Holocene reef growth in Torres Strait

The platform and fringing reefs of Torres Strait are morphologically similar to reefs of the northern Great Barrier Reef to the south, except that several are elongated in the direction of the strong tidal currents between the Coral Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Surface and subsurface investigations and radiocarbon dating on Yam, Warraber and Hammond Islands reveal that the initiation and mode of Holocene reef growth reflect antecedent topography and sea-level history. On the granitic Yam Island, fringing reefs have established in some places over a Pleistocene limestone at about 6 m depth around 7000 years BP. Emergent Holocene microatolls of Porites sp. indicate that the reefs have prograded seawards while sea level has fallen gradually from at least 0.8 m above present about 5800 years BP. On the Warraber Island reef platform drilling near the centre indicated a Pleistocene limestone foundation at a depth of about 6 m over which reefs established around 6700 years BP. Reef growth lagged behind that on Yam Island. Microatolls on the mature reef flat indicate that the reef reached sea level around 5300 years BP when the sea was around 0.8–1.0 m above present. On the reef flat on the western side of Hammond Island bedrock was encountered at 7–8 m depth, overlain by terrigenous mud. A progradational reef sequence of only 1–2 m thickness has built seaward over these muds, as sea level has fallen over the past 5800 years. Reef-flat progradation on these reefs is interpreted to have occurred by a series of stepwise buildouts marked by lines of microatolls parallel to the reef crest, marking individual coalescing coral heads. Detrital infill has occurred between these. This pattern of reef progradation is consistent with the radiocarbon dating results from these reefs, and with seismic investigations on the Torres Reefs.     

长白山天池火山全新世大喷发挥发性气体释放量的分析和估算

火山喷发是地球上一种壮观的自然景象 ,火山喷发的同时一般都喷出气体 ,火山爆炸式喷发时巨量的气体被喷入空中 ,对全球气候造成较大影响。长白山天池火山于全新世发生过两次较大的爆炸式喷发 ,根据本文的分析和估算 ,后一次即天池火山公元 1199～ 12 0 1年的那次大喷发 ,逃逸到空中的挥发气体含量分别为 :CO2 约 (0 .31～ 1.5 6 )× 10 8t,S(主要是 H2 S和 SO2 )约 1.96× 10 7t,F2 约 7.86× 10 6 t,Cl2 约 (0 .78～ 6 .2 4)× 10 7t,对全球气候曾产生过重要影响     

ANALYSIS OF SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE RECORDED IN LAHORE AND MIANWALI OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES

Surface air temperatures recorded over the past three decades at the weather stations located in Lahore (anindustrialized and densely populated city) and Mianwali (a small and sparsely populated city) were analyzed in order tostudy their climatic trend.Lahore,where meteorological data are recorded at two weather stations (city station and air-port station) indicates a cooling trend,of about 0.5℃ per record period of 1953—1992,for the airport station (31°31′N,74°24′E) and a slight warming trend,of about 0.2℃,for the city station (31°33′N,74°20′E) for the record period of 1950—1992.The Mianwali weather station (32°33′N,71°31′E) also shows a slight cooling trend,of about 0.4℃ per recordperiod of 1959—1992.The climatic variability at these stations was studied by computing seasonal and annual tempera-ture anomalies.The results are explained in terms of the local environmental conditions.     

Holocene activity of the Scilla Fault, Southern Calabria: Insights from coastal morphological and structural investigations

Integration of on-land and offshore geomorphological and structural investigations coupled to extensive radiometric dating of co-seismically uplifted Holocene beaches allows characterization of the geometry, kinematics and seismotectonics of the Scilla Fault, which borders the eastern side of the Messina Strait in Calabria, Southern Italy. This region has been struck by destructive historical earthquakes, but knowledge of geologically-based source parameters for active faults is relatively poor, particularly for those running mostly offshore, as the Scilla Fault does. The  30 km-long normal fault may be divided into three segments of  10 km individual length, with the central and southern segments split in at least two strands. The central and northern segments are submerged, and in this area marine geophysical data indicate a youthful morphology and locally evidence for active faulting. The on-land strand of the western segment displaces marine terraces of the last interglacial (124 to 83 ka), but seismic reflection profiles suggest a full Quaternary activity. Structural data collected on bedrock faults exposed along the on-land segment provide evidence for normal slip and  NW-SE extension, which is consistent with focal mechanisms of large earthquakes and GPS velocity fields in the region. Detailed mapping of raised Holocene marine deposits exposed at the coastline straddling of the northern and central segments supplies evidence for two co-seismic displacements at  1.9 and  3.5 ka, and a possible previous event at  5 ka. Co-seismic displacements show a consistent site value and pattern of along-strike variation, suggestive of characteristic-type behaviour for the fault. The  1.5–2.0 m average co-seismic slips during these events document M_e  6.9–7.0 earthquakes with  1.6–1.7 ka recurrence time. Because hanging-wall subsidence cannot be included into slip magnitude computation, these slips reflect footwall uplift, and represent minimum average estimates. The palaeoseismological record based on the palaeo-shorelines suggests that the last rupture on the Scilla Fault during the February 6, 1783 M_w = 5.9–6.3 earthquake was at the expected time but it may have not entirely released the loaded stress since the last great event at  1.9 ka. Comparison of the estimated co-seismic extension rate based on the Holocene shoreline record with available GPS velocities indicates that the Scilla Fault accounts for at least  15–20% of the contemporary geodetic extension across the Messina Strait.     

