Characterisation of the 1997 Vulcanian explosions of Soufrière Hills Volcano,Montserrat, by video analysis

The activity of Convention at Montserrat Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, during the period 1995–1999 included numerous violent explosions. Two major cycles of Vulcanian explosions occurred in 1997: a first of 13 explosions between 4 and 12 August and a second of 75 between 22 September and 21 October. The explosions were short-lived events lasting a few tens of seconds during which partial fountain collapse generated pyroclastic surges and pyroclastic flows, and buoyant plumes ascended 3–15 km into the atmosphere. Each explosion discharged on average 3×10⁵ m³ (dense-rock equivalent, DRE) of magma, draining the conduit to depths of 1–2 km. The paper focuses on the first few seconds of three explosions of the 75 that occurred in September/October 1997: 6 October 1997 at 17:50, 7 October 1997 at 16:02 and 9 October 1997 at 12:32. Physical parameters such as exit velocities, magmatic water contents and magma pressures at fragmentation are estimated by following and modelling the ascent of individual momentum-dominated finger jets visible on videos during the initial stages of each explosion. The model treats each finger jet as an incompressible flow sustained by a steady flux of gas and particles during the few seconds of ascent, and produces results that compare favourably with those using a multiphase compressible code run using similar eruptive parameters. Each explosion reveals a progressive increase in eruptive intensity with time, jet exit velocities increasing from 40 m s^–1 at the beginning of the explosion up to 140 m s^–1 after a few seconds. Modelling suggests that the first magma to exit was largely degassed, whereas that discharged after a few seconds contained up to 2 wt% water. Magma overpressures up to ~10 MPa are estimated to have existed in the conduit immediately prior to each explosion. Progressive increases in jet exit velocity with time over the first few seconds of each explosion provide direct evidence for strong pre-eruptive gradients in water content and magma pressure in the upper reaches (probably 100–500 m) of the conduit. Fountain collapse occurred during the first 10–20 s of each explosion because the discharging jets had bulk densities up to 100 times that of the atmosphere and were unable to entrain enough air to become buoyant. Such high eruptive densities were due to the presence of partially degassed magma in the conduit.Editorial responsibility: A. Woods     

高温高压下含水矿物脱水对斜长岩纵波速度的影响

在1GPa、室温至880℃条件下对斜长岩的纵波速度进行了测量，并对实验产物进行了鉴定分析，讨论了含水矿物脱水对岩石纵波速度的影响。实验结果表明，在680℃左右，由于斜长岩中的含水矿物绢云母和黝帘石开始脱水，矿物脱水产生的流体及其所引起岩石结构的变化可使岩石纵波速度降低10％左右。这意味着通过矿物脱水这一机制可以形成壳内低速层。     

高填方路堤互锚式薄壁挡土墙土压力试验研究

在山区修建高等级公路工程中，挡土墙结构广泛应用于高填方路堤工程。在提出一种新型互锚式薄壁挡土墙结构的基础上，通过埋设土压力盒的方法对该种挡土墙的结构型式进行了力学模型试验，并进行了模型土压力强度特性分析。试验及分析表明，该挡土墙结构成本低廉，施工方便，结构合理，可以应用于高填方路堤实际工程。     

盆地岩石圈结构与油气成藏及分布

本文综述了大陆岩石圈研究现状和克拉通盆地、裂谷盆地和前陆盆地的岩石圈结构特征,指出在古裂谷、褶皱带或区域性深断裂等陆壳构造薄弱带上发育起来的多期叠合盆地,具有很好的含油气前景。大型含油气盆地往往存在地幔上隆、地壳减薄和地壳内低速层,盆地基底沉降与盖层沉积厚度较大。适度的后期构造活动改造和岩浆活动有利于沉积盆地内油气生成与保存。     

非活动大陆边缘的天然气水合物及其成藏过程述评

非活动陆缘是板块活动相对较弱的地区，也是水合物发育的有利地区。通过对世界各地非活动陆缘地区水合物富集情况的系统分析，发现断褶组合构造、底辟构造以及“麻坑”地貌（Pockmark)与水合物的关系密切。尽管模拟海底反射层（Bottom Simulating Reflector,简称BSR，下同）是最重要的水合物识别标志，但水合物与BSR之间并不存在严格的一一对应关系。非活动陆缘具有丰富的烃类物质来源和适宜的温压条件，而断裂－褶皱组合构造、垒堑式构造和底辟构造等则为烃类气体的运移、富集和成藏提供了有利的构造环境，便于最终形成水合物。非活动陆缘的深水区往往发育有多期叠合盆地，因其物源、温压、构造和沉积条件的内在关联性，常常形成深部石油、中部天然气、浅部水合物的“三位一体”烃类能源结构模式。     

