We designed a new seismic source model for Italy to be used as an input for country-wide probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) in the frame of the compilation of a new national reference map.
We started off by reviewing existing models available for Italy and for other European countries, then discussed the main open issues in the current practice of seismogenic zoning.
The new model, termed ZS9, is largely based on data collected in the past 10 years, including historical earthquakes and instrumental seismicity, active faults and their seismogenic potential, and seismotectonic evidence from recent earthquakes. This information allowed us to propose new interpretations for poorly understood areas where the new data are in conflict with assumptions made in designing the previous and widely used model ZS4.
ZS9 is made out of 36 zones where earthquakes with Mw > = 5 are expected. It also assumes that earthquakes with Mw up to 5 may occur anywhere outside the seismogenic zones, although the associated probability is rather low. Special care was taken to ensure that each zone sampled a large enough number of earthquakes so that we could compute reliable earthquake production rates.
Although it was drawn following criteria that are standard practice in PSHA, ZS9 is also innovative in that every zone is characterised also by its mean seismogenic depth (the depth of the crustal volume that will presumably release future earthquakes) and predominant focal mechanism (their most likely rupture mechanism). These properties were determined using instrumental data, and only in a limited number of cases we resorted to geologic constraints and expert judgment to cope with lack of data or conflicting indications. These attributes allow ZS9 to be used with more accurate regionalized depth-dependent attenuation relations, and are ultimately expected to increase significantly the reliability of seismic hazard estimates. 相似文献
The control of polluted surface runoff and the assessment of possible impacts on groundwater is a concern at the local and
regional scale. On this background, a study investigates possible impacts of organic and inorganic pollutants (including bacteria)
originating from a permeable asphalt parking lot on the water quality immediately beneath it. The functioning of the permeable
pavement, including clogging and restricted vertical percolation, was also evaluated. Four nested sample ports (shallow and
deep) were installed below low- and high-traffic areas, including one port outside the parking lot. At least initially there
was a good hydraulic connection between the parking surface and the shallow sample ports. The presence of a geotextile layer
at the base of the parking lot structure, however, was identified in lab tests as one factor restricting vertical percolation
to the deeper ports. Clogging of the permeable surface was most pronounced in heavy traffic areas and below snow pile storage
areas. Corroborated by high electric conductivity and chloride measurements, sand brought in by cars during winter was the
principal cause for clogging. No bacteria or BOD were found in percolating water. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were
present at concentrations near minimum detection limit. Nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) were being leached into the ground
via the permeable parking lot surface at annual flux rates of 0.45–0.84 g/m2/year. A multi-species tracer test demonstrated a retention capacity of the permeable parking lot structure of >90% for metals
and 27% for nutrients, respectively. 相似文献
The elastic and structural behaviour of the synthetic zeolite CsAlSi5O12 (a = 16.753(4), b = 13.797(3) and c = 5.0235(17) Å, space group Ama2, Z = 2) were investigated up to 8.5 GPa by in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction with a diamond anvil cell under hydrostatic conditions. No phase-transition occurs within the P-range investigated. Fitting the volume data with a third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation-of-state gives: V0 = 1,155(4) Å3, KT0 = 20(1) GPa and K′ = 6.5(7). The “axial moduli” were calculated with a third-order “linearized” BM-EoS, substituting the cube of the individual lattice parameter (a3, b3, c3) for the volume. The refined axial-EoS parameters are: a0 = 16.701(44) Å, KT0a = 14(2) GPa (βa = 0.024(3) GPa?1), K′a = 6.2(8) for the a-axis; b0 = 13.778(20) Å, KT0b = 21(3) GPa (βb = 0.016(2) GPa?1), K′b = 10(2) for the b-axis; c0 = 5.018(7) Å, KT0c = 33(3) GPa (βc = 0.010(1) GPa?1), K′c = 3.2(8) for the c-axis (KT0a:KT0b:KT0c = 1:1.50:2.36). The HP-crystal structure evolution was studied on the basis of several structural refinements at different pressures: 0.0001 GPa (with crystal in DAC without any pressure medium), 1.58(3), 1.75(4), 1.94(6), 3.25(4), 4.69(5), 7.36(6), 8.45(5) and 0.0001 GPa (after decompression). The main deformation mechanisms at high-pressure are basically driven by tetrahedral tilting, the tetrahedra behaving as rigid-units. A change in the compressional mechanisms was observed at P ≤ 2 GPa. The P-induced structural rearrangement up to 8.5 GPa is completely reversible. The high thermo-elastic stability of CsAlSi5O12, the immobility of Cs at HT/HP-conditions, the preservation of crystallinity at least up to 8.5 GPa and 1,000°C in elastic regime and the extremely low leaching rate of Cs from CsAlSi5O12 allow to consider this open-framework silicate as functional material potentially usable for fixation and deposition of Cs radioisotopes. 相似文献
Concern for natural hazard-triggered technological disasters (Natech disasters) in densely populated and industrialized areas
is growing. Residents living in urban areas subject to high natural hazard risk are often unaware of the potential for secondary
disasters such as hazardous materials releases from neighboring industrial facilities, chemical storage warehouses or other
establishments housing hazardous materials. Lessons from previous disasters, such as the Natech disaster during the Kocaeli
earthquake in Turkey in 1999 call for the need to manage low frequency/high consequence events, particularly in today’s densely
populated areas. However, there is little guidance available on how local governments and communities can assess Natech risk.
To add to the problem, local governments often do not have the human or economic resources or expertise to carry out detailed
risk assessments. In this article, we propose a methodology for preliminary assessment of Natech risk in urban areas. The
proposed methodology is intended for use by local government officials in consultation with the public. The methodology considers
possible interactions between the various systems in the urban environment: the physical infrastructure (e.g., industrial
plants, lifeline systems, critical facilities), the community (e.g., population exposed), the natural environment (e.g., delicate
ecosystems, river basins), and the risk and emergency management systems (e.g., structural and nonstructural measures). Factors
related to vulnerability and hazard are analyzed and qualitative measures are recommended. Data from hazardous materials releases
during the Kocaeli, Turkey earthquake of August 17, 1999 are used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the
methodology. Limitations of the proposed methodology are discussed as well as future research needs.