Hydrochemical variation in the springs water between Jerusalem–Ramallah Mountains and Jericho Fault,Palestine

The spatial and temporal changes of the composition of the groundwater from the springs along the Wadi Qilt stream running from the Jerusalem–Ramallah Mountains towards the Jericho Plain is studied during the hydrological year 2006/2007. The residence time and the intensity of recharge play an important role in controlling the chemical composition of spring water which mainly depends on distance from the main recharge area. A very important factor is the oxidation of organics derived from sewage and garbage resulting in variable dissolved CO₂ and associated HCO₃ ⁻ concentration. High CO₂ yields lower pH values and thus under-saturation with respect to calcite and dolomite. Low CO₂ concentrations result in over-saturation. Only at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season calcite saturation is achieved. The degradation of dissolved organic matter is a major source for increasing water hardness. Besides dissolution of carbonates dissolved species such as nitrate, chloride, and sulfate are leached from soil and aquifer rocks together with only small amounts of Mg. Mg not only originates from carbonates but also from Mg–Cl waters are leached from aquifer rocks. Leaching of Mg–Cl brines is particularly high at the beginning of the winter season and lowest at its end. Two zones of recharge are distinguishable. Zone 1 represented by Ein Fara and Ein Qilt is fed directly through the infiltration of meteoric water and surface runoff from the mountains along the eastern mountain slopes with little groundwater residence time and high flow rate. The second zone is near the western border of Jericho at the foothills, which is mainly fed by the under-groundwater flow from the eastern slopes with low surface infiltration rate. This zone shows higher groundwater residence time and slower flow rate than zone 1. Groundwater residence time and the flow rate within the aquifer systems are controlled by the geological structure of the aquifer, the amount of active recharge to the aquifer, and the recharge mechanism. The results of this study may be useful in increasing the efficiency of freshwater exploitation in the region. Some precautions, however, should be taken in future plans of artificial recharge of the aquifers or surface-water harvesting in the Wadi. Because of evaporation and associated groundwater deterioration, the runoff water should be artificially infiltrated in zones of Wadis with high storage capacity of aquifers. Natural infiltration along the Wadis lead to evaporation losses and less quality of groundwater.     

On the Application of the Novel Thin Spray-on Liner (TSL): A Progress Report in Mining Operations

Stability is the main problem in underground excavations that can result in rock-related accidents or closure of mines. This is often controlled by the geological condition of the rockmass and the in situ stress field where excavation is being carried out. Over the years, conventional support systems such as bolts, shotcrete and mesh have been the standard support systems used in difficult ground conditions to maintain stability of underground openings. The novel Thin Spray Liner (TSL) is a technology with an improvement in terms of support capabilities for difficult geological conditions. This technology is predicted to replace conventional support systems, as it offers a significant yielding capacity that is better than that of the traditional techniques of controlling strata. The performance of the TSL lies between that of shotcrete and wire mesh. The TSL has numerous advantages regarding rock reinforcement such as rapid curing period, fast application, high tensile strength, high adhesion properties that prevent movement of rock keyblocks, improved cycle times, reduction in material-handling compared to shotcrete, and a significant ability to penetrate joints. These advantages increase the allowance for mechanisation and improvement of safety in excavations. Despite various benefits of TSLs, there are shortcomings which make end-users to be sceptical about the technology. This study provides a detailed review of the mechanism, properties, composition and types, as well as the general and mining applications of TSLs. It also describes the challenges faced by the mining industry and other end-users in accepting the technology as a solution for stability issues in underground openings. In addition, some insightful suggestions are made as recommendations for future work on the development of suitable, effective and efficient thin surface rock support technology within limitations/constraints.

     

Role of coal type and rank on methane sorption characteristics of Bowen Basin, Australia coals

