Orbital Spin: A New Hypothesis to Explain Precession of Equinox—The Third Motion of Earth

In this paper, the phenomena of Earth’s motion about its own axis, the ecliptic plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, the definitions of equinoxes, the precession of equinoxes, Earth’s wobble and other astronomical terminology are briefly described. Some of the existing theories explaining the precession of equinox and their inadequacies are brought out. New Hypothesis is that precession of equinoxes is a direct result of Orbital spin of Earth in a retrograde direction—a celestial phenomenon similar to that of Moon’s Orbital spin around the Earth. The study of Moon’s orbit round the Earth reveals the exact movement of Earth’s orbit, which causes precession of equinoxes without any ambiguity. The analogy presented herein demonstrates the plausible hypothesis.

Balloon-based exposed payload designed for astrobiological research in Earth’s near space

Earth’s near space,located in the region between 20 and 100 km above sea level,is characterized by extreme conditions,such as low temperature,low atmospheric pressure,harsh radiation,and extreme dryness.These conditions are analogous to those found on the surface of Mars and in the atmosphere of Venus,making Earth’s near space a unique natural laboratory for astrobiological research.To address essential astrobiological questions,teams from the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)have developed a scientific balloon platform,the CAS Balloon-Borne Astrobiology Platform(CAS-BAP),to study the effects of near space environmental conditions on the biology and survival strategies of representative organisms in this terrestrial analog.Here,we describe the versatile Biological Samples Exposure Payload(BIOSEP)loaded on the CAS-BAP with respect to its structure and function.The primary function of BIOSEP is to expose appropriate biological specimens to the harsh conditions of near space and subsequently return the exposed samples to laboratories for further analysis.Four successful flight missions in near space from 2019 to 2021 have demonstrated the high reliability and efficiency of the payload in communicating between hardware and software units,recording environmental data,exposing sample containers,protecting samples from external contamination,and recovering samples.Understanding the effects of Earth’s near space conditions on biological specimens will provide valuable insights into the survival strategies of organisms in extreme environments and the search for life beyond Earth.The development of BIOSEP and associated biological exposure experiments will enhance our understanding of the potential for life on Mars and the habitability of the atmospheric regions of other planets in the solar system and beyond.

Astronomic background of global huge earthquakes at beginning of 21st century

Since the beginning of the 21st century,major earthquakes have frequently occurred worldwide.To explore the impact of astronomical factors on earthquakes,in this study,the statistical analysis method of correlation is used to systematically analyze the effects of astronomical factors,such as solar activity,Earth’s rotation,lunar declination angle,celestial tidal force,and other phenomena on M≥8 global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.With regard to solar activity,this study focuses on the analysis of the 11-year and century cycles of solar activity.The causal relationship of the Earth’s rotation is not obvious in this work and previous works;in contrast,the valley period of the solar activity century cycle may be an important astronomical factor leading to the frequent occurrence of global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.This topic warrants further study.

Interrelationships between Length of the Day, Moon Distance, Phanerozoic Geodynamic Cycles, Tidal Dissipation and Earth’s Core: Review and Analysis

The rotation of the Earth and the related length of the day (LOD) are predominantly affected by tidal dissipation through the Moon and the growth of the Earth’s core. Due to the increased concentration of mass around the rotation axis of the spinning Earth during the growth of the core the rotation should have been accelerated. Controversially the tidal dissipation by the Moon, which is mainly dependent on the availability of open shallow seas and the kind of Moon escape from a nearby position, acts towards a deceleration of the rotating Earth. Measurements of LOD for Phanerozoic and Precambrian times open ways to solve questions concerning the geodynamical history of the Earth. These measurements encompass investigations of growth patterns in fossils and depositional patterns in sediments (Cyclostratigraphy, Tidalites, Stromatolites, Rhythmites). These patterns contain information on the LOD and on the changing distance between Earth and Moon and can be used as well for a discussion about the growth of the Earth’s core. By updating an older paper with its simple approach as well as incorporating newly published results provided by the geoscientific community, a moderate to fast growth of the core in a hot early Earth will be favored controversially to the assumption of a delayed development of the core in an originally cold Earth. Core development with acceleration of Earth’s rotation and the contemporaneous slowing down due to tidal dissipation during the filling of the ocean may significantly interrelate.

