Military uses of groundwater: a driver of innovation?

Military need has been a positive driver to the development of the modern day, and now mature, science of hydrogeology. The important synergy between geology and water supply was appreciated by military men in the mid-nineteenth century but the first real test of this learning only took place in the First World War. German, British and American geologists then mapped water resources and the potential for exploiting groundwater in Belgium and northern France. Technical innovations included deployment of rapid drilling techniques and the promotion of well screens for use in unconsolidated sediments. The mapping techniques were developed further during the Second World War when innovative remote mapping of enemy-occupied territory became an important planning tool to both Allied and German armies. Work in North Africa and other arid and semi-arid terrains promoted insight into the occurrence of groundwater in fresh-water aquifers little replenished by recharge. Mapping of hard rock basement-type environments in the islands of Jersey and Guernsey by German geologists was a concept new to the British Isles. Collectively, these varied initiatives provided part of the foundation for post-Second World War development of modern-day applied hydrogeology.     

Animals and Mineralization of Phosphorus: Ore-Forming Mechanism of Insular Phosphorites

Phosphorite, or guano, or insular phosphorite, commonly containing 10-35% P_2O_5, is one of the sources of phosphatic fertilizer. Taking the modern insular phosphorite on the Xisha Islands as an example. this paper discusses the ore-forming mechanism of phosphate and the important contribution made by animals to this process.The phosphorite occurs in the middle part of carbonate sand cays of coral reef surrounded by longshore sandbanks, which assumes a dish-shape. The surface of the cays is covered by unconsolidated guano. The phosphorite, yellowish brown to dark brown, is made up of thick-bedded sand and gravel cemented by collophanite, and partly replaced by carbonate apatite.The mechanism of mineralization is as follows:The average content of phosphorus in the sea water is only 0.07 ppm, but through the sea food chain concentration, phosphorus content may become higher. The phytoplanktons, as producers, suck up phosphorus out of sea water. The primary consumers, zooplanktons, obtain phosphorus by eating phytoplanktons, then they are followed by the second and third consumers. Sea birds living on fish, as the third consumers, concentrate and transport the phosphorus to the carbonate sand cays. Finally layers of guano are deposited under the arbores.Under the tropical climatic conditions with high temperature and plentiful rainfall soluble matters are leached out of the guano and infiltrated into deeper horizon. In alkaline groundwater with pH greater than 7.0. the phosphoritization takes place, bioclastics are cemented and replaced by collophanite or carbonate apatite. Finally, the phosphorus is fixed and phosphate formed.     

Territoriality of negation: Co-production of “creative destruction” in Israel

Based on an examination of Israel’s territorial conceptions, strategies, and achievements since the establishment of the state, this article shows how state territoriality subsumes ideology and political agendas and may, under certain circumstances, lead the state to negate its very self-conceptions and harm its own perceived interests. Its analysis pays special attention to the state’s inadvertently produced territories of negation, which run counter to its own conception of territoriality, and considers the kind of social–spatial entities produced by the state. It also considers Israeli territoriality’s more recently asserted goal of shaping Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, in addition to the goals of controlling Jerusalem and Judaizing the Galilee and the Negev. To illustrate the theoretical assertion that discriminatory and marginalizing state territoriality has the distinct potential to bring about its own negation, the article concludes with two prominent expressions of this phenomenon. The first is manifested in green-line Israel, where the state’s territorial policies and the resulting marginalization of the Palestinian minority has resulted in collective resistance against the state and its policies, basic Jewish-Israeli symbols such as the anthem and the flag, and Israel’s very definition as a Jewish State. The second is manifested in Israel’s inadvertent creation of bi-national spaces both within Israel proper and in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, indirectly promoting the solution of a single bi-national state and posing a serious challenge to the very goals that Israeli territoriality has consistently strived to achieve.     

