At the dawn of geodesy     

Irene K. Fischer 《Journal of Geodesy》1981,55(2):132-142

The first land surveyors were rope stretchers and rope knotters, remembered in ancient documents and tomb paintings and also in some terminology. The L-shaped carpenter’s square, one of the earliest and most versatile basic tools, represents the observed direction of the plumb line versus the water level and appears as the shadow-casting gnomon and also as the geometrical gnomon in magically-restricted enlargements of altars. The related “Pythagorean” theorem was known in antiquity centuries before Pythagoras, with algebraic proofs in Babylonia and China. The spherical shape of the earth, deduced from the observation of circumpolar stars, was part of a complete equatorial astronomical system in ancient China. But although shadow measurements were generally used to establish north-south distances, only the Greeks derived from them the size of the earth. The striking difference between the abstract, geometric approach of Greece and the concrete, algebraic approach of Babylonia and China represents not a difference in talents but a difference in culture-bound interests.  相似文献   

Five hundred million years of punctuated addition of juvenile crust during extension in the Goochland Terrane,central Appalachian Piedmont Province     

Aaron J. Martin  Irene Kadel-Harder  Brent E. Owens  Kouki Kitajima  Scott D. Samson  Sanjeet K. Verma 《International Geology Review》2020,62(5):523-548

ABSTRACT

The Goochland Terrane is an enigmatic crustal block in the Appalachian Piedmont Province of central Virginia, USA. Sparse exposures of terminal Mesoproterozoic and late Neoproterozoic igneous rocks in the central Goochland Terrane offer the opportunity to investigate both the continental affinity of the terrane during the Proterozoic Eon and the timing and mechanisms of crustal growth. We apply multiple geochemical tools to these rocks: tectonic discrimination using whole-rock major and trace element abundances; whole-rock Sm-Nd isotopes; O, U-Pb, and Lu-Hf isotope analyses of spots in zircon; and measurement of O isotopes in multi-grain quartz separates. Eruption of the Sabot Amphibolite protolith is difficult to date, but we tentatively assign an age of 552 ± 11 Ma. Goochland Terrane continental crust first separated from the mantle prior to ca. 1050–1010 Ma intrusion of the Montpelier Anorthosite and the State Farm Gneiss protolith. The granitic magma that became the State Farm Gneiss protolith could have been derived entirely from partial melting of this initial Goochland Terrane crust. In contrast, the magmas that became the Montpelier Anorthosite, Neoproterozoic granitoid, and the Sabot Amphibolite were mixtures of mantle melt and preexisting Goochland Terrane crust. This production of juvenile continental crust occurred during continental extension and, eventually, rifting. The timing and compositions of terminal Mesoproterozoic magmatism in the Goochland Terrane closely match those in the nearby Blue Ridge Province. Although the compositions of the Neoproterozoic magmas in the two regions are similar, intrusion and possibly eruption occurred about 10 M.y. later in the Goochland Terrane.  相似文献   

Origin of organic sulphur compounds and sulphur-containing high molecular weight substances in sediments and immature crude oils     

Jaap S. Sinninghe Damst  W. Irene  C. Rijpstra  Jan W. de Leeuw  P.A. Schenck 《Organic Geochemistry》1988,13(4-6)

The distribution patterns of Organic Sulphur Compounds (OSC), occurring in certain sediments and immature crude oils, were compared with those of the corresponding hydrocarbons. Because of the complexity of the OSC mixtures, they were desulphurized to hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, isoprenoid alkanes, steranes, triterpanes and branched alkanes). The hydrocarbons produced by desulphurization of the OSC exhibited distribution patterns different from those of the hydrocarbons originally present. Therefore reaction of elemental sulphur with these hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures must be considered as an unlikely origin for these OSC. Sulphur incorporation reactions on an intramolecular basis with suitable functionalized precursors at the early stages of diagenesis are probably the major origin for these OSc. Desulphurization of high molecular weight fractions also produced hydrocarbons, dominated by n-alkanes up to C₄₀. Therefore it is assumed that these substances contain n-alkanes, 2,5-dialkyl-thiophenes and -thiolanes linked to each other by sulphur briddges. These findings stronly suggest that sulphur-containing high molecular weight substances are formed by the same sulphur incorporation reactions as OSC, but in an intermolecular fashion.  相似文献   

Influence of sediment provenance on background values of potentially toxic metals from near-surface sediments of Po coastal plain (Italy)     

