Stone movement on hillslopes in the Mojave Desert,California: A 16-year record

Previous research has shown that either hydraulic action or creep may be the dominant process transporting coarse debris down hillslopes in the American Southwest. This study analyses the movement over 16 years of painted stones on two hillslopes in the central Mojave Desert to ascertain which of these two processes dominate in this region. The distance moved (M) is found to be directly related to length of overland flow (X) and hillslope gradient (S), and inversely related to particle size (D). The fact that M is more highly correlated with X than with S suggests that hydraulic action rather than creep is the dominant process. It is concluded that this is probably the case over most of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts on slopes up to at least 24°, and that it is only at higher elevations where winters are more severe that creep may become dominant.     

Deep structure of southeastern europe from Rayleigh waves

The analysis of Rayleigh-wave phase velocities up to about 250 s has allowed of deepening structural knowledge, down to several hundred kilometers underneath the triangular array formed by the WWSSN stations Athens-Istanbul-L'Aquila. For the path L'Aquila-Istanbul a lid-to-low velocity channel contrast of variable size is always present, while for the other two paths. Athens-Istanbul and Athens-L'Aquila. two alternative patterns are possible, one indicating the presence of a contrast between lid and low-velocity channel, the other suggesting the absence of significant layering down to depths of about 350 km.     

Beckenried viaduct: Foundation problems in a creeping slope

Summary The 3150 m long Beckenried viaduct traverses an unstable creeping, slope, the surface of the sound rock lying at depths from 10 to 60 m. Altogether 44 of the total 58 piers of the bridge founded on the sound rock had to be protected by shafts against the creeping soil and loosened rock layers. Based on geological explorations and previous monitoring of the slope displacements the clearance between the rectangular concrete piers and the elliptical shafts was specified to be 1.5 m in the dip direction of the slope and up to ±1.0 m in lateral direction. In order to avoid failure of the shafts due to the unusually large slope movements likely to occur during the service life of the viaduct, an entirely new design concept was applied. It involves flexible shafts consisting of four main parts, namely a rigid shaft collar, articulated ring elements, a rigid trapezoidal cylinder and basal displacement rings resting on the pier footing. Fundamentally, this design permits both: sliding of the shaft as a whole along particular slip surfaces in the loosened rock at depth but also differential displacements due to the creep of the soil strata above it. The sliding at the base contributes to 50% and more to the total surface movements. The shafts also serve as a permanent drainage system for the highly water sensitive slope material. The paper describes the criteria upon which the novel design of the individual shafts were made and also particular constructional details. After a construction period of only four years the bridge opened to traffic in December 1980. Observations made on the completed structure indicate a behaviour of the slope and the shafts which is well in accordance with the predictions.     

Die Genese der stratiformen Sulfidlagerstätte Kalwang (Steiermark), der Grünsteinserie und einer assoziierten silikatreichen Eisenformation

Zusammenfassung Die bearbeitete Lagerstätte ist dem Typ submarin exhalativer Bildung zuzuordnen. Grünschiefermetamorphe Nebengesteine (ehemalige vulkanosedimentäre Abfolge) unterlagenin situ einer hydrothermalen Alteration. Metallösungen (hot brines), welche zur Bildung der Sulfidlager führten, eruptierten im Bereich submariner Fumarolen. Sie entstammten Interaktionen meteorischer Wässer mit vulkanogenen In- und Extrusivprodukten. Die Lösungen bildeten schichtgebundene Erzlager, die zoniert als hoch-bis niedrigtemperierte Bildung vorliegen. Eine assoziierte silikatreiche Eisenformation schließt die Vererzung sowie die vulkanische Tätigkeit ab. Die Grüngesteine werden als Metabasite kontinentaler bis ozeanbodentholeiitischer Edukte gedeutet. Hinsichtlich der geotektonischen Situation verweisen alle Merkmale auf das Milieu einer MORB-Typ assoziierten, alterationsbedingten sulfidischen Vererzung als Folgeprodukt zunehmender Ozeanisierung eines kontinentalen Riftbereiches.

