An investigation of subglacial processes at the microscale from Briksdalsbreen, Norway

The subglacial processes at Briksdalsbreen, Norway, are examined by a combination of sedimentology, thin section and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of till samples from an exposed subglacial surface and from beneath the glacier. Studies of a fluted surface indicate that subglacial deformation is occurring on a field scale with flutes forming behind most clasts 0·6 m high. At the thin section scale (0·014–2·0 mm) it is seen that deformation is by rotation and attenuation and is dependent on till texture. At the SEM scale (0·1–0·4 mm) it is seen that erosion is controlled by abrasion and percussion which produces distinct grain ‘styles’ as part of an erosional continuum. Overall it is shown that rotation and attenuation is a dominant process at all scales and that the clast interactions associated with different scale perturbations within the shear zone control erosion and deposition, as well as landform and fabric production.     

GGR Critical Review of Analytical Developments in 2004–2005

In 2005 Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research embarked upon a new initiative for its readers. Key researchers in various fields of geoanalytical technique development and their application were identified and invited to provide reviews pertinent to their expertise. As noted in the first of these publications "…instead of revisiting the historical context or decades of development in each analytical technique, the goal here has been to capture a snapshot of "hot topics" across a range of fields as represented in the… literature" (Hergt et al . 2005). Rather than prepare an annual review, a decision was taken earlier this year to provide a biennial summary of progress and accomplishments, in this case for the years 2004–2005. The principal techniques employed in Earth and environmental sciences are covered here, and include laser ablation and multicollector ICP-MS, ICP-AES, thermal ionisation and secondary ion mass spectrometry, as well as neutron activation analysis, X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectrometry. A comprehensive review of the development of reference materials, often essential to these techniques, is also provided. The contributions assembled serve both to keep readers informed of advances they may be unfamiliar with, but also as a means of showcasing examples of the breadth and depth of work being conducted in these fields.     

Evaluation of three waterborne polymers as stabilizers for sandy soil

This study reports on waterborne polymer emulsion systems that were used for structural modification of sandy soils. The first emulsion used was a styrene-acrylic, copolymer emulsion; the second and third were vinyl-acrylic, copolymer-based emulsions. Specimens were prepared by adding different polymer emulsions to the sand and water in prescribed amounts. The performance of the different emulsion systems as sand stabilizers was estimated through measurement of the hydraulic conductivity and compressive strength. Measurements of hydraulic conductivity were conducted in a flexible membrane test apparatus. The hydraulic conductivity for the three emulsions decreased at different rates, with an increase in polymer content up to 3 wt. (i.e., % by weight). Additional increase of polymer content did not introduce significant decrease in hydraulic conductivity, and, at 5 wt.%, the three emulsions had essentially the same effect. Measurements made on dry cylindrical specimens disclosed remarkable enhancement in the mechanical behavior of the system. The compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the examined emulsions increased with a higher concentration of polymer. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the reduction in the permeability and the improved mechanical properties can be attributed to three dominant structural changes: the development of interconnecting ties between the sand particles, the development of adhesion between neighboring sand particles in contact, and the covering of the sand particles with a thin polymer film.     

利用激光强度信息分类激光扫描测高数据

三维机载激光扫描测高数据中不仅含有每个激光脚点的位置和高程信息，而且越来越多的系统同时能提供激光脚点回波信号的强度信息。不同反射面介质对激光信号的反射特性不一样．用实测的数据对激光回波信号的强度信息进行统计标定，并基于标定结果．实现了联合激光强度信息和高程信息进行分类的算法．获得了较为满意的结果。     

