Magnetic activity inside the auroral zones and field-aligned currents

Big perturbations of the magnetic field (amplitudes larger than 250 nT) are simply detected by subtracting the values of a model from the measurements of CHAMP satellite. Taking a full year of CHAMP data and organizing them in four subsets of three months length (spring, summer, autumn, winter), it is found that: (a) the two domains where such big perturbations mainly exist are limited, in both hemispheres, by a parallel of high latitude of the corrected geomagnetic coordinates system; (b) a conspicuous seasonal (annual) variation affects the density of the perturbations and is opposite in the two hemispheres. We hold that these perturbations are linked to the midday magnetic activity within the auroral zone, long ago described by one of us (Mayaud, 1956). The source of the perturbations observed at the satellite altitude would be field-aligned currents resulting from the penetration of the solar wind into the magnetospheric cusps. To cite this article: J.-L. Le Mouël et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Rivers, chemical weathering and Earth's climate

We detail the results of recent studies describing and quantifying the large-scale chemical weathering of the main types of continental silicate rocks: granites and basalts. These studies aim at establishing chemical weathering laws for these two lithologies, describing the dependence of chemical weathering on environmental parameters, such as climate and mechanical erosion. As shown within this contribution, such mathematical laws are of primary importance for numerical models calculating the evolution of the partial pressure of atmospheric CO₂ and the Earth climate at geological timescales. The major results can be summarized as follow: (1) weathering of continental basaltic lithologies accounts for about 30% of the total consumption of atmospheric CO₂ through weathering of continental silicate rocks. This is related to their high weatherability (about eight times greater than the granite weatherability); (2) a simple weathering law has been established for basaltic lithologies, giving the consumption of atmospheric CO₂ as a function of regional continental runoff, and mean annual regional temperature; (3) no such simple weathering law can be proposed for granitic lithologies, since the effect of temperature can only be identified for regions displaying high continental runoff; (4) a general law relating mechanical erosion and chemical weathering has been validated on small and large catchments. The consequences of these major advances on the climatic evolution of the Earth are discussed. Particularly, the impacts of the onset of the Deccan trapps and the Himalayan orogeny on the global carbon cycle are reinvestigated. To cite this article: B. Dupré et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前青藏块体边界断层异常活动

系统分析了青藏块体边界断层的形变资料，研究了断层活动的动态过程及空间分布。结果表明，昆仑山口西8．1级地震前孕震影响范围达到青藏块体的周边地区；发震断层所在的构造带震前断层活动最为剧烈；加强对构造块体断层整体活动的宏观动态比较和分析，有助于判定未来强震发生的危险地段；震后应力将转移并集中到西秦岭构造带及其邻近地区。     

2001年11月14日昆仑山口西8.1级地震前地震活动性异常及其思考s

2001年11月14日在昆仑山口西发生了8.1级地震，震中位置为90.9E、36.2N．分析表明，8.1级地震前一些主要地震活动性异常都出现了，例如空区、条带、增强、平静和震群等，且与7级大震比较，这些前兆图象的演变具有类似的过程，所不同的是8.1级地震的前兆地震活动图象涉及的区域范围更大、地震震级更高，这为特大地震的前兆识别和预报提供了依据．最后回顾了对这次大震的粗略预测，并讨论了有关大震预测的某些问题．      

丽江地震序列的震源机制,发震应力场和破裂特征

丽江７．０级地震震区位于我国西南地区现代构造应力场空间分布的复杂地区，区域应力场主压应力优势方位为南南东。震区位于可能受到多种构造动力源作用的特定构造运动环境中。获得了主震和２２个ＭＬ≥４．０级余震的震源机制Ｐ波初动解，分析表明，主震发震应力场为北３°东，与震区区域应力场主压应力优势方位有一个小角度的偏差。主震的发震应力不仅有水平应力的作用，同时还有显的垂直应力的作用。在余震序列发展中震区呈现出     

云南地壳形变与丽江7.0级地震

本利用滇西、滇中地区大地垂直形变和跨断层短水准、短基线的监测资料进行综合分析论证，其结果表明：１９９６年２月滇西丽江７．０级地震前，该区应力场方向自１９９０年以来产生了由北东－北西的转变，震源区出现高达１０９ｍｍ的垂直差异运动１９９３－１９９６年有７５％的断层形变测点相继出现不同程度的中期、短期和临震异常。大地垂直形变与断层形变的共性演变特性，为强震的预测提供了一个较好的震例。     

丽江7.0级地震地下流体异常特征

通过对１９９６年２月３日云南丽江Ｍｓ７．０地震前震中周围水位、水氡、水汞、泉点宏观等地下流体共７１个台项观测资料的异常及综合特征分析，初步认为震前异常数量较多，异常时间分布具有整体性、同步性、集中性的特点，但异常主要集中在短期阶段，临震异常不突出；突间分布具有集中性和非均匀性，孕震区至远场影响区的异常比例最高，震源区内为相对“盲区”，且突出而肯定的宏观异常极少；异常的时空演变特征复杂，总体没有规律     

丽江大研镇震灾分布和地脉动测量结果之间的相关性

丽江７．０级地震后，大研镇被毁建筑物的地理分布呈显４条条带，伤亡人员的地理分布和上述条带重合。９１个短周期地脉动测点的观测资料表明，分布在上述条带内的大多数测点，其卓越周期大于０．３Ｓ；条带外的测点，其卓越周期一般在０．１Ｓ左右。作认为卓越周期和烈度异常之间良好的相关性，是因为地脉动卓越周期和地方震的频谱之间存在良好的相关性。     

丽江7.0级地震前地震分形异常

本提供了丽江７．０级地震前滇西北地震活动空间容量维、关联维、信息熵十分显的异常图像；这些异常是在大震孕震区形成、应变释放加速阶段之后出现的，恰好揭示了源区、近源区大释放前的非线性变化过程。这与１９６５年以来云南及邻区８组大震前地震分形研究的结论完全一致；进一步说明地震活动分形异常对地震孕育的短临阶段具有重要的指示意义。     

Analysis of DNAPL infiltration in a medium with a low-permeable lens

In this paper we study the infiltration of DNAPL in a porous medium containing a single low-permeable lens. Our aim is to determine whether or not DNAPL infiltrates into the lens. A key role is played by the capillary pressure: DNAPL cannot infiltrate into the lens unless the capillary pressure exceeds the entry pressure of the lens. In the model this is reflected by an interface condition, the extended capillary pressure condition. To derive analytical approximations we first consider a steady-state DNAPL plume in a homogeneous medium. This results in an estimate of the DNAPL plume width as a function of depth, and an asymptotic solution for small saturations. Assuming that the extent of the lens is much larger than the width of the unperturbed DNAPL plume in the homogeneous medium, we derive an explicit criterion for DNAPL infiltration into the lens in terms of a critical inflow rate. A numerical algorithm is presented in which the extended capillary pressure condition is incorporated. The numerical and analytical results show good qualitative agreement. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.