Correction to: Investigating the influence of soil conditions and surcharge mass on seismic responses of ground surface

Journal of Seismology -     

Inverse modelling for freshwater lens in small islands: Kish Island,Persian Gulf

A number of challenges including instability, nonconvergence, nonuniqueness, nonoptimality, and lack of a general guideline for inverse modelling have limited the application of automatic calibration by generic inversion codes in solving the saltwater intrusion problem in real‐world cases. A systematic parameter selection procedure for the selection of a small number of independent parameters is applied to a real case of saltwater intrusion in a small island aquifer system in the semiarid region of the Persian Gulf. The methodology aims at reducing parameter nonuniqueness and uncertainty and the time spent on inverse modelling computations. Subsequent to the automatic calibration of the numerical model, uncertainty is analysed by constrained nonlinear optimization of the inverse model. The results define the percentage of uncertainty in the parameter estimation that will maintain the model inside a user‐defined neighbourhood of the best possible calibrated model. Sensitivity maps of both pressure and concentration for the small island aquifer system are also developed. These sensitivity maps indicate higher sensitivity of pressure to model parameters compared with concentration. These sensitivity maps serve as a benchmark for correlation analysis and also assist in the selection of observations points of pressure and concentration in the calibration process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anisotropic behavior of the Bushehr carbonate sand in the Persian Gulf

The anisotropy effect is exhibited more prominently in sedimentary depositions, and it relates the soil’s mechanical specifications to the directions of imposed loads. Even though this phenomenon has been comprehensively explored in silica sands, few research has been conducted for studying the anisotropic behavior of marine carbonate sands. To bridge this gap, the present study investigates the anisotropy effect on the mechanical behavior of Bushehr carbonate sand acquired from the north shelf of the Persian Gulf in Iran. Toward this end, some undrained principal stress rotation tests are conducted using a hollow cylinder shear torsional apparatus in such a manner that the direction of the applied principal stresses are fixed along a desired orientation and the total mean stress and intermediate principal stress ratio are kept constant. Furthermore, prior to shearing, the samples are consolidated under three confining pressures and two isotropic and anisotropic states. The results show that dilative behavior is observed in all loading directions after initial contraction; this contradicts the response observed in silica sands. The anisotropy response of soil follows two different trends in the contractive and dilative phases. The relation of soil’s mechanical properties shows a descending trend with the angle of maximum principal stress in the contractive phase; on the other hand, the anisotropy behavior shows a dominant parabola trend in the dilative phase, where the maximum ultimate pore pressure and minimum soil strength occur in the stress direction with an angle of α?=?30°. By increasing the confining pressure in the soil element, the intensity of the anisotropy in some mechanical properties except the soil deformation is reduced. Furthermore, the deviatoric-to-effective mean stress ratio in the phase transformation state from contraction to dilation is independent of the loading direction and consolidation stress state, and it is considered one of the intrinsic properties of sand.     

Morphodynamics,landform development and origin of the Ga’ara depression,Western Desert of Iraq

This work deals with the study of the morphodynamics, history of development of landforms and the origin of the Ga’ara depression. The depression is a suboval erosional topographic feature extending in E-W direction and located about 50 km north of Rutba Town, at the Western Desert of Iraq. The area is characterized by fresh and clean surfaces, scarcity of vegetation, abundance of rills, intense drainage and immature soil. These clues indicate that the erosion in the study area is effective. Four types of erosion features are recognized in this area namely sheet, rill, badland and wind erosion. The extent of the wind erosion depends on its position in relation to the prevailing wind direction. Water, wind and gravity are the main agents of erosion although the former seems more effective. In general, the valleys are dense in the hard rocks which indicate intensive erosion. Two types of drainage pattern can be distinguished in the study area, a dendritic pattern, especially at the exposure area of the Mulussa dolostone, and a centripetal pattern at the central part of the depression at the confluence of the main wadis. The valleys are V-shaped in their upper reaches and gradually change to flat-bottom shallow valleys in their lower reaches. Two major types of mass wasting are recognized, namely, rock fall and slump. Rock fall is the most common process whereby most of the talus accumulates at the base of the cliff. Slump is frequent at the south and southwestern rims of the depression. The slope surfaces are generally composite of the type free-face concave pediment. The depression is asymmetrical having steeper slopes in the south and the west whereas the northern and eastern scarps are wider and gentler, respectively. History of landform development is investigated in the Ga’ara area. Seven episodes are distinguished according to emergence and paleoclimatic conditions. The landforms of the study area were formed and further developed during the emergence episodes. The history of the development of the Ga’ara depression is studied too.     

