Stability analysis of the Vallcebre translational slide,Eastern Pyrenees (Spain) by means of a GIS

The stability of the landslide of Vallcebre has been evaluated by means of a GIS. The landslide mechanism is a translational failure which has been analysed as an infinite slope. Soil strength parameters and groundwater conditions are obtained from laboratory tests and monitoring devices. Geometric parameters necessary to compute the factor of safety at each individual cell are generated by interpolation from the boreholes present in the landslide. The results have been checked with the actual behaviour of the landslide and are consistent. The comparison between a conventional slope stability analysis and the GIS-based approach gives similar results, showing the feasibility of the latter.     

Prediction of ground displacements and velocities from groundwater level changes at the Vallcebre landslide (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain)

In active landslides, the prediction of acceleration of movement is a crucial issue for the design and performance of warning systems. The landslide of Vallcebre in the Eastern Pyreenes, Spain, has been monitored since 1996 and data on rainfall, groundwater levels and ground displacements are measured on a regular basis. Displacements observed in borehole wire extensometers have shown an immediate response of the landslide to rainfall episodes. This rapid response is likely due to the presence of preferential drainage ways. The occurrence of nearly constant rates of displacement in coincidence with steady groundwater levels suggests the presence of viscous forces developed during the movement. An attempt to predict both landslide displacements and velocities was performed at Vallcebre by solving the momentum equation in which a viscous term (Bingham and power law) was added. Results show that, using similar rheological parameters for the entire landslide, computed displacements reproduce quite accurately the displacements observed at three selected wire extensometers. These results indicate that prediction of displacements from groundwater level changes is feasible.     

The supergene origin of ruthenian hexaferrum in Ni‐laterites

For two decades, the nature of Fe‐rich, oxygen‐bearing, Ru–Os compounds found in the supergene environment has been debated. Ru–Os–Fe‐oxides and nano‐intergrowths of ruthenium with magnetite have been proposed. We applied FE‐SEM, EMPA, μ‐Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron tts‐μXRD to Ru–Os–Fe compounds recovered from Ni‐laterites from the Dominican Republic. The results demonstrate that a significant portion of Fe exists in a common structure with the Ru–Os alloy, that is, ruthenian hexaferrum. This mineral occurs both as nanoparticles and as micrometric patches within a matrix of Fe‐oxide(s). Our data suggest that supergene ruthenian hexaferrum with a (Ru_0.4(Os,Ir)_0.1Fe_0.5)_?1.0 stoichiometry represents the most advanced weathering product of primary laurite within Ni‐laterites from the Dominican Republic.     

Buildings Damages after Elazığ, Turkey Earthquake on January 24, 2020

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on January 24, 2020, has been effective in Turkey’s eastern regions. The earthquake, with recorded peak ground acceleration (PGA) value of 0.292 g, caused the destruction or heavy damage of buildings, especially in the city center of Elaz?? province. The purpose of this paper was to share the results of detailed investigation in the earthquake-stricken area. Additionally, the causes of damages and failures observed in the buildings were compared to those that had occurred in previous earthquakes in Turkey. In this study, the damages observed in especially RC buildings as well as in masonry and rural buildings were summarized, the lessons learned were evaluated, and the results were interpreted with reference to Turkish earthquake codes. In the study, it was particularly emphasized why the building stock underwent such damage even though the buildings were exposed to earthquake acceleration well below the design acceleration values.

     

New observations on high‐pressure phases in a shock melt vein in the Villalbeto de la Peña meteorite: Insights into the shock behavior of diopside

The petrology and mineralogy of shock melt veins in the L6 ordinary chondrite host of Villalbeto de la Peña, a highly shocked, L chondrite polymict breccia, have been investigated in detail using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron probe microanalysis. Entrained olivine, enstatite, diopside, and plagioclase are transformed into ringwoodite, low‐Ca majorite, high‐Ca majorite, and an assemblage of jadeite‐lingunite, respectively, in several shock melt veins and pockets. We have focused on the shock behavior of diopside in a particularly large shock melt vein (10 mm long and up to 4 mm wide) in order to provide additional insights into its high‐pressure polymorphic phase transformation mechanisms. We report the first evidence of diopside undergoing shock‐induced melting, and the occurrence of natural Ca‐majorite formed by solid‐state transformation from diopside. Magnesiowüstite has also been found as veins injected into diopside in the form of nanocrystalline grains that crystallized from a melt and also occurs interstitially between majorite‐pyrope grains in the melt‐vein matrix. In addition, we have observed compositional zoning in majorite‐pyrope grains in the matrix of the shock‐melt vein, which has not been described previously in any shocked meteorite. Collectively, all these different lines of evidence are suggestive of a major shock event with high cooling rates. The minimum peak shock conditions are difficult to constrain, because of the uncertainties in applying experimentally determined high‐pressure phase equilibria to complex natural systems. However, our results suggest that conditions between 16 and 28 GPa and 2000–2200 °C were reached.     

Petroleum accumulation and leakage in a deeply buried carbonate reservoir,Níspero field (Mexico)

The filling history of the Níspero deeply buried Lower Cretaceous carbonate reservoir (below 4000 m) from the south part of Gulf of Mexico was studied using a combination of data from petrography, stable isotopes and fluid inclusions and compared with a one-dimensional burial model to derive timing.     

Catalonian precipitation patterns: Principal component analysis and automated regionalization

Summary A principal component analysis (PCA) based on a network including 179 pluviometric gauges is attempted in order to describe the main patterns governing precipitation in Catalonia (NE Spain). This PCA procedure is applied to the interstation covariance matrix and component loadings are then deduced from it and extensively interpreted. PCA results are used immediately after in a Davis and Kalkstein clustering process, leading to a rainfall division. The homogeneity of the different groups obtained is tested by means of the analysis of their spatial and temporal within-group variances.With 8 Figures