New models to predict rock failure by linking the volume dilatant point with the peak stress point

The rock mass failure process can be divided into several distinct deformation stages: the compaction stage, elastic stage, stable failure stage, accelerated failure stage, and post-peak stage. Although each stage has been well studied, the relationship among the stages has not been established. Here, we establish two models which are the Strain model Q and Energy density model S by using the renormalization group theory and investigate the mechanical relationship between the volume dilatant point and peak stress point on the rock stress-strain curve. Our models show that the strain ratio (ε _f /ε _c ) and energy ratio (E _f /E _c ) at the volume dilatant point and peak stress point are solely functions of the shape parameter m. To verify our models, we further studied the failure process of rock specimens through several uniaxial compression experiments and found that the relationship between ε _f /ε _c or E _f /E _c and m shares a notably similar pattern to that from our theoretical model. However, the ε _f /ε _c and E _f /E _c values in our experiments are slightly smaller than those predicted by the models. In brief, we demonstrate that our models can be used to predict the failure process of the laboratory-scale hard brittle rock samples.     

Possible reasons for the frequency splitting of the harmonics of type II solar radio bursts

AIA/SDO data in the 193 Å channel preceding a coronal mass ejection observed at the solar limb on June 13, 2010 are used to simultaneously identify and examine two different shock fronts. The angular size of each front relative to the CME center was about 20°, and their propagation directions differed by ≈25° (≈4° in position angle). The faster front, called the blast shock, advanced the other front, called the piston shock, by R ≈ (0.02-0.03)R⊙ (R⊙ is the solar radius) and had a maximum initial speed of V_B ≈ 850 km/s (with V_P ≈ 700 km/s for the piston shock). The appearance and motion of these shocks were accompanied by a Type II radio burst observed at the fundamental frequency F and second harmonic H. Each frequency was split into two close frequencies f₁ and f₂ separated by Δf = f₂ - f₁ ? F, H. It is concluded that the observed frequency splitting Δf of the F and H components of the Type II burst could result from the simultaneous propagation of piston and blast shocks moving with different speeds in somewhat different directions displaying different coronal-plasma densities.     

Ag2(S,Se) solid solutions in the ores of the Rogovik gold-silver deposit (northeastern Russia)

The relationships and chemical compositions of silver sulfoselenides in the ores of the Rogovik gold-silver deposit (northeastern Russia) were studied to refine the low-temperature region of the Ag₂S-Ag₂Se phase diagram and identify contradictions between natural and experimental data. Two types of relationships between the phases of the system Ag₂S-Ag₂Se have been recognized using optical and scanning electron microscopy: (1) Se-acanthite and S-naumannite occur as monomineral microinclusions or fill cracks in the grains or the interstices of other minerals, and acanthite (free of impurities) forms rims on Fe-sphalerite; (2) Se-acanthite forms rims on S-naumannite. Electron probe microanalysis of silver sulfoselenides from the Rogovik ores revealed 0–7.9 wt.% Se in acanthite and 0–3.2 wt.% S in naumannite, which corresponds to the acanthite series Ag₂S-Ag₂S₀.₇₄Se₀.₂₆ and naumannite series Ag₂S₀.₂₈Se₀.₇₂-Ag₂Se. The composition ranges of the studied acanthite and naumannite series are wider than those of natural silver sulfoselenides from the Guanajuato (Mexico), Silver City (USA), Salida (Indonesia), and other deposits (Ag₂S-Ag₂S0.85Se0.₁5 and Ag₂S0.₁₂Se0.88-Ag₂Se, respectively) but are significantly narrower than the composition ranges of synthetic samples: Ag₂S-Ag₂S0.₄Se0.6 and Ag₂S0.3Se0.₇-Ag₂Se. The presence of intergrowths of two phases of the Ag₂S-Ag₂Se series in the form of Se-acanthite rims on S-naumannite in the Rogovik ores and the absence of three-phase intergrowths of silver sulfoselenides Ag₂S_1 -xSe_x from this and other deposits do not confirm the assumption on the existence of the third solid solution. The results of earlier studies of natural Ag₂(S,Se) solid solutions show the existence of two solid solutions (of the acanthite and naumannite series) in the Ag₂S-Ag₂Se system and confirm the experimental data. It is necessary to carry out a detailed examination of natural silver sulfoselenides falling in the interval from Ag2S0.4Se0.6 to Ag2S0.3Se0.7 in order to identify the limits of two-phase immiscibility.     

Influence of oxygen fugacity and temperature on the redox state of iron in natural silicic aluminosilicate melts

The influence of oxygen fugacity (fO₂) and temperature on the valence and structural state of iron was experimentally studied in glasses quenched from natural aluminosilicate melts of granite and pantellerite compositions exposed to various T-fO₂ conditions (1100–1420°C and 10^?12–10^?0.68 bar) at a total pressure of 1 atm. The quenched glasses were investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. It was shown that the effect of oxygen fugacity on the redox state of iron at 1320–1420°C can be described by the equation log(Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺) = k log(fO₂) + q, where k and q are constants depending on melt composition and temperature. The Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ ratio decreases with decreasing fO₂ (T = const) and increasing temperature (fO₂ = const). The structural state of Fe³⁺ depends on the degree of iron oxidation. With increasing Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ ≥ 1, the dominant coordination of Fe³⁺ changes from octahedral to tetrahedral. Ferrous iron ions occur in octahedral (and/or five-coordinated) sites independent of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺.     

Calorimetric Study of Natural Anapaite

The thermochemical study of natural hydrous calcium and iron phosphate, anapaite Ca₂Fe(PO₄)₂ · 4H₂O (Kerch iron ore deposit, Crimea, Russia), was carried out using high-temperature melt solution calorimetry with a Tian-Kalvet microcalorimeter. The enthalpy of formation of the mineral from elements was obtained to be Δ _f H_el°(298.15 K) =–4812 ± 16 kJ/mol. The values of the standard entropy and the Gibbs energy of anapaite formation are S°(298.15 K) = 404.2 J/K mol and Δ _f G_el°(298.15 K) =–4352 ± 16 kJ/mol, respectively.     

Characteristic scale of heterogeneity of seismically active fault and its manifestation in scaling of earthquake source spectra

Previously, similarity of source spectra of Kamchatka earthquakes with respect to the common corner frequency f_c1 and the expressed deviations from similarity for the second f_c2 and the third f_c3 corner frequencies were revealed. The value of f_c3 reflects the characteristic size L_is of fault surface; correspondingly, L_is ≈ v_rT_is, where v_r is the rupture speed and T_is ≈ 1/f_c3 is characteristic time. The estimates of f_c3 are used for normalizing f_c1 and f_c2. In this way one obtains dimensionless rupture temporal parametres τ₁ and τ₂ and can further study the dependence τ₂ (τ₁). The growth of a rupture is considered as a process of aggregation of elementary fault spots of the size L_is. The dimensionless width of the random front of aggregation is on the order of τ₂. The relationship τ₂ (τ₁) approximately follows power law with exponent β. The estimates of β derived from earthquake populations of Kamchatka, USA and Central Asia (β = 0.35–0.6) agree with values expected from the known Eden’s theory of random aggregation growth and from its generalizations.     

Determination of the enthalpies of formation of some platinum antimonides and their phase diagrams under standard conditions

Using the method of direct synthesis calorimetry, we determined the standard enthalpy of formation of PtSb (stumpflite), Δ _f H°_298.15 (PtSb, cr) =–105.16 ± 0.84 kJ/mol and PdSb₂ (geversite), Δ _f H°_298.15 (PtSb₂,cr) =–160.92 ± 0.84 kJ/mol. Isothermal (298.15 K, p = 1 bar) phase diagrams were computed for the Pt–Sb–S and Pt–Sb–O ternary systems in the coordinates composition of the Pt–Sb binary system versus fugacity of a gaseous volatile component (O₂, S₂).     

Crystal chemistry of selenates with mineral-like structures: VII. The structure of (H<Subscript>3</Subscript>O)[(UO<Subscript>2</Subscript>)(SeO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)(SeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>OH)] and some structural features of selenite-selenates

The crystal structure of a new compound, (H₃O)[(UO₂)(SeO₄)(SeO₂OH)] (monoclinic, P2₁/n, a = 8.6682(19), b = 10.6545(16), c = 9.846(2) Å, β = 97.881(17)°, V = 900.7(3) ų), was solved by direct methods and refined to R ₁ = 0.050. The structure contains two symmetrically different Se atoms. The Se1 site is coordinated by three O atoms as is characteristic of Se⁴⁺ cations. The Se2 site is coordinated by four O atoms and forms selenate anion SeO ₄ ^2? . The structure is based on selenite-selenate sheets [(UO₂)(SeO₄)(SeO₂OH)]^? linked by the interlayer H₃O^? ions. The sheets are parallel to (101). The structure is compared to that of schmiederite, Pb₂Cu₂(SeO₃)(SeO₄)(OH)₄.     

