Generation of Back-Arc Basins as Side Effect of Shortening Processes: Examples from the Central Mediterranean

The evolution of the Mediterranean area since the Oligocene-Lower Miocene has been driven by the convergence of the surrounding plates. This implies that the observed deformation pattern in that region must be the most convenient shortening pattern, i.e. the one controlled by the minimum action principle. To understand why the fulfilment of such condition has required a complex spatio-temporal distribution of major tectonic events, such as uplift, lateral displacement and bending of orogenic belts, consumption of large lithospheric domains and formation of back arc basins, it may be very useful to take into account a basic tectonic concept, which helps to identify the process that can minimize the resistance of tectonic forces. Such concept starts from the fact that the most convenient consumption process is the one that involves low buoyancy oceanic lithosphere (Tethyan domains). However, such process is highly favoured where the oceanic lithosphere is stressed by vertical forces, a situation that develops when orogenic wedges are forced to over thrust and load the oceanic domain to be consumed. This interpretation can provide plausible and coherent explanations for the complex pattern of the observed deformations. In this view, the generation of back arc basins is taken as a side effect of an extrusion process, as suggested by numerical and mechanical experiments.

Generation of Pair Coherent States in Two Dimensional Trapped Ion

We consider a two-dimensional(2D)trapped ion model in which two laser beams drive the corresponding vibrational motions and are carrier resonant with the two-level of the ion.Due to the coherent superposition of two sub-Rabi oscillations involved in the bimodal vibrations,the Rabi frequency degeneration and offset may occur in this model.This provides a possibility to generate the pair coherent state in the 2D trapped ion.

Present Tectonic Setting and Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Seismicity in the Apennine Belt

In previous papers, we have argued that a close connection may exist between the discontinuous northward displacement of the Adria plate and the spatio-temporal distribution of major earthquakes in the?periAdriatic?regions?[1]-[3]. In particular, five seismic sequences are tentatively recognized in the post 1400 A.D. seismic history, each characterized by a progressive migration of major shocks along the eastern (Hellenides, Dinarides), western (Apennines) and northern (Eastern Southern Alps) boundaries of Adria. In this work, we describe an attempt at gaining insights into the short-term evolution of the strain field that underlies the migration of seismicity in the Apennine belt. The results of this study suggest that seismicity in the study area is mainly conditioned by the fact that the outer (Adriatic) sector of the Apennine belt, driven by the Adria plate, is moving faster than the inner (Tyrrhenian) belt. This kinematics is consistent with the observed Pleistocene deformation pattern and the velocity field inferred by GPS data. The spatio-temporal distribution of major shocks during the last still ongoing seismic sequence (post 1930) suggests that at present the probability of next major shocks is highest in the Northern Apennines. Within this area, we suggest that seismic hazard is higher in the zones located around the outer sector of the Romagna-Marche-Umbria units (RMU), since that wedge is undergoing an accelerated relative motion with respect to the inner Apennine belt. This hypothesis may also account for the pattern of background seismicity in the Northern Apennines. This last activity might indicate that the Upper Tiber Valley fault system is the most resisted boundary sector of the RMU mobile wedge, implying an higher probability of major earthquakes.

Seismotectonics of the Padanian Region and Surrounding Belts: Which Driving Mechanism?

It is argued that the complex tectonic pattern observed in the study area can plausibly be explained as an effect of the kinematics of the Iberia and Adria blocks, induced by the NNE ward motion of Africa and the roughly westward motion of the Anatolian-Aegean system with respect to Eurasia. These boundary conditions cause the constrictional regime which is responsible for the observed shortening processes in the Padanian region and Western Alps. The proposed dynamic context can plausibly account for the peculiar distribution of major seismic sources, located in the northern Apennines, the Giudicarie fault system, the offshore of the western Ligurian coast and the Swiss Alps. The observed tectonic pattern in Western Europe and the study area can hardly be reconciled with the implications of the roughly NWward convergence between Africa and Eurasia proposed by global kinematic models, whereas it is compatible with the alternative Africa-Eurasia kinematics and plate mosaic proposed by [1].

