An autochthonous geological model for the eastern Andes of Ecuador

We describe a traverse across the Cordillera Real and sub-Andean Zone of Ecuador, poorly known areas with very little detailed mapping and very little age control. The spine of the Cordillera comprises deeply eroded Triassic and Jurassic plutons, the roots of a major arc, emplaced into probable Palaeozoic pelites and metamorphosed volcanic rocks. The W flank comprises a Jurassic (?) submarine basaltic–andesitic volcanic sequence, which grades up into mixed Jurassic/Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Inter-Andean Valley. The sub-Andean Zone, on the E flank of the Cordillera, comprises a newly recognized Cretaceous basin of cleaved mudrocks, quartz arenites and limestones. East of the syndepositional Cosanga Fault, the Cretaceous basin thins into a condensed sequence that is indistinguishable from the rocks of the adjacent hydrocarbon-bearing Oriente Basin. The principal penetrative deformation of the Cordillera Real was probably latest Cretaceous/Palaeocene. It telescoped the magmatic belts, but shortening was largely partitioned into the pelites between plutons. The plutons suffered inhomogenous deformation; some portions completely escaped tectonism. The pelites conserve two foliations. The earliest comprises slaty cleavage formed under low- or sub-greenschist conditions. The later is a strong schistosity defined by new mica growth. It largely transposed and obliterated the first. Both foliations may have developed during a single progressive deformation. We find inappropriate recent terrane models for the Cordillera Real and sub-Andean Zone of Ecuador. Instead we find remarkable similarities from one side of the Cordillera to the other, including a common structural history. In place of sutures, we find mostly intrusive contacts between major plutons and pelites. Triassic to Cretaceous events occurred on the autochthonous western edge of the Archaean Guyana Shield. The latest Cretaceous–Paleocene deformation is interpreted as the progressive collision of an oceanic terrane(s) with the South American continent. Young fault movements have subsequently juxtaposed different structural levels through the Cordillera Real orogen.     

Hall effect on magnetic reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause

We analyze in situ observations of magnetic reconnection at the Earth magnetopause to estimate the importance of the Hall current during the merging of interplanetary and magnetospheric magnetic field lines. The reconnection process is studied through numerical simulations, integrating the Hall MHD equations in 2.5 dimensions. A large influence of the Hall effect is found, which can be measured by a significant increase of the reconnection rate.     

Crustal thickness along the western Galápagos Spreading Center and the compensation of the Galápagos hotspot swell

Wide-angle refraction and multichannel reflection seismic data show that oceanic crust along the Galápagos Spreading Center (GSC) between 97°W and 91°25′W thickens by 2.3 km as the Galápagos plume is approached from the west. This crustal thickening can account for ∼52% of the 700 m amplitude of the Galápagos swell. After correcting for changes in crustal thickness, the residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly associated with the Galápagos swell shows a minimum of −25 mGal near 92°15′W, the area where the GSC is intersected by the Wolf-Darwin volcanic lineament (WDL). The remaining depth and gravity anomalies indicate an eastward reduction of mantle density, estimated to be most prominent above a compensation depth of 50-100 km. Melting calculations assuming adiabatic, passive mantle upwelling predict the observed crustal thickening to arise from a small increase in mantle potential temperature of ∼30°C. The associated thermal expansion and increase in melt depletion reduce mantle densities, but to a degree that is insufficient to explain the geophysical observations. The largest density anomalies appear at the intersection of the GSC and the WDL. Our results therefore require the existence of compositionally buoyant mantle beneath the GSC near the Galápagos plume. Possible origins of this excess buoyancy include melt retained in the mantle as well as mantle depleted by melting in the upwelling plume beneath the Galápagos Islands that is later transported to the GSC. Our estimate for the buoyancy flux of the Galápagos plume (700 kg s⁻¹) is lower than previous estimates, while the total crustal production rate of the Galápagos plume (5.5 m³s⁻¹) is comparable to that of the Icelandic and Hawaiian plumes.     

Changes in the Wetlands of Andalusia (Doñana Natural Park, SW Spain) at the End of the Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age is a climatic period still insufficiently known. This ignorance is more marked in the case of Andalusia (southern Spain), where only recent works throw any light on the topic. Our studies, primarily from the perspective of botany and changes in the plant landscape, reveal the effects that this period had in these latitudes, and in particular on the Doñana Natural Park (SW Spain). This work shows an aridization in climatic conditions coinciding with the end of the Little Ice Age. The results corroborate the most recent theses on this period in Spain. Furthermore, the effects on the marsh areas studied lead us to conclude that the interpretation of the Little Ice Age in these southern latitudes should be different to that normally given for more northerly latitudes – much better known and more studied than the Mediterranean regions.     