Application of IR and Raman spectroscopy for the determination of the role of oxygen fugacity in the formation of N–С–О–Н molecules and complexes in the iron-bearing silicate melts at high pressures

Large-scale melting of the Earth’s early mantle under the effect of global impact processes was accompanied by the generation of volatiles, which concentration was mainly controlled by the interaction of main N, C, O, and H gas-forming elements with silicate and metallic melts at low oxygen fugacity (fO₂), which predominated during metallic segregation and self-oxidation of magma ocean. The paper considers the application of Raman and IR (infrared) Fourier spectroscopy for revealing the mechanisms of simultaneous dissolution and relative contents of N, C, O, and H in glasses, which represent the quench products of reduced model FeO–Na₂O–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ melts after experiments at 4 GPa, 1550°C, and fO₂ 1.5–3 orders of magnitude below the oxygen fugacity of the iron—wustite buffer equilibrium (fO₂(IW)). Such fO₂ values correspond to those inferred for the origin and evolution of magma ocean. It was established that the silicate melt contains complexes with N–H bonds (NH₃, NH ₂ ⁺ , NH ₂ ^- ), N₂, H₂, and CH₄ molecules, as well as oxidized hydrogen species (OH^– hydroxyl and molecular water H₂O). Spectral characteristics of the glasses indicate significant influence of fO₂ on the N–C–O–H proportion in the melt. They are expressed in a sharp decrease of NH ₂ ⁺ , NH ₂ ^- (O–NH₂), OH^–, H₂O, and CH₄ and simultaneous increase of NH ₂ ^- (≡Si–NH₂) and NH₃ with decreasing fO₂. As a result, NH₃ molecules become the dominant nitrogen compounds among N–C–H components in the melt at fO₂ two orders of magnitude below fO₂(IW), whereas molecular СН₄ prevails at higher fO₂. The noteworthy feature of the redox reactions in the melt is stability of the ОН^– groups and molecular water, in spite of the sufficiently low fO₂. Our study shows that the composition of reduced magmatic gases transferred to the planet surface has been significantly modified under conditions of self-oxidation of mantle and magma ocean.     

On the correlation between spectra of solar microwave bursts and proton fluxes near the Earth

Studies of the extreme solar proton event of January 20, 2005 intensified the contest over of a long-standing problem: are solar cosmic rays arriving at the Earth accelerated by solar flares or by shocks preceding rapidly moving coronal mass ejections? Among the most important questions is the relationship between the energy spectra of the solar cosmic rays and the frequency spectra of flare microwave bursts. Some studies of previous solar-activity cycles have shown that such a relationship does exist, in particular, for protons with energies of tens of MeV. The present work analyzes this relation using data for 1987–2008. For flare events observed in the western half of the disk, there is a significant correlation between the index δ, which is equivalent to the power-law index of the integrated energy spectrum of 10–100 MeV protons detected near the Earth’s orbit, and radio burst parameters such as a ratio of peak fluxes S at two frequencies (for example, at 9 and 15 GHz) and a microwave peak frequency f _m . Proton fluxes with hard (flat) energy spectra (δ ≤ 1.5) correspond to hard microwave frequency spectra (S ₉/S ₁₅ ≤ 1 and f _m ≥ 15 GHz), while flares with soft radio spectra (S ₉/S ₁₅ ≥ 1.5 and f _m ≤ 5 GHz) result in proton fluxes with soft (steep) energy spectra (δ ≥ 1.5–2). It is also shown that powerful high-frequency bursts with the hardest radio spectra (f _m ≈ 30 GHz) can point at acceleration of significant proton fluxes in flares occurring in strong magnetic fields. These results argue that solar cosmic rays (or at least their initial impulses) are mainly accelerated in flares associated with impulsive and post-eruptive energy release, rather than in shocks driven by coronal mass ejections.     

