喜马拉雅山北坡冰碛湖坝温度特征及其对堤坝稳定的影响

堤坝稳定性是评价冰湖溃决危险性的重要指标, 而堤坝的温度特征与其稳定性密切相关. 基于2012年11月-2013年9月对西藏定结县龙巴萨巴湖冰碛坝的0~150 cm不同深度的温度观测数据, 分析冰碛坝地温变化特征及其影响. 结果显示: 冰碛坝表层(<20 cm)地温与气温变化一致, 温度日变化常出现白天为正温梯度而夜间为负温度梯度的特征, 全年日均梯度一般为负温梯度(上部温度高、下部温度低); 中层(20~100 cm)和深层(>100 cm)表现为冬季下层温度高于上层温度的正温梯度, 夏季下层温度低于上层的负温梯度逐渐加强, 但地温日变幅逐渐减弱; 中间层地温变化不到气温变化幅度的1/5~1/10; 深层地温无明显的日变化. 冰碛坝的消融率约为2.1 cm·d^-1, 夏季消融深度超过250 cm. 现有夏季消融深度对堤坝的稳定影响有限, 但是湖盆区如果持续升温, 冰碛坝冻土的年消融率和消融深度都将增大, 致使堤坝稳定性下降, 溃决风险增大.     

我国喜马拉雅地区适应气候变化能力建设的需求调查与分析

喜马拉雅地区是全球潜在关键区,过去几十年的气候变化已导致该地区冰川消融,与冰川有关的灾害风险与日俱增,随着气候的持续变暖,冰川消融将对该地区水资源供给产生负面影响.基于社会调查和实地考察,分析了我国喜马拉雅山地区冰川消融对灾害的可能影响,对水电发展的现实和潜在影响,并详细分析了气候变化对农业、牧业和林业的影响.根据调查问卷,分析了当地在适应冰川消融方面的迫切需求,社会经济不同部门适应气候变化的需求.以位于珠峰北坡朋曲河流域的定日县为典型区,探讨了在该县增强适应气候变化能力建设问题.当地应首先加强气候防护基础设施建设,以应对目前强降水增加引发的山洪、冰川加速消融导致的冰川洪水和泥石流危害、气候暖干化导致的农牧业干旱;开展以水能为主,多能互补,能源多样化建设,既可加快当地社会经济发展,又可促进当地居民适应气候变化能力的提高;吸引本地人才回流,加强各级岗位人才培训,提高管理水平和技术水平;大力开展科普宣传,提高农牧民对气候变化及其影响的了解和认识,增强其防御和应对能力.     

再论印度与亚洲大陆何时何地发生初始碰撞

印度与亚洲大陆碰撞形成了喜马拉雅造山带.该造山带是当今固体地球科学研究的重点和热点,是建立新的大陆动力学理论的最佳天然实验室.印度与亚洲大陆碰撞时限是正确认识和理解该造山带形成与演化、高原隆升的动力学过程等的起点.近南北向陆陆碰撞的最直接证据是碰撞带两侧块体在古纬度上的相互重叠.本文拟通过对相关古地磁资料的分析,结合近年来在拉萨地块南缘林子宗群火山岩和沉积岩夹层上获得的最新古地磁结果,探索当今古地磁数据所限定的印度和亚洲大陆发生初始碰撞的时间和古地理位置.结果表明,拉萨地块林子宗群形成时期(约64~44 Ma)古亚洲大陆最南缘的古地理位置(~10°N)限定了印度与亚洲大陆的初始碰撞最可能发生在65~50 Ma之间;如果以由印度洋海底地形所限定的东冈瓦纳大陆裂解前的印度板块形状为大印度模型,则印度与亚洲大陆的初始碰撞很可能发生在60~55 Ma之间.     

