On the Importance of Geolithological Features for the Estimate of the Site Response: The Case of Catania Metropolitan Area (Italy)

The evaluation of seismic site response in the urban area of Catania was tackled by selecting test areas having peculiar lithological and structural features, potentially favourable to large local amplifications of ground motion. The two selected areas are located in the historical downtown and in the northern part of Catania where the presence of a fault is evident. Site response was evaluated using spectral ratio technique taking the horizontal- to-vertical component ratio of ambient noise. Inferences from microtremor measurements are compared with results from synthetic accelerograms and response spectra computed at all drillings available for this area. Such method is particularly suitable in urban areas where the nature of the outcropping geological units is masked by city growth and anthropic intervention on the surface geology. The microtremor H/V spectral ratios evaluated at soft sites located within the downtown profile tend to be smaller than that usually reported in the literature for such soils. A tendency for amplifications to peaks near 2 Hz is observed only in some sites located on recent alluvial deposits. Evidences for amplifications of site effects (frequency range 4–8 Hz) were observed in the sampling sites located on the fault, with a rapid decrease of spectral amplitude just a few tenths of metres away from the discontinuity. Numerical simulations evidenced the importance of geolithological features at depth levels even greater than 20–30 m. Besides this, the results strongly confirm the importance of the subsurface geological conditions, in the estimate of seismic hazard at urban scale.     

Optimization of an ocean thermal energy conversion system

The optimum performance of a simple Rankine cycle ocean thermal energy conversion plant is investigated analytically. It is shown that the ratio of maximum net power output to heat exchanger surface area varies as H(Δt − t₀)² where H describes the overall heat transfer properties of the evaporator and condenser, Δt is the temperature difference between the warm and cold sea water supplies, and t₀ is a parameter depending primarily upon the pressure drops across the warm and cold sea water pumping systems. The model is relatively insensitive to the choice of working fluid, although ammonia is used as the illustrative example.     

Mixed terrigenous—Carbonate sedimentation in the Hispaniola—Caicos turbidite basin

Sedimentation in the 9500 km², 4100 m deep Hispaniòla—Caicos Basin is dominated by turbidity currents. Carbonate turbidites originate from the Bahama Islands, Great Inagua and Caicos at the north end of the basin. Mixed carbonate—non-carbonate flows come from Hispaniola and perhaps Cuba. Most flows originate on insular slopes rather than in shallow water. The relatively low CaCO₃ content of hemipelagic sequences throughout the entire basin reveals that the influence of non-carbonate Hispaniola—Cuba sources is widespread.The basin was sampled with closely spaced piston cores. Sand-layer isopach and frequency maps reveal four or five major basin entry points for turbidity currents. Flow size is proportional to the size of source areas. Average volumes of flows originating from Hispaniola—Cuba, the largest source, are 10⁹ m³. This compares to an average flow volume of 10⁶ m³ for flows derived from the smallest source area, the Southeastern Caicos Bank. Measures of turbidity-current activity, such as thickness and frequency, change in a regular fashion away from each entry point. Average lutite thickness (combining hemipelagic and turbiditic lutite) are greatest near the basin entry points. On the abyssal plain occupying the south half of the basin, Bouma turbidite sedimentary structure sequences tend to be complete. However, on the Caicos Fan, the sedimentary structure sequences in turbidites are characterized by missing or repeated units. Six radiocarbon dates of two widespread presumed pelagic units in the basin yielded younger dates in stratigraphically older positions. The reversed dates are assumed to reflect storm erosion of older sediment on adjacent insular shelves.Consideration of a north—south reflection seismic profile over the basin indicates that the present sediment regimen has pertained through much of the Neogene. The coherence, convergence and termination of reflections in the seismic section are consistent with and tend to confirm conclusions based on the core study regarding the greater extent and volume of sediment deposits derived from the Hispaniola source area.     

Phase Relations and Crystallization Sequence in a Contact-Metamorphosed Rock from the Gunflint Iron Formation, Minnesota

Portions of the Gunflint Iron Formation, originally a ferruginoussediment, were metamorphosed by the intrusion of the DuluthComplex to assemblages containing: pigeonite (Wo₁₀En₂₄Fs₆₆)+olivine(Fo₁₃Fa₃₇)+Fe-Ti oxide (Mt₆₂Usp₃₄Hc₄)+plagioclase (An₉₄Ab₆)+vapor+augite (Wo₄₀En₂₀Fs₄₀) or cummingtonite Fe/(Fe+Mg) {smalltilde} 0.69; quartz was present but probably was not in equilibriumwith olivine. Comparison with synthetic phase-equilibrium studiesindicate conditions of initial recrystallization of T 800 °C,P_total 2kb, fo₂ slightly below that of the pure fayalite-magnetite-quartzassemblage, and P_H2O < P_total. During the slow cooling process following initial recrystallization,the phases present underwent a complex series of exsolution,inversion, oxidation, and hydration reactions. Pigeonite initiallyexsolved augite along (001), then inverted to orthopyroxene,which then exsolved augite along (100). The augite exsolvedonly pigeonite on (001) during its cooling history. The Fe-Tioxide for the most part oxidized to an intergrowth of magnetiteand ilmenite, although unoxidized portions later exsolved ulvöspinel.Cummingtonite exsolved actinolite, forming irregular patchesof the latter. Olivine, orthopyroxene, and augite reacted withplagioclase to form retrograde amphiboles. Orthopyroxene had difficulty nucleating during this slow coolingprocess, forming only at widely spaced points in mosaics ofprimary pigeonite grains, and never nucleating within primaryaugite grains. The resulting orthopyroxene grains are much largerthan the original pigeonite grains.     

