THE GULF OF LION - SUBSIDENCE OF A YOUNG CONTINENTAL-MARGIN

The origin of the subsidence of Atlantic-type continental margins is of much interest to geology and geophysics. The main problem at these margins is in explaining the substantial thicknesses of mainly shallow-water sediments which accumulate soon after rifting and plate separation. We have now used biostratigraphic data from commercial wells to study the subsidence history of a young Atlantic-type continental margin. Backstripping the sediment load reveals that the margin has been subsiding at nearly mid-ocean ridge rates. Geological data indicate that lithospheric stretching alone cannot account for this amount of subsidence and other processes must be involved. © 1980 Nature Publishing Group

A procedural approach to distributing responsibilities in R&D networks

In professional settings, people often have diverse and competing conceptions of responsibility and of when it is fair to hold someone responsible. This may lead to undesirable gaps in the distribution of responsibilities. In this paper, a procedural model is developed for alleviating the tension between diverging responsibility conceptions. The model is based on the Rawlsian approach of wide reflective equilibrium and overlapping consensus. The model is applied to a technological project, which concerned the development of an in-house monitoring system based on ambient technology. The development of this innovative technology raised questions among the technological researchers about its social acceptance and the way issues related to privacy and security should be addressed. The case is analyzed in terms of two procedural norms (reflective learning and inclusiveness), which are based on literature on policy and innovation networks. Analysis of the case shows that, in a pluralist setting, a procedural approach can be useful for encouraging discussion on the legitimacy of different responsibility conceptions and the question what a fair responsibility distribution amounts to.Values and TechnologyTechnology, Policy and Managemen