Palagonite,hyaloclastites and alteration of volcanic glass in the ocean

Palagonite is an hydrated and often altered glass usually associated with sub-aqueous basaltic volcanites. It is commonly considered as an alteration product of normal basaltic glass (sideromelane) with which it is associated in hyaloclastites. Existing information on the diffusion rates of water in natural glasses suggests, however, that the hydration which causes the formation of palagonite takes place at relatively high temperature, that is mainly during effusion and cooling of the lava under water. It is also suggested that generally palagonite is not formed in nature to any great extent from the alteration of sideromelane. Palagonite appears to devitrify much faster than normal unhydrated glass of the same composition. This fact may explain some previously unclear data on the occurrence of volcanic glasses on the floor of the oceans; namely, the existence of totally devitrified glasses in some recent sediments and the finding of unaltered glass in older deposits.     

A soft computing approach to tunnel face stability in a probabilistic framework

Acta Geotechnica - Tunnel face is important for shallow tunnels to avoid collapses. In this study, tunnel face stability is studied with soft computing techniques. A database is created based on...     

Shear and dilatational wave velocities for unsaturated soils

The primary objective of this study is for presenting some simple-to-use expressions relating the shear and dilatational wave velocities (V_S and V_P) to some physical and constitutive parameters of unsaturated soils. To this purpose, a simplified formulation is developed using the theory of linear poroelasticity in conjunction with some constitutive parameters widely used in geotechnical engineering. The derived expressions are of practical interest in view of the fact that they could be employed for evaluating the involved soil parameters from V_S and V_P measurements by in-situ or laboratory geophysical tests.     

Chemistry and sulfur isotopic composition of precipitation at Bologna, Italy

Individual and monthly precipitation samples from the polluted atmosphere of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna province) were collected during March 1996 to May 1997 and analyzed for major ions in solution and S isotopes in dissolved SO₄.Weighted mean enrichment factors relative to seawater are found to be 1.0 for Na, 15.2 for K, 105 for Ca, 3.3 for Mg, 17.3 for SO₄ and 663 for HCO⁻₃. Very good positive correlations are observed for the Ca²⁺–Mg²⁺–HCO⁻₃–SO²⁻₄–NO⁻₃ system, indicating that dissolution of Ca (±Mg)-carbonate particles by H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ from combustion of oil and gas is a major process controlling the chemical composition of rain and snow. Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in monthly precipitation derive essentially from sea spray, but the contribution of Na⁺ from continental sources is appreciable in a number of individual rains. NH⁺₄ appears to be on average more abundant in spring and summer precipitation, its main sources being microbial activity in soils and application of fertilizers. K⁺ is probably of continental origin from soil dust.The S isotopic composition of SO₄ is systematically positive, with mean δ³⁴S values of +3.2±1.6‰ (n=40) in individual precipitation and +2.8±1.4‰ (n=12) in monthly precipitation. These isotopic compositions are interpreted in terms of a dominant contribution of S from anthropogenic emissions and subordinate contributions from biogenic and marine sources. Pollutant SO₄ is estimated to have a δ³⁴S value in the range +2.5 to +4.5‰, whereas a distinctive δ³⁴S of −4.5‰ or lower indicates SO₄ from oxidation of biogenic gases.The isotopic and chemical compositions of SO₄ do not depend on wind direction, thus testifying to a mostly local source for pollutant S in the Bologna atmosphere.     

Geological,geochemical and mineralogical features of some bauxite deposits from Nurra (Western Sardinia,Italy): insights on conditions of formation and parental affinity

Bauxite deposits are widespread in NW Sardinia. They formed during the middle Cretaceous, in consequence of a period of emergence of the Mesozoic carbonate shelf. In the Nurra area the geometries derived by the Middle Cretaceous tectonic phases controlled the ore typologies. Two bauxite profiles, laying on different bedrocks, were sampled. The bauxitization proceeded from the surface downward, with the accumulation of Al₂O₃ and residual ‘immobile’ elements (Al, Ti, HFSE), and corresponding mobility and loss of SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃. Epigenetic kaolinite formed close to faults and joints, probably as a result of silicification, introduced by low temperature hydrothermal solutions. Rare earth elements, especially LREE, are concentrated in Fe-rich bauxite horizons, probably due to scavenging by goethite. REE-enrichment is not observed in the boehmite-rich horizons. Very high REE contents are observed in a Fe-depleted horizon due to the occurrence of REE accessory minerals, probably of the bastnäsite group. Conservative indices, including TiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Ti/Cr ratios, and Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*), suggest that the deposits formed by weathering of sediments derived from mafic rocks of the Hercynian basement. This, in turn, implies that the basement was exposed during middle Cretaceous.     

