Paleomagnetic studies of the Late Mesozoic deformation stage in the southern Primorye region

The analysis of paleomagnetic data available for the southern Primiorye region revealed that the studied objects were magnetized under regional remagnetization presumably during the Late Mesozoic folding and this magnetization can be interpreted as being synfolding. The interpretation is based on the parameter that characterizes the folding completion degree immediately before regional remagnetization. It is shown that the relaxation of Late Mesozoic horizontal stresses was irregular. The obtained estimates of the degree of folding completion are consistent with the available geological data and Talitskii’s model for tectonic deformations.     

1786年康定地震形变特征的初步研究

本文对鲜水河断裂带南东段,康定断裂地震的形变带进行了分析。认为,地震形变带主要由发育于地形斜坡上的线性坡中槽或垄岗组成。形变带具分段特点,单条长850—1500米,呈右阶“斜列式”展布,中段(极震区)一带为现状型。其中的破裂面具正断兼扭动特点。空间特征上,坡中槽一侧的交替上升变化是依次、轮换出现的,它是地震断层运动屈曲作用(Fault buckling)导致地表变形的反映。这种形变现象与该带北西段(炉霍段)走滑型地震的形变带相比有明显的差异,也表明鲜水河断裂带北西、南东两段的地震破裂方式是不尽相同的,它为同一走滑带不同地段运动特征的差异提供了证据。     

半干旱区高效生态农业发展问题及对策研究——以陇东黄土高原环县为例

生态农业是当今农业发展的方向。也是区域农业高效发展的必由之路，环县农业存在结构不合理，产业化进程缓慢，生产基础薄弱，生态环境恶化等问题。欲使生态农业高效发展，应把资源、环境与农业经济发展结合起来，采取调整产业结构、建立高效生态农业发展模式、加快龙头企业的发展、加大资金和科技投入、保护和改善生态环境等措施。     

Increasing critical sensitivity of the Load/Unload Response Ratio before large earthquakes with identified stress accumulation pattern

The Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) method is proposed for short-to-intermediate-term earthquake prediction [Yin, X.C., Chen, X.Z., Song, Z.P., Yin, C., 1995. A New Approach to Earthquake Prediction — The Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) Theory, Pure Appl. Geophys., 145, 701–715]. This method is based on measuring the ratio between Benioff strains released during the time periods of loading and unloading, corresponding to the Coulomb Failure Stress change induced by Earth tides on optimally oriented faults. According to the method, the LURR time series usually climb to an anomalously high peak prior to occurrence of a large earthquake. Previous studies have indicated that the size of critical seismogenic region selected for LURR measurements has great influence on the evaluation of LURR. In this study, we replace the circular region usually adopted in LURR practice with an area within which the tectonic stress change would mostly affect the Coulomb stress on a potential seismogenic fault of a future event. The Coulomb stress change before a hypothetical earthquake is calculated based on a simple back-slip dislocation model of the event. This new algorithm, by combining the LURR method with our choice of identified area with increased Coulomb stress, is devised to improve the sensitivity of LURR to measure criticality of stress accumulation before a large earthquake. Retrospective tests of this algorithm on four large earthquakes occurred in California over the last two decades show remarkable enhancement of the LURR precursory anomalies. For some strong events of lesser magnitudes occurred in the same neighborhoods and during the same time periods, significant anomalies are found if circular areas are used, and are not found if increased Coulomb stress areas are used for LURR data selection. The unique feature of this algorithm may provide stronger constraints on forecasts of the size and location of future large events.     

3-D seismic structure of the source area of the 1993 Latur, India, earthquake and its implications for rupture nucleations

The Latur earthquake (M_w 6.1) of 29 September 1993 is a rare stable continental region (SCR) earthquake that occurred on a previously unknown blind fault. In this study, we determined detailed three-dimensional (3-D) P- and S-wave velocity (V_p, V_s) and Poisson's ratio (σ) structures by inverting the first P- and S-wave high-quality arrival time data from 142 aftershocks that were recorded by a network of temporary seismic stations. The source zone of the Latur earthquake shows strong lateral heterogeneities in V_p, V_s and σ structures, extending in a volume of about 90 × 90 × 15 km³. The mainshock occurred within, but near the boundary, of a low-V_p, high-V_s and low-σ zone. This suggests that the structural asperities at the mainshock hypocenter are associated with a partially fluid-saturated fractured rock in a previously unknown source zone with intersecting fault surfaces. This might have triggered the 1993 Latur mainshock and its aftershock sequence. Our results are in good agreement with other geophysical studies that suggest high conductivity and high concentration of radiogenic helium gas beneath the source zone of the Latur earthquake. Our study provides an additional evidence for the presence of fluid related anomaly at the hidden source zone of the Latur earthquake in the SCR and helps us understand the genesis of damaging earthquakes in the SCR of the world.     

西北旅游落后现状的突破及列车旅游的新思路--兼论"西部之星"旅游列车的产品设计

近几年，西北地区的旅游业虽然取得了很大的成绩，但其发展相对于东部地区却显得落后，其主要原因之一就是西北地区的旅游资源过于分散，景点间距过大，由此导致游览行程过长，游览内容单薄，这在客观上影响了游客的选择。而与此同时，在国外，列车旅游早已作为各国旅游业的重要旅游产品为世人所熟知。文章从分析我国西北旅游业发展的现状入手，针对景点分散这一制约我国西部旅游业发展的客观不利因素，肯定了开发旅游列车产品的思路。作者以西北地区为例，结合目前我国旅游专列发展现状，提出开通“西部之星”旅游列车的构想，并进行了初步的设计。     

Climate change in Mt. Qomolangma region since 1971

Using monthly average, maximum, minimum air temperature and monthly precipitation data from 5 weather stations in Mt. Qomolangma region in China from 1971 to 2004, climatic linear trend, moving average, low-pass filter and accumulated variance analysis methods, the spatial and temporal patterns of the climatic change in this region were analyzed. The main findings can be summarized as follows: (1) There is obvious ascending tendency for the interannual change of air temperature in Mt. Qomolangma region and the ascending tendency of Tingri, the highest station, is the most significant. The rate of increasing air temperature is 0.234 oC/decade in Mt. Qomolangma region, 0.302 oC/decade in Tingri. The air temperature increases more strongly in non-growing season. (2) Compared with China and the global average, the warming of Mt. Qomolangma region occurred early. The linear rates of temperature increase in Mt. Qomolangma region exceed those for China and the global average in the same period. This is attributed to the sensitivity of mountainous regions to climate change. (3) The southern and northern parts of Mt. Qomolangma region are quite different in precipitation changes. Stations in the northern part show increasing trends but are not statistically significant. Nyalam in the southern part shows a decreasing trend and the sudden decreasing of precipitation occurred in the early 1990s. (4) Compared with the previous studies, we find that the warming of Mt. Qomolangma high-elevation region is most significant in China in the same period. The highest automatic meteorological comprehensive observation station in the world set up at the base camp of Mt. Qomolangma with a height of 5032 m a.s.l will play an important role in monitoring the global climate change.     

Berriasian (Lower Cretaceous) brachiopods from the Crimea

Four successive assemblages of Berriasian brachiopods distinguished for the first time in the Crimea are correlated with concurrent subdivisions of the ammonoid scale. Berriasian brachiopods are represented by 44 species of 27 genera and 14 families, which are most complete in terms of taxonomic composition as compared to other concurrent brachiopod faunas known elsewhere. The assemblages are dominated by local species. As is proved, the Berriasian brachiopods studied are appropriate for age determination, subdivision and correlation of their host deposits. Their geographic distribution that has been analyzed elucidates connections of the Berriasian sea basins within the Mediterranean paleozoogeographic region.