Rates of crustal deformation in the North Aegean trough-North Anatolian fault deduced from seismicity

The rates and configuration of seismic deformation in the North Aegean trough-North Anatolian fault are determined from the moment tensor mechanisms of the earthquakes that occurred within this region. The analysis is based onKostrov's (1974) formulation. The fault plane solutions of the earthquakes of the period 1913–1983 withM _s 6.0 are used. The focal mechanism of some of the past events (before 1960) is assumed, based on the present knowledge of the seismotectonics as well as on the macroseismic records of the area studied. The analysis showed that the deformation of the northern Aegean is dominated by EW contraction (at a rate of about 15 mm/yr) which is relieved by NS extension (at a rate of about 9 mm/yr). It was also shown that the northern part of North Anatolia (north of 39.7°N parallel) undergoes contraction in the EW direction (at a rate of about 9 mm/yr) and NS extension as the dominant mode of deformation (at a rate of about 5 mm/yr). It may be stated therefore, that the pattern of deformation of the northern Aegean and the northern part of North Anatolian fault is controlled by the NS extension the Aegean is undergoing as a whole, and the dextral strike-slip motion of the North Anatolian fault. The southern part of North Anatolia is undergoing crustal thinning at a rate of 2.3 mm/yr, NS extension (at a rate of 5 mm/yr) as well as EW extension (at a rate of 4 mm/yr), which are consistent with the occurrence of major normal faulting and justify the separation of North Anatolia into two separate subareas.     

Quantification of particle-induced inflammatory stress response: a novel approach for toxicity testing of earth materials

Background

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are vital regulators of many cellular functions in the body. The intracellular ROS concentration is highly regulated by a balance between pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants. A chronic excess of pro-oxidants leads to elevated ROS concentrations and inflammation, possibly initiating or enhancing disease onset. Mineral-induced generation of ROS, the role of minerals in upregulating cellular ROS, and their role in the development of several occupational diseases are now widely recognized. However, there is no standard protocol to determine changes in ROS production in cells after exposure to mineral dust or earth materials in general. In this study, a new method for determining the degree of cellular toxicity (i.e., cytotoxicity) of particles is described that will help bridge the gap in knowledge.

Results

By measuring the production of ROS and the viability of cells, an inflammatory stress response (ISR) indicator is defined. This approach normalizes the ROS upregulation with respect to the number of viable cells at the time of measurement. We conducted experiments on a series of minerals and soils that represent materials that are inert (i.e., glass beads, anatase, and a soil with low trace element content), moderately reactive (i.e., soil with high trace element content), and highly reactive (i.e., pyrite). Inert materials generated the lowest ISR, averaging 350% compared to the control. Acid washed pyrite produced the highest ISR (1,100 fold higher than the control). The measurements conducted as a function of time showed a complex response. Most materials showed an increase in ISR with particle loading.

Conclusions

The amount of cellularly generated ROS and cell viability combined provide a better understanding of particle-induced oxidative stress. The results indicate that some earth materials may solicit an initial burst of ROS, followed by a second phase in which cell viability decreases and ROS production increases, leading to a high ISR value. Hence, measurements conducted over a range of particle loading combined with multiple data measurements up to 24 hours can provide new insights in the possible effect of exposure to earth materials on human health.     

