When hazard avoidance is not an option: lessons learned from monitoring the postdisaster Oso landslide,USA

On 22 March 2014, a massive, catastrophic landslide occurred near Oso, Washington, USA, sweeping more than 1 km across the adjacent valley flats and killing 43 people. For the following 5 weeks, hundreds of workers engaged in an exhaustive search, rescue, and recovery effort directly in the landslide runout path. These workers could not avoid the risks posed by additional large-scale slope collapses. In an effort to ensure worker safety, multiple agencies cooperated to swiftly deploy a monitoring and alerting system consisting of sensors, automated data processing and web-based display, along with defined communication protocols and clear calls to action for emergency management and search personnel. Guided by the principle that an accelerating landslide poses a greater threat than a steadily moving or stationary mass, the system was designed to detect ground motion and vibration using complementary monitoring techniques. Near real-time information was provided by continuous GPS, seismometers/geophones, and extensometers. This information was augmented by repeat-assessment techniques such as terrestrial and aerial laser scanning and time-lapse photography. Fortunately, no major additional landsliding occurred. However, we did detect small headscarp failures as well as slow movement of the remaining landslide mass with the monitoring system. This was an exceptional response situation and the lessons learned are applicable to other landslide disaster crises. They underscore the need for cogent landslide expertise and ready-to-deploy monitoring equipment, the value of using redundant monitoring techniques with distinct goals, the benefit of clearly defined communication protocols, and the importance of continued research into forecasting landslide behavior to allow timely warning.

     

The Geochemistry of Lake Joyce, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Lake Joyce is one of the least studied lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Similar to other lakes in this region, Lake Joyce is a closed-basin, permanently ice-covered, meromictic lake. We present here a detailed investigation of major ions, nutrients, and dissolved trace elements for Lake Joyce. Specifically, we investigate the role of iron and manganese oxides and hydrous oxides in trace metal cycling.Lake Joyce is characterized by fresh, oxic waters overlying an anoxic brine, primarily Na–Cl. Surface waters have a maximum nitrate concentration of 26M with a molar dissolved inorganic nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 477. The supply of nitrogen is attributed to atmospheric deposition, possibly from polar stratospheric clouds. Dissolved phosphorus is scavenged by hydrous iron oxides. The pH is highest (10.15) just beneath the 7-m thick ice cover and decreases to a minimum of 7.29 in the redox transition zone. Dissolved Al exceeds 8M in surface waters, and appears to be controlled by equilibrium with gibbsite. In contrast, concentrations of other trace elements in surface waters are quite low (e.g., 5.4nM Cu, 0.19nM Co, <20pM La). Dissolved Fe, Mn, Ni and Cd were below our detection limits of 13 nM, 1. 8 nM, 4.7 nM and 15pM (respectively) in surface waters. There was a 6-m vertical separation in the onset of Mn and Fe reduction, with dissolved Mn appearing higher in the water column than Fe. Based on thermodynamic calculations, dissolved Mn appears to be controlled by equilibrium with hausmannite (Mn3O4). Co tracks the Mn profile closely, suggesting Co(III) is bound in the lattice of Mn oxides, whereas the Ce profile is similar, yet the Ce anomaly suggests oxidative scavenging of Ce. Release of Cu, Ni, Cd and trivalent REE appears to be controlled by pH-induced desorption from Fe and Mn oxides, although Cu (and perhaps Ni) may be scavenged by organic matter in surface waters.     

Isotope and trace element geochemistry of sediments from the Barbados Ridge-Demerara Plain region,Atlantic Ocean

Twenty-four piston core sediment samples and 13 sediments and 3 basalts from DSDP Leg 78 Site 543 were analyzed for Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. The results show sediment with highly radiogenic Pb${}^{206}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ up to 19.8) and rather radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd has been deposited in the region since the Cretaceous. The source of this sediment is probably the Archean Guiana Highland, which is drained by the Orinoco River. Pb and Sr isotopic compositions and sediment thickness decrease and${}^{143}\text{Nd}{}^{144}\text{Nd}$ increases northward due to a decrease in turbiditic component. This decrease is partly due to the damming action of basement ridges. Rare earth concentrations in the sediments are somewhat low, due to the abundance of detrital and biogenic components in the sediment and rapid sedimentation rates. Both positive and negative Ce anomalies occur in the surface sediments, but only positive Ce anomalies occur in the Site 543 sediments. It is unlikely that sediment subducted to the source region of Lesser Antilles arc magmas could be the cause of negative Ce anomalies in those magmas.Isotopic compositions of Site 543 basalts show some effect of contamination by seawater-basalt reaction products and sediments. Beyond this, however, they are typical of “normal” depleted MORB.     

