Dating palaeo‐seismic faulting in the Taiwan Mountain Belt

In‐situ ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser microprobe dating was carried out on the Hoping pseudotachylite from a mylonite‐fault zone in the metamorphosed basement complex of the active Taiwan Mountain Belt to determine the timing of the responsible earthquake(s). The dating results, distributed from 3.2 to 1.6 Ma with errors ranging from 0.2 to 1.1 Ma, were derived from a combination of two Ar isotopic system end‐members with inverse isochron ages of 1.55 ± 0.05 and 2.87 ± 0.07 Ma, respectively. Petrographical observations reveal fault melt containing ultracataclasites, therefore the older inverse isochron end‐member may be attributed to the relic wall rock Ar isotopic system contained in micro‐breccia. Without significant Ar loss expected, the ~1.6 Ma for the young end‐member defines the exact time of the pseudotachylite formation. Seismic faulting therefore occurred during basement rock exhumation in the Taiwanese hinterland.     

Experimental study of cohesive sediment consolidation and resuspension identifies approaches for coastal restoration: Lake Lery,Louisiana

The purpose of this study was to evaluate related processes of sediment consolidation and resuspension in a coastal basin and how these processes influence retention of fine sediment delivered by a river diversion. Sediment samples were collected from Lake Lery, a coastal receiving basin of the Caernarvon Diversion from the Mississippi River, Louisiana. Consolidation was tested for six initial sediment concentrations (14.0–105 kg m^–3) in a settling column over 15-day periods. Mud erodibility was tested at seven shear stress regimes (0.01–0.60 Pa) using a dual-core Gust erosion microcosm system, on cores containing suspensions that consolidated for 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Consolidation rates were found to be inversely and exponentially related to initial suspension concentration, over concentrations ranging from fluid mud (10–200 kg m^–3) to hydraulic dredge effluent. Consolidation is best predicted by a function consisting of two exponential terms and one asymptotic constant, describing rates of rapid initial and slower subsequent settling. Coupled resuspension and consolidation tests (concentrations of 20–21 kg m^–3) show that shear stresses generating the highest turbidity peaks increase from ≤0.30 Pa after 2 weeks of consolidation to ≥0.45 Pa after 4 weeks, and this strengthening cannot be attributed solely to increasing sediment concentration over time. Comparison of measured erosion shear stresses with bed shear stresses typical of coastal lakes and bays suggests that this degree of strengthening, if given time to occur, could increase the overall retention of fine sediments deposited on lake and bay floors.     

An automatic procedure for train speed evaluation by the dominant frequency method

This paper proposes an automatic procedure for train speed evaluation by the dominant frequency method based on the ground vibration characteristic induced by the trainload. A number of field measurements, a total of 154 runs with different train speeds of 198–303 km/h, were carried out to test the stability and accuracy of the proposed evaluation procedure. The evaluation differences of the train speed by using the opposed photoelectric sensing approaches and dominant frequency method are less than 3%, which means that the proposed procedure for automatic train speed evaluation is applicable and accurate. The advantages of the dominant frequency method for train speed calculation are in its mobility and cost-savings with regard to the installation and repair work, especially for long-term monitoring programs at elevated railway systems. Thus, the proposed procedure increases the applicability and potential of the dominant frequency method for train speed monitoring in real-time field measurement, since the evaluation work does not have to be done manually.     

SETTLEMENT,POPULATION AND LAND USE ANALYSES OF THE NORTH CHINA PLAIN USING SHUTTLE IMAGING RADAR-A DATA*

Shuttle Imaging Radar-A data are employed to study the settlement, population and land use in the Baoding and Dezhou areas of the North China Plain. By applying nearest neighbor and quadrat analyses, the settlements are found to exhibit a mixed random-clustering pattern which defied the application of Christaller's central place theory. The distinctly visible boundaries from the images permitted accurate estimation of population in both areas. The linear land use forms, notably transportation lines, could also be accurately mapped; the Chinese practice of lake reclamation was also revealed. It is concluded that SIR-A data are useful for much human geography research.     

