Local- and global-scale seismic analyses of historical masonry compounds in San Pio delle Camere (L’Aquila,Italy)

Masonry building aggregates are large parts of the Italian building heritage often designed without respecting seismic criteria. The current seismic Italian code does not foresee a clear calculation method to predict their static nonlinear behaviour. For this reason, in this paper firstly, a simple methodology to forecast the seismic response of masonry aggregates in San Pio delle Camere (L’Aquila, Italy) has been set up starting from the provisions of the Italian Guidelines on Cultural Heritage. The implemented procedure has been calibrated on the results of two FEM structural analysis programs used to investigate three masonry building compounds. As a result, a design chart used to correctly predict the base shear of aggregate masonry units starting from code provisions has been set up. Later on, the large-scale seismic vulnerability and damage appraisal of the inspected historical centre has been done on the basis of a quick methodology, already implemented and experienced by the author in some historical centres of the Campania region. The analysis result was a numerical correlation between vulnerability index and mean damage grade of examined building compounds. In particular, a damage forecast under numerical way has been firstly estimated and then compared with the real one. The post-earthquake scenario has represented an ideal term of comparison for effectively testing the reliability of the employed technique, which should be further extended to other Italian historical centres.

     

郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起段晚中生代岩浆岩继承锆石U-Pb年代学:源区属性及构造意义

大别与苏鲁造山带之间的郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起段,构成了华北与扬子板块之间的断裂边界。该边界带的深部结构状态长期以来存在着不同的认识。本文利用张八岭隆起带沿线出露的晚中生代岩浆岩中继承锆石U-Pb年代学信息,结合地球物理资料及Nd、Pb、Hf同位素资料,分析了其深部的岩浆源区属性及结构状态。张八岭隆起带北段晚中生代岩浆岩继承锆石年龄以1.9~2.7Ga为主,最大峰值年龄为2.5Ga;南段继承锆石年龄以2.2~2.6Ga为主,峰值年龄也为2.5Ga;郯庐断裂带庐江段则以含大量新元古代锆石为特征,在0.7Ga形成显著的分布峰值,并有早元古和少量太古代年龄信息。分析结果表明,张八岭隆起带北段的晚中生代岩浆岩源区为华北下地壳,南段的源区兼有华北和扬子陆壳的信息,而更南部庐江段则以扬子地壳源区为特征。电法剖面揭示,郯庐断裂主边界在张八岭隆起带下向南东倾斜,从而深部存在华北地壳;而南部庐江段转变为向北西陡倾,从而深部皆为扬子地壳。郯庐断裂深部产状特征支持其印支期应为斜向汇聚边界。而其中三叠纪继承锆石的缺失指示隆起带上变质岩应为原地岩石,而非来自大别造山带。     

东营凹陷南坡沙三段坡移扇沉积特征

目前,东营凹陷南坡沙三段已钻遇到坡移扇这一新型的岩性油气藏类型,但是对坡移扇的地质认识较浅,且其识别特征尚不明确,从而制约了坡移扇勘探的进程。通过大量的岩芯精细观察和描述,统计分析了大量实验数据,在结合地震资料分析的基础上,系统总结坡移扇有别于浊积岩的沉积特征等识别标志。分析认为,坡移扇的形成受三角洲的规模和建设性、构造坡度或沉积坡度、构造运动及湖平面变化等因素所控制。     

A multi-tracer approach to delineate groundwater dynamics in the Rio Actopan Basin,Veracruz State,Mexico

Geochemistry and environmental tracers were used to understand groundwater resources, recharge processes, and potential sources of contamination in the Rio Actopan Basin, Veracruz State, Mexico. Total dissolved solids are lower in wells and springs located in the basin uplands compared with those closer to the coast, likely associated with rock/water interaction. Geochemical results also indicate some saltwater intrusion near the coast and increased nitrate near urban centers. Stable isotopes show that precipitation is the source of recharge to the groundwater system. Interestingly, some high-elevation springs are more isotopically enriched than average annual precipitation at higher elevations, indicating preferential recharge during the drier but cooler winter months when evapotranspiration is reduced. In contrast, groundwater below 1,200 m elevation is more isotopically depleted than average precipitation, indicating recharge occurring at much higher elevation than the sampling site. Relatively cool recharge temperatures, derived from noble gas measurements at four sites (11–20 °C), also suggest higher elevation recharge. Environmental tracers indicate that groundwater residence time in the basin ranges from 12,000 years to modern. While this large range shows varying groundwater flowpaths and travel times, ages using different tracer methods (¹⁴C, ³H/³He, CFCs) were generally consistent. Comparing multiple tracers such as CFC-12 with CFC-113 indicates piston-flow to some discharge points, yet binary mixing of young and older groundwater at other points. In summary, groundwater within the Rio Actopan Basin watershed is relatively young (Holocene) and the majority of recharge occurs in the basin uplands and moves towards the coast.     

