In situ Agrobiodiversity Conservation for Regional Development in Nepal

The majority of rural communities have limited agricultural development opportunities within the hills and mountains of Nepal. While the dominant development model, which focuses on technology transfer and the evolution of commercial production systems, is effective when access to inputs and markets enables farmers to produce and trade successfully, many communities are marginalised from development opportunities by poverty and poor infrastructure. Complementary development approaches that value, conserve, develop and market agrobiodiversity could alleviate the extreme poverty where these conditions prevail as in the hills and mountains, the rural margins of Nepal. Formalised in situ approaches to agrobiodiversity conservation are in their infancy in Nepal, yet suggest that opportunities exist for a complementary agricultural development approach in the rural margins based on working with the local diversity, rather than its elimination. The obstacles of widespread poverty and inadequate infrastructure ensure that effective in situ agrobiodiversity conservation programs must provide for the needs of local people for sustainable development.     

In situ laboratory X-ray powder diffraction study of wollastonite carbonation using a high-pressure stage

A high-pressure gas stage, recently developed for in-situ X-ray powder diffraction studies of polymer crystallization under CO_2, has been used to observe the carbonation of wollastonite under various temperature/pressure conditions despite the fact that the stage was not designed for use with moisture-containing samples. The rate of carbonation of wollastonite at 60 °C was found to be pressure-independent. Additional experiments at 34.5 bar between 43 and 73 °C enabled an activation energy of 53 kJ mol⁻¹ to be determined for the rate-limiting step. This value agrees very well with a published value for the leaching of Ca from wollastonite in acidic conditions and suggests that Ca leaching is the rate-limiting step in wollastonite carbonation at these temperatures.     

In situ production of terrestrial cosmogenic helium and some applications to geochronology

The concentrations of cosmogenic ³He have been measured in a series of basaltic drill core samples from Hawaiian volcanoes Haleakala and Mauna Loa. The ³He concentration in the surface of a radiocarbon dated Mauna Loa flow (20,000 years) gives reasonable agreement with a theoretical production rate of 140 atoms g−1yr−1 and suggests that the uncertainty in this rate is roughly 10%. The results illustrate the feasibility of using ³He to measure exposure ages of young basaltic lava flows and for measuring erosion rates. Erosion rates calculated from the three Haleakala cores range from 7 to 11 meters/million years. The drill core data demonstrate that accurate depth control is crucial to the use and evaluation of cosmogenic helium. Depth profiles from several of the older cores display a non-exponential depth dependence of ³He_c below 170 g cm⁻², which is attributed to the contribution from ⁶Li(n, )T, where the neutrons are from stopped muons. This has important implications for depth dependence of cosmogenic ³He because muons are weakly attenuated compared to the nucleonic component that produces spallation.     

含膏盐建造铁矿床中磁铁矿LA-ICP-MS微量元素测定与地球化学特征研究

膏盐建造会影响成矿流体的氧逸度和成矿流体成分,表现在磁铁矿元素组成会发生变化,从而对铁矿床的形成具有重要的指示作用,因此可以应用磁铁矿元素组成变化进行矿床类型划分和成因的厘定。膏盐建造广泛发育在新疆“帕米尔式”铁矿床和长江中下游宁芜铁矿床中,但膏盐建造的控矿机制尚不清楚。本文以新疆“帕米尔式”铁矿床和长江中下游宁芜玢岩铁矿床中的磁铁矿为研究对象,应用激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法(LA-ICP-MS)测定其元素组成,分析磁铁矿中微量元素种类、含量及其地球化学特征,进而反演两种类型磁铁矿的成矿过程与形成环境,探讨膏盐建造在磁铁矿床形成过程中的控制作用。结果表明：①宁芜地区磁铁矿主要具有高Ti(平均含量16401μg/g)、V(平均含量2256μg/g)特征,说明其与岩浆作用密切相关。②新疆塔什库尔干地区磁铁矿床中的磁铁矿中Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf等高场强元素(HFSE)含量明显偏低,结合磁铁矿类型判别图将该地区磁铁矿床主要划分为两种成因类型,即与海相火山活动相关的岩浆热液型磁铁矿特征和热液交代矽卡岩型。分析表明两地区膏盐建造控矿作用明显不同：在塔什库尔干地区磁铁矿床形成过程中改变了氧逸度,而在宁芜地区玢岩铁矿形成过程中,为成矿提供了重要成矿物质来源。     

