Tectonics of the Virgin Islands Basin,north eastern Caribbean

The tectonics of the Virgin Islands Basin are controlled by the plate boundary between the Puerto Rico‐Virgin Islands Microplate and the stable part of the Caribbean Plate. Several contradicting theories about the formation and development of this basin have previously been proposed. As part of the Danish Galathea 3 expedition, extensive marine geological investigations of the basin were carried out in March 2007 including sediment coring and acquisition of multi‐beam and two‐dimensional seismic data. This paper represents a summary of the key observations from the multi‐beam and the seismic data set. The interpretation of these observations leads to the proposition of a tectonic model for the Virgin Islands Basin. The model consists of N–S to NW–SE directed extension combined with E‐W trending sinistral strike‐slip and the new structural evidence from the Virgin Islands Basin is entirely consistent with the most recently published GPS data.     

Bimodal volcanism in northeast Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (Greater Antilles Island Arc): Genetic links with Cretaceous subduction of the mid-Atlantic ridge Caribbean spur

Bimodal extrusive volcanic rocks in the northeast Greater Antilles Arc consist of two interlayered suites, including (1) a predominantly basaltic suite, dominated by island arc basalts with small proportions of andesite, and (2) a silicic suite, similar in composition to small volume intrusive veins of oceanic plagiogranite commonly recognized in oceanic crustal sequences. The basaltic suite is geochemically characterized by variable enrichment in the more incompatible elements and negative chondrite-normalized HFSE anomalies. Trace element melting and mixing models indicate the magnitude of the subducted sediment component in Antilles arc basalts is highly variable and decreases dramatically from east to west along the arc. In the Virgin Islands, the sediment component ranges between< 0.5 to  1% in Albian rocks, and between  1 and 2% in succeeding Cenomanian to Campanian strata. In comparison, sediment proportions in central Puerto Rico range between 0.5 to 1.5% in the Albian to 2 to > 4% during the Cenomanian-Campanian interval. The silicic suite, consisting predominantly of rhyolites, is characterized by depleted Al₂O₃ (average < 16%), low Mg-number (molar Mg/Mg + Fe < 0.5), TiO₂ (< 1.0%), and Sr/Y (< 10), oceanic or arc-like Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope signatures, and by the presence of plagioclase. All of these features are consistent with an anatexic origin in gabbroic sources, of both oceanic and arc-related origin, within the sub-arc basement. The abundance of silicic lavas varies widely along the length of the arc platform. In the Virgin Islands on the east, rhyolites comprise up to 80% of Lower Albian strata (112 to 105 Ma), and about 20% in post-Albian strata (105 to 100 Ma). Farther west, in Puerto Rico, more limited proportions (< 20%) of silicic lavas were erupted. The systematic variation of both sediment flux and abundance of crustally derived silicic lavas are consistent with current tectonic models of Caribbean evolution involving approximately perpendicular subduction of the Caribbean spur of the mid-Atlantic Ridge, which was located approximately midway between North and South America until Campanian times. Within this hypothetical setting the centrally positioned Virgin Islands terrain remained approximately fixed above the subducting ridge as the Antilles arc platform swept northeastward into the slot between the Americas. Accordingly, heat flow in the Virgin Islands was elevated throughout the Cretaceous, giving rise to widespread crustal melting, whereas the subducted sediment flux was limited. Conversely, toward the west in central Puerto Rico, which was consistently more remote from the subducting ridge, heat flow was relatively low and produced limited crustal melting, while the sediment flux was comparatively elevated.     

加勒比板块边缘中新生代构造古地理特征及演化

加勒比板块边缘带包括西缘中美洲古陆块及火山岛弧、北缘大安的列斯岛弧带、东缘小安的列斯岛弧带和南缘南美板块北部4个部分,其沉积充填特征存在明显差异。加勒比板块边缘接受沉积时间由西向东逐渐变晚,其中中美洲古陆块以碳酸盐岩及火山碎屑岩充填为主,大安的列斯岛弧带及南美板块北部地区以碳酸盐岩—碎屑岩混合沉积充填为特征,中美洲火山岛弧带与东缘小安的列斯岛弧带以火山碎屑岩充填为主,造成这种沉积充填差异的主要原因是构造演化控制下的加勒比地区的古地理特征不同。加勒比板块及其周缘地区的构造古地理演化共经历4个阶段:(1)侏罗纪裂谷期,泛大陆的裂解使得南、北美板块边缘发育裂谷相;(2)白垩纪被动陆缘期,古加勒比海槽的进一步打开使得南、北美板块边缘发育被动大陆边缘浅海相;(3)晚白垩世—始新世碰撞造山期,加勒比板块与南、北美板块的碰撞拼合作用使得加勒比板块南、北缘均从海相转变为碰撞造山陆相;(4)始新世以来的分异期,随着古加勒比海槽的消亡和北缘碰撞拼合的结束,加勒比板块东缘及西缘的火山岛弧带进一步发育,而北缘及南缘继续发育陆相沉积。     

