Relationship between microseisms,geomagnetic activity and ionospheric absorption of radio waves

Summary Relatively good correlation between such remote phenomena as microseisms, geomagnetic activity and ionospheric absorption of radio waves has been observed. These phenomena are probably connected by a considerably increased penetration of energetic particles into the atmosphere under conditions of geomagnetic activity.     

Weighting of vertical angles

Summary According to the results of the adjustments of eight trigonometric and three-dimensional networks, the a priori variance m²() of the measured vertical angle is expressed by the formula: m²() = m²(a) + [C 1/2 m(k)]², where m(a) represents accidental observation errors; the constant C is estimated in the interval 0.5–1.5 according to the number of repreated observations and the variation of their changes with time; is the angle between the normals to the ellipsoid at the initial and final point of the line of sight, and m(k) is the mean square error of the coefficient of refraction which can be estimated for a given network from Tab. 1.Dedicated to 90th Birthday of Professor Frantiek Fiala     

Optimum size and density of surface grid arrays for retrieving accurate shear-tensile fracturing of microearthquakes

Surface arrays became an important tool for monitoring the induced seismicity in hydraulic fracturing experiments and for assessing the impact of fluid injection on the fracturing process of microearthquakes. The layout of sensors plays a key role in this task because it controls the accuracy of event locations and retrieved seismic moment tensors. We simulate various configurations of grid sensor arrays characterized by a different number of sensors, array span, sensor spacing, depth of sources and various shear/tensile source mechanisms of events. The moment tensor inversion is carried out using synthetically calculated P-wave amplitudes with added random noise. A bias in the solutions is evaluated by errors in the double-couple percentage of inverted moment tensors because the double-couple errors inform us about the sensitivity of the network to detect the shear/tensile fracturing mode of induced microearthquakes. The results show that the accuracy of the double-couple percentage is mostly controlled by the offset-to-depth ratio R defined as the ratio of half of the network size to the event depth. The optimum value of R is in the range of 0.75–1.5 irrespective of the type of the focal mechanism. If 121 (11 × 11) sensors are distributed in a regular grid and recorded data are characterized by a 10% random noise, the double-couple error is less than 6%. This error increases, if R is not optimum or if the number of sensors is reduced. However, even sparse arrays with 49 (7 × 7) or 16 (4 × 4) sensors can yield a reasonable accuracy, provided the surface grid arrays are designed to have an optimum size.     

Moment Tensor Inversion of Regional Phases: Application to a Mine Collapse

—?The aim of our study consists of analyzing potentially non-double-couple seismic events recorded at regional distances. In order to define the nature of the seismic source, a moment tensor inversion is carried out as this method is general enough not to initially constrain the source mechanism. In this paper we present an application to a seismic event induced by a mine collapse which occurred near the town of Halle in Germany. Because of its induced nature, many parameters such as the location and geometry of this seismic source are known. This information allows us to test the influence of inadequate propagation modeling on the moment tensor obtained from the inversion. Green's functions have been computed with the reflectivity method in a flat layered medium, using the European model EurID (Du et? al., 1998; Dufumier et al., 1997). From the inversion of P-wave seismograms recorded by the German Regional Seismic Network will, we obtained a source time function which can be decomposed into two subevents. The first one has a large isotropic part and a deviatoric mechanism with near vertical nodal planes. No volume change is observed for the second subevent, but a deviatoric component opposite of the first one. The addition of S-waves does not change the results of the inversion which are stable. Surface waves were not used because of their poor dispersion curves. Based on the moment tensor obtained from these inversions, the physical process at the source is compatible with a large cavity collapse.     

Problems connected with the tangential metric coefficient in the Schwarzschild metric: A possible solution

Four situations are shown where the Schwarzschild metric cannot be used or is subject to unsurmountable problems. The first is the question of a metric useful for PPN-formalism checking different gravitational theories. The second problem occurs in connection with Mach's principle, when the flatness of the spacetime inside a massive hollow sphere is a generally accepted solution. The metrical discontinuity on the same spherical shell is a third problem. The fourth one is the anisotropy of the mass-energy of a test particle in the gravitational field. Three principles for solution are proposed:

1. The space is not dilated, but rather contracted, in the gravitational field; then the measurement-rods are shorter and measured distances have greater magnitudes.
2. The potential energy is to be related to a potential level where a stationary observer is placed and the general relativistic potential must be used.
3. A new metric must be introduced which is distinct from the Schwarzschild metric, so that the space in the gravitational field is warped isotropically.

Then the problems stated are shown to be easily solvable.     

Effect of cofactors of adjusted and unadjusted quantities on their functions

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Effect of NAPL Source Morphology on Mass Transfer in the Vadose Zone

The generation of vapor‐phase contaminant plumes within the vadose zone is of interest for contaminated site management. Therefore, it is important to understand vapor sources such as non‐aqueous‐phase liquids (NAPLs) and processes that govern their volatilization. The distribution of NAPL, gas, and water phases within a source zone is expected to influence the rate of volatilization. However, the effect of this distribution morphology on volatilization has not been thoroughly quantified. Because field quantification of NAPL volatilization is often infeasible, a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted in a two‐dimensional tank (28 cm × 15.5 cm × 2.5 cm) with water‐wet sandy media and an emplaced trichloroethylene (TCE) source. The source was emplaced in two configurations to represent morphologies encountered in field settings: (1) NAPL pools directly exposed to the air phase and (2) NAPLs trapped in water‐saturated zones that were occluded from the air phase. Airflow was passed through the tank and effluent concentrations of TCE were quantified. Models were used to analyze results, which indicated that mass transfer from directly exposed NAPL was fast and controlled by advective‐dispersive‐diffusive transport in the gas phase. However, sources occluded by pore water showed strong rate limitations and slower effective mass transfer. This difference is explained by diffusional resistance within the aqueous phase. Results demonstrate that vapor generation rates from a NAPL source will be influenced by the soil water content distribution within the source. The implications of the NAPL morphology on volatilization in the context of a dynamic water table or climate are discussed.