Offshore pile foundations in sand under earthquake loading

A new approach to the analysis of pile foundations, developed recently for the analysis of a pile supported offshore structure, is described. The method uses a coupled soil-pile analysis which takes into account the non-linear resistance of the pile to lateral deformation and the effect of progressively increasing pore water pressures on that resistance. The analysis allows also for radiation of energy away from the site. Typical of results given in the paper are: (1) the effect of pore water pressure increases on the API cyclic loading curves, (2) the degradation in lateral stiffness due to pore pressure increases for piles with fixed and free heads, (3) variations in deflections and moments with depth due to pore water pressure from those predicted using current API procedures.     

Organic petrography and geochemistry of inertinite-rich mudstones, Jakobsstigen Formation, Upper Jurassic, northeast Greenland: Indications of forest fires and variations in relative sea-level

The lower-middle Oxfordian Jakobsstigen Formation, Wollaston Forland, northeast Greenland, consists mainly of stacked coarsening-upward successions of offshore to shoreface heteroliths, sandstone and rare foreshore sandstones. The units are separated by thin, laterally extensive sheets of terrigenous carbonaceous mudstones, which have been subjected to organic petrographic and geochemical studies. The mudstones are thermally immature, with maturities corresponding to R₀ in the range 0.35–0.50%. The mudstones contain very high proportions of allochthonous inertinite, subordinate huminite, char and negligible proportions of liptinite. Inertinite reflectance distributions are markedly bimodal, with maxima at approximately 1.73 and 4.91% R_m. Both pyrolysis yields and solvent extract yields are low. The distributions of n-alkanes are markedly light-end skewed and show a pronounced predominance of even-numbered compounds in the lower carbon number range. Biomarker-distributions feature a dominance of C₂₉-steranes, slight enhancement of extended hopanes and αββ-steranes, low proportion of tricyclic triterpanes and very low hopane/sterane ratios. Sedimentological, organic petrographical and geochemical evidence suggests that the regular alternation between marine and terrestrial depositional environments during deposition of the Jakobsstigen Formation was related to low-amplitude, high-frequency changes in relative sea-level and local climate. The mudstones were deposited during early rise of relative sea-level in shallow, flat-bottomed lakes or lagoons on a broad coastal plain. The lakes acted as traps for fine elastic sediment and for predominantly windborne inertinite, generated by wildfires in the hinterland. High rates of evaporation rendered the lakes mildly saline, hampering their colonization by vegetation other than cyanobacteria and halophilic microorganisms. Similarly, saline porewaters excluded higher plant vegetation from emergent areas. Upon continued rise of the relative sea-level, the lakes were gradually flooded and their deposits became covered by sandy shallow marine sediments. The larger areas covered by shallow marine waters during periods of high relative sea-level led to a more humid local climate and to lower frequency of wildfires. During falling relative sea-level, the marine deposits were eroded and partially removed and the cycle subsequently repeated upon renewed rise in relative sea-level. Hence, minor changes in relative sea-level gave rise to the regular alternation of two vastly different depositional environments, as well as to marked variations in local climate.     

Ethics of large-scale change

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 106(2): 131–144, 2006

The subject of this paper is long-term large-scale changes in human society. Some very significant examples of large-scale change are presented: human population growth, human appropriation of land and primary production, the human use of fossil fuels, and climate change. The question is posed, which kind of attitude is appropriate when dealing with large-scale changes like these from an ethical point of view. Three kinds of approaches are discussed: Aldo Leopold's mountain thinking, the neoclassical economists' approach, and finally the so-called Concentric Circle Theories approach. It is argued that the last of these three approaches must be preferred, even though further interpretation will be needed in relation to specific decision-making.     

