Southeast Coast Of China Research Articles

Tracking neolithic interactions in southeast China: Evidence from stone adze geochemistry

AbstractThe authors conducted a sourcing study of stone adzes recently excavated from the Damaoshan site on Dongshan Island, Fujian province, China. They used XRF, ICP‐MS, and petrographic thin‐section techniques for geochemical and petrographic analysis of six stone adzes from the site and three geological samples from Dongshan Island. The chemical data of these samples compared with other lavas in Fujian, Zhejiang, Penghu, and Taiwan suggest that the Damaoshan people imported stone raw materials either from the Penghu Archipelago in the Taiwan Strait or from the Niutoushan area on the Fujian coast. This indicates that exchange networks along the southeast coast of China, and possibly spanning the Taiwan Strait, had developed as early as 4300–5000 yr B. P. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

USING MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES TO EXAMINE THE SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL ELEMENTS AND WATER QUALITY IN HONG KONG'S RIVERS

Hong Kong is a metropolitan city located at the South East coast of China. Owing to the geographical location, landuse pattern and rapid economic growth or development, the rivers in Hong Kong are influenced by natural, marine and anthropogenic factors. These are reflected in the spatial variability of physicochemical elements in different watercourses. The 6-year river data water quality set measured by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (HKEPD) at 82 monitoring sites are used to study the characteristics and distribution of physicochemical variables in local rivers. Some 27 determinands of surface water quality (pH, water temperature, flow, Salinity, Total Solid, Conductivity, Chloride, TOC, BOD5, COD, DO, DO%, NH4, NO2, NO3, TKN, TP, PO4, Al, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni) are examined with two multivariate statistical techniques: Cluster analysis and Factor analysis. The results indicate that nutrients, aggregate organics and heavy metal elements have greater spatial variation than physical parameters which are less influenced by anthropogenic factors. In addition, these elements can be separated into two clusters reflecting marine and anthropogenic influences. Moreover, the distribution of nutrients, organic and heavy metals is highly related to the landuse and development history of local districts. Finally, the rivers in the fringes of New Towns demonstrate multiple types of river pollution.

New and revised set of Cretaceous paleomagnetic poles from Hong Kong: implications for the development of southeast China

A paleomagnetic study of Upper Cretaceous (∼80 Ma) dikes from Hong Kong was conducted with the aim of better understanding the Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic kinematic history of southeast China. Twelve out of seventeen sites collected from four dikes revealed primary TRMs and yield a Late Cretaceous paleopole at 69.3°N/211.2°E, where A 95=8.9° and K=107. A synthesis of South China Block Cretaceous poles indicates that Coastal Southeast China, which is bounded by the Lianhuashan Fault Zone to the northwest and the Changle-Nanao Fault Zone to the southeast, has moved relative to inland Central South China. The discordant Cretaceous paleopoles from the South China Block suggest a moderate net clockwise rotation of the Coastal Southeast China relative to Central South China since the Late Cretaceous. This clockwise rotation is probably the result of micro-blocks along the South China margin experiencing vertical-axis rotations in response to the penetrative dextral shear along the SE China margin during oblique subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath South China. An alternative interpretation involves regional extension that displaced a raft-block southeastwards of the margin, generating apparent paleomagnetic records with no real block rotations.

Decadal Change of the Spring Snow Depth over the Tibetan Plateau: The Associated Circulation and Influence on the East Asian Summer Monsoon*

