East-West cooperation: A key to enhancing the quality of life

Reports

East-West cooperation: A key to enhancing the quality of life     

East-West Antarctic boundary in McMurdo sound

Common-depth-point seismic reflection profiling indicates that the crust beneath western McMurdo Sound is capped by a thin veneer of layered reflectors. The absence of deep, layered reflectors suggests the crust beneath the coast is made up primarily of intrusions which we associate with plutons generated during the Ross Orogeny. The layered reflectors dip and thicken to the east, away from the coast, where they are found at two-way reflection times of 7 s, corresponding to depths of 14–16 km. Reflection data support earlier refraction, gravity, and magnetic interpretations that indicate fundamental differences in the crust beneath McMurdo Sound and the Transantarctic Mountains. Differences may be due to early Paleozoic subduction of the Ross Embayment crust beneath the Transantarctic Mountains during the Ross Orogeny. Orogeny has produced an over-thickened crust beneath the Ross orogenic belt which was followed by several periods of reactivation including the Jurassic thermal event and the uplift of the present-day Transantarctic Mountains in early Tertiary time. The presence of the McMurdo Volcanics and preliminary interpretations of reflection data suggest that the Sound is now being thinned by processes of extension.     

西藏高原西、中、东的分段性及其意义

经过近几十年的研究,人们已经普遍认为青藏高原是由几条近东西向的块体先后拼贴而成,大型的东西向构造是高原内部最明显的构造特征。然而根据最近所获得的有关西藏高原以及附近地区的重力场、地震层析成像、地震活动性、水平位移速度场以及地质等资料,发现整个西藏高原内部存在着明显的两条重要的南北向或近南北向构造和一些小型的南北向构造,它们将西藏高原划分为西、中、东三个有各自构造特点的部分;西侧的南北向构造沿84°～85°E延伸,东侧的近南北向构造位于92°～94°E之间。这两个构造带在上述的多种地球物理资料中均有良好的显示,是重要的重力异常变异带、重要的热结构边界带、重要的地震活动带,也是明显的地貌陡变带,等等。高原西部地形崎岖,剥蚀最深,布格重力异常最高,目前向北北西方向运动;中部地区地表平坦,发育众多的南北向地堑裂谷,东西向伸展活动最明显,海拔最高,集中分布了7座超过8000m的高峰,目前向北东东方向运动;而东部地区地形也比较崎岖,发育许多目前仍在强烈活动的走滑断层,在这些断层之间,地块相对转动,目前向北东甚至南东方向运动。造成西藏高原东西分段的原因现在还不清楚,笔者等倾向认为造成这种现象可能是由于与欧亚板块发生碰撞的印度板块在横向上也是西、中、东分段的,印度     

云南三江造山带近东西向构造特征及其研究意义

对地球物理位场进行处理分析的结果表明 ,在云南三江造山带近南—北向为主的构造框架背景中 ,存在有多处与之相互正交或斜交的近东—西向构造 ,这些近东西方向展布的构造呈现出隐伏或深部构造特点。在布格重力异常影像中表现为大波长、幅值低的深部构造带特征 ;地质上表现为一系列近东—西向出现的断裂、岩体和矿床的成带分布 ;遥感解译结果则表现出在三江造山带内有多条平行展布的浅埋深东西向隐伏构造带。本文结合地质、地球物理地震波速信息等资料 ,对该区近东西向构造特征及分布规律进行探讨后提出三江地区存在的近东西—向展布的近东西向构造可能是青藏高原主碰撞造山后 ,各块体物质向东南挤出的深部物质流变构造的反映 ,也可能是在三江造山带挤压碰撞及走滑拉张环境下的伸展构造或老构造的再活化。它的形成机制可能类似于青藏高原南部南—北向伸展构造 (裂谷 )。近东—西向构造的深入研究和成因再认识对于深入分析云南三江地区复杂的地质构造 ,区域地壳演化历史 ,特别对是重新认识区域成矿规律、指导找矿具有重要意义     

Recent discussion about the North-South bias of the major rift-valleys

The formation of the major rift-valleys is proposed to have been triggered off by the E—W oriented tensional “wave” caused by the slow rotation of the equatorial bulge passing as a stretching hoop through the Earth (Paleozoic—Mesozoic). This ‘wave’ follows the wandering of the polar axis through a great circle (e.g. Creer et al., 1969). The polar wandering is regarded as the readjustment of the Earth's rotational instability caused by the growth of a “weight” fixed on the surface of the Earth and endeavouring to increase its moment of inertia until the weight rotates on the new equator (Gold, 1950). This weight, which must topple the Earth through its fixed spacial axis of rotation, may be slowly developing Pangea. The “wave” of E—W tension is imposed on zones already under E—W tension, e.g., crests of N—S running welts, alias “craton ridges”. The intruding asthenosphere expands the crests and fractures them along tensional rift-valleys. These rifts may develop as spreading centers by gliding of the plates over a lubricating basalt magma.

