Geodynamic interpretation of the earthquake distribution in the kermadec subduction zone

Summary The morphology of the Wadati-Benioff zone in the Kermadec region, based on the distribution of 1100 earthquake foci, verified the existence of an intermediate aseismic gap and its relation to active andesitic volcanism, and the non-uniformity of subduction due to the hampering effect of the main structural features of the subducting Pacific plate. Two cycles of the recently active subduction in the Tonga-Kermadec island arc were found.     

Solution to the Stokes Boundary-Value Problem on an Ellipsoid of Revolution

We have constructed Green's function to Stokes's boundary-value problem with the gravity data distributed over an ellipsoid of revolution. We show that the problem has a unique solution provided that the first eccentricity e₀ of the ellipsoid of revolution is less than 0·65041. The ellipsoidal Stokes function describing the effect of ellipticity of the boundary is expressed in the E-approximation as a finite sum of elementary functions which describe analytically the behaviour of the ellipsoidal Stokes function at the singular point = 0. We prove that the degree of singularity of the ellipsoidal Stokes function in the vicinity of its singular point is the same as that of the spherical Stokes function.     

Landscape,development, technology and drivers: The geography of drownings associated with automobiles in Texas floods, 1950–2004

More than 200 people have died in automobiles that have encountered flooded roadways in Texas from 1950 to 2004. This study examines the geographical processes that create flood hazards associated with automobile travel to discern the most important factors in their genesis. A database of drowning cases caused by motorists' interactions with flooded roadways in Texas was compiled for the study period. We examine the circumstances and spatial patterns of these events by addressing the following questions: where have motorists drowned? How did rates and spatial patterns of accidents change over the study period? To the extent that we can determine, what were the characteristics of the roads, the drivers, and the landscapes when and where deaths occurred? What factors appear to explain the temporal and spatial distributions of hazard? We conclude that roadway familiarity might have emboldened drivers to attempt to surmount water rushing across a road, that time of day was clearly an important characteristic of the accidents, and that roadway characteristics and sex and age of the drivers seem not to be key contributing factors. The most important factors, however, are associated with growth: increases in population and increased automobile registrations drive the propensity for increased automobile-flood hazards.     

Response of vegetation pattern to different landform and water-table depth in Hailiutu River basin,Northwestern China

The spatial distribution of vegetation pattern and vegetation cover fraction (VCF) was quantified with remote sensing data in the Hailiutu River basin, a semiarid area in North China. The moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer normalized different vegetation index (NDVI) values for 4 years from 2008 to 2011 and field observation data were used to assess the impact of climate factors, landform and depth to water table on vegetation distribution at large scale. In the VCF map, 74 % of the study area is covered with low and low–medium density vegetation, 24 % of the catchment is occupied by medium–high and high-density vegetation, and 2 % of area is bare soil. The relationship between NDVI and climate factors indicated that NDVI is correlated with relative humidity and precipitation. In the river catchment, NDVI increases gradually from landform of sand dune, eolian sand soil to river valley; 92.4 % of low NDVI from 0.15 to 0.3 is mostly distributed in sand dunes and the vegetation type is shrubs. Crops, shrubs and some dry willows dominate in eolian sand soil and 82.5 % of the NDVI varies between 0.2 and 0.35. In the river valley, 70.4 % of NDVI ranges between 0.25 and 0.4, and grass, dry willow and some crops are the main plants. Shrubs development of Korshinsk peashrub and Salix psammophila are dependent on groundwater by analyzing NDVI response to groundwater depth. However, NDVI of Artemisia desertorum had little sensitivity to groundwater.