Dike Section Research Articles

In-situ water retention monitoring system of an operational dike

The severe droughts in recent decades and the lack of regular flooding have caused considerable fissures to develop on clay embankments. Previous surveys in Hungary have identified the examined dike section as prone to desiccation cracks. It is essential to determine the possible extent of these desiccation cracks, as they degrade the dikes’ resistance against several failure mechanisms. A representative dike cross-section was equipped with a unique water retention monitoring system comprising 17 sensors, including 14 soil moisture and 3 water potential sensors. These devices were validated with laboratory measurements to obtain accurate results. The gravimetric water content (w) ranged from 8.3 % to 31.3 %, and the matric potential was recorded between 0.1 kPa and 2350.7 kPa over one and a half years. The study examined the differences in soil behaviour under pavement and turf cover, identifying common moisture content distribution patterns and areas of the cross-section prone to desiccation cracking. The uniqueness of the monitoring system lies in the fact that it was established in an operational embankment, which regulates the flow of a river. Furthermore, it was instrumented along the Tisza River, which is among Europe’s most significant watercourses. The results may help better understand the moisture content change in clay embankments and the role of the crest pavement in the moisture content distribution.

2‐D Vp and Vs Models of the Indian Oceanic Crust Adjacent to the NinetyEast Ridge

AbstractUntil now, few offshore seismic studies have acquired simultaneously P‐ and S‐ wave data to derive in detail the seismic structure of the oceanic crust. We present 2‐D Vp and Vs models using wide‐angle seismic data at the Indian basin adjacent to the NinetyEast Ridge. Here, an outcrop basement located at the middle of the seismic line presents uppermost crustal Poisson's ratios (ν) of 0.28–0.29 (Vp ∼ 4.2 km/s and Vs ∼ 2.3 km/s). At the flanks of the outcrop basement, the sediment cover is 200–300 m thick and ν values are similar (0.28–0.3), but Vp and Vs values are higher (4.5–4.8 and 2.4–2.6 km/s, respectively). We interpret the relatively lower Vp and Vs around the basement outcrop in terms of hydrothermal alteration, while at the flanks of the basement outcrop, hydrothermal alteration has most likely ceased by sedimentation and compaction processes. Across the seismic layer 2, the Vp–Vs trend is linear and follows a ν value of 0.28–0.29, however, at the seismic layer 2/3 transition, the Vp–Vs trend abruptly changes following a ν value of 0.25–0.26. These reduced observed ν values at the layer 2/3 transition are lower than those reported by laboratory measurements for gabbro (ν ∼ 0.293) and are interpreted in terms of epidotization at the dike‐gabbro contact and/or crack‐change properties around the lower part of the intrusive sheeted dike section.

Dual criterion-based dynamic evaluation approach for dike safety

Seepage failure and slope instability in dike engineering are the most common dangerous cases which can easily lead to the break accident. The two dangerous cases have remarkable features such as complex causes, many influencing factors and strong uncertainty. The advantages in the safety factor method and the reliability analysis method are integrated. A dual criterion, which combines the certain index (safety factor) with the uncertain index (reliability), is proposed to evaluate the seepage and stability safety of dike engineering. The dynamic determination approach for the safety status of dike engineering and the corresponding dangerous water level threshold is developed. A representative section of one actual dike engineering is taken as an example. The seepage and stability safety of dike section is analyzed. The more comprehensive and objective evaluation results on service safety status and development trend are obtained. The determined threshold of dangerous water level, which can ensure the service safety of dike engineering, is very helpful to guide the scientific management of dike engineering.

Evolution of a lateral dike intrusion revealed by relatively-relocated dike-induced earthquakes: The 2014–15 Bárðarbunga–Holuhraun rifting event, Iceland

