Modelling the effect of changing precipitation inputs on deep soil water utilization

Forests in the Southeastern United States are predicted to experience future changes in seasonal patterns of precipitation inputs as well as more variable precipitation events. These climate change‐induced alterations could increase drought and lower soil water availability. Drought could alter rooting patterns and increase the importance of deep roots that access subsurface water resources. To address plant response to drought in both deep rooting and soil water utilization as well as soil drainage, we utilize a throughfall reduction experiment in a loblolly pine plantation of the Southeastern United States to calibrate and validate a hydrological model. The model was accurately calibrated against field measured soil moisture data under ambient rainfall and validated using 30% throughfall reduction data. Using this model, we then tested these scenarios: (a) evenly reduced precipitation; (b) less precipitation in summer, more in winter; (c) same total amount of precipitation with less frequent but heavier storms; and (d) shallower rooting depth under the above 3 scenarios. When less precipitation was received, drainage decreased proportionally much faster than evapotranspiration implying plants will acquire water first to the detriment of drainage. When precipitation was reduced by more than 30%, plants relied on stored soil water to satisfy evapotranspiration suggesting 30% may be a threshold that if sustained over the long term would deplete plant available soil water. Under the third scenario, evapotranspiration and drainage decreased, whereas surface run‐off increased. Changes in root biomass measured before and 4 years after the throughfall reduction experiment were not detected among treatments. Model simulations, however, indicated gains in evapotranspiration with deeper roots under evenly reduced precipitation and seasonal precipitation redistribution scenarios but not when precipitation frequency was adjusted. Deep soil and deep rooting can provide an important buffer capacity when precipitation alone cannot satisfy the evapotranspirational demand of forests. How this buffering capacity will persist in the face of changing precipitation inputs, however, will depend less on seasonal redistribution than on the magnitude of reductions and changes in rainfall frequency.     

超基性岩中含铜、钴块状硫化物矿床——德尔尼铜矿成因新认识

长期以来对德尔尼铜矿的成因存在着不同认识。从矿石组成和结构、构造来看,应属典型的块状硫化物矿石,矿床亦应属于含铜黄铁矿型矿床。但从其地质产状来看又与一般的黄铁矿型矿床大不相同,与一般的岩浆熔离铜镍硫化物矿床也有较多差异。这就是本矿床类型独特之处。近年来通过工作又取得一些新资料,特别是超基性岩和矿石的同位素年龄数据。本文在综合新老资料基础上,提出新看法,认为该矿床形成于上地幔,再就位于地壳浅部。其成因类型暂定为:“深部熔离—构造侵位矿床”。鉴于本矿床与一般块状硫化物矿床相比有其独特性,建议命名为“德尔尼型”。     

The stable isotope signature of kilometre-scale fracturedominated metamorphic fluid pathways, Mary Kathleen, Australia

Abstract Large calcite veins and pods in the Proterozoic Corella Formation of the Mount Isa Inlier provide evidence for kilometre-scale fluid transport during amphibolite facies metamorphism. These 10- to 100-m-scale podiform veins and their surrounding alteration zones have similar oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios throughout the 200 × 10-km Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, despite the isotopic heterogeneity of the surrounding wallrocks. The fluids that formed the pods and veins were not in isotopic equilibrium with the immediately adjacent rocks. The pods have δ¹³C_calcite values of –2 to –7% and δ¹⁸O_calcite values of 10.5 to 12.5%. Away from the pods, metadolerite wallrocks have δ¹⁸O_whole-rock values of 3.5 to 7%. and unaltered banded calc-silicate and marble wallrocks have δ¹³C_calcite of –1.6 to –0.6%, and δ¹⁸O_calcite of 18 to 21%. In the alteration zones adjacent to the pods, the δ¹⁸O values of both metadolerite and calc-silicate rocks approach those of the pods. Large calcite pods hosted entirely in calc-silicates show little difference in isotopic composition from pods hosted entirely in metadolerite. Thus, 100- to 500-m-scale isotopic exchange with the surrounding metadolerites and calc-silicates does not explain the observation that the δ¹⁸O values of the pods are intermediate between these two rock types. Pods hosted in felsic metavolcanics and metasiltstones are also isotopically indistinguishable from those hosted in the dominant metadolerites and calc-silicates. These data suggest the veins are the product of infiltration of isotopically homogeneous fluids that were not derived from within the Corella Formation at the presently exposed crustal level, although some of the spread in the data may be due to a relatively small contribution from devolatilization reactions in the calc-silicates, or thermal fluctuations attending deformation and metamorphism. The overall L-shaped trend of the data on plots of δ¹³C vs. δ¹⁸O is most consistent with mixing of large volumes of externally derived fluids with small volumes of locally derived fluid produced by devolatilization of calc-silicate rocks. Localization of the vein systems in dilatant sites around metadolerite/calc-silicate boundaries indicates a strong structural control on fluid flow, and the stable isotope data suggest fluid migration must have occurred at scales greater than at least 1 km. The ultimate source for the external fluid is uncertain, but is probably fluid released from crystallizing melts derived from the lower crust or upper mantle. Intrusion of magmas below the exposed crustal level would also explain the high geothermal gradient calculated for the regional metamorphism.     

