Geophysical monitoring of a field-scale biostimulation pilot project

The USGS conducted a geophysical investigation in support of a U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division field-scale biostimulation pilot project at Anoka County Riverfront Park (ACP), down-gradient of the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant, Fridley, Minnesota. The goal of the pilot project is to evaluate subsurface injection of vegetable oil emulsion (VOE) to stimulate microbial degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons. To monitor the emplacement and movement of the VOE and changes in water chemistry resulting from VOE dissolution and/or enhanced biological activity, the USGS acquired cross-hole radar zero-offset profiles, travel-time tomograms, and borehole geophysical logs during five site visits over 1.5 years. Analysis of pre- and postinjection data sets using petrophysical models developed to estimate VOE saturation and changes in total dissolved solids provides insights into the spatial and temporal distribution of VOE and ground water with altered chemistry. Radar slowness-difference tomograms and zero-offset slowness profiles indicate that the VOE remained close to the injection wells, whereas radar attenuation profiles and electromagnetic induction logs indicate that bulk electrical conductivity increased down-gradient of the injection zone, diagnostic of changing water chemistry. Geophysical logs indicate that some screened intervals were located above or below zones of elevated dissolved solids; hence, the geophysical data provide a broader context for interpretation of water samples and evaluation of the biostimulation effort. Our results include (1) demonstration of field and data analysis methods for geophysical monitoring of VOE biostimulation and (2) site-specific insights into the spatial and temporal distributions of VOE at the ACP.     

Submillimetre detection of the z=2.83 Lyman-break galaxy, Westphal–MM8, and implications for SCUBA2

We present confusion-limited submillimetre (submm) observations with the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope of the   z = 2.83  Lyman-break galaxy (LBG), Westphal–MM8, reaching an 850 μm sensitivity even greater than that achieved in the SCUBA map of the Hubble Deep Field region. The detection of MM8  ( S _850 μm= 1.98 ± 0.48 mJy)  , along with the literature submm detections of lensed LBGs, suggests that the LBG population may contribute significantly to the source counts of submm-selected galaxies in the 1–2 mJy regime. Additionally, submm-luminous LBGs are a viable progenitor population for the recently discovered evolved galaxies at   z ∼ 2–2.5  . These observations represent an important baseline for SCUBA2 observations which will regularly map large regions of the sky to this depth.     

A structural record of the emplacement of the Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite onto the Menderes-Taurus block in the late Cretaceous, eastern Taurides, Turkey

The Aladag region of eastern Taurides, Turkey, is characterized by an imbricated thrust structure developed during late stage emplacement of the Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite onto the Menderes-Taurus block in the late Cretaceous. The mid to late Cretaceous dynamothermal metamorphic sole and the underlying unmetamorphosed mélange, here named the Aladag accretionary complex, were accreted to the base of the Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite during intra-oceanic subduction, transport and final obduction of the ophiolite onto the Menderes-Taurus block.In the dynamothermal metamorphic sole, intensity of deformation and degree of metamorphism increase from the base to the top, and at least three episodes of foliation, lineation and fold development are recognized. The asymmetry of quartz c-axis fabrics, tightness and asymmetry of folds of the same generation, and curvature of fold hinge lines increase from base to top, indicating that non-coaxial progressive deformation prevailed during the development of the metamorphic sole. The mélange is divided into three major thrust fault-bounded tectonic slivers, each of which is characterized by distinctive types of matrix and block lithologies, structures and deformation style. Kinematic analyses of the dynamothermal metamorphic sole and the mélange reveal that the tectonic transport direction of the Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite during its emplacement was from north-northwest to south-southeast, suggesting that the Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite was derived from a Neo-Tethyan ocean to the north of the Menderes-Taurus block.     

Rates of oxygen exchange between the Al2O8Al28(OH)56(H2O)26(aq) (Al30) molecule and aqueous solution

Rates of steady exchange of oxygens between bulk solution and the largest known aluminum polyoxocation: Al₂O₈Al₂₈(OH)₅₆(H₂O)₂₆¹⁸⁺(aq) (Al₃₀) are reported at pH≈4.7 and 32-40°C. The Al₃₀ molecule is a useful model for geochemists because it is ≈2 nm in length, comparable to the smallest colloidal solids, and it has structural complexity greater than the surfaces of most aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals. The Al₃₀ molecule has 15 distinct hydroxyl sites and eight symmetrically distinct bound waters. Among the hydroxyl bridges are two sets of μ₃-OH, which are not present in any of the other aluminum polyoxocations that have yet been studied by NMR methods. Rates of isotopic equilibration of the μ₂-OH and μ₃-OH hydroxyls and bound water molecules fall within the same range as we have determined for other aluminum solutes, although it is impossible to determine rate laws for exchange at the large number of individual oxygen sites. After injection of ¹⁷O-enriched water, growth of the ¹⁷O-NMR peak near 37 ppm, which is assigned to μ₂-OH and μ₃-OH hydroxyl bridges, indicates that these bridges equilibrate within two weeks at temperatures near 35°C. The peak at +22 ppm in the ¹⁷O-NMR spectra, assigned to bound water molecules (η-OH₂), varies in width with temperature in a similar fashion as for other aluminum solutes, suggesting that most of the η-OH₂ sites exchange with bulk solution at rates that fall within the range observed for other aluminum complexes. Signal from one anomalous group of four η-OH₂ sites is not observed, indicating that these sites exchange at least a factor of ten more rapidly than the other η-OH₂ sites on the Al₃₀.     