Google Earth和3S技术在喀斯特示范农业规划中的应用初探

本文基于Google Earth平台并综合一系列的辅助分析工具,尝试建立Google Earth与3S技术综合应用于喀斯特示范农业规划的技术框架,提出了一套基于Google Earth的一般地理专题图的制图技术流程,并讨论其关键技术。最后以六盘水市米箩乡猕猴桃产学研基地进行了应用研究,旨在为部分缺乏基础资料的喀斯特地区农业规划、勘察设计提供有效指导,结果表明:Google Earth平台可成为喀斯特资料稀缺区农业规划的有效信息收集手段,文中所提出的技术框架流程具有较好的可操作性,研究区下载的高清遥感影像可满足1∶2 000比例尺的制图要求,大大节约了勘测成本,有利推动了工作效率。

Google Earth在“3S”技术课程实习中的应用

＂3S＂技术的教学内容广泛,涉及面广,为了使学生能够将所学的理论理解和掌握,在教师的指导下,学生在从Google Earth下载实习区的高精度影像的基础上,通过对影像的拼接、注册、信息提取和专题图的制作,探讨了该课程的实践教学方法,以提高＂3S＂技术课程的教学质量。

甘肃积石山 M_(s)6.2级地震的震害特征与启示

2023年12月18日,甘肃省临夏回族自治州积石山保安族东乡族撒拉族自治县(35.70°N,102.79°E)发生了6.2级地震,震中烈度为VIII度。地震发生后,通过实地烈度评估与科学考察,对震区VI~VIII度区不同建(构)筑物与生命线工程的震害特点进行了统计分析;从抗震设计与施工管理、场地放大效应与地震次生灾害对建筑结构抗震性能的影响等角度,提出了此次地震的震害启示。结果表明:1)严重破坏和毁坏的建筑结构主要集中在老旧的土木结构、砖木结构和无设防或设防不规范的砖混结构。2)造成建筑结构破坏的主要原因是少量自建房抗震设计和施工的不规范、场地放大效应和地震次生灾害。3)优化和改良生土砌筑材料,改进纵横墙间的拉结措施,强化结构整体性是提高土木结构抗震的有效方法;普及“上下圈梁与构造柱”等基本抗震设防措施,规范水泥砂浆强度,提升农村工匠的施工水平,可有效提高砌体结构的整体性,避免房屋出现整体性垮塌;室内洗手间的墙体应该与房顶、纵横墙间建立有效联接,提高结构的抗震性能。4)孤突斜坡、河流高阶地与岸边为抗震不利地带。当建造用地极为匮乏,不得不选址在这些场地之上时,应该综合考虑场地的地形地貌特征、岩土体物理力学特性、水文地质条件、抗震设防目标、建筑结构类型等影响因素,做好地震灾害风险评估,根据评估结果进行科学设防。灾后重建过程中,应由政府统一规划选址、统一设计,规范施工。

