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In this work, the adsorption structure of deuterated water on the stepped platinum surface is studied under an ultra-high vacuum by using heterodyne-detected sum-frequency generation spectroscopy. On a pristine Pt(553), D2O molecules adsorbed at the step sites act as hydrogen bond (H-bond) donors to the adjacent terrace sites. This ensures the net D-down orientation at the terrace sites away from the steps. In particular, the pre-adsorption of oxygen atoms at the step sites significantly alters the D-down configuration. The oxygen pre-adsorption leads to a spontaneous dissociation of the post-adsorbed water molecules at the step to form hydroxyl (OD) species. Since the hydroxyl at the step acts as a strong H-bond acceptor, D2O at the terrace no longer maintains the D-down configuration and adopts flat-lying configurations, significantly reducing the number of D-down molecules at the terrace. Density-functional theoretical calculations support these pictures. This work demonstrates the critical role of steps in controlling the net orientation of the interfacial water and provides an important reference for future considerations of the reactions at electrochemical interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical use of 4H-SiC as a semiconductor material alternative to Si has been investigated by several researchers. However, a key challenge impeding its practical implementation is the elimination of killer defects in the epitaxial layer, such as basal plane dislocations (BPDs), which cause bipolar degradations. The conversion of BPDs into threading edge dislocations is crucial to reduce detrimental mobile dislocations. However, their underlying atomistic mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the effects of the step height and distance from the step on the contraction of BPDs were determined using a reaction pathway analysis. Notably, the step height did not affect the contraction, and the activation energies for the contraction of the partial dislocation pairs with Burgers vectors closed toward the step were 0.4 (C face) and 0.3 eV (Si face) lower than those for expansion. Conversely, for the partial dislocation pairs with Burgers vectors open toward the step, the activation energies for contraction were 0.4 (C face) and 0.2 eV (Si face) higher than those for expansion. Furthermore, the effect of the step diminished when the distance from the step exceeded 3 nm. The results suggest that the steps prevented contraction, and longer terraces reduced this preventive effect. Therefore, a surface morphology with fewer steps and longer terraces would increase the conversion rate. Furthermore, a low-off-angle substrate and surface polishing would increase the conversion rate, whereas step bunching slightly would decrease it. Macrosteps would decrease the conversion rate as the average distance from the surface to BPDs increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the research and methodological aspects of introducing the new term "catafluvial deposits" into genetic classification of Quaternary deposits. For this purpose, fieldwork was carried out aimed at studying terrace complexes within the Yaloman-Katun zone of Gorny Altai, which has recently become a unique natural laboratory for investigating hypothetical glacial superfloods. Based on original materials and data from other areas with similar geological and physico-geographical conditions, it is concluded that the introduction of a separate genetic type "catafluvial" is currently premature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive examination of uplifted mid-late Pleistocene marine terraces along the eastern coast of Korea offers valuable insights into the temporal and spatial variability of uplift rates spanning ∼200 ka. Focusing on the Gangneung–Samcheok region of the Korean peninsula's east coast, the study area is delineated into three distinct areas (i.e., Anin, Jeongdongjin–Donghae, and Samcheok) by two NNE-SSW to NE-SE-striking faults. Three flights of marine terraces are developed in each area, with terraces typically observed at elevations of 10 to 20 m and 20 to 35 m across all three areas. Conversely, upper terraces exceeding these elevations are mainly observed at 50 to 60 m or 60 to 80 m, with regional variations noted. Quartz optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) was used for dating marine terrace deposits. However, it could not be applied to older deposits beyond the upper limit of quartz OSL. Therefore, IRSL and post IR-IRSL dating using K-rich feldspar, which has a higher upper limit than quartz OSL, were applied in this study. The results indicate that marine terraces at elevations of 10 to 20 m and 20 to 35 m formed during MIS 5a and MIS 5e. Depositional ages of MIS 7 were obtained from terraces ranging from 50 to 60 m or 60 to 80 m, exhibiting elevation differences across regions. Consequently, the estimated temporal variation in uplift rates revealed an average uplift rate of 0.52–0.79 m/ka from MIS 7 to MIS 5e, followed by 0.2–0.3 m/ka after MIS 5e. Spatial variation in uplift rates was observed from MIS 7 to MIS 5e. Specifically, the uplift rate in the Jeongdongjin–Donghae area, located in the middle part of the study area, was 0.79 m/ka (Min. 0.68 m/ka, Max. 0.90 m/ka), whereas the uplift rate in the other study areas was 0.52 m/ka (Min. 0.41 m/ka, Max. 0.62 m/ka). This discrepancy is probably attributed to the influence of the two faults that subdivide the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the study of a class of reaction-advection-diffusion equations of the form u t − Δ u + β (y) u x = f (t , u) in cylinders, where f is a tristable or multistable nonlinearity satisfying f (⋅ , 0) = f (⋅ , 1) = 0. We establish the alternative of wave solutions, that is, either there is a unique, asymptotically stable periodic traveling wave connecting 0 to 1 directly, or there is a unique propagating terrace connecting 0 to 1. Under the assumption that all wave speeds in propagating terrace are not equal to each other, we further obtain that the propagating terrace is asymptotically stable if it exists. Moreover, the sufficient and necessary conditions for the existence of periodic traveling waves connecting 0 to 1 are given respectively. Our arguments are based on the parabolic maximum principle, sliding method and the super- and sub-solution method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to develop a manually operated maize planter cum vermicompost applicator for narrow terraces of Sikkim. For the timely operation with less effort and drudgery, a lightweight manually operated planter cum vermicompost applicator is required for the uneven topography and small terrace. Three commonly grown varieties of maize (i.e. sethi makai, pahelo makai and rato makai) were used. The mean values of length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, sphericity and roundness of three varieties maize were determined for designing the cell size of metering drum. Laboratory test was conducted to optimize the operating parameters of manually operated maize planter cum vermicompost applicator. Optimum performance of the planter was recorded with cell size of 11 mm and 25 % hopper fill level. Furthermore, the planter was operated in the field and also compared with the traditional planting. Average heart rates while operating manually operated maize planter cum vemicompost applicator and traditional planting, were recorded as 114 and 126 bpm respectively. The BPDR experienced maximum in both cases but traditional planting observed extreme pain in backbone due to continuous bending posture. The ODR was found to be higher in traditional planting ranges from 7 to 8 whereas manually operated maize planter cum vermicompost applicator ODR was found in the range of 4 to 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovation of 3D FinFETs using top‐down silicon nanofins represents a significant advancement toward scaling down microchip process nodes to the cutting‐edge 3‐nm level. While bottom‐up semiconductor nanofins also hold promise as building blocks for FinFETs, their controlled growth remains challenging. Drawing inspiration from the guided roots along brick gaps, this study shows that the aligned atomic terraces on an annealed miscut LaAlO3 surface can trigger an exceptional graphoepitaxial effect, encouraging the bottom‐up vapor‐phase growth of self‐aligned nanostructures such as CdS, CdSe, ZnSe, and ZnTe. Subsequently, the resultant CdS nanofins, characterized by narrow widths of ≈20 nm and large height‐to‐width ratios exceeding 16, can be seamlessly assembled into arrayed FinFETs on the insulating LaAlO3 substrate, obviating the need for post‐growth alignment steps. Unlike most nanostructure‐based planar transistors, which often operate in depletion mode characterized by negative thresholds, these FinFETs operate in enhancement mode with positive thresholds (≈5 V), ≈10−14‐A standby currents, and ≈108 on/off current