Tourism industry effects on socio-cultural activities of host communities: evidence from Cross River State,Nigeria

GeoJournal - The tourism industry has been touted to have huge significant impact on the social and economic growth of local people across the world. This study is carried out to examine the role...     

Numerical simulation of percussive drilling

This paper presents a novel dynamical model to analyze the long‐term response of a percussive drilling system. This departs from existing approaches that usually consider a single activation and bit/rock interaction cycle for the analysis of the process performance. The proposed model integrates the axial dynamics of an elastic piston and an elastic drill bit, a motion‐dependent pressure law to drive the piston, and a generalized bit/rock interaction law representative of the dynamic indentation taking place at the bit/rock interface. It applies to down‐the‐hole percussive drilling as well as top‐hole, with minor modifications. The model does not account for the angular motion or the hole cleaning, however. The model is first formulated mathematically; then, a finite‐dimensional approximation is proposed for computations. Numerical analyses of the model response, for a low‐size down‐the‐hole percussive system, follow. The period‐1 stationary response for the reference configuration is studied in detail, and parametric analyses assessing the influence on the rate of penetration of the bit/rock interaction parameters, the feed force, and the percussive activation parameters are conducted. These analyses reveal that the multiscale nature of the process is well captured by the model and recover expected trends for the influence of the parameters. They also suggest that a significant increase of the penetration rate can be achieved by increasing the percussive frequency. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identifying the accidental-natural mortality of leporids in the archaeological record: insights from a taphonomical analysis of a pitfall without evidence of human presence

Leporids (Lagomorpha, Mammalia), especially the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), have been among the most abundant small game in western Europe since the Pleistocene. These animals are preferred prey for more than 40 predators, which increases the chances of finding their skeletal remains at archaeological or natural sites, and in particular karstic formations alternately occupied by Palaeolithic human societies and other predators. Moreover, specific eco-ethological characteristics for both species also offer the possibility to produce a substantial quantity of their bones accumulated by natural mortality without predation, making it more difficult to identify their origin in the fossil record. Despite this fact, the taphonomic signature of accidental-natural accumulations of leporids in karsts, such as pitfalls, has never been properly characterised. In order to address these issues, we carried out a detailed taphonomic study of leporid remains in a pitfall without any evidence of human activity, namely at Coulet des Roches (Monieux, Vaucluse, south-eastern France). At this site, leporids are the most abundant species throughout the Last Glacial Maximum sedimentary sequence. The bone accumulation was analysed in order to determine the most relevant criteria to identify a natural accumulation that results from the accidental fall of individuals in the pitfall. The relative proportions of each species are consistent with their current ethology, and their mortality profiles are compatible with the structure of a living natural population. The completeness rate of the different skeletal portions for both species is relatively high, bones are less fragmented and, unlike what might be expected, very few anatomical connections were preserved. The observed anatomical representation, breakage, and bone surface modification patterns are discussed and compared with available data concerning accumulations with predation. Taken together, the identified criteria contribute valuable help in the recognition of accidental mortality in the fossil record, as well as to evaluate the proportion of leporid bones accumulated naturally and those accumulated by predation, human or not, in a deposit.     

Maximum Entropy and Random Forest Modeling of Mineral Potential: Analysis of Gold Prospectivity in the Hezuo–Meiwu District,West Qinling Orogen,China

Natural Resources Research - This study tested and compared the mineral potential mapping capabilities of the random forest (RF) and maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithms using gold deposit...     

Enhancement and Mapping of Weak Multivariate Stream Sediment Geochemical Anomalies in Ahar Area,NW Iran

In this study, stream sediment geochemical data have been subjected to robust principal components analysis (RPCA) and singularity mapping (SM) to enhance and map significant multivariate geochemical anomalies (i.e., mineralization-related) in Ahar area, NW Iran. The RPCA was applied to (a) account for the compositional nature of stream sediment geochemical data using suitable log-ratio transformation, (b) modulate the effect of outliers in component estimation and (c) derive a multivariate geochemical footprint of mineralization. The SM was applied to extract anomalous patterns of the multivariate geochemical footprint of mineralization. The exploration targets were then delineated using Student’s t-statistics analysis. The correlations of mapped exploration targets with the known mineral occurrences and mineralization-related patterns were further evaluated using normalized density index and overall accuracy analyses.     

Application of Mineral Exploration Models and GIS to Generate Mineral Potential Maps as Input for Optimum Land-Use Planning in the Philippines

The inherent problems of classifying or inventorying potential mineral resources (as opposed to known mineral resources) pose specific challenges. In this paper, the application of a conceptual mineral exploration model and GIS to generate mineral potential maps as input to land-use policy decision-making is illustrated. We implement the criteria provided by a conceptual exploration model for nickeliferous-laterites by using a GIS to classify the nickeliferous-laterite potential of an area in the northeastern part of the Philippines. The spatial data inputs to the GIS are geological map data, topographic map data, and stream sediment point data. Processing of these data yields derivative maps, which are used as indicators of nickeliferous-laterite potential. The indicator maps then are integrated to furnish a nickeliferous-laterite potential map. This map is compared with present land-use classification and policy in the area. The results indicate high potential for nickeliferous-laterite occurrence in the area, but the zones of potential are in places where mineral resources development is prohibited. The prohibition was imposed before the nickeliferous-laterite potential was assessed by this study. Mineral potential classification therefore is a critical input to land-use policy-making so that prospective land is not alienated from future mineral resource development.     

Predicted present-day evolution patterns of ice thickness and bedrock elevation over Greenland and Antarctica

This paper discusses predicted evolution patterns of present-day changes of ice thickness, surface elevation, and bedrock elevation over the Greenland and Antarctic continents. These were obtained from calculations with dynamic 3-D ice sheet models which were coupled to a visco-elastic solid Earth model. The experiments were initialized over the last two glacial cycles and subsequently averaged over the last 200 years to obtain the current evolution. The calculations indicate that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is still adjusting to the last glacial-interglacial transition yielding a decreasing ice volume and a rising bedrock elevation of the order of several centimetres per year. The Greenland Ice Sheet was found to be close to a stationary state with a mean thickness change of only a few millimetres per year, but the calculations revealed large spatial differences. Predicted patterns over Greenland are characterized by a small thickening over the ice sheet interior and a general thinning of the ablation area. In Antarctica, almost all of the predicted changes are concentrated in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is still retreating at both the Weddell and Ross Sea margins. Over most of both ice sheets, the model indicates that the surface elevation trend is dominated by ice thickness changes rather than by bedrock elevation changes.     

Rainfall thresholds for landsliding in the Himalayas of Nepal

Landsliding of the hillslope regolith is an important source of sediment to the fluvial network in the unglaciated portions of the Himalayas of Nepal. These landslides can produce abrupt increases of up to three orders of magnitude in the fluvial sediment load in less than a day. An analysis of 3 years of daily sediment load and daily rainfall data defines a relationship between monsoonal rainfall and the triggering of landslides in the Annapurna region of Nepal. Two distinct rainfall thresholds, a seasonal accumulation and a daily total, must be overcome before landslides are initiated. To explore the geomorphological controls on these thresholds, we develop a slope stability model, driven by daily rainfall data, which accounts for changes in regolith moisture. The pattern of rainfall thresholds predicted by the model is similar to the field data, including the decrease in the daily rainfall threshold as the seasonal rainfall accumulation increases. Results from the model suggest that, for a given hillslope, regolith thickness determines the seasonal rainfall necessary for failure, whereas slope angle controls the daily rainfall required for failure.