Antarctic dry valleys: Microclimate zonation, variable geomorphic processes, and implications for assessing climate change on Mars

The Antarctic Dry Valleys (ADV) are generally classified as a hyper-arid, cold-polar desert. The region has long been considered an important terrestrial analog for Mars because of its generally cold and dry climate and because it contains a suite of landforms at macro-, meso-, and microscales that closely resemble those occurring on the martian surface. The extreme hyperaridity of both Mars and the ADV has focused attention on the importance of salts and brines on soil development, phase transitions from liquid water to water ice, and ultimately, on process geomorphology and landscape evolution at a range of scales on both planets. The ADV can be subdivided into three microclimate zones: a coastal thaw zone, an inland mixed zone, and a stable upland zone; zones are defined on the basis of summertime measurements of atmospheric temperature, soil moisture, and relative humidity. Subtle variations in these climate parameters result in considerable differences in the distribution and morphology of: (1) macroscale features (e.g., slopes and gullies); (2) mesoscale features (e.g., polygons, including ice-wedge, sand-wedge, and sublimation-type polygons, as well as viscous-flow features, including solifluction lobes, gelifluction lobes, and debris-covered glaciers); and (3) microscale features (e.g., rock-weathering processes/features, including salt weathering, wind erosion, and surface pitting). Equilibrium landforms are those features that formed in balance with environmental conditions within fixed microclimate zones. Some equilibrium landforms, such as sublimation polygons, indicate the presence of extensive near-surface ice; identification of similar landforms on Mars may also provide a basis for detecting the location of shallow ice. Landforms that today appear in disequilibrium with local microclimate conditions in the ADV signify past and/or ongoing shifts in climate zonation; understanding these shifts is assisting in the documentation of the climate record for the ADV. A similar type of landform analysis can be applied to the surface of Mars where analogous microclimates and equilibrium landforms occur (1) in a variety of local environments, (2) in different latitudinal bands, and (3) in units of different ages. Documenting the nature and evolution of the ADV microclimate zones and their associated geomorphic processes is helping to provide a quantitative framework for assessing the evolution of climate on Mars.     

Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan

The Huygens Probe detected dendritic drainage-like features, methane clouds and a high surface relative humidity (∼50%) on Titan in the vicinity of its landing site [Tomasko, M.G., and 39 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 765-778; Niemann, H.B., and 17 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 779-784], suggesting sources of methane that replenish this gas against photo- and charged-particle chemical loss on short (10-100) million year timescales [Atreya, S.K., Adams, E.Y., Niemann, H.B., Demick-Montelara, J.E., Owen, T.C., Fulchignoni, M., Ferri, F., Wilson, E.H., 2006. Planet. Space Sci. In press]. On the other hand, Cassini Orbiter remote sensing shows dry and even desert-like landscapes with dunes [Lorenz, R.D., and 39 colleagues, 2006a. Science 312, 724-727], some areas worked by fluvial erosion, but no large-scale bodies of liquid [Elachi, C., and 34 colleagues, 2005. Science 308, 970-974]. Either the atmospheric methane relative humidity is declining in a steady fashion over time, or the sources that maintain the relative humidity are geographically restricted, small, or hidden within the crust itself. In this paper we explore the hypothesis that the present-day methane relative humidity is maintained entirely by lakes that cover a small part of the surface area of Titan. We calculate the required minimum surface area coverage of such lakes, assess the stabilizing influence of ethane, and the implications for moist convection in the atmosphere. We show that, under Titan's surface conditions, methane evaporates rapidly enough that shorelines of any existing lakes could potentially migrate by several hundred m to tens of km per year, rates that could be detected by the Cassini orbiter. We furthermore show that the high relative humidity of methane in Titan's lower atmosphere could be maintained by evaporation from lakes covering only 0.002-0.02 of the whole surface.     

