Carbonate aeolianites of western Saurashtra,India: experimental decipherment of the depositional mechanisms

Granular carbonate deposits of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene age, commonly referred to as ‘miliolite limestone’, occur in a linear belt, parallel to the southern coast of Saurashtra, India. In the present study area these carbonate deposits are found in select valleys between ridges and mounds of pyroclastic material present in the Deccan trap plateau. Two different depositional histories have been proposed for these sediments. The presence of marine bioclasts led to the postulation of a marine origin for these deposits. The second school of thought propounded redeposition of the coastal sediments by aeolian processes. Although a few features could not be explained by the proposed aeolian model, critical comparison of these two views favoured the aeolian origin. The mode of occurrence, lithological and structural attributes, and microscopic evidence presented here, also support a possible aeolian origin for these deposits. Experimental observation indicates that these carbonate aeolianites represent backflow deposits, which accumulated because of the flow separation caused by the presence of topographic highs. The conspicuous concave‐up geometry of the deposit conformed to the shape of the separation bulb. In view of the inferred depositional mechanism, the disposition of the deposits and the signature of the palaeoflow direction suggest that the carbonate particles were derived from the north‐western coast of Saurashtra by strong south‐easterly winds. Massive granular carbonates with outsized basement clasts appear to be the product of avalanching of granular material from the higher contours because of oversteepening of the primary deposit.     

Characteristics of Scour and Deposition in Front of Breakwaters Under Irregular Broken Clapotis

First the scour and deposition patterns of the sandy seabed in front of a vertical breakwater under the action of irregular broken clapotis are investigated experimentally and classified into five types: scour type Ⅰ , scour type Ⅱ, scour type Ⅲ, deposition type Ⅰ, and deposition type Ⅱ . Secondly, the processes of formation of scour and deposition patterns are probed in comparison with those induced by regular broken clapotis and standing waves. Thirdly, the criteria for distinguishing scour and deposition patterns under irregular broken clapotis are presented.     

苏、皖石炭系石灰岩的胶结作用

分析了苏、皖石炭系石灰岩的胶结作用。查明了胶结物的晶形、碳、氧同位素成分、发光特征及包体均一化温度。指出胶结作用主要发生在大气淡水补给较充分的含水层内,这与本区属海退成岩序列有关。     

真空预压联合碎石桩加固港口吹填堆场地基的试验研究

在港口工程建设中,快速加固超软弱的吹填地基,采用真空预压法是一个经济有效的方法,再联合以碎石桩加固则能进一步提高地基的承载力、减少地基工后沉降.通过真空预压联合碎石桩加固地基的现场试验以及观测资料的分析,得出真空预压联合碎石桩加固后地基的承载力特征值由原天然地基的60 kPa左右提高到220 kPa,计算结果表明打碎石桩后的地基变形模量Esp与真空预压后的Ea相比提高了1倍,联合碎石桩加固后的地基沉降量比仅经过真空预压的地基减少1/3.     

Biokarst on Limestone Coasts, Morphogenesis and Sediment Production

Abstract. Biokarst-forms on limestone coasts are developed and arranged according to the bionomic zonation. The development of biokarst is the result of bioerosion, a synergistic effect of biological corrosion by endoliths and biological abrasion by grazers.
The cumulative effect of biogenic carbonate destruction leads to coastal destruction with a resulting highly profiled morphology on the limestone surfaces along the coastal profile. Under the influence of environmental factors a zonation of organisms develops which brings in turn a zonation of erosion rates (0.1-1.1 mm a^-1) resulting in biokarst-forms such as rock holes, rock pools and notches.
Products of bioerosion on limestone coasts are dissolved carbonate (by biological corrosion, 10–30% of the decomposed limestone) and particulate carbonate (by biological abrasion, 70–90% of the decomposed limestone) both of which contribute directly or indirectly to nearshore sedimentation. Size and shape of the bioerosional grains are determined by the boring pattern of the endoliths. The fine-grained sediments (maximum within the fraction 20–63 μm) contribute 3–25 % to the nearshore sediments.
Drastic changes in the biological zonation (like the mass invasion of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in the Northern Adriatic since 1972 which eliminated nearly the entire macrophyte zone) due to unknown factors or pollution can have a profound effect on the bioerosion rates, altering them by as much as a factor of ten.     

