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Geodetic Measurements (geodetic + measurement)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	75%

Selected Abstracts

Slope development reconstruction at two sites in the Bohemian Forest Mountains

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2010
Filip Hartvich
Abstract Although the Bohemian Forest is generally considered to be geomorphologically a rather stable region, there are localities which bear proof of a surprisingly high intensity of recent and even present day processes. A multidisciplinary methodology based on the analysis of slope systems was used for researching the present and past dynamics of two hillslopes. Using the results of direct dilatometric monitoring (the slow creep of rock blocks reached a maximum of 1,mm year,1), GPS field mapping, sedimentology, geodetic measurements and DEM analyses, several common rules have been observed for the behaviour of two model localities and a likely polycyclic development established, with recurrence of mass-wasting cycles related to material supply thresholds. Radiometric dating of debris flow activity showed that the cycles span approximately 4000 years. In this area of rather stable bedrock conditions, at least two factors that decrease slope stability need to act together to activate slope processes: i.e. a favourable structural predisposition (dip of major joint or bedding planes) and an increase in relief through either glaciation or river incision. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Physics-based GPS data inversion to estimate three-dimensional elastic and inelastic strain fields

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010
Akemi Noda
SUMMARY The Earth's crust is macroscopically treated as a linear elastic body, but it includes a number of defects. The occurrence of inelastic deformation such as brittle fracture at the defects brings about elastic deformation in the surrounding regions. The crustal deformation observed through geodetic measurements is the sum of the inelastic deformation as source and the elastic deformation as effect. On such a basic idea, we created a theory of physics-based strain analysis with general source representation by moment tensor, and developed an inversion method to separately estimate 3-D elastic and inelastic strain fields from GPS data. In this method, first, the optimum distribution of moment density tensor is determined from observed GPS data by using Akaike's information criterion. Then, the elastic and inelastic strain fields are obtained from the optimum moment tensor distribution by theoretical computation and direct conversion with elastic compliance tensor, respectively. We applied the inversion method to GPS horizontal velocity data, and succeeded in separately estimating 3-D elastic and inelastic strain rate fields in the Niigata,Kobe transformation zone, central Japan. As for the surface patterns of total strain, the present results of 3-D physics-based inversion analysis accord with the previous results of 2-D geometric inversion analysis. From the 3-D patterns of the inverted elastic and inelastic strain fields, we revealed that the remarkable horizontal contraction in the Niigata,Kobe transformation zone is elastic and restricted near the surface, but the remarkable shear deformation is inelastic and extends over the upper crust. [source]

Mechanical deformation model of the western United States instantaneous strain-rate field

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2006
Fred F. Pollitz
SUMMARY We present a relationship between the long-term fault slip rates and instantaneous velocities as measured by Global Positioning System (GPS) or other geodetic measurements over a short time span. The main elements are the secularly increasing forces imposed by the bounding Pacific and Juan de Fuca (JdF) plates on the North American plate, viscoelastic relaxation following selected large earthquakes occurring on faults that are locked during their respective interseismic periods, and steady slip along creeping portions of faults in the context of a thin-plate system. In detail, the physical model allows separate treatments of faults with known geometry and slip history, faults with incomplete characterization (i.e. fault geometry but not necessarily slip history is available), creeping faults, and dislocation sources distributed between the faults. We model the western United States strain-rate field, derived from 746 GPS velocity vectors, in order to test the importance of the relaxation from historic events and characterize the tectonic forces imposed by the bounding Pacific and JdF plates. Relaxation following major earthquakes (M, 8.0) strongly shapes the present strain-rate field over most of the plate boundary zone. Equally important are lateral shear transmitted across the Pacific,North America plate boundary along ,1000 km of the continental shelf, downdip forces distributed along the Cascadia subduction interface, and distributed slip in the lower lithosphere. Post-earthquake relaxation and tectonic forcing, combined with distributed deep slip, constructively interfere near the western margin of the plate boundary zone, producing locally large strain accumulation along the San Andreas fault (SAF) system. However, they destructively interfere further into the plate interior, resulting in smaller and more variable strain accumulation patterns in the eastern part of the plate boundary zone. Much of the right-lateral strain accumulation along the SAF system is systematically underpredicted by models which account only for relaxation from known large earthquakes. This strongly suggests that in addition to viscoelastic-cycle effects, steady deep slip in the lower lithosphere is needed to explain the observed strain-rate field. [source]

Meßtechnische Erfassung von Lage und Verformung eines Stahltragwerks unter Temperatureinfluß

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 2 2004
Hans Schulz Dipl.-Ing.
An einem Abschnitt des stählernen Traggerüsts der Wuppertaler Schwebebahn wurden über einen längeren Zeitraum dreidimensionale geodätische Messungen durchgeführt, um die Verformungen von Stahlbauwerken unter Temperaturlast zu untersuchen. Aus einem genauen geodätischen Netz heraus wurden die Koordinaten von am Objekt vermarkten Punkten bei gleichzeitiger Erfassung der Stahltemperatur bestimmt. Ziele der Untersuchungen waren, die mit einem Standardmeßverfahren in der Praxis erreichbaren Meßunsicherheiten für Kontroll-, Überwachungs- und Absteckungsvermessungen an komplexen Stahlkonstruktionen zu ermitteln und gleichzeitig zu überprüfen, ob sich die Konstruktion unter Temperaturlast dem Materialgesetz entsprechend verhält. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Recording of position and deformation of a steel structure with geodetic measurements under varying climatic conditions. Repeated geodetic 3d-measurements on a part of the steel construction of the Wuppertal Suspension Railway were carried out to analyse the influence of the momentarily prevailing steel temperature on the geometry of the construction. Based on a precise geodetic network the coordinates of points marked out on the construction were determined simultaneously recording the steel temperature. The objectives of the measurement were on the one hand to derive the measuring uncertainties, that can be achieved in practice for control and setting-out measurements on complex steel constructions applying a standard method, and on the other hand to check if the behaviour of the construction under temperature load is according to the material's law. [source]