Ground subsidence and its socio-economic implications on the population: a case study of the Nakuru area in Central Rift Valley, Kenya

 Several areas of Nakuru Town and its environs often undergo subsidence along the parallel fault zones during and after heavy rainfall. During the rainy season, when most of the subsidence occurs, the overlying unconsolidated volcanoclastic sediments become oversaturated with water. The water reduces the shear strength of the sediments and also introduces extra loading through saturation leading to subterranean erosion along faults. The unconsolidated sediments then collapse into the subsurface water channels which closely follow the fault zones, leading to formation of “sinkholes”. The frequent incidences of ground subsidence in the study area, have caused several fatalities, destroyed settlements and physical infrastructure. Furthermore persistent subsidence has increased the cost of construction and the repair of the destroyed properties. Apart from being hazardous, ground subsidence degrades environment when sewage water, refuse and garbage enter into the groundwater systems through the sinkholes. The fissures formed after subsidence also stand prominently as ugly features from the rest of the terrain. Mitigation measures including control, channelizing of drainage, proper engineering practices and appropriate land use are suggested in this paper. Received: 1 December 1998 · Accepted: 8 March 1999     

晚新生代以来青藏高原东缘的剥蚀过程:来自裂变径迹的证据

本文以青藏高原东缘的三级地貌(川西高原、龙门山和四川盆地)单元为基础,利用裂变径迹定年数据分区块研究了该地区的晚新生代以来的剥蚀速率。研究结果表明,晚白垩世以来青藏高原东缘经历了一个由平缓到突然加速的剥蚀过程,其转折点为中新世。在整个时间段内的平均剥蚀速率,川西高原为0.26mm/yr,龙门山为0.72mm/yr,四川盆地为0.20mm/yr。龙门山的剥蚀速率大约是川西高原的2.8倍,间接反映边缘山脉的隆升并不等同于高原内部的隆升,边缘山脉的隆升可能是构造隆升和剥蚀隆升相叠加的结果。     

海南岛北部晚中-新生代剥露过程的低温年代学约束

【目的】研究海南岛大地构造在中-新生代的隆升剥露过程与热演化史,为华南地块的构造演化提供有力证据。【方法】利用磷灰石裂变径迹(AFT)、磷灰石及锆石(U-Th)/He等构造热年代学研究方法,重建海南岛北部岩体的构造-热演化历史,分析侵入岩体在不同构造热演化阶段的冷却剥蚀速率,并进一步探讨岩体隆升过程的动力学过程。【结果】AFT年龄介于(33.3±2.5)~(45.0±3.5)Ma之间,磷灰石平均长度为(12.68±0.28)~(13.04±0.9)μm;磷灰石(U-Th)/He(AHe)单颗粒年龄(36.3±2.2)~(60.2±3.7)Ma,锆石(U-Th)/He(ZHe)单颗粒年龄为(79.5±4.9)~(98.4±6.1)Ma及(37.1±2.3)~(59.6±3.7)Ma。联合反演热史揭示,研究区岩体自晚白垩世(约100 Ma)以来的冷却过程有明显的差异性,可分为4个阶段:1)约100~45 Ma相对缓慢冷却阶段;2)约45~35 Ma快速冷却剥蚀阶段;3)约30~35 Ma至10 Ma缓慢冷却过程;4)约10 Ma以来再次快速冷却剥露。【结论】海南岛北部花岗岩体阶段性抬升冷却与(古)太平洋板块的俯冲后撤、西南部印度-欧亚大陆碰撞和中新世晚期菲律宾海板块向西俯冲挤压有关。海南岛北部在Ⅰ、Ⅱ期(始新世晚期)剥蚀阶段基本造成总剥蚀量的2/3。     

轴向分带在黑龙江三道湾子金矿原生晕测量中的应用

热液矿床原生晕具有明显的分带特征,其中含矿溶液在运动方向上显示出的轴向分带尤其重要,分带序列的建立对于评价隐伏矿体的规模、埋藏深度以及剥蚀水平有指导性意义,在很大程度上提高了地球化学找矿方法的找矿深度。针对黑龙江省三道湾子金矿,计算总结出轴向分带序列特征,确定矿体的前缘和尾晕指示元素以及分带性指数,结合矿区已知矿体对所研究矿脉剥蚀程度和深部成矿潜力进行评价。     

Geomorphic inferences from regolith thickness, chemical denudation and CRN erosion rates near the glacial limit, Boulder Creek catchment and vicinity, Colorado