Understanding dikes is vital as they serve both as bodies that build the crust and as conduits that feed eruptions, and must be monitored to evaluate volcanic hazard. During the 2014–15 Bárðarbunga rifting event, Iceland, intense seismicity accompanied the intrusion of a ∼50 km lateral dike which culminated in a 6 month long eruption. We here present relocations of earthquakes induced by the lateral dike intrusion, using cross-correlated, sub-sample relative travel times. The ∼100 m spatial resolution achieved reveals the complexity of the dike propagation pathway and dynamics (jerky, segmented), and allows us to address the precise relationship between the dike and seismicity, with direct implications for hazard monitoring. The spatio-temporal characteristics of the induced seismicity can be directly linked in the first instance to propagation of the tip and opening of the dike, and following this – after dike opening – indicate a relationship with magma pressure changes (i.e. dike inflation/deflation), followed by a general ‘post-opening’ decay. Seismicity occurs only at the base of the dike, where dike-imposed stresses – combined with the background tectonic stress (from regional extension over >200 yr since last rifting) – are sufficient to induce failure of pre-existing weaknesses in the crust, while the greatest opening is at shallower depths. Emplacement oblique to the spreading ridge resulted in left-lateral shear motion along the distal dike section (studied here), and a prevalence of left-lateral shear failure. Fault plane strikes are predominately independent of the orientation of lineations delineated by the hypocenters, indicating that they are controlled by the underlying host rock fabric. This high-resolution study provides unprecedented opportunity for comparison with both geodetic and field (frozen dike) observations, and development and consolidation of analytical and analogue models, with implications for rifting processes and real-time monitoring of magma intrusion.

APPLICATION OF ADVANCED MECHANICAL MODELS FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF DIKES, REVETMENTS, EMBANKMENTS AND PORT YARD IN NAM DINH VU - HAI PHONG AREA

To apply advanced models for design and construction of dykes, revetments, embankments and port yard in Nam Dinh Vu - Hai Phong area, it is necessary to determine parameters of these models such as Hardening Soil Model (HS) and Soft Soil Model (SS). These can be determined through correlation parameters by available soil test as the fastest approach if we do not have direct experiments. This article defines and predicts the soil characteristics of the HS and SS in Nam Dinh Vu site, additionally it introduces the application of these parameters to the design of a typical dike section of Nam Dinh Vu dike.

Comparative analysis of seepage simulation for embankment in cold area during ice flood season and non-ice flood season

Influenced by meteorological and environmental factors, ice flood is easy to occur in cold areas, causing the flood level to rise substantially and threatening the safety of embankments. Based on the analysis of the influencing factors of the seepage of the dike in the cold region, the seepage simulation model of the dike is constructed and solved by the SEEP/W module of Geo-studio software. The seepage of the Dike Section in the ice flood season and non-ice flood season under the scenario of 100-year flood level is compared and analyzed. The results show that, (1) The seepage path of non-ice flood dike mainly passes through the base layer of the dike, and the seepage path of the dike is affected by the frozen shell during the ice flood season, and the seepage path of the dike mainly passes through the frozen shell. (2) The maximum velocity of Dike Seepage in the season of ice flood is higher than that in non-ice flood season, which is easy to cause piping and collapse. (3) the maximum gradient of the embankment during the flood season has also increased, exceeding the allowable slope value of the project. During the season of ice flood, the embankment is unstable, and the embankment protection should be strengthened during the flood season.

Sr and O isotopes in western Aleutian seafloor lavas: Implications for the source of fluids and trace element character of arc volcanic rocks

High Mg# andesites and dacites (Mg# = molar Mg/Mg + Fe) from western Aleutian seafloor volcanoes carry high concentrations of Sr (>1000 ppm) that is unradiogenic (87Sr/86Sr < 0.7029) compared to lavas from emergent volcanoes throughout the arc (200–800 ppm Sr, 87Sr/86Sr >0.7030). Data patterns in plots of 87Sr/86Sr vs Y/Sr and Nd/Sr imply the existence of an eclogite-melt source component – formed by partial melting of MORB eclogite in the subducting Pacific Plate – which is most clearly expressed in the compositions of western Aleutian andesites and dacites (Nd/Sr and Y/Sr < 0.02) and which dominates the source budget for Sr in volcanic rocks throughout the arc. When viewed in combination with inversely correlated εNd and 87Sr/86Sr, these patterns rule out aqueous fluids as an important source of Sr because mixtures of fluids from altered oceanic crust with depleted mantle and sediment produce compositions with 87Sr/86Sr higher than in common Aleutian rocks. The unradiogenic nature of Sr in the western Aleutian andesite–dacite end-member may be understood if H2O required to drive melting of the subducting oceanic crust is transported in fluids containing little Sr. Mass balance demonstrates that such fluids may be produced by dewatering of serpentinite in the mantle section of the subducting plate. If the eclogite-melt source component is present throughout the Aleutian arc, melting of the subducting plate must extend into minimally altered parts of the sheeted dike section or upper gabbros, at depths >2 km below the paleo-seafloor. Oxygen isotopes in western Aleutian seafloor lavas, which fall within a narrow range of MORB-like values (δ18O=5.1–5.7), are also consistent with this model. These results indicate that the subducting Pacific lithosphere beneath the Aleutian arc is significantly hotter than indicated my most thermal models.

