Using a Dense Seismic Array to Determine Structure and Site Effects of the Two Towers Earthflow in Northern California

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (2A) ◽  
pp. 913-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Thomas ◽  
Zack Spica ◽  
Miles Bodmer ◽  
William H. Schulz ◽  
Joshua J. Roering
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Spectral Ratios ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Slow Moving ◽  
Shallow Velocity Structure ◽  
Dense Seismic Array ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Abstract We deployed a network of 68 three-component geophones on the slow-moving Two Towers earthflow in northern California. We compute horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs) from the ambient seismic field. The HVSRs have two prominent peaks, one near 1.23 Hz and another between 4 and 8 Hz at most stations. The 1.23 Hz resonance is a property of the background noise field and may be due to a velocity contrast at a few hundred meters depth. We interpret the higher frequency peaks as being related to slide deposits and invert the spectral ratios for shallow velocity structure using in situ thickness measurements as a priori constraints on the inversion. The thickness of the shallowest, low-velocity layer is systematically larger than landslide thicknesses inferred from inclinometer data acquired since 2013. Given constraints from field observations and boreholes, the inversion may reflect the thickness of deposits of an older slide that is larger in spatial extent and depth than the currently active slide. Because the HVSR peaks measured at Two Towers are caused by shallow slide deposits and represent frequencies that will experience amplification during earthquakes, the depth of the actively sliding mass may be less relevant for assessing potential slide volume and associated hazard than the thicknesses determined by our inversions. More generally, our results underscore the utility of combining both geotechnical measurements and subsurface imaging for landslide characterization and hazard assessment.

scholarly journals Cosmic-Ray Driven Outflows to Mpc Scales from L* Galaxies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip F Hopkins ◽  
T K Chan ◽  
Suoqing Ji ◽  
Cameron B Hummels ◽  
Dušan Kereš ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Plane Layer ◽  
Equilibrium Density ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Stellar Feedback ◽  
Massive Halos ◽  
Halo Masses

Abstract We study the effects of cosmic rays (CRs) on outflows from star-forming galaxies in the circum and inter-galactic medium (CGM/IGM), in high-resolution, fully-cosmological FIRE-2 simulations (accounting for mechanical and radiative stellar feedback, magnetic fields, anisotropic conduction/viscosity/CR diffusion and streaming, and CR losses). We showed previously that massive (Mhalo ≳ 1011 M⊙), low-redshift (z ≲ 1 − 2) halos can have CR pressure dominate over thermal CGM pressure and balance gravity, giving rise to a cooler CGM with an equilibrium density profile. This dramatically alters outflows. Absent CRs, high gas thermal pressure in massive halos “traps” galactic outflows near the disk, so they recycle. With CRs injected in supernovae as modeled here, the low-pressure halo allows “escape” and CR pressure gradients continuously accelerate this material well into the IGM in “fast” outflows, while lower-density gas at large radii is accelerated in-situ into “slow” outflows that extend to >Mpc scales. CGM/IGM outflow morphologies are radically altered: they become mostly volume-filling (with inflow in a thin mid-plane layer) and coherently biconical from the disk to >Mpc. The CR-driven outflows are primarily cool (T ∼ 105 K) and low-velocity. All of these effects weaken and eventually vanish at lower halo masses (≲ 1011 M⊙) or higher redshifts (z ≳ 1 − 2), reflecting the ratio of CR to thermal+gravitational pressure in the outer halo. We present a simple analytic model which explains all of the above phenomena. We caution that these predictions may depend on uncertain CR transport physics.

scholarly journals Measuring and inferring the ice thickness distribution of four glaciers in the Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Lander Van Tricht ◽  
Philippe Huybrechts ◽  
Jonas Van Breedam ◽  
Johannes J. Fürst ◽  
Oleg Rybak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Validation ◽  
Thickness Distribution ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Thickness Measurements ◽  
Tien Shan Mountains

Abstract Glaciers in the Tien Shan mountains contribute considerably to the fresh water used for irrigation, households and energy supply in the dry lowland areas of Kyrgyzstan and its neighbouring countries. To date, reconstructions of the current ice volume and ice thickness distribution remain scarce, and accurate data are largely lacking at the local scale. Here, we present a detailed ice thickness distribution of Ashu-Tor, Bordu, Golubin and Kara-Batkak glaciers derived from radio-echo sounding measurements and modelling. All the ice thickness measurements are used to calibrate three individual models to estimate the ice thickness in inaccessible areas. A cross-validation between modelled and measured ice thickness for a subset of the data is performed to attribute a weight to every model and to assemble a final composite ice thickness distribution for every glacier. Results reveal the thickest ice on Ashu-Tor glacier with values up to 201 ± 12 m. The ice thickness measurements and distributions are also compared with estimates composed without the use of in situ data. These estimates approach the total ice volume well, but local ice thicknesses vary substantially.