Fluid infiltration during contact metamorphism of interbedded marble and calc-silicate hornfels, Twin Lakes area, central Sierra Nevada, California

Abstract In the Twin Lakes area, central Sierra Nevada, California, most contact metamorphosed marbles contain calcite + dolomite + forsterite ± diopside ± phlogopite ± tremolite, and most calc-silicate hornfelses contain calcite + diopside + wollastonite + quartz ± anorthite ± K-feldspar ± grossular ± titanite. Mineral-fluid equilibria involving calcite + dolomite + tremolite + diopside + forsterite in two marble samples and wollastonite + anorthite + quartz + grossular in three hornfels samples record P± 3 kbar and T± 630° C. Various isobaric univariant assemblages record CO₂-H₂O fluid compositions of χCO₂= 0.61–0.74 in the marbles and χCO₂= 0.11 in the hornfelses. Assuming a siliceous dolomitic limestone protolith consisting of dolomite + quartz ° Calcite ± K-feldspar ± muscovite ± rutile, all plausible prograde reaction pathways were deduced for marble and hornfels on isobaric T-XCO₂ diagrams in the model system K₂O-CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-CO₂. Progress of the prograde reactions was estimated from measured modes and mass-balance calculations. Time-integrated fluxes of reactive fluid which infiltrated samples were computed for a temperature gradient of 150 °C/km along the fluid flow path, calculated fluid compositions, and estimated reaction progress using the mass-continuity equation. Marbles and hornfelses record values in the range 0.1–3.6 × 10⁴ cm³/cm² and 4.8–12.9 × 10⁴ cm³/cm², respectively. For an estimated duration of metamorphism of 10⁵ years, average in situ metamorphic rock permeabilities, calculated from Darcy's Law, are 0.1–8 × 10^?6 D in the marbles and 10–27 × 10^?6 D in the hornfelses. Reactive metamorphic fluids flowed up-temperature, and were preferentially channellized in hornfelses relative to the marbles. These results appear to give a general characterization of hydrothermal activity during contact metamorphism of small pendants and screens (dimensions ± 1 km or less) associated with emplacement of the Sierra Nevada batholith.     

Deep Processes of Basin Evolution:A Case Study of the Southern Songliao Basin and Adjacent Area,NE China in Mesozoic-Cenozoic

1IntroductionOne of the key factors related to basin geody-namics is deep process controlling formation and evolution of sedimentary basin. Depth and tempera-ture of asthenosphere,existence of mantle plume,occurrence of mantle melting,and amounts of melts under depressurization during thinning of lithosphere are controlling factors influenced formation and characteristics of extensional basin directly (Li,1994). Rifting is probably governed by frictional forces exerted on the base of litho…     

Tests and constraints on theories of galaxy formation and evolution

Tests and constraints on current theories of galaxy formation and evolution are presented. They are derived from observations of the Northern Hubble Deep Field with WFPC2 and NICMOS. Photometric redshifts, extinctions and spectral energy distributions are calculated for all objects in the field. The tests and constraints are derived from the output of this analysis. The tests of the predictions from hierarchical and pure luminosity evolution galaxy evolution calculations favor the hierarchical model. Constraints are provided by the current luminosity function and its evolution to a redshift of 6. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Reliability assessment of serviceability performance of braced retaining walls using a neural network approach

