Deforestation and leaching of nitrogen as nitrates into underground water in intertropical zones: The example of Côte d'lvoire

High nitrate contents (up to 200 mgl) have been observed in wells drilled into fractured aquifers lying beneath layers of weathered and decayed rock in the humid tropics where annual rainfall is over 1000 mm and where there is no notable pollution. The source of the nitrates is linked mainly with localized deforestation by man.     

The interaction between surface water and groundwater and its effect on water quality in the Second Songhua River basin,northeast China

The relationship between surface water and groundwater not only influences the water quantity, but also affects the water quality. The stable isotopes (δD, δ ¹⁸O) and hydrochemical compositions in water samples were analysed in the Second Songhua River basin. The deep groundwater is mainly recharged from shallow groundwater in the middle and upper reaches. The shallow groundwater is discharged to rivers in the downstream. The runoff from upper reaches mainly contributed the river flow in the downstream. The CCME WQI indicated that the quality of surface water and groundwater was ‘Fair’. The mixing process between surface water and groundwater was simulated by the PHREEQC code with the results from the stable isotopes. The interaction between surface water and groundwater influences the composition of ions in the mixing water, and further affects the water quality with other factors.     

Climate change outlook for water resources management in a semiarid river basin: the effect of the environmental water demand

Iran is a developing country with arid and semiarid regions. Poor management of water resources combined with the effects of climate change is leading to the drying of several rivers and wetlands. Several planned water development projects, primarily for agricultural expansion, will be implemented in the coming years which could worsen impacts on vulnerable aquatic ecosystems. Proper water resources management is essential to meet present and future residential, environmental, industrial, and agricultural demands in semiarid regions. This paper presents projections of how the availability of water resources will change in the Karkheh river basin of Iran for the period 2010–2059 employing sustainability criteria in the form of time-based reliability, volumetric reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability. This paper’s results show that consideration of environmental receptors as a stakeholder of water use places limitations on agricultural development within the Karkheh river basin.     

Exposure history of the Torino meteorite

Abstract— We determined He, Ne, Ar, ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, ³⁶Cl, and ¹⁴C concentrations, as well as cosmic-ray track densities and halogen concentrations in different specimens of the H6 chondrite Torino, in order to constrain its exposure history to cosmic radiation. The Torino meteoroid had a radius of ～20 cm and travelled in interplanetary space for 2.5–10 Ma. Earlier, Torino was part of a larger body. The smallest possible precursor had a radius of 55 cm and a journey through space longer than ～65 Ma. If the first-stage exposure took place in a body with a radius of >3 m or in the parent asteroid, then it lasted nearly 300 Ma. The example of Torino shows that it is easy to underestimate first-stage exposure ages when constructing two-stage histories.     

Assessment of direct determination uncertainties of incoming radiation fluxes associated with the ship motion

The paper considers the impact of ship oscillations on the accuracy of radiation flux measurements in the absence of a gyroplatform and a gimbal suspension. As an example, we discuss the simultaneous determinations of the radiation fluxes and careen during the 20th mission of the R/V Akademik Joffe. A sampling rate of 10 s was found to be sufficient to neglect the careen when estimating the hourly sums of the short-wave solar radiation at sun heights exceeding 10°. At smaller sun heights, the careen is able to effect the estimates of the solar radiation within 20%. Due to the harmonic nature of such oscillations, these errors tend to become low against the instrumental accuracy if one deals with the hourly and daily means of the short-wave solar radiation fluxes during sufficiently long observations. In addition, a significant effect occurs at rather low sun and a sea roughness of Beaufort number 4 or higher. A rough sea is usually associated with the diminishing of the clear sky area and the higher repeatability of the cloudiness conditions, which reduces the effect of rolling upon the measurement accuracy.     

Heat flow and crustal thermal structure in the Late Archaean Closepet Granite batholith,south India

The Late Archaean Closepet Granite batholith in south India is exposed at different crustal levels grading from greenschist facies in the north through amphibolite and granulite facies in the south along a ∼400 km long segment in the Dharwar craton. Two areas, Pavagada and Magadi, located in the Main Mass of the batholith, best represent the granitoid of the greenschist and amphibolite facies crustal levels respectively. Heat flow estimates of 38 mW m⁻² from Pavagada and 25 mW m⁻² from Magadi have been obtained through measurements in deep (430 and 445 m) and carefully sited boreholes. Measurements made in four boreholes of opportunity in Pavagada area yield a mean heat flow of 39 ± 4 (s.d.) mW m⁻², which is in good agreement with the estimate from deep borehole. The study, therefore, demonstrates a clear-cut heat flow variation concomitant with the crustal levels exposed in the two areas. The mean heat production estimates for the greenschist facies and amphibolite facies layers constituting the Main Mass of the batholith are 2.9 and 1.8 μW m⁻³, respectively. The enhanced heat flow in the Pavagada area is consistent with the occurrence of a radioelement-enriched 2-km-thick greenschist facies layer granitoid overlying the granitoid of the amphibolite facies layer which is twice as thick as represented in the Magadi area. The crustal heat production models indicate similar mantle heat flow estimates in the range 12–14 mW m⁻², consistent with the other parts of the greenstone-granite-gneiss terrain of the Dharwar craton.     

