NEW SEISMIC SOURCE ZONE MODEL FOR PORTUGAL AND AZORES

The development of seismogenic source models is one of the first steps in seismic hazard assessment. In seismic hazard terminology, seismic source zones (SSZ) are polygons (or volumes) that delineate areas with homogeneous characteristics of seismicity. The importance of using knowledge on geology, seismicity and tectonics in the definition of source zones has been recognized for a long time [1]. However, the definition of SSZ tends to be subjective and controversial. Using SSZ based on broad geology, by spreading the seismicity clusters throughout the areal extent of a zone, provides a way to account for possible long-term non-stationary seismicity behavior [2,3]. This approach effectively increases seismicity rates in regions with no significant historical or instrumental seismicity, while decreasing seismicity rates in regions that display higher rates of seismicity. In contrast, the use of SSZ based on concentrations of seismicity or spatial smoothing results in stationary behavior [4]. In the FP7 Project SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe), seismic hazard will be assessed with a logic tree approach that allows for three types of branches for seismicity models: a) smoothed seismicity, b) SSZ, c) SSZ and faults. In this context, a large-scale zonation model for use in the smoothed seismicity branch, and a new consensus SSZ model for Portugal and Azores have been developed. The new models were achieved with the participation of regional experts by combining and adapting existing models and incorporating new regional knowledge of the earthquake potential. The main criteria used for delineating the SSZ include distribution of seismicity, broad geological architecture, crustal characteristics (oceanic versus continental, tectonically active versus stable, etc.), historical catalogue completeness, and the characteristics of active or potentially-active faults. This model will be integrated into an Iberian model of SSZ to be used in the Project SHARE seismic hazard assessment

COMPILATION OF ACTIVE FAULT DATA IN PORTUGAL FOR USE IN SEISMIC HAZARD ANALYSIS

To estimate where future earthquakes are likely to occur, it is essential to combine information about past earthquakes with knowledge about the location and seismogenic properties of active faults. For this reason, robust probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) integrates seismicity and active fault data. Existing seismic hazard assessments for Portugal rely exclusively on seismicity data and do not incorporate data on active faults. Project SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) is an EC-funded initiative (FP7) that aims to evaluate European seismic hazards using an integrated, standardized approach. In the context of SHARE, we are developing a fully-parameterized active fault database for Portugal that incorporates existing compilations, updated according to the most recent publications. The seismogenic source model derived for SHARE will be the first model for Portugal to include fault data and follow an internationally standardized approach. This model can be used to improve both seismic hazard and risk analyses and will be combined with the Spanish database for use in Iberian- and European-scale assessments

Incorporating Descriptive Metadata into Seismic Source Zone Models for Seismic Hazard Assessment: A case study of the Azores-West Iberian region

In probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA), seismic source zone (SSZ) models are widely used to account for the contribution to the hazard from earth- quakes not directly correlated with geological structures. Notwithstanding the impact of SSZ models in PSHA, the theoretical framework underlying SSZ models and the criteria used to delineate the SSZs are seldom explicitly stated and suitably docu- mented. In this paper, we propose a methodological framework to develop and docu- ment SSZ models, which includes (1) an assessment of the appropriate scale and degree of stationarity, (2) an assessment of seismicity catalog completeness-related issues, and (3) an evaluation and credibility ranking of physical criteria used to delin- eate the boundaries of the SSZs. We also emphasize the need for SSZ models to be supported by a comprehensive set of metadata documenting both the unique character- istics of each SSZ and the criteria used to delineate its boundaries. This procedure ensures that the uncertainties in the model can be properly addressed in the PSHA and that the model can be easily updated whenever new data are available. The pro- posed methodology is illustrated using the SSZ model developed for the Azores–West Iberian region in the context of the Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe project (project SHARE) and some of the most relevant SSZs are discussed in detail

Inventory and review of the Mio–Pleistocene São Jorge flora (Madeira Island, Portugal): palaeoecological and biogeographical implications