The decadal change in the spring snow depth over the Tibetan Plateau and impact on the East Asian summer monsoon are investigated using station observations of snow depth data and the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis for 1962–93. During spring (March–April), both the domain-averaged snow depth index (SDI) and the first principal component of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis exhibit a sharp increase in snow depth after the late 1970s, which is accompanied by excessive precipitation and land surface cooling. The correlation between SDI and precipitation shows a coherent remote teleconnection from the Tibetan Plateau–northern India to western Asia. It is found that the increased snow depth over the plateau after the mid-1970s is concurrent with a deeper India–Burma trough, an intensified subtropical westerly jet as well as enhanced ascending motion over the Tibetan Plateau. Additional factors for the excessive snowfall include more moisture supply associated with the intensification of the southerly flow over the Bay of Bengal and an increase of humidity over the Indian Ocean. While the extensive changes of the circulation in Eurasia and the Indian Ocean are associated with a climate shift in the Northern Hemisphere after the mid-1970s, some regional factors such as the enhanced coupling between the sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the northern Indian Ocean/Maritime Continent and the tropical convective maximum (TCM), as well as local feedback of the land surface cooling due to excessive snow cover and the atmosphere may contribute to the regional circulation changes. The former enhances the western Pacific subtropical in the South China Sea–Philippine Sea through modulation of the local Hadley circulation and results in stronger pressure gradients and fronts in southeastern and eastern Asia. A close relationship exists between the interdecadal increase of snow depth over the Tibetan Plateau during March–April and a wetter summer rainfall over the Yangtze River valley and a dryer one in the southeast coast of China and the Indochina peninsula. It is proposed that the excessive snowmelt results in a surface cooling over the plateau and neighboring regions and high pressure anomalies that cause a more northwestward extension of the western Pacific subtropical high in the subsequent summer. Additionally, the increased surface moisture supply provides more energy for the development of the eastward-migrating low-level vortex over the eastern flank of the Tibetan Plateau. Both factors lead to a wetter summer in the vicinity of the Yangtze River valley.

Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Cloud over China Based on ISCCP Data and Surface Observations

Based on the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) surface synoptic observations, spatial distributions and seasonal variations of total cloudiness and fractional cloud amount of high, middle and low clouds over China are examined. It is found that low clouds mainly appear along the southeast coast of China, middle clouds dominate southern China and high clouds mainly occur over northern China. Seasonal variations of convective clouds over northern China, southern China and the Tibetan Plateau are similar, reaching a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter; whereas the seasonal variation of stratiform clouds displays large spatial variation, with opposite phase in northern and southern China.

Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand along the Southeast Coast of China

Various sea-level curves have been proposed for the coast of China in the past two decades. These sea-level curves indicate a complex history of Holocene sea level, and so the debate on whether or not a higher mid-Holocene sea-level highstand exists in the coast of China has continued. This paper aims to re-examine the Holocene sea-level history for the low latitude part of the China coast (between 18°N and 32°N) by re-assessing all the sea-level data available from the east to south coasts and separating them according to geological settings in order to examine the influences of global and local factors. The reconstructed sea-level histories from different coastal sectors of the China coast reveal a certain degree of variability in the timing and height of mid-Holocene sea-level highstand. Within large river deltas, the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand occurred earlier by almost 1000 years than that from other coastal sites. The highstand from large river deltas appears also lower in altitude (a few metres below the present-day sea level) due probably to the local factors of subsidence and sediment consolidation. In geologically stable coastal sites, the highstand is recorded at the same altitude as the present-day sea level. A 1–2 m higher highstand is found from sites where tectonic uplift is observed.

The impact of foreign trade and investment reform on industry location: the case of China

The open-door policy adopted in China, through its preferential treatments that consistently favour south-east coastal provinces, has resulted in the geographic concentration of foreign trade and investment. This paper provides evidence at both the aggregate and disaggregate levels that the south-east coast of China experienced much higher rates of industrial growth during 1985-98, indicating a geographic shift in industry towards this region. Empirical results using provincial-level data show a clear positive link between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and regional industrial growth, especially after 1991 when the volume of FDI took off. This implies a significant impact of China's foreign trade and investment reforms on industry location.

Molecular evidence identifies bloom-forming Phaeocystis (Prymnesiophyta) from coastal waters of southeast China as Phaeocystis globosa

Sequence data from the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene have been used to identify the species of a Phaeocystis (Prymnesiophyta) that caused harmful algae blooms in the coastal waters of southeast China. This Phaeocystis has morphological and physiological features that differ from those previously described for either P. globosa Scherffel or P. pouchetii (Hariot) Lagerheim. However, the sequence comparison of the Phaeocystis 18S rDNA clearly showed that it was remarkably similar to several isolates of P. globosa. Thus, the species isolated from the southeast coast of China is identified as P. globosa rather than P. cf. pouchetii or another species. Our results also demonstrate that phenotypes of different members of the genus Phaeocystis are variable, apparently changing in response to environmental conditions. It is concluded that, on the basis of this phylogenetic analysis, the bloom forming southeast China coast species of Phaeocystis most likely originated from an endemic warm-water, rather than a foreign source.

