Radioactive heat generation and heat flow in the Indian shield

Using a laboratory gamma-ray spectrometer, 160 rock samples from different heat flow sites in India have been analysed for their U, Th and K contents. Heat generation has been estimated for the significant rock types. Of the six regions covered by this study, correction due to heat generation contrast and geologic structure was found necessary and has been applied in two regions. Heat flow/heat generation plots for two regions in the southernmost part of the shield follow the line characteristic of a normal continental heat flow province. The plots for the other four regions indicate a heat flow province with an intercept of 0.92 HFU and a slope of 14.8 km. From data available at present, these parameters are higher compared to those from the other shields. The higher parameters imply a higher temperature and heat flow at the Moho, indicating a region of “hotter” upper mantle in the Indian shield.     

Judgement and interpretation of S-wave data on the Beijing-Fengzhen DSS profile

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Stress in the lithosphere generated by terrain topography and density inhomogeneities in the earth's crust

Summary The methods are described and results presented of computing the two-dimensional stress field in a particular section of International Geotraverse I. The present effects of loads, caused by terrain topography and density inhomogeneities in the Earth's crust, were considered to be the sources of the stress. The corresponding values of the deviatoric stresses in the area considered are of the order of 5 MPa.

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Earthquake induced ground strains in the presence of strong lateral soil heterogeneities

Transient ground strains are recognized to govern the response of buried elongated structures, such as pipelines and tunnels, under seismic wave propagation. Since a direct measure of ground strains is not generally available, simplified formulas relating peak ground strain to peak ground velocity, and based on 1D wave propagation theory in homogeneous media, are typically used for seismic design. Although they are adopted by most of the available technical guidelines, the use of these formulas may be questionable in complex realistic situations as either in the presence of strong lateral discontinuities, or in the epicentral area of large earthquakes, or in sites where relevant site amplification effects and spatial incoherency of ground motion are expected. To provide a contribution to overcome the previous limitations, a simplified formula relating peak ground longitudinal strain to peak ground velocity is proposed in this paper, as a function of the geometrical and dynamic parameters which have the major influence on strain evaluation. The formula has been obtained under small-strain assumptions, so that it can reasonably be applied under linear or moderately non-linear soil behaviour. The adequacy of this formula in the most common case of vertically propagating S-waves has been checked against 2D numerical solutions by Spectral Elements (SE) for representative geological cross-sections in Parkway Valley (New Zealand) and in the cities of Catania (Italy) and Thessaloniki (Greece). The shear strain and the longitudinal strain variability with depth is also investigated, through some qualitative examples and comparisons with analytical formulas.     

Variability of the Subtropical Front in the Indian Ocean south of Australia

A detailed high resolution survey of a small region (68 × 68 km) of the Subtropical Front south of Australia over a period of 14 days is used to study the interaction between the mixed layer and the permanent frontal structure underneath during summer conditions. The front extends through the mixed layer as a salinity front, while its temperature structure is modified by seasonal warming. Wind-driven movement of the mixed layer combines with the short-time development of indentations and filaments in the front to produce some degree of decoupling between the mixed layer and the underlying structure, and the front is not always found at the same location in and below the mixed layer. Intrusions and parcels of distinct water properties are found just below the mixed layer, produced as a result of the relative movement of the front in and below the mixed layer. These parcels are typically 10 km in width and 10–50 m in depth. Successive surveys of the front with a time separation of 2 days showed that these features persist over at least 1 week. Large scale surveys of the front show that parcels are ubiquitous along the Subtropical Front over a distance of several hundred kilometres. The results suggest that any study aimed at understanding the intricate interaction between the mixed layer and the layers below in oceanic fronts will have to address wind-driven dynamics and frontal dynamics together.This revised version was published online February 2005 with corrections to figures. Unfortunately the figures were reproduced in black and white and in the new version they are in color.     

Subtidal variability in the Taiwan Strait induced by combined forcing of winter monsoon and topography

As an important channel connecting the East and South China Seas, circulations in the Taiwan Strait are strongly influenced by the East Asian monsoon and the topography of the strait, especially the Taiwan Bank (TWB), which is a remarkable topographic feature located at the southern entrance to the strait. Based on a series of pressure gauges deployed roughly 40 km offshore along the western Strait, subtidal sea-level variability under the combined impact of winter monsoon and topography was studied. The analyses show significant along-strait coherences of subtidal sea levels and their coherences with the large-scale monsoon wind for periods from 2 to 14 days. It is suggested that these fluctuations are mainly forced waves driven by the large-scale winds. In addition to the normal cross-shore wind setup, a sea-level setup in the along-strait direction is confirmed, which is induced by the combined forcing of the fluctuating winter monsoon and the blocking of the TWB. A southward current surge driven by a northerly wind event will cause a rising sea level over the TWB inducing a southward along-shore slope anomaly to the north of the TWB and a reversed slope anomaly to the south. The subtidal current through the channel to the west of the TWB is found to be influenced by the reversed slope anomalies generated via the along-shore setup.     