Elemental changes and alteration recorded by basaltic drill core samples recovered from in situ temperatures up to 345°C in the active, seawater‐recharged Reykjanes geothermal system, Iceland

AbstractHydrothermal activity results in element exchanges between seawater and oceanic crust that contribute to many aspects of ocean chemistry; therefore, improving knowledge of the associated chemical processes is of global significance. Hydrothermally altered basaltic drill core samples from the seawater‐recharged Reykjanes geothermal system in Iceland record elemental gains and losses similar to those observed in samples of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust. At Reykjanes, rocks originally emplaced on the seafloor were buried by continued volcanism and subsided to the current depths (&gt;2250 m below surface). These rocks integrate temperature‐dependent elemental gains and losses from multiple stages of hydrothermal alteration that correspond to chemical exchanges observed in rocks from different crustal levels of submarine hydrothermal systems. Specifically, these lithologies have gained U, Mg, Zn, and Pb and have lost K, Rb, Ba, Cu, and light rare earth elements (La through Eu). Alteration and elemental gains and losses in lithologies emplaced on the seafloor can only be explained by a complex multistage hydrothermal alteration history. Reykjanes dolerite intrusions record alteration similar to that reported for the sheeted dike section of several examples of oceanic crust. Specifically, Reykjanes dolerites have lost K, Rb, Ba, and Pb, and gained Cu. The Reykjanes drill core samples provide a unique analog for seawater‐oceanic crust reactions actively occurring at high temperatures (275–345°C) beneath a seafloor hydrothermal system.

Boron isotope systematics of a fossil hydrothermal system from the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus: Water–rock interactions in the oceanic crust and subseafloor ore deposits

Abstract We determined concentrations and isotopic compositions of boron in a complete section of the hydrothermally altered Cretaceous oceanic crust of the Troodos ophiolite. The boron content and δ 11 B value for each lithological section are: pillow lava (3.8–206.8 μg/g, 63 μg/g average; δ 11 B = + 0.17‰ to + 15.6‰, + 8.1‰ average), sheeted dike complex (0.6–18.0 μg/g, 4.0 μg/g average; δ 11 B = + 3.3‰ to + 10.6‰, + 6.0‰ average), and plutonic complex (0.3–8.4 μg/g, 1.7 μg/g average; δ 11 B = − 1.7‰ to + 18.5‰, + 4.5‰ average). These boron contents are higher than the estimated original igneous values throughout the oceanic crust, indicating uptake of boron from seawater and hydrothermal fluid at temperatures ranging from ≤ 50 °C to > 300 °C. Although our boron data for the Troodos ophiolite are generally consistent with those for the Oman ophiolite of similar age, the distinctly low δ 11 B values of the lower gabbro section in the Troodos ophiolite ( 11 B-depleted fluid at a very small water/rock ratio. The boron content of the bulk oceanic crust (12.3 μg/g) estimated for the Troodos ophiolite is relatively high as a result of strong boron enrichment in the pillow lava section, which underwent prolonged seafloor weathering. Despite these differences, the weighted average δ 11 B value of the bulk oceanic crust (+ 7.6‰) is similar to that of the Oman ophiolite (+ 7.9‰). We also analyzed the boron isotope geochemistry of a subseafloor hydrothermal stockwork sulfide deposit in the Troodos ophiolite to investigate its formation processes. In contrast to the normal upper oceanic crust, the δ 11 B values of the rocks below the ore body decrease with increasing depth and have large negative values (− 6‰) in the highly altered uppermost dike section. These low δ 11 B values are coupled with high boron contents (2.5–17 μg/g) and high and uniform 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.7064 average), and are unlikely to have resulted from interactions with fluids at a small water/rock ratio. These characteristics are better explained by interaction of ore-forming hydrothermal fluids with oceanic crust that had previously been enriched in boron through hydrothermal alteration at low temperatures. These observations demonstrate that boron and boron isotopes are useful for quantitative evaluation of fluid-related processes with multiple stages, including petrogenesis of hydrothermal ore deposits.