Vanadium magnetite–melt oxybarometry of natural,silicic magmas: a comparison of various oxybarometers and thermometers

To test a recently developed oxybarometer for silicic magmas based on partitioning of vanadium between magnetite and silicate melt, a comprehensive oxybarometry and thermometry study on 22 natural rhyolites to dacites was conducted. Investigated samples were either vitrophyres or holocrystalline rocks in which part of the mineral and melt assemblage was preserved only as inclusions within phenocrysts. Utilized methods include vanadium magnetite–melt oxybarometry, Fe–Ti oxide thermometry and -oxybarometry, zircon saturation thermometry, and two-feldspar thermometry, with all analyses conducted by laser-ablation ICP–MS. Based on the number of analyses, the reproducibility of the results and the certainty of contemporaneity of the analyzed minerals and silicate melts the samples were grouped into three classes of reliability. In the most reliable (n = 5) and medium reliable (n = 10) samples, all fO₂ values determined via vanadium magnetite–melt oxybarometry agree within 0.5 log units with the fO₂ values determined via Fe–Ti oxide oxybarometry, except for two samples of the medium reliable group. In the least reliable samples (n = 7), most of which show evidence for magma mixing, calculated fO₂ values agree within 0.75 log units. Comparison of three different thermometers reveals that temperatures obtained via zircon saturation thermometry agree within the limits of uncertainty with those obtained via two-feldspar thermometry in most cases, whereas temperatures obtained via Fe–Ti oxide thermometry commonly deviate by ≥50 °C due to large uncertainties associated with the Fe–Ti oxide model at T-fO₂ conditions typical of most silicic magmas. Another outcome of this study is that magma mixing is a common but easily overlooked phenomenon in silicic volcanic rocks, which means that great care has to be taken in the application and interpretation of thermometers and oxybarometers.     

Effect of 2-D Random Field Discretization on Failure Probability and Failure Mechanism in Probabilistic Slope Stability

This paper investigates, using the random field theory and Monte Carlo simulation, the effects of random field discretization on failure probability, p _f, and failure mechanism of cohesive soil slope stability. The spatial sizes of the discretized elements in random field Δx, Δy in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, are assigned a series of combinational values in order to model the discretization accuracy. The p _f of deterministic critical slip surface (DCSS) and that of the slope system both are analyzed. The numerical simulation results have demonstrated that both the ratios of Δy/λ _y (λ _y  = scale of fluctuation in vertical direction) and Δx/λ _x (λ _x  = scale of fluctuation in horizontal direction) contribute in a similar manner to the accuracy of p _f of DCSS. The effect of random field discretization on the p _f can be negligible if both the ratios of Δx/λ _x and Δy/λ _y are no greater than 0.1. The normalized discrepancy tends to increase at a linear rate with Δy/λ _y when Δx/λ _x is larger than 0.1, and vice versa for p _f of DCSS. The random field discretization tends to have more considerable influence on the p _f of DCSS than on that of the slope system. The variation of p _f versus λ _x and λ _y may exhibit opposite trends for the cases where the limit state functions of slope failure are defined on DCSS and on the slope system as well. Finally, the p _f of slope system converges in a more rapid manner to that of DCSS than the failure mechanism does to DCSS as the spatial variability of soil property grows from significant to negligible.     

Simulation of the geochemical structure of the Ioko-Dovyren layered intrusion,northwestern Baikal area

