Characteristics, development and utilization of geothermal resources- a Nordic perspective

Geothermal energy is classified as a renewable energy source and it utilizes the heat generated in the earth primarily from the natural radioactive decay of isotopes of uranium, thorium and potassium. Heat is extracted from the earth to generate geothermal energy via a carrier, usually water occurring either in the liquid or steam phase. In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the first developments of geothermal resources for power generation and household heating got underway successfully. Many of these geothermal fields are still being utilized today, proving their sustainability. Today geothermal energy is being utilized in more than 72 countries around the world and of the Nordic countries Iceland and Sweden have been in the forefront in each of their respective fields. While geothermal heat pumps are widely used for space heating in Sweden, geothermal energy covers 55% of the primary energy consumption in Iceland where it is used for space heating, power generation and industrial purposes. Future developments aim at expanding the range of viable geothermal resources by improving the capabilities to generate electricity from geothermal resources at temperatures as low as 100℃, as well as developing geothermal resources where water needs to be introduced, so-called hot dry rock resources. But the biggest expansion is expected to continue to be in the installations of geothermal heat pumps.     

History of Geology in Norden

The Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have been closely connected for many centuries, not least from a geological point of view. Scientific cooperation as well as contentions have been common. The earliest known records of ＂geological＂ treatises are from the 16th century, but especially in the 18th century, when the natural sciences flourished all over Europe, Nordic scholars were in the forefront in geochemistry, mineralogy, and paleontology. This was also the century when ＂geology＂ started to be taught at the universities, and science academies were founded in Norden, adding greatly to ＂geological＂ studies. In the 19th century, like in so many other countries, national geological survey organizations and geological societies were founded. In Norden, geological research has long traditions within mineralogy and ore geology, paleontology and stratigraphy, tectonics and structural geology. During the last century, focus has turned also to Quaternary and glacial geology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, geochemistry, micropaleontology, petroleum geology, sedimentology, marine geology, geophysics, geochronology, and research related to geothermal energy and deposition of radioactive waste products. In many of these research areas, Nordic geoscientists have contributed greatly over the years to the development of the science of geology.     

On the Occurrence of an Anisic Fauna in the Tunglan District, Kwangsi

The first report of Triassic fossils from the province of Kwangsi wasdated in 1933 when H. C. Chang listed some Middle Triassic pelecypods collectedby J. L. Hsu from Pinhsiang in a yellowish and greenish shale interbedded withblack impure limestone. Only one form was specifically determined as Myophoriagoldfussi Alberti, others were regarded as belonging to Pectinidae and Limidae.Many well-preserved specimens of the genus Daonella were also said to be foundin a greenish and yellowish shale of Lingyun.     

Episodic Carbonate Deposits on the Triassic Continental Slope in Southern China

Episodic carbonate deposits on the Triassic continental slope in southern China are mainly com-posed of gravity-flow limestones and contourite limestones. Gravity-flow limestones were well developed in thelower and middle Yangtze area in the Early Triassic and in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi area in the Early and Mid-dle Triassic. Five fundamental types of gravity-flow limestones are recognized: slide limestone, debris-flow lime-stone, grain-flow limestone. turbidite limestone and rockfall limestone. They form six types of assemblage beds:slide-debris-flow limestones, slide-debris-flow-turbidite limestone, slide-debris-flow-grain-flow-turbidite lime-stone, rockfall-debris-flow limestone, debris-flow-turbidite limestone, and debris-flow-grain-flow-turbidite lime-stone. The first two were formed mainly in the Early Triassic slopes. The Middle Triassic slopes were charcterizedby widespread rockfall limestone. Growth faults, storms, earthquakes and oversteepened slopes are considered to bethe probable triggers of the gravity flows. Contourite limestones appear as isolated lenses or thin and ripple-laminated beds of grainstones occurring inhemipelagic argillaceous limestones and lime mudstones. They were formed at the base of the slope. Palaeocurrentdata indicate that the contour currents are perpendicular to the slope. The contourite limestones are not as common asthe gravity-flow ones, but they are important in the reconstruction of the palaeogeographical and palaeotectonic set-tings in southern China.     

