Capturing Hidden Geochemical Anomalies in Scarce Data by Fractal Analysis and Stochastic Modeling

Natural Resources Research - Fractal/multifractal modeling is a widely used geomathematical approach to capturing different populations in geochemical mapping. The rationale of this methodology is...     

Impact of tailings dam failure on spatial features of copper contamination (Mazraeh mine area,Iran)

Mining activities pose a potential risk of metal contamination around mining sites. On May 6, 2010, a tailings dam failure of the Mazraeh copper mine near Ahar in East Azerbaijan province, Iran, released vast amounts of mine wastes. To better understand the magnitude of copper contamination in the waste-affected soils, it is important to assess the spatial distribution of soil copper content at unsampled points. A total of 30 soil samples and their surficial sediments together with the 6 uncontaminated control samples (0–10 and 10–30 cm) were collected along the stream flow that joined Ahar-Chai River. Some of soil properties as well as total copper concentration were determined in all samples. The mean value of the latter in the surface contaminated soils was found to be approximately two times more than controls. Furthermore, the mean concentration of copper in the surface loaded material was 10 times more than the soils. High copper concentrations were observed in surficial sediments of the soils near the broken tailings dam. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method was employed in data analysis. The spherical and Gaussian semivariogram models were properly fitted to the data of copper contents in soils and surficial sediments.     

Sequential sample reservoirs for Itrax-XRF analysis of discrete samples

Geochemical analysis of sediment samples can be used to characterize between- and within-lake variability and provide insights into lake chemistry, depositional processes and contamination sources. The number of samples for geochemical studies is restricted by cost, sample volume required, and the destructive nature of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, instrumental neutron activation analysis, or wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence. Core scanners that incorporate energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, such as the Cox Itrax-XRF core scanner, have high through-put and can be used to produce high-quality geochemical datasets at low cost without destroying sample material. Here we describe a new analysis vessel that enables rapid, non-destructive Itrax-XRF analysis of discrete sediment samples.     

Laser action in stellar envelopes

Model calculations for laser action in Hei are carried out, when helium plasma is rapidly cooled by expansion. Results are presented for four transitions, two of which, 3¹ S2¹ P ⁰ (7281) and 3¹ D2¹ P ⁰ (6678), show strong population inversion. Available observational evidence for possible laser action in these two lines in Wolf-Rayet and emission-line stars is summarized and discussed.     

Singularity attenuation with quantum-mechanically revisited metric tensor

The space and initial singularities are reexamined in the most reliable solutions to the Einstein's field equations (EFE), that is, the Einstein–Gilbert–Straus (EGS) metric. In discretized Finsler geometry, additional curvatures and thereby geometric structures likely emerge, which are distinct from the conventional spacetime curvatures and geometric structures that the Einstein's theory of general relativity introduced. The generalized fundamental tensor, which is obtained in the Fisleriean geometry, imposes quantum-mechanically revisions on the Landau–Raychaudhuri evolution equations. The time-like geodesic congruence in EGS metric is then analyzed, analytically and numerically. The evolution of a family of trajectories whose congruence is defined by the flow lines generated by velocity fields is determined. We conclude that both two types of singularities seem to be attenuated or even regulate. With the singularity attenuation, we refer to the fundamental nature of the additional curvatures at quantum relativistic scales.