Block and boulder accumulations along the coastline between Fins and Sur (Sultanate of Oman): tsunamigenic remains?

The rocky coastline of the Sultanate of Oman between Fins and Sur is decorated by a number of large blocks and boulder accumulations forming ramparts. The blocks occur as individual rocks of up to 40 tons, as imbricated sets and as ??boulder trains.?? Landward, the deposits change into a sand/boulder mixture and distal into sands. The coast is made up of Tertiary folded limestones and beach rock of Quaternary age, both also constitute the megaclasts. The transport distance from the fractured seaward platform of 6?C10?m above mean sea level varies between 20?m and more than 50?m. We found individual blocks of recent corals and overturned blocks with attached oysters and rock pools. Terrestrial laser scanning was used to analyze geomorphologic features as well as for volumetric estimates of the block weights. Tropical cyclones such as Gonu in 2007 or Phet in 2010 are known to have affected Oman??s coastline in the past. The coastal changes during recent cyclones were minor; therefore, we interpret the block deposits as tsunamigenic. However, this interpretation is not unambiguous. The most likely source area for a tsunami is seen in the Makran Subduction Zone situated in the northern Indian Ocean. Here, at least 4?C5 tsunamigenic earthquakes are documented.     

内蒙古东部大陆冰川地貌卫星图像解译

在赤峰境内发现大量冰臼和冰臼群后,利用遥感图像对大兴安岭及其两侧的冰蚀、冰碛地貌类型进行解译发现:它们中的绝大多数原本在巨型冰川漂砾、羊背石或基岩鼓丘上。它们是蒙古大冰盖之一部分在沿东南方向越过大兴安岭时其南端受到黄岗梁、七老图山、大马群山的分流、阻隔、旋转的必然结果。      

The Late Devensian periglaciation of upland Scotland

A wide variety of Late Devensian periglacial landforms developed on Scottish mountains both before ca. 13,000 BP and during the Loch Lomond Stadial of ca. 11,000-10,000 BP. Nearly all such features are now inactive. Late Devensian periglacial weathering produced three types of regolith mantle (openwork block deposits, sandy diamicts and silt-rich frost-susceptible diamicts), each of which supports a characteristic assemblage of relict landforms. On upper slopes these include large-scale sorted circles and stripes, earth hummocks and nonsorted relief stripes, sorted and nonsorted solifluction features, massive boulder sheets and lobes, and nivation benches. Talus, protalus ramparts, rock glaciers and alluvial fans also developed at the base of mountain slopes.The distribution of Late Devensian periglacial features on Scottish mountains is locally controlled by topography, the response of underlying rocks to periglacial weathering and the limits of former glaciers. Regional variations in the altitude of certain forms of Loch Lomond Stadial age (particularly protalus ramparts and rock glaciers) indicate a decrease in former snowfall eastwards across the Scottish Highlands and northwards from the Highland Boundary Fault. Several upland periglacial features are also diagnostic of former permafrost, and complement palaeotemperature reconstructions based on ice-wedge casts and the equilibrium firn line altitudes of stadial glaciers. These suggest that under stadial conditions mean January temperatures at 600 m and 1000 m on mountains in the Western Grampians must have been no higher than −20°C and −23°C respectively, and possibly several degrees lower.     

Geomorphology of a modern carbonate slope system and associated sedimentary processes: Example of the giant Great Abaco Canyon,Bahamas

The large acoustic data set acquired during the Carambar cruises is composed of high resolution bathymetry, backscatter data and very‐high resolution seismic lines which allow for an overview of the morphology and sediment transfer processes from the shallow upper slope to the abyssal plain of a modern carbonate system: the north‐eastern slope of the Little Bahama Bank. Surficial distribution of the acoustic facies and echofacies reflects a wide variety of sedimentary processes along and across the slope. The western sector of the Little Bahama Bank is dominated by depositional processes whereas its eastern sector, which is incised in the lower slope by giant canyons, is affected by erosion and bypass processes. Datasets suggest that currents play an important role both in along‐slope sedimentary processes and in the abyssal plain. The Antilles Current appears to affect a large part of the middle and lower slopes. The absence of sizeable present‐day channel/levée complexes or lobes at the mouth of the canyon – revealed by the bathymetric map – indicates that the southward flowing Deep Western Boundary Current influences modern abyssal sediment deposition. Based on depositional processes and indicators of canyon maturity observed in facies distribution, the current study proposes that differential subsidence affects the eastern versus western part of the bank. The morphology of the Great Abaco Canyon and Little Abaco Canyon, which extend parallel to the platform, and the Little Bahama Bank slope appears to be related to the Great Abaco Fracture Zone.     

