Influence of the zone of weakness on dip angle and shear heating of subducted slabs

We study the importance of the zones of weakness and the pattern of downgoing flow in steady-state models of subducting lithosphere, which interacts mechanically and thermally with the ambient mantle. The non-linear system of governing equations consists of (i) the momentum equation in stream function formulation and (ii) the steady-state heat transfer equation including conduction and advection of heat and dissipation. A finite element method has been applied to this system. We consider the viscosity to be a non-linear function of both the temperature and the stream function. In steady-state two-dimensional (2D) flow, the stream function isolines follow material trajectories. They are used to follow the top of the subducting slab, which because of its possible increase in water content, is assumed to have a lower viscosity. The zone of weakness has been thus obtained in the self-consistent fashion since the stream function as well as the temperature are the output from our modeling and no a priori assumptions about the shape of the bending lithosphere are taken into account. It was shown that several orders decrease of viscosity in the zone of weakness is required to obtain the dip angle of about 45°. If the decrease of viscosity is not sufficient enough, the subducted slab either sinks almost vertically or does not exhibit a plate-like behavior. We have also demonstrated that shear heating can unrealistically increase at the zone of weakness for fast subductions if decrease of viscosity is underestimated.     

Tetrahedral Plots of the Phase Relations for Basalts

The phase relations of quaternary systems are generally represented by projections onto ternary compositional planes. Such projections often obscure relationships that would only be evident in a three-dimensional tetrahedral plot. The tetrahedral plot requires that compositions of the minerals and melts be transformed into Cartesian coordinates. It is shown here how this transformation is carried out. The application is demonstrated by tetrahedral plots of experimental melt compositions of partially molten lherzolite. Furthermore, the plot can be used to evaluate whether or not a particular basaltic composition represents a primary melt. The methods are applicable to any four-component system.     

A cavity expansion–based solution for interpretation of CPTu data in soils under partially drained conditions

A cavity expansion–based solution is proposed in this paper for the interpretation of CPTu data under a partially drained condition. Variations of the normalized cone tip resistance, cone factor, and undrained-drained resistance ratio are examined with different initial specific volume and overconsolidation ratio, based on the exact solutions of both undrained and drained cavity expansion in CASM, which is a unified state parameter model for clay and sand. A drainage index is proposed to represent the partially drained condition, and the critical state after expansion and stress paths of cavity expansion are therefore predicted by estimating a virtual plastic region and assuming a drainage-index–based mapping technique. The stress paths and distributions of stresses and specific volume are investigated for different values of drainage index, which are also related to the penetration velocity with comparisons of experimental data and numerical results. The subsequent consolidation after penetration is thus predicted with the assumption of constant deviatoric stress during dissipation of the excess pore pressure. Both spherical and cylindrical consolidations are compared for dissipation around the cone tip and the probe shaft, respectively. The effects of overconsolidation ratio on the stress paths and the distributions of excess pore pressure and specific volume are then thoroughly investigated. The proposed solution and the findings would contribute to the interpretation of CPTu tests under a random drained condition, as well as the analysis of pile installation and the subsequent consolidation.     

Spatially controlled Fe and Si isotope variations: an alternative view on the formation of the Torres del Paine pluton

We present new Fe and Si isotope ratio data for the Torres del Paine igneous complex in southern Chile. The multi-composition pluton consists of an approximately 1 km vertical exposure of homogenous granite overlying a contemporaneous 250-m-thick mafic gabbro suite. This first-of-its-kind spatially dependent Fe and Si isotope investigation of a convergent margin-related pluton aims to understand the nature of granite and silicic igneous rock formation. Results collected by MC-ICP-MS show a trend of increasing δ⁵⁶Fe and δ³⁰Si with increasing silica content as well as a systematic increase in δ⁵⁶Fe away from the mafic base of the pluton. The marginal Torres del Paine granites have heavier Fe isotope signatures (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.25 ± 0.02 2se) compared to granites found in the interior pluton (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.17 ± 0.02 2se). Cerro Toro country rock values are isotopically light in both Fe and Si isotopic systems (δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.05 ± 0.02 ‰; δ³⁰Si = ?0.38 ± 0.07 ‰). The variations in the Fe and Si isotopic data cannot be accounted for by local assimilation of the wall rocks, in situ fractional crystallization, late-stage fluid exsolution or some combination of these processes. Instead, we conclude that thermal diffusion or source magma variation is the most likely process producing Fe isotope ratio variations in the Torres del Paine pluton.     

Biogenic volatile compound emissions from a temperate forest,China: model simulation

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) were measured using a relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) technique on an above-canopy tower in a temperate forest (Changbai Mountain, Jilin province, China) during the 2010 and 2011 summer seasons. Solar global radiation and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were also measured. Based on PAR energy dynamic balance, an empirical BVOC emission and PAR transfer model was developed that includes the processes of BVOC emissions and PAR transfer above the canopy level, including PAR absorption and consumption, and scattering by gases, liquids, and particles (GLPs). Simulated emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes were in agreement with observations. The averages of the relative estimator biases for the flux were 39.3 % for isoprene, and 27.1 % for monoterpenes in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons, with NMSE (normalized mean square error) values of 0.133 and 0.101, respectively. The observed and simulated mean diurnal variations of isoprene and monoterpenes in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons were evaluated for the validation of the empirical model. Under observed atmospheric conditions, the sensitivity analysis showed that emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes were more sensitive to changes in PAR than to water vapor content or to the magnitude of the scattering factor. The emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons (from June to September) were estimated using this empirical model along with hourly observational data, with mean hourly emissions of 1.71 and 1.55 mg m^?2 h^?1 for isoprene, and 0.48 and 0.47 mg m^?2 h^?1 for monoterpenes in 2010 and 2011, respectively. As formaldehyde (HCHO) is considered as the main oxidation product of isoprene and monoterpenes, it is necessary to investigate the link between HCHO and BVOC emissions. GOME-2 HCHO vertical column densities (VCDs) can be used to estimate BVOC emission fluxes in the Changbai Mountain temperate forest.     