Local topography and erosion rate control regolith thickness along a ridgeline in the Sierra Nevada,California

The ridgelines of mountain ranges are a source of geomorphic information unadulterated by the arrival of sediment from upslope. Studies along ridgecrests, therefore, can help identify and isolate the controls on important regolith properties such as thickness and texture. A 1.5 km section of ridgeline in the Sierra Nevada (CA) with a tenfold decrease in erosion rate (inferred from ridgetop convexity) provided an opportunity to conduct a high‐resolution survey of regolith properties and investigate their controls. We found that regolith along the most quickly eroding section of the ridge was the rockiest and had the lowest clay concentrations. Furthermore, a general increase in regolith thickness with a slowing of erosion rate was accompanied by an increase in biomass, changes in vegetation community, broader ridgeline profiles, and an apparent increase in total available moisture. The greatest source of variation in regolith thickness at the 10–100 m scale, however, was the local topography along the ridgeline, with the deepest regolith in the saddles and the thinnest on the knobs. Because regolith in the saddles had higher surface soil moisture than the knobs, we conclude that the hydrological conditions primarily driven by local topography (i.e. rapid vs. slow drainage and water‐storage potential) provide the fundamental controls on regolith thickness through feedbacks incorporating physical weathering by the biota and chemical weathering. Moreover, because the ridgeline saddles are the uppermost extensions of first‐order valleys, we propose that the fluvial network affects regolith properties in the furthest reaches of the watershed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stress field and seismicity in the Indian shield: Effects of the collision between India and Eurasia

Intraplate stresses and intraplate seismicity in the Indian subcontinent are strongly affected by the continued convergence between India and Eurasia. The mean orientation of the maximum horizontal compression in the Indian subcontinent is subparallel to the direction of the ridge push at the plate boundary as well as to the direction of compression expected to arise from the net resistive forces at the Himalayan collision zone, indicating that the intraplate stresses in the subcontinent, including the shield area, are caused by plate tectonic processes. Spatial distribution of historic and instrumentally recorded earthquakes indicate that the seismic activity is mostly confined to linear belts while the remaining large area of the shield is stable. The available conventional heat flow data and other indicators of heat flow suggest hotter geotherms in the linear belts, leading to amplification of stresses in the upper brittle crust. Many of the faults in these linear belts, which happen to be 200–80 m.y. old, are being reactivated either in a strike-slip or thrust-faulting mode. The reactivation mechanisms have been analyzed by taking into consideration the amplification of stresses, pore pressures, geological history of the faults and their orientation with respect to the contemporaneous stress field. The seismicity of the Indian shield is explained in terms of these reactivation mechanisms.     

Internal and forced variability along a section between Greenland and Portugal in the CLIPPER Atlantic model

Numerical models are used to estimate the meridional overturning and transports along the paths of two hydrographic cruises, carried out in 1997 and 2002 from Greenland to Portugal. We have examined the influence of the different paths of the two cruises and found that it could explain 0.4 to 2 Sv of difference in overturning (the precise value is model-dependent). Models show a decrease in the overturning circulation between 1997 and 2002, with different amplitudes. The CLIPPER ATL6 model reproduces well the observed weakening of the overturning in density coordinates between the cruises; in the model, the change is due to the combination of interannual and high-frequency forcing and internal variability associated with eddies and meanders. Examination of the -coordinate overturning reveals model–data discrepancies: the vertical structure in the models does not change as much as the observed one. The East Greenland current variability is mainly wind-forced in the ATL6 model, while fluctuations due to eddies and instabilities explain a large part of the North Atlantic Current variability. The time-residual transport of dense water and heat due to eddy correlations between currents and properties is small across this section, which is normal to the direction of the main current.     

