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The objective of this work is to propose a standard classification of seismic signals generated by gravitational processes and detected at close distances ( km). We review the studies where seismic instruments have been installed on unstable slopes and discuss the choice of the seismic instruments and the network geometries. Seismic observations acquired at 13 unstable slopes are analyzed in order to construct the proposed typology. The selected slopes are affected by various landslide types (slide, fall, topple and flow) triggered in various material (from unconsolidated soils to consolidated rocks). We investigate high-frequency bands (>1 Hz) where most of the seismic energy is recorded at the 1 km sensor to source distances. Several signal properties (duration, spectral content and spectrogram shape) are used to describe the sources. We observe that similar gravitational processes generate similar signals at different slopes. Three main classes can be differentiated mainly from the length of the signals, the number of peaks and the duration of the autocorrelation. The classes are the “slopequake” class, which corresponds to sources potentially occurring within the landslide body; the “rockfall” class, which corresponds to signals generated by rock block impacts; and the “granular flow” class, which corresponds to signals generated by wet or dry debris/rock flows. Subclasses are further proposed to differentiate specific signal properties (frequency content, resonance, precursory signal). The signal properties of each class and subclass are described and several signals of the same class recorded at different slopes are presented. Their potential origins are discussed. The typology aims to serve as a standard for further comparisons of the endogenous microseismicity recorded on landslides.

We describe in this paper different improvements that were brought to the installation of seismic broadband stations deployed by the Observatoire de Grenoble (OSUG) in the northern French Alps. This work was realized in the frame of a French-Italian ALCOTRA project (RISE), aimed at modernizing the broadband seismic networks across our common border. We had the opportunity with this project to improve some of our seismic recording sites, both in term of sensor installation quality, and in term of reliability. We detail in particular the thermal and barometric protection system that we designed and show its effect on the reduction of long period noise above 20 s.

Contraction of urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) is caused by the release of ATP and ACh from parasympathetic nerves. Although both purinergic and muscarinic pathways are important to contraction, their relative contributions and signalling mechanisms are not well understood. Here, the contributions of each pathway to urinary bladder contraction and the underlying electrical and Ca2+ signalling events were examined in UBSM strips from wild type mice and mice deficient in P2X1 receptors (P2X1−/−) before and after pharmacological inhibition of purinergic and muscarinic receptors. Electrical field stimulation was used to excite parasympathetic nerves to increase action potentials, Ca2+ flash frequency, and force. Loss of P2X1 function not only eliminated action potentials and Ca2+ flashes during stimulation, but it also led to a significant increase in Ca2+ flashes following stimulation and a corresponding increase in the force transient. Block of muscarinic receptors did not affect action potentials or Ca2+ flashes during stimulation, but prevented them following stimulation. These findings indicate that nerve excitation leads to rapid engagement of smooth muscle P2X1 receptors to increase action potentials (Ca2+ flashes) during stimulation, and a delayed increase in excitability in response to muscarinic receptor activation. Together, purinergic and muscarinic stimulation shape the time course of force transients. Furthermore, this study reveals a novel inhibitory effect of P2X1 receptor activation on subsequent increases in muscarinic-driven excitability and force generation.