The role of current velocity in structuring eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows

Measurements of velocity profiles, bathymetry, and surface sediment characteristics across eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows yielded information on community development processes and functional attributes of this ecosystem. Height/length ratios of the meadows were positively correlated with tidal current velocity. Low, medium, and high current regimes were separated by surface current velocities of approximately 50 and 90 cm s^?1. Z. marina can tolerate approximately 120–150 cm/sec current velocities in the areas studied. Per cent silt-clay and organic matter content of the surface sediments are negatively associated with shear velocity, suggesting that meadows in high current areas are sources while meadows in low current areas are sinks of autochthonous detritus. Current velocity maintains seagrass meadows at different equilibrium levels (relative climaxes). We theorize these different equilibrium levels provide unequal habitat utilization potentials for the associated faunal community.     

Shallow earthquakes in a viscoelastic shear zone with depth-dependent friction and rheology

Summary. Most crustal earthquakes of the world are observed to occur within a seismogenic layer which extends from the Earth's surface to a depth of a few tens of kilometres at most. A model is proposed in which the shear zone along a transcurrent plate margin is represented as a viscoelastic medium with depth-dependent power-law rheology. A frictional resistance linearly increasing with depth is assumed on a vertical transcurrent fault within the shear zone. Such a model is able to reproduce a continuous transition from the brittle behaviour of the upper crust to the ductile behaviour at depth. Assuming that the shear zone is subjected to a constant strain rate from the opposite motions of the two adjacent plates, it is found that there exists a maximum depth H below which tectonic stress can never reach the frictional threshold: this may be identified as the maximum depth of earthquake nucleation. The value of H is consistent with observations for plausible values of the model parameters. The stress evolution in the shear zone is calculated in the linear approximation of the constitutive equation. A change in rigidity with depth, which is also introduced in the model, may reproduce the high vertical gradient of shear stress, which has been measured across the San Andreas fault, and the fact that most earthquakes are nucleated at some depth in the seismogenic layer. A crack which drops the ambient stress to the dynamic frictional level is then introduced in the model. To this aim, a crack solution is employed without a stress singularity at its edges, which is compatible with a frictional stress threshold criterion for fracture. A constraint on the vertical friction gradient is obtained if such cracks are assumed to be entirely confined within the seismogenic layer.     

Progressive metamorphism in a crustal-scale shear zone: an example from the Léon region, north-west Brittany, France

This paper describes the progressive metamorphism and deformation of a series of metasediments, Le Conquet Schists and their higher grade equivalents, which occur as tectonically emplaced screens within a sequence of foliated gneisses, the Gneiss de Brest and Gneiss de Lesneven. The sequence exhibits a steep south to north increase in metamorphic grade from garnet-staurolite schist to sillimanite gneiss and sillimanite-K-feldspar migmatite. The relationship of mineral growth to foliation development has been established for individual screens. At least five phases of deformation (D1-D5) are preserved. Analysis of porphyroblast inclusion trails is used to demonstrate sequential mineral growth during the successive development of orthogonal foliations S1-S4. Porphyroblasts continued to grow during the subsequent development of C-S mylonite fabrics and extensional crenulation cleavages which are genetically related to a series of high-strain zones (D5). Mineral assemblages, phase relations and mineral chemistry are consistent with porphyroblast growth being the result of continuous reactions. Microstructure-porphyroblast relations are used to show that although mineral growth proceeded during continuous reactions, these only operated episodically. Phase relations, mineral chemistry and P-T estimates are used to constrain P-T trajectories and these are linked to the deformation histories within individual screens. A comparison between the resulting pressure-temperature-deformation paths is used to demonstrate that the metamorphic peak occurred progressively later and at successively lower pressures with increasing metamorphic grade. It is suggested that the early evolution of the belt is the result of crustal thickening by overthrusting. The subsequent history is one of progressive heating and unroofing of the higher grade rocks in a dextral strike-slip transtensional shear zone.     

Alpine metamorphism of Hercynian hornblende granodiorite beneath the blueschist facies schistes lustrés nappe of NE Corsica