Glacial change in the vicinity of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest), central high Himalayas since 1976

Glaciers are one of the most important land covers in alpine regions and especially sensitive to global climate change. Remote sensing has proved to be the best method of investigating the extent of glacial variations in remote mountainous areas. Using Landsat thematic mapping (TM) and multi-spectral-scanner (MSS) images from Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) National Nature Preserve (QNNP), central high Himalayas for 1976, 1988 and 2006, we derived glacial extent for these three periods. A combination of object-oriented image interpretation methods, expert knowledge rules and field surveys were employed. Results showed that (1) the glacial area in 2006 was 2710.17 ± 0.011 km2 (about 7.41% of the whole study area), and located mainly to the south and between 4700 m to 6800 m above sea level; (2) from 1976 to 2006, glaciers reduced by 501.91 ± 0.035 km2 and glacial lakes expanded by 36.88 ± 0.035 km2; the rate of glacier retreat was higher in sub-basins on the southern slopes (16.79%) of the Himalayas than on the northern slopes (14.40%); most glaciers retreated, and mainly occurred at an elevation of 4700–6400 m, and the estimated upper limit of the retreat zone is between 6600 m and 6700 m; (3) increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation over the study period are the key factors driving retreat.     

Monitoring of TDS and conductivity in groundwater in the seismically active region in NW Himalayas,India

<正>The earthquake precursors and earthquake prediction are the burning issue among the community of earth scientists and engineers. Studies of earthquake precursory phenomena since the last several decades have shown that significant geophysical and geochemical changes may occur prior to intermediate and large earthquakes (Hartmann and Levy, 2005; Yang et al, 2005;     

Central Himalayan crystallines as the primary source for the sandstone–mudstone suites of the Siwalik Group: New geochemical evidence

Geochemistry of the Sub-Himalayan foreland basin Siwalik sediments has been used for interpreting the nature of the source rocks. This study has shown that the compositional changes are a function of stratigraphic height, demonstrated by the upward increase of P₂O₅, Na₂O, CaO, MgO and SiO₂ content from Lower to the Upper Siwalik rocks. On the other hand, K₂O, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ show decrease with the increasing stratigraphic height. These trends are a clear reflection of time-controlled changes in the source lithology. Ratios such as Eu/Eu*, (La/Lu)_cn, La/Sc, Th/Sc, La/Co, and Cr/Th suggest a prominent felsic source area for the Siwalik sediments. Chondrite-normalized REE pattern with LREE enrichment and moderately flat HREE pattern with sharp negative Eu anomaly are attributed to a felsic source. Contrary to the existing belief, this study has ruled out any contribution from the mafic sources and highlighted the compositional similarities of Siwalik sediments with the crustal proxies like PAAS, NASC and UCC. The geochemical data point to a significant role played by the Precambrian and early Paleozoic granitic rocks of the Himalayan tectogene in shaping the composition of the foreland sediments. The variable CIA values and marked depletion in Na, Mg and Ca exhibited by the Lower, Middle and Upper Siwalik sediments reflect variable climatic zones and variations in the rate of tectonic uplift of the source area. Our results demonstrate that in the Lower Siwalik and part of the Middle Siwalik, Higher Himalayan Crystalline sequence (HHCS) was the primary source area with minor contributions by the meta-sedimentary succession of the Lesser Himalaya. Later, during the deposition of the upper part of the Middle Siwalik and Upper Siwalik, the source terrain switched positions. These two prominent source terrains supplied sediments in steadily changing proportion through time.     

Effects of terrain attributes on snow-cover dynamics in parts of Chenab basin,western Himalayas

ABSTRACT

Terrain variables are the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of snow cover. This paper aims to find a relationship between snow-cover area (SCA) and topographic variables (elevation, slope and aspect), using MODIS Terra data (MOD09A1) in parts of the Chenab basin, western Himalayas. The inter-annual variability of SCA% for each month has been analysed for the years 2000 to 2011. The analysis reveals that mean annual SCA value was maximum (37.89%) in 2005 and minimum (32.07%) in 2001. The slope classes with maximum and minimum SCA% are 5°–10° and 30°–35°, respectively. Among the 16 aspect classes, the ESE-facing slope evinces maximum SCA%. During the snow accumulation period, the expanse at 3600–4300 m elevation, and in the depletion period, 4300–5000 m elevation are found to have maximum rate of change in SCA% per 100 m rise in elevation, i.e. 3.37% and 3.67%, respectively.

