Evaluation of the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania using Monte Carlo based simulations

This work focuses on the evaluation of the seismic hazard for Romania using earthquake catalogues generated by a Monte Carlo approach. The seismicity of Romania can be attributed to the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source and to 13 other crustal seismic sources. The recurrence times of large magnitude seismic events (both crustal and subcrustal), as well as the moment release rates are computed using simulated earthquake catalogues. The results show that the largest contribution to the overall moment release for the crustal seismic sources is from the seismic regions in Bulgaria, while the seismic regions in Romania contribute less than 5% of the overall moment release. In addition, the computations show that the moment release rate for the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source is about ten times larger than that of all the crustal seismic sources. Finally, the Monte Carlo approach is used to evaluate the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania with populations larger than 100,000 inhabitants. The results show some differences between the seismic hazard values obtained through Monte-Carlo simulation and those in the Romanian seismic design code P100-1/2013, notably for cities situated in the western part of Romania that are influenced by local crustal seismic sources.     

Rainfall-induced landslide event of May 2010 in the eastern part of the Czech Republic

More than 150 landslides originated in the eastern part of the Czech Republic (region of the Flysch Outer Western Carpathians—hereinafter, OWC) due to soil saturation caused by antecedent precipitation and long lasting and intensive rainfalls on 16–18 May 2010 (>300 mm as measured by some stations). As a consequence, a multitude of small failures originated 88% of which was smaller than 10⁴ m². Most landslides are characterised as shallow (<10 m) or middle–deep (10–30 m) incipient (rather short travel) landslides, debris slides and soil slips spatially clustered to a geological domain underlain by rather weak thin-bedded flysch and unconsolidated Quaternary deposits. An exception to this is represented by a kilometre-long rockslide (∼2–3 mil m³) affecting tectonically weakened and weathered claystone/mudstone-dominated flysch on the southern slope of Mt. Girová (the Beskydy Mountains). The rockslide is one of the largest long runout landslides in the territory of the Czech Republic activated over the past few decades as it reaches the dimensions of the largest documented Holocene long runout landslides in the Czech part of the OWC. A majority of the May 2010 landslide events developed inside older (Holocene or historic) landslide terrains, which points to their spatial persistency and recurrent nature. In spite of the fact that the May 2010 landslide event was not as destructive as some previous landslide activisation in the OWC region (e.g. July 1997 event), it left many slope failures at the initial stage of their potential future reactivation.     

Prolonged Dry Episodes over North America: New Tendencies Emerging During the Last 40 Years

A disproportionate increase in precipitation coming from intense rain events, in the situation of general warming (thus, an extension of the vegetation period with intensive transpiration) and an insignificant change in total precipitation could lead to an increase in the frequency of potentially serious type of extreme events: prolonged periods without precipitation (even when the mean seasonal rainfall totals increase). This paper investigates whether this development is already occurring during the past several decades over North America south of 55°N, for the same period when changes in frequency of intense precipitation events are being observed. Lengthy strings of “dry” days without sizeable (>1.0 mm) precipitation were assessed only during the warm season (defined as a period when mean daily temperature is above the 5℃ threshold) when water is intensively used for transpiration and prolonged periods without sizable rainfall represent a hazard for terrestrial ecosystem's health and agriculture. During the past four decades, the mean duration of prolonged dry episodes (20 days or longer in southeastern Canada, 1 month or longer in the Eastern United States and along the Gulf Coast of Mexico and 2 months or longer in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico) has significantly increased. As a consequence, the return period of 1 month long dry episodes over the Eastern U.S. has been reduced more than twofold from 15 to 6~7 years. The longer average duration of dry episodes has occurred during a relatively wet period around most of the continent south of 55°N but is not observed over the Northwestern U.S. and adjacent regions of Southern Canada.      

Early Permian extensional shearing of an Ordovician granite: The Saint-Eutrope “C/S-like” orthogneiss (Montagne Noire,French Massif Central)

Dating the magmatic events in the Montagne Noire gneiss dome is a key point to arbitrate between the different interpretations of the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian tectonics in this southern part of the Variscan belt. The Saint-Eutrope orthogneiss crops out along the northern flank of the dome. We show that the protolith of this orthogneiss is an Ordovician granite dated at 455 ± 2 Ma (LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating on zircon). This age is identical to that previously obtained on the augen orthogneiss of the southern flank, strongly suggesting that both orthogneiss occurrences have the same Ordovician protolith. The Saint-Eutrope orthogneiss experienced intense shearing along the Espinouse extensional detachment at ca. 295 Ma (LA-ICP-MS U-Pb-Th on monazite), an age close to that determined previously on mica by the ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar method and contemporaneous with the emplacement age of the syntectonic Montalet granite farther to the west. This normal sense shearing reworked previous fabrics related to Variscan thrusting that can be still observed in the augen orthogneiss of the southern flank, and is responsible for the spectacular “C/S-like” pattern of the Saint-Eutrope orthogneiss. This work also shows that care is needed when dealing with C/S-type structures, since they can develop not only in syntectonic intrusions, but also in orthogneisses affected by an intense secondary deformation, at decreasing temperature.     

