CONTROLS ON SURFACE WATER CHEMISTRY IN THE UPPER MERCED RIVER BASIN,YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK,CALIFORNIA

Surface water draining granitic bedrock in Yosemite National Park exhibits considerable variability in chemical composition, despite the relative homogeneity of bedrock chemistry. Other geological factors, including the jointing and distribution of glacial till, appear to exert strong controls on water composition. Chemical data from three surface water surveys in the upper Merced River basin conducted in August 1981, June 1988 and August 1991 were analysed and compared with mapped geological, hydrological and topographic features to identify the solute sources and processes that control water chemistry within the basin during baseflow. Water at most of the sampling sites was dilute, with alkalinities ranging from 26 to 77 μequiv. l⁻¹. Alkalinity was much higher in two subcatchments, however, ranging from 51 to 302 μequiv. l⁻¹. Base cations and silica were also significantly higher in these two catchments than in the rest of the watershed. Concentrations of weathering products in surface water were correlated to the fraction of each subcatchment underlain by surficial material, which is mostly glacial till. Silicate mineral weathering is the dominant control on concentrations of alkalinity, silica and base cations, and ratios of these constituents in surface water reflect the composition of local bedrock. Chloride concentrations in surface water samples varied widely, ranging from <1 to 96 μequiv. l⁻¹. The annual volume-weighted mean chloride concentration in the Merced River at the Happy Isles gauge from 1968 to 1990 was 26 μequiv. l⁻¹, which was five times higher than in atmospheric deposition (4–5 μequiv. l⁻¹), suggesting that a source of chloride exists within the watershed. Saline groundwater springs, whose locations are probably controlled by vertical jointing in the bedrock, are the most likely source of the chloride. Sulphate concentrations varied much less than most other solutes, ranging from 3 to 14 μequiv. l⁻¹. Concentrations of sulphate in quarterly samples collected at the watershed outlet also showed relatively little variation, suggesting that sulphate may be regulated to some extent by a within-watershed process, such as sulphate adsorption.     

南海北部陆坡峡谷区海底沉积物工程地质特征及区域稳定性评价

The upper part of the continental slope in the northern South China Sea is prone to submarine landslide disasters,especially in submarine canyons. This work studies borehole sediments, discusses geotechnical properties of sediments, and evaluates sediment stability in the study area. The results show that sediment shear strength increases with increasing depth, with good linear correlation. Variations in shear strength of sediments with burial depth have a significantly greater rate of change in the canyon head and middle part than those in the canyon bottom. For sediments at the same burial depth, shear strength gradually increased and then decreased from the head to the bottom of the canyon, and has no obvious correlation with the slope angle of the sampling site. Under static conditions, the critical equilibrium slope angle of the sediments in the middle part of the canyon is 10° to 12°, and the critical slope angle in the head and the bottom of the canyon is 7°. The results indicate that potential landslide hazard areas are mainly distributed in distinct spots or narrow strips on the canyon walls where there are high slope angles.     

IDENTIFICATION OF PALEO-EARTHQUAKES OF LUOYUNSHAN PIEDMONT FAULT BY QUANTITATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF LIMESTONE FAULT SURFACES

