Application of GPR in the study of shallow subsurface sedimentary architecture of Modwa spit,Gulf of Kachchh

The coastline constitutes a very sensitive geomorphic domain constantly subjected to dynamic coastal processes. The study of its ever-changing physiography and stratigraphy provides a wealth of information on its history and evolution, in many cases at decadal and annual scales. The present study was carried out on the Modwa beach complex between Rawal Pir and Modwa, about 10 km east of Mandvi on the northern coast of the Gulf of Kachchh. The Modwa spit is a 7-km long WNW-ESE trending prograding amalgamated beach ridge complex that is about 0.5 km wide at its western end and 1.5 km wide at its eastern end. This Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey delineated a variety of the radar surfaces and radar facies which reflects not only large scale sedimentary architecture, but depositional facies of the beach ridge complex. These are bounding surfaces separating the radar facies outline beach ridge (br), washover (wo), coastal dune (cd) and swale (sw) depositional environments. The internal sedimentary structures like tangential, parallel, concave and convex upward stratifications could also be visualized from the GPR profiles. The architecture suggests the formation of this complex due to a combined process of eastward littoral drift of locally derived sediments and its onshore deposition by storms and eolian activities.     

The Neogene/Quaternary boundary in India: A review

The Neogene/Quaternary boundary has been variously defined in different continents. A global review of the problem shows that only the Olduvai event on the palaeomagnetic timescale may provide an universally acceptable isochronous datum for delineating this boundary. The N/Q boundary in the Siwaliks, Kashmir and the Andamans in India is defined in the light of recent research.     

Rapeseed-mustard acreage estimation using IRS LISS-II data

The present paper describes the remote sensing-based acreage estimation of rapeseed-mustard crop in Mehsana and Banaskantha districts of Gujarat, using four-band data and Maximum Likelihood classification. IRS LISS-II data of November 25, 1989 has been used to estimate the acreage of rapeseed-mustard. It is found that the data of November 25 is useful in discriminating rapeseedmustard from other rabi crops. Talukawise acreage estimation has also been done for three talukas of Mehsana and two talukas of Banaskantha district.     

CaMg ratio classification of main limestones (Mississippian) in South Wales,U.K.

The highly dolomitized Main Limestones of approximately Mississippian age, which crop out in South Wales, are classified according to their $\text{Ca}\text{Mg}$ ratio values. The results based upon the $\text{Ca}\text{Mg}$ ratio determination of these rocks permitted their classification into six major categories, namely: (1) limestone; (2) slightly dolomitized limestone; (3) dolomitic limestone; (4) calcitic dolostone; (5) dolostone proper; and (6) magnesian dolostone.It is concluded that dolostone proper and calcitic dolostone tend to dominate in the Main Limestone rocks of South Wales.     

Ichnology of the Callovian-Oxfordian rocks of the Katrol hill range,Kachchh, western India

On the basis of distinct lithologic features such as composition, grain size, bedding characteristics and sedimentary structures, six facies were identified in Callovian to Oxfordian rocks exposed southwest of Bhuj, Kachchh. They are interbedded calcareous shale-siltstone (ICSSF), limestone (LF), ferruginous sandstone (FerSF), felspathic sandstone (FelSF), grey shale (GSF) and oolitic limestone (OLF) facies. The rich and highly diversified trace fossils reveal a wide range of animal behaviours represented by dwelling, feeding, crawling and resting structures. Horizontal feeding structures are found abundantly in all lithofacies indicating low wave and current energy and deposition of poorly sorted muddy to sandy sediments. A few coarse layers containing Arenicolites, Ophiomorpha and Skolithos indicate the presence of opportunistic animals (due to their first appearance under harsh conditions) under -intermittently moderate wave and current energy or storm wave conditions (due to coarse grain size and dominance/presence of only vertical trace fossils) in the shoreface zone. Taenidium occurs mainly in the lower shoreface to transitional zone suggesting low to moderate energy conditions. Thalassinoides occurs in middle to lower shoreface settings under relatively low-energy conditions. Zoophycos represents offshore environment, where it occupies the deepest bioturbation levels.The characteristic lithofacies and assemblages of trace fossils in the rocks of the Chari/Jumara Formation indicate a depositional environment fluctuating from the upper shoreface to offshore zone.     