Artificial neural network for AOA estimation in a multipathenvironment over the sea

In this paper, we use a neural network to carry out angle-of-arrival (AOA) estimation in a multipath oceanic environment. In particular, the AOA problem is considered as a mapping from the space of AOA to the space of the sensor output. A neural network is used to determine the inverse mapping from the sensor output space to the space of AOA and this inversion is realized using a radial basis function (RBF) network. We will present the development of the RBF approach for AOA estimation. Simulations are carried out to understand the efficiency and performance of this method. Furthermore, real data are used to evaluate the RBF approach and the results demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of this neural network method     

Effectiveness of time-series analysis for thermal plume propagation assessment in an open-loop groundwater heat pump plant

Thermal perturbation produced in the subsurface by open-loop groundwater heat pumps (GWHPs) represents a complex transport phenomenon that is affected by several factors, including intrinsic characteristics of the exploited aquifer, abstraction and reinjection well features, and the temporal dynamics of the accessed groundwater. Post-GWHP water may have become warmed or cooled before being reinjected into the aquifer, thereby creating a thermal plume, known as the thermal affected zone (TAZ), which can alter aquifer temperature. The TAZ is propagated mainly by advection, after which the plume tends to degrade via conductive heat transport and convection within moving water. Groundwater monitoring and multiparametric probes are used to check the dynamics of plume propagation and whether a system’s thermal plumes are generating unsuitable interference with wells, subsurface infrastructure, or land use. Analyses of time-series groundwater monitoring data can be used to monitor TAZ movement. In this paper, the thermal plume velocity was calculated by both an analytical solution and cross-correlation. Cross-correlation calculated between temperature measured in the reinjection well and control downstream piezometers can reveal plume dynamics and demonstrate the importance of advective transport in aquifer heat transfer.     

Neural network approach to prediction of temperatures around groundwater heat pump systems

A fundamental aspect in groundwater heat pump (GWHP) plant design is the correct evaluation of the thermally affected zone that develops around the injection well. This is particularly important to avoid interference with previously existing groundwater uses (wells) and underground structures. Temperature anomalies are detected through numerical methods. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models are widely used in this field because they offer the opportunity to calculate the time evolution of the thermal plume produced by a heat pump. The use of neural networks is proposed to determine the time evolution of the groundwater temperature downstream of an installation as a function of the possible utilization profiles of the heat pump. The main advantage of neural network modeling is the possibility of evaluating a large number of scenarios in a very short time, which is very useful for the preliminary analysis of future multiple installations. The neural network is trained using the results from a CFD model (FEFLOW) applied to the installation at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) under several operating conditions. The final results appeared to be reliable and the temperature anomalies around the injection well appeared to be well predicted.     

Trace-element variations in an annually layered stalagmite as recorders of climatic changes and anthropogenic pollution in Central China

We analyzed variations in the Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, REE/Ca (REE: rare earth element), Zn/Ca, and Pb/Ca ratios preserved in an annually layered stalagmite, XL21, from central China. The stalagmite record spans the 95 year period AD 1914–2008. The Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios have a significant positive correlation with the stalagmite's growth rate, suggesting that they were primarily controlled by growth-rate variations. Variations in REE/Ca ratios are consistent with local temperature changes, suggesting temperature influenced REE concentrations in the stalagmite over decadal to annual timescales. Higher temperature in this humid area can increase vegetation cover, microbial activity, and organic decomposition in the soil, resulting in enhanced pCO₂, organic matter concentration and reduced pH, and consequently increased REE mobilization from the overlying soil layer and host rock. Higher temperatures may also increase the natural Zn mobilization from the overlying soil mediated by organic matter and consequently may have led to increased Zn retention in XL21. An increasing trend is seen in the Pb/Ca ratios from XL21 since 1985, which is consistent with increased lead production in this area, and indicates an increase in mine-derived lead pollution in the local environment over the past 30 years.     

Theoretical study of the local charge compensation and spectroscopic properties of B-type carbonate defects in apatite

The structure and spectroscopic properties of selected models of B-type carbonate defects in apatite locally compensated by fluoride or hydroxyl ions are investigated using first-principles quantum mechanical calculations. Theoretical infrared absorption spectra and ¹³C, and ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts are determined. Among the investigated models, only the clumped (CO₃ ^2?, F^?) defect, with the carbonate group close to the sloping face of the tetrahedral site and the F^? ion at the remaining apex, corresponds to previous experimental observations performed on carbonate-fluorapatite samples. Although the substitution of hydroxyl by fluoride ions is commonly observed in minerals, the clumped (CO₃ ^2?, OH^?) defects are unlikely to occur in apatite, considering both their theoretical spectroscopic properties and relative stability. Anionic F^? for OH^? exchange between channel and B sites displays a preference of ~20 kJ/mol for the local charge compensation by fluoride ions at the B-site, pointing to a significantly different behavior of F^? and OH^? ions in the charge compensation mechanism. This difference is ascribed to the poor H-bond acceptor character of available oxygen atoms surrounding the apex of the tetrahedral site. The explicit calculation of the infrared absorption spectra of the defect models is also used to interpret the significant difference observed in the linewidth of the ν₂ and ν₃ CO₃ infrared powder absorption bands of carbonated apatite samples. It is shown that for a concentration of 4.4 wt% of CO₂, long-range electrostatic effects already significantly contribute to the broadening of the ν₃ CO₃ bands in apatite.