Lithostratigraphy and standard microfacies types of the Neogene carbonates of Rabigh and Ubhur areas, Red Sea coastal plain of Saudi Arabia

The Neogene carbonate rocks have relatively small exposure relative to the siliciclastic and evaporite rocks in Rabigh and Ubhur areas, north Jeddah, Red Sea coastal plain of Saudi Arabia. The Miocene carbonates form small hills in both areas, which conformably overlie the siliciclastics, whereas the Pleistocene coral reefs form terraces facing the Red Sea in Rabigh area. The Neogene carbonates are represented by the following microfacies types: (1) dolomitic, oolitic, foraminiferal packstone; (2) sandy, dolomitic, intraclastic, foraminiferal packstone; (3) dolomitic and oolitic wackestone; (4) dolomitic, foraminiferal, intraclastic wackestone; (5) dolomitic mudstone; (6) coral boundstone; and (7) grainstone. The diagenetic processes affecting these carbonates are compaction, dissolution, aggrading neomorphism, and replacement that took place during deposition, shallow burial, and uplift. Pervasive dolomitization by the seepage reflux mechanism is responsible for the mimic replacement of the calcite of the original component of the limestone with dolomite. Sediments, biota, and lithofacies characteristics of the studied carbonate rocks of Rabigh and Ubhur areas indicate the presence of three facies zones; these are (1) FZ 5 platform margin reefs, (2) FZ 6 (platform margin sand shoals), and (3) FZ 7 platform interior-normal marine. The standard microfacies types are represented by (1) SMF 12, limestone with shell concentration; (2) SMF 15, oolitic wackestone and packstone; and (3) SMF 18, bioclastic grainstone and packstone with abundant benthic foraminifera.     

Failure risk assessment of interdependent infrastructures against earthquake,a Petri net approach: case study—power and water distribution networks

Metropolitan areas consist of complicated systems of interconnected infrastructures that are highly interdependent. Disruption of one infrastructure may induce disruption in other interconnected ones. The results from analysis of one infrastructure as an independent system are not realistic without considering the behavior of other interconnected infrastructures. Consequently, the study of the interdependencies among critical infrastructures is important for addressing the cascading effects of a failed infrastructure on the entire network to properly model its performance and help the disaster management team in decision making. In this study, the extended Petri net and Markov chain have been used to demonstrate the power and water infrastructure interdependency with a case study of one of the municipal districts of metropolitan Tehran, the capital of Iran. In this research, three cases have been assessed quantitatively: (1) the intra-dependency effects of different components in each network, (2) the interdependency effects between the considered critical infrastructures and (3) the behavior of the water network considering intra- and interdependency, when the power network fails. The analyses show that considering the mentioned interdependencies has a major influence on their performance simulations and assessment of their exact vulnerability. It is concluded that the failure probability of the water network that is dependent on the failed power network is 1.66 of the independent water network in the studied region. Eventually, the results of the research could be used in design, restoration and disaster management planning for safety assessment of critical infrastructures.     

Designing an integrated urban growth prediction model: a scenario-based approach for preserving scenic landscapes

Abstract

This study demonstrates the integration of landscape aesthetic quality and probable urban growth patterns in urban landscape modelling. This was performed using SLEUTH as a scenario-based urban growth model in Gorgan City of Iran. Future urbanization was predicted under developing three different scenarios including historical, managed and aesthetically sound urban growth up to the year 2030. Multi-Layer Perceptron neural network model was conducted for mapping the aesthetic suitability of the study area. The aesthetic suitability layer was used in the third scenario of SLEUTH model as the excluded layer to protect the scenic patches in future. The results showed that by correct implementation of urban growth policies, 323 ha in the second scenario and 650 ha in the third scenario would be saved. This integrated model would help the planners for a better management of urban landscapes as a Spatial Decision Support System.     

The effects of incubation on phosphorus desorption properties, phosphorus availability, and salinity of biosolids-amended soils

Phosphorus (P) desorption characteristics may be altered due to the biosolids decomposition during the incubation period. In our previous work we studied the phosphorus release kinetics in biosolids-amended calcareous soils with no prior incubation. The objectives of this work were (1) to assess the phosphorus desorption behavior in soils as influenced by biosolids after 5 months of incubation and (2) to evaluate the influences of six levels of the biosolids on phosphorus availability and salinity of soil. The results showed that the biosolids addition significantly increased the soil available P and salinity. The P availability and salinity of the soils increased as level of the biosolids application increased. However, there was no significant difference between some application rates for some soils. The results indicated that the incubation can affect the factors controlling the P release rate. Also, the results showed that the soil organic matter negatively affected the P desorption rate in the biosolids-treated soils.     

The Bajocian–Bathonian plant fossil from the Hojedk formation,Lenjan section,Kerman, Iran

The Jurassic successions represent a wide distribution in North of the Kerman province. These successions include Ab-Haji, Badamu, and Hojedk formations. The Hojedk Formation contains the plant fossils. The Lenjan section is one of the suitable areas for paleontological studies on the Hojedk Formation. The study section is mostly composed of green sandstone and shale with several interbedded coal veins with different thicknesses. The thickness of the Hojedk Formation is about 200 m in the Lenjan section. In this study, seven genera and 13 species of macro plant fossils were identified and described, including Nilssonia undulata, Nilssonia bozorga, Nilssonia berriesi, Nilssonia sp., Klukia cf. exilis, Klukia exilis, Cladophlebis antarctica, Coniopteris lobata, Coniopteris murrayana, Elatocladus confertus, Podozamites sp., Equisetites sp., and Coniopteris sp. The Bajocian–Bathonian can be attributed to the Lenjan section based on the recognized flora.