Numerical analysis of block stone displacements in ancient masonry structures: A new method to estimate historic ground motions

An innovative approach is presented, in which the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method is used to estimate historic ground motions by back analysis of unique structural failures in archaeological sites. Two archaeological sites in Israel are investigated using this new approach and results are presented in terms of displacement evolution of selected structural elements in the studied masonry structure. The response of the structure is studied up to the point of incipient failure, in a mechanism similar to the one observed in the field. Structural response is found to be very sensitive to dynamic parameters of the loading function such as amplitude and frequency. Prior to back analysis of case studies, two validations are presented. Both compare the performance of DDA with analytical solutions and present strong agreement between the two. Using comprehensive sensitivity analyses, the most likely peak ground acceleration (PGA) and frequency that must have driven the observed block displacements are found for the two case studies—the Nabatean city of Mamshit and the medieval fortress of Nimrod in southern and northern Israel, respectively. It is found that horizontal peak ground accelerations (HPGA) of 0.5g and 1g were required to generate the observed deformations in Mamshit and Nimrod, respectively. Although these might seem too high, considering structural and topographic amplifications it is concluded that the analyses suggest ground motions of 0.2g at a frequency of 1.5 Hz for Mamshit and up to 0.4g at a frequency of 1 Hz for Nimrod. These values provide constraints on the seismic risk associated with these regions as appears in the local building code using a completely independent approach. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of regionalized stormflow coefficients with a view to hydroclimatological hazard mapping

Abstract

An attempt was made to compensate for the lack of long hydrological time series and the lack of information on maximum streamflow in the Alzette River basin (Luxembourg) via the regionalization of stormflow coefficients. Streamflow data recorded since 1995 with a very dense streamgauge network allowed the determination of maximum stormflow coefficients in 18 sub-basins of the Alzette. The stormflow coefficients were then regionalized via stepwise multiple regression analysis for 83 different sub-basins of the Alzette. Combined with 10-year daily rainfall heights (statistical estimation), this regionalization allowed the spatial variability of storm runoff in the Alzette basin to be mapped, thus providing a view of hazard and risk-producing areas, as well as of risk-exposed areas. In a basin with little historical hydrological information this technique can help identify areas where storm runoff reducing measures should be applied from the outset.     

气候序列不连续点的小波分析和混合聚类分析

不论是单纯的小波分析还是单纯的非参数分析法都有其局限性.当样本量很大时,Fisher算法的计算量也是很大的,而且它不具有谱系结构,因此,为了保证谱系结构以及较快的计算速度,作者以小波变换和聚类分析相结合的方法来研究各类不连续点,给出了相应的算法和实验分析,并且实验结果给出了各类不连续点位置的比较精确的估计.     

Asymptotic eigenfrequencies of the Earth's normal modes

We derive asymptotic formulae for the toroidal and spheroidal eigenfrequencies of a SNREI earth model with two discontinuities, by considering the constructive interference of propagating SH and P-SV body waves. For a model with a smooth solid inner core, fluid outer core and mantle, there are four SH and 10 P-SV ray parameters regimes, each of which must be examined separately. The asymptotic eigenfrequency equations in each of these regimes depend only on the intercept times of the propagating wave types and the reflection and transmission coefficients of the waves at the free surface and the two discontinuities. If the classical geometrical plane-wave reflection and transmission coefficients are used, the final eigenfrequency equations are all real. In general, the asymptotic eigenfrequencies agree extremely well with the exact numerical eigenfrequencies; to illustrate this, we present comparisons for a crustless version of earth model 1066A.     

MORPHOLOGIC EQUATIONS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MAXIMUM ENTROPY

