Geographically weighted methods and their use in network re-designs for environmental monitoring

Given an initial spatial sampling campaign, it is often of importance to conduct a second, more targeted campaign based on the properties of the first. Here a network re-design modifies the first one by adding and/or removing sites so that maximum information is preserved. Commonly, this optimisation is constrained by limited sampling funds and a reduced sample network is sought. To this extent, we demonstrate the use of geographically weighted methods combined with a location-allocation algorithm, as a means to design a second-phase sampling campaign in univariate, bivariate and multivariate contexts. As a case study, we use a freshwater chemistry data set covering much of Great Britain. Applying the two-stage procedure enables the optimal identification of a pre-specified number of sites, providing maximum spatial and univariate/bivariate/multivariate water chemistry information for the second campaign. Network re-designs that account for the buffering capacity of a freshwater site to acidification are also conducted. To complement the use of basic methods, robust alternatives are used to reduce the effect of anomalous observations on the re-designs. Our non-stationary re-design framework is general and provides a relatively simple and a viable alternative to geostatistical re-design procedures that are commonly adopted. Particularly in the multivariate case, it represents an important methodological advance.     

Semiautomatic and Automatic Cooperative Inversion of Seismic and Magnetotelluric Data

Natural source electromagnetic methods have the potential to recover rock property distributions from the surface to great depths. Unfortunately, results in complex 3D geo-electrical settings can be disappointing, especially where significant near-surface conductivity variations exist. In such settings, unconstrained inversion of magnetotelluric data is inexorably non-unique. We believe that: (1) correctly introduced information from seismic reflection can substantially improve MT inversion, (2) a cooperative inversion approach can be automated, and (3) massively parallel computing can make such a process viable. Nine inversion strategies including baseline unconstrained inversion and new automated/semiautomated cooperative inversion approaches are applied to industry-scale co-located 3D seismic and magnetotelluric data sets. These data sets were acquired in one of the Carlin gold deposit districts in north-central Nevada, USA. In our approach, seismic information feeds directly into the creation of sets of prior conductivity model and covariance coefficient distributions. We demonstrate how statistical analysis of the distribution of selected seismic attributes can be used to automatically extract subvolumes that form the framework for prior model 3D conductivity distribution. Our cooperative inversion strategies result in detailed subsurface conductivity distributions that are consistent with seismic, electrical logs and geochemical analysis of cores. Such 3D conductivity distributions would be expected to provide clues to 3D velocity structures that could feed back into full seismic inversion for an iterative practical and truly cooperative inversion process. We anticipate that, with the aid of parallel computing, cooperative inversion of seismic and magnetotelluric data can be fully automated, and we hold confidence that significant and practical advances in this direction have been accomplished.     

Diamond precipitation and mantle metasomatism – evidence from the trace element chemistry of silicate inclusions in diamonds from Akwatia, Ghana

Trace element concentrations in the four principal peridotitic silicate phases (garnet, olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene) included in diamonds from Akwatia (Birim Field, Ghana) were determined using SIMS. Incompatible trace elements are hosted in garnet and clinopyroxene except for Sr which is equally distributed between orthopyroxene and garnet in harzburgitic paragenesis diamonds. The separation between lherzolitic and harzburgitic inclusion parageneses, which is commonly made using compositional fields for garnets in a CaO versus Cr₂O₃ diagram, is also apparent from the Ti and Sr contents in both olivine and garnet. Titanium is much higher in the lherzolitic and Sr in the harzburgitic inclusions. Chondrite normalised REE patterns of lherzolitic garnets are enriched (10–20 times chondrite) in HREE (La_N/Yb_N = 0.02–0.06) while harzburgitic garnets have sinusoidal REE_N patterns, with the highest concentrations for Ce and Nd (2–8 times chondritic) and a minimum at Ho (0.2–0.7 times chondritic). Clinopyroxene inclusions show negative slopes with La enrichment 10–100 times chondritic and low Lu (0.1–1 times chondritic). Both a lherzolitic and a harzburgitic garnet with very high knorringite contents (14 and 21 wt% Cr₂O₃ respectively) could be readily distinguished from other garnets of their parageneses by much higher levels of LREE enrichment. The REE patterns for calculated melt compositions from lherzolitic garnet inclusions fall into the compositional field for kimberlitic-lamproitic and carbonatitic melts. Much more strongly fractionated REE patterns calculated from harzburgitic garnets, and low concentrations in Ti, Y, Zr, and Hf, differ significantly from known alkaline and carbonatitic melts and require a different agent. Equilibration temperatures for harzburgitic inclusions are generally below the C-H-O solidus of their paragenesis, those of lherzolitic inclusions are above. Crystallisation of harzburgitic diamonds from CO₂-bearing melts or fluids may thus be excluded. Diamond inclusion chemistry and mineralogy also is inconsistent with known examples of metasomatism by H₂O-rich melts. We therefore favour diamond precipitation by oxidation of CH₄-rich fluids with highly fractionated trace element patterns which are possibly due to “chromatographic” fractionation processes. Received: 27 January 1996 / Accepted: 5 May 1997     

