A study of the monsoonal beach processes around Alleppey,Kerala

The responses of a sandy beach to the southwest monsoonal waves are studied based on biweekly observations. The onslaught of the first spell of monsoonal breakers causes maximum erosion in the sub-aerial section of the beach. However, further spells of high breakers do not affect this zone significantly. The erosion in the sub-aerial zone is followed by accretion in the nearshore zone and vice versa. Whereas the sub-aerial zone has a net erosion the total section of the beach including the nearshore zone shows near equilibrium condition. It is concluded that in spite of erosion or accretion of the sub-aerial zone, equilibrium conditions may be found in the total section of the beach.     

Beach erosion as a function of variations in the sediment budget,Sandy Hook,New Jersey,U.S.A.

Many of the world's beaches have recently been eroding, even on progradational landforms. This study uses the sediment budget approach to identify and rank the causes of the hazard along Sandy Hook spit where the primary recreational beach has been eroding at about 10 m/yr since 1953 and 23 m/yr in the 1970s. Large spatial variations in longshore sediment transport are found to result from differences in refracted wave energies and intersegmental sediment transport. Erosion results from a 60 per cent deficit (-270,000 m³/yr) in the sediment budget that is primarily caused by (1) refraction induced locally high waves that increase the transport rate by 100,000 m³, and (2) shore protection structures that have lessened the longshore sediment inputs by an additional 100,000 m³/yr. A storm index is presented to analyse secular climatic variation. It suggests that the annual sediment transport rate may vary by as much as ±50 per cent about the mean and that recently, above normal storm wave energies are responsible for about 60,000 m³/yr of the budget deficit. Rising sea levels and storm overwash each account for only about one per cent of the sediment loss. Pulses of sediment, induced by accelerated erosion at the feeder beach locale of spit segments, are found to move downdrift. They alter the geomorphology of the spit through episodic extensions of the spit segments with lag times exceeding one year per segment.     

Single-domain and superparamagnetic titanomagnetite with variable Ti content in young ocean-floor basalts: No evidence for rapid alteration

High resolution electron microscope studies have been carried out on ‘zero-age’ (New Flow) basalts from the Juan de Fuca Ridge and on young (< 20 ka) basalts from the axis of the East Pacific Rise at 12°N. Such data lead to characterization of the magnetic minerals, especially those of smaller grain size, which have been hypothesized by Kent and Gee to have undergone grain size-dependent alteration. In addition to larger titanomagnetite grains, abundant submicrometer titanomagnetite has been observed in globules within a glassy matrix. These grains, likely to be single-domain (SD) or superparamagnetic, are associated with apatite, uncommon pyrrhotite and residual glass. The submicrometer titanomagnetite grains have a wide compositional range (0 < x < 0.8), where x is the fraction of ulvöspinel component, whereas the larger, multi-domain (MD)-sized titanomagnetite grains have a narrow composition range of approximately x = 0.6. This variability in Ti content provides a ready explanation for the thermal rock magnetic properties observed by Kent and Gee and eliminates the need to invoke extremely rapid (< 20 ka) alteration of these young basalts.     

Characteristics of Tsunamis Propagating over Oceanic Ridges: Numerical Simulation of the 1996 Irian Jaya Earthquake Tsunami

The 1996 Irian Jaya earthquake tsunami was simulated by using the numerical model based on the linear long wave theory including Coriolis force in the spherical coordinate system. The numerical modeling result at Chichijima is in good agreement with the observed tide gauge data. The distinctive oscillation at Chichijima can be interpreted as the formation of boundary waves, so called ridge waves that are excited on the South-Honshu ridge. The mechanism of tsunami propagation trapped on an oceanic ridge is analyzed with the simple ridge model. The result explains the characteristics of ridge waves excited on theSouth-Honshu ridge.     

