Centrifuge models simulating magma emplacement during oblique rifting

A series of centrifuge analogue experiments have been performed to model the mechanics of continental oblique extension (in the range of 0° to 60°) in the presence of underplated magma at the base of the continental crust. The experiments reproduced the main characteristics of oblique rifting, such as (1) en-echelon arrangement of structures, (2) mean fault trends oblique to the extension vector, (3) strain partitioning between different sets of faults and (4) fault dips higher than in purely normal faults (e.g. Tron, V., Brun, J.-P., 1991. Experiments on oblique rifting in brittle-ductile systems. Tectonophysics 188, 71–84). The model results show that the pattern of deformation is strongly controlled by the angle of obliquity (α), which determines the ratio between the shearing and stretching components of movement. For α35°, the deformation is partitioned between oblique-slip and normal faults, whereas for α45° a strain partitioning arises between oblique-slip and strike-slip faults. The experimental results show that for α35°, there is a strong coupling between deformation and the underplated magma: the presence of magma determines a strain localisation and a reduced strain partitioning; deformation, in turn, focuses magma emplacement. Magmatic chambers form in the core of lower crust domes with an oblique trend to the initial magma reservoir and, in some cases, an en-echelon arrangement. Typically, intrusions show an elongated shape with a high length/width ratio. In nature, this pattern is expected to result in magmatic and volcanic belts oblique to the rift axis and arranged en-echelon, in agreement with some selected natural examples of continental rifts (i.e. Main Ethiopian Rift) and oceanic ridges (i.e. Mohns and Reykjanes Ridges).     

Fractal distribution of particle size in carbonate cataclastic rocks from the core of a regional strike-slip fault zone

We present particle size data from 31 samples of carbonate cataclastic rocks collected across the 26 m thick fault core of the Mattinata Fault in the foreland of the Southern Apennines, Italy. Particle size distributions of incoherent samples were determined by a sieving-and-weighting technique. The number of weight-equivalent spherical particles by size is well fitted by a power-law function on a log–log space. Fractal dimensions (D) of particle size distributions are in the 2.091–2.932 range and cluster around the value of 2.5. High D-values pertain to gouge in shear bands reworking the bulk cataclastic rocks of the fault core. Low D-values characterise immature cataclastic breccias. Intermediate D-values are typical of the bulk fault core. Analysis of the ratio between corresponding equivalent particle numbers from differently evolved cataclastic rocks indicates that the development of particle size distributions with D>2.6–2.7 occurred by a preferential relative increase of fine particles rather than a selective decrement of coarse particles. This preferentially occurred in shear bands where intense comminution enhanced by slip localisation progressed by rolling of coarse particles whose consequent smoothing produced a large number of fine particles. Our data suggest that during the progression of cataclasis, the fragmentation mode changed from the Allègre et al.'s [Nature 297 (1982) 47] “pillar of strength” mechanism in the early evolutionary stages, to the Sammis et al.'s [Pure and Applied Geophysics 125 (1987) 777] “constrained comminution” mechanism in the subsequent stages of cataclasis. Eventually, localised shear bands developed mainly by abrasion of coarse particles.     

Using GB-SAR technique to monitor slow moving landslide

A Ground-Based SAR (GB-SAR) interferometer was employed to measure the surface displacements of a landslide occurring in the Carnian Alps, north-eastern Italy, which has affected a national road and seriously damaged a road tunnel still under construction. Moreover, since the landslide is located on the left bank of the Tagliamento River Valley, it is feared that this mass movement might dam the river, creating a basin that would increase natural hazard for the valley inhabitants. The data collected from December 2002 to July 2005 by a conventional monitoring system, consisting of a GPS network and boreholes equipped with inclinometric tubes, showed that the landslide was moving at a quasi-constant rate of about 3 cm per year. Due to the slow deformation rate of the landslide, a recently developed GB-SAR technique based on the analysis of a restricted ensemble of coherent points was used. Two surveys, each lasting two days, were planned in December 2004 and July 2005, in order to map and measure the surface displacements that occurred over time. The results from the radar were compared with the ones derived from the GPS monitoring network. An agreement was achieved among the data collected, showing the capability of the GB-SAR technique to measure displacements even within a time span of several months between the surveys.     