Abstract The Hercynian granitic basement which forms the Tenda Massif in NE Corsica represents part of the leading edge of the European Plate during middle-to-late Cretaceous (Eoalpine) high P metamorphism. The metamorphism of this basement, induced by the overthrusting of a blueschist facies (schistes lustrés) nappe, was confined to a major ductile shear zone (c. 1000m thick) within which deformation increases upwards towards the overlying nappe. Metamorphism within the basement mostly records lower blueschist facies conditions (crossite + epidote) except near the base of the shear zone where the greenschist facies assemblage albite + actinolitic amphibole has developed instead of crossite. Study of the primary mafic phase breakdown reactions within hornblende granodiorite reveals the following metamorphic zonation. Zone 1: biotite to chlorite. Towards zone 2: biotite to phengite. Zone 2: Hornblende to actinolitic Ca-amphibole + albite + sphene, and biotite to actinolitic Ca-amphibole + albite + phengite + Ti-ore + epidote. Zone 3: Hornblende to crossite + low Ti-biotite + phengite + sphene, and biotite to crossite + low Ti-biotite + phengite + Ti-ore + sphene ± epidote. P-T conditions at the base of the shear zone are estimated to have been 390-490°C at 600-900 M Pa (6-9kbar) and the Corsican basement is therefore deduced to have been buried to 20-30 km during metamorphism. This relatively shallow metamorphism contrasts with some other areas in the Western Alps where the Eoalpine event apparently buried the European continental crust to depths of 80 km or more. As there is no evidence for a long history of blueschist facies metamorphism prior to the involvement of the European continent, it is deduced that the Eoalpine blueschists were produced during the collision of the Insubric plate with Europe, rather than during Tethyan intraoceanic subduction. Coherent blueschist terrains such as the schistes lustres probably record buovant feature collision and obduction tectonics rather than any preceding oceanic subduction.     

Effects of boundary conditions and partial drainage on cyclic simple shear test results—a numerical study

Owing to imperfect boundary conditions in laboratory soil tests and the possibility of water diffusion inside the soil specimen in undrained tests, the assumption of uniform stress/strain over the sample is not valid. This study presents a qualitative assessment of the effects of non‐uniformities in stresses and strains, as well as effects of water diffusion within the soil sample on the global results of undrained cyclic simple shear tests. The possible implications of those phenomena on the results of liquefaction strength assessment are also discussed. A state‐of‐the‐art finite element code for transient analysis of multi‐phase systems is used to compare results of the so‐called ‘element tests’ (numerical constitutive experiments assuming uniform stress/strain/pore pressure distribution throughout the sample) with results of actual simulations of undrained cyclic simple shear tests using a finite element mesh and realistic boundary conditions. The finite element simulations are performed under various conditions, covering the entire range of practical situations: (1) perfectly drained soil specimen with constant volume, (2) perfectly undrained specimen, and (3) undrained test with possibility of water diffusion within the sample. The results presented here are restricted to strain‐driven tests performed for a loose uniform fine sand with relative density D_r=40%. Effects of system compliance in undrained laboratory simple shear tests are not investigated here. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

北祁连中西段与超基性岩有关的金矿化特征及成因探讨

北祁连中西段发育三套早古生代蛇绿岩及相应的基性、超基性岩,呈北、中、南三条带状分布。区内金的活化、迁移主要受控于超基性岩带和与其分布近于一致的两条韧性剪切带,金矿化主要发生在强蚀变超基性岩体内、岩体与围岩接触带、断裂破碎蚀变带内。根据包裹体测温及成分测定、稳定同位素特征资料及超基性岩中金丰度值等分析,金矿物质主要来自超基性岩,流体来源于深部,其成因属与超基性岩有关的韧性剪切带型金矿床。     

Geotechnical characterisation of pyroclastic soils involved in huge flowslides

Landslides of the flow type involving granular geo-materials frequently result in casualties and damage to property because of the long travel distance and the high velocities that these may attain. This was true for the events that took place in Campania Region (Southern Italy) in May 1998, involving pyroclastic soils originating from explosive activities of the Somma-Vesuvius volcano. Although these phenomena have frequently affected various areas of the Campania region over the last few centuries, there were no useful geological and geotechnical references available in the aftermath of the May 1998 events. For this reason Salerno University, which was involved in the scientific management of the emergency, addressed the issue of acquiring data on the geological, geomorphological and hydrogeological features of the slopes where the landslides had taken place. The information acquired made it possible to set up a slope evolution model that is able to interpret, from a geological point of view, past and more recent landslides that had occurred in the same area. As preliminary geotechnical analyses had already validated the above model, more detailed investigations were performed both on the pore pressure regimen of the covers still in place as well as on the physical and mechanical properties of pyroclastic soils, in saturated and unsaturated conditions. The present paper begins by discussing the data acquired during the .rst phase of the studies and then goes on to illustrate the laboratory results so far obtained with the aid of approximate procedures. These help advance our knowledge of pyroclastic soils within a reasonable time frame, thus improving landslide triggering analysis.     

Optimum design of nailed soil slopes

In this paper, a generalized method of computer based optimum design of soil-nailed slopes is reported. A limit equilibrium formulation satisfying overall and internal equilibrium and considering the effect of tensile resistance of the reinforcement has been used in computing the stability of nailed slopes. The quantity of steel requirement for raising the factor of safety to a desired value is estimated. The location, size (length and diameter) and orientation of the nails and the location and shape of the critical shear surface have been treated as variables. The solutions have been isolated by formulating the problem as one of non-linear programming. The applicability of the developed method has been verified by comparing the predicted failure surfaces with those observed in model tests as well as in the field and also reported theoretical results.