Hazard distribution and risk assessment in the network systems

In the age when transport flows in the railway and road systems, information flows in the internet channels, etc. intensify, hazard distribution in the network systems becomes a more relevant and important issue. In the paper various theoretical hazard type distributions in the network systems are analysed. Conditions and assumptions that hazard in the network system cells would settle and became steady are defined. Cases are analysed, when hazard is initiated in one or several network nodes, while in other nodes hazard is decreased, i.e. they have immunity to the hazard. In all cases hazard distribution equilibrium equations are constructed and their solutions‘ existence conditions are defined. Theoretical results are illustrated by simulation of hazard fuel transportation in the Lithuanian roads. It is shown that using this methodology it is possible to construct an algorithm, which enables to operate and decrease fuel transportation hazard and risk. The novelty of the work is associated with employing Markov process to describe hazard distribution mechanism and to determine limited hazard distribution in the nodes of networks. The hazard of tank trucks in the network of Lithuanian roads has been assessed for the first time.     

Recent Advances and Difficulties of Infrasonic Wave Investigation in the Ionosphere

Acoustic waves have a remarkable ability to transfer energy from the ground up to the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. On the ground, there are many permanent sources of infrasound, and also pulsed and/or sporadic sources (e.g., sea waves, infrasonic and sonic noise of cities, lightning, earthquakes, explosions, etc.). The infrasonic waves carry away the major part of their energy upwards through the atmosphere. What are the consequences of the upward energy transfer? What heights of the atmosphere are supplied by energy from various sources of an infrasonic wave? In most cases, the answers to these questions are not well known at present. The only opportunity to monitor the propagation of an infrasonic wave to high altitudes is to watch for its influence on the ionospheric plasma. Unfortunately, most of standard equipment for ionospheric sounding, as a rule, cannot detect plasma fluctuations in the infrasonic range. Besides, the form of an infrasonic wave strongly varies during propagation due to nonlinear effects. However, the development of the Doppler method of radiosounding of the ionosphere has enabled progress to be made. Simultaneously, the ionospheric method for sensing aboveground and underground explosions has been developed. Its main advantage is the remote observation of an explosion in the near field zone by means of short radio waves, i.e., the radio sounding of the ionosphere directly above the explosion. The theory of propagation of an acoustic pulse produced by an explosion on the ground up to ionospheric heights has been developed better than the theory for other sources, and has been quantitatively confirmed by experiments. A review of some advances in the area of infrasound investigations at ionospheric heights is given and some current problems are presented.     

A synthetic Earth Gravity Model Designed Specifically for Testing Regional Gravimetric Geoid Determination Algorithms

A synthetic [simulated] Earth gravity model (SEGM) of the geoid, gravity and topography has been constructed over Australia specifically for validating regional gravimetric geoid determination theories, techniques and computer software. This regional high-resolution (1-arc-min by 1-arc-min) Australian SEGM (AusSEGM) is a combined source and effect model. The long-wavelength effect part (up to and including spherical harmonic degree and order 360) is taken from an assumed errorless EGM96 global geopotential model. Using forward modelling via numerical Newtonian integration, the short-wavelength source part is computed from a high-resolution (3-arc-sec by 3-arc-sec) synthetic digital elevation model (SDEM), which is a fractal surface based on the GLOBE v1 DEM. All topographic masses are modelled with a constant mass-density of 2,670 kg/m³. Based on these input data, gravity values on the synthetic topography (on a grid and at arbitrarily distributed discrete points) and consistent geoidal heights at regular 1-arc-min geographical grid nodes have been computed. The precision of the synthetic gravity and geoid data (after a first iteration) is estimated to be better than 30 μ Gal and 3 mm, respectively, which reduces to 1 μ Gal and 1 mm after a second iteration. The second iteration accounts for the changes in the geoid due to the superposed synthetic topographic mass distribution. The first iteration of AusSEGM is compared with Australian gravity and GPS-levelling data to verify that it gives a realistic representation of the Earth’s gravity field. As a by-product of this comparison, AusSEGM gives further evidence of the north–south-trending error in the Australian Height Datum. The freely available AusSEGM-derived gravity and SDEM data, included as Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) with this paper, can be used to compute a geoid model that, if correct, will agree to in 3 mm with the AusSEGM geoidal heights, thus offering independent verification of theories and numerical techniques used for regional geoid modelling.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00190-005-0002-z     

