Morphology,structure and kinematics of a rainfall controlled slow‐moving Andean landslide,Peru

The large slow‐moving landslide of Maca is located in the upper Colca valley (southern Peru), a region characterized by a well pronounced rainy period, and intense and recurrent sustained seismicity. The landslide, developed in deep lacustrine deposits, has recently accelerated, threatening the Maca village. This work aims at understanding the rupture mechanism and the causes of the recent landslide reactivation/acceleration. We present a multidisciplinary characterization of the Maca landslide that includes: (i) geological and morphological mapping in the field; (ii) remote sensing analysis using an historical aerial photograph of 1955 and the Pléiades satellite images (2013); (iii) global positioning system (GPS) including time‐series of surveys over 13 years, and continuous measurements over 14 months; (iv) a geophysical campaign with deep electrical resistivity tomography profiles acquired across the landslide mass. Our study shows that this 60 Mm³ landslide, which can be classified as a clay/silt compound landslide, moved by 15 m between 2001 and 2014 with a large inter‐annual velocity variation (up to a factor of 500) depending on the rainfall intensity. We suggest that these dramatic changes in velocity are the result of the combination of a threshold mechanism and the short intense rainy season in Peru. This study reveals three main driving factors acting at different timescales: (i) over several decades, the river course has significantly changed, causing the Maca landslide reactivation in the 1980s due to the erosion of its toe; (ii) at the year scale, a minimum amount of rainfall is required to trigger the motion and this amount controls the landslide velocity; (iii) transient changes in slide velocity may occur anytime due to earthquakes. This study particularly highlights the non‐linear behaviour of the motion with rainfall. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of a semi-spectral cloud water parameterization to cooling tower plumes simulations

In order to simulate the plume produced by large natural draft cooling towers, a semi-spectral warm cloud parameterization has been implemented in an anelastic and non-hydrostatic 3D micro-scale meteorological code. The model results are compared to observations from a detailed field experiment carried out in 1980 at Bugey (location of an electrical nuclear power plant in the Rhône valley in East Central France) including airborne dynamical and microphysical measurements. Although we observe a slight overestimation of the liquid-water content, the results are satisfactory for all the 15 different cases simulated, which include different meteorological conditions ranging from low wind speed and convective conditions in clear sky to high wind and very cloudy. Such parameterization, which includes semi-spectral determination for droplet spectra, seems to be promising to describe plume interaction with atmosphere especially for aerosols and cloud droplets.     

Assessment of the effects of hydrocarbon contamination on the sedimentary bacterial communities and determination of the polar lipid fraction purity: Relevance of intact phospholipid analysis

This in situ study reports on the relevance of intact phospholipids as new biomarkers and highlights the limits of the classical fatty acid analysis after the hydrolysis of the polar lipid fraction. The analysis of polar lipid fractions revealed significant contributions of marine macrophytes with either non-phospholipid compounds (sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol) or with both non-bacterial phospholipid classes (phosphatidylcholine) and non-bacterial phospholipid molecular species (some molecular species of phosphatidylglycerol). The analysis of intact phospholipids showed also the predominance of gram-negative bacteria in sediments whereas the analysis of fatty acids alone cannot confirm such information. Lastly, as regard to the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the sedimentary bacterial communities, we observed a higher degree of saturation of the fatty acyl chains of the phospholipids extracted from sediment exposed to a massive and chronic crude oil contamination. Such a result was interpreted as an adaptive response resulting in higher membrane rigidity of the bacterial communities.     

Are Natural Climate Forcings Able to Counteract the Projected Anthropogenic Global Warming?

A two-dimensional global climate model is used to assessthe climatic changes associated with the new IPCC SRES emissions scenarios and to determine which kind of changes in total solar irradiance and volcanic perturbations could mask the projected anthropogenic global warming associated to the SRES scenarios. Our results suggest that only extremely unlikely changes in total solar irradiance and/or volcanic eruptions would be able to overcome the simulated anthropogenic global warming over the century. Nevertheless, in the critical interval of the next two decades the externally-driven natural climate variability might possibly confuse the debate about temperature trends and impede detection of the anthropogenic climate change signal.     

