Effect of the thermal gradient variation through geological time on basin modeling; a case study: The Paris basin

Many studies investigated the thermal modeling of the Paris basin for petroleum interests during the 1970s. Most of the softwares developed by oil companies or research centers were based on the assumption of a constant thermal gradient. In order to take into consideration the variation of the thermal gradient during basin evolution, we developed the TherMO's Visual Basic 1D program. We applied our model to twenty boreholes located along a cross-section roughly running EW over 150 km in the center of the Paris basin. The numerical results were calibrated with organic matter maturity data. TherMO's simulates the amount of heat provided to the sedimentary organic matter. The heat parameter simulated shows lateral variation along the cross-section. It decreases from Rambouillet to Trou Aux Loups boreholes (87–66 mW/m²) at about 100 km more to the east whereas the heat flux value simulated is 73 mW/m² in St. Loup borehole. The mean thermal gradient calculated for liassic horizons at 87 My for the Rambouillet well is 50.4 °C/km. This value is similar to previously published results. By integrating the calculation of the thermal gradients and conductivities related to the burial of each stratigraphic sequence, our approach points out variations in the thermal regimes the sedimentary organic matter (SOM) has been subjected to through geological time.     

Stochastic continuum modeling of flow and transport in a crystalline rock mass: Fanay-Augères,France, revisited

A stochastic discrete-fracture model was used by Cacas et al.^a,b to interpret flow measurements and transport experiments in a fractured crystalline rock mass at Fanay-Augères. They considered continuum models to be incapable of properly interpreting small-scale measurements or tracer tests in fractured systems, which, in their view, require three-dimensional modeling of numerous discrete channels; in their opinion, continuum modeling applies only to average flow on a relatively large scale. Cacas et al. considered their discrete fracture model to have been validated by its demonstrated ability to reproduce selected experimental results. In this paper, flow and transport at Fanay-Augères are modeled by viewing the fractured rock as a stochastic continuum in a manner originally proposed by Neuman^c,d. The stochastic continuum approach obviates the need for detailed information about fracture geometry or assumptions about how individual fractures control flow and transport. All it requires is the delineation of a few dominant features, which can be embedded into the stochastic continuum model as heterogeneous porous slabs. Though a fault zone has been identified at the Fanay-Augères experimental site, it has been modeled neither by Cacas et al. nor in this paper. In fact, in this paper, a larger selection of experimental results than those considered by Cacas et al. are reproduced merely by modeling the rock as a statistically homogeneous continuum in two dimensions. These results demonstrate that a continuum approach may be well suited for the analysis of flow and transport in fractured rock. This does not constitute a validation of the continuum approach, just as the results of Cacas et al. fall short of validating the discrete fracture approach. Instead, the two sets of results illustrate jointly the well-established principle that an open system, especially one as complex as fractured hydrogeologic environments tend to be, cannot be described uniquely on the basis of sparse data and need not be described in great detail to capture its salient behavior by a model.^a Cacas MC, Ledoux E, de Marsily G, Barbreau A, Calmels P, Gaillard B, Margritta R (1990a) Modelling fracture flow with a stochastic discrete fracture network: calibration and validation. 1. The flow model. Water Resour Res 26(3):479–489^b Cacas MC, Ledoux E, de Marsily G, Barbreau A, Calmels P, Gaillard B, Margritta R (1990b) Modelling fracture flow with a stochastic discrete fracture network: calibration and validation. 2. The transport model. Water Resour Res 26(3):491–500^c Neuman SP (1987) Stochastic continuum representation of fractured rock permeability as an alternative to the REV and fracture network concepts, in Rock Mechanics. In: Farmer IW, Daemen JJK, Desai CS, Glass CE, Neuman SP (eds) Proceedings of the 28th U.S. Symposium, Tucson, Arizona. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 533–561^d Neuman SP (1988) A proposed conceptual framework and methodology for investigating flow and transport in Swedish crystalline rocks. SKB Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm, September, Arbetsrapport 88–37, 39 pp     

UAV-borne,LiDAR-based elevation modelling: a method for improving local-scale urban flood risk assessment

Natural Hazards - In this study, we present the first findings of the potential utility of miniaturized light and detection ranging (LiDAR) scanners mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for...     

Stratigraphic framework of the thrust geometry and structural inversion in the southeastern Pyrenees : La Garrotxa area

Abstract

The structure of la Garrotxa area within the Cadi unit (south-eastern Pyrenees) consists of a set of duplexes at different scales which repeat the different carbonatic litho-units of the Lower and Middle Eocene. These duplexes are folded by antiformal stacks structures with basement rocks in their cores. The north boundary of these antiformal stacks represents an inversion of pre-existent extensional faults which formed half-graben geometries. The basement rocks involved in the structure represent short-cuts formed in the footwall of the extensional faults. All thrusts of La Garrotxa area branch with the upper Garrotxa thrust. The more complex structure of La Garrotxa area than the adjacent areas within the Cadí unit, is due to the initial complex synsedimentary geometry of the sedimentary pile.