The idea proposed by R. Schweickert (pers. commun., 1979) that the lithosphere is decoupled from the asthenosphere to an extent that the shell may rotate as a separate unit (as a means to explain how fixed plumes move in unison under the “roll” of the lithosphere) is dismissed. The subducted slabs act as braking flaps and cannot overcome the friction against the asthenosphere. The “roll” would be too young (50 m.y.), because the polar wandering according to Creer is much older.     

近南北向构造在塔里木盆地的踪迹

为厘清近南北向构造在塔里木盆地中的性质、地位和作用,笔者通过地质—地球物理分析,确认了以反转断层及相关褶皱为主导的挤压型构造是塔里木近南北向构造的主要表现形式。它发生发展于大陆内部,具有分布的广泛性和等距性、延伸的线性和断续性、纵深的陡倾性和穿透性、主断面的逆冲等特征。它的发育通常是基于先存的NS(—NNE)向张裂带和NNW(—NW)或NNE(—NE)向剪裂带,前者多演化为大、中型南北向构造,而后者多演化为中、小型南北向构造。近南北向构造的反转断层呈现为伸展—走滑—挤缩的演化顺序;最终定型于新生代;其驱动力主要源于太平洋—菲律宾板块向西的推挤动力。近南北向反转构造是种复合型的封闭性构造,对于石油和天然气地质研究,具有实际意义。     

隐伏在青藏高原中部的东西走向断裂的航磁异常场特征及其意义

1998～2000年完成的青藏高原中西部航磁数据的综合分析结果显示,在青藏高原中部存在一个重要的隐伏断裂带（大致沿革吉北-改则南-错勤北-申扎北）。结合藏东位场分析结果,革吉北-改则南-错勤北-申扎北隐伏断裂可与嘉黎走滑断裂相连。沿该隐伏断裂发生的地震震源机制解显示,该断裂性质与嘉黎走滑断裂相同。因此,该隐伏断裂与位于藏东的嘉黎走滑断裂一起构成了位于高原中部的东西走向的巨型走滑断裂。这种推测得到了相关地质、地球物理证据和数值模拟结果的证实。此外,该巨型走滑断裂可能调节着青藏高原内部的应力分布,从而控制着高原内部的变形特征。     

Collisional processes in the eastern Mediterranean

In the eastern Mediterranean the collision of the Erastosthenes and the Anaximander Seamounts with the Cyprus arc results in a unique tectonic setting due to the small size of the eastern Mediterranean basin. As a result of the collision, some of the motion between the African plate and the Eurasian plate is taking place by thrust faulting along the north African passive margin. It seems that the stress at the plate boundary along the Cyprus arc may be transmitted southward to cause the reactivation of a pre-existing fault zone along the passive margin of eastern north Africa.

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Zusammenfassung Im östlichen Mittelmeerbecken hat die Kollision des Erastosthenes und des Anaximander Seamounts mit dem Cypern-Bogen eine spezielle tektonische Situation geschaffen, die durch den engen Raum dieses Beckens bestimmt wird. Als Ergebnis dieser Kollision erscheinen Überschiebungen der Afrikanischen Platte auf Eurasische Platte entlang des passiven nordafrikanischen Randes. Es erscheint möglich, daß das Streßfeld an der Plattengrenze entlang des Zypernbogens südwärts wirkt und dadurch die alte Störungszone entlang des passiven Kontinentrandes von Nordafrika reaktiert wird.

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Résumé En Méditerrannée orientale, la collision des guyots Eratosthène et Anaximandre avec l'arc de Chypre a engendré une situation tectonique particulière, due à la faible dimension du bassin est-méditerrannéen. Cette collision a eu pour conséquence la production de charriages de la plaque africaine sur la plaque eurasiatique le long de la marge passive nord-africaine. Il semble que les contraintes règnant au bord de la plaque le long de l'arc de Chypre se soient transmises vers le Sud pour y provoquer la réactivation d'une zône failleuse préexistante le long de la marge passive du NE de l'Afrique.

