Fault-plane solutions and seismicity of the Italian peninsula

A new fault-plane solution map of the Italian peninsula is presented in this paper. The earthquakes analyzed are included in the period 1905–1980, with magnitudes ranging 4–7, 75 earthquakes are located in the crust, while 31 are related to the deep and intermediate zone of the Calabrian arc. The large seismic events of the Italian peninsula are generally associated with normal faulting, while strike-slip motion is mostly related to small earthquakes, located along lateral segments of the mountain chain.The deep and intermediate earthquakes of the Tyrrhenian Sea indicate predominant down-dip compression, and strike-slip motion at the boundaries of this Benioff zone. This last is interpreted as a remnant of a subduction zone, active since Oligocene, extending to 500 km depth, with a very small lateral size (about 300 km). The present tectonics of this Benioff zone is strongly conditioned by the lateral bending, more so than the gravitational sinking process.The coexistence of thrust and normal faulting motion associated to the earthquakes, within a few tens of kilometers of each other, seems to be explained by the strong lateral inhomogeneities of the crustal rocks present in this region, more so than to the depth of the seismogenetic zone and the nature of the faulting process.     

An Analysis of the Recent Severe Storm Surge Disaster Events in China

The economic loss caused by the storm surgedisasters is much higher than that caused by anyother marine disaster in China, the loss from the severestorm surge disaster being the highest. Statistics showthat there were 62 typhoon landings over the east-southeastcoast of China since 1990, three of which,occurring in 1992, 1994 and 1997, respectively, caused themost severe damage. The direct economic lossesdue to these events are 9.3, 17.0 and 30 billion yuan(RMB, or about 1.7, 2.6 and 3.8 billion USD,respectively), which is much greater than the loss of 5.5billion yuan (RMB) on an average every year duringthe 1989–1991 period. This paper makes a comparativeanalysis of the damage caused by the three events andpresents an overview of progress of precautions againststorm surge disaster in China. The suggestedcounter measures to mitigate the loss from the severe stormsurge disasters in China is as follows: (1) Raisethe whole society awareness of precaution against severestorm surge disaster; (2) Work out a new plan forbuilding sea walls; (3) Improve and perfect the availablewarning and disaster relief command system; (4)Develop the insurance service in order to promptly mitigatethe loss caused by severe storm surge disaster event.     

The Importance of the Precipitation and the Susceptibility of the Slopes for the Triggering of Landslides Along the Roads

In order to characterise the influence of the heavyrains on the observed landslides during the 1996–1997hydrological cycle, rainfall records for the last 100years are analysed from 104 stations in easternAndalusia. Regarding the amounts of rain recordedbetween October 1996 and March 1997 in the 104stations studied, 31 presented new all-time records;15 presented values that were 80–100% of thepre-1995 record; 49 stations, 80–50%; and 9stations, < 50%. A map has been devised of thesusceptibility of the materials through which thesouth-eastern Andalusian road network crosses,together with an inventory of the damage caused byinstability phenomena on banks and cuttings of theroad network during the winter of 1996–1997. Therelationships between the rainfall during the studyperiod, the damage caused to the road network and thesusceptibility of the materials affected are analysed.The results indicate that there is a clearcorrespondence between the rainfall recorded and thesusceptibility of the materials with the inventorieddamage. It is concluded that the widespread seriousdamage caused in early 1997 to the roads andsurrounding areas in the Alpujarra region and thecoast of the Province of Granada was mainly caused bythe extraordinarily heavy rains. However, considerablyless damage was observed where the susceptibility ofthe terrain is low, thus highlighting the extremeusefulness of terrain-susceptibility maps for riskprevention and territorial planning.     