Thrusting and sinistral wrenching in a pre-Eocene HP-LT Caribbean accretionary wedge (Samaná Peninsula,Dominican Republic)

The North Caribbean margin is an example of an oblique convergence zone where the currently exposed HP–LT rocks are systematically localised close to strike-slip faults. The petrological and structural study of eclogite and blueschist facies rocks of the peninsula of Samaná (Hispaniola, Dominican Republic) confirms the presence of two different metamorphic units. The former diplays low metamorphic grade (Santa Barbara unit), characterized by the assemblage albite - lawsonite (7.5 ± 2 kbar and 320 ± 80 °C). The latter (Punta Balandra unit), thrust over the first unit towards the NW, and is characterized by the occurrence of blueschist and eclogite facies assemblages (13 ± 2 kbar and 450 ± 70 °C), within oceanic metasediments. The isothermal retrograde evolution occurred in epidote-blueschist facies conditions (9 ± 2 kbar and 440 ± 60 °C). The late greenschist facies evolution is contemporaneous with conjugate NW–SE extension and E–W strike-slip faulting. This late extension is for regional dome and basin structures. According to their lithotectonic, structural and metamorphic characteristics, the metamorphic nappe stack of Samaná may be interpreted as a fragment of an accretionary wedge thrust onto the North American continental shelf. Evolution of the wedge was associated with the active subduction of the North American plate, under the Greater Antilles arc, at the level of the Puerto Rico trench. During active Late Cretaceous convergence, the HP rocks were initially exhumed, within the accretionary prism, by thrusting parallel to the NE–SW direction of convergence. Subsequently, during the Eocene collision between the Caribbean plate and the North American margin, the installation of a transtensive regime of E–W direction supports the local development of conjugate extension of NW–SE direction that facilitated the final phase of exhumation of the HP rocks.     

中国中始新世—早更新世构造事件与应力场

中始新世—渐新世（52—23．3Ma）的华北构造期是以太平洋板块朝NWW方向位移为主要特征,使我国大陆受到近东西向的挤压,造成一系列近南北向的褶皱、逆掩断层和许多走向近东西的正断层、单断箕状盆地。此构造事件的发生可能与始新世末期北美、加勒比海和东太平洋的大量微玻璃陨石的坠落、冲击有关。中新世--早更新世（23．3⁰．7Ma）的喜马拉雅构造期是以印度—澳大利亚板块与菲律宾海板块向北推移为主要特征,造成喜马拉雅山和日本列岛南部的俯冲带,使我国西部发育走向近东西的褶皱、逆掩断层系,而在东部地区则形成许多走向近南北的深切地幔的正断层系.并使南海与日本海再次张开。出现洋壳。喜马拉雅构造事件可能与印度洋、南亚、澳大利亚附近地区的微玻璃陨石群的冲击有关。     

Morphotectonic study of the Greater Antilles

The first morphotectonic model of the Greater Antilles is presented. The model is adjusted to the current dynamics between the Caribbean and North American plates. It is mainly elaborated by Rantsman’s methodology. We determined 2 megablocks, 7 macroblocks, 42 mesoblocks, 653 microblocks and 1264 nanoblocks. They constitute a set of active blocks under rotation, uplifting and tilting movements. A total of 11 active knots of faults and 8 cells are the main articulation areas. The largest seismogenetic structures in the Northern Caribbean are an array of the active fault segments. The majority of them are in the Caribbean-North American Plate Boundary Zone, the Hispaniola has the most complex neotectonic structure–associated with the central axis of the morphotectonic deformations in the region.     

