Causes of Land Subsidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The occurrence of land subsidence in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia is either natural or man-made. Natural land subsidence occurs due to the development of subterranean voids by a solution of host rocks in carbonate and evaporite terrains, over many areas of Saudi Arabia. Man-induced land subsidence is either due to the removal of groundwater in the agricultural areas or to wetting of unstable soils. Therefore, earth fissures and a lowering of the ground surface in unconsolidated sediments took place in alluvial plains and volcanic vent terrains. Unstable soils include Sabkha soils and loess sediments. These types of soils occur in coastal plains, desert areas and volcanic terrains. When this soil is wetted either during agricultural activities, waste disposal or even during a rain storm, subsidence takes place due to either the removal of salts from the Sabkha soil or the rearrangement of soil particles in loess sediments.     

中国东部寒武系与奥陶系界线地层的碳氧同位素研究

对我国东部不同地层区一些代表性的寒武系-奥陶系界线层位开展了碳?氧同位素研究?结果表明,由于沉积环境差异和成岩蚀变影响,界线层位的δ18O值变化较大,规律性不明显,δ13C值变化虽小,但在界线处均发生不同程度漂移?漂移的层位与寒武纪-奥陶纪主要生物群面貌变化的界线相一致?综合各方面资料分析,笔者认为,碳同位素组成的漂移很可能由晚寒武世到早奥陶世时期内海平面的升降所引起.     

我国北方农牧交错带的环境演变

中国北方农牧交错带在１０～８．５ｋａＢ．Ｐ．经历了三次阶段性增暖后进入全新世暖期。８．５～８．０ｋａＢ．Ｐ．和４～３．５ｋａＢ．Ｐ．暖期的开始与结束事件中降水变化落后于温度变化３００～５００ａ；暖期盛期时的年均温较现代高２～３℃，降水多１００ｍｍ左右；暖期中存在多次短期寒冷事件，年均温最冷时较现代低３℃以上。３．５ｋａＢ．Ｐ．以来冷干趋势之上叠加着大致由３００ａ稳定与５００ａ波动构成的约８００ａ的周期性变化。全新世暖期原始农业文化的阶段性发展与暖期内环境波动相对应；暖期结束时发生了由农业向牧业文化转换的事件；暖期以后的冷干期为农牧交错文化时期，农业经济随冷干程度的变化而兴衰     

Simulation Experiments of Land Surface Physical Processes and Ecological Effect over Different Underlying Surface

Based on the existing Land Surface Physical Process Models(Deardorff, Dickinson, LIU, Noilhan, Seller, ZHAO), a Comprehensive Land Surface Physical Process Model (CLSPPM) is developed by considering the different physical processes of the earth‘s surface-vegetation-atmosphere system more completely. Compared with SiB and BATS, which are famous for their detailed parameterizations of physical variables, this simplified model is more convenient and saves much more computation time. Though simple, the feas...     

Depositional sequence architecture and filling response model of the Cretaceous in the Kuqa depression, the Tarim basin

The Cretaceous system of the Kuqa depression is a regional scale (second order) depositional sequence defined by parallel unconformities or minor angular unconformities. It can be divided into four third-order sequence sets, eleven third-order sequences and tens of fourth- and fifth-order sequences. It consists generally of a regional depositional cycle from transgression to regression and is composed of three sets of facies associations: alluvial-fluvial, braided river-deltaic and lacustrine-deltaic facies associations. They represent the lowstand, transgressive and highstand facies tracts within the second-order sequence. The tectonic subsidence curve reconstructed by backstripping technique revealed that the Cretaceous Kuqa depression underwent a subsidence history from early accelerated subsidence, middle rapid subsidence and final slower subsidence phases during the Cretaceous time, with the correspondent tectonic subsidence rates being 30-35 m/Ma, 40-45 m/Ma and 5-10 m/Ma obtained from northern foredeep. This is likely attributed to the foreland dynamic process from early thrust flexural subsidence to late stress relaxation and erosion rebound uplift. The entire sedimentary history and the development of the three facies tracts are a response to the basin subsidence process. The slower subsidence foreland gentle slope was a favorable setting for the formation of braided fluvial deltaic systems during the late period of the Cretaceous, which comprise the important sandstone reservoirs in the depression. Sediment records of impermanent marine transgression were discovered in the Cretaceous and the major marine horizons are correctable to the highstands of the global sea level during the period.     

