J. F. Luis

Generic Mapping Tools: Improved Version Released

Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) is an open-source software package for the analysis and display of geoscience data, helping scientists to analyze, interpolate, filter, manipulate, project, and plot time series and gridded data sets. The GMT toolbox includes about 80 core and 40 supplemental program modules sharing a common set of command options, file structures, and documentation. Its power to process data and produce publication-quality graphic presentations has made it vital to a large scientific community that now includes more than 25,000 individual users. GMTs website (http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/) exceeds 20,000 visits per month, and server logs show roughly 2000 monthly downloads.

Mirone: A multi-purpose tool for exploring grid data

Mirone is a Windows MATLAB-based framework tool developed by the author that allows the display and manipulation of a large number of grid formats through its interface with the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL). Its main purpose is to provide users with an easy-to-use graphical interface to the more popular programs of the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) package. In addition it offers a range of tools dedicated to topics in the earth sciences, including tools for multibeam mission planning, elastic deformation studies, tsunami propagation modeling, earth magnetic field computations and magnetic Parker inversions, Euler rotations and poles computations, plate tectonic reconstructions, and seismicity and focal mechanism plotting. The high-quality mapping and cartographic capabilities for which GMT is renowned is guaranteed through Mirones ability to automatically generate GMT cshell scripts and dos batch files. User-specific requirements that lie outside the current capabilities of Mirone can be met by simple programming to provide the required functionality.

Tectonic setting of the Azores Plateau deduced from a OBS survey

The studies of Azores seismicity generally show shocks with either normal faulting or right-lateral strike-slip along the ESE direction, compatible with a eastward relative motion of the Eurasian (EU) relative to the African (AF) plate. However, the 1 January 1980 earthquake was interpreted as a clear left-lateral strike-slip shock along the N150E direction. This pattern is difficult to explain in terms of the relative motion between the EU, AF and North American (NA) plates: all available models for the present day movement of this triple junction fail to explain the regional variability in the stress conditions of the area. Here we present data from a 34-day long Ocean Bottom Seismograph array deployment. We show that the seismicity is distributed along a band aligned with the island chain itself, and is concentrated along several faults with an approximate N150E strike, cutting the Azores plateau in all the area covered by the OBS network. The combination of these new results with other geophysical data permits us to conclude that the tectonic setting of the Azores plateau is characterised by the existence of two sets of faults, in the N120E and N150E directions, defining several crustal blocks, whose relative motion accommodates the interaction of the three megaplates. The deformation of these tectonic blocks is probably driven by the shear between the EU and AF plates. This model explains well the spatial variability of the stress conditions in the Azores domain, the combination of dextral and sinistral strike slip mechanisms and the observed seismotectonics of the Azores islands.

Importance of the mesoscale in the decadal changes observed in the northern Canary upwelling system

[1] Analysis of sea surface temperature (SST) time series since 1960 from existing data bases shows a generalized warming trend in the northern Canary upwelling system. The field of the satellite-derived SST trends off Western Iberia was built at the pixel scale (4 4 km) for the period 1985‐2008, revealing significant spatial differences in the warming rates. Weaker warming trends fit to the known upwelling pattern off the southern part of the Western Iberia, pointing out the intensification of this feature since 1985, particularly during the peak summer months. A more regular behavior is found further north suggesting significant decadal changes in the mesoscale patterns of the northern

In Search of the 31 March 1761 Earthquake and Tsunami Source

Earthquake catalogs for the Iberian Peninsula report three strong- magnitude events in the eighteenth century: 27 December 1722, 1 November 1755, and 31 March 1761. These events have magnitudes greater than 7 and generated tsunamis that damaged the Portuguese coasts. However, their source areas are controversial because of the lack of detailed and coherent historical descriptions. The 31 March 1761 earthquake was felt in Lisbon at noon, alarming the inhabitants and throwing down ruins of the past 1 November 1755 earthquake. According to several sources the earthquake was followed by a tsunami that was observed as far as Cornwall (United Kingdom), Cork (Ireland), and Barbados (Caribbean). The Portuguese catalogs locate this event on the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain, south of Gorringe Bank, and attribute a magnitude of 7.5. The Caribbean tsunami catalog (Lander et al. , 2002) locates the event further north 37° N 10° W and estimates of its epicenter intensity as IX. In this study we present a reappraisal of the available historical reports concerning the 1761 event, a revision of the macroseismic intensities along Iberia, and the tsunami observations along the western Portuguese and Galicia coasts, England, Ireland, and the West Indies. With this dataset we use backward raytracing techniques to discuss the location of the event and its integration with one of the major tsunami generation areas in the western Portuguese margin. We conclude that the 31 March 1761 earthquake took place at 12:01 a.m. (Lisbon time). Its epicenter was located about 34.5° N 13° W and had a tsunami magnitude close to 8.5. Online material: Felt reports from the 31 March 1761 earthquake.

