Quantifying fracture geometry with X-ray tomography: Technique of Iterative Local Thresholding (TILT) for 3D image segmentation

This paper presents a new method—the Technique of Iterative Local Thresholding (TILT)—for processing 3D X-ray computed tomography (xCT) images for visualization and quantification of rock fractures. The TILT method includes the following advancements. First, custom masks are generated by a fracture-dilation procedure, which significantly amplifies the fracture signal on the intensity histogram used for local thresholding. Second, TILT is particularly well suited for fracture characterization in granular rocks because the multi-scale Hessian fracture (MHF) filter has been incorporated to distinguish fractures from pores in the rock matrix. Third, TILT wraps the thresholding and fracture isolation steps in an optimized iterative routine for binary segmentation, minimizing human intervention and enabling automated processing of large 3D datasets. As an illustrative example, we applied TILT to 3D xCT images of reacted and unreacted fractured limestone cores. Other segmentation methods were also applied to provide insights regarding variability in image processing. The results show that TILT significantly enhanced separability of grayscale intensities, outperformed the other methods in automation, and was successful in isolating fractures from the porous rock matrix. Because the other methods are more likely to misclassify fracture edges as void and/or have limited capacity in distinguishing fractures from pores, those methods estimated larger fracture volumes (up to 80 %), surface areas (up to 60 %), and roughness (up to a factor of 2). These differences in fracture geometry would lead to significant disparities in hydraulic permeability predictions, as determined by 2D flow simulations.     

Study on biogenic amines in various dry salted fish consumed in China

This study was carried out to investigate the biogenic amines（BAs）, physicochemical property and microorganisms in dry salted fish, a traditional aquatic food consumed in China. Forty three samples of dry salted fish were gathered from retail and wholesale markets and manufacturers, which had been produced in various regions in China. Cadaverine（CAD） and putrescine（PUT） were quantitatively the most common biogenic amines. About 14% of the samples exceeded the histamine content standards established by the FDA and/or EU. The highest histamine content was found in Silver pomfret（Pampus argenteus）(347.79 mg kg^-1). Five of forty three samples exceeded the acceptable content of TYR(100 mg kg^-1), and 23.26% of dried-salted fish contained high contents of biogenic amines(above 600 mg kg^-1). In addition, species, regions, pickling processes and drying methods made the physicochemical property, microorganisms and biogenic amines in dry salted fish to be different to some extents. The total plate count（TPC） was much higher than that of total halophilic bacteria in all samples. The biogenic amines, physicochemical property and microbiological counts exhibited large variations among samples. Furthermore, no significant correlation between biogenic amines and physicochemical property and TPC was observed. This study indicated that dry salted fish may still present healthy risk for BAs, depending on the processing methods, storage conditions among others.     

Effects of Mudstone Particle Content on Shear Strength of a Crushed Sandstone–Mudstone Particle Mixture

The present study focuses on the shear strength, deformation, and particle crushing of sand which is mixed by crushed sandstone and mudstone particles. Two triaxial tests—one for unsaturated specimens and the other for saturated specimens—were performed, along with sieve analysis tests. Results obtained from the triaxial tests indicate that, with the increment of the mudstone particle content by weight, the angle of internal friction decreases, the cohesion increases and then decreases, and both the initial angle of shearing resistance at the atmospheric pressure and decremental angle increase and then decrease. Compared to the unsaturated specimens, the deviator stress or normalized deviator stress of the saturated specimens at the same axial stress may decrease due to the wetting action. Thus, the shear strength of the tested materials may be reduced by the wetting action. Results of sieve analysis tests indicate that the mixing of some mudstone particles into the sandstone particle mixture may reduce the amount of particle crushing, but the wetting action may increase the amount. The amount of the crushed particle may arrive at a minimum of 40% of mudstone particle content by weight.     

Analysis of urbanization based on center-of-gravity movement and characteristics in Songhua River basin of China and its southern source sub-basin between 1990 and 2010

Urbanization in modern times led to a series of development strategies that brought new opportunities in China. Rapid urbanization caused severe stress to the ecosystems and the environment. Using the center-of-gravity(COG) method and parameters such as population, economy, and land, we studied the urbanization pattern in Songhua River Basin and its southern source sub-basin from 1990 to 2010. Urbanization was analyzed based on the COG position, eccentric distance, movement direction of COG, and distance of COG movement. Various characteristics of urbanization in the southern source sub-basin of the Songhua River were explained in relation to the whole Songhua River Basin. Urbanization in the southern source sub-basin of the Songhua River is balanced, relatively advanced, and stable compared to the whole Songhua River Basin. The average eccentric distance between the urbanization COGs in the Songhua River′s south source basin indicated rapid expansion of land urbanization during the span of this study. A basic pattern of urbanization COG in the whole Songhua Basin was observed, but there existed differences among the three aspects of urbanization process. Land urbanization is still in its active stage, so future studies should focus on analysis of such urbanization trends.     

