Investigation of ground rotational motions caused by direct and scattered P-waves from the 4 March 2008 TAIGER explosion experiment

High-frequency rotational motions of P-waves and coda waves were analysed using rotation rate sensors and strong motion array data from the 4 March 2008 TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) explosion experiment in northeastern Taiwan. Theoretical and observational investigations focussed on the effects of this experiment on the free surface. The main goal of this study was to explore possible applications of combined measurements of artificial explosion-derived translational and rotational motions. Also investigated was the consistent ground rotation observed directly by rotation rate sensors and derived using translational seismic arrays. Common near-source high-frequency rotational motion observations and array-recorded translational motions from one shallow borehole explosion are analysed in this study. Using a half-space assumption of plane P-wave propagation across the recording site, we conclude that: (1) rotational motions induced by direct P-waves interacting with a free surface in theory can be used to estimate wave radial direction, velocity and anisotropic properties; (2) rotational motions derived from scattering are predominant among the observed rotations during the TAIGER explosion experiments and allow us to image the heterogeneous structure of the medium at the investigated site; and (3) rotation sensor measurements undertaken during TAIGER explosion experiments may be affected by cross-axis sensitivities, which need to be considered when using the data obtained during these experiments.     

Toward state-of-the-art techniques in predicting and controlling slope stability in open-pit mines based on limit equilibrium analysis,radial basis function neural network,and brainstorm optimization

Acta Geotechnica - This study aims to propose state-of-the-art techniques in predicting and controlling slope stability in open-pit mines based on limit equilibrium analysis, artificial neural...     

Evaluation of multiple stochastic rainfall generators in diverse climatic regions

Long term synthetic precipitation data are useful for water resources planning and management. Commonly stochastic weather generator (SWG) models are useful to produce synthetic time series of unlimited length of weather data based on the statistical characteristics of observed weather at a given location. However, it is difficult to find a single model which works best for all weather (climate) patterns. The objective of this study is to evaluate five different SWG models namely CLIGEN, ClimGen, LARS-WG, RainSim and WeatherMan to generate precipitation at three diverse climatic regions: a Mediterranean climate of western USA, temperate climate of eastern Australia and tropical monsoon region in northern Vietnam. The performance of SWG models to generate precipitation characteristics (i.e., precipitation occurrence; wet and dry spell; and precipitation intensity on wet days) varies between three selected climatic regimes. It was observed that the second order Markov chain (ClimGen and WeatherMan) performed well for all three selected regions in generating precipitation occurrence statistics. All models are able to simulate the ratio of wet/dry spell lengths with respect to observed precipitation. The RainSim performed well in reproducing wet/dry spell lengths in comparison to other models for wetter regions in Australia and Vietnam. ClimGen and WeatherMan are the two best models in simulating precipitation in the western USA, followed by CLIGEN and LARS. Similarly, ClimGen and WMAN are the two best models for synthetic precipitation generation for eastern Australian and northern Vietnam stations, but CLIGEN performs poorly over these regions. All SWG model performed differently with respect to climatic regimes, therefore careful validation is required depending on the weather pattern as well as its application in different water resources sectors. Although our findings are preliminary in nature, however, in order to generalize the performance of SWG’s in a given climate type, it is recommended that more number of stations needs to be evaluated in future studies.     

The Early Triassic Indosinian orogeny in Vietnam (Truong Son Belt and Kontum Massif); implications for the geodynamic evolution of Indochina

New structural field data at various scale and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar geochronological results, from the basement rocks in the Truong Son belt and Kontum Massif of Vietnam, confirm that ductile deformation and high-temperature metamorphism were caused by the Early Triassic event of the Indosinian Orogeny in the range of 250–240 Ma. A compilation of isotopic data obtained in other countries along the Sibumasu–Indochina boundary broadly indicates same interval of ages. This tectonothermal event is interpreted as the result of a synchronous oblique collision of Indochina with both Sibumasu and South China, inducing dextral and sinistral shearing along E–W to NW–SE and N–S fault zones, respectively. The collision along Song Ma follows the northwards subduction of Indochina beneath South China and the subsequent development of the Song Da zone which in turn was affected by the Late Triassic Indosinian phase of shortening. Within the Indochina plate, internal collisions occurred coevally in the Early Triassic, as along the Poko suture, at the western border of the Kontum Massif.     

Study the elastic properties and the anisotropy of rocks using different machine learning methods

This paper aims to demonstrate that the elastic stiffnesses and the anisotropic parameters of rocks can be accurately predicted from geophysical features such as the porosity, the density, the compression stress, the pore pressure and the burial depth using relevant machine learning methods. It also suggests that the extreme gradient boosting method is the best method for this purpose. It is more accurate, extremely faster to train and more robust than the artificial neural networks and the support vector machine methods. Very high R-squared scores was obtained for the predicted elastic stiffnesses of a relevant dataset that is available in the literature. This dataset contains different types of rocks, and the values of the features are in large ranges. An optimal set of parameters was obtained by considering an appropriate sensitivity analysis. The optimized model is very easy to implement in Python for practical applications.     

