Ranking of Placer Gold Prospects in Chile Through Analytic Hierarchy Process

Chile has a rich, but poorly known history of placer gold mining. At present, this sector is almost nonexistent and there are some restrictions for its revival: disperse and partial information on existing resources and limited technical expertise to assess the potential of placer gold mine sites. This paper presents the background, methodology and results of the prioritization process of known prospects of this kind in Chile. This research was part of a publicly funded project aimed to incentivize the development of this industry. The ranking was carried out using the analytic hierarchy process, which allowed to include different quantitative and qualitative variables related to the economic potential, technical aspects, contextual viability and socioeconomic factors in the analysis. The results show that, despite the increasing relevance of environmental and community issues in mining development, the business potential and the economic/technical aspects are the main factors in the early selection of a site to advance in exploration and development activities. Both variables represented around 40% and 37% of weights in the final selection, respectively. In contrast, contextual viability and local socioeconomic impacts only accounted for the remaining 23%. This study also shows that the inclusion of experts with different backgrounds in the process enriches the analysis and does not significantly distort the final outcome of the prioritization. Finally, the relevance of using MCDM tools when assessing the attractiveness of mine sites for their development is highlighted, particularly when public funds for subsequent exploration activities are committed.

     

Uncovering spatiotemporal micromobility patterns through the lens of space–time cubes and GIS tools

Journal of Geographical Systems - In the past ten years, cities have experienced a burst of micromobility services as they offer a flexible transport option that allows users to cover short trips...     

Normalized algorithm for mapping and dating forest disturbances and regrowth for the United States

Forest disturbances such as harvesting, wildfire and insect infestation are critical ecosystem processes affecting the carbon cycle. Because carbon dynamics are related to time since disturbance, forest stand age that can be used as a surrogate for major clear-cut/fire disturbance information has recently been recognized as an important input to forest carbon cycle models for improving prediction accuracy. In this study, forest disturbances in the USA for the period of ∼1990–2000 were mapped using 400+ pairs of re-sampled Landsat TM/ETM scenes in 500m resolution, which were provided by the Landsat Ecosystem Disturbance Adaptive Processing System project. The detected disturbances were then separated into two five-year age groups, facilitated by Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, which was used to calculate the area of forest regeneration for each county in the USA.     

Flow time estimation with spatially variable hillslope velocity in ungauged basins

The automated spatial estimation of the hillslope runoff dynamics is used as a valuable tool for the estimation of the travel time distribution (flow time), a major factor for the hydrologic prediction in ungauged basins. In fact, while the flow time function is usually obtained by rescaling the flow paths with constant channel and hillslope velocities, in this work a spatially distributed kinematic component, as a function of terrain features and in particular slope and land use, is implemented and its influence on the hydrologic response is tested by means of the Width Function Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (WFIUH) framework. Hillslope surface flow velocities are evaluated by applying different uniform flow formulas within an automated DEM-based (terrain analysis) algorithm. A comparison test of the performances of the Manning, Darcy, Maidment and Soil Conservation Service uniform flow equations is performed for several case studies in Italy pertaining to different climatic and geomorphic conditions. Results provide new insights for a better understanding of the flow time function also introducing a more parsimonious and physically-based calibration scheme of the WFIUH.     

Degradation and Detoxification of Chlorophenols in Continuous‐Flow Fixed‐Bed Aerobic Reactors

An indigenous bacterial strain of Delftia sp. capable of degrading 2,4‐dicholorophenol and an indigenous bacterial community that degrades 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol (TCP) were employed to inoculate continuous down‐flow fixed‐bed reactors. Continuous‐reactors were constructed from PVC employing hollow PVC cylinders as support material. Synthetic wastewater was prepared by dissolving the corresponding chlorophenol in non‐sterile groundwater. Biodegradation was evaluated by spectrophotometry, chloride release, GC, and microbial growth. Detoxification was evaluated by using Daphnia magna as test organism. Delftia sp. was able to remove an average of 95.6% of DCP. Efficiency in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was of 88.9%. The indigenous bacterial community that degrades TCP reached an average efficiency of 96.5 and 91.6% in terms of compound and COD removal, respectively. In both cases stoichiometric removal of chloride and detoxification was achieved. When synthetic wastewater feed was cut off for 7 days, both reactors showed a fast recovery after inflow restarting, reaching average outlet concentration values within 36 h. The promising behavior of the microorganisms and the low cost of the reactors tested allow us to suggest their possible application to remediation processes.     

Runoff from soils under different management and simulated rainfall regimes in southern Brazil

Abstract

Surface runoff and drainage were evaluated for southern Brazilian soils subjected to different rainfall intensities and management practices. Soils received up to four applications of simulated rainfall in sequences with one application per day. Seven lysimeters, each of 1 m³ volume, were used to measure drainage volume, with measurement of initial and final water content, times at which surface runoff and lysimeter drainage began, and the volume rates of flow. At the end of the second test, soils were subjected to two levels of disturbance (denoted by low and high soil movement) by opening furrows. These cultivation treatments altered the times at which lysimeter surface runoff and drainage were initiated, the rates of surface runoff, the final infiltration and internal drainage, and the components of the water balance throughout the series of trials. Mean times at which surface runoff was initiated in lysimeters subjected to greater soil disturbance were longer than those with little soil disturbance. Final infiltration rates were greater in lysimeters with little soil disturbance. It was also found that lysimeter surface runoff generation was influenced by the state of development of maize grown in the lysimeter.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor G. Mahé     

Influence of Rhodolith-Forming Species and Growth-Form on Associated Fauna of Rhodolith Beds in the Central-West Gulf of California, México

Abstract.  Rhodoliths provide a stable and three-dimensional habitat to which other seaweeds and invertebrates can attach. Although ecological factors affecting rhodolith beds have been studied, little is known about the effect of rhodolith species and growth-form on associated fauna. Experiments were conducted at three rhodolith beds in the central-west Gulf of California. Faunal abundance differed significantly in relation to rhodolith-forming species, but no significant differences were observed between different growth-forms. Rhodolith structure differs between the species Lithophyllum margaritae and Neogoniolithon trichotomum , and the combination of structure differences and rhodolith abundances may be responsible of the significant differences in faunal abundance and richness. Crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs were the most important taxa in all three rhodolith beds. The amphipod species Pontogeneia nasa and the cnidarian Aiptasia sp. were dominant in both rhodolith beds, El Requesón and Isla Coyote, in Bahía Concepción. The Isla Coronados rhodolith bed was dominated by an unidentified harpacticoid copepod (Copepoda sp.1). Rhodolith species is more important than growth-form in determining abundance and richness of the associated fauna. Nevertheless, factors such as wave motion, depth, bioturbation and others should be considered when studying organisms associated with rhodolith beds.