The spatial implications of the functional proximity deriving from air passenger flows between European metropolitan urban regions

Until recently the traditional spatial configuration of the European geography was based upon the core-periphery model. The ‘pentagon’, broadly defined as lying between London, Paris, Milan, Munich and Hamburg, was seen as the core area characterised by having the highest concentration of economic development in the European Union (EU), with the remainder of the European territory viewed as peripheral, albeit to varying degrees. In a number of cases such peripheral areas equated with clear regional disparities. The elaboration of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) (CEC, European spatial development perspective, towards balanced and sustainable development in the territory of the European Union, 1999) challenged this core-periphery model. European spatial planning policies, aimed at encouraging social and economic, and with ever increasing importance, territorial cohesion, seek amongst other aspects to encourage the development of a balanced and polycentric urban system. This paper adopts a network analysis approach to the analysis of air passenger flows between some 28 principal European metropolitan urban regions. The evaluation of these flows contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the spatial dynamics of the European metropolitan territory which goes beyond that deriving from the more standard analyses of the individual components of the urban system. Several indicators are used, deriving from gravitational modelling techniques, to analyse the complexity of the air passenger flows. A multidimensional scaling (MDS) technique is introduced in order to interpret and visualise the resulting spatial configuration and positioning of the different metropolitan centres within the conceptual European ‘space of air passenger flows’, thereby contrasting with the more traditional map-based geographical image of Europe, based upon Cartesian coordinates.

南海西部海域新生代构造古地理演化及其对油气勘探的意义

南海西部海域构造复杂,主要发育有北东—北东东向、北西向和近南北向3组深大断裂。其中,北西向断裂与板块汇聚、碰撞有关,多具走滑性质;北东—北东东向断裂具有与中国东部裂谷盆地相似的发育特点,呈张扭性质;近南北向断裂可能是南海在扩张活动期间于洋、陆壳过渡部位形成的走滑调节断裂,是洋盆扩张的西部边界。新生代里,南海经历了4次成盆事件与3期扩张活动,盆地经历了古新世—中始新世陆缘断陷、渐新世—早中新世扩展与中中新世以来的热沉降3个演化阶段。陆缘断陷阶段的充填系列主要是北东—北东东向与北西向的河流—冲积扇、湖泊沼泽等陆相沉积及火山岩等;盆地扩展阶段表现为中-小型断陷、断-坳陷逐渐复合与联合为大-中型坳陷,古地理格局逐渐由河流与湖沼陆相环境演变为滨海至浅海相的沉积环境;热沉降阶段的成盆活动逐渐减弱以至停止,地层表现超覆,盆地出现联合迹象。结合以往勘探与油气资源调查成果分析,认为南海西部海域陆架陆坡区发育的大-中型沉积盆地石油地质条件良好,蕴藏着丰富的油气资源,勘探潜力巨大。     

渤海湾盆地新生界生油岩系底界面温度分布

依据渤海湾盆地2000余口测温井的地温梯度数据、地层岩性描述、分层数据以及钻井资料,计算了该盆地各生油岩系底界面的温度。统计结果表明:渤海湾盆地沙河街组大部分凹陷区地层底界面温度介于90℃至150℃,目前仍具有大量生油的温度条件,而在隆起或一些凸起地区,该地层组段温度普遍小于90℃,未能达到生油的温度指标。东营组和孔店组地层也仍具有一定的生油温度条件。研究还表明:地层温度与地层界面埋深密切相关,温度随界面埋深的增大而升高,沉积厚度大的凹陷区地层界面温度大于沉积厚度小的凸起区或斜坡地带,说明地层界面埋深是决定地温高低的主要控制因素,而地温梯度对地层界面温度的影响相对较小。     

松辽盆地三肇凹陷葡萄花油层成藏模式初探

运用源控含油气系统理论与综合分析技术,按成藏“层次分析”方法,通过对生、储、盖、圈(闭)静态要素及其内生、排、运、聚、散(失)动态过程的综合研究,对松辽盆地中央坳陷的三肇凹陷葡萄花油层成藏条件进行探讨,提出了以次级凹陷为中心、不同类型的油气聚集带紧邻并围绕次级凹陷最低部位呈环带状分布的大型凹陷内成藏模式,并进一步提出永乐次级凹陷中心及其三级聚油环带及徐家围子次级凹陷以西为"网式"运聚特征;在凹陷级成藏模式的指导下,通过对大面积密井网开发区综合解剖,提出三级构造带中单个的局部构造圈闭(群)、单个的(局部构造——)岩性圈闭(群)控油和成藏规律,为认识本区基本控油单元、油水分布规律、油气勘探及扩大新探区提供重要的理论依据。     

Influence of Structural Non-Stationarity of Surface Roughness on Morphological Characterization and Mechanical Deformation of Rock Joints

Summary Structural non-stationarity of surface roughness affects accurate morphological characterization as well as mechanical behaviour of rock joints at the laboratory scale using samples with a size below the stationarity threshold. In this paper, the effect of structural non-stationarity of surface roughness is investigated by studying the scale dependence of surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of rock joints. The results show that the structural non-stationarity mainly affects the accurate characterization of the surface roughness of the fracture samples. It also controls the amount and location of the contact areas during shear tests, which in turn affects the mechanical properties and asperity degradation of the samples. It is concluded that for accurate determination of the morphological and mechanical properties of rock joints at laboratory and field scales, samples with size equal to or larger than the stationarity threshold are required. Author’s address: Nader Fardin, Rock Mechanics Group, Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 11365/4563, Tehran, Iran     

Soil erosion susceptibility assessment and validation using a geostatistical multivariate approach: a test in Southern Sicily

