Intensity Retrieved from Public Monitoring Video——Cases from the May 12,2008,Wenchuan Earthquake

Macroseismic investigation is presented with a new potential means of investigation in the ＂digital age＂. In this paper we studied several cases in the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake with a view to exploring the feasibility of retrieving intensity, or even strong ground motion parameters, from public monitoring video which was originally deployed for security purposes. We used public monitoring video records from 44 sites across the meizoseismal region and its surroundings to estimate the intensity. By using the video from a bank in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province and making the simple assumption that ground vibration is in the form of a propagating harmonic wave, we estimated that the local ground motion acceleration was 0.14g.     

Study of crustal structure with S—wave data from Maqen—Jingbian profile

2-D crustal velocity structure and vp/vs are obtained by processing and interpretation of S-wave data from Maqen-Jingbian deep seismic sounding(DSS)profile.The result shows that there exist obvious differences in 2-D S-wave velocity structure and vp/vs ratio structure along the profile.The S-wave velocities are low and vp/vs ration is high for the westem section of the profile and Haiyuan region,while they are normal for the middle and eastern sections.The changes in lithologic characters of two major anomalous zones are discussed according to lateral variation of S-wave velocity structure and vp/vs ratio structure.It is concluded that the development and occurrence of the Haiyuan strong earthquake is not only related to tectonic activities,but also to lithologic characters of the region.     

Farewell,HSJ!—address from the retiring editor

On the eve of my retirement as co-editor of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) and Hydrological Sciences Journal (HSJ), I would like to take the opportunity to address the HSJ audience with some reflections about the journal and the publishing system.     

Earthquake forewarning — A multidisciplinary challenge from the ground up to space

Most destructive earthquakes nucleate at between 5–7 km and about 35–40 km depth. Before earthquakes, rocks are subjected to increasing stress. Not every stress increase leads to rupture. To understand pre-earthquake phenomena we note that igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks contain defects which, upon stressing, release defect electrons in the oxygen anion sublattice, known as positive holes. These charge carriers are highly mobile, able to flow out of stressed rocks into surrounding unstressed rocks. They form electric currents, which emit electromagnetic radiation, sometimes in pulses, sometimes sustained. The arrival of positive holes at the ground-air interface can lead to air ionization, often exclusively positive. Ionized air rising upward can lead to cloud condensation. The upward flow of positive ions can lead to instabilities in the mesosphere, to mesospheric lightning, to changes in the Total Electron Content (TEC) at the lower edge of the ionosphere, and electric field turbulences. Advances in deciphering the earthquake process can only be achieved in a broadly multidisciplinary spirit.     

Klukiopsis jurassica—A new Jurassic schizaeaceous fern from China

A new Jurassic schizaeaceous fernKlukiopsis jurassica gen. et sp. nov. from Yima, Henan Province, China is described. The new fern is characterized by the abaxial sori arranged in two rows, apical and complete annulus and more than 800 smooth trilete spores in each sorus.     

Comparison of eastern paleo-Tethyan ophiolites and its geodynamic significance——Evidence from Dur’ngoi ophiolite

In global scale, continuous breaking off, drifting apart and re-approaching of supercontinents domi-nated the phanerozoic evolution of lithosphere[1]. Pa-leo-reconstruction reveals that most of continents concentrated in the South Hemisphere to form a su-percontinent[1]. The situation continued until late Pa-leozoic, when the supercontinent broke into Gond-wana in the south and Laurasia in the north. Thereafter the Gondwana experienced continued breaking off and those newly freed blocks drif…     

Geochemical research on C—O and Sr—Nd isotopes of mantle-derived rocks from Shandong Province,China

This paper presents systematic studies on the C—O and Sr—Nd isotopic compositions for Cretaceous Badou carbonatites, Fangcheng basalts, and Jiaodong lamprophyres and Paleozoic Mengyin kimberlites in Shandong Province, China. Paleozoic kimberlites have normal and uniform C—O isotopic compositions with δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in the range of −4.8‰—−7.6‰ and +9.9‰—+13.2‰, respectively. However, Cretaceous three different types of mantlederived rocks have quite different C—O isotopic compositions, indicating that the mantle sources are probably partially contaminated with organic carbon-bearing crustal materials. These Cretaceous rocks show uniform and EMII-like Sr—Nd isotopic compositions and also indicate that the mantle sources were affected by recycled crustal materials. Comparative studies of C—O and Sr—Nd isotopes reveal that the lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern North China Craton had different isotope characteristics in the Paleozoic, the early Cretaceous, and the Tertiary time. This demonstrates that the lithospheric mantle beneath the region underwent at least twice reconstructions since the Paleozoic. Available data imply that the first reconstruction mainly happened during the Triassic-Jurassic time with gradual changes and the second in the Cretaceous with abrupt changes. Results also show that the early Cretaceous (especially at 120-130 Ma) was perhaps the key period leading to the dramatic change of the Mesozoic geodynamics on the eastern North China Craton.     

