Erratum “Boundary” in ancient Persian tradition of statehood: an introduction to the origins of the concept of boundary in pre-modern history

Erratum to: GeoJournal 62: 51–58 DOI 10.1007/s10708-005-8562-2 The erroneous version of this article was originally published in GeoJournal 62: 51–58. This amended version corrects the formatting errors which are evident in the original version.Abstract It is universally accepted that the need for defining precise lines of separation and points of contacts between states is the byproduct of the emergence of nation-states and ‘world economy’ in the nineteenth century Europe. Nevertheless, it is hard to overlook the fact that these modern notions are rooted in periods prior to the emergence in Europe of nation-states. There are indications that ancient civilizations were familiar with the notion of ‘state’ in connection with the concepts of territory and boundary. Ancient texts reveal that this basic principle existed in ancient Persian literature in respect of matters of state, territory, and boundary. Similarly, the likelihood exists that these Persian notions could have influenced Roman civilization. It is widely believed that a combination of ancient Greco-Roman and Persian civilizations is a major contributor to what culturally constitutes ‘West’. Later in the Sassanid period the inter-linked notions of state, territory, and boundary developed substantially, coming quite close to their contemporary forms. On the other hand, considering that ‘justice’ was the corner stone of ancient Persian Political philosophy, the idea that ancient␣Iranian spatial arrangement might have contributed to the evolution of the concept of democracy in the West may not be too difficult to contemplate.The online version of the original article can be found at     

Will the river Irtysh survive the year 2030? Impact of long-term unsuitable land use and water management of the upper stretch of the river catchment (North Kazakhstan)

The Irtysh river basin all the way from river spring in China across Kazakhstan as far as the Russian part of Siberia is among the most ecologically endangered and affected regions on our planet. The study provides a summary of the historical reasons for anthropological interventions in this area, which began with the construction of plants of the military—industrial complexes in the forties of the last century during World War II. These plants have a major share in extreme high concentrations of heavy metals in surface as well in groundwaters locally. The Semipalatinsk nuclear polygon plays a specific role as a source of contamination of local waters. The release of top secret data enabled us to gain knowledge about serious problems related to high radioactivity of groundwaters, which should spread uncontrollably through a system of secondary fissures activated by nuclear blasts. Another serious problem in this region is the quantitative aspect of contamination. Model simulations of water balance indicate that large industrial development in the spring area in China and continuously increasing water consumption in Kazakhstan may lead to desiccation of the lower stretch of this large river in Siberia during the summer months of 2030.     

Risk assessment of groundwater pollution using sensitivity analysis and a worst-case scenario analysis

This paper illustrates how sensitivity analysis and a worst-case scenario analysis can be useful tools in risk assessment of groundwater pollution. The approach is applied to a study area in Hungary with several known groundwater pollution sources and nearby drinking water production wells. The main concern is whether the contamination sources threaten the drinking water wells of the area. A groundwater flow and transport model is set up to answer this question. Due to limited data availability, the results of this model are associated with large uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis and a worst-case scenario analysis are applied to estimate this uncertainty and build confidence in the model results.     

Lead, zinc, and antimony contamination of the Rio Chilco-Rio Tupiza drainage system, Southern Bolivia

An intense, but localized rainfall event in February 2003, led to the severe erosion and failure of a tailings disposal impoundment at the Abarόa Antimony Mine in southern Bolivia. The failure released approximately 5,500 m³ of contaminated tailings into the Rio Chilco-Rio Tupiza drainage system. The impacts of the event on sediment quality are examined and compared to contamination resulting from historic mining operations in the headwaters of the basin. Of primary concern are contaminated floodplain soils located along downstream reaches of the Rio Tupiza which were found to contain lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and antimony (Sb) concentrations that locally exceed Canadian, German, and Dutch guidelines for agricultural use. Spatial patterns in sediment-borne trace metal concentrations, combined with Pb isotopic data, indicate that Pb, Zn, and Sb are derived from three tributary basins draining the Abarόa, Chilcobija, and Tatasi-Portugalete mining districts. Downstream of each tributary, geographical patterns in trace metal concentrations reflect local geomorphic changes throughout the drainage system. Trace metal concentrations within the Rio Chilco decrease rapidly downstream as a result of dilution by uncontaminated sediments and storage of metal enriched particles (e.g., sulfide minerals) in the channel bed as a result of ongoing aggradation. Storage in the floodplains is limited. These processes significantly reduced the dispersal and, thus, the relative environmental affects of tailings eroded from the Abarόa Mine during the 2003 flood. In contrast, storage of Pb, Zn, and Sb in floodplains along the Rio Tupiza is significant, the majority of which is derived from historic mining operations, particularly mining within the Tatasi-Portugalete district.     

