Analytical study of turbidites, Otadai Formation, Boso Peninsula, Japan

On the Boso Peninsula, southeast of Tokyo, individual turbidite layers have been traced over about 38 km with the aid of tuff marker-beds. Sandstones are generally much more variable in thickness than the interbedded mudstones, showing lenticular shapes with great lateral continuities up to 30 km or more. But the latter have greater extents than the former, forming extensive sheets with a slight upslope thickening. Most sandstones show vertical and lateral grading, while mudstones gradually coarsen upslope. Sandstones have a variety of sedimentary structures typical of turbidites, whereas mudstones are virtually devoid of them throughout. Sandstones contain intensely abraded shallow-water fauna in contrast with mudstones with well-preserved deep-water fauna. Thus, mudstones are mostly of hemipelagic origin, and turbiditic mudstones, if present, are of negligible amounts. In general, individual sandstone beds are much more variable in thickness on the upstream side than on the downstream side. This is probably because of the existence of some minor channels and the adjacent levee-like embankments on the upslope side. At the base of thicker sandstone beds local penecontemporaneous erosion has usually taken place, giving rise to a few minor channels bordered by small levee-like embankments on both sides. The downslope side of the largest channel is commonly flanked by the greatest embankment that is coincident with the thickest part of each sandstone layer. Sandstones in the minor channels and levee-like embankments contain a lot of mud lumps torn out of the substratum, which decrease in size and amount and improve in roundness with increasing distance from the channels. In general, thicker sandstones show Bouma abcde sequences around the thickest part. Bouma d-division and convolution are developed preferentially on the downstream side of the thickest part. With decreasing bed thickness laterally, the complete depositional sequences arc successively replaced by Bouma bcde, then cde, and de sequences downslope, while by Bouma bc/c and then c/e sequences upslope. The facies transition of the horizon studied probably represents a section extending from the downslope end of the channelized portion of a suprafan to the outer portion with a smooth surface.     

Case study of reservoir triggered seismicity, Latian Dam, Tehran, Iran

Latian dam is located in the North East of Tehran in Elburz Mountain. It falls in the category of large dams according to the International Committee on Large Dams (ICOLD). It was constructed in 1967 for agricultural purposes, drinking water, and power generation. Producing triggered earthquakes may be a consequent result of dam construction. In this paper, the complete seismic statistics of the region from 1996 onwards has been studied to understand the seismic condition of Latain region. For this purpose, frequency of earthquakes within a radius of 30/60 km around the dam is studied considering its relationship with the reservoir volume variation. Using Gutenberg-Richter rule, parameter b of the region was determined within the same region. The results of this study show the existence of triggered seismicity around the reservoir of Latian dam. Considering the tectonic-geological condition of the region, the existence of triggered earthquakes may create landslides in the reservoir and around it.     

A hydrochemical study of Hungtsaiping landslide area, Nantou, Taiwan

The Hungtsaiping landslide was triggered by the Chi-Chi earthquake (Mw?=?7.6), which occurred on September 20, 1999 near the town of Chi-Chi in Nantou County in central Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between geochemical characteristics and the landslide in the Hungtsaiping area. Water samples were collected from springs, creeks, ponds, groundwater and the Yonglu stream once every month from May 2008 to May 2009. Oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes, ionic concentrations, electrical conductivities, and pH values were analyzed. The results show that the ionic concentrations display a significant spatial variation. For instance, calcium and magnesium bicarbonate-rich water was found on the top and the middle part of the slope. In addition, sodium bicarbonate-rich water with exceptionally high sulfate concentration was found on the foot of the slope. The sulfate content decreased with increasing elevation along the slope. Finally, a conceptual model was established by summarizing the hydrogeochemical analyses. After a scientific understanding of the mechanism of the Hungtsaiping landslide, all of the analytical information can be integrated for hazard prevention in the future.     

Petro-geochemical study of Mt. Namjagbarwa region,Tibet, China

The rock types and mineral compositions of the Mt. Namjagbarwa region have been studied. Petro-chemical analyses and calculations show that there are two types of metamorphic rock: ortho-and para-rocks in this region with the former being dominant. The results of trace element and REE analyses indicate that the original rocks are of multiple source with the continental tholeiites as the main source.     

