Occurrence and conceptual sedimentary model of Cambrian gypsum-bearing evaporites in the Sichuan Basin,SW China

During the Cambrian, gypsum-bearing evaporites formed in the Sichuan Basin, SW China. These rocks are important for oil and gas sealing, but details of their distribution and origin are not well established. This study examines the regional distribution and origin of the gypsum-bearing evaporites using a comprehensive analysis of drilling data from 34 wells, 5 measured cross-sections in the basin and surrounding area, and 96 maps of area-survey data. Results show that in the stratigraphic succession, the gypsum-bearing evaporites occur mainly in the Lower Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation, the Middle Cambrian Douposi Formation, and the Middle-Upper Cambrian Xixiangchi Group. Geographically, the rocks are found mainly in the southeastern part of the basin, and the distribution of deposits shows an overall SW-NE trend. The sedimentary environments for evaporite formation were evaporative lagoon and inter-platform basin in a platform setting. Gypsum was generated by the underwater concentration of sea water in a strongly evaporative environment. Both an evaporative restricted platform and a mixeddeposition restricted platform model appear to be applicable to the development of gypsum in the Sichuan Basin. The gypsum-bearing evaporites with the best sealing capacity are located mostly in the southeastern part of the basin. These constraints can be applied directly to regional exploration, and have implications for the regional paleogeography and paleoclimate.     

Seasonal variability of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in a wetland system of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau,southwest China: a quantitative assessment of groundwater inflow fluxes

The Caohai Wetland serves as an important ecosystem on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and as a nationally important nature reserve for migratory birds in China. In this study, surface water, groundwater and wetland water were collected for the measurement of environmental isotopes to reveal the seasonal variability of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δD), sources of water, and groundwater inflow fluxes. Results showed that surface water and groundwater are of meteoric origin. The isotopes in samples of wetland water were well mixed vertically in seasons of both high-flow (September) and low-flow (April); however, marked seasonal and spatial variations were observed. During the high-flow season, the isotopic composition in surface wetland water varied from ?97.13 to ?41.73‰ for δD and from ?13.17 to ?4.70‰ for δ¹⁸O. The composition of stable isotopes in the eastern region of this wetland was lower than in the western region. These may have been influenced by uneven evaporation caused by the distribution of aquatic vegetation. During the low-flow season, δD and δ¹⁸O in the more open water with dead aquatic vegetation ranged from ?37.11 to ?11.77‰, and from ?4.25 to ?0.08‰, respectively. This may result from high evaporation rates in this season with the lowest atmospheric humidity. Groundwater fluxes were calculated by mass transfer and isotope mass balance approaches, suggesting that the water sources of the Caohai Wetland were mainly from groundwater in the high-flow season, while the groundwater has a smaller contribution to wetland water during the low-flow season.     

A simple approach to evaluating leakage through thin impervious element of high embankment dams

Internal erosion is the most common reason which induces failure of embankment dams besides overtopping. Relatively large leakage is frequently concentrated at defects of impervious element, and this will lead to eventual failure. The amount of leakage depends not only on integrity of impervious element, but also on dam height, shape of valley, shape of impervious element and water level in reservoir. The integrity of impervious element, which represents the relative level of seepage safety, is not easy to be determined quantitatively. A simple method for generalization of steady seepage state of embankment dams with thin impervious element is proposed in this paper. The apparent overall value of permeability coefficient for impervious element can be obtained by this method with reasonable accuracy and efficiency. A defect parameter of impervious element is defined as an index to characterize seepage safety of embankment dams. It equals the ratio of the apparent overall value of permeability coefficient to the measured value in laboratory for intact materials. Subsequently, seepage safety of three dams is evaluated and the evolution of defect level of impervious element of dams is investigated. It is proved that the newly proposed method in this paper is feasible in the evaluation of relative seepage safety level of embankment dams with thin impervious element.     

