Effects of the geometry of two‐dimensional fractures on their hydraulic aperture and on the validity of the local cubic law

Flow through rough fractures is investigated numerically in order to assess the validity of the local cubic law for different fracture geometries. Two‐dimensional channels with sinusoidal walls having different geometrical properties defined by the aperture, the amplitude, and the wavelength of the walls' corrugations, the corrugations asymmetry, and the phase shift between the two walls are considered to represent different fracture geometries. First, it is analytically shown that the hydraulic aperture clearly deviates from the mean aperture when the walls' roughness, the phase shift, and/or the asymmetry between the fracture walls are relatively high. The continuity and the Navier–Stokes equations are then solved by means of the finite element method and the numerical solutions compared to the theoretical predictions of the local cubic law. Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.066 to 66.66 are investigated so as to focus more particularly on the effect of flow inertial effects on the validity of the local cubic law. For low Reynolds number, typically less than 15, the local cubic law properly describes the fracture flow, especially when the fracture walls have small corrugation amplitudes. For Reynolds numbers higher than 15, the local cubic law is valid under the conditions that the fracture presents a low aspect ratio, small corrugation amplitudes, and a moderate phase lag between its walls.     

A plume tectonics model for the Tharsis province, Mars

Morphological and structural data from the whole Tharsis province suggest that a number of shallow grabens radially oriented about the Tharsis bulge on Mars are underlain by dykes, which define giant radiating swarms similar to, e.g. the Mackenzie dyke swarm of the Canadian shield. Mechanisms for graben formation are proposed, and the depth, width, and height of the associated dykes are estimated. Structural mapping leads to define successive stages of dyke emplacement, and provide stress-trajectory maps that indicate a steady source of the regional stress during the whole history of the Tharsis province. A new tectonic model of Tharsis is presented, based on an analogy with dyke swarms on the Earth that form inside hot spots. This model successfully matches the following features: (1) the geometry of the South Tharsis Ridge Belt, which may have been a consequence of the compressional stress field at the boundary between the uplifted and non-uplifted areas in the upper part of the lithosphere at the onset of hot spot activity; (2) extensive lava flooding, interpreted as a consequence of the high thermal anomaly at the onset of plume (hot spot) activity; (3) wrinkle ridge geometry in the Tharsis hemisphere, the formation of which is interpreted as a consequence of buoyant subsidence of the brittle crust in response to the lava load; (4) Valles Marineris limited stretching by preliminary passive rifting, and uplift, viewed as a necessary consequence of adiabatic mantle decompression induced by stretching. The geometrical analysis of dyke swarms suggests the existence of a large, Tharsis-independent extensional state of stress during all the period of tectonic activity, in which the minimum compressive stress is roughly N---S oriented. Although magmatism must have loaded the lithosphere significantly after the plume activity ceased and be responsible for additional surface deformations, there is no requirement for further loading stress to explain surficial features. Comparison with succession of magmatic and tectonic events related to hot spots on the Earth suggests that the total time required to produce all the surface deformation observed in the Tharsis province over the last 3.8 Ga does probably not exceed 10 or 15 Ma.     

Examples of clustering around high redshift radio-galaxies

Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 677–680, October–December, 1995.     

A 20 cm2 CCD mosaic camera for a dark matter search part I : Mechanics,optics and cryogeny

A 20cm ² CCD mosaic camera has been especially built to search for dark galactic halo objects by the gravitational microlensing effect. The sensitive area is made of 16 edge-buttable CCDs developped by Thomson-CTS, with 23×23 µm ² pixels. The 35 kg camera housing and mechanical equipment is presented. The associated electronics and data acquisition system are described in a separate paper. The camera resides at the focal plane of a 40 cm, f/10, Ferson reflector. The instrument has been in operation since December 1991 at the La Silla Observatory (ESO).     

WIMPs and solar evolution code

The Saclay solar evolution code is used to check the effect of WIMPs on solar evolution. In this paper we study the effects of various types of Cosmion-matter interactions, give constraints on the crosssections compatible with the measured neutrino rate of 2 SNU on chlorine, and relate these constraints to ongoing dark matter detection experiments.Unité associée au CNRS UA 280, F-75251 Paris Cedex 05, France.On leave from LPC, Collège de France.     

Organic carbon deposition and phosphorus accumulation during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 in Tarfaya, Morocco

