A Study of Seismicity and Earthquake Hazard at the Proposed Kalabsha Dam Site,Aswan, Egypt

High and Aswan Dams Authority (HADA) proposed a plan aiming at constructing a rockfill dam in the Kalabsha area, about 60 km south of Aswan High Dam. The aim of this dam is to restrain the overflow of water to the Kalabsha Valley for keeping one billion cubic meters from being lost due to seepage and evaporation. The safety of dams during earthquakes is extremely important because failure of such a structure may have disastrous consequences on life and property. Therefore, different factors were considered as part of a site assessment. Five seismic source zones, close enough to the site to give rise to potentially damaging earthquake ground motions, were identified. Seven active faults that have the potential for producing significant earthquakes and that pass through or near the dam site were also identified. The earthquake loading represented by ground motions at the site was evaluated. Probabilistic seismic hazard procedures were used for assessing the earthquake loading at six individual sites using Area-and Line-Source Models (ASM & LSM). The ASM is based on current observed seismicity, whereas the LSM is based on geological slip rates. The output represents the expected acceleration amplitude with 90 percent probability of not being exceeded in exposure times of 20, 50, and 100 years. The results from the two models appear to be different, the expected ground motions from ASM were twice as high as expected from LSM. This difference is due to the load of the Aswan reservoir (Nasser Lake) triggering earthquakes on those parts of the faults that lie under the lake at Kalabsha area. The hazard at the selected sites is given by the hazard curve that is represented by the relationship between the peak ground acceleration and its annual exceedance probability. By comparing the curves for the six individual sites for the same source model, it can be concluded that the potential ground acceleration level for all the sites is almost the same. Considering the mean results from the two models, the annual exceedance probability of the expected ground acceleration from ASM is approximately ten times higher than the annual exceedance probability from LSM.Since ASM is based on current seismicity, it is more appropriate forrepresenting the actual hazard for the dam site.     

Biological mechanisms driving the seasonal changes in the internal loading of phosphorus in shallow lakes

Because of the obvious importance of P as a nutrient that often accelerates growth of phytoplankton (including toxic cyanobacteria) and therefore worsens water quality, much interest has been devoted to P exchange across the sediment-water interface. Generally, the release mode of P from the sediment differed greatly between shallow and deep lakes, and much of the effort has been focused on iron and oxygen, and also on the relevant environmental factors, for example, turbulence and decomposition, but a large part of the P variation in shallow lakes remains unexplained. This paper reviews experimental and field studies on the mechanisms of P release from the sediment in the shallow temperate (in Europe) and subtropical (in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China) lakes, and it is suggested that pH rather than DO might be more important in driving the seasonal dynamics of internal P loading in these shallow lakes, i.e., intense photosynthesis of phytoplankton increases pH of the lake water and thus may increase pH of the surface sediment, leading to enhanced release of P (especially iron-bound P) from the sediment. Based on the selective pump of P (but not N) from the sediment by algal blooms, it is concluded that photosynthesis which is closely related to eutrophication level is the driving force for the seasonal variation of internal P loading in shallow lakes. This is a new finding. Additionally, the selective pump of P from the sediment by algal blooms not only explains satisfactorily why both TP and PO4-P in the hypereutrophic Lake Donghu declined significantly since the mid-1980s when heavy cyanobacterial blooms were eliminated by the nontraditional biomanipulation (massive stocking of the filter-feeding silver and bighead carps), but also explains why TP in European lakes decreased remarkably in the spring clear-water phase with less phytoplankton during the seasonal succession of aquatic communities or when phytoplankton biomass was decreased by traditional biomanipulation. Compared with deep lakes, wax and wane of phytoplankton due to alternations in the ecosystem structure is also able to exert significant influences on the P exchange at the sediment-water interface in shallow lakes. In other words, biological activities are also able to drive P release from sediments, and such a static P release process is especially more prominent in eutrophic shallow lakes with dense phytoplankton.     

