Geology and geochemistry of the Águas Claras and Pico Iron Mines, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Águas Claras and Pico Mines are two world-class iron-ore mines hosted within the Lower- Proterozoic banded iron-formations (locally known as itabirites) of the Minas Supergroup located in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero district, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Águas Claras orebody consists of a 2,500-m-long roughly tabular-shaped lens hosted within the dolomitic itabirite of the Cauê Formation. Dolomitic itabirite is the protore of the soft high-grade iron ore, which is the main ore type of the Águas Claras orebody, representing about 85% of the 284 Mt mined since 1973, with the remaining 15% comprising hard high-grade ore. Hematite is the main constituent of the iron ores. It occurs as martite, granular hematite and locally as specularite. Magnetite appears subordinately as relicts within martite and hematite crystals. Gangue minerals are very rare. These consist of dolomite, chlorite, talc, and apatite, and are especially common in contact with the protore. This virtual absence of gangue minerals is reflected in the chemistry of ores that are characterized by very high Fe contents (an average of 68.2% Fe).The Pico orebody is a continuous ~3,000-m-long body of a lenticular shape hosted within siliceous itabirite, which is the protore of the soft high- and low-grade ores at the Pico Mine. The soft high-grade ores, together with the low-grade ores, called iron-rich itabirite, are the main types of ore, and respectively represent approximately 51 and 29% of the reserves. The remaining 20% consists of hard high-grade ore. The iron oxide mineralogy is the same as that of the Águas Claras Mine, but in different proportions. Gangue minerals are very rare in the high-grade ores, but are slightly more common in the iron-rich itabirite. Quartz is the dominant gangue mineral, and is found with minor quantities of chlorite. The chemistry of the high-grade ores is characterized by high Fe contents (an average of 67.0%) and low P, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂, which are concentrated in the fines. Iron-rich itabirites average 58.6% Fe and 13.5% SiO₂.The genesis of the soft high-grade ores and iron-rich itabirites is related to supergene processes. Leaching of the gangue minerals by groundwater promoted the residual iron enrichment of the itabirites. This process was favored by the tropical climate and topographic situation. The original composition of the itabirites and the presence of structures controlling the circulation of the groundwater have influenced the degree of iron enrichment. The hard high-grade ores are of a hypogene origin. Their genesis is attributed to hydrothermal solutions that leached the gangue minerals and filled the spaces with hematite. This process remains a source of debate and is not yet fully understood.Editorial handling: S.G. Hagemann     

Macroseismic and mechanical models for the vulnerability and damage assessment of current buildings

The European Commission funded the RISK-UE project in 1999 with the aim of providing an advanced approach to earthquake risk scenarios for European towns and regions. In the framework of Risk-UE project, two methods were proposed, originally derived and calibrated by the authors, for the vulnerability assessment of current buildings and for the evaluation of earthquake risk scenarios: a macroseismic model, to be used with macroseismic intensity hazard maps, and a mechanical based model, to be applied when the hazard is provided in terms of peak ground accelerations and spectral values. The vulnerability of the buildings is defined by vulnerability curves, within the macroseismic method, and in terms of capacity curves, within the mechanical method. In this paper, the development of both vulnerability and capacity curves is presented with reference to an assumed typological classification system; moreover, their cross-validation is presented. The parameters of the two methods and the steps for their operative implementation are provided in the paper.     

Intercomparison of Boron Isotope and Concentration Measurements. Part I: Selection, Preparation and Homogeneity Tests of the Intercomparison Materials

In 1999 the Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse (IGG), with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), undertook the collection, preparation and distribution of eight geological materials intended for a blind interlaboratory comparison of measurements of boron isotopic composition and concentration. The materials came from Italian sources and consist of three natural waters (Mediterranean seawater and two groundwaters) and five rocks and minerals (tourmaline, basalt, obsidian, limestone and clay). The solid materials were crushed, milled and mixed, in preparation for distribution. Extensive assays performed at the IGG on these materials demonstrated that their boron isotopic and chemical compositions are homogeneous.
Additional homogeneity tests were carried out on solid material fragments at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, with the specific objective of investigating the suitability of some of them for the calibration in situ of micro-analytical techniques. Two materials, B4 (tourmaline) and B6 (obsidian), proved to be isotopically homogeneous and may become excellent references for in situ microanalyses of boron isotopes.
The materials described here were used as the basis of a major laboratory intercomparison study and are now available for further distribution from either the IAEA (solid materials) or the IGG (waters).     

