Volcanic Geomorphology: A Review of Worldwide Research

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of academic research on volcanic geomorphology, through the use of bibliometric analysis and bibliographic visualization maps for the discernment of its growing interest by the academy in the last 30 years. It is sustained on the publications indexed in the Scopus database between 1956 and 2019, obtaining relevant information on scientific production, following the methodological structure of a rigorous bibliometric process, which ranges from the search for descriptors or keywords to the configuration of visualizations of tables and maps that allowed to consider the contributions by authors, institutions, journals and topics that have shaped the evolution of this field of study. The generations of bibliometric maps allowed understanding the intellectual structure of the field of study made up of 707 articles where the analysis of co-occurrence of author keywords showed six main lines of research that, combined with the co-citation maps, allowed understanding the breadth of intellectual structure. Extensive information is provided on the thematic that other investigations partially addressed or failed to capture their current status. Considering that the results allow us to identify areas of current interest and the potential of research in volcanic geomorphology

Cation Exchange of Natural Zeolites: Worldwide Research

Research on natural zeolites (NZ) has increased over the years, showing potential in different areas, and many of them involve cation exchange (CE), considered one of the essential properties of NZ. This work aims to identify studies’ cognitive structure based on the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of NZ through bibliometric analysis to evaluate scientific production, growth trend, and visualization through bibliometric maps using the VOSviewer software. All types of documents and all languages indexed in Scopus from 1970 to 2020 were considered for the database, obtaining 703 documents. The results indicate an increasing trend in CE annual publications in NZ. This analysis shows the most influential authors such as Daković, Wang and Colella, while the countries that stand out are China, Turkey and the United States. Besides, the bibliometric maps made it possible to understand the intellectual structure of this academic discipline, identifying areas of current and potential interest in this field of studies such as its application in medicine, agriculture, catalysts, heavy metal removal, wastewater treatment (WWT), bioremediation and construction. Finally, these studies showed trends in science and technology studies favoring environmental remediation and human health

Rockfall Research: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Trends

Rockfall is one of the main phenomena in mountainous environments due to its fast and high speed of movement, its unpredictability, and, therefore, the difficulty of identifying signs of instability and detachment of the blocks. Compared to other types of sliding, the proportion of rockfall research is smaller and sometimes little known, but, in the last five years, rapid growth in this area has been shown. Therefore, this research aimed to review the intellectual structure of rockfall, through analysis of scientific production using bibliometric techniques that allow its analysis, knowledge, global evolution, and future trends in rockfall. The research methodology consists of three steps: (1) data compilation, (2) software and data cleaning, and (3) analysis, interpretation, and visualization. This analysis focuses on the period from 1975 to 2019. For the data, a total of 811 academic publications were retrieved from the Scopus database. The results indicate an increasing trend of annual publications on rockfall. This analysis reveals the main topics, countries, and most influential institutions in the world that have carried out relevant research in scientific publications; it also shows the journals that have the most publications. VOSviewer software was adopted to evaluate the co-occurrence of author keywords. Currently, the hotspots rockfall issues mainly include: hazard-risk assessment, remote sensing, and rockfall monitoring. Finally, this article analyzes the limitations of current research and proposes a future direction for the development of new researc

Worldwide Research Analysis on Natural Zeolites as Environmental Remediation Materials

Society faces a significant problem in regards to the spread of harmful products in the environment, primarily caused by accelerated growth and resource consumption. Consequently, there is a need for materials to be processed in less harmful ways and to remedy the contaminated sources they generate. Microporous materials have been studied for a long time and are used in waste treatment alternatives. Natural zeolites, on which this study is based, are attractive to the scientific and technological communities, due to their numerous applications as decontaminants and adsorption properties. This study analyzes the intellectual structures of publications related to natural zeolites in environmental remediation, using bibliometric methods to determine their volumes and trends. The methodology comprises of an analysis based on 1582 articles, using VOSviewer software, with data from 1974 to 2020, via the Scopus database. Results reflect a notable increase in publications from the end of the 1990s; the greatest contribution in the area comes from Eurasian countries. The study considers that development in this line of research will continue to increase and serve as a great contribution to preserve the environment in coming years, with themes that focus on water treatment (e.g., drinking water, wastewater, greywater), removal of heavy metals, ammonium, ammonia, and constructio

Zeolite mineralogy of the Cayo formation in Guayaquil, Ecuador

This work shows the presence of zeolites in the Cretaceous Cayo formation in Coastal Ecuador. In the area of Guayaquil the Cayo formation consist of marine pyroclastic flow deposits, associated fallout tuffs and epiclastic rocks. The main zeolites are Ca-heulandite (mean Si/Al: 3.30) and Ca-clinoptilolite (mean Si/Al: 4.35). Less common are laumontite, mordenite and analcime. Zeolites compose 10–60% of the rocks. The deposit is of great importance for Ecuador, considering its enormous zeolitised outcrop area (more than 10,000 km2

