The neotectonic deformation and earthquake activity in Zhuanglang river active fault zone of Lanzhou

Lanzhou Institute of Seismology, China Seismological Bureau, Lanzhou 730000, China 2) Institute of Geology, China Seismological Bureau, Beijing 100029, China

Mechanical Property and Microstructure of Alkali-activated Yellow River Sediment-Coal Slime Ash Composites

This work focuses on the production of a new composite material using Yellow River sediment and coal slime ash via alkali-activating method. XRD, FTIR and SEM/EDS were used to characterize the alkali-activated products and microstructure of the composite material. Compressive strength was tested to characterize the mechanical property of the composite material. It is found that the compressive strength of the Yellow River sediment-coal slime ash composites increases as the added Ca（OH）_2 content grows. The compressive strength increases fast in the early stage but slowly after 28 days. The strength of the composites can be significantly improved via the addition of small amount of Na OH and gypsum. The products（C-S-H, ettringite and CaCO_3）, especially C-S-H, make much contribution to the enhancement of strength. The highest strength of the composites can reach 14.4 MPa after 90 days curing with 5% Ca（OH）_2, 0.2% NaOH and 7.5% gypsum. The improved properties of the composites show great potential of utilizing Yellow River sediment for inexpensive construction materials.

The response of sedimentary record to catchment changes induced by human activities in the western intertidal flat of Yalu River Estuary,China

The response to the catchment changes of the sedimentary environment of the western intertidal flat of Yalu River Estuary was investigated by analyzing the vertical variations of the grain size of sediment cores,along with the hydrologic data and human activities in the catchment.The results demonstrated a stepwise decreasing trend for the variations of both the sediment load and water discharge into the sea,which could be divided into three stages as 1958–1970,1971–1990 and 1991–2009.Reservoir construction and the changes of catchment vegetation coverage turned out to be the two predominant contributors to the changes.There are four periods for the variation of the sensitive components of the sediment cores from 1940 to 2010,i.e.,1940–1950,1951–1980,1981–1990 and 1991–2010.The vertical distribution of grain size in the cores mainly varied with the changes of vegetation coverage in the catchment and reservoir construction from 1960 to 1980,whereas it varied depending on the intensity of water and soil erosion in the catchment from 1980 to 1990.Despite the further reduction of the water and sediment input into the sea from 1990 to 2009,this period was characterized by coarsening trends for the grain size of sediment in the estuarine intertidal flat and correspondingly,the significantly increased silt contents of the sensitive component.

Key changes across valley floors in mountain areas affected by different levels of human impact: a case study of the Ochotnica river catchment in the Polish Carpathians

The goal of this paper was to present knowledge on changes in the morphodynamic structure of the Ochotnica River(Polish Carpathians)and transformations within its active river zone since the end of the 19th century.The study used a set of archival and contemporary cartographic materials and the results of three-fold field mapping of the morphodynamic structure of the riverbed.Direct and indirect human interference with the natural environment of the catchment and the fluvial system was taken into account in the analysis.Analysis of changes in the morphodynamic structure of the Ochotnica and its active river zone since the end of the 19th century indicated significant changes in the development trend of the riverbed.The contemporary structure of the Ochotnica is more complex than in the 1980s.There has been a fragmentation of the riverbed into sections with different morphodynamic sections.The proportion of erosive sections has increased,which explains the reduced in the width of the active river zone of the Ochotnica.The average width of the active river zone of the river between 1861 and 2022 has changed from 80 m to 18 m.Human impact has been identified as the main reason for the changes in the morphodynamic structure of the riverbed and its active river zone.Currently,only the unregulated sect ion is characterised by free lateral migration of the riverbed and the widest active river zone(~28 m).

A water quality analysis system to evaluate the impact of agricultural activities on N outflow in river basins in Japan

We have developed a personal-computer-based water quality analysis system for river basins. The system estimates potential N outflow by model and calculates actual N outflow from monitoring data. For the former it uses the potential load factor method to estimate annual nitrogen load from various sources and runoff potential from each area of land in a basin. For the latter it analyzes water quality monitoring data in relation to meteorological data. We used the system to analyze N outflow in basins around Lake Kasumigaura and the Yahagi River in central Honshu, Japan. The land around Lake Kasumigaura is rather flat, and about 25% is periodically flooded for rice and lotus cultivation. The land around the Yahagi River is mountainous, and much less land is flooded. In the Yahagi River basin the actual N outflow agreed closely with the potential. However, the actual N outflow in the basin around Lake Kasumigaura was much less than the potential, suggesting that a large part of the N load is denitrified in flooded soils. This further indicates that a sequence of different land uses including flooded rice fields is an important factor determining N outflow in basins in Japan. On the basis of the above analyses, we incorporated a denitrification model into the system that enables us to estimate N balance in a designated basin;this system may be helpful in the formulation of scenarios of land use andsoil management for improving water quality.