Risk perception in Unión Juárez,Chiapas, Mexico

The proximity to the Tacaná volcano, to the subduction zone between the Cocos and North America plates, to the Mexican coast, and to the active geologic Polochic-Motagua fault makes the population of Union Juarez (UJ), Chiapas, Mexico, exposed to many natural hazards including hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. We assessed the risk perception of UJ, and our findings indicate that the community has moderate level of risk perception according to the scale of the National Center for Disaster Prevention of Mexico. The UJ’s risk perception is mainly dependent on gender and religion because females unlike males in case of disasters and emergencies: (1) believe that it is necessary to improve their preparedness; (2) trust the local civil protection authorities; (3) would know how to respond; (4) would follow the established protocols; and (5) would not relocate. On the other hand, non-religious people know better the protocols to follow in the event of disasters than the religious population. Besides, the community of UJ reasonably perceives earthquakes and extreme rains as the main hazards that they are exposed to, while volcanic hazards are considered less important although the town is located very close to the Tacaná volcano that has been active during the last 30 years. The local population lacks of proper knowledge and resources to develop adequate disaster mitigation plans. Surprisingly, the work of the local civil protection is considered poor. Our results can be used for local authorities as a tool to strength the disaster prevention actions in UJ.

     

Assessment of formaldehyde pollution based on Weber exponent and perception of people’s smell

Formaldehyde’s, as the irritant and active gas in atmosphere, pollution assessment by perception of people is significative. Although related study is seldom reported, it is necessary to improve the general contamination evaluation based on Weber–Fischna law and combine with human’s real feeling. Therefore, based on the law, Weber exponents were counted by a convenient optimal calculation, and the results could accurately embody the different standard range of formaldehyde concentration. In addition, by the human smell perception experiment, it was firstly found that the score assessment could also express the pollution condition more practically. According to the scores, expanding exponents could cause the assessment more clearly and closer to human real smell perception.     

Pastoralists’ perception of and adaptation strategies for climate change: associations with observed climate variability

Natural Hazards - Although climate change is a universal phenomenon, its indicators and manifestations are entirely local, as are adaptation choices, strategies, and practices. Based on...     

The effects of trust in government on earthquake survivors’ risk perception and preparedness in China

Natural Hazards - The accumulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air affects air quality through the generation of surface level ozone and secondary organic aerosol. A study of...     

Zinc,Copper, and Lead Geochemistry of Oceanic Igneous Rocks—Ridges,Islands, and Arcs

Variations in the abundances of Zn, Cu, and Pb are found to be useful in identifying tectonic regimes and separating oceanisland basalts into enriched- and depleted-source categories. The average Zn, Cu, and Pb contents of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB) are 84, 70, and 0.35 ppm, respectively. Differences in average Zn contents for various ridges reflect more the varying degrees of differentiation than variations of Zn content in the source rocks. At a Mg# of 70, or Mg#₇₀, which is taken to represent primitive MORB, many MORB sequences converge at a Zn content of 58 ± 6 ppm, which is close to the value for primitive mantle (50 ppm) and ordinary chondrites (～55 ppm). Values of 0.1 to 0.15 ppm Pb in MORB at Mg#₇₀, best defined at the superfast-spreading Southern East Pacific Rise, are similar to estimates of Pb in the primitive mantle (0.12 to 0.18 ppm). They also are near the lower end of the range for ordinary chondrites. The very slow spreading Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge has a sequence with higher Pb contents, in addition to a more normal sequence, which has a visual best value of 0.4 ppm Pb at Mg#₇₀. With the exception of the Walvis Ridge, Zn and Cu appear to be little affected by proximity to hotspots (i.e., E-MORB); however, Pb contents are higher and average about 0.6 ppm.

Both Zn and Pb in MORB are incompatible elements (i.e., favor the melt), but Cu is a compatible element. At Mg#₇₀, there is the suggestion of a value of 100 ppm for Cu, with lower values possibly representing partial removal of sulfides and their associated Cu from the source. Nonetheless, Cu contents of primitive MORB tend to be much higher than even high estimates for the primitive mantle (28 ppm), and are closer to ordinary chondrites (～90 ppm). Therefore, Zn, Cu, and Pb all approximate chondritic values in the primitive MORB melt.

