Aminostratigraphy and sea-level history of the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation,Mount Gambier region,southern Australia

A geochronological framework based on amino acid racemisation (AAR) and constrained by previously reported optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages is presented for the evolution and paleosea-level record of the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation of the Mount Gambier region, of southern Australia. Within the study area, the Bridgewater Formation is represented by late early Pleistocene [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 23 at 933 ka] to Holocene barrier shoreline successions deposited during sea-level highstands. Regional monotonic uplift (0.13 mm yr^–1) and pervasive calcrete development during the Pleistocene have preserved the sequence of calcarenite (mixed quartz-skeletal carbonate sand) shoreline complexes from denudation. AAR analyses confirm that the barriers generally increase in age landwards and correlate with sea-level highstands associated with interglacials as defined by the marine oxygen isotope record. AAR analyses on the benthic foraminifer Elphidium crispum have proved more reliable than the whole-rock method in extending the age range of AAR dating of these relict shoreline successions. Paleosea-levels from the coastal plain are as follows: MIS 7, –9 ± 2 m; MIS 9, 4 ± 1 m; and a minimum sea-level of 2 ± 2 m is derived for MIS 11. Paleosea-level could not be determined for MIS 15, 19 or 23 as diagnostic sea-level indicators were not identified within these sedimentary successions. Dismal Range, dated at 933 ± 145 ka (MIS 23), represents a correlative feature to the East Naracoorte Range but is some 25 km seaward of the Kanawinka Fault compared with the same barrier at Naracoorte. Mingbool Range (788 ± 18 ka) is of similar age to the West Naracoorte Range (MIS 19) and formed as an arcuate shoreline complex that became attached to the higher relief of the area represented by the Mount Burr Volcanic Province. The higher topographical relief resulted from crustal doming of the Oligo-Miocene Gambier Limestone caused by the intrusion of magma associated with the volcanic province. The AAR age of 788 ± 118 ka for Mingbool Range indicates that the Mount Burr volcanics predate the deposition of this shoreline complex.     

Shear strength characterization of municipal solid waste at the Suzhou landfill, China

The current practice of slope stability analysis for a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill usually overlooks the dependence of waste properties on the fill age or embedment depth. Changes in shear strength of MSW as a function of fill age were investigated by performing field and laboratory studies on the Suzhou landfill in China. The field study included sampling from five boreholes advanced to the bottom of the landfill, cone penetration tests and monitoring of pore fluid pressures. Twenty-six borehole samples representative of different fill ages (0 to 13 years) were used to perform drained triaxial compression tests. The field and laboratory study showed that the waste body in the landfill can be sub-divided into several strata corresponding to different ranges of fill age. Each of the waste strata has individual composition and shear strength characteristics. The triaxial test results showed that the MSW samples exhibited a strain-hardening and contractive behavior. As the fill age of the waste increased from 1.7 years to 11 years, the cohesion mobilized at a strain level of 10% was found to decrease from 23.3 kPa to 0 kPa, and the mobilized friction angle at the same strain level increasing from 9.9° to 26°. For a confinement stress level greater than 50 kPa, the shear strength of the recently-placed MSW seemed to be lower than that of the older MSW. This behavior was consistent with the cone penetration test results. The field measurement of pore pressures revealed a perched leachate mound above an intermediate cover of soils and a substantial leachate mound near the bottom of the landfill. The measurements of shear strength properties and pore pressures were utilized to assess the slope stability of the Suzhou landfill.     

Study of magnetic field,rock magnetization and lunar electrical conductivity in the Bay Le Monnier

The data of three-times repeated magnetic survey of the section of Lunokhod-2 route 1.5 km long are analyzed. The linear size of the regions of magnetic field anomalies disclosed is 200–300 m. The results of magnetic survey near the tectonic break of Straight Rille and near the south rim of crater Le Monnier were used for estimation of rock magnetization in situ. It is shown that mare basalts in south-east region of crater Le Monnier have oblique magnetization (at the angle ç30° to horizon). The magnitude of magnetization is × 5 × 10^–5 G cm g^–1. The south-east slope of the crater Le Monnier is magnetized roughly vertically, the upper limit of magnetization of the rocks of the rim is ç 1 × 10^–5 G cm³ g^–1. The results of an analysis of 160 magnetic field variations recorded by Lunokhod-2 indicate that the horizontal components of variations have nearly linear polarization. The principal axes of hodographs stretch in the direction north-west-south-east. Such a polarization of variations may be due to an increase of the thickness of the upper isolated layer under Mare Serenitatis.     

