Flank spreading and collapse of weak-cored volcanoes

Volcanoes subjected to hydrothermal activity develop weak cores as a result of alteration and due to elevated pore pressures. Edifices constructed at the angle of repose of volcanoclastics, or at even more gentle slopes, respond to internal weakening by initially deforming slowly, but may then collapse catastrophically. Such a process has so far been described for only a few volcanoes, such as Casita, Nicaragua; however, the conditions for flank spreading are widespread and many, if not most volcanoes should suffer some alteration-related flank spreading. We provide analogue models that characterise the structure — surface deformation fields and internal structures — of a spreading flank. Deformation creates a characteristic concave-convex-concave flank profile producing structures such as basal thrusts, summit normal faults, grabens and strike-slip relay faults. Three deformation regimes are found: a pit collapse regime is associated with very small volumes of ductile material located far from the edifice surface. This would not appear in nature, as time for deformation is greater than the lifetime of a volcano, unless very low rock viscosities are present. The other two regimes are flank spreading regimes, one symmetric and one asymmetric. The latter is the most common, as most volcanic structures are asymmetrical in form and in distribution of physical properties. The deformation is controlled by altered region dimensions, volume and position relative to the edifice, and to a lesser extent by its shape. As the flanks spread, landslides are created, initially on the steepened portion, but also from fault scarps. Major flank collapse may occur leading to explosive hydrothermal decompression and to a debris avalanche rich in hydrothermally altered material. We provide several new examples of volcanoes that have structures and morphologies compatible with flank spreading. We suggest that it is a common feature, important in the tectonics and hazards of many volcanoes.Editorial Responsibility: J. Gilbert     

Estimation of the rocks statistical parameters from traveltime measurements

In this paper the method for estimating the statistical parameters of the medium from traveltime measurements of refracted waves is applied to study the statistical characteristics of crystalline rocks at the Multifunctional Station Faido (Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland). The method is based on the geometrical optics (GO) approximation. A covariance function for traveltime fluctuations has been obtained by considering quasihomogeneous fluctuations of sound velocity in a plain-stratified medium. Strongly anisometric (having unequal dimensions in different directions) random inhomogeneities were embedded in this medium. To estimate the statistical parameters around the tunnel, the traveltime fluctuations are calculated. It is assumed that each observation of traveltime-distance relation for a given shot-receiver group corresponds to a particular realization of a medium statistical ensemble. By calculating the variance and the zero cross intervals of the first derivative of traveltime fluctuations, the standard deviation of the velocity fluctuations and the characteristic horizontal scale of the inhomogeneities are estimated. Although the method allows to obtain the characteristic lengths of the inhomogeneities in vertical as well as in horizontal direction, the limited offset of the field data made it only possible to measure the latter. The estimated horizontal characteristic scale is about 13 m, which is reasonably close to the direct geological measurements in the studied region, where quartz lenses are dominant among the inhomogeneities. The standard deviation of the velocity is estimated as 4.5%, which might be caused by the fractured structure around the tunnel and also by the fault zone near the study area.     

Classification of Collapsed Buildings for Fast Damage and Loss Assessment

Fast and reliable identification of collapsed buildings is essential in case of earthquake disasters in urban areas. Airborne laserscanning offers the possibility to fulfil this task. Based on height measurements, geometrical surface models of buildings can be generated with this technology. Comparing the undamaged pre-event models with those recorded after an earthquake, the location of collapsed buildings and the dimension and characteristic of their damage can be obtained. The knowledge about typical damage types of collapsed buildings is necessary to interpret the changes found between the pre- and post-event building models. As existing building damage classifications don’t meet the requirements of this novel technique, observations and reports of building collapses were analysed. This leads to a new classification system of collapsed buildings and the definition of the so-called “damage catalogue”.The damage catalogue is a composition of different damage types of entire buildings typically occurring after earthquakes and it contains the observed dimensions of the geometrical features such as volume reduction or inclination change for each damage type. Besides the detectability of these geometrical features in airborne laserscanning data, the differentiation of the damage types takes effects on casualty numbers and on different search and rescue needs into account. The damage catalogue was developed by evaluating the associated database, which contains the characterisation of real damaged buildings by the defined geometrical features.The paper includes the conception of the damage catalogue and of the associated database, their use for the described reconnaissance technique and their further application possibilities.     

Interpretation from large-scale shake table tests on piles undergoing lateral spreading in liquefied soils

Results from a benchmark test on full-scale piles are used to investigate the response of piles to lateral spreading. In the experiment, two single piles, a relatively flexible pile that moves together with the surrounding soil and a relatively stiff pile that does not follow the ground movement have been subjected to large post-liquefaction ground displacement simulating piles in laterally spreading soils. The observed response of the piles is first presented and then the results are used to examine the lateral loads on the pile from a non-liquefied soil at the ground surface and to evaluate the stiffness characteristics of the spreading soils. The measured ultimate lateral pressure from the crust soil on the stiff pile was about 4.5 times the Rankine passive pressure. The back-calculated stiffness of the liquefied soil was found to be in the range between 1/30 and 1/80 of the initial stiffness of the soil showing gradual decrease in the course of lateral spreading.     