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矿物—熔体间元素分配系数资料及主要变化规律

本文提供了不同成分的8大类主岩(偏铝质(超)基性岩、过碱性(超)基性岩、偏铝质中性岩、过碱性中性岩、偏铝质酸性岩、过碱性酸性岩、过铝质酸性岩、超酸性岩)中28个矿物(橄榄石、单斜辉石、斜方辉石、角闪石、黑云母、金云母、斜长石、钾长石、石英、磁铁矿、钛铁矿、石榴石、锆石、磷灰石、绿帘石、黄玉、榍石、堇青石、蓝方石、石榴石、霞石、白磷钙矿、镁铁钛矿、板钛矿、黄长石、钙钛矿、尖晶石、金红石)的69个化学元素(Li、Rb、Cs、K、Na、Ca、Sr、Ba、Mn、Fe、Mg、Cu、Pb、Zn、Co、Ni、Be、La、Ce、Nd、Sm、Eu、Gd、Tb、Dy、Ho、Er、Tm、Yb、Lu、Y、Sc、Cr、In、Ga、Al、B、Cd、Sb、Bi、U、Th、Zr、Hf、Si、Ti、Ge、Sn、Mo、Nb、Ta、W、V、P、F、Cl、S、N、O、C、As、Pu、Re、Os、He、Ne、Ar、Xe、Kr)和1个化学一价原子团OH的分配系数。综合分析对比表明,矿物、熔体的成分和结构是分配系数的最重要的控制因素。对前人未讨论过的矿物结构和熔体铝过饱和度这两个因素应引起重视。最后,本文分析了矿物-熔体间元素分配系数的研究现状、存在问题,指出了这一领域今后的研究方向。     

Complex Site Effects in Thessaloniki (Greece): II. 2D SH Modelling and Engineering Insights

This paper presents results of numerical modelling of site response for Thessaloniki, obtained with two different 2D methods; a finite difference and a finite element method. Ground motion across a 2D model of the subsoil of the city has been simulated for vertically incident SH waves. The predominance of locally generated surface waves is very clear in the synthetic seismograms of a weak event and of stronger ones. These results are then compared with the observations in time domain and frequency domain. The role of the soil formations with high attenuation in the lateral propagation and the effect of the differential motion close to the lateral variations are also pinpointed. The stronger events were finally used to compute strong ground motion in order to reveal and to discuss practical engineering aspects such as peak ground acceleration value, the most familiar indicator in seismic norms, the soil to rock spectral coefficients for the period bandwidth of interest, and the aggravation factor in terms of 2D to 1D response spectra as a useful ruler to account for complex site effects.     

Unravelling the microfacies signatures of parasequences using computer-optimized similarity matrices

The microfacies of a Lower Cretaceous carbonate drillcore from Oman are characterized using optimizing matrices of Jaccard's similarity coefficients of community. Other than systems tract boundaries, there is no obvious evidence of individual parasequences in the core. However, diagnostic patterns in microfossil distribution identify environmental gradients recording changes in water depth. These gradients are used to define individual parasequences, parasequence sets, stacking patterns and key surfaces. The patterns suggest that deposition was controlled by successive fourth‐ to fifth‐order (high‐frequency) relative sea‐level cycles superimposed on an underlying third‐order relative sea‐level rise. Although the correlation of these depositional subunits to systematic changes in water depth and the rate of carbonate accumulation alone is not incontrovertible proof of such a sea‐level control, concurrent multiorder relative sea‐level cyclicity provides by far the most likely explanation. A microfacies deposited when the water depth was shallowing is characterized by a relay of microfossils with affinities that shallow upwards. Conversely, a microfacies that records a gradual increase in water depth has a relay of microfossils with affinities that deepen upwards. Microfacies characterized by an assemblage of microfossils with similar affinities record deposition when the benthic environmental conditions remained stable, either because of an equilibrium between shallow water carbonate deposition and rising sea level, or in deeper water where sediment composition was relatively insensitive to changes of water depth. Microfacies characterized by mixed affinity assemblages record syndepositional reworking. During periods of embedded multiorder sea‐level changes, individual parasequences within systems tracts are shown to record more complex environmental gradients than simply the repetition of successive shallowing‐up units as traditionally represented in carbonate sequence stratigraphic models. The microfacies of an individual parasequence may shallow up, or may record both deepening‐up and shallowing‐up depositional phases, as well as periods of sedimentation when benthic environments remained stable. Individual parasequence boundaries may be submarine or subaerial unconformities, or be conformable, as part of a predictable stratigraphic pattern related to the temporal position of an individual parasequence within the underlying third‐order cycle of relative sea‐level change. The hitherto ubiquitous use of assemblages to describe carbonate microfacies, coupled with the widespread use of the metre‐scale shallowing‐up template to identify parasequences, may have led to such complexities previously being overlooked.     

Couplex Benchmark Computations Obtained with the Software Toolbox UG

This paper describes the numerical results for the COUPLEX benchmark obtained with the simulation software UG using vertex centered finite volume and higher order discontinuous Galerkin schemes. Multigrid solvers on unstructured grids, local mesh refinement and parallel computation are employed to yield very accurate solutions. Since the full range of results required in the benchmarks is too large to be displayed in this paper we focus on the comparison of discretization schemes, assessment of numerical errors and the presentation of parallel computations.