Identification of the magnetization low of the Lucky Strike hydrothermal vent using surface magnetic data

[1] Two surface magnetic surveys, covering the Lucky Strike hydrothermal area, are merged into a single magnetic anomaly description, which, when inverted in the presence of topography, shows a magnetization low at the segment center, close to the central volcano, in the middle of which is located the hydrothermal vent. To test if this magnetization is in any way connected with the hydrothermal vent field, we devised a method to distinguish a ‘‘regional’’ field that can be attributed to the ‘‘normal’’ spreading geometry from the ‘‘local’’ field that can be attributed to the hydrothermal vent area itself. This is achieved by the computation of a three-dimensional regional magnetic field that takes into consideration bathymetry, location of the ‘‘zero-age’’ axis, asymmetry in the half spreading rates, magnetization decay with age, polarity reversals, and the transition between consecutive magnetic blocks. This model was fitted to the observed surface magnetic data, and the ‘‘magnetic residual’’ was inverted to allow a better definition of the magnetization anomalies. We show that as far as surface magnetic data are concerned, the magnetization low has only partial correlation with the hydrothermal field and is the signature of a relatively large area in which bulk magnetization is lower than average.

Software for slip-tendency analysis in 3D: A plug-in for Coulomb

Slip-tendency analysis is a valuable tool in fault reactivation evaluation and seismic hazard assessment as it provides a means of quantifying the slip potential on mapped or suspected faults in a known or inferred stress field. We developed an interactive graphic tool to perform slip-tendency analysis. The application is written in MATLAB in the form of plug-ins for COULOMB, a graphic-rich deformation and stress change open-source software. In addition to identifying the faults most prone to reactivation, we compute and plot synthetic focal mechanisms from the direction and sense of likely slip. This allows compatibility between focal mechanisms and geological structures to be verified. Both individual faults and fault networks can be considered in three dimensions. The potential for slip depends on the prevailing stress field, the fault surface orientation and the coefficient of friction. These parameters are given interactively in a Windows environment. The application thus offers an easy-to-use graphical interface with the possibility of fast parameter modification and 3D visualization of the results.

Chapter 2 The structure of the Azores Triple Junction: implications for São Miguel Island

Abstract To date, a lack of reliable morphological and geophysical data has been a major limitation to understanding the tectonic and magmatic processes that shape the Azores Triple Junction and the Terceira Rift. This situation has changed recently: for the first time both areas are covered by high-quality swath bathymetry surveys and marine magnetic data with GPS quality positioning. This provides a good description of the surface morphology, and also of magnetic chrons that give fundamental information for the timing of spreading processes in a geological time frame. There is also a large amount of data from GPS stations that provide accurate estimations of present-day velocities for most of the islands. It is shown that only two main rift systems can be found on the plateau, the older one matching the Princess Alice Basin, and the newer one matching Terceira Rift; the shift between the two probably occurs close to c. 3 Ma. It is shown that extension is currently concentrated on the Terceira Rift, progressively attaching Graciosa and Terceira islands to Eurasia, while São Miguel is being strained by rifting. It is also shown that no right lateral strike-slip fault connects the Terceira Rift to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The GMT/MATLAB Toolbox

The GMT/MATLAB toolbox is a basic interface between MATLAB® (or Octave) and GMT, the Generic Mapping Tools, which allows MATLAB users full access to all GMT modules. Data may be passed between the two programs using intermediate MATLAB structures that organize the metadata needed; these are produced when GMT modules are run. In addition, standard MATLAB matrix data can be used directly as input to GMT modules. The toolbox improves interoperability between two widely used tools in the geosciences and extends the capability of both tools: GMT gains access to the powerful computational capabilities of MATLAB while the latter gains the ability to access specialized gridding algorithms and can produce publication-quality PostScript-based illustrations. The toolbox is available on all platforms and may be downloaded from the GMT website.

Nutrients and particulate matter exchanges through the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, Portugal

ABSTRACT Cravo, A., Cardeira, S., Pereira, C., Rosa, M., Madureira, M., Rita, F., Luís, J. and Jacob, J., 2013. Nutrients and particulate matter exchanges through the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon. The Ria Formosa lagoon (south coast of Portugal) is a highly productive shallow mesotidal system of high water renewal through six permanent connections to the ocean. The three inlets in the western sector represent ~ 90% of the total tidal prism. To understand spatial and temporal dynamics of nutrients, chlorophyll a (proxy of phytoplankton) and particulate matter, data acquisition of these parameters along with current velocity was conducted hourly during two consecutive semi-diurnal spring and neap tidal cycles (~12.5 h) in the three inlets of Ria Formosa western sector, in late autumn of 2011. In all three inlets, nutrients ranges were typical for this time of the year, varying in antiphase relative to tidal signal, although less evident during the neap tide. Chlorophyll a and suspended solids concentrations were lower during the neap tidal cycle with less evident tidal variation than for nutrients. Net transport results show that Ria Formosa plays an important role in the mass export of nutrients to the adjacent coastal area, particularly during spring tides, with a greater contribution by the Faro-Olhão inlet, followed by the Armona and Ancão inlets. These two, regardless of the residual tidal prism, export nutrients while suspended solids were imported. The Faro-Olhão inlet presented different behaviour: it acts as a flood dominated inlet importing chlorophyll a and nitrate, and exporting ammonium and suspended solids. Nonetheless, values can change due to tidal variability, asymmetry and distortion, and interconnection of inlets inside the lagoon. To further understand the seasonal variation of this system more surveys will be conducted.