A time-space based approach for mapping rainfall-induced shallow landslide hazard

A rainfall-induced shallow landslide is a major hazard in mountainous terrain, but a time-space based approach is still an unsettled issue for mapping rainfall-induced shallow landslide hazards. Rain induces a rise of the groundwater level and an increase in pore water pressure that results in slope failures. In this study, an integrated infinite slope analysis model has been developed to evaluate the influence of infiltration on surficial stability of slopes by the limit equilibrium method. Based on this new integrated infinite slope analysis model, a time-space based approach has been implemented to map the distributed landslide hazard in a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and to evaluate the shallow slope failure induced by a particular rainfall event that accounts for the rainfall intensity and duration. The case study results in a comprehensive time-space landslide hazard map that illustrates the change of the safety factor and the depth of the wetting front over time.     

U-Pb Zircon Calendar for Namaquan (Grenville) Crustal Events in the Granulite-facies Terrane of the O'okiep Copper District of South Africa

The O'okiep Copper District is underlain by voluminous 1035–1210Ma granite gneiss and granite with remnants of metamorphosedsupracrustal rocks. This assemblage was intruded by the 1030Ma copper-bearing Koperberg Suite that includes jotunite, anorthosite,biotite diorite and hypersthene-bearing rocks ranging from leuconoriteto hypersthenite. New sensitive high-resolution ion microprobeage data demonstrate the presence of 1700–2000 Ma zirconas xenocrysts in all of the intrusive rocks, and as detritalzircon in the metasediments of the Khurisberg Subgroup. Thesedata are consistent with published Sm–Nd model ages ofc. 1700 Ma (T_CHUR) and c. 2000 Ma (T_DM) of many of the intrusivesthat support a major crust-forming event in Eburnian (Hudsonian)times. In addition, U–Th–Pb analyses of zirconsfrom all major rock units define two tectono-magmatic episodesof the Namaquan Orogeny: (1) the O'okiepian Episode (1180–1210Ma), represented by regional granite plutonism, notably theNababeep and Modderfontein Granite Gneisses and the Concordiaand Kweekfontein Granites that accompanied and outlasted (e.g.Kweekfontein Granite) regional tectonism [F₂(D₂)] and granulite-faciesmetamorphism (M₂); (2) the Klondikean Episode (1020–1040Ma), which includes the intrusion of the porphyritic RietbergGranite and of the Koperberg Suite that are devoid of regionalplanar or linear fabrics. Klondikean tectonism (D₃) is reflectedby major east–west-trending open folds [F₃(D_3a)], andby localized east–west-trending near-vertical ductilefolds [‘steep structures’; F₄(D_3b)] whose formationwas broadly coeval with the intrusion of the Koperberg Suite.A regional, largely thermal, amphibolite- to granulite-faciesmetamorphism (M₃) accompanied D₃. This study demonstrates, interalia, that the complete spectrum of rock-types of the KoperbergSuite, together with the Rietberg Granite, was intruded in ashort time-interval (<10 Myr) at c. 1030 Ma, and that therewere lengthy periods of about 150 Myr of tectonic quiescencewithin the Namaquan Orogeny: (1) between the O'okiepian andKlondikean Episodes; (2) from the end of the latter to the formalend of Namaquan Orogenesis 800–850 Ma ago. KEY WORDS: U–Pb, zircon; O'okiep, Namaqualand; granite plutonism; granulite facies; Koperberg Suite; Namaquan (Grenville) Orogeny     

Gravity anomalies and associated tectonic features over the Indian Peninsular Shield and adjoining ocean basins