Exhalative Lead-Zinc Deposits in Shallow Sea, Southern Xicheng Belt, Gansu Province

SEDEX-type lead-zinc deposits in the southern belt of the Xicheng Devonian basin, Gansu Province has been already identified. However, the sedimentary environment of the limestone and philite of the Xihanshui Group within which the lead-zinc deposits occur is littoral and shallow sea. This is different from those in the northern belt such as the Changba-Lijiagou lead-zinc deposits, which were formed in deep sea. The reef and bioclastic limestone are widespread in the southern belt. Particularly they are associated with lead-zinc ores and there are no striae and banding but massive or disseminated structures. It is discovered that the black chimney consists of sphalerite, ankerite, pyrite and galena, in which black, coarse and radial sphalerite occurs as irregularly veins or cylindricality with a width of 10-40 cm in the center, and it is surround by fine ankerite and minor celestite with ribbon structure. The immediate wall rock of the chimney, reef limestone, was unaltered and the outside reef and bioclastic limestone were intensively silicified. Those silicified reef and bioclastic limestone host disseminated lead-zinc ores of the Luoba and Bijiashan type. It is concluded that the exhalative system occurred in a shallow sea in the Givetian of the middle Devonian. Brine is boiled due to low pressure, and a great deal of lead and zinc was dispersed in the interface between the limestone and phyllite and formed a source bed. In the Triassic period, meta-hydrothermal fluids leached and extracted metals from the source bed, and then moved and mineralized in open space such as arches and inverse limbs of anticlines, and formed massive and vein ores such as the Jianyagou and Dengjiashan type deposits.     

Discovery of Cosmic Spherules from the Mesoproterozoic Strata and its Significance—in Case of the Ming Tombs Area, Beijing

This study covers cosmic spherules derived from the Mesoproterozoic Dahongyu Formation in the Ming Tombs area, Beijing. The cosmic spherules include iron oxide cosmic spherules, carbonaceous chondrites, and atomic iron “steely bead”-shaped cosmic spherules. The mineral assemblage of silicon carbide, forsterite, zircon, and glass spherules and fragments were picked from melt-silicified carbonate of the Mesoproterozoic Dahongyu Formation (ca. 1625 Ma). Cosmic spherule assemblages are solely discovered from sedimentary rocks in China. Platinum group elements (PGE) were determined for the first time in cosmic spherules and associated minerals. PGE comparative observation between meteorite and cosmic spherules is presented in this study. It is recognized that an extraterrestrial meteorite impact event might have occurred in the Dahongyu Stage. The main evidence is a large number of iron cosmic spherules in silicified oncolitic limestone, and associated cosmic silicon carbide, glass spherules, and fragments, as well as the presence of forsterite. The impact-volcanic crater is characteristic of a big black shale block dropped into the bended silicified limestone.     

Geochemical assessment of a siliceous limestone sample for cement making

A low grade siliceous limestone sample from the Jayantipuram mine of Andhra Pradesh, India, has been investigated for its suitability for cement making. Petrological as well as X-ray diffraction pattern studies indicated that the limestone sample was crystalline and dominantly composed of calcite and quartz. They are simple in mineralogy, and yet they have variable silica and lime contents. Geochemical analysis results of twenty five hand picked samples indicated that the limestone from the Jayantipuram mine shows a wide range of variations in LOI (29.94% to 40.64%), SiO2 (6.14% to 27.18%), CaO (37.93% to 50.78%), Al2O3 (0.49% to 2.27%) and Fe2O3 (0.28% to 2.4%). MgO, K2O, Na2O, TiO2 and MnO2 are present in traces. CaO with LOI shows a strong positive correlation where as CaO with SiO2 shows a strong negative correlation because of mineralogical factors. The chemical composition of the limestone reflects its mineralogical composition. The distribution of various elements in the acid-soluble fraction has been studied by the factor analysis method in order to interpret in terms of their mineralogy, sedimentary environment and diagenesis. Mineralogy, recrystallization and other diagenetic changes are the main factors affecting the distribution of the elements and their mutual relationships in the limestone. The aim of this paper is also to analyze how significantly the two parameters, silica modulus and lime saturation factor, influence this low grade siliceous limestone sample from the Jayantipuram mine of Andhra Pradesh, India, for the cement making process from the geochemical data.     

Experimental investigation of limestone of the Faiyah Range area,United Arab Emirates

The paper presents results of a laboratory experimental program performed on limestone rock samples, using both physical and mechanical methods. The studied rocks (Simsima Formation, Upper Cretaceous) can be classified as highly ferruginous and highly fossilliferous limestone. The lower part of the Simsima Formation contains common fauna such as Orbittoids, rhodolithic and rudists, whereas the upper part of the limestone is interbedded with conglomerates. Detailed geological, petrographic in addition to physical and mechanical tests were carried out on some representative samples from the Faiyah area, aiming at getting a better understanding of the important properties of these rocks. It is shown that the uniaxial unconfined compressive stress is the controlling factor of classification of the Faiyah limestone.     

