Mineralogical and geochemical investigation of clay-rich mine tailings from a closed phosphate mine, Bartow Florida, USA

Clay-rich mine tailings from phosphate mine operations in Florida are a major environmental and economic problem. Options for reclamation and restoration for these tailings are very limited and are fundamentally restricted by poor physical properties such as low mechanical strength, low hydraulic conductivity, and heavy metal content. The major control on these bulk physical properties is the mineralogy of the materials. Eight continuous push borings were obtained to investigate stratigraphy, mineralogy, aspects of geochemistry, and bulk properties of a deposit of clay-rich mine tailings from a phosphate mine near Bartow, Florida that ceased operations in the early 1970s. Stratigraphy is dominated by laminated clay-rich sediment with minor units of silt and sand. An intact kaolinite liner occurs near the impoundment walls and the impoundment floor has approximately 4 m of relief. Moisture content varies from 4.35 to 57.40 wt% and organic content varies from 0.41 to 9.53 wt%. Bulk XRF investigation indicates that the P₂O₅ concentrations vary from approximately 4 to 21 wt%. A very strong correlation (r ² = 0.92) between CaO and P₂O₅ indicates that apatite is a major control on the phosphate. The strong correlation (r ² = 0.77) of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ suggests that the source materials for this deposit are comparatively uniform. A number of heavy metal elements and trace elements occur. Cr, V, Ni, Cu are interpreted to be in phosphate minerals, largely apatite. Sr and Pb are interpreted to be in both phyllosilicates and phosphate minerals. Two populations of apatite were observed in the clay-sized fraction, one that was Fe and Si- bearing and another that was only Si-bearing. Fe-bearing apatite had Fe₂O₃ contents that varied from 0.38 to 5.32 wt% and SiO₂ contents that varied from 0.90 to 3.32 wt%. The other apatite population had a wider range of SiO₂ contents that varied from 0.77 to 8.80 wt%. TEM imaging shows that apatite grains are dominantly single crystals with lesser amounts of aggregates. Wavellite commonly occurs as individual or clusters of lath-like crystals and the chemical composition differs from the pure aluminium phosphate end member with average concentrations of components being that of CaO (1.57 wt%), Fe₂O₃ (1.98 wt%), SiO₂ (5.94 wt%). In the clay-sized phosphate minerals investigated no fluorine was found above detection limit (approximately 0.15 wt%), nor was any uranium, radium, heavy metal, or REE element detected. The phyllosilicate mineralogy of the deposit is dominated by smectite (montmorillonite with lesser amounts of nontronite), palygorskite, illite and kaolinite. No systematic variation in the relative proportions of phyllosilicates was observed in the clay deposit. Energy dispersive spectroscopy EDS analysis indicates that chemical compositions of phyllosilicates are somewhat typical but overall are enriched with respect to Fe compared to theoretical end members. The relative enrichment of Fe is interpreted to be a primary sedimentary feature. Ca content in smectite minerals is high and may inhibit stabilization using lime or similar methods. The high percentages of montmorillonite and palygorskite explain the high bulk water contents observed. This investigation provides fundamentally new details regarding clay tailing deposits from closed phosphate mines in central Florida which can be used in restoration and reclamation efforts.     

Fluxes of iron and manganese across the sediment–water interface under various redox conditions

Fluxes of dissolved forms of iron and manganese across the sediment–water interface were studied in situ in the Gulf of Finland and the Vistula Lagoon (Baltic Sea), and in the Golubaya Bay (Black Sea) from 2001 to 2005. Fluxes were measured using chamber incubations, and sediment cores were collected and sliced to assess the porewater and solid phase metal distribution at different depths. Measured and calculated benthic fluxes of manganese and iron were directed out of sediment for all sites and were found to vary between 70–4450 and 5–1000 µmole m^− 2 day^− 1 for manganese and iron, respectively. The behavior of the studied metals at various redox conditions in the near-bottom water and in the sediment was the main focus in this study. Our results show the importance of bottom water redox conditions for iron fluxes. We measured no fluxes at oxic conditions, intermediate fluxes at anoxic conditions (up to 200 μmole m^− 2 day^− 1) and high fluxes at suboxic conditions (up to 1000 μmole m^− 2 day^− 1). Total dissolved iron fluxes were generally dominated by iron(II). Contribution of iron(III) to the total iron flux did not exceed 20%. Obtained fluxes of manganese at all studied regions showed a linear correlation (r² = 0.97) to its concentration in the porewater of the top sediment layer (0–5 mm) and did not depend on dissolved oxygen concentrations of bottom water. Organically complexed iron and manganese were in most cases not involved in the benthic exchange processes.     

WSO-UV—ultraviolet mission for the next decade

The World Space Observatory UltraViolet (WSO–UV) is an international space mission devoted to UV spectroscopy and imaging. The observatory includes a 170 cm aperture telescope capable of high-resolution and long slit low-resolution spectroscopy, and deep UV and optical imaging. The observatory is designed for observations in the ultraviolet domain where most of astrophysical processes can be efficiently studied with unprecedented capability.     

