A 29Si MAS NMR study of sub-Tg amorphization of stishovite at ambient pressure

Stishovite, a high-pressure SiO₂ polymorph in which each Si is coordinated by six O atoms, transforms to an amorphous phase when undergoing heat treatment below the glass transition temperature at ambient pressure. We have applied ²⁹Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS NMR) to study this amorphization process. We found that the amorphous phase generated after heating stishovite for up to 3 days at around 600 ° C consisted exclusively of four-coordinate Si, similar to glasses quenched from melts at ambient pressure. Furthermore, our data suggest that there are subtle structural differences between the amorphous phase transformed from stishovite at 600 ° C and glasses quenched from melts at ambient pressure: the amorphous phase from stishovite had a smaller mean Si-O-Si angle initially, and it gradually relaxed toward the latter with increasing heating time. There was no detectable change in the stishovite structure even after about 80% of it had been converted to the amorphous phase. The mechanism of the amorphization of stishovite is discussed in light of these results.     

Nonpoint source pollution control effectiveness of riparian forests along a coastal plain river

A detention-time model of water quality buffer zones is used to evaluate the nonpoint source pollution control effectiveness of riparian forests in a two-county area of the lower Tar River basin, North Carolina. Soil map units, which represent specific combinations of soil, topography, and vegetation characteristics, are compared in terms of their relative ability to filter nitrate in agricultural runoff. All typical riparian forests provide significant water quality protection, but there is a wide variation in buffer effectiveness. This suggests a need for flexibility in determining buffer widths. A range of 15–80 m is appropriate for the soil-landform-vegetation complexes found in riparian zones within the study area. Buffer widths of 60 m — and often much less — are generally adequate on the soils likely to be used for agricultural production.     

Magic angle spinning NMR observation of sodium site exchange in nepheline at 500° C

Dynamics in minerals at time scales from seconds to microseconds are important in understanding mechanisms of displacive phase transitions, diffusion, and conductivity. High resolution, magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy can directly show the rates of exchange among sites, potentially providing less model-dependent information than more traditional NMR relaxation time measurements. Here we use a newly developed high temperature MAS probe (Doty Scientific, Inc.) to observe the exchange of Na⁺ among the alkali sites in a high-Na nepheline at temperatures as high as 500° C. Observed exchange rates are consistent with correlation times derived from cation diffusivity.     

THREE-DIMENSIONAL, CROSS-SEMIVARIOGRAM CALCULATIONS FOR HYDROGEOLOGICAL DATA

Abstract. Geostatistics is a powerful tool for the analysis of hydrogeological data, but few well-documented computer programs for performing the necessary calculations have been presented in the technical literature. This is especially true for applications that require either three-dimensional or multivariate analyses. This paper describes a FORTRAN subroutine, VARIO, that can be used to compute experimental direct- and cross-semivariograms from a set of sample data, for any specified direction in one-, two-, or three-dimensional space. The subroutine combines into groups those sample pairs that fall within predetermined angular tolerances of the specified direction. The number of sample pairs used to compute the value of the experimental semivariogram at each value of separation can be specified in four different ways, depending on the nature of the available data. Written in FORTRAN 77, VARIO can be used on any computer that supports a FORTRAN 77 compiler. Source code listing, user instructions, and example input and output data for VARIO are presented.     

Hydrocarbon source potential of the Proterozoic Sirban Limestone Formation,NW Himalaya,Jammu

The Proterozoic Sirban Limestone Formation (SLFm) crops out as detached allochthons in the northwest Himalaya (Jammu region, India) and has its coeval equivalents laterally disposed in the west in Salt Range, in the northwest in Abbotabad (Pakistan) and in southeast in Himachal Pradesh (India). The oil and gas occurrences have been reported from the Proterozoic successions globally and the hydrocarbon potential of the SLFm cannot be ruled out.The interbedded shales and algal laminated dolostones within the SLFm have yielded microflora comparable to those reported in the North African Neoproterozoic sandstones and the Late Proterozoic carbonates of the giant oil and gas fields of the Siberian Platform. The SLFm contains a rich and diverse biota comprising ~ 10% of the rock volume in thin section. The rich organic assemblage justified a hydrocarbon source potential analysis of the SLFm, tested in this study by Rock Eval (RE) pyrolysis.RE pyrolysis yielded a total organic carbon (TOC) content of 0.02 to 1 wt. % with very low Hydrogen Index (HI) values for the shales and TOC content averaging 0.02 wt. % for the dolostones. The organically lean shales and dolostones exhibit T_max values indicative of immature to post mature stage. But, since these values are for the samples with complex thermal and tectonic history the results may be unreliable. The highly altered organic matter and kerogen present in the SLFm had the potential to generate hydrocarbons and presently indicates no significant source potential. This study is important for understanding the hydrocarbon occurrences in the SLFm particularly in light of the recent oil and gas discoveries from the coeval Proterozoic successions.     

Lava effusion rate definition and measurement: a review

Measurement of effusion rate is a primary objective for studies that model lava flow and magma system dynamics, as well as for monitoring efforts during on-going eruptions. However, its exact definition remains a source of confusion, and problems occur when comparing volume flux values that are averaged over different time periods or spatial scales, or measured using different approaches. Thus our aims are to: (1) define effusion rate terminology; and (2) assess the various measurement methods and their results. We first distinguish between instantaneous effusion rate, and time-averaged discharge rate. Eruption rate is next defined as the total volume of lava emplaced since the beginning of the eruption divided by the time since the eruption began. The ultimate extension of this is mean output rate, this being the final volume of erupted lava divided by total eruption duration. Whether these values are total values, i.e. the flux feeding all flow units across the entire flow field, or local, i.e. the flux feeding a single active unit within a flow field across which many units are active, also needs to be specified. No approach is without its problems, and all can have large error (up to ∼50%). However, good agreement between diverse approaches shows that reliable estimates can be made if each approach is applied carefully and takes into account the caveats we detail here. There are three important factors to consider and state when measuring, giving or using an effusion rate. First, the time-period over which the value was averaged; second, whether the measurement applies to the entire active flow field, or a single lava flow within that field; and third, the measurement technique and its accompanying assumptions.