Speleothems as high-resolution paleoenvironment archives: Records from northeastern China

The isotopic compositions of oxygen and carbon and trace concentrations of magnesium and strontium in speleothems formed in limestone caves respond to climate changes outside the caves. Measurements of these properties on a stalagmite from Shihua Cave near Beijing, China, allowed reconstruction of the regional changes in precipitation, temperature and nature of vegetation. Over the last ∼ 500 years, there were fourteen precipitation cycles with a periodicity of 30–40 years, which may well reflect fluctuations in the strength of the East Asian summer monsoons reaching northeastern China. Relative to the mean temperature of this time interval, the period 1620–1900 AD was cold and periods 1520–1620 and 1900–1994 were warm. Over the last ∼ 3000-years, about eight wet/cool-dry/warm climatic cycles of 300–400 years duration occurred, the latest wet/cool half cycle corresponding to the Little Ice Age. The δ¹³C record registers the anthropogenic activities of fossil fuel CO₂ combustion in recent decades and regional deforestation between 13 and 16 centuries when Beijing was bustling with palatial constructions and being developed into the world’s most populated city.     

Amazonite from the alkali granite of the Avdar Massif,Mongolia

Summary The green feldspar in alkali granite from the Avdar deposit of decoration stone (150 km W of Ulan-Bator) has been identified by means of physical and chemical methods as amazonite. Its structural state corresponds to that of microcline with a high degree of triclinicity and displaying the following anomalous dimensions of the unit cell (nm):a=0.8568,b=1.2967,c=0.7217 nm, =90.732, =115.851, =87.702°;V=0.72115 nm³.The amazonite contains in increased amount of Pb (1950 ppm) as well as of Rb (1.15 mass %). The genesis of this amazonite is associated with younger metasomatic processes in the alkali granite.

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Amazonit aus dem Alkali-Granit des Avdar-Massivs, Mongolei

Zusammenfassung Der grüne Feldspat im Alkaligranit aus der Dekorationsstein-Lagerstätte im Avdar Massiv (150 km W von Ulan-Bator) wurde auf Grund physikalischer und chemischer Methoden als Amazonit bestimmt. Sein Strukturzustand entspricht demjenigen eines Mikroklins, der eine hohe Triklinität und anomale Elementarzelle aufweist (in nm):a=0.8568,b=1.2967,c=0.7217 nm, =90.732, =115.851, =87.702°;V=0.72115 nm³.Der Amazonit hat einen erhöhten Gehalt an Pb (1950 ppm) und an Rb (1.15 Gew.-%). Die Genesis dieses Amazonits ist mit jüngeren metasomatischen Prozessen im Alkaligranit verknüpft.

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A comment on determining the induced magnetic field in bodies of arbitrary shape

Summary The authors prove that the solution of Laplace's equation under Neumann's boundary conditions can be transformed to an advantage into determining the field which is generated by charges, induced by the external field at surfaces of discontinuity.     

Changes of anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility of rocks induced by a magnetic field

Summary The changes of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of igneous rocks, induced by a magnetic field, are studied. It is proved that changes in the degree of anisotropy of susceptibility and of the orientation of the susceptibility ellispoid of specimens occur due to the configuration of the domain structure under the effect of the magnetic field. The influence of this effect on the total anisotropy of rocks depends on the degree of anisotropy due to the shape factor and on the stability of the domain structure. A model concept is presented, explaining the qualitatively different pattern of the changes of the anisotropy of susceptibility under the effect of the magnetic field in various directions of the specimens.     

An algorithm for the minimum-length least-squares solution of a set of observation equations

Summary A new computer-oriented algorithm GSO is presented for solving overdetermined systems of linear observation equations according to the principle of the least-squares method. The matrix of the system of observation equations may be of deficient rank. In this case the algorithm leads to the vector of unknowns with a minimum Euclidean norm. Alternatively, it is possible to minimize the norm of a subvector formed by a selected group of unknowns. The weight coefficient matrix, corresponding to the vector (subvector) of unknows, has the least possible trace. The algorithm GSO is based on the Gram-Schmidt Orthogonalization of suitably defined augmented matrices. The establishing and solving of normal equations is not necessary. Apart from the unknowns and residuals, GSO also determines the factorized weight coefficient matrices of the adjusted values.Presented at the I.A.G. International Symposium on Optimization of Design and Computation of Control Networks, Sopron, Hungary 1977.     

Elastic constants computed for a medium composed of this anisotropic layers

Summary The problem of the elastic properties of a medium composed of thin anisotropic layers is treated. The study is based on the conditions of stress and strain and on Hooke's Law under the assumption of close contact between the layers. The algorithm described is suitable for a computer.Dedicated to RNDr. Jan Pícha, CSc., on his 60th Birthday     

Electrical conductivity of rocks in the heating and cooling cycle

Summary The values of the electrical conductivity, recorded during the heating and cooling cycle, of eclogites and basalts are compared. The observed difference in the values is explained by reversible and irreversible changes which take place in the samples.     

On one method of solving the direct gravimetric problem

Summary The general solution of the direct gravimetric problem for homogeneous and inhomogeneous bodies was derived in[1] in the form of Green-type integrals. In the present paper it is proved that this solution simplifies considerably, if the solution of the external Dirichlet problem, defined by conditions(2), is known for a closed surface bounding the attracting body.Dedicated to RNDr Jan Pícha, CSc., on his 60th Birthday     

To the problem of noise reduction in sea-level records used in vertical crustal movement detection

The aim of this investigation is to develop a simple technique that would allow us to use the sea-level records for detecting contemporary vertical crustal movements of duration from several months to several years. The choice of auxiliary data needed for any such analysis is restricted to the regularly available meteorological data to make this approach possible in routine search for precursory movements in earthquake-prone areas. A linear mathematical model is designed to evaluate the effect of atmospheric temperature and pressure variations, river discharge, long periodic tides and Chandlerian motion. Spectra of the residual sea-level variations are also shown. It is concluded that local episodic crustal movements of a magnitude larger than some 10 cm may be detectable by this approach. If finer resolution is needed then it it necessary to also account for steric level, wind, and sea-current variations, for which data are largely non-existent.