Suggestion of a method for landslide early warning using the change in the volumetric water content gradient due to rainfall infiltration

An early warning system can be an effective measure to reduce the damage caused by landslides by facilitating the timely evacuation of residents from a landslide-prone area. Early detection of landslide triggering across a broad range of natural terrain types can be accomplished by monitoring rainfall and the physical property changes of soils in real time or near-real time. This study involved the installation of a real-time monitoring system to observe physical property changes in soils in a valley during rainfall events. This monitoring included the measurement of volumetric water content, which was compared with the results of laboratory flume tests to identify landslide indicators in the soils. The response of volumetric water content to rainfall events is more immediate than that of pore-water pressure, and volumetric water content retains its maximum value for some time before slope failure. Therefore, an alternative method for landslide monitoring can be based on the observation of volumetric water content and its changes over time at shallow soil depths. Although no landslide occurred, the field monitoring results showed a directly proportional relationship between the effective cumulative rainfall and the gradient of volumetric water content per unit time (t/t _max). This preliminary study thus related slope failure to the volumetric water content gradient as a function of rainfall. Laboratory results showed that a high amount of rainfall and a high gradient of volumetric water content could induce slope failure. Based on these results, it is possible to suggest a threshold value of the volumetric water content gradient demarcating the conditions for slope stability and slope failure. This threshold can thus serve as the basis of an early warning system for landslides considering both rainfall and soil properties.     

UBD/MPD技术标准现状分析

近年来,欠平衡钻井（UBD）和控制压力钻井（MPD）因能大幅度提高机械钻速、有效降低井下复杂情况的发生、减少非生产时间而得到了飞速发展,国内外也对两项技术制定了相关标准。从石油行业标准I、ADC标准、API标准入手,着重讨论欠平衡钻井和控制压力钻井的标准现状,探讨建立控制压力标准应包含的主要内容。     

南黄海中部全新世磁性铁质球粒富集层的发现和意义

国际上对于微玻璃陨石、磁性铁质球粒方面的研究取得了不少进展,包括研究其年代学、分布特征、矿物学特征、地球化学特征等[1~5].人们认为,形成这些微玻璃陨石、磁性铁质球粒的地质事件对生物灭绝、古气候、古环境演变有明显影响[3,6,7].     

Dipole tilt controls bow shock location and flaring angle

The dipole tilt angle has been found to affect Earth’s bow shock. This work presents a quantitative relationship between the dipole tilt angle and the bow shock location and flaring angle. We collected a large data set of bow shock crossings from four different satellites (IMP 8, Geotail, Magion 4, and Cluster), including some recent crossings obtained during 2012–2013. The results from a statistical analysis demonstrate that: (1) the subsolar standoff distance increases but the flaring angle decreases with increasing dipole tilt angle; (2) when the dipole tilt angle changes sign from negative to positive, the dayside bow shock moves toward Earth and the shift can be as much as 2.29 R _E, during which the flaring angle increases; and (3) the shape of bow shock in the northern and southern hemispheres differs. For the northern hemisphere bow shock, with increasing positive/negative dipole tilt angle, the flaring angle increases/decreases. While for the southern hemisphere, the trend is the opposite; with increasing positive/negative dipole tilt angle, the flaring angle decreases/increases. These results are helpful for future bow shock modeling that needs to include the effects of dipole tilt angle.     

Electron microscopic examination of hydrothermally treated bentonite clay

Water-saturated Na bentonite clay with a bulk density of 2 g/cm³ was autoclaved at 150 and 200°C for up to 0.5 years and then left to rest under confined conditions at room temperature for several weeks. Transmission electron microscopy with elemental micro-analysis was applied to study hydrothermally induced changes, which were found to have the form of particle reorganization and, at 200°C, release and precipitation of silica. The precipitations are suspected to be hydrated amorphous silica gels. The microstructural alteration, which was more obvious at 200°C than at 150°C, involved regrouping of previously dispersed and expanded stacks of montmorillonite flakes to yield dense branches of interwoven, contracted stacks separated by large voids.     

Distribution and number change of the Littorinid(Gastropoda) on intertidal hard bed in the Jiulong Estuary, Fujian Province

-Among four species of Littorinid, Littorina scabra, L. brevicula, Nodiliitorina millegrana and N. pyramidalis pyramidalis, on the hard intertidal zone in the Jiulong Estuary, Fujian, L. scabra has the most extensive distribution both vertically and horizontally, and the highest anual average density. The uppermost limit of vertical distribution of N. pyramidalis pyramidalis is higher than the other three Littorinid. Desiccation is a main factor affecting the uppermost limit of vertical distribution of the Littorinid. The increasing wave action will raise the uppermost limit vertical distribution of Littorinid. With seasonal changes, the densities of the Littorinid also change in different tidal zonations. Difference in salinity is the main factor affecting the horizontal distribution of the Littorinid in the estuary.