Microstructural characteristics of the Whitby Mudstone Formation (UK)

When trying to improve gas productivity from unconventional sources a first aim is to understand gas storage and gas flow potential through the rock by investigating the microstructure, mineralogy and matrix porosity of unfractured shale. The porosity and mineralogy of the Mulgrave Shale member of the Whitby Mudstone Formation (UK) were characterized using a combination of microscopy, X-ray diffraction and gas adsorption methods on samples collected from outcrops. The Whitby Mudstone is an analogue for the Dutch Posidonia Shale which is a possible unconventional source for gas. The Mulgrave shale member of the Whitby Mudstone Formation can microstructurally be subdivided into a fossil rich (>15%) upper half and a sub-mm mineralogically laminated lower half. All clasts are embedded within a fine-grained matrix (all grains < 2 μm) implying that any possible flow of gas will depend on the porosity and the pore network present within this matrix. The visible SEM porosity (pore diameter > 100 nm) is in the order of 0.5–2.5% and shows a non-connected pore network in 2D. Gas adsorption (N2, Ar, He) porosity (pore diameters down to 2 nm) has been measured to be 0.3–7%. Overall more than 40% of the visible porosity is present within the matrix. Comparing the Whitby Mudstone Formation to other (producing) gas shales shows that the rock plots in the low porosity and high clay mineral content range, which could imply that Whitby Mudstone shales could be less favourable to mechanical fracturing than other gas shales. Estimated permeability indicates values in the micro-to nano-darcy range.     

Effects of Mudstone Particle Content on Shear Strength of a Crushed Sandstone–Mudstone Particle Mixture

The present study focuses on the shear strength, deformation, and particle crushing of sand which is mixed by crushed sandstone and mudstone particles. Two triaxial tests—one for unsaturated specimens and the other for saturated specimens—were performed, along with sieve analysis tests. Results obtained from the triaxial tests indicate that, with the increment of the mudstone particle content by weight, the angle of internal friction decreases, the cohesion increases and then decreases, and both the initial angle of shearing resistance at the atmospheric pressure and decremental angle increase and then decrease. Compared to the unsaturated specimens, the deviator stress or normalized deviator stress of the saturated specimens at the same axial stress may decrease due to the wetting action. Thus, the shear strength of the tested materials may be reduced by the wetting action. Results of sieve analysis tests indicate that the mixing of some mudstone particles into the sandstone particle mixture may reduce the amount of particle crushing, but the wetting action may increase the amount. The amount of the crushed particle may arrive at a minimum of 40% of mudstone particle content by weight.     

滇西双江县勐库地区临沧花岗岩中暗色包体锆石U-Pb年代学及其地质意义

位于三江南段双江勐库地区的临沧花岗岩,主体岩性为黑云母二长花岗岩,其次为黑云母花岗闪长岩和碱长花岗岩。通过野外地质调查,在勐库热水塘附近黑云二长花岗岩中发现了与其紧密共生的暗色镁铁质微粒包体(MME)—闪长岩。本文对暗色闪长岩包体进行了岩相学观察、LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年和全岩主量元素分析。暗色闪长岩包体LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为230.9±1.2Ma,与中细粒黑云二长花岗岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄(229.2±0.8Ma)基本一致。岩石地球化学特征表明,黑云二长花岗岩富K2O和Na2O,Na2OK2O,富Al2O3,铝饱和指数A/CNK平均为1.17;闪长岩K2O和Na2O含量中等,Na2OK2O,富Al2O3和Mg O,铝饱和指数A/CNK平均为0.77。二者稀土配分曲线为右倾的轻稀土富集型,二者均富集大离子亲石元素而亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta等,均具有相对较高的Mg#(黑云二长花岗岩30.50~61.41;闪长岩58.58~67.34)。中细粒黑云二长花岗岩Cr、Ni含量(平均值分别为46.96×10-6和11.21×10-6)小于闪长岩Cr、Ni含量(平均值分别为197.62×10-6和75.68×10-6)。综合研究表明,该地区花岗质岩浆的形成很可能与地幔流体作用引发的地壳部分熔融与壳幔岩浆混合作用密切相关,形成于陆陆碰撞-后碰撞的构造背景,暗示保山地块与思茅地块在230Ma已经进入了陆陆碰撞-后碰撞的地质时期。     

陶器资源——江西红土岩开发

依据江西红土岩物质组成特征及与宜兴紫砂土的相似性，对江西红土岩进行了较系统的陶器实验与研究。江西红土岩系的化学成分、矿物成分及工艺特征适合陶器要求。按其分布规律和物质组成特征可分成两类：酸性红土岩和碱性红土岩。在详细分析两类岩系工艺性质的基础上，对江西红土岩这一陶器资源进行了产品开发。     

Wide-Field Camera for Gravitational Microlensing Survey: MOA-cam2

We have constructed a large, mosaic CCD camera called MOA-cam2 which has 4096 × 6144-pixelsto search for gravitational microlensing events. MOA-cam2 has three4096 × 2048-pixel SITe CCD chips, which have a very high quantum efficiency (nearly 80% in the wave region 500 to 800 nm),and three buttable sides. We have placed the threechips side by side with 100 m dead space. MOA-cam2 has been installed on the 61 cm Boller and Chivens telescope of the MOA collaboration at the Mt. John University Observatory (MJUO) in NewZealand since July 1998. The field coverage is 0.92° × 1.38° per exposure. The technical details of MOA-cam2 and the first images obtained with the Boller and Chivens telescope are presented. MOA-cam2 introduces a second phase of research on gravitational microlensing by the MOA collaboration.     

相控误差法在少井区岩性分布研究中的应用

以塔里木盆地东北地区石炭系为例进行少井波阻抗反演,以此结果研究砂泥岩发育位置、剖面形态和厚度.波阻抗资料可分辨最小厚度为20 m,比常规剖面分辨率(30 m)高,可用于沉积相分析.但是用波阻抗资料进行泥岩视厚度计算,所得结果与钻井揭示厚度相比,相对误差为 12%~-15%.经过误差分析得知,相对误差与含泥率服从单峰态分布规律,且受沉积相控制.采用相控误差法校正泥岩视厚度得到真厚度,计算结果为勘探阶段烃源岩预测提供科学依据.     

金沙江某库区东爷庙滑坡成因分析及稳定性评价

文章在对滑坡周界确定和滑坡体特征研究基础之上,从岩性条件、地质构造及地下水等方面详细分析了滑坡成因。该滑坡发生在侏罗系沙溪庙组(J2s)缓倾角红层中,地层岩性为河湖相紫红色泥质粉砂岩、泥岩和灰绿色粉砂岩互层,软硬相间,该套地层的岩性内在差异构成了滑坡产生的岩性条件。加上边坡呈顺向坡结构,顺坡向节理发育,坡角临空,岩体沿着软弱层发生滑移-拉裂破坏。通过对滑坡进行稳定性计算和分析,结果表明:该滑坡在天然状态、蓄水或地震等不利条件下,整体仍处于稳定状态,只是在相对较陡的滑坡体前缘和库水位附近地形较陡的局部部位,蓄水后可能会产生小规模失稳,但其方量不会太大,加上离坝址较远,所以不会危及工程安全。因此,通过对滑坡成因分析和稳定性评价,为工程建设和移民安置工作提供了重要的保证。     

Early star formation and the evolution of the stellar initial mass function in galaxies

It has frequently been suggested in the literature that the stellar IMF in galaxies was top-heavy at early times. This would be plausible physically if the IMF depended on a mass-scale such as the Jeans mass that was higher at earlier times because of the generally higher temperatures that were present then. In this paper it is suggested, on the basis of current evidence and theory, that the IMF has a universal Salpeter-like form at the upper end, but flattens below a characteristic stellar mass that may vary with time. Much of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, including the ubiquitous G-dwarf problem, the high abundance of heavy elements in clusters of galaxies, and the high rate of formation of massive stars in high-redshift galaxies, can be accounted for with such an IMF if the characteristic stellar mass was several times higher during the early stages of galaxy evolution. However, significant variations in the mass-to-light ratios of galaxies and large amounts of dark matter in stellar remnants are not as easily explained in this way, because they require more extreme and less plausible assumptions about the form and variability of the IMF. Metal-free 'population III' stars are predicted to have an IMF that consists exclusively of massive stars, and they could help to account for some of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, as well as contributing importantly to the energetics and chemical enrichment of the early Universe.     

Dark haloes of spiral galaxies: ISO photometry

We exclude hydrogen-burning stars, of any mass above the hydrogen-burning limit and any metallicity, as significant contributors to the massive haloes deduced from rotation curves to dominate the outer parts of spiral galaxies. We present and analyse images of four nearly edge-on bulgeless spiral galaxies (UGC 711, NGC 2915, UGC 12426, UGC 1459) obtained with ISOCAM (The CAMera instrument on board the Infrared Space Observatory ) at 14.5 and 6.75 μm. Our sensitivity limit for detection of any diffuse infrared emission associated with the dark haloes in these galaxies is a few tens of μJy per 6 × 6 arcsec² pixel, with this limit currently set by remaining difficulties in modelling the non-linear behaviour of the detectors. All four galaxies show zero detected signal from extended non-disc emission, consistent with zero halo-like luminosity density distribution. The 95 per cent upper limit on any emission, for NGC 2915 in particular, allows us to exclude very low mass main-sequence stars ( M  > 0.08 M⊙) and young brown dwarfs (≲1 Gyr) as significant contributors to dark matter in galactic haloes. Combining our results with those of the Galactic microlensing surveys, which exclude objects with M  < 0.01 M⊙, excludes almost the entire possible mass range of compact baryonic objects from contributing to Galactic dark matter.