Correspondence analysis applied to volcanic aerosols

A statistical analysis of volcanic aerosol based on 1,083 variables including concentration, grain-size and site variabilities establishes correlations between sites and among chemical elements.Variation curves of element concentration show parallel behaviour. High coefficients of correlation between anions and cations confirm associations between elements.     

Evaluation of seismic ground motion induced by topographic irregularity

Results of an extensive numerical study on the 2D scattering of seismic waves by local topography are presented. The investigation has been conducted using the direct boundary element method. Several types of topography (slopes, canyons and ridges) are considered. The influences of some key parameters, such as exciting frequency and geometry of the irregular feature, on surface ground motion are studied in detail. It is found that local topographic conditions play an important role in the modification of seismic ground motion at the irregular feature itself and its neighbourhood. The present results can be considered to be useful from the viewpoint of earthquake engineering and seismology.     

Nonlinear seismic response analysis of arch dam-foundation systems- part II opening and closing contact joints

A time-domain method for the analysis of arch dam-foundation rock dynamic interaction during earthquake was proposed, and the dynamic relaxation technique was adopted to obtain the initial static response for dynamic analysis by [Du et al. (2005). The paper has been contributed to Bulletin of earthquake engineering]. In this paper, a nonlinear explicit method in time domain considering the opening and closing effect of contact joints on arch dam during earthquake is further proposed by introducing the dynamic contact force model into the method. The simulation accuracy of dynamic contact force model is verified by comparing its calculation result and test result of scale model on shaking table. Finally, the influence of joints on the seismic response of Xiaowan arch dam is studied by the proposed method and some conclusions are given.     

In situ measurements of surficial mud strength: A new vane tester suitable for soft intertidal muds

A vane fitted to a standard shear vane tester is described, the purpose of which is to obtain better measurements of the rheological properties of soft, surficial, intertidal muds (and consequently, variations in their erodability). Specifications and geometry of this vane are presented. The computation procedure is detailed, so that the methodology can be applied to any vane tester. The main improvement is a greater vertical resolution, typically less than 1 cm. Sets of direct measurements with this equipment and correlation with dry densities for three intertidal mudflats (estuaries and bay) are presented.     

GPS network monitors the Western Alps' deformation over a five-year period: 1993–1998

  The Western Alps are among the best studied collisional belts with both detailed structural mapping and also crustal geophysical investigations such as the ECORS and EGT seismic profile. By contrast, the present-day kinematics of the belt is still largely unknown due to small relative motions and the insufficient accuracy of the triangulation data. As a consequence, several tectonic problems still remain to be solved, such as the amount of N–S convergence in the Occidental Alps, the repartition of the deformation between the Alpine tectonic units, and the relation between deformation and rotation across the Alpine arc. In order to address these problems, the GPS ALPES group, made up of French, Swiss and Italian research organizations, has achieved the first large-scale GPS surveys of the Western Alps. More than 60 sites were surveyed in 1993 and 1998 with a minimum observation of 3 days at each site. GPS data processing has been done by three independent teams using different software. The different solutions have horizontal repeatabilities (N–E) of 4–7 mm in 1993 and 2–3 mm in 1998 and compare at the 3–5-mm level in position and 2-mm/yr level in velocity. A comparison of 1993 and 1998 coordinates shows that residual velocities of the GPS marks are generally smaller than 2 mm/yr, precluding a detailed tectonic interpretation of the differential motions. However, these data seem to suggest that the N–S compression of the Western Alps is quite mild (less than 2 mm/yr) compared to the global convergence between the African and Eurasian plate (6 mm/yr). This implies that the shortening must be accomodated elsewhere by the deformation of the Maghrebids and/or by rotations of Mediterranean microplates. Also, E–W velocity components analysis supports the idea that E–W extension exists, as already suggested by recent structural and seismotectonic data interpretation. Received: 27 November 2000 / Accepted: 17 September 2001     

中国北方东部沙质荒漠化的地学观

中国北方东部的土地荒漠化主要受新构造运动以来的权造－沉积特征、青藏高原隆升所引起的全球气候变化、尤其是亚洲季风等地质背景控制。北方东部沙质荒漠化区域地质分类，按其成因可分为就地起沙型、风沙型和土地粗粒化型等3种类型。其中，就地起沙型沙质荒漠化主要分布在东部毛乌素、科尔沁、浑善达克、呼伦贝尔等沙地内，流经这些沙地的古河道，广泛发育河湖相砂质沉积物以及以砂质沉积物为母质的土壤分布区。风沙型沙质荒漠化主要分布在上述沙地的边缘地带，如毛乌素沙地以南的覆沙黄土区等。土地粗化主要分布在内蒙古锡林郭勒草原－河北坝上草原－河北坝上草原，其土壤类型多为含砾沙土，其土壤母质为基岩风化壳、残坡积或冲洪积物。荒漠化发展趋势上，尽管就地起沙型沙质荒漠化在毛乌素、科尔沁和浑善达达沙地的局部地区均有所逆转，但总体上，在北方广大地区，主要以地表土壤粗化为主的荒漠化和风沙型荒漠化等均有不同程度的扩大。上述不同类型的沙质荒漠化，总体上受地背景控制。其中，第四纪以来的构造－沉积特征控制着不同类型荒漠化的区域分布，气候变化控制着荒漠化的进程，人类活动则是在上述背景的基础上进行。