The occurrence of plant fossils on Madeira Island has been known since the mid-nineteenth century. Charles Lyell and George Hartung discovered a leaf bed rich in Lauraceae and fern fossils at S~ao Jorge in 1854. The determinations were controversial but a full review was never performed. Here we propose possible geological settings for the fossiliferous outcrop, and present an inventory and a systematic review of the surviving specimens of the S~ao Jorge macroflora. The S~ao Jorge leaf bed no longer outcrops due to a landslide in 1865. It was possible to establish the two alternative volcano stratigraphical settings in the sedimentary intercalations from the Middle Volcanic Complex, ranging in age from 7 to 1.8 Ma. The descriptions of Heer (1857), Bunbury (1859) and Hartung & Mayer (1864) are reviewed based on 82 surviving specimens. From the initial 37 taxa, we recognize only 20: Osmunda sp., Pteridium aquilinum, Asplenium cf. onopteris, aff. Asplenium, cf. Polystichum, cf. Davallia, Woodwardia radicans, Filicopsida gen. et sp. indet. 1 and 2, Ocotea foetens, Salix sp., Erica arborea, cf. Vaccinium, Rubus sp, cf. Myrtus, Magnoliopsida gen. et sp. indet. 1 to 3, Liliopsida gen. et sp. indet. 1. Magnoliopsida gen. et sp. indet. 4 is based on one previously undescribed flower or fruit. The floristic composition of the S~ao Jorge fossils resembles the current floristic association of temperate stink laurel (Ocotea foetens) forest, suggesting a warm and humid palaeoclimate and indicating that laurel forests were present in Macaronesia at least since the Gelasian, a time when the palaeotropical geofloral elements were almost extinct in Europe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Compilation of parameterized seismogenic sources in Iberia for the SHARE European-scale seismic source model.

Abstract: SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) is an EC-funded project (FP7) that aims to evaluate European seismic hazards using an integrated, standardized approach. In the context of SHARE, we are compiling a fully-parameterized active fault database for Iberia and the nearby offshore region. The principal goal of this initiative is for fault sources in the Iberian region to be represented in SHARE and incorporated into the source model that will be used to produce seismic hazard maps at the European scale. The SHARE project relies heavily on input from many regional experts throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the SHARE regional meeting for Iberia, the 2010 Working Group on Iberian Seismogenic Sources (WGISS) was established; these researchers are contributing to this large effort by providing their data to the Iberian regional integrators in a standardized format. The development of the SHARE Iberian active fault database is occurring in parallel with IBERFAULT, another ongoing effort to compile a database of active faults in the Iberian region. The SHARE Iberian active fault database synthesizes a wide range of geological and geophysical observations on active seismogenic sources, and incorporates existing compilations (e.g., Cabral, 1995; Silva et al., 2008), original data contributed directly from researchers, data compiled from the literature, parameters estimated using empirical and analytical relationships, and, where necessary, parameters derived using expert judgment. The Iberian seismogenic source model derived for SHARE will be the first regional-scale source model for Iberia that includes fault data and follows an internationally standardized approach (Basili et al., 2008; 2009). This model can be used in both seismic hazard and risk analyses and will be appropriate for use in Iberian- and European-scale assessments

Quinze anos de ecografia intravascular coronária emintervenc ̧ão coronária percutânea em Portugal

INTRODUCTION: Coronary intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is increasingly important in catheterization laboratories due to its positive prognostic impact. This study aims to characterize the use of IVUS in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Portugal. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed based on the Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology. The clinical and angiographic profiles of patients who underwent PCI between 2002 and 2016, the percentage of IVUS use, and the coronary arteries assessed were characterized. RESULTS: A total of 118 706 PCIs were included, in which IVUS was used in 2266 (1.9%). Over time, use of IVUS changed from none in 2002 to generally increasing use from 2003 (0.1%) to 2016 (2.4%). The age of patients in whom coronary IVUS was used was similar to that of patients in whom IVUS was not used, but in the former group there were fewer male patients, and a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes), previous myocardial infarction, previous PCI, multivessel coronary disease, C-type or bifurcated coronary lesions, and in-stent restenosis. IVUS was used in 54.8% of elective PCIs and in 19.15% of PCIs of the left main coronary artery. CONCLUSION: Coronary IVUS has been increasingly used in Portugal since 2003. It is used preferentially in elective PCIs, and in patients with higher cardiovascular risk, with more complex coronary lesions and lesions of the left main coronary artery.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non-structural carbohydrates mediate seasonal water stress across Amazon forests

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are major substrates for plant metabolism and have been implicated in mediating drought-induced tree mortality. Despite their significance, NSC dynamics in tropical forests remain little studied. We present leaf and branch NSC data for 82 Amazon canopy tree species in six sites spanning a broad precipitation gradient. During the wet season, total NSC (NSCT) concentrations in both organs were remarkably similar across communities. However, NSCT and its soluble sugar (SS) and starch components varied much more across sites during the dry season. Notably, the proportion of leaf NSCT in the form of SS (SS:NSCT) increased greatly in the dry season in almost all species in the driest sites, implying an important role of SS in mediating water stress in these sites. This adjustment of leaf NSC balance was not observed in tree species less-adapted to water deficit, even under exceptionally dry conditions. Thus, leaf carbon metabolism may help to explain floristic sorting across water availability gradients in Amazonia and enable better prediction of forest responses to future climate change