Numerical modeling of wave equation by a truncated high-order finite-difference method

Finite-difference methods with high-order accuracy have been utilized to improve the precision of numerical solution for partial differential equations.However, the computation cost generally increases linearly with increased order of accuracy.Upon examination of the finite-difference formulas for the first-order and second-order derivatives, and the staggered finite-difference formulas for the first-order derivative, we examine the variation of finite-difference coefficients with accuracy order and note th...     

Influence of pre-eruptive storage conditions and volatile contents on explosive Plinian style eruptions of basic magma

Sub-Plinian to Plinian eruptions of basic magma present a challenge to modeling volcanic behavior because many models rely on magma becoming viscous enough during ascent to behave brittlely and cause fragmentation. Such models are unable, however, to strain low viscosity magma fast enough for it to behave brittlely. That assumes that such magmas actually have low viscosities, but the rare Plinian eruptions of basic magma may in fact result from them being anomalously viscous. Here, we examine two such eruptions, the 122 B.C. eruption of hawaiitic basalt from Mt. Etna and the late Pleistocene eruption of basaltic andesite from Masaya Caldera, to test whether they were anomalously viscous. We carried out hydrothermal experiments on both magmas and analyzed glass inclusions in plagioclase phenocrysts from each to determine their most likely pre-eruptive temperatures and water contents. We find that the hawaiite was last stored at 1,000–1,020°C, whereas the basaltic andesite was last stored at 1,010–1,060°C, and that both were water saturated with ∼3.0 wt.% water dissolved in them. Such water contents are not high enough to trigger Plinian explosive behavior, as much more hydrous basic magmas erupt less violently. In addition, despite being relatively cool, the viscosities of both magmas would range from ∼10^2.2–2.5 Pa s before erupting to ∼10⁴ Pa s when essentially degassed, all of which are too fluid to cause brittle disruption. Without invoking special external forces to explain all such eruptions, one of the more plausible explanations is that when the bubble content reaches some critical value the fragile foam-like magma disrupts. The rarity of Plinian eruptions of basic magma may be because such magmas must ascend fast enough to retain their bubbles.     

Comparing nitrogen isotopic signals between bulk sediments and invertebrate remains in High Arctic seabird-influenced ponds

The mass transport of nutrients by migratory animals can markedly alter the biogeochemistry and ecology of recipient ecosystems, particularly in nutrient-poor regions such as the Arctic. However, the role of biovectors in the global cycling of nutrients is often overlooked. Here we investigate nitrogen dynamics in two seabird-affected ponds in the Canadian High Arctic. The ponds lie at the base of a large seabird colony and have been greatly enriched in nutrients due to the input of guano and other wastes. Using sediment cores that span the last ~200 years, we measured stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in bulk sediments as well from the subfossil remains of chironomid (Diptera) head capsules and Daphnia ephippia. The bulk-sediment samples from our seabird-affected ponds had elevated δ¹⁵N values relative to seabird-free sites elsewhere in the Arctic. In general, the chironomid δ¹⁵N profiles roughly paralleled those of bulk sediments in both study ponds, while the Daphnia profile remained relatively stable in contrast to the considerable variation recorded in the bulk sediments and chironomids. Interestingly, no apparent pattern emerged among δ¹⁵N values recorded in the bulk sediments, chironomids, and Daphnia between the two study ponds. The stability recorded in the δ¹⁵N profiles from bulk sediments relative to the more variable invertebrate profiles point towards the complexity of nitrogen uptake by chironomids and Daphnia at these sites. These data suggest that the bulk sediments are integrating the different fractions of the overall δ¹⁵N pool and thus may be most appropriate for reconstructing overall trends in lake trophic status.     

Challenges for creating a site-specific groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010

Hydrologic budgets to determine groundwater availability are important tools for water-resource managers. One challenging component for developing hydrologic budgets is quantifying water use through time because historical and site-specific water-use data can be sparse or poorly documented. This research developed a groundwater-use record for the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (central USA) from 1900 to 2010 that related county-level aggregated water-use data to site-specific well locations and aquifer units. A simple population-based linear model, constrained to 0 million liters per day in 1900, provided the best means to extrapolate groundwater-withdrawal rates pre-1950s when there was a paucity of water-use data. To disaggregate county-level data to individual wells across a regional aquifer system, a programmatic hierarchical process was developed, based on the level of confidence that a well pumped groundwater for a specific use during a specific year. Statistical models tested on a subset of the best-available site-specific water-use data provided a mechanism to bracket historic groundwater use, such that groundwater-withdrawal rates ranged, on average, plus or minus 38% from modeled values. Groundwater withdrawn for public supply and domestic use accounted for between 48 and 74% of total groundwater use since 1901, highlighting that groundwater provides an important drinking-water resource. The compilation, analysis, and spatial and temporal extrapolation of water-use data remain a challenging task for water scientists, but is of paramount importance to better quantify groundwater use and availability.     