The effect of coal composition, particularly the organic fraction, upon gas sorption has been investigated for Bowen Basin and Sydney Basin, Australia coals. Maceral composition influences on gas retention and release were investigated using isorank pairs of hand-picked bright and dull coal in the rank range of high volatile bituminous (0.78% R_{o max}) to anthracite (3.01% R_{o max}). Adsorption isotherm results of dry coals indicated that Langmuir volume (V_L) for bright and dull coal types followed discrete, second-order polynomial trends with increasing rank. Bright coals had a minimum V_L at 1.72% R_{o max} and dull coals had a minimum V_L at 1.17% R_{o max}. At low rank, V_L was greater in bright coal by about 10 cm³/g, but as rank increased, the bright and dull trends converged and crossed at 1.65% R_{o max}. At ranks higher than 1.65% R_{o max}, both bright and dull coals followed similar trends. These competing trends mean that the importance of maceral composition on V_L varies according to rank. In high volatile bituminous coals, increases in vitrinite content are associated with increases in adsorption capacity. At ranks higher than medium to low volatile bituminous, changes in maceral composition may exert relatively little influence on adsorption capacity. The Langmuir pressure (P_L) showed a strong relationship of decreasing P_L with increasing rank, which was not related to coal type. It is suggested that the observed trend is related to a decrease in the heterogeneity of the pore surfaces, and subsequent increased coverage by the adsorbate, as coal rank increases. Desorption rate studies on crushed samples show that dull coals desorb more rapidly than bright coals and that desorption rate is also a function of rank. Coals of lower rank have higher effective diffusivities. Mineral matter was found to have no influence on desorption rate of these finely crushed samples. The evolution of the coal pore structure with changing rank is implicated in diffusion rate differences.     

Benthic Carbon Mineralization and Nutrient Turnover in a Scottish Sea Loch: An Integrative In Situ Study

Based on in situ microprofiles, chamber incubations and eddy covariance measurements, we investigated the benthic carbon mineralization and nutrient regeneration in a ~65-m-deep sedimentation basin of Loch Etive, UK. The sediment hosted a considerable amount of infauna that was dominated by the brittle star A. filiformis. The numerous burrows were intensively irrigated enhancing the benthic in situ O₂ uptake by ~50 %, and inducing highly variable redox conditions and O₂ distribution in the surface sediment as also documented by complementary laboratory-based planar optode measurements. The average benthic O₂ exchange as derived by chamber incubations and the eddy covariance approach were similar (14.9 ± 2.5 and 13.1 ± 9.0 mmol m^?2 day^?1) providing confidence in the two measuring approaches. Moreover, the non-invasive eddy approach revealed a flow-dependent benthic O₂ flux that was partly ascribed to enhanced ventilation of infauna burrows during periods of elevated flow rates. The ratio in exchange rates of ΣCO₂ and O₂ was close to unity, confirming that the O₂ uptake was a good proxy for the benthic carbon mineralization in this setting. The infauna activity resulted in highly dynamic redox conditions that presumably facilitated an efficient degradation of both terrestrial and marine-derived organic material. The complex O₂ dynamics of the burrow environment also concurrently stimulated nitrification and coupled denitrification rates making the sediment an efficient sink for bioavailable nitrogen. Furthermore, bioturbation mediated a high efflux of dissolved phosphorus and silicate. The study documents a high spatial and temporal variation in benthic solute exchange with important implications for benthic turnover of organic carbon and nutrients. However, more long-term in situ investigations with like approaches are required to fully understand how environmental events and spatio-temporal variations interrelate to the overall biogeochemical functioning of coastal sediments.     

Spatial and temporal variability of ground water recharge in central Australia: a tracer approach

Two environmental tracer methods are applied to the Ti-Tree Basin in central Australia to shed light on the importance of recharge from floodouts of ephemeral rivers in this arid environment. Ground water carbon-14 concentrations from boreholes are used to estimate the average recharge rate over the interval between where the ground water sample first entered the saturated zone and the bore. Environmental chloride concentrations in ground water samples provide estimates of the recharge rate at the exact point in the landscape where the sample entered the saturated zone. The results of the two tracer approaches indicate that recharge rates around one of the rivers and an extensive floodplain are generally higher than rates of diffuse recharge that occurs in areas of lower topographic relief. Ground water 2H/1H and 18O/16O compositions are all depleted in the heavier isotopes (delta2H = -67 per thousand to -50 per thousand; delta18O = -9.2 per thousand to -5.7%o) compared with the long-term, amount-weighted mean isotopic composition of rainfall in the area (delta2H = -33.8 per thousand; delta18O = -6.3 per thousand). This indicates that recharge throughout the basin occurs only after intense rainfall events of at least 150 to 200 mm/month. Finally, a recharge map is developed to highlight the spatial extent of the two recharge mechanisms. Floodout recharge to the freshest ground water (TDS <1,000 mg/L) is approximately 1.9 mm/year compared with a mean recharge rate of approximately 0.2 mm/year to the remainder of the basin. These findings have important implications for management of the ground water resource.     

