Estimation of site amplifications from shear-wave velocity profiles in Yeşilyurt and Avcılar,Istanbul, by frequency–wavenumber analysis of microtremors

During the M_w = 7.4 Izmit earthquake of 17 August 1999, the Yeilyurt district of Istanbul underwent damage despite the epicentral distance of 90 km. At Avclar (20 km west of Yeilyurt), the ground motion was even stronger and has caused heavy damage and fatalities. We investigate whether the observed ground motions can be explained by theoretical site amplifications calculated from one-dimensional (1-D) shear-wave velocity models. For this purpose, microtremors recorded with sensor-arrays set up at two sites were analyzed to obtain phase velocity dispersion curves using both the conventional and the Capon frequency–wavenumber (f–k) methods. At the Yeilyurt site, the conventional f–k method offered reliable phase velocity estimations whereas the Capon method showed scatter in the estimations. At the Avclar site, on the other hand, the Capon method provided a higher resolution than the conventional method and hence, allowed estimation of wavelengths up to seven times the array size. At the Yeilyurt site, the shallow shear-wave velocity profile that is correlated with the lithology obtained from boreholes yields a ground motion amplification factor of about 3 at the frequency of 1 Hz. At the Avclar site, the phase velocity dispersion curve is comparable with the one previously obtained using the spatial autocorrelation method. The site amplification factors calculated from the 1-D shear-wave velocity model are around 2–3 at the frequencies of 0.4, 1.2 and 2.3 Hz, which are about 2–3 times smaller than the amplifications obtained from reference-site techniques using weak/strong motion records of earthquakes. We suggest that the discrepancy may be caused by a 2- or 3-D effect introduced by surface and/or bedrock topography not accounted for by the horizontally stratified model considered here.     

Impulsive and Varying Injection in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

The standard model of gamma-ray burst afterglows is based on synchrotron radiation from a blast wave produced when the relativistic ejecta encounters the surrounding medium. We reanalyze the refreshed shock scenario, in which slower material catches up with the decelerating ejecta and reenergizes it. This energization can be done either continuously or in discrete episodes. We show that such a scenario has two important implications. First, there is an additional component coming from the reverse shock that goes into the energizing ejecta. This persists for as long as the reenergization itself, which could extend for up to days or longer. We find that during this time the overall spectral peak is found at the characteristic frequency of the reverse shock. Second, if the injection is continuous, the dynamics will be different from that in constant energy evolution and will cause a slower decline of the observed fluxes. A simple test of the continuously refreshed scenario is that it predicts a spectral maximum in the far-infrared or millimeter range after a few days.     

Secondary toppling failure analysis and optimal support design for ignimbrites in the Ihlara Valley (Cappadocia,Turkey) by finite element method (FEM)

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Kizilkaya ignimbrite, characterized by a blocky structure in the Ihlara Valley (Cappadocia, Turkey), poses many hazards to visitors and the human-made...     

Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and groundwater use on the contraction of Sultansazligi Wetland, Turkey

The Sultansazligi Wetland, an internationally important aquatic site in Turkey, has suffered from a severe contraction since the early 1990s. To determine the factors affecting contraction, temporal variations of climatic and hydrogeologic variables have been investigated. Both the long-term climate change and the increasing surface and groundwater use are found to be responsible. Hydrologic analyses reveal an apparent correlation between increasing use of water resources and contraction in the wetland. Particularly, increasing use of groundwater and complete capture of springs and effluent streams once feeding the wetland are found to be the prime factors. Furthermore, a strong coherence is found between the temporal trend of the North Atlantic Oscillation and local precipitation, which is the main source of the basin??s water excess and supplies the wetland. Future existence of the wetland depends on the application of thrifty water-use polices in irrigation.     

