Sources and behavior of arsenic and trace elements in groundwater and surface water in the Poopó Lake Basin,Bolivian Altiplano

Water management in semiarid and arid catchments such as the Poopó Lake Basin requires improved understanding of the complex behavior of the various contaminants, which affect the drinking water quality and considered as crucial for sustainable development of the region. Mechanisms of arsenic (As) release in the surface and groundwater were studied. Hydrochemical data for surface water (4 samples) and groundwater (28 samples) were collected in a small watershed in the Poopó catchment at the highland of the Bolivian Andes (Altiplano). All of them show high electrical conductivity values and moderately oxidizing conditions. The surface water contains high concentration of sulfate and the trace elements As, Zn and Pb in the zone affected by acid mine drainage. There is a large variability of the concentration of As and of the trace elements in the groundwater in the five different regions within the Poopó catchment. The metal concentrations sensitive to changes of redox state and results of speciation modeling suggest that As (V) is a predominant aqueous species, which conforms to the prevailing oxidizing conditions in the shallow groundwater environment. Two generalized trends for As distribution were identified in groundwater: (a) high concentrations are found in the arid zone (100–250 μg/L) in the southern (region III) and in the northwestern (region V) regions, and (b) low concentrations (<50 μg/L) are found in the remaining part of the basin (region I, II and IV). However, the spatial distribution within these regions needs to be investigated further. A conclusion from the present study is that there are multiple sources of As as well as other trace elements (such as Cd, Mn and Zn) in the Poopó Lake Basin. Among the sources and the processes which led to the mobility of As and other trace metals in the region are: (a) weathering of sulfide minerals, (b) oxidation of pyrite and/or arsenopyrite in mineralized areas and (c) desorption from hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) surfaces. In non-mining areas, volcanic ash is suggested to be a significant source of As.     

Quantification of microcrack anisotropy in quartzite — a comparison between experimentally undeformed and deformed samples

In this paper, microcrack patterns in a quartzite are quantified using fractal geometry based methods. Since the quartzite does not show a mesoscopic foliation, the fabric was recognized using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analysis. Microcracks were investigated in thin sections prepared along the three principal planes of the AMS ellipsoid. Point load tests were performed on cores drilled parallel as well as perpendicular to the magnetic foliation. After experimental deformation, thin sections were prepared in two orientations — (a) parallel to the plane of failure (i.e., parallel to the direction of loading), (b) perpendicular to the plane of failure (i.e., perpendicular to the direction of loading), and microcrack patterns in these sections were investigated. The box-counting method of fractal analysis was first applied to microcracks traced from SEM images from each thin section of the experimentally undeformed as well as deformed samples to establish the fractal nature of the microcrack pattern. It was found that in thin sections perpendicular to the direction of loading, the box (fractal) dimension tends to marginally increase. This is inferred as a manifestation of the increase in complexity of the pattern. The software AMOCADO, which is based on the modified Cantor Dust method of fractal analysis, was applied to microcrack pattern from each thin section in order to quantify the pattern anisotropy. It is noted that the anisotropy significantly reduces in sections perpendicular to the loading direction. SEM data are presented to demonstrate that this reduction in anisotropy is on account of generation and/or growth of new cracks in random orientations. It is envisaged that the approach adopted in this investigation maybe useful in rock mechanics and mineral-resource applications in future.     

Mineralization of pegmatites in parts of the Oban Massif, Southeastern Nigeria： A preliminary analysis

The Oban Basement Massif of southeastern Nigeria is composed of metamorphosed rocks including phyllites, schists, gneisses and amphibolites cut by pegmatitic dykes of varying length and thickness, which intruded the metamorphic rocks. Preliminary geochemical study and analysis of these pegmatites from western Oban Massif at Uyanga, Akwa Ibami, Iwuru I, Iwuru Ⅱ and Igbofia showed that the pegmatites are highly albitized. This is incon-sistent with earlier postulations that the pegmatites in this part of Nige...     

Noble Gases in the Lunar Regolith

The most fundamental character of lunar soil is its high concentrations of solar-wind-implanted elements, and the concentrations and behavior of the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, and Xe, which provide unique and extensive information about a broad range of fundamental problems. In this paper, the authors studied the forming mechanism of lunar regolith, and proposed that most of the noble gases in lunar regolith come from the solar wind. Meteoroid bombardment controls the maturity of lunar soil, with the degree of maturation decreasing with grain size; the concentrations of the noble gases would be of slight variation with the depth of lunar soil but tend to decrease with grain size. In addition, the concentrations of noble gases in lunar soil also show a close relationship with its mineral and chemical compositions. The utilization prospects of the noble gas ^3He in lunar regolith will be further discussed.     

