Channel processes following land use changes in a degrading steep headwater stream in North Island, New Zealand

In headwater streams in steep land settings, narrow and steep valley floors provide closely coupled relationships between geomorphic components including hillslopes, tributary fans, and channel reaches. These relationships together with small catchment sizes result in episodic changes to the amount of stored sediment in channels. Major sediment inputs follow high magnitude events. Subsequent exponential losses via removal of material can be represented by a relaxation curve. The influence of hillslope and tributary processes on relaxation curves, and that of altered coupling relations between components, were investigated along a 1.3 km reach of a degrading channel in the 4.8 km² Weraamaia Catchment, New Zealand. Extensive deforestation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, followed by invasion of scrubs and reforestation, induced changes to major erosion types from gully complexes to shallow landslides. Changes in the size and pattern of sediment slugs from 1938 to 2002 were analysed from air photographs tied to detailed field measurement. The rate and calibre of sediment flux changed progressively following substantive hillslope input in a storm in 1938. Subsequently, the channel narrowed and incised, decoupling tributary fans from the main stem, thereby scaling down the size of sediment slugs. As a consequence, the dominant influence on the behaviour of sediment slugs and associated relaxation processes, changed from tributary fans to the type and distribution of bedrock outcrops along the reach.     

The April 9, 2001 Juan Fernández Ridge (M w 6.7) Tensional Outer-Rise Earthquake and its Aftershock Sequence

On April 9, 2001 a M _w 6.7 earthquake occurred offshore of the Chilean coast close to the intersection of the subducting Juan Fernández Ridge (JFR) and the trench near 33°S. The mainshock as well as an unprecedented number of aftershocks were recorded on regional broad-band and short-period seismic networks. We obtained a regional moment tensor solution of the mainshock that indcates a tensional focal mechanism consistent with the Harvard CMT solution. Based on waveform modeling and relocation, the depth of the mainshock was found to be 10–12 km. We relocated 142 aftershocks, which are strongly clustered and restricted to 10–30 km in depth. The seismicity distribution indicates a conjugate normal fault system extending into the lithospheric mantle that correlates with ridge-parallel fractures observed by previous seismic and bathymetric surveys. In conjunction with the historic regional distribution of outer-rise and large interplate seismicity, our results indicate that, with the exception of anomalously large thrust events, preexisting fractures associated with large bathymetric features like ridges have to exist to allow the generation of outer-rise seismicity along the Chilean margin. Hence, flexural bending and time-dependent interplate earthquakes can locally affect the nucleation of outer-rise events. The occurrence of the outer-rise seismicity in the oceanic mantle suggests the existence of lithospheric scale faults which might act as conduits to hydrate the subducting slab.Robert Fromm-Rhim passed away July 31st, 2004.     

Rock-avalanche dynamics: insights from granular physics experiments

Rock avalanches are known to behave in extraordinary ways unlike other landslides, and their deposits in part reflect their unusual physical behavior. Recent experiments in granular physics suggest that many phenomena and features simply reflect the non-linear nature of granular flows, although some behavior cannot simply be reproduced in lab scale experiments. In a static configuration, grain–grain contact networks dominate the distribution of forces and stresses within a granular mass. During flow, granular collisions damp the system through energy dissipation, while gravitational potential drives the system. The energy distribution between static and collisional stresses within the system can change very rapidly. Threshold events dominate system response, and the challenge is to find which characterization of the static phase helps to predict failure (and thus flow) resistance. Once flowing, many “unusual” rock-avalanche phenomena are entirely consistent with the physics of flow of large granular masses, but the low energy dissipation rate required for long run-out events requires the presence of physical processes that are not involved in experimental flows in the current parameter range or in the assumptions of current models.     

