Jurassic septarian concretions from NW Scotland record interdependent bacterial, physical and chemical processes of marine mudrock diagenesis

Septarian concretions in the Staffin Shales Formation (Kimmeridgian, Isle of Skye) allow controls on concretion rheology and septarian cracking to be investigated. Stratabound concretions consist of anhedral ferroan calcite microspar enclosing clay and minor pyrite. Intergranular volumes range from 77% to 88%, and calcite δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in most concretion bodies range from ?10·0‰ to ?17·3‰ and +0·3‰ to ?0·6‰ respectively, consistent with rapid and pervasive cementation in marine pore fluids. Septarian rupture occurred during incipient cementation, with a sediment volume reduction of up to 43%. Crack‐lining brown fibrous calcite records pore fluid re‐oxygenation during a depositional hiatus, followed by increasing Fe content and δ¹³C related to bacterial methanogenesis. Brown colouration results from an included gel‐like polar organic fraction that probably represents bacterially degraded biomass. A new hypothesis for concretion growth and septarian cracking argues that quasi‐rigid ‘proto‐concretions’ formed via binding of flocculated clays by bacterial extracellular polysaccharide substances (EPS). This provided rheological and chemical conditions for tensional failure, subcritical crack growth, volume contraction, calcite nucleation, and incorporation of degraded products into crack‐lining cements. Bacterial decay of EPS and syneresis of host muds provided internal stresses to initiate rupture at shallow burial. Development of septarian (shrinkage) cracks in muds is envisaged to require pervasive in situ bacterial colonization, and to depend on rates of carbonate precipitation versus EPS degradation and syneresis. Subsequent modification of septarian concretions included envelopment by siderite and calcite microspar, hydraulic fracturing associated with Cretaceous shallow burial or Palaeogene uplift; and cementation by strongly ferroan, yellow sparry calcite that records meteoric water invasion of the host mudrocks. An abundance of fatty acids in these spars indicates aqueous transport of organic breakdown products, and δ¹³C data suggest a predominantly methanogenic bicarbonate source. However, the wide δ¹⁸O range for petrographically identical cement (?1·3‰ to ?15·6‰) is difficult to explain.     

采场工作面顶板突水的渗流场分析

应用东北大学岩石破裂与失稳研究中心(CRISR)自主开发的F-RFPA2D渗流与应力耦合分析系统,对煤层顶板随着开采的逐步进行,采动裂隙逐渐向上发展并最终与含水层连通,进而发生顶板突水的全过程进行了数值模拟,直观地显示了煤层顶板的变形、破坏过程以及渗流场在整个岩体的运移过程及其突水前后渗流场的变化情况,从而较好地揭示了顶板突水过程。      

Effects of lithology and land use on storm run-off in east luxembourg

For a large part of the year, the forested catchments in the Keuper formation of east Luxembourg produce more direct run-off on a storm basis than paired cultivated catchments. The occurrence of shrinkage cracks, their pronounced opening and closing, and the occurrence of natural pipes in the forested environment play a major role in explaining this phenomenon. The effect of land use on storm run-off is studied in relation to that found for lithology in the same area.     

Detecting Voronoi (area-of-influence) polygons

Voronoi, or area-of-influence, polygons are convex, space-filling polygons constructed around a set of points (Voronoi centers) such that each polygon contains all points closer to its Voronoi center than to the center of any other polygon. The relationship of Voronoi centers to edges of Voronoi polygons is used to test whether any convex tessellation consists of Voronoi polygons. This test amounts to finding Voronoi centers that best fit the given tessellation. Voronoi centers are found by solving two systems of linear equations. These equations represent (1) conditions on the slope of polygon edges relative to the slope of lines through Voronoi centers, and (2) conditions on the distance from edges to Voronoi centers. Least squares and constrained least-squares solutions are used to solve the two systems. Different methods of solution can provide insight as to how a tessellation varies from Voronoi polygons. A goodness-of-fit statistic is derived and examined by testing randomly generated convex tessellations. Some polygonal ice cracks provide an example of naturally occurring polygons that are approximated closely by Voronoi polygons.     