Oxidation Experiment of Natural Megacrystal Ch'nopyroxene: Implications for Assignment of Mossbauer Spectra

The Mossbauer spectra of natural megacrystal clinopyroxene are usually fitted by 4 sets of symmetric doublets, A-A', B-B', C-C' and D-D', respectively, in terms of increasing Qs value in literature. But the assignments of those doublets are quite different, except the D-D' doublet assigned to Fe3+ at the lattice site Ml in previous papers. Particularly, the assignment and interpretation of the C-C' doublet are diverse.The oxidation experiments of natural megacrystal clinopyroxene collected from the Hannuoba basalt, North China, were performed under controlled conditions of temperature at 1000℃ and oxygen fugacity of FMQ buffer in 1, 2, 3 and 5 days respectively. The oxidized samples were then measured by X-ray diffraction spectrometry and Mossbauer spectrometry. The oxidation of clinopyroxene is characterized by Fe2+→ Fe3+ at Ml under the subsolidus conditions, which is consistent with the increase of the area of the D-D' doublet when the heating time increases. Accordingly, the area of the A-A' and B     

Aquifer disposal of acid gases: modelling of water–rock reactions for trapping of acid wastes

The pore space of deep saline aquifers in the Alberta (sedimentary) Basin offers a significant volume for waste storage by “hydrodynamic trapping”. Furthermore, given the slow regional fluid flow in these deep saline aquifers, ample time exists for waste-water/rock chemical reactions to take place. A geochemical computer model (PATHARC) was used to compute the interaction of industrial waste streams comprising CO₂, H₂SO₄ and H₂S with the minerals in typical carbonate and sandstone aquifers from the Alberta Basin. The results support the idea that these acids can be neutralized by such reactions and that new mineral products are formed, such as calcite, siderite, anhydrite/gypsum and pyrrhotite, thereby trapping the CO₃, SO₄ and S ions that are formed when the acid gases dissolve in the formation water. Siliciclastic aquifers appear to be a better host for “mineral trapping” than carbonate aquifers, especially with regard to CO₂. Carbonate aquifers may be more prone to leakage due to high CO₂ pressures generated by reaction with H₂SO₄ and H₂S. Even though permeability decreases are expected due to this “mineral trapping”, they can be partially controlled so that plugging of the aquifer does not occur.     

The limits of ‘Rational’ planning: A study of the politics of coastal mineral extraction

This paper is a critical analysis of the rational model in planning. As political science and theory have contributed little to the environmental debate, natural resources problems have often been misunderstood as technical instead of political in every sense. The ‘implementation gap’, or the failure of plans and policies to produce intended outcomes, is blamed on problems of process. Solutions are sought in improved institutional arrangements and rational techniques. Yet there are significant political, administrative and technical/scientific constraints to rational planning and implementation. This is illustrated by an assessment of the British planning system in regulating mineral development in coastal areas. A brief case study examines the 30-year attempt of Dorset County officials to phase out beach gravel extractions from the internationally significant Chesil Beach coast. The analysis reveals that a decision which is ‘rational’ from a planning point of view has been influenced by the exercise of political discretion, scientific uncertainty and an administrative legacy of multiple and overlapping jurisdictions.     

Oxidation Experiment of Natural Megacrystal Ch''nopyroxene: Implications for Assignment of Mossbauer Spectra

The Mossbauer spectra of natural megacrystal clinopyroxene are usually fitted by 4 sets of symmetric doublets, A-A', B-B', C-C' and D-D', respectively, in terms of increasing Qs value in literature. But the assignments of those doublets are quite different, except the D-D' doublet assigned to Fe3+ at the lattice site Ml in previous papers. Particularly, the assignment and interpretation of the C-C' doublet are diverse.The oxidation experiments of natural megacrystal clinopyroxene collected from the Hannuoba basalt, North China, were performed under controlled conditions of temperature at 1000℃ and oxygen fugacity of FMQ buffer in 1, 2, 3 and 5 days respectively. The oxidized samples were then measured by X-ray diffraction spectrometry and Mossbauer spectrometry. The oxidation of clinopyroxene is characterized by Fe2+→ Fe3+ at Ml under the subsolidus conditions, which is consistent with the increase of the area of the D-D' doublet when the heating time increases. Accordingly, the area of the A-A' and B     