The processes of differentiation in the magmatic chamber of the Ioko-Dovyren layered dunite-troctolite-gabbro-gabbronorite massif were simulated using the COMAGMAT-3.5 software package, which is based on the convection-accumulation model for the crystallization of magmatic intrusions. The initial magma composition was assumed to be equal to the weighted mean composition of the rocks composing the intrusion (wt %: 43.92 SiO₂, 9.72 Al₂O₃, 10.53 FeO, 27.88 MgO, 6.99 CaO, 0.59 Na₂O, 0.07 K₂O, and 0.11 TiO₂). The results obtained by simulating the crystallization of this composition within a pressure range of 0–10 kbar indicate that the crystallization sequence determined for the rocks Ol + Chr → Ol+ Pl+ Chr → Ol + Pl+ CPx → ± Ol + Pl+ CPx + LowCaPx in an anhydrous system takes place under pressures of 0–2 kbar. A series of simulations for a system closed with respect to oxygen yielded estimates for the phase and chemical composition of the emplaced magma and the parameters of the optimum model, which reproduces accurately enough the geochemical structure of the Ioko-Dovyren intrusion: the naturally occurring distributions of minerals and components in its vertical section. The correlation coefficients between the concentrations of oxides determined in the rocks and calculated within the model are \(r_{MgO,Al_2 O_3 ,CaO} \) ≥ 0.9 and \(r_{FeO,SiO_2 ,Na_2 O} \) ≥ 0.6. The simulated phase composition of the magma during its emplacement corresponded to melt + olivine (Fo ₈₉). The crystallinity of the parental magma was determined to have been equal to approximately 40 vol % at an assumed cumulus density of 90% near the lower contact and 70% near the upper one. The temperature of the magma during its emplacement was close to 1340°C at a pressure of 1 kbar. In the model, plagioclase and clinopyroxene appear on the liquidus at T?1255°C at T?1210°C, respectively, and the crystallization sequence of cumulus minerals corresponds to that observed in nature. The liquid phase (melt) of the parental magma during its emplacement had the following composition (wt %): 45.95 SiO₂, 15.93 Al₂ O₃, 14.49 MgO, 10.88 FeO, 11.46 CaO, 0.97 Na₂O, 0.11 K₂O, and 0.18 TiO₂. Our results confirm the plausibility of the hypothesis that the inner structure of the Ioko-Dovyren intrusion was formed by the emplacement and differentiation of a single magma portion with no less than 40 vol % crystallinity.     

Nickelpicromerite,K<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ni(SO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>•6H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O,a new picromerite-group mineral from Slyudorudnik,South Urals,Russia

A new picromerite-group mineral, nickelpicromerite, K₂Ni(SO₄)₂?·?6H₂O (IMA 2012–053), was found at the Vein #169 of the Ufaley quartz deposit, near the town of Slyudorudnik, Kyshtym District, Chelyabinsk area, South Urals, Russia. It is a supergene mineral that occurs, with gypsum and goethite, in the fractures of slightly weathered actinolite-talc schist containing partially vermiculitized biotite and partially altered sulfides: pyrrhotite, pentlandite, millerite, pyrite and marcasite. Nickelpicromerite forms equant to short prismatic or tabular crystals up to 0.07 mm in size and anhedral grains up to 0.5 mm across, their clusters or crusts up to 1 mm. Nickelpicromerite is light greenish blue. Lustre is vitreous. Mohs hardness is 2–2½. Cleavage is distinct, parallel to {10–2}. D _meas is 2.20(2), D _calc is 2.22 g cm^?3. Nickelpicromerite is optically biaxial (+), α?=?1.486(2), β?=?1.489(2), γ?=?1.494(2), 2V_meas =75(10)°, 2V_calc =76°. The chemical composition (wt.%, electron-microprobe data) is: K₂O 20.93, MgO 0.38, FeO 0.07, NiO 16.76, SO₃ 37.20, H₂O (calc.) 24.66, total 100.00. The empirical formula, calculated based on 14 O, is: K_1.93Mg_0.04Ni_0.98S_2.02O_8.05(H₂O)_5.95. Nickelpicromerite is monoclinic, P2₁/c, a?=?6.1310(7), b?=?12.1863(14), c?=?9.0076(10) Å, β?=?105.045(2)°, V?=?649.9(1) ų, Z?=?2. Eight strongest reflections of the powder XRD pattern are [d,Å-I(hkl)]: 5.386–34(110); 4.312–46(002); 4.240–33(120); 4.085–100(012, 10–2); 3.685–85(031), 3.041–45(040, 112), 2.808–31(013, 20–2, 122), 2.368–34(13–3, 21–3, 033). Nickelpicromerite (single-crystal X-ray data, R?=?0.028) is isostructural to other picromerite-group minerals and synthetic Tutton’s salts. Its crystal structure consists of [Ni(H₂O)₆]²⁺ octahedra linked to (SO₄)^2? tetrahedra via hydrogen bonds. K⁺ cations are coordinated by eight anions. Nickelpicromerite is the product of alteration of primary sulfide minerals and the reaction of the acid Ni-sulfate solutions with biotite.     

