Revision of the conchostracan genera Cratostracus and Porostracus from Cretaceous deposits in north-east China

The diagnoses of the conchostracan genera Cratostracus and Porostracus are revised following a re-examination of their type species under a scanning electron microscope. In Cratostracus each growth line has a serrated lower margin. Radial lirae branch into smaller ridges that merge with each other to give the upper part of each growth band in the ventral region of the carapace a slightly undulating surface. Cross-bars are present between these lirae. In Porostracus the radial lirae on the growth bands near the umbo are long and relatively widely spaced. There is a fine reticulum between them in the umbonal part of the carapace and cross-bars on the ventral surface. The ornament of Porostracus indicates that it can be assigned to the family Halysestheriidae rather than to the Afrograptidae, in which it has been placed previously. Morphological analysis of most of the species of the two genera and closely related Orthestheria (Migransia) under the scanning electron microscope is required before their stratigraphic potential can be fully realized.     

An analytical solution for describing the transient temperature distribution in an aquifer thermal energy storage system

A mathematical model is developed for predicting the temperature distribution in an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system, which consists of a confined aquifer bounded from above and below by the rocks of different geological properties. The main transfer processes of heat include the conduction and advection in the aquifer and the conduction in the rocks. The semi‐analytical solution in dimensionless form for the model is developed by Laplace transforms and its corresponding time‐domain solution is evaluated by the modified Crump method. Field geothermal property data are used to simulate the temperature distribution in an ATES system. The results show that the heat transfer in the aquifer is fast and has a vast effect on the vicinity of the wellbore. However, the aquifer temperature decreases with increasing radial and vertical distances. The temperature in the aquifer may be overestimated when ignoring the effect of thermal conductivity. The temperature distribution in an ATES system depends on the vertical thermal conduction in the rocks and the horizontal advection and thermal conduction in the aquifer. The present solution is useful in designing and simulating the heat injection facility in the ATES systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A three-dimensional large-deformation random finite-element study of landslide runout considering spatially varying soil

Landslides - Landslide is a uniquely dynamic large-deformation process that can present serious threat to human lives and infrastructures. The natural soil properties often exhibit inherent spatial...     

Optimal location of piles in slope stabilization by limit analysis

Many studies have been conducted to establish the optimal location of a row of piles to reinforce and stabilize slopes. However, the results obtained are very different, and in some cases even inconsistent and contradictory. The factor of safety of piled slopes is determined by the magnitude of resistive forces exerted by the piles on the slope. At the same time, the maximum retaining forces provided by the piles are also affected by the pile position. In this paper, the problem of the optimal location of piles used to stabilize slopes is analyzed using a combination of limit slope stability analysis and the theory of Ito and Matsui (Soils Found 15:43?C59, 8) to calculate limit lateral loads on piles. Using an illustrative example slope, some of the issues including the most effective position, the most suitable position, and the position with the largest safety factor are discussed. The results show that the most effective pile position, the most suitable pile position, and pile position where the factor of safety can take maximum value are different from each other for a given slope.     

中国煤矿井地质及前景

中国的矿井地质工作历经50年的创业、发展和完善,已成为煤矿建设生产中无可替代的一门边缘和应用学科。矿井地质工作贯穿于煤矿设计、建设、生产、开拓延伸。矿井改造直到矿井报废的全过程,涉及到开拓设计、采煤掘进、瓦斯、水文、地压、顶板。地温、安全、环境保护和综合利用等领域。50年来中国矿井地质工作在新井建设和老井挖潜、核实储量、丰富煤田地质理论。完善预测和探查方法等方面都积累了许多可贵的经验,有力地推动中国煤炭工业持续高速度发展。在新的形势下,矿井地质的作用和自身优势尚未充分发挥,因采掘而发生的地质动态变化和环境问题必将成为矿井地质面临的重大课题。矿井地质亟待在改革中前进,在挑战中突破。     

基于耦合欧拉-拉格朗日法充灌袋挤淤过程的有限元研究

在含水率大、承载能力低的软土地基上,利用充灌砂袋进行挤淤置换的方法工艺简单、施工方便、处理效果明显,已经广泛地应用在建造围埝和修筑道路中。充灌袋下沉到一定深度后,其重量与地基承载力相等,从而达到极限平衡状态。充灌袋挤淤所达到的深度与其高度存在一定的对应关系,在工程中确定此关系十分重要。通过3组不同宽度的挤淤模型试验,得到充灌袋下沉量与充灌袋高度的曲线关系、淤泥的位移特性及隆起量。利用ABAQUS中耦合欧拉-拉格朗日法（CEL法）,将充灌袋和淤泥分别用拉格朗日体和欧拉体描述,模拟充灌袋挤淤下沉的过程,将模拟得到的充灌袋下沉深度和高度的关系、淤泥的位移特点与试验结果以及理论公式进行对比。结果表明,CEL法模拟得到的结果与试验结果、理论解具有很好的吻合性,说明利用CEL法可以较好地模拟充灌袋的挤淤问题。     

基于VC++、ObjectARX的边角网平差系统的设计

在总结以前手算及其他它语言程序优缺点的基础上,充分利用前期工作成果及现有资源,以AutoCAD2000为平台,用VC++及ObjectARX等软件结合测量平差的专业知识,设计了集平差计算和图形显示为一体的辅助设计软件,用以计算坐标的精确值,并绘出边角网网形.     