Worldwide Research on Land Use and Land Cover in the Amazon Region

Land cover is an important descriptor of the earth’s terrestrial surface. It is also crucial to determine the biophysical processes in global environmental change. Land-use change showcases the management of the land while revealing what motivated the alteration of the land cover. The type of land use can represent local economic and social benefits, framed towards regional sustainable development. The Amazon stands out for being the largest tropical forest globally, with the most extraordinary biodiversity, and plays an essential role in climate regulation. The present work proposes to carry out a bibliometric analysis of 1590 articles indexed in the Scopus database. It uses both Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer software for the evaluation of author keywords, authors, and countries. The method encompasses (i) search criteria, (ii) search and document compilation, (iii) software selection and data extraction, and (iv) data analysis. The results classify the main research fields into nine main topics with increasing relevance: ‘Amazon’, ‘deforestation’, ‘remote sensing’, ‘land use and land cover change’, and ‘land use’. In conclusion, the cocitation authors’ network reveals the development of such areas and the interest they present due to their worldwide importance

Worldwide Research Trends in Landslide Science

Landslides are generated by natural causes and by human action, causing various geomorphological changes as well as physical and socioeconomic loss of the environment and human life. The study, characterization and implementation of techniques are essential to reduce land vulnerability, different socioeconomic sector susceptibility and actions to guarantee better slope stability with a significant positive impact on society. The aim of this work is the bibliometric analysis of the different types of landslides that the United States Geological Survey (USGS) emphasizes, through the SCOPUS database and the VOSviewer software version 1.6.17, for the analysis of their structure, scientific production, and the close relationship with several scientific fields and its trends. The methodology focuses on: (i) search criteria; (ii) data extraction and cleaning; (iii) generation of graphs and bibliometric mapping; and (iv) analysis of results and possible trends. The study and analysis of landslides are in a period of exponential growth, focusing mainly on techniques and solutions for the stabilization, prevention, and categorization of the most susceptible hillslope sectors. Therefore, this research field has the full collaboration of various authors and places a significant focus on the conceptual evolution of the landslide science

Geometric Model of a Coastal Aquifer to Promote the Sustainable Use of Water. Manglaralto, Ecuador

Modeling an aquifer provides significant advantages when evaluating and estimating the water resource for its sustainable use. This study focuses on the rural parish Manglaralto, a semi-arid area with a shortage of water, and without supply service by the public network. Still, it has a great demand for supply by the local and floating population (tourism). This has caused the coastal aquifer, which supplies the area’s water, to show signs of overexploitation, and its natural balance is compromised. The aim is to establish a geometric model of the aquifer through geological and geophysical analysis to set sustainable water-use guidelines. The methodology includes: (i) the processing of the current technical and hydrogeological information to know the aquifer’s data; (ii) geometric modeling of the aquifer through the correlation of technical information, using the GeoModeller software; (iii) proposals for the sustainable use of water in the framework of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. The geometric model results reveal that the aquifer’s thickness varies from 4 m at the head of the river to 30 m at the sea’s mouth. The volume of water is estimated at 13.6 Hm3. The sustainable-use proposals ensure that more than half of the population receives the community company’s service. More than 40% of the territory is a protected area, and 64% of the population has sewerage service. This geometric model is a visual contribution that allows us to know the aquifer’s shape and establishes guidelines that help strengthen the water supply’s development and sustainability over time

Puyango, Ecuador Petrified Forest, a Geological Heritage of the Cretaceous Albian-Middle, and Its Relevance for the Sustainable Development of Geotourism

Geodiversity treaties have multiplied and given rise to geological heritage as a singular value of protection and preservation for territories. The Puyango Petrified Forest (PPF) is a recognized Ecuadorian reserve, which was declared a National Heritage Treasure. It has an area of 2659 hectares, and it is located in the south of Ecuador, between the provinces of El Oro and Loja. The petrified trunks and trees were buried by volcanic lava, dating from the Cretaceous Period, 96 to 112 million years ago. Thus, silicification and carbonization, two important fossilization events, have produced hundreds of samples of paleontological wealth in Puyango. The objective of this work is to methodologically assess the geodiversity of a fraction of the PPF by registering its geological heritage and value for its preservation and sustainable development. The methodology is based on: (i) Analysis of information on the territory used for tourist visits, as a pilot study area. Presentation of paleontological components and their main sections to enhance their geotouristics value; (ii) Assessment of the geological heritage for its geotourism categorization with a recognized scientific methodology and one proposed by the co-authors propose; and (iii) Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) as a guide for protection and development strategies. Findings reveal the high geotourism potential for a Geopark Project in Puyango, since only 300 hectares are used for tourism and the remaining area is a virgin environment for research and improving knowledge of geodiversity and biodiversity

Cation Exchange of Natural Zeolites: Worldwide Research

Research on natural zeolites (NZ) has increased over the years, showing potential in different areas, and many of them involve cation exchange (CE), considered one of the essential properties of NZ. This work aims to identify studies’ cognitive structure based on the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of NZ through bibliometric analysis to evaluate scientific production, growth trend, and visualization through bibliometric maps using the VOSviewer software. All types of documents and all languages indexed in Scopus from 1970 to 2020 were considered for the database, obtaining 703 documents. The results indicate an increasing trend in CE annual publications in NZ. This analysis shows the most influential authors such as Daković, Wang and Colella, while the countries that stand out are China, Turkey and the United States. Besides, the bibliometric maps made it possible to understand the intellectual structure of this academic discipline, identifying areas of current and potential interest in this field of studies such as its application in medicine, agriculture, catalysts, heavy metal removal, wastewater treatment (WWT), bioremediation and construction. Finally, these studies showed trends in science and technology studies favoring environmental remediation and human health