Neogene patterns of relative plate motion for Africa-Europe: some implications for recent central Mediterranean tectonics

A detailed relative motion picture for the Neogene Africa-Europe plate kinematics is presented. The kinematic reconstruction was carried out using the finite difference solution between the rotation parameters determined for Anomalies 7 to 2 in the Africa-North America-Europe plate motion circuit. The analysis shows a motion of Africa with respect to Europe which is NNE directed during Late Oligocene to Burdigalian times, becoming NNW trending from the Langhian to the early Tortonian; from upper Tortonian times onward, the motion changes to a clear north-west directed convergence. Major Late Neogene tectonic features of the central Mediterranean region can, to a large extent, be explained within the context of the reconstructed major plate motions. Late Tortonian to Recent Africa-Europe slip vectors are compatible with a variety of geological phenomenoa such as north-west directed subduction beneath Calabria, south-east translation of Calabria and extension in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north-west trending slip vectors from thrust earthquakes between Gibraltar and Sicily, and dextral strike-slip across the North African margin.     

郯庐断裂带起源与大陆斜向汇聚

郯庐断裂带起源于华北克拉通与扬子板块的汇聚过程中已被多数学者所认同。该断裂带的起源机制，涉及到这两个大陆板块的汇聚方式。可是，对于这一重要问题却长期存在着不同的认识。本文依据郯庐断裂带内部及其两侧前陆上构造与年代学研究成果，综合分析该断裂带的起源机制。郯庐断裂带内部残留的起源期构造为左行走滑韧性剪切带，所获得的白云母40Ar/39Ar同位素年龄为239~217 Ma。华北克拉通边缘的徐淮弧形逆冲-推覆构造，及九江地区扬子板块上的弧形褶皱带，分别为苏鲁造山带、大别造山带点碰撞的产物。郯庐断裂带西侧的华北克拉通边缘，在汇聚过程中呈现为刚性陆块的特征，没有出现大规模的牵引弯曲现象。而东侧的扬子板块前陆构造，在汇聚过程中却明显出现了大规模的牵引弯曲现象。断裂带东侧的张八岭隆起北段，出露了扬子板块上中地壳韧性拆离带，其中所获得的白云母40Ar/39Ar同位素年龄为245~218 Ma，其滑动方向受控于郯庐断裂带起源期的左行走滑运动。这一系列构造与年代学信息，表明郯庐断裂带起源于华北克拉通与扬子板块的汇聚过程中，代表了这两个大陆的斜向汇聚边界。该断裂带起源期的活动时限，与大别、苏鲁造山带内大陆深俯冲时间相吻合。在大别造山带北部的华北克拉通，原始应存在着向南的突出体(嵌入体)，从而导致嵌入式碰撞与嵌入体边界的大陆斜向汇聚(起源期郯庐断裂带)，符合嵌入式碰撞导致板片撕裂模式。     

印度季风对云南2002年6月6次大到暴雨过程影响分析

利用逐日Micaps 1°× 1°客观分析资料 ,合成分析了 2 0 0 2年 6月 6次大到暴雨过程的大尺度背景场 ,诊断分析了形成大到暴雨的水汽和动力条件。结果表明 :2 0 0 2年 6月的强降水主要由印度季风活动的影响产生 ,孟加拉湾是云南强降水的主要水汽源地 ,为其提供充沛的水汽条件 ,其水汽输送路径与云南降水落区关系密切 ,水汽通量辐合是云南产生强降水的必要条件 ,而川滇间的低涡切变是云南强降水的重要天气系统 ,提供了有利的背景条件及动力条件。     

Plate kinematics, origin and tectonic emplacement of supra-subduction ophiolites in SE Asia

A unique feature of the Circum Pacific orogenic belts is the occurrence of ophiolitic bodies of various sizes, most of which display petrological and geochemical characteristics typical of supra-subduction zone oceanic crust. In SE Asia, a majority of the ophiolites appear to have originated at convergent margins, and specifically in backarc or island arc settings, which evolved either along the edge of the Sunda (Eurasia) and Australian cratons, or within the Philippine Sea Plate. These ophiolites were later accreted to continental margins during the Tertiary. Because of fast relative plate velocities, tectonic regimes at the active margins of these three plates also changed rapidly. Strain partitioning associated with oblique convergence caused arc-trench systems to move further away from the locus of their accretion. We distinguish “relatively autochthonous ophiolites” resulting from the shortening of marginal basins such as the present-day South China Sea or the Coral Sea, and “highly displaced ophiolites” developed in oblique convergent margins, where they were dismantled, transported and locally severely sheared during final docking. In peri-cratonic mobile belts (i.e. the Philippine Mobile Belt) we find a series of oceanic basins which have been slightly deformed and uplifted. Varying lithologies and geochemical compositions of tectonic units in these basins, as well as their age discrepancies, suggest important displacements along major wrench faults.We have used plate tectonic reconstructions to restore the former backarc basins and island arcs characterized by known petro-geochemical data to their original location and their former tectonic settings. Some of the ophiolites occurring in front of the Sunda plate represent supra-subduction zone basins formed along the Australian Craton margin during the Mesozoic. The Philippine Sea Basin, the Huatung basin south of Taiwan, and composite ophiolitic basements of the Philippines and Halmahera may represent remnants of such marginal basins. The portion of the Philippine Sea Plate carrying the Taiwan–Philippine arc and its composite ophiolitic/continental crustal basement might have actually originated in a different setting, closer to that of the Papua New Guinea Ophiolite, and then have been displaced rapidly as a result of shearing associated with fast oblique convergence.     

遗传算子对径流预报神经网络模型的影响

采用均匀设计来安排遗传算子组合进行数值实验,研究了遗传算子对神经网络径流预报精度的影响。研究发现,输入模式对最终种群中个体的分布影响不明显,不同算子组合对其影响则明显得多。通过回归分析发现,采用不同算子组合优化神经网络初始权重径流预报精度差别较大,对未归一网络的优化效果较归一网络好,同时采用数据归一输入模式与遗传算法优化神经网络初始权重未产生叠加效果。     

Investigations of nonlinear performances of implicit pseudodynamic algorithms

Although it has been shown that the implementation of the HHT-α method can result in improved error propagation properties in pseudodynamic testing if the equation of motion is used instead of the difference equation to evaluate the next step acceleration, this paper proves that this method might lead to instability when used to solve a nonlinear system. Its unconditional stability is verified only for linear elastic systems, while for nonlinear systems, instability occurs as the step degree of convergence is less than 1. It is worth noting that the step degree of convergence can frequently be less than 1 in pseudodynamic testing, since a convergent solution is achieved only when the step degree of convergence is close to 1 regardless of whether its value is greater or less than 1. Therefore, the application of this scheme to pseudodynamic testing should be prohibited, since the possibility of instability might incorrectly destroy a specimen. Consequently, the implementation of the HHT-α method by using the difference equation to determine the next step acceleration is recommended for use in pseudodynamic testing.     

What is the contribution of time-dependent deformation in tunnel convergence?

Tunnel excavation produces stress changes to the ground and strain to the support lining, leading to the closure (convergence) or instability of the excavated area. Convergence recorded after section excavation is assigned to: (i) strain resulting from the progressive tunnel front advance (face advance effect) and (ii) the time-dependent properties of the soil material (ground creep effect). In the present study, based on the geodetic monitoring records of two recent road tunnels in Greece, a simple methodology to estimate the contribution of each of the two effects is presented. Our analysis reveals that at least half of the total deformation of the examined tunnel sections is due to ground creep, indicating that the major portion of tunnel deformation is due to the time-dependent properties of the ground; a result supported by previous studies from other tunnels as well.     

Spectral shape,epsilon and record selection

Selection of earthquake ground motions is considered with the goal of accurately estimating the response of a structure at a specified ground motion intensity, as measured by spectral acceleration at the first‐mode period of the structure, Sa(T₁). Consideration is given to the magnitude, distance and epsilon (ε) values of ground motions. First, it is seen that selecting records based on their ε values is more effective than selecting records based on magnitude and distance. Second, a method is discussed for finding the conditional response spectrum of a ground motion, given a level of Sa(T₁) and its associated mean (disaggregation‐based) causal magnitude, distance and ε value. Records can then be selected to match the mean of this target spectrum, and the same benefits are achieved as when records are selected based on ε. This mean target spectrum differs from a Uniform Hazard Spectrum, and it is argued that this new spectrum is a more appropriate target for record selection. When properly selecting records based on either spectral shape or ε, the reductions in bias and variance of resulting structural response estimates are comparable to the reductions achieved by using a vector‐valued measure of earthquake intensity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.