ABSTRACT. The design and construction of underground works in an urban environment, face several geological challenges. The construction of a well-structured database, able to store, manage, analyse and correlate a large amount of geological and geotechnical data, is a powerful tool towards the geological hazard assessment and the geotechnical characterisation of the formations along a tunnel. The data processed by the database are based on borehole geological information, laboratory testing, geotechnical characterisation and in situ field tests, mainly executed in the quaternary and neogene soil formations that are met along the studied area. The processing and assessment of the information, leads to the identification of useful value ranges for several physical and mechanical parameters. The study also focuses in specific areas within the basin of Thessaloniki, highlighting the in situ conditions, by the construction of longitudinal profiles. The purpose of that process, besides incorporating new data, is to provide a tool for turning data into useful information in order to estimate the geological situation and geotechnical behavior of formations in underground works.

ABSTRACT. The current study examines the possibility of simulating a quay wall foundation on a gravel pile improved seabed by using the finite element method. For this purpose data from the construction of the New Port of Patras were used. The behavior of the construction was simulated by conducting a series of parametric simulations altering the length and the density of the gravel piles as well as the gradient and the volume of the preloading embankment. Important conclusions regarding the safety factor and the deformations rate of the construction were finally extracted. The simulations were conducted by using PLAXIS 2D.

ABSTRACT. Two of the most well known historical landslide occurrences are analyzed and their temporal evolution is presented. The sites of Panagopoula and Karya are often referred as the most representative cases of long term ground displacements based on inclinometer monitoring data. Regarding these cases, the heavy rainfalls constitute the main controlling (triggering) factor, while flysch is the critical landslide-prone formation which significantly contributes to landsliding. The inclinometer data through a long time period were analyzed and typical movement diagrams were compiled. A simple statistical model including data normalization through several active stages (phases) of movement is used to identify the common kinematic features as well as to estimate the velocity trend type of movement.

ABSTRACT. Landslides can provoke lifeline’s performance malfunction, injuries or fatalities and may diminish accessibility to critical facilities and surrounding properties. The scope of this research is to describe and to identify the triggering factors for three landslides along the road from Drosopigi village to the top of Vitsi Mountain at Florina territory using all the available data. Several information were collected for this area, such as the annual rate of the rainfall/ snowfall, the rainfall intensity/day, the seismicity, the geomorphology, the geology, the lithology and the hydrologic conditions. Moreover, in-situ investigations of the landslides, geotechnical and laboratory tests were carried out in three geotechnical boreholes to indentify the soil formations nearby the landslides. Taking into account that the landslides are located 18km, 22km and 25km, away from the epicenters of two historical earthquakes with magnitudes Mw= 6.0 και 6.5 and also that last winter heavy rainfalls/snowfalls were observed in the area with very low temperatures (-15OC), slope’s failure may have been triggered by an earthquake, by snowfalls/rainfalls or by human activities?

ABSTRACT. Slope stability of an open pit lignite mine was studied using numerical methods (FEM and FDM), by means of three different software packages whose performance was compared and similarities - differences were identified. Plane strain analyses were performed using the shear strength reduction technique under drained conditions and Mohr-Coulomb constitutive models. Based on the results, all three programs demonstrated qualitatively a good agreement in the determination of safety factors and the kinetics of the collapse mechanisms. Small differences were observed in terms of shear strains localizations. Important differences were evident in the development of plastic (shear) and tensile failure indicators. Nevertheless, the problem under examination may be addressed satisfactorily by all three programs.

ABSTRACT. The objective of this study is the evaluation of the phenomenon of liquefaction along the coastal area west of Albania. The study is based on the combination of qualitative approach which use geological criteria as the type of soil, their age, hydrogeological conditions and seismicity of the area and quantitative or deterministic approaches consisting on the evaluation of Liquefaction Potential Index (LPI). The quantitative analysis is based on the CPTU data. Three hazard levels, corresponding to different levels of safety such as 50% in 50 years (72-years Return Period), 10% in 50 years (475-years RP) and 2% in 50 years (2475-years RP), have been taken into consideration. The results of the deterministic approaches yielded further evidence of high potential of liquefaction, which suggests the same level of susceptibility for other areas of the same geological conditions and stress history. These areas are mapped based on Geotechnical Map of Albania.

ABSTRACT. The Precise Point Positioning (PPP) analysis method adapted for monitoring coordinate displacements from GNSS permanent stations data. One week period data were analyzed covering the Samothrace strong earthquake event of 6.8M. The sample data were processed with Bernese v5.2 PPP engine and with the online web platform of JPL which uses the GIPSY/OASIS v6.3 software package. Also, for vali-dation purposes the output results were compared with those derived by network analysis by means of the GAMIT processing software of MIT. Our experiments proved the ability to measure dynamic seismic related coordinate variations at sub-centimeter level using the PPP algorithm. But this is efficient when strong earthquakes occurs and for stations close to epicenter.

ABSTRACT. A strong earthquake (Mw 6.9) on 24 May 2014 ruptured the North Aegean Trough (NAT) in Greece, west of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ). In order to pro-vide unbiased constrains of the rupture process and fault geometry of the earth-quake, seismological and geodetic data were analyzed independently. First, based on teleseismic long-period P- and SH- waveforms a point-source solu-tion yielded dominantly right-lateral strike-slip faulting mechanism. Furthermore, finite fault inversion of broad-band data revealed the slip history of the earthquake. Second, GPS slip vectors derived from 11 permanent GPS stations uniformly dis-tributed around the meizoseismal area of the earthquake indicated significant horizontal co-seismic slip. Inversion of GPS-derived displacements on the basis of Okada model and using the new TOPological INVersion (TOPINV) algorithm permitted to model a vertical strike slip fault, consistent with that derived from seismological data. Obtained results are consistent with the NAT structure and constrain well the fault geometry and the dynamics of the 2014 earthquake. The latter seems to fill a gap in seismicity along the NAT in the last 50 years, but seems not to have a direct rela-tionship with the sequence of recent faulting farther east, along the NAFZ.

ABSTRACT. The contribution of GPS networks in monitoring seismic events is important because they can provide a direct geometrical information on the Earth's crust using satellite observations In this study position displacements of permanent GPS stations are determined due to intense seismic events in the North Aegean area after the strong earthquake on May 24, 2014. The horizontal coseismic displacements for the Samothrace Island were estimated at 9.4 cm and for Lemnos Island at 5.2 cm respectively. A study period of seven days was enough to show that the deformation evolved into two days.

ABSTRACT. The assessment and interpretation of the geodetic results regarding the detection of possible spatial displacements and the deformation parameters have to be combined with a realistic geophysical model for the area. Usually, this study is carried out by fitting the geodetic data to a polynomial function, which is considered sufficient to describe adequately the deformation pattern. In terms of the computational steps needed, this polynomial fitting can be accomplished simultaneously by the analysis of the geodetic observations in a dynamic adjustment or non simultaneously in a sequential approach. The main goal of this article is to give a short description of the related methods and to present rigorous processing strategies for the analysis of GNSS observations from continuously permanent stations in order to create a modern and improved geodetic velocity field for Greece. Emphasis is given on the reference frame definition problem.

ABSTRACT. The ground motions in the Kalochori region (well known for its subsidence history during the 2nd half of 20th century) were investigated by NOA using a mobile GNSS (GPS) network, comprising 18 stations. The network was measured four (4) times during the period October 2013 – April 2015 under the framework of the research project INDES-MUSA. Our GPS measurements were processed with GAMIT soft-ware and show vertical (ITRF 2008) motions ranging from -2 cm to +2 cm (i.e. just above the margins of measurement error) with the exception of the Kalohori dam where an uplift of 2-5 cm was observed. We also found no evidence for local (non-tectonic) motions and/or interseismic strain.

ABSTRACT. Santorini Volcanic Complex (SVC) during the period 1992–2010 is characterized by the gradual deflation signal over Nea Kameni volcano. However, at the beginning of 2011 the volcano showed signs of unrest with increased microseismic activity and significant ground uplift. A gradual decrease of inflation rates within the first quarter of 2012 was confirmed from subsequent observations. Ground deformation monitoring is one of the main geoindicators that should be considered to assess volcanic hazard. Space-borne SAR interferometry has been used continuously since 1992 to measure or study the temporal evolution of surface deformation in volcanic area. The goal of this study was to identify eventual surface deformation in the post unrest period (10-2014/3-2015) over Nea Kameni volcano. To address this issue, Sentinel-1A data were used to assess the deformation pattern in SVC. The potential of the DInSAR technique was demonstrated and the analysis of Sentinel-1A data succeeded to estimate the deformation behaviour with a very high quality. The two deformation maps produced, illustrate a correlation between the seismic activity and the deformation behaviour of the Nea Kameni Island.

ABSTRACT. During October 2013 a swarm of seismic events originated in the NV Galati area (Romania), hence a striking number of earthquakes (a few hundreds), having a magnitude under 4.0 (on the Richter scale), generally associated with the fault system from this seismogenic area, previously known as active. Until that very moment, the seismic activity level had been significantly reduced. The great number of seismic events having the epicenter in crustal depths of less than 10 km), along a brief period of time, in an area known as relatively active only to the experts in this field, as well as the impact brought upon the local communities got my attention, thus resulting in the subject for my thesis having the title: Integrated GNSS and seismotectonic study of the NW Galati seismogenic area. Therefore, complex studies have taken place in the epicentral area and in the nearby regions, within a brief period of time. Those studies have been accompanied by a GPS campaign which also continued in 2014 and was followed by a third campaign in the summer of 2015. Preliminary results of the first three campaigns will be mentioned in this presentation.

