Fragmentation of granitic quartz in water

Studies of grain fragmentation in natural streams have the limitation that the full size range of the debris produced is virtually unobtainable. Experiments described here for grain fragmentation in a rotating drum permitted the study of all of the debris, and a fragmentation load technique was used to relate experimentally and naturally fragmented material. The present investigation has been focused on granitic quartz. Relatively gentle collective movement in water can cause significant fragmentation of coarse, nascent, granitic quartz grains. The debris produced by rotating in a drum a range of single sieve fractions, taken from gravel in the headwaters of a stream draining granite, had continuous size distributions down to (and probably beyond) 0·06 μm. Quartz was the dominant fragmentation product in all fractions down to 2 μm and present in finer fractions. When pebbles moved with sand in these experiments, breakage of the latter was greatly increased. In comparison with that of breakage, the effect of attrition on granitic quartz was negligible. At least a proportion of granitic quartz grains are subject to a fatigue effect as a result of impacts in water. Evidently they are thus progressively weakened prior to being broken. Size analysis of debris showed a significant break at 20 μ, suggesting some special production of quartz particles just below this size. Granitic quartz is criss-crossed with partially healed cracks acquired before the zone of weathering is reached. The wholesale breakage that affects it, particularly in pebbly streams, is largely due to the reopening of these cracks. Progressive fragmentation of this material must eventually reach a stage wherein grains comprising single original crack-bounded volume elements are produced. Such grains, lacking significant internal weaknesses, must strongly resist further breakage. Possibly the preferential production of quartz grains just below 20 μm in size may represent an accumulation of these single, crack-bounded volume elements.     

Shingled Quaternary debris flow lenses on the north-east Newfoundland Slope

Debris flow deposits are the principal component of Quaternary continental slope sediments between the north-east Newfoundland Shelf and central Orphan Basin. In seismic profiles, these deposits occur as shingled, elongate, acoustically transparent lenses with their long axes orientated downslope. Deposits of individual flows form positive mounds on the sea floor; subsequent flows were diverted by the pre-existing topography into bathymetric lows between older debris flow deposits. These deposits show a large variation in the area of sea floor covered by individual flows (about 60–1000 km²), average thickness of deposits (9–37 m) and volume of sediment displaced (1–27 km³). The ratio of average thickness to a measure of deposit diameter, termed the aspect ratio, has a threefold variation from 0·0006 to 0·0021. Very low depositional slopes and low aspect ratios suggest relatively low viscosities, probably due to inmixing of water during downslope transport. Stratified sediments form three distinct horizons and are locally interbedded with the debris flow deposits. These are mainly hemipelagic deposits. The slope and rise to the west of the Orphan Basin are constructional in character. The apparent absence of upper slope erosional features and the abundance of debris flow deposits on the slope suggest that the supply of sediment to the continental slope occurred predominantly during times of maximum extent of Quaternary glacial ice. The ice sheet grounding line during several glacial maxima must have been situated at or near the present shelf break, supplying vast amounts of sediment directly to the upper slope. Oversteepening and subsequent slope failures fed material into deeper water.     

Facies of slurry-flow deposits, Britannia Formation (Lower Cretaceous), North Sea: implications for flow evolution and deposit geometry

