Neotectonic and seismotectonic investigation of seismically active regions in Tunisia: a multidisciplinary approach

Due to its key position within the Africa–Europe convergence zone, Tunisia is marked by thrusting, folding, and faulting and has a major rupture zones associated with active faults. Consequently, most of Tunisian land is seismically active with significant active deformations, showing recent seismic events and their relative surface effects. This paper reports on several aspects of the seismotectonics, historical, and present-day seismicity and places them in the general tectonic and geodynamic framework of Tunisia. Field investigations, based on an integrated multidisciplinary approach, included (1) the identification of active faults, their motion and displacement, geomorphic aspects, and scarps and their relation with the general structural map of Tunisia and (2) an extensive analysis of brittle tectonic deformation affecting Quaternary deposits in several sites throughout Tunisia. The integration of field data within the existing data related to the seismic events that took place during the last decades allowed the establishment of an earthquake distribution map, as well as major seismic zones for better understanding of the seismicity database of Tunisia. To establish microzonation maps in seismic regions such as Gafsa and its surroundings, we have analyzed surface effects and secondary structures associated with active faults and correlated them with deformation rates, reconstructed for significant seismic events. Most faults exhibited typical left-stepping en-echelon with strike-slip component pattern suggesting that Tunisia is presently subjected to NNW–SSE compression. The focal mechanism of most Tunisia earthquakes combined with the existing tectonic and structural information and reconstruction of the Quaternary stress tensor allowed (a) better understanding of seismic zoning, (b) provided better assessment of the seismic hazard, and (c) facilitated the interpretation of the relationship between seismic zones and the geodynamic African–Eurasian plate boundary.     

Influence of a method of evaluation of the curvature of flexible vegetation elements on vertical distributions of flow velocities

Methods of computing the deflections of flexible vegetation elements under the dynamic pressure of water were presented in the paper. Two methods, based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, were discussed, one designed for small deflections and the other, generalized one, also for larger deflections. The choice of the method for computations of deflections was discussed from the perspective of the computation of flow velocities above flexible vegetation. Computational results were compared with laboratory experiments and it was found that the simplified, computationally less expensive method may be used in many practical situations without deterioration of the results.     

Dependence of air pollution on meteorological conditions based on magnetic susceptibility measurements: a case study from Warsaw

This study reports systematic analysis of air pollution concentration by particulate matter (PM) in relation to annual changes of metrological conditions. The concentration of PM collected on filters was evaluated by magnetic properties. Long series of filters collected during 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1985 in Warsaw have been used for measurement. Such long time series allowed a better determination of correlation between seasonal susceptibility changes and meteorological conditions and to verify the repeatability of annual behavior. The magnetic susceptibility normalized by mass (??) has been used as a proxy of pollution. Monthly variations of ?? (??_m) demonstrated slow and small seasonal changes disturbed by quick, high peaks. The filters with high susceptibilities contain a mixture of magnetic single and multidomain grains which is characteristic for anthropogenic pollution, with the frequency-dependent susceptibility ??_fd being less than 4%. The low susceptibility samples are characterized by admixture of small amount of pseudo-single domain (PSD) and possible small amount of superparamagnetic (SP) grains. Detailed analysis of reduced mean monthly susceptibility ??_R revealed that temperature and absolute humidity correlate positively in cold period of year and negatively in warm months. The linear correlation coefficients range from 0.7 to 0.9 and from 0.3 to 0.4 for negative and positive linear correlation, respectively. The dispersion of pollutants in a city depends on the way of ventilation. The big cities like Warsaw are urban heat islands which act the most effective way for the warm period and for the cold time. The correlation of ??_R with absolute humidity is similar to that for temperature but for different reasons. The presence of big amount of water vapor particles in the atmosphere can favor the adhesion of smaller ferromagnetic grains to their surface which can accelerate the process of falling down of such agglomerates. Such a process can take place during wintertime. We do not observe clear correlation between ??_R and precipitation.     

Simple Hydraulic Conductivity Estimation by the Kalman Filtered Double Constraint Method

This paper presents the Kalman Filtered Double Constraint Method (DCM‐KF) as a technique to estimate the hydraulic conductivities in the grid blocks of a groundwater flow model. The DCM is based on two forward runs with the same initial grid block conductivities, but with alternating flux‐head conditions specified on parts of the boundary and the wells. These two runs are defined as: (1) the flux run, with specified fluxes (recharge and well abstractions), and (2) the head run, with specified heads (measured in piezometers). Conductivities are then estimated as the initial conductivities multiplied by the fluxes obtained from the flux run and divided by the fluxes obtained from the head run. The DCM is easy to implement in combination with existing models (e.g., MODFLOW). Sufficiently accurate conductivities are obtained after a few iterations. Because of errors in the specified head‐flux couples, repeated estimation under varying hydrological conditions results in different conductivities. A time‐independent estimate of the conductivities and their inaccuracy can be obtained by a simple linear KF with modest computational requirements. For the Kleine Nete catchment, Belgium, the DCM‐KF yields sufficiently accurate calibrated conductivities. The method also results in distinguishing regions where the head‐flux observations influence the calibration from areas where it is not able to influence the hydraulic conductivity.     

