Morpho-structural Features and Structural Classification of Chromite Pods in the Tropoje-Has Ophiolite Massif, Albania

Tropoje-Has ophiolitic massif of eastern Mirdita(Albania)ophiolitic belt,is a major source for metallurgical chromite ore in Albania.Massif consists of a thick mantle section of SSZ type,8-10 km thick and

A Model for Managing Geological and Geophysical Data in Eastern Sicily (Italy) and Possible Applications

The main aim of this work is to describe in detail how to develop an instrument, with the goal of collecting and managing a great deal of both geological and geophysical data acquired using different survey typologies in Eastern Sicily (Italy). The opportunity to manage different categories of data, at the same time, allows us to have a complete view of the complex area studied. This paper discusses a software package that has been designed to enhance the efficiency of applying a range of geological and geophysical data. More than 12000 records are archived: boreholes represent 81% of the data and 19% is geophysical data. In this paper it is illustrated how both kinds of data, thanks to the functionalities of the database and the possibility of connecting to a Geographical Information System (GIS), can be used in a variety of different geological studies. We present four studies where is relevant the use of the database, in detail, we show a morpho-structural study, an examination of the spectral analysis of the noise data, an update of the geological and geotechnical maps, and a classification of the areas on the basis of the distribution of the shear wave velocity in the firsts 30 meters (Vs30). They are just some examples of the potentialities of a relational database.

Rifting characteristics of eastern subbasin of South China Sea and its spreading pattern

With processing and interpretation of 25 000 km full-coverage multibeam swath data fromthe eastern South China Sea, it is found that NE-trending and NW-trending linear morphological features such as scarps, horsts and grabens, govern the central part (14°-17° N) of eastern subbasin. Compared with reflection seismic profiles, these NE-trending linear morpho-structures are considered to be the representation of basement structures on seabed and can be divided into three linear structural zones. The trend of the central zone is NE45°-50° occurring around extinct spreading center, the trend of the second zone is NE70° - 78° on both sides of the central one and the trend of the third zone is about NE60° just on the north of the second one. These three NE-trending linear zones are formed in late-stage NW - SE-trending seafloor spreading of the eastern subbasin along NW-trending linear faults, and respectively correspond to three spreading episodes: 17.0- 19.0 Ma (5d-5e), 19.0 - 21.0 Ma (5e-6a) and 21.0 - 24.2 Ma (6a-6c) based on the contrast of morpho-structures to magnetic lineation anomalies.

Structure and contents of layered classification system of digital geomorphology for China

This paper presents the structure and contents of a standardized layered classification system of digital geomorphology for China.This digital classification method combines landforms characteristics of morphology with genesis.A total of 15 categories of exogenic and endogenic forces are divided into two broad categories：morpho-genetic and morpho-structural landforms.Polygon patches are used to manage the morpho-genetic types,and solitary points,lines and polygons are used to manage the morpho-structural types.The classification method of digital morpho-genetic types can be divided into seven layers,i.e.basic morphology and altitude,genesis,sub-genesis,morphology,micro-morphology,slope and aspect,material and lithology.The method proposes combinations of matrix forms based on layered indicators.The attributes of every landform types are obtained from all or some of the seven layers.For the 15 forces categories,some classification indicators and calculation methods are presented for the basic morphology,the morphologic and sub-morphologic landforms of the morpho-genetic types.The solitary polygon,linear and point types of morpho-structural landforms are presented respectively.The layered classification method can meet the demands of scale-span geomorphologic mapping for the national primary scales from 1：500,000 to 1：1,000,000.The layers serve as classification indicators,and therefore can be added and reduced according to mapping demands,providing flexible expandability.