Sequence Of Strata Research Articles

Backed pieces at Sharbithat SHA-10 (Sultanate of Oman): Technological issues and chronological assessment

Sharbithat 10 (SHA-10) was discovered in 2017 during the first extensive survey of the northern part of the Dhofar region. Located on a vast mesa surrounded by wadi deltaic branches and abundant sources of flint, SHA-10 is characterized by flint scatters, dwellings, and cairns. Initial test trenches revealed a single period stratification sequence, highlighting a rich marine faunal composition and intense flintknapping activity. The fishing equipment, typical of coastal sites from this period, accompanies a distinctive lithic industry comprising blades, backed pieces, and tanged points. Through the study of technological processes leading to the manufacture of these artefacts, analysis of the points’ morphological variability, and examination of the prevalence of backed bladelets, new hypotheses regarding coastal subsistence strategies and chronological issues have emerged. However, the potential co-occurrence of different facies complicates a chronological definition which can be partly clarified by radiocarbon data results. In this communication, we present a preliminary study of this unique assemblage, discuss its chrono-typological implications, and explore their significance within the framework of South Arabian prehistory.

Collaborative Optimization Scheduling of Resilience and Economic Oriented Islanded Integrated Energy System under Low Carbon Transition

With the development of new energy sources and the increase in the installed scale of energy coupling equipment, the low-carbon transformation of the energy supply of the integrated energy system (IES) has a serious impact on the reliability of the IES supply, and there is an urgent need for a reasonable and accurate assessment and trade-off between the IES resilience and economics. In this regard, this paper models the overall optimization of the resilience and economic configuration and operation scheduling of the IES in the islanded operation mode after grid faults, proposes a two-layer optimization strategy model of resilience and economy, and solves the unit configuration, coupled output characteristics, and optimal scheduling of the islanded IES using the Markov decision-making process and forbearing stratified sequencing method, and evaluates and analyzes the resilience and cost of the various types of IES configuration schemes. Resilience and cost are also evaluated and analyzed. Finally, an example analysis is carried out in an electric-heat-cooling integrated energy system. The results show that the proposed two-tier optimization strategy model can optimize the IES configuration scheme and coordinate the scheduling of each equipment, and the overall annualized cost of the energy system decreases by CNY 45.21 thousand, or a percentage decrease of 5.24%, compared to the same configuration of the conventional strategy. The typical day toughness index improved by 7.33%, 7.56%, and 13.01% in the spring, summer, and autumn, respectively.

Structures evolution along strike-slip fault zones: The role of rheology revealed by PIV analysis of analog modeling

This study investigates how rheology can influence the nucleation and evolution of strike-slip structures and, consequently, the structural architecture. To that end, we carried out a series of analog experiments using materials with different rheological behavior. The materials' properties, such as the angle of internal friction, cohesion, and density, were measured. The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique was applied to investigate the strain pattern on the surface, the amplitude of damage zones and fault core, the activeness/inactiveness of the structures over the evolution of strike-slip fault, and the earliest nucleation stage of fractures. Two sets of experiments were performed: i) single-layer experiments constituted by rheologically homogeneous material (quartz sand, dry clay, plaster powder, and a mixture of quartz sand and plaster powder), and ii) multilayer experiment using a heterogeneous stratified sequence of materials with different rheology. Except for the plaster powder model, during the first increments of deformation, the strain is widely distributed to give rise to a deforming zone with varying widths, where subsidiary structures nucleate. As deformation evolves, the deformation zone progressively narrows as the maximum strain concentrates along the main fault. Nucleation, development, and relative chronology of structures, such as R, R', P, Y-fractures, pull-apart basins, and positive and negative flower structures, varied according to the material used. The structural architecture of the dry clay and plaster powder models are more similar, with a greater quantity of smaller fractures than the other models. P-shears and pull-apart basins are also present. The quartz sand and mixture models developed a more complex damage zone and a higher topographic relief. The results emphasize that rheology is a controlling factor in the deformation zone architecture. Rheology controls fracture and fault arrangement, structure relative chronology, and the localization of contractional and extensional domains over all the stages of development of strike-slip tectonics.

