The Boumerdes (Algeria) earthquake of May 21, 2003 (<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript> = 6.8): Ground deformation and intensity

A destructive earthquake of magnitude M_w = 6.8 hit the region of Boumerdes and Algiers (Algeria) on May 21, 2003. This is among the strongest seismic events of the mediterranean region and the most important event in the capital Algiers since 1716. It caused a widespread damage in the epicentral region, claimed 2271 human lives, injured 10000, about 20000 housing units affected and left about 160000 homeless. The main shock was felt about 250 km far from the epicenter and triggered sea waves of 1–3 m in amplitude in Balearic islands (Spain). Based on field observations and press report an intensity IX (MSK scale) is attributed to the epicentral area. The main shock was followed by many aftershocks among them several are of magnitude greater than 5.0, which added panic to inhabitants. The main shock triggered ground deformation, particularly liquefaction whose features are in different forms and sizes and caused damage and collapse of roads. The focal mechanism determined by worldwide institutions yield a pure reverse faulting with a compressional axis striking NE-SW. The epicenter is located offshore about 7 km from the Boumerdes-Dellys coast. Field observations show 0.7 m of coseismic uplift of shoreline between Boudouaou and Dellys. This uplift is about a half of the extracted coseismic slip from the seismic moment. On the other hand there is no clear surface break onshore, confirming hence, that the causative active fault is offshore. However, the rupture may propagate onshore to the SE near the Boudouaou region where ground cracks showing reverse faulting are observed a long a corridor of about 1 km wide. These fissures may correspond to a diffuse coseismic deformation.     

SPECIFIC DEGRADATION OF WATERSHEDS

An extensive database of reservoir sedimentation surveys throughout continental United States is compiled and analyzed to determine specific degradation SD relationships as function of mean annual rainfall R, drainage area A, and watershed slope S. The database contains 1463 field measurements and specific degradation relationships are defined as function of A, R and S. Weak trends and significant variability in the data are noticeable. Specific degradation measurements are log normally distributed with respect to R, A, and S and 95% confidence intervals are determined accordingly. The accuracy of the predictions does not significantly increase as more independent variables are added to the regression analyses.     

VLBI observations of high-opacity HI gas in NGC 5793

We report on observations, with sub-parsec resolution, of neutral hydrogen seen in absorption in the λ=21 cm line against the nucleus of the active spiral galaxy NGC 5793. The absorption line consists of three components separated in both location as well as velocity. We derive HI column densities of 2×10²² cm⁻² assuming a gas spin temperature of 100 K. For the first time we are able to reliably estimate the HI cloud sizes (≈15 pc) and atomic gas densities (≈200 cm⁻³). Our results suggest that the HI gas is not associated with the <10 pc region which presumably contains the H₂O masers, but it is more distant from the nucleus, and is probably associated with the r1 kpc gas seen in CO.     

Meteorological results of MONSOON-88 expedition (pre-monsoon period)

Mean atmospheric circulation, moisture budget and net heat exchange were studied during a pre-monsoon period (18th March to 3rd May, 1988), making use of the data collected on board Akademik Korolev in the central equatorial and southern Arabian Sea region. The net heat exchange (R _n ) is found to be about 20 W m^–2 for a small area (0–4° N; 55–60° E), 50% less than the dimatological value. The mean value of net radiation (140 W m^–2) is less than the climatological value, which was due to higher cloud amount. The higher SST enhanced both the latent and sensible heat fluxes.The mean atmospheric circulation obtained from the upper air data is quite convincing. The mean exchange coefficient (C _e ) estimated from the moisture budget is about 1.0 × 10^–3 for a wind speed of 4 m s^–1. This value is slightly lower than that obtained by the usual methods.National Institute of Oceanography, RC, 52-Kirlampudi layout, Visakhapatnam — 530 023.India Meteorological Department, Gauhati.     

Inverted metamorphism in the Pre-Siwalik foreland basin sediments beneath the crystalline nappe, western Nepal Himalaya

One of the Pre-Siwalik foreland basin sedimentary units, the Dumri Formation, is tectonically covered by the Lesser Himalayan Crystalline nappe and the Kuncha-Naudanda thrust sheet. It is narrowly distributed in the eastern margin of the Karnali klippe along the NNE–SSW trending Chakure Fault. The whole sequence of the fluvial Dumri Formation attaining 1500 m in thickness is weakly metamorphosed to muscovite phyllite and foliated phyllitic sandstone. The metamorphic grade decreases stratigraphically downward and underlying Nummulitic limestone of the middle Eocene Bhainskati Formation is converted into a slaty limestone. No metamorphic mica is detected from the late Cretaceous to Paleocene Amile Formation below the Bhainskati Formation. These facts indicate that the Tansen Group has undergone inverted metamorphism.A ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 25.69±0.13 Ma was obtained from garnetiferous biotite gneiss in the lower part of the crystalline nappe. Another ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectrum from muscovite phyllite of the Dumri Formation suggests that metamorphism occurred at 16–17 Ma. The origin of the inverted metamorphism limited to the uppermost part of the Lesser Himalayan autochthon can be attributed to heat from the hot crystalline nappe and shearing along the sole thrust of the Kuncha-Naudanda thrust sheet. The depositional age of the Dumri Formation is estimated to be 26–17 Ma.Provenance of the Dumri Formation is considered to be from the Naudanda Quartzite, the Kuncha Formation and the Tibetan Tethys sediments, because the sandstone contains orthoquartzite pebbles, phyllitic lithic fragments and a sparry calcite cement. The sedimentary facies indicates deposition by meandering rivers on flood-plains in the distal part of the foreland basin. No proximal facies, such as alluvial fan and pebbly braided river deposits, could be detected from the formation, though it is near the Main Central Thrust (MCT). The northern continuation of the foreland basin sediments must be concealed beneath the Higher Himalayan Crystalline. Judging from the present distribution of the Dumri Formation from the south of the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) to near the MCT and from the shortening of the Lesser Himalayan sediments by thrusts and folds, the width of the foreland basin where the Dumri Formation was deposited is estimated to have been more than 300 km.     

克拉美丽气田石炭系火山岩复杂岩性岩电特征

准噶尔盆地东部克拉美丽气田石炭系火山岩岩石类型复杂多样,且同一岩性由于结构、构造和成分的差异,电性特征差异亦较大,岩性识别困难。本文通过对该区14口井取心段岩电关系研究,认为自然伽马、电阻率、密度三种曲线岩性特征响应明显; 电阻率、中子、密度、声波四条曲线对火山岩岩石构造特征响应明显。并编制了岩性和岩石构造测井识别交会图版11张。进而利用电测资料识别出该区11种火山岩岩石类型: 正长斑岩、二长斑岩、玄武岩、粗面岩、英安岩、流纹岩、霏细岩、沉凝灰岩、熔结凝灰岩、火山角砾岩和熔结火山角砾岩; 识别出5种岩石构造类型: 正长斑岩中气孔及块状构造和玄武岩中杏仁、碎裂及块状构造。通过本区12口钻井取心后验,测井识别结果与钻井岩心分析结果吻合良好,可作为地区性火山岩测井岩性、岩石构造识别模式。     

The effect of an interface boundary layer on the resonance properties of a buried structure

This paper presents a model for the analysis of the diffraction of plane waves at a cavity in an infinite homogeneous linear elastic medium supported by a segmented lining. An elastic boundary layer is introduced between the cavity lining and the infinite medium. The boundary layer is simulated by ‘elastic boundary conditions’ in which the stress is proportional to the relative displacement of the lining and of the surrounding medium boundary. A closed‐form analytical solution of the problem was obtained using the Fourier–Bessel series, the convergence of which was proven. It was shown that the number of series terms required to obtain a desired level of accuracy can be determined in advance. Using amplitude–frequency response analysis it was shown that the boundary layer produces additional ‘pseudo‐resonance’ frequencies that depend on the layer properties. These frequencies are almost identical to the eigenvalues obtained from the simple analysis of a segmented elastically supported lining. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two-frequency timing of the pulsar B1937+21 in Kalyazin and Kashima in 1997–2002

We present the results from our timing of the millisecond pulsar B1937+21, performed jointly since 1997 on two radio telescopes: the RT-64 in Kalyazin (Russia) at a frequency of 0.6GHz and RT-34 in Kashima (Japan) at a frequency of 2.15 GHz. The rms value of the pulse time of arrival (TOA) residuals for the pulsar at the barycenter of the Solar system is 1.8 μs (the relative variation is ≈10^?14 over the observing period). The TOA residuals are shown to be dominated by white phase noise, which allows this pulsar to be used as an independent time scale keeper. The upper limit for the gravitational background energy density Ω_gh² at frequencies ≈6.5 × 10^?9 Hz is estimated to be no higher than 10^?6. Based on the long-term timing of the pulsar, we have improved its parameters and accurately determined the dispersion measure and its time variation over the period 1984–2002, which was, on average, ?0.00114(3) pc cm^?3 yr^?1.     

Floating and fixed artificial habitats: Spatial and temporal patterns of benthic communities in a coral reef environment

While natural marine habitats with motion capabilities, e.g., kelps and seaweeds, have been studied alongside their associated fouling communities, little is known of the effect of motion on the communities of floating artificial habitats such as buoys, rafts, and pontoons, particularly in tropical systems. Hydrodynamic features greatly differ between floating and fixed artificial substrata, which in turn affect the structure of their associated communities. This study tested the hypothesis that floating and fixed artificial installations in a tropical reef system (Eilat, Red Sea) would support different benthic communities throughout space and time. Specifically, we examined differences in communities recruited onto settlement plates between floating and fixed installations deployed at three different sites, along a two-year monitoring period. The three sites exhibited distinct differences in species assemblages between the monitoring dates (6, 12, 18 and 24 months post deployment), mainly between the first and the last two dates. The average level of dissimilarity between floating and fixed installations increased over time at all sites. Over 50% of the dissimilarity between the floating and fixed installations resulted from five taxonomic groups i.e., bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles, sponges, including the amount of bare space on the settlement plates. The contribution of these groups to the dissimilarity changed both temporally within each site, and spatially among sites. The observed differences were related to the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating and fixed habitats, interacting with biotic features such as predation, successional processes and seasonality; and abiotic features including small-scale spatial changes, light, and position in the water column.     

Evaluation of Estrogenic Activity and Measurement of EDCs in Wastewater Treatment Plants

1IntroductionDuringthe past several years,concern hasincreasedover the potential pollution of watershed by estrogeniccompounds,including steroidal hormones fromhumanand ani mal sources.Effluents from wastewater treat-ment plants are sources of endocrine-d…