Experimental Investigation of Kinetic Energy and Momentum Coefficients in Regular Channels with Stiff and Flexible Elements Simulating Submerged Vegetation

The paper addresses the problem of determination of the energy and momentum coefficients for flows through a partly vegetated channel. These coefficients are applied to express the fluid kinetic energy and momentum equations as functions of a mean velocity. The study is based on laboratory measurements of water velocity distributions in a straight rectangular flume with stiff and flexible stems and plastic imitations of the Canadian waterweed. The coefficients were established for the vegetation layer, surface layer and the whole flow area. The results indicate that the energy and momentum coefficients increase significantly with water depth and the number of stems per unit channel area. New regression relationships for both coefficients are given.     

Trace and REE element geochemistry of fluorite and its relation to uranium mineralizations,Gabal Gattar Area,Northern Eastern Desert,Egypt

Uranium mineralizations occur and form in a broad range of geologic setting and age, including magmatic to surfacial conditions, and there are numerous controls on their transportation and deposition, such as redox, pH, ligand concentration, complexation, and temperature. These temporal and spatial variations have caused a range of ore deposit mineral assemblages. Consequently, understanding their conditions of formation is still in its infancy. This research reports rare earth elements (REE) and trace elements of fluorite associated with hexavalent uranium mineralizations and tests of genetic models for the deposits. These data contribute to a better understanding of the variables controlling fluorite formation and uranium ore composition through understanding the evolution of these ore-forming hydrothermal systems. Fluorite in Gabal Gattar granite occurs as disseminations and/or thin veinlets and encrustations filling some uranium mineralized fissures and fractures along the northern margin of host granite mass. In the U-poor samples, fluorite forms well-developed large crystals that are commonly zoned. The zones are represented by alternating colorless and violet zones, and the outer zones are frequently dark violet. In the U-rich samples, fluorite is usually anhedral, unzoned, and has a dark violet color. The results of analysis of REE and trace element contents of fluorites using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry indicate that total REE in the anhedral unzoned fluorite are elevated compared to the well developed zoned fluorite, and also total REE in dark violet zones of zoned fluorite are elevated with respect to the colorless zones. The fluorites and host granite are generally characterized by strongly negative Eu anomalies and slightly negative or chondritic Ce anomalies. Accordingly, REE patterns of the fluorite and host granite are roughly alike, indicating that the source of REE and trace elements of hydrothermal fluids is the host granite leached by fluids. Y/Y*, Ce/Ce,* and Eu/Eu* patterns show that fluorite clearly records the compositional evolution of the hydrothermal solutions that have transferred trace and REE from host granite during the fluid–wall rocks interactions. The high uranium contents of fluorite in Gabal Gattar granite suggest that parent fluids bearing fluorine have interacted with host granite to leach uranium from the accessory minerals of granite and tetravalent uranium minerals in reduced or weakly oxidized zones.     

Electron microprobe analysis and ore microscopic study of magnetic spherules and grains collected from the Greenland ice

Numerous magnetic spherules and grains collected from the Greenland ice and suspected of being of cosmic origin were studied microscopically and with the microprobe. Seven types of spherules and grams were recognized.Several magnetite spherules contain metallic cores. The metallic cores of three spherules are composed of nearly pure Fe with traces of Ni. The metallic nuclei of two other spherules contain appreciable amounts of Ni; the nucleus of one of these is composed of a Ni-rich NiFe alloy (96.9% Ni), and that of the other contains 3% Ni. This latter spherule is probably of cosmic origin, perhaps formed in the fusion crust of an iron meteorite. Its magnetic shell contains no detectable Ni.The majority of the spherules consist of magnetite, which is more or less transected by martite lamellae [parallel to {111} planes of the magnetite]. One composite grain of titanomagnetite, ilmenite, hematite, and pyroxene was also found. This grain is of terrestrial origin, probably derived from the metamorphic crystalline complex of Greenland. The mineralogy and chemistry of the observed magnetite spherules and grains are discussed in detail.This work was begun at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it was supported in part by Grant GA-855 from the National Science Foundation, and completed at Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg.