Earthquake resistant construction techniques and materials on Byzantine monuments in Kiev

The study of the behaviour of historic buildings that have suffered from earthquakes has become a valuable tool for the understanding of earthquake resistant construction techniques and materials. Byzantine monuments of the 11–13th century in Kiev have been studied to provide insights into their effective dynamic properties facing severe earthquake history in the area. The recessed brickworks according to the “concealed course” construction technique of the St. Sophia Cathedral (11th century), the Church of St. Michael in the Vydubytskyi Monastery (11th century), the Tithe Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (10th century) and the Cathedral of Assumption of the Virgin (11th century) in the Monastery of the Caves (Pecherskyi monastery) in Kiev were studied and the material properties of bricks and lime mortars with ceramic fill were investigated (mechanical strength tests, mineralogical, chemical and microstructural analysis). The results show major similarities with those of the Byzantine monuments in Istanbul (Theodosian Walls and Hagia Sophia — 6–11th century construction phases), giving evidence of earthquake resistant construction techniques and materials allowing for continuous stresses and strains. Hence, didactics on proper restoration techniques and materials are deduced aiming at their present safety in the face of future earthquakes.     

A general mixing equation with applications to Icelandic basalts

The mixing equation applied by Vollmer [1] to Pb and Sr isotope ratios is shown to be a general equation applicable to consideration of element and isotope ratios. The mixing equation is hyperbolic and has the form:Ax + Bxy + Cy + D = 0where the coefficients are dependent on the type of plot considered: i.e. ratio-ratio, ratio-element, or element-element. Careful use of this equation permits testing whether mixing is a viable process, places constraints on end member compositions, allows distinction between mixing of sources and mixing of magmas, and should allow distinction between recent mixing and long-term evolution of sources.The available chemical data for postglacial basalts from Iceland and along the Reykjanes Ridge are not consistent with either mixing of magmas or simple mixing of an enriched ocean island source with a depleted ocean ridge source. If the available analyses for basalts are representative of the source regions, the data are consistent with at least two models neither of which can be properly tested with the available data.(1) There are two separate mixing trends: one beneath Iceland with the alkali basalt source and a depleted Iceland source as end members; the second along the Reykjanes Ridge with a heterogeneous ocean ridge basalt source and a source similar to that for intermediate basalts on Iceland as end members. The depleted Iceland source and the depleted ocean ridge source are not the same.(2) The chemistry of the basalts is not determined by mixing. Instead the basalts are derived from a multiplicity of sources with a similar history which have been isolated for hundreds of millions of years.     

Factors and characteristics of the spatial correlation of the annual runoff of the Upper Ob basin rivers

The main features of the spatial and temporal oscillations of the annual runoff of the rivers in the Upper Ob basin, which is characterized by various landscape and hydrologic conditions, are discussed. It is found that the coefficients of pair correlation of the annual runoff have been decreasing since the late 1990s-early 2000s. Correlation functions for mountain areas should be constructed separately for river basins ranked according to the prevailing type of river feed. The coefficients of pair correlation can be described by multiple regression equations, which, apart from the distance between the centers of gravity of the basins, may include landscape characteristics such as the difference in their average elevation and forest cover.     

Linking past flood frequencies in Norway to regional atmospheric circulation anomalies

Analysis of two continuous, high‐resolution palaeo‐flood records from southern Norway reveals that the frequency of extreme flood events has changed significantly during the Holocene. During the early and middle Holocene, flood frequency was low; by contrast, it was high over the last 2300 years when the mean flood frequency was about 2.5–3.0 per century. The present regional discharge regime is dominated by spring/summer snowmelt, and our results indicate that the changing flood frequency cannot be explained by local conditions associated with the respective catchments of the two lakes, but rather long‐term variations of solid winter precipitation and related snowmelt. Applying available instrumental winter precipitation data and associated sea‐level pressure re‐analysis data as a modern analogue, we document that atmospheric circulation anomalies, significantly different from the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have some potential in explaining the variability of the two different palaeo‐flood records. Centennial‐scale patterns in shifting flood frequency might be indicative of shifts in atmospheric circulation and shed light on palaeo‐pressure variations in the North Atlantic region, in areas not influenced by the NAO. Major shifts are found at about 2300, 1200 and 200 years ago (cal. a BP). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The stability of road cut cliff face along SH-121: a case study

Rockfall is one of the major concerns along highways, settlements and forests around the globe. Amboli road cut hill is one such region which is highly vulnerable and suffers from recurrent rockfall mostly in the rainy season, which blocks the State Highway 121 for considerable period of time. The steep and highly jointed slope along the road makes the zone prone to failure due to rainwater action. This road experiences heavy traffic throughout the year as it is the only road connecting Goa to Satara and Kolhapur via Sawantwadi in Maharashtra State, India. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this study to understand the stability of the cliff face. A combination of field study and 2D computer simulation was performed to assess surface characteristics of the cliff face. Bounce height, translational kinetic energy, translational velocity and factor of safety for saturated condition have been estimated. The result of this study shows that the rock face is highly unstable taking into consideration the environmental condition and daily traffic. Proper preventive measures have also been suggested to arrest the movement of falling rocks before reaching the roads or valleys. It is a belief that if proper care is taken, then further uncertain rockfall hazards can be prevented.     

A comparison of channel-base currents and optical signals for rocket-triggered lightning strokes

A comparative analysis has been performed of the channel-base current and light waveforms for four rocket-triggered lightning strokes. It has been found that the current and light signals at the bottom of the channel exhibit a linear relationship (direct proportionality) in their rising portions. However, just after the peaks the linearity disappears, and the light signals usually decrease faster than the currents during the next several microseconds. Later, this trend is reversed and in some cases the light signals show another rising trend, even when the currents continue to decrease. The linear light/current relationship for the rising portions of the waveforms appears to be the same for different strokes. The findings support the idea of evaluating the variation of return stroke current along the lightning return stroke channel using light signals, provided that evaluation is limited to the rising portions of those signals and assuming that the light/current relationship observed at the bottom of the channel holds at other heights.     

Zircon trace element characteristics and ages in granulite xenoliths: a key to understanding the age and origin of the lower crust,Arkhangelsk kimberlite province,Russia

Garnet granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Grib kimberlite pipe (Arkhangelsk, NW Russia) represent the lower crust beneath Russian platform in close vicinity to the cratonic region of the north-eastern Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield. Many of the xenoliths have experienced strong interaction with the kimberlite host, but in others some primary granulite-facies minerals are preserved. Calculated bulk compositions for the granulites suggest that their protoliths were basic to intermediate igneous rocks; pyroxenites were ultrabasic to basic cumulates. A few samples are probably metasedimentary in origin. Zircons are abundant in the xenoliths; they exhibit complex zoning in cathodoluminescence with relic cores and various metamorphic rims. Cores include oscillatory zircon crystallized in magmatic protoliths, and metamorphic and magmatic sector-zoned zircons. Recrystallization of older zircons led to the formation of bright homogeneous rims. In some samples, homogeneous shells are surrounded by darker convoluted overgrowths that were formed by subsolidus growth when a change in mineral association occurred. The source of Zr was a phase consumed during a reaction, which produced garnet. Late-generation zircons in all xenoliths show concordant U–Pb ages of 1.81–1.84 Ga (1,826 ± 11 Ma), interpreted as the age of last granulite-facies metamorphism. This event completely resets most zircon cores. An earlier metamorphic event at 1.96–1.94 Ga is recorded by some rare cores, and a few magmatic oscillatory zircons have retained a Neoarchaean age of 2,719 ± 14 Ma. The assemblage of metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks was probably formed before the event at 1.96 Ga. Inherited magmatic zircons indicate the existence of continental crust by the time of intrusion of magmatic protoliths in the Late Archaean. The U–Pb zircon ages correspond to major events recorded in upper crustal rocks of the region: collisional metamorphism and magmatism 2.7 Ga ago and reworking of Archaean rocks at around 1.95–1.75 Ga. However, formation of the granulitic paragenesis in lower crustal rocks occurred significantly later than the last granulite-facies event seen in the upper crust and correlates instead with retrograde metamorphism and small-volume magmatism in the upper crust.     

Typochemistry of rinkite and products of its alteration in the Khibiny Alkaline pluton,Kola Peninsula

The occurrence, morphology, and composition of rinkite are considered against the background of zoning in the Khibiny pluton. Accessory rinkite is mostly characteristic of foyaite in the outer part of pluton, occurs somewhat less frequently in foyaite and rischorrite in the central part of pluton, even more sparsely in foidolites and apatite–nepheline rocks, and sporadically in fenitized xenoliths of the Lovozero Formation. The largest, up to economic, accumulations of rinkite are related to the pegmatite and hydrothermal veins, which occur in nepheline syenite on both sides of the Main foidolite ring. The composition of rinkite varies throughout the pluton. The Ca, Na, and F contents in accessory rinkite and amorphous products of its alteration progressively increase from foyaite and fenitized basalt of the Lovozero Formation to foidolite, rischorrite, apatite–nepheline rocks, and pegmatite–hydrothermal veins.     

New data on the present-day active fluid regime of fractured zones of crystalline basement and sedimentary cover in the eastern part of Volga-Ural region

The study area is the South Tatarstan Arch located in the Volgo-Ural Region, which is an enigmatic crustal segment occupying one third of the East European Platform. Monitoring studies have shown that fluid discharge processes are still active and time-dependent. This paper presents an integrated review of the geological, geophysical, hydrochemical and geochemical studies of the crystalline basement of Tatarstan. These studies are based on the stratigraphic and compositional schemes within the crystalline basement, the drilling of deep wells, the geodynamic activity of the fractured zones of the crystalline basement and the presence of fluids therein. Furthermore, the changes in the chemical composition of the basement waters are taken into account.