On the frequency equation for love waves due to abrupt thickening of the crustal layer

Summary The effect of thickening of the crustal layer in mountainous region on the dispersion curve of Love waves has been studied. Perturbation method has been applied to obtain the modified frequency equation for Love waves through the surface of separation between a semi-infinite material and a layer the thickness of which abruptly increases throughout a certain length of the path. The effect is to decrease the phase velocity of the waves particularly in the low period range. It has been pointed out that by proper study, the amount of thickening may be obtained.     

Paleogeothermal gradient in the boskovice furrow

Summary A coalification data set from the first seam of the Rosice-Oslavany coal district in the Boskovice furrow was used to estimate the temperature gradient prevailing within the furrow during Autunian sedimentation. An appreciable scatter of the data reflects the complicated history of the sedimentary region. The northern part of the district displays a higher degree of coalification. The results of the evaluation suggest that the region ceased to subside in the upper Autunian, and that the extent of the post-Autunian erosion does not exceed 500 metres. This version of the burial history, which is consistent with geological data, yields a temperature paleogradient of 76 mK/m for the northern part and of 72 mK/m for the southern part of the district. The gradients estimated are higher than those prevailing during the Carboniferous sedimentation in the Central Bohemian Basin (45 – 53 mK/m), lower than values found for the Ostrava Formation in the Upper Silesian Basin during its Namurian A sedimentation (about 95 mK/m), but comparable with values evaluated for the Karviná Formation of the same basin deposited during the Namurian B - C and Westphalian A (60 – 77 mK/m).Dedicated to the Memory of Professor Karel P     

Isotopic analysis to quantify the role of the Indian monsoon on water resources of selected river basins in the Himalayas

Western disturbances (WDs) and Indian summer monsoon (ISM) led precipitation play a central role in the Himalayan water budget. Estimating their contributions to water resource is although a challenging but essential for hydrologic understanding and effective water resource management. In this study, we used stable water isotope data of precipitation and surface waters to estimate the contribution of ISM and WDs to the water resources in three mountainous river basins - Indus, Bhagirathi and Teesta river basins of western, central and Eastern Himalayas. The study reveals distinct seasonality in isotope characteristics of precipitation and surface waters in each river basin is due to changes in moisture source, hydrometeorology and relief. Despite steady spatial variance in the slope and intercept of regression lines from the Teesta to Indus and the Bhagirathi river basins, the slope and intercept are close to the global meteoric water line and reported local meteoric water line of other regions in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. The two-component end-member mixing method using d-excess as tracer were used to estimate the contribution from ISM and WD led precipitation to surface water in aforementioned river basins. The results suggest that the influence of the ISM on the water resources is high (>72% to annual river flow) in Teesta river basin (eastern Himalayas), while as the WDs led precipitation is dominantly contributing (>70% average annual river flow) to the surface waters in the Indus river basin (western Himalayas). The contribution of ISM and WD led precipitation in Bhagirathi river basin is 60% and 40%, respectively. The findings demonstrate that the unusual changes in the ISM and WD moisture dynamics have the potential to affect the economy and food security of the region, which is dependent on the availability of water resources. The obtained results are of assistance to policy makers/mangers to make use of the information for better understanding hydrologic response amid unusual behaviour of the dual monsoon system over the region.     

Dispersion relation for magnetosonic waves within the upper atmospheric plasma

The dispersion relation for magnetosonic waves within the upper atmospheric plasma has been derived. The result can be used to study the variation of the longitudinal and transverse component of velocities.     

Derivations of coupled equations appropriate to the lower regions of the ionosphere

Coupled equations are derived for different ionospheric parameters through susceptibility dyadic appropriate to the medium. The nature of dispersion within the medium is studied.     

Hydrological system analysis and modelling of the Kara River basin (West Africa) using a lumped metric conceptual model

This paper discusses the analysis and modelling of the hydrological system of the basin of the Kara River, a transboundary river in Togo and Benin, as a necessary step towards sustainable water resources management. The methodological approach integrates the use of discharge parameters, flow duration curves and the lumped conceptual model IHACRES. A Sobol sensitivity analysis is performed and the model is calibrated by applying the shuffled complex evolution algorithm. Results show that discharge generation in three nested catchments of the basin is affected by landscape physical characteristics. The IHACRES model adequately simulates the rainfall–runoff dynamics in the basin with a mean modified Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency measure of 0.6. Modelling results indicate that parameters controlling rainfall transformation to effective rainfall are more sensitive than those routing the streamflow. This study provides insights into understanding the catchment’s hydrological system. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to better understand detailed runoff generation processes.

EDITOR M.C. Acreman; ASSOCIATE EDITOR N Verhoest     

The intensity of landslide and mudflow processes in the Greater Sochi area and its variation in the early XXI century

Data on landslide and mudflow manifestations in the Greater Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana areas in recent years are analyzed. Changes in their activity under natural and technogenic effects during the preparation to the 2014 Winter Olympics are taken into account. The specific features of the intensification of these processes in 2012–2013 are identified.     

Reactive infiltration instability of a granitization front during the generation and development of granite-gneiss domes

The origin of granite-gneiss domes is traditionally attributed to gravity tectonics, the ascent of granite-gneiss diapirs in a gravitational field owing to a relative decrease in the density of granitized rocks compared with their protolith. This is usually considered by the example of a two-layer medium with a lower layer of granitized rocks overlain by a denser protolith layer; the development of gravitational instability in the system results in the ascent of a granite-gneiss diapir. However, the diapiric process can be initiated only if Archimedes?? buoyancy forces at the roof of the granite-gneiss layer will overcome the resistance of the protolith rocks related to their long-term strength. Under the conditions of plastic deformations, this requires the existence of a large-scale irregularity in the relief of the layer boundary, namely, an antiform cusp in the roof of the granite-gneiss layer. The model is based on the assumption that such antiforms appear owing to the reactive infiltration instability of the morphology of the granitization front caused by an increase in the fluid permeability of granitized rocks compared with that of the protolith. The results of computer modeling support the geological feasibility of the reactive infiltration mechanism of the generation and development of the protodiapiric forms of the granitization front triggering the development of the diapiric process of the gravitational upwelling of granite-gneiss domes. The model of a protodiapir stage allows us to consider dome formation as a result of the development of two sequential instabilities: the reactive infiltration instability of the granitization front related to an increase in the permeability of the transformed rock followed by the gravitational instability related to a relative decrease in rock density.     

Hydrothermal transformations in an aluminophosphate glass matrix containing simulators of high-level radioactive wastes

The interaction of aluminophosphate glass with water at 95°C for 35 days results in glass heterogenization and in the appearance of a gel layer and various phases. The leaching rate of elements is low owing to the formation of a protective layer on the glass surface. It is shown that over 80% of uranium leached from the glass matrix occurs as colloids below 450 nm in size characterized by high migration ability in the geological environment. To determine the composition of these colloids is a primary task for further studies. Water vapor is a crystallization factor for glasses. The conditions as such may appear even at early stages of glass storage because of the failure of seals on containers of high-level radioactive wastes. The examination of water resistance of crystallized matrices and determination of the fraction of radionuclide in colloids are also subjects for further studies.