ABSTRACT. Aristotle and the Scientific Thought

ABSTRACT. Aristotle’s “Meteorologika"

ABSTRACT. In the present study we are simulating the trans-Atlantic transport of dust from Sa-hara to the South-Central America, using the regional climate model RegCM4 and its online dust scheme, for the year 2007. The simulated horizontal and vertical dis-tributions of the mineral dust optical properties were evaluated against the LIVAS CALIPSO satellite dust product. The Trans-Atlantic dust transport is simulated adequately with RegCM4, but there are some spatial discrepancies. Dust optical thickness is overestimated in the eastern Sahara throughout the year by 0.1-0.2, while near the gulf of Guinea is underestimated during winter and spring. Although RegCM4 dust plume is located southern on winter and spring, it doesn't spatially match the dust optical thickness of LIVAS. In summer and autumn the vertical distribution of dust between 3-4km during the Trans-Atlantic transport is simulated by the model adequately up to 30ºW-40ºW longitude. However, during winter-spring RegCM4 misplaces dust loading into higher altitude. Finally, we discuss some possible reasons and mechanisms that might be responsible for the differences between the model and the observations.

ABSTRACT. A parameter that affects significantly the local, regional and global climate system is land cover and the changes that may occur to it. During winter season, heavy precipitation assists vegetation growth of Mediterranean forests and woodlands, whereas during summer, absence of precipitation and severe heat waves result to arid and semiarid vegetation. For that reason, it was quite interesting to track the changes that may occur in the climate of the Mediterranean region due to land cover/land use changes on regional climate over the Mediterranean region. The main objective of the study is the assessment of the impacts of land cover/land use changes on regional climate over the Mediterranean region. The examined region-al climate model used in the study is RegCM4.4. Its spatial resolution is 25x25km and different simulations were performed with changes in land cover/land use for the time period 1981-1990. The different simulated data were compared in order to examine the modifications that occur from land cover/land use changes in evapo-transpiration and surface albedo to direct and diffuse radiation in the domain of study.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study is to evaluate climate model hydrological parameters in comparison to recorded hydrological data and estimate the impacts of climate change on water balance. For this purpose, a combination of climate model precipitation and temperature data and Thornthwaite method was applied for the period 1988-2000 and the future periods 2028-2040, 2058-2070 and 2088-2100. The application of this combination was carried out in a coastal region in Southeastern part of Korinthiakos Gulf (southern Greece). The area is suitable for this target, because it is characterized by urbanization, intensive agriculture and tourism development, with increasing water demands. The evaluation of climate model parameters in comparison to observed data shows that the RegCM3 model is a reliable model. According to the future projections and the Thornthwaite method, the real evapotranspiration is estimated to increase, as a result precipitation decrease and temperature increase.

ABSTRACT. Drought is one of the most important factors of change. The epi-drops drought in one area are complex because they simultaneously affect many areas, such as cli-mate, agriculture, the economy and in general the structure of society. This study deals only with the meteorological drought, particularly considering the phenome-non of drought through the index Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The Greece is characterized by frequent drought episodes that often exceed 10 consecu-tive days of drought (dry spells). Also, in recent years the area probably climate models have been used in a wide study of the impact of climate change in different regions on the planet. Rainfall data from five regional climate models (RCMs) have been used to calculate the SPI index in the Greek area, the reporting period and two subsequent periods by the end of the 21st century. All models show a decreasing trend of the SPI median during the period studied. For the first future period 2021-2050, there is a clear signal for a dry decade towards the end of the period that is most apparent in southern and island regions. On the other hand, in the second fu-ture period 2071-2100,there is an increasing trend resulting to normal or wetter years.

ABSTRACT. This work focuses on the investigation of the correlation between some meteorological parameters (wind, temperature, cloudiness, precipitation) and the Moon phases with some main orthodox religious celebrations. Some studies already investigate the correlation between these parameters, but the results vary depending on the region and the parameter considered. The aim of this work is to verify if there are specific meteorological conditions on three main orthodox religious celebrations depending about the specific meteorological conditions of these religious celebrations are not verified in Greece.

ABSTRACT. Landslides represent a significant hazard for pipelines because they can generate permanent ground displacement and tend to result in complete failure or significant leaks, major environmental impacts and long periods of service disruption. Hence, landslide-related incidents are regarded as a significant operational risk. The paper mainly focuses on the assessment of landslide hazard along or across a natural gas pipeline project and on the identification of these hazards, mostly in the field. Whether the “expected” landslide event reaches the Right of Way (RoW) and impacts the pipeline, is influenced by the nature and size of the expected landslide event, controlled by the site geology and geomorphology, the proximity of the existing landslide feature to the pipeline and the position of the pipeline relative to the landslide. Landslide hazard assessment is used to identify “hot spots” along the pipeline route where re-routing or risk reduction measures must be prioritised. When landslides that can threat the pipeline integrity cannot be avoided, more detailed site evaluation is required to support the design and construction of mitigation measures.

ABSTRACT. The study methodology of geological mapping in urban areas differs from the ordinary field research. An urban area has no outcrops, has a smooth surface, diverted water lines and covered geology. The data types are commonly collected in urban areas are from few outcrops (if there are some), borehole records, geophysical prospecting data, geological maps, digital elevation models (DEM), shallow excavations, palaeoseismological trenches and publication archives. This research at subsurface of the city produces new thematic maps for the initial surface under the building area, the water network, the geology and finally the fault system. This paper demonstrates a methodology and provides a way to solve engineering geology problems in urban areas.

ABSTRACT. The geological structure of Thriassion Plain is generally complex and has been affected at different times by many tectonic activities. The last ones are the neotectonic, which caused horsts and grabens structures. Geologic and tectonic structures have influenced the hydrogeological conditions and the groundwater flow. Hydraulic characteristics of Plio-Pleistocene deposits differ throughout their extent. In this study, pumping tests in Plio-Pleistocene deposits are represented and the hydraulic characteristics transmissivity T, storativity S and hydraulic conductivity K are assigned. Pumping tests, in 8 totally wells, were conducted in the dry period. Methods as Cooper-Jacob’s, Theis’s, Papadopoulos-Cooper’s and Neuman’s and last the Recovery method are used to assign the hydraulic characteristics. These tests highlighted the Recovery method as the most reliable. Transmissivity T: 18 - 279.1 m2/d, storativity S:2.5*10-3 – 3*10-2and hydraulic conductivity K: 0.4 – 25.1 m/d. Specific capacity is also determined ranging between 16 - 360 m3/d/m. This study contributes, essentially, in the approach of hydrogeological conditions of Thriassion Plain.

ABSTRACT. Specifications in European countries include a variety of methods for determining the liquid limit based on Casagrande type devices and on the fall cone penetrometer. The results of a comparative study of the liquid limits determined using these two fall-cone methods are presented for lime stabilized soil. Soil material sampled in the area of Evros Regional Unit has been stabilized with lime in order to enhance its engineering characteristics. The soil and the soil-lime mixtures subjected in Atterberg limit testing. The liquid limit values were correlated through a linear regression analysis with the rest of the consistency limits of both the natural soil and its mixtures with various lime contents. The correlation coefficients in all cases were high, with those referring to results obtained by the Casagrande method to be dominant. The comparison of liquid limit values determined by either method showed that there is a systematically good correlation between them, with the decrease rate in function of the lime content in the mixture to be more intense in the case of the drop-cone procedure. There is a need for a universal specification for the determination of the consistency limits.

ABSTRACT. The present work presents an engineering geological assessment using terrestrial laser scanning for the study of stabilization of a rock slope in Santorini island that has suffered from several rock slide incidents. The use of LiDar laser scanning and focused surveying provided valuable data for the engineering geological zonation of the area and the rock block quantification for the stability analysis. In order to prevent failure and the accompanied consequences, slope stability analysis and various mitigation methods were examined based on the site’s geological and geotechnical conditions, cost, local architecture restrictions and constructability.

ABSTRACT. Strong motion data recorded during the 15-year operation of the CORinth Gulf Soft Soil Array (CORSSA) in the highly seismic region of Aegion have been homogenized and organized in a MySQL database. In the present work we describe the contents of the database and the web portal through which these data are publicly accessible. CORSSA comprises one surface and four downhole 3-D broadband accelerometric stations. It was installed in 2002, in the framework of European project CORSEIS, aiming to the gather data for studying site effects, liquefaction, and non-linear behaviour of soils, as well as earthquake source properties. To date, the array has recorded 549 local and regional events with magnitudes ranging from 1.1 to 6.5. Although the vast majority of the recorded events caused weak ground motion at the CORSSA site, the scientific value of the data set pertains to the sparsity of this kind of infrastructure in most parts of the world.

ABSTRACT. A network of seven accelerometric stations on both ground surface and structures has been recently installed, as part of a multi-sensor network for monitoring seismic motion and ground subsidence in the broader area of Kalochori, west of Thessaloniki in Northern Greece, within the INDES-MUSA project. This network includes ground installations within the urban area, structural stations on top of structures and a free-field station away from the building stock. The documentation of stations is presented including shear wave velocity profiles of the subsoil at each location. A set of thirty-nine earthquakes recorded so far by the accelerometric network is reported, followed by data processing procedures performed in the acquired waveforms. Comparisons of the processed earthquake recordings are presented referring to (a) the urban ground and the free-field stations in terms of peak ground acceleration, indicating amplification trends of ground motion, and (b) the structural and the nearby urban ground stations by means of top-to-base ratios in the frequency domain, towards a preliminary identification of the fundamental vibrational characteristics of the instrumented structures. The processed acceleration data are available through the INDES-MUSA Web-GIS portal.

