Rapid terrain-based mapping of some volcaniclastic flow hazard using Gis-based automated methods: a case study from southern Campania,Italy

Destructive volcaniclastic flows are among the most recurrent and dangerous natural phenomena in volcanic areas. They can originate not only during or shortly after an eruption (syn-eruptive) but also during a period of volcanic quiescence (inter-eruptive), when heavy and/or persistent rains remobilize loose pyroclastic deposits. The area in Italy most prone to such flows is that of the Apennine Mountains bordering the southern Campania Plain. These steep slopes are covered by pyroclastic material of variable thickness (a few cm to several m) derived from the explosive activity of the Somma-Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei volcanoes a few tens of kilometers to the west. The largest and most recent devastating event occurred on May 5, 1998, causing the death of more than 150 people and considerable damage to villages at the foot of the Apennine Mountains. This tragic event was only the most recent of a number of volcaniclastic flows affecting the area in both historical and prehistoric times. Historical accounts report that more than 500 events have occurred in the last five centuries and that more than half of these occurred in the last 100 years, causing hundreds of deaths. In order to improve volcaniclastic flow hazard zonation and risk mitigation in the study area, we produced a zonation map that identifies the drainage basins potentially prone to disruption. This map was obtained by combining morphological characteristics (concavity and basin shape factor) and the mean slope distribution of drainage basins derived from a digital elevation model with a 10-m resolution. These parameters allowed for the classification of 1,069 drainage basins, which have been grouped into four different classes of proneness to disruption: low, moderate, high and very high. The map compiled in a GIS environment, as well as the linked database, can be rapidly queried.     

Pathways of clay mineral transport in the coastal zone of the Brazilian continental shelf from Ceará to the mouth of the Amazon River

The transport pathways of fine sediments (fraction <2 μm) along the Brazilian continental shelf from Ceará to the Amazon River mouth were studied by means of clay mineral analyses. On the continental shelf southeast of the Amazon mouth, fluctuations in clay mineral compositions reflect simple mixing between the suspended load of the North Brazil Current and sediment from several smaller rivers. Previously, clay mineral variations west of the Amazon mouth have been explained by variable settling velocities of different grain-size classes within the <2 μm fraction or by selective coagulation of individual clay mineral groups. By contrast, our experiments with river bank samples show that selective coagulation does not occur in Amazon River sediments. A more appropriate explanation for observed variations in clay mineral composition off the Amazon mouth seems to be, similarly to that for the shelf between Ceará and the Amazon mouth, a mixing of Amazon sediments with suspended material of the North Brazil Current. This interpretation is supported by data on clay mineral composition east and south of the Amazon mouth, showing more affinity to sediments of the North Brazil Current than to the suspended load of the Amazon River. Additionally, relatively low sedimentation rates and low concentrations of fine-grained sediments on the shelf suggest that high riverine input by the Amazon River does not overprint the sediments of the North Brazil Current in this region. The strong North Brazil Current shunts the Amazon suspended load in a north-westerly direction along the north-eastern coast of South America. Hence, stronger sedimentation of Amazon sediments would occur only west of the river mouth.     

The Potential for Environmentally Sound Development of Marine Deposits of Potassic and Phosphatic Minerals Offshore, Southern Africa

Extensive potassium and phosphorous-rich mineralization occurs on the outer continental shelf of the southern and west coasts of South Africa and Nambia. This article reviews the potential of exploiting these deposits in an environmentally sound manner for the manufacture of fertilizer. At present, reserves of potash and phosphate fertilizer are exploited from terresterial deposits, the majority being surface mined. The use of fertilizer in South Africa has shown no growth in the past 13 years, and, in some years, usage has even declined. On average, over the last decade, South Africa has consumed 2 million Mt of fertilizer (including nitrogen) per annum, the vast majority of phosphate fertilizer being produced by FOSKOR from the Phalaborwa Igneous Complex. Potash fertilizer is imported into South Africa. Although fertilizer consumption is expected to decrease in the short-term, there are good future prospects for the domestic and international fertilizer market. Considerable research into both glauconitic (containing K 2 O) and phosphatic deposits along the southern African continental shelf indicate that these sedimentary deposits have a complex genesis and mineralization. Of the total K 2 O reserves of 1300 million Mt on the southern African margin, 1000 million Mt is located off the southern African west coast, and the remainder situated on the Agulhas Bank. The largest glauconite concentration ( ±300 million Mt K 2 O) off southern Africa lies west of Saldanha Bay, South Africa. The distribution of P 2 O 5 off southern Africa is dominated by the vast deposit between Walvis Bay and Luderitz, Nambia. This reserve is estimated to contain 1000 million Mt of greater than 5% P 2 O 5 in a relatively small area of about 10000 km2. The phosphorite deposit south of Saldanha Bay constitutes a reserve of ±3500 million Mt of apatite and the deposit on the Agulhas Bank comprises 5500 million Mt. The phosphate deposit off Saldanha Bay occurs as an extensive, low to medium grade deposit. Although vast resources of potash and phosphatic minerals occur along the southern African outer continental shelf the expensive nature of marine exploitation may render most of these deposits, especially the phosphates, subeconomic. The low price of fertilizer andextensive natureontheonland deposits, although confined to asmallnumber of countries, mean that it will not be financially viable to extract these deposits. Assuming high grade glauconitic sand with the right composition can be located, the high market price indicates good future prospects for these potash deposits.     

