Drained cavity expansions in soils of finite radial extent subjected to two boundary conditions

The problem of drained cavity expansion in soils of finite radial extent is investigated. Cylindrical and spherical cavities expanded from zero radius subjected to either constant stress or zero displacement at the finite boundary are considered. The generalised analytical solution procedure presented enables more advanced constitutive models to be implemented than have been possible in previous studies. Results generated for Sydney quartz sand highlight substantial differences between cavity limit pressures for the two boundary conditions and for boundaries of finite and infinite radial extent. This is of significance in accounting for boundary effects when interpreting cone penetration tests conducted in calibration chambers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extreme events as drivers of early human behaviour in Africa? The case for variability,not catastrophic drought

Extreme Late Quaternary climatic events, sometimes of considerable continental extent, are being proposed as major contributors to ancestral human behaviour, particularly migration, in Africa. Most recently, a catastrophic drought in the Afro‐Asian monsoon region has been proposed for 16 000–17 000 years ago, driven by global impacts of the Heinrich event 1 (H1), with potentially significant consequences for Palaeolithic cultures. We provide a new analysis of the assertion and find, on examination of a wide set of palaeoenvironmental records, that the scale and extent of the proposed drought is not supported. While some parts of the African tropics, close to the equator, do appear dry at this time, data for the tropics as a whole suggest markedly variable terrestrial conditions, with some environmental systems experiencing very positive hydrological excursions during H1. We contend that in the quest for evidence of climate drivers of ancestral human behaviour, the variability associated with spatially and temporally complex climatic conditions is a significant factor in itself. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geophysical surveys of the sediments of Loch Ness,Scotland: implications for the deglaciation of the Moray Firth Ice Stream,British–Irish Ice Sheet

We present results from three geophysical campaigns using high‐resolution sub‐bottom profiling to image sediments deposited in Loch Ness, Scotland. Sonar profiles show distinct packages of sediment, providing insight into the loch's deglacial history. A recessional moraine complex in the north of the loch indicates initial punctuated retreat. Subsequent retreat was rapid before stabilisation at Foyers Rise formed a large stillstand moraine. Here, the calving margin produced significant volumes of laminated sediments in a proglacial fjord‐like environment. Subsequent to this, ice retreated rapidly to the southern end of the loch, where it again deposited a sequence of proglacial laminated sediments. Sediment sequences were then disturbed by the deposition of a thick gravel layer and a large turbidite deposit as a result of a jökulhlaup from the Spean/Roy ice‐dammed lake. These sediments are overlain by a Holocene sheet drape. Data indicate: (i) a former tributary of the Moray Firth Ice Stream migrated back into Loch Ness as a major outlet glacier with a calving margin in a fjord‐like setting; (ii) there was significant sediment supply to the terminus of this outlet glacier in Loch Ness; and (iii) that jökulhlaups are important for sediment supply into proglacial fjord/lake environments and may compose >20% of proglacial sedimentary sequences. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The connection of geodynamics with seismicity patterns

When a study is to be made of seismic risks, the present-day geodynamic conditions are of fundamental importance: Earthquakes do not happen by themselves, they do have a cause. The cause of earthquakes is that the tectonic stresses exceed a critical limit. The build-up of these stresses is conditioned by the geodynamic processes occurring in the region in question. A knowledge of the geodynamics characteristic of a region is therefore fundamental for seismic risk studies. The general methodology for making such a geodynamic study is based on the entire set of manifestations of the plate-tectonic conditions of that region: these include the mechanism of earthquakes, the stresses observed in mines, the orientation of surface joints and even the direction of river valleys. Examples of geodynamic studies and their bearing on seismic risks are shown from various areas of the world, notably from China, India, and Colombia.     

Vibrational spectra,lattice dynamics and chemical constitution of oxides

The relationships among lattice dynamics of oxides and their chemical constitution are discussed in terms of the concept of dynamic crystal chemistry. A new approach to the design of a dynamic model of an ionic-covalent crystal combining molecular force constants with explicit treatment of long-range electrostatic forces in a lattice is outlined and its applications exemplified. The conditions of introduction of scaled quantum chemical force constants of a suitable molecular system into the secular equation for lattice vibrations are determined rigorously. The importance of unified treatment of stability conditions and various dynamic properties of crystals including phonon spectra, macroscopic elastic and piezoelectric constants etc., is emphasized. Several results of ab initio quantum chemical SCF computations by the gradient method for molecular species containing silicon-oxygen bonds are presented and are used to explain some empirical regularities in silicate structures.     