ratios. The achieved ratio surpasses the record for planar enhancement‐mode CdS transistors by 4 orders of magnitude, primarily due to the enhanced electrostatic control over the nanofins. Overall, the graphoepitaxially side‐by‐side nanofins show tremendous potential to expand the repertoire of FinFETs based on non‐silicon semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we review current understandings of anthropogenic field systems, focusing on trends and variations in the chronology of field construction, use, and in some cases, abandonment, as well as labor organization of agrarian production across the Lake Titicaca Basin. These trends indicate that agricultural intensification increased both during the political centralization of the Tiwanaku state and during periods of political fragmentation. In contrast to prior work on fields in the region, we argue that there was no single cultural, environmental, or historical impetus that ignited the construction of any particular field type. Additionally, we present the results of pedestrian survey of terraces carried out in 2018 in the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. While there were regional commonalities across survey areas in the masonry design of terrace risers, presence of pathways and radiating walls separating vertical tracts of terraces, and a general absence of irrigation, we found deviations from each of these trends in individual terrace complexes. While preliminary evidence indicates that more terraces were built or cultivated during the Late Intermediate period (1100–1450 CE) than in other time periods in the northern Titicaca basin, some terraces were likely built earlier. Our findings point to the multiplicity of strategies that ancient farmers employed in the varied ecological settings of the Lake Titicaca basin under diverse sociopolitical programs. This contrasts with previous research on agrarian field systems, which is mostly single‐sited and tends to emphasize individual strategies over the quiver of agrarian options available to Andean farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main assumption of the text is that, in Poland, small fan groups are facing a threat to their existence, and many of them are functioning in an evident crisis. Based on secondary data, the main mechanisms influencing the problems of fan groups from smaller clubs in maintaining and developing their potential will be reconstructed. These mechanisms are: economic emigration of supporters, ageing of supporter group members (lack of generational replacement), 'old-fashioned' style of supporting based on violence and aggression, the changing attitude of the young generation to spend free time and decreasing interest of young people to participate in fan culture, lack of sporting success of clubs, lack of fan rivals in low-level football leagues. The article concludes that in the near future, the number of fan groups of small clubs will drastically decrease, and the whole fan culture in Poland will face crisis and uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of the valley topography of the northeastern part of Terra Cimmeria on Mars was carried out. The results of the study allow us to draw the following conclusions. (1) The morphology of the studied valley systems corresponds to their presumed fluvial origin. (2) The remains of the paleodelta in the Gusev crater, fragments of terrace levels traced along the valley, regular changes in their height, as well as the remains of eroded accumulative bodies discovered in the Ma'adim Valley indicate the existence of individual episodes of partial filling of the valleys with sediment, probably due to the activation of the uppermost links of the valley system that supplied fragmentary material to the main valley. A detailed study of the morphology and topography of the Durius Valley suggests the same mechanism of its formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terraces, farmlands built along hillside contours, are common anthropogenically designed landscapes. Terraces control soil and water loss and improve land productivity; therefore, obtaining their spatial distribution is necessary for soil and water conservation and agricultural production. Spatial information of large-scale terraces can be obtained using satellite images and through deep learning. However, when extracting terraces, accurately segmenting the boundaries of terraces and identifying small terraces in diverse scenarios continues to be challenging. To solve this problem, we combined two deep learning modules, ANB-LN and DFB, to produce a new deep learning framework (NLDF-Net) for terrace extraction using remote sensing images. The model first extracted the features of the terraces through the coding area to obtain abstract semantic features, and then gradually recovered the original size through the decoding area using feature fusion. In addition, we constructed a terrace dataset (the HRT-set) for Guangdong Province and conducted a series of comparative experiments on this dataset using the new framework. The experimental results show that our framework had the best extraction effect compared to those of other deep learning methods. This framework provides a method and reference for extracting ground objects using remote sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Viticulture on steep slopes has shaped the landscape and biodiversity in many regions, but insufficient profitability has led to management cessation and shrub encroachment. A solution to maintain economically viable cultivation could be vineyard terracing. We aimed to identify the potential of terracing to enhance plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity in vineyards, analyze effects of management intensity on vineyard vegetation, and assess how plant communities change after vineyard abandonment. Location: Wine‐growing region of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Hesse (50.042342° N, 7.814533° E) and Rhineland‐Palatinate (50.119139° N, 7.719275° E), Germany. Methods: We recorded vascular plant species and local vineyard parameters in vertically oriented vineyards with vegetated and tilled open inter‐rows, in terraced vineyards with tilled terrace inter‐rows and extensively managed embankments, and in vineyard fallows in a total of 45 study sites. We used plant species richness, Ellenberg indicator values and Grime's strategy types to describe how traits and ecological requirements respond to distinct vineyard management. Results: Plant species richness and composition were determined by management‐derived disturbance intensities. Extensively managed embankments had a distinct plant community, the highest plant species richness, more perennial and indicator species, and lower nitrogen indicator values compared with inter‐rows. By contrast, highly disturbed open and terrace inter‐rows revealed plant communities associated with annuals and ruderals, but species richness did not differ between terrace inter‐rows and embankments. The plant communities of fallows were completely different with lower plant diversity. Conclusions: Our results highlight the potential of terraced vineyards for plant diversity with nutrient poor, extensively managed embankments providing conditions that have become rare in modern agricultural systems. A long environmental gradient from terrace inter‐rows to embankments created habitat heterogeneity within a narrow space. By contrast, intensive inter‐row management in vertically oriented vineyards hampers high plant diversity and abandonment fosters the spread of woody species at the expanse of plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-Columbian food production in the Maya Lowlands was long characterized as reliant on extensive, slash-and-burn agriculture as the sole cultivation system possible in the region, given environmental limitations, with maize as the dominant crop. While aspects of this "swidden thesis" of Maya agriculture have been chipped away in recent years, there has been an underappreciation of the many forms of long-term capital investments in agriculture made by ancient Maya people. Here, we review the last three decades of research that has overturned the swidden thesis, focusing on long-term strategies. We demonstrate long-lasting agricultural investments by Maya people, in social capital including multigenerational land tenure, in cultivated capital including long-lived trees, and in landesque capital including soil amendments and landscape engineering projects, such as terracing and wetland modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated terraces are phenomena that have been protected in some areas for both their cultural heritage and food production purposes. Some terraced areas are disappearing but could be revitalised. To this end, recognition techniques need to be developed and terrace registers need to be established. The goal of this study was to recognise terraces using deep learning based on Lidar DEM. Lidar data is a valuable resource in