Analysis of Manning coefficient for small‐depth flows on vegetated beds

The limitations of Manning's formula are analysed when it is in extreme conditions, and more specifically with small‐depth flows on natural‐vegetation beds. A thorough analysis is made of research carried out on macro‐rough beds, placing particular emphasis on vegetated beds. Research carried out to date on the roughness of vegetated beds and macro‐roughness is commented on, including that carried out at the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Hydrology of the Forestry Engineering Faculty (Polytechnic University of Madrid). The work was done in two phases, the first in a laboratory channel with artificial vegetation and the second in natural beds. The results of the experimental research allow the development of a new approximate method of determining Manning coefficient according to the Froude number. This method may be applied in extreme conditions, both in small depths and steep slopes. It was proved that the Manning coefficient depends not only on roughness height, but also on depth and slope values; thus, it is advisable to choose the appropriate method for its calculation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stochastic estimation of facies using ground penetrating radar data

Explicitly defining large-scale heterogeneity is a necessary step of groundwater model calibration if accurate estimates of flow and transport are to be made. In this work, neural networks are used to estimate radar facies probabilities from ground penetrating radar (GPR) images, yielding stochastic facies-based models that honour the large-scale architecture of the subsurface. For synthetic GPR images, a neural network was able to correctly identify radar facies with an accuracy of approximately 90%. Manual interpretation of a set of 450 MHz GPR field data from the Borden aquifer resulted in the identification of four radar facies. Of these, a neural network was able to identify two facies with an accuracy of near 80% and one with an accuracy of 44%. The neural network was not able to identify the fourth facies, likely due to the choice of defining facies characteristics. Sequential indicator simulation was used to generate facies realizations conditioned to the radar facies probabilities. Numerical simulations indicate that significant improvements in the prediction of solute transport are possible when GPR is used to constrain the facies model compared to using well data alone, especially when data are sparse.This work was supported by funding to R. Knight under Grant No. DE-FG07–00ER15118-A000, Environmental Management Science Program, Office of Science and Technology, Office of Environment Management, United States Department of Energy (DOE). However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DOE. Further support was provided by a Stanford Graduate Fellowship to S. Moysey. The authors would also like to thank James Irving for his assistance with processing of the radar data.     

Macrostructural changes in compacted earthen construction materials under loading

There is increasing interest in the use of earthen materials for modern construction. The mechanical behaviour of these materials is strongly controlled by their internal macrostructures. Rammed earth (RE) is one example of these materials, created by in situ compaction of a wet soil mixture. Changes to the material structure occur on loading and during compaction; therefore, the nature of these changes needs to be understood if the effect on the material behaviour can be predicted. Here, the change in the macrostructure of RE on the application of compressive loading is investigated by using X-ray computed tomography and fractal analysis to monitor the changes in loaded RE specimens. The macrostructures of specimens comprising different layer thicknesses are also investigated in order to determine how layer thickness affects the compaction of the material. Results are used to recommend procedures for manufacturing specimens that are representative of the material found in full-scale RE structures.     

Mineralogy of metal contaminated estuarine sediments,Derwent estuary,Hobart, Australia: implications for metal mobility

The mobility, bioaccessibility and transfer pathways of metals and metalloids in estuarine sediments have been the focus of much detailed research. However, to date, few studies have examined the mineralogical siting of metals and metalloids in such sediments. This is despite the fact the mineralogy of sediments is an important factor that controls which and how much of a particular metal is released to pore waters and overlying water columns. This study reports on the mineralogical siting of metals in contaminated estuarine sediments, Hobart, Australia, and aims to evaluate the mobility of metals in the contaminated substrates. Mineralogical, mineral chemical and bulk chemical analyses demonstrate that the sediments contain very high levels of several metals and metalloids. The contaminated sediments have concentrations of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) ranging from 0.55 to 4.23 wt%, 0.16 to 0.70 wt%, 415 to 951 mg/kg and 23 to 300 mg/kg, respectively. Franklinite and lesser sphalerite are the main repositories of Zn, whereas much of the Pb and Cu is hosted by sulfides, organic matter and undetermined iron (Fe) oxides. While the release of contaminant loads from franklinite through dissolution is likely to be insignificant, even small releases of metals from the highly contaminated sediments can still cause the deterioration of local water quality. The contaminated sediments represent long-term sources of metal pollutants, particularly Zn, to local waters. This study demonstrates that mineralogical analyses are a vital tool to recognise the potential mobility of trace metals in estuarine environments.     

Structure and Petrology of the Alpine-type Peridotite at Burro Mountain, California, U.S.A.