Average contents of Zn, Cu, and Pb in oceanic island basalts (OIB) are 115, 62, and 3.2 ppm, respectively. At Mg#₇₀, values of Zn and Cu are similar to the respective averages for OIB, with Zn higher and Cu lower than MORB. At a Mg# of ～40, however, OIB and MORB tend to have similar Zn contents. With further differentiation, OIB trachytes can contain >200 ppm Zn. Unlike MORB, OIB can differentiate to high Cu contents of 200 ppm at Mg#s of 40 to 60. In contrast to Zn and Cu, Pb regresses to a value of 0.83 ppm at Mg#₇₀ for Hawaiian and Reunion volcanics, which is much less than the average value for Pb in OIB volcanics, but higher than for MORB.

Average Zn, Cu, and Pb contents of magmatic-arc basalts are 77, 108, and 1.9 ppm, respectively. In basalts, Zn tends to be incompatible, but a dual incompatible and compatible behavior can occur at high SiO₂ contents. Dacites may average near 55 ppm Zn, but peralkalic rhyolite can contain >300 ppm Zn. A dual compatible and incompatible nature occurs for Cu. Most common, particularly in submarine volcanics, is a compatible trend, with a Cu content of around 80 ppm at a Mg# of 60, which decreases to less than 40 ppm at a Mg# of 30. The incompatible trend of increasing Cu can achieve >200 ppm at a Mg# of 30, leaving a gap approaching 100 ppm at that Mg#. The gap is less obvious on a plot of Cu vs. SiO₂, but is still there. The compatible trend is proposed to result from sulfur-saturated magmas, whereas the incompatible trend is believed to result from sulfur-deficient magmas. Support for this hypothesis is found in sparse sulfur-isotope data. Zn and Cu both can be incompatible over an extended range of Mg#s or silica content. When Zn and Cu are both compatible, Cu decreases more than twice as rapidly as Zn.

Primitive magmas at Mg#₇₀ average about 50 ppm Zn for submarine Mariana arc basalts and 58 ppm for forearc boninites, contents close to MORB values. Mariana arc basalts have a Zn content of ～45 ppm estimated at Mg#₇₀. Cu varies more widely than Zn in primitive magmas, being about 50 ppm Cu for Mariana Islands volcanics and 120 ppm for Kermadec Islands volcanics, a range broadly around MORB values. Average Pb contents are 1.9 ppm for island-arc tholeiites, 5.6 ppm for high-Al basalt, and 3.2 ppm for alkali basalt with average boninite of approximately 1.8 ppm. Back-arc-basin basalts in the deepest parts of the Mariana trough have Pb contents of 0.45 ppm, but more shallow parts may exceed 1.0 ppm Pb. Although the lower contents are similar to MORB values, the ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values are greater than Pacific Ocean MORB. At Mg#₇₀ for rocks from the Tonga and Kermadec island arcs, the Pb content is about 0.1 ppm, similar to MORB.     

Smallholder Farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate variability and change in Fincha sub-basin of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin of Ethiopia

GeoJournal - Climate variability and change make agricultural sector a risky venture for smallholders’ farmers. This paper presents an assessment of smallholder farmers’ perceptions of...     

