Field Placement and Evaluation of Stabilized Dredged Material (SDM) from the New York/New Jersey Harbor

Since the 1997 local ban on ocean dumping of dredged sediments, the States of New York and New Jersey have pursued a policy of environmentally sound solutions to the management of dredged material, including beneficial use of stabilized dredged material (SDM) in transportation applications. A pilot study was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the use of SDM in the construction of highway embankments. Utilizing 80,000 cubic yards of dredged material, two embankments were constructed from SDM on a commercial development area adjacent to the Harbor. Geotechnical properties and handling of SDM were evaluated both during and one year post - construction. This article presents the evaluation of the embankments themselves, including constructability and performance. The results demonstrate that SDM satisfies most of the geotechnical criteria for fill construction, except those for durability, requiring proper coverage and protection similar to that provided for fills constructed on cohesive soils. This same characteristic precludes long term stockpiling of SDM prior to final placement, limiting applications to those that have schedules overlapping with dredging projects. Increased costs for the use of SDM can be as high as $8 per cubic yard over traditional fills; however, this cost may be recouped through management fees collected from dredging projects.     

Analysis of settlement and lateral deformation of soft clay foundation beneath two full-scale embankments

In 1986, the Malaysian Highway Authority constructed a series of trial embankments on the Muar Plain (soft marine clay) with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of various ground improvement techniques. This study investigates the effect of two such ground improvement schemes: (a) preloading of foundation with surface geogrids and synthetic vertical drains and (b) sand compaction piles. The paper is focused on the finite element analysis of settlements and lateral displacements of the soft foundation. In scheme (a), the numerical predictions are compared with the field measurements. In scheme (b), only the numerical analysis is presented and discussed in the absence of reliable measurements due to the malfunctioning of the electronic extensometer and inclinometer system during embankment construction. The current analysis employs critical state soil mechanics, and the deformations are predicted on the basis of the fully coupled (Biot) consolidation model. The vertical drain pattern is converted to equivalent drain walls to enable plane strain modelling, and the geogrids are simulated by linear interface slip elements. The effect of sand compaction piles is investigated considering both ideal drains and non-ideal drains, as well as varying the pile stiffness. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure of Cu-bearing orthopyroxene, Mg(Cu.56,Mg.44)Si2O6, and behavior of Cu2+ in the orthopyroxene structure

Cu-bearing pyroxene, Mg(Cu.₅₆,Mg.₄₄)Si₂O₆, has been synthesized by a flux method and crystal structure refinement has been performed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. It is found that the crystal structure is orthorhombic (space group Pbca) with unit cell dimensions of a=18.221(4), b=8.890(1), c=5.2260(7)Å and the cell volume of 846.5( )3ų. In the M2-site one of the M-O bonds(M-O3B) is extremely expanded from 2.444(2) in enstatite to 2.732(2), thus the coordination polyhedron around M2-site is regarded as square pyramidal rather than square planar or octahedral. It is also found that the M1-site in the pyroxene structure is occupied almost exclusively by Mg, while the M2-site is almost evenly occupied by Mg and Cu. The observed extreme site preference shown by Cu²⁺ is unusual among the divalent cations with similar ionic sizes.     

Determination of the REE in Geological Reference Materials DTS-1 (Dunite) and PCC-1 (Peridotite) by Ultrasonic and Microconcentric Desolvating Nebulisation ICP-MS

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is well suited for the precise, accurate and rapid determination of rare earth elements in most geological samples. However, determination of rare earth elements in certain mantle-derived materials, without applying preconcentration techniques, remains problematical due to low natural concentrations (generally < 1 ng g⁻¹). Consequently, USGS reference materials DTS-1 (a dunite) and PCC-1 (a partially serpentinized harzburgite) have only suggested rather than recommended values for the rare earth elements in reference material compilations. We compared results obtained using two ICP-MS instruments: a U-5000AT ultrasonic nebuliser coupled to a PQ2+ quadrupole ICP-MS and an ELEMENT sector field ICP-MS equipped with a MCN-6000 microconcentric desolvating nebuliser, with the suggested literature values for these two reference materials. Precision and accuracy of analytical methods employed by both instruments were demonstrated by excellent relative standard deviations (< 2%) and inter-laboratory agreement (< 5%) for numerous analyses of BHVO-1 and BIR-1, which are well established with rare earth elements contents at the μg g⁻¹ level. Repeat analyses of DTS-1 and PCC-1 at each laboratory indicate that each method is generally precise to better than 5% at sub-g g⁻¹ levels. Furthermore, values from both instruments generally agree to within 10%. Our DTS-1 and PCC-1 values agree reasonably well with selected data reported in the literature (except for Ce and Sm in DTS-1) but exhibit poorer agreement with reported compilation values. With the demonstrated level of precision and accuracy, we contend that these new values for DTS-1 and PCC-1, generated by two different instruments, are the best estimates of the true whole-rock composition of these samples reported to date.     

