East Asia plate tectonics since 15 Ma: constraints from the Taiwan region

15 Ma ago, a major plate reorganization occurred in East Asia. Seafloor spreading ceased in the South China Sea, Japan Sea, Taiwan Sea, Sulu Sea, and Shikoku and Parece Vela basins. Simultaneously, shear motions also ceased along the Taiwan–Sinzi zone, the Gagua ridge and the Luzon–Ryukyu transform plate boundary. The complex system of thirteen plates suddenly evolved in a simple three-plate system (EU, PH and PA). Beneath the Manila accretionary prism and in the Huatung basin, we have determined magnetic lineation patterns as well as spreading rates deduced from the identification of magnetic lineations. These two patterns are rotated by 15°. They were formed by seafloor spreading before 15 Ma and belonged to the same ocean named the Taiwan Sea. Half-spreading rate in the Taiwan Sea was 2 cm/year from chron 23 to 20 (51 to 43 Ma) and 1 cm/year from chron 20 (43 Ma) to 5b (15 Ma). Five-plate kinematic reconstructions spanning from 15 Ma to Present show implications concerning the geodynamic evolution of East Asia. Amongst them, the 1000-km-long linear Gagua ridge was a major plate boundary which accommodated the northwestward shear motion of the PH Sea plate; the formation of Taiwan was driven by two simple lithospheric motions: (i) the subduction of the PH Sea plate beneath Eurasia with a relative westward motion of the western end (A) of the Ryukyu subduction zone; (ii) the subduction of Eurasia beneath the Philippine Sea plate with a relative southwestward motion of the northern end (B) of the Manila subduction zone. The Luzon arc only formed south of B. The collision of the Luzon arc with Eurasia occurred between A and B. East of A, the Luzon arc probably accreted against the Ryukyu forearc.     

Assessing physical vulnerability in large cities exposed to flash floods and debris flows: the case of Arequipa (Peru)

Understanding the physical vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure to natural hazards is an essential step in risk assessment for large cities. We have interpreted high spatial resolution images, conducted field surveys, and utilized numerical simulations, in order to assess vulnerability across Arequipa, south Peru, close to the active El Misti volcano. The emphasis of this study was on flash floods and volcanic or non-volcanic hyperconcentrated flows, which recur on average every 3.5 years across the city. We utilized a geographic information system to embed vulnerability and hazard maps as a step to calculate risk for buildings and bridges along the Río Chili valley and two tributaries. A survey of ~1,000 buildings from 46 city blocks, different in age, construction materials, and land usage, provided architectural and structural characteristics. A similar survey of twenty bridges across the three valleys was based on structural, hydraulic, and strategic parameters. Interpretation of high spatial resolution (HSR) satellite images, which allows for quick identification of approximately 69 % of the structural building types, effectively supplemented field data collection. Mapping vulnerability has led us to pinpoint strategic areas in case of future destructive floods or flows. Calculated vulnerability is high if we examine structural criteria alone. We further consider physical setting with the most vulnerable city blocks located on the lowermost terraces, perpendicular or oblique to the flow path. Statistical analysis conducted on 3,015 city blocks, considering nine criteria identified from HSR images, indicated that building-type heterogeneity and the shape of the city blocks, along with building and street network density, are the most discriminant parameters for assessing vulnerability.     

Optical studies of natural deformation microstructures in feldspars (gneiss and pegmatites from Occitania,southern France)

Natural deformation microstructures of feldspars have been investigated optically in augen gneisses and pegmatites from southern France that exhibit microstructures due to polyphase deformation. This deformation was produced in both cases under a pressure of about 2 Kb and a temperature decreasing from about 550° to 200–300°C.In microcline, recrystallization, tension gashes and shear planes are the most important microstructures observed. In plagioclase, shear planes and kink-bands prevail. The development of these structures is controlled primarily by three parameters: temperature, influence of the surrounding material and amount of bulk strain. The orientation of the planes of anisotropy of the minerals with respect to the compression axis is also important. Some perthitic patterns are ascribed to deformation.     

Paleomagnetic implications on the evolution of the tethys belt from the atlantic ocean to the pamirs since the triassic

We first re-examined the apparent polar wander curves for stable Eurasia and Africa since the Triassic. These curves were then combined together with curves of North and South America according to the kinematics of the Atlantic ocean and a synthetic polar wander curve was given. Then, most of the paleomagnetic results from the Tethys mobile belt, from the Atlantic to the Pamirs, were analysed.Several groups of plates, microplates and blocks can be seen. First, relatively stable regions like Maghreb and Sicily, which have not moved much. Then we have a group formed by Iberia, Sardinia, Italy and, to a lesser extent, Corsica and the Western and Central Alps. For these blocks, movements are anticlockwise rotations chiefly driven by the anticlockwise rotation of Africa, but they are sometimes stronger.To the east, a major change takes place. The north of the Aegean Sea and the Ionian zone are clockwise rotated and these rotations are recent: Oligocene-Miocene for the first part, Pliocene to the present for the second part.A major problem arises in Turkey, Caucasus and Iran. Paleomagnetic results indicate a position far to the south of Eurasia, and, at the same time, geological evidence is in favour of a position close to Eurasia. We discuss these discrepancies.     

