Cretaceous length of day perturbation by mantle avalanche

These last 10 years, numerical models of mantle convection have emphasized the role of the 670 km endothermic phase change in generating avalanches that trigger catastrophic mass transfers between upper and lower mantle. On the other hand, scientists have emphasized the concomitance of large-scale worldwide geophysical and tectonic events, which could find their deep thermal roots in the huge mass transfers induced by the avalanches. In particular, the paleontological records show two periods of length of day (l.o.d.) shortening between 420 and 360, and 200 and 80 Myr BP. This last event is synchronous with a strong true polar wander and a global warming of the upper mantle. In order to study the potential effects of the avalanche on the main component of the Earth’s rotation, the Liouville equation has been solved and the l.o.d. evolution has been calculated from the perturbations of the inertia tensor. The results show that the inertia tensor of the Earth’s is mainly sensitive to the global transfers through the 670 km discontinuity. The l.o.d. perturbations will be synchronous with the global thermal effects of the avalanche. These theoretical results allow proposing a self-consistent physical mechanism to explain periods of the Earth’s rotation acceleration. Within this context, the l.o.d. shortening during the Cenozoic and Cretaceous brings one more clue to the possible participation of a mantle avalanche in generating the concomitant large scale events which have occurred during this very particular period of the Earth’s history.     

克孜尔水库大坝的面波检测

1999年 3月 15日克孜尔地震之后对克孜尔水库坝体出现的裂缝进行了面波勘探。首先介绍了面波勘探法的基本原理 ,然后通过典型剖面检测与资料处理找出异常区、带并进行解释。试验表明面波勘探法适用于克孜尔水库大坝监测     

地形变场与现代地壳垂直运动及地震活动关系初探(Ⅰ)——地形变场的计算方法和物理意义

地震与地壳形变有着密切的关系 ,但台站地倾斜资料空间连续性不好 .为此在场分析的基础上 ,利用逐步订正法将地倾斜观测资料内插到 1°× 1°的经纬度网格点 ,引入曲面总曲率的概念计算格点上的Gauss曲率 ,并推广到格点化的有限区域上得到表征曲面形态和变形强度的地表形变场 .结果表明 :该方法可以合理地弥补资料不连续的缺陷 ,并在地表形变场上捕捉到一些关键的地表形变特征 ,如地凸区、地凹区、鞍形场等 .为地震分析和预报中如何拓展和利用大范围时空信息提供了一种有益的思路 .     

拓展国际合作的视野--出席第23届IUGG大会有感

第23届IUGG大会一个突出的特点就是学科间的交叉和融合，充分反映了新世纪地球科学以实现全球变化的预测为目标，进行多学科综合研究的发展趋势。文章从IUGG内部跨学科的合作研究，IUGG与国际科联(ICSU)各专业委员会之间的合作交流，以及IUGG与政府间组织和其他国际机构的合作三个层面，简要介绍了IUGG在全球范围内开展国际合作研究的概况。在此基础上，结合我国的实际，就拓展国际合作领域，提高我国地球科学研究水平，扩大我国的国际影响等提出了相应的建议。     

玛尼7.9级地震对昆仑山口西8.1级地震的触发作用及动力背景初探

根据库仑静应力变化的概念，对青藏块体中部地区1997年11月8日玛尼7．9级地震及2001年11月14日昆仑山口西8．1级地震的应力触发作用进行了初步研究。不同震源机制解计算结果表明，玛尼地震造成了昆仑地震断层面上10^-3MPa量级的库仑应力增量，该变化仅使得昆仑地震的发生提前了最长10年左右，表明当前地壳应变能水平可能并不很低。对照20世纪初以来全球7级以上强震频度和强度演化特征与地球自转变化的关系，认为地球自转幅度衰减、变化频率升高是近期强震活动的重要控制因素。昆仑山口西8．1级地震的发生，可能是地球自转持续加速阶段后期，青藏块体内部区域应力场逐渐强化，及玛尼地震应力触发的结果。     