Guidelines to locate and protect high-quality groundwater in Baiyu Mountain area of China

The Baiyu Mountain area has the most shortage of water in the Ordos Basin of China. The majority of the groundwater is in the Luohe water-bearing formation, which is characterized by high total dissolved solids (TDS). The concentration of TDS can be as high as 10.45 g/l, which makes the water unsuitable for either potable or irrigation purpose. The dominant ions in the groundwater are SO^2–₄·Cl^–. The maximum concentrations of SO^2–₄ and Cl^– are 3,170 and 3,830 mg/l, respectively. The areas with low TDS groundwater are in Jingbian and Zhidan counties. However, nitrogen pollution caused by human and agriculture activities is a significant threat to the protection of fresh water in these counties.     

Submerged archaeological sites along the Ionian coast of southeastern Sicily (Italy) and implications for the Holocene relative sea-level change

Precise measurements of submerged archaeological markers in the Siracusa coast (Southeastern Sicily, Italy) provide new data on relative sea-level change during the late Holocene. Four submerged archaeological sites have been studied and investigated through direct observations. Two of them are Greek archaic in age (2.5–2.7 ka) and are now 0.98–1.48 m below sea level; the other two developed during the Bronze age (3.2–3.8 ka) and are now 1.03–1.97 m below sea level. These archaeological data have been integrated with information derived from a submerged speleothem collected in a cave located along the Siracusa coast at − 20 m depth. The positions of the archaeological markers have been measured with respect to present sea level, corrected for tide and pressure at the time of surveys. These data were compared with predicted sea-level rise curves for the Holocene using a glacio-hydro-isostatic model. The comparison with the curve for the southeastern Sicily coast yields a tectonic component of relative sea-level change related to regional uplift. Uplift rates between 0.3 and 0.8 mm/yr have been estimated.     

Ar/Ar mineral ages from basement rocks in the Eastern Kunlun Mountains, NW China, and their tectonic implications

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating and estimates of regional metamorphic P–T conditions were carried out on the basement rocks of the Eastern Kunlun Mountains, Western China. Samples from the Jinshuikou, Xiaomiao, Kuhai, Wanbaogou, and Nachitai groups revealed distinct metamorphic events and four age groups. The age group in the range from 363 to 439 Ma is interpreted to represent cooling after Middle Silurian–Late Devonian granulite(?) and amphibolite facies metamorphism, which is dominated by low–middle pressure/high temperature conditions. This tectono-thermal event is related to the closure of an oceanic basin or marginal sea. An age group of 212–242 Ma represents cooling after Triassic metamorphic overprint, which is probably associated with magmatic intrusions. This thermal event, together with the Permo-Triassic ophiolite zone along the South Kunlun Fault, relates to the closure of a major ocean (between India and Eurasia) and the eventual N-ward accretion of the Qiangtang block in Permo-Triassic times. The significance of the age group of 104–172 Ma may be related to the ductile deformation along the Xidatan fault due to the northward-directed accretion of the Lhasa block. Biotites from Nachitai record a partial isotopic resetting at ca. 32 Ma that is interpreted to represent a late-stage exhumation caused by further crustal shortening.     

Late quaternary evolution of a subantarctic paleofjord, Tierra del Fuego

Lago Roca-Lapataia valley (54°50′S, 68°34′W) is a paleofjord that was occupied by a valley-glacier system during the glacial maximum of the late Pleistocene (estimated ca. 18–20 ka BP). Deglaciation began before 10,080 ± 270 BP. The marine fauna in several marine terraces found in the area shows that early-middle Holocene climatic conditions were basically the same as at present. Species found are characteristic of cold and shallow waters, although minor temperature fluctuations cannot be ruled out for this period. A recent radiocarbon date of 7518 ± 58 BP on Chlamys patagonica (NZ # 7730) confirms that Lago Roca was transformed into a fjord ca. 7500–8000 BP. The sea reached its maximum level of 8–10 m a.s.l. around 6000 BP and at 4000–4500 BP was at least above 6 ± 1 m a.s.l. Later, when sea level fell, Lago Roca was occupied by fresh water and was no longer tidal. The relative land-sea positions during this period are a consequence of combined eustatic and neotectonic processes.     

