A note on the propagation of precursors in poroelastic media

Summary. In this note we discuss the behaviour of Green's functions for Biot's equation in the neighbourhood of the wavefronts which provide precursors. Uniform wavefront expansions are obtained which are valid for all possible values of the physical parameters. The results of this note complete the work of Burridge & Vargas.     

Exosphere generation of the Moon investigated through a high-energy neutral detector

Observation of the lunar exosphere is a tool for remote sensing of the surface properties. The sources of this exosphere are related to the interactions of the lunar surface with the solar radiation, with the solar wind or Earth??s magnetospheric plasma, and with the interplanetary dust and meteorites. In fact, the exospheric particles are continuously created and subsequently lost in the interplanetary space, photo-ionized or re-adsorbed by the surface. Eventually, the estimation of the surface composition is not possible without the knowledge of the active release mechanisms. The relative weight of the different release processes of the various atoms, ions and molecules from the surface is still an open debate. Investigation of the Moon??s release processes and interaction with the near-Earth environment is of crucial importance for both determining the relative process release contribution and understanding the surface evolution of other airless bodies, like Mercury and the giant planets?? moons. In this work, an attempt to analyze the processes that take place on the surface of these small airless bodies, as a result of their exposure to the space environment, has been realized by means of the MonteCarlo Environment Simulation Tool (EST), applied to the Moon. The model results show that the different release processes can be identified by analysing the exospheric energy distribution. Finally, the instrument concept of the ??Analizzatore Lunare di ENA?? (ALENA), part of the MAGIA payload and specifically designed for detecting the high-energy particles released from the lunar surface is presented.     

Photometric study and preliminary elements of the low-mass ratio W UMa system ASAS 021209+2708.3

We present CCD B and V light curves,obtained in the year 2006,and a photometric solution of the low-mass ratio contact binary ASAS 021209+2708.3. With our data we were able to determine six new times of minimum light and refine the orbital period of the system to 0.3181963 days.The light curves are analyzed using the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney program and the analysis was performed with and without adding a spot on the surface of one star because the light curves appear to exhibit a typical O’Conne...     

Shelf to basin transition in the Cambrian-Lower ordovician of Sardinia (Italy)

In southern and central Sardinia two different Cambrian-Lower Ordovician sedimentary belts occur. The former is exposed in southwestern Sardinia (Iglesiente and Sulcis), and is characterized by shallow-marine siliciclastic and carbonate sediments settled on a continental shelf with lowangle morphology. The latter, exposed in the Nappe Zone (central and southeastern Sardinia), consists of a thick monotonous sequence of siliciclastic deposits settled in a deeper-water basin.The comparative analysis of the sequences and their palinspastic reconstruction lead to recognize an inner and outer shelf respectively in Iglesiente and in northern Sulcis, a transition to the basin in eastern and southern Sulcis and a basin in the eastern areas of Sardinia (Nappe Zone).

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Zusammenfassung In Süd- und Zentral-Sardinien gibt es zwei unterschiedliche Sedimentgürtel im Kambrium bis Unterordovizium. Der ältere ist in Südwest-Sardinien (Iglesiente und Sulcis) aufgeschlossen. Er ist aus flachmarinen siliziklastischen und karbonatischen Sedimenten eines kontinentalen Schelfes mit flachem Relief aufgebaut. Der zweite Sedimentgürtel, aufgeschlossen in der Decken-Zone (Zentral- und SE-Sardinien) besteht aus einer mächtigen einheitlichen Folge von siliziklastischen Ablagerungen eines tieferen Beckens.Die vergleichende Analyse der Folgen und die palinspastische Rekonstruktion läßt einen inneren und einen äußeren Schelf im Gebiet von Iglesiente und nördlichen Sulcis erkennen, einen Übergang zum Becken im östlichen und südlichen Sulcis sowie ein Becken im östlichen Sardinien (Decken-Zone).

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Résumé En Sardaigne méridionale et centrale, on connaît deux ensembles sédimentaires d'âge cambro-ordovicien. Le premier, exposé dans la partie sud-occidentale de l'île (secteurs de l'Iglesiente et du Sulcis), est caractérisé par des sédiments carbonatés et terrigènes déposés sur un shelf continental morphologiquement régulier et à inclinaison faible.Le second, exposé dans la »zone des nappes« (Sardaigne orientale) est composé d'une séquence terrigène monotone déposée dans un bassin plus profond. L'analyse comparée des séquences et les reconstructions palynspastiques conduisent à reconnaître plusieurs domaines paléogéographiques: un shelf interne dans l'Iglesiente, un shelf externe dans le Sulcis septentrional, une transition vers le bassin profond dans le sud et l'est du Sulcis et ce bassin profond dans la Sardaigne orientale (»zones des nappes«).

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, . - (Iglesiente Sulcis) , , . , ( - ), , . : Iglesiente, — Sulcis, — Sulcis, — .

