The evolution of groundwater in the Tyrrell catchment, south-central Murray Basin, Victoria, Australia

The Tyrell catchment lies on the western margin of the Riverine Province in the south-central Murray Basin, one of Australia’s most important groundwater resources. Groundwater from the shallow, unconfined Pliocene Sands aquifer and the underlying Renmark Group aquifer is saline (total dissolved solids up to 150,000 mg/L) and is Na-Cl-Mg type. There is no systematic change in salinity along hydraulic gradients implying that the aquifers are hydraulically connected and mixing during vertical flow is important. Stable isotopes (¹⁸O+²H) and Cl/Br ratios indicate that groundwater is entirely of meteoric origin and salts in this system have largely been derived by evapotranspiration of rainfall with only minor halite dissolution, rock weathering (mainly feldspar dissolution), and ion exchange between Na and Mg on clays. Similarity in chemistry of all groundwater in the catchment implies relative consistency in processes over time, independent of any climatic variation. Groundwater in both the Pliocene Sands and Renmark Group aquifers yield ages of up to 25 ka. The Tyrrell Catchment is arid to semi-arid and has low topography. This has resulted in relatively low recharge rates and hydraulic gradients that have resulted in long groundwater residence times.     

Vertical distribution and water solubility of phosphorus and heavy metals in sediments of the St. Lucie Estuary, South Florida, USA

Accumulation and distribution of heavy metals and phosphorus in sediments impact water quality. There has been an increasing concern regarding fish health in the St. Lucie Estuary, which is related to increased inputs of nutrients and metals in recent decades. To investigate vertical changes of contaminants (P, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn) in sediments of the St. Lucie Estuary in South Florida, 117 layer samples from six of the 210 to 420 cm depth cores were analyzed for their total and water-soluble P and heavy metals, clay, total Fe, Al, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and pH. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used in two sets of analytical data (total and water-soluble contaminant concentrations) to document changes of contaminants in each core of sediments. The PCA of total contaminants and minerals resulted in two factors (principal components). The first and second factors accounted for 61.7 and 17.2 % of the total variation in all variables, and contrast indicators associated with contaminants of P, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn and accumulation of Fe and Al oxides, respectively. The first factor could be used for overall assessment of P and heavy metal contamination, and was higher in the upper 45–90 cm than the lower depths of each core. The concentrations of P and heavy metals in the surface layers of sediments significantly increased, as compared with those in the sediments deeper than 45–90 cm. The PCA of water-soluble contaminants developed two factors. The second factor (Cu–P) was higher in the upper than the lower depths of the sediment, whereas the highest score of the first factor (Cd–Co–Cr–Ni–Pb–Zn–Mn) occurred below 100 cm. The water-soluble Cu and P concentrations were mainly dependent on their total concentrations in the sediments, whereas the water-soluble Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn concentrations were mainly controlled by pH.     

Zr-in-rutile thermometry in blueschists from Sifnos, Greece

Zr-in-rutile thermometry on samples of blueschist from Sifnos, Greece, yields temperatures that reflect progressive crystallization of rutile from ca. 445 to 505°C with an analytical precision of + 18/−27 and ± 10°C using the electron microprobe and ± 1.5–3.5°C using the ion microprobe. Individual grains are generally homogeneous within analytical uncertainty. Different grains within a single sample record temperature differences as large 55°, although in most samples the range of temperatures is on the order of 25°. In several samples, Zr-in-rutile temperatures from grains within garnet are lower than temperatures from matrix grains, reflecting growth of rutile with increasing temperature of metamorphism. Although the specific rutile-producing reactions have not been identified, it is inferred that rutile grows from either continuous reaction involving the breakdown of lower grade phases (possibly ilmenite), or from pseudomorph reactions involving the breakdown of relic igneous precursors at blueschist-facies conditions. No systematic variation in rutile temperatures was observed across the blueschist belt of northern Sifnos, consistent with the belt having behaved as a coherent block during subduction.     