Outline of the Pan-African geology of adrar des Iforas (Republic of Mali)

The Iforas (60 000 km²) falls within the Pan-African mobile belt bordering the West-African craton in north-eastern Mali Republic. It is characterized by major N-S shear belts parallel to the edge of the craton which delimit longitudinal blocks some of which have undergone considerable horizontal displacements. The central core of the Iforas which consists largely of reactivated pre-Pan-African basement injected by Pan-African syn- and post-tectonic intermediate and acid plutonic rocks, has behaved as a relatively rigid blocks during the Pan-African dividing the orogenic belt into a western Iforas and an eastern Iforas.Western Iforas displays W to E zonation: an ophiolitic suture (Timetrine); trench volcano-sedimentary deposits cut by gabbros diorites and acid granitoids (Tilemsi); and a late orogenic composite »coastal range batholith intruding the pre-Pan-African basement of Central Iforas and its overlying volcano-sedimentary deposits which here display a littoral facies and a tillite.Central Iforas consists of two major units: a polycyclic pre-Pan-African basement metamorphosed under high amphibolite facies conditions of presumed Eburnean age and the Iforas granulite block bound to the W, N and E by shear zones.Eastern Iforas was totally separated during metamorphism and deformation from the Iforas granulite block. From West to East, three lithological assemblages have been recognised separed by shear belts: a Quartzite Group, a Gneissic Group and a Pelitic Group the latter representing the southern prolongation of the central Hoggar Pharusian province.Shear zones are an essential feature of Pan-African tectonism East of the West-African craton. The superimposed stress fields have been recognised producing: early N20° trending sinistral shear zones, a north-south dextral shear zone (Andjour-Tamaradant shear zone) and late conjugating sinistral NNW and dextral ENE wrench faults.Late Pan-African events reflect the uplift and unroofing of the Pan-African composite batholith, the intrusion of circular granite plutons often located close to shear zones and alternating episodes of distension and compression.Lastly the simple model proposed for the closing stages of the Pan-African in the Iforas is that of an active continental plate margin separated from the West African craton by an oceanic domain. Subsequent continental collision to the South with a promotory of the West African craton led to the formation of the Dahomeyan thrust front and modified the stress field. Closure of the oceanic domain of western Iforas is thought to have taken place by continued eastward subduction of the oceanic plate and sinistral movement along an inferred north westerly trending transform fault coinciding with the future Cretaceous Gao trough and an alignement of strong positive gravity anomalies. It was accompanied by the northerly migration of central and western Iforas along the conjugating dextral N-S Andjour-Tamaradant shear zone. Further shortening led to folding of the arcuate Timetrine-Ydouban-Gourma fold belt overlying the deformed margin of the West African craton.

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Zusammenfassung Das Iforas-Gebiet (60 000 km²) gehört zur pan-afrikanischen Bewegungszone, die in Mali an das westafrikanische Kraton grenzt. Diese Zone wird von N-S Scherbewegungen parallel zum Kraton durchzogen, wobei größere horizontale Versetzungsbeträge langgestreckte Blöcke herausgetrennt haben. Der zentrale Teil von Iforas besteht im wesentlichen aus reaktiviertem prae-panafrikanischem Basement, das in pan-afrikanischer Zeit von syn- und posttektonischen, intermediären und sauren Plutoniten intrudiert wurde. Dieses Gebiet wirkt als relativ starrer Block, der während der pan-afrikanischen Orogenese den Orogengürtel in einen westlichen und einen östlichen Ast teilt. Das westliche Iforas-Gebiet zeigt eine E-W Zonierung: eine Ophiolith-Sutur, einen vulkano-sedimentären Gürtel und einen Rand-Batholithen.Zentral-Iforas wird aus zwei Einheiten aufgebaut: ein mehrfach metamorphisiertes Basement und einen Granitblock.In den überregionalen Scherzonen lassen sich drei Stress-Felder erkennen: eine ältere 20° streichende sinistrale Scherzone, eine N-S dextrale Scherzone und jüngere NNW und dextrale ENE Bruchzonen.Spät-pan-afrikanische Ereignisse sind durch Heraushebung und Abtrag, Granitintrusionen und wechselnden Dehnungs- und Kompressionsbewegungen gekennzeichnet.

