A BRIEF REVIEW OF SEVERAL MODELS OF TOPOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION

With steady development of mathematical-physical models and computer technology, numerous methods of topographic simulation have emerged during the past decades. A major challenge in the modeling is how to accurately and efficiently describe processes of surface erosion at different spatial scales. This review focuses on the physical processes controlling surface erosion, including river erosion and hillslope erosion. Four popular models of topographic simulation (CASCADE, CHILD, FastScape and DAC models)and their applications are presented. Although these models have become more sophisticated in recent years, there are still some issues unsolved regarding the basics of the physical erosion processes. For example, some factors have not been taken into account, such as the impacts of changes in grain size and sediment budget during transportation on river erosion and the measurements of the rock erodibilities for various lithologies. Moreover, there is no topographic index that can be used to evaluate the modeling results. Therefore, it would be helpful to combine the models of topographic simulation with other numerical models, e.g. the low-temperature thermochronometric data modeling, to provide better constraints on the terrain modeling.     

Impact of topography and land-sea distribution on East Asian paleoenvironmental patterns

Much geological research has illustrated the transition of paleoenvironmental patterns during the Cenozoic from a planetary-wind-dominant type to a monsoon-dominant type, indicating the initiation of the East Asian monsoon and inland-type aridity. However, there is a dispute about the causes and mechanisms of the transition, especially about the impact of the Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Paratethys Sea retreat. Thirty numerical sensitivity experiments under different land-sea distributions and Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau topography conditions are performed here to simulate the evolution of climate belts with emphasis on changes in the rain band, and these are compared with the changes in the paleoenvironmental patterns during the Cenozoic recovered by geological records. The consistency between simulations and the geological evidence indicates that both the Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Paratethys Sea retreat play important roles in the formation of the monsoon-dominant environmental pattern. Furthermore, the simulations show the monsoon-dominant environmental pattern comes into being when the Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau reaches 1000–2000 m high and the Paratethys Sea retreats to the Turan Plate.     

黄山地区短时强降雨的地形增幅机制

应用黄山地区191个地面自动观测站资料,统计分析了201 5年发生在黄山地区短时强降雨时空分布。统计发现:发生短时强降雨过程次数在午后及傍晚(14和18时)时段中明显增多;黄山山脉及其附近是短时强降雨多发生的中心地带,发生短时强降雨次数分布与山脉形态一致、和地形高度相关,短时强降雨与地形关系密切。分别利用三个典型个例分析了山脉地形动力阻拦和热力对短时强降雨的增幅作用,结果表明:(1)山脉地形迎风坡处因地形抬升速度与地面辐合线相配合降雨增强,水汽收支方法诊断计算降雨增量可达6成;(2)锋面过境山脉时垂直扰动增强水平位温梯度增大锋生,在背风坡处地面涡度、上升运动增强,导致降水增幅;(3)山脉西南区域因地面感热通量差异形成热低压,在该区域增暖增湿,大气不稳定增强,受冷平流影响形成强对流天气,导致山区降水增幅。     

鄂尔多斯盆地伊盟隆起区东部微烃渗漏区的遥感识别及其意义

微烃渗漏遥感探测的机理主要是建立在烃类微渗漏异常地球化学表征和形成的基础上。本文主要依据Schum acher(1996)和Saunders等(1999)提出的烃类微渗漏异常地球化学原理和模型,以鄂尔多斯盆地伊盟隆起东部为研究区,以多光谱遥感和航空放射性遥感为探测手段,分别利用氧化铁指数(TM3/TM1)、亚铁指数(TM5/TM4)和黏土化指数(TM5/TM7)来识别Fe3 氧化物、Fe2 氧化物和有机质、黏土化和碳酸盐化的相对富集区,同时用矿物组合图像来增强显示上述信息。综合亚铁指数(TM5/TM4)分割图像、矿物组合图像、航放铀、钍、钾信息及钍归一化铀指数等信息,提取了研究区微烃渗漏地段。研究表明,研究区存在两条Fe2 氧化物和有机质相对富集区带。一条为与库布齐沙漠走向近于一致的北部近东西向带,它与石油部门发现和描述的油气渗漏区域基本一致。另一条为泊海子—准召—新庙不连续的北西向带,它的北界与泊海子—准召断裂展布基本一致。在垂直中部北西向微烃渗漏带的剖面上,清晰显示亚铁指数(Fe2 )、航放测量铀(U)、钍归一化铀(Ud)为正异常;氧化铁指数(Fe3 )、航放测量总道值(Tc)和钾(K)、钍归一化(Kd)为负异常的特点。研究认为地表还原带是由油气微渗漏形成的,推测受断裂、裂隙带控制的、主要由油气微渗漏形成的还原带对东胜铀矿带形成聚集起了重要作用。     

40Ar/39Ar geochronology and exhumation of mylonitized metamorphic complex in Changle-Nanao ductile shear zone

New⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages from rocks of Changle-Nanao ductile shear zone are 107.9 Ma(Mus), 108.2 Ma(Bi), 107.1 Ma(Bi), 109.2 Ma(Hb) and 117.9 Ma(Bi) respectively, which are concordant with their isochron ages and record the formation age of the ductile shear zone. The similarity and apparent overlap of the cooling ages with respective closure temperatures of 5 minerals document initial rapid uplift during 107–118 Ma following the collision between the Min-Tai microcontinent and the Min-Zhe Mesozoic volcanic arc. The⁴⁰Ar/³⁹ Ar plateau ages, K-Ar date of K-feldspar and other geochronologic information suggest that the exhumation rate of the ductile shear zone is about 0.18–1.12 mm/a in the range of 107–70 Ma, which is mainly influenced by tectonic extension.     

Petrography and uplift history of the Quaternary Takidani Granodiorite: could it have hosted a supercritical (HDR) geothermal reservoir?

The Quaternary Takidani Granodiorite (Japan Alps) is analogous to the type of deep-seated (3–5 km deep) intrusive-hosted fracture network system that might support (supercritical) hot dry/wet rock (HDR/HWR) energy extraction. The I-type Takidani Granodiorite comprises: porphyritic granodiorite, porphyritic granite, biotite-hornblende granodiorite, hornblende-biotite granodiorite, biotite-hornblende granite and biotite granite facies; the intrusion has a reverse chemical zonation, characterized by >70 wt% SiO₂ at its inferred margin and <67 wt% SiO₂ at the core. Fluid inclusion evidence indicates that fractured Takidani Granodiorite at one time hosted a liquid-dominated, convective hydrothermal system, with <380°C, low-salinity reservoir fluids at hydrostatic (mesothermal) pressure conditions. ‘Healed’ microfractures also trapped >600°C, hypersaline (35 wt% NaCl_eq) fluids of magmatic origin, with inferred minimum pressures of formation being 600–750 bar, which corresponds to fluid entrapment at 2.4–3.0 km depth. Al-in-hornblende geobarometry indicates that hornblende crystallization occurred at about 1.45 Ma (7.7–9.4 km depth) in the (marginal) eastern Takidani Granodiorite, but later (at 1.25 Ma) and shallower (6.5–7.0 km) near the core of the intrusion. The average rate of uplift across the Takidani Granodiorite from the time of hornblende crystallization has been 5.1–5.9 mm/yr (although uplift was about 7.5 mm/yr prior to 1.2 Ma), which is faster than average uplift rates in the Japan Alps (3 mm/yr during the last 2 million years). A temperature–depth–time window, when the Takidani Granodiorite had potential to host an HDR system, would have been when the internal temperature of the intrusive was cooling from 500°C to 400°C. Taking into account the initial (7.5 mm/yr) rate of uplift and effects of erosion, an optimal temperature–time–depth window is proposed: for 500°C at 1.54–1.57 Ma and 5.2±0.9 km (drilling) depth; and 400°C at 1.36–1.38 Ma and 3.3±0.8 km (drilling) depth, which is within the capabilities of modern drilling technologies, and similar to measured temperature–depth profiles in other active hydrothermal systems (e.g. at Kakkonda, Japan).     