Distribution and geochemical significance of trace elements in shale rocks and their residual kerogens

There is a dearth of information about the distribution of trace elements in kerogen from shale rocks despite several reports on trace element composition in many shale samples. In this study, trace elements in shale rocks and their residual kerogens were determined by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The results from this study show redox-sensitive elements relatively concentrated in the kerogens as compared to the shales. This may be primarily due to the adsorption and complexation ability of kerogen, which enables enrichment in Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn. For the rare earth elements (REEs), distinct distribution characteristics were observed for shales dominated by terrigenous minerals and their kerogen counterparts. However, shales with less input of terrigenous minerals showed similar REE distribution patterns to their residual kerogen. It is speculated that the distribution patterns of the REEs in shales and kerogens may be source-related.     

The morphological characteristics of gully systems and watersheds in Dry-Hot Valley,SW China

Gully systems and watersheds are geomorphic units with clear boundaries that are relatively independent of basin landscapes and play an important role in natural geography. In order to explore the morphological characteristics of gully systems and watersheds in the Dry-Hot Valley [South West (SW) China], gullies are interpreted from online Google images with high resolution and watersheds are extracted from digital elevation model at a scale of 1:50,000. The results show that: (1) There are 17,382 gullies (with a total area of 1141.66 km²) and 42 watersheds in the study area. (2) The average gully density of the study area (D) is 4.29 km/km², gully frequency (F) is 14.39 gullies/km², the branching ratio (B) is 5.13, the length ratio (L) is 3.12, and the coefficient of the main and tributary gullies (M) is 0.06. The degree of gully erosion is strong to extremely strong, the main development intensity of gully erosion ranges from intense to moderate, and the type of gully system is tributary. (3) The watershed areas (A) are between 0.39 and 96.43 km², the relief ratio (R) is from 0.10 to 0.19, the circularity ratio (C) is from 0.30 to 0.83, the texture ratio (T) is from 0.82 to 39.35, and the dominant geomorphological texture type is fine. (4) There is a quantitative relationship between F and D:F?=?0.624D² (R?=0.84) and T is closely related to D, F, M (R²?>?0.7). A, R and C are related to M (R²?>?0.5). The development of gully systems is the result of coupling effects between multiple factors. In this area, the degree of erosion and the condition of the main and tributary gullies can be controlled by the degree of topographic breakage in the watershed, which provides some theoretical basis for the evaluation of gully erosion by the latter. In addition, the scale, relief, and shape have a significant impact on the locations of the main and tributary gullies. For tributary gullies, attention should be paid to the interception and control of runoff and sediment in the small confluence branches in order to prevent gully expansion and head advance. These features can inform the development of targeted measures for the control of soil erosion.     

贵州遵义深溪大型锰矿床主要地质特征

贵州遵义地区是我国二叠纪锰矿的重要分布区之一,深溪锰矿是遵义地区继铜锣井锰矿发现的第二个大型隐伏锰矿床。本文结合深溪锰矿找矿实践,详细总结了深溪锰矿床地层、构造、矿石等特征,并对锰矿的矿床成因进行了探讨。研究表明,深溪锰矿严格受地层层位控制,呈层状、似层状产于二叠纪茅口组第三段浅灰至灰黑色含锰岩系中,矿石矿物主要为菱锰矿,含少量黄铜矿、重晶石、毒砂等矿物,矿石为块状、斑杂状、角砾状构造,自然类型为碳酸锰矿石,工业类型为贫锰矿、富锰矿。分析认为深溪锰矿为深部的气液成矿物质喷溢至地堑盆地中沉积成矿,为"内生外成"的"古天然气渗漏沉积型锰矿床"。     

新疆三塘湖盆地上石炭统近源凝灰岩致密油藏形成条件

三塘湖盆地上石炭统烃源岩是火山喷发环境下形成的,烃源岩往往与厚度不等的凝灰岩交互出现,但凝灰岩致密储层的厚度和物性差异较大,源储关系较复杂,因而近源凝灰岩致密油藏的形成需要特定的条件。为了认识三塘湖盆地上石炭统近源凝灰岩致密油藏的形成条件,以典型致密油藏M36为例,综合运用岩心、薄片、测录井、地球化学测试等资料,对成藏要素进行解剖,建立上石炭统凝灰岩致密储层及烃源岩有效性的评价标准,并总结出近源致密油藏成藏模式。结果表明,储层孔隙度大于5%、对应渗透率大于0.07×10-3μm2的凝灰岩可以作为有效储层;烃源岩有机碳含量在4.0%以上,对应生烃潜量大于10%,且Ro大于0.8%的高炭泥岩、暗色泥岩为优质烃源岩;较好的储层、优质的烃源岩和互层型源储配置关系是近源凝灰岩致密油藏的形成条件。     

Characterizing groundwater/surface-water interactions in the interior of Jianghan Plain,central China

Hydrogeology Journal - Quantifying groundwater/surface-water interactions is essential for managing water resources and revealing contaminant fate. There has been little concern on the exchange...     

Development mechanism for the landslide at Xinlu Village,Chongqing, China

Due to the continuous and intense rainfall from June 26 to 28, 2016, Xinlu Village in Ganshui Town, Qijiang District, Chongqing, experienced a unitary-slip landslide at approximately UTC+8 19:30 on June 28. This landslide disrupted the Chuan-Qian railway and damaged four residential buildings. To analyze and rehabilitate the landslide, the engineering geology, hydrological conditions, and deformation instability mechanism of this landslide were investigated and comprehensively analyzed based on an in situ survey, geophysical drilling, and a laboratory quick-shearing test. The results show that the landslide is a typical gradual progressive landslide.