Age and associated stress field of middle Miocene back-arc basalt magmatism in Northeast Japan

A large volume of middle Miocene basaltic rocks is widely distributed across the back-arc region of Northeast Japan, including around the Dewa Mountains. Petrological research has shown that basaltic rocks of the Aosawa Formation around the Dewa Mountains were generated as a result of the opening of the Sea of Japan. To determine the precise ages of the middle Miocene basaltic magmatism, we conducted U–Pb and fission-track (FT) dating of a rhyolite lava that constitutes the uppermost part of the Aosawa Formation. In addition, we estimated the paleostress field of the volcanism using data from a basaltic dike swarm in the same formation. The rhyolite lava yields a U–Pb age of 10.73 ±0.22 Ma (2σ) and a FT age of 10.6 ±1.6 Ma (2σ), and the paleostress analysis suggests a normal-faulting stress regime with a NW–SE-trending σ₃-axis, a relatively high stress ratio, and a relatively high magma pressure. Our results show that the late Aosawa magmatism occurred under NW–SE extensional stress and ended at ~ 11 Ma.     

Geochemistry,geochronology, and zircon Hf isotopes of Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous granitoids in the Xing'an Massif,NE China: Implication for the Late Mesozoic tectonic evolution and crustal growth

This paper presents new zircon U–Pb geochronological, Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical data for the granitic plutons in the Xing'an Massif, Northeast China, to constrain the Late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean and the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. The zircon U–Pb ages indicate that the granitoids emplaced during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The granodiorites show an adakitic affinity with high Sr/Y ratios and low Yb (< 1.30 μg/g) contents. The monzogranites exhibit high SiO₂, low MgO contents, enrichment in LILEs (Rb, K, and Th), and depletion in HSFEs (Ta, Nb, Zr, P, and Ti). Petrological and geochemical features of these monzogranites suggest that they are highly fractionated I-type granitoids. In addition, the zircon ε_Hf(t) values and two-stage model ages (T_DM2 ) are in the range of +2.6 to +8.1 and 669–1011 Ma, respectively, indicating that primary magma was generated by partial melting of juvenile lower-crustal materials, and there was a significant crustal growth in the Phanerozoic in the Northeast China. Combined with the coeval granitoids widely exposed in the Xing'an Massif, we conclude that the Late Jurassic magma in Northeast China was generated in an extensional setting related to the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean, but the Early Cretaceous magma was related to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.     

A method for generating contour tree based on voronoi interior adjacency

A contour tree is a good graphical tool for representing the spatial relations of contour lines and has many applications in map generalization, map annotation, terrain analysis, etc. A new method for generating contour trees by introducing a Voronoi-based interior adjacency concept is proposed in this paper. The immediate interior adjacency set is employed to identify all of the children contours of each contour without contour elevations. It has advantages over existing methods such as the geometric method and the region growing-based method.     

Detection and monitoring of offshore oil seeps using ERS/ENVISAT SAR/ASAR data and seep-seismic studies in Krishna–Godavari offshore basin,India

An attempt has been made to use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for detection and monitoring of offshore oil seeps in the eastern offshore areas of the Krishna–Godavari Basin, which has been supplemented and correlated with collateral free-air gravity and seismic data. Images of the study area obtained from ENVISAT ASAR image mode were processed and analysed in detail. A number of natural oil seepages were identified and distinguished from pollution and biogenic slicks. These were subsequently studied using different parameters to assign various degrees of confidence. The repetitiveness of the identified seepages was studied and a total of five areas of seep repetitions had been recognized in the study area. The seeps that are repeated in images of different dates are more likely to be of natural origin than others. Simulation and modelling of a particular oil slick arising has been attempted over the Krishna–Godavari offshore using MIKE 21 software.     

Hydrological behaviour of a drained agricultural peat catchment in the tropics. 2: Time series transfer function modelling approach

Abstract

Transfer function models of the rainfall–runoff relationship with various complexities are developed to investigate the hydrological behaviour of a tropical peat catchment that has undergone continuous drainage for a long time. The study reveals that a linear transfer function model of order one and noise term of ARIMA (1,0,0) best represents the monthly rainfall–runoff relationship of a drained peat catchment. The best-fitted transfer function model is capable of illustrating the cumulative hydrological effects of the catchment when subjected to drainage. Transfer function models of daily rainfall–runoff relationships for each year of the period 1983–1993 are also developed to decipher the changes in hydrological behaviour of the catchment due to drainage. The results show that the amount of rain water temporarily stored in the peat soil decreased and the catchment has become more responsive to rainfall over the study period.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor D. Hughes

Citation Katimon, A., Shahid, S., Abd Wahab, A.K., and Shabri, A., 2013. Hydrological behaviour of a drained agricultural peat catchment in the tropics. 2: Time series transfer function modelling approach. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (6), 1310–1325.     

Climate change impacts on groundwater hydrology – where are the main uncertainties and can they be reduced?

