Impacts of Methane on Carbon Dioxide Storage in Brine Formations

In the context of geological carbon sequestration (GCS), carbon dioxide (CO₂) is often injected into deep formations saturated with a brine that may contain dissolved light hydrocarbons, such as methane (CH₄). In this multicomponent multiphase displacement process, CO₂ competes with CH₄ in terms of dissolution, and CH₄ tends to exsolve from the aqueous into a gaseous phase. Because CH₄ has a lower viscosity than injected CO₂, CH₄ is swept up into a ‘bank’ of CH₄‐rich gas ahead of the CO₂ displacement front. On the one hand, this may provide a useful tracer signal of an approaching CO₂ front. On the other hand, the emergence of gaseous CH₄ is undesirable because it poses a leakage risk of a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂ if the cap rock is compromised. Open fractures or faults and wells could result in CH₄ contamination of overlying groundwater aquifers as well as surface emissions. We investigate this process through detailed numerical simulations for a large‐scale GCS pilot project (near Cranfield, Mississippi) for which a rich set of field data is available. An accurate cubic‐plus‐association equation‐of‐state is used to describe the non‐linear phase behavior of multiphase brine‐CH₄‐CO₂ mixtures, and breakthrough curves in two observation wells are used to constrain transport processes. Both field data and simulations indeed show the development of an extensive plume of CH₄‐rich (up to 90 mol%) gas as a consequence of CO₂ injection, with important implications for the risk assessment of future GCS projects.     

Broadband frequency-dependent amplification of seismic waves across Bucharest, Romania

The determination of seismic amplitude amplification is a fundamental contribution to seismic hazard assessment. While often only high-frequency amplitude variations (>1 Hz) are taken into account, we analyse broadband waveforms from 0.14 to 8.6 Hz using a temporary network of 32 stations in and around the earthquake-prone city of Bucharest. Spectral amplitudes are calculated with an adaptive multiple-taper approach. Across our network (aperture 25 km × 25 km), we find a systematic northwest/southeast-oriented structural influence on teleseismic P-wave amplitudes from 0.14 to 0.86 Hz that can be explained by constructive interference in the dipping Cenozoic sedimentary layers. For higher frequencies (1.4–8.75 Hz), more local site effects prevail and can be correlated partly among neighbouring stations. The transition between systematic and localised amplitude variations occurs at about 1 Hz.     

Defining organominerals: Comment on ‘Defining biominerals and organominerals: Direct and indirect indicators of life’ by Perry et al. (2007, Sedimentary Geology, 201, 157–179)

The paper by Perry et al. (2007, Defining biominerals and organominerals: Direct and indirect indicators of life, Sedimentary Geology, 201, 157–179) proposes to introduce “the new term ‘organomineral’” to describe mineral products whose formation is induced by by-products of biological activity, dead and decaying organisms, or nonbiological organic compounds, to be distinguished from the biomineral components of living organisms. The substantive ‘organomineral’, however, is not new: it was first introduced in 1993, with basically the same definition and distinction from biominerals, at the 7th International Symposium on Biomineralization (Défarge and Trichet, 1995, From biominerals to ‘organominerals’: The example of the modern lacustrine calcareous stromatolites from Polynesian atolls, Bulletin de l'Institut Océanographique de Monaco, n° spéc. 14, vol. 2, pp. 265–271). Thereafter, more than twenty-five papers by various authors have been devoted to organominerals and organomineral formation (‘organomineralization’) processes. Only two of these papers are cited by Perry et al., and without any reference to the definitions, or even the terms ‘organomineral’ or ‘organomineralization’, which they included. Moreover, Perry et al. tend to enlarge the original concept of organomineral to encompass all minerals containing organic matter, whether these organic compounds are active or passive in the mineralization, which introduces ambiguities detrimental to a fine understanding of present and past geobiological processes. Finally, Perry et al. propose to consider organominerals as indirect biosignatures that could be used in the search for evidence of life in the geological record and extraterrestrial bodies. This latter proposition also is problematical, in that organominerals may be formed in association with prebiotic or abiotic organic matter.     