Soil Iodine Determination in Deccan Syneclise,India: Implications for Near Surface Geochemical Hydrocarbon Prospecting

The association of iodine with organic matter in sedimentary basins is well documented. High iodine concentration in soils overlying oil and gas fields and areas with hydrocarbon microseepage has been observed and used as a geochemical exploratory tool for hydrocarbons in a few studies. In this study, we measure iodine concentration in soil samples collected from parts of Deccan Syneclise in the west central India to investigate its potential application as a geochemical indicator for hydrocarbons. The Deccan Syneclise consists of rifted depositional sites with Gondwana–Mesozoic sediments up to 3.5 km concealed under the Deccan Traps and is considered prospective for hydrocarbons. The concentration of iodine in soil samples is determined using ICP-MS and the values range between 1.1 and 19.3 ppm. High iodine values are characteristic of the northern part of the sampled region. The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil samples range between 0.1 and 1.3%. The TOC correlates poorly with the soil iodine (r ² < 1), indicating a lack of association of iodine with the surficial organic matter and the possibility of interaction between the seeping hydrocarbons and soil iodine. Further, the distribution pattern of iodine compares well with two surface geochemical indicators: the adsorbed light gaseous hydrocarbons (methane through butane) and the propane-oxidizing bacterial populations in the soil. The integration of geochemical observations show the occurrence of elevated values in the northern part of the study area, which is also coincident with the presence of exposed dyke swarms that probably serve as conduits for hydrocarbon microseepage. The corroboration of iodine with existing geological, geophysical, and geochemical data suggests its efficacy as one of the potential tool in surface geochemical exploration of hydrocarbons. Our study supports Deccan Syneclise to be promising in terms of its hydrocarbon prospects.     

The Singapore River thematic zone: sustainable tourism in an urban context

This paper explores the concept of sustainable tourism and how it applies to urban destinations such as Singapore. As tourism is an important industry in Singapore, in terms of employment, business activity and an income generator, the Singapore Tourism Board is continuously looking at potential avenues to make Singapore a competitive destination. We examine the use of thematic zones in Singapore as a strategy to achieve its ambition of becoming a tourism capital of the world. By focusing on a case study of the Singapore River thematic zone (one of the 11 thematic zones identified by the Singapore Tourism Board), we assess the viability of thematic zones in ensuring sustainable urban tourism. The paper closes with some theoretical reflections and policy implications arising from our key findings.     

Elastic fields in two joined transversely isotropic media of infinite extent as a result of rectangular loading

This paper presents the closed‐form solutions for the elastic fields in two bonded rocks induced by rectangular loadings. Each of the two bonded rocks behaves as a transversely isotropic linear elastic solid of semi‐infinite extent. They are completely bonded together at a horizontal surface. The rectangular loadings are body forces along either vertical or horizontal directions and are uniformly applied on a rectangular area. The rectangular area is embedded in the two bonded rocks and is parallel to the horizontal interface. The classical integral transforms are used in the solution formulation, and the elastic solutions are expressed in the forms of elementary harmonic functions for the rectangular loadings. The stresses and displacements in the rocks induced by both the horizontal and vertical body forces are also presented. The numerical results illustrate the important effect of the anisotropic bimaterial properties on the stress and displacement fields. The solutions can be easily implemented for numerical calculations and applied to problems encountered in rock mechanics and engineering. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Book Review: Spatial Statistics for Remote Sensing. By Alfred Stein,Freek Van Der Meer,and Ben Gorte. Kluwer Academic Publishers,Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1999, 284 p., $135 (U.S.), ISBN 0-7923-5958-X paperback

