P CO2 in low-grade metamorphism; zeolite,carbonate, clay mineral,prehnite relations in the system CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2-H2O

Equilibria for several reactions in the system CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-CO₂-H₂O have been calculated from the reactions calcite+quartz=wollastonite+CO₂ (5) and calcite+Al₂SiO₅+quartz=anorthite+CO₂ (19) and other published experimental studies of equilibria in the systems Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O and CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O.The calculations indicate that the reactions laumontite+CO₂=calcite+kaolinite+2 quartz+2H₂O (1) and laumontite+calcite=prehnite+quartz+3H₂O+CO₂ (3) in the system CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-CO₂-H₂O, are in equilibrium with an H₂O-CO₂ fluid phase having -0.0075 for P _fluid=P _total=2000 bars.These calculations limit the stability of zeolite assemblages to low p CO₂.Using the above reactions as model equilibria, several probelms of p CO₂ in low grade metamorphism are discussed. (a) the problem of producing zeolitic minerals from metasedimentary assemblages of carbonate, clay mineral, quartz. (b) the significance of calcite (or aragonite) associated with zeolite (or lawsonite) in low grade metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. (c) the reaction of zeolites (or lawsonite) with calcite (or aragonite) to produce dense Ca-Al-hydrosilicates (eg. prehnite, zoisite, grossular).     

Results from field testing A curved box girder bridge using simulated earthquake loads

This paper presents the results of a unique field test on a curved highway overpass. In the test, large horizontal loads were applied to the superstructure of the bridge and quickly released, causing the bridge to vibrate. The resulting large-amplitude vibrations were intended to be similar to the vibrations caused by earthquakes (horizontal accelerations of up to 25 per cent of gravity were measured on the bridge deck). Well-defined lateral, longitudinal, vertical and torsional vibration modes were identified from the test data. The vibration modes were used to verify an analytical model of the bridge's dynamic response. For this paper, the model was verified using only the fundamental vibration mode, which was primarily a horizontal vibration mode. Using a system identification procedure, the dynamic response model was adjusted until its frequency and mode shape matched the measured frequency and mode shape. Parameters in the verified model were compared with the same parameters calculated from information in the structural drawings. Because the fundamental mode represents a horizontal mode, the bridge parameters identified in this paper were those parameters which strongly influence the horizontal response of the bridge.     

A method for quantitative pyrite abundance in mine rock piles by powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement

The abundance of pyrite and other sulfide minerals in mine rock piles is a potentially significant if not a determinative factor in terms of the geochemical and geomechanical evolution of the dumps as oxidation produces acid solutions that drive hydrolysis reactions. A technique is presented here that supports the quantitative determination of pyrite abundance in mine rock dumps by heavy liquid mineral separation to concentrate pyrite for powder X-ray diffraction and then Rietveld method refinement of the diffraction data on a large number of samples using commonly available laboratory equipment. In order to improve and constrain the accuracy of XRD results, binary (pyrite-quartz) and 6-part mineral mixtures (pyrite and rock-forming andesite minerals) spanning a wide range of pyrite concentrations were prepared gravimetrically and run as standards. These standards were then used to minimize errors in pyrite abundance data by constraining key input parameters in the Rietveld refinement. A new polynomial relationship was derived between diffracting crystallite size and the Brindley microabsorption correction input size. This method provides a means to determine uncertainties in pyrite abundance, whereas conventional Rietveld refinement techniques done without the use of standards yield only statistical measures of the least-squares fit, rather than absolute uncertainties in mineral constituent weight percentages. The technique was applied to a number of mine rock pile samples and the uncertainty in the results determined by applying the relationship derived from the 6-part gravimetric standards to the results of the Brindley corrected Rietveld refinements. Uncertainties determined by this method are found to be on the order of ±10% for samples with pyrite content greater than 10 wt% and ±30% for samples with pyrite content less than 10 wt%. In order to evaluate the technique’s improvement upon traditional visual mineral abundance estimation the quantitative results are compared to manual volumetric estimates.     

Diffusive fractionation of volatiles and their isotopes during bubble growth in magmas

