HIGH POSSIL AND STRATHMORE—A STUDY OF TWO L6 CHONDRITES

High Possil and Strathmore are the first (1804) and last (1917) meteorite falls, respectively, of the three recorded in Scotland. Olivine compositions and total Fe contents in High Possil (Fa_25.2; 21.35 wt %) and Strathmore (Fa_25.3; 20.6 wt %) confirm their classification as L-group chondrites (Mason, 1963), and the presence of abundant plagioclase feldspar shows that both chondrites belong to petrologic type 6. Both chondrites display thermal and mechanical alteration attributable to moderate shock-loading appropriate to facies c (High Possil) and c-d (Strathmore) (Dodd and Jarosewich, 1979). Incipient shock-melting of metal and troilite in both chondrites is the first described from Lc chondrites, and differences in the responses of metallic and silicate minerals to shock-loading are discussed.     

3D geological modelling of the Renard 2 kimberlite pipe,Québec,Canada: from exploration to extraction

The Renard 2 kimberlite pipe is one of nine diamondiferous kimberlite pipes that form a cluster in the south-eastern portion of the Superior Province, Québec, Canada and is presently being extracted at the Renard Mine. It is interpreted as a diatreme-zone kimberlite consisting of two Kimberley-type pyroclastic units and related country rock breccias, all cross-cut by coherent kimberlite dykes and irregular intrusives. Renard 2 has been the subject of numerous diamond drilling campaigns since its discovery in 2001. The first two geological models modelled kimberlite and country rock breccia units separately. A change in modelling philosophy in 2009, which incorporated the emplacement envelope and history, modelled the entire intrusive event and projected the pipe shape to depth allowing for more targeted deep drilling where kimberlite had not yet been discovered. This targeted 2009 drilling resulted in a > 400% increase in the volume of the Indicated Resource. Modelling only the kimberlite units resulted in a significant underestimation of the pipe shape. Current open pit and underground mapping of the pipe shape corresponds well to the final 2015 geological model and contact changes observed are within the expected level of confidence for an Indicated Resource. This study demonstrates that a sound understanding of the geological emplacement is key to developing a reliable 3D geological and resource model that can be used for targeted delineation drilling, feasibility studies and during the initial stages of mining.

     

AERIAL SURVEY CAMERA TRIALS

During 1985, the opportunity arose to make some test flights with the Wild RC10A and the Zeiss (Oberkochen) RMK A 15/23 with forward motion compensation. This paper outlines the changes incorporated in modern cameras, summarises the Ordnance Survey's photogrammetric tasks, describes the test flights which were achieved and illustrates the results obtained.     

Bioerosion and carbonate mud production on high-latitude shelves

Low-latitude carbonate muds often are composed either of entire units of skeletons (e.g., algal muds) or of precipitates, whereas high-latitude carbonate muds are bioerosional or result from maceration. Bioerosion at high latitudes is most intense in the photic zone, particularly down to 25 m depth. Shelly substrata may be crushed, bitten, drilled, bored or scraped. Clionid sponges, endolithic algae, acmaeid gastropods and regular echinoids are the most significant agents. Clionids produce distinctive facetted carbonate silt chips when boring, which have been described from both high- and low-latitudes. Faecal pellets break down to yield mud-sized carbonate particles that are more irregular than those produced by maceration. Exhumed infaunal bivalves are often preferred to epifaunal organisms as substrata. Bioerosion occurs very rapidly; shells may be totally infested with boring algae in three months. A “moth-eaten” appearance therefore does not denote a relict grain. Reliable rates of fine sediment production are not yet available.

The mud fraction of northwest European shelf sediment generally contains 10–20% CaCO₃, though an inshore and offshore belt with higher values may be identified. Some Holocene supratidal mud-flats exceed 50% CaCO₃. Much of the shelf represents a modern-day equivalent of the “calcareous shale” facies common in the geological record. Instances of synsedimentary cementation are not uncommon, particularly in association with heavily burrowed muds.     

Ground motion scaling methods for different site conditions and structure characteristics

Non‐linear dynamic time‐history analyses conducted as part of a performance‐based seismic design approach often require that the ground motion records are scaled to a specified level of seismic intensity. Recent research has demonstrated that certain ground motion scaling methods can introduce a large scatter in the estimated seismic demands. The resulting demand estimates may be biased, leading to designs with significant uncertainty and unknown margins of safety, unless a relatively large ensemble of ground motion records is used. This paper investigates the effectiveness of seven ground motion scaling methods in reducing the scatter in estimated peak lateral displacement demands. Non‐linear single‐degree‐of‐freedom systems and non‐linear multi‐degree‐of‐freedom systems are considered with different site conditions (site soil profile and epicentral distance) and structural characteristics (yield strength, period, and hysteretic behavior). It is shown that scaling methods that work well for ground motions representative of stiff soil and far‐field conditions lose their effectiveness for soft soil and near‐field conditions for a wide range of structural characteristics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Watershed-scale response of groundwater recharge to inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in precipitation (Alberta,Canada)

Groundwater recharge sets a constraint on aquifer water balance in the context of water management. Historical data on groundwater and other relevant hydrological processes can be used to understand the effects of climatic variability on recharge, but such data sets are rare. The climate of the Canadian prairies is characterized by large inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in precipitation, which provides opportunities to examine the response of groundwater recharge to changes in meteorological conditions. A decadal study was conducted in a small (250 km²) prairie watershed in Alberta, Canada. Relative magnitude of annual recharge, indicated by water-level rise, was significantly correlated with a combination of growing-season precipitation and snowmelt runoff, which drives depression-focussed infiltration of meltwater. Annual precipitation was greater than vapour flux at an experimental site in some years and smaller in other years. On average precipitation minus vapour flux was 10 mm y^?1, which was comparable to the magnitude of watershed-scale groundwater recharge estimated from creek baseflow. Average baseflow showed a distinct shift from a low value (4 mm y^?1) in 1982–1995 to a high value (15 mm y^?1) in 2003–2013, indicating the sensitivity of groundwater recharge to a decadal-scale variability of meteorological conditions.     

Hydrologic factors and90Sr transport: A case study

Lack of runoff control is probably the most important potential source of problems in the operation of solid, low-level radioactive waste disposal areas. Solid waste disposal area (SWDA) 4 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is an example of the combined effects of hydrologic factors and burial ground operations on radionuclide transport. Results from a study of⁹⁰Sr transport at SWDA 4 show that both surface water and groundwater flows are important runoff control considerations and may vary in relative importance over an extended period of time. For the area studied, it is currently estimated that at least 80% of the⁹⁰Sr transport is directly related to surface runoff. Therefore, it is concluded that the key to remedial action at SWDA 4 is to control surface runoff. Research supported by the Office of Waste Operations and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract W-7405-eng-26 with Union Carbide Corporation. Publication No. 1905, Environmental Sciences Division, ORNL.