Morphology of the Wadati-Benioff zone,andesitic volcanism,and active fracture zones in Central America

Summary The morphology of the Wadati-Benioff zone in the region of Central America, based on the distribution of 1377 earthquake foci, verified the existence of an intermediate aseismic gap and its relation to active andesitic volcanism, and the non-uniformity of subduction due to the hampering effect of the main structural features of the subducting Cocos plate. Four deep seismically active fracture zones, genetically connected with the process of subduction, and three fracture zones manifesting the possible boundary between the Americas and Caribbean plates were identified in the continental wedge.     

Geoelectric section of the Central Tien Shan: Sequential inversion of the magnetovariational and magnetotelluric data along the Naryn Line

The paper presents the results of 2D inversion of deep magnetotelluric (MT) and magnetovariational (MV) soundings along the Naryn Line. The method of partial (sequential) inversions is used. According to this method, at the first stage, magnetovariation responses are used for the localization of deep anomalies of electrical conductivity, and then the magnetotelluric sounding data are invoked to refine the structure of the host medium and the structural details in the upper part of the section. It is shown that this approach enables one to estimate the informativeness of separate components of the electromagnetic field, to reduce the distorting influence of the near-surface geoelectric inhomogeneities, and to increase the stability of the final solution of the inverse problem.     

The Effect of Inhomogeneous Magnetic Permeability on Magnetotelluric Responses: 1D and 2D Models

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—When solving direct and inverse problems of magnetotellurics, magnetic permeability throughout model medium is conventionally assumed to be...     

Earth Dam-foundation interaction during earthquakes

Several significant parameters that could affect interaction in a dam-foundation system are discussed. These parameters are: (1) Fundamental periods of the dam and the foundation layer. (2) Lateral extent of the dam. (3) The material properties of the dam and the foundation layer. Five cases are analysed to illustrate the influence of these parameters on interaction. An interaction ratio, R₁, relating the response of the dam-foundation system at the base of the dam to the free field response is introduced and interaction effects are expressed in terms of this ratio; the smaller this ratio, the less are the interaction effects. For very small values of R₁, it is shown that the dam-foundation system could be decoupled The results of the studies presented in the paper suggest that the interaction effects cannot be uniquely related to either the ratio of the period of the dam to the period of the foundation layer, or to the material properties of the dam and foundation layer. However, for the limited number of cases investigated, the interaction effects were found to be uniquely related to the ratio D/B, where D is the depth of the foundation layer and B is the width of the dam section. For values of D/B less than unity, strong interaction effects were obtained and the dam-foundation system could only be analysed as a coupled system. For values of D/B greater than unity, the interaction appeared negligible and the dam and its foundation layer could be decoupled. It should be noted, however, that for very small values of D/B the interaction effects would decrease becaase as D approaches zero, there would be no interaction The use of the interaction ratio, R₁, and the parameter D/B should aid in assessing the need for analysing the response of the dam-foundation as a coupled or as a decoupled system.     

Zur Toxizität einfacher und komplexer Cyanide gegenüber Wasserorganismen

The toxic effects of alkali cyanide, complex cyanide-containing heavy metal salts—as of iron, cadmium, copper, nickel and mercury—were investigated according to standard methods with the aid of the test organisms Poecilia reticulata (guppy) as well as the green alga Ankistrodesmus falcatus (β- bis α-mesosaprobic). Since various complex compounds can be photolytically decomposed, also discontinuous light-dark phases were used. As discussed equilibrium calculations have shown, inter alia also the pH-value is important in the fish organisms used with different reactions to ions and molecularly dissolved compounds. The results are summarized in tables and graphic representations, the substances investigated being classified into groups with “strong” and “high” toxic actions.     

Factors driving riverbed scouring and sedimentation in the Bayangaole to Toudaoguai reaches of the Upper Yellow River