ODP204航次天然气水合物的可能有利储层——浊积层

为了解岩性在天然气水合物分布中的作用, 利用岩矿鉴定、扫描电镜和能谱法对ODP204航次的 4个站位 10个钻孔共计 115个沉积物样品进行分析, 发现沉积物中矿物成分基本相近, 以粘土矿物为主, 含少量以石英为主的陆源碎屑。样品中含有丰富的硅藻和有孔虫等微体化石, 可形成硅藻粘土—硅藻土、有孔虫硅藻土或凝灰质硅质生物粘土。石英碎屑大多呈棱角状, 粒径小、含量少, 同时, 样品中可见透镜体、团块或旋涡状层状结构以及杂乱堆积的斑杂构造。上述特征表明沉积物为含有大量深海或半深海的浊流沉积物或其夹层。由于钻井岩心中有相当部分的天然气水合物样品分布在上述沉积物中, 推断这些浊流沉积物很可能是ODP204航次天然气水合物的有利储层。     

激光剥蚀等离子体质谱分析中激光剥蚀参数对信号响应的影响

探讨了激光剥蚀等离子体质谱固体微区分析中激光剥蚀参数对元素分析信号灵敏度及稳定性的影响。这些参数包括激光功率、脉冲频率、剥蚀孔经、散焦距离、剥蚀方式等。讨论了优化的激光剥蚀等离子体质谱信号采集及数据处理方式。在全质量范围内选用具有代表性的元素作为研究对象,建立了激光剥蚀的一般性特征规律和266nm紫外激光系统的最佳操作条件。在选定的激光剥蚀参数下,大多数被测元素的检出限为22.8~457ng/g,能够满足固体微区分析的要求。     

"嫦娥"卫星绕月飞行轨道的激光测定法

依据地月激光测距的成功实践和对卫星激光定轨的基础研究,提出了用地面对嫦娥卫星作激光测距的方法,高精度地测定嫦娥卫星绕月飞行时的实时在轨位置,论述了多站激光定轨和单站激光定轨的解算数模。     

Combined Digital Photogrammetry and Time-of-Flight Laser Scanning for Monitoring Cliff Evolution

Although cliffs form approximately 75% of the world's coastline, the understanding of the processes through which they evolve remains limited because of a lack of quantitative data on the morphological changes they undergo. In this paper the combination of terrestrial time-of-flight laser scanning with high-resolution digital photogrammetry is examined to generate high-quality data-sets pertaining to the geomorphic processes governing cliff development. The study was undertaken on a section of hard rock cliffs in North Yorkshire, UK, which has been monitored over a 12-month period. High-density, laser-scanned point clouds have been used to produce an accurate representation of these complex surfaces, free from the optical variations that degrade photographic data. These data-sets have been combined with high-resolution photographic monitoring, resampled with the fixed accuracies of the terrestrial laser survey, to generate a new approach to recording the volumetric changes in complex coastal cliffs. This has led to significant improvements in the understanding of the activity patterns of coastal cliffs.     

Spectral Filtering and Classification of Terrestrial Laser Scanner Point Clouds

A method is presented for filtering and classification of terrestrial laser scanner point clouds. The algorithm exploits the four-channel (blue, green, red and near infrared) multispectral imaging capability of some terrestrial scanners using supervised, parametric classification to assign thematic class labels to all scan cloud points. Its principal advantage is that it is a completely data-driven algorithm and is independent of spatial sampling resolution since the processing is performed in four-dimensional spectral feature space. Its application to two data-sets of different spatial extent and spatial and spectral complexity is reported, for which respective overall classification accuracies of 87·0% and 82·0% were achieved. Analysis of the input data with emphasis on the characteristics pertinent to the anticipated outcomes precedes detailed analysis of the classification results and error sources and their causes. Erroneously classified points are attributed to radiometric errors stemming from both detector hardware and physical effects.     

3D characterization of coarse aggregates

A new and accurate characterization method for dimensions, shape and roughness of aggregate particles has been developed. The method is based on the 3D-laser scanning technique and evaluation of coarse-grain aggregate-particle images. Parameters are obtained with either analytical Fourier analysis or geometrical analysis. The results from the two methods are compared with each other as well as with manual measurements. Although the Fourier-based analysis gives about 10% smaller size values, the comparison of the results shows, in general, a good agreement between the different techniques. This new method for analysis of coarse-grain aggregates gives reliable results for both the shape and topographical parameters of particles.