countries with overgrown terraces. The U-net model training was conducted using data from the Slovenian terraces register for southwestern Slovenia and was subsequently applied to the entire country. We then analysed the agreement between the terraces register and the terraces recognised by deep learning. The overall accuracy of the model was 85%; however, the kappa index was only 0.22. The success rate was higher in some regions. Our results achieved lower accuracy compared to studies from China, where similar techniques were used but which incorporated satellite imagery, DEM, as well as land use data. This study was the first attempt at deep learning terrace recognition based solely on high-resolution DEM, highlighting examples of false terrace recognition that may be related to natural or other artificial terrace-like features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UAV photogrammetry is a crucial technique for conserving cultural heritage sites, particularly oblique images. However, studies on this method are limited. The Jewish Neighbourhood in Akre, with its significant historical and architectural value, needs urgent documentation to prevent further deformation. This article aims to present the methods and techniques of data acquisition and processing to document the traditional terrace form of the Jewish Neighbourhood. UAV was used to capture 337 images at an altitude of 40 meters with a tilted camera angle of 45 degrees. Agisoft Metashape photogrammetry software was used to process the images and produce a 3D digital surface model of the buildings, quantitative and qualitative methods were carried out to assess the accuracy of the deliverables. In addition, Global Mapper and ArcGIS software were used to drive more documentation details that would serve to set the required operational guidelines to preserve the traditional terrace form of this site. Results show that the accuracy of the produced 3D model is high and further proves that UAV photogrammetry using oblique images is an effective technique for documenting such complex historical sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many post-orogenic settings exhibit a rugged topography, but the underlying mechanisms driving topographic rejuvenation are poorly understood. For example, the U.S. southern Colorado Front Range, a widely recognized and studied post-orogenic setting, contains deep canyons and steep channels even though the crustal deformation that built the range during the Laramide Orogeny ended at ca. 40 Ma. Two prevailing hypotheses are typically used to explain these topographically youthful features in the Colorado Front Range: (1) mantle dynamics and active tectonics during the late Cenozoic; and (2) enhanced erosional efficiency associated with Quaternary climatic changes. Here, we evaluate these end-member hypotheses through a tectonic geomorphological study of the upper Arkansas River Basin in southern Colorado. We perform river profile analysis on bedrock channels in the eastern Rockies and map and analyze fluvial terraces in the western High Plains. In the eastern Rockies, river knickpoints record a one- to two-stage increase in base-level fall rate downstream of the Colorado Front Range mountain front and an eastward increase in the magnitude of incision. In the western High Plains, Quaternary fluvial terraces also show an eastward increase in the total magnitude of incision. Supported by flexural and supplemental geomorphic analyses, these results suggest a previously undetected regional-scale, westdirected back-tilting associated with differential rock uplift. Based on the average timing of deformation, locations of major faults, and seismic activity, seismic tomographic data, and existing geodynamic models, we infer that this newly recorded westward tilting in the upper Arkansas Basin is the result of unsteady and potentially migrating dynamic topography that developed ca. 4 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through field investigation in the Zoige Basin of the eastern Tibetan Plateau, a natural and complete sedimentary profile was found on the steep cliff of the first terrace of the right bank of the Yellow River in the Maqu reach. Careful field observation, analysis of particle size characteristics, and optically stimulated luminescence dating were conducted. The results showed that the paleo-riverbed pebble layer and the floodplain sandy silt layer at the bottom of the sedimentary profile constituted a typical binary sedimentary structure layer, in which the shallow depression bog mud layer that formed during 5.0–4.2 ka was lenticularly sandwiched in the floodplain sandy silt layer, indicating that the first terrace of the Yellow River in this reach began to form at 5.0 ka. The climate was dry and cold during 4.2–4.0 ka, and strong wind on the plateau surface transformed the floodplain sediments into aeolian sand. The paleoflood slackwater deposits sandwiched in the aeolian sand layer indicated that the source of the Yellow River has experienced several catastrophic flood events during this period, inundating the first terrace ground. During 4.0–2.8 ka, mud bogs formed in shallow depressions of the terrace under the relatively humid climate. After 2.8 ka, sandstorms drove the accumulation of coarse silt over the terrace ground, forming aeolian loess. The upper part developed into modern subalpine meadow black soil with granular structure through biological weathering since 2.0 ka. The study results revealed the formation age and its surface development process of the first terrace of the Yellow River in the Zoige Basin, which has important scientific significance for in-depth understanding of the water system evolution and environmental changes in the source area of the Yellow River. OSL dating and stratigraphic framework comparison with XCC profile and WDT profile (Chai et al., 2021) indicated that the first terrace began to form at 5.0 ka along the Maqu reach of the Yellow River in the western margin of the Zoige Basin, Eastern Tibetan Plateau. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On September 17th and 18th, 2022, shallow earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.6 (ML) and 6.8 (ML) occurred in the eastern Taiwan Longitudinal Valley, which marks the collision zone between the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate, and led to noticeable surface deformation and ruptures within 70 km. This study primarily focuses on the southernmost section of the rupture zone—the Pingting Terrace. Surface rupture locations and behaviors correspond to changes in topography, providing mutual confirmation that the deformation behavior of Pingting Terrace is complex. Based on the distribution of surface ruptures and topography changes, this study roughly divides the Pingting Terrace into northern and southern segments, using the central concave feature as a boundary. The Riedel shear model analysis results show that the principal shear directions in the northern and southern segments are N–S trending and azimuth 20°, respectively. The maximum principal stress orientations are around 135° for the northern and 155° for the southern segments. These findings align with the fault mechanical investigation of the Lichi Mélange in the northern Muken River area of the Pingting Terrace. This suggests spatial changes in shear zone orientations within the Lichi Mélange, which contribute to developing pressure ridges due to transpressional forces. As a result, the Pingting Terrace experiences rapid uplift, causing the Luliao River to migrate southward into the Beinan River, while the eastern Beinan River turns to the eastward edge of the Pingting Terrace. Key points: Co-seismic surface rupture analysis using Riedel shear model. Flower structure of the Pingting Terrace. Relationship between the River channel change and the tectonic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrace detection and ridge extraction from high-resolution remote sensing imagery are crucial for soil conservation and grain production on sloping land. Traditional methods use low-to-medium resolution images, missing detailed features and lacking automation. Terrace detection and ridge extraction are closely linked, with each influencing the other's outcomes. However, most studies address these tasks separately, overlooking their interdependence. This research introduces a cutting-edge, multi-scale, and multi-task deep learning framework, termed DTRE-Net, designed for comprehensive terrace information extraction. This framework bridges the gap between terrace detection and ridge extraction, executing them concurrently. The network incorporates residual networks, multi-scale fusion modules, and multi-scale residual correction modules to enhance the model's robustness in feature extraction. Comprehensive evaluations against other deep learning-based semantic segmentation methods using GF-2 terraced imagery from two distinct areas were undertaken. The results revealed intersection over union (IoU) values of 