The marine controlled source electromagnetic response of a steel borehole casing: applications for the NEPTUNE Canada gas hydrate observatory

Gas hydrates are a potential energy resource, a possible factor in climate change and an exploration geohazard. The University of Toronto has deployed a permanent seafloor time‐domain controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) system offshore Vancouver Island, within the framework of the NEPTUNE Canada underwater cabled observatory. Hydrates are known to be present in the area and due to their electrically resistive nature can be monitored by 5 permanent electric field receivers. However, two cased boreholes may be drilled near the CSEM site in the near future. To understand any potential distortions of the electric fields due to the metal, we model the marine electromagnetic response of a conductive steel borehole casing. First, we consider the commonly used canonical model consisting of a 100 Ωm, 100 m thick resistive hydrocarbon layer embedded at a depth of 1000 m in a 1 Ωm conductive host medium, with the addition of a typical steel production casing extending from the seafloor to the resistive zone. Results show that in both the frequency and time domains the distortion produced by the casing occurs at smaller transmitter‐receiver offsets than the offsets required to detect the resistive layer. Second, we consider the experimentally determined model of the offshore Vancouver Island hydrate zone, consisting of a 5.5 Ωm, 36 m thick hydrate layer overlying a 0.7 Ωm sedimentary half‐space, with the addition of two borehole casings extending 300 m into the seafloor. In this case, results show that the distortion produced by casings located within a 100 m safety zone of the CSEM system will be measured at 4 of the 5 receivers. We conclude that the boreholes must be positioned at least 200 m away from the CSEM array so as to minimize the effects of the casings.     

Age and nature of the late Early Cretaceous Zhaga Formation,northern Tibet: constraints on when the Bangong–Nujiang Neo-Tethys Ocean closed

This article reports the depositional environment, provenance, and U–Pb zircon age constraints for the newly identified Zhaga Formation in northern Tibet and uses these to better understand the tectonic evolution of the Bangong–Nujiang suture. One transect across the Zhaga Formation was investigated. The Zhaga Formation is ~2 km thick, dominated by greywacke and conglomerate at the base, basalt and limestone in the middle, and greywacke and shale at the top. Greywacke in the Zhaga Formation typically contains 70–75% quartz, 5% feldspar, 3–5% rock debris, and >15% matrix, with normal grading and convolute bedding, basal flow structures, and distinct Bouma sequences interpreted as bathyal to abyssal turbidites. One rhyolite sample and one greywacke sample from the studied transect were collected for zircon U–Pb dating. The rhyolite yields a concordia age of 118 Ma, and the greywacke yields nine age peaks of 247, 330, 459, 541, 611, 941, 1590, 1871, and 2482 Ma, indicating that the Zhaga Formation formed during the late Early Cretaceous and the provenance of its detritus was the Qiangtang area. These data, combined with the Early Cretaceous ocean islands, indicates that the Bangong–Nujiang Neo-Tethys Ocean must have been open during the late Early Cretaceous. We conclude that the Bangong–Nujiang Neo-Tethys Ocean closed after the late Early Cretaceous and not during the Late Jurassic or the early Early Cretaceous as proposed by previous workers.     

六合体应变干扰因素与地震短临异常特征研究

利用江苏省南京市六合地震台钻孔体应变2003年1月1日至2008年12月31日的数字化观测资料,对气压和降雨这二种主要干扰因素的基本变化规律进行分析,讨论了发生在该台预报效能范围内的3次中强地震的短临异常特征.结果表明:气压变化在各个季节对观测值均有较大的影响,以短周期的正相关干扰影响为主,在时间上往往表现为准同步,相关系数能达到0.6～0.7以上;降雨对体应变的影响与降雨过程、降雨量及降雨时间等有密切的关系,持续降雨只有积累到一定程度才能促成固体潮畸变,这一过程虽较复杂,但仍有一定的规律可循.六合体应变对区域内中强地震有1～2月的突出短临异常变化.     

青海省钻孔应变资料典型干扰特征分析

分析了青海省境内6套YRY-4型分量钻孔应变仪观测资料的可靠性,详细研究了每套资料的干扰因素及特征,结果认为地下水和气压等因素是YRY-4型分量钻孔应变仪的主要干扰因素,但由于各观测点气候及地质水文条件的不同造成了干扰程度的差异.     

Artificial neural network forward modelling and inversion of electrokinetic logging data

An artificial neural network method is proposed as a computationally economic alternative to numerical simulation by the Biot theory for predicting borehole seismoelectric measurements given a set of formation properties. Borehole seismoelectric measurements are simulated using a finite element forward model, which solves the Biot equations together with an equation for the streaming potential. The results show that the neural network method successfully predicts the streaming potentials at each detector, even when the input pressures are contaminated with 10% Gaussian noise. A fast inversion methodology is subsequently developed in order to predict subsurface material properties such as porosity and permeability from streaming potential measurements. The predicted permeability and porosity results indicate that the method predictions are more accurate for the permeability predictions, with the inverted permeabilities being in excellent agreement with the actual permeabilities. This approach was finally verified by using data from a field experiment. The predicted permeability results seem to predict the basic trends in permeabilities from a packer test. As expected from synthetic results, the predicted porosity is less accurate. Investigations are also carried out to predict the zeta potential. The predicted zeta potentials are in agreement with values obtained through experimental self potential measurements.     

