Global tectonics of a despun planet

Mercury, the Moon, and many large satellites of the major planets have been tidally despun from an initially faster rotation. These bodies probably possessed equatorial bulges which relaxed as they lost their spin. An analysis of the stresses induced in an elastic shell by the relaxation of an equatorial bulge indicates that differential stresses may reach a few kilobars and that the tectonic pattern developed depends mainly upon the shell thickness. In every model studied the azimuthal stress σ_?? is larger (more compressive) than the meridional stress σθθ. For a thin elastic shell (thickness less than one-twentieth of the planet's radius) the zone from the equator to 48° latitude is characterized by strike-slip faulting. Poleward of this, normal faults and graben trending east-west are expected. Thicker elastic shells acquire an equatorial belt of thrust faults with east-west throw and rough north-south trends. These tectonic styles may be modified by a small (0.05-0.1%) radial expansion or contraction. Expansion shifts the polar normal faulting province toward the equator, while contraction shifts the equatorial provinces poleward. These patterns are not substantially altered by plastic yielding of the shell, although the equatorial thrust fault province is suppressed by strike-slip faulting until strike-slip faults occur poleward of 64.8° latitude. We conclude that there are many tectonic patterns consistent with despinning and radial contraction or expansion, but they must all be consistent with σ_?? > σθθ. These results also indicate that the polar regions of a despun planet are of particular interest in deciding whether a given lineament system is due to stresses induced by the relaxation of the planet's equatorial bulge.     

The influence of amphibole fractionation on the evolution of calc-alkaline andesite and dacite tephra from the central Aleutians,Alaska

Petrologic studies of tephra from Kanaga, Adak, and Great Sitkin Islands indicate that amphibole fractionation and magma mixing are important processes controlling the composition of calc-alkaline andesite and dacite magmas in the central Aleutians. Amphibole is ubiquitous in tephra from Kanaga and Adak Islands, whereas it is present only in a basaltic-andesite pumice from Great Sitkin. Dacitic tephra from Great Sitkin do not contain amphibole. Hornblende dacite tephra contain HB+PLAG+OX±OPX±CPX phenocrysts with simple zoning patterns, suggesting that the dacites evolved in isolated magma chambers. Andesitic tephra from Adak contain two pyroxene and hornbelende populations, and reversely zoned plagioclase, indicating a more complex history involving mixing and fractional crystallization. Mass balance calculations suggest that the andesitic tephra may represent the complements of amphibole-bearing cumulate xenoliths, both formed during the evolution of high-Al basalts. The presence of amphibole in andesitic and dacitic tephra implies that Aleutian cale-alkaline magmas evolve in the mid to lower crust under hydrous (>4 wt.% H₂O) and oxidizing (Ni–NiO) conditions. Amphibole-bearing andesites and pyroxene-bearing dacites from Great Sitkin indicates fractionation at several levels within the arc crust. Despite its absence in many calc-alkaline andesite and dacite lavas, open system behavior involving amphibole fractionation can explain the trace element characteristies of lavas found on Adak Island. Neither open nor closed system fractionation involving a pyroxene-bearing assemblage is capable of explaining the trace element concentrations or ratios found in the Adak suite. We envision a scenario where amphibole was initially a liquidus phase in many calc-alkaline magmas, but was later replaced by pyroxenes as the magmas rose to shallow levels within the crust. The mineral assemblage in these evolved lavas reflects shallow level equilibration of the magma, whereas the trace element chemistry provides evidence for a earlier, amphibole-bearing, mineral assemblage.     

Magmatism in the eastern Aleutian Arc: temporal characteristic of igneous activity on Akutan Island

Lavas from Akutan Island, located in the eastern Aleutian arc at the transition between continental and oceanic crust, show a gradual change in their petrologic and chemical characteristics over the last 4 million years. The oldest lavas exposed on the island, the Hot Springs Bay Volcanics (HSBV), range from magnesian basalt to dacite (45%–62% SiO₂). The most mafic basalts contain salitic clinopyroxene, Cr- and Al-rich spinel, and pargasitic amphibole suggesting that they were derived from relatively hydrous magmas at greater pressures than lavas from the younger Akutan Volcanics (AKV) and the modern volcano (MOD). AKV lavas also range between basalt and dacite (46%–63% SiO₂), but contain no hydrous phenocrysts and seem to have fractionated within a shallow level magma chamber. Lavas from the modern volcano are andesitic (52%–57% SiO₂) and have a mineral assemblage similar to that of AKV lavas of similar composition. With the exception of clinopyroxene and spinel in the most mafic lavas, the compositions of plagioclase (An_92?45), olivine (Fo_88?51), orthopyroxene (En_69?56), and titanomagnetite (15%–21% TiO₂) phenocrysts found in these lavas are within the range observed in lavas from other Aleutian volcanoes. Variations in the major element chemistry of the older lavas can be reproduced by fractional crystallization of the observed mineral assemblages, however closed system crystal fractionation models are inadequate to explain the trace element variations. During the last 4 million years, La/Yb ratios have decreased (6.5–3.3 for HSBV lavas and 2.9–1.9 for MOD lavas) whereas Ba/La ratios appear to have increased slightly (37–43 for HSBV and AKV, and 41–45 of MOD). The lower La/Yb ratios of MOD lavas correspond with lower total abundances of the REE and slightly higher Sr and Pb isotopic ratios. The increased⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and Pb isotopic ratios in the MOD lavas, the less enriched LREE, and the higher Ba/La ratios may result from partial melting of an arc source which has experienced previous melting events but has continued to be contaminated by a component from the subducting slab. It may also indicate a change in the degree of partial melting of the underlying mantle, which corresponds to a different percentage of a slab derived component being incorporated into the overlying mantle.     