Derivation of the Chortis and Chiapas blocks from the western Gulf of Mexico in the latest Cretaceous–Cenozoic: the Pirate model

Currently, two basic models describe the genesis of the Caribbean Plate: (i) a Pacific model that derives the Caribbean Plate off southern Mexico and (ii) an in situ model. The Pacific model requires the 1100–1400 km sinistral displacement recorded across the Cayman Trough to pass through the Gulf of Tehuantepec into the Middle America Trench, but no evidence of such a connection exists. The in situ model is inconsistent with the 1100–1400 km displacement across the Cayman Trough. A way through this impasse is indicated by the northwestward curvature of active oblique reverse to sinistral transcurrent faulting in southeast Mexico. Extending this potential solution back to ca. 80 Ma forms the basis of the new Pirate model, in which the Caribbean Plate and the Chortis and Chiapas blocks are derived from the northwest by anticlockwise rotation during the latest Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Following passage of the Chortis Block, the northern and southern parts of the Yucatan block collided along the intra-Yucatan suture, producing the 11–9 Ma Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt. The Pirate model accounts for the N-trending segment of the Laramide Sierra Madre Oriental–Zongolica foldbelts by anticlockwise drag, Palaeogene palaeocanyons, the second, 66–40 Ma phase of rifting in the western Gulf of Mexico, and post-10 Ma extension in the Chortis Block (Chortis–Sula rift province). Impingement of the East Pacific Rise on the Middle America Trench led to modification of the Pirate model involving subduction erosion of the ～200 km-wide, Eocene–Oligocene forearc at ca. 25 Ma, opening of the Gulf of California at ca. 6 Ma, and birth and ESE movement of the Southern Mexico block (<5 Ma) followed by its fragmentation. The Pirate mechanism indicates that the North American Plate is relatively weak and so tears and rotates into the trailing edge of the Caribbean Plate.     

Resolving slip vector azimuths and plate motion along the southern boundary of the South Bismarck Plate,Papua New Guinea

The interaction of the Australian, South Bismarck and Solomon Sea Plates in Papua New Guinea is the source of frequent earthquakes that occur as a result of subduction and arc continent collision. Previous investigators have drawn attention to a discontinuity in the horizontal azimuth of slip vectors along the southern boundary of the South Bismarck Plate, with those to the west of 148°E being systematically rotated 20ndash;30° clockwise compared to those located east of 148°E. This has led to the suggestion that relative motion may be occurring between the Huon Peninsula and New Britain or that more than two plates are acting south of the South Bismarck Plate. Global positioning system (GPS) measurements since 1991 indicate that there is no internal deformation occurring within the South Bismark Plate and that at least two distinct plates are in contact with the southern edge of the South Bismarck Plate. We show from a study of a recent earthquake dataset that the change in slip vector azimuth can be modelled by the interaction of the overriding South Bismarck Plate with the underthrusting Australian and Solomon Sea Plates, consistent with the GPS observations, while maintaining the South Bismarck Plate as a rigid entity. We found that a transition zone exists between 147°E and 148°E where the underlying plate changes from the Australian Plate to the Solomon Sea Plate. There are insufficient data at present to indicate whether or not a third plate, the Woodlark Plate, is also interacting directly with the South Bismarck Plate in this transition zone. Slip vector azimuths were used to estimate an Euler pole (6.74°S, 144.64°E), which describes the relative motion of the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea Plates along the New Britain Trench.     

Discovery of possible mega-thrust earthquake along the Seram Trough from records of 1629 tsunami in eastern Indonesian region