Stable Continental Region Earthquakes in South China

— This paper reviews some remarkable characteristics of earthquakes in a Stable Continental Region (SCR) of the South China Block (SCB). The kernel of the SCB is the Yangtze platform solidified in late Proterozoic time, with continental growth to the southeast by a series of fold belts in Paleozoic time. The facts that the deviatoric stress is low, the orientations of the major tectonic features in the SCB are substantially normal to the maximum horizontal principal stress, and a relatively uniform crust, seem to be the major reasons for lack of significant seismicity in most regions of the SCB. Earthquakes in this region are mainly associated with three seismic zones: (1) the Southeast China Coast seismic zone related to Guangdong-Fujian coastal folding belt (associated with Eurasia-Philippine Sea plate collision); (2) the Southern Yellow Sea seismic zone associated with continental shelf rifts and basins; and (3) the Downstream Yangtze River seismic zone spatially coinciding with Tertiary rifts and basin development. All three seismic zones are close to one or two major economic and population centers in the SCB so that they pose significant seismic hazards. Earthquake focal mechanisms in the SCB are consistent with strike-slip to normal faulting stress regimes. Because of the global and national economic significance of the SCB and its dense population, the seismic hazard of the region is of outstanding importance. Comparing the SCB with another less developed region, a pending earthquake with the same size and tectonic setting would cause substantially more severe social and economic losses in the SCB. This paper also compiles an inventory of historic moderate to great earthquakes in the SCB; most of the data are not widely available in English literature.

MOLECULAR EVIDENCE IDENTIFIES BLOOM‐FORMING PHAEOCYSTIS (PRYMNESIOPHYTA) FROM COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTHEAST CHINA AS PHAEOCYSTIS GLOBOSA

Chen, Y. Q., Zhou, H. & Qu, L. H.Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of Education Ministry, Biotechnology Research Center, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. ChinaSequence data from the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene and rDNA ITS regions have been used to identify the species of a Phaeocystis (Prymnesiophyta) that caused harmful algae blooms in the coastal waters of southeast China. This Phaeocystis has morphological and physiological features that differ from those previously described for either P. globosa Scherf‐ fel or P. pouchetii (Hariot)Lagerheim. However, the sequence comparison of the Phaeocystis 18S rDNA and rDNA ITS clearly showed that it was remarkably similar to several isolates of P. globosa. Thus, the species isolated from the southeast coast of China is identified as P. globosa rather than P. cf. pouchetii or another species. Our results also demonstrate that phenotypes of different members of the genus Phaeocystis are variable, apparently changing in response to environmental conditions. It is concluded that, on the basis of this phylogenetic analysis, the bloom forming southeast China coast species of Phaeocystis most likely originated from an endemic warm‐water, rather than a foreign source.

The origin of Minnan and Hakka, the so-called "Taiwanese", inferred by HLA study.

The Minnan and Hakka people groups, the so-called "Taiwanese", are the descendants of early settlers from the southeast coast of China during the last few centuries. Genetically they showed affinities to southern Asian populations, as determined by phylogenetic trees and correspondence analysis calculated from HLA allele frequencies. This corresponds historically with the fact that they are the descendants of the southeast coastal indigenous population (Yueh) of China and should therefore not be considered as descendants of "pure" northern Han Chinese. A33-B58-DRB1*03 (A33-Cw10-B58-DRB1*03-DQB1*02), the most common HLA haplotype among "Taiwanese", with a haplotype frequency of 6.3%, has also been found to be the most common haplotype among Thai-Chinese and Singapore Chinese, two other populations also originating from the southeast coast of China. These observations suggests that this haplotype is the most well-conserved ancient haplotype of the Yueh.

RHINEBOTHRIUM XIAMENENSISN. SP. (EUCESTODA: TETRAPHYLLIDEA) INDASYATIS ZUGEIFROM THE COAST OF XIAMEN, CHINA

A new species of Rhinebothrium inhabiting Dasyatis zugei is reported from the southeast coast of China. This is the first report of Rhinebothrium from D. zugei. It represents a new host and a new location. The new species resembles Rhinebothrium corymbum by having a V-shaped ovary. It differs in the fewer loculi and testes numbers, longer bothrium pedicel and cephalic peduncle, larger cirrus pouch and vitelline follicles, and an aspinose peduncle. Rhinebothrium xiamenensis differs from Rhinebothrium ezuti, Rhinebothrium walga, and Rhinebothrium hawaiiensis by having discrete vitelline follicles, fewer loculi, and ovarian shape.

