The Keylong Serai rock avalanche, NW Indian Himalaya: geomorphology and palaeoseismic implications

This paper describes the geomorphology of rock avalanche deposits that resulted from a major mountain slope failure at Keylong Serai on the north slope of the Indian High Himalaya, an area of high altitude desert. Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure ages of the widespread deposits indicate their formation 7,510 ± 110 years BP. Proxy records for this region of the Himalaya imply a similar dry climatic regime to the present day at this time, suggesting that precipitation was an unlikely trigger for this rock avalanche. An alternative mechanism associated with rock-wall stress relaxation is also unlikely, given the earlier timing of deglaciation in this area. Given the enormous volume of debris generated by this event, the most likely trigger for this mountain collapse and resultant rock avalanche is high ground acceleration during a great earthquake (M > 8). It is proposed that rock avalanches can be used to extend the limited palaeoseismic record and improve information on the recurrence interval of great earthquakes within the Himalaya arc.     

Distribution and sources of phosphorus in tidal river sediments in the Washington, DC, Area

 Sediments in the rivers and basins around Washington, DC, have high concentrations of phosphorus, which, based on geographic distributions, is largely derived from urban runoff and municipal sewage. Dissolved-particulate phosphate exchange reactions and biological uptake of dissolved phosphorus from the water column may be an added source of phosphorus to the sediments. Concentrations of total sedimentary phosphorus ranged from 24 to 56 μm P/g-dw, and were highest in areas near combined sewer outfalls. As a part of this study, sedimentary phosphorus was fractionated into Fe-P, Ca-P, Al-P, and organic phases using a selective-sequential leaching procedure. The distribution of the phases in all sediments analyzed follow the order , Fe-P>Ca-P>Al-P. Spatial variations in the amounts of phosphorus in the different phases is related to the sources of phosphorus to the area. The proportions of occluded Al-P and organic P are 10–20% of the total P, respectively. This suggests that phosphorus from natural sources is small compared to anthropogenic inputs in this area. The high leachable Fe-P and Ca-P in these sediments might contribute a substantial amount of P to the water column under conditions of remobilization. Received: 20 February 1996 · Accepted: 2 April 1996     

Landslide hazard zonation by deterministic analysis (Veľká Čausa landslide area, Slovakia)

A practical application of a simple and economical solution to landslide hazard zonation based on slope stability analysis was carried out in the Veľká Čausa landslide, Horná Nitra region, central Slovakia. The region is prone to different types of slope deformation controlled by geological structure, physical and mechanical properties of materials, complicated hydrogeological setting, undulating morphology, and man-made influence. Taking into consideration the cause of the landslide, identified as groundwater change, two scenarios of landslide activity have been investigated. Scenario 1 considers the maximum groundwater level recorded from March 1995 to October 1998, corresponding to the period starting from the most recent landslide activity up to the end of remediation work. Scenario 2 considers the maximum groundwater level recorded from November 1998 to December 2004, after the remediation works, and corresponding to the actual situation of the landslide. It has been found from this study that slope angle has the highest influence on landslide instability in the Veľká Čausa landslide. Therefore, high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is essential for obtaining reasonable results. In addition, an appropriate selection of the model input parameters (e.g., shear strength) is very important. The validation between the calculated landslide hazard zonation map and results of monitoring survey were examined. The results show moderate to good agreement with the inclinometric and geodetic measurements. It was also verified that the most active part of the landslide is the north-western side.     

The Hg geochemistry of a geothermal stream, Steamboat Creek, Nevada: natural vs. anthropogenic influences

 A series of water samples from Steamboat Creek, Nevada, was analyzed for total mercury concentrations. Concentrations from these waters were 40 to 60 times higher than the pristine mountain streams entering the creek. The major source of the mercury entering Steamboat Creek is probably from gold/silver processing that took place in the 1860s. Received: 10 March 1997 · Accepted: 2 September 1997     

The relationship between the water table and the surface flow of a losing stream, lower Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Colorado

 Proposed groundwater withdrawals in the San Luis Valley of Colorado may lower the water table in Great Sand Dunes National Monument. In response, the National Park Service initiated a study that has produced a generalized conceptual model of the hydrologic system in order to assess whether a lowering of the water table might decrease the surface flow of lower Medano Creek. Based upon information obtained during the drilling of several boreholes, there appear to be five important hydrostratigraphic units underlying lower Medano Creek within the upper 30 m of the ground surface: 1. a perched aquifer overlying an aquitard located between about 5 and 6 m below the ground surface; 2. the aquitard itself; 3. an unconfined aquifer located between the upper and lower aquitards; 4. an aquitard located between about 27 and 29 m below the ground surface; and 5. a confined underlying the lower aquitard. Because the areal extent of the aquitards cannot be determined from the borehole data, a detailed conceptual model of the hydrogeologic system underlying lower Medano Creek cannot be developed. However, a generalized conceptual model can be envisioned that consists of a complex system of interlayered aquifers and leaky aquitards, with each aquifer having a unique hydraulic head. Water levels in the perched aquifer rise rapidly to their annual maximum levels in response to the arrival of the flow terminus of Medano Creek during the spring runoff event, and the location of the flow terminus is directly dependent upon the discharge of the creek. Water levels in the deeper, non-perched aquifers do not appear to fluctuate significantly in response to the arrival of the flow terminus, demonstrating that it is unlikely that the proposed groundwater withdrawals will decrease the surface flow of lower Medano Creek. Received: 27 December 1995 · Accepted: 20 February 1996     

The variation of soil temperature and water content of seasonal frozen soil with different vegetation coverage in the headwater region of the Yellow River, China

The variation and distribution of temperature and water moisture in the seasonal frozen soil is an important factor in the study of both the soil water cycle and heat balance within the source region of the Yellow River, especially under the different conditions of vegetation coverage. In this study, the impact of various degrees of vegetation coverage on soil water content and temperature was assessed. Soil moisture (θ _v) and soil temperature (T _s) were monitored on a daily basis. Measurements were made under different vegetation coverage (95, 70–80, 40–50 and 10%) and on both thawed and frozen soils. Contour charts of T _s and θ _v as well as a θ _v–T _s coupling model were developed in order to account for the influence of vegetation cover and the interaction between T _s and θ _v. It was observed that soil water content affected both the overall range and trend in the soil temperature. The regression analysis of θ _v versus T _s plots indicated that the soil freezing and thawing processes were significantly affected by vegetation cover changes. Vegetation coverage changes also caused variations in the θ _v–T _s interaction. The effect of soil water content on soil temperature during the freezing period was larger than during the thawing period. Moreover, the soil with higher vegetation coverage retained more water than that with lower coverage. In the process of freezing, the higher vegetation coverage reduced the rate of the reduction in the soil temperature because the thermal capacity of water is higher than that of soil. Areas with higher vegetation coverage also functioned better for the purpose of heat-insulating. This phenomenon may thus play an important role in the environmental protection and effective uses of frozen soil.