Metamorphism is a complex geologic process that is often poorly covered in introductory geology courses. This study explores the effectiveness of a video-based instructional intervention in improving student understanding of metamorphism and its relationship to plate tectonics. The intervention includes an innovative assessment procedure featuring embedded QR codes, allowing participants to com…
Mafic and ultramafic rocks have become a promising approach for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, as they are major sources of CO2-reactive minerals, i.e., olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, and serpentine. The minerals potentially sequester CO2 by turning it into a stable solid phase through carbon mineralization in the rock weathering process. However, detailed descriptions and evaluat…
Hydraulic fracturing is a crucial technology for resource development, such as shale gas, and its optimization is necessary to enhance development efficiency. However, evaluating fracture shapes involves technical uncertainties. Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and Kyoto University have conducted laboratory-scale hydraulic fracturing experiments using coagulable fluore…
Geological and topographic site effects lead to variations in the spatial distribution of ground motion during large earthquakes. Despite the impact of such phenomena, they remain poorly understood. There is a lack of joint studies of numerical predictions and experimental observations on the geomorphological site effects. Therefore, a comparison between well-constrained models and experimental…
Flooding is one of the most significant natural hazards in Iran, primarily due to the country’s arid and semi-arid climate, irregular rainfall patterns, and substantial changes in watershed conditions. These factors combine to make floods a frequent cause of disasters. In this case study, flood susceptibility patterns in the Marand Plain, located in the East Azerbaijan Province in northwest I…
In this study, an ANN-derived innovative model was developed for estimating the failure soil depths of rainfall-induced shallow landslide events, named the SM_EFD_LS model. The proposed SM_EFD_LS model was created using the modified ANN model via the genetic algorithm calibration approach (GA-SA) with multiple transfer functions (MTFs) (ANN_GA-SA_MTF) with a significant number of failure soil d…
With ambitious targets set by the EU for the reduction of emissions from the energy sector by 2030, there is a need to design and develop more building projects using renewable energy sources. Even though in Europe, heating and cooling share from renewable resources is increasing, and in 2021, the total share in this sector in Croatia was at 38%, the share of heat production by heat pumps is ra…
In the framework of the geological mapping of sheet “n. 425—Asinara Island” (NW Sardinia, Italy) of the Italian National Geological Mapping Project (CARG Project), three late- to post-collisional Variscan intrusive units are recognized: (i) Castellaccio Unit; (ii) Punta Sabina Unit; and (iii) sheeted dyke complex. Granitoid rocks from these intrusive units intruded into the medium- to hig…
The analyzed data set on the problem of geophagy–lithophagy shows that the instinctive desire, preserved in many groups of animals and humans, to eat mineral–crystalline substances—products of hypergenic transformation of various rocks in the most general form—is a manifestation of an evolutionarily conditioned universal way of regulating the material composition of the internal environ…
To safeguard historic centers with masonry buildings in medium-high seismic areas, the local seismic response (LSR) should be used. These portions of the urban areas are commonly characterized by complex subsurface features (i.e., underground cavities, buried anthropic structures, and archeological remains) that could be responsible for unexpected amplifications at period intervals similar to t…