The Laal-Kan fluorite deposit,Zanjan Province,NW Iran: constraints on REE geochemistry and fluid inclusions

The Laal-Kan fluorite deposit (west of Zanjan city, NW Iran) mainly occurred as some open-space filling and vein/veinlet in the schist of the Paleozoic age. Mineralogically, calcite, fluorite types (white, smoky, and violet), and quartz are the principal constituents accompanied by a number of minor accessory minerals such as hemimorphite, hematite, barite, and clays. Based on chemical analyses, fluorites of various colors were found to have low rare earth element (REE) concentrations (4.16–25.67 ppm). The chondrite-normalized REE patterns indicated that early fluorites were enriched in LREE, relative to HREE, whereas late fluorites were enriched in HREE relative to LREE. This study, therefore, indicated that fugacity of oxygen likely played a significant role in the occurrence of positive Ce and negative anomaly in the late fluorite. Furthermore, the Gd behavior of the fluorite samples could be attributed to the Gd-F complex in ore-forming fluids. On the other hand, low pH hydrothermal fluids under alkaline conditions were probably the main mechanism responsible for the deposition of the early fluorites in this district. Fluorite-hosted fluid inclusion analyses also indicated that fluorite-forming fluids consisted of NaCl, MgCl₂, CaCl₂, and LiCl with a narrow T_H (118–151 °C) and high salinities (18.96–23.47 wt.% NaCl equiv.). Further, the diagram of Tb/La-Tb/Ca ratios revealed that fluorites were predominantly deposited in the hydrothermal environment and the late stage fluorites could be considered as the product of the secondary mineralization of the early fluorites due to the interaction of the fluid with the early fluorites.     

Facies Analysis, Sequence Stratigraphy and Diagenetic Studies of the Jurassic Carbonates of the Kohat Basin, Northwest Pakistan: Reservoir Implications

The present study deals with the depositional facies, diagenetic processes and sequence stratigraphy of the shallow marine carbonates of the Samana Suk Formation, Kohat Basin, in order to elucidate its reservoir quality. The Samana Suk Formation consists of thin to thick-bedded, oolitic, bioclastic, dolomitic and fractured limestone. Based on the integration of outcrop, petrographic and biofacies analyses, the unit is thought to have been deposited on a gentle homoclinal ramp in peritidal, lagoonal and carbonate shoal settings. Frequent variations in microfacies based sea-level curve have revealed seven Transgressive Systems Tracts (TSTs) and six Regressive Systems Tracts (RSTs). The unit has undergone various stages of diagenetic processes, including mechanical and chemical compaction, cementation, micritization, dissolution and dolomitization. The petrographic analyses show the evolution of porosity in various depositional and diagenetic phases. The fenestral porosity was mainly developed in peritidal carbonates during deposition, while the burial dissolution and diagenetic dolomitization have greatly enhanced the reservoir potential of the rock unit, as is further confirmed by the plug porosity and permeability analyses. The porosities and permeabilities were higher in shoal facies deposited in TSTs, as compared to lagoonal and peritidal facies, except for the dolomite in mudstone, deposited during RSTs. Hence good, moderate and poor reservoir potential is suggested for shoal, lagoonal and peritidal facies, respectively.     

Innovative mitigation method for buried pipelines crossing faults

A new remediation technique is proposed to mitigate large deformations imposed on buried pipeline systems subject to permanent ground deformation. With this technique, low-density gravel(LDG) with high porosity, such as pumice,is used as backfill in the trench containing the pipe near an area susceptible to PGD. This countermeasure decreases soil resistance, soil-pipe interaction forces and strain on the pipe as the pipeline deformation mechanism changes to a more desirable shape. Expanded polys...     

The Maastrichtian-Danian in the SW Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt (S. Iran): An Integration of Planktonic Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy and Gamma-Ray Spectrometry

In this study, the Maastrichtian-Danian boundary was measured and sampled in two stratigraphic sections, the north and south flanks of the Dehnow anticline in Coastal Fars, Southern Iran. This boundary was also investigated in the drilled exploratory well-1 in the same region. The lithology of the Maastrichtian-Danian deposits consists of glauconitic, phosphatic argillaceous limestones and marlstones. 30 genera and 77 species of planktonic foraminifera have been determined. The recognized biozon...     

On the cratonization of the Arabian-Nubian Shield:Constraints from gneissic granitoids in south Eastern Desert,Egypt