85.18% and 86.09% for different terrace morphologies and 59.79% and 73.65% for ridges. Simultaneously, we have confirmed that the connectivity of results is improved when employing multi-task learning for ridge extraction compared to directly extracting ridges. These outcomes underscore DTRE-Net's superior capability in the automation of terrace and ridge extraction relative to alternative techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms controlling the stacking patterns of deep‐water turbidite lobes are currently open to a wide range of interpretations. A study of Turonian to Coniacian turbidite lobe complexes in the greater Marulk area (Dønna Terrace, Norwegian Sea) was undertaken to examine the balance and respective influences of various controlling factors using a large sediment core, well‐log and seismic dataset. A four‐tiered lobe hierarchy is described based on a detailed sedimentological study of three Cretaceous turbidite lobe systems, involving a variety of sedimentary processes and flow regimes. The inferred depositional stacking patterns were then used to identify autogenic and allogenic forcings on the large‐scale depositional architecture of turbidite lobes. Autogenic processes (best observed in core data) control the self‐regulation of sediment dispersal and the broad evolution of lobe sub‐environments. Conversely, allogenic forcings (best observed in well‐log data) regulate axial migration within the turbidite lobe succession, and control sediment pulses and ultimately the general evolutionary trend of the turbidite lobe complex. Beyond this, an updated approach is proposed here aiming at deciphering autogenic‐dominant and allogenic‐dominant processes at different hierarchical levels in both confined and unconfined turbidite lobe deposits, which may help with assigning appropriate inputs for geomodels for an improved understanding of the internal and external controls on lobe depositional architecture. It is advocated that this approach may eventually be used in other depositional systems, such as in deltaic complexes from coastal settings, both in actual and ancient sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starlite Terrace is a contemporary novel comprised of four interlinked stories about the American film milieu by the German-American writer Patrick Roth. Four protagonists tell their Hollywood-tinged, highly personal life stories to a fifth, who is also the main narrator. In each of their singular collisions with life, a universal and mythical pattern is gradually revealed that gives these so-called ordinary people a dignity they have long since lost in everyday life. Literary scholars are considering Starlite Terrace a brilliant portrayal of the so-called "seeker spirituality" found primarily on the West Coast of California. In fact, the novel is part of Patrick Roth's own life story, a condensation of his 40 years of experience in Los Angeles, the center of the American film industry. The novel represents a new kind of literature, a new poetics that strives to give expression to an archetypal layer of the unconscious through the writing process, thus bringing together these separate spheres. The highly Jungian worldview is mirrored in the character of Rex, "The Man at Noah's Window," among others. In his fixation on the movies and movie stars, he represents an aspect of the narrator's shadow, a content eventually recognized and accepted. Ultimately, Rex, the "eternal outsider," embodies the old ailing king in desperate need of rejuvenation. On the level of the collective psyche, the figure of Rex conveys the end of the old God image and the beginning of a new one, as experienced and foretold in the narrator's archetypal puer aeternus dream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "The Sendai river terraces monitored the co-seismic mega-thrusting" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses errors in Table 2 and Table 3 of the original article. The corrected tables are provided, including the correct values for the samples and additional information in Table 3. The document also includes a link to the original article for reference. [Extracted from the article]

Since 2018, domestic Saharawi houses in occupied Western Sahara have become tactical sites for organising dissent. The move to interior spaces came as a collective retreat from the city's public plazas. This retreat from extravagant plazas illustrates that the turn toward interior spaces was a tactic in front of destructive occupation power rather than a withdrawal. This article explores Saharawi spatial production of dissent under two different political moments. I ask, what spaces of dissent do people under occupation animate when the city is mobilised against them? This paper is based on ethnographic engagement with encounters between Saharawis and Moroccan security forces that led Saharawis to construct the house as its own public. I demonstrate interiorising the exterior by analysing homes' terraces as the new space of urban dissent in the Western Sahara. As such, the terrace appears as a new space and a new tool of and in urban insurgency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the classification and failure modes of Yellow River terrace landslides under the influence of irrigation projects is of key importance to alleviate the paradox between the rapid evolution of terrace landscapes caused by landslides and the survival of local residents. However, such studies remain controversial, despite it being widely recognized that a rise in groundwater level caused by irrigation is a key factor associated with landslide failure modes. In this paper, we take the Heitai terrace as a case study. Using aerial images and field investigations, we classify landslides in the Heitai loess layer into type A landslides (not related to groundwater) and type B1 and B2 landslides (related to groundwater). We analyze the failure modes and disaster-causing characteristics of each type of landslide, and our results indicate that the attenuation in soil strength is a key factor common to both type A and type B landslides, based on which type A landslides with small volume and short sliding distance are able to block the previous spring discharge, causing a rise in localized groundwater, which further contributes to type B landslides; the location of previous type B1 landslides with a large volume and long sliding distance and type A landslides may be more susceptible to type B2 landslides with a small volume and short sliding distance, where there are low confining pressures during the lower soil shear process. Therefore, we believe that the inevitable interaction effects between the failure modes of landslides during landslide evolution, which govern the geomorphological evolution of the Heitai terrace, are unavoidable. Combining these data with numerical analyses, we further demonstrate that a rise in groundwater level and discontinuous attenuation of soil strength caused by changes in soil properties during irrigation together control terrace landslides and their failure modes. From the results of interferometric synthetic aperture radar time-series monitoring of Yellow River terrace activity with and without irrigation projects, and electrical resistivity tomography groundwater detection, we conclude that in the future, Heitai terrace will continue to experience a high intensity of landslide activity, and conditions for the most catastrophic type of landslide (type B1) will remain, including the high localized groundwater caused by previous landslides, and the discontinuous attenuation of soil strength caused by the deterioration in soil properties. In this context, we believe that slope-cutting engineering will be one of the most economical means to achieve future landslide-type transformation on the Heitai terrace; this will mitigate the process of geomorphological evolution and improve the human living environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

" B Table 3. b Estimation of sedimentation rates, tephra ages, and terrace gravel ages (= terrace emergent ages). Significance of bold-italic values: Rate mm/year for loam; significance of underlined values: Rate mm/year for fluvial; significance of bold values: Adopted terrace gravel age Ma." See references in main text." now reads: " B Table 3. b Estimation of sedimentation rates, tephra ages, and terrace gravel ages (= terrace emergent ages). [Extracted from the article]

