Epigenetic gorges in fluvial landscapes

Epigenetic gorges form when channels that have been laterally displaced during episodes of river blockage or aggradation incise down into bedrock spurs or side‐walls of the former valley rather than excavating unconsolidated fills and reinhabiting the buried paleovalley. Valley‐filling events that promote epigenetic gorges can be localized, such as a landslide dam or an alluvial/debris flow fan deposit at a tributary junction, or widespread, such as fluvial aggradation in response to climate change or fluctuating base‐level. The formation of epigenetic gorges depends upon the competition between the resistance to transport, strength and roughness of valley‐filling sediments and a river's ability to sculpt and incise bedrock. The former affects the location and lateral mobility of a channel incising into valley‐filling deposits; the latter determines rates of bedrock incision should the path of the incising channel intersect with bedrock that is not the paleovalley bottom. Epigenetic gorge incision, by definition, post‐dates the incision that originally cut the valley. Strath terraces and sculpted bedrock walls that form in relation to epigenetic gorges should not be used to directly infer river incision induced by tectonic activity or climate variability. Rather, they are indicative of the variability of short‐term bedrock river incision and autogenic dynamics of actively incising fluvial landscapes. The rate of bedrock incision associated with an epigenetic gorge can be very high (>1 cm/yr), typically orders of magnitude higher than both short‐ and long‐term landscape denudation rates. In the context of bedrock river incision and landscape evolution, epigenetic gorges force rivers to incise more bedrock, slowing long‐term incision and delaying the adjustment of rivers to regional tectonic and climatic forcing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of lithology on valley width,terrace distribution,and bedload provenance in a tectonically stable catchment with flat‐lying stratigraphy

How rock resistance or erodibility affects fluvial landforms and processes is an outstanding question in geomorphology that has recently garnered attention owing to the recognition that the erosion rates of bedrock channels largely set the pace of landscape evolution. In this work, we evaluate valley width, terrace distribution, and bedload provenance in terms of reach scale variation in lithology in the study reach and discuss the implications for landscape evolution in a catchment with relatively flat‐lying stratigraphy and very little uplift. A reach of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas was partitioned into lithologic reaches and the mechanical and chemical resistance of the main lithologies making up the catchment was measured. Valley width and the spatial distribution of terraces were compared among the different lithologic reaches. The surface grain size and provenance of coarse (2–90 mm) sediment of both modern gravel bars and older terrace deposits that make up the former bedload were measured and defined. The results demonstrate a strong impact of lithology upon valley width, terrace distribution, and bedload provenance and therefore, upon landscape evolution processes. Channel down‐cutting through different lithologies creates variable patterns of resistance across catchments and continents. Particularly in post‐tectonic and non‐tectonic landscapes, the variation in resistance that arises from the exhumation of different rocks in channel longitudinal profiles can impact local base levels, initiating responses that can be propagated through channel networks. The rate at which that response is transmitted through channels is potentially amplified and/or mitigated by differences between the resistance of channel beds and bedload sediment loads. In the study reach, variation in lithologic resistance influences the prevalence of lateral and vertical processes, thus producing a spatial pattern of terraces that reflects rock type rather than climate, regional base level change, or hydrologic variability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

阿尔金北缘断裂雁丹图、长草沟河流阶地与构造抬升

宽谷及宽谷阶地的形成与流域内的构造抬升活动密切相关。文中在考察阿尔金北缘断裂东段雁丹图与长草沟宽谷的基础上 ,结合古气候资料 ,探讨了晚更新世晚期以来两地河流阶地所反映的构造抬升。雁丹图自约 16 1kaBP以来发育了 3级堆积阶地 (T1,T2 与T3) ,并出露埋藏主要宽谷。 3级阶地面年龄分别约为 16 1ka ,12 8ka ,6 2ka ,反映了 3次构造抬升的存在 ,代表了 3次构造抬升发生的时间。雁丹图自约 16 1kaBP以来的构造抬升速率约为 4 8～ 4 5mm/a ;12 8～ 6 2kaBP间的抬升速率约 6 4mm/a ;6 2kaBP以来为 3 1mm/a。长草沟在 7kaBP以来有 4级阶地发育 (T3,T2 ,T′1与T1) ,均为堆积阶地 ,并出露埋藏宽谷。其中T3与T2 出露埋藏主要宽谷 ,T′1与T1出露埋藏次要宽谷。T3,T2与T′13级阶地的阶地面年龄分别约为 7ka ,3ka,2 5ka。 4级阶地反映 2次构造抬升 ,一次在约 7kaBP ,一次在 3kaBP左右。自 7 0kaBP以来长草沟的抬升速率约为 5 9mm/a ,在 7～ 3     