深穿透地球化学方法对比研究——以内蒙古花敖包特铅锌矿为例

在内蒙古花敖包特铅锌矿区,应用深穿透地球化学找矿方法进行地球化学调查,探索深穿透地球化学找矿新方法。分别进行了金属活动态测量、地球气测量、地电化学测量、土壤全量测量。在埋深70m的隐伏金矿体上方发现了较为明显的地球气、水提取与地电化学异常,与已知矿体位置吻合的程度较高,显示了深穿透地球化学方法在隐伏矿勘查中的良好应用前景。     

Fluid inclusion study of Fankou Pb-Zn ore deposit,Fankou, Guangdong,China

The Fankou Pb-Zn ore deposit occurs in Devonian and Carboniferous carbonate rocks. This deposit was thought to be a hydrothermal ore deposit related to a granite, but the present research suggests it is a stratabound, stratiform mineral deposit. As a result of geological studies, primary sedimentary and later replacement features were found. Part of some ore bodies are concordant with the host rocks, but most are discordant lenses and veins in the carbonate rocks. Thus there are two types of ores, primary sedimentary and later replacement. The replacement type is very common. Isotopic studies indicate that most of the Pb and S are of sedimentary origin, but part of Pb is of radioactive origin, possibly introduced during later replacement. A regional geochemical survey indicates that the Pb and Zn contents of the Fankou region are respectively 1.5 and 3 times the primary sedimentary type. Gas-liquid fluid inclusions were found in the replacement type ore but not in the primary sedimentary type. The fluid which replaced the primary sedimentary rocks had temperatures of 100–200°C, with a salinity of 3–6 wt. % NaCl equiv. Under the action of such fluid the original sedimentary rocks were replaced to form the present ore deposit.     

江苏兴化ZK10孔第四纪多重地层研究

通过对江苏兴化ZK10孔岩石地层、生物地层、磁性地层及年代地层的研究,确定了该孔第四纪年代地层序列:1第四纪底界置于松山/高斯极性世分界处,埋深212m,距今2.58Ma。下更新统包括五队镇组下段、中段及上段的中下部,对应孢粉组合Ⅰ-1和Ⅰ-2。2早、中更新世界线与布容/松山极性世界线吻合,距今0.78Ma,埋深约120m,位于孢粉Ⅰ-2与Ⅱ带的分界处。中更新统包括五队镇组上段顶部、小腰庄组下段及上段的中下部。五队镇组是包含下、中更新统的跨时岩石地层单位。3中、晚更新世界线埋深81.5m,120ka BP左右,置于孢粉带Ⅱ与Ⅲ-1的分界处,与小腰庄组和灌南组分界线基本吻合。上更新统包括小腰庄组上段上部及灌南组。小腰庄组是包含中、上更新统的跨时地层单位。上更新统包括Ⅲ-1、Ⅲ-2、Ⅳ和Ⅴ孢粉带。4晚更新世与全新世界线埋深12.25m,距今10ka BP左右,位于Ⅴ与Ⅵ孢粉带分界处。全新统为淤尖组,对应孢粉Ⅵ带。     

Pilot study experiments sourcing quartzite,Gunnison Basin,Colorado

This paper reports the results of pilot‐study efforts to develop methods to profile quartzite, a rock type to which geochemical and other sourcing techniques have only rarely been applied. The long‐term goal of the research is to fingerprint sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin, southwest Colorado, used by Paleoindian people ca. 11,500–8,000 years ago to make stone tools. Success would facilitate reconstruction of Paleoindian mobility in the Southern Rocky Mountains and potentially anywhere prehistoric people used quartzite. The goals of this paper are more modest: to demonstrate that a small‐scale exploration of sourcing techniques suggests reason for optimism that quartzites may be amenable to source discrimination. For the same twenty Gunnison Basin quartzite samples, this study evaluated petrography, ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WD‐XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry—both acid‐digestion (AD‐ICP‐MS) and laser ablation (LA‐ICP‐MS)—as means to differentiate among the specimens and the sources they represent. Although more testing is needed to verify and refine our results, the study suggests there is potential for petrography, INAA, and both versions of ICP‐MS to discriminate among quartzites from different source localities in the Gunnison Basin. The greatest potential for discriminating among different sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin may lie in a methodology combining petrographic analysis and LA‐ICPMS. Future testing is required to evaluate this two‐fold approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Uncertainty, subjectivity, experience: a comparative pilot study