Modeling basin-scale hydrology in support of physical climate and global biogeochemical studies: An example using the Zambezi River

Human activity is an important agent defining the contemporary hydrologic cycle. We have documented the potential impacts of impoundment, land use change and climate change on the Zambezi River system in southern Africa and found that they can be substantial. A full analysis requires construction and parameterization of a simulation for the entire catchment. This paper develops a strategy for implementing catchment-scale models of the major hydrologic processes operating within the basin. A coherent data set for calibrating the models has also been assembled. The algorithms consist of a Water Balance (WBM) and a Water Transport (WTM) operating at 1/2^o spatial scale and at monthly timesteps. These models transform complex patterns of regional climatology into estimates of soil water, evapotranspiration, runoff, and discharge through rivers of various size. The models are dependent on the characteristics of the terrestrial surface, principally soil texture and land cover. A simulated river network is also required. Additional tabular data sets are essential for model testing and calibration. These include subcatchment areas; observed river discharge at selected points; flooding, storage and loss characteristics of major wetlands; floodwave translation; and, volume, surface area, withdrawal and evaporative losses from impoundments. An important design consideration for the numerous impoundments in the Zambezi requires an understanding of the seasonal variation in discharge, in particular how it might respond to climate and land use change. The research strategy offered here lays a framework for addressing such issues. Although the primary focus of this work is hydrologic, we discuss how the model can be extended to consider constituent transport and biogeochemical cycling issues at the continental scale.     

Distribution of coastal cliffs in Kerala,India: their mechanisms of failure and related human engineering response

The 560-km-long Kerala coast is characterised by long barriers with narrow beaches and steep cliffs. Distribution of cliffs from nine sections measuring a cumulative length of 63.5 km is evaluated in ArcGIS Software using topomaps and field survey data. The cliff sections in the southern coast comprise both permeable and impermeable rocks, whereas those along northern coast are comprised of either Precambrian crystalline and/or Tertiary formations. Notches, caves and even small arches are developed in Cannanore, Dharmadam and Kadalundi cliffs, where only primary laterites are exposed to wave attack. Stacks composed of laterite and Precambrian crystallines found in nearshore of cliffed coast indicate recession of shoreline. Mass wasting, mudslide and mudflow type of cliff failures are common in permeable to semi-permeable rocks, whereas rotational sliding, rockfall and toppling failure are found in hard rock cliffs. Retreat of cliff sections are induced by natural or anthropogenic activities or both. Rate of recession vary from a few centimetres to one metre/year depending upon the nature of lithology, structures and recession agents acting upon the cliffs. Various methods of cliff protection for e.g. hard structures—revetments, groins, seawalls, breakwater and jetties—and soft measures—artificial reefs/marsh creation, floating breakwaters, beach nourishment, beach scraping and vegetation planting—are suggested.     

A Directed-Line-Segment-Based Photogrammetry Method to Survey the Tunneling Working Surface of Mine Roadway

Absolute orientation is a basic technical work in digital image geologic logging of underground coal mine. Traditional control-point-based absolute orientation method requires setting object space control points of the known three-dimensional coordinates, which may lead to low efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposed a point-free close-range photogrammetry absolute orientation algorithm, which utilized direction line segments including plumb line segments and line segments with known directions and lengths to identify the dimensional orientation of a stereoscopic model. Experiment results show that the precision of the orientation results is favorable. σ _X and σ _Y are as high as 0.5 mm, and σ _Z is 0.3 mm. Finally, this paper introduced the application of the proposed algorithm in rapid geological logging of coal mine roadway, which was fast and reliable, convenient and feasible.     

Impact of land use change on groundwater recharge in Guishui River Basin,China

It is important to understand how land use change impacts groundwater recharge,especially for regions that are undergoing rapid urbanization and there is limited surface water.In this study,the hydrological processes and re-charge ability of various land use types in Guishui River Basin,China(in Beijing Municipality) were analyzed.The impact of land use change was investigated based on water balance modeling,WetSpass and GIS.The results indicate that groundwater recharge accounts for only 21.16% of the precipitation,while 72.54% is lost in the form of evapotranspiration.The annual-lumped groundwater recharge rate decreases in the order of cropland,grassland,urban land,and forest.Land use change has resulted in a decrease of 4 × 106 m3 of yearly groundwater recharge in the study area,with a spatially averaged rate of 100.48 mm/yr and 98.41 mm/yr in 1980 and 2005,respectively.This variation has primarily come from an increase of urban area and rural settlements,as well as a decrease of cropland.     

Spatial structure and land use control in Extended Metropolitan Region of Zhujiang River Delta,China

The Zhujiang (Pearl) River Delta is one of the most developed Extended Metropolitan Regions (EMR) in China.With the rapid urbanization,the agglomeration of population and industries has emerged,which has led to dramatic changes of spatial structure and land use in this region.With data of high resolution TM remote sensing images and Google Earth maps,this paper identified and analyzed the spatial pattern of the Zhujiang River Delta EMR using Envy and ArcGIS tools.It was found that 1) the industrial land uses were expanding substantially,particularly on the bank sides of the Zhujiang River estuary;2) large-scale housing developments were concentrated in the fringe of metropolitan areas such as those of Guangzhou and Shenzhen;3) a regional transportation network with the spatial pattern of ″1 circle +2 pieces + 3 axes″ had significantly affected the location choice of manufacture enterprises.At the same time,both highly specialized land use and severely mixed land use patterns were identified.As a consequence of the latter,land use efficiency of the whole EMR areas was reduced.Moreover,ecologic and environmental problems were severe.Based on the above analysis,suggestions were given from the viewpoint of spatial safety,land use efficiency,and the reorganization of spatial structure in the Zhujiang River Delta EMR.