Investigations into <i>Amanita ovoidea</i>(Bull.) Link.: Edible or Poisonous?

It is widely known that the genus Amanita includes various taxa: edible and inedible, dangerous and sometimes even deadly species. Despite the number of studies carried out on this genus, the toxicity of some species, such as the group of white fungi, remains dubious. Hence Amanita ovoidea (Bull.) Link. is considered as edible and even tasty both popularly and in some scientific publications, and as poisonous in others, having caused various cases of poisoning. This study stems from a case of poisoning by A. ovoidea in Siena (Italy). Tests were performed with the aim of finding a scientific answer regarding the real edibility or inedibility of A. ovoidea. Analyses included phytochemical screening, toxicological tests on human ex vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and measurements of soil and mushroom pollution by heavy metals.

On the Relaxational Properties of a Quantum Dipolar Spin Glasses Model

The dissipative part of the linear magnetic dynamic susceptibility of dipolar spin glasses is considered. Due to the transition of the system (at enough high concentration of the magnetic dipoles) from a paramagnetic phase to magnetic dipolar one, an anomalous temperature dependence of the dissipative part of the magnetic susceptibility is found. Our results are in qualitative agreement with experiments performed on the dipolar-coupled Ising magnet LiHoxY1-xF4.

Generation and Disruption of Subducted Lithosphere in the Central-Western Mediterranean Region and Time-Space Distribution of Magmatic Activity Since the Late Miocene

The long migration of the Balearic Arc (Alpine-Apennine and Alpine-Maghrebian belts) in the Early-Middle Miocene caused the formation of a subducted lithospheric edifice in the western and central Mediterranean regions. Then, since the Late Miocene, this slab was almost completely disrupted, only maintaining a narrow and deformed remnant beneath the southernmost Tyrrhenian basin. This work describes a tentative reconstruction of the tectonic processes that caused the formation of major tears and breakoffs in the original slabs and the consequent disruption of the subducted lithosphere. In particular, it is suggested that this relatively fast process was produced by the collision between the Anatolian-Aegean system and the continental Adriatic domain, which triggered a number of extrusion processes. Possible connections between the proposed tectonic evolution and the spatio-temporal distribution and geochemical signatures of magmatic activity are then discussed. It is supposed that such activity has been mainly conditioned by the occurrence of transtensional tectonics in the wake of escaping orogenic wedges.

Short-Term Kinematics of the Adria Plate and Space-Time Distribution of Major Peri-Adriatic Earthquakes

Seismic activity is quite strong in the peri-Adriatic zones, whereas the internal part of the Adria plate is almost aseismic. This pattern suggests that Adria is a solid block that interacts with the surrounding belts, trying to move roughly northward. Each major earthquake in a peri-Adriatic zone triggers the acceleration of the decoupled Adria sector, which induces a perturbation of the stress/strain fields in the still blocked boundaries of the plate. Step by step, the displacement of Adria involves more and more northern zones to finally reach the northern front of the plate (eastern Southern Alps). This interpretation seems to be compatible with the time patterns of seismic activity in the main peri-Adriatic zones since 1600 A.D., which may suggest repeated northward migrations of seismic crises. Each supposed migrating sequence involves major earthquakes in most zones. The main features of the first 4 seismic sequences (1600-1930) are used to get insights into possible regularities in the progressive activations of the peri-Adriatic zones. This information and the main features of the ongoing migrating sequence (since 1931) are then used to tentatively recognize the peri-Adriatic zones where the occurrence of next major earthquakes may be most likely.

Reaction Plane Determination for ^(64)Zn+^(27)Al Collisions at Intermediate Energy

The collective flow for 64Zn+27Al system is measured at intermediate energyby using a 4π multidetector array in conjunction with an array of Si telescopes.Theevents have been sorted versus the impact parameter by means of global variables.Three methods of reaction plane determination are compared:sphericity tensor method,transverse momentum analysis,and azimuthal correlation method.For this system,thetransverse momentum analysis method is the best one.

