Assessment and Prediction of Liquefaction Potential Using Different Artificial Neural Network Models: A Case Study

Soil liquefaction as a transformation of granular material from solid to liquid state is a type of ground failure commonly associated with moderate to large earthquakes and refers to the loss of strength in saturated, cohesionless soils due to the build-up of pore water pressures and reduction of the effective stress during dynamic loading. In this paper, assessment and prediction of liquefaction potential of soils subjected to earthquake using two different artificial neural network models based on mechanical and geotechnical related parameters (model A) and earthquake related parameters (model B) have been proposed. In model A the depth, unit weight, SPT-N value, shear wave velocity, soil type and fine contents and in model B the depth, stress reduction factor, cyclic stress ratio, cyclic resistance ratio, pore pressure, total and effective vertical stress were considered as network inputs. Among the numerous tested models, the 6-4-4-2-1 structure correspond to model A and 7-5-4-6-1 for model B due to minimum network root mean square errors were selected as optimized network architecture models in this study. The performance of the network models were controlled approved and evaluated using several statistical criteria, regression analysis as well as detailed comparison with known accepted procedures. The results represented that the model A satisfied almost all the employed criteria and showed better performance than model B. The sensitivity analysis in this study showed that depth, shear wave velocity and SPT-N value for model A and cyclic resistance ratio, cyclic stress ratio and effective vertical stress for model B are the three most effective parameters on liquefaction potential analysis. Moreover, the calculated absolute error for model A represented better performance than model B. The reasonable agreement of network output in comparison with the results from previously accepted methods indicate satisfactory network performance for prediction of liquefaction potential analysis.     

鄂尔多斯盆地晚三叠世延长期古湖盆生物相带划分及地质意义

鄂尔多斯盆地晚三叠世发育大型坳陷型湖盆。湖水的升降影响着湖盆水体面积的大小、深浅以及沉积体系发育分布,进而影响全盆地晚三叠延长统地层生储盖组合的发育特征。通过野外剖面、钻井岩芯中古生物化石的鉴定,结合古生物组合特征对鄂尔多斯盆地晚三叠世湖盆的古生物生态环境进行了恢复。确定鄂尔多斯晚三叠世湖盆是一个最大水深不超过60 m的浅水湖盆,属于温暖潮湿的淡水-半咸水环境。从湖岸到湖心,可以划分为预测古水深1～2 m的河流-沼泽生物相带;预测古水深3～15 m的滨岸-河口三角洲生物相带;预测古水深15～35 m的浅湖生物相带;预测古水深在35～60 m范围的半-深湖生物相带。这些生物相带的划分,为恢复鄂尔多斯盆地晚三叠世时期的岩相古地理奠定了基础,为盆地延长组沉积边界、盆地内沉积体系发育展布以及沉积相带的划分提供了坚实的地质依据,具有理论与实际意义。     

成岩作用与油气侵位对砂岩铀成矿的约束--以准南硫磺沟地区头屯河组砂岩铀成矿为例

为了解准噶尔盆地南缘硫磺沟地区中侏罗统头屯河组砂岩成岩-流体演化与铀成矿响应,进而客观评价其成矿潜力。通过光薄片鉴定、X衍射、扫描电镜分析得出:目的层主要为岩屑细砂岩,依次经历了浅埋藏、深埋藏和表生-热液成岩阶段,遭受较强的机械压实、胶结及溶蚀作用。其黏土矿物以高岭石为主,碳酸盐矿物有细亮晶和泥晶两类,硅质胶结微弱,局部见细晶黄铁矿及其褐铁矿氧化产物。成岩环境可能经历了由酸性到弱碱性再到酸性,由同生期氧化-浅埋期还原-短暂抬升期氧化还原过渡-缓慢沉降期还原增强-快速抬升期氧化的演化过程。砂岩中存在较多油气包裹体;酸解总烃为5.72~449.14 μL/kg,以CH₄为主;方解石脉δ13C_V-PDB为-25‰~-6.7‰,δ18O_V-SMOW为11.1‰~18.9‰;结合野外调查认为目的层存在一期中等偏弱的后生油气侵位,从而影响了砂体的Eh及pH值。以上成岩过程及烃类流体活动使得目的层早期形成了小型层间氧化带型铀矿并得以局部保存,晚期形成了一定规模的地表潜水氧化带型铀矿体。     

Strength Behavior of Shanghai Clayey Soil Reinforced with Wheat Straw Fibers

It is generally recognized that the low strength and high compressibility are the characteristics of soft soil. In addition to other techniques, reinforcement can also be used in increasing the strength and decreasing the deformation of this kind of soil. The results of an investigation into the effects of a natural fiber on the consolidation and shear strength behavior of Shanghai clayey soil reinforced with wheat straw fibers are presented in this paper. A series of one dimensional consolidation and triaxial tests were conducted on samples of unreinforced and reinforced Shanghai clayey soil with different percentages of randomly distributed wheat straw fibers. The results show that the preconsolidation pressure decreases and the coefficient of swelling and compression generally increase with increasing the fiber content until a optimum content value. Furthermore, the addition of wheat straw fiber leads to a significant increase in shear strength and friction angle of the natural soil and there is an optimum wheat fiber content that makes this increase maximal.     

