Dunes on Titan observed by Cassini Radar

Thousands of longitudinal dunes have recently been discovered by the Titan Radar Mapper on the surface of Titan. These are found mainly within ±30° of the equator in optically-, near-infrared-, and radar-dark regions, indicating a strong proportion of organics, and cover well over 5% of Titan's surface. Their longitudinal duneform, interactions with topography, and correlation with other aeolian forms indicate a single, dominant wind direction aligned with the dune axis plus lesser, off-axis or seasonally alternating winds. Global compilations of dune orientations reveal the mean wind direction is dominantly eastwards, with regional and local variations where winds are diverted around topographically high features, such as mountain blocks or broad landforms. Global winds may carry sediments from high latitude regions to equatorial regions, where relatively drier conditions prevail, and the particles are reworked into dunes, perhaps on timescales of thousands to tens of thousands of years. On Titan, adequate sediment supply, sufficient wind, and the absence of sediment carriage and trapping by fluids are the dominant factors in the presence of dunes.     

第十五批天文学名词的推荐译名

中国天文学会名词审定委员会从1985年开始在<天文学进展>发表天文学名词的推荐译名,到2007年已公布了14批2280个名词.现再推荐第十五批151个名词,其中大多数是近年来出现的天文学新词.希望读者在试用过程中对译名提出改进意见.     

A Simple Monte Carlo Method for Locating the Three-dimensional Critical Slip Surface of a Slope

Based on the assumption of the plain-strain problem, various optimization or random search methods have been developed for locating the critical slip surfaces in slope-stability analysis, but none of such methods is applicable to the 3D case. In this paper, a simple Monte Carlo random simulation method is proposed to identify the 3D critical slip surface. Assuming the initial slip to be the lower part of a slip ellipsoid, the 3D critical slip surface is located by means of a minimized 3D safety factor. A column-based 3D slope stability analysis model is used to calculate this factor. In this study, some practical cases of known minimum safety factors and critical slip surfaces in 2D analysis are extended to 3D slope problems to locate the critical slip surfaces. Compared with the 2D result, the resulting 3D critical slip surface has no apparent difference in terms of only cross section, but the associated 3D safety factor is definitely higher.     

Geochemical evidence of aeolian deposits in European soils

Hafnium (Hf) and zirconium (Zr) concentrations measured in over 4100 agricultural soil samples from Europe were assessed with the focus on their relationship to the distribution of aeolian deposits, such as loess and coversands. Comparison of extractable (aqua regia; ICP‐MS) and total (XRFS) concentrations shows that only 1.0 to 1.7% of the total Hf and Zr is chemically extractable because of the resistant nature of their host minerals. Resistate minerals, such as zircon, are commonly found in the predominantly silty fraction of loess deposits. In this study a statistical analysis of total Hf and Zr soil data from areas with and without loess was carried out to derive threshold values of 10 mg kg^?1 (Hf) and 318 mg kg^?1 (Zr). These values were subsequently applied across the project area in an attempt to indicate the presence of aeolian deposits. The spatial distribution of above‐threshold concentrations suggests a more extensive and coherent loess belt across central and eastern Europe, providing additional evidence of loess across Brittany, Aquitaine and near the Vosges mountains in France as well as in the basins of central and northern Spain. Above‐threshold concentrations were also detected in loess regardless of its thickness, emphasising the importance of the abundance of zircon in the upper part of the soil profile rather than the actual thickness of the deposit. Soil data however, failed to indicate various loess facies within most of the Pannonian Basin, suggesting that this approach only works where deposits contain a sufficient amount of zircon. This may also explain why the extensive coversands across northern Germany and Poland were largely undetected. This study demonstrates that continental‐scale soil geochemical data can help identify and map the distribution of zircon‐rich loess and coversand, and subsequently enhance and improve current knowledge of the extent of these deposits.     

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF SPHAEROSIDERITE IN A SUBBITUMINOUS COAL FROM HSIAN COAL MINE,LIAONING PROVINCE

Mr.T.F.Hou,geologist of the National Geological Survey of Chinabrought back in 1931 from Liaoning province,a specimen of subbituminous coalin which are included patches or aggregates of small oolites.This interestingspecimen was given to the writer for microscopical investigation.Both polished     

中国地球科学发展战略的若干问题--从地学大国走向地学强国

地球科学是中国发展较早的近代科学之一,在２０世纪中华振兴和现代化进程中发挥了重要作用,其进一步发展密切关系到２１世纪中华民族在世界民族之林中的地位,成为决定未来世纪国家综合国力和科学技术水平的重要因素。当前我国正开始踏上实现宏伟的第三步战略目标的征程...     

4-Dimensional Models of Deformation of the Earth's Crust and Earthquake Prediction

Traditionally, when creating 4-D models of elastic offsets in the Earth's crust, the data from geodesic and GPS monitoring of offsets on the ground surface, earthquake catalogs, monitoring of the water level and radon content in wells, sea level fluctuations, as well as gravitational and magnetic fields, etc., can be taken as bases for information. In essence, the reason for creating a 4-D model of slow elastic deformations is to approximate the process by a set of plane deformation solitons (solitary waves). The parameters of a set of deformation solitons are obtained by a two-stage inversion. First, the parameters of the model are determined in a kinematic way by the use of a modified simplification of the method. Then, a calibration of the amplitude characteristics of the model is carried out in terms of elastic dynamic offsets. Taking Ural, Northern Tianshan, Greece, and China as examples, models for these regions are created on the basis of seismological, geodesic, deformation, hydrogeological, and     

中国中部高铝质超高压变质岩

我国中部在超高压条件下形成的高铝质变质岩石, 以蓝晶黄玉石英岩为特征, 具有以蓝晶石、富水黄玉、富镁硬绿泥石、柯石英、硬水铝石等为代表的高压－超高压变质矿物, 矿物组合主要为蓝晶石＋ 黄玉＋ 石英 （柯石英）、蓝晶石＋ 蓝刚玉±富镁硬绿泥石等。化学成分富铝而贫镁, 其原岩为陆缘高铝质泥质沉积岩。实验岩石学的研究表明, 蓝晶石＋ 黄玉在１０００℃～１２００℃,３．１～３．７７ＧＰａ 条件下仍可稳定存在,而石英已部分转变为柯石英。蓝晶石＋ 黄玉与柯石英一起稳定于超高压条件下。这表明以高铝质岩石为代表的地壳物质已进入到地幔深度, 达到这样的深度只能由会聚板块的俯冲作用而引起。因此,高铝质岩石的存在可以作为Ａ型俯冲作用的指示剂。超高压变质的高铝质岩石将成为陆－陆碰撞事件的重要研究内容。