With a multi-proxy approach, an attempt was made to constrain productivity and bottom-water redox conditions and their effects on the phosphorus accumulation rate at the Mohammed Plage section on the Tarfaya coast, Morocco, during the Cenomanian-Turonian Anoxic Event (OAE 2). A distinct δ¹³C_org isotope excursion of +2.5‰ occurs close to the top of the section. The unusually abrupt shift of the isotope excursion and disappearance of several planktonic foraminiferal species (e.g. Rotalipora cushmani and Rotalipora greenhornensis) in this level suggests a hiatus of between 40–60 kyrs at the excursion onset. Nevertheless, it was possible to determine both the long-term environmental history as well as the processes that took place immediately prior to and during OAE 2. TOC% values increase gradually from the base of the section to the top (from 2.5% to 10%). This is interpreted as the consequence of a long-term eustatic sea-level rise and subsidence causing the encroachment of less oxic waters into the Tarfaya Basin. Similarly a reduction in the mineralogically constructed ‘detrital index’ can be explained by the decrease in the continental flux of terrigenous material due to a relative sea-level rise. A speciation of phosphorus in the upper part of the section, which spans the start and mid-stages of OAE 2, shows overall higher abundances of P_reactive mass accumulation rates before the isotope excursion onset and lower values during the plateau. Due to the probable short hiatus, the onset of the decrease in phosphorus content relative to the isotope excursion is uncertain, although the excursion plateau already contains lower concentrations. The C_org/P_total and V/Al ratios suggest that this reduction was mostly likely caused by a decrease in the available bottom oxygen content (probably as a result of higher productivity) and a corresponding fall in the phosphorus retention ability of the sediment. Productivity appears to have remained high during the isotope plateau possibly due to a combination of ocean-surface fertilisation via increased aridity (increased K/Al and Ti/Al ratios) and/or higher dissolved inorganic phosphorus content in the water column as a result of the decrease in sediment P retention. The evidence for decreased P-burial has been observed in many other palaeoenvironments during OAE 2. Tarfaya's unique upwelling paleosituation provides strong evidence that the nutrient recycling was a global phenomenon and therefore a critical factor in starting and sustaining OAE 2.     

Groundwater flow and contaminant transport modelling at an air weapons range

Numerical modelling was done at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, Canada, to test whether the dissolved RDX and nitrate detected in groundwater come from the same sources, and to predict whether contamination poses a threat to the surface water receptors near the site. Military live fire training activities may indeed pose a risk of contamination to groundwater resources, however field investigations on military bases are quite recent, and little information is available on the long-term behaviour of munition residues related contaminants. Very limited information was available about the contaminant source zones, which were assigned based on our knowledge of current training activities. The RDX plume was well represented with the model, but the heterogeneous distribution of nitrate concentrations was more difficult to reproduce. It was nonetheless determined that both contaminants originate from the same areas. According to the model, both contaminants should reach the nearby river, but concentrations in the river should remain very low if the source zone concentration does not change. Finally, the model allowed the recommendation of a new location for the main bombing target, which would offer added protection to the river and the lake into which it flows.     

Structural investigation of the synthetic CaAn(PO4)2 (An = Th and Np) cheralite-like phosphates

The crystallographic structures of the synthetic cheralite, CaTh(PO₄)₂, and its homolog CaNp(PO₄)₂ have been investigated by X-ray diffraction at room temperature. Rietveld analyses showed that both compounds crystallize in the monoclinic system and are isostructural to monazite LnPO₄ (Ln = La to Gd). The space group is P2₁/n (I.T. = 14) with Z = 2. The refined lattice parameters of CaTh(PO₄)₂ are a = 6.7085(8) Å, b = 6.9160(6) Å, c = 6.4152(6) Å, and β = 103.71(1)° with best fit parameters R _wp = 4.87%, R _p = 3.69% and R _B = 3.99%. For CaNp(PO₄)₂, we obtained a = 6.6509(5) Å, b = 6.8390(3) Å, c = 6.3537(8) Å, and β = 104.12(6)° and R _wp = 6.74%, R _p = 5.23%, and R _B = 6.05%. The results indicate significant distortions of bond length and angles of the PO₄ tetrahedra in CaTh(PO₄)₂ and to a lesser extent in CaNp(PO₄)₂. The structural distortions were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy of CaTh(PO₄)₂. A comparison with the isostructural compounds LnPO₄ (Ln = Ce and Sm) confirmed that the substitution of the large rare earth trivalent cations with Ca²⁺ and Th⁴⁺ introduces a distortion of the PO₄ tetrahedra.     

A map series of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks, 15° S to 19° S

Four large-scale bathymetric maps of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks between 15° S and 19° S display many of the unique features of this superfast spreading environment including abundant seamounts (the Rano Rahi Field), axial discontinuities, discontinuity migration, and abyssal hill variation. Along with a summary of the regional geology, these maps will provide a valuable reference for other sea-going programs on-and off-axis in this area, including the Mantle ELectromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) experiment.     

On the use of current meter data to assess the realism of ocean model simulations

The evaluation of ocean simulations against observed datasets is essential to assess their realism and to guide model development, but often remains qualitative, and ignores certain datasets. This paper presents a three-dimensional, quantitative comparison of a 1/6° Atlantic numerical simulation (CLIPPER) with the WOCE current meter dataset in terms of mean velocity and eddy kinetic energy. Our metrics reveal the good behaviour of CLIPPER open boundary conditions and forcing with respect to full-depth current records. Due to its still moderate resolution, however, the model globally underestimates the observed mean speeds and eddy activity. This discrepancy is barely noticeable at low latitudes but increases toward the poles, probably since the poleward decrease of the Rossby radius exceeds that of the horizontal grid step. At least in this eddy-admitting regime, it is suggested that the numerics of geopotential-coordinate models like ours dissipate mean and eddy momentum at depth and adversely affect current–topography interactions.