Absence of a regional surface thermal high in the Baikal rift; new insights from detailed contouring of heat flow anomalies     

Jeffrey Poort  Jan Klerkx   《Tectonophysics》2004,383(3-4):217-241

Heat flow in active tectonic zones as the Baikal rift is a crucial parameter for evaluating deep anomalous structures and lithosphere evolution. Based on the interpretation of the existing datasets, the Baikal rift has been characterized in the past by either high heat flow, or moderately elevated heat flow, or even lacking a surface heat flow anomaly. We made an attempt to better constrain the geothermal picture by a detailed offshore contouring survey of known anomalies, and to estimate the importance of observed heat flow anomalies within the regional surface heat output. A total of about 200 new and close-spaced heat flow measurements were obtained in several selected study areas in the North Baikal Basin. With an outrigged and a violin-bow designed thermoprobe of 2–3-m length, both the sediment temperature and thermal conductivity were measured. The new data show at all investigated sites that the large heat flow highs are limited to local heat flow anomalies. The maximum measured heat flow reaches values of 300–35000 mW/m², but the extent of the anomalies is not larger than 2 to 4 km in diameter. Aside of these local anomalies, heat flow variations are restricted to near background values of 50–70 mW/m², except in the uplifted Academician zone. The extent of the local anomalies excludes a conductive source, and therefore heat transport by fluids must be considered. In a conceptual model where all bottom floor heat flow anomalies are the result of upflowing fluids along a conduit, an extra heat output of 20 MW (including advection) is estimated for all known anomalies in the North Baikal Basin. Relative to a basal heat flow of 55–65 mW/m², these estimations suggest an extra heat output in the northern Lake Baikal of only 5%, corresponding to a regional heat flow increase of 3 mW/m². The source of this heat can be fully attributed to a regional heat redistribution by topographically driven ground water flow. Thus, the surface heat flow is not expected to bear a signal of deeper lithospheric thermal anomalies that can be separated from heat flow typical for orogenically altered crust (40–70 mW/m²). The new insights on the geothermal signature in the Baikal rift once more show that continental rifting is not by default characterized by high heat flow.  相似文献   

Tidal wetting and drying on shore platforms: An experimental study of surface expansion and contraction     

Alan Trenhaile   《Geomorphology》2006,76(3-4):316-331

Laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure rock expansion and contraction induced by wetting and drying on intertidal shore platforms in eastern Canada. Almost 800 rock cores and cubes were subjected to between 800 and 1000 tidal cycles. The rocks were put into tidal simulators and inundated in de-ionized water for 1, 6, or 11 h of each 12 h cycle, replicating conditions at the high, mid-, and low tidal levels, respectively. Micro-erosion meter (MEM) stations were also installed in slabs of argillite, sandstone, and basalt. The slabs were subjected to conditions at the high, mid-, and low tidal levels, and a traversing MEM was used to measure rock expansion and contraction as the slabs dried in air with variable temperature and humidity during low tide. The slabs were also exposed for long periods to air with variable humidity. Cores and cubes often gained in weight when they absorbed or adsorbed water and retained it for periods ranging from 1 month to 1 year or more, although this did not appear to be a prelude to rock breakdown. Tidal wetting and drying and exposure to humid air caused the argillite and basalt slabs to expand and contract by up to 0.14 and 0.04 mm, respectively. Wetting and drying did not induce expansion or contraction of the sandstone, but the sandstone did respond slightly to changes in air humidity. The greatest amount of expansion and contraction was at the high tidal level in the argillite and at the mid-tidal level in the basalt, which is consistent with previously measured rates of downwearing.  相似文献   

Morphological features and processes in the central Algarve rocky coast (South Portugal)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

D. Moura  L. Albardeiro  C. Veiga-Pires  T. Boski  E. Tigano   《Geomorphology》2006,81(3-4):345-360

Morphological features along the Algarve rocky coast, South Portugal, are identified and described, with an emphasis on shore platforms and notches. The contributions of processes, such as wave attack, chemical weathering and bioerosion, to sculpting the shore platforms are discussed. The preferential localization of shore platforms on sites exposed to waves, and the lack of significant chemical weathering, point to wave erosion as the first-order factor in platform formation, whilst bioerosion/bioprotection, lithology and geological structure determine platform morphological variations. In addition, platforms above the present intertidal zone appear to have a polygenetic evolution, being inherited from former sea-level highstands and currently undergoing chemical weathering. The occurrence of notch features is independent of the degree of exposure to waves, but they mostly occur where the substratum is sand. Hydrostatic pressure appears to be an important factor in the formation of marine caves in the more sheltered sites.  相似文献   

