Parameter estimation for a karst aquifer with unknown thickness using the genetic algorithm method

The combination of ecological fragility and agricultural activity in the loess hilly–gully regions of western China has received broad environmental concerns. In this region, rainfall and soil moisture can fatally influence crop production under dry land farming. In this study, field experiments were conducted, from March 2001 to September 2005, to demonstrate the variation of soil moisture and fertilizer contents at different depths in slope and terraced lands, and to evaluate the ecological impacts and economic benefits in the terraced land of Loess Plateau. The results of both field test and Grey model (GM) calculation show that the terraced land, as compared to the sloping land, in the agricultural area of the Loess Plateau tends to store and retain much water, promoting more favorable interactions between water and fertilizer. During the months from March to June of the year with less rainfall, the water supply for crop growth is mainly derived from the deep storage of soil moisture accumulated from July to September of the previous year. The field experiments indicate that the crop yield of the 3-year-old terraced lands was 27% higher than that of the sloping lands with slopes greater than 10°, and that the crop yield can increase by 27.07 to 52.78% in the following cultivation years. In particular, potato was found to be more drought-resistant than winter wheat, thus it is more suitable for the arid and semi-arid Loess Plateau regions.     

A 50-year record of NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> and SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sources in precipitation in the Northern Rocky Mountains,USA

Ice-core samples from Upper Fremont Glacier (UFG), Wyoming, were used as proxy records for the chemical composition of atmospheric deposition. Results of analysis of the ice-core samples for stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N, ) and sulfur (δ³⁴S, ), as well as and deposition rates from the late-1940s thru the early-1990s, were used to enhance and extend existing National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) data in western Wyoming. The most enriched δ³⁴S value in the UFG ice-core samples coincided with snow deposited during the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Washington. The remaining δ³⁴S values were similar to the isotopic composition of coal from southern Wyoming. The δ¹⁵N values in ice-core samples representing a similar period of snow deposition were negative, ranging from -5.9 to -3.2 ‰ and all fall within the δ¹⁵N values expected from vehicle emissions. Ice-core nitrate and sulfate deposition data reflect the sharply increasing U.S. emissions data from 1950 to the mid-1970s.     

Comparison of Two Methods Used to Model Shape Parameters of Pareto Distributions

Two methods are compared for estimating the shape parameters of Pareto field-size (or pool-size) distributions for petroleum resource assessment. Both methods assume mature exploration in which most of the larger fields have been discovered. Both methods use the sizes of larger discovered fields to estimate the numbers and sizes of smaller fields: (1) the tail-truncated method uses a plot of field size versus size rank, and (2) the log–geometric method uses data binned in field-size classes and the ratios of adjacent bin counts. Simulation experiments were conducted using discovered oil and gas pool-size distributions from four petroleum systems in Alberta, Canada and using Pareto distributions generated by Monte Carlo simulation. The estimates of the shape parameters of the Pareto distributions, calculated by both the tail-truncated and log–geometric methods, generally stabilize where discovered pool numbers are greater than 100. However, with fewer than 100 discoveries, these estimates can vary greatly with each new discovery. The estimated shape parameters of the tail-truncated method are more stable and larger than those of the log–geometric method where the number of discovered pools is more than 100. Both methods, however, tend to underestimate the shape parameter. Monte Carlo simulation was also used to create sequences of discovered pool sizes by sampling from a Pareto distribution with a discovery process model using a defined exploration efficiency (in order to show how biased the sampling was in favor of larger fields being discovered first). A higher (more biased) exploration efficiency gives better estimates of the Pareto shape parameters.     

