ALBERT

Beschreibung: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: The Authors 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.

Beschreibung: The active tectonic processes in convergent margins confer a high degree of complexity to the crust. Determining the thermal structure is, therefore, key to better elucidate the nature of those processes. In order to reconstruct the thermal structure of the crust beneath the Italian peninsula, we combine the most recent and accurate shear-wave velocity model that is currently available with thermodynamic modelling, assuming a global average crustal composition with no lateral variations. Our model, presented in terms of Moho temperature and crustal thermal gradients, shows a very good agreement with the known thermal anomalies associated with the backarc spreading related to the Apennine subduction. Importantly, we envisage a new anomalous region of high Moho temperatures in NW Italy (T 〉 800 degrees C at 30 km), at the transition between the Alps and Apennine orogens. The lowest temperatures of our model, corresponding to geothermal gradients 〈 19 degrees C km(-1), are obtained in the still active but slow-convergent portion of the northern Apennine. Moho temperatures increase moving southwards along the Apennine chain, an observation that is coherent with the evidence of ceasing subduction and consequent rebalancing of the depressed isotherms along the slab. Our results suggest that a thermal structure in different tectonic settings can be inferred with acceptable uncertainties based on absolute seismic velocity models. In this sense, our approach can be extended to any other region.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 239–247

Beschreibung: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.

Beschreibung: ectonic earthquake swarms challenge our understanding of earthquake processes since it is difficult to link observations to the underlying physical mechanisms and to assess the hazard they pose. Transient forcing is thought to initiate and drive the spatio-temporal release of energy during swarms. The nature of the transient forcing may vary across sequences and range from aseismic creeping or transient slip to diffusion of pore pressure pulses to fluid redistribution and migration within the seismogenic crust. Distinguishing between such forcing mechanisms may be critical to reduce epistemic uncertainties in the assessment of hazard due to seismic swarms, because it can provide information on the frequency–magnitude distribution of the earthquakes (often deviating from the assumed Gutenberg–Richter relation) and on the expected source parameters influencing the ground motion (for example the stress drop). Here we study the ongoing Pollino range (Southern Italy) seismic swarm, a long-lasting seismic sequence with more than five thousand events recorded and located since October 2010. The two largest shocks (magnitude M w = 4.2 and M w = 5.1) are among the largest earthquakes ever recorded in an area which represents a seismic gap in the Italian historical earthquake catalogue. We investigate the geometrical, mechanical and statistical characteristics of the largest earthquakes and of the entire swarm. We calculate the focal mechanisms of the M l 〉 3 events in the sequence and the transfer of Coulomb stress on nearby known faults and analyse the statistics of the earthquake catalogue. We find that only 25 per cent of the earthquakes in the sequence can be explained as aftershocks, and the remaining 75 per cent may be attributed to a transient forcing. The b-values change in time throughout the sequence, with low b-values correlated with the period of highest rate of activity and with the occurrence of the largest shock. In the light of recent studies on the palaeoseismic and historical activity in the Pollino area, we identify two scenarios consistent with the observations and our analysis: This and past seismic swarms may have been ‘passive’ features, with small fault patches failing on largely locked faults, or may have been accompanied by an ‘active’, largely aseismic, release of a large portion of the accumulated tectonic strain. Those scenarios have very different implications for the seismic hazard of the area.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 1553–1567

Beschreibung: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: The behaviour of tsunami waves at any location depends on the local morphology of the coasts, the encountered bathymetric features, and the characteristics of the source. However, the importance of accurately modelling the geometric properties of the causative fault for simulations of seismically induced tsunamis is rarely addressed. In this work, we analyse the effects of using two different geometric models of the subduction interface of the Calabrian Arc (southern Italy, Ionian Sea) onto the simulated tsunamis: a detailed 3-D subduction interface obtained from the interpretation of a dense network of seismic reflection profiles, and a planar interface that roughly approximates the 3-D one. These models can be thought of as representing two end-members of the level of knowledge of fault geometry. We define three hypothetical earthquake ruptures of different magnitudes (Mw 7.5, 8.0, 8.5) on each geometry. The resulting tsunami impact is evaluated at the 50-m isobath in front of coastlines of the central and eastern Mediterranean. Our results show that the source geometry imprint is evident on the tsunami waveforms, as recorded at various distances and positions relative to the source. The absolute differences in maximum and minimum wave amplitudes locally exceed one metre, and the relative differences remain systematically above 20 per cent with peaks over 40 per cent. We also observe that tsunami energy directivity and focusing due to bathymetric waveguides take different paths depending on which fault is used. Although the differences increase with increasing earthquake magnitude, there is no simple rule to anticipate the different effects produced by these end-member models of the earthquake source. Our findings suggest that oversimplified source models may hinder our fundamental understanding of the tsunami impact and great care should be adopted when making simplistic assumptions regarding the appropriateness of the planar fault approximation in tsunami studies. We also remark that the geological and geophysical 3-D fault characterization remains a crucial and unavoidable step in tsunami hazard analyses.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 1805–1819

