An example of health hazard: People killed by gas during a phreatic eruption: Diëng plateau (Java,Indonesia), February 20th 1979

On February 20th, 1979, 142 inhabitants of Dieng Plateau (Indonesia) were asphyxiated by poisonous gases during a mild phreatic eruption. From later fields gas collection and analysis, the casualties are considered to be due to CO₂ rich volcanic gases.     

Correspondence analysis applied to volcanic aerosols

A statistical analysis of volcanic aerosol based on 1,083 variables including concentration, grain-size and site variabilities establishes correlations between sites and among chemical elements.Variation curves of element concentration show parallel behaviour. High coefficients of correlation between anions and cations confirm associations between elements.     

In situ measurements of surficial mud strength: A new vane tester suitable for soft intertidal muds

A vane fitted to a standard shear vane tester is described, the purpose of which is to obtain better measurements of the rheological properties of soft, surficial, intertidal muds (and consequently, variations in their erodability). Specifications and geometry of this vane are presented. The computation procedure is detailed, so that the methodology can be applied to any vane tester. The main improvement is a greater vertical resolution, typically less than 1 cm. Sets of direct measurements with this equipment and correlation with dry densities for three intertidal mudflats (estuaries and bay) are presented.     

GPS network monitors the Western Alps' deformation over a five-year period: 1993–1998

  The Western Alps are among the best studied collisional belts with both detailed structural mapping and also crustal geophysical investigations such as the ECORS and EGT seismic profile. By contrast, the present-day kinematics of the belt is still largely unknown due to small relative motions and the insufficient accuracy of the triangulation data. As a consequence, several tectonic problems still remain to be solved, such as the amount of N–S convergence in the Occidental Alps, the repartition of the deformation between the Alpine tectonic units, and the relation between deformation and rotation across the Alpine arc. In order to address these problems, the GPS ALPES group, made up of French, Swiss and Italian research organizations, has achieved the first large-scale GPS surveys of the Western Alps. More than 60 sites were surveyed in 1993 and 1998 with a minimum observation of 3 days at each site. GPS data processing has been done by three independent teams using different software. The different solutions have horizontal repeatabilities (N–E) of 4–7 mm in 1993 and 2–3 mm in 1998 and compare at the 3–5-mm level in position and 2-mm/yr level in velocity. A comparison of 1993 and 1998 coordinates shows that residual velocities of the GPS marks are generally smaller than 2 mm/yr, precluding a detailed tectonic interpretation of the differential motions. However, these data seem to suggest that the N–S compression of the Western Alps is quite mild (less than 2 mm/yr) compared to the global convergence between the African and Eurasian plate (6 mm/yr). This implies that the shortening must be accomodated elsewhere by the deformation of the Maghrebids and/or by rotations of Mediterranean microplates. Also, E–W velocity components analysis supports the idea that E–W extension exists, as already suggested by recent structural and seismotectonic data interpretation. Received: 27 November 2000 / Accepted: 17 September 2001     

中国北方东部沙质荒漠化的地学观

中国北方东部的土地荒漠化主要受新构造运动以来的权造－沉积特征、青藏高原隆升所引起的全球气候变化、尤其是亚洲季风等地质背景控制。北方东部沙质荒漠化区域地质分类，按其成因可分为就地起沙型、风沙型和土地粗粒化型等3种类型。其中，就地起沙型沙质荒漠化主要分布在东部毛乌素、科尔沁、浑善达克、呼伦贝尔等沙地内，流经这些沙地的古河道，广泛发育河湖相砂质沉积物以及以砂质沉积物为母质的土壤分布区。风沙型沙质荒漠化主要分布在上述沙地的边缘地带，如毛乌素沙地以南的覆沙黄土区等。土地粗化主要分布在内蒙古锡林郭勒草原－河北坝上草原－河北坝上草原，其土壤类型多为含砾沙土，其土壤母质为基岩风化壳、残坡积或冲洪积物。荒漠化发展趋势上，尽管就地起沙型沙质荒漠化在毛乌素、科尔沁和浑善达达沙地的局部地区均有所逆转，但总体上，在北方广大地区，主要以地表土壤粗化为主的荒漠化和风沙型荒漠化等均有不同程度的扩大。上述不同类型的沙质荒漠化，总体上受地背景控制。其中，第四纪以来的构造－沉积特征控制着不同类型荒漠化的区域分布，气候变化控制着荒漠化的进程，人类活动则是在上述背景的基础上进行。     

Step-frequency radar applied on thin road layers

In the field of road construction and maintenance, the need for information on the thickness of very thin road layers is not satisfied by means of commercial pulse GPR, due to the inability of such devices to operate over ranges of several gigahertz. As a result, research has focused on the design of a step-frequency radar technique, able to work with very high-frequency synthetic pulses.An ultrawide band antenna, belonging to the family of Vivaldi antennas, has been developed for road applications. It has been created using stripline technology and yields a band width greater than one decade. During an initial step, this antenna was tested on various bituminous concrete samples with a network analyzer. Different parameters were studied, including band width, offset between antennas, and height and shape of the frequency-dependent pulse.A second step involved GPR dynamic measurements. A customized software program enabled recording data from the network analyzer. Several radar profiles were developed from selected road construction and maintenance test sites (e.g. the Circular Pavement Fatigue Test Track, composed of a number of known structures). Results show improved resolution when compared to a commercial impulse GPR system.     

Fine sediment transport and accumulations at the mouth of the Seine estuary (France)

A comprehensive study of fine sediment transport in the macrotidal Seine estuary has been conducted, including observations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), surficial sediment, and bathymetric data, as well as use of a three dimensional mathematical model. Tide, river regime, wind, and wave forcings are accounted. The simulated turbidity maximum (TM) is described in terms of concentration and location according to tidal amplitude and the discharge of the Seine River. The TM is mainly generated by tidal pumping, but can be concentrated or stretched by the salinity front. The computed deposition patterns depend on the TM location and are seasonally dependent. The agreement with observations is reasonable, although resuspension by waves may be overestimated. Although wave resuspension is likely to increase the TM mass, it generally occurs simultaneously with westerly winds that induce a transverse circulation at the mouth of the estuary and then disperse the suspended material. The resulting effect is an output of material related to wind and wave events, more than to high river discharge. The mass of the computed TM remains stable over 6 months and independent of the river regime, depending mainly on the spring tide amplitude. Computed fluxes at different cross-sections of the lower estuary show the shift to the TM according to the river flow and point out the rapidity of the TM adjustment to any change of river discharge. The time for renewing the TM by riverine particles has been estimated to be one year.