The anisotropy of loess magnetic susceptibility in the northeastern fringe of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau as an indicator of palaeowind direction

Estimates of the palaeo-subaerial wind direction were studied systematically for the first time by using the anisotropy of loess magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements in the northwestern China. One hundred and forty undisturbed oriented aeolian loess samples were collected from Lanzhou, Linxia and Wudu areas for AMS measurements, which indicated the subaerial wind directions were not the same while the loess deposited. From the Early Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene till Late Pleistocene, the wind direction experienced an anticlockwise rotation in the studied area. We suggested this change was related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the adjustment of current and landform effects.     

Contribution of domain rotation to the magnetic susceptibility of spherical two-domain particles of magnetite

Summary. Starting with a simplified picture of the presumed magnetization configuration in a two-domain sphere of magnetite, the initial susceptibility due to rotation of the magnetization in the domains has been calculated. In particles between 100 and 300 nm in diameter the calculated susceptibility for randomly oriented particles drops rapidly from about 6 to a little over 3, which is the value to be expected for large multidomain particles. The results agree well with the available experimental results and imply that in magnetite particles in this size range the low field susceptibility is dominated by the domain rotation and that wall motion is effectively inhibited.     

A comparison of the GIS based landslide susceptibility assessment methods: multivariate versus bivariate

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and to compare the results of multivariate (logical regression) and bivariate (landslide susceptibility) methods in Geographical Information System (GIS) based landslide susceptibility assessment procedures. In order to achieve this goal the Asarsuyu catchment in NW Turkey was selected as a test zone because of its well-known landslide occurrences interfering with the E-5 highway mountain pass.Two methods were applied to the test zone and two separate susceptibility maps were produced. Following this a two-fold comparison scheme was implemented. Both methods were compared by the Seed Cell Area Indexes (SCAI) and by the spatial locations of the resultant susceptibility pixels.It was found that both of the methods converge in 80% of the area; however, the weighting algorithm in the bivariate technique (landslide susceptibility method) had some severe deficiencies, as the resultant hazard classes in overweighed areas did not converge with the factual landslide inventory map. The result of the multivariate technique (logical regression) was more sensitive to the different local features of the test zone and it resulted in more accurate and homogeneous susceptibility maps.     

Late Holocene lake level dynamics inferred from magnetic susceptibility and stable oxygen isotope data: Lake Elsinore, southern California (USA)

Southern California faces an imminent freshwater shortage. To better assess the future impact of this water crisis, it is essential that we develop continental archives of past hydrological variability. Using four sediment cores from Lake Elsinore in Southern California, we reconstruct late Holocene (3800 calendar years B.P.) hydrological change using a twentieth-century calibrated, proxy methodology. We compared magnetic susceptibility from Lake Elsinore deep basin sediments, lake level from Lake Elsinore, and regional winter precipitation data over the twentieth century to calibrate the late Holocene lake sediment record. The comparison revealed a strong positive, first-order relationship between the three variables. As a working hypothesis, we suggest that periods of greater precipitation produce higher lake levels. Greater precipitation also increases the supply of detritus (i.e., magnetic-rich minerals) from the lake's surrounding drainage basin into the lake environment. As a result, magnetic susceptibility values increase during periods of high lake level. We apply this modern calibration to late Holocene sediments from the lake's littoral zone. As an independent verification of this hypothesis, we analyzed ¹⁸O_(calcite), interpreted as a proxy for variations in the precipitation:evaporation ratio, which reflect first order hydrological variability. The results of this verification support our hypothesis that magnetic susceptibility records regional hydrological change as related to precipitation and lake level. Using both proxy data, we analyzed the past 3800 calendar years of hydrological variability. Our analyses indicate a long period of dry, less variable climate between 3800 and 2000 calendar years B.P. followed by a wet, more variable climate to the present. These results suggest that droughts of greater magnitude and duration than those observed in the modern record have occurred in the recent geological past. This conclusion presents insight to the potential impact of future droughts on the over-populated, water-poor region of Southern California.     