Engineering Geology of Limestone in Malaysia

This paper provides an overview of the engineering geology of limestone. Limestone is of rather wide occurrence in Malaysia. It is interesting in view of the unique landforms and karstic features that are encountered in limestone terrains, e.g. steep, subvertical limestone cliffs rising abruptly and majestically above the ground surface and highly variable and pinnacled subterranean limestone bedrock. The karstic features and associated engineering geological problems of both the limestone hills and the bedrock are discussed in the paper. Rockfalls, sinkholes, cavities, etc. are some of the common engineering geological problems associated with limestone terrains. Some local case studies are provided as illustrations. Finally the rock mechanical properties of limestone is discussed at the end of the paper.     

Burial Dissolution of Ordovician Granule Limestone in the Tahe Oilfield of the Tarim Basin, NW China, and Its Geological Significance

With a comprehensive study on the petrology, geology and geochemistry of some Ordovician granule limestone samples in the Tahe Oiifieid of the Tarim Basin, two stages of burial dissolution were put forward as an in-source dissolution and out-source dissolution based on macro-microcosmic petrology and geochemistry features. The main differences in the two stages are in the origin and moving pass of acid fluids. Geochemical evidence indicates that burial dissolution fluids might be ingredients of organic acids, CO2 and H2S associated with organic matter maturation and hydrocarbon decomposition, and the in-source fluid came from organic matter in the granule limestone itself, but the out-source was mainly from other argillaceous carbonate rocks far away. So, the forming of a burial dissolution reservoir resulted from both in-source and the out-source dissolutions. The granule limestone firstly formed unattached pinholes under in-source dissolution in situ, and afterwards suffered wider dissolution with out-source fluids moving along unconformities, seams, faults and associate fissures. The second stage was much more important, and the mineral composition in the stratum and heat convection of the fluid were also important in forming favorable reservoirs.     

New Discovery of Shizhushan Superlarge Wollastonite Deposit in Xinyu City,Jiangxi Province

正Objective The Mengshan area of the Xinyu City,Jiangxi Province is an important wollastonite production base in China.As early as the 90s of the 20th century,more than ten medium-to small-sized wollastonite deposits,such as the Yueguangshan and Caofangmiao Deposits were discovered in the outer contact zone of the Mengshan rock     

New Material of Sinosauropteryx (Theropoda:Compsognathidae) from Western Liaoning,China

An incomplete specimen of Sinosauropteryx prima collected from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of the Dawangzhangzi area in Lingyuan, western Liaoning is depicted. It represents the first systematically described material of this feathered compsognathid outside the Sihetun area in Beipiao. This specimen shows some diagnostic features of Sinosauropteryx prima, such as the very short forelimb in relation to hindlimb with the length ratio of humerus plus radius to femur plus tibia just around 30%, and the long and massive first manual ungual subequal in length to radius. The presence of Sinosauropteryx prima only at Sihetun and Dawangzhangzi supports the suggestion that the fossil-bearing beds in the Sihetun and Dawangzhangzi areas are equivalent to each other within the Yixian Formation.     

Age of the Purported Zhanjin Formation in Gêrzê County,Tibet: A New Understanding and Its Significance

The Upper Carboniferous Zhanjin Formation has attracted much attention from geoscientists for containing glacial–marine diamictite and cold-water fauna typified by the bivalve Eurydesma.The presence of this Formation has provided important evidence for determining the northern border of Gondwana.Previous researchers have classified those strata north of Niangrong Co in the Gêrzê region as part of the Zhanjin Formation based on the presence of glacial–marine diamictite, although the absence of biological fossil evidence has defied clear age determination.Our field investigations first discovered large quantities of corals, sponges and bryozoans.All coral fossils were identified as belonging to the Hexacorallia subclass including 13 genera and 25 species, primarily including Conophyllia guiyangensis Deng et Kong, Coryphyllia regularis Cuif, Cuifia columnaris Roniewicz, Distichophyllia norica Frech, Distichophyllia gigas Vinassa de Regny, Pamiroseris rectilamellosa Winkler, Retiophyllia clathrata Emmrich, and Retiophyllia paraclathrata Roniewicz.Extensive biostratigraphic correlations show that the hexacorallia should belong to the Late Triassic, thereby negating the presence of the Zhanjin Formation in the study area.Based on analyses of sedimentary facies and detailed study of the glacial–marine diamictite as supposed by earlier researchers, the limestone blocks and gravels within the facies are slope facies olistostromes and waterway sediments from lime slurry debris flows in the submarine fan rather than primary sedimentary products.Among them, lenticular sandstone should be sequentially distributed waterway sand bodies, indicating that the strata have no glacial–marine diamictite.In addition, the rocks containing the mentioned fossils are just limestone blocks from olistostromes, and limestone gravels from waterways of submarine fans.Such a result further negates the presence of the Zhanjin Formation in the study area, and indicates that the age of the studied strata should be youner than the Late Triassic.Through regional stratigraphic comparisons and the study of tectonic settings of the strata, the sedimentary characteristics of the subject strata, including lithology, lithofacies and fossils, are confirmed to be similar to the widely distributed Sêwa Formation in this region.We thus infer that the strata belong to the Middle–Lower Jurassic Sêwa Formation.This finding is important for both studying paleogeography of Tibet and determining the northern boundary of Gondwana.     

A Comparative Analysis of Evaporate Sediments on Earth and Mars：Implications for the Climate Change on Mars

The knowledge of Martian salts has gone through substantial changes during the past decades. In the 70th of last century, Viking landers have noticed the existence of salts on Mars. Several salt species have been suggested from then on, such as sulfates and chlorides. However, their origin was a mystery due to the lack of observations. The recent explorations and related studies at the beginning of this century revealed that the crustal composition of Mars is similar to that of Earth, and it was hypothesized that almost one third of Martian surface was covered by oceans and lakes in the early stage of Mars. The huge water bodies may have dissolved a large quantity of ions from Martian primary rocks during the whole Noachian and Hesperian epoch. After the enormous drought event happened during the late Hesperian and the early Amazonian, these dissolved ions have formed huge salts deposits and most of them were preserved on Mars until today. To date, carbonates, sulfates, chlorides have all been detected by orbital remote sensing and by landers and rovers. However, the salt mineral assemblages on Mars seems to have some differences from those on Earth, e.g., rich in sulfates and lack of massive carbonates. To explain this difference, we propose that most of the surface carbonates precipitated from the ancient oceans may have been dissolved by the later ubiquitous acidic fluids originated from the global volcanism in the Hesperian era, and formed the enormous sulfate deposits as detected, and this hypothesis seems to be supported by the evidence that most of the sulfate deposits distribute around the Tharsis volcanic province while the survived carbonates located far from it. This process can release most of the carbon on Mars to the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and then be erased by the late heavy bombardments, which might have profound influence on the climate change happened in the Hesperian age. The positive correlation between the GRS results of the potassium distributions and the distribution of chlorides on Mars, together with the high Br concentration measured from the evaporate sediments at two Mars exploration rover landing sites, indicate that the brines in the regions where the chlorides deposited may have reached the stage for potassium salts deposition, thus we propose for the first time that potassium salts deposits might be prevalent in these regions.     

A Late Cretaceous ensimatic arc developed during closure of the northern branch of Neo-Tethys(central-northern Turkey)

Studies on differentiation of ensimatic arc units from melange units in the Northern Anatolian Ophiolitic Belt(NAOB) are very rare. The study area represents the southern edge of the central part of the NAOB.The aim of the study is to distinguish the main units of NAOB and to define the geotectonic setting of the Darmik Ensimatic Arc Association(DEAA). To study the ensimatic arc units as an independent tectonic unit is important and facilitates understanding of the geological evolution of the NAOB. During field studies, the contact relationships within the Darmik Ensimatic Arc Association(DEAA) units and also with other tectonic units were reviewed. Then, paleontological, geochronological, petrological and also geochemical properties of the DEAA have been defined. In the present study, ensimatic arc units have been distinguished from ophiolitic association for the first time, in the region. As a result of the study, the DEAA is divided into two levels and lower level named as the Kartal unit and upper level named as the izibüyük unit. In the Kartal unit, basaltic and andesitic lavas with their equivalent pyroclastic rock units are dominant. Radiolarite and mudstones interbedded within the Kartal unit of DEAA have Turonian and Santonian age. In addition, the age of basalt samples of DEAA are 98.7 ± 2.4 Ma, defined using the~(40)Ar/39 Ar method. The izibüyük unit of DEAA comprises conglomerate, sandstone, claystone, mudstone,clayey limestone, micritic limestone with volcanic interbeds and also calciturbidites. Santonian-Maastrichtian ages were obtained from this unit of the DEAA. In conclusion, the age of DEAA is widely accepted as Late Cretaceous. After the evaluation of the analysis, the volcanics of the DEAA originated from calcalkaline-basalts, which reflect ensimatic arc magmatism.     

Science and Honour： The 11th International Geological Congress in Stockholm 1910

In the late 19th and the early 20th century, with expanding industrialism and urbanisation, the idea of the nation state grew strong in Sweden. In this nationalistic environment, nature and the natural sciences assumed an important unifying role. The search for natural resources and sources of energy inspired political support and research. The exploitation of nature was looked upon as a prerequisite for the modernization of the country, and indeed was to become the basis for Sweden‘s welfare. It was under these circumstances that, in 1906, the 11th IGC was invited to Stockholm in 1910. A request for a Government grant focused on the international development of science but also stressed the national importance. Sweden had, it was said, its ranking position among nations to defend, to uphold its position among civilized nations, and to maintain its distinguished tradition in the spheres of natural sciences and mining operations. The main topics of the Congress were iron ore resources, post-glacial climate change, glacial erosion, the Cambrian fauna, geology of the Precambrian, and geology of the polar regions. Three exhibitions and 24 excursions were arranged, and 41 guidebooks printed. The number of members present was 625, from 37 countries and six continents. The final cost for arranging the 11th IGC was SEK 125,000 (approximately ∈540,000 today). A novel experience in the tradition of the IGCs was the world-wide inquiries about the resources of iron ore and about climate change. Such thematic, worldwide investigations subsequently came to attract the attention of many IGCs. A proposition to establish a commission for the publication of an international stratigraphic dictionary was approved by the Congress, and a subcommission was set up with commissioners from ten countries, but it was not until 1956 that the first volumes of Lexique Stratigraphique International appeared. From a Swedish point of view, the Congress compelled Swedish geologists to carry out an inventory of the results of Swedish geological research of about half a century. The Congress was, in other words, an incentive to finish ongoing projects and bring together summaries of the major research areas. In the history of Swedish geosciences there is thus reason to speak about a pre- and a post-1910.     

A three-dimensional Moho depth model beneath the Yemeni highlands and rifted volcanic margins of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,Southwest Arabia

Knowing Moho discontinuity undulation is fundamental to understanding mechanisms of lithosphereasthenosphere interaction, extensional tectonism and crustal deformation in volcanic passive margins such as the study area, which is located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula bounded by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In this work, a 3D Moho depth model of the study area is constructed for the first time by inverting gravity data from the Earth Gravitational Model(EGM2008) using th...     

Reservoir geochemistry of the Tazhong oilfield in the Tarim Basin, China, Part I. Geochemical characteristics and genetic classification of crude oils

1 Introduction Since the 1990’s of the 20th century, oil & gas geochemists have shifted their research focus on hydrocarbon source rocks in the past to that on reservoir rocks and oil reservoirs at present; their research field has been expanded from oil & gas exploration to the assessment of oil reservoirs and production & management. Therefore, reservoir geochemistry as a branch disciplinary of organic geochemistry is now attracting great concern of many oil & gas explorers and oilfield en…     

Raman Spectroscopy of Nb,Ta-rich Cassiterite in Beauvoir and Montebras Granites,France

Cassiterites from both the Beauvoir and Montebras geanited of France are typically rich in trace elements such as Nb and Ta, and contain quite a number of inclusions of columbite (dominantly manganocolumbite).Two thin sections of cassiterite crystals have been prepared for Raman microprobe analysis).The spectra obtained from different parts of the cassiterites show that the vibra-tion frequency of the A1g peak decreases with increasing Nb ,Ta,Fe and Mn atomic contents.It is worthy to note that a new peak (named the “An peak”) has been reported for the first time in the part with oriented columbite inclusions.The vibration frequency varies from 827 to 830 cm^-1.The presence of th enew peak may be attributed to structural changes of cassiterite due to the excess of Nb and Ta in the lattice and the exsolution of columbite inclusions in cassiterite.     

Synchronization Theory and Tungsten-Polymetallic Mineralization Distribution in the Qianlishan-Qitianling Area,Southern Hunan

Synchronization is an important frontier in contemporary nonlinear science.It has been developed and applied widely in the late 20th century.However,it has limited applications in geological science,especially in the study of mineralization.The ore formation of fluids is a problem of propagation of chemical waves and the generation of their spatiotemporal structures.Geological processes and spatiotemporal structures are the essence and core of all geological phenomena.Taking these ideas as guides,giving a n...