Speciation of naturally-accumulated uranium in an organic-rich soil of an alpine region (Switzerland)

Very high concentrations of uranium (up to 4000 ppm) were found in a natural soil in the Dischma valley, an alpine region in the Grisons canton in Switzerland. The goal of this study was to examine the redox state and the nature of uranium binding in the soil matrix in order to understand the accumulation mechanism. Pore water profiles collected from Dischma soil revealed the establishment of anoxic conditions with increasing soil depth. A combination of chemical extraction methods and spectroscopy was applied to characterize the redox state and binding environment of uranium in the soil. Bicarbonate extraction under anoxic conditions released most of the uranium indicating that uranium occurs predominantly in the hexavalent form. Surprisingly, the uranium redox state did not vary greatly as a function of depth. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES), confirmed that uranium was present as a mixture of U(VI) and U(IV) with U(VI) dominating. Sequential extractions of soil samples showed that the dissolution of solid organic matter resulted in the simultaneous release of the majority of the soil uranium content (>95%). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy also revealed that soil-associated uranium in the soil matrix was mainly octahedrally coordinated, with an average of 1.7 axial (at about 1.76 Å) and 4.6 to 5.3 equatorial oxygen atoms (at about 2.36 Å) indicating the dominance of a uranyl-like (UO₂²⁺) structure presumably mixed with some U(IV). An additional EXAFS signal (at about 3.2 Å) identified in some spectra suggested that uranium was also bound (via an oxygen atom) to a light element such as carbon, phosphorus or silicon. Gamma spectrometric measurements of soil profiles failed to identify uranium long-life daughter products in the soil which is an indication that uranium originates elsewhere and was transported to its current location by water. Finally, it was found that the release of uranium from the soil was significantly promoted at very low pH values (pH 2) and increased with increasing pH values (between pH 5 and 9).     

Sardignaite, a new mineral, the second known bismuth molybdate: description and crystal structure

The new mineral sardignaite, a bismuth molybdate with formula BiMo₂O₇(OH)·2H₂O, occurs in quartz veins within a granitic rock at Su Senargiu, near Sarroch, Sardegna, Italy. The name is after the locality. Sardignaite occurs a thin prismatic crystals up to 1 mm in length, with pale yellow color and a white streak. It is transparent with adamantine lustre, non fluorescent, and brittle with a conchoidal fracture. It is associated with bismuthinite, bismoclite, molybdenite, ferrimolybdite, koechlinite, wulfenite, and the new mineral IMA 2009–022. Mohs hardness is ca. 3. D _calc is 4.82 g/cm³. The mineral is monoclinic, space group P2₁/m, with a 5.7797(7), b 11.567(1), c 6.3344(8) Å, β 113.360(9)°, V 388.8(1) ų. The strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are d(I)(hkl): 3.206(100)(031), 5.03(80)(?101), 1.992(45)(221), 3.120(32)(130). The crystal structure of sardignaite was solved to R(F) 0.056 using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, and is characterized by edge-sharing dimers of [MoO₅(H₂O)] octahedra, linked to each other through corner-sharing to give rise to corrugated columns running along b. Such columns are held together by Bi³⁺ cations, eight-fold coordinated by 7 O + 1 (OH). Both the mineral and its name were approved by the IMA-CNMNC.     

Intermediate Alkali-Alumino-silicate Aqueous Solutions Released by Deeply Subducted Continental Crust: Fluid Evolution in UHP OH-rich Topaz-Kyanite Quartzites from Donghai (Sulu, China)

