Tracing origins of sewage and organic matter using dissolved sterols in Masan and Haengam Bay,Korea

Masan and Haengam Bays in Korea are highly polluted and semi-enclosed. Domestic and industrial effluents are directly or indirectly discharged into the bays through sewage treatment plants (STP) and creeks. In this study, 15 dissolved sterol compounds were determined in order to understand their sources and relative contribution. Freshwater samples were taken from 13 creeks and at two STP sites on a monthly basis. Total dissolved sterol concentrations ranged from 993 to 4158 ng/L. The concentrations of sterols in winter were higher than in summer. Among the sterols analyzed, cholesterol, β-sitosterol, coprostanol and cholestanone were major compounds in creek water. Seawater samples were concurrently collected at 21 stations in Masan Bay. Total sterol concentrations ranged 118–6,956 ng/L. Inner bay showed high concentrations of sterols in summer, while outer bay showed high sterol concentrations in winter. Among the sterols, cholesterol, β-sitosterol and brassicasterol were major compounds in seawater. In order to examine the contribution of urban sewage, the concentration of coprostanol and fecal sterol ratios were calculated. Most of the creek water, inner bay and near STP outlet samples were affected by sewage. Terrestrial organic matters accounted for a high proportion of dissolved organic matter origin. Fecal origins were relatively high in the inner bay areas and in the STP outlet, while sterols of marine origin were high in the outer bay areas.     

Spread-F during the magnetic storm of 22 January 2004 at low latitudes: Effect of IMF-Bz in relation to local sunset time

The paper describes the results of spread-F at low latitude stations around the world during the magnetic storm starting at 0130 UT on 22 January 2004. The storm can be divided into two phases, first phase up to 1000 UT when interplanetary magnetic field IMF-Bz was highly fluctuating around a small positive value and the second phase after a sudden large southward turning of IMF-Bz at 1030 UT. The first phase produced strong spread-F at Jicamarca, Sao Luis, and Ascension Island and caused complete inhibition of spread-F at Thumba and Waltair in India. It generated weak spread-F at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li. The strong spread-F at Hainan and Chung Li were caused by the positive IMF-Bz during the first phase of the storm and not by the negative pulse of IMF-Bz at 1000 UT.     

Lateral bearing performance and mechanism of piles in the transition zone due to pit-in-pit excavation

Acta Geotechnica - Excavation types of foundation pits for large-scale or special-purpose urban construction have been more and more complex, and the environmental safety issues caused by pit...     

个旧锡矿高松矿田综合信息矿产预测

个旧超大型锡铜多金属矿床是我国和世界上重要的锡产地,近年来面临严重的资源危机。通过分析个旧锡矿高松矿田的地质、地球化学、地球物理等信息特征,用统计排序法和地质统计学方法解决了断裂、褶皱、地层、花岗岩等定性信息的量化、分级,用分维确定了考虑线性和面状因素的最佳信息单元大小,利用以Shannon信息论基本原理为基础的分层次自相似信息量加和法在信息类型内部和类型之间进行了信息的有机综合,得到了三级18个预测区,经云南锡业公司工程和已知矿区验证,取得了很好的效果。     

The dominant driving force for supercontinent breakup: Plume push or subduction retreat?

Understanding the dominant force responsible for supercontinent breakup is crucial for establishing Earth's geodynamic evolution that includes supercontinent cycles and plate tectonics. Conventionally,two forces have been considered: the push by mantle plumes from the sub-continental mantle which is called the active force for breakup, and the dragging force from oceanic subduction retreat which is called the passive force for breakup. However, the relative importance of these two forces is unclear. Here we model the supercontinent breakup coupled with global mantle convection in order to address this question. Our global model features a spherical harmonic degree-2 structure, which includes a major subduction girdle and two large upwelling(superplume) systems. Based on this global mantle structure,we examine the distribution of extensional stress applied to the supercontinent by both subsupercontinent mantle upwellings and subduction retreat at the supercontinent peripheral. Our results show that:(1) at the center half of the supercontinent, plume push stress is ～3 times larger than the stress induced by subduction retreat;(2) an average hot anomaly of no higher than 50 K beneath the supercontinent can produce a push force strong enough to cause the initialization of supercontinent breakup;(3) the extensional stress induced by subduction retreat concentrates on a ～600 km wide zone on the boundary of the supercontinent, but has far less impact to the interior of the supercontinent. We therefore conclude that although circum-supercontinent subduction retreat assists supercontinent breakup, sub-supercontinent mantle upwelling is the essential force.     

