Recent channel adjustments in alluvial rivers of Tuscany,central Italy

Drastic channel adjustments have affected the main alluvial rivers of Tuscany (central Italy) during the 20th century. Bed‐level adjustments were identified both by comparing available topographic longitudinal profiles of different years and through field observations. Changes in channel width were investigated by comparing available aerial photographs (1954 and 1993–98). Bed incision represents the dominant type of vertical adjustment, and is generalized along all the fluvial systems investigated. The Arno River system is the most affected by bed‐level lowering (up to 9 m), whereas lower incision (generally less than 2 m) is observed along the rivers of the southern part of the region. Human disturbances appear to be the dominant factors of adjustments: the main phase of vertical change occurred during the period 1945–80, in concomitance with the phase of maximum sediment mining activity at the regional scale. The second dominant type of adjustment that involved most of the rivers in the region consists of a narrowing of the active channel. Based on measurements of channel width conducted on aerial photographs, 38% of the reaches analysed experienced a narrowing greater than 50% of the initial channel width. The largest values of channel narrowing were observed along initially braided or sinuous with alternate bars morphologies in the southern portion of the region. A regional scheme of channel adjustments is derived, based on initial channel morphology and on the amounts of incision and narrowing. Different styles of channel adjustments are described. Rivers that were originally sinuous with alternate bars to braided generally became adjusted by a moderate incision and a moderate to intense narrowing; in contrast, sinuous‐meandering channels mainly adjusted vertically, with a minor amount of narrowing. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleo-environmental and volcano-tectonic evolution of the southeastern flank of Mt. Etna during the last 225 ka inferred from the volcanic succession of the ‘Timpe’, Acireale, Sicily

The tectonic escarpments locally known as ‘Timpe’ cut a large sector of the eastern flank of Etna, and allow an ancient volcanic succession dating back to 225 ka to be exposed. Geological and volcanological investigations carried out on this succession have allowed us to recognize relevant angular unconformities and volcanic features which are the remnants of eruptive fissures, as well as important changes in the nature, composition and magmatic affinity of the exposed volcanics. In particular, the recognition in the lower part of the succession of important and unequivocal evidence of ancient eruptive fissures led us to propose a local origin for these volcanics and to revise previous interpretations which attributed their westward-dipping to the progressive tectonic tilting of strata. These elements led us to reinterpret the main features of the volcanic activity occurring since 250 ka BP and their relationship with tectonic structures active in the eastern flank of Etna. We propose a complex paleo-environmental and volcano-tectonic evolution of the southeastern flank of Mt. Etna, in which the Timpe fault system played the role of the crustal structure that allowed the rise and eruption of magmas in the above considered time span.     

Pre-alpine and alpine evolution of the South-alpine basement of the Orobic Alps

New K-Ar age determinations on the gneisses and schists of the south-Alpine basement of the Orobic Alps and their separated minerals have been carried out to supplement and support the previous study ofBocchio et al. (1981).The cooling ages of biotites and muscovites range from 218 to 331 my and from 170 to 330 my respectively, according to a bimodal distribution with modes at 222 and 298 my for biotite, 182 and 322 my for muscovite. The whole rock ages spread from 43 to 402 my with no significant cluster. Only a few samples give statistically significant internal isochrones, and these suggest two periods of equilibration, at 226–245 and 312–368 my.These age determinations support the conclusion drawn from regional petrologic studies (Bocchio et al., 1980;Crespi et al., 1980), that the south-Alpine basement underwent two main phases of metamorphism, now preferentially preserved in different areas: an old, Hercynian phase under a regime of intermediate pressure (staur-ky type), and a young, post-Hercynian phase under a regime of low pressure (staur-sill type) reactivated by the cover of the thick sedimentary pile on top of the basement. Furthermore, radiometric ages also point out the widespread but irregularly distributed occurence of an alpine overprint under the conditions of a very low metamorphic regime, that is documented by the growth of post-kinematic stilpnomelane in rocks of suitable bulk composition (Crespi et al., 1981, 1982), as well as by fine-grained phengite.