Preface: Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk

Magmatic rocks from the pre-Mesozoic basements of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes have been dated by U–Pb zircon ages with the LA-ICPMS technique. Several magmatic events have been identified in the Sambuco nappe. The mafic banded calc-alkaline suite of Scheggia is dated at 540 Ma, an age comparable to that of mafic rocks in the Austroalpine Silvretta nappe. The Sasso Nero peraluminous augengneiss has an age of 480–470 Ma, like many other “older orthogneisses” in Alpine basement units. It hosts a large proportion of inherited zircons, which were dated around 630 Ma, a Panafrican age indicating the Gondwanan affiliation of the Sambuco basement. The calc-alkaline Matorello pluton yielded ages around 300 Ma, similar to numerous Late Carboniferous intrusions in other basement units of the Lower Penninic (Monte Leone, Antigorio, Verampio) and Helvetic domains (Gotthard and other External Crystalline Massifs). Associated lamprophyric dykes are slightly younger (300–290 Ma), like similar dykes sampled in gneiss blocks included in the sedimentary cover of the underlying Antigorio nappe (290–285 Ma). The Cocco granodiorite and Rüscada leucogranite, both intruding the basement of the neighbouring Maggia nappe, yielded ages of ca. 300–310 Ma, identical within errors to the age of the Matorello pluton. They are significantly older than former age determinations. This age coincidence, coupled with remarkable petrologic similarities between the Cocco and Matorello granodiorites, strongly suggests paleogeographic proximity of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes in Late Carboniferous times. In recent publications these two nappes have been interpreted as belonging to distinct Mesozoic paleogeographic domains: “European” for Sambuco and “Briançonnais” for Maggia, separated by the “Valais” oceanic basin. In this case, the similarity of the Matorello and Cocco intrusions would demonstrate the absence of any significant transcurrent movement between these two continental domains. Alternatively, according to a more traditional view, Sambuco and Maggia might belong to a single large Alpine tectonic unit.     

Lithostratigraphic development and neotectonic significance of the Quaternary sediments along the Kachchh Mainland Fault (KMF) zone,western India

The Kachchh Mainland Fault (KMF) is a major E–W trending seismically active fault of the Kachchh palaeorift basin whose neotectonic evolution is not known. The present study deals with the eastern part of the KMF zone where the fault is morphologically expressed as steep north facing scarps and is divisible into five morphotectonic segments. The Quaternary sediments occurring in a narrow zone between the E–W trending KMF scarps and the flat Banni plain to the north are documented. The sediments show considerable heterogeneity vertically as well as laterally along the KMF zone. (The Quaternary sediments for a northward sloping and are exposed along the north flowing streams which also show rapid decrease in the depth of incision in the same direction.) The deposits, in general, comprise coarse as well as finer gravelly deposits, sands and aeolian and fluvial miliolites. The Quaternary sediments of the KMF zone show three major aggradation phases. The oldest phase includes the colluvio-fluvial sediments occurring below the miliolites. These deposits are strikingly coarse grained and show poor sorting and large angular clasts of Mesozoic rocks. The sedimentary characteristics indicate deposition, dominantly by debris flows and sediment gravity flows, as small coalescing alluvial fans in front of the scarps. These deposits suggest pre-miliolite neotectonic activity along the KMF. The second aggradation phase comprises aeolian miliolites and fluvially reworked miliolites that have been previously dated from middle to late Pleistocene. The youngest phase is the post-miliolite phase that includes all deposits younger than miliolite. These are represented by comparatively finer sandy gravels, gravelly sands and sand. The sediment characteristics suggest deposition in shallow braided stream channels under reduced level of neotectonic activity along the KMF during post-miliolite time evidenced by vertical dips of miliolites and tilting of gravels near the scarps. The tectonically controlled incision and dissection of the Quaternary deposits is the result of neotectonic activity that continues at present day. The overall nature, sedimentary characteristics and geomorphic setting of the sediments suggest that the KMF remained neotectonically active throughout the Quaternary period.     

G23FM: a tool for meshing complex geological media

We present G23FM, a mesh generation tool for discretizing two- and three-dimensional complex fractured geological media. G23FM includes different techniques to generate finite element grids that maintain the geometric integrity of input surfaces, and geologic data and produce optimal triangular/tetrahedral grids for flow and transport simulations. G23FM generates grid for two-dimensional cross-sections, represents faults and fractures, for three-dimensional fractured media, and has the capability of including finer grids. Different examples are presented to illustrate some of the main features of G23FM.     