Mid-to-late Holocene sea level influence on coastal wetland development in Trinidad

Understanding how Holocene sea levels influenced coastal wetland development in the Caribbean will aid wetland management in the context of predicted sea level rise. Nine radiocarbon dates from the Maracas and Nariva Swamps on wave-dominated coasts from Trinidad, show sea level was –9 m approximately 7000 yr BP, and rose gradually to –2 m by 2000 yr BP. Since then there may have been isostatic readjustment. Wetlands developed with a transgression of dry upland habitats by rising seas and the facultative halophyte Rhizophora colonized the new brackish water environment. A freshwater plant community gradually replaced the Rhizophora as the marine influence decreased. At Maracas, higher sea levels caused wetland retreat as beach and lagoon habitats migrated inland. Sand ridges in Nariva Swamp indicate that, as in Maracas Swamp, sea level rise created beaches and lagoons, but that these landforms prograded as additional nearshore sediments were deposited. Basins were also filled with sediment delivered by streams that drain the watershed, and by mangrove peat accumulation.     

Protection of tropical barrier beaches: a potential remedial measure

Chronic erosion is found along structurally protected beaches of Kerala, viz., Narakkal (17.8 m³/m¹) and Munambam (80.36 m³/m^–1). The textural characteristics of these beaches are discussed. Observations on the horizontal and vertical distribution of the intertidal fauna of Narakkal beach are presented. The feasibility ofSeaevola taccada as a vegetative beach protective measure is elucidated. The impact of anthropogenically-climatically induced coastal hazards such as sea level rise (SLR) on a typical barrier beach of Kerala is depicted. An alternative beach protective measure to curtail the impact of sea level rise on sandy and atoll beaches of a tropical region is highlighted.     

Regional conductance map of Andaman and Nicobar region

To image the electrical conductivity distribution, fluxgate magnetometers are operated at five sites in Andaman and Nicobar region. Transfer functions are estimated for the period range 8–128 min, from nighttime transient geomagnetic variations, using robust regression analysis. The observed induction arrows in Andaman Islands are found to point towards east despite deep sea located towards its west. This indicates that fore-arc basin (Andaman–Nicobar deep) is more conducting than the region of outer non-volcanic Island arc.Thin sheet model requires the conductance of 10,000–35,000 S (with increase conductivity towards the south) for explaining the observed induction pattern. The observed induction pattern at Andaman–Nicobar stations can be explained in terms of high conducting Cretaceous–Tertiary sediments filling the Andaman–Nicobar deep. High conductivity over Invisible bank has been attributed to the partial melts/volatile fluids derived from the subducting Indian plate that are intruding into the eastern margin of fore-arc basin through the West Andaman Fault (WAF).The induction pattern at Great Nicobar station (Campbell Bay) may be related to the highly conducting sediments filling the Mergui basin along with mafic intrusions. Also crustal transition occurs below the Mergui Terrace at the Malayan coast contributing to the enhanced conductivity anomaly.     

Sea level and climate: rapid regressions at local warm phases

Observational data are presented which indicate that periods of rapid sea level regression in the Stockholm area (2650–2550 BP, 1600–1500 BP and 980–900 BP) were correlated with short periods of exceptional local-to-regional dryness (2550–2500 BP, 1530–1470 BP and 960–880 BP). This novel climatic–eustatic relation is understood in terms of (1) a local-to-regional eustatic drop in sea level due to a dry period (in the order of 50–100 yr) with stationary summer high pressure and very low water run-off into the Baltic (and its embayment over the Lake Mälaren valley), and (2) a smaller regional sea level drop due to decreased transport of water along the Gulf Stream. It seems significant that the regressional amplitudes at Stockholm in the Baltic are larger than those recorded on the Swedish west coast and far larger than the small cm-oscillations recorded in the subsiding North Sea region.     