In-situ Fe isotope ratio determination in Fe–Ti oxides and sulfides from drilled gabbros and basalt from the IODP Hole 1256D in the eastern equatorial Pacific

In-situ Fe isotope measurements have been carried out to estimate the impact of the hydrothermal metamorphic overprint on the Fe isotopic composition of Fe–Ti-oxides and Fe-sulfides of the different lithologies of the drilled rocks from IODP Hole 1256D (eastern equatorial Pacific; 15Ma crust formed at the East Pacific Rise). Most igneous rocks normally have a very restricted range in their 56Fe/54Fe ratio. In contrast, Fe isotope compositions of hot fluids (>300°C) from mid-ocean-ridge spreading centers define a narrow range that is shifted to lower δ56Fe values by 0.2‰–0.5‰ as compared to igneous rocks. Therefore, it is expected that mineral phases that contain large amounts of Fe are especially affected by the interaction with a fluid that fractionates Fe isotopes during exsolution/precipitation of those minerals.We have used a femtosecond UV-Laser ablation system to determine mineral 56Fe/54Fe ratios of selected samples with a precision of <0.1‰ (2σ level) at micrometer-scale. We have found significant variations of the δ56FeIRMM-014 values in the minerals between different samples as well as within samples and mineral grains. The overall observed scale of δ56Femagnetite in 1256D rocks ranges from −0.12 to +0.64‰, and of δ56Feilmenite from −0.77 to +0.01‰. Pyrite in the lowermost sheeted dike section is clearly distinguishable from the other investigated lithological units, having positive δ56Fe values between +0.29 and +0.56‰, whereas pyrite in the other samples has generally negative δ56Fe values from −1.10 to −0.59‰.One key observation is that the temperature dependent inter-mineral fractionations of Fe isotopes between magnetite and ilmenite are systematically shifted towards higher values when compared to theoretically expected values, while synthesized, well equilibrated magnetite–ilmenite pairs are compatible with the theoretical predictions. Theoretical considerations including β-factors of different aqueous Fe-chlorides and Rayleigh-type fractionations in the presence of a hydrous, chlorine-bearing fluid can explain this observation. The disagreement between observed and theoretical equilibrium fractionation, the fact that magnetite, in contrast to ilmenite shows a slight downhole trend in the δ56Fe values, and the observation of small scale heterogeneities within single mineral grains imply that a general re-equilibration of the magnetite–ilmenite pairs is overprinted by kinetic fractionation effects, caused by the interaction of magnetite/ilmenite with hydrothermal fluids penetrating the upper oceanic crust during cooling, or incomplete re-equilibration at low temperatures.Furthermore, the observation of significant small-scale variations in the 56Fe/54Fe ratios of single minerals in this study highlights the importance of high spatial-resolution-analyses of stable isotope ratios for further investigations.

Fragility curves in operational dike reliability assessment

Operational flood prediction and flood risk assessment have become important components of flood management. One main aspect is the reliability assessment of the flood defence line during a flood event. This is generally performed by a comparison of the water level in the river to the crest height of the dikes whilst taking only hydraulic and geometric aspects into account. Additional information about material zones and material parameters are often available. However, these data are not in an appropriate shape when deriving the reliability of the flood defence line. This paper outlines how the fragility curve of a dike section is used to appropriately integrate geostatic and geohydraulic dike characteristics into operational flood management systems. Fragility curves are the result of a model-based reliability analysis and they summarise the dike performance depending on the water level. Failure modes such as piping or slope failure are included. In a case study, fragility curves for dike sections along the River Emscher (Germany) are determined. Their practical implementation in an operational flood management system shows an improvement in the operational reliability assessment due to the additional information taken into account. The use of fragility curves also supports the decision-making processes when emergency flood protection measures are required.

Safety Model Comprehensive Judgement Application for Dike Construction Risk Evaluation System Research

Inclusive of the consideration for Solid-Liquid double phase character of dike construction, fuzzy comprehensive judgement system model was set up on the basis of Analytic Hierarchy Process as well as Fuzzy Consistency Theorem. With normal membership of fuzzy function, dike construction safety comprehensive judgement was realized by the help of weighted theorem that had been fabricated in the foregoing contents. With indirect theorem of model discrimination, generalized multi-dimension weighted fuzzy discriminating model was set up on the basis of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Furthermore, dike section system safety model discrimination for representative dike section was realized and sensitivity analysis for model system was carried out.

