Is the September 5, 2022, Luding MS6.8 earthquake an ‘unexpected’ event?

Whether the September 5, 2022, Luding M_S6.8 earthquake is an ‘expected’ event in the context of earthquake forecast? This commentary discusses this issue mainly using the recently proposed ‘earthquake nowcasting’ approach.     

Time-lapse camera observations of gas piston activity at Pu‘u ‘ō‘ō, Kīlauea volcano, Hawai‘i

Gas pistoning is a type of eruptive behavior described first at K??lauea volcano and characterized by the (commonly) cyclic rise and fall of the lava surface within a volcanic vent or lava lake. Though recognized for decades, its cause continues to be debated, and determining why and when it occurs has important implications for understanding vesiculation and outgassing processes at basaltic volcanoes. Here, we describe gas piston activity that occurred at the Pu??u ???????? cone, in K??lauea??s east rift zone, during June 2006. Direct, detailed measurements of lava level, made from time-lapse camera images captured at close range, show that the gas pistons during the study period lasted from 2 to 60?min, had volumes ranging from 14 to 104?m³, displayed a slowing rise rate of the lava surface, and had an average gas release duration of 49?s. Our data are inconsistent with gas pistoning models that invoke gas slug rise or a dynamic pressure balance but are compatible with models which appeal to gas accumulation and loss near the top of the lava column, possibly through the generation and collapse of a foam layer.     

Testing the use of quartz ‘micro-hole’ photon-simulated luminescence for dating sediments from the central Lomonosov Ridge,Arctic Ocean

In the Arctic Ocean, direct dating methods are needed as an alternative to the radiocarbon (¹⁴C) method and to various indirect approaches for a longer stratigraphy. In past attempts to develop a luminescence sediment dating, the use of fine-silt (4–11 μm) mixture of quartz and feldspar grains from core tops has often produced large age overestimates by several ka. A recent application of micro-focused laser (‘micro-hole’) photon-stimulated luminescence (PSL) to medium-silt to fine-sand quartz grains (11–105 μm) from the core tops at the Alaska margin has been usefully accurate. To extend this approach to the central Arctic Ocean and to a larger grain size range, we applied micro-hole PSL dating to >11 μm quartz grains from core tops (0.5–2 cm horizon) from two sites on the central Lomonosov Ridge. We obtain a burial age estimate of ca. 2 ka for 11–62 μm grains at a multicore site 18 MC within a perched intra-ridge basin, in accord with ¹⁴C ages obtained on foraminifers. At nearby site 19 MC on the erosive ridge top, the micro-hole PSL dating of >90 μm quartz grains produces a burial age estimate of ∼ca. 25 ka, in accord with a foraminiferal ¹⁴C age of ca. 26 ka. However, the 11–90 μm grains from the same sample produce a much younger burial age estimate of ca. 9 ka. Thus, these two size fractions of quartz grains record different burial times and different deposition agents (icebergs vs. sea ice), providing insight into past sedimentary processes. Overall, our results confirm an earlier conclusion from micro-hole PSL dating study at the Alaska margin that medium to coarse silt fractions of quartz grains (11–90 μm or at least 62 μm) is the preferred material for direct dating of the last daylight exposure of detrital sediment in the Arctic Ocean.     

Obtaining estimates of the low-frequency ‘fling’, instrument tilts and displacement timeseries using wavelet decomposition

This paper proposes a novel, wavelet-based algorithm, which by extracting the low-frequency fling makes it possible to automatically correct for baseline shift and re-integrate down to displacement. The algorithm applies a stationary-wavelet transform at a suitable level of decomposition to extract the low frequency fling model in the acceleration time histories. The low frequency, acceleration fling should be as close as possible to the theoretical type A model, which after correction leads to a pulse-type velocity and ramp-like displacement after first and second integration. The wavelet transform essentially decomposes the seismic record using maximally flat filters and these together with a de-noising scheme form the core of this approach, which is to extract the lower and higher frequency sub-band acceleration, velocity and displacement profiles and correct for baseline shift. The correction automatically selects one time point from the low-frequency sub-band and then zeros the acceleration baseline after the fling. This implies pure, translation without any instrument tilts. Estimates of instrument tilt angles are also obtainable from the wavelet transformed time history as well as estimates of signal-to-noise ratios. The acceleration data used in this study is from station TCU068 in the near-fault region of the Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake of 20th September 1999.     

