Classification of near-surface anomalies in the seismic refraction method according to the shape of the time–distance graph: A theoretical approach

Results obtained by SASW and PS-logging (in-hole) seismic techniques are compared with the relatively new ReMi (Refraction microtremor) method at a common site with a well-known soil profile: a recently constructed high-speed railway embankment. PS-logging is the most accurate technique in identifying the soil profile of the embankment followed by Re-Mi and SASW. Mean shear wave velocity estimations are also higher for PS-logging, followed by SASW and ReMi, while mean deviation is similar in each technique. The ReMi technique has provided very accurate results in the study of the embankment profile, which in addition to its high operability and its fast data processing, makes it a very convenient technique for extensive geotechnical surveys.     

Stabilization versus decomposition in alpine ecosystems of the Northwestern Caucasus: The results of a tea bag burial experiment

Mountainous areas exhibit highly variable decomposition rates as a result of strong local differences in climate and vegetation type. This paper describes the effect of these factors on two major determinants of the local carbon cycle: litter decomposition and carbon stabilization. In order to adequately reflect local heterogeneity, we have sampled 12 typical plant communities of the Russian Caucasus. In order to minimize confounding effects and encourage comparative studies, we have adapted the widely used tea bag index (TBI) that is typically used in areas with low decomposition. By incubating standardized tea litter for a year, we investigated whether (1) initial litter decomposition rate (k) is negatively correlated with litter stabilization (S) and (2) whether k or S exhibit correlations with altitude and other environmental conditions. Our results show that S and k are not correlated. Altitude, pH, and water content significantly influenced the stabilization factor S, while soil-freezing had no influence. In contrast, none of these factors predicted the decomposition rate k. Based on our data, we argue that collection of decomposition rates alone, as is now common practice, is not sufficient to understand carbon input to soils and can potentially lead to misleading results. Our data on community-specific decomposition and stabilization rates further constrain estimates of litter accumulation in subalpine communities and the potential effects of climate change.     

Non-Fickian mass transport in fractured porous media

The paper provides an introduction to fundamental concepts of mathematical modeling of mass transport in fractured porous heterogeneous rocks. Keeping aside many important factors that can affect mass transport in subsurface, our main concern is the multi-scale character of the rock formation, which is constituted by porous domains dissected by the network of fractures. Taking into account the well-documented fact that porous rocks can be considered as a fractal medium and assuming that sizes of pores vary significantly (i.e. have different characteristic scales), the fractional-order differential equations that model the anomalous diffusive mass transport in such type of domains are derived and justified analytically. Analytical solutions of some particular problems of anomalous diffusion in the fractal media of various geometries are obtained. Extending this approach to more complex situation when diffusion is accompanied by advection, solute transport in a fractured porous medium is modeled by the advection-dispersion equation with fractional time derivative. In the case of confined fractured porous aquifer, accounting for anomalous non-Fickian diffusion in the surrounding rock mass, the adopted approach leads to introduction of an additional fractional time derivative in the equation for solute transport. The closed-form solutions for concentrations in the aquifer and surrounding rocks are obtained for the arbitrary time-dependent source of contamination located in the inlet of the aquifer. Based on these solutions, different regimes of contamination of the aquifers with different physical properties can be readily modeled and analyzed.     

Soil acidity adaptive control problem

Problem of soil acidity regularization is modeled as stochastic adaptive control problem with a linear difference equation of the dynamics of a field pH level. Stochastic component in the equation represents an individual time variability of soil acidity of an elementary section. We use Bayesian approach to determine a posteriori probability density function of the unknown parameters of the stochastic transition process. The Kullback–Leibler information divergence is used as a measure of difference between true distribution and its estimation. Algorithm for the construction of an adaptive stabilizing control in such a linear control system is proposed in the paper. Numerical realization of the algorithm is represented for a problem of a field soil acidity control.     

Mineral systems and the thermodynamics of selenites and selenates in the oxidation zone of sulfide ores – a review

Mineralogy and Petrology - Contemporary mineralogy and geochemistry are concerned with understanding and deciphering processes that occur near the surface of the Earth. These processes are...     