Arthur Wichmann’s “Earthquakes of the Indian Archipelago” documents several large earthquakes and tsunami throughout the Banda Arc region that can be interpreted as mega-thrust events. However, the source regions of these events are not known. One of the largest and well-documented events in the catalog is the great earthquake and tsunami affecting the Banda Islands on August 1, 1629. It caused severe damage from a 15-m tsunami that arrived at the Banda Islands about a half hour after violent shaking stopped. The earthquake was also recorded 230 km away in Ambon, but no tsunami is mentioned. This event was followed by at least 9 years of uncommonly frequent seismic activity in the region that tapered off with time, which can be interpreted as aftershocks. The combination of these observations indicates that the earthquake was most likely a mega-thrust event. We use an inverse modeling approach to numerically reconstruct the tsunami, which constrains the likely location and magnitude of the 1629 earthquake. Only, linear numerical models are applied due to the low resolution of bathymetry in the Banda Islands and Ambon. Therefore, we apply various wave amplification factors (1.5–4) derived from simulations of recent, well-constrained tsunami to bracket the upper and lower limits of earthquake moment magnitudes for the event. The closest major earthquake sources to the Banda Islands are the Tanimbar and Seram Troughs of the Banda subduction/collision zone. Other source regions are too far away for such a short arrival time of the tsunami after shaking. Moment magnitudes predicted by the models in order to produce a 15-m tsunami are M_w of 9.8–9.2 on the Tanimbar Trough and M_w 8.8–8.2 on the Seram Trough. The arrival times of these waves are 58 min for Tanimbar Trough and 30 min for Seram Trough. The model also predicts 5-m run-up for Ambon from a Tanimbar Trough source, which is inconsistent with the historical records. Ambon is mostly shielded from a wave generated by a Seram Trough source. We conclude that the most likely source of the 1629 mega-thrust earthquake is the Seram Trough. Only one earthquake >M_w 8.0 is recorded instrumentally from the eastern Indonesia region although high rates of strain (50–80 mm/a) are measured across the Seram section of the Banda subduction zone. Enough strain has already accumulated since the last major historical event to produce an earthquake of similar size to the 1629 event. Due to the rapid population growth in coastal areas in this region, it is imperative that the most vulnerable coastal areas prepare accordingly.     

Deep structure and seismotectonics of the Southern Sea of Okhotsk region along a profile from southern Sakhalin to the southern Kuril Islands

The results of deep seismic profiling through Southern Sakhalin, the southern Sea of Okhotsk, and the Southern Kuril Islands allowed the identification of deep fault zones, the hypocenter locations, the features of the stress state, and the types of seismic dislocations at the earthquake sources. The east side of the fault was upthrown relative to the west side beneath the southern part of the Tatar Strait and Sakhalin Island and led, as a result of multiple thrusting events along the fault over the geologic history, to the rise and 5-8 km displacement of the seismic boundaries. The true uplift of the Greater Kuril arc block was determined using the focal mechanism solutions. The seismoctectonics and present-day dynamics of the crustal blocks were estimated using a detailed joint analysis of the position of the structural boundaries at the seismic section and the seismotectonic movements according to the earthquake focal mechanisms.     

Plate reconstructions in the Arctic region based on joint analysis of gravity,magnetic, and seismic anomalies

Based on the analysis of various geophysical data, namely, free-air gravity anomalies, magnetic anomalies, upper mantle seismic tomography images, and topography/bathymetry maps, we single out the major structural elements in the Circum Arctic and present the reconstruction of their locations during the past 200 million years. The configuration of the magnetic field patterns allows revealing an isometric block, which covers the Alpha–Mendeleev Ridges and surrounding areas. This block of presumably continental origin is the remnant part of the Arctida Plate, which was the major tectonic element in the Arctic region in Mesozoic time. We believe that the subduction along the Anyui suture in the time period from 200 to 120 Ma caused rotation of the Arctida Plate, which, in turn, led to the simultaneous closure of the South Anyui Ocean and opening of the Canadian Basin. The rotation of this plate is responsible for extension processes in West Siberia and the northward displacement of Novaya Zemlya relative to the Urals–Taimyr orogenic belt. The cratonic-type North American, Greenland, and European Plates were united before 130 Ma. At the later stages, first Greenland was detached from North America, which resulted in the Baffin Sea, and then Greenland was separated from the European Plate, which led to the opening of the northern segment of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cenozoic stage of opening of the Eurasian Basin and North Atlantic Ocean is unambiguously reconstructed based on linear magnetic anomalies. The counter-clockwise rotation of North America by an angle of ~ 15° with respect to Eurasia and the right lateral displacement to 200–250 km ensure an almost perfect fit of the contours of the deep water basin in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.     