ABSTRACT Mud‐rich sandstone beds in the Lower Cretaceous Britannia Formation, UK North Sea, were deposited by sediment flows transitional between debris flows and turbidity currents, termed slurry flows. Much of the mud in these flows was transported as sand‐ and silt‐sized grains that were approximately hydraulically equivalent to suspended quartz and feldspar. In the eastern Britannia Field, individual slurry beds are continuous over long distances, and abundant core makes it possible to document facies changes across the field. Most beds display regular areal grain‐size changes. In this study, fining trends, especially in the size of the largest grains, are used to estimate palaeoflow and palaeoslope directions. In the middle part of the Britannia Formation, stratigraphic zones 40 and 45, slurry flows moved from south‐west and south towards the north‐east and north. Most zone 45 beds lens out before reaching the northern edge of the field, apparently by wedging out against the northern basin slope. Zone 40 and 45 beds show downflow facies transitions from low‐mud‐content, dish‐structured and wispy‐laminated sandstone to high‐mud‐content banded units. In zone 50, at the top of the formation, flows moved from north to south or north‐west to south‐east, and their deposits show transitions from proximal mud‐rich banded and mixed slurried beds to more distal lower‐mud‐content banded and wispy‐laminated units. The contrasting facies trends in zones 40 and 45 and zone 50 may reflect differing grain‐size relationships between quartz and feldspar grains and mud particles in the depositing flows. In zones 40 and 45, quartz grains average 0·30–0·32 mm in diameter, ≈ 0·10 mm coarser than in zone 50. The medium‐grained quartz in zones 40 and 45 flows may have been slightly coarser than the associated mud grains, resulting in the preferential deposition of quartz in proximal areas and downslope enrichment of the flows in mud. In zone 50 flows, mud was probably slightly coarser than the associated fine‐grained quartz, resulting in early mud sedimentation and enrichment of the distal flows in fine‐grained quartz and feldspar. Mud particles in all flows may have had an effective grain size of ≈ 0·25 mm. Both mud content and suspended‐load fallout rate played key roles in the sedimentation of Britannia slurry flows and structuring of the resulting deposits. During deposition of zones 40 and 45, the area of the eastern Britannia Field in block 16/26 may have been a locally enclosed subbasin within which the depositing slurry flows were locally ponded. Slurry beds in the eastern Britannia Field are ‘lumpy’ sheet‐like bodies that show facies changes but little additional complexity. There is no thin‐bedded facies that might represent waning flows analogous to low‐density turbidity currents. The dominance of laminar, cohesion‐dominated shear layers during sedimentation prevented most bed erosion, and the deposystem lacked channel, levee and overbank facies that commonly make up turbidity current‐dominated systems. Britannia slurry flows, although turbulent and capable of size‐fractionating even fine‐grained sediments, left sand bodies with geometries and facies more like those deposited by poorly differentiated laminar debris flows.     

Experimental investigation of silt formation by static breakage processes: the effect of temperature, moisture and salt on quartz dune sand and granitic regolith

ABSTRACT Weathering simulations carried out using a climatic cabinet have demonstrated that diurnal temperature and humidity variations typical of those occurring in warm desert environments are ineffective in causing static breakage of quartz dune sand and polymineralic regolith sand grains. Wetting and drying combined with temperature variations was also found to be a relatively ineffective weathering process. These results suggest that 'crack tip' processes are insignificant where mineral grains are not subject to static loading. Sodium sulphate weathering was found to cause slight damage to quartz dune sand grains and major damage to first cycle regolith grains. Feldspars and mica in the regolith sands were more susceptible to salt action than quartz. Salt weathering of the regolith sands produced substantial quantities of silt in the size range typically found in natural loess deposits.     

Sand and silt grains: Predetermination of their formation and properties by microfractures in quartz

Examination of quartz from plutonic source rocks, sediments and soils, using both optical and scanning electron microscopes, reveals that the mineral is, almost always, cut by sets of partially healed, subplanar, subparallel microfractures dividing it into sheets typically one to a few micrometres thick. The structure, which originates in source rocks, is not due to crystal cleavage although it does show weak crystallo‐graphic influence in its directions. One to several sets of microfractures, intersecting at varying angles, can be present in any one quartz crystal. The microfractures vary in quality like cleavages; separation takes place readily along some, less so along others.

In superficial environments, the ease with which microfractures can be reopened largely controls the durability of quartz and the degree to which comminution can proceed. However, this type of breakage must cease when grains are one sheet thick (about 2–20 Mm in diameter). Hence quartz suddenly changes from being the dominant mineral in silt fractions to a normally minor constituent of clay fractions. The shape of grains depends largely on the number of (and angles between) microfrac‐ture sets present in the parent quartz. Most quartz grain surfaces represent fractures whose details characterize the pre‐emergent history of the quartz rather than sedimentary environments.     

