Single and Composite Hot Subdwarf Stars in the Light of 2MASS Photometry

We show that supersonic turbulence accelerates the transition ofan atomic cloud into a molecular cloud, quantified here through a demo model and 3D numerical simulations which explicitly includeatomic-molecular chemistry. Specific sites where amplifiedformation may be detectable are suggested.     

Permanent seismic deformation analysis of a landslide

A failed slope may not necessarily require a remedial treatment if it can be shown with confidence that the maximum movement of the slide mass will be within tolerable limits, i.e., not cause loss of life or property. A permanent displacement analysis of a landslide for static and seismic conditions is presented using a continuum mechanics approach. Computed values of displacement for static conditions compare favorably with field measurements and computed values of seismic displacements for a postulated earthquake motion appear reasonable. Also, the seismic displacements using the continuum mechanics approach compare favorably with those obtained using the Newmark sliding block procedure for assessing seismically-induced slope deformations.     

Luminescence dating of canal sediments from Angkor Borei, Mekong Delta, Southern Cambodia

Work to apply luminescence dating to archaeological sites in the Lower Mekong Delta has continued with a programme aimed at dating ancient canal sediments and brick monuments in the vicinity of ancient city of Angkor Borei. Following the successful application of OSL dating to the Paris 2 canal near Angkor Borei further fieldwork and analysis has been undertaken. The infill and substrate of the larger Paris 4 canal connecting Angkor Borei to Oc Eo, some 80 km to the south in Vietnam has been sampled and subjected to luminescence analysis. Field spectroscopy and underwater bleaching experiments were also conducted in the Baray and Angkor Borei in 2004. The results show that both illumination intensities and spectral distributions are severely altered by as little as 1.5 m of turbid water, and that OSL bleaching rates for both quartz and feldspars are reduced. Since quartz resetting is heavily dependant on the UV components in daylight, which have preferentially attenuated the effects of turbid water on OSL zeroing rates are especially marked. The new data from the Paris 4 canal, which has been dated by OSL to be between the first millenium BC and the late first millenium AD are significant to understanding the archaeological development of the Fu Nan state in the Lower Mekong Delta, and the sequence of development of the canal network linking inland agrarian sites and coastal trading centres.     

Near-surface Microearthquakes at The Geysers Geothermal Field, California

—?A 150-m length, 6-level, three-component, vertical geophone array was cemented into the 67- to 219-m depth interval (220 to 720?ft) of Unocal's well GDCF 63-29 during a plug and abandonment operation on April 7, 1998. Casing deformation has been observed in wells of the study area including the GDCF 63-29 well. An objective of the study was to determine if shallow deformation at The Geysers is manifested seismically. Near-surface microearthquake activity was monitored for a period of one year; during the latter four months, monitoring was supplemented with four surface stations to help constrain locations of shallow seismicity. Event locations occurring within about 750?m of the array bottom have been determined for the 10-week period January 6 to March 16, 1999. These events are distinct from surface-monitored seismicity at The Geysers in that they occur predominantly above the producing reservoir, at depths ranging from about 220 to 1000?m (600 to ?180?m elevation). The shallow events tend to be episodic, with relatively quiescent periods of up to three weeks occurring between swarms. Event locations show a northeast-striking trend, similar to seismicity trends mapped deeper in the reservoir, and parallel to the strike of a major surface lineaments observed over the productive field. However, clear fault or fracture planes are not resolved from the hypocenters. Composite fault-plane solutions suggest oblique reverse faulting in the overburden. The shallowest seismicity terminates near the base of a serpentine unit, a contact which is the locus of most of the well casing deformations logged in the area, suggesting that reservoir contraction is accommodated along numerous discrete faults below the serpentine, but as continuous plastic deformation in the serpentine. It is hypothesized that the resulting strain discontinuity at the base of the serpentine explains the prevalence of wellbore deformation there. The shallow, above-reservoir microseismicity is strongly correlated in time with the injection and the deeper injection-induced seismic activity occurring in the reservoir immediately below. This suggests that deep injection-induced events trigger shallower events, by a remote triggering mechanism which has been observed at a larger scale at The Geysers and elsewhere.     

