Antibetische Faltungen im Gibraltarbogen

Zusammenfassung In einer zu den inneren Gebirgsketten der betischen Cordilleren extern gelegenen Zone stellen sich vielerorts Faltungen von zum Teil bedeutendem Ausmaß ein, die gegen den Hauptstamm des Gebirges gerichtet sind; sie werden als antibetische Faltungen bezeichnet. Solche finden sich auch in dem Flyschgebiet auf der Außenseite des Bogens von Gibraltar. Sie ordnen sich westlich Algeciras in eine Faltenschar ein, deren Konvexität im Grundriß gegen E gerichtet ist.     

The effect of natural disasters on FDI attraction: a sector-based analysis over time and space

Natural Hazards - Extensive research has addressed the question of why some countries are able to attract a large amount of foreign direct investment (FDI), while others are not. Until now, this...     

Experimental observations of aquifer storage and recovery in brackish aquifers using multiple partially penetrating wells

Hydrogeology Journal - Aquifer storage and recovery systems using multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW-ASR) can form a viable solution to the problem of freshwater buoyancy when using...     

Radionuclide activities in recent chondrite falls determined by gamma‐ray spectrometry: Implications for terrestrial age estimates

Radionuclide activities were measured in the low‐background gamma‐ray spectrometry facility GeMSE in eight meteorite falls (Lost City, Tamdakht, Huaxi, Boumdeid, Xining, Kamargaon, Degtevo, and Ouidiyat Sbaa) and two finds (SaU 606 and Mürtschenstock) to evaluate the use of radionuclides for terrestrial age estimates. Results indicate that these meteorites were all derived from small‐ (r < 25 cm) to medium‐sized (r < 65 cm) meteoroids. Short‐lived ⁴⁸V (t_1/2 = 16.0 d) and ⁵¹Cr (t_1/2 = 27.7 d) were only detected in Oudiyat Sbaa (EH), while ⁷Be (t_1/2 = 53.1 d) was also detected in Degtevo (H) and Kamargaon (L), in agreement with reported fall dates. The ²²Na/²⁶Al activity ratio in Huaxi agrees with the previously reported short cosmic‐ray exposure age of this meteorite while ²²Na/²⁶Al in Kamargaon likely records a complex exposure history. Bayesian statistical analysis verifies the detection of very low activities of ⁴⁴Ti (t_1/2 = 60 a) in the relatively large H chondrites (>100 g) Degtevo, Huaxi, Tamdakht, Lost City, and SaU 606. Additionally, large samples from Oudiyat Sbaa (EH) and Kamargaon (L) gave positive detections. For H chondrite target compositions, detected ⁴⁴Ti(Fe+Ni)/²⁶Al averaged 0.055 ± 0.013. Activities of ²²Na and ⁵⁴Mn in SaU 606 show that this meteorite fell between July and September 2012, making SaU 606 the second recent fall from Oman identified using gamma‐ray spectrometry. The upper activity limit of ²²Na in the Mürtschenstock meteorite shows that it fell prior to 1999 and is not related to a bolide observation in 2015. Mürtschenstock shows ¹³⁷Cs ~10× higher than previously determined in Oman meteorites, likely due to Chernobyl fallout.     

Topsoil morphology indicates bio-effective redox conditions in Venice salt marshes

Visual traces of iron reduction and oxidation are linked to the redox status of soils and have been used to characterise the quality of agricultural soils. We tested whether this feature could also be used to explain the spatial pattern of the natural vegetation of tidal habitats. If so, an easy assessment of the effect of rising sea level on tidal ecosystems would be possible. Our study was conducted at the salt marshes of the northern lagoon of Venice, which are strongly threatened by erosion and rising sea level and are part of the world heritage “Venice and its lagoon”. We analysed the abundance of plant species at 255 sampling points along a land–sea gradient. In addition, we surveyed the redox morphology (presence/absence of red iron oxide mottles in the greyish topsoil horizons) of the soils and the presence of disturbances. We used indicator species analysis, correlation trees and multivariate regression trees to analyse relations between soil properties and plant species distribution. Plant species with known sensitivity to anaerobic conditions (e.g. Halimione portulacoides) were identified as indicators for oxic soils (showing iron oxide mottles within a greyish soil matrix). Plant species that tolerate a low redox potential (e.g. Spartina maritima) were identified as indicators for anoxic soils (greyish matrix without oxide mottles). Correlation trees and multivariate regression trees indicate the dominant role of the redox morphology of the soils in plant species distribution. In addition, the distance from the mainland and the presence of disturbances were identified as tree-splitting variables. The small-scale variation of oxygen availability plays a key role for the biodiversity of salt marsh ecosystems. Our results suggest that the redox morphology of salt marsh soils indicates the plant availability of oxygen. Thus, the consideration of this indicator may enable an understanding of the heterogeneity of biological processes in oxygen-limited systems and may be a sensitive and easy-to-use tool to assess human impacts on salt marsh ecosystems.     

Finite locally resonant Metafoundations for the seismic protection of fuel storage tanks

This paper introduces a novel seismic isolation system based on metamaterial concepts for the reduction of ground motion-induced vibrations in fuel storage tanks. In recent years, the advance of seismic metamaterials has led to various new concepts for the attenuation of seismic waves. Of particular interest for the present work is the concept of locally resonant materials, which are able to attenuate seismic waves at wavelengths much greater than the dimensions of their unit cells. Based on this concept, we propose a finite locally resonant Metafoundation, the so-called Metafoundation, which is able to shield fuel storage tanks from earthquakes. To crystallize the ideas, the Metafoundation is designed according to the Italian standards with conservatism and optimized under the consideration of its interaction with both superstructure and ground. To accomplish this, we developed two optimization procedures that are able to compute the response of the coupled foundation-tank system subjected to site-specific ground motion spectra. They are carried out in the frequency domain, and both the optimal damping and the frequency parameters of the Metafoundation-embedded resonators are evaluated. As case studies for the superstructure, we consider one slender and one broad tank characterized by different geometries and eigenproperties. Furthermore, the expected site-specific ground motion is taken into account with filtered Gaussian white noise processes modeled with a modified Kanai-Tajimi filter. Both the effectiveness of the optimization procedures and the resulting systems are evaluated through time history analyses with two sets of natural accelerograms corresponding to operating basis and safe shutdown earthquakes, respectively.