Magma mingling: Tectonic and geodynamic implications

An attempt is made to consider the tectonic and geodynamic implications of the mingling of mafic and felsic magmas, particularly, the relationships between mafic and felsic igneous rocks in composite dikes and plutons. Magma mingling develops in suprasubduction, intraplate, and collisional settings. The attributes typical of each type of mingling are discussed with special emphasis on the magma mingling of the collisional type, which is related to synmetamorphic shearing and may be regarded as a direct indicator of synorogenic collapse of collisional structural features. This phenomenon is exemplified in the Ol’khon collisional system in Siberia.     

A review of landsliding and coastal erosion damage to historic fortifications in South East England

Coastal fortifications in South East England have been continuously built and rebuilt over the centuries according to the ebb and flow of politics in Europe. This paper covers an extensive historical period from the influx of the Romans to the present day, detailing how landslides and coastal erosion have affected the numerous constructions along this stretch of coastline. Principal landslide-prone strata form extensive sections of this part of the coast with the tendency to be weak and highly susceptible to marine attack and cliff retreat. Fortifications have been built out of necessity in strategic positions without full consideration of the ground upon which they have been constructed. The continual construction of fortifications along this section of coastline constitutes an unparalleled archaeological record, but it is one that is under continuous threat from coastal erosion and landsliding.     

Mercury speciation and mobilization in contaminated soils of the Valle del Azogue Hg mine (SE,Spain)

Hg mobilization from contaminated soils and mine wastes was the source of environmental contamination in the Valle del Azogue mining area. We researched solid-phase speciation and aqueous mobility of Hg through Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis analysis, solid-phase-Hg-thermo-desorption (SPTD) and laboratory column experiments. We found that in contaminated soils and mine wastes, the predominant Hg species was cinnabar (HgS), mainly formed from the weathering of Hg-rich pyrite, and metallic Hg (0) in the matrix, whereas in calcines and tailings the dominant species was metallic Hg (0). The mobilization of Hg in the aqueous phase seems to have originated from the dissolution of elemental Hg (0) present in soils and wastes, reaching concentrations of up to 67 μg l⁻¹, and showing a higher long-term environmental potential risk, in addition to atmospheric emissions.     

Site Investigation for the Effects of Vegetation on Ground Stability

The procedure for geotechnical site investigation is well established but little attention is currently given to investigating the potential of vegetation to assist with ground stability. This paper describes how routine investigation procedures may be adapted to consider the effects of the vegetation. It is recommended that the major part of the vegetation investigation is carried out, at relatively low cost, during the preliminary (desk) study phase of the investigation when there is maximum flexibility to take account of findings in the proposed design and construction. The techniques available for investigation of the effects of vegetation are reviewed and references provided for further consideration. As for general geotechnical investigation work, it is important that a balance of effort is maintained in the vegetation investigation between (a) site characterisation (defining and identifying the existing and proposed vegetation to suit the site and ground conditions), (b) testing (in-situ and laboratory testing of the vegetation and root systems to provide design parameters) and (c) modelling (to analyse the vegetation effects).     

江西彭山锡多金属矿田地质地球化学特征研究

彭山锡多金属矿田位于长江中下游的九瑞地区，是近年来发现的一个以富锡、铅、锌矿产为主的大型矿田。以黑云母二长花岗岩与二云母碱长化岗岩组成的彭山隐伏岩体为中心，各类金属矿床呈“晕圈式”分布。矿床的形成分为2个成矿期共7个阶段，通过对彭山岩体、典型矿床及围岩中的硫同位素、铅同位素、包裹体及稀土资料进行分析，反映出燕山晚期钙碱性花岗岩体的缦位与多金属矿床的形成有着密切的联系，岩浆活动为本区提供了大量的成矿物质。     

Retrieving cloud fraction in the field-of-view of a high-spectral resolution infrared radiometer

The combination of radiance from both clear and cloudy regions of sky within the instrument's field of view (FOV) adds significant uncertainty to retrievals of atmospheric state profiles and cloud microphysical properties from infrared spectroradiometers. In this letter, we use observations of radiance from both the 8-13 and 3-5 /spl mu/m bands to retrieve estimates of the cloud fraction in the instrument's FOV, as well as microphysical cloud properties, from high-spectral-resolution infrared radiometers. Cloud fraction derived from imagers as well as high-time-resolution observations show good agreement and high correlation with our derived cloud fraction values. This is shown for both ground-based and aircraft-based observations. We also demonstrate that the use of the additional information in the 3-5 /spl mu/m band extends the dynamic range and accuracy of microphysical properties that can be retrieved from infrared radiance data.     

