From the geological to the numerical model in the analysis of gravity-induced slope deformations: An example from the Central Apennines (Italy)

This paper presents the findings from a study on gravity-induced slope deformations along the northern slope of Mt. Nuria (Rieti-Italy). The slope extends from the village of Pendenza to the San Vittorino plain and hosts the Peschiera River springs, i.e. the most important springs of the Central Apennines (average discharge: about 18 m³/s).

Detailed geological-geomorphological and geomechanical surveys, supported by a site stress-strain monitoring system and laboratory tests, led us to define the main evolutionary features of the studied phenomena. Based on the collected data, a “geological-evolutionary model” was developed with a view to identifying a spatio-temporal correlation between relief forms, jointing of the rock mass and its stress conditions. The geological-evolutionary model was expected to improve numerical simulations and to test our assumptions.

The numerical model also allowed us to simulate changes in the stress-strain conditions of the rock mass and correlate them with jointing, seepage, as well as with site-detected and site-monitored forms and deformations. In particular, significant relations between seepage, tensile stresses within the rock mass, karst solution and collapse of cavities were identified.     

Sedimentary aspects and paleoenvironmental evolution of a rift basin: Salta Group (Cretaceous–Paleogene), northwestern Argentina

The rift history of the Salta basin is related to the evolution of the Central Andes and to the activity of the Pacific margin, owing to its geographic location. Sedimentation occurred from the Neocomian to the Paleogene, with deposits reaching up to 5,000 m in thickness. Paleoenvironmental analysis reveals an evolutionary history controlled by tectonic and climatic changes. Isolated grabens characterized the early synrift stage; differential subsidence provoked distinct environments in the southern and northern subbasins. In the southern subbasins, alluvial-fan, fluvial-fan and lacustrine deposits prevail, whilst in the northern subbasins eolian and fluvial environments dominate. During the Maastrichtian, two major factors controlled the basin fill: the decrease in tectonic subsidence and a relative sea-level rise as recorded in South America. An extensive and shallow Atlantic marine ingression installed a carbonate system coincident with mainly humid conditions until the Danian. Until the Middle Eocene, the fluvial and lacustrine environmental evolution of the sag basin was controlled especially by the alternation of temperate with dry and humid periods. Paleontological records reflect these climatic changes and show their relationship to the sedimentation regime.     

Kinematic analysis of sinistral cataclastic shear zones along the northern margin of the Mino Belt, central Japan

In this paper, cataclastic shear zones along the northern margin of the Mino Belt, central Japan are described, and the significance of the shearing in the tectonic evolution of SW Japan is examined. The Mino Belt in SW Japan is composed of accretionary complexes of Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age. Field investigation revealed that remarkable cataclastic shear zones trending east to northeast run along the northern margin of the Mino Belt. Closely spaced cleavage is developed in these shear zones. Lineation on the cleavage plunges at shallow to moderate angles. Deformation structures (e.g. composite planar fabric and asymmetric structure of clasts) in the sheared rocks clearly indicate a sinistral sense of shear. The shearing ceased by latest Cretaceous time, because the sheared rocks are overlain by unsheared Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks. The sinistral shearing may be closely related to Cretaceous sinistral movement along the eastern margin of Asia. Sinistral shearing along the northern margin of the Mino Belt can be considered as a key for re-examining the tectonic development of SW Japan.     

Groundwater mixing between different aquifer types in a complex structural setting discerned by elemental and stable isotope geochemistry

