Reconstruction of contaminant trends in a salt wedge estuary with sediment cores dated using a multiple proxy approach

The Taunton River is a partially mixed tidal estuary in southeastern Massachusetts (USA) which has received significant contaminant inputs, yet little information exists on the history of discharge and the subsequent fate of these contaminants. Three sediment cores taken along a transect were analyzed, reconstructing the spatial and temporal trends of pollution in the estuary. A combination of radiometric dating, contaminant markers, and storm layers from major hurricanes were used to establish age models and sedimentation rates. Age estimates obtained from the different dating methods compared well, establishing an accurate history of contaminant release to the estuary. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were present in one core at depths corresponding to the early 1860s, earlier than previously established dates of introduction. Temporal and spatial trends of Cr, Cu, Hg and Pb indicated multiple sources of varying input to the river. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were present in each of the cores from the 1930s onward, with elevated levels still present in surficial sediments at several sites. A unique organic compound, Topanol, which was produced locally was used as a tracer to track contaminant transport in the river. Tracer data indicates that contaminants are still being transported and deposited to surficial sediments at high concentrations well after their discharge. This reconstruction demonstrates the utility of using multiple dating proxies where often the sole use of radiometric dating techniques is not an option and provides insights into the fate of contaminants discharged decades ago but continue to represent environmental risks.     

Hydrothermal Titanite From the Chengchao Iron Skarn Deposit: Temporal Constraints on Iron Mineralization and Its Potential as A Reference Material for Titanite U-Pb Dating

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A procedure for identifying significant environmental aspects in sea ports

A new methodology has been designed to identify and rank the significant environmental aspects in sea ports. The main objective of the Strategic Overview of Significant Environmental Aspects (SOSEA) is to help port managers to identify significant environmental aspects and to reinforce the awareness about them in order to prioritise work in environmental management. Developed in close collaboration with port environmental managers and tested in a set of ports, it is a user-friendly tool that can be applied in approximately half a working day. It is based on ISO 14001 vocabulary and requirements and it can be considered as the base for the implementation of any Environmental Management System for port communities.     

Laboratory investigation of the effects of mineral size and concentration on the formation of oil-mineral aggregates

Controlled laboratory studies of the formation of oil-mineral aggregates (OMA) in seawater demonstrate that sediment concentration and sediment size are key variables for determining the quantity of oil droplets stabilised by OMA formation. Experiments with a single sediment size and a range of sediment concentrations show that as sediment concentration increases, the quantity of oil trapped in OMA increases abruptly. In experiments with a single sediment concentration and a range of sediment sizes, the quantity of oil trapped in OMA decreases as sediment size increases. These results provide direct support to the hypothesis that there is a critical sediment concentration for OMA formation. Below this concentration, stabilisation of oil droplets by OMA decreases rapidly, while above this concentration, stabilisation is extensive. The results also support simple geometric models of OMA formation that predict that the critical sediment mass concentration increases linearly with sediment particle diameter. These results will help to place quantitative constraint on predictions of where and when OMA formation will be a factor in the natural dispersal of oil accidentally spilled into the ocean.     

Temperature lapse rate and methane in Titan's troposphere

We have reanalyzed the Voyager radio occultation data for Titan, examining two alternative approaches to methane condensation. In one approach, methane condensation is facilitated by the presence of nitrogen because nitrogen lowers the condensation level of a methane/nitrogen mixture. The resulting enhancement in methane condensation lowers the upper limit on surface relative humidity of methane obtained from the Voyager occultation data from 0.7 to 0.6. We conclude that in this case the surface relative humidity of methane lies between 0.08 and 0.6, with values close to 0.6 indicated. In the other approach, methane is allowed to become supersaturated and reaches 1.4 times saturation in the troposphere. In this case, surface humidities up to 100% are allowed by the Voyager occultation data, and thus the upper limit must be set by other considerations. We conclude that if supersaturation is included, then the surface relative humidity of methane can be any value greater than 0.08--unless a deep ocean is present, in which case the surface relative humidity is limited to less than 0.85. Again, values close to 0.6 are indicated. Overall, the tropospheric lapse rate on Titan appears to be determined by radiative equilibrium. The lapse rate is everywhere stable against dry convection, but is unstable to moist convection. This finding is consistent with a supersaturated atmosphere in which condensation-and hence moist convection-is inhibited.     