An experimental study of magnesium-isotope fractionation in chlorophyll-a photosynthesis

Measurements are presented of the magnesium isotopic composition of chlorophyll-a, extracted from cyanobacteria, relative to the isotopic composition of the culture medium in which the cyanobacteria were grown. Yields of 50-93% chlorophyll-a were achieved from the pigment extracts of Synechococcus elongatus, a unicellular cyanobacteria. This material was then digested using concentrated nitric acid to extract magnesium. Separation was accomplished using columns of cation-exchange resin, which achieved a 103 ± 10% yield of magnesium from chlorophyll-a. This procedure ensured accurate measurement of the magnesium-isotopic ratios without isobaric interferences using a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). We find a slight depletion in the heavier isotopes of magnesium in chlorophyll-a relative to culture medium, early growth phase: Δ²⁶Mg = −0.71(±0.35)‰ and Δ²⁵Mg = −0.37(±0.18)‰; late growth phase: Δ²⁶Mg = −0.53(±0.20)‰ and Δ²⁵Mg = −0.26(±0.11)‰, due to an apparent mass-dependent fractionation. We suggest that the small fractionation results from chelation during intracellular processes. A likely candidate for this chelation step involves the magnesium-chelatase enzyme, which mediates the insertion of magnesium to the tetrapyrrole ring during chlorophyll-a biosynthesis. Proof of this hypothesis can be tested with biological controls whereby steps in the enzymatic pathways of chlorophyll synthesis are selectively suppressed.     

台闽北部地区海岸阶地之对比

针对台湾海峡东岸台湾北部的海岸阶地进行调查研究，并与西岸福建东北部的海岸阶地进行分析比较；着重阐述台湾西北部4个海岸区域阶地的特性（阶序、分布、高度、崖差、构成等）及其变动情况（阶地抬升、变窄、延伸等）；通过推断形成年代、测算隆升速率等，探讨研究区域的海岸线变化与构造升降运动，结果发现：台湾岛的海阶变化不仅受到海平面变动的影响，尚受到区域性地壳隆升的控制；福建沿海地区受蓬莱造山运动的影响极小，海岸阶地的形成主要是受到数次海平面变化的影响；福建沿海的隆升速率由北向南逐渐减少，总体上低于海峡东岸台湾岛的隆升率（平均2mm／a）．该研究印证了：相对于台湾岛地区，福建沿海地区的地壳活动相对稳定，其海阶发育可能仅受到海平面变动的影响．’     

附加系统参数平差法在导线网中的应用

本文探讨了附加系统参数平差法在带有测距系统误差的导线网中的应用，说明了当系统误差比较显著时．采用附加系统参数平差法的可行性、必要性及其优越性。     

乾安地区盐碱地显热通量的测量

文中给出了用大孔径闪烁仪在 2 0 0 0年生长季观测到的盐碱地区显热通量的主要结果 ,并初步计算了当地的水热平衡状况。结果表明 :乾安盐碱地区显热通量占净辐射量的百分比在干旱、非生长季达到 6 5 % ,在多雨、植被生长季仅为 11% ;显热通量因降水而明显降低 ,幅度与降水强度有关 ,反映了当地的气候和土壤特征。文中还把LAS的测量结果与传统的梯度法作了比较 ,结果基本一致。     

鞍山市铁矿矿山地质灾害形成条件及对策研究

矿山地质灾害较其它地质灾害相比有其独特性。在鞍山铁矿区，排土场沉降不仅与采矿引起的地下水位下降有直接的联系，还与松散细粒土层、活动断裂有关；滑坡、泥石流地质灾害与地形地貌、水源条件及构造有一定的关系，更重要的是采矿活动产生的废石废渣为其提供了大量的物源；尾矿库灾害主要表现为：洪水漫顶、尾矿砂液化破坏、尾矿坝渗漏及管涌溃堤、尾矿坝滑塌破坏等。本文简要分析了鞍山市铁矿山主要存在的地质灾害类型(排土场地面沉降、滑坡、泥石流及尾矿库地质灾害)和形成条件并提出了防治地质灾害的对策。     

Change detection in Sal forest in Dehradun Forest Division using remote sensing and geographical information system

The review of study site have revealed the change in vegetation cover of Sal Dense to Sal Medium and Sal Open in 6 forest Mosaics owing to biotic and abiotic conditions prevailing in the specific areas. Analysis carried out using thematic map derived from aerial photograph of 1976 and satellite data of IRS 1C LISS III False Colour Composite (FCC) of March 1999 revealed the cause for change in forest density classes. Deforestation, encroachment and agriculture have been identified as the underlying causes, which have affected some specific locations to a marked extent. There has been a progressive and remarkable change among vegetation classes from 1976 to 1999. It is evident from forest type and density map that Sal density has significantly reduced from Sal Dense 65.61 % in 1976 to Sal Dense 11.12% in the year 1999 followed by Sal Open 11.18 % and Sal Medium 18.24 %. The overall change has been estimated to be 42.11% of the total forested area.