Statistical analysis of metallic anomaly patterns at former air force bombing ranges     

Jacqueline A. MacDonald  Mitchell J. Small 《Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (SERRA)》2009,23(2):203-214

This paper summarizes the findings of a statistical analysis of the locations of metallic anomalies detected at the Pueblo Precision Bombing Range Number 2 in Otero County, Colorado, and at the Victorville Precision Bombing Range in San Bernardino County, California. The purpose of the study is to explore whether statistical properties of the pattern of anomaly locations can be used to discriminate areas likely to contain unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from previous bombing practice from those unlikely to contain UXO. Techniques for discriminating areas with and without UXO are needed because historic records have left an incomplete account of previous military training activities, so that locations historically used for target practice are often unknown. This study differs from previous research on metallic anomaly data at former military training ranges in that it analyzes the spatial pattern of the discrete locations of the anomalies, rather than the average number of anomalies per unit area. The results indicate that differences in spatial pattern may be a distinguishing feature between areas that were used for target practice and those that are unlikely to contain UXO, even when a large number of ferrous rocks and other inert metallic anomalies are present. We found that at both of the former bombing ranges, the anomaly patterns in sample areas that are distant from all known bombing targets are consistent with a complete spatial randomness pattern, while those near the target areas fit a radially symmetric, bivariate Gaussian pattern. Furthermore, anomaly location patterns generated by surveys with airborne metal detectors have the same statistical properties as the patterns generated by surveys with on-ground detectors, even though the airborne systems detect only a subset of the anomalies found by the ground-based detectors. Thus, pattern information revealed by airborne surveys with metal detectors may be useful in identifying areas where careful searches for UXO are needed.

Jacqueline A. MacDonaldEmail:

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Low‐frequency passive seismic experiments in Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates: implications for hydrocarbon detection     

Mohammed Y. Ali  Karl A. Berteussen  James Small  Braham Barkat 《Geophysical Prospecting》2010,58(5):875-899

Low‐frequency passive seismic experiments utilizing arrays of 3‐component broadband seismometers were conducted over two sites in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The experiments were conducted in the vicinity of a producing oilfield and around a dry exploration well to better understand the characteristics and origins of microtremor signals (1–6 Hz), which had been reported as occurring exclusively above several hydrocarbon reservoirs in the region. The results of the experiments revealed that a strong correlation exists between the recorded ambient noise and observed meteorological and anthropogenic noises. In the frequency range of 0.15–0.4 Hz, the dominant feature is a double‐frequency microseism peak generated by the non‐linear interactions of storm induced surface waves in the Arabian Sea. We observed that the double‐frequency microseism displays a high variability in spectral amplitude, with the strongest amplitude occurring when Cyclone Gonu was battering the eastern coast of Oman; this noise was present at both sites and so is not a hydrocarbon indicator. Moreover, this study found that very strong microtremor signals in the frequency range of 2–3 Hz were present in all of the locations surveyed, both within and outside of the reservoir boundary and surrounding the dry exploration well. This microtremor signal has no clear correlation with the microseism signals but significant variations in the characteristics of the signals were observed between daytime and nighttime recording periods that clearly correlate with human activity. High‐resolution frequency‐wavenumber (f‐k) spectral analyses were performed on the recorded data to determine apparent velocities and azimuths of the wavefronts for the microseism and microtremor events. The f‐k analyses confirmed that the double‐frequency microseism originates from wave activity in the Arabian Sea, while the microtremor events have an azimuth pointing towards the nearest motorways, indicating that they are probably being excited by traffic noise. Results drawn from particle motion studies confirm these observations. The vertical‐to‐horizontal spectral ratios of the data acquired in both experiments show peaks around 2.5–3 Hz with no dependence on the presence or absence of subsurface hydrocarbons. Therefore, this method should not be used as a direct hydrocarbon indicator in these environments. Furthermore, the analyses provide no direct evidence to indicate that earthquakes are capable of stimulating the hydrocarbon reservoir in a way that could modify the spectral amplitude of the microtremor signal.  相似文献   

A desktop image processing and photogrammetric method for rapid volcanic hazard mapping: application to air-photo interpretation of Mount Pelée,Martinique     

Glen S. Mattioli  Pamela E. Jansma  Lorna Jaramillo  Alan L. Smith 《Bulletin of Volcanology》1996,58(5):401-410