天山南麓库车晚新生代褶皱-冲断带

库车褶皱冲断带位于天山南麓,由近东西走向的多条构造带组成。三叠系暗色泥岩、侏罗系煤层、古近系库姆格列木组膏盐层和新近系吉迪克组膏盐层构成库车褶皱冲断带的区域性主滑脱面。褶皱冲断带底面由北向南逐渐抬高。褶皱冲断带主体发育盖层滑脱-冲断构造(薄皮构造),基底卷入型冲断构造(厚皮构造)见于北缘的根带。新生界膏盐层之上构造变形以滑脱褶皱为特色,之下以冲断构造为特色。库车褶皱冲断带是印度-亚洲碰撞远程效应下,(南)天山晚新生代造山过程的产物。褶皱冲断带构造变形的动力来源主要是造山楔向塔里木盆地推进所形成的挤压构造应力。褶皱冲断带构造变形的起始时间为约23Ma,构造变形具有阶段式加速的特点,已经识别出约23Ma、约10Ma、5~2Ma和1~0Ma共4个变形加速期。褶皱冲断带的演化过程为前展式,褶皱冲断带前锋向南推进的同时,后缘持续变形。     

Improvement of saponification extraction method for fatty acids separation from geological samples

The conventional saponification method could result in lower recoveries and artificial changes of long-chain fatty acids. The main reason is the error judgment of the intermediate layer suspended between the aqueous and organic layer during the liquid–liquid extraction process. This study shows that the intermediate layer consists of lots of medium- to long-chain carboxylic salts for their special physical and chemical properties. An improved saponification extraction method is also developed and the results show that the carboxylic salts distributed in the intermediate layer could be obtained completely, which greatly enhances the authenticity and accuracy of fatty acid analysis. Additionally, the possible reasons of formation of the intermediate layer are also discussed.     

Early Cretaceous Climate Changes Recorded in Magnetic Susceptibility and Color Index Variations of the Lower Liupanshan Group, Central China

This study carried out comprehensive analysis on sedimentology, magnetic susceptibility(χlf) and color data of the continental sediments of the Liupanshan Group in Central China so as to obtain climatic change information during the 129.14–122.98 Ma interval. Based on the results of the ?lf and of the redness(a*), the section can be divided into two segments:(1) 129.14–126.3 Ma, with the lowest ?lf values and strongly variable relatively high values of redness and(2) 126.3–122.98 Ma, with high ?lf values and relatively low redness. Analysis of the lithology and facies as well as the magnetic minerals and their contents points to a detrital origin of the magnetic minerals and this allow us to interpret the relationship between magnetic susceptibility variations and climate changes. Our study shows that the climate was significantly dry and hot during the whole studied interval although the interval between 126.3 Ma and 122.98 was a little bit cooler with increased humidity.     

Internal Microanatomy and Zoological Affinity of the Early Cambrian Olivooides

The early Cambrian pentamerous microfossil Olivooides/Punctatus in South China, which is characterized by a diagnostic stellate tubular apex, has been well-known for its almost complete development sequence that can be confidently traced from embryos and hatched juveniles, to conical adults. However, its zoological affinity remains highly controversial. Here we describe the internal microanatomic structures of the soft-body inside the peridermal theca of Olivooides multisulcatus Qian, 1977, including interradial pairs of tentacles, adradial and perradial frenula, perradial oral marginal lappets and twins of perradial gastric saccule-like humps as well as a circular velarium with striated coronal muscles. Particularly, one specimen shows bifurcated velarial canals along the bell aperture. Both the components of the soft-body and the external theca (or cyst) are arranged in perfect pentaradial symmetry. These characteristics are more compatible with those of living cubomedusans and co-occurring Cambrian athecate embryonic cubozoans. Concerning the presence of peridermal theca, Olivooides most likely represents an extinct thecate stem-group cubomedusae but devoid of both perradial eyes and specialized pedalia. The well-grown soft body inside the peridermal tube displays a set of mixed features of both polyp and medusa.