Lithological control on the elevation of shore platforms in a microtidal setting     

D. M. Kennedy  M. E. Dickson 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2006,31(12):1575-1584

The shore platforms on Shag Point, southern New Zealand, are quasi‐horizontal surfaces and are developed between supratidal and low water spring levels. A range of morphologies occur, with more exposed platforms having a distinct low‐tide cliff, in contrast to low‐tide surfaces where the seaward edge is buried beneath rubble and macro‐algal growth. The platforms range in width from 20 to 80 m and are eroded into Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary fine marine sandstones and mudstones. Shore platforms have formed in two principal lithological units: a homogeneous unit that is characterized by few discontinuities, and a fractured unit with joints spaced about 0·5 m apart. Rock hardness is low in both units (L‐type Schmidt hammer rebound values of 31 ± 4), and there is little systematic variation in values between the two units in which platforms have developed. Case‐hardened concretions within the sandstone are significantly harder than surrounding rock and cause local relief of metre scale as the spherical diagenetic features are eroded from the bedrock. They do not, however, appear to affect broad‐scale platform geometry. Joints within the bedrock are a primary control on platform elevation. Platforms formed in jointed rock occur at the lower portion of the intertidal zone, in contrast to platforms formed in unjointed bedrock, in which horizontal surfaces occur at or above mean high water spring tide level. Rock structure, therefore, appears to be the primary determinant factor of platform geometry at Shag Point. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

南海新生代碳酸盐台地淹没事件记录的海底扩张   总被引：12，自引：0，他引：12  

吕炳全  徐国强  王红罡  赵会民 《地质科学》2002,37(4):405-414

本文通过对南海4个碳酸盐台地及其淹没事件的分析来阐明南海海底扩张的演化史.南海碳酸盐台地出现在最大海底扩张期,淹没事件出现在海底扩张和地壳下降速率进一步加快时期,因而它记录了海底扩张的阶段性和不均一性.南海共经历了早中新世晚期(距今17±0.5 Ma)、晚中新世早期(距今10.0～8.2 Ma)和上新世早期(距今3.4～3.0 Ma)等3次大的淹没事件,表明南海经历了3次大的海底扩张,短暂淹没事件是与海底扩张有关的各种地质事件的反映.  相似文献   

值得重视的海域海相油气勘探   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

温珍河  刘守全  陈建文  龚建明  肖国林  蔡峰  许红 《海相油气地质》2007,12(3):5-9

当前我国海域油气的勘探领域和勘探层位大部分局限于新生界,而对古生代海相地台沉积、特提斯海相沉积、南海生物礁、南海和冲绳等深水盆地领域的勘探涉足不深。通过海域海相油气的地质调查与研究以及新区评价,认为在我国海域拓宽找油的战略选区,力争海域海相油气勘探获得突破、发现储量规模大的整装油田是有可能的。  相似文献   

Total mercury and methylmercury in sediments near offshore drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico     

John H. Trefry  Robert P. Trocine  Michelle L. McElvaine  Robert D. Rember  Lucas T. Hawkins 《Environmental Geology》2007,53(2):375-385

Concentrations of total Hg in sediments near six drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico were elevated well above average background values of 40–80 ng/g. The excess Hg was associated with barite from discharged drilling mud. In contrast with total Hg, concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) in these sediments did not vary significantly at nearfield (<100 m) versus farfield (>3 km) distances from the drilling sites. Observed variability in concentrations of MeHg were related to local differences in redox state in the top 10 cm of sediment. Low to non-detectable concentrations of MeHg were found in nearfield sediments that were anoxic, highly reducing and contained abundant H₂S. At most drilling sites, nearfield samples with high concentrations of total Hg (>200 ng/g) had similar or lower amounts of MeHg than found at background (farfield) stations. Higher values of MeHg were found in a few nearfield sediments at one site where concentrations of TOC were higher and where sediments were anoxic and moderately reducing. Overall, results from this study support the conclusion that elevated concentrations of MeHg in sediments around drilling sites are not a common phenomenon in the Gulf of Mexico.  相似文献   