Impact of mechanochemical treatment of organophilic Indian bentonites: implications for their rheology

To study and determine the dependency of rheological properties and flow behaviour of organobentonites on mechanochemical modification viz. grinding and preparation temperature of organobentonite, stearyldimethylbenzylammonium-bentonites (SDMBA-bentonites) were prepared by interacting stearyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride with Indian bentonite at different reaction temperature of 40, 60, 80, 90 and 100 °C and the products were ground and passed through sieve (micronization) of 100 mesh BSS (< 150 µm) and also the product obtained at 40 °C was further processed for micronization using 150 (< 105 µm), 240 (< 63 µm) and 350 (< 45 µm) mesh BSS sieves. As there was increase in the micronization and the reaction temperature, the bulk density and particle size decreased with simultaneous increase in the surface area of SDMBA-bentonites. The enhancement of the viscosity, rheological parameters and gel index of the toluene dispersions of these SDMBA-bentonites was also observed. The decrease in particle size and bulk density with simultaneous increase in specific surface area and swelling in nitrobenzene SDMBA-bentonites leads to the formation of larger hydrogen bond network to generate improved rheological properties by increased magnitude of chemical interaction between SDMBA cations and toluene. The rheological behaviour study revealed that all the toluene–SDMBA-bentonite dispersions exhibit the shear-thinning flow behaviour and the micronization and reaction temperature influence the degree of shear-thinning, stability of the gel structures and yield stress of the dispersions. The incorporation of a mixture of 5 vol% of H₂O in methanol as polar activator studied in the range of 33–100 wt% of SDMBA-bentonite reinforced the rheological properties, viscosity and gel volume, degree of shear-thinning, stability of the gel structures and yield stress of the toluene–SDMBA-bentonite dispersions. The SDMBA-bentonites with polar activator having concentration of 65 wt% exhibited the optimum rheological reinforcement. The rheological properties were found to be more enhanced by the ultrasonication relative to conventional stirring/shearing. Power law and Casson equations have been used to describe the rheological properties of the toluene–SDMBA-bentonite dispersions.     

Assessing the seismic response of existing RC buildings using the extended N2 method

Extensive studies have confirmed the good performance of the N2 method, recommended by Eurocode8, when performing pushover analyses in regular structures. However, this procedure shows lack of accuracy in predicting the torsional motion of plan-asymmetric buildings. In order to overcome this problem, Peter Fajfar and his team have proposed an extension of the method based on a combination of a pushover analysis and of an elastic response spectrum analysis. Since definitive answers about this topic have not yet been reached, this paper intends to proceed the study applying the extended N2 method to real existing RC buildings. Three real plan-asymmetric buildings with three, five and eight storeys were assessed. The results obtained with the extended N2 method were compared with the ones evaluated by means of the original N2 and with the nonlinear dynamic analysis through the use of semi-artificial ground motions. The analyses were performed for different seismic intensities in order to evaluate the torsional response of the building through different stages of structural inelasticity. The results obtained show that the extended N2 method generally reproduces in a very good fashion the real torsional behavior of the analyzed buildings. The conclusions herein outlined, added to the ones already published by the aforementioned authors, seem to confirm that the extended N2 method can be introduced in the next version of Eurocode8 as a nonlinear static procedure capable of accurately predicting the torsional response of plan-asymmetric buildings.     

Study of X-ray and γ-ray flare from Mkn-421 during February 2010 using Swift and Fermi observations

In this work, we report on the intense flaring activity from Mkn-421 in X-ray and γ-ray regimes simultaneously observed by Swift-XRT/BAT and Fermi-LAT satellite telescopes in February 2010. With the aim of understanding the underlying physics of the flaring state in Mkn-421, we have performed a detailed spectral analysis of Swift/XRT and Fermi/LAT observations of Mkn-421 during February 12–25, 2010 (MJD 55239–55252). Over this period, we study the daily light curves and spectral variability of the source in 1–10 keV, 0.1–1 GeV and 1–100 GeV energy bands. We have performed the spectral analysis of Swift-XRT and Fermi/LAT observations to study the spectral evolution in the X-ray and gamma-ray energy domains respectively. We also compute the fractional variability amplitude in both the energy bands during the above period. We study trends between spectral parameters and physical insights provided by the parameter responsible for X-ray and γ-ray emission from the source. We search for energetic features phenomenologically linked to the single zone SSC model for blazar emission. We also produce the broad band SED with a leptonic single zone SSC model for the source.