A procedure for the calibration of gravimeters

Summary Taking into account some recent results showing that the observations carried out with Worden gravimeters are influenced by temperature, a method of calibration has been followed which aims to neutralize both the effect of drift and to affort complete symmetry to every value observed.

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Résumé En tenant compte de récents resultats qui montrent comme les lectures faites avec les gravimètres Worden soient influencées par la température, on a suivi pour l'étalonnage de ces gravimètres une méthode qui a le but outre que de neutralizer l'effet de la derive, d'assurer la complète symétrie aux valeurs observées.

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Riassunto Tenendo conto dei risultati di alcune recenti ricerche che mostrano come le letture fatte ai gravimetri Worden siano influenzate dalla temperatura, si è seguito un metodo di taratura che ha il duplice scopo di neutralizzare l'effetto della deriva e di trattare con la massima simmetria ogni singolo valore osservato.

     

The occurrence of large earthquakes in south Italy

An analysis of the data in the catalogues of Italian earthquakes indicates that large earthquakes which occur in the area of radius of about 140 km centered in the Straits of Messina occur in sequences. Each sequence is generally formed by two events and covers an average time window of 10 years.The last four sequences occurred in the time windows 1783–1891, 1818–1823, 1865–1870, 1905–1908 and are separated by about 40 years indicating that in that area there is now a gap in the time domain.The analysis of the data in the Catalogue for the region between the latitudes 39°N and 41°50′N indicates that in that region the large earthquakes occurred in 13 sequences. Each sequence is formed by 3 events in average and covers an average time window of 7 years. This indicates that, after the earthquake of Nov. 1980, which occurred after a gap of 67 years, other moderately large earthquakes may be expected in that area in the next few years.     

Evolution of orthogonal sets of coeval extension joints

The formation of two orthogonal sets of extension joints either crossing or abutting each other is a typical product of brittle deformation. Such systems of joints, with the two joint sets being geologically coeval, have been called a fracture grid-lock. The two sets are of common genesis and thus a unique remote stress field can be inferred. This interpretation causes some perplexity if the two joint sets are purely extension fractures and formed perpendicular to the least principal stress. In the present paper a conceptual model to explain the origin and the evolution of such systems is proposed. In a volume of rock undergoing a tensional and uniform remote stress state, caused for example by a tectonic regime, two horizontal and negative (i.e. tensional) stress rates are assumed to exist. When the tensile strength of the rock is locally reached, failure occurs perpendicular to the least principal stress. Then, that direction locally experiences a positive stress drop due to the stress release. For this reason, the stress field, retaining the same principal directions, is locally distorted by a swap between the σ₃ and the σ₂ components in a volume of rock surrounding the fracture. As a consequence of the persisting remote stress rates, when elastic failure conditions are newly accumulated, a second fracture forms and propagates perpendicular to the previous one. Repeated failure events, stress-drops and stress swaps eventually generate a fracture grid-lock. The whole process is also described with a simplified analytical model by applying elasticity theory.     

RR Lyrae variables in M5 as a test of pulsational theory

We present B and V CCD photometry for variables in the cluster central region, adding new data for 32 variables and giving suitable light curves, mean magnitudes and corrected colours for 17 RR Lyrae variables. Adding the data given in this paper to similar data that have already appeared in the literature, we discuss a sample of 42 variables, as given by 22 RR_ab and 20 RR_c, in the light of recent predictions from pulsational theories. We find that the observational evidence concerning M5 pulsators appears in marginal disagreement with predictions concerning the colour of the first overtone blue edge (FOBE), whereas a clear disagreement appears between the zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB) luminosities predicted through evolutionary and pulsational theories.     

Density distribution functions and correlations of earthquake parameters

The statistical analysis of the source parameters of 9 earthquake sets of different types (aftershocks, scattered events, swarms) and of different seismic regions shows that the density distribution function (ddf) of the linear dimension l of a fault is represented by a negative power law, as well as the ddf of the static stress drop σ and of the scalar seismic moment M_o. It is then suggested, and tentatively verified, that also the ddf of the root mean square ground acceleration, defined as a function of l and σ, may be represented by a negative power law and that, at least in the cases examined, it scales like the ddf of σ. It is seen that the variability of the static stress drop is significant from one region to another, as is well known, but it seems remarkable also in the same seismic region (in particular in California, σ varies by several orders of magnitude) and in the different sets of events of a given region (as observed again for California). It is hypothesized that a correlation, although weak, between the stress drop and the linear dimension of a fault exists and the analyses seem not to contradict that σ may be a decreasing function of l. Finally, it is suggested that the seismicity of a region may be represented two-dimensionally as a function of the ddf of the stress drop and of the linear dimension of a fault instead of the classic b and b_o values.     

Multiseismic cycle deformation rates from Holocene normal fault scarps on Crete (Greece)

Morphotectonic features reveal recent seismic activity on normal faults on Crete allowing slip rates, palaeoearthquake magnitudes and earthquake recurrence intervals to be inferred. The studied faults show major escarpments (100s m high, 10s km long), separating uplifted Mesozoic rocks from Quaternary deposits. During the Holocene, slip rates outpaced erosion/sedimentation rates and 5–15 m high fresh scarps formed at the base of the major escarpments. Based on our field observations and following empirical relationships between magnitude, surface rupture length and maximum co‐seismic vertical displacement, it is possible to infer some important seismotectonic parameter relative to the investigated faults. Taking into account the possible sources of error and the corresponding uncertainties, our preferred long‐term slip rates range between 0.5 and 1.3 mm yr^?1, the maximum expected magnitudes between 6.3 and 6.6 (or 6.5 and 6.8, considering worst case scenarios), while the mean recurrence intervals range between 260 and c. 840 years. These estimates are in good agreement with the shallow seismicity thus allowing to improve our knowledge on the seismic potential in Crete. Horizontal extension rates could be also inferred from our geological data and compared with the few available GPS data.     

Pulsational MV versus [Fe/H] relation(s) for globular cluster RR Lyrae variables

We use the results from recent computations of updated non-linear convective pulsating models to constrain the distance modulus of Galactic globular clusters through the observed periods of first-overtone (RR _c ) pulsators. The resulting relation between the mean absolute magnitude of RR Lyrae stars 〈 M _V (RR)〉 and the heavy element content [Fe/H] appears well in the range of several previous empirical calibrations, but with a non-linear dependence on [Fe/H] so that the slope of the relation increases when moving towards larger metallicities. On this ground, our results suggest that metal-poor ([Fe/H]<−1.5) and metal-rich ([Fe/H]>−1.5) variables follow two different linear 〈 M _V (RR)〉−[Fe/H] relations. Application to RR Lyrae stars in the metal-poor globular clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) provides an LMC distance modulus of the order of 18.6 mag, thus supporting the 'long' distance scale. The comparison with recent predictions based on updated stellar evolution theory is briefly presented and discussed.     

Determination of the continuum in some emission line objects

Excitation temperatures of the peculiar objects Boss 1985, AG Pegasi and AG Carinae have been derived form the corrected intensities of the emission lines.The values obtained are 5900K for Boss 1985, 8000K for AG Pegasi and 10500K for AG Carinae.From the observed quantities log (I/I _c), whereI is the intensity of the line andI _c the intensity of the underlying continuum, the true continuum has been derived.The results are in good agreement with those predicted in previous investigations.