Petrography and provenance of silicified early Archaean volcaniclastic sandstones, eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia

Intense post-depositional alteration has profoundly affected sandstones in the volcanic portions of Early Archaean (3·5–3·3 Ga) greenstone belts. The mineralogy and bulk compositions of most grains have been completely destroyed by pervasive metasomatism, but grain textures are commonly well preserved. Consequently, microtextural information coupled with present alteration compositions as determined petrographically can be used to estimate original framework modes. Silicified Early Archaean volcaniclastic sandstones assigned to the Panorama Formation and Duffer Formation, Warrawoona Group, eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia, were originally composed of volcanic (VRF) and sedimentary (SRF) rock fragments, volcanic quartz, feldspar, traces of ferromagnesian minerals and pumice. Only volcanic megaquartz remained stable during alteration. All other primary components were replaced by granular microcrystalline quartz (GMC) and sericite. In most areas, the sandstones were composed of dacitic to rhyolitic VRFs, now totally replaced by sericite-poor GMC and recognized by preserved microporphyritic textures. In a few areas, quartz-poor dacitic to andesitic(?) VRFs dominated the detrital assemblage. Minor SRFs and mafic VRFs, now replaced by GMC, are recognized on the basis of colour, internal structures, and internal textures, including skeletal, possible spinifex textures. Detrital feldspar is represented by blocky, sericite-rich grain pseudomorphs. A semi-quantitative point-count scheme, developed for the analysis of heavily altered sandstones, indicates the following primary detrital-mode ranges for Panorama arenites: quartz, 0–28%; feldspar, 0–28%, VRFs, 58–86%, and SRFs 0–25%. In about half the point-counted samples, feldspar could not be distinguished from rock fragments. In such cases, both were counted as one grain type, Lv', which makes up from 84 to 100% of the framework modes of these rocks. These sands were derived from a terrane composed largely of fresh felsic volcanic rocks and sediments, but locally including minor mafic, ultramafic, and sedimentary rocks. Much, but not all, of the felsic volcaniclastic sand represents reworked pyroclastic debris. There is no evidence for contributions from plutonic or metamorphic sources. The Panorama modal assemblage represents a provenance that is lithologically more restricted than that of Archaean greywackes and other siliciclastic units common in the sedimentary portions of these same Early Archaean greenstone belts and younger greenstone belts (3·0–2·7 Ga).     

Some breakage characteristics of ultra-fine wet grinding with a centrifugal mill

A centrifugal mill is a high-power intensity media mill that can be used for ultra-fine grinding, employing centrifugal forces generated by gyration of the axis of the mill tube in a circle. The mill charge motion is quite different depending on the ratio of the gyration diameter to the mill diameter (G / D ratio), varying from a motion similar to that of a conventional tumbling media mill to that of a vibration mill. In this study, a centrifugal mill was constructed with an arrangement where the gyration diameter could be readily adjusted. The batch grinding characteristics of three different minerals (limestone, talc and illite) in water with dispersing agent were investigated at various G / D ratios. It was found that the optimum G / D ratio in terms of the specific energy consumption to give a desired fineness of product was different for the three minerals. This was due to their different reactions to the breakage mechanisms provided by the mill charge motion at varying G / D ratios. The size distributions became progressively narrower at increased grinding times, and particles finer than about 0.1 μm were not detected even for prolonged grinding times. Measurement of specific surface areas indicated that this was not due to an artifact of the size measurements by laser diffractometry. This implies that there is a limitation in which particles finer than 0.1 μm are not produced under the conditions tested in this type of mill, but further investigation is needed for experimental verification of this limit of comminution.     