     

Patterns of basin fill in Triassic turbidites of the Nanpanjiang basin: implications for regional tectonics and impacts on carbonate‐platform evolution

The Nanpanjiang Basin occurs in a key position for resolving controversies of basin tectonics and patterns of plate assembly at the junction between south China and Southeast Asian plates. Paleocurrent measurements indicate that siliciclastic turbidites in the basin were sourced by the Precambrian Jiangnan uplift to the northeast, the Precambrian Yunkai uplift to the southeast and the Triassic Songma suture to the south. Detrital zircon geochronology reveals Archean (2500 Ma), Paleoproterozoic (1800–1900 Ma), Neoproterozoic (900–1000 Ma) and Paleozoic (420–460 Ma) ages consistent with derivation from the Jiangnan and Yunkai uplifts. A large Permian‐Triassic peak of 250 Ma is present in the southern basin and attenuates northward suggesting derivation from an arc developed along the Songma suture. Sandstone QFL compositions average 65/12/23% and plot in the recycled orogen field except for a few samples in the southern basin that fall in the dissected arc field. The compositions are consistent with derivation from Precambrian basement that includes orogenic complexes. In the southern basin, Middle Triassic turbidites contain greater lithics and feldspars and Lower Triassic turbidites have volcaniclastic composition consistent with derivation from a southerly arc. Our preferred interpretation is evolution from remnant basin to a large peripheral foreland with southward subduction and convergence with Indochina along the Songma suture. The previously proposed Dian‐Qiong zone is not a suture as its map location places it within carbonate platforms bounded by identical stratigraphy. The Nan‐Uttaradit zone is too distant to have provided voluminous siliciclastic flux to the basin. The Nanpanjiang Basin provides an example of the evolution of an exceptionally large foreland with far‐field rejuvenation of Precambrian uplifts and carbonate platforms that were significantly influenced by siliciclastic flux. The timing and pattern of turbidite basin fill impacted platform evolution by enabling margin progradation in areas proximal to siliciclastic sources, whereas platforms distant from sources were driven to aggradation and extreme relief with large‐scale gravitational sector collapse.     

Giant sector-collapse structures (scalloped margins) of the Yangtze Platform and Great Bank of Guizhou,China: Implications for genesis of collapsed carbonate platform margin systems

Sector-collapse structures ranging up to 27 km wide with up to 7.7 km bankward erosion (scalloped margins) and linear escarpments occur along the east-north-east-trending, south-facing margins of the Yangtze Platform and Great Bank of Guizhou. Exposure of one of the structures on the rotated limb of a syncline displays the geometry in profile view. Declivities range from 65° to 90° in the upper wall and decrease asymptotically to the toe. Catastrophic collapses of the margins in both platforms occurred during the late Ladinian as constrained by the ages of strata truncated along the margins and the siliciclastic turbidites that onlap collapse structures. Middle Triassic Anisian and Ladinian platform-edge reef facies and platform-interior facies were truncated along both the Yangtze and Great Bank of Guizhou margins. Lower Triassic facies were also truncated along the Great Bank of Guizhou margin. Gravity transport during the main episodes of collapse occurred as mud-rich debris-flows and as mud-free hyper-concentrated flows. Clasts, several to tens of metres and, exceptionally, hundreds of metres across, were transported to the basin. Following collapse, talus, carbonate turbidites and periplatform-mud accumulated at the toe of slope. Shedding of skeletal grains and carbonate mud indicates active carbonate factories at the margin. Preserved sections of the margins demonstrate that the platforms evolved high-relief, accretionary escarpments prior to collapse. High-relief, without buttressing by basin-filling sediments, predisposed the margins to collapse by development of tensile strain and fracturing within the margin due to the lack of confining stress. The linear geometry of margins and active tectonics in the region supports tectonic activity triggering the collapse. Collapse is thus interpreted to have been triggered by fault movement and seismic shock. Comparison with other systems indicates that evolution from high-relief accretion to tectonic collapse of largely lithified margins resulted in large sector-collapse structures and deposition of a coarse, generally mud-poor breccia apron.     

Controls on carbonate platform architecture and reef recovery across the Palaeozoic to Mesozoic transition: A high-resolution analysis of the Great Bank of Guizhou

Carbonate platforms spanning intervals of global change provide an opportunity to identify causal links between the evolution of marine environment and depositional architecture. This study investigates the controls on platform geometry across the Palaeozoic to Mesozoic transition and yields new stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental constraints on the Great Bank of Guizhou, a latest Permian to earliest Late Triassic isolated carbonate platform in the Nanpanjiang Basin of south China. Reconstruction of platform architecture was achieved by integrating field mapping, petrography, biostratigraphy, satellite imagery analysis and δ¹³C chemostratigraphy. In contrast to previous interpretations, this study indicates that: (i) the Great Bank of Guizhou transitioned during Early Triassic time from a low-relief bank to a platform with high relief above the basin floor (up to 600 m) and steep slope angles (preserved up to 50°); and (ii) the oldest-known platform-margin reef of the Mesozoic Era grew along steep, prograding clinoforms in an outer-margin to lower-slope environment. Increasing platform relief during Early Triassic time was caused by limited sediment delivery to the basin margin and a high rate of accommodation creation driven by Indosinian convergence. The steep upper Olenekian (upper Lower Triassic) slope is dominated by well-cemented grainstone, suggesting that high carbonate saturation states led to syndepositional or rapid post-depositional sediment stabilization. Latest Spathian reef initiation coincided with global cooling following Early Triassic global warmth. The first Triassic framework-building metazoans on the Great Bank of Guizhou were small calcareous sponges restricted to deeper water settings, but early Mesozoic reef builders were volumetrically dominated by Tubiphytes, a fossil genus of uncertain taxonomic affinity. In aggregate, the stratigraphic architecture of the Great Bank of Guizhou records sedimentary response to long-term environmental and biological recovery from the end-Permian mass extinction, highlighting the close connections among marine chemistry, marine ecosystems and carbonate depositional systems.     

