Origin of oort cloud comets in the interstellar space

Comets must form a major part of the interstellar medium. The solar system provides a flux of comets into the interstellar space and there is no reason to suspect that many other stars and their surrounding cometary systems would not make a similar contribution. Occasionally interstellar comets must pass through the inner solar system, but Whipple (1975) considers it unlikely that such a comet is among the known cases of apparently hyperbolic comets. Even so the upper limit for the density of unobserved interstellar comets is relatively high.In addition, we must consider the possibility that comets are a genuine component of interstellar medium, and that the Oort Cloud is merely a captured part of it (McCrea, 1975). Here we review various dynamical possibilities of two-way exchange of comet populations between the Solar System and the interstellar medium. We describe ways in which a traditional Oort Cloud (Oort, 1950) could be captured from the interstellar medium. However, we note that the so called Kuiper belt (Kuiper, 1951) of comets cannot arise through this process. Therefore we have to ask how necessary the concept of the yet unobserved Kuiper belt is for the theory of short period comets.There has been considerable debate about the question whether short period comets can be understood as a captured population of the Oort Cloud of comets or whether an additional source has to be postulated. The problem is made difficult by the long integration times of comet orbits through the age of the Solar System. It would be better to have an accurate treatment of comet-planet encounters in a statistical sense, in the form of cross sections, and to carry out Monte Carlo studies. Here we describe the plan of action and initial results of the work to derive cross sections by carrying out large numbers of comet — planet encounters and by deriving approximate analytic expressions for them. Initially comets follow parabolic orbits of arbitrary inclination and perihelion distance; cross sections are derived for obtaining orbits of given energy and inclination after the encounter. The results are used in subsequent work to make evolutionary models of the comet population.     

Centrifuge evaluation of the influential factors in the uplift capacity of suction foundations in clay

The passive suction of suction foundations plays a significant role in pull-out resistance. The factors influencing the uplift capacity include stress state, embedment ratio, and loading rate. This article investigates the effect of embedment ratio and loading rate on the bearing behavior of suction foundations using centrifuge testing. A series of uplift tests on a suction foundation in clay were performed using a beam centrifuge. During the tests, uplift displacement, suction, and loading rate were monitored. The suction was obtained by measurement of water pressure. To compare the influence of different factors on uplift capacity due to passive suction, two types of uplift tests were conducted; the first was on the closed caisson and the second was on the vented caisson. The results show that the pull-out resistance increased with an increase of the uplift loading rate, which was induced by the suction. The maximum resistance occurred when the upward displacements reached 14%D under a ratio of skirt length (L) to diameter (D) (L/D) of 0.5 and 17%D under an L/D ratio of 2. These findings provide a way for suction caissons to resist pull-out load or for structures to be removed from the seabed.     

A large-scale obliquely inclined bedding rockslide triggered by heavy rainstorm on the 8th of July 2020 in Shiban Village,Guizhou, China

A large-scale obliquely inclined bedding rockslide, activated by a heavy rainstorm, occurred on July 8, 2020, at 7:05 (UTC?+?8) in Shiban Village, Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, China. The loss of life in this event was greatly reduced owing to the local warning system for rainstorm-induced geohazards. To understand the failure characteristics, triggering factors, the genetic mechanism of the landslide, the geomorphological features, geological characteristics, hydrological conditions, and rainfall characteristics were systematically studied by a synthetic approach including field investigations, satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography, laboratory tests, and rainfall data statistics. The results indicated that the interface between the soft and hard rock, the well-developed joints, and the free face in front of the slope constituted the boundaries of this landslide. The concave topography at the back and southern edge of the landslide, the bare ground, and the cataclastic structure of the rock mass provided favorable conditions for the collection or infiltration of rainwater. The concentrated rainstorm was the direct trigger for the landslide, which led to a rapid inflow and retention of rainfall in the landslide through favorable landform and geological conditions. The groundwater recharge that cannot be drained in time caused the mechanical deterioration of rock mass and induced a rapid increase in pore water pressure in the landslide. Moreover, the water level of the Ganlong River at the toe of the slope also rose rapidly, and the uplift pressure in front of the slope increased accordingly. Under the combined action of these adverse factors, the overall anti-sliding force of the slope was less than the sliding force, finally resulting in the landslide. Remarkably, the local warning system for rainstorm-induced geohazards successfully forecasted the landslide, but the shortcoming is that the forecast time in advance is short. Nevertheless, the prediction has significantly reduced human casualties and provided valuable experience for the prediction of this type of landslide.