Zircon U-Pb and oxygen isotope evidence for a large-scale O depletion event in igneous rocks during the Neoproterozoic

Oxygen isotope analysis and U-Pb dating were carried out on zircons from granite, granitic gneiss and eclogite in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt of east-central China. The results show a wide variation in zircon δ¹⁸O values from −10.9 to 8.5‰. Most of the values are lower than normal mantle zircon and almost half have prominently negative values. The low δ¹⁸O zircons have protolith ages of 700 to 800 Ma and metamorphic ages of 205 to 250 Ma, respectively. Fluid availability within the metaigneous rocks dictates the extent of metamorphic recrystallization and overgrowth. The igneous zircons have preserved their magmatic zoning and middle Neoproterozoic U-Pb age during the Triassic metamorphism, indicating low fluid availability. Widespread low δ¹⁸O values are identified in the magmatic zircons of middle Neoproterozoic age, within an outcrop area of over 20,000 km² along the northern edge of the South China Block. The low δ¹⁸O zircons record the presence of large volumes of low δ¹⁸O igneous rocks that were derived from remelting of meteoric-hydrothermally altered rocks at some time between 700 and 800 Ma.The U-Pb ages for metaigneous protoliths and granites are correlated not only with the timing of rifting accompanying the breakup of Rodinia, but also with contemporary glacial deposits in the South China Block at paleolatitudes of 30 to 40°N. Melting of glacial ice and snow is suggested, instead of the direct involvement of meteoric water, to produce the low δ¹⁸O fluid with oxygen isotopic signatures like the cold-climate meteoric water. The rifting created conditions favorable to anatexis of meteoric-hydrothermally altered rocks. Glaciated regions supplied copious water for the water-rock interaction during magma emplacement along rifting zones. Both rifting and glaciation favored the generation of the low δ¹⁸O magmas in the region. The low δ¹⁸O zircons are thus interpreted to have crystallized from the low δ¹⁸O magmas of middle Neoproterozoic age, and onset of the generation of low δ¹⁸O magmas in the northern margin of the South China Block is estimated to occur at about 758 ± 15 Ma. The large-scale remelting of hydrothermally altered crust not only results from repetitive emplacement of mafic magmas along the rifting zones with protracted episodes of water-rock interaction, but also involves rift systems that rapidly introduce large volumes of fluid through confined pathways and traps in a short space of time in response to tectonic triggers. Occurrence of the large-scale ¹⁸O depletion during the middle Neoproterozoic may be a manifestation of the cold paleoclimate related to the snowball Earth event.     

A Study on Crack Damage Stress Thresholds of Different Rock Types Based on Uniaxial Compression Tests

When rock samples are loaded until macroscopic fractures develop, the failure process can be divided into several stages based on axial and lateral strain responses or the acoustic emission sequence during uniaxial compression tests. Several stress thresholds may be identified: the crack closure stress σ _cc, crack initiation stress σ _ci, crack damage stress σ _cd, and uniaxial compressive strength σ _ucs; these may be used as a warning indicator for rock rupture. We investigated the crack damage stress σ _cd, its threshold, and a possible relationship between σ _cd and the uniaxial compressive strength. The σ _cd of different rock types were compiled from previous studies based on uniaxial compression tests. The results showed that the overall averages and standard deviations of σ _cd /σ _ucs for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks were ~0.78 (±0.11), ~0.85 (±0.11), and ~0.73 (±0.18), respectively. There were no significant differences in σ _cd /σ _ucs between the different rock types, except that the sedimentary rock had a slightly larger standard deviation attributed to the variation of porosity in the samples, while the metamorphic rock had higher average σ _cd /σ _ucs resulting from the small statistical sample size. By excluding the higher-porosity (>10 %) rock samples, the averages and standard deviations of σ _cd /σ _ucs for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks were ~0.78 (±0.09), ~0.85 (±0.09), and ~0.78 (±0.11), respectively. The results imply that the rock origin process (i.e., igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) has a minimal effect on σ _cd /σ _ucs. The ratio σ _cd/σ _ucs could be an essential intrinsic property for low-porosity rocks, which could be used in rock engineering for predicting the failure process.