INITIATION OF SEDIMENT MOTION IN LAMINAR OVERLAND FLOW

IINTRODUCTIONWhileriverflowsareusuallydeepandturbulent,overlandflowisextremelyshallowandcanbelaminar,transitionalandturbulent.Becauseoftheshallownessoftheflolw,overlandflowhydraulicsisgreatlyaffectedbysurfaceroughness,raindropimpact,andinthecaseoflaminarflow,flui(Iviscosity.Theinitiationofsedimentmovementinoverlandflowisthereforeexpectedtodifferfromthatinriverflows.InriverstUdies,bedshearStressgbhastraditionallybeenusedtocharacterizethecriticalflowconditionatwhichsedimentbeginstomove.At…     

Landslides associated with the colluvial soils overlying the Natal Group in the greater Durban region of Natal, South Africa

In the last 25 years, many of the landslides that have occurred in the greater Durban region have been associated with the colluvial soils overlying the Natal Group, most of which occurred during the very heavy rains of September 1987. Subsequently, a very heavy rainfall event in February 1999 also gave rise to landslides. In fact, prior to 1987 these colluvial soils were considered relatively stable. A critical precipitation coefficient has been developed which included the cumulative precipitation up to a landslide event. In addition, an attempt has been made to establish a threshold value for triggering of landslides for the colluvial soils from a study of pluviometric data. The results indicate that when a rainfall event exceeds 12% of the mean annual rainfall, small-scale landslides are likely to occur. When a rainfall event is greater than 16% of the mean annual rainfall, a moderate number of landslides take place. Major landslides are associated with rainfall events with intensities in excess of 20% of the mean annual precipitation. An example of a landslide which occurred on the Natal Group due to construction operations is provided, as well as an account of those which took place during September 1987. In the latter case, most of the slides took the form of mudflows and were responsible for some of the worst damage which has occurred in the Durban region. The colluvial soils involved were relatively thin and therefore became quickly saturated by the heavy rainfall. In some places the situation was further aggravated by liquefaction of the soils. Received: 15 June 1999 · Accepted: 30 August 1999     

The role of syntectonic sedimentation in the evolution of doubly vergent thrust wedges and foreland folds

This paper shows the evolution of time-constrained two-dimensional scaled analogue models of doubly vergent thrust systems in the presence of syntectonic sedimentation. Two sets of experiments were considered: (1) the addition of a syntectonic layer composed of a polymer and overlying sand in the prowedge; and (2) the addition to the previous condition of a progradational sedimentary load. Results from the first set of experiments indicate that the foreland fold-and-thrust belt has a strong relationship with the competence of the syntectonic layers. When the competence is low, the deformation produces tight asymmetric detachment-folds. As the competence increases, the fold-and-thrust belt shows break-trough folds with longer and better defined foreland-vergence. Results from the second set of experiments indicate that structural vergence is determined by the sense of progradation of the syntectonic layers, and in the case of strong aggradation at the prowedge, extension and reactive diapirism form contemporaneously with the contraction. Three end-members are proposed for mountain front thrust systems formed in the presence of syntectonic polymer and sand sedimentation: (1) outcropping fold-and-thrust belt sequence, in the case of no syntectonic sedimentation; (2) long displacement blind-thrust sheets, in the case of under-filled basins and (3) short displacement blind-thrust sheets, in the case of over-filled basins. All results indicate that ductile units at the base of syntectonic layers increase the displacement of the underlying frontal thrusts at the prowedge, and reduce the critical taper. Results also indicate that at very high sedimentary rates and hyper-critical taper conditions the prowedge collapses. Conclusions drawn from this research may be applied as an analogue to foreland evolution and to evaluate hydrocarbon generation, migration, and entrapment in thrust belts in areas where seismic imaging is generally poor.     

