Assessment of mercury mobility and bioavailability by fractionation method in sediments from coastal zone inundated by the 26 December 2004 tsunami in Thailand

The 26 December 2004 tsunami covered significant portion of a coastal zone with a blanket of potentially contaminated sediments. In this report are presented results on mercury concentrations in sediments deposited by the tsunami in a coastal zone of Thailand. Since the total mercury concentrations are insufficient to assess mercury mobility and bioavailability in sediment, its fractionation was applied. Sediments were sampled within 50 days after the event and analyzed by sequential extraction method. The procedure of sequential extraction involved five subsequent stages performed with solutions of chloroform, deionized water, 0.5 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH, and aqua regia. The mean concentration of total mercury in sediments was 119 ± 50 ng g⁻¹ dry mass (range 66–230). The fractionation revealed that mercury is mainly bound to the least bioavailable sulphides 75 ± 6% (range 62–86), organomercury compounds 14 ± 7% (range 4–26), and humic matter 9 ± 7% (range 1–27). The lowest contributions bring fractions of water-soluble mercury 0.8 ± 1.0% (range 0.1–3.6) and acid soluble mercury 0.9 ± 0.5% (range 0.2–2.1). Although, the total mercury content is similar in a reference sample and in the tsunami sediments, the highly toxic organomercury fraction contribution is higher in the latter. The results were compared with chemical and sedimentological properties of the sediments but no significant correlations were obtained between them.     

Redbed-type gold mineralisation, Kupferschiefer, south-west Poland

A new type of gold mineralisation containing minor amounts of platinum and palladium has been found proximal to the secondary redox interface located below the Cu-Ag Kupferschiefer orebody of the Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine in the south-western part of the Lubin-Sieroszowice district, Poland. This deposit can be classified as redbed-type gold. Our study shows that gold, platinum and palladium occur in secondary red-coloured sections of the basal Zechstein sedimentary rocks and in the uppermost Weissliegendes sandstone. Noble metal mineralisation occurs within an average interval of 0.22 m, which lies directly below the copper ores. The average grade of the horizon is 2.25 ppm Au, 0.138 ppm Pt and 0.082 ppm Pd with a metal content of several tens of tonnes of gold. A transition zone has been recognised between the gold-bearing horizon and the copper deposit. This transition zone is characterised by the presence of low grades of copper (<0.2 wt%) and elevated gold contents (>0.5 ppm). Native gold accompanied by electrum, mercury-bearing gold, haematite, covellite, chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite has been identified in the gold-bearing horizon. In some sections, Pd-arsenides, tetra-auricupride, Co-arsenides, clausthalite, tennantite, digenite, yarrowite, spionkopite and galena have also been noted.     

Effects of peat on the shapes of alluvial channels: examples from the Cumberland Marshes, Saskatchewan, Canada

An avulsion of the lower Saskatchewan River in the 1870s inundated a large segment of peat-covered floodplain that subsequently has become aggraded with a broad (500 km²) belt of alluvium deposited by the redirected flow. Routing of water and sediment discharge through the avulsion-affected area has been accomplished mainly by networks of sandy bedded anastomosed channels that have formed, evolved, and abandoned as the alluvial belt prograded down the floodplain slope. These processes continue today, though at a much-reduced rate. New channels, formed by crevassing and basinward extension of distributaries, are initially small and shallow, with bottom elevations situated within the avulsive alluvium but above the pre-avulsion peat (floodplain) surface. Subsequent enlargement and downcutting of many of these channels eventually uncovers the underlying peat layer whose resistance to erosion exerts significant influence on cross-sectional shape and further channel development. Peat-floored channels tend to have rectangular cross-sections, high ratios of average to maximum depth (D/D_max), and a large range of width-to-depth ratios. If the channel continues to enlarge, the peat layer eventually becomes breached, commonly leading to temporarily irregular cross-sections caused by localized scouring at the breach sites. Eventually, the peat layer is completely eroded from the channel floor by undercutting and slumping, after which channel shape becomes governed mainly by other perimeter characteristics. Channels unaffected by peat, either before the peat layer is encountered during early channel development or after it is entirely removed, tend to have low width/depth ratios and a large range of D/D_max values.     

Flood hazards in the upper and middle Odra River basin – A short review over the last century

During the 20th century many floods of different intensity and extent have occurred on the Odra River and its tributaries. On the basis of long-term water level observations five major floods, that affected the entire upper and middle Odra River basin, were chosen for further analysis: June 1902, July 1903, August 1977, August 1985 and July 1997. However, hazardous floods were not only those that covered the whole upper and middle Odra River basin, so several local floods were also studied. Detailed historical analysis was made of meteorological conditions, with special emphasis on precipitation patterns and amounts. Then, on the basis of flood peak time occurrence, the stages of flood wave formation were formulated. The natural flood wave of the Odra River is often modified by hydro-technical infrastructure, the development and improvement of which is briefly described in this paper. In conclusion, a comparison of flood wave characteristics such as rising time, falling time, duration, peak flow and volume is presented.     

