Assessing Seismic Damage Through Stochastic Simulation of Ground Shaking: The Case of the 1998 Faial Earthquake (Azores Islands)

In July 1998, an M _w = 6.2 earthquake struck the islands of Faial, Pico and San Jorge (in the Azores Archipelago), registering VIII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale and causing major destruction in the northeastern part of Faial. The main shock was located offshore, 8 km North East of the island, and it triggered a seismic sequence that lasted for several weeks. The existing data for this earthquake include both the general tectonic environment of the region and the teleseismic information. This is accompanied by one strong-motion record obtained 15 km from the epicentre, the epicentre location of aftershocks, and a large collection of the damage inflicted to the building stock (as poor rubble masonry, of 2–3 storeys). The present study was carried out in two steps: first, with a finite-fault stochastic simulation method of ground motion at sites throughout the affected islands, for two possible locations of the rupturing fault and for a large number of combinations of rupture mechanisms (as a parametric analysis); secondly, the damage to buildings was modelled using a well-known macroseismic method that considers the building typologies and their associated vulnerabilities. The main intent was to integrate different data (geological, seismological and building features) to produce a scenario model to reproduce and justify the level of damage generated during the Faial earthquake. Finally, through validation of the results provided by these different approaches, we obtained a complete procedure for the parameters of a first model for the production of seismic damage scenarios for the Azores Islands region.     

Analysis of Environmental Bonding System for Oil and Gas Projects

This paper is concerned with potential financial impacts of different bonding instruments on oil and gas projects. An algorithm was prepared in order to assist decision makers, both regulators and industry, evaluate potential Net Present Value (NPV) impacts of financial instruments used to satisfy bonding requirements. Instrument option is the main variable for the proposed model. The user will be able to select between four instruments (Letters of Credit, Prepaid Collateral Closure Accounts, Leasing Specific Closure Accounts, and Ex-post Insurance Policies). This study includes simulations for three producing fields of different economically recoverable reserves (9 MMbbl, 53 MMbbl, and 148 MMbbl⁵), where four financial instruments, in addition to a no instrument scenario, are tested under a proposed bonding regime. Sensitivity analysis of NPV and Government Take (GT) value indicate ex-post insurance policies and letters of credit cause fewer impacts yielding significantly better payoffs. Preliminary simulations also confirm that small projects, around 9 MMbbl, can be severely affected when collateral account instruments are used.     

B2114+022: a distant radio source gravitationally lensed by a starburst galaxy

We have discovered a radio source (B2114+022) with a unique structure during the course of the JVAS gravitational lens survey. VLA, MERLIN, VLBA and MERLIN+EVN radio maps reveal four compact components, in a configuration unlike that of any known lens system, or, for that matter, any of the ∼15 000 radio sources in the JVAS and CLASS surveys. Three of the components are within 0.3 arcsec of each other while the fourth is separated from the group by 2.4 arcsec. The widest separation pair of components have similar radio structures and spectra. The other pair also have similar properties. This latter pair have spectra which peak at ∼5 GHz. Their surface brightnesses are much lower than expected for synchrotron self-absorbed components.
Ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope optical observations show two galaxies ( z =0.3157 and 0.5883) separated by 1.25 arcsec. The lower redshift galaxy has a post-starburst spectrum and lies close to, but not coincident with, the compact group of three radio components. No optical or infrared emission is detected from any of the radio components down to I =25 and H =23 . We argue that the most likely explanation of the B2114+022 system is that the post-starburst galaxy, assisted by the second galaxy, lenses a distant radio source producing the two wide-separation images. The other two radio components are then associated with the post-starburst galaxy. The combination of the angular sizes of these components, their radio spectra and their location with respect to their host galaxy still remains puzzling.     

Removal of selected heavy metals from MSW fly ash by the electrodialytic process

This paper aims to assess the applicability of the electrodialytic remediation technique for the removal of zinc, lead, copper and cadmium from municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator fly ash. A broad range of experimental conditions were studied including current densities, remediation times, use of assisting agents and cell design.

Several operational problems were identified during the electrodialytic experiments, among which are formation of precipitates, dryness of sample and partial dissolution of sample creating preferential pathways for the electric current. These problems may explain the low remediation efficiencies obtained.

Comparison between experiments showed that generally the use of Na-gluconate as assisting agent leads to better results than distilled water. Increasing the concentration of the assisting agent also results in higher removals.     

Evaluation of contaminants retention in soils from Viamão District, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Adsorption is one of the most significant processes in the mobility of soluble pollutants in soils. The aim of this work is to characterize and evaluate the adsorption capacity of soils from Viamão District, Brazil. The studied ions were lead_total, copper_total, sulfate, phosphate, and potassium. The soils were mapped by remote sensing and characterized by granulometrical and mineralogical techniques. The adsorption tests were made by the contact of soil samples with aqueous solutions. The soils adsorption capacity presented the following trend: Pb_total>Cu_total≈PO ₄ ³⁻ >K⁺ ≈SO ₄ ²⁺ . Adsorption in the soils is strongly influenced by clay content. The adsorption of phosphate, copper, and lead was accentuated by the presence of organic matter. Phosphate adsorption was controlled by oxides and organic matter. Both potassium and sulfate showed insignificant adsorption in the studied soils.     

