Macroseismic practice in Slovenia

In 1986, a project was started concerning the improvement of macroseismic data management in Slovenia. It was decided to establish a network of collaborators all over Slovenia (20 251 km², approx. 2 million inhabitants), dense enough to allow the use of the MSK scale. Since the uniform spatial distribution with desired density of collaborators is hard to achieve, several methods are being used to obtain new collaborators. At present we have approximately 4100 collaborators in our computer supported database.When an earthquake is felt in Slovenia, the seismologist decides to what areas the questionnaires are to be sent. The prospective observers can be chosen by two criteria: density and quality marks. The density mark allows us to choose a number of observers in the same town or village, based mostly on the quality of answers and demographic conditions. The quality mark is computed, combined with the previous marks, and updated every time a completed questionnaire is returned.The average number of shocks for which the questionnaires are being sent is about 25 per year during the normal seismic activity. The average number of questionnaires is approximately 300 per event. The percentage of the returned questionnaires is above 66%. A user-friendly, interactive program has been developed to manage the database with information about collaborators, to select an area, density and quality threshold of inquiry, and to print addresses onto questionnaires.     

Toxicological effects of biocide Slimicide C-30 on some marine invertebrates

Sublethal and lethal effects of biocide Slimicide C-30 on the developmental stages of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis and juvenile and adult mysid Leptomysis mediterranea were studied.Biocide at a concentration as low as 0.02 mg l^?1 caused an incipient effect in the embryonic development of mussels where a decreased number of normally developed larvae from eggs was evident. Slimicide C-30 effective concentration (EC 50/96) was 0.07 mg l^?1.In the mysids, the median lethal concentration (96 h LC₅₀) was 0.11 mg l^?1.Previous incubation of Slimicide C-30 at 38°C affected a small delay in mortality time (LT₅₀) but did not cause marked change in the acute toxicity to mysids.     

Alpine-type gabbros within the Krivaja-Konjuh ultramafic massif in the ophiolite zone of the Dinarides,Yugoslavia

Summary Gabbros of two kinds, one related to dolerite and the other related to peridotite, are widespread in the Dinaride ophiolite zone. Gabbros within the Krivaja-Konjuh peridotite massif, along the Gostovii River and near Romanovac Mountain, exemplify the second kind. The gabbroic rocks range from feldspathic wehrlite and feldspathic dunite through troctolite and olivine gabbro to olivine-free gabbro, all of which are more or less serpentinized or uralitized.The gabbro is characterized by foliation and layering in which cumulus textures are well shown. Peridotite and gabbro intergrade and are interlayered, but in places feldspar seems to have been introduced metasomatically into peridotite along gabbro dikes. The gabbro masses, like their internal structures, parallel layering in the surrounding peridotite. Intrusive relations, however, are indicated by gabbro dikes in peridotite, and xenoliths of peridotite in gabbro. Absence of gabbro dikes in the surrounding Jurassic rocks shows that the gabbro was intruded into peridotite before both were emplaced tectonically.Chemically, the gabbros are typically alpine, with high ratios of CaO: Na₂O, high MgO: FeO ratios, and low K₂O and TiO₂. Plots of chemical composition suggest a close affinity between gabbro and olivine tholeiite and olivine basalt.It is proposed that a primary magma of olivine tholeiite composition was produced by partial melting of the upper mantle material below an ancient Jurassic(?) Mid-oceanic ridge at a depth of 35 to 70 km. The melt was moved to higher levels and it was intruded into the peridotites moving upwards and crystallization began at a depth below 30 km. The trends of differentiation processes have been disscused in detail.

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Alpinotype Gabbros innerhalb des Ultramafit-Massivs von Krivaja-Konjuh in der Ophiolith-Zone der Dinariden, Jugoslawien

Zusammenfassung In der Ophiolith-Zone der Dinariden kommen verbreitet Gabbros zweierlei Art vor: die eine steht zu Doleriten in Beziehung, die andere zu Peridotiten. Gabbros innerhalb des Peridotit-Massivs von Krivaja-Konjuh, längs des Flusses Gostoviéi und nahe dem Berg Romanovac sind Beispiele für die zweite Art. Die gabbroiden Gesteine variieren von Feldspat-führenden Wehrliten und Feldspat-führenden Duniten über Troktolithe und Olivin-Gabbros bis zu Olivin-freiem Gabbro; sie sind alle mehr oder weniger serpentinisiert oder uralitisiert.Der Gabbro ist durch Faltung und Bänderung, in der Cumulus-Texturen gut erkennbar sind, charakterisiert. Peridotit und Gabbro gehen ineinander über und zeigen Wechsellagerung, aber an manchen Stellen scheint der Feldspat längs Gabbrogängen metasomatisch in den Peridotit eingedrungen zu sein. Die Gabbromassen liegen ebenso wie ihre internen Strukturen parallel zur Schichtung der umgebenden Periodotite. Gabbrogänge in Peridotit und Xenolithe von Peridotit in Gabbro zeigen indessen intrusive Beziehungen an. Die Abwesenheit von Gabbrogängen in den umgebenden jurassischen Gesteinen zeigt, daß der Gabbro in den Peridotit vor deren gemeinsamen tektonischen Platznahme intrudierte.Vom chemischen Standpunkt aus sind die Gabbros typisch alpin, mit großen (CaO: Na₂O)- und (MgO: FeO)-Verhältnissen und kleinen TiO₂-und K₂O-Werten.Es wird vorgeschlagen, daß ein primäres Magma von olivintholeiitischer Zusammensetzung durch partielle Aufschmelzung von Material des Oberen Mantels unterhalb einer alten jurassischen(?) mittelozeanischen Schwelle in einer Tiefe von 35–70 km entstand. Die Schmelze wurde in höhere Niveaus bewegt und in die sich aufwärts bewegenden Peridotite intrudiert; die Kristallisation begann in einer Tiefe von unter 30 km. Die Tendenzen der Differentiationsprozesse werden im Detail diskutiert.