Structure beneath Queen Charlotte Sound from seismic-refraction and gravity interpretations

1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1509-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianson Yuan ◽  
G. D. Spence ◽  
R. D. Hyndman
Keyword(s):  
Crustal Structure ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Sedimentary Basin ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Velocity Variation ◽  
Moho Depth ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Data Set

A combined multichannel seismic reflection and refraction survey was carried out in July 1988 to study the Tertiary sedimentary basin architecture and formation and to define the crustal structure and associated plate interactions in the Queen Charlotte Islands region. Simultaneously with the collection of the multichannel reflection data, refractions and wide-angle reflections from the airgun array shots were recorded on single-channel seismographs distributed on land around Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. For this paper a subset of the resulting data set was chosen to study the crustal structure in Queen Charlotte Sound and the nearby subduction zone.Two-dimensional ray tracing and synthetic seismogram modelling produced a velocity structure model in Queen Charlotte Sound. On a margin-parallel line, Moho depth was modelled at 27 km off southern Moresby Island but only 23 km north of Vancouver Island. Excluding the approximately 5 km of the Tertiary sediments, the crust in the latter area is only about 18 km thick, suggesting substantial crustal thinning in Queen Charlotte Sound. Such thinning of the crust supports an extensional mechanism for the origin of the sedimentary basin. Deep crustal layers with velocities of more than 7 km/s were interpreted in the southern portion of Queen Charlotte Sound and beneath the continental margin. They could represent high-velocity material emplaced in the crust from earlier subduction episodes or mafic intrusion associated with the Tertiary volcanics.Seismic velocities of both sediment and upper crust layers are lower in the southern part of Queen Charlotte Sound than in the region near Moresby Island. Well velocity logs indicate a similar velocity variation. Gravity modelling along the survey line parallel to the margin provides additional constraints on the structure. The data require lower densities in the sediment and upper crust of southern Queen Charlotte Sound. The low-velocity, low-density sediments in the south correspond to high-porosity marine sediments found in wells in that region and contrast with lower porosity nonmarine sediments in wells farther north.

scholarly journals In-situ measurements of velocity structure within turbidity currents

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Xu ◽  
M. A. Noble ◽  
L. K. Rosenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Turbidity Currents

scholarly journals A guided approach for subtomogram averaging of challenging macromolecular assemblies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Grotjahn ◽  
Saikat Chowdhury ◽  
Gabriel C. Lander
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Heterogeneity ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Macromolecular Assemblies ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Subtomogram Averaging

AbstractCryo-electron tomography is a powerful biophysical technique enabling three-dimensional visualization of complex biological systems. Macromolecular targets of interest identified within cryo-tomograms can be computationally extracted, aligned, and averaged to produce a better-resolved structure through a process called subtomogram averaging (STA). However, accurate alignment of macromolecular machines that exhibit extreme structural heterogeneity and conformational flexibility remains a significant challenge with conventional STA approaches. To expand the applicability of STA to a broader range of pleomorphic complexes, we developed a user-guided, focused refinement approach that can be incorporated into the standard STA workflow to facilitate the robust alignment of particularly challenging samples. We demonstrate that it is possible to align visually recognizable portions of multi-subunit complexes by providing a priori information regarding their relative orientations within cryo-tomograms, and describe how this strategy was applied to successfully elucidate the first three-dimensional structure of the dynein-dynactin motor protein complex bound to microtubules. Our approach expands the application of STA for solving a more diverse range of heterogeneous biological structures, and establishes a conceptual framework for the development of automated strategies to deconvolve the complexity of crowded cellular environments and improve in situ structure determination technologies.

scholarly journals P-wave crustal tomography of Greece with use of an accurate two-point ray tracer

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Drakatos ◽  
G. Karantonis ◽  
G. N. Stavrakakis
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Seismic Energy ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Aegean Area ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Horizontal Variations

The three-dimensional velocity structure of the crust in the Aegean sea and the surrounding regions (34.0º-42.OºN, 19.0ºE-29.0ºE) is investigated by inversion of about 10000 residuals of arrival times of P-wave from local events. The resulting velocity structure shows strong horizontal variations due to the complicated crustal structure and the variations of crustal thickness. The northern part of the region generally shows high velocities. In the inner part of the volcanic arc (Southern Aegean area), relatively low velocities are observed, suggesting a large-scale absorption of seismic energy as confirmed by the low seismicity of the region. A low velocity zone was observed along the subduction zone of the region, up to a depth of 4 km. The existence of such a zone could be due to granitic or other intrusions in the crust during the uplift of the region during Alpidic orogenesis.

scholarly journals Crustal velocity structure of the Apennines (Italy) from P-wave travel time tomography

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Chiarabba ◽  
A. Amato
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Depth Interval ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Velocity Anomaly ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Velocity Images ◽  
Lower Crustal

