Large debris avalanches and associated eruptions in the Holocene eruptive history of Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

 Shiveluch Volcano, located in the Central Kamchatka Depression, has experienced multiple flank failures during its lifetime, most recently in 1964. The overlapping deposits of at least 13 large Holocene debris avalanches cover an area of approximately 200 km² of the southern sector of the volcano. Deposits of two debris avalanches associated with flank extrusive domes are, in addition, located on its western slope. The maximum travel distance of individual Holocene avalanches exceeds 20 km, and their volumes reach ∼3 km³. The deposits of most avalanches typically have a hummocky surface, are poorly sorted and graded, and contain angular heterogeneous rock fragments of various sizes surrounded by coarse to fine matrix. The deposits differ in color, indicating different sources on the edifice. Tephrochronological and radiocarbon dating of the avalanches shows that the first large Holocene avalanches were emplaced approximately 4530–4350 BC. From ∼2490 BC at least 13 avalanches occurred after intervals of 30–900 years. Six large avalanches were emplaced between 120 and 970 AD, with recurrence intervals of 30–340 years. All the debris avalanches were followed by eruptions that produced various types of pyroclastic deposits. Features of some surge deposits suggest that they might have originated as a result of directed blasts triggered by rockslides. Most avalanche deposits are composed of fresh andesitic rocks of extrusive domes, so the avalanches might have resulted from the high magma supply rate and the repetitive formation of the domes. No trace of the 1854 summit failure mentioned in historical records has been found beyond 8 km from the crater; perhaps witnesses exaggerated or misinterpreted the events. Received: 18 August 1997 / Accepted: 19 December 1997     

Spatial variation of flow characteristics in a subarctic meandering river in ice-covered and open-channel conditions: A 2D hydrodynamic modelling approach

To be able to understand year-round river channel evolution both at present and in the future, the spatial variation of the flow characteristics and their sediment transport capabilities under ice cover need to be detected. As the measurements done through cross-sectional drill holes cover only a small portion of the river channel area, the numerical simulations give insight into the wider spatial horizontal variation of the flow characteristics. Therefore, we simulate the ice-covered flow with a hydrodynamic two-dimensional (2D) model in a meandering subarctic river (Pulmanki River, Finland) in mid-winter conditions and compare them to the pre-winter open-channel low flow situation. Based on the simulations, which are calibrated with reference measurements, we aim to detect (1) how ice-covered mid-winter flow characteristics vary spatially and (2) the erosion and sedimentation potential of the ice-covered flow compared to open-channel conditions. The 2D hydrodynamic model replicated the observed flow characteristics in both open-channel and ice-covered conditions. During both seasons, the greatest erosional forces locate in the shallow sections. The narrow, freely flowing channel area found in mid-winter cause the main differences in the spatial flow variation between seasons. Despite the causes of the horizontal recirculating flow structures being similar in both seasons, the structures formed in different locations depended on whether the river was open or ice covered. The critical thresholds for particle entrainment are exceeded more often in open-channel conditions than during ice-covered flow. The results indicate spatially extensive sediment transport in open-channel conditions, but that the spatial variability and differences in depositional and erosional locations increase in ice-covered conditions. Asymmetrical bends and straight reaches erode throughout the year, whereas symmetrical, smaller bends mainly erode in open-channel conditions and are prone to deposition in winter. The long ice-covered season can greatly affect the annual morphology of the submerged channel. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of high-pressure processing on the structure and memory effect of synthetic layered double hydroxides

We investigate the structural evolution of synthetic layered double hydroxides (LDH) samples, processed at room temperature and high-pressure (up to 7.7 GPa) in a toroidal chamber with two pressure-transmitting media, lead and graphite, using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and N₂-adsorption isotherms techniques. The X-ray patterns of compacted samples show a decrease in the peak intensities. For both pressure-transmitting media, our samples revealed a reduction of the basal d-spacing for the (003) plane when processed at 7.7 GPa. The expected high-pressure-induced amorphization was not observed. Surprisingly, we find high-pressure processing to have a strong influence on the memory effect of the LDH, due essentially to the reduction of the surface area and pore closing. Even when immersed in water, our samples did not recover the LDH structure, when either calcined at 450°C and compacted at 7.7 GPa, or calcined at 700°C and immediately compacted at 2.5 and 7.7 GPa.     

Critical distances: Comparing measures of spatial accessibility in the riverine landscapes of Peruvian Amazonia

Quantitative measures of accessibility are increasingly used in land cover change modeling and in assessing human pressure on the environment. In riverine Amazonia the significance of physical accessibility for biodiversity, land use patterns and economic livelihoods is widely acknowledged, but attempts to quantify accessibility in practice have been few in number. In this study we compare different distance- and frequency-based measures of spatial accessibility and develop a quantitative model of accessibility patterns for the north-eastern Peruvian Amazonia where rivers form the core of the transportation network. We model accessibility between the rural areas of the Loreto region and the capital city of Iquitos, using different distance algorithms in a geographic information system, and complement the distance model with information on river boat frequencies and transport capacities. Patterns of accessibility are visualized in terms of potential production zones for different types of agricultural and non-timber forest products.This study demonstrates how results from different accessibility measures vary considerably. The mean Euclidean distance to Iquitos is almost 270 km, the mean network distance nearly 760 km and the mean travel time 70 h. Observed network distances from validation points to Iquitos are on average 1.6 times longer than Euclidean distances, and for the whole study area, the average ratio between modeled network distances and Euclidean distances is 3.1. The correlation between network distances and time distances is very strong, but time distances are relatively shorter along the major channels where boat traffic is considerably faster than along narrow, tightly meandering rivers. Measures of boat frequency and transport capacity show that availability of transport possibilities is highly varying across the region. These measures provide insights into the ’thickness’ of trade, indicating the level of market integration for riverine settlements. We conclude that quantifying accessibility in an environment like Peruvian Amazonia requires measures that take into account the spatial structure and dynamic nature of the riverine transportation network. Time as a unit of distance provides the most relevant measure of accessibility in the Amazonian context, where many human actions and traditional livelihoods are controlled by travel times between the regional core and the hinterland.     