发展新一代矿产勘探技术——澳大利亚玻璃地球计划的启示

在全球矿产勘查日益萎缩的今天，人们极为重视发展新一代大型矿床的勘探技术。澳大利亚最近开展了一项雄心勃勃的计划，即玻璃地球计划，目的是研制三维可视化和地质模拟等技术，使大陆表层一千米“像玻璃一样透明”。该计划以信息技术为核心，注重技术之间的综合。从中得到的启示是，应以提高精度为出发点，加强矿产勘查技术综合示范工作；以信息技术为核心，大力发展三维可视化技术和模拟技术；注重多部门的协作，发挥社会主义集中力量办大事的优越性。     

Decoupled seismic analysis of an earth dam

The seismic stability of an earth dam is evaluated via the decoupled displacement analysis using the accelerograms obtained by ground response analysis to compute the earthquake-induced displacements. The response analysis of the dam is carried out under both 1D and 2D conditions, incorporating the non-linear soil behaviour through the equivalent linear method. Ten artificial and five real accelerograms were used as input motions and four different depths were assumed for the bedrock.1D and 2D response analyses were in a fair agreement with the exception of the top third of the dam where only a 2D modelling of the problem could ensure that the acceleration field is properly described. The acceleration amplification ratio obtained in the 2D analyses was equal to about 2 in all the cases considered, consistently with data from real case histories.The maximum permanent displacements computed by the sliding block analysis were small, being less than 10% of the service freeboard; a satisfactory performance of the dam can then be envisaged for any of the seismic scenarios considered in the analyses.     

Study of Triggering Action Between the Mani （Ms7.9） and the West Kunlun Mountains Pass （ Ms 8.1 ） Great Earthquakes and Their Dynamic Background

Based on Coulomb static stress variation, the stress trigging action of the Mani ( Ms7.9, Nov.1997) earthquake on the West Kuulun Mountains Pass (MsS.1, Nov. 2001 ) earthquake is researched. Results of different source mechanism resolutions show that a 10_3 MPa Coulomb stress due to the Mani earthquake was added to the fracture fault of the Kunlun earthquake, and this may shift the broken date to about 10 years earlier, and infer that the stress level in the crust is not low. Comparing the relationship between strong earthquake strength and frequency and earth rotation change, it is shown that the strength‘s decrease and the variation period‘ s shortening of earth rotation are important controlling factors on strong earthquake activity. This great event with Ms = 8.1 took place probably due to a gradual strengthening background of regional stress field within the Qinghai-Xizang block in the period of acceleration of change of day‘s length and stress triggering from the Mani earthquake.     

Anomalous Gadolinium,Cerium, and Yttrium Contents in the Adige and Isarco River Waters and in the Water of Their Tributaries (Provinces Trento and Bolzano/Bozen,NE Italy)

Rare earth patterns of surface and groundwaters near big cities often show anthropogenic Gd (Gd_ant) anomalies in addition to geogenic Ce and Y anomalies. The Gd_ant anomaly is caused by very stable organic complexes, one of which is gadopentetic acid, Gd‐DTPA. Derivatives of this and similar compounds are used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human blood system. The organic Gd complexes are stable enough to pass nearly unaffected through sewage treatment plants and are, thereafter, discharged into surface water systems. Water of the rapidly flowing Isarco/Eisack and Adige/Etsch rivers (Provinces of Trento and Bolzano/Bozen, NE Italy) and their tributaries show remarkable variations in anthropogenic Gd contents (Gd_ant). Low Gd_ant values are found on Monday and Tuesday, whereas high values are observed during the remaining weekdays. Reliable Gd_ant balances are calculated for the river system at the confluence of the Adige and its tributaries. At two places local decrease of Gd_ant indicates exfiltration of groundwater. It is demonstrated that Gd_ant can be used as a reliably conservative tracer to study the water budget in rapidly flowing alpine river systems. The studied different river waters show considerable negative Ce and positive Y anomalies. Negative Ce anomalies are caused by scavenging of Ce(III) by FeO(OH) precipitates and subsequent oxidation to CeO₂. Y anomalies are attributed to less sorption of Y than REE onto particulate matter. Thus, Y moves faster than REE. Both, Ce and Y anomalies, are of geogenic origin.