Mean tendencies and variances of ad hoc mean estimates (field estimates) of some engineering geological parameters were compared to statistically obtained reference values. The latter correspond to the “best” estimates in the sense of approximating so-called reality (Einstein and Baecher, 1982. Probabilistic and statistical methods in engineering geology. Problem statement and introduction to solution. Rock Mech., Suppl. 12: 47–61; Einstein and Baecher, 1983. Probabilistic and statistical methods in engineering geology. Specific methods and examples, Part I: Exploration. Rock Mech. Rock Eng., 16: 39–72). The study was carried out by means of a demoscopic field study on 43 engineering geologists. “Professional experience” was examined by comparing the estimation results of two trial groups, one consisting of people with several years of professional experience, the other one consisting of university students. The biases of the ad hoc estimates due to subjectivity and the limitation of working time at the selected reference outcrops follow statistically describable trends and thus can be analyzed by univariate and multivariate methods. Some geological and psychological hypotheses concerning the mean estimation trends, correlations and discriminations are postulated. Implications on commonly used field estimation methods are discussed.     

A geological study of lake van,Eastern Turkey

Lake Van is a lake with a volume of 607 km³ and a maximum depth of 451 m in a tectonically active zone in eastern Anatolia. It may be divided into three physiographic provinces: lacustrine shelf, sublacustrine slope and lake basin. The shelf is largely made up of submerged fluvial valleys and alluvial plains, as evidenced by the local occurrence of karst-like topography, buried, leveed river valleys and sediment wedges interpretable as relict deltas. The shelf and basinal deposits are characterized by an alternating succession of well-stratified and chaotically reflecting layers consisting of turbidites and slump deposits respectively. This thick sequence of unconsolidated to consolidated sediments is underlain by a Paleozoic metamorphic or Upper Cretaceous limestone basement.Holocene lake level fluctuations are highly correlatable with solar activity. Heat budget estimates imply a high geothermal gradient in the Van region. Because of winter convection, chemical composition of the lake water is homogeneous throughout the lake. Though they bring in waters of varying compositions, the rivers discharge a larger quantity of bicarbonate than alkaline earth metals. This soda-chemistry may be attributed to postvolcanic CO₂-activity.The fine laminations of the sediments of Lake Van are interpreted as varves: a white carbonate layer is deposited in winter and a dark layer during the summer. Using these varves for age dating, the sedimentation rate during the Holocene may be determined. This varies between 40 and 90 cm/1000 years.The lake level was at its highest at 72 m above present at the height of the last ice age about 18,000 yr B. P. A dramatic drop to over 300 m below present occurred about 9500 yr B. P., with an equally dramatic rise around 6500 yr B. P. These sudden variations are attributed to the morphometric pattern of the lake, and they left distinctive imprints on the sedimentary, geochemical and pollen record.