In this paper we provide P-wave velocity images of the crust underneath the Apennines (Italy), focusing on the lower crustal structure and the Moho topography. We inverted P-wave arrival times of earthquakes which occurred from 1986 to 1993 within the Apenninic area. To overcome inversion instabilities due to noisy data (we used bulletin data) we decided to resolve a minimum number of velocity parameters, inverting for only two layers in the crust and one in the uppermost mantle underneath the Moho. A partial inversion of only 55% of the overall dataset yields velocity images similar to those obtained with the whole data set, indicating that the depicted tomograms are stable and fairly insensitive to the number of data used. We find a low-velocity anomaly in the lower crust extending underneath the whole Apenninic belt. This feature is segmented by a relative high-velocity zone in correspondence with the Ortona-Roccamonfina line, that separates the northern from the southern Apenninic arcs. The Moho has a variable depth in the study area, and is deeper (more than 37 km) in the Adriatic side of the Northern Apennines with respect to the Tyrrhenian side, where it is found in the depth interval 22-34 km.

scholarly journals Urban Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using In-Situ Fibre Beneath Bern, Switzerland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Smolinski ◽  
Patrick Paitz ◽  
Daniel Bowden ◽  
Pascal Edme ◽  
Felix Kugler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing

<p>Anticipating the risks natural hazards pose to an urban environment requires an understanding of the shallow Earth structure of the region. While urban infrastructure often hinders the deployment of a traditional seismic array, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology facilitates the use of existing telecommunication fibre-optic cables for seismic observation, with spatial resolution down to the metre scale.</p><p>Through collaboration with the SWITCH foundation, we were able to use existing, in-situ fibres beneath Bern, Switzerland for seismic data acquisition over two weeks, covering a distance of 6 km with a spatial resolution of 2 m. This allowed for not only real-time visualisation of anthropogenic noise sources (e.g. road traffic), but also of the propagation of resulting seismic waves.</p><p>Data is analysed in the time and frequency domain to explore the range of signals captured and to assess the consistency of data quality along the cable. The local velocity structure can be constrained using both noise correlations and deterministic signals excited by traffic.</p><p>Initial results reveal the ability of DAS to capture signals over a wide range of frequencies and distances, and show promise for utilising urban DAS data to perform urban seismic tomography and hazard analysis.</p>

scholarly journals U–Pb geochronology of epidote by LA–ICP–MS as a tool for dating hydrothermal-vein formation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Peverelli ◽  
Tanya Ewing ◽  
Daniela Rubatto ◽  
Martin Wille ◽  
Alfons Berger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Hydrothermal Vein ◽  
Isotopic Compositions ◽  
Vein Formation ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Primary Reference

Abstract. Monoclinic epidote is a low-µ (µ = 283U / 204Pb) mineral occurring in a variety of geological environments, participating in many metamorphic reactions and stable throughout a wide range of pressure–temperature conditions. Despite containing fair amounts of U, its use as a U–Pb geochronometer has been hindered by the commonly high contents of initial Pb with isotopic compositions that cannot be assumed a priori. We present U–Pb geochronology of hydrothermal-vein epidote spanning a wide range of Pb (3.9–190 µg g−1), Th (0.009–38 µg g−1) and U (2.6–530 µg g−1) contents and with µ values between 7–510 from the Albula area (eastern Swiss Alps), from the Grimsel area (central Swiss Alps) and from the Heyuan fault (Guangdong province, China). The investigated epidote samples show appreciable fractions of initial Pb that vary to different extents. A protocol has been developed for in situ U–Pb dating of epidote by spot-analysis laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) with a magmatic allanite as primary reference material. The suitability of the protocol and the reliability of the measured isotopic ratios have been ascertained by independent measurements of 238U / 206Pb and 207Pb / 206Pb ratios respectively by quadrupole and multicollector ICP–MS applied to epidote micro-separates digested and diluted in acids. For age calculation, we used the Tera–Wasserburg (207Pb / 206Pb–238U / 206Pb) diagram, which does not require corrections for initial Pb and provides the initial 207Pb / 206Pb ratio if all intra-sample analyses are co-genetic. Petrographic and microstructural data indicate that the calculated ages date the crystallization of vein epidote from a hydrothermal fluid and that the U–Pb system was not reset to younger ages by later events. Vein epidote from the Albula area formed in the Paleocene (62.7 ± 3.0 Ma) and is related to Alpine greenschist-facies metamorphism. The Miocene (19.1 ± 4.0 Ma and 16.9 ± 3.7 Ma) epidote veins from the Grimsel area formed during the Handegg phase (22–17 Ma) of the Alpine evolution of the Aar Massif. Identical initial 207Pb / 206Pb ratios reveal homogeneity in Pb isotopic compositions of the fluid across ca. 200 m. Vein epidote from the Heyuan fault is Cretaceous in age (108.1 ± 8.4 Ma) and formed during the early movements of the fault. In situ U–Pb analyses of epidote returned reliable ages of otherwise undatable epidote-quartz veins. The Tera–Wasserburg approach has proven pivotal for in situ U–Pb dating of epidote and the decisive aspect for low age uncertainties is the variability in intra-sample initial Pb fractions.

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