粤北石角围花岗岩型铀矿床沥青铀矿LA-ICP-MS原位U-Pb定年研究

石角围花岗岩型铀矿床位于粤北下庄铀矿田东部,沥青铀矿是矿床的主要矿石矿物,也是厘定成矿年龄的理想对象。前人采用同位素稀释法(ID-TIMS)和电子探针U-Th-totalPb化学定年法获得的成矿年龄为38～138Ma,但前人年龄变化范围大,可靠性有待考究,难以有效约束矿床的成矿时代。本文利用LA-ICP-MS原位微区分析技术,对石角围矿床矿石中沥青铀矿开展了原位U-Pb定年。研究表明:沥青铀矿的206Pb/238U年龄为52. 46～56. 89Ma,加权平均年龄为54. 68±0. 53Ma(MSWD=1. 19,n=18)。本次沥青铀矿原位U-Pb定年与前人相比更好地避免了矿物包裹体、后期次生变化、显微裂隙等因素的影响,获得的沥青铀矿原位U-Pb同位素年龄代表矿床的成矿年龄。本研究获得的石角围矿床成矿年龄(～55Ma)与华南花岗岩型铀矿床主成矿期(～50Ma)相一致,指示石角围矿床铀成矿作用与华南岩石圈局部伸展作用下的断裂构造活动密切相关。     

铁丝原位自转化-固相微萃取新涂层应用于萃取环境水样中多环芳烃的性能研究

多环芳烃(PAHs)是一类具有致癌作用且难以降解的持久性有机污染物,广泛存在于环境中。环境中痕量PAHs的直接分析往往因检测手段的检出限达不到要求而存在困难,需要结合分离富集手段。常规的样品前处理技术如索氏提取、液液萃取等存在耗时长、使用大量有机溶剂等问题。因此为了提高效率、避免对自然环境的二次污染,有必要开发一种简便、环境友好的新型样品前处理技术。固相微萃取(SPME)是一种集采样、富集、进样于一体的无溶剂前处理技术,与气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)等技术联用可实现复杂基质中痕量有机物的快速富集和检测。目前SPME技术的研究热点主要集中在改善涂层的萃取性能以及提高其机械强度方面。本文采用铁丝(IW)作为载体,同时又提供了铁离子来源,以原位自转化的方式在具有良好机械稳定性的铁丝上生长出一层多孔结构的金属有机骨架化合物多孔膜[MIL-53(Fe)];将其作为固相微萃取涂层[IW@MIL-53(Fe)],以7种难挥发的稠环PAHs作为目标分析物,以浸入式模式进行萃取,并结合GC-MS作为检测手段验证其萃取性能。结果表明:新涂层的萃取性能是商用100μm PDMS涂层的1～2倍,且涂层可稳定使用120次以上。该方法的检出限为0.03～2.25ng/L,线性范围为250～10000ng/L,相关系数为0.9903～0.9991。将建立的方法应用于自然水体中PAHs的检测,加标回收率为80.1%～108.5%。本研究不仅为高性能SPME涂层简单、快速制备提供了新思路,而且所建立的方法有望应用于水体中痕量有机污染物的准确和高灵敏检测。     

The replacement of plagioclase feldspars by albite: observations from hydrothermal experiments

Oligoclase and labradorite crystals have been experimentally replaced by albite in an aqueous sodium silicate solution at 600°C and 2 kbars. The replacement is pseudomorphic and is characterised by a sharp chemical interface which progresses through the feldspar while preserving the crystallographic orientation. Reaction rims of albite, up to 50 μm thick, can be readily achieved within 14 days. Re-equilibration of plagioclase in an ¹⁸O-enriched sodium- and silica-bearing solution results in oxygen isotope redistribution within the feldspar framework structure. The observed characteristics of the reaction products are similar to naturally albitised plagioclase and are indicative of an interface-coupled dissolution–reprecipitation mechanism. Chemical analyses demonstrate that the albitisation is accompanied by the mobilisation of major, minor and trace elements also including elements such as Al and Ti which are commonly regarded as immobile during hydrothermal alteration. The results contribute to developing our understanding of the close association between large-scale albitisation and secondary ore mineralisation which is common in nature.     