Effects of engineering geological condition on response of suspension bridges

The geological condition may vary largely from one support to another for a long span bridge. The effect of geological variability and spatial variation produced by propagation and coherence loss of seismic ground motion on the response of long span suspension bridges is investigated in this article. The case of Jiangyin Yangtse River Bridge, a suspension bridge with a main span of 1385 m, is studied in detail. Numerical results show that the geological difference at the supports has a significant effect on the seismic response of long span suspension bridges and, that it is unacceptable to neglect the difference. The effect of the propagation of seismic ground motion on the response of long span suspension bridges is far more important than that of the coherence loss. The response of bridges varies greatly with the horizontal apparent velocity in a very complex way, and there is a critical horizontal velocity for a given response quantity.     

浅析地勘单位提高市场竞争力的策略

为提高市场竞争力，地勘单位必须加快企业化进程，建立现代企业制度；必须推进管理创新和技术创新；必须加强品牌建设、人才队伍建设和企业文化建设；必须重视政府和行业协会的保护与支持作用，并积极利用金融市场拓宽融资渠道.     

SOFTWARE REVIEWS

AMOS—Analysis of MOment Structures . James Arbuckle CLIMATEDATA–Summary of the Day . (Version 1.10). HYDRODATA–U.S.G.S. Daily Values (Version 2.0). The MAP SETS (includes EUROPEAN MAPSET, US MAPSET and WORLD MAPSET). James Taylor     

Geochronology and geochemistry of Yanchangbeishan biotite Adamellite of Lenghu area in Qinghai and their geological significanceEI北大核心CSCD

The Yanchangbeishan biotite adamellite in the Lenghu area of Qinghai is located in the west segment of the north margin of Qaidam. The rocks have high SiO2 (73.92%-75.98%) and K2O contents (3.71%-4.78%), but low MgO and CaO contents. The alumina saturation index (A/CNK) varies from 1.03 to 1.11, indicating the biotite adamellite is peraluminous. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the rocks are right dipping and display weak Eu anomalies. The rock contains the Al-rich mineral like garnet and possesses normative corundum contents of 1%. It has low Th and Y contents which are negatively correlated with Rb, suggesting the source rock was sedimentary rock. Thus, the biotite adamellite belongs to S-type granite. The granite was produced by partial melting of the crust material due to the underplating of mantle-derived magma. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating shows that the formation age of the rock is 254±4 Ma. Based on the regional geological background and the geochemical characteristics of the rocks, we consider that the formation of the Yanchangbeishan biotite adamellite was related to subduction, which is illustrated by the characteristics similar to those of the island-arc igneous rocks. Therefore, the results reveal that the north margin of Qaidam was in active continental margin tectonic environment during Late Permian epoch. ©, 2015, Science Press. All right reserved.     

地质勘查一线紧缺人才数据库支撑平台建设探析

运用B/S（浏览器/服务器）模式和OOAD(面向对象的分析和设计)等信息技术,建设地质勘查一线紧缺人才数据库支撑平台,实现人才数据采集、培养计划和培养目标的管理,以及相关数据查询、统计功能,全面、准确、动态掌握地质勘查一线紧缺人才培养全过程,为搭建地质勘查一线紧缺人才信息服务平台奠定基础,同时为国土资源管理决策工作提供依据。     

Embayed intermediate volcanoes on Venus: Implications for the evolution of the volcanic plains

Volcanoes on Venus are classified according to size with studies on the stratigraphic position of large volcanoes proposing that most of the large volcanoes postdate the regional volcanic materials. Some studies regarding intermediate volcanoes proposed that some of these volcanic features could be large volcanoes with embayed flow aprons, a situation that would alter the previous stratigraphic considerations about large volcanoes on Venus.In this work I analyze the global population of embayed intermediate-size volcanoes and compare their summits with that of other edifices classified as large volcanoes. Intermediate-size volcanoes are considered embayed when: (1) flows from another source clearly overlap the volcano slopes, and (2) display scarps related to flank-failure processes but with the associated collapse deposits being absent (i.e. interpreted as covered). As result of the survey 88 embayed intermediate-size volcanoes have been catalogued and integrated into a Geographic Information System. These embayed volcanoes have summit sizes and characteristics similar to large volcanoes and, therefore, could be interpreted as possible large volcanoes with their flow aprons embayed. Embayment materials for these volcanoes include all the units present in the history of the volcanic plains and would indicate that this type of central volcanic edifice would occur throughout the geologic history recorded in the venusian plains.     

