Rock physics template (RPT) analysis of well logs and seismic data for lithology and fluid classification in Cambay Basin

The Cambay Basin is 450-km-long north–south-trending graben with an average width of 50 km, having maximum depth of about 7 km. The origin of the Cambay and other Basins on the western margin of India are related to the break up of the Gondwana super-continent in the Late-Triassic to Early-Jurassic (215 ma). The structural disposition of the Pre-Cambrian basement—a complex of igneous and metamorphic rocks exposed in the vicinity of the Cambay Basin—controls its architecture. The principal lineaments in the Basin are aligned towards NE-SE, ENE-WSW and NNW-SSE, respectively. Rock physics templates (RPTs) are charts and graphs generated by using rock physics models, constrained by local geology, that serve as tools for lithology and fluid differentiation. RPT can act as a powerful tool in validating hydrocarbon anomalies in undrilled areas and assist in seismic interpretation and prospect evaluation. However, the success of RPT analysis depends on the availability of the local geological information and the use of the proper model. RPT analysis has been performed on well logs and seismic data of a particular study area in mid Cambay Basin. Rock physics diagnostic approach is adopted in the study area placed at mid Cambay Basin to estimate the volume in the reservoir sands from 6 wells (namely; A, B, C, D, E and F) where oil was already encountered in one well, D. In the study area, hydrocarbon prospective zone has been marked through compressional (P wave) and shear wave (S wave) impedance only. In the RPT analysis, we have plotted different kinds of graphical responses of Lame’s parameters, which are the function of P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity and density. The discrete thin sand reservoirs have been delineated through the RPT analysis. The reservoir pay sand thickness map of the study area has also been derived from RPT analysis and fluid characterization. Through this fluid characterization, oil-bearing thin sand layers have been found in well E including well D. The sand distribution results prove that this methodology has able to perform reservoir characterization and seismic data interpretation more quantitatively and efficiently.     

A Spatial Database of Cropping System and its Characteristics to Aid Climate Change Impact Assessment Studies

Cropping system study is not only useful to understand the overall sustainability of agricultural system, but also it helps in generating many important parameters which are useful in climate change impact assessment. Considering its importance, Space Applications Centre, took up a project for mapping and characterizing major cropping systems of Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The study area included the five states of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. There were two aspects of the study. The first aspect included state and district level cropping system mapping using multi-date remote sensing (IRS-AWiFS and Radarsat ScanSAR) data. The second part was to characterize the cropping system using moderate spatial resolution multi-date remote sensing data (SPOT VGT NDVI) and ground survey. The remote sensing data was used to compute three cropping system performance indices (Multiple Cropping Index, Area Diversity Index and Cultivated Land Utilization Index). Ground survey was conducted using questionnaires filled up by 1,000 farmers selected from 103 villages based on the cropping systems map. Apart from ground survey, soil and water sampling and quality analysis were carried out to understand the effect of different cropping systems and their management practices. The results showed that, rice-wheat was the major cropping system of the IGP, followed by Rice-Fallow-Fallow and Maize-Wheat. Other major cropping systems of IGP included Sugarcane based, Pearl millet-Wheat, Rice-Fallow-Rice, Cotton-Wheat. The ground survey could identify 77 cropping systems, out of which 38 are rice-based systems. Out of these 77 cropping systems, there were 5 single crop systems, occupying 6.5% coverage (of all cropping system area), 56 double crop systems with 72.7% coverage, and 16 triple crop systems with 20.8% coverage. The cropping system performance analysis showed that the crop diversity was found to be highest in Haryana, while the cropping intensity was highest in Punjab state.     

Occurrence of paragonite in the hydrothermalwall rock alteration zone of G. R. Halli gold deposit, Chitradurga Schist Belt, Western Dharwar Craton, Southern India

Paragonite (NaAl₂Si₃AlO₁₀(OH)₂), a dioctahedral sodium mica, occurs as a minor phase in the wall rock alteration assemblage of the Guddadarangavanahalli (G. R. Halli) gold deposit of Western Dharwar Craton, Karnataka. It occurs as colourless to pale yellowish grains and scaly aggregates in chlorite, ankerite and quartz rich matrix of the altered metabasalt. Its presence is noticed in the distal to near proximal wall rock alteration zone, mainly in the southern part of the G. R. Halli gold deposit. Presence of paragonite is identified by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer (EPMA) studies. The Na₂O content of the paragonite varies between 5.96 wt% and 7.8 wt% whereas K₂O ranges from 0.44–2.68 wt%. Al₂O₃ is measured between 37.73 wt% and 39.72 wt% whereas SiO₂ varies from 45.06–47.19 wt%. The relative proportion of Na and K in paragonite varies between Na₉₆K₄ and Na₇₇K₂₃. The occurrence of paragonite in the wall rock alteration halo of the G. R. Halli gold deposit is proposed as a result of hydrolysis of metamorphosed plagioclase feldspars during the interaction of the hydrothermal fluids and the wall rock.     

Geochemical processes regulating groundwater chemistry with special reference to nitrate and fluoride enrichment in Chhatarpur area, Madhya Pradesh, India

The present study focuses on the hydrogeochemical composition of groundwater in Chhatarpur area with special focus on nitrate and fluoride contamination, considering the fact that groundwater is the only major source of drinking water here. Carbonate and silicate mineral weathering followed by ground water–surface water interactions, ion exchange and anthropogenic activities are mainly responsible for high concentrations of cations and anions in the groundwater in the region. The average concentration of nitrate and fluoride found in 27 samples is 1.08 and 61.4 mg/L, respectively. Nitrate enrichment mainly occurs in areas occupied with intense fertilizer practice in agricultural fields. Since the area is not dominated by industrialization, the possibility of anthropogenic input of fluoride is almost negligible, thus the enrichment of fluoride in groundwater is only possible due to rock–water interaction. The highly alkaline conditions, which favor the fluorite dissolution, are the main process responsible for high concentration of fluoride.     

Hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Does the science support the Plan to Reduce,Mitigate, and Control Hypoxia?

We update and reevaluate the scientific information on the distribution, history, and causes of continental shelf hypoxia that supports the 2001 Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2001), incorporating data, publications, and research results produced since the 1999 integrated assessment. The metric of mid-summer hypoxic area on the LouisianaTexas shelf is an adequate and suitable measure for continued efforts to reduce nutrients loads from the Mississippi River and hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico as outlined in the Action Plan. More frequent measurements of simple metrics (e.g., area and volume) from late spring through late summer would ensure that the metric is representative of the system in any given year and useful in a public discourse of conditions and causes. The long-term data on hypoxia, sources of nutrients, associated biological parameters, and paleoindicators continue to verify and strengthen the relationship between the nitratenitrogen load of the Mississippi River, the extent of hypoxia, and changes in the coastal ecosystem (eutrophication and worsening hypoxia). Multiple lines of evidence, some of them representing independent data sources, are consistent with the big picture pattern of increased eutrophication as a result of long-term nutrient increases that result in excess carbon production and accumulation and, ultimately, bottom water hypoxia. The additional findings arising since 1999 strengthen the science supporting the Action Plan that focuses on reducing nutrient loads, primarily nitrogen, through multiple actions to reduce the size of the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico.     

Biosafety assessment of municipal wastewater after treatment by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia</Emphasis> sp. ISTVKR1

The previously described potent biodegrading bacterial strain Serratia sp. ISTVKR1 isolated from sludge of Vasant Kunj Sewage Treatment Plant (VK STP) was used for the study of detoxification of municipal wastewater contaminants with the help of in vitro bioassays conducted on human liver cancer cell line HepG2. The strain has previously been shown to reduce wastewater contaminant load as revealed by a sevenfold reduction in COD and removal of some organic contaminants in the GC–MS analysis of wastewater post-72-h bacterial treatment. Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and dioxin-like behavior of real municipal wastewater (collected from inlet of VK STP) was assessed before and after bacterial treatment using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), alkaline comet and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assays, respectively. The bacterial strain was inoculated into MSM broth (pH = 7.2) containing 50% v/v filter-sterilized influent of VK STP and incubated up to 240 h at 30 °C and 130 rpm. Physicochemical and toxicological analyses were performed for the culture samples. The results of bioassays revealed an increase in cell viability by 40.16% and a reduction in the % EROD activity by 58.4% in the 240-h bacteria-treated sample as compared to the 0-h sample. Genotoxicity as indicated by tail moment (TM) and olive tail moment (OTM) was found to reduce by five- and threefold, respectively, after 240-h bacterial treatment. The results of the study confirmed the potency of the bacterial strain in detoxification of wastewater contaminants.     

Fast computation of Hankel Transform using orthonormal exponential approximation of complex kernel function

The computation of electromagnetic (EM) fields, for 1-D layered earth model, requires evaluation of Hankel Transform (HT) of the EM kernel function. The digital filtering is the most widely used technique to evaluate HT integrals. However, it has some obvious shortcomings. We present an alternative scheme, based on an orthonormal exponential approximation of the kernel function, for evaluating HT integrals. This approximation of the kernel function was chosen because the analytical solution of HT of an exponential function is readily available in literature. This expansion reduces the integral to a simple algebraic sum. The implementation of such a scheme requires that the weights and the exponents of the exponential function be estimated. The exponents were estimated through a guided search algorithm while the weights were obtained using Marquardt matrix inversion method. The algorithm was tested on analytical HT pairs available in literature. The results are compared with those obtained using the digital filtering technique with Anderson filters. The field curves for four types (A-, K-, H-and Q-type) of 3-layer earth models are generated using the present scheme and compared with the corresponding curves obtained using the Anderson sc heme. It is concluded that the present scheme is more accurate than the Anderson scheme     

On leaking modes

Summary The aim of the present paper is to investigate whether the so called leaking modes in the propagation of seismic waves exist or not. Physically, the idea of leaking modes whose amplitudes increase as the distance from the free surface increases does not seem to be sound. We give a detailed mathematical reasoning in support of this view. To this end, we reconsider the simple problem ofLapwood [3]²⁾. After deforming the path of integration to the second sheet and evaluating each term which appears we see that terms which are seemingly responsible for leaking modes, cancel out. Thus mathematically also it appears that there are no leaking modes.