滇西北休瓦促钼钨矿床白钨矿原位微量和Sr同位素特征及其对成矿作用的指示

滇西北休瓦促钼钨矿床是义敦岛弧Cu-Mo成矿带南缘典型的热液石英脉型钼钨矿床,目前前人对该矿床主要开展了成岩-成矿年代学、岩石成因、动力学过程等研究。本文以白钨矿为研究对象,利用原位微量LA-ICP-MS以及原位Sr同位素LA-MC-ICP-MS测试技术对成矿流体演化及成矿物质来源开展了系统研究。白钨矿的产状和阴极发光图像显示其存在早中晚三个阶段,以中阶段白钨矿最为发育。早阶段白钨矿稀土配分与斑状二长花岗岩相似,呈轻稀土富集的右倾模式,Eu具有中等负异常（δEu=0.42）,Mo平均含量为3.0%,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr平均值为0.7098,与斑状二长花岗岩（0.7075~0.7098）接近;与早阶段相比,中阶段白钨矿轻稀土含量降低,Eu也具有中等负异常（δEu=0.37）,Mo平均含量降低至2445μg/g,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr值升高至0.7113;晚阶段白钨矿稀土配分呈中稀土相对富集的拱形模式,Eu基本无异常（δEu=0.93）,Mo平均含量降低至56μg/g,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr平均值为0.7083。从早到晚,白钨矿中轻稀土元素尤其是La和Ce的逐渐亏损表明存在氟碳铈镧矿的结晶;δEu升高和Mo急剧降低指示成矿流体从氧化到还原的转换;Sr同位素组成的变化指示了成矿物质来源的转变,早阶段岩浆流体贡献大,在中阶段白钨矿岩浆热液与围岩地层大规模作用下,地层为白钨矿的形成提供了大量Ca,表明强烈的水岩交互作用对矿床的形成发挥了重要作用。     

In situ tests on backfilling and surrounding host-rock in the case of a radioactive waste disposal in a layered salt formation

In situ experiments carried out by ANDRA in a deep and homogeneous salt layer of a French mine (Amélie mine — Alsace Potash Mines S.A.) tested the behavior of the different components of a multibarrier system, designed for high-level waste disposal and particularly for heat-generating wastes. Canisters were placed in blind boreholes.

The experimental field is located at a depth of 520 m where two major tests have been carried out since 1987. The first test (1987–1989) tested the backfilling by heating different types of crushed salt (max. 130°C) emplaced in large-diameter boreholes. One hole remained empty as a control. The second experiment started in 1989 with the opening of a gallery and the boring of three different boreholes (7 m depth, 250 mm diameter) where the annulus between the cylindrical heating cell and the salt mass differs fundamentally in configuration: as tight as possible, empty, or backfilled with crushed salt. The first configuration was tested at the end of 1991.

In both test fields, a complete series of measurements has been carried out to record temperatures, pressures and deformations on the heating devices, as well as in the surrounding media. Backfill and host rock are monitored with sensors placed in different boreholes. High-resolution tiltmeters and accurate levelling complete the field of investigations. Thermo-mechanical behavior and the properties of the materials have been considered in detail using laboratory test results. Calculations showed how thermo-mechanical interactions behave and generally agreed in a satisfactory manner with the measurements of the test field.

Finally, after cooling and dismantling of the experiment, the microscopic change of the different crushed salts used for the backfilling is analysed.     

