fields are solved simultaneously using a finite element method. Two different soil constitutive models have been examined: a linear elastic model and a non-associative Mohr–Coulomb model. The numerical methods are validated by comparing the results with analytical models, and with experimental measurements from a large-scale laboratory study of breaking solitary waves over a planar fine sand beach. Good comparisons were observed from both the analytical and experimental validation studies. Numerical case studies are shown for a full-scale simulation of a 10-m solitary wave over a 1:15 and 1:5 sloped fine sand beach. The results show that the soil near the bed surface, particularly along the seepage face, is at risk to liquefaction failure. The depth of the seepage face increases and the width of the seepage face decreases with increasing bed slope. The rate of bed surface loading and unloading due to wave runup and drawdown, respectively, also increases with increasing bed slope. Consequently, the case with the steeper slope is more susceptible to liquefaction failure due to the higher hydraulic gradient. The analysis also suggests that the results are strongly influenced by the soil permeability and relative compressibility between the pore fluid and solid skeleton, and that a coupled solid/fluid formulation is needed for the soil solver. Finally, the results show the drawdown pore pressure response is strongly influenced by nonlinear material behavior for the full-scale simulation.     

Numerical evidence of site effects contributing to triggering the Las Colinas landslide during the 2001 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript> = 7.7 El Salvador earthquake

The Las Colinas landslide, which was triggered by the 13 January 2001, M_w?=?7.7 El Salvador earthquake, was highly destructive. The local site is composed of pyroclastic flows, brown cinders, soft pyroclastic fall deposits and a thin palaeosol and is characterised by steep slopes. The extremely high ground motions recorded near the landslide location are assumed to be both produced by site effects and responsible for the landslide. To characterise the ground motion amplifications due to site effects in terms of the variation in geometrical and geological settings, parametric studies were conducted with a linear elastic slope model, which was vertically subjected to the scattering SV wave of the Gabor wavelet. The results show that a maximum amplification is obtained when the model slope angle is approximately 30° (similar to the actual slope angle), and the maximum amplification is located approximately 20 m behind the crest, where the actual movement was initiated. Additionally, a slope with a height of approximately 160 m enhances ground motion amplification. The subsurface geology is found to induce a greater effect on amplification than that of the slope topography. In particular, a soft pyroclastic fall deposit is observed to contribute most of the ground motion amplification. According to the numerical results, it can be concluded that the local site conditions induced extremely high ground motions that then contributed to the slope movement. Although the thin, buried layer of palaeosol did not cause any significant amplification, its weak cohesion enhanced movement.     

基于颗粒流方法的堆积层滑坡运动过程模拟

以颗粒流离散元为研究方法对勉县杨家湾十组堆积层滑坡破坏方式与运动过程进行数值模拟研究。通过PFC2D双轴模拟试验所标定的岩土体宏观模拟参数与室内试验所获取的宏观实测参数进行对比,确定堆积层滑坡所需的颗粒细观参数,然后将标定的细观参数代入堆积层滑坡模型,对滑坡破坏方式及运动过程进行模拟研究。结果表明:滑坡破坏在初始阶段蠕滑变形累积,滑坡体挤压坡脚,直至坡脚产生剪切破坏,并向上牵引发展,使得滑坡整体顺接触面破坏下滑并堆积于坡脚,表现为典型的牵引式渐进破坏,结果与实际情况基本吻合。研究认为,采用颗粒流方法对堆积层滑坡破坏与运动过程的模拟研究具有较高的适用性,对该类滑坡防治具有一定的参考意义。      

Proceedings of the Brain Storming Session on “Water Resources of Eastern (West Bengal,Bihar and Jharkhand) and North-Eastern States of India”

Landslides are amongst the major disasters that have occurred in Karabük, Turkey. Due to the rapid increase in population movement to new habitats in urban areas, the need for engineering structures will increase. This condition has led to the construction of arts, cultural facilities and housing in insecure regions these days. The excavations to prepare the construction site, the external loads due to heavy structures and the changes in coverage of the earth surface are among the reasons for landslides in such areas. In this study, the landslides that occurred due to unsupported excavation for the construction of Karabük university stadium were analyzed using the three softwares like Plaxis, Geoslope and Slide. The study area is critical in terms of slope problems. Mass movement in the stadium occurred in high plasticity clay units containing sand and silt. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out detailed studies before the construction of engineering structures. The landslide considered in the study were analyzed using finite element (FE) analysis and slice method. These approaches are used for evaluating the stability of natural slope by considering a failure mechanism, which is known as the plastic limit condition. Regarding safety factors calculated using the different numerical solutions confirm that the results obtained are similar. In addition, the landslide area is close to the predicted simulation results.     