Disaster risk perception in urban contexts and for people with disabilities: case study on the city of Iquique (Chile)

Natural Hazards - About 15% of the world’s population suffers from some kind of disability. In addition to experiencing high rates of poverty, exclusion and lack of access to education,...     

Alluvial geoarchaeology of a Middle Archaic Mound complex in the lower Mississippi Valley,U.S.A.

The Nolan site (16MA201), ¹⁴C dated 5200–4800 cal yr B.P. and located in the Tensas Basin of northeastern Louisiana, is the only recorded Middle Archaic mound site in the alluvial valley of the Mississippi River. Alluvial deposition has buried the Nolan site under 3–4 m of Holocene sediment, prohibiting traditional excavation of the site. Because data are unattainable by other means, soil coring and subsequent stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses permit reconstruction of the natural and cultural depositional history of the Nolan site. The sedimentary characteristics of basal deposits within cores suggest the presence of an Arkansas River paleochannel immediately adjacent to the site. Chronostratigraphic data show this channel was no longer active by ca. 5200 cal yr B.P. Contrary to existing models, the Arkansas River Meander Belt 4 and the Mississippi River Meander Belt 4 are not the same age. Microartifact and losson‐ignition analyses of sediment identify natural versus cultural strata and permit the identification of artificial constructions—including four earthen mounds and one earthen ridge—at the Nolan site. Overbank sediments attributed to a mapped Mississippi River Stage 4 meander belt are dated ca. 4800–3800 cal yr B.P. This age is considerably younger than previous estimates and demonstrates the existing chronological models for Mississippi River meander belts must be carefully assessed. Core analyses also reveal flood‐related crevasse splays deposited throughout the Tensas Basin after the occupation of the Nolan site. These deposits serve as relative chronological indicators and aid in stratigraphic assessments of the Nolan site. Reconstruction of the earthworks and their stratigraphic context reveals one of the largest and earliest Middle Archaic mound sites in North America. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Field validation of antioxidant enzyme biomarkers in mussels (Perna viridis) and clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) transplanted in Hong Kong coastal waters

Green-lipped mussels, Perna viridis, and Manila clams, Ruditapes philippinarum were sourced from “clean” sites in the Hong Kong region, depurated in a laboratory using uncontaminated filtered seawater for 8 days, and transplanted to a suspected gradient of chemically polluted sites in Hong Kong. After 14- and 28-days of field exposure, several antioxidant parameters including glutathione S transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) were quantified in gill and hepatopancreas tissues. Whole body tissue concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) were determined in pooled site samples. Chemical analyses indicated that: (a) clams had higher levels of PAHs, PHCs, DDTs and PCBs, whereas mussels had higher hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) and there was no difference between species for dieldrin and remaining OCs; (b) Kat O should not be continued as a “clean” reference site for Hong Kong, because of the levels of contaminants measured and (c) PAH concentrations in the current survey were similar to those previously measured. Toxicological conclusions were: (a) antioxidant responses were different between species; (b) CAT and GST have highest utility in clams for field use in Hong Kong, whereas CAT in both gill and hepatopancreas tissue showed most potential in mussels; (c) significant induction of antioxidant responses over day 0 (excluding GPx in both tissues, and GST in mussel hepatic tissue); (d) groups of contaminants do not consistently induce antioxidant responses and (e) organochlorines and PCBs correlated significantly with CAT and GST in clam hepatopancreas and with CAT in mussel gill and hepatic tissue. Multivariate statistical techniques indicated little relationship between the site patterns for antioxidant responses and the contaminant gradients identified in body burden analysis.     

Carlin-type Gold Prospects in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines: Their Geology and Mineralization Potential

Abstract. Three calcareous sedimentary rock-hosted Carlin type-like gold prospects were mapped in a mineral production sharing agreement area of Philex Gold Philippines Inc. in Taganaan municipality, Surigao del Norte province in Mindanao island in the Philippines. They occur along a 20–25 km long trend of known epigenetic gold and porphyry copper deposits that lie close to several splays of the Philippine Fault Zone. The gold district forms part of the Late Cretaceous Eastern Mindanao Range that hosts early Paleogene and late Pliocene to Quaternary intrusive rocks.
Gold is invisible in the jasperoid outcrops in Lascogon, Napo, and Danao prospects. The jasperoids occur in lenses of marls belonging to the Taganaan Marl Member that is associated to a turbiditic member of the Middle Miocene Mabuhay Formation. The marl lenses include gently dipping interbedded silty limestones and calcareous shales. The "invisible gold" mineralization in silicified calcareous rocks resembles Carlin-type deposits. Based on the mapped igneous and sedimentary rocks, a possible heat source for the gold mineralization is either or both of the two main phases of intrusion, Mabuhay An-desite or Alipao Andesite Porphyry. Forty-eight rock samples, fifteen stream sediment samples, and one soil sample were critical in delineating the general features of the potential Carlin-type prospects. The gold grades of jasperoids in the three prospects range from trace amounts to 20 g/t Au. Regional studies of gold and porphyry copper mineralization in the Surigao del Norte mineral district are important in delineating ore targets for drilling in the three prospects.