The Triassic of Monte San Giorgio in the World Heritage List of UNESCO: An opportunity for science, the local people and tourism

No abstract.  .     

世界山脉遗产对比研究及对我国自然遗产申报的建议

本文以联合国教科文组织的相关材料和各国向世界遗产委员会提交的申遗文本为依据，在将地质方面的内容分为13类地质类型（构造、火山、山脉、地层、化石、河湖三角洲、喀斯特、海岸、礁-海岛、冰川、冰期、干旱半干旱沙漠、陨石冲击）的前提下，把其中的27项山脉世界遗产分为了生物多样性、地形地貌、地貌多样性、文化与自然、天然美景5类。在研究世界山脉遗产的基础上对中国的世界自然遗产和文化自然双遗产预备名录中有关山脉部分的遗产进行了价值分析。根据当前申请遗产的状况，对我国的遗产状况提出了一些建议：申报时应尽量填补某项空白，注意周边山脉的问题，慎重在申报独立的遗产或是作为扩展项目加入已有遗产之间选择。     

中国可可托海世界地质公园地质遗迹资源类型及价值

正1地质公园简介中国可可托海世界地质公园位于亚洲中部内陆地区、中国新疆维吾尔自治区阿勒泰地区富蕴县、青河县境内;行政区划隶属新疆伊犁哈萨克自治州阿勒泰地区行政公署。公园总面积2337.90 km2,地理坐标:东经89°29'45″～90°11'54″,北纬46°42'04″～47°43'45″,海拔1072～3234 m(张成功     

The role of rainfall in the landslide hazard: the case of the Avigliano urban area (Southern Apennines, Italy)

Mass movements varying in type and size, some of which are periodically reactivated, affect the urban area of Avigliano. The disturbed and remoulded masses consist of sandy–silty or silty–clayey plastic material interbedded with stone fragments and conglomerate blocks. Five landslides that were markedly liable to rainfall-associated instability phenomena were selected.

The relationships between landslides and rainfall were investigated using a hydrological and statistical model based on long-term series of daily rainfall data. The model was used to determine the return period of cumulative daily rainfall over 1–180 days. The resulting hydrological and statistical findings are discussed with the aim of identifying the rainfall duration most critical to landslides.

The concept of a precipitation threshold was generalized by defining some probability classes of cumulative rainfall. These classes indicate the thresholds beyond which reactivation is likely to occur. The probability classes are defined according to the return period of the cumulative rainfall concomitant with landslide reactivation.     

Heritage and landscape change: Recording,archiving and engaging with photogrammetry on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is a landscape defined by change and process. As such, the approach to its heritage must be similarly flexible and active. A balance must be found between celebrating these processes of change, whilst also conserving those invaluable discoveries and features that so define this coast, as well as encouraging ongoing research and public engagement. This delicate task can be aided firstly by thinking about this geologically defined World Heritage Site as a landscape. In this way it is possible to develop rich and nuanced narratives between the human and geological. Secondly, by embracing new technologies and methodologies to record, archive and communicate features and finds, as well as the process of change itself. Here, we explore these ideas through two unique sites of geological and palaeontological interest discovered in the process of quarrying. To balance keeping the sites open to the public with the risk of natural and human damage to the sites, Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry was used to create accurate, high-resolution, georeferenced 3D models. The process and potentials of the technique are discussed, alongside a discussion of the broader ideas of heritage and approaches already at play on this coastline.     

Landslides in Emilia-Romagna region (Italy): strategies for hazard assessment and risk management

In Emilia-Romagna, over 32,000 landslide bodies cover one-fifth of the hilly and mountainous territory. The majority of them originated as earth-flows after the last glacial maximum and grew during the rainiest periods of the Holocene through the superimposition of new earth-flows. Reactivation of these large landslides is the main problem the geologists of Emilia-Romagna are facing now. Intense and/or prolonged precipitation play a major role as triggering factors in reactivating landslide bodies, but also the importance of snowmelt is suggested by the monthly distribution of landslide events. Almost all the present-day landslide activity is due to the reactivation of pre-existing landslide bodies. Consequently, territorial planning and geo-thematic cartography are fundamental tools for the reduction of risk. The Emilia-Romagna geo-thematic cartography (1:10,000) is legally binding and regulates land use in regional, municipal and basin plans.     

Integration of multi-parametric fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and GIS along the UNESCO World Heritage: a flood hazard index,Mombasa County,Kenya

Natural Hazards - Flood is a natural hazard affecting human life and ecosystem globally causing catastrophic disasters. Most flood-induced socioeconomic losses are exacerbated by unabated urban...     

