Complex multiple cosmogenic nuclide concentration and histories in the arid Rio Lluta catchment,northern Chile

Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) concentrations measured in river sediments can be used to estimate catchment‐wide denudation rates. By investigating multiple TCN the steadiness of sediment generation, transport and depositional processes can be tested. Measurements of ¹⁰Be, ²¹Ne and ²⁶Al from the hyper‐ to semi‐arid Rio Lluta catchment, northern Chile, yield average single denudation rates ranging from 12 to 75 m Myr^–1 throughout the catchment. Paired nuclide analysis reveals complex exposure histories for most of the samples and thus the single nuclide estimates do not exclusively represent catchment‐wide denudation rates. The lower range of single nuclide denudation rates (12–17 m Myr^–1), established with the noble gas ²¹Ne, is in accordance with palaeodenudation rates derived from ²¹Ne/¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratio analysis. Since this denudation rate range is measured throughout the system, it is suggested that a headwater signal is transported downstream but modulated by a complex admixture of sediment that has been stored and buried at proximal hillslope or terrace deposits, which are released during high discharge events. That is best evidenced by the stable nuclide ²¹Ne, which preserves the nuclide concentration even during storage intervals. The catchment‐wide single ²¹Ne denudation rates and the palaeodenuation rates contrast with previous TCN‐derived erosion rates from bedrock exposures at hillslope interfluves by being at least one order of magnitude higher, especially in the lower river course. These results support earlier studies that identified a coupling of erosional processes in the Western Cordillera contrasting with decoupled processes in the Western Escarpment and in the Coastal Cordillera. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary record of sea-level changes in the Antarctic

The Late Quaternary sediment sequence of the continental margin in the eastern Weddell Sea is well suited for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Two cores from the upper slope, which contain the sedimentary record of the last 300 ky, have been sedimentologically investigated. Age models are based on lithostratigraphy and are correlated with the stable isotope record. As a result of a detailed analysis of the clay mineral composition, grain size distributions and structures, this sedimentary record provides the first marine evidence that the Antarctic ice sheet extended to the shelf edge during the last glacial.The variations in volume and size of the ice sheet were also simulated in numerical models. Changes in accumulation rate and ice temperature are of some importance, but the model revealed that fluctuations are primarily driven by changes in eustatic sea-level and that the ice edge extended to the shelf edge during the last glacial maximum. This causal relationship implies that the maximum ice extension strongly depends on the magnitude and duration of the sea-level depression during a glacial period. The results of the sedimentological investigations and of the numerical models show that the Antarctic ice sheet follows glacial events in the northern hemisphere by teleconnections of sea level. Correspondence to: H. Grobe     

Aerosol concentrations and size distribution in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over Thumba

Rocket-borne ultraviolet photometers operating at =0.31 m have been used at Thumba (8°33N, 76°52E) to make measurements of atmospheric scattering at tropospheric and lower stratospheric altitudes. Measurements could be made of the amplitude of the scattered fluxes and the angular distribution up to an altitude of about 24 km on three rocket flights conducted as part of the 16 February 1980 solar eclipse campaign. These measurements have been used to study the size distribution as well as the number densities of aerosols in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over Thumba.     

A method for rapid evaluation of magnetic anomalies over thin sheets

A method for rapid evaluation of magnetic anomalies over thin sheets is presented. This method is based on characteristic distancesX _3/4,X _1/2,X _1/4 at which the anomaly falls off to 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 of the total (peak to peak) amplitude, respectively. Simple mathematical relations using these characteristic distances are presented to estimate the death and dip of the sheet. This method is fast and does not require prior knowledge of the base level and the origin. A few field examples are included to show the applicability and efficacy of the method.     

Exploration drilling and reservoir model of the Platanares geothermal system, Honduras, Central America

Results of drilling, logging, and testing of three exploration core holes, combined with results of geologic and hydrogeochemical investigations, have been used to present a reservoir model of the Platanares geothermal system, Honduras. Geothermal fluids circulate at depths ≥ 1.5 km in a region of active tectonism devoid of Quaternary volcanism. Large, artesian water entries of 160 to 165°C geothermal fluid in two core holes at 625 to 644 m and 460 to 635 m depth have maximum flow rates of roughly 355 and 560 l/min, respectively, which are equivalent to power outputs of about 3.1 and 5.1 MW(thermal). Dilute, alkali-chloride reservoir fluids (TDS ≤ 1200 mg/kg) are produced from fractured Miocene andesite and Cretaceous to Eocene redbeds that are hydrothermally altered. Fracture permeabillity in producing horizons is locally greater than 1500 and bulk porosity is ≤ 6%. A simple, fracture-dominated, volume-impedance model assuming turbulent flow indicates that the calculated reservoir storage capacity of each flowing hole is approximately 9.7 × 10⁶ l/(kg cm⁻²), Tritium data indicate a mean residence time of 450 yr for water in the reservoir. Multiplying the natural fluid discharge rate by the mean residence time gives an estimated water volume of the Platanares system of ≥ 0.78 km³. Downward continuation of a 139°C/km “conductive” gradient at a depth of 400 m in a third core hole implies that the depth to a 225°C source reservoir (predicted from chemical geothermometers) is at least 1.5 km. Uranium-thorium disequilibrium ages on calcite veins at the surface and in the core holes indicate that the present Platanares hydrothermal system has been active for the last 0.25 m.y.     