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of bimodal volcanism in the Sakoli Mobile Belt, Central Indian shield

The Sakoli Mobile Belt comprises bimodal volcanic rocks that include metabasalt, rhyolite, tuffs, and epiclastic rocks with metapelites, quartzite, arkose, conglomerate, and banded iron formation (BIF). Mafic volcanic rocks are tholeiitic to quartz‐tholeiitic with normative quartz and hypersthene. SiO₂ shows a large compositional gap between the basic and acidic volcanics, depicting their bimodal nature. Both the volcanics have distinct geochemical trends but display some similarity in terms of enriched light rare earth element–large ion lithophile element characteristics with positive anomalies for U, Pb, and Th and distinct negative anomalies for Nb, P, and Ti. These characteristics are typical of continental rift volcanism. Both the volcanic rocks show strong negative Sr and Eu anomalies indicating fractionation of plagioclases and K‐feldspars, respectively. The high Fe/Mg ratios for the basic rocks indicate their evolved nature. Whole rock Sm–Nd isochrons for the acidic volcanic rocks indicate an age of crystallization for these volcanic rocks at about 1675 ± 180 Ma (initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51017 ± 0.00017, mean square weighted deviate [MSWD] = 1.6). The εNd_t (t = 2000 Ma) varies between ?0.19 and +2.22 for the basic volcanic rock and between ?2.85 and ?4.29 for the acidic volcanic rocks. Depleted mantle model ages vary from 2000 to 2275 Ma for the basic and from 2426 to 2777 Ma for the acidic volcanic rocks, respectively. These model ages indicate that protoliths for the acidic volcanic rocks probably had a much longer crustal residence time. Predominantly basaltic magma erupted during the deposition of the Dhabetekri Formation and part of it pooled at crustal or shallower subcrustal levels that probably triggered partial melting to generate the acidic magma. The influence of basic magma on the genesis of acidic magma is indicated by the higher Ni and Cr abundance at the observed silica levels of the acidic magma. A subsequent pulse of basic magma, which became crustally contaminated, erupted as minor component along with the dominantly acidic volcanics during the deposition of the Bhiwapur Formation.     

2-D P-wave velocity structure in the mideast segment of Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone: Anxin-Xianghe-Kuancheng DSS profile

In order to get the 3-D fine velocity structure in the Capital-circle area of China, 6 explosions, ranging from 1800 to 2500 kg, were conducted and recorded by an array of 240 seismographs. A reflection/refraction survey was carried out along the profile extending from Anxin county, Hebei Province northeastward to Yanshan Mountains, crossing the Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone. The 2-D velocity structure of P wave was imaging along the profile. The results show that abnormality exists in the deep structure of the Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone: The basement is significantly depressed, the interfaces and Moho are uplifted, and a strong velocity gradient layer is existed above the Moho that may be dislocated by deep fault. The crust of Huabei basin is thin and low velocity body exists in the crust. The Yanshan Mountains’ crust is thick, the layers in the crust are quite clear and the velocity in the layer is homogeneous. Huabei basin differs from Yanshan Mountains in structure. Foundation item: Preliminary study of State Key Basic Research Project (2001CCA02100) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (40234038). Contribution No.RCEG200311, Geophysical Exploration Center, China Earthquake Administration.     

Simulating the impacts of land-use and climate change on water resource availability for a large south Indian catchment

Abstract

A monthly rainfall-runoff model was calibrated for a large tropical catchment in southern India. Various land-use and climatic change scenarios were tested to assess their effects on mean annual runoff and assured water yield at the Bhavanisagar Reservoir in Tamil Nadu, India. The largest increase in runoff (19%) came from converting forest and savanna (the indigenous control scenario) to agriculture. Mean annual runoff decreased by 35% after conversion to commercial forest and 6% after partial conversion to tea plantations. The predicted climate scenarios of reduced dry season rainfall decreased the annual runoff by 5% while enhanced annual rainfall caused a 17% increase in runoff. Even if land-use and climate changes had relatively large effects on runoff, the changes in reservoir yield which can be assured every year, were often less severe. This was probably due to the buffering effect of the reservoir and variation in the mean annual runoff.     

Thermal stresses in a finite cylinder having temperature varying linearly along the length prescribed on the curved surface

Summary The problem of a finite cylinder of isotropic material in which the temperature on the curved surface varies linearly along its length and has its ends in contact with smooth rigid insulating plates has been investigated in this paper.     

