Geophysical-Archaeological Survey in Lake Tequesquitengo,Morelos, Mexico

In August 2009, a marine geophysical survey was conducted in Lake Tequesquitengo (located in the state of Morelos, Mexico) to delineate the extent of the remains of a small town that has been submerged since the mid 19th century. The survey consists of the acquisition and mapping of magnetic, single beam bathymetric and side-scan sonar data. A dual receiver marine GPS navigation system was used to position the boat during the survey. Except for the larger structural remains that are visible on the side scan sonar images, the magnetic anomaly map proved to be most useful in delineating the extent of the town. These anomalies exhibit short wavelength components in the area surrounding a submerged church, with the shortest wavelength components being confined to the area immediately east of the church. These short wavelength components are only observed near the church; therefore, we propose that they delineate the buried remnants of the submerged town.     

Statistics of extremes and estimation of extreme rainfall: II. Empirical investigation of long rainfall records / Statistiques de valeurs extrêmes et estimation de précipitations extrêmes: II. Recherche empirique sur de longues séries de précipitations

Abstract

Abstract In the first part of this study, theoretical analyses showed that the Gumbel distribution is quite unlikely to apply to hydrological extremes and that the extreme value distribution of type II (EV2) is a more consistent choice. Based on these theoretical analyses, an extensive empirical investigation is performed using a collection of 169 of the longest available rainfall records worldwide, each having 100–154 years of data. This verifies the theoretical results. In addition, it shows that the shape parameter of the EV2 distribution is constant for all examined geographical zones (Europe and North America), with value κ = 0.15. This simplifies the fitting and the general mathematical handling of the distribution, which become as simple as those of the Gumbel distribution.     

Morphology and kinematics of boudinage vein systems,Great Keppel Island,Queensland

Strongly boudinaged sandstone beds in a Palaeozoic accretionary complex are exposed on Great Keppel Island, off the central Queensland coast. Viewed in profile, the boudins are folded around mesoscopic F₂ hinge zones and overprinted by S₂ foliation indicating formation either during Late Carboniferous subduction accretion (D₁) or during a previously unrecognised discrete early phase of the Permian deformation (D₂). Boudin profiles record an average stretch of 1.51, although the contribution of D₂ and later deformation is not determined. Viewed in the plane of bedding, vein traces are variable and oblique to boudin necks by an average of 12° anticlockwise. The overall en echelon arrangement of veins in boudin necks is a primary feature of the structure and cannot be attributed to later deformation. This pattern of veining indicates oblique extension of the boudin necks by low‐vorticity non‐coaxial flow within the plane of bedding. One possible setting with such kinematics is the limb of a non‐cylindrical fold.     

Evolution microtectonique et paléo-champs de contraintes du Bassin de Vienne

Résumé

Une étude des structures cassantes permet de préciser l’évolution tectonique du Bassin de Vienne, généralement considéré comme un bassin de type « pull apart » typique. Le champ de contrainte ottnangien-carpathien (18,5-16, 5 Ma) est caractérisé par une compression NNW-SSE. Pendant le Badénien-Sannanticn (16,5-11 Ma) une zone cisaillante sénestre de direction NE-SW a été formée dans un régime en compression N-S et extension E-W. En liaison avec cette zone décrochante trois types d’extension locale conduisent à une forte subsidence dans les dépression : extension NE-SW parallèle aux accidents sénestres, extension E-W entre les décrochements et extension NW-SE au-dessus des zones décrochantes profondes. Le champ de contrainte vers la fin du Sannaticn est marqué par une compression ENE-WSW, tandis que celui du Pannonicn- récent est similaire á celui du Miocène moyen.

