Organochlorine contaminants in sea turtles from the Eastern Pacific

We measured organochlorine residues in three species of sea turtles from the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. Seventeen of 21 organochlorine pesticides analyzed were detected, with heptachlor epoxide and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane the most prevalent (14 (40%) and 11 (31%) of the 35 tissue samples, respectively). PCBs were detected in all but one of the 9 turtles studied, with congener 18 the most commonly detected (8 (23%) of the samples). The dioxin-like congeners 118 and 180 were detected in 4 (11%) and 3 (9%) of the samples, respectively. Percent contribution of congeners was negatively correlated to their octanol-water partition coefficients, with kidney and muscle containing more lower-chlorinated congeners than liver or adipose samples. Levels of organochlorines detected in the present study were low, potentially attributable to the feeding habits of the predominant species collected in this study (herbivorous) and/or the samples obtained in an unindustrialized region.     

Inversion for tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

A regional model of tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean is developed through the use of inversion with two-dimensional finite element codes. Since global tide models are least accurate in coastal environments, modeling tides on a regional scale allows tidal propagation and interaction along the coast to be more accurately represented. In this respect, a regional model can act as a liaison between open ocean dynamics and physical processes more pertinent to coastal systems. The region of interest in this study extends from the Aleutian Islands to Southern California and includes deep ocean, continental shelf, and shallow water features. Boundary conditions are determined from nonlinear inversion of harmonic data from both shallow water and deep ocean tide gauges. Spatial patterns of amplitudes and phases from the model are examined for major constituents. Results are also compared to global tide models at selected stations.     

Cenozoic Tectonic Deformation and Related Geodynamics in the Western Part of Sichuan and Yunnan,Southwest China

Tectonic deformation of Cenozoic strata,youthful tectonontorphology,and high seismicity in the western part of Sichuan and Yunnan(Southwest China)marked intensive tectonism there during the Ceno7oic.It is a good place for studying the continental geodynamics because it is far away from those active plate boundaries surrounding the East Asian continent but near the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet)plateau.The present study discriminated two phases of tectonic deformation with quite different styles in Cenozoic.Early compression deformation,expressed by folds,thrust,and even nappe structure,mainly occurred between the middle and late Eocene.Late extension deformation expressed by block-faulting started at least in the late Pliocene.Nonconformity,absence of strata,nonsuccessive tectonism,and inverse movement of the faults in late stages illustrated that two different deformation phases should be caused by different geodynamic processes.The early compression deformation would be related to Ar     

Eastern Pacific spreading rate fluctuation and its relation to Pacific area volcanic episodes

Sea-floor spreading rates from four locations along the Nazca-Pacific plate boundary and one along the Juan de Fuca-Pacific plate boundary show variations over the past 2.4 m.y., with decreasing rates prior to the Jaramillo to Olduvai time interval (0.92–1.73 m.y. ago) and increasing rates since then. Other Pacific area volcanic phenomena in mid-plate and convergent-boundary settings also show minima about 1.3–1.5 m.y. ago and a maximum at present and another maximum about 5 m.y. ago: extrusion rates along the Hawaiian Ridge; volcanic episodes associated with calc-alkalic provinces of western Oregon and Central America; temporal variations in the SiO₂ content of Aleutian ash layers; and the number of deep-sea ash layers. These phenomena may fluctuate in response to changing spreading rates. During times of more rapid spreading increased shear and melting along lithospheric boundaries may occasion increased volcanic activity, whereas during times of less rapid spreading volcanic activity may be less intense.     

Regional variation of Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients in the Eastern Pacific

Seismograms recorded for five earthquakes on the east Pacific rise have been analyzed to obtain the attenuation coefficients of the fundamental Rayleigh mode for the eastern Pacific in the 15–110 second period range. The attenuation coefficients have been obtained using two new methods, a reference-station method, and an iterative method by which the seismic moment and regionalized attenuation coefficient values are obtained simultaneously after considering the effect of the source directivity and time-function. The reference-station method was applied to the entire eastern Pacific, excluding paths along the east Pacific rise. When using the iterative method we divided the eastern Pacific into three sub-regions, designated as the north-eastern Pacific, the Nazca plate and the east Pacific rise. Although much scatter is present, the data suggest that attenuation coefficients for the Nazca plate are higher than those for the northeastern Pacific, and both are substantially higher than average values obtained for the entire Pacific Ocean. Two paths that lie along or near the east Pacific rise are characterized by especially high attenuation coefficients. These values suggest that a low-Q zone exists beneath that narrow feature.     

