The Godzilla Megamullion,the largest oceanic core complex on the earth: a historical review

The Godzilla Megamullion is the largest known oceanic core complex (OCC) on the Earth, located in the Parece Vela Basin in the Philippine Sea. In this article, the history of Godzilla Megamullion study is reviewed for the first time, dividing it into three major phases: (i) the early studies done before Japan's extended continental shelf survey program; (ii) the studies during Japan's extended continental shelf survey program that discovered the OCC; and (iii) the studies by the post‐discovery cruises. The early studies included an interpretation of US nautical chart of the southwestern Pacific and the site surveys for Deep Sea Drilling Project cruises (DSDP Legs 6, 31 and 59). The early studies recognized the presence of the Parece Vela Rift, the extinct spreading axis of the Parece Vela Basin, and established the currently accepted model that the Philippine Sea evolved with eastward progression of backarc spreading and arc migration. The modern understanding of the Parece Vela Basin comes from Japan's extended continental shelf survey program. The program revealed the ultramafic petrology as well as a two‐stage evolution model of the basin. Following these results, the discovery of the Godzilla Megamullion was made in 2001. The studies by the post‐discovery cruises further revealed important characteristics of the OCC, such as the presence of abundant plagioclase‐bearing peridotite and the systematic temporal changes in both deformation microstructures and composition of plagioclase and amphibole in gabbroic mylonites and ultramylonites. Zircon U–Pb ages of gabboric and leucocratic rocks indicate that the terminal phase of Parece Vela Basin spreading was with a significant decline in spreading rate and asymmetry accompanying formation of the Godzilla Megamullion. The estimated denudation rate of the OCC was approximately 2.5 cm/yr; significantly slower than the previous estimate based on poorly constrained magnetic data.     

Genetic algorithm for fitting a mixed Bingham distribution to 3D orientations: a tool for the statistical and paleostress analyses of fracture orientations

The clustering of fracture orientations is important for tectonic studies and for geotechnical engineering. In this study, a real‐coded genetic algorithm was adopted to fitting a mixed Bingham distribution to orientation data by maximizing the log‐likelihood function of the distribution. The maximization is a difficult problem, because the function has multimodality and singularity. It was found that the algorithm was effective for this problem. Given the orientations of dilational fractures, the present method determines not only the stress axes and stress ratio of each of the fracture groups but also the maximum non‐dimensionalized fluid pressure at the time of their formation. In addition, the software calculates the 95 % error ellipses of the concentration axes. The present method found that the orientations of ore veins of the Akenobe Mine, SW Japan, should be partitioned into three clusters. It is shown that two of the groups had distinctive Zn and Sn contents, and that the ore fluids had overpressures only slightly greater than the minimum principal stress at the time of the deposition of Zn‐ and Sn‐rich veins.     

A new Lower Triassic (Induan) Jerus Limestone locality in northwest Pahang,Peninsular Malaysia: Conodont fauna,depositional and tectonic settings

Limestones exposed north of Raub, Pahang, Malaysia, and sandwiched between the Bentong‐Raub Suture Zone and the westernmost margin of the Sukhothai Arc terrane, yield a late Dienerian (late Induan) conodont fauna. The co‐occurrence of Neospathodus dieneri Sweet (morphotypes 1, 2 and 3) and Neospathodus pakistanensis Sweet represents the Neospathodus dieneri morphotype 3 sub‐zone of the Neospathodus dieneri Zone. The sampled limestones are interpreted as the northwards extension of the Jerus Limestone which crops out near Cheroh and Jerus villages, significantly extending the known outcrop of the Jerus Limestone northwards. The Jerus Limestone is interpreted as hemipelagic and formed in a foredeep or forearc setting on top of the accretionary complex formed by eastwards subduction of the Palaeo‐Tethys during the Lower to Middle Triassic.     

Seismic fragility of traction elevators

Second‐generation performance‐based earthquake engineering (PBEE‐2) requires a library of component fragility functions to estimate probabilistic damage to a wide variety of building components. The present work draws on a large body of (mostly) post‐earthquake reconnaissance and (some) post‐earthquake survey observations of traction elevators to create fragility functions useful in PBEE‐2. Two surveys provide detailed observations of 115 representative elevators at 12 hospitals shaken in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes and selected without regard to or foreknowledge of damage. Of these, 55 failed and 60 did not. Approximately half were installed after an important code change of 1972, so one can distinguish the performance of pre‐1973 and post‐1973 elevator construction. They experienced a range of strong motion: 22 with peak ground acceleration (PGA) < 0.25 g, 93 with 0.25 g < PGA < 0.85 g. The hospitals had elevator failure rates as low as 0% and as high as 100%. A third survey describes damage qualitatively for six sites with PGA ≤ 0.25 and per‐site failure rates of 0% to perhaps 30%. Fragility functions are offered where the damage state is the loss of functionality of the elevator. The elevators in these surveys exhibit a median capacity of PGA ≈ 0.35 g with a logarithmic standard deviation of 0.40. Capacity is modestly sensitive to whether the elevator was installed before or after 1973. Using building‐specific intensity measures such as S_a(T₁) does not improve the fragility functions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolated Archosaur teeth from the green sandstone capping the Coralline Limestone (Bagh Group) of the Narmada valley: Evidence for the presence of pre‐Late to Late Maastrichtian abelisaurids in India

Recent field prospecting in the Cretaceous sequences of the lower Narmada valley has led to the discovery of three isolated archosaur teeth from the upper part of marine Cretaceous rocks of the Bagh Group. The specimens were recovered by surface prospecting from an oyster‐bearing green sandstone bed occurring at the top of the Coralline Limestone (Coniacian) from a site near Phutibawri village, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India. Of the three teeth recovered from this horizon, two are identified with abelisaurid dinosaurs and the third one with an indeterminate crocodile. The abelisaurid teeth conform to the premaxillary and maxillary tooth morphology of Majungasaurus and Indosuchus. Earlier reports of abelisaurid dinosaurs from India are from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Group of Jabalpur, Pisdura (Central India) and Balasinor (Western India) and Upper Cretaceous (Late Maastrichtian) Kallamedu Formation (South India). As no associated age diagnostic fossils are found, the specimens described here are considered to represent pre‐Late to Late Maastrichtian age based on the known ages of the underlying and overlying formations. The new finds, therefore, document stratigraphically the oldest occurrence of abelisaurid dinosaurs known from the Indian subcontinent.     

基于CryoSat-2的东南极PANDA断面考察沿线DEM制作及精度分析

基于卫星测高数据,国际上先后发布了ICESat DEM、Bamber DEM等全南极DEM.相对于传统高度计,大轨道倾角、长重访周期的设计使CryoSat-2具有更大的数据覆盖范围以及更加密集的轨道覆盖;同时,SARIn模式的启用也提高了CryoSat-2对于南极边缘区域的监测能力.针对利用CryoSat-2数据提取DEM问题,对CroySat-2的轨迹覆盖特征、数据滤波方法、最优内插参数选取以及DEM精度验证等方面进行了探讨,并利用克里金插值法生成了东南极PANDA断面考察沿线1 km分辨率的DEM.结果表明：通过与ICESat数据对比,发现PANDA断面考察沿线DEM整体高程精度约为（1.57±3.30）m;但是,局部区域高程精度分析表明,DEM精度具有不均一性,随着坡度的增加DEM高程精度逐渐下降,高程稳定性也同时下降.     

基于PFC2D数值试验的异性结构面剪切强度特性研究

天然岩体中广泛发育两侧岩性不同的异性结构面,开展异性结构面变形和强度特性研究旨在为岩体稳定性评价和利用提供依据。选取三峡库区侏罗系典型的砂岩-泥岩异性岩层,首先运用分形几何理论,定量计算了平直和4种不同不规则起伏形态结构面的粗糙度系数JRC值,然后基于PFC2D颗粒流程序,分别开展了以上5种形态异性结构面的数值剪切试验,获得了各形态结构面在不同正应力下的剪切应力-位移曲线。根据数值试验结果,采用巴顿的JRC-JCS模型分析了异性结构面强度特性,并与同性结构面强度性质进行对比研究。最后,在考虑异性结构面剪切破坏机制的基础上,引入强度因子的概念,提出了新的适用于异性结构面强度评价的两类改进巴顿准则。研究结果表明：异性岩体结构面抗剪强度介于相同粗糙度的两种同性结构面强度之间,在较低正应力下接近软岩同性结构面强度,符合Ⅰ型改进巴顿准则;在较高正应力下偏向硬岩同性结构面强度,符合Ⅱ型改进巴顿准则。实际工程中可利用改进准则并根据异性结构面应力状态对岩体稳定性进行评价,弥补了以往研究的不足。     

低渗透油藏水平井注CO2井网优化与影响因素

针对低渗透油藏直井井网CO₂驱油的不足,以大庆某低渗区块为例,建立反七点水平井井网CO₂驱油地质模型。在物性参数相态拟合的基础上,对反七点水平井和五点直井两种不同井网模式的开发效果进行了对比,对反七点水平井井网参数进行了优化,同时对储层非均质(渗透率、储层非均质性、裂缝的发育情况等)进行了影响因素分析。研究表明：利用水平井注CO₂可以适当地增大井距、排距,减少井的数量,降低钻井成本;在生产制度相同的情况下水平井井网的开发效果要比直井井网的开发效果好;在水平井井网中,采出程度随着油井到水平井的垂直距离的比值变化而变化,当比值为1.4时采出程度最大;水平井注CO₂更适合低渗透正韵律储层;在储层裂缝发育的情况下,裂缝条数越多,CO₂在储层中的不均匀推进现象越明显,最终采出程度越低。     

CaCl2溶液对不同黏土基防渗墙渗透性的影响

在垃圾填埋场和场地污染防治工程中,黏土基防渗墙作为原位屏障,已广泛应用于隔离污染物与控制污染地下水的迁移。由黏土与地层混合形成的防渗墙与CaCl2溶液相互作用后,其渗透性会发生怎样的变化。针对这一问题,使用福建标准砂模拟砂性地层,以4种黏土作为混合材料,通过混合、浇筑和固结以后,对其渗透系数和水分特征曲线进行了实测。结果表明,在10%黏土添加量下,当4种砂-黏土混合土经0.2 mol/L CaCl2溶液渗透稳定后,其渗透系数相比渗透液为自来水时都有不同程度的增大,但渗透系数增大的倍数没有超过10。此外,CaCl2溶液在4种砂-黏土混合土中渗透稳定后试样的孔隙率没有发生较大变化,只是小幅地减小了。试验结果分析认为,钙离子与黏土矿物颗粒表面的单价阳离子发生了置换反应,使扩散双电层厚度减小,结合水含量降低,因而有效孔隙率增加,可能是宏观上造成渗透系数变大的主要原因。