Fractionation of Ni,Cr and Cu from Soil by Sequential Extraction Procedure and Determination by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry

Five‐step sequential extractions were employed to fractionation of Ni, Cr and Cu in soil polluted by anthropogenic activities and determine the mobility of the metals. Twelve samples were collected on an agricultural area that was located near an airport and intercity roads in Elazig‐Turkey. Exchangeable, organically bounded, carbonate bounded, adsorbed species on Fe and Mn oxides and residual species (except silicates) of Ni, Cr and Cu were extracted into solution by using CaCl₂, Na₄P₂O₇, Na₂EDTA, NH₂OH–HCl and HNO₃–H₂O₂, respectively. Mobile metal concentrations in fractions and total recoverable in soils were determined by using inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES). Total recoverable Ni, Cr and Cu concentrations were in the range of 40–119, 45–126 and 23–72 mg kg^?1, respectively. It was observed that total concentrations of metals in some of the samples were higher than the permitted values. The sum of the mobile percentages of metals was found to be lower than 50%. The Ni, Cr and Cu percentages for exchangeable species are in the ranges of 0.18–1.64, 0.03–0.59 and 0.42–2.53%, respectively.     

Assessment of the hurricane-induced power outages from a demographic,socioeconomic, and transportation perspective

Natural disasters have devastating effects on the infrastructure and disrupt every aspect of daily life in the regions they hit. To alleviate problems caused by these disasters, first an impact assessment is needed. As such, this paper focuses on a two-step methodology to identify the impact of Hurricane Hermine on the City of Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. The regional and socioeconomic variations in the Hermine’s impact were studied via spatially and statistically analyzing power outages. First step includes a spatial analysis to illustrate the magnitude of customers affected by power outages together with a clustering analysis. This step aims to determine whether the customers affected from outages are clustered or not. Second step involves a Bayesian spatial autoregressive model in order to identify the effects of several demographic-, socioeconomic-, and transportation-related variables on the magnitude of customers affected by power outages. Results showed that customers affected by outages are spatially clustered at particular regions rather than being dispersed. This indicates the need to pinpoint such vulnerable locations and develop strategies to reduce hurricane-induced disruptions. Furthermore, the increase in the magnitude of affected customers was found to be associated with several variables such as the power network and total generated trips as well as the demographic factors. The information gained from the findings of this study can assist emergency officials in identifying critical and/or less resilient regions, and determining those demographic and socioeconomic groups which were relatively more affected by the consequences of hurricanes than others.     

Extension of sea surface temperature unpredictability

Ocean Dynamics - The sea surface temperature (SST) variability is clearly affected by global climate patterns, which involve large-scale ocean-atmosphere fluctuations similar to the El...     

A high-resolution aftershock seismicity image of the 2002 Sultandaği-Çay earthquake (Mw = 6.2), Turkey

A moderate-size earthquake (Mw = 6.2) occurred on 3 February 2002 (07:11:28 GMT) in the Sultanda??-Çay region of southwest Turkey. The mainshock was followed by a strong aftershock of Mw = 6.0 just 2 h after the mainshock, at 09:26:49 GMT. A temporary seismic network of 27 vertical component seismometers was installed to monitor aftershock activity. One thousand sixty nine aftershocks (0.2 < ML < 3.3) were recorded during the period from 5 to 10 February 2002. We analyzed the P and S arrival times and P wave first motion data to obtain high-quality hypocenters and focal mechanisms, which revealed fine details of the fault zone. We infer that the mainshock has ruptured a segment of the Sultanda? Fault Zone that is approximately 37 km long and 7 km wide at depth. The average slip over the rupture plane during the mainshock is estimated to be 32 cm. The linear distribution of the aftershocks and the location of the mainshock epicenter suggest that rupture has initiated in the eastern bending of the fault and propagated unilaterally to the west. The majority of fault plane solutions indicate E–W to ESE–WNW striking oblique–normal faulting mechanisms with an average dip angle of 62° N ± 10° . The high-resolution aftershock seismicity image also shows that faulting involved a complex array of synthetic and possibly antithetic structures during the evolution of the aftershock sequence. The steady increase of the b value towards the west implies that the highest moment release of the mainshock occurred to the west of the epicenter. The study clearly shows the activation of the WNW–ESE-trending Sultanda? Fault Zone along the southern margin of the Ak?ehir-Afyon Graben (AAG). The westernmost end of the aftershock activity corresponds to a structurally complex zone distinct from the main rupture. It is characterized by both ENE–WSW- and NNE–SSW-trending oblique-slip normal faulting mechanisms, the latter being associated with the NNE–SSW-trending Karam?k Graben. The intersection of these two grabens, AAG and Karam?k Graben, provides abundant faults available for failure in this region. The occurrence pattern of large events in recent years indicates a possible migration of earthquakes from east to west. Thus, we conclude that this has an important implication for earthquake hazard for the city of Afyon, which lies along the same fault line and only 20 km west of the termination point of the aftershock zone.     

