A quantitative appraisal of earthquake hazard parameters computed from Gumbel I method for different regions in and around Turkey

Useful information concerning the earthquake hazard parameters distributed in Turkey and the adjacent areas are estimated in the present work. Based on Gumbel’s I distribution parameters we are able to estimate the hazard values of the investigated area which are the mean return periods, the most probable maximum magnitude in the time period of t-years and the probability for an earthquake occurrence of magnitude ≥M during a time span of t-years. Figures concerning the spatial distribution of probabilities and the return periods are plotted and we considered them of particular interest for mapping the earthquake hazard in Turkey and the surrounding areas. These figures effectively produce a brief earthquake hazard atlas. The quantitative appraisal of the hazard parameters is useful for engineers, planners, etc., because it provides a tool for earthquake resistant design.     

Weak compositional zonation in a silicic magmatic system: Incesu ignimbrite,Central Anatolian Volcanic Province (Kayseri – Turkey)

The Central Anatolian Volcanic Province (CAVP), one of four major volcanic provinces in Turkey, plays a significant role in the interpretation of the tectonic evolution of Central Anatolia. The CAVP developed within a complex collisional system involving the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates during the Miocene. The volcanism exhibits complicated variations in mineralogical, petrological and geochemical compositions resulting from post-collisional lithospheric dynamics. The Incesu ignimbrite has 5–20 m thick and covers an area of ～7800 km². It is composed of three stratigraphic levels. The lower level (LL) shows blackish brown and glassy welded structure. The middle level (ML) is a well-welded, reddish pink in color and has large amounts of fiamme. The upper level (UL) is grayish pink, weakly welded and has rock fragments of different compositions. The Incesu ignimbrite is composed of plagioclase (oligoclase, andesine) + pyroxene (augite, clinoenstatite) + opaque minerals and low amount of amphibole, biotite and quartz. Eutaxitic texture is dominant in ML and LL samples; these levels are more strongly and contain more flattened pumice fragments and volcanic glass shards than in the UL. A sharp color contrast defines the contact between LL and ML.Major, trace and rare earth element of the Incesu ignimbrite, characterized by their rhyolite, rhyodacite–dacite composition, medium–high K, calcalkaline and peraluminous nature, show fractional crystallization primarily controlled by plagioclase, clinopyroxene, magnetite, ilmenite and titanomagnetite. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of Incesu ignimbrite display isotopic variations between the ignimbrite levels; they exhibit a limited range in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7043–0.7049) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512716–0.512760). The Sr–Nd isotopic ratio of Incesu ignimbrite reveals an age of 3 Ma. The ignimbrite evolved through fractional crystallization and crystal contamination of the parent magma derived from Ocean Island Basalt (OIB) like magma. This suggestion is supported by the AFC modeling based on the trace elements and Sr isotope data.Variation of several major oxide concentrations (Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, CaO and K₂O), trace element concetrations (V, Sr, Cs and Rb) and trace element ratios (Ba/Rb, Sr/, K/Sr, K/Nb, Rb/Sr, Rb/Y and Rb/Nb) versus SiO₂ concentration show the magma chamber that generated the Incesu ignimbrite was compositionally zoned. All geochemical and Sr–Nd isotpic datas can be interepreted to be the result of a subduction related source.     

The great Sumatra–Andaman earthquakes — Imaging the boundary between the ruptures of the great 2004 and 2005 earthquakes

Segmentation along convergent margins controls earthquake magnitude and location, but the physical causes of segment boundaries, and their impact on earthquake rupture dynamics, are still poorly understood. One aspect of the 2004 and 2005 great Sumatra–Andaman earthquakes is their abrupt termination along a common boundary. This has led to speculation on the nature of the boundary, its origin and why it was not breached.

For the first time the boundary has been imaged and, with newly acquired marine geophysical data, we demonstrate that a ridge on the subducting Indo-Australian oceanic crust may exert a control on margin segmentation. This suggests a lower plate influence on margin structure, particularly its segmentation. The ridge is masked by the sedimentary cover in the trench. Its most likely trend is NNE–SSW. It is interpreted as a fracture zone on the subducting oceanic plate. A ramp or tear along the eastern flank of the subducting fracture zone beneath Simeulue Island may be considered as an intensification factor in terms of rupture propagation barrier.     

