Paleoseismicity and seismic hazard in southern Patagonia (Argentina-Chile; 50°–55°S) and the role of the Magallanes-Fagnano transform fault

Patagonia, including the island of Tierra del Fuego, lies in southernmost South America at the junction of the South American, Antarctic, and Scotia tectonic plates. Historical and instrumental records have documented several local earthquakes of damaging magnitude, posing a threat to the rapidly growing population of 300,000 and the expanding industrial and service infrastructure. Short and inaccurate instrumental records of local seismic events and a diffuse epicenter distribution not clearly related to the recognized seismogenic structures have hindered an adequate evaluation of the seismic hazard for this region. To improve this situation, a paleoseismological study was carried out on two gravelly strandplains on the Atlantic coast of Patagonia. Surveying combined ground-probing radar, vertical electric sounding, and seismic refraction. Coseismic normal faults buried beneath the strandplain bodies were revealed and related to the morphology of the strandplains. The faults have probable ages between 0.9 and 6.4 kyr BP and a recurrence rate of about 1 kyr. The more likely source for these structures is the Magallanes-Fagnano fault, a continental transform fault that crosses Tierra del Fuego. The distance of more than 300 km from the buried coseismic structures to the trace of the Magallanes-Fagnano fault argues for high-magnitude earthquake activity on this fault throughout the Holocene. Urban development on soft glacial and alluvial substrates increases the hazard.     

SO2 degassing from Turrialba Volcano linked to seismic signatures during the period 2008–2012

In 1996, after 150 years of relative calm, Turrialba Volcano was reawakening. A visible plume and serious damage to surrounding vegetation due to acid rain are the most obvious signals. As part of the Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change project, four gas-monitoring stations were initially installed on the west flank of the volcano with the purpose of measuring sulphur dioxide emissions during this period of increased activity using the scanning-differential optical absorption spectroscopy technique. We present here the results of semicontinuous gas flux measurements over a period of 5 years (from 2008 to 2012), providing a novel data set that documents a relatively rapid increase in SO₂ fluxes from around 350 t day^?1 to around 4,000 t day^?1 leading up to an eruptive period, followed by a gradual return to the former baseline values. Gas flux data were also compared with seismic data for selected periods of interest, providing insights into the link between degassing and seismicity. The most important result from this comparison is the identification of an inflexion point in the gas emissions followed by a clearly increasing trend in seismic activity, distinguishable 6 months prior to a phreatic eruptive event that occurred on 5 January 2010. This signal can be interpreted as a possible indicator of future eruptive events. Monitoring of SO₂ thus complements seismic monitoring as a forecasting tool for eruptive events. Such monitoring is critical considering the proximity of Turrialba to the Central Valley, an area inhabited by more than 50 % of Costa Rica’s population.     

On the mechanism of the generation of seismic “nails”

The spatial and temporal peculiarities of seismic “nails” are analyzed. Some nails are related to strong earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions, while some do not show any coincidence with any fault zone or other tectonic structures. In some cases, poorly expressed trends in the depths of earthquake occurrence sequences occur. Based on the calculation of the Hurst exponent, a stable tendency in the order sequence for the depths of hypocenters that form a nail has been revealed. This tendency is consistent with self-organization models, which demonstrate positive feedback during interactions between fluid flows and tectonic deformations and have been used to explain the earthquake generation mechanism. The peculiarities of changes in earthquake numbers on the day when a nail is formed agree well with the acoustical emission dynamics during earthquake triggering through water injections, based on the long-term experimental data. The most probable mechanism that generates the seismic nails that are not related to strong earthquakes is seismic activation under the effects of fluids.     

Active normal faulting during the 1997 seismic sequence in Colfiorito,Umbria: Did slip propagate to the surface?

