Rock magnetic record of Cenozoic lake sediments from the Linxia basin and aridification of the Asian inland

High resolution research of rock magnetic records and quartz sands from the Maogou Section in the Linxia basin reveals that after a relatively stable environment between 13.07 Ma and 8.6 Ma, the basin was gradually influxed by eolian dusts at about 8.6 Ma, with two rapid increases at about 6.4 Ma and 5.3 Ma, respectively. The study suggests that drying of northwest China began at 8.6 Ma and strengthened rapidly at about 6.4 Ma and 5.3 Ma. __________ Translated from Marine geology & Quaternary geology, 2007, 27(4): 103–110 [译自: 海洋地质与第四纪地质]     

The paleoclimatic records and the relevance with the formation of hydrocarbon source rocks:A case study of Huanghekou depression,Bohaiwan basin

Bohaiwan basin, covering an area of 200 000 km², is one of the most important oil-bearing basins in Eastern China. Rifting processes formed the basin, and two evolution phases can be recognized. The rifting phase developed in Paleogene, and post-rifting phase occurred in Neogene. More than 200 oil fields have been found in the onshore and offshore area in Bohaiwan basin in recent years. The distribution of the oil fields is closely related to the rich hydrocarbon depressions, and the Huanghekou depression is one of these rich hydrocarbon depressions. A number of large and medium-sized oil and gas fields have been found in this area, such as BZ25-1, BZ34 etc., and the hydrocarbon was mainly from the Huanghekou depression. The formation of rich hydrocarbon source rocks depended on the tectonic setting of rapid subsidence, favorable paleoclimatic conditions and paleolimnology environments. The effects of paleoclimatic condition on hydrocarbon source rocks are the focus of this paper. __________ Translated from Geological Bulletin of China, 2007, 26(7): 830–840 [译自: 地质通报]     

Micromechanics of the velocity and normal stress dependence of rock friction

Among the second-order effects on friction the most important are those of variable normal stress and of slip velocity. Velocity weakening, which is usually considered the source of the stick-slip instability in rock friction, has been observed in velocity stepping experiments with Westerly granite. The friction change, , was –0.01 to –0.008 for a tenfold velocity increase. Using normal closure measurements, we observed dilation upon each increase in sliding rate. We also observed, for the first time, time-dependent closure between surfaces during static loading. The dilation that occurred during the velocity stepping experiment was found to be that expected from the static time-dependent closure phenomenon. This change in closure was used to predict friction change with an elastic contact model. The calculated friction change which results from a change in contact area and asperity interlocking, is in good agreement with the observed velocity dependence of steady-state friction. Variable normal stress during sliding has two effects, first in creating new partial slip contacts and locking some existing fully sliding contacts and second in increasing interlocking, for instance when normal load is suddenly increased. As a result, a transient change in friction occurs upon a sudden change in normal load.     

Textural segmentation of digital rock images into bedding units using texture energy and cluster labels

The texture of digital rock images, as recorded, for instance, with borehole imaging devices, is shown to reflect different bedding types. Textural segmentation of borehole images, therefore, subdivides the recorded sequence into bedding units. We show that a textural segmentation algorithm based on the concept of texture energy achieves good results when compared with synthetic as well as real data in which petroleum geologists have performed zonations on cores. Texture energy involves filtering of the original image with a set of texture sensitive masks. The filtering is done as a finite convolution over the size of the masks. On the resulting images the variance is computed over a relatively large sliding window, which, in its practical implementation, covers the full width of the image. The resulting nine one-dimensional curves are then clustered hierarchically into a user-determined number of image texture or lithological bedding classes. Principal component analysis previous to clustering can be used to reduce redundancy in the data. A recurring and relatively ill-defined problem in this field are macro-textures, i.e., the cyclic interbedding of two or more bedding types. We show that sliding Fourier transforms and variable mask scale can successfully address the zonation of macro-textures. In general, the method gives best results with mask sizes equivalent to 2–4 centimeters, reflecting the length scale at which the investigated geological bedding seems to have its highest variation.     

“Tripoli”的含义及译名的讨论

“Tripoli”是一种新型的石英质工业矿物原料,在我国长期被误译为硅藻土,影响地质部门对这一新矿种的认识和寻找。本文追溯了“Tripoli”一名的由来,正确地阐述了“Tripoli”的本质特征,分析了在国内文献中长期被误译的根源,指明了其正确含义,并建议废除各种不正确的中译名,译为“粉石英”。     

Research on temporal and spatial distribution, evolutionary character and mechanism of crustal deformation field before and after the Tangshan earthquake

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On the physical model of earthquake precursor fields and the mechanism of precursors＇timespace distribution──origin and evidences of the strong body earthquake──generating model

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Experimental investigation of the elastic modulus of a fractal system—A model of fractured rocks

The elastic properties of a physical model representing a damaged rock matrix were studied using a square lattice deformed under tensile stress. The elastic modulusM of such a system varies in agreement with percolation theory as|x–x _c | ^f , wherex is the damage parameter andx _c the threshold value of the damage parameter,f3.6. Atxx _c the scale dependence ofM can be expressed asML ^–f/v , whereL is the size of the sample andv the correlation exponent in percolation theory.The experimental results are of interest in assessing elastic properties in earthquake focal zones and fault zones in general.     

Na depletion in modern adakites via melt / rock reaction within the sub-arc mantle

Interaction between slab-derived melt and mantle peridotite and the role of slab melt as a metasomatizing agent in the sub-arc mantle is being increasingly recognized. Adakite, the slab melt erupted on the surface, usually exhibits anomalously high MgO, CaO, Cr and Ni contents that indicate interaction with mantle peridotitite. Here we note that Cenozoic adakites have Na₂O contents below 5.8 wt.% with ∼95% samples lower than 5.0 wt.%, and are generally depleted in this component relative to experimental basalt partial melts (mostly beyond 5.0 wt.% and up to 9.0 wt.% Na₂O) produced under 1.5-3.0 GPa conditions that are most relevant to adakite production. We interpret the adakite Na depletion to be also a consequence of the melt / rock reaction that takes place within the hot mantle wedge. During ascent and reaction with mantle peridotite, primary adakite melts gain mantle components MgO, CaO, Cr and Ni but lose Na₂O, SiO₂ and perhaps K₂O to the mantle, leading to Na-rich mantle metasomatism. Selective assimilation of predominately mantle clinopyroxene, some spinel and minor olivine at high T/P has been considered to be an important process in producing high-Mg adakites from primary low-Mg slab melts [Killian, R., Stern, C. R., 2002. Constraints on the interaction between slab melts and the mantle wedge from adakitic glass in peridotite xenoliths. Eur. J. Mineral. 14, 25-36]. In such a process, Na depletion in the assimilated melt is the result of dilution due to the increase in melt mass. Phase relationships in the reaction system siliceous melt + peridotite and quantitative calculation suggest that assimilation of mantle clinopyroxene, olivine and spinel and fractional crystallization of sodic amphibole and orthopyroxene, under conditions of moderate T/P and increasing melt mass, is also an important process that modifies the composition of adakites and causes the Na depletion.