河流阶地演化与走滑断裂滑动速率

断裂滑动速率是活动构造定量研究的最重要参数之一,不仅可以直接应用于活动构造的地震危险性预测和工程场地的地震安全性评价,还为地球动力学研究提供不可缺少的重要信息。原理上,断裂滑动速率可以用总位移量除以其累积时间而获得,但准确地确定断裂滑动速率并不是一件容易的事情,不同方法和研究者测定的同一条断裂的滑动速率可以相差3倍。文中通过对河流基座阶地演化及其对走滑断裂错动响应过程的分析发现,当一条山前河流切入河漫滩使其废弃形成阶地后,断裂的走滑位移使得河流两侧的阶地陡坎都遭到错动,其中一侧的下游阶地陡坎被错入河道而遭到河流的侵蚀,另一侧的下游阶地陡坎被错离河道,受到河流上游右侧地貌的保护而免遭侵蚀。因此,被错离河道一侧的阶地陡坎的位移在上阶地形成时就开始积累,阶地面的暴露年龄相当于位移累积的起始年代。另外,被错离河道一侧的阶地陡坎在下阶地停止侧蚀(可能同时开始接受沉积)时就开始累积位移,下阶地的初始沉积年代也代表阶地陡坎位移开始累积的时间。当然,如果能够获得被位移阶地陡坎的上下阶地年龄,就更能够把滑动速率限定在可靠的范围之内。在上述分析的基础上,提出3种利用河流阶地确定走滑断裂滑动速率的方法:第一是利用上下阶地年龄限定     

Stellar Dynamo Waves: Asymptotic Configurations

We investigate the parameter space of a Parker dynamo with a simple alpha quenching nonlinearity, taking as governing parameters the dynamo number D (D<0) and the ratio of diffusion times in the radial and latitudinal directions in the convective zone. The latter parameter, μ, is connected with the aspect ratio (dimensionless thickness) of the convective zone. We isolate two asymptotic configuration of the dynamo waves excited by the Parker dynamo in the limiting case of strong generation. Apart from the standard case with the solar type dynamo wave travelling from mid-latitudes to the equator, we describe a form of dynamo activity which is basically an anharmonic standing wave. The first situation occurs when μ increases with |D|. With μ fixed and |D| increasing, the second asymptotic configuration occurs. We discuss possibilities of identifying these asymptotic configurations with various types of stellar activity as traced by stellar CaII data.     

西南天山明尧勒背斜的第四纪滑脱褶皱作用

通过对明尧勒活动背斜喀浪勾律克河剖面生长前地层和翼部生长地层几何结构的填图以及变形河流阶地的系统测量,结合磁性地层及释光年代学研究,认为该背斜的滑脱褶皱作用起始于距今约1·6Ma,其总体几何结构形成于褶皱作用的早期,但其生长扩展并不完全遵从自相似性特征。持续的缩短作用部分被褶皱翼部陡倾膝折带的加长所吸收(由此导致背斜波幅的增加),另一部分可能是通过不同时期褶皱翼部不同膝折带组的旋转和迁移来实现的。明尧勒背斜的持续构造抬升是背斜区河流下切形成多级基座阶地的主因。晚第四纪褶皱的生长以背斜的垂直抬升为主,主要集中在北翼近核部,背斜宽度变化不大。背斜不同时期的抬升量和抬升速率均大于其缩短量和缩短速率,表明明尧勒背斜的变形以翼旋转为主(Pobletet al.,1996)。背斜自形成以来缩短速率和抬升速率均有减小的趋势     

琼东南盆地基底特征及其构造演化

本文通过处理琼东南盆地现有的重磁数据资料,得到琼东南盆地重磁特征,并采用三维Parker法进行重磁基底深度的反演,获得琼东南盆地的重力基底深度变化在1～11 km之间,磁力基底深度变化在5～11 km之间,结合地震剖面的重磁震联合反演结果和钻井资料推断琼东南盆地的基底岩性主要以酸性花岗岩和中性安山岩为主,少量陆相中生界地层.琼东南盆地的基底演化表现为早期主要与古特提斯洋的演化相关,晚期则与太平洋板块的俯冲密切相关.     

中国科学史上一次伟大的考察——纪念“中瑞西北科学考察”90 周年

20 世纪二、三十年代, 中国与瑞典合作开展了一次大规模、综合性的西北科学考察, 考察时间长达 6 年, 范围覆盖内蒙古、甘肃、新疆、宁夏、青海等地, 内容涉及地质、 古生物、考古、气象、地理、水文、历史、文化和民俗等多个学科, 考察的地域之广阔、时 间之漫长、学科之广泛、成果之丰硕都是空前的。 在极度艰难困苦的条件下, 考察取得了举世瞩目的辉煌成就, 积累了浩如烟海的第一手基础资料, 极大地促进和推动了我国科学技术的现代化进程, 增进了中瑞之间的友谊, 加强了中外的学术合作与交流, 为我国锻炼和培养 了一批早期的科学人才。 此次考察在我国科学发展史以及对外学术合作交流史上都具有重大的历史和现实意义。