Factors influencing the recession rate of Niagara Falls since the 19th century

The rate of recession of Niagara Falls (Horseshoe and American Falls) in northeastern North America has been documented since the 19th century; it shows a decreasing trend from ca. 1 m y^− 1 a century ago to ca. 0.1 m y^− 1 at present. Reduction of the flow volume in the Niagara River due to diversion into bypassing hydroelectric schemes has often been taken to be the factor responsible, but other factors such as changes in the waterfall shape could play a role and call for a quantitative study. Here, we examine the effect of physical factors on the historically varying recession rates of Niagara Falls, using an empirical equation which has previously been proposed based on a non-dimensional multiparametric model which incorporates flow volume, waterfall shape and bedrock strength. The changes in recession rates of Niagara Falls in the last century are successfully modeled by this empirical equation; these changes are caused by variations in flow volume and lip length. This result supports the validity of the empirical equation for waterfalls in rivers carrying little transported sediment. Our analysis also suggests that the decrease in the recession rate of Horseshoe Falls is related to both artificial reduction in river discharge and natural increase in waterfall lip length, whereas that of American Falls is solely due to the reduction in flow volume.     

12 600 years of lake level changes, changing sills, ephemeral lakes and Niagara Gorge erosion in the Niagara Peninsula and Eastern Lake Erie basin

Over the last 12600 years, lake levels in the eastern Lake Erie basin have fluctuated dramatically, causing major changes in drainage patterns, flooding and draining ephemeral Lake Wainfleet several times and widening and narrowing the Niagara Gorge as the erosive effects of Niagara Falls waxed and waned. The control sill for Lake Erie levels was at first the Fort Erie/Buffalo sill, before the Lyell/Johnson sill in Niagara Falls took over due to isostatic rebound. This sill, in time, was eventually eroded by the recession of Niagara Falls and the Fort Erie/Buffalo sill regained control. The environmental picture is complicated by catastrophic outbursts from glacial Lake Agassiz and Lake Barlow-Ojibway, changes in outlet routes, isostatic rebound and climatic changes over the Great Lakes basins. Today, the flow of water into Lake Erie from the streams and rivers surrounding it only accounts for about 13% of the flow out of it, therefore, the importance of flow from the Upper Great Lakes, specifically the flow from Lake Huron, has a great effect on Lake Erie levels. While the changing control sills, Lyell/Johnson and Buffalo/Fort Erie would affect Lake Erie levels, overall they are mostly input driven by the amount of waters received from the Upper Great Lakes. Since Lake Erie's water level changes are so closely tied to Lake Huron's water level changes we have decided to use names assigned to Lake Huron such as the two Mattawa highstands and three Stanley lowstands rather than inflict a whole new set of names on the public. While the duration of each high and lowstand in Erie and Huron may not always be the same, they always happen within the same time frame. The datum elevations used for Lake Huron (175.8 m) and Lake Erie (173.3 m) are historically recorded averages. The Lake Erie levels proposed in this paper reflect Lake Hurons effects on Lake Erie and the levels occuring at the eastern end of the Erie Basin throughout the last 12600 years. All dates in this paper are uncorrected ¹⁴ C dates unless the date was obtained from shells, then the date has been corrected for hard-water effects. Also, all heights are given as modern day elevations and are not adjusted for isostatic rebound.     

Morphology,processes and evolution of two waterfalls near Cowra,New South Wales

The morphology and processes of formation and maintenance of waterfalls are more varied and complex than is suggested by the simple caprock‐undercutting model that is closely identified with Niagara Falls. The dominant process of retreat of two buttressed waterfalls near Cowra, NSW, seems to be failure along joint planes at the lips of the waterfalls. In the case of the larger of the two waterfalls, this process is significantly enhanced by the formation and subsequent destruction of potholes at the waterfall lip.     

