Experimental determination of REE partition coefficients between zircon,garnet and melt: a key to understanding high‐T crustal processes

The partitioning of rare earth elements (REE) between zircon, garnet and silicate melt was determined using synthetic compositions designed to represent partial melts formed in the lower crust during anatexis. The experiments, performed using internally heated gas pressure vessels at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, represent equilibrium partitioning of the middle to heavy REE between zircon and garnet during high‐grade metamorphism in the mid to lower crust. The D_REE (zircon/garnet) values show a clear partitioning signature close to unity from Gd to Lu. Because the light REE have low concentrations in both minerals, values are calculated from strain modelling of the middle to heavy REE experimental data; these results show that zircon is favoured over garnet by up to two orders of magnitude. The resulting general concave‐up shape to the partitioning pattern across the REE reflects the preferential incorporation of middle REE into garnet, with D_Gd (zircon/garnet) ranging from 0.7 to 1.1, D_Ho (zircon/garnet) from 0.4 to 0.7 and D_Lu (zircon/garnet) from 0.6 to 1.3. There is no significant temperature dependence in the zircon–garnet REE partitioning at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, suggesting that these values can be applied to the interpretation of zircon–garnet equilibrium and timing relationships in the ultrahigh‐T metamorphism of low‐Ca pelitic and aluminous granulites.     

Dynamic analysis of strain localization in water‐saturated clay using a cyclic elasto‐viscoplastic model

A computational framework is presented for dynamic strain localization and deformation analyses of water‐saturated clay by using a cyclic elasto‐viscoplastic constitutive model. In the model, the nonlinear kinematic hardening rule and softening due to the structural degradation of soil particles are considered. In order to appropriately simulate the large deformation phenomenon in strain localization analysis, the dynamic finite element formulation for a two‐phase mixture is derived in the updated Lagrangian framework. The shear band development is shown through the distributions of viscoplastic shear strain, the axial strain, the mean effective stress, and the pore water pressure in a normally consolidated clay specimen. From the local stress–strain relations, more brittleness is found inside the shear bands than outside of them. The effects of partially drained conditions and mesh‐size dependency on the shear banding are also investigated. The effect of a partially drained boundary is found to be insignificant on the dynamic shear band propagation because of the rapid rate of applied loading and low permeability of the clay. Using the finer mesh results in slightly narrower shear bands; nonetheless, the results manifest convergency through the mesh refinement in terms of the overall shape of shear banding and stress–strain relations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the 2D behavior of dry‐stone retaining walls by a fully discrete element method

The dry‐stone retaining walls (DSRW) have been tipped as a promising solution for sustainable development. However, before recently, their behavior is relatively obscure. In this study, discrete element method (DEM) approach was applied to simulate the plane strain failure of these walls. A commercial DEM package (PFC2D™) was used throughout this study. The authors used a fully discrete approach; thus, both the wall and the backfill were modeled as discrete elements. The methodology for obtaining the micromechanical parameters was discussed in detail; this includes the three mechanical sub‐systems of DSRWs: wall, backfill and interface. The models were loaded progressively until failure, and then the results were compared with the full‐scale experimental results where the walls were loaded, respectively, with hydrostatic load and backfill. Despite its complexity and its intensive calculation time, DEM model can then be used to validate a more simplified approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reaction softening by dissolution–precipitation creep in a retrograde greenschist facies ductile shear zone,New Hampshire,USA

We describe strain localization by a mixed process of reaction and microstructural softening in a lower greenschist facies ductile fault zone that transposes and replaces middle to upper amphibolite facies fabrics and mineral assemblages in the host schist of the Littleton Formation near Claremont, New Hampshire. Here, Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite progressively replace first staurolite, then garnet, and finally biotite porphyroblasts as the core of the fault zone is approached. Across the transect, higher grade fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is also progressively replaced by fabric‐forming Na‐poor muscovite. The mineralogy of the new phyllonitic fault‐rock produced is dominated by Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite together with late albite porphyroblasts. The replacement of the amphibolite facies porphyroblasts by muscovite and chlorite is pseudomorphic in some samples and shows that the chemical metastability of the porphyroblasts is sufficient to drive replacement. In contrast, element mapping shows that fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is selectively replaced at high‐strain microstructural sites, indicating that strain energy played an important role in activating the dissolution of the compositionally metastable muscovite. The replacement of strong, high‐grade porphyroblasts by weaker Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite constitutes reaction softening. The crystallization of parallel and contiguous mica in the retrograde foliation at the expense of the earlier and locally crenulated Na‐rich muscovite‐defined foliation destroys not only the metastable high‐grade mineralogy, but also its stronger geometry. This process constitutes both reaction and microstructural softening. The deformation mechanism here was thus one of dissolution–precipitation creep, activated at considerably lower stresses than might be predicted in quartzofeldspathic rocks at the same lower greenschist facies conditions.     

Borehole failure analysis in a sandstone under anisotropic stresses

Borehole failure under anisotropic stresses in a sandstone is analyze numerically for various borehole sizes using a nonlinear elastic–plastic constitutive model for a Cosserat continuum. Borehole failure is identified as macroscopic failure of the borehole through the development of shear bands and breakouts. The results compare well both qualitatively and quantitatively with experimental results from polyaxial tests on Red Wildmoor sandstone. They show that the hole size effect of the borehole failure strength is independent of the far‐field stress anisotropy and follows a ? power law of the hole size. A similar scale effect equation with a ? power law is proposed for the scale effect of the maximum plastic shear strain at failure. This equation can be useful for better predicting hole‐size‐dependent failure with standard codes based on classical continua. The effect of stress anisotropy on the borehole failure stress is found to be independent of the hole size. The failure stress decreases linearly to 40% as the stress anisotropy increases. However, the maximum plastic shear strain at failure is stress anisotropy independent and therefore the critical plastic shear strain for failure is only hole‐size dependent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contrast in stress–strain history during exhumation between high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic units in the Western Alps: Microboudinage analysis of piemontite in metacherts