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With 7 Figures     

Seasonal variations of physiological and cellular biomarkers and their use in the biomonitoring of north Adriatic coastal waters (Croatia)

Lysosomal membrane stability, the content of neutral lipids and lipofuscin as cellular biomarkers were measured in the digestive gland of mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam., during a one year survey at selected sites along the coast of the northern Adriatic. The ability of mussels to survive in air as a general physiological response was tested at the same sites. Annual changes of sea temperature, salinity, O(2) saturation, pH and chlorophyll a concentration were measured and the effects of these environmental factors on the biomarkers selected for this study were determined. Survival of mussels after aerial exposure was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in mussels collected from the contaminated harbors of Pula and Rijeka compared to clean control sites. Lysosomal membrane stability of mussels from urban and industrial areas was also lower indicating exposure to different environmental contaminants. At the same sites, the content of neutral lipids and lipofuscin in digestive cells was significantly higher compared to the reference sites, suggesting alterations in lipid metabolism and contaminant-induced peroxidation of cell membranes. The greatest influence of natural environmental factors was observed for the aerial survival of mussels and the neutral lipids and lipofuscin content in the digestive gland, indicating that the annual cycles of biomarker responses should be well understood for a correct interpretation of biomonitoring results.     

Variability and probability of annual and extreme precipitation over Serbia and Montenegro

Summary Annual precipitation over Serbia and Montenegro is studied in terms of its variability. The dependence of three selected absolute measures of variability (standard deviation, absolute mean deviation and mean absolute interannual variability) from the mean annual precipitation are examined for the area of interest. Two cases of extreme precipitation in Serbia were analysed using the gamma probability density function and some transformations.     

Seasonal ecosystem variability in remote mountain lakes: implications for detecting climatic signals in sediment records

Weather variation and climate fluctuations are the main sources of ecosystem variability in remote mountain lakes. Here we describe the main patterns of seasonal variability in the ecosystems of nine lakes in Europe, and discuss the implications for recording climatic features in their sediments. Despite the diversity in latitude and size, the lakes showed a number of common features. They were ice-covered between 5–9 months, and all but one were dimictic. This particular lake was long and shallow, and wind action episodically mixed the water column throughout the ice-free period. All lakes showed characteristic oxygen depletion during the ice-covered-period, which was greater in the most productive lakes. Two types of lakes were distinguished according to the number of production peaks during the ice-free season. Lakes with longer summer stratification tended to have two productive periods: one at the onset of stratification, and the other during the autumn overturn. Lakes with shorter stratification had a single peak during the ice-free period. All lakes presented deep chlorophyll maxima during summer stratification, and subsurface chlorophyll maxima beneath the ice. Phosphorus limitation was common to all lakes, since nitrogen compounds were significantly more abundant than the requirements for the primary production observed. The major chemical components present in the lakes showed a short but extreme dilution during thawing. Certain lake features may favour the recording of particular climatic fluctuations, for instance: lakes with two distinct productive periods, climatic fluctuations in spring or autumn (e.g., through chrysophycean cysts); lakes with higher oxygen consumption, climatic factors affecting the duration of the ice-cover (e.g., through low-oxygen tolerant chironomids); lakes with higher water retention time; changes in atmospheric deposition (e.g., through carbon or pigment burial); lakes with longer stratification, air temperature changes during summer and autumn (e.g., through all epilimnetic species).     

A comparison of anthropogenic mercury pollution in Kastela Bay (Croatia) with pristine estuaries in Ore (Sweden) and Krka (Croatia)

Anthropogenic mercury pollution was studied in Kastela Bay (Croatia), 10 years after chloralkaline plant (PVC) stopped production. The concentration of total mercury determined in sediments which are composed mainly of calcite and quartz, are in the range 14,280-30,400 ng/g. The values are higher than reported in the literature for Elbe and Seine estuaries and also above 25,000 ng/g used for criterion in remediation project in Minamata Bay. The concentration of methylmercury 6.05-36.74 ng/g are typical for slightly to highly contaminated estuarine sediments. The low ratio of methylmercury to total mercury found in sediments of Kastela Bay is in the range 0.04-0.18%. It can be explained that in this region predominate conditions which do not promote in-situ methylation. Sediments were found to be highly anoxic. Concentrations of total mercury in unfiltered surface waters are in the range 69-145 ng/l and in unfiltered bottom waters in the range 230-1,418 ngl(-1). High concentrations found in bottom waters suggest that either resuspension or partial dissolution of sediments takes place. An experiment performed on filtered and unfiltered waters showed that about 85% of total mercury in surface water and almost 100% in bottom water was retained on 45 microm filters. To demonstrate contrasts, two pristine estuaries from norths and south Europe were studied. Silicious sediments of Ore estuary (Sweden) and calcareous sediments of Krka estuary (Croatia) have total mercury concentrations close to accepted background level. The ratio of methylmercury to total mercury is < or = 1% in all samples with one exception. The highest observed ratio (2.70%) was in the surface sediment from E2 station in Krka estuary measured in March 2000. This location is suitable for studying methylmercury formation in pristine environment.