基于同步挤压改进短时傅立叶变换的分频蚂蚁追踪在断裂识别中的应用

在地球物理领域,时频分析方法在资料处理过程中占据着愈发重要的位置;运用分频属性检测断层、裂缝等应用广泛;因此,寻求更高精度的时频分析方法一直是地震信号处理领域所追求的目标。改进短时傅立叶变换方法由于窗函数的限制导致时频分析结果准确度不理想,为了更大限度地提升时频分辨率,对改进短时傅立叶变换后的时频谱进行挤压,发展了同步挤压改进短时傅立叶变换;根据合成信号结果可知,同步挤压改进短时傅立叶变换其时频汇聚程度更加明显,在刻画信号的时频特征上更有优势。理论表明,地震数据高频成分可以对微小的次生裂缝进行精确的雕刻,而蚂蚁追踪技术是检测裂缝、断层信息的有效手段。因此,本文基于高分辨的时频分析方法,并结合蚂蚁追踪技术对三维数据体进行裂缝预测,结果表明:该方法可以更好地勾勒出微小裂缝以及伴生褶皱,识别精度与传统蚂蚁追踪算法相比有了明显的提高,同时也证实了该方法在实际应用中可行且有效。     

Surface cracks—geomorphological indicators for late Quaternary halotectonic movements in Northern Germany

Loading and unloading effects of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet triggered halotectonic movements in Northern Germany. We present newly detected geomorphological features—termed surface cracks—which indicate a relation between ice sheet-induced salt movement and surface processes. As a part of the Central European Basin System, numerous Zechstein salt structures are abundant in the North German Basin. On the basis of high-resolution digital terrain data, more than 160 surface cracks were mapped in Northern Germany, which were grouped into 30 clusters. Almost all of the surface cracks occur above the top regions of Zechstein salt structures. The surface cracks can be several kilometres long, up to more than 20 m deep and more than 100 m wide. The comparison of the shape of the salt structures and the orientation of the cracks reveals a geometric dependency, indicating that the cracks preferably occur near the crest margins of the salt structures. Furthermore, 3D seismic data from two sites show that subsurface faults originating from salt movement exist beneath the surface cracks. We interpret the cracks as surface ruptures due to ice sheet-induced halotectonic movements. The cracks occur in a variety of Quaternary sediments and landforms. This indicates that widespread halokinetic movements occurred in the region after the last (Weichselian) deglaciation and likely before the thawing of the permafrost, possibly in a time frame from c. 30–20 ka until c. 15 ka.     

山东灵山岛莱阳群水下非构造裂缝特征及意义

收缩裂缝在前寒武纪到显生宙各个地质时代都有发现,其成因一直存在争议。作者在灵山岛莱阳群泥岩和砂岩中都发现了大量的非构造裂缝,除了收缩裂缝外还有应力脆性裂缝和混合裂缝。这些裂缝通常在单层内发育,极少量延伸到邻层,具有多形态、多尺度、多充填方式、多期次和多级别的特征,与干燥泥裂和后期构造裂缝区别明显,结合地层中无暴露标志,认为是在水下环境形成。总结水下裂缝的关键特征并对比Pratt提出的地震收缩裂缝特征,推测灵山岛裂缝亦是地震触发而形成。灵山岛已经识别出了大量地震成因的软沉积变形构造,证明当时本区域地震活动频繁,具有裂缝地震成因的要素。前人总结收缩裂缝特点发现裂陷盆地明显多于被动大陆边缘挤压盆地,作者认为收缩裂缝在裂陷盆地拉张环境下容易形成和保存。灵山岛裂缝解释为水下环境地震成因具有更多的地质意义:可以解决沉积时水体深度问题;记录了古地震能量与频次,有效反映古地震的节律;是灵山岛莱阳群属于裂陷盆地沉积的有利证据。