扬子地台与华南南盘江盆地大贵州滩三叠系沉积演化史

扬子地台是一个横跨华南地块的以浅海沉积为主的大型碳酸盐岩台地,南盘江盆地是发育在扬子地台碳酸盐岩台地背景之上的一个沉积盆地,从晚元古代到晚三叠世长期海相沉积演化历史中,扬子地台-南盘江盆地体系经历了多次重要的构造演化阶段.扬子地台从晚元古代到早三叠世末期一直保持为一个稳定的碳酸盐岩台地,在中三叠世末期扬子地块整体抬升,海平面下降,形成了遍及扬子主体的拉丁期大海退,从而使扬子地块大部分地区抬升为陆.南盘江盆地位于华南地块南缘,从晚元古代到晚三叠世沉积了一套厚度巨大的海相碳酸盐岩,晚三叠世发育了一套硅质碎屑的浊流沉积,区域沉积也由此转化为河流相沉积.二叠纪和三叠纪碳酸盐岩地层记录了碳酸盐岩台地长期演化历史及其特征多样的沉积建造和沉积环境,而硅质碎屑流和构造沉降速率的变化反映了盆地在三叠纪期间经历的聚合构造和前陆盆地发展过程.在三叠纪时期扬子地台沿西南-北东方向从云南围绕南盘江盆地向贵州延伸,在南盘江盆地中发育了几个孤立的碳酸盐岩台地,包括位于贵州南部和广西境内的大贵州滩和崇左-平果台地.南盘江盆地在晚二叠世发生过一次区域性的海侵事件,早三叠世时期扬子地台和几个孤立台地为由鲕粒边滩组成的低角度斜坡,中三叠世(安尼期)变为由Tubiphytes边礁组成的陡倾斜坡.盆地范围内斜坡变陡激发了Tubiphytes礁和其它的生物体发育,而且它们组成了稳定碳酸盐岩台地的边缘.位于扬子地台西部地区的关林和贞丰一带与最北部的孤立台地(大贵州滩)在安尼期发育了陡倾的边礁.在拉丁期,扬子地台在关林一带进积并与盆地碎屑沉积互层穿插沉积,而位于贞丰的台地边缘出现了由断层控制的地貌特征.与此同时,扬子地台东部(贵阳)由侵蚀滑塌边缘变为进积边缘,向盆地内部进积充填形成了超过600 m的碎屑沉积.但是,与扬子地台不同,位于最北部的孤立台地(大贵州滩)在拉丁期由加积边缘礁变为起伏明显的侵蚀陡崖和饥饿盆地边缘.晚三叠世(卡尼期)扬子地台西部下沉并被晚三叠世浊流沉积埋藏,而扬子地台东部地区在被硅质碎屑沉积埋藏之前持续沉积了一套浅水碳酸盐岩沉积.孤立台地为从南到北逐渐变陡的边缘沉积,而且发育了多个小丘,其中南部地区早期沉降后来被硅质碎屑沉积埋藏,而北部地区到后期下沉.与扬子地台西部一样,最北部的孤立台地(大贵州滩)在晚三叠世下降被碎屑沉积埋藏.以上这种差异源于华南地块南缘因构造聚合作用导致的盆地南部地区不同沉降速率.大贵州滩是盆地中演化历史最长的孤立台地,穿过大贵州滩孤立台地内部和边缘的两条正交剖面显示出了一个被断层切断的向斜构造,这样就很容易识别其沉积建造特征及演化历史.大贵州滩发育的整合的二叠系-三叠系界线剖面以及从早三叠世到中三叠世生物复苏阶段连续的巨厚沉积,使其成为一个研究二叠世末期生物大绝灭期间的海相环境以及生物生态条件最为理想的地区.     

Far-field displacements from a rectangular fault with two rupture velocities

Summary Analytic expressions for the far-field displacement both in the time and the frequency domains are obtained for the kinematic earthquake model of a rupture which nucleates at a point, grows in the form of a rectangle and stops at a later time.The spectra ofS andP waves are analyzed with the object of determining fault dimensions from the corner frequencies. The approach by which the solution of the present problem is obtained can be extended to get closed form solutions to the problem of rupture front expanding in the form of a polygon and terminating over a fault area which has the form of another polygon.