Three-dimensional nonlinear random wave groups in intermediate water depth

High waves at ocean occur during a complex space–time evolution of wave groups. In this paper the nonlinear structure of three-dimensional sea wave groups at intermediate water depth is investigated. To this purpose, the Boccotti's Quasi-Determinism theory is firstly applied to describe the linear wave groups when a given exceptionally high crest occurs. Then, the second-order correction to the linear solution is derived for the general condition of three-dimensional wave groups, at a finite water depth. Several numerical applications, finally, have been carried out in order to show how both the spectral bandwidth and the directional spreading modify the nonlinear high waves at different water depth.     

New fission-track age determinations on impact glasses

Abstract— Four samples from Libyan Desert glass, one sample from Muong-Nong-type tektite, labelled Guang-Dong, and one sample from Czech Moldavite were analysed using the fission-track dating method. The Moldavite was unaffected by partial thermal track annealing, whereas the ages of Libyan Desert glass and Guang-Dong tektite appear to have been thermally lowered. Fission-track ages of the latter impact glasses were corrected using the plateau method. Apparent ages of Libyan Desert glass (between 26.0 ± 1.8 Ma and 29.0 ± 1.8 Ma) and Guang-Dong tektite (0.61 ± 0.05 Ma), as well as plateau ages (weighted mean: 28.5 ± 0.8 Ma for Libyan Desert glass and 0.77 ± 0.08 Ma for Guang-Dong) resulted in close agreement with previous determinations published in the late 1970s by Storzer and Wagner (1977). The age of the Moldavite (15.2 ± 0.08 Ma) also resulted in agreement with previous fission track and K-Ar determinations.     

Photoelectric photometry of asteroids 37, 80, 97, 216, 270, 313, and 471

Photoelectric observations of several minor planets were made from 1975 to 1977 at the Astronomical Observatory of Torino. Lightcurves and period information are given for 7 objects: 37 Fides, 80 Sappho, 97 Klotho, 216 Kleopatra, 270 Anahita, 313 Chaldaea, and 471 Papagena.     

On the analysis of sloshing of water in rectangular containers: Numerical study and experimental validation

In this work the analysis of sloshing of water in rectangular open tanks has been extensively carried out. Two mathematical models are employed, respectively the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes Equations (RANSE) and the Shallow Water Equations (SWE). The RANSE are solved using a modified form of the well established MAC method (SIMAC) able to treat both the free surface motion and the viscous stresses over the rigid walls accurately. The Shallow Water Equations are solved by means of a simple and powerful algorithm (CE-SE) able to deal with large impacting waves over the tank walls.Successively, in order to validate the mentioned algorithms and for a better understanding of the sloshing phenomenon, experimental tests have been carried out using a 0.5 m breadth rectangular tank in periodic roll motion.It has been shown that RANSE provide more accurate solutions than SWE for small or moderate amplitudes of excitation. In particular in this paper it is proved that the shallow water approximation can be efficiently adopted within liquid depth to tank breadth RATIO = 0.15, when examining the sloshing problem. By increasing the water level inside the tank, results by SWE show large qualitative and quantitative disagreement with experiments. Nevertheless, in the case of large amplitude excitation, when sprays and large breaking waves are expected, SWE provide a fairly good estimate of the sloshing induced waves.Finally a simple baffle configuration inside the tank has been considered. By the analysis of numerical results, it has been observed that the presence of a vertical baffle at the middle of the tank dramatically changes the sloshing response compared to the unbaffled configuration. It produces a jump-like effect, resulting in a weak magnification of the dynamic loads on the vertical walls out of resonance, and a strong reduction of the dynamic loads in the resonance condition.     