Numerical simulation of crack formation process in clays during drying and wetting

Clays generally crack upon drying and the cracks gradually close up because of expansion of the clays induced by rainfall infiltration. Based on the concept of air drainage ratio, we introduce an improved simplified consolidation theory for unsaturated soils and apply it to solve the crack formation problem. We present initial conditions, special consideration, and finite-element (FEM) formulations for simulation of cracks under axisymmetric conditions. Similar to finding solutions for sand-well consolidation problems, a prism of clays surrounded by polygonal distributed cracks is simplified as a cylinder. Numerical simulations using the FEM formulations are performed on the processes of crack occurrence, propagation, and closure during drying and wetting. To investigate the influence of air drainage ratio distribution, three different schemes are adopted for computation. It is found that the behaviour of cracks in clays during drying and wetting can be well represented using the approach proposed in the paper. The simplified consolidation theory used in the paper for unsaturated soils is more suitable for crack analysis than the general consolidation theory currently applied.     

连续闭合钢箱接头地下连续墙施工技术

目前许多深基坑工程对于超深地下连续墙的刚度及防渗性能要求较高。在分析传统常用的接头形式在施工过程中存在问题的基础上,提出了一套行之有效的施工方法——连续闭合钢箱接头。详细介绍了连续闭合钢箱接头地下连接墙施工技术及其施工效果。     

海岸地区TIBL廓线与局地海风环流的数值试验

对三次ＥｌＮｉｎｏ发生前后的ＥＣＭＷＦ资料用滤波方法（带通,低通）进行分析,得到的结果清楚地表明,在ＥｌＮｉｎｏ发生前热带季节内振荡较强,而伴随ＥｌＮｉｎｏ发生,季节内振荡明显减弱,这种能量变化最明显的地区是赤道东太平洋地区;对于周期在９０天以上的热带准定常波,伴随ＥｌＮｉｎｏ的发生其能量明显增加,这种增加反映最显著的区域是从大西洋往西一直到西太平洋。对中纬度（２５－３５°Ｎ）及中高纬度（４０－５０°Ｎ）地区的准定常波能量分析表明,中纬度地区的准定常波能量比低纬大,准定常波能量变化在中纬度（２５－３５°Ｎ）表现出与低纬能量变化一致的情形,即伴随着ＥｌＮｉｎｏ的发生,准定常波能量增加;中高纬度（４０－５０°Ｎ）只在亚洲大陆（１００－１７０°Ｅ）表现出与热带一致的能量变化。结果还显示,热带季节内振荡在低层的东传对赤道西风异常及对ＥｌＮｉｎｏ的发生、发展起着很重要的作用。     

不同土壤热通量测算方法的比较及其对地表能量平衡闭合影响的研究

土壤热通量是地表能量平衡的重要分量,对其测算方法的研究对理解能量平衡过程具有十分重要的意义.利用2010年馆陶站土壤热通量等相关观测数据对多种测算土壤热通量的方法:实测土壤热通量和热储存量的结合方法(PlateCal)、热传导方程校正法(TDEC)、谐波分析法(HM)、平均土壤热电偶法(TCAV)、耦合热传导—对流法(ITCC)获取的地表土壤热通量进行了对比分析,并且采用最优方法计算馆陶站2008-2010年的地表土壤热通量,分析了该站土壤热通量日、季节变化特征.主要结论如下:①PlateCal和TDEC法分别为获取土壤热通量的最优观测与计算方法,而HM,TCAV和ITCC法计算结果均不理想;②PlateCal与TDEC法对地表土壤温度均不敏感,而HM法对地表土壤温度则比较敏感,各种地表土壤热通量的观测与计算方法均对土壤湿度敏感;③馆陶站冬小麦、玉米覆盖地表及地表裸露时期的地表土壤热通量均呈现典型的日、季节变化特征,与净辐射变化趋势一致;④考虑热储存后,可将馆陶站2010年各月地表能量闭合率提高4％～11％,对2008-2010年的年能量平衡闭合率提高3％～5％.     

Salt water infiltration in two artificial sea inlets in the Belgian dune area

In the dune area of the Westhoek Nature Reserve, situated in the western Belgian coastal plain, two artificial tidal inlets were made aiming to enhance biodiversity. The infiltration of salt water in these tidal inlets was carefully monitored because a fresh water lens is present in the phreatic dune aquifer. This forms an important source of fresh water which is for instance exploited by a water company. The infiltration was monitored over a period of two years by means of electromagnetic borehole measurements (EM39) and by measurements of fresh water heads and temperature using a large number of observation wells. EM39 observations point to aquifer heterogeneity as a determining factor in the movement of the salt infiltration water. It is shown that part of the infiltration water moves further in the dunes instead of towards the sea. On the long term run, possibility exists that salt water enters the extraction’s capture zone. This issue needs further monitoring and study. Fresh water head and temperature data illustrate that the main period of infiltration is confined to spring tide when large amounts of salt water enter the tidal inlets.