Seismic response and energy dissipation of 3D complex steel buildings considering the influence of interior semi-rigid connections: low- medium- and high-rise

A numerical investigation regarding the seismic behavior of complex-3D steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting frames (PMRF) and interior gravity frames (GF) is conducted. The interior connections are assumed to be first perfectly pinned (PP) and then semi-rigid (SR); the two model responses are compared. Three steel building models representing low-, medium- and high-rise buildings, and several strong motions are used. The relative stiffness of SR connections is calculated according to the Richard Model and the Beam Line Theory. The Ruaumoko Computer Program is used to perform the required step-by-step nonlinear seismic analysis. Results indicate that interstory shears and interstory displacements at PMRF may be significantly reduced when interior connections are modeled as SR. Average reductions of up to 20, 46 and 11% are observed for interstory shears, for low-, medium-, and high-rise buildings, respectively. The corresponding reductions for interstory displacements are about 14, 44 and 15%. The contribution of GF to the lateral resistance is considerable, which significantly increases when the connections are modeled as SR; relative contributions larger than 80% are observed. The dissipated energy (DE) at PMRF is larger for the buildings with PP than for the buildings with SR connections indicating that damage at PMRF is reduced. Thus, the effect of the stiffness and the DE at interior connections should not be ignored. However, the design of some elements, particularly columns of the GF, has to be revised; these members may not be able to support the loads produced by the neglected lateral contribution if they are not properly designed.     

Comparison of numerical hindcasted severe waves with Doppler radar measurements in the North Sea

Severe sea states in the North Sea present a challenge to wave forecasting systems and a threat to offshore installations such as oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms. Here, we study the ability of a third-generation spectral wave model to reproduce winter sea states in the North Sea. Measured and modeled time series of integral wave parameters and directional wave spectra are compared for a 12-day period in the winter of 2013–2014 when successive severe storms moved across the North Atlantic and the North Sea. Records were obtained from a Doppler radar and wave buoys. The hindcast was performed with the WAVEWATCH III model (Tolman 2014) with high spectral resolution both in frequency and direction. A good general agreement was obtained for integrated parameters, but discrepancies were found to occur in spectral shapes.     

东印度洋现生浮游有孔虫

A brief morphometric study of the recent planktonic foraminifera in the eastern Indian Ocean was provided with the taxonomic key to species,synonyms,SEM microphotographs of shells and chamber arrays.By recent classification,currently 20 species representing 13 genera and 6 families(Canderinidae,Heterohelicoidae,Hedbergellidae,Higerigerinoidae,Globigerinoidae,and Globorotaloidae)identified from the planktonic material of the eastern Indian Ocean up to a depth of 200 m.Their distribution in water(0–200 m)also reports on the new range of expansion in the eastern Indian Ocean,with Dentigloborotalia anfracta,Hastigerina pelagica,Streptochilus globigerus,Globigerinella calida,Globigerinella adamsi,Orcadia reidelii,Tenuitella parkerae,Tenuitella compressa,reported for the first time in this study area.In general,only around 50 planktonic species are valid worldwide,more specifically the species,e.g.,H.pelagica,G.calida,G.adamsi,S.globigerus,O.riedeli,T.parkerae,T.compressa,which occur in the eastern Indian Ocean to fill the the paucity of the recent regional taxonomic literature and the problematic identification from the eastern Indian Ocean.This work aims to bridge this gap and help scientists,managers,educators and students to identify plankton foraminifers by using species notes and images.     

Transformation of social capital during and after a disaster event: the cases Chañaral and Diego de Almagro,Atacama Region,Chile

Natural Hazards - This article analyzes the impact of socio-natural disasters on social capital at a local level, studying the cases of the communities of Chañaral and Diego de Almagro after...