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Genesis of the Kalwang stratiform sulphide deposit, Styria, Austria, and of associated metavolcanics and siliceous banded iron formation

Summary The Kaiwang copper deposit (Styria, Austria) occurs within a Lower Paleozoic volcanosedimentary sequence which forms part of the extensive Nördliche Grauwackenzone of the Eastern Alps. Stratiform bodies of pyrite (0.02–0.05% Ni; 0.05–0.08%Co)-chalcopyrite and (Ni,Co-free) pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite ores are associated with mafic metavolcanic rocks; metapelites and marbles are also present in the ore environment. Comprehensive analyses of major and trace elements suggest that the metavolcanites have been derived from tholeiites of intraplate-to ocean floor affinity linked to the development of an intracontinental rift. Regional metamorphism of lower greenschist grade was preceded by spilitization of the volcanic rocks. Mineralization at Kalwang is submarine-exhalative; some copper sulphides have been deposited in supply channels prior to reaching the sea floor. Towards the hanging-wall, the ore-bearing sequence is terminated by a two metres thick manganiferous iron formation; manganese is concentrated almost exclusively in spessartine garnet. The BIF has been derived from a manganiferous, chamositic precursor sediment. Stratabound base metal deposits further west in the Northern Greywacke Zone show similar evolutionary trends; this points towards a coherent metallogenetic pattern for this important tectonic unit.

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Mit 12 Abbildungen     

Salt efflorescences and Saline lakes; a distributional analysis

Salt lakes and salt efflorescences are a common phenomenon of many arid zones. Rocks weather rapidly in the presence of saline materials, and the rate of such weathering may be controlled by the mineralogy of the salts concerned. The distribution of the main salt types is presented for the polar deserts of Antarctica and the Arctic, and for the warmer deserts of Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. There is great variety in the types of salts encountered and marked differences between different regions, with, for example, Australia being dominated by sodium chloride (halite) and southern Canada by the sulphates of magnesium and sodium. The possible causes of such variability and its pattern are analysed in terms of the nature of inputs into drainage basins and the various changes that take place within basins. Finally, it is apparent that in those situations when weathering has been observed as an active process there are a great many different salts involved.     

The winterstorm “Vivian” of 27 February 1990: About the meteorological development,wind forces and damage situation in the forests of Switzerland

Summary During the months January and February 1990 a series of severe cyclones were responsible for enormous wind-induced damage in Europe. The final of this series, on 27 February 1990, cyclone Vivian mainly affected the alpine valleys of Switzerland. 5 Millions m³ of timber were felled by the severe winds, a record number in this century. A complete damage survey of the deforested areas offers in combination with meteorological data an unique data set for a detailed case study of this extreme event.This paper describes the general meteorological development from the synoptic scale down to the mesoscale of Switzerland and presents a general overview of the damage situation. The main results show that a rare situation of a straight frontal zone stretching over the whole Atlantic Ocean and showing a strong gradient in temperature pointed directly toward Central-Europe. Two waves formed along this elongated polar front and deepend rapidly to depressions. The first low travelled on the southernmost trajectory of the whole storm series and affected Switzerland most. North of the Alps the prefrontal warm air was blocked to the east by the arriving coldfront and had to escape into the complex terrain of the alpine valleys. There, the stormy winds were strengthened by channelizing and Föhn effects. The large temperature gradient between the prefrontal and the incoming air masses induced thunderstorm activity which vortices and downdrafts might have enhanced locally. As a result most of the damaged forested areas were found between 1200 and 1600 m MSL on slopes, which were mainly exposed toward the prevailing NW-winds. A comparison of extreme wind speeds for the period 1978–1992 revealed that this event's extreme high speed of 74.5 m/s, measured at a high elevated pass station in the mountains, was exceptional. For lower elevated stations the wind speeds were high but in the range of other observed extreme values. In addition to the severe wind forces the duration of sustained high wind speed was exceptionally long during February 1990.With 16 Figures     

Isotope evidence for ijolite formation by fenitization: Sr−Nd data of ijolites from the type locality Iivaara,Finland