Прорыв в изучении и датировании новейшего вулканизма Байкальской рифтовой системы и его значение для понимания новейшей геодинамики Азии

The history of studying and dating the latest volcanism of the Baikal Rift System (BRS) is conventionally divided into stages: 1) until the 1950s (discovery of young volcanoes), 2) 1950–1960s (primary determination of the age of the Cenozoic volcanogenic-sedimentary sequences using paleontological data), 3) 1970–1980s (determination of sequence of volcanic strata in the development of relief and pioneering radioisotope dating of volcanic rocks), 4) 1980–2005 (growth of geochronological and geochemical data on volcanic areas of Asia), and 5) 2005–2023 (synthesis of geochronological and geochemical data). The breakthrough in studying and dating of latest volcanism in the BRS resulted in substantiation of the development of mantle melting anomalies in the Japan–Baikal Geodynamic Corridor (JBGC) and its overlap by the Indo-Asian Convergence Region. A breakthrough in studying and dating of volcanic rocks that occurred by 2012 was basically confirmed by mass 39Ar/40Ar dating of 2018 in Central Mongolia.

Continuity and innovation in glazed tableware consumption in North Africa from the Fatimid to Zirid periods

Excavations in the former Roman port of Utica (North Tunisia) by the University of Oxford and the INP (Tunisie) have revealed an area of medieval Islamic houses in the area of the Roman forum. Stratified sequences of pottery have established four main phases of occupation which would appear to span the mid-10th to mid-11th century. The range of glazed wares and other classes of pottery is summarised per phase and a detailed study of the glaze technologies of 23 samples through time can now be compared with the study of 14 vessels previously published from Bir Ftouha, near Carthage. The Utica assemblage demonstrates that there were major changes in the consumption of glazed wares from the late Fatimid period to Zirid independent rule, not only in relation to forms and types of decoration but also in terms of glazing techniques. Up to six different glazing techniques have been identified, including transparent and opaque glazes and overglaze and underglaze decoration. Moreover, the presence of several glaze imports has been detected, showing that glazed pottery other than those produced in the central region of Ifriqiya was being consumed in North Tunisia. This work also provides relevant information with regard to the production and consumption of glazed wares in medieval Tunisia during the 10th and 11th centuries.

Continuity and change in lithic techno-economy of the early Acheulian on the Ethiopian highland: A case study from locality MW2; the Melka Wakena site-complex.

Recent research has made great strides clarifying the chronology, temporal span, and geographic and technological patterning of the Acheulian in eastern Africa. However, highland occurrences of the Acheulian remain under-represented and their relationship to cultural dynamics in the Rift are still poorly understood. Recently, a stratified sequence of four archaeological layers, recording Acheulian occupations dated between ~1.6 Ma and ~1.3 Ma, has been discovered in locality MW2 of the Melka Wakena site-complex (south-central Ethiopian highlands). This database enabled a systematic exploration of the question of tempo and mode of technological changes at a local sequence, allowing, for the first time, comparison with other highland sites as well as in the Rift. The detailed techno-economic study presented in this study shows that the early Acheulian at the locality was characterized by the co-existence of lithic reduction sequences for small debitage and for flake-based Large Cutting Tool production. In the early, ~1.6 Ma assemblage, a strategy of variable raw material exploitation and technological emphasis on small debitage were coupled with production of few crude bifacial elements. These shifted at ~1.4 Ma towards a preferential and intensive exploitation of a highly knappable glassy ignimbrite and emphasis on Large Cutting Tool production, including higher investment in their techno-morphological aspects. The MW2 sequence tracks lithic technological trends observed in the Rift, with only a short time lag. Diachronic changes in the raw material economy and land use patterns may have occurred at MW2 earlier than previously reported for the Acheulian on the highlands. The behavioral dynamics gleaned from the early Acheulian assemblages at MW2 are important for our understanding of the diachronic changes in the abilities of Acheulian hominins to exploit the diverse geographic and ecological habitats of eastern Africa and beyond.

Technological changes in the glazed wares of northern Tunisia in the transition from Fatimid to Zirid rule

A representative selection of glazed ceramics recovered from medieval Islamic contexts excavated in the former Roman port of Utica (North Tunisia) (23 of 99 pieces) has revealed new data about medieval glaze technologies in the central Mediterranean. Stratified sequences of pottery have established four main phases of occupation which span the mid-tenth to the mid-eleventh centuries. Significant changes in the range of glazed wares are found in the Zirid period with respect to the late Fatimid period: whereas polychrome yellow-amber glazed ware from the Kairouan region was practically the only glazed ware supplied to Utica in the Fatimid period, a varied range of polychrome glazed wares was produced in various techniques in the late tenth century, early Zirid period. These new glazed ware types become dominant in the early eleventh century. Up to six different glazing techniques have been identified by SEM–EDX and optical microscopy, including transparent and opaque glazes with underglaze and overglaze decoration respectively. The absence of tin in all the glazed vessels confirms the data obtained in a previous study from Bir Ftouha. Though it has been repeatedly stated that tin was used to produce the white background of Fatimid-Zirid glazed wares in Tunisia, this was achieved by adding quartz to the glaze. Some imports of glazed ceramics from Sicily and al-Andalus have been detected: their appearance in the early-mid eleventh century is significant as it seems to indicate a first stage in the re-activation of Mediterranean commerce, which increased in the course of the following centuries.