Sparse matrix algorithms applied to dem generation

A method for generating a digital elevation model (DEM) was suggested byEbner. The heights of grid points are interpolated from arbitrarily distributed reference points using the finite element method. The requested grid heights of the DEM are defined as unknowns and estimated from the available reference points and a general curvature minimization of the interpolation surface with filtering at the reference points. This problem can be interpreted as an adjustment of indirect observations and can be solved using the least squares method. This leads to a banded structured system of normal equations in case of numbering the unknowns in a row-wise order. This ordering may not be the best strategy for the solution of the normal equations, because the band contains many zero elements. Therefore algorithms which exploit the nonzero/zero structure to better advantage have been applied in combination with the pivot strategies of “Nested Dissection” and “Minimum Degree Ordering” (OPTORD). The operational characteristics of these algorithms are compared with those of the band-algorithm for several DEM problems that vary in size to over 4000 unknowns. The result shows that the number of nonzeros and the number of essential operations can be reduced drastically when using sparse algorithms, but that because of the very high bookkeeping expenses, band algorithms are to be preferred.     

Regular spacing of drainage outlets from linear fault blocks

Outlets of river basins located on fault blocks often show a regular spacing. This regularity is most pronounced for fault blocks with linear ridge crests and a constant half-width, measured perpendicular to the ridge crest. The ratio of the half-width of the fault block and the outlet spacing is used in this study to characterize the average shape (or spacing ratio) of 31 sets of drainage basins. These fault-block spacing ratios are compared with similar data from small-scale flume experiments and large-scale mountain belts. Fault-block spacing ratios are much more variable than those measured for mountain belts. Differences between fault-block spacing ratios are attributed to variability in factors influencing the initial spacing of channel heads and subsequent rates of channel incision during the early stages of channel network growth (e.g. initial slope and uplift rate, precipitation, runoff efficiency and substrate erodibility). Widening or narrowing of fault blocks during ongoing faulting will also make spacing ratios more variable. It is enigmatic that some of these factors do not produce similar variability in mountain belt spacing ratios. Flume experiments in which drainage networks were grown on static topography show a strong correlation between spacing ratios and surface gradient. Spacing ratios on fault blocks are unaffected by variations in present-day gradients. Drainage basins on the Wheeler Ridge anticline in central California, which have formed on surfaces progressively uplifted by thrust faulting during the last 14 kyr, demonstrate that outlet spacing is likely to be determined during the early stages of drainage growth. This dependency on initial conditions may explain the lack of correlation between spacing ratios of fault blocks and slopes measured at the present day. Spacing ratios determine the location of sediment supply points to adjacent areas of deposition, and hence strongly influence the spatial scale of lateral facies variations in the proximal parts of sedimentary basins. Spacing ratios may be used to estimate this length scale in ancient sedimentary basins if the width of adjacent topography is known. Spacing ratio variability makes these estimates much less precise for fault blocks than for mountain belts.     

The rainfall intensity–duration control of shallow landslides and debris flows: an update

A global database of 2,626 rainfall events that have resulted in shallow landslides and debris flows was compiled through a thorough literature search. The rainfall and landslide information was used to update the dependency of the minimum level of rainfall duration and intensity likely to result in shallow landslides and debris flows established by Nel Caine in 1980. The rainfall intensity–duration (ID) values were plotted in logarithmic coordinates, and it was established that with increased rainfall duration, the minimum average intensity likely to trigger shallow slope failures decreases linearly, in the range of durations from 10 min to 35 days. The minimum ID for the possible initiation of shallow landslides and debris flows was determined. The threshold curve was obtained from the rainfall data using an objective statistical technique. To cope with differences in the intensity and duration of rainfall likely to result in shallow slope failures in different climatic regions, the rainfall information was normalized to the mean annual precipitation and the rainy-day normal. Climate information was obtained from the global climate dataset compiled by the Climate Research Unit of the East Anglia University. The obtained global ID thresholds are significantly lower than the threshold proposed by Caine (Geogr Ann A 62:23–27, 1980), and lower than other global thresholds proposed in the literature. The new global ID thresholds can be used in a worldwide operational landslide warning system based on global precipitation measurements where local and regional thresholds are not available..