The combined RUSLE/SDR approach integrated with GIS and geostatistics to estimate annual sediment flux rates in the semi-arid catchment,Turkey

Quantitative evaluation of the spatial distribution of the erosion risk in any watershed or ecosystem is one of the most important tools for environmentalists, conservationists and engineers to plan natural resource management for the sustainable environment in a long term. This study was performed in the semi-arid catchment of the Saraykoy II Irrigation Dam, Cankiri, located in the transition zone between the Central Anatolia Steppe and the Black Sea Forests of Turkey. The total area of the catchment is 262.31 ha. The principal objectives were to quantify both potential and actual soil erosion risks by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and to estimate the amount of sediments to be delivered from the hillslope of the catchment to the reservoir of the dam using the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) in combination with the RUSLE model. All factor and sub-factor calculations required for solving the RUSLE model and SDR in the catchment were made spatially using DEM, GIS and Geostatistics. As the main catchment was divided into twenty-five sub-catchments, the predicted actual soil loss (by the model) was 146,657.52 m³ year^?1 and the weighted average of SDR estimated by areal distribution (%) of the sub-watersheds was 0.344 for whole catchment, resulted in 50,450.19 m³ year^?1 sediment arriving to the reservoir. Since the Dam has a total storage capacity of 509 × 10³ m³, the life expectancy of the Dam is estimated as 10.09 year. This estimation indicated that the dam has a relatively short economic life and there is a need for water-catchment management and soil conservation measures to reduce erosion.     

Petrological and geochemical evolution of the Kymi stock, a topaz granite cupola within the Wiborg rapakivi batholith, Finland

The 6×3 km Kymi monzogranite stock represents the apical part of an epizonal late-stage pluton that was emplaced within the 1.65 to 1.63 Ga Wiborg rapakivi batholith. The stock has a well-developed zonal structure, from the rim to the center: stockscheider pegmatite, equigranular topaz granite, porphyritic topaz granite. The contact between the two granites is usually gradational within a few centimeters, but local inclusions of the porphyritic granite in the equigranular granite indicate that the latter solidified later. Hydrothermal greisen and quartz veins, some of which contain genthelvite, beryl, wolframite, cassiterite, and sulfides, cut the granites of the stock and the surrounding country rocks. The equigranular granite contains 1 to 4 vol.% topaz, and its biotite is lithian siderophyllite; the porphyritic granite has 0 to 3 vol.% topaz, and the mica is siderophyllite. The equigranular granite is geochemically highly evolved with elevated Li, Rb, Ga, Ta, and F, and very low Ba, Sr, Ti, and Zr. The REE patterns show deep negative Eu anomalies and tetrad effects indicating extreme magmatic fractionation and aqueous fluid–rock interaction. The zonal structure of the stock is interpreted as a result of differentiation within the magma chamber. Internal convection in the crystallizing magma chamber and upward flow of residual melt as a boundary layer along sloping contacts resulted in accumulation of a layer of highly evolved, volatile-rich magma in the apical part of the chamber. Crystallization of this apical magma produced the stockscheider pegmatite and the equigranular granite; the underlying crystal mush solidified as the porphyritic granite. Much of the crystallization took place from volatile-saturated melt, and episodic voluminous degassing expelled fluids into opened fractures where they or their derivatives reacted with country rocks and caused alteration and mineralization.     

Chemical and genetic characterization of the ungrouped pallasite Lieksa

The meteorite Lieksa was found in 2017 in Löpönvaara, Finland, and later donated to the Finnish Museum of Natural History. Here, we report siderophile element concentrations, genetic isotopic data, and a metal–silicate segregation age for the meteorite. The ~280 g Lieksa is ~80% metal and ~20% silicate and oxide inclusions by volume, with the inclusions consisting primarily of Fe-rich olivine. Due to Lieksa's silicate content, coupled with a texture characterized by metal enclosing the silicates, it has been classified as a pallasite. Lieksa's olivine and bulk chemical characteristics are distinct from those of the known pallasite and iron meteorite groups, consistent with its classification as ungrouped. The meteorite exhibits a flat, chondrite-normalized highly siderophile element pattern, consistent with an origin as an early crystallization product from a metallic melt with chondritic relative abundances. Molybdenum, Ru, and ¹⁸³W isotopic data indicate that Lieksa formed in the non-carbonaceous (NC) domain of the solar nebula. Radiogenic ¹⁸²W abundances for Lieksa yield a model metal–silicate segregation age of 1.5 ± 0.8 Myr after calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion formation, which is within the range established for other NC-type pallasite and iron meteorite parent bodies.