Assessment of seismic hazard for the Sannio-Matese area of Southern Italy — A summary

The working group on Test Regions for Evaluation of Methods for Seismic Hazard Assessment in Europe (TERESA), consisted of 15 members from 10 different European countries. Methods and experience gathered in these countries have been compared and discussed for two test areas in Europe: the Sannio-Matese region, Southern Italy, with high seismic activity, and the border region between Belgium, The Netherlands, and Federal Republic of Germany, with low activity.This paper summarizes the results for one of the test areas, Sannio-Matese. Most of the participants used statistical procedures to assess earthquake hazard, receiving results in terms of probability of occurrence for intensity as the ground-motion parameter. It was found that careful preparation of input data and parameters is the major influencing factor, therefore most of the efforts of the working group was devoted to this task.The scatter of the obtained results of the group is considerable, mainly because of the uncertainties in the data and the subjectiveness involved in the procedures. For better control of both factors, more objective methods have to be developed.     

Seismic hazard computations for regions with low earthquake activity — A case study for the Belgium,The Netherlands and NW Germany area

The algorithms to evaluate seismic hazard, used and/or developed by five teams participating in the TERESA project, applied to the low seismicity area Belgium, The Netherlands and NW Germany are compared. The main differences in the results can be explained by the majority criterion of Egozcue et al. (1989), the differences in the upper bound and zonification and, in some cases, by a higher attenuation.     

Stick-slip unstable shear failure as a source of high frequency elastic radiation

Summary The results of laboratory measurements on square perspex models with a stress concentrator under uniaxial compression are presented. An attempt was made to interpret these results in order to determine the mutual relations between the mechanical parameters characterizing the treated models, including their focal zones, parameters of model loading, parameters of seismogenic displacement and parameters of radiated elastic pulses. Particular attention was given to the study of slip displacement, slip velocity, rupture velocity, nucleation points of rupture propagation, nucleation points of elastic radiation and to the frequency analysis of radiated pulses. Measurements of the displacement in the focal zone enabled us to determine the source function, to construct theoretical seismograms in a far field and to compare them with the real pulses from ultrasonic transducers located there. This allowed testing theoretical and experimental approaches to the study of how slip displacement, slip velocity and rupture velocity are related to the parameters of radiated pulses.     

Distribution of benthic flora in the lower course of the Valdivia River,Chile

The Valdivia River (Lake Region, Chile) originates in Riñihue Lake and flows into the sea at Corral Bay (39°52′S latitude), changing names several times along its course. The aquatic benthic flora (algae and aquatic plants) of the Valdivia River was characterized, based on 22 sites sampled and 124 plant species collected. Four benthic vegetation zones were established using presence-absence data: a freshwater zone and a marine zone were found at the extremes of the transect; an estuarine zone and a discontinuity zone were detected in the middle of this transect. The freshwater zone was characterized by a relatively diverse assemblage of vascular plants, the marine zone was dominated by algae and was rich in species. By contrast the estuarine zone was inhabited by only a few species but in great abundance, while the discontinuity zone was poor, in species and low in cover vegetation.     

Dynamical stability of convection cells in the upper mantle

Summary A two-dimensional flow model of an incompressible fluid with constant viscosity has been used to study the changes in the large-scale flow pattern (aspect ratio 4). Implications for convection in the Earth's mantle are discussed.

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a ¶rt; mn uuu ua u¶rt;mu nm m unm ¶rt; uu uu mu ama¶rt;a. ¶rt;am mam ¶rt; uu amuu u.

     

On the gravitation absorption hypothesis

Summary It is recommended that the data from measurements with supraconducting gravity meters be also analysed with regard to verifying the gravitation absorption hypothesis. Based on theoretical data from a3-year period, the spectrum of the assumed effect of shielding the gravitational influence of the Sun by the Earth's body on the value of the acceleration of gravity has been calculated for the tidal station Brussels (Figs 2a–e).

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¶rt;aam aauuam ¶rt;a uu n¶rt;uaumau ma mu u nuunm n¶rt;auaumauu. a mmuu ¶rt;a a mmu nu¶rt; u nm n¶rt;naa ma auauaumau ¶rt;mu a m a uu u u mmu ¶rt; nuu mauu (u. 2a–).

