Seismic event of January 22, 2010 near Bełchatów,Poland

The paper summarizes the findings about a seismic event on January 22, 2010, near Bełchatów, Poland, in terms of data, event location, magnitude and source parameters.     

Assessment of the Kraków inhabitants’ health risk caused by the exposure to inhalation of outdoor air contaminants

Health risk associated with the exposure to the polluted atmospheric air inhalation was estimated for the residents of Kraków, Poland. The air pollution concentration data were obtained from the air-quality monitoring system of the city in 2007–2016. The carcinogenic risk of the studied subpopulations was not acceptable under the formula of C₆H₆ > BaP > As(PM10) > Cd(PM10) > Pb(PM10) > Ni(PM10). The total carcinogenic risk (Rt) amounted to 3.04E?04 for children, 2.22E?04 for infants, 1.45E?04 for women, and 1.22E?04 for men. The same risk was calculated for the top three locations of the monitoring stations in this respect, within the city of Kraków: Kurdwanów Housing Estate, Nowa Huta district, and Krasińskiego Av. Non-carcinogenic risk in the case of all six monitoring stations and in respect of all the studied subpopulations, resulting from the exposure to PM10 and for NO₂ for all stations in case of children and infants, as well as, for adults at Krasińskiego Av. and Dietla Str. stations was rated medium. For C₆H₆ in the case of adults, children, and infants the risk was rated low. The total risk (HI) of non-carcinogenic pollution was rated medium and ranged as follows: 6.53 for children, 4.70 for infants, 3.19 for women, and 2.67 for men. That type of risk was decreasing at the station locations as follows: Krasińskiego Av. > Dietla Str. > Nowa Huta district > Kurdwanów Housing Estate > Z?oty Róg Str. > Piastów Housing Estate.     

A study of the interaction among mining-induced seismic events in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District,Poland

We applied the Coulomb stress transfer technique to investigate interactions among seismic events induced by mining works in the Rudna mine in the Legnica-Glogów Copper District in Poland. We considered events with energy greater than 10⁵ J from the period 1993–1999. We examined the influence of the cumulative static stress changes (ΔCFF) due to previous events on the generation of subsequent ones. The results indicate that in many cases strong mining tremors produce changes in the state of stress of a sufficient magnitude to influence subsequent events. The location of over 60% of events is consistent with stress-enhanced areas where the values of ΔCFF were above 0.01 MPa. For most of the events located inside areas of a calculated negative ΔCFF, their modelled rupture zone was partially located inside stress enhanced area, providing thus additional evidence for possible triggering at the nucleation point.     

Groundwater Renewal in the Middle Odra River Catchment Based on Flow Model and Isotopic Data – the Lubin Głogów Copper Region,Poland

In the area of intense mining within the Lubin Głogów Copper Region the investigation of groundwater renewal was made according to two methods: a numerical flow model and isotopic analysis. The results of model simulations show that within the shallow aquifer the groundwater renewal is quick and mostly depends on infiltration within the recharge zones. An average time of groundwater flow between recharge and discharge areas in the representative part of the entire system has been obtained as 130 years. The content of isotopes was determined in samples collected as well from the mine excavations as from water intakes. The measurements were done on 17 samples. Results of isotopic studies indicate that the relationship of δD – δ18O in groundwater gathers along the established local meteoric water line (MWL) δD = 7.58 δ18O + 4.45. Deep groundwaters that create an inflow to the mines were formed by infiltration in Holocene with reference to two of total four mines and probably in Eopleistocene in another two.     

Twelve years of ground-tilt measurements on the Soufriere of St. Vincent, 1977–1989

Five ground-tilt stations were established on the flanks of the Soufriere of St. Vincent; two in 1977, two in 1980, and one in 1983. Four of these stations have survived; two consist of lines oriented radially to the volcano, and the other two consist of cross-shaped arrays. Collectively, this network showed that the volcano inflated gradually before the eruption of 1979 and then deflated rapidly during the eruption and for about a year after it had ended. The volcano then reinflated during much of 1981 and inflated only slightly, if at all, during the 7-year period 1982–1989. The measured amount of ground tilt from 1977 to 1989 was relatively small; the maximum recorded change of radial tilt at a station 6.5 km from the summit of the volcano totaled about 20 rad. Local seismicity correlates well with measured ground deformation: numerous earthquakes accompanied the 1979–1981 deflation/inflation cycle; relatively few earthquakes occurred during the 1982–1989 period of little or no ground deformation. In the hope that the experience we have gained might be of use to others who are considering a program of ground-tilt monitoring on volcanoes elsewhere in the humid tropics, we describe many practical aspects of our program that have evolved over the years. For example: (1) stainless steel bench marks cemented into solid bedrock appear to be stable for at least 12 years, (2) bench marks can be located in concrete-filled drums where bedrock is absent, (3) bench marks should be concealed to protect them from vandalism, (4) care must be exercised where sight lines graze the ground (<0.5 m), and (5) automatic levels are preferable because of their efficiency of operation, especially with inexperienced personnel.     

