Late Holocene vertical land motion and relative sea‐level changes: lessons from the British Isles

Vertical land motion caused by continuing glacial isostatic adjustment is one of several important components of sea‐level change and is not limited just to previously glaciated regions. A national‐scale analysis for the British Isles shows an ellipse of present‐day relative uplift (relative sea‐level fall), ～1.2 mm a^?1, broadly centred on the deglaciated mountains of Scotland. The pattern of three foci of relative subsidence, ～1 mm a^?1, results from the additional interactions of the deglacial meltwater load on the Atlantic basin and the continental shelf, and the signal due to far‐field ice sheets. At a local scale, sediment compaction can more than double the rate of relative land subsidence. Relative land‐level change (the negative of relative sea‐level change) is not the same as vertical land motion. There is a spatial pattern in the difference between relative land‐level change and vertical land motion, with differences at present of approximately ?0.1 to ?0.3 mm a^?1 around the British Isles and +2.5 to ?1.5 mm a^?1 globally. For the wider scientific and user community, whether or not the differences are considered significant will depend upon the location, time frame and spatial scale of the study that uses such information. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

武汉市陆家街地面塌陷的形成机制

发生于武汉市陆家街的地面塌陷,是隐伏岩溶区的一种地质灾害,由于它与人类工程及社会经济活动有关,所以也是一种环境工程地质问题。用潜蚀机制解释这种现象较为合理,它是一个累进变形破坏过程。地面塌陷的发生与一定的地质、地貌条件密切相关。在搞清地面塌陷的形成机制、地质背景和发生条件的基础上,这种地质灾害是可以预测和防治的。     

闽粤台沿海北西西向最新构造带与大震构造背景

闽粤台沿海自台湾运动以来逐渐形成了多条北西西向隆起—拗陷的最新活动构造带,与已知的北东—北北东向隆起、拗陷带构成了区域性镶嵌构造格局。 研究区内除板块相互碰撞、俯冲及上地幔物质上涌形成大震构造背景外,莫霍面隆起或隆起断距大、低速层厚、地壳变薄、近两、三千年地表抬升差异活动显著以及台东近海有北西西向构造活动等,也都是发生大震的重要构造背景     

Nonseismic phenomena in the generation and augmentation of tsunamis

While earthquakes generate about 90% of all tsunamis, volcanic activity, landslides, explosions, and other nonseismic phenomena can also result in tsunamis. There have been 53 000 reported deaths as a result of tsunamis generated by landslides and volcanoes. No death tolls are available for many events, but reports indicate that villages, islands, and even entire civilizations have disappeared. Some of the highest tsunami wave heights ever observed were produced by landslides. In the National Geophysical Data Center world-wide tsunami database, there are nearly 200 tsunami events in which nonseismic phenomena played a major role. In this paper, we briefly discuss a variety of nonseismic phenomena that can result in tsunamis. We discuss the magnitude of the disasters that have resulted from such events, and we discuss the potential for reducing such disasters by education and warning systems.     

Hydrogeologic role in sinkhole development in the desert of Kuwait

Sinkhole development is unlikely in desert areas with very low precipitation. However, a few cases of land subsidence and sinkhole development took place within the suburbs of Kuwait City. A few sinkholes developed in a sudden and rapid way, leading to great economic losses. In this paper the mechanism and causes of such a land subsidence are described. Decline in groundwater level and downward infiltration of excess irrigation are suggested to be the main factors in the development of the land subsidence in Kuwait. Urbanization and excessive garden irrigation are most probably the triggers of the sudden and rapid land subsidence.     

Cyclic sedimentation and climatically caused sea-level changes in the Late Palaeozoic of Central Europe

Significant short-term fluctuations are characteristic of geological history since Precambrian times. Only the younger Quaternary climatic fluctuations are known in more detail as a result of a high grade time resolution. Climatic change can also be postulated with respect to older, cold periods during which polar inland ice sheets developed. From a discussion of endogene and exogene interpretations it is shown that global climatic changes, and the sea-level changes induced by them, as well as changes in the position and extent of climatic zones throughout the world provide a control mechanism for sedimentation which is consistent with cyclic sedimentation in Late Palaeozoic times, and also if the basin subsides non-cyclically. The model allows an explanation of the development of the Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary cycles without numerous short-term vertical oscillations of the earth's crust. In reality, exogene and endogene controls on sedimentation act together in great variety of combinations.     

Stresses and displacements due to underground mining using a finite element procedure

Summary A two dimensional finite element procedure is applied to simulate a coal mining excavation sequence. A procedure with linear solution steps is developed and applied to an idealized mountain cross-section with exceptionally thick coal seams and large dip angle. The results provide information on pillar pressure, floor and roof stability, displacement characteristics and surface subsidence.The results presented here were obtained in the course of research sponsored by the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Grant No. 69-2570.     

影响生油门限深度的地质因素

本文根据三水盆地下第三系心组有机地化资料的分析,确定其生油门限深度为400米。进一步讨论了影响我国东部第三系含油气盆地成油门限值的几种地质因素。提出这些年青的盆地只要具有高地温梯度、高沉降速度、埋深大、剥蚀少就能在较短时间中形成油气。     

引黄入晋工程大梁水库坝基黄土湿陷变形特征及对工程的影响

引黄入晋工程大梁水库坝基存在大面积厚层上更新统（Q3）黄土。通过大量试验数据统计,湿陷起始压力、湿陷系数峰值的研究,以及不同埋深黄土微观结构的扫描电子显微镜研究,证实黄土的湿陷主要受架空孔隙的控制,随着土层埋深的加大,黄土结构逐渐由架空结构向局部架空或架空镶嵌型结构转变,因而湿陷性也逐渐减弱,为坝基黄土工程处理措施提供了依据。     

西影井水位特异动态的成因初析

西影井水位自1974－1978年三次井溢后，1989年9月以来又出现了一次大起大落的特异变化。很多学者都十分关注这罕见的现象，并认为是区域应力增强所致的。经过多年的调查与分析，笔者认为是大量抽取地下水引起的地面沉降与地裂并由此导致地下岩层的层间错动与井管变形破坏的结果。