Evaluation of bias on the probability of collapse from amplitude scaling using spectral-shape-matched records

Although for many years it was thought that amplitude scaling of acceleration time series to reach a target intensity did not introduce any bias in the results of nonlinear response history analyses, recent studies have showed that scaling can lead to an overestimation of deformation demands with increasing scale factors. Some studies have suggested that the bias can be explained by differences in spectral shape between the response spectra of unscaled and scaled records. On the basis of these studies, some record selection procedures assume that if records are selected using spectral-shape-matching procedures, amplitude scaling does not induce any bias on the structural response. This study evaluates if bias is introduced on lateral displacement demands and seismic collapse risk estimates even when spectral shape is carefully taken into consideration when selecting ground motions. Several single-degree-of-freedom and multiple-degree-of-freedom systems are analyzed when subjected to unscaled and scaled ground motions selected to approximately match the mean and the variance of the conditional spectrum at the target level of intensity. Results show that an explicit consideration of spectral shape is not enough to avoid a systematic overestimation of lateral displacement demands and collapse probabilities as the scale factor increases. Moreover, the bias is observed in practically all cases for systems with strength degradation and it increases with decreasing period and decreasing lateral strength relative to the strength required to remain elastic. Key reasons behind the bias are presented by evaluating input energy, causal parameters, and damaging pulse distributions in unscaled and scaled ground motion sets.     

Wave observations from an array of directional buoys over the southern Brazilian coast

It is well known that the majority of buoy measurements are located around the US coast and along some Europeans countries. The lack of long-term and densely spaced in situ measurements in the Southern Hemisphere in general, and the South Atlantic in particular, hinders several investigations due to the lack of detailed metocean information. Here, we present an effort to overcome this limitation, with a dense network of buoys along the Brazilian coast, equipped with several meteorological and oceanographic sensors. Out of ten currently operational buoys, three are employed to present the main characteristics of waves in the Southern part of the network. For the first time, sensor characteristics and settings are described, as well as the methods applied to the raw wave data. Statistics and distributions of wave parameters, swell propagating events, comparison with a numerical model and altimeters and a discussion about the occurrence of freak waves are presented.     

Constraining the timing of the India-Asia continental collision by the sedimentary record

Placing precise constraints on the timing of the India-Asia continental collision is essential to understand the successive geological and geomorphological evolution of the orogenic belt as well as the uplift mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau and their effects on climate,environment and life.Based on the extensive study of the sedimentary record on both sides of the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone in Tibet,we review here the present state of knowledge on the timing of collision onset,discuss its possible diachroneity along strike,and reconstruct the early structural and topographic evolution of the Himalayan collided range.We define continent-continent collision as the moment when the oceanic crust is completely consumed at one point where the two continental margins come into contact.We use two methods to constrain the timing of collision onset:(1) dating the provenance change from Indian to Asian recorded by deep-water turbidites near the suture zone,and(2) dating the age of unconformities on both sides of the suture zone.The first method allowed us to constrain precisely collision onset as middle Palaeocene(59±l Ma).Marine sedimentation persisted in the collisional zone for another 20-25 Ma locally in southern Tibet,and molassic-type deposition in the Indian foreland basin did not begin until another 10-15 Ma later.Available sedimentary evidence failed to firmly document any significant diachroneity of collision onset from the central Himalaya to the western Himalaya and Pakistan so far.Based on the Cenozoic stratigraphic record of the Tibetan Himalaya,four distinct stages can be identified in the early evolution of the Himalayan orogen:(1) middle Palaeocene-early Eocene earliest Eohimalayan stage(from 59 to 52 Ma):collision onset and filling of the deep-water trough along the suture zone while carbonate platform sedimentation persisted on the inner Indian margin;(2) early-middle Eocene early Eohimalayan stage(from 52 to 41 or 35 Ma):filling of intervening seaways and cessation of marine sedimentation;(3) late Eocene-Oligocene late Eohimalayan stage(from 41 to 25 Ma):huge gap in the sedimentary record both in the collision zone and in the Indian foreland;and(4) late Oligocene-early Miocene early Neohimalayan stage(from 26 to 17 Ma):rapid Himalayan growth and onset of molasse-type sedimentation in the Indian foreland basin.     

Characterization of the dynamic behavior of a concrete arch dam by means of forced vibration tests and numerical models

The characterization of the dynamic behavior of an arch dam, and its evolution throughout the structure's lifetime, provides important data for the safety control process. Forced vibration tests remain a reliable technique for this purpose. The Baixo Sabor dam is a 123 m high arch dam recently built in Portugal. Forced vibration tests were performed before and after the reservoir filling. Two techniques for forced vibration test are compared, discrete frequency scanning, the standard methodology, and continuous frequency scanning (sine sweep), a new proposed methodology, which allowed faster results without loss of precision. For the interpretation of test results two numerical models of the dam-reservoir-foundation system were built, and calibrated with the experimental data. A good match of numerical and experimental results was obtained for the six lowest frequencies and corresponding mode shapes.     

Strength-reduction factors for the design of light nonstructural elements in buildings

Strength-reduction factors that reduce ordinates of floor spectra acceleration due to nonlinearity in the secondary system are investigated. In exchange for permitting some inelastic deformation to occur in the secondary system or its supports, these strength reduction factors allow to design the nonstructural elements or their supports for lateral forces that are smaller than those that would be required to maintain them elastically during earthquakes. This paper presents the results of a statistical analysis on component strength-reduction factors that were computed considering floor motions recorded on instrumented buildings in California during various earthquakes. The effect of yielding in the component or its anchorage/bracing in offering protection against excessive component acceleration demands is investigated. It is shown that strength-reduction factors computed from floor motions are significantly different from those computed from ground motions recorded on rock or on firm soils. In particular, they exhibit much larger reductions for periods tuned or nearly tuned to the dominant modal periods of the building response. This is due to the large differences in frequency content of ground motions and floor motions, with the former typically characterized by wide-band spectra whereas the latter are characterized by narrow-band spectra near periods of dominant modes in the response of the building. Finally, the study provides approximate equations to estimate component strength-reduction factors computed through nonlinear regression analyses.     