Origin of quartz cements in some sandstones from the Jurassic of the Inner Moray Firth (UK)

The extent of quartz cementation in shallow marine sandstones of the Brora Arenaceous Formation (Oxfordian) is closely related to the occurrence and abundance of Rhaxella perforata sponge spicules. Three cement morphologies are identified, chalcedonic quartz, microquartz and mesoquartz. Chalcedonic quartz forms matrix-supported cements which preserve moulds of Rhaxella spicules. Chalcedonic quartz crystals have inequant development of crystal faces, on average 0·1 μm in diameter, and are the first formed cement and reveal homogeneous dark grey tones on the SEM-CL/BEI. Microquartz forms 5–10 μm diameter crystals, which commonly grow on chalcedonic quartz substrates and show various grey tones under SEM-CL/BEI. Mesoquartz crystals grow in optical continuity with their host grains, have >20 μm a-axial diameter crystals, and exhibit distinctly zoned luminescence. Although no opaline silica is preserved, the quartz cement is interpreted to have formed from an opaline precursor. Detrital quartz has an average δ¹⁸O composition of + 12·2‰ and mesoquartz (syntaxial overgrowth) has an average δ¹⁸O composition of +20·0‰. Estimates of the δ¹⁸O compositions of microquartz and chalcedonic quartz are complicated by the problem of isolating the two textural types; mixtures of the two give consistently higher δ¹⁸O compositions than mesoquartz, the higher estimate being +39·2‰. From oxygen isotope data the formation of quartz, microquartz and chalcedonic quartz is interpreted to have taken place between 35 and 71°C in marine derived pore waters. Organic and inorganic maturation data constrain the upper temperature limit to less than 60°C.     

Petrological features of a Numidian section in the Lucanian Apennine (southern Italy)

A continuous section of Numidian sandstones cropping out along the eastern margin of the Lucanian Apennine (southern Italy) has been studied in relation to its petrographic and geochemical aspects. Owing to their simple mineralogy, both chemical and petrographic classifications indicate that the sandstones are subarkoses. They are characterized by high mineralogical maturity, poor sorting, abundant siliciclastic matrix and subangular quartz grains. The principal composition is Q_80–94 F_6–20 L_0–1 corresponding to SiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃/K₂O ratios ranging from 37·216 to 17·124 and from 1·182 to 0·514 respectively. Two quartz grain types were distinguished: deformed and undeformed quartz grains, the former generally subangular in shape and the latter rounded. Two distinct origins of detritus can be suggested; (i) the undeformed and rounded quartz grains derive from arenaceous continental sequences; (ii) the siliciclastic matrix, the deformed subangular quartz grains, the heavy minerals and the large crystals of K-feldspar probably derive from a crystalline basement formed by low–medium–high grade metamorphic rocks and granitoids. The Numidian subarkoses represent the mixing of these two components. Both kinds of detritus can be referred to the African Craton where crystalline basement is extensively overlain by Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sandstones. The different proportions of the two components in the mixture account for the variability of the sandstone composition and might explain the mixed Numidian successions cropping out in various sectors of the Mediterranean area. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Packing and angle of repose of naturally sedimented fine silica solids immersed in natural aqueous electrolytes

Six grades of near uniformly sized silica solids (ranging in median size from 15 μm to 160 μm) were sedimented in various natural aqueous electrolytes. The influence of surface forces on these silica-electrolyte systems was then inferred from measurements of the packing coefficient, C, of each sediment. It was found that the packings were uninfluenced by surface chemical forces when the grade size was greater than about 100 μm. For smaller grades immersed in naturally concentrated aqueous electrolytes, C was found to decrease from an initial value of about 0·50, and this was explained by the onset of surface chemical attractive forces. For smaller grades immersed in pure water, C was found to increase to a maximum of 0·58. Three explanations for this phenomenon, namely a difference in shape with grade size, a decrease in intensity of deposition, and the onset of surface chemical repelling forces were examined and the latter explanation seemed the most probable. Measurements of the angle of repose for the sediments also showed the influence of surface chemical repelling as well as attractive forces in fine silica solids. The results may be used to aid interpretation of the fabric and stability of pre-lithified sedimentary units.     

