Über Bergzerreißung und Talzuschub

Zusammenfassung Die Begriffe Bergzerreißung und Talzuschub kennzeichnen die morphologischen Auswirkungen großzügiger Hangbewegungen und zwar des Abriß- beziehungsweise des Fußbereiches.Die strukturellen Besonderheiten der Sackungen werden an besonders günstigen Beispielen deutlich: Dort bildet sich die Bewegung in einem mehrere hundert Meter mächtigen Hakenwerfen der ursprünglich steil talwärts fallenden Schichten ab, das nach oben noch in einen kaum verformten Bereich übergeht.Aus diesen Angaben läßt sich ein allgemein für Böschungen gültiger Deformationsplan ableiten, der bei Annahme einer linearen Verteilung der Scherbeanspruchung in der Vertikalen die Formulierung der festigkeitstheoretischen Eigenschaften des Materials Fels gestattet: Danach müssen wir dem Gebirge unter Oberflächenbedingungen erstens eine mit der Einspannung zunehmende Scherfestigkeit, die außerdem noch von der betrachteten Größenordnung abhängig ist, und zweitens ein Fließverhalten zuschreiben, das durch eine Potenzfunktion dargestellt wird.Auf Grund des Vergleiches mit Eis sind wir zu der Annahme berechtigt, daß dieses Fließgesetz auch für tiefere Krustenteile gültig ist.

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The terms Bergzerreißung (mountain splitting) and Talzuschub (closing-up of the valleys) describe the morphological features of large down-hill movements. Their structural peculiarities are determined by a zone of internal rotation beneath a zone of only small internal deformation.From these data we can deduce a general plan of deformation of slopes. When assuming a linear distribution of shear stress they also allow the determination of the mechanical properties of rock masses.Comparing rock and ice in general we may conclude that these mechanical properties, mainly the flow law expressed by a power function, are valid also in deep parts of the earth's crust.

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Résumé Les termes « Bergzerreißung » et « Talzuschub » désignent les effets morphologiques de forts mouvements de versants. Les particularités structurelles des affaisements de rochers se manifestent dans une zone de « rotation interne » sous une zone de faible déformation interne.De ces faits on peut déduire un plan général de déformation. L'hypothèse d'une répartition linéaire de la contrainte de cisaillement dans le sens vertical rend possible une détermination des propriétés méchaniques des rochers.D'une comparaison avec la glace nous pouvons tirer la conclusion que ces propriétés méchaniques, surtout la loi de fluage exprimée dans l'équation = a^b ( = vitesse de déformation, = contrainte de cisaillement; a, b = paramètres), sont également valables dans les parties profondes de la croûte terrestre.

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Microscope-photometric methods for non-destructive Fe2+ – Fe3+ determination in chloritoids (Fe2+, Mn2+, Mg)2 (Al,Fe3+)4 Si2O10(OH)4

Six natural chloritoid crystals with Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ contents ranging from 4.15 to 12.81 and from 0.411 to 0.849g-atoms/l, respectively, as determined by means of microprobe and Mössbauer techniques, served as reference material to develop non-destructive microscope-spectrophotometric methods for quantitative Fe²⁺ – Fe³⁺ determinations in chloritoids from unpolarized spectra of (001) platelets. Fe²⁺ concentrations in g-atom/l can be obtained from [ [Fe³⁺]=C₁xD₁/t where D₁ = log₁₀(I_0/I at 28,000 cm^-1 and t=crystal thickness in cm; C₁ is a conttant that may be influenced somewhat by experimental conditions and is found to be 0.002289 with the experimental set-up used in this study. Fe²⁺ concentrations in g-atom/l can be obtained from [Fe²⁺]=C₁xD₁/D₁-C₃ with D₂=log₁₀(I₀/I) at 16,300 cm^?1 and constants C₄ = 45.36 and C₅ = 3.540. Due to the uncertainties in absorbance measurements, D₁ and D₂ and the thickness measurements, the accuracies are ±0.05 and ±0.15 g-atom/l for [Fe³⁺] and [Fe²⁺], respectively. The determinations may be carried out on chloritoid grains in normal thin sections with an areal resolution of ～10 μm.     

