Late Pleistocene highstand and recession of a small, high-altitude pluvial lake, Jakes Valley, central Great Basin, USA

Models of factors controlling late Pleistocene pluvial lake-level fluctuations in the Great Basin are evaluated by dating lake levels in Jakes Valley. “Jakes Lake” rose to a highstand at 13,870 ± 50 ¹⁴C Yr B.P., receded to a stillstand at 12,440 ± 50 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and receded steadily to desiccation thereafter. The Jakes Lake highstand is roughly coincident with highstands of lakes Bonneville, Lahontan and Russell. The rise to highstand and recession of Jakes Lake were most likely controlled by a storm track steered by the polar jet stream. The final stillstand of Jakes Lake helps constrain timing of northward retreat of the polar jet stream during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.     

山区生态县区域协调发展的机制构建--以粤北始兴县为例

区域协调机制在不同类型地域和一种类型地域的不同的发展阶段是不同的。始兴县作为一个典型的山区生态县,工业进入加速发展时期,在此经济发展阶段的区域协调问题主要表现在:与外部区域经济、社会发展差距拉大,工业化与流域生态环境保护的矛盾已开始凸现,县政府协调区域发展的财政能力较低,区域协调机制不健全等。由此对始兴县的区域协调机制进行建构:建立健全多层次的区域协调机构;加大纵向和横向政府财政转移支付的力度;加强与相邻相关地区的协调;实施区域空间管治协调,保护城乡生态环境;科学合理选择产业,大力发展循环经济;全县推行绿色GDP考核等。     

基于GIS的山地林道网优化配置系统

应用系统选择永安元沙国有林业采育场的部分林班为示范,建立森林资源空间数据库.以ARC/INFO为开发平台,以山地林道网理论为指导,应用G IS技术、DBMS技术与数学规划集成技术,使用AML语言进行二次开发设计山地林道网优化配置系统,实现计算机辅助林道网配置,提高决策的科学性。     

Fan beheading and drainage diversion as evidence of a 3200-2800 BP earthquake event in the Esmeraldas-Tumaco seismic zone: A case study for the effects of great subduction earthquakes

The San Lorenzo area belongs to the Esmeraldas–Tumaco seismic zone where some of the strongest earthquakes of South America occurred during the 20th century. This paper provides evidence for a succession of geomorphic changes characterized by the disruption of the Quaternary drainage network and the reshaping of the Cayapas–Santiago estuary. The rise of the La Boca uplift bordered by the La Boca and San Lorenzo faults is responsible for the southward diversion of the Palabi, Tululbi, Bogotá and Carolina rivers toward the Santiago and Cayapas rivers. The increase of the discharge directed to the Cayapas River generated the change of the channel pattern downstream from the confluence, and the avulsion of a new estuary through the coastal plain. According to the dating of beach ridges the avulsion occurred in the period 3200–2800 BP. This period corresponds also to a faster accretion of the beach ridge margin, interpreted as a response to a small uplift of the shore. The coherency of the three morphologic evidences—diversion of drainage network, avulsion and increase of coastal accretion—suggest a unique morphotectonic event, in relation with the activity of the Esmaraldas–Tumaco seismic zone. The opening of a direct communication through the mangrove margin may have brought favorable conditions for the development of the La Tolita archaeological site after 3000 BP.     

Avalanche Risk During Backcountry Skiing – An Analysis of Risk Factors

Skier-triggered avalanches are the main cause of avalanche accidents in backcountry skiing. The risk of accidents during backcountry skiing was analysed statistically and related to factors such as elevation level, aspect, stability rating and the time of the year. The analysis is based on a database about terrain usage and avalanche accidents from a large heli-skiing operator in Canada, which makes it possible to study the conditional probability of accidents given the recorded pattern of terrain usage. This study shows that the historical risk of accidentally triggering an avalanche greater than size 1 depends highly on the stability rating, with the highest risk occurring during “poor” stability. The risk is greater at high elevations, and it is lower during the late season than earlier on. Skier risk does not depend as much on aspect as may be indicated from avalanche data alone. However, it is relatively high in the N–NE–E sector. These factors are not independent of each other and therefore analyses of combined factors were also performed. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gain knowledge about the terrain selection of professional mountain guides. These results indicate that when selecting terrain, guides first look at the overall shape and size of the terrain, but avalanche history of terrain and inclination are also important factors. Finally, remarks in avalanche reports were analysed, and common human factors identified.     

东昆仑东段中更新世以来的成山作用及其动力转换

对东昆仑造山带东段第四纪构造及与地貌关系的分析表明，现代山盆相间的地貌格局成型于中更新世，且在中更新世以来发生了多次构造变形体制的转换。根据布青山北部查干额热格地区第四系剖面的构造、地层时代及地层与构造关系的分析表明，中更新世时期为伸展构造体制，昆仑山内部开始发生了差异隆升，布青山开始崛起。中更新世末应力体制发生急剧变化，由伸展体制转为收缩事件，又急速转为伸展构造体系，短暂的收缩事件造成了中更新世冲洪积层的褶皱，随后的伸展则导致了影响深刻的向北依次断落的阶地状正断层系统。晚更新世应力体系再度发生重大转换，伸展正断层体系被左旋走滑运动体系所代替，并一直延续至今。中更新世以来多次隆升构造变形体制的转换说明东昆仑地区的成山过程受控于多种动力背景，而非单一的挤压抬升。隆升构造变形体系的确定及其时代约束为深入刻划青藏高原东北缘隆升作用的动力过程提供了重要信息。     

边坡立体绿化工程的稳定性

山地城市有许多大面积锚杆喷浆硬化封闭的边坡与城市景观极不协调，为改变这些生硬，单调的自然坡体现状，政府要求对其进行立体绿化。本文以修建黄花园大桥石板坡立交工程形成的石板坡为例，通过多种方法研究了绿化荷载作用对边坡稳定性的影响，结论表明绿化荷载对边坡的稳定性影响较小，只要施工顺序得当可以保证安全。     

长白山自然保护区旅游灾害及其防治对策

旅游灾害越来越受到人们的重视,文章通过对长白山自然保护区常见灾害类型的分析,建立了灾害管理系 统框架模型,为降低和消除旅游灾害,提出了防范对策。     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene hydrologic changes in the interfluve areas of the central Ganga Plain, India

Abandoned channel belts, ponds and point bar deposits of palaeochannels in the interfluve regions of the central Ganga Plain suggest changes in the morphohydrologic conditions during the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene. Stratigraphy of these ponds comprises channel sand at the base overlain by shell-bearing clayey silt. The contact of the two facies marks the phase when channels converted into standing water bodies. Point bar deposits of some palaeochannels are overlain by oxidised aeolian sand, indicating that the channel abandonment possibly occurred due to the desiccation and aridity in the region.Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronometry of the pond sediments suggests that the deposition of the basal channel sand started before 13 ka and continued up to 8 ka. The ponds formed around 8–6 ka when the channel activity ceased. Evidence from the point bar deposits also indicates that the fluvial activity in the region ended sometime during 7–5 ka. This was followed by aeolian aggradation. The present study thus suggests that the hydrologic conditions in the Gangetic plains, i.e. initiation of channels and their abandonment, formation of microgeomorphologic features such as ponds and their eventual siltation, were controlled largely by climatic changes (i.e. monsoon changes) supported by tectonic activity. For the past 2 ka, increasing human and related agricultural activity has substantially accentuated the natural siltation rate of ponds.