秦岭发现金刚石:横贯中国中部巨型超高压变质带新证据及古生代和中生代两期深俯冲作用的识别

在秦岭北带榴辉岩及其围岩片麻岩的锆石中发现金刚石和大量石墨包裹体。金刚石具典型的1331～1334cm~(-1)拉曼谱峰。变质金刚石的发现证明秦岭北带榴辉岩及其围岩片麻岩经历了超高压变质作用,其俯冲深度>120 km。片麻岩锆石的SHRIMP定年表明,锆石核部代表岩浆事件的年龄或之前的残核年龄为1200～1800 Ma,超高压变质新增生边部的年龄为507±38 Ma,属早古生代。认为北秦岭超高压变质带与印支期大别超高压变质带(240～200 Ma)是时空上两个带。北秦岭超高压变质带向西可以与南阿尔金—柴北缘早古生代(490～440Ma)超高压变质带相连,向东与大别西北部的熊店和浒湾早古生代榴辉岩(420～400 Ma)相连,组成一条沿中央造山带北部分布的加里东期超高压变质带。认为主要分布在大别山南部的印支期超高压变质带应与南秦岭的高压蓝片岩带相连,组成一条分布在中央造山带南部的印支期高压超高压变质带。北秦岭超高压变质带的发现,为中央造山带存在一条西起阿尔金,东至苏鲁的近4000 km的世界上最大的一条超高压变质带的确定提供了新的关键性证据。而沿中央造山带分布的两条超高压变质带说明:①中国南北大陆在早古生代就已拼接在一起,其后,又有印支期的俯冲和碰撞叠加,加里东期超高压变质带主要分布在北部,后者在南部,两者时     

Numerical Simulation of the 1918 Puerto Rico Tsunami

The Caribbean Sea region is well known for its hurricanes, and less known for tsunamis. As part of its responsibilities in hazard assessment and mitigation, the U.S.A. Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Puerto Rico Civil Defense, funded a pilot study to perform a numerical simulation of the 1918 Puerto Rico tsunami, one of the most deadly in the region. As part of the study a review has been made of the tectonic and tsunamigenic environment around Puerto Rico, the fault parameters for the 1918 event have been estimated, and a numerical simulation has been done using a tsunami propagation and runup model obtained through the Tsunami Inundation Modeling for Exchange (TIME) program. Model results have been compared with the observed runup values all along the west coast of Puerto Rico.     

The North Aegean region: a tectonic paradox?

In the past two decades, several publications have been presented concerning the recent and active fault geometry, kinematics and geodynamics of the Aegean Region and particularly of the northern sector. Data and results are often contradictory and because of the complexity of the area most hypotheses and models should be considered carefully. The right-lateral movement of the North Anatolia Fault continues into some branches of the North Aegean fault system. There, strike-slip motion along NE–SW trending faults coexists with dip-slip E–W trending faults in the frame of an extensional regime related to N–S crustal stretching. If we take into account the geodynamic environment of the region, several mechanical problems arise. To the east, the Aegean is compressed by the westward convergence of Anatolia, while to the south and west along the Hellenic Arc, a hemiradial compression occurs due to subduction. Although the North Anatolia–North Aegean Trough fault system resembles a restraining bend, the whole area is in fact affected by pure extension and local transtension, along NE–SW trending structures. Accordingly, the major paradox of the area and especially in the western sector (fault termination?) is the occurrence of extension where compression should regionally, or at least locally, predominate.     

Structural elements of the Makran region, Oman sea and their potential relevance to tsunamigenisis

The character of convergence along the Arabian–Iranian plate boundary changes radically eastward from the Zagros ranges to the Makran region. This appears to be due to collision of continental crust in the west, in contrast to subduction of oceanic crust in the east. The Makran subduction zone with a length of about 900 km display progressively older and highly deformed sedimentary units northward from the coast, together with an increase in elevation of the ranges. North of the Makran ranges are large subsiding basins, flanked to the north by active volcanoes. Based on 2D seismic reflection data obtained in this study, the main structural provinces and elements in the Gulf of Oman include: (i) the structural elements on the northeastern part of the Arabian Plate and, (ii) the Offshore Makran Accretionary Complex. Based on detailed analysis of these data on the northeastern part of the Arabian Plate five structural provinces and elements—the Musendam High, the Musendam Peneplain, the Musendam Slope, the Dibba Zone, and the Abyssal Plain have been identified. Further, the Offshore Makran Accretionary Complex shown is to consist Accretionary Prism and the For-Arc Basin, while the Accretionary Prism has been subdivided into the Accretionary Wedge and the Accreted/Colored Mélange. Lastly, it is important to note that the Makran subduction zone lacks the trench. The identification of these structural elements should help in better understanding the seismicity of the Makran region in general and the subduction zone in particular. The 1945 magnitude 8.1 tsunamigenic earthquake of the Makran and some other historical events are illustrative of the coastal region’s vulnerability to future tsunami in the area, and such data should be of value to the developing Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System.     

