Understanding the cause and effect relationship of debris slides in Papum Pare district,Arunachal Himalaya,India

Natural Hazards - Slope failures are recurrent phenomena during the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) season in the mountainous regions of Arunachal Himalaya, NE India, with a consequent damaging impact...     

Pot-hole Subsidence in Underground Coal Mining: Some Indian Experiences

Subsidence is a gradual or sudden depression of the ground on the surface due to extraction of minerals from underground. It occurs in two forms, namely, trough and pot-hole subsidence. Trough subsidence is a depression covering a large surface area, whereas pot-hole subsidence is a localized phenomenon which occurs due to sudden collapse of overburden into the underground voids. Pot hole is extremely hazardous as it does not give any prior indication before its occurrence. Several pot-holes have occurred in the recent past in the coal mines of South Eastern Coalfield Limited and therefore the study assumes great importance. This paper presents the mechanism, behaviour and critical influencing parameters concerning pot-holes. Field investigations and analysis carried out on pot-holes which occurred in some of the Indian coal mines are presented for highlighting the importance of the same.     

Numerical simulation of fault reactivation phenomenon

Two-dimensional finite element method was used for evaluating the effect of orthogonal compression on precursor faults. The tendency of reactivation of precursor faults as thrust or normal was analyzed involving the positions and angles of precursor faults with the stresses, strains and displacements. Twelve cases were taken up with different combinations of precursor fault angles (high, >45° and low, <45°) and fault positions for analysis. Different positions and angles of precursor faults are correlated with stresses, strains, and displacements and are discussed in detail. It is hoped that this would help in understanding the past and the present geodynamics of the earth’s crust.     

Two-dimensional dynamic finite element simulation of rock blasting

In the present study, the two-dimensional blast model has been simulated using finite element software Abaqus/CAE. The John–Wilkins–Lee equation of state has been used to calculate the pressure caused by the release of the chemical energy of the explosive. Detonation point from center of hole has been defined for the traveling path of explosive energy. Elastoplastic dynamic failure constitutive with kinematic hardening model was adopted for rock mass responses under high explosive pressure to understand the mechanism of blast phenomena. In this model, it is assumed that failure of rock occurs under tensile failure when yield plastic stress exceeded to its static tensile strength. The hydrostatic pressure was used as a failure measure to model dynamic spall or a pressure cut off. Variation of detonation velocity has been measured in terms of simulation blast output energies index results.     

Diversity of marine and brackish water nitrite-oxidizing consortia developed for activating nitrifying bioreactors in aquaculture

Nitrite is a well-known toxicant in aquaculture, produced as intermediate in nitrification. Two nitrite-oxidizing bacterial consortia, one from marine environment and the other from brackish water, were developed by enrichment technique at National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, for removal of nitrite from recirculating aquaculture systems. In the present study, bacterial diversity of the consortia was assessed based on 16S ribosomal RNA and the functional gene analysis. Clone libraries of 16S ribosomal RNA gene and nitrite oxidoreductase A gene were constructed, and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis was carried out to cluster the clones. Dendrograms generated through molecular characterization showed 29 and 27 clusters in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of representative clones from each cluster depicted profound diversity in the consortia consisting autotrophic nitrifiers belonging to Proteobacteria, anaerobic ammonia oxidizers, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and heterotrophic denitrifiers. Functional gene analysis corroborated with the presence of specific nitrite oxidizers. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed the abundance of nitrite oxidizers in the order of 1.51 ± 0.38 × 10⁹/g and 4.88 ± 0.42 × 10⁷/g in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Diversity indices and pattern of distribution of organisms within the consortia were analyzed using Geneious, VITCOMIC, Mega 5 and Primer software. The marine nitrite-oxidizing consortium showed higher Shannon–Wiener diversity and mean population diversity than brackish water consortium, suggesting that the former was having more diverse flora and higher potential to be used as startup cultures for activating nitrifying bioreactors subsequent to acclimatization to the required salinity.     

Coda wave attenuation characteristics for Kumaon and Garhwal Himalaya,India

Natural Hazards - Uttarakhand Himalayas are among one of the most seismically active continental regions of the world. The Himalayan belt in this region is divided into Kumaon and Garhwal Himalaya....     

First report of some Recent benthic foraminifera from the east coast of India

Twelve Recent benthic foraminiferal species hitherto not reported from the east and west coasts of India are presented and illustrated. They are, namely- Bolivina semicostata, Elphidium subgranulosum, Hanzawaia nipponica, Planorbulina variabilis, Pseudononion japponicum, Reussella haizumensis, Rosalina bradyi, Adelosina sp., Lagina sp. A, Lagina sp. B, Uvigerina sp. A and Uvigerina sp. B.     

A simple criterion for the machinability of hard rocks

Conclusions The application of mechanical methods for rapid excavation requires more detailed and precise knowledge of the site, but there is no single parameter which can provide a comprehensive measure for the selection and performance of a tunnel boring machine.The machinability index proposed in this paper is based on four different parameters which influence the performance of a tunnelling machine and are widely accepted by the engineers and geologists. In order to develop a comprehensive measure regarding the borability of rocks,in situ conditions must be evaluated. The machinability index coupled with thein situ information would facilitate judicious decisions regarding the application and selection of tunnel boring machines.The geological conditions and rock characteristics cannot be controlled but their knowledge can prevent costly mistakes in equipment selection and assist in identifying alternative excavation systems, therefore a thorough site investigation can substantially reduce the economic and technical risks associated with tunnelling and mine development.