Analysis of sustained long-period activity at Etna Volcano, Italy

Following the installation of a broadband network on Mt. Etna, sustained Long-Period (LP) activity was recorded accompanying a period of total quiescence and the subsequent onset of the 2004–2005 effusive episode. From about 56000 events detected by an automatic classification procedure, we analyse a subset of about 3000 signals spanning the December 17th, 2003–September 25th, 2004, time interval. LP spectra are characterised by several, unevenly-spaced narrow peaks spanning the 0.5–10 Hz frequency band. These peaks are common to all the recording sites of the network, and different from those associated with tremor signals. Throughout the analysed time interval, LP spectra and waveforms maintain significant similarity, thus indicating the involvement of a non-destructive source process that we interpret in terms of the resonance of a fluid-filled buried cavity. Polarisation analysis indicates radiation from a non-isotropic source involving large amounts of shear. Concurrently with LP signals, recordings from the summit station also depict Very-Long-Period (VLP) pulses whose rectilinear motion points to a region located beneath the summit craters at depths ranging between 800 and 1100 m beneath the surface. Based on a refined repicking of similar waveforms, we obtain robust locations for a selected subset of the most energetic LP events from probabilistic inversion of travel-times calculated for a 3D heterogenous structure. LP sources cluster in a narrow volume located beneath the summit craters, and extending to a maximum depth of ≈ 800 m beneath the surface. No causal relationships are observed between LP, VLP and tremor activities and the onset of the 2004–2005 lava effusions, thus indicating that magmatic overpressure played a limited role in triggering this eruption. These data represent the very first observation of LP and VLP activity at Etna during non-eruptive periods, and open the way to the quantitative modelling of the geometry and dynamics of the shallow plumbing system.     

Alluvial terraces on the Ionian coast of northern Calabria, southern Italy: Implications for tectonic and sea level controls

In this paper we present the results of an integrated geomorphological, pedological and stratigraphical study carried out along the Ionian coast of northern Calabria (southern Italy). This area is characterised by the occurrence of five orders of alluvial terraces that are striking features of the landscape, where large and steep catchments debouch from the mountain front to the hilly coastal belt.Field investigations indicate that the deposits of all five terraces are suggestive of shallow gravel-bed braided streams.On the basis of the age of the Pleistocene substratum and morphostratigraphic correlation with marine terraces cropping out in the nearby areas, each order has been associated to specific marine oxygen isotope stages.Consequently, we focused on the interplay of allocyclic factors influencing stream aggradation/degradation. Soil features and other climatic proxies suggest that climate didn't play an important role with respect to tectonic and base-level changes in controlling fluvial dynamics.In particular, we recognised that during the middle Pleistocene the study area experienced a period of subaerial landscape modelling, as suggested by the thick and complex alluvial sequence of the highest terrace (T1). The onset of regional uplift marks a change in the geomorphic scenario, with tectonic and eustatically driven changes in base-level working together in causing switches in fluvial aggradational/erosional phases (T2–T5 terraces). Because of the uplift, river dissection occurred during phases of sea level fall, whereas aggradation phases occurred during periods of climate amelioration (sea level rise) just before highstands were attained.As a consequence, the stepped terraces in the study area reflect the interplay between tectonics (uplift) and sea level changes, in which terraces define episodes of relative sea level fall during the late Quaternary.     

Faulting on the western flank of Mt Etna and magma intrusions in the shallow crust

Surface deformations on the western flank of Mt Etna volcano, spanning 1980–2004, have been analysed as they pertain to stress interactions between magma intrusions within the shallow crust along the S–SE Rift and faulting sensitivity. During this period, an accurate analysis of strain parameters, computed by inversion of SW electro‐optical distance data, suggested that the observed strong displacements on this flank of the edifice can also be related to dextral shear movements along a roughly NE–SW buried fault crossing the area covered by this network, as supported by seismic observations of the 20–24 April 2001 swarm. Moreover, Coulomb stress change model analysis confirms that the displacement along this fault, heralding the July–August 2001 eruption 2 months earlier can be related to major stresses applied by a dike intrusion at depth along the S–SE Rift, as testified by the microseismicity occurring between November 2000 and 19 April 2001.     

Stochastic management of pump-and-treat strategies using surrogate functions

Typical pump-and-treat (PAT) optimization problems involve design of pumping schemes, while minimizing cost and meeting a set of constraints. Due to scarcity of information about the hydrogeological system, stochastic modeling approaches can be used to assess tradeoffs between optimality and reliability. Using a stochastic approach, the constrained, single-objective problem may be turned into a multiobjective problem by substituting constraint inequalities with an additional objective function (OF) that accounts for the reliability of the PAT process. In this work, two approaches are analyzed: in one case, the additional OF consists of the probability of failure of a given remediation policy; in another, the OF additional is represented by the recourse, namely the penalty cost induced by the violation of constraints. In order to overcome the overwhelming computational cost required by stochastic simulation, surrogate forms of the OFs are introduced. In the test case under investigation, such functions are estimated by a kriging interpolation of the OF over a series of data points obtained from stochastic simulations of flow and transport, and calibrated against stochastic optimization solutions. The analysis of the two approaches for addressing the tradeoff of cost vs. reliability indicates that recourse accounts not only for the frequency of constraint violations, as the probability of failure does, but also for the intensity with which these occur. Ultimately, the recourse method allows considering less restrictive policies, although these may be highly sensitive to the choice of penalty functions.     

High flow events and sediment transport in small streams in the ‘tertiary basin’ area in piedmont (Northwest Italy)

Rainfall, peak discharges, and suspended sediment transport were surveyed for 280 events in three small (0.8 to 10 km²) catchments in a hilly area derived from Neogene marls, silts, and sands. Under similar hydrological input conditions, stream flow behaviour and sediment delivery differed considerably from one catchment to another, depending on topography, lithology, land use, and especially sediment availability. Analytical treatment of data showed a good fit between sediment yield and peak flow discharge. Less good, although still significant, was the correlation between sediment concentration and discharge values for different flow stages. Rainfall peak/basin lag time and rainfall/discharge showed poor or no correlation, mainly due to strong variations in rainfall distribution. Sediment concentration in the catchments varied enormously according to season, from zero up to 334 g 1^?1; sediment yield was 160-900 tonnes km^?2 yr^?1 in the two major catchments, and over 5200 tonnes km^?2 yr^?1 in the headwater catchment, stressing the importance of small tributaries not only in inducing floods in downstream channels, but also in sediment supply.     

A new approach to landslide geomorphological mapping using the Open Source software in the Olvera area (Cadiz, Spain)

This paper presents the preliminary results of a geomorphological survey of the Olvera area (Cadiz province, Betic Ranges, Spain) and the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) Open Source (OS) software plus Database Management System (DBMS) for making available and distributing the landslide data over the Web. In the geomorphologic survey, different landforms have been identified in the area, including structural, anthropogenic, fluvial, karst, and slope forms. In particular, the majority of the slope forms are complex (from topple to rotational slides and falls), but there are also minor forms like debris flows and mudslides. To manage geomorphological data, an Open Source GIS was used, which contained the following components: QuantumGIS, System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA), GIS and Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS), GIS for Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation. A key aim was to make the project-derived data available over the Web. This was achieved using MapServer which allows for the representation of the derived geospatial data with pMapper providing the graphical Web interface. Our study highlights the process dynamics of run-off erosion in Olvera derived through the use of advanced computer-based mapping tools. The resulting map products and interpretations are available via the Internet. To date, derivative maps have been produced to improve maintenance of roads and transport and of the construction of new infrastructure.