中强地震发震构造标志浅析——以2023年积石山M_(S)6.2地震为例

地震地表破裂是地震发生的重要特征,是研究地震动力学、构造变形的重要手段。一般认为,M6 3/4以上的地震才会形成地表破裂。但近年来,也有M6.0左右的地震发生了地表破裂。本文旨在探讨中强地震地表破裂的识别方法。中强地震发震构造的识别具有一定的挑战性,主要表现在以下几个方面:(1)中强地震地表破裂的规模(位错量、宽度、长度和深度)较小,容易被黄土层厚覆盖,掩盖地表破裂的痕迹,不易识别;(2)非构造成因裂缝干扰,使得难以区分构造成因地表破裂。本文以2023年积石山M_(S)6.2地震为例,对中强地震构造成因破裂的识别标志进行了初步分析,提出了以下识别标志:(1)地表破裂几何展布和剖面形态,地震伴生的次生灾害(滑坡、崩塌、砂土液化等)的线性分布为识别发震构造提供参考和线索;(2)地表破裂沿破裂走向呈现稳定地穿越不同地貌单元,至少穿越一条沟谷等低凹地貌;(3)地表破裂在地质剖面上表现出稳定的产状;(4)地表破裂伴生构造形态,地表沿破裂发育雁列式褶皱(挤压鼓包)与张裂缝交替出现的现象。本文提出的识别标志为中强地震发震构造的识别提供了新的思路。

Effect of different inter-satellite range on measurement precision of Earth’s gravitational field from GRACE

The precision of Earth＇s gravitational field from GRACE up to degree and order 120 was studied for different inter-satellite ranges using the improved energy conservation principle. Our simulated result shows that： For long wavelength （L≤20） at degree 20, the cumulative geoid-height error gradually decreased with increasing range, from 0. 052 cm for 110 km to 1. 156 times and 1. 209 times as large for 220 km and 330 kin, respectively. For medium-wavelength （ 100 ≤ L ≤ 120） at degree 120, the cumulative geoid-height error de- creased from 13. 052 cm for 110 km, to 1. 327 times and 1. 970 times as large for the ranges of 220 km and 330 km, respectively; By adopting an optimal range of 220 ± 50 km, we can suppress considerably the loss of precision in the measurement of the Earth＇ s long-wavelength and medium-wavelength gravitational field.

Effect of Rare Earths on the Wear Resistance and High Temperature Oxidation Resistance of H13 Steel Surface-Treated with S-N-C Co-diffusion

Steel H13 was put in non toxic salt bath with addition of CeO 2 for co diffusion of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon and followed by oxidation treatment. The effect of rare earths on the improvement of wear resistance and high temperature oxidation resistance of steel H13 was studied using scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometry and X ray diffraction. The results show that compared to the surface treatment without rare earth addition, the treatment with addition of rare earths improves the wear resistance and high temperature resistance to oxidation of steel H13. Under the conditions of 30 N and 2 h, the wear weight loss was decreased by 40%, and the friction coefficient was reduced from 0 25 to 0 22; whereas for 150 N and 0 2 h, the wear weight loss was decreased by 24%, and the friction coefficient was reduced from 0 35 to 0 32. For the oxidation at 700 ℃ and 4 h, the rate of weight gain decreased to only about 1/30 of that without rare earths.

Rotation of the Earth as a Triaxial Rigid Body

The Earth is taken as a triaxial rigid body, which rotates freely in the Euclidian space. The starting equations are the Euler dynamic equations, with A smaller than B and B smaller than C. The Euler equations are solved, and the numerical results are provided. In the calculations, the following parameters are used: (C-B)/A=0.003 273 53; (B-A)/C=0.000 021 96; (C-A)/B=0.003 295 49, and the mean angular velocity of the Earth's rotation, ω =0.000 072 921 15 rad/s. Calculations show that, besides the self-rotation of the Earth and the free Euler procession of its rotation, there exists the free nutation: the nutation angle, or the angle between the Earth's momentary rotation axis and the mean axis that periodically change with time. The free nutation is investigated.

A contrastive study on the influences of radial and three-dimensional satellite gravity gradiometry on the accuracy of the Earth's gravitational field recovery