A natural example of crystal-plastic deformation enhancing the incorporation of water into quartz

Water content of quartz in and around a greenschist facies mylonitic shear zone located in the western Adirondacks was analyzed by micro-FTIR spectroscopy. The shear zone is within a pegmatitic dike, which cuts across a granitic gneiss. The thickness of the shear zone varies along strike from 15 cm wide and encompassing all of the pegmatite dike at its northern most exposure to 5 cm wide approximately 10 m south, along strike. Microstructures, including quartz ribbons and recrystallized grains, indicate quartz and feldspar within the mylonite underwent dislocation creep. Infrared spectral analysis was carried out using a Nicolet micro-FTIR on mylonitic quartz ribbons, pegmatitic quartz and gneissic quartz. A small aperture size (56 μm by 50 μm) for the IR beam allowed optically clear regions of the quartz grains to be analyzed without any contribution from grain boundaries. The smallest dimension of the quartz ribbons is 0.3 mm, whereas the pegmatitic quartz has a grain size of 3 to 5 cm. Results show mylonitic quartz ribbons contain the most water (320 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 50 to 1120 H:10⁶ Si); pegmatite quartz contains much less water (30 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 20–40 H:10⁶ Si) and the gneissic quartz contained an intermediate amount (200 H:10⁶ Si average, range of 20 to 870 H:10⁶ Si). These data indicate that water was preferentially incorporated into the deformed quartz ribbons.     

大位移剪切下钙质砂破碎演化特性

为了揭示钙质砂在大位移剪切作用下的破碎及形状演化规律,对南海钙质砂进行了系列不同剪切位移下的环剪试验。首先,利用筛分和激光粒度分析获取试验后的颗粒粒径分布,分析颗粒分布变化情况;其次,通过粒径分布对破碎进行定量分析;最后,运用图像处理技术计算颗粒圆度和扁平度,分析了颗粒形状的变化情况。试验结果表明,在不同的竖向压力下,颗粒会达到不同的稳定级配,但达到稳定所需的剪切位移相同;经历大位移剪切后,出现粒径为0.01～0.075 mm钙质砂破碎严重的现象;随剪切位移的增加,颗粒的圆度和扁平度减小。针对细小颗粒破碎严重的现象,修正了相对破碎率;修正后的相对破碎率能考虑粒径为0.01～0.075 mm颗粒发生的破碎。剪切后的钙质砂颗粒更为规则,整体轮廓趋于圆形、表面更光滑。     

Timing of Cadomian and Variscan tectonothermal activity,La Hague and Alderney,North Armorican Massif: Evidence from 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages

The La Hague region of northwest France exposes Palaeo-Proterozoic Icartian gneisses which were reworked and intruded by calc-alkaline plutonic rocks during the Cadomian Orogeny (about 700–500 Ma). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral cooling ages have been determined to clarify the timing of the regional metamorphism of orthogneisses and the emplacement of quartz diorite plutons in this region. Metamorphic amphiboles within Icartian gneisses display discordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar apparent age spectra interpreted to result from limited Variscan (about 350–300 Ma) overprinting of intracrystalline argon systems which initially cooled through post-metamorphic hornblende closure temperatures during the Cadomian at about 600 Ma. Igneous hornblendes from the weakly foliated Jardeheu and Moulinet quartz diorites record isotope correlation ages of 599 ± 2 and 561 ± 2 Ma, respectively. Igneous hornblende and biotite from foliated quartz diorite on the nearby Channel Island of Alderney record isotope correlation ages of about 560 Ma. The results imply that metamorphic and plutonic events in the La Hague-Alderney region were approximately contemporaneous with those recorded on Guernsey and Sark, which are thus likely to have formed part of the same tectonic block during the Cadomian Orogeny.     

南极普里兹湾石英砂表面微结构特征及环境意义

一、样品1981年我所颜其德同志在南极莫森站北面海区和戴维斯站基岩砂滩及其以北的普里兹湾采集了共11个站位的沉积物样品,它们分布在南纬66°-68°区间,其中水下7个,滩面4个,见图1。南极洲除少数山峰和岩石出露外,98%面积终年为冰川所覆盖,冰盖厚度可达数千米。地质环境特殊,气候严寒干燥,常有暴风袭击。化学作用微弱,而物理作用,特别是冰川作用显著。本文通过对普里兹湾石英砂表面微结构的分析,了解极地洋区典型的石英砂微形态的类型以及与此相适应的沉积环境和塑造这种形态的机械的、物理的和化学的因素。     

