Catastrophic rockslide-debris avalanche at St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines

On 17 February 2006, a rockslide-debris avalanche cascaded down the steep slope of Mt. Can-abag, burying the entire village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines. Casualties include 139 dead with 980 still missing and presumed dead, making it perhaps the most catastrophic landslide in Philippine history. The landslide started at the ridge top along a fault plane associated with the active Philippine Fault Zone. It started as a block slide that transformed into an avalanche. The entire event lasted for only a few minutes. Estimated maximum landslide velocity is 120–130 m/s. The landslide left behind a deep, wedge-shaped scarp. The central part of the deposit exhibits a hummocky topography typical of avalanches, in contrast to the flatter surface of the debris-flow-type marginal deposit. High amounts of soil in the matrix were derived from the scouring of ancient landslide deposits and rice fields in the valley. The landslide has a total area of 3.2 km² and a runout distance of 4.1 km. Estimated volume of debris is approximately 20 Mm³. At least four streams were dammed by the landslide debris. Intense precipitation and earthquakes preceding the landslide are the potential triggers. Preliminary back analyses assuming a planar and wedge slip surface yielded very low factors of safety even under dry conditions. A more rigorous analysis of the failure mechanism of the landslide is needed.     

Investigations of subsurface flow constructed wetlands and associated geomaterial resources in the Akumal and Reforma regions,Quintana Roo,Mexico

Subsurface flow constructed wetlands in the village of Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico were surveyed to determine the general status of the wetland systems and provide baseline information for long term monitoring and further study. Twenty subsurface flow wetlands were surveyed and common problems observed in the systems were overloading, poor plant cover, odor, and no secondary containment. Bulk mineral composition of aggregate from two subsurface flow constructed wetlands was determined to consist solely of calcite using bulk powder X-ray diffraction. Some soil structure is developed in the aggregate and aggregate levels in wetlands drop at an estimated rate between 3 and 10 cm/year for overloaded wetlands owing to dissolution. Mineral composition from fresh aggregate samples commonly is a mixture of calcite and aragonite. Trace amounts of Pb, Zn, Co, and Cr were observed in fresh aggregate. Coefficients of permeability (k) varied from 0.006 to 0.027 cm/s with an average values being 0.016 cm/s. Grain size analysis of fresh aggregate samples indicates there are unimodal and multimodal size distributions in the samples with modes in the coarse and fine sand being common. Investigations of other geologic media from the Reforma region indicate that a dolomite with minor amounts of Fe-oxide and palygorskite is abundant and may be a better aggregate source that the current materials used. A Ca-montmorillonite bed was identified in the Reforma region as well and this unit is suitable to serve as a clay liner to prevent leaks for new and existing wetland systems. These newly discovered geologic resources should aid in the improvement of subsurface flow constructed wetlands in the region. Although problems do exist in these wetlands with respect to design, these systems represent a successful implementation of constructed wetlands at a community level in developing regions.     

Net aboveground primary production and soil properties of floating and attached freshwater tidal marshes in the Río de la Plata estuary,Argentina

In the lower delta of the Paraná River, at the head of the Río de la Plata estuary (Argentina), we compared net aboveground primary production (NAPP) and soil properties of the dominant macrophyteScirpus giganteus (Kunth) in a floating and an attached marsh community. Both marshes are tidally influenced but in different ways. The floating marsh site is relatively isolated from tidal influences because its ability to float makes it resistant to overland flow and to sediment inputs from the estuary. The attached marsh lacks the capacity to float and receives sediment supplies from the estuary through overland flow. These hydrologic differences are reflected in lower mineral content in sediments of the floating marsh. Using a leaf tagging technique, estimated NAPP was 1,109 ± 206 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ for the floating marsh and 1,866 ±258 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ for the attached marsh. We attribute the lower NAPP of the floating marsh to isolation from sediment input from overland flow.     

High‐resolution interpretative geomorphological mapping of river valley environments using airborne LiDAR data

The availability of airborne LiDAR data provides a new opportunity to overcome some of the problems associated with traditional, field‐based, geomorphological mapping such as restrictions on access and constraints of time or cost. The combination of airborne LiDAR data and GIS technology facilitates the rapid production of geomorphological maps of floodplain environments; however, unfiltered LiDAR data, which include vegetation and buildings, are currently more suitable for geomorphological mapping than data that have been filtered to remove these features. Classification of LiDAR data according to elevation in a GIS enables the user to identify and delineate geomorphological features in a manner similar to field mapping, but it is necessary to use a range of classification intervals in order to map the various types of feature that occur within a single reach. Comparison of a LiDAR‐derived geomorphological map with an independently produced field geomorphological map showed a high degree of similarity between the results of the two methods, although ground‐truthing is essential in cases where a high degree of accuracy is required. Ground‐truthing of a LiDAR‐derived geomorphological map showed that around 80% of features mapped using both methods were identified from the LiDAR data, suggesting that the method is suitable for applications such as production of base maps for use in field mapping and selection of sites for detailed investigation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics of deep groundwater flow in a basin marginal setting at Sellafield,Northwest England: Cl and halide evidence

A number of chemical and physical processes inside and outside a sedimentary basin (e.g. evaporite dissolution and topographic drive, respectively) affect groundwater flow near the basin’s margin. Contrasting formations at the margin, typically basinal sedimentary rocks and basement, are host to the interplay between these processes so that groundwater flows and compositions change within a relatively small volume. To interpret how groundwater flow and geochemistry have evolved, interactions between these processes must be understood. Such interactions were investigated near the margin of the East Irish Sea Basin in NW England, by sampling deep groundwaters (to 1500 m below sea level) from Ordovician volcanic basement rocks and Carboniferous to Triassic sedimentary cover rocks. Variable Br/Cl ratios and Cl concentrations in deep saline waters and brines indicate mixing patterns. Variations in ³⁶Cl/Cl constrain the timing of mixing. Relatively low Br/Cl ratios (ca. 1 × 10⁻³ by mass) characterise brine from the western sedimentary cover and reflect halite dissolution further west. Saline water with relatively high Br/Cl ratios (ca. 2 × 10⁻³ by mass) of uncertain origin occupies the eastern basement. These two waters mix across the area. However, mixing alone cannot explain variable ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios, which partly reflect differing in situ³⁶Cl production rates in different rock formations. Most ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios in groundwater sampled from the eastern metavolcanic basement (mean = 25 × 10⁻¹⁵) and western sedimentary cover (mean = 10 × 10⁻¹⁵) are at or close to equilibrium with in situ³⁶Cl production. These variations in ³⁶Cl/Cl across the site possibly took >1.5 Ma to be attained, implying that deep groundwater flow responded only slowly to the Quaternary glaciation of the site. Interplay between varied processes in basin marginal settings does not necessarily imply flow instability.     

Clay mineral‐organic matter relationships in the early solar system

Abstract— As the solar system formed, it inherited and perpetuated a rich organic chemistry, the molecular products of which are preserved in ancient extraterrestrial objects such as carbonaceous chondrites. These organic‐rich meteorites provide a valuable and tangible record of the chemical steps taken towards the origin of life in the early solar system. Chondritic organic matter is present in the inorganic meteorite matrix which, in the CM and CI chondrites, contains evidence of alteration by liquid water on the parent asteroid. An unanswered and fundamental question is to what extent did the organic matter and inorganic products of aqueous alteration interact or display interdependence? We have used an organic labelling technique to reveal that the meteoritic organic matter is strongly associated with clay minerals. This association suggests that clay minerals may have had an important trapping and possibly catalytic role in chemical evolution in the early solar system prior to the origin of life on the early Earth.