Land subsidence caused by ground water withdrawal in urban areas

At least eight urban areas in the world have encountered significant economic impact from land subsidence caused by pumping of ground water from unconsolidated sediment. The areas, most of which are coastal, include Bangkok, Houston, Mexico City, Osaka, San Jose, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Venice. Flooding related to decreased ground elevation is the principal adverse effect of the subsidence. Lesser effects include regional tilting, well-casing failures, rising buildings, and ground failure or rupture. Subsidence of most of these urban areas began before the phenomenon was discovered and understood. Thus, the subsidence problems were unanticipated. Methods to arrest subsidence typically have included control of ground water pumping and development of surface water to offset the reductions of ground water pumping. Ground water recharge has also been practiced. Areas threatened by flooding have been protected by extensive networks of dikes and sea walls, locks, and pumping stations to remove storm runoff.     

Solar wind heating beyond 1 AU

The effect of an interplanetary atomic hydrogen gas on solar wind proton, electron and α-particle temperatures beyond 1 AU is considered. It is shown that the proton temperature (and probably also the α-particle temperature) reaches a minimum between 2 AU and 4 AU, depending on values chosen for solar wind and interstellar gas parameters. Heating of the electron gas depends primarily on the thermal coupling of the protons and electrons. For strong coupling (whenT _p ≳T _e ), the electron temperature reaches a minimum between 4 AU and 8 AU, but for weak coupling (Coulomb collisions only), the electron temperature continues to decrease throughout the inner solar system. A spacecraft travelling to Jupiter should be able to observe the heating effect of the solar wind-interplanetary hydrogen interaction, and from such observations it may be possible of infer some properties of the interstellar neutral gas. Currently a National Research Council Resident Research Associate.     

The solar coronal mass ejection of 20–21 November, 1973

The coronal transient event of 20–21 November is unusual in that its appearance is distinctly non-loop-like; rather, the transient resembles a confined ray or fan-like volume. Studies of the distribution of the coronal material with time indicate that this is a mass ejection event, involving about 1 × 10¹⁵ g of material from the lower corona. Analysis of the polarization signal of the event suggests that the event is associated with chromospheric activity in a region near longitude E68. The observed properties (distributions in brightness and polarization) of the transient are compared with the properties of a well-studied event of typical loop-like appearance, but rotated to simulate an edge-on appearance; the differences suggest that the 20–21 November event is not such an edge-on, loop-like transient, but rather is most simply described as an axisymmetric-cylindrical or conical volume, the boundaries of which remain constant over the events' lifetime. On this basis, the variation of the transient spatial density with height and the variation of density with time can be specified rather more certainly than for previously-studied coronal mass ejection events. Densities are found to range from 3 × 10^–16 g cm^–3 at 2.1 R heliocentric height early in the event to 1 × 10^–18 g cm^–3 at 4.0 R late in the event. Typical temporal variations of the ejected material (at a given heliocentric height) are found to be on the order of 10^–18 g cm^–3 s^–1. The mass and momentum balance in the event have been estimated from the observed parameters, employing a multiparameter approach. We find that a model with modest mass flux typified by material speed u ₀ 50 km s^–1 and a near balance between the event's pressure gradient force and gravity — with possibly a small hydromagnetic wave contribution to the total pressure — is consistent with the observations. The kinetic energy of the event, determined from the motion of the center of mass of the ejected material, is only about 10²⁶ ergs, and thus is the smallest for any solar mass ejection studied to date.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

CRT-Hole Closure

The long-term stability of deep holes 1.75 inches. (4.4 cm) in diameter by 98.4 feet (30 m) created by cone penetration testing (CPT) was monitored at a site in California underlain by Holocene and Pleistocene age alluvial fan deposits. Portions of the holes remained open both below and above the 28.6-foot (8.7 m)-deep water table for approximately three years, when the experiment was terminated. Hole closure appears to be a very slow process that may take decades in the stiff soils studied here. Other experience suggests holes in softer soils may also remain open. Thus, despite their small diameter, CPT holes may remain open for years and provide paths for rapid migration of contaminants. The observations confirm the need to grout holes created by CPT soundings as well as other direct-push techniques in areas where protection of shallow ground water is important.     