 A desktop image processing and photogrammetric method was developed for digitizing black-and-white aerial photographs. The technique was applied to airborne optical images of Mt. Pelée, Martinique, a historically active volcano in the tropical Lesser Antilles island arc, to evaluate its utility for rapid geologic mapping and hazard assessment in vegetated areas. The digital approach provides several advantages over traditional air-photo interpretation by allowing for change detection in time-series images, morphologic characterization, development of digital elevation models from stereopairs, and geo-referencing with other digital data sets. A digital mosaic of Mt. Pelée was created from air photos acquired in 1951, which covered the region affected by the 1902 eruption. Severe mismatches occurred along edges of adjacent photographs prior to correction, which precluded quantitative morphologic analysis of the volcanic edifice. Geometric corrections and histogram equalization of digitized air photos allowed creation of a continuous mosaic. Comparison of the mosaic and a map based on differences in gray scale and texture to a volcanostratigraphic map revealed that not only the various deposits produced during the 1902 event were easily differentiated, but that older eruptive products were identified, suggesting that this approach may be used for rapid hazard evaluation of historically active tropical volcanoes. Received: 22 January 1996 / Accepted: 26 July 1996  相似文献   

The consolidation of a deep clay stratum subject to an impermeable axisymmetric surface loading     

J.R. Booker  J.C. Small 《Computers and Geotechnics》1985,1(4):245-261

Previous analytic solutions to the problem of the consolidation of a deep clay stratum subjected to a surface loading, have been obtained for the assumed condition of a completely permeable upper surface. This may not be so in many applications, where the foundation causing the loading may be impermeable, and therefore only that part of the clay surface outside the loading is free to drain.In this paper a method is presented which may be used to obtain the time-settlement behaviour of a circular loading applied over an impermeable region of the surface of the clay. The solution technique involves representing the continuous values of fluid flow along the surface boundary as uniform blocks of flow. The solution is found in Laplace transform space and a numerical inversion technique is then used to obtain the time dependent solution.Two types of surface loading are examined; a completely uniform loading and a loading distribution which is approximately that of a rigid footing. For the uniform loading case, comparisons are made with previous solutions (permeable surface) and it is shown that the assumption of an impermeable loaded region leads to significant changes in the time-settlement behaviour of the loading.  相似文献   

Finite layer analysis of laterally loaded piles in cross-anisotropic soils     

C. Y. Lee  J. C. Small 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》1991,15(11):785-808

This paper presents a finite layer method for the analysis of laterally loaded piles in isotropic and cross-anisotropic layered soils. Excellent agreement is found between the isotropic solutions computed by the finite layer method and the more rigorous finite element method. Some theoretical solutions are presented to demonstrate the effect of soil anisotropy. Two full scale field case histories have been analysed by the method using isotropic and cross-anisotropic soil models.  相似文献   

Finite layer analysis of viscoelastic layered materials     

J. R. Booker  J. C. Small 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》1986,10(4):415-430

A method is presented for obtaining the creep settlement of strip or circular loadings applied to horizontally layered soil profiles. The solution method involves applying a fourier (strip loading) or Hankel (circular loading) transform to the governing equations, which reduces the two of three dimensional problem to one involving a single spatial demension. This leads to great savings in computer storage and data preparation time, and since an exact solution may be found for each layer of material, the method has advantages over conventional finite layer techniques where field quantities must be approximated at a number of positions within each layer. The type of formulation presented hearein makies it possible to work in terms of the creep functions of the soil rather than the relaxation functions. This has distinct advantages, as it is often easier to measure the creep behaviour of a soil in the laboratory. Numerical techniques are used to invert the laplace and Hankel transforms and this means that any type of creep function (which is invertible) may be used to describe the material properties of the soil.  相似文献   

The behaviour of an impermeable flexible raft on a deep layer of consolidating soil     

J. R. Booker  J. C. Small 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》1986,10(3):311-327

Analytic solutions to the problem of the time-settlement behaviour of raft foundations have been limited in the past to flexible or rigid loadings, and have treated the foundation as being completely permeable. In this paper, solutions are presented for smooth circular rafts of any flexibility causing consolidation of a deep homogeneous clay layer, where the raft may be considered permeable or impermeable. Results for the time-dependent behaviour of contact stresses, pore pressures, raft displacements and moment in the raft are presented.  相似文献   

The time-deflection behaviour of a circular raft of finite flexibility on a deep clay layer     

T. R. Booker  J. C. Small 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》1984,8(4):343-357

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