用次级束流对硅望远镜的时间和能量定标

利用95MeV/u的^(16)O束产生的次级束流对半导体硅探测器进行了时间和能量定标。实验结果表明,由于次级束流提供的次级粒子种类多,飞行距离长,因此,能给探测器带来非常精确的定标。

Present Velocity Field in the Italian Region by GPS Data: Geodynamic/Tectonic Implications

The analysis of geodetic observations carried out by 478 continuous GPS stations in the Italian region since 2001 has allowed a fairly good definition of the ongoing horizontal velocity field with respect to Eurasia. It is argued that such evidence can provide important insights into the geodynamic context in the central Mediterranean area. Numerous velocity vectors in the Apulia zone coherently indicate that the southern Adriatic domain is moving roughly NE ward. Since no significant decoupling zone between this domain and Nubia has so far been recognized, one could expect that the kinematics of these two plates is compatible. However, this condition is not fulfilled if the Nubia-Eurasia relative motion is taken from the global kinematic models, either deduced by long-term evidence?[1]?or short-term geodetic data?[2]?[3]. This problem is considerably reduced if the alternative Nubia-Eurasia rotation pole suggested by?[4]?is taken into account. This choice is also suggested by other major long-term evidence in the Mediterranean region. The numerous geodetic vectors available in two Adriatic sectors, the Apulia zone and the Venetian plain, would imply an Adria-Eurasia rotation pole incompatible with all Nubia-Eurasia Eulerian poles so far proposed. Since a significant relative motion between these plates is not compatible with the absence of a tectonic decoupling zone, we suppose that the short-term kinematics of Adria might be influenced by a transient non-rigid behaviour of that plate. This hypothesis is compatible with the expected effects (post seismic relaxation) of the major decoupling earthquakes that have occurred along Periadriatic zones in the past tens of years. The compatibility of the GPS kinematic pattern in the Apennine belt, Calabria Arc and Sicily with the implications of the geodynamic/tectonic interpretations so far proposed for the central Mediterranean area is then discussed.

Possible Multiple Sources of the Strong 1117 Po Plain Earthquake, Inferred from the Plio-Quaternary Evolution of the Northern Adriatic Area

The strongest documented seismic disaster ever occurred in the Po Plain area (January 3, 1117, M = 6.5) involved significant damage over a large zone. The genetic mechanism of such an event, most probably caused by more than one earthquake, is still an object of debate. Above all, the sources so far proposed cannot account for significant features of the observed macroseismic field. In this work, we suggest that the damage in the Verona zone was caused by the activation of a fault in the Lessini tectonic district, while damage in the central Po Plain may be related to a thrust fault located beneath the Giudicarie belt. The effects felt in northern Tuscany might derive from the seismic activation of the presumed SW-ward buried prolongation of the Giudicarie fault. The presence of such transpressional lithospheric discontinuity in the Adriatic domain since the upper Miocene and its reactivation (Pliocene-Pleistocene) as a thrust zone is mainly suggested by an accurate analysis of the observed deformation pattern in the central Mediterranean region. The proposed Giudicarie source may also help to explain the damage observed in the central Po Plain on December 25, 1222, which is not compatible with the seismic sources so far proposed.

Belt-Parallel Shortening in the Northern Apennines and Seismotectonic Implications

Major seismic activity in the Northern Apennines concentrates in few zones, distributed in a peculiar way. It is argued that such context may be plausibly explained as an effect of belt-parallel?shortening, which has caused oroclinal bending of the longitudinal ridges formed during the Late Miocene to Lower Pliocene evolutionary phase. The main effects of this process, developed since the upper Pliocene, have mainly affected the outer sectors of the belt. The major seismic sources have generated in the zones where different oroclinal bendings of adjacent ridges have produced extensional/transtensional deformation. In the inner side of the Northern Apennines, belt parallel shortening has occurred at a lower rate. The main effects have resulted from the shortening of the?Albano-Chianti-Rapolano-Cetona ridge. In particular, the proposed tectonic setting may account?for the moderate seismic activity that occurs in the Firenze, Elsa, Pesa, Siena and Radicofani basins.