Alessandro?AmorosiEmail author  Irene?Sammartino 《International Journal of Earth Sciences》2007,96(2):389-396

Systematic variability in metal concentrations is recorded in near-surface (1 m deep) Late Quaternary sediments of Po coastal plain, across the boundary between alluvial deposits of Apenninic provenance and a formerly active, now abandoned, delta lobe of the Po River. In the latter area, high Cr and Ni concentrations, exceeding the national standard limits, are attributed to sediment provenance from ultramafic source rocks of Po catchment basin, and not to anthropogenic impact. Spatial distribution of carbonate-related elements, such as Ca and Sr, displays consistent differences between the two areas, confirming a primary control of provenance domains on sediment composition. Accurate facies characterization of near-surface sediments, coupled with detailed information on sediment dispersal patterns, enable a reliable interpretation of the spatial variability of major elements and trace metals in the study area. Particularly, detailed reconstructions of source area composition and changes in flow directions through historical times allow precise correlation of apparently anomalous geochemical patterns with distinctive depositional events, such as shifts in channel course, crevasse splay formation and beach-ridge evolution. The findings of unusually high, natural (provenance-controlled) heavy metal concentrations in pre-industrial near-surface levels highlight the contribution of a sedimentological approach to a reliable interpretation of geochemical data. This should be taken into account when determining background values versus anthropogenic impact.  相似文献   

Earthquakes in Switzerland and surrounding regions during 2015 and 2016     

Tobias Diehl  John Clinton  Nicolas Deichmann  Carlo Cauzzi  Philipp Kästli  Toni Kraft  Irene Molinari  Maren Böse  Clotaire Michel  Manuel Hobiger  Florian Haslinger  Donat Fäh  Stefan Wiemer 《Swiss Journal of Geoscience》2018,111(1-2):221-244

This report summarizes the seismicity in Switzerland and surrounding regions in the years 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the Swiss Seismological Service detected and located 735 earthquakes in the region under consideration. With a total of 20 earthquakes of magnitude M_L ≥ 2.5, the seismic activity of potentially felt events in 2015 was close to the average of 23 earthquakes over the previous 40 years. Seismic activity was above average in 2016 with 872 located earthquakes of which 31 events had M_L ≥ 2.5. The strongest event in the analyzed period was the M_L 4.1 Salgesch earthquake, which occurred northeast of Sierre (VS) in October 2016. The event was felt in large parts of Switzerland and had a maximum intensity of V. Derived focal mechanisms and relative hypocenter relocations of aftershocks image a SSE dipping reverse fault, which likely also hosted an M_L 3.9 earthquake in 2003. Another remarkable earthquake sequence in the Valais occurred close to Sion with four felt events (M_L 2.7–3.2) in 2015/16. We associate this sequence with a system of WNW-ESE striking fault segments north of the Rhône valley. Similarities with a sequence in 2011, which was located about 10 km to the NE, suggest the existence of an en-echelon system of basement faults accommodating dextral slip along the Rhône-Simplon line in this area. Another exceptional earthquake sequence occurred close to Singen (Germany) in November 2016. Relocated hypocenters and focal mechanisms image a SW dipping transtensional fault segment, which is likely associated with a branch of the Hegau-Bodensee Graben. On the western boundary of this graben, micro-earthquakes close to Schlattingen (TG) in 2015/16 are possibly related to a NE dipping branch of the Neuhausen Fault. Other cases of earthquakes felt by the public during 2015/16 include earthquakes in the region of Biel, Vallorcine, Solothurn, and Savognin.  相似文献   

Understanding long-term groundwater flow at Pahute Mesa and vicinity,Nevada National Security Site,USA, from naturally occurring geochemical and isotopic tracers     

Kwicklis  Edward  Farnham  Irene  Hershey  Ronald L.  Visser  Ate  Hoaglund  John 《Hydrogeology Journal》2021,29(8):2725-2749

