Photoelectric lightcurve and period of rotation of the asteroid 182 Elsa

Photoelectric observations on five consecutive nights yield a period of rotation of 80 ± 2 hr with an amplitude of 0.7 magnitude for 182 Elsa, making it the longest period of rotation known to date. 182 Elsa is classed as an S object with a diameter of 48 km.     

Preliminary Study on the Translunar Halo Orbits of the Real Earth–Moon System

The computation of translunar Halo orbits of the real Earth–Moon system (REMS) has been an open problem for a long time, but now, it is possible to compute Halo orbits of the REMS in a systematic way. In this paper, we describe the method used for the numerical computation of Halo orbits for a time span longer than 41 years. Halo orbits of the REMS are computed from quasi-periodic Halo orbits of the quasi-bicircular problem (QBCP). The QBCP is a model for the dynamics of a spacecraft in the Earth–Moon–Sun system. It is a Hamiltonian system with three degrees of freedom and depending periodically on time. In this model, Earth, Moon and Sun are moving in a self-consistent motion close to bicircular. The computed Halo orbits of the REMS are compared with the family of Halo orbits of the QBCP. The results show that the QBCP is a good model to understand the main features of the Halo family of the REMS.     

The rotations of 128 Nemesis and 393 Lampetia: The longest known periods to date

Extensive photoelectric lightcurves of the asteroids 128 Nemesis and 393 Lampetia show for both objects extremely long rotational periods, the longest known to date for minor planets. For 393 Lampetia the combined results suggest with high probability a period of 38.7 hr with a maximal amplitude of 0.14 mag; a double-wave characteristic of the lightcurve must be assumed. For 128 Nemesis the complete double-wave lightcurve was observed and a period of 39.0 hr with a total amplitude of only 0.10 mag was deduced. Observations of 128 Nemesis confirm without doubt the presence of small-scale features of amplitude 0.01 to 0.02 mag, corresponding to small topographic features of about 15 km in height and width on the surface.     

Use of lichens in detecting environmental risk and in geochemical prospecting

This paper provides data on variations in the contents of As, Sb, Ni, V, Pb, Cu, Cr, Au, Zn, Sc, and Al, measured in the thalli of a saxicolous lichen species,Xanthoria calcicola Ochsner s.l., collected in northeastern Sicily, near an industrial zone and along a belt crossing areas of known ores containing sulfides of heavy metals. A total of 91 lichen samples were collected on roof tiles (39) and on rocks (52). In the industrial zone, analysis of lichen thalli revealed high contents of nickel and vanadium, decreasing at increasing distances from the source of contamination. The results have also revealed the versatility ofXanthoria calcicola in geochemical prospecting for heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, As, Au, Sb, Ni, V, and Cu. The contents of these elements in the analyzed lichens highlight the same geochemical associations observed in prospecting surveys on samples of river sediments and identify similar anomalies. Interpretation of data in terms of enrichment factors (EFs) turned out to be particularly useful.     

Subsidence and thermal history of an inverted Late Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous extensional basin (Cameros,North‐central Spain) affected by very low‐ to low‐grade metamorphism

The Cameros Basin (North Spain) is a Late Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous extensional basin, which was inverted during the Cenozoic. It underwent a remarkable thermal evolution, as indicated by the record of anomalous high temperatures in its deposits. In this study, the subsidence and thermal history of the basin is reconstructed, using subsidence analysis and 2D thermal modelling. Tectonic subsidence curves provide evidence of the occurrence of two rapid subsidence phases during the syn‐extensional stage. In the first phase (Tithonian‐Early Berriasian), the largest accommodation space was formed in the central sector of the basin, whereas in the second (Early Barremian‐Early Albian), it was formed in the northern sector. These rapid subsidence phases could correspond to relevant tectonic events affecting the Iberian Plate at that time. By distinguishing between the initial and thermal subsidence and defining their relative magnitudes, Royden's (1986) method was used to estimate the heat flow at the end of the extensional stage. A maximum heat flow of 60–65 mW/m² is estimated, implying only a minor thermal disturbance associated with extension. In contrast with these data, very high vitrinite reflectance, anomalously distributed in some case with respect to the typical depth‐vitrinite reflectance relation, was measured in the central‐northern sector of the basin. Burial and thermal data are used to construct a 2D thermal basin model, to elucidate the role of the processes involved in sediment heating. Calibration of the thermal model with the vitrinite reflectance (%Ro) and fluid inclusion (FI) data indicates that in the central and northern sectors of the basin, an extra heat source, other than a typical rift, is required to explain the observed thermal anomalies. The distribution of the %Ro and FI values in these sectors suggests that the high temperatures and their distribution are related to the circulation of hot fluids. Hot fluids were attributed to the hydrothermal metamorphic events affecting the area during the early post‐extensional and inversion stages of the basin.     

Slope movements induced by rainfalls damaging an urban area: the Catanzaro case study (Calabria, southern Italy)

Calabria is one of the Italian regions mostly affected by mass movements. The case study of a densely populated neighborhood (Ianò) located in the central-western sector of Calabria is presented. The several landslides triggered in February 2010 caused heavy damages to the built area, infrastructures and productions of this neighborhood, and increased the risk for the inhabitants. The results obtained through field surveys, photo interpretation, analyses of rainfall data and of the urban fabric evolution, historical survey on the reports of the damages caused by landslides, have enabled to formulate hypotheses on the potential causes that triggered landslide events and produced severe consequences on the area. These results have revealed that almost all landslides of February 2010 are partial reactivations of pre-existing landslide deposits. Moreover, the analyses have indicated a critical role of cumulative rainfalls over an interval of 15 days. However, the severe damage framework is explained through an unplanned urbanization which took place across the years on an area characterized by a high level of instability per se. Some buildings have been erected in proximity of or within pre-existing landslide scarps; in other cases, buildings have been constructed even inside the landslide bodies.     

Short-term residence and movement patterns of the annular seabream Diplodus annularis in a temperate marine reserve

The short-term movements of a small temperate fish, the annular seabream Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus 1758), were examined using standard tag-recapture and passive acoustic telemetry in Palma Bay (NW Mediterranean), a marine protected area (MPA). The study aimed to provide valuable information for assessing the recreational fishery and its results suggest that MPAs can be used to protect the adult stock of D. annularis. All the fish tagged with standard tags were recaptured near the release locations, with a maximum distance of ∼300 m. The maximum time between release and recapture was 185 d. Two different arrays of acoustic receivers were deployed, one in 2008 and another in 2009, within the MPA. Twenty adults were surgically tagged with acoustic transmitters. Fish monitored in 2008 (n = 12) were translocated from the point of capture to analyse the movement behaviour after artificial displacement. Upon release at displaced locations, 67% of the fish moved towards the original capture location using a time of return that ranged from 0.75 to 15.25 h. Fish monitored in 2009 (n = 8) were released at the point of capture. They showed high site fidelity with a maximum period of 27 d between the first time and the last time they were detected.     

Inter-provincial migration in Spain: temporal trends and age-specific patterns

"This paper provides interpretation of the changing patterns of internal migration in Spain at the inter-provincial scale, and new analysis of age-specific migration during the 1980s using a 10% sample of anonymised records from the 1991 census. Schedules of age-specific gross migration rates are constructed and classified according to their shape and level relative to the national schedule, and the relationships between in-migration and out-migration rates are examined for four selected age groups to demonstrate how aggregate patterns of inter-provincial migration conceal a wide diversity of age specific experience."