Dinosaur tracks from the Cretaceous of South Korea: Distribution, occurrences and paleobiological significance

Abstract   Abundant dinosaur fossils including dinosaur footprints, eggs and nests, teeth and bones have been found from the Cretaceous non-marine deposits of Korea. Among them, dinosaur tracks are the most distinctive, and some track sites are among the most famous in the world. Until now, 27 dinosaur track localities have been discovered from the Cretaceous strata in the Gyeongsang Basin and several small basins. Ornithopod tracks are most abundant at most Korean track sites, and most of them are identified as Caririchnium ; that is, large ornithopod footprints with wide hoof impressions. Most theropod tracks are found in Neungju Basin and they consist of various types of small or medium-sized bird-like footprints, and other large footprints. Sauropod tracks are also abundant in the Gyeongsang Basin. The sauropod tracks vary in size, shape, and pattern of trackway, and suggest that diverse sauropods existed in this area. These diverse tracks in South Korea suggest that various dinosaurs flourished at the margins of lakes distributed in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula during the Cretaceous.     

Landslide susceptibility analysis using GIS and artificial neural network

The purpose of this study is to develop landslide susceptibility analysis techniques using an arti?cial neural network and to apply the newly developed techniques to the study area of Yongin in Korea. Landslide locations were identi?ed in the study area from interpretation of aerial photographs, ?eld survey data, and a spatial database of the topography, soil type and timber cover. The landslide‐related factors (slope, curvature, soil texture, soil drainage, soil effective thickness, timber age, and timber diameter) were extracted from the spatial database. Using those factors, landslide susceptibility was analysed by arti?cial neural network methods. The landslide susceptibility index was calculated by the back‐propagation method, which is a type of arti?cial neural network method, and the susceptibility map was made with a geographic information system (GIS) program. The results of the landslide susceptibility analysis were veri?ed using landslide location data. The validation results showed satisfactory agreement between the susceptibility map and the existing data on landslide location. A GIS was used to ef?ciently analyse the vast amount of data, and an arti?cial neural network to be an effective tool to maintain precision and accuracy. The results can be used to reduce hazards associated with landslides and to plan land use and construction. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A procedure for evaluating seismic energy demand of framed structures

Energy serves as an alternative index to response quantities like force or displacement to include the duration‐related seismic damage effect. A procedure to evaluate the absorbed energy in a multistorey frame from energy spectra was developed. For low‐ to medium‐rise frames, it required a static pushover analysis of the structure to determine the modal yield force and ductility factor of an equivalent single‐degree‐of‐freedom system for the first two modes. The energy spectra were then used to determine the energy contribution of each mode. A procedure was also developed to distribute the energy along the frame height based on energy shapes. This study showed that the second‐mode response in some cases needs to be considered to reflect the energy (or damage) concentration in the upper floors. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

System identification of the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge using earthquake records

The Vincent Thomas Bridge in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, is a critical artery for commercial traffic flow in and out of the Los Angeles Harbor, and is at risk in the seismically active Southern California region, particularly because it straddles the Palos Verdes fault zone. A combination of linear and non‐linear system identification techniques is employed to obtain a complete reduced‐order, multi‐input–multi‐output (MIMO) dynamic model of the Vincent Thomas Bridge based on the dynamic response of the structure to the 1987 Whittier and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. Starting with the available acceleration measurements (which consists of 15 accelerometers on the bridge structure and 10 accelerometers at various locations on its base), an efficient least‐squares‐based time‐domain identification procedure is applied to the data set to develop a reduced‐order, equivalent linear, multi‐degree‐of‐freedom model. Although not the main focus of this study, the linear system identification method is also combined with a non‐parametric identification technique, to generate a reduced‐order non‐linear mathematical model suitable for use in subsequent studies to predict, with good fidelity, the total response of the bridge under arbitrary dynamic environments. Results of this study yield measurements of the equivalent linear modal properties (frequencies, mode shapes and non‐proportional damping) as well as quantitative measures of the extent and nature of non‐linear interaction forces arising from strong ground shaking. It is shown that, for the particular subset of observations used in the identification procedure, the apparent non‐linearities in the system restoring forces are quite significant, and they contribute substantially to the improved fidelity of the model. Also shown is the potential of the identification technique under discussion to detect slight changes in the structure's influence coefficients, which may be indicators of damage and degradation in the structure being monitored. Difficulties associated with accurately estimating damping for lightly damped long‐span structures from their earthquake response are discussed. The technical issues raised in this paper indicate the need for added spatial resolution in sensor instrumentation to obtain identified mathematical models of structural systems with the broadest range of validity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pedogenic factors affecting magnetic susceptibility of the last interglacial palaeosol S1 in the Chinese Loess Plateau

The magnetic susceptibility has been used as a quantitative or semi‐quantitative proxy for reconstructing the summer monsoon intensity in the Chinese Loess Plateau based on extensive studies on climatic or/and environmental mechanisms producing the magnetic susceptibility signatures. However, the precise nature of the link between past climates and the susceptibility signatures has remained uncertain primarily due to lack of our understanding in the ?nalizing and preserving processes of the signatures. This paper attempts to examine the reliability or acceptability of this summer monsoon proxy from non‐magnetic perspectives of soil‐forming processes. We chose nine sections along two transects: one across the western part of the Chinese Loess Plateau and another across the eastern part. Several conclusions can be drawn from our analytical data. First, clay translocation within the S1 palaeosol pro?les, as indicated by ?eld‐observed clay coatings on ped faces in Bt and Bk horizons and demonstrated by laboratory‐analysed clay contents, must have moved some of the magnetic minerals downward so that the susceptibility re?ects only the post‐translocation distribution of the magnetic‐susceptibility‐producing minerals. Second, the best‐developed palaeosol S1S3 at most of the sections studied is not expressed by the magnetic susceptibility because this palaeosol developed in underlying coarse loess (L2) and coarse textures tend to lower the susceptibility. Third, carbonate concentration is normally negatively correlated with the magnetic susceptibility or simply suppresses the magnetic susceptibility peak when the susceptibility enhancement exceeds the carbonate dilution effect. To conclude, extreme caution must be observed when using magnetic susceptibility signatures to retrieve high‐resolution records of the last interglacial palaeoclimate in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal design of viscoelastic dampers using eigenvalue assignment

In this study a procedure for determining the optimum size and location of viscoelastic dampers is proposed using the eigenvalue assignment technique. Natural frequencies and modal damping ratios, required to realize a given target response, are determined first by the convex model. Then the desired dynamic structural properties are realized by optimally distributing the damping and stiffness coefficients of viscoelastic dampers using non‐linear programming based on the gradient of eigenvalues. This optimization method provides information on the optimal location as well as the magnitude of the damper parameters. The proposed procedure is applied to the retrofit of a 10‐story shear frame, and to a three‐dimensional structure with an asymmetric plan. The analysis results confirm that the responses of model structures retrofitted by the proposed method correspond well with the given target response. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic structural control using an electric servomotor active mass driver system

This study investigates an electric‐type active mass driver (AMD) system for structural vibration control. Composed primarily of an electric servomotor and a ball screw, the electrical AMD system is free from noise problems, oil leakage, and labor‐intensive maintenance that commonly are associated with hydraulic AMD systems. The desired stroke amplification of the mass and the power demand of the servomotor can be adjusted via the ball screw pitch, which in turn affects the effectiveness and efficiency of the system. Meanwhile, an instantaneous optimal direct output feedback control algorithm is adopted. Numerical simulation is performed using a five‐story steel frame as the object structure under the conditions of the 1940 El Centro earthquake. The AMD system proves to be effective and efficient within a certain range of the ball screw pitch. The reductions of the peak responses can reach as high as 70% if properly designed. Requiring only the velocity measurement of the top floor for on‐line feedback control, the proposed control algorithm is recommended for practical implementation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-affinity dimensions of topography and its implications in morphotectonics: an example from Taiwan

This paper discusses the self-affinity dimensions of landscape surfaces at a short-range scale and the link to morphotectonic features of the young orogenic belts of Taiwan. The variogram method is adopted to estimate such parameters as the fractal dimension (D), the ordinate-intercept (γ) and the range (R) from data subsets of the digital elevation model (DEM) in a moving-window operation. The fractal morphology expressed by D and γ is found to be useful in defining geomorphic provinces that are related to tectonic features. The mountainous terrain is characterized by high gamma values and low fractal dimensions in contrast to the coastal plains where low gamma values and high fractal dimensions are found. A zone, defined by the fractal parameters (2.4<D<2.6 and 0<γ<2.4), is found to coincide with the most tectonically active zone of Taiwan. Active faults often occur at the boundary between landscapes with contrasting fractal patterns. In the flat lowlands along the western coast, the fractal morphology displays a west-facing amphitheatric pattern, which may be related to the indentation of the pre-Miocene Peikang Basement High. The fractal morphology may reflect some subtle changes in surface textures of a landscape sculpted by surface processes, which in turn are influenced by tectonic activities. The surface roughening and diffusive smoothing may concur to shape the landscape surface at the short ranges we discuss in this study.     

The Elusive AD 1826 Tsunami, South Westland, New Zealand

In AD 1826 sealers reported earthquake and tsunami activity in Fiordland, although, contemporary or near‐contemporary accounts of tsunami inundation at the time are elusive. A detailed analysis of recent sediments from Okarito Lagoon builds on contextual evidence provided by earlier research concerning past tsunami inundation. Sedimentological, geochemical, micropalaeontological and geochronological data are used to determine palaeoenvironments before, during and after what was most probably tsunami inundation in AD 1826. The most compelling chronological control is provided fry a young cohort of trees growing on a raised shoreline bench stranded fry a drop in the lagoon water level following tsunami inundation.     

Mineral chemistry of spinel peridotite xenoliths from Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, and its implications for the paleogeotherm of the uppermost mantle

Abstract   The mantle-derived xenoliths entrained in the Pliocene basanite from Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, are spinel lherzolites and spinel harzburgites. The overall compositional range of the Baengnyeong xenoliths matches that of the post-Archean xenoliths of lithospheric mantle origin from eastern China, but without any compositional evidence for a refractory Archean mantle root. Mineral compositions of the xenoliths have been used to estimate the equilibrium temperatures and pressures, and to construct a paleogeothermal gradient of the source region. The xenolith-derived paleogeotherm is constrained from about 820°C at 7.3 kbar to 1000°C at 20.6 kbar. Like those from the post-Archean Chinese xenoliths of lithospheric mantle origin, the Baengnyeong geotherm is considerably elevated relative to the conductive models at the depth of the crust–mantle boundary, reflecting a thermal perturbation probably related to lithospheric thinning. There is no significant P / T difference between harzburgite and lherzolite, which suggests that the harzburgites are interlayered with lherzolites within the depth interval beneath Baengnyeong Island.