Influence of the zone of weakness on dip angle and shear heating of subducted slabs

We study the importance of the zones of weakness and the pattern of downgoing flow in steady-state models of subducting lithosphere, which interacts mechanically and thermally with the ambient mantle. The non-linear system of governing equations consists of (i) the momentum equation in stream function formulation and (ii) the steady-state heat transfer equation including conduction and advection of heat and dissipation. A finite element method has been applied to this system. We consider the viscosity to be a non-linear function of both the temperature and the stream function. In steady-state two-dimensional (2D) flow, the stream function isolines follow material trajectories. They are used to follow the top of the subducting slab, which because of its possible increase in water content, is assumed to have a lower viscosity. The zone of weakness has been thus obtained in the self-consistent fashion since the stream function as well as the temperature are the output from our modeling and no a priori assumptions about the shape of the bending lithosphere are taken into account. It was shown that several orders decrease of viscosity in the zone of weakness is required to obtain the dip angle of about 45°. If the decrease of viscosity is not sufficient enough, the subducted slab either sinks almost vertically or does not exhibit a plate-like behavior. We have also demonstrated that shear heating can unrealistically increase at the zone of weakness for fast subductions if decrease of viscosity is underestimated.     

偏振激发能量色散X荧光法在地球化学分析中应用及其与波长色散X荧光法的比较

偏振激发能量色散X射线荧光光谱(P-EDXRF)技术是20世纪末出现的新分析技术。国内采用X-Lab2000型仪器的初步研究表明，在总计数时间为600秒时，可以对近30种元素进行定量，检出限为0．5-30μg／g，与国际上发表的文献值基本一致。本工作通过约100个实际样品分析，并与波长色散X射线荧光法(WDXRF)分析结果的比较，对P-EDXRF的分析性能进行了评价。与WDXRF相比，P-EDXRF法具有分析速度快、设备购置费用低、运行成本低、全谱同时采集(有利于发现元素含量异常)等优点，因此特别适合地球化学填图样品的快速分析。而WDXRF在精度要求较高的分析中更具竞争力。     

Tetrahedral Plots of the Phase Relations for Basalts

The phase relations of quaternary systems are generally represented by projections onto ternary compositional planes. Such projections often obscure relationships that would only be evident in a three-dimensional tetrahedral plot. The tetrahedral plot requires that compositions of the minerals and melts be transformed into Cartesian coordinates. It is shown here how this transformation is carried out. The application is demonstrated by tetrahedral plots of experimental melt compositions of partially molten lherzolite. Furthermore, the plot can be used to evaluate whether or not a particular basaltic composition represents a primary melt. The methods are applicable to any four-component system.     

Piecewise prediction model for watershed‐scale erosion and sediment yield of individual rainfall events on the Loess Plateau,China

Establishing a universal watershed‐scale erosion and sediment yield prediction model represents a frontier field in erosion and soil/water conservation. The research presented here was conducted on the Chabagou watershed, which is located in the first sub‐region of the hill‐gully area of the Loess Plateau, China. A back‐propagation artificial neural model for watershed‐scale erosion and sediment yield was established, with the accuracy of the model, then compared with that of multiple linear regression. The sensitivity degree of various factors to erosion and sediment yield was quantitatively analysed using the default factor test. On the basis of the sensitive factors and the fractal information dimension, the piecewise prediction model for erosion and sediment yield of individual rainfall events was established and further verified. The results revealed the back‐propagation artificial neural network model to perform better than the multiple linear regression model in terms of predicting the erosion modulus, with the former able to effectively characterize dynamic changes in sediment yield under comprehensive factor conditions. The sensitivity of runoff erosion power and runoff depth to the erosion and sediment yield associated with individual rainfall events was found to be related to the complexity of surface topography. The characteristics of such a hydrological response are thus closely related to topography. When the fractal information dimension is greater than the topographic threshold, the accuracy of prediction using runoff erosion power is higher than that of using runoff depth. In contrast, when the fractal information dimension is smaller than the topographic threshold, the accuracy of prediction using runoff depth is higher than that of using runoff erosion power. The developed piecewise prediction model for watershed‐scale erosion and sediment yield of individual rainfall events, which introduces runoff erosion power and runoff depth using the fractal information dimension as a boundary, can be considered feasible and reliable and has a high prediction accuracy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of expansion ratio on the critical Reynolds number in single fracture flow with sudden expansion

Flow in a single fracture (SF) is an important research subject in groundwater hydrology, hydraulic engineering, radioactive nuclear waste repository and geotechnical engineering. An abruptly changing aperture is a unique type of SF. This study discusses the relation between the values of the critical Reynolds number (Re_c) for the onset of symmetry breaking of flow and the expansion ratio (E) of SF, which is defined as the ratio between the outlet (D) and inlet (d) apertures. This study also investigates the effect of inlet aperture d on Re_c for flow in an SF with abruptly changing apertures (SF‐ACA) using the finite volume method. Earlier numerical and experimental results showed that flow is symmetric in respect to the central plane of the SF‐ACA at small Reynolds number (Re) but becomes asymmetric when Re is sufficiently large. Our simulations show that the value of Re_c decreases with the increasing E, and the relationship between the logarithm of Re_c and E can be described accurately using either a quadratic polynomial function or a logarithmic function. However, the relationship of Re_c and d for a given E value is vague, and Re_c becomes even less sensitive to d when E increases. This study also reveals that the hydraulic gradient (J) and flow velocity (v) follow a super‐linear relationship that can be fitted almost perfectly by the Forchheimer equation. The inertial component (J_i) of J increases monotonically with Re, whereas the viscous component (J_v) of J decreases monotonically with Re. The Re value corresponding to equal inertial and viscous components of J (named as the transitional point Re) decreases when E increases, and such a transitional point Re should be closely related to the critical Reynolds number Re_c, although a rigorous theoretical proof is not yet available. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New graphical methods for estimating aquifer hydraulic parameters using pumping tests with exponentially decreasing rates