Ijolites from the type locality at Iivaara, Finland, form a continuous series of magmatic rocks ranging from urtites to melteigites. Both Ni and Cr, but also the large ion lithophile light-rare-earth elements, Zr, Hf, Nb, Rb, Sr and Ba are low in concentration. The Nd contents equal those of the neighboring fenites, Sr is distinctly less abundant, and there is no significant Eu anomaly. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of the ijolites demonstrate a systematic covariation between the data of carbonaties from the Kola Alkaline Province (_Sr – 13.8, _Nd + 5.6) and those of the fenites at Iivaara (_Sr + 132.9, _Nd – 24.7) with _Sr varying from +0.3 to +23.9 and _Nd varying from-9.2 to-19.3. The trace element abundances and the isotopic data give evidence for a crystallization of the rocks from a liquid generated by melting (rheomorphism) of high-grade fenitized country rocks rather than from a primary mantle-derived magma which was contaminated at crustal levels. The fenitization of wall rocks preceding the ijolite magma formation was clement selective. Mixing of elements during the fenitization process between the designated components carbonatite (or derivative fenitizing fluid) and wall rock should have been dynamical depending on the stability of the wall rock mineral assemblages in contact with the fenitizing fluids, the migration velocity of these fluids, and their capacity of the respective elements. Such dynamical mixing explains best the variation of the isotope ratios withont systematic covariation of the respective element concentrations.     

Numerical simulation of turbulent convective flow over wavy terrain

By means of a large-eddy simulation, the convective boundary layer is investigated for flows over wavy terrain. The lower surface varies sinusoidally in the downstream direction while remaining constant in the other. Several cases are considered with amplitude up to 0.15H and wavelength ofH to 8H, whereH is the mean fluid-layer height. At the lower surface, the vertical heat flux is prescribed to be constant and the momentum flux is determined locally from the Monin-Obukhov relationship with a roughness lengthz _o=10^–4 H. The mean wind is varied between zero and 5w _*, wherew _* is the convective velocity scale. After rather long times, the flow structure shows horizontal scales up to 4H, with a pattern similar to that over flat surfaces at corresponding shear friction. Weak mean wind destroys regular spatial structures induced by the surface undulation at zero mean wind. The surface heating suppresses mean-flow recirculation-regions even for steep surface waves. Short surface waves cause strong drag due to hydrostatic and dynamic pressure forces in addition to frictional drag. The pressure drag increases slowly with the mean velocity, and strongly with /H. The turbulence variances increase mainly in the lower half of the mixed layer forU/w _*>2.     

Limiting wave growth for electron cyclotron waves

Quasilinear weak diffusion theory presented by Kennel and Petschek (1966) and advanced by Schulz and Davidson (1988) is further extended to put an upper limit on the growth of electron cyclotron waves. It is shown that the power gain of whistler mode electron cyclotron wave (other than plasmaspheric hiss) can not exceed 40 dB. Inside the outer radiation belt, the upper limit of temporal wave growth is 350 rad s^–1 and normalised wave growth is 0.017. The limits are independent of the kind of the electron diffusion and are applicable for on the equator/off the equator locations of wave-particle interactions.     

The vorticity and angular momentum budgets of Asian summer monsoon

The study delineates the vorticity and angular momentum balances of Asian summer monsoon during the evolution and established phases. It also elucidates the differences between these balances in the National Centre for Environmental Prediction/National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (NCMRWF) analysis fields. The NCEP/NCAR reanalysis for a 40 year period (1958-97) and the NCMRWF analysis for a three year (1994-96) period are made use of for the purpose. The time mean summer monsoon circulation is bifurcated into stable mean and transient eddy components and the mean component is elucidated. The generation of vorticity due to stretching of isobars balances most of the vorticity transported out of the monsoon domain during the evolution period. However, during the established period, the transportation by the relative and planetary vorticity components exceeds the generation due to stretching. The effective balancing mechanism is provided by vorticity generation due to sub-grid scale processes. The flux convergence of omega and relative momenta over the monsoon domain is effectively balanced by pressure torque during the evolution and established phases. Nevertheless, the balance is stronger during the established period due to the increase in the strength of circulation. Both the NCMRWF and NCEP fields indicate the mean features related to vorticity and angular momentum budgets realistically. Apart from the oceanic bias (strong circulation over oceans rather than continents), the summer monsoon circulation indicated by the NCEP is feeble compared to NCMRWF. The significant terms in the large-scale budgets of vorticity and angular momentum enunciate this aspect