Groundwater quality on the territory of Kikinda municipality (Vojvodina,Serbia)

This paper provides insight into the quality of groundwater used for public water supply on the territory of Kikinda municipality (Vojvodina, Serbia) and main processes which control it. The following parameters were measured: color, turbidity, pH, KMnO₄ consumption, TDS, EC, NH₄ ⁺, Cl^?, NO₂ ^?, NO₃ ^?, Fe, Mn, total hardness, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄ ²⁺, HCO₃ ^?, K⁺, Na⁺, As. The correlations and ratios among parameters that define the chemical composition were determined aiming to identify main processes that control the formation of the chemical composition of the analyzed waters. Groundwater from 11 analyzed sources is Na–HCO₃ type. Intense color and elevated organic matter content of these waters originate from humic substances. The importance of organic matter decay is assumed by positive correlation between organic matter content and TDS, HCO₃ content. There is no evidence that groundwater chemistry is determined by the depth of captured aquifer interval. The main processes that control the chemistry of all analyzed water are cation exchange and feldspar weathering.     

Thermal expansion and crystal structure of FeSi between 4 and 1173 K determined by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction

The thermal expansion and crystal structure of FeSi has been determined by neutron powder diffraction between 4 and 1173?K. No evidence was seen of any structural or magnetic transitions at low temperatures. The average volumetric thermal expansion coefficient above room temperature was found to be 4.85(5)?×?10^?5?K^?1. The cell volume was fitted over the complete temperature range using Grüneisen approximations to the zero pressure equation of state, with the internal energy calculated via a Debye model; a Grüneisen second-order approximation gave the following parameters: θ_D=445(11)?K, V ₀=89.596(8)?ų, K ₀′=4.4(4) and γ′=2.33(3), where θ_D is the Debye temperature, V ₀ is V at T=0?K, K ₀′ is the first derivative with respect to pressure of the incompressibility and γ′ is a Grüneisen parameter. The thermodynamic Grüneisen parameter, γ_th, has been calculated from experimental data in the range 4–400?K. The crystal structure was found to be almost invariant with temperature. The thermal vibrations of the Fe atoms are almost isotropic at all temperatures; those of the Si atoms become more anisotropic as the temperature increases.     

The vulnerability of karst springs—a case study of the Hubelj spring (SW Slovenia)

The hydraulic behaviour of the karst aquifer in the Hubelj spring catchment area (SW Slovenia) was studied by using an indirect research method based on natural tracers. The variations of natural tracers (in precipitation and in groundwater) during the storm event made possible the separation of the Hubelj spring storm hydrograph by the three-component separation technique. The results produced information on the aquifer recharge, storage and discharge processes, as well as on the mechanisms that affected them. They verified the so-called epikarst hypothesis presuming that an important part of a karst aquifer recharge reaches rapidly and intensively from the epikarst zone. It was demonstrated that epikarst water could occupy up to 50% of the spring discharge during precipitation events. This phenomenon could have important consequences on protection and management of the problems of karst aquifers, including engineering problems in karst areas. With this respect the results could give way to new engineering ideas.     

The Carpatho-Balkanides and adjacent area: a sector of the Tethyan Eurasian metallogenic belt

The Tethyan Eurasian metallogenic belt (TEMB) was formed during Mesozoic and post-Mesozoic times in the area of the former Tethyan ocean on the southern margin of Eurasia, with the Afro-Arabian and Indian plates to the south. It extends from western Mediterranean via the Alps and southeastern Europe through the Lesser Caucasus, the Hindu Kush, and the Tibet Plateau to Burma and SW Indonesia, linking with the West Pacific metallogenic belt. The Carpatho-Balkan region is one of the sectors of the TEMB, characterized by some specific features. The emplacement of ore deposits is related to a definite time interval, and to specific tectonic settings such as: 1. Late Permian-Triassic intracontinental rifting along the northern margin of Gondwanaland and/or fragments already separated. This setting involves volcanogenic and volcano-sedimentary deposits (iron, lead/zinc, manganese, antimony, mercury, barite), skarn deposits associated with volcano-plutonic complexes of bimodal magmatism, and low temperature carbonate-hosted lead/zinc deposits. 2. Jurassic intraoceanic rifting – ophiolite complexes: This setting hosts major magmatic (particularly podiform chrome deposits) and volcano-sedimentary deposits, mainly of the Cyprus type. 3. Subduction-related setting involves porphyry copper deposits, lesser skarn deposits (iron, locally Pb-Zn), massive sulphide Cu (e.g. Bor) accompanied locally by Pb-Zn of replacement type, epithermal gold deposits, associated with calc-alkaline igneous complexes of the Early Tertiary-Late Cretaceous, and the Neogene gold/silver and base metals deposits. 4. Post-collision continent-continent setting includes deposits of Pb-Zn, Sb, As, Au-Cu associated with volcano-plutonic complexes of calc-alkaline affinity. Several major Alpine metallogenic units are developed in the Carpatho-Balkanides and adjacent area, each characterized by specific development, mineral associations, and types of ore deposits. Received: 3 June 1996 / Accepted: 10 January 1997     

