Wave propagation velocity under a vertically vibrated surface foundation

The ultimate objective of the research conducted by the authors is to explore the feasibility of determining reliable in situ values of soil modulus as a function of strain. In field experiments, an excitation is applied on the ground surface using large‐scale shakers, and the response of the soil deposit is recorded through receivers embedded in the soil. The focus of this paper is on the simulation and observation of signals that would be recorded at the receiver locations under idealized conditions to provide guidelines on the interpretation of the field measurements. Discrete models are used to reproduce one‐dimensional and three‐dimensional geometries. When the first times of arrival are detected by receivers under the vertical impulse, they coincide with the arrival of the P wave; therefore related to the constrained modulus of the material. If one considers, on the other hand, phase differences between the motions at two receivers, the picture is far more complicated and one would obtain propagation velocities, function of frequency and measuring location, which do not correspond to either the constrained modulus or Young's modulus. It is necessary then to conduct more rigorous and complicated analyses in order to interpret the data. This paper discusses and illustrates these points. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neogene exhumation of the Marrakech High Atlas (Morocco) recorded by apatite fission-track analysis

Apatite fission-track (AFT) data have been obtained along a traverse across the Marrakech High Atlas to constrain its tectono-thermal evolution. AFT ages vary between 212 ± 15 Ma and 20 ± 4 Ma. An Early Miocene AFT age accompanied by long mean track length from the central part of the chain has been interpreted as the timing of the main inversion of this region with the creation of relief because of the shortening induced by the interplay between the African and Eurasian plates. Thermal modelling of samples collected south of the South Atlas Fault Zone indicates a Middle-Late Miocene or even later cooling that has been attributed to the component of the uplift of the chain related to the thermal anomaly present beneath the Atlas Mountains.     

Petrology and Sr–Nd–Hf isotope geochemistry of gabbro xenoliths from the Hyblean Plateau: a MARID reservoir beneath SE Sicily?

In situ trace-element and isotopic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) data and whole-rock Sr–Nd–Hf data on 12 gabbro xenoliths from the Hyblean Plateau (south-eastern Sicily) illustrate the complex petrogenetic evolution of this lithospheric segment. The gabbros formed by precipitation of plagioclase + clinopyroxene from a HIMU-type alkaline melt, then were cryptically metasomatized by a low-Rb, high-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr fluid, and finally infiltrated by an exotic, late Fe–Ti-rich melt with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ~ 0.7055, carrying high concentrations of Sr, Rb and HFSE. The geochemical and isotopic features of both the metasomatizing fluid and the Fe–Ti-rich melt are compatible with their common derivation by the progressive melting of an amphibole–phlogopite–ilmenite metasomatic domain (MARID-type?) that probably resided within the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Therefore, both the astenosphere and the lithosphere underneath the Hyblean Plateau contributed to the petrogenesis of the gabbros. Sm–Nd dating yields an age of 253 ± 60 Ma for the cumulitic pile, roughly coinciding with a hydrothermal event recorded by crustal zircons in the area. We suggest that the Hyblean Plateau suffered a thermal event—probably related to lithospheric thinning and upwelling and melting of the asthenosphere—in Permo-Triassic time (the opening of the Ionian Basin?). The induced perturbation in the lithosphere caused consequent melting of some previously metasomatised portions.     

Effects of different boundary conditions on the simulation of groundwater flow in a multi-layered coastal aquifer system (Taranto Gulf,southern Italy)

The evaluation of the accuracy or reasonableness of numerical models of groundwater flow is a complex task, due to the uncertainties in hydrodynamic properties and boundary conditions and the scarcity of good-quality field data. To assess model reliability, different calibration techniques are joined to evaluate the effects of different kinds of boundary conditions on the groundwater flow in a coastal multi-layered aquifer in southern Italy. In particular, both direct and indirect approaches for inverse modeling were joined through the calibration of one of the most uncertain parameters, namely the hydraulic conductivity of the karst deep hydrostratigraphic unit. The methodology proposed here, and applied to a real case study, confirmed that the selection of boundary conditions is among the most critical and difficult aspects of the characterization of a groundwater system for conceptual analysis or numerical simulation. The practical tests conducted in this study show that incorrect specification of boundary conditions prevents an acceptable match between the model response to the hydraulic stresses and the behavior of the natural system. Such effects have a negative impact on the applicability of numerical modeling to simulate groundwater dynamics in complex hydrogeological situations. This is particularly important for management of the aquifer system investigated in this work, which represents the only available freshwater resource of the study area, and is threatened by overexploitation and saltwater intrusion.     