Formation of subglacial till under transient bed conditions: deposition, deformation, and basal decoupling under a Weichselian ice sheet lobe, central Poland

A multi-proxy approach involving a study of sediment architecture, grain size, grain roundness and crushing index, petrographic and clay mineral composition, till fabric and till micromorphology was applied to infer processes of till formation and deformation under a Weichselian ice sheet at Kurzetnik, Poland. The succession consists of three superposed till units overlying outwash sediments deformed at the top. The textural characteristics of tills vary little throughout the till thickness, whereas structural appearance is diversified including massive and bedded regions. Indicators of intergranular bed deformation include overturned, attenuated folds, boudinage structures, a sediment-mixing zone, grain crushing, microstructural lineations, grain stacking and high fabric strength. Lodgement proxies are grooved intra-till surfaces, ploughing marks and consistently striated clast surfaces. Basal decoupling by pressurized meltwater is indicated by undisturbed sand stringers, sand-filled meltwater scours under pebbles and partly armoured till pellets. It is suggested that the till experienced multiple transitions between lodgement, deformation and basal decoupling. Cumulative strain was high, but the depth of (time-transgressive) deformation much lower (centimetre range) than the entire till thickness ( ca 2 m) at any point in time, consistent with the deforming bed mosaic model. Throughout most of ice overriding, porewater pressure was high, in the vicinity of glacier floatation pressure indicating that the substratum, consisting of 11 m thick sand, was unable to drain subglacial meltwater sufficiently.     

四川凉山州美姑县61泥石流灾害研究

四川凉山州美姑县6.1泥石流灾害实例研究表明,该泥石流约为20年一遇的中小规模的泥石流。流域上游短历时强降雨和冰雹天气过程是这次泥石流暴发的诱因,流域内退化的生态环境和中下两岸不稳定边坡以及沟道内大量的松散堆积物为这次泥石流提供了丰富的固体物质来源。泥石流堆积物具有典型的多峰型粒度特征,且有较高的粘粒含量。巨大的泥石流漂砾、石背石现象、龟裂现象、侧积堤和龙头堆积证实了这次泥石流为粘性泥石流。危险度评价表明,采莫洛沟属于高度危险的泥石流沟,危险度为0.67;乃托沟属于中度危险的泥石流沟,危险度为0.58。风险评估结果可知,两沟都属于泥石流高风险区风险度分别为0.52和0.45。高风险区的泥石流灾害给当地的经济社会造成了严重影响并直接造成了较大的人员伤亡和财产损失。     

金沙江虎跳峡河段岸坡变形破坏的相关动力因子研究

河谷岸坡的变形与破坏是地球内外动力耦合作用的结果,并且每一种动力地质作用对于岸坡变形失稳的贡献程度不同,造成岸坡变形破坏频率和规模的空间差异。金沙江虎跳峡地区内、外动力地质作用十分显著,岸坡变形破坏体的空间分布具有鲜明的地段性。本文采用定性与定量相结合的效果测度分析方法,对虎跳峡河段岸坡变形破坏密度与相关动力因子进行关联度量化分析,从而确定了影响岸坡稳定的关键性动力因子,可为水电开发中的岸坡灾害成因类型划分、危险性评价、灾害治理和工程规划设计等提供科学依据。     

三维冰雹云催化数值模式

为了研究冰雹形成机制、催化防雹机制和通过数值试验获得冰雹云优化催化技术,在以前工作的基础上,发展了一个３维弹性冰雹云催化数值模式。模式考虑了冰雹云中详细的微物理过程,各种粒子采用双变参数谱,将云中水物质分成水汽、云水、雨水、冰晶、雪、霰、冻滴和雹８类,可以预报粒子的比浓度和比含量,尤其可以计算以霰或冻滴为胚胎的雹块的数量,非常适合研究冰雹的形成机制。此外,建立了催化剂ＡｇＩ的守恒方程,考虑了人工冰核的凝华核化及与云、雨滴接触的冻结核化过程,并用地面降雹动能通量检验催化防雹效果,因此,也可以研究催化防雹机制和对雹云的催化技术。     

抗差泛岭估计

本文应用现代估差估计理论,提出了一个抗差有偏估计类（抗差泛岭估计类）并且建立了抗差泛岭估计的计算方法。理论分析和模拟计算表明,抗差泛岭估计具有既可克服法矩阵病态性影响又可抵抗粗差干扰的良好性质。     

1998年4—6月的全球地震动态

１９９８年第二季度,全球地震活动为中等水平。６级以上地震频度不高。美洲地震活动无新的活跃迹象。琉球海槽发生７级地震。西南太平洋岛弧地震强度不高,最高震级为６．５。亚欧带地震仍有继发性活动。南大西洋洋脊发生４次５～６级地震。