Studies of crustal magnetic anomalies of the British Isles

Andrew Jackson examines the subtle but significant question of the distinction between induced and remanent magnetism, using the British Isles as an example. This continuing project formed part of his Bullerwell Lecture given in 2006.     

Simultaneous simulation of the three components of seismic accelerograms at locations around seismological stations

Journal of Seismology - This paper proposes a new numerical procedure, based on an evolutionary optimization algorithm, for the simultaneous generation of the three components of the seismic ground...     

An analogue model study of electromagnetic induction in the British Isles region

The behavior of electric- and magnetic-field variations over the British Isles region is studied using a scaled laboratory analogue model. The model source frequencies used simulate periods of 20 min to 2 h in the geophysical scale. The results indicate that conductive channelling of induced electric current by the English Channel is important for both E- and H-polarization, while channelling through the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and the North Sea is particularly important for the E-polarization. The funnel shape of the North Sea, leading to the relatively narrow English Channel, results in diffusion of current into the continent and the east coast of the British Isles, contributing to highly frequency-dependent horizontal electric- and vertical magnetic-field coastal anomalies. The model results also give ample evidence of current deflection at the complex coastlines.The model results for simulated $\text{1}\text{2}$ h period variations indicate vertical magnetic-field values changing by as much as a factor of five or six between certain coastal locations, and at least by a factor of two or three between interior locations. The horizontal electric- and magnetic-field components also show almost equally large changes, with particularly large enhancements near narrow ocean channels and irregular coastlines, responding to channelled and deflected current. With the relatively close proximity of the coasts for essentially all locations on the British Isles, the coast effects associated with the very complex coastlines can be expected to play a major role in the behavior of the electromagnetic fields over the British Isles.     

A Nd isotope investigation of sediments related to crustal development in the British Isles

The times of original fractionation of the Sm and Nd component of clastic sediments from a mantle source (≡ crustal residence age) have been estimated from Sm-Nd model ages calculated relative to a depleted mantle evolution. In this way the provenance and evolution of selected Precambrian and Phanerozoic sediments and metasediments from the British Isles have been examined. Whereas some Archaean and early Proterozoic sediments have Sm-Nd model ages that are close to their stratigraphic age, the Phanerozoic sediments analysed have model ages as much as 2.0 Ga in excess of their stratigraphic age.A more detailed study of Lower Palaeozoic sediments deposited on the northern margin of the Iapetus Ocean provides evidence for a marked change of provenance in the Ordovician after the deposition of the Dalradian Supergroup. A component with comparatively high¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and Sm/Nd ratio (presumably basaltic) is present in the sediments throughout the accretionary prism. Crustal residence age estimates average about 1.5 Ga for both these Lower Palaeozoic sediments, and modern pelagic clays, and collectively fail to provide any evidence for significant continental growth during the Phanerozoic.     

Electromagnetic induction in the British Isles region: analogue model and field station results

The results of a laboratory electromagnetic analogue model study, which employs a horizontal inducing field over a simple model of the British Isles region, delineate the location and frequency dependence of the major coast effect induction anomalies of the Scotland region. Contours of amplitudes, amplitude ratios, and in-phase and quadrature parts of the model field measurements are presented. The model vertical magnetic fields for two orthogonal source field polarizations and field station values for two hypothetical events for corresponding polarizations are compared.While major discrepancies occur between model and field H_z amplitudes, the H_z gradients across Scotland, which can be attributed to the coast-effect, are comparable in value, although sometimes reversed in sign. Superimposed on this coast-effect, the field data indicate the existence of current concentrations associated with the Great Glen and the Southern Uplands faults and possibly also of currents within the Scottish mainland near the east and west coasts.     

Shear wave velocity and crustal thickness in the Pannonian Basin from receiver function inversions at four permanent stations in Hungary

Receiver functions of teleseismic waveforms recorded at four Hungarian permanent broadband stations have been analyzed using semilinearized and stochastic inversion methods to estimate the crustal thickness and S wave velocity structure in the Pannonian Basin. The results of both inversion methods agree well with the crustal thicknesses obtained by previous seismic refraction and reflection studies in the regions which are densely covered with seismic lines (28 and 27 km in westernmost and southern Hungary, respectively) and suggest a thicker crust compared to what was known before beneath the Transdanubian and Northern Ranges (34 and 33 km, respectively). The comparison of the one-dimensional shear wave velocity models derived by the different inversion methods shows that, in case of simple, smoothly varying structures, the results do not differ significantly and can be regarded as absolute velocities. Otherwise, the recovered velocity gradients agree, but there are differences in the absolute velocity values. The back-azimuthal variations of both radial and tangential receiver functions are interpreted as dipping structure and as waves sampling different geological areas. The signature of the deep structure on low-frequency receiver functions suggests a strong velocity contrast at the 670-km discontinuity. The vanishing 410-km boundary may be attributed to the remnant of a subducted oceanic slab with increased Poisson’s ratio in the transition zone.     