Static and dynamic response of massive caisson foundations with soil and interface nonlinearities—validation and results

The static, cyclic, and dynamic response of a massive caisson foundation embedded in nonlinear layered or inhomogeneous soil and loaded at its top is investigated. The caisson is supported against horizontal displacement and rotation by four types of inelastic springs and dashpots, described with the BWGG model that was developed in the preceding companion paper [Gerolymos N, Gazetas G. Development of winkler model for static and dynamic response of caisson foundations with soil and interface nonlinearities. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng, submitted companion paper]. The prediction of the model is satisfactorily compared with results from 3D-finite element analysis. Some experimental corroboration of the method is provided with the help of a 1/3-scale lateral load test that had been conducted in the field by EPRI. An illustrative example of a caisson embedded in linearly-inhomogeneous clay and subjected to static and dynamic loading is analysed. Characteristic results are presented highlighting the role of soil inelasticity and its interplay with the two dominant interface nonlinearities: separation (gapping) of the caisson shaft from the surrounding soil, and uplifting of the base from the underlying soil.     

南京红层桩基持力层承载力初探

南京红层岩性复杂，桩基持力层承载力难确定。依据南京某工程勘察资料，建立南京红层泥岩、泥质粉砂岩不同互层情况的地质模型，运用FLAC3D软件分析，并与载荷板试验结果进行对比表明：桩基持力层应选择在厚度大于两倍桩径的泥质粉砂岩地层上，避免放置于泥岩地层；载荷板试验结果偏于保守，设计时可以把这部分作为安全储备。     

中(下)承式拱桥吊杆静张力分析方法的改进

在中(下)承式拱桥的有限元模型中,引入了由于施工中吊杆长度调整而产生的几何刚度矩阵,用一阶矩阵摄动理论,导出了相应的吊杆系静张力分析的相关公式。对一实际中承式拱桥的数值计算分析表明,使用本方法可有效地提高中(下)承式拱桥的吊杆静张力分析的准确性。     

高密度空间采样地震数据特点分析

中国陆相沉积盆地的地质结构复杂,储层岩性的多变,需要有高精度的勘探方法。高密度空间采样是提高地震勘探精度的一项新技术。本文简要说明了点激发和点接收技术,分析高密度空间采样的野外工作方法,介绍了Gijs j．o．Vermeer提出的对称采样原理,从波场连续性的角度探讨了高密度空间采样技术。重点分析高密度空间采样数据的特点, 即:高密集的初至波有利于近地表结构的调查,可提高静校正的精度;小偏移距、小点距接收增加了浅层的有效覆盖次数,提高浅层反射的成像精度; 对规则噪声可实现无假频采样,室内的噪声分析和噪声压制的精度随着提高;高密度采集使波场连续性增强,使得各种数学变换的精度提高,有利于不同波场的分离。最后指出高密度空间采样地震勘探技术的难点在于室内数据处理,针对海量数据的分析和处理方法还需要进行深入细致的研究工作。     

碎石土地基湿陷性研究

主要以甘南330 kV变电所碎石土地基的现场浸水载荷试验和室内实验为基础,根据湿陷变形的特征,分析了影响碎石土地基湿陷变形的主要影响因素,探讨了碎石土地基的湿陷机理。认为碎石等大骨架颗粒与细粒胶结物相填充的特殊结构是碎石土地基湿陷最主要的原因。碎石土由于浸水骨架颗粒之间抗剪、抗压强度降低而导致碎石土结构破坏,随之填充在骨架颗粒之间的细颗粒产生二次湿陷,两者引起土体体积减小所导致。     

郑州某大厦试验桩承载力初探

通过某工程的实测数据,运用最小二乘法原理,采用试算法对桩侧阻力进行分析。     

桩端土加固处理设计及检测方法的探讨

介绍了人工挖孔桩桩端土承载力不足进行旋喷桩处理的设计过程以及处理后检测过程中遇到的问题。桩端土处理设计可以遵循一般的地基处理设计方法和原则,并针对复合地基承载力检测和桩端土极限端阻力的检测中存在的差异和共同点,提出组合静载荷试验的思路和方法,并在工程中予以实施,并取得了较好的效果。     

应用深层平板载荷试验选择桩端持力层

深层平板载荷试验是一种新兴的原位测试方法。通过安阳某工程人工挖孔扩底灌注桩深层平板载荷试验的现场实践,确定了不同土层地基土的承载力特征值,为设计单位选择持力层提供数据,并为甲方节省了大量建设资金。