     

塔里木盆地石炭-二叠纪异常热演化及其对深部构造-岩浆活动的指示

本文分析了塔里木盆地大量实测镜质体反射率(Ro)数据,显示盆地西北部石炭系与二叠系之间Ro值演化不连续,记录了石炭-二叠纪间发生的构造-热事件,是地层抬升剥蚀和高温热事件共同作用的结果.热史模拟得出盆地在石炭纪末地温梯度开始升高,至~300 Ma达到峰值,分布在4.8~5.6℃/100m之间,早二叠世迅速降低,随后进入缓慢稳定降低阶段.区域上高温热效应空间分布与塔里木大火成岩省的分布范围存在较好的相关性,但早于大规模玄武岩喷发的时间(290—288Ma),且后者热效应范围有限.因此推断这种高温异常是大规模的深部岩浆活动,即深部岩浆房相对长时间热烘烤的结果.该研究结果为塔里木盆地热演化机制及相关热效应提供了新的线索.     

基于InSAR的青海大柴旦地震三维同震形变场获取与震源特征分析

本文利用Envisat ASAR的升、降轨和宽幅数据,通过基于先验知识的最小二乘迭代逼近获取大柴旦2次地震的地表三维同震形变.结果表明,2008年MW6.3地震垂直向形变主要发生在断层南盘,以隆升形变为主,最大隆升量约10cm,北盘沉降量小于等于-1cm.东西向形变在南盘呈向东运动的特征,最大运动量约4cm,北盘向西运动,最大运动量约为-2cm.2009年MW5.8地震垂直向形变显示断层南盘抬升的特征,最大抬升量约27cm,北盘最大沉降量约-3cm.东西向形变表现为南盘向东运动,最大约10cm,北盘向西运动,约为-4cm.可以看出这两次地震均表现为逆冲为主,兼少量左旋走滑的震源特征.视线向结果无法判定同震形变的少量走滑特征,而地表三维分量可以有效地识别出少量左旋还是右旋走滑的震源特性.本文以视线向、垂直向、东西向形变量作为约束条件,利用Okada模型正演了2008年地震同震三维形变场.结果显示,采用逆冲兼少量左旋走滑的发震断层参数,视线向、垂直向、东西向正演结果与观测结果吻合.这也表明采用分解后的地表三维同震形变场可以有效地识别出发震断层的少量左旋走滑特征.     

Capture of comets during the evolution of a star cluster and the origin of the Oort Cloud

It is generally assumed that the Solar System is surrounded by a swarm of comets, the so-called Oort Cloud, which contains approximately 10¹¹ members. The observed comets belong to a small subsection of the Cloud, and they have very elongated orbits. The origin of the Cloud is presently unclear. Here we consider the possibility that the comets were born in a star cluster together with the Sun. We follow the evolution of the star cluster with its embedded swarm of comets and calculate the rate at which stars accumulate stable comet companions. We conclude that if the Oort Cloud of comets was born in this process, then the present day density of comets in interstellar space has to be high, and that comets make a significant contribution to the overall mass density of the Galaxy.     

基于PSR模型的新疆艾比湖湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系研究

在对湿地生态系统健康评价研究现状简要梳理的基础上,针对干旱区湖泊湿地生态系统健康评价研究较为薄弱的现状,选取新疆艾比湖湿地为研究靶区,运用压力—状态—响应(PSR)分析模型,结合层次分析的思想,尝试给出了针对研究靶区的生态系统健康评价指标体系。体系分为3个项目层,7个因素层,共35个指标,并给出了每一个指标的量化标准。指标体系较全面地涵盖了生物物理指标、生态学指标和社会经济指标等3大类指标。