Interannual and Interdecadal Variations of the East Asian Summer Monsoon and Tropical Pacific SSTs. Part I: Roles of the Subtropical Ridge

The interannual relationship between the East Asian summer monsoon and the tropical Pacific SSTs is studied using rainfall data in the Yangtze River Valley and the NCEP reanalysis for 1951‐96. The datasets are also partitioned into two periods, 1951‐77 and 1978‐96, to study the interdecadal variations of this relationship. A wet summer monsoon is preceded by a warm equatorial eastern Pacific in the previous winter and followed by a cold equatorial eastern Pacific in the following fall. This relationship involves primarily the rainfall during the pre-Mei-yu/Mei-yu season (May‐June) but not the post-Mei-yu season (July‐August). In a wet monsoon year, the western North Pacific subtropical ridge is stronger as a result of positive feedback that involves the anomalous Hadley and Walker circulations, an atmospheric Rossby wave response to the western Pacific complementary cooling, and the evaporation‐wind feedback. This ridge extends farther to the west from the previous winter to the following fall, resulting in an 850-hPa anomalous anticyclone near the southeast coast of China. This anticyclone 1) blocks the pre-Mei-yu and Mei-yu fronts from moving southward thereby extending the time that the fronts produce stationary rainfall; 2) enhances the pressure gradient to its northwest resulting in a more intense front; and 3) induces anomalous warming of the South China Sea surface through increased downwelling, which leads to a higher moisture supply to the rain area. A positive feedback from the strong monsoon rainfall also appears to occur, leading to an intensified anomalous anticyclone near the monsoon region. This SST‐subtropical ridge‐monsoon rainfall relationship is observed in both the interannual timescale within each interdecadal period and in the interdecadal scale. The SST anomalies (SSTAs) change sign in northern spring and resemble a tropospheric biennial oscillation (TBO) pattern during the first interdecadal period (1951‐77). In the second interdecadal period (1978‐96) the sign change occurs in northern fall and the TBO pattern in the equatorial eastern Pacific SST is replaced by longer timescales. This interdecadal variation of the monsoon‐SST relationship results from the interdecadal change of the background state of the coupled ocean‐atmosphere system. This difference gives rise to the different degrees of importance of the feedback from the anomalous circulations near the monsoon region to the equatorial eastern Pacific. In a wet monsoon year, the anomalous easterly winds south of the monsoon-enhanced anomalous anticyclone start to propagate slowly eastward toward the eastern Pacific in May and June, apparently as a result of an atmosphere‐ocean coupled wave motion. These anomalous easterlies carry with them a cooling effect on the ocean surface. In 1951‐77 this effect is insignificant as the equatorial eastern Pacific SSTAs, already change from warm to cold in northern spring, probably as a result of negative feedback processes discussed in ENSO mechanisms. In 1978‐96 the equatorial eastern Pacific has a warmer mean SST. A stronger positive feedback between SSTA and the Walker circulation during a warm phase tends to keep the SSTA warm until northern fall, when the eastward-propagating anomalous easterly winds reach the eastern Pacific and reverse the SSTA.

Putting Global Capitalism in Its Place

This article takes up J. K. Gibson‐Graham’s call for a theoretical move away from a model of monolithic global capitalism and notions of one‐way “penetration” of capitalism. The notion of “economic hybridity” (derived from Bakhtin’s writing on linguistic hybridity) is proposed as an alternative to the Marxist concept of “articulation of modes of production” to account for the coming together of economic logics and practices from different epochs and cultural histories. The ethnography that sustains this discussion addresses the significance of popular religious revival in rural Wenzhou, on the southeast coast of China, and its role in the postsocialist market economy. Borrowing from Georges Bataille’s notion of “ritual expenditure” and from early Baudrillard on symbolic economies, the case study shows that rural Wenzhou’s ritual economy harbors an archaic economic logic which is subversive of capitalist, state socialist, and developmental‐state principles. The older strains of an alternative economic logic in this hybrid are shown not as complementing, adapting to, or serving capitalism’s expansion but as contesting it and rechanneling its movement toward other ends.

