Packing states of ideal reservoir sands: Insights from simulation of porosity reduction by grain rearrangement

The question being tackled in this study is to which extent grain rearrangement contributes to porosity reduction in very well sorted quartzose sands (ideal reservoir sands). A numerical model, RAMPAGE (an acronym of random packing generator), has been developed to address this long-standing problem. RAMPAGE represents a synthesis of various algorithms designed to simulate packing of equal-sized spheres, which have been used to represent ideal solids, liquids, and gases, as well as natural porous media. The results of RAMPAGE simulations compare favourably to theoretical and experimental data from various disciplines and allow delineation of the field of gravitationally stable random packing of equal-sized spheres in the 2-D state space of porosity (P) versus mean coordination number (N). Three end-member packing states have been identified: random loose packing (RLP: P = 45.4%, N = 5.2), random close packing (RCP: P = 36.3%, N = 7.0), and bridged random close packing (Bridged RCP: P = 39.5%, N = 5.2). Unlike previously proposed models, RAMPAGE can simulate the transition from RLP to any other point in the stability field. The RLP state is fully consistent with wet-packed porosities of synthetic sands with lognormal mass-size distributions reported in the literature. The much higher in-situ porosity values reported for modern (air-packed) sands are unlikely to be preserved at depth on geological time scales. Data on the relation between intergranular volume and burial depth indicate that the observed intergranular volume reduction in the upper ~ 800 m of the sediment column corresponds to the evolution of RLP to RCP, and is thus fully explained by non-destructive grain rearrangement.     

Effect of ENSO events on sediment production in a large coastal basin in northern Peru

Although the importance of ENSO on hydrological anomalies has been recognized, variations in sediment fluxes caused by these extreme events are poorly documented. The effect of ENSO is not limited to changes in sediment mobilization. Since ENSO events can affect terrestrial ecosystems, they may have important effects on sediment production and transport in river basins over time spans that are longer than the duration of the event itself. The Catamayo‐Chira basin is an interesting casestudy for investigating these geomorphic implications. The objectives were: (i) to study the effect of ENSO on stream flow and sediment yields in the basin, (ii) to investigate if ENSO events affect sediment yields in the post‐ENSO period and (iii) to understand which factors control the ENSO and post‐ENSO basin response. During strong negative ENSO periods, mean annual stream flow discharge at the inlet of the Poechos reservoir in the lower basin was 5.4 times higher than normal annual discharges, while average sediment fluxes exceeded those of normal years by a factor of about 11. In two heavily affected periods, 45.9% of the total sediment yield in the 29 years observation period was generated. Sediment fluxes in the post‐ENSO period are lower than expected, which proves post‐ENSO event dynamics are significantly different from pre‐event dynamics. Our analysis indicates the increase of vegetation growth in the lower basin is not the main reason explaining considerable sediment flux decrease in post‐ENSO periods. During strong ENSO events, sediment in alluvial stores in the lower part of the basin is removed due to enlarging and deepening of channels. In post‐ENSO periods, normal discharges and persisting sediment supplies from the middle/upper basin lead to river aggradation and storage of large amounts of sediment in alluvial plains. The decrease in sediment export will last for several years until the equilibrium is re‐established. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Possible diagenetic mobilization of barium in sapropelic sediment from the eastern Mediterranean

In the last few years it has frequently been suggested that Ba is a useful indicator of paleoproductivity. The formation of some sapropels in the Eastern Mediterranean is considered to be related to, or to coincide with, periods of enhanced productivity. A high-resolution sampling study has been undertaken in order to investigate whether the Ba distribution in sapropels reflects a primary input signal or whether it has been altered by diagenetic processes.

On the basis of our results we suggest that three diagenetic stages determine the distribution of Ba. During deposition of the sapropel (stage 1) Ba is mobilized as anoxic conditions prograde. After deposition of the sapropel (stage 2), a progressive oxidation front develops. This front induces the formation of Mn and Fe enrichments and barite precipitation at the oxic/anoxic boundary. Barite precipitation is believed to be caused mainly by a rise in the porewater sulphate concentration after sulphides have been oxidized by the front.

