Remediation and restoration of metal-contaminated sites： Concepts and appfications to mining areas

Metals, including heavy metals and metalloids, are a common group of environmental contaminants. Their sources in the environment are geogenic or anthropogenic. The growing trend in global industrialization ensures that more metals could be dispersed even in pristine ecosystems. To fuel industrialization, more metal ore mines have to be discovered and explored. These explorations often result in landscape disturbance, soil degradation and environmental contamination by unwanted mining constituents. Mine tailings brought up to the ground surface often serve as the main source of contaminants when these pyrite-rich materials oxidize. The oxidation of mine tailings results in proton generation, coupled with the dissolution of metals and other cations Unwanted anionic constituents are also produced. The so-called ＂acid mine drainage＂ may affect the productivity of farmlands and stability of receiving streams and other bodies of water-acidifying the waters and enriching the ecosystem with metals, i.e., high total dissolved solids. The acidified overburden materials become inhospitable to plant and microbial life as they are typically low in organic matter content and infertile. This exposes the landscape to runoff and erosion.     

阻燃级氢氧化镁制备过程中表面有机化改性

文章通过论述阻燃剂型氢氧化镁制备过程中的表面有机化改性,对改性剂、作用机理和改性工艺等进行了探讨,说明了对阻燃剂型氢氧化镁表面有机化改性的重要性,及在氢氧化镁制备过程中综合分析、系统研究的必要性。     

Attenuation of aqueous metal transport at two natural acid rock drainage occurrences in the Yukon Territory, Canada

Naturally acidic drainage associated with pyritic black shale has been observed in many locations in the Yukon Territory. While not necessarily linked to known mineral deposits, most of these natural acid rock drainage occurrences show elevated dissolved concentrations of trace elements, especially zinc, nickel, copper, cadmium and arsenic. Based on field observations, microbial investigation, chemical analyses and geochemical modeling, the fate and transport of potentially deleterious elements at two natural acid drainage occurrences with slightly different settings are examined. The Macintosh Creek is a small, acidic stream （pH 2.98-3.40）, 2 km long, located in the Macmillan Pass area of east-central Yukon amidst known sedimentary exhalative massive sulfide mineralization but remains undisturbed by exploration activities. Its trace metal content is apparently derived from groundwater discharges, which gave as much as 5.0, 2.5, 0.7, 0.13 and 0.03 mg/L ofZn, Ni, Cu and As, respectively. Interaction and sorption reactions with algal mats, biofilms and iron oxyhydroxides appear to be the dominant mechanisms attenuating aqueous contaminant transport along the stream. Cryogenic precipitation further consolidates the ferricrete formation and reduces the mobility of the sorbed metals. The tributaries of the Engineering Creek along the Dempster Highway in northern Yukon drain through a series of dolomite, phyllite, argillite, limestone, black shale, sandstone and conglomerate with no known concentration of mineralization. In this area, the water chemistry fully reflects the local geology with acidic streams invariably associated with black shale occurrences. Groundwater seeps in the headwaters area of the km-180 Creek completely enclosed in black shale gave pH 3.0 and as much as 148, 39, 2.9 and 9.1 mg/L of Zn, Ni, Cu and As, respectively. Sorption with iron oxyhydroxide and organic matter appear to dominate the attenuation of contaminant transport along the stream. However, once entered into carbonate-dominated terrains, secondary carbonate minerals exercise additional geochemical control on the local water chemistry as a result of neutralization.     

In situ time resolved synchrotron powder diffraction study of thaumasite

Structural changes during dehydration and subsequent decomposition in thaumasite Ca₃Si(SO₄)(CO₃)(OH)₆·12 H₂O were studied by in situ synchrotron powder diffraction between 303 and 1,098 K. Evolution of the crystal structure was observed through 28 structure refinements, by full profile Rietveld analysis performed in the P6₃ space group, between 300 and 417 K, whereupon the thaumasite structure was observed to breakdown. Within this temperature range, the cell parameters of thaumasite increased as a function of temperature in a nearly linear fashion up to about 393 K, at which temperature, a slight slope change was observed. Above 400 K, the thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the dehydration process proceeded very rapidly while the refined occupancy of water molecules dropped below a critical level, leading to instability in the thaumasite structure. At a same time, a remarkable change in the unit cell parameters occurring at about 417 K indicated that the crystal structure of thaumasite collapsed on losing the crystallization water and it turned amorphous. This result indicated that the dehydration/decomposition of thaumasite was induced by the departure of the crystallization water. At about 950 K, anhydrite and cristobalite crystallized from the thaumasite glass.     

