Geophones on blocks: a prototype towable geophone system for shallow land seismic investigations

In recent years some authors have given a certain amount of attention to towed seismic reflection acquisition systems. Based on some of these works we sought to design and test a system making use of currently available geophones instead of specifically designed sensors as employed in some previous works. Thus, bearing in mind that the geophone's characteristics are achieved in the conditions that they are originally designed to be employed in, i.e., coupled with a spike driven into the ground, we devoted our attention to some of the variables involved in the geophone's performance, namely the total weight, the effect of a spikeless geophone and the surfaces on which the geophone is placed. Previously, we had experimentally verified some variations in the signal response due to coupling geophones in different surface materials, such as hard soil, asphalt and concrete pavement and we noticed that these surface materials were in fact an important factor in the overall response. Hence, these materials, or as we also called them coupling agents, could be employed as a base material in the construction of a mobile seismic acquisition device composed of blocks of a certain size, on which the geophone would be then inserted and thus making it into a spikeless surface towable system. Therefore, various materials were tested in order to select one that could maintain a similar fidelity to that of the spike coupled geophone and thus contribute towards building a more time efficient and towable geophone and block system. Pinging tests revealed variations in the coupling frequency and damping characteristics of each coupling agent and from all of these tested materials one was selected for field comparative tests with the normally planted geophones with spike coupling. Finally a seismic reflection profile was acquired simultaneously with both systems, i.e., spike coupling versus cement block coupled geophones. This field test showed similar results in terms of signal levels and frequency content and therefore it was possible to observe the presence of the same reflectors and other seismic events in either of the time sections. With this experiment we propose not only a system that allows a time efficient seismic field operation but we also aim to encourage more research into the response dependency of the coupling agent of which the towable base block is made of.     

Using new remote sensing satellites for assessing water quality in a reservoir

Water quality monitoring could benefit from information derived from the newest generation of medium-resolution Earth observation satellites. The main objective of our study was to assess the suitability of both Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2A satellites for estimating and mapping of Secchi disk transparency (SDT), a common measurement of water clarity, in Cassaffousth Reservoir (Córdoba, Argentina). Ground observations and a dataset of four Landsat 8 and four Sentinel-2A images were used to create and validate models to estimate SDT in the reservoir. The selected algorithms were used to obtain graphic representations of water clarity. Slight differences were found between Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 estimations. Thus, we demonstrated the suitability of both satellites for estimating and mapping water quality. This study highlights the importance of free and readily available satellite datasets in monitoring water quality, especially in countries where conventional monitoring programmes are either lacking or unsatisfactory.     

Mine tailings integrated investigations: The case of Rio tailings (Panasqueira Mine, Central Portugal)

Mining generates huge quantities of waste materials from ore extraction and milling operations, which accumulate in tailings and open impoundments. The risks associated with mine tailings have different nature, namely stability, rupture, surface and groundwater contamination, acid mine drainage (AMD) and precipitation of secondary minerals. In fact catastrophic failure of tailings impoundments has occurred, transporting slurry, dissolved metals and fine reactive metal particles to the environment.Often deposition conditions of old mine tailings are unknown and monitoring is deficient or even inexistent. Thus, in order to prevent accidents it is necessary to establish the internal structure, that is, mapping tailings impoundment, internal sediment structures – limits and stratigraphy – seepage and pathway locations, bedrock depth and topography estimates and actual deposition conditions of the tailings. Owing to the complexity of the problem, only integrated approaches can investigate and monitor comprehensively the characteristics and evolution of mine tailings and its impacts on the environment.As this is a multidisciplinary problem, strategies should consider integrated studies such as Geophysics, Geochemistry and borehole surveys. However data from these sources must be interpreted together, in a GIS database, to provide better models and an enhanced overall knowledge of the studied structures.It is proposed to test and validate such a methodology in a case study, Panasqueira mine, central Portugal and to contribute to the decision-making process of environmental and civil protection agencies with responsibilities in the assessing, prevention, mitigation, and controlling the potential and actual effects of tailings spills on the environment.     

Sensitivity of tidal characteristics in double inlet systems to momentum dissipation on tidal flats: a perturbation analysis

In a tidal channel with adjacent tidal flats, along–channel momentum is dissipated on the flats during rising tides. This leads to a sink of along–channel momentum. Using a perturbative method, it is shown that the momentum sink slightly reduces the M₂ amplitude of both the sea surface elevation and current velocity and favours flood dominant tides. These changes in tidal characteristics (phase and amplitude of sea surface elevations and currents) are noticeable if widths of tidal flats are at least of the same order as the channel width, and amplitudes and gradients of along–channel velocity are large. The M₂ amplitudes are reduced because stagnant water flows from the flats into the channel, thereby slowing down the current. The M₄ amplitudes and phases change because the momentum sink acts as an advective term during the fall of the tide, such a term generates flood dominant currents. For a prototype embayment that resembles the Marsdiep–Vlie double–inlet system of the Western Wadden Sea, it is found that for both the sea surface elevation and current velocity, including the momentum sink, lead to a decrease of approximately 2% in M₂ amplitudes and an increase of approximately 25% in M₄ amplitudes. As a result, the net import of coarse sediment is increased by approximately 35%, while the transport of fine sediment is hardly influenced by the momentum sink. For the Marsdiep–Vlie system, the M₂ sea surface amplitude obtained from the idealised model is similar to that computed with a realistic three–dimensional numerical model whilst the comparison with regard to M₄ improves if momentum sink is accounted for.     