The accuracy of the Earth＇s gravitational field measured from the gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer（GOCE）,up to 250 degrees,influenced by the radial gravity gradient V zz and three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij from the satellite gravity gradiometry（SGG） are contrastively demonstrated based on the analytical error model and numerical simulation,respectively.Firstly,the new analytical error model of the cumulative geoid height,influenced by the radial gravity gradient V zz and three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij are established,respectively.In 250 degrees,the GOCE cumulative geoid height error measured by the radial gravity gradient V zz is about 2 1/2 times higher than that measured by the three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij.Secondly,the Earth＇s gravitational field from GOCE completely up to 250 degrees is recovered using the radial gravity gradient V zz and three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij by numerical simulation,respectively.The study results show that when the measurement error of the gravity gradient is 3×10 12 /s 2,the cumulative geoid height errors using the radial gravity gradient V zz and three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij are 12.319 cm and 9.295 cm at 250 degrees,respectively.The accuracy of the cumulative geoid height using the three-dimensional gravity gradient V ij is improved by 30%-40% on average compared with that using the radial gravity gradient V zz in 250 degrees.Finally,by mutual verification of the analytical error model and numerical simulation,the orders of magnitude from the accuracies of the Earth＇s gravitational field recovery make no substantial differences based on the radial and three-dimensional gravity gradients,respectively.Therefore,it is feasible to develop in advance a radial cold-atom interferometric gradiometer with a measurement accuracy of 10 13 /s 2-10 15 /s 2 for precisely producing the next-generation GOCE Follow-On Earth gravity field model with a high spatial resolution.

Process Analysis of In-situ Strain during the M_s8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake—Data from the Stress Monitoring Station at Shandan

There were huge life and property losses during the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. Strain fluctuation curves were completely recorded at stress observatory stations in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and its surroundings in the process of the earthquake. This paper introduces the geological background of the Wenchuan earthquake and the profile of in-situ stress monitoring stations. In particular, data of 174 earthquakes （Ms4.0-Ms8.5） were processed and analyzed with various methods, which were recorded at the Shandan station from August 2007 to December 2008. The results were compared with other seismic data, and further analyses were done for the recoded strain seismic waves, co-seismic strain stepovers, pre-earthquake strain valleys, Earth＇s free oscillations before and after the earthquake and their physical implications. During the Wenchuan earthquake, the strainmeter recorded a huge extensional strain of 70 seconds, which shows that the Wenchuan earthquake is a rupture process predominated by thrusting. Significant precursory strain anomalies were detected 48 hours, 30 hours, 8 hours and 37 minutes before the earthquake. The anomalies are very high and their forms are very similar to that of the main shock. Similar anomalies can also be found in strain curves of other shocks greater than Ms7.0, indicating that such anomalies are prevalent before a great earthquake. In this paper, it is shown that medium aftershocks （Ms5.5- 6.0） can also cause Earth＇s free oscillations. Study of free oscillations is of great significance to understand the internal structure of the Earth and focal mechanisms of earthquakes and to recognize slow shocks, thus providing a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of geological disasters and the prediction of future earthquakes.

Efficient and rapid accuracy estimation of the Earth's gravitational field from next-generation GOCE Follow-On by the analytical method

Firstly, a new analytical error model of the cumulative geoid height using the three-dimensional diagonal tensors of satellite gravity gradiometry （SGG） is introduced based on the variance-covariance matrix principle. Secondly, a study for the requirements demonstration on the next-generation GOCE Follow-On satellite gravity gradiometry system is developed using different satellite orbital altitudes and measurement accuracies of satellite gravity gradiometer by the new analytical error model of SGG. The research results show that it is preferable to design satellite orbital altitudes of 300 km–400km and choose the measurement accuracies of 10-13/s2 –10-15/s2 from satellite gravity gradiometer. Finally, the complementarity of the four-stage satellite gravity missions, including past CHAMP, current GRACE, and GOCE, and next-generation GOCE Follow-On, is contrastively demonstrated for precisely recovering the Earth’s full-frequency gravitational field with high spatial resolution.

Critical Analysis on Characters of Pearl S.Buck' the Good Earth

Since the publication of the Good Earth in 1922, Pearl S, Buck published another two novels based on the same theme and they were called the House of Earth Trilogy. The House of Earth Trilogy used as a window to understand China for the westerners at that time. And it had a great impact on the whole world. People gave two different views on her success of winning so many awards. Some thought that she wrote what she knew and her works were based on her own experiences. But others said that she was a foreigner and her values, her distinct aesthetic views would affect her writing. So, some of her depictions, to some extent, were untruthful and distorted. The aim of writing this thesis is to give an objective judgment on the Good Earth, and make it easier for us to communicate with the westerners on literature.