The quantitative analysis of morphologic characteristics of bedrock fault surface is a useful approach to study faulting history and identify paleo-earthquake. It is an effective complement to trenching technique, specially to identifying paleo-earthquakes in a bedrock area where the trenching technique cannot be applied. This paper focuses on the Luoyunshan piedmont fault, which is an active normal fault extending along the eastern boundary of the Shanxi Graben, China. There are a lot of fault scarps along the fault zone, which supply plentiful samples to be selected to our research, that is, to study faulting history and identify paleo-earthquakes in bedrock area by the quantitative analysis of morphologic characteristics of fault surfaces. In this paper, we calculate the 2D fractal dimension of two bedrock fault surfaces on the Luoyunshan piedmont fault in the Shanxi Graben, China using the isotropic empirical variance function, which is a popular method in fractal geometry. Results indicate that the fractal dimension varies systematically with height above the base of the fault surface exposures, indicating segmentation of the fault surface morphology. The 2D fractal dimension on a fault surface shows a ‘stair-like’ vertical segmentation, which is consistent with the weathering band and suggests that those fault surfaces are outcropped due to periodic faulting earthquakes. However, compared to the results of gneiss obtained by the former researchers, the characteristic fractal value of limestone shows an opposite evolution trend. 1)The paleo-earthquake study of the bedrock fault surface can be used as a supplementary method to study the activity history of faults in specific geomorphological regions. It can be used to fill the gaps in the exploration of the paleo-earthquake method in the bedrock area, and then broaden the study of active faults in space and scope. The quantitative analysis of bedrock fault surface morphology is an effective method to study faulting history and identify paleo-earthquake. The quantitative feature analysis method of the bedrock fault surface is a cost-effective method for the study of paleo-earthquakes in the bedrock fault surface. The number of weathered bands and band height can be identified by the segment number and segment height of the characteristic fractal dimension, and then the paleoearthquake events and the co-seismic displacement can be determined; 2)The exposure of the fault surface of the Luoyunshan bedrock is affected and controlled by both fault activity and erosion. A strong fault activity(ruptured earthquake)forms a segment of fault surface which is equivalent to the vertical co-seismic displacement of the earthquake. After the segment is cropped out, it suffers from the same effect of weathering and erosion, and thus this segment has approximately the same fractal dimension. Multiple severe fault activities(ruptured earthquake)form multiple fault surface topography. The long-term erosion under weak hydrodynamic conditions at the base of the fault cliff between two adjacent fault activities(intermittent period)will form a gradual slow-connect region where the fractal dimension gradually changes with the height of the fault surface. Based on the segmentation of quantitative morphology of the two fault surfaces on the Luoyunshan piedmont fault, we identified four earthquake events. Two sets of co-seismic displacement of about 3m and 1m on the fault are obtained; 3)The relationship between the fault surface morphology parameters and the time is described as follows:The fractal dimension of the limestone area decreases with the increase of the exposure time, which reflects the gradual smoothing characteristics after exposed. The phenomenon is opposite to the evolution of the geological features of gneiss faults acquired by the predecessors on the Huoshan piedmont fault; 4)Lithology plays an important role in morphology evolution of fault surface and the two opposite evolution trends of the characteristic fractal value on limestone and gneiss show that the weathering mechanism of limestone is different from that of the gneiss.     

Experiments on the morphological controls of velocity inversions in bedrock canyons

A better understanding of bedrock incision mechanisms and processes is essential to the study of long‐term landscape evolution. Yet, little is known about flow dynamics in bedrock rivers, limiting our ability to make realistic predictions of local bedrock incision rates. A recent investigation of flow through bedrock canyons of the Fraser River revealed that plunging flows, defined by the downward‐directed movement of near surface flow toward the channel bed, occur in channels that have low width‐to‐depth ratios. Plunging flows occur into deep scour pools, which are often coincident with lateral constrictions and channel spanning submerged ridges (sills). A phenomenological investigation was undertaken to reproduce the flow fields observed in the Fraser canyons and to explore morphological controls on the occurrence and relative strength of plunging flow in bedrock canyons. Our observations show that the plunging flow structure can be produced along a scour pool entrance slope by accelerating the flow at the canyon entrance either over submerged sills or through lateral constrictions. Plunging flow appears to be a function of convective deceleration into a scour pool which can be enhanced by sill height, the amount of the channel width that is constricted, pool entrance slope, discharge, and a reduction in channel width‐to‐depth ratio. Plunging flow greatly enhances the potential for incision to occur along the channel bed and is an extreme departure from the assumptions of steady, uniform flow in bedrock incision models, highlighting the need for improved formulations that account for fluid flow. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A REVIEW OF LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY ON BEDROCK AND DETRITUS FROM RIVERS AROUND THE TIBETAN PLATEAU

The large river systems are the major transfer of continental masses to the ocean and basin, playing significant roles in global geochemical cycles. The Tibetan plateau is the birthplace of many huge rivers flowing through eastern and southern Asia, in which the fluvial deposits kept not only closely relate to the geological evolution information from the source areas, but also record the river itself building process. The low-temperature thermochronology method of detrital minerals (zircon and apatite, etc.) can be used to constrain the river's source areas, establishing its source-sink system. It can also combine regional tectonic deformation analysis to determine the potential source region of the river and the formation time of the plateau geomorphology, which is a focused issue in recent years. In this study, we have summarized the research results from the large rivers in the Tibetan plateau in recent years, suggesting that the low-temperature thermochronology analysis of the detrital minerals should be focused on the river's key locations in the upstream, midstream and downstream, respectively, combining the small tributaries analysis which can give a more detailed thermal evolution history in the whole drainage basin. On the conditions of the bedrock, it is shown that in the same river's different place we should use the same low-temperature thermochronology, while in different river's places we should take several low-temperature thermochronology methods (apatite and zircon, etc.)at a same position, so we get a complete time series related to the river incision. Combining the valley bedrock and detrital river minerals with the low-temperature thermalchronology on the Tibetan plateau, together with the chronology, structure analysis and other sedimentary studies, we can obtain detailed structures and river's evolution processes.     

胶东地区地震烈度衰减关系

使用胶东及邻区地震数据,对于发生在基岩出露区的18次地震的30条可靠等震线,利用最小二乘法,拟合胶东地区地震烈度衰减关系公式。与华北地区地震烈度衰减关系进行比较,发现胶东地区地震烈度衰减较慢。胶东地区地震烈度衰减关系的建立,可以辅助制定相关应急预案和震后快速评估。     

Adjustment processes of mountainous rivers affected by tilting uplift: Laboratory experiments and a case study of Yakushima Island,Japan

Mountainous river basins are one of the main sources of sediment. Over long time scales, sediment production is sustained by the persistent dissection of river basins, which is promoted by tectonic activity. The response or adjustment of rivers to forcing factors such as uplift is based on the concept of the graded river and a feedback mechanism between the incision and uplift. Although the development of graded rivers under natural circumstances has been discussed for a long time, knowledge about the transition of river basins under heterogeneous uplift is not enough. To understand the development of a river basin with a non‐uniform uplift rate, two simple cases are examined: landward and seaward tilting uplift, where the uplift rate varies linearly in space. For our study, laboratory experiments were conducted and the results were compared with those of natural river basins; two river basins in Yakushima Island were selected for this purpose. In both the laboratory and Yakushima, the longitudinal profile of the river basin under landward‐tilting uplift has a convex‐up zone and a specific knickpoint is formed at the upstream end of this zone. This knickpoint is inactive with respect to migration and incision owing to the insufficient cumulative uplift to the equilibrium state. It was also observed in both the experimental and natural cases that the profile of the river basin under seaward tilting is unlikely to have such a convex‐up zone in the long term, and will instead have a smooth concave profile. Therefore, the spatiotemporal pattern of dissection differs depending on the type of tilting uplift, which suggests that sediment production also varies in time and space according to the type of uplift.     

Bedrock geology controls on catchment storage,mixing, and release: A comparative analysis of 16 nested catchments

The bedrock controls on catchment mixing, storage, and release have been actively studied in recent years. However, it has been difficult to find neighbouring catchments with sufficiently different and clean expressions of geology to do comparative analysis. Here, we present new data for 16 nested catchments (0.45 to 410 km²) in the Alzette River basin (Luxembourg) that span a range of clean and mixed expressions of schists, phyllites, sandstones, and quartzites to quantify the relationships between bedrock permeability and metrics of water storage and release. We examined 9 years' worth of precipitation and discharge data, and 6 years of fortnightly stable isotope data in streamflow, to explore how bedrock permeability controls (a) streamflow regime metrics, (b) catchment storage, and (c) isotope response and catchment mean transit time (MTT). We used annual and winter precipitation–run‐off ratios, as well as average summer and winter precipitation–run‐off ratios to characterise the streamflow regime in our 16 study catchments. Catchment storage was then used as a metric for catchment comparison. Water mixing potential of 11 catchments was quantified via the standard deviation in streamflow δD (σδD) and the amplitude ratio (A_S/A_P) of annual cycles of δ¹⁸O in streamflow and precipitation. Catchment MTT values were estimated via both stable isotope signature damping and hydraulic turnover calculations. In our 16 nested catchments, the variance in ratios of summer versus winter average run‐off was best explained by bedrock permeability. Whereas active storage (defined here as a measure of the observed maximum interannual variability in catchment storage) ranged from 107 to 373 mm, total catchment storage (defined as the maximum catchment storage connected to the stream network) extended up to ~1700 mm (±200 mm). Catchment bedrock permeability was strongly correlated with mixing proxies of σδD in streamflow and δ¹⁸O A_S/A_P ratios. Catchment MTT values ranged from 0.5 to 2 years, based on stable isotope signature damping, and from 0.5 to 10 years, based on hydraulic turnover.     

Tracking denudation and sediment production and transport with cosmogenic 10Be in arid,high-altitude Himalayan half-grabens,Zanskar, northern India

Understanding the extent to which local factors, including bedrock and structure, govern catchment denudation in mountainous environments as opposed to broader climate or tectonic patterns provides insight into how landscapes evolve as sediment is generated and transported through them, and whether they have approached steady-state equilibrium. We measured beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be) concentrations in 21 sediment samples from glaciated footwall and hanging wall catchments, including a set of nested catchments, and 12 bedrock samples in the Puga and Tso Morari half-grabens located in the high-elevation, arid Zanskar region of northern India. In the Puga half-graben where catchments are underlain by quartzo-feldspathic gneissic bedrock, bedrock along catchment divides is eroding very slowly, about 5 m/Ma, due to extreme aridity and ¹⁰Be concentrations in catchment sediments are the highest (~60–90 × 10⁵ atoms/g SiO₂) as colluvium accumulates on hillslopes, decoupled from their ephemeral streams. At Puga, ¹⁰Be concentrations and the average erosion rates of a set of six nested catchments demonstrate that catchment denudation is transport-limited as sediment stagnates on lower slopes before reaching the catchment outlet. In the Tso Morari half-graben, gneissic bedrock is also eroding very slowly but ¹⁰Be concentrations in sediments in catchments underlain by low grade meta-sedimentary rocks, are significantly lower (~10–35 × 10⁵ atoms/g SiO₂). In these arid, high-elevation environments, ¹⁰Be concentrations in catchment sediments have more to do with bedrock weathering and transport times than steady-state denudation rates. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling stage–discharge relationships in anastomosed bedrock-influenced sections of the Sabie River system

Flow dynamics in a bedrock-influenced river system, the Sabie River, South Africa, have been found to be significantly different from those in temperate alluvial systems. The lack of lateral water connectivity leads to multiple bedrock distributaries with varying water surface elevations across a cross-section. Distributary activation is dependent on upstream breaching of bedrock barriers between distributaries by rising discharge. Where measurement of individual stage–discharge relationships in each distributary was not possible, a ‘Multiple Stage’ model was developed to predict hydraulic conditions in each distributary, using a single measured rating curve and knowledge of individual distributary water surface elevations at a low flow. Use of the ‘Multiple Stage’ model has enabled realistic prediction of channel geometry and hydraulic variables, that accounts for the different stages found in bedrock-influenced sections, yet is not prohibitively data intensive. Predicted ‘Multiple Stage’ results for maximum depth and velocity demonstrate the vast improvement on modelling flow dynamics, when compared to the conventional assumption of a single stage representing the whole cross-section. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.