HYDRAULIC ANALYSES FOR A NEW BRIDGE OVER THE PARANA RIVER, ARGENTINA

1 INTRODUCTION The Parana River in South America ranks as the sixth largest in the world in terms of average discharge (22 x 103 m3/s according to Schumm and Winkley, 1994), and its Argentinean reach stretches from Puerto Iguazu on the north to the Rio de la Plata estuary in the south (Fig. 1). Its estimated average suspended load, bed load, and total load are 23 x 106, 2.2 x 106, and 25.2 x 106 metric tons per year, respectively (Paoli and Schreider, 2001.) The economic developmen…     

Paleoseismic indications along ‘aseismic’ fault segments in the guadalentín depression (SE Spain)

The Guadalentín Depression, located in SE Spain (Murcia Region), is bounded by two of the main NE-SW master faults of the Eastern Betics Cordilleras: The Lorca-Alhama and the Palomares left-lateral strike-slip faults. Available earthquake data indicate that, in the last 600 years, some sectors of the Lorca-Alhama Fault and the entire sector of the Palomares Fault have not been associated with significant historical seismicity. However, they show a wide range of diagnostic features of earthquake surface displacements on late Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial and colluvial surfaces. Aside from the left-lateral offsets recorded along 045–050 ° master fault strands of the Lorca-Alhama Fault, major paleoseismic surface displacements show different kinematics in relation to the broad orientation of the fault strands: (1) vertical normal displacements along 010–020 ° trending faults mainly preserved as degraded fault scarps of 2.5-1.8 m high (Aljibejo site); and (2) vertical reverse displacements, with average offsets of 0.2 – 1 m, along 065–080 ° subsidiary faults. In this last group, the younger one (Carraclaca Baths site) remains as a fault scarp of 0.8 m height affecting a cascade tufa which was active until the Spanish Roman Period (2nd Century B.C. to 6th Century A.D.). In other cases, reverse offsets resulted in smaller displacements (0.26 m) of paleosols, but show a recurrent behaviour (La Escarihuela site). The strongest earthquakes recorded in the study area did not exceed more than Mb 4.5 or MSK Intensity VIII (historical) with no evidence of coseismic rupture. Therefore, the preliminary data presented here seem to indicate that the paleoseismic activity on both faults is capable of producing coseismic surface displacements, probably reaching magnitudes of at least 6.5. These data show that paleoseismic studies based on geomorphological analyses are a useful tool in the assessment of the relative degree of activity of apparently ‘aseismic’ fault traces.     

Three-dimensional analogue modelling of an alluvial basin margin affected by hydrological cycles: processes and resulting depositional sequences

The dynamics between sediment erosion and accumulation at an alluvial basin margin affected by changes in the surface hydrology are explored using scaled analogue models produced in a flume. The presented results differ from previous counterparts in that accumulation or erosion has not been forced at a spreading outlet, but occurred at a slope change produced by previously accumulated sediment. Cyclical upstream incision produced by increased stream discharge generated incised valleys, and these were subsequently filled by sediment carried by less efficient streams generated during the low discharge period. High resolution mapping using 2.5 mm contour maps allowed the study of sediment accumulation and terrain modelling. The results of three selected experiments are analysed. The only variable explored was discharge. The basin margin was simulated by a ramp inserted in a low sloping flume, consisting of two segments of different slopes selected to emulate high and low efficiency flume fans produced elsewhere. Water and fine‐medium sand entered the ramp along a narrow (0.1 m) channel and flow expanded but without occupying the complete 1.2 m flume width. Flows were highly concentrated and noncohesive. Fan‐like accumulation (slope: 0.11) began during low discharge (LD) periods at the ramp slope break, and proceeded upstream, onlapping quickly at first, but shifting to mostly progradation at the end of the period. High discharges (HD) usually generated two or three incised channels at the beginning of the period, but one of them prevailed and rapidly eroded parts of the LD fan and moved the sediment to a more distal low‐sloping fan (slope: 0.045). Both LD and HD fans passed downstream into a system of small parallel channels resembling a braided alluvial plain ending in sediment lobes. The mapping of the accumulated sediment during the various periods allowed calculation of sediment budgets for the entire flume. The stratal architecture of the deposits was investigated along five parallel trenches cut after experiment termination. The regression analysis of depositional profiles at fan‐like features (expanding flow) and at braided plains (parallel flow) indicated that these fan‐like systems are linear and dependent on applied discharge, while the latter showed an exponential decrease of slope downstream, with a starting value set up by the fan slope. Two main types of stratigraphic units were generated, the LDST and HDST (system tracts). The LDST has a nonerosive base over ‘bedrock’ and the previous HDST, filling proximal erosional topography and prograding as well, generating an onlap–downlap array. Its geometry is highly variable and dependent on pre‐existing topography. The HDST base is an important erosive surface comparable to sequence boundaries. However, there are places without erosion due to a marginal position with respect to the main stream. Indeed, the results suggest that the three‐dimensional variability of erosion and depositional processes might produce very different architectures along the same basin margin.     

