Sinkhole hazard assessment in Minnesota using a decision tree model

An understanding of what influences sinkhole formation and the ability to accurately predict sinkhole hazards is critical to environmental management efforts in the karst lands of southeastern Minnesota. Based on the distribution of distances to the nearest sinkhole, sinkhole density, bedrock geology and depth to bedrock in southeastern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa, a decision tree model has been developed to construct maps of sinkhole probability in Minnesota. The decision tree model was converted as cartographic models and implemented in ArcGIS to create a preliminary sinkhole probability map in Goodhue, Wabasha, Olmsted, Fillmore, and Mower Counties. This model quantifies bedrock geology, depth to bedrock, sinkhole density, and neighborhood effects in southeastern Minnesota but excludes potential controlling factors such as structural control, topographic settings, human activities and land-use. The sinkhole probability map needs to be verified and updated as more sinkholes are mapped and more information about sinkhole formation is obtained.     

Karst database implementation in Minnesota: analysis of sinkhole distribution

This paper presents the overall sinkhole distributions and conducts hypothesis tests of sinkhole distributions and sinkhole formation using data stored in the Karst Feature Database (KFD) of Minnesota. Nearest neighbor analysis (NNA) was extended to include different orders of NNA, different scales of concentrated zones of sinkholes, and directions to the nearest sinkholes. The statistical results, along with the sinkhole density distribution, indicate that sinkholes tend to form in highly concentrated zones instead of scattered individuals. The pattern changes from clustered to random to regular as the scale of the analysis decreases from 10–100 km² to 5–30 km² to 2–10 km². Hypotheses that may explain this phenomenon are: (1) areas in the highly concentrated zones of sinkholes have similar geologic and topographical settings that favor sinkhole formation; (2) existing sinkholes change the hydraulic gradient in the surrounding area and increase the solution and erosional processes that eventually form more new sinkholes.     

Fabric analysis of quartzites with negative magnetic susceptibility – Does AMS provide information of SPO or CPO of quartz?

We ask the question whether petrofabric data from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analysis of deformed quartzites gives information about shape preferred orientation (SPO) or crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of quartz. Since quartz is diamagnetic and has a negative magnetic susceptibility, 11 samples of nearly pure quartzites with a negative magnetic susceptibility were chosen for this study. After performing AMS analysis, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis was done in thin sections prepared parallel to the K₁K₃ plane of the AMS ellipsoid. Results show that in all the samples quartz SPO is sub-parallel to the orientation of the magnetic foliation. However, in most samples no clear correspondance is observed between quartz CPO and K₁ (magnetic lineation) direction. This is contrary to the parallelism observed between K₁ direction and orientation of quartz c-axis in the case of undeformed single quartz crystal. Pole figures of quartz indicate that quartz c-axis tends to be parallel to K₁ direction only in the case where intracrystalline deformation of quartz is accommodated by prism <c> slip. It is therefore established that AMS investigation of quartz from deformed rocks gives information of SPO. Thus, it is concluded that petrofabric information of quartzite obtained from AMS is a manifestation of its shape anisotropy and not crystallographic preferred orientation.     

上地幔的岩石组构和各向异性

着重介绍了上地幔各向异性及其成因,研究内容和方法,各向异性研究的地球动力学意义,并强调指出橄榄石和辉石在塑性固态流动过程中产生的晶格优选方位或组构是导致上地幔各向异性最主要原因。     

基于流体势约束的潜山油气二次运移优势方向选择--以胜利油田桩海地区古生界潜山为例

结合胜利油田桩海地区古生界潜山的油气勘探成果及勘探中存在的问题,定量模拟了其流体势场,并结合输导体系的发育特征,分析了潜山油气二次运移的优势方向.研究表明,油气的二次运移始于排烃后的油汇位置,运移方向宏观上主要受流体势场特征(流体势高低和流体势平面等值线形态等因素)的控制,同时受输导体系的影响,在平面上呈现出有限几个优势方向.对于不整合面发育的潜山,对不整合面分布特征(区域性和局部性)的分析是输导体系研究的前提,在区域不整合面发育的潜山中,输导体系的影响主要体现在断层和碳酸盐岩输导层两个方面,而局部不整合面的存在可以较强地影响优势运移方向.     

