Kyanite eclogites from the Rietfontein kimberlite pipe,mier coloured reserve,Gordonia, Cape Province,South Africa

The kimberlite pipe at Rietfontein has been found to contain a suite of ultrabasic xenoliths, amongst which are kyanite eclogites of unusual freshness. The kyanite crystals are of varying shades of blue. Physical properties of some of the primary minerals together with the chemical composition of four kyanite eclogites and of a light and a dark blue kyanite crystal are presented.The xenoliths found in the Rietfontein Pipe are compared with those found in the Zagadochnaya Pipe and certain similarities and differences noted.     

Analysis of Wave Directional Spreading by Bayesian Parameter Estimation

A spatial array of wave gauges installed on an observatoion platform has been designed and arranged to measure the lo-cal features of winter monsoon directional waves off Taishi coast of Taiwan. A new method, named the Bayesian Parameter Estimation Method(BPEM) , is developed and adopted to determine the main direction and the directional spreading parame-ter of directional spectra. The BPEM could be considered as a regression analysis to find the maximum joint probability of parameters, which best approximates the observed data from the Bayesian viewpoint. The result of the analysis of field wave data demonstrates the highly dependency of the characteristics of normalized directional spreading on the wave age. The Mit-suyasu type empirical formula of directional spectrum is therefore modified to be representative of monsoon wave field. More-over, it is suggested that Smax could be expressed as a function of wave steepness. The values of Smax decrease with increas-ing steepness. Finally, a local directi     

Evidence of rainfall variations in Southern Brazil from trace element ratios (Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) in a Late Pleistocene stalagmite

Trace element ratios in the Bt2 stalagmite from Botuverá cave, Southern Brazil, are explored as a proxy for changes in the local rainfall recharge during the last 116 ky. BP Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios, measured with an electron microprobe, are significantly positively correlated with one another throughout the entire record, and vary in a way that is very consistent with variations of δ¹⁸O in the same speleothem during the last glacial period. We suggest that prior calcite precipitation in the vadose zone of the cave system is the main factor affecting the incorporation of Mg and Sr into calcite of the stalagmite. This interpretation is supported by trace element correlation patterns and by results from a hydrochemistry study performed in a cave located in the same region and in a similar environmental setting. Therefore, we conclude that higher (lower) Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca values are associated with lower (higher) levels of recharge into the karstic aquifer, as such conditions lead to an increase (decrease) in the volume of calcite precipitated in the unsaturated zone above the cave during dry (wet) climate periods.Trace element variations point to generally dryer (wetter) conditions during lower (high) phases of summer insolation in the southern hemisphere. These periods coincide with decreased (increased) activity of the South American summer monsoon, as revealed by δ¹⁸O stalagmite records. In addition trace element variations show that rather wet conditions persisted throughout most of the last glacial period from approximately 70 to 17 ky BP. We suggest that during this period the glacial boundary conditions, especially ice volume buildup in the northern hemisphere, played an important role for monsoon rainfall intensification in the region.     

Quantitation of Nonextractable Anthropogenic Quantitation of Nonextractable Anthropogenic Sediments after Chemical Degradation

Four highly contaminated sediment samples obtained from three sampling locations of the Teltow Canal, Berlin, were investigated by quantitation of extractable and nonextractable organic contaminants. The selection of the anthropogenic contaminants (including chlorinated and brominated naphthalenes, 2, 4, 6‐tribromoaniline, phthalates, tri‐n‐butylphosphate, 2, 2, 4‐trimethyl‐1, 3‐pentanediol diisobutyrate, bisphenol A, butylated nitrophenols, 4‐nitrobenzoic acid, galaxolide, and tonalide) based on the results of extended GC‐MS screening analyses applied to the extracts of the sediment samples as well as to the extracts derived from selective chemical degradation procedures. In detail, alkaline hydrolyses, BBr₃‐treatment and RuO₄‐oxidation were applied to the pre‐extracted sediment samples in both a separate and a sequential mode.     

