Elastic one-return boundary element method and hybrid elastic thin-slab propagator for strong-contrast media with sharp boundaries

In this paper, we developed the theory and algorithm of an elastic one-way boundary element method(BEM) and a corresponding hybrid elastic thin-slab propagator for earth media with sharp boundaries between strong contrast media. This approach can takes the advantage of accurate boundary condition of BEM and completely overcomes the weak contrast limitation of the perturbationtheory based one-way operator approach. The one-way BEM is a smooth boundary approximation, which avoids huge matrix operations in exact full BEM. In addition, the one-way BEM can model the primary-only transmitted and reflected waves and therefore is a valuable tool in elastic imaging and inversion. Through numerical tests for some simple models,we proved the validity and efficiency of the proposed method.     

The earliest stage of Izu rear‐arc volcanism revealed by drilling at Site U1437, International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 350

The International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 350 drilled between two Izu rear‐arc seamount chains at Site U1437 and recovered the first complete succession of rear‐arc rocks. The drilling reached 1806.5 m below seafloor. In situ hyaloclastites, which had erupted before the rear‐arc seamounts came into existence at this site, were recovered in the deepest part of the hole (～15–16 Ma). Here it is found that the composition of the oldest rocks recovered does not have rear‐arc seamount chain geochemical signatures, but instead shows affinities with volcanic front or some of the extensional zone basalts between the present volcanic front and the rear‐arc seamount chains. It is suggested that following the opening of the Shikoku back‐arc Basin, Site U1437 was a volcanic front or a rifting zone just behind the volcanic front, and was followed at ~ 9 Ma by the start of rear‐arc seamount chains volcanism. This geochemical change records variations in the subduction components with time, which might have followed eastward moving of hot fingers in the mantle wedge and deepening of the subducting slab below Site U1437 after the cessation of Shikoku back‐arc Basin opening.     

A two-dimensional analytical solution of groundwater responses to tidal loading in an estuary and ocean

Previous studies on tidal dynamics of coastal aquifers have focussed on the inland propagation of oceanic tides in the cross-shore direction, a configuration that is essentially one-dimensional. Aquifers at natural coasts can also be influenced by tidal waves in nearby estuaries, resulting in a more complex behaviour of head fluctuations in the aquifers. We present an analytical solution to the two-dimensional depth-averaged groundwater flow equation for a semi-infinite aquifer subject to oscillating head conditions at the boundaries. The solution describes the tidal dynamics of a coastal aquifer that is adjacent to a cross-shore estuary. Both the effects of oceanic and estuarine tides on the aquifer are included in the solution. The analytical prediction of the head fluctuations is verified by comparison with numerical solutions computed using a standard finite-difference method. An essential feature of the present analytical solution is the interaction between the cross- and along-shore tidal waves in the aquifer area near the estuary’s entry. As the distance from the estuary or coastline increases, the wave interaction is weakened and the aquifer response is reduced, respectively, to the one-dimensional solution for oceanic tides or the solution of Sun (Sun H. A two-dimensional analytical solution of groundwater response to tidal loading in an estuary, Water Resour Res 1997;33:1429–35) for two-dimensional non-interacting tidal waves.     

Studies on the Coral Reefs of the South China Sea: From Global Change to Oil-Gas Exploration

Studies on the coral reefs of the South China Sea (SCS) was the theme of the 6th Session of the 3rd Conference on Earth System Science (CESS) in Shanghai, 2014. This session discussed the most recent study developments on the SCS coral reefs, including coral reefs’ responses to global changes, coral reefs’ records on past climatic variations, and the activities about constructions and oil gas explorations in the coral reefs areas of the SCS. Disturbed by intensive anthropogenic activities and global climate warming, coral reefs in the SCS have declined dramatically, reflecting the up to 80% decrease of living coral cover and many areas having less than 20% of living coral cover. Geochemical data of SCS coral skeletons clearly show that since the Industry Revolution, the pollution situation of the SCS have dramatically increased and the seawater pH values have been continuously lowering, i.e. oceanic acidification. All these environmental phenomenon are further stressing the healthy development of the coral reef ecosystem in the SCS. Meanwhile, the poor coral reef ecosystems in the SCS are facing more anthropogenic disturbances such as coastal developments and engineering constructions. Obviously, the SCS coral reefs will be faced with more environmental challenges in the coming future. We therefore suggest that the policy makers should realize the extreme importance and the fragile of the coral reef ecosystems, and scientifically and with great cautions design construction project when in coral reef areas. We initiated the concept of “green engineering” for future developments in coral reef areas. Coral reefs are widely spreading in the whole SCS, and most of them developed since Miocene. Variations in coral reef structures provide good future oil-gas exploration. Because the SCS coral reefs have a long-developing history and a wide spatial distribution, they provide great potential in recording past environmental changes.     