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses how various sources of uncertainty propagate through the uncertainty cascade from emission scenarios through climate models and hydrological models to impacts, with a particular focus on groundwater aspects from a number of coordinated studies in Denmark. Our results are similar to those from surface water studies showing that climate model uncertainty dominates the results for projections of climate change impacts on streamflow and groundwater heads. However, we found uncertainties related to geological conceptualization and hydrological model discretization to be dominant for projections of well field capture zones, while the climate model uncertainty here is of minor importance. How to reduce the uncertainties on climate change impact projections related to groundwater is discussed, with an emphasis on the potential for reducing climate model biases through the use of fully coupled climate–hydrology models.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor not assigned     

Ant colony optimization of tuned mass dampers for earthquake oscillations of high-rise structures including soil–structure interaction

This paper investigates the optimized parameters for tuned mass dampers (TMDs) to decrease the earthquake vibrations of tall buildings; involving soil–structure interaction (SSI) effects. The time domain analysis based on Newmark method is employed in this study. To illustrate the results, Tabas and Kobe earthquakes data are applied to the model, and ant colony optimization (ACO) method is utilized to obtain the best parameters for TMD. The TMD mass, damping coefficient and spring stiffness are assumed as design variables, and the objective is to reduce both the maximum displacement and acceleration of stories. It is shown that how the ACO can be effectively applied to design the optimum TMD device. It is also indicated that the soil type greatly affects the TMD optimized parameters and the time response of structures. This study helps the researchers to better understanding of earthquake vibrations, and leads the designers to achieve the optimized TMD for high-rise buildings.     

Seismic soil–pile–structure kinematic and inertial interaction—A new beam approach

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the accuracy of an advanced beam model for the soil–pile–structure kinematic and inertial interaction and demonstrate its efficiency and advantages compared to other commonly used beam or solid models. Within this context, a Beam on Nonlinear Winkler Foundation model is adopted based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM), accounting for the effects induced by geometrical nonlinearity, rotary inertia and shear deformation, employing the concept of shear deformation coefficients. The soil nonlinearity is taken into consideration by means of a hybrid spring configuration consisting of a nonlinear (p–y) spring connected in series to an elastic spring–damper model. The nonlinear spring captures the near-field plastification of the soil while the spring–damper system (Kelvin–Voigt element) represents the far-field viscoelastic character of the soil. An extensive case study is carried out on a pile-column–deck system of a bridge, found in two cohesive layers of sharply different stiffness and subjected to various earthquake excitations, providing insight to several phenomena. The results of the proposed model are compared with those obtained from a Beam-FE solution as well as from a rigorous fully three-dimensional (3-D) continuum FE scheme.     

Observed dynamic soil–structure interaction in scale testing of offshore wind turbine foundations

Monopile foundations have been commonly used to support offshore wind turbine generators (WTGs), but this type of foundation encounters economic and technical limitations for larger WTGs in water depths exceeding 30 m. Offshore wind farm projects are increasingly turning to alternative multipod foundations (for example tetrapod, jacket and tripods) supported on shallow foundations to reduce the environmental effects of piling noise. However the characteristics of these foundations under dynamic loading or long term cyclic wind turbine loading are not fully understood. This paper summarises the results from a series of small scaled tests (1:100, 1:150 and 1:200) of a complete National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) wind turbine model on three types of foundations: monopiles, symmetric tetrapod and asymmetric tripod. The test bed used consists of either kaolin clay or sand and up to 1.4 million loading cycles were applied. The results showed that the multipod foundations (symmetric or asymmetric) exhibit two closely spaced natural frequencies corresponding to the rocking modes of vibration in two principle axes. Furthermore, the corresponding two spectral peaks change with repeated cycles of loading and they converge for symmetric tetrapods but not for asymmetric tripods. From the fatigue design point of view, the two spectral peaks for multipod foundations broaden the range of frequencies that can be excited by the broadband nature of the environmental loading (wind and wave) thereby impacting the extent of motions. Thus the system lifespan (number of cycles to failure) may effectively increase for symmetric foundations as the two peaks will tend to converge. However, for asymmetric foundations the system life may continue to be affected adversely as the two peaks will not converge. In this sense, designers should prefer symmetric foundations to asymmetric foundations.     

Sediment jamming of a trunk stream by hyperconcentrated floods from small tributaries: case of the Upper Yellow River,China

ABSTRACT

The tributary–trunk stream relationship is investigated with respect to hyperconcentrated flows and coupled wind–water processes in the Yellow River, China. Ten small tributaries that drain only 3% of the total drainage area of the trunk stream transport large amounts of relatively coarse sediment from the desert to the trunk stream during hyperconcentrated floods. The resultant strong sedimentation often jams the trunk stream, leading to serious disasters. This study reveals the cause of this interesting phenomenon and proposes countermeasures for disaster reduction. A typical sediment-jamming event (SJE) in July 1989 was thoroughly analysed based on the observational data, including the beginning, development and final stages of the event. An index of the geomorphologic effectiveness of the tributary on the trunk stream and a number of indices describing SJEs and the influencing factors are adopted, based on which a discrimination relationship for the occurrence of SJEs is established and some statistical relationships are also established. The SJE’s hydrological and geomorphologic impacts are discussed at short timescales (from several days to one month) and at long time scales (up to 46 years). The results may help to gain a new insight into the study of the tributary–trunk stream relationship, and provide useful information for sediment management and disaster-reduction planning in the drainage basin. Countermeasures are suggested to reduce the channel sedimentation and the risk of sediment-jamming disaters.

Editor M.C. Acreman Associate editor Q. Zhang