Data Partition and Rate Control for Learning and Energy Efficient Edge Intelligence

The rapid development of artificial intelligence together with the powerful computation capabilities of the advanced edge servers make it possible to deploy learning tasks at the wireless network edge, which is dubbed as edge intelligence (EI). The communication bottleneck between the data resource and the server results in deteriorated learning performance as well as tremendous energy consumption. To tackle this challenge, we explore a new paradigm called learning-and-energy-efficient (LEE) EI, which simultaneously maximizes the learning accuracies and energy efficiencies of multiple tasks via data partition and rate control. Mathematically, this results in a multi-objective optimization problem. Moreover, the continuously varying communication rates introduce infinite variables, which further complicates the problem. To solve this complex problem, we consider the case with infinite server buffer capacity and one-shot data arrival at sensor. First, the number of variables is reduced to a finite level by exploiting the optimality of constant-rate transmission in each epoch. Second, the optimal solution of the multi-objective problem is found by applying the stratified sequencing or merging of objectives. By assuming higher priority of learning efficiency in stratified sequencing, the optimal data partition is derived in closed form by the Lagrange method, while the optimal rate control is proved to have the structure of directional water filling (DWF), based on which a string-pulling (SP) algorithm is proposed to obtain the numerical values. The DWF structure of rate control is also proved to be optimal in merging of objectives, which combines different objectives in a weighted manner. By exploiting the optimal rate changing properties, the SP algorithm is further extended to tackle the more challenging cases with limited server buffer capacity or bursty data arrival at sensor. The performance of the proposed joint data partition and rate control design is examined by extensive experiments based on public datasets.

Exposing Viburnum edule seeds to a sequence of temperatures affects the germination characteristics

For many species of Viburnum, exposure to two distinct stratification sequences warm to cold or cold to warm may break embryo dormancy to initiate significant germination. Seeds of Viburnum edule were collected and moved through a series of cold-warm (4/20°C) or warm-cold (20/4°C) stratification to better understand precisely which temperature sequences and duration improve germination percentage (GRP), mean germination time (MGT), germination synchrony (SYN) and uncertainty (UNC), and time for seeds to reach 50% germination (t50). Seeds kept in cold-warm temperature sequences, on average, improved GRP by 24%, reduced MGT by 216 days and t50 by 97 days compared with those in the warm-cold stratification sequence. The warm-cold temperature sequence was more advantageous in improving the SYN (0.94 vs. 0.51) and reducing the UNC (0.21 vs. 0.96) indices than the cold-warm temperature sequence.

A Symposium in Honour of Gerard V. Middleton: GeoConvention, Calgary, June 21, 2022

References Dalrymple, R.W., and Bhattacharya, J., 2021, Gerard Viner Middleton FRSC: 1931–2021: Geoscience Canada, v. 48, #3, p. 141–143, https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2021.48.179. Harms, J.C., Southard, J.B., Spearing, D.R., and Walker, R.G., 1975, Depositional environments as interpreted from primary sedimentary structures and stratification sequences: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Short Course, v. 2, 161 p., https://doi.org/10.2110/scn.75.02. Miall, A.D., 2022, Stratigraphy: A modern synthesis, second edition: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 535 p., https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87536-7.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE FORTIFICATION OF ANNALISTIC VOLODYMYR IN 2018