Velocity and density contrasts across the Moho interface of Guangdong province in south China constrained by receiver functions*

The P receiver function includes P-to-SV converted phases and multiple reverberations of the discontinuities in the crust and mantle. The time of these phases is related to the crustal thickness and v_P/v_S ratio, and the amplitude of these phases is mainly controlled by the velocity and density contrast of interfaces. By using H-κ stacking method, this work estimated the crustal thickness and v_P/v_S ratio beneath the stations in the Guangdong province of South China. The velocity and density contrast (δβ-δρ) scanning stacking algorithm of the receiver function is applied to constrain the velocity and density contrast of the Moho in Guangdong province. This work analyzed the results of the crustal thickness, v_P/v_S ratio, and the velocity and density contrasts of Moho. The results indicate that the velocity contrast is higher beneath Yangjiang area in western Guangdong province and Nanao area in eastern Guangdong, which has a strong correlation with the distribution of geothermal springs in local areas and the characteristics of high heat flow. The velocity contrast of Moho has also a good correlation with the v_P/v_S ratio and the crustal thickness, which indicates that there is a strong material composition contrasts of the Moho in the study area. Velocity and density contrasts of Moho in some local area (such as western Guangdong) are somewhat consistent with the seismic activities.     

Dynamics and behaviour of suspended sediment in macrotidal estuaries along the south coast of the English Channel

A review is given of suspended sediment dynamics in macrotidal regimes using examples of estuaries situated along the French coast of the English Channel. Characteristic features of estuarine turbidity maxima are described over a range of time-scales, which includes semidiurnal and neap-spring tidal cycles, and seasonal fluctuations of river discharge. The present behaviour of the fluvial sediment influx within these systems is described, taking into account the geological history of estuarine infilling.     

2-D P-wave velocity structure in the mideast segment of Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone: Anxin-Xianghe-Kuancheng DSS profile

Introduction The Capital-circle area is the center of politics, economy and culture of China, and manystrong earthquakes occurred here in history. The Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone located in thearea is an important active zone. In the period of 500 years between AD 1481~1981, 18 earth-quakes with magnitude more than 6 occurred in the area and 11 of them lay in this active tectoniczone. During 1992~2001, continuous GPS observation found sinistral relative movement betweenYanshan Mo…     

Spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity and bulk density along a blanket peatland hillslope

This article presents the results of a field investigation of saturated hydraulic conductivity K_sat and bulk density (ρ_bd) in an Atlantic blanket bog in the southwest of Ireland. Starting at a peatland stream and moving along an uphill transect toward the peatland interior, ρ_bd and K_sat were examined at regular intervals. Saturated horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kh_sat) and vertical (Kv_sat) was estimated at two depths: 10–20 and 30–40 cm below the peat surface, whereas ρ_bd was estimated for the full profile. We consider two separate zones, one a riparian zone extending 10 m from the stream and a second zone in the bog interior. We found that the K_sat was higher (~10^–5 m s^–1) in the bog interior than that in the riparian zone (~10^–6 m s^–1), whereas the converse applied to bulk density, with lowest density (~0.055 g cm^–3) at the interior and highest (~0.11 g cm^–3) at the riparian zone. In general, we found Kh_sat to be approximately twice the Kv_sat. These results support the idea that the lower K_sat at the margins control the hydrology of blanket peatlands. It is therefore important that the spatial variation of these two key properties be accommodated in hydrological models if the correct rainfall runoff characteristics are to be correctly modelled. Stream flow analysis over 3 years at the peatland catchment outlet showed that the stream runoff was composed of 8% base flow and 92% flood flow, suggesting that this blanket peatland is a source rather than a sink for floodwaters. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of wave systems in the multimodal sea state along the Indian shelf seas

Ocean Dynamics - The coexistence of multiple wave systems generated locally and by remote storms is common in the ocean and its quantification is required in the design of marine facilities. This...     

Remarks on the thermal conductivity and heat flow density of the Indian Craton

The virtual or effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of the Indian subcontinental crust model is calculated from geochemical/geothermal data on the mean radiogenic heat production and on the real thermal conductivity (TC) of crystalline rocks of India. This ETC, amounting to about 3.45 W/m·K, is 1.4 time greater than the mean real TC value (about 2.5 W/m·K). This is in good agreement with the empirical relation between the surface heat flow density and the Curie depth for the Indian Craton.     

板内强震的中地壳硬夹层孕震与流体促震假设

以国内外地壳流体及其与强震活动关系的最新研究结果为基础,进行了多方面的探索与论证,提出板内强震的中地壳硬夹层孕震与流体促震（BEH-PEF）的假设．该假设的要点是地壳中存在上下两大流体活动系统,其间发育有中地壳硬夹层,该层是地壳应力积累并孕育地震的层．当其中某些部位积累的应力达到屈服强度时,则进入微破裂-膨胀（扩容）阶段并形成震源体．被扩容的震源体在真空吸泵作用下,由下层流体系统把流体吸渗到其内,在震源体内引起剪切力增强与抗剪力减弱的两个过程同步发展,并最终因剪切力达到抗剪力导致震源体的破裂而发生地震．