Une rotation de la paléocontrainte maximale horizontale, de NNW-SSE a ENE-SSW est mise en évidence pendant la période Ottnangien-Sannantien (18,5-11 Ma). Cette rotation est parallèle A celle des directions de mise en place des nappes carpathicnnes externes. L’origine des rotation est l’échappement continental des Alpes orientales et des Carpathes septentrionales vers le NE et son blocage graduel d’Ouest en Est au front des nappes carpathiennes. Après ce blocage, l’échappement a continué avec une faible intensité du Pannonien à l’Actuel. Alors que l’échappement a été initié par une compression N-S due á la collision Europe-promontoire Adriatique, le champ de contrainte à l’intérieur des blocs échappés reflète l’effet de leur blocage au front des nappes carpalhiques.     

虹湾东缘雁列式月岭构造带形貌特征与成因模式研究

月岭作为月海中一种广泛分布的线性构造,多表现为褶皱逆冲推覆为主的构造样式,且具雁列式展布。因此,月岭对月表区域乃至全月的构造应力分析有着非常重要的指示作用,但其成因机制不清。虹湾是中国嫦娥绕月探测工程研究的重点区域,区域内最明显的线性构造是虹湾东缘呈雁列式展布的月岭构造带,对这一月岭构造带的研究将有助于了解虹湾地区的区域应力特征和构造演化过程。文中通过对虹湾东缘雁列式月岭构造带的高分辨率影像进行解译并与其他区域对比分析,结合虹湾地区已有地质资料和前人提出的相关构造演化模式及目前最新的研究成果,认为虹湾东缘雁列式月岭构造带受虹湾撞击坑坑缘基底和表面玄武岩性影响,虹湾撞击盆地沉降引起的径向挤压应力和表面熔岩流导致的挤压应力由于方向与大小的差异,共同导致该月岭构造带呈类似走滑剪切中右阶左行的形貌特点。在此基础上讨论了此月岭构造带的演化过程,并根据月岭与撞击坑的交切关系,发现虹湾东缘月岭构造带在哥白尼纪仍在继续活动。     

Enhancing the Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Model for Community Food Access Mapping: Case of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

In this article, a Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) model is applied to evaluate the geographical accessibility to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-authorized retailers. First, the proposed method considers the interaction between the food supply (in terms of categorized benefit redemptions) and demand (in terms of benefit-receiving households). Second, the model is used to visualize food access patterns at the level of refined administrative units (i.e., census block groups). The developed food access metric was compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Access Research Atlas, justifying the validity of this new method for small area estimation. The following are important observations: (1) the choice of catchment size had a considerable impact on the accessibility measure in urban areas (or when small statistical units are used); (2) the 2SFCA measurement had a higher level of correspondence with that of the USDA Atlas at a smaller catchment size for identifying low food access units; and (3) there was no significant inequality regarding SNAP accessibility with respect to different socioeconomic deprivation variables. This new method can better assist the SNAP administration with store authorization on a refined geographic scale. Key Words: food access, inequality, scale, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA).     

The terrestrial fauna of the Late Triassic Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry fissures,South Wales,UK and a new species of Clevosaurus (Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia)

Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry in South Wales yielded a rich cache of fossils in the early 1950s, including articulated specimens of new species (the small sauropodomorph dinosaur Pantydraco caducus and the crocodylomorph Terrestrisuchus gracilis), but no substantial study of the wider fauna of the Pant-y-ffynnon fissure systems has been published. Here, our overview of existing specimens, a few described but mostly undescribed, as well as freshly processed material, provides a comprehensive picture of the Pant-y-ffynnon palaeo-island of the Late Triassic. This was an island with a relatively impoverished fauna dominated by small clevosaurs (rhynchocephalians), including a new species, Clevosaurus cambrica, described here from a partially articulated specimen and isolated bones. The new species has a dental morphology that is intermediate between the Late Triassic Clevosaurus hudsoni, from Cromhall Quarry to the east, and the younger C. convallis from Pant Quarry to the west, suggesting adaptive radiation of clevosaurs in the palaeo-archipelago. The larger reptiles on the palaeo-island do not exceed 1.5?m in length, including a small carnivorous crocodylomorph, Terrestrisuchus, and a possible example of insular dwarfism in the basal dinosaur Pantydraco.     

