Recovery of groundwater in the Sanriku region contaminated by the tsunami inundation from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Many wells in the Sanriku region used as sources for water supply systems were heavily contaminated by the tsunami of the 2011 great Tohoku earthquake on March 11 in 2011. To better understand the nature of the groundwater contamination by the tsunami inundation and to clarify the recovery process of contaminated groundwater at the study wells, groundwater monitoring has been conducted once or twice yearly since early summer in 2011. High and abnormal values of electric conductivity (EC), chloride ion concentration (CIC), Na⁺, Ca⁺, heavy metal ions, and heavier isotopes of the contaminated groundwater were also obtained in April and June 2011. The chemical elements have rapidly and exponentially decreased as a result of effective pumping of the contaminated groundwater from the study wells and because of abundant rainfall in 2011. In April 2015 (about 4 years after the tsunami inundation), the CIC and EC of the contaminated groundwater of two study wells in Minamisanriku town had reached pre-inundation values. The estimated residence times of groundwater of the two study wells were 105–118 days in the full-day pumping stage and 910–1000 days in the daytime-only pumping stage.     

Regional modelling of rainfall-induced runoff using hydrological model by incorporating plant cover effects: case study in Kelantan,Malaysia

The objective of this paper is to develop a spatial temporal runoff modelling of local rainfall patterns effect on the plant cover hilly lands in Kelantan River Basin. Rainfall interception loss based on leaf area index, loss/infiltration on the ground surface, and runoff calculation were considered as the main plant cover effects on the runoff volume. In this regard, a hydrological and geotechnical grid-based regional model (integrated model) was performed using Microsoft Excel^® and GIS framework system for deterministic modelling of rainfall-induced runoff by incorporating plant cover effects. The infiltration process of the current model was integrated with the precipitation distribution method and rainfall interception approach while the runoff analysis of integrated model was employed based on loss/infiltration water on the ground surface with consideration of water interception loss by canopy and the remaining surface water. In the following, the spatial temporal analysis of rainfall-induced runoff was performed using 10 days of hourly rainfall events at the end of December 2014 in Kelantan River Basin. The corresponding changes in pressure head and consequent rate of infiltration were calculated during rainfall events. Subsequently, flood volume is computed using local rainfall patterns, along with water interception loss and the remaining surface water in the study area. The results showed the land cover changes caused significant differences in hydrological response to surface water. The increase in runoff volume of the Kelantan River Basin is as a function of deforestation and urbanization, especially converting the forest area to agricultural land (i.e. rubber and mixed agriculture).     

Oil geochemistry derived from the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oilfields: insight from light hydrocarbons

A suite of 27 oils from the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oilfields in the Lishu Fault Depression of the Songliao Basin was analyzed using whole oil gas chromatography. In combination with the relative distribution of C₂₇, C₂₈, and C₂₉ regular steranes, detailed geochemical analyses of light hydrocarbons in oil samples revealed crude oils characterized by the dual input of lower aquatic organisms and higher terrestrial plants. Several light hydrocarbon indicators suggest that the liquid hydrocarbons have maturities equivalent to vitrinite reflectances of around 0.78%–0.93%. This is consistent with the maturity determination of steranes C₂₉ 20S/(20S + 20R) and C₂₉ ααβ/(ααα + αββ). Crude oils derived from the two distinct oilfields likely both have source rocks deposited in a lacustrine environment based on light hydrocarbon parameters and on higher molecular weight hydrocarbon parameters. The results show that light hydrocarbon data in crude oils can provide important information for understanding the geochemical characteristics of the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oils during geologic evolution.     

Stream Restoration Performance and Its Contribution to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL: Challenges Posed by Climate Change in Urban Areas