ABSTRACT. The Hellenic National Tsunami Warning Center (HL-NTWC), which is a unit of the Institute of Geodynamics of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA-IG), was officially established in Greece by law in September 2010. It operates a 24/7 tsunami monitoring service for Greece and the eastern Mediterranean Sea, providing warning messages to the General Secretariat for Civil Protec-tion in Greece. Since August 2012, HL-NTWC acts as Candidate Tsunami Ser-vice Provider (CTSP) in the framework of the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Medi-terranean and connected seas Tsunami Warning System (NEAMTWS) of the IOC/UNESO providing tsunami messages to a large number of subscribers. The HL-NTWC function is based on the national seismograph and tide gauge net-works of NOA-IG and incorporates several data bases, algorithms and compu-tational tools. Collaboration with top class research institutions in the frame-work of important EC funded tsunami research projects strengthens the scien-tific background of the center. Tests, exercises and training of the duty officers involved in the 24/7 operation of the HL-NTWC are carried on constantly, in order to maintain a high level of readiness and response in case of emergency. During the three years of operation, the HL-NTWC has timely issued tsunami warning messages for 13 potentially tsunamigenic earthquake events.

ABSTRACT. Dionysos Satellite Observatory and Higher Geodesy Laboratory have been in operation since the 60s and their main objective is to fulfill academic and research needs, determined through the ongoing scientific and technological advance in the field of geodesy. They are involved in all scientific domains related to the determination of earth’s size and figure, as well as its temporal variations. Their field of expertise is Satellite Geodesy, (spanning a wide range of applications like reference systems, tectonic geodesy, etc.), as well as the study of the geoid and earth's gravity field.

ABSTRACT. The European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA), an initiative within ORFEUS, is a federated European data center that archives and provides access to seismic waveforms and their related metadata from the European research infrastruc-tures. The distributed EIDA nodes contribute data from specific regions and have committed resources for the support, operation and development of EIDA. Waveform data from seismic stations located in Greece and the southeastern Mediterranean are included to the new regional EIDA node hosted by the Na-tional Observatory of Athens, Institute of Geodynamics (NOAIG). In the initial stage, 49 broadband and 10 standalone strong motion stations from HL and 8 broadband stations from HP networks are provided and served from 2010 on-wards. In the final stage, NOAIG is willing to host and serve, as a regional EI-DA node, all the seismic networks that belong to the Hellenic Unified Seismic Network (HUSN) and networks from neighbouring countries. The implementa-tion and operation of the Hellenic NOAIG EIDA node is the first attempt at na-tional level to provide unlimited and unrestricted access to waveform data ar-chives for the region to the global scientific community. Wider usage of these data will strengthen the scientific background for the region.

ABSTRACT. Automatic Moment Tensor (MT) calculation is exceptionally valuable in many real-time seismological applications, such as shake map generation or tsunami warning. Scisola, a new software for automatic MT retrieval, has been recently developed. This software binds the extensively used ISOLA MT inversion code with the widely known real-time seismological processing tool, SeisComP3. Automatic MT calculation is achieved by passing the retrieving event information, the waveforms and the station meta-data produced by SeisComP3 to ISOLA. Scisola has been written in Python, used many powerful libraries and significantly reduced the MT computation time by calculating the Green's functions and the centroid position/time grid search in parallel. This tool provides a graphical user interface for easy solution overview of the extended graphical output and a quick revision of the corresponding solution, a database for storing the results and an extensive configuration customized to user's preferences. Apart from the real-time MT approach, scisola is capable of running in offline mode mostly for testing or playback purposes. Lately, a plug-in to scisola was completed for real-time MT monitoring over the Internet by automatically updating a Web page with the latest MT calculations. The code's performance was compared to manual MT solutions and proved to be fulfilling.

ABSTRACT. The Geopark concept was introduced at late 90’s aiming to protect and promote Earth heritage sites through the sustainable local development of territories containing abiotic nature of significant value. The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) established in 2004 operates as an international platform of cooperation among Geoparks around the world The GGN includes 120 Geoparks in 33 countries working to protect Geological heritage and promote local sustainable development. The 38th UNESCO General Conference (November 2015) ratified the statutes of the new International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme and the UNESCO Global Geoparks Operational Guidelines, introducing the brand UNESCO Global Geopark as a label of excellence for areas that meet the criteria set by the above mentioned guidelines. In doing so, it has legally endorsed the new UNESCO label of “UNESCO Global Geopark" and the endorsement of all the existing 120 Global Geoparks to become UNESCO Global Geoparks with immediate effect. The UNESCO Global Geopark branding could strongly contribute to raising Earth Heritage sites visibility in the world and in high-quality public outreach on sustainable development linked to issues on geodiversity, the environment, geohazards, climate change and the sustainable use of natural resources.

ABSTRACT. The initial documentation of an ophiolite as oceanic lithosphere and the significance of an ophiolite’s basal sole in its emplacement were based on the research of E. Moores (1969) and J. Zimmerman (1968) at the Vourinos Ophiolite, Greece: their work became a lynch-pin in the establishment of plate tectonic theory. Key localities of their research were located along the Aliakmon River Valley between Ilariona Monastery and the village of Panayia. This same area has since been flooded (2012) with the construction of a new hydroelectric reservoir. There was no option for “saving” these sites of the birth of plate tectonic theory: what could be done to preserve their geoheritage? Between 2005 and 2008, the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, with funding provided from the Public Power Corporation, sponsored geo-education to provide a “last chance” of geologic documentation of the Aliakmon Valley. In a three year period, over 60 international student and professorial-level researchers participated in the project. 37 Senior Theses were produced and 6 masters’ dissertations. The greatest achievement of the program was the revitalization of the Aliakmon data base within current, cutting-edge scientific models.

ABSTRACT. In 2011 and the first half of 2012 Santorini experienced its first seismo-volcanic unrest since 1950, as detected by the permanently installed monitoring networks and a large number of campaign measurements. The unrest was characterized by small magnitude but intense seismic activity, significant uplift and inflation deformation rates, and changes of water temperature as well as of fluid and soil gases. While the unrest ended in the spring of 2012, the world-wide interest led to the performance of several studies, in an attempt to assess the possible scenarios for the unrest evolution. Within this framework, we summarize the most important findings regarding the volcanic hazard assessment of the broader Santorini volcanic complex, as well as the constraints that need to be taken into account for a possible future volcanic crisis management.

ABSTRACT. The discovery of a paved Hellenistic road, which was ended at the shoreline of the Megalo Kavouri bay in Attica, Greece, led the archaeologists to hypothesize that an ancient harbour would be located somewhere at the adjacent submarine area. For the identification of the position of this harbour, a joint submarine and littoral geomorphological survey was carried out. The oceanographic mission was conducted in order to map the underwater landforms. A variety of geomorphological characteristics, types of substrate and habitats (i.e., rocky outcrops, boulder or gravel accumulations etc.) and anthropogenic objects (i.e., debris of recent construction material) were identified in the shallow water seabed of the Kavouri Bay. The littoral geomorphological survey was carried out to determine the natural processes affecting the continental part of the area and map the coastal landscape features. Data derived by both submarine and littoral geomorphological investigations indicate that the most probable location of the harbour could be situated in the southern part of the study area.

ABSTRACT. The contribution of environmental geochemistry to sustainable development is discussed through the presentation of different case studies from Greece. The aim is to demonstrate the impact of geochemistry to a variety of societal and economic areas such as the sustainable exploitation of natural resources, the assessment of environmental problems within cities and the sustainable remediation of contaminated land. Several examples of completed and ongoing research are provided including a pre-mining survey in Skouries, Chalkidiki, a geochemical background study in an area of serpentine, agricultural soil in Atalanti, the urban soil geochemistry of Athens and the use of natural minerals as amendments for the remediation of contaminated land. The paper concludes with some facts on opportunities and obstacles to development in the field of environmental geochemistry in Greece under the current economic crisis conditions.

ABSTRACT. This paper describes the results of the preliminary surface geothermal exploration conducted by IGME in the basin of Katerini (Northern Greece). It mainly regards temperature measurements at the wellhead of 73 wells and in the interior of five boreholes, as well as sampling and chemical analyses from 18 selected sites. Based on the collected data, three sub-regions of geothermal interest can be distinguished, the most important of which is the area of Kato Agios Ioannis (to the south of the basin), with temperatures around 27C at the depth of 340m. Nonetheless, the detailed geothermal investigation of this basin requires further systematic research as well as the drilling of at least one deep geothermal exploration borehole.

ABSTRACT. The area of Alexandria is located in the Thessaloniki basin filled with more than 4 km of sediments. In 1980, oil exploration borehole AL-1, 1705 m deep, was drilled north of the town of Alexandria and the temperatures of 39 and 65oC were recorded at depths of 700 and 1705 m respectively. During 1996-2000, two geothermal exploration boreholes were drilled at depths of 532 and 620 m penetrating Quaternary and Pliocene sediments and the temperatures of 30.1 and 33.4oC were measured at 500 and 611 m respectively. The preliminary geothermal investigation resulted in the construction of the first production well (GN-1P). It was drilled to a depth of 805 penetrating clays, sands, tuffs, marls, clayey marls, marly limestones, gravels, sandstones and conglomerates. The borehole was cased down to 805 m and screens were placed at various depths below 607 m. Temperature and electrical conductivity values of 35.1-37.2oC and 5100-8200 μS/cm respectively were recorded at depths of 607-800 m. This well discharges 30-40 m3/h waters at 34.1oC with artesian flow and provides 130 m3/h waters at 35.5oC with pumping. The produced geothermal water with TDS of 2.18 g/l belongs to the Na-Cl type differentiated from the shallow waters. The thermal capacity of well GN-1P is calculated to be 1.65 MWt.

ABSTRACT. In Edipsos area many hot springs occur, as a result of both active tectonic of the ar-ea and recent volcanism (Lichades volcanic center). A geochemical study of Edipsos hot groundwaters was undertaken, in order to assess the hydrochemistry of hot springs from Edipsos and re-evaluate the geothermal situation of the area. For that purpose, 12 water samples were collected and analyzed by Spectrophotometry for the main ions and by AAS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS for major and trace elements. The interpretation of the analytical data showed that the geochemistry of Edipsos hot groundwaters is controlled by three factors i) a deep source i.e. magmatic contribu-tion, ii) the chemical composition of the local rocks (ultramafic and carbonates) and iii) sea water. The application of chemical geothermometers is problematic because of the chemical composition of the hot groundwaters and especially the high participation of the sea water. The most representative chemical geothermometer for the studied geothermal fluids is the Na-K-Ca geothermometer which calculates temperatures up to 164 oC. Although, several studies have conducted in the area still remain unanswered questions concerning the underground circulation of the hot groundwater, in which only deep drilling data could give answers.

ABSTRACT. The geothermal field of Akropotamos produces fluids at temperatures up to 90oC. The waters from wells AKR-1, AKR-3, AKR-4, AKR-5 and AKR-6 at 30-86oC and TDS of 3.1-30.7 g/l are classified as Na-Cl type. The water from well AKR-2 at 46oC with TDS of 2.15 g/l belongs to Na-HCO3Cl type. The cold and sub-thermal waters (16.4-27oC) in the area are considered as fresh or low salinity waters (TDS: 0.37-4.34 g/l) of various mixed types. The Na-Cl geothermal waters can be divided into two categories due to two different hot aquifers: (a) Τhe first shallow aquifer contains high salinity waters (TDS: 27.4-30.7 g/l) at 30-48oC located within sands, sandstones and gravels. (b) Τhe second deeper reservoir composed of calcareous conglomerates and sandstones contains lower salinity waters (TDS: 3.1-5.08 g/l) at 83-90οC. The contribution of seawater to the chemical composition of the thermal waters in the shallow aquifer system seems to be important. With the aid of chemical geothermomometers applied to the geothermal waters from wells AKR-1 and AKR-3, the deep temperature has been estimated to be >120oC. Significant quantities of CO2 are encountered in these wells.

ABSTRACT. The geothermal field of Therma Nigrita is among the most important low enthalpy fields in Greece. It is located at the SW part of the Strymon basin (Central Mace-donia). The geothermal research at Nigrita was launched by IGME during 1980-1982.Actually, it is exploited mainly for agricultural use and thermal spa. The geo-thermal field of Therma Nigrita, officially characterized by Ministerial decision, covers an area of 10 km², has a pressurized reservoir at 70-500 m depth, showing temperatures of 40-64°C and geothermal fluids containing large amounts of CO2. In this paper the development of a 3D model for the reservoir of Therma Nigrita, is presented. For this purpose the FEFLOW code is employed which simulates fluid flow and heat transfer in the geothermal reservoir under transient state conditions. Following, three different management scenarios are tested for a ten-year period. The first scenario examines the evolution of the reservoir under no-exploitation conditions, the second one represents the current exploitation scheme and in the third scenario the production rates are doubled. According to the simulation results, the decrease in temperature is not expected greater than 1% for all scenarios, while the effect on hydraulic heads is significant for both scenarios 2 and 3.

ABSTRACT. The current study presents the preliminary results of the mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the Sagiada mud (Prefecture of Thesprotia), which is considered as one of the most representative therapeutic mud occurrences in Greece. This work is part of a bigger project, conducted by IGME (Athens, Greece), for the characterization of the Greek therapeutic mud deposits. The mineralogical composition was determined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The main mineral phases of the Sagiada mud are quartz, feldspars, clay minerals such as illite, kaolinite, chlorite and vermiculite, and calcite accompanied by minor phases such as halite and pyrite. Traces of muscovite and gypsum were also identified. Geochemical analyses were performed using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of major and trace element content, respectively. Compared to Spanish peloids and European floodplain sediments, the Sagiada mud reveals an analogue chemical composition.

ABSTRACT. The thermal waters of Kızıldere, Bayındır, and Salihli represent typical examples of active geo-thermal waters in the investigated area. The meteoric waters in the drainage area percolate at fault zones and permeable clastic sediments into the reaction zone of the roof area of a magma chamber situated in a probable depth of up to 5 km where meteoric fluids are heated by the cool-ing magmatic melt and ascend to the surface due to their lower density caused by convection cells. The volatile components of CO2, SO2, HCl, H2S, HB, HF, and He out of the magma reach the geothermal water reservoir where an equilibrium between altered rocks, gas components, and fluids performs. Thus, the geothermal waters ascend in the tectonical zones of weakness at the continental rift zones of the Menderes Massif in terms of hot springs, gases, and steams. These fluids are characterized by high to medium CO2, H2S and NaCl contents.

ABSTRACT. The study of the coastal and shallow marine geomorphology of the adjacent bays of Anavyssos and Aghios Nikolaos (southeastern Attica) was carried out by acoustic scanning of the seafloor with an echo sounder and sonar side scan; topographical sections perpendicular to the shoreline, collection and analysis of surface sediments; determination of long-term shoreline displacements by comparing old and modern aerial photographs and satellite imagery. The terrestrial part of the coastal area consists of many landforms, such as lagoons, cliffs, beachrocks, tombola etc. The beaches affected by intense human activity have gentle slopes, low elevations and a coarse-grained texture. The remote sensing analysis showed that, over the last six decades, there are some small shoreline changes of the order of ± 2 meters. The bays have relatively gentle gradients covered by sand in their shallower parts and patches of Posidonia Oceanica towards the open sea. Taken into account the texture of sediments and landforms that make up the terrestrial part of the coasts, four categories (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th) of Environmental Sensitivity Index for oil spill (ESI) have been identified and an ESI map is created serving as a quick reference for oil spill responders and coastal zone managers

ABSTRACT. The main activity fields of the research group “Applied Geoecology“ at the University of Potsdam are the development and tests of complex monitoring systems for water bodies and soils, together with the development of sustainable additives for vegetation restoration on ore mining dumps with extreme substratum parameters. The dump substrata are translocated by surface waters and by aeolian processes to the surroundings affecting soil processes. A field spectrometer has been engineered, which can detect dam substrata in soils. Moreover, various soil additives were developed, enabling the establishment of vegetation on the extreme dump substrata. For all components there have been realised extensive tests in the framework of greenhouse and field experiments under different climate conditions on three continents, on various substrata and with varying plant species. All experiments were successful, even though no additional irrigation and no mineral fertilizer were allowed to be used, in order to realise the idea of a sustainable greening.

ABSTRACT. Vegetation cover is a cost effective method for reclaiming old mine wastes and tail-ings disposal sites. Physicochemical characteristics of wastes and tailings are often inimical to successful vegetation establishment. In this research revegetation and reclamation of old tailings management facilities at Cassandra Mines was investi-gated. The research was conducted in three stages. In the first stage was studied the physicochemical characteristics of the mining wastes and investigated methods for reduction of the bioavailability of heavy metals by adding various amendments, such as material rich in Mn and Fe oxides (by-products of pyrolusite industry, zeo-lite, phosphates, Fe oxides, Feo etc). In the second stage investigated different plant species in greenhouse conditions, suitable for revegetation of the mine wastes. Re-sults of this stage showed that the species Nerium oleander can be used successfully to stabilize the surface of the old mining wastes, following a reduction of heavy metals bioavailability. Six best treatments of greenhouse experiment with three rep-etitions per treatment were used in the third stage as pilot experiment in each site. Plants were fertilized and irrigated for two growth periods. Biometrical characteris-tics of Nerium oleander (leaf area, height of plants, weight of leaves and number of branches) and concentrations of the elements in the leaves of the plants were de-termined. One year after a number of other plant species colonize the area with natural processes. These plants were recorded, collected and identified and the chemical compositions and bioaccumulation factors were determined. Growth of Nerium oleander, was successful for almost all treatments. The revegeta-tion and stabilization of the surfaces resulted to a quick colonization by plant spe-cies. They were recorded 35 different plant species in “old Olympias tailings pond” and 39 in “old Karakoli tailings dam”. Treatments affect number plant species. Best treatments included material rich in oxides of Fe and Mn.

ABSTRACT. Geological storage of CO2 in geological structures in the subsurface can mitigate global warming. A safe storage of CO2 can be ensured through the development of comprehensive monitoring programs that prevent any possible leakage of CO2. This paper presents various monitoring strategies of CO2 subsurface movement in the Prinos reservoir, northern Greece, the results of a simulation of a CO2 leak through a well, and an environmental risk assessment study related to the leakage of CO2 or oil from the seafloor. After only 13.7 years, from the beginning of injec-tion, the CO2 leak reaches the seabed in the form of gas. For the assessment we set up a model, using ArcGIS software, based on the use of data regarding the speeds of the winds and currents encountered in the region. Assumptions were also made related to the flow rate of CO2. Modeling results show that it only takes a period of 10 days from the start of oil leakage until the “Natura” protected areas start to be affected. CO2 leakage modelling results show CO2 to be initially flowing along a preferential flow direction, which is towards the NE. However, 5 days after the start of leakage of CO2, the CO2 is also flowing towards the ENE. The consequenc-es of a potential CO2 leak are considered spatially limited and the ecosystem is it-self capable of recovering.