Mathematical Geosciences -     

Nitrogen and sulfur species in Antarctic aerosols at Mawson,Palmer Station,and Marsh (King George Island)

High volume bulk aerosol samples were collected continuously at three Antarctic sites: Mawson (67.60° S, 62.50° E) from 20 February 1987 to 6 January 1992; Palmer Station (64.77° S, 64.06° W) from 3 April 1990 to 15 June 1991; and Marsh (62.18° S, 58.30° W) from 28 March 1990, to 1 May 1991. All samples were analyzed for Na⁺, SO ₄ ^2– , NO ₃ ^– , methanesulfonate (MSA), NH ₄ ⁺ ,²¹⁰Pb, and⁷Be. At Mawson for which we have a multiple year data set, the annual mean concentration of each species sometimes vary significantly from one year to the next: Na⁺, 68–151 ng m^–3; NO ₃ ^– , 25–30 ng m^–3; nss SO ₄ ^2– , 81–97 ng m^–3; MSA, 19–28 ng m^–3; NH ₄ ⁺ , 16–21 ng m^–3;²¹⁰Pb, 0.75–0.86 fCi m^–3. Results from multiple variable regression of non-sea-salt (nss) SO ₄ ^2– with MSA and NO ₃ ^– as the independent variables indicates that, at Mawson, the nss SO ₄ ^2– /MSA ratio resulting from the oxidation of dimethylsulfide (DMS) is 2.80±0.13, about 13% lower than our earlier estimate (3.22) that was based on 2.5 years of data. A similar analysis indicates that the ratio at Palmer is about 40% lower, 1.71±0.10, and more comparable to previous results over the southern oceans. These results when combined with previously published data suggest that the differences in the ratio may reflect a more rapid loss of MSA relative to nss SO ₄ ^2– during transport over Antarctica from the oceanic source region. The mean²¹⁰Pb concentrations at Palmer and Marsh and the mean NO ₃ ^– concentration at Palmer are about a factor of two lower than those at Mawson. The²¹⁰Pb distributions are consistent with a²¹⁰Pb minimum in the marine boundary layer in the region of 40°–60° S. These features and the similar seasonalities of NO ₃ ^– and²¹⁰Pb at Mawson support the conclusion that the primary source regions for NO ₃ ^– are continental. In contrast, the mean concentrations of MSA, nss SO ₄ ^2– , and NH ₄ ⁺ at Palmer are all higher than those at Mawson: MSA by a factor of 2; nss SO ₄ ^2– by 10%; and NH ₄ ⁺ by more than 50%. However, the factor differences exhibit substantial seasonal variability; the largest differences generally occur during the austral summer when the concentrations of most of the species are highest. NH ₄ ⁺ /(nss SO ₄ ^2– +MSA) equivalent ratios indicate that NH₃ neutralizes about 60% of the sulfur acids during December at both Mawson and Palmer, but only about 30% at Mawson during February and March.     

Numerical Simulations of the Impacts of Land-Cover Change on Cold Fronts in South-West Western Australia

The south-west of Western Australia has experienced significant land-cover change as well as a decline in rainfall. Given that most precipitation in the region results from frontal passages, the impact of land-cover change on the dynamics of cold fronts is explored using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System version 6.0. Frontal simulations are evaluated against high resolution atmospheric soundings, station observations, and gridded rainfall analyses and shown to reproduce the qualitative features of cold fronts. Land-cover change results in a decrease in total frontal precipitation through a decrease in boundary-layer turbulent kinetic energy and vertically integrated moisture convergence, and an increase in wind speed within the lower boundary layer. Such processes contribute to reduced convective rainfall under current vegetation cover.     

Meshless BEM and overlapping Schwarz preconditioners for exterior problems on spheroids

We consider the exterior Neumann problem of the Laplacian with boundary condition on spheroids. We propose to use spherical radial basis functions in the solution of the boundary integral equation arising from the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map. Our meshless approach with radial basis functions is particularly suitable for handling scattered satellite data. We also propose a preconditioning technique based on an overlapping domain decomposition method to deal with ill-conditioned matrices arising from the approximation problem.