A combined gravity map over the Indian Peninsular Shield (IPS) and adjoining oceans brings out well the inter-relationships between the older tectonic features of the continent and the adjoining younger oceanic features. The NW–SE, NE–SW and N–S Precambrian trends of the IPS are reflected in the structural trends of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal suggesting their probable reactivation. The Simple Bouguer anomaly map shows consistent increase in gravity value from the continent to the deep ocean basins, which is attributed to isostatic compensation due to variations in the crustal thickness. A crustal density model computed along a profile across this region suggests a thick crust of 35–40 km under the continent, which reduces to 22/20–24 km under the Bay of Bengal with thick sediments of 8–10 km underlain by crustal layers of density 2720 and 2900/2840 kg/m³. Large crustal thickness and trends of the gravity anomalies may suggest a transitional crust in the Bay of Bengal up to 150–200 km from the east coast. The crustal thickness under the Laxmi ridge and east of it in the Arabian Sea is 20 and 14 km, respectively, with 5–6 km thick Tertiary and Mesozoic sediments separated by a thin layer of Deccan Trap. Crustal layers of densities 2750 and 2950 kg/m³ underlie sediments. The crustal density model in this part of the Arabian Sea (east of Laxmi ridge) and the structural trends similar to the Indian Peninsular Shield suggest a continent–ocean transitional crust (COTC). The COTC may represent down dropped and submerged parts of the Indian crust evolved at the time of break-up along the west coast of India and passage of Reunion hotspot over India during late Cretaceous. The crustal model under this part also shows an underplated lower crust and a low density upper mantle, extending over the continent across the west coast of India, which appears to be related to the Deccan volcanism. The crustal thickness under the western Arabian Sea (west of the Laxmi ridge) reduces to 8–9 km with crustal layers of densities 2650 and 2870 kg/m³ representing an oceanic crust.     

Pelecinid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia

Thirteen new species referable to four genera, of which one is new, from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia are established herein and assigned to the family Pelecinidae. Among the four genera, Protopelecinus gen. nov., including four new species, is referred to the subfamily Pelecininae, while Iscopinus Kozlov, including three new species, Eopelecinus Zhang, Rasnitsyn and Zhang, including five new species, and Scorpiopelecinus laetus sp. nov. are assigned to the subfamily Iscopininae. Of these new taxa, eight, namely Protopelecinus regularis, P. furtivus, Iscopinus simplex, ?I. suspectus, Eopelecinus exquisitus, E. scorpioideus, E. rudis and Scorpiopelecinus laetus, are from the Lower Cretaceous Zaza Formation of Baissa, Transbaikalia, Russia; two, E. minutus and E. fragilis, are from the basal Lower Cretaceous Tsagan-Tsab Formation of Khutel-Khara, Mongolia; two, P. dubius and P. deformis, are from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian?) of Bon Tsagan, Mongolia; and one, I. separatus, is from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Ola Formation of Obeshchayushchiy, Russia. A key to fossil pelecinid wasps is provided and a morphological analysis shows that the Pelecinidae might be paraphyletic with respect to the Proctotrupidae. The Chinese insect fauna from both the Yixian and Laiyang formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Sinopelecinus whereas the Siberian + Mongolian fauna from the Zaza and Tsagan-Tsab formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Iscopinus. Hence, Eopelecinus is common to both. The differences between the two faunas are likely to be the result of geographical variation in populations.     

Transformation of Residuals to Avoid Artifacts in Geostatistical Modelling with a Trend

Trend modelling is an important part of natural resource characterization. A common approach to account for a variable with a trend is to decompose it into a relatively smoothly varying trend and a more variable residual component. Then, the residuals are stochastically modelled independent of the trend. This decomposition can result in values outside the plausible range of variability, such as grades below zero or ratios that exceed 1.0. We transform the residuals conditional to the trend component to explicitly remove these complex features prior to geostatistical modelling. Back transformation of the modelled residual values allows the complex relations to be reproduced. A petroleum-related application shows the robustness of the proposed transformation. Furthermore, a mining application shows that when this conditional transformation is applied to the original variable, instead of the residual, simulated values are assured to be nonnegative.     

川西亚高山三个森林群落的湿林冠蒸发速率

于3个假说和林冠上方2m处的气象变量，采用Penman-Monteith组合模型估算了一个生长季节内川西亚高山林区分别以云杉(SF)、冷杉(FF)和白桦(BF)为优势树种的3个林分的湿林冠蒸发速率(Er)。研究结果表明，SF、FF和BF的湿林冠蒸发量(E)分别为44．51mm、88．51mm和57．8mm，分别占总降雨量的9．2％、16．6％和10．2％。与SF和BF相比，FF具有最高的月平均Er和蒸发比例。SF、FF和BF的平均Er分别为0．097mm／h(变化范围：0．028-0．487mm／h)、0．242mm／h(变化范围：0．068～0．711mm／h)和0．149mm／h(0．060～0．576mm／h)。最高和最低的月平均Er分别在6月(SF、FF和BF分别为0．120mm／h、0．317mm／h和0．169mm／h)和10月(SF、FF和BF分别为0．083mm／h、0．187mm／h和0．101mm／h)。8：00至16：00期间的平均点Er显著高于0：00至8：00以及16：00至0：00期间的平均Er。Er显著的日变化和月变化主要归因于林冠上方的太阳辐射、空气温度和相对湿度的变化。     

A GIS Analysis to Evaluate Areas Suitable for Crushed Stone Aggregate Quarries in New England,USA

Aggregate is a low unit-value mineral commodity. Costs to move aggregate from the mine site to the point of use is a large fraction of the resource cost to users. Production sites for aggregate occur where suitable source materials exist and where transportation and market conditions are favorable. The increasing demand for aggregate and the difficulty of developing and permitting new sites and of renewal of permits on existing sites of aggregate production indicates that aggregate will be supplied from sources yet to be developed or delineated in many areas. Site development and permitting for aggregate production is difficult because many land management plans and zoning actions fail to anticipate prospective source areas for aggregate in a way that is consistent with both the source rock quality and the transportation and socioeconomic factors that define the economic viability of the industry. Spatial analysis provides a method to integrate both geology and economic (transportation and marketplace) parameters in a regional model. Weights of evidence (WofE) analysis has been used to measure the spatial correlation of geologic map, transportation network, and population data with current production sites for crushed stone aggregate in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Weighted logistic regression (WLR) is used with the WofE results to rank areas in terms of their relative suitability for production of crushed stone. Spatial analysis indicates that 85% of the 106 crushed stone aggregate quarries in New England are sited within 1.6 km (1 mile) of either a principal highway or rail line in the region. Seventy-eight percent of crushed stone aggregate quarries are sited in census tracts with population densities exceeding 100 people/mile². These relations illustrate the importance of proximity to both transportation corridors and developing areas where aggregate is predominately used. Only one active crushed stone quarry is located in a census tract with a population density less than 15 people/mile², reflecting the lack of sufficient market demand in many rural areas to develop an operation there. However, since 1990, almost all new quarries have been developed in census tracts with population densities less than 200 people/mile², indicating the difficulty of permitting new quarry sites in highly populated areas. Crushed stone aggregate is produced predominately from three hard rock types that are distributed widely in New England; 28% of sites use granitic rock, 25% use carbonate rocks, and 25% use mafic rock types that are categorized as trap rock by the aggregate industry. The other crushed stone aggregate sources include a variety of fine-grained metamorphic rock types. Carbonate rocks and Jurassic basalt (the primary trap rock source) are the most prevalent source rocks on an area-weighted basis. Spatial analysis can be used on a regional scale to rank areas by their relative suitabilityfor crushed stone aggregate production based on geology, transportation, and population parameters. The results of this regional analysis can identify areas for more detailed evaluation. As transportation or population features change, the model can be revised easily to reflect these changes.     

建筑物沉降规律的综合时序分析

建筑物的沉降监测数据序列具有趋势变化和随机变化的特点，本文针对两种变化项的特点分别建立相应的数学模型，再将其组合起来建立综合数学模型，从总体上把握沉降数据序列的变化规律。实例计算分析表明，此方法具有较高的拟合精度和预测能力，具有一定的应用参考价值。