ABSTRACT. The natural radioactivity of the Western Anatolian plutonic bodies (Turkey), as well as the assessment of any potential health hazard due to their usage as dec-orative building materials is studied. Seventy samples from Western Anatolian plutonic bodies, including various rock-types from quartz-monzodiortie to sye-nogranite, have been measured for their natural radioactivity using γ-spectrometry. According to the experimental results the natural radioactivity levels were ranged up to 229.62 Bq.kg-1 for 226Ra, up to 207.32 Bq.kg-1 for 232Th and up to 2541.95 Bq.kg-1 for 40K, with a mean value of 57.67 (±38.13), 80.30 (±42.00) and 1071.92 (±405.24) Bq.kg-1 respectively, which are below the in-ternational representative mean values for granite stones. The increment on the external γ-radiation effective dose rate appears a mean value of 0.27 (±0.19) mSv.y-1, scattering below 1 mSv.y-1. In case of the internal α-radiation a mean value of 0.14 (±0.10) mSv.y-1, scattering below 0.5 mSv.y-1 was estimated. The majority of the samples increase the external and the internal dose less than 30% of the maximum permitted limit of the effective dose rate. Therefore, at least from radiological point of view, the plutonic rocks of Western Anatolia could be safely used as decorative building materials.

ABSTRACT. Floods are one of the most common natural hazards in global range and could threat the human life, health, environment and infrastructure. The aim of this paper is the estimation and the delimitation of the likely flood hazard zones, for different rainfall intensities in the upper part of Gallikos river basin (central Macedonia) according to the European directive 2007/60. For the analysis of the meteorological data and the construction of flood zone maps, HYDROGNOMON, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS free software packages were used. The thematic maps were constructed with ESRI GIS. The results are depicted in flood inundation maps, delimitating and visualizing the scale of the flood hazard effect in the area. The construction of flood prediction models is a very useful tool towards the direction of the design of an efficient flood management framework.

ABSTRACT. Intense abstraction of groundwater resources in the coastal aquifer system of Argolis is investigated since the late 1950’s. The increasing water demands due to the agricultural development of the area (mainly citrus trees) during the last years, in combination with the touristic growth, has led to the overexploitation of groundwater resources of the coastal aquifer system of Argolis. This paper presents the piezometric conditions in the plain of Argos during the period between 1986 and 2014, analysing the fluctuations of groundwater levels and highlighting the problem of seawater intrusion in the study area. In October 2014, measurements were made in app. 160 wells and drills which are located within the boundaries of the granular aquifer of the study area. Selected piezometric maps are presented, which demonstrate the problem of overexploitation of groundwater in the plain of Argos.

ABSTRACT. The granular aquifer system of west Chalkidiki covers an area of 667 km2 and is hosted by Neogene and Quaternary sediments. This study intends to present the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical characterization of the west Chalkidiki granular aquifer system, which is a multilayered system composed of unconsolidated to semi-consolidated sands, gravels, conglomerates, sandstones and marly limestones. Among them are intercalated impermeable to semi-permeable beds as clays, marls or clays mixed with pebbles and sands. The groundwater abstractions are about 74x106 m3/yr. Ιn the period 2003-2008 the potentiometric surface declined in S-SA part of the aquifer system, while in the central and NW part even a rising has noticed in some boreholes. Groundwater is generally of good quality with the exception of Triglia broader area where the groundwaters contain elevated values of As and B. In some places, there are also found elevated values of Fe, Mn, NO3 and salinization occurs in some coastal aquifers.

ABSTRACT. This study refers to hydrogeological conditions that dominate in the closed basin of Vagia of Viotia with emphasis on groundwater quality. It highlights the environmental problem of the region, associated with floods, phenomenon which occurs every year and lasts throughout the wet season. This, results in flushing undesirable substances from the territories of intensely cultivated area and the penetration into the groundwater of Neogene- Quaternary and carbonates aquifers. Qualitative charge of groundwater is reflected in the high concentrations of the ions Na+:22,2-133,4 mg/l, K+:0,3-12,0mg/l, SO42-:2,1-68,9mg/l, Cl-:24,8-241,1mg/l, NO3-:13,6-67,0mg/l, NH4+:0,01-1,75mg/l, PO43-:0,03-0,94mg/l as well as the strong presence of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Cu and Cr). Qualitative charge of groundwater is attributed to geogenic, and anthropogenic factors.

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this research is to present all the technical details, but also the scientific criteria according to which there is the possibility to make a borehole for the extraction of the saline water and channeling of brine in another borehole. This methodology has purpose to prove that this way of extraction of saline water (or sea water) through the borehole and the channeling of the remain into another one has multiple assets comparing to the classical method of the direct extraction and return of the residue into the sea. These assets are considered to be better because of the extraction which may be in the inland, hypsometrically more advantageous. Also, the channeling of the brine disposal in a nearby borehole is safer from an environmental point of view because it does not disturb the flora and fauna in the benthic zone of the marine space, but also a less expensive solution than channeling it straight into the sea. In any case, it is a necessary presumption that the hydrogeologic conditions in the area where the work is taking place to ensure a high factor of permeability and hydraulic connection with the sea area. The application of this technique was completed with some success in the case of Agistri Island (and homonymous municipality) which is located in the Saronic Gulf, southwest of Salamis Island. Although the distance between the two boreholes should be larger in order to prevent the risk of dynamic input of brine disposal to the borehole extraction because of the radius of influence, which would destroy the osmosis membranes. After the appropriate evaluation of the test pumping elements, this was ensured by placing the appropriate sensors of salinity.

ABSTRACT. Prespa Lake Basin is a transboundary basin that’s shared between Albania-Greece-FYROM. This region has a very complicated geology. The main aquifer systems are developed in carbonate rocks (karst aquifers) crossing international borders (transboundary aquifers). A map was constructed in GIS environment clearly display that each geologic age has one index, in one polygon, with the respective geological formation. The map was first digitalized with an AutoCAD program and then all the layers were exported in the program mentioned above. Not only does this map represent the hydrogeological features of the area but it also serves as a database of general characteristics, such as, the rock type, the infiltration coefficient, the yield of wells and springs, groundwater resource and permeability can be found on this base. Furthermore, chemical data can be added to the map, supplying more information on the surface and groundwater. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a useful tool for water resources management in the frame of international cooperation and coordination.

ABSTRACT. A research organised in the frame of the European project GEOschools to investigate the interest of students and teachers in geosciences in secondary school, concluded that both students and teachers are deeply interested, among other things, in the teaching strategies applied to teaching Geology. Bearing this in mind, a workshop was designed about the rock cycle, simulating the natural processes that take place in earth’s lithosphere, using everyday objects. The workshop was then carried out with the help of students and/or teachers of secondary school who evaluated the whole endeavour in terms of efficiency in imparting knowledge and acquisition of a deeper understanding of otherwise difficult concepts through evaluation sheets.

ABSTRACT. This paper presents the theoretical approach and the technical steps for the development of a questionnaire on lithosphere for the 1st class of Greek junior high school. It, also, discusses the importance and the multifunctional role of such a questionnaire (i.e. GCI tool). Furthermore it presents an innovative precodification of open-ended questions based on the set question – con-trol question, which offers valid data for a qualitative study like this. The cognitional control table offers abundant data about students’ cognitional structure and about whether conceptual change has been achieved.

ABSTRACT. The educational systems are evolving dynamically reflecting social and economical changes. The Geology has developed and evolved in Greece, based on specific economic and social interactions. This paper attempts to define and interpret the position of the teaching of geosciences in Greek Secondary Education, from 1830 until today, with reference to the educational changes and their historical and social context.

ABSTRACT. One permanent, nevertheless burning problem and goal of the international geo-scientific community is: to inform the public about the great value of knowledge of the Earth for the well-being of future generations and to promote science-based solutions for Earth related problems, including ‘Earth science education’. Remarkably, even today, a debate continues on the necessity for geosciences teaching and some curriculum developers still appear uncertain as to whether they should include geosciences within compulsory and higher secondary school education. But even though this is an old question, the answer remains so clear: as global citizens, students need to understand and appreciate the materials and processes that make up their home planet, the Earth, and the way it can affect their lives. It is also clear, that a good knowledge of geosciences is often lacking by a broader society and there is a gap in understanding between geologists and the public. This is one more reason for developing geosciences within school curricula.

Although the knowledge of geosciences is important in every-day’s life of citizens, in Greece, Geology does not exist as a separate subject in primary and secondary education. It is included, either indirectly through other subjects (e.g. "Study the environment" and “Geography” in Primary school) or within other “twin” or conceptually close subjects, such as Environmental sciences or Geography in high school. This subordination has produced a misbalance in teaching regarding: the shared space of text for the different matters, the conceptual accuracy of the Geology explained, and the appropriateness of the teaching staff. A reduction in geological content, especially of secondary school curricula, can lead to a drop in the number of geology students in universities and hence a lack of geologists in society where they are increasingly needed.

It is necessary, therefore, to increase geosciences teaching in Greek schools and develop the interest of school pupils in the key geosciences concepts, theories and skills that effective global citizens should possess. In this context, the challenge is how to combine a well structured and conceptual curriculum, whilst maintaining links with attractive and interesting topics, in other words, deconstruct the most spectacular and interesting geological topics, to extract the basic scientific concepts that lie behind.