Groundwater recharge in suburban areas of Hanoi,Vietnam: effect of decreasing surface-water bodies and land-use change

Over-exploited groundwater is expected to remain the predominant source of domestic water in suburban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam. In order to evaluate the effect on groundwater recharge, of decreasing surface-water bodies and land-use change caused by urbanization, the relevant groundwater systems and recharge pathways must be characterized in detail. To this end, water levels and water quality were monitored for 3 years regarding groundwater and adjacent surface-water bodies, at two typical suburban sites in Hanoi. Stable isotope (δ¹⁸O, δD of water) analysis and hydrochemical analysis showed that the water from both aquifers and aquitards, including the groundwater obtained from both the monitoring wells and the neighboring household tubewells, was largely derived from evaporation-affected surface-water bodies (e.g., ponds, irrigated farmlands) rather than from rivers. The water-level monitoring results suggested distinct local-scale flow systems for both a Holocene unconfined aquifer (HUA) and Pleistocene confined aquifer (PCA). That is, in the case of the HUA, lateral recharge through the aquifer from neighboring ponds and/or irrigated farmlands appeared to be dominant, rather than recharge by vertical rainwater infiltration. In the case of the PCA, recharge by the above-lying HUA, through areas where the aquitard separating the two aquifers was relatively thin or nonexistent, was suggested. As the decrease in the local surface-water bodies will likely reduce the groundwater recharge, maintaining and enhancing this recharge (through preservation of the surface-water bodies) is considered as essential for the sustainable use of groundwater in the area.

     

Technical Note Calculation of Mohr-Coulomb Parameters for Rocks of Doha,Qatar

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Among practitioners, designers and researchers, modern-day geotechnical software packages still predominantly use Mohr-Coulomb (MC) input modeling...     

Semi-Analytical Solution for Stresses and Displacements in a Tunnel Excavated in Transversely Isotropic Formation with Non-Linear Behavior

A semi-analytical solution based on the transfer matrix technique is proposed to analyze the stresses and displacements in a two-dimensional circular opening excavated in transversely isotropic formation with non-linear behavior. A non-isotropic far field can be accounted for and the process of excavation is simulated by progressive reduction of the internal radial stress. A hyperbolic stress–strain law is proposed to take into account the non-linear behavior of the rock. The model contains seven independent parameters corresponding to the five elastic constants of an elastic material with transverse isotropy and to the friction coefficient and cohesion along the parallel joints (weakness planes). This approach is based on the discretization of the space into concentric rings. It requires the establishment of elementary solutions corresponding to the stress and displacement fields inside each ring for given conditions at its boundaries. These solutions, based on complex variable theory, are obtained in the form of infinite series. The appropriate number of terms to be kept for acceptable approximation is discussed. This non-linear model is applied to back analyze the convergence measurements of Saint-Martin-la-Porte access gallery. Short-term and long-term ground parameters are evaluated.     

Characteristics of groundwater in karstic region in northeastern Vietnam

The groundwater in the karst region of northeastern Vietnam is found in various structural zones such as the Ha Lang, Song Hien, Hon Gai, Song Lo, Song Gam, and Hoang Lien Son Zones, etc. Results from this study show that groundwater in this region is at different depths: ~120 m deep at Quang Ninh, ~100 m at Lang Son, ~80 m at Cao Bang (The most water-abundant depth observed at Cao Bang varies from 40 to 45 m) while it varies from 18–25 to 80 m deep at Quan Ba (Ha Giang), especially at Meo Vac (Ha Giang), where groundwater is observed at 700–800 m deep (equivalent to local base level of the Nho Que River). Overall, groundwater in the region is fresh with total minerals varying from 250 to 400 mg/l; except for the coastal area of Quang Ninh, where groundwater is characterized by much higher total minerals (M = 3–18 g/l) due to the mixing with the saline sea water. The chemistry of water in the region demonstrates that the water is mainly bicarbonate with a [HCO₃ ^?] concentration varying from 150 to 265 mg/l, pH is of 6.5–8.1, and its hardness is of 3.7–6.0 meq/l.     

Origin and extent of fresh groundwater, salty paleowaters and recent saltwater intrusions in Red River flood plain aquifers, Vietnam

A model has been established on the origin and extent of fresh groundwater, salty paleowaters and saltwater from recent seawater intrusions in the Red River flood plain in Vietnam. This was done with geological observations, geophysical borehole logging and transient electromagnetic methods. Salt paleowater is present up to 50–75?km from the coastline, with occurrence controlled by the Holocene transgression. A density-driven leaching of salty porewater has occurred from high-permeability Holocene sediments into underlying Pleistocene deposits, whereas diffusion has dominated in low-permeability layers. In the Pleistocene aquifer, the highest content of dissolved solids is found below two intrinsic valleys with Holocene marine sediments and along the coastline. Recent intrusion of saltwater from the South China Sea is observed in shallow groundwater 35?km inland, probably a result of transport of salty water inland in rivers or leaching of paleowaters from very young near-coast marine sediments. The observed inverted salinity profile, with high saline water overlying fresher groundwater, has been formed due to the global eustatic sea-level changes during the last 8,000–9,000?years. The proposed model may therefore be applicable to other coastal aquifers, with a proper incorporation of the local geological environments.