EDITOR Z.W. Kundzewicz; ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned     

Ground motion prediction equation considering combined dataset of recorded and simulated ground motions

Himalayan region is one of the most active seismic regions in the world and many researchers have highlighted the possibility of great seismic event in the near future due to seismic gap. Seismic hazard analysis and microzonation of highly populated places in the region are mandatory in a regional scale. Region specific Ground Motion Predictive Equation (GMPE) is an important input in the seismic hazard analysis for macro- and micro-zonation studies. Few GMPEs developed in India are based on the recorded data and are applicable for a particular range of magnitudes and distances. This paper focuses on the development of a new GMPE for the Himalayan region considering both the recorded and simulated earthquakes of moment magnitude 5.3–8.7. The Finite Fault simulation model has been used for the ground motion simulation considering region specific seismotectonic parameters from the past earthquakes and source models. Simulated acceleration time histories and response spectra are compared with available records. In the absence of a large number of recorded data, simulations have been performed at unavailable locations by adopting Apparent Stations concept. Earthquakes recorded up to 2007 have been used for the development of new GMPE and earthquakes records after 2007 are used to validate new GMPE. Proposed GMPE matched very well with recorded data and also with other highly ranked GMPEs developed elsewhere and applicable for the region. Comparison of response spectra also have shown good agreement with recorded earthquake data. Quantitative analysis of residuals for the proposed GMPE and region specific GMPEs to predict Nepal–India 2011 earthquake of Mw of 5.7 records values shows that the proposed GMPE predicts Peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration for entire distance and period range with lower percent residual when compared to exiting region specific GMPEs.     

1980～2007年喜马拉雅东段洛扎地区冰川变化遥感监测

利用1980年地形图和多年遥感资料,采用目视解译方法手工提取了喜马拉雅东段洛扎地区4个时期的冰川信息,对冰川时空分布特征和变化与不确定性进行了分析,并结合近28年(1980～2007年)的气温、降水量资料对研究区的冰川变化原因进行了研究.结果表明:(1)1980～2007年,洛扎地区冰川面积从491.64 km<'2>...     

喜马拉雅中东部镜像均衡重力异常的形成研究

青藏高原南缘处于重力不均衡状态,由北向南可依次分为高原近重力均衡区、喜马拉雅山正均衡异常区和山前盆地负均衡异常区,正、负异常呈现壮观的镜像分布。本文选取喜马拉雅中东部的均衡重力异常数据,结合地貌高程、地壳厚度、降雨量、冰川及山前沉积等的分布状况,探讨地貌分异与均衡重力异常分布的相互关系。由上述资料获得3条跨越喜马拉雅山的综合剖面,结果显示喜马拉雅中东部正均衡重力异常的分布与冰川、河流等代表的地表剥蚀作用存在明显的空间耦合关系,而与降雨量无直接联系,山前盆地负均衡重力异常与沉积厚度的分布也存在很好的耦合。利用数值模型计算得到了喜马拉雅地区的均衡调整时间域在1 Ma左右的时间尺度内。通过与地貌响应时间域相对比,以及对地表剥蚀厚度的估计,认为山脉地区的正均衡异常主要由地壳厚度补偿不足引起(侧重Airy假说),而山前盆地的负均衡异常主要由低密度沉积层的分布引起(侧重Pratt假说),由于地貌响应时间快于均衡调整时间,在大约5～2 Ma以来,地壳的均衡调整始终延迟于山脉的持续剥蚀和山前的持续沉积,使得岩石圈朝着"反均衡"方向演变,最终形成了喜马拉雅现今壮观的镜像均衡重力异常分布。