Actual pumping tests may involve continuously decreasing rates over a certain period of time, and the hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (S_s) of the tested confined aquifer cannot be interpreted from the classical constant‐rate test model. In this study, we revisit the aquifer drawdown characteristics of a pumping test with an exponentially decreasing rate using the dimensionless analytical solution for such a variable‐rate model. The drawdown may decrease with time for a short period of time at intermediate pumping times for such pumping tests. A larger ratio of initial to final pumping rate and a smaller radial distance of the observation well will enhance the decreasing feature. A larger decay constant results in an earlier decrease, but it weakens the extent of such a decrease. Based on the proposed dimensionless transformation, we have proposed two graphical methods for estimating K and S_s of the tested aquifer. The first is a new type curve method that does not employ the well function as commonly done in standard type curve analysis. Another is a new analytic method that takes advantage of the decreasing features of aquifer drawdown during the intermediate pumping stage. We have demonstrated the applicability and robustness of the two new graphical methods for aquifer characterization through a synthetic pumping test.     

Spatially controlled Fe and Si isotope variations: an alternative view on the formation of the Torres del Paine pluton

We present new Fe and Si isotope ratio data for the Torres del Paine igneous complex in southern Chile. The multi-composition pluton consists of an approximately 1 km vertical exposure of homogenous granite overlying a contemporaneous 250-m-thick mafic gabbro suite. This first-of-its-kind spatially dependent Fe and Si isotope investigation of a convergent margin-related pluton aims to understand the nature of granite and silicic igneous rock formation. Results collected by MC-ICP-MS show a trend of increasing δ⁵⁶Fe and δ³⁰Si with increasing silica content as well as a systematic increase in δ⁵⁶Fe away from the mafic base of the pluton. The marginal Torres del Paine granites have heavier Fe isotope signatures (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.25 ± 0.02 2se) compared to granites found in the interior pluton (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.17 ± 0.02 2se). Cerro Toro country rock values are isotopically light in both Fe and Si isotopic systems (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.05 ± 0.02 ‰; δ³⁰Si = ?0.38 ± 0.07 ‰). The variations in the Fe and Si isotopic data cannot be accounted for by local assimilation of the wall rocks, in situ fractional crystallization, late-stage fluid exsolution or some combination of these processes. Instead, we conclude that thermal diffusion or source magma variation is the most likely process producing Fe isotope ratio variations in the Torres del Paine pluton.     

内蒙古自治区重要矿种成矿规律综述

2007~2013年开展的内蒙古矿产资源潜力评价项目,对铁、铜、铅锌、金、银、钨、钼、铬、镍等重要矿种进行了区域成矿规律总结,为矿产资源潜力评价提供了基础资料。文章即是对该项工作部分成果的概括总结。主要进展包括:在全国Ⅲ级成矿区带划分的基础上,首次进行了覆盖全自治区的Ⅳ级成矿亚带的划分,共划分出34个Ⅳ级成矿亚带;对内蒙古铁、铜等11个重要矿种的主要矿床类型及成矿特征进行了概述,对其时空分布规律做了归纳,认为全区70%以上的矿床数量和资源储量均集中在Ⅲ_5、Ⅲ_6、Ⅲ_8、Ⅲ_10和Ⅲ_11五个成矿区带。此外,不同矿种甚至同一矿种,由于成矿地质背景的差异,在不同的三级区带中的分布也不一样。主要成矿期为元古宙和中生代,次为太古宙和晚古生代,不同矿种的重要成矿期也不完全相同。从区域演化的角度探讨了构造与成矿的关系,认为不同的构造演化阶段形成不同的矿床类型和不同矿种的矿床,其中,古大陆边缘裂谷带以白云鄂博式铁_稀土元素矿床为代表,而大兴安岭岩浆岩带则以产出与燕山期中酸性火山侵入杂岩有关的多金属矿产为特点。     

遥感综合信息在宁芜地区找矿预测中的应用

为了研究宁芜北段火山岩盆的矿产资源潜力及空间分布,本文以Landsat8中分辨率遥感数据及Pleiades1高分辨率遥感数据为数据源,综合运用目视解译法和多种遥感图像增强技术,结合区域成矿地质背景,对研究区进行了遥感影像解译,提取了与预测矿种密切相关的线、环、色、带、块遥感五要素。通过分析遥感五要素矿产地质特征与矿产点分布关系表明,研究区内的铁铜硫金矿床及星罗棋布的矿点大部分位于构造岩浆成矿亚带中,受区内北东向、东西向、北西向及其它断裂纵横交叉形成的断裂网格及火山机构控制,大多分布在数条断裂带交汇位置,另有一些分布在断裂带与环形构造的交汇处附近。基于主要的矿点受区内断裂网格及火山机构控制,遥感图像的综合地质信息特征与找矿目标紧密相联,说明了基于遥感图像的综合信息可以作为找矿预测的标志。