Karst aquifers are well known for their intricate stratigraphy and geologic structures, which make groundwater characterization challenging because flowpaths and recharge sources are complex and difficult to evaluate. Geochemical data, collected from ten closely spaced production wells constructed in two karst aquifers (Bangor Limestone (Mb) and Tuscumbia Limestone/Fort Payne Chert (Mftp)) in Trussville, north‐central Alabama, illustrate two distinctive groundwater end‐members: (1) higher major ion, dissolved inorganic carbon, conductivity, alkalinity concentrations, heavier δ¹³C ratios (max: −10.2 ± 0.2‰ Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (PDB)) and lower residence times (mean: 19.5 ± 2 years, n = 2) of groundwater in the Mb aquifer and (2) lower constituent concentrations, lighter δ¹³C ratios (min: −13.4 ± 0.2‰ PDB) and longer residence times of groundwater (mean: 23.6 ± 2 years, n = 4) in the Mftp aquifer. Summer and fall data and the binary mixing model show aquifer inter‐flow mixing along solution fractures and confirms the distinctive groundwater geochemistry of the two aquifers. Lowering of static water levels over the summer (drawdown from 2 to 5.2 m) leads to more reducing groundwater conditions (lower Eh values) and slightly enriched δ¹⁸O and δD ratios during the fall [δ¹⁸O: −4.8 ± 0.1 to −5.4 ± 0.1‰ Vienna Standard Mean Oceanic Water (VSMOW), n = 9; δD: −25.4 ± 1 to −27.4 ± 1‰ VSMOW, n = 9] when compared with summer season samples (δ¹⁸O: −5.1 ± 0.1 to −5.7 ± 0.1‰ VSMOW, n = 11; δD: −25.0 ± 1 to −30.6 ± 1‰ VSMOW, n = 11). GIS analyses confirm the localized origin of recharge to the investigated aquifers. The combination of GIS, field parameters and geochemistry analyses can be successfully used to identify recharge sources, evaluate groundwater flow and transport pathways and to improve understanding of how groundwater withdrawals impact the sustainability and susceptibility to contamination of karst aquifers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geological development of Heard Island,Central Kerguelen Plateau

We report ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar laser step-heating age determinations on 15 stratigraphically controlled lava flows and intrusive rocks from Heard Island, Central Kerguelen Plateau (Indian Ocean). The island history began with uplift of pelagic limestone intruded by 22 Ma gabbro sills. Subaerial and wave erosion levelled the early island, producing an unconformity onto which pillow lavas, tuffaceous sediments and shallow-water, fossiliferous marine siltstone (Drygalski Formation) were deposited, beginning in late Miocene time. Two volcanic systems then formed in the late Quaternary. Big Ben dominates the larger southeast part of the island, while Mount Dixon occupies the northwest Laurens Peninsula. Feeder dykes and the early lava flows in both systems are 400–200 ka. Lava flows with evolved compositions (trachytes, trachyandesites) erupted 100–20 ka. Well-preserved parasitic cones exposed at low elevations are 15–10 ka and younger. Mawson Peak, near the summit of Big Ben, has erupted lava flows as recently as 2007. Heard Island, and nearby active McDonald Island, are subaerial features of a larger Neogene volcanic region of Central Kerguelen Plateau that includes several large sea knolls and recently identified submarine fields of small cones. This broadly distributed volcanic activity is linked to incubation of plume material at the base of the nearly stationary overlying Central Kerguelen Plateau.     

Long-Term Variability of the Wind Field over the Indian Ocean Based on ERA-Interim Reanalysis

A detailed study of long-term variability of winds using 30 years of data from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts global reanalysis (ERA-Interim) over the Indian Ocean has been carried out by partitioning the Indian Ocean into six zones based on local wind extrema. The trend of mean annual wind speed averaged over each zone shows a significant increase in the equatorial region, the Southern Ocean, and the southern part of the trade winds. This indicates that the Southern Ocean winds and the southeast trade winds are becoming stronger. However, the trend for the Bay of Bengal is negative, which might be caused by a weakening of the monsoon winds and northeast trade winds. Maximum interannual variability occurs in the Arabian Sea due to monsoon activity; a minimum is observed in the subtropical region because of the divergence of winds. Wind speed variations in all zones are weakly correlated with the Dipole Mode Index (DMI). However, the equatorial Indian Ocean, the southern part of the trade winds, and subtropical zones show a relatively strong positive correlation with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), indicating that the SOI has a zonal influence on wind speed in the Indian Ocean. Monsoon winds have a decreasing trend in the northern Indian Ocean, indicating monsoon weakening, and an increasing trend in the equatorial region because of enhancement of the westerlies. The negative trend observed during the non-monsoon period could be a result of weakening of the northeast trade winds over the past few decades. The mean flux of kinetic energy of wind (FKEW) reaches a minimum of about 100?W?m^?2 in the equatorial region and a maximum of about 1500?W?m^?2 in the Southern Ocean. The seasonal variability of FKEW is large, about 1600?W?m^?2, along the coast of Somalia in the northern Indian Ocean. The maximum monthly variability of the FKEW field averaged over each zone occurs during boreal summer. During the onset and withdrawal of monsoon, FKEW is as low as 50?W?m^?2. The Southern Ocean has a large variation of about 1280?W?m^?2 because of strong westerlies throughout the year.     