考虑卸荷变形模量的坑底回弹变形计算方法

针对基坑开挖卸荷导致坑底土体回弹变形问题,考虑开挖卸荷过程中土体弹性模量随着卸荷应力路径变化的特征,推导在卸荷应力路径作用下土体变形模量的计算公式,考虑基坑的开挖为地表以下基坑开挖面处应力的变化,基于Mindlin应力解计算矩形基坑开挖卸荷引起的坑底土体附加应力,采用分层总和法计算基坑开挖引起的坑底土体的回弹变形,结合已有文献中的工程实例,采用该方法计算开挖引起的坑底隆起变形,并与实际监测数据对比分析表明,该方法能够有效预测基坑开挖引起的坑底隆起变形,能够作为基坑开挖坑底隆起变形的一种有效预测方法。     

Gravity anomaly and crustal density structure in Jilantai rift zone and its adjacent region

This paper deals with the interpretation of Bouguer gravity anomalies measured along a 250 km long Suhaitu-Etuokeqi gravity profile located at the transitional zone of the Alxa and Ordos blocks where geophysical characteristics are very complex. The analysis is carried out in terms of the ratio of elevation and Bouguer gravity anomaly, the normalized full gradient of a section of the Bouguer gravity anomaly (G ^h ) and the crustal density structure reveal that (1) the ratio of highs and lows of elevation and Bouguer gravity anomaly is large between Zhengyiguan fault (F4) and Helandonglu fault (F6), which can be explained due to crustal inhomogeneities related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet block in the northeast; (2) the main active faults correspond to the G ^h contour strip or cut the local region, and generally show strong deformation characteristics, for example the Bayanwulashan mountain front fault (F1) or the southeast boundary of Alxa block is in accord with the western change belt of G ^h , a belt about 10 km wide that extends to about 30 km; (3) Yinchuan-Pingluo fault (F8) is the seismogenic structure of the Pingluo M earthquake, and its focal depth is about 15 km; (4) the Moho depth trend and Bouguer gravity anomaly variation indicates that the regional gravity field is strongly correlated with the Moho discontinuity.     

Effect of drainage area on hypsometry from an analysis of small-scale drainage basins in the Siwalik Hills (Central Nepal)

Hypsometry of drainage basins (area–elevation analysis) has generally been used to infer the stage of geomorphic development and to study the influence of varying forcing factors (i.e. tectonics, climate, lithology) on topography. However, the scale dependence of hypsometry has generally been neglected. In order to assess the scale dependence of hypsometry, this study focuses on the sensitivity of hypsometry to different Digital Elevation Model (DEM) resolutions and on the influence of drainage area. Hypsometry inferred from different DEMs is shown to be robust against variations of their resolution. However, hypsometry appears to be dependent on drainage area. We propose that this scale dependence may reflect the varying importance of river and hillslope processes with basin area. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinants of sediment properties and organic matter in beach and dune environments based on boosted regression trees

Grain size properties and the variation of organic matter in coastal beach and dune environments are assumed to be controlled by the intensity of aeolian processes, time and the sediment source. However, assumptions are based on relatively limited empirical studies. In this study, we examined which environmental variables are the main predictors of multiple topsoil properties. To achieve this, we analysed an extensive dataset systematically collected across all beach zones and a large geographical area at the Finnish Baltic Sea coast characterized by post‐glacial land uplift. We included a comprehensive set of predictors in the analysis and applied boosted regression trees, a modern modelling technique particularly suited for analysis without prior assumptions of the data model. The results suggest that mean grain size and sorting are mainly determined by northing and fetch. Northing, disturbance and fetch predicted the variation of soil organic matter while litter cover was strongly related to disturbance. Based on the analyses, we were able to identify the main drivers of multiple topsoil properties on land uplift beaches. Parent material is suggested to determine sediment textural properties, which largely masks the effects of transient processes. Mean grain size and sorting are highly interdependent: grains become finer and sorting improves with increasing shore exposure. The intensity of momentary geomorphic processes controls the accumulation of litter whereas the slower accumulation of organic matter in the soil is influenced also by the static exposure setting. Skewness and kurtosis of the grain size distribution are mainly influenced by unmeasured processes, potentially relating to the geomorphological origin of the sediment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.