Assessment of liquefaction and lateral spreading on the shore of Lake Sapanca during the Kocaeli (Turkey) earthquake

The 1999 Kocaeli earthquake of Turkey (M_w = 7.4) caused great destruction to buildings, bridges and other facilities, and a death tall of about 20,000. During this earthquake, severe damages due to soil liquefaction and associated ground deformations also occurred widespread in the eastern Marmara Region of Turkey. Soil liquefaction was commonly observed along the shorelines. One of these typical sites is Sapanca town founded on the shore of Lake Sapanca. This study was undertaken as quantitative measurement of ground deformations induced by liquefaction along the southern shore of Lake Sapanca. The permanent lateral ground deformation was measured through the aerial photogrammetry technique at several locations both along the shoreline and in the town. In situ soil profiles and material properties at Sapanca area were obtained based on the data from 55 borings and standard penetration tests (SPT), and laboratory tests, respectively. The data and the empirical methods recommended by an NCEER workshop were employed to evaluate the liquefaction resistance of the soils. In addition, simple shaking tests on a limited number of samples were also performed. The permanent ground displacements were estimated from the existing empirical models, sliding block method and residual visco-elastic finite element methods. Then these estimations were compared with the observed ground displacements. The assessments suggested that liquefaction at Sapanca have occurred within Quaternary alluvial fan deposits at depths 1 and 14 m, and the major regions of liquefaction and associated ground deformations were located along the shore and creeks. The evaluations also indicated that for sites with no sand boils but with ground displacement greater than 1 m, thickness of the non-liquefiable layer was large. It is also noted that no liquefaction-induced ground surface disruption is expected at the site when the thickness of the liquefiable and non-liquefiable layers vary between 0.5 and 1.5 m, and 3.5 and 5.5 m, respectively. Except one model, all the empirical models employed in the study over-predicted the observed lateral ground displacements, while sliding block method and residual visco-elastic finite element methods yielded reasonably good results if the known properties of liquefied soils are used.     

The Reykjanes Ridge: structure and tectonics of a hot-spot-influenced, slow-spreading ridge, from multibeam bathymetry, gravity and magnetic investigations

We report a comprehensive morphological, gravity and magnetic survey of the oblique- and slow-spreading Reykjanes Ridge near the Iceland mantle plume. The survey extends from 57.9°N to 62.1°N and from the spreading axis to between 30 km (3 Ma) and 100 km (10 Ma) off-axis; it includes 100 km of one arm of a diachronous ‘V-shaped' or ‘chevron' ridge. Observed isochrons are extremely linear and 28° oblique to the spreading normal with no significant offsets. Along-axis there are ubiquitous, en-echelon axial volcanic ridges (AVRs), sub-normal to the spreading direction, with average spacing of 14 km and overlap of about one third of their lengths. Relict AVRs occur off-axis, but are most obvious where there has been least axial faulting, suggesting that elsewhere they are rapidly eroded tectonically. AVRs maintain similar plan views but have reduced heights nearer Iceland. They are flanked by normal faults sub-parallel to the ridge axis, the innermost of which occur slightly closer to the axis towards Iceland, suggesting a gradual reduction of the effective lithospheric thickness there. Generally, the amplitude of faulting decreases towards Iceland. We interpret this pattern of AVRs and faults as the response of the lithosphere to oblique spreading, as suggested by theory and physical modelling. An axial, 10–15 km wide zone of high acoustic backscatter marks the most recent volcanic activity. The zone's width is independent of the presence of a median valley, so axial volcanism is not primarily delimited by median valley walls, but is probably controlled by the lateral distance that the oblique AVRs can propagate into off-axis lithosphere. The mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) exhibits little mid- to short-wavelength variation above a few milliGals, and along-axis variations are small compared with other parts of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Nevertheless, there are small axial deeps and MBA highs spaced some 130 km along-axis that may represent subdued third-order segment boundaries. They lack coherent off-axis traces and cannot be linked to Oligocene fracture zones on the ridge flanks. The surveyed chevron ridge is morphologically discontinuous, comprising several parallel bands of closely spaced, elevated blocks. These reflect the surrounding tectonic fabric but have higher fault scarps. There is no evidence for off-axis volcanism or greater abundance of seamounts on the chevron. Free-air gravity over it is greater than expected from the observed bathymetry, suggesting compensation via regional rather than pointwise isostasy. Most of the observed variation along the ridge can be ascribed to varying distance from the mantle plume, reflecting changes in mantle temperature and consequently in crustal thickness and lithospheric strength. However, a second-order variation is superimposed. In particular, between 59°30′N and 61°30′N there is a minimum of large-scale faulting and crustal magnetisation, maximum density of seamounts, and maximum axial free-air gravity high. To the north the scale of faulting increases slightly, seamounts are less common, and there is a relative axial free-air low. We interpret the 59°30′N to 61°30′N region as where the latest chevron ridge intersects the Reykjanes Ridge axis, and suggest that the morphological changes that culminate there reflect a local temperature high associated with a transient pulse of high plume output at its apex.     