Effects of detailed soil spatial information on watershed modeling across different model scales

Hydro-ecological modelers often use spatial variation of soil information derived from conventional soil surveys in simulation of hydro-ecological processes over watersheds at mesoscale (10–100 km²). Conventional soil surveys are not designed to provide the same level of spatial detail as terrain and vegetation inputs derived from digital terrain analysis and remote sensing techniques. Soil property layers derived from conventional soil surveys are often incompatible with detailed terrain and remotely sensed data due to their difference in scales. The objective of this research is to examine the effect of scale incompatibility between soil information and the detailed digital terrain data and remotely sensed information by comparing simulations of watershed processes based on the conventional soil map and those simulations based on detailed soil information across different simulation scales. The detailed soil spatial information was derived using a GIS (geographical information system), expert knowledge, and fuzzy logic based predictive mapping approach (Soil Land Inference Model, SoLIM). The Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys) is used to simulate two watershed processes: net photosynthesis and stream flow. The difference between simulation based on the conventional soil map and that based on the detailed predictive soil map at a given simulation scale is perceived to be the effect of scale incompatibility between conventional soil data and the rest of the (more detailed) data layers at that scale. Two modeling approaches were taken in this study: the lumped parameter approach and the distributed parameter approach. The results over two small watersheds indicate that the effect does not necessarily always increase or decrease as the simulation scale becomes finer or coarser. For a given watershed there seems to be a fixed scale at which the effect is consistently low for the simulated processes with both the lumped parameter approach and the distributed parameter approach.     

Check dam positioning by prioritization of micro-watersheds using SYI model and morphometric analysis — Remote sensing and GIS perspective

Sediment Yield Index (SYI) model and results of morphometric analysis have been used to prioritize watersheds and to locate sites for checkdam positioning in Tarafeni watershed in Midnapur district. West Bengal. Various thematic maps such as land use/land cover, slope, drainage, soil etc. were prepared from 1RS ID LISS III digital data, SOI toposheets of 1:50,000 scale and other reference maps. Morphometric parameters such as bifurcation ratio (R_b). drainage density (D_d), texture ratio (T), length of overland flow (L_o), stream frequency (F_u), compactness coefficient (C_c), circularity ratio (R_c), elongation ratio (E_r), shape factor (B_s) and form factor (R_f) were computed. Automated demarcation of prioritization of micro-watersheds was done by using GIS overlaying technique by assigning weight factors to all the identified features in each thematic map and ranks were assigned to the morphometric parameters. Five categories of priority viz., very high, high, medium, low and very low, were given to all the watersheds in both the methods. Sixty-two micro-watersheds using SYI method and twenty-three micro-watersheds using morphometric have been prioritized as very high priority. Final priority map was prepared by considering the commonly occurred very high-prioritized micro-watersheds in both SYI model and morphometric analysis. Twenty-four suitable sites were identified for check dam construction in 21 highly prioritized watersheds. It is proved that integrated study of SYI model and morphometric analysis yield good result in prioritization of watersheds.     

A 500 hPa synoptic wildland fire climatology for large Canadian forest fires, 1959–1996

Summary In Canada, the average annual area of burned forest has increased from around 1 million ha in the 1970’s to over 2.5 million ha in the 1990’s. A previous study has identified the link between anomalous mid-tropospheric circulation at 500 hPa over northern North America and wildland fire severity activity in various large regions of Canada over the entire May to August fire season. In this study, a northern North American study region of the hemispheric gridded 5° latitude by 10° longitude 500 hPa dataset is identified and analysed from 1959 to 1996 for a sequence of six monthly periods through the fire season, beginning in April and ending in September. Synoptic types, or modes of upper air behavior, are determined objectively by the eigenvector method employing K-means cluster analysis. Monthly burned areas from the Canadian Large Fire Database (LFDB) for the same period, 1959 to 1996, are analysed in conjunction with the classified monthly 500 hPa synoptic types. Relationships between common monthly patterns of anomalous upper flow and spatial patterns of large fire occurrence are examined at the ecozone level. Average occurrence of a monthly synoptic type associated with very large area burned is approximately 18% of the years from 1959 to 1996. The largest areas burned during the main fire (May to August) season occur in the western Boreal and Taiga ecozones – the Taiga Plains, Taiga Shield, Boreal West Shield and Boreal Plains. Monthly burned areas are also analysed temporally in conjunction with a calculated monthly zonal index (Zi_m) for two separate areas defined to cover western and eastern Canada. In both western and eastern Canada, high area burned is associated with synoptic types with mid-tropospheric ridging in the proximity of the affected region and low Zi_m with weak westerlies and strong meridional flow over western Canada. Received April 3, 2001 Revised July 13, 2001