The negative effect of environmental geological conditions of some geo-archaeological sites of North Coast and Alexandria

Three geo-archaeological sites at the North Coast and Alexandria, namely, the Alexandria wall (El Shalalat Park site), Abu Soir temple, and Marina excavations, were investigated to determine the negative impact of a salty environmental condition. The monuments suffer from rock decay of different rates. The geo-archaeological sites were built mainly from oolitic limestone blocks (i.e., the Alexandria wall at the El Shalalat Park site and Abu Soir temple) or excavated on them (i.e., Marina excavations). Field inspection and a lab analysis were carried out to understand the weathering mechanism. Salt weathering criteria such as disintegration, pitting, scaling, exfoliation, and honeycomb are observed on the Alexandria wall and upper parts of the Abu Soir temple, while dangerous cracks are detected on the Marina excavation tombs. The petrographic study of the oolitic limestone samples shows that they consist mainly of oolities and drusy sparite as a cement (oolitic grainstone). Some oolities have quartz grains as nuclei. Hydrochemical analysis shows that the total dissolved salts of extracted solutions of the North Coast quarry samples range from 539 to 686 ppm and dramatically increase (i.e., ten times) for extracted solutions from monument samples, ranging from 5395 to 6880 ppm. The dominant cation is sodium while the dominant anion is chlorine. Acid insoluble residue analysis shows that the carbonate content ranges from 89.2% to 96.4% for fresh samples from quarries and from 9.2% to 94.8% for weathered monument samples. The weight loss of the quarry oolitic limestone samples range from 30.7% to 32.7% and its physical and mechanical properties become worse after being subjected to 15 cycles of a durability simulation soundness test (using a sodium sulphate solution). Our main recommendations are to use suitable grouting for binding the cracks, high durability reconstruction rocks, and suitable cleaning methods to remove salts from the monuments.     

Traces of ancient geysers preserved in the travertine of Siwaqa,Jordan: conditions of their formation

A Pleistocene travertine quarrying on a hill in Siwaqa area, central Jordan, excavated solid, well-stratified travertine beds of about 12 m in thickness. The fabric and composition of the travertine indicate original deposition from hot spring water. At present, the area and its surrounding are devoid of any perennial water, except for periodic flood flows that collect at Siwaqa dam 4–5 km to the west of the quarry area, joining the catchment of the River Mujib. The travertine overlies combusted oil shale. The exposed hot spring travertine consists predominantly of well-bedded limestone, interrupted by horizons of chaotic angular debris, indicating ejection from below such as those produced by geysers. The article discusses the origins of the mottled and angular rock fragments, their transportation due to explosive geyser, the conditions and possible causes that produced the pressures leading to steam outbreaks and are responsible for the observed redistribution of travertine layers.     

Use of two-dimensional electric resistivity and ground penetrating radar for archaeological prospecting at the ancient capital of Egypt

Two-dimensional (2-D) resistivity and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys facilitate tracing of buried archaeological relics at the archaeological site of the Tell El Rabi'a, southwestern Cairo. These surveys also provide information on variations in depth of the groundwater table, which affect both exhumed and buried archaeological remains. The 2-D electrical resistivity profiles obtained show some high anomalies (up to 6900 Ω m). Based upon on-site calibration at partly exhumed sites, such anomalies are interpreted as pillar crowns and wall-like structures of hard limestone of the Hathour temple. The low background resistivities are interpreted to represent riverine deposits with differing moisture (or saturation) characteristics. The results of the GPR survey show three forms of high-amplitude radar anomalies, denoted as “P, H and R”. The “P” anomalies have semi-hyperbolic shapes, which suggest the presence of thin buried walls. The second, near-horizontal group of anomalies, “H”, may be either due to the presence of thick buried walls or arise from coincidental parallel alignment of survey lines with buried linear structures. The third group of GPR anomalies “R” is composed of chaotic reflections, and interpreted to depict buried stone-filled chambers. Some un-exhumed parts of the study area show weak radar reflections with occasional highly attenuated radar signals. These phenomena are ascribed to differing compaction and moisture characteristics of riverine soil layers. Recommendations with regard to archaeological site-excavation, preservation of archaeological relics, and soil conservation are submitted.     

