A.—A. I. H. S.—I. A. S. H.

Abstract

When a river flows into a reservoir, the solid materials it carries sink to the bottom thus reducing the potential reservoir capacity. The suspended load of eight major western rivers flowing into Kainji Lake was determined as a part of the investigation of the suspended sediment of the reservoir. The sediment content in each sample was determined in parts per million.

On the whole the results of this study is in agreement with the previous conclusion that the sediment load of the Niger was low. A range of 29–221 ppm was observed within the reservoir whereas the concentration in the inflowing rivers varied from 122–953 ppm. It was however not possible to determine the total sediment load because discharge data were lacking.

The data presented herein confirm the earlier conclusion that the rate of silting is slow but indicate that locally high rate of sediment supply should give cause for anxiety regarding the possible growth of deltas as the months of these rivers.

The full potential of this study is difficult to assess at this stage but it has revealed a number of problem areas worth looking into in future years. A number of future studies believed to be capable of giving the necessary data for operation and management of the reservoir are recommended.     

A) A.I.H.S.—I.A.S.H.

Abstract

Mathematical models are the means to characterize variables quantitatively in many groundwater problems. Recent advances in applied mathematics have perfected what is now called Adomian's decomposition method (ADM), a simple modelling procedure for practical applications. Decomposition exhibits the benefits of analytical solutions (i.e. stability, analytic derivation of heads, gradients, fluxes and simple programming). It also offers the advantages of traditional numerical methods (i.e. consideration of heterogeneity, irregular domain shapes and multiple dimensions). In addition, decomposition is one of the few systematic procedures for solving nonlinear equations. By far its greatest advantage is its simplicity of application. It may produce simple results for preliminary simulations, or in cases with scarce information. The method is described with simple applications to regional groundwater flow. Many applications in groundwater flow and contaminant transport are available in the literature.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor Xi Chen

Citation Serrano, S.E., 2013. A simple approach to groundwater modelling with decomposition. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (1), 1–9.     

Discussion 2 on "Introspection on improper seismic retrofit of Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio after 2009 Italian earthquake" by G.P.Cimellaro,A.M.Reinhorn and A.De Stefano

This discussion will address two aspects found in the paper:lack of proper information and some mistakes. Lack of proper information In Section 2 of the paper,a short review of the seismic events suffered by the Basilica and of the interventions of reconstruction which have followcd is presented,but the main effects of these events are not sufficiently highlightcd.In what follows,additional information is provided to allow a better understanding of the most recent retrofit intervention and of the seismic behavior of the Basilica in 2009.     

Reply to “Discussion 1 on ‘Introspection on improper seismic retrofit of Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio after 2009 Italian earthquake' by G.P.Cimellaro, A.M.Reinhorn and A.De Stefano” by Vincenzo Ciampi

The authors thank the discusser for his interest and careful review of the paper and his valuable comments.They also welcome this discussion,because it gives the authors the opportunity to clarify several points which were not explained in sufficient detail in the paper,due to space limitations. The paper does not provide any personal or professional criticism of the discusser or his work and if any statement may have raised an ambiguous interpretation,this should be clarified and dismissed.Any inaccuracy in the reference's citation was not intentional.Some of the authors do not speak Italian;therefore they could not read directly and understand the paper cited by the discusser,which is in Italian.     

Reply to “Discussion 2 on ‘Introspection on improper seismic retrofit of Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio after 2009 Italian earthquake' by G.P.Cimellaro, A.M.Reinhorn and A.De Stefano” by Enzo Cartapati

The authors thank the discusser for the additional information,which is provided related to the historical interventions of the church through the centuries.This information was known to the authors,however they decided not to include it in the paper because of lack of space.Additional details regarding the retrofit interventions of the church can also be found in the MCEER report regarding the L'Aquila earthquake (Cimellaro et al.,2010).     

A. I. H. S. 1957–1960

Abstract

This study was made to define the relation between floods in a humid region and the causative factors that account for their variability. The study covered the basic relationships between peak discharges and hydrologic factors as well as the practical working methods for generalizing the results on a regional basis. Statistical multiple-correlation techniques were applied to hydrologic data in New England. A field and library investigation of historical flood data extended the period of flood knowledge to as much as 300 years. The relation of many topographic and climatic factors to flood peaks was tested. Flood peaks with recurrence intervals at 9 levels, from 1.2 to 300 years, were related to 6 independent variables, 3 of which are topographic, 2 climatic, and 1 orographic.     