基于三维非连续变形分析的巨石崩塌运动研究

巨石作为一种大体积、大质量的滚石,其崩塌失稳及高速、高能远程运动往往导致沿途建筑物和交通线路的毁灭性灾难。以西藏自治区G318国道K4580典型滑坡为工程背景,基于三维非连续变形分析（three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis,简称3D-DDA）方法研究巨石崩塌失稳及运动全过程的特征与现象。分别建立该边坡未滑坡、浅层滑坡后和深层滑坡后3种坡形的巨石崩塌3D-DDA数值模型。采用滚石运动横向偏移经验模型,验证3D-DDA巨石运动模拟的准确性。在此基础上,分析巨石崩塌失稳机制及破坏后沿3种不同坡形边坡的运动轨迹和动能演进等运动特征。结果表明,3D-DDA能够有效模拟巨石崩塌失稳、运动发展、剧烈冲击碰撞直至最终静止等整个动力学过程。巨石崩塌表现为滑动→倾倒?滑动→倾倒→翻转?下落的失稳模式转换;巨石运动表现为碰撞、弹跳、飞跃、滚动、滑动等多种运动形式以及横向偏移、侧向偏转等三维空间运动特征,经过道路并与高架桥发生碰撞,引发巨石灾害。不同坡面几何特征下的巨石运动偏移量、弹跳高度、运动至坡底碰撞时间、最终稳定时间等均随着未滑坡、浅层滑坡后、深层滑坡后3种坡形变化而减小。通过3D-DDA巨石崩塌运动分析,预测巨石运动全过程、影响范围、冲击能量、停积位置等,可为巨石防灾减灾对策或措施制定提供依据。     

Digital mapping of coastal boulders – high-resolution data acquisition to infer past and recent transport dynamics

Coastal boulder fields provide clues to long-term frequency-magnitude patterns of coastal flooding events and have the potential to play an important role in coastal hazard assessment. Mapping boulders in the field is time and labour-intensive, and work on intertidal reef platforms, as in the present study, is physically challenging. By addressing coastal scientists who are not specialists in remote sensing, this contribution reports on the possibilities and limitations of digital applications in boulder mapping in Eastern Samar, Philippines, where recent supertyphoons Haiyan and Hagupit induced high waves, coastal flooding and boulder transport. It is demonstrated how satellite imagery of sub-metre resolution (from Pléiades and WorldView-3 imagery) enables efficient analysis of transport vectors and distances of larger boulders, reflecting variation in latitudes of both typhoon tracks and approaching angles of typhoon-generated waves. During the investigated events, boulders with a-axes of up to 8 m were clearly identified to have been shifted for up to 32 m, mostly along the seaward margin of the boulder field. It is, however, hard to keep track of smaller boulders, and the length of a-axes and b-axes including their orientation is often impossible to map with sufficient accuracy. Orthophotographs and digital surface models created through the application of an unmanned aerial vehicle and the ‘Structure from Motion’ technique provide ultra-high-resolution data, and have the potential to not only improve the results of satellite image analysis, but also those from field mapping and may significantly reduce overall time in the field. Orthophotographs permit unequivocal mapping of a-axes and b-axes including their orientation, while precise values for c-axes can be derived from the respective digital surface models. Volume of boulders is best inferred from boulder-specific Structure from Motion-based three-dimensional models. Battery power, flight speed and altitude determine the limits of the area covered, while patches shielded by the boulders are difficult to resolve. For some tasks, field mapping remains mandatory and cannot be replaced by currently available remote sensing tools: for example, sampling for rock type, density and age dating, recording of lithological separation of boulders from the underlying geological unit and of geomorphic features on a millimetre to decimetre-scale, or documentation of fine-grained sediment transport in between the boulders in supratidal settings. In terms of future events, the digital products presented here will provide a valuable reference to track boulder transport on a centimetre to decimetre-scale and to better understand the hydrodynamics of extreme-wave events on a fringing reef coastline.     

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of large storm events in Northern Scotland

Climate changes over the Holocene have directly impacted on both coastal processes and human use of coastal areas. This paper presents results from the dating of wind blown sand deposits collected from coastal and archaeological sites in Northern Scotland. Archaeological remains are frequently found interspersed with sand deposits and represent distinct periods of occupation of settlement sites within the local landscapes. In some cases storm events sufficiently inundate the sites with sand to result in periodic abandonment. Storm events can also have dramatic results on adjacent rock coastlines, with storm boulder ridges emplaced by large waves, burying sand deposits on cliff-top sites. Work has been undertaken using a quartz SAR protocol to date sand deposition at two archaeological sites in Orkney and a cliff-top site in Shetland. These dates provide chronological information, which help to construct regional chronologies of climatic instability and environmental change and allow the SAR-OSL method to be assessed as an accurate sediment dating tool in this context.     