Recently collected naturally occurring geochemical and isotopic groundwater tracers were combined with historic data from the Pahute Mesa area of the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), Nevada, USA, to provide insights into long-term regional groundwater flow patterns, mixing and recharge. Pahute Mesa was the site of 85 nuclear detonations between 1965 and 1992, many of them deeply buried devices that introduced radionuclides directly into groundwater. The dataset examined included major ions and field measurements, stable isotopes of hydrogen (δ²H), oxygen (δ¹⁸O), carbon (δ¹³C) and sulfur (δ³⁴S), and radioisotopes of carbon (¹⁴C) and chloride (³⁶Cl). Analysis of the patterns of groundwater ¹⁴C data and the δ²H and δ¹⁸O signatures indicates that groundwater recharge is predominantly of Pleistocene age, except for a few localized areas near major ephemeral drainages. Steep gradients in sulfate (SO₄) and chloride (Cl) define a region near the western edge of the NNSS where high-concentration groundwater flowing south from north of the NNSS merges with dilute groundwater flowing west from eastern Pahute Mesa in a mixing zone that coincides with a groundwater trough associated with major faults. The ³⁶Cl/Cl and δ³⁴S data suggest that the source of the high Cl and SO₄ in the groundwater was a now-dry, pluvial-age playa lake north of the NNSS. Patterns of groundwater flow indicated by the combined data sets show that groundwater is flowing around the northwest margin of the now extinct Timber Mountain Caldera Complex toward regional discharge areas in Oasis Valley.

  相似文献   

Communicating Climate Change: Reinforcing Comprehension and Personal Ties to Climate Change Through Maps     

Irene M. Johannsen  Karla A. Lassonde  Forrest Wilkerson 《The Cartographic journal》2018,55(1):85-100

Although climate change is highly prevalent in the media, people in Europe and the United States are often unsure about climate change terms, processes, and its personal consequences. In other words, climate change communication seems to be largely failing so far. Among other communication tools, maps are widely used for explanatory purposes by scientists and the media. Here two questions arise: first, whether high map complexity may be too intricate to be understood and discourage people from deciphering the map; and second, whether personal interest in climate change can be influenced by the phenomenon depicted or the map’s scale. In a survey conducted among 109 students in the USA, 63% of respondents preferred a simple map, but a substantial subset, 37%, asked for complexity to receive more information. Regional phenomena evoked more concern than far-off phenomena (concern level index difference of 0.93 on a 5-ranked Likert scale). The advantage of maps showing local areas could not be statistically confirmed.  相似文献   

Plant–water relations of intertidal and subtidal seagrasses          下载免费PDF全文

Jose M. Sandoval‐Gil  Isabel Barrote  João Silva  Irene Olivé  Monya M. Costa  Juan M. Ruiz  Lázaro Marín‐Guirao  Jose L. Sánchez‐Lizaso  Rui Santos 《Marine Ecology》2015,36(4):1294-1310

  相似文献   

A test of independence for stratigraphic sequences with respect to embedded Markov chains     

Sture Holm  Irene Isaksson  Rodney Stevens 《Mathematical Geology》1986,18(6):551-561

Identification of cyclic sequences gives valuable insight into depositional associations of stratigraphic facies. An embedded Markov chain is a reasonable general model for facies transitions. But a model with independent random occurrences of facies is not an appropriate null hypothesis to be tested to show the presence of cycles because of definitional restriction in transition observations to only those between different facies. This is a common stratigraphic situation and the problem has been raised recently by several authors. We present here a test statistic for null hypothesis derived from the concept of partial independence and inherent to the model of embedded Markov processes.  相似文献   

Analyses of the Relationship Between Mucous Aggregates and Phytoplankton Communities in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea) by Multivariate Techniques     

Bruno  Cataletto  Enrico  Feoli  Serena Fonda  Umani  Marina  Monti Irene  Pecchiar 《Marine Ecology》1996,17(1-3):291-307

Abstract. Multivariate techniques (cluster analysis and Principal Component Analysis) applied on phytoplankton data collected in June, July, August, and September 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea) highlighted a clear temporal pattern from 1990 to 1993. In the summer of 1991, phytoplankton communities showed a dramatic increase in the dinoflagellatddiatom ratio. In particular, during June and July 1991 only few specimens of diatoms ( Cylindrorhecu closreriurn. Probosciu alata, Nirzschio longissimu , and Nitzschiu spp.) were collected; this confirmed the diatom scarcity in the phytoplankton communities before and during the appearance of large mucous aggregates (mucilage) in July 1991 in the Gulf of Trieste. The differences observed between the structure of the phytoplankton communities inside the aggregates and in the ambient waters suggested two hypotheses: 1) the aggregates were not produced in the gulf, but were carried ints the gulf by the eastern bordering current; 2) the aggregates were produced by a few, scarce species with a high exudate production that are capable of quickly reaching a high reproductive rate within the aggregates.  相似文献