Spatial and temporal variations of suspended solid concentrations from 2000 to 2013 in Poyang Lake,China

Concentrations of suspended solids in lakes can affect the latter’s primary productivity and reflect changes in sediment deposition. Determining the temporal and spatial distribution of suspended solid concentrations has important significance in lake water environmental management; this is particularly urgent for Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. In this study, suspended solid concentration inversion models for Poyang Lake were created using a semi-empirical method with regression analysis between continuously measured suspended solid concentration data and multi-band moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer images for spring, summer, autumn, and winter from 2009 to 2012. The coefficient of determination (R²) is from 0.6 to 0.9 and the average relative error for the accuracy verification was between 10 and 30%. The seasonal distributions of suspended solid concentrations in Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2013 were then obtained using optimal reversal models. The results showed that the seasonal variation in suspended solid concentrations had a “W” shape in which high spring and autumn and low summer and winter values. The suspended solid concentrations increased annually from 2000 to 2013 and were mainly distributed in the northern and central portions of the lake, with lower values along the shorelines. Further analysis indicated that the large difference in water level between the wet and dry seasons is an important factor in explaining these seasonal variations. Moreover, the suspended solid concentrations were poorly correlated with water temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration but more highly correlated with the deferred chlorophyll-a concentration.     

Research on mining-induced deformation and stress,insights from physical modeling and theoretical analysis

The dynamic change of mining-induced stress is the main reason for large deformation of surrounding rock. To investigate the influence of mining-induced stress and deformation is important for appropriate supportive design. It also helps to raise the safety and productivity of longwall mining operations. In this paper, Weijiagou Coal Mine in Southwest China was selected as the case study. In order to research on the deformation and breakage of overlying strata, physical modeling test was carried out on the self-developed rotatable physical similar test system. By using digital image correlation (DIC) technique, the deformation of strata and development of cracks in the process of coal seam excavation were acquired, meanwhile, mining-induced stress was also monitored by pressure cell and strainmeter. According to the mechanical structure of stope, the height of the destressed zone has a significant influence on stress distribution. In order to minimize the discrepancy between the physical model test and theoretical analysis, the dimension of the plastic zone of roadway was added into the mining panel width, and the gap between the experimental and theoretical results reduced.     

Numerical investigation of the hydrodynamic response of an impermeable sea-wall subjected to artificial submarine landslide-induced tsunamis

Landslides - Landslide-induced tsunamis are common natural hazards that potentially affect the safety and stability of waterfront structures. A numerical tank was constructed using FLOW-3D to...     

喜马拉雅东部三叠系涅如组地球化学和碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学特征及构造意义

喜马拉雅中—新生代地层沉积于印度被动大陆边缘,三叠系沉积物物源分析是冈瓦纳大陆裂解和古地理研究的重要载体.特提斯喜马拉雅东段上三叠统涅如组碎屑岩的物质来源和沉积背景具有较大的争议,本次研究采集隆子县斗玉乡晚三叠世粉砂质板岩进行碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学和全岩主微量元素地球化学分析.涅如组碎屑锆石年龄具有两个明显的峰值:206～224Ma(峰值213 Ma)和462～567Ma(峰值512 Ma),表明涅如组沉积时代为晚三叠世诺利期.涅如组w(SiO2)含量较低(平均值为57.7％),w(Al2O3)值较高(17.2％),轻稀土元素富集,重稀土元素亏损,轻稀土/重稀土元素平均值为8.1.高场强元素中Nb,Ta,Ti亏损,Zr,Hf,Th,U富集;大离子亲石元素中Ba,Sr亏损,Rb和K富集.综合分析认为源区岩石以酸性岩浆岩为主.本次研究认为上三叠统涅如组浊流相沉积形成于裂谷环境,代表新特提斯洋的打开;标志着拉萨板块从冈瓦纳大陆北缘裂解,并开始向北漂移.     

Arsenic contamination caused by roxarsone transformation with spatiotemporal variation of microbial community structure in a column experiment

Arsenic contamination from roxarsone in livestock manure is common, and livestock manure continuously accumulates in the open environment. Evaluations of the environmental processes of As mobilization and transformation are critical for predicting the fate of As compounds after roxarsone degradation. In this study, spatiotemporal variations in As species and microbial community structure were characterized using laboratory column experiments with background soil collected from Yanggu County (northern Shandong Plain, China), a region of intense poultry production. Organic and inorganic arsenic were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS), respectively. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to describe microbial diversity. Results showed that roxarsone was transformed completely within 7 days, and As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ) were the major degradation products. The concentration of As(Ⅲ) was much lower than that of As(Ⅴ). The As(Ⅲ) concentration increased significantly after Day 14, whereas the As(Ⅴ) concentration increased significantly after Day 84, indicating that As(Ⅲ) was initially produced. The microbial community structure changed significantly as roxarsone transformed into various As compounds. A critical and dominant bacterial strain, norank_f__Family_XVⅢ, was found to be related to the degradation of roxarsone into As(Ⅲ). This study improves our understanding of the fate of As species released from poultry litter to soil and groundwater, which is a threat to human health and environment.