Vertical distribution and water solubility of phosphorus and heavy metals in sediments of the St. Lucie Estuary, South Florida, USA

Accumulation and distribution of heavy metals and phosphorus in sediments impact water quality. There has been an increasing concern regarding fish health in the St. Lucie Estuary, which is related to increased inputs of nutrients and metals in recent decades. To investigate vertical changes of contaminants (P, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn) in sediments of the St. Lucie Estuary in South Florida, 117 layer samples from six of the 210 to 420 cm depth cores were analyzed for their total and water-soluble P and heavy metals, clay, total Fe, Al, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and pH. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used in two sets of analytical data (total and water-soluble contaminant concentrations) to document changes of contaminants in each core of sediments. The PCA of total contaminants and minerals resulted in two factors (principal components). The first and second factors accounted for 61.7 and 17.2 % of the total variation in all variables, and contrast indicators associated with contaminants of P, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn and accumulation of Fe and Al oxides, respectively. The first factor could be used for overall assessment of P and heavy metal contamination, and was higher in the upper 45–90 cm than the lower depths of each core. The concentrations of P and heavy metals in the surface layers of sediments significantly increased, as compared with those in the sediments deeper than 45–90 cm. The PCA of water-soluble contaminants developed two factors. The second factor (Cu–P) was higher in the upper than the lower depths of the sediment, whereas the highest score of the first factor (Cd–Co–Cr–Ni–Pb–Zn–Mn) occurred below 100 cm. The water-soluble Cu and P concentrations were mainly dependent on their total concentrations in the sediments, whereas the water-soluble Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn concentrations were mainly controlled by pH.     

青藏高原清水河多年冻土区铁路路基沉降变形特征研究

通过埋设在青藏铁路路基中两个断面内的6条沉降观测管3 a来的地基沉降变形资料,研究了高原多年冻土区铁路路基的沉降变形特征,分析了填筑铁路路基对下伏多年冻土融化变形的影响。研究表明,由于受到填筑路基时赋存在路基填料内的热量的影响,铁路路基下伏多年冻土上限在施工初期会有一个明显的下移沉降,铁路路基也随之有一个较大幅度的工后下沉变动,随着时间的推移,路基下降速率会逐渐下降,但在短时间内不会停止下来,而且由于太阳辐射和路基边坡形状的影响,路基向阳面与背阴面的变形有较大的差别,且在近南北向展布的路基上表现最为明显。     

库车坳陷侏罗系煤成气动力学模拟研究

应用黄金管—高压釜封闭体系热模拟实验与GC、GC-IRMS分析技术,结合KINETICS专用软件,对库车坳陷侏罗系煤成气进行了动力学模拟研究。库车坳陷侏罗系煤具有高的产气性,在高演化阶段主要产甲烷气;侏罗系煤热解气甲烷碳同位素为-36‰～-25‰,乙烷碳同位素为-28‰～-16‰;甲烷、C2-C5气态烃的生成活化能分别为(47～64k)calm/ol、(55～72k)calm/ol,频率因子各为5.265×1013s-1、5.388×1018s-1。在此基础上,进一步探讨了克拉2气田天然气的成因。研究认为,克拉2气田天然气属阶段捕获的煤成气,主要聚集了5～1Ma时期的天然气,其成熟度Ro分布范围为1.3%～2.5%。     

华南下寒武统镍钼矿层中铜铅锌矿物的发现及意义

华南扬子地块是我国古热水沉积成矿作用最为发育的地区之一,其热水沉积特性最早引起我国学者的关注。华南下寒武统黑色岩系中赋存多个与热水沉积成矿作用相关的大型、超大型重晶石矿床与N i-Mo-U-V多金属富集层。进一步研究分布在华南扬子地块黑色岩系中的金属、非金属矿床成因及其地球化学特征,对认识华南乃至全球晚震旦—早寒武世生物与环境演化有着十分重要的意义。本文对华南下寒武统镍-钼富集层矿石进行电子探针研究,识别出黄铜矿、黝铜矿等铜的独立矿物;闪锌矿等锌的独立矿物;方铅矿、白铅矿等铅的独立矿物。研究表明,在镍-钼矿石中这些矿物的发现为镍-钼矿层是热水沉积作用产物提供了直接的矿物学证据。     

地震属性分析中水平切片的应用

利用地震数据体中含有的丰富地质信息,可以有效地进行储层预测。层拉平水平切片地层学解释方法是先将地震剖面目的层段做层拉平处理,然后对切片顺地层层面追踪,勾绘出各种地层现象,并以地层学的观点加以解释。该方法在吉林探区扶新南部地区的应用中,对于识别河道的展布趋势取得了较好的效果,而且发现了多期叠置的扇型沉积体。另外,还可指导反演数据体的解释,做到对岩性体从定性到定量的描述。     

渤南洼陷罗151块火成岩油藏特征及开发对策

罗151块火成岩油藏是近年在济阳坳陷发现的中型油藏，油藏埋深3150m；在研究罗151井区火成岩成因、侵入期次、岩相学及储层非均质性的基础上，建立了火成岩储层概念模型，划分出角岩微孔隙型油藏及辉绿岩溶蚀孔隙-裂缝型油藏两个类型，纵向上分为4个带，平面上分为3个区；预测了火成岩储层发育的有利部位；部署了合理的开发井网，钻探后，完钻新井14口，平均单井日产油27t，取得了显著效果；火成岩油藏初期产能高，产量递减快，弹性产率低，依靠天然能量开采，最终采收率只有14．1％，可以进行注水开发，注水效果较好。