试论火山岩储层的类型及其成因特征

本文在总结前人研究的基础上，结合胜利及辽河油田最新资料，提出了一种火山岩油气藏储层分类方案，共分为火山熔岩型、火山碎屑岩型和潜火山岩型3种类型。其中火山碎屑岩型又可分为正常火山碎屑岩型和火山碎屑沉积岩型两种亚类型；潜火山岩型分为隐爆角砾岩型和蚀变岩型两种亚类型。文中结合实例对各种类型储层的成因机制、空间展布特点以及储集性的变化特征进行了阐述和讨论。     

Food-web manipulation of drinking water reservoirs with salmonids: vertical distribution of prey and predator

In a novel biomanipulation experiment salmonids were used as a tool to improve water quality. The manipulation was initiated in spring 2000 as a response to non-point sources of phosphorus in a drinking water reservoir in Saxony, Germany. Salmonids (brown trout, Salmo trutta forma lacustris) were chosen as predators as the reservoir has a large hypolimnic water body and surface temperatures rarely exceed 20 °C. The vertical distributions of prey fish and brown trout were analysed with a fleet of vertical gill nets set in the pelagic zone of the reservoir. Consumption of brown trout was estimated by means of a bioenergetic model and the diet analyses of the trout. While the dominant planktivore (roach, Rutilus rutilus) was caught almost exclusively in the epilimnion during the stratification period trout were caught mainly below a depth of 10 m. Diet analysis revealed that the trout performed vertical migrations to consume food in the epilimnic layer, as an important food component were adult terrestrial and aquatic insects. The amount of fish in the food increased strongly with the size of the brown trout. The consumption estimate suggested that the trout had consumed 2-3% of the total roach stock during the study period (May-November 2000) of the first year of biomanipulation. We conclude that in general salmonids are suitable for food-web manipulation in deep reservoirs, but the stocked fish should be as large as possible (> 300 mm) and the proportion of large trout (> 500 mm) should be as high as possible.     

A simple test and predictive models for assessing swell potential of Ankara (Turkey) Clay

During the past three decades, damage due to swelling action of Ankara Clay has been observed more clearly in some parts of Ankara where rapid expansion of the city led to the construction of various kinds of structures. In this study, a comprehensive research program has been conducted (i) to investigate the effect of remoulding and desiccation on the swelling behavior of Ankara Clay and its swelling anisotropy, (ii) to estimate depth of active zone, (iii) to develop a simple technique in determining the magnitude of swelling based on water content of the soaked specimen after 24 and 72 h (w_max24,72), and (iv) to produce predictive models which could be used to estimate the swelling potential of Ankara Clay from its mineralogical and simply measured engineering characteristics. A laboratory testing program was carried out using both undisturbed, and remoulded and desiccated samples selected from 20 different locations. Montmorillonite was identified as being the main clay mineral present. Based on the moisture content variation with depth, the active expansive zone was considered to be about 2 m. The test results suggest that swelling pressure of the clay considerably decreases and/or dies out when the water content is greater than 30%. It is also noted that the measured lateral swelling is significantly in excess of the vertical equivalent indicating an anisotropy with respect to swelling. Statistical assessments indicate that a new parameter (w_max24,72) from a simple test, suggested in this study, is a very strong parameter for predicting swelling parameters of Ankara Clay. Based on 60 empirical predictive equations with coefficients of correlation between 0.96 and 0.66 from multiple regression analyses, w_max24,72, methylene blue value, liquid limit, dry unit weight and smectite content are the most important index and mineralogical properties to predict the swelling parameters of Ankara clay with small deviations from the measured values.     

Measuring the k–S–p relations on DNAPLs migration

Migration characteristics of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in the subsurface can be expressed as a water–DNAPL two-phase system based on mainly the k–S–p relations, which describe the relations among relative permeability (k), degree of water saturation (S), and capillary pressure head (p). The aims of this research are to develop an experimental system with new type of probes, such as the electrical conductivity probe for measuring the degree of water saturation and the hydrophilic and hydrophobic tensiometer for measuring the pore water and DNAPL pressures, and also to estimate the results obtained from the developed experimental system. From these tests, the excellent k–S–p relations were obtained and the efficiency and validity of this developed experimental system have been confirmed in terms of the concept of the scaling coefficient calculated by interfacial tensions.     

Risk analysis of landslides – A case study

The effects of uncertainty due to the variability of soil parameters on the risk of landsliding in the Himalayan region are investigated using a random field model combined with slope stability analyses. Effects of spatial variability both in horizontal and vertical directions, number of test samples, variations in piezometric level and the influence of earthquake on the reliability of a typical slope in a slide area are investigated. The results show that the reliability of slopes in the slide area is significantly affected by the coefficients of variation of soil parameters, spatial variations of soil parameters, number of test samples and piezometric variations. The results also show that the assumption of isotropic variations to assess slope reliability isconservative. The results of the study are useful in providing guidelines and pointing to remedial measures in the form of sub-surface drainage to improve slope reliability in the area.