Anti-plane deformations around arbitrary-shaped canyons on a wedge-shape half-space: moment method solutions

The wave propagation behavior in an elastic wedge-shaped medium with an arbitrary shaped cylindrical canyon at its vertex has been studied. Nunerical computation of the wave displacement field is carried out on and near the canyon surfaces using weighted-residuals (moment method). The wave displacement fields are computed by the residual mcthod for the cases of elliptic, circular, rounded-rectangular and flat-elliptic canyons. The analysis demonstrates that thc resulting surface displacemcnt depends, as in similar previous analyses, on several factors including, but not limited, to the angle of thc wedge, thc geometry of thc vertex, the frcquencies of thc incident waves, the angles of incidence, and the material properties of the media. The analysis provides intriguing results that help to explain geophysical observations regarding the amplification of seismic energy as a function of site conditions.     

A series solution for surface motion amplification due to underground twin tunnels: incident SV waves

A series solution of displacement response of the ground surface in the presence of underground twin tunnels subjectcd to excitation of incident plane SV waves is derived by using Fourier-Bessel series expansion method. The numerical parametric study shows that underground twin tunnels significantly amplify the nearby surface ground motion. It is suggested that the effect of subways on ground motion should be considered when the subways are planned and designed.     

Quartz fabric evidence for early Pan-African penetrative east-directed shearing in the Itremo Supracrustal Group of central Madagascar

ABSTRACT The Pan-African orogeny left a strong imprint on the basement rocks of Madagascar, which were metamorphosed up to granulite facies conditions. The supracrustal Itremo Group of central Madagascar, comprising quartzites, schists and carbonates of lower metamorphic grade, has to date been described as a folded sedimentary sequence. Despite their fine-grained 'sugary' appearance, most quartzites are plastically deformed tectonites. Quartzite microstructures are mainly of the elongate mosaic type, indicating significant grain boundary migration, and are compatible with dynamic recrystallization under lower amphibolite facies conditions. Consistent asymmetric quartz c -axis fabrics indicate a dominant top-to-the-east shear sense. Hence, the Itremo quartzites bear evidence for a major eastward-directed tectonic event of Pan-African age, possibly resulting from an early Pan-African thrust motion. Younger deformational events, responsible for localized mylonites with top-to-the-WSW sense of motion and N–S-trending folds and shear zones, were superimposed on this first fabric.     

Mobility of metamorphic fluids inferred from infrared microspectroscopy on natural fluid inclusions: the example of Tinos Island,Greece

OH structure of metamorphic fluids has been studied by high temperature infrared (IR) microspectroscopy on natural fluid inclusions contained in quartz veins, over the temperature range 25–370 °C. Blueschist-facies veins from Tinos island core complex (Cyclades, Greece) display H₂O–NaCl–CaCl₂–CO₂ inclusions whereas greenschist-facies veins contain H₂O–NaCl ± CO₂ inclusions. From 25 to 370 °C, peak positions of OH stretching IR absorption bands increase quasi-linearly with slopes of 0.25 and 0.50 cm^–1 °C^–1 for inclusions trapped under blueschist and greenschist conditions, respectively. Extrapolation to 400 °C yield peak positions of 3,475 cm^–1 for blueschist inclusions and 3,585 cm^–1 for greenschist inclusions. Because the smaller wave number indicates the shorter hydrogen-bond distance between water molecules, fluids involved in the greenschist event have a loose structure compared with blueschist fluids. We suggest that these properties might correspond to a low wetting angle of fluids. This would explain the high mobility of aqueous fluids suggested by structural observation and stable isotope analysis.Editorial responsibility: J. Hoefs     

Stibnite microstructures as imprints of fault movement

The natural deformation of stibnite in relation to the kinematic history of a regional fault is resolved using microstructural analysis of massive stibnite along the Biards Fault in the Massif Central (France). Stibnite underwent intra-crystalline deformation associated with a strong linear and planar anisotropy. Lepidoblastic textures, undulatory extinction of oriented grains, growth of antimony between these grains, and a colour change of stibnite from white to black, result from dynamic recrystallisation. A range of asymmetric microstructures indicate non-coaxial deformation and a left-lateral sense of shear, related to the movement of the fault zone. The computed displacement corresponds to the geological offsets measured along the fault. We conclude that stibnite has microstructurally recorded the bulk kinematics of its host fault zone.Editorial Handling: F. Tornos     

Future Expansion Of Agriculture and Pasture Acts to Amplify Atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Levels in Response to Fossil-Fuel and Land-Use Change Emissions

The expansion of crop and pastures to the detriment of forests results in an increase in atmospheric CO₂. The first obvious cause is the loss of forest biomass and soil carbon during and after conversion. The second, generally ignored cause, is the reduction of the residence time of carbon when, for example, forests or grasslands are converted to cultivated land. This decreases the sink capacity of the global terrestrial biosphere, and thereby may amplify the atmospheric CO₂ rise due to fossil and land-use carbon release. For the IPCC A2 future scenario, characterized by high fossil and high land-use emissions, we show that the land-use amplifier effect adds 61 ppm extra CO₂ in the atmosphere by 2100 as compared to former treatment of land-use processes in carbon models. Investigating the individual contribution of each of the six land-use transitions (forest &#x02194; crop, forest &#x02194; pasture, grassland crop) to the amplifier effect indicates that the clearing of forest and grasslands to arable lands explains most of the CO₂ amplification. The amplification effect is 50% higher than in a previous analysis by the same authors which considered neither the deforestation of pastures nor the ploughing of grasslands. Such an amplification effect is further examined in sensitivity tests where the net primary productivity is considered independent of the atmospheric CO₂. We also show that the land-use changes, which have already occurred in the recent past, have a strong inertia at releasing CO₂, and will contribute to about 1/3 of the amplification effect by 2100. These results suggest that there is an additional atmospheric benefit of preserving pristine ecosystems with high turnover times.     