We conducted a detailed geological survey of the Sendai region, covering an area of 100 × 50 km. Our survey focused on accurately mapping river terraces, identifying the source volcanoes responsible for intercalated tephras, and locating the Nagamachi-Rifu fault and associated faults. The river terraces were observed and categorized based on their elevation relative to the present river channels. These terraces are predominantly found on the hanging wall of major reverse faults. Each terrace comprises fluvial gravels at the lower levels and eolian loam intercalated with local and regional tephras at higher levels, with the contact age corresponding to the time of emergence. To determine the ages of the terrace gravels, we employed a combination of zircon U–Pb dating, sedimentation rate calculations, and extrapolation techniques. This allowed us to establish the abandonment or emergent dates of the terraces. The formation of these terraces coincided with periods of fault activity, including hanging wall uplift, footwall subsidence, and fault vertical displacement, effectively monitoring the co-seismicity of the Nagamachi-Rifu fault. While we cannot predict the exact timing of future events, it is crucial to remain vigilant regarding the potential occurrence of a significant earthquake triggered by these fault activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a continuation of our previous paper (Kaneko-Matsuzawa-Yamada, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst., 2022), where we have classified all large-time behaviors of radially symmetric solutions to a free boundary problem of reaction diffusion equation u t = Δ u + f (u) with positive bistable nonlinearity f in high space dimensions. The positive bistable nonlinearity means that f (u) = 0 has exactly two positive stable equilibria. Among the classified solutions, we are interested in a spreading solution, that is a solution (u (t , | x |) , h (t)) for x ∈ R N with free boundary | x | = h (t) such that, as t → ∞ , | x | ≤ h (t) expands to the whole space R N and u (t , ⋅) converges to a positive stable equilibrium for f (u) uniformly in any compact set of R N. When we discuss whole asymptotic profiles of spreading solutions, it has been known that they are generally described with use of a semi-wave obtained from the corresponding semi-wave problem. Our main purpose is to study precise asymptotic estimates for any spreading solution whose profile accompanies a propagating terrace with two different types of propagating speeds. Such a spreading phenomenon occurs when u (t , ⋅) converges to the largest equilibrium of f and the related semi-wave problem does not have a solution. We will prove that the propagating terrace consists of two functions; one is a semi-wave corresponding to a smaller positive equilibrium of f and the other is a traveling wave connecting two positive equilibria of f. In order to give sharp estimates for a radial terrace solution with the above properties, we need so called logarithmic shiftings, which are revealed by Uchiyama (1983) and Du-Matsuzawa-Zhou (2015) in higher dimensional cases. Moreover, we will see that two types of the logarithmic shiftings appear in the estimates. The proof for the higher dimensional case is very different from the one-dimensional case established by Kaneko-Matsuzawa-Yamada (2020). To derive exact logarithmic terms, we have to construct a series of upper and lower solutions to make estimates more and more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lidar datasets have been crucial for documenting the scale and nature of human ecosystem engineering and land use. Automated analysis methods, which have been rising in popularity and efficiency, allow for systematic evaluations of vast landscapes. Here, we use a Mask R‐CNN deep learning model to evaluate terracing—artificially flattened areas surrounded by steeper slopes—on islands in American Sāmoa. Mask R‐CNN is notable for its ability to simultaneously perform detection and segmentation tasks related to object recognition, thereby providing robust datasets of both geographic locations of terracing features and their spatial morphometry. Using training datasets from across American Sāmoa, we train this model to recognize terracing features and then apply it to the island of Tutuila to undertake an island‐wide survey for terrace locations, distributions and morphologies. We demonstrate that this model is effective (F1 = 0.718), but limitations are also documented that relate to the quality of the lidar data and the size of terracing features. Our data show that the islands of American Sāmoa display shared patterns of terracing, but the nature of these patterns are distinct on Tutuila compared with the Manu'a island group. These patterns speak to the different interior configurations of the islands. This study demonstrates how deep learning provides a better understanding of landscape construction and behavioural patterning on Tutuila and has the capacity to expand our understanding of these processes on other islands beyond our case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terraced landscapes are important to the cultural and environmental characteristics of many regions worldwide. Accurate and comprehensive documentation of these landscapes is challenging, especially when inventorying drystone walled terraced landscapes and abandoned agricultural terraces. Even inventory methods based on LIDAR and fieldwork do not capture all of the mapped information. To address this challenge, the study proposed the inclusion of additional data sources into the inventory process, specifically aerial photographs from drones and photographs taken with advanced GPS devices. The combination of alreadytested methods and other data sources enabled a more comprehensive and accurate inventory process. The improved methodology was tested in three cadastral municipalities of the Vipava Valley (Črniče, Gojače and Vrtovin), where the terraces have predominantly dry-stone risers with different heights. A large percentage of the terraced landscape in the selected cadastral municipalities is abandoned, so the terraced structures are overgrown by vegetation and forest; in Gojače, almost half of the terraced landscape is like this. In some places, the terraced landscape has become almost completely unrecognizable. With an improved inventory methodology, both active and abandoned agricultural terraces can be mapped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Rice terraces in the subtropical monsoon region of China are representatives of intensive farming in southern mountainous areas, with various ecosystem service functions. Quantifying their landscape pattern and identifying the impact of major natural factors are key to implementing reasonable protection and achieving sustainable regional development. [Method] Based on ArcGIS spatial analysis technology, the rice terraces in Jiabang, Guizhou, Longji, Hunan, Lianhe and Hani, Yunnan, which were located in the subtropical monsoon mountain area, were taken as the research objects to discuss the impact of natural factors such as topography, soil and lithology on the landscape pattern of rice terraces on the basis of their landscape horizontal and vertical pattern analyses. [ Result] The landscape of various terraced fields mainly included forest land, terraced fields, construction land, water body and unused land, among which the distribution area of terraced fields was Hani > Ziquejie > Jiabang > Longji > Llanhe, and all were concentrated in the central region; The landscape of each terraced field showed a clear hierarchical distribution on the vertical gradient, with the terraced field structure accounting for the largest proportion, followed by forest land, and the village being the smallest; Jiabang, Longji, Ziquejie and Lianhe terraces were mainly distributed in the east, southeast, and south slope directions ( > 60% ) with good light and heat conditions at elevations below 1200 meters ( > 80% ) and slopes from 5 to 24 ° ( > 70% ), while Hani terraces were mainly distributed in the northeast, east, southeast, west and northwest directions ( > 60% ) with relatively flat terrain at elevations below 1900 meters ( > 90% ) ; Hani and Ziquejie terraces were mainly composed of gneiss ( 59. 04%) and granite ( 89. 65%) with good water storage capacity, respectively. The combined terraces were mainly composed of rhyolite ( 40. 27%) with medium water retention capacity, while Jiabang and Longji rice terraces were mainly composed of sandstone (79. 84% and 51. 74%) with strong water permeability; Red soil, yellow soil and paddy soil were the main soil types of Hani, Jiabang, Longji, Ziquejie and Lianhe terraced landscape, and 78. 2%, 97. 8%, 71. 63%, 87. 66% and 99. 