ABSTRACT. Industrial rocks and minerals of the modern world comprise of natural products applied in e.g. energy, cement, plastics, fillers, food, computer hardware et. Indeed, the applications of these minerals are enormous and versatile. On the other hand, industrialization had not occurred during the 1st century A.D., when Strabo, the famous geographer of the Roman era lived. Thus, the term “industrial” used in this study has a rather philological meaning and refers to the useful rocks and minerals in the ancient times. Metallic ores (copper, iron, zinc etc.), precious metals (gold, silver) and earth minerals (e.g. Kimolo’s earth, Chalkidiki’s earth, Sinopi’s earth etc.) are not included in this study. Humans of the antiquity needed building rocks, medical and pharmaceautical minerals, fertilizers for their crops, sealing agents and millstones, just to mention a few of them. The identification and classification of these valuable “industrial” rocks and minerals, mentioned in Strabo’s Geographica, is the scope of this work. The spatial distribution of these mineral resources in the ancient world of that time, is also studied. The main industrial rocks and minerals are (in descending order of the number of citations): salt, marble, asphalt, quarry rocks, sulphur, millstones, pyroclastics, clays, soda (sodium carbonate), naphtha (petroleum), asbestos and sand.

ABSTRACT. The scope of this study is to investigate the failure mechanisms of the eastern coastal zone of Mount Athos, using the LiDar device for the 3D mapping of the structural features of the rock mass. Therefore emphasis was given to the study of the planes of discontinuities that can trigger potential failures. All slopes were scanned by LiDar device in order to capture their structure and especially the orientation and the spacing of the discontinuities. The data were processed in order to produce the microtectonic model of the slopes and evaluate the potential slope failures. Finally some remedial measures are proposed.The results and the reliability as well as the constrictions of the applied methodology are discussed for future applications.

ABSTRACT. A correlation between the non-dilational friction angle (φm) of rock discontinuities and the constant mi of the Hoek & Brown criterion for intact rock is investigated, using the results of a focus oriented laboratory program. The program consisted of two types of laboratory tests: a series of triaxial compression tests on intact rock samples for the determination of the constant mi and an independent series of direct shear tests on tensile fractures of the same rock types for the determination of the rock joint friction angle φm. Four typical rock types from Northern Greece were used: a granite, a sandstone, a limestone and a marble, covering a range of mi between 8 and 34, and an unconfined compressive strength between 60 and 120 MPa. Apart from the certain range of parameters that is presented for this specific rocks, the experimental results show that the non-dilational friction angle of the rock fracture determined by direct shear testing (φm) decreases logarithmically with the value of the constant mi.

ABSTRACT. Mygdonia drainage basin encloses lakes Volvi and Koronia which are protected by the RAMSAR Convention. Lake Koronia is an example of global environmental destruction. The entire area is affected from agricultural and industrial activities (mainly in the past decades) and has suffered severe human impacts. Groundwater sampling for this research, was conducted twice a year (dry/wet period), during the years 2013-2015. The results of the analyses were spatially distributed and the appropriate maps were constructed. According to the quality parameters distribution the possible pollution sources of the aquifers were investigated. Hydrochemical diagrams were used for the water types classification and the suitability for drinking or irrigation purposes etc. The EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60 and the national legislation were also used. Excess of the maximum permissible levels for drinking water were observed mainly for nitrates in a large extent of the basin as a result of the bad agricultural practices in the area. Sporadic high concentration values were recorded for other parameters and are associated with human activities or geology. Measures in order to prevent a further degradation of the groundwater quality are proposed in the paper

ABSTRACT. Clayey soils often exhibit undesirable engineering behaviour such as low strength, swelling and shrinkage characteristics etc. To improve these properties, the com-mon method followed is stabilization. An experimental program carried out in this study aims to highlight the physical mechanisms of stabilization of an expansive soil by adding an inert material (sand). The study aimed to analyze the effect of stabilization on the variation of soil consistency and the results have shown that soil consistency improved appreciably. The findings of the laboratory testing pro-cedures also presented substantial improvement in strength with the addition of sand percentages up to 60% by weight of soil, as well a noticeable alteration in the moisture-density relation. The soil tested could be used as subgrade material in pavement structures for low volume bearing roads, after its stabilization with fine sand. A further step in the investigation process could be the analysis of the swell-ing potential of clayey soils in conjunction with the addition of other waste mate-rials along with sand, as well as the cost-benefit relationships of stabilization with sand in large projects like the highway construction.

ABSTRACT. The Fushë Kuqe costal aquifer is a typical confined alluvial aquifer. The aquifer medium consists of alternating and discontinuous layers of gravel and sand-gravel with and silt-clay impermeable layers which have conditioned its multilayer char-acter. The aquifer recharge occurs mainly through water infiltration from the Mat river in the North, and from Droja river in the South, while its natural discharge proceeds to the Adriatic sea. As from the variation of chloride and TDS content in groundwater, an advancement of sea water intrusion into aquifer fresh water was evidenced. The direction of sea water wedge from coastal southwestern sectors to-wards the Gorre and Fushe Kuqe where pumping station are located, favors the opinion that it was caused by a decrease of groundwater pressure due to the groundwater pumping. The increase of chloride content in groundwater through time confirms that sea water intrusion towards the fresh aquifer water is still ad-vancing and is caused by both intensification of groundwater pumping for public water supply and by the drilling of artesian private wells.

ABSTRACT. Sound groundwater resources management is a matter of paramount importance in Circum-Mediterranean, for the ecologic status of the underlying aquifer systems. Freshwater resources in Greece are identified within all types of aquifer formations, however two distinct types are the ones that draw the attention of the scientific and the engineering community; the granular as well as the karst aquifers. This paper describes the groundwater resources potential that are found within granular aquifer formations, in combination with the major environmental threats associated with their exploitation and management.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study is to investigate the statistical correlations between the point load strength index and certain physical properties, e.g. the dry density and the dry longitudinal ultrasonic wave velocity of prasinites (metabasites). Statistically sig-nificant correlations established between the physical properties as well as between each physical quantity and the point load strength index. According to bibliography, this is one of the first efforts to develop relations between physical and mechanical properties for this particular petrological type, and therefore the derived equations can be a useful tool to the investigation of these petrological types, either in the study area or in other sites, where prasinites of similar structural characteristics, are examined for the foundation of various constructions.

ABSTRACT. The aim of the work is to investigate and analyze the hydrodynamic and hydrochemical status of the karstic aquifer of Orfana-Iperia in West Thessaly before the application of its artificial recharge. The works of the artificial recharge, which is under construction, will be achieved by the divertion of a portion of the flow of Enipeas River. Regarding the geology and hydrogeology of Orfana-Iperia site, the geological and hydrogeological maps of the area, along with the depiction of the hydro-graphic network were constructed by means of GIS and are presented. Moreover, the hydrological analysis of the Enipeas river basin is included. The analysis was made using the hydraulic software “Hydrognomon”. The piezometric analysis of the area is performed via piezometric maps produced using GIS and the "Surfer" software. The water table measurements of the aquifer system were provided by the Geology and Mineral Investigations Institute and by local organizations of reclamation. Furthermore, water sampling has been done in the area and after analysis, hydro-chemical diagrams were constructed by “Aquachem” software. Finally, the proposed method of the artificial recharge is described. The hydrogeological and hydrochemical analysis of the karstic aquifer before application of ground water recharge is very important for the future qualitative and quantitative comparison of groundwater today drawing conclusions.

ABSTRACT. The hydrochemical character of the Zacharo basin groundwaters and their suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes are evaluated in this paper. The Pindos karst aquifer, the Neogene and the alluvial aquifer are the three most important aquifers of the study area. 46 water samples were taken from wells, boreholes and spring and they analyzed for the physicochemical parameters (pH, EC and TOC), major ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, NH4+, HCO3-, Cl-, F-, SO42- and NO3-) and trace metals (B, Fe, Mn, Cr, Pb, Se, Ni). The suitability of groundwaters for drinking and irrigation is evaluated by the calculation of Water Quality Index and the indices SAR, %Na, RSC and KR. The water of the karstic and alluvial aquifer is of “excellent” quality for both uses. On the other hand, the Neogene aquifer shows serious problems in respect with the degradation of water quality, since 20% of the samples are of “poor” and “extremely poor” quality for drinking purposes and 33% are “unsuitable” for irrigation. The degradation of water quality is attributed to natural processes of enhanced ion-exchange, since the cation exchange capacity of the aquifer materials is increased due to the presence of clay minerals and organic matter.

ABSTRACT. The overexploitation of groundwater rand the salinization cause a quantitative and qualitative degradation of the water resources. The objectives of this research are to identify and investigate the extent of seawater intrusion and nitrate pollution into the coastal plain of Marathon in Eastern Attica. In the frame of this, 25 groundwater samples were collected in the October 2014 from the study area and analyzed for the main parameters that indicated salinization of the aquifers. Specifically, water chemical analyses were carried out and statistical analyses regarding spatial distribution were performed. The results demonstrated increased values of the parameters which can be associated with seawater intrusion. Considering and evaluating the results from the chemical analyses it is obvious that seawater intrusion takes place in the area. Furthermore, the average concentration of NO3- was 44,16mg L-1 and this can be attributed to overexploitation of coastal aquifer for agricultural activities.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study is to reveal the geological, paleontological and hydrogeological features of the surrounding area of Oinoi in municipality of Kastoria, Northern Greece. These features can attract visitors and develop geotourism in the area. Fossil mollusk shells (Pectinidae family, Pecten and Flabellipecten) were recognized in three fossiliferous sites. Additionally, the palaeontological features are supplemented by impressive alternations of sedimentary strata, cavities, springs, small natural waterfalls and lakes as well as a small dam. Three routes (the longest is 12.3 Km) were defined for the promotion of these features. The routes are suitable for walking, jogging, mountain biking, climbing, for students, elder people and adults. This is a preliminary approach, since further research in the wider area is needed, in order to include more existing natural features, as well as to create a comprehensive management plan and define the criteria for the proposal of the site as a Geopark.