U-Pb isotopic geochemistry of the post-collisional mafic-ultramafic rocks from the Dabie Mountains——Crust-mantle interaction and LOMU component

Geochronological studies of mafic-ultramafic intrusions occurrence in the northern Dabie zone (NDZ) suggest that these pyroxenite-gabbro intrusions formed 120—130 Ma ago should be post-collisional magmatic rocks[1—4]. These mafic-ultramafic rocks provid…     

Water Resources Management Issues in the Danube River Basin District—Examples from Serbia

Water Resources - This paper aims to present water resources management problems in Serbia and recommend possible solutions. Key issues involve water quality and water quantity. Water quality is...     

Fault-controlled regional magmatism and mineral deposition in central Cathaysia—Evidence from ambient noise tomography

Science China Earth Sciences - Guangdong Province in the central Cathaysian Block has two world-class metallogenic belts, namely, the Nanling and Southeastern Coastal Metallogenic Belts (NLMB and...     

Homo erectus pekinensis''''s age and environment——with discussion on the relationship among Homo erectus from Beijing,Nanjing and Chenjiawo

This paper inspects the relationship between Homo erectus from Beijing, Nanjing and Chenjiawo on the viewpoint of environmental variations. Pieces of evidence show that Nanjing and Chenjiawo Homo erectus lived in glacial age at the Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 16, while Homo erectus pekinensis in major interglacial age at MISs 15-13. It is also recovered that the cave deposits in Tangshan, Nanjing, and Zhoukoudian, Beijing, as well as the deposits at the Homo erectus site in Chenjiawo, have undergone some similar development process. All of them originated from early-middle Middle Pleistocene, and have gone through the test of the major glacial age at MIS 16 and the major interglacial period at the paleosol stage S5. At the same time, they were also closely connected with some environment events, such as the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the formation of glaciations and the loess accumulations.     

Quantification of aquatic sediment prokaryotes—A multiple-steps optimization testing sands from pristine and contaminated aquifers

The total number of prokaryotic cells in aquatic sediments is a crucial measure tightly linked to energetic constraints, microbial productivity, and ecosystem status. While counting cells in water samples is routine, reliable procedures for the determination of prokaryotic cells associated to aquatic sediments are especially needed. A protocol for the direct quantification of prokaryotic cell abundance in aquatic sediments was developed and tested with sandy material from pristine and contaminated aquifers. Individual steps required in sample preparation, including preservation, cell dislodgement, density gradient centrifugation providing sample purification, and staining, were critically evaluated and optimized. Quantification of cells is conducted by flow cytometry promoting a high-throughput sample processing. Although tested for only two different types of aquifer sediments, researchers may easily adapt the protocol for their individual samples and purposes, thus conducting a brief efficiency re-evaluation of individual steps highlighted in this study.     

The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff — A large volume multiphase eruption from Campi Flegrei,Southern Italy

the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) (12 ka BP) is considered to be the product of a single eruption. Two different members (A and B) have been identified and can be correlated around the whole of Campi Flegrei. Member A is made up of at least 6 fall units including both ash and lapilli horizons. The basal stratified ash unit (A1) is interpreted to be a phreatoplinian fall deposit, since it shows a widespread dispersal (>1000 km²) and a constant thickness over considerable topography. The absence of many lapilli fall units in proximal and medial areas testifies to the erosive power of the intervening pyroclastic surges. The overlying member B was formed by many pyroclastic flows, radially distributed around Campi Flegrei, that varied widely in their eruptive and emplacement mechanisms. In some of the most proximal exposures coarse scoria and lithic-rich deposits, sometimes welded, have been identified at the base of member B. Isopach and isopleth maps of fall-units, combined with the distribution of the coarse proximal facies, indicate that the eruptive vent was located in the NE area of Campi Flegrei. It is considered that the NYT eruption produced collapse of a caldera approximately 10 km diameter within Campi Flegrei. The caldera rim, located by geological and borehole evidence, is now largely buried by the products of more recent eruptions. Initiation of caldera collapse may have been contemporaneous with the start of the second phase (member B). It is suggested that there was a single vent throughout the eruption rather than the development of multiple or ring vents. Chemical data indicate that different levels of a zoned trachyte-phonolite magma chamber were tapped during the eruption. The minimum volume of the NYT is calculated to be about 50 km³ (DRE), of which 35 km³ (70%) occurs within the caldera.     