The Inner Mongolia reaches of the Yellow River face problems of severe sedimentation caused by a variety of complex factors. The sedimentation process in those reaches has been characterized using the sediment balance method, and the key factors affecting the process have been analyzed using the correlation analysis method. The results show that during the period 1952–2012 the Bayangaole (Bayan Gol) to Toudaoguai reaches in Inner Mongolia have undergone successive processes of accumulative sedimentation, then relative balance, and then accumulative sedimentation once again. The total annual sedimentation is 12.0341×10⁸ m³, of which accumulations from July to October account for 95.1% and the reaches from Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai account for 98.5%. The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Bayangaole to Sanhuhekou reaches is the combined water and sediment condition. The critical conditions for equilibrium are an incoming sediment coefficient < 0.007 kg·s·m^–6 and a flow discharge > 700 m³·s^–1. The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai reaches is the incoming sediment from the tributaries on the south bank and the combined water and sediment condition of the main stream. The critical conditions of the main stream for maintaining equilibrium status are a flow discharge of the main stream exceeding 800 m³·s^–1 and a comprehensive incoming sediment coefficient < 0.005 kg·s·m^–6. The incoming sediment from the tributaries has little impact on the main stream when the annual sediment load is less than 0.1×10⁸ t. The incoming sediment coefficient of the main stream and the incoming sediment from the tributaries both play vital roles in the riverbed evolution of the Inner Mongolia reaches, but the latter contributes the most.     

Re-exposed basement landforms in the Disko region, West Greenland — disregarded data for estimation of glacial erosion and uplift modelling

Classifications of large-scale landscapes in Greenland have traditionally been based on type and intensity of glacial erosion, with the general idea that present landforms are mainly the result of erosion from ice sheets and glaciers. However, on southern Disko and in areas offshore in Disko Bugt, a basement surface has preserved remnants of weathered gneiss and pre-Paleocene landforms, recently exhumed from Paleocene basalt. Isolated hills and lineaments have been mapped in a digital terrain model and aerial photographs. Offshore have hills been mapped from seismic lines. The medium size bedrock forms on southern Disko as tors, clefts and roche moutonées have been studied in the field. Remnant saprolites were inventoried, sampled and analysed according to grain size and clay mineralogy. The basement surface retains saprolites up to 8 m thick in close relation to the cover rocks. The landforms in the basement rocks belong essentially to an etched surface only slightly remodelled by glacial erosion and, below the highest coastline, also by wave action. The outline of hills is governed by two lineament directions, ENE–WSW representing the schistocity of the gneiss and NW–SE fracture zones. These structures are thus interpreted to have been exploited by the deep weathering while the frequent N–S lineaments have not and thus might be younger. Main ice-flow has been from the NE and has resulted in plucking of SW facing lee sides, however the resulting bedrock forms are mainly controlled by structures and orientation of joints. The identification of re-exposed sub-Paleocene etch forms on Disko and the hills of similar size offshore, forming a hilly relief, have implications for identification of a hilly relief south of Disko Bugt, its relation to younger planation surfaces as well as for conclusions of uplift events.     

A model test system with a dynamic load device for geotechnical engineering in cold regions

A model test system with a dynamic load device for geotechnical engineering in cold regions is presented. This system consists of a model test tank, a refrigeration device and temperature controller, a dynamic load device, together with sensors and data loggers for detecting stress, deformation, and temperature changes. The system can accommodate soil blocks up to 3 m in length, 2.5 m in width, and 1 m in height. The lowest temperature provided by the refrigeration device is -20 °C. The maximum load provided by the dynamic load device is 100 kN and the vibration frequency of the dynamic load can range from 0.1 to 10 Hz. A number of waveforms, such as sine waves, rectangular waves, triangle waves, and other user-defined waves can be generated by the dynamic load device controller.     

Natural background levels and threshold values for groundwater in fluvial Pleistocene and Tertiary marine aquifers in Flanders,Belgium

Aquifers from the same typology can have strongly different groundwater chemistry. Deducing the groundwater quality of less well-characterized aquifers from well-documented aquifers belonging to the same typology should be done with great reserve, and can only be considered as a preliminary approach. In the EU’s 6th FP BRIDGE project “Background cRiteria for the IDentification of Groundwater thrEsholds”, a methodology for the derivation of threshold values (TV) for groundwater bodies is proposed. This methodology is tested on four aquifers in Flanders of the sand and gravel typology. The methodology works well for all but the Ledo-Paniselian aquifer, where the subdivision into a fresh and saline part is disproved, as a gradual natural transition from fresh to saline conditions in the aquifer is observed. The 90 percentile is proposed as natural background level (NBL) for the unconfined Pleistocene deposits, ascribing the outliers to possible influence of pollution. For the Tertiary aquifers, high values for different parameters have a natural origin and the 97.7 percentile is preferred as NBL. The methodology leads to high TVs for parameters presenting low NBL, when compared to the standard used as a reference. This would allow for substantial anthropogenic inputs of these parameters.     

Models of neutron stars in generalized bimetric theory of gravitation

Yerevan State University; Institute of Applied Physics Problems, Armenian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 121–129, July–August, 1991.