微生物对碳酸盐岩的风化作用

微生物-矿物相互作用可以促进许多表生生物地球化学反应过程,是表生地球化学研究的重要内容。通过综合岩石表面的微生物类群及其地质作用,分析碳酸盐岩微生物风化的各种现象,特别是微观尺度上的各种形态,阐述碳酸盐岩的微生物风化机制与风化产物,笔者提出微生物对碳酸盐岩风化的4种途径:(1)通过微生物在岩石表面和缝隙中生长,导致岩石表层发生生物溶蚀、生物磨蚀和生物钻孔作用,加速岩石风化进程;(2)微生物群体形成的钻孔网络可以增强岩石化学溶蚀的有效表面积并导致其表面强度减弱而促进机械侵蚀作用,微生物对周围岩石颗粒胶结结构的破坏、疏松作用也会导致岩石矿物颗粒的分解;(3)微生物的持水作用,微生物分泌的有机酸以及微生物呼吸所释放的CO2对岩表水分的酸化过程亦加速岩石矿物的分解;(4)微生物生长过程中从岩石内摄取营养元素和产生复杂的有机配体,能促进矿物元素的释放。文中提出在开展微生物对碳酸盐岩风化过程和机理研究的基础上,有必要引入微生物生物技术来综合开发本地低品位含钾磷矿产资源,加速岩溶地区山地土壤的形成与演化。     

Quantitative study of landscape patterns in homogenous carbonate rock distributed regions in Guizhou

With the utilization of GIS software, research is conducted on （a） the characteristics of cells, fragmentation, and patch fractal of landscape based on homogenous carbonate rocks in Guizhou; （b） causes of the formation of these characteristics. It has been found that under the influence of lithology, the landscape of the study region as a whole shows consistency, yet embodies distinct diversity inside. The consistency is embodied in the following aspects： （a） the preponderant landscape consists of bushes and small woods; （b） secondary landscape is characteristic of forests and grounds covered with grass; （c） of all the patches making up the study area small patches are in the majority, with positive-skewed distribution of patches-as a result, steep peaks are characteristic of the charts showing the distribution of patches. The factor of scale is not taken into account in the study of patches. The shapes of patches tend to be regular with strong disturbances from human activities, and consequently, the values of fractal dimensions of landscape types tend to get smaller. The fragmentation of patches is more apparent in landscape under influence of human activities than the one without these disturbances. Compared with regions characteristic of homogenous dolomite, the characteristics of homogenous limestone areas are described as follows： （a） low utilization rate of water resource; （b） uneven distribution of diversified landscape; （c） weak resistance against disturbances from human activities; （d） the continuous degradation, ever-increasing fragmentation, intensification of spatial heterogeneity, and the deteriorating stability of landscape.     

泥晶灰岩地层孔壁坍塌掉块现象及处理

在灰岩地区钻探施工过程中，常见孔壁坍塌、掉块现象，尤其在含泥晶灰岩地层分布区钻进过程中，这种现象尤为突出，轻则影响钻探施工效率，重则造成钻探孔内事故。针对孔内坍塌、掉块现象的征兆及特点，提出了相对应的处理办法。     

Construction Problems on the Karstified Limestone Tuffs of Condeixa, Central Portugal: A Case Study

During the excavations for the foundations of a three storey building on the limestone tuffs of Condeixa, Central Portugal, a large dissolution fissure and smaller dissolution voids were found. Since the area has never been the subject of engineering geology investigation, it was decided to evaluate the risk associated with the construction of the building. These limestone tuffs were formed in a continental environment by the precipitation of calcite carried by the water coming from the large limestone body in the east. The precipitated calcite mixed with the terrigenous materials and around trunks and leaves of plants, originating a very heterogeneous and porous ground, which is characteristic of limestone tuffs. The study started with a detailed geological survey followed by a large number of destructive drillings, located essentially under the pad foundations. The results revealed several karstic cavities with serious problems for the building foundations and the structure, and many smaller dissolution cavities, often filled with clayey soils. The ground treatment solutions used included, dental cleaning, filling with concrete or granular material the dissolution structures accessible at the level of the foundation, reinforcement of the footing and the structure of the building and adding a continuous foundation beam to hold the foundations together. The cost of the engineering geology study, site investigation, ground treatment, and the reinforcement of the foundation and building, increased the total construction cost from 2%, at the design stage, to 4.8%.     

Stable isotopic signature of a palaeoaquifer, Mississippian Alamogordo Member limestones, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA

Nine stratigraphic sections, each ≈5 m thick, were sampled from the Alamogordo Member limestones of the Lake Valley Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Four stratigraphic sections consist entirely of lime mudstone and wackestone, whereas the other five sections have a prominent layer of crinoidal packstone about 1 m thick at their base. Stable isotopic analyses reveal that the lime muds in the sections with basal packstone layers show a downward decrease in δ¹⁸O and constant δ¹³C values, whereas those in the sections solely composed of lime mudstone and wackestone have, in general, relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values. The diagenesis of the Alamogordo Member limestones was previously believed to have been governed by the downward percolation of meteoric water from a regional pre-Pennsylvanian exposure surface ≈100 m above this unit. However, the uniform δ¹³C and downward decrease in δ¹⁸O values in the lime muds in the sections with basal packstones indicate that the meteoric water ascended within the Alamogordo Member, rather than descended from the overlying exposure surface. This indicates that the basal packstones were probably a conduit for meteoric water. This is further supported indirectly by the relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values of the lime mud in the sections without basal packstones. The implications are that the oxygen isotopic gradients may be used to identify palaeoaquifers, flow directions within these aquifers and that meteoric diagenesis below an exposure surface could be governed by flow through a palaeoaquifer.