Propagation of the Southwest Indian Ridge at the Rodrigues Triple Junction

The analysis of multibeam bathymetric data of the Southwest Indian Ridge(SWIR) domain between the triple junction traces from 68° E to theRodrigues Triple Junction (RTJ; 70° E) reveals the evolution of thisridge since magnetic anomaly 4 (8 Ma). Image processing has been used toshow that the horizontal component of strain due to a network of normal stepfaults increases dramatically between 69°30 E and the RTJ. Thisarea close to the RTJ is characterized by a deep graben at the foot of thetriple junction trace on the African plate and by a narrow fault-boundedridge that joins an offset of the trace on the Antarctic plate. In thatarea, spreading is primarily amagmatic and dominated by tectonic extensionprocesses. To the west of 69°30 E, some lobate bathymetricfeatures atop of a large topographic high suggest volcanic constructions.Between 68°10 E and 69°25 E the southern flank of theSWIR domain is wider than the northern one and is characterized by a series of 7 en echelon bathymetric highs similar in size,shape and orientation to the one centred at 69°30E near the present-day triple junction. Their en echelon organization along the triple junction trace on the Antarctic plate and the typical lack of conjugated parts on the northern flank show that these bathymetric highs have been shifted to the south by successive northward relocalisations of the SWIR rifting zone. This evolution results in the asymmetric spreading of the SWIR in the survey area. The off-axis bathymetric highs connect to the offsets of the triple junction trace on the Antarctic plate when the Southeast Indian Ridges lightly lengthenstoward the northwest and the triple junction is relocated to the north. We propose that the SWIR lengthens toward the northeast with two propagation modes: 1) a continuous and progressive propagation with distributed deformation in preexisting crust of the Central Indian Ridge, 2) a discontinuous propagation with focusing of the deformation in a rift zone when the triple junction migrates rapidly to the north. The modes of propagation of the SWIR are related to different localisation and distribution of strain which are in turn controlled by changes of the triple junction configurations due to propagation, recession or a symmetric spreading on the Central and Southeast Indian Ridges.     

Syntectonic Mobility of Supergene Nickel Ores of New Caledonia (Southwest Pacific). Evidence from Garnierite Veins and Faulted Regolith

Supergene nickel deposits of New Caledonia that have been formed in the Neogene by weathering of obducted ultramafic rocks are controlled by fracture development. The relationship of tropical weathering and tectonic structures, faults and tension gashes, have been investigated in order to determine whether fractures play a passive role only, as previously thought; or alternatively, if brittle tectonics was acting together with alteration. Observation of time‐relationship, textures, and mineralogy of various fracture fills and fault gouges shows that active faulting has played a prominent role not only in facilitating drainage and providing room for synkinematic crystallization of supergene nickel silicate, but also in mobilizing already formed sparse nickel ore, producing the very high grade ore nicknamed “green gold”.     

Soil quality changes in land degradation as indicated by soil chemical, biochemical and microbiological properties in a karst area of southwest Guizhou, China

Not only the nutritional status and biological activity but also the soil ecological functioning or soil health has been impacted profoundly by land degradation in the karst area of southwest China where the karst ecosystems are generally considered as extremely vulnerable to land degradation under intensified land-use changes. The objectives of this study are to elucidate the changes in overall soil quality by a holistic approach of soil nutritional, biological activity, and soil health indicators in the karst area as impacted by intense cultivation and vegetation degradation. Topsoil samples were collected on selected eco-tesserae in a sequence of land degradation in a karst area of southwest Guizhou in 2004. The soil nutrient pools of organic carbon (C_org), extractable extracellular carbon (C_ext), total soil nitrogen (N_t), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (N_ah), total phosphorus (P_t), available phosphorus (P_a) were analyzed by wet soil chemistry. The soil biological properties were studied by means of measurements of microbial biomass carbon (both by fumigation–extraction, FE-C_mic, and by calculation from substrate-incubation respiration, SIR-C_mic) of respiration [respiration without addition of substrates, basal respiration (BR), and potential respiration (PR) with substrate-incubation] and of soil enzyme activities (invertase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase). Soil health status was assessed by simple indices of C_mic/C_org and BR/C_mic in conjunction with bacterial community structures determined by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. While the nutritional pool parameters, such as C_org and C_ext, described basically the changes in soil life-supporting capacity with cultivation interference and vegetation declined, those parameters of biological activity such as FE-C_mic, SIR, and SIR-C_mic as well as bacterial community structures measured by molecular method evidenced well the changes in soil functioning for ecosystem health with the land degradation.     

Subducted slabs beneath the eastern Indonesia-Tonga region: insights from tomography

Tomographic images of mantle structure beneath the region north and northeast of Australia show a number of anomalously fast regions. These are interpreted using a recent plate tectonic reconstruction in terms of current and former subduction systems. Several strong anomalies are related to current subduction. The inferred slab lengths and positions are consistent with Neogene subduction beneath the New Britain and Halmahera arcs, and at the Tonga and the New Hebrides trenches where there has been rapid rollback of subduction hinges since about 10 Ma. There are several deeper flat-lying anomalies which are not related to present subduction and we interpret them as former subduction zones overridden by Australia since 25 Ma. Beneath the Bird’s Head and Arafura Sea is an anomaly interpreted to be due to north-dipping subduction beneath the Philippines-Halmahera arc between 45 and 25 Ma. A very large anomaly extending from the Papuan peninsula to the New Hebrides, and from the Solomon Islands to the east Australian margin, is interpreted to be the remnant of south-dipping subduction beneath the Melanesian arc between 45 and 25 Ma. This interpretation implies that a flat-lying slab can survive for many tens of millions of years at the bottom of the upper mantle. In the lower mantle there is a huge anomaly beneath the Gulf of Carpentaria and east Papua New Guinea. This is located above the position where the tectonic model interprets a change in polarity of subduction from north-dipping to south-dipping between 45 and 25 Ma. We suggest this deep anomaly may be a slab subducted beneath eastern Australian during the Cretaceous, or subducted north of Australia during the Cenozoic before 45 Ma. The tomography also supports the tectonic interpretation which suggests little Neogene subduction beneath western New Guinea since no slab is imaged south of the New Guinea trench. However, one subduction zone in the tectonic model and many others, that associated with the Trobriand trough east of Papua New Guinea and the Miocene Maramuni arc, is not seen in the tomographic images and may require reconsideration of currently accepted tectonic interpretations.     

Preliminary results on kinematic model of tectonic blocks derived from high precision GPS observations in Southwest China

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1960-2009年西南地区极端干旱气候变化(英文)

Based on the daily data of temperature and precipitation of 108 meteorological stations in Southwest China from 1960 to 2009, we calculate the monthly and yearly surface humid indexes, as well as the extreme drought frequency. According to the data, the temporal and spatial characteristics of the extreme drought frequency in inter-annual, inter-decadal, summer monsoon period and winter monsoon period are analyzed. The results are indicated as follows. (1) In general, the southwestern Sichuan Basin, southern Hengduan Mountains, southern coast of Guangxi and northern Guizhou are the areas where the extreme drought frequency has significantly increased in the past 50 years. As for the decadal change, from the 1960s to the 1980s the extreme drought frequency has presented a decreasing trend, while the 1990s is the wettest decade and the whole area is turning wet. In the 2000s, the extreme drought frequency rises quickly, but the regional differences reduce. (2) During summer monsoon period, the extreme drought frequency is growing, which generally occurs in the high mountains around the Sichuan Basin, most parts of Guangxi and "the broom-shaped mountains" in Yunnan. It is distinct that the altitude has impacts on the ex-treme drought frequency; during winter monsoon period, the area is relatively wet and the extreme drought frequency is decreasing. (3) During summer monsoon period, the abrupt change is observed in 2003, whereas the abrupt change during winter monsoon period is in 1989. The annual extreme drought frequency variation is a superposition of abrupt changes during summer monsoon and winter monsoon periods. The departure sequence vibration of annual extreme drought frequency is quasi-5 years and quasi-12 years.     

2009年7月17日唐山地区强降水成因分析

利用常规天气资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,对2009年7月17日唐山地区暴雨天气过程进行分析。结果表明：强降水是暖湿空气向北输送与低层冷空气交汇引起的。降水前期,唐山地区中低层水汽强辐合为强降水准备了条件。冷空气从底层侵入,抬升暖湿气流,低层暖锋锋生使对流不稳定性增大,上升运动加强,降水量增大。强降水区存在低层辐合、高层辐散和斜升运动机制。850hPa湿位涡正压项MPV1＞0区域能较好地反映出冷空气活动特征,强降水出现在MPV1零线附近偏冷空气一侧。     

高原涡诱生西南涡特大暴雨成因的个例研究

利用多途径探测与再分析资料,通过诊断分析、数值模拟和敏感性试验,对2008年7月20～21日一次高原涡东移诱生西南涡并引发川中特大暴雨的天气过程进行了初步分析,探讨了西南涡特大暴雨发生的中尺度环境场特征,特殊地形和非绝热物理过程在高原涡东移诱生西南涡特大暴雨中的作用。结果表明,高原涡形成后沿高原东北侧下滑,在四川盆地诱生出西南涡,川中特大暴雨在西南涡形成过程中由强中尺度对流系统(MCSs)的活动造成。高原涡东移诱生的低层偏东气流在川西高原东侧地形的动力强迫抬升作用下,释放对流有效位能激发出MCSs产生强降水,降水凝结潜热加热反馈驱动西南涡快速发展。地形的动力作用仅能形成浅薄的西南涡,降水凝结潜热的加入才能使西南涡充分发展。高原涡的发展主要受地面热通量影响,它的发展与否在很大程度上决定西南涡能否形成。盆地周边高大山脉对西南涡的位置分别有不同程度的影响,而盆地周边高大山脉上叠加的中小尺度地形对西南涡和暴雨带的整体位置影响不大,在一定程度上影响暴雨的落区。     

塔里木盆地西南缘的岩石组合及其构造演化

塔里木盆地西南缘可划分为喀喇昆仑、西昆仑、塔里木等三个地层区和康西瓦、库地等两个缝合带。自震旦纪以来,该区经历了震旦纪—泥盆纪和石炭纪—第四纪两大构造旋回。对应每一旋回,喀喇昆仑地层区和塔里木地层区发育有被动大陆边缘盆地和碰撞造山两种类型的岩石组合。西昆仑地层区发育了被动大陆边缘盆地、俯冲消减带和碰撞造山等三种类型的岩石组合。康西瓦缝合带是康西瓦洋经历了震旦纪—中泥盆世和早石炭世—晚侏罗世两次开合后的遗迹,它既是喀喇昆仑和西昆仑两个地层区的分界线,又是羌塘和塔里木两个板块的分界线;库地缝合带则是库地洋经历早石炭世—早二叠世一次开合的遗迹,分割了西昆仑和塔里木这两个地层区。     

湿位涡守恒条件下西南涡的发展

运用高分辨率数值预报模式 (HIRLAM)模拟了一次中国西南地区在多种活跃天气系统影响下 ,西南涡的发展过程。分析了东亚季风、青藏高压、地形等多种尺度与不同高低空环流形势配合以及在湿位涡守恒条件下对流发展时 ,潜热及不稳定能量的释放 ,对中尺度涡旋和强对流发生发展的作用 ,探讨了西南涡和局地降水增强与消亡的成因与理论 ,并具有实用意义