Beschreibung: 3T. Sorgente sismica

Beschreibung: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: 2021 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Beschreibung: In this short paper we show how to use the classical maximum likelihood estimation procedure for the b-value of the Gutenberg–Richter law for catalogues with different levels of completeness. With a simple correction, that is subtracting the relative completeness level to each magnitude, it becomes possible to use the classical approach. Moreover, this correction allows to adopt the testing procedures, initially made for catalogues with a single level of completeness, for catalogues with different levels of completeness too.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 337–339

Beschreibung: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Beschreibung: The classical procedure of the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) requires a Poissonian distribution of earthquakes. Seismic catalogs follow a Poisson distribution just after the application of a declustering algorithm that leaves only one earthquake for each seismic sequence (usually the stronger, i.e. the main shock). Removing earthquakes from the seismic catalogs leads to underestimation of the annual rates of the events and consequently associate with low seismic hazard as indicated by several studies. In this study, we aim investigating the performance of two declustering methods on the Italian instrumental catalog and the impact of declustering on estimation of the b-value and on the seismic hazard analysis. To this end, first the spatial variation in the seismicity rate was estimated from the declustered catalogs using the adaptive smoothed seismicity approach, considering small earthquakes (Mw≥3.0). We then corrected the seismicity rates using new approach that allows for counting all events in the complete seismic catalog by simply changing the magnitude frequency distribution. The impact of declustering on seismic hazard analysis is illustrated using PSHA maps in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration (SA) in 2 s, with 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, for Italy. We observed that the hazard calculated from the declustered catalogs was always lower than the hazard computed using the complete catalog. These results are in agreement with previous results obtained in different parts of the world.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 1174–1187

Beschreibung: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: The Asian monsoon (AM) played an important role in the dynastic history of China, yet it remains unknown whether AM-mediated shifts in Chinese societies affect earth surface processes to the point of exceeding natural variability. Here, we present a dust storm intensity record dating back to the first unified dynasty of China (the Qin Dynasty, 221–207 B.C.E.). Marked increases in dust storm activity coincided with unified dynasties with large populations during strong AM periods. By contrast, reduced dust storm activity corresponded to decreased population sizes and periods of civil unrest, which was co-eval with a weakened AM. The strengthened AM may have facilitated the development of Chinese civilizations, destabilizing the topsoil and thereby increasing the dust storm frequency. Beginning at least 2000 years ago, human activities might have started to overtake natural climatic variability as the dominant controls of dust storm activity in eastern China.

Beschreibung: Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, supports a valuable commercial fishery in the Southwest Atlantic, which holds the highest krill densities and is warming rapidly. The krill catch is increasing, is concentrated in a small area, and has shifted seasonally from summer to autumn/winter. The fishery is managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, with the main goal of safeguarding the large populations of krill-dependent predators. Here we show that, because of the restricted distribution of successfully spawning krill and high inter-annual variability in their biomass, the risk of direct fishery impacts on the krill stock itself might be higher than previously thought. We show how management benefits could be achieved by incorporating uncertainty surrounding key aspects of krill ecology into management decisions, and how knowledge can be improved in these key areas. This improved information may be supplied, in part, by the fishery itself.