库车坳陷侏罗系煤成气动力学模拟研究

应用黄金管—高压釜封闭体系热模拟实验与GC、GC-IRMS分析技术,结合KINETICS专用软件,对库车坳陷侏罗系煤成气进行了动力学模拟研究。库车坳陷侏罗系煤具有高的产气性,在高演化阶段主要产甲烷气;侏罗系煤热解气甲烷碳同位素为-36‰～-25‰,乙烷碳同位素为-28‰～-16‰;甲烷、C2-C5气态烃的生成活化能分别为(47～64k)calm/ol、(55～72k)calm/ol,频率因子各为5.265×1013s-1、5.388×1018s-1。在此基础上,进一步探讨了克拉2气田天然气的成因。研究认为,克拉2气田天然气属阶段捕获的煤成气,主要聚集了5～1Ma时期的天然气,其成熟度Ro分布范围为1.3%～2.5%。     

Ecological characteristics of Vrishabhavathy River in Bangalore (India)

River Vrishabhavathy, a tributary of Cauvery River was studied for 12 physico-chemical parameters at four sites over a distance of 50 km for a period of 2 years (1999–2001) at monthly intervals. Water was faintly alkaline, with pH showing negative correlation with temperature. The dissolved oxygen content increased downstream with negative correlation to biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity. Bicarbonate alkalinity was very low compared with carbonate alkalinity. Carbonate alkalinity, total hardness, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, electrical conductivity, BOD and COD decreased downstream, with an upward trend in the middle reaches due to the introduction of raw sewage. The seasonal and yearly trends are also discussed. The river is a sewer collector undergoing self-purification.     

Decarbonation reaction of magnesite in subducting slabs at the lower mantle

High-pressure and temperature experiments (28–62 GPa, and 1,490–2,000 K, corresponding to approximately 770–1,500 km depth in the mantle) have been conducted on a MgCO₃ + SiO₂ mixture using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell combined with analytical transmission electron microscope observation of the product phases to constrain the fate of carbonates carried on the subducting basalt into the lower mantle. At these conditions, the decarbonation reaction MgCO₃ (magnesite) + SiO₂ (stishovite) → MgSiO₃ (perovskite) + CO₂ (solid) has been recognized. This indicates that above reaction takes place as a candidate for decarbonation of the carbonated subducting mid ocean ridge basalts in the Earth’s lower mantle.     

Modeling of rainfall-triggered shallow landslide

By integrating hydrological modeling with the infinite slope stability analysis, a rainfall-triggered shallow landslide model was developed by Iverson (Water Resour Res 36:1897-1910, 2000). In Iverson’s model, the infiltration capacity is assumed to be equivalent to the saturated hydraulic conductivity for finding pressure heads analytically. However, for general infiltration process, the infiltration capacity should vary with time during the period of rain, and the infiltration rate is significantly related to the variable infiltration capacity. To avoid the unrealistically high pressure heads, Iverson employed the beta-line correction by specifying that the simulated pressure heads cannot exceed those given by the beta line. In this study, the suitability of constant infiltration capacity together with the beta-line correction for hydrological modeling and landslide modeling of hillslope subjected to a rainfall is examined. By amending the boundary condition at ground surface of hillslope in Iverson’s model, the modified Iverson’s model with considering general infiltration process is developed to conduct this examination. The results show that the unrealistically high pressure heads from Iverson’s model occur due to the overestimation of infiltration rate induced from the assumption that the infiltration capacity is identical to the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Considering with the general infiltration process, the modified Iverson’s model gives acceptable results. In addition, even though the beta-line correction is applied, the Iverson’s model still produces greater simulated pressure heads and overestimates soil failure potential as compared with the modified Iverson’s model. Therefore, for assessing rainfall-triggered shallow landslide, the use of constant infiltration capacity together with the beta-line correction needs to be replaced by the consideration of general infiltration process.