The primary pattern of the late Cenozoic to the present tectonic deformation of China is characterized by relative movements and interactions of tectonic blocks. Active tectonic blocks are geological units that have b...The primary pattern of the late Cenozoic to the present tectonic deformation of China is characterized by relative movements and interactions of tectonic blocks. Active tectonic blocks are geological units that have been separated from each other by active tectonic zones. Boundaries between blocks are the highest gradient of differential movement. Most of tectonic activity occurs on boundaries of the blocks. Earthquakes are results of abrupt releases of accumulated strain energy that reaches the threshold of strength of the earth's crust. Boundaries of tectonic blocks are the locations of most discontinuous deformation and highest gradient of stress accumulation, thus are the most likely places for strain energy accumulation and releases, and in turn, devastating earthquakes. Almost all earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8 and 80%-90% of earthquakes of magnitude over 7 occur along boundaries of active tectonic blocks. This fact indicates that differential movements and interactions of active tectonic blocks are the primary mechanism for the occurrences of devastating earthquakes.展开更多
Variations in vegetation activity during the past 18 years in China were investigated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the 3rd generation time series dataset of NOAA-AVHRR from 1982...Variations in vegetation activity during the past 18 years in China were investigated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the 3rd generation time series dataset of NOAA-AVHRR from 1982 to 1999. In order to eliminate the effects of non-vegetation factors, we characterized areas with NDVI < 0.1 as sparsely vegetated areas and areas with NDVI ≥ 0.1 as vegetated areas. The results showed that increasing NDVI trends were evident, to varying extents, in almost all regions in China in the 18 years, indicating that vegetation activity has been rising in recent years in these regions. Compared to the early 1980s, the vegetated area increased by 3.5% by the late 1990s, while the sparsely vegetated area declined by 18.1% in the same period. The national total mean annual NDVI increased by 7.4% during the study period. Extended growing seasons and increased plant growth rates ac-counted for the bulk of these increases, while increases in temperature and summer rainfall, and strengthening agricultural activity were also likely important factors. NDVI changes in China ex-hibited relatively large spatial heterogeneity; the eastern coastal regions experienced declining or indiscernibly rising trends, while agricultural regions and western China experienced marked increases. Such a pattern was due primarily to urbanization, agricultural activity, regional climate characteristics, and different vegetation responses to regional climate changes.展开更多
文摘The primary pattern of the late Cenozoic to the present tectonic deformation of China is characterized by relative movements and interactions of tectonic blocks. Active tectonic blocks are geological units that have been separated from each other by active tectonic zones. Boundaries between blocks are the highest gradient of differential movement. Most of tectonic activity occurs on boundaries of the blocks. Earthquakes are results of abrupt releases of accumulated strain energy that reaches the threshold of strength of the earth's crust. Boundaries of tectonic blocks are the locations of most discontinuous deformation and highest gradient of stress accumulation, thus are the most likely places for strain energy accumulation and releases, and in turn, devastating earthquakes. Almost all earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8 and 80%-90% of earthquakes of magnitude over 7 occur along boundaries of active tectonic blocks. This fact indicates that differential movements and interactions of active tectonic blocks are the primary mechanism for the occurrences of devastating earthquakes.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40024101&90211016).
文摘Variations in vegetation activity during the past 18 years in China were investigated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the 3rd generation time series dataset of NOAA-AVHRR from 1982 to 1999. In order to eliminate the effects of non-vegetation factors, we characterized areas with NDVI < 0.1 as sparsely vegetated areas and areas with NDVI ≥ 0.1 as vegetated areas. The results showed that increasing NDVI trends were evident, to varying extents, in almost all regions in China in the 18 years, indicating that vegetation activity has been rising in recent years in these regions. Compared to the early 1980s, the vegetated area increased by 3.5% by the late 1990s, while the sparsely vegetated area declined by 18.1% in the same period. The national total mean annual NDVI increased by 7.4% during the study period. Extended growing seasons and increased plant growth rates ac-counted for the bulk of these increases, while increases in temperature and summer rainfall, and strengthening agricultural activity were also likely important factors. NDVI changes in China ex-hibited relatively large spatial heterogeneity; the eastern coastal regions experienced declining or indiscernibly rising trends, while agricultural regions and western China experienced marked increases. Such a pattern was due primarily to urbanization, agricultural activity, regional climate characteristics, and different vegetation responses to regional climate changes.