Rheological Properties of Mantle Peridotites at Yushigou in the North Qilian Mountains and Their Implicationsfor Plate Dynamics

This paper discusses in detail the deformation textures, glide system, petrofabrics and olivine dislocation microstructures of mantle peridotites at Yushigou in the North Qilian Mountains, northwestern China. The peridotites have undergone high-pressure, high-temperature and low-strain rate plastic flow deformation. According to the dynamic recrystallized-grain size of olivine and the average spacing between the dislocation walls as well as the chemical composition of enstatite, the authors calculated the rheological parameters of the ancient upper mantle in the study area as follows: temperatures 1025-1093℃; pressures 3043-4278 MPa; depths 95-132 km; deviatoric stress 28-32 MPa; strain rates 0.2×10-14-2.13×10-14s-1 and equivalent viscosities 0.45×1020-4.65×1020 Pa · s. These parameters suggest that the position where plastic flow took place was correspondent to the low-velocity zone beneath the oceanic lithosphere and that oceanization characterized by middle-velocity (1-3 cm/a) sea-floor spreadi     

清朝末年吴汝纶对传播西方地学之贡献

清末,中国著名文学流派桐城派的大师,教育家吴汝纶,对传播西方地学有显著的作用。本文拟介绍吴汝纶对《天演论》的评价,并首创我国地质教育事业及有关地学的言行;其侄女吴芝瑛也曾评介早期译著《地质学》等史实。并对吴汝纶之思想特征作一简评。     

Structure and early evolution of the Arabian Sea and East Somali Basin

The Laxmi Ridge is a large-scale basement high buried beneath the sediments of the Indus Fan. The location of the ocean–continent transition (OCT) on this margin has previously been proposed at either the southern edge of the Laxmi Ridge or beyond it towards the India–Pakistan shelf. The former explains the margin-parallel Laxmi Basin as thinned continental crust, the latter as a failed rift of earlier seafloor spreading. To examine the structure of this margin, a reassessment of marine magnetic data has detailed seafloor-spreading magnetic anomalies prior to anomaly 24 in both the Arabian and East Somali basins. The previously identified anomaly 28 is not interpreted as a seafloor-spreading anomaly but as a magnetized basement feature adjacent to, and merging with, the ridge—the Laxmi Spur. New gravity models across the Laxmi Ridge and adjacent margin using ship and satellite data corroborate the existence of underplated crust beneath the Laxmi Ridge and Basin and the location of the OCT at the southern edge of the Ridge. The results are not compatible with the existence of a pre-anomaly 28 phase of seafloor spreading, although large-scale intrusions may be the origin of some of the basement features in the Laxmi Basin. The models also identify the Laxmi Spur as a low-density feature with a natural remanent magnetization (NRM) compatible with serpentinization. The Laxmi Ridge is mapped to the southeast, where it appears to terminate at a point coinciding with the appearance of E–W magnetic lineations and gravity anomalies at 15.5°N. Thereafter it becomes indistinct. This is interpreted as necessary in the reconstruction to the Mascarene Plateau to avoid continental overlap.     

Seismic stratigraphy and structural characteristics of back-arc rifts on the Izu-Ogasawara Arc

Abstract Seven back-arc rifts are recognized in the Izu-Ogasawara Arc, namely, the Hachijo, the Aogashima, the Myojin, the Sumisu, the Torishima, the Sofu and the Nishinoshima Rifts from north to south. The acoustic stratigraphy is divided into three units (Units A, B and C) based on the seismic reflection profiles crossing the rifts. The structure of the rifts systematically changes from a half-graben type to a full graben type in the back-arc rifts from the Hachijo Rift to the Torishima Rift. The Hachijo and the Aogashima Rifts have a structure of half-graben, and the Myojin Rift has both structural characteristics of a half-graben and a full graben. The Sumisu and the Torishima Rifts are an asymmetric full graben. The Sofu and the Nishinoshima Rifts have different structural characteristics from the remaining rifts, from the Hachijo Rift to the Torishima Rift. The boundary faults in the back-arc rifts from the Hachijo to the Torishima Rifts cut to Unit B. Unit B correlates with volcaniclastic sediments during pre-rift volcanism between 4 and 2 Ma. The pre-rift volcanism was probably widespread on the northern Izu-Ogasawara Arc as is the present arc volcanism. These factors suggest that the beginning of rifting is dated at some time after 2 Ma. The developing process of the rift consists of three stages; (i) a sag stage in the crust at the location of the large offset boundary fault; (ii) a stage of half-graben formation; (iii) a stage of full graben formation. The offset of the boundary faults becomes larger from the Hachijo Rift to the Torishima Rift and the east-west width of the rifts also widens to the south. This is presumably because the Hachijo Rift is an earlier rifting stage than the Sumisu and the Torishima Rifts. The more primitive structure in the rifting stage from the Torishima Rift to the Hachijo Rift is probably caused by the propagation of rifting from south to north. The structural difference between the rifts in the northern part and the Sofu and the Nishinoshima Rifts seems to be due to structural differences in the crust between the northern and the southern parts from the tectonic gap.     