The oldest angiosperm—a tricarpous female reproductive fossil from western Liaoning Province, NE China

The fossil plant female reproductive organs each with a tricarpous were collected from the Yixian Formation, Chaoyang district, western Liaoning Province. The geological age of the Yixian Formation here is believed to be Late Jurassic, which places this fossil as the oldest angiosperm currently known. Its morphological characters are distinct from other known angiosperm reproductive organs as it has 3 ovaries, each with a terminal style and an apical stigma. 9 such organs compose a cyme. As this morphological arrangement is unique to this plant, a new genus and species has been established, namedChaoyangia liangii gen. et sp. nov. Project supported by the Special Finances of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (the special item of the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China).     

Erosion and aggradation on persistently active volcanoes—a case study from Semeru Volcano,Indonesia

Erosion processes on active volcanoes in humid climates result in some of the highest sediment yields on Earth. Episodic sediment yields after large eruptions have been evaluated, but not the long-term and continuous patterns on persistently active volcanoes. We have used high-spatial resolution satellite imagery and DEMs/DSMs along with field-based geologic mapping to assess accurately sediment budgets for the active Semeru Volcano in Java, Indonesia. Patterns of aggradation and degradation on Semeru differ from that of other active volcanoes because (1) both episodic pyroclastic density currents (PDC) and continuous supplies of tephra generate pulses of sediment, (2) sediment is transferred via cycles of aggradation and degradation that continue for >15 years in river channels after each PDC-producing eruption, and (3) rain-triggered lahars remove much greater material than fluvial transport during long, intense rainfall events. The geomorphic response of two of Semeru’s rivers to volcanic sediment migration indicates that (1) each river experiences alternating aggradation and degradation cycles following PDC-producing eruptions and (2) spatial patterns of sediment transfer are governed by geomorphic characteristics of the river reaches. Usually high degradation in the steep source reach is followed by a long bypassing middle reach. Aggradation predominates in the depositional reaches further down valley on the ring plain. Average sediment yields (10³–10⁵ t/km²/year) at persistently active volcanoes are two to three orders of magnitude lower than sediment yields after large and infrequent eruptions, but the continuous and steady sediment transfer in rivers removes more sediment on a mid-term (10 years) to long-term (30 years) basis. In contrast to the trend observed on composite cones after large and infrequent eruptions, decay of sediment yields is not exponential and river channels do not fully recover at steadily active volcanoes as episodic inputs from BAF eruptions, superimposed on the background remobilization of daily tephra, have a greater cumulative effect.     

Effects of abnormally high heat stress on petroleum in reservoir——An example from the Tazhong 18 Well in the Tarim Basin

An igneous intrusion of 94m thick was discovered intruding into the Silurian sandstone from Tazhong 18 Well. The petroleum previously preserved in the Silurian sandstone reservoir was altered into black carbonaceous bitumen by abnormally high heat stress induced by the igneous intrusion. The reflec-tance of the carbonaceous bitumen reaches as high as 3.54%, indicating that the bitumen had evolved into a high thermal evolution level. Similar to the Silurian samples from the neighboring Tazhong 11, Tazhong 12, Tazhong 45 and Tazhong 47 wells, the distribution of C27, C28 and C29 steranes of the car-bonaceous bitumen is still "V" -shaped and can still be employed as an efficient parameter in oil source correlation. The "V" -shaped distribution indicates that the hydrocarbons from the Tazhong 18 and the neighboring wells were all generated from the Middle-Upper Ordovician hydrocarbon source rocks. However, the oil source correlation parameters associated with and terpanes had been changed greatly by the high heat stress and can no longer be used in oil source correlation. The δ 13C values of the pe-troleum from the neighboring wells are between -32.53‰ and -33.37‰, coincident with those of the Paleozoic marine petroleum in the Tarim Basin. However, the δ 13C values of the carbonaceous bitumen from the Tazhong 18 Well are between -27.18‰ and -29.26‰, isotopically much heavier than the pe-troleum from the neighboring wells. The content of light hydrocarbons (nC14-nC20) of the saturated hydrocarbon fraction in the carbonaceous bitumen is extremely higher than the content of heavy hy-drocarbons. The light/heavy hydrocarbon ratios (ΣnC21-/ΣnC22 ) are between 4.56 and 39.17. In the saturated fraction, the even numbered hydrocarbons are predominant to the odd numbered, and the OEP (Odd to Even Predominance) values are between 0.22 and 0.49. However, the content of light hy-drocarbons in the petroleum from the neighboring wells is relatively low and the content of the even numbered hydrocarbons is almost equal to that of the odd numbered. Compared with the samples from the neighboring wells, the abundance of non-alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, such as phenanthrenes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as fluoranthane, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene and benzofluoranthene, are relatively high.     

