Shallow landslides in deeply weathered slates of the Sierra de Collcerola (Catalonian Coastal Range, Spain)

Stability conditions in an area located NW of Barcelona (Spain) are discussed. Here, several mass movements were observed, mainly affecting weathered Paleozoic slates. Many of these failures involved slopes cut along recent infrastructures: debris flows, wedge and plane failures, generally surficial, occurred more frequently. After a detailed geological and geomorphologic survey, geomechanic characterization was carried out, according to RMR and SMR classifications. This rating gave a prediction of slope behaviour, in fairly good agreement with the real observed one.

Stability numerical analysis was carried out for the main cut slopes, based upon the Limit Equilibrium Method. First of all, the deterministic factor of safety was computed using the mean values of parameters. After that, a simulation technique based upon the Monte Carlo Method was applied in order to obtain factor of safety distributions. The probability of failure was estimated as P(F<1).

Finally, results from deterministic and probabilistic approaches were compared. The effectiveness of different possible remedial measures was highlighted by means of a sensitivity analysis, which showed that the more important parameters in the study area are the geometrical ones (height, slope and failure plane angles). The final technical solutions adopted are briefly outlined.     

Formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies and QSO activity

We present the results of a numerical code that combines multi-zone chemical evolution with 1D hydrodynamics to follow in detail the evolution and radial behaviour of gas and stars during the formation of elliptical galaxies. We use the model to explore the links between the evolution and formation of elliptical galaxies and QSO activity. The knowledge of the radial gas flows in the galaxy allows us to trace metallicity gradients, and, in particular, the formation of a high-metallicity core in ellipticals. The high-metallicity core is formed soon enough to explain the metal abundances inferred in high-redshift quasars. The star formation rate and the subsequent feedback regulate the episodes of wind, outflow and cooling flow, thus affecting the recycling of the gas and the chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium. The evolution of the galaxy shows several stages, some of which are characterized by a complex flow pattern, with inflow in some regions and outflow in other regions. All models, however, exhibit during their late evolution a galactic wind at the outer boundary and, during their early evolution, an inflow towards the galactic nucleus. The characteristics of the inner inflow could explain the bolometric luminosity of a quasar lodged at the galactic centre as well as the evolution of the optical luminosity of quasars.     

滇池福保湾间隙水氮磷分布及其与底泥微生物和磷酸酶相互关系

在滇池福保湾不同区域应用Peeper(渗析膜式)技术,分析了底泥间隙水NH4 -N、Po43--p的垂向分布特征和近表层10cm内底泥的微生物活性(FDA)、碱性磷酸酶活性(APA),并对它们之间的相互关系进行了统计分析.结果表明,NH4 -N和Po43--p浓度自上覆水向下层间隙水呈先升后降趋势,反映它们有自间隙水向上覆水扩散的潜在危害;底泥有机质(Loss-on-Ignion,LOI)、APA和FDA活性也有从表层底泥向下层逐步降低的趋势.在空问分布上,Po43--p浓度变化为河口区>湾心区>西部沿岸区>东部沿岸区,与沉积物中LOI、APA和FDA活性的大小顺序基本相同.间隙水NH4 6-N浓度与表层10cm内底泥的APA和FDA活性具有显著正相关性(α＝0.01).Po43--p浓度与底泥APA和FDA活性具有负相关性.但相关系数很低.     

土钉墙与压密注浆在复杂地质条件下基坑中的应用

通过上海长途客运公司恒丰路高速客运站基坑土钉支护工程实例,阐明了土钉支护在复杂地质条件下的适用性及灵活性,并提出了相应处理措施,说明了只有有效地结合其他多种施工方法,才能更好地处理复杂情况。     

Alpine tectonics in the Calabrian–Peloritan belt (southern Italy): New 40Ar/39Ar data in the Aspromonte Massif area