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Résumé L'Adrar des Iforas (60 000 km²) fait partie de la zone mobile pan-africaine en marge du craton ouest-africain au Nord-Est de la République du Mali. La région est caractérisée par d'importants accidents mylonitiques parallèles à la bordure du craton qui délimitent des compartiments longitudinaux dont certains ont subi des déplacements horizontaux considérables. La zone dorsale des Iforas qui consiste essentiellement en un socle pré-pan-africain réactivé et injecté au Pan-Africain par des roches plutoniques intermédiaires et acides, syn- et post-tectoniques, s'est comportée en compartiments relativement rigides au cours du Pan-Africain, divisant la chaîne en un rameau occidental et un rameau oriental.Le rameau occidental présente une zonation d'Ouest en Est: une suture ophiolitique (Timetrine); des dépôts volcano-sédimentaires de fosse recoupés par des gabbros et des diorites; et un vaste batholite composite tardi-orogénique qui recoupe le socle pré-pan-africain de la zone dorsale des Iforas et sa couverture de dépôts volcanosédimentaires ici à faciès littoral.La zone dorsale des Iforas comprend deux unités majeures: un socle prépan-africain polycyclique métamorphisé dans le faciès amphibolite, d'âge éburnéen présumé et le môle granulitique des Iforas, délimité à l'W, au N et à l'E par des accidents mylonitiques.Le rameau oriental était séparé du môle granulitique des Iforas lors du métamorphisme et de la déformation. D'W en E, on trouve trois unités séparées par des zones mylonitiques: un Groupe de Quartzites, un Groupe de Gneiss et un Groupe de Pélites. Ce dernier représente le prolongement vers le Sud de la province pharusienne du centre Hoggar.Les grands accidents de cisaillement sont un fait marquant du tectonisme pan-africain à l'Est du craton ouest-africain. Trois champs de contraintes superposées ont produit des accidents précoces sénestres de direction N20, un accident N-S dextre (Andjour-Tamaradant), et des failles cisaillantes tardives conjuguées d'orientation NNW sénestres et ENE dextres.Les événements pan-africains tardifs sont marqués par la surrection et l'érosion des batholites pan-africains, la mise en place de plutons granitiques souvent à proximité des grands accidents et par des alternances de distensions et de compressions.Enfin un modèle simple est proposé pour les stades ultimes du Pan-Africain dans l'Adrar des Iforas: une marge continentale active séparée du craton ouest-africain par un domaine océanique; suite à une collision au Sud avec un promontoire du craton ouestafricain qui aurait produit le front de chevauchement dahomeyen et modifié le champ de contraintes, la fermeture du domaine océanique de l'Ouest Iforas se serait produite par subduction à l'E de la plaque océanique et une translation sénestre le long d'une faille transformante orientée NW et coincidant avec le fossé crétacé de Gao et un alignement d'anomalies gravimétriques positives. Elle aurait été accompagnée par le déplacement vers le N de l'Iforas occidental et central le long de l'accident cisaillant dextre d'Andjour-Tamaradant. Cette fermeture aurait provoqué les plissements de la chaîne du Timetrine-Ydouban-Gourma qui repose sur la bordure déformée du craton ouestafricain.

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Building frequency fluctuations from continuous monitoring of ambient vibrations and their relationship to temperature variations

Building frequencies (fundamental and higher modes) are a critical parameter especially in the field of structural health monitoring mainly based on the stability of the structural dynamic parameters of individual building (frequencies, damping and modes shape). One of the most used methods to find out these parameters is based on the use on ambient vibration analysis. In this work, we study the fluctuations over a month period of the fundamental frequencies (transverse and longitudinal) of a 3.5-story RC-building made of 2 identical units connected by a structural joint. Time independent building frequencies is a strong assumption; as illustrated by our experiment showing that over an observation period of a month, building frequencies fluctuate of about 3.5 %. A clear correlation is found between the building frequency fluctuations and temperature variations, with a phase-shift interpreted as the characteristic time of heat diffusion within the walls. This allows: (1) determining the thermal diffusivity of the structure, (2) inferring its relative stiffness variations, and (3) showing that its Young modulus varies linearly with temperature.     

Longitudinal dispersion compensation for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer

The Very Large Telescope Interferometer [1,13] will be operated in air which will introduce small optical path fluctuations due to internal turbulence [4,6] and dispersion effects. Both may contribute to fringe contrast decrease. Longitudinal dispersion effects can be corrected by inserting an appropriate glass of variable thickness in one arm of the interferometer [3,5,11,12]. This paper presents a new method applied to VLTI in order to select the optimum glass, according to both the observing wavelength and the spectral bandpath, and to calculate its thickness. Results are presented in terms of improvement on the fringe contrast.     

