Faults of the Baikal rift zone

Baikal rift-zone faults range in magnitude from major through regional to local. The major, transcrustal faults of pre-Cenozoic initiation frame the structural pattern of the rift zone. Rifting causes a rejuvenation of all important faults regardless of their original type, many becoming oblique-slip faults. The displacement directions correlate well with the strike of the faults in terms of a single strain field for the region. Amplitudes of vertical and horizontal displacements are discussed. The general directions of the main crustal stresses are shown on a schematic diagram which illustrates the origin of different morphogenic groups of faults, and the main stages of their evolution.     

SCF-Xα-SW MO Study of Fe-O and Fe-OH chemical bonds; applications to the mössbauer spectra and magnetochemistry of hydroxyl-bearing Fe3+ oxides and silicates

Results of SCF-Xα-SW molecular orbital calculations on (FeO₄(OH)₂)^7? and (FeO₆)^9? clusters are used to investigate the differences between Fe-O and Fe-OH bonding in hydroxyl-bearing iron oxides and silicates. The Fe³⁺-OH^? bond is more ionic, and has a smaller spinpolarization, then the Fe³⁺-O^2? bond. The smaller spinpolarizability of OH^? ligands explains why superexchange interactions between hydroxo-bridged Fe³⁺ cations are much weaker than those between oxo-bridged Fe³⁺ cations. Replacement of oxygens in the Fe³⁺ coordination environment by OH^? ligands appears to promote the covalency between Fe³⁺ centers and O^2? oxygens. The increased covalency lowers the effective spin of the Fe atom. This, in turn, explains the decreased magnetic hyperfine fields at the Fe nucleus in FeOOH polymorphs relative to those found in Fe³⁺ oxides.     

Boundary roughness and bedforms in the surf zone

Hydrodynamical models of the nearshore system frequently assume that a single friction coefficient is sufficient to represent flow conditions at a point in the surf zone. Furthermore, models attempting to relate bed configuration to surf zone flows have relied primarily upon the wave orbital velocity as an indicator of potential bedforms, and thus as the control on boundary roughness. The data presented here point out potential errors arising from either of these approaches. The results of a field experiment conducted at Wendake Beach, Ontario, show that at a single location in an active surf zone, the Darcy-Weisbach friction coefficient, f, varied by approximately 250% (in this case between 0.016 and 0.041).

It is also shown that existing bedform models, based upon primary wave motions alone, do not accurately predict conditions at this study site. For a relatively constant wave orbital velocity and velocity asymmetry, it is found that changes in bed roughness, as a result of bedform development, are reflected mainly in the vertical profile of the long-shore current velocity. A sequence of bedforms, from oscillatory ripples through flat bed, is inferred from the data, and found to be supported by diver observations and preserved primary sedimentary structures.     

A. V. Peyve — the founder of the concept of deep faults

The further development of Peyve’s concept of deep faults in the Earth’s crust and brittle part of the lithosphere is discussed. Three aspects are accentuated in this paper: (1) the modern definition of the term deep fault; (2) the parameters of deep faults as ruptures of the geological medium and three-dimensional, often boundary, geological bodies; and (3) reactivation of deep faults, including the development of this process in real time. Peyve’s idea of deep faults readily fitted into the concept of new global tectonics (plate tectonics). This was facilitated, first of all, by the extensive efforts made to elaborate Peyve’s ideas by a large group of researchers at the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (GIN RAS) and other scientists. At present, the term deep fault has been extended and transformed to cover three-dimensional geological bodies; the geological and geophysical properties and parameters of these bodies, as well as their reactivation (recurrent activation) in real time, have been studied.     

Evolution of West Rota Volcano, an extinct submarine volcano in the southern Mariana Arc: Evidence from sea floor morphology, remotely operated vehicle observations and 40Ar–39Ar geochronological studies

Abstract West Rota Volcano (WRV) is a recently discovered extinct submarine volcano in the southern Mariana Arc. It is large (25 km diameter base), shallow (up to 300 m below sealevel), and contains a large caldera (6 × 10 km, with up to 1 km relief). The WRV lies near the northern termination of a major NNE‐trending normal fault. This and a second, parallel fault just west of the volcano separate uplifted, thick frontal arc crust to the east from subsiding, thin back‐arc basin crust to the west. The WRV is distinct from other Mariana Arc volcanoes: (i) it consists of a lower, predominantly andesite section overlain by a bimodal rhyolite‐basalt layered sequence; (ii) andesitic rocks are locally intensely altered and mineralized; (iii) it has a large caldera; and (iv) WRV is built on a major fault. Submarine felsic calderas are common in the Izu and Kermadec Arcs but are otherwise unknown from the Marianas and other primitive, intraoceanic arcs. ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating indicates that andesitic volcanism comprising the lower volcanic section occurred 0.33–0.55 my ago, whereas eruption of the upper rhyolites and basalts occurred 37–51 thousand years ago. Four sequences of rhyolite pyroclastics each are 20–75 m thick, unwelded and show reverse grading, indicating submarine eruption. The youngest unit consists of 1–2 m diameter spheroids of rhyolite pumice, interpreted as magmatic balloons, formed by relatively quiet effusion and inflation of rhyolite into the overlying seawater. Geochemical studies indicate that felsic magmas were generated by anatexis of amphibolite‐facies meta‐andesites, perhaps in the middle arc crust. The presence of a large felsic volcano and caldera in the southern Marianas might indicate interaction of large normal faults with a mid‐crustal magma body at depth, providing a way for viscous felsic melts to reach the surface.     