Beschreibung: Streams and rivers are important components of the carbon cycle as they transport and transform dissolved organic matter (DOM). Using high‐resolution Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, we studied the spatial distribution of DOM at the molecular level at more than 100 sites across a stream network during summer and winter baseflow. We developed a model approximating the time DOM spent in the fluvial network, a key constraint on the biogeochemical processing of DOM. Discharge‐weighted travel time explained the compositional changes of DOM, which differed markedly in summer and winter. We attribute these seasonal differences to variation in source material, putatively reflecting the dynamics of freshly produced DOM in summer and DOM with an imprint of leaf litter in winter. Hydrological mixing was an important driver of the spatial dynamics of DOM. From the convergence rate of DOM compound intensities to the network‐wide average, we inferred the spatial distribution of sources within the catchment. Finally, we estimated network‐wide apparent mass transfer coefficients (vf app) of individual DOM compounds, which describe the vertical velocity at which DOM compounds are removed by biotic and abiotic processes. We identified the oxidative state of carbon as an important factor explaining vf app, which we consequently attribute to biological uptake of thermodynamically favorable DOM compounds. This work contributes to our understanding of the spatial processes, temporal constraints, and chemical properties of DOM that regulate the transformation and diagenesis of DOM at the fluvial network scale.

Beschreibung: Petrological and geochemical (major element, trace element, Sr–Nd isotope) data for recent (〈5 kyr old) basalts that sporadically erupt on the western flank of Piton de la Fournaise (PdF), one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, allow the tracking of magma transfer and evolution from mantle to crustal depths. In the western peripheral area of PdF we document the broadly synchronous eruptions of (1) primitive olivine and olivine–clinopyroxene transitional basalts with tholeiitic affinity 30 that are closely associated in space with (2) transitional olivine basalts with alkaline affinity, and (3) hybrid lavas, intermediate between the ‘alkaline’ and the ‘tholeiitic’ end-members. The composition of the latter overlaps with that of the lavas frequently erupted from the conduit system feeding the main summit cone. AlphaMELTS modelling, and fluid inclusion and clinopyroxene barometry, constrain the conditions of magma storage at 10–30 km, and the ascent of magma from the upper 35 mantle to the shallow crustal plumbing system. Variable degrees of mantle melting, together with minor source heterogeneity and contamination with cumulate-derived partial melts, contribute to the diversity of PdF magmas. However, all these processes do not represent the dominant factors that produce the large variability we found in major element composition. Indeed, the composition of basalts erupted from PdF peripheral centers is strongly controlled by polybaric olivine–clinopyr- 40 oxene fractionation at pressures higher than 3 kbar. Crystal textures and geochemical modelling suggest that fast magma ascent is critical to prevent clinopyroxene dissolution. Conversely, longlasting magma stagnation promotes pyroxene resorption and magma differentiation. ‘Central’ eruptions occurring close to the PdF summit cone emit variably more evolved melts, which result from olivine–clinopyroxene–plagioclase differentiation at intermediate–shallow pressure (〈3 kbar and in most cases 〈1 kbar). Deep and extensive magma mixing before injection into the crustal magma conduit system, located below the summit region, results in the apparent homogeneity of basalts erupted from the central area. As regards ‘peripheral’ eruptions, deep-seated stagnation of basaltic melts and differentiation at the mantle–crust transition zone (c. 4 kbar) produces a range of 5 magma compositions. We demonstrate that rapid magma ascent from deep-seated reservoirs can bypass the central plumbing system. The eruptions of these magmas both in the central area and on the densely populated flanks have major consequences in terms of volcanic hazard at PdF.

Beschreibung: Published

Beschreibung: 1717–1752

Beschreibung: 2V. Struttura e sistema di alimentazione dei vulcani

Beschreibung: JCR Journal

Beschreibung: Due to an exceptional variety of habitats, body plans, and lifestyles, crustaceans exhibit a wide array of mating systems. Some groups engage in simple, pure- search polygamous systems in which males usually search for receptive females. In other groups, males defend valuable resources to attract and/ or guard females to ensure paternity. Some species have developed highly complex systems of harem defense polygyny and monogamy, even cases of sub- and eusociality are reported. The expression of mating systems does not seem to be uniformly correlated to taxonomic affiliation, but is rather diverse within certain groups, suggesting that the evolution of mating systems is largely facilitated by the lifestyle of the species. Despite the broad range of mating systems in crustaceans, and although some groups have been studied comparably well, there remains a lack of knowledge about the behavioral and sexual biology of many species. In the light of the high diversity of lifestyles, mating systems, and habitats of certain groups, crustacean species would be ideal models to unravel the evolution of reproductive strategies and social behaviors.