The Cadi unit overlies the Serrat unit with a hangingwall ramp geometry. This unit was deduced from the Serrat-1 well, drilled in 1987. The Serrat unit is made up of a Middle Eocene evaporitic sequence, with alternating shales and anhydrites and a 100 meters thick salt layer close to the top. The total thickness of this evaporitic Beuda sequence is 1 000 meters. The Beuda sequence clearly controlled the thrust geometry of the younger thrusts.     

Germanium isotopic variations in igneous rocks and marine sediments

A new technique for the precise and accurate determination of Ge stable isotope compositions has been developed and applied to silicate rocks and biogenic opal. The analyses were performed using a continuous flow hydride generation system coupled to a MC-ICPMS. Samples have been purified through anion- and cation-exchange resins to separate Ge from matrix elements and eliminate potential isobaric interferences. Variations of ⁷⁴Ge/⁷⁰Ge ratios are expressed as δ⁷⁴Ge values relative to our internal standard and the long-term external reproducibility of the data is better than 0.2‰ for sample size as low as 15 ng of Ge. Data are presented for igneous and sedimentary rocks, and the overall variation is 2.4‰ in δ⁷⁴Ge, representing 12 times the uncertainty of the measurements and demonstrating that the terrestrial isotopic composition of Ge is not unique. Co-variations of ⁷⁴Ge/⁷⁰Ge, ⁷³Ge/⁷⁰Ge and ⁷²Ge/⁷⁰Ge ratios follow a mass-dependent behaviour and imply natural isotopic fractionation of Ge by physicochemical processes. The range of δ⁷⁴Ge in igneous rocks is only 0.25‰ without systematic differences among continental crust, oceanic crust or mantle material. On this basis, a Bulk Silicate Earth reservoir with a δ⁷⁴Ge of 1.3 ± 0.2‰ can be defined. In contrast, modern biogenic opal such as marine sponges and authigenic glauconite displayed higher δ⁷⁴Ge values between 2.0‰ and 3.0‰. This suggests that biogenic opal may be significantly enriched in light isotopes with respect to seawater and places a lower bound on the δ⁷⁴Ge of the seawater to +3.0‰.This suggests that seawater is isotopically heavy relative to Bulk Silicate Earth and that biogenic opal may be significantly fractionated with respect to seawater. Deep-sea sediments are within the range of the Bulk Silicate Earth while Mesozoic deep-sea cherts (opal and quartz) have δ⁷⁴Ge values ranging from 0.7‰ to 2.0‰. The variable values of the cherts cannot be explained by binary mixing between a biogenic component and a detrital component and are suggestive of enrichment in the light isotope of diagenetic quartz. Further work is now required to determine Ge isotope fractionation by siliceous organisms and to investigate the effect of diagenetic processes during chert lithification.     

Establishing the Database of Inundation Potential in Taiwan

The structural measure was the major solution for flood defense in Taiwan. However, the measure is always limited to the design standard and cannot prevent the damages when floods exceed certain scale. Therefore, non-structural measures for flood mitigation are the indispensable complements to structural solutions. The study introduces the establishment of inundation potential database that provides required information for the non-structural measures in Taiwan. The database was built by numerical simulations, based on different rainfall scenarios, and has been applied by the local governments of Taiwan for land use managements, flood warning systems, emergency responses, and flood insurance programs to reduce the flood damages and impacts.     

Osteichthyans from the Fairpoint Member of the Fox Hills Formation (Maastrichtian), Meade County, South Dakota, USA

The Fairpoint Member of the Fox Hills Formation (upper Maastrichtian) in Meade County, South Dakota, USA, contains an osteichthyan assemblage indicative of transitional to marine shoreface deposits. The fauna consists of: Lepisosteus sp., Paralbula casei, Cylindracanthus cf. C. ornatus, Enchodus gladiolus, Hadrodus sp., and indeterminate osteichthyans with probable affinities to the Siluriformes and Beryciformes. The Fairpoint fauna is of limited species diversity and in this character mirrors many other Upper Cretaceous North American osteichthyan assemblages. Comparison to Upper Cretaceous chondrichthyan diversity and consideration of the structure of Cretaceous marine food webs suggest that osteichthyans are strongly under-represented in the Upper Cretaceous of North America. The small size and poor preservation potential of many Upper Cretaceous North American osteichthyans probably account for much of this observed paucity. Fairpoint osteichthyans are members of families that survive the Cretaceous–Paleocene boundary extinction event. Some of these genera and families are still extant and occur in a wide array of modern fresh, brackish, and shallow marine environments.     