“New” lunar meteorites: Impact melt and regolith breccias and large‐scale heterogeneities of the upper lunar crust

Abstract— We have analyzed nine highland lunar meteorites (lunaites) using mainly INAA. Several of these rocks are difficult to classify. Dhofar 081 is basically a fragmental breccia, but much of its groundmass features a glassy‐fluidized texture that is indicative of localized shock melting. Also, much of the matrix glass is swirly‐brown, suggesting a possible regolith derivation. We interpret Dar al Gani (DaG) 400 as an extremely immature regolith breccia consisting mainly of impact‐melt breccia clasts; we interpret Dhofar 026 as an unusually complex anorthositic impact‐melt breccia with scattered ovoid globules that formed as clasts of mafic, subophitic impact melt. The presence of mafic crystalline globules in a lunar material, even one so clearly impact‐heated, suggests that it may have originated as a regolith. Our new data and a synthesis of literature data suggest a contrast in Al₂O₃‐incompatible element systematics between impact melts from the central nearside highlands, where Apollo sampling occurred, and those from the general highland surface of the Moon. Impact melts from the general highland surface tend to have systematically lower incompatible element concentration at any given Al₂O₃ concentration than those from Apollo 16. In the case of Dhofar 026, both the bulk rock and a comparatively Al‐poor composition (14 wt% Al₂O₃, 7 μg/g Sm) extrapolated for the globules, manifest incompatible element contents well below the Apollo 16 trend. Impact melts from Luna 20 (57°E) distribute more along the general highland trend than along the Apollo 16 trend. Siderophile elements also show a distinctive composition for Apollo 16 impact melts: Ni/Ir averaging ?1.8x chondritic. In contrast, lunaite impact‐melt breccias have consistently chondritic Ni/Ir. Impact melts from Luna 20 and other Apollo sites show average Ni/Ir almost as high as those from Apollo 16. The prevalence of this distinctive Ni/Ir ratio at such widely separated nearside sites suggests that debris from one extraordinarily large impact may dominate the megaregolith siderophile component of a nearside region 2300 km or more across. Highland polymict breccia lunaites and other KREEP‐poor highland regolith samples manifest a strong anticorrelation between Al₂O₃ and mg. The magnesian component probably represents the chemical signature of the Mg‐suite of pristine nonmare rocks in its most “pure” form, unaltered by the major KREEP‐assimilation that is so common among Apollo Mg‐suite samples. The average composition of the ferroan anorthositic component is now well constrained at Al₂O₃ ?29–30 wt% (implying about 17–19 wt% modal mafic silicates), in good agreement with the composition predicted for flotation crust over a “ferroan” magma ocean (Warren 1990).     

Taphonomy and palaeoecology of the gastropod fauna from a Late Cretaceous rocky shore, Sweden

A gastropod fauna comprising 17 species, each represented by a limited number of specimens, is described from a Late Cretaceous, late early Campanian rocky shore at Ivö Klack, southern Sweden. The gastropod fauna is associated with the most diverse ancient rocky shore fauna ever found. However, the low gastropod species diversity compared to the faunas of modern rocky shores is ascribed to taphonomic factors, notably dissolution of the aragonitic shells, but the predominance of epifaunal herbivores is indicative of a guild structure similar to that found on modern rocky shores. The presence of drill holes assigned to the ichnospecies Oichnus simplex suggests the former presence of muricid gastropods which have not been found as body fossils. A single drill hole is referred to Oichnus paraboloides and was probably made by a naticid gastropod. The infaunal mode of life of naticids makes preservation of such drill holes difficult, since the majority of infaunal prey such as burrowing bivalves has aragonitic shells which are not preserved. The relatively high number of species in comparison to many other Late Cretaceous rocky shore faunas, offers an opportunity to compare gastropod guild structure at Ivö Klack with modern counterparts, even though taphonomic processes such as mechanical destruction and aragonite dissolution have played an important role in the fossil gastropod assemblage.     