南京秦淮东河黄马青组(T2h)砂岩水致劣化特征分析

南京秦淮东河新开河道在铜家山地段穿越黄马青组（T₂h）砂岩,形成高度最大达70 m的高边坡。根据现场调查和钻探结果,在近地表处,岩石中裂隙发育,岩体完整性差,而在深部,根据钻孔取芯结果,岩体中结构面胶结强度高,岩体完整性好。钻孔取岩芯样进行干湿循环试验发现,样品在干燥-饱和循环条件下,一般循环5次以上就易发生崩解,而在自然吸水-干燥循环条件下,循环20次以上仍可以保持完整。分析认为,岩石中小开裂隙发育。根据扫描电镜（SEM）对微观结构分析结果发现,饱和条件下,岩石中小开裂隙进水后导致结构面胶结物软化,并可能造成岩石开裂、吸水膨胀,即水对岩石的劣化作用是物质软化和岩石结构破坏的双重机制;而在自然吸水条件下,小开裂隙中未进水,水对结构面的软化作用较小。矿物分析结果表明,岩石中含有较多的黏土矿物,是导致岩石浸水软化的重要原因。经过干湿循环后,岩石波速下降、致密程度降低,塑性特性增强。多次循环后岩石的单轴抗压强度和弹性模量均呈明显下降趋势,岩石破坏时的变形量随循环次数增大而下降,岩石的孔隙压密和弹性变形过程逐渐消失,加载后迅速进入塑性变形阶段,且破坏速度加快。     

彭水地下电站围岩稳定性分析

在分析彭水地下厂房地质条件的基础上,采用3DEC程序建立了3#机组部位三维离散元数值计算模型,对地下厂房开挖支护全过程进行了计算,详细分析了围岩变形情况、应力状态、塑性区分布及稳定性影响因素。计算结果反映：按基本计算条件,地下厂房开挖支护后,围岩整体稳定性良好。受开挖及结构面空间组合作用,上、下游边墙部位变形量在15? 35 mm左右;边墙变形主要发生在从其开挖往下的2?3级开挖步之内,从整个厂房开挖来分析,223.0?201.0 m高程开挖阶段对围岩稳定影响最重要;围岩稳定主要受层面、软弱夹层及贯通节理特性及其切割块体在开挖临空面的位置控制,局部分布的页岩本身变形及地应力因素对围岩稳定性影响相对较小。     

Stratigraphic status,age, and paleobathymetry of the Grey shale Member,Dalmiapuram Formation,Cauvery Basin,India

Grey shale Member of the Dalmiapuram Formation, Ariyalur Group, Cauvery Basin, India was studied for its stratigraphic position, age, and paleobathymetry with a re-look into the lithological relationship and foraminifer assemblages in the deepened limestone mine excavations at M/s Dalmia Cements, Dalmiapuram. Twenty grey shale samples from Kovandankurchchi (pit-4) and Kallakkudi mines yielded diversified calcareous, benthic, and rare index planktic foraminifera. The foraminiferal assemblages suggest a latest Albian age and middle neritic depositional conditions. The abundance of kaolinite and smectite clay minerals relate to warm/humid climate which corroborate with rising relative sea level during grey shale deposition. The grey shale occurs in patches within the marl bedded limestone member which exhibits cyclic deposition of limestone and marl. The limestone mine sections demonstrate that the grey shale forms part of basal marl bedded limestone, directly overlying the coral algal limestone. The present study demonstrates that the grey shale outcrops in Dalmiapuram Formation should be placed stratigraphically as part of marl bedded limestone. The member status for grey shale which is current usage stands discounted.     

Pharaonic necrostratigraphy: a review of geological and archaeological studies in the Theban Necropolis, Luxor, West Bank, Egypt

We present a review of archaeological and geological studies on the West Bank as a basis for discussing the geological setting of the tombs and geologically related problems with a view to providing archaeologists with a framework in which to conduct their investigations on the restoration, preservation and management of the antique monuments. Whereas the geology of the Upper Nile Valley appears to be deceptively simple, the lithological succession is vertically variable, and we have recognized and defined several new lithological units within the upper Esna Shale Formation. We have been able to delineate lithological (shale/limestone) contacts in several tombs and observed that the main chambers in some were excavated below the Esna Shale in the Tarawan Chalk Formation. We have been able to document changing dip in the strata (warping) in several tombs, and to delineate two major orientations of fractures in the field. Investigations behind the Temple of Hatshepsut, in the Valley of the Kings and around Deir El Medina have revealed four broad regional structures. We confirm that the hills located near the Nile Valley, such as Sheik Abdel Qurna, do not belong to the tabular structure of the Theban Mountain, but are discrete displaced blocks including the Thebes Limestone, as supported by Google Earth photographs.     