WAVE OVERTOPPING SIMULATOR TESTS IN VIET NAM

Sea dikes in Viet Nam have been built up during a long history. Every year, about 4 to 6 storms attack the coast and cause severe damages of the sea dikes. Till now, little is known about strength and stability of the inner slope covered with grass under impacts of wave overtopping during storm surges. Destructive tests have been performed with the Wave Overtopping Simulator in Viet Nam revealing that grass slopes are able to withstand a certain amount of wave overtopping. In Hai Phong, a slope section covered by Vetiver grass could suffer a maximum wave overtopping discharge of up to 120 l/s per m. In Nam Dinh, three tested locations within a short dike section of 50 m show a large variation in erosion resistance of the Bermuda grass slope with maximum discharge of 20, 40 and 70 l/s per m.

How crack porosity and shape control seismic velocities in the upper oceanic crust: Modeling downhole logs from Holes 504B and 1256D

Mounting evidence from Holes 504B and 1256D suggests that porosity is the principal factor affecting velocities in the upper oceanic crust. Spheroidal inclusion and asperity compression models based on reprocessed sonic velocity logs and apparent fractional porosities estimated from deep resistivity logs reveal how both porosity and the geometry of the pore space affect seismic velocities in Layer 2. Models that best match the data indicate the following: First, there are three populations of cracks in Hole 504B; most of the transition zone and the dike section are populated by low concentrations of weak cracks, while the upper part of the transition zone and the extrusive pile contain a higher concentration of stiffer cracks. Similarly, the deepest part of the dike section in Hole 1256D can be modeled by a dilute concentration of thin or weak cracks, while the overlying dikes, the transition zone, and the extrusive pile contain a higher concentration of stiffer cracks. Second, in a striking confirmation that porosity controls velocities throughout Layer 2, 90% or more of the variance of sonic velocities logged at both sites is explained by porosity in these models, while third, the effect of pressure on the variation of sonic velocity is essentially negligible. Fourth, while there is no direct correlation between crack populations and igneous lithostratigraphy, some changes of crack population do correspond to metamorphic transitions, and fifth, velocities typical of Layer 3 are reached when the porosity falls to low values (0.2% in Hole 1256D and 0.6% in Hole 504B).

Lithium isotopes in island arc geothermal systems: Guadeloupe, Martinique (French West Indies) and experimental approach

We report lithium (Li) isotopic measurements in seawater-derived waters that were discharged from geothermal wells, thermal springs, and sub-marine springs located in volcanic island arc areas in Guadeloupe (the Bouillante geothermal field) and Martinique (Lamentin plain and the Diamant areas). While Li isotopic signatures of the geothermal fluids collected from deep reservoirs were found to be homogeneous for a given site, the δ 7Li signatures for each of these reservoirs were significantly different. The first low temperature (25–250 °C) experiments of Li isotope exchange during seawater/basalt interaction confirmed that Li isotopic exchange is strongly temperature dependent, as previously inferred from natural studies. Li isotopic fractionation ranged from +19.4‰ ( Δ solution–solid) at 25 °C to +6.7‰ at 250 °C. These experiments demonstrated the importance of Li isotopic fractionation during the formation of Li-bearing secondary minerals and allowed us to determine the following empirical relationship between isotopic fractionation and temperature: Δ solution–solid = 7847/ T − 8.093. Application of experimental results and literature data to the Bouillante area suggested that geothermal water was in equilibrium at 250–260 °C. It likely has a deep and large reservoir located in the upper sheeted dike complex of the oceanic crust, just below the transition zone between andesite volcanic flows and the basaltic dikes. The upper dike section, from which Li is extracted by hydrothermal fluids, was characterized by light Li isotopic values in the rocks, indicating retention of 6Li by the altered rocks. For the Lamentin and Diamant areas, the geothermal fluids appeared to be in equilibrium with reservoir volcano-sedimentary rocks at 90–120 °C and 180 °C, respectively. Further evidence for this argument is provided by the fact that only the Na/Li thermometric relationship determined for sedimentary basins yielded temperature values in agreement with those measured or estimated for the reservoir fluids. This suggests the importance of a sedimentary signature in these reservoir rocks. Altogether, this study highlights that the use of Li isotopic systematics is a powerful tool for characterizing the origin of geothermal waters as well as the nature of their reservoir rocks.