柱状扰动体引起圆柱谐振腔共振频率偏移的数值模拟

基于微扰理论,研究了内部存在一个同轴圆柱扰动体时圆柱谐振腔共振频率的偏移问题.其中,圆柱谐振腔的边侧面是刚性的,上下底面应力自由.经过推导,得出了圆柱扰动体存在时谐振腔的声势与共振频率的表达式.在此基础上,分析了谐振腔与圆柱扰动体各种参数对谐振腔共振频率的影响.数值模拟结果表明,谐振腔的共振频率受扰动体在谐振腔中的位置影响较大.圆柱谐振腔的共振频率在圆柱扰动体居中时是最大值,并且其共振频率对扰动体的声速敏感;当扰动体在谐振腔两端时,谐振腔共振频率是最小值,并且其对扰动体的密度敏感.最后,通过数值模拟结果和实验测量结果之间的对比,发现两者的基本变化趋势是吻合的.     

Electrical Resistivity Imaging and the Saline Water Interface in High-Quality Coastal Aquifers

Population growth and changing climate continue to impact on the availability of natural resources. Urbanization of vulnerable coastal margins can place serious demands on shallow groundwater. Here, groundwater management requires definition of coastal hydrogeology, particularly the seawater interface. Electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) appears to be ideally suited for this purpose. We investigate challenges and drivers for successful electrical resistivity imaging with field and synthetic experiments. Two decades of seawater intrusion monitoring provide a basis for creating a geo-electrical model suitable for demonstrating the significance of acquisition and inversion parameters on resistivity imaging outcomes. A key observation is that resistivity imaging with combinations of electrode arrays that include dipole–dipole quadrupoles can be configured to illuminate consequential elements of coastal hydrogeology. We extend our analysis of ERI to include a diverse set of hydrogeological settings along more than 100 km of the coastal margin passing the city of Perth, Western Australia. Of particular importance are settings with: (1) a classic seawater wedge in an unconfined aquifer, (2) a shallow unconfined aquifer over an impermeable substrate, and (3) a shallow multi-tiered aquifer system over a conductive impermeable substrate. We also demonstrate a systematic increase in the landward extent of the seawater wedge at sites located progressively closer to the highly urbanized center of Perth. Based on field and synthetic ERI experiments from a broad range of hydrogeological settings, we tabulate current challenges and future directions for this technology. Our research contributes to resolving the globally significant challenge of managing seawater intrusion at vulnerable coastal margins.     

Comparison of the Data-Driven Random Forests Model and a Knowledge-Driven Method for Mineral Prospectivity Mapping: A Case Study for Gold Deposits Around the Huritz Group and Nueltin Suite,Nunavut, Canada

This paper outlines the process taken to create two separate gold prospectivity maps. The first was created using a combination of several knowledge-driven (KD) techniques. The second was created using a relatively new classification method called random forests (RF). The purpose of this study was to examine the results of the RF technique and to compare the results to that of the KD model. The datasets used for the creation of evidence maps for the gold prospectivity mapping include a comprehensive lake sediment geochemical dataset, interpreted geological structures (form lines), mapped and interpreted faults, lithology, topographic features (lakes), and known Au occurrences. The RF method performed well in that the gold prospectivity map created was a better predictor of the known Au occurrences than the KD gold prospectivity map. This was further validated by a fivefold repetition using a subset of the input training areas. Several advantages to the use of RF include (1) the ability to take both continuous and/or categorical data as variable inputs, (2) an internal, unbiased estimation of the mapping error (out-of-bag error) removing the need for a cross-validation of the final outputs to determine accuracy, and (3) the estimation of importance of each input variable. Efficiency of prediction curves illustrates that the RF method performs better than the KD method. The success rate is significantly higher for the RF method than for the KD method.     

Multiphase models of flotation machine behaviour

Models in which the cell contents are partitioned into distinct pulp and froth phases are reviewed critically. The nature of the mixing within the phases is discussed. Multiphase models describing froth column concentration gradients and pulp residence time effects are mentioned. It is shown that at steady state multiphase models can be reduced to the two-phase case. Deficiencies in the models and topics requiring further development are outlined.     

Spectral observations for near-Earth objects including potential target 4660 Nereus : Results from Meudon remote observations at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)

We present visible and near-infrared spectral measurements for the highly accessible spacecraft target 4660 Nereus and three additional near-Earth objects displaying diverse color characteristics. All near-infrared measurements were carried out during the first remote observing operations between the Observatoire de Paris at Meudon and Mauna Kea, Hawaii. From Meudon, we had fine pointing and guiding control of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility 3.0-m telescope and the near-infrared spectrograph “SpeX” to measure asteroid spectra in the range 0.8-. The efficiency of the observation was virtually the same as if the observers had been on location. We combine our near-infrared results with complementary 0.4- spectral measurements. Nereus is found to be a rare Xe-type asteroid with a composition that may be analogous to very high albedo enstatite achondrite (aubrite) meteorites, leading to a diameter estimate of less than . 1685 Toro displays a classic S-type spectrum while a steeper visible wavelength slope and a less pronounced absorption feature for 1943 Anteros places it in the L-class. Also unusual is the apparent olivine-rich spectrum for 4142 Dersu-Uzala, which is classified as an A-type.