Magmatic and hydrothermal inclusions in carbonatite of the Magnet Cove Complex,Arkansas

The carbonatite at Magnet Cove, Arkansas, USA contains a great variety and abundance of magmatic and hydrothermal inclusions that provide an informative, though fragmentary, record of the original carbonatite melt and of late hydrothermal solutions which permeated the complex in postmagmatic time. These inclusions were studied by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Primary magmatic inclusions in monticellite indicate that the original carbonatite melt contained approximately 49.7 wt% CaO, 16.7% CO₂, 15.7% SiO₂, 11.4% H₂O, 4.4% FeO+Fe₂O₃, 1.1% P₂O₅ and 1.0% MgO. The melt was richer in SiO₂ and iron oxides than the carbonatite as now exposed; this is attributed to crystal settling and relative enrichment of calcite at shallower levels. The density of the carbonatite melt as revealed by the magmatic inclusions was approximately 2.2–2.3 g/cc. Such a light melt should separate rapidly from any denser parent material and could be driven forcibly into overlying crustal rocks by buoyant forces alone. Fluid inclusions in apatite suggest that a separate (immiscible) phase composed of supercritical CO₂ fluid of low density coexisted with the carbonatite magma, but the inclusion record in this mineral is inconclusive with respect to the nature of any other coexisting fluids. Maximum total pressure during CO₂ entrapment was about 450 bars, suggesting depths of 1.5 km or less for apatite crystallization and supporting earlier proposals of a shallow, subvolcanic setting for the complex. Numerous secondary inclusions in the Magnet Cove calcite contain an intriguing variety of daughter minerals including some 19 alkali, alkaline earth and rare earth carbonates, sulfates and chlorides few of which are known as macroscopic phases in the complex. The exotic fluids from which the daughter minerals formed are inferred to have cooled and diluted through time by progressive mixing with local groundwaters. These fluids may be responsible for certain late veins and elemental enrichments associated with the complex.     

The Proterozoic evolution of northern Siberian Craton margin: a comparison of U–Pb–Hf signatures from sedimentary units of the Taimyr orogenic belt and the Siberian platform

Identifying the cratonic affinity of Neoproterozoic crust that surrounds the northern margin of the Siberian Craton (SC) is critical for determining its tectonic evolution and placing the Craton in Neoproterozoic supercontinental reconstructions. Integration of new U–Pb–Hf detrital zircon data with regional geological constraints indicates that distinct Neoproterozoic arc-related magmatic belts can be identified within the Taimyr orogen. Sedimentary rocks derived from 970 to 800 Ma arc-related suites reveal abundant Archean and Paleoproterozoic detritus, characteristic of the SC. The 720–600 Ma arc-related zircon population from the younger Cambrian sedimentary rocks is also complemented by an exotic juvenile Mesoproterozoic zircon population and erosional products of older arc-related suites. Nonetheless, numerous evidences imply that both arcs broadly reworked Siberian basement components. We suggest that the early Neoproterozoic (ca. 970–800 Ma) arc system of the Taimyr orogen evolved on the active margin of the SC and probably extended along the periphery of Rodinia into Valhalla orogen of NE Laurentia. We also suggest the late Neoproterozoic (750–550 Ma) arc system could have been part of the Timanian orogen, which linked Siberia and Baltica at the Precambrian/Phanerozoic transition.     

Ground Movement and Strains from Airphoto Measurements in Avonside Caused by 2010 Darfield Earthquake

In this work ground failure following the 2010 Darfield earthquake in Canterbury, NZ was studied. Lateral spreading and horizontal ground strains were analyzed in an area near the Central Business District of Christchurch city. The Avon river runs through the middle of the study area and includes natural, filled and artificially cut stream bed stretches. Lateral displacement vectors from photogrammetric data were interpolated and used to produce ground strains. Large compressive and tensile strains were identified. Natural point bars were found to correlate closely with tensile strains. Natural stream bed (filled and existing) was found to closely correlate with compressive strains. Vector magnitude values of lateral displacements were found to correlate with water supply pipe repair rates (R² = 0.42). However, ground strains did not correlate with lateral displacements, water supply pipe repair rates or settlements from the photogrammetric data. Therefore, it may be concluded that ground strains have limited use in the indication of potential repair rates and do not directly predict settlement. However, ground strains were observed as useful in identifying paleo-geomorphology of the area in general and changing soil density profiles in particular.     