昔日全球环境变化的自然磁记录

沉积物的岩石磁学参量反映了它在海洋及大陆范围内沉积时的古环境及古气候条件.尽管对这种现象的认识还不彻底,但人们对于那些导致磁性增强或减弱的作用已有了很好的了解.这些作用包括可变的陆源物质沉积通量,铁磁性矿物在原地的有机及无机形成,以及这些矿物成岩过程中的分解.至少在过去的700万年间,在大量的沉积记录中观察到了磁性矿物集合体的周期性出现,这些周期性出现涉及到了标准的米兰柯维奇理论的轨道频率,证实了岩石磁学同过去全球变化间的关系.但是,磁信号的定量解译仍然处在幼年期,并且受到了信号形成过程中复杂的相互作用的干扰.     

Body-wave dispersion in the Friuli focal area

The differential dispersion of P- and S- body waves is studied in the Friuli area. We estimate theoretically the respective contributions of the source, from dislocation models, and of the propagation, from the Futterman model. We demonstrate the possible existence of differential dispersion, which is interpreted as being due to attenuation. The quality factor Q_P deduced from this hypothesis shows a regional variation from 15 to 210. Results also indicate a possible dependence of Q_P on frequency in the range 5–40 Hz.     

Biogeochemistry of nitrous oxide in groundwater in a forested ecosystem elucidated by nitrous oxide isotopomer measurements

The biological and physical controls on microbial processes that produce and consume N₂O in soils are highly complex. Isotopomer ratios of N₂O, with abundance of ¹⁴N¹⁵N¹⁶O, ¹⁵N¹⁴N¹⁶O, and ¹⁴N¹⁴N¹⁸O relative to ¹⁴N¹⁴N¹⁶O, are promising for elucidation of N₂O biogeochemistry in an intact ecosystem. Site preference, the nitrogen isotope ratio of the central nitrogen atom minus that of the terminal nitrogen atom, is useful to distinguish between N₂O via hydroxylamine oxidation and N₂O via nitrite reduction.We applied this isotopomer analysis to a groundwater system in a temperate coniferous-forested ecosystem. Results of a previous study at this location showed that the N₂O concentration in groundwater varied greatly according to groundwater chemistry, i.e. NO₃⁻, DOC, and DO, although apportionment of N₂O production to nitrification or denitrification was ambiguous. Our isotopic analysis (δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O) of NO₃⁻ and N₂O implies that denitrification is the dominant production process of N₂O, but definitive information is not derived from δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O analysis because of large variations in isotopic fractionations during production and consumption of N₂O. However, the N₂O site preference and the difference in δ¹⁵N between NO₃⁻ and N₂O indicate that nitrification contributes to total N₂O production and that most measured N₂O has been subjected to further N₂O reduction to N₂. The implications of N₂O biogeochemistry derived from isotope and isotopomer data differ entirely from those derived from conventional concentration data of DO, NO₃⁻, and N₂O. That difference underscores the need to reconsider our understanding of the N cycle in the oxic-anoxic interface.     

Linear and nonlinear vibration of non-uniform beams on two-parameter foundations using p-elements

A hierarchical finite element is presented for the geometrically nonlinear free and forced vibration of a non-uniform Timoshenko beam resting on a two-parameter foundation. Legendre orthogonal polynomials are used as enriching shape functions to avoid the shear-locking problem. With the enriching degrees of freedom, the accuracy of the computed results and the computational efficiency are greatly improved. The arc-length iterative method is used to solve the nonlinear eigenvalue equation. The computed results of linear and nonlinear vibration analyses show that the convergence of the proposed element is very fast with respect to the number of Legendre orthogonal polynomials used. Since the elastic foundation and the axial load applied at both ends of the beam affect the ratios of linear frequencies associated with the internal resonance, they influence the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the beam. The axial tensile stress of the beam in nonlinear vibration is investigated in this paper, and attention should be paid to the geometrically nonlinear vibration resulting in considerably large axial tensile stress in the beam.     

Relationship between Magmatic,Metamorphic, and Hydrothermal Processes within the Baikal–Muya Terrane (Eastern Siberia): Constraints from High-Precision Geochronological Study of the Kedrovskii Granitoid Massif

Doklady Earth Sciences - High-precision dating of granitoids is of key significance for age identification of the main stages of crust formation in various blocks of the continental crust. Here we...     

Using amphibole phenocrysts to track vapor transfer during magma crystallization and transport: An example from Mount St. Helens,Washington

In order to evaluate and further constrain models for volatile movement and vapor enrichment of magma stored at shallow levels, amphibole phenocrysts from 2004–2005 Mount St. Helens dacite were analyzed for major and selected trace elements (Li, Cu, Zn, Mn, and REE) and Li isotopes. Several recent studies have examined fluid-mobile trace element abundances in phencryst phases and melt inclusions as a means of tracking volatile movement within subvolcanic magmatic systems, and high Li contents in plagioclase phenocrysts from 1980 and 2004 Mount St. Helens dacites have been interpreted as evidence that shallow magma was fluxed by a Li-bearing vapor phase prior to eruption.