Slab weakening: Mechanical and thermal-mechanical consequences for slab detachment

Abstract Slab detachment is a geophysical instability whose manifestation can be revealed by seismic tomography. Evidence of this phenomenon is in the Dinarides/Hellenic and the New Hebrides subduction zones. Subducted slabs in these regions are torn horizontally at depths ranging from 100 to 300 km. We constructed a viscoelastic three-dimensional finite element model and investigated the state of stress. We found that an area with high stress concentration of the order of several hundred MPa is formed near the tip of the tear inside the slab, which can cause lateral migration of the tear. Favorable conditions for slab detachment are characterized by large interplate frictional force at a subduction zone and small slab resistance force deeper down. Stress concentration increases with the down-dip tension inside the slab. The phenomenon of slab weakening has also been studied from a thermal-mechanical standpoint, using a two-dimensional convection model with non-Newtonian, temperature-dependent rheology. The stress-dependent rheology plays an important role in causing local weakening of the descending slab. In strongly time-dependent situations the fast descending slab is not strong everywhere but has a weak region in the middle, making it vulnerable to slab detachment. The presence of viscous heating will enhance slab detachment tendency by further weakening the interior by the frictional heating. Besides these effects, there are other mechanisms which can also weaken the slab interior and help to make slabs more pliable and susceptible to detachment.     

牡丹江和海拉尔台下方地幔间断面结构及推论

利用牡丹江(MDJ)和海拉尔(HIA)台1988-2000年的宽频带三分量数字地震记录,通过地幔间断面产生的P-SV转换波,研究台站下方地幔间断面的分布以及日本海俯冲带对660km间断面的影响.为了提高所得结果的可靠性,采用了线性-偏振滤波方法和修正的N次根倾斜叠加方法来提取P-SV转换波.前一方法通过实验选取适当的光滑平均和提出立体角的约束;对后一方法进行了震源深度校正和间断面倾斜的修正.结果表明,在MDJ和HIA台下方,除在660,410,220和520km深度附近均存有间断面外,在140,350,570,740和1080km深度附近也存在间断面,显示了地幔中径向分层的复杂性;另外,MDJ台下方660-840km之间的间断面结果比HIA台下方的复杂,似有分层结构,可能反映了俯冲带的影响.     

青海柴达木盆地北缘寒武纪和奥陶纪海相红层的分布与时代

参照青海省柴达木盆地北缘寒武纪和奥陶纪地层相关文献资料,通过野外地质调查和系统样品分析结果,在柴北缘寒武纪—奥陶纪地层中梳理和识别出了19层海相红层。其中,寒武纪地层中识别出了12层海相红层,奥陶纪地层中识别出了7层海相红层。除奥陶纪石灰沟组海相红层(QORB3,QORB4,QORB5及QORB6)为深水大洋红层外,其余15层海相红层均属浅水—半深水陆棚红层。依据海相红层及其上下层位所含化石,本文初步论述了各海相红层的大致时代,并与我国主要块体的同期海相红层进行对比。上述研究对进一步开展全国乃至全球寒武纪、奥陶纪海相红层分布及对比提供了基础数据和资料。此外,通过国内同期红层的对比,本文还讨论了河北唐山寒武纪海相红层的分布及中国南方中奥陶世大坪期—达瑞威尔期早期海相红层广布事件。     

全球洋岛和洋底高原海山中的中酸性岩——数据挖掘及其意义

洋岛类型的海山和洋底高原类型的海山主要由玄武岩组成, 中酸性岩出露很少, 因此很少引起学术界的关注。 我们认为即便中酸性岩很少, 研究他们也是很有意义的, 因为这些中酸性岩不仅可能与洋岛和洋底高原玄武岩的构造背景有关, 也可能与洋岛和洋底高原在形成中酸性岩时的温度和压力变化有关, 这对正确认识洋岛和洋底高原形成的地球动力学背景是很有意义的。 本次研究收集了 GEOROC 数据库中的数据总量为 44 404 个, 经过清洗留下有效数据 3 908 个, 分为洋岛中酸性岩（OIG）、洋底高原中酸性岩（OPG）和洋底高原中酸性岩中的岛弧部分（OPAG）3 类。 学术界通常认为, 洋岛代表热点, 洋底高原温度相对较低, 属于大火成岩省。 然而, 本文对全球洋岛和洋底高原的中酸性岩浆岩的研究表明, 分布在洋岛和洋底高原的中酸性岩主要是板内环境的富碱性的粗面岩和碱性流纹岩, 洋底高原边缘可能受俯冲带的影响, 部分中酸性岩具有岛弧的地球化学特征。 按照中酸性岩的 Sr-Yb 分类, 可知洋岛中酸性岩大多属于南岭型和广西型, 洋底高原海山中酸性岩主要属于南岭型, 广西型很少, 指示洋底高原中酸性岩形成的深度比洋岛浅, 温度也比洋岛低, 同时表明中酸性岩大多形成的压力较低而温度很高, 指示伴有高热中酸性岩的洋岛和洋底高原是地球上的热点。 本文认为, 洋岛和洋底高原中酸性岩并非学术界普遍认为的是玄武岩和碧玄岩分离结晶形成的, 因为洋岛和洋底高原岩浆岩如果是双峰式分布的话, 则不大可能是分离结晶的, 其中的酸性岩部分可能是玄武岩部分熔融形成的。 同时有些岩浆演化的关系表明, 中酸性岩在哈克图解中与玄武岩受不同因素制约, 说明并非演化的关系。     

