Porphyry Cu deposits linked to episodic growth of an underlying parental magma chamber

Saindak is one of the typical porphyry Cu deposits (PCDs) in the Chagai magmatic arc in Pakistan. Ore-forming porphyries at Saindak PCD are mainly composed of tonalite. Here, we use geochemistry of apatite enclosed in plagioclase phenocrysts from the ore-forming tonalite to constrain the releasing and recharging processes of S and Cl in the underlying parental magma chamber during PCD mineralization. Although apatite inclusions have homogeneous intra-grain S and Cl compositions, there is significant inter-grain S and Cl variations in apatite inclusions located from core to rim in the hosting plagioclase. Such inter-grain S and Cl variation in apatites are coupled with the core-to-rim trends of An, FeO and Mg contents of the hosting plagioclase phenocryst. It indicates that the Saindak PCD likely formed by episodic injection of primitive magmas during the growth of an underlying magma chamber, rather than by one major injection or by addition of mafic melt derived from different source region. Each primitive melt injection introduced essential ore-forming materials such as S and Cl, which were rapidly and effectively released to the coexisting fluids, causing mineralization. Once primitive melt injection stops, signaling the end of growth of underlying magma chamber, mineralization will cease quickly although the hydrothermal system can still survive for a long time. However, the later released fluids are relatively depleted in ore-forming materials, and thus have lower capability to generate mineralization. Accordingly, predominant porphyry-type mineralizations occurred during the growth rather than waning stage of a magmatic system.

     

Dynamic stability characteristics of liquid-filled shells

A Galerkin Finite Element formulation for the dynamic stability analysis of liquid-filled shells is given in this paper. The coupling among the axial and circumferential modes is investigated. The dynamic stability characteristics of two liquid-filled storage tanks subjected to vertical, horizontal and rocking seismic excitations are presented. It is shown that a tall tank tends to buckle at distinct frequencies; and for cos θ-type ground excitation, cos 2θ, cos 3θ and cos 4θ are the dominant modes of failure. On the other hand, in a broad tank, buckling regions overlap each other. In particular, for cos θ-type ground excitation, the dominant buckling modes are cos 6θ to cos 9θ, and also cos 12θ to cos 14θ.     

Harmonic by harmonic removal technique for improving vibroseis data quality

In this paper, an improved method is presented to reduce vibrator harmonic distortion, one harmonic at a time and the method is illustrated with both simulated and field data. This method improves on the previous method that treated all the harmonics at once. The significant contribution in this procedure is a considerable reduction for the harmonics without any alteration for the weakest signals possibly present in positive and negative times. The core of the proposed technique depends on an accurate simulation for all the harmonics one by one existing in the positive and negative times of the data after cross‐correlation with the fundamental sweep and then subtracting the simulated harmonics from the original data using an optimization procedure. The steps and mathematical equations of the procedure are explained in detail in the body of the article in the section titled ‘harmonic by harmonic attenuation procedure’. Accordingly, a well‐developed procedure for enhancing the vibroseis data quality in both down‐ and up‐sweep data is illustrated. The procedure was tested on both synthetic and field data sets.     

Land subsidence and declining water resources in Quetta Valley, Pakistan

Extensive groundwater withdrawals in urban areas may cause water shortages, land subsidence, and water quality problems. The Quetta Valley is the largest population center in Balochistan province in western Pakistan. This area is arid and groundwater is the main water source for domestic and agricultural use. This work presents global positioning system (GPS) data and assessment of spatial and temporal variations in water levels. GPS data from two stations from mid-2006 to the beginning of 2009 show subsidence rate of 10 cm\year. Nine satellite images from 1975 to 2009 were classified and processed to quantify land cover and land use changes, which highlight an increase in agricultural areas in the central region of the Quetta Valley, as well as reduced vegetation on mountains. These data correspond to gradual temporal changes in water volumes in streams and lakes. Average temperatures have also increased and mean precipitation has decreased during this period. However, the greatest change in this area has been in population growth, which rose from 260,000 in 1975 to 1.2 million in 2010, mainly due to migration of refugees from war-torn neighboring Afghanistan. The Quetta Valley provides a good example for studying the impact of urbanization on water resources.     