Chemical and Strontium Isotopic Compositions of the Hanjiang Basin Rivers in China: Anthropogenic Impacts and Chemical Weathering

The Hanjiang River, the largest tributaries of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, is the water source area of the Middle Route of China’s South-to-North Water Transfer Project. The chemical and strontium isotopic compositions of the river waters are determined with the main purpose of understanding the contribution of chemical weathering processes and anthropogenic inputs on river solutes, as well as the associated CO₂ consumption in the carbonate-dominated basin. The major ion compositions of the Hanjiang River waters are characterized by the dominance of Ca²⁺ and HCO₃ ⁻, followed by Mg²⁺ and SO₄ ²⁻. The increase in TDS and major anions (Cl⁻, NO₃ ⁻, and SO₄ ²⁻) concentrations from upstream to downstream is ascribed to both extensive influences from agriculture and domestic activities over the Hanjiang basin. The chemical and Sr isotopic analyses indicate that three major weathering sources (dolomite, limestone, and silicates) contribute to the total dissolved loads. The contributions of the different end-members to the dissolved load are calculated with the mass balance approach. The calculated results show that the dissolved load is dominated by carbonates weathering, the contribution of which accounts for about 79.4% for the Hanjiang River. The silicate weathering and anthropogenic contributions are approximately 12.3 and 6.87%, respectively. The total TDS fluxes from chemical weathering calculated for the water source area (the upper Hanjiang basin) and the whole Hanjiang basin are approximately 3.8 × 10⁶ and 6.1 × 10⁶ ton/year, respectively. The total chemical weathering (carbonate and silicate) rate for the Hanjiang basin is approximately 38.5 ton/km²/year or 18.6 mm/k year, which is higher than global mean values. The fluxes of CO₂ consumption by carbonate and silicate weathering are estimated to be 56.4 × 10⁹ and 12.9 × 10⁹ mol/year, respectively.     

Prediction of Floor Water Inrush: The Application of GIS-Based AHP Vulnerable Index Method to Donghuantuo Coal Mine,China

Floor water inrush represents a geohazard that can pose significant threat to safe operations for instance in coal mines in China and elsewhere. Its occurrence is controlled by many factors, and the processes are often not amenable to mathematical expressions. To evaluate the water inrush risk, the paper proposes the vulnerability index approach by coupling the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system (GIS). The detailed procedures of using this innovative approach are shown in a case study in China (Donghuantuo Coal Mine). The powerful spatial data analysis functions of GIS was used to establish the thematic layer of each of the six factors that control the water inrush, and the contribution weights of each factor was determined with the AHP method. The established AHP evaluation model was used to determine the threshold value for each risk level with a histogram of the water inrush vulnerability index. As a result, the mine area was divided into five regions with different vulnerability levels which served as general guidelines for the mine operations. The prediction results were further corroborated with the actual mining data, and the evaluation result is satisfactory.     

Characteristics of winter mass balance of Glacier No.1 at the headwaters of the Urumqi River,Tianshan Mountains

This study analyzes the response of glacier to climate change during the past 49 years in Urumqi River source region, the Tianshan Mountains of China. The temporal and spatial variations of winter mass balance (bn-w) at different time scales were analyzed to identify their response to climate change during 1988–2006 (The observation of winter mass balance observation began in 1988) on the Glacier No.1 at the headwaters of the Urumqi River, Tianshan Mountains, China. The winter accumulation shows a significantly decreasing trend. The results show that the cumulative values on Glacier No.1 is 2,202 mm water equivalent during 1988–2006 and the mean values is 116 mm a⁻¹. Furthermore, the trend analysis of the winter mass balance indicates a rapid decrease since 1990, and the mean mass balance is only 79 mm a⁻¹ during 1997–2006. Winter mass balance correlates well negatively with the total evaporation from September to April (r = −0.68, α = 0.01), and positively with the total precipitation from September to April (r = 0.74, α = 0.01). However, winter mass balance shows a weak correlation with mean minimum air temperature during September to April (r = −0.35), and runoff on September (r = −0.13).