Tide-Induced Variations in the Fatty Acid Composition of Estuarine Particulate Organic Matter

The particulate organic matter (POM) in hydrodynamically variable habitats such as the lower reaches of estuaries can change in its content and quality on very short time scales (example, hourly), and these changes can potentially influence higher-level consumers in river-estuary-marine systems. Estuarine water samples were collected hourly for 12 h downstream in a small river to evaluate the fatty acid composition of POM over a tidal cycle. Fatty acid constituents of POM collected during the flood tide were dominated by the saturated, higher plant and bacterial fatty acids, whereas unsaturated, polyunsaturated, essential, and diatom-associated fatty acids dominated the POM collected during the ebb tide. Elevated algal biomass (as indicated by high chlorophyll a concentrations), diatom, and freshness indices in the POM indicated enhanced fresh autochthonous-origin materials that dominated the mixed organic pool during the ebb tide compared to more degraded detritus during the flood tide. Tidal retention of organic matter and algal primary production were the most influential factors that differentiated the fatty acid composition of estuarine POM over the short time scale. The results of this study have important implications on the quality of POM at the time of sampling, especially in estuaries where mixed organic pools have multiple inputs and are strongly influenced by tidal cycles.     

Linear discriminant analysis to describe the relationship between rainfall and landslides in Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá is located in the central Andean region of Colombia, which is frequently affected by landslide processes. These processes are mostly triggered during the rainy season in the city. This fact remarks the importance of determining what rain-derived parameters (e.g. intensity, antecedent rain, daily rain) are better related with the occurrence of landslides. For this purpose, the linear discriminant analysis (LDA), a technique derived from multivariate statistics, was used. The application of this type of analysis led to obtain simple mathematical functions that represent the probability of occurrence of landslides in Bogotá. The functions also allow to identify the most relevant variables derived from records of rainfall linked to the generation of landslides. A proof of concept using the proposed methodology was done using historic rainfall data from a 9-km² area of homogenous climatology and geomorphology in the south part of Bogotá. Landslides needed to be grouped for the LDA. Each one of these grouping categories represents landslides that occurred in similar geomorphologic conditions. Another set of events with no landslides was generated synthetically. Results of the proof of concept show that rainfall parameters such as normalized rainfall intensity I _MAP, normalized daily rainfall R _MAP and rainy-days normal RDN have the best statistical correlation with the landslides observed in the zone of analysis.     

Use of targets to track 3D displacements in highly vegetated areas affected by landslides

Monitoring landslides with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is currently a well-known technique. One problem often encountered is the vegetation that produces shadow areas on the scans. Indeed, the points behind a given obstacle are hidden and thus occluded on the point cloud. Thereby, locations monitored with terrestrial laser scanner are mostly rock instabilities and few vegetated landslides, being difficult or even impossible to survey vegetated slopes using this method with its classical non-full wave form. The Peney landslide (Geneva, Switzerland) is partially vegetated by bushes and trees, and in order to monitor its displacements during the drawdown of the Verbois reservoir located at its base, an alternative solution has been found. We combined LiDAR technique with 14 targets made of polystyrene placed at different locations inside and outside the landslide area. The obtained displacements were compared with classical measurement methods (total station and extensometer), showing good resemblance of results, indicating that the use of targets in highly vegetated areas could be an efficient alternative for mass movements monitoring.     

Exploring seven hundred years of transhumance,climate dynamic,fire and human activity through a historical mountain pass in central Spain

A high-altitude peat sequence from the heart of the Spanish Central System (Gredos range) was analysed through a multi-proxy approach to determine the sensitivity of high-mountain habitats to climate, fire and land use changes during the last seven hundred years, providing valuable insight into our understanding of the vegetation history and environmental changes in a mountain pass close to a traditional route of transhumance. The pollen data indicate that the vegetation was dominated by shrublands and grasslands with scattered pines in high-mountain areas, while in the valleys cereals, chestnut and olive trees were cultivated. Strong declines of high-mountain pines percentages are recorded at 1540, 1675, 1765, 1835 and 1925 cal AD, which may be related to increasing grazing activities and/or the occurrence of anthropogenic fires. The practice of mountain summer farming and transhumance deeply changed and redesigned the landscape of the high altitudes in central Spain (Gredos range) since the Middle Ages, although its dynamics was influenced in some way by climate variability of the past seven centuries.