Argo floats revealing bimodality of large-scale mid-depth circulation in the North Atlantic

Analysis of Argo float trajectories at 1 000 m and temperature at 950 m in the North Atlantic between November 2003 and January 2005 demonstrates the existence of two different circulation modes with fast transition between them. Each mode has a pair of cyclonic - anticyclonic gyres. The difference is the location of the cyclonic gyre. The cyclonic gyre stretches from southeast to northwest in the first mode and from the southwest to the northeast in the second mode. The observed modes strongly affect the heat and salt transport in the North Atlantic. In particular, the second mode slows down the westward transport of the warm and saline water from the Mediterranean Sea.     

Thermal fronts and cross-frontal heat flux in the southern Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea

Synoptic features in/around thermal fronts and cross-frontal heat fluxes in the southern Huanghai./Yellow Sea and East China Sea （HES） were examined using the data collected from four airborne expendable bathythermograph surveys with horizontal approxmately 35 km and vertical 1 m（from the surface to 400 m deep） spacings. Since the fronts are strongly affected by HES current system, the synoptic thermal features in/around them represent the interaction of currents with surrounding water masses. These features can not be obtained from climatological data. The identified thermal features are listed as follows ： （ 1 ） multiple boundaries of cold water, asymmetric thermocline intrusion, locally-split front by homogeneous water of approxmately 18 ℃, and mergence of the front by the Taiwan Warm Current in/around summertime southern Cheju - Changjiang/Yangtze front and Tsushima front; （2） springtime frontal eddy-like feature around Tsushima front; （3） year-round cyclonic meandering and summertime temperature-inversion at the bottom of the surface mixed layer in Cheju - Tsushima front; and （4） multistructure of Kuroshio front. In the Kuroshio front the mean variance of vertical temperature gradient is an order of degree smaller than that in other HES fronts. The southern Cheju- Changjiang front and Cheju -Tsushima front are connected with each other in the summer with comparable cross-frontal temperature gradient. However, cross-frontal heat flux and lateral eddy diffusivity are stronger in the southern Cheju - Changjiang front. The cross-frontal heat exchange is the largest in the mixing zone between the modified Huanghai Sea bottom cold water and the Tsushima Warm Current, which is attributable to enhanced thermocline intrusions.     

Quantitative morphometric analysis of the Jama River profile in a tectonically active margin (Northwestern Ecuador)

The longitudinal profile of a river channel can be described in function of mathematical expressions. The logarithmic fit is the most used method to describe the relative equilibrium of a channel elevation profile. Rivers showing zones of high channel gradient and convex-upward profiles can be evaluated in function of the offset distance with respect to the logarithmic curve. The Jama River profile has been constructed using differential GPS data for the downstream reach and 4-m-grid DEM data base for the remaining headward profile. The resulting longitudinal profile shows a prominent knickpoint of about 80 m in elevation characterized by sharp local convexity. The offset distance in vertical direction from the logarithmic plot is interpreted as the successive accumulation of multiple uplift episodes associated with the Jama Fault System activity. The horizontal offset is suggested to represent the remaining retreated distance for the upstream propagation of the Jama knickpoint. The highly resistant Cretaceous rocks outcropping along the Jama knickpoint reach acts as an inflection point between two subprofiles that show well-fitted logarithmic curves, thereby representing a temporary partitioned equilibrium along the Jama River profile.     

Stratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Sediments from the Carpathian Bend Area, Romania

The Lower Cretaceous sediments of the Ceahl?u Nappe (from the bend region of the Romanian Carpathians) were investigated from lithological and micropaleontological (calcareous nannoplankton) points of view. Our investigations revealed that the studied deposits were sedimented within the latest Tithonian-Albian interval. The calcareous nannofossil assemblages of the turbidite calcareous successions (the Sinaia Formation) were assigned to the NJK-?NC5 calcareous nannofossil zones, which cover the Late Tithonian-Early Barremian interval. The sandy-shaly turbidites, which followed the calcareous turbidites of the Sinaia Formation, are Early Barremian-Early Albian in age (interval covered by the ?NC5-NC8 calcareous nannofossil zones). Because the studied deposited are mainly turbidites, many reworked nannofossils from older deposits are present in the calcareous nannofloras. Thus, some biozones (i.e., NC5), defined based on the last occurrences of nannofossils, could not be identified. The calcareous nannofossil assemblages are composed of Tethyan taxa (which dominate the nannofloras) and cosmopolitan taxa. During two intervals (the Late Valanginian and across the Barremian/Aptian boundary), Tethyan and cosmopolitan nannofossils, together with Boreal ones, were observed. This type of mixed calcareous nannoplankton assemblage is indicative for sea-level high-stand, which allows the nannofloral exchange between the Tethyan and Boreal realms, within the two-above mentioned intervals.     

Estimation of peak relative velocity and peak absolute acceleration of linear SDOF systems

In the seismic analysis and design of structures, the true velocity and absolute acceleration are usually approximated by their corresponding pseudo-values. This approach is simple and works well for structures with small damping (say, less than 15%). When the damping of a structure is enhanced for the purpose of response reduction, it may result in large analysis and design errors. Based on theory of random vibration and the established mechanism of seismic response spectra analysis, a method is developed (1) to predict the relative velocity spectra with any damping ratio level directly from the 5% standard pseudo-acceleration spectrum; and (2) to estimate the peak absolute acceleration. The accuracy of both is validated by using two selected ensembles of ground motion records.     

通用(Universal)钻探标准

两年前，在回转钻探设备的设计过程中，苏联人提出建立了一个全新的钻探标准，称作U标准——“U”代表通用”（Universal），即世界范围内通用的一种标准。该标准在一些基本设计中有着相当成功地应用。由于绳索取心技术应用范围的扩大，他们建议在可作套管用的一整套钻杆的基础上建立一整套常规岩心管、钻杆及套管等的标准。这正是Q系列钻杆的主要缺陷之一。因为这种钻杆不能用作全规格的整套钻具，AQ扩孔器不能通过BQ钻杆，大型号的钻杆则可使用。     

加拿大安大略赫姆洛帕格-威廉斯金矿的地层、断裂和金矿的关系

导论金矿出现在加拿大地盾的许多绿岩带中,具有多种地质环境并可被划分成许多矿床类型,包括最近在赫姆洛发现的类型。研究者对金矿的生成是受地层和构造控制已开展争论。赫姆洛的威廉斯矿区的帕格-威廉斯金矿包括A、B、C三带。三个地貌上各异的金矿,均赋存在独特的断层控制的地层层序中,其规模、岩石、构造、丰度、含金的     

澳大利亚昆士兰州雷德多姆(芒加纳)矽卡岩金矿床的地质和矿化作用

引言雷德多姆(Red Dome)金矿床位于澳大利亚昆士兰州东北部的奇拉戈(Chillagoe)附近(图1),目前由Elders矿产有限公司以露天开采方式开拓中,其地质储量有含金2g/t的矿石1380万吨。估计其它有用元素还有银4.6g/t、铜0.46％和锌1.0％。贱金属和贵金属产于斑状流纹岩墙与以碳酸盐为主的沉积岩接触处形成的矽卡岩内。既有内