多孔介质中非均匀流动特性的染色示踪试验研究

通过土壤染色剂进行的4组试验,对不同介质结构条件下的水流和溶质非均匀运动规律,非均匀流动变异信息分布特征关系以及全局性非均匀流动示踪方法进行了研究。结果表明,即使在相对比较均匀的介质条件下,流动也表现出明显的非均匀特性;对数正态分布能够较好的反映水流的运动分布模式,相比水流运动,溶质的运动和分布规律明显不同,表现出更多的不确定性和变异性。     

Organic carbon amendments for passive in situ treatment of mine drainage: Field experiments

A field-scale experiment was conducted to evaluate various organic C sources as amendments for passive treatment of tailings pore water. Varied mixtures of peat, spent-brewing grain (SBG) and municipal biosolids (MB) were assessed for the potential to promote dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) and metal-sulfide precipitation. Five amended cells and one control were constructed in the vadose zone of a sulfide- and carbonate-rich tailings deposit, and the geochemistry, microbiology and mineralogy were monitored for 4 a. Increases in pore-water concentrations of dissolved organic C (DOC) and decreases in aqueous SO₄ concentrations of >2500 mg L⁻¹ were observed in cells amended with peat + SBG and peat + SBG + MB. Removal of SO₄ was accompanied by shifts in δ³⁴S-SO₄ values of >+30‰, undersaturation of pore water with respect to gypsum [CaSO₄·2H₂O], and increased populations of SO₄-reducing bacteria (SRB). Decreases in aqueous concentrations of Zn, Mn, Ni, Sb and Tl were observed for these cells relative to the control. Organic C introduction also supported growth of Fe-reducing bacteria (IRB) and increases in Fe and As concentrations. Enhanced Fe and As mobility occurred in all cells; however, maximum concentrations were observed in cells amended with MB. Subsequent decreases in Fe and As concentrations were attributed to DSR and metal-sulfide precipitation. The common presence of secondary Zn-S and Fe-S phases was observed by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectroscopy. Selective extractions indicated that large decreases in water-soluble SO₄ occurred in cells that supported DSR. Furthermore, amendments that supported DSR generally were characterized by slight decreases in solid-phase concentrations of extractable metal(loid)s. Amendment of tailings with organic C amendments that supported ongoing DOC production and DSR was essential for sustained treatment.     

Influence of pre-event water on streamflow in a granitic watershed using hydrograph separation

For water resources management, many studies for investigating flow paths from rainfall to subsurface have been conducted for last half century. A hydrograph separation based on end member mixing was carried out to evaluate the importance of the hydrological pathways providing the main sources of a small granitic watershed, Dorim-cheon, Seoul. An analysis of chloride, oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes from precipitation and stream water during three storms was conducted with high-resolution data using 129 samples. Stream water, collected in advance of rain event, was assumed as a pre-event water (baseflow) component according to its dry condition and isotopic values compared with the values of different time periods. The contribution from vadose water was ignored due to the thin soil layer covering the study area. Using a two-component mixing model, hydrograph separation of the stream water in Dorim-cheon was conducted based on weighted mean values of rain water and pre-event water component with the high-resolution datasets. As a result of the analysis with water isotopes, contribution of groundwater was dominant during the entire study period (73–74%) except of instant dominance of rainfall at the earliest period. Using chloride as a tracer for hydrograph separation, a significant difference for the amount of pre-event water contribution was identified. This might be caused by the large variation of chloride concentration during the rain event and the end member determination.     

基于原位多元素成像分析龙马溪组笔石成因及地质意义

上扬子地区龙马溪组黑色页岩富含笔石,多以碳质薄膜形式富集于富有机质层段。前期研究多关注笔石形态和成岩后的演化过程,对笔石埋藏和早成岩阶段所经历地球化学作用的研究较少,笔石成因仍缺乏直接证据。本文利用激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱(LA-ICP-MS)技术对宁203井龙马溪组笔石进行原位微区多元素扫描成像,对主量成矿元素分布与富集程度进行解析,发现了碳质薄膜笔石体表面富集Mg、Al、Si、Fe元素,富集倍数在1.5～10倍以上,Sr/Ba值(1.4～2.3)则明显低于围岩(5.0),指示黏土矿物包埋是笔石碳化的主要途径,包埋形成的硫化微环境导致部分笔石发生黄铁矿化。结合面笔石率、有机质、黄铁矿、黏土矿物含量和δ~(13)C_(org)值的剖面垂向变化及相关性分析,提出早期微生物席繁盛和后期硫酸盐还原菌繁盛导致水岩界面孔隙水普遍缺氧,是笔石和有机质大量埋存的主要原因。本研究结果不仅揭示了龙马溪组笔石的埋藏矿化机制,也为有机质富集和黑色页岩形成的控制因素研究提供了新思路。     

The use of laboratory experiments for the study of conservative solute transport in heterogeneous porous media

 Laboratory experiments on heterogeneous porous media (otherwise known as intermediate scale experiments, or ISEs) have been increasingly relied upon by hydrogeologists for the study of saturated and unsaturated groundwater systems. Among the many ongoing applications of ISEs is the study of fluid flow and the transport of conservative solutes in correlated permeability fields. Recent advances in ISE design have provided the capability of creating correlated permeability fields in the laboratory. This capability is important in the application of ISEs for the assessment of recent stochastic theories. In addition, pressure-transducer technology and visualization methods have provided the potential for ISEs to be used in characterizing the spatial distributions of both hydraulic head and local water velocity within correlated permeability fields. Finally, various methods are available for characterizing temporal variations in the spatial distribution (and, thereby, the spatial moments) of solute concentrations within ISEs. It is concluded, therefore, that recent developments in experimental techniques have provided an opportunity to use ISEs as important tools in the continuing study of fluid flow and the transport of conservative solutes in heterogeneous, saturated porous media. Received, December 1996 · Revised, July 1997 · Accepted, August 1997     

Alternative water resources in granitic rock: a case study from Kinmen Island,Taiwan

Kinmen Island is a small, tectonically stable, granitic island that has been suffering from a scarcity of fresh water resources due to excessive annual evapotranspiration over annual precipitation. Recent studies further indicate that shallow (0–70 m) sedimentary aquifers, the major sources of groundwater supply, have already been over-exploited. Therefore, this preliminary study is to investigate the existence of exploitable water resources that can balance the shortage of fresh water on this island. Site characterization data are obtained from island-wide geophysical surveys as well as small-scale tests performed in a study area formed by three deep (maximum depth to 560 m) vertical boreholes installed in mid-east Kinmen northeast to Taiwu Mountain. Vertical fracture frequency data indicate that the rock body is fractured with a spatially correlated pattern, from which three major fracture zones (depths 0–70, 330–360, and below 450 m) can be identified. Geologic investigations indicate that the deepest fracture zone is caused by the large-scale, steeply dipping Taiwushan fault. This fault may have caused a laterally extensive low-resistivity zone, a potential fractured aquifer, near Taiwu Mountain. The middle fracture zone is induced by the Taiwushan fault and intersects the fault approximately 21 m southeast of the study area below a depth of 350 m. Slug testing results yield fracture transmissivity varying from 4.8 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ m²/s. Cross-hole tests have confirmed that hydraulic connectivity of the deeper rock body is controlled by the Taiwushan fault and the middle fracture zone. This connectivity may extend vertically to the sedimentary aquifers through high-angle joint sets. Despite the presence of a flow barrier formed by doleritic dike at about 300 m depth, the existence of fresh as well as meteoric water in the deeper rock body manifests that certain flow paths must exist through which the deeper fractured aquifers can be connected to the upper rock body. Therefore, groundwater stored within the Taiwushan fault and the associated low-resistivity zone can be considered as additional fresh water resources for future exploitation.     

Shear zones in porous sand: Insights from ring-shear experiments and naturally deformed sandstones

In a high-resolution small-scale seismic experiment we investigated the shallow structure of the Wadi Araba fault (WAF), the principal fault strand of the Dead Sea Transform System between the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat and the Dead Sea. The experiment consisted of 8 sub-parallel 1 km long seismic lines crossing the WAF. The recording station spacing was 5 m and the source point distance was 20 m. The first break tomography yields insight into the fault structure down to a depth of about 200 m. The velocity structure varies from one section to the other which were 1 to 2 km apart, but destinct velocity variations along the fault are visible between several profiles. The reflection seismic images show positive flower structures and indications for different sedimentary layers at the two sides of the main fault. Often the superficial sedimentary layers are bent upward close to the WAF. Our results indicate that this section of the fault (at shallow depths) is characterized by a transpressional regime. We detected a 100 to 300 m wide heterogeneous zone of deformed and displaced material which, however, is not characterized by low seismic velocities at a larger scale. At greater depth the geophysical images indicate a blocked cross-fault structure. The structure revealed, fault cores not wider than 10 m, are consistent with scaling from wear mechanics and with the low loading to healing ratio anticipated for the fault.     

