Ground motion estimation in Delhi from postulated regional and local earthquakes

Ground motions are estimated at 55 sites in Delhi, the capital of India from four postulated earthquakes (three regional M _w?=?7.5, 8.0, and 8.5 and one local). The procedure consists of (1) synthesis of ground motion at a hard reference site (NDI) and (2) estimation of ground motion at other sites in the city via known transfer functions and application of the random vibration theory. This work provides a more extensive coverage than earlier studies (e.g., Singh et al., Bull Seism Soc Am 92:555–569, 2002; Bansal et al., J Seismol 13:89–105, 2009). The Indian code response spectra corresponding to Delhi (zone IV) are found to be conservative at hard soil sites for all postulated earthquakes but found to be deficient for M _w?=?8.0 and 8.5 earthquakes at soft soil sites. Spectral acceleration maps at four different natural periods are strongly influenced by the shallow geological and soil conditions. Three pockets of high acceleration values are seen. These pockets seem to coincide with the contacts of (a) Aravalli quartzite and recent Yamuna alluvium (towards the East), (b) Aravalli quartzite and older quaternary alluvium (towards the South), and (c) older quaternary alluvium and recent Yamuna alluvium (towards the North).     

Characterization of earthquake sources in the Gulf of Alaska

Abstract

The characterization of earthquake sources in the Gulf of Alaska and the relative significance of earthquake sources for establishing seismic design inputs at a typical site for engineering purposes are discussed. Earthquake sources in the complex tectonic environment can be divided into two groups: (a) a subduction zone that underlies the entire region (maximum magnitude M = 8.5); and (b) individual thrust and strike‐slip faults associated with the plate motions (maximum magnitude M = 6 to 7.5). The sources of either group and individual earthquake events can be represented as planar surfaces for consistency with the physical process and a mathematically tractable computational scheme.

Although the area is very active seismically, the degree of activity of individual sources varies significantly. Therefore, even for sources with the same maximum earthquakes, different magnitudes may apply for a selected design return period. The area is considered to be a “seismic gap.”; No great earthquakes have occurred in nearly 80 years. Estimates based on a temporally varying seismic function such as the semi‐Markov model indicate that the probability of occurrence of a great earthquake in the near future is significantly higher than the average probability inferred from a statistical analysis of historical seismicity data of the entire region.

Separate attenuation relationships should be used for calculating ground motions due to earthquakes on the dipping subduction zone in the northern portion of the gulf. The dominant earthquake source for almost the entire Gulf of Alaska region is the subduction zone that contributes over 80 percent of the seismic exposure at a typical site. The dominant magnitude range is M_s = 6.5 to 7.5. “Gap filling”; earthquakes (M_s = 7.5 to 8.25) contribute a little over a third of the seismic exposure at a typical site. Deterministic assessments of ground motion values using the maximum earthquake on the subduction zone at the closest distance yield values significantly higher than those calculated for even 500‐year return periods. Estimated 100‐year return period accelerations in the area range from 180 to 340 cm/sec².     

Comparison of BIAS correction techniques for GPCC rainfall data in semi-arid climate

Long-term historical precipitation data are important in developing metrics for studying the impacts of past hydrologic events (e.g., droughts) on water resources management. Many geographical regions around the world often witness lack of long term historical observation and to overcome this challenge, Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC) datasets are found to be useful. However, the GPCC data are available at coarser scale (0.5° resolution), therefore bias correction techniques are often applied to generate local scale information before it can be applied for decision making activities. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare five different bias correction techniques (BCT’s) to correct the GPCC data with respect to rain gauges in Iraq, which is located in a semi-arid climatic zone. The BCT’s included in this study are: Mean Bias-remove (B) technique, Multiplicative Shift (M), Standardized-Reconstruction (S), Linear Regression (R), and Quantile Mapping (Q). It was observed that the Performance Index (PI) of BCT’s differs in space (i.e., precipitation pattern) and temporal scale (i.e., seasonal and monthly). In general, the PI for the Q and B were better compared to other three (M, S and R) bias correction techniques. Comparatively, Q performs better than B during wet season. However, both these techniques performed equally well during average rainy season. This study suggests that instead of using a single bias correction technique at different climatic regimes, multiple BCT’s needs to be evaluated for identifying appropriate methodology that suits local climatology.     

Transient Magnetic and Doppler Features Related to the White-Light Flares in NOAA 10486

Rapidly moving transient features have been detected in magnetic and Doppler images of super-active region NOAA 10486 during the X17/4B flare of 28 October 2003 and the X10/2B flare of 29 October 2003. Both these flares were extremely energetic white-light events. The transient features appeared during impulsive phases of the flares and moved with speeds ranging from 30 to 50 km?s^?1. These features were located near the previously reported compact acoustic (Donea and Lindsey, Astrophys. J. 630, 1168, 2005) and seismic sources (Zharkova and Zharkov, Astrophys. J. 664, 573, 2007). We examine the origin of these features and their relationship with various aspects of the flares, viz., hard X-ray emission sources and flare kernels observed at different layers: i) photosphere (white-light continuum), ii) chromosphere (Hα 6563 Å), iii) temperature minimum region (UV 1600 Å), and iv) transition region (UV 284 Å).     

Near-infrared observations of the novae V2491 Cygni and V597 Puppis

We present results obtained from near-infrared JHK spectroscopic observations of novae V2491 Cygni and V597 Puppis in the early declining phases of their 2007 and 2008 outbursts, respectively. In both objects, the spectra displayed emission lines of H  i , O  i , He  i and N  i . In V597 Pup, the He  i lines were found to strengthen rapidly with time. Based on the observed spectral characteristics, both objects are classified as He/N novae. We have investigated the possibility of V2491 Cyg being a recurrent nova as has been suggested. By studying the temporal evolution of the linewidths in V2491 Cyg, it appears unlikely that the binary companion is a giant star with heavy wind as in recurrent novae of the RS Oph type. Significant deviations from that of recombination case B conditions are observed in the strengths of the H  i lines. This indicates that the H  i lines, in both novae, are optically thick during the span of our observations. The slope of the continuum spectra in both cases was found to have a  λ^−(3−3.5)  dependence which deviates from a Rayleigh–Jeans spectral distribution. Both novae were detected in the post-outburst supersoft X-ray phase; V2491 Cyg being very bright in X-rays has been the target of several observations. We discuss and correlate our infrared observations with the observed X-ray properties of these novae.     

Human health risk as a basis for prioritizing air quality monitoring stations in a megacity: a case study

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - The Ahnet and Tin Zaouatine terranes are located in the southern sector of the Algerian Desert and are part of the Tuareg Shield, which was built up during...     

Slope stability analysis for earthquakes

The method of slices commonly used for estimating static stability of natural slopes and embankments is extended to include the dynamic effects due to earthquake loading. The equation of motion of a typical slice along a path different from its base is derived. The calculations of displacement of a slide mass using the Newmark procedure are discussed and illustrated with an example problem.     

Residential preferences in the city of Warsaw,Poland

Warsaw was heavily damaged during World War II. Post-War socialist reconstruction emphasized public multi-family housing. A 1987 survey revealed that about one-third of Warsaw residents lived in single-family units, though most expressed their preferences to live in single family houses free from noise pollution and in an aesthetically acceptable environment. In two areas, the CBD and the Praga North, a large proportion of residents preferred to live in existing multi-family units, though such preference was much greater among the blue collar workers than white collar.