Quaternary slope processes and morphologies in the upper Sehonghong Valley, eastern Lesotho

Several high south-facing slopes in the southern Drakensberg were glaciated during the Late Quaternary, yet little is known about the slope geomorphic history on equally high slopes that appear not to have been glaciated. To this end, we examine evidence for Late Quaternary slope dynamics in a high alpine valley of eastern Lesotho, with particular attention given to palaeo-environmental signatures offered by deep colluvial mantles along the flanks of the Sehonghong River and pronival ramparts along the upper southerly-facing slopes of the adjoining Thabana-Ntlenyana. Sedimentary exposures were mapped and sampled for clast fabric, clast shape, organic matter content, granulometry and ¹⁴C age determination. Similarly, a pronival rampart was mapped and clast size, shape and fabric determined for various micro-topographic settings. A palaeosol beneath the rampart was also Radiocarbon dated. Findings suggest that the deep and extensive debris mantles on lower south-facing slopes are a product of prolonged colluviation, whilst the more stratified sequences on north-facing slopes indicate greater slope geomorphic-process variability over time. Radiocarbon ages suggest sediment accumulation along the north-facing exposure from at least ∼43 ka. It is proposed that snowcreep and snowpush on high (>3400 m a.s.l.) southeast-facing slopes during a relatively cold, yet moist period at ∼AD 300-1000 initiated boulder movement to form the pronival ramparts.     

Types of debris slope accumulations and rock glaciers in South Spitsbergen

A proposal for the classification of accumulations formed at the foot of mountain slopes and glacier snouts is presented for South Spitsbergen. Simple (talus cones) and complex (protalus ramparts, protalus rock glaciers, moraine rock glaciers) landforms are distinguished. The homogeneity of the features deposited at the foot of mountain slopes on a bedrock as well as on a glacial ice is noted, although the latter are more easily destructed due to melting of the buried ice. A significance of the ice core (interstitial or glacial ice) for a development of protalus rock glaciers and moraine rock glaciers is emphasized.     

花岗岩风化地层中“ 孤石含量百分比冶的确定方法

本文分析了花岗岩风化地层中的"孤石"形成的内在机理;探讨了花岗岩"孤石"的水平与垂直方向的分布规律;提出了对含有"孤石"的花岗岩地层要采取工程地质调绘与物探、钻探相结合的综合方法进行地质勘察,着重提出了可根据"土石比专项勘察"或"利用场地已有勘察资料和施工单位在现场所开挖的断面"或"孤石方量的实际计量"来测定"孤石含量百分比"的3种方法,为解决土石方工程在开挖及计价方面的问题提供了一些建设性的意见和思路,对相应类似工程具有指导意义。     

Surface exposure dating of the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine system,western Swiss Alps,using the cosmogenic nuclide 10Be

Egesen moraines throughout the Alps mark a glacial advance that has been correlated with the Younger Dryas cold period. Using the surface exposure dating method, in particular the measurement of the cosmogenic nuclide ¹⁰Be in rock surfaces, we attained four ages for boulders on a prominent Egesen moraine of Great Aletsch Glacier, in the western Swiss Alps. The ¹⁰Be dates range from 10 460±1100 to 9040±1020 yr ago. Three ¹⁰Be dates between 9630±810 and 9040±1020 yr ago are based upon samples from the surfaces of granite boulders. Two ¹⁰Be dates, 10 460±1100 and 9910±970 yr ago, are based upon a sample from a quartz vein at the surface of a schist boulder. In consideration of the numerous factors that can influence apparently young ¹⁰Be dates and the scatter within the data, we interpret the weighted mean of four boulder ages, 9640±430 yr (including the weighted mean of two ¹⁰Be dates of the quartz vein), as a minimum age of deposition of the moraine. All ¹⁰Be dates from the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine are consistent with radiocarbon dates of nearby bog‐bottom organic sediments, which provide minimum ages of deglaciation from the moraine. The ¹⁰Be dates from boulders on the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine also are similar to ¹⁰Be dates from Egesen moraines of Vadret Lagrev Glacier on Julier Pass, in the eastern Swiss Alps. Both the morphology of the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine and the comparison with ¹⁰Be dates from the inner Vadret Lagrev Egesen moraine support the hypothesis that the climatic cooling that occurred during the Younger Dryas cold episode influenced the glacial advance that deposited the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine. Because of the large size and slow response time of Great Aletsch Glacier, we suggest that the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine was formed during the last glacial advance of the multiphased Egesen cold period, the Kromer stage, during the Preboreal chron. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