Phenylalanine as a hydroxyl radical-specific probe in pyrite slurries

The abundant iron sulfide mineral pyrite has been shown to catalytically produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and hydroxyl radical ( ^. OH) in slurries of oxygenated water. Understanding the formation and fate of these reactive oxygen species is important to biological and ecological systems as exposure can lead to deleterious health effects, but also environmental engineering during the optimization of remediation approaches for possible treatment of contaminated waste streams. This study presents the use of the amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) to monitor the kinetics of pyrite-induced ^. OH formation through rates of hydroxylation forming three isomers of tyrosine (Tyr) - ortho-, meta-, and para-Tyr. Results indicate that about 50% of the Phe loss results in Tyr formation, and that these products further react with ^. OH at rates comparable to Phe. The overall loss of Phe appeared to be pseudo first-order in [Phe] as a function of time, but for the first time it is shown that initial rates were much less than first-order as a function of initial substrate concentration, [Phe]_o. These results can be rationalized by considering that the effective concentration of ^. OH in solution is lower at a higher level of reactant and that an increasing fraction of ^. OH is consumed by Phe-degradation products as a function of time. A simplified first-order model was created to describe Phe loss in pyrite slurries which incorporates the [Phe]_o, a first-order dependence on pyrite surface area, the assumption that all Phe degradation products compete equally for the limited supply of highly reactive ^. OH, and a flux that is related to the release of H₂O₂ from the pyrite surface (a result of the incomplete reduction of oxygen at the pyrite surface). An empirically derived rate constant, K _pyr , was introduced to describe a variable ^. OH-reactivity for different batches of pyrite. Both the simplified first-order kinetic model, and a more detailed numerical simulation, yielded results that compare well to the observed kinetic data describing the effects of variations in concentrations of both initial Phe and pyrite. This work supports the use of Phe as a useful probe to assess the formation of ^. OH in the presence of pyrite, and its possible utility for similar applications with other minerals.     

A source study of the 6 July 2003 (Mw 5.7) earthquake sequence in the Gulf of Saros (Northern Aegean Sea): Seismological evidence for the western continuation of the Ganos fault

The July 2003 sequence in the Gulf of Saros (Northeastern Aegean Sea) is investigated, in terms of accurate event locations and source properties of the largest events. The distribution of epicenters shows the activation of a 25-km long zone, which extends in depth between 9 and 20 km. The major slip patch of the 6 July 2003 M_w 5.7 mainshock is confined in a small area (45 km²), which coincides with the deeper (12–20 km) part of the activated zone. The epicenters of the sequence follow the northern margin of the Saros depression. This observation supports recent studies, according to which the continuation of the Ganos fault in the Gulf of Saros does not coincide with the fault along the northern coast of the Gelibolu peninsula, but it is located at the northern boundary of the Saros depression. This is further supported by the fact that the focal mechanisms of the mainshock and of the largest aftershocks of the 2003 sequence imply almost pure dextral strike-slip faulting, whereas the fault bounding the Gulf of Saros to the south appears as a normal fault on seismic sections. Thus, we infer that the principle deformation zone consists of a major strike-slip fault, which lies close to the northern margin of the Saros depression and this fault could be regarded as the continuation of the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault into the Saros Gulf and North Aegean Trough as suggested by regional tectonic models. The northeastern extent of the 2003 sequence marks the western termination (at 26.3° E) of a long-term seismic quiescence observed in the period following the 1912 Ganos earthquake, which may be associated with the extend of the rupture of the particular earthquake.     

The instability of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>L</Subscript> comparison for earthquakes in Greece for the period 1969 to 2007

We use 576 earthquakes of magnitude, M _w, 3.3 to 6.8 that occurred within the region 33° N–42.5° N, 19° E–30° E in the time period 1969 to 2007 to investigate the stability of the relation between moment magnitude, M _w, and local magnitude, M _L, for earthquakes in Greece and the surrounding regions. We compare M _w to M _L as reported in the monthly bulletins of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) and to M _L as reported in the bulletins of the Seismological Station of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. All earthquakes have been analyzed through regional or teleseismic waveform inversion, to obtain M _w, and have measured maximum trace amplitudes on the Wood–Anderson seismograph in Athens, which has been in operation since 1964. We show that the Athens Wood–Anderson seismograph performance has changed through time, affecting the computed by NOA M _L by at least 0.1 magnitude units. Specifically, since the beginning of 1996, its east–west component has been recording systematically much larger amplitudes compared to the north–south component. From the comparison between M _w and M _L reported by Thessaloniki, we also show that the performance of the sensors has changed several times through time, affecting the calculated M _L’s. We propose scaling relations to convert the M _L values reported from the two centers to M _w. The procedures followed here can be applied to other regions as well to examine the stability of magnitude calculations through time.     

