Lateral moisture flow beneath a sandy hillslope without an apparent impeding layer

Part of a small drainage basin on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (about 25 km north of Socorro, NM) was intensively instrumented with soil monitoring equipment to estimate natural ground-water recharge. Soil-moisture data were analysed with special attention to characterizing the influence of topography on the direction of vadose water flow paths in fine to medium aeolian sand. Moisture content data were obtained by the neutron scattering technique, and hydraulic head data were obtained using tensiometers. In addition, tracer experiments were conducted on a sandy hillslope to delineate the flow paths of vadose water. The results indicate that there is a strong lateral component to unsaturated flow on a hillslope, even in the absence of apparent sublayers of much lower permeability. Darcian calculations estimate the long-term, steady, deep flux beneath a concave location to be about 4 per cent of an assumed mean annual precipitation of 20 cm. The deep soil water flux downward varied by several orders of magnitude during the 17 month period of record.     

Wakes of ram-pressure-stripped disc galaxies

We present a sample of 30 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs) that we use to constrain the jet speeds in these sources. We measure the distribution of the jet-sidedness ratios for the sample, and assuming that the jets are beamed, the jet speeds in the range (0.3–0.7) c are obtained. Whilst the core prominence of the sample, which ought to be a reliable indicator of beaming, shows little correlation with the jet sidedness, we argue that due to the peculiar nature of the WATs, core prominence is unlikely to be a good indicator of beaming in these sources. We further show that if the jets are fast and light, then the galaxy speeds required to bend the jets into C-shapes such as those seen in 0647+693 are reasonable for a galaxy in a merging or recently merged cluster.     

The ATCA intraday variability survey of extragalactic radio sources

We present the results of an Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) survey for intraday variability (IDV) of the total and polarized flux densities of 118 compact, flat-spectrum, extragalactic radio sources from the Parkes 2.7-GHz Survey. A total of 22 total flux density IDV sources were discovered and 15 sources were found to show IDV of their polarized flux density. We discuss the statistical properties of the IDV sources, including the distribution of source modulation indices, and the dependence of the variability amplitude on source spectral index and on Galactic position. We suggest interstellar scintillation (ISS) in the Galactic interstellar medium as the most likely mechanism for IDV. Even so, the inferred high brightness temperatures cannot be easily explained.     

Environmental History of Lago di Tovel,Trento, Italy,Revealed by Sediment Cores and 3.5 kHz Seismic Mapping

Proxy data from a total of 30 sediment cores and information from a seismic survey show that the sedimentological and limnological history of Lago di Tovel (1178 m a.s.l.) has been significantly influenced by slope dynamics of its mountainous catchment. The lake represents a dead-ice lake with pro-glacial deposits at the base of its sedimentary record. A prominent lake level rise in 1597/1598 that increased maximum water depth from ∼20 to 39 m caused slope instabilities, leading to the deposition of mass-flow sediments with a maximum thickness of 2.5 m in the northern part of the lake and less than 50 cm in the southern part, resulting in a total volume of more than 113,000 m³. Consequently, a rough lake bottom morphology was produced, which led to distinct differences in sedimentation rates of 0.07 cm yr⁻¹ on sills and 0.18 cm yr⁻¹ within depressions. The age of the top of the mass-flow deposits was used to validate the ages of the younger, laminated sediments, which were dated by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs. Lithological investigations showed that the sediments below the mass-flow deposits are also laminated and that they were not bioturbated. The long-term meromixis of Lago di Tovel is therefore mainly due to a combination of its topographic setting and the 5-month period of ice cover. Both prevent effective mixing of the lake by strong winds during spring and autumn. Distinct spatial differences in sediment distribution within the lake show that it is risky to interpret proxy data from only one coring site, even if the lake is very small. This is especially true in mountainous areas, where rock falls, mass movements, and slope instabilities of a significant size may have considerable effects on lakes.     

IRAS F02044+0957: An interacting system

A list of 750 objects has been compiled using the Astrophysical CATalogs Support System (CATS) database, by cross-identifying sources in the IRAS catalogues and the catalogue of the Texas survey at 365 MHz. We have carried out a search for optical counterparts of those objects, where the difference in positions between the two catalogues and the APM is less than 3. One of these sources, IRAS F02044+0957, was observed with the RATAN-600 radio telescope at four frequencies in April 1999. Optical spectroscopy of the components of the system was made with the 2.1-m telescope of the Guillermo Haro Observatory. The radio and optical spectra, the NVSS radio map and the optical and infrared images allow us to conclude that the steep spectrum (=–0-94 ± 0-02) radio source IRAS F02044+0957 is a pair of interacting galaxies, a LINER and a HII galaxy, at z=0.093.Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 113–124 (February 2005).     

Basic Characteristics of Present Movement of Major Tectonic Blocks in China‘s Continent

In order to study the present crustal movement and geodynamics in China‘s continent, a countrywide GPS monitoring network consisting of 22 stations was set up evenly on major tectonic blocks in China‘s continent in the early 1990s. Three-phase observations using the network were carried out in 1992, 1994, and 1996, respectively. In this paper, the data processing and accuracy of the three-phase observations are examined and the basic characteristics of present block movement in China‘s continent are analyzed based on the data of three-phase repeated observations. The study result indicates that the accuracy of data obtained in three-phase observations on the GPS network reaches 10-8 ～ 10-9, which is adequate to the need of monitoring of crustal movement. A model for block movement in China‘s continent constructed based on the result of the three-phase observations has effectively tested the results of geological and geophysical studies. In global framework, China‘s continent as a whole shows its clear eastward motion and its regional movement relative to Siberian block is characterized by that the western China is mainly affected by northward subduction and pushing of Indian Plate. Qinghai-Xizang Plateau shows clear eastward lateral slip simultaneously with longitudinal compression. It is more favorable to the escape model for the continent. Block movement of eastern China is under the combined effect of Indian, Pacific,and Philippine plates, resulting in northeastern and eastern motions of eastern China up to southeastern coastal region where the effect of Philippine Plate strengthens.     

Determination of active units with different kinematic property and their activity pattern in North China based on the data from GPS remeasurements

Based on the high-accuracy data obtained from the GPS measurements carried out in 1992, 1995 and 1996, the isochronous active units with different kinematic property inside the North China area have been distinguished, 4 active units and 1 transition zone with distinct differential movement have been determined. They are Ordos-Yinshan unit, Yanshan unit, Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong (Jin-Ji-Lu) unit, Jiaodong-Liaoning-Shandong (Jiao-Liao-Lu) unit and Yanshan-Hebei (Yan-Ji) transition zone. The relative movements among the neighboring units in this period have been given. 1 The compressive movement between Ordos-Yinshan unit and Yanshan unit is not obvious with an amount of 0.4±1.3 mm/a. 2 Jin-Ji-Lu unit moves E40°S off the Ordos-Yinshan unit and the magnitude is 4.4±1.0 mm/a. 3 Relative to the Yan-Ji transition zone of differential movement, Yanshan unit shifts W38°N with a value of 2.4±1.3 mm/a and Jin-Ji-Lu unit moves eastward 35° by south with an amount of 2.3±0.9 mm/a. 4 Jin-Ji-Lu unit has a tensional left-lateral movement of 4.7±1.4 mm/a in the direction of E37°S relative to Yanshan unit. 5 Some area near Tanlu belt which is located in the southern part of Jin-Ji-Lu block has a southward movement 14° by west with a magnitude of 1.5±1.1 mm/a off the Jin-Ji-Lu unit. 6 Relative to Jin-Ji-Lu unit, Jiao-Liao-Lu unit has a trend of clockwise movement with a tensional right-lateral motion at the north end which neighbors Yanshan unit and a compressive motion at the south end. It should be noted that the errors given in the paper are obtained based on the divergence among the displacements of the sites in the unit, rather than the value calculated from the displacement error of the sites. The analyzed results indicate that: 1 Shanxi tectonic zone and Yan-Ji transition zone are the major tectonic active zones to show the frame and magnitude of interior relative movement in North China area, and others are the secondary tectonic active zones; 2 The complete horizontal deformation in the North China area is not homogeneous nor successive; 3 The kinetic model of North China area might be "mantle dragging plus boundary coupling". Foundation item: The National Key Basic Research Project Mechanism and Prediction of Continental Earthquakes (G1998040700).     

台湾省1999年"9.21"集集大地震简介

台湾省１９９９年９月２１日集集大地震之后的两个月,出版了一本地震通俗读物－“变脸的大地”。扼要介绍了台湾地区的板块构造环境、震中区构造以及破坏情况。此书对民众和专业人士皆有裨益。本文将予评介。     

中国大陆主要构造块体现今运动的基本特征

为了研究中国大陆现代地壳运动和地球动力学,在９０年代初布设了由２２个站组成的全国ＧＰＳ监测网,测站均匀布设在中国大陆不同块体上,１９９２、１９９４和１９９６年对该网进行了３次观测,本文主要评述了３次观测的资料处理和精度,分析了３次测获得的中国大陆现今块体运动的基本特征。研究结果表明,ＧＰＳ网３次观测获得的资料精度均达到１０＾－８～１０＾－９,能满足地壳运动监测的需要,利用３次复测资料结果所建立的我国大陆块体运动模型,有效地检验了地质学和地球物理学的研究结果,在全球框架中,我国大陆整体存在着明显的向东运动,相对于西伯亚的区域性运动特征是：我国西部地区主要受印度板向北的俯冲和推挤的影响,青藏高原在南北向压缩的同时,存在着明显的向东的侧向滑移,这对大陆逃逸模型是较为有利的支持;东部地区的块体运动,同时受到印度板以及太     

松辽盆地北部构造回返期的油气藏

松辽盆地白垩纪以来经历了断陷期、坳陷期和回返期3个主要构造演化阶段。其中回返期表现的构造应力的反转在嫩江组末期、明水组末期和第四纪早期均有活动。中浅层和深层油气的运移、保存、破坏和再分配直接受控于回返期的3次构造运动。通过盆地东北部油气系统分析和重点油气藏的剖析，揭示反转构造运动与油气藏形成和破坏的深层关系。