Influence of topsoil of pyroclastic origin on microbial contamination of groundwater in fractured carbonate aquifers

The aim of the research was to analyse the influence of a topsoil of pyroclastic origin on microbial contamination of groundwater in a carbonate aquifer and verify the reliability of thermotolerant coliforms and fecal enterococci as bacterial indicators. The research was carried out through hydrogeological and microbiological monitoring at an experimental field site in Italy during two hydrologic years and through column tests in a laboratory. The taxonomic classification of fecal indicators detected in spring water samples was performed using API20 galleries. Fecal enterococci were also identified by means of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The topsoil of pyroclastic origin significantly retains both thermotolerant coliforms and fecal enterococci. Results of column tests carried out in soil blocks collected randomly within the test site suggest that Escherichia coli was more retained than Enterococcus faecalis, even though this difference is statistically significant in only two out of six soil samples. Thus, a non-uniform difference in retention is expected at field scale. This suggestion is in agreement with the results of the microbiological monitoring. In fact, fecal enterococci were a more reliable indicator than thermotolerant coliforms for detecting contamination at both seasonal springs of the aquifer system, while no significant differences were observed at the perennial spring.     

Petrology of Karoo volcanic rocks in the southern Lebombo monocline, Mozambique

The Karoo volcanic sequence in the southern Lebombo monocline in Mozambique contains different silicic units in the form of pyroclastic rocks, and two different basalt types. The silicic units in the lower part of the Lebombo sequence are formed by a lower unit of dacites and rhyolites (67–80 wt.% SiO₂) with high Ba (990–2500 ppm), Zr (800–1100 ppm) and Y (130–240 ppm), which are part of the Jozini–Mbuluzi Formation, followed by a second unit, interlayered with the Movene basalts, of high-SiO₂ rhyolites (76–78 wt.%; the Sica Beds Formation), with low Sr (19–54 ppm), Zr (340–480 ppm) and Ba (330–850 ppm) plus rare quartz-trachytes (64–66 wt.% SiO₂), with high Nb and Rb contents (240–250 and 370–381 ppm, respectively), and relatively low Zr (450–460 ppm). The mafic rocks found at the top of the sequence are basalts and ferrobasalts belonging to the Movene Formation. The basalts have roughly flat mantle-normalized incompatible element patterns, with abundances of the most incompatible elements not higher than 25 times primitive mantle. The ferrobasalt has TiO₂  4.7 wt.%, Fe₂O_3t = 16 wt.%, and high Y (100 ppm), Zr (420 ppm) and Ba (1000 ppm). The Movene basalts have initial (at 180 Ma) ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7052–0.7054 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51232, and the Movene ferrobasalt has even lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70377) and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51259). The silicic rocks show a modest range of initial Sr-(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70470–0.70648) and Nd-(¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51223–0.51243) isotope ratios. The less evolved dacites could have been formed after crystal fractionation of oxide-rich gabbroic cumulates from mafic parental magmas, whereas the most silica-rich rhyolites could have been formed after fractional crystallization of feldspars, pyroxenes, oxides, zircon and apatite from a parental dacite magma. The composition of the Movene basalts imply different feeding systems from those of the underlying Sabie River basalts.     

Unidirectional cyclic resistance of Ticino and Toyoura sands from centrifuge cone penetration tests

The evaluation of the undrained cyclic resistance of sandy deposits is required to forecast the soil behaviour during an earthquake (liquefaction, cyclic mobility); due to the difficulties in obtaining undisturbed samples of most liquefiable soils, it is usually deduced from field test results such as cone penetration tests. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the undrained cyclic resistance from normalised cone resistance of two well-studied silica sands (Ticino and Toyoura), with different mineralogy, one mainly composed of feldspar, the other of quartz. The determination of the cyclic resistance of Ticino and Toyoura sands was achieved through undrained cyclic triaxial tests on reconstituted specimens. The tip resistance was deduced from CPTs performed in centrifuge with a miniaturised piezocone on homogeneous reconstituted models. Both the undrained cyclic and tip resistances were correlated with the state parameter ψ. Results of centrifuge and triaxial tests were combined through ψ to deduce the cyclic resistance ratio CRR directly from the normalised cone resistance. The shape of the curve relating CRR to the normalised cone resistance resulted unusual respect to all the recognised curves widespread in the geotechnical literature. The aim of the proposed correlations is to provide a useful instrument to improve the actual knowledge on liquefaction and to give a contribution based on the critical state soil mechanics framework to the development of refined correlations between the cyclic resistance of a sand and the results of cone penetration tests.