Rječina River sediments (Croatia): from captured spring to polluted prodelta

Surface sediments (fraction <63 μm) from the source to the mouth of the Rječina, short (18.3 km) karst allogenic river in Croatia, which is an important source of drinking water, were studied to investigate their mineral (by XRD) and chemical (by ICP-MS) composition to check possible anthropogenic influence at the lower course due to paper industry and mills, and in the prodelta area from untreated municipal sewage and the large harbor of Rijeka town. In all analyzed sediment samples and in the sandstone source, rock quartz is a major mineral, while feldspar and mica group minerals are less abundant. Chlorite is a minor or trace mineral in all samples. Calcite and dolomite are abundant in the river prodelta, reflecting changes in bedrock lithology from flysch to carbonates. In river sediments, Fe is the most abundantly analyzed element, while Ca is the most abundant in prodelta sediments. Concentrations of Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, Co, La and Nd decrease downstream, while Mg, S, Na, B, Pb, Zn, As, Sn, U, Mo, Hg and Ag have relatively higher concentration in prodelta sediments. The results are compared with sediments of other rivers in the area: Raša, Rižana and Dragonja, as well as with those of the Rosandra Creek (Italy). Sediments in the Raša River showed similar behavior as those in the Rječina, as the highest concentration of metals was found in the restricted upper part of the estuary, characterized by rapid deposition of clay particles and terrestrial sedimentary organic matter. The comparison also showed that the most contaminated were the sediments from the Rižana, followed by those from the Rječina and Rosandra Creek, which had similar results. Among the studied elements, As was present in all sediment samples at concentrations >6 ppm that might have the lowest toxic effects. At the lower Rječina and in prodelta sediments, Pb was also present at slightly elevated concentrations (>31 ppm) that could cause such effects. Concentrations of Zn in the prodelta correspond to those occurring in moderately polluted sediments (90–200 ppm). In the prodelta sediments, Hg is slightly below toxicity threshold (1 ppm), while Ag is present at toxicity threshold (0.5 ppm) or close to it. Rječina River could act as a good illustrative example for behavior of toxic metals in allogenic karstic rivers, in which accumulation of anthropogenically introduced pollutants usually occurs in their estuaries, as a result of transport and deposition of fine particles.     

Thermodynamic mixing behavior of synthetic Ca-Tschermak–diopside pyroxene solid solutions: II. Heat of mixing and activity–composition relationships

The heat of mixing for the binary solid solution diopside–Ca-Tschermak was investigated at T = 980 K by lead borate solution calorimetry. A new statistical technique was applied to overcome the problem of using experimental data of various precisions. A two-parameter Margules model was fitted to the calorimetric data leading to W _CaTs–Di^H = 31.3 ± 3.4 kJ mol⁻¹ and W ^H _Di–CaTs = 2.4 ± 4.3 kJ mol⁻¹. The results are in good agreement with calorimetric data given in the literature. They agree also with enthalpy data that were extracted from phase equilibrium experiments. With configurational entropy values taken from the literature, the volume and the vibrational entropy, presented in Part I of this work, and the enthalpy data of this study, the activity–composition relationships of the diopside–Ca-Tschermak binary were calculated.     

Ab initio calculated electron densities for tetrahedral sheet [H2Si2O5]∞ in phyllosilicates

Periodic ab initio Hartree-Fock LCAO calculations have been carried out on the two dimensional sheet of SiO₄ tetrahedra, representing one of the basic constituting units of layer silicates, using Huzinaga's DZP basis sets. The influence of the basis set on the chemical bonding picture is characterized by Mulliken atomic charges and by electron density maps. Silicon atomic charges +1.6 ¦e¦ are more realistic than those +2.4 ¦e¦ reported for smaller basis sets. The silicon d orbital population is found to be 0.6 in close agreement with molecular data. Electron density maps indicate the absence of charge density in the center of the ditrigonal cavity. The charge buildup of nonbonding basal oxygen orbitals is directed mainly downwards perpendicular to the sheet plane.     

The role of various ionization sources in the A3 lf radio-wave absorption in middle latitudes

Summary The 272 kHz ionospheric absorption has been measured at the Prhonice Observatory by the A3 method (oblique incidence) for a long period. The results of the comparison of these absorption data with indices of solar, geomagnetic and cosmic ray activity are presented for large solar zenith angles. The day-time absorption (x 75° – 85°) is described well by these indices and appears to be affected particularly by direct solar Lyman- radiation. The night-time absorption (x>100°), however, is not described sufficiently by the indices used.