汶川地震诱发的地面塌陷成因

针对目前由汶川地震诱发的地面塌陷研究尚少的现状,以北川县安昌镇开茂村水没河流域地面塌陷坑群为研究对象,根据所处的地质环境条件,通过现场调查、工程勘察及钻孔岩土试验,探讨了地震诱发的地面塌陷成因及机制。认为塌陷区第四系松散层上部含细颗粒的饱和粉土、粉质粘土和下部粗颗粒的饱和砂层、砂砾层等的存在是产生地面塌陷的前提,强烈的地震诱发了砂土液化是产生地面塌陷的内因,而塌陷坑的陆续出现说明了地面塌陷一般都有个时间发展过程,是一种渐进性质的破坏;且地下水动力条件的改变、真空吸蚀作用、余震作用以及强降雨加剧了潜蚀作用,最终导致地面塌陷的产生与发展。结果表明:这些塌陷坑群的出现主要是由地震砂土液化和潜蚀作用共同作用的结果。     

A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE CITY LIFE CYCLE IDEA

The idea that cities or their neighborhoods, like organisms, experience a life cycle was very popular in policy-oriented U.S. urban studies literature of the 1970s. This paper presents a critical evaluation of the city life cycle idea. A brief survey of the city life cycle idea in recent literature is followed by a "double-barrelled" critical evaluation. First, the idea is examined and evaluated in terms of its use in, and implications for, the practice of social science. Second, the idea is evaluated as it influenced public policy and served to reinforce the interests of particular groups. Two conclusions are presented (1) that the largely uncritical use of the city life cycle idea allowed the idea to slip from being an image to being a cause in accounts of urban decline and (2) that the city life cycle idea, albeit flawed, was accepted and persisted because it servedparticular interests. The adoption of the city life cycle idea has had consequences both for the social sciences based upon it and for the cities and their inhabitants which became the targets of policies influenced by the idea.     

ACCELERATED EROSION ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL PLAIN

The Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States has long been considered to have negligible soil erosion owing to low relief and permeable soils. Several recent studies point to a need for reassessment. Post-settlement erosion on the North Carolina Coastal Plain was estimated at the regional scale based on soil-profile truncation of a representative upland soil (Norfolk series). Apparent post-settlement soil-profile truncation ranges from 2.5 to 30 cm (mean 14.5 cm), implying a minimum regional average rate of 0.55 mm/yr since the region was settled in the 1700s. This amounts to a conservative estimated average rate of 9.3 t/ha/yr, a rate of the same general magnitude as estimated erosion rates in the North Carolina Piedmont, long recognized as a problem erosion area. Results imply accelerated water erosion despite the low slopes and permeable soils, and suggest the possibility of significant eolian erosion in the region. This rapid erosion in an area noted for its geological stability is a testament to the importance of vegetation cover and human agency in landscape evolution in the Coastal Plain. [Key words: accelerated erosion, soil profile, geomorphology, coastal plain, North Carolina.]     

Assessment of Soil Erodibility in Taleghan Drainage Basin,Iran, Using Multivariate Statistics

Soil erosion has been recognized as one of the major forms of human-induced soil degradation. Due to land use changes in Iran, erosion has increased 800% between 1951 and 2002, calling for urgent action. But erosion research and policy development are hampered by a lack of information on the underlying factors controlling erosion. Soil types vary in their inherent susceptibility to erosion; but, like most countries, Iran lacks a network of field plots where erodibility is measured. A proxy for erodibility based on existing data and supplemented by an easily measured minimum data set is therefore needed. In this study, we use geological mapping and cluster, principal component, and factor analysis to group soils in the Taleghan Drainage Basin in Iran and subsequently determine their erodibility. First, a geological map of the area was prepared by photogeological methods and on-the-ground verification. Then, three soil profiles were investigated within similar landform units of each geological formation, and soil samples were taken. Physical and chemical properties that might impact soil erodibility (soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity, CaCO₃, and soil organic matter) were used to create a matrix of soil properties and parent material. Application of cluster analysis and factor analysis to the data allowed identification of three geological (parent material) clusters. To investigate the mutual effect of land use and parent material on soil erodibility, a soil erodibility factor was obtained for three land use types in each cluster: rangeland, cropland (irrigated), and dry-land farming (nonirrigated). Geological cluster 1, consisting of marl, gypsum, and gypsiferous mudstone, was the most erodible; geological cluster 2, consisting of recent alluvium, alluvial fan, and landslip deposits, was of intermediate erodibility; and geological cluster 3, consisting of igneous rocks, dolomite, and conglomerate, was the least erodible. Within each geological cluster, dry-land farming was the most erodible, cropland was medium erodible, and rangeland was least erodible. The study suggests that geological and land use maps provide a useful framework for assessing soil erodibility. This work can guide future soil erosion studies and direct soil conservation policy to areas most susceptible to erosion.     

