From storage to disposal: a holistic microbotanical approach to domestic plant preparation and consumption activities in Late Minoan Gypsades, Crete

The analysis of microbotanical remains (starch grains and phytoliths) from food-related domestic contexts and artefacts has the potential to provide insights into daily plant preparation and consumption activities. In particular, pottery vessels offer an unparalleled comparative framework for the study of food preparation and consumption, since pottery is used for a variety of domestic food-related activities, including storage, processing and serving. This study illustrates the potential of microbotanical remains to provide a holistic approach to the plant food preparation and consumption cycle—from storage to disposal—through the analysis of starch grains and phytoliths from Late Minoan storage, cooking and serving vessels recently uncovered at the Knossian ‘neighbourhood’ of Lower Gypsades. The results show that starch grains and phytoliths are more abundant and diverse in cooking vessels, presumably reflecting a higher deposition of microbotanical remains as a result of the disturbance caused by cooking. The results further offer insights into Minoan storage and cooking practices at Gypsades, suggesting that cereals were stored de-husked in pithoi and, possibly, in palm leaf baskets, and later cooked together with non-staple plants. The virtual absence of microbotanical remains from serving vessels may be due to depositional factors and/or the fact that some of the vessels analysed in this study were used for serving/consuming liquids or animal products, and not plants

Domino-style earthquakes along blind normal faults in Northern Thessaly (Greece): kinematic evidence from field observations, seismology, SAR interferometry and GNSS

Here we present a joint analysis of the geodetic, seismological and geological data of the March 2021 Northern Thessaly seismic sequence, that were gathered and processed as of April 30, 2021. First, we relocated seismicity data from regional and local networks and inferred the dip-direction (NE) and dip-angle (38°) of the March 3, 2021 rupture plane. Furthermore, we used ascending and descending SAR images acquired by the Sentinel-1 satellites to map the co-seismic displacement field. Our results indicate that the March 3, 2021 Mw=6.3 rupture occurred on a NE-dipping, 39° normal fault located between the villages Zarko (Trikala) and Damasi (Larissa). The event of March 4, 2021 occurred northwest of Damasi, along a fault oriented WNW-ESE and produced less deformation than the event of the previous day. The third event occurred on March 12, 2021 along a south-dipping normal fault. We computed 22 focal mechanisms of aftershocks with M≥4.0 using P-wave first motion polarities. Nearly all focal mechanisms exhibit normal kinematics or have a dominant normal dip-slip component. The use of InSAR was crucial to differentiate the ground deformation between the ruptures. The majority of deformation occurs in the vertical component, with a maximum of 0.39 m of subsidence over the Mw=6.3 rupture plane, south and west of Damasi. A total amount of 0.3 m horizontal displacement (E-W) was measured. We also used GNSS data (at 30-s sampling interval) from twelve permanent stations near the epicentres to obtain 3D seismic offsets of station positions. Only the first event produces significant displacement at the GNSS stations (as predicted by the fault models, themselves very well constrained by InSAR). We calculated several post-seismic interferograms, yet we have observed that there is almost no post-seismic deformation, except in the footwall area (Zarkos mountain). This post-seismic deformation is below the 7 mm level (quarter of a fringe) in the near field and below the 1 mm level at the GNSS sites. The cascading activation of the three events in a SE to NW direction points to a pattern of domino-style earthquakes, along neighbouring fault segments. The kinematics of the ruptures point to a counter-clockwise change in the extension direction of the upper crust (from NE-SW near Damasi to N-S towards northwest, near Verdikoussa)

Seismic Waveform Data from Greece and Cyprus: Integration, Archival, and Open Access

The National Observatory of Athens data center for the European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA@NOA) is the national and regional node that supports International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks and related webservices for seismic waveform datacoming from the southeastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. At present, it serves data from eight permanent broadband and strong-motion networks from Greece and Cyprus, individual stations from the Balkans, temporary networks and aftershock deployments, and earthquake engineering experimental facilities. EIDA@NOA provides open and unlimited access from redundant node end points, intendedmainly for research purposes (see Data and Resources). Analysis and quality control of thecomplete seismic data archive is performed initially by calculating waveform metrics and data availability. Seismic ambient noise metrics are estimated based on power spectral densities, and an assessment of each station s statistical mode is achieved within each network and across networks. Moreover, the minimum ambient noise level expected for strong-motion installations is defined. Sensor orientation is estimated using surface-wave polarization methods to detect stations with misalignment on particular epochs. A single data center that hosts thecomplete seismic data archives with their respective metadata from networks covering similar geographical areas allows coordination between network operators and facilitates the adhesion to widely used best practices regarding station installation, data curation, and metadata definition. The overall achievement is harmonization among all contributing networks and a wider usage of all data archives, ultimately strengthening seismological research efforts in the region. © 2021 Seismological Society of America. All rights reserved