Short‐term rock surface expansion and contraction in the intertidal zone     

Neil J. Porter  A. S. Trenhaile 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2007,32(9):1379-1397

Transverse micro‐erosion meter (TMEM) stations were installed in rock slabs from shore platforms in eastern Canada. The slabs were put into artificial sea water for 1, 6 or 11 hours, representing high, mid‐ and low tidal areas, respectively. The TMEMs were used to record changes in surface elevation as the rocks dried during the remainder of the 12 h of a semi‐diurnal tidal cycle. A similar technique was used on the same rock types at intertidal TMEM stations in the field, as the rocks dried during low tide. Argillite and basalt surface contraction was from 0 to 0·04 mm: there was little surface expansion. Sandstones contracted by up to 0·03 mm in the field, but there was almost no contraction in the laboratory. Argillite and basalt contraction tended to be greatest in the upper intertidal zone, and to increase with rates of longer‐term surface downwearing, but there was little relationship with rock hardness or air temperature and humidity. Changes in elevation at the same points at TMEM stations in the laboratory and field were quite consistent from one tidal cycle to the next, but there were considerable variations within single tidal cycles between different points within each station. The data suggest that contraction within the elevational zone that is normally submerged twice a day by the tides is by alternate wetting and drying. Short‐term changes in elevation are generally low compared with annual rates of downwearing owing to erosion, but they may generate stresses that contribute to rock breakdown. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Offshore oil platforms and fouling communities in the southern Arabian Gulf (Abu Dhabi)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Stachowitsch M  Kikinger R  Herler J  Zolda P  Geutebrück E 《Marine pollution bulletin》2002,44(9):853-860

This study examined the fouling organisms on the legs of offshore oil platforms at two sites in the southern Arabian Gulf (offshore Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). 100% of the metal structures was colonized by encrusting organisms. Both the number of individuals and the total biomass tended to decrease with depth. The total weight of dead shells always exceeded that of living organisms. Sessile filter feeders dominated the biomass, whereas small mobile forms had the largest number of individuals. The biomass at the deeper platform (22 m) was dominated by bivalves, barnacles and bryozoans, while polychaetes and amphipods had the greatest number of individuals. Biomass values here ranged from 1 g/0.1 m2 at 20 m to 147 g/0.1 m2 at 5 m; the corresponding individual numbers were 266 (20 m) and 11,814 indiv./0.1 m2 (5 m). The results at the shallower platform (11 m) differed in several respects: barnacles clearly dominated over bivalves, and sponges exceeded byrozoans, while total individual numbers fell due to a decline in polychaete dominance. Biomass values here ranged from 84 g/0.1 m2 at 10 m to 153 g/0.1 m2 at 0 m; the corresponding individual numbers were 695 (10 m) and 3,125 indiv./0.1 m2 (0 m). The potential role of such fouling communities on artificial structures in the Gulf is discussed.  相似文献   

A highly wave dissipation offshore breakwater     

Sheng-Wen Twu  Cheng-Chung Chieu 《Ocean Engineering》2000,27(3):352

The aim of this paper is to develop an offshore breakwater, for which coefficients of both the wave reflection and transmission have low values. The breakwater is suggested to compose of n layers of porous materials with different porosities. A complex eigen function method is used in the theoretical analysis. Continuities of both mass flux and fluid pressure are assumed at interfaces between every two adjoining porous materials and at the interface between end materials and water region. Following a series of mathematical processes, the coefficients of the wave transmission and reflection along with the wave energy loss are calculated. The porosity of materials is varied in computations; and results are compared among structures composing of different layers of porous materials. A single layer offshore breakwater is shown to reduce simultaneously the coefficients of transmission and reflection only when the structure is very wide in the direction of wave propagation, and the structure material has a high porosity. A multilayer breakwater, however, can function well in reducing both coefficients at a much narrower width; structure having more layers can be more effective at narrower width. Finally, several experiments are conducted; theoretical computations and experimental results agree well.  相似文献