Biomonitoring of pollution by Cerastoderma edule from the British Isles: a Laser Ablation ICP-MS study

Shells of the common cockle Cerastoderma edule have been analysed using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for a suite of elements (Pb, Cu, As, Zn and U). The samples of C. edule were obtained from four sites in the British Isles, two facing the Atlantic and two adjacent to the Irish Sea. The LA-ICP-MS technique, permits high resolution examination of the relationship between the concentrations of elements in the hard parts and that in the environment. This study shows that this bivalve can be used as a biomonitor of pollution. All four areas under investigation are affected by anthropogenic pollution, in particular Zn and Cu, and are characterized by short-term extreme pollution events. Furthermore, high levels of U are recorded from the cockles sampled from the sites adjacent to the Irish Sea, probably related to a combination of both natural and industrial effluents discharged into the area.     

Long-term variation of the semi-annual wave maxima in geomagnetic activity

Summary The time variations of the amplitudes and phases of the semi-annual variation in geomagnetic activity, characterized by the linear planetary index aa, have been analysed for the period 1868–1985. The results provide qualitative confirmation of Murayama's conclusions [13] about the systematic f phase in dependence on the changes in the level of solar activity and give support to Russel-McPherron's mechanism [16] concerning the effect of the predominant polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field. A distinctly expressed variation of the phase differences in the course of the sunspot cycle and of the 22-year cycle, and specific variations related to the sequence of four consecutive cycles have been established, as well as a well-defined 90-year period, all of them as a reflection of analogous variations in solar activity. The variations of the phase differences observed around the equinoxes can be explained by the combined effect of the mechanisms of the axial and equinoctial hypothesis. It is assumed that a displacement of the maxima of the semi-annual variation to dates after the equinoxes will be observed in the ascending parts and a reverse displacement towards the equinoxes and earlier dates in the desccending parts of the following sunspot cycles 22 nad 23.On leave from the Geophysical Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Akad. G. Bonchev Str. bl. 3, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria.     

Fallout radionuclides in the Pacific Ocean: Vertical and horizontal distributions,largely from GEOSECS stations

From GEOSECS stations, largely, the 1974 distributions of Pu and of¹³⁷Cs are described in the Pacific Ocean north of about 20°S latitude. Changes in some of these distributions are described from 1978 cruises by the authors.The Pacific exhibited, everywhere, a shallow subsurface layer of Pu-rich water with its concentration maximum at about 465 m in 1974; over a large portion of the central North Pacific a second layer of Pu-labelled water, less concentrated than the shallow layer, lay just above the bottom. Similar features were not observed in the case of¹³⁷Cs.The inventories of both Pu and¹³⁷Cs in the water column at most 1974 stations are substantially greater than those to be expected from world-wide fallout alone; these inventory excesses appear to be attributable to close-in fallout, but only if the ratio Pu/¹³⁷Cs in this source was much higher than in world-wide fallout. The North Pacific mean ratio of the inventories is 2.2 times that observed in world-wide fallout.Resolubilization of Pu both from sinking particles and from sediments explains peculiarities of its depth distributions.There is little evidence for tracer movement by sliding downward along density surfaces;¹³⁷Cs appears to have moved to depth by downmixing at the edge of the Kuroshio, and then moved horizontally and upward alongσ_t contours. The shallow Pu-rich layer shows no coordination with density, salinity or O₂ isopleths. The deep Pu-rich layer is restricted to a narrow range of O₂ concentrations that confirm its origin in the Aleutian Trench and rapid spread southward and laterally. Near-bottom circulation processes have been much more active than here-to-fore described.     

A Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal model for significant wave height in the North Atlantic

Bad weather and rough seas continue to be a major cause for ship losses and is thus a significant contributor to the risk to maritime transportation. This stresses the importance of taking severe sea state conditions adequately into account in ship design and operation. Hence, there is a need for appropriate stochastic models describing the variability of sea states, taking into account long-term trends related to climate change. Various stochastic models of significant wave height are reported in the literature, but most are based on point measurements without considering spatial variations. As far as the authors are aware, no model of significant wave height to date exploits the flexible framework of Bayesian hierarchical space-time models. This framework allows modelling of complex dependence structures in space and time and incorporation of physical features and prior knowledge, yet at the same time remains intuitive and easily interpreted. This paper presents a Bayesian hierarchical space-time model for significant wave height. The model has been fitted by significant wave height data for an area in the North Atlantic ocean. The different components of the model will be outlined, and the results from applying the model to monthly and daily data will be discussed. Different model alternatives have been tried and long-term trends in the data have been identified for all model alternatives. Overall, these trends are in reasonable agreement and also agree fairly well with previous studies. Furthermore, a discussion of possible extensions to the model, e.g. incorporating regression terms with relevant meteorological data will be presented.     