Minerals, fluid inclusions and stable isotopes have been studiedin ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) OH-rich topaz–kyanite quartzitesfrom Hushan (west of Dongai), in southern Sulu (China). Thequartzites underwent a metamorphic evolution characterized bya peak stage (3·5 GPa and 730–820°C) with theanhydrous assemblage coesite + kyanite I, followed by an earlynear-isothermal decompression stage (2·9 GPa and 705–780°C)with growth of kyanite II, muscovite, and OH-rich topaz, andby decompression-cooling stages, represented by paragonite (1·9GPa and 700–780°C) and pyrophyllite (0·3 GPaand 400°C) on kyanite (I and II) and OH-rich topaz, respectively.These rocks may exhibit unusually low ¹⁸O and D values acquiredbefore undergoing UHP metamorphism. Five distinct fluid generationsare recognized. Type I: concentrated peak solutions rich inSi, Al, and alkalis, present within multiphase inclusions inkyanite I. Type II: CaCl₂-rich brines present during the growthof early retrograde OH-rich topaz. Type III, IV, and V: lateaqueous fluids of variable salinity, and rare CO₂ present duringamphibolite- and late greenschist-facies conditions. A numberof conclusions may be drawn from these relationships that havean effect on fluid evolution in deeply subducted continentalrocks. (1) At a pressure of about 3·5 GPa alkali–alumino-silicateaqueous solutions, with compositions intermediate between H₂Ofluid and melt (H₂O > 25 and 50 wt %) evolved from quartzites,probably generated by dehydration reactions. (2) During earlydecompression stages, at the transition from UHP to high-pressure(2·9 GPa) conditions, brines of external origin withhigher water contents (82 wt % H₂O) initiated the growth ofOH-rich topaz and muscovite. (3) The subsequent decompression,at P <2 GPa, was defined by a limited circulation of NaClaqueous fluids, and CO₂ infiltration. Overall, fluid inclusionsand stable isotopes highlight a metamorphic fluid–rockinteraction characterized by internally derived intermediateaqueous solutions at UHP, followed by infiltration of Cl-richbrines with higher water activities. KEY WORDS: ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism; OH-rich topaz; fluid inclusions; stable isotopes; supercritical liquids     

Impact of drilling mud on chemistry and microbiology of an Upper Triassic groundwater after drilling and testing an exploration well for aquifer thermal energy storage in Berlin (Germany)

After completion of an exploration well, sandstones of the Exter Formation were hydraulically tested to determine the hydraulic properties and to evaluate chemical and microbial processes caused by drilling and water production. The aim was to determine the suitability of the formation as a reservoir for aquifer thermal energy storage. The tests revealed a hydraulic conductivity of 1–2 E-5 m/s of the reservoir, resulting in a productivity index of 0.6–1 m³/h/bar. A hydraulic connection of the Exter Formation to the overlaying, artesian “Rupelbasissand” cannot be excluded. Water samples were collected for chemical and microbiological analyses. The water was similarly composed as sea water with a maximum salinity of 24.9 g/L, dominated by NaCl (15.6 g/L Cl and 7.8 g/L Na). Until the end of the tests, the water was affected by drilling mud as indicated by the high pH (8.9) and high bicarbonate concentration (359 mg/L) that both resulted from the impact of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) additives. The high amount of dissolved organic matter (>?58 mg/L) and its molecular-weight distribution pattern indicated that residues of cellulose, an ingredient of the drilling mud, were still present at the end of the tests. Clear evidence of this contamination gave the measured uranine that was added as a tracer into the drilling mud. During fluid production, the microbial community structure and abundance changed and correlated with the content of drilling mud. Eight taxa of sulfate-reducing bacteria, key organisms in processes like bio-corrosion and bio-clogging, were identified. It can be assumed that their activity will be affected during usage of the reservoir.     

The chronostratigraphy of a quaternary sequence at the distal part of the nile littoral cell,Haifa Bay,Israel

The current detailed chronostratigraphic framework of the last 1 Ma of an eastern Mediterranean sequence (Haifa Bay, Israel) aims to examine the relative roles of sea‐level changes, climate and tectonics. Seven continuous marine cores, up to ～120 m long, were recovered from shallow water depths. The cores were dated by optically stimulated luminescence, ¹⁴C, magnetostratigraphy, ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U, ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be, occurrence of index fossils and correlated to the global sea‐level curve and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). The sedimentary sequence accumulated during the last ca. 1.0 Ma consists of 21 transgression–regression units with hiatuses between them. Five marine/terrestrial cycles, which occur in the lower part of the sequence, are attributed to the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary, and correspond to MIS 29–21. The top ～50 m includes three sedimentary cycles deposited in the last ca. 400 ka. The regressive phases during this interval correspond to Glacial MIS 8, 6 and 2, while the transgressions correspond to Interglacial MIS 11, 7, 5 and 1. Thus, for the first time, this study documents the longest Quaternary succession dated so far in a key area of the Levant, sensitive to global history of sea‐level changes and glacial/interglacial fluctuations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans

Changes in ocean heat content(OHC), salinity, and stratification provide critical indicators for changes in Earth’s energy and water cycles. These cycles have been profoundly altered due to the emission of greenhouse gasses and other anthropogenic substances by human activities, driving pervasive changes in Earth’s climate system. In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum.According to IAP/CAS data, ...     