The geological heritages in Xinjiang, China: Its features and protection

The geological heritage protection and its development at home and abroad reflect the progress in the aspect from the single protection to the coordination between protection and exploitation. The geopark established by UNESCO has closely combined the protection of geological heritages with the promotion of sustainable development of local economy, which has become the best way to protect geological heritages. The geological heritages in Xinjiang, China, are characterized by their large quantity, rich variety and high grade. The complicated geologic-geomorphic environment in Xinjiang contributes to the creation of various geological heritage types and their spatial distribution, and at the same time makes them under control. The main types of the geological heritages in Xinjiang are the geologic- geomorphic landscapes and the water landscapes. The spatial distribution can be divided into five geological heritage districts: Altay, Junggar, Tianshan, Tarim and Kunlun-Altun, among which Tianshan and Kunlun-Altun are most important. Based on the first systematic investigation of the geological heritages in Xinjiang, it is confirmed that the insufficient coordination between protection and exploitation is the primary cause for the backward situation in the geological heritage protection. To solve the problem, this paper proposes 6 major protection steps—from determining the protection types, the protection forms, the protection modes, the protection grades, the protection sequences to determining the protection zones, brings forward the idea of optimal-selection which integrates geoparks with geological heritage protection areas and other protection areas as well as 5 corresponding modes, and makes a protection and exploitation reserve list for 209 important geological heritages in Xinjiang.     

POST-VOLCANIC EROSION RATES OF SHOMYO FALLS IN TATEYAMA, CENTRAL JAPAN

Post‐eruptive fluvial erosion of welded pyroclastic flow deposits often depends on the recession of waterfalls because of their rapid erosion involved. We examine the recession rate of Shomyo Falls, which consists of Pleistocene welded pyroclastic flow deposits in Tateyama, north‐central Japan. The mean recession rate of the waterfall obtained from lithological and topographical evidences is 0.08‐0.15 m/a for 100000 a. However, the recession rate estimated by means of an empirical equation comprising physical parameters of erosive force and bedrock resistance is 0.006‐0.011 m/a with small uncertainties. The discrepancy between the geology‐based and equation‐based recession rates indicates that some factors, not taken account of in the equation, significantly influence the recession rate. We suggest that a factor in the rapid erosion of the waterfall is a large amount of transported sediment acting as abrasive material, which is supplied from high mountains in the watershed above the waterfall.     

新疆地质遗迹的分布特征与保护开发

国际、国内地质遗迹保护的发展反映出地质遗迹保护理念从单一保护到保护与开发相协调的演进,联合国教科文组织建立的地质公园将地质遗迹保护与促进地方经济可持续发展紧密结合起来,成为地质遗迹保护的最佳途径。新疆地质遗迹数量大、类型齐、等级优,复杂的地质地貌环境,造就和控制了新疆地质遗迹的类型和空间分布,主要类型为地质地貌景观和水体景观,空间分布可划分为阿尔泰、准噶尔、天山、塔里木、昆仑－阿尔金5个区,其中天山区和昆仑－阿尔金区是新疆最重要的地质遗迹区。基于首次全疆地质遗迹系统调研,指出新疆滞后的地质遗迹保护现状的根本致因是保护与开发协调性差,确定保护类型－形式－模式－级别－时序－分区六大保护步骤,提出地质公园和地质遗迹保护区及其他保护地相结合的复合型保护模式优选思路和5个优选模式,并据此建立针对新疆209个重要地质遗迹的保护开发备选名录。     