南海西南部西纳土纳盆地中部走滑构造带分段性及对油气控制作用

为了研究南海西南部印度尼西亚纳土纳群岛西侧西纳土纳盆地走滑构造特征及对油气的控制作用,对研究区三维地震资料进行了精细分析,并结合切片和剖面特征对走滑构造进行了刻画。研究表明盆地中部中新世晚期发育北西向右旋走滑构造,由南东向北西,构造特征存在明显差异,根据其平面、剖面特征及活动强度分为东段、中段和西段。东段平面上为平直的、贯通的主干走滑断裂和雁列断层组,剖面上为花状构造;中段平面上为S型贯通的主干走滑断裂和雁列断层组,剖面上为花状构造;而西段平面上为雁列构造,没有贯通的主干走滑断裂,剖面上主要为断阶组合。推测走滑构造的分段性受走滑强度、断层几何形态和盖层厚度的影响,并对圈闭形成和油气运移、聚集具有明显的控制作用。     

Precise and Accurate Doping of Nanoporous Silica Gel for the Synthesis of Trace Element Microanalytical Reference Materials

This study presents an experimental procedure to fabricate high‐purity silica glass containing a selected element at a specified mass fraction. The procedure was used to prepare glasses doped with trace‐level mass fractions of Ti with the goal of improving analytical confidence when measuring trace elements in quartz. Systematic tests were performed to determine the ideal conditions and procedures for doping nanoporous silica gel with the highest efficiency of dopant recovery. Silica gel was cleaned in concentrated HCl, immersed in a non‐polar doping medium at a controlled pH and doped with precise quantities of ICP‐MS standard solution. Using liquids composed of longer chain molecules as the doping medium diminishes recovery, suggesting that large molecules could obstruct nanopores to inhibit capillary uptake of the dopant. A control experiment using crystalline quartz reinforced the effectiveness of nanoporous silica gel for doping with trace‐level precision. Layered aggregates of silica gel doped with different Ti mass fractions were hot‐pressed to create multi‐layered reference materials that were analysed with multiple techniques at a variety of spatial scales. Analyses at the intra‐grain scale (cathodoluminescence scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis), at the single grain scale (SIMS), at the sample layer scale (EPMA, laser ablation‐ICP‐MS) and at the bulk scale (ICP‐OES) demonstrated acceptable homogeneity at sample volumes characteristic of most microanalysis techniques and show that nanoporous silica gel holds promise as a highly retentive doping substrate for preparing reference materials for laser‐, electron‐ and ion‐beam microanalysis.     

Developing a Web-based flood forecasting system for reservoirs with J2EE / Développement sur Internet avec J2EE d’un système de prévision de crue pour barrages

Abstract

Abstract A flood forecasting system is a crucial component in flood mitigation. For certain important large-scale reservoirs, cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local stakeholders are required when heavy flood events are encountered. The Web-based environment is emerging as a very important development and delivery platform for real-time flood forecasting systems. In this paper, the findings of a case study are presented of the development of a Web-based flood forecasting system for reservoirs using Java 2 platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE). J2EE of Sun Microsystems is chosen as the development solution for the Web-based flood forecasting system, Weblogic 6.0 of BEA as the container provider, and JBuilder 7.0 of Borland as the development tool. One of the key objectives in this project is to establish a collaborative platform for flood forecasting via Web technology in order to render hydrological models and data available to stakeholders and experts involved and thus offer an efficient medium for transferring and sharing information, knowledge and experiences among them. Compared with general Web-based query systems and traditional flood forecasting systems, the Web-based flood forecasting system is more focused on the on-line analysis of model-based forecasting of floods and provides opportunities for improving the transfer of information and knowledge from the hydrological scientists and managers to decision makers. Finally, a prototype system is used to demonstrate the system application.