New maturation parameters based on naphthalene and phenanthrene isomerization and dealkylation processes aimed at improved classification of crude oils (Southeastern Pannonian Basin,Serbia)

Aiming at improved classification of crude oils, naphthalene and phenanthrene isomerization and dealkylation processes were considered in detail as a possible basis to select new maturation parameters. Crude oils originating from the Banat depression (Southeastern Pannonian Basin, Serbia) were used as objects of our study. Four new maturation parameters are proposed in this paper. Two of them are based on dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) and trimethylnaphthalene (TMN) isomerization reactions: DN_x = (1,3-DMN + 1,6-DMN)/(1,4-DMN + 1,5-DMN) and TNy = (1,3,6-TMN + 1,3,7-TMN)/(1,3,5-TMN + 1,4,6-TMN). The other two are based on demethylation of dimethyl-and trimethylphenanthrenes (DMP and TMP) into corresponding methylphenanthrenes (MP): MDR = ΣMP/ΣDMP and MTR = ΣMP/ΣTMP. The new parameters’ advantageous applicability was demonstrated by factor analysis, comparing them with maturation parameters known from literature. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Magmatic history of granite-derived mylonites from the southern Desná Unit (Silesicum, Czech Republic)

Summary In the southern part of the Hruby Jeseník Mts. (Silesicum, Bohemian Massif) granitic orthogneisses and quartz-feldspars mylonites occur that were variously deformed, metamorphosed and imbricated with the overlaying Devonian volcano-sedimentary complex during the Variscan orogeny. Based on combined mapping, petrologic and geochemical studies, three main rock groups are distinguished. The fairly primitive nature of the tonalite suite is shown by low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr₅₅₀ ratios (0.7034–0.7038) and positive ε _Nd ⁵⁵⁰ values (+3.8 and +3.1). Isotopic composition of the metagranite suite is similar (ε _Nd ⁵⁵⁰ = +1.9 to +2.9). Both suites probably belong to a single Cadomian calc-alkaline tonalite–granite association, which can be correlated with acid-intermediate plutonic rocks of the eastern Brunovistulicum (Slavkov Terrane). All these units are interpreted as representing dismembered fragments of the same continental margin magmatic arc system. The leucogranite suite is most likely early Variscan in age. The initial Nd isotopic composition (ε _Nd ³³⁰ = +0.8 and +2.3) is consistent with its formation by a Variscan remelting of the metaigneous Cadomian crust represented by the rocks of the tonalite–granite association. The within-plate granite affinity of the leucogranite suite is most likely related to the break-up of the Brunovistulicum during the Variscan orogeny.     

Fe-rich Dunite Xenoliths from South African Kimberlites: Cumulates from Karoo Flood Basalts

