Variations in chemical compositions of the eolian dust in Chinese Loess Plateau over the past 2.5 Ma and chemical weathering in the Asian inland

Major and trace elements as well as strontium isotopic composition have been analyzed on the acid-insoluble (AI) phase of the loess-paleosol sequence from Luochuan, Shaanxi Province, China. Results show that the chemical composition of AI phase of loess and paleosols is distinctive to the average composition of upper continental crust (UCC), characterized by depletion of mobile elements Na, Ca and Sr. The distribution pattern of elements in AI phase reveals that initial dust, derived from a vast area of Asian inland, has suffered from Na- and Ca-removed chemical weathering compared to UCC. Some geochemical parameters (such as CIA values, Na/K, Rb/Sr and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios) display a regular variation and evolution, reflecting that the chemical weathering in the source region of loess deposits has decreased gradually since 2.5 Ma with the general increase of global ice volume. This coincidence reflects that the aridity of Asian inland since the Quaternary is a possible regional response to the global climate change.     

Modelling the Quaternary evolution of shore platforms and erosional continental shelves

A mathematical model was used to investigate the effect of glacially induced fluctuations in sea level on the evolution of wave‐cut shore platforms and erosional continental shelves during the Quaternary. The model used two deep‐water wave sets, which were used to calculate breaker height and depth, and the force of the waves at the waterline, according to the width and bottom roughness of the surf zone and the gradient of the submarine slope. The model also incorporated an erosional threshold related to the strength of the rocks, the number of hours each year in which the water level is at each intertidal elevation and the amount and persistence of the debris at the cliff foot. Most runs were made using a sea level model that consisted of 26 glacial cycles from 2 million to 0·9 million years ago, and nine, of approximately twice the amplitude and wavelength, in the last 0·9 million years. The model emphasized the dynamic association between the contemporary intertidal platform and the continental shelf. Both surfaces trend towards a state of static equilibrium under oscillating sea level conditions, when attenuated waves are unable to continue eroding the rock. If there has not been enough time to reduce the gradient of the shallower portions of the continental shelf, however, intertidal shore platforms can be in a temporary, though possibly long‐lasting, state of dynamic equilibrium. The model suggests that most platforms are, at least in part, inherited from one, or in many cases more, interglacial stages when sea level was similar to today's. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of earthquake ground motions on fragility curves of highway bridge piers based on numerical simulation

Fragility curves express the probability of structural damage due to earthquakes as a function of ground motion indices, e.g., PGA, PGV. Based on the actual damage data of highway bridges from the 1995 Hyogoken‐Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake, a set of empirical fragility curves was constructed. However, the type of structure, structural performance (static and dynamic) and variation of input ground motion were not considered to construct the empirical fragility curves. In this study, an analytical approach was adopted to construct fragility curves for highway bridge piers of specific bridges. A typical bridge structure was considered and its piers were designed according to the seismic design codes in Japan. Using the strong motion records from Japan and the United States, non‐linear dynamic response analyses were performed, and the damage indices for the bridge piers were obtained. Using the damage indices and ground motion indices, fragility curves for the bridge piers were constructed assuming a lognormal distribution. The analytical fragility curves were compared with the empirical ones. The proposed approach may be used in constructing the fragility curves for highway bridge structures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collision orogeny at arc-arc junctions in the Japanese Islands

Abstract In the Japanese Islands, collision tectonics are operating at arc-arc junctions in three regions: Hokkaido, Central Japan and Kyushu. Hokkaido is situated at the junction of the Kuril and Northeast Japan Arcs. The Kuril fore arc sliver collides with the Northeast Japan Arc, and the lower crust of the Kuril Arc thrusts upon the fore arc of the Northeast Japan Arc in Hokkaido. Outcrops of the lower crust are observed in the Hidaka Mountains in the fore arc of the junction area. Central Japan is in the juncture area among the Northeast Japan, Izu-Bonin, and Southwest Japan Arcs. The Izu-Bonin arc is colliding against the Honshu mainland, which has been bent by the collision. Kyushu is a juvenile collision area between the Southwest Japan and Ryukyu Arcs. The fore arc of the Southwest Japan Arc is starting to underthrust beneath the Kyushu islands along the Bungo Strait, where shallow seismicity within the crust is active in terms of the collision. Collision tectonics are observed at most of the arc-arc junctions in the circum-Pacific orogenic belts and may be an important process contributing to the relatively rapid growth of new continental crust in subduction zones.     

新亚欧大陆桥的走向及相关问题探讨

第二亚欧大陆桥已成为国际社会关注的焦点之一，但各国对其走向有着不同的见解和主张。本文概述了第二亚欧大陆桥各种走向的有关问题，并强调对其沿线环境灾害必须重视加以治理。     

陆相层序地层学进展

陆相层序地层学是层序地层学发展的一个重要方向．由于陆相地层的特点，其与海相层序地层相比具有特殊性。本文从层序的控制因素、层序界面、基准面、体系域与沉积体系的发育、层序地层与模拟技术和全球对比意义等方面回顾了陆相层序地层学的进展并讨论了陆相层序地层学的特点。     

陆相地层的层序地层学:层序的特征与模式

陆相地层的层序地层学研究近年来取得了较大的进展，尤其在层序的组成、层序界线和最大洪泛面的识别以及层序模式的建立等方面研究得比较深入。层序地层的组成包括层序组合和层序的内部单元。层序界线和最大洪泛面的识别是陆相地层层序地层学研究的关键。目前已初步建立了箕状断陷盆地、坳陷盆地以及冲积地层背景的层序模式。     

地球自转引起大陆板块向赤道漂移的动力

本文从力学原理出发，讨论了由于地球自转，大陆板块受到一个沿纬圈指向东的主矩和指向赤道的主矢作用，致使板块向赤道作俯冲运动。     

大陆岩石圈流变学研究

简单介绍了流变学的概念和两种基本研究方法,基于大陆岩石圈较大洋岩石圈有更为复杂的流变特征客观事实,指出研究大陆岩石圈流变学的重要性,并提出几个主要的研究方向和领域。