Mercury in sediments of Ulhas estuary

Hg levels in water, suspended particulate matter and sediment of the Ulhas estuary are under considerable environmental stress due to the indiscriminate release of effluents from a variety of industries including chlor-alkali plants. Concentration ranges of dissolved (0.04-0.61 micro gl(-1)) and particulate (1.13-6.43 micro gg(-1)) Hg reveal a definite enhancement of levels in the estuary. The Hg burden in sediment upstream of the weir that limits the tidal influence is low (0.08-0.19 micro gg(-1)) with low C(org) content (1.8-2.9%). The high Hg content of the sediment just below the weir varies seasonally (highest concentration recorded being 38.45 micro gg(-1)) due to incremental accretion of sediment as the fresh water flow over the weir progressively decreases. The 30 km segment of the estuary sustains markedly high levels of Hg in the sediment with an exponential decrease in the seaward direction from the weir. Higher concentrations than the expected background prevail in all the estuarine cores up to the bottom, though the overall concentration decreases from about 20 micro gg(-1) in core 7 (inner estuary) to 1 micro gg(-1) in core 31 (outer estuary). The Hg in sediment is associated with C(org), while its correlation with Al, Fe and Mn is poor. The Hg profiles in cores from the Arabian Sea (stations 34, 35 and 37) have a distinct horizon of enhanced concentration in the 5-60 cm segment. Based on 210Pb dating of core 37, the sediment at the bottom of this core is inferred to have been deposited in the year 1949, roughly two year prior to the establishment of the first chlor-alkali plant and represents the background (0.06-0.10 micro gg(-1)). The Hg profiles in the offshore cores indicate a marked increase in transfer of Hg to sediment subsequent to 1980, with a peak around 1990-1992. Based on the index of geoaccumulation it is considered that the estuarine segment between stations 4 and 23 is extremely polluted, while the sediment from the open coast is moderately polluted in the top 25-30 cm with respect to Hg. The enrichment factor of Hg in the sediment is 350-700 for core 4 and decreases to 0-7 for the open-shore cores.     

Ice- and cryogel-soil composites in water-retaining elements in embankment dams constructed in cold regions

There are a number of serious problems connected with building and repairing water-retaining elements in embankment dams in cold regions. One of them is the difficulty in finding inexpensive clay materials with the necessary structural properties and using them in the winter. Another is the cracks that appear in the upper part of a dam when the core freezes to the banks, and leakage along the cracks threatens to destroy the dam. Still another is the process of erosion at the bottom of the core which may occur through fissures in the rock foundation of a dam and in transport constructions. Also, the behaviour of water-retaining elements during earthquakes is unreliable. All of these problems can be solved by using ice- and cryogel-soil composites created by cryotropic gel formation (CGF). Our laboratory investigations demonstrate that the materials proposed for water-retaining elements have the necessary permeable, plastic, thermophysical, and strength properties to solve all of these problems. Certain constructions of water-retaining elements which may prove to be both safe and cost-effective are proposed. However, these ice- and cryogel-soil composites need to be field-validated before they are used in dams and transport structures in cold regions.     

Sampling epifauna, a necessity for a better assessment of benthic ecosystem functioning: an example of the epibenthic aggregated species Ophiothrix fragilis from the Bay of Seine

Sampling the sea bottom surface remains difficult because of the surface hydraulic shock due to water flowing through the gear (i.e., the bow wave effect) and the loss of epifauna organisms due to the gear’s closing mechanism. Slow-moving mobile epifauna, such as the ophiuroid Ophiothrix fragilis, form high-density patches in the English Channel, not only on pebbles like in the Dover Strait or offshore Brittany but also on gravel in the Bay of Seine (>5000 ind m⁻²). Such populations form high biomasses and control the water transfer from the water column to the sediment. Estimating their real density and biomass is essential for the assessment of benthic ecosystem functioning using trophic web modelling. In this paper, we present and discuss the patch patterns and sampling efficiency of the different methods for collecting in the dense beds of O. fragilis in the Bay of Seine. The large Hamon grab (0.25 m⁻²) highly under-estimated the ophiuroid density, while the Smith McIntyre appeared adequate among the tested sampling grabs. Nowadays, diving sampling, underwater photography and videos with remote operated vehicle appear to be the recommended alternatives to estimate the real density of such dense slow-moving mobile epifauna.     

Seasonally frozen soil effects on the dynamic behavior of highway bridges

Frozen ground is significantly stiffer than unfrozen ground. For bridges supported on deep foundations, bridge stiffness is also measurably higher in winter months. Significant changes due to seasonal freezing in bridge pier boundary conditions require additional detailing in order to ensure a ductile performance of the bridge during a design earthquake event. This paper reports the latest results obtained from a project that systematically investigated the effects of seasonally frozen soil on the seismic behavior of highway bridges in cold regions. A bridge was chosen and was monitored to study its seismic performance and assess the impact of seasonally frozen soil on its dynamic properties. A Finite Element (FE) model was created for this bridge to analyze the impact of seasonal frost. It was found that when frost depth reaches 1.2 m, the first transverse modal frequency increases about 200% when compared with the no-frost case. The results show that seasonal frost has a significant impact on the overall dynamic behavior of bridges supported by pile foundations in cold regions, and that these effects should be accounted for in seismic design.     