Time-dependent plume front positioning and its dynamics coupled with seasonal river efflux

Ocean Dynamics - The time-dependent plume front positioning with respect to different tidal phases and its dynamics coupled with seasonal river efflux on the shelf off Kochi, southwest coast of...     

Kernel Principal Component Analysis for Efficient,Differentiable Parameterization of Multipoint Geostatistics

This paper describes a novel approach for creating an efficient, general, and differentiable parameterization of large-scale non-Gaussian, non-stationary random fields (represented by multipoint geostatistics) that is capable of reproducing complex geological structures such as channels. Such parameterizations are appropriate for use with gradient-based algorithms applied to, for example, history-matching or uncertainty propagation. It is known that the standard Karhunen–Loeve (K–L) expansion, also called linear principal component analysis or PCA, can be used as a differentiable parameterization of input random fields defining the geological model. The standard K–L model is, however, limited in two respects. It requires an eigen-decomposition of the covariance matrix of the random field, which is prohibitively expensive for large models. In addition, it preserves only the two-point statistics of a random field, which is insufficient for reproducing complex structures. In this work, kernel PCA is applied to address the limitations associated with the standard K–L expansion. Although widely used in machine learning applications, it does not appear to have found any application for geological model parameterization. With kernel PCA, an eigen-decomposition of a small matrix called the kernel matrix is performed instead of the full covariance matrix. The method is much more efficient than the standard K–L procedure. Through use of higher order polynomial kernels, which implicitly define a high-dimensionality feature space, kernel PCA further enables the preservation of high-order statistics of the random field, instead of just two-point statistics as in the K–L method. The kernel PCA eigen-decomposition proceeds using a set of realizations created by geostatistical simulation (honoring two-point or multipoint statistics) rather than the analytical covariance function. We demonstrate that kernel PCA is capable of generating differentiable parameterizations that reproduce the essential features of complex geological structures represented by multipoint geostatistics. The kernel PCA representation is then applied to history match a water flooding problem. This example demonstrates that kernel PCA can be used with gradient-based history matching to provide models that match production history while maintaining multipoint geostatistics consistent with the underlying training image.     

Stormflow generation involving pipe flow in a zero‐order basin of Peninsular Malaysia

Hydrological responses in a zero‐order basin (ZOB), a portion of whose discharge emerged via preferential flow through soil pipes, were examined over a 2‐year period in Peninsular Malaysia to elucidate primary stormflow generation processes. Silicon (Si) and specific conductance (EC) in various runoff components were also measured to identify their sources. ZOB flow response was dependent on antecedent precipitation amount; runoff increased linearly with precipitation during events >20 mm in relatively wet antecedent moisture conditions. Runoff derived from direct precipitation falling onto saturated areas accounted for <0·2% of total ZOB flow volume during the study period, indicating the predominance of subsurface pathways in ZOB flow. ZOB flow (high EC and low Si) was distinct from perennial baseflow via bedrock seepage (low EC and high Si) 5 m downstream of the ZOB outlet. Pipe flow responded quickly to ZOB flow rate and was characterized by a threshold flow capacity unique to each pipe. Piezometric data and pipe flow records demonstrated that pipes located deeper in the soil initiated first, followed by those at shallower depths; initiation of pipe flow corresponded to shallow groundwater rise above the saprolite‐soil interface. Chemical signatures of pipe flow were similar to each other and to the ZOB flow, suggesting that the sources were well‐mixed soil‐derived shallow groundwater. Based upon the volume of pipe flow during storms, the combined contribution of the pipes monitored accounted for 48% of total ZOB flow during the study period. Our results suggest that shallow groundwater, possibly facilitated by preferential flow accreted above the saprolite–soil interface, provides dominant stormflow, and that soil pipes play an important role in the rapid delivery of solute‐rich water to the stream system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.