Application of the MoniFLaIR early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides in Piedmont region (Italy)

Landslides triggered by rainfall can be foreseen by modeling the relationship between the time occurrence of landslides and rainfall. This paper deals with the argument by adopting a hydrological model called Forecasting of Landslides Induced by Rainfall (FLaIR). The model is applicable for forecasting recurrent landslides and it is based on the identification of a mobility function Y(.) that links the occurrence of a slope movement to the antecedent rainfall. Once the mobility function is defined, it is possible to define its critical values, the exceeding of which indicates that new mobilizations could occur. The FLaIR model has been used to study some phenomena that happened in Lanzo Valleys, a Western Alps sector of the Piedmont region (Northern Italy) where slope debris flows are the predominant landslide type. The study has led to the development of an early warning system, called MoniFLaIR, for real-time monitoring and forecasting of slope hazard. This article describes some details of the system and its performance.     

An atmosphere–ocean regional climate model for the Mediterranean area: assessment of a present climate simulation

We present an atmosphere–ocean regional climate model for the Mediterranean basin, called the PROTHEUS system, composed by the regional climate model RegCM3 as the atmospheric component and by a regional configuration of the MITgcm model as the oceanic component. The model is applied to an area encompassing the Mediterranean Sea and compared to a stand-alone version of its atmospheric component. An assessment of the model performances is done by using available observational datasets. Despite a persistent bias, the PROTHEUS system is able to capture the inter-annual variability of seasonal sea surface temperature (SST) and also the fine scale spatio-temporal evolution of observed SST anomalies, with spatial correlation as high as 0.7 during summer. The close inspection of a 10-day strong wind event during the summer of 2000 proves the capability of the PROTHEUS system to correctly describe the daily evolution of SST under strong air–sea interaction conditions. As a consequence of the model’s skill in reproducing observed SST and wind fields, we expect a reliable estimation of air–sea fluxes. The model skill in reproducing climatological land surface fields is in line with that of state of the art regional climate models.     

Lithological control on thrust-related deformation in the Sassa-Guardistallo Basin (Northern Apennines hinterland, Italy)

The Sassa‐Guardistallo Basin (SGB) is located close to the Tyrrhenian Sea and represents one of the most internal Neogene–Quaternary hinterland basins of the Northern Apennines fold‐and‐thrust belt. Its sedimentary succession consists of ca. 400‐m‐thick Late Tortonian–Messinian continental – largely conglomeratic – units overstepping a mainly shaly substratum (Palombini Shales) and overlain by Late Messinian evaporites and marine to continental Pliocene–Pleistocene sediments. This stratigraphic succession can be approximated to a composite rheological multilayer that dictated the style of basin deformation. Detailed geological mapping and structural analysis revealed that basin deposits were affected by compressional deformations that can be found both at map and outcrop scales. Decametric splay thrusts emanating from the substratum–conglomerate interface locally double the continental succession and are bounded by a roof thrust along the Late Messinian evaporite décollement, defining a deformation pattern consistent with a duplex‐like structure. The time–space structural evolution of the basin inferred from the fieldwork was addressed and tested by analogue modelling that approximated the rheological stratification of the study area to a layered brittle–ductile system. The model results support the hypothesis that the evolution of the thrust system affecting the SGB started as an early floor imbricate fan thrust system that successively evolved to a duplex structure as the link thrusts propagated into the upper décollement layer that resulted from the deposition of the Late Messinian evaporites. Models display many structural features that may be compared with the natural prototype, and highlight the importance of syntectonic sedimentation in the development and evolution of tectonic structures. The results of this study retain relevant implications for the Neogene evolution of the Tyrrhenian Basin–Northern Apennines system. This study also supports that combining between field structural analyses and analogue modelling can give useful hints into the evolutionary history of tectonically complex areas.     

A simple model of propulsive oscillating foils

The design of thrusters inspired by the locomotion of fishes is currently investigated in many research centres for unmanned underwater vehicles. Fast fishes propel themselves in water through the rhythmic motion of their tail. Propulsion is achieved by means of the periodic shedding of vortex structures by the edges of the tail. Thrust is produced because the vortices give rise to a steady jet of fluid which leaves the tail in the direction which is opposite to the forward motion of the fish. Assuming that the fish tail can be modelled by a two-dimensional plate in steady forward motion and oscillating with a combination of harmonic heaving and pitching movements, Brown and Michael’s model is presently used to determine the dynamics of the vortex structures shed by plate edges. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effects on the flow field of varying the physical parameters of the phenomenon. The knowledge of the strength and trajectory of the vortex structures shed by the plate allows the characteristics of the jet producing the thrust to be quantified.