蒙山峨峪口砾石堆积堤的年代学研究

准确界定蒙山峨峪口砾石堆积堤的形成时代，对于探明其成因、澄清山东中低山丘陵第四纪冰川有无之争，是一个需要解决的科学问题。峨峪口堆积垄岗砾石组构、沉积构造、地貌组合等标志，均指向其为山洪泥石流堆积物，且为暴发频率极低、发展周期较长的水石流或稀性泥石流堆积。其下伏第四纪沉积物OSL埋藏年龄和AMS14C年龄可作为砾石堆积堤形成时代的最老约束参考年龄，当地村民迁居此地的历史可作为最小约束参考年代。OSL测年结果为2. 1~2. 3 ka BP，AMS14C测年结果为951~1522 cal AD，证明砾石堆积堤为数百年前形成的历史泥石流痕迹。     

Monitoring the sedimentary budget and dislocated boulders in western Greece – results since 2008

Dislocated boulders are one sign of high-energy wave impacts on coasts. These high-energy impacts, caused by severe storms or tsunamis, can trigger initial cracking and transport of boulders. Monitoring of these boulders, as well as the associated coastal sites is important in distinguishing between gradual coastal processes and high-energy events. Western Greece is a seismically active area, where tsunamis and high-energetic storms might occur and such past events are documented by historic and geoscientific research, making it an ideal location for monitoring dislocated boulders. Since 2008, monitoring of eight different coastal sites in this region was conducted by terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetric approaches, with low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles. The re-use of similar surveying points in following years, allowed highly accurate monitoring. Point clouds derived from these methods were evaluated for change detection by point cloud comparisons. The data were also used to establish accurate three-dimensional models of dislocated boulders (n = 70). The determined boulder volumes of these accurate three-dimensional models were incorporated in wave transport equations and wave decay curves, and compared with monitoring results. A comprehensive overview of dislocated boulders in western Greece is presented. Three-dimensional boulder reconstruction is compared to an approach which uses a tape-based measuring of boulder axes, with the tape-based measurement showing a mean overestimation of mass by 32%. Accurate monitoring over time by both methods, is achieved by using fixed networks of reference points. Changes for each site over time, detected by direct point cloud comparisons, are fit to the possible inundation calculated by wave decay curves based on computed minimum wave heights for boulder transport. Both storm and tsunami waves may have initiated movement from the cliff edge and further transport is also possible. However, boulders showed no further movement from their current position in the area for the time period of this study.     

蒙山峨峪口砾石堆积堤的年代学研究

准确界定蒙山峨峪口砾石堆积堤的形成时代,对于探明其成因、澄清山东中低山丘陵第四纪冰川有无之争,是一个需要解决的科学问题。峨峪口堆积垄岗砾石组构、沉积构造、地貌组合等标志,均指向其为山洪泥石流堆积物,且为暴发频率极低、发展周期较长的水石流或稀性泥石流堆积。其下伏第四纪沉积物OSL埋藏年龄和AMS¹⁴C年龄可作为砾石堆积堤形成时代的最老约束参考年龄,当地村民迁居此地的历史可作为最小约束参考年代。OSL测年结果为2.1～2.3 ka BP,AMS¹⁴C测年结果为951～1522 cal AD,证明砾石堆积堤为数百年前形成的历史泥石流遗迹。     

蓟县北部山区第四纪冰川泥砾层的发现

蓟县北部山区居燕山中段南翼,以我国北方震旦纪地层发育著称。本区地质屡经地质工作者调查研究,唯第四纪地质至今尚少人注意。随着我国社会主义农业的发展,兴修水利工程,特别是山区寻找地下水源,都需要着重解决第四纪地质问题。 1974年春和1975年夏,我们先后两次在本区下营、小港等地进行调查,发现一些丘陵顶部黄土层之下埋藏着一种具有冰川作用痕迹的泥砾层,引起了我们的注意。     

A simplified approach for rockfall ground penetration and impact stress calculations

This paper presents a simple procedure for calculating rockfall penetration and ground impact stress for design of pipeline burial depth. Rockfall may damage pipelines by penetrating through cover soils and damaging the pipeline by puncture or excessive impact stress. Design engineers may face a challenging question regarding what burial depth is required for adequate pipe protection. Greater burial depth may provide better protection; however, there are usually site and economic constraints. This paper discusses a simple procedure for calculating the maximum rock penetration and ground impact stress due to rockfall. The procedure may be used to estimate the minimum burial depth required to protect pipelines from rockfall damage. A case study involving a large boulder that fell down a slope and landed on a buried high-pressure gas pipeline is presented to demonstrate and verify the procedure. A calculation was performed before the removal of the boulder to evaluate whether any damage was made to the pipeline. The calculated results agreed well with the actual conditions observed after the boulder was removed.     

