Transition from arid to hyper-arid environment in the southern Levant deserts as recorded by early Pleistocene cummulic Aridisols     

Rivka Amit  Ori Simhai  Avner Ayalon  Yehouda Enzel  Ari Matmon  Onn Crouvi  Naomi Porat  Eric McDonald 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2011,30(3-4):312-323

The time at which deserts established their current arid or hyper-arid conditions remains a fundamental question regarding the history of Earth. Cosmogenic isotope exposure ages of desert pavement and welded, calcic–gypsic–salic Reg soils that developed on relatively flat alluvial surfaces ～2 Ma ago in the Negev Desert indicate long geomorphic stability under extremely dry conditions. Over a short interval during their initial stage of development between 1–2 Ma, these cumulative soils are characterized by calcic soils reaching maximum stage III of carbonate morphology. This interval is the only period when calcic soil horizons formed on stable abandoned alluvial surfaces in the southern Negev Desert. Since ～1 Ma pedogenesis changed toward more arid soil environment and the formation of gypsic–salic soil horizons that were later followed by dust accumulation. The dichotomy of only moderately-developed calcic soil (stages II–III) during a relatively long time interval (10⁵–10⁶ years) indicates an arid environment that does not support continuous development but only occasional calcic soil formation. The very low δ¹⁸O and relatively high δ¹³C values of these early pedogenic carbonates support soil formation under arid climatic conditions. Such an environment was probably characterized by rare and relatively longer duration rainstorms which occasionally allowed deeper infiltration of rainwater and longer retention of soil moisture. This, in turn enabled the growth of sparse vegetation that enhanced deposition of pedogenic carbonate. At ～1 Ma these rare events of slightly wetter conditions ceased and less atmospheric moisture reached the southern Negev Desert leading to deposition of soluble salts and dust deposited in the soils. The combination of long-term hyperaridity, scarcity of vegetation and lack of bioturbation, salts cementation, dust accumulation and tight desert pavement cover, has protected the surfaces from erosion forming one of the most remarkably stable landscapes on Earth, a landscape that essentially has not eroded, but accumulated salt and dust for more than 10⁶ yr.  相似文献   

Tsunami observations in the open ocean     

A. B. Rabinovich 《Izvestiya Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics》2014,50(5):445-458

Deep-sea tsunami measurements play a major role in understanding the physics of tsunami wave generation and propagation, and in the creation of an effective tsunami warning system. The paper provides an overview of the history of tsunami recording in the open ocean from the beginning (about 50 years ago) to the present day. It describes modern tsunami monitoring systems, including the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART), innovative Japanese bottom cable projects, and the NEPTUNE-Canada geophysical bottom observatory. The specific peculiarities of seafloor longwave observations in the deep ocean are discussed and compared with those recorded in coastal regions. Tsunami detection in bottom presure observations is exemplified based on analysis of distant (22000 km) records of the 2004 Sumatra tsunami in the northeastern Pacific.  相似文献   

Evidence of geodynamical processes in the ancient crust from the seismoacoustic model of the kola superdeep borehole     

G. Ya. Rabinovich  O. I. Aptikaeva  A. G. Gamburtsev 《Izvestiya Physics of the Solid Earth》2012,48(11-12):850-858

The spectral-profile and wavelet analyses are applied for estimating the periodicity in the depth variations of the elastic wave velocities in the detailed seismoacoustic model of the Kola Superdeep Borehole. The geological confinement of the revealed multiscale periodicity and its relationship with the geodynamical processes in the Earth??s crust are considered. The hierarchical sequence of the sizes of the blocks identified in the section is determined; this hierarchy is consistent with the geophysical structure of the medium.  相似文献   

Evidence of geodynamical processes in the ancient crust from the seismoacoustic model of the kola superdeep borehole     

Rabinovich  G. Ya.  Aptikaeva  O. I.  Gamburtsev  A. G. 《Izvestiya Physics of the Solid Earth》2012,48(11):850-858

The spectral-profile and wavelet analyses are applied for estimating the periodicity in the depth variations of the elastic wave velocities in the detailed seismoacoustic model of the Kola Superdeep Borehole. The geological confinement of the revealed multiscale periodicity and its relationship with the geodynamical processes in the Earth’s crust are considered. The hierarchical sequence of the sizes of the blocks identified in the section is determined; this hierarchy is consistent with the geophysical structure of the medium.

