Characterisation of the 1997 Vulcanian explosions of Soufrière Hills Volcano,Montserrat, by video analysis

The activity of Convention at Montserrat Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, during the period 1995–1999 included numerous violent explosions. Two major cycles of Vulcanian explosions occurred in 1997: a first of 13 explosions between 4 and 12 August and a second of 75 between 22 September and 21 October. The explosions were short-lived events lasting a few tens of seconds during which partial fountain collapse generated pyroclastic surges and pyroclastic flows, and buoyant plumes ascended 3–15 km into the atmosphere. Each explosion discharged on average 3×10⁵ m³ (dense-rock equivalent, DRE) of magma, draining the conduit to depths of 1–2 km. The paper focuses on the first few seconds of three explosions of the 75 that occurred in September/October 1997: 6 October 1997 at 17:50, 7 October 1997 at 16:02 and 9 October 1997 at 12:32. Physical parameters such as exit velocities, magmatic water contents and magma pressures at fragmentation are estimated by following and modelling the ascent of individual momentum-dominated finger jets visible on videos during the initial stages of each explosion. The model treats each finger jet as an incompressible flow sustained by a steady flux of gas and particles during the few seconds of ascent, and produces results that compare favourably with those using a multiphase compressible code run using similar eruptive parameters. Each explosion reveals a progressive increase in eruptive intensity with time, jet exit velocities increasing from 40 m s^–1 at the beginning of the explosion up to 140 m s^–1 after a few seconds. Modelling suggests that the first magma to exit was largely degassed, whereas that discharged after a few seconds contained up to 2 wt% water. Magma overpressures up to ~10 MPa are estimated to have existed in the conduit immediately prior to each explosion. Progressive increases in jet exit velocity with time over the first few seconds of each explosion provide direct evidence for strong pre-eruptive gradients in water content and magma pressure in the upper reaches (probably 100–500 m) of the conduit. Fountain collapse occurred during the first 10–20 s of each explosion because the discharging jets had bulk densities up to 100 times that of the atmosphere and were unable to entrain enough air to become buoyant. Such high eruptive densities were due to the presence of partially degassed magma in the conduit.Editorial responsibility: A. Woods     

深圳市东湖矿泉水形成机理探讨

深圳市东湖矿泉水是自然界十分稀少的锶—锌—偏硅酸碳酸复合型矿泉水，通过对矿泉水赋存地的地质与水文地质条件的分析，并结合其水文地球化学特征，认为东湖矿泉水形成的主要控制性因素是构造作用和变质作用；在特定的水文地质条件下，深部碳酸盐类岩石受热硅化变质而产生大量CO2气体，使得各种化学元素在含有大量CO2的地下水的溶滤作用下不断迁移和富集而形成该区地下水中良好的元素组合。在其特征成分中，偏硅酸来自裂隙渗透水的溶滤和岩浆期后热液水的作用，微量元素锶主要来源于钾长石、钙长石，锌则主要来自岩浆活动以及岩脉中的黑云母、角闪石、辉石等铁镁硅酸盐矿物；并认为目前矿泉水含水层仍处于良好的地质环境保护下。     

The importance of plant root characteristics in controlling concentrated flow erosion rates

While it has been demonstrated in numerous studies that the aboveground characteristics of the vegetation are of particular importance with respect to soil erosion control, this study argues the importance of separating the influence of vegetation on soil erosion rates into two parts: the impact of leaves and stems (aboveground biomass) and the influence of roots (belowground biomass). Although both plant parameters form inseparable constituents of the total plant organism, most studies attribute the impact of vegetation on soil erosion rates mainly to the characteristics of the aboveground biomass. This triggers the question whether the belowground biomass is of no or negligible importance with respect to soil erosion by concentrated flow. This study tried to answer this question by comparing cross‐sectional areas of concentrated flow channels (rills and ephemeral gullies) in the Belgian Loess Belt for different cereal and grass plant densities. The results of these measurements highlighted the fact that both an increase in shoot density as well as an increase in root density resulted in an exponential decrease of concentrated flow erosion rates. Since protection of the soil surface in the early plant growth stages is crucial with respect to the reduction of water erosion rates, increasing the plant root density in the topsoil could be a viable erosion control strategy. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

京沈高速公路迁-滦连线龙山滑坡成因机理分析及治理

对龙山滑坡层状滑体的破坏模式进行了分析，采用Sarma法和直线滑面型边坡分析法对各个滑块进行了稳定性分析计算，结果准确。根据不同的工程地质条件，采用不同的工程措施进行治理，效果良好。     

结合水动力学原理在尼尔基水利枢纽·右岸副坝下游浸没研究中的应用

应用结合水动力学原理，采用野外调查和室内试验研究相结合、宏观 观研究和粘土微观研究相结合的方法，对粘土层的渗流特征进行了专门研究，确定粘土起始比降I0值，以确定测压水位与粘土不带水位、毛细力与毛管水上升高度之间的关系。在三维渗流电网络计算的基础上，进一步进行了粘土层内含水带的埋深计算，并重新选定毛管水上升高度值和浸没临界深度。研究结果表明，副坝下游浸没范围和程度大大减轻，只要进行适当的工程处理，下游浸没影响当可消除，建筑物安全也是有保证的。     

陕西省地下水水质监测发展探析

本文针对陕西省地下水水质监测控制范围局限于农灌区，监测项目单一的现状，通过分析研究，提出水质监测的发展思路，剖析实现新思路的相关条件。     

停止开采深层地下水 修复与改善生态环境

沧州市水资源短缺，深层地下水严重超采，已形成大面积区域地下水位降落漏斗，地面沉降已达2m，生态环境严重恶化．为保障经济社会的可持续发展，要积极引调地表水，开发利用地下咸水，加强雨洪控制利用，逐步替代最后终止深层地下水的开采。从根本上修复和改善生态环境。     

黑土的水土流失及其保育治理

黑土因其肥沃而闻名，但其退化和水土流失问题往往易被忽略。虽然在人类影响下的现代环境过程开始较晚，但黑土区的环境已发生了较大的变化。对黑土水土流失的现状进行了评价，指出了黑土保育治理的必要性与紧迫性，提出了治理保育措施。     

GPS-measured land subsidence in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Land subsidence caused by compression of clay layers in Ojiya City, Japan was measured by global positioning system (GPS) between 1 April 1996 and 31 December 1998.

Three baselines were selected in and around the city, and height difference on a WGS-84 ellipsoid was measured by GPS on each baseline. The ground at the GPS station in the city subsides and rebounds 7 cm every winter and spring, respectively. Measurement accuracy was 9.5 mm standard deviation. Ground water level was observed at a well near the GPS station. Regression analysis between total strain, calculated as ratio of the height difference displacement to the total thickness of the clay layers, and the layers' effective stress change with ground water level change gave good correlation. The slope of regression line 7.0×10⁻¹¹ m²/N was obtained as an average apparent coefficient of volume compressibility of the layers.     

Measuring the k–S–p relations on DNAPLs migration

Migration characteristics of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in the subsurface can be expressed as a water–DNAPL two-phase system based on mainly the k–S–p relations, which describe the relations among relative permeability (k), degree of water saturation (S), and capillary pressure head (p). The aims of this research are to develop an experimental system with new type of probes, such as the electrical conductivity probe for measuring the degree of water saturation and the hydrophilic and hydrophobic tensiometer for measuring the pore water and DNAPL pressures, and also to estimate the results obtained from the developed experimental system. From these tests, the excellent k–S–p relations were obtained and the efficiency and validity of this developed experimental system have been confirmed in terms of the concept of the scaling coefficient calculated by interfacial tensions.