Magnetotellurics applied to the study of the crustal structures in Senegal (West Africa)

Abstract

In Senegal, magnetotellurie (MT) method has been used in an attempt to resolve the principal structural features by their electrical response. On the basis of numerical modelling of data, an unified model of possible crustal structure is presented for the West african margin. The results are in agreement with other independent geophysical and geological information.     

Assessment of groundwater recharge processes through karst vadose zone by cave percolation monitoring

Recharge processes of karst aquifers are difficult to assess given their strong heterogeneity and the poorly known effect of vadose zone on infiltration. However, recharge assessment is crucial for the evaluation of groundwater resources. Moreover, the vulnerability of karst aquifers depends on vadose zone behaviour because it is the place where most contamination takes place. In this work, an in situ experimental approach was performed to identify and quantify flow and storage processes occurring in karst vadose zone. Cave percolation monitoring and dye tracing were used to investigate unsaturated zone hydrological processes. Two flow components (diffuse and quick) were identified and, respectively, account for 66% and 34% of the recharge. Quickflow was found to be the result of bypass phenomenon in vadose zone related to water saturation. We identify the role of epikarst as a shunting area, most of the storage in the vadose zone occurring via the diffuse flow component in low permeability zones. Relationship between rainfall intensity and transit velocity was demonstrated, with 5 times higher velocities for the quick recharge mode than the diffuse mode. Modelling approach with KarstMod software allowed to simulate the hybrid recharge through vadose zone and shows promising chances to properly assess the recharge processes in karst aquifer based on simple physical models.     

Characterization of regional and local scattering effects from small-aperture seismic array recordings

In 1998, four small-aperture arrays separated by 20 km have been deployed in the southern French Alps in order to record the natural seismicity during two consecutive months. One of the main objectives of this experiment was to characterize the heterogeneities that influence the wavefield propagation, by analysis of the coda characteristics recorded by each of the seismic arrays.The time-azimuth-velocity characteristics of the coda phases have been obtained using a high-resolution wavenumber decomposition method.A statistical analysis, using the coda characteristics of the whole data set (20 regional earthquakes) recorded by the four arrays has been performed and lead to the calculation of the density of scattered energy within the medium. Three regional heterogeneous areas (> 10 km) have been characterized, and are located in the N–NE, W and S directions from the four arrays. Scattered energy is also located at local distances (< 10 km) from the four arrays.The comparison of the waveforms recorded (i) with one of the array, for different groups of earthquakes, and (ii) with the four arrays, for one group of earthquakes, show that the geometrical configuration of the source–scattering area–recording site system can strongly influence the energetic distributions related to the secondary phases of the seismograms.In particular cases, we experimentally show that the interactions of the direct wavefield with the heterogeneous structures of the medium can be sufficiently energetic to induce secondary scattered phases that dominate the seismic motions recorded at a given site. In such case, these effects should be taken into account for the quantification of the expected ground motion recorded during an earthquake.     

Contribution à l'étude des litages pegmatitiques: l'exemple de la pegmatite de Covide (Nord-Portugal)

Résumé La pegmatite de Covide (Nord-Portugal) fournit un nouvel exemple de litage à quartz-albite-feldspath potassique. Son étude conduit à proposer un modèle de pétrogenèse magmatique faisant intervenir des processus de double diffusion dans un gradient de température. Ces processus provoquent la formation simultanée et périodique de niveaux millimétriques d'albite, en »planchers flottants« horizontaux. Chaque cellule, phénomène-unité du litage compris entre deux niveaux planchers successifs, évolue ensuite en système clos par cristallisation orientée centripète. L'organisation litée est acquise en milieu magmatique liquide.

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The Covide pegmatite, (Northern Portugal), exhibit a new example of K-feldspar, Albite, quartz layering. The present study leads to propose a magmatic petrogenetit model, with double diffusive processe in temperature gradient allowing the simultaneous growth of millimetric and horizontal »floating layers« of albite. Each cell, unit-phenomenon between two consecutive boundary layers, evolves in closed system with a centripetal, oriented crystallization. The layered organisation is obtaind in the magmatic liquid medium.

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Zusammenfassung Der Pegmetit aus Covide (Nordportugal) stellt ein neues Beispiel für Quarz-Albitfeldspat Wechsellagerung dar. Seine Untersuchung führt zu einem magmatischen Petrogenesemodell, bei dem Prozesse der Doppeldiffusion in einem Temperaturgefälle intervenieren. Diese Prozesse bewirken die gleichzeitige und periodische Bildung von millimeterdicken Albitflächen in horizontalen »schwimmenden Flächen«. Jede Zelle, die ein Phänomen der Einheit der Anlagerungsfläche zwischen zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Flächenlagen ist, entwickelt sich schlie\lich durch zentripetale Kristallisierung zu einem geschlossenen System. Die schichtweise Anordnung erfolgt im flüssigen magmatischen Milieu.

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Intermediate tectonic pattern and hydrodynamic process deduced from audiomagnetotelluric investigations on the volcanic island of Mayotte (Comores Archipelago)

Audiomagnetotelluric soundings were carried out on the volcanic island of Mayotte (Comores Archipelago). The field method and data are described and discussed. All the sounding cross sections show coherent curves with a high conductive layer between 100 and 200 m. depth. This layer is considered to be a fluctuating water table zone correlated to yearly climatic changes under tropical weathering processes. Dipping and sudden level variations are linked to tectonic volcanic features and are the visualization of a block faulting system of the primitive basaltic shield, a consequence of a distensive phase possibly connected with the collapse of the western flank of the volcano. Piano-key panels are the typical sub-surface style and the guide-line for any water prospection on the volcano and the activity of the island water transfer system.     