In order to determine whether slip during an earthquake on the 26th September 1997 propagated to the surface, structural data have been collected along a bedrock fault scarp in Umbria, Italy. These collected data are used to investigate the relationship between the throw associated with a debated surface rupture (observed as a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock fault scarp) and the strike, dip and slip-vector. Previous studies have suggested that the surface rupture was produced either by primary surface slip or secondary compaction of hangingwall sediments. Some authors favour the latter because sparse surface fault dip measurements do not match nodal plane dips at depth. It is demonstrated herein that the strike, dip and height of the surface rupture, represented by a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock scarp, shows a systematic relationship with respect to the geometry and kinematics of faulting in the bedrock. The strike and dip co-vary and the throw is greatest where the strike is oblique to the slip-vector azimuth where the highest dip values are recorded. This implies that the throw values vary to accommodate spatial variation in the strike and dip of the fault across fault plane corrugations, a feature that is predicted by theory describing conservation of strain along faults, but not by compaction. Furthermore, published earthquake locations and reported fault dips are consistent with the analysed surface scarps when natural variation for surface dips and uncertainty for nodal plane dips at depth are taken into account. This implies that the fresh stripe is indeed a primary coseismic surface rupture whose slip is connected to the seismogenic fault at depth. We discuss how this knowledge of the locations and geometry of the active faults can be used as an input for seismic hazard assessment.     

Giant radio-galaxy candidates at declinations from 3.5° to 12°

A search for extended radio sources with peak flux densities higher than 10 Jy at 110.6 MHz has been carried out, and two giant radio-galaxy candidates found. Data from a 24-hour survey in an area spanning ～8° in declination were used for the search.     

The crustal structure beneath the Central Andean forearc and magmatic arc as derived from seismic studies — the PISCO 94 experiment in northern Chile (21°–23°S)

In this study, we present an interpretation of seismic refraction profiles from the PISCO 94 experiment in northern Chile. As the PISCO experiment was a combined active and passive seismological study, we also discuss results of the passive part in the context of the seismic refraction model. Previous seismic refraction and gravimetric studies indicate a maximum crustal thickness of about 70 km beneath the Pre- and Western Cordillera. The new seismic refraction data lead to a differentiated image of the Andean crust which shows strong varying characteristics. The crustal discontinuities (up to five are detected) dip from W to E. The upper crust has a thickness of 18 km (Precordillera) to 23 km (magmatic arc) underlain by the recent middle crust down to 35–45 km where the velocity increases to about 7 km/s at its base. This crustal level is interpreted as old continental lower crust and its base as blurred continental (paleo) Moho. Beneath the Precordillera, a strong discontinuity at 70 km depth with a velocity increase to about 8 km/s was detected, interpreted as the recent geophysical Moho. For the magmatic arc, this deep discontinuity could not be found by active seismic measurements. The tomographic models of the seismological studies, in general, confirm the seismic refraction results. Anomalously high v_p/v_s ratios in the deeper part of the forearc indicate a hydrated mantle wedge consisting of serpentine and amphibole-bearing peridotite and the 70 km discontinuity is interpreted as the boundary between these two different stages of the hydrated mantle wedge. A zone of high attenuation (Qp) and high v_p/v_s ratios beneath the magmatic arc coincides with the low velocity zones and indicates partially molten rocks from a depth of 20 km down to the asthenospheric wedge.     

Detection Statistics of Pulse Signals at Declinations from +42° to +52° at the Frequency 111 MHz

Astronomy Reports - A search for pulse signals was carried out in a new sky area included in the monitoring program for the search for pulsars and transients. Processing of several months data...     

Can hydrodynamic modelling of tsunami contribute to seismic risk assessment ?

In recent years a great effort has been made to quantitatively model major historical events in Europe, searching for models that are compatible with both seismic, hydrodynamic and sedimentological evidences. The possibility to do so, with the available modelling techniques, has been checked against instrumental tsunami and seismological data. Most of this effort has been made within the projects GITEC and GITEC TWO.The quantitavive data that can be gathered from historical sources are: extension of the source area, wave heights, first wave polarity and, only rarely, travel times and time intervals between main waves. With this data the accuracy of source studies is a function of both the model uncertainty (can tsunami waves be accurately modelled ? are seismic parameters compatible with tsunami source parameters ?) and the observation errors. These are large when we deal with historical documents hundreds of years old.Here we present the conclusions obtained from the study on the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami. The available historical data are reliable enough to allow a good source determination and, surprisingly, the results obtained differ from those obtained from previous macroseismic studies.The analysis of the results obtained in the tsunami modelling, checked against the macroseismic data, allow the identification of an important seismo and tsunamigenic area, close to the SW Portuguese coast, that must also be taken into consideration for the evaluation of seismic hazard.     