Characterization of a profile of residual soil from granite combining geological, geophysical and mechanical testing techniques

This paper summarizes the results of an experimental site investigation and characterization survey, on a residual (saprolitic) soil from granite, in the framework of a research project led by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). This project aims at characterizing these unusual soils in the context of the development of an International Prediction Event (Class A) on the behaviour of different types of piles. A very extensive site characterization campaign, including a large variety of in-situ tests and field methods, has been held. These investigations comprised the application of several geophysical borehole and surface methods, namely P- and S-wave seismic refraction, reflection, cross-hole (CH), down-hole (DH), electrical resistivity imaging and ground probing radar (GPR), as well as mechanical tests, namely SPT, CPT and DMT, among others. The site is geologically formed by an upper layer of heterogeneous residual granitic soil, overlaying rather weathered granite contacting a gneissic migmatite. Direct and indirect results from some of the referred surveys were compared between them and with some of the available geological and geotechnical information, namely those obtained from seismic, electrical and GPR profiles, conducted adjacent to three boreholes in which undisturbed soil samples were collected previously to geophysical data acquisition. In addition, a comprehensive laboratory testing program was carried out using the collected undisturbed samples. A discussion of the obtained results is hereby presented, giving emphasis to the correlations encountered between the different tests, specific of saprolitic soils with weak relic structures.     

Adamantinasuchus navae: A new Gondwanan Crocodylomorpha (Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil

A new Late Cretaceous Mesoeucrocodylian from the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Basin), São Paulo State, Brazil is described. The main features of this new species are the short, high oreinirostral rostrum, the large laterally positioned orbital notches and external nares in the anteriormost portion of the rostrum. The mandible is robust and concave-shaped in relation to the skull. The dentition is highly specialized, with two prominent incisiform teeth, a hypertrophied caniniform, and seven molariform teeth. The molariform teeth are ornamented with denticles in their lingual surface and are smooth on their labial surface. The molariforms are elliptical in cross-section, presenting the largest axis in the labial-lingual direction. Such dental characteristics are unique among the terrestrial crocodylomorphs of the Gondwana.     

Long-period seismic source inversions using global tomographic models

We investigate the effect of laterally varying earth structure on centroid moment tensor inversions using fundamental mode mantle waves. Theoretical seismograms are calculated using a full formulation of surface wave ray theory. Calculations are made using a variety of global tomographic earth models. Results are compared with those obtained using the so-called great-circle approximation, which assumes that phase corrections are given in terms of mean phase slowness along the great circle, and which neglects amplitude effects of heterogeneity. Synthetic tests suggest that even source parameters which fit the data very well may have large errors due to incomplete knowledge of lateral heterogeneity. The method is applied to 31 shallow, large earthquakes. For a given earthquake, the focal mechanisms calculated using different earth models and different forward modelling techniques can significantly vary. We provide a range of selected solutions based on the fit to the data, rather than one single solution. Difficulties in constraining the dip-slip components of the seismic moment tensor often produce overestimates of seismic moment, leading to near vertical dip-slip mechanisms. This happens more commonly for earth models not fitting the data well, confirming that more accurate modelling of lateral heterogeneity can help to constrain the dip-slip components of the seismic moment tensor.     

Chemical composition and the nitrogen-regulated trophic state of Patagonian lakes

Chemical composition and nutrient concentrations of 39 relatively poorly known Patagonian lakes (38–50°S and from 70° to 68°W) are described and analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). The general relationships between nutrients (total phosphorus, bioavailable phosphorus and dissolved inorganic nitrogen) and plankton biomass are examined.We seek to demonstrate that the extreme oligotrophy characterising many lakes and reservoirs of the Argentine Patagonian region of South America owes more to nitrogen deficiency than to a shortage of available phosphorus. The data show a range of trophic conditions with variable water chemistry characteristics.The first two axes of the PCA ordination explain most of the variance (63%). The first component of the variance in the environmental data is a trophic gradient, with positive correlations with the concentrations of nutrients (TP, SRP, DIN) and electrical conductivity and a negative correlation with transparency. For all the reservoirs considered, the calculated annual, summer and winter chlorophyll-a carrying capacities of the available phosphorus were consistently and significantly (P<0.05) in excess of observations but maximum chlorophyll-a values correlate with DIN availability. Indeed the chlorophyll-a carrying capacities, as an index of the resource-sustainable maximum biomass, of the available nitrogen gives a better predictive yield relationship than does P. Our findings are remarkable in so far as the general expectation that dinitrogen-fixing phytoplankton should thrive in the absence of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, at least to the supportive limits of the available phosphorus, is unfulfilled.