Changes of the geological environment of the Northern Black Sea region and the chemicalization of agricultural production

The generalization of the data available, field and laboratory investigations made it possible to estimate the pesticide inflow with large rivers to the NW part of the Black Sea, and the degree of pollution of the soil cover, bottom sediments of water bodies, confined aquifers with pesticides and ground water with nitrates. As a result of the uncontrolled use of agrochemicals their residual quantities were found in 66–93% of the samples. In connection with economic activities the greatest damage was caused to the ground water — the main source of water supply in the region: in some areas the depletion of their resources, intrusion of sea water and salt ground waters into aquifers as well as presence of residual quantities of pesticides in concentrations exceeding the maximum permissible limit were detected.Ideas on limitation of the harmful impact of agrochemicals upon the region's environment are presented here.     

Comments on: Carbonatites in a subduction system: The Pleistocene alvikites from Mt. Vulture (southern Italy) by d'Orazio et al., (2007)

[D'Orazio, M., Innocenti, F., Tonarini, S., Doglioni, C., 2007. Carbonatites in a subduction system: the Pleistocene alvikites from Mt. Vulture (southern Italy). Lithos 98, 313–334] describe a new finding of alvikite Ca-carbonatite at Vulture. They stress its importance as being the first carbonatite to be discovered in a subduction environment. They suggest that this rock is different from the other Italian carbonatites, considered as ‘rocks sharing a carbonatitic affinity’, which are radiogenic and chemically diluted by addition of sedimentary limestone. They note that Vulture ‘alvikite’ is not diluted and is very unradiogenic with respect to other Italian carbonatites. However, they maintain that Vulture ‘alvikite’ carbonate is derived from subducted limestones. We present an account of the field relationships relating to the above-mentioned rocks, setting the geological and petrographic records straight and describing pyroclastic rocks. We did not find that these rocks are formed from alvikite dykes or lava, but instead recognised them to be a continuous blanket of ‘flaggy’, welded tuff. We found that the rocks consist of physically separated melilitite and carbonatite juvenile lapilli settled into a carbonatite ash matrix form the rock. We disagree with the geochemical interpretation of the rock by [D'Orazio, M., Innocenti, F., Tonarini, S., Doglioni, C., 2007. Carbonatites in a subduction system: the Pleistocene alvikites from Mt. Vulture (southern Italy). Lithos 98, 313–334], and are particularly concerned by their conclusion of its carbonate origin. We remark on the rock's geodynamic assignment in the frame of an extensional tectonic setting, also referring to the other Italian carbonatite occurrences. We reject any ad hoc modified subduction as a direct source of Vulture and Italian carbonatites.     

The Fennoscandian uplift and late cenozoic geodynamics: geological evidence

The history of the recording and interpretation of the Fennoscandian uplift illustrates the main history of Earth sciences because the results obtained had (and still have) immediate impact of the interpretation of a large number of fundamental problems in Earth sciences. Thanks to a paper of De Geer in 1888, the glacial isostatic origin was established. Fennoscandia became the classic area of glacial isostasy, and its sea level records were used for geophysical calculations of the properties and dynamics of the mantle and crust. The varve dated sea level curve of Lidén (1938) from the center of uplift provided an exceptionally well dated record. With the radiocarbon method, the records of shorelines and shorelevel displacement curves were drastically improved providing a totally new basis for the understanding of the geodynamics of the Fennoscandian uplift and for the geophysical interpretation of the data obtained. This is especially true in combination with the repeated levelling data obtained during the last decades for Finland and Sweden.The Late Cenozoic long term movements of the Fennoscandian Shield are characterized by a considerable subsidence. The postglacial uplift of Fennoscandia is complex (an exponential and a linear factor) and caused by two different mechanisms. The total absolute movement in relation to the last glaciation is an elliptic uplift cone of 830 m height surrounded by a subsidence through of 170 m height. The mass in the uplift cone and in the subsidence through is as 1:1 with a volume 0.7 × 10⁶km³. The disappearence/appearance of mass give evidence of a mass transfer in a low viscosity asthenosphere. The properties and conditions of the asthenosphere are found to be: 1–10 × 10²⁰ Poises in viscosity, 3 × 10^–14 – 3 × 10^–16 sec^–1 in strain rates, 0.7% of the melting temperature, 3 mm in grain size, and 5–0.4 bar in stress. The main isostatic uplift (the exponential factor) originates from an asthenospheric dislocation glide process which in early-mid Holocene time changed over into a diffusion creep process. The present linear uplift factor (identified through the last 8000 yrs) seems to originate from mesospheric motions under the following approximate conditions: 0.6% of the melting temperature, 2 × 10²² Poises in viscosity, 3 × 10^–16 sec^–1 in strain rates and 8 bars in stress. Uplift irregularities and neotectonism are frequently established and often reveal an old geodynamic inheritance (e.g. the Pre-Baikalian/Gothian bedrock seam of high geodynamic activity). The peak rates of glacial isostasy are associated with intensive fracturing, faulting and seismic activity.     