Continuation of the San Andreas fault system into the upper mantle: Evidence from spinel peridotite xenoliths in the Coyote Lake basalt, central California

The Coyote Lake basalt, located near the intersection of the Hayward and Calaveras faults in central California, contains spinel peridotite xenoliths from the mantle beneath the San Andreas fault system. Six upper mantle xenoliths were studied in detail by a combination of petrologic techniques. Temperature estimates, obtained from three two-pyroxene geothermometers and the Al-in-orthopyroxene geothermometer, indicate that the xenoliths equilibrated at 970–1100 °C. A thermal model was used to estimate the corresponding depth of equilibration for these xenoliths, resulting in depths between 38 and 43 km. The lattice preferred orientation of olivine measured in five of the xenolith samples show strong point distributions of olivine crystallographic axes suggesting that fabrics formed under high-temperature conditions. Calculated seismic anisotropy values indicate an average shear wave anisotropy of 6%, higher than the anisotropy calculated from xenoliths from other tectonic environments. Using this value, the anisotropic layer responsible for fault-parallel shear wave splitting in central California is less than 100 km thick. The strong fabric preserved in the xenoliths suggests that a mantle shear zone exists below the Calaveras fault to a depth of at least 40 km, and combining xenolith petrofabrics with shear wave splitting studies helps distinguish between different models for deformation at depth beneath the San Andrea fault system.     

A novel method for discovering spatio-temporal clusters of different sizes,shapes, and densities in the presence of noise

The discovery of spatio-temporal clusters in complex spatio-temporal data-sets has been a challenging issue in the domain of spatio-temporal data mining and knowledge discovery. In this paper, a novel spatio-temporal clustering method based on spatio-temporal shared nearest neighbors (STSNN) is proposed to detect spatio-temporal clusters of different sizes, shapes, and densities in spatio-temporal databases with a large amount of noise. The concepts of windowed distance and shared nearest neighbor are utilized to define a novel spatio-temporal density for a spatio-temporal entity with definite mathematical meanings. Then, the density-based clustering strategy is employed to uncover spatio-temporal clusters. The spatio-temporal clustering algorithm developed in this paper is easily implemented and less sensitive to density variation among spatio-temporal entities. Experiments are undertaken on several simulated data-sets to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the STSNN algorithm. Also, the real-world applications on two seismic databases show that the STSNN algorithm has the ability to uncover foreshocks and aftershocks effectively.     

Deformation and seismic anisotropy of the lithospheric mantle in the southeastern Carpathians inferred from the study of mantle xenoliths

Peridotite xenoliths with a broad range of textures provides evidence for consistent microstructural evolution in a vertical transect of the shallow lithospheric mantle (35–55 km depth) beneath the Persani Mountains, SE Carpathians, Romania, due to ongoing plate convergence in the Carpathian Arc nearby. The recrystallized grain size, crystal preferred orientations strength, and resulting seismic anisotropy vary continuously and display a strong correlation to equilibrium temperatures, suggesting a continuous change in deformation conditions with depth. The shallowmost xenoliths have microstructures typical of high stress deformation, marked by strong recrystallization to fine grain sizes, which results in weak crystal preferred orientations and anisotropy. The deepest xenoliths have coarse-grained porphyroclastic microstructures and strong crystal preferred orientations. Replacive orthopyroxene structures, consuming olivine, and high H₂O concentrations in the pyroxenes are observed in some xenoliths indicating limited percolation of fluids or volatile-rich melts. Despite the high stress deformation and high H₂O contents in some of the studied xenoliths, analysis of olivine crystallographic orientations indicates that [100] slip systems, rather than “wet” [001] accommodate most of the deformation in all samples. Seismic anisotropy estimated from the measured olivine and pyroxene crystal preferred orientations suggests that the strike-parallel fast SKS polarization directions and ~ 1 s delay times measured in the SE Carpathians are likely the consequence of convergence-driven belt-parallel flow in the lithospheric mantle.     

基于高分卫星影像的复杂山区光伏电站信息提取

该文基于高分卫星资料,通过基于规则的面向对象分类、基于最邻近法的监督分类及基于CART分类器的监督分类三种不同分类方法,对复杂山区光伏电站进行提取,对比三种分类提取方法结果并完成精度验证。结果表明,合理的分割参数有利于提高光伏电站提取精度;基于规则的面向对象分类法光伏电站提取精度最佳,最邻近分类法次之,CART分类器分类法最差,可利用基于规则的面向对象分类法较为准确地进行复杂山区光伏电站信息提取,为光伏产业健康、合理发展提供一定的数据支撑。     

2012年秋季我国气候异常及成因分析

2012年秋季我国气候异常特征总体表现为:气温偏低,降水明显偏多,其中东北、华北以及江南地区降水异常偏多。分析我国气候异常成因表明,我国东北、华北降水偏多主要与西北太平洋中高纬度地区异常的东南风水汽输送有关;而我国江南及华南地区的降水偏多则主要与西太平洋副热带高压西侧的西南暖湿水汽输送密切相关。进一步研究表明,海温异常是影响2012年秋季我国气候异常的最主要的外强迫因子,其中西北太平洋中高纬度地区海温异常偏暖主要影响东北和华北地区的降水,而热带印度洋海温偶极子的正位相分布及赤道中东太平洋地区较弱的暖海温异常分布则主要影响江南及华南地区的降水。