3D dynamics of debris flows quantified at sub-second intervals from laser profiles

We use pairs of parallel mounted laser profile scanners to measure main debris-flow variables in two debris-flow channels in central and southern Switzerland. The scanners measure the instantaneous cross-sectional geometry of debris flows at rates of 25–100 Hz, and we apply large-scale particle image velocimetery to estimate velocity. The scanners also provide direct measurements of flow depth. From these data, we were able to estimate debris-flow depth, velocity and discharge for 16 out of 17 events. These results are consistent with discharge estimated from a system of geophones and a radar gauge for two available datasets. We also investigated debris-flow geometry to quantify rheology-controlled cross-flow convexity and found that four events manifest strong surface convexity at their surge fronts where we expect the largest boulders and low pore-fluid pressures. The scanners provide a completely new view of debris-flow dynamics and channel morphology and present novel opportunities to measure discharge and investigate debris-flow geometries.     

Assessing spatio-temporal characteristics of water storage changes in the mountainous areas of Central Asia based on GRACE

The mountainous areas of Central Asia provide substantial water resources, and studying change in water storage and the impacts of precipitation and snow cover in the mountain ranges of Central Asia is of the greatest importance for understanding regional water shortages and the main factors. Data from the GRACE(Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, precipitation products and snow-covered area data were used to analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of water storage changes and the effects of precipitation and snow cover from April 2002 to December 2013. The results were computed for each mountain ranges, and the following conclusions were drawn. The water storage in the mountainous areas of Central Asia as a whole increases in summer and winter, whereas it decreases in autumn. The water storage is affected by precipitation to some extent and some areas exhibit hysteresis. The area of positive water storage changes moves from west to east over the course of the year. The water storage declined during the period 2002–2004. It then returned to a higher level in 2005–2006 and featured lower levels in 2007–2009 Subsequently, the water storage increased gradually from 2010 to 2013. The Eastern Tianshan Mountains and Western Tianshan Mountain subzones examined in this study display similar tendencies, and the trends observed in the Karakorum Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains are also similar. However, the Eastern Tianshan Mountains and Western Tianshan Mountains were influenced by precipitation to a greater degree than the latter two ranges. The water storage in Qilian Mountains showed a pronounced increasing trend, and this range is the most strongly affected by precipitation. Based on an analysis of all investigated subzones, precipitation has the greatest influence on total water storage relative to the snow covered area in some areas of Central Asia. The results obtained from this study will be of value for scientists studying the mechanisms that influence changes in water storage in Central Asia.     

Strukturuntersuchung an einer Hornblende aus dem eklogitischen Gestein von Stramez,südliche Koralpe

Zusammenfassung Eine Strukturuntersuchung auf Grund zweidimensionaler Fouriermethoden bestätigt für die Hornblende aus dem eklogitischen Gestein von Stramez die vermutete kristallchemische Formel, wobei sich die Position A in 10-Koordination als besetzt erweist. Außerdem ist für die 6-koordinierten Kationen eine nichtstatistische Besetzung der Atomlagen wahrscheinlich.

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Summary An investigation by two-dimensional Fourier methods of a hornblende, occurring in eclogitic rocks at Stramez, Saualpe, confirms an atomic arrangement, which shows the 10-coordinated position A being occupied. For the cations in 6-coordination a nonstatistical distribution may be assumed.

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Mit 1 Textabbildung

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Herrn Professor Dr.F. Machatschki zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet     

Access to the EGNOS signal in space over mobile-IP

The EGNOS service will provide better positioning availability and accuracy than that from the standalone GPS solutions. However, in order to access the EGNOS service, the end user needs to access the corresponding GEO satellites that broadcast the augmentation information for the region. This is not a problem normally for aviation and maritime applications because an open sky is always available for such applications. However, an open sky is not always available for land applications because of the obstacles in the vicinity of the end users, for example, in the city canyons. The situation gets worse for the regions at high latitudes because the elevation angles to the GEO satellites are rather low (e.g. 4–22° in Finland). This article describes briefly the SISNeT technology, designed and developed by the European Space Agency, which allows accessing the EGNOS SIS via the Internet. It will describe in detail the handheld SISNeT receiver, designed and developed by the Finnish Geodetic Institute under ESA contract. The SISNeT data server is an IP-based server that acquires the EGNOS messages from an EGNOS receiver, and broadcasts them over the Internet in real-time. The handheld receiver consists of a GPS PC-card receiver, a GPRS (or GSM) card phone, and a pocket PC as the host platform. The receiver software is a Windows CE-based package with a multi-process and multi-thread architecture. It simultaneously receives: (1) the EGNOS SIS over a GPRS wireless connection and the Internet and (2) the NMEA messages from a serial connection to a GPS receiver. It decompresses and decodes the EGNOS messages, and utilizes the information in the messages to estimate the EGNOS-corrected coordinates, which are finally delivered to the end user via a virtual COM port. The virtual COM port has been implemented as a stream interface driver in the Pocket PC. It can be accessed in the same way as the physical COM port in a GPS receiver is accessed. Therefore, it is easy to interface to any third-party applications. The test results show that the handheld SISNeT receiver can provide a positioning accuracy of about 1–2 m for the horizontal components, and 2–3 m for the vertical component in real time. Due to the poor performance of the wireless connection, 10–30% of the EGNOS messages can be lost depending on the services provided by the wireless network operators. The impact of the messages lost on the positioning accuracy is about 0.5 m in both the horizontal and vertical components. Electronic Publication     

