Authigenic smectite on diatom frustules in Bolivian saline lakes

Observation under the electron microscope of diatom frustules from Bolivian Altiplano saline lakes shows that many of these are coated with particles occurring as tiny sheets. The frustules can be found to be almost completely replaced by these sheets. Isolated sheet aggregates seem to have resulted from completely transformed frustules. Section observations of altered frustules bear out that the sheets have grown from biogenic silica through replacement. Selected area diffraction, dark field observation, microdiffraction, and elemental microanalysis show that the particles on the diatom frustules consist of a poorly crystallized MG-smectite.The unambiguous localisation of this authigenesis allows us to reconstruct its hydrochemical and sedimentological environment. Observation of the most recent lake sediments has pointed out that at least two main conditions are required for this authigenesis at 5°C: saturation with respect to amorphous silica, and a pH above 8.2. Variations in the Mg concentration have no significant effect.     

The submarine volcano of Capelinhos and the tectonics of the Azores

Bulletin of Volcanology - In another paper of the author, a picture of the tectonics of the Azores was presented. The morphological analysis showed evidence of a folded and faulted structure and...     

Interpretation of some gravity profiles from estern Sudan

Summary Gravimetrically determined stations in the province of Kordofan, western Sudan, are interpreted. Boreholes and surface geology are employed, and a Gier Algol print-plot programme has been used. The interpretation shows that the granite mass increases in average thickness from 2000 m in the west to about 20000 m in the east. A dyke-like pattern of gneisses and schists is observed.The paper is forwarded by ProfessorSvend Saxov, Laboratory of Applied geophysics, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark.     

Effect of Aftershocks on Earthquake Hazard Estimation: An Example from the North Anatolian Fault Zone

In order to investigate the effect of aftershocks on earthquake hazard estimation, earthquake hazard parameters (_m, b and M_max) have been estimated by the maximum likelihood method from the main shocks catalogue and the raw earthquakes catalogue for the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ). The main shocks catalogue has been compiled from the raw earthquake catalogue by eliminating the aftershocks using the window method. The raw earthquake catalogue consisted of instrumentally detected earthquakes between 1900 and 1992, and historical earthquakes that occurred between 1000–1900. For the events of the mainshock catalogue the Poisson process is valid and for the raw earthquake catalogue it does not fit. The paper demonstrates differences in the hazard outputs if on one hand the main catalogues and on the other hand the raw catalogue is used. The maximum likelihood method which allows the use of the mixed earthquake catalogue containing incomplete (historical) and complete (instrumental) earthquake data is used to determine the earthquake hazard parameters. The maximum regional magnitude (M_max, the seismic activity rate (_m), the mean return period (R) and the b value of the magnitude-frequency relation have been estimated for the 24°–31° E, 31°–41° E, 41°–45° E sections of the North Anatolian Fault Zone from the raw earthquake catalogue and the main shocks catalogue. Our results indicate that inclusion of aftershocks changes the b value and the seismic activity rate _m depending on the proportion of aftershocks in a region while it does not significantly effect the value of the maximum regional magnitude since it is related to the maximum observed magnitude. These changes in the earthquake hazard parameters caused the return periods to be over- and underestimated for smaller and larger events, respectively.     

Cosmological Parameters from Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies: Status and Prospects

A survey is made of the present constraints on cosmological parameters from Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A geological and geotechnical investigation of the settlement area of Zümrüt Building (Konya, Turkey) which caused 92 fatalities due to its collapse

This study examines the local geological conditions and soil structure as possible causes of the collapse of the Zümrüt Building 2 February 2004. This catastrophe resulted in 92 fatalities and 35 injuries. This study also examines other views which claim weak soil structure, elastic and consolidation settlement of soil and excessive groundwater extraction as well as subsidence resulting from the underground silt erosion as possible factors. Zümrüt Building was constructed on normally consolidated, low plasticity clay. The underground water table was 30 m in depth. The internal friction angle of soil was 8°–30°, its cohesion was between 34 and 127 kN/m² and standard penetration test numbers varied between 11 and 50. The underground water level beneath Zümrüt Building had risen 4.5 m since its construction. Therefore the claim that subsidence resulting from the decrease of underground water level contributed to the collapse is incorrect. Secondly the settlement, resulting from the filling up of the pores created by the silt receding with the underground water, was 4.4 mm in total, and attributing this as the primary cause of the collapse is also incorrect. Soil properties, in situ and laboratory test results showed that the existing and/or expected settlement and the differential ground settlement in the Zümrüt building vicinity had the potential to cause structural damage. The tensile stresses caused by differential settlements recorded here are thought to be an indicator, but not the main cause contributing to the collapse of the building. The Zümrüt Building collapse was due to several compounding mistakes during the construction phase. These were geotechnical and other project faults and the use of low quality construction materials. The resulting catastrophe caused 92 fatalities, 35 injuries and a material loss of approximately US$7 million.     

Assessment of sediment yield estimations for large watershed areas: a case study for the Seyhan,Demirköprü and Hirfanlı reservoirs in Turkey

Abstract

Analyses of data from reservoir surveys and sediment rating curves are compared to predict sediment yield in three large reservoir watershed areas in Turkey. Sediment yield data were derived from reservoir sedimentation rates and suspended sediment measurements at gauging stations. The survey data were analysed to provide the volume estimates of sediment, the time-averaged sediment deposition rates, the long-term average annual loss rates in the reservoir storage capacity, and the long-term sediment yield of the corresponding watershed areas. Four regression methods, including linear and nonlinear cases, were applied to rating curves obtained from gauging stations. Application of the efficiency test to a power function form of a rating curve with nonlinear regression yielded the highest efficiency values. Based on the analysis of the sediment rating curves, sediment load fluxes were calculated by using average daily discharge data at each gauging station. Comparison of these two sediment yield values for each reservoir showed that the sediment yields from the suspended sediment measurements, SY_GS, are 0.99 to 3.54 times less than those obtained from the reservoir surveys, SY_RS. The results from the reservoir surveys indicate that all three reservoirs investigated have lost significant storage capacity due to high sedimentation rates.     

Multispectral remote sensing of biomass burning in West Africa

Remote sensing measurements provide a vauable means of determining the extent of burning areas and of estimating the overall distribution of pollutant sources (identified from experimental studies) in time and space. This distribution has to be taken into account in the boundary conditions of chemistry atmospheric models.Recent methods developed for the remote sensing of active fires in tropical or temperated forest zones, have been found to be completely inadequate for fire detection on West African savannas. In order to accurately estimate the active fire distribution in the function of different sorts of West African savannas (Sahelian, Sudanian and Guinean) and forests, a multispectral methodology has been developed based on NOAA/11-AVHRR satellite data, with the purpose of eliminating as much as possible the problems related to large surface heterogeneity, confusion and bias, produced by clouds, smoke, haze, background emissivities, etc.Unlike other methods, the results show that the multispectral method, in spite of its selectivity, provides realistic results, and does not under- or over-estimate the number of fires that can be sensed by the satellite. Consequently, this methodology is more appropriate than the simplest ones for a systematic sensing of this phenomenon.