Palaeo- and rock-magnetic investigations across Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary at St Bertrand’s Spring,Drôme,France: applications to magnetostratigraphy

Palaeo- and rock-magnetic investigations of the St Bertrand’s Spring (Le Ravin de Font de St Bertrand) locality in France were carried out in order to contribute to, and improve, the stratigraphy of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary interval. Magnetic susceptibility shows slightly diamagnetic behaviour in the lowermost part of the profile and an increase (paramagnetic) towards its middle and upper parts. Rock-magnetic measurements throughout the section show magnetite as the main magnetic fraction, together with traces of hematite. Additionally, thermal demagnetization indicates the presence of goethite. Our magnetostratigraphy indicates three normal/reversed polarity sequences; possibly encompassing the magnetozones M19r to the M17n. This suggests that the St Bertrand section straddles the Tithonian/Berriasian boundary and reaches the middle Berriasian sensu lato.     

The Effects of Solar Eclipse of August 1, 2008 on Earth’s Atmospheric Parameters

Several experiments were undertaken at Kolkata (latitude: 22°34′N, longitude: 88°30′E) on the solar eclipse day of August 1, 2008 to observe the effects of the solar eclipse on Fair Weather Field (FWF) and VLF amplitude and phase. The experimental results presented here show significant deviations of the observed parameters from their normal values, as they are determined by the average of the records obtained on 5 days adjacent to the day of the solar eclipse.     

Comment on the paper “The Relationship between Multifractal and Entropy Properties of Seismic Noise in Kamchatka and Irregularity of the Earth’s Rotation” by A.A. Lyubushin,G.N. Kopylova,and Yu.K. Serafimova

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—In my comment on the paper by A.A. Lyubushin, G.N. Kopylova, and Yu.K. Serafimova, I focus on the problem of legitimacy of seismological data...     

Reconstruction of the Earth’s surface temperature based on data of deep boreholes,global warming in the last millennium,and long-term solar cyclicity. Part 1. Experimental data

The most reliable pattern of climate changes is obtained using data of instrumental observations at the network of meteorological stations. However, the series of such data have short timescales (about 150 years). Indirect data from natural archives make it possible to judge specific features of climate changes in the more distant past. In contrast to indirect methods, when data are related to temperature through statistical correlations with air temperature, the borehole geothermal method makes it possible to directly determine the surface air temperature. The reconstructions of the temperature obtained using different indirect data for the Northern Hemisphere have been compared with the surface air temperature reconstructions based on the data of borehole thermometry and solar activity variations, and the possibilities of using the method in order to reconstruct long-term trends in climate changes have been indicated.     

Reconstruction of the Earth’s surface temperature based on data of deep boreholes,global warming in the last millennium,and long-term solar cyclicity. Part 2. Experimental data analysis

The most reliable pattern of climate changes is obtained using data of instrumental observations at the network of meteorological stations. However, the series of such data have short timescales (about 150 years). Indirect data from natural archives make it possible to judge specific features of climate changes in the more distant past. In contrast to indirect methods, when data are related to temperature through statistical correlations with air temperature, the borehole geothermal method makes it possible to directly determine the surface air temperature. The reconstructions of the temperature obtained using different indirect data for the Northern Hemisphere have been compared with the surface air temperature reconstructions based on the data of borehole thermometry and solar activity variations, and the possibilities of using the method in order to reconstruct long-term trends in climate changes have been indicated.     

Reply to the Comment by V.A. Saltykov on the Paper “The Relationship between Multifractal and Entropy Properties of Seismic Noise in Kamchatka and Irregularity of the Earth’s Rotation” by A.A. Lyubushin,G.N. Kopylova,and Yu.K. Serafimova

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth -     

Correctives to the scheme of the Earth’s structure inferred from new data on nutation,tides, and free oscillations

When analyzing the new high-accuracy observations of the forced nutation and tidal variations in the acceleration of gravity, it was found that they are in sharp contradiction to the present-day models of the Earth’s interior based on seismic data and the data on the periods and damping constants of the free oscillations of the Earth. The elimination of these contradictions requires analyzing the uniqueness of the interpretation of the free oscillations of the Earth, taking into account the new data.     

The December 26, 2004, tsunami on Sumatra Island as a source of internal gravity waves in the earth’s atmosphere

Records of the coastal mareographs during the December 26, 2004, tsunami are used to study the fine structure of the tsunami wave power spectra. It is shown that a series of maxima is observed in their spectra near the source in a range of internal gravity wave frequencies of 0.2–1.2 mHz, which coincides with the frequencies of the natural oscillations of the Earth. This experimental finding enables us to propose a possible physical mechanism for the formation of tsunami waves as a result of oscillations in the sea bottom at these frequencies. Internal gravity waves in the Earth’s atmosphere excited in this way are found in the variations of the total electron content that resulted from this powerful earthquake.