Electrical conductivity of talc aggregates at 0.5 GPa: influence of dehydration

Electrical conductivity of talc was measured at 0.5 GPa and ~473 to ~1,300 K by using impedance spectroscopy both before and after dehydration. Before dehydration, the electrical conductivity of talc increased with temperature and is ~10^?4 S/m at 1,078 K. After dehydration, most of the talc changed to a mixture of enstatite and quartz and the total water content is reduced by a factor 6 or more. Despite this large reduction in the total water content, the electrical conductivity increased. The activation enthalpy of electrical conductivity (~125 kJ/mol) is too large for the conduction by free water but is consistent with conduction by small polaron. Our results show that a majority of hydrogen atoms in talc do not enhance electrical conductivity, implying the low mobility of the hydrogen atoms in talc. The observed small increase in conductivity after dehydration may be attributed to the increase in oxygen fugacity that enhances conductivity due to small polaron.     

Undrained monotonic response of sand–silt mixtures: effect of nonplastic fines

The effect of non-plastic fines (silt) on the undrained monotonic response of saturated and isotropically consolidated sand specimens prepared to various measures of their density was studied in detail through various approaches namely gross void ratio approach, relative density approach, sand skeleton void ratio approach, and interfine void ratio approach. Specimens of 50 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height were tested at a rate of loading of 0.6 mm/min for this purpose. The limiting silt content and the relative density of a specimen were found to influence the undrained monotonic response of sand–silt mixtures to a great extent. Undrained monotonic response was observed to be independent of silt content at very high relative densities; however the presence of fines significantly influenced this response of loose to medium dense specimens. Individual and combined analyses of undrained monotonic peak strengths which are closely related to the liquefaction related problems have been done in this paper to assess the variation patterns.     

Mechanism of formation of superdeep sedimentary basins: lithospheric stretching or eclogitization?

The superdeep North Caspian, South Caspian, and Barents basins have their sedimentary fill much thicker and the Moho, correspondingly, much deeper than it is required for crustal subsidence by lithospheric stretching. In the absence of large gravity anomalies, this crustal structure indicates the presence under the Moho of a thick layer of eclogite which is denser than mantle peridotite. Crustal subsidence in the basins can be explained by high-grade metamorphism of mafic lower crust. The basins produced by lithospheric stretching normally subside for the first ～100 myr of their history, while at least half of the subsidence in the three basins occurred after that period, which is another evidence against the stretching formation mechanism. According to the seismic reflection profiling data, stretching can be responsible for only a minor part of the subsidence in the Caspian and Barents basins. As for the South Caspian basin, there has been a large recent subsidence event in a setting of compression. Therefore, eclogitization appears to be a realistic mechanism of crustal subsidence in superdeep basins.     

Crystal structure of K-substituted gonnardite: separation of local water–cation assemblages

K-substituted gonnardite, K_2.18Na_0.04Ca_0.02[Al_2.26Si_2.74O₁₀]·2.2H₂O, was studied by X-ray powder diffraction method. The structure was refined with the Rietveld technique in the tetragonal space group $I\overline{4} 2d$ with a = 13.65409(16), c = 6.56928(11) Å, V = 1224.74(2) ų, Z = 4. Most of K⁺ cations (1.94 apfu) statistically occupy three nearest positions to be considered as the split one. “Excess” cations are located in the position non-typical for K⁺. Statistics in the cation distribution is defined by the occupation of the additional position. Based on a crystal chemical positional model (C₂R₂A₂) [T₅O₁₀], the separation of the local water–cation assemblages from an average statistical pattern has been suggested.     