Chlorite dissolution in the acid ph-range: a combined microscopic and macroscopic approach

The dissolution of chlorite with intermediate Fe-content was studied macroscopically via mixed flow experiments as well as microscopically via atomic force microscopy (AFM). BET surface area normalized steady state dissolution rates at 25 °C for pH 2 to 5 vary between 10⁻¹² and 10⁻¹³ mol/m^2.s. The order of the dissolution reaction with respect to protons was calculated to be about 0.29. For pH 2 to 4, chlorite was found to dissolve non-stoichiometrically, with a preferred release of the octahedrally coordinated cations. The additional release of octahedrally coordinated cations may be due to the transformation of chlorite to interstratified chlorite/vermiculite from the grain edges inward.In-situ atomic force microscopy performed on the basal surfaces of a chlorite sample, which has been preconditioned at pH 2 for several months, indicated a defect controlled dissolution mechanism. Molecular steps with height differences which correspond to the different subunits of chlorite, e.g. TOT sheet and brucite like layer, originated at surface defects such or compositional inhomogenities or cracks, which may be due to the deformation history of the chlorite sample. In contrast to other sheet silicates, at pH 2 nanoscale etch pits occur on the chlorite basal surfaces within flat terraces terminated by a TOT-sheet as well as within the brucite like layer. The chlorite basal surface dissolves layer by layer, because most of the surface defects are only expressed through single TOT or brucite-like layers. The defect controlled dissolution mechanism favours dissolution of molecular steps on the basal surfaces compared to dissolution of the grain edges. At pH 2 the dissolution of the chlorite basal surface is dominated by the retreat of 14 Å steps, representing one chlorite unit cell.The macroscopic and microscopic chlorite dissolution rates can be linked via the reactive surface area as identified by AFM. The reactive surface area with respect to dissolution consists of only 0.2% of the BET-surface area. A dissolution rate of 2.5 × 10⁻⁹ mol/m²s was calculated from macroscopic and microscopic dissolution experiments at pH 2, when normalized to the reactive surface area.     

Prediction of the spatial distribution of the modified mercalli intensity using neural networks

This paper presents the development of an adaptive, non-parametric forecast model for the direct prediction of the spatial distribution of the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) corresponding to an earthquake scenario. The model is based on recent advances in neural networks computation, and is constructed through supervised learning using historical earthquake and regional geological data as training sets. A MMI forecast model for moderate earthquakes with magnitudes between 6 and 7 was developed based on data from the Loma Prieta, Coalinga and Morgan Hill earthquakes. For these data sets, the neural networks forecast model is shown to have excellent data synthesis capability; multiple sets of data can be encapsulated by a relatively simple network architecture. Limited comparison of forecasts made by the neural networks model and conventional models demonstrates that improved accuracy can be achieved. Implementation and operational advantages of the neural networks approach such as general input features, minimum preconceived knowledge of the data sets, the ability to learn and to adapt incrementally and the autonomous and automatic synthesis of the structure underlying the data sets, have been illustrated.     

U–Pb dating of plutonic rocks involved in the nappe tectonic in southern Cameroon: consequence for the Pan-African orogenic evolution of the central African fold belt

TIMS-ID and SIMS U–Pb dating on zircons from metaplutonic rocks involved in the Pan-African nappe of southern Cameroon allow definition of three groups of subduction-related intrusions: group-I intrusions represented by the Masins metagabbro in the Lomie region yielded 666 ± 26 Ma; group-II intrusions represented by the Mamb metasyenogabbro and the Yaoundé pyriclasite yielded ca. 620 Ma and are broadly coeval with the deposition of the Yaoundé metasediments; group-III intrusions represented by the Elon augen metagranite and the Ngaa Mbappe metamonzodiorite yielded ca. 600 Ma. The onset of the nappe tectonics occurred under high-grade conditions in the range 616 to 610 Ma and continued around 600 Ma with the emplacement of the shallowest nappes. Finally, the construction of southern Cameroon proceeded by a multi-stage evolution characterized by a long-lived development of magmatic arcs associated with rapid opening and closure of sedimentary marginal basins in relation to a northward subduction.