Earthquake prediction: 20 years of global experiment

Earthquake professionals have for many decades recognized the benefits to society from reliable earthquake predictions, but uncertainties regarding source initiation, rupture phenomena, and accuracy of both the timing and magnitude of the earthquake occurrence have oftentimes seemed either very difficult or impossible to overcome. The problem is that most of these methods cannot be adequately tested and evaluated either because of (a) lack of a precise definition of “prediction” and/or (b) shortage of data for meaningful statistical verification. This is not the case for the pattern recognition algorithm M8 designed in 1984 for prediction of great, Magnitude 8, earthquakes, hence its name. By 1986, the algorithm was rescaled for applications aimed at smaller magnitude earthquakes, down to M5+ range, and since then it has become a useful tool for systematic monitoring of seismic activity in a number of test seismic regions worldwide. After confirmed predictions of both the 1988 Spitak (Armenia) and the 1989 Loma Prieta (California) earthquakes, a “rigid test” to evaluate the efficiency of the intermediate-term middle-range earthquake prediction technique has been designed. Since 1991, each half-year, the algorithm M8 alone and in combination with its refinement MSc has been applied in a real-time prediction mode to seismicity of the entire Earth, and this test outlines, where possible, the areas in the two approximations where magnitude 8.0+ and 7.5+ earthquakes are most likely to occur before the next update. The results of this truly global 20-year-old experiment are indirect confirmations of the existing common features of both the predictability and the diverse behavior of the Earth’s naturally fractal lithosphere. The statistics achieved to date prove (with confidence above 99 %) rather high efficiency of the M8 and M8-MSc predictions limited to intermediate-term middle- and narrow-range accuracy. These statistics support the following general conclusions—(1) precursory seismic patterns do exist; (2) the size of an area where precursory seismic patterns show up is much larger than that of the source zone of the incipient target earthquake; (3) many precursory seismic patterns appear to be similar, even in regions of fundamentally different tectonic environments; and (4) some precursory seismic patterns are analogous to those in advance of extreme catastrophic events in other complex nonlinear systems (e.g., magnetic storms, solar flares, “starquakes”, etc.)—that are of high importance for further searches of the improved earthquake forecast/prediction algorithms and methods.     

Analysis of microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale electric field pulses produced by cloud and ground lightning discharges

We examined microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale pulses in electric field records of cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning discharges acquired in summer 2006, in Gainesville, Florida. A total of 12 cloud and 12 ground flashes were analyzed in detail, with the electric field record length being 96 or 200 ms and sampling interval being 4 or 10 ns. The majority of pulses in both cloud and ground discharges analyzed in this study were associated with the initial breakdown process and were relatively small in amplitude and duration. The typical durations were an order of magnitude smaller than tens of microseconds characteristic of “classical” preliminary breakdown pulses. We estimated that 26% of the pulses in the 12 cloud discharges and 22% of the pulses in the 12 cloud-to-ground discharges had total durations less that 1 µs.     

Mobilization of metals from riverine suspended matter in seawater

Suspended matter from rivers in the Russian Far East was leached by seawater to assess the extent of Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu release from the land-derived solids to estuarine and coastal waters. The concentration of solids in the leaching experiments was 0.25 g/l. The suspended matter used varied in metal content from background levels to heavily contaminated.The concentration of Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu in the leaching solution after 1, 4, 24, 48, and 96 h was determined by anodic stripping voltammetry. Measurable Cd was transferred from river suspended matter to seawater with both background and elevated Cd concentrations, though the amount of Cd released was different. The increase in Zn and Pb in solution was observed only at the enriched concentration of metals in the suspended solids. The Cu transfer into solution was more pronounced from material with elevated Cu concentration, but the amount of degradable organic matter in the solid phase was more important.The losses of metals from the riverine solids varied from 60% to 80% of total concentration for Cd to negligible for Pb, independent of contamination. The Zn loss depended on the initial concentration in the solids and decreased from 11–16% for the heavily contaminated suspended matter to 3–8% for the moderately enriched ones and to negligible for the pristine solids. Cu loss varied from 1% to 30% of total content, with no clear dependence on concentration in the suspended matter.The significance of additional input of dissolved metals to estuarine and coastal waters from remobilization was assessed by comparison with the initial concentration of dissolved metals in river water. Such experiments could be used to assess the water quality impact of atmospheric fallout of contaminated solids and storm drainage from the urbanized areas, in addition to river suspended matter studies.     

Radar and photometric observations and shape modeling of contact binary near-Earth Asteroid (8567) 1996 HW1

We observed near-Earth Asteroid (8567) 1996 HW1 at the Arecibo Observatory on six dates in September 2008, obtaining radar images and spectra. By combining these data with an extensive set of new lightcurves taken during 2008-2009 and with previously published lightcurves from 2005, we were able to reconstruct the object’s shape and spin state. 1996 HW1 is an elongated, bifurcated object with maximum diameters of 3.8 × 1.6 × 1.5 km and a contact-binary shape. It is the most bifurcated near-Earth asteroid yet studied and one of the most elongated as well. The sidereal rotation period is 8.76243 ± 0.00004 h and the pole direction is within 5° of ecliptic longitude and latitude (281°, −31°). Radar astrometry has reduced the orbital element uncertainties by 27% relative to the a priori orbit solution that was based on a half-century of optical data. Simple dynamical arguments are used to demonstrate that this asteroid could have originated as a binary system that tidally decayed and merged.