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Zusammenfassung Neue Kali-Argon-Datierungen von Gneisen und Schiefern und ihrer abgetrennten Minerale des südalpinen Grundgebirges wurden in Ergänzung der Studie vonBocchio et al., 1981 durchgeführt. Die Abkühlungsalter der Biotite und Muskovite reichen von 218 bis 331 ma und von 170 bis 330 ma entsprechend einer bimodalen Entwicklung mit Modalwerten bei 222 und 298 ma für Biotit und 182 und 322 ma für Muskovit. Die Gesamtgesteinsalter reichen von 43–402 ma ohne signifikante Häufung. Nur wenige Proben geben eine statistisch signifikante Isochrone, woraus sich zwei Gleichgewichtsperioden zwischen 226–245 ma und 312–368 ma ablesen lassen.Diese Altersbestimmungen unterstützen die Schlußfolgerungen, die aus regional-petrologischen Studien (Bocchio et al., 1980;Crespi et al., 1980) gezogen wurden und die Aussagen, daß das südalpine Grundgebirge zwei Hauptphasen der Metamorphose mitgemacht hat, die heute in verschiedenen Gebieten erhalten sind: eine ältere herzynische Phase unter mittleren Druckbedingungen (Staur-Ky) und eine jüngere postherzynische Phase unter niedrigem Druck (Staur-Sil), die unter der Überdeckung einer mächtigen Sedimentserie über dem Grundgebirge reaktiviert wurde. Darüber hinaus deuten die radiometrischen Alter auf einen weit verteilten, aber unregelmäßig auftretenden alpinen Einfluß hin, der unter den Bedingungen einer sehr niedrigen Metamorphose aufgeprägt wurde. Dies wird dokumentiert durch das Wachstum postkinematischer Stilpnomelane in Gesteinen mit einer entsprechenden Zusammensetzung (Crespi et al., 1981, 1982) sowie von feinkörnigen Phenigiten.

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Résumé De nouvelles déterminations d'âge par la méthode K-Ar ont été effectuées sur les gneiss et les schistes du socle sudalpin des Alpes Orobiques, ainsi que sur certains de leurs minéraux, en complément aux travaux antérieurs deBocchio et al. (1981).L'âge du refroidissement des biotites s'étend de 210 à 331 Ma et celui des muscovites de 170 à 330 Ma, selon une distribution bimodale: modes à 222 à 298 Ma pour la biotite et à 183 et 322 Ma pour la muscovite. Les âges mesurés sur roche totale vont de 43 à 402 Ma sans concentration significative autour d'une valeur. Un petit nombre d'échantillons seulement fournissent des isochrones statistiquement significatives; elles suggèrent deux périodes de mise en équilibre, à 226–245 Ma et à 312–368 Ma.Ces déterminations d'âge appuient les conclusions d'études pétrologiques régionales antérieures (Bocchio et al. 1980;Crespi et al. 1980), à savoir que le socle sud-alpin a subi deux phases principales de métamorphisme, conservées aujourd'hui dans de régions différentes: une phase ancienne, hercynienne, de pression intermédiaire (type staurotide-disthène) et une phase jeune, post-hercynienne, de basse pression (type staurotide-sillimanite) réactivée sous la couverture sédimentaire épaisse reposant sur le socle. De plus, les âges radiométriques mettent en évidence une reprise alpine, d'extension régionale mais irrégulièrement distribuée, dans les conditions d'un métamorphisme de très faible degré. Cette reprise s'exprime par la croissance de stilpnomélane post-cinématique dans les roches de composition appropriée (Crespi et al. 1981, 1982) ainsi que par le développement de phengite finement grenue.

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. (1981), K/Ar-. 218 331 170 330 , 222 298 182 322 . 43–402 - . , 226–245 312–368 . . (1980) . (1980) , - : , , (Staur-Ky) , , (StaurSil) , . , , . ( ., 1981, 1982), .