长江三峡枯水期区域性强降水的一种重要天气形势

利用长江三峡地区６个站１９６１－１９９４年１０月－１月的逐日降水量确定该地区发生区域履强降水的雨日，结合同期的历史天气图分析该地区产生生强降水的原因，影响系统和环流形势特征，归纳出长江三峡地区产生区域性强降水的两槽一脊型环流型，并进行逐日反查，概括出两槽一脊环流型产生区域性强降水的前期预报指标。     

东海和凯尔特海潮流沙脊的对比研究

东海潮流沙脊与凯尔特海沙脊均为开阔陆架上的大型深水沙脊，它们都形成在冰后期海面上升时期。目前仍然经受现代潮流和风暴浪的作用，具有一定的活动性，处于活动沙脊和衰亡沙脊之间的发育过程，属于准活动沙脊。与东海比较，凯尔特海的动力作用更强。东海沙脊横剖面大多呈向西南方向倾斜的前积层理，偶见波浪侵蚀面，反映以潮流作用为主形成的沙脊内部结构的特点；凯尔特海沙脊剖面呈现复杂的交错层理，内部有较多的波浪侵蚀面，这是潮流和波浪共同作用形成的沙脊内部结构的特点。     

Structure of the Malpelo Ridge (Colombia) from seismic and gravity modelling

Wide-angle and multichannel seismic data collected on the Malpelo Ridge provide an image of the deep structure of the ridge and new insights on its emplacement and tectonic history. The crustal structure of the Malpelo Ridge shows a 14 km thick asymmetric crustal root with a smooth transition to the oceanic basin southeastward, whereas the transition is abrupt beneath its northwestern flank. Crustal thickening is mainly related to the thickening of the lower crust, which exhibits velocities from 6.5 to 7.4 km/s. The deep structure is consistent with emplacement at an active spreading axis under a hotspot like the present-day Galapagos Hotspot on the Cocos-Nazca Spreading Centre. Our results favour the hypothesis that the Malpelo Ridge was formerly a continuation of the Cocos Ridge, emplaced simultaneously with the Carnegie Ridge at the Cocos-Nazca Spreading Centre, from which it was separated and subsequently drifted southward relative to the Cocos Ridge due to differential motion along the dextral strike-slip Panama Fracture Zone. The steep faulted northern flank of the Malpelo Ridge and the counterpart steep and faulted southern flank of Regina Ridge are possibly related to a rifting phase that resulted in the Coiba Microplate’s separation from the Nazca Plate along the Sandra Rift.     

La région axiale de la dorsale sud-ouest indienne entre 53° est et 59° est: Son evolution depuis 10 Ma

Resumé Cet article présente des données bathymétriques et magnétiques de la région axiale de la dorsale sud-ouest indienne au voisinage de la zone de fracture majeure Atlantis II. Elles proviennent pricipalement de la campagne MD34 (Marion-Dufresne, 1983).L'axe de la dorsale est défini par la vallée et l'anomalie magnétique qui lui est associée. Le rilief le long de l'axe varie localement très rapidement; A l'ouest de la zone de fracture Atlantis II, le plancher axial présente deux bombements séparés par une dépression importante (4600 m). Cette étude met en évidence la corrélation entre ces hauts bathymétriques, la forme de la vallée et la l'amplitude de l'anomalie magnétique axiale: lorsque la profondeur du plancher axial diminue, la vallée se creuse et son encaissement augmente. On observe ainsi sur les hauts bathymétriques une section d'axe très encaissée, associée à une anomalie magnétique d'amplitude plus importance.L'identification de l'anomalie 5 (10 Ma) sur chaque flanc de la dorsale sud-ouest indienne permet la reconstitution de cette isochrone qui montre clairement une évolution de la géométrie de l'axe: à l'époque de l'anomalie 5, l'axe était composé de segments perpendiculaires à la direction d'expansion, décalés par des failles transformantes, alors qu'il apparait actuellement continu et formé sur les hauts topographiques de courts segments perpendiculaires à la direction d'expansion (et dans les dépressions par des sections d'axe très obliques).La carte bathymétrique met en évidence des lignes de crêtes grossièrement Nord-Sud (007°) dont la direction diffère de la direction d'expansion (357°) déduite des reconstructions, et parallèle à la zone de fracture majeure Atlantis II. Sur les dorsales lentes, les zones de fractures mineures, n'indiqueraient donc pas la véritable direction d'expansion.