Cassini SAR, radiometry, scatterometry and altimetry observations of Titan’s dune fields

Large expanses of linear dunes cover Titan’s equatorial regions. As the Cassini mission continues, more dune fields are becoming unveiled and examined by the microwave radar in all its modes of operation (SAR, radiometry, scatterometry, altimetry) and with an increasing variety of observational geometries. In this paper, we report on Cassini’s radar instrument observations of the dune fields mapped through May 2009 and present our key findings in terms of Titan’s geology and climate. We estimate that dune fields cover ∼12.5% of Titan’s surface, which corresponds to an area of ∼10 million km², roughly the area of the United States. If dune sand-sized particles are mainly composed of solid organics as suggested by VIMS observations (Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) and atmospheric modeling and supported by radiometry data, dune fields are the largest known organic reservoir on Titan. Dune regions are, with the exception of the polar lakes and seas, the least reflective and most emissive features on this moon. Interestingly, we also find a latitudinal dependence in the dune field microwave properties: up to a latitude of ∼11°, dune fields tend to become less emissive and brighter as one moves northward. Above ∼11° this trend is reversed. The microwave signatures of the dune regions are thought to be primarily controlled by the interdune proportion (relative to that of the dune), roughness and degree of sand cover. In agreement with radiometry and scatterometry observations, SAR images suggest that the fraction of interdunes increases northward up to a latitude of ∼14°. In general, scattering from the subsurface (volume scattering and surface scattering from buried interfaces) makes interdunal regions brighter than the dunes. The observed latitudinal trend may therefore also be partially caused by a gradual thinning of the interdunal sand cover or surrounding sand sheets to the north, thus allowing wave penetration in the underlying substrate. Altimetry measurements over dunes have highlighted a region located in the Fensal dune field (∼5° latitude) where the icy bedrock of Titan is likely exposed within smooth interdune areas. The hemispherical assymetry of dune field properties may point to a general reduction in the availability of sediments and/or an increase in the ground humidity toward the north, which could be related to Titan’s asymmetric seasonal polar insolation. Alternatively, it may indicate that either the wind pattern or the topography is less favorable for dune formation in Titan’s northern tropics.     

Search for and limits on plume activity on Mimas, Tethys, and Dione with the Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS)

Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations of Mimas, Tethys, and Dione obtained during the nominal and extended missions at large solar phase angles were analyzed to search for plume activity. No forward scattered peaks in the solar phase curves of these satellites were detected. The upper limit on water vapor production for Mimas and Tethys is one order of magnitude less than the production for Enceladus. For Dione, the upper limit is two orders of magnitude less, suggesting this world is as inert as Rhea (Pitman, K.M., Buratti, B.J., Mosher, J.A., Bauer, J.M., Momary, T., Brown, R.H., Nicholson, P.D., Hedman, M.M. [2008]. Astrophys. J. Lett. 680, L65-L68). Although the plumes are best seen at ∼2.0 μm, Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) Narrow Angle Camera images obtained at the same time as the VIMS data were also inspected for these features. None of the Cassini ISS images shows evidence for plumes. The absence of evidence for any Enceladus-like plumes on the medium-sized saturnian satellites cannot absolutely rule out current geologic activity. The activity may below our threshold of detection, or it may be occurring but not captured on the handful of observations at large solar phase angles obtained for each moon. Many VIMS and ISS images of Enceladus at large solar phase angles, for example, do not contain plumes, as the active “tiger stripes” in the south pole region are pointed away from the spacecraft at these times. The 7-year Cassini Solstice Mission is scheduled to gather additional measurements at large solar phase angles that are capable of revealing activity on the saturnian moons.