The pyritic material studied here had the highest Cr(VI) retention, whereas the lowest corresponded to granitic material. The highest Cr retention was achieved at very acid pH. The amendment with 12 t ha-1 mussel shell did not cause marked changes in Cr(VI) retention. Regarding Cr(VI) fractionation, the soluble fraction was dominant in mussel shell and in the unamended and amended granitic material, whereas more stable fractions dominated in the pyritic material and in the forest soil.

This study is on the spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility in the Alqueva reservoir, specifically regarding montado grassland land-use changes to more intensive and irrigated agriculture. Facing an intensification of land-use conversion will have an effect on soil erodibility and consequently increase the sedimentation into the reservoir and decrease its lifetime. Sustainable management is needed to introduce protective measures to control soil erosion.

Potential management-induced soil salinization in golf courses in semi-arid landscape was evaluated and salinity further examined using the portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Soil electrical conductivity, exchangeable sodium percentage, and sodium adsorption ratio were for the most part significantly higher in the managed areas of the golf facilities. PXRF findings predicted salinity and suggested possible differences in chemical species and sources that contribute to soil salinity

This study extends the application of the portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometry to semiarid urban landscapes. PXRF findings indicated strong positive relationships among elements and between elements and soil constituents, particularly in the non-managed areas with less anthropogenic influences. As, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni could be of lithogenic origin, while Cu, Pb, and Zn are due to anthropogenic influences. PXRF proves to be valuable tool for the rapid examination of elemental chemistry.

Reducing soil erosion is necessary for ecological balance in watershed scale. There are many biological and mechanical ways to control soil erosion. We compared the effects of two important amendments on soil loss in plot scale. The study amendments behaved differently under different rainfall intensities.

The early Mesozoic tectonic history of the Qiangtang terrane in central Tibet is hotly debated. We argue that the north and south Qiangtang terranes were separated by an ocean (Paleo-Tethys) until the late Triassic. Subduction was mainly to the north, underneath the north Qiangtang terrane. The high-pressure rocks were exhumed in a lithospheric-scale core complex. Together with non-metamorphic sedimentary and ophiolitic mélange, these were finally thrust on top of the south Qiangtang.

This contribution tests the various measures of grain size used in the paleopiezometry and proposes the frequency peak of the apparent 2D grain size distribution as the most robust estimator. The novelty of the approach resides in the use of the Gaussian kernel density estimator as an alternative to the classical histograms, which improves reproducibility. A free and easy-to-handle script (http://bit.ly/grainSizeTools) was developed with the aim of facilitating the adoption of this measure.

A numerical model integrating the structure and mechanical properties of a sedimentary sequence in the Alpine foreland is presented to show that topography, tectonic faults and, most of all, spatialy variable rock properties affect the state of stress at depth. The tectonic forces acting on the sequence are primarily taken up by the stiff rock units leaving the weaker units in a stress shadow.

Sedimentary beds can exhibit signs of local deformation in pyroclastic strata. Patterns are reviewed and trigger mechanisms interpreted. During an eruption, basal granular flows can have a fluidized behavior, inducing over- or underpressure at the bed interface. Basal shear can overturn strata. Large blocks ejected ballistically deform the ground when landing. Explosions at the vent produce shock waves that can destabilize a bed. These syn-eruptive triggers are specific to explosive volcanism.

The Pärvie fault system extends up to 155km, and its scarps have offsets of tens of meters at the surface in northern Sweden. These fault scarps are inferred to have formed during earthquakes with magnitudes up to 8 at the time of the last deglaciation. In this study, we have mapped the fault system to deeper levels, by a new 22km long 2-D seismic reflection profile. Based on the present and previous seismic data, locations for future boreholes for drilling into the fault system are proposed.

The northern flank of the Pyrenean belt is an example of an inverted hot passive margin. We provide a data set of more than 100 peak-temperature estimates by RSCM and 18 new radiogenic ages from metamorphic and magmatic rocks from the North Pyrenean Zone. The results indicate a first-order control of the thermal gradient by the intensity of the Cretaceous crustal thinning. The highest grades of metamorphism are associated with the areas where mantle peridotites have been unroofed or exhumed.

A new regional seismic tomography model of the upper mantle beneath Italy is presented. Here we identify a high-velocity anomaly, identifiable as a long, narrow sausage-shaped body with a steeply dipping part down to a depth of 400km and then expanding horizontally over ~400km. We propose that it could be made up of infra continental lithospheric mantle of Adria, which is progressively delaminated, whereas its overlying crust becomes progressively accreted into the Apenninic tectonic wedge.

Boundaries on geological maps are drawn by geologists interpreting evidence (boreholes, surface features, etc.) in light of their geological knowledge. Boundaries are therefore uncertain, and this must be quantified so that map users can make sound decisions. In this paper we show how we can find statistical models of the uncertainty of boundary positions by a structured method to elicit the tacit model of uncertainty which experienced field geologists use when interpreting geological maps.

Traditional models of thrust front deformation in the southern Central Andes propose the tectonic inversion of the Triassic Cuyo Basin. Here we analyze the amount and structural style of this inversion and provide a three-dimensional insight into the relationship between inversion of rift-related structures and spatial variations in late Cenozoic stress fields.

The paper reviews global and regional literature related to soil erosion and crop productivity. It argues that the cost of not replacing the nutrient lost due to erosion is more meaningful in areas where farmers do not apply the recommended rate of fertilizers. Thus, it established a functional relationship between the nutrients and yield of major crops based on data from three watersheds in the Nile basin and estimated the annual financial loss based on the local market price of the crops.

This study of crustal monthly biases' temporal evolution at 42 geomagnetic observatories over 9 years of the CHAMP satellite mission reveals short-period variations and long-term trends in the bias time series, signature of the induced magnetic fields, annual trends in most bias series, distinct oscillatory pattern over the whole time span, and semi-annual variations in all components. Swarm mission data and analysis of these findings will allow a better understanding of crustal bias evolution.

An integrated soil study was carried out on landslides which have occurred on the steep northern slopes of Mt. Vezzi on the island of Ischia (Italy). The studied soils showed a substantial abrupt discontinuity in all the studied properties along a buried fine ash layer (namely, the 2C horizon). Nevertheless, only the identification of a layer of thin, finely stratified ash on the top of 2C, by optical microscopy, enabled us to assume this interface to be an impeding layer for water fluxes.