Temporal and spatial variabilities of the South China Sea surface temperature anomaly

In this study we use the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) monthly sea surface temperature (SST) fields (1982–1994) to investigate the temporal and spatial variabilities of the South China Sea (SCS) warm/cool anomalies. Three steps of analysis were performed on the data set: ensemble mean , composite analysis to obtain the monthly mean anomaly relative to the ensemble mean , and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis on the residue data relative to . The ensemble mean SST field has a rather weak horizontal gradient: 29°C near the Borneo coast to 25°–26°C near the southeast China coast. Two areas of evident SST anomalies were found in the monthly variation: west of Borneo‐Palawan Islands (WBP) and southeast of the southern Vietnam coast (SVC). Four patterns, monsoon and transition each with two out‐of‐phase structures, were found. During the spring‐to‐summer transition (March to May) the warm anomaly is formed in the northern SCS with located at 112°–119°30′E, 15°–19°30′N. During the fall‐to‐winter transition (October to November) the northern SCS (north of 12°N) cool anomaly is formed in November with located at 108°–115°, 13°–20°N. We performed an EOF analysis on the residue data relative to in order to obtain transient and interannual variations of the SST fields. EOF1 accounts for 47% of the variance and represents the northern SCS warm/cool anomaly pattern. EOF2 accounts for 14% of the variance and represents the southern SCS dipole pattern. Strong northern SCS warm anomaly (1°C warmer) appears during October–November 1987 and January–February 1988, and strong northern SCS cool anomaly (1°C cooler) occurs during March 1986 and November 1992. Furthermore, a strong cross correlation between wind stress curl and SST anomalies, computed from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecast analyzed wind stress data and the NCEP SST data for different lags, shows the existence of an air‐sea feedback mechanism in the SCS deep basin.

South China Sea warm pool detected in spring from the Navy's Master Oceanographic Observational Data Set (MOODS)

A South China Sea warm pool with sea surface temperature (SST) higher than 29.5°C, recently reported by Chu and Chang [1995a, b] and Chu et al. [1997], appears in the central South China Sea (west of the Luzon Island) in boreal spring, strengthens until the onset of the summer monsoon (mid‐May), and then weakens and disappears at the end of May. The transient features and interannual variabilities of the warm pool have not yet been studied. Here we use a subset of the U.S. Navy's Master Oceanographic Observation Data Set (MOODS) to investigate the surface thermal features. First, we employed an optimal interpolation scheme to build up a 10‐day interval synoptic data set for December 1963 to November 1984 on a 0.5°×1° grids (finer resolution in zonal direction) from the MOODS SST data. An ensemble mean SST field was established with a rather weak horizontal gradient (28.5°C near the Palawan Island to 26°C near the southeast China coast). Second, we performed a composite analysis to obtain the averaged SST anomaly field deviating from the ensemble mean for the winter and spring seasons (December–May). During December–March, is negative almost everywhere throughout the whole South China Sea. In early April, positive with closed isoline (warm pool) was evident west of Luzon Island. In May, the central SCS warm anomaly becomes stronger. On May 11–20, the central SCS warm pool (114°–119°E, 14°–19°N) has . The size of the warm pool is around 200,000 km2. Third, we performed an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis on the residue data , deviating from , for the winter and spring seasons, in order to obtain transient and interannual variations of the SST fields. EOFl accounts for 35.5% of the variance and resembles the ensemble mean pattern of nearly parallel contours with a maximum value in the southeast and a minimum value in the northwest. EOF2 accounts for 21.4% of the variance and is characterized by a warm/cool pool (116°–118°E, 16°–18°N) west of the Luzon Island. The corresponding principal component (PC2) has strong interannual variability with a maximum value of 10 on February 11–20, 1965 and a minimum of −12 on March 21–31, 1964. This indicates the appearance of either a warm pool with a maximum strength of 1.2°C or a cool pool with a maximum strength of −1°C. Combination of and PC2×EOF2 leads to an occurrence of a central SCS warm pool from April to May with a warm anomaly varying between 0.8° and 3°C.

Lung deposition of budesonide from Turbuhaler is twice that from a pressurized metered-dose inhaler (P-MDI)