Mascali,Mount Etna Region Sicily: An Example of Fascist Planning During the 1928 Eruption and Its Continuing Legacy

The 1928 eruption of Etna, Sicily, although the largest such event this century, has not been studied in detail. In this paper the nature of the eruption, the destruction it caused – including the complete devastation of the town of Mascali (pre-eruption population 2,000) – and emergency responses of the authorities to it are reviewed in the context of fascist politics and planning priorities. It is contended that, although at one level the response to the 1928 eruption was successful, at another fascism merely continued and enhanced a reactive, propitiatory approach to hazard mitigation. We argue that this legacy was not successfully overcome until the middle of the nineteen eighties. Finally contemporary Italian moves towards a more proactive approach to disaster planning, both generally and in the context of Etna, are discussed.     

Tectonic correlations of pre-Mesozoic crust from the northern termination of the Colombian Andes, Caribbean region

Reconnaissance zircon U/Pb SHRIMP, Ar–Ar, and Sm–Nd geochronology, petrological, and geochemical data were obtained from selected localities of two pre-Mesozoic metamorphic belts from the northern termination of the Colombian Andes in the Caribbean region. The older Proterozoic belt, with protoliths formed in a rift- or backarc-related environment, was metamorphosed at 6–8 kb and 760–810 °C during Late Mesoproterozoic times. This belt correlates with other high-grade metamorphic domains of the Andean realm that formed a Grenvillian-related collisional belt linked to the formation of Rodinia. The younger belt was formed over a continental arc at <530–450 Ma in a Gondwanide position and metamorphosed at 5–8 kb and 500–550 °C, probably during the Late Paleozoic–Triassic, as part of the terranes that docked with northwestern South America during the formation of Pangea. A Mesozoic Ar–Ar tectonothermal evolution can be related to regional magmatic events, whereas Late Cretaceous–Paleocene structural trends are related to the accretion of the allocthonous Caribbean subduction metamorphic belts. Lithotectonic correlations with other circum-Caribbean and southern North American pre-Jurassic domains show the existence of different terrane dispersal patterns that can be related to Pangea’s breakup and Caribbean tectonics.     

A 5000 year record of intertidal peat stratigraphy and sea level change from northwest Alaska

Coastal environments of northwest Alaska preserve a detailed record of sea level change during the past 5000 ¹⁴C yr. Rapid burial of intertidal marshes by storm overwash processes, a short open water period, and the arctic maritime climate contribute to the preservation of marine and eolian facies. Eustatic and storm-controlled changes in sea level can be identified from interbedded sequences of marsh peat and coastal flood deposits on barrier islands and estuaries along northwest Seward Peninsula. Mean eustatic sea level has risen about 1.5 m during the last 5000 years, at an average of ca. 0.028 cm yr⁻¹, based on the depth and age relationship of a suite of 23 peat horizons sampled from a 140 km-long reach of coast. Nearshore erosion and sedimentation are controlled by secular variations in wave climate. Peaks in tidal amplitude and storminess correlate with transgressive sedimentary regimes and occurred during the periods 3300–1700, 1200–900, and since about 400 ¹⁴C yr BP. Short-term fluctuations in relative sea level are superimposed on the long-term regional eustatic trend, and record the coastal response to variable rates of sea-level change during the late Holocene.     