Entrainment of planktonic foraminifera: effect of bulk density

Depositional hydrodynamics have been studied using settling rate distributions of Norwegian deep sea sediments (between Jan Mayen Island and the Vøring Plateau), together with Shields’ critical shear stress velocities. Planktonic foraminifera are the dominant sand sized component of these sediments. The bulk density of the foraminifera was calculated from their settling velocity, sieve size and shape. Density decreases from 2·39 g cm^?3 at 0·05 mm diameter to 1·37 g cm^?3 at 0·35 mm diameter. These density and size data were used to construct a threshold sediment movement curve. From the similarity in their Shield's critical shear-stress velocities and the observed correlation of foraminifera size with decreasing percentage of fine fraction, it is concluded that the two components, the sand size foraminifera and the quartz and carbonate silt, are transport-equivalent.     

Testing helium equilibrium between quartz and pore water as a method to determine pore water helium concentrations

The effectiveness of carbon capture and geologic storage depends on many factors, including and especially the permeability of the reservoir’s caprock. While caprock integrity is generally assumed if petroleum has been preserved, it is poorly constrained in reservoirs containing only saline waters, and CO₂ leakage poses a potential risk to shallow aquifers. Naturally-occurring He accumulates in pore waters over time with the concentration being strongly dependent on the long term flux of fluid through the caprock. Furthermore, a small fraction of pore-water He diffuses into quartz and this may be used as a proxy for He concentrations in pore water, where dissolved gas samples are difficult to obtain, such as in deep sedimentary basins. In this paper He contained in quartz grains is measured and compared to previously measured pore water concentrations. Quartz was purified from core samples from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico and the Great Artesian Basin, South Australia. Quartz separates were heated at 290 °C to release He from the quartz. The quartz from the San Juan Basin and high purity quartz from the Spruce Pine Intrusion, North Carolina was repeatedly impregnated at varying pressures using pure He, heated and analyzed to build He sorption isotherms. The isotherms appear linear but vary between samples, possibly due to fluid inclusions within the quartz grains as high purity quartz samples partition only 1.5% of He that partitions into San Juan Basin samples. Concentrations of He in the pore water were calculated using the He-accessible volume of the quartz and the air–water He solubility. The mean San Juan Basin He pore water concentration was 2 × 10^–5 cc STP He/g water, ∼400 times greater than atmospheric solubility. Great Artesian Basin samples contain a mean He concentration of 3 × 10^–6 cc STP He/g water or 65 times greater than atmospheric solubility. However, pore water He concentrations in both the San Juan and Great Artesian Basins differ by up to an order of magnitude compared to samples collected with an alternate method. The reason for the offset is attributable to either partial saturation of the pore volume or a lack of He equilibrium between quartz and pore water. Coating of clay or other mineral phases on quartz grains, which tends to reduce the effective diffusion coefficient, may cause the latter. This technique of assessing permeability is promising due to the abundance of existing core samples from numerous basins where carbon sequestration may ultimately occur.     

Size distribution of quartz in mudrocks

Sixteen penecontemporaneously deposited mudrock-sandstone pairs ranging in age from Devonian to Cretaceous were treated chemically to isolate the quartz and chert fraction from the other constituents of the rocks. The amount of crystalline silica was determined from the chemical treatments; its size distribution was determined using a combination of normal and Micro Mesh sieving and settling tube analysis; the crystalline silica coarser than 10 μu was examined petrographically to determine the amount of chert. Percentages of crystalline silica in the mudrocks range from 6·7 to 46·7 % and average 27·6 (σ= 10·7). Mean grain size ranges from 4·4 φ to 7·3 φ and averages 6·1 φ. The crystalline silica fraction is a poorly sorted medium to fine silt consisting of one-eighth sand, six-eighths silt, and one-eighth clay size sediment. Percentage of crystalline silica and mean size of crystalline silica in the thirty-two mudrocks and sandstones are positively correlated; r= 0·685, which is significant at the 99 % level. The best fit linear regression line is: Y= 102·7–11·3X. Extrapolation of the regression line indicates that, on the average, crystalline silica is lacking in mudrocks in grain sizes finer than 9·1 φ (1·μm), a result consistent with observations by clay mineralogists. The crystalline silica fraction of both the mudrocks and associated sandstones averages 4% chert in the >10 μm portion. There is no correlation between the mean grain size of the crystalline silica and the percentage of chert in it.     

