Snow avalanche characterization through seismological methods

Snow avalanches associated risk in mountain areas can be very high. The knowledge of these phenomena is very impor tant in order to mitigate that risk. The avalanche research group at the University of Barcelona has been working with the seismic signals of snow avalanches since 1994 at different sites all around Europe. The availability of more than 50 seismic records of snow avalanches made possible the identification of the specific characteristics of the seismic signals generated by avalanches. Classical seismological techniques frequently used to study earthquakes have been imported to perform the seismic signal characterization. However, the recent studies of the group have been focused in determining the physical parameters that can help in the description of the phenomena. In this case, seismological techniques have been used, in addition of the characterization of the seismic signals to obtain information of the avalanche itself. In this paper an overview of the most successful results in this field are presente

First evidence of paleoearthquakes along the Carboneras Fault Zone (SE Iberian Peninsula): Los Trances site

Seismogenic faults that have not produced historical large earthquakes remain unnoticed and, thus, are dangerously left out from seismic hazard analyses. The seismogenic nature of the Carboneras Fault Zone, a left-lateral strikeslip fault in the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (southeastern Spain), has not been fully explored to date in spite of having a morphological expression equivalent to the Alhama de Murcia Fault, a seismogenic fault in the same tectonic system. This study provides the first paleoseismic evidence of the seismogenic nature of the Carboneras Fault Zone, based on the analysis of 3 trenches at Los Trances site, on the northwestern edge of the La Serrata Range. Cross cutting relationships and numerical dating, based on radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and U-series, reveal a minimum of 4 paleoearthquakes: Paleoearthquake1 (the oldest) and Paleoearthquake2 took place after 133ka, Paleoearthquake3 occurred between 83–73ka and Paleoearthquake4 happened after 42.5ka (probably after 30.8ka), resulting in a maximum possible average recurrence of 33ka. This value, based on a minimum amount of paleoearthquakes, is probably overestimated, as it does not scale well with published slip-rates derived from offset channels or GPS geodetical data. The characterization of this fault as seismogenic, implies that it should be considered in the seismic hazard analyses of the SE Iberian Peninsula

Topo-Iberia Project: CGPS crustal velocity field in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco

A new continuous GPS network was installed under the umbrella of a research project called 'Geociencias en Iberia: Estudios integrados de topografı´a y evolución 4D (Topo-Iberia)', to improve understanding of kinematic behavior of the Iberian Peninsula region. Here we present a velocity field based on the analysis of the 4 years of data from 25 stations constituting the network, which were analyzed by three different analysis groups contributing to the project. Different geodetic software packages (GIPSY-OASIS, Bernese and GAMIT) as well as different approaches were used to estimate rates of present day crustal deformation in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. In order to ensure the consistency of the velocity fields determined by the three groups, the velocities obtained by each analysis center were transformed into a common Eurasia Reference Frame. After that, the strain rate field was calculated. The results put in evidence more prominent residual motions in Morocco and southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula. In particular, the dilatation and shear strain rates reach their maximum values in the Central Betics and northern Alboran Sea. A small region of high shear strain rate is observed in the east-central part of the peninsula and another deformation focus is located around the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz

Asperities and barriers on the seismogenic zone in North Chile: state-of-the-art after the 2007 Mw 7.7 Tocopilla earthquake inferred by GPS and InSAR data

The Mw 7.7 2007 November 14 earthquake had an epicentre located close to the city of Tocopilla, at the southern end of a known seismic gap in North Chile. Through modelling of Global Positioning System (GPS) and radar interferometry (InSAR) data, we show that this event ruptured the deeper part of the seismogenic interface (30–50 km) and did not reach the surface. The earthquake initiated at the hypocentre and was arrested ~150 km south, beneath the Mejillones Peninsula, an area already identified as an important structural barrier between two segments of the Peru–Chile subduction zone. Our preferred models for the Tocopilla main shock show slip concentrated in two main asperities, consistent with previous inversions of seismological data. Slip appears to have propagated towards relatively shallow depths at its southern extremity, under the Mejillones Peninsula. Our analysis of post-seismic deformation suggests that small but still significant post-seismic slip occurred within the first 10 d after the main shock, and that it was mostly concentrated at the southern end of the rupture. The post-seismic deformation occurring in this period represents ~12–19 per cent of the coseismic deformation, of which ~30–55 per cent has been released aseismically. Post-seismic slip appears to concentrate within regions that exhibit low coseismic slip, suggesting that the afterslip distribution during the first month of the post-seismic interval complements the coseismic slip. The 2007 Tocopilla earthquake released only ~2.5 per cent of the moment deficit accumulated on the interface during the past 130 yr and may be regarded as a possible precursor of a larger subduction earthquake rupturing partially or completely the 500-km-long North Chile seismic gap

Continuous GPS stations deployment in the Topo-Iberia Project framework

Topo-Iberia es un proyecto financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España. Su principal objetivo es comprender las interacciones entre los procesos profundos, superficiales y atmosféricos integrando datos geológicos, geofísicos y geodéticos. El proyecto se centrará en tres zonas principales de interés en la Península Ibérica: los bordes N y S de la Placa Ibérica (incluyendo el N de Marruecos) y su núcleo central intermedio. Presentamos las actividades preliminares realizadas por el subgrupo GPS de Topo-Iberia con el fin de desplegar una nueva red continua de GPS. La intención es complementar las redes CGPS continuas existentes (p.e. ROA; ERGPS) incrementado la cobertura espacial en España y N de Marruecos. Una vez seleccionados los emplazamientos de las nuevas estaciones, el objetivo es que se encuentren en pleno funcionamiento la primavera de 2008. Se han descargado conjuntos de datos CGPS de servidores de distintas instituciones sobre los que se ha realizado un procesado inicial que sirva como control de calidad. Como algunas de las estaciones actualmente disponibles no siguen los estrictos procedimientos de estabilidad dictados por IGS/EUREF, estamos evaluando sus resultados mediante análisis de series temporales para decidir cuales se pueden incluir como estaciones complementarias de la red Topo-Iberia.Topo-Iberia is a Spanish Research Council funded project. Its main objective is to understand the interactions between deep, shallow and atmospheric processes, integrating geological, geophysical, geodetic and geo-technological research activities. The project will focus in three main areas of interest in the Iberian Peninsula: Northern and Southern borders of the Iberian micro-plate (taking into account the Northern part of Morocco), and its central core. We present the preliminary steps that the Topo- Iberia GPS working group is undergoing in order to deploy a new Continuous GPS Network. We are trying to complement the existing and functioning CGPS Networks (e.g. ROA; ERGPS) by increasing the spatial coverage across Spain and Northern Morocco. The places for the new locations have been chosen and all stations should be working in the spring 2008. A set of available CGPS data files has been downloaded from different institutional servers. A preliminary data analysis has been performed for geodetic quality control. Since some of the existing CGPS stations have been installed without following strict IGS/EUREF procedures for the stability of the monuments, we are evaluating their performance through the time series analysis, in order to decide whether to include them as complementing stations to our network.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)CONSOLIDER TOPO-Iberiapu

Effects of Variations of the Monthly Mean Air Temperature on the Population Health of Imereti Region of Georgia

It is found that the relationship between the average monthly air temperature in Kutaisi and such indices of the health of population as the total number of emergency medical calls, cases of hospitalizations and deaths has the form of a third power polynomial. In general, in the warm months there is a decrease of the total number of emergency medical calls, cases of hospitalizations and deaths. In the hot months, there is a worsening in these indicators of health, comparable to the cold months of the year (increase of the emergency medical calls, cases of hospitalizations and deaths