对于“Stuart Crampin对Jordan等‘可操作性地震预报:发展现状和使用手册[2011]’评论”的回复

在对国际地震预报委员会（ICEF）报告[1]的评论中,Crampin[2]声称剪切波分裂变化可以在短时间尺度上预测地震,并且可靠性高,技术性强。他对ICEF的一个重要发现提出挑战到目前为止,没有任何方法具有如此高的预测能力。特别是,Crampin宣称,

Active Tectonics in Tuscany (Central Italy): Ten Years of Seismicity (2009-2019)

Strong earthquakes (moment magnitude MW ≥ 5.5) are uncommon in Tuscany and surroundings (central Italy). The last strong seismic event occurred a century ago (September 7, 1920 Garfagnana, MW = 6.53). The paucity of seismic instrumental recordings hinders the identification of the tectonic regime active in Tuscany. On the other hand, the geological and geomorphological pieces of evidence collected so far, concerning potential active and capable faults, are scarce, fragmentary and ambiguous. In this work I shed light on the active deformation of Tuscany by using two independent approaches: earthquake source mechanisms and GNSS (GPS) geodetic measurements. I have considered 41 small seismic events (MW ≤ 5.1) that occurred in the study area during the last decade. The related source mechanisms (retrieved by the Time Domain Moment Tensor method) define a relatively clear picture of the active deformation: extension along the northern Apennine watershed and strike-slip regime within inner Tuscany, up to the Tyrrhenian coast. This pattern broadly agrees with the horizontal strain field reconstructed by the geodetic velocity field. The latter has been constrained by a network of 840 GPS stations located in Italy and neighboring countries, operating in the last 20 years.

Possible Location of the Next Major Earthquakes in the Northern Apennines: Present Key Role of the Romagna-Marche-Umbria Wedge

It is argued that in some zones of the Northern Apennines, in particular the Rimini-Ancona thrust system, the Romagna Apennines and the Alta Valtiberina trough, the probability of major earthquakes is now higher than in other Apennine zones. This hypothesis is suggested by the comparison of the present short-term kinematics of the Romagna-Marche-Umbria wedge in the Northern Apennines, deduced by the distribution of major shocks in the last tens of years, with the previous repeated behavior of the same wedge, evidenced by the distribution of major earthquakes in the last seven centuries. The seismotectonics of the Apennine region here considered is closely connected with the larger context that involves the progressive migration (from south to north) of seismicity along the peri-Adriatic zones. The information provided by this study can be used to better manage the resources for prevention in Italy.

A multi-wavelength study of the gravitational lens COSMOS J095930+023427

We present a multi-wavelength study of the gravitational lens COSMOS J095930＋023427 （Zl = 0.892）, together with the associated galaxy group along the line of sight located at z 0.7, and the lensed background galaxy. The source redshift is currently unknown, but estimated to be at zs ~ 2. This analysis is based on publicly available HST, Subaru and Chandra imaging data, as well as VLT spectroscopy. The lensing system is an early-type galaxy showing a strong [OII] emission line, and pro- duces four bright images of the distant background source. It has an Einstein radius of 0.79＂, about four times larger than the effective radius. We perform a lensing anal- ysis using both a singular isothermal ellipsoid and a peudo-isothermal elliptical mass distribution for the lensing galaxy, and find that the final results on the total mass, the dark matter （DM） fraction within the Einstein radius and the external shear due to a foreground galaxy group are robust with respect to the choice of the parametric model and the source redshift （yet unknown）. We measure the luminous mass from the pho- tometric data, and find the DM fraction within the Einstein radius fDM to be between 0.71 ~ 0.13 and 0.79 ~ 0.15, depending on the unknown source redshift. Meanwhile, the non-null external shear found in our lensing models supports the presence and structure of a galaxy group at z ~ 0.7, and an independent measurement of the 0.5- 2 keV X-ray luminosity within 20＂ around the X-ray centroid provides a group mass of M = （3 - 10） x 1013 Mo, in good agreement with the previous estimate derived through weak lensing analysis. Finally, by inverting the HST/ACS/814 image with the lensing equation, we obtain the reconstructed image of the magnified source galaxy, which has a scale of about 3.3 kpc at z~ = 2 （2.7 kpc at zs = 4） and the typical disturbed disk-like appearance observed in low-mass star-forming galaxies at z ~ 3. However, deep, spatially resolved spectroscopic data for similar lensed sources are still required to detect the first stage of galaxy evolution, since the available spectrum shows no clear features due to the background source.