Modeling core-scale permeability anisotropy in highly bioturbated “tight oil” reservoir rocks

A high-resolution simulation model of a heterogeneous low-permeability rock sample is used to investigate the effects of physical and biogenic sedimentary structures on scaling and anisotropy of absolute permeability at the core scale. Several simulation sub-samples with random locations and volumes were also selected for evaluation of the effects of scale and lithological composition on the calculated permeability. Vertical and horizontal permeability values (from whole core simulation) are in good agreement with routine core analysis (RCA) measurements from offsetting cores. Despite relatively good reservoir quality associated with geobodies of biogenic and relic bedding structures, results from the full diameter core simulation demonstrate that their limited volumetric abundance and restricted connectivity prevent these features from controlling fluid flow in these rocks. In fact, permeability seems to be dominated by the tighter encasing matrix, which exhibits average permeability values very close to those reported from RCA. Geometric averaging offers a better representation for the upscaling of horizontal permeability datasets; whereas, both geometric and harmonic averaging work similarly well for the vertical measurements. The methodology used in this work is particularly applicable to the detailed characterization of reservoir rocks with a high degree of heterogeneity caused by biological reworking and diagenesis.     

Relationship between the seismicity and geologic structure of the Blanco Transform Fault Zone

Morphologic studies of an oceanic transform, the Blanco Transform Fault Zone (BTFZ), have shown it to consist of a series of extensional basins that offset the major strike-slip faults. The largest of the extensional basins, the Cascadia Depression, effectively divides the transform into a northwest segment, composed of several relatively short strike-slip faults, and a southeast segment dominated by fewer, longer faults. The regional seismicity distribution (m _b 4.0) and frequency-magnitude relationships (b-values) of the BTFZ show that the largest magnitude events are located on the southeast segment. Furthermore, estimates of the cumulative seismic moment release and seismic moment release rate along the southeast segment are significantly greater than that of the northwest segment. These observations suggest that slip along the southeast segment is accommodated by a greater number of large magnitude earthquakes. Comparison of the seismic moment rate, derived from empirical estimates, with the seismic moment rate determined from plate motion constraints suggests a difference in the seismic coupling strength between the segments. This difference in coupling may partially explain the disparity in earthquake size distribution. However, the results appear to confirm the relation between earthquake size and fault length, observed along continental strike-slip faults, for this oceanic transform.     

Damage to surface structures due to underground coal mine blasting: apprehension or real cause?

Investigations were carried out at three underground coal mines in India to study the response of surface structures to underground blasting and the likelihood of damage to the structures. The structures in the vicinity of the underground blasting area were single and multistoried residential houses. The amplitudes of vibration due to underground blasting were monitored simultaneously on the ground surface near the foundation of the structures and on various floors of the structures. The vibrations were also monitored near the important surface installations. It was observed that the magnitude of vibration in structures decreased with the increase in the height of the structures. The frequency of blast vibration from underground blasting was higher than the natural frequency of the structures. Little energy was transmitted into the structures, which caused reduction in the vibration level in the structures. The reduction in the vibration levels was up to 45% in the houses. It indicates that the dominant frequency of blast vibration plays an important role in persistence of vibration and its amplification or reduction characteristics in the structures. This paper deals with the effect of the vibrations on structures/houses standing above the blasting faces in underground workings and their potential to likely damage to the structures at different Indian geo-mining conditions.     

Paleozoic granitoid magmatism of the eastern part of the Central Asian Fold Belt and formation of large ore deposits

Evidence on the Paleozoic granitoids of the eastern part of the Central Asian Fold Belt (CAFB) was analyzed. A tectonic chart of orogenic belts was compiled. Sketch maps were constructed for the geodynamic settings of the formation of Paleozoic granitoids and the extensiveness of their occurrence. Two types of deep controlling structures were distinguished: zones of lithospheric faults and plumes, including the newly recognized Jiamusi-Bureya plume. It was sown that the distribution of large and superlarge Paleozoic ore deposits is related to these structures, primarily to plumes. Sites promising for large and superlarge deposits related to the Paleozoic granitoid magmatism were determined in the Russian Far East.