     

Seismic activity related to the 1991 eruption of Colima Volcano,Mexico

Ten years after the last effusive eruption and at least 15 years of seismic quiescence, volcanic seismic activity started at Colima volcano on 14 February 1991, with a seismic crisis which reached counts of more than 100 per day and showed a diversity of earthquake types. Four other distinct seismic crises followed, before a mild effusive eruption in April 1991. The second crisis preceded the extrusion of an andesitic scoriaceous lava lobe, first reported on 1 March; during this crisis an interesting temporary concentration of seismic foci below the crater was observed shortly before the extrusion was detected. The third crisis was constituted by shallow seismicity, featuring possible mild degassing explosion-induced activity in the form of hiccups (episodes of simple wavelets that repeat with diminishing amplitude), and accompanied by increased fumarolic activity. The growth of the new lava dome was accompanied by changing seismicity. On 16 April during the fifth crisis which consisted of some relatively large, shallow, volcanic earthquakes and numerous avalanches of older dome material, part of the newly extruded dome, which had grown towards the edge of the old dome, collapsed, producing the largest avalanches and ash flows. Afterwards, block lava began to flow slowly along the SW flank of the volcano, generating frequent small incandescent avalanches. The seismicity associated with the stages of this eruptive activity shows some interesting features: most earthquake foci were located north of the summit, some of them relatively deep (7–11 km below the summit level), underneath the saddle between the Colima and the older Nevado volcanoes. An apparently seismic quiet region appears between 4 and 7 km below the summit level. In June, harmonic tremors were detected for the first time, but no changes in the eruptive activity could be correlated with them. After June, the seismicity decreasing trend was established, and the effusive activity stopped on September 1991.     

Probabilistic compressive strength of sound dry granite

Summary The different functions of cumulative probability of fracture that can be used in the Probabilistic Strength of Materials in the case of constant uniaxial compression are described. Sound fine-grained granite was used to study volume influence by fracturing rectangular prisms, and then no noticeable influence was observed. Since this is showing that all the fracture stresses are belonging to a single set they were included in a single group that exhibited two functions of specific risk of fracture. The population with the lesser fracture stress has no critical zone while the other population does have it and a critical zone in the order of 10^–6 m³ is the minimum size exhibiting a complete fracture of the specimen when the same collapses. All the statistical functions were found to be acceptable according to theX ² criterion.     

Subsurface temperature field of the Bohemian Massif

Summary On the basis of temperature measurements in 190 boreholes we constructed a map of temperature distribution at a depth of 100 m below the terrain level and maps of temperature gradients in different depth intervals below the Earth's surface in the territory of the Bohemian Massif. Investigations were made into the effects of hydrogeological, geomorphological, structure geological and microclimatic factors on the subsurface temperature field in the Bohemian Massif together with an assessment of effects of these factors on heat flow determinations in shallow boreholes 100 – 200 m deep.

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Резюме Нa основaнuu uзмеренuя mемnерamуры в 190 сквaжuнaх былa nосmроенa кaрma рaсnре?rt;еленuя mемnерamуры нa ?rt;лубuне 100 м nо?rt; nоверхносmью Землu u кaрmы ?rt;рa?rt;uенma mемnерamуры в рaзных nо?rt;nоверхносmных uнmервaлaх нa mеррumорuu Чешско?rt;о мaссuвa. Иссле?rt;овaлось осложненuе mеnлово?rt;о nоля у nоверхносmu Землu целым ря?rt;ом фaкmоров: эффекmы рельефa nоверхносmu Землu, ?rt;вuженuя nо?rt;земных во?rt;, mеnлоnрово?rt;носmu ?rt;орных nоро?rt;, мuкроклuмamuческuе эффекmы u ?rt;р. u влuянuе эmuх фaкmоров нa uзмеренuе mеnлово?rt;о nоmокa в не?rt;лубокuх сквaжuнaх (100 – 200 м).

     

Modelling magnetization processes in single-and multi-domain rock samples using the preisach diagram

Summary The paper presents the results of identifying a model of the Preisach type for haematite grains of the single-domain as well as multi-domain size. Due to the phenomenological conception of the model, the relations between the parameters of the model and actual parameters are very complex, however, impressive accuracy and stability of the modified model indicate the need to resume studies of this problem. The model parameters also confirm the adequate properties of the vibrating-sample magnetometr (VSM) used and developed in our laboratories.