贵州梵净山世界自然遗产地重要地质遗迹特征、成因及演化研究

贵州梵净山世界自然遗产地是一个元古宙时期的裂谷盆地.历经了原特提斯-古特提斯-新特提斯以及太平洋-印度洋俯冲汇聚的影响,是多期次、复杂的地块拼合和造山带演化产物.区域上以喀斯特地貌包围浅变质岩山脉地貌为特征.研究区内地质遗迹、景观类型多样.其中达世界级地质遗迹景观共计4处.区内自白垩纪末期开始了间歇性的隆升,由于受梵净山穹窿构造及多个滑脱层影响,造成了剥蚀速率的差异,奠定了如今的地貌雏形;通过构造解析及物质组成分析,认为梵净山特有的层状浅变质岩侵蚀地貌是在以构造为主导的应力塑造之下,经由风化、剥蚀以及冰川作用共同雕琢而成.并就研究区内主要地质遗迹特征、成因及演化进行了论述.贵州梵净山世界自然遗产地内不仅地质遗迹种类丰富,而且多处代表性地质遗迹具有全球对比价性,有极高的科学、科普价值.     

Prehistoric and recent mass movements of the World Cultural Heritage Site Hallstatt, Austria

Hallstatt Village, located in the Austrian Alps, is designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as part of the World Cultural Heritage Site Hallstatt–Dachstein. This region is recognized for its salt deposits that have been exploited since the Neolithic period. In former times, these salt deposits were very rare and precious. Due to unfortunate bedding conditions, mass movements have been frequent in the past and continue to affect the site today. These active and inactive mass movements were mapped geotechnically to a scale of 1:5,000 and the mineralogical and mechanical properties of the main instable soft rocks were investigated. Rock spreads, rock slides, rock falls, rock topples, earth flows and earth and debris slides are the primary types of mass movements recorded. They are most frequently observed in areas affected by mining, though they may also occur in areas where no anthropogenic influence is recognized. Evidence exists in the archaeological record that indicates prehistoric mining activities were also seriously affected by the impact of mass movements.     

Proposal of a method to define areas of landslide hazard and application to an area of the Dolomites, Italy

A numerical–cartographical method has been developed to create landslide hazard maps. This method allows the assigning of a rating to the various parameters which contribute to landslides. The parameters considered are: (1) erodibility and degradability of the rocks and Quaternary deposits; (2) permeability of the ground to identify areas prone to hydraulic overpressure; (3) the geometric ratio between discontinuities and slope, and thickness of Quaternary deposits; (4) angle of the slopes; and (5) land use. A thematic map is constructed for each factor considered which defines different areas through ratings, after which all the thematic maps are overlaid and the ratings added up (or multiplied). The map which is thus obtained is reclassified in order to create the final map of landslide hazard. This method, which has already been tested in various areas, has produced excellent results in this case too, allowing a map to be constructed which corresponds to the actual instability problems.     

Rainfall patterns and related landslide incidence in the Porretta-Vergato region,Italy

An analysis of landslide occurrence in the low permeability terrain of Porretta-Vergato, Italy, related to prolonged rainfall patterns is presented. Data sets collected over nearly a century are statistically analysed. The pattern of the landslide hazard is considered and related to precipitation at the basin scale in order to enhance the understanding between the two parameters and assess their temporal changes, as well as interrelationships. Landslide incidence generally follows the periodic pattern of precipitation with a lag of approximately six months, which is believed to relate to the time necessary for the ground water to reach a critical level to initiate slope failure. There also appears to be a two-stage pattern of precipitation which induces most landslides: a preparatory period, where the landslide is destabilized and conditioned for slope failure, followed by a more intense period of rainfall that triggers or provokes the event. These initial findings point to the need for further studies to verify such unstable situations.     

Velocity and runout simulation of destructive debris flows and debris avalanches in pyroclastic deposits,Campania region,Italy

The Campanian Apennines are characterized by the presence of monocline ridges, mainly formed by limestone. During the periods of volcanic activity of the Somma-Vesuvius and Phlegrean Fields, the ridges were mantled with pyroclastic materials in varying thickness. The pyroclastics have been involved in destructive landslides both in historical time and in the recent past (1997, 1998, 1999). The landslides occur following intense and prolonged rainfalls. In some cases, landslides extended up to 4 km into the surrounding lowlands and reached towns, causing severe destruction and over 200 deaths. Generally, the landslides begin as small debris slides that develop into large, shallow debris avalanches or debris flows involving pyroclastic horizons and colluvial soils (0.5–2 m thick) on steep and vegetated slopes, often at the heads of gullies. During motion, the landslide materials eroded vegetation and soils from the slope, so that the moving material volume tended to increase. Then, proceeding towards and beyond the base of the slopes, the phenomena evolved into hyperconcentrated streamflow due to dilution by incorporating water. The results of motion analyses are described. An empirical rheological relationship was used including two principal terms that depend on the total normal stress and on the flow velocity. On this basis, the model has simulated the velocity and duration of debris avalanches and the distribution of the deposits. The selected areas were those of Sarno/Quindici and Cervinara, where a large amount of data is available both on the material properties and geomorphological setting. It was found that the majority of the cases at the two sites can be simulated successfully with only one specific pair of rheologic parameters. This provides the possibility for first-order predictions to be made of the motion of future landslides. Such predictions will be a valuable tool for outlining potential hazard areas and designing remedial measures.     