On the composition and differentiation of Ceres

The dwarf planet Ceres has a density of 2040-2250 kg m⁻³, and a dark non-icy surface with signs of hydrated minerals. As opposed to a differentiated internal structure with a nonporous rocky core and a water mantle, there are arguments for undifferentiated porous interior structure. Ceres’ mass and dimensions are uncertain and do not exclude undifferentiated interior even if hydrostatic equilibrium is attained. The rocky surface may be inconsistent with a large-scale water-rock differentiation. A differentiated structure with a thick water mantle below a rocky crust is gravitationally unstable and an overturn would have led to abundant surface salt deposits, which are not observed. A formation of hydrated surface minerals caused by internal heating implies a major density increase through devolatilization of the interior. A later accumulation of hydrated materials is inconsistent with anhydrous surfaces of many asteroids and with a low rate of the cosmic dust deposition in the inner Solar System. Ceres’ internal pressures (<140-200 MPa) are insufficient to significantly reduce porosity of chondritic materials and there is no need for abundant water phases to be present to account for the bulk density. Having the porosity of ordinary chondrites (∼10%), Ceres can consist of rocks with the grain density of pervasively hydrated CI carbonaceous chondrites. However, additional low-density phases (e.g., water ice) require to be present in the body with the grain density of CM chondrites. The likely low-density mineralogy of the interior implies Ceres’ accretion from pervasively aqueously altered carbonaceous planetesimals depleted in short-lived radionuclide ²⁶Al. Abundant water ice may not have accreted. Limited heat sources after accretion may not have caused major mineral dehydration leading to formation of water mantle. These inferences can be tested with the Dawn spacecraft in 2015.     

Multiple instabilities and modes of glacial rhythmicity in the plio-Pleistocene: a general theory of late Cenozoic climatic change

It has been noted that several distinct modes of glacial oscillation have existed during the past few million years, ranging from low-amplitude, high-frequency oscillations in the early Pliocene, through relatively high amplitude, predominantly near-40 ky period, oscillations in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, to the major near-100 ky period oscillations of the late Pleistocene. In addition to other plausible mechanisms suggested previously to explain aspects of this multirhythmic phenomenon, we now illustrate another possible contributor to this type of behavior based on the hypothesis that the slow-response climatic system is bistable and that two kinds of internal instability may be operative along with externally imposed forcing due to earth-orbital (Milankovitch) radiation changes and slow, tectonically-induced changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. These two instabilities have been discussed previously: one is due to positive feedback in the global carbon cycle leading to near-100 ky free oscillations of the ice sheets, and the other is due to the potential for ice-calving catastrophes associated with bedrock variations that can lead to oscillations of a period near 40 ky, independent of obliquity forcing. Within the framework of a dynamical model containing the possibility for these two instabilities, as well as for stable modes, we show (1) how Milankovitch radiative changes or stochastic forcing influencing ice sheets can induce aperiodic (chaotic) transitions between the possible stable and unstable modes, and more significantly, (2) how progressive, long-term, tectonically-induced, changes in carbon dioxide, acting in concert with earth-orbital radiative variations in high Northern Hemisphere latitudes, can force systematic transitions between the modes. Such systematic changes can result in an ice mass chronology for the past 5 My that is qualitatively similar to the observed record of global ice mass. In essence, we have constructed a minimum dynamical model of the late Cenozoic climatic changes, containing what are believed to be the main physical factors determining these changes: ice mass, bedrock depression, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, deep ocean thermohaline state, Milankovitch radiation forcing, and slow tectonically-induced carbon dioxide forcing. This model forms the basis for a coherent theory for the complex climatic events of this long period.     

Density inhomogeneities, isostasy and flexural rigidity of the lithosphere in the Transcaspian region

The 3-D lithospheric-density model for the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea and the Transcaspian area, practically coinciding with the territory of the Turkmen Republic, has been constructed based on geophysical data and in accordance with the principle of isostasy. From the model selected the anomalous density of the subcrustal layer between the Moho discontinuity and the 100-km depth level is found to be — 100 kg/m³ under the Tien-Shan, − 50 kg/m³ under the Kopet-Dag mountain area, + 80 kg/m³ under the central region of the South Caspian basin, −50 kg/m³ under the eastern part of the basin, known as the West Turkmenian depression, and + 45 kg/m³ under the Murgab depression.

Significant disturbances of the local isostasy are determined both in the northern and central areas of the South Caspian basin and also in the area of the Kara-Bogaz swell of the Turan platform and for the Kopet-Dag foredeep. indicating a high level of stresses in the lithosphere. The shape of the Turan plate determined by the seismic profiling is accounted for by elastic deformation resulting from the forces acting on the southern edge of the plate in the area of the Turan plate-Kopet-Dag collision. The elastic thickness of the Turan plate is estimated as 25 ± 5 km. The results obtained seem to confirm the idea that the decomposition of the Turan plate has taken place in the zone of the plates interaction and the decomposed material is situated under the Kopet-Dag ridge.

We propose that the Kara-Bogaz swell is supported by the mantle material upwelling whereas the subsidence of the adjacent part of the South Caspian basin may be due to the downgoing mantle flow i.e., a small convection cell is suggested in that area.