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Paper presented at the Second E.U.G. Meeting at Strasbourg, April 23–26, 1983     

Vertical ground movements in the Campi Flegrei caldera as a chaotic dynamic phenomenon

The ground level in the Campi Flegrei caldera has never been stationary in the last 2,000 years. Historical data, and a nearly continuous tide-gauge record 20 years long, show that uplift and sinking have taken place on a variety of different time scales. In addition, the Campi Flegrei volcanic system appears to be sensitive to weak external forces such as tidal forces. We infer from these elements that the Campi Flegrei system is far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and suggest that its dynamics may be chaotic. We analyze the short-term variations of the ground level, and find that they can be described in a low-dimensional phase space. The dynamics of the Campi Flegrei system seems to have been phase-locked with tidal forces in the period following the 1970–1972 climax, and to have undergone a transition to chaos in some moment that preceded the presently continuing sinking phase.     

AN ION PROBE CONTRIBUTION TO RARE EARTH ELEMENT INVESTIGATION OF GABBRO GOG-1 USING SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMETRY

An updated REE measurement of Gabbro GOG-1 was carried out by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The availability of high amount of rock powder allowed the sample to be well ground and homogenized before analysis. Fused glass pellets were employed for SIMS investigations. REE data were compared with new ICP-AES and NAA analyses. REE results from all employed analytical techniques show good agreement and are consistent with in-situ SIMS measurements of REE in major mineral phases forming GOG-1. Extensive homogeneity tests seem to confirm the possibility to using this rock as a reference material for earth sciences.     

Spectrographic observations of omicron andromedae from 1967 to 1976

The results of qualitative analysis and radial velocity (RV) determinations from 1967 to 1976 are given. These analyses show sometimes the presence of a thin variable shell also in the years 1967–1974, before the appearance of the envelope. Intensity variations of the metallic lines seem to indicate that in the same period changes of temperature and/or electron pressure may occur in the photospheric layers. In the period 1975–76, the considerable range ofRV and the variability of the shell features show that the shell is rather active. Some conspicuousRV variations seem to be correlated to brightness changes. TheRV do not confirm the periods suggested by the photometric observations. A periodogram analysis givesRV curves with a poor evidence of periodicity. However, the periodP=1^d.5845 obtained from this analysis, close to that of Schmidt, seems to confirm Schmidt's hypothesis of a contact binary system. The periodogram analysis of theRV during the years 1900–1976 and some physical arguments, suggest a probable photospheric activity or an invisible companion with the observed shell period of 30 yr. The duplicity, suggested by Kí and Harmanec (1975) for all the Be stars, could be yet questioned foro And.Thesis for the degree of Applied Physics.     

GRIDA3—a shared resources manager for environmental data analysis and applications

GRIDA3 (Shared Resources Manager for Environmental Data Analysis and Applications) is a multidisciplinary project designed to deliver an integrated system to forge solutions to some environmental challenges such as the constant increase of polluted sites, the sustainability of natural resources usage and the forecast of extreme meteorological events. The GRIDA3 portal is mainly based on Web 2.0 technologies and EnginFrame framework. The portal, now at an advanced stage of development, provides end-users with intuitive Web-interfaces and tools that simplify job submission to the underneath computing resources. The framework manages the user authentication and authorization, then controls the action and job execution into the grid computing environment, collects the results and transforms them into an useful format on the client side. The GRIDA3 Portal framework will provide a problem-solving platform allowing, through appropriate access policies, the integration and the sharing of skills, resources and tools located at multiple sites across federated domains.     

THE MARBLE BEACHES OF TUSCANY*

ABSTRACT. Beach‐nourishment operations designed to replace sediment lost through erosion change the identity and meaning of coastal landscapes. Seven beaches in Tuscany, nourished with marble‐quarry waste, reveal how an industrial byproduct is naturalized by particle rounding and sorting and can become a positive symbol of human‐altered nature. The marble was placed on formerly sandy beaches, resulting in different grain size and color of sediments, beach morphology, and value for human use. The abrasion rate of marble makes the nourished beaches unsatisfactory when viewed solely as protection structures, but the rapid particle rounding and aesthetic appeal of marble increase the acceptability of the beaches for recreation.