硅饱和熔体-橄榄岩反应与残留橄榄石的成分解耦

以下几个基本事实使橄榄石的相容元素地球化学研究在探讨地幔组成与地幔过程方面具有重要意义:(1)大于50%的上地幔是由橄榄石组成的,因此幔源岩浆一般被认为生成于与橄榄石平衡的环境;(2)橄榄石是玄武岩中的常见矿物,是玄武质岩浆中最早结晶的矿物,因此最有可能记录原始岩浆的相容元素地球化学特征;(3)橄榄石几乎不含不相容元素,但相容元素(Ni、Mn、Co、Ca、Al、Cr)含量较高,一般在100×10-6～5000×10-6之间,分析条件容易满足;(4)原始岩浆的不相容元素含量容易受到部分熔融程度的影响,而相容元素的含量主要受源区岩性(橄榄石、辉石的含量)的控制.     

青藏高原北部异常SKS分裂成因的初步探讨--被熔体强化的岩石圈各向异性

当人们试图解释青藏高原异常的剪切波分裂成因时,以下的问题让人们感到困惑:(1)为什么异常大的SKS分裂延时(1.91-2.4s)出现在青藏高原北部Sn波缺失区;(2)为什么分裂延时突变(1.47s和1.09s)出现在Sn波缺失区的边缘;(3)为什么快波极化方向(FPD)与地表大规模的构造走向之间存在约20°-30°的偏差. 本文在综合分析流变学实验和岩石物理学实验研究成果、青藏高原地质和地球物理资料的基础上,提出青藏高原北部地震波各向异性受岩石圈地幔主要矿物的晶格优选方位(LPO)和熔体的定向分布(MPO)的双重控制,并模拟计算了MPO对青藏高原北部岩石圈地幔各向异性强度的贡献. 研究结果表明,由MPO强化的青藏高原北部岩石圈地幔各向异性强度可达10髎,相应的各向异性层厚度平均为94km. 该结果为研究区SKS分裂的成因解释以及造山带深部地质过程的研究提供了新的约束条件.     

菱刈金矿:日本九洲南部第四系火山岩中高品位浅成低温热液脉金矿床

<正> 1 地质概况 菱刈地区地层主要由白垩纪四万十超群和第四纪火山岩以及冲积物组成。 矿区内各类火山岩岩石化学特征很相似,不同年龄的岩石单元很难区分。现简述如下: 1.1 四万十超群 该群由页岩、砂岩及其蚀变岩组成,伴有少量凝灰质页岩和燧石。该群内部构造复杂,一般认为是滑塌沉积。岩石经受了低级区域变质作用(葡萄石—绿纤石相)。这套地层与上部的菱刈安山岩为不整合接触。在本古地区,大约有60％的可采矿体赋存在四万十超群沉积岩石中。     

粘弹性应力转移延迟了1999年赫克托矿地震的触发

在某些情况下,由地震引起的地壳应力转移可以加快邻近断层的破裂,并引起地震序列的发生(Stein,et al,1992;King,et al,1994;Deng and Sykes,1996;Harris,et al,1995;Stein,1999)。1999年南加州赫克托矿地震(震级7.1)在1992年兰德斯地震(震级7.3)的7年后,在距其震中仅20km处发生。这表明赫克托矿地震是以某种方式被     

Evolution and changes of permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the Late Quaternary

Due to the uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP), the cryosphere gradually developed on the higher mountain summits after the Neocene, becoming widespread during the Late Quaternary. During this time, permafrost on the QTP experienced repeated expansion and degradation. Based on the remains and cross-correlation with other proxy records such as those from glacial landforms, ice-core and paleogeography, the evolution and changes of permafrost and environmental changes on the QTP during the past 150,000 years were deduced and are presented in this paper. At least four obvious cycles of the extensive and intensive development, expansion and decay of permafrost occurred during the periods of 150–130, 80–50, 30–14 and after 10.8 ka B.P.. During the Holocene, fluctuating climatic environments affected the permafrost on the QTP, and the peripheral mountains experienced six periods of discernible permafrost changes:(1) Stable development of permafrost in the early Holocene(10.8 to 8.5–7.0 ka B.P.);(2) Intensive permafrost degradation during the Holocene Megathermal Period(HMP, from 8.5–7.0 to 4.0–3.0 ka B.P.);(3) Permafrost expansion during the early Neoglacial period(ca. 4,000–3,000 to 1,000 a B.P.);(4) Relative degradation during the Medieval Warm Period(MWP, from 1,000 to 500 a B.P.);(5) Expansion of permafrost during the Little Ice Age(LIA, from 500 to 100 a B.P.);(6) Observed and predicted degradation of permafrost during the 20 th and 21 st century. Each period differed greatly in paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, and permafrost distribution, thickness, areal extent, and ground temperatures, as well as in the development of periglacial phenomena. Statistically, closer dating of the onset permafrost formation, more identification of permafrost remains with richer proxy information about paleoenvironment, and more dating information enable higher resolution for paleo-permafrost reconstruction. Based on the scenarios of persistent climate warming of 2.2～2.6 °C in the next 50 years, and in combination of the monitored trends of climate and permafrost changes, and model predictions suggest an accelerated regional degradation of plateau permafrost. Therefore, during the first half of the 21 st century, profound changes in the stability of alpine ecosystems and hydro(geo)logical environments in the source regions of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers may occur. The foundation stability of key engineering infrastructures and sustainable economic development in cold regions on the QTP may be affected.