Perspectives on the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the ‘carbon neutrality’ strategy

Science China Earth Sciences - The Chinese government has made a strategic decision to reach ‘carbon neutrality’ before 2060. China’s terrestrial ecosystem carbon sink is...     

Marine algae are ‘taught’ the basics of angular momentum

Advanced modelling studies and high-resolution observations have shown that flows related to instability of the mesoscale (~ 1–10 km scale) may provide both the fertilisation mechanism for nutrient-depleted (oligotrophic) surface waters and a subduction mechanism for the rapid export of phytoplankton biomass to the deep ocean. Here, a detailed multidisciplinary analysis of the data from an example high-resolution observational campaign is presented. The data provide direct observations of the transport of phytoplankton through baroclinic instability. Furthermore, the data confirm that this transport is constrained by the requirement to conserve angular momentum, expressed in a stratified water column as the conservation of potential vorticity. This constraint is clearly seen to produce long thin filaments of phytoplankton populations strained out along isopycnal vorticity annuli associated with mesoscale frontal instabilities.     

Study of the earthquake of the January 23, 1880, in San Cristóbal,Cuba and the Guane fault

All available data on the January 23, 1880, earthquake near San Cristobal, Western Cuba, are compiled and presented here. The earthquake reached a maximum intensity of eight degrees (MSK) and caused three fatalities. It was accompanied by 65 aftershocks and was felt as far away as the Florida Keys. Twentieth century specialists has associated this event, in its day the strongest recorded (Ms = 6.2) in the region, with the Pinar fault. The Pinar fault is well expressed topographically as the boundary between the Guaniguanico Range in the north and an alluvial plain to the south. Most of the major damage caused by the earthquake was located on the alluvial plain, which in consequence has been considered the epicenter area. In the study presented here, the data compiled from the first reports of Father Benito Vines Martorell, S.J., and Pedro Salteraín y Legarra, indicate that the seismic structure was located in the alluvial plain, and that it was the Guane fault, and not the Pinar fault, that was responsible for the earthquake. The Guane fault, found below the alluvial sediments, extends NE-SW for over 110 km. Its eastern extreme, near San José de las Lajas (La Habana), is linked to another active fault which represents a seismoactive knot responsible for the earthquake of March 9, 1995 (I = 5 degrees, MSK). Seismic events of the Western Cuban region are related to the transpressive interaction of the North American and Caribbean Plates, damped by oceanic structures.     

Glaciers,rock avalanches and the ‘buzzsaw’ in cirque development: Why mountain cirques are of mainly glacial origin

It has been proposed that most cirques are source-area depressions of large, deep-seated rock-slope failures. Yet the close relation between cirques and climate is convincing evidence of the dominance of glacial erosion, rather than rock-slope failure, in mountain cirque development and distribution. Cirque floor altitudes have a lower limit that varies with snowfall by 1000 m or more between windward and leeward sides of mountain systems. Glaciation levels and equilibrium line altitudes implied by cirques vary in parallel with those for modern glaciers. Cirques are often found mainly on the poleward or leeward slopes of individual mountain ranges, as are modern small glaciers (because of solar radiation and wind effects on ablation and accumulation). Most rock-slope failures (RSFs: rock slides, rock avalanches and gravitational deformations) do not involve the deep-seated rotational movement that would produce a cirque form. Although some deep-seated RSFs with arcuate head scars may be confused with cirques, identification as a glacial cirque is more confident as the floor is longer, wider and more gently sloping. Some scars from major RSFs may resemble poor or moderately developed cirques, but tend to have steeper floors, to be more scattered and closely related to geology, whereas glacial cirques develop on all rock types. Deep-seated RSFs high on slopes can be associated with seismic shaking, but cirques develop without relation to seismicity. Degree of cirque development can be related to duration of exposure to glaciation. Often RSFs are found adjacent to cirques, or in glacial transfluences; only a proportion are well situated to develop into glacial cirques. Valley-head cirques are continued down-valley by glacial troughs. The ‘overdeepening’ (rock basins with reversed slopes) found in a large minority of cirques is not due to rock avalanching, fluvial or periglacial erosion. The RSF proposal should therefore be rejected in favour of the traditional glacial explanation, without any nivation stage being necessary. Rock-slope failure is one of several possible ways of initiating hollows for glacier accumulation, as well as an ancillary process of cirque extension or widening through collapse of glacially oversteepened slopes. Headward extension of adjacent cirques on a ridge leads to displacement of the divide, sometimes by 2 km or more, lowering ridge and summit altitudes and producing the ‘glacial buzzsaw’ effect. Where a relatively lower snowline has led to cirque erosion on all sides of a mountain, cirque intersection lowers summits further. The buzzsaw hypothesis is not applicable, however, where remnants of a preglacial summit surface survive. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

OSL dating of individual quartz ‘supergrains’ from the Ancient Middle Palaeolithic site of Cuesta de la Bajada,Spain

Dose saturation represents a fundamental limitation for obtaining finite optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) quartz ages over Middle Pleistocene timescales. Single-grain OSL studies typically reveal significant intra- and inter-sample variability in quartz dose saturation properties at the individual grain level. This enhanced variability may offer the potential to obtain extended-range chronologies exceeding the traditional upper age limits of multiple-grain OSL dating. However, there have been relatively few detailed assessments of single-grain OSL properties over high dose ranges. In this study we investigate extended-range single-grain OSL dating potential at Cuesta de la Bajada, one of the most important Ancient Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula. The quartz samples from this site exhibit exceptional dose saturation properties and contain significant populations of individual ‘supergrains’ with bright OSL signals, very high characteristic saturation dose (D₀) limits of 200 to >600 Gy, and dose-response curves that closely conform to single saturating exponential functions. Assessments of OSL signal composition and the ability to successfully recover a known laboratory dose of 470 Gy support the potential for obtaining high equivalent dose (D_e) values with reasonable fitting uncertainties. A series of novel sensitivity tests are used to assess potential biases in supergrain D_e estimation over high dose ranges related to (i) thermally transferred signal contributions, (ii) choice of dose-response curve fitting function, and (iii) insufficient dose saturation properties of individual grains. The single-grain D_e values obtained using the standard quality assurance criteria and novel sensitivity tests are consistent at 2σ, and are in agreement with quartz Ti-centre ages obtained on two of three paired electron spin resonance (ESR) samples collected from Cuesta de la Bajada. These comparisons support the suitability of our single-grain OSL results and suggest there may be good potential for using quartz supergrains to establish extended-range chronologies at some Middle Pleistocene sites. Comparisons with other single-grain OSL studies across the Iberian central plains suggest that favourable dose saturation properties may be influenced by regional-scale geological controls. The importance of undertaking single-grain OSL dating at Cuesta de la Bajada is also demonstrated by the results of synthetic aliquot experiments, which reveal multiple-grain age offsets of 60–170 ka when unsuitable grain types are inadvertently included in the final age calculations. The single-grain OSL results indicate that the main archaeological horizon at Cuesta de la Bajada (unit CB3) accumulated between 264 ± 22 and 293 ± 24 ka. These ages are consistent with the chronologies of other key early Middle Palaeolithic sites in the region (Ambrona AS6 and Gran Dolina TD10) and indicate that the Ancient Middle Palaeolithic techno-complex likely spread across Iberia from at least Marine Isotope Stage 9 onwards.     

Radiocarbon redating of contaminated samples from a tropical volcano: the Mansion ‘Series’ of St Kitts,West Indies

Heavy rainfall and dense vegetation on tropical volcanoes produce abundant carbonized wood in pyroclastic deposits, in addition to easy contamination of this wood by root systems and soluble humic material. Because the physical nature of the charcoal varies, some samples are more prone to contamination. Two independent studies of the same volcano, Mt Liamuiga on St Kitts in the Lesser Antilles, sometimes using samples from the same carbonized tree, yielded a systematic difference in radiocarbon ages. An exchange of samples and a re-investigation of three physically distinct types of charcoal yielded the following results. Rare, hard, dense charcoal, lacking contamination, which had yielded a spurious age of 2860 years bp, was redated at 1845±58 years bp. Common soft, friable charcoal with good cellular structure proved to be susceptible to contamination. A field decontamination technique utilized by one group seems significant as it yields older ages than when only routine laboratory pre-treatment was used, indicating that the latter technique only partly removes the dried and hard residue produced by the decomposition of modern plant rootlets. A previous date of 24870 years bp obtained from powdery charcoal in a horizon beneath the Mansion Series contradicted ages older than 41000 years bp from common friable charcoal in the lower Mansion Series. The soft powdery charcoal was re-investigated using a sample collected a few centimeters from the original, although field decontamination of this sample was not possible, more extensive laboratory treatment yielded an age of ca. 43000 years bp, again proving that routine laboratory pretreatments are inadequate. A revised geochronology for the Mansion Series is described and a cautionary discussion is presented for the benefit of investigators using radiocarbon ages to date volcanic deposits.     