土坡稳定分析的颗粒流模拟

边坡的失稳破坏运动是一个存在岩土体的滑动、平移、转动的复杂过程,具有宏观上的不连续性和单个块体运动的随机性。采用颗粒流模拟土坡的变形破坏全过程,不需要假定滑移面的位置和形状,颗粒根据所受到的接触力调整其位置,最终从抗剪强度最弱的面发生剪切破坏,因此离散元法是模拟边坡变形破坏力学行为的比较理想的途径。运用PFC（颗粒流）程序对砂性土坡和黏性土坡分别进行数值模拟,分析细观参数对土坡破坏型式的影响。结果显示,土性对边坡的破坏型式有很大的影响,随着颗粒黏性的增大,边坡破坏类型从塑性破坏向脆性破坏过渡。     

Stone artifact scatters in western NSW,Australia: Geomorphic controls on artifact size and distribution

Surface scatters of Aboriginal stone artifacts have been exposed in many parts of inland Australia by accelerated erosion that followed the introduction of pastoralism by European settlers in the 19th century. This paper reports on a set of techniques developed to investigate and quantify the effects of these post‐discard disturbance processes in Sturt National Park in northwest NSW, Australia. Backwards, stepwise, linear regression showed the influence of geomorphic parameters such as slope gradient, elevation, landform, and contemporary surface processes on artifact distribution, with artifact maximum dimension as the dependent variable. The results indicate that, even at low gradients, artifact size and slope angle are significantly related, but that the variance in maximum dimension explained by gradient is very low. Similar results were found for the other geomorphic variables. We conclude that artifact movement by surface wash across these surfaces is unlikely to significantly affect artifact distribution. While vertically conflated surface scatters do not preserve “living floors” in a short‐term, functional sense, their apparent horizontal integrity allows investigation of the long‐term use of place by hunter‐gatherer people in the past. Insofar as assemblage integrity is important for assessing site significance in the heritage management industry, our methods provide a means for assessing the degree to which a site has been damaged by water flow. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Modeling the natural degradation of earthworks

Stratigraphic, topographic, and ground‐penetrating radar data obtained from a ca. 1800‐year‐old embankment and adjacent ditch at the Hopewell Mound Group (Chillicothe, Ohio) are used to validate the archaeological application of a simple finite‐differences diffusion model employed frequently to assess geomorphic change in natural landscapes. Although diffusion models have been used to describe the topographic degradation of landforms in a variety of geomorphic terrains, the approach has not been applied to ancient earthworks in an archaeological context. The results of this study indicate that a variety of initial earthwork forms can result in the sinusoidal profile apparent on the current landscape. Using the model results to interpret the field data, we suggest that the initial embankment form was steeper and the adjacent ditch was deeper. As a result of natural degradation processes, the earthwork widened and flattened over time. These results have broad implications for any study aimed at: (1) assessing the function of original earthwork forms, (2) determining the formation processes of complicated stratigraphies or artifact assemblages, (3) estimating the time and labor investment required for construction, or (4) identifying the socio‐political structures necessary to build earthworks. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

地震动加速度幅值对土坡失稳后滑坡体大小及致灾范围的影响

地震滑坡的致灾范围是判断滑坡能否会对已有建构筑物造成损失、确定预警疏散范围的重要依据,因此对地震土坡破坏后的滑坡体大小和致灾范围进行研究具有重要的意义.本研究基于SPH动力分析方法,结合弹塑性本构模型和固体力学控制方程建立了地震土坡破坏的动力分析模型;通过设置振动边界粒子和自由场边界粒子,实现了地震动加速度的施加以及自...     

Inverted clast stratigraphy in an eolian archaeological environment

Understanding the geomorphic history of eolian basins is important in interpreting the archaeological record and human responses to past environments. One hundred forty soil profiles were excavated and described in southern New Mexico and West Texas. Seven major late Quaternary stratigraphic units were found: La Mesa, eolian Jornada (I, II), eolian Isaacks' Ranch, eolian Organ (I, II, and III), Historical Blowsand, and the playa deposits of Petts Tank and Lake Tank. Each unit represents a period of landscape instability, eolian erosion, and concurrent deposition, followed by landscape stability and soil formation. Eolian erosion can form local surficial lag deposits if materials larger than the competence of the wind are present. However, erosional processes alone cannot explain the presence of older clasts at the surface with intact, younger deposits underneath. We propose a combination of processes: deflation in eolian windows, followed by lateral movement of clasts over areas that have not been deflated. The effects of these processes on artifact stratigraphy and archaeological interpretations could be significant. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