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The Kuril tsunamis of November 15, 2006, and January 13, 2007: Two trans-pacific events     

N. P. Laverov  L. I. Lobkovsky  B. W. Levin  A. B. Rabinovich  E. A. Kulikov  I. V. Fine  R. E. Thomson 《Doklady Earth Sciences》2009,426(1):658-664

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On organizing a catalogue of storm surges for the Sea of Japan     

A. B. Rabinovich  S. E. Sokolova 《Natural Hazards》1992,5(3):319-325

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Drifter Observations of Anticyclonic Eddies near Bussol' Strait, the Kuril Islands     

Alexander B. Rabinovich  Richard E. Thomson  Steven J. Bograd 《Journal of Oceanography》2002,58(5):661-671

Hydrographic surveys and satellite imaging reveal that mesoscale anticyclonic (AC) eddies are common features of the area south of Bussol' Strait, the deepest of the Kuril straits connecting the western North Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk. To examine the velocity structure of these eddies, we deployed groups of 15-m drogued satellite-tracked surface drifters over the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench in the fall of 1990 and late summer of 1993. Drifters in both groups entered large AC eddies centered over the axis of the trench seaward of Bussol' Strait and subsequently underwent a slow northeastward translation. One drifter (Drifter 1315) deployed near the center of the “Bussol' eddy” in 1990, remained in the eddy for roughly 45 days and made five loops at successively greater distances from the eddy center. Large-amplitude (80–100 cm/s) storm-generated inertial oscillations were observed during the first two loops. The vorticity field associated with the eddy resulted in a Doppler “red-shift” of inertial frequency motions such that the “effective” inertial period of 21 hours was roughly 4 hours greater than the nominal inertial period for the drifter latitude (45°N). In 1993, a second drifter (Drifter 15371) was retained in the Bussol' eddy for about 40 days. This eddy had characteristics similar to those of the 1990 eddy but was devoid of significant high-frequency motions until the drifter's final half loop. The observed spatial scales, persistence, and slow poleward translation of the eddies suggests that they play an important role in the dynamics of the East Kamchatka and Oyashio current systems. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Abrasion-derived sediments under intensified winds at the latest Pleistocene leading edge of the advancing Sinai-Negev erg     

Yehouda Enzel  Rivka Amit  Onn Crouvi  Naomi Porat 《Quaternary Research》2010,74(1):121-482

Quaternary desert loess and sandstone-loessite relationships in the geological record raise questions regarding causes and mechanisms of silt formation and accretion. In the northern Sinai-Negev desert carbonate terrain, only sand abrasion in active erg could have produced the large quantities of quartzo-feldspathic silts constituting the late Quaternary northwestern Negev loess. In the continuum of source (medium to fine sand of dunes) to sink (silts in loess) the very fine sand is unaccounted for in the record. This weakens the sand abrasion model of silt formation as a global process. Here, we demonstrate that, as predicted by experiments, abrasion by advancing dunes generated large quantities of very fine sand (60-110 μm) deposited within the dune field and in close proximity downwind. This very fine sand was generated 13-11 ka, possibly synchronous with the Younger Dryas under gusty sand/dust storms in the southeastern Mediterranean and specifically in the northern Sinai-Negev erg. These very fine sands were washed down slope and filled small basins blocked by the advancing dunes; outside these sampling basins it is difficult to identify these sands as a distinct product. We conclude that ergs are mega-grinders of sand into very fine sand and silt under windy Quaternary and ancient aeolian desert environments.  相似文献   

Application of the integrated NMR-TDEM method in groundwater exploration in Israel     

M. Goldman  B. Rabinovich  M. Rabinovich  D. Gilad  I. Gev  M. Schirov 《Journal of Applied Geophysics》1994,31(1-4)

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) method is the only physical tool currently available which is able to detect directly the presence of fresh water in the subsurface. The Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) method, in turn, has been proven highly efficient in detecting saline groundwater. The combined application of these two methods is the most promising way to delineate accurately groundwater-bearing aquifers and to evaluate the quality of the water. This idea was tested during the feasibility study carried out under different hydrogeological conditions throughout Israel during August–September 1992. The Russian Hydroscope and Geonics PROTEM-IV instruments were used for the NMR and TDEM measurements, respectively.A total of 36 NMR and 12 TDEM stations was established, mostly in close proximity to existing observation wells. Among these only 19 NMR measurements showed reasonable signal-to-noise characteristics, while the rest were obviously distorted by ambient noise. The number of distorted measurements could have been even greater had they been carried out at all points planned. However, a significant number of the NMR stations were cancelled due to their proximity (less than 1–1.5 km) to electric power lines. As a result almost the entire Mediterranean coast of Israel, which was originally chosen as the main test site for this survey, turned out to be unsuitable owing to the low ambient noise protection of the Hydroscope. Another serious limitation of NMR measurements is the maximum penetration depth. The deepest information obtained during the feasibility study was from a depth of 74 m.Nevertheless, within the framework of its applicability, the NMR measurements proved to be sufficiently accurate and to have a high resolving capability. A comparison with the borehole data shows that, in most cases, NMR is able not only to detect the presence of water, but also to delineate different subaquifers. At the same time, however, the transmissivity and aquifer texture are much less reliably detected. The combined application of the NMR and TDEM methods may essentially improve the reliability of the interpretation. In all cases where the NMR anomaly fits the drop in TDEM resistivity, water of a different salinity is found at approximately the same depth. A reasonable correlation between the interpreted resistivities and water salinities is obtained for these horizons. However, if only one method indicates the presence of water, this, in many cases, was not confirmed by the borehole data. The TDEM anomalies were obviously caused by low-resistivity lithologies, while some of the false NMR signals could be explained by a low signal-to-noise ratio.As regards the freshwater/seawater interface, this was, in all cases, accurately detected by the TDEM measurements alone. It is interesting to note that at the same depth, NMR measurements indicated a drastically increasing anomaly followed by the absence of water at greater depths. The latter can most likely be explained by the very low resistivity of the sea water, which is not taken into account by the existing NMR interpretation.  相似文献   

Diagenetic effects on the distribution of uranium in live and Holocene corals from the Gulf of Aqaba     

Boaz Lazar  Rivka Enmar  Miriam Bar-Matthews  Mordechai Stein 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2004,68(22):4583-4593

We investigated the effects of diagenetic alteration (dissolution, secondary aragonite precipitation and pore filling) on the distribution of U in live and Holocene coral skeletons. For this, we drilled into large Porites lutea coral-heads growing in the Nature Reserve Reef (NRR), northern Gulf of Aqaba, a site close to the Marine Biology Laboratory, Elat, Israel, and sampled the core material and porewater from the drill-hole. In addition, we sampled Holocene corals and beachrock aragonite cements from a pit opened in a reef buried under the laboratory grounds. We measured the concentration and isotopic composition of U in the coral skeletal aragonite, aragonite cements, coral porewater and open NRR and Gulf of Aqaba waters.Uranium concentration in secondary aragonite filling the skeletal pores is significantly higher than in primary biogenic aragonite (17.3 ± 0.6 compared to 11.9 ± 0.3 nmol · g⁻¹, respectively). This concentration difference reflects the closed system incorporation of uranyl tri-carbonate into biogenic aragonite with a U/Ca bulk distribution coefficient (K_D) of unity, versus the open system incorporation into secondary aragonite with K_D of 2.4. The implication of this result is that continuous precipitation of secondary aragonite over ∼1000 yr of reef submergence would reduce the coral porosity by 5% and can produce an apparent lowering of the calculated U/Ca - SST by ∼1°C and apparent age rejuvenation effect of 7%, with no measurable effect on the calculated initial U isotopic composition.All modern and some Holocene corals (with and without aragonite cement) from Elat yielded uniform δ²³⁴U = 144 ± 5, similar to the Gulf of Aqaba and modern ocean values. Elevated δ²³⁴U values of ∼180 were measured only in mid-Holocene corals (∼5000 yr) from the buried reef. The values can reflect the interaction of the coral skeleton with ²³⁴U-enriched ground-seawater that washes the adjacent granitic basement rocks.We conclude that pore filling by secondary aragonite during reef submergence can produce small but measurable effects on the U/Ca thermometry and the U-Th ages. This emphasizes the critical importance of using pristine corals where the original mineralogy and porosity are preserved in paleooceanographic tracing and dating.  相似文献