Formation of the Fe,Mg-Silicates,Fe<Superscript>0</Superscript>, and Graphite (Diamond) Assemblage as a Result of Cohenite Oxidation under Lithospheric Mantle Conditions

Experimental studies in the Fe₃C–SiO₂–MgO system (P = 6.3 GPa, T = 1100–1500°C, t = 20–40 h) have been carried out. It has been established that carbide-oxide interaction resulted in the formation of Fe-orthopyroxene, graphite, wustite, and cohenite (1100 and 1200°C), as well as a Fe–C–O melt (1300–1500°C). The main processes occurring in the system at 1100 and 1200°C are the oxidation of cohenite, the extraction of carbon from carbide, and the crystallization of metastable graphite, as well as the formation of ferrosilicates. At T ≥ 1300°C, graphite crystallization and diamond growth occur as a result of the redox interaction of a predominantly metallic melt (Fe–C–O) with oxides and silicates. The carbide–oxide interaction studied can be considered as the basis for modeling a number of carbon-producing processes in the lithospheric mantle at fO₂ values near the iron–wustite buffer.     

Experimental study of the influence of water on elastic wave velocities in dunite and serpentinite (on the nature of the low-velocity zone in the upper mantle of the Earth)

Longitudinal wave velocities (V _P ) in rocks were measured experimentally in dunite (olivinite) and serpentinite at a water pressure of 300 MPa and temperatures of 20–850°C. It is shown that the strong decrease in V _P in dunite (by ~3 km/s) observed within the range of 400–800°C results from penetration of water into rock along microfractures and from the formation of hydrous minerals (mostly serpentine) along the boundaries of mineral grains as a result of water–olivine interaction. It is suggested that serpentinization or the formation of similar hydrous minerals in olivine-rich mantle rocks under the influence of deep fluids may result in the formation of zones of low-velocity elastic waves in the upper mantle at great depths (~100 km).     

Thermodynamic Properties of Natural Cuspidine

The paper reports pioneering data on the calorimetrically determined enthalpy of formation from elements of cuspidine, Ca fluordiorthosilicate Ca₄Si₂O₇F₂, from the Tyrny-Auz Mo–W deposit in Kabardino- Balkaria, Russia. The data were obtained by high-temperature melt solution calorimetry. The determined value is ΔfH_el° (298.15 K) =–5190 ± 13 kJ/mol. The paper reports estimated S°(298.15 K) and Δ_fG_el° (298.15 K) of cuspidine.     

Thermodynamic controls on element partitioning between titanomagnetite and andesitic–dacitic silicate melts

Titanomagnetite–melt partitioning of Mg, Mn, Al, Ti, Sc, V, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf and Ta was investigated experimentally as a function of oxygen fugacity (fO₂) and temperature (T) in an andesitic–dacitic bulk-chemical compositional range. In these bulk systems, at constant T, there are strong increases in the titanomagnetite–melt partitioning of the divalent cations (Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺) and Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ with increasing fO₂ between 0.2 and 3.7 log units above the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer. This is attributed to a coupling between magnetite crystallisation and melt composition. Although melt structure has been invoked to explain the patterns of mineral–melt partitioning of divalent cations, a more rigorous justification of magnetite–melt partitioning can be derived from thermodynamic principles, which accounts for much of the supposed influence ascribed to melt structure. The presence of magnetite-rich spinel in equilibrium with melt over a range of fO₂ implies a reciprocal relationship between a(Fe²⁺O) and a(Fe³⁺O_1.5) in the melt. We show that this relationship accounts for the observed dependence of titanomagnetite–melt partitioning of divalent cations with fO₂ in magnetite-rich spinel. As a result of this, titanomagnetite–melt partitioning of divalent cations is indirectly sensitive to changes in fO₂ in silicic, but less so in mafic bulk systems.     

Prediction of strength parameters of sedimentary rocks using artificial neural networks and regression analysis

Accurate laboratory measurement of geo-engineering properties of intact rock including uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and modulus of elasticity (E) involves high costs and a substantial amount of time. For this reason, it is of great necessity to develop some relationships and models for estimating these parameters in rock engineering. The present study was conducted to forecast UCS and E in the sedimentary rocks using artificial neural networks (ANNs) and multivariable regression analysis (MLR). For this purpose, a total of 196 rock samples from four rock types (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, and marl) were cored and subjected to comprehensive laboratory tests. To develop the predictive models, physical properties of studied rocks such as P wave velocity (V_p), dry density (γ_d), porosity, and water absorption (A_b) were considered as model inputs, while UCS and E were the output parameters. We evaluated the performance of MLR and ANN models by calculating correlation coefficient (R), mean absolute error (MAE), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) indices. The comparison of the obtained results revealed that ANN outperforms MLR when predicting the UCS and E.