Effect of boundary element details on the seismic deformation capacity of structural walls

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of boundary element details of structural walls on their deformation capacities. Structural walls considered in this study have different sectional shapes and/or transverse reinforcement content at the boundaries of the walls (called boundary element details hereafter). Four full‐scale wall specimens (3000mm (h_w)×1500mm (l_w)×200mm (T)) were fabricated and tested. Three specimens are rectangular in section and the other specimen has a barbell‐shaped cross‐section (a wall with boundary columns). The rectangular wall specimens are reinforced according to the common practice used for reinforced concrete residence buildings in Korea and Chile. In this study, the primary variable for these rectangular specimens is the content of transverse reinforcement to confine the boundary elements of a wall. The barbell‐shaped specimen was designed in compliance with ACI 318‐95. The response of the barbell‐shaped specimen is compared with those of other rectangular specimens. The effective aspect ratio of the specimens is set to two in this study. Based on the experimental results, it is found that the deformation capacities of walls, which are represented by displacement ductility, drift ratio and energy dissipation capacities, are affected by the boundary element details. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MODFLOW 2000 head uncertainty,a first-order second moment method

A computationally efficient method to estimate the variance and covariance in piezometric head results computed through MODFLOW 2000 using a first-order second moment (FOSM) approach is presented. This methodology employs a first-order Taylor series expansion to combine model sensitivity with uncertainty in geologic data. MODFLOW 2000 is used to calculate both the ground water head and the sensitivity of head to changes in input data. From a limited number of samples, geologic data are extrapolated and their associated uncertainties are computed through a conditional probability calculation. Combining the spatially related sensitivity and input uncertainty produces the variance-covariance matrix, the diagonal of which is used to yield the standard deviation in MODFLOW 2000 head. The variance in piezometric head can be used for calibrating the model, estimating confidence intervals, directing exploration, and evaluating the reliability of a design. A case study illustrates the approach, where aquifer transmissivity is the spatially related uncertain geologic input data. The FOSM methodology is shown to be applicable for calculating output uncertainty for (1) spatially related input and output data, and (2) multiple input parameters (transmissivity and recharge).     

2011年夏季气候异常及主要异常事件成因分析

本文对2011年夏季的中国气候及大气环流异常特征进行分析,发现我国总体气温偏高,降水偏少。西北西部、华北南部、江淮至江南一带,西南地区东部等地出现了阶段性的较大范围极端高温天气过程。西南地区东部和广西等地出现严重干旱;而长江下游地区降水显著偏多。进一步对中国气候异常事件的成因分析表明：异常高压的长期维持,孟加拉湾的向北水汽输送偏弱及西太平洋副热带高压位置偏东使其西侧的东南和偏南水汽输送对我国西南地区影响小是导致西南地区严重干旱的大气环流因素;2010年秋季出现的中部型拉尼娜事件可能是西南干旱的一个重要外强迫条件。2011年夏季亚洲极涡偏弱偏小,欧亚中高纬地区经向环流偏强,有利于冷空气南下;同时,中纬度西太平洋地区海温持续偏低而激发反气旋性环流产生,造成西太平洋副高偏大偏强,冷暖气流在长江下游地区交汇造成降水显著偏多。     

2011年海洋和大气环流异常及对中国气候的影响

本文基于实时和历史观测资料,利用气候统计和气候机理诊断方法,对2011年气候异常及成因进行总结分析。结果表明,全球海洋外源强迫和大气内部动力过程共同作用下的大气环流系统组合异常,是造成2011年中国大部地区降水异常偏少,温度明显偏高,呈现暖干型气候特征的主要原因。具体表现为,拉尼娜事件在2011年夏季短暂中断后,9月再次进入拉尼娜状态;西太平洋副热带高压在5月之前异常偏弱、偏东,致使长江中下游出现严重春旱,之后副热带高压有所加强,尤其在6月异常偏强,使长江中下游地区梅雨量偏多、旱涝急转;秋季副热带高压脊线偏北、中高纬度冷空气活动阶段性活跃,致使华西、黄淮地区秋雨异常偏多;热带印度洋海温演变经历负偶极型海温模态后,夏季转为全区一致型暖海温;2010／2011年东亚冬季风偏强,2011年南海夏季风爆发偏早、结束偏晚,东亚夏季风正常偏弱;西北太平洋和南海热带气旋生成数量处于偏少的年代际时段,2011年热带气旋生成数量偏少。     