A certain number of studies have been carried out in recent years that aim at developing and applying a model capable of assessing water erosion of soil. Some of these have tried to quantitatively evaluate the volumes of soil loss, while others have focused their efforts on the recognition of the areas most prone to water erosion processes. This article presents the results of a research whose objective was that of evaluating water erosion susceptibility in a Sicilian watershed: the Naro river basin. A geomorphological study was carried out to recognize the water erosion landforms and define a set of parameters expressing both the intensity of hydraulic forces and the resistance of rocks/soils. The landforms were mapped and classified according to the dominant process in landsurfaces affected by diffuse or linear water erosion. A GIS layer was obtained by combining six determining factors (bedrock lithology, land use, soil texture, plan curvature, stream power index and slope-length factor) in unique conditions units. A geostatistical multivariate approach was applied by analysing the relationships between the spatial distributions of the erosion landforms and the unique condition units. Particularly, the density of eroded area for each combination of determining factors has been calculated: such function corresponds, in fact, to the conditional probability of erosion landforms to develop, under the same geoenvironmental conditions. In light of the obtained results, a general geomorphologic model for water erosion in the Naro river basin can be depicted: cultivated areas in clayey slopes, having fine-medium soil texture, are the most prone to be eroded; linear or diffuse water erosion processes dominate where the topography is favourable to a convergent or divergent runoff, respectively. For each of the two erosion process types, a susceptibility map was produced and submitted to a validation procedure based on a spatial random partition strategy. Both the success of the validation procedure of the susceptibility models and the geomorphological coherence of the relationships between factors and process that such models suggest, confirm the reliability of the method and the goodness of the predictions.     

Effect of Inter-Column Spacing on Soil Stresses due to Vibro-Installed Stone Columns: Interesting Findings

This paper reveals the interesting relation between the inter-column spacing and the corresponding alteration of soil state of stresses due to the vibro-installation technique. This relation is inferred from analyses for load settlement records of various field load tests, performed for stone columns arrangements with different inter-column spacing values. In order to have adequate confidence in the findings, a well-documented case history, involving three columns patterns along with their relevant field and laboratory test results, is utilized for this study. Moreover, a well-tested finite element model, capable of simulating both elasto-plastic and time dependent soil deformations as well as pore water pressure building and dissipation, is employed in the analysis. Instead of determining the soil response to the test load, based on known initial soil stresses and material properties, the analysis is inversely posed to determine the soil initial stresses, based on the recorded settlements and the post-installation material properties. The alteration in the soil state of stress is represented by the increase in the post-installation horizontal to vertical stress ratio, K*, as a function of the inter-column spacing. It is found that this alteration experiences a systematic decrease in its magnitude as the inter-column spacing increases.     

川中—川南地区上三叠统沉积相研究

综合分析岩心、露头剖面和测井资料,认为川中—川南地区上三叠统发育三角洲相和湖泊相,其中,三角洲相可进一步划分为三角洲平原、三角洲前缘和前三角洲三个亚相,湖泊相则可细分为滨湖和浅湖两个亚相。不同时期三角洲相和湖泊相发育程度不同。须一段、须三段、须五段和须六段以湖泊沉积为主,由东向西,水体逐渐加深。须二段和须四段以三角洲沉积为主,湖泊沉积分布范围较小。须二段发育时期,研究区北部构造活动强烈,沉积物供给充分,三角洲相主要由北向南延伸;须四段沉积时期,由于北部构造活动逐渐减弱,东南部沉积物供给增加,三角洲相主要由东南向西北方向延伸。随着周缘构造活动的变化,研究区沉积范围逐渐扩大。早期沉积范围仅局限于宜宾—泸州以北地区,中晚期沉积范围扩大,宜宾—泸州以南地区开始接收沉积。     

墨西哥湾GC238区冷泉碳酸盐岩的微结构与石化微生物特征

采于墨西哥湾GC238海底天然气渗漏区浅表层的冷泉碳酸盐岩呈结核状产出,由方解石微晶和胶结物及少量的黄铁矿构成。胶结物由直径为0.1～0.5 m的方解石化的球体、卵形体、棒状体组成,充填于方解石晶体之间。冷泉碳酸盐岩结核下表面发育有由方解石化的球体、卵形体、棒状体组成的薄层,其中的一些球状集合体（约5 m）断面显示发育有核和外壳的层圈结构。黄铁矿呈草莓状,也具有相似的层圈结构。这种层状结构与活体古细菌被硫酸盐还原细菌包裹的层圈结构相似。样品中所保存的球体、卵形体、棒状体及其所组成的层圈结构可能是石化的甲烷氧化古细菌和硫酸盐还原细菌。     

江苏潮滩沉积物激光粒度仪与移液管-筛析分析结果的对比

激光粒度仪的广泛应用带来了与历史数据的对比问题,因此需要建立激光粒度仪与早期分析结果之间的关系。根据江苏海岸潮滩沉积物样品的激光粒度仪和移液管-筛析法分析,对粒度参数、粒度组分等进行了对比,对两种方法的差异进行了分析。结果表明,对于江苏潮滩沉积物粒度参数中平均粒径的激光粒度仪与移液管-筛析分析结果之间有良好的线性关系;筛分法测得的粗颗粒物质较激光法偏少,而移液管法法测得的细颗粒物质较激光法偏多;将样品分类之后再进行两种方法所获粒度参数的回归分析,相关性得以提高,说明不同粒度组成的沉积物对分析结果的对比有不同的影响。两种方法之间的换算关系不仅与研究区域有关,而且与沉积物本身的粒度组成有关。