Particle fluxes to the interior of the Southern Ocean in the Western Pacific sector along 170°W

An array of five bottom-tethered moorings with 19 PARFLUX time-series sediment trap at three depths (1 and 2 km below the surface, and 0.7 km above the sea-floor) was deployed in the western Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, along 170°W. The five stations were selected to sample settling particles in the main hydrological zones of the Southern Ocean. The sampling period spanned 425 days (November 28, 1996–January 23, 1998) and was divided into 13 or 21 synchronized time intervals. A total of 174 sequential samples were recovered and analyzed to estimate fluxes of total mass (TMF), organic carbon, carbonate, biogenic silica, and lithogenic particles. The fluxes of biogenic material were higher than anticipated, challenging the notion that the Southern Ocean is a low-productivity region. Organic carbon fluxes at 1 km depth within the Polar Frontal Zone and the Antarctic Zone were relatively uniform (1.7–2.3 g m⁻² yr⁻¹), and about twice the estimated ocean-wide average (ca. 1 g m⁻² yr⁻¹). Carbonate fluxes were also high and uniform between the Subantarctic Front and ca. 64°S (11–13 g m⁻² yr⁻¹). A large fraction of the carbonate flux in the Antarctic Zone was due to the presence of pteropod shells. Coccoliths were found only to the north of the Polar Front, and calcium carbonate became the dominant phase in the Subantarctic Zone. In contrast, carbonate particles were nearly absent near 64°S. Latitudinal variations in biogenic silica fluxes were substantial. The large opal flux (57 g m⁻² yr⁻¹) measured in the Antarctic Zone suggests that opal productivity in this region has been previously underestimated and helps to explain the high sedimentary opal accumulation often found south of the Polar Front. Unlike biogenic material, fluxes of lithogenic particles were among the lowest measured in the open-ocean (0.12–0.05 g m⁻² yr⁻¹), reflecting a very low dust input.     

SPATIO-TEMPORAL STRESS FIELD VARIATION IN THE CENTRAL LONGMENSHAN FAULT ZONE AFTER THE 2008 WENCHUAN EARTHQUAKE FROM FOCAL MECHANISM SOLUTIONS OF SMALL EARTHQUAKES

We determined the focal mechanism solutions(FMS)of aftershocks of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using the waveform data recorded by the Western Sichuan movable seismic array. We further obtained the spatio-temporal variation of the stress field by inverting the stress tensors from these data. The results show that the FMSs of the small earthquakes are primarily reverse faulting with considerable number of normal and strike-slip. The proportion of reverse type earthquakes clearly increases with time, and the spatial distribution of the FMSs is closely related with local geology and the characteristics of the deep faults. The stress tensor inversion results reveal that the orientations of the maximum horizontal compressive stress(S_H)shortly after the mainshock in each area are mainly in EW to NWW-SEE directions, while in the area along Xiaoyudong-to-Lixian aftershock branch it is in NE-SW direction in shallow crust. This implies that the stress field at the early stage after the Wenchuan earthquake is mainly controlled by the dynamic stress change caused by the rupture propagation, and the conspicuous factor determining the S_H direction is the characteristics of the rupture plane. Temporal variations of the stress tensors show that the stress regimes at depth changed from a mixture of reverse and strike-slip faulting to pure reverse, implying that local Coulomb stress caused by the main shock is released through strike-slip faulting and gradually recovers into the background stress field. The change of stress in the shallow subsurface follows that in the deep subsurface with observable time delay.     

Correlations between electrical and elastic properties of solid–liquid composites with interfacial energy-controlled equilibrium microstructures

Electrical conductivity and seismic velocity are studied for plausible pore geometries in the Earth's interior for reliable quantitative analysis of experimental data such as seismic tomography and magnetotelluric explorations. Electrical conductivity of a two-phase system with equilibrium, interfacial energy-controlled phase geometry is calculated for the dihedral angles θ = 40°–100° that are typical for rock–aqueous fluid and θ = 20°–60° for rock–melt systems of lower crust and upper mantle for the case of tetrakaidecahedral grains. Electrical conductivity vs. seismic velocity correlations are acquired by combining of the simulated electrical conductivities with the seismic velocity calculated with the help of equilibrium geometry model Takei [Takei, Y., Effect of pore geometry on V_P/V_S: From equilibrium geometry to crack. J. Geophys. Res. 107 (2002): 10.1029/2001JB000522.] for the same pore geometries. The results show that electrical conductivity gradually decreases reaching zero when seismic velocities reach seismic velocities of intact rock for rock–melt systems, while for rock–aqueous fluid systems with θ ≥ 60° conductivity drops to zero at velocities up to 10% smaller. This can explain the seeming discrepancy of the low seismic velocity region, attributed to the high fluid fraction, and the low electrical conductivity of the same region, which is sometimes faced at collocated electromagnetic and seismic experiments.     