Coastal boulders as evidences of high-energy marine events from Diu Island,west coast of India: storm or palaeotsunami?

Natural Hazards - The coastal segment of Diu Island from west coast of India has been studied for its boulder deposits. The dimensions, morphology and characteristics of these boulders were studied...     

基于三维地震映像法的地铁盾构区间孤石勘探及其应用

球状或块状花岗岩不均匀风化残留的风化核(俗称"孤石")在我国南方沿海城市普遍发育。"孤石"经常导致盾构刀盘卡住及损坏,且可能引起地表的隆起等问题,因此在盾构施工前对"孤石"进行探测便于提前处理,是地铁工程勘察的难题。孤石与周围土层波阻抗不同的特点为地震映像法在孤石勘探中的应用提供了理论依据。本文首先介绍三维地震映像法的基本工作原理及方法;其次,建立含有孤石的三维地层模型,模拟三维地层中的地震映像法试验,研究不同位置测线的波形剖面图规律,结果表明:当测线在孤石投影区域内的时候,会产生明显的反射波和绕射波,可清晰观察到孤石的存在,经过数据处理后可确定孤石平面性状及埋深;最后,利用该方法对厦门地铁盾构区间的孤石进行勘探,当发现波形异常,揭示反射频率明显变低、振幅增强、有震荡现象和类似于短弧形的同相轴时,可判断为地下孤石。通过对比勘探结果与钻孔资料,验证了该方法的可靠性。本文提出了地铁孤石的探测及三维成像方法,供类似地区进行地质勘探借鉴。     

The last glaciers (Loch Lomond Advance) in Snowdonia,N. Wales

Evidence for 35 former cwm glaciers has been mapped in Snowdonia, N. Wales. Glacial limits are based on end moraines, boulder and drift limits, and the down-valley extent of hummocky moraine. Protalus ramparts indicate that at least 16 semi-permanent snow beds down to altitudes of 150 m also existed. Radiocarbon dates and pollen stratigraphy indicate that the glaciers and snow beds belong to the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial. The existence of a large number of ‘Older Series Moraines’ is questionned. Glacier reconstruction and contouring allows calculation of fan line altitudes, and trend surface analysis indicates that they rise from 450 m in the southwest to 700 m in the northeast. It is inferred that mean July temperature at sea-level was around 8·5°C. Two differences between north and south Britain are recognized. Firstly in Snowdonia, as in the Lake District and Southern Uplands, the dominance of southerly air streams appears less than in the Scottish Highlands. Secondly, whereas in the Scottish Highlands, the glaciers appear to have stagnated in situ following initial active retreat, some of those farther south were active during much of the time their margins retreated.     

大兴安岭南段赛罕乌拉石海剖面分析及其与蒙山拦马墙石河结构对比

石海（石河/冰石河）作为冰缘地貌的重要标志之一,在国内地学界尚未引起足够的重视,以至于缺少介绍石海结构特征的中文文献,更未建立判别标准,在地貌认知阶段就发生很多误判。为了揭示石海的剖面结构特征,笔者等对位于大兴安岭南段的赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区乌兰坝石海首次进行了开挖解剖,从而归纳了原生石海的基本结构特征：岩块棱角鲜明,呈镂空状堆积,岩块直径总体上上大下小。根据野外调查确认,赛罕乌拉海拔1800 m以上的区域至少还存在着局部现代石海,也就是说,还残存着不连续冻土带,而且保持年平均气温0℃左右的气候环境。根据赛罕乌拉现今气候记录和石海分布,笔者等估算了全新世初期赛罕乌拉石海开始发育时的地表温度在0~-4℃,而今天年平均气温已经升高到2℃,升温幅度2~6℃。根据赛罕乌拉石海剖面结构特征,笔者等对山东蒙山石河进行了结构对比,认为二者剖面结构基本一致,排除了前人近年来争议明显的冰川侧碛堤和泥石流成因说。结构对比揭示山东蒙山境内全新世早期至少局部存在过冰缘气候环境,而这也为山东境内更新世冰川地貌研究提供了重要的信息。此外,本研究也为中国冰缘地貌解剖和资源调查提供了一个可以参考的研究实例。