Convolutive independent component analysis for processing massive datasets: a case study at Campi Flegrei (Italy)

A novel procedure is proposed to analyse continuous seismic signal on hourly scales to have a prompt discrimination among the different sources. Specifically, this approach is applied to a massive dataset recorded at Campi Flegrei caldera during the year 2006 when a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes occurred. The convolutive independent component analysis is adopted to obtain a clear separation among meteo-marine microseism, anthropogenic noise, hydrothermal tremor in the absence of volcano-tectonic activity, whereas in non-stationary conditions a contribution connected to the corner frequency of the earthquakes emerges. A coarse-grained variable to be monitored continuously is introduced, i.e. the frequency associated with the maximum amplitude of the power spectral density of the deconvolutive independent components. That parameter is sensitive to the variation in the frequency bands of interest (e.g. that corresponding to the corner frequencies of volcano-tectonic events) and can be used as marker of the insurgence of seismic activity.

     

Glaucony from the Cretaceous of the Sierra de Guadarrama (Central Spain) and its application in a sequence-stratigraphic context

Detailed sedimentological and geochemical analyses of Upper Cretaceous glaucony-bearing deposits from the middle portion of the Castro de Fuentidueña Formation, in Central Spain, enable identification of a multiphase history of glaucony accumulation. Despite its relatively high maturity (K₂O > 7%), glaucony from the transgressive subtidal sandstones has anomalously low concentration in the host rock (generally <10%), suggesting remobilization from a different source. The remarkable thickness of the glaucony-bearing horizons, concurrently with concentration of glaucony in laminae, small size, and high degree of roundness and sorting provide further evidence for an allochthonous origin of the green grains. In contrast, authigenic glaucony from the overlying offshore clays exhibits higher abundance (up to 45%) and lower maturity (K₂O < 7%) and is interpreted to have formed in situ. Allochthonous glaucony originally developed in more distal areas during a prolonged period of sediment starvation. The green grains were then swept away from their place of origin and concentrated into tidal bars and channels within the upper transgressive systems tract of the third-order depositional sequence. Maximum concentration of autochthonous glaucony is recorded at the transition from tidal-influenced to offshore deposits: this glaucony, which is relatively less evolved due to lower time available for maturation, is interpreted to reflect the turnaround from transgressive to highstand conditions, marking the condensed section of the depositional sequence. As postulated by previous sequence-stratigraphic models, this study documents that allochthonous glaucony can be widespread throughout the transgressive systems tract (TST), while the condensed section (CS) typically hosts autochthonous glaucony. Contrary to the existing literature, however, this study shows that glaucony from the TST may be even more mature than glaucony from the CS, if enough time for maturation during transgression is allowed before the ultimate concentration of the green grains. Identification of spatial and temporal characteristics of glaucony, thus, is critical to a reliable sequence-stratigraphic interpretation of the glaucony-bearing deposits.     

Convolutive independent component analysis for processing massive datasets: a case study at Campi Flegrei (Italy)

A novel procedure is proposed to analyse continuous seismic signal on hourly scales to have a prompt discrimination among the different sources. Specifically, this approach is applied to a massive dataset recorded at Campi Flegrei caldera during the year 2006 when a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes occurred. The convolutive independent component analysis is adopted to obtain a clear separation among meteo-marine microseism, anthropogenic noise, hydrothermal tremor in the absence of volcano-tectonic activity, whereas in non-stationary conditions a contribution connected to the corner frequency of the earthquakes emerges. A coarse-grained variable to be monitored continuously is introduced, i.e. the frequency associated with the maximum amplitude of the power spectral density of the deconvolutive independent components. That parameter is sensitive to the variation in the frequency bands of interest (e.g. that corresponding to the corner frequencies of volcano-tectonic events) and can be used as marker of the insurgence of seismic activity.     

Identification of soil redistribution using 137Cs for characterizing landslide-prone areas: a case study in Sarno-Quindici,Italy

Debris flows are among the most hazardous and unpredictable processes whose hazard evaluation requires an understanding of the processes that govern sediment supply, sediment bulking, flow volume, and deposition. In line with this challenge, we estimate the net soil redistribution rates in an area characterized by recurrent instability phenomena using ¹³⁷Cs as a tracer for monitoring soil dynamics. An extension of this method by applying it to the case of major landslides is addressed. Specifically, surveys of soil ¹³⁷Cs content at sites in the Pizzo d’Alvano massif (Italy), where a set of particularly damaging landslides occurred on 5–6 May 1998, are reported. Being this region prone to debris flows, two zero-order basins are examined, one of which experienced a landslide event. In that basin deposition is observed, whereas the other shows a net loss of soil. These results appear to be relevant, particularly because the rate of hollow filling could be correlated with the magnitude and/or frequency of debris flow occurrence or with some measure of the hazard presented by individual gullies.     

Water-level oscillations in the Adriatic Sea as coherent self-oscillations inferred by independent component analysis

We analyze tide gauge records at four stations of the ISPRA network located in the Adriatic Sea basin (Eastern Italy), namely, going from North to South: Trieste, Ancona, Ortona and Otranto. We use linear and nonlinear methods in the frequency and time domains, including spectral and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), inter-times occurrence, and phase space embedding dimension evaluation. We show that four tidal constituents can be extracted by ICA and interpreted as coherent self-sustained oscillations. Finally, we show that these constituents can be reproduced by adopting a simple nonlinear oscillatory model that generalizes classical Andronov oscillator with the inclusion of a time dependent pumping.     

The supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J18483−0311 in quiescence: XMM–Newton, Swift and Chandra observations

IGR J18483−0311 was discovered with INTEGRAL in 2003 and later classified as a supergiant fast X-ray transient. It was observed in outburst many times, but its quiescent state is still poorly known. Here, we present the results of XMM–Newton , Swift and Chandra observations of IGR J18483−0311. These data improved the X-ray position of the source, and provided new information on the timing and spectral properties of IGR J18483−0311 in quiescence. We report the detection of pulsations in the quiescent X-ray emission of this source, and give for the first time a measurement of the spin-period derivative of this source. In IGR J18483−0311, the measured spin-period derivative of  −(1.3 ± 0.3) × 10⁻⁹ s s⁻¹  likely results from light travel time effects in the binary. We compare the most recent observational results of IGR J18483−0311 and SAX J1818.6−1703, the two supergiant fast X-ray transients for which a similar orbital period has been measured.     

Determination of parameters of Long-Term variability of the X-ray pulsar LMC X-4

We have investigated the temporal variability of the X-ray flux measured from the high-mass X-ray binary LMCX-4 on time scales from several tens of days to tens of years, i.e., exceeding considerably the orbital period (~1.408 days). In particular, we have investigated the 30-day cycle of modulation of the X-ray emission from the source (superorbital or precessional variability) and refined the orbital period and its first derivative. We show that the precession period in the time interval 1991–2015 is near its equilibrium value P _sup = 30.370 days, while the observed historical changes in the phase of this variability can be interpreted in terms of the “red noise” model. We have obtained an analytical law from which the precession phase can be determined to within 5% in the entire time interval under consideration. Using archival data from several astrophysical observatories, we have found 43 X-ray eclipses in LMC X-4 that, together with the nine eclipses mentioned previously in the literature, have allowed the parameters of the model describing the evolution of the orbital period to be determined. As a result, the rate of change in the orbital period ? _orb/P _orb = (1.21 ± 0.07) × 10^?6 yr^?1 has been shown to be higher than has been expected previously.