Theoretical studies of the alteration of spodumene,petalite, eucryptite and pollucite in granitic pegmatites: exchange reactions with alkali feldspars

The ratios Na/Li, K/Li, Na/Cs and K/Cs have been calculated for exchange equilibria among the Li and Cs silicates spodumene, petalite, eucryptite, and pollucite, and the alkali feldspars albite and K-feldspar plus quartz, in pure water and in chloride solutions at temperatures from 100° to 700°C and pressures from 0.5 to 4 kbar, using available thermodynamic data for minerals and the modified HKF equation of state for aqueous species. For exchange equilibria between Li-bearing aluminosilicates and the alkali feldspars, the activities of the alkali metals in solution under most of the conditions investigated follow the order Li>Na>K, and Na/Li and K/Li decrease with decreasing temperature. For exchange equilibria between pollucite and the alkali feldspars the order is Na>K>Cs in solution; Na/Cs and K/Cs increase strongly with decreasing temperature. The absolute values of these alkali metal ratios are in good agreement with the few available experimental data. The effect of chloride ion pairing on the calculated ratios is slight and does not consistently improve agreement between theory and experiment. These results suggest that the alteration of eucryptite, petalite or spodumene to albite and/or K-feldspar should be a normal consequence of the closed system evolution of rare element pegmatites upon cooling, in agreement with the ubiquity of such phenomena world-wide. On the other hand, alteration of pollucite to albite or K-feldspar upon cooling is only likely to occur if external fluids, with very high Na/Cs and/or K/Cs ratios, gain access to the pegmatite. Owing to the heterogeneity of rare element pegmatites, the fluid need not be external to the entire pegmatite, but could be simply external to the particular zone containing pollucite. Fluids in equilibrium with typical subsolidus rare metal pegmatite assemblages will invariably have high Li contents, thus explaining the common occurrence of Li-metasomatic halos about pegmatites. These same fluids are predicted to have relatively low Cs contents, in apparent agreement with the lesser role of Cs relative to Li in metasomatic halos. However, preferential formation of complexes of the alkali metals with fluoride, borate or aluminosilicate components potentially could alter the calculated alkali metal behaviors.     

Quantitative analysis of H2O and CO2 in cordierite using polarized FTIR spectroscopy

We report a FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) study of a set of cordierite samples from different occurrence and with different H₂O/CO₂ content. The specimens were fully characterized by a combination of techniques including optical microscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, EMPA (electron microprobe analysis), SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry), and FTIR spectroscopy. All cordierites are orthorhombic Ccmm. According to the EMPA data, the Si/Al ratio is always close to 5:4; X _Mg ranges from 76.31 to 96.63, and additional octahedral constituents occur in very small amounts. Extraframework K and Ca are negligible, while Na reaches the values up to 0.84 apfu. SIMS shows H₂O up to 1.52 and CO₂ up to 1.11 wt%. Optically transparent single crystals were oriented using the spindle stage and examined by FTIR micro-spectroscopy under polarized light. On the basis of the polarizing behaviour, the observed bands were assigned to water molecules in two different orientations and to CO₂ molecules in the structural channels. The IR spectra also show the presence of small amounts of CO in the samples. Refined integrated molar absorption coefficients were calibrated for the quantitative microanalysis of both H₂O and CO₂ in cordierite based on single-crystal polarized-light FTIR spectroscopy. For H₂O the integrated molar coefficients for type I and type II water molecules (ν₃ modes) were calculated separately and are ^[I]ε?=?5,200?±?700?l?mol^?1?cm^?2 and ^[II]ε?=?13,000?±?3,000?l?mol^?1?cm^?2, respectively. For CO₂ the integrated coefficient is $ \varepsilon_{{{\text{CO}}_{ 2} }} $ ?=?19,000?±?2,000?l?mol^?1?cm^?2.