Palynological Evidence for Climatic Change and Human Activity during the Holocene on Minorca (Balearic Islands)

Four pollen diagrams from Minorca (Balearic Islands) have been correlated with other previously studied sequences from Majorca and Minorca to define a Holocene landscape sequence for the region from 8000 yr B.P. to the present. The lower part of the pollen diagrams reflects a climatic phase with more rain and less-marked seasonality than today. Significant quantities ofCorylus, Buxus,and mesophilous taxa are found. In the middle part, between 5000 and 4000 yr B.P., a strong change is recorded in composition and structure of the vegetational landscape, with vegetation appearing that was adapted to Mediterranean conditions. This episode coincided with the first human colonization of the island and also with a widespread climatic change in the western Mediterranean region. The change in taxa was complex and some sclerophyllous taxa suchOleaplayed an important role in the transformation of the landscape physiognomy from the mid-Holocene until the present. Although human activities have removed much of the Mediterranean vegetation on the Balearic Islands, it seems clear that the changes have been brought about, in part, by increasing dryness.     

Petrogenesis of the mafic igneous rocks of the Betic Cordilleras: A field, petrological and geochemical study

Mafic igneous rocks are widespread in the Nevado-Filábride Complex, the lowermost metamorphic unit of the internal zones of the Betic Cordilleras. They form intrusive, small, discontinuous bodies, predominantly dikes with subordinate small lava flows. The entire complex underwent alpine compressional metamorphism during the Paleogene continental collision, resulting in eclogites and blueschists in the mafic bodies and high-pressure assemblages in the intruded metasediments. Locally, weakly metamorphosed or completely unmetamorphosed igneous rocks with the same textural features occur as patches surrounded by eclogitized igneous rocks. The bulk rock chemistry of unmetamorphosed and completely metamorphosed mafic igneous rocks is consistent with an alkaline to transitional tholeiitic magmatism with typical within-plate geochemical characteristics. All but a few samples are nepheline normative and display REE and trace element characteristics typical of continental, rift-related magmatism. This conclusion is strongly supported by the mineral chemistry of the major constituents, in particular the calcic Ti-rich character of clinopyroxene, the lack of orthopyroxene, and the occurrence of kaersutitic amphibole. Incompatible trace element abundances and Sr and Nd isotopes support the provenance of these magmas from a variably metasomatized previously depleted sub-continental lithospheric mantle source. Received: 5 July 1999 / Accepted: 28 February 2000     

The droughts of 1996–1997 and 2004–2005 in Amazonia: hydrological response in the river main‐stem

Severe hydrological droughts in the Amazon have generally been associated with strong El Niño events. More than 100 years of stage record at Manaus harbour confirms that minimum water levels generally coincide with intense warming in the tropical Pacific sea waters. During 2005, however, the Amazon experienced a severe drought which was not associated with an El Niño event. Unless what usually occurs during strong El Niño events, when negative rainfall anomalies usually affect central and eastern Amazon drainage basin; rainfall deficiencies in the drought of 2005 were spatially constrained to the west and southwest of the basin. In spite of this, discharge stations at the main‐stem recorded minimum water levels as low as those observed during the basin‐wide 1996–1997 El Niño‐related drought. The analysis of river discharges along the main‐stem and major tributaries during the drought of 2004–2005 revealed that the recession on major tributaries began almost simultaneously. This was not the case in the 1996–1997 drought, when above‐normal contribution of some tributaries for a short period during high water was crucial to partially counterbalance high discharge deficits of the other tributaries. Since time‐lagged contributions of major tributaries are fundamental to damp the extremes in the main‐stem, an almost coincident recession in almost all tributaries caused a rapid decrease in water discharges during the 2005 event. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water reservoirs and the risk of accidental flood occurrence. Case study: Stanca–Costesti reservoir and the historical floods of the Prut river in the period July–August 2008, Romania

In the summer of 2008 the Prut river recorded a historical flow of 7140 m³/s at its entrance into Romania. This flow was the highest ever recorded of any Romanian river. The high value was generated by high amounts of rainfall recorded first on the territory of Ukraine and then in Romania. Unfortunately, there were some discrepancies between the data transmitted and intercepted from the Meteorology National Agency and Hydrology and Water Management National Agency. This is why the amount of precipitation which fell over the territory of Ukraine could not be monitored in time and punctually. Nor could the high flood wave moving rapidly from the upper basin to the lower basin. The high flow of the upper Prut caused the accumulation of an immense quantity of water in the Stanca–Costesti reservoir. Under the conditions of precipitation occurring in the lower river basin as well, the levels reached the flood quota and the reservoir reached the maximum accepted capacity, with 0·1% insurance. The release of supplementary water quantities from the reservoir would have produced catastrophic floods downstream. Keeping the water in the reservoir could have broken it and the flooding, through backwater eddies, or the riverbank settlements. In such a case, it would have produced the greatest tragedy in the hydrological history of Europe. The most significant damage was produced upstream of the barrage, next to the localities of Radauti Prut and Baranca–Hudesti, as well as in the area of the reservoir, as a result of the phenomenon known as ‘remuu’, or backwater eddies. The floods of the Prut river occurred between the end of July and the end of August. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.