National-scale Assessment of Current and Future Flood Risk in England and Wales

In recent years, through the availability of remotely sensed data and other national datasets, it has become possible to conduct national-scale flood risk assessment in England and Wales. The results of this type of risk analysis can be used to inform policy-making and prioritisation of resources for flood management. It can form the starting point for more detailed strategic and local-scale flood risk assessments. The national-scale risk assessment methodology outlined in this paper makes use of information on the location, standard of protection and condition of flood defences in England and Wales, together with datasets of floodplain extent, topography, occupancy and asset values. The flood risk assessment was applied to all of England and Wales in 2002 at which point the expected annual damage from flooding was estimated to be approximately £1 billion. This figure is comparable with records of recent flood damage. The methodology has subsequently been applied to examine the effects of climate and socio-economic change 50 and 80 years in the future. The analysis predicts increasing flood risk unless current flood management policies, practices and investment levels are changed – up to 20-fold increase in real terms economic risk by the 2080s in the scenario with highest economic growth. The increase is attributable primarily to a combination of climate change (in particular sea level rise and increasing precipitation in parts of the UK) and increasing economic vulnerability.     

Traceurs sédimentaires des variations du niveau marin et de la mousson sud-est asiatique depuis 450 ka en mer de Chine du Sud

In order to reconstruct the past variations of the Southeast Asian monsoon intensity and estimate the sedimentary system reactivity to climatic changes in Southeast Asia over the last 450 kyr, mineralogical and sedimentological analyses have been performed on the terrigenous fraction of the South China Sea sediment. End-member modelling coupled with grain size data discriminates three end-members that determine the nature and intensity of the main sediment transport vectors. Low sea-level stands are characterized by sediment reworking that allows transportation of a coarse end-member (20–40 μm) to the deep-basin. By contrast, the other end-members (4–6 μm; 9–13 μm) are controlled by the shoreline position (sea level) and/or by changes of the rivers capacity transport (monsoon). Finally, aeolian input to the northern margin of the South China Sea can be considered negligible compared to the massive fluvial input and the reworking of the sediments.     

K–Ar dating of fault gouge in the northern Sydney Basin, NSW, Australia—implications for the breakup of Gondwana

The occurrence of synkinematic and authigenic clay minerals is a common feature in fault gouges. Few attempts have been made to date fault gouges. We present the first age data in Australia for synkinematic illite–smectite growth in two fault zones of the northern Sydney Basin, NSW. The faults occur at Burwood Beach, NSW in the northern part of the Sydney Basin and are hosted by Early Permian siltstones, tuffs and coals of the Lambton Formation, Newcastle Coal Measures. The faults are 1.5 m apart, show normal displacement and trend N–S with steep easterly dips. Foliated gouge zones, comminution and dilational breccias are developed along both fault surfaces. K–Ar ages extracted from samples in the gouge and tuffs in the damage zones are 172 (6–10 μm) to 119 Ma (<0.4 μm), respectively. Older ages of 272–281 Ma for the coarse fractions (>2 μm), 237–245 Ma for the <2 μm fraction, 218 Ma for the <0.4 μm fraction and 196 Ma for the <0.1 μm fraction have been obtained from siltstones within and outside the damage zone. We believe the younger ages of 196–237 Ma indicate the time at which diagenetic illite–smectite formed and the 122–150 Ma dates from the <2 μm fraction represent the maximum age of gouge formation. The younger ages are thought to reflect the last slip event occurring on the faults, which is related to the rifting and dispersal of the eastern margin of the Australian continent.