Uranium in submarine metalliferous deposits

Hydrothermal submarine metalliferous deposits, common in areas of the ocean floor with high heat flow, contain generally about 10 ppm U as an order of magnitude. The $\text{U}{}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}$ ratio is in the majority of cases close to that of seawater; only in a few cases is it anomalously high. Anomalous $\text{U}{}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}$ ratios are coupled with low U concentrations. These data are explained by a model where thermal water (essentially heated seawater) in its sub-bottom circulation often is unable to leach U from the basaltic oceanic crust; in fact, these thermal waters may in some cases lose U. When leaching of U from the basalt does take place, probably during shallow stages of the sub-bottom circulation, the resulting anomalous $\text{U}{}^{234}\text{U}{}^{238}$ ratio can be preserved in the hydrothermal deposit only if mixing with ‘seawater’ U is prevented.     

Including root reinforcement variability in a probabilistic 3D stability model

Forests play a significant role in protecting people, settlements in mountainous terrains from hydrogeomorphic hazards, including shallow landslides. Although several studies have investigated the interactions between forests and slope instabilities, a full understanding of them has not yet been obtained. Additionally, models that incorporate forest stand properties into slope failure probability analyses have not been developed. In principle, physical‐based models, which are powerful tools for landslide hazard analyses, represent an appropriate approach to linking stand properties and slope stability. However, the reliability of these models depends on numerous parameters that describe highly complex geotechnical and hydrological processes (e.g. potential failure depth, saturation ratio, root reinforcement, etc.) that are difficult to measure and model. In particular, the spatial heterogeneity of root reinforcement remains a problem, and the use of physically based models from a forest management perspective has been limited. This paper presents a procedure for assessing slope stability in terms of the Factor of Safety that accounts for forest stand characteristics such as tree density, average diameter at breast height and minimum distance between trees. The procedure combines a three‐dimensional (3D) slope stability model with an evaluation of the variability of root reinforcement in terms of a probability distribution, according to forest characteristics. Monte Carlo simulation is used to account for the residual uncertainties in both stand characteristics and 3D stability model parameters. The proposed method was applied in a subalpine catchment in the Italian Alps, mainly covered by coniferous forest and characterized by steep slopes and high landslide risk. The results suggest that the procedure is highly reliable, according to landslide inventory maps [area under the ROC curve (AUC) is 0.82 and modified success rate (MSR) is 0.70]. Thus, it represents a promising tool for studying the role of root reinforcement in landslide hazard mapping and guiding forest management from a slope stability perspective. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crossed molecular beam study of gas phase reactions relevant to the chemistry of planetary atmospheres: The case of C2+C2H2

The reaction between dicarbon (C₂) and acetylene was recently suggested as a possible competitive reaction in the atmospheres of Titan, Saturn and Uranus by rate constant measurements at very low temperatures [see Canosa, A., Páramo, A., Le Picard, S.D., Sims, I.R., 2007. An experimental study of the reaction kinetics of C₂(X¹Σ_g⁺) with hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆ and C₃H₈) over the temperature range 24-300 K: implications for the atmospheres of Titan and the Giant Planets. Icarus 187, 558-568]. We have investigated the reaction of the two low lying electron states of C₂ and acetylene by the crossed molecular beam (CMB) technique with mass spectrometric detection. C₄H, already identified as a primary product in previous CMB experiments, is confirmed as such, even though the mechanism of formation is inferred to be partly different with respect to the previous study. An experimental setup has been devised to characterize the internal population of C₂ and refine the interpretation of the scattering results. The implications for the modelling of the atmospheres of Giant Planets and Titan, as well as cometary comae and the interstellar medium, are discussed.     

Probabilistic seismic response assessment of linear systems equipped with nonlinear viscous dampers

The paper aims at evaluating the influence of damper properties on the probabilistic seismic response of structural systems equipped with nonlinear viscous dampers. For this purpose, a linear single‐degree‐of‐freedom system with an added linear or nonlinear viscous damper is considered, and the response statistics are evaluated for a set of natural records describing the ground motion uncertainty. A dimensional analysis of the seismic problem is carried out first to identify the minimum set of characteristic parameters describing the system and controlling the seismic response. An extensive parametric study is then performed to estimate the influence of the damper properties on the statistics of the main response quantities of interest (i.e. maximum displacements, accelerations and damper forces), for a wide range of values of the characteristic parameters. Finally, a set of case studies is investigated to show some interesting issues concerning the influence of the damper nonlinear behaviour on the evaluation of the system reliability and to highlight some limitations of current deterministic approaches neglecting the probabilistic properties of the response. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.