Vein type Ag-(Au)-Pb,Zn, Cu-(W,Sn) mineralization in the Southern Kreuzeck Mountains,Carinthia Province,Austria

Summary The Early Paleozoic Altkristallin of the Kreuzeck Mountains is well-known for its mostly small gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, and mercury deposits. A detailed investigation of silver(-gold)-base metal mineralizations (Plattach, Niedermülleralm, Grakofel and DraBnitz) is presented in this paper. The deposits are structurally controlled. Faults and shear zones penetrate garnet-mica schists, gneisses (partly at Grakofel), and amphibolites (partly at DraBnitz). In places the mineralization occurs at the sheared contact between quartz porphyrite dykes (K/Ar ages of 30–40 Ma) and country rocks (e.g. at Niedermülleralm).The precious metal mineralization occurs as bundles of quartz veins, which were mined over a distance of 150-200 m along strike and dip. The depositional textures such as vugs, symmetrical banding, cockade and colloform structures clearly indicate open space filling. The mineral parageneses of Plattach, Niedermülleralm and Grakofel ores are similar to each other, but distinctly different from that of the DraBnitz deposit. The first mentioned deposits are characterized by abundant silver sulfosalts such as freibergite (21.7–36.3 wt.% Ag), pyrargyrite, miargyrite, diaphorite (Pb_{1 7–1.8}Ag_2.9–3.2Sb_2.8–3.0S₈), owyheeite (Ag_2.69Pb_9.44Sb_10.38S₂₈) and stephanite, as well as sphalerite and galena (100–1600 ppm Ag); hocartite ( [Ag, Cu]2 [Fe, Zn] SnS₄) is intergrown with pyrargyrite and occurs as inclusions in pyritic ores at Niedermülleralm. Pyrite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite are present in minor amounts. Au-Ag alloys with Ag contents ranging between 40.4–49.5 wt.% (electrum) and 73.5–74.2 wt.% (aurian silver) have grain sizes between 2 and 60 pin and are frequently associated with freibergite, pyrite and quartz.Draßnitz is a silver bearing base metal deposit with a possible but not proved silver enrichment in the uppermost 100 m of the vein system. Arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bournonite, Ag-tetrahedrite, and galena are the dominant ore minerals, locally accompanied by substantial amounts of zincian stannite (25 mol.% kesterite), ferberite, scheelite, and minor amounts of molybdenite, native bismuth, ullmannite and a silver sulfosalt.The most common types of hydrothermal wall-rock alteration are phyllic alteration (sericitization), silicification, carbonatization, and sulfidization. The alteration zone does not exceed a few decimeters on both sides of the veins.Fluid inclusion studies of quartz reveal formation temperatures of 165–250°C (Plattach) and 165–220°C (Niedermülleralm). The corresponding data for the Grakofel and Draßnitz ores are 180–330°C and 210–365°C, respectively. The salinities vary between 3–7 equiv. wt.-% NaCl (Niedermülleralm, Plattach, Draßnitz) and 4–13.3 equiv. wt.-% NaCl (Grakofel).A shallow-seated plutonic or subvolcanic magma (quartz porphyrite?) could be the reason for telescoping, different temperatures and heat gradient within the mineralized zone. The isotope compositions of the fluids give evidence for their metamorphic origin, probably contaminated by a minor meteoric component.

---

Gangförmige Ag-(Au)-Pb, Zn, Cu-(W, Sn) Vererzungen in der südlichen Kreuzeckgruppe, Kärnten, Österreich