Alternative water resources in granitic rock: a case study from Kinmen Island,Taiwan

Kinmen Island is a small, tectonically stable, granitic island that has been suffering from a scarcity of fresh water resources due to excessive annual evapotranspiration over annual precipitation. Recent studies further indicate that shallow (0–70 m) sedimentary aquifers, the major sources of groundwater supply, have already been over-exploited. Therefore, this preliminary study is to investigate the existence of exploitable water resources that can balance the shortage of fresh water on this island. Site characterization data are obtained from island-wide geophysical surveys as well as small-scale tests performed in a study area formed by three deep (maximum depth to 560 m) vertical boreholes installed in mid-east Kinmen northeast to Taiwu Mountain. Vertical fracture frequency data indicate that the rock body is fractured with a spatially correlated pattern, from which three major fracture zones (depths 0–70, 330–360, and below 450 m) can be identified. Geologic investigations indicate that the deepest fracture zone is caused by the large-scale, steeply dipping Taiwushan fault. This fault may have caused a laterally extensive low-resistivity zone, a potential fractured aquifer, near Taiwu Mountain. The middle fracture zone is induced by the Taiwushan fault and intersects the fault approximately 21 m southeast of the study area below a depth of 350 m. Slug testing results yield fracture transmissivity varying from 4.8 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ m²/s. Cross-hole tests have confirmed that hydraulic connectivity of the deeper rock body is controlled by the Taiwushan fault and the middle fracture zone. This connectivity may extend vertically to the sedimentary aquifers through high-angle joint sets. Despite the presence of a flow barrier formed by doleritic dike at about 300 m depth, the existence of fresh as well as meteoric water in the deeper rock body manifests that certain flow paths must exist through which the deeper fractured aquifers can be connected to the upper rock body. Therefore, groundwater stored within the Taiwushan fault and the associated low-resistivity zone can be considered as additional fresh water resources for future exploitation.     

Deep learning neural networks for spatially explicit prediction of flash flood probability

Flood probability maps are essential for a range of applications, including land use planning and developing mitigation strategies and early warning systems. Th...     

On the determination of elastic material parameters of transverse isotropic rocks from a single test specimen

Summary The determination of material parameters for rocks which display anisotropic behaviour has become more important in light of the development of powerful and economical analytical modeling techniques. The study presented herein is based on a testing framework aimed at determining the material parameters required to describe the behaviour of a transverse isotropic solid under axisymmetric loading conditions.Use of thin walled hollow cylindrical specimens instrumented with tangential strain gages on both the inner and outer surfaces allows one to completely define the average strains in the cylinder wall. Testing of a single specimen under axial and radial loading conditions is sufficient to determine the variation of the material elastic constants as a function of the applied stresses. Results are presented for two very different rock types, and illustrate the consistency of the developed methodology.On leave.     

Comparison of gravity anomaly between mature and immature intra-oceanic subduction zones in the western Pacific