Salt movements in the Northeast German Basin and its relation to major post-Permian tectonic phases—results from 3D structural modelling, backstripping and reflection seismic data

The NW–SE-striking Northeast German Basin (NEGB) forms part of the Southern Permian Basin and contains up to 8 km of Permian to Cenozoic deposits. During its polyphase evolution, mobilization of the Zechstein salt layer resulted in a complex structural configuration with thin-skinned deformation in the basin and thick-skinned deformation at the basin margins. We investigated the role of salt as a decoupling horizon between its substratum and its cover during the Mesozoic deformation by integration of 3D structural modelling, backstripping and seismic interpretation. Our results suggest that periods of Mesozoic salt movement correlate temporally with changes of the regional stress field structures. Post-depositional salt mobilisation was weakest in the area of highest initial salt thickness and thickest overburden. This also indicates that regional tectonics is responsible for the initiation of salt movements rather than stratigraphic density inversion.Salt movement mainly took place in post-Muschelkalk times. The onset of salt diapirism with the formation of N–S-oriented rim synclines in Late Triassic was synchronous with the development of the NNE–SSW-striking Rheinsberg Trough due to regional E–W extension. In the Middle and Late Jurassic, uplift affected the northern part of the basin and may have induced south-directed gravity gliding in the salt layer. In the southern part, deposition continued in the Early Cretaceous. However, rotation of salt rim synclines axes to NW–SE as well as accelerated rim syncline subsidence near the NW–SE-striking Gardelegen Fault at the southern basin margin indicates a change from E–W extension to a tectonic regime favoring the activation of NW–SE-oriented structural elements. During the Late Cretaceous–Earliest Cenozoic, diapirism was associated with regional N–S compression and progressed further north and west. The Mesozoic interval was folded with the formation of WNW-trending salt-cored anticlines parallel to inversion structures and to differentially uplifted blocks. Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic compression caused partial inversion of older rim synclines and reverse reactivation of some Late Triassic to Jurassic normal faults in the salt cover. Subsequent uplift and erosion affected the pre-Cenozoic layers in the entire basin. In the Cenozoic, a last phase of salt tectonic deformation was associated with regional subsidence of the basin. Diapirism of the maturest pre-Cenozoic salt structures continued with some Cenozoic rim synclines overstepping older structures. The difference between the structural wavelength of the tighter folded Mesozoic interval and the wider Cenozoic structures indicates different tectonic regimes in Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic.We suggest that horizontal strain propagation in the brittle salt cover was accommodated by viscous flow in the decoupling salt layer and thus salt motion passively balanced Late Triassic extension as well as parts of Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary compression.     

Magnetograph observations with the Swedish solar telescope on La Palma

A high-resolution videomagnetograph that records the images of opposite circular polarization simultaneously has been constructed for the Swedish vacuum solar telescope at La Palma. Magnetograms are obtained by off-line integration of bursts consisting of typically 50 frames of 20 ms exposures, with bad frames rejected, and the frame-to-frame image motion of the remaining frames compensated for by cross-correlation techniques. The short exposures combined with frame selection and elimination of image motion optimizes the resolution and thereby also the S/N, allowing good magnetograms to be obtained with an effective exposure time of less than 1 s at an image scale of 0.1 pixel^–1. The advantages and limitations of the system are discussed and compared with other techniques of making filter magnetograms are discussed.     

First U–Pb geochronology on detrital zircons from Early-Middle Cambrian strata of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (eastern Germany) and palaeogeographic implications

International Journal of Earth Sciences - LA-ICP-MS U–Pb data from detrital zircons of the Ediacaran to Cambrian siliciclastic sequence of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (TDS, Saxo-Thuringia,...     

Soil frost effects on soil water and runoff dynamics along a boreal forest transect: 1. Field investigations

To determine how soil frost changes flowpaths of runoff water along a hillslope, a transect consisting of four soil profiles directed towards a small stream in a mature forest stand was investigated at Svartberget, near Vindeln in northern Sweden. Soil temperature, unfrozen water content, groundwater level and snow depth were investigated along the transect, which started at the riparian peat, and extended 30 m upslope into mineral soils. The two, more organic‐rich profiles closest to the stream had higher water retention and wetter autumn conditions than the sandy mineral soils further upslope. The organic content of the soil influenced the variation in frost along the transect. The first winter (1995–96) had abnormally low snow precipitation, which gave a deep frost down to 40–80 cm, whereas the two following winters had frost depths of 5–20 cm. During winter 1995–96, the two organic profiles close to the stream had a shallower frost depth than the mineral soil profile higher upslope, but a considerably larger amount of frozen water. The fraction of water that did not freeze despite several minus degrees in the soil was 5–7 vol.% in the mineral soil and 10–15 vol.% in the organic soil. From the measurements there were no signs of perched water tables during any of the three snowmelt periods, which would have been strong evidence for changed water flowpaths due to soil frost. When shallow soil layers became saturated during snowmelt, especially in 1997 and 1998, it was because of rising groundwater levels. Several rain on frozen ground events during spring 1996 resulted in little runoff, since most of the rain either froze in the soil or filled up the soil water storage. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Elbe Fault System in North Central Europe—a basement controlled zone of crustal weakness