Jari: A pulp plantation in the Brazilian Amazon

Jari plantation is the largest pulp growing operation in the humid tropics, and occupies about 1000 sqkm previously covered by tropical forest. A study of five sites at Jari in 1980 indicated declining soil fertility, and low productivity of pulpwood. Low pulp production at Jari was caused by several factors, one of which appeared to be low soil fertility. The sams sites were re-evaluated in 1987. There was no discernable trend in either nutrients or productivity since 1980.Although productivity and nutrient stocks may have stabilized, low profitability caused by low pulp production resulted in the sale of Jari in 1982, for a $ 720 million loss. Despite growth rates at Jari which were too low to produce a profit on original investment, another plantation is planned for the eastern Amazon which is 10 times the size of Jari.     

Lightning fatalities in Australia, 1824–1991

Information on fatalities from lightning strikes has been extracted from a specially compiled database on natural hazards in Australia. Records dating from 1803–1991 indicate that at least 650 persons have been killed by lightning strikes. Maps and charts show the percentages of victims with respect to age, sex, locality, activity, and other circumstances of the strike. The majority of the 650 fatalities recorded have occurred along the more populous southeastern coast. The overall death rate, from 1910–1989, is 0.08 per 100 000 population. The annual number of lightning fatalities has decreased with time, from a death rate of 0.21 in 1910–1919 to 0.01 in 1980–1989. This trend is more pronounced when population figures are taken into account. The group that has been most at risk in Australia is that of males aged 15–19, followed by males aged 20–34. The male:female ratio of victims has decreased with time but is not approaching equality, being 11.6 in 1910–1919 and 5.3 in 1980–1989. The diurnal and monthly occurrences of lightning fatalities peak at 12.00–18.00 hours and November-February respectively. About 86% of fatalities have occurred outdoors and 14% have occurred indoors. Approximately three-fifths of fatalities have been work-related, and the group of workers that has traditionally been most at risk is that of land-workers. Approximately one-fifth of fatalities have been recreation-related, although this proportion has been increasing with time. The recreational activities of water sports, golf, and cricket have had the greatest number of lightning fatalities. Comparisons are made between these data and the results of other similar studies, both in Australia and overseas.     

Single-crystal x-ray diffraction of brucite to 14 GPa

Single-crystal brucite, Mg(OH)₂, was studied to 14 GPa in a quasi-hydrostatic pressure medium using a diamond anvil cell and energy-dispersive synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The parameters of a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state fit to the data are: K _OT=42(2) GPa, and (?K _OT/?P)_T= 5.7(5). The bulk modulus is significantly lower than that obtained in recent shock compression and powder x-ray diffraction experiments under non-hydrostatic conditions. No evidence was found for a transition involving the Mg -O sub-structure over the pressure range of these experiments. This implies that the structural change previously identified at high pressure by Raman spectroscopy probably involves rearrangement of hydrogen atoms, leaving the Mg — O substructure largely unaffected.     

Comparison of intertidal habitat use and growth rates of two northern Puget Sound cohorts of 0+ age Dungeness crab,Cancer magister

Density, habitat use, and growth of intertidal 0+ age Dungeness crabs, Cancer magister, were examined at five northern Puget Sound (Washington, USA) sites between June 1984 and September 1987. Sampling was conducted biweekly during settlement, from June to September, and approximately monthly or bimonthly thereafter. Northern Puget Sound Dungeness crab populations appear to be largely supported by recruitment from inland parental stocks, but a smaller proportion of recruits originate from coastal or oceanic stocks, as evidenced by earlier settlement and larger size of the first instar. Settlement of Dungeness crabs in inland waters typically peaked in August, and interannual variation in year-class strength at settlement (measured as intertidal density) was low relative to that reported for coastal crab populations. Spatial and interannual differences in settlement densities were mediated by high postsettlement mortality, which varied inversely with habitat complexity. Seasonal densities were highest in mixed sand and gravel with an overstory of attached or drift macroalgae, intermediate in eelgrass (Zostera marina), and lowest on open sand. Postsettlement growth rates corresponded to seasonal water temperatures and were greatest for the coastal cohort that settled in May and June. This cohort was larger as first juvenile instars (7.2 mm carapace width, CW) and grew rapidly at summer temperatures in excess of 15°C to a size (>30 mm CW) that allowed emigration from intertidal to subtidal areas by September. The late summer cohort settled in August at 5.3 mm CW and soon after was subjected to decreasing autumn water temperatures. There crabs experienced little growth while over wintering in the intertidal, but growth rates increased in March, and the crabs emigrated in April and May, approximately 10 mo after settlement.