Cenozoic volcanic rocks of North Kamchatka: In search of subduction zones

Two belts of subaerial volcanic rocks—the Eocene Kinkil belt and the Neogene belt of the Sredinny Range—extend along the Kamchatka Isthmus. It is suggested that their formation is related to subduction of the oceanic lithosphere beneath the continental margin of North Kamchatka. The oceanic lithosphere consumed in the subduction zones could have been formed as a result of active spreading in the Komandorsky Basin. In the simplest case, both spreading and subduction reflect the northwestward motion of the lithosphere of the Komandorsky Plate relative to Kamchatka, the Shirshov Ridge, and the Aleutian Basin combined into one relatively immobile plate conventionally called the North American Plate. The authors perform a simulation of conjugate spreading and subduction. The most important parameter determining the regional geodynamics—the velocity of the Komandorsky Plate moving relative to the North American Plate—is taken as 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 cm/yr. The calculated ages of the onset and end of volcanic activity in the aforementioned belts are compared with the dates obtained with the isotopic and paleontological methods. For the Eocene Kinkil belt, where volcanism started 44 Ma ago, the model age of the onset of subduction depends on the accepted velocity of the motion of the Komandorsky Plate and varies from 54 Ma at the velocity of 2.5 cm/yr to 47.5 Ma at the velocity of 7.5 cm/yr. It can be assumed that the model of fast subduction in this age interval is most consistent with the geological data. For the Miocene-Pliocene belt of the Sredinny Range, assuming the velocity of the motion of the Komandorsky Plate at 5.0 and 7.5 cm/yr, multiple rifting at the boundary with the Shirshov Ridge should be assumed. Therefore, for the end of the Neogene, a model with low velocity (2.5–5.0 cm/yr, i.e., about 4.0 cm/yr) is preferable.     

Intra-oceanic settings of the western Mexico Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous arc sequences. Implications for the Pacific-Tethys geodynamic relationships during the Cretaceous

Abstract

The Guerrero suspect terrane composed of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous sequences, extends from Baja California up to Acapulco and is considered to be coeval with the Late Mesozoic igneous and sedimentary arc sequences of the Greater Antilles, Venezuela and Western Cordillera of Colombia. New geological, petrological and geochemical data from central and southern Mexico, led us to propose a new model for the building of the Alisitos-Teloloapan arc. This arc, partly built on the Pacific oceanic lithosphere and partly on continental fragments, could be related to the subduction of an oceanic basin - the Arperos basin - under the Paleo-Pacific plate. This subduction was dipping southwest.

At the beginning of the magmatic activity of the oceanic segment of this arc, depleted tholeiitic basalts were emitted in a submarine environnement below the CCD. While subduction was going on, the arc magmas evolved from LREE depleted tholeiites to slightly LREE enriched tholeiites and then, to calc-alkaline basalts and andesites enriched in LREE and HFSE. Concurrently, the arc sedimentary environment changed from deep oceanic to neritic with the deposition of Aptian-Albian reefal limestones, at the end of the arc building. In the continent-based segment, the arc magmas are exclusively differentiated calc-alkaline suites depleted in HREE and Y, formed of predominantly siliceous lavas and pyroclastic rocks, emitted in a sub-aerial or shallow marine environment.

Thus, taking into account this above mentioned model, the Cretaceous volcanic series, accreted to the margins of cratonal America, in Colombia, Venezuela, Greater Antilles and Mexico, could be related to the same west-south-west dipping subduction of oceanic basins, fringing the North and South American continental cratons and connected directly with the inter-American Tethys. While the subduction was proceeding, this magmatic arc drifted towards the North and South American cratons and finally, collided with the continental margins at different periods during the Cretaceous.     