A Holocene pollen and diatom record from Vanderlin Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, lowland tropical Australia

Sedimentary, palynological and diatom data from a dunefield lake deposit in the interior of Vanderlin Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria are presented. Prior to the formation of present perennial lake conditions, the intensified Australian monsoon associated with the early Holocene marine transgression allowed Cyperaceae sedges to colonise the alluvial margins of an expansive salt flat surrounded by an open Eucalyptus woodland. As sea level stabilised between 7500 and 4500 cal yr B.P. coastal dunes ceased to develop allowing dense Melaleuca forest to establish in a Restionaceae swamp. Dune-sand input into the swamp was diminished further as the increasingly dense vegetation prevented fluvial and aeolian transported sand arriving from coastal sources. This same process impounded the drainage basin allowing a perennial lake to form between 5500 and 4000 cal yr B.P. Myriophyllum and other aquatic taxa colonised the lake periphery under the most extensive woodland recorded for the Holocene. The palynological data support an effective precipitation model proposed for northern Australia that suggests more variable conditions in the late Holocene. A more precise measure of effective precipitation change is provided by diatom-based inferences that indicate few changes in lake hydrology. Such interpretations are explained in terms of palynological sensitivity to adjustments in local fire regimes where regional precipitation change may only be recorded indirectly through fire promoting mechanisms, including intensified ENSO periodicity and human impact.     

1-D and 2-D analyses of weak motion data in Fraser Delta from 1966 Duvall earthquake

The 1996 Duvall earthquake in Washington State triggered ground motion stations in the Fraser Delta, British Columbia, located on varying depths of Holocene and Pleistocene soils to a maximum depth of 800 m and one station on bedrock. Recorded ground motions were used to examine the applicability of 1-D and 2-D site response analyses for amplification studies in the Delta. 1-D response analysis gave a good indication of the period of peak response. Response spectra computed by 1-D analysis did not compare well with recorded spectra except at very deep sites. The use of 2-D analyses to include buried topography generally improved the predictions of site response spectra at the shallow sites. However, for the shallow earth sites, the recorded motions showed a strong spectral response at short periods in the range of 0.1–0.25 s. Neither 1-D nor 2-D analysis predicted this response.     

Analysis of ground motions at Treasure Island site during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

Site response analyses and coherence studies were conducted at the Treasure Island site where surface motions were recorded during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The analyses were conducted using a nonlinear dynamic effective stress method which took into account the effects of the liquefaction that occured at the site. The rock motions recorded at nearby Yerba Buena Island were used as input motions. Computed and recorded ground motions transverse to the direction of wave propagation and associated response spectra were in good agreement. Agreement was also good in the radial direction, except in certain frequency bands higher than 1·25 Hz. Coherence studies showed that some of these discrepancies may be due to low coherence between the Treasure Island and Yerba Buena motions in these same frequency bands.     

Load distribution in large pile groups under static and dynamic loading

Research on the action of pile groups in resisting lateral loading is usually based on analysis, field and centrifuge tests of small pile groups. The interaction between piles in these groups is modelled by modifying the lateral resistance p–y curves developed for a single pile using row dependent reduction factors or a group factor for the entire group to simulate the effect of soil–pile–soil interaction. The modifying factors for the p–y curves and the appropriate group factors for pile groups are based entirely on static tests and there is no direct verification that these factors are appropriate to handle the dynamic loading of earthquake induced ground motions. In this paper we investigate the interaction effects between piles under static and seismic loading using the computer program VERSAT-P3D, which uses an equivalent linear constitutive model for the soil. The analytical procedure is calibrated using data from a static field load test on a single pile. Several pile groups, 2 × 2, 3 × 3, 4 × 4, 5 × 5, 8 × 8, 10 × 10, 10 × 2 and 15 × 2 were analysed for the study. Each group was subjected to static pushover and earthquake loading and the distribution of static and dynamic shear forces at various lateral displacements were evaluated. The study shows that the distribution of load within a pile group under dynamic loading varies significantly from the distribution under static loading and is strongly load intensity dependent. Current practice assumes that the distributions are similar.