Detection and interpretation of the Earth's free oscillations excited by the great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake with GGP station data

The mode serials of the Earth’s free oscillation provide some important information on the Earth’s deep structure and superconducting gravimeters （SG） can investigate the phenomena of the Earth’s free oscillations with high accuracy. The great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake fully excited the Earth’s free oscillations and these signals were perfectly recorded by five superconducting gravimeters in the globe. After the pre-treatment and spectral analysis on the SG observation data, we obtained the experimented mode serials of the Earth’s free oscillations consisting of 147 modes with GGP station data. These observed modes were themselves some new important data for the study of the Earth’s deep structure. On the basis of the discussions on some checked inner-core-sensitive modes, we distinguished three layers from the inner core, and the boundary of the upper layer was compatible with the formerly known transition zone in the inner core based on seismic body waves and supported that there were the hemispherical variation and very lower shear velocity zone in the lower inner core.

The 600 keV electron injections in the Earth's outer radiation belt:A statistical study

Relativistic electron injections are one of the mechanisms of relativistic(≥0.5 MeV) electron enhancements in the Earth’s outer radiation belt. In this study, we present a statistical observation of 600 keV electron injections in the outer radiation belt by using data from the Van Allen Probes. On the basis of the characteristics of different injections, 600 keV electron injections in the outer radiation belt were divided into pulsed electron injections and nonpulsed electron injections. The 600 keV electron injections were observed at 4.5 < L <6.4 under the geomagnetic conditions of 450 nT < AE < 1,450 nT. An L of ~4.5 is an inward limit for 600 keV electron injections. Before the electron injections, a flux negative L shell gradient for ≤0.6 MeV electrons or low electron fluxes in the injected region were observed. For600 keV electron injections at different L shells, the source populations from the Earth’s plasma sheet were different. For 600 keV electron injections at higher L shells, the source populations were higher energy electrons(~200 keV at X ~–9 R_(E)), whereas the source populations for 600 keV electron injections at lower L shells were lower energy electrons(~80 keV at X ~–9 R_(E)). These results are important to further our understanding of electron injections and rapid enhancements of 600 keV electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt.

Comparative study of different theories on active earth pressure

Determination of distribution and magnitude of active earth pressure is crucial in retaining wall designs. A number of analytical theories on active earth pressure were presented. Yet, there are limited studies on comparison between the theories. In this work, comparison between the theories with finite element analysis is done using the PLAXIS software. The comparative results show that in terms of distribution and magnitude of active earth pressure, RANKINE＇s theory possesses the highest match to the PLAXIS analysis. Parametric studies were also done to study the responses of active earth pressure distribution to varying parameters Increasing soil friction angle and wall friction causes decrease in active earth pressure. In contrast, active earth pressure increases with increasing soil unit weight and height of wall. RANK/NE＇s theory has the highest compatibility to finite element analysis among all theories, and utilization of this theory leads to proficient retaining wall design.

Anomalies identification of Earth’s rotation rate time series (2012-2017) for possible correlation with strong earthquakes occurrence

The analysis of the Earth’s rotation rate time series,from January 1,2012 till December 31,2017,is performed using two different time series analysis methods,both based on signal decomposition joined with forecasting approach.Anomalies in the time series are detected making the comparison between the raw signal and the forecasting one at the 95% confidence interval.The two methods show consistent results and the best is selected according to the evaluation of the prediction uncertainty.Both methods highlight correlations between detected anomalies in the Earth’s rotation rate time series and the world’s earthquakes occurrence with magnitude≥7 and/or number of events≥150 per day,within a time interval of ±10 days from each earthquake event.This study brings an innovation in the analysis of such time series and helps to better understand the extent of this relationship.