Linking shock textures revealed by BSE,CL, and EBSD with U‐Pb data (LA‐ICP‐MS and SIMS) from zircon from the Araguainha impact structure,Brazil

A silicious impact melt rock from polymict impact breccia of the northern part of the alkali granite core of the Araguainha impact structure, central Brazil, has been investigated. The melt rock is thought to represent a large mass of impact‐generated melt in suevite. In particular, a diverse population of zircon grains, with different impact‐induced microstructures, has been analyzed for U‐Pb isotopic systematics. Backscattered electron and cathodoluminescence images reveal heterogeneous intragrain domains with vesicular, granular, vesicular plus granular, and vesicular plus (presumably) baddeleyite textures, among others. The small likely baddeleyite inclusions are not only preferentially located along grain margins but also occur locally within grain interiors. LA‐ICP‐MS U‐Pb data from different domains yield lower intercept ages of 220, 240, and 260 Ma, a result difficult to reconcile with the previous “best age” estimate for the impact event at 254.7 ± 2.7 Ma. SIMS U‐Pb data, too, show a relatively large range of ages from 245 to 262 Ma. A subset of granular grains that yielded concordant SIMS ages were analyzed for crystallographic orientation by EBSD. Orientation mapping shows that this population consists of approximately micrometer‐sized neoblasts that preserve systematic orientation evidence for the former presence of the high‐pressure polymorph reidite. In one partially granular grain (#36), the neoblasts occur in linear arrays that likely represent former reidite lamellae. Such grains are referred to as FRIGN zircon. The best estimate for the age of the Araguainha impact event from our data set from a previously not analyzed type of impact melt rock is based on concordant SIMS data from FRIGN zircon grains. This age is 251.5 ± 2.9 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 0.45, p = 0.50, n = 4 analyses on three grains), indistinguishable from previous estimates based on zircon and monazite from other impact melt lithologies at Araguainha. Our work provides a new example of how FRIGN zircon can be combined with in situ U‐Pb geochronology to extract an accurate age for an impact event.     

Do the shallow‐water habitats of a hypersaline tropical estuary act as nursery grounds for fishes?

Fish assemblages were studied in a hypersaline tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil. A total of 104 species were collected by beach seine during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012. Two families, Atherinopsidae and Gerreidae, were numerically dominant in all zones of the estuary; juveniles of Atherinella brasiliensis, Eucinostomus argenteus, Lile piquitinga, Ulaema lefroyi, Lutjanus analis and Sphoeroides greeleyi contributed 77% of the total catch. The factors that best explained the fish abundance pattern were salinity and depth, which were related to spatial segregation. Species richness was lowest in the upper zone, an area with high salinity and shallow depth. The distinct roles of structurally different habitats (submerged macrophyte beds and mangrove prop‐roots) and the influence of physicochemical conditions in the middle zone of the estuary may influence taxonomic diversity. The middle zone of the estuary is the one most attractive to juveniles of reef species (Lutjanidae and Serranidae). The fish assemblages are clearly dominated by marine estuarine dependent species, highlighting the importance of the ecosystem as a nursery ground for marine species of the Brazilian coast.     

Groundwater Level Prediction/Forecasting and Assessment of Uncertainty Using SGS and ARIMA Models: A Case Study in the Bauru Aquifer System (Brazil)

Natural Resources Research - Best water management practices should involve the prediction of the availability of groundwater resources. To predict/forecast and consequently manage these water...     

River-dominated and tide-influenced shelf-edge delta systems: Coarse-grained deltas straddling the Early–Middle Jurassic shelf–slope break and transforming downslope,Lajas–Los Molles formations,Neuquén Basin,Argentina

The three-dimensional facies and architecture variability of shelf-edge deltaic units cropping out at the transition between the Lower–Middle Jurassic Lajas and Los Molles formations of southern Neuquén Basin, Argentina, is presented here, as well as their stratigraphic relationship to uppermost deep-water slope channel systems. Deep-water, slope mudstones with thin turbidite beds merge upward with prodelta mudstones and thin sandstones, which are truncated by delta-front to mouth-bar sandstones. The latter sandstones are then downcut by large-scale, trough cross-stratified coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates of distributary channel systems and along-strike, amalgamated with cross-bedded sandy units showing evidence of tidal reworking. Proximal–distal facies and architecture variability within a shelf-edge deltaic succession demonstrates that distributary channel-complexes become wider and deeper basinward, forming channelized river-dominated distributary fairways separated by tidally reworked inter-distributary sand belts at the shelf edge. Evidence from depositional-dip oriented outcrops shows a lack of collapsed and slumped strata at the shelf edge, and that the coarse shelf-edge distributary channel fills continue far down the deepwater slope, and conglomerates transform to become high-density turbidites to mainly thick-bedded, sand-matrix-supported debrites. The interplay between flood tides and river currents is interpreted to have primarily modulated the focusing of river drainages, and consequently coarse-grained sediment transport, along preferential routes on the outer-shelf to shelf-edge and down onto the slope. This contribution documents a unique example of coarse-grained (mostly conglomeratic) shelf-edge delta systems, tying bed-scale facies and architecture data to a seismic-scale shelf-margin morphology, thus providing outcrop analogue data for the characterization of shelf-edge delta systems in the subsurface.