济阳坳陷沾化凹陷罗家地区古近系沙河街组页岩储集特征分析*

利用岩石薄片和扫描电镜分析等测试技术, 可以将济阳坳陷罗家地区古近系沙河街组页岩段储集空间分为孔隙和裂缝两大类。孔隙又可以分为黏土矿物晶间孔、碳酸盐矿物晶间孔、黄铁矿晶间微孔、碎屑颗粒溶孔和砂质粒间微孔5个亚类;裂缝分为成岩裂缝和构造裂缝两大类, 成岩裂缝又可以分为层间裂缝和粒缘裂缝两类。裂缝与基质孔隙之间, 存在一个微米尺度的重合带, 反映了储集空间发育继承性的特点, 油气聚集在以层间裂缝为中心, 粒缘裂缝等次级裂缝和较大的碳酸盐晶间孔为骨架, 以各类晶间孔隙、黏土微孔和溶蚀孔隙为基质的储集空间网络中。储集空间发育与岩性关系密切, 纹层状泥质灰岩物性较好, 相应的页岩物性具有基质渗透率极低和裂缝导流能力较强的特点。     

Some Attempts for Estimating Rock Strength and Rock Mass Classification from Cutting Force and Investigation of Optimum Operation of Tunnel Boring Machines

Summary. Tunnel face and wall collapse are common during excavations performed by tunnel boring machines (TBMs) due to the difficulty of correctly identifying the properties of the excavated rock. This identification, however, can be simplified by using the cutting force to estimate rock strength, a method that has already proved quite successful in Japanese tunnel excavations. This paper summarizes knowledge relating to the cutting force obtained through tunnel excavation experience, and the relationship between rock strength and TBM operation is discussed. Although TBM operators rely on intuition to set the cutter head speed appropriately, this decision process represents a logical method of operation that takes advantage of the variable speed capability of the cutter head. Selection of appropriate support methods for the excavated face is also a critical issue in tunnel excavation. This selection process is based on the condition of the rock, which is difficult to determine quickly and accurately during tunnel excavation. The present paper uses the excavation of two tunnels to demonstrate that it is possible to assign rock mass classifications accurately based on rock strength when boring a uniform rock type. It is also shown that the rock mass can be classified from the rock strength normalized by the uniaxial compressive strength when boring through mixed rock types.     

Dating the Lower Paleolithic Open-Air Site of Holon, Israel by Luminescence and ESR Techniques

The open-air Acheulian site in Holon, Israel, was dated by the luminescence methods and by electron spin resonance (ESR). Situated in the coastal plain Quaternary Kurkar Group, the Holon site was first excavated in the late 1960s, when typical lower Paleolithic lithics and middle Pleistocene fauna were found. In order to date the site, new test pits were dug adjacent to the earlier excavations and the archaeological bed was exposed in a section comprising a series of paleosols and aeolianites. Alkali feldspars separated from the sediments were dated using the infrared stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence signals, and quartz was dated using the optically stimulated luminescence signal. The age of the archaeological bed is constrained by two samples to 198,000 ± 22,000–201,000 ± 17,000 yr. The age of the base of the section is 240,000 ± 29,000 yr, and the age of the top is 81,000 ± 8000 yr. Two teeth from the archaeological bed, recovered from the original excavation collection, yielded an average ESR age of 204,000 ± 16,000 yr, calculated using the linear uptake model, which is in a very good agreement with the luminescence ages. These dates place Holon within the range of other late Acheulian and Acheulo-Yabrudian sites in this region such as Tabun E (younger chronology), Yabrud I (archaeological level 18), and Berekhat Ram.     

广东长坑-富湾超大型独立银矿床Rb-Sr定年及形成分析

长坑-富湾超大型银矿床主要产在下石炭统灰岩与上三叠统页岩断层不整合面下的硅质岩及灰岩中,矿化多为脉状,主要由石英、方解石、方铅矿、闪锌矿及银矿物组成。成矿流体Rb-Sr 等时线年龄为68±8.5Ma,表明成矿发生在59.5-76.5 Ma 之间。(87Sr/86Sr)I= 0.7164.成矿流体δ¹⁸O 在-0.86‰-4.1‰之间,δD 在-39.8‰-59‰之间,表明成矿流体为循环大气降水或建造水。银矿床铅同位素组成和产于中新元古代地层中茶洞银矿床方铅矿的铅同位素组成基本一致。据成矿年龄、成矿流体氢氧同位素组成及铅同位素组成特点,认为长坑-富湾超大型独立银矿床是晚白垩世至第三纪火山及次火山活动加热循环大气降水及建造水溶解深部矿源岩中经过早期成矿富集的成矿物质,迁移至灰岩与硅质岩及硅质岩与页岩界面时沉淀析出形成的。     

Geologic weathering and its implications on the age of the sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered by Egyptologists to have been excavated by the Pharaoh Kephren nearly 4500 years ago. Schoch and West (1991) have suggested that the Sphinx is much older, based primarily upon the rounded profile of the strata of the Sphinx thorax and the deep channels present in the walls surrounding the Sphinx ditch. These features, according to them, are due to “precipitation-induced weathering” formed when the Sahara still experienced a humid climate at least 7000 years ago. In this article we show how weathering in an arid environment can produce the rounded profile given the gradual change in lithology of the alternating hard and soft limestone strata. We show further that the channels are actually the pre-Pliocene karst features formed by underground water and exposed due to the excavation of the Sphinx ditch. We propose therefore that, for now, the Sphinx may still be regarded as of pharaonic origin. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Creep parameters of rocks on an engineering scale

Vertical shafts of 137 cm diameter were excavated to measure creep deformations of carbonate shale, weathered limestone and tuff. Changes of diameter at successive time intervals were recorded under constant, radial pressure. Three typical models were chosen for a regression analysis of the experimental data and their fitness were compared to one another in a statistical approach.The introduction of a steady state flow term improves the data fit considerably, and the power law was found to yield an even better result. It was also determined that rock masses in the field contain numerous discontinuities which increase the plasticity of the three types of rock tested. The viscosities determined in-situ were found to be much lower than those derived from small intact specimens by up to several orders of magnitude.     

三峡库区巫山县城二郎庙小区岩溶引起的地质灾害危险性研究

三峡库区移民迁建中发现的岩溶问题是一个重大工程地质问题。巫山县新城二郎庙小区是地质灾害监测预警示范区,那里的三叠系嘉陵江组灰岩在特殊的气候、水文和地质环境下遭受了强烈的岩溶作用,岩体结构变得非常复杂,完整的灰岩变为层状碎裂岩体、岩溶角砾岩、泥质条带和残坡积角砾层。不同的地貌部位具有不同的岩溶特点和强度,总体规律性是由西向东、剖面下部至上部岩溶作用增强,其中陡坡下地形由陡变缓的转折地带和冲沟下部是岩溶作用最强烈的地带。岩溶作用形成了各种微地貌和特殊的岩体组合格局。岩溶导致岩体的力学强度和稳定性不断降低,加上其他自然因素和人为因素作用可能产生地面不均匀沉降、地裂缝、滑坡、崩塌、泥石流和地面塌陷地质灾害,这些问题必须在移民迁建以及将来城镇运行过程中引起高度重视。     

共和隧道开裂段页岩蠕变本构试验及离散元数值模拟研究

渝湘高速公路共和隧道地质条件十分复杂,隧道施工遇到很大困难,隧道开挖后初期支护多处出现纵向开裂。开裂段围岩为砂质页岩,现场实际监测资料表明,页岩层理、节理发育,易风化,亲水性较强,有水软化倾向并具有一定蠕变性。页岩的这些性质对隧道初期支护效果及隧道长期稳定性具有重要影响。鉴于此,对共和隧道页岩进行蠕变试验,通过系列试验得到不同应力水平下页岩的应变-时间关系曲线,建立与之适应的蠕变模型,并推导出蠕变公式,计算出公式中相应参数值。在此基础上,应用离散元数值计算方法对隧道开裂段施工全过程进行研究,分析了隧道围岩可能的破坏模式以及隧道锚杆支护结构的受力情况等。研究成果为隧道开裂段初期支护结构新方案的设计提供了重要支撑,成功地解决了隧道初期支护纵向开裂的工程难题。     

黔中—渝南铝土矿含矿岩系微量元素区域分布特征及物质来源探讨

黔中—渝南成矿带石炭纪铝土矿含矿岩系,分别形成于修文、息烽—遵义和黔北—渝南三个沉积区,大多数铝土矿属产于碳酸盐岩侵蚀面上的、少数为产于泥页岩侵蚀面上的硬水铝石沉积型铝土矿床。修文沉积区铝土矿中Zr、RE2O3含量最多,息烽—遵义沉积区铝土矿中Ga含量最多,黔北—渝南沉积区Li含量最多,各有特色。修文沉积区铝土矿含矿岩系的母岩,是其下伏寒武系碳酸盐岩与下奥陶统页岩、灰岩、白云岩;息烽—遵义沉积区含矿岩系的母岩为下伏下奥陶统页岩、灰岩及白云岩;黔北—渝南沉积区含矿岩系的母岩,是下伏下志留统泥、页岩和上石炭统石灰岩。碳酸盐岩中Al2O3与稳定的微量元素含量甚少,要演变成大面积铝土矿,必须要配以足够的含Al2O3和微量元素较多的泥、页岩,才可能满足形成大规模铝土矿的物质需求。     