贵州岩溶荒漠化成因及其防治

岩溶荒漠化是贵州岩溶地区的主要生态环境问题之一,对土地生产力的破坏作用巨大。它是碳酸盐岩的侵蚀过程与人为活动共同作用的结果。分析了贵州碳酸盐岩区域侵蚀的地质背景,认为岩溶地区的碳酸盐岩侵蚀及地貌和生态环境特点、被侵蚀土粒的物质输送规律构成了岩溶荒漠化的自然基础,指出碳酸盐岩的化学侵蚀并非风化成土过程,以及一般的土壤侵蚀指标并不能代表岩溶地区土壤侵蚀的真实情况。同时还分析了岩溶荒漠化产生和发展过程中的不合理的人为活动的主要表现形式及其产生根源。在此基础上,本文提出了相应的综合防治措施。     

Impacts of seismic activity and climatic change on Chinese history in the recent millennium

General history of disasters in China suggests that China has frequently experienced two major natural disasters in its long history, one is from catastrophic earthquake events, and the other is from extreme climatic events, due to its unique active tectonic environment and climatic complexity. Although these two major natural disasters have caused great damage to human society, it remains unclear whether and how they affect Chinese dynasty alternation on decadal(emperor) timescales. Based on de...     

2000～2008年内蒙古中部地区土壤风蚀危险度评价

选择内蒙古中部为研究区,以地理信息系统技术与层次分析法为依托,在深入调研风蚀驱动因子的基础上,构建了一个驱动因子相对全面并且实践可行的土壤风蚀危险度模型;基于该模型,综合长时间序列的遥感数据、地面气象台站观测数据,对研究区2000~2008年土壤风蚀危险度的空间分布格局、变化动态及其驱动机制进行了分析。结果表明:在内蒙古中部地区,从东南到西北土壤风蚀危险度呈现逐渐增强的趋势,不同的风蚀危险等级区有着不一样的主导控制因子;在2000~2008年期间,区域土壤风蚀危险程度总体呈现下降趋势;2000年以来风场强度的持续下降及植被NDVI的持续上升是促使区域土壤风蚀危险度下降的控制因子,而气候干燥度在2005年的大幅上升则是当年区域土壤风蚀危险度上升的控制因素。     

泥河湾保护区地貌特征与地质灾害

根据泥河湾保护区实地调查,黄土台地、黄土沟梁和河谷地貌是发育在“泥河湾层”及其覆地层上的主要地貌类型,其形态特征和形态测量反映了该区流水地貌的现代演化特征。伴随流水地质作用与地貌演化发生的水土流失、泥石流、崩塌和地面塌陷等地质灾害危及保护区的地层剖面。笔者认为该区域地质灾害是多种致灾因素造成的,其中的主导因素是气候、植被和人为因素,通过控制植被因素可以改变目前的地质环境状况。     

根据临汾盆地的演化过程分析“丁村组”的年代

自1954年发现“丁村人”化石至今,“丁村组”的年代长期存在很大争论。通过对S₅以来临汾盆地地貌沉积演化过程的研究,揭示出“丁村组”的堆积是在S₁早期的一次区域构造抬升引起盆地湖退后才开始发生的,时间距今大约13万年。结合上覆“丁村组”的黄土古土壤分析,发现其堆积结束于距今约5.2万年。“丁村组”的堆积与气下S₁古土壤的发育和L₁黄土下半段的堆积几乎是同期的,其形成时代横跨了中、晚更新世。     