南极东方站深冰层及冰下湖钻探技术

自1970年至今,前苏联和俄罗斯在南极东方站持续进行了近50年的冰层钻探活动,先后攻克了包含粒雪层、冰层、冰岩夹层和湖水冻结冰的复杂冰层钻进难题,逐渐形成了一套集热融取芯钻探、电动机械取芯钻探和分支孔钻探等为一体的深冰芯钻探技术。创造了冰层最深干孔钻进深度记录（952.4 m）、最深热融取芯钻进记录（2755 m）、最深冰芯钻探记录（3769.3 m）,累计进尺达13000 m,并获取了总长超46 m的含湖水冻结冰样品的冰芯。东方站的钻探活动对极地冰层钻探技术的发展起到了巨大的推动和引领作用,同时积累了宝贵的深冰钻探经验。通过对东方站深冰钻探技术的系统梳理,将为我国正在实施的深冰芯钻探和即将开启的冰下湖科学钻探提供重要的借鉴。     

Geological development of Jabal al Akhdar,Libya

The northern Cyrenaic headland situated north of 32 degrees latitude between Benghází and Tubruq was subject of a geological mapping. This paper draws attention to the results of this geological survey concerning Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary facies development, paleogeography, tectonic and geomorphologic evolution.The essential part of the investigated area corresponds to Jabal al Akhdar (Green Mountains), a gently uparched plateau built of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments (mostly limestones, subordinate dolomites and marls). These sediments were deposited at the southern margin of the Tethys sea and were moderately folded, mainly during the intra-Senonian (pre-Campanian) and early Ypresian intervals.From Middle Eocene till Middle Miocene, the area was subject to a slight warping followed by oscillating transgressions of a shallow sea.The youngest tectonic movements resulted in a gentle doming of the area associated with downfaulting of certain zones. Some prominent faults revealed rejuvenated activity, partly with movement inversion. Deep faulting probably controlled the paleogeographic and tectonic development of certain zones.The present gross geomorphology of Jabal al Akhdar roughly corresponds to its final uparching dated after the Middle Miocene. Topographic evolution of the northern slope of the mountains has been importantly influenced by marine erosion. Two broad littoral terraces bordered by cliffs were formed successively.

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Zusammenfassung Die nördliche Cyrenaica nördlich des 32. Breitengrades, zwischen Benghazi und Tobruk, wurde geologisch kartiert. Ergebnisse dieser Aufnahmen sind unten wiedergegeben und umfassen die fazielle Entwicklung der Oberkreide und des Tertiär sowie die paläogeographische, tektonische und geomorphologische Entwicklung.Der wesentliche Teil des untersuchten Gebietes liegt im Djebel el Akhdar. Er repräsentiert ein herausgehobenes Plateau, das sich aus Oberkreide und Tertiärsedimenten (meistens Kalke, untergeordnet Dolomite und Mergel) zusammensetzt. Diese Sedimente wurden am Südrand der Tethys abgelagert und sind vorwiegend während des Senon (Prä-Campan) und frühen Ypresien schwach verfaltet worden.Vom mittleren Eozän bis ins mittlere Miozän wurde das Gebiet teilweise gehoben und von oszillierenden Transgressionen einer Flachsee erfaßt.Die jüngsten tektonischen Bewegungen führten zu einer domartigen Aufwölbung und zu Bruchtektonik entlang bestimmter Zonen. Dabei wurden markante Störungen mehrfach regeneriert, wobei auch inverse Bewegungen nachgewiesen werden konnten. Tiefgreifende Lineamente kontrollierten wahrscheinlich die paläogeographische Situation wie auch die tektonische Entwicklung entlang bestimmter Zonen.Die augenblickliche geomorphologische Ausgestaltung des Djebel el Akhdar korrespondiert mit der zuletzt stattgefundenen Aufwölbung nach dem mittleren Miozän. Die topographische Entwicklung seines nördlichen Randes ist weitgehend beeinflußt durch marine Erosionen. Zwei breite Küstenterrassen — durch Steilküsten begrenzt — haben sich dabei sukzessive herausgebildet.

