A modern structural regime in the Paleoarchean (3.64 Ga); Isua Greenstone Belt, southern West Greenland

The footwall gneisses beneath the western part of the Paleoarchean (3.8 Ga) Isua Greenstone Belt, southern West Greenland, are interpreted here in terms of a 3.64 Ga stack of mylonitic crystalline thrust-nappes, the oldest example known on Earth. In present coordinates, the kinematic history of the thrust-nappe stack is couched in terms of initial longitudinal (strike-parallel) thrusting towards the southwest, followed by transverse thrusting to the northwest, and subsequent extensional collapse of the thickened crust toward the southeast.Diorite and tonalite that form the western margin of granitoids, structurally overlying the western part of the Isua Greenstone Belt and its footwall, contain 3.5 Ga mafic dykes, some of which are deformed and/or truncated at fault contacts within the granitoids. Accordingly, a component of the deformation structurally above the Isua Greenstone Belt occurred after 3.5 Ga, significantly later than the formation of the underlying mylonitic nappes, probably during the Neoarchean.The structural regime of mylonitic thrust-nappe stacking is very similar to that in modern mountain belts. It would appear that the deformational behaviour, rheological constitution and overall strength of Paleoarchean and modern continental crust were similar.     

How to obtain earthquake ground motions for engineering design

The earthquake ground motions that ultimately are selected for engineering design depend chiefly on the criticality of a site or structure and the engineering analyses that are to be performed. Several key steps are necessary in this selection process: They are (1) a reconnaissance to understand the hazards and obtain preliminary earthquake ground motions; (2) decisions on the application of deterministic or probabilistic methods; (3) selection of appropriate motions for requirements in design; (4) consideration of thresholds at which motions become significant for engineering; and (5) decisions on specifying appropriate earthquake ground motions for sizes of earthquakes, distances from sources, the structures, sites, and testing to be done. This paper presents five tables that show steps for evaluating these factors and for enabling the investigator to specify earthquake ground motions appropriate for engineering design.     

Preservation of cross-strata due to the migration of subaqueous dunes: an experimental investigation

This experimental investigation examined the controls on the geometry of cross‐sets formed by subaqueous dunes. A range of steady, unidirectional flow conditions spanning the field of dune existence was investigated, and aggradation rate ranged from 0 mm s^?1 to 0·014 mm s^?1. Data from an ultrasonic depth profiler consist of high‐resolution temporal and spatial series of bed profiles from which dune height and length, migration rate and the depth of trough scour were measured. Cross‐set thickness and length were measured from sediment peels. The size and shape of dunes from an equilibrium assemblage change continuously. Individual dunes commonly increase in height by trough scouring and, occasionally, by being caught‐up by the upstream dune. Both types of behaviour occur suddenly and irregularly in time and, hence, do not appear to depend on dunes further upstream. However, dune climbing or flattening is a typical response of dunes that disappear under the influence of the upstream dune. All types of behaviour occur at any flow velocity or aggradation rate. Successive dune‐trough trajectories, defined by dunes showing various behaviours, affect the geometry of the preserved cross‐sets. Mean cross‐set thickness/mean dune height averages 0·33 (±0·7), and mean cross‐set length/mean dune length averages 0·49 (±0·08), and both show no systematic variation with aggradation rate or flow velocity. Mean cross‐set thickness/mean cross‐set length tends to decrease with increasing flow velocity and Froude number, therefore allowing a qualitative estimation of flow conditions. Quantitative analysis of the temporal changes in the geometry and migration rate of individual dunes allows the development of a two‐dimensional stochastic model of dune migration and formation of cross‐sets. Computer realizations produced stacks of cross‐sets of comparable shape and thickness to laboratory flume observations, indicating a good empirical understanding of the variability of dune‐trough trajectories. However, interactions among dunes and aggradation rates of the order of 10^?2 mm s^?1 should be considered in future improved models.     

Attached Eddies and Production Spectra in the Atmospheric Logarithmic Layer

We investigate the production components of turbulent spectra within logarithmic layers over flat ground. This assumes that the turbulence giving rise to these spectra consists of active coherent structures (eddies) that are attached to the ground, and whose properties display perfect statistical self-similarity under inner scaling. That is, we take the extreme view that active coherent structures not only contribute to turbulence production spectra but explain the whole of them, so that neither detached eddies nor unstructured motions make any significant contribution. Perfect self-similarityis held to apply only to eddies that are themselves formed totally within the log layer, so the theory applies in the limit of spectra obtained at the hearts of very deep log layers. The model predicts that spectral variance and covariance should become independent of wavenumber at small wavenumbers. This asymptotic behaviour is observed in all neutral spectra from the Kansas experiment. The model also interprets the various positions of the spectral peaks observed at Kansas and in aircraft flights over the sea as consequences of the eddies being aggregated into files aligned with the wind. The observed spectra are therefore consistent with large-scale wedge-like structures being the principal component of active turbulence in the neutral atmospheric surface layer.     