Upper Ocean Temperatures Hit Record High in 2020

The long-term warming of the ocean is a critical indicator of both the past and present state of the climate system. It also provides insights about the changes to come, owing to the persistence of both decadal variations and secular trends,which the ocean records extremely well(Hansen et al., 2011;IPCC, 2013;Rhein et al., 2013;Trenberth et al., 2016;Abram et al., 2019).     

Impact of extreme CO2 levels on tropical climate: a CGCM study

A coupled general circulation model has been used to perform a set of experiments with high CO₂ concentration (2, 4, 16 times the present day mean value). The experiments have been analyzed to study the response of the climate system to strong radiative forcing in terms of the processes involved in the adjustment at the ocean–atmosphere interface. The analysis of the experiments revealed a non-linear response of the mean state of the atmosphere and ocean to the increase in the carbon dioxide concentration. In the 16 × CO₂ experiment the equilibrium at the ocean–atmosphere interface is characterized by an atmosphere with a shut off of the convective precipitation in the tropical Pacific sector, associated with air warmer than the ocean below. A cloud feedback mechanism is found to be involved in the increased stability of the troposphere. In this more stable condition the mean total precipitation is mainly due to large-scale moisture flux even in the tropics. In the equatorial Pacific Ocean the zonal temperature gradient of both surface and sub-surface waters is significantly smaller in the 16 × CO₂ experiment than in the control experiment. The thermocline slope and the zonal wind stress decrease as well. When the CO₂ concentration increases by about two and four times with respect to the control experiment there is an intensification of El Niño. On the other hand, in the experiment with 16 times the present-day value of CO₂, the Tropical Pacific variability weakens, suggesting the possibility of the establishment of permanent warm conditions that look like the peak of El Niño.     

Effects of increased CO2 levels on monsoons

Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration provided warmer atmospheric temperature and higher atmospheric water vapor content, but not necessarily more precipitation. A set of experiments performed with a state-of-the-art coupled general circulation model forced with increased atmospheric CO₂ concentration (2, 4 and 16 times the present-day mean value) were analyzed and compared with a control experiment to evaluate the effect of increased CO₂ levels on monsoons. Generally, the monsoon precipitation responses to CO₂ forcing are largest if extreme concentrations of carbon dioxide are used, but they are not necessarly proportional to the forcing applied. In fact, despite a common response in terms of an atmospheric water vapor increase to the atmospheric warming, two out of the six monsoons studied simulate less or equal summer mean precipitation in the 16×CO₂ experiment compared to the intermediate sensitivity experiments. The precipitation differences between CO₂ sensitivity experiments and CTRL have been investigated specifying the contribution of thermodynamic and purely dynamic processes. As a general rule, the differences depending on the atmospheric moisture content changes (thermodynamic component) are large and positive, and they tend to be damped by the dynamic component associated with the changes in the vertical velocity. However, differences are observed among monsoons in terms of the role played by other terms (like moisture advection and evaporation) in shaping the precipitation changes in warmer climates. The precipitation increase, even if weak, occurs despite a weakening of the mean circulation in the monsoon regions (??precipitation-wind paradox??). In particular, the tropical east-west Walker circulation is reduced, as found from velocity potential analysis. The meridional component of the monsoon circulation is changed as well, with larger (smaller) meridional (vertical) scales.     

Volcanic ash detection by GPS signal

We investigate the ability of GPS to detect volcanic plumes at Mt. Etna, Italy. We use a robust statistical approach to highlight whether the presence of a volcanic plume in the atmosphere may really affect the GPS undifferenced post-fit phase residuals. The proposed method has been tested for the September 4–5, 2007 activity of Mt. Etna. This eruption produced powerful lava fountains forming a weak, a few kilometers high plume for several hours, representing typical activity at Etna over the last 5 years. We analyzed data from nineteen Etna permanent GPS stations located on the volcano flanks at different heights and applied a statistical test based on four main steps: (a) realization of a simplified model representing the volcanic plume in atmosphere; (b) evaluation of the GPS satellite and station couples intersecting the plume; (c) calculation of the volcanic plume region crossed by the GPS signal; (d) application of a robust statistical test in order to see whether the volcanic plume affected the GPS signals. Results show that during the September 4–5, 2007 explosive activity, the GPS residuals definitely include the contribution of the volcanic plume. Our analysis shows that values of the GPS residuals are ten times smaller than those found for the Miyakejima eruption (Japan), highlighting a likely relationship between residuals and eruption intensity. In the future, data derived from the GPS stations located on Etna’s flanks could be used to improve the alerting system of volcanic ash, already operating at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo.