Earthquakes in the Czech Republic and Surrounding Regions in 1995–1999

In the time span from January 1995 to December 1999 the Czech National Seismological Network (CNSN), consisting of ten permanent digital broadband stations, several local networks and two data centers, detected and recorded 9530 regional natural seismic events, 27 greater than magnitude 2. Most of these events were located by the Czech Seismological Service (CSS), and the most prominent of them were analyzed in detail. A large number of quarry blasts were recorded as well but were not included in the analysis. We provide basic information on the configuration of the CNSN and on the way of routine data processing employed by the CSS in this paper. The over-all regional seismicity monitored by the CNSN in 1995–1999 is briefly reviewed. The main results of observations and evaluation of the local (NW-Bohemia/Vogtland, South Bohemia, Sudeten) and induced (Kladno, Píbram, Upper Silesia, Lubin/Poland) seismic activity within this period are presented in a condensed form. Finally, a summary on macroseismic observations on the territory of the Czech Republic in 1995–1999 is also presented.     

Comparison between Pollutant Concentration in the Samples of Fog and Rime Water Collected at Mt. Milešovka

The article aims at showing the differences in concentration of pollutants that are contained in the samples of fog and/or low cloud water in comparison with the water from rime. The results follow from the fog and rime measurements made at Mt. Mileovka (eské Stedohoí Mountains). They are compared with the results of other studies that also report the differences in fog and rime chemistry.     

Numerical Modeling of the Ston-Slano (Croatia) Aftershock Sequence

The rate of aftershock occurrence after the M6 Ston-Slano (Croatia) earthquake is modeled as the Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS). Increase of the modeled cumulative number of aftershocks with time was fitted to observations by the least-squares criterion using the combined grid-search and Monte-Carlo approach. This enabled not only the estimation of the most probable ETAS parameters, but also the determination of their confidence limits, as well as the estimation of the bias between them. It has been found that the bias is significant for some of the parameter pairs, regardless of the threshold magnitude assumed. Residual analyses revealed that all strong aftershocks (M _L 4.5) occurred during the periods of normal to high aftershock activity. There were two periods of quiescence in the sequence, both of which were followed by a strong aftershock.     

Comparative Analysis of Type ii Bursts and of Thermal and non-Thermal Flare Signatures

The relationship between metric type II radio bursts and solar flares is studied. Well-defined correlations between the properties of type II bursts and the characteristics of associated microwave and soft X-ray bursts are established in two entirely independent data sets. It is shown that the correlations are strongly affected by the wide range of coronal Alfvén velocities involved, comprising values from only 150 up to 800 km s^–1, with a typical value of 400 km s^–1. After careful data analysis it was inferred that type II bursts are more closely related to the soft X-ray bursts than they are to microwave bursts. The correlations indicate that type II burst shocks are preferably generated by flares with a relatively strong thermal component, and that the shocks are probably ignited by the plasma expansion associated with the 'evaporation' process in the transition region. Although the results imply that the majority of metric type II bursts are caused by flares, a simple geometrical consideration shows that a fraction of non-flare type II bursts cannot be explained by behind-limb events and that roughly 10% of metric type II bursts should be attributed to non-flare coronal mass ejections.     

Meridional Motions of Stable Recurrent Sunspot Groups

Stable recurrent sunspot groups from the Greenwich data set which were identified in at least two subsequent solar rotations were traced and meridional motions were determined from the two central meridian passages. In total, 327 meridional velocities were calculated and the results for the northern and the southern solar hemisphere were compared. A dependence of the solar meridional velocity vectors on the development status, latitude and position respectively to the activity belt of sunspots is investigated. The results indicate that sunspot groups are moving on the average away from the center of activity. This was found for sunspot groups growing and decreasing in area.     

Deceleration of Coronal Mass Ejections

Decelerated motion of 12 coronal eruptions is studied. It is found that the measured decelerations and deceleration rates depend on the events' plane-of-sky velocities and heights. The dependence of deceleration on the velocity is described better by a quadratic function then by linear fit. Results are interpreted in terms of a viscous drag. An empirical relation expressing the decrease of the drag effectiveness with the projected height is established. The interplay between the Lorentz force, viscous drag, and gravity is discussed. Several examples are considered to illustrate the relative contributions of these forces under various circumstances.     

Improving the accuracy of tipping-bucket rain records using disaggregation techniques

We present a methodology able to infer the influence of rainfall measurement errors on the reliability of extreme rainfall statistics. We especially focus on systematic mechanical errors affecting the most popular rain intensity measurement instrument, namely the tipping-bucket rain-gauge (TBR). Such uncertainty strongly depends on the measured rainfall intensity (RI) with systematic underestimation of high RIs, leading to a biased estimation of extreme rain rates statistics. Furthermore, since intense rain-rates are usually recorded over short intervals in time, any possible correction strongly depends on the time resolution of the recorded data sets. We propose a simple procedure for the correction of low resolution data series after disaggregation at a suitable scale, so that the assessment of the influence of systematic errors on rainfall statistics become possible. The disaggregation procedure is applied to a 40-year long rain-depth dataset recorded at hourly resolution by using the IRP (Iterated Random Pulse) algorithm. A set of extreme statistics, commonly used in urban hydrology practice, have been extracted from simulated data and compared with the ones obtained after direct correction of a 12-year high resolution (1 min) RI series. In particular, the depth–duration–frequency curves derived from the original and corrected data sets have been compared in order to quantify the impact of non-corrected rain intensity measurements on design rainfall and the related statistical parameters. Preliminary results suggest that the IRP model, due to its skill in reproducing extreme rainfall intensities at fine resolution in time, is well suited in supporting rainfall intensity correction techniques.     

Post-drilling destabilization of temperature profile in borehole Yaxcopoil-1, Mexico

As part of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), the 1.5-km-deep borehole Yaxcopoil-1, located in the Chixculub meteor impact structure in Mexico, has undergone further study after drilling operations ceased. Temperature logs were repeated ten times at intervals 0.3–0.8, 15, 24 and 34 months after borehole shut-in. The logs bear a distinct signature of transient heat transfer by groundwater flow manifested by a gradual distortion of the linear temperature profile when a cold wave of 0.8–1.6°C amplitude was detected propagating downward from 145 to 312 m at a rate of 4–6 m/month. To understand the nature of this moving anomaly, a 20-day monitoring of the cold wave was carried out at a depth of 307 m that showed further cooling of 0.6°C during the first 16 days of the passage followed by temperature stabilisation. As an explanation of this unusual phenomenon, a theory is proposed, whereby the drilling mud has accumulated within the overlying and cooler highly porous and permeable karstic rocks during the drilling and migrates downward. The observed migration rate suggests a permeability higher than 10^?11 m². This indicates a high vulnerability to contamination of the only freshwater aquifer in the Yucatan region.     

Structural evolution of the contact between two Penninic nappes (Zermatt-Saas zone and Combin zone,Western Alps) and implications for the exhumation mechanism and palaeogeography

The boundary zone between two Penninic nappes, the eclogite-facies to ultrahigh-pressure Zermatt-Saas zone in the footwall and the blueschist-facies Combin zone in the hanging wall, has been interpreted previously as a major normal fault reflecting synorogenic crustal extension. Quartz textures of mylonites from this fault were measured using neutron diffraction. Together with structural field observations, the data allow a refined reconstruction of the kinematic evolution of the Pennine nappes. The main results are: (1) the contact is not a normal fault but a major thrust towards northwest which was only later overprinted by southeast-directed normal faulting; (2) exhumation of the footwall rocks did not occur during crustal extension but during crustal shortening; (3) the Sesia-Dent Blanche nappe system originated from a continental fragment (Cervinia) in the Alpine Tethys ocean, and the Combin zone ophiolites from the ocean basin southeast of Cervinia; (4) out-of-sequence thrusting played a major role in the tectonic evolution of the Penninic nappes. An erratum to this article can be found at     

PGE fractionation in seafloor hydrothermal systems: examples from mafic- and ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields at the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The distribution of platinum group elements (PGEs) in massive sulfides and hematite–magnetite±pyrite assemblages from the recently discovered basalt-hosted Turtle Pits hydrothermal field and in massive sulfides from the ultramafic-hosted Logatchev vent field both on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was studied and compared to that from selected ancient volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. Cu-rich samples from black smoker chimneys of both vent fields are enriched in Pd and Rh (Pd up to 227 ppb and Rh up to 149 ppb) when compared to hematite–magnetite-rich samples from Turtle Pits (Pd up to 10 ppb, Rh up to 1.9 ppb). A significant positive correlation was established between Cu and Rh in sulfide samples from Turtle Pits. PGE chondrite-normalized patterns (with a positive Rh anomaly and Pd and Au enrichment), Pd/Pt and Pd/Au ratios close to global MORB, and high values of Pd/Ir and Pt/Ir ratios indicate mafic source rock and seawater involvement in the hydrothermal system at Turtle Pits. Similarly shaped PGE chondrite-normalized patterns and high values of Pd/Pt and Pd/Ir ratios in Cu-rich sulfides at Logatchev likely reflect a similar mechanism of PGE enrichment but with involvement of ultramafic source rocks.