Granitic regolith, developed in the Boulder Creek catchment and adjacent areas, records a history of deep weathering, some of which may predate Quaternary time. Field and well-log measurements of weathering, chemical denudation and rates of erosion derived from ¹⁰Be cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) data help to quantify rates of landscape change in the post-orogenic Rocky Mountains. The density of oxidized, fractured bedrock ranges from 2.7 to about 2.2 g cm^− 3, saprolite and grus have densities between 2.0 and 1.8 g cm^− 3, and 30 soil samples averaged 1.6 ± 0.2 g cm^− 3. Highly weathered regolith in 540 wells averages 3.3 m thick, mean depth to bedrock in 1661 wells is 7 m, and the weathered thickness exceeds 10 m in relatively large local areas east of the late Pleistocene glacial limit. Thickness of regolith shows no simple relationship to rock type or structure, local slope, or distance from channels. Catchments in the vicinity of the Boulder Creek have an average CRN erosion rate of 2.2 ± 0.7 cm kyr^− 1 for the past 10,000 to 40,000 yr. Annual losses of cations and SiO₂ vary from about 2 to 5 g m^− 2 over a runoff range of 10 to nearly 160 cm.Using measured rates in simple box models shows that if a substantial fraction of void space is created by volume expansion in the weathering rock materials, 7 m of weathered rock materials could form in as little as 230 kyr. If density loss results mainly from chemical denudation and some volume expansion, however, the same weathering profile would take > 1340 kyr to form. Rates of erosion measured by CRN could be balanced by the rate of soil formation from saprolite if the annual solute loss from soil is 2.0 g m^− 2 and 70% of the density decrease from saprolite to grus and soil results from strain. Saprolite, however, forms from oxidized bedrock at a far slower rate and rates of saprolite formation cannot balance soil and grus losses to erosion. The zone of thick weathered regolith is likely an eroding relict landscape. The undulating surface marked by relatively low relief and tors is not literally a topographic surface of Eocene, Oligocene or Miocene age unless it was covered with deposits that were removed in Pliocene or Quaternary time.     

张家口北部铅锌银多金属矿床区域剥蚀程度分析

张家口北部是河北省重要的铅锌银多金属矿床富集区.区内多金属矿床成矿作用和控矿因素相似,矿化形成均与燕山期酸性小岩体侵入变质结晶基底有关.区域多金属矿床化探异常具可对比性.化探异常图显示区内多金属矿床与化探异常在地表总体呈现无偏性空间分布特征,化探数据因子分析结果表明成矿元素相关性在水系沉积物中未发生改变.据此可将原生晕...     

Denudation history of the high T/P Ryoke metamorphic belt, southwest Japan: constraints from CHIME monazite ages of gneisses and granitoids

CHIME (chemical Th–U-total Pb isochron method) monazite ages were determined for gneisses and granitoids from the eastern and western parts of the Ryoke belt separated by about 500 km. The monazite ages for the gneisses are concentrated between 102 and 98  Ma, and are interpreted as the time of monazite formation under lower amphibolite facies conditions. The peak metamorphism seems to be contemporaneous with the emplacement of the geologically oldest plutons that are dated at c . 95  Ma in both the eastern and western parts. In the eastern part plutonism continued from c . 95  Ma to c . 68  Ma at intervals of 2–10  Ma, whereas in the western part it ceased at c . 85  Ma. The CHIME monazite ages agree well with the relative age of granitoids derived from intrusive relationships of granitoids in both parts. These lines of evidence are incompatible with a current view that the plutonometamorphism in the Ryoke belt becomes younger towards the east. The CHIME monazite ages, coupled with available data on the depth at which the Ryoke metamorphism took place and the emplacement of individual plutons, show that the western part was eroded more rapidly (about 1.5  mm year⁻¹) than the eastern part (about 0.8  mm year⁻¹) over the time span from 91 to 85  Ma. The denudation rates agree well with those in active orogenic belts like the Alps and Himalayas.     

剥蚀-沉积体系中剥蚀量与沉积通量的定量对比研究——以岷江流域为例

岷江流域与成都盆地之间是以岷江为联结的剥蚀-沉积体系。根据成都盆地已有的钻孔资料和原始数据,用Sufer软件制作成都盆地晚新生代等厚图,利用等厚线计算了成都盆地残留的沉积通量,并通过成都盆地的地质演化再造恢复了成都盆地潜在的沉积通量,结果表明,成都盆地潜在的沉积通量为1665km3。同时,采用了输沙量、宇宙核素、数字高程模型、河流下切速率和裂变径迹等方法分别计算了岷江上游流域的剥蚀速率、剥蚀厚度和剥蚀量,结果表明,岷江流域的剥蚀速率应介于0.26~0.5mm/a之间,剥蚀厚度介于0.94~1.44km之间,剥蚀量介于21213.50~32636.16km3之间。在此基础上,我们对成都盆地沉积通量与岷江流域的剥蚀量进行了对比分析,结果表明,在岷江上游流域与成都盆地之间的剥蚀—沉积体系中,成都盆地沉积通量与岷江流域的剥蚀量之间的比率介于5.11%~7.85%之间,成都盆地沉积通量与岷江流域剥蚀量不相匹配,成都盆地属于半封闭盆地,因此,不能利用成都盆地晚新生代以来沉积物充填体积恢复岷江上游流域的剥蚀速率、剥蚀厚度和剥蚀量。     

胶东西北部金矿床深部资源潜力与找矿方向

[摘摇要]结合胶东地区近年来金矿勘查的重大突破,通过对控矿断裂构造网络、成矿流体来源、成 矿深度估算和剥蚀程度的综合分析,认为胶东地区具有良好的区域金成矿地质条件和深部找矿前景。 胶东地区具有三山岛、焦家、招平3 条主要的控矿断裂和众多次级断裂,构成成矿流体活动和金矿床就 位的构造网络。成矿流体具有壳幔混合特征,暗示成矿作用深部延伸潜力可观。近年来的勘查实践已 经发现众多深部资源,证明胶东地区深部找矿切实可行。通过流体包裹体压力和花岗岩形成深度综合 分析,认为胶东金矿床成矿深度上限为2～3 km,成矿深度下限5～8 km,后期剥蚀程度不超过3 km,因 此区域上3 km 以浅甚至5 km 以浅均具有找矿前景。三山岛断裂与焦家断裂深部可能在4 km 左右深 度交汇,其交汇部位可能发育隐伏的巨型金成矿带。