The P-wave velocity structure of the lithosphere of the North China Craton——Results from the Wendeng-Alxa Left Banner deep seismic sounding profile

For the first time on the Chinese mainland, long-range wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction profiling technology has been applied to seismic wave phases from different depths and with different attributes within the various blocks of the North China Craton to characterize the structure of the crust and upper mantle lithosphere. By comparative analysis of the seismic wave phase characteristics in each block across a 1500-km-long east-west profile, we have identified conventional Pg, Pci, PmP and Pn phases in the crust, made a clear contrast between PL1 and PL2 waves belonging to two groups of lithospheric-scale phases, and produced a model of crust-mantle velocity structures and tectonic characteristics after one- and two-dimensional calculations and processing. The results show that the thickness of the crust and lithosphere gradually deepens from east to west along the profile. However, at the reflection/refraction interface, seismic waves in each group show obvious localized changes in each block. Also, the depth to the crystalline basement changes greatly, from as much as 7.8 km in the North China fault basin to only about 2 km beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula and Taihang-Lüliang area. The Moho morphology as a whole ranges from shallow in the east to deep in the west, with the deepest point in the Ordos Block at 47 km; in contrast, the North China Plain Block is uplifting. The L1 interface of the lithosphere is observed only to the west of Taihang Mountains, at a relatively slowly changing depth of about 80 km. The L2 interface varies from 75 to 160 km and shows a sharp deepening to the west of Taihang Mountains, forming a mutation belt.     

Sex dependent sexual reproduction strategies in a cyclic parthenogen—A case study from intermittent urban pond

The fitness of animals inhabiting highly unpredictable intermittent ponds depends on the effectiveness of the production of their resting stages. Daphnia living in such an environment produce sexual eggs as well as the males needed to fertilize them. We hypothesize that the strategy of permanent male presence should coexist with the synchronization of the production of males with that of sexual eggs. To test this hypothesis, we collected plankton samples from a model urban pond, two times a week, throughout the growing season. We analyzed in detail a number of environmental factors and the population dynamics of two Daphnia populations. The percentage of ephippial females and males periodically reached c.a. 50 % of the population. Depending on the moment of the growing season, this proportion was primarily influenced by population crowding, the richness of invertebrate predators in the habitat, extreme high temperatures and the occurrence of the autumnal photoperiod. Our results confirm the hypothesis that Daphnia produce simultaneously long-living males and males synchronized with receptive females. Additionally, we have shown that the number of resting eggs deposited by temporally-isolated populations varied significantly; thus the fitness of a particular genotype depends on the season and on the particular timing of its activation.     

Interbasinal marker intervals—A case study from the Jurassic basins of Kachchh and Jaisalmer,western India

The Kachchh Basin and the Jaisalmer Basin are two neighboring Mesozoic sedimentary basins at the western margin of the Indian craton. The Jurassic succession of the Kachchh Basin is more complete and more fossiliferous than that of the Jaisalmer Basin. Consequently, intrabasinal correlation of the sedimentary units has been possible in the Kachchh Basin, but not in the Jaisalmer Basin. However, some marker beds existing in the Kachchh Basin can be recognized also in the Jaisalmer Basin. Ammonite evidence shows that they are time-equivalent. The following four units form marker intervals in both basins: (1) the pebbly rudstone unit with Isastrea bernardiana and Leptosphinctes of the Kaladongar Formation (Kachchh Basin) and the Isastrea bernardiana-bearing rudstone of the Jaisalmer Formation (Jaisalmer Basin) both represent transgressive systems tract deposits dated as Late Bajocian; (2) bioturbated micrites with anomalodesmatan bivalves within the Goradongar Yellow Flagstone Member (Kachchh Basin) and bioturbated units in the Fort Member (Jaisalmer Basin) represent maximum flooding zone deposits of the Middle to Late Bathonian; (3) trough-crossbedded, sandy pack- to grainstones of the Raimalro Limestone Member (Kachchh Basin) and the basal limestone-sandstone unit of the Kuldhar section of the Jaisalmer Formation (Jaisalmer Basin) correspond to Late Bathonain transgressive systems tract deposits; and (4) ferruginous ooid-bearing carbonates with hardgrounds of the Dhosa Oolite member (Kachchh Basin) and the middle part of the Jajiya Member (Jaisalmer Basin) are Oxfordian transgressive systems tract deposits. The fact that in both basins similar biofacies prevailed during certain time intervals demonstrates a common control of their depositional history. As the two basins represent different tectonic settings, the most likely controlling factors were the relative sea-level changes produced by eustatic processes, a common subsidence history of the northwestern margin of the Indian craton, and the paleoclimate.