Aquatic fungi growing on dead fragments of submerged plants

The authors investigated the dead fragments of 22 species of submerged plants in the water from three limnological and trophical different water bodies (spring, river and pond). A total of 184 species of aquatic fungi, including 119 zoosporic and 65 conidial species were found on the fragments investigated plants. The most common fungus species were Aphanomyces laevis, Saprolegnia litoralis, Pythium rostratum (zoosporic fungi) and Acrodictys elaeidicola, Anguillospora longissima, Angulospora aquatica, Lemonniera aquatica, Mirandina corticola, Tetracladium marchalianum, Tetracladium maxiliformis, Trinacrium subtile (conidial fungi).

Most fungus species were observed on the specimens of Elodea canadensis (33 fungus species), Hippuris vulgaris f. submersa (33), Myriophyllum spicatum (34) and Potamogeton crispus (33), fewest on Ceratophyllum demersum (24), Fontinalis dalicarlica and Potamogeton nitens (each 25).

The most fungi were growing in the water from River Supraśl (107), the fewest in the water from Pond Dojlidy (99). Some aquatic fungus species were observed in the water of only one of the three water bodies – in Pond Dojlidy (30), in Spring Jaroszówka (32) and in the River Supraśl (39) species. Seventy-five species growing only on fragments of single submerged plants. A number of zoosporic and conidial species (22 and four, respectively) appeared new to Polish waters. Out of these 119 zoosporic species, some are known as parasites or necrotrophs of fish.     

Sorption of carbon dioxide–methane mixtures

The paper reports the results of experiments concerning the sorption/desorption processes, observed under laboratory conditions, in two types of coal extracted from operational coal-mines in Poland, using CH₄ and CO₂ to observe their relative inter-reaction with the coal samples when introduced in varying proportions and conditions. Numerous studies concerning the sorption/desorption phenomena have described the operational mechanisms and the relationship of mine gases to the organically-created coal-body in mines. The differences in the behaviour of certain gases is twofold: firstly the essentially different characteristics of CO₂ and CH₄, and secondly the structure of the coal-bed itself: its degree of metamorphism and content of macerals. From the results yielded, it was observed that the divergence of the isotherms of sorption of CH₄ and other gases in comparison with the isotherms of sorption of CO₂ and a CO₂/CH₄ mixture differed and that the curve on the sorption isotherm was more clearly distinct after the introduction of CO₂ molecules to the system: coal with a higher degree of metamorphism—CH₄, which is closely related to the rigidity of the structure according to the level of metamorphism. Since coals with higher carbon content exhibit lower molecular bonding than low-carbonised coals, the characteristic feature of the bonds in the first case is their mobility. Knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of hard coals, as well as their interaction with mining gases, is of great use in solving problems concerned with the extraction of methane from mines or its storage in goafs.     

Deciphering late Devonian–early Carboniferous P–T–t path of mylonitized garnet-mica schists from Prins Karls Forland,Svalbard

Quartz-in-garnet inclusion barometry integrated with trace element thermometry and calculated phase relations is applied to mylonitized schists of the Pinkie unit cropping out on the island of Prins Karls Forland, western part of the Svalbard Archipelago. This approach combines conventional and novel techniques and allows deciphering of the pressure–temperature (P–T) evolution of mylonitic rocks, for which the P–T conditions could not have been easily deciphered using traditional methods. The results obtained suggest that rocks of the Pinkie unit were metamorphosed under amphibolite facies conditions at 8–10 kbar and 560–630°C and mylonitized at ~500 to 550°C and 9–11 kbar. The P–T results are coupled with in-situ Th–U-total Pb monazite dating, which records amphibolite facies metamorphism at c. 359–355 Ma. This is the very first evidence of late Devonian–early Carboniferous metamorphism in Svalbard and it implies that the Ellesmerian Orogeny on Svalbard was associated with metamorphism up to amphibolite facies conditions. Thus, it can be concluded that the Ellesmerian collision between the Franklinian margin of Laurentia and Pearya and Svalbard caused not only commonly accepted brittle deformation and weak greenschist facies metamorphism, but also a burial and deformation of rock complexes at much greater depths at elevated temperatures.     

Rapid ground deformation corresponding to a mining-induced seismic event followed by a massive collapse

Natural Hazards - On 17 April 2015, the Wujek/?l?sk underground coal mine in Poland was struck by a strong induced tremor of magnitude M4.0. The event was followed by a massive rock burst...