Relocation of the Ms≥2.0 Earthquakes in the Northern Tianshan Region, Xinjiang, Using the Double-Difference Earthquake Relocation Algorithm

We applied the double-difference earthquake relocation algorithm to 1348 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0 that occurred in the northern Tianshan region, Xinjiang, from April 1988 to June 2003, using a total of 28701 P- and S-wave arrival times recorded by 32 seismic stations in Xinjiang. Aiming to obtain most of these M_S≥2.0 earthquakes relocations, and considering the requirements of the DD method and the condition of data, we added the travel time data of another 437 earthquakes with 1.5≤M_S<2.0. Finally, we obtained the relocation results for 1253 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0, which account for 93% of all the 1348 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0 and includes all the M_S≥3.0 earthquakes. The reason for not relocating the 95 earthquakes with 2.0≤M_S<3.0 is analyzed in the paper. After relocation, the RMS residual decreased from 0.83s to 0.14s, the average error is 0.993 km in E-W direction, 1.10 km in N-S direction, and 1.33 km in vertical direction. The hypocenter depths are more convergent than before and distributed from 5 km to 35 km, with 94% being from 5km to 35 km, 68.2% from 10 km to 25 km. The average hypocenter depth is 19 km.     

Relocation of the Ms≥2.0 Earthquakes in the Northern Tianshan Region, Xinjiang, Using the Double-Difference Earthquake Relocation Algorithm

We applied the double-difference earthquake relocation algorithm to 1348 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0 that occurred in the northern Tianshan region, Xinjiang, from April 1988 to June 2003, using a total of 28701 P- and S-wave arrival times recorded by 32 seismic stations in Xinjiang. Aiming to obtain most of these M_S≥2.0 earthquakes relocations, and considering the requirements of the DD method and the condition of data, we added the travel time data of another 437 earthquakes with 1.5≤M_S<2.0. Finally, we obtained the relocation results for 1253 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0, which account for 93% of all the 1348 earthquakes with M_S≥2.0 and includes all the M_S≥3.0 earthquakes. The reason for not relocating the 95 earthquakes with 2.0≤M_S<3.0 is analyzed in the paper. After relocation, the RMS residual decreased from 0.83s to 0.14s, the average error is 0.993 km in E-W direction, 1.10 km in N-S direction, and 1.33 km in vertical direction. The hypocenter depths are more convergent than before and distributed from 5 km to 35 km, with 94% being from 5km to 35 km, 68.2% from 10 km to 25 km. The average hypocenter depth is 19 km.     

The role of aerial algae in the formation of the landscape of the Yunnan Stone Forest,Yunnan Province, China

~~The role of aerial algae in the formation of the landscape of the Yunnan Stone Forest,Yunnan Province, China~~     

Testing the ‘two water worlds’ hypothesis under variable preferential flow conditions

Widespread observations of ecohydrological separation are interpreted by suggesting that water flowing through highly conductive soil pores resists mixing with matrix storage over periods of days to months (i.e., two ‘water worlds’ exist). These interpretations imply that heterogeneous flow can produce ecohydrological separation in soils, yet little mechanistic evidence exists to explain this phenomenon. We quantified the separation between mobile water moving through preferential flow paths versus less mobile water remaining in the soil matrix after free-drainage to identify the amount of preferential flow necessary to maintain a two water world's scenario. Soil columns of varying macropore structure were subjected to simulated rainfall of increasing rainfall intensity (26 mm h⁻¹, 60 mm h⁻¹, and 110 mm h⁻¹) whose stable isotope signatures oscillated around known baseline values. Prior to rainfall, soil matrix water δ²H nearly matched the known value used to initially wet the pore space whereas soil δ¹⁸O deviated from this value by up to 3.4‰, suggesting that soils may strongly fractionate ¹⁸O. All treatments had up to 100% mixing between rain and matrix water under the lowest (26 mm h⁻¹) and medium (60 mm h⁻¹) rainfall intensities. The highest rainfall intensity (110 mm h⁻¹), however, reduced mixing of rain and matrix water for all treatments and produced significantly different preferential flow estimates between columns with intact soil structure compared to columns with reduced soil structure. Further, artificially limiting exchange between preferential flow paths and matrix water reduced bypass flow under the most intense rainfall. We show that (1) precipitation offset metrics such as lc-excess and d-excess may yield questionable interpretations when used to identify ecohydrological separation, (2) distinct domain separation may require extreme rainfall intensities and (3) domain exchange is an important component of macropore flow.     