Variations in the surface texture of suspended quartz grains in the Loire River: an SEM study

Statistical size distribution and scanning electron microscopic studies of suspended sand grains in the Loire River at Montjean, France were carried out over a period of a year (hydrological cycle) to discern seasonal variations. The sand fraction in suspension is better sorted during winter (average mean = 0.69 mm, median = 0.65–0.95 mm, sorting value, σ= 1.1–1.35) and is dominated by quartzo-feldspathic minerals. During summer, on the contrary, this fraction is rich in mica minerals and is poorly sorted (average mean = 1.21 mm, median = 0.33–0.95 mm, sorting value, σ= 1.4–2.0). The grain size of the coarser fraction shows a tendency to increase with river discharge up to an optimum discharge of about 1000 m³ s^-1 and thereafter decreases. Scanning electron photomicroscopy of quartz grains from the suspended sand population indicates that both mechanical and chemical features occur. The former (conchoidal fractures, mechanical fractures and breakage) dominate in the samples collected near the water surface during winter floods and the latter (solution pits, vermicular features, silica flowers, neogene silica and diatoms) in the samples from the bottom during low summer flows. During summer, chemical action takes place on sediments prior to or upon their deposition. Sediments that are resuspended during winter floods undergo mainly physical processes (attrition/abrasion). Mixed surface features are, therefore, observed during average and low river discharge. Inheritance of these surface features from the source area is, however, not completely excluded. Thus, the history of quartz grains in suspension can be reconstructed from SEM exoscopic studies: therefore, it can be proposed that the fluvial quartz grain surface textures result from a combination of alternating chemical and physical processes.     

青藏高原雪冰中碳质气溶胶含量变化

文中采用供氧两步加热的方法对过滤到石英膜上的雪冰中碳质气溶胶含量进行分析,其中有机碳(OC)和元素碳(EC)分别在340和650℃的条件下进行热解、氧化分离,生成的CO2转化成CH4并由气相色谱仪氢火焰离子化检测器(FID)检测其含量。空白测试表明,该系统的OC本底值为(0·50±0·04)(1σ)μgC,EC为(0·38±0·04)(1σ)μgC。利用这套分析系统对青藏高原8条冰川的34个雪冰和降水样品中OC和EC的含量进行了测试。结果表明,在青藏高原雪冰中OC和EC含量自东向西、自北向南呈明显的下降趋势(西昆仑除外)。在高原东北部EC的质量分数相对较高,平均为79·2ng·g-1;在喜马拉雅西段EC的质量分数最低,平均为4·3ng·g-1。在冰川表面,雪的融化使雪冰中碳质气溶胶聚集,并导致其含量明显升高,该过程降低了雪表面的反照率,加速了冰川的消融。     

Wet grindability of an industrial ore and its breakage parameters estimation using population balances

The grindability of a diasporic ore was studied by wet grinding in a laboratory ball mill and its breakage parameters were determined based on the population balance model (PBM). Four different feeds with unnatural size distributions were designed to save grinding and sieving work. It was found that three size-intervals fitted the first-order breakage, but the coarsest interval did not. The non-first order breakage was most probably caused by the heterogeneity of the material. The heterogeneity was then confirmed by experiments. The breakage rate and the breakage distribution parameters were back calculated by treating the non-first order breakage as two linear segments according to the grinding time. The back-calculated breakage rates were in good agreement with the values calculated directly from the experimental data, and non-normalizable breakage distribution was observed. The model with the obtained parameters simulated the experimental product size distributions with good accuracy. These findings are valuable to the simulation and optimization of the industrial grinding processes of diasporic ores.