The western Pacific hosts major subduction systems such as Izu–Bonin–Mariana and Tonga–Kermadec, but also less conspicuous systems such as Yap, Mussau and Hjort trenches which constitute the young, incomplete, or ultraslow-member in the evolutionary spectrum of subduction zones. We used satellite-derived gravity data to compare well-developed and immature subduction systems. It is shown that at spatial resolution > 10–20 km or so, the satellite data have accuracy comparable to ship-board gravity measurements over intra-oceanic subduction zones. In the isostatic residual gravity anomaly map, the width of non-isostatically-compensated region of the mature subduction zones is much wider than that of immature ones. More importantly, when the gravitational attraction due to seafloor is removed, a large difference exists between the mature and immature subduction zones in the overriding plate side. Mature subduction zones exhibit broad low gravity anomalies of ~ 200–250 mGal centered at distances of 150–200 km from the trench which are not found over immature subduction zones. The cause of the broad low gravity anomalies over mature subduction zones is debatable due to lack of information on the deep crust and upper mantle structure and property. We discuss the following four causes: (1) serpentinization of the upper mantle beneath the forearc; (2) presence of partial melt in the mantle wedge caused by release of volatiles from the slab, frictional heating and distributed by mantle circulation; (3) difference in density structure between the overriding and subducting plates caused by difference in age and thermal structures with and without compositional stratification between crust and mantle; and (4) anomalous thickness of the arc not explained by isostasy. Our analysis suggests that serpentinization cannot explain the observed gravity anomaly which appears ~ 150–200 km from the trench. Although the extent and distribution of partial melt within the mantle wedge remain in question, to our best estimate, partial melting contributes little (< 50 mGal) to the total negative gravity anomaly. The difference in density structure reflecting temperature difference can only explain less than half of the low gravity anomaly. The sinking of lighter crustal material produces a large negative anomaly in the forearc but its location does not match the observed gravity anomaly. It appears that one cannot explain the total difference in gravity anomaly without invoking anomalous thickness of the arc. Although we could not identify the sole or combination of factors that give rise to the low gravity anomaly in mature subduction zones, the comparison of gravity anomalies between mature and immature subduction zones is likely to provide an important constraint for understanding the evolution and structure of subduction zones as more complementary evidences become available.     

Geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic constraints on the petrogenesis of Cenozoic lavas from the Pali Aike and Morro Chico area (52°S), southern Patagonia,South America

Geochemical and isotopic analyses (Sr–Nd–Pb) of late Miocene to Quaternary plateau lavas from the Pali Aike and Morro Chico areas (52°S) were undertaken to constrain the melting processes and mantle sources that contributed to magma generation and the geodynamic evolution of southernmost Patagonia, South America. The Pali Aike and Morro Chico lavas are alkaline (Pali Aike, 45–49 wt.% SiO₂; 4.3–5.9 wt.% Na₂O+K₂O) and subalkaline (Morro Chico, 50.5–50.8 wt.% SiO₂; 4.0–4.4 wt.% Na₂O+K₂O), relatively primitive (Pali Aike, 9.5–13.7 wt.% MgO; Morro Chico, 7.6–8.8 wt.% MgO) mafic volcanic rocks that have typical intraplate ocean island basalt‐like signatures. Incompatible trace element ratios and isotopic ratios of the Pali Aike and Morro Chico lavas differ from those of the majority of Neogene southern Patagonian slab window lavas in showing more enriched characteristics and are similar to high‐μ (HIMU)‐like basalts. The rare earth element (REE) modeling to constrain mantle melting percentages suggests that these lavas were produced by low degrees of partial melting (1.0–2.0% for Pali Aike lavas and about 2.6–2.7% for Morro Chico lavas) of a garnet lherzolite mantle source. The major systematic variations of Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes in southern Patagonian lavas are related to geographic location. The Pali Aike and Morro Chico lavas from the southernmost part of Patagonia have lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios, relative to most of the southern Patagonian lavas erupted north of 49.5°S, pointing to a HIMU‐like signature. An isotopically depleted and HIMU‐like asthenospheric domain may have been the main source of magmas in the southernmost part of Patagonia (e.g. Pali Aike, Morro Chico, and Camusu Aike volcanic field), suggesting the presence of a major discontinuity in the isotopic composition of the asthenosphere in southern Patagonia. On the basis of geochemical and isotope data and the available geological and geotectonic reconstructions, a link between the HIMU asthenospheric mantle domain beneath southernmost Patagonia and the HIMU mega‐province of the southwestern Pacific Ocean is proposed.