Transient sediment supply in a high‐altitude Alpine environment evidenced through a 10Be budget of the Etages catchment (French Western Alps)

Although beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be) concentrations in stream sediments provide useful synoptic views of catchment‐wide erosion rates, little is known on the relative contributions of different sediment supply mechanisms to the acquisition of their initial signature in the headwaters. Here we address this issue by conducting a ¹⁰Be‐budget of detrital materials that characterize the morphogenetic domains representative of high‐altitude environments of the European Alps. We focus on the Etages catchment, located in the Ecrins‐Pelvoux massif (southeast France), and illustrate how in situ ¹⁰Be concentrations can be used for tracing the origin of the sand fraction from the bedload in the trunk stream. The landscape of the Etages catchment is characterized by a geomorphic transient state, high topographic gradients, and a large variety of modern geomorphic domains ranging from glacial environments to scarcely vegetated alluvial plains. Beryllium‐10 concentrations measured in the Etages catchment vary from ~1 × 10⁴ to 4.5 × 10⁵ atoms per gram quartz, while displaying consistent ¹⁰Be signatures within each representative morphogenetic unit. We show that the basic requirements for inferring catchment‐wide denudation from ¹⁰Be concentration measurements are not satisfied in this small, dynamic catchment. However, the distinct ¹⁰Be signature observed for the geomorphic domains can be used as a tracer. We suggest that a terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) budget approach provides a valuable tool for the tracing of material origin in basins where the ‘let nature do the averaging’ principles may be violated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Resistivity of reservoir sandstones and organic rich shales on the Barents Shelf:Implications for interpreting CSEM data

Marine controlled source electromagnetic(CSEM)data have been utilized in the past decade during petroleum exploration of the Barents Shelf,particularly for de-risking the highly porous sandstone reservoirs of the Upper Triassic to Middle Jurassic Realgrunnen Subgroup.In this contribution we compare the resistivity response from CSEM data to resistivity from wireline logs in both water-and hydrocarbon-bearing wells.We show that there is a very good match between these types of data,particularly when reservoirs are shallow.CSEM data,however,only provide information on the subsurface resistivity.Careful,geology-driven interpretation of CSEM data is required to maximize the impact on exploration success.This is particularly important when quantifying the relative re-sistivity contribution of high-saturation hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone and that of the overlying cap rock.In the presented case the cap rock comprises predominantly organic rich Upper Jurassic-Early Cretaceous shales of the Hekkingen Formation(i.e.a regional source rock).The resistivity response of the reservoir and its cap rock become merged in CSEM data due to the transverse resistance equivalence principle.As a result of this,it is imperative to understand both the relative contributions from reservoir and cap rock,and the geological sig-nificance of any lateral resistivity variation in each of the units.In this contribution,we quantify the resistivity of organic rich mudstone,i.e.source rock,and reservoir sandstones,using 131 exploration boreholes from the Barents Shelf.The highest resistivity(＞10,000 Ωm)is evident in the hydrocarbon-bearing Realgrunnen Subgroup which is reported from 48 boreholes,43 of which are used for this study.Pay zone resistivity is primarily controlled by reservoir quality(i.e.porosity and shale fraction)and fluid phase(i.e.gas,oil and water saturation).In the investigated wells,the shale dominated Hekkingen Formation exhibits enhanced resistivity compared to the background(i.e.the underlying and overlying stratigraphy),though rarely exceeds 20Ωm.Marine mudstones typically show good correlation between measured organic richness and resistivity/sonic velocity log signatures.We conclude that the resistivity contribution to the CSEM response from hydrocarbon-bearing sandstones out-weighs that of the organic rich cap rocks.     

