The emerging interest in using stable bedrock formations for industrial purposes, e.g., nuclear waste disposal, has increased the need for understanding microbiological and geochemical processes in deep crystalline rock environments, including the carbon cycle. Considering the origin and evolution of life on Earth, these environments may also serve as windows to the past. Various geological, ch...

[1] Field studies suggest that bedrock incision by granular flows may be the primary process cutting valleys in steep, unglaciated landscapes. An expression has been proposed for debris flow incision into bedrock which posits that erosion rate depends on stresses due to granular interactions at the snout of debris flows. Here, we explore this idea by conducting laboratory experiments to test th...

In this study we present 1D and 2D linear and nonlinear wave propagation simulations in the Grenoble basin up to 10 Hz. The numerical computations show that the strong impedance contrast between the sediments and surrounding bedrock produces a strong amplification regardless of the basin geometry. This velocity contrast also helps the development of strong surface waves at the basin edges. As a...

The significance of stochasticity in the characteristics of the surface layers of a site to the resulting spatial variation of seismic ground motions and the seismic ground strains is investigated. For this purpose, an analytical site-specific model is developed. The model approximates the site topography by a horizontally extended layer with random characteristics overlying a half-space (bedro...

On the basis of the Manning equation and basic mass conservation principles, we derive an expression for scaling the steadystate width (W) of river channels as a function of discharge (Q), channel slope (S), roughness (n), and width-to-depth ratio (!): W " [!(! # 2)2/3]3/8Q3/8S$3/16n3/8. We propose that channel width-todepth ratio, in addition to roughness, is a function of the material in whic...

Accelerated loss of ice from Greenland and Antarctica has been observed in recent decades. The melting of polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers has a considerable influence on sea level rise in a changing climate. Ice thickness is a key factor in making predictions about the future of massive ice reservoirs. The ice thickness can be estimated by calculating the exact location of the ice surfac...

Abstract. Widespread existing geological records from above the modern ice sheet surface and outboard of current margin show that Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) was much more extensive at Last Glacial Maximum (? 20 ka) than present. However, whether it ever smaller present during last few millennia, (if so) by how much, is known only for a locations because direct evidence lies within or beneath she...

We explore the contribution of fractures (joints) in controlling the rate of weathering advance for a low-porosity rock by using methods of homogenization to create averaged weathering equations. The rate of advance of the weathering front can be expressed as the same rate observed in non-fractured media (or in an individual block) divided by the volume fraction of nonfractured blocks in the fr...

IInfiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity are immensely important parameters for evaluating the hydrology of subsurface environments. Specifically, in disposal wells schemes and in artificial recharge plans both properties must be correctly assessed to better analyze the performance of these installations. In a new research, tanker water and rainfall runoff were injected into a 22.5 m deep ...