Quaternary geochemical evolution of the salars of Uyuni and Coipasa, Central Altiplano, Bolivia

The central trough of the Bolivian Altiplano is occupied by two wide salt crusts: the salar of Uyuni, which is probably the largest salt pan in the world (10,000 km²) and the salar of Coipasa (2,500 km²). Both crusts are essentially made of porous halite filled with an interstitial brine very rich in Li, K, Mg, B (up to 4.7 g/l Li, 4.3 g/l B, 30 g/l K and 75 g/l Mg). Lithium reserves are the highest known in the world, around 9 × 10⁶ tons. Potassium, magnesium and boron reserves in brines are also important (around 194 × 10⁶ tons K, 8 × 10⁶ tons B and 211 × 10⁶ tons Mg).

The crusts are the remnant of saline Lake Tauca (13,000–10,000 yr BP). Its salinity was estimated approximately at 80 g/l. Its paleochemistry was derived in two ways: (1) by dissolving the present amounts of all chemical components in the former lake volume, and (2) by simulating the evaporation of the major inflows to the basin. The resulting chemical compositions are quite different. The dissolution-derived one is 5 to 50 times less concentrated in Li, K, Mg, B than the evaporation-simulated ones. However all compositions present the same Na and Cl contents. This suggests either a removal of bittern salts or an enrichment of the former lake water in Na and Cl.

The most probable interpretation is that Lake Tauca redissolved a salt crust akin to that existing today. Several older lakes have been detected on the Altiplano. Nevertheless, such an explanation only pushes the problem back. It is likely that the anomaly was transferred from one lake to an other. Three hypotheses may be put forward: (1) bittern seepage through bottom sediments, (2) uptake of the missing components by minerals, and (3) leaching of ancient evaporites from the catchment area at the beginning of the lacustrine history of the basin. The excess halite could have been recycled from lake to lake. This latter process seems to be the most effective to explain the large excess of Na and Cl over the bittern solutes — Li, K, Mg and B. The occurrence of almost pure Na/1bCl saline springs flowing out from a gypsum diapir in the northern Altiplano gives substantial support to this hypothesis.     

Seasonal succession of cyanoprokaryotes in a hypereutrophic oligo-mesohaline lagoon from the South of France

The Bolmon lagoon (South of France) is an oligo-mesohaline coastal lagoon that has undergone intense eutrophication in the past decades, resulting from a strong concentration of human activities in its drainage basin. Consequently, it exhibits some characteristics typical of an advanced trophic state; namely, the disappearance of submerged vegetation, the permanently intense phytoplankton growth and the recurrence of cyanoprokaryote blooms. As cyanoprokaryote dominance in south-temperate saline lagoons is little reported, we carried out this study in order to understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton composition and biomass, and to analyse the influence of environmental parameters such as salinity, nutrients and climate on the seasonal succession of species. In this lagoon, the phytoplankton was permanently dominated by cyanoprokaryotes, probably because of high availability of nutrients, low light penetration in the water column and frequent turbulent mixing induced by wind. The two most abundant species Planktothrix agardhii (in winter–spring) and Pseudanabaena limnetica (in summer) have low light requirements and are well adapted to a high mixing frequency, which defines the S1 functional group in Reynolds' typology for phytoplankton. Although widely studied in north-temperate lakes, blooms of these typically freshwater species are almost unreported in the Mediterranean area, especially in brackish ecosystems that are not their normal habitat. In the Bolmon lagoon, all their requirements for nutrients, light and mixing are satisfied and they seem to cope with a moderate presence of salt but P. agardhii was less competitive than P. limnetica at highest salinities, the latter being probably more halophytic. Contrary to the observations in lakes located at higher latitudes, the Mediterranean climate seems to induce a typical seasonal pattern of succession characterised by the dominance of P. agardhii (winter) – Chroococcales (spring) – Pseudanabaenaceae (summer) – P. agardhii (autumn, winter). The warm temperatures seemed to have a major influence on the phytoplankton succession, being responsible for the survival of Planktothrix during winter and its rapid and intense development in early spring. Intense mixing and high irradiance in summer promoted the development of Pseudanabaenaceae, as reported in another south-temperate lagoon, the Albufera of Valencia (Spain). The ecological success of Oscillatoriales observed in the Bolmon lagoon is a perfect example of a shift to the “turbid stable state” as proposed for freshwater shallow lakes only. Our work demonstrated that hypereutrophic Mediterranean lagoons can function very similarly to shallow lakes at higher latitudes; but the warmer climate and higher irradiances are probably responsible for differences in the seasonal pattern of species dominance.