The composition of back-arc basin lower crust and upper mantle in the Mariana Trough: A first report

Abstract The Mariana Trough is an active back-arc basin, with the rift propagating northward ahead of spreading. The northern part of the Trough is now rifting, with extension accommodated by combined stretching and igneous intrusion. Deep structural graben are found in a region of low heat flow, and we interpret these to manifest a low-angle normal fault system that defines the extension axis between 19°45' and 21°10'N. A single dredge haul from the deepest (∼5.5 km deep) of these graben recovered a heterogeneous suite of volcanic and plutonic crustal rocks and upper mantle peridotites, providing the first report of the deeper levels of back-arc basin lithosphere. Several lines of evidence indicate that these rocks are similar to typical back-arc basin lithosphere and are not fragments of rifted older arc lithosphere. Hornblende yielded an ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 1.8 ± 0.6 Ma, which is interpreted to approximate the time of crust formation. Harzburgite spinels have moderate Cr# (<40) and coexisting compositions of clinopyroxene (CPX) and plagioclase (PLAB) fall in the field of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) gabbros. Crustal rocks include felsic rocks (70-80% SiO₂) and plutonic rocks that are rich in amphibole. Chemical compositions of crustal rocks show little evidence for a 'subduction component', and radiogenic isotopic compositions correspond to that expected for back-arc basin crust of the Mariana Trough. These data indicate that mechanical extension in this part of the Mariana Trough involves lithosphere that originally formed magmatically. These unique exposures of back-arc basin lithosphere call for careful study using ROVs and manned submersibles, and consideration as an ocean drilling program (ODP) drilling site.     

Subduction influence on magma supply at the East Scotia Ridge

Despite a spreading rate of 65–70 km Ma⁻¹, the East Scotia Ridge has, along most of its length, a form typically associated with slower rates of sea floor spreading. This may be a consequence of cooler than normal mantle upwelling, which could be a feature of back-arc spreading. At the northern end of the ridge, recently acquired sonar data show a complex, rapidly evolving pattern of extension within 100 km of the South Sandwich Trench. New ridge segments appear to be nucleating at or near the boundary between the South American and Scotia Sea plates and propagating southwards, supplanting older segments. The most prominent of these, north of 56°30′S, has been propagating at a rate of approximately 60 km Ma⁻¹ for at least 1 Ma, and displays a morphology unique on this plate boundary. A 40 km long axial high exists at the centre of this segment, forming one of the shallowest sections of the East Scotia Ridge. Beneath it, seismic reflection profiles reveal an axial magma chamber, or AMC, reflector, similar to those observed beneath the East Pacific Rise and Valu Fa Ridge. Simple calculations indicate the existence here of a narrow (<1 km wide) body of melt at a depth of approximately 3 km beneath the sea floor. From the topographic and seismic data, we deduce that a localised mantle melting anomaly lies beneath this segment. Rates of spreading in the east Scotia Sea show little variation along axis. Hence, the changes in melt supply are related to the unique tectonic setting, in which the South American plate is tearing to the east, perhaps allowing mantle flow around the end of the subducting slab. Volatiles released from the torn plate edge and entrained in the flow are a potential cause of the anomalous melting observed. A southward mantle flow may have existed beneath the axis of the East Scotia Ridge throughout its history.     

利用排矸石配制钢纤维高强混凝土的试验研究

大巴沟隧道排矸将对环境造成污染。同时，阜新地区石料相对缺乏，再生利用隧道排矸石和开发新的石料供应基地具有十分重要的现实意义。论文对大巴沟隧道排矸石的物理力学性质进行了试验研究，获得了排矸石的物理力学性能指标。为了进一步研究其力学性质，将其粉碎后，作为粗骨料配制成钢纤维混凝土，并测定其抗压强度和劈裂抗拉强度等指标。利用均匀设计方法对试验结果进行优化，得到了回归方程，具有重要的科学价值。同时得到在此试验条件下，排矸石钢纤维混凝土的抗压强度值可达到83．683MPa，抗拉强度可达到9．378MPa。试验和理论分析结果表明，排矸石钢纤维混凝土具有抗拉强度大、抗变形能力强等特点。可广泛应用于建筑工程、桥梁工程、路基路面工程、港口和海洋工程中。具有广泛的推广应用前景和显著的社会效益、经济效益与环境效益。