Regional modeling of climate change impacts on smallholder agriculture and ecosystems in Central America

Climate change will have serious repercussions for agriculture, ecosystems, and farmer livelihoods in Central America. Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on agriculture and ecosystem services for their livelihoods. There is an urgent need to develop national and local adaptation responses to reduce these impacts, yet evidence from historical climate change is fragmentary. Modeling efforts help bridge this gap. Here, we review the past decade of research on agricultural and ecological climate change impact models for Central America. The results of this review provide insights into the expected impacts of climate change and suggest policy actions that can help minimize these impacts. Modeling indicates future climate-driven changes, often declines, in suitability for Central American crops. Declines in suitability for coffee, a central crop in the regional economy, are noteworthy. Ecosystem models suggest that climate-driven changes are likely at low- and high-elevation montane forest transitions. Modeling of vulnerability suggests that smallholders in many parts of the region have one or more vulnerability factors that put them at risk. Initial adaptation policies can be guided by these existing modeling results. At the same time, improved modeling is being developed that will allow policy action specifically targeted to vulnerable groups, crops, and locations. We suggest that more robust modeling of ecological responses to climate change, improved representation of the region in climate models, and simulation of climate influences on crop yields and diseases (especially coffee leaf rust) are key priorities for future research.     

Mapping adaptive capacity and smallholder agriculture: applying expert knowledge at the landscape scale

The impacts of climate change exacerbate the myriad challenges faced by smallholder farmers in the Tropics. In many of these same regions, there is a lack of current, consistent, and spatially-explicit data, which severely limits the ability to locate smallholder communities, map their adaptive capacity, and target adaptation measures to these communities. To explore the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers in three data-poor countries in Central America, we leveraged expert input through in-depth mapping interviews to locate agricultural landscapes, identify smallholder farming systems within them, and characterize different components of farmer adaptive capacity. We also used this input to generate an index of adaptive capacity that allows for comparison across countries and farming systems. Here, we present an overview of the expert method used, followed by an examination of our results, including the intercountry variation in expert knowledge and the characterization of adaptive capacity for both subsistence and smallholder coffee farmers. While this approach does not replace the need to collect regular and consistent data on farming systems (e.g. agricultural census), our study demonstrates a rapid assessment approach for using expert input to fill key data gaps, enable trans-boundary comparisons, and to facilitate the identification of the most vulnerable smallholder communities for adaptation planning in data-poor environments that are typical of tropical regions. One potential benefit from incorporating this approach is that it facilitates the systematic consideration of field-based and regional experience into assessments of adaptive capacity, contributing to the relevance and utility of adaptation plans.     

Measuring urban activities using Foursquare data and network analysis: a case study of Murcia (Spain)

Among social networks, Foursquare is a useful reference for identifying recommendations about local stores, restaurants, malls or other activities in the city. In this article, we consider the question of whether there is a relationship between the data provided by Foursquare regarding users’ tastes and preferences and fieldwork carried out in cities, especially those connected with business and leisure. Murcia was chosen for case study for two reasons: its particular characteristics and the prior knowledge resulting from the fieldwork. Since users of this network establish, what may be called, a ranking of places through their recommendations, we can plot these data with the objective of displaying the characteristics and peculiarities of the network in this city. Fieldwork from the city itself gives us a set of facilities and services observed in the city, which is a physical reality. An analysis of these data using a model based on a network centrality algorithm establishes a classification or ranking of the nodes that form the urban network. We compare the data extracted from the social network with the data collected from the fieldwork, in order to establish the appropriateness in terms of understanding the activity that takes place in this city. Moreover, this comparison allows us to draw conclusions about the degree of similarity between the preferences of Foursquare users and what was obtained through the fieldwork in the city.