Storminess and surges in the South-Western Approaches of the eastern North Atlantic: the synoptic climatology of recent extreme coastal storms

The climatology of intense winter cyclone events in the eastern North Atlantic responsible for high magnitude surge generation (top 1% of events) within the region of the South-Western Approaches to northwest France and southwest England is extracted from daily sea-level and 500-hPa level atmospheric pressure analyses. Cluster analysis yields discrete cyclone track regimes linked to upper airflow patterns being responsible for the generation of intense storms (central pressure at sea-level ≤990 hPa) which promote severe surge events ≥60 cm along the French coast of the South-Western Approaches. Fluctuations in storminess are strongly influenced by the southward intrusion and strengthening of the jet stream in mid-Atlantic. These occurrences are often associated with negative sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies near Newfoundland and a strengthening of the thermal gradient across the Atlantic well to the south of its normal position. Resultant cyclogenesis promotes storms displaying a delay in minimum central pressure attainment until well east of 14°W, encouraging enhancement of surge flow. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicates that the most influential variables in promoting severe surge events in the South-Western Approaches are trans-Atlantic sea surface temperature gradients. The most important influence is the prevailing west–east sea surface temperature gradient during the month of the storm, followed by that for the prior month of the storm and thirdly, the north–south sea surface temperature gradient prevailing during the month of the event. Other influential variables reflect the character of the cyclone, storm duration, mean deepening rate of storm central pressure, the value of the outermost closed isobar around the storm centre, and the longitudinal position of the outermost closed isobar to the right of the cyclone track. In contrast, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is not very effective as a discriminator of surge activity. This may reflect the greater intra-month volatility of parameters used to derive the NAO index than of other monthly variables considered in the study. The lack of resolvability at the individual storm level probably also arises because of the monthly detailing of the NAO against storms of 2–3 days duration. This behavioural model of extreme storminess in the South-Western Approaches to northwest France provides the basis by which extremes of coastal susceptibility can be calibrated.     

Dike intrusion under shear stress: Effects on magnetic and vesicle fabrics in dikes from rift zones of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

A theoretical model predicting how anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and vesicle fabrics are modified by shear stress resolved on the dike walls prior to the final cooling of magma is developed for vertical dikes. The resulting fabrics are asymmetric with respect to initial fabrics assumed to be symmetric. Application of this model together with collected data on magma flow direction, dike propagation direction and mechanism, and shear sense, allow us to interpret dike fabrics in terms of shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion (en echelon arrangement, offsetting, and dike curvature). The interpretation of AMS and vesicle fabrics of the margins of four dikes shows a reasonable agreement with the proposed theoretical models, suggesting that asymmetric fabrics can be used to infer magma flow and may provide valuable information on the shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion.     

Composite magnetic fabric deciphered using heating treatment

In a number of AMS studies, the presence and deciphering of composite magnetic fabrics is of major importance for a correct interpretation of the data. On the basis of several examples from intrusive rocks (diorites and dolerites) we show that the use of laboratory heatings can help to extract at least one component of the composite magnetic fabrics usually present. The procedure includes comparison of the fabrics measured after stepwise laboratory heating with the fabrics determined by tensor difference and by linear regression analysis. In the diorite samples, the measured AMS results from the superimposition of different component fabrics and does not correspond exactly to any of these fabrics. In these dykes, isolated magnetic fabric during thermal treatment corresponds to that of the main magnetic mineral (Ti-poor titanomaghemite) and reveals an unknown structure. In volcanic flow or doleritic dykes, a “parasitic” fabric related to late or post-magmatic evolution superimposed to the flow fabric can produce important scattering of the AMS principal directions. Decomposition of magnetic fabric during thermal treatment allows isolation of the flow fabric.     

寻求深海碳酸盐沉积含量的物理标志

运用岩心物理性质求取深海碳酸盐沉积的相对含量，是古海洋学研究中一种“多块好省”的办法，在低分辨率研究中取得成功，但在较高分辨率的研究中精度问题十分突出。采用大洋钻探（ODP）184航次船上颜色反射率和磁化率数据，结合实验室碳酸盐化学分析实测结果，运用最小二乘法等数理分析方法，分别建立颜色反射率和磁化率与碳酸盐含量之间的拟合方程，估算碳酸盐含量。结果表明，根据颜色反射率蓝色光波段值及其平方作为控制变量来拟合的碳酸盐含量，同实测值具有较高的一致性，误差较小；但是，用磁化率推算的碳酸盐含量同实测值比较则误差相当大。用岩心物理性质推测的拟合方程是在开展一定量实测分析的基础上建立的，不同站位的这种拟合关系不能套用，只有当其他影响成分含量相当稳定或有规律变化时，运用岩心物理性质求取深海碳酸盐沉积含量的方法才具有相当高的应用价值。     

Landslide susceptibility zonation in the Rio Mendoza Valley, Argentina

A qualitative landslide susceptibility zonation map (scale 1:100,000) of a sector of the Río Mendoza Valley was prepared by overlapping thematic maps of conditioning factors. The main parameters affecting the distribution of landslides in the area were ranked according to slope instability. Geomorphological surveys and field observations enabled identification of 300 historical or prehistoric landslides. A landslide inventory was developed classifying the processes involved in slope instability, and analysing the degree of activity. The two most influential factors in decreasing slope stability were lithology and slope angle.     

云南点苍山冰川湖泊沉积物磁化率的影响因素及其环境意义

文章通过对点苍山海拔3820m冰水沉积剖面的粒度参数、磁化率、氧化铁含量和有机质含量的综合实验分析,并讨论了这些指标的相互关系及其环境意义。实验结果表明,磁化率的强度与粗砂组分的含量成正相关,而与粘土等细粒组分含量成负相关;同时与有机质含量成负相关,与氧化铁含量成正相关。矿物组分分析实验表明,沉积物主要磁性来源于磁化铁。根据以上结果,结合冰川湖泊流域面积小、高寒环境的特点,其磁化率的影响因素与一般湖泊不同,认为冰川湖泊沉积中,因为物源较近导致外源磁性矿物主要赋存于粒度较粗的碎屑颗粒中,而高寒的环境条件使得有机质对沉积物的磁性矿物起到了稀释的作用,而很难有积极的贡献。根据磁化率的环境意义,恢复了全新世以来点苍山的古气候,从中可以划分6个不同的气候阶段:11.5～10.6kaB.P.,10.6～8.9kaB.P.,8.9～5.5kaB.P.,5.5～3.3kaB.P.,3.3～0.8kaB.P.和0.8kaB.P.至今,代表了末次冰期结束以后湖泊从产生至消亡的全过程。根据与其他相关地区的对比,分析了西南季风演变的一些规律。     

Sequence-stratigraphic signatures of hemipelagic siltstones in deep-water successions: the Lower Pleistocene Kiwada and Otadai Formations, Boso Peninsula, Japan

Sequence-stratigraphic signatures of hemipelagic siltstones were investigated using profiles of the magnetic susceptibility and selected chemical composition of the Early Pleistocene deep-water successions of the Kiwada and Otadai Formations on the Boso Peninsula, Japan. In the context of an independently developed sequence-stratigraphic framework for the submarine-fan deposits of the Otadai Formation, the magnetic susceptibility and chemical composition, such as the concentrations of TiO₂, MgO and Fe₂O₃, show that the lowstand systems tract deposits have higher values of these parameters than the transgressive and highstand systems tract deposits. In contrast, the CaO contents have inverse relationships with the magnetic susceptibility and are higher in the transgressive and highstand systems tract deposits. The positions of sequence boundaries largely coincide with the horizons from which the magnetic susceptibility and the contents of mafic component increase abruptly. The sequence-stratigraphic variations in the magnetic susceptibility and chemical composition of the submarine-fan hemipelagic siltstones are due to increases in the input of fine-grained, terrigenous clastic sediments from midwater flow suspension, in addition to the direct fluvial supply of relatively unmodified terrigenous clastic sediments during relative sea-level lowstands, although grain size of hemipelagic siltstones does not exhibit any distinct variation through depositional sequences. The Kiwada Formation is characterized by siltstone-dominated basin-plain deposits and its sequence-stratigraphic classification has been difficult when using just lithofacies features. Nevertheless, the profiles of the magnetic susceptibility and chemical composition of the basin-plain deposits are similar to those of the submarine-fan deposits with duration largely equivalent to the 41,000-years obliquity cycle of the Early Pleistocene oxygen isotope sea-level index. This finding indicates that the profiles of the magnetic susceptibility and chemical composition of hemipelagic siltstones reflect sequence-stratigraphic variation in the input of fine-grained terrigenous clastic sediments to the deep-water environments and are crucial for the recognition of cryptic sequence boundaries in hemipelagic successions.     

Exploring Physical Indicators for Carbonate Contents in Deep Sea Sediments

To determine carbonate contents of deep sea sediments using physical properties is an enjoyable and efficient paleoceanographic way, which has been processed successfully in many studies based on a low resolution, but rather than a high one. A series of mathematical methods including the least square method were used in this study to build multiple regression equations between color reflectance and carbonate content, and between magnetic susceptibility and carbonate content, based on the data of color reflectance and magnetic susceptibility collected via the ODP Leg 184 cruise, as well as measured carbonate contents. We found that percent carbonate estimated with diffuse reflectance is closer to the measured one than that estimated with magnetic susceptibility, and the multiple regression equation is varied in different sites.     

Rock texture and magnetic lineation in dykes: a simple analytical model

We develop two simple models for simulating the combination of magnetic sub-fabrics related to magma flow in dykes. The basic assumptions are (i) the petrofabric is representative of the flow fabric, and (ii) the petrofabric is composed of S/C-type structures related to flow. The first model consists of summing the magnetic tensors of two identical sub-fabrics, differing solely by their relative rotation. This model accounts for the possible change of the macroscopic magnetic lineation from a flow-related fabric to a lineation situated at the geometric intersection between the two sub-fabrics. Such a result is obtained in the case of oblate to highly oblate sub-fabric ellipsoids. The second model integrates the effect of very oblate grains of variable orientations into calculating the shape controlled magnetic tensor of each sub-fabric, and emphasizes the possible under-estimation of fabric superposition due to microscopic disordering. The magma fluxes along the East Greenland volcanic margin are illustrated by the flow pattern within the major dyke swarm. The magmatic flow vectors inferred from the imbrication of magnetic foliation at the dyke margins are primarily horizontal. The classic use of magnetic lineation can lead to contradictory results, giving flow vectors perpendicular to the flow directions. The magnetic lineation is situated close to the zone axis of magnetic foliation planes over a wide range of scales throughout the dyke swarm, suggesting that the contradiction may arise from the association of several textural domains at the sample scale. Forward modelling of macroscopic magnetic fabrics using the first model yields good agreement with the measured magnetic fabric of the East Greenland dykes. Our results, which are applicable to strained sedimentary rocks, highlight the possible misuse of the magnetic lineation due to combination of magnetic textures. The exchange between a microscopic lineation, i.e. mineralogical lineation, and a macroscopic lineation, i.e. intersection lineation, is particularly expected for dykes that generally bear oblate magnetic textures.