δ13C signature of early graphite and subsequently formed microdiamond from the Saxonian Erzgebirge,Germany

Microdiamond and graphite occur in quartzofeldspathic rocks (saidenbachites) of the central Erzgebirge in Saxony. Zircon from such rocks contains not only relatively high but also variable amounts of early formed graphite and later crystallized diamond, however no carbonate. Six purified zircon concentrates were analysed by mass spectrometry for δ₁₃C(PDB) values which were between −24 and −33‰. The carbon inclusions resulted in C contents of the concentrates as high as 0.5 wt%. It is hypothesized that the observed δ₁₃C signature results from organic material in the sedimentary protoliths of the saidenbachites probably deposited not earlier than Mid‐Devonian. This material was transformed to graphite during early metamorphism and subsequently to diamond after an anatectic event at great depths (>150 km). During these processes, the δ₁₃C signature of the carbon did not (significantly) change.     

Relative contributions of sublimation and volcanoes to Io's atmosphere inferred from its plasma interaction during solar eclipse

We present a model that describes Io's delayed electrodynamic response to a temporal change in Io's atmosphere. Our model incorporates the relevant physical processes involved in Io's atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere electrodynamic interaction to predict the far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation as Io enters Jupiter's shadow and re-emerges into sunlight. The predicted FUV brightnesses are highly nonlinear as the strength of the electrodynamic interaction depends on the ratios of ionospheric conductances to the torus Alfvén conductance, but the former are functions of electrodynamics and the atmospheric density, which decays rapidly upon entering eclipse. Key factors governing the time evolution are the column density due to sublimation and the column density due to volcanoes, which maintain the background atmosphere during eclipse. The plasma interaction does not react instantaneously, but lags to a temporarily changing atmosphere. We find three qualitatively different scenarios with two of them including a post-eclipse brightening. The brightness ratio of in-sunlight/in-eclipse coupled with the existence of a sub-jovian equatorial spot constrains the volcanic column density to several times 10¹⁸ m⁻², based on the currently available observations. Thus in sunlight, the sublimation driven part of Io's atmosphere dominates the volcanically driven contribution by roughly a factor of 10 or more.     

Oxidation of CO on surface hematite in high CO2 atmospheres

We propose a mechanism for the oxidation of gaseous CO into CO₂ occurring on the surface mineral hematite (Fe₂O₃(s)) in hot, CO₂-rich planetary atmospheres, such as Venus. This mechanism is likely to constitute an important source of tropospheric CO₂ on Venus and could at least partly address the CO₂ stability problem in Venus’ stratosphere, since our results suggest that atmospheric CO₂ is produced from CO oxidation via surface hematite at a rate of 0.4 petagrammes (Pg) CO₂ per (Earth) year on Venus which is about 45% of the mass loss of CO₂ via photolysis in the Venusian stratosphere. We also investigated CO oxidation via the hematite mechanism for a range of planetary scenarios and found that modern Earth and Mars are probably too cold for the mechanism to be important because the rate-limiting step, involving CO(g) reacting onto the hematite surface, proceeds much slower at lower temperatures. The mechanism may feature on extrasolar planets such as Gliese 581c or CoRoT-7b assuming they can maintain solid surface hematite which, e.g. starts to melt above about 1200 K. The mechanism may also be important for hot Hadean-type environments and for the emerging class of hot Super-Earths with planetary surface temperatures between about 600 and 900 K.     

Mixing and chemical interdiffusion of trachytic and latitic magma in a subvolcanic complex of the Tertiary Westerwald (Germany)

A special kind of magma mixing is extraordinarily well exposed in the Bittersberg subvolcanic complex in the Tertiary volcanic field of the German Westerwald: A trachytic melt has been penetrated by a latitic dyke which has been dispersed within the host magma as small spherical enclaves (globules). Whole rock analyses of the globules show a change in composition that cannot be explained by a simple mechanical mixing between the endmembers. The most evolved globules have a phonolitic composition. Microprobe measurements in the microlithic matrix of the host rock and the guest indicate a diffusive motion of the alkalis from the host into the globules. On the other hand, an opposite trend can be observed for Ca, Mg, Fe and Ti, which are impoverished in the globules. The trace elements and the middle rare earth elements (MREE) has also been involved in the diffusive exchange. The REE-pattern of the most evolved (phonolitic) globules shows a characteristic trough in the area of the MREE which is almost identical to the REE-pattern of many phonolites. The phonolites and the alkali-rich trachytes of the Westerwald show similar globular textures as the Bittersberg volcanics. Therefore, generation of these rocks involving diffusive element exchange during mixing processes in a magma reservoir situated on a deeper crustal level may be possible.