For the first time in the history of archeological research in Volodymyr the cross-section of the ramparts of «Valy» hill-fort were made. According to external morphological features the hill-fort belongs to the «Volyn type», and most researchers consider it to be remains of the citadel of annalistic city. There is no direct evidence of the latter but the available written sources directly indicate the location of the brick castle of Casimir the Great in the 14th century and the later wooden-earthen headman’s castle. Just the main task of the work was to ascertain the conformity of the ramparts to these objects.
 The internal structure of the rampart was explored by laying a stepped trench measuring 2 × 11 m at the end of the rampart at the place of its gap (entrance to the territory of hill-fort). The cross-section made it possible to record the stratigraphic column of layers and backfills for more than 6 m long and to ascertain the general picture of the rampart construction.
 It was learned that the embankment of the rampart was carried out above the level of the cultural layer which occured on a yellow homogeneous loess-like loam (possibly the virgin soil). The generalization of the layers traced above for 5.96 m allows us to identify three of their main groups which probably reflect the sequence of erecting of the rampart at this area.
 The first large-scale backfill, which formed the basis of the embankment, was traced in the square 5. It consisted mainly of yellow loess-like loam with inclusions of limestone fragments.
 The middle part of the embankment was explored in squares 2—4, where the complex stratigraphic sequence of various layers and strata have been traced, which, in addition to loess-like yellow loam with limestone fragments, included the larger backfills of dark gray sand with inclusions of yellow loam and the same soil with inclusions of debris.
 Finally, the upper part of the embankment, explored in the square 1, consisted of dark gray humused sand with inclusions of clay and charcoal. Since this layer contained a lot of pottery of the Late Middle Ages, it is possible that this is a filling of the late medieval building inserted into the embankment.
 The research revealed material from different times, dating from the Bronze Age to nowadays. The dating of the embankment of rampart is indicated by the findings of late medieval pottery in its middle part. They confirm the written reports about the construction of a wooden-earthen headman’s castle in the 15th century.
 Some structural features of the rampart are in good agreement with historical data. In particular, the first backfill at the base of the embankment of yellow loess-like loam had significant inclusions of fragments of limestone, which may be the remains of the masonry of the walls of Casimir the Great castle, dismantled in 1370.
 Dating the construction of rampart to the 15th century indicates that the explored hill-fort was not the citadel of Old Volodymyr. On the other hand, it allows us to re-date at least the part of hill-forts of «Volyn type», which are traditionally attributed to the 10th—11th centuries.

Concurrent 1. Presentation for: The role of faulting in Northern Carnarvon’s sub-basins in transferring very high overpressure

Presented on Tuesday 17 May: Session 1 Australia’s Northern Carnarvon Basin has experienced a varied geological history with periods of extension and thermal subsidence giving rise to separate sub-basins. Between the sub-basins the sequences of strata, their age, depth and rate of burial, and rock type vary greatly. Contrasts in rock type and burial rates are key variables that control generation of overpressure and, as such, create a wide range of pore pressure conditions from hydrostatic pressure to overpressure levels approaching values of vertical stress. Often these contrasting pressures can be situated relatively proximal to one another in both a horizontal and lateral sense. To improve pre-drill prediction capabilities for well planning in Northern Carnarvon, a study was completed in 2013 that included over 600 exploration wells and included reporting on areas at increased risk of high overpressure. One of the study findings was that reservoirs at sub-basin boundaries were often where the pressure was most variable and difficult to predict. The reason pressure was difficult to predict in these areas was due to high overpressure being transferred via faults at the margin of early Jurassic to early Cretaceous depocentres. In 2015, Hoskin et al. published the paper ‘Influence of faulting on reservoir overpressure distribution in the Northern Carnarvon Basin’ and this extended abstract looks at the Winchester-1 well, drilled after data were compiled for the original study, that validates the model presented in 2015, and also poses additional questions about the transfer of pressure. To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Exchange networks of the Early Bronze Age Gulf: The imported ceramics from Kalba 4 (United Arab Emirates)

AbstractImported ceramics from Early Bronze Age contexts in southeast Arabia illustrate a complex multidirectional network of material and social interactions at this time. Significant socioeconomic changes that occurred in the Hafit (3200–2800 B.C.) and Umm an‐Nar (2800–2000 B.C.) periods have been linked to external demand for copper, which is argued to have stimulated a change in subsistence patterns. Similarly, disruption to long‐distance exchange networks by external factors has been cited as driving change at the end of the Umm an‐Nar period. Archaeological evidence from the region suggests a shift in the direction of exchange from Mesopotamia to the Indus occurred around the middle of the third millennium B.C. However, a recent analysis of Mesopotamian historical sources has highlighted the scale of state‐organised textile production for export to the lower Gulf in the later third millennium B.C. The site of Kalba 4 has a stratified sequence of occupation deposits dating from the Umm an‐Nar and Iron Age (1300–300 B.C.). In this study, a typological analysis of imported ceramics is used to locate the Kalba in the chronological framework of the region and discuss the changing networks of long‐distance exchange that were operating. The imported pottery at Kalba 4 indicates that the inhabitants of the site were exchanging goods with a range of polities, including southern Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley (Meluhha), southeast Iran (Marhashi) and Bahrain (Dilmun). A significant quantity of Late Akkadian ceramics at the site suggests it became an important location for Mesopotamian trade at this time.

