Conversion of abandoned collieries in southern Belgium into low-pressure gas storage units, with description of special plugging of the various shafts

In the southern part of Belgium, in the province of Hainaut, several collieries have been dismantled and closed over the last ten years. Geological conditions in this part of the country are advantageous for the construction of large storage units in the mine galleries which remained open. It is therefore necessary to evaluate this possibility, and also to plug the old mine shafts. The construction of gastight shaft-plugs able to withstand demolition charges, was carried out with maximum safety precautions by artificially freezing the roof and floor above and beneath the plug. The application of this unique method in the concession of “Bois de la Haye” is described, a storage capacity of > 100.10⁶Nm³ being formed at reasonable cost.     

The influence of interstitial water on the rheological behaviour of calcite rocks

The effects of pore water on the mechanical behaviour of Solnhofen Limestone and Carrara Marble at various temperatures and confining pressures at constant strain-rate have been experimentally investigated. It is shown that water affects the strength and ductility of calcite rocks through

1.

(1) physico-chemical action at grain boundaries, and     

Determination of Thorium-230 in CCRMP Reference Samples by Alpha Spectroscopy

Thorium-230 concentrations have been determined in 11 CCRMP (Canadian Certified Reference Materials Project) reference rock and ore samples using alpha spectroscopy following a chemical separation of the thorium. Literature data are available for only one of these 11 reference samples.     

Regional hydrogeochemical patterns in ground water of Northwestern Ohio and their relation to Mississippi valley—type mineral occurrences

A cluster of minor Mississippi Valley-type deposits occurs in northwestern Ohio. The district, which forms a northeasterly trending belt that cuts across the Findlay Arch, extends from the Indiana border to the Lake Erie Islands. The minerals of the deposits — chiefly celestite, fluorite and sphalerite with lesser amounts of barite and galena — show variation in both geographic and stratigraphic distribution. Dolomites of Middle Silurian to Middle Devonian age, which are the host rocks, also form an important aquifer system. The deposits are of interest because they might be indicators of economic mineralization at depth.Through a reconnaissance study, one-hundred ground-water samples from shallow wells (less than 50 m deep) were collected across an area of approximately 19 000 km². Recharge takes place in the southern part of the area while ground-water flow is northward towards Lake Erie. The majority of the samples are high in sulfate with the source being evaporites within the carbonate sequence. The remainder of the water samples are rich in bicarbonate. Trend surface maps for the major constituents indicate that the ground-water chemistry for the region is established chiefly by the lithology and the flow system. Trend surface maps for F⁻, Sr and Ba reflect the geographic distribution of the minerals in the deposits. Correlations are weakened, however, due to the influence of geochemical barriers such as SO₄²⁻ on Ba and Sr, and Ca on F⁻. The map for Pb follows the trends of the major constituents instead of the mineralization.In a detailed study across northwestern Sandusky County, which lies near the center of the district, 46 samples were collected in an area of 78 km². Trend surface maps for Ca, Mg, SO₄²⁻ and total dissolved solids reflect the chemistry of the bedrock and display concentrations that increase along the local flow path. Maps for F⁻, Sr and Ba correlate with mineralization in the vicinity, the first of these displaying a local trend and the last two correlating with regional trends.     

1987 Compilation of Elemental Concentration Data for USGS BHVO-1, MAG-1, QLO-1, RGM-1, SCo-1, SDC-1, SGR-1 and STM-1

Elemental concentration data on up to 84 individual constituents in BHVO-1, MAG-1, QLO-1, RGM-1, SCo-1, SDC-1, SGR-1 and STM-1 have been collected from 311 journal articles and technical reports. These data are summarized in consensus (mean) values with uncertainties expressed as one standard deviation. Mean values are also calculated as a function of analytical procedure and all raw data are given in the tables.
Ce rapport rassemble des données analytiques parues dans 311 articles scientifiques ou rapports techniques sur 84 éléments dans huit échantillons du Service Géologique des Etats-Unis: BHVO-1, MAG-1, QLO-1, RGM-1, SCo-1, SDC-1, SGR-1 et STM-1. Quand cela a été possible, les valeurs de consensus (moyenne) sont présentées pour chaque élément avec l'incertitude exprimée en un écart-type. Des valeurs moyennes en fonction des procédures analytiques sont également présentées.     

A strontium isotopic study of formation waters from the Illinois basin, U.S.A.

The isotopic composition of Sr has been measured in 73 formation-water samples from Paleozoic strata in the Illinois basin; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.7079 to 0.7108. With the exception of four samples, the waters are more radiogenic than corresponding Paleozoic sea-water values. The relatively narrow range of slightly elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr rations is uniformly distributed in waters throughout the stratigraphic column and in Silurian waters across the basin. Isotopic analyses of core samples from reservoir rocks show an absence of water-rock Sr isotopic equilibration. Basin lithology and analyses of detrital rock units indicate that clay minerals in shales and in quartz sandstone matrices represent the only significant source of radiogenic Sr for the waters. Silurian and Devonian water show a two-component mixing relation which suggests that they comprise a single hydrogeological system that evolved when radiogenic water from New Albany shales entered Silurian-Devonian carbonate rocks and mixed with marine interstitial water. Regional migration of the waters and associated petroleum within the Silurian-Devonian strata, proposed in other studies, is consistent with the Sr isotopic data. Under favorable circumstances subsurface waters are capable of retaining a Sr isotopic recor of their evolution.     

Determination of Uranium in GSJ, CRPG, and CCRMP Reference Samples by Delayed Neutron Assay

Uranium concentrations were determined in 30 reference materials from Japanese, French, and Canadian agencies using delayed neutron assay methods. Many of these materials are new and have few previously reported values for uranium.     

1982 Compilation of Elemental Concentration Data for the United States Geological Survey's Geochemical Exploration Reference Samples GXR -1 to GXR - 6

Concentration data for as many as 64 constituents in the six United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Geochemical Exploration Reference Samples (GXR) have been collected from journal articles and technical reports published since these reference materials were issued in 1971. These data are summarized into mean +/- one standard deviation values and compared with our previously calculated concentrations based upon USGS round-robin data published in 1978. All new literature data located are presented in the appendices.     

Expansion of an X-ray coronal arch into the outer corona

An asymmetric, expanding arch, photographed in the inner corona with an X-ray telescope on 13 August, 1973, is identified as the source of the mass ejected in a white light transient in the outer corona. The morphology, angular position, estimated mass and apparent rate of upward acceleration of the lower coronal arch are similar to those of the arch seen passing through the outer corona. The mass of material removed from the lower corona is estimated at 2 × 10¹⁵ g, and the upward movement is consistent with a constant acceleration of 12.5 m s^–2 between 1.3 and 5 R.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.