Method of high-density seismic imaging ex-ploration and application samples

Introduction Now, shallow seismic reflection wave technique has been used extensively in geological ex-plorations of bridge, dam, high building and so on. Since shallow seismic reflection wave tech-nique is often implemented in industrial zone or city with dense population, the background dis-turbance including industrial noise, life noise, etc is very serious. Furthermore, the disturbance of seismic source is also serious due to short array length and offset of the method. In general, shal-lo…     

采空区上方修建大型建筑物地基稳定性评价

地表移动变形随时间的稳定性及剩余变形问题一直是采动覆岩沉陷研究的重要方面。笔者分析了采动地表移动变形的时间过程,探讨了地表沉陷的延续时间及地表剩余沉陷的预计方法,给出了采空区上方修建大型建筑物地基稳定性评价的指标,对采空区上建设建筑物提出了相应的技术措施。     

Estimating coefficients of volume compressibility from compression of strata and piezometric changes in a multiaquifer system in west Taiwan

This paper estimates the coefficients of volume compressibility from variation in compressible layer thickness and changes in piezometric heads by using detail ground surface surveys and a multilayer monitoring well at a selected site (Shigang) within the Choshui River alluvial fan in west Taiwan. The paper integrates various types of in situ monitoring tools, including leveling surveys, continuous global position system (GPS) stations, multilevel layer compression and groundwater pressure head-monitoring wells, to investigate the situation and progress of the subsidence problem in the region. The results from the cross-analyses of the measured data show that surface settlement caused by the compression of strata is between the depths of 60 and 210 m where the clayey stratum within 120-180 m was most pronounced and contributes up to 53% of the total compression. The results indicate that the clayey stratum is under normal consolidation. The results also reflect the fact that 20% of settlement contribution comes from the sandy stratum within 90-120 m; the elasto-plastic behavior of this sandy stratum is clear. The coefficients of volume compressibility of the clayey and sandy stratum analysed from the stratum's compression records; they were 6.38×10⁻⁸ and 5.71×10⁻⁹ m²/N, respectively. Ultimately, this parameter estimation would permit to control and predict land subsidence based on change in pressure head which are related to groundwater extraction.     

Problems associated with tourism development in Southern Africa: The case of Transfrontier Conservation Areas

Tourism in Southern Africa is synonymous with the wildlife safari. In the post-colonial era the establishment of so-called ‘peaceparks’ that straddle the borders of states has come to be seen as a key not only to increasing tourism in the Southern African region, but also to the modernizing of conservation policies and the development of rural economies. This paper focuses on the global and continental presence of transfrontier conservation areas, the link between conservation and tourism development, and the current factors that constrain and influence the realization of an ‘African Dream’ — ‘establishment of the greatest animal kingdom’. The unstable political situation in Zimbabwe and how this negatively affects wildlife conservation and tourism in the Gonarezhou part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, serves as a case study. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基于RS和GIS的农业土地利用污染分析

农业已被确认为地表和地下水最主要的非点源污染源，而土地利用方式又是影响非点源污染的关键性因素。大规模的土地利用与开发、化肥与农药用量的增加、规模养殖业的发展、生活垃圾的增加等，这些非点污染源严重威胁水体质量，进而影响到人们的生活。为了更好地预测和控制、管理非点源污染，必须研究其负荷定量化问题。本文从以上几方面入手，讨论了非点源污染与农业土地利用方式之间的关系，利用组件GIS技术，以网格为评价单元，实现非点源污染负荷的定量计算及可视化分析。文章最后以上海市松江区作为研究区域，对该区的污染情况进行了分析。