Identification of magnetic minerals related to hydrocarbon authigenesis in venezuelan oil fields using an alternative decomposition of isothermal remanence curves

In this work we try to better characterise the shallow magnetic signature of hydrocarbon microseepage in oil fields from eastern and western Venezuela. To get a better insight of the processes involved, we attempt to find out the main magnetic phases responsible for the observed oil-related shallow magnetic anomalies. In this way, a new and alternative numerical approach to decompose Isothermal Remagnetization (IRM) curves is introduced. The method is based on a Direct Signal Analysis (DSA) of the IRM curve in order to identify the number and type of magnetic components. Representative wells from western (La Victoria) and eastern (San Joaquín) Venezuelan fields are studied. The DSA approach, together with rock magnetic experimental results, indicates that in the well from western Venezuela the main magnetic mineralogy associated to hydrocarbon microseepage is magnetite. Conversely, in the well from eastern Venezuela, these MS anomalies are mainly caused by the presence of Fe-sulphides (i.e. greigite). These results support the hypothesis of two different authigenic processes. For the well at the western field, we propose that a net electron transfer from the organic matter, degraded by hydrocarbon gas leakage, should occur precipitating Fe(II) magnetic minerals (e.g. magnetite). On the other hand, in the well of the eastern field, high concentrations of H2S at shallow levels, might allow the formation of secondary Fe-sulphides.     

Testing the use of an image‐based technique to measure gully erosion at Sparacia experimental area

The first part of this investigation was aimed at testing the use of a three‐dimensional (3D) digital terrain model and a quasi‐tridimensional (2.5D) digital elevation model obtained by a large series of oblique images of eroded channels taken from consumer un‐calibrated and non‐metric cameras. For two closed earth channels having a different sinuosity, the ground measurement of some cross sections by a profilometer (P) was carried out and their real volume was also measured. The comparison among the three methods (3D, 2.5D, and P) pointed out that a limited underestimation of the total volume always occurs and that the 3D method is characterized by the minimum difference between measured and real volume. For this reason, 3D model can be used as benchmark. In the subsequent part of the investigation, the three ground measurement methods were applied for surveying of an ephemeral gully (EG) channel at the Sparacia area. The morphological and hydraulic variable values of the 24 surveyed cross sections determined by both 2.5D model and profilometer were compared. This comparison showed that the estimate error is generally less than ±10%. The EG measurements carried out by the three methods supported the applicability both of the empirical relationship between EG length and its eroded volume and the theoretical dimensionless relationship among the morphological variables describing the channelized erosion process. Finally, it was demonstrated that the effect of the distance interval on the EG volume measurement by 3D and 2.5D models is negligible for the investigated EG.     

Mineralogy,chemistry, and grain size composition of recent sediments in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea: Contribution to the study of sediment transport and distribution

As a contribution to an environmental study on Tuscany's marine shelf, textural, mineralogical, and chemical characteristics of recent sediments in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea between Elba Island and Livorno have been analyzed. The data provide clear information on sediment sources and movement patterns. The main sediment source appears to be the Cecina River; very subordinate is the contribution of the Fine River. As to sediment movement patterns, the surveyed basin appears to be divided into two subbasins: (1) a greater, southern subbasin, bounded by Tuscany mainland, Elba Island and Elba Ridge, and Capraia Isle, and Vada Shoals; and (2) a smaller, northern subbasin, enclosed between Vada Shoals and Meloria Shoals (off Livorno port).In the former the coarse-grade Cecina River sediments are transported southward along most of the mainland coast by littoral drift and coastal current; a northward flowing countercurrent seems to be active only in the southernmost part. Silts and clays are distributed in concentric belts around basin's central part, being transported mainly by slow circular water movements. In the marginal western zone, very little terrigenous influx is coupled with a high biologic productivity, and biogenic debris sedimentation prevails there.In the northern subbasin the sediment contribution from Fine River is more appreciable. Here the environmental energies are very low and the coarse sediments are restricted to a few small pocket beaches where they are deposited by local creeks. Most of the subbasin area is occupied by sapropelitic muds, again distributed by slow small-scale gyres.     

Supporting USLE‐MM reliability by analyzing soil loss measurement errors

Sampling the collected suspension in a storage tank is a common procedure to obtain soil loss data. A calibration curve of the tank has to be used to obtain actual concentration values from those measured by sampling. However, literature suggests that using a tank calibration curve was not a common procedure in the past. For the clay soil of the Sparacia (Italy) experimental station, this investigation aimed to establish a link between the relative performances of the USLE‐M and USLE‐MM models, usable to predict plot soil loss at the event temporal scale, and soil loss measurement errors. Using all available soil loss data, lower soil loss prediction errors were obtained with the USLE‐MM (exponent of the erosivity term, b₁ > 1) than the USLE‐M (b₁ = 1). A systematic error of the soil loss data is unexpected for the Sparacia soil because the calibration curve does not depend on the water level in the tank. In any case, this type of error does not have any effect on the b₁ exponent. Instead, this exponent decreases as the level of underestimation increases for increasing soil loss values. This type of error can occur at Sparacia if it is assumed that a soil loss measurement can be obtained by a bottle sampler dipped close to the bottom of the tank after mixing the suspension and assuming that the measured concentration coincides with the actual one. In this case, the risk is to obtain a lower b₁ value than the actual one. In conclusion, additional investigations on the factors determining errors in soil loss data collected by a sampling procedure are advisable because these errors can have a noticeable effect on the calibrated empirical models for soil loss prediction.     