X-ray diffraction study of magnesite at high pressure and high temperature

 P–V–T measurements on magnesite MgCO₃ have been carried out at high pressure and high temperature up to 8.6 GPa and 1285 K, using a DIA-type, cubic-anvil apparatus (SAM-85) in conjunction with in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. Precise volumes are obtained by the use of data collected above 873 K on heating and in the entire cooling cycle to minimize non-hydrostatic stress. From these data, the equation-of-state parameters are derived from various approaches based on the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state and on the relevant thermodynamic relations. With K′₀ fixed at 4, we obtain K₀=103(1) GPa, α(K⁻¹)=3.15(17)×10⁻⁵ +2.32(28)×10⁻⁸ T, (∂K_T/∂T)_P=−0.021(2) GPaK⁻¹, (dα/∂P)_T=−1.81×10⁻⁶ GPa⁻¹K⁻¹ and (∂K_T/∂T)_V= −0.007(1) GPaK⁻¹; whereas the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state with K′₀ as an adjustable parameter yields the following values: K₀=108(3) GPa, K′₀=2.33(94), α(K⁻¹)=3.08(16)×10⁻⁵+2.05(27) ×10⁻⁸ T, (∂K_T/∂T)_P=−0.017(1) GPaK⁻¹, (dα/∂P)_T= −1.41×10⁻⁶ GPa⁻¹K⁻¹ and (∂K_T/∂T)_V=−0.008(1) GPaK⁻¹. Within the investigated P–T range, thermal pressure for magnesite increases linearly with temperature and is pressure (or volume) dependent. The present measurements of room-temperature bulk modulus, of its pressure derivative, and of the extrapolated zero-pressure volumes at high temperatures, are in agreement with previous single-crystal study and ultrasonic measurements, whereas (∂K_T/∂T)_P, (∂α/∂P)_T and (∂K_T/∂T)_V are determined for the first time in this compound. Using this new equation of state, thermodynamic calculations for the reactions (1) magnesite=periclase+CO₂ and (2) magnesite+enstatite=forsterite+CO₂ are consistent with existing experimental phase equilibrium data. Received September 28, 1995/Revised, accepted May 22, 1996     

The isotopic composition of particulate organic carbon in mountain rivers of Taiwan

Small rivers draining mountain islands are important in the transfer of terrestrial particulate organic carbon (POC) to the oceans. This input has implications for the geochemical stratigraphic record. We have investigated the stable isotopic composition of POC (δ¹³C_org) in rivers draining the mountains of Taiwan. In 15 rivers, the suspended load has a mean δ¹³C_org that ranges from −28.1±0.8‰ to −22.0±0.2‰ (on average 37 samples per river) over the interval of our study. To investigate this variability we have supplemented suspended load data with measurements of POC in bedrock and river bed materials, and constraints on the composition of the terrestrial biomass. Fossil POC in bedrock has a range in δ¹³C_org from −25.4±1.5‰ to −19.7±2.3‰ between the major geological formations. Using coupled δ¹³C_org and N/C we have found evidence in the suspended load for mixing of fossil POC with non-fossil POC from the biosphere. In two rivers outside the Taiwan Central Range anthropogenic land use appears to influence δ¹³C_org, resulting in more variable and lower values than elsewhere. In all other catchments, we have found that 5‰ variability in δ¹³C_org is not controlled by the variable composition of the biomass, but instead by heterogeneous fossil POC.In order to quantify the fraction of suspended load POC derived from non-fossil sources (F_nf) as well as the isotopic composition of fossil POC (δ¹³C_fossil) carried by rivers, we adapt an end-member mixing model. River suspended sediments and bed sediments indicate that mixing of fossil POC results in a negative trend between N/C and δ¹³C_org that is distinct from the addition of non-fossil POC, collapsing multiple fossil POC end-members onto a single mixing trend. As an independent test of the model, F_nf reproduces the fraction modern (F_mod) in our samples, determined from ¹⁴C measurements, to within 0.09 at the 95% confidence level. Over the sampling period, the mean F_nf of suspended load POC was low (0.29 ± 0.02, n = 459), in agreement with observations from other mountain rivers where physical erosion rates are high and fossil POC enters river channels. The mean δ¹³C_fossil in suspended POC varied between −25.2±0.5‰ and −20.2±0.6‰ from catchment to catchment. This variability is primarily controlled by the distribution of the major geological formations. It also covers entirely the range of δ¹³C_org found in marine sediments which is commonly thought to derive from mixing between marine and terrigenous POC. If land-sourced POC is preserved in marine sediments, then changes in the bulk δ¹³C_org observed offshore Taiwan could instead be explained by changes in the onshore provenance of sediment. The range in δ¹³C_org of fossil organic matter in sedimentary rocks exposed at the surface is large and given the importance of these rocks as a source of clastic sediment to the oceans, care should be taken in accounting for fossil POC in marine deposits supplied by active mountain belts.