A tectonophysical model of a seismic zone: Experience of development based on the example of the Baikal rift system

It is shown that different well-known models of earthquake sources explain the origin of a particular seismic event, but they do not reflect the overall geodynamic situation in a seismic zone and they cannot be used for understanding the regular patterns of the seismic process as a whole and for its prediction. On the basis of well-studied fractural tectonics and seismicity of the Baikal rift system, a tectonophysical model of seismic zone is proposed. The conceptual basis of the tectonophysical model of a seismic zone is as follows: the fracture-block medium of the brittle part of the lithosphere, the sufficiently frequent activation of faults of different ranks in real time, initiated by the deformation waves of different lengths and velocities, and seismic events consecutively proceeding predominantly along one of the directions of the specific activated faults. A seismic process in any particular part of the zone can be stimulated by the presence of fluids, by induced seismicity or by other factors. The developed tectonophysical model of the seismic process offers the possibilities of the utilization of the contemporary geo-information systems for the calculations during the assigned time interval of the sequential regular patterns of activations of faults, and within the boundaries of the regions of their dynamic influence, the succession of the appearance of separate sources. The model and the theoretically possible calculations on its basis bring one closer to the medium- and short-term prediction of earthquakes.     

Review of the critical velocity of gas-plasma interaction

A review is given of the experimental investigations concerning the critical velocity of the interaction between a neutral gas and a plasma in relative motion. In most of the experiments this critical velocity is equivalent to a voltage limitation of a discharge through a partially ionized magnetized plasma. The critical velocity phenomenon can have been of importance in a large number of experiments but it has been observed in rather few cases and studied in detail in less than half a dozen plasma machines. The major investigations were made in rotating plasma devices like the Homopolar, plasma guns and a plasma-neutral gas impact experiment. The emphasis of this paper is concentrated, though not limited, to collision-free plasmas. Thus the (MPD-)arc experiments are not extensively treated. It is concluded that the existence, under certain conditions, of a critical velocity, critical voltage or criticalE/B (depending on the particular observation) is proved by sufficient experimental evidence. In a following article in this issue by J. Sherman the theoretical work in the same field is discussed.     

Protecting an eroding shoreline: the evolution of management response

Sandy Hook. New Jersey, was used by the US Army until 1970 for coastal defence installations at the entrance to New York harbour and as an ordnance proving ground. Since 1970, Sandy Hook has been managed by the US National Park Service as a part of Gateway National Recreation Area. An important problem which managers of both institutions have had to face is the instability of the narrow neck of the spit. The high rates of erosion which have predominated at the neck have jeopardized the overland access route to the facilities at the northern end of the spit, and both Army and Park Service managers have taken steps to alleviate the problem. A breach in the neck in 1896 led the Army engineers to construct a seawall to close the breach and to protect the access road. Over the next 30 years, several projects were undertaken to extend the length of the seawall and to reinforce the structure. The Park Service managers are currently facing the same problem, although the focus of erosion has been transferred northward. The National Park Service has chosen a more dynamic solution to the problem in accordance with their objectives for this eroding area. This study demonstrates that the protection approaches selected for use by the managers of both institutions were a function of differing objectives. In addition, the study provides an example of how management decisions made in the past influence present management actions.     

A field study of nitrogen storage and nitrate reductase activity in the estuarine macroalgaeEnteromorpha lingulata (Chlorophyceae) andGelidium pusillum (Rhodophyceae)

The purpose of this field study was to determine the relationship between environmental conditions, particularly high nitrate (NO ₃ ⁻ ), low salinity events, and both nitrogen (N) storage (NO ₃ ⁻ , ammonium [NH ₄ ⁺ ], free amino acids [FAA], protein, and total N) and nitrate reductase (NR) activity in the macroalgaeEnteromorpha lingulata andGelidium pusillum in the lower Mobile Bay estuary (Alabama, USA). The environmental conditions at the collection site varied over the growing season with the most notable changes due to late winter and spring runoff entering the estuary (1–30 psu, 0.3–25.8 μM NO ₃ ⁻ , 0.9–12.5 μM NH ₄ ⁺ , 3–28°C, 61–2,375 μmol PAR m⁻² s⁻¹). Principal component analysis reduced the six environmental variables measured to three principal components. Stepwise, multiple regression analysis was then used to examine the relationship between the principal components and the internal NO ₃ ⁻ , NH ₄ ⁺ , and FAA pools and NR activity. The results indicate that changes in inorganic N availability and salinity rather than changes in irradiance determine patterns of N storage and NO ₃ ⁻ reduction. BothE. lingulata andG. pusillum are capable of taking up and storing NO ₃ ⁻ when it becomes available. Greater NO ₃ ⁻ availability produced larger NH ₄ ⁺ and FAA pools along with higher rates of NR activity inE. lingulata, but notG. pusillum, suggesting thatE. lingulata is able to metabolize NO ₃ ⁻ more rapidly during high NO ₃ ⁻ , low salinity events. Differences in the susceptibility ofE. lingulata andG. pusillum to NH ₄ ⁺ inhibition and salinity stress combined with their different growth strategies help to explain the seasonal trends in total N. Total N inE. lingulata ranged from 2.57% to 6.39% dw, while the slower growingG. pusillum showed no significant variation in total N content (3.8–4.1% dw). These results led to the conclusion thatE. lingulata responds more quickly thanG. pusillum to high NO ₃ ⁻ , low salinity events and that these events have a larger effect on the overall N content ofE. lingulata.