Discussion and improvement on Monte Carlo method and geometric method

After careful analyses of the popular Monte Carlo method and geometric method in reliability analysis, the misuse of Monte Carlo method with several non-uniform distribution random variables is pointed out. As a result, a correct procedure sampling procedure of Monte Carlo method is presented. Meanwhile, in order to satisfy the needs of practice in reliability analysis, an extended geometrical optimized method(EGOM) is proposed, its procedure under conditions of correlation and non-normal distribution variable is also presented. Furthermore, several examples from others’ reliability analysis practice with the proposed EGOM prove its correctness and effectiveness.     

Mass movement-induced fold-and-thrust belt structures in unconsolidated sediments in Lake Lucerne (Switzerland)

High-resolution seismic imaging and piston coring in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, have revealed surprising deformation structures in flat-lying, unconsolidated sediment at the foot of subaqueous slopes. These deformation structures appear beneath wedges of massflow deposits and resemble fold-and-thrust belts with basal décollement surfaces. The deformation is interpreted as the result of gravity spreading induced by loading of the slope-adjacent lake floor during massflow deposition. This study investigated four earthquake-triggered lateral mass-movement deposits in Lake Lucerne affecting four sections of the lake floor with areas ranging from 0·25 to 6·5 km² in area. Up to 6 m thick sediment packages draping the subaqueous slopes slid along the acoustic basement. The resulting failure scars typically lie in water depths of >30 m on slopes characterized by downward steepening and inclinations of >10°. From the base-of-slope to several hundred metres out onto the flat plains, the wedges of massflow deposits overlie deeply (10–20 m) deformed basin-plain sediment characterized by soft sediment fold-and-thrust belts with arcuate strikes and pronounced frontal thrusts. The intensity of deformation decreases towards the more external parts of the massflow wedges. Beyond the frontal thrust, the overridden lake floor remains mostly undisturbed. Geometrical relationships between massflow deposits and the deformed basin-plain sediment indicate that deformation occurred mainly during massflow deposition. Gravity spreading induced by the successive collapse of the growing slope-adjacent massflow wedge is proposed as the driving mechanism for the deformation. The geometry of fjord-type lakes with sharp lower slope breaks favours the deposition of thick, basin-marginal massflow wedges, that effectively load and deform the underlying sediment. In the centre of the basins, the two largest massflow deposits described are directly overlain by thick contained (mega-)turbidites, interpreted as combined products of the suspension clouds set up by subaqueous mass movements and related tsunami and seiche waves.     

Gravitational spreading causes en-echelon diking along a rift zone of Madeira Archipelago: an experimental approach and implications for magma transport

Many volcanic rift zones show dikes that are oriented oblique rather than parallel to the morphological ridge axis. We have evidence that gravitational spreading of volcanoes may adjust the orientation of ascending dikes within the crust and segment them into en-echelon arrays. This is exemplified by the Desertas Islands which are the surface expression of a 60 km long submarine ridge in southeastern Madeira Archipelago. The azimuth of the main dike swarm (average = 145°) deviates significantly from that of the morphological ridge (163°) defining an en-echelon type arrangement. We propose that this deviation results from the gravitational stress field of the overlapping volcanic edifices, reinforced by volcano spreading on weak substratum. We tested our thesis experimentally by mounting analogue sand piles onto a sand and viscous PDMS substratum. Gravitational spreading of this setup produced en-echelon fractures that clearly mimic the dike orientations observed, with a deviation of 10°–32° between the model’s ridge axis and that of the main fracture swarm. Using simple numerical models of segmented dike intrusion we found systematic changes of displacement vectors with depth and also with distance to the rift zone resulting in a complex displacement field. We propose that at depth beneath the Desertas Islands, magmas ascended along the ridge to produce the overall present-day morphology. Above the oceanic basement, gravitational stress and volcano spreading adjusted the principal stress axes’ orientations causing counterclockwise dike rotation of up to 40°. This effect limits the possible extent of lateral dike propagation at shallow levels and may have strong control on rift evolution and flank stability. The results highlight the importance of gravitational stress as a major, if not dominant factor in the evolution of volcanic rift zones.Editorial responsibility: M Carroll     

Morpho-tectonic study on late-stage spreading of the Eastern Subbasin of South China Sea

Three NE-trending linear structural zones with different strikes are present in the Eastern Subbasin of the South China Sea. They are distributed in the 350-km-wide central region of both sides of the Scarborough seamount chain, representing a morphological indication of the basement faulting. These three zones correspond respectively to three spreading episodes: the magnetic anomalies 6c -6a (24-21 Ma), 6a - 5e (21 - 19 Ma) and 5e - 5d (5c) (19 - 16 Ma). Instability, subsection and asymmetry characterize the seafloor spreading of the subbasin. The spreading directions change in a continuous way in each of the zones, but abrupt changes by 3°-5° occur when crossing the boundary between the zones, reflecting that the spreading direction has evolutionary characteristics of both gradual and sudden changes. NW-trending transform faults of the spreading become progressively densely distributed from the east to the west, cutting the NE-trending zones into several segments, between which the strikes of the NE-trending zones have marked changes. Such features indicate that the spreading axis is associated with subsection along the strike. Around 21 Ma (magnetic anomaly 6a), there was an important event of spreading acceleration, with the full rate rapidly increasing from 30.54 km/Ma to 42.88 km/Ma. This rate increment event corresponds to the sudden changes in the spreading characteristics of basement faulting, sedimentation, volcano activities, etc. The asymmetry of spreading over the eastern part of the Eastern Subbasin is generally larger than that over the western part, and the spreading rate is markedly larger on the southern side than on the northern side. As a result, the oceanic basin is wide in the east and narrow in the west, forming a significantly asymmetric pattern.