Natural siliceous dust and human health： Pathways, toxicity, and impact

Fine atmospheric dust includes mineral particles and aggregates, fibrous minerals and fibrous organic material. Generation, dislodgement and transport （deflation） of natural dust with the finer （〈4 microns） components suspended as silt-size aggregates, is widespread in and adjacent to the world＇s drylands, as well as deriving from volcanic vents. Silica is a highly fibrogenic agent in lung tissue. Long-term inhaling of siliceous dusts can lead to a number of fibrotic lung diseases, including natural （non-occupational） pneumoconioses （notably silicosis, but including asbestosis and others）. Different polymorphs of silica show different levels of toxicity in interaction with lung tissue. Particles with highly active surfaces may release radicals, causing cell damage. Some types of inhaled particulates are degraded by macrophages, but many are highly resistant and persist in the lungs, some stimulating fibroblastic cells to deposit collagen. Silicosis is an inflammation of the lung commonly caused by silicate mineral particles, leading to fibrosis. Three types are recognized： nodular pulmonary fibrosis （simple or chronic silicosis）, acute silicosis, and accelerated silicosis. Generally, finer particulates have greater oxidative capacity than the coarser fractions. They contain more reactive oxygen species, their greater bioreactivity making them more toxic to pulmonary tissue. Nevertheless, inhalation of large dust particles （〉 10μm） may constitute a health risk if the mineralogy is toxic, regardless of where the grains lodge in the respiratory system. Dust may absorb harmful gases, disease-generating bacteria and carcinogenic hydrocarbon compounds. Silica-related respiratory disease may also an exacerbate cardiac problem, and epidemiology suggests a link with tuberculosis. Quantification of dust loading and exposure requires study of spatial and temporal patterns, supported by meteorological analysis, airflow modeling and satellite-borne imagery. Some acute, short-term health impacts have been assessed using atmospheric and health records both before and after a dust storm or by comparison of populations within and outside such events. Analysis of the size, shape, mineralogy and geochemistry of ambient dust particulates provides information on natural dust sources, dust concentrations, and potential particulate toxicity, as well as providing a datum for assessment of human exposure levels.     

Non-eutectic,graphic, micrographie and graphic-like “myrmekitie” structures and textures

True graphic quartz structures in pegmatites from Carrara/Giggiga and Harrar (town) districts of Ethiopia, are compared with the micrographic quartz textures in the Rapakiwi granite of Finland. Graphic-like textures of uraninite in microcline are also discussed and compared with these graphic structures.A quartz vein, about 1–2 meters in thickness, intersects a pegmatite in the Carrara/Giggiga district. This quartz vein extends into the microcline of the pegmatite as fine quartz veins which attain the form and character of graphic quartz. Also the graphic quartz of the Harrar pegmatites is observed to extend into and occupy cracks in the microcline.Comparable in origin to these graphic textures is the micrographic quartz in the Rapakiwi granite. Observations show micrographic quartz following the cleavage directions in the orthoclase as well as the interzonal spaces and the boundaries of inclusions in the K-feldspar.On the basis of the observed structures and textures these graphic and micrographic intergrowths are considered to be due to solutions penetrating or infiltrating into existing structures and not due to simultaneous crystallisation as conditions of eutectic crystallisation would require.In addition to the well known graphic structures there occur graphic or myrmekitic-like intergrowths of uraninite in microcline which, from a structural and physico-chemical point of view, cannot be considered to be due to eutectic crystallisation.     

Coupled asteroid impacts and banded iron-formations,Fortescue and Hamersley Groups,Pilbara, Western Australia

Asteroid impact spherule layers and tsunami deposits underlying banded iron-formations in the Fortescue and Hamersley Groups have been further investigated to test their potential stratigraphic relationships. This work has included new observations related to the ca 2.63 Ga Jeerinah Impact Layer (JIL) and impact spherules associated with the 4th Shale-Macroband of the Dales Gorge Iron Member (DGS4) of the Brockman Iron Formation. A unit of impact spherules (microkrystite) correlated with the ca 2.63 Ga JIL is observed within a >100 m-thick fragmental-intraclast breccia pile in drill cores near Roy Hill. The sequence represents significant thickening of the impact/tsunami unit relative to the JIL type section at Hesta, as well as relative to the 20–30 m-thick ca 2.63 Ga Carawine Dolomite spherule-bearing mega-breccia. The ca 2.48 Ga-old Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation is underlain by an ?0.5 m-thick rip-up clast breccia located at the top of the ca 2.50 Ga Mt McRae Shale, and is interpreted as a tsunami deposit. We suggest that the presence of impact ejecta and tsunami units stratigraphically beneath a number of banded iron-formations, and units of ferruginous shale in the Pilbara and South Africa may result from a genetic relationship. For example, it could be that under Archean atmospheric conditions, mafic volcanism triggered by large asteroid impacts enriched the oceans in soluble FeO. If so, seasonal microbial and/or photolytic oxidation to ferric oxide could have caused precipitation of Fe₂O₃ and silica. In view of the possible occurrence of depositional gaps and paraconformities between impact ejecta units and overlying ferruginous sediments, these relationships require further testing by isotopic age studies.     