WV-3遥感数据在滇西矿产资源开发与地质灾害调查中的应用

选择云南三江中南段高黎贡山之南作为研究对象,利用WorldView-3卫星数据高空间分辨率的特点,基于Skyline软件构建三维模拟场景,从不同视域范围、远近尺度、方位视角对解译目标进行全方位展示,获取了不同矿山开发及地质灾害的典型识别标志,进行矿产资源开发状况精细识别及地质灾害详细信息提取,解译出区内建筑石料用灰岩等5种非金属矿以及滑坡等3种类型地质灾害,为矿山管理及地质灾害调查提供快速精准的目标,提升工作效率和质量。     

The relationship between groundwater and natural vegetation in Qaidam Basin

To accurately evaluate ecological risks trigged by groundwater exploitation, it must be clarified the relationship between vegetation and groundwater. Based on remote sensing data sets MOD13Q1, groundwater table depth (WTD) and total dissolved solids (TDS), the relationship between groundwater and natural vegetation was analyzed statistically in the main plain areas of Qaidam Basin. The results indicate that natural vegetation is groundwater-dependent in areas where WTD is less than 5.5 m and TDS is less than 7.5 g/L. Aquatic vegetation, hygrophytic vegetation and hygrophytic saline-alkali tolerant vegetation are mainly distributed in areas with WTD <1.1 m. Salt-tolerant and mesophytic vegetation mainly occur in areas with WTD of 1.4-3.5 m, while the xerophytic vegetation isprimarily present in areas where WTD ranges from 1.4 m to 5.5 m. Natural vegetation does not necessarily depend on groundwater in areas with WTD >5.5 m. For natural vegetation, the most suitable water TDS is less than 1.5 g/L, the moderately suitable TDS is 1.5-5.0 g/L, the basically suitable TDS is 5.0-7.5 g/L, and the unsuitable TDS is more than 7.5 g/L.     

Geochemistry of organic matter and elements of black shale during weathering in Northern Guizhou,Southwestern China: Their mobilization and inter-connection

Different from previous studies on effect of weathering upon geochemical variation along a single weathered profile, this paper provides a new methodology validated by comparing a weathered outcrop samples and their stratigraphic counterpart un-weathered core samples in a nearby shallow borehole. This outcrop and borehole penetrated the Ordovician-Silurian Wufeng–Longmaxi shales, located in the same anticline structure in the northern part of Guizhou Province, Southern China. The mineral composition, major, trace and rare earth elements (REEs) composition and Rock-Eval parameters of outcrop and core samples were analyzed and compared. Organic matter (OM) was observed in the microscope and extracted for elements analysis. The results show that short-term weathering still has significant influence on OM, mineral and elemental composition of black shales. The elements composition shows the outcrop profile was moderately weathered. The REEs compositions do not alter much during weathering process and the REEs composition and their relative ratios still are valid for rock origin determination. The OM, mainly composed by graptolite and bitumen, even entering the highly-over thermal maturity, is still sensitive to the weathering with a systematic loss 30–50% of TOC along the outcrop profile, which suggests that the OM consumption is predominantly controlled by weathering duration and the distance from the weathering surface. In turn, OM has significant influence on the trace elements transportation behavior during weathering. Some trace elements associated with the OM such as V, Cr, Th, U, Ni and Co, change significantly in their absolute concentration during weathering, but their relative ratios do not necessarily change too much and might be still reliable proxies for paleo-environmental determination. The mobility of shale minerals during weathering is in the following order: plagioclase?>?potassium feldspar and dolomite >pyrite and OM. Short-term weathering can also result in considerable transportation of elements and significant variation of minerals content in black shale, which may pose potentially high environmental and engineering risk in the regions rich in black shale.