Prediction of ground vibration due to quarry blasting based on gene expression programming: a new model for peak particle velocity prediction

Blasting is a widely used technique for rock fragmentation in opencast mines and tunneling projects. Ground vibration is one of the most environmental effects produced by blasting operation. Therefore, the proper prediction of blast-induced ground vibrations is essential to identify safety area of blasting. This paper presents a predictive model based on gene expression programming (GEP) for estimating ground vibration produced by blasting operations conducted in a granite quarry, Malaysia. To achieve this aim, a total number of 102 blasting operations were investigated and relevant blasting parameters were measured. Furthermore, the most influential parameters on ground vibration, i.e., burden-to-spacing ratio, hole depth, stemming, powder factor, maximum charge per delay, and the distance from the blast face were considered and utilized to construct the GEP model. In order to show the capability of GEP model in estimating ground vibration, nonlinear multiple regression (NLMR) technique was also performed using the same datasets. The results demonstrated that the proposed model is able to predict blast-induced ground vibration more accurately than other developed technique. Coefficient of determination values of 0.914 and 0.874 for training and testing datasets of GEP model, respectively show superiority of this model in predicting ground vibration, while these values were obtained as 0.829 and 0.790 for NLMR model.     

Radio Emission from Masuda Sources

We note that different models, providing comparably good interpretation of the hard X-ray properties of so-called Masuda sources, can make distinctly different predictions for the radio emission produced at the Masuda source by the same population of accelerated electrons. Accordingly, we calculate the radio emission within a few competing models, i.e., those involving magnetic, turbulent, and collisional trapping of the fast electrons in the coronal source. We show that even available incomplete radio observations of the classical Masuda event and a Masuda-like event on 31 December 2007, recently reported by Krucker et al. (Astrophys. J. 714, 1108, 2010) are highly valuable in restricting the physical model of the source. Furthermore, our study proposes that combination of more complete high-resolution X-ray and radio observations can allow unambiguous distinction between the competing Masuda source models.     

Origin and variability of resource-grade marine ferromanganese nodules and crusts in the Pacific Ocean: A review of biogeochemical and physical controls

Marine ferromanganese nodules and crusts containing Mn, Cu, Ni and Co in the most promising resource-grade concentrations and quantities, together with Fe and Zn (all elements of biogeochemical importance) are found far from land on the deep seafloor of the Pacific Ocean. The biogeochemical, chemical and physical mechanisms contributing to their formation, distribution, abundance and – for these six elements – variability in their concentrations in these deposits, are the main focus of the present review. The mechanisms addressed include biological productivity, sedimentation types and rates, bottom water characteristics, the Calcium Carbonate Compensation Depth, the depth and intensity of the oxygen minimum zone, and biogeochemical characteristics of the six focal elements. Particular attention is given to comparisons between the deposits found in the north and the south Pacific, in order to present an overarching view of our current understanding of the mechanisms that apply to both nodules and crusts in both oceanic hemispheres, including examination of the possible existence of a marine ferromanganese oxide continuum. The renewed interest in the commercial exploitation of these deposits has stimulated a welcome increase in scientific research that is essential to informing the public discourse on seabed mining. We briefly reflect on the work addressed in this review in that context.     

Mesozoic thermal evolution of the southern African mantle lithosphere

The thermal structure of Archean and Proterozoic lithospheric terranes in southern Africa during the Mesozoic was evaluated by thermobarometry of mantle peridotite xenoliths erupted in alkaline magmas between 180 and 60 Ma. For cratonic xenoliths, the presence of a 150–200 °C isobaric temperature range at 5–6 GPa confirms original interpretations of a conductive geotherm, which is perturbed at depth, and therefore does not record steady state lithospheric mantle structure.

Xenoliths from both Archean and Proterozoic terranes record conductive limb temperatures characteristic of a “cratonic” geotherm (40 mW m⁻²), indicating cooling of Proterozoic mantle following the last major tectonothermal event in the region at 1 Ga and the probability of thick off-craton lithosphere capable of hosting diamond. This inference is supported by U–Pb thermochronology of lower crustal xenoliths [Schmitz and Bowring, 2003. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 144, 592–618].

The entire region then suffered a protracted regional heating event in the Mesozoic, affecting both mantle and lower crust. In the mantle, the event is recorded at 150 Ma to the southeast of the craton, propagating to the west by 108–74 Ma, the craton interior by 85–90 Ma and the far southwest and northwest by 65–70 Ma. The heating penetrated to shallower levels in the off-craton areas than on the craton, and is more apparent on the southern margin of the craton than in its western interior. The focus and spatial progression mimic inferred patterns of plume activity and supercontinent breakup 30–100 Ma earlier and are probably connected.

Contrasting thermal profiles from Archean and Proterozoic mantle result from penetration to shallower levels of the Proterozoic lithosphere by heat transporting magmas. Extent of penetration is related not to original lithospheric thickness, but to its more fertile character and the presence of structurally weak zones of old tectonism. The present day distribution of surface heat flow in southern Africa is related to this dynamic event and is not a direct reflection of the pre-existing lithospheric architecture.     

Elimination of Carbamazepine,Diclofenac and Naproxen from Treated Wastewater by Nanofiltration

Most conventional wastewater treatment plants remove very small amounts of micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals. Here, the ability of two different types of submerged nanofiltration flat sheet modules to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater is analyzed. The two nanofiltration membranes were used at relatively low pressures of only 0.3 and 0.7 bar. At such low pressures, the membranes did not retain salts to a great extent. This is advantageous in wastewater treatment because no salt concentrate is produced. Carbamazepine was retained only slightly by the nanofiltration membranes, whereas approximately 60% of diclofenac and naproxen were retained by both membranes. This level of effectiveness might not be enough to justify the use of such a system as an additional treatment step in wastewater treatment plants.