Seismicity associated with mining

The virgin state of stress in the earth's crust is disturbed by mine excavations which result in stress concentrations in the rock. Rock emits seismic pulses when subjected to stresses approaching in value the strength of the rock. Mining gives rise to seismic activity ranging from microseismic events radiating 10⁻⁵ J (M - 6) to rockbursts or tremors radiating 10⁹ J (M5).

Rock failures in mines fall into four main categories: rockfalls, in which loosened rock falls mainly under its own weight; rockbursts which are violent failures of rock and may cause damage to excavations; bumps, which are violent failures, but which do not cause damage to the excavations; and outbursts in which the rapid release of gas causes rock to be ejected into the excavation. Microseismic activity is associated with all these four categories of rock failure.

Rockbursts and bumps occur in deep metalliferous mines in which thin tabular deposits in strong, brittle siliceous rocks of igneous or metamorphic origin are worked. The seismicity associated with mining appears to have many features in common with those natural earthquakes. However, the mechanics and dynamics of mining can be analysed relatively completely and the excavations provide access to the source region of the seismic events.

Comprehensive studies of rock deformation and fractures have been made on several gold mines of the Witwatersrand System. The gold-bearing reefs are mined at depths of down to more than 3 km below surface by stoping. This creates flat voids in the quartzitic strata extending laterally for distances of up to several kilometres with an initial excavated thickness of a metre. Geodetic-type measurements in tunnels and boreholes traversing the rock mass around these excavations have shown that the rock mass responds elastically over long periods of time to the extension of the boundaries of the excavations resulting from advancing the stope faces. Failure of the rock in the regions of maximum stress concentration near the edges of these excavations is an unavoidable concomitant of mining. It gives rise to new fracture planes closely parallel to the stope faces and to continuous seismic activity. The foci of seismic events with magnitudes from less than 0 to greater than 3 are found to occur mainly within tens of metres of the advancing stope faces. Diurnal and weekly distributions of seismic activity and of deformation show that the failure of the rock is time-dependent. The seismic radiation efficiency has been found to be of the order of 0.1%.

The seismicity is related to the spatial rate of energy release associated with the extension of the excavations and the incidence of seismic events and their magnitudes can be predicted statistically from calculated values of this quantity.     

Measurement of rates of surface lowering of limestone in the southern Pennines: an example in the Wye catchment,Derbyshire, UK

Measurement of the differential denudation between chert and limestone in a Carboniferous limestone sequence that was cut during excavations for a railway tunnel (in 1865) has provided a means of assessing limestone dissolution rates in a valley side setting in the southern Pennines over the last ∼150 years. Dissolution rates of 0.031 mm/annum have been determined. This rate falls within the range of previously determined limestone dissolution rates in the UK, which have been described in the context of different methods of measurement and the difference in denudations rates over time.     

黔中隆起及其周缘地区“下组合”油气地质特征

黔中隆起及其周缘地区包括滇黔北部坳陷、黔中隆起、滇东隆起、黔西南坳陷、黔南坳陷和武陵坳陷等六个一级构造单元。“下组合”包括震旦系、寒武系、奥陶系和志留系,具有丰富的油气资源和较好的油气成藏条件。两套区域性海相烃源岩,包括下寒武统牛蹄塘组碳质页岩和上奥陶统五峰组—下志留统龙马溪组石灰岩和碳质页岩,Ro值普遍在2%以上,主体处于高成熟晚期—过成熟早期。上震旦统陡山沱组发育地区性黑色页岩和碳质灰岩等烃源岩。主力储层包括上震旦统灯影组、中—上寒武统、下奥陶统桐梓组—红花园组及下志留统石牛栏组。区域盖层发育于下寒武统下部和下志留统下部,皆以泥质岩为主。各区块海相“下组合”纵向生储盖组合发育情况有所差异,黔中隆起区和黔南坳陷有两套组合,滇黔北部坳陷则有四套组合。以下寒武统牛蹄塘组为烃源岩、上震旦统灯影组白云岩为储层、下寒武统泥岩为盖层的生储盖组合,是黔中隆起及其周缘地区“下组合”勘探的主要目的层系。