Deep seismically active fracture zones in ecuador and northern peru

Summary A system of 8 seismically active fracture zones was delineated on the basis of the distribution of earthquake foci in the continental lithosphere of Ecuador. The position and width of the outcrop, thickness, dip and maximum depth of the individual fracture zones were estimated and correlated with surface geological and tectonic phenomena, volcanism and hydrothermal manifestations. The existence and strike of the fracture zones was independently confirmed by the occurrence of historical disastrous earthquakes.

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Visiting professors at Instituto Geofísico and Facultad de Geología, Minas y Petróleos, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito (Ecuador).     

Evaluation of an automated EA-IRMS method for total carbon analysis of atmospheric aerosol at HEKAL

Comprehensive atmospheric studies have demonstrated that carbonaceous particles are one of the main components of atmospheric aerosols over Europe. The aim of our study was to establish an automated elemental analyser interfaced to a stable isotope mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS) method at the Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies (HEKAL), as a suitable method of quantification of total carbon mass in individual PM_2.5 aerosol samples. Total carbon (TC) mass and simultaneous stable isotopic ratios were determined for both test standard and genuine aerosol samples. Finally, the results were compared to the ones obtained independently by an alternative sealed tube combustion method developed previously at HEKAL. The TC recovery tests of standard material prepared by the sealed tube method confirmed at least a carbon recovery yield of 92% for a broad range of carbon mass (100–2000 μg). The stable isotopic results confirmed that sealed tube method is reproducible and suitable to be used as a reference to verify our new EA-IRMS method. The EA-IRMS TC measurements of genuine aerosols gave on average 3% higher carbon recovery yield, relative to the uncorrected results of the sealed tube method. The comparison of the stable isotopic results by the two methods for aerosols also showed minimal differences. Consequently, the possibility of simultaneous TC and stable isotopic analyses makes the EA-IRMS method a very attractive alternative for continuous measurement of aerosols, with an accuracy and reliability similar to other commercial devices.     

Generalized plasticity state parameter‐based model for saturated and unsaturated soils. Part 1: Saturated state

The behavior of granular materials is known to depend on its loose or dense nature, which in turns depends both on density and confining pressure. Many models developed in the past require the use of different sets of constitutive parameters for the same material under different confining pressures. The purpose of this paper is to extend a basic generalized plasticity model for sands proposed by Pastor, Zienkiewicz and Chan by modifying the main ingredients of the model flow—rule, loading–unloading discriminating direction and plastic modulus—to include a dependency on the state parameter. The proposed model is tested against the available experimental data on three different sands, using for each of them a single set of material parameters, finding a reasonably good agreement between experiments and predictions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation of turbulent processes in a complex terrain

In the present paper the first results of the international KOPEX-86 experiment are presented. The experiment took place at the Kopisty Atmospheric Observatory of the Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere in Prague as part of a special project of the Commission of the Academy of Sciences in Planetary Geophysics (KAPG) in June and July 1986. Using 4 ultrasonic anemometers at 4 levels up to 80 m, Doppler-SODAR and wind-, temperature- and radiation balance gradients from 2 to 80 m, a complex investigation of the atmospheric boundary layer in an industrial area was made. The authors present the first results of

Analytical and experimental investigations on seismic performance of exterior beam–column subassemblages of existing RC‐framed building

Seismic performance of exterior beam–column subassemblages of reinforced concrete structure designed and detailed on the basis of the provisions of Eurocode and Indian Standards at different stages of their evolution is evaluated. Performance of the subassemblages designed and detailed according to the three different stages of codal evolution (gravity load design, ‘Nonductile’, and ‘Ductile’) is evaluated through analytical formulations and experimental investigations. In the ‘NonDuctile’ specimens, it has been observed that the shear distortion and degradation in stiffness and strength are significantly high. Performance of the ‘Ductile’ specimens based on Eurocode and Indian Standards is almost similar in terms of strength and stiffness degradation. Nevertheless, the specimen designed on the basis of Indian Standard shows higher energy dissipation at a given drift ratio. In the analytical study, shear and flexural failure of members of subassemblage and shear failure of the joint are considered as possible modes of failure of the beam–column subassemblage. For evaluating the shear strength of the joint region, a soften strut‐and‐tie model is used. Analytically obtained strengths based on the failure criteria of different components of the specimens have been first validated with experimental results and then used to determine the strength of the specimens. The investigation could indicate even the mode of failure at local level. It is utmost important to mention here that even the ductile specimens dissipate most of the energy through the development of damage in the joint region, which is neither desirable nor safe for the stability of whole structure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of Different Techniques of Tilt Testing and Basic Friction Angle Variability Assessment

A relevant parameter for estimating discontinuity shear strength is the basic friction angle, usually derived from different types of tilt tests. However, the tilt tests described in the literature produce varying basic friction angle values. From a large number of different types of tilt tests on different kinds of rocks, it was possible to conclude that the mechanisms of sliding along cylinder generatrixes and planar surfaces are quite different, and that tests based on sliding along generatrixes are not appropriate for determining reliable basic friction angle values for discontinuity planes. Tests on small specimens are also not recommended, for geometry reasons and because ensuring reliable stress conditions is difficult. To quantify the natural variability in tilt testing, large specimens of the same granite were tested. The results revealed coefficients of variation for the basic friction angle in the range of 5–10?%, a variability which is no greater than that found for other rock mechanics parameters. This observation enables to forward some recommendations concerning the appropriate number of tests needed to obtain reliable results.     

Magnetic susceptibility anisotropy of deformed rocks

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Automatic Location of Swarm Earthquakes from Local Network Data

An advanced method of automated seismic phase picking and exact location and magnitude determination of swarm micro-earthquakes from local network data is presented. The phase picker is applied in two steps: first, S-wave groups are identified using a polarisation detector, and then corresponding P-wave groups are searched for. The times of maximum P- and S-amplitudes are then used as starting points for the determination of accurate P- and S-arrival times. The maximum S-wave amplitudes are utilised for determining local magnitudes. The whole procedure is checked by simultaneous preliminary hypocentre location providing estimates of local magnitudes and a compatibility check of the candidate P- and S-phases. The closest station to the earthquake cluster is used as a master, and the phase search at the remaining stations is governed by the P- and S-phases identified at the master station. Thanks to the use of apriori information on the approximate position of hypocentres, the procedure is also capable of picking the individual P- and S-phases of sequences of overlapping swarm events. The performance of the procedure was tested by comparison of the automatically and interactively created catalogues of the January 1997 NW-Bohemia micro-earthquake swarm. With stations located at epicentral distances between 0 and 20 km, the difference between hypocentre coordinates obtained by automatic and interactive processing did not exceed 80 m for 86% events. All events above magnitude 0.5 were identified, and the automatically determined polarity of first P-wave motion proved to be correct in 89% of them.