Geotechnical Characteristics of Copper Mine Tailings: A Case Study

Waste management issue in mining industry has become increasingly important. In this regard, construction of tailings dams plays a major role. Most of the tailings dams require some kinds of remedial actions during their operational lifetime, among which heightening is the most common. In the first stage of the remedial provisions for Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex tailings dam in Iran, it has been decided to use hydrocyclone method to provide suitable construction material due to the high cost associated with using borrow materials for heightening of the dam. To undertake this project a series of laboratory experiments was performed to determine the copper ‘original tailings’ and ‘cycloned materials’ geotechnical characteristics to evaluate the applicability of the cycloned materials for construction purposes. Different laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the grain-size distribution, Atterberg limits, specific gravity, maximum density, shear strength parameters, consolidation coefficient, and hydraulic conductivity. The results were compared with those of similar mines to check whether they follow the trends observed in other copper tailing materials elsewhere. Variation of the cohesion and internal friction angle versus different compaction ratios were studied in order to determine realistic shear strength parameters for tailing dam stability analysis. In this study, using oedometer test, a mild linear relation between void ratio and the consolidation coefficient has been found for tailings materials. By considering the effects of void ratio and weight of passing sieve #200 materials, a new relationship is proposed that can be used for estimating the copper slimes hydraulic conductivity in seepage analysis of tailings dams.     

Modeling the spatial variation of urban land surface temperature in relation to environmental and anthropogenic factors: a case study of Tehran,Iran

ABSTRACT

Spatial variation of Urban Land Surface Temperature (ULST) is a complex function of environmental, climatic, and anthropogenic factors. It thus requires specific techniques to quantify this phenomenon and its influencing factors. In this study, four models, Random Forest (RF), Generalized Additive Model (GAM), Boosted Regression Tree (BRT), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), are calibrated to simulate the ULST based on independent factors, i.e., land use/land cover (LULC), solar radiation, altitude, aspect, distance to major roads, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Additionally, the spatial influence and the main interactions among the influential factors of the ULST are explored. Landsat-8 is the main source for data extraction and Tehran metropolitan area in Iran is selected as the study area. Results show that NDVI, LULC, and altitude explained 86% of the ULST °C variation. Unexpectedly, lower LST is observed near the major roads, which was due to the presence of vegetation along the streets and highways in Tehran. The results also revealed that variation in the ULST was influenced by the interaction between altitude – NDVI, altitude – road, and LULC – altitude. This indicates that the individual examination of the underlying factors of the ULST variation might be unilluminating. Performance evaluation of the four models reveals a close performance in which their R² and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) fall between 60.6–62.1% and 2.56–2.60 °C, respectively. However, the difference between the models is not statistically significant. This study evaluated the predictive performance of several models for ULST simulation and enhanced our understanding of the spatial influence and interactions among the underlying driving forces of the ULST variations.     

Le Volcanisme du Kouh-e-Tchah-e-Shahi au nord du Makran(Iran)

The recent fissural volcanism of Kouh-e-Tchah-e-Shahi is undifferentiated and consists mainly in andesitic basalt, rich in olivine, diopside, pigeonite, and labradorbytownite. The evolution, which leads to residual liquids, shows glasses unmiscible between one another. The volcanic arc of Bazman-Taftan and Kouh-e-Tchah-e-Shahi is interpreted as a subducting volcanism of an oceanic crust of the Indian Ocean, deeply diving from Jaz Murian behind the accretional prism of Makran.     

Transient Scattering of Elastic Waves by Dipping Layers of Arbitrary Shape Part 1: Antiplane Strain Model

Scattering of elastic waves by two dimensional multilayered dipping sediments of arbitrary shape embedded in an elastic half-sapce is investigated by using a bondary method. The displancement field is evaluated throughout the elastic media for both steady state and transient incident SH waves. The unknown scattered field is expressed in terms of wave functions which satisfy the equation of motion, traction-free boundary condition and appropariate radiation conditions. The transient response is constructed from the steady state solution by using the fast Fourier transform technique. The numerical results presented demonstrate that scattering of waves by subsurface irregularities may cause locally very large amplification of surface ground motion. The motion can be affected greatly by the scattered surface waves in the sediments. The results clearly indicate that the surface ground motion depends upon a number of parameters present in the problem, such as frequency and the angle of incidence of the incoming wave, impedance contrast between the layers and location of the observation point.     

