Coal mining along the Warfield Fault, Mingo County, West Virginia: a tale of ups and downs

Mine development along a 15-mile (24 km) section of the Warfield Fault in Mingo County, West Virginia has broadened the geological understanding of the fault and its related structures. The fault has been exposed in two new road cuts, one in the northeast-trending segment at Neely Branch and one in the eastern east-trending segment at the head of Marrowbone Creek. Both exposures show a well-defined normal fault with a 45° to 55° N dip, juxtaposing sandstone/shale packages from the roof and the floor of the Coalburg seam. The fault is associated with a thin gouge zone, some drag folding, and parallel jointing. Its trace tends to run parallel to the crest of the adjacent Warfield Anticline. Based on underground mine development and detailed core drilling, the vertical offset along the fault plane ranges from a maximum of 240 ft (73 m) in the central part of the area near the structural bend to less than 100 ft (30 m) in western and eastern directions. The fault is located along the relatively steeply dipping (locally in excess of 25%) southern limb of the Warfield Anticline, and appears related to a late phase of extension involving folded Pennsylvanian strata. On a regional scale, the lithological variations across the fault do not suggest any appreciable strike-slip component.Underground room and pillar mines in the Coalburg seam north and south of the fault have been greatly impacted by the Warfield structures. Due to the combined (and opposite) effects of the folding and faulting, the northern mines are located up to 400 ft (125 m) higher in elevation than the southern ones. Overland conveyor belts connect mining blocks separated by the fault. The practical mining limit along the steep slopes toward the fault is around 15%. Subsidiary normal faults with offsets in the 5- to 15-ft (1.5–4.5 m) range are fairly common and form major roof control and production hurdles. Overall, the Warfield structures pose an extra challenge to mine development in this part of the Appalachian Coalfields.     

Can flat-ramp-flat fault geometry be inferred from fold shape?: A comparison of kinematic and mechanical folds

The inference of fault geometry from suprajacent fold shape relies on consistent and verified forward models of fault-cored folds, e.g. suites of models with differing fault boundary conditions demonstrate the range of possible folding. Results of kinematic (fault-parallel flow) and mechanical (boundary element method) models are compared to ascertain differences in the way the two methods simulate flexure associated with slip along flat-ramp-flat geometry. These differences are assessed by systematically altering fault parameters in each model and observing subsequent changes in the suprajacent fold shapes. Differences between the kinematic and mechanical fault-fold relationships highlight the differences between the methods. Additionally, a laboratory fold is simulated to determine which method might best predict fault parameters from fold shape. Although kinematic folds do not fully capture the three-dimensional nature of geologic folds, mechanical models have non-unique fold-fault relationships. Predicting fault geometry from fold shape is best accomplished by a combination of the two methods.     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前青藏块体边界断层异常活动

系统分析了青藏块体边界断层的形变资料，研究了断层活动的动态过程及空间分布。结果表明，昆仑山口西8．1级地震前孕震影响范围达到青藏块体的周边地区；发震断层所在的构造带震前断层活动最为剧烈；加强对构造块体断层整体活动的宏观动态比较和分析，有助于判定未来强震发生的危险地段；震后应力将转移并集中到西秦岭构造带及其邻近地区。     

内蒙古色尔腾山山前断裂带乌加河段古地震活动

通过对色尔腾山山前断裂带乌加河段断层地貌研究，并结合前人对断裂带断裂活动性的工作，分析得到乌加河活动断裂段晚更新世晚期(距今1.445～2.234万年)以来平均垂直位移速率是0.48～0.75 mm/a，全新世早中期以来(距今5 570～8 830年)平均垂直位移速率是0.56～ 0.88 mm/a．利用5个探槽中揭露的古地震现象，结合前人对该断裂带古地震的研究结果，分析确定出2.7万年以来，色尔腾山山前断裂乌加河段共揭露出5次古地震事件，重复间隔约为4 300～4 400年．距今8 000～9 000年之间可能为一个古地震丛，而距今1～2万年之间可能遗漏了两次古地震事件．对比断层陡坎的高度与探槽中揭示出古地震事件的位移和，以及由断层平均位移速率和一次事件的位移得到古地震的重复间隔，得到阿拉盖兔探槽中缺失了3次古地震事件，整个活动断裂段上可能缺失了两次古地震事件．      

