Experimental study on nucleation process of stick-slip instability on homogeneous and non-homogeneous faults

The nucleation process of stick-slip instability was analyzed based on the experimental measurements of strain and fault slip on homogeneous and non-homogeneous faults. The results show that the nucleation process of stick-slip on the homogeneous fault is of weak slip-weakening behavior under constant loading point velocity. The existence of a short "weak segment" on the fault makes slip-weakening phenomenon in nucleation process more obvious, while the existence of a long "weak segment" on the fault makes the nucleation process changed. The nucleation is characterized by accelerating slip in a local region and rapid increase of shear stress along the fault in this case, which is more coincident with the rate and state friction law. During the period when fault is locked, increasing of shear stress causes lateral elastic dilation near the fault, and the rebound of the dilation at the time of instability causes an instantaneous increase of normal stress in the fault plane, which is an important factor making fault be rapidly locked and its strength recovered.     

水滴冻结实验测量降水物中的冻结核含量

文中介绍了一套新研制的均匀水滴冻结实验装置 ,实验水滴与周围环境同步冷却 ,其温度梯度很小 ,可控制降温速率 ,并能自动记录冻结事件 ,从而提高了实验的精度。用此装置对北京地区 1995年底至 1998年出现的各类降水样品进行了实验 ,由水滴冻结温度谱推算了降水的冻结核浓度 温度谱 ,并对结果进行了分析和讨论     

Shallow destructive earthquakes

Depths of earthquake occurrence and large slip distribution are critical for seismic hazard assessment.Numerous examples show that earthquakes with similar magnitudes,however,can result in significantly different ground shaking and damage.One of the critical factors is that whether the large slip was generated near the ground surface.In this article,we reviewed two aspects that are important on this regard,shallow slip deficit and nucleation depth.Understanding how shallow future earthquakes may nucleate in particular regions,such as shale gas fields,is critical for hazard assessment.Whether or not a strong earthquake may slip significantly at shallow depths(less than 3 km)plays crucial rules in seismic hazard preparation and should be further investigated by integrating high-resolution fault zone observations,dynamic rupture simulation,and fault zone properties.Moreover,precisely resolving shallow depth and slip distribution of earthquakes demands InSAR and/or other image data that can better capture the near-fault deformation to constrain the source parameters of earthquakes.     

实验室合成石盐包裹体的均一温度以及古气候意义

石盐是表生环境下形成蒸发岩系的主要矿物,在形成过程中捕获大量的原生包裹体。通过低温冷冻测温技术,可以得到石盐中原生包裹体的一系列均一温度,如何正确理解这些数据是应用石盐原生包裹体恢复古气候的关键。石盐沉积可以发生在气水界面以及水体底部,其均一温度记录了卤水结晶的温度。Lowenstein et al. (1998) 曾经用水浴法在恒定水温下合成了人工合成石盐,进行原生包裹体的均一温度研究,然而如何用水温来恢复古气温是古环境解释的关键。本次实验通过40℃下(气温,烘箱中蒸发)人工合成石盐,在岩相学观察基础上,对形成于气水界面漏斗晶中的包裹体和在底水沉积人字晶中的包裹体的均一温度进行低温冷冻测温法测定。测温过程中石盐包裹体可以得到一系列均一温度(10.6~39.9℃),而只有最大均一温度才能反映卤水结晶时的温度,两种类型的包裹体也显示了相似的最大均一温度。因此在浅水环境下,两种包裹体都可以用来反映古气温。     

Variations in rates of nucleation and growth of biotite porphyroblasts

Differences in rates of nucleation and diffusion‐limited growth for biotite porphyroblasts in adjacent centimetre‐scale layers of a garnet‐biotite schist from the Picuris Mountains of New Mexico are revealed by variations in crystal size and abundance between two layers with strong compositional similarity. Relationships between fabrics recorded by inclusion patterns in biotite and garnet porphyroblasts are interpreted to reflect garnet growth following biotite growth, without substantial alteration of the biotite sizes. Sizes and locations of biotite crystals, obtained via high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography, document that of the two adjacent layers, one has a larger mean crystal volume (9.5 × 10^?4v. 2.4 × 10^?4 cm³), fewer biotite crystals per unit volume (232 v. 576 crystals cm^?3), and a higher volume fraction of biotite (23%v. 14%). The two layers have similar mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry. Both layers show evidence for diffusional control of nucleation and growth. Pseudosection analysis suggests that the large‐biotite layer began to crystallize biotite at a temperature ～67 °C greater than the small‐biotite layer. Diffusion rates differed between layers, because of their different temperature ranges of crystallization, but this effect can be quantified. The bulk compositional difference between the layers, manifested in different modal amounts of biotite, has an effect on the biotite sizes that is also quantifiable and insufficient to account for the difference in biotite size. After these other possible causes of variation in crystal sizes have been eliminated, variability in nucleation and diffusion rates remain as the dominant factors responsible for the difference in porphyroblastic textures. Numerical simulations suggest that relative to the small‐biotite layer, the large‐biotite layer experienced elevated diffusion rates because of the higher crystallization temperature, as well as increased nucleation rates in order to achieve the observed size and number density of crystals. The simulations can replicate the observed textures only by invoking unreasonably large values for the thermal dependence of nucleation rates (activation energies), strongly suggesting that the observed textural differences arise from variations between layers in the abundance and energetics of potential nucleation sites.     