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the previously noted low prevalence of knee pain (KP) and lumbar pain (LP) in rural southern China compared with the high prevalence observed in North China was also true in a southern urban population. METHODS: A population based sample of 2040 adults > or = 16 years of age was studied in Chenghai City, close to the rural area previously studied on the southeast coast of China. Primary healthcare workers administered the COPCORD Phase I and II questionnaires. Those with rheumatic symptoms were recalled for medical examination, with a response rate at examination (phase III) of 98.4%. Those suspected of having arthritis had radiographs and laboratory tests. Prevalences were age and sex adjusted to the total of populations previously reported. RESULTS: (1) The prevalence for all rheumatic symptoms at phase III was 18.1%. Of the 7.5% with KP, 55% had osteoarthritic changes on radiograph (KOA) compared with 29% of a sample with no KP (p < 0.001). Of the 11.5% with LP, 69% had degenerative changes on lumbar spine radiograph (LOA). (2) Of residents in single-level houses the prevalence was 5.6% for KP and 7.9% for LP, whereas in 4 to 6-level apartment buildings these rates were significantly higher, 9.1% and 16.2%, respectively. All these pain rates were significantly lower than noted in rural North China. The prevalence of pain together with radiographic OA changes in the knee (KOA) was half the rate in single-floor residents (2.7%) compared to apartment residents (5.3%), as was lumbar spine degenerative disease (5.3% vs 11.5%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of knee and lumbar spine pain in this southern urban sample was confirmed to be much lower than in the rural sample in the North, although higher than in the rural sample in the South. Comparing COPCORD studies of Han Chinese in Shanghai and Malaysia there was a decrease in prevalence of knee and back pain with latitude, suggesting an association with climate. Knee and back pain and radiological degenerative changes in the knee and lumbar spine were twice as prevalent in apartment residents than in those living in older single-level houses. Further study is needed to explain these observations.

Behavior of Large Bored Piles in Fuzhou

Large bored piles are popularly used in south-east coast of China. Pile foundation design is based largely on empirical method. However, the behavior of these piles is not well understood. Generally, end bearing capacity of these piles is regarded as a dominant factor in design. This paper describes a group of static loading tests on instrumented large bored piles in Fuzhou city. All test piles were installed by slurry displacement method. Strain gages and telltales were mounted in the shafts of the piles. Load transfer behavior of the piles was studied under static axial compressive load condition. The results of the tests show that all of the piles carry a significant portion of the applied load through skin resistance although the surrounding soils are very weak. This fact contradicts the traditional understanding of large bored piles by local engineers. The ultimate skin resistances of predominant soils in Fuzhou are presented in the paper.

Body-wave waveform constraints on the source parameters of the Yangjiang, China, earthquake of July 25, 1969: A devastating earthquake in a stable continental region

On July 25, 1969, anM s 5.9 earthquake shook the Kwangtung Province near Yangjiang, China. Casualties and extensive damage were reported in the epicentral area. The Yangjiang earthquake occurred within the passive margin located along China's southeast coast. This stable continental setting is seismically one of the most quiet regions of China; historic records indicate this earthquake to have been the first devastating one in the area. A remarkable feature of this earthquake sequence is that its foreshocks and aftershocks are relatively small in terms of number and magnitude despite the relatively large main shock. Waveforms of long-and short-period teleseismicP and long-period teleseismicSH waves have been modeled to estimate the source parameters for this earthquake. The focal mechanism determined is predominately strike-slip with a small normal component (strike=263°, dip=79°, rake=194°) and is in good agreement with observations in the epicentral area regarding dislocation direction of fissures, distribution of aftershocks, and isoseismals. The average seismic moment is 5.15×1024 dyne-cm and the focal depth is estimated to be 9 km. The earthquake is characterized by a rather short source-time function and a high stress drop of approximately 380 bars. The observed pattern of the foreshock-main shock-aftershock sequence is interpreted in terms of the large stress drop associated with the main shock and the material properties at and near the source. TheP-axis orientation lies roughly NW-SE and is consistent with the maximum compressive stress observed along the coast of southeast China. This stress orientation is consistent with the NW subducting Philippine Sea plate and the SE ward push from central China due to the convergence between Indian and Eurasian subcontinents.

The Chinese laundry: International drug trafficking and Hong Kong's banking industry

Hong Kong — Britain's Crown Colony in Asia — is reputed to be one of the world's leading centers for the laundering1 of drug money. Located on the southeast coast of China, Hong Kong is not far from the Golden Triangle in Burma, Laos and Thailand, the source of much of the world's heroin supply. Ethnic Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong and elsewhere have long been involved in the refining, transporting and financing of Southeast Asian heroin. With its bank secrecy laws, its large and sophisticated international banking industry, and its complete absence of currency exchange controls, Hong Kong has all of the necessary components of a modern financial secrecy jurisdiction. It is alleged that billions of dollars are being washed in Hong Kong by both local and overseas drug traffickers, to be reinvested eventually throughout the world. Hong Kong government officials deny the allegation, and cite other reasons to account for the vast sums of U.S. currency that are being repatriated to the West Coast. This paper examines critically the arguments for both positions.