宽频带流动地震台站中地震计浅井式安装研究

在井下地震观测中,各种地表背景噪声具有显著衰减作用,针对中国地震科学台阵现有大量非专用浅井式设计的Guralp CMG系列地震计,以及目前多个新获批项目在高背景噪声区域的观测需求,设计一种野外实用浅井观测方式,在北京国家地球观象台进行不同深度、不同井壁材质的观测对比实验,分析研究观测数据的背景噪声功率谱密度,结果表明,随着浅井深度的增加,地震背景噪声在垂直、水平向得到改善,改善程度随频率变化有所不同。分析认为,在华北现有地质环境下,6 m浅井是较为经济的观测方式,性价比高、占地小、施工简便,可用于后续多个项目的宽频带流动地震台阵观测。     

Tomographic imaging of P wave velocity structure beneath the region around Beijing

The three-dimension crustal and upper mantle structures in the region around Beijing were studied by seismic tomography. We used the P wave arrival times from local and teleseismic events. These events were recorded by 250 stations of the North China Seismic Array and 108 stations of the Beijing Telemetry Seismic Network. 118 869 P wave arrivals from 10 285 local events and 12 189 P wave arrivals from 107 teleseismic events were used in the inversion. We obtained the 3-D P wave velocity structure of the cru...     

Radium and barium at GEOSECS stations in the Atlantic and Pacific

²²⁶Ra and Ba show a general linear correlation in the oceanic water column within the uncertainties of the data: the slope of the line is about 4.6 nanomoles (nmoles) Ra/mole Ba, the intercept being at about 4 nmoles Ba/kg. This demonstrates the usefulness of Ba as a “chemical analogue” of Ra. Box-model calculations indicate that the average deep-water excess of Ra over Ba should be about 10% relative to the surface. This is consistent with the observations outside the deep northeast Pacific. However, the uncertainties in the data are such that the regional variation in the primary input cannot be resolved. In the deep waters of the North Pacific there is in fact a large excess of Ra relative to Ba. The one detailed profile presently available (204) can be explained consistently by a simple vertical advection-diffusion model.     

Recognition of the Rayleigh wave disturbances in the signals from depth pressure transducers of ocean-bottom seismic stations

The problem of recognizing the time intervals with Rayleigh-wave disturbances in the signals from the depth pressure transducers of the ocean-bottom seismic stations (OBS) is considered in the context of the tsunami-warning problem. A new recognition algorithm, which makes use of the frequency-time distribution functions (FTD) of the OBS signals, and the decision-making procedure based on the comparison of the calculated and reference FTD functions are developed. The results of recognizing the Rayleigh wave disturbances in the OBS signals are presented. The suggested approach can serve as an efficient means for solving the problems of recognition and classification of the disturbances in the time series of various geophysical observations.     

北京地区电离层Chapman标高的统计分析

利用F2层峰值处的Chapman标高Hm可以构建电离层顶部的电子浓度剖面.本文通过对北京站(40.3°N,116.2°E)从2010年1月到2014年5月的电离层频高图人工度量后获得了F2层峰值处的Chapman标高Hm,分析研究了Hm随周日、季节和太阳活动变化,并探讨了Hm与F2层特征参数foF2、hmF2以及IRI底部厚度参数B0的相关性.研究表明,(1)北京地区标高Hm的周日变化明显,在正午左右有最大值,夏季和春秋季的最小值出现在午夜左右,而冬季有两个谷值,在日出后和20:00LT左右; Hm在日出前有较小的增加,但不是很明显;(2)白天标高Hm有明显的季节变化,夏季最强,冬季最弱,而夜间的季节变化较小;(3)Hm随太阳活动的增强而增大,地磁扰动会引起Hm偏离正常水平;(4)Hm与hmF2相关性很弱,但白天和夜间各自的相关性较强,并且夜间大于白天;Hm与B0有很强的相关性;(5)由IRI2012给出的B0与Hm在冬季的相关性很小,表明IRI模式还需要进一步改进.     

青藏高原东北缘及周边地区基于程函方程的面波层析成像

利用"中国地震科学台阵探测"在南北地震带北段布设的670套宽频带地震台站记录到的面波资料,使用新近发展的程函方程面波层析成像方法,获得了青藏高原东北缘及周边地区12~60 s周期范围比以往成像结果具有更高分辨率的瑞利面波相速度分布图像.青藏高原东北缘的祁连褶皱系西段、秦岭褶皱系西段和松潘—甘孜褶皱系,在16~60 s周期范围内均显示出明显的低速异常分布,表明该地区的地壳力学强度较低,在强烈的构造应力作用下易发生形变.与西段不同,祁连褶皱系东段和秦岭褶皱系中段的相速度分布特征揭示,其中下地壳的速度明显高于高原内部区域.鄂尔多斯块体整体上表现为稳定块体具有的高速特征,但其西部边缘在中上地壳的速度比块体中部地区偏低,且存在一定的不均匀性.鄂尔多斯块体西北缘的临河断陷盆地和西缘的银川断陷盆地,在较短的周期范围内（12~20 s）表现为局部低速特征,但与银川断陷盆地不同,临河断陷盆地的低速特征可一直延续至60 s周期以上,表明该盆地下方地壳及上地幔速度明显偏低,可能与深部热作用有关.阿拉善块体与其北部地区的速度差异主要表现在中上地壳,这一现象值得今后进一步探讨.基于程函方程面波层析成像方法给出了青藏高原东北缘及周边地区高分辨率的成像结果,揭示了以往面波层析成像难以获得的深部细节特征,为该地区的深部构造研究提供了新的信息.