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The axial region of the Southwest Indian Ridge between 53° E and 59° E: Evolution during the last 10 Ma

An interpretation of bathymetric and magnetic data obtained aboard the R/V Marion Dufresne provides us with new information concerning the evolution of the Southwest Indian Ridge, in the region of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone (57° E), since 10 Ma. On all profiles, the ridge axis and the axial magnetic anomaly have been clearly recognized. Bathymetric data illustrate the rapid variation of depth along the axis. On the western side of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone, the along axis profile is characterized by a succession of two highs, and an important depression between them.Our data show a strong relationship between the regional axial depth, the steep-sidedness of the axial valley and the signature of the central magnetic anomaly. In particular, where the axis is deepest (4500 m), there is a wide, shallow axial valley which is oblique to the spreading direction, and a non-typical central magnetic anomaly signature. In contrast, where the regional axial depth is shallow (3500 m), the axial valley is deep, narrow, perpendicular to the spreading direction, and the central magnetic anomaly is high in amplitude. The ridge axis on the western side of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone appears to consist of short segments located on the axial highs, which are linked by oblique zones. On the eastern side, the ridge axis is continuous, and appears to be oblique to the spreading direction.Clearly lineated magnetic anomalies 3A (5 Ma) and 5 (10 Ma) have been identified and mapped. These magnetic data allow a reconstruction which shows an evolution of the axial geometry since 10 Ma. On the western side of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone, the axis at anomaly 5 time consisted of segments perpendicular to the spreading direction which were offset by transform faults. On the eastern side, the isochron A5 appears to be parallel to the present-day ridge axis. From this plate reconstruction, a spreading direction of 357° was deduced, and appears to be parallel to the Atlantis II Fracture Zone.On each flank of the Suuthwest Indian Ridge, our bathymetric data show elongated ridges, aligned in a north-south direction, which correlate with the axial topographic highs. This direction is not precisely parallel to the spreading direction deduced from plate reconstruction. The differences in these directions suggest that transverse relief on show spreading ridge flanks (which could be interpreted as indicating the location of minor fracture zones) may not be indicative of the seafloor spreading direction.

     

High inside corners at ridge-transform intersections

A large topographic high commonly occurs near the intersection of a rifted spreading center and a transform fault. The high occurs at the inside of the 90° bend in the plate boundary, and is called the high inside corner, while the area across the spreading center, the outside corner, is often anomalously low. To better understand the origin of this topographic asymmetry, we examine topographic maps of 53 ridge-transform intersections. We conclude the following: (1) High inside corners occur at 41 out of 42 ridge-transform intersections at slow spreading ridges, and thus should be considered characteristic and persistent features of rifted slow spreading ridges. They are conspicuously absent at fast spreading ridges or at spreading centers that lack a rift valley. (2) High inside corners occur wherever an axial rift valley is present, and an approximate 1:1 correlation exists between the relief of the rift valley and the magnitude of the asymmetry. (3) Large high inside corners occur at both long and short transform offsets. (4) High inside corners at long offsets decay off-axis faster than predicted by the square root of age cooling model, precluding a thermalisostatic origin, but consistent with dynamic or flexural uplift models.These observations support the existing hypothesis that the asymmetry is due to the contrast in lithospheric coupling that occurs in the active transform versus the inactive fracture zone. Active faulting in the transform breaks the lithosphere along a high angle fault, permitting vertical movement of the inside corner block, whereas the inactive fracture zone forms a weld that couples the outside corner to the adjacent block, preventing it from rising. Large asymmetry at very short transform offsets appears to be caused by the added effect of a second uplift mechanism. Young lithosphere in the rift valley couples to the older plate, and when it leaves the rift valley it lifts the older plate with it. At very short offsets, this coupled uplift acts upon the high inside corner; at long offsets, it may upwarp the older plate or its expression may be muted.