A stable reference frame for landslide monitoring using GPS in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands region

Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies have been frequently applied for the purpose of landslide monitoring. A local stable reference frame is essential for precisely interpreting landslide movements derived from GPS observations. In this study, we define a stable reference frame using over 5 years of continuous GPS data collected from eight permanent GPS stations in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (PRVI) region. The realization of the Stable Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Reference Frame (SPRVIRF) is defined in terms of a 14-parameter Helmert transformation from the International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service Reference Frame of 2008 (IGS08). SPRVIRF is aligned with the IGS08 at epoch 2013.0. The GIPSY/OASIS (V6.2) software package, which employs the precise point positioning (PPP) with single receiver phase ambiguity resolution, was used to calculate position coordinates within IGS08. Through the combined use of the PPP post-processing method and SPRVIRF, it is practical and easy to conduct millimeter accuracy landslide monitoring by a single technician with a single GPS unit. SPRVIRF provides a precise common reference frame in the PRVI region that can be used for a broad range of research applications, such as delineating long-term landslide creeping, studying ground deformation associated with subsidence, fault creep, hydrologic loading and microplate motions, and monitoring long-term deformation of critical structures, such as dams, high-rise buildings, and long-span bridges.     

On the use of NOAA's storm surge model,SLOSH, in managing coastal hazards — the experience in Puerto Rico

A numerical-dynamic, tropical storm surge model, SLOSH (Sea, Land, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes), was originally developed for real-time forecasting of hurricane storm surges on continental shelves, across inland water bodies and along coastlines and for inland routing of water -either from the sea or from inland water bodies. The model is two-dimensional, covering water bodies and inundated terrain. In the present version available at the University of Puerto Rico a curvilinear, polar coordinate grid scheme is used. The grid cells are approximately 3.2 × 3.2 km in size.The model has been used in a revision of all coastal Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in hurricane evacuation studies. The FIRM's, since they are based on the 100 year stillwater elevation, are also used by the state Planning Board for regulatory purposes. The hurricane evacuation studies are used by emergency planners and personnel to assign shelters, escape routes, and delimit coastal zones that need to be evacuated during a hurricane threat.Recently, the acquisition of data from hurricane Hugo has allowed the first comparison of model results and observations for Puerto Rico and the other islands.     

华北地区地壳P波三维速度结构

1968年邢台地震以后的30余年中, 中国地震局系统先后在大华北地区布置30余条、近20000km的人工地震宽角反射/折射深地震测深(DSS) 剖面, 用以研究地壳及上地幔顶部的速度结构, 取得了大量研究成果.但以往的研究明显的不足是未能形成华北区域性的地壳三维速度结构模型, 从大区域的角度为研究华北地区地壳深部构造特征提供地震学方面的依据.因此, 在现已发表的DSS剖面资料的基础上, 选择了14条测线的资料, 利用地理信息系统(ARC/INFO) 的“矢量化”功能, 以及克里格数据网格化技术构建华北区域性的地壳三维速度结构模型, 从而对华北研究区内地壳三维速度结构的特点得到如下认识: (1) 华北地区地壳表层P波速度变化幅度大, 平面结构较复杂, 大体上划分为相间排列、走向趋势以北西向为主的3个速度区.海河平原和渤海湾的低速带是研究区范围内速度最低的低速区.资料的情况说明, 研究区内沉积盖层的地质构造与上地壳构造之间虽有一定继承性, 但也存在较大差别. (2) 总体上看, 在华北研究区内地壳的P波速度随深度增大而增大, 但局部地区出现速度倒转的现象, 东区的海河平原低速异常逐渐消失, 而西区的山西地堑则以相对低速异常特征为主.区内地壳以太行山脉为界, 划分为东、西两区; 东部和西部, 结晶基底以上地层的构造方向不完全一致; 东部的黄淮海地块, 区域构造以北东向为主, 而西部包括山西地块和鄂尔多斯地块东缘, 其构造方向则以北西向为主. (3) 根据莫霍面的形态特征, 研究区地壳可大致划分为6个区块; 在山西地块范围内, 莫霍面呈近南北向的凹陷带, 地壳厚度大; 内蒙古地块南缘和燕山地块南部, 莫霍面表现出褶皱带的构造特征, 其延展趋势为近东西方向; 鄂尔多斯地块东缘, 莫霍面构造相对复杂, 呈近北西向凸、凹相伴的褶皱; 黄淮海地块(华北裂谷带中、北部) 为莫霍面隆坳区, 隆、坳相间排列, 构造较复杂, 但从整体上看, 这是全区莫霍面最浅的隆起区段; 鲁西台背斜主要为莫霍面断陷区, 其断陷带沿枣庄—曲阜一线向北西方向延伸.