黄土崩塌的形成因素及其影响范围的确定方法

黄土崩塌是黄土地区常见的一种地质灾害,威胁着人类生产生活的安全。通过现场调查,认为黄土崩塌形成的内因主要为黄土土性特征、节理裂隙切割程度,外因主要为降雨作用、人类工程活动及生物活动。根据黄土崩塌常见的运动形式,提出崩塌体自由飞落及滚动情况下影响范围的理论公式。实例计算表明:若坡底地面水平,无论什么运动方式,崩塌影响范围为斜坡高度的0.4～0.6倍。随着坡度的变陡,崩滑距与斜坡坡高的比值也变大。当崩塌体自由飞落时,崩塌体的影响范围和碰撞点前的坡度有关。当崩塌体在坡面滑动时,崩塌体的影响范围和斜坡的坡度有关。研究结果可作为黄土地区黄土崩塌致灾范围预测方法,为黄土崩塌的防治提供理论依据。     

Seismically induced landslide displacements: a predictive model

Newmark's model for predicting earthquake-induced landslide displacements provides a simple way to predict the coseismic displacements affecting a sliding mass subject to earthquake loading. In this model, seismic slope stability is measured in terms of critical acceleration, which depends on the mechanical soil properties, pore-pressure distribution, and slope geometry. The triggering seismic forces are investigated in terms of energy radiation from the source, propagation, and site effects, based on 190 accelerometric recordings from 17 Italian earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.5 and 6.8. The method is based on the calibration of relations having the general form of an attenuation law that relates the energy of the seismic forces to the dynamic shear resistances of the sliding mass to propagate the expected landslide displacements as an inverse function of the distance from the fault rupture; the amount of displacement computed through these relations provides a criterion to predict the occurrence of slope failures. Finally, maps showing, in a deterministic and a probabilistic way, the potential of seismically induced landslide displacements are displayed as a tool to provide seismic landslide scenarios and earthquake-induced landslide hazard maps, respectively.     

Mapping the archaeological soil archive of sand and gravel mineral reserves in Britain

Primary sand and gravel deposits in Britain play an important role in preserving our cultural heritage and are also a valuable aggregate resource. While an understanding of the extrinsic properties of the soil archive (such as pH, redox, groundwater) can provide a firstorder assessment of the potential risk to any archaeologically sensitive deposits, we have very poor definition of spatial variations in the extrinsic properties of soil that influence archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale. Developments in digital geological mapping, remote sensing, and geochemical survey data undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) have, however, significantly extended capabilities in this respect and can potentially be used to provide a primary assessment of the sensitivity of the present soil archive and the potential risk from changes to the soil process on cultural material in areas earmarked for aggregate extraction. Two of the major factors affecting archaeological preservation—soil acidification and groundwater—can be mapped or predicted at scales of better than 1:50,000 across increasingly large parts of the country using a combination of regional hydrogeological, geophysical, and geochemical data. Additional data from site investigations may further refine preservation potential as a function of changes in redox potential and acidity. These data, maps and models can be used to (1) better establish a baseline for archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale and (2) improve our understanding of how the physical and chemical properties of the near surface environment can be managed to sustainably preserve archaeological materials in areas impacted by sand and gravel extraction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Three‐dimensional finite element study of arching behavior in slope/drilled shafts system

Two‐dimensional slope stability analysis for a slope with a row of drilled shafts needs a mechanism to take into account the three‐dimensional effect of the soil arching due to the spaced drilled shafts on slope. To gain a better understanding of the arching mechanisms in a slope with evenly spaced drilled shafts socketed into a stable stratum (or a rock layer), the three‐dimensional finite element modelling technique was used for a comprehensive parametric study, where the nonlinear and plastic nature of the soil and the elastic behavior of the drilled shafts as well as the interface frictions were modelled. Various factors were varied in the parametric study to include (1) the rigidity of the drilled shafts as influenced by its diameter, modulus of elasticity, and total length; (2) shafts spacing and location on the slope; (3) the material properties of rock and the socket length of shaft; and (4) the soil movement and strength parameters. Evidences of soil arching and reduction in the stresses and displacements through the load transfer mechanisms due to the presence of the drilled shafts were elucidated through the finite element method (FEM) simulation results. Design charts based on regression analysis of FEM simulation results were created to obtain a numerical value of the load transfer factor for the arching mechanism provided by the drilled shafts on the slope. Observations of the arching behavior learned from the FEM simulations provide an insight into the behavior of drilled shafts stabilized slope. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