Our analyses of microboudinage structures of piemontite grains embedded within six samples of metachert, one collected from an ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic unit at Lago di Cignana in Italy of the Western Alps, and the other five from surrounding high-pressure (HP) metamorphic units in Italy and France, have revealed that the structures are all symmetrical in type, and were presumably produced in coaxial strain fields. Stress–strain analyses of the microboudinaged grains revealed significant contrasts in the stress and strain histories of the UHP and HP metamorphic units, with the differential stress recorded by the UHP sample being unequivocally lower than that recorded by the five HP samples. In addition, our analyses showed that the UHP sample underwent stress-relaxation during microboudinage, whereas the five HP samples did not. On the basis of these observations and analyses we discuss the mechanical decoupling of the UHP and HP units that led to different histories in differential stress between the units during exhumation of the Western Alps.     

松辽盆地大陆科钻二开段大井眼钻井液技术

CCSD-SK2井是一口钻穿松辽盆地白垩纪陆相沉积地层的中国大陆科学钻探井。二开段先以216mm口径钻至2806.20m,然后进行444.5mm口径扩孔。泥页岩地层大井眼钻进过程中粘土矿物含量高且易造浆,砂砾岩层渗透性强易粘卡,井壁稳定控制与钻屑携带难度大。选用了钾铵聚合物钻井液体系和聚磺钻井液体系,通过正交实验确定了钻井液配方。将钻井液控制在合适的密度、较低的失水量以及较强的封堵性,有效实现了井壁稳定;保持适当的环空返速、较高的动塑比以及定期打稠塞举砂等措施,有效实现了井眼净化。1086.45m~1147.56m与1182.74m~1256.01m井段累计收获岩心130.90m,取心率达到97.41%,平均机械钻速为0.84m/h;最终顺利钻至2806.20m。     

三位一体找矿预测模型的表达式

三位一体找矿预测模型是勘查区找矿预测理论遵循的原则。三位是指成矿地质体、成矿结构面、成矿作用标志,一体是指矿体、矿床或矿田。可以理解为成矿地质体、成矿结构面、成矿作用标志决定矿体、矿床或矿田产出的空间位置,反映的是成矿要素与成矿产物之间的空间关系,或者空间结构模型,是由某一个成矿地质体决定的矿床成矿系统的最小单元,如某斑岩体决定的次火山热液成矿系统和同生断裂决定的热水沉积成矿系统。 根据中国地质调查局(2016)颁发的1:50 000 矿产地质调查工作指南(试行),成矿地质体是指与矿床形成在时间、空间和成因上有密切联系的地质体。成矿结构面是指赋存矿体的显性或隐性存在的岩石物理及化学性质不连续面,也就是赋存矿体的各类界面。成矿作用标志是指能够直接指示矿体赋存位置的、对找矿预测具有特殊意义的标志(中国地质调查局,2016)。矿床成岩成矿年代学及成矿作用产物与成矿地质体的空间关系表明,成矿地质体在成矿过程中,仍然主要起导矿构造的作用,尽管部分成矿现象类似于侧分泌成矿,但规模热液矿床的形成必然伴随着大规模流体沿构造通道持续或间歇性运移。完整的成矿系统必然包含源、运、储三个基本环节(翟裕生,2005),所以成矿地质体也可以表述为导矿构造,进而将三位一体找矿预测模型定性地表述为导矿构造、成矿结构面和成矿作用标志决定成矿作用产物产出的空间位置。模型的定量表示则需要研究导矿构造、成矿结构面和成矿作用标志的响应范围及其耦合关系。     

平行轮廓线自适应插值的三维表面重构算法

针对稀疏点轮廓线在三维表面重构中存在的不够光滑、匹配易出错和难以交互等问题,提出了基于轮廓线插值的三维表面重构方法,并通过实验进行验证。文章分析了三维表面重构的形式化表达方法和准则,提出了基于虚跨距解决稀疏点轮廓线三维重构的基本思想;基于同步前进算法和虚跨距,设计了自适应等比例插值的同步前进三角面镶嵌算法;针对轮廓线插值违背三角表面重构拓扑准则的规律进行了分析,提出了相应的修正算法,保证了三角网的拓扑一致性。试验结果表明:本算法所构建的三角网表面更为光滑,各个三角面的大小更为均匀,具有更好的鲁棒性和交互性,对稀疏和稠密坐标点的轮廓线均能构建出更为理想的三维表面模型。     

Modification of strain wedge method for lateral soil-pile interaction in sandEI北大核心CSCD

A modified strain wedge (SW) method for analyzing the behavior of laterally loaded single piles in sand is proposed. The modified model assumes that the lateral displacements of a pile behind the three-dimensional passive soil wedge are nonlinear, which makes the horizontal soil strain variable with depths instead of a constant value in the original strain wedge model, and also employs two different hyperbolic models, one for describing horizontal stress increment-strain behavior of soil in the wedge, and the other for describing the shear stress-displacement property at the interface between soil and pile shafts. An example is analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the modified method, and a good agreement is obtained. Finally, the effects of modifications on the lateral bearing capacity of pile shafts are discussed. The results show that the problem of overestimating the lateral bearing capacity of piles with strain wedge method can be ameliorated by introducing the assumption of nonlinear lateral displacements of piles. It makes the SW method more convenient and effective in analyzing the behavior of laterally loaded piles by introducing the new relationships of horizontal stress increment-strain and shear stress-displacement.