9% terraced fields were developed in each terraced landscape. [ Conclusion] The study aimed to further explore the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of subtropical monsoon rice terraces and provide important references for the future development, utilization and protection of terraces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Buffalo National River in northwest Arkansas preserves an extensive Quaternary record of fluvial bedrock incision and aggradation across lithologies of variable resistance. In this work, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to strath and fill terraces along the Buffalo River to elucidate the role of lithology and climate on the development of the two youngest terrace units (Qtm and Qty). Our OSL ages suggest a minimum strath planation age of ca. 250 ka for the Qtm terraces followed by a ca. 200 ka record of aggradation. Qtm incision likely occurred near the last glacial maximum (LGM), prior to the onset of Qty fill terrace aggradation ca. 14 ka. Our terrace ages are broadly consistent with other regional terrace records, and comparison with available paleoclimatic archives suggests that terrace aggradation and incision occurred during drier and wetter hydrological conditions, respectively. Vertical bedrock incision rates were also calculated using OSL-derived estimates of Qtm strath planation and displayed statistically significant spatial variability with bedrock lithology, ranging from ~35 mm/ka in the higher resistance reaches and ~16 mm/ka in the lower resistance reaches. In combination with observations of valley width and terrace distribution, these results suggest that vertical processes outpace lateral ones in lithologic reaches with higher resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a detailed geological survey of the Sendai region, covering an area of 100 × 50 km. Our survey focused on accurately mapping river terraces, identifying the source volcanoes responsible for intercalated tephras, and locating the Nagamachi-Rifu fault and associated faults. The river terraces were observed and categorized based on their elevation relative to the present river channels. These terraces are predominantly found on the hanging wall of major reverse faults. Each terrace comprises fluvial gravels at the lower levels and eolian loam intercalated with local and regional tephras at higher levels, with the contact age corresponding to the time of emergence. To determine the ages of the terrace gravels, we employed a combination of zircon U–Pb dating, sedimentation rate calculations, and extrapolation techniques. This allowed us to establish the abandonment or emergent dates of the terraces. The formation of these terraces coincided with periods of fault activity, including hanging wall uplift, footwall subsidence, and fault vertical displacement, effectively monitoring the co-seismicity of the Nagamachi-Rifu fault. While we cannot predict the exact timing of future events, it is crucial to remain vigilant regarding the potential occurrence of a significant earthquake triggered by these fault activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluvial archives are the best preserved and provide valuable means of obtaining information pertaining to climate and tectonic deformation of an area. The present study is an attempt to reconstruct the landform evolution history in the northeastern Himalayan region of India. Based on field investigation, tectonogeomorphic mapping, and OSL dating, strath and various levels of cut-and-fill terraces were investigated along the mountain front. Optically stimulated luminescence ages of the terrace sequences suggest that the valley incision occurred in three phases, at ∼23 ka, ∼14 ka and ∼9–3 ka and one phase of aggradation was also identified at ∼ 7 ka. The strath terraces suggest two major episodes of tectonic uplift in the region around ∼ 8 ka and ∼ 6 ka. This yields an uplift rate of 0.4 and 0.9 mm/yr. The result from the study suggested that the rapid rejuvenation along the mountain front led to the formation of the strath terraces with enhanced incision of the fluvial terrace and influenced the sedimentary architecture of valley fill sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines bioclastic carbonate contourites that arise from the broad spectrum of bottom‐current related sedimentary processes ranging from deposition to erosion. The result of the intermittent accumulation of sediment are thin and condensed successions with abundant hiatuses. Such bottom‐current deposits are poorly known, since the broadly accepted contourite‐facies model, the bi‐gradational sequence, characterizes environments of contourite depositional systems as a continuous accretion of fine‐grained siliciclastic sediments. To increase current understanding of the carbonate facies within hiatal contourite records, the Eifelian–Frasnian of the Tafilalt Platform in Morocco was investigated. The succession is divided into five facies associations that are interpreted to reflect pelagic sedimentation and deposition from bottom currents on a contourite terrace, a gently inclined section of the upper slope of Gondwana shaped by a water‐mass interface. Contourite deposition was mainly controlled by oxic clear‐water currents (documented by moderately to completely bioturbated limestones with abundant hydrogenetic ferromanganese nodules, and low organic‐carbon contents), at times also by an anoxic water mass (featured by organic‐rich coquinas with absent to sparse bioturbation and predominantly syngenetic framboidal pyrites). Biostratigraphic data and the overall depositional architecture display palaeoceanographic hydrodynamic processes associated with a shifting water‐mass interface. The inner terrace was characterized by an alongslope contourite channel and a small mounded drift at its downslope margin. Energetic bottom currents furthermore caused abraded surfaces, i.e. plain areas of non‐deposition and localized erosion, and sandy condensation layers. The microfacies reflects repeated alternation between suspension deposition, winnowing of fines, bedload traction, dynamic sediment bypassing and reworking, together with concomitant seafloor cementation. Coquinas of mainly planktonic and nektonic organisms are identified as integral parts of bi‐gradational contourite sequences showing inverse and normal grading. Hiatal lag concentrations of carbonate intraclasts, ferromanganese nodules and conodonts often drape hardgrounds and erosional surfaces at the midpoint of these frequently incomplete sequences. This Devonian case provides the opportunity to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of the bed‐scale contourite sequence, also with regard to the drift‐scale depositional architecture. In addition, the identified high‐resolution record is a starting point for unravelling the pattern of oceanic circulation in the Devonian greenhouse world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ScAlMgO4 (SAM) substrates have attracted considerable attention as platforms for GaN growth in recent years because GaN can be grown directly on SAM without any buffer layer. Herein, the effect of the terrace width of SAM substrates on direct GaN growth is investigated using radio‐frequency molecular beam epitaxy (RF‐MBE). A flat and single wurtzite (WZ)‐phase GaN film is grown on a SAM substrate with a large terrace width. In contrast, a rough GaN film with a mixture of WZ and zinc‐blende (ZB) phases is obtained on SAM with a small terrace width. The SAM step height of 0.8 nm corresponds to three GaN molecular layers. Therefore, ZB stacking faults may be generated during the coalescence of islands located on adjacent terraces, although only the WZ‐GaN islands grow in the initial growth stage. This indicates that SAM substrates with a larger terrace width, that is, a smaller off‐cut angle, are preferable for obtaining a flat WZ‐GaN film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outburst floods generated by dam breaches associated with debris flow may have long-lasting effects on the formation and development landscape and the safety of human beings, increasing the difficulty of disaster prevention and mitigation. However, little was considered about channel aggradation contributing downstream damage of outburst flood. Therefore, we investigated a debris flow dam's breaching and flooding process triggered by a 50-year heavy rainfall occurring on 17th June 2020 in Danba, China. The 6-m dam and a concomitant 1.04 × 106 m3 barrier lake were formed by a tributary debris flow blocking the Xiaojin river. We used the dam breach overtopping and two-dimensional hydrodynamic models to simulate the whole process. The dam breach event persisted for 4.5 h with an outburst flood peak discharge of 823.5 m3/s, equal to a 20-year flood. It was noted that numerous sediments of approximately 5 × 106 m3 were transported to the downstream channel, elevating the main channel bed and the terrace by 10–15 m and 2–5 m, respectively. Averaged transportation efficiency of an outburst flood is 1269.73 times greater than a 20-year seasonal flood. We simulated representative seasonal floods and outburst floods based on the pre-beach river geometry, which shows that previous channel capacity is sufficient to convey seasonal floods and the outburst flood. However, the outburst flood could easily submerge terraces and living land using after-breach geometry. Due to river aggradation lifting river elevation, deposited riverbed promotes sediment and flood evolute to living land, resulting in amplified damage. Additionally, we collected 59 dam breaches and demonstrated that local riverbed slopes could increase more than 100 times. During dam breaches, the sharp slope plays a key role in high sediment transportation efficiency. This study can promote understanding the formation and development of channel aggradation triggered by outburst flood and provide more reasonable considerations for disaster prevention and mitigation triggered by outburst flood hazard chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terracing has been widely used in conventional cultivation modes to stabilize crop production, as well as soil and water conservation. The construction of terraces can be one of the most important measures to develop agricultural production. However, some terraces often face the risk of being destroyed, due to the influence of construction quality during management and maintenance. Therefore, it is a high demand to quickly and accurately detect the distribution of terraced areas under high food production, soil erosion control, and planning regional ecology. Alternatively, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial camera system has been widely used to obtain high-resolution remote sensing images in the field of intelligent agriculture. Among them, semantic segmentation has promoted the development of several fields using deep learning, particularly with the rapid development of information technology. Inspired by MobileVit, an axial attention mechanism (axial attention) was introduced in the MobileViT block. In this study, an encoder-decoder structure was proposed for a lightweight CNN-Transformer hybrid architecture-based network model. The encoder part of the model consisted of an improved MobileViT block. An inverse residual module was first incorporated into the strip pooling and a void space pyramidal pooling module. And then the local and global visual representation information interaction was achieved to effectively design the placement order of each module, in order to obtain a complete global feature representation. Strip pooling was introduced to effectively capture the remote dependencies. The high-level semantic information was then efficiently extracted from a large amount of data. The bar pools were introduced to effectively capture the remote dependencies, in order to extract the high-level semantic feature maps from a large amount of semantic information. The introduction of the void space pyramid pooling module was to capture contextual information from multiple scales. The perceptual field of the model was improved to obtain a denser semantic feature map. PSPNet, LiteSeg, BisNetv2, Deeplabv3Plush, and MobileViT were selected for comparison experiments on the same test set. The results show that the improved model performed the best, in terms of accuracy and speed. More importantly, better performance of achieved in the more accurate recognition and region delineation of complex and irregular UAV image terraces. Specifically, the pixel accuracy of the lightweight CNN-Transformer hybrid architecture network model was 95.79%, the average pixel accuracy was 87.82%, the average intersection ratio was 80.91%, and the frequency power intersection ratio was 94.86%. Furthermore, the improved model was only 8.32 M parameters with a small size, and low computational complexity, as well as a frame rate of 51.91 frames per second, indicating the real-time and lightweight model. A comprehensive analysis was also made of the performance indexes of each segmentation model. It was found that the segmentation accuracy was higher and faster using the lightweight CNN-Transformer hybrid architecture network model with a small model size and low computational complexity. Therefore, the improved model can be expected to deploy on the UAVs, fully meet the requirements of lightweight, high accuracy, and low latency for mobile vision tasks. The semantic segmentation of the terrace area was used to further obtain the information of shape, location, and outline of terraces. A timely and accurate detection was also achieved in the information of terrace edge for the prevention and reinforcement of terraces. At the same time, the statistics of cultivation area and scope of terrace area can be expected to promote the development of terraces and dry farming area agriculture construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Springs present around Pasighat in the Himalayan foothill region are a major source of water for the local people. Study of groundwater chemistry of the river terrace springs of the Himalayan region is scarce. These springs tap the river terrace aquifers and have different chemical characteristics as compared to other types of springs present in the Himalayan region. This study aims to understand the chemical characteristics of the spring water in terms of water types and rock-water interaction. This study shows that the spring water has low concentration of dissolved ions and the pH is slightly acidic. Also, the groundwater of this area belongs to Ca-Mg-HCO3 type and recharge water type. Principal component analysis, correlation matrix and scatter plots show that silicate weathering, weathering of Cl-rich amphiboles and biotites, weathering of feldspars and ferromagnesian minerals and ion-exchange are the major operational processes in the area. Low concentration of dissolved constituents within the desirable limits makes the groundwater suitable for drinking, and other household purposes. Also, due to geological similarity of terrace deposits along the Himalayan foothills it is inferred that river terrace springs in other parts of Himalayan foothills may have similar groundwater characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical properties and biological activity of soils of agricultural terraces on clay shales in the mid-mountain zone of the eastern Caucasus are analyzed. The area of terraced plots in the southern part of Dagestan is about 264 km2. These soils are now under fallow and represent a significant reserve of highly fertile erosion-resistant soils, the cultivation of which, unlike soils on consolidated rocks, is possible with the help of modern technology. The influence of slope exposure, steepness, terrace size, and duration of the plowing period on the chemical properties and biological activity of soils has been studied. It is shown that the slope exposure is a key factor for background soils outside the terracing zone. For terraced areas, its impact is less pronounced. The formation of terraces caused changes in the thermal regime of soils, and the differences in the chemical and microbiological properties of soils on the slopes of the northern and southern exposures became less pronounced. The leveling effect of terracing is most noticeable on relatively gentle slopes (12°–18°), where the width of the terrace surface is the greatest. On steep slopes (>20°) with narrow terraces, the effect of slope exposure on the soil properties is preserved. At the same time, factors such as the period of soil functioning and the features of agricultural technology, exert no less significant impact on soil properties. The regularities of changes in soil characteristics within one terrace have been established. Soil near the terrace edge, where the profile thickness is the greatest, is most fertile. The values of biological and chemical indicators regularly decrease towards the inner margin of the terrace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hundalee Fault forms part of the southeastern margin of the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake rupture zone. Its late Quaternary activity and structural character may offer insights to fault interrelationships associated with the 2016 rupture. Mapping of the Hundalee Fault revealed several pre-existing fault scarps. Trenching of a scarp across a fluvial terrace together with radiocarbon dating shows the occurrence of at least two, probably three, surface ruptures since 3.5 ka. The scarp records about 2.5 m of reverse-sense vertical deformation, mostly folding, of which ∼0.6 m occurred in 2016, along with subordinate sinistral slip. Fluvial terrace ages inferred from geomorphological relationships, together with the trenching results, indicate a long-term vertical slip rate of 0.2–0.4 mm/yr since at least 30 ka. Geological data indicate a relatively recently surface emergence of the Hundalee Fault from beneath a fault propagation fold. The 2016 Hundalee Fault rupture is interpreted as a break-out from an extensive blind thrust fault, whose motion triggered predominantly contractional rupture of an array of steeper near-surface faults. The thrust is hypothesised as having provided linkage in the 2016 rupture between the predominantly strike-slip ruptures of The Humps Fault to the southwest and the Kekerengu Fault to the northeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an AlN epitaxial layer with a step bunching surface morphology was grown on 0. 2° to 1. 0° offcut angle c-plane sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and the evolution regularity of the surface morphology during high-temperature annealing ( HTA) was systematically studied. The underlying physical mechanisms were further uncovered through first-principles calculations. It is revealed that as the annealing temperature gradually increase, thermal etching pits with hexagonal structure characteristics first appear on step edges, and then polygonal pits with regular edges formed on the step terraces. The main reason is that the energy of Al-N pairs decomposed from AlN surface at the step-bunching edges (10.72 eV) is smaller than that of Al-N pairs decomposed from the step terraces (12.12 eV), which leads to the phenomenon that the morphology of step edges will change firstly during HTA. In addition, because the width of the step becomes narrower with the increase of the miscut angle, the pits of the step terraces tend to merge with the pits of the step edges during the expansion process to form a V-shaped edge, resulting in step terraces with large miscut angle hardly appearing pits. This study clarifies the evolution mechanism of step-bunching morphology of AlN grown on sapphire substrates with various offcut angles during high-temperature annealing, and provides theoretical support for the preparation of high-quality AlN templates. This template can be used for AlGaN in-plane composition modulation to obtain high-efficiency deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River terraces are significant geomorphic markers of climate and tectonics. However, the competing roles of bedrock uplift and climatic change in the formation of fluvial terraces remain uncertain. A series of well-developed terrace sequences of the Yellow River and its tributaries formed in intermontane basins and on mountains on the NE Tibetan Plateau. A flight of 10 river terraces has been preserved along the lower Huangshui River, a major tributary of the Yellow River. Based on electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses we found that the oldest river terrace of the lower Huangshui River on Alagu Mountain formed at ∼1.2 Ma. Moreover, the results of provenance analysis based on detrital zircon U–Pb dating showed that the fluvial system of the modern Huangshui River was established before ∼1.2 Ma. After comparing the ages of the oldest river terraces of major rivers on the NE Tibetan Plateau, we found that they are essentially synchronous. Then, we comprehensively analyzed the climate and tectonic conditions, and suggested that the abrupt climate change dominated the synchronous formation of the oldest terraces of major rivers at approximately 1.2 Ma on the NE Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, to assess the effects of the rock uplift rate on river terrace formation, we integrated 22 terrace sequences with long timescales on the NE Tibetan Plateau, and we found that the preservation rate of river terraces is linearly correlated with the rock uplift rate. Thus, our results suggest that the timing of terrace formation is controlled by abrupt climate change and that the amount of terrace formation/preservation is controlled by the rock uplift rate on the NE Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of digital terrain analysis applied to morphocronological interpretation, this paper presents a proposed method for identifying and mapping paleosurfaces based exclusively by Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and geomorphometric parameters. It was considered that the highest residual elevations in a neighborhood predefined by the temporal-spatial relationship indicate the levels of paleosurfaces and that when tangential to the current surface in flat portions they characterize remnants or levels of old terraces. The study area included the state of Paraná, whose evaluation of the results considered previous papers of geochronological dating, evolutionary interpretations and measurements of long-term denudation rates. The results showed average rates of denudation and estimation of the age of erosion tops and remnants for each geomorphological context of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces represent the coexistence between natural and cultural systems. Despite being listed as a World Heritage Site in 2013, certain natural and anthropogenic factors have changed land use/land cover, which has led to a reduction in the size of the paddy rice area. It is difficult to accurately assess these changes due to the lack of historical maps of paddy rice croplands with fine spatial resolution. Therefore, we integrated a random forest classifier and phenological information to improve mapping accuracy and stability. We then mapped the historical distribution of land use/land cover in the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces from 1989–1991 to 2019–2021 using the Google Earth Engine. Finally, we analyzed the driving forces of land use types in the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces. We found that: (1) forests, shrubs or grasslands, and other croplands could be discriminated from paddy rice during the flooding and transplanting period, and water bodies and buildings could also be discriminated from paddy rice during the growing and harvesting period. (2) Inputting phenological feature data improved mapping accuracy and stability compared with single phenological periods. (3) In the past thirty years, 10.651%, 8.810%, and 5.711% of paddy rice were respectively converted to forests, shrubs or grasslands, and other croplands in the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces. (4) Lower agricultural profits and drought led to problems in identifying the driving mechanisms behind paddy rice distribution changes. This study demonstrates that phenological information can improve the mapping accuracy of rice terraces. It also provides evidence for the change in the size of the rice terrace area and associated driving forces in Southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to provide a simple and applicable method of measuring the rock accumulation rate and recording the depositional events based on the application of graphic correlation and similarity matrix of the Paleogene planktonic foraminifera in two surface sections in South Sinai. Fifteen continuous biozones and subzones were recorded spanning from P0 to E3. The average RAR of the Beida Formation was somewhat equal to that recorded for the Dakhla Formation, however, the Selandian‐Ypresian Garra Formation was more than twice that recorded for the Esna Formation. On the other hand, the Thebes Formation represents a reverse setting which is relatively higher in the south than the north. Seven (T1‐T7) and twelve (T1‐T12) terraces were recorded at different stratigraphic positions. The terraces diverged in the Palaeocene and converged in the Eocene, whereas they lengthen in the Palaeocene and shortened in the Eocene. Breaks identified in the SM support many of the poorly constrained terraces on the GC, however, the SM technique efficiently recorded around 60% of the terraces recorded by GC. For confirming the terraces identified, field and faunal parameters confirm all the recorded events, however, a further correlation with their equivalent in and outside Egypt has been made which confirms another support of the technique applied. Therefore, the integration between these techniques in recognizing the depositional events and sedimentation breaks supports further depositional and palaeobathymetical studies and regional correlation as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Headward erosion breaching a formerly closed paleolake has been interpreted as an integration process between individual drainage networks. However, the rarity of well-documented cases of this process makes it difficult to explore the fluvial response or its mechanism. Fortunately, dated deposits from a former paleolake in the Fenwei Basin, coupled with fluvial terraces along the Sanmen Gorge of the Yellow River, provide ample opportunities to replicate the upstream integration process and associated landform response. Herein, we applied terrace correlation and age constraints to construct dated longitudinal profiles throughout the Fenwei Basin and the downstream Sanmen Gorge. We identified two age models in longitudinal profiles: (1) relatively high diachronous terraces (Terrace series A) aged headward from ca. 621 ka to 336 ka, localized in the Sanmen Gorge; and (2) relatively low isochronous terraces (Terrace series B) capped by S2 paleosol (ca. 245-190 ka) developed throughout the basin and the gorge. This study hypothesized these two terrace series to have emerged as a mid-Pleistocene bottom-up integration event. In this event, headward incision initiated at least at ca. 621 ka, progressed upstream at a rate of 79.8 mm/a, and breached the Fenwei Basin at ca. 245 ka. This event is likely ascribed to tectonic subsidence of the North China Plain, and may be the latest integration process between the middle and lower reach of the Yellow River. We synthesize comprehensive models to describe terrace genesis and responses in tectonic, climatic, and bottom-up integration processes, which could widen our understanding of long-term large river behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]