Upon burial (stage 3), suboxic conditions develop as the oxygen becomes exhausted again. In contrast to Fe- and Mn-oxyhydroxides which dissolve and reprecipitate at higher levels, barite is preserved because dissolved sulphate is not depleted.

The interpretation of the Ba distribution in organic-rich sediment is not straightforward. Diagenetic reallocation of a primary Ba signal will possibly disturb the relationship between Ba and organic production. Consequently, one must be very cautious when invoking Ba as a paleoproductivity indicator.     

Geochemistry of eastern Mediterranean sediments: Primary sediment composition and diagenetic alterations

Two cores recovered in the eastern Mediterranean were analysed for major, minor and trace elements. The primary chemical composition of the sediment is different at each location, probably because the lithological sources and the relative biogenic contributions differ.

Carbonates are important for the concentration of Ca, Mg and Sr, whereas aluminosilicates determine the concentration of Si, Al, K, Li, Y and Be, and to a lesser extent that of Fe, Cr, Ti, Mg, Zn and Zr. In sapropels, organic carbon and sulphur seem to be closely related. Bromine, Mo, P, Fe, V, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni and Cr are closely associated with organic and sulphidic compounds. The concentration versus depth profile for organic carbon in two sapropels points to a rapid establishment of conditions that gave rise to sapropel formation, followed by a gradual transition back to “normal” conditions.

The primary composition is overprinted by diagenetic processes. Sulphate-reducing conditions occurred during and just after sapropel deposition. A progressive oxidation front mechanism, which became active after sapropel deposition, is responsible for additional major geochemical changes. This diagenetic phenomenon has strong implications for the chemistry of Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Zn, Cu, Cr, V, U, As and Sb.     

Changing hillslope and fluvial Holocene sediment dynamics in a Belgian loess catchment

Floodplain deposition is an essential part of the Holocene sediment dynamics of many catchments and a thorough dating control of these floodplain deposits is therefore essential to understand the driving forces of these sediment dynamics. In this paper we date floodplain and colluvial deposition in the Belgian Dijle catchment using accelerator mass spectrometric radiocarbon and optical stimulated luminescence dating. Relative mass accumulation curves for the Holocene were constructed for three colluvial sites and 12 alluvial sites. A database was constructed of all available radiocarbon ages of the catchment and this database was analysed using relative sediment mass accumulation rates and cumulative probability functions of ages and site‐specific sedimentation curves. Cumulative probability functions of ages were split into different depositional environments representing stable phases and phases of accelerated clastic deposition. The results indicate that there is an important variation between the different dated sites. After an initial stable early and middle Holocene phase with mainly peat growth in the floodplains, clastic sedimentation rates increased from 4000 BC on. This first phase was more pronounced and started somewhat earlier for colluvial deposits then for alluvial deposits. The main part of the Holocene deposits, both in colluvial and alluvial valleys, was deposited during the last 1 ka. The sedimentation pattern of the individual dated sites and the catchment‐wide pattern indicate that land use changes are responsible for the main variations in the Holocene sediment dynamics of this catchment, while the field data do not provide indications for a climatological influence on the sediment dynamics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling mean annual sediment yield using a distributed approach

In this paper a spatially distributed model for the calculation of sediment delivery to river channels is presented (SEDEM: SEdiment DElivery Model). The model consists of two components: (1) the calculation of a spatial pattern of mean annual soil erosion rates in the catchment using a RUSLE (Revised Soil Erosion Equation) approach; and (2) the routing of the eroded sediment to the river channel network taking into account the transport capacity of each spatial unit. If the amount of routed sediment exceeds the local transport capacity, sediment deposition occurs. An existing dataset on sediment yield for 24 catchments in central Belgium was used to calibrate the transport capacity parameters of the model. A validation of the model results shows that the sediment yield for small and medium sized catchments (10–5000 ha) can be predicted with an average accuracy of 41 per cent. The predicted sediment yield values with SEDEM are significantly more accurate than the predictions using a lumped regression model. Moreover a spatially distributed approach allows simulation of the effect of different land use scenarios and soil conservation techniques. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quasi-static and Quasi-dynamic Modeling of Earthquake Failure at Intermediate Scales

