Monoclinal bending of strata over laccolithic intrusions

Sedimentary strata on top of some laccolithic intrusions are nearly horizontal and little deformed, but are bent into steeply dipping monoclinal flexures over the peripheries of these intrusions. This form of bending is not explained by previous theories of laccolithic intrusion, which predict either horizontal undeformed strata over the center and faulted strata around the periphery, or strata bent continuously into a dome. However, a slight generalization of these theories accomodates the observed form and contains the previous forms as special cases. A critical assumption is that the strength of contacts within a multilayered overburden is overcome locally by layer-parallel shear. If this strength is less than the strength of the layers themselves, then layers over the center remain bonded together and display negligible bending, whereas layers over the periphery slip over one another and are readily bent into a monoclinal flexure.     

Characterization and assessment of the devastating natural hazards across the Canadian Prairie Provinces from 2009 to 2011

From 2009 to 2011, the Canadian Prairies were subjected to exceptionally variable precipitation regimes, ranging between record drought and unprecedented flooding. Adjacent regions concurrently experienced droughts and floods, and individual areas transitioned rapidly from pluvial to drought conditions and vice versa. Such events had major impacts; for example, damages from floods in the Assiniboine River Basin (ARB) have exceeded $1 billion, and forest fires ravaged the town of Slave Lake, Alberta. This study first characterizes, and then assesses, these devastating natural hazards in terms of their physical processes (across multiple spatial and temporal scales) related to both the spatially contrasting precipitation states and rapid temporal transitions between these states. Subtle differences in large-scale atmospheric flow had marked impacts on precipitation. Primary factors controlling the distribution and amount of precipitation included the location and persistence of key surface and upper-air features, as well as their interaction. Additionally, multiple events—rather than individual extremes—were responsible for the flooding over the Saskatchewan River Basin and the ARB. Very heavy rainfall events (≥25 mm d^?1) accounted for up to 55 % of warm season rain at some locations, and the frequency of heavy rainfall events was critical for determining whether a region experienced drought or pluvial conditions. This study has increased our knowledge of the characteristics, impacts and mechanisms of rapidly transitioning disparate precipitation states on the Canadian Prairies and will aid in better understanding both past and projected future hydro-climatic extremes in the region.     

Dynamic response of flexible rockfall barriers under different loading geometries

Flexible steel barriers are commonly constructed on steep hillsides to mitigate rockfall. The evaluation of the dynamic response of proprietary flexible barriers is conventionally performed using full-scale field tests by dropping a weight onto the barriers in accordance with the European test standard ETAG 27. The weight typically has a spherical or polyhedral shape and cannot reproduce more complex rockfall scenarios encountered in the field. A rigid slab may load a barrier over a larger area and its effect has not been investigated. In this study, a calibrated three-dimensional finite-element model was developed to study the performance of vertically and horizontally orientated rockfall barriers under concentrated areal impact loads. A new bilinear force-displacement model was incorporated into the model to simulate the behavior of the energy-dissipating devices on the barriers. The effect of different weight geometries was studied by considering impacts by a rigid single spherical boulder and a rigid slab. Results reveal that areal loading induced by a rigid slab increases the loading on the barrier foundation by up to 40 % in both horizontally and vertically positioned barriers when compared to a concentrated load scenario with a single boulder. This indicates that barriers tested under the current test standard does not give the worst-case scenario in terms of foundation loads, and barrier designers should take into account the possible effect of increased foundation loads by reinforcing the barrier posts and/or increasing their spacing.     

Trace and minor elements in sphalerite from metamorphosed sulphide deposits

Sphalerite is a common sulphide and is the dominant ore mineral in Zn-Pb sulphide deposits. Precise determination of minor and trace element concentrations in sulphides, including sphalerite, by Laser-Ablation Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a potentially valuable petrogenetic tool. In this study, LA-ICP-MS is used to analyse 19 sphalerite samples from metamorphosed, sphalerite-bearing volcanic-associated and sedimentary exhalative massive sulphide deposits in Norway and Australia. The distributions of Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Ga, Se, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi are addressed with emphasis on how concentrations of these elements vary with metamorphic grade of the deposit and the extent of sulphide recrystallization. Results show that the concentrations of a group of trace elements which are believed to be present in sphalerite as micro- to nano-scale inclusions (Pb, Bi, and to some degree Cu and Ag) diminish with increasing metamorphic grade. This is interpreted as due to release of these elements during sphalerite recrystallization and subsequent remobilization to form discrete minerals elsewhere. The concentrations of lattice-bound elements (Mn, Fe, Cd, In and Hg) show no correlation with metamorphic grade. Primary metal sources, physico-chemical conditions during initial deposition, and element partitioning between sphalerite and co-existing sulphides are dominant in defining the concentrations of these elements and they appear to be readily re-incorporated into recrystallized sphalerite, offering potential insights into ore genesis. Given that sphalerite accommodates a variety of trace elements that can be precisely determined by contemporary microanalytical techniques, the mineral has considerable potential as a geothermometer, providing that element partitioning between sphalerite and coexisting minerals (galena, chalcopyrite etc.) can be quantified in samples for which the crystallization temperature can be independently constrained.     

Surface water and groundwater dynamic interaction models as guiding tools for optimal conjunctive water use policies in the central plain of Thailand

Many irrigation projects in the central plain of Thailand are not capable of providing sufficient surface water for the cultivation of rice, which is the major cash crop for Thai farmers. To overcome this surface water deficiency, which has been exacerbated in recent years by climate change, groundwater is increasingly being used for irrigation. Thus, large sections of agriculture lands have been converted to conjunctive water use regions. While conjunctive water use may be a suitable option to overcome the temporary water shortages on a short-term basis, it may pose a particular threat to the overall water resources in the long term, if not properly managed. As a remedy, conjunctive water management policies ought to be adopted. Conjunctive water management is basically a tool to optimize productivity, equity, and environmental sustainability through simultaneous management of surface water and groundwater resources. As of now, such a comprehensive approach has not been yet employed in the upper Chao Phraya basin of Thailand, and the present study is one of the first of this kind. The study region is the Plaichumpol Irrigation Project (PIP) where conjunctive water use has become indispensable for meeting the increasing water requirements for farming. To get a first grip on the issue, water demand, supply and actual use in the study area were investigated for the purpose of providing possible guidelines for optimal water exploitation. A numerical groundwater model with a special module for simulating surface-groundwater interaction was applied in the PIP area to understand the impact of the farmer’s irrigation behavior on the dominant hydrological processes that determine the seasonal and multi-annual water availability in the irrigation area. A set-up of different agricultural water allocation schemes that depend on the local weather conditions and the regional management rules are examined by the numerical models. The results of the simulations provide adaptation guidelines for the proper management of the conjunctive water resources, namely, optimal water utilization. The numerical results for the surface groundwater in particular indicated that while the irrigation canals recharge water to the aquifer during both dry and wet season, small amounts of discharge from the aquifers to the canals occur only during the wet season. The analysis of the groundwater balance also showed that the present available groundwater potential is not fully exploited by the farmers, especially during the dry periods of surface water shortage. In contrast, the adoption of an optimal conjunctive management scheme would ensure extra water availability for additional annual rice crops in the region.