地质界面对桂中凹陷区铅锌矿床的控制意义

桂中凹陷大地构造条件特殊, 其北为桂北台隆, 与扬子地台接壤, 其西与右江再生地槽连接, 其东和南与大瑶山隆起相连.在区域性范围内, 广西大部分铅锌矿床分布于桂中凹陷的边缘.其中, 河池-南丹成矿带几十个大-中型和特大型铅锌铜矿床位于凹陷的西部及西北部边缘, 在凹陷的东南部和东部边缘有武宣-象州成矿带的几十个大-中型和特大型铅锌铜矿床, 在凹陷的南、北和东南、东北部边缘地带则连续分布着宾阳、贵县、锡基坑、北山、泗顶等若干个大-中型铅锌铜矿床.在矿区范围内, 铅锌矿体主要产于不整合面附近、多组断裂的交汇部位、岩体的周围、沉积岩相变带、不同岩性接触面等.不论在宏观的区域范围内, 还是在微观的矿区范围内, 矿床的成矿作用和分布明显受到地质界面的控制, 其主要特征与美国MVT铅锌矿床相似.地质界面是地球内部能量集中、汇集、传递、转化和释放的地带, 是地球物质变化、活化、迁移和沉淀富集的部位, 也是成矿作用发生的场所.桂中凹陷与周边地质构造单元接合处的地质界面是“ MVT型”铅锌矿床形成的有利地段.      

低温成矿系列中生物有机质的矿床学意义

在低温热液型矿床的形成过程中, 生物和有机质发挥了重要的成矿作用.这种作用可以归纳为直接和间接两种.生物及有机质直接参与成矿作用的意义在于: 在沉积岩主岩的同生沉积阶段形成矿源层, 在成矿物质活化迁移过程中形成含矿流体, 在成矿元素的沉淀阶段富集形成矿床; 生物及有机质间接成矿意义是指有机质的成熟演变作用及其产物可以揭示成矿过程, 反映低温热液成矿机理和成矿条件.      

四川石棉田湾金矿床韧性剪切构造带地球化学障的成矿意义

康定－石棉－冕宁韧性剪切带在其成生演化过程中,产生大量剪切构造及次级断裂,造成扩张空间。在这些剪切带扩张空间内,由于化学的、物理的及生物化学条件发生突变,导致热液的地球化学平衡被破坏,促使自然金沉淀析出,并聚集在剪切带内构成矿床。剪切带不仅是含金热液迁移的通道,而且也是发生成矿作用的有利空间和成矿物质沉淀富集的理想场所,是一种具有重要成矿意义的地球化学障。     

插层高岭石层间醋酸钾的作用和取向

利用X粉晶衍射和激光拉曼光谱实验分析高岭石及其醋酸钾插层物的结构。通过实验表明醋酸钾对结晶指数(HI)为0．9的高岭石进行插层．插层率为73％，使高岭石的d(001)由0．72075nm增加到1．42093nm。进入高岭石层间的醋酸根利用其羧基上的两个氧同时和高岭石的面内羟基形成氢键，在高岭石层间直立取向，而对其内羟基基本无影响。当温度升高时，与面内羟基伸缩振动有关的峰(3698cm^-1,3684cm^-1，3672cm^-1等)发生红移，且强度增加；而与内羟基伸缩振动有关的峰(3621cm^-1)则发生蓝移。温度升高到100C以上，开始发生去插层过程；直到250C，插层分子还不能完全从高岭石层间脱去。