Interdiffusion of Na,K,and Ca Between Granitic Melts and NaCl Liquid

This study is aimed at determining the diffusion coefficient of net-work modifiers (mainly Na, K, and Ca) in a two-phase melt-NaCl system, in which the melts are granitic and the system is NaCl-rich in composition. The diffusion coefficients of Na, K, and Ca were measured at the temperatures of 750 – 1400°C, pressures of 0.001 × 10⁸ – 2 × 10⁸ Pa, and initial H₂O contents of 0 wt% –6.9 wt% in the granitic melts. The diffusion coefficients of Fe and Mg were difficult to resolve. In all experiments a NaCl melt was present as well. In the absence of H₂O, the diffusion of net-work modifiers follows an Arrhanious equation at 1 × 10⁵ Pa: lgD_ca=−3. 88−5140/T, lgD_k =−3. 79−4040/T, and lgD_Na, =−4.99−3350/T, where D is in cm² /s andT is in K. The diffusion coefficients of Ca, Na, K, and Fe increase non-linearly with increasing H₂O content in the melt. The presence of about 2 wt% H₂O m the melt will lead to a dramatical increase in diffusivity, but higher H₂O content has only a minor effect. This change is probably the result of a change in the melt structure when H₂O is present. The diffusion coefficients measured in this study are significantly different from those in previous works. This may be understood in terms of the “transient two-liquid equilibrium” theory. Element interdiffusion depends not only on its concentration, but also on its activity co-efficient gradient, which is reflected by the distribution coefficient, of the two contacting melts.     

Petrologic and Geochemical Characteristics and Origin of Gusui Cherts,Guangdong Province,China

The characteristic structures of the Precambrian cherts from the Gusui section, Guangdong ,Chi-na, include bedded structure ,laminated structure ,massive structure and pseudobrecciated structure.The chert is characterized by consistently low abundance of TiO2,Al2O3 and most trace elements.Howevver ,it is enriched in Ba,As,Sb,Hg and Se.In Al-Fe-Mn ternary diagrams,it falls into the “hydrothermal field“ .Correspondence analysis and factor analysis show that many elements show up in the factor that represents the leaching of country rocks by hydrothermal solutions,and are the very characteristic element association fo the geochemically anomalous South China basement.Petrologic and geochemical evidence suggests a hydrothermal origin for the chert.The chert may have been formed in a Precambrian fift or an extension zone developed within the Yunkai marginal geosyncline, with a fault system linking it to an unknown heat source at depth.     

The role of knowledge in students’ flood-risk perception

Natural Hazards - Until now, flood-risk perception in the Netherlands has been solely studied as it relates to adults. This exploratory study focused on 15-year-old students who have taken...     

Land–sea carbon and nutrient fluxes and coastal ocean CO2 exchange and acidification: Past,present, and future

Epochs of changing atmospheric CO₂ and seawater CO₂–carbonic acid system chemistry and acidification have occurred during the Phanerozoic at various time scales. On the longer geologic time scale, as sea level rose and fell and continental free board decreased and increased, respectively, the riverine fluxes of Ca, Mg, DIC, and total alkalinity to the coastal ocean varied and helped regulate the C chemistry of seawater, but nevertheless there were major epochs of ocean acidification (OA). On the shorter glacial–interglacial time scale from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to late preindustrial time, riverine fluxes of DIC, total alkalinity, and N and P nutrients increased and along with rising sea level, atmospheric PCO₂ and temperature led, among other changes, to a slightly deceasing pH of coastal and open ocean waters, and to increasing net ecosystem calcification and decreasing net heterotrophy in coastal ocean waters. From late preindustrial time to the present and projected into the 21st century, human activities, such as fossil fuel and land-use emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere, increasing application of N and P nutrient subsidies and combustion N to the landscape, and sewage discharges of C, N, P have led, and will continue to lead, to significant modifications of coastal ocean waters. The changes include a rapid decline in pH and carbonate saturation state (modern problem of ocean acidification), a shift toward dissolution of carbonate substrates exceeding production, potentially leading to the “demise” of the coral reefs, reversal of the direction of the sea-to-air flux of CO₂ and enhanced biological production and burial of organic C, a small sink of anthropogenic CO₂, accompanied by a continuous trend toward increasing autotrophy in coastal waters.     