This study provides new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological constraints on the age of the Alpine tectonics in the Aspromonte Massif (southern part of the Calabrian–Peloritan belt). This massif exposes the upper units of the Calabride Complex which originated from the European continental margin. The Calabride Complex was incorporated in the Alpine orogenic wedge and then integrated into the Apennines and Maghrebides fold-and-thrust belts. Throughout the Calabride Complex there is evidence for a two stage tectonic history, which remains however rather poorly dated: Alpine nappe stacking is followed by extensional reworking along the former thrust contacts or along new detachment surfaces. Our new ages suggest that exhumation of the uppermost units, which accompanied nappe stacking, probably started at 45 Ma and that the deepest units were almost completely exhumed at 33 Ma. This kinematics probably corresponds to syn-orogenic extension while the end of exhumation is clearly related to the extensional tectonics dated at 28.6 Ma along detachment structures.Our geochronological data reveal a very short lag time between accretional and extensional processes in this part of the Mediterranean Alpine orogenic belt. The direction of extension, when the units are restored to their initial position (i.e. before the opening of the Western Mediterranean basins and the bending of the arc) is NNE–SSW. Such a direction does not fit with the eastward slab-retreat model generally put forward to explain extension in the Western Mediterranean. In contrast, we provide evidence for roughly N–S middle Oligocene extension in the accretionary prism, not previously described in this part of the Mediterranean domain.     

利用噪声记录估计福建地区中上地壳体波速度结构

In this paper,the dispersion curves of the Rayleigh wave and Love wave were extracted from the seismic noise records of 25 broadband stations of the Fujian Seismic Network, and inverted for the lithosphere velocity structure. Furthermore,the velocity model was verified by the seismic explosion observations. Our results indicate that the resolution of the lithosphere velocity structure obtained by this method is good in the shallow part,but in the deep part,inversion accuracy for the wave velocity structure is low,which is caused mainly by the small inter-station distance chosen in the paper. Thus the wave dispersion curves have high accuracy in the short-period part,but the warp of the wave dispersion curve in long-period part is large. Considering the results from both the noise inversion and the traditional inversion,we finally present a new velocity model,and the theoretical travel time calculated with the new model matches the explosion travel time very well.     

Relationship between Hypoxia and Macrobenthic Production in Chesapeake Bay

Human development has degraded Chesapeake Bay's health, resulting in an increase in the extent and severity of hypoxia (≤2 mg O₂ l^-1). The Bay's hypoxic zones have an adverse effect on both community structure and secondary production of macrobenthos. From 1996 to 2004, the effect of hypoxia on macrobenthic production was assessed in Chesapeake Bay and its three main tributaries (Potomac, Rappahannock, and York Rivers). Each year, in the summer (late July???early September), 25 random samples of the benthic macrofauna were collected from each system, and macrobenthic production in the polyhaline and mesohaline regions was estimated using Edgar's allometric equation. Fluctuations in macrobenthic production were significantly correlated with dissolved oxygen. Macrobenthic production was 90 % lower during hypoxia relative to normoxia. As a result, there was a biomass loss of ~7,320–13,200 metric tons C over an area of 7,720 km², which is estimated to equate to a 20 % to 35 % displacement of the Bay's macrobenthic productivity during the summer. While higher consumers may benefit from easy access to stressed prey in some areas, the large spatial and temporal extent of seasonal hypoxia limits higher trophic level transfer, via the inhibition of macrobenthic production. Such a massive loss of macrobenthic production would be detrimental to the overall health of the Bay, as it comes at a time when epibenthic and demersal predators have high-energy demands.     

Gravitational wave detection through microlensing?

It is shown that accurate photometric observations of a relatively high-magnification microlensing event  ( A ≫ 1)  , occurring close to the line of sight of a gravitational wave (GW) source, represented by a binary star, can allow the detection of subtle gravitational effects. After reviewing the physical nature of such effects, it is discussed to what extent these phenomena can actually be caused by GWs. Expressions for the amplitude of the phenomena and the detection probability are supplied.     

萨拉乌苏河流域150 ka BP以来的粒度旋回

萨拉乌苏河流域米浪沟湾地层剖面150kaBP以来古流动砂丘砂与河湖相和古土壤在粒度上具有多次显著的粗细韵律交替变化，粒度参数-Mz、σ、Sk、Kg和SC/D亦随之响应为多波动峰谷交替的态势，同时，粒度特征值-φ5、φ16φ、φ25、φ50、φ84、φ9相应地表现为非常有节奏地跳动，据此，将米浪沟湾剖面划分为27个粒度粗细沉积旋回，并认为其是150kaBP以来在东亚冬夏古代季风交替影响下沙漠演变的一个颇为完整的气候-地质过程记录。