Fe-rich dunite xenoliths within the Kimberley kimberlites compriseolivine neoblasts with minor elongated, parallel-oriented ilmenite,and rarely olivine porphyroclasts and spinel. Compared withtypical mantle peridotites, olivines in the Fe-rich duniteshave lower forsterite (Fo_87–89) and NiO contents (1300–2800ppm), which precludes a restitic origin for the dunites. Chrome-richspinels are remnants of a metasomatic reaction that producedilmenite and phlogopite. Trace element compositions differ betweenporphyroclastic and neoblastic olivine, the latter having higherTi, V, Cr and Ni and lower Zn, Zr and Nb contents, documentingtheir different origins. The dunites have high ¹⁸⁷Os/ ¹⁸⁸Osratios (0·11–0·15) that result in youngmodel ages for most samples, whereas three samples show isotopicmixtures between Phanerozoic neoblasts and ancient porphyroclasticmaterial. Most Fe-rich dunite xenoliths are interpreted to berecrystallized cumulates related to fractional crystallizationof Jurassic Karoo flood basalt magmatism, whereas the porphyroclastsare interpreted to be remnants from a much earlier (probablyArchaean Ventersdorp) magmatic episode. The calculated parentalmagma for the most primitive olivine neoblasts in the Fe-richdunites is similar to low-Ti Karoo basalts. Modelling the crystalfractionation of the inferred parental magma with pMELTS yieldselement fractionation trends that mirror the element variationof primitive low-Ti Karoo basalts. KEY WORDS: dunite xenoliths; fractional crystallization; Karoo; large igneous province; pMELTS; Re–Os; trace elements     

Retrieval of source parameters of an event of the 2000 West Bohemia earthquake swarm assuming an anisotropic crust

We propose an inversion scheme for retrieval of characteristics of seismic point sources, which in contrast to common practice, takes into account anisotropy. If anisotropy is neglected during inversion, the moment tensors retrieved from seismic waves generated by sources situated in anisotropic media may be biased. Instead of the moment tensor, the geometry of the source is retrieved directly in our inversion; if necessary, the moment tensor can be then determined from the source geometry aposteriori. The source geometry is defined by the orientation of the slip vector and the fault normal as well as the strength of the event given by the size of the slip and the area of the fault. This approach allows direct interpretation of the source geometry in terms of shear and tensile faulting. It also makes possible to identify volumetric source changes that occur during rupturing. We apply the described algorithm to one event of the 2000 West Bohemia earthquake swarm episode. For inversion we use information of the direct P waves. The structure is approximated by three different models determined from travel-time observations. The models are inhomogeneous isotropic, inhomogeneous anisotropic, and homogeneous anisotropic. For these models we obtain seismic moments M_T = 3.2 − 3.8 × 10¹⁴ Nm and left-lateral near-vertical oblique normal faulting on a N-S trending rupture surface. The orientation of the rupture surface is consistent with fault-plane solutions of earlier studies and with the spatial distribution of other events during this swarm. The studied event seems to be accompanied by a small amount of crack opening. The amount of crack opening is slightly reduced when the inhomogeneous anisotropic model is assumed, but it persists. These results and additional independent observations seem to indicate that tensile faulting occurs as a result of high fluid pressure.     

Ray tracing for continuously rotated local coordinates belonging to a specified anisotropy

Conventional ray tracing for arbitrarily anisotropic and heterogeneous media is expressed in terms of 21 elastic moduli belonging to a fixed, global, Cartesian coordinate system. Our principle objective is to obtain a new ray-tracing formulation, which takes advantage of the fact that the number of independent elastic moduli is often less than 21, and that the anisotropy thus has a simpler nature locally, as is the case for transversely isotropic and orthorhombic media. We have expressed material properties and ray-tracing quantities (e.g., ray-velocity and slowness vectors) in a local anisotropy coordinate system with axes changing directions continuously within the model. In this manner, ray tracing is formulated in terms of the minimum number of required elastic parameters, e.g., four and nine parameters for P-wave propagation in transversely isotropic and orthorhombic media, plus a number of parameters specifying the rotation matrix connecting local and global coordinates. In particular, we parameterize this rotation matrix by one, two, or three Euler angles. In the ray-tracing equations, the slowness vector differentiated with respect to traveltime is related explicitly to the corresponding differentiated slowness vector for non-varying rotation and the cross product of the ray-velocity and slowness vectors. Our formulation is advantageous with respect to user-friendliness, efficiency, and memory usage. Another important aspect is that the anisotropic symmetry properties are conserved when material properties are determined in arbitrary points by linear interpolation, spline function evaluation, or by other means.