Geodynamics of the South Balkan and Northern Aegean Regions Driven by the Westward Escape of Anatolia

The Plio-Quaternary deformation pattern of the northern Aegean and south Balkan regions is interpreted as an effect of the interaction between the Anatolian-Aegean-Pelagonian system (Tethyan belt), undergoing westward extrusion and strong deformation, and the surrounding plates (Nubia, Europe and Adriatic). Since the middle-late Miocene, the collision of the Tethyan belt with the continental Adriatic domain has caused strong E-W shortening in the outer Hellenides and Albanides, also involving the southward extrusion of the Peloponnesus wedge, at the expense of the Ionian oceanic domain. The roughly E-W extension recognized in the western South Balkan zones (Macedonia and eastern Albania) is related to the divergence between the Pelagonian belt (Albanides and Hellenides) and the Rhodope-Moesia domain. Stressed by the westward displacement of the central Anatolian plateau and by the southward bowing of the Cycladic Arc, the northern Aegean zone has contemporaneously undergone E-W compression and N-S extension, which has generated a series of dextral shear faults, delimiting a number of slats. The westward displacement and deformation of such slats can explain the morphological features of the northern Aegean zone. During this phase, the push of the central Anatolian plateau also caused the separation of the Rhodope massif from the Moesian European domain, with the consequent formation of the upper Thrace basin. This hypothesis can explain the Plio-Quaternary compressional deformations recognized in a sector of the North Anatolian fault system, the Ganos-Gelibolu zone. The proposed geodynamic/tectonic interpretation may help to explain some features of the time-space distribution of major earthquakes in the study area.

Anisotropies of the g-factor tensor and diamagnetic coefficient in crystal-phase quantum dots in InP nanowires

Crystal-phase low-dimensional structures offer great potential for the implementation of photonic devices of interest for quantum information processing.In this context,unveiling the fundamental parameters of the crystal phase structure is of much relevance for several applications.Here,we report on the anisotropy of the g-factor tensor and diamagnetic coefficient in wurtzite/zincblende(WZ/ZB)crystal-phase quantum dots(QDs)realized in single InP nanowires.The WZ and ZB alternating axial sections in the NWs are identified by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy.The electron(hole)g-factor tensor and the exciton diamagnetic coefficients in WZ/ZB crystal-phase QDs are determined through micro-photoluminescence measurements at low temperature(4.2 K)with different magnetic field configurations,and rationalized by invoking the spin-correlated orbital current model.Our work provides key parameters for band gap engineering and spin states control in crystal-phase low-dimensional structures in nanowires.

Hybridized electronic states between CdSe nanoparticles and conjugated organic ligands： A theoretical and ultrafast photo-excited carrier dynamics study

Formation of densely packed thin films of semiconductor nanocrystals is advantageous for the exploitation of their unique optoelectronic properties for real-world applications. Here we investigate the fundamental role of the structure of the bridging ligand on the optoelectronic properties of the resulting hybrid film. In particular, we considered hybrid films formed using the same CdSe nanocrystals and two organic ligands that have the same bidentate dithiocarbamate bInding moiety, but differ in their bridging structures, one bridged by ethylene, the other by phenylene that exhibits conjugation. Based on the results of photo- excited carrier dynamics experiments combined with theoretical calculations on the electronic states of bridged CdSe layers, we show that only the phenylene- based ligand presents a strong hybridization of the molecular HOMO state with CdSe layers, that is a marker of formation of an effective bridge. We argue that this hybridization spread favors the hopping of photo-excited carriers between nanocrystals, which may explain the reported larger photo-currents in phenylene-based hybrid films than those observed in ethylene-based ones.