Active tuned liquid column damper with propellers

The active control of a Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD) with two propellers is presented. A single‐degree‐of‐freedom system with a passive or active TLCD is used as an example to set up the basic equation of motion. The Optimal Control Theory is applied to establish the control law and to calculate the control force generated by these two propellers installed inside the TLCD. A simple pendulum‐like model test is carried out to study the dynamic characteristics of the passive and active TLCDs and the effectiveness of the vibrational control. Comparison of the experimental result with the analytical one shows a good agreement. Finally, the analytical results of the seismic response are also included as an example for demonstration and application. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Historic fluvial development of the Alpine-foreland Tagliamento River, Italy, and consequences for floodplain management

The fluvial geomorphological development of the Tagliamento River and its flooding history is analysed using historical documents and maps, remote-sensed data and hydrological information. The river has been building a complex alluvial fan starting from the middle part of its alluvial course in the Venetia–Friuli alluvial plain. The riverbed is aggrading over its entire braided length. The transition from braiding to meandering near Madrisio has shifted downstream where the river width determined by the dikes becomes narrower, causing major problems. The flood hazard concentrates at those places and zones where flooding occurred during historical times. Prior to the agrarian and industrial revolution, land use was adjusted to the flooding regime of the river. Subsequent land-use pressure led to a confinement of the river by dikes to such an extent that the flood risk in the floodplain downstream of Madrisio has increased consistently, and represents nowadays a major territorial planning issue. The planned retention basins upstream of the middle Tagliamento will alleviate the problem, but not solve it in the medium and long term. Therefore, fluvial corridors in the lower-middle parts (from Pinzano to the sea) have been identified on the basis of the flooding history in relation to fluvial development during historical times. The result should be used for hydraulic simulation studies and land-use planning.     

Quantitative evaluation of different hydrological modelling approaches in a partly glacierized Swiss watershed

Mountain water resources management often requires hydrological models that need to handle both snow and ice melt. In this study, we compared two different model types for a partly glacierized watershed in central Switzerland: (1) an energy‐balance model primarily designed for snow simulations; and (2) a temperature‐index model developed for glacier simulations. The models were forced with data extrapolated from long‐term measurement records to mimic the typical input data situation for climate change assessments. By using different methods to distribute precipitation, we also assessed how various snow cover patterns influenced the modelled runoff. The energy‐balance model provided accurate discharge estimations during periods dominated by snow melt, but dropped in performance during the glacier ablation season. The glacier melt rates were sensitive to the modelled snow cover patterns and to the parameterization of turbulent heat fluxes. In contrast, the temperature‐index model poorly reproduced snow melt runoff, but provided accurate discharge estimations during the periods dominated by glacier ablation, almost independently of the method used to distribute precipitation. Apparently, the calibration of this model compensated for the inaccurate precipitation input with biased parameters. Our results show that accurate estimates of snow cover patterns are needed either to correctly constrain the melt parameters of the temperature‐index model or to ensure appropriate glacier surface albedos required by the energy‐balance model. Thus, particularly when only distant meteorological stations are available, carefully selected input data and efficient extrapolation methods of meteorological variables improve the reliability of runoff simulations in high alpine watersheds. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation on seismic behavior of scoured bridge pier with pile foundation

This study investigated the seismic performance and soil‐structure interaction of a scoured bridge models with pile foundation by shaking table tests using a biaxial laminar shear box. The bridge pier model with pile foundation comprised a lumped mass representing the superstructure, a steel pier, and a footing supported by a single aluminum pile within dry silica sand. End of the pile was fixed at the bottom of the shear box to simulate the scenario that the pile was embedded in a firm stratum of rock. The bridge pier model was subjected to one‐directional shakes, including white noise and earthquake records. The performance of the bridge pier model with pile foundation was discussed for different scoured conditions. It is found that the moment demand of pile increases with the increase of scoured depth whereas the moment demand of the bridge pier decreases, and this transition may induce the bridge failure mechanism transform from pier to pile. The seismic demand on scoured pile foundations may be underestimated and misinterpreted to a certain degree. When evaluating the system damping ratio with SSI, the system response may not be significantly changed even if the soil viscous damping contribution is varied. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.