We present a model for earthquake failure at intermediate scales (space: 100 m–100 km, time: 100 m/v _shear- 1000’s of years). The model consists of a segmented strike–slip fault embedded in a 3-D elastic solid as in the framework of Ben-Zion and Rice (1993). The model dynamics is governed by realistic boundary conditions consisting of constant velocity motion of the regions around the fault, static/kinetic friction laws with possible gradual healing, and stress transfer based on the solution of Chinnery (1963) for static dislocations in an elastic half-space. As a new ingredient, we approximate the dynamic rupture on a continuous time scale using a finite stress propagation velocity (quasi–dynamic model) instead of instantaneous stress transfer (quasi–static model). We compare the quasi–dynamic model with the quasi–static version and its mean field approximation, and discuss the conditions for the occurrence of frequency-size statistics of the Gutenberg–Richter type, the characteristic earthquake type, and the possibility of a spontaneous mode switching from one distribution to the other. We find that the ability of the system to undergo a spontaneous mode switching depends on the range of stress transfer interaction, the cell size, and the level of strength heterogeneities. We also introduce time-dependent log (t) healing and show that the results can be interpreted in the phase diagram framework. To have a flexible computational environment, we have implemented the model in a modular C++ class library.     

Calcium isotope fractionation in calcite and aragonite

Calcium isotope fractionation was measured on skeletal aragonite and calcite from different marine biota and on inorganic calcite. Precipitation temperatures ranged from 0 to 28°C. Calcium isotope fractionation shows a temperature dependence in accordance with previous observations: 1000 · ln(α_cc) = −1.4 + 0.021 · T (°C) for calcite and 1000 · ln(α_ar) = −1.9 + 0.017 · T (°C) for aragonite. Within uncertainty the temperature slopes are identical for the two polymorphs. However, at all temperatures calcium isotopes are more fractionated in aragonite than in calcite. The offset in δ^44/40Ca is about 0.6‰. The underlying mechanism for this offset may be related to the different coordination numbers and bond strengths of the calcium ions in calcite and aragonite crystals, or to different Ca reaction behavior at the solid-liquid interface. Recently, the observed temperature dependence of the Ca isotope fractionation was explained quantitatively by the temperature control on precipitation rates of calcium carbonates in an experimental setting (Lemarchand et al., 2004). We show that this mechanism can in principle also be applied to CaCO₃ precipitation in natural environments in normal marine settings. Following this model, Ca isotope fractionation in marine Ca carbonates is primarily controlled by precipitation rates. On the other hand the larger Ca isotope fractionation of aragonite compared to calcite can not be explained by different precipitation rates. The rate control model of Ca isotope fractionation predicts a strong dependence of the Ca isotopic composition of carbonates on ambient CO₃²⁻ concentration. While this model is in general accordance with our observations in marine carbonates, cultured specimens of the planktic foraminifer Orbulina universa show no dependence of Ca-isotope fractionation on the ambient CO₃²⁻ concentration. The latter observation implies that the carbonate chemistry in the calcifying vesicles of the foraminifer is independent from the ambient carbonate ion concentration of the surrounding water.     

Arsenic fixation on iron-hydroxide-rich and plant litter-containing sediments in natural environments

Iron-hydroxide-rich and plant litter-containing sediments from natural sites contaminated with uranium mine tailing leachates were examined for their ability to adsorb arsenic. The samples with high contents of iron hydroxides (Fe_total concentration, >300 g kg⁻¹) exhibited remarkable fixation of arsenic (up to 40 g As kg⁻¹). This value corresponded approximately to the supersaturation point for natural iron hydroxides under the present conditions, and it was significantly lower than the value found for synthetic iron hydroxides. There was a strong correlation (R=0.8999) between the concentration of iron and that of arsenic at low arsenic contents, indicating adsorption on strong binding sites. Although all the samples had noticeable contents of organic carbon (plant litter), calcium, and manganese, no obvious effect of these elements on arsenic fixation could be detected. The amount of iron hydroxides was found the only fixation-controlling parameter immediately below a leaching water source.