A composite geologic and seismic profile beneath the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, based on xenolith mineralogy, temperature, and pressure     

J.M. Hamblock  C.L. Andronicos  K.C. Miller  C.G. Barnes  M-H. Ren  M.G. Averill  E.Y. Anthony 《Tectonophysics》2007,442(1-4):14-48

A complete understanding of the processes of crustal growth and recycling in the earth remains elusive, in part because data on rock composition at depth is scarce. Seismic velocities can provide additional information about lithospheric composition and structure, however, the relationship between velocity and rock type is not unique. The diverse xenolith suite from the Potrillo volcanic field in the southern Rio Grande rift, together with velocity models derived from reflection and refraction data in the area, offers an opportunity to place constraints on the composition of the crust and upper mantle from the surface to depths of  60 km. In this work, we calculate seismic velocities of crustal and mantle xenoliths using modal mineralogy, mineral compositions, pressure and temperature estimates, and elasticity data. The pressure, temperature, and velocity estimates from xenoliths are then combined with sonic logs and stratigraphy estimated from drill cores and surface geology to produce a geologic and velocity profile through the crust and upper mantle. Lower crustal xenoliths include garnet ± sillimanite granulite, two-pyroxene granulite, charnokite, and anorthosite. Metagabbro and amphibolite account for only a small fraction of the lower crustal xenoliths, suggesting that a basaltic underplate at the crust–mantle boundary is not present beneath the southern Rio Grande rift. Abundant mid-crustal felsic to mafic igneous xenoliths, however, suggest that plutonic rocks are common in the middle crust and were intraplated rather than underplated during the Cenozoic. Calculated velocities for garnet granulite are between  6.9 and 8.0 km/s, depending on garnet content. Granulites are strongly foliated and lineated and should be seismically anisotropic. These results suggest that velocities > 7.0 km/s and a layered structure, which are often attributed to underplated mafic rocks, can also be characteristic of alternating garnet-rich and garnet-poor metasedimentary rocks. Because the lower crust appears to be composed largely of metasedimentary granulite, which requires deep burial of upper crustal materials, we suggest the initial construction of the continental crust beneath the Potrillo volcanic field occurred by thickening of supracrustal material in the absence of large scale magmatic accretion. Mantle xenoliths include spinel lherzolite and harzburgite, dunite, and clinopyroxenite. Calculated P-wave velocities for peridotites range from 7.75 km/s to 7.89 km/s, with an average of 7.82 km/s. This velocity is in good agreement with refraction and reflection studies that report P_n velocities of 7.6–7.8 km/s throughout most of the Rio Grande rift. These calculations suggest that the low P_n velocities compared to average uppermost mantle are the result of relatively high temperatures and low pressures due to thin crust, as well as a fertile, Fe-rich, bulk upper mantle composition. Partial melt or metasomatic hydration of the mantle lithosphere are not needed to produce the observed P_n velocities.  相似文献   

A study on the motion characteristics and their impact on the wind measurement post-processing of the GPS dropwindsonde. Part II: impacts of post-processing/composition schemes     

Sunwei Li  Craig Miller 《Theoretical and Applied Climatology》2014,117(1-2):247-256

When the Global Positioning System dropwindsonde wind measurements are used, post-processing and composition approaches are necessary to calculate the vertical profiles of wind statistics. In order to understand the impacts of post-processing/composition schemes on the wind statistics calculated based on dropwindsonde measurements, various post-processing/composition schemes were utilized to post-process and to composite pseudo-dropsonde measurements resulting from numerical simulation of dropsonde motions in a pseudo-stochastic wind field. Since the wind statistics of the pseudo-stochastic wind field were specified, the comparison between wind statistics calculated based on pseudo-dropsonde measurements and the specified values provided some insights into the impacts of different post-processing/composition schemes. The post-processing/composition schemes investigated include the low-pass filter to reduce high-frequency dropsonde measurement noises, the finite difference scheme to calculate dropsonde accelerations, which is needed to dynamically correct dropsonde measurements and composition data size.  相似文献   

Decentralized and coordinate-free computation of critical points and surface networks in a discretized scalar field     

Myeong-Hun Jeong  Matt Duckham  Allison Kealy  Harvey J. Miller  Andrej Peisker 《International journal of geographical information science》2014,28(1):1-21

This article provides a decentralized and coordinate-free algorithm, called decentralized gradient field (DGraF), to identify critical points (peaks, pits, and passes) and the topological structure of the surface network connecting those critical points. Algorithms that can operate in the network without centralized control and without coordinates are important in emerging resource-constrained spatial computing environments, in particular geosensor networks. Our approach accounts for the discrepancies between finite granularity sensor data and the underlying continuous field, ignored by previous work. Empirical evaluation shows that our DGraF algorithm can improve the accuracy of critical points identification when compared with the current state-of-the-art decentralized algorithm and matches the accuracy of a centralized algorithm for peaks and pits. The DGraF algorithm is efficient, requiring O(n) overall communication complexity, where n is the number of nodes in the geosensor network. Further, empirical investigations of our algorithm across a range of simulations demonstrate improved load balance of DGraF when compared with an existing decentralized algorithm. Our investigation highlights a number of important issues for future research on the detection of holes and the monitoring of dynamic events in a field.  相似文献   

Constructing Risk: multi-scale change,livelihoods and vulnerability in the Mekong Delta,Vietnam     

