Buchbesprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Radiocarbon Data on Lateglacial and Holocene Landslides in the Northern Apennines

The Emilia Romagna slope of the Northern Apennines is strewnwith over 32,000 landslides, 5,000 of which are larger than 1 million cubic metres. They representthe remains of geomorphic agents that shaped the Apennines during the Holocene. Dating themby means of radiocarbon methods adds a contribution to the knowledge about the last periodof the geological geomorphological history of the Apennines. They can also be used to examinethe influence of Quaternary climatic changes on the instability of slopes and, for practicalor planning functions, to assess the periodicity of activity phases of the landslides. Thedating has been carried out on wood remnants buried under the landslide bodies. In some cases theentire tree trunk was found.In this paper we present radiocarbon dating of 20 casestudies in the Northern Apennines. Results range approximately from 13790–13670 cal y BP to950–790 cal`y BP. The oldest case is that of the Morsiano earth-flow, while the younger datedevent is represented by the Marano case that represents an example of how radiometric analysescan further enhance the available historical data. In the Cavola case, wood remnants of different ageswere found at different depths (from 9 to 45 m), allowing the dating of the first and followingperiods of activity of the landslide. The results are discussed and some considerations on the correlationbetween landslide occurrence and Holocene climate changes are proposed.     

Shaking table tests on reinforced concrete frames without and with passive control systems

An extensive experimental program of shaking table tests on reduced‐scale structural models was carried out within the activities of the MANSIDE project, for the development of new seismic isolation and energy dissipation devices based on shape memory alloys (SMAs). The aim of the experimental program was to compare the behaviour of structures endowed with innovative SMA‐based devices to the behaviour of conventional structures and of structures endowed with currently used passive control systems. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the main results of the shaking table tests carried out on the models with and without special braces. Two different types of energy dissipating and re‐centring braces have been considered to enhance the seismic performances of the tested model. They are based on the hysteretic properties of steel elements and on the superelastic properties of SMAs, respectively. The addition of passive control braces in the reinforced concrete frame resulted in significant benefits on the overall seismic behaviour. The seismic intensity producing structural collapse was considerably raised, interstorey drifts and shear forces in columns were drastically reduced. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nd isotopic composition of Paleoproterozoic volcanic and granitoid rocks of Vila Riozinho: implications for the crustal evolution of the Tapajós gold province, Amazon craton

Nd data from the Paleoproterozoic magmatic rocks of Vila Riozinho and Jamanxim (Tapajós gold province) indicate that original magmas were not produced exclusively by the remelting of Archean sialic crust and point to dominant Paleoproterozoic sources. ε_Nd(T) values preclude derivation from mantle sources for the ca. 2.0 Ga Vila Riozinho volcanics and older São Jorge granite. They may represent a subduction-related magmatic arc with magmas modified by interaction with crust or a post- to late-orogenic remelting of an older Paleoproterozoic juvenile arc with minimal contribution from the Archean crust. The origin of the 1.88 Ga Parauari, Maloquinha, Iriri, and Moraes Almeida igneous associations and the Jamanxim rhyolites has been attributed to large-scale taphrogenesis that marked the breakup of a large Paleoproterozoic continent. Derivation of the original magmas from the remelting of crustal sources older than ca. 1.9 Ga is consistent with geochemical and Nd isotopic data. Archean remnants probably occur between the Paleoproterozoic terrains of the Ventuari-Tapajós province. Archean terrains of the Amazon craton extend from the Xingu to the Itaituba region but have not been identified in the southern Guyana shield. Thus, data reveal that the boundaries between the central Amazon and Ventuari-Tapajós provinces need better definition and more detailed field and geochronological work.     

A cosmological hydrodynamic code based on the piecewise parabolic method

We present a hydrodynamical code for cosmological simulations which uses the piecewise parabolic method (PPM) to follow the dynamics of the gas component and an N -body particle–mesh algorithm for the evolution of the collisionless component. The gravitational interaction between the two components is regulated by the Poisson equation which is solved by a standard fast Fourier transform (FFT) procedure. In order to simulate cosmological flows we have introduced several modifications to the original PPM scheme which we describe in detail. Various tests of the code are presented including adiabatic expansion, single and multiple pancake formation and three-dimensional cosmological simulations with initial conditions based on the cold dark matter scenario.     

Geochemistry of granitic rocks from the Hercynian Sardinia-Corsica batholith: Implication for magma genesis

The Sardinia-Corsica batholith was structured in the late stage of the Hercynian orogenesis. The granitoids intrude mainly metamorphic complexes grading from zeolite up to amphibolite facies. The batholith is heterogeneous consisting of complexes with different affinity, chemical composition, age and degree of deformation. The present paper reports major-and trace-element data for selected samples coming only from Sardinian outcrops.

The rocks range from gabbro-diorite to tonalite, monzogranite and leucogranite. The two latter lithologies are the most abundant, gabbrodiorites and tonalites occurring in minor amounts and mainly in northern-central Sardinia. Over 75% of the granitoids contain microgranular enclaves of magmatic origin. The age of the rocks falls in the interval between 307 and 281 Ma. Sr isotope initial ratios are high, ranging between 0.7083 and 0.7107.

REE, Rb, Sr, Ba, Zr, Th, Ta, Hf, Co and Sc abundances were determined on selected samples. All elements follow three types of trends vs. CaO, which is used as differentiation index. Two trends show positive and negative correlations while the third one shows a bell-shaped pattern. LREE have different degrees of enrichment (La = 20−120× ch) and HREE show variable fractionation with prevailing (Tb/Yb)_n<1. The two peraluminous samples have very different geochemical characteristics.

From the geochemical point of view all the rocks coming from the Sardinian segment of the batholith display a typical calc-alkaline chemical character showing the imprint of both “normal and mature” continental arc geodynamic environments.

Geochemical trends suggest some petrogenetic constraints. The complete sequence of differentiation can be neither the product of crystal/liquid fractionation processes starting from a single basic parent magma nor the product of an AFC process. On the contrary, a two-stage model can be proposed. In the first stage a mafic melt of subcrustal origin interacted with monzogranitic magmas derived from 25–35% degree of melting of a crustal biotite amphibolitic source. Such a mixing process acted together with a crystal/liquid fractionation process to give tonalites and granodiorites. In the second stage lesser degrees of melting of the same crustal source could give the late-stage leucogranitic masses.

A possible scenario, able to take into account field and geochemical data, can be suggested for the genesis of this suite and we propose it as a working model for future investigations.