Sustainable Development and Utilization of Mineral Resources:

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Progress of machine learning in geosciences: Preface

正In the past two decades,artificial intelligence(AI)algorithms have proved to be promising tools for solving several tough scientific problems.As a broad subfield of AI,machine learning is concerned with algorithms and techniques that allow computers to"learn".The machine learning approach covers main domains such as data mining,difficult-to-program applications,and software applications.It is a collection of a variety of algorithms that     

Spatial analysis of the frequency–magnitude distribution of aftershock activity of 2003 Bam earthquake: southeast Iran

The Bam earthquake (2003 December 26, M _W = 6.6) was one of the largest earthquakes that occurred in southeast of Iran during last century. It took place along an N–S trending right-lateral strike-slip fault, almost near the southern end of Nyband–Gowk fault. In this study, we mapped the frequency–magnitude distribution of aftershock events spatially across the Bam aftershock zone. The b-value varies between 0.6 and 1.1 across the Bam rupture zone. The overall depth distribution of b-value in Bam aftershock zone reveals two distinct increases in b-value: (1) at depths of 8–10 km and (2) shallower than 4 km beneath the Bam city. There is no correlation between high b- value anomalies found in this study and the region of largest slip, whereas the spatial correlation between high b-value anomalies and the zone of low V _s and high σ (in earlier tomography study) is obvious. This correlation reveals that material properties and increasing heterogeneity are more important in controlling b-value distribution in Bam earthquake rupture zone. The high b-value anomaly near the surface of northern part of rupture zone may be related to unconsolidated and water-rich quaternary alluvial sediments and probable low-strength rocks beneath them. The high b-value anomaly at depth range 8–10 km can be correlated with fractured and fluid-filled mass, which may result from the movement of magma during Eocene volcanism in the Bam area. In this study, the induced changes in pore fluid pressure due to main shock are suggested as a mechanism for aftershock generation.     

Modelling of the oxygen isotope evolution of seawater: implications for the climate interpretation of the δ18O of marine sediments

It is often argued that the δ¹⁸O value of oceanic water was maintained close to 0‰ for hundreds of millions of years, as a consequence of oxygen isotope exchange between oceanic crust and seawater. However, for several decades, the interpretation of the biosedimentary oxygen isotope record has conflicted with the igneous record because, with increasing age, a general trend of decreasing δ¹⁸O values (about 6‰) is observed in most carbonates, cherts and phosphates, especially for the Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. We developed a dynamical model of seawater-crust interaction that computes the δ¹⁸O value in these two reservoirs as function of time. This model takes into account the continuous production of crust at oceanic ridges, its expansion rate, the permeability profile with space and time, the mineralogical mode of the crust, and the kinetics of oxygen isotope exchange between rock-forming minerals and seawater. The model indicates that the δ¹⁸O value of seawater may vary by ±2‰ with a time response ranging from 5 to 50 Ma for expansion rates of 1 to 10 cm.a⁻¹. The variation of ±2‰ is fixed by both integrated water-rock ratio and closure time of the seawater-crust system by sediments. Variations in the oxygen isotope ratio of seawater through time have important implications for the interpretation of the systematically low δ¹⁸O values of pre-Jurassic marine sediments. According to our model, marine paleotemperatures could be up to 10°C lower than those expected when applying the classical hypothesis of an ice-free ocean with a δ¹⁸O value of −1‰.     

Age of titanium deposits of the northeastern part of the eastern European Platform: Rb—Sr data

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Metallogenic Model of Bauxite in Central Guizhou Province: an Example of Lindai Deposit

The bauxites in central Guizhou are hosted by the Lower Carboniferous Jiujialu Formation.Geochemistrial characteristics of the Lindai bauxite deposit indicate that the underlying Shilengshui Formation dolomite is the precursor rock of mineral resources.Weathering simulation experiments show that Si is most likely to migrate with groundwater,the migration rate of which is several magnitude higher than Al and Fe under nature conditions （pH=3-9）.The neutral and acid nonreducing condition is the most conducive to the Al rich and Si removal,while the acid reducing conditions is the most conducive to the Al rich and Fe removal.In the process of bauxite formation,coal beds overlying the Al-bearing rock series or other rock formation rich in organic materials can produce acid reducing groundwater,which are important for the bauxite formation.Finally,propose the metallogenic model of the bauxite in central Guizhou Province and put forward three new words which are ＂original bauxite material＂,＂bauxite material＂ and ＂original bauxite＂.