Influences of human activity on deformations of the ancient structures of Ichan-Kala in Khiva City

Like Bukhara and Samarkand, Khiva is one of the ancient cities of the world. After Khiva's 2500th anniversary in 1997 UNESCO added Khiva to the list of cities of world heritage. The architectural complex of monuments of Ichan-Kala is the work of ancient Horezm's XVIII–XIX century architects and consists of several structures such as the madrasahs: Alla-Kuli Khan (1835), Tash-Hauli (1832), Amir-Tura (1870), Muhammad-Amin Khan (1871), ancient masonry city wall (1780) and others. Unfortunately, in the course of time, it is inevitable that the monuments accumulate damage. The ancient monuments are less protected against the negative factors of environmental and human activities. With the purpose to find the reasons for the deformation of foundations of buildings of the monument of Ichan-Kala and for the development of techniques for improving the properties of soils, hydro-geological, engineering-geological and geophysical investigations were conducted. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

How reliable are growth strata in interpreting short-term (10 s to 100 s ka) growth structures kinematics?

High-frequency stratigraphic cycles (10 s to 100 s ka) often show, at a specific location, an alternation of ‘dynamic’ (proximal-energetic), and ‘non-dynamic’ (distal-pelagic) processes with time. When sedimentation is syn-deformation, these processes tend respectively to fill-up tectonically-induced topography or to drape it. As a consequence, growth strata are alternatively thickened and isopach across the growth structure. High-resolution kinematic studies of growth structures (folds and faults), which assume that sedimentation always fills up topographies (‘fill-to-the-top’ model), may therefore mistake sedimentary cyclicity for tectonic cyclicity. We address this problem with one example of growth anticline in the Spanish Pyrenees, and we discuss the fill-to-the-top model. To cite this article: S. Castelltort et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

塔北隆起-库车坳陷区中新生代基底-盖层构造变形机理

利用三维建模软件获取了塔北隆起-库车坳陷区现今及不同时期基底构造格局，为基底构造分析提供了新的技术方法。研究表明，三叠纪-古近纪，塔里木盆地北部块体的基底构造基本处于稳定状态，基底-盖层构造变形不明显；新近纪，克拉苏背斜带以北的塔里木盆地基底明显向天山倾斜，库车基底俯冲变形导致基底转折带逐渐向南迁移，库车前陆盆地形成；第四纪时期，库车-拜城盆地的基底整体向天山下倾斜，基底构造的强转折带迁移到塔北隆起带；新近纪以来库车坳陷的基底转折期与塔北隆起盖层的负反转构造形成期在时间上一致，在空间上，库车坳陷的基底在强烈沉降俯冲的同时，相邻塔北隆起的基底相对隆起，形成库车新生代前陆盆地的前隆；库车前陆冲断带的形成是在库车基底斜坡上伴随天山的推覆而形成的；塔北隆起为库车前陆盆地的前隆，基底俯冲变形及其转折带迁移导致塔北隆起盖层负反转构造的形成。     

Vectorial Formulation of Direction Cosines for Anisotropic Geologic Structures from Their Geologic Angle Measurements

On the basis of vectorial formulation, a series of relatively simple closed-form mathematical equations is presented to determine the direction cosines of the local coordinate axes associated with planar and linear structures in an anisotropic geologic material from their geologic angle measurements (i.e., strike and dip for planar structures and trend and plunge for linear structures). The equations are then applied to calculation of global anisotropic hydraulic conductivity and elastic stiffness tensors with respect to the geographical coordinate axes from their local counterparts with respect to the material symmetry axes.     

Seismic hazard analysis for critical infrastructures in California

California is in a highly seismically active region, and structures must be designed and constructed to withstand earthquakes. Seismic hazard analysis to estimate realistic earthquake ground motions and surface fault rupture offsets is done for various mitigation measures. The best policy is to avoid constructing structures crossing seismogenic faults. Because earthquake timings are unpredictable within our current understanding, the best method is time-invariant deterministic seismic hazard analysis (DHSA) to assess effects from the largest single earthquake called Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCEs) expected from seismogenic faults. Time-dependent hazard estimates such as those arrived at through probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) are inherently unreliable. Hazard analyses based on MCEs have been in continuous use for the design and construction of highways and bridges in California for over 30 years.

This paper presents an alternative to other methods of analysis, e.g., Abrahamson (2000) [Abrahamson, N.A., 2000. State of the practice of seismic hazard evaluation. Melbourne: proceedings of GeoEng, 2000].