ABSTRACT. The paper presents the results of the physicochemical parameters of the springs of Andros which were studied to evaluate the chemistry of the major ions and solute acquisition processes, which control the chemical composition and the suitability of the quality of water for drinking use. Forty two samples were taken for physicochemical analysis almost at the end of the summer period, in September 2014. The Piper plot was used for the hydrogeochemical classification of groundwater which also indicated that the majority of groundwater samples belong to the Ca-Na-HCO3-Cl type. According to the Durov plot the majority of samples, can be positioned in field 2 in which a process of cation exchange is in progress. Also, the HCO3 / (HCO3 +SO4) ratio indicates a weathering process from carbonic acid. In general, the majority of samples can be characterized as potable.

ABSTRACT. Ampelia area is a newly discovered area with geothermal interest and no surface expression (hidden resource). It is located in Farsala basin and belongs to the Enipefs graben. The geothermal anomaly is related with the E-W trending faults, which mainly control the basin development and the NNW-SSE trending faults of the area. The temperature values from the deep water boreholes (>200m depth) range from 20 to 41 oC. The chemical composition of the studied groundwater samples varies in all chemical parameters. Most of the samples have affected by swallow cold aquifers (high E.C. and NO3- values). The most representative samples (T > 30 oC) are from the deepest boreholes (hydrochem type Na-HCO3), which are cutting the fractured crystalline basement i.e. limestones, flysch and ophiolitic rocks. They present the highest pH values (pH > 8) and the lowest E. C. compared with the rest of the samples. Their concentrations in Ni and Cr of these samples are very low, indicative that the groundwater is not in contact with the ultramafic rock from the ophiolite sequence. According to silica chemical geothermometers for the most representative samples, the expected temperature values of a potential geothermal reservoir range from ~ 60 to 100 oC.

ABSTRACT. The Kirki flotation plant is located approximately 5 km south of the Agios Filippos open pit mine (Thrace, NE Greece), and unconfined mill tailings are exposed to at-mospheric conditions. Rain water accumulates on the surface of the tailings and interacts with the solids, resulting in highly acidic and oxidative surface solutions with increased heavy metal content. The tailings material is dominated by gangue minerals with very low acid buffering capacity, including quartz, kaolinite/dickite, pyrophyllite, albite and orthoclase. Secondary phases identified include mainly species of the jarosite group, gypsum and anglesite. No primary ore minerals besides pyrite are identified. The finegrained character of the tailings material favors fast reactions between the surface waters and the solids. The speciation/mass transfer computer code PHREEQC-2 and the MINTEQ database were employed for geochemical modeling of the acidic surface waters of the tailings dams T1 and T2. Three different scenarios were employed, “Direct Precipitation”, “Mixing with Rainwater” and “Evaporation” to check the equilibrium between the developed surface solutions and the secondary minerals identified in the tailings. The purpose of this work is to understand the way heavy metals may be locked to the lattice of secondary minerals, or dispersed/dissolved after dissolution of unstable secondary phases.

ABSTRACT. The aquifer of Rrogozhina extends over the Albanian pre-Adriatic depression covering a surface of 2100 km2. It is a multilayered aquifer consisting of intercalations between water-bearing Pliocene sandstone and conglomerate with impermeable clay layers. This aquifer occurs under typically artesian conditions because of its impermeable clay basement and semi-impermeable Quaternary cover. The groundwater shows variable geochemical composition due to different mineralogical composition of its medium and vast extension of the aquifer. However, the mainly magmatic – carbonatic mineralogical composition of the water – bearing sandstones and conglomerates has determined a geochemical composition of groundwater consisting mostly of HCO3-Mg-Ca hydrochemical groundwater type. Dissolution of minerals seems to be the major geochemical processes in the formation of the groundwater composition. The above mainly magmatic composition of sandstones and conglomerates is also responsable for the high content of iron in the grounwater of this aquifer. Iron content is higher in sandstone related groundwater where the silt fraction is mainly composed by iron-bearing minerals such as magnetite, epidote, granate, sphene, amphibole and pyroxene. The general mineralization and general hardness of groundwater range from 500 to 800 mg/l and from 11 to 25ºdH, respectively.

ABSTRACT. Within the metamorphic rocks of the Plattenkalk Group, in an occurrence at Tallaia Mountains, central Crete, light rare earth elements Cerium and Lanthanum are found. The studied rare earths are seen in an epidote group mineral, allanite. Scanning Electron Microscopy of the samples showed clearly the crystals of allanite (pre-kinematic crystals) and their grain size. Mineral processing was conducted for the size fractions: (<10 µm), (10-212 µm) and (212-1000 µm), according to the magnetic properties and grain size of allanite. After magnetic separation of the fraction (-10 µm) and (212-1000 µm) showed that rare earths Ce and La have higher concentrations in the magnetic products. In conclusion, (according to the microscopic and mineral processing data) the optimum grain size for the beneficiation of allanite is the size fraction (10-212 μm).

ABSTRACT. Frangokastello is a medieval castle which was built by the Venetians in 1371-74 in a narrow coastal zone at the southeastern part of the White Mountains, approximately 12 km east of Chora Sfakion. The region around Frangokastello characterized by a strong morphological relief, which was formed by activity of normal faults striking E-W, NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE. The region of interest has covered at the surface from sequences mainly marine sediments of Τortonian, Low Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene. From the Middle Pleistocene multiple alluvial fans have been cover the alpine basement of the region which consists from metamorphic rocks of the Plattenkalk Group, Trypali Unit and Phyllite Quartzite Series as well the youngest in age formations. Rounded and angular fragments of rock materials from alpine and post alpine formations transported and deposited within the various parts of alluvial fan which had deposited over the Frangokastello formation, constituted the building stones for the construction of the castle. The microclimate of the region and the intense tectonic activity associated with relatively high rates of uplift of the tectonic segments in the region, has critically affect not only the static of the castle but also the resistance from the weathering of building stones after physical dismantling large parts of the binding cement and surface from outer wall. On the basis of the above, the objective of this work is initially the collection of bibliographic data related to the stratigraphy and tectonics of the region. The results obtained, combined with the results from counting and statistical processing of various lithological types of building materials of the castle can be considered input data to form static models, in the framework of proposals for maintenance and restoration of the monument.

ABSTRACT. Beachrock (Br) is encountered on the coastal zones, playing an important but also complex role in their morphodynamic evolution. Although Br has been widely studied, two important issues require further investigation. The first concerns the importance of the interaction of the dynamically changing coastal environment with the temporal changing surficial and underground hydrogeological balance. The ssecond has to do with the spatial distribution and the evolution of Br with respect to the specific “host” coastal zone geo-environment. This paper designates the electrical resistivity method as a tool that contribute in arguing in the abovementioned issues. The research comprised subsurface measurements with the DC resistivity method along two profiles located on Vatera beach (Lesvos Island), where there is a significant Br outcrops. Twelve geoelectric soundings were carried out using the Axial Pole-Dipole electrode array. The electrical resistively measurements permitted an indirect estimation of TDS, which depicts the coastal interface of fresh water - sea water. The interpreted geoelectric model shows two thin formations attributed to Br. The first is the inland extension of the Br outcrop and the second it is believed to be a primary stage of Br build up.

ABSTRACT. The site investigated is the Amyntaio basin where a productive semi-confined aquifer is developed at the quaternary deposits. In the present study, the piezometric curves which have been extracted before the beginning of the mine activity (1992), were compared with the recent ones (2015), aiming to study their diachronic changes. From the subtraction of the two aforementioned piezometric surfaces, a significant ground water drawdown that reaches 70 m near the mine was observed. This drawdown, during the last decades, proves that the aquifer has been overexploited by both the mine of PPC -to protect the slopes and to prevent the water outflow in the mine- and the wells for irrigation purposes. The level drop extends, on the west, to the villages of Valtonera and Anargyroi and the underground water flow directs towards the mine. The Amyntaio mine can be described as a well with a diameter up to a few kilometers. The interaction of the groundwater level drawdown with the intense fragmentation and the geotechnical characteristics of the geological formations of the region triggered extensive land subsidence phenomena damaging numerous villages, infrastructures and extensive farmlands.

ABSTRACT. This study focused on samples from the Karayün Formation due to the presence of alternations of bituminous shale levels in the formation. The units observed in the study area and nearby are Oligocene Hafik, Lower Miocene Karayün and Lower-Middle Miocene Karacaören Formations and Quaternary alluvium. The studied bituminous shales are characterized by relatively high total organic carbon values up to 10.44% and S2 values ranging from 0.01 to 89.02 HC/g rock, indicating fair to excellent source rock. Most of the bituminous shales are at the immature to early mature stage for hydrocarbon generation. Generally, genetic potential values are over 2 mgHC/g rock. The HI value of samples are between 9-887 mg HC/g TOC (on average 333.62 mg HC/g TOC). On the basis of Rock-Eval pyrolysis analysis, kerogens are Type I/II and Type II/III mixed. Dominant organic matter observed in this formation is algal amorphous organic matter. TAI, SCI, Ro and Tmax evaluations indicate that maturity of the unit is between diagenesis and the early mature zone, and at the beginning of the hydrocarbon-producing stage. As a result of a series of analyses, it was found that the Karayün Formation’s bituminous levels has limited shale gas generation potential in the basin.