Zircon U-Pb dating,mineralogy and geochemical characteristics of the gabbro and gabbro-diorite bodies,Boein–Miandasht,western Iran

ABSTRACT

The Boein–Miandasht Complex (BMC) is a part of the Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic basement and is cut by gabbroic to granitoid bodies. These intrusive bodies comprise gabbro, gabbro–diorite associated with fine-grained, in part porphyritic leucocratic granitoids. Zircon U–Pb dating of representative gabbro–diorite samples yielded ages of 166.4 ± 1.8 Ma and 163.5 ± 6.3 Ma (Callovian, the latest stage of the Middle Jurassic). Mineral chemistry of the gabbro–diorites shows a homogeneous composition of the main minerals, main augite to diopside clinopyroxene and plagioclase (~An_17–59). Moreover, low Al_Z/TiO₂ ratios of the clinopyroxene grains suggest that the rocks were generated in a within-plate tectonic regime. The SiO₂ contents of the gabbro-diorite rocks are between 46.36 and 55.61 wt. %, Al₂O₃ ranges from 7.57 to 17.98 wt. %. The TiO₂ contents vary from 1.18 to 3.65 wt. %, Fe₂O₃ from 7.41 to 12.95 wt. %, the MgO ranges between 3.49 and 15.75 wt. %, Na₂O from 0.65 to 5.08 wt. % and K₂O from 0.48 to 1.08 wt. %. These rocks mostly plot in the alkali-gabbro field. Compared to chondrite are characterized by enrichment of LREEs over HREE, enrichment of LIL elements (e.g. Rb, Sr and Ba) and obvious positive anomalies of Nb and Ti. Based on the chemical composition, and mineral composition, this complex was generated in an extensional tectonic regime by partial melting of the hot asthenospheric mantle which is not more consistent with previous models which have suggested for SaSZ evolution in before.     

Patterns of Chemical Changes During Environmental Alteration of Hydrocarbon Fuels

This paper discusses major environmental alteration processes and describes a set of chemical tests that have been developed to monitor compositional changes in hydrocarbon fuels released into the environment. The methods examine various homologous series of hydrocarbons including straight chain (paraffins or n-alkanes), branched chain (isoparaffins or isoprenoids), alicyclic (naphthenes or alkylated cyclohexanes), polycyclic (steranes and terpanes), and aromatic structures (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene. xylenes, alkylated benzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and aromatic steranes). Each one of these groups of hydrocarbons has a different tolerance to environmental alteration by evaporation, dissolution (water washing), and biodegradation. When used as an analytical system on environmental samples, the data obtained provide information on fuel type recognition patterns and on degradation levels of the various fuels, allowing for an estimate of residence time.     

Hydromechanical behaviour of an expansive bentonite/silt mixture in cyclic suction-controlled drying and wetting tests

To further our knowledge of coupling between the hydraulic cycles and mechanical behaviour of the swelling soils, this paper presents an experimental study on a bentonite/silt mixture using an odometer with suction controlled by the osmotic technique. A loading/unloading cycle was applied to each of the samples at different constant suctions (0, 2, 3 and 8 MPa). Moreover, successive wetting and drying cycles were applied under constant vertical stress at a suction range of 0 to 8 MPa, followed by a loading/unloading cycle at similar suctions (0, 2, 3 and 8 MPa). Finally, the compression curves of the aforementioned suctions with and without the application of suction cycles were compared, so as to analyse the influence of hydraulic cycles on the soil fabric and the mechanical parameters. It is observed that the wetting and drying cycles applied to both the micro- and macrostructure significantly influenced the virgin compression index λ(s), the apparent preconsolidation stress p₀(s) and the elastic compression index values κ. However, the hydraulic cycles imposed only on the micro- or macrostructure induce negligible changes in the mechanical parameters of the soil.     

A description of the tides and effect of Qeshm canal on that in the Persian Gulf using two-dimensional numerical model

The main semidiurnal (M2 and S2) and diurnal (K1 and O1) tidal constituents are simulated in the Persian Gulf (PG). The topography is discretized on a spherical grid with a resolution of 30 s in both latitude and longitude. It includes coastal areas prone to flooding. The model permits flooding of drying banks up to 5 m above mean sea level. At the open boundary, it is forced by 13 harmonic constituents extracted from a global tidal model. The model results are in good agreement with tide gauge observations. Co-tidal charts and flow extremes are presented for each tidal constituent. The co-tidal charts show two amphidromic points for semidiurnal and one for diurnal tidal constituents. Maximum amplitudes of sea level are obtained for the north-western part of the PG, where coastal flooding prevails in wide areas. Strong tidal currents occur in different parts of the PG for different types of constituents. Maximum velocities are found in shallow regions. Particularly, high amplitudes of elevations and high speed currents are founded in the canal between Qeshm Island and the mainland. Rectification of tides around Qeshm Island affects the propagation of tides in the PG as far as the coast of Saudi Arabia and the northern part of the PG.