Heavy Metal Removal from Soils Using Magnetic Separation: 1. Laboratory Experiments

The removal of Cu, Zn, and Cd from a sandy soil was investigated using iron filings as an adsorbent, and subsequently recovering the iron filings by magnetic separation. The best treatment was obtained by using 5% iron filings and 3 h contact time between iron filings and the soil. The metal removal efficiency from soil extracts was evaluated, using MetPLATE^TM, a toxicity test that is specific for heavy metals, and the 48 h Ceriodaphnia dubia acute toxicity test. The toxicity removal was generally higher than 95% for Cu after a single treatment. With regard to Zn-spiked soil, the toxicity removal was 96.1%, 70.0%, and 49.6% after single treatment at the input concentration of 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 800 mg Zn²⁺/kg soil, respectively. After two or three successive treatments, more than 90% of the toxicity was removed for 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg Zn-spiked soils. In the case of Cd-spiked soil, a single treatment removed 51.1% of the toxicity from 200 mg/kg Cd-spiked soil extracts while more than 90% of the toxicity was removed after two or three treatments. Chemical analysis and a mass balance study were also carried out to investigate the Cu distribution in the soil fractions. The results indicate that, before treatment, a large portion of Cu was immobilized in the soil matrix. Following magnetic separation, Cu was removed from both the soil matrix and extracts and was indeed adsorbed and concentrated on the iron filings. The retrieval of Cu by iron filings was further examined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).     

Reconstructing fluvial incision rates based on palaeo-water tables in chalk karst networks along the Seine valley (Normandy,France)

Quantifying rates of river incision and continental uplift over Quaternary timescales offer the potential for modelling landscape change due to tectonic and climatic forcing. In many areas, river terraces form datable archives that help constrain the timing and rate of valley incision. However, old river terraces, with high-level deposits, are prone to weathering and often lack datable material. Where valleys are incised through karst areas, caves and sediments can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution because they can record the elevation of palaeo-water tables and contain preserved datable material. In Normandy (N. France), the Seine River is entrenched into an extensive karstic chalk plateau. Previous estimates of valley incision were hampered by the lack of preserved datable fluvial terraces. A stack of abandoned phreatic cave passages preserved in the sides of the Seine valley can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the region. Combining geomorphological observations, palaeomagnetic and U/Th dating of speleothem and sediments in eight caves along the Lower Seine valley, we have constructed a new age model for cave development and valley incision. Six identified cave levels up to ∼100 m a.s.l. were formed during the last ~1 Ma, coeval with the incision of the Seine River. Passage morphologies indicate that the caves formed in a shallow phreatic/epiphreatic setting, modified by sediment influxes. The valley's maximum age is constrained by the occurrence of late Pliocene marine sand. Palaeomagnetic dating of cave infills indicates that the highest-level caves were being infilled prior to 1.1 Ma. The evidence from the studied caves, complemented by fluvial terrace sequences, indicates that rapid river incision occurred during marine isotope stage (MIS) 28 to 20 (0.8–1 Ma), with maximal rates of ~0.30 m ka⁻¹, dropping to ~0.08 m ka⁻¹ between MIS 20–11 (0.8–0.4 Ma) and 0.05 m ka⁻¹ from MIS 5 to the present time. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the suction- and deviator stress-dependent resilient modulus of unsaturated fine/coarse soil mixture by considering soil–water retention curve

Experimental observations have shown that the resilient modulus M_r of fine/coarse soil mixture can be significantly affected by the coarse grain content f_v, deviator stress σ_d and suction \(\psi\). In this study, a constitutive model incorporating the soil–water retention curve (SWRC) was proposed to describe the effects of \(\psi\) and \(\sigma_{{\text{d}}}\) on M_r. This model was then extended to the effect of f_v. The proposed model implied the resilient modulus at saturation condition (M_r-sat), the resilient modulus at optimum moisture content (OMC) condition (M_r-opt), the suction at OMC (\(\psi_{{{\text{opt}}}}\)) and the parameters related to SWRC. The model was validated using experimental data from five studies reported in the literature. Comparisons with three representative existing models showed that the proposed model was capable to well describe the suction-dependent effect of deviator stress in the full range of suction, while the existing models gave satisfactory simulation results only in the low suction range. Indeed, experimental studies revealed that there was a threshold suction \(\psi_{{{\text{th}}}}\), and with increasing \(\sigma_{{\text{d}}}\), the M_r decreased when \(\psi < \psi_{{{\text{th}}}}\), but increased when \(\psi > \psi_{{{\text{th}}}}\). When \(\psi < \psi_{{{\text{th}}}}\), all models gave good simulations. On the contrary, when \(\psi > \psi_{{{\text{th}}}}\), only the proposed model gave good simulations, in particular when \(\psi_{{{\text{th}}}} > \psi_{{{\text{opt}}}}\). This showed the performance of the proposed model in describing the variation in resilient modulus of unsaturated fine/coarse soil mixtures with changes in coarse grain content, deviator stress and suction.