Textural and mineralogical evidence for a Cadomian tectonothermal event in the eastern Mediterranean (Sandıklı-Afyon area, western Taurides, Turkey)

In the Sandıklı-Afyon area, the very low-grade metamorphic Sandıklı Basement Complex with clastic sediments and Late Neoproterozoic felsic igneous rocks are unconformably overlain by a cover succession with red continental clastic rocks, tholeiitic basalts and siliciclastic rocks with Early Cambrian trace fossils. Illite crystallinity studies reveal that both the basement and cover units were metamorphosed at high anchizonal to epizonal conditions ( 300 °C). Textural data together with the detailed evaluation of the P–T–b₀ grid, however, indicate that this thermal event has multiple phases. The first tectonothermal event was realized at pressures of  4.2 kb on the basis of b₀-data and resulted in development of blastomylonites. This is supported by the presence of dynamo-metamorphosed pebbles within the basal conglomerates of the Lower Paleozoic cover series. The second event is post-Ordovician–pre-Jurassic in age, occurred at lower pressures  3.2 kb and produced a weakly developed cleavage in the siliciclastic rocks of the cover. The mineralogical/textural data across the basement-cover boundary therefore indicate the removal of an entire metamorphic zone and thus a metamorphic hiatus.

These data suggest that the Taurides were affected by a Late Neoproterozoic event as part of the peri-Gondwana during the Cadomian orogeny.     

Parameter Study on Prediction Methods for TBM Penetration Rate

Penetration rate prediction of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is the first step to advance prediction process of mechanized tunnelling. In this research, influence of effective parameters on TBM penetration rate is investigated by sensitivity analysis of three main TBM performance prediction methods; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), rock mass index (RMi) and Q_TBM. Based on these analyses, it is shown that applied thrust per disc and joint spacing in NTNU and RMi models have more influence on penetration rate. In Q_TBM model, Q value, applied thrust per disc and induced biaxial stress are more effective.     

Sedimentology of coexisting travertine and tufa deposits in a mounded geothermal spring carbonate system,Obruktepe, Turkey

The recent discoveries of deeply buried Cretaceous reservoir bodies in the Atlantic Ocean revealed that relationships between the distribution of spring carbonate deposits and faults are poorly understood. The well‐exposed Quaternary deposits at Obruktepe (Denizli Basin, Turkey) provide an opportunity to reconstruct the three‐dimensional sedimentary architecture of such a system. Integration of sedimentological, lithofacies and geochemical analyses reveals complexity in the lateral relationships between sedimentary environments, faults and geothermal spring carbonates. Five environmental systems are distinguished based on the lithofacies analysis: (i) vent; (ii) smooth slope; (iii) travertine‐terrace; (iv) tufa‐barrage; and (v) flood systems. Encrusting, baffling and settling sedimentary processes are reflected in data acquired at several scales, from lithofacies observations to the morphology and arrangement of geobodies, together with microfabrics and stable carbon and oxygen isotope data. Mean values of +4·9‰ δ¹³C and −8·74‰ δ¹⁸O Vienna PeeDee Belemnite reflect geothermal circulation of springwaters. The environmental distribution and lithofacies indicate a lateral continuum between travertine and tufa deposits within this hot spring system. This finding supports two depositional models in which water flow variation is the main control on both CaCO₃ precipitation and the resulting formation of travertine and tufa. The proposed models address the factors responsible for the development of these complex mound‐shaped carbonate spring deposits, and how they are related to fluid circulation at depth and in association with faults.     

Evolution of an early Eocene pull‐apart basin in the Central Pontides (Northern Turkey): New insights into the origin of the North Anatolian Shear Zone

Although the North Anatolian Shear Zone is one of the main lithospheric‐scale strike‐slip deformation zone in the world, playing a prominent role in the complex geodynamic interaction among the Eurasian, Anatolian and Arabian plates, the onset time of its activity remains highly controversial. Here, we tackle this issue by utilizing nannofossil biostratigraphy on deposits from the Ta?cilar basin, a pull‐apart basin that we have identified inside the North Anatolian Shear Zone overprinting the Intra‐Pontide suture zone. The syn‐tectonic sedimentary succession of the Ta?cilar basin developed completely during the early Eocene (Ypresian; CNE4–CNE5 Zones). The strike‐slip faulting related to the initial onset of the North Anatolian Shear Zone can likely be constrained within the Ypresian, suggesting that the westward escape of the Anatolian plate along the North Anatolian Shear Zone started in the early Eocene.