Prograde high- to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and exhumation of oceanic sediments at Lago di Cignana, Zermatt-Saas Zone, western Alps

Pelagic metasediments and MORB-type metabasalts of the former Tethyan oceanic crust at Cignana, Valtournanche, Italy, experienced UHP metamorphism and subsequent exhumation during the Early to Late Tertiary. Maximum PT conditions attained during UHP metamorphism were 600–630 °C, 2.7–2.9 GPa, which resulted in the formation of coesite-glaucophane-eclogites in the basaltic layer and of garnet-dolomite-aragonite-lawsonite-coesite-phengite-bearing calc-schists and garnet-phengite-coesite-schists with variable amounts of epidote, talc, dolomite, Na-pyroxene and Na-amphibole in the overlying metasediments. During subduction the rocks followed a prograde HP/UHP path which in correspondance with the Jurassic age of the Tethyan crust reflects the thermal influence of relatively old and cold lithosphere and of low to moderate shear heating. Inflections on the prograde metamorphic path may correspond to thermal effects that arise from a decrease in shear heating due to brittle-plastic transition in the quartz-aragonite-dominated rocks, induced convection in the asthenospheric mantle wedge and/or heat consumption by endothermic reactions over a restricted PT segment during subduction. After detachment from the downgoing slab some 50–70 Ma before present, the Cignana crustal slice was first exhumed to ca. 60 km and concomitantly cooled to ca. 550 °C, tracing back the UHP/HP prograde path displaced by 50–80 °C to higher temperatures. Exhumation at this stage is likely to have occurred in the Benioff zone, while the subduction of cool lithosphere was going on. Subsequently, the rocks were near-isothermally exhumed to ca. 30 km, followed by concomitant decompression and cooling to surface conditions (at < 500 °C, < 1 GPa). During this last stage the UHPM slice arrived at its present tectonic position with respect to the overlying greenschist-facies Combin zone. In contrast to the well-preserved HP/UHPM record of the coesite-glaucophane eclogites, the HP/UHP assemblages of the metasediments have been largely obliterated during exhumation. Relics from which the metamorphic evolution of the rocks during prograde HP metamorphism and the UHP stage can be retrieved are restricted to rigid low-diffusion minerals like garnet, dolomite, tourmaline and apatite.     

An unusual zone of seismic coupling in the Bonin arc: The 1972 Hachijo-Oki earthquakes and related seismicity

The 1972 February and December Hachijo-Oki earthquakes (M _s=7.3 and 7.4), in the northernmost part of the Izu-Bonin subduction zone, are the only major events (M _s>7.0) in the Bonin arc for the past 80 years. Relocation of the hypocenters, using one smaller event having a wellconstrained focal depth as a master event, shows that the depth of the February event is 10 km shallower than that of the December event. We have determined the rupture process for both events by minimizing the error in waveform between observed and synthetic seismograms. Although the number of available stations are limited, the depth range of the major energy release for the December event extends deeper than for the February one. The rupture propagated up-dip for both events. It is likely that the rupture zone of the two events overlapped, and that the December event ruptured the deeper part. This suggestion is consistent with the observation that the aftershock zones of both events overlap with that of the December event shifted landward. The waveforms of the December event have a smaller high frequency component than those of the February event, suggesting that the stress at the thrust zone became more uniform or reduced after the February event.No thrust type smaller event occurred near the rupture zone. Instead, theP-axes of smaller events are parallel to the dip of the slab and theirT-axes dip to the southwest. Focal depths of these events estimated byP-wave forward modeling are generally between 40–50 km and located beneath the thrust zone. We thus interpret them as the events within the Pacific slab near the zone ruptured by the two major events. The stress concentration around the rupture zone of the major events is suggested to have triggered these slab events. After the occurrence of the large events, the slab events are concentrated near the deeper portion of the rupture zone. These events may have been caused by the loading of the down-dip compressional stress near the down-dip end of the rupture zone due to the rupture. The occurrence of the doublet of large earthquakes and a number of down-dip compressional events beneath their rupture zones in a shallow portion of the subducting slab indicates an unusual zone of seismic coupling in the Bonin arc, most of which is seismically quiescent.