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。     

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.     

铜镍矿床勘查中岩体含矿性的地球化学评价

本文在详细研究铜镍矿床地球化学特征的同时,较系统深入地进行了岩体含矿性研究,较全面地提出了岩体含矿性的定性、定量评价标志及判断矿体剥蚀程度的评价标志,并在应用中取得了较好地质效果.     

锚拉杆张拉力和摩阻力的现场实验研究与分析

对锚拉桥台锚拉杆进行了２０小时的现场试验,获得了大量实验数据,对张拉后锚拉杆的张拉力与长度、时间、温度和焊接接头的关系以及土对锚拉杆的摩阻力变化及分布规律作了分析与研究。研究结果对指导该类构筑物的设计与施工有着重要的理论与工程实用价值。