Recent ventifact development on the central Oregon coast,western USA

The unusual location of ventifacts, on a boulder‐built jetty at the mouth of the Siuslaw River, Oregon coast, western USA, allows ventifact age and wind abrasion rates to be estimated with some precision. The jetty was built mainly between 1892–1901 and extended throughout the twentieth century. Consideration of historical shoreline position and the history of jetty construction and repair suggests the ventifacts have formed since about 1930. Morphologically the ventifacts are aligned south‐to‐north reflecting winter winds and sediment transport from the adjacent beach. Wind‐parallel grooves and ridges with sharp, sinuous crests are developed on inclined boulder surfaces on top of the jetty and reflect suspended sand transport in wind vortices. Deeply pitted surfaces on steep boulder surfaces nearest the beach reflect impact by saltating sand grains. Based on present wind regimes (1992–2000) from three regional weather stations, southerly winds above the sand transport threshold occur for 21·9–29·6 per cent of the time. Based on estimated depth of loss from boulder surfaces, wind abrasion rates are calculated to be on the order of 0·24–1·63 mm a^?1. This is the first well‐constrained field estimate of ventifact age and ventifaction rate from a modern coastal environment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

随机地震荷载作用下饱和粉土的液化特性

为了考虑随机地震荷载作用下饱和粉土的液化特性，研究了如何通过合理的地震响应分析确定饱和粉土层受到的随机地震荷载，进一步探讨了随机地震荷载作用下的动三轴试验技术，以及利用此种试验分析饱和粉土液化特性的方法。研究结果为形成判别饱和粉土层地震液化可能性的新方法提供了依据。     

Influence of the Load Wavelength on the Permeability of a Viscosity Interface in the Mantle

Assuming a radially stratified Newtonian mantle in a steady-state approximation, we demonstrate that the permeability of a viscosity interface at 660-km depth strongly depends on the wavelength of buoyancy forces driving the flow. The flow induced by long-wavelength loads penetrates through the boundary freely even if the viscosity increases by two orders. In contrast, the boundary is practically impermeable for short-wavelength loads located in the upper mantle. Thus, a stepwise increase of viscosity is a significant obstacle for small descending features in the upper mantle, but huge upper mantle downwellings, or upwellings formed in the-lower mantle can overcome it easily. This indicates that certain care is necessary in interpreting the seismic structure of the mantle by means of flow models. The global tomographic image includes only the first few degrees of the harmonic series and, consequently, its interpretation in terms of a present-day flow field results in a predominantly whole-mantle circulation even for extreme viscosity contrasts.     

Observations of flux rope – associated particle bursts with GEOTAIL in the distant tail

Geotail energetic particle, magnetic field data and plasma observations (EPIC, MGF and CPI experiments) have been examined for a number of energetic particle bursts in the distant tail (120Re < |X_GSM| < 130 Re), associated with moving magnetic field structures, following substorm onsets. The features obtained from this data analysis are consistent with the distant magnetotail dynamics determined first by ISEE3 observations and explained in terms of the neutral line model. At the onset of the bursts, before plasma sheet entrance, energetic electrons appear as a field-aligned beam flowing in the tailward direction, followed by anisotro-pic ions. Within the flux rope region, suprathermal ions exhibit a convective anisotropy, which allows determination of the plasma flow velocity, assuming that the anisotropy arises from the Compton-Getting effect. The velocities thus determined in the plasma sheet are estimated to be 200–650 km/s, and compare favourably with the velocities derived from the CPI electron and proton experiment. The estimated length of magnetic field structures varies between 28 and 56 Re and depends on the strength of the westward electrojet intensification. Finally, the three structures reported here show clear magnetic field signatures of flux rope topology. The existence of a strong magnetic field aligned approximately along the Y-axis and centred on the north-to-south excursion of the field, and the bipolar signature in both By and/or Bz components, is consistent with the existence of closed field lines extending from Earth and wrapping around the core of the flux rope structure.     

Prediction of the measured response of a scaled soil-pile-superstructure system

The validity of the Winkler foundation model is investigated by predicting the experimentally measured displacement transfer functions and strain spectra of a single pile embedded in a sandbox and supporting a single-degree-of-freedom superstructure. The foundation-superstructure system is a scale model and was subjected to shake table excitations. The distributed springs and dashpots of the Winkler foundation model are frequency dependent and the calibrated model predicts satisfactorily the displacement transfer function at different depths for both fixed- and free-tip pile conditions. On the other hand, the pile-axial-strains are substantially underestimated when expressed in terms of the second derivative of the computed elastic line of the pile. It is shown that a much more dependable prediction is achieved when pile-axial-strains are expressed in terms of the inertial forces acting along the pile-superstructure system.     

Molecular modeling of the 10-Å phase at subduction zone conditions

Molecular dynamics (MD) modeling of the 10-Å phase, Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂·xH₂O, with x=2/3, 1.0 and 2.0 shows complex structural changes with pressure, temperature and water content and provides new insight into the structures and stabilization of these phases under subduction zone conditions. The structure(s) of this phase and its role as a reservoir of water in the mantle have been controversial, and these calculations provide specific predictions that can be tested by in situ diffraction studies. At ambient conditions, the computed structures of talc (x=0) and the 10-Å phases with x=2/3 and 1.0 are stable over the 350-ps period of the MD simulations. Under these conditions, the 10-Å phases show phlogopite-like layer stacking in good agreement with previously published structures based on powder X-ray diffraction data for samples quenched from high-pressure and high-temperature experiments. The calculations show that the 10-Å phase with x=2.0 is unstable at ambient conditions. The computed structures at P=5.5 GPa and T=750 K, well within the known stability field of the 10-Å phase, change significantly with water content, reflecting changing H-bonding configurations. For x=2/3, the layer stacking is talc-like, and for x=1.0, it is phlogopite-like. The calculations show that transformation between these two stackings occurs readily, and that the talc-like stacking for the x=2/3 composition is unlikely to be quenchable to ambient conditions. For x=2.0, the layer stacking at P=5.5 GPa and T=750 K is different than any previously proposed structure for a 10-Å phase. In this structure, the neighboring basal oxygens of adjacent magnesium silicate layers are displaced by b/3 (about 3 Å) resulting in the Si atoms of one siloxane sheet being located above the center of the six-member ring across the interlayer. The water molecules are located 1.2 Å above the center of all six-member rings and accept H-bonds from the OH groups located below the rings. The b/3-displaced structure does not readily transform to either the talc-like or phlogopite-like structure, because neither of these stackings can accommodate two water molecules per formula unit. There is likely to be a compositional discontinuity and phase transition between the b/3-displaced phase and the phase with phlogopite-like stacking. The simulations reported here are the first to use the recently developed CLAYFF force field to calculate mineral structures at elevated pressures and temperatures.     

三峡大坝建成后长江输沙量的减少及其对长江三角洲的影响

三峡大坝建成之后,大量泥沙滞留于库区,出库泥沙量减少,坝下河床冲刷而提供相当数量的泥沙,支流湖泊供沙也发生变化,这将使进入河口地区的泥沙有所减少。三峡大坝以上长江干流和支流建设新的大坝,南水北调、封山育林、退耕还林以及减少水土流失都将进一步减少长江进入河口地区的泥沙。由此估计,三峡大坝建成后的百年内长江输入河口地区的泥沙约为2.0×10⁸～2.5×10⁸t/a;冰后期长江三角洲形成和发育期间的长江年均输沙量为1.84×10⁸～2.28×10⁸t。二者的数值相当接近,然而与近50年的观测(4.33×10⁸t/a)相差甚远,长江流域的气候变化和人类活动可能是造成这一现象的原因。文章着重说明中国和长江上游人口的增长、种植作物的改变可能是水土流失、长江泥沙量增长的主要原因。     

川西坳陷东坡沙溪庙组气藏成藏演化模式

川西坳陷东坡气藏主力产层为沙溪庙组,其圈闭类型以构造-岩性圈闭为主,多为致密砂岩储层,但断层发育,有效改善了储层物性,断砂匹配样式与构造演化对油气成藏过程有重要影响。基于前人已有的认识,通过沙溪庙组气藏成藏动力演化、气水分布特征及生烃期次分析,结合构造演化、成藏幕次等研究,认为沙溪庙组天然气成藏受构造古隆起、断砂配置、储层物性、构造演化影响,形成了“构造控向、断砂控运、储层控藏、演化控调”的成藏演化模式,同中存异,高庙子地区古构造的控制作用更为明显,而中江地区岩性控制作用占主导。沙溪庙组气藏间歇性充注具“燕山期三幕成藏,喜山期调整改造”的成藏特征,多期构造演化和较强的储层非均质性影响了含气饱和度,导致沙溪庙组气藏分布、气藏产能差异大。