Response of jointed arches to earthquake excitation

An efficient method for accurately modelling the gradual opening and closing of joints in two-dimensional slabs and arches has been devised. The method is used in computing the earthquake response of an arch which is a representative horizontal cross-section of a concrete arch dam. Responses of the arch with and without joints are compared to assess the effect of joint opening. An extension to three-dimensional arch dams is proposed.     

Buried trees,water table fluctuations,and 3000 years of changing climate in west-central Oklahoma

A sequence of radiocarbon-dated buried trees, buried soils, a carbonate zone, and a molluscan fauna from Carnegie Canyon indicate that between 3200 and 2600 yr B.P. the climate of west-central Oklahoma was drier than today. A high water table accompanied a period of moister climate 2000 to 1000 yr B.P. The water table dropped after 1000 yr B.P. due to a change toward dry conditions.     

Rock moisture content in the field and the laboratory and its relationship to mechanical weathering studies

Rock moisture content is a major control of mechanical weathering, particularly freeze-thaw, and yet almost no data exist from field situations. This study presents moisture content values for rocks, taken from a variety of positions and conditions, in the maritime Antarctic. Additional information regarding the amount of water the rock could take up, as observed from laboratory experiments, is also presented. The results show that the approaches used in simulation experiments, particularly that of soaking a rock for 24 hours, may produce exaggerated results. It was found that the saturation coefficient (S-value) was a good indicator of frost susceptibility (based on water content) but that the derivation of that value may underestimate the potential of some rocks. The distribution of moisture within rocks is seen as an important, but unkown, factor. The results of these field moisture contents suggest that for simulations of freeze-thaw or hydration to be meaningful then they should have rock water contents based on field observations.     

The physical properties of quartz-micaschist and their application to freeze-thaw weathering studies in the maritime antarctic

As part of a study on freeze-thaw weathering in the maritime Antarctic an investigation was made of the physical properties of the local rock. Tests were made of point-load compressive strength, Schmidt hammer in situ rock strength, moisture content, indentor resistance and the size range of weathering products. The resulting data were used to consider the form of freeze-thaw weathering operative in the field and its relationship to laboratory simulations. A distinct difference between ‘massive rock’ and ‘intact rock’ is observed in the field. It is suggested that future studies should generate a greater database pertaining to rock properties as it is an invaluable aid in the study of mechanical weathering.     

A paleomagnetic study of the Bilecik Limestone (Jurassic), northwestern Anatolia

Paleomagnetic analyses of samples collected from a 500 m thick Jurassic section in the Pontides reveal the presence of two components of remanent magnetization: an unstable, low-temperature component which is removed during thermal demagnetization through 220°C and a dominant component which displays consistent directions through 650°. Curie point and IRM studies indicate that goethite is responsible for the low-temperature component whereas both magnetite and hematite contribute to the more stable component. The pole position determined from the stable magnetization is located at 18.8°N, 91.8°E (α₉₅=7.7°, N=134) indicating that the section has undergone more than 90° clockwise rotation since the Late Jurassic. Ancillary geologic evidence, particularly the orientation of Jurassic facies belts is also consistent with a 90° clockwise rotation in this region of northwest Anatolia. The pole suggests that the section may also have migrated slightly northward. Although the age of these movements is currently unknow, it is proposed that they are principally related to the closure of the Neo-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary. Some of the rotation may be related to the right lateral movement along the North Anatolian Transform Fault which was initiated in the Miocene.     

Rapid deglaciation as an initiator of volcanic activity: An hypothesis

Volcanic activity on sub-Antarctic Marion Island is found to have occurred only during the interglacials. The present volcano distribution is associated with a radial and peripheral fault system, the location of which appears to be related to the former glacier distribution. An hypothesis is presented suggesting that the faulting is a result of deglaciation and that the specific location of the faults is due to the differential stresses occurring between ice-covered and ice-free areas during isostatic uplift. The faulting initiates volcanism due to the location of the island within a volcanic region.     

Late Holocene paleoecology of the Southern Plains

Analyses of pollen and land snails from rocksheter sites in the Osage Hills of northeastern Oklahoma indicate that the period 2000-1000 yr B.P. was moister than today. During that time, colonies of the prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster were present in the Texas Panhandle. About 1000 yr B.P. the climate changed to dry conditions that have persisted to the present. Disjunct colonies of small mammals in Texas became extinct at the beginning of the dry episode, thereby establishing the composition of the modern fauna. The climatic model for the origin of the Panhandle Aspect (A.D. 1200–1500) is questioned on the grounds that the Southern Plains experienced a long period of dry climate commencing A.D. 950.