Dynamic Site Characterization and Correlation of Shear Wave Velocity with Standard Penetration Test ‘N’ Values for the City of Agartala,Tripura State,India

Seismic site characterization is the basic requirement for seismic microzonation and site response studies of an area. Site characterization helps to gauge the average dynamic properties of soil deposits and thus helps to evaluate the surface level response. This paper presents a seismic site characterization of Agartala city, the capital of Tripura state, in the northeast of India. Seismically, Agartala city is situated in the Bengal Basin zone which is classified as a highly active seismic zone, assigned by Indian seismic code BIS-1893, Indian Standard Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, Part-1 General Provisions and Buildings. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi (2002), it is the highest seismic level (zone-V) in the country. The city is very close to the Sylhet fault (Bangladesh) where two major earthquakes (M _w > 7) have occurred in the past and affected severely this city and the whole of northeast India. In order to perform site response evaluation, a series of geophysical tests at 27 locations were conducted using the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) technique, which is an advanced method for obtaining shear wave velocity (V _s) profiles from in situ measurements. Similarly, standard penetration test (SPT-N) bore log data sets have been obtained from the Urban Development Department, Govt. of Tripura. In the collected data sets, out of 50 bore logs, 27 were selected which are close to the MASW test locations and used for further study. Both the data sets (V _s profiles with depth and SPT-N bore log profiles) have been used to calculate the average shear wave velocity (V _s30) and average SPT-N values for the upper 30 m depth of the subsurface soil profiles. These were used for site classification of the study area recommended by the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) manual. The average V _s30 and SPT-N classified the study area as seismic site class D and E categories, indicating that the city is susceptible to site effects and liquefaction. Further, the different data set combinations between V _s and SPT-N (corrected and uncorrected) values have been used to develop site-specific correlation equations by statistical regression, as ‘V _s’ is a function of SPT-N value (corrected and uncorrected), considered with or without depth. However, after considering the data set pairs, a probabilistic approach has also been presented to develop a correlation using a quantile–quantile (Q–Q) plot. A comparison has also been made with the well known published correlations (for all soils) available in the literature. The present correlations closely agree with the other equations, but, comparatively, the correlation of shear wave velocity with the variation of depth and uncorrected SPT-N values provides a more suitable predicting model. Also the Q–Q plot agrees with all the other equations. In the absence of in situ measurements, the present correlations could be used to measure V _s profiles of the study area for site response studies.     

3D Subsoil Model of the San Biagio ‘Salinelle’ Mud Volcanoes (Belpasso,Sicily) derived from Geophysical Surveys

Mud volcanoes are common in active mountain fronts. At Mt. Etna, located just between the Apennine front in Sicily and its foredeep, there are some manifestations of mud volcanism in the lower border of the volcanic edifice. The activity of these mud volcanoes is characterized by persistent emission of muddy water mixed with salts, which rises to the surface due to the gas pressure in the subsoil. The San Biagio Salinelle is one of the three mud volcano fields located around the Paternò eruptive monogenic apparatus; this old volcanic structure was one of the first subaerial volcanic manifestations that formed in the pre-Etnean phase. It is not fully clear whether and how the activity of the mud fields is connected with the volcanic activity of Mt. Etna. Noninvasive geophysical surveys were carried out in the area of the active cone of the San Biagio Salinelle, in order to identify the probable ascent path of the emitted products. Seismic ambient noise records were collected at the nodes of a specially designed grid and, subsequently, the V _s values were obtained from an active seismic survey. A digital elevation model (DEM) of the area was obtained by a topographic survey, carried out with the GNSS technique (global navigation satellite system), in real-time kinematic mode. The DEM and the topographic benchmark installed will represent the reference surface for future periodic monitoring of the ongoing deformation in the area. Our results provide an accurate and detailed 3D subsurface model showing the shallower feeding system of the investigated mud volcano.