The interior structure of Mercury and its core sulfur content

Depth-dependent interior structure models of Mercury are calculated for several plausible chemical compositions of the core and of the mantle. For those models, we compute the associated libration amplitude, obliquity, tidal deformation, and tidal changes in the external potential. In particular we study the relation between the interior structure parameters for five different mantle mineralogies and two different temperature profiles together with two extreme crust density values. We investigate the influence of the core light element concentration, temperature, and melting law on core state and inner and outer core size. We show that a sulfur concentration above 10 wt% is unlikely if the temperature at the core-mantle boundary is above 1850 K and the silicate shell at least 240 km thick. The interior models can only have an inner core if the sulfur weight fraction is below 5 wt% for core-mantle boundary temperature in the 1850-2200 K range. Within our modeling hypotheses, we show that with the expected precision on the moment of inertia the core size can be estimated to a precision of about 50 km and the core sulfur concentration with an error of about 2 wt%. This uncertainty can only be reduced when more information on the mantle mineralogy of Mercury becomes available. However, we show that the uncertainty on the core size estimation can be greatly reduced, to about 25 km, if tidal surface displacements and tidal variations in the external potential are considered.     

Tidal pattern instabilities on multi-moon planets

The equilibrium tide-generating forces in the lunar orbital plane of a planet of radius R are calculated for the case of N moons of mass Mi orbiting the planet at instantaneous polar coordinates (Di, αi). For the case of a single moon, there are only two high tides. For the case of two moons, it is found that there can exist a critical lunar orbital distance at which two high tides become unstable with respect to formation of three high tides. Bifurcation diagrams are presented which depict how the angular positions of the high and low tides on the planet vary with the lunar distances and lunar separation angle. Tidal stability diagrams, which illustrate the stability regions for various tidal patterns as a function of lunar distances and lunar separation angle, are presented for various values of D₂/D₁ and M₂/M₁. Generally speaking, the aforementioned tidal instability, and hence the propensity for formation of three high tides on a two-moon planet, exists over a significant range of lunar distances and separation angles provided that M₂/M₁∼³(D₂/D₁). For the case of N>2 moons, the tidal stability diagram becomes more complex, revealing a diversity of potential tidal patterns.     

胶东半壁店隐伏金矿床综合地球物理探测

胶东半岛是中国重要的金矿集区,金矿床的分布严格受NE—NNE向断裂带控制,招平断裂带是其中规模最大的控矿断裂带。然而,在断裂带中段的招远—道头镇区段(半壁店地区),新生代盖层下尚未发现成规模的金矿床。在总结招平断裂带内金矿床成矿模式和控矿地质体物性差异的基础上,从区域和断裂带尺度对比分析了1:60万和1:20万2种比例尺的布格重力异常特征,厘清了区域构造和岩体分布情况;进而在招平断裂带中段的半壁店地区利用1:1万高精度磁测和代表性剖面1:1万可控源音频大地电磁测量,揭示隐伏控矿地质体的分布情况。区域布格重力异常揭示出近EW向相对低密度正值((0~6)×10-5 m/s2)表征的构造带、团状正密度值(大于2×10-5m/s2)表征的玲珑黑云母花岗岩体和NE—NNE向密度值梯级带表征的招平断裂带;3组赋矿相关地质体的空间相对展布特征显示,玲珑黑云母花岗岩体南边界被近EW向构造带围限,招平断裂带切穿了早期生成的玲珑黑云母花岗岩体。高精度磁测结果反映：①招平断裂带穿切玲珑黑云母花岗岩体;②近EW向低密度、高磁性(相对磁性场值超过100 nT)花岗闪长岩体在深部受控于EW向深大构造带;③NE向串珠状低密度、高磁异常(相对磁性场值超过40 nT)表征了矿床尺度招平次级断裂内的系列花岗岩体(主成矿期之后生成)。可控源音频大地电磁测深和测区中部钻孔均证实,这些花岗岩脉从北向南(指向主断裂方向)埋深逐渐变浅。因此,NE向招平断裂带和近EW向构造带共同控制岩体分布,其交会部位是金矿体产出的有利空间,但上侵花岗岩体本身贫矿。半壁店地区隐伏金矿床形成时间晚于招平断裂主成矿期。研究结果表明,近EW向低密度带内的金矿找矿前景不乐观。     

Sequestration of CO2 in geological media: Criteria and approach for site selection in response to climate change

The well-developed coal electricity generation and coal chemical industries have led to huge carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the northeastern Ordos Basin. The geological storage of CO₂ in saline aquifers is an effective backup way to achieve carbon neutrality. In this case, the potential of saline aquifers for CO₂ storage serves as a critical basis for subsequent geological storage project. This study calculated the technical control capacities of CO₂ of the saline aquifers in the fifth member of the Shiqianfeng Formation (the Qian-5 member) based on the statistical analysis of the logging and the drilling and core data from more than 200 wells in the northeastern Ordos Basin, as well as the sedimentary facies, formation lithology, and saline aquifer development patterns of the Qian-5 member. The results show that (1) the reservoirs of saline aquifers in the Qian-5 member, which comprise distributary channel sand bodies of deltaic plains, feature low porosities and permeabilities; (2) The study area hosts three NNE-directed saline aquifer zones, where saline aquifers generally have a single-layer thickness of 3‒8 m and a cumulative thickness of 8‒24 m; (3) The saline aquifers of the Qian-5 member have a total technical control capacity of CO₂ of 119.25 × 10⁶ t. With the largest scale and the highest technical control capacity (accounting for 61% of the total technical control capacity), the Jinjie-Yulin saline aquifer zone is an important prospect area for the geological storage of CO₂ in the saline aquifers of the Qian-5 member in the study area.     

Practising geographical knowledge: fields, bodies and dissemination

In this article we make a case for a renewed emphasis upon some of the generic, albeit often tacit, spaces of practice that we share across our sub–disciplinary boundaries. In this we seek to emphasize the ways in which everyday actions make up the grander facades of institutional agendas, empirical projects and disciplinary schools of thought. To achieve this we trace the performance of disciplinary contours and identities across three important sites: the field, the body and the act of dissemination. There are, we will argue, significant commonalities that bind us as disciplinary practitioners in terms of how we perform within and across these sites, and indeed, how we join them up through our practices.     

Re-evaluation of focal depths and source mechanisms of selected earthquakes in the Afar depression

We present a stepwise inversion procedure to assess the focal depth and model earthquake source complexity of seven moderate-sized earthquakes  (6.2 > M _w > 5.1)  that occurred in the Afar depression and the surrounding region. The Afar depression is a region of highly extended and intruded lithosphere, and zones of incipient seafloor spreading. A time-domain inversion of full moment tensor was performed to model direct P and SH waves of teleseismic data. Waveform inversion of the selected events estimated focal depths in the range of 17–22 km, deeper than previously published results. This suggests that the brittle–ductile transition zone beneath parts of the Afar depression extends more than 22 km. The effect of near-source velocity structure on the moment tensor elements was also investigated and was found to respond little to the models considered. Synthetic tests indicate that the size of the estimated, non-physical, non-isotropic source component is rather sensitive to incorrect depth estimation. The dominant double couple part of the moment tensor solutions for most of the events indicates that their occurrence is mainly due to shearing. Parameters associated with source directivity (rupture velocity and azimuth) were also investigated. Re-evaluation of the analysed events shows predominantly normal faulting consistent with the relative plate motions in the region.