Laboratory Modeling of Aftershock Sequences: Stress Dependences of the Omori and Gutenberg–Richter Parameters

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Laboratory experiments on studying the aftershock regime are carried out on sandstone specimens at different levels of axial loading and uniform compression...     

On the Differences Between Odd and Even Solar Cycles

It is proposed that the observed differences between odd and even solar cycles are a consequence of the nonlinear interactions that provide the stabilizing mechanism for the cycle's amplitude. If, for example, the magnetic field is larger than average for a given cycle (say odd), the nonlinear feedback mechanism can generate a magnetic field that is smaller than average for the next cycle (even), and then one that is larger than average for the following cycle (odd), etc. As a consequence the odd cycles have larger amplitudes than even cycles. A very simply model having a nonlinear interaction that reproduces this behavior is discussed.     

Knowledge of the three French underground laboratory sites

From March 1994 to August 1996, ANDRA conducted a large reconnaissance work on three sites for possible underground research laboratories. These surveys highlighted for each site the presence of a geological formation, the properties of which meet the requirements of the French Fundamental Safety Rules. On the East site, the selected formation is a 130 m thick argillite layer. On the Gard site the layer is composed of close-packed siltites which are 200–400 m thick. On the Vienne site a hercynian granodiorite batholith was found under a 160 m thick jurassic overdurden.     

Structure and physics of solar faculae

The OSO-8 satellite enabled us to study various characteristics of the profiles of Si ii, Si iv, C iv, and O vi lines above active areas of the Sun, as well as above quiet areas, and to derive some physical properties of the transition region between chromosphere and corona (CCT): (i) The study of the lines shows a general tendency for the microvelocity fields on the average to be nearly constant for the heights corresponding to T > 10⁵ K; however they seem to slightly increase with height in quiet areas, and decrease in active areas. (ii) A multicomponent model of the CCT is however quite necessary, and its geometry is far from being a set of plane-parallel columns. It is similar to an association of moving knots within the non-moving principal component of the matter. (iii) The proportion of mass, in the knots relative to that in the non-moving component, is several times larger in active regions than in quiet regions. (iv) In the knots, the non-thermal microvelocity fields are smaller in active regions and seem to decrease for T increasing above 10⁵ K, contrary to what happens in the steady principal component. Of course, we consider that microturbulence and Doppler shift are two aspects of the same distribution of velocity.     

Statistical investigations of the physical properties of radio sources

Six complete samples of radio sources have been analysed by the Spearman rank and the Spearman partial-rank correlation coefficients. The relations between the radio luminosities and linear sizes as well as between linear sizes and redshift indicate that the observed angular diameter-redshift diagram may be explained by the changes of linear sizes with radio luminosity of radio sources.     

Anomalous behavior of tellurium abundances

The cosmic abundance of Te is larger than for any element with atomic number greater than 40, but it is one of the least abundant elements in the earth's lithosphere and it is one of the five elements never reported in sea water. On the other hand, it is the fourth most abundant trace element in the human body (after Fe, Zn, and Rb), and is unusually abundant in human food. It is shown that the high abundance in human food combined with the low abundance in soil requires that it be picked up by plant roots very much more efficiently than any other trace element.