Surface heat fluxes in the Western Equatorial Pacific Ocean

Estimates of the components of the surface heat flux in the Western Equatorial Pacific Ocean are presented for a 22-day period, together with a critical analysis of the errors. It is shown that the errors in latent heat, and solar and longwave radiation fluxes, dominate the net heat flux for this period. It is found that the net heat flux into the ocean over the 22-day period is not significantly different from zero. It is also demonstrated that because of the variability in daily averaged values of solar radiation and the latent heat of evaporation, a large number of independent flux measurements will be required to determine with confidence the climatological net heat flux in this region. The variability of latent fluxes over the 22-day period suggest that climatological estimates based on monthly mean observations may lead to a significant underestimate of the latent heat flux.     

Geodynamics and seismicity of the Pamir-Himalayas region

Deep seismic sounding studies carried out in 1974–79 allowed an important peculiarity of the deep structure of the Pamir-Himalayas region to be established: the thickness of the Earth's crust is almost twice as large here as on the stable plates (65–75 and 35–37 km, respectively). The absence of any evidence for doubling of crustal thickness provides grounds for rejecting the hypothesis of subduction of the rigid Hindustan plate under the geosynclinal folded constructions of the Punjab syntaxis of the Himalayas. The steep inclination of all major faults, dissecting the Earth's crust and often dislocating the M surface, is also counter to this hypothesis. Several faults reflect the dynamics and conditions of formation of deep layers of the lithosphere. For example, the structural seam of the Indus, which has an almost sheer tilt and which penetrates to subcrustal depths, is a channel along which ophiolite associations of crystalline rocks were squeezed from the mantle. The Fore Himalayan and Major Himalayan faults are the boundaries between different structural facial zones. The band of greatest thickness of crust extends within the zone of greatest thickness of the asthenospheric layer; a deep minimum in the Bouguer anomalies (?550 mGal) corresponds to this zone, as does also a depression on the surface of the geoid.Seismicity of the lithosphere of the Pamir-Himalayas region is caused by geodynamic processes manifested in the higher lithospheric layers by block displacements of the Earth's crust (mostly uplifts), and in the lower parts by shifts of the steeply inclined mantle blocks (the Pamir-Hindukush seismic focal zone).     

鄂西渝东地区晚燕山—喜马拉雅期剥蚀量

鄂西渝东地区是中国南方海相油气勘探的重要区块,又是目前页岩气勘探的热门地区,该地区晚燕山—喜马拉雅期以来长期遭受隆升剥蚀.剥蚀量是烃源岩热演化、油气藏形成与演化、资源量计算和盆地模拟中不可缺少的基础参数.考虑到剥蚀量恢复方法固有的局限性和适用条件,本文在分析了古温标镜质体反射率Ro剖面特征之后,采用古地温梯度反演法进行钻井剥蚀量恢复,然后分析钻井剥蚀量与钻井开孔层位之间的相关性,再与地质图相结合编制剥蚀量平面分布图.结果表明：鄂西渝东地区古温标Ro剖面不存在明显的“错断”、“跳跃”现象,记录的古地温为达到最大埋深时的古地温;钻井剥蚀量与钻井开孔层位之间具有明显的相关性,开孔层位越老,剥蚀量越大,反之亦然;晚燕山—喜马拉雅期剥蚀量总体上从东往西逐渐变小.东部的利川复向斜剥蚀量为2000~4000 m,中部的石柱复向斜为1500~2500 m,方斗山以西为1000~1500 m.     

Geodynamics of the Baikal-Stanovoy seismic belt

The convection generated tensional stress field in the Earth, as inferred from satellite gravity data, reveals an anomalous lens of upwelling mantle rocks under the Baikal rift zone. The point of no strain at 56°N 116°E forms a seismic gap along the Baikal-Stanovoy seismic belt. East of this point, the stress field changes from extension to compression. Therefore, the position of no strain at the eastern termination of the rift accounts for the dying-out of the rift zone and for the appearance of a compressive structure in the Stanovoy Range.     

东亚大陆、 西亚大陆和东地中海地区地震活动性异同的初步综述

本文初步综述了东亚大陆、 西亚大陆和东地中海地震区地震活动性异同。 地震活动性的含义不仅指地震的时空强图像, 也包括地震的构造和动力学背景分析。 结果表明, 总体上东亚大陆、 西亚大陆和东地中海地区的地震活动性和变形, 都和欧亚板块与周边(北美、 太平洋、 菲律宾海、 印度、 阿拉伯和非洲等)板块等相互作用(汇聚、 碰撞、 俯冲和速度)密切相关。 宏观上, 东亚大陆、 西亚大陆和东地中海地区的地震活动性都表现为疏密相间的震中分布图像以及断裂走向的对称性等。 然而, 在这些大陆地震区相关的板块相互作用的边界上以及内部的地震活动、 构造和动力学背景等方面仍存在不少差异。     

Geoinformatics and Systems Analysis in Geophysics and Geodynamics

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - The application of geoinformatics and systems analysis methods for processing and interpreting geospatial data in geophysics and geodynamics is considered....     

Geodynamics of the Chersky seismic belt

The geodynamics of the Chersky seismic belt is discussed, based on seismic and geologic evidence, as well as on heat-flow and deep-structure analyses. The belt stretches across Northeast Asia from the Laptev Sea to the Komandorskie Islands. It forms a boundary between the Eurasian, North American and Sea of Okhotsk plates. The concept of the relationship between the belts seismicity and the Moma rift system is not supported. The belt is currently undergoing compression generated by the sublatitudinal convergence of the North American and Eurasian plates.     

东西部联手共同发展防震减灾事业

为加强东西部防震减灾工作的合作 ,实现资源优化配置 ,2 0 0 3年 8月 2 1日上海市地震局与新疆维吾尔自治区地震局经过认真研究和友好磋商 ,决定结成合作伙伴 ,并在上海签订了《东西部联手共建协议书》。为进一步落实协议内容 ,1 2月 9日上海市地震局局长卢寿德等一行 3人来到新疆地震局 ,就年中达成的协议进行了具体磋商。双方共同制定了“关于加强上海市地震局与新疆地震局人才和科技交流合作方案”,建立了“相互支持、坦诚合作、平等互利、优势互补”的交流合作机制 ,明确了“统一规划、突出重点、循序渐进、量力而行”的合作原则。双方…     

North Pacific sea ice cover, a predictor for the Western North Pacific typhoon frequency?

The relationship between the sea ice cover in the North Pacific and the typhoon frequency has been studied in this paper. It follows that the index for the sea ice cover in the North Pacific (ISA) both in December-January-February (DJF) and in March-April-May (MAM) is negatively correlated with annual typhoon number over the western North Pacific (TNWNP) during 1965―2004, with correlation coeffi-cients of -0.42 and -0.49 respectively (above 99% significant level). Large sea ice cover in the North Pacific tends to decrease TNWNP. Positive ISA (MAM) is associated with the tropical circulation and SST anomalies in the North Pacific, which may lead to unfavorable dynamic and thermal conditions for typhoon genesis over WNP from June to October (JJASO). The variability of the atmospheric circula-tion over the North Pacific, associated with the ISA anomaly in MAM is connected to the tropical at-mospheric circulation variability in MAM via the teleconnection wave train. Besides, as the tropical circulation has strong seasonal persistency from the MAM to JJASO, thus, the ISA in MAM-related variability of the tropical atmospheric circulation as well as the SST can affect the typhoon activity over the western North Pacific.     

Geodynamics of the Gibraltar Arc and the Alboran Sea region

Located at the Westernmost tip of the Mediterranean sea, the Gibraltar Arc is a very complex zone. The Betics in Spain and the Rif belt in Morocco surround the Alboran sea characterized by a thinned continental crust. The geodynamic evolution of this region results from the convergence of African and Iberian margins since the Late Cretaceous. It is controlled both by plate convergence and mantle dynamics, which significantly impact on morphology, sedimentary environments, tectonics, metamorphism and magmatism. We present here the contents of the special issue on the Gibraltar Arc and nearby regions, following the workshop organized at the University Abdelmalek Essaadi of Tetouan in Morocco from 27 to 28 October, 2011. The goal of this international workshop was to have an overview of the actual advance in research concerning the Rif and Betics chains, the Alboran basin, and their influence on the Iberian and African forelands.     

Joint bulk-sound and shear tomography for Western Pacific subduction zones

Detailed regional body wave tomographic inversion of the Western Pacific region has been performed using P and S travel times from common sources and receivers, with a joint inversion in terms of bulk-sound and shear wave-speed variations in the mantle. This technique allows the separation of the influence of bulk and shear moduli, and hence a more direct comparison with mineral physics information. The study region is parameterized with cells of side 0.5° to 2° and 19 layers to a depth of 1500 km, while the rest of the mantle was parameterized with 5×5° cells with 16 layers between the surface and the core–mantle boundary. A simultaneous inversion is made for regional and global structures to minimize the influence of surrounding structures on the regional image. A nested iterative inversion scheme is employed with local linearization and three-dimensional ray tracing through the successive model updates. The results of the regional tomographic inversion reveal the penetration of a subducted slab below the 660 km discontinuity at the Kurile–Kamchatka trench, while flattening of slabs above this depth is observed in the Japan and Izu–Bonin subduction zones on both the bulk-sound and shear wave-speed images. The penetration of a subducted slab down to a depth of at least 1200 km is seen below the southern part of the Bonin trench, Mariana, Philippine, and Java subduction zones. Fast shear wave-speed perturbations associated with the subducted slabs, down to the 410 km transition zone, are larger than the comparable bulk-sound perturbations for all these subduction zones except the Philippines. The bulk-sound signature for the subducted slab is more pronounced than for shear in the Philippines, Talaud, New Guinea, Solomon, and Tonga subduction zones, where penetration of the slab into the middle mantle is observed. Variation in the amplitude ratio between bulk-sound and shear wave-speed anomalies correlates well with the subduction parameters of the descending slab. Slabs younger than 90 Ma at the trench show bulk-sound dominance in the upper mantle, while older slabs have a stronger shear wave-speed signature. Spreading of the fast shear wave-speed zone between 800 and 1000 km is observed in the areas of deep subducted slab penetration, but has no comparable expression in the bulk-sound images. This high-velocity feature may reflect physical or chemical disequilibria introduced to the lower mantle by subducted slabs.     

Development of site-specific design ground motions in Western and Eastern North America

This paper presents results recently obtained for generating site-specific ground motions needed for design of critical facilities. The general approach followed in developing these ground motions using either deterministic or probabilistic criteria is specification of motions for rock outcrop or very firm soil conditions followed by adjustments for site-specific conditions. Central issues in this process include development of appropriate attenuation relations and their uncertainties, differences in expected motions between Western and Eastern North America, and incorporation of site-specific adjustments that maintain the same hazard level as the control motions, while incorporating uncertainties in local dynamic material properties. For tectonically active regions, such as the Western United States (WUS), sufficient strong motion data exist to constrain empirical attenuation relations for M up to about 7 and for distances greater than about 10–15 km. Motions for larger magnitudes and closer distances are largely driven by extrapolations of empirical relations and uncertainties need to be substantially increased for these cases.

For the Eastern United States (CEUS), due to the paucity of strong motion data for cratonic regions worldwide, estimation of strong ground motions for engineering design is based entirely on calibrated models. The models are usually calibrated and validated in the WUS where sufficient strong motion data are available and then recalibrated for applications to the CEUS. Recalibration generally entails revising parameters based on available CEUS ground motion data as well as indirect inferences through intensity observations. Known differences in model parameters such as crustal structure between WUS and CEUS are generally accommodated as well. These procedures are examined and discussed.