Monte Carlo simulation of mixing in Ca3Fe2Ge3O12–Ca4Ge4O12 garnets and implications for the thermodynamic stability of pyrope–majorite solid solution

Static lattice energy calculations, based on empirical pair potentials, were performed for a large set of structures differing in the arrangement of octahedral cations within the garnet 2 × 2 × 2 supercell. The compositions of these structures varied between Ca₃Fe₂Ge₃O₁₂ and Ca₄Ge₄O₁₂. The energies were cluster expanded using pair and quaternary terms. The derived ordering constants were used to constrain Monte Carlo simulations of temperature-dependent mixing properties in the ranges of 1,073–3,673 K and 0–10 GPa. The free energies of mixing were calculated using the method of thermodynamic integration. The calculations predict a wide miscibility gap between Fe-rich (cubic) and Fe-pure (tetragonal) garnets consistent with recent experimental observations of Iezzi et al. (Phys Chem Miner 32:197–207, 2005). It is shown that the miscibility gap arises due to a very strong cation ordering at the Fe-pure composition, driven by the charge difference between Ca²⁺ and Ge⁴⁺ cations. The structural and thermodynamic analogies between Ca–Ge and Mg–Si systems suggest that a similar miscibility gap should exist between pyrope and Mg–Si-majorite.     

A Connectivity Index for Discrete Fracture Networks

Connectivity is an important measure for assessing flow transport in rock, especially through fractures. In this paper, rock fracture systems are modelled by a discrete fracture model simulated by a marked point process. A connectivity index is then introduced to quantify the connectivity between any two points in space. Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate the connectivity index for stationary cases and relationships between the connectivity index and the parameters of the discrete fracture model are analysed. The average number of intersections per fracture, X_f, and the fracture intensity, P12 (P32), are calculated and the relationships between these parameters and the connectivity index are investigated, concluding that X_f is the more suitable parameter for the classification of rock mass flow properties. The relationships between the connectivity index and the percolation state of the fractured medium are also discussed. An edge correction is briefly discussed and a practical example is used to demonstrate the method of computing the connectivity index.     

Seasonal Diatom Variability and Paleolimnological Inferences – A Case Study

The seasonality of physical, chemical, and biological water variables is a major characteristic of temperate, dimictic lakes. Yet, few investigations have considered the potential information that is encoded in seasonal dynamics with respect to the paleolimnological record. We used a one-year sequence of diatoms obtained from sediment traps and water samples, as well as the sedimentary diatom record covering the past ca. 1000 years in Bates Pond, Connecticut (USA), to investigate which variables influence the seasonal distribution of diatoms and how this can be used for the interpretation of the fossil record. The seasonal patterns in diatom assemblages were related to stratification and, to a lesser extent, to nitrate, silica, and phosphorus. During mixing periods in spring and autumn, both planktonic and benthic species were collected in the traps, while few lightly silicified, spindle-shaped planktonic diatoms dominated during thermal stratification in summer. Changes in fossil diatom assemblages reflected human activity in the watershed after European settlement and subsequent recovery in the 20th century. A long-term trend in diatom assemblage change initiated before European settlement was probably related to increased length of mixing periods during the Little Ice Age, indicated by the increase of taxa that presently grow during mixing periods and by application of a preliminary seasonal temperature model. We argue that the analysis of seasonal diatom dynamics in temperate lakes may provide important information for the refinement of paleolimnological interpretations. However, investigations of several lakes and years would be desirable in order to establish a more robust seasonal data set for the enhancement of paleolimnological interpretations.     

要十分重视另一类型地质灾害的防治

文章提出另一类型地质灾害,即化学型地质灾害的定义及其分类。并认为化学型地质灾害不像物理型地质灾害那样发生瞬时灾害,而有一个延缓过程,但是一旦发生,难于挽救。化学型地质灾害体的主体是化学元素,开展地球化学调查,研究化学元素的赋存规律、土壤及沉积物承受各类元素的极限、各类元素活化的条件是揭示诱发化学型地质灾害机理的关键。因此要十分重视与加强化学型地质灾害的调查、研究、监测与治理工作。     

遥控飞艇数字航空摄影系统

提出快速获得航空影像并及时制作DOM、DLG的一种手段.介绍遥控飞艇数字摄影系统的工作原理,探讨存在的问题.     

藏南地区金和锑矿床(点)类型及其时空分布特征

本文首次对藏南地区金和锑矿床(点)地质特征、成因类型和空间分布特点进行了总结，对金和锑成矿作用与中新生代构造一岩浆活动的关系进行了论证，对区域地壳演化过程中金和锑成矿动力学机制进行了讨论。该区的金和锑矿床(点)可按容矿围岩划分为：①变质岩为主要容矿围岩矿床(点)，包括金和金一锑矿床(点)；②沉积岩为主要容矿围岩矿床(点)，包括金、锑、金一锑和锑多金属矿床(点)；③火山岩为主要容矿围岩矿床(点)，以金一银矿床为代表。根据金和锑矿床(点)空间分布特点和地质特点，将本区划分为4个矿化集中区：拉昂错一马攸木一帕羊金矿化集中区(A)，然勒金和锑矿化集中区(B)，洛扎一措美锑矿化集中区(C)和邛多江金一锑矿化集中区(D)。各矿化集中区内大多数金和锑矿床(点)与燕山晚期～喜马拉雅早期富碱火成岩具密切时空分布关系，它们是古板块对接碰撞期和碰撞期后大规模构造一岩浆活动的产物。近东西向挤压性和南北向张性断裂交汇部位以及富碱火成岩发育区是寻找金和锑矿床(点)的有利场所。