The dynamic effects of moisture on the entrainment and transport of sand by wind

There is an increasing awareness of the influence of surface moisture on aeolian entrainment and transport of sediment. Existing wind tunnel studies have shown the impact of a limited range of moisture contents on entrainment thresholds but similar investigations are lacking in the field. The research reported here investigated the influence of changes in surface moisture content on sand entrainment and transport on a meso-tidal beach in Anglesey, North Wales.High frequency (1 Hz) wind velocities measured with hot-wire anemometers were combined with grain impact data from a Sensit monitor and mass flux measurements from a standard sand trap. Surface and near-surface moisture contents were assessed gravimetrically from surface sand scrapes and also directly by using a ThetaProbe. Critical threshold values for entrainment were specified using a modified form of the time fraction equivalence method (Stout, J.E., Zobeck, T.M., 1996a. Establishing the threshold condition for soil movement in wind-eroding fields. Proceedings of the International Conference on Air Pollution from Agricultural Operations. MWPS C-3, Kansas City, 7–9 February 1996, pp. 65–71).Results indicate a time-dependent change in dominant control of the sand transport system from moisture to wind speed, dependent upon the moisture content of the surface sediment. This interchange between controlling parameters on both entrainment and transport was very sensitive to prevailing moisture conditions and took place over a period of minutes to hours. Under conditions experienced in the experiments presented here, the critical moisture threshold for sediment entrainment was determined to be between 4% and 6%, higher than the 1–4% specified in previous wind tunnel experiments. Furthermore, a moisture content of nearly 2% (where moisture was adhered to transported sediment) appeared to have little or no impact on the rate of sand flux.     

鄂尔多斯盆地安塞地区长6段低孔渗储层动态评价

油气充注后,由于机械压实、胶结交代作用导致储层物性变差,因此,低孔渗储层现今的储层特征并不能反映成藏期的储层特征。而常规储层评价主要以现今静态评价为主,并未考虑到成藏后储层的演化过程及成藏条件,因此不能很好地解释储层的含油气性。鉴于此,本文提出了适用于油气勘探阶段的低孔渗储层动态评价的新思路,在成藏期储层物性恢复的基础上,将储层临界物性作为划分油气充注有效储层和无效储层的界限,把储层划分为有效储层与无效储层：无效储层无论大多的充注动力,油气也不能充注,有效储层的含油气性还受控于充注动力。临界成藏解释图版定量地反映了储层物性与临界注入压力之间的耦合关系。根据成藏动力学平衡原理,本文利用临界成藏解释图版很好地解释了安塞地区长6段储层的含油性。该储层动态评价方法对指导致密油储层勘探具有重要意义。     

有限水分胁迫对小麦生长状况的影响及合理灌溉的土壤相对湿度指标

在人工控制水分条件下 ,通过田间小间隔不同水分等级和持续时间试验 ,分析了水分胁迫对小麦生理、生态及产量的影响 ,探讨了小麦对不同水分胁迫后复水的滞后作用和补偿效应 ,得出了有利于小麦高产、高效的轻度水分胁迫临界土壤相对湿度指标为 55% .     

地震临界现象及相关尺度增长定量检测方法研究综述

当前作为强震前的典型特征, 临界阶段地震活动的相关长度增长及主震周围矩释放加速(AMR)现象近年来受到广泛关注及普遍认可。 但近期部分震例研究显示, 在震中周围的大尺度范围内检测到矩释放加速的现象, 而在震中附近较小区域又可检测到矩释放减速的现象。 该文拟对地震活动相关以及临界状态的研究状况, 主震前震区周围大范围矩释放加速和小范围矩释放减速定量化检测的国内外研究状况以及研究中所存在的问题作了综述。     