Pliocene�CQuaternary contourites along the northern Gulf of Cadiz margin: sedimentary stacking pattern and regional distribution

This study reports novel findings on the Pliocene?CQuaternary history of the northern Gulf of Cadiz margin and the spatiotemporal evolution of the associated contourite depositional system. Four major seismic units (P1, P2, QI and QII) were identified in the Pliocene?CQuaternary sedimentary record based on multichannel seismic profiles. These are bounded by five major discontinuities which, from older to younger, are the M (Messinian), LPR (lower Pliocene revolution), BQD (base Quaternary discontinuity), MPR (mid-Pleistocene revolution) and the actual seafloor. Unit P1 represents pre-contourite hemipelagic/pelagic deposition along the northern Gulf of Cadiz margin. Unit P2 reflects a significant change in margin sedimentation when contourite deposition started after the Early Pliocene. Mounded elongated and separated drifts were generated during unit QI deposition, accompanied by a general upslope progradation of drifts and the migration of main depocentres towards the north and northwest during both the Pliocene and Quaternary. This progradation became particularly marked during QII deposition after the mid-Pleistocene (MPR). Based on the spatial distribution of the main contourite depocentres and their thickness, three structural zones have been identified: (1) an eastern zone, where NE?CSW diapiric ridges have controlled the development of two internal sedimentary basins; (2) a central zone, which shows important direct control by the Guadalquivir Bank in the south and an E?CW Miocene palaeorelief structure in the north, both of which have significantly conditioned the basin-infill geometry; and (3) a western zone, affected in the north by the Miocene palaeorelief which favours deposition in the southern part of the basin. Pliocene tectonic activity has been an important factor in controlling slope morphology and, hence, influencing Mediterranean Outflow Water pathways. Since the mid-Pleistocene (MPR), the sedimentary stacking pattern of contourite drifts has been less affected by tectonics and more directly by climatic and sea-level changes.     

A Multistep Methodology for Building a Stochastic Model of Gold Grades in the Disseminated and Complex Deposit of Casas Novas in Alentejo,Southern Portugal

This paper proposes a multistep approach for creating a 3D stochastic model of gold grades in a complex disseminated auriferous deposit located in the Alentejo region, southern Portugal. The approach involves the following steps: (i) the creation of a 3D low‐resolution vector object model of two geological domains that better discriminate gold grades; (ii) the definition of three intervals for gold grades (low, intermediate, and high values); (iii) the estimation of the probability of each grid block belonging to each interval constrained by the geological domains; (iv) the calculation of local conditional cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) of gold grades, for each block, taking into account the geological domains and the borehole data; and finally (v) the simulation of images of gold grades. The results demonstrate the usefulness and accuracy of the proposed procedure, as they are in compliance with the conceptual model, the distribution laws are conditioned by the geological domains, and the transition of grades between domains is continuous.     

Sediment transport measurements with tracers in very low‐energy beaches

This study investigates sediment transport at a very low‐energy backbarrier beach in southern Portugal, from a spring‐to‐neap tide period, during fair‐weather conditions. Rates and directions of transport were determined based on the application of fluorescent tracer techniques. Wind and currents were collected locally, whereas the dominant small and short‐period wind waves were characterized using a morphodynamic modelling system coupling a circulation model, a spectral wave model, and a bottom evolution model, well validated over the study area. For the recorded conditions sediment transport was small and ebb oriented, with daily transport rates below 0.02 m³ day^‐1. Tidal currents (mainly ebb velocities) were found to be the main causative forcing controlling sediment displacements. Transport rates were higher during spring tides, tending towards very small values at neap tides. Results herein reported points towards the distinction between tracer advection and tracer dispersion in this type of environment. Transport by advection was low as a consequence of the prevailing hydrodynamic conditions (H_s < 0.1 m, and max. current velocity of 0.5 m s^‐1) and the tracer adjustment to the transport layer, whereas dispersion was relatively high (few metres per day). Tracer techniques allowed distinguishing the broad picture of transport, but revealed the need for refinement in this type of environments (bi‐directional forcing by ebb and flood cycles). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.