Modeling the bi-national city process of Eilat–Aqaba,a bi-national city in a cold peace setting

Officially at peace since 1994, Israel and Jordan have since established multiple cooperation schemes with the aim of transitioning from a described cold peace to a self-sustaining warm peace. One cooperation scheme that is particularly interesting from the point of view of Border and Urban Studies is the case of Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan. These tourist cities, located in the Arava Valley, are both physically isolated and strategically placed on the Red Sea coast. Since 2001 they have been considered as a potential bi-national city, and so far remain as the only one studied in a cold peace setting. Yet doubt persists as to whether a bi-national city can actually exist under such conditions. The purpose of this article is to firmly establish the place of Eilat–Aqaba as a bi-national city through the use of a unique analysis of the region that updates and elaborates findings dating from 2001. This concludes in modeling the Bi-national City Process of Eilat–Aqaba.     

Quantification of sediment source contributions in two paired catchments of the Brazilian Pampa using conventional and alternative fingerprinting approaches

The knowledge of the contribution of sediment sources to river networks is a prerequisite to understand the impact of land use change on sediment yield. We calculated the relative contributions of sediment sources in two paired catchments, one with commercial eucalyptus plantations (0.83 km²) and the other with grassland used for livestock farming (1.10 km²), located in the Brazilian Pampa biome, using different combinations of conventional [geochemical (G), radionuclide (R) and stable isotopes and organic matter properties (S)] and alternative tracer properties [spectrocolorimetric visible-based-colour parameters (V)]. Potential sediment sources evaluated were stream channel, natural grassland and oat pasture fields in the grassland catchment, and stream channel, unpaved roads and eucalyptus plantation in the eucalyptus catchment. The results show that the best combination of tracers to discriminate the potential sources was using GSRV tracers in the grassland catchment, and using GSRV, GSV and GS tracers in the eucalyptus catchment. In all these cases, samples were 100% correctly classified in their respective groups. Considering the best tracers results (GSRV) in both catchments, the sediment source contributions estimated in the catchment with eucalyptus plantations was 63, 30 and 7% for stream channel, eucalyptus stands and unpaved roads, respectively. In the grassland catchment, the source contributions to sediment were 84, 14 and 2% for natural grassland, stream channel and oats pasture fields, respectively. The combination of these source apportionment results with the annual sediment loads monitored during a 3-year period demonstrates that commercial eucalyptus plantations supplied approximately 10 times less sediment (0.1 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) than the traditional land uses in this region, that is, 1.0 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from grassland and 0.3 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from oats pasture fields. These results demonstrate the potential of combining conventional and alternative approaches to trace sediment sources originating from different land uses in this region. Furthermore, they show that well-managed forest plantations may be less sensitive to erosion than grassland used for intensive livestock farming, which should be taken into account to promote the sustainable use of land in this region of South America.     

Shallow frontal deformation related to active continental subduction: structure and recent stresses in the westernmost Betic Cordillera

The westernmost Betic Cordillera front is located along the arcuate alpine belt formed by the interaction of the Eurasian‐African plate boundary and the Alboran continental domain in between. Although classical geological data suggest that the western Cordillera front is inactive, recent GPS data show a westward–north‐westward motion of up to 3.4 mm a^?1 with respect to the foreland. In addition, the increasing thickness of Guadalquivir sedimentary infill towards the Cordillera, and the rectilinear character of the front formed by soft sediments, suggest that the Cordillera is still active. Large ENE–WSW‐oriented open folds detected in the field, seismic reflection profiles and new audiomagnetotellurics data are consistent with active deformation. Fracture analysis in Quaternary deposits evidences recent NW–SE horizontal compression. The GPS motion and maximum stress orientation may be due to north‐westward tectonic collision of the westernmost Betic Cordillera, accommodated at depth by active continental subduction of the Iberian lithosphere.     

Assessment of prospective geological hazards in Torrevieja-La Mata coast (western Mediterranean) based on Pleistocene and Holocene events

Natural Hazards - The coastal zone in which the lagoons of La Mata and Torrevieja (Eastern Spain) developed can be described as a compilation of geo-hazards typical of the Mediterranean realm. This...     

Melting and cataclastic features in shatter cones in basalt from the Vista Alegre impact structure,Brazil

Shatter cones are one of the most widely recognized pieces of evidence for meteorite impact events on Earth, but the process responsible for their formation is still debated. Evidence of melting on shatter cone surfaces has been rarely reported in the literature from terrestrial impact craters but has been recently observed in impact experiments. Although several models for shatter cones formation have been proposed, so far, no one can explain all the observed features. Shatter cones' from the Vista Alegre impact structure, Brazil, formed in fine‐grained basalt of the Jurassic‐Cretaceous Serra Geral Formation (Paraná large igneous province). A continuous quenched melt film, consisting of a crystalline phase, mica, and amorphous material, decorates the striated surface. Ultracataclasites, containing subrounded pyroxene clasts in an ultrafine‐grained matrix, occur subparallel to the striated surface. Several techniques were applied to characterize the crystalline phase in the melt, including Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Results are not consistent with any known mineral, but they do suggest a possible rare or new type of clinopyroxene. This peculiar evidence of melting and cataclasis in relation with shatter cone surfaces is interpreted as the result of tensile fracturing at the tip of a fast propagating shock‐induced rupture, which led to the formation of shatter cones at the tail of the shock front, likely during the early stage of the impact events.