Effect of NaCrSi2O6 component on Lindsley's pyroxene thermometer: An evaluation based on strongly metamorphosed LL chondrites

In Lindsley's thermometry, a revised sequence of calculation of components is proposed for clinopyroxene, in which kosmochlor component is added. Temperatures obtained for the components calculated by the revised method are about 50 °C lower than those obtained for the components calculated by the Lindsley's original method and agree well with temperatures obtained from orthopyroxenes. Ca‐partitioning between clino‐ and orthopyroxenes is then thought to be equilibrated in types 5 to 7 ordinary chondrites. The temperatures for Tuxtuac (LL5), Dhurmsala (LL6), NWA 2092 (LL6/7), and Dho 011 (LL7) are 767–793°, 818–835°, 872–892°, and 917–936°C, respectively, suggesting that chondrites of higher petrographic types show higher equilibrium temperatures of pyroxenes. The regression equations which relate temperature and Wo and Fs contents in the temperature‐contoured pyroxene quadrilateral of 1 atm of Lindsley (1983) are also determined by the least squares method. It is possible to reproduce temperatures with an error less than 20 °C (2SE) using the regression equations.     

Simulations of measures to control lava flows

We evaluated the quantitative effects of artificial barriers, water-cooling and guiding channels on lava flow using the lava simulation program LavaSIM. Lava flow is basically subject to the topography around the path, effusive rate and viscosity. To prevent damage due to lava flow, we conducted experiments in controlling the flow direction, velocity and temperature. The simulation demonstrated that artificial barriers can successfully change the direction of a lava flow and is more effective when placed nearly parallel to the flow direction at a point where the topography is not very steep, while a barrier placed perpendicular to the flow direction can only stop the flux temporarily, ultimately allowing the solidified crust to accumulate and causing the following mass to go over the barrier. The water-cooling trial was also effective in controlling the direction and temperature, although the amount of water was as much order as 10⁵ m³. The guiding channels successfully control the direction and inundated area but only in local areas.     

Muscovite surface structure imaged by fluid contact mode AFM

The surface structure of muscovite was imaged using an atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode in water. The following three types of AFM images were observed: (1) those showing clearly the arrangement of hexagonal rings of SiO₄ tetrahedra; (2) those showing a hexagonal array of bright spots separated by a distance of about 5.3 Å; and (3) those changing gradually from image (2) to image (1). Image (1) successfully provides information on the tetrahedral tilt and basal surface corrugation that are particularly characteristic of dioctahedral micas. The mean unit cell dimensions for the muscovite surface measured from Image (1) were slightly longer than those of the bulk structure, due to the rehydration of the tetrahedral sheet and/or surface relaxation. Image (2) was made by varying the scan angles, even on the same surface in which Image (1) was obtained. Image (3) has information on a single plane rather than on two or more planes involving steps, kinks and so on. Therefore, what is depicted in Images (2) and (3) is not the arrangement of interlayer K ions but the basal plane of the tetrahedral sheet. Some structural relaxation of the tetrahedral sheet surface was also observed. Gradual expansion and contraction of hexagonal rings were randomly found on the muscovite surface. The surface relaxation results from a tetrahedral rotation and/or tilting after cleaving, since significant variations of both distances and bond angles between adjacent SiO₄ tetrahedra on the surface were found.     

Optimum strength ratio of hysteretic damper

This paper deals with steel moment frames combined with hysteretic dampers. Specifically, it examines the strength of dampers required to minimize damage to moment frames under earthquake loading. The important structural variables are the ratio of the dampers' shear strength to the maximum resistance, termed β in this study, and the relative stiffness between the damper and the main frame, termed k. The equivalent viscous damping ratio of the entire structural system is affected by the quantities β and k and the ductility ratio of the main frame. The optimum dampers' strength ratio (β_opt), which maximizes the equivalent viscous damping ratio, was formulated as a function of k, and it was found that β_opt is independent of the ductility ratio of the main frame. Earthquake response analysis confirmed that damage to the main frame can be significantly reduced by hysteretic dampers and minimized at the value of β_opt. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

重庆荣昌诱发地震区精细速度结构及2010年ML5.1地震序列精确定位

Based on data collected from a temporal seismic network, and in addition to the data from some nearby permanent stations, we investigate the velocity structure and seismicity in the Rongchang gas field, where significant injection-induced seismicity has been identified. First, we use receiver functions from distant earthquakes to invert detailed 1-D velocity structures beneath typical stations. Then, we use the double-difference hypocenter location method to re-locate earthquakes of the 2010 ML5.1 earthquake sequence that occurred in the region. The re-located hypocenters show that the 2010 ML5.1 earthquake sequence was distributed in a small area surrounding major injection wells and clustered mostly along pre-existing faults. Major earthquakes show a focal depth less than 5km with a dominant depth of ～2km, a depth of major reservoirs and injection wells. We thus conclude that the 2010 ML 5.1 earthquake sequence might have been induced by the deep well injection of unwanted water at a depth ～3km in the Rongchang gas field.     

基于应变空间多机构CG模型的地震液化大变形数值分析

砂土液化导致的地基侧向大变形是地震中许多重要的工程设施和建筑物破坏的主要原因之一。简要介绍了可进行液化大变形分析的散粒体材料本构模型--应变空间多机构CG模型,基于FLIP ROSE程序平台,建立了预测和研究倾斜地基砂土液化导致侧向大变形的二维有限元数值分析方法。采用该模型对相同工况的土工动态离心模型试验进行了模拟,通过对比超孔隙水压力、剪切波水平加速度以及地基侧向位移发现,数值预测与试验结果吻合良好,从而验证了该有限元数值分析模型的可靠性。最后利用该数值分析模型预测了倾斜率不同的地基受到相同剪切波作用时,倾斜地基不同深度产生的侧向位移。预测结果显示,随着地基深度的减小,倾斜率对于地震液化导致倾斜地基侧向大变形的影响越来越显著。