Impact of surface heterogeneity on a buoyancy-driven convective boundary layer in light winds

Land-use practices such as deforestation or agricultural management may affect regional climate, ecosystems and water resources. The present study investigates the impact of surface heterogeneity on the behaviour of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), at a typical spatial scale of 1 km. Large-eddy simulations, using an interactive soil–vegetation–atmosphere surface scheme, are performed to document the structure of the three-dimensional flow, as driven by buoyancy forces, over patchy terrain with different surface characteristics (roughness, soil moisture, temperature) on each individual patch. The patchy terrain consists of striped and chessboard patterns. The results show that the ABL strongly responds to the spatial configuration of surface heterogeneities. The stripe configuration made of two patches with different soil moisture contents generates the development of a quasi- two-dimensional inland breeze, whereas a three-dimensional divergent flow is induced by chessboard patterns. The feedback of such small-scale atmospheric circulations on the surface fluxes appears to be highly non-linear. The surface sensible and latent heat fluxes averaged over the 25-km² domain may vary by 5% with respect to the patch arrangement.     

Study Of `Soft' Night-Time Surface-Layer Decoupling Over Forest Canopies In A Land-Surface Model

The cause of a night-time land-surface model cold bias over forest canopies at threedifferent sites is studied in connection with various formulations of turbulent transferand the phenomenon of decoupling between the surface and the boundary layer. Themodel is the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS), a leading internationally knownmodel that has been tested over a variety of instrumented sites. The bias was first attributed to a deficient turbulent transfer and a few formulations were compared. One formulation is the classical log-linear profile with a sharp cut-off of the fluxes at a critical Richardsonnumber around 0.2, while in the other ones the flux decreases less rapidly with increasingstatic stability. While the surface-layer formulations have an impact on the modelled canopy temperature, other causes were found for the negative bias. The CLASS model neglected the heat capacity of the air trapped inside the canopy and its inclusion multiplied theeffective heat capacity of the canopy, by a factor ranging from 2.3 to 3.4 for the canopies studied, and reduced the error. A correction was also made to the air specific humidity at canopy level and the topsoil thermal conductivity was changed from that of organic matter to that of mineral soil. With these modifications, and using the incoming longwave radiative flux instead of the net longwave flux, the bias almost completely disappeared. Using ascheme with more heat transfer at large static stability, obtained by assuming that thefluxes decrease in magnitude with height in the surface layer, reduced the original biaswhile using the log-linear formulation amplified the cold bias. The impact of the turbulent transfer formulations is much reduced when they are applied to model runs in which the other above modifications have been made.The phenomenon of decoupling is presented and its understanding is complementedwith the new notions of `hard' versus `soft' decoupling and complete versus incompletedecoupling, depending on the impact decoupling has on the model and on the effectiveness of the model in achieving the decoupling. The geostrophic wind speed is a determiningfactor in separating cases of hard decoupling (rare) from the soft cases (frequent) while the completeness of the decoupling primarily depends on the form of the turbulent transfer curve as a function of static stability.     

Hydro-climatic analysis of mechanical breakups reconstructed from tree-rings, Necopastic watershed, northern Québec, Canada

We used a 54-year (1950–2003) ice scar chronology constructed from damaged trees to investigate relationships between large scale hydro-climatic conditions and mechanical breakup magnitude in the Necopastic River watershed (James Bay, northern Québec). Our objectives were: (1) to identify hydrologic and climatic variables that explain variations in mechanical breakup magnitude at the watershed scale, (2) to organize these variables in terms of importance and (3) to construct a predictive model for ice-floods in the Necopastic watershed. We used parametric correlation analysis to measure the degree of linear association between variables and classification trees (CT) coupled with a cross-validation approach to construct the predictive model and to organize variables according to their importance. In the Necopastic watershed, the type and magnitude of breakups are determined by an interaction between forces that maintain the ice cover in place and forces that tend to dislodge it. In contrast with lakes, early and rapidly rising floods, rather than abnormally high flood discharge, create conditions that favour intense mechanical breakups. Moreover, cold and snowy spring conditions during high positive Arctic Oscillation (AO) indices delay the thermal degradation of the ice cover and preserve its mechanical properties over longer time periods.     

New insights into the hydrogeology of a basaltic shield volcano from a comparison between self-potential and electromagnetic data: Piton de la Fournaise, Indian ocean

In order to investigate aquifers, several geophysical surveys have been carried out in the Baril area of the southern flank of Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Reunion in the Indian Ocean using audiomagnetotelluric (AMT), very-low-frequency (VLF) and self-potential (SP) methods. We present the results with emphasis on a comparison between SP data and the findings of geoelectric surveys. AMT soundings have indicated, from the surface downward, three layers: (i) resistive volcanic rocks, (ii) an intermediate resistivity layer, and (iii) a conductive basement attributed to a seawater-bearing aquifer. VLF measurements allow the mapping of the first layer apparent resistivity, and therefore its bottom, when the true resistivity is supposed to be isotropic and homogenous. When this assumption does not hold, only the SP method permits the mapping of this bottom. Because of the good agreement between the SP and electromagnetic results, we propose the SP method as the first tool that should be used in studying shallow hydrogeological structures in volcanic areas.