Spatial and temporal structure of the Denmark Strait Overflow revealed by acoustic observations

In spite of the fundamental role the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays for global climate stability, no direct current measurement of the Denmark Strait Overflow, which is the densest part of the AMOC, has been available until recently that resolve the cross-stream structure at the sill for long periods. Since 1999, an array of bottom-mounted acoustic instruments measuring current velocity and bottom-to-surface acoustic travel times was deployed at the sill. Here, the optimization of the array configuration based on a numerical overflow model is discussed. The simulation proves that more than 80% of the dense water transport variability is captured by two to three acoustic current profilers (ADCPs). The results are compared with time series from ADCPs and Inverted Echo Sounders deployed from 1999 to 2003, confirming that the dense overflow plume can be reliably measured by bottom-mounted instruments and that the overflow is largely geostrophically balanced at the sill.     

Biological response to coastal upwelling and dust deposition in the area off Northwest Africa

Nutrient supply in the area off Northwest Africa is mainly regulated by two processes, coastal upwelling and deposition of Saharan dust. In the present study, both processes were analyzed and evaluated by different methods, including cross-correlation, multiple correlation, and event statistics, using remotely sensed proxies of the period from 2000 to 2008 to investigate their influence on the marine environment. The remotely sensed chlorophyll-a concentration was used as a proxy for the phytoplankton biomass stimulated by nutrient supply into the euphotic zone from deeper water layers and from the atmosphere. Satellite-derived alongshore wind stress and sea-surface temperature were applied as proxies for the strength and reflection of coastal upwelling processes. The westward wind and the dust component of the aerosol optical depth describe the transport direction of atmospheric dust and the atmospheric dust column load.     

高能电子爆发与绕月卫星表面电位大幅下降的联动效应

“嫦娥”一号、二号绕月飞行经历地球磁尾边界层区域时,分别在2007年11月26日-2008年2月5日和2010年10月3日-2011年2月28日,发现了15次月球轨道0.1~2 MeV电子急剧增加（Bursts of 0.1~2 MeV Energetic Electrons,BEE）,卫星周围等离子体离子加速的现象.统计研究表明,这类现象发生在稳定太阳风和弱行星际磁场条件下,且无显著空间环境扰动事件发生时,离子的加速滞后于高能电子爆发,离子能量的变化与高能电子通量的时间演化正相关,地球磁鞘内侧或边界层过渡区域是该类现象的高发区,离子能量增加时卫星表面电位大幅下降可达负几千伏.为了研究高能电子爆发与绕月卫星表面电位变化的关系及其对月球表面电位的影响,本文用电流平衡法建立绕月卫星和月球表面充电模型,并假设能量电子（>2 eV~2 MeV）满足幂律谱的分布,模拟急剧增加的能量电子对卫星和月球表面电位的影响.模拟结果表明,能量电子急剧增加使得绕月卫星和月球表面电位大幅下降;能量电子总流量>1011 cm-2时,绕月卫星和月球表面充电电位可达负上千伏;月球充电到大的负电位的时间仅为卫星充电时间的1/10.鉴于高能电子急剧增加事件的高发生率（~125次/年）,能量电子急剧增加使得绕月卫星表面电位大幅下降的发生率应大于实测等离子体离子加速现象的发生率（~25次/年）.     

Structure and evolution of the backstop in the eastern Nankai Trough area (Japan): Implications for the soon-to-come Tokai earthquake

Abstract We present data showing that the intra-oceanic shortening now occurring south of the eastern Nankai Trough that has produced the Zenisu Ridge has also been responsible for the formation of a previous ridge now buried below the continental margin. This ridge, that we refer to as Paleo-Zenisu, is presently adjacent to the backstop and its location coincides with the outer limit of the seismogenic decollement. The subduction of the paleo-Zenisu ridge below the wedge has led to its complete reorganization and has given its identity to the Great Tokai earthquake rupture zone. The formation of paleo-Zenisu and its consequent subduction has induced the tilting of the backstop toward the northwest since ca 2 Ma. This model suggests that the backstop and possibly the wedge are dextrally sheared because they are extruded southwestward in relation to the collision of the Izu-Bonin Ridge with Japan. We use the finite motion from Zenisu to paleo-Zenisu to derive both the subduction vectors along the Nankai Trough and the shortening vectors within Zenisu-Izu. The amount of shortening absorbed within Zenisu-Izu increases toward the northeast. The corresponding subduction vectors of the Zenisu platelet below the wedge decrease accordingly to the northeast from 50 to less than 20 mm/year and the Zenisu body rotates clockwise with a pole near 36° North, 139° East. This might explain the apparent longer repetition time of great earthquakes in the Tokai area. On the other hand, the 25-35 mm/year obtained for the rate of shortening along the Zenisu thrust indicates a high seismic potential there.     

Mechanical compression release device in steel bracing system for retrofitting RC frames

1 Introduction Braced steel frames are commonly used to resist seismic loads. Their seismic behavior was extensively studied during the past decades (Bertero et al.., 1989; Roeder, 1989; Jain, 1978). Their design is governed by the buckling behavior of the bracing members (ASCE, 1994,2002; CSA, 1994). To prevent or delay the seismic buckling of compressive members in concentrically braced frames in steel structures, a great number of methods have been proposed. These include the use of sp…