A general solution for tide‐induced groundwater fluctuation in an estuarine‐coastal confined and unconfined aquifer system

This paper presents an analytical solution to tide‐induced head fluctuations in a two‐dimensional estuarine‐coastal aquifer system that consists of an unconfined aquifer and a heterogeneous confined aquifer extending under a tidal river with a semipermeable layer between them. This study considers the joint effects of tidal‐river leakage, inland leakage, dimensionless transmissivity between the tidal‐river and inland confined aquifer, and transmissivity anisotropic ratios. The analytical solution for this model is obtained via the separation of variables method. Three existing solutions related to head fluctuation in one‐ or two‐dimensional leaky confined aquifers are considered as special cases in the present solution. This study shows that there is a threshold of tidal‐river confined aquifer length. When the tidal‐river length is greater than the threshold length, the inland head fluctuations remain sensitive to the leakage effect but become insensitive to the tidal‐river width and dimensionless transmissivity. Considering leakage and transmissivity anisotropy, this study also demonstrates that at a location farther from the river–inland boundary, head fluctuations increase with increasing leakage and transmissivity anisotropy; the maximum head fluctuation occurs when leakage and transmissivity anisotropy are both at their maximum values. The combined action of the 3 effects of loading, tidal‐river aquifer leakage, and inland aquifer leakage differs significantly according to various aquifer parameters. The analytical solution in this paper can be applied to demonstrate the behaviours of the head fluctuations of an estuarine‐coastal aquifer system, and the head fluctuations can be clearly described when the tidal and hydrogeological parameters are derived from field measurement data or hypothetical cases.     

Two-dimensional modelling of subduction zone anisotropy with application to southwestern Japan

We present a series of 2-D numerical models of viscous flow in the mantle wedge induced by a subducting lithospheric plate. We use a kinematically defined slab geometry approximating the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath Eurasia. Through finite element modelling we explore the effects of different rheological and thermal constraints (e.g. a low-viscosity region in the wedge corner, power law versus Newtonian rheology, the inclusion of thermal buoyancy forces and a temperature-dependent viscosity law) on the velocity and finite strain field in the mantle wedge. From the numerical flow models we construct models of anisotropy in the wedge by calculating the evolution of the finite strain ellipse and combining its geometry with appropriate elastic constants for effective transversely isotropic mantle material. We then predict shear wave splitting for stations located above the model domain using expressions derived from anisotropic perturbation theory, and compare the predictions to ∼500 previously published shear wave splitting measurements from seventeen stations of the broad-band F-net array located in southwestern Japan. Although the use of different model parameters can have a substantial effect on the character of the finite strain field, the effect on the average predicted splitting parameters is small. However, the variations with backazimuth and ray parameter of individual splitting intensity measurements at a given station for different models are often different, and rigorous analysis of details in the splitting patterns allows us to discriminate among different rheological models for flow in the mantle wedge. The splitting observed in southwestern Japan agrees well with the predictions of trench-perpendicular flow in the mantle wedge along with B-type olivine fabric dominating in a region from the wedge corner to about 125 km from the trench.     

Evolution of optical properties of vitrinite, sporinite and semifusinite in response to heating under inert conditions

The objective of the study was to characterize changes of reflectance, reflectance anisotropy and reflectance indicating surface (RIS) shape of vitrinite, sporinite and semifusinite subjected to thermal treatment under inert conditions. Examination was performed on vitrinite, liptinite and inertinite concentrates prepared from channel samples of steam coal (R_r = 0.70%) and coking coal (R_r = 1.25%), collected from seam 405 of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The concentrates were heated at temperatures of 400–1200 °C for 1 h time in an argon atmosphere.All components examined in this study: vitrinite, sporinite and semifusinite as well as matrix of vitrinite and liptinite cokes, despite of rank of their parent coal, show, in general, the most important changes of reflectance value and optical anisotropy when heated at 500 °C, 800 °C (with the exception of bireflectance value of sporinite) and 1200 °C.After heating the steam coal at 1200 °C, the vitrinite and the semifusinite reveal similar reflectances, whereas the latter a slightly stronger anisotropy. Sporinite and matrix of liptinite coke have lower reflectances but anisotropy (R_bi and R_am values) similar to those observed for vitrinite and semifusinite. However, at 1000 °C sporinite and matrix of liptinite coke have the highest reflectivity of the studied components. The RIS at 1200 °C is the same for all components.The optical properties of the three macerals in the coking coal become similar after heating at 1000 °C. Coke obtained at 1200 °C did not contain distinguishable vitrinite grains. At 1200 °C semifusinite and vitrinite coke matrix have highest R_r values among the examined components. Maximum reflectance (R_max) reach similar values for vitrinite and sporinite, slightly lower for semifusinite. Matrix of liptinite coke and matrix of vitrinite coke have considerably stronger anisotropy (R_bi and R_am values) than other components. RIS at 1200 °C is also similar for all components.