Opportunities and challenges in rebuilding tornado-impacted Greensburg,Kansas as “stronger,better, and greener”

A May 2007 tornado destroyed 95% of aging, declining Greensburg, Kansas. The city took the opportunity to build back “stronger, better, and greener,” enforcing upgraded codes, requiring city-owned buildings to meet LEED Platinum level standards, and recommending energy-efficiency housing in a new Sustainable Comprehensive Plan. Using information collected from surveys of Greensburg tornado survivors, interviews, and publications, we examined the housing-related recovery, including the emergency provision of temporary shelter and rebuilding permanently. Although temporary shelter kept residents nearby for rebuilding, given the gap between insurance policy limits on the aging housing stock and rebuilding costs, housing affordability is a critical issue in Greensburg’s recovery. Local, state, and federal support have made construction of municipal buildings at LEED Platinum level and some affordable and green housing projects possible. However, far greater public and private sector funding for affordable workforce housing, in conjunction with broader economic and job development, is needed.     

Place,identity and stigma: blocks and the ‘blockies’ of Tara,Queensland, Australia

This article explores the role of geographical context in generating a stigmatised identity among residents of Tara rural subdivisions in the coal seam gas fields in Queensland’s Western Downs. The research was based on qualitative interviews with Tara ‘Blockies’, as these residents are commonly referred to, that revealed how their existence in the middle of an agrarian region resulted in the assignation of a stigma that has marked them as different, and subsequently devalued their status. We explain that this distinction and category division of the normals, referring to Tara’s Agrarian residents, from the ‘stigmatised’ led to an antagonistic relationship that prevented successful socio-cultural assimilation. We demonstrate how an immoral place becomes disadvantaged, resulting in poor well-being, and how imposed labels threaten the self-esteem of its occupants.     

Source,transport, and fate of rhenium,selenium, molybdenum,arsenic, and copper in groundwater associated with porphyry–Cu deposits,Atacama Desert,Chile

We collected groundwaters in and around a large (313 Mt at 1.08% Cu and 0.3% cutoff) undisturbed porphyry copper deposit (Spence) in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile, which is buried beneath 30–180 m of Miocene piedmont gravels. Groundwaters within and down-flow of the Spence deposit have elevated Se (up to 800 μg/l), Re (up to 31 μg/l), Mo (up to 475 μg/l) and As (up to 278 μg/l) concentrations compared to up-flow waters (interpreted to represent regional groundwater flow). In contrast, Cu is only elevated (up to 2036 μg/l) in groundwaters recovered from within the deposit; Cu concentrations are low down gradient of the deposit. The differential behavior of the metals/metalloids occurs because the former group dissolves as anions, enhancing their mobility, whereas the base metals dissolve as cations and are lost from solution most likely through adsorption to clay surface exchange sites and through formation of secondary copper chlorides, carbonates, and oxides. Most groundwaters within and down-flow of the deposit have Eh–pH values around the Fe^II/Fe^III phase boundary, limiting the impact of Fe-oxyhydroxides on oxyanions mobility. Se, Re, Mo, and As are all mobile (with filtered/unfiltered samples ～ 1) to the limit of sampling 2 km down gradient from the deposit. The increase in ore-related metals, metalloids, and sulfate and decrease in sulfate–S isotope ratios (from values similar to regional salars, + 4 to + 8‰ δ³⁴S_CDT to lower values closer to hypogene sulfides, + 1 to + 4‰ δ³⁴S_CDT) is consistent with active water–rock reactions between saline groundwaters and the Spence deposit. It is likely that hypogene and/or supergene sulfides are being oxidized under the present groundwater conditions and mineral saturation calculations suggest that secondary copper minerals (antlerite, atacamite, malachite) may also be actively forming, suggesting that supergene and exotic copper mineralization is possible even under the present hyperarid climate of the Atacama Desert.     