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AVA analysis in the eastern Mediterranean

In the context of a reflection seismic AVA (Amplitude vs. Angle) analysis, data from the western Mediterranean Ridge have been analysed to obtain estimates on the reflection coefficient and the AVA gradient. The study put particular emphasis on the role of the Messinian evaporites, which display a characteristic amplitude signature on the AVA-sections. From the seismic attributes obtained from the Zoeppritz equations it could be infered that the material contrast at the salt/sediment interface of the Messinian evaporites is sufficient to generate converted waves, which are strong enough to survive the processes of NMO-correction and CMP stack. This mode conversion could subsequently be modelled by dynamic Ray-tracing to identify which events on the stacked data are likely to be based on converted waves and thus present some pitfalls for an imprudent interpreter.     

Tsunamigenic zones in the Mediterranean Sea

A list of 300 tsunamis and similar phenomena known in the Mediterranean is given. Data reliability and wave intensity are estimated; mechanisms of tsunami generation are indicated and data from literature sources on the coordinates and magnitudes of tsunamigenic earthquakes are cited. Eighteen zones of excitation and manifestation of tsunamis are identified which can be integrated into four groups with respect to the recurrence period and maximum intensity of the tsunamis. The strongest tsunamis are excited in the Aegean Sea, and the Hellenic and Calabrian island arcs. The focal depth of the earthquake-generating tsunamis in the Mediterranean is, on average, less than that in the Pacific. Correspondingly, the magnitude of tsunamigenic earthquakes is lower. According to preliminary estimates, the Mediterranean tsunamis attenuate with distance more rapidly than do those in the Pacific Ocean.     

Delivery of transuranic elements by rain to the Mediterranean Sea

The concentrations of ²³⁸Pu, ^{239 + 240}Pu, ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in rain samples collected at Monaco in the course of 1978–1979. Based on these data, the annual deliveries of these radionuclides to the Mediterranean by rain are computed to be 0.18 ± 0.01 pCim^?2 for ²³⁸Pu, 8.1 ± 0.1 pCim^?2 for ^{239 + 240}Pu, 0.58 ± 0.02 pCim^?2 for ²⁴¹Am and 351 ± 4 pCim^?2 for ¹³⁷Cs.Comparing the delivery data with the mixed layer inventories of ^{239 + 240}Pu and ²⁴¹Am in the Mediterranean, the upper limits of the mean residence time of these radionuclides in the mixed layer were estimated to be 12.3 yr for ^{239 + 240}pu and 2.9 yr for ²⁴¹Am. These values are consistent with the conclusion deduced from the vertical distribution pattern of these transuranic elements in the Mediterranean.Based on delivery values, the annual activity ratios for ${}^{238}\text{pu}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$, ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ and ${}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{pu}{}^{137}\text{Cs}$ are found to be 0,022, 0.072 and 0.023 respectively. The ${}^{238}\text{pu}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{pu}$ and ${}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}{}^{137}\text{Cs}$ activity ratios vary within relatively narrow ranges with time, while a much wider variation was observed for the ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ activity ratio. The cause of the wider variation of the ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ ratio may be related to the difference in the mean age of fallout brought down in different seasons.     

Adaptation of the Canadian Fire Weather Index to Mediterranean forests

Natural Hazards - The Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) is one of the most used tools to forecast forest fire hazard. In this paper, we propose an adaptation of the FWI to take into account the...     

The latitude distributions of sunspots and its North-South asymmetry

The temporal variations observed in the monthly mean latitudes of sunspot groups are studied over 1874–2010 using the data of the Greenwich Catalog and its NOAA-USEF extension. The 11-year cycle is quite clear in the temporal variations of the monthly mean latitudes of sunspot groups (i.e., of the centers of spotting) in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The North-South (N-S) asymmetry in the latitudes of sunspot groups defined as the difference between the absolute values of sunspot latitudes observed in the N and S hemispheres is compared with the N-S asymmetry in the total area of sunspot groups determined on the scales of 11 years and longer. The N-S asymmetry is interpreted as an imbalance in the hemispheres’ powers (asymmetry in the total area of sunspot groups) and as spatial imbalance (asymmetry in the latitudes of the centers of spotting). This imbalance is most clearly seen at the solar minima, i.e., in the gradual transition from one cycle to the other, when the absolute values of the asymmetries observed both in the total sunspot area and in the sunspot latitudes reach their maxima. The results obtained here can be helpful for analyses of the solar dynamo.     