Fluid Inclusions in Surface‐temperature Halite: Sample Preparation and Application

Paleo-temperature and paleo-environment can be interpreted from measuring homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions within halite. In order to conduct such measurements, vapor bubbles within low-temperature fluid inclusion often need to be created through cooling process by using cooling stage or freezer. Proper cooling is critical for interpreting measured temperature data. We tested two common cooling methods, using heating/freezing stage and freezer, for studying fluid inclusions in halite precipitated in laboratory at conrtolled temperature of 25℃. While using the heating/freezing stage, halite samples were kept at-18℃ for 40–50 min; whereas for freezer, samples were stored at-18℃ for 1, 10, 20 and 40 days, respectively. By comparing the homogenization temperatures of the two cooling processes, we explored the detailed experimental processes and developed an optimal cooling nucleation procedure for homogenization temperature analyses of fluid inclusions within surface-temperature halite. The results show that the maximum homogenization temperatures from both methods approximate the actual brine temperature of 25℃. However, extended refrigeration time has noticeable influence on the results. The refrigeration time of the experiment can be shortened to meet requirements.     

花岗岩变形破坏的阶段性模型--应力速度及预存微裂纹密度对断层形成过程的影响

依据对具有较高微裂纹密度的筑波花岗岩和极低微裂纹密度的花岗斑岩 2种极端的岩石标本、在等应力速率的快速加载 (约 6MPa/min)和蠕变加载 (轴向应力保持在约 95 %破坏强度 ) 2个极端的加载条件下的实验结果 ,讨论了预存微裂纹密度与加载速度对多晶质结晶岩变形破坏过程的影响。实验中利用高速多通道声发射波形数字记录系统 (每秒可记录多达 5 0 0 0个声发射事件的 32通道波形 ) ,获得了岩石标本破坏前微破裂活动的详细时空分布数据。声发射的发生率、震级 -频度关系中的b值及震源的空间分布揭示出岩石变形破坏过程中微破裂活动具有 3个典型阶段 :初期阶段、第 2阶段和成核阶段。尤其是在成核阶段 ,还观测到发生率和b值有大幅度前兆性起伏。一般而言 ,在相同加载条件下预存微破裂密度越高 ,或对同一岩石加载速度越慢 ,对应的断层成核过程就越长 ,因此最终破坏的可预报性也越高。为了进一步探讨微破裂活动的阶段性特征及其物理本质 ,还利用亚临界破裂扩展模型对声发射数据进行了理论分析     

The effect of metamorphic fluid flow on the nucleation and growth of garnets from Troms, North Norway

A spatial association is observed between the size distribution of garnet porphyroblasts and the size distribution of quartz veins in greenschist facies metapelites from Troms, North Norway. The size distribution of quartz veins reflects the flow regime of metamorphic fluids. The hypothesis that the flow regime of metamorphic fluids is also responsible for the size distribution of garnet crystals was tested by ascribing empirical acceleration parameters to the nucleation and growth rates of garnet crystals.
In regions where fluid flow was interpreted as pervasive', acceleration parameters for nucleation were high, whereas in regions where fluid flow was interpreted as channelled', acceleration parameters for growth were high. Accelerated crystal growth is further implied from the chemical zoning and crystal morphologies of garnets collected near discrete veins.
This spatial association may imply that fluid flow can be instrumental in controlling garnet crystallization. Fluid flow could affect garnet crystallization kinetics by facilitating thermal advection and/or mass transfer. In the study area, rhodochrosite (MnCO₃) veins provide evidence for mass transfer of Mn by fluid flow. An influx of Mn would expand the stability field of garnet to lower temperatures. The resulting thermal overstep could accelerate nucleation and/or growth of garnets.
The corollary of this study is that size distributions and chemical zoning of garnets, or other porphyroblast phases, can be used to study metamorphic fluid flow.     

几种碘化银焰剂成冰性能检测

碘化银焰剂是人工影响天气作业中重要的冷云催化剂,目前国内使用的碘化银焰剂有多种配方,有必要对它们的成冰性能进行统一评估。本研究采用1m^3等温云室,对我国人影作业中使用的7种碘化银焰剂(编号为1~7号)进行了统一检测。结果表明:7种焰剂成核率的量级按每克催化剂计算在10^(10)~10^(13)g^(-1)(-8^-18℃)之间,用指数函数拟合能较好地反映成核率随温度的变化;在低温段(≤-16℃),各焰剂成核率较高,不同焰剂之间的成核率差异相对于高温段(>-16℃)要小;在高温段,3、4、7号焰剂也具有较高的成核率,成冰性能要好于其他焰剂;7种焰剂的核化速率不同,-8℃时90%的冰核完成核化的时间在7.8~18min之间,推断该温度下的成核机制以接触核化等慢过程为主。     

三七炮弹的碘化银成核率检测

三七炮弹是进行人工增雨和防雹作业所需碘化银催化剂的主要载体之一,炮弹中碘化银催化剂的成核率数据是人工影响天气作业设计和指挥中进行催化剂作业剂量测算的重要参考,因此,对人工影响天气业务中使用的三七炮弹的碘化银成核率进行检测非常重要。2013年11—12月中国气象局人工影响天气中心利用新建的1200 L等温云室和钢板式20 m3专用爆炸室等设备,对目前人工影响天气业务中使用的两个厂家三七炮弹 (样品1、样品2) 的碘化银成核率进行国内首次统一检测。检测结果表明:两厂家炮弹成核率检测结果的拟合值量级均为109~1012/(g·AgI)(检测温度-6℃至-20℃),样品2成核率明显高于样品1。将本次检测结果与国内历次三七炮弹检测结果相比发现,两样品在负温高温段的成核率值均高于以往检测结果,其中,在具有指示意义的-10℃下的成核率,两样品均比以往检测结果要高2~3个量级。不同检测实验中成核率检测结果存在较大差异的现状说明,采用同一平台开展成核率统一检测十分必要。