Spatio-temporal Assessment of Urban Heat Island Effects in Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan City Using Landsat Images

Alteration in climatic pattern has resulted to a steady decline in quality of life and the environment, especially in and around urbanized areas. These areas are faced with increasing surface temperature arising mostly from human activities and other natural sources; hence land surface temperature has become an important variable in global climate change studies. In this paper, Landsat TM/ETM imagery acquired between 1997 and 2013 were used to extract ground brightness temperature and land use/land cover change in Kuala Lumpur metropolis. The main objective of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of quantifying UHI effects, in space and time, using remote sensing data and, also, to find the relationship between UHI and land use change. Four land use types (forest, farmland, built-up area and water) were classified from the Landsat images using maximum likelihood classification technique. The result reveals that Greater KL experienced an increase in average temperature from 312.641°K to 321.112°K which was quite eminent with an average gain in surface temperature of 8.4717°K. During the period of investigation (1997–2013), generally high temperature is been experienced mostly in concentrated built-up areas, the less concentrated have a moderate to intermediate temperature. Again, the study also shows that low and intermediate temperature classes loss more spatial extent from 2,246.89 Km² to 1,164.53 Km² and 6,102.42 Km² to 3,013.63 Km² and a gain of 4,165.963 Km² and 307.098 Km² in moderate and high temperature respectively from 1997 to 2013. The results of this study may assist planners, scientists, engineers, demographers and other social scientists concerned about urban heat island to make decisions that will enhance sustainable environmental practices.     

Relationships Between Fundamental Seismic Hazard Parameters for the Different Source Regions in Turkey

Turkey has been divided into eight different seismic regions taking into consideration the tectonic environments and epicenters of the earthquakes to examine relationships of the modal values (a/b), the expected maximum magnitudes (M_max) and the maximum intensities (I_max). For this purpose, the earthquakes for the time period 1900–1992 from the Global Hypocenter Data Base CD-ROM prepared by USGS, and for the time period 1993–2001 from the PDE data and IRIS data are used. Concerning the relationships developed between different magnitude scales and between surface wave magnitudes (M_S) and intensity for different source regions in Turkey, we have constructed a uniform catalog of M_S. We have estimated the values of M_max and I_max using the Gumbel III asymptotic distribution. Highest a-values are observed in the Aegean region and the lowest b-values are estimated for the North Anatolian Fault. Maximum values of a/b, M_max and I_max are related to the eastern and western part of the North Anatolian Fault and the Aegean Arc. The lowest values of all parameters are observed near the Mid Anatolian Fault system. Linear relationships have been calculated between a/b, M_max and I_max using orthogonal regression. If one of the three parameters is computed, two other parameters can be calculated empirically using these linear relationships. Hazard maps of M_max and I_max values are produced using these relationships for a grid of equally spaced points at 1°. It is observed that the maps produced empirically may be used as a measure of seismic hazard in Turkey.     

A Probabilistic Assessment of Earthquake Hazard Parameters in NW Himalaya and the Adjoining Regions

The maximum likelihood estimation method is applied to study the geographical distribution of earthquake hazard parameters and seismicity in 28 seismogenic source zones of NW Himalaya and the adjoining regions. For this purpose, we have prepared a reliable, homogeneous and complete earthquake catalogue during the period 1500–2010. The technique used here allows the data to contain either historical or instrumental era or even a combination of the both. In this study, the earthquake hazard parameters, which include maximum regional magnitude (M _max), mean seismic activity rate (λ), the parameter b (or β?=?b/log e) of Gutenberg–Richter (G–R) frequency-magnitude relationship, the return periods of earthquakes with a certain threshold magnitude along with their probabilities of occurrences have been calculated using only instrumental earthquake data during the period 1900–2010. The uncertainties in magnitude have been also taken into consideration during the calculation of hazard parameters. The earthquake hazard in the whole NW Himalaya region has been calculated in 28 seismogenic source zones delineated on the basis of seismicity level, tectonics and focal mechanism. The annual probability of exceedance of earthquake (activity rate) of certain magnitude is also calculated for all seismogenic source zones. The obtained earthquake hazard parameters were geographically distributed in all 28 seismogenic source zones to analyze the spatial variation of localized seismicity parameters. It is observed that seismic hazard level is high in Quetta-Kirthar-Sulaiman region in Pakistan, Hindukush-Pamir Himalaya region and Uttarkashi-Chamoli region in Himalayan Frontal Thrust belt. The source zones that are expected to have maximum regional magnitude (M _max) of more than 8.0 are Quetta, southern Pamir, Caucasus and Kashmir-Himanchal Pradesh which have experienced such magnitude of earthquakes in the past. It is observed that seismic hazard level varies spatially from one zone to another which suggests that the examined regions have high crustal heterogeneity and seismotectonic complexity.     

Noether gauge symmetry for f(R) gravity in Palatini formalism

In this study, we consider a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe in the context of Palatini f(R) theory of gravity. Using the dynamical equivalence between f(R) gravity and scalar-tensor theories, we construct a point Lagrangian in the flat FRW spacetime. Applying Noether gauge symmetry approach for this f(R) Lagrangian we find out the form of f(R) and the exact solution for cosmic scale factor. It is shown that the resulting form of f(R) yield a power-law expansion for the scale factor of the universe.     

On the diet of Nile tilapia in two eutrophic tropical lakes containing toxin producing cyanobacteria

Due to the production of toxins, cyanobacteria may adversely affect economically important fish such as Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in tropical lakes. We studied the diet composition and factors affecting the diet of Nile tilapia in two tropical lakes where cyanotoxins were present. Particle-bound microcystins were present in all analysed water samples, ranging in concentration from 0.00012 to 1.11 and from 0.006 to 0.254 μg L⁻¹ in Murchison Bay in Lake Victoria and Lake Mburo, respectively. Detritus and phytoplankton were the main dietary components of the Nile tilapia, with phytoplankton contributing to over 30% by volume of stomach contents. The cyanobacteria Microcystis spp., which are also the most likely source of microcystins in the lakes, accounted for more than 80% of ingested phytoplankton. Microcystis spp. were also the most abundant cyanobacteria in both lakes (>60%). We found no significant relationship between the contribution of phytoplankton in Nile tilapia diet and the concentration of microcystins in the water but we found a close association between water transparency and the contribution of insects to Nile tilapia diets in Murchison Bay. Our results further show that none of the other measured environmental variables was a good predictor of diet items in Nile tilapia. Adult Nile tilapia in our study lakes, rely heavily on filter feeding, particularly under conditions of low water transparency, trapping detritus and phytoplankton cells especially colonies. They can ingest more mobile prey like insects and insect larvae when the water transparency and visibility increases.     

Advanced differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar techniques for deformation monitoring: a review on sensors and recent research development

This paper reviews the advanced differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (A-DInSAR) techniques, with two major components in focus. First is the basic concepts, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data sources and the different algorithms documented in the literature, primarily focusing on persistent scatterers. In the second part, the techniques are compared in order to establish more linkage in terms of the variability of their applications, strength and validation of the interpreted results. Also, current issues in sensor and algorithm development are discussed. The study identified six existing A-DInSAR algorithms used for monitoring various deformation types. Generally, reports of their performance indicate that all the techniques are capable of measuring deformation phenomena at varying spatial resolution with high level of accuracy. However, their usability in suburban and vegetated areas yields poor results, compared to urbanized areas, due to inadequate permanent features that could provide sufficient coherent point targets. Meanwhile, there is continuous development in sensors and algorithms to expand the applicability domain of the technology for a wide range of deformable surfaces and displacement patterns with higher precision. On the sensor side, most of the latest SAR sensors employ longer wavelength (X and P bands) to increase the penetrating power of the signal and two other sensors (ALOS-2 PALSA-2 and SENTINEL-1) are scheduled to be launched in 2013. Researchers are investigating the possibility of using single-pass sensors with different look angles for SAR data collection. With these, it is expected that more data will be available for various applications. Algorithms such as corner reflector interferometry SAR, along track interferometry, liqui-InSAR, and squeeSAR are emerging to increase reliable estimation of deformation from different surfaces.