ABSTRACT. This paper aims to quantitatively assess water losses of Badovc Lake – Kosovo based on both water balance of the lake and water isotopic composition of H-2 and O-18. According to lake water balance, a water loss of 3,738,905 m³ for the hydrologic year 2014, was evaluated. These consistent data favour the opinion that a continuous groundwater outflow from the lake is present and it is conditioned by the intensively developed fracture system in the lake basement formations. This was also supported by the isotopic analysis (H-2 and O-18) of the sampled waters. Most of water samples taken from hydrologic components of Lake Badovc fall on a linear plot of δ2H versus δ18O showing an isotopic variation typical for waters evaporated from a lake and fits very well with Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL), while two rain water samples are isotopically lighter (more negative δ values). Water samples taken from water leakages on the right side of the dam, the piezometer, two wells drilled in the valley downstream of dam, Hajvalia mine gallery and the water flow downstream of the dam, have isotopic composition similar with that of the lake water. Water of Hajvalia mine well shows isotopic composition that falls between that of rain water and lake water. Considering δ values of rain water (δ2H= -129.6‰, δ18O= -16.56‰) and lake water (δ2H= -67.2‰, δ18O= -9.20‰) and mine water (mixture) (δ2H= -73.3‰, δ18O= -10.15‰) was found that the fraction of rain water in mine water ranges from 6% (according H-2) to 10% (according O-18), while the fraction of lake water in mine water varies from 94% (according H-2) to 90% (according O-18).

ABSTRACT. Albania despite its small territorial area is rich in mineral deposits whether they are usable or not. One of these deposits which is the source of copper ore ocurs in Kçira. The Kçira copper mine is located about 12 km to the west of the town of Puka, in Albania. Due to the rapid technological change it is easier to process data and create a 3D model of the mineral body, also increasing the accuracy of calculating the amount of mineral containment of the mineral source. This article treats the 3D modeling of the copper ore using the softwares ArcMap 10.3 and Mircomine. This model serves in reduce the time and cost for research and exploitation by facilitating the work of geologists, institutions and companies for their respective functions. Geological modeling is a recent sub-discipline of geology which integrates structural geology, sedimentology, paleoclimatology and diagenesis. The model that we obtain for this source is important because it allows us to calculate the amount of copper reserves, the amount of reserves used and the remainingamount in the source.

ABSTRACT. The Albanian plain area is densely populated. The population doubled during the last two decades and most of it uses the groundwaters of these aquifers. Aquifers in lowland areas are vulnerable to pollution.Tthis article assesses the vulnerability of groundwater Velipojeè-Zadrimè aquifer. This aquifer has a surface of 237 km2 and an average height of 10 m above sea level. Groundwater resourses are connected with alluvial deposits formed by Drini and Buna rivers.The vulnerability Map is an important tool for the management of the territory. It guides the selection of areas for development projects, in order to avoid negative consequences on the quality of groundwater. Geographic Information Systems are very valuable programe for processing. The DRASTIC method has been used to map the natural aquifer vulner-ability of the Velipoja-Zadrima study area . This method, applied to assess the vul-nerability of the aquifer, was developed by the "Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)" and "The National Association of Water Wells (NWWA)". It is a tech-nique to assess the potential contamination of groundwater and is based on seven (7) parameters: Depth (D), Recharge (R), Aquifer media (A), Soil media (S), Topog-raphy (T), Impact of vadose zone (I), and Conductivity of the aquifer (C). The DRASTIC index is determined by the sum of the products of the Weight and site rat-ings of all the parameters. High values of vulnerability cover large areas of the aq-uifer. The results provide important information for local authorities in the man-agement of resources and territory.

ABSTRACT. The current study investigates the catastrophic phenomena affecting Choremi vil-lage, at the west boundaries of the Megalopolis’ mines. For this purpose, field sur-vey was carried out, failures in the houses were recorded, the level of aquifer was measured and soil samples were collected for the conduction of laboratory tests and mineralogy analysis. The conclusions of the investigation were verified by slope stability analysis. By evaluating all available data, it is clear that the dis-placements damaging the village occur due to slope failure and swelling of the clay formations of the narrow study area.

ABSTRACT. In 24 October 2014, a high intensity storm hit Athens’ western suburbs causing ex-tensive flash flooding phenomena. The drainage and the sewerage network of the city were overwhelmed leading to catastrophic flood flows along the road network, flooding houses and businesses, sweeping away vehicles, injuring people and causing numerous problems in transportation across the city. Parts of the city were inundated for several hours, particularly in western Athens, namely Ilion, Menidi, Peristeri, Acharnai, Korydallos and Piraeus.

This work examines and reconstructs in detail the flood's characteristics, the differ-ent types of direct effects within the urban environment and the severity of its direct impacts across Athens basin. Results show a concentration of flood damages in specific locations mostly along the city's natural drainage network or derelict streams and culverts. At their peak stage, floodwaters extended to an area of 4.9 square km recording a maximum depth of 170 cm in certain locations. Eight types of direct impacts were identified in 1223 impact locations, including effects on vegetation, geomorphology, erosion, mobile objects, buildings, infrastructure and human population. A severity scale was developed allowing effects to be divided in five severity classes across the flooded area and making possible the delineation of high impact sections of the city

ABSTRACT. In this paper, the application of the framework DPSIR is presented in the coastal part of the Almyros Basin, Magnesia Prefecture. The procedure included the use of previous relevant geological, hydrological, hydrogeological and management studies, regarding the study area, the results of which are classified and assigned to the driving forces, pressures, states, impacts and responses of the DPSIR method for the area under investigation. The approach concluded to an interesting visualization of the current situation of the urban and natural environment of the study area, promoting the recognition of problems arising from the intervention of the human factor and directing environment.

ABSTRACT. Environmental groundwater resources assessment has resulted in development of models that help identify the vulnerable zones. This paper presents a GIS-based methodology, named GALDIT, aiming the assessment of aquifer vulnerability to seawater intrusion in Atalanti coastal aquifer, Central-Eastern Greece. The above acronym is formed from the most important factors controlling seawater intrusion, that is, four intrinsic hydrogeological parameters, one spatial parameter and one boundary parameter including Groundwater occurrence (aquifer type), Aquifer hydraulic conductivity, depth to groundwater Level above the sea (hydraulic head), Distance from the shore, Impact of seawater intrusion and aquifer’s Thickness. These factors include the basic requirements needed to assess the general salinization potential of each hydrogeological setting. Each parameter is evaluated with respect to the other to determine the relative importance of each factor. GALDIT model is described to assess and quantify the significance of vulnerability to seawater intrusion due to excessive groundwater withdrawals. Different thematic maps are prepared for seawater intrusion indicators and overlaid to develop the final vulnerability map. The derived map can be used as a tool for coastal groundwater resources management and areas’ determination of potential saltwater intrusion since the result of GALDIT index is classified based on vulnerability rate.

ABSTRACT. The objective of this paper is to find an appropriate Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model for fitting the monthly discharge of a karstic spring located at the North of the city of Serres (Agios Ioannis, Mount Menikio) by considering the minimum of Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Box-Jenkins methodology applies models to find the best fit of a timeseries to past values of this timeseries, in order to make forecasting and consists of a four-step iterative procedure: identification, estimation, diagnostic check and forecasting. Timeseries analysis and forecasting of hydrogological parameters such as spring discharge may be useful in decision making and optimum water resources usage. In this study, 108 monthly discharge measurements are analysed. Initial data are firstly log-transformed to normal and stationary using differencing methods. Autocorrelation and Partial Autocorrelation functions are calculated to determine the order of Autoregressive and Moving Average parameters and residuals are then checked to show the “white noise”. The spring discharge data are forecasted based on the selected model up to 2008 and are then compared with measured values. The timeseries model SARIMA (2,1,1)(1,0,1)12 could be used in monthly discharge forecasting at a short time (upcoming one year) with a simple and explicit model structure in order to help decision makers to establish priorities in terms of water demand management. Finally, the correlation coefficient between the observed and fitted data is essentially high, while the absolute and relative errors are significantly low.

ABSTRACT. PM10 suspended particles were collected from the Kardia lignite mine (July 2009), the the campus of Technological Education Institution of Western Macedonia (De-cember 2010) and the Kozani city centre (August 2005). The mineralogical composition and the amorphous materials content of the samples was determined by X-Ray Powder Diffraction method. All samples contain amorphous materials (43-66 wt.%), calcite (13-37 wt.%), micas + clays (4-9 wt.%) and quartz (2-8 wt.%), while in three samples feldspars (2-11 wt.%) were detected. Anhydrite, which is a constituent of the fly ash and the bottom ash, was detected (6 wt.%) only in one sample from the area of Kardia mine. Gypsum was detected, in the Kardia mine (2 and 3 wt.%), in the Kozani city centre (8 wt.%) and in the University campus (13 and 14 wt.%). Gypsum is a constituent of the mined lignite, the stack-gas ash and the Saharan dust. That explains the higher concentrations of gypsum in the University campus on 1st and 2nd of December 2010, where the influence of Saharan dust on the atmospheric particulate matter levels in Western Macedonia was re-ported.