Nickeliferous sulfides in xenoliths,olivine megacrysts and basaltic glass

The composition of olivine and nickeliferous sulfide inclusions from a selection of mafic and ultramafre rocks, xenoliths and megacrysts, including picritic basalts from Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, kimberlite from Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and megacrysts from Mount Shasta, California are compared with the mean experimental value of the distribution coefficient for Ni/Fe exchange (K_D3=32). Only nine of the forty five olivipe/bulk-sulfide pairs investigated have compositions consistent with equilibration at high temperature, yielding calculated K_D3 values in the range 22 to 41. The remaining pairs have calculated K_D3 values which range from 0 to 19. Bulk-sulfides in disequilibrated assem-blages are consistently depleted in nickel and within both indivudual associations and individual petrographic sections they exhibit a wide variation in NiS content. The bulk copper contents of olivine-and groundmass-hosted sulfides from Kilauea Volcano range from 0.5 to 43 at%, and samples from the Kilauea Iki lava lake are more Fe-and Cu-rich and generally have lower K_D3 values than those from the eruption itself. As with magmatic Ni–Cu sulfide deposits, most nickeliferous sulfide inclusions in mantle-related rocks and xenoliths and in volcanic rocks do not have pristine early-magmatic bulk compositions, and it would seem to be premature to attribute these sulfides solely to either a mantle or an early-magnatic origin.     

Hydrogeology of a coal-seam gas exploration area, southeastern British Columbia, Canada: Part 1. Groundwater flow systems

Discovery of high contents of methane gas in coals of the Mist Mountain Formation in the Elk River valley, southeastern British Columbia, Canada, has led to increased exploration activity for coal-seam gas (CSG). CSG production requires groundwater abstraction to depressurize the coal beds and to facilitate methane flow to the production wells. Groundwater abstraction will have hydrodynamic effects on the flow system, and an understanding of the groundwater flow system is needed to evaluate these effects. The purpose of this paper is to describe the groundwater flow system in the area by means of a groundwater flow model and interpretation of hydrochemical and isotopic analyses of groundwater and surface water. Groundwater flow for the Weary Creek exploration area is modeled in two vertical sections. The model domains, based on classic upland–lowland conceptual flow models, are approximately 10,000 m long and 4,000 m deep. Each consists of a fixed water-table boundary and no-flow boundaries along the traces of major faults. Steady-state groundwater flow is calibrated to hydraulic-head, streamflow, and groundwater-recharge data. Simulated steady-state velocity fields define regional and local flow components consistent with the conceptual model. The results are consistent with regional trends in δ²H, δ¹⁸O, tritium, and TDS, which define two distinct groundwater groups (A and B) and a third of intermediate composition. An active, shallow, local flow component (group A) is recharged in beds cropping out along subdued ridges; this component discharges as seeps along lower and mid-slope positions in the southern part of the study area. The waters are tritiated, relatively enriched in δ²H and δ¹⁸O, and have low TDS. A deeper regional flow component (group B), which originates at a higher altitude and which discharges to the Elk River valley bottom, is characterized by non-tritiated groundwater with relatively depleted δ²H and δ¹⁸O, and higher TDS. Groundwater contributes less than 10% of the total direct flow to the Elk River, as indicated by flow measurements and by the absence of group A and group B characteristics in the river water. Thus it is hypothesized that groundwater extraction during CSG production will have little impact on the river. The groundwater flow model developed in this work is used in a companion paper to further test this hypothesis. Electronic Publication     

Dynamical formulation of Broecker''s model for marine cycles of biologically incorporated elements

Broecker presented a steady-state, two-box model which emphasizes the role of kinetic factors in determining the chemical composition of sea water. Unlike thermodynamic models, Broecker's model suggests that sizable temporal variation in the composition of sea water and rates of sedimentation may have taken place in the past 100 million years. To describe the evolution of the ocean's chemical system and interpret variations observed in the sedimentary record, we have formulated a dynamical model. Mass-balance consideration leads to a set of coupled nonlinear differential equations. The equations are linearized and solved for step function changes in the rate of river input and in the rate of vertical mixing. This simple model of the ocean's chemical system is shown to be stable against oscillations. Using data for the modern ocean, the response times for P, C, Si, Ca, and Ba are calculated to be of the order of 10⁴ to 10⁶ yr for changes in river and other inputs and of the order 10¹ to 10² yr for a change in the rate of vertical mixing. Analog-simulation techniques, discussed for the situation of the two-box model, provide a powerful tool for treating nonlinearities and systems with more than two components. In the final section, consequences of the dynamical formulation are compared with parameters appearing in Broecker's steady-state formulation.