In urban environments, one major concern with deep excavations in soft clay is the potentially large ground deformations in and around the excavation. Excessive movements can damage adjacent buildings and utilities. There are many uncertainties associated with the calculation of the ultimate or serviceability performance of a braced excavation system. These include the variabilities of the loadings, geotechnical soil properties, and engineering and geometrical properties of the wall. A risk‐based approach to serviceability performance failure is necessary to incorporate systematically the uncertainties associated with the various design parameters. This paper demonstrates the use of an integrated neural network–reliability method to assess the risk of serviceability failure through the calculation of the reliability index. By first performing a series of parametric studies using the finite element method and then approximating the non‐linear limit state surface (the boundary separating the safe and ‘failure’ domains) through a neural network model, the reliability index can be determined with the aid of a spreadsheet. Two illustrative examples are presented to show how the serviceability performance for braced excavation problems can be assessed using the reliability index. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

湖北徐家山锑矿床流体包裹体特征及其意义

文章利用激光拉曼光谱和显微测温学方法,对湖北徐家山锑矿床成矿期的石英、重晶石和方解石中的流体包裹体进行了研究。研究表明,这些矿物中的流体包裹体主要有纯液体包裹体和液体包裹体(气相 液相)2类,其液体包裹体的气相成分为H2O±CO2±N2;石英、重晶石和方解石的均一温度分别为134~258℃、154~259℃和145~230℃,主要集中于150~200℃;流体的盐度w(NaCleq)和密度分别集中于3%~6%和0.90~0.96g/cm3。流体包裹体资料揭示出该矿床为典型的中低温热液锑矿床,其成矿流体为中低温、低盐度、中等密度热液。结合H、O、Sr、Pb同位素等研究结果,进一步推断该成矿热液主要是经深部循环演化的大气降水。     

新疆阿尔泰蒙库铁矿床的成矿流体及成矿作用

蒙库大型铁矿床赋存于上志留统—下泥盆统康布铁堡组变质火山-沉积岩系中,容矿岩石为石榴子石矽卡岩、变粒岩、浅粒岩和大理岩。矿体总体顺层分布,空间上与矽卡岩密切相关。研究表明,矽卡岩期石榴子石以发育玻璃质熔融包裹体、流体熔融包裹体和流体包裹体为特征,晚期矽卡岩阶段矿物中发育液相包裹体,变质期矿物中主要发育液相包裹体和含子矿物包裹体。矽卡岩期熔融包裹体的均一温度为1100℃,早期矽卡岩阶段流体包裹体均一温度变化于193～499℃,在450℃、350℃和230℃出现峰值。中期矽卡岩阶段均一温度变化于236～550℃,峰值为350℃。区域变质期均一温度介于132～513℃,在350℃、230℃和190℃出现峰值。流体包裹体的盐度w(NaCleq)介于1.23%～60.31%,流体密度变化于0.60～1.16g/cm3。石榴子石、石英和方解石的δ18OSMOW变化于0.2‰～8.4‰,δ18OH2O介于-5.1‰～5.33‰,δD为-127‰～-81‰,表明矽卡岩期成矿流体主要是岩浆水,混合少量大气降水;变质期流体主要为大气降水,为混合变质水。方解石δ13CPDB变化于-6.1‰～-2.3‰,表明流体中碳来自深部或地幔。成矿时代为早泥盆世早期(略晚于404～400Ma),成矿作用与矽卡岩的退化变质作用有关。     

豫西前河构造蚀变岩型金矿成矿过程中的流体-岩石反应

前河金矿区位于华北地台南缘,赋存在中元古界熊耳群安山岩和英安岩中,矿体受断裂破碎带控制。含矿热液在迁移过程中与围岩发生了广泛的流体-岩石反应而引起热液蚀变。本区石英中有4种类型的流体包裹体,均一温度范围为145～331℃,其中含CO2包裹体的完全均一温度主要分布在中-高温区。成矿流体的密度和压力变化范围分别是0.68～0.94g/cm3和(367.01～896.55)×105Pa。金大量沉淀成矿时的流体特征为:温度213～260℃、密度0.80～0.89g/cm3和压力(502.86～710.57)×105Pa。流体相为SO42->Na >Cl->K 型,CO2/H2O比值及N2、H2S、Ar、C2H6等挥发分的含量明显增高,f(CO2)、f(H2S)、f(CH4)和Eh值增大;f(O2)、f(H2O)和pH值减小。在青磐岩化安山岩的基础上发生的流体-岩石反应是造成本矿床金沉淀成矿的最主要原因。