The stratigraphy of the Permo-Triassic rocks of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site,U.K.

An almost complete late Permian and Triassic succession c. 1300 m thick is exposed in the cliffs between Exmouth and Lyme Regis in the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site, U.K. All except the youngest part of the succession was deposited in terrestrial environments that include alluvial fans, aeolian sand dunes, braided rivers and playa-lakes. The succession of environments with time not only reflects the denudation of the Variscan mountains that lay to the west and south in the Cornubian and Armorican massifs, but also responses to periods of tectonic uplift and subsidence, and to long- and short-term climatic and associated biotic changes. Notwithstanding the almost continuous, readily accessible exposures in the cliffs and intertidal areas, few of the formations have yielded any age-diagnostic fossils with the result that much of the succession cannot be dated with certainty. The Permo-Triassic boundary has been placed in the lower part of the succession on the basis of magnetostratigraphy and the same method has been used to quantify some of the stage boundaries and the principal tectonic breaks in the succession.     

The stratigraphy of the Gault and Upper Greensand Formations (Albian stage,Cretaceous) of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site,U.K.

The Upper Greensand Formation, in part mainly underlain by the Gault Formation and overlain by the Chalk Group, has extensive cliff outcrops in the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site (WHS). The argillaceous Gault, up to 20 m thick in the Isle of Purbeck, is poorly exposed due to its involvement in extensive landslides, but the exposures of Upper Greensand are the most complete in England. The Gault (Middle Albian) rests unconformably on progressively older Jurassic and Triassic strata when traced westwards and becomes more arenaceous in the same direction. On the east Devon coast, the Upper Greensand comprises up to 55 m of sandstones and calcarenites that were deposited in fully marine, shallow-water environments. The formation is divided into three members there (Foxmould, Whitecliff Chert and Bindon Sandstone) each bounded by a prominent erosion surface. The full thickness of the Upper Greensand, up to 60 m, was formerly exposed in cliffs in the Isle of Purbeck in and adjacent to the steeply dipping limb of the Purbeck Monocline. The lower (Foxmould) part of the succession is similar to that in east Devon, but the upper part (White Nothe Member) is lithologically different and probably the correlative of only the Bindon Sandstone. Much of the fauna of the Gault and Upper Greensand of the WHS is not age-diagnostic with the result that the ages of parts of the succession are still poorly known. However, diverse ammonite assemblages recorded from a few thin beds in the lower and highest parts of the succession show that all except one of the Albian ammonite zones is present.     

Using multiple logistic regression and GIS technology to predict landslide hazard in northeast Kansas, USA

Landslides in the hilly terrain along the Kansas and Missouri rivers in northeastern Kansas have caused millions of dollars in property damage during the last decade. To address this problem, a statistical method called multiple logistic regression has been used to create a landslide-hazard map for Atchison, Kansas, and surrounding areas. Data included digitized geology, slopes, and landslides, manipulated using ArcView GIS. Logistic regression relates predictor variables to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of landslides within geographic cells and uses the relationship to produce a map showing the probability of future landslides, given local slopes and geologic units. Results indicated that slope is the most important variable for estimating landslide hazard in the study area. Geologic units consisting mostly of shale, siltstone, and sandstone were most susceptible to landslides. Soil type and aspect ratio were considered but excluded from the final analysis because these variables did not significantly add to the predictive power of the logistic regression. Soil types were highly correlated with the geologic units, and no significant relationships existed between landslides and slope aspect.     

Reconstruction of the conditions that initiate landslide movement in weathered silty clay terrain: effects on the historic and architectural heritage of Pietrapertosa, Basilicata, Italy

Understanding the causes of slope development, particularly the initiation of movement, requires knowledge of a set of factors (usually associated with groundwater) that are often difficult to determine. To perform a back-analysis of the failure conditions of the silty-clay terrains underlying the monastery of San Francis, which was built on the slope of the Valle della Torre, at Pietrapertosa (Potenza), the slope was analyzed by means of a limit-equilibrium approach, to determine the stability coefficient (F _s) in relation to the pore water pressure regime. It has been possible to apply linear regression to establish a relation between rainfall and fluctuations of the water table in long duration records of both and thus to obtain the amount of rainfall that is likely to correspond to the critical value of the piezometric level at which the weathered silty-clay material will fail. In this way, the difficulty of applying the various simulations that define the complex relationships between water infiltration and water table recharge has been avoided. In the study area, the hydrological behavior of the 12-m thick weathered horizon has been represented by flow lines, which, in section, are equipotential lines parallel to the slope.     

A methodology using GIS, aerial photos and remote sensing for loss estimation and flood vulnerability analysis in the Supersano-Ruffano-Nociglia Graben, southern Italy

The impact of calamitous meteoric events and their interaction with the geological and geomorphological environment represent a current problem of the Supersano-Ruffano-Nociglia Graben in southern Italy. Indeed, severe floods take place on a frequent basis not only in autumn and winter, but in summer also. These calamities are not only triggered by exceptional events, but are also amplified by peculiar geological and morpho-structural characteristics of the Graben. Flooding often affects vast agricultural areas and consequently, water-scooping machines cannot remove the rainwater. These events cause warnings and emergency states, involving people as well as socio–economic goods. This study represents an application of a vanguard technique for loss estimation and flood vulnerability analysis, integrating a geographic information system (GIS) with aerial photos and remote sensing methods. The analysis results clearly show that the Graben area is potentially at greatest flood vulnerability, while along the Horsts the flood vulnerability is lower.     

Fault scarps and deformation rates in Lazio–Abruzzo, Central Italy: Comparison between geological fault slip-rate and GPS data

We compare new and literature data concerning the integrated deformation rate since 18 ka for the central Apennines with deformation rate data derived from a 6-year GPS campaign. We constructed topographic profiles across the majority of the active faults in the area. We derived deformation rate data from displaced post-glacial sediments and slopes associated with the last major glacial retreat that occurred in the region about 18 kyr ago. Paleoseismic investigations in this region clearly show that offset of these features is the cumulative effect of repeated surface faulting earthquakes with magnitudes in the range 5.5 ≤ Ms ≤ 7.0. A cumulative throw-rate diagram, incorporating both our values and the values extracted from the literature (i.e., previously published trenching studies, scarp profiles and offset terraces), is presented providing a regional picture of the spatial deformation rate distribution in the central Apennines, during the latest Pleistocene and Holocene. By converting cumulative throw-rates into heave rates, we calculate maximum extension rates of ca. 2 mm/year at the location of the same transect where 6 ± 2 mm/year has been measured with GPS over 6 years. This discrepancy between geodetic and geological fault slip-rate data implies that we have to be cautious whenever we use GPS data for seismic hazard assessment purposes or when attempting to reconstruct the tectonic processes in an area, because geodetic data may be unrepresentative of the longer-term deformation rates. On the other hand, this discrepancy may provide insights into the mechanics of the seismic cycle. We discuss various scenarios that may explain the mis-match between long-term and short-term measurements.     

The influence of the geological and geomorphological settings on shallow landslides. An example in a temperate climate environment: the June 19, 1996 event in northwestern Tuscany (Italy)

On June 19, 1996, an extremely heavy rainstorm hit a restricted area in the Apuan Alps (northwestern Tuscany, Italy). Its max intensity concentrated over an area of about 150 km² astride the Apuan chain, where 474 mm was recorded in about 12 h (21% of the mean annual precipitation, with an intensity up to 158 mm/h). The storm caused floods and hundreds of landslides and debris flows, which produced huge damage (hundreds of millions of Euros), partially destroyed villages and killed 14 people. This paper reports the results obtained from a detailed field survey and aerial view interpretation. In the most severely involved area, 647 main landslides were investigated, mapped and related to the geologic, geomorphic and vegetational factors of the source areas. This was in order to define the influence of these factors and contribute to an evaluation of the landslide hazard in the study area. An assessment was also made of the total area and volume of material mobilised by landsliding. The study area, about 46 km² wide, includes three typically mountainous basins, characterised by narrow, deep cut valleys and steep slopes, where many rock types outcrop. Most of the landslides were shallow and linear, referable to complex, earth and debris translational slide, which quickly developed into flow (soil slip–debris flow). Usually, they involved colluvium and started in hollows underlain by metamorphic rock (metasandstone and phyllite), often dipping downslope. Therefore, bedrock lithology and impermeability appeared to be important factors in the localisation of the landslide phenomena. The investigation of the geomorphic and land use features in the source areas also frequently highlighted a rectilinear profile of the slope, a high slope gradient (31–45°) and dense chestnut wood cover. In the area, about 985,000 m² (2.1% of 46 km²) was affected by landsliding and about 700,000 m² of this area was covered by chestnut forest. The landslides removed about 7000 trees. The volume of mobilised material was about 1,360,000 m³; about 220,000 m³ remained on the slopes, while the rest poured into the streams. In addition, about 945,000 m³ was mobilised by the torrential erosion in the riverbeds.