D.A.Walker 的答复

我感谢Forsyth等对南纬18°地震活动性质的澄清,同时我认为地震活动与厄尔尼诺之间的关系是不清楚的。我也相信偏离洋脊轴线的地震活动本身未必跟厄尔尼诺有直接关系,并相信由远震记录得到的发生于遥远洋脊系上的许多地震是一种不伴随火山活动、其震中没有热液成分的洋脊外地震。然而,远震记录到的异常地震活动事件在发生时间上似乎与厄尔尼诺有某种同步性。怎么会是这样的?沿着洋脊系异常高的地震活动水平往往伴生异常的     

Commentary on “Earthquake Depths in the Crimea–Black Sea Region” by V.E. Kulchitsky,B.G. Pustovitenko and V.A. Svidlova

It is well known that the results of determining earthquake parameters depend to a large extent on data processing algorithms and velocity models of the seismic wave propagation medium used in solving hypocenter problems. In 1992, V.Yu. Burmin developed a hypocentric algorithm that minimizes the functional of distances between the points corresponding to the theoretical and observed travel times of seismic waves from an earthquake source to recording stations. The determination of the coordinates of earthquake hypocenters in this case is much more stable than for the commonly used minimization of the functional of discrepancies in the seismic wave arrival times at a station. Using this algorithm and the refined velocity model of the medium, V.Yu. Burmin and L.A. Shumlyanskaya reinterpreted the earthquake parameters for the Crimea–Black Sea region. The most important result of this reinterpretation was the conclusion about the occurrence of deep earthquakes with a source depth of more than 60 km in the region. This result contradicts the conventional beliefs about the seismicity of the region and therefore aroused strong criticism from experts directly involved in compiling the existing catalogs of regional earthquakes. These comments and criticisms are presented by V.E. Kulchitsky with coauthors in a work published in this issue of the journal. In the present paper, we analyze the comments in detail and respond. In particular, we show that the previously used methods of seismic data processing made it highly unlikely by default that deep earthquakes would appear in the results. As an example, we refer to the use of travel-time curves for depths down to 35 km. It is clear that deep earthquakes could not have been found with this approach.     

C) W.M.O.—E.C.A.F.E.

Abstract

The authors give data of water infiltrations in horizontal and vertical columns, and in a two dimensional model. The soils are two mixtures of sand and loam, and a natural sandy loam. The characteristics of these soils are given in the article.

As a conclusion, the two dimensional problem can be approached by a linear combination of data in horizontal and vertical columns.     

A Preliminary Analysis of Seismotectonics for the Indonesia MS. 7 Earthquake on December 26,2004

The Indonesian region is one of the most seismically active zones on the earth. On December 26, 2004, an Ms 8.7 earthquake （as measured by the China Seismograph Network, or Mw = 9.3 as measured by USGS） struck the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. By its magnitude it is classified as the world＇s fourth largest earthquake since 1900 and the largest one since the 1964 Alaska earthquake. The spatial distribution of the relocation of larger aftershocks （ M 〉 4.5） following the main shock suggests a length and width of the rupture of about 1200km and 200km, respectively. The shock triggered massive tsunamis that affected several countries throughout South and Southeast Asia. It is a shallow interplate event of thrust type in the trench. Its epicenter is located at the northwestern end of the Indonesia-Melanesia plate boundary tectonic zone. In 2004, eight shocks of M≥ 7.0 occurred in this area, showing a migration from east to west. It implies that these shocks represent a correlated and consistent dynamic process along this subduction zone. These interplate events are associated with convergence of several plates and their fast motion in this region, which result in strong and complex structures and deformation. The India-Australia plate is underthrusting toward the Sunda continental block or Burma plate at a low angle, producing a great locked area on the shallow portion of the subduction zone where enormous strain is accumulated. Interseismic uplift recorded by coral growth and horizontal velocities measured by GPS show the geometry of the locked portion of the Sumatra subduction zone. The vertical and horizontal data reasonably match with a model in which the plate interface is fully locked over a significant width. This locked fault zone extends to a horizontal distance of 132km from the trench, which corresponds to a depth of 50km. The sudden ruptures and large-scale slip of this locked area as a release of stress occurred, are the direct cause of the M8.7 earthquake near Indonesia in 2004.     

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 -     

Chronology of Vesuvius’ activity from A.D. 79 to 1631 based on archeomagnetism of lavas and historical sources

The activity of Vesuvius between A.D. 79 and 1631 has been investigated by means of precise archaeomagnetic dating of primary volcanic deposits and taking into account the stratigraphy of lavas and tephra, historical written accounts, archaeological evidence related to the developing urbanisation, and radiocarbon ages. We found that the historical records are highly useful in constraining the timing of the main events, even if the data are often too scarce and imprecise for ascertaining the details of all phases of activity, especially their magnitude and emplacement of all the deposit types. In addition, some eruptions that took place in the 9^th and 10^th centuries appear to be unnoticed by historians. The archaeomagnetic study involved 26 sites of different lavas and 2 pyroclastic deposits. It shows that within the 15 centuries which elapsed between A.D. 79 and 1631, the effusive activity of Vesuvius clustered in the relatively short period of time between A.D. 787 and 1139 and was followed by a 5-century-long repose period. During this time Vesuvius prepared itself for the violent explosive eruption of 1631. The huge lavas shaping the morphology of the coast occurred largely through parasitic vents located outside the Mount Somma caldera. One of these parasitic vents is located at low elevation, very close to the densely inhabited town of Torre Annunziata. Among the various investigated lavas, a number of which were previously attributed to the 1631 eruption, none is actually younger than the 12^th century. Therefore it is definitively concluded that the destructive 1631 event was exclusively explosive.Editorial handling: J. McPhie     

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...