Sunrise Hill unconformity: A newly discovered regional hiatus between Archaean granites and greenstones in the northeastern Pilbara Craton

Contacts between Archaean granites and greenstones in the northeastern part of the Pilbara Craton have been described as intrusive and tectonic. New field observations in the Shay Gap region demonstrate that greenstones of the Gorge Creek Group unconformably overlie the Muccan and Warrawagine batholiths. Regionally, the unconformity is marked by a persistent but relatively thin basal clastic sequence, locally with a granite boulder conglomerate, overlain by ore‐bearing banded iron‐formation, fine‐grained clastic rocks and chert. The granite basement is dated at 3443 ± 6 Ma. The precise age of the hiatus is unknown but its maximum effect might have been the removal of a substantial thickness of Early to Middle Archaean strata.     

不受地理位置限制的地热和太阳能联合发电系统

为解决能源问题,开发可再生能源,利用闭式循环将地热系统和太阳能系统联合起来发电.发电系统可以避免因大规模开发利用地热水资源可能造成的地震、地面沉降、地热水资源衰减、地热水有害成分污染、热污染等环境问题,也可以克服地热发电和太阳能发电受地理位置限制的缺点.地热系统地下部分由两垂深3～5km的井在井底由一5～7km的水平井连接而成,水平井中流体温度可达150℃左右,适合于ORC发电.太阳能系统采用槽式聚光镜集热,集热流体可选水或油,最高温度可达350℃以上.ORC一级循环工质为水,二级循环工质为异丁烷;ORC发电效率,白天最大为20%,晚上最大为12%.系统采用化学储能,储能密度为显热储能和潜热储能的10倍以上.钻井和完井、太阳能热能转换、载热流体、ORC和储能等技术的研究结果证明该系统是可行的.     

Marine and limnic radiocarbon reservoir corrections for studies of late- and postglacial environments in Georgia Basin and Puget Lowland, British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA

Models of late-glacial environmental change in coastal areas are commonly based on radiocarbon ages on marine shell and basal lake sediments, both of which may be compromised by reservoir effects. The magnitude of the oceanic reservoir age in the inland waters of the Georgia Basin and Puget Lowland of northwestern North America is inferred from radiocarbon ages on shell-wood pairs in Saanich Inlet and previously published estimates. The weighted mean oceanic reservoir correction in the early and mid Holocene is −720±90 yr, slightly smaller than, but not significantly different from, the modern value. The correction in late-glacial time is −950±50 yr. Valley-head sites yield higher reservoir values (−1200±130 yr) immediately after deglaciation. The magnitude of the gyttja reservoir effect is inferred from pairs of bulk gyttja and plant macrofossil ages from four lakes in the region. Incorporation of old carbon into basal gyttja yields ages from bulk samples that are initially about 600 yr too old. The reservoir age declines to less than 100 yr after the first millennium of lake development. When these corrections are accounted for, dates of deglaciation and late-glacial sea-level change in the study area are pushed forward in time by more than 500 yr.     

Source regions for recruitment of Calanus finmarchicus to Georges Bank: evidence from molecular population genetic analysis of mtDNA

Molecular population genetic analysis has provided evidence that the copepod, Calanus finmarchicus, of the Labrador Current, Gulf of St Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, Gulf of Maine, and Georges Bank constitute a single, interbreeding population. The DNA sequence of a 350 base pair portion of the mitochondrial large subunit (16S) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was determined for a total of 72 individuals collected in 1992, and 110 individuals collected in 1993 from these regions. There was significant heterogeneity in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1992, but this heterogeneity did not resolve into regional patterns. The only regional differences seen were between pooled samples of the western N. Atlantic and those of the Norwegian Sea. There were no significant differences in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1993, and fewer haplotypes were observed in these samples. Intraspecific molecular variation was typical of other marine species: there were 29 haplotypes among the 182 individuals sequenced. The frequency distribution of the haplotypes was highly skewed: 128 individuals shared one haplotype and 19 individuals were unique. There were 24 variable sites among the 350 bases sequenced; estimated nucleotide diversity was 0.0042. The genetic character of C. finmarchicus populations in the western N. Atlantic was stable over time in that three of the haplotypes (including the most abundant) occurred in both 1992 and 1993. However, haplotype frequencies differed significantly between the two years. The lack of regional structure in the 1992 samples and the genetic homogeneity of samples collected in 1993 across the domain from the Labrador Current to the Gulf of St Lawrence to Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine indicated that there is significant gene flow across this region. The persistent genetic pattern suggests that the Gulf of St Lawrence may be an important source region for recruitment of C. finmarchicus to Georges Bank. Determination of zooplankton dispersal patterns within high gene flow species will provide information that may not be determined by conventional oceanographic analyses.