Development of dike fragility curves for piping and micro-instability breach mechanisms

Abstract. The paper analyses the prevailing breach mechanisms of fluvial dikes. Piping in the dike foundation and slope failure as a consequence of seepage flow through a dike core (micro-instability) were identified as two of the dominant breach mechanisms for historically-grown dikes along with overtopping and slope macro-instability. For the former two mechanisms the physically-based and empirical process descriptions were reviewed and led to the formulation of the reliability functions. Evaluation of these functions in the Monte Carlo framework for the time dependent load led to the development of fragility functions. These functions indicate the probability of failure of a dike section upon loading and can be computed for each spatially discretised dike section. The probability of breaching is conditioned by the uncertainty in geometrical and geotechnical dike parameters. This uncertainty is explicitly taken into account during computation of the fragility functions in a Monte Carlo simulation. Sensitivity analysis was carried out in order to identify the sensitive geotechnical parameters influencing the distribution of failure probability. The identification of sensitive parameters indicates the priorities in geotechnical measurement campaigns aimed at the assessment of dike stability. The newly developed fragility functions can be applied in flood hazard and risk assessment studies for modelling of dike failures in a probabilistic framework.

Mean Flow and Turbulence around a Laboratory Spur Dike

The three-dimensional turbulent flow field around a spur dike in a plane fixed-bed laboratory open channel was studied experimentally using a microacoustic Doppler velocimeter. Mean and turbulence characteristics in all three spatial directions were evaluated at upstream and downstream cross sections near the dike. Results showed that the primary flow separated in both lateral and vertical directions. Two counter-rotating flow circulations, consisting of the lateral and vertical velocity components, originated at the dike section. Downstream of the dike, the circulation in the flow-separation zone is stronger than the one in the contracted primary flow zone. The maximum bed-shear stresses estimated using Reynolds stresses is about three times as large as the mean bed-shear stress of incoming flow.

Petrography of the dike‐gabbro transition at IODP Site 1256 (equatorial Pacific): The evolution of the granoblastic dikes

The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)/Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) three‐leg campaign at Site 1256 (Leg 206, Expeditions 309 and 312) provides the first continuous in situ sampling of fast spread ocean crust from the extrusive lavas, through the sheeted dikes, and down into the uppermost gabbros (Cocos plate; East Pacific Rise; eastern equatorial Pacific). The lowest ∼60 m of the dikes above the gabbros were transformed to “granoblastic dikes” through a metamorphic overprint characterized by two‐pyroxene domains formed under granulite‐facies conditions. Equilibrium temperatures estimated by the two‐pyroxene thermometer range between 930°C and 1050°C, implying that conditions within the granoblastic zone were appropriate for hydrous anatexis, with the potential to generate partial melts of trondhjemitic composition. The downhole evolution of the granoblastic overprint is expressed by systematic changes in texture, phase composition, and calculated equilibrium temperature, consistent with thermal metamorphism by a deeper heat source. Thermal modeling implies a long‐lasting heat source located beneath the granoblastic dikes, providing thermal energy over several thousands of years. The most likely such source is a steady state, high‐level axial magma chamber (AMC) located at the base of the sheeted dike section. We interpret the interval of granoblastic dikes as part of a dynamic conductive boundary overlying the AMC.

Probabilistic design of water defense systems in The Netherlands

Abstract After the disaster in 1953, a statistical approach to the storm surge levels was chosen and an extrapolated storm surge level would be the basis for dike design. In recent decades, the development of reliability theory made it possible to assess the flooding risks taking into account the multiple failure mechanisms of a dike section and the length effect. It is pointed out that economic activity in the protected areas has grown considerably since the 1950s and that even more ambitious private and public investments, particularly in infrastructure, are planned. Moreover, the safety of a growing population is at stake. These considerations justify a fundamental reassessment of the acceptability of the flood risks.

The effects of temperature, pressure, and alteration on seismic properties of diabase dike rocks from DSDP/ODP Hole 504B

A 0.4 to 0.5 s−1 in situ vertical velocity gradient in the diabase dike section of DSDP/ODP Hole 504B has been attributed to the effects of increasing pressure and downhole changes of mineralogy caused by hydrothermal alteration. An analysis of velocities measured in diabase samples as a function of pressure shows that increasing pressure accounts for a gradient of at most 0.1 s−1. Neither laboratory data nor a Voigt‐Reuss‐Hill average velocity model in which Vp pyx &gt; Vp amph shows a significant variation of velocity with depth; composition and pressure combined account for a gradient not greater than 0.2 s−1. These results indicate that either the elastic moduli of the amphibole minerals in these rocks are higher than those of the pyroxene phase (Vp amph &gt; Vp pyx,) or the seismic properties of the dikes are affected by a network of thin, large‐scale cracks.