---

Zusammenfassung Der Van-See hat ein Volumen von 607 km³ und eine maximale Wassertiefe von 451 m. Er liegt in einer tektonisch aktiven Zone und ist von Vulkanen umgeben. Drei physiographische Provinzen lassen sich ausscheiden: Schelf, Seeabhang und Seebecken. Der Schelf besteht weitgehend aus ehemaligen Flußtälern und alluvialen Ebenen mit ausgeprägter karstartiger Topographie, Deltaschüttungen und mäandrierenden Flußtälern. Schelf- und Beckensedimente setzen sich zusammen aus unverfestigten wechselnden Abfolgen von gut geschichteten und chaotischen Lagen, die ihrerseits von paläozoischen Metamorphiten und Oberkretazischen Kalken unterlagert sind.Rezente Seespiegelschwankungen sind mit Sonnenfleckenzyklen korrelierbar. Wärmekapazitätsberechnungen für das gesamte Wasservolumen sind nur durch die Annahme eines hohen geothermischen Wärmeflusses in der Van-Region zu deuten. Bedingt durch Winterkonvektion wird die Wassersäule gut durchmischt und chemisch einheitlich. Der hohe Sodagehalt des Sees ist aus postvulkanischen CO₂-Emissionen abzuleiten.Sedimentkerne umfassen das gesamte Holozän, und eine ausgeprägte Warvenschichtung erlaubt eine genaue Datierung der Profile. Die Sedimentationsrate schwankt zwischen 40 und 90 cm pro 1000 Jahre.Der Seespiegel hatte seinen höchsten Stand mit 72 m über dem heutigen vor ca. 18 000 Jahren, also dem klimatischen Minimum der Weichseleiszeit. An der Wende Pleistozän-Holozän erfolgte eine schnelle Absenkung des Spiegels um ca. 300 m ( 9500 Jahre v. d. Gegenwart), um 3000 Jahre später, während des Atlantikums, in wenigen Jahrhunderten um 200 m wieder anzusteigen. Diese plötzlichen Ereignisse sind Ausdruck des morphometrischen Musters des Sees in Verbindung mit klimatischen Veränderungen im Gefolge deletzten Eiszeit. Die Sedimentfazies spiegelt diese Geschehnisse durch charakteristische sedimentologische, paläontologische oder geochemische Indikatoren wider.

---

Résumé Le Lac de Van a un volume de 607 km³ et une profondeur maximale de 451 m. Il est situé au milieu de volcans dans une zone tectoniquement active en Anatolie orientale. Trois zones physiographiques peuvent être distinguées: le shelf, le versant et le bassin du lac. Le shelf consiste pour la plus grande partie en anciennes vallées fluviales et en plaines alluviales avec topographie karstique bien marquée, en vallées fluviales enterrées et remblayées et des coins sédimentaires, qui peuvent être interprétés comme des débris deltaïques. Les dépôts sédimentaires du shelf et du bassin se caractérisent par des alternances de couches, les unes bien stratifiées, les autres chaotiques, faites de turbidites et de dépôts formés à la suite de glissements, au-dessous desquelles se trouvent des métamorphites paléozoïques et des calcaires formés au cours du Crétacé supérieur.Des oscillations récentes du niveau du lac peuvent être mises en relation avec des cycles de taches solaires. Des calculs de la capacité thermique supposent un gradient géothermique élevé dans la région de Van. A cause de la convection hivernale, la composition chimique de l'eau du lac est homogène dans l'ensemble du lac. Bien que les fleuves apportent des eaux de compositions variables, ils transportent une quantité plus grande de bicarbonate que les métaux alcalins. Ce chimisme sodique peut être attribué à une activité post-volcanique de l'anhydride carbonique.Les fines laminations des sédiments du Lac de Van sont interprétées comme varves: une couche carbonatique blanche est déposée en hiver, et une couche sombre en été. En utilisant ces varves comme moyen de datation on peut déterminer le taux de sédimentation prédominant au cours de l'Holocène. Celui-ci varie entre 40 et 90 cm par millénaire.Le plus haut niveau du lac s'est trouvé à 72 m au-dessus du niveau actuel, à l'apogée de la dernière glaciation qui eut lieu, il y a environ 18 000 ans. Un abaissement rapide à 300 m au-dessous du niveau actuel survint il y a 9500 ans, suivi d'une remontée aussi rapide il y a 6500 ans. Ces oscillations brusques sont attribuées à la condition morphométrique du lac en relation avec les changements climatiques consécutifs à la dernière glaciation. Elles ont laissé des empreintes caractéristiques sur les faciès sédimentaire, géochimique et pollinique.

---

607 ³, 451 . . 3 - : , . . . , -. . . , , . . , . , . ₂. , . 40 90 1.000 . — 72 — 18.000 — . 9.500 , / 300 , 3.000 , 200 . , , . , , , .