The effect of sewage discharge on the ecosystem engineering activities of two East African fiddler crab species: consequences for mangrove ecosystem functioning

A number of studies have suggested that mangrove forests and their faunal components may be pre-adapted to the impact of organic waste discharge, making them possible natural wastewater treatment wetlands. However, the results from recent research are contradictory. Some studies have shown that negative effects, sometimes subtle and difficult to observe, can be detected on specific biotic components of forests subjected to organic pollution. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate possible alterations in the ecosystem engineering activities of a fiddler crab community dominating the landward belts of Kenyan mangrove forests. The total processed sediment produced by burrowing and foraging activities in a population from a peri-urban mangrove area receiving untreated domestic sewage was compared with that from a forest not affected by urban wastewater. The results showed how the peri-urban site hosted a higher biomass of crabs, which produced a significantly lower amount of processed sediment compared with the pristine site, resulting in a lower total top sediment mixing activity of the crabs. Thus, the present study showed a link between sewage exposure and top sediment reworking by crabs, which is potentially beneficial for mangrove growth and ecosystem functioning. This represents a possible example of cryptic ecological degradation in mangal systems.     

Kriging with external drift in a Birnbaum–Saunders geostatistical model

Spatial models to describe dependent georeferenced data are applied in different fields and, particularly, are used to analyze earth and environmental data. Most of these applications are carried out under Gaussian spatial models. The Birnbaum–Saunders distribution is a unimodal and positively skewed model which has received considerable attention in several areas, including earth and environmental sciences. In addition, theoretical arguments have been provided to justify its usage in the data modeling from these sciences, at least in the same settings where the lognormal distribution can be employed. This paper presents kriging with external drift based on a Birnbaum–Saunders spatial model. The maximum likelihood method is considered to estimate its parameters. The results obtained in the paper are illustrated by an experimental data set related to agricultural management. Specifically, in this illustration, the spatial variability of magnesium content in the soil as a function of calcium content is analyzed.     

Absolute magnitude and slope parameter G calibration of asteroid 25143 Itokawa

Abstract— We present results from an observing campaign of 25143 Itokawa performed with the 2.2 m telescope of the University of Hawai'i between November 2000 and September 2001. The main goal of this paper is to determine the absolute magnitude H and the slope parameter G of the phase function with high accuracy for use in determining the geometric albedo of Itokawa. We found a value of H = 19.40 and a value of G = 0.21.     

Distribution and population structure of deep‐dwelling red coral in the Northwest Mediterranean

Commercially harvested since ancient times, the highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is an octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs on rocky bottoms over a wide bathymetric range. Current knowledge is restricted to its shallow populations (15–50 m depth), with comparably little attention given to the deeper populations (50–200 m) that are nowadays the main target of exploitation. In this study, red coral distribution and population structure were assessed in three historically exploited areas (Amalfi, Ischia Island and Elba Island) in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) between 50 and 130 m depth by means of ROV during a cruise carried out in the summer of 2010. Red coral populations showed a maximum patch frequency of 0.20 ± 0.04 SD patches·m^?1 and a density ranging between 28 and 204 colonies·m^?2, with a fairly continuous bathymetric distribution. The highest red coral densities in the investigated areas were found on cliffs and boulders mainly exposed to the east, at the greatest depth, and characterized by medium percentage sediment cover. The study populations contained a high percentage (46% on average) of harvestable colonies (>7 mm basal diameter). Moreover, some colonies with fifth‐order branches were also observed, highlighting the probable older age of some components of these populations. The Ischia population showed the highest colony occupancy, density and size, suggesting a better conservation status than the populations at the other study locations. These results indicate that deep dwelling red coral populations in non‐stressed or less‐harvested areas may diverge from the inverse size‐density relationship previously observed in red coral populations with increasing depth.     

Coesite in a Muong Nong‐type tektite from Muong Phin,Laos: Description,formation, and survival

We examined 16 white opaque inclusions exposed on two polished slices of a Muong Nong‐type Australasian tektite from Muong Phin, Laos. The inclusions usually consist of a core, surrounded by a froth layer, and a quartz neoblast layer. The cores are composed primarily of a mixture of silica glass, coesite, and quartz in varying proportions. A thin (up to ~4 μm) layer of SiO₂‐poor glass enriched in FeO, MgO, CaO, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂ is observed as a bright halo in backscattered electron images around the quartz neoblasts and in places contains μm‐sized crystals, which may be Fe,Mg‐rich spinel. The distribution and textural relationships between the coesite‐bearing inclusions and the tektite matrix point to an in situ formation of the coesite due to an impact, rather than to infall, from a nearby impact, into tektite melt produced by the aerial burst of a bolide. The quartz neoblasts probably formed by crystallization of silica melt squeezed out of the inclusion core during the development of the froth layer. The bright halo may be the result of silica diffusing from the adjacent tektite melt into the growing quartz neoblasts. We propose that the survival of coesite was possible due to the froth layer that acted as a heat sink during bubble expansion and then as a thermal insulator.