Getting ‘holistic’ about land rehabilitation in hot arid regions

The paper describes Western Australian examples and causes of land degradation. It outlines shortcomings in the methodologies used to rehabilitate these areas. From this a protocol is suggested for an ‘holistic’ approach to land rehabilitation.     

Development of site-specific design ground motions in Western and Eastern North America

This paper presents results recently obtained for generating site-specific ground motions needed for design of critical facilities. The general approach followed in developing these ground motions using either deterministic or probabilistic criteria is specification of motions for rock outcrop or very firm soil conditions followed by adjustments for site-specific conditions. Central issues in this process include development of appropriate attenuation relations and their uncertainties, differences in expected motions between Western and Eastern North America, and incorporation of site-specific adjustments that maintain the same hazard level as the control motions, while incorporating uncertainties in local dynamic material properties. For tectonically active regions, such as the Western United States (WUS), sufficient strong motion data exist to constrain empirical attenuation relations for M up to about 7 and for distances greater than about 10–15 km. Motions for larger magnitudes and closer distances are largely driven by extrapolations of empirical relations and uncertainties need to be substantially increased for these cases.

For the Eastern United States (CEUS), due to the paucity of strong motion data for cratonic regions worldwide, estimation of strong ground motions for engineering design is based entirely on calibrated models. The models are usually calibrated and validated in the WUS where sufficient strong motion data are available and then recalibrated for applications to the CEUS. Recalibration generally entails revising parameters based on available CEUS ground motion data as well as indirect inferences through intensity observations. Known differences in model parameters such as crustal structure between WUS and CEUS are generally accommodated as well. These procedures are examined and discussed.     

Geographies of Displacement: The Karenni and The Shan Across The Myanmar-Thailand Border

First, central to our analysis is the argument that human movement within and across borders fundamentally challenges the view of geopolitics based upon fixed territorial states, inter-state relations, national identities and citizenship; indeed the whole idea of "national geographic". Using the examples of the Karen and Shan peoples, we explore the processes and patterns of forced relocation, displacement and migration in the border regions of Myanmar and Thailand. Our main concern is with forced displacement as a result of political and ethnic conflict; specifically, how the Burmese military regime's desire for "national unity" within Myanmar's "national space" has influenced the militarily inspired displacements of hundreds of thousands of villagers and civilians within the border zones inhabited mostly by so-called "national minorities". We examine the particular problems of the so-called "internally displaced persons" within "national" boundaries compared with the "refugees" and "undocumented migrants" who make it across "international" space into Thailand. We illustrate the ways displaced people are represented by state agencies and the media as "threats" and "transgressors". We consider some of the "long term" aspects of the displacement problem along the Myanmar-Thai border and the vital contribution geographers can make to the study of displacement.     

A method to reduce the influence of ice-rafted debris on a grain size record from northern Fram Strait, Arctic Ocean

The granulometric composition of terrigenous deep-sea sediments provides information on current speed if certain frame conditions are fulfilled. These include that current transport is the only transport process. At high latitudes this type of investigation is impaired due to the influence of ice-rafted debris (IRD) which contaminates the current-sorted grain size fractions. This study presents a new method that addresses this problem by setting the ice-rafted sand in relation to the silt of both current- and ice-transported origin. Deviations from the resulting regression function are then used to determine the behaviour of the silt mean grain size as a function of current speed largely independent from IRD bias. The study is based on sediments from the Yermak Plateau, Arctic Ocean, a region influenced by IRD brought with the south-headed Transpolar Drift and by north-directed bottom currents. The IRD correction results in displaying changes of current speed at much higher clarity; climate forcing of the currents becomes more evident. For example, the 8200 year cold event shows up as a major event in the corrected record whereas it is hardly visible in the original record.     

Fracturation d'âge Aptien supérieur sur la bordure orientale de la plate-forme arabique (Haushi-Huqf,Oman)Aptian faulting (Shu'aiba Formation) on the eastern edge of the Arabian Platform (Haushi-Huqf,Oman)

In the Haushi-Huqf (Eastern Central Oman) as in other parts of the Arabian platform, a major sedimentary break is recorded between the Early Aptian carbonates (Shu'aiba Formation) and the Albian orbitolinid-rich marls (Nahr Umr Formation). The unconformity corresponds to a succession of events: (1) a brusque interruption of the regressive sequence of the Shu'aiba limestone (algae and small rudistid build-ups); (2) a stratigraphic gap related to the Late Aptian; (3) the development of a thick ferruginous crust (hardground) that covered the top surface of the Shu'aiba; the hardground is related to a forced flooding surface; (4) the Shu'aiba was rapidly drowned and buried under the Nahr Umr marls. Moreover, the Shu'aiba limestone was subject to faulting NW–SE-trending normal faults before lithification and formation of the ferruginous crust. The faulting episode is clearly dated: post-Early Aptian and pre-Albian. The signification of the faulting remains hypothetical. The syndiagenetic NW–SE normal faults may correspond to ‘en echelon’ faults, combined with transcurrent fault movements (for example the Haushi-Nafun Fault). The possible causes of these intra-platform transcurrent movements are discussed. To cite this article: C. Montenat, P. Barrier, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 781–787.     

Les dykes basiques du massif ancien de l'Ourika (Atlas de Marrakech,Maroc) : géochimie et significationThe basic dykes of the Ourika old massif (High Atlas of Marrakech): Geochemistry and significance

The Precambrian massif of Ourika is crosscut by two systems of basic dykes, striking N40°E and N90–120°E. Using incompatible trace elements, the two systems form two distinct chemical groups, displaying a continental tholeiitic affinity. The composition variations between the two defined groups can be due to heterogeneities of mantle sources and to contamination, during the magma ascent, by the continental crust. The emplacement of these basic dykes, before the late-PIII formations, can be related to the Neoproterozoic distension generalised to the Anti-Atlas chain. To cite this article: A. Barakat et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 827–833.     

Fine structure of Pn velocity beneath Sichuan-Yunnan region

We use 23298 Pn arrival-time data from Chinese national and provincial earthquake bulletins to invert fine structure of Pn velocity and anisotropy at the top of the mantle beneath the Sichuan-Yunnan and its adjacent region. The results suggest that the Pn velocity in this region shows significant lateral variation; the Pn velocity varies from 7.7 to 8.3 km/s. The Pn-velocity variation correlates well with the tectonic activity and heat flow of the region. Low Pn velocity is observed in southwest Yunnan, Tengchong volcano area, and the Panxi tectonic area. These areas have very active seismicity and tectonic activity with high surface heat flow. On the other hand, high Pn velocity is observed in some stable regions, such as the central region of the Yangtze Platform; the most pronounced high velocity area is located in the Sichuan Basin, south of Chengdu. Pn anisotropy shows a complex pattern of regional deformation. The Pn fast direction shows a prominent clockwise rotation pattern from east of the Tibetan block to the Sichuan-Yunnan diamond block to southwest Yunnan, which may be related to southeastward escape of the Tibetan Plateau material due to the collision of the Indian Plate to the Eurasia Plate. Thus there appears to be strong correlation between the crustal deformation and the upper mantle structure in the region. The delay times of events and stations show that the crust thickness decreases from the Tibetan Plateau to eastern China, which is consistent with the results from deep seismic sounding.