Gravity Fault Subsidence and Beach Ridges Progradation in Quinta-Cassino (RS) Coastal Plain, Brazil

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys have being applied to investigate very near-surface stratification of sedimentary units in coastal plains and to define their depositional conditions. This paper presents, however, low-frequency GPR survey to investigate fault-related depositional systems at greater depths. The Quinta-Cassino area in the Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (RGSCP, Brazil) shows a wide strandplain that is made off by very long, continuous, and linear geomorphic features (beach ridges). This strandplain extends for ~70 km southward. The beach ridges show low-angle truncations against the Quinta escarpment, and also truncations in the strandplain. The traditional approach points that RGSCP was developed by juxtaposition of four lagoons/barrier systems as consequence of sea level changes;previous model assumes that no deformational episode occurred in RGSCP. The geophysical and geological surveys carried out in this area showed the existence of listric fault controlling the beach ridges in the escarpments and hanging-wall blocks. The radargrams could distinguish Pleistocene basement unit anticlockwise rotation, thickening of beach ridges radarfacies close to listric normal faults, and horst structures. These deformational features indicate that the extensional zone of a large-scale gravity-driven structure controlled the mechanical subsidence, the Holocene sedimentation and its stratigraphic and geomorphic features in the Quinta-Cassino area to build up an asymmetric delta. The results point to a new approach in dealing with RGSCP Holocene evolution.

Characteristics of Zhangsanying-Tongshanzi aeromagnetic anomaly zone and prospecting potential of iron deposits in northern Hebei,China

Based on the latest high-precision aeromagnetic data,an aeromagnetic anomaly zone is identified at Zhangsanying--Tongshanzi in northern Hebei Province.By the potential field conversion processing,including the reduction to the pole,vertical derivative,upward continuation and residual anomaly,the authors analyzed the characteristics of three typical aeromagnetic anomalies in Zhangsanying--Tongshanzi aeromagnetic anomaly zone and their geological origin.The methods include the forward and inversion methods,such as 2.5D optimization fitting and Euler deconvolution.Moreover,combined with the geological outcrop,known iron deposits,ground magnetic survey and verification,the authors studied the relationship between the aeromagnetic anomalies and iron deposits.The result shows that the Zhangsanying--Tongshanzi aeromagnetic anomaly zone is composed of 10 large magnetic anomalies with high amplitude and clear boundary.The aeromagnetic anomalies are comparable and intrinsically related to the ground magnetic anomalies and IP anomalies,indicating that the anomalies are caused by magnetite deposits.It has good magnetite prospecting potential in the Zhangsanying--Tongshanzi aeromagnetic anomaly zone.

Numerical simulation of land subsidence and verification of its character for an iron mine using sublevel caving

Combined with a digital bored photography system and in-situ statistics concerning the joints and fissures of both ore-body and surrounding rock,a 2D discrete model was constructed using UDEC.The stress field and displacement field changes of different sublevel stoping systems were also studied.Changes in the overlying rock strata settlement pattern has been analyzed and validated by in-situ monitoring data.The results show that:in the caving process,there exists an obvious delay and jump for the overlying rock strata displacement over time,and a stable arch can be formed in the process of caving,which leads to hidden goafs.Disturbed by the mining activity,a stress increase occurred in both the hanging wall and the foot wall,demonstrating a hump-shaped distribution pattern.From the comparison between simulation results and in-situ monitoring results,land subsidence shows a slow-development,suddenfailure,slow-development cycle pattern,which leads eventually to a stable state.This pattern validates the existence of balanced arch and hidden goafs.

Mapping rice-fallow cropland areas for short-season grain legumes intensification in South Asia using MODIS 250 m time-series data

The goal of this study was to map rainfed and irrigated rice-fallow cropland areas across South Asia,using MODIS 250 m time-series data and identify where the farming system may be intensified by the inclusion of a short-season crop during the fallow period.Rice-fallow cropland areas are those areas where rice is grown during the kharif growing season(June–October),followed by a fallow during the rabi season(November–February).These cropland areas are not suitable for growing rabi-season rice due to their high water needs,but are suitable for a short-season(≤3 months),low water-consuming grain legumes such as chickpea(Cicer arietinum L.),black gram,green gram,and lentils.Intensification(double-cropping)in this manner can improve smallholder farmer’s incomes and soil health via rich nitrogen-fixation legume crops as well as address food security challenges of ballooning populations without having to expand croplands.Several grain legumes,primarily chickpea,are increasingly grown across Asia as a source of income for smallholder farmers and at the same time providing rich and cheap source of protein that can improve the nutritional quality of diets in the region.The suitability of rainfed and irrigated rice-fallow croplands for grain legume cultivation across South Asia were defined by these identifiers:(a)rice crop is grown during the primary(kharif)crop growing season or during the north-west monsoon season(June–October);(b)same croplands are left fallow during the second(rabi)season or during the south-east monsoon season(November–February);and(c)ability to support low water-consuming,short-growing season(≤3 months)grain legumes(chickpea,black gram,green gram,and lentils)during rabi season.Existing irrigated or rainfed crops such as rice or wheat that were grown during kharif were not considered suitable for growing during the rabi season,because the moisture/water demand of these crops is too high.The study established cropland classes based on the every 16-day 250 m normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)time series for one year(June 2010–May 2011)of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)data,using spectral matching techniques(SMTs),and extensive field knowledge.Map accuracy was evaluated based on independent ground survey data as well as compared with available sub-national level statistics.The producers’and users’accuracies of the cropland fallow classes were between 75%and 82%.The overall accuracy and the kappa coefficient estimated for rice classes were 82%and 0.79,respectively.The analysis estimated approximately 22.3 Mha of suitable rice-fallow areas in South Asia,with 88.3%in India,0.5%in Pakistan,1.1%in Sri Lanka,8.7%in Bangladesh,1.4%in Nepal,and 0.02%in Bhutan.Decision-makers can target these areas for sustainable intensification of short-duration grain legumes.