The Shaitian granite complex(SGC) spans more than 80 Ma of crustal growth in the Arabian–Nubian Shield in southeast Egypt.It is a voluminous composite intrusion(60 km~2) comprising a host tonalite massif intruded by subordinate dyke-like masses of trondhjemite,granodiorite and monzogranite.The host tonalite,in turn,encloses several,fine-grained amphibolite enclaves.U-Pb zircon dating indicates a wide range of crystallization ages within the SGC(800 ± 18 Ma for tonalites;754 ± 3.9 Ma for trondhjemite;738 ± 3.8 Ma for granodiorite;and 717 ± 3.2 Ma for monzogranite),suggesting crystallization of independent magma pulses.The high positiveεNdi(+6–+8) indicate that the melting sources were dominated by juvenile material without any significant input from older crust.Application of zircon saturation geothermometry indicates increasing temperatures during the generation of melts from 745 ± 31 ℃ for tonalite to 810 ± 25 ℃ for trondhjemite;840 ± 10 ℃ for granodiorite;and 868 ± 10 ℃ for monzogranite.The pressure of partial melting is loosely constrained to be below the stability of residual garnet(10 kbar) as inferred from the almost flat HREE pattern((Gd/Lu)N= 0.9–1.1),but 3 kbar for the stability of residual amphibole as inferred from the significantly lower NbNand TaNcompared with LREENand the sub-chondrite Nb/Ta ratios exhibited by the granitic phases.The inverse relation between the generation temperatures and the ages estimates of the granitoid lithologies argue against a significant role of fractional crystallization.The major and trace element contents indicate the emplacement of the SGC within a subduction zone setting.It lacks distinctive features for melt derived from a subducted slab(e.g.high Sr/Y and high(La/Yb)Nratios),and the relatively low MgO and Ni contents in all granite phases within the SGC suggest melting within the lower crust of an island arc overlying a mantle wedge.Comparison with melts produced during melting experiments indicates an amphibolite of basaltic composition is the best candidate as source for the tonalite,trondhjemite and granodiorite magmas whereas the monzogranite magma is most consistent with fusion of a tonalite protolith.Given the overlapping Sm-Nd isotope ratios as well as several trace element ratios between monzogranite and tonalite samples,it is reasonable to suggest that the renewed basaltic underplating may have caused partial melting of tonalite and the emplacement of monzogranite melt within the SGC.The emplacement of potassic granite(monzogranite) melts subsequent to the emplacement of Na-rich granites(tonalitetrondhjemite-granodiorite) most likely suggests major crustal thickening prior arc collision and amalgamation into the over thickened proto-crust of the Arabian-Nubian shield.Eventually,after complete consolidation,the whole SGC was subjected to regional deformation,most probably during accretion to the Saharan Metacraton(arc–continent collisions) in the late Cryogenian-Ediacaran times(650–542 Ma).     

Time–space fractional governing equations of one‐dimensional unsteady open channel flow process: Numerical solution and exploration

Although fractional integration and differentiation have found many applications in various fields of science, such as physics, finance, bioengineering, continuum mechanics, and hydrology, their engineering applications, especially in the field of fluid flow processes, are rather limited. In this study, a finite difference numerical approach is proposed to solve the time–space fractional governing equations of 1‐dimensional unsteady/non‐uniform open channel flow process. By numerical simulations, results of the proposed fractional governing equations of the open channel flow process were compared with those of the standard Saint‐Venant equations. Numerical simulations showed that flow discharge and water depth can exhibit heavier tails in downstream locations as space and time fractional derivative powers decrease from 1. The fractional governing equations under consideration are generalizations of the well‐known Saint‐Venant equations, which are written in the integer differentiation framework. The new governing equations in the fractional‐order differentiation framework have the capability of modelling nonlocal flow processes both in time and in space by taking the global correlations into consideration. Furthermore, the generalized flow process may possibly shed light on understanding the theory of the anomalous transport processes and observed heavy‐tailed distributions of particle displacements in transport processes.     

Phosphorus export dynamics and hydrobiogeochemical controls across gradients of scale,topography and human impact

Concentration‐discharge (c‐Q) plots are routinely used as an integrated signal of watershed response to infer solute sources and travel pathways. However, the interpretation of c‐Q data can be difficult unless these data are fitted using statistical models. Such models are frequently applied for geogenic solutes, but it is unclear to what extent they might aid in the investigation of nutrient export patterns, particularly for total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) which is a critical driver of downstream eutrophication problems. The goal of the present study was therefore to statistically model c‐Q relations (where c is TDP concentrations) in a set of contrasting watersheds in the Northern Great Plains—ranging in size from 0.2 to 1000+ km²—to assess the controls of landscape properties on TDP transport dynamics. Six statistical models were fitted to c‐Q data, notably (a) one linear model, (b) one model assuming that c‐Q relations are driven by the mixing of end‐member waters from different landscape locations (i.e., hydrograph separation), (c) one model relying on a biogeochemical stationarity hypothesis (i.e., power law), (d) one model hypothesizing that c‐Q relations change as a function of the solute subsurface contact time (i.e., hyperbolic model), and (e) two models assuming that solute fluxes are mostly dependent on reaction rates (i.e., chemical models). Model performance ranged from mediocre (R² < 0.2) to very good (R² > 0.9), but the hydrograph separation model seemed most universal. No watershed was found to exhibit chemostatic behaviour, but many showed signs of dilution or enrichment behaviour. A tendency toward a multi‐model fit and better model performance was observed for watersheds with moderate slope and higher effective drainage area. The relatively poor model performance obtained outside these conditions illustrates the likely importance of controls on TDP concentrations in the region that are independent of flow dynamics.     

The isotope ratio of europium in the solar atmosphere

Europium has two stable isotopes, Eu 151 and Eu 153. The high isotope shift and the different hyperfine splitting of the energy levels of the two isotopes make it possible to study the isotope ratio by an analysis of the spectral line profiles. From five spectral lines the solar isotope ratio is found to be equal to the terrestrial ratio within an error limit of about 10 %.     

The construction of a seventh-order Jupiter-Saturn analytical theory

We extend the construction of the Jupiter-Saturn theory to include all the terms up to the seventh order in the masses. The Hori-Lie transformation technique is employed. The Jacobian coordinates are adopted and the theory is expressed in terms of the canonical non-singular variables of H. Poincaré.