Perchlorate accumulation and migration in the deep vadose zone in a semiarid region     

Harel Gal  Noam Weisbrod  Ofer Dahan  Zeev Ronen  Ronit Nativ   《Journal of Hydrology》2009,378(1-2):142-149

For 25 years, a plant in Israel manufacturing ammonium perchlorate disposed of untreated wastewater in four unlined ponds. This study explores the transport mechanisms of perchlorate infiltrated from 1965 to 1990 from one of these active storage ponds into a deep (40 m) layered vadose zone and the underlying Israeli coastal aquifer. Perchlorate migration from 1990, when wastewater disposal ceased, until today, with infiltration due only to natural rain (500 mm y⁻¹), was also studied. Several indirect methods were used, including: mass balance in the unsaturated zone profile, δ¹⁸O and δ²H profiles below the pond, and a comparison of the same sediment profiles in 2005 and 2007. The isotopic composition of the pore water could be divided into two separate groups: lighter (depleted) and heavier (enriched) samples. All samples in the lighter group were from the shallow vadose zone, above two clayey layers, and represent natural infiltration of rainwater. The enriched samples were from the deeper section of the unsaturated zone (20–40 m) and represent water used for perchlorate manufacturing 14 years prior to drilling. Consequently, the overall maximum infiltration rate was estimated to be 1.4 m y⁻¹. Below the clayey layer almost identical perchlorate concentrations were found along the sediment profile in 2005 and 2007 (two boreholes, 3 m apart). Very different perchlorate profiles were observed above the clayey layers. This suggests that perchlorate below the clay layers (20–40 m) is practically stagnant under the current natural conditions. The reduction in perchlorate concentration in groundwater below the ponds vs. its increased concentration further downgradient supports the contention that the current migration of perchlorate from the vadose zone to the groundwater is very small. We estimate that perchlorate concentration in the groundwater under the infiltration pond, which was 187 mg l⁻¹ in 2004, will reach 10 μg l⁻¹ within about 14 years. The existence of a clayey layer crossing the thick vadose zone was thus found to significantly change the infiltration rate when ponded conditions were replaced with natural precipitation.  相似文献   

Concentric crater fill in the northern mid-latitudes of Mars: Formation processes and relationships to similar landforms of glacial origin     

Joseph Levy  James W. Head 《Icarus》2010,209(2):390-404

Hypotheses accounting for the formation of concentric crater fill (CCF) on Mars range from ice-free processes (e.g., aeolian fill), to ice-assisted talus creep, to debris-covered glaciers. Based on analysis of new CTX and HiRISE data, we find that concentric crater fill (CCF) is a significant component of Amazonian-aged glacial landsystems on Mars. We present mapping results documenting the nature and extent of CCF along the martian dichotomy boundary over −30 to 90°E latitude and 20-80°N longitude. On the basis of morphological analysis we classify CCF landforms into “classic” CCF and “low-definition” CCF. Classic CCF is most typical in the middle latitudes of the analysis area (∼30-50°N), while a range of degradation processes results in the presence of low-definition CCF landforms at higher and lower latitudes. We evaluate formation mechanisms for CCF on the basis of morphological and topographic analyses, and interpret the landforms to be relict debris-covered glaciers, rather than ice-mobilized talus or aeolian units. We examine filled crater depth-diameter ratios and conclude that in many locations, hundreds of meters of ice may still be present under desiccated surficial debris. This conclusion is consistent with the abundance of “ring-mold craters” on CCF surfaces that suggest the presence of near-surface ice. Analysis of breached craters and distal glacial deposits suggests that in some locations, CCF-related ice was once several hundred meters higher than its current level, and has sublimated significantly during the most recent Amazonian. Crater counts on ejecta blankets of filled and unfilled craters suggests that CCF formed most recently between ∼60 and 300 Ma, consistent with the formation ages of other martian debris-covered glacial landforms such as lineated valley fill (LVF) and lobate debris aprons (LDA). Morphological analysis of CCF in the vicinity of LVF and LDA suggests that CCF is a part of an integrated LVF/LDA/CCF glacial landsystem. Instances of morphological continuity between CCF, LVF, and LDA are abundant. The presence of formerly more abundant CCF ice, coupled with the integration of CCF into LVF and LDA, suggests the possibility that CCF represents one component of the significant Amazonian mid-latitude glaciation(s) on Mars.  相似文献   

Optimal design of supplemental viscous dampers for irregular shear‐frames in the presence of yielding     

Oren Lavan  Robert Levy 《地震工程与结构动力学》2005,34(8):889-907

A methodology for the optimal design of supplemental viscous dampers for regular as well as irregular yielding shear‐frames is presented. It addresses the problem of minimizing the added damping subject to a constraint on an energy‐based global damage index (GDI) for an ensemble of realistic ground motion records. The applicability of the methodology for irregular structures is achieved by choosing an appropriate GDI. For a particular choice of the parameters comprising the GDI, a design for the elastic behavior of the frame or equal damage for all stories is achieved. The use of a gradient‐based optimization algorithm for the solution of the optimization problem is enabled by first deriving an expression for the gradient of the constraint. The optimization process is started for one ‘active’ ground motion record which is efficiently selected from the given ensemble. If the resulting optimal design fails to satisfy the constraints for other records from the original ensemble, additional ground motions (loading conditions) are added one by one to the ‘active’ set until the optimum is reached. Two examples for the optimal designs of supplemental dampers are given: a 2‐story shear frame with varying strength distribution and a 10‐story shear frame. The 2‐story shear frame is designed for one given ground motion whereas the 10‐story frame is designed for an ensemble of twenty ground motions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

The influence of seismotectonics on precursory changes in groundwater composition for the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan     

Jens Hartmann  Jason K. Levy 《Hydrogeology Journal》2006,14(7):1307-1318

It is shown that temporal variation in hydrochemistry may be attributed, in part, to continuous seismotectonic activity occurring before the onset of the 1995 “Kobe” earthquake, Japan, challenging the “one earthquake–one signal” hypothesis with respect to potential precursory signals to this devastating event. A possible continuous seismotectonic influence on chloride and sulphate ion-concentration is evaluated with aggregate earthquake-information by transforming a multivariate earthquake time series (including coordinates and magnitude) into a one-dimensional time series (considering geometric relationships between earthquakes and the well-site). A piecewise analysis of ion-concentration and seismotectonic-activity time series compares trends and change points between the two time series: a positive correlation (before the proposed onset of the preparation stage) is followed by a negative correlation (during the proposed preparation stage) which, in turn, is succeeded by a positive correlation (after the heaviest aftershock sequences). This suggests that seismotectonic processes occurring before the Kobe earthquake dynamically influenced aquifer characteristics, leading to temporal variations in the hydrochemical time series. Accordingly, a dynamic change in the mixing ratios of waters with different hydrochemical characteristics is proposed as a mechanism for explaining observed variation. The research can be extended by considering vectors in the stress field that lead to changes in the aquifer-well system.The influence of seismotectonics on precursory changes in groundwater composition for the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan.  相似文献   

Geophysical Surveys in the Jebel Hamrat Fidan,Jordan     

Alan J. Witten  Thomas E. Levy  Russell B. Adams  I.J. Won 《Geoarchaeology》2000,15(2):135-150

The Jebel (Jebel is mountain in Arabic) Hamrat Fidan marks the “gateway” to the Feinan district of southern Jordan—one of the largest sources of copper during the prehistoric and Early Bronze Ages in the eastern Mediterranean. Preliminary excavations and surveys at sites along the Wadi Fidan have revealed a long history of settled occupation extending from the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic (ca. 6,500 B.C.) to early medieval times. Because of this long history of occupation, and the fact that this area was a regional center for the production of copper, the study of this area is important for understanding early metallurgy, craft specialization, and social evolution. During the summer of 1997, geophysical investigations at a series of Neolithic and Bronze Age sites identified specific areas within Wadi Fidan for future intensive excavations. Three geophysical techniques (electromagnetic induction, ground‐penetrating radar, and magnetometry) were used to help locate buried architectural and industrial features remaining from early mining and metallurgical operations, including copper ore bodies or voids. Geophysics was not used at the actual mining sites because of scheduling constraints; however, geophysics did delineate buried stone walls at three distinct Wadi Fidan sites. Magnetometry and ground penetrating radar provided little useful information. Buried stone walls were apparently “masked” by numerous magnetic stones on the ground surface making magnetometry useless. Reflections from known strata demonstrated that radar penetrated the ground adequately; however, known shallowly buried walls were not recognizable. Electromagnetic induction produced maps of linear and rectilinear features that suggested spatial distribution of widespread buried stone walls suitable for future excavation. A significant and unexpected finding was that electromagnetic induction proved capable of delineating buried stone walls. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  相似文献   

Geophysical diffraction tomography: New views on the shiqmim prehistoric subterranean village site (israel)     

Alan J. Witten  Thomas E. Levy  James Ursic  Paul White 《Geoarchaeology》1995,10(2):97-118

Shiqmim is a late prehistoric farming village in the Beersheva river valley in Israel's northern Negev desert dating to the late 5th-early 4th millennia B. C. Along with surface architecture, archaeologists discovered a sequence of large subterranean rooms interconnected by narrow tunnels. This discovery, found in the northern Negev, as well as similar subterranean features and dating back to the same period, has created considerable controversy as to the functions of this innovative architecture. To a large extent, this controversy results from conflicting hypotheses based on the small sample of subterranean Negev architectures. A fundamental task in the resolution of these problems is the location and investigation of similar features within this region. This is not a simple task because these subterranean features can be as much as 7 m deep in hard-packed soil and are usually completely filled with fine sediment as a result of depositional forces acting over the 6 millennium since their abandonment. To help quantify the spatial extent of subterranean features at Shiqmim and identify particularly promising locations for excavation, an emerging geophysical method, known as geophysical diffraction tomography, was applied. This method is based on the propagation of acoustic waves and employs the mathematical concepts of optical holography to reconstruct quantitative, high-resolution images of the subsurface environment. Two geophysical imaging field studies were performed at Shiqmim, and the results of these studies indicate that subterranean architecture is much more pervasive at this site than previously thought. The new geophysical studies help answer social questions and highlight the contribution of geoarchaeology to anthropological reconstructions of the past. This article discusses geophysical diffraction tomography and the first attempt to apply it in an archaeological context. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  相似文献