湖北省山洪灾害临界雨量及降雨区划研究

统计分析了湖北省历史上327次山洪灾害个例,指出湖北省山洪灾害主要位于鄂西南武陵山及鄂东南幕阜山一带,主要集中在梅雨和盛夏期间,与湖北省主要暴雨区及暴雨集中期相一致。选取1980年以来较典型的80次山洪灾害个例,对气象站和水文站雨量进行对比分析,发现气象站雨量在70 mm以上时,二者比较接近;在30 mm以下时,二者差异非常大。山洪灾害临界雨量综合计算方法能较有效地提高山洪灾害气象站临界雨量精度。对山洪灾害临界雨量与不同频率的设计雨量及其它一些暴雨参数值进行综合分析,确定了湖北省山洪灾害降雨区划。     

Spatio‐temporal heterogeneity in soil water stable isotopic composition and its ecohydrologic implications in semiarid ecosystems

Spatio‐temporal heterogeneity in soil water content is recognized as a common phenomenon, but heterogeneity in the hydrogen and oxygen isotope composition of soil water, which can reveal processes of water cycling within soils, has not been well studied. New advances are being driven by measurement approaches allowing sampling with high density in both space and time. Using in situ soil water vapour probe techniques, combined with conventional soil and plant water vacuum distillation extraction, we monitored the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic composition of soil and plant waters at paired sites dominated by grasses and Gambel's oak (Quercus gambelii) within a semiarid montane ecosystem over the course of a growing season. We found that sites spaced only 20 m apart had profoundly different soil water isotopic and volumetric conditions. We document patterns of depth‐ and time‐explicit variation in soil water isotopic conditions at these sites and consider mechanisms for the observed heterogeneity. We found that soil water content and isotopic variability were damped under Q. gambelii, perhaps due in part to hydraulic redistribution of deep soil water or groundwater by Q. gambelii in these soils relative to the grass‐dominated site. We also found some support for H isotope discrimination effects during water uptake by Q. gambelii. In this ecosystem, the soil water content was higher than that at the neighbouring Grass site, and thus, 25% more water was available for transpiration by Q. gambelii compared with the Grass site. This work highlights the role of plants in governing soil water variation and demonstrates that they can also strongly influence the isotope ratios of soil water. The resulting fine‐scale heterogeneity has implications for the use of isotope tracers to study soil hydrology and evaporation and transpiration fluxes to improve understanding of water cycling through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum.     

Soil moisture response to rainfall on the Chinese Loess Plateau after a long‐term vegetation rehabilitation

The Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is a unique Critical Zone with deep loess deposits, where soil moisture is primarily replenished by seasonal monsoon rainfall. However, the role of vegetation, coupled with complex topography, on rainwater infiltration on the CLP, especially after long‐term revegetation for controlling erosion, is inadequately quantified. Over the growing season of 2016, we monitored soil moisture at the 30‐min interval at 5 depths (10, 20, 40, 60, and 100 cm) in an afforested catchment and a nearby catchment with natural regrowth of grasses. Two monitoring sites were established in each catchment, one in the downhill gully and the other in the uphill slope. We found that vegetation, topography, and rainfall attributes together determined rainwater infiltration and soil moisture replenishment. An accumulated rainfall amount of 9 mm was required to trigger soil moisture response at 10‐cm depth at the 2 grassland sites and the forestland uphill‐slope site whereas 14 mm of rainfall was required for the forestland gully site covered by dense undergrowth and trees. Rainfall events with larger sums and higher peak intensities permitted rainwater infiltration to deeper soil depths. However, no rain recharged soil moisture to 100‐cm depth during the monitoring period. The forestland uphill‐slope site showed the deepest wetting depth (up to 60‐cm depth), fastest wetting‐front velocity (up to 4 cm/hr below 10‐cm depth), and the most significant soil moisture increase (up to 15% cm ³ cm^?3 increase at 10‐cm depth) after rainfall in the growing season. The grassland gully site had the highest soil water storage, whereas soil moisture was depleted the most at the forestland gully site. Findings of this study reveal the transient dynamics of soil moisture after rainfall on the CLP, which signifies the role of revegetation on rainwater infiltration in the loess Critical Zone.