Paleo-earthquake studies on the eastern section of the Kunlun fault

Introduction East Kunlun active fault is one of the largest sinistral slip fault zones in northern Tibetan Pla-teau. The fault tails primarily after the ancient eastern Kunlun suture zone, which was reactivatedby the northward subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate. The western end of thefault starts near the western flank of the Buxedaban peak in Qinghai Province. The fault then ex-tends eastwards through the Kusai Lake, Xidatan, Dongdatan, Alag Lake, Tuosuo Lak…     

中国气候区划新方案

根据全国609个气象站1971-2000年的日气象观测资料,遵循地带性与非地带性相结合、发生同一性与区域气候特征相对一致性相结合、综合性和主导因素相结合、自下而上和自上而下相结合、空间分布连续性与取大去小等5个基本原则,在充分吸纳已有气候区划基本理论与区划方法的基础上,参照中国科学院《中国自然地理》编辑委员会制定的气候区划三级指标体系,对我国气候进行重新区划;结果将我国划分为12个温度带、24个干湿区、56个气候区。与先前区划方案相比发现:20世纪70年代以来,中国气候带、区的总体格局并未发生明显变化,但一些重要的气候分界线却出现了一定程度的移动。其中亚热带北界与暖温带北界均出现了北移,北方地区的半湿润与半干旱分界线也出现了不同程度的东移与南扩,同时中温带、暖温带、北亚热带和中亚热带的三级气候区也出现了一定程度的变动;这种变化可能主要是因为20世纪80年代以后我国大多数地区出现不同程度的增暖及北方一些区域出现干旱化而引起的;且与本区划所采用的资料站点和部分区划原则有一定更新有关。     

基于粒子群算法与混合罚函数法的有限元优化反演模型及应用

岩土工程优化反分析是一个典型的复杂非线性函数优化问题,采用全局优化算法是解决这个问题的理想途径。针对常规反演方法应用于岩土工程参数反演时搜索效率低的缺点,结合粒子群算法和遗传算法的特点,充分考虑二者的互补性,提出一种效率较高的全局优化算法,以测点的实测值与计算值建立一种新的评价函数,将多目标优化问题转化为单目标优化问题,用混合罚函数法将约束问题变为无约束问题,构建了一种新的目标函数,将有限元程序ABAQUS作为一个模块嵌入到优化算法程序中,编制了有限元优化反演分析程序。并给出了应用实例验证了该法的有效性和实用性,是一种可行的参数反演方法,可应用于实际工程中复杂岩土介质初始应力场反演、渗流场以及位移反分析     

废黄河三角洲典型钻孔XJ01全新世地层与微体古生物记录

钻孔XJ01位于废黄河三角洲滨淮镇附近,钻孔中上更新统顶部与全新统有4个14C测年数据控制,该孔全新统岩性特征自下而上为潮间带含贝壳砾质砂层、浅海相淤泥质黏土层、三角洲前缘相深灰色粉砂、三角洲平原相黏土质粉砂及粉砂质黏土。全新统微体古生物分析结果详细地反映了废黄河三角洲典型区域各时期的沉积环境,其中,全新统下部见大量的有孔虫与海相介形虫,中部微体古生物略少,上部地层中海相介形虫增多。整个全新世微体生物组合揭示了一个河口变化的水动力控制沉积环境。     

An inflection in the rate of early mid-Holocene eustatic sea-level rise: A new sea-level curve from Singapore

This study presents a sea-level curve from 9500 to 6500 cal BP for the farfield location of Singapore, on the Sunda Shelf in southeast Asia. The curve is based on more than 50 radiocarbon dates from elevations of +1.43 m to −15.09 m representing sea-level index points in intertidal mangrove and shallow marine sediments deposited by sea-level rise accompanying deglaciation. The results indicate that mean sea level rose rapidly from around −17 m at 9500 cal BP to around −3 m by 8000 cal BP. After this time, the data suggest (but do not unequivocally prove) that the rate of sea-rise slowed for a period of 300–500 years centred on 7700 cal BP, shortly after the cessation of meltwater input to the oceans from the northern hemisphere. Renewed sea-level rise amounting to 3–5 m began around 7400 cal BP and was complete by 7000 cal BP. The existence of an inflection in the rate of sea-level rise, with a slow-down centred on 7700 cal BP, is broadly consistent with other available sea-level curves over this interval and is supported by evidence of stable shorelines and delta initiation elsewhere at this time, as well as evidence of comparatively rapid retreat of the West Antarctic ice sheet beginning around 7500 cal BP. ‘Stepped’ sea-level rise occurring shortly after 7500 cal BP and also earlier during deglaciation may have served to focus significant post-glacial episodes of human maritime/coastal dispersal, into comparatively narrow time intervals.