Pesticide residues analysis in lake water and sediment samples from the Golcuk National Park

Pesticide residues in surface water and sediments are extremely important because of their potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems and their implications on drinking water sources. Pesticide contamination of fresh water is causing concern with respect to long-term and low-dose effects of pesticides on public health, as well as their impact on no target species. Thus, intensive research on the fate and transport of pesticides in the environment is needed. Gas chromatography (GC) with electron-capture detection (ECD) and nitrogen-phosphorous detection (NPD) were employed for the identification of different pesticides in water and sediment samples. For this purpose, extraction procedure with dichloromethane and ethyl acetate were used. The aim of our work was the quantitative determination of pesticides from several compound classes in water and sediment from Gölcük National Park (Turkey). In GC-NPD/ECD, the detection limits were between 2.75–135 ng/L for the studied pesticides, recoveries ranged from 90 to 102% in samples and the relative standard deviations were in the range 1 to 10%. The correlation coefficients obtained from calibration curves of the pesticides standards were found to be 0.999. No pesticides residue was detected in the samples analyzed. This result is highly significant because of its impacts on public health and animals living in the Gölcük National Park.     

The Manyas fault zone (southern Marmara region,NW Turkey): active tectonics and paleoseismology

The Manyas fault zone (MFZ) is a splay fault of the Yenice Gönen Fault, which is located on the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault System. The MFZ is a 38 km long, WNW–ESE-trending and normal fault zone comprised of three en-echelon segments. On 6 October 1964, an earthquake (Ms = 6.9) occurred on the Salur segment. In this study, paleoseismic trench studies were performed along the Salur segment. Based on these paleoseismic trench studies, at least three earthquakes resulting in a surface rupture within the last 4000 years, including the 1964 earthquake have been identified and dated. The penultimate event can be correlated with the AD 1323 earthquake. There is no archaeological and/or historical record that can be associated with the oldest earthquake dated between BP 3800 ± 600 and BP 2300 ± 200 years. Additionally, the trench study performed to the north of the Salur segment demonstrates paleoliquefaction structures crossing each other. The surface deformation that occurred during the 1964 earthquake is determined primarily to be the consequence of liquefaction. According to the fault plane slip data, the MFZ is a purely normal fault demonstrating a listric geometry with a dip of 64°–74° to the NNE.     

Preconcentration by Coprecipitation of Copper and Nickel with Mo(VI)/Triazole Derivative System and Their Determinations by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Food and Water Samples

A new separation and preconcentration technique based on coprecipitation of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions by the aid of Mo(VI)/di‐tert‐butyl{methylenebis[5‐(chlorobenzyl)‐4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3,4‐diyl]}biscarbamate (BUMECTAC) precipitate has been established. The Mo(VI)/BUMECTAC precipitate was dissolved by concentrated HNO₃ and the solution was completed to 5.0 mL with distilled/deionized water. The levels of the analyte ions were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometer. The effects of experimental conditions like HNO₃ concentration, amount of BUMECTAC and Mo(VI), sample volume, etc. and also the influences of some foreign ions were investigated in detail on the quantitative recoveries of analyte ions. The preconcentration factors were found to be 40 for Cu(II) and 100 for Ni(II) ions. The detection limits for Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions based on 3σ (N:10) were 0.43 and 0.70 µg L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviations were found to be lower than 4.0% for both analyte ions. The accuracy of the method was checked by spiked/recovery tests and the analysis of two certified reference materials (Environment Canada TM‐25.3 and CRM‐SA‐C Sandy Soil C). The procedure was successfully applied to sea water and stream water as liquid samples and baby food as solid sample in order to determine the levels of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions.     

Preliminary seismic microzonation of Sivas city (Turkey) using microtremor and refraction microtremor (ReMi) measurements

Sivas city, located in the inner east part of Anatolia (Turkey), is far from seismic sources. However, the city is under risk owing to strong earthquakes occurring around the area, and different soil conditions that can produce variation in the ground motion amplification. Microzonation of cities provides a basis for site-specific hazard analysis in urban settlements. In particular, seismic microzonation can be achieved by means of detailed seismic assessment of the area, including earthquake recordings and geological studies. In this paper, we propose a preliminary microzonation map for the city of Sivas, based on the variation in the dominant periods of the sediments covering the area. The periods are retrieved from microtremor measurements conducted at 114 sites, using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique. The results of microtremor analysis were compared with those obtained from refraction microtremor measurements at two profiles crossing the studied area. According to the classification of dominant periods, Sivas area can be divided into four zones, probably prone to different levels of seismic hazard. However, specific studies including analysis of weak earthquakes are required in the future to validate our microzonation map.     

Effect of particle characteristics on the evolution of particle size,particle morphology,and fabric of sands loaded under uniaxial compression

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents the results and analyses of uniaxial compression experiments performed on three silica sands. The sands have comparable particle-size distributions, but their...     