Geochemistry of О, Н, C,S, and Sr isotopes in the water and sediments of the Aral basin

The paper presents original authors' data on the O, H, C, S, and Sr isotopic composition of water and sediments from the basins into which the Aral Sea split after its catastrophic shoaling: Chernyshev Bay (CB), the basin of the Great Aral in the north, Lake Tshchebas (LT), and Minor Sea (MS). The data indicate that the δ¹⁸О, δD, δ¹³C, and δ³⁴S of the water correlate with the mineralization (S) of the basins (as of 2014): for CB, S = 135.6‰, δ¹⁸О = 4.8 ± 0.1‰, δD = 5 ± 2‰, δ¹³C (dissolved inorganic carbon, DIC) = 3.5 ± 0.1‰, δ³⁴S = 14.5‰; for LT, S = 83.8‰, δ¹⁸О = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–13.5 ± 1.5‰, δ¹³C = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δ³⁴S = 14.2‰; and for MS, S = 9.2‰, δ¹⁸О =–2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–29 ± 1‰, δ¹³C =–0.5 ± 0.5‰, δ³⁴S = 13.1‰. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of the groundwaters are similar to those in MS and principally different from the artesian waters fed by atmospheric precipitation. The mineralization, δ¹³С, and δ³⁴S of the groundwaters broadly vary, reflecting interaction with the host rocks. The average δ¹³С values of the shell and detrital carbonates sampled at the modern dried off zones of the basins are similar: 0.8 ± 0.8‰ for CB, 0.8 ± 1.4‰ for LT, and –0.4 ± 0.3‰ for MS. The oxygen isotopic composition of the carbonates varies much more broadly, and the average values are as follows: 34.2 ± 0.2‰ for CB, 32.0 ± 2.2‰ for LT, and 28.2 ± 0.9‰ for MS. These values correlate with the δ¹⁸O of the water of the corresponding basins. The carbonate cement of the Late Eocene sandstone of the Chengan Formation, which makes up the wave-cut terrace at CB, has anomalously low δ¹³С up to –38.5‰, suggesting origin near a submarine methane seep. The δ³⁴S of the mirabilite and gypsum (11.0 to 16.6‰) from the bottom sediments and young dried off zone also decrease from CB to MS in response to increasing content of sulfates brought by the Syr-Darya River (δ³⁴S = 9.1 to 9.9‰) and weakening sulfate reduction. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in the water and carbonates of the Aral basins do not differ, within the analytical error, and is 0.70914 ± 0.00003 on average. This value indicate that the dominant Sr source of the Aral Sea is Mesozoic–Cenozoic carbonate rocks. The Rb–Sr systems of the silicate component of the bottom silt (which is likely dominated by eolian sediments) of MS and LT plot on the Т = 160 ± 5 Ma, I₀ = 0.7091 ± 0.0001, pseudochron. The Rb–Sr systems of CB are less ordered, and the silt is likely a mixture of eolian and alluvial sediments.     

Late Paleozoic base and precious metal deposits,East Tianshan, Xinjiang, China： Characteristics and geodynamic setting

The East Tianshan is a remote Gobi area located in eastern Xinjiang, northwestern China. In the past several years, a number of gold, porphyry copper, and Fe(-Cu) and Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn skarn deposits have been discovered there and are attracting exploration interest.The East Tianshan is located between the Junggar block to the north and early Paleozoic terranes of the Middle Tianshan to the south. It is part of a Hercynian orogen with three distinct E-W-trending tectonic belts: the Devonian-Early Carboniferous Tousuquan-Dananhu island arc on the north and the Carboniferous Aqishan -Yamansu rift basin to the south, which are separated by rocks of the Kanggurtag shear zone. The porphyry deposits, dated at 322 Ma, are related to the late evolutionary stages of a subduction-related oceanic or continental margin arc. In contrast, the skarn, gold, and magmatic Ni-Cu deposits are associated with post-colli-sional tectonics at ca. 290-270 Ma. These Late Carboniferous - Early Permian deposits are associated with large-scale emplacement and eruption of magmas possibly caused by lithosphere delamination and rifting within the East Tianshan.