中亚低涡背景下南疆西部两次强冰雹环境场对比分析

利用常规资料、14:00加密探空、NCEP1°×1°再分析资料,对比分析2013年6月18日和2014年6月23日南疆西部两次强冰雹环境场及物理机制,表明两次冰雹环境场有相同之处:在环流经向度较大的中亚低涡背景下,前期有明显降水,傍晚前后由中亚低涡后部西北气流下产生,高空干冷平流、低层暖湿环境、较大的垂直温度递减率及低层辐合线或切变线为冰雹天气提供了强不稳定层结和动力触发条件,为冷平流强迫类型。但两次冰雹中亚低涡位置、强度、物理机制变化等有所不同:"6·18"中亚低涡压至南疆西部,低涡强,西北风大,而"6·23"中亚低涡在巴尔喀什湖附近,位置偏北,低涡较弱,西北风较小;"6·18"偏西北气流、风(垂直)切变、强回波伸展高度、层结不稳定、水汽及动力等变化均较"6·23"明显偏强;"6·18"的0℃层和-20℃层的高度均比"6·23"的低300~400 m;"6·18"低层南疆盆地偏东风日变化明显,即傍晚到夜间增强,山前东西风辐合促使上升运动发展,并有明显的中尺度垂直环流圈,而"6·23"低层为西北风风速辐合及与偏东风的切变。     

热带印度洋海温海盆一致模的变化规律及其对东亚夏季气候影响的回顾

近十几年,热带印度洋对全球气候的作用越来越受到关注.本文从热带印度洋气候态特征、海温海盆一致模的变化规律以及对东亚夏季气候的影响方面回顾了这些研究工作,并且对这些研究以及存在的不足做了系统的总结.     

Geochemical fractionation of Ni,Cu and Pb in the deep sea sediments from the Central Indian Ocean Basin: An insight into the mechanism of metal enrichment in sediment

Metal speciation study in combination with major element chemistry of deep sea sediments provided possible metal enrichment pathways in sediments collected from environmentally different locations of Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIB). Metal speciation study suggests that Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide phase was the major binding phase for Ni, Cu and Pb in the sediments. The second highest concentrations of all these metals were present within the structure of the sediments. Easily reducible oxide phase (within the Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide binding phases) was the major host for all the three metals in the studied sediments. Major element chemistry of these sediments revealed that there was an increased tendency of Cu and Ni to get incorporated into the deep sea sediment via the non-terrigenous Mn-oxyhydroxide fraction, whereas, Pb gets incorporated mostly via amorphous Fe-hydroxides into the sediment from the CIB. This is the first attempt to provide an insight into the mechanism of metal enrichment in sediment that host vast manganese nodule.     

Delineation and assessment of Central Indian Suture through lineament extraction approach using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

Lineament extraction approach allowed mapping of larger number of lineaments in a classical manner in tectonic and structural studies. In the present study, various techniques were adopted to extract lineaments using Landsat ETM+ images. To remove the biasness of the images, some pre-processing techniques like stream ordering, band differencing, colour texturing were employed to enhance the edges of the structural features. Extracted lineaments and its distribution and orientation were mapped using ArcGIS Spatial analyst tool. Results of the study showed maximum number of lineaments were oriented in the ENE–SWS direction with 63° overall inclination. Accuracy assessment and validation were made with respect to visual interpretation and overlaying the lineament on Digital Topographic Model as well as with respect to an existing geological lineament map of the study site. The result of accuracy assessment indicates higher compatibility of Central Indian Suture with the geological map of the study area.