Pressure–temperature evolution of the late Hercynian Calabria continental crust: compatibility with post‐collisional extensional tectonics

The late Hercynian tectonic evolution of the Calabria crust is characterized by peak metamorphic conditions up to 800 °C and 1000 MPa, and coeval mid‐crustal granitoid emplacement at 304–300 Ma. To check if a post‐collisional extensional framework, similar to that of other Hercynian massifs, can explain petrologic data, we model the pressure–temperature evolution of the crust during extension following granitoid emplacement. Model parameters are constrained by petrologic, geochemical and structural data. Computed P–T paths are characterized by nearly isothermal decompression followed by isobaric cooling, which show a good fit to petrologic P–T paths for duration of extension between 5 and 10 Ma. The model results, therefore, support an interpretation of the magmatic and metamorphic evolution of the Calabria crust in terms of the late Hercynian extension. In this framework, slab break‐off is a reasonable explanation for the common evolution of the southern European Hercynian massifs.     

Regional thermo-rheological field related to granite emplacement in the upper crust: implications for the Larderello area (Tuscany,Italy)

We modelled thermo-rheological perturbations, related to the emplacement of a magmatic body in the upper crust. This approach was considered relevant for the areas characterized by elevated surface heat flow and chiefly for the geothermal fields. The numerical conductive thermal model applied to the Larderello geothermal area in Tuscany, allowed to constrain size, depth and timing of emplacement of the pluton. We inferred that the emplacement of a magmatic body, at a minimum depth of 3 km, having a horizontal extension of 14 km and a maximum thickness of 8 km, can reasonably reproduce the observed regional surface heat flow anomaly of the Larderello area, when 300 (± 100) kyr are elapsed from the magma emplacement. Even assuming an incremental growth, the first magma injection should not be older than 1 ± 0.3 Ma.

Results of the thermal model were used to set up a rheological model and to simulate the drifting of the brittle-ductile transition during the cooling of the pluton. A comparison with the K-horizon profile, a prominent seismic reflector in the Larderello area, was then performed. It was found that the K-horizon approximately corresponds with the pluton roof and with the current location of the brittle-ductile transition.     

Design of hysteretic dampers with optimal ductility for the transverse seismic control of cable‐stayed bridges

Cable‐stayed bridges require a careful consideration of the lateral force exerted by the deck on the towers under strong earthquakes. This work explores the seismic response of cable‐stayed bridges with yielding metallic dampers composed of triangular plates that connect the deck with the supports in the transverse direction. A design method based on an equivalent single‐degree of freedom approximation is proposed. This is proved valid for conventional cable‐stayed bridges with 200‐ and 400‐m main spans, but not 600 m. The height of the plates is chosen to (1) achieve a yielding capacity that limits the maximum force transmitted from the deck to the towers, and to (2) control the hysteretic energy that the dampers dissipate by defining their design ductility. In order to select the optimal ductility and the damper configuration, a multi‐objective response factor that accounts for the energy dissipation, peak damper displacement and low‐cycle fatigue is introduced. The design method is applied to cable‐stayed bridges with different spans and deck–support connections. The results show that the dissipation by plastic deformation in the dampers prevents significant damage in the towers of the short‐to‐medium‐span bridges under the extreme seismic actions. However, the transverse response of the towers in the bridge with a 600‐m main span is less sensitive to the dampers. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

DISCUSSION ON ＂NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SEDIMENT RELEASE FROM RESERVOIRS＂ （No. 1, 2006） BY KHOSROWNEJAD A. AND NEISHABORI A.

Sedimentation processes in reservoirs can be studied by performing theoretical analysis, laboratory experimentation, numerical simulation, or a combination of these three methods. Available literature focused on reservoirs is abundant. For instance, the works conducted by Hotchkiss and Parker (1991), Morris and Fan (1997), and De Cesare et al.     

Measurements and Modelling of the Wind Speed Profile in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

We present measurements from 2006 of the marine wind speed profile at a site located 18 km from the west coast of Denmark in the North Sea. Measurements from mast-mounted cup anemometers up to a height of 45 m are extended to 161 m using LiDAR observations. Atmospheric turbulent flux measurements performed in 2004 with a sonic anemometer are compared to a bulk Richardson number formulation of the atmospheric stability. This is used to classify the LiDAR/cup wind speed profiles into atmospheric stability classes. The observations are compared to a simplified model for the wind speed profile that accounts for the effect of the boundary-layer height. For unstable and neutral atmospheric conditions the boundary-layer height could be neglected, whereas for stable conditions it is comparable to the measuring heights and therefore essential to include. It is interesting to note that, although it is derived from a different physical approach, the simplified wind speed profile conforms to the traditional expressions of the surface layer when the effect of the boundary-layer height is neglected.     

Aquifer vulnerability and groundwater quality in mega cities: case of the Mexico Basin

The aquifer system in the Metropolitan Zone of the Mexican Basin is comprised by a higher, middle, and a lower aquifer, separated by less permeable elements. This study integrated a geographical database from which aquifer vulnerability values were obtained using the SINTACS method. The results show the lowest vulnerability values in the lacustrine zone of the basin, where most of the urban area is settled. The medium vulnerability indices are at the edges of the basin and are associated with tuffs, pyroclasts and alluvial deposits. The highest vulnerability values are in the ranges bordering the basin. High water quality values are toward the limits of the basin and in the recharge zones while lower quality water is in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa zones. The results of this study enable a cause–effect relationship to be established between potential sources of contamination and groundwater quality indices only for Tlahuac and Iztapalapa, a notable finding since most of the urban area is settled over low and very low vulnerability zones.     

A Europe–South America network for climate change assessment and impact studies

The goal of the CLARIS project was to build an integrated European–South American network dedicated to promote common research strategies to observe and predict climate changes and their consequent socio-economic impacts taking into account the climate and societal peculiarities of South America. Reaching that goal placed the present network as a privileged advisor to contribute to the design of adaptation strategies in a region strongly affected by and dependent on climate variability (e.g. agriculture, health, hydro-electricity). Building the CLARIS network required fulfilling the following three objectives: (1) The first objective of CLARIS was to set up and favour the technical transfer and expertise in earth system and regional climate modelling between Europe and South America together with the providing of a list of climate data (observed and simulated) required for model validations; (2) The second objective of CLARIS was to facilitate the exchange of observed and simulated climate data between the climate research groups and to create a South American high-quality climate database for studies in extreme events and long-term climate trends; (3) Finally, the third objective of CLARIS was to strengthen the communication between climate researchers and stakeholders, and to demonstrate the feasibility of using climate information in the decision-making process.     

Oblique strain partitioning and transpression on an inverted rift: The Castilian Branch of the Iberian Chain

The Iberian Chain is a wide intraplate deformation zone formed by the tectonic inversion during the Pyrenean orogeny of a Permian–Mesozoic basin developed in the eastern part of the Iberian Massif. The N–S convergence between Iberia and Eurasia from the Late Cretaceous to the Lower Miocene times produced significant intraplate deformation. The NW–SE oriented Castilian Branch of the Iberian Chain can be considered as a “key zone” where the proposed models for the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Iberian Chain can be tested. Structural style of basin inversion suggests mainly strike–slip displacements along previous NW–SE normal faults, developed mostly during the Mesozoic. To confirm this hypothesis, structural and basin evolution analysis, macrostructural Bouguer gravity anomaly analysis, detailed mapping and paleostress inversions have been used to prove the important role of strike slip deformation. In addition, we demonstrate that two main folding trends almost perpendicular (NE–SW to E–W and NW–SE) were simultaneously active in a wide transpressive zone. The two fold trends were generated by different mechanical behaviour, including buckling and bending under constrictive strain conditions. We propose that strain partitioning occurred with oblique compression and transpression during the Cenozoic.     

Quantification of flow patterns in sheared tonalite crystal-melt mush: Application of fractal-geometry methods

Fractal-geometry-based analysis techniques offer simple and efficient ways for analyzing magmatic fabrics that are otherwise difficult to describe quantitatively. This study shows an application of two different methods on flow patterns observed in a syntectonic magmatic body injected into the lower crust. XZ and YZ rock cuts are scanned, and the scans are automatically transferred to binary patterns of mafic and felsic minerals. These are analyzed by boxcounting as well as the modified Cantor-dust method. Box-counting leads to characterization of the entire patterns, proves their fractality in two different scale ranges, and yields information about magma mingling and grain-aggregate forming processes. The modified Cantor-dust method quantifies the anisotropy of pattern complexity and represents a potentially powerful method for determination of shear sense during magmatic flow. Both methods represent useful tools specifically for analyzing diffuse magmatic fabrics and for connecting field-related studies with analyses on the microscale.     

Fluvial architecture as a response to two-layer lithospheric subsidence during the Permian and Triassic in the Iberian Basin,eastern Spain

The stratigraphy of a sedimentary basin is mainly the result of the long-term response of a depositional surface to prolonged subsidence. However, the real nature of interrelations between fluvial architecture and subsidence is still unknown. Herein, we present new data on these relationships by combining the results of detailed sedimentological field work with data acquired through automated forward modelling and backstripping for the alluvial Permian and Triassic sediments of the SE Iberian Ranges. Using this methodology, we determined tectonic subsidence of the basin by means of backstripping analysis and crust and lithospheric mantle stretching factors (δ and β, respectively) using forward modelling technique. Results indicated that a configuration of two individual and independent layers during lithospheric subsidence for each tectonic phase fit better for this time of the studied basin evolution than the assumption of subsidence due to a single layer spanning the whole lithosphere.For this study, we simplified fluvial geometries as two main types: isolated (I) and amalgamated (A), with subtypes in each case. Different order bounding surfaces (b.s.) were distinguished in the field, although we only selected those affecting the whole basin under study. These included those b.s. of clear tectonic origin, ranging from individual basin boundary-fault pulses produced over periods of approximately 1 My to those arising from major tectonic events, such as the beginning of extension in the basin, causing major changes in basin geometry over periods of 3–5 My.The comparison of δ and β values and fluvial geometries for each identified tectonic phase in the basin evolution, revealed some possible relationship between subsidence and fluvial geometry: Sections showing the most varied fluvial architectural geometries, including ribbon and nested forms, were related to higher β and δ stretching factors values indicating tectonic phases of greater stretching and subsidence. When both stretching factors were similar and close to 1, fluvial geometry was basically reduced to amalgamated geometry type. Wider ranging of fluvial geometries was associated with stages of basin development in which crust and upper mantle activities differed, that is, showing larger differences of β and δ stretching factors values. The related slope changes are proposed as the main surface control of fluvial styles.Combination of subsidence with other possible controlling factors such as avulsion rate, climate or budget of sediments, gives rise to the definitive alluvial architecture of a basin.