In large part driven by total maximum daily load (TMDL) mandates, the restoration community in the Chesapeake Bay region has been implementing novel best management practices (BMPs) and stream restoration designs in urban areas, such as regenerative stream/stormwater conveyance (RSC) structures and stream-wetland complexes (SWCs). However, the nutrient and sediment reduction efficiencies of these novel designs are virtually unknown, and the possibility of increasing riverine flow in the Chesapeake Bay watershed associated with climate change this century necessitates an evaluation of their performance to develop and utilize those that optimize reductions in nutrient and sediment fluxes. We compare pre- and post-construction loads (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total suspended solids (TSS)) from RSCs (i.e., upland BMPs) and a SWC (i.e., stream restoration) constructed at the outflow of a highly developed watershed in the Coastal Plain physiographic province of Maryland. The largest of the two RSCs performed best in relation to expected nutrient and sediment reductions because of superior water retention capability. By the length of river reach restored, the SWC attained from 79 to 88% of its N reduction TMDL goal, but only 19 to 23 and 2.7 to 3.1% for TP and TSS, respectively; by watershed area, % attainments of TMDL goals were much lower. Results indicate that SWCs have the potential to curtail N loading from developed catchments, but additional water quality benefits may be limited. Climate change projections indicate that there will be an increased frequency of larger-volume storms that will result in an increase in stormflow runoff from urban areas, and increased pollutant loads will likely curtail potential gains made by efforts to achieve TMDL goals. Given the large-scale implementation of BMPs currently underway to accommodate the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, the restoration community needs to adopt a concerted strategy of building climate resilience into many types of urban BMPs to help attain and maintain loads at TMDL levels in anticipation of a progressively wetter climate throughout this century.     

Calibrating nonparametric cellular automata with a generalized additive model to simulate dynamic urban growth

Understanding factors that drive urban growth is essential to cellular automata (CA) based urban modeling. Multicollinearity among correlated factors may cause negative effects when building CA transition rules, leading to a decrease in simulation accuracy. We use a nonparametric generalized additive model (GAM) to evaluate these relationships through flexible smooth functions to capture the dynamics of urban growth. A GAM-based CA (termed GAM-CA) model was then developed to simulate the rapid urban growth in Shanghai, China from 2000 to 2015. GAM highlights the significance of each candidate factor driving urban growth during the past 15 years. Compared to logistic regression, the GAM-CA transition rules fitted the observed data better and yielded improved overall accuracy and hence more realistic urban growth patterns. The new CA model has great potential for capturing key driving factors to simulate dynamic urban growth, and can predict future scenarios under various spatial constraints and conditions.     

Discovery of scandium enrichment and its geological significance in the Dawanshan Neoproterozoic metamorphic basalts from the Mouding area in Central Yunnan Province,ChinaSCIEI北大核心CSCD

钪(Sc)是世界各国竞相争夺的关键金属矿产资源之一。滇中牟定大弯山变质玄武岩厚度>36.5m,出露面积0.5km^(2),形成时代为新元古代南华纪(781.3±1.9Ma)。本文对该变质玄武岩开展了全岩地球化学分析、全自动矿物分析(TESCAN TIMA)观测、NPPM薄片区域面扫和单矿物原位LA-ICPMS分析等研究,结果显示变质玄武岩全岩Sc含量为47.0×10^(-6)~97.9×10^(-6),平均含量为69.1×10^(-6),钪氧化物(Sc_(2)O_(3))平均含量为106×10^(-6),变质玄武岩空间Sc矿化特征稳定,具有形成钪矿资源的潜力。同时,变质玄武岩共伴生有钛和铁矿化,全岩TiO_(2)含量为2.57×10^(-2)~6.13×10^(-2),平均为4.25×10^(-2);TFe含量为13.3×10^(-2)~23.7×10^(-2),平均为17.7×10^(-2)。Sc可能存在类质同象和离子相两种赋存形式,类质同象形式Sc主要赋存于钛铁矿和金红石矿物中,钛铁矿中Sc含量为70.0×10^(-6)~168×10^(-6),平均值为108×10^(-6);金红石中Sc含量高达297×10^(-6);而磁铁矿、黑云母等矿物中Sc含量较低,均低于全岩Sc含量,对全岩Sc矿化贡献较小。牟定大弯山Sc矿化与以往报道侵入岩及其风化壳中Sc矿化在富集特征、赋存岩性和载体矿物等方面不同,是变质火山岩中新发现的Sc矿化信息,显示了较好的找矿潜力,对Sc资源勘查和研究具有重要指示意义。     

2010年1月24日山西河津-万荣MS4.8地震的震源机制解与发震构造探讨

2010年1月24日,山西省运城市河津-万荣交界地区发生Ms4.8地震.由于本次地震强度较低,并未形成地表破裂带,分析其发震构造具有一定的困难.地震现场工作队只能根据浅层人工地震剖面、附近钻孔资料、烈度等震线长轴和震中区附近活动断裂等来推定,认为西辛封隐伏断裂为可能的发震断裂.为此,下面我们将在分析本次地震的震源机制解、序列三维空间分布特征的基础上,结合本次地震的宏观考察结果,确定其发震构造并探讨发震机理.     

汶川地震引发高速远程滑坡运动机理数值模拟研究——以谢家店子滑坡为例

针对汶川地震引发的谢家店子滑坡,在现场调查分析的基础上,建立了二维离散元数值模拟模型,采用2D-Block软件对其进行了全过程的数值模拟研究,并通过对跟踪块体的深入分析,研究了相应地质体在不同阶段下的运动特征。模拟结果表明,谢家店子滑坡经历了剧动启程抛掷阶段、快速撞击飞行阶段、铲刮减速碎屑流阶段及堆积掩埋阶段。为了揭示地震引发高速滑坡的发生规律,分别研究了地震震级、斜坡地形和斜坡上岩块的尺寸对高速滑坡启动和运动过程的影响规律。地震震级对边坡的启动、变形、破坏和运动有很大的影响,地震震级越大,滑体启动的加速度和速度也就越大,从而易形成高速远程滑坡。斜坡体本身的地形地貌对滑体运动也有较大影响。在震级和岩石力学参数一定的条件下,斜坡上岩块的大小对其启动、变形和运动过程有一定影响,随着岩块的增大,滑体运动的每个阶段历时都在减小,但当岩体十分破碎时,滑体虽然能够运动,但是很难发生抛掷。将地震滑坡的启动机理概括为积累变形效应、振荡启程效应和振荡加速效应。     

Are real-world shallow landslides reproducible by physically-based models? Four test cases in the Laternser valley,Vorarlberg (Austria)

In contrast to the complex nature of slope failures, physically-based slope stability models rely on simplified representations of landslide geometry. Depending on the modelling approach, landslide geometry is reduced to a slope-parallel layer of infinite length and width (e.g., the infinite slope stability model), a concatenation of rigid bodies (e.g., Janbu’s model), or a 3D representation of the slope failure (e.g., Hovland’s model). In this paper, the applicability of four slope stability models is tested at four shallow landslide sites where information on soil material and landslide geometry is available. Soil samples were collected in the field for conducting respective laboratory tests. Landslide geometry was extracted from pre- and post-event digital terrain models derived from airborne laser scanning. Results for fully saturated conditions suggest that a more complex representation of landslide geometry leads to increasingly stable conditions as predicted by the respective models. Using the maximum landslide depth and the median slope angle of the sliding surfaces, the infinite slope stability model correctly predicts slope failures for all test sites. Applying a 2D model for the slope failures, only two test sites are predicted to fail while the two other remain stable. Based on 3D models, none of the slope failures are predicted correctly. The differing results may be explained by the stabilizing effects of cohesion in shallower parts of the landslides. These parts are better represented in models which include a more detailed landslide geometry. Hence, comparing the results of the applied models, the infinite slope stability model generally yields a lower factor of safety due to the overestimation of landslide depth and volume. This simple approach is considered feasible for computing a regional overview of slope stability. For the local scale, more detailed studies including comprehensive material sampling and testing as well as regolith depth measurements are necessary.     

Petrography and geochemistry of Jurassic sandstones from the Jhuran Formation of Jara dome,Kachchh basin,India: Implications for provenance and tectonic setting

Sandstones of Jhuran Formation from Jara dome, western Kachchh, Gujarat, India were studied for major, trace and rare earth element (REE) geochemistry to deduce their paleo-weathering, tectonic setting, source rock characteristics and provenance. Petrographic analysis shows that sandstones are having quartz grains with minor amount of K-feldspar and lithic fragments in the modal ratio of Q ₈₉:F ₇:L ₄. On the basis of geochemical results, sandstones are classified into arkose, sub-litharenite, wacke and quartz arenite. The corrected CIA values indicate that the weathering at source region was moderate to intense. The distribution of major and REE elements in the samples normalized to upper continental crust (UCC) and chondrite values indicate similar pattern of UCC. The tectonic discrimination diagram based on the elemental concentrations and elemental ratios of Fe₂O₃ + MgOvs. TiO₂, SiO₂ vs. log(K₂O/Na₂O), Sc/Cr vs. La/Y, Th–Sc–Zr/10, La–Th–Sc plots Jhuran Formation samples in continental rift and collision settings. The plots of Ni against TiO₂, La/Sc vs. Th/Co and V–Ni–Th ?10 reveals that the sediments of Jhuran Formation were derived from felsic rock sources. Additionally, the diagram of (Gd/Yb) _N against Eu/Eu ^? suggest the post-Archean provenance as source possibly Nagar Parkar complex for the studied samples.