Petrogenesis of anomalous K-enriched MORB from the Southwest Indian Ridge: 11°53′E to 14°38′E

Glassy pillow basalts with unusual geochemical characteristics for mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) have been dredge sampled from the Southwest Indian Ridge between 12 and 15°E during Leg ANT IV/4 of the F.S. POLARSTERN. Lavas from 4 of 6 dredges are moderately nepheline normative, highly K-enriched (0.5–1.77 wt% K₂O) alkali basalts and hawaiites. Mg-numbers indicate that many of the lavas are fairly primitive (Mg No.=63–67), yet show extreme enrichment in incompatible elements; e.g. Nb (24–60 ppm), Ba (170–470 ppm) and Sr (258–460 ppm). Incompatible-element ratios such as Zr/Nb (3–5) and Y/Nb (0.46–1.1) are extremely low even for E-type (enriched) MORB, whereas (La/Yb)_n ratios are particularly high (3.4–7.8). ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70290–0.70368), ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51302–0.51284) and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (18.708–19.564) isotopic ratios further indicate the geochemically enriched nature of these lavas, which range from the compositional field for depleted N-type (normal) MORB towards the composition of Bouvet Island lavas. Mutually correlated incompatible-element and Sr-, Nd- and Pb-isotopic ratios allow a fairly well constrained model to be developed for the petrogenesis of these unusually alkalic mid-ocean ridge lavas. The alkalic nature and degree of enrichment in incompatible elements is ascribed to particularly low degrees of partial melting (3–5 wt%), at greater than usual depth, of a source region that has experienced prior geochemical enrichment (by veining) related to the upwelling Bouvet mantle plume. To account for the observed compositional variations, a model is proposed whereby mixing between partial melts derived from these geochemically enriched silicate veins, and an incipient to low percentage (±2%) melt from the surrounding geochemically depleted suboceanic asthenosphere occurs as a consequence of increasing degree of melting with adiabatic upwelling. Eruption of these alkalic lavas in this spreading ridge environment is attributed to a temporary hiatus in tholeiitic volcanism and associated spreading along this section of the Southwest Indian Ridge, related to readjustment of spreading direction to a more stable plate geometry.     

Search for Dispersed Pulses at Declinations from +56° to +87°

Astronomy Reports - A survey of the northern hemisphere at the frequency 111 MHz is carried out. The total accumulation time for each point of the survey area was at least one hour. When searching...     

An overview approach to seismic awareness for a “quiescent” region

The Denver Region in Colorado, USA, is used as an example of the seismic vulnerability of a region that is not generally considered seismically active. The HAZUS (Hazards United States) natural hazard vulnerability program of United States and an integral geographical information system are used to create the regional distribution of Denver’s potential consequences of an earthquake. Two realistic scenario earthquakes are employed based on a detailed study of seismic activity in the region. Outcomes include casualties, displaced households, building damage by construction material type, hospital functionality, highway bridge functionality, and infrastructure recovery rates. Demographic information includes the use of public transportation, elderly population, and vulnerability based on education, income, and race. Additionally, the type and frequency of communication among key planning agencies and other organizations in the region are investigated through the use of personal interviews as well as a survey to determine the degree to which these agencies consider seismic risk in their communication and coordination planning.     

Deterministic approach to the seismic hazard of dam sites in Kızılırmak basin,Turkey

Dams constructed on the seismically active regions have a high-risk potential for downstream life and property. Strong ground motion can result in instability of the dam and strength loss of foundation. Active faults within the foundation of dam have the potential to cause damaging displacement of the structures. Appropriate design measures should be considered to obtain rational solution to the problem of catastrophic release of water from the reservoir, and especially to resist earthquake loads. Safety concerns for dams under the earthquake loads involve the seismic hazard evaluation of dam site for the overall stability of structure. Various types of analyses can be used, ranging from a simplified analysis to more complex procedures based on ground motion parameters and response spectra. This paper briefly evaluates seismic hazard analyses for dam structures, and introduces the analyses for thirty-six dams with height ranging from 15 to 195 m in Kızılırmak basin, Turkey. The seismic hazard analyses have indicated that peak ground acceleration varies within a wide range (0.09–0.45 g) for the dam sites of the basin.     