Topographic Rossby waves in the Gulf of Mexico

Observations of topographic Rossby waves (TRW), using moored current meters, bottom pressure gauges, and Lagrangian RAFOS floats, are investigated for the deep basin of the Gulf of Mexico. Recent extensive measurement programs in many parts of the deep gulf, which were inspired by oil and gas industry explorations into ever deeper water, allow more comprehensive analyses of the propagation and dissipation of these deep planetary waves. The Gulf of Mexico circulation can be divided into two layers with the ∼800-1200 m upper layer being dominated by the Loop Current (LC) pulsations and shedding of large (diameters ∼300-400 km) anticyclonic eddies in the east, and the translation of these LC eddies across the basin to the west. These processes spawn smaller eddies of both signs through instabilities, and interactions with topography and other eddies to produce energetic surface layer flows that have a rich spectrum of orbit periods and diameters. In contrast, current variability below 1000 m often has the characteristics of TRWs, with periods ranging from ∼10-100 days and wavelengths of ∼50-200 km, showing almost depth-independent or slightly bottom intensified currents through the weakly stratified lower water column. These fluctuations are largely uncorrelated with simultaneous upper-layer eddy flows. TRWs must be generated through energy transfer from the upper-layer eddies to the lower layer by potential vorticity adjustments to changing depths of the bottom and the interface between the layers. Therefore, the LC and LC eddies are prime candidates as has been suggested by some model studies. Model simulations have also indicated that deep lower-layer eddies may be generated by the LC and LC eddy shedding processes.In the eastern gulf, the highest observed lower-layer kinetic energy was north of the Campeche Bank under the LC in a region that models have identified as having strong baroclinic instabilities. Part of the 60-day TRW signal propagates towards the Sigsbee Escarpment (a steep slope at the base of the northern continental slope), and the rest into the southern part of the eastern basin. Higher energy is observed along the escarpment between 89°W and 92°W than either under the northern part of the LC or further south in the deep basin, because of radiating TRWs from the western side of the LC. In the northern part of the LC, evidence was found in the observations that 20-30-day TRWs were connected with the upper layer through coherent signals of relative vorticity. The ∼90° phase lead of the lower over the upper-layer relative vorticity was consistent with baroclinic instability. Along the Sigsbee Escarpment, the TRWs are refracted and reflected so that little energy reaches the lower continental slope and a substantial mean flow is generated above the steepest part of the escarpment. RAFOS float tracks show that this mean flow continues along the escarpment to the west and into Mexican waters. This seems to be a principal pathway for deepwater parcels to be transported westward. Away from the slope RAFOS floats tend to oscillate in the same general area as if primarily responding to the deep wave field. Little evidence of westward translating lower-layer eddies was found in both the float tracks and the moored currents. In the western gulf, the highest deep energy levels are much less than in the central gulf, and are found seaward of the base of the slope. Otherwise, the situation is similar with TRWs propagating towards the slope, probably generated by the local upper-layer complex eddy field, being reflected and forcing a southward mean flow along the base of the Mexican slope. Amplitudes of the lower-layer fluctuations decay from the northwest corner towards the south.     

Oxygen‐18 dynamics in precipitation and streamflow in a semi‐arid agricultural watershed,Eastern Washington,USA

Understanding flow pathways and mechanisms that generate streamflow is important to understanding agrochemical contamination in surface waters in agricultural watersheds. Two environmental tracers, δ¹⁸O and electrical conductivity (EC), were monitored in tile drainage (draining 12 ha) and stream water (draining nested catchments of 6‐5700 ha) from 2000 to 2008 in the semi‐arid agricultural Missouri Flat Creek (MFC) watershed, near Pullman Washington, USA. Tile drainage and streamflow generated in the watershed were found to have baseline δ¹⁸O value of ?14·7‰ (VSMOW) year round. Winter precipitation accounted for 67% of total annual precipitation and was found to dominate streamflow, tile drainage, and groundwater recharge. ‘Old’ and ‘new’ water partitioning in streamflow were not identifiable using δ¹⁸O, but seasonal shifts of nitrate‐corrected EC suggest that deep soil pathways primarily generated summer streamflow (mean EC 250 µS/cm) while shallow soil pathways dominated streamflow generation during winter (EC declining as low as 100 µS/cm). Using summer isotopic and EC excursions from tile drainage in larger catchment (4700‐5700 ha) stream waters, summer in‐stream evaporation fractions were estimated to be from 20% to 40%, with the greatest evaporation occurring from August to October. Seasonal watershed and environmental tracer dynamics in the MFC watershed appeared to be similar to those at larger watershed scales in the Palouse River basin. A 0·9‰ enrichment, in shallow groundwater drained to streams (tile drainage and soil seepage), of δ¹⁸O values from 2000 to 2008 may be evidence of altered precipitation conditions due to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in the Inland Northwest. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.