Cross-correlation earthquake precursors in the hydrogeochemical and geoacoustic signals for the Kamchatka peninsula

We propose a new type of earthquake precursor based on the analysis of correlation dynamics between geophysical signals of different nature. The precursor is found using a two-parameter cross-correlation function introduced within the framework of flicker-noise spectroscopy, a general statistical physics approach to the analysis of time series. We consider an example of cross-correlation analysis for water salinity time series, an integral characteristic of the chemical composition of groundwater, and geoacoustic emissions recorded at the G-1 borehole on the Kamchatka peninsula in the time frame from 2001 to 2003, which is characterized by a sequence of three groups of significant seismic events. We found that cross-correlation precursors took place 27, 31, and 35 days ahead of the strongest earthquakes for each group of seismic events, respectively. At the same time, precursory anomalies in the signals themselves were observed only in the geoacoustic emissions for one group of earthquakes.     

Convection model of post-glacial uplift

A new approach to analytical and numerical study of the process of the post-glacial uplifting of the Earth’s surface was proposed within the framework of a viscous model. Displacement of the Earth’s surface is considered as the motion of the density boundary due to chemico-density convection. It is shown that the incorporation of the non-Newtonian rheology at observed velocities of post-glacial uplifts requires an obligatory presence of faults in the lithosphere and gives rise to quasi-uniform motion of the mantle material, whose viscosity under the lithosphere is, on the average, sufficiently small and amounts to ～10¹⁹ Pa. The study of the stability of the constructed model of the post-glacial uplift considered as the chemico-density convection relative to the thermal convection shows that the velocity of thermal convection developing in the presence of a quasiuniform mantle flow related to the post-glacial recovery is ～1 m/yr.     

New architecture of an automated system for acquisition,storage, and processing of seismic data

Features of the new architecture of an automated system for acquisition, storage, and processing of seismic data are considered in detail. The system is based on SEISNET and SEISAN software. Specific technologies, software, and examples of the interconnection of system components are presented. The functionality of the system and the data life cycle are shown. An example of the implementation of the new architecture in the existing seismic monitoring network in the northern part of Sakhalin Island is examined.     

Sedimentary environments and geochemistry of Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene rocks in the northeastern Caucasus

Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene rocks in the northeastern Caucasus were examined in the most representative Chirkei section (Sulak River basin). Sharp lithogeochemical distinctions between them were revealed. The results of the study of nannoplankton demonstrated that the Eocene/Oligocene interface occurs slightly below the boundary between the Belaya Glina and Khadum formations. The studied section revealed a series of nannoplankton bioevents facilitating its stratigraphic subdivision. It has been established that organic matter (OM) in rocks of the Khadum Formation is characterized by a relatively high degree of maturity. Probably, the material of mainly marine genesis contains a terrigenous OM admixture. Positive oxygen isotope anomaly in the upper part of the Belaya Glina Formation reflects global climate changes (cooling) near the Eocene/Oligocene interface. Limitation of the anomaly by the upper boundary of the Belaya Glina Formation is likely related to changes in water salinity variations in the Early Oligocene basin and intense early diagenetic processes in rocks therein. Lithological, geochemical, and paleoecological data suggest that the Khadum paleobasin was depleted in oxygen. Such environment was unstable with periodic intensification or attenuation. Paleoecology in the Belaya Glina basin was typical of normally aerated basins.     

The influence of hydrometeorological factors on the results of geophysical monitoring conducted at the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii Geodynamic Test Site

A local model has been developed for the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii Geodynamic Test Site; the model is concerned with the transformation of atmospheric precipitation in the snow cover and in the active soil layer. The input parameters of the model are standard hydrometeorological observations, the output consists in the variation of moisture content in the soil and evaporation from it. Data from water level monitoring carried out at the Site for the purpose of earthquake prediction were used to show how the output parameters can be utilized to reveal the water level variations in a well due to the moisture content variation in the upper crust. The procedure makes the data interpretation more correct.     

The Moon is the Source of Unstable Nonstationary Disturbances in the Earth’s Atmosphere

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - By using a nonstationary numerical thermohydrodynamic model of atmospheric tides genesis and evolution in the Earth’s atmosphere, it is shown that...     

Aridity in Vojvodina, Serbia

For investigating aridity in Vojvodina, two parameters were used: the De Martonne aridity index and the Pinna combinative index. These indices were chosen as the most suitable for the analysis of climate in Vojvodina (a region in northern part of Serbia). Also, these indices were calculated from data obtained from 10 meteorological stations for the period from 1949 to 2006. The spatial distribution of the annual and seasonal De Martonne and the Pinna combinative indices as well as the mean monthly values of the De Martonne index and aridity trends of these indices are presented. There were two, four, and five types of climate on a yearly, seasonal, and monthly basis in Vojvodina, according to the De Martonne climate classification which consists of a total of seven types. In addition, semi-humid and humid climate types were represented in the region, on a yearly basis. The winter season was dominated by wetter types of climate, while the summer season was characterized by drier ones. During the spring and autumn seasons, there were types of climate which range between both aforementioned types. Two out of three climate types, which can be identified using the Pinna combinative index, were registered in Vojvodina region. The most dominant climate type was the semidry Mediterranean with formal Mediterranean vegetation, while the humid type was only identified in one small part of southwestern Vojvodina. The calculated values of both aridity indices showed that there were no annual trends. Therefore, it can be considered that there were no recent aridity changes during the observed period. For paleoclimate, the general story is more complex. The lack of aridity trends in the recent period from 1949 to 2006 supports the fact that Vojvodina has very well preserved loess–palaeosol sequences from the Middle and Late Pleistocene, which indicates that crucial point for their preservation was caused by the weak aridity variability in the region.     

Geological environmental monitoring based on synchronous borehole geoacoustic and electromagnetic measurements: Use of natural electromagnetic radiation

The results of synchronous geoacoustic and electromagnetic measurements at three boreholes located in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky geodynamic survey area with considerably different electromagnetic environments are studied. It is shown that reliable detection of geoacoustic emission responses to natural electromagnetic radiation in the range of 0.01–1.0 kHz is possible if geophones are placed in sufficiently deep boreholes. The results demonstrate the fundamental possibilty of using natural super-low-frequency electromagnetic radiation to monitoring of stress–strain states of the geological environment.     

Waves in the diapir tail as a mechanism of hotspot pulsations

The one-dimensional (1D) problem of magma rising through a volcanic channel is identical in its statement to the problem of chemical-density or thermo-chemical convection in an unbounded medium. The present work demonstrates how the rise of a low-viscous, buoyant material through an ambient environment with significantly higher viscosity can be successively described as a 1D problem of viscous fluid dynamics. The suggested analytical model is applied to describe the upwelling of a less dense material in the tail of a diapir through the mantle to the Earth??s surface. The linear study of wave disturbances in the shape of the conduit shows that the buoyant material tends to uprise by portions, which probably accounts for the pulsed activity of the hotspots appearing on the surface above the diapir.