明代大同镇建设与生态环境变迁

为抵御蒙古贵族侵扰,明朝于长城沿线设置了九个军事重镇。大同镇位于北京西北部,是明代重要的军事屏障,因此十分重视大同镇的建设。有明一代,围绕大同镇的建设,大批军士征调于此,修筑边墙堡寨,屯垦土地。这些政策与措施虽然为明朝国防安全发挥了极其重要的作用,但对资源形成了巨大的消耗,使这一地区的生态环境发生了剧烈的变化。大片森林和草场被新垦土地所吞噬,生态效益迅速跌落,土壤保水能力差,风蚀、水蚀严重,土地不断荒漠化,不少以土地为生的百姓被迫留离失所,影响到该区域经济社会的发展。同时,严重的水土流失也导致了河流水性与水质发生变化,殃及下流北京以及沿岸地区。生态与环境是经济社会发展基本的物质基础,历史警示在区域经济建设中,我们只有提高环境保护意识,注重资源环境利用的科学性,才能达到经济社会发展与生态良性循环的双赢目标。     

Comparison of Fry strain ellipse and AMS ellipsoid trends to tectonic fabric trends in very low-strain sandstone of the Appalachian fold–thrust belt

In moderately to highly strained sandstones, both the long axis of the bedding-parallel finite-strain ellipse, as calculated by the normalized Fry method, and the projection of the long axis of the AMS ellipsoid on the plane of bedding, align well with local “structural grain” (trends of cleavage, folds, and faults). This relationship implies that results of both 2D Fry and AMS analyses represent the local layer-parallel tectonic strain component. Do both methods provide comparable results for very low-strain sandstone (e.g., <5%)? To address this question, Fry and AMS analyses were conducted in very low-strain sandstone from two localities in the Appalachian foreland fold–thrust belt: near Rosendale in New York and the Lackawanna synclinorium of Pennsylvania. We compared the map projections of both bedding-parallel Fry ellipses and AMS ellipsoids to the local structural grain. In both study areas, projections of the long axis of Fry strain ellipses do not cluster in a direction parallel to structural grain, whereas the projection of the long axes of AMS ellipsoids do cluster closely to structural grain. This observation implies that in very low-strain sandstone, AMS analysis provides a more sensitive “quick” indicator of tectonic fabric than does normalized Fry analysis.     

胶州湾东北部海域生态环境污染状况研究

根据2004年5月和2005年5月两次对胶州湾东北部海域海水的盐度、pH、溶解氧、化学需氧量、无机氮、活性磷酸盐、铜、铅、锌、镉、多环芳烃和有机氯农药以及表层沉积物中有机碳、石油烃、硫化物、铜、铅、镉、汞、多环芳烃和有机氯农药测定结果,并结合2001年以来历史资料,对胶州湾东北部海域生态环境质量历史变化趋势进行了分析,该海域生态环境中除个别要素如活性磷酸盐、铅、镉、汞等重金属含量有所增加外,其他污染要素含量相对稳定且有下降趋势,2001—2005年该海域生态环境质量相对稳定,仅部分要素有加重趋势。     

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。     

基于灰色关联度模型的区域滑坡敏感性评价

数理统计和机器学习模型如支持向量机(support vector machine,SVM)等,在区域滑坡敏感性评价中得到广泛的应用.但这些模型的建模过程往往较复杂,如在对机器学习进行训练和测试时难以选取合理的非滑坡栅格单元,而且有较多的模型参数需要确定.为提高滑坡敏感性评价建模的效率和精度,提出基于灰色关联度的敏感性评价模型.灰色关联度模型能有效计算各比较样本与参考样本之间的定量的关联度,具有建模过程简洁和评价精度高的优点,该模型目前在区域滑坡敏感性评价中的应用还没有引起研究人员的足够关注且有待进一步拓展.拟将灰色关联度模型用于浙江省飞云江流域南田—雅梅图幅(南田地区)的滑坡敏感性评价,并将得到的评价结果与SVM模型的敏感性评价结果作对比分析.结果显示,灰色关联度模型在高和极高敏感区的滑坡预测精度优于SVM模型,而在中等敏感区的滑坡预测精度略低于SVM模型;整体而言,灰色关联度模型对整个南田地区滑坡敏感性分布的预测精度略高于SVM模型.对两个模型建模过程的对比结果显示,灰色关联度模型建模较简单,具有比SVM模型更高的建模效率,为滑坡敏感性评价提供了一种新思路.