我国土壤侵蚀与地理环境的关系

本文论述我国土壤侵蚀类型与自然地带性和非地带性因素的关系,分析影响侵蚀强度时空分布和侵蚀泥沙输移的环境因素及流域条件。     

Lake levels in the Erie Basin of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Water levels in the Lake Erie basin are inferred from glacial lake times to present. An era of early to middle Holocene lowstands is defined below outlets by a submerged paleo-beach, and truncated reflectors in glaciolacustrine sediment beneath a mud-covered wave-cut terrace. Also, the glacial clay surface above the paleo-shore level has elevated shear strength because of porewater drainage during subaerial exposure. Below the paleo-shore where exposure did not occur, clay strength remained normal. Sedimentation rates were reduced during the lowstands. The distortion of once-level shore zone indicators by differential glacial rebound was removed by computing original elevations of the indicators using an empirical model of rebound based on observations of upwarped former lake shorelines. Erie water-level history was inferred from a plot of the original elevations of lake-level constraints and outlets versus age. The lake history was validated by reference to ~83 water-level indicators, not used as constraints. During the deglaciation, lake-crossing moraines were likely eroded by fluvial drainage into low-level Lake Ypsilanti and a subsequent unnamed low lake to produce the Lorain Valley and Pennsylvania Channel. Once inflow from the upper Great Lakes basins was directed to Ottawa Valley about 10,400 (12,270 cal BP), Erie water levels descended in a dry, evaporative climate to a closed lowstand during which ostracode δ¹⁸O increased ~2‰ above present values. Lake level began to rise 6,000 to 7,000 (6,830 to 7,860 cal) BP in response to increased atmospheric moisture and later, to northern inflow as the Nipissing Transgression returned upper Great Lakes drainage to Lake Erie by about 5,200 (6,000 cal) BP. At that time, the lake overflowed the uplifted Lyell–Johnson Sill north (downstream) of the present Niagara Falls at higher-than-present levels. After recession of the Falls breached this sill about ~3,500 (~3,770 cal) BP, Lake Erie fell 3–4 m to its present Fort Erie–Buffalo Sill. The extended low-water phase with its isolated sub-basins could have restricted migration of aquatic fauna. The early to middle Holocene closed-basin response highlights the sensitivity of Lake Erie to climatic reductions in its water budget.     

The development of talus slopes around Lord Howe island and implications for the history of island planation

Lord Howe Island is a small eroded remnant of a Late Miocene shield volcano. A fringing coral reef dissipates wave energy along a portion of the shoreline, but the remainder of the coast is rugged with spectacular high basaltic sea cliffs. This paper investigates the evolution of talus slopes that occur beneath the loftiest cliffs, and places this analysis within the context of a longer history of island planation that has resulted in a wide truncated shelf around the island. During the Last Glacial, when the sea level was lower than at present, talus slopes accumulated around the extent of the island's cliffed coast because material eroded from cliffs by subaerial processes could not be removed by marine processes. The survival of these slopes during the Holocene has depended on a balance achieved between rates of subaerial and marine erosion. This balance is fundamentally influenced by cliff height, as cliffs higher than 200 m are plunging or veneered by talus slopes, whereas lower cliffs have erosional shore platforms. On comparison with published erosion rates from inland basalt scarps it appears that marine processes may account for over 90 per cent of the total cliff retreat that has occurred at Lord Howe Island, yet contemporary coastal morphology attests to the significance of subaerial processes in recent times. It is likely that marine cliffing was very rapid soon after volcanism ceased, but rates of erosion decreased through time as wave energy became increasingly attenuated across a widening planation surface, and as increasing cliff heights yielded greater quantities of talus that provided protection from rapid marine erosion.     

典型黑土区小流域浅沟侵蚀季节差异分析

通过2005年对黑龙江鹤山农场两个小流域进行定位观测,研究了典型黑土区浅沟侵蚀特征及其季节差异,并对作物类型和耕作措施对浅沟侵蚀的影响进行了分析。结果表明,两流域年浅沟侵蚀量达285.9 m³ km^-2和290.8 m³ km^-2,仅浅沟侵蚀量就超过了黑土区的土壤允许侵蚀量。浅沟侵蚀量呈现出沿坡面波动的变化,沿坡面向下存在浅沟侵蚀的强弱交替带。春夏浅沟侵蚀在侵蚀强度、浅沟形态及主要影响因素3个方面存在差异,春季浅沟侵蚀受融雪、冻融影响显著,侵蚀较夏季严重;与春季相比,夏季浅沟长度变短、宽度变大、深度变浅,浅沟体积与长度的相关性较春季差,这与夏季暴雨历时短、雨强大以及植被盖度大有关。耕作措施和作物类型影响浅沟侵蚀深度和浅沟分布,尤其在夏季比较明显。