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Résumé La Cyrénaique septentrionale au Nord du 32ème parallèle, entre Benghazi et Tobrouk, a été l'objet d'un lever géologique. Les résultats donnés ici concernent le développement des facies au Crétacé supérieur et au Tertiaire, ainsi que l'évolution paléogéographique, tectonique et géomorphologique.La plus grande partie du territoire se trouve dans le Djebel el Akhdar, plateau soulevé composé de sédiments du Crétacé supérieur et du Tertiaire (la plupart des calcaires, plus rarement des dolomites et des marnes). Ces sédiments se sont déposés dans la bordure meridionale de la Téthys et furent faiblement plissés principalement au cours du Sénonien (Précampanien) et au début de l'Yprésien.De l'Eocène moyen au Miocène moyen, cette région fut en partie soulevée et soumise à des transgressions oscillatives de mer peu profonde.Les mouvements tectoniques les plus récents ont eu pour conséquence un faible bombement de la région accompagné d'affaissements de certaines zones le long de failles. Certaines failles importantes ont rejoué plusieurs fois, partiellement avec inversion de mouvement. Des failles profondes ont influencé l'évolution paléogéographique et tectonique de certaines zones.La géomorphologie générale actuelle du Djebel el Akhdar correspond grosso-modo a son bombement final d'après le Miocène moyen. L'évolution topographique du versant septentrional de la chaîne a été influencée d'une façon importante par des érosions marines. Il s'est formé successivement deux terraces littorales bordées de falaises.

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The map of vertical crustal movements in Czechoslovakia and its interpretation

In addition to the measurements carried out in the framework of the 1973–1978 international relevellings, further levelling lines have been remeasured on the territory of Czechoslovakia till now. Considering all new relevellings on the region under study, an independent adjustment of annual velocities of vertical movements in whole network was performed. The values of vertical movements were determined relatively to the fundamental benchmark Želešice in the central part of Czechoslovakia, monumented in the bedrock of the southeastern border of the Bohemian Massif. The results are presented in a map of vertical movements and preliminarily interpreted in connection to the geological features of the territory under study.     

Total ozone response to major geomagnetic storms and changes in meteorological situations

Summary The total ozone response to strong major geomagnetic storms (A_p≥60) in winter along the 50° N latitudinal circle is studied. The results add to the recent results of Laštovička et al. (1992) obtained for European middle latitudes (∼50°N) and to the results of Mlch (1994). A significant response of total ozone is only observed in winter under high solar activity/E-phase of QBO conditions (E-max) and seems to be caused by geomagnetic storm-induced changes of atmospheric dynamics. There are two sectors along latitude 50°N, which are sensitive to forcing by geomagnetic storms both in total ozone and the troposphere — north-eastern Atlantic-European and eastern Siberia-Aleutian sectors. The total ozone response under E-max conditions manifests itself mainly as a large decrease in the longitudinal variation of ozone after the storm, which means an increase of ozone in Europe. The observed effects in total ozone consist in redistribution, not production or loss of ozone.     

Interpretation of shallow refraction seismic data by reflection/refraction tomography

A new algorithm for tomographic inversion of traveltimes of reflected and refracted seismic waves is developed. The inversion gives interface configurations and velocity distributions in layers. The important features of the algorithm are: (a) the inclusion of shot time delays in the list of unknown parameters; (b) the regularization is applied in such a way that the most probable model is characterized by the similarity of neighbouring interfaces. As the problem under consideration is non-linear, several iterations are necessary in order to obtain the final model. In the case of a very inexact initial model, a 'layer-by-layer' inversion strategy is recommended as a first inversion step. The inversion program is supplied with a user interface, thanks to which one can: (a) pick interactively and identify seismic traveltimes; (b) build and edit depth/velocity models; and (c) display calculated traveltime curves and compare them with picked traveltimes as well as with the original seismic sections. The efficiency of the inversion software developed is illustrated by a numerical example and a field example in which shallow seismic data are considered. Application to wide-aperture reflection/refraction profiling (WARRP) data is also possible.     

Superorbital variability of the X-ray flux in the Be-donor binaries SXP 138, GX-304, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis> Cas

RXTE observations of the X-ray binary systems SXP 138, GX-304, and γ Cas in 1997–2011 have shown for the first time that these objects (X-ray binaries with Be donors) display X-ray flux variations on timescales of ～1000 days. This timescale is about 10 times longer than their orbital periods, and is comparable to the total time of the observations. The observed variations are apparently not strictly periodic and represent stochastic variability, as is characteristic of such systems in the optical. γ Cas is considered as an example. The series of optical observations of this system available in the AAVSO database covers 78 years, and is much longer than the timescale of the variability studied. Our analysis of this series has shown that γ Cas variability on a timescale of tens of years is predominantly stochastic with a power-law spectrum.