An ancient linked fluid migration system: cold-seep deposits and sandstone intrusions in the Panoche Hills, California, USA

In central California, Maastrichtian–Danian shales of the Moreno Formation preserve a fluid migration system that developed along the western margin of the former Great Valley forearc basin. The system consists of a network of interconnected sandstone intrusions linked to overlying fossiliferous carbonates whose geochemistry, fauna, and petrology are characteristic of active cold seeps. The system is approximately 800 m thick and represents episodic migration and seafloor expulsion of fluids over at least 0.5×10⁶ years. This locality has the most extensive exposure yet discovered of a complete seep system, from underlying fluid pathways to seep deposits and associated communities.     

The geology of the Oceanographer Transform: The transform domain

Three dives in submersible ALVIN and four deep-towed camera lowerings have been made along the transform valley of the Oceanographer Transform. These data constrain our understanding of the processes that create and shape the distinctive morphology that is characteristic of slowly slipping ridge-transform-ridge (RTR) plate boundaries. Our data suggest that the locus of strike-slip tectonism, called the transform fault zone (TFZ), is confined to a narrow swath (<4 km) that is centered along the axis of maximum depth. The TFZ is flanked by the inward facing slopes of the transform valley. The lower portions of the valley walls are characterized by broad sloping exposures of undisrupted sediment but at higher elevations the walls are made up of inward facing scarps and terraces of variable dimensions. Although the scarps have been badly degraded by mass wasting, there is no evidence to suggest that these scarps have accommodated significant amounts of strike-slip motion. Plutonic and ultramafic rocks are exposed on these scarps and the occurrence of this diverse assemblage on small-throw faults indicates that the crust is thin and/or discontinuous in this environment. We suggest that this complex igneous assemblage is the product of anomalous accretionary processes that are characteristic of slowly-slipping RTR plate boundaries.     

A review of the acoustic-emission monitoring of wire rope

This review of existing technology on the acoustic-emission inspection of wire rope has confirmed that the most realistic application of the method is in the detection and location of wire breaks. However, the successful detection and location of wire breaks is dependent upon such factors as rope construction, diameter, length and number of wire breaks. The occurrence of large numbers of wire breaks work against the technique; although such large numbers of wire breaks are only likely to be generated in the laboratory during the fatigue testing of rope specimens. This review has shown that acoustic emission can be a useful laboratory tool, but application of the technique to ropes in service will probably be limited and specific to certain applications. In order to develop the technique for practical applications, future work needs to concentrate on the rope constructions that are most commonly used in industry, also those which are best suited to the technique, and developing wire-break signatures that could be designed into future equipment. This can be achieved through narrow-band filters, matching the resonant frequency of the transducers to the main frequency components of a wire break and pattern recognition software.     

Dissolution Kinetics of Calcite in 0.1 M NaCl Solution at Room Temperature: An Atomic Force Microscopic (AFM) Study

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the rates of migration of the (10¯1 4) plane of a single-crystal of calcite dissolving in 0.1 M NaCl aqueous solutions at room temperature. The solution pH and P_{CO 2} controlled in the ranges 4.4 < pH < 12.2 and 0 < P_{CO 2} < 10^-3.5 atm (ambient), respectively. Measured step velocities were compared with the mineral dissolution rates determined from the calcium fluxes. The step velocity is defined as the average of the velocities of the obtuse and acute steps. Rates of step motion increased gradually from 1.4(±0.2) at pH 5.3 to 2.4(±0.3) nm s^-1 at pH 8.2, whereas the rates inverted and decreased to the minimum value of 0.69(±0.18) nm s^-1 at pH 10.8. For pH > 10.8, only the velocity of the obtuse steps increased as pH increased, whereas that of acute steps gradually decreased.The dissolution rate of the mineral can be calculated from the measured step velocities and average slope, which is proportional to the concentration of exposed monomolecular steps on the surface. The average slope of the dissolving mineral, measured at pH 5.6 and 9.7, was 0.026 (±0.015). Using this slope, we calculate bulk dissolution rates for 5.3 < pH < 12.2 of 4.9(±3.0) × 10^-11 to 1.8(±1.0) × 10^-10 mol cm^-2 s^-1. The obtained dissolution rate can be expressed by the following empirical equation:R_dss = 10^{-4.66(±0.13)}[H⁺] + 10^{-3.87(±0.06)}[HCO₃ ^-] + 10^{-7.99(plusmn; 0.08)}[OH^-]We propose that calcite dissolution in these solutions is controlled by elementary reactions that are similar to those that control the dissolution of other amphoteric solids, such as oxides. The mechanisms include the proton-enhanced hydration and detachment of calcium-carbonate ion pairs. The detachments are enhanced by the presence of adsorbed nucleophiles, such as hydroxyl and bicarbonate ions, and by protons adsorbed to key oxygens. A molecular model is proposed that illustrates these processes.