Fiona Miller 《The Australian geographer》2014,45(3):309-324

ABSTRACT

Change has been at the heart of the livelihoods concept since its inception, allowing for a clear focus on how people perceive, respond to and experience risk. The ardent focus on ‘the local’ within livelihoods work, both in research and programmatic terms, has to some extent overshadowed attention on the role of wider-scale political economic and environmental processes in generating change and determining responses to change. Livelihoods in the Mekong Delta have never been ‘local’, having long been historically embedded in international, regional and national economic, political and environmental transformations. Drivers of change at these wider scales have intensified, complicating local responses to change, whether through economic, social or political means. A more nuanced appreciation of how scaled relations can be supported is required to better anticipate and respond to the political ecology of risk.  相似文献   

The analysis of results of remote sensing monitoring of the temperature profile in lower atmosphere in Bergen (Norway)     

I. N. Ezau  T. Wolf  E. A. Miller  I. A. Repina  Yu. I. Troitskaya  S. S. Zilitinkevich 《Russian Meteorology and Hydrology》2013,38(10):715-722

Considered is the application of MTP-5 meteorological temperature profiler used for the remote sensing of vertical profiles of the air temperature in the planetary boundary layer and the lower one-kilometer layer of the atmosphere. The measurements were carried out in Bergen (Norway) in 2011–2012. The obtained dataset of temperature profiles has temporal resolution of five minutes and vertical resolution of 50 m. The MTP-5 data are complemented with the measurements of the air temperature and the wind taken at two automatic weather stations and with the measurements of the rain intensity made with the rain radar. Studied is the impact of meteorological conditions and precipitation on the MTP-5 readings. It is revealed that formation of a thin water film (of ice or, to a smaller degree, of sleet) on the surface of the sensor cover of MTP-5 has a significant impact on the data of the temperature monitoring. The removal of intensive precipitation (the precipitation rate is >0.2 mm/hour) improved the reliability and quality of the temperature profile monitoring. In particular, it is demonstrated that significant air pollution and stably stratified atmospheric conditions which lead to low temperatures are reliably monitored with this instrument.  相似文献   

Subglacially precipitated carbonates record geochemical interactions and pollen preservation at the base of the Laurentide Ice Sheet on central Baffin Island,eastern Canadian Arctic     

Kurt A. Refsnider  Gifford H. Miller  Marilyn L. Fogel  Bianca Fréchette  Roxane Bowden  John T. Andrews  G. Lang Farmer 《Quaternary Research》2014

The mineralogy and isotopic compositions of subglacially precipitated carbonate crusts (SPCCs) provide information on conditions and processes beneath former glaciers and ice sheets. Here we describe SPCCs formed on gneissic bedrock at the bed of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during the last glacial maximum on central Baffin Island. Geochemical data indicate that the Ca in the crusts was likely derived from the subglacial chemical weathering Ca-bearing minerals in the local bedrock. C and Sr isotopic analyses reveal that the C in the calcite was derived predominantly from older plant debris. The δ¹⁸O values of the SPCCs suggest that these crusts formed in isotopic equilibrium with basal ice LIS preserved in the Barnes Ice Cap (BIC). Columnar crystal fabric and the predominance of sparite over micrite in the SPCCs are indicative of carbonate precipitation under open-system conditions. However, the mean δ¹⁸O value of the calcite crusts is ~ 10‰ higher than those of primary LIS ice preserved in the BIC, demonstrating that SPCCs record the isotopic composition of only basal ice. Palynomorph assemblages preserved within the calcite and basal BIC ice include species last endemic to the Arctic in the early Tertiary. The source of these palynomorphs remains enigmatic.  相似文献   

Dimensionality of Stable and Unstable Directions in the Gravitational N-Body Problem     

R.H. Miller 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》1999,73(1-4):139-147

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The Environment Act 1995 and quiet enjoyment: implications for countryside recreation in the national parks of England and Wales, UK   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Deborah J. Pearlman  Janet Dickinson  Linda Miller  Jerry Pearlman† 《Area》1999,31(1):59-66

Summary National parks in England and Wales have traditionally been seen as places of quiet, less hurried recreation. The phrase 'quiet enjoyment' was adopted to represent this notion, and this paper traces the policy-making process involved in attempting to conserve this view. The debate during the enactment of the Environment Act 1995 brought the use and meaning of the phrase to prominence; amongst other issues, the use of the phrase in tenancy law precluded its use in legislation. The loss of the phrase 'quiet enjoyment' could have prolonged effects on the way in which national parks are used for recreational purposes.  相似文献   

Seasonal Investigations of Dissolved Organic Carbon Dynamics in the Tamar Estuary, U.K.     

A. E. J. Miller 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1999,49(6):891

A high temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO) technique was used to measure dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during seasonal surveys of the Tamar Estuary, U.K. At the time of the programme, the field of DOC analysis had been plagued by numerous analytical difficulties. However, using thorough calibration of the analytical systems and the systematic analysis of an internal reference material, a valuable estuarine DOC data set was produced. The range of DOC concentrations observed (478–110 μM C) is consistent with the published data for riverine and coastal sea waters respectively. The Tamar Estuary is a freshwater DOC-dominated system, with strong correlation between lateral DOC distribution and salinity. However, mixing behaviour was not strictly conservative. During tidal cycle studies at a fixed station, DOC concentrations appeared to be uncoupled from salinity, and were inversely related to turbidity. It is concluded that tidally-induced resuspension of bottom sediments provided the dominant control mechanism for DOC concentration. The Tamar Estuary shows contrasting behaviour to the larger, more heavily impacted, Severn Estuary. Hence it is likely that the behaviour of DOC in estuaries cannot be classified as typical per se, but is a function of the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of the catchment and hydrology.  相似文献