The role of faulting in Northern Carnarvon’s sub-basins in transferring very high overpressure

Australia’s Northern Carnarvon Basin has experienced a varied geological history with periods of extension and thermal subsidence giving rise to separate sub-basins. Between the sub-basins the sequences of strata, their age, depth and rate of burial, and rock type vary greatly. Contrasts in rock type and burial rates are key variables that control generation of overpressure and, as such, create a wide range of pore pressure conditions from hydrostatic pressure to overpressure levels approaching values of vertical stress. Often these contrasting pressures can be situated relatively proximal to one another in both a horizontal and lateral sense. To improve pre-drill prediction capabilities for well planning in Northern Carnarvon, a study was completed in 2013 that included over 600 exploration wells and included reporting on areas at increased risk of high overpressure. One of the study findings was that reservoirs at sub-basin boundaries were often where the pressure was most variable and difficult to predict. The reason pressure was difficult to predict in these areas was due to high overpressure being transferred via faults at the margin of early Jurassic to early Cretaceous depocentres. In 2015, Hoskin et al. published the paper ‘Influence of faulting on reservoir overpressure distribution in the Northern Carnarvon Basin’ and this extended abstract looks at the Winchester-1 well, drilled after data were compiled for the original study, that validates the model presented in 2015, and also poses additional questions about the transfer of pressure.

The mechanics of initiation and development of thrust faults and thrust ramps

This study integrates the results of numerical modeling analyses based on outcrop studies and structural kinematic restorations to evaluate the mechanics of thrust fault initiation and development in mechanically layered sedimentary rocks. A field-based reconstruction of a mesoscopic thrust fault at Ketobe Knob in central Utah provides evidence of thrust ramp nucleation in competent units, and fault propagation upward and downward into weaker units at both fault tips. We investigate the effects of mechanical stratigraphy on stress heterogeneity, rupture direction, fold formation, and fault geometry motivated by the geometry of the Ketobe Knob thrust fault in central Utah; the finite element modeling examines how mechanical stratigraphy, load conditions, and fault configurations influence temporal and spatial variation in stress and strain. Our modeling focuses on the predicted deformation and stress distributions in four model domains: (1) an intact, mechanically stratified rock sequence, (2) a mechanically stratified section with a range of interlayer frictional strengths, and two faulted models, (3) one with a stress loading condition, and (4) one with a displacement loading condition. The models show that early stress increase in competent rock layers are accompanied by low stresses in the weaker rocks. The frictional models reveal that the heterogeneous stress variations increase contact frictional strength. Faulted models with a 20° dipping fault in the most competent unit result in stress increases above and below fault tips, with extremely high stresses predicted in a ‘back thrust’ location at the lower fault tip. These findings support the hypothesis that thrust faults and associated folds at the Ketobe Knob developed in accordance with a ramp-first kinematic model and development of structures was significantly influenced by the nature of the mechanical stratigraphy.

Radiocarbon dating and Hallstatt chronology: a Bayesian chronological model for the burial sequence at Dietfurt an der Altm\xfchl \u2018Tennisplatz\u2019, Bavaria, Germany

This study is first attempt to refine Early Iron Age absolute chronology, specifically the timing of the Hallstatt C-D transition in southern Germany, using Bayesian chronological modelling of radiocarbon (14C) dates. The Hallstatt period (c.800–450 BC) marks the transition from prehistory to proto-history in Central Europe. The relative chronological framework for Hallstatt burials developed by the mid-twentieth century is still used today, but absolute dating is limited by the scarcity of dendrochronological dates and the perception that 14C dating in the Hallstatt period (HaC-HaD) is futile, due to the calibration plateau between c.750 and 400 cal BC. We present new AMS 14C dates on 16 HaC-HaD burials from a stratified sequence at Dietfurt an der Altmühl ‘Tennisplatz’ (Bavaria, Germany). This sequence is situated entirely on the ‘Hallstatt plateau’, but by combining 14C dating with osteological, stratigraphic, and typological information, we demonstrate that the plateau is no longer the ‘catastrophe’ for archaeological chronology once envisaged. Taking into account dendrochronological dating elsewhere, we show that at Dietfurt, the HaC-HaD transition almost certainly occurred before 650 cal BC, and most likely between 685 and 655 cal BC (68.3% probability), several decades earlier than usually assumed. We confirm the accuracy and robustness of this estimate by sensitivity testing. We suggest that it is now possible, and essential, to exploit the increased precision offered by AMS measurement and the IntCal20 14C calibration curve to re-evaluate absolute chronologies in Early Iron Age Europe and equivalent periods in other regions.

RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY OF THE MESOLITHIC-NEOLITHIC SEQUENCE AT DAMJILI CAVE, AZERBAIJAN, SOUTHERN CAUCASUS

ABSTRACTCurrent research indicates that full-fledged Neolithic societies emerged in the Southern Caucasus in the early sixth millennium BC, most likely through interaction with and/or the immigration of the Neolithic societies of Southwest Asia. However, the absence of late seventh millennium BC excavated sites has prevented us from being able to interpret the processes in relation to earlier indigenous foraging societies. The 2016–2019 excavations at Damjili Cave, west Azerbaijan, revealed a stratified cultural sequence of the key Mesolithic-to-Neolithic transition period for the first time. Its radiocarbon chronology identified a rather abrupt emergence of the Neolithic economy at around 6000 cal BC, at least in the study region, urging a reconsideration of the long-standing claim that some other form of earlier Neolithic society had existed before this. At the same time, the stratigraphic analysis of cultural remains revealed continuity in certain elements of tool manufacturing and use from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic. This complex situation shows the need for evaluating the degree to which indigenous foraging societies contributed to the Neolithization of the Southern Caucasus, rather than focusing merely on immigration models.

Integrating 3D printing of polymer matrix composites and metal additive layer manufacturing: surface metallization of 3D printed composite panels through cold spray deposition of aluminium particles

The integration of metals and polymers in the same component to couple the best properties and advantages of both these classes of materials can be useful for engineering applications. In this scenario, the aim of this paper is to integrate additive manufacturing of composites with cold spray deposition of metal particles: in particular, 3D-printed carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) panels were coated with aluminium particles to couple the lightweight and high mechanical properties of CFRP with high wear resistance and hardness of metals. CFRP panels have been produced by using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology, then the panels have been coated with aluminium particles by using a low pressure cold spray facility. Panels with various stratification sequences have been produced to investigate the feasibility of the process and to highlight the influence of the lay-up strategy on the whole process; the parameters of the cold spray process have been also optimized to ensure an effective deposition. Adhesion tests, distortion measurements, cross-section observations and surface coverage measurements have been chosen as response outputs to evaluate the effectiveness of the process and to assess the influence of the process parameters. The integration between FFF of CFRPs and cold spray deposition of aluminium particles has been proved, values of surface coverage close to 100% and good values of adhesion strength (close to 4 MPa) have been achieved; moreover, the presence of the fibres, giving a higher stiffness to the substrate, avoids the occurrence of distortion phenomena during the deposition. It was also proved that the printing parameters influence the deposition: an increase in the infill density from 30% to 50% leads to an increase in the adhesion strength up to 40%. In summary, the results obtained proved the feasibility of the process and allowed to enucleate directions of future research.

The Archaeology of the Bronze Age Levant: From Urban Origins to the Demise of City-States, 3700–1000 BCE

The Archaeology of the Bronze Age Levant: From Urban Origins to the Demise of City-States, 3700–1000 BCE

Numerical Study on the Influence of Profile Shape on the Stability of a Nonhomogeneous Slope

To study the influence of profile shape on the stability of nonhomogeneous slopes, strip mechanical models of slopes with different profile shapes were established following the simplified Bishop method. Three hundred and seventy slope models with different profile shapes and strata sequences were simulated and analyzed with FLAC3D. The results show that slopes with weaker-to-stronger (WtS) strata sequences are, in most cases, more stable than slopes with stronger-to-weaker (StW) strata sequences when all other conditions are the same. Slopes with linear shapes are the most stable. With increasing arch height, the stability of convex slopes decreases, and the stability of concave slopes first increases slightly and then decreases. When the strata sequences are WtS, the factors of safety (FoSs) of slopes with convex and exterior polyline shapes decrease more slowly. However, when the strata sequences are StW, the FoSs of slopes with concave and interior polyline shapes decrease more slowly. The greatest X-displacements are concentrated in the steeper areas of the slopes. For different strata sequences, the higher the rock strength at the steeper position is, the more stable the slope is, and the opposite trend is also observed. For the same strata sequence, the stability of a polyline-shaped slope is always better than that of a curved slope with the same inflection point.