The alpine-type peridotite at Burro Mountain is a partiallyserpentinized harzburgite-dunite body approximately 2 km indiameter. It lies in a chaotic mélange derived from theFranciscan Formation (Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous) ofthe southern Coast Ranges of California. The peridotite is boundedon the east by a vertical fault in the Nacimiento fault zonethat brings sedimentary rocks of Taliaferro's (1943b) AsuncionGroup (Upper Cretaceous) into contact with the peridotite. Theperidotite appears to be one of a number of tectonic lenses,having a wide range in size, that make up the mélange.These lenses include metagraywacke, metachert, greenstone, amphibolite,and blueschist, as well as ultramafic rocks, and represent awide range of pressure-temperature environments. The outer shell of the peridotite is a sheared serpentinitezone 10–15 m thick. The peridotite was tectonically emplacedat its present level as a cold solid mass and had little effecton the mineral assemblages of the Franciscan Formation. Localdevelopment of lawsonite and aragonite in shear zones may berelated to the peridotite emplacement. Foliated harzburgite forms approximately 60 per cent of theperidotite. It is a lithologically uniform rock that has anolivine: orthopyroxene ratio of approximately 75:25. Accessoryclinopyroxene and chromian spinel generally make up less than5 per cent of the harzburgite. Dunite, composed of olivine,accessory chromian spinel (< 5 per cent), and trace amountsof pyroxene, makes up approximately 40 per cent of the peridotiteand occurs as dikes, sills, and irregular bodies in the harzburgite. Olivine and pyroxene show small but significant compositionalvariations and chromian spinel shows a large range in the cationratio Cr/(Cr+Al+ Fe³⁺). The compositional variations in theseminerals are related to original differences in bulk chemicalcomposition. The following compositional ranges were determinedfor minerals in the harzburgite: olivine, Fo_91.1–Fo_91.4;orthopyroxene, En_89.8–En_91.1; clinopyroxene, Ca_47.0Mg_50.0Fe_3.0–Ca_48.7Mg_48.2Fe_3.1;chromian spinel, Cr/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺) 0.37–0.55. The pyroxeneshave a range in A1₂O₃ content of 1.3–3.0 wt per cent.Olivine from dunite ranges from Fo₉₁ to Fo_{92 7} and the chromianspinel has a range in the Cr/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺) ratio of 0.30–0.75.Although all the dunites are lithologically similar, three distincttypes are recognized on the basis of composition of coexistingolivine and chromian spinel. Structural relations between thethree types of dunite suggest three periods of emplacement (possiblyoverlapping) of dunite into harzburgite. The evidence indicatesthat the dunite, and probably also the harzburgite crystallizedfrom an ultramafic magma, probably in the upper mantle. After the magmatic episode and crystallization, the peridotitewas subjected to a deep-seated plastic deformation and recrystallization.The first phase of the deformation produced a pervasive, planarstructural element (S₁) that crosscuts many harzburgite-dunitecontacts. It is probable that some of the dunite sills wereemplaced during this deformation. The foliation, S₁, is definedby layers of different orthopyroxene content in harzburgite,and by discontinuous layers of chromian spinel in dunite. Flowor slip along S₁ produced slip folds in harzburgite—dunitecontacts with axial planes parallel to S₁. At a later stage,isoclinal folds developed in S₁, and the present olivine microfabricwas probably formed by recrystallization in the stress fieldthat produced the isoclinal folding. In the olivine microfabric,X tends to be perpendicular to the axial planes (S₂) of theisoclinal folds and Y and Z tend to form double maxima in S₂approximately 90° apart. Mg–Fe²⁺ distribution betweencoexisting mineral pairs yields a calculated temperature offormation of approximately 1200 °C. Although this temperatureis only a nominal value, it indicates that the mineral pairsequilibrated at a significantly high temperature. In view ofthe deformation and recrystallization, the calculated temperaturepossibly represents subsolidus re-equilibration of the mineralsduring this event. The deformation and recrystallization probablyoccurred shortly after crystallization while the peridotitewas still at a high temperature. A later deep-seated deformation produced small scattered kinkfolds in S₁ that tend to disrupt the major olivine microfabric.The kink folding was accompanied or followed by the developmentof kink bands in olivine that reflect intragranular glidingon the system T = [Okl], t = [100]. The kink bands probablyformed at a minimum temperature of 1000 °C. Following the deep-seated deformation, which probably took placein the mantle, the peridotite mass was tectonically detachedand moved upward to its present level in the crust. Cleavages,joints, and faults provided channels for water to pervade theperidotite and allow alteration of the primary minerals.     

General Steady-State Shape Factor for a Partially Penetrating Well

We present the closed form of a general steady-state shape factor for a partially penetrating well in a uniform anisotropic aquifer. Our simple analytical expression for the shape factor has a uniform representation for full range of parameters and meets or exceeds the accuracy of previous results obtained through semiempirical methods (e.g., Bouwer and Rice [1976] equations). This general shape factor pertains to the flow of fluids (water or air) in subsurface formations when the upper formation boundary has constant potential and the lower boundary is impermeable. The results of our investigation are directly applicable to analyses of (1) slug tests with falling or rising head and (2) injection/extraction tests with constant head, essential techniques for the characterization of hydraulic conductivity of aquifers, streambeds, or lakebeds as well as the design of aquifer and soil remediation systems.     

PSR J1012+5307: younger than it looks?

Lorimer et al. have recently reported that the spin-down age (∼7 × 10⁹ yr) of the low-mass binary pulsar PSR J1012+5307 is much higher than the cooling age (3 × 10⁸ yr) of its white dwarf companion. The proposed solutions for this discrepancy are outlined and discussed. In particular, the revised cooling age estimate proposed by Alberts et al. agrees with data from other low-mass binary pulsar systems if a transition to the 'classical' cooling regime occurs between ∼0.14 and ∼0.28 M_⊙. If this transition is excluded, PSR J1012+5307 seems to have finished its accretion phase far from the spin-up line.