松散土坡结构特征与滑坡堰塞体堆积特征之间的关系试验研究

通过模型实验,探讨了松散土坡3种不同结构特征条件下(均匀坡体(坡体物料均匀混合)、平行坡体(土层成层且层面与滑面平行)和斜交坡体(土层成层且层面与滑面斜交))形成滑坡堰塞体的动力过程和堆积特征,通过分区域取样及三维扫描技术研究了堰塞体的物质分布规律与形态特征。研究结果表明：堰塞体堆积特征与坡体特征存在紧密联系,堰塞体纵向(沿主沟道方向)和横向(沿滑坡运动方向)上的物质分布与坡体纵向和横向的物质分布特征基本对应;在垂向(表层到底部)上,由于不同坡体条件下滑坡的动力过程和机理不同,从而导致堰塞体堆积特征存在一定区别。均匀坡体和平行坡体呈整体启动模式,运动过程中物料间存在垂向渗透和交换作用,导致堰塞体物质在垂向上呈明显的上粗下细反粒序分布特征,堰塞体横剖面多呈平坦型和倾斜型。斜交坡体呈分层启动模式,运动堆积过程中保持原有层序,粗、细颗粒先后启动条件下颗粒间存在推挤、爬升和水平渗透作用,使得堰塞体更加密实且垂向上也呈现反粒序分布特征,横剖面多呈起伏型。本研究为滑坡堰塞体稳定性快速评估和复原滑坡初始状态提供依据。     

上方来水对坡面降雨入渗及土壤水分再分布的影响

在防止土壤侵蚀和雨后抑制蒸发的条件下,利用室内模拟降雨试验,研究了上方来水对坡面降雨入渗、湿润锋运移以及土壤水分再分布的影响。结果表明:对于初始含水量很低的土壤,与上方无来水相比,上方来水时降雨入渗过程中入渗率有一个上升的阶段,但平均入渗率反而降低;在降雨入渗初期,由于上方来水的沿程入渗,上方来水对坡面湿润锋运移的影响较大,但随后几乎没有影响,湿润锋的运移主要与基质势梯度有关;土壤水分沿坡面呈"波浪形"分布是坡面径流的波动性、上方来水(径流)的沿程入渗以及侧向沿坡向下流等综合作用的结果。     

A distributed hydrological–geotechnical model using satellite-derived rainfall estimates for shallow landslide prediction system at a catchment scale

This paper describes the potential applicability of a hydrological–geotechnical modeling system using satellite-based rainfall estimates for a shallow landslide prediction system. The physically based distributed model has been developed by integrating a grid-based distributed kinematic wave rainfall-runoff model with an infinite slope stability approach. The model was forced by the satellite-based near real-time half-hourly CMORPH global rainfall product prepared by NOAA-CPC. The method combines the following two model outputs necessary for identifying where and when shallow landslides may potentially occur in the catchment: (1) the time-invariant spatial distribution of areas susceptible to slope instability map, for which the river catchment is divided into stability classes according to the critical relative soil saturation; this output is designed to portray the effect of quasi-static land surface variables and soil strength properties on slope instability and (2) a produced map linked with spatiotemporally varying hydrologic properties to provide a time-varying estimate of susceptibility to slope movement in response to rainfall. The proposed hydrological model predicts the dynamic of soil saturation in each grid element. The stored water in each grid element is then used for updating the relative soil saturation and analyzing the slope stability. A grid of slope is defined to be unstable when the relative soil saturation becomes higher than the critical level and is the basis for issuing a shallow landslide warning. The method was applied to past landslides in the upper Citarum River catchment (2,310 km²), Indonesia; the resulting time-invariant landslide susceptibility map shows good agreement with the spatial patterns of documented historical landslides (1985–2008). Application of the model to two recent shallow landslides shows that the model can successfully predict the effect of rainfall movement and intensity on the spatiotemporal dynamic of hydrological variables that trigger shallow landslides. Several hours before the landslides, the model predicted unstable conditions in some grids over and near the grids at which the actual shallow landslides occurred. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential applicability of the modeling system for shallow landslide disaster predictions and warnings.     

沟灌土壤水分运动数值模拟与入渗模型

为进一步探明沟灌二维土壤水分运动规律,以非饱和土壤水分运动理论为基础,建立了沟灌土壤水分运动数学模型,用多组试验资料对模型模拟结果进行验证,两者基本吻合,表明模型可用于模拟沟灌二维土壤水分入渗过程.用所建模型对不同因素组合下沟灌土壤湿润体特性进行模拟分析,结果表明:土壤初始含水率、沟间距对沟灌累积入渗量影响较小,土壤质地、容重、沟底宽和沟中水深对其影响较为显著;沟底宽、土壤初始含水率对土壤湿润体水分分布影响较小,土壤质地、容重对其影响较大,沟间距、沟中水深对其影响主要在零通量面附近,当入渗发生交汇后,零通量面处垂向湿润锋运移加快.以此为基础,建立了包含湿周在内的沟灌累积入渗量计算模型.