Porphyry Cu–Au mineralisation associated with a multi-phase intrusion, and related replacement fronts in limestones in an island arc setting near the Gümü hane village (Artvin) in the Eastern Black Sea Province (Turkey)

The Gümü hane area near Artvin is highly characteristic due to a significant hydrothermal alteration zone genetically associated with a microdiorite stock and its late-stage derivatives in the form of porphyry plugs that intruded into all the pre-Middle Eocene lithologies. The porphyry intrusion is multi-stage, intermediate to felsic in composition, and divided into pre-ore feldspar porphyries and quartz–feldspar porphyries, syn-ore feldspar–amphibole porphyries, and post-ore feldspar porphyries. Sericitic alteration is dominant, but K-silicate alteration is also observed and is characterised mainly by secondary feldspars, biotites, quartz, anhydrite, magnetite and pyrite veinlets. The central part of the alteration and the porphyry system where syn-ore feldspar–amphibole porphyry outcrops coincides with intense quartz stock-working with anomalous but uneconomical Cu and Au values. In this zone, pyrite is ubiquitous and is accompanied by chalcopyrite and lesser sphalerite, sulphosalts, molybdenite, bornite and magnetite. Chemical analyses of surface and drill core samples show that overall Au and Cu values are around 0.5 ppm and 0.3%, respectively, and that they are in the ranges of 1–2 ppm and 0.3–0.4%, respectively, in the densest stock-work zones.Multi-phase intrusion of porphyries into Late Cretaceous limestone also caused replacement fronts along re-crystallised limestone and porphyry contacts. This type of mineralisation is enriched in Mn, Zn, Cu, Au and Ba, and contains on average 4.7% MnO, 3.2% FeO, 3.1% Zn, 0.95% Cu, 0.3% Pb, 200 ppb Au, 900 ppm Bi and 660 ppm Ba, present in Fe- and Mn-oxides, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and lesser bornite, sulphosalts and gold. Supergene oxidation is well developed in these zones.Hydrothermal alteration mass change calculations reflect an intimate relationship between the two types of mineralisation. The lithologies near mineralised fronts are highly depleted in MnO and Zn, and the intensity of depletion is reduced away from the contact into the porphyry. The leached elements are added to the re-crystallised limestone block in which MnO and Zn show an 81-fold and 472-fold increase, respectively, over the least altered limestone. Au and Cu are enriched along the contact both in the porphyry and in the limestone, implying that they may have been derived either from other lithologies in the vicinity or the magma itself.     

The crustal structure of the eastern Marmara region, Turkey by teleseismic receiver functions

We study the crustal structure of eastern Marmara region by applying the receiver function method to the data obtained from the 11 broad-band stations that have been in operation since the 1999 İzmit earthquake. The stacked single-event receiver functions were modelled by an inversion algorithm based on a five-layered crustal velocity model to reveal the first-order shear-velocity discontinuities with a minimum degree of trade-off. We observe crustal thickening from west (29–32 km) to east (34–35 km) along the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), but we observe no obvious crustal thickness variation from north to south while crossing the NAFZ. The crust is thinnest beneath station TER (29 km), located near the Black Sea coast in the west and thickest beneath station TAR (35 km), located inland in the southeast. The average crustal thickness and S -wave velocity for the whole regions are  31 ± 2  km and  3.64 ± 0.15 km s⁻¹  , respectively. The eastern Marmara region with its average crustal thickness, high heat flow value (101 ± 11 mW m⁻²) and with its remarkable extensional features seems to have a Basin and Range type characteristics, but the higher average shear velocities (∼3.64 km s⁻¹) and crustal thickening from 29 to 35 km towards the easternmost stations indicate that the crustal structure shows a transitional tectonic regime. Therefore, we conclude that the eastern Marmara region seems to be a transition zone between the Marmara Sea extensional domain and the continental Anatolian inland region.     

The EURONEAR Lightcurve Survey of Near Earth Asteroids 2017–2020

Earth, Moon, and Planets - The Perseverance rover (Mars 2020) mission, the first step in NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, will select samples for caching based on their potential to...     

Late Triassic rifting and Jurassic–Cretaceous passive margin development of the Southern Neotethys: evidence from the Adıyaman area,SE Turkey

Evidence of rifting and continental break-up to form the S Neotethys is found within the volcanic-sedimentary Koçali Complex. This is a folded, thrust-imbricated succession that includes lavas, volcaniclastic sediments, pelagic carbonates, radiolarites and manganiferous deposits. Interbedded ribbon cherts contain radiolarians of Late Triassic to Late Jurassic age. The lower part of the succession of Mid?-Late Triassic age (Tarasa Formation) is dominated by enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB). The overlying Late Triassic to Mid-Jurassic interval (Konak Formation) is characterised by intercalations of ocean island basalt and E-MORB. Taking account of structural position, the basalts erupted within the outer part of a continent–ocean transition zone. Continental break-up probably occurred during the Late Triassic (Carnian–Norian). Early to Mid-Jurassic lavas and volcaniclastic sediments record volcanism probably after continental break-up. In addition, the Karadut Complex is a broken formation that is located at a relatively low structural position just above the Arabian foreland. Pelagic carbonates, redeposited carbonates and radiolarites predominate. Radiolarians are dated as Early to Mid-Jurassic and Late Cretaceous in age. The pelagic carbonates include planktic foraminifera of Late Cretaceous age. The Karadut Complex resulted from the accumulation of calcareous gravity flows, pelagic carbonate and radiolarites in a relatively proximal, base-of-slope setting. After continental break-up, MORB and ophiolitic rocks formed within the S Neotethys further north. Tectonic emplacement onto the Arabian platform took place by earliest Maastrichtian time. Regional interpretation is facilitated by comparisons with examples of Triassic rifting and continental break-up in the eastern Mediterranean region and elsewhere.