     

城市土壤环境地球化学研究--以苏州市为例

通过苏州城市环境地球化学调查工作的实施，对城市土壤环境地球化学研究的工作方法进行了初步研究。结果显示。苏州城市土壤的主要污染区域分布于东南居民生活区、西部工业区、东部木材加工厂集中区及公路干线一带；主要污染物为重金属、有机污染物多环芳烃、有机氯农药等。根据城市自然地理环境、功能分区特点和分布面积大小，确定土壤环境地球化学采样密度和测试项目是城市土壤环境地球化学研究的关键技术。     

A Rubidium-Strontium study of the Twilight Gneiss,West Needle Mountains,Colorado

The Precambrian trondhjemitic Twilight Gneiss (Twilight Granite of Cross and Howe, 1905b) of the West Needle Mountains, southwestern Colorado, and its interlayered amphibolite and metarhyodacite yield a Rb-Sr isochron of 1,805±35 m.y. A low initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio of 0.7015 implies that metamorphism of these rocks to amphibolite facies took place soon after their emplacement. The mild metamorphism of Uncompahgran age, prior to 1,460 m.y. ago, and Laramide volcanism did not affect the Rb-Sr system in the Twilight. Rb contents of 26.5 to 108 ppm, Sr contents of 114 to 251 ppm, and K₂O percentages of 1.23 to 3.64 in the Twilight Gneiss, in conjunction with high K/Rb ratios and the low initial ratio of Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶, lend support to geologic data that suggest the Twilight originated as volcanic or hypabyssal igneous rocks in a basaltic volcanic pile.Publication authorized by the Director, U.S. Geological Survey.     

山东玲珑金矿流体包裹体地球化学特征

玲珑金矿位于胶东半岛招-掖成矿带东部,是我国典型的超大型含金石英脉型金矿。成矿过程可划分为早、中、晚三个阶段,金主要在中阶段沉淀。早阶段流体包裹体为纯 CO_2型(L_(CO_2) V_(CO_2)>90%)和富 CO_2型(10%≤L_(CO_2) V_(CO_2)≤90%),中阶段为纯 CO_2型、富 CO_2型、富 H_2O 型,晚阶段为水溶液包裹体。从早到晚,包裹体均一温度分别集中在240℃～360℃、220℃～360℃、180℃～260℃和80℃～180℃,盐度分别集中在3.4%～10.4%、3.0%～10.2%、4.0%～14.6%和2.4%～5.0%NaCl eqv;早、中阶段流体盐度随温度降低而升高。中阶段第一世代石英中大量水溶液包裹体和富 CO_2包裹体共生,指示流体强烈沸腾。从早到晚,流体包裹体的变化记录了成矿流体性质和构造环境的演化。早阶段石英中沿 X 型节理发育面型包裹体群,既记录了石英脉遭受的剪切变形事件,又记录了同构造流体作用。而充填于张性裂隙的黄铁矿为主的多金属硫化物-石英组合则表明主成矿期构造环境由压性向张性转化,成矿流体系统减压沸腾、逐步开放,并导致金等成矿物质大量沉淀。结合区域构造演化和成矿时间,认为玲珑金矿成矿系统发育在应力场由挤压向伸展转换的构造背景,流体压力变化滞后于构造应力场变化,流体成分以低盐度、富 CO_2为特征,应属典型的造山型金矿系统。     