On the assessment of the management priority of sediment source areas in a debris‐flow catchment

In many Alpine catchments the monitoring and hazard mitigation of debris‐flow events require enormous economic and social resources. To confront these problems, a subjective estimation of the most hazardous zones of the basin could be useful in the best, sustainable planning of protective measures. In this paper, a new methodology is proposed that develops a Management Priority Index (MPI) to rank sediment source areas by their quantitative capability to deliver debris‐flow volumes to a point of interest within the catchment. The MPI sets the intervention priority based on a combination of three sub‐indicators: a susceptibility indicator evaluating the overall catchment predisposition to generate debris flow, a triggering indicator and a volume budget indicator assessing the rate of deliverable volume to a selected outlet. MPI was applied to the basin of the Rio Gadria catchment (Venosta Valley, Bolzano, Italy), an alpine basin with an unlimited sediment supply that is characterized by multiple, very active, shallow landslides and bare soil zones. The proposed ranking method was successfully verified using post‐event surveys and through evidence from consolidation check dams built over many years in the basin. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time-dependent degradation of biotic carbonates and the search for past life on Mars

Searching for traces of extinct and/or extant life on the surface of Mars is one of the major objectives for remote-sensing and in-situ exploration of the planet. In the present paper we study the infrared (IR) spectral modifications induced by thermal processing on differently preserved calcium carbonate fossils, in order to discriminate them from their abiotic counterparts.The main conclusion of this study is that the degree of alteration of the fossils, derived from IR spectral analysis, seems to be well correlated with the sample age, and that terrestrial fossils after a billion years are so altered that it becomes impossible to trace their biotic origin. Since it is reasonable to assume that the putative Martian fossils should be at least 3.5 billion years old, this would imply that our spectroscopic method could not be able to detect them, if their degradation rate were the same as that we have found in usual conditions for the terrestrial fossils. However, due to the different climate evolution of the two planets, there is the possibility of having two different degradation rates, much lower for Mars than for Earth, especially if the fossils are embedded in a protective layer, such as a clay deposit. In this case IR spectroscopy, coupled with thermal processing, can be a useful tool for discriminating between abiotic and biotic (fossil) carbonate samples collected on the Martian surface.     

Peculiar shapes of asteroids: Implications for light curves and periods of rotation

This paper presents some simple geometrical models of asteroids with theoretical light curves similar to the observed ones. In some cases the results suggest rotation periods to be double those one can obtain adopting two- or three-axial ellipsoids as models.A possible model, not in terms of a binary system, for asteroids with light curves like those of eclipsing binary stars, is also given.It should be stressed that the models studied in this paper are probably not very similar to real asteroids, but the principal conclusions should not be changed when more sophisticated models are considered.The work is to be a starting point for future researches on laboratory models of asteroids, in order to define, in a quantitative way, how the light curves are affected by the surface roughness and/or the large scale irregularities of the shape of an asteroid.     

Public perception of climate change and disaster preparedness: Evidence from the Philippines

The Philippines is highly susceptible to both geophysical and climate-related disasters. This article explores Filipinos knowledge and perception of climate change and their association with what action Filipinos take to prepare for rapid onset natural hazards such as typhoons. Data for this study were collected from a nationally representative random survey of 5,184 adults conducted between March and April of 2017. Filipinos self-report relatively low levels of knowledge of climate change and cited increased temperatures, shifts in seasons, and heavier rains as the most likely consequences. Levels of disaster preparedness in the Philippines differ widely by region. Although most Filipinos perceive that natural hazards are a risk to them, only a third of Filipinos undertake measures to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who perceive climate-related changes directly impacting their households report taking greater action to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who believe they have been directly impacted by climate-related changes are also more likely to prepare for disasters, take planning actions, and undertake material actions to prepare, such as dwelling improvements. Other factors associated with disaster preparedness include gender, membership in an association, wealth, risk perception, and prior exposure to and losses due to disasters. The findings imply that, while posing different challenges and requiring different responses, adaptation to climate change and disaster preparedness are inherently associated and potentially mutually reinforcing. Policies and programs would arguably benefit from a more unified intervention framework that links climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness.     

Topographic expression of active faults in the foothills of the Northern Apennines

Active faults that rupture the earth's surface leave an imprint on the topography that is recognized using a combination of geomorphic and geologic metrics including triangular facets, the shape of mountain fronts, the drainage network, and incised river valleys with inset terraces. We document the presence of a network of active, high-angle extensional faults, collectively embedded in the actively shortening mountain front of the Northern Apennines, that possess unique geomorphic expressions. We measure the strain rate for these structures and find that they have a constant throw-to-length ratio. We demonstrate the necessary and sufficient conditions for triangular facet development in the footwalls of these faults and argue that rock-type exerts the strongest control. The slip rates of these faults range from 0.1 to 0.3 mm/yr, which is similar to the average rate of river incision and mountain front unroofing determined by corollary studies. The faults are a near-surface manifestation of deeper crustal processes that are actively uplifting rocks and growing topography at a rate commensurate with surface processes that are eroding the mountain front to base level.     

Development of water management strategies in southern Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennium B.C.E.

The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer-tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation-related facilities. The Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south-eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.