Fault-plane Solutions Determined by Waveform Modeling Confirm Tectonic Collision in the Eastern Adriatic

—?Source parameters for thirteen earthquakes in the SE Adriatic region have been determined using P and SH body-waveform inversion. The results of this modeling are combined with eleven other earthquakes with M?≥?5 whose focal mechanisms have been determined mainly by waveform modeling. The results confirm that movement on mainly low-angle reverse faults causes the deformation in coastal southern Yugoslavia through Albania up to the Lefkada Island in NW Greece. This zone of thrusting has a NW–SE trend (N34°W), follows the coastline, and dips towards the continent. The slip vectors of these events trend at ～N229° along the Dalmatian coasts, to ～N247° along Albania and NW Greece. The deformation is attributed to the continental collision between the Adriatic block to the west and Eurasia to the east. Along the mountain line in eastern Albania (Albanides Mts.) and in NW Greece (Hellenides Mts.), E–W extension is occurring. The E–W extension associated with the orogenic belt could be attributed to a variety of models such as: gravity, internal deformation of the thrust wedge, a probable down bulge of the dense lithosphere of the Adriatic block beneath the Eurasian lithospheric plate in combination with the compressional stresses applied along the collision belt.     

Pyrite-induced hydroxyl radical formation and its effect on nucleic acids

Background  

Pyrite, the most abundant metal sulphide on Earth, is known to spontaneously form hydrogen peroxide when exposed to water. In this study the hypothesis that pyrite-induced hydrogen peroxide is transformed to hydroxyl radicals is tested.     

Finite-fault slip models for the 15 April 1979 (Mw 7.1) Montenegro earthquake and its strongest aftershock of 24 May 1979 (Mw 6.2)

We revisit the April 1979 Montenegro earthquake sequence to invert for finite-fault slip models for the mainshock of 15 April 1979 (M_w 7.1) and of the strongest aftershock of 24 May 1979 (M_w 6.2) using P, SH and SV waveforms, retrieved from IRIS data center. We also used body waveform modelling inversion to confirm the focal mechanism of the mainshock as a pure thrust mechanism and rule out the existence of considerable strike slip component in the motion. The mainshock occurred along a shallow (depth 7 km), low angle (14°) thrust fault, parallel to the coastline and dipping to the NE. Our preferred slip distribution model for the mainshock indicates that rupture initiated from SE and propagated towards NW, with a speed of 2.0 km/s. Moment was released in a main slip patch, confined in an area of L  50 km × W  23 km. The maximum slip ( 2.7 m) occurred  30 km to the NW of the hypocenter (location of rupture initiation). The average slip is 49 cm and the total moment release over the fault is 4.38e19 Nm. The slip model adequately fits the distribution of the M_w ≥ 4.3 aftershocks, as most of them are located in the regions of the fault plane that did not slip during the mainshock. The 24 May 1979 (M_w 6.2) strongest aftershock occurred  40 km NW of the mainshock. Our preferred slip model for this event showed a characteristic two-lobe pattern, where each lobe is  7.5 × 7.5 km². Rupture initiated in the NW lobe, where the slip obtained its maximum value of 45 cm, very close to the hypocenter, and propagated towards the south-eastern lobe where it reached another maximum value — for this lobe — of 30 cm, approximately 10 km away from the hypocenter. To indirectly validate our slip models we produced synthetic PGV maps (Shake maps) and we compared our predictions with observations of ground shaking from strong motion records. All comparisons were made for rock soil conditions and in general our slip models adequately fit the observations especially at the closest stations where the shaking was considerably stronger. Through the search of the parameter space for our inversions we obtained an optimum location for the mainshock at 42.04°N and 19.21° E and we also observed that better fit to the observations was obtained when the fault was modeled as a blind thrust fault.