Initiation of large-volume silicic centers in the Yellowstone hotspot track: insights from H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O- and F-rich quartz-hosted rhyolitic melt inclusions in the Arbon Valley Tuff of the Snake River Plain

During the onset of caldera cluster volcanism at a new location in the Snake River Plain (SRP), there is an increase in basalt fluxing into the crust and diverse silicic volcanic products are generated. The SRP contains abundant and compositionally diverse hot, dry, and often low-δ¹⁸O silicic volcanic rocks produced through time during the formation of individual caldera clusters, but more H₂O-rich eruptive products are rare. We report analyses of quartz-hosted melt inclusions from pumice clasts from the upper and lower Arbon Valley Tuff (AVT) to gain insight into the initiation of caldera cluster volcanism. The AVT, a voluminous, caldera-forming rhyolite, represents the commencement of volcanism (10.44 Ma) at the Picabo volcanic field of the Yellowstone hotspot track. This is a normal δ¹⁸O rhyolite consisting of early and late erupted members (lower and upper AVT, respectively) with extremely radiogenic Sr isotopes and unradiogenic Nd isotopes, requiring that ~50 % of the mass of these elements is derived from melts of Archean upper crust. Our data reveal distinctive features of the early erupted lower AVT melt including: variable F concentrations up to 1.4 wt%, homogenous and low Cl concentrations (~0.08 wt%), H₂O contents ranging from 2.3 to 6.4 wt%, CO₂ contents ranging from 79 to 410 ppm, and enrichment of incompatible elements compared to the late erupted AVT, subsequent Picabo rhyolites, SRP rhyolites, and melt inclusions from other metaluminous rhyolites (e.g., Bishop Tuff, Mesa Falls Tuff). We couple melt inclusion data with Ti measurements and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of the host quartz phenocrysts to elucidate the petrogenetic evolution of the AVT rhyolitic magma. We observe complex and multistage CL zoning patterns, the most critical being multiple truncations indicative of several dissolution–reprecipitation episodes with bright CL cores (higher Ti) and occasional bright CL rims (higher Ti). We interpret the high H₂O, F, F/Cl, and incompatible trace element concentrations in the context of a model involving melting of Archean crust and mixing of the crustal melt with basaltic differentiates, followed by multiple stages of fractional crystallization, remelting, and melt extraction. This multistage process, which we refer to as distillation, is further supported by the complex CL zoning patterns in quartz. We interpret new Δ¹⁸O(Qz-Mt) isotope measurements, demonstrating a 0.4 ‰ or ~180 °C temperature difference, and strong Sr isotopic and chemical differences between the upper and lower AVT to represent two separate eruptions. Similarities between the AVT and the first caldera-forming eruptions of other caldera clusters in the SRP (Yellowstone, Heise and Bruneau Jarbidge) suggest that the more evolved, lower-temperature, more H₂O-rich rhyolites of the SRP are important in the initiation of a caldera cluster during the onset of plume impingement.     

中心内缩综合元的水深自动综合模型

针对水深自动综合问题,该文在满足水深综合的特殊要求并保持综合前后水深分布空间一致性的基础上,利用Voronoi图工具,采用定性和定量分析方法,建立了相应的综合规则和控制流程,设计了一种中心内缩综合元的水深自动综合模型,并进行了实验验证。实验结果表明,该模型可以在保证水深综合质量的前提下,实现流程的自动化。     

Recursive algorithm for fast GNSS orbit fitting

Gaussian elimination is an efficient and numerically stable algorithm for estimating parameters and their precision. However, before estimating the parameters, it is often prudent to perform statistical tests to achieve the best fitting model. We use Gaussian elimination to select the best fitting model among candidate models. A succinct relationship between the weighted sum of squared residuals and the previous one is revealed by a volume formula. For quick parameter estimation and determination of weighted sum of squared residuals, a recursive elimination algorithm is proposed in the context of Gaussian elimination. In order to improve the model selection efficiency, the parameter estimation and the determination of the weighted sum of squared residuals are carried out in parallel using the proposed recursive elimination algorithm in which the improvement at each recursive stage is judged by the Bayesian information criterion. Ultimately, the computational complexity and numerical stability of the recursive elimination proposed are briefly discussed, and a GNSS orbit interpolation example is used to verify the results. It shows that the proposed recursive elimination algorithm inherits the numerical stability of the Gaussian elimination, and this algorithm can be used to examine the gain from the newly introduced parameter, dynamically assess the fitting model, and fix the optimal model efficiently. The optimal fitting model with the lowest information is very close to the real situation verified by checkpoints.