Chronological Study of Coal-seam Water and its Implication on Gas Production in the South Qinshui Basin

The knowledge of the residence time of formation water is fundamental to understanding the subsurface flow and hydrological setting. To better identify the origin and evolution of coal seam water and its impact on gas storage and production, this study collected coalbed methane co-produced water in the southeast Qinshui Basin and detected chemical and isotopic compositions, especially 36Cl and 129I concentrations. The calculated tracer ages of 129I (5.2–50.6 Ma) and 36Cl (0.13–0.76 Ma) are significantly younger than the age of coal-bearing formation (Pennsylvanian - Cisuralian), indicating freshwater recharge after coal deposition. The model that utilises 129I/I and 36Cl/Cl ratios to constrain the timing of recharge and the proportion of recharge water reveals that over 60% of pre-anthropogenic meteoric water entered coal seams since 10 Ma and mixed with residue initial deposition water, corresponding to the basin inversion in Cenozoic. The spatial distribution of major ion concentrations reveals the primary recharge pathway for meteoric water from coal outcrops at the eastern margin to the basin center. This study demonstrates the occurrence of higher gas production rates from wells that accept water recharge in recent times and suggests the possible potential of the non-stagnant zones for high gas production.     

A Probabilistic Model for Fatigue Crack Propagation Analysis

A simple probabilistic model for predicting crack growth behavior under random loading is pre-sented.In the model,the parameters c and m in the Paris-Erdogan Equation are taken as random variables,and their stochastic characteristic values are obtained through fatigue crack propagation tests on an offshorestructural steel under constant amplitude loading.Furthermore,by using the Monte Carlo simulation tech-nique,the fatigue crack propagation life to reach a given crack length is predicted.The tests are conducted toverify the applicability of the theoretical prediction of the fatigue crack propagation.     

Surface lowering of limestone pavement as determined by cosmogenic (36Cl) analysis

Determination of the rate and total amount of limestone pavement surface lowering is a critical issue in developing models of regional landscape change in limestone terrain. Erratic‐capped pedestals have frequently been used for this purpose but problems concerning definition and measurement of pedestal height, and the absence of a secure timeframe for erratic emplacement, have resulted in conflicting interpretations. We have used cosmogenic (³⁶Cl) to establish the emplacement age of erratic boulders and the total amount of pavement surface lowering at sites in northwest England. Since erratic emplacement at 17.9 ka the limestone pavement has been lowered by 22–45 cm (average: 33 ± 10 cm), assuming lowering was continuous. Although indicating some spatial heterogeneity, the results contrast with earlier reported values based on the measurement of pedestal heights and inferred age for deglaciation. We consider that changes in climate and the character and duration of regolith covers to have been important influences in promoting surface lowering. It is argued that nivation (chemical and mechanical snow‐related processes) associated with several cool/cold periods is likely to have played an important role in surface lowering. Complicating factors associated with surface lowering (thickness and longevity of snow and regolith covers) are identified but as yet cannot be quantified. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monthly record of the Cl and 36Cl fallout rates in a deciduous forest ecosystem in NE France in 2012 and 2013

This study aims at determining the chlorine and chlorine-36 fallout rates in an experimental beech forest site located in NE France (48°31′55″ N, 5°16′8″ E). A monthly record of Cl and ³⁶Cl concentrations in rainfall samples collected above the canopy was performed during two years, from March 2012 to February 2014. The results show that the Cl concentrations mainly originate from sea-spray while the ³⁶Cl concentrations