Future Expansion Of Agriculture and Pasture Acts to Amplify Atmospheric CO2 Levels in Response to Fossil-Fuel and Land-Use Change Emissions

The expansion of crop and pastures to the detriment of forests results in an increase in atmospheric CO₂. The first obvious cause is the loss of forest biomass and soil carbon during and after conversion. The second, generally ignored cause, is the reduction of the residence time of carbon when, for example, forests or grasslands are converted to cultivated land. This decreases the sink capacity of the global terrestrial biosphere, and thereby may amplify the atmospheric CO₂ rise due to fossil and land-use carbon release. For the IPCC A2 future scenario, characterized by high fossil and high land-use emissions, we show that the land-use amplifier effect adds 61 ppm extra CO₂ in the atmosphere by 2100 as compared to former treatment of land-use processes in carbon models. Investigating the individual contribution of each of the six land-use transitions (forest &#x02194; crop, forest &#x02194; pasture, grassland crop) to the amplifier effect indicates that the clearing of forest and grasslands to arable lands explains most of the CO₂ amplification. The amplification effect is 50% higher than in a previous analysis by the same authors which considered neither the deforestation of pastures nor the ploughing of grasslands. Such an amplification effect is further examined in sensitivity tests where the net primary productivity is considered independent of the atmospheric CO₂. We also show that the land-use changes, which have already occurred in the recent past, have a strong inertia at releasing CO₂, and will contribute to about 1/3 of the amplification effect by 2100. These results suggest that there is an additional atmospheric benefit of preserving pristine ecosystems with high turnover times.     

Scattering of SV waves by a canyon in a fluid-saturated, poroelastic layered half-space, modeled using the indirect boundary element method

The scattering of SV waves by a canyon in a fluid-saturated, poroelastic layered half-space is modeled using the indirect boundary element method in the frequency domain. The free-field responses are calculated to determine the displacements and stresses at the surface of the canyon, and fictitious distributed loads are then applied at the surface of the canyon in the free field to calculate the Green's functions for displacements and stresses. The amplitudes of the fictitious distributed loads are determined from the boundary conditions, and the displacements arising from the waves in the free field and from the fictitious distributed loads are summed to obtain the solution. The effects of fluid saturation, boundary conditions, porosity, and soil layers on the surface displacement amplitudes and phase shifts are discussed, and some useful conclusions are obtained. It is shown that the surface displacement amplitudes due to saturation and boundary conditions, different porosities, or the presence of a soil layer can be very dissimilar, and large phase shifts can be observed. The resulting wavelengths for an undrained saturated poroelastic medium are slightly longer than those for a drained saturated poroelastic medium; and are longer for a drained saturated poroelastic medium than those for a dry poroelastic medium. As porosity increases, the wavelengths become longer; and a layered half-space produces longer wavelengths than a homogeneous half-space.     

Diffraction of plane SV waves by a shallow circular-arc canyon in a saturated poroelastic half-space

An analytical solution for the scattering and diffraction of incident plane SV waves by a shallow circular-arc canyon in a saturated poroelastic half-space is derived by the wave function expansion method. The solution is utilized to analyze the dependence of the computed surface motions on the incident frequencies, incident angles, porosity, boundary drainage and Poisson's ratio. It is shown that, depending on the incident angles, the surface displacement amplitudes around a canyon in a dry poroelastic half-space and saturated poroelastic half-space can be very different. The surface displacement amplitudes of an undrained saturated poroelastic half-space are close to those of a drained saturated poroelastic half-space. For low porosity, the surface displacement amplitudes of a saturated poroelastic half-space are almost identical to those of a dry poroelastic half-space, and drainage condition has little influence on the surface displacement amplitudes. But for high porosity, the effect of drainage condition becomes significant, and for the same porosity, the displacement amplitudes of an undrained saturated half-space will be larger than those of a drained saturated half-space. Poisson's ratio is also an important factor affecting the surface displacement amplitudes around the canyon, both in drained and undrained conditions, but leads to larger effects for an undrained saturated half-space than for a drained saturated half-space. Large pore pressures are found around the canyon and their amplitudes depend on the incident angles and frequencies. Below the surface, the amplitudes of pore pressures are less than they are at the surface, especially for high frequencies.     

Les orthogneiss calco-alcalins de Foumban–Bankim : témoins d'une zone interne de marge active panafricaine en cisaillement

The mylonitic rocks of the Central Cameroonian Shear Zone (Foumban–Bankim sector) are mainly ancient magmatic rocks emplaced in an internal zone of a Pan-African active margin. They display calc-alkaline affinities with granitoids of northern Cameroon, but differ by their higher K contents and shoshonitic nature. This spatial distinction in pre- to syn-orogenic magmatism permits to define a north to south potassium increase trend, compatible with the existence of a northern Pan-African subduction zone. The shearing evolution of this margin is marked by the superposition of two mylonitic foliations and the occurrence of unusual δ-type porphyroclasts. This suggests the interference of two shearing phases operating in opposing sense at a constant direction, under deep and shallow metamorphic conditions, respectively. To cite this article: E. Njonfang et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).