Miocene to recent history of the western Altiplano in northern Chile revealed by lacustrine sediments of the Lauca basin (18°15′–18°40′ S/69°30′–69°05′W)

The intramontane Lauca Basin at the western margin of the northern Chilean Altiplano lies to the west of and is topographically isolated from the well-known Plio-Pleistocene lake system of fluvio-lacustrine origin that covers the Bolivian Altiplano from Lake Titicaca to the north for more than 800 km to the Salar de Uyuni in the south. The Lauca Basin is filled by a sequence of some 120 m of mainly upper Miocene to Pliocene elastic and volcaniclastic sediments of lacustrine and alluvial origin. Volcanic rocks, partly pyroelastic, provide useful marker horizons. In the first period (6–4 Ma) of its evolution, the Lago Lauca was a shallow ephemeral lake. Evaporites indicate temporarily closed conditions. After 4 Ma the lake changed to a perennial water body surrounded by alluvial plains. In the late Pleistocene and Holocene (2-0 Ma) there was only marginal deposition of alluvial and glacial sediments. The basin formed as a half-graben or by pull-apart between 10 and 15 Ma (tectonic displacement of the basal ignimbrite sequence during the Quechua Phase) and 6.2 Ma (maximum K/Ar ages of biotites of tuff horizons in the deepest part of the basin). Apart from this early basin formation, there has been surprisingly little displacement during the past 6 Ma close to the Western Cordillera of the Altiplano. Also, climate indicators (pollen, evaporites, sedimentary facies) suggest that an arid climate has existed for the past 6 Ma on the Altiplano. Together, these pieces of evidence indicate the absence of large scale block-faulting, tilt and major uplift during the past 5–6 Ma in this area.     

Seismotectonic investigations of the Chulmakan fault,southern Yakutia,to assess the seismic hazard for the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil and power of Siberia gas pipelines

Based on the analysis of space images and maps, the data of laser scanning, trenching, and field geophysical and seismotectonic studies in southern Yakutia, the Chulmakan seismogenic fault is mapped and characterized. The structure and parameters of seismogenic deformations of this fault, which crosses the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, are determined. A preliminary estimate of the Chulmakan seismodislocation age is given, as well as the magnitude of the corresponding paleoearthquake. The level of potential seismic hazard at the site where the Chulmakan Fault crosses the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline and Power of Siberia gas pipeline is determined.     

Calcium adsorption at the rutile-water interface: a potentiometric study in NaCl media to 250°C

Calcium adsorption by rutile was studied potentiometrically from 25 to 250°C, at ionic strengths of 0.03 and 0.30 m in NaCl media, using two complementary experimental methodologies. In the first, net proton adsorption in the presence and absence of Ca²⁺ was monitored, and in the second, samples were periodically withdrawn during the course of a titration to determine Ca²⁺ adsorption directly. These experiments revealed that Ca²⁺adsorption systematically increased with temperature relative to the pH of zero net proton charge in NaCl media alone (pH_znpc(NaCl) – pH). That is, as temperature increased, Ca²⁺ adsorption commenced at progressively more positive pH_znpc(NaCl) – pH values. Increasing ionic strength from 0.03 to 0.30 m NaCl suppressed Ca²⁺ adsorption at all temperatures as a result of either increased competition from Na⁺ or greater complexation of Ca²⁺ by Cl⁻. Finally, there was no apparent trend in the proton stoichiometric ratios (moles H⁺ released / moles Ca²⁺ adsorbed) with increasing temperature. This suggests that the electrostatic and/or chemical processes involved in Ca²⁺ adsorption do not change greatly with increasing temperature. Favorable entropic effects, related to the increasing ease of releasing Ca²⁺ waters of hydration, are believed to be primarily responsible for the increase in adsorption with temperature.