Dissolution of uranophane: An AFM, XPS, SEM and ICP study

Dissolution experiments on single crystals of uranophane and uranophane-β, Ca(H₂O)₅[(UO₂)(SiO₃(OH)]₂, from the Shinkolobwe mine of the Democratic Republic of Congo, were done in an aqueous HCl solution of pH 3.5 for 3 h, in HCl solutions of pH 2 for 5, 10 and 30 min, and in Pb²⁺-, Ba-, Sr-, Ca- and Mg-HCl solutions of pH 2 for 30 min. The basal surfaces of the treated uranophane crystals were examined using atomic-force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Solutions after dissolution experiments on single crystals and synthetic powders were analysed with inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The morphology of the observed etch pits (measured by AFM) were compared to the morphology, predicted on the basis of the bond-valence deficiency of polyhedron chains along the edges of the basal surface. Etch pits form in HCl solutions of pH 2. Their decrease in depth with the duration of the dissolution experiment is explained with the stepwave dissolution model, which describes the lowering of the surrounding area of an etch pit with continuous waves of steps emanated from the etch pit into the rest of the crystal surface. Hillocks form in an HCl solution of pH 3.5, and the chemical composition of the surface (as indicated by XPS) shows that these hillocks are the result of the precipitation of a uranyl-hydroxy-hydrate phase. Well-orientated hillocks form on the surface of uranophane in a SrCl₂-HCl solution of pH 2. They are part of an aged silica coating of composition Si₂O₂(OH)₄(H₂O)_n. An amorphous layer forms on the surface of uranophane in a MgCl₂-HCl solution of pH 2, which has a composition and structure similar to silicic acid. Small crystallites of uranyl-hydroxy-hydrate phases form on the surface of uranophane after treatment in Pb(NO₃)₂-HCl and BaCl₂-HCl solutions of pH 2. Dissolution experiments on synthetic uranophane powders show that in the early stage of the experiments, the dissolution rate of uranophane increase in the sequence Pb(NO₃)₂-HCl < BaCl₂-HCl < CaCl₂-HCl < HCl < SrCl₂-HCl < MgCl₂-HCl, indicating that the dissolution of uranophane is more enhanced in solutions containing divalent cations of small ionic radii and high Lewis acidity (Mg, MgCl⁺).     

Neotectonic study along mountain front of northeast Himalaya,Arunachal Pradesh,India

To study neotectonics, the structural and morphotectonic aspects are studied along a part of mountain front region of Northeast Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Unpaired river terraces are recognized near north of transverse Burai River exit, which is cut by an oblique fault. Across this fault, fluvial terraces are located at heights of 22.7 and 3 m, respectively, on the left and right banks. A water gap is formed along the river channel where the uplifted Middle Siwalik sandstone beds dipping 43° towards ENE direction, thrust over the Quaternary deposit consisting of boulders, cobbles, pebbles and sandy matrix. This river channel incised the bedrock across the intraformational Ramghat Thrust along which the rocks of the Middle Siwalik Formation thrust over the Upper Siwalik Formation. Recent reactivated fault activity is suggested north of the Himalayan Frontal Thrust that forms the youngest deforming front of the Himalaya. The uplifting along the stream channel is noticed extended for a distance of ~130 m and as a result the alluvial river channel became a bedrock river. The relative displacement of rocks is variable along the length of strike–slip faults developed later within the Ramghat Thrust zone. Longitudinal and Channel gradient profiles of Burai River exhibit knick points and increase in river gradient along the tapering ends of the profiles. The study suggests active out-of-sequence neotectonically active thrusting along the mountain front. Neotectonics combined with climatic factor during the Holocene times presents a virgin landscape environment for studying tectonic geomorphology.     

A structural metamorphic study of the Broken Hill Block, NSW, Australia

The prograde pressure–temperature (P–T) path for the complexly polydeformed Proterozoic Broken Hill Block (Australia) has been reconstructed through detailed structural analysis in conjunction with calculation of compositionally specific P–T pseudosections of pelitic rock units within a high‐temperature shear zone that formed early in the tectonic evolution of the terrane. Whilst the overall P–T path for the Broken Hill Block has been interpreted to be anticlockwise, the prograde portion of this path has been unresolved. Our results have constrained part of this prograde path, showing an early heating event (M1) at P–T conditions of at least c. 600 °C and c. 2.8–4.2 kbar, associated with an elevated geothermal gradient (c. 41–61 °C km^?1). This event is interpreted to be the result of rifting at c. 1.69–1.67 Ga, or at c. 1.64–1.61 in the Broken Hill Block. Early rifting was followed by an episode of lithospheric thermal relaxation and burial, during which time sag‐phase sediments of the upper Broken Hill stratigraphy (Paragon Group) were deposited. Following sedimentation, a second tectonothermal event (M2/D2) occurred. This event is associated with peak low‐pressure granulite facies metamorphism (c. 1.6 Ga) and attained conditions of at least 740 °C at c. 5 kbar. A regionally pervasive, high‐temperature fabric (S2) developed during the M2/D2 event, and deformation was accommodated along lithology‐parallel, high‐temperature shear zones. The larger‐scale deformation regime (extensional or shortening) of this event remains unresolved. The M2/D2 event was terminated by intense crustal shortening during the Olarian Orogeny, during which time the first mappable folds within the Broken Hill Block developed.     