Bubbles grow in decompressing magmas by simple expansion and by diffusive supply of volatiles to the bubble/melt interface. The latter phenomenon is of significant geochemical interest because diffusion can fractionate elements and isotopes (or isotopologues) of dissolved components. This raises the possibility that the character of volatile components in bubbles may not reflect that of volatiles dissolved in the host melt over the lifetime of a bubble—even in the absence of equilibrium vapor/melt isotopic fractionation. Recent experiments have confirmed the existence of an isotope mass effect on diffusion of the volatile element Cl in silicate melt [Fortin et al. (Isotopic fractionation of chlorine during chemical diffusion in a dacitic melt and its implications for isotope behavior during bubble growth (abstract), 2016 Fall AGU Meeting, 2016)], so there is a clear need to understand the efficacy of diffusive fractionation during bubble growth. In this study, numerical models of diffusion and mass redistribution during bubble growth were implemented for both “passive” volatiles—those whose concentrations are generally well below saturation levels—and “active” volatiles such as CO₂ and H₂O, whose elevated concentrations and limited solubilities are the cause of bubble nucleation and growth. Both diffusive and convective bubble-growth scenarios were explored. The magnitude of the isotope mass effect on passive volatiles partitioned into bubbles growing at a constant rate R in a static system depends upon R/D _L, K _d and D _H/D _L (K _d = bubble/melt partition coefficient; D _H/D _L = diffusivity ratio of the heavy and light isotopes). During convective bubble growth, the presence of a discrete (physical) melt boundary layer against the growing bubble (of width x _BL) simplifies outcomes because it leads to the quick onset of steady-state fractionation during growth, the magnitude of which depends mainly upon R?x _BL/D _L and D _H/D _L (bubble/melt fractionation is maximized at R?x _BL/D _L ≈0.1). Constant R is unrealistic for most real systems, so other scenarios were explored by including the solubility and EOS of an “active” volatile (e.g., CO₂) in the numerical simulations. For plausible decompression paths, R increases exponentially with time—leading, potentially, to larger isotopic fractionation of species partitioned into the growing bubble. For volatile species whose isotope mass effects on diffusion have been measured (Cl, Li), predicted isotope fractionation in the exsolved vapor can be as large as ?4‰ for Cl and ?25‰ for Li.     

Mudflat Morphodynamics and the Impact of Sea Level Rise in South San Francisco Bay

Estuarine tidal mudflats form unique habitats and maintain valuable ecosystems. Historic measurements of a mudflat in San Fancsico Bay over the past 150 years suggest the development of a rather stable mudflat profile. This raises questions on its origin and governing processes as well as on the mudflats’ fate under scenarios of sea level rise and decreasing sediment supply. We developed a 1D morphodynamic profile model (Delft3D) that is able to reproduce the 2011 measured mudflat profile. The main, schematised, forcings of the model are a constant tidal cycle and constant wave action. The model shows that wave action suspends sediment that is transported landward during flood. A depositional front moves landward until landward bed levels are high enough to carry an equal amount of sediment back during ebb. This implies that, similar to observations, the critical shear stress for erosion is regularly exceeded during the tidal cycle and that modelled equilibrium conditions include high suspended sediment concentrations at the mudflat. Shear stresses are highest during low water, while shear stresses are lower than critical (and highest at the landward end) along the mudflat during high water. Scenarios of sea level rise and decreasing sediment supply drown the mudflat. In addition, the mudflat becomes more prone to channel incision because landward accumulation is hampered. This research suggests that sea level rise is a serious threat to the presence of many estuarine intertidal mudflats, adjacent salt marshes and their associated ecological values.     

Generalized dual porosity: A numerical method for representing spatially variable sub-grid scale processes

A generalized dual porosity method (GDPM) has been developed to incorporate sub-grid scale heterogeneity into large-scale flow and transport simulations. The method is spatially variable in the sense that the method can be applied with different levels of resolution for different spatial nodes in the simulation. The method utilizes the nodal connectivity structure and linear equation solvers of unstructured grids like those used in the finite element method, and can be applied to any problem without externally modifying the numerical grid. The algorithm scales linearly in CPU time and storage with the number of GDPM nodes. We demonstrate the utility and computational efficiency of the technique with two verification problems and an example problem of a field site.     

Length scales and statistical characteristics of outer bank roughness for large elongate meander bends: The influence of bank material properties,floodplain vegetation and flow inundation

This article explores the length scales and statistical characteristics of form roughness along the outer banks of two elongate bends on a large meandering river through investigation of topographic variability of the bank face. The analysis also examines how roughness varies over the vertical height of the banks and when the banks are exposed subaerially and inundated during flood stage. Detailed data on the topography of the outer banks were obtained subaerially using terrestrial LiDAR during low flow conditions and subaqueously using multibeam echo sounding (MBES) during near‐bankfull conditions. The contributions of various length scales of topographic irregularity to roughness for subaerial conditions were evaluated for different elevation contours on the bank faces using Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT) spectral analysis. Statistical characteristics for discrete areas on the bank faces were determined by calculating the root‐mean‐square of normal distances from a triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface. Results of the HHT analysis show that the characteristics of roughness along bank faces composed primarily of non‐cohesive sediment, and eroding into cropland, vary with bank elevation and exhibit a dominant range of roughness length scales (~15–50 m). However, bank faces composed predominantly of cohesive material and carved into a forested floodplain have relatively uniform topographic roughness characteristics over the vertical extent of the bank face and do not exhibit a dominant roughness length scale or range of length scales. Additionally, comparison between local surface roughness for subaerial versus subaqueous conditions shows that roughness decreases considerably when the banks are submerged, most likely because of the removal of vegetation and eradication of small‐scale erosional features in non‐cohesive bank materials by flow along the bank face. Thus, roughness appears to be linked to the hydraulic conditions affecting the bank, at least relative to conditions that develop when banks are exposed subaerially. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.