Zusammenfassung Das altpaläozoische Altkristallin der Kreuzeckgruppe beherbergt eine große Zahl zumeist kleiner Gold-, Silber-, Kupfer-, Blei-, Zink-, Antimon- und Quecksilber-Lagerstätten. In dieser Arbeit werden detaillierte Untersuchungen von Silber(-Gold)-Buntmetall-Vererzungen (Plattach, Niedermülleralm, Grakofel und Draßnitz) vorgestellt. Die Lagerstätten sind strukturkontrolliert; Verwerfungs- und Scherzonen setzen in Granat-glimmerschiefern, Gneisen (teilweise Grakofel) und Amphiboliten (teilweise Draßnitz) auf. Bereichsweise tritt die Vererzung am zerscherten Kontakt zwischen Quarzporphyritgängen (K/Ar-Alter 30–40 Ma) und dem Nebengestein auf (z.B. Niedermülleralm).Die edelmetallhältige Vererzung ist an Quarzgang-Systeme gebunden, deren Ausdehnung aufgrund der bergbaulichen Aktivitäten kaum mehr als 150–200 m im Streichen und Einfallen betragen haben dürfte. Die beobachteten Ablagerungstexturen mit zahlreichen Drusen, symmetrischen Bänderungen, Kokarden- und kolloformen Strukturen sind eindeutige Indizien für eine Kristallisation in Hohlräumen. Die Mineral-paragenesen der Reviere Plattach-Niedermülleralm und des Grakofels sind einander sehr ähnlich, unterscheiden sich aber deutlich von jenen der Draßnitz. Die erstgenannten Lagerstätten zeichnen sich durch das bevorzugte Auftreten von Silber-Sulfosalzen, wie Freibergit (21,7–36,3 Gew.% Ag), Pyrargyrit, Miargyrit, Diaphorit (Pb_1,7–1,8Ag_2,9–3,2 Sb_2,8–3,0S₈), Owyheeit (Ag_{2. 69}Pb_{9 ,44}Sb_10,38S₂₈) und Stephanit sowie Sphalerit und Galenit (100–1600 ppm Ag) aus; Hocartit ( [Ag, Cu]2 [Fe, Zn] SnS₄), der mit Pyrargyrit verwachsen ist, bildet Einschlüsse in Pyriterzen der Niedermülleralm. Zu geringeren Teilen kommen Pyrit, Arsenopyrit und Chalkopyrit vor. Gold-Silber-Legierungen mit Ag-Gehalten zwischen 40,4–49,5 Gew.% (Elektrum) und 73,5–74,2 Gew.% (Au-hältiges Silber) und Korngrößen zwischen 2 und 60 Mm sind häufig mit Freibergit, Pyrit und Quarz assoziiert.Die Lagerstätten der Draßnitz enthalten eine silberführende Buntmetallvererzung mit einer aufgrund der alten Bergbautätigkeit nur vermutbaren ehemaligen Silber-Reicherzzone in den obersten Gangabschnitten (Mächtigkeit ca. 100 m). Die Haldenerze bestehen heute aus Arsenopyrit, Pyrrhotin, Chalkopyrit, Sphalerit, Bournonit, Ag-Tetraedrit und Galenit; sie werden bereichsweise von beträchtlichen Anteilen an Zn-Stannit (25 Mol.% Kesterit), Ferberit, Scheelit, sowie in geringen Mengen von gediegenem Wismut, Ullmannit und Ag-Sulfosalzen begleitet.Serizitisierung, Silizihzierung, Karbonatisierung und Sulfidisierung sind die wesentlichen hydrothermalen Nebengesteinsveränderungen. Die Alterationszone erreicht allerdings nur einige Dezimeter auf beiden Seiten der Erzgänge.Die aus Flüssigkeitseinschlüssen in Quarz ermittelten Bildungstemperaturen zeigen für die Plattach 165–250°C, für die Niedermülleralm 165–220T. Die entsprechenden Temperaturdaten für die Grakofel-Vererzung betragen 180–330°C und 210–365°C für die Draßnitz. Die Salinitäten schwanken zwischen 3–7 Gew.% NaCl äq. (Niedermülleralm, Plattach, Draßnitz) und 4–13,3 Gew.% NaCl äq. (Grakofel).Ein hochplutonisches oder subvulkanisches Magma (Quarzporphyrit?) könnte eine mögliche Erklärung für das Teleskoping, die Temperaturunterschiede und den Wärmegradienten innerhalb der Vererzungszone sein. Die Isotopenzusammensetzung der Fluide deutet auf deren metamorphen Ursprung mit vermutlich untergeordneter meteorischer Komponente hin.

---

---

(Herrn Univ. Prof. Dr. Ing. 0. M. Friedrich () in Erinnerung zugeeignet)

---

With 10 Figures