Fluvial responses to environmental perturbations in the Northern Mediterranean since the Last Glacial Maximum

The numerical model HydroTrend, that produces daily time series of water discharge and sediment load to the ocean, is applied to three Mediterranean drainage basins to: (i) simulate the water and sediment flux changes to sedimentary basins through time and (ii) determine the impact of potential forcing factors on sediment and water fluxes to sedimentary basins and how this impact varied through time. Climate (precipitation, temperature and glacier equilibrium line) and drainage basin (basin elevation, drainage area and reservoir) reconstructions of the Po, Rhône and Têt river basins over the last 21 000 Cal. years B.P. are used as input to the model.Simulated sediment fluxes at the river mouth for the Po, Rhône and Têt River systems during the late Pleistocene were considerably higher compared to Holocene pristine sediment flux, with a factor 3.5, 2.4 and 2.4 respectively. For the Po River system and the Rhône River, deglaciation in the late Pleistocene is the main factor, responsible for these higher sediment fluxes. Drainage basin area change due to sea-level rise is the main cause of decrease in sediment flux for the Têt River system and to a certain extent for the Po River system. Man-made reservoirs reduced sediment flux to the ocean for the Po, Rhône and Têt rivers over the last 3–6 decades with a factor of 1.3, 3.8 and 2.4 respectively.Fluvial responses to climate and basin variations are reflected in the peak flood discharge and sediment concentration curves, where present-day water peak flood curves for all three rivers are the highest in the last 21 000 Cal. years B.P. However, their associated sediment concentration curves show opposite results because of diminishing glacial area and the impact of reservoirs. The Têt River system has the ability to generate hyperpycnal plumes although the occurrence frequency changes over time. Prior to 15 500 Cal. years B.P. the river system area was extended due to the low sea level, causing a less favorable regime to generate hyperpycnal events. Presently sediment trapping due to man-made reservoirs alters the river ability to generate hyperpycnal events.     

Geoid model in the Western Mediterranean Sea

In this work a geoid model is presented over the Western Mediterranean area. It has been computed using marine and terrestrial gravimetric data. Differences between results including several kinds of data are also studied. Altimetric data from a year of ERS-1 mission are used to test the precision of the results, overall close to the coastal line. A first approximation to the sea surface topography in the area is made with both results: altimetric mean sea surface and gravimetric geoid.     

Seven ambiguities in the Mediterranean palaeoenvironmental narrative

A review of seven outstanding issues on Mediterranean palaeoenvironments is presented. These are related to the dominant orbital pacing of climate variability, the length of the interglacial vegetation succession, the influence of the African summer monsoon, the seasonality of precipitation during boreal insolation maxima, the moisture balance during glacial maxima and the appearance of the mediterranean-type climate rhythm and evolution of mediterranean sclerophyllous plants. What emerges is that (1) marine δ¹⁸O_planktonic and SST records show that precession has been a fundamental tempo of Mediterranean climate change, representing both a low-latitude signal (runoff from North Africa) and the direct influence of insolation at Mediterranean latitudes, but high-latitude glacial effects (41-kyr and 100-kyr cycles) became superimposed after 2.8 Ma. Sapropel and dust deposition patterns in marine cores reveal that obliquity also has an effect on Mediterranean climate through dry–wet oscillations, which are independent of glacial–interglacial variability. (2) The temperate part of interglacial vegetation succession has a duration of approximately half a precession cycle. This persisted during the interval of obliquity-dominated glacial cycles (∼2.8–1 Ma), with distinct forest successions following the precessional cycles. However, these are not always separated by an open vegetation phase because of minimal ice growth, producing an impression of a prolonged interglacial forest interval. (3) The effect of an enhanced African monsoon during summer insolation maxima has been mainly indirect, in terms of Nile discharge and runoff along the North African coast, leading to increased freshwater input into the Mediterranean Sea, reduced deep-water ventilation and sapropel deposition. (4) The notion of an accentuated summer rain regime in the northern Mediterranean borderlands also contributing to a freshening of the Mediterranean Sea during boreal insolation maxima is not supported by the available evidence, which suggests increased summer aridity. (5) Recent improvements in chronological precision and data resolution point to an increase in aridity and decreased temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum (21±2 ka), but suggest an increase in effective moisture during the immediately preceding interval of 24–27 ka. (6) The mediterranean-type climate is not exclusively a post-3.6 Ma phenomenon, but may have appeared intermittently during the course of the Tertiary (or before). (7) If that is the case, then the paradigm that the sclerophyllous evergreen habit represents a pre-adaptation to summer drought may need re-evaluation.