Geochemical study of soils and metallogenetic implications at Hiendelaencina,Guadalajara, Spain

A geochemical soil survey has been carried out near a known mineralized vein in the argentiferous area of Hiendelaencina, Spain. The distribution of Ag, Sb, As, Ba, Pb, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Co was studied and the results treated with univariate and multivariate analysis. The geochemical halo around the known mineralization shows a longitudinal variation giving rise to specific element associations i.e. As-Sb-Ag(-Mn), Fe-Mn-Cu-Ni and Zn-Pb-Ba. About 500 m to the south of the known mineralization a strong geochemical anomaly of As, Sb and Ag is probably produced by a new vein. The whole pattern of anomalies and element associations is in agreement with existing metallogenetic hypotheses.     

Seismic microzonation study in Doon valley, northwest Himalaya, India

Fundamental frequency map of site amplification at different sites in Doon valley, Uttarakhand, India is prepared from microtremor (ground ambient noise) using Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) technique. The fan deposited alluvium filled synclinal valley of Doon lies between Main Boundary Thrust (MFT) and Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the Himalayan active seismic belt and experienced many earthquakes in the past. The HVSR at different sites in the Doon valley ranges between the predominant frequencies 0.13 and 12.77 Hz. The HVSR in lower frequencies indicates that the site has either thick sediment covers or less compact rocks with fractures. Based on information on fundamental frequency and soft soil thickness, site classification map is generated. Results indicate that degree of compactness of rock types and presences of sediments vary significantly, which may play a major role in seismic hazard. The use of microtremor, therefore, constitutes an effective and inexpensive approach to site response and soft soil thickness estimation for preliminary microzonation.     

A preliminary study of the dynamics of a modern draa, Algodones, southeastern California, USA

A transverse crescentic draa in the Algodones dune field, California, was monitored for a year using surface process mapping, aerial photography and supplemental wind measurement. The draa is oriented by the long-term resultant wind, whereas its superimposed features are in equilibrium with the bedform-modified secondary airflow. Surface airflow and the movement of superimposed bedforms is typically oblique or parallel to the draa brinkline, particularly on the lee slope. Comparison of measurements of draa movement and sand deposition on the lee slope, with expected rates calculated from wind data and draa size, confirm that there is a significant component of sand flow parallel to the draa brinkline. The internal structure being generated at the base of the draa lee slope is inferred from the surface processes active there. Within the space of a kilometer two types of compound cross-strata, separated by an area of simple cross-strata, are being produced. This has significant implications for interpretations of ancient aeolian strata. Variations in internal structure types found in lateral sequence may be generated by one complex bedform, and these cross-strata may be simple or compound. Second-order bounding surface orientations indicate resultant primary palaeowind directions; compound cross-strata dip directions indicate secondary flow conditions. The existence of cross-strata dip directions oblique or perpendicular to the second-order surface indicates longitudinal secondary flow on the lee face, but not necessarily a longitudinal or oblique draa. Without further detailed knowledge about various draa configurations and behaviour, stratification attributed to draas can be used only to interpret activity on the lower draa lee face.     

First-principles study of high-pressure stability,structure, and elasticity of FeS2 polymorphs

The pressure-dependent elastic properties of the Fe–S system are important to understand the dynamic properties of the Earth’s interior. We have therefore undertaken a first-principles study of the structural and elastic properties of FeS₂ polymorphs under high pressure using a method based on plane-wave pseudopotential density function theory. The lattice constants, elastic constants, zero-pressure bulk modulus, and its pressure derivative of pyrite are in good agreement with the previous experiments and theoretical approaches; the lattice constants of marcasite are also consistent with the available experimental data. Calculations of the elastic constants of pyrite and marcasite have been determined from 0 to 200 GPa. Based on the relationship between the calculated elastic constants and the pressure, which can provide the stability of mineral, it would appear that pyrite is stable, whereas marcasite is unstable when the pressure rises above 130 GPa. Static lattice energy calculations predict the marcasite-to-pyrite phase transition to occur at 5.4 GPa at 0 K.