The Elbe Fault System (EFS) is a WNW-striking zone extending from the southeastern North Sea to southwestern Poland along the present southern margin of the North German Basin and the northern margin of the Sudetes Mountains. Although details are still under debate, geological and geophysical data reveal that upper crustal deformation along the Elbe Fault System has taken place repeatedly since Late Carboniferous times with changing kinematic activity in response to variation in the stress regime. In Late Carboniferous to early Permian times, the Elbe Fault System was part of a post-Variscan wrench fault system and acted as the southern boundary fault during the formation of the Permian Basins along the Trans-European Suture Zone (sensu [Geol. Mag. 134 (5) (1997) 585]). The Teisseyre–Tornquist Zone (TTZ) most probably provided the northern counterpart in a pull-apart scenario at that time. Further strain localisation took place during late Mesozoic transtension, when local shear within the Elbe Fault System caused subsidence and basin formation along and parallel to the fault system. The most intense deformation took place along the system during late Cretaceous–early Cenozoic time, when the Elbe Fault System responded to regional compression with up to 4 km of uplift and formation of internal flexural highs. Compressional deformation continued during early Cenozoic time and actually may be ongoing. The upper crust of the Elbe Fault System, which itself reacted in a more or less ductile fashion, is underlain by a lower crust characterised by low P-wave velocities, low densities and a weak rheology. Structural, seismic and gravimetric data as well as rheology models support the assumption that a weak, stress-sensitive zone in the lower crust is the reason for the high mobility of the area and repeated strain localisation along the Elbe Fault System.     

Native Sn-Pb droplets in a zeolitic amygdale (Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides)

Despite the particular scientific interest in the elements with high affinity to S and O₂, but found in zero-valence state in nature, the origin of these native minerals has been little explored and remains obscure. Here we describe unique Sn-Pb droplets found in a closed analcime-calcite amygdale collected from a basaltic unit cropping out at Carsaig Bay (Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides). The droplets consist of intimate intergrowths of nearly pure Sn⁰ and Pb⁰ domains in proportion 88:12 and are enveloped in a thin, brownish film of organic composition. The occurrence of the Sn-Pb droplets in a closed amygdale, their relationship with the host analcime + calcite and their Pb isotope composition (which does not match any known anthropogenic Pb source) rule out the possibility of anthropogenic contamination and support the natural origin of the Sn-Pb alloy.The variable isotope (Pb, Sr, Nd) compositions in different members of the host basaltic sequence suggest that a parent basaltic magma was modified by crustal assimilation and post-emplacement alteration processes. Considering all possible explanations, it appears that the most likely source of Pb for the Sn-Pb alloy is a discrete basaltic unit with an isotopic composition comparable to the Antrim basalts (Northern Ireland). The amygdale phases, on the other hand, show isotopic evidence for incorporation of elements from both local basaltic and sedimentary units. The apparent isotopic disequilibrium between Sn-Pb droplets and amygdale phases indicates a complex, multi-stage fluid evolution. The occurrence of Sn-Pb droplets in organic capsules suggests that the droplets and the enveloping organic substances are co-precipitates. This implies that the transportation and deposition of Sn and Pb might have occurred through organometallic compounds. We assume interaction of seawater fluids carrying metals leached from basaltic rocks with hydrocarbons from sedimentary units as a prerequisite for the formation of the organometallic complexes. The zeolites lining the basaltic vesicles might have destabilized the migrating organo-Sn and Pb compounds causing their breakdown and precipitation of Sn-Pb alloy.     

A Note on Velocity Spectra in the Marine Boundary Layer

Spectra of longitudinal and vertical velocity have been studied at a marine site, östergarnsholm, in the Baltic Sea during a period of six days with near-neutral or slightly unstable conditions, when the wave state gradually changed from pure wind sea to strong swell having approximately the same direction as the wind. During the pure wind sea phase, spectra are shown to adhere closely to general forms for the neutral atmospheric surface layer obtained from a new theory. As soon as the wave age goes slightly beyond that representative of pure wind sea conditions, the spectra deviate in shape from the ideal forms. The spectral modification appears to start at a frequency typical of the swell component. As the wave age increases, it progresses in frequency as a downscale cascade, which is particularly prominent in the spectrum of the vertical component but which is also observed in the longitudinal component. In addition, there is a strong effect in the low-frequency part of the spectra. It is interpreted as an indirect effect of large-scale inactive turbulence, which becomes progressively more important as wave-age increases. It is found that the ratio of the spectrum of the vertical component and the spectrum of the corresponding longitudinal component attains the theoretically predicted value of 4/3 for cases of developing sea (gale force wind) for frequencies above approximately 4 Hz but never much exceeds unity for cases with swell. It is argued that this is an indication of local anisotropy and that the inertial-dissipation method for determination of the momentum flux is inappropriate in the case of mixed seas or swell.