2001年11月14日昆仑山口西8.1级地震前地震活动性异常及其思考s

2001年11月14日在昆仑山口西发生了8.1级地震，震中位置为90.9E、36.2N．分析表明，8.1级地震前一些主要地震活动性异常都出现了，例如空区、条带、增强、平静和震群等，且与7级大震比较，这些前兆图象的演变具有类似的过程，所不同的是8.1级地震的前兆地震活动图象涉及的区域范围更大、地震震级更高，这为特大地震的前兆识别和预报提供了依据．最后回顾了对这次大震的粗略预测，并讨论了有关大震预测的某些问题．      

山西大同盆地口泉断裂全新世古地震活动

野外调查表明 ,口泉断裂断错了断面附近的 3级地貌面 ,包括大同盆地西侧全新世形成的洪积扇后缘及位于洪积扇冲沟内的Ⅰ ,Ⅱ级阶地。其中冲沟内Ⅱ级阶地为剥蚀阶地 ,Ⅰ级阶地为堆积阶地 ,Ⅰ级阶地面的地层时代距今 2 52ka。在该断裂的悟道及上黄庄 2个地点开挖的大探槽表明 ,在距今 1 2 3万年以来该断裂曾发生 4次古地震事件 ,其中 3次分别发生在接近距今 2 52 ,5 6 8,13 73ka。另一次古地震事件发生在距今 6 76～ 10 82ka。这些数据有可能反映了口泉断裂具备准周期的强震活动。这 4次古地震事件的平均间隔约为 3 74ka ,最新一次古地震与上一次事件的时间间隔约为 3 16ka。 2个大探槽各次事件的平均最小同震垂直位移为 1 8m。这些资料对重新评价口泉断裂未来的地震潜势具有重要意义     

断层泥分形结构与断层运行特征

介绍了西秦岭北缘断裂带东段和海原断裂带西段的天然断层泥的分形方法和结果，并对断层泥的粒度分布特征与断层运动特性的关系进行了探讨。     

香港地区断裂构造的新活动性

香港地区主要分布有北东东－近东西、北东和北西向三维断裂。北东向断裂分布全区，燕山期有过强烈活动，第四纪早－中期仍有过活动，以后的活动性不明显。其余两组构造虽然具有不同的发展历史，但在新构造运动中为一组共轭构造。在晚更新世（距今９－１１万年）仍有明显活动全新世以来活动性相对较弱，全新世滑动速度为０．６－０．９ｍｍ／ａ     

禾青井动水位对断层蠕动与慢地震过程的响应初析

以湖南禾青井深井水位观测的异常图象为例进行定性分析，发现动水位观测有可能直接反映出断层的滑动或断层的慢地震过程，前者可能为地下水物理参量的观测与研究提供亲折思路，后者则可能对震源物理学的发展和地震预报水平的提高具有特殊的意义。     

利用黄土剖面的古土壤年龄研究毛毛山断裂的滑动速率

利用１４Ｃ、热释光（ＴＬ）样品年代及扩散方程计算结果，结合区域黄土剖面中古土壤年龄，对毛毛山地区晚第四纪各级地貌年龄进行了对比研究。根据毛毛山活动断裂水平位移和垂直位移分布明显的分组特征，求得毛毛山断裂带不同段落不同时段的平均滑动速率。大约自中更新世晚期以来，毛毛山断裂走滑段的平均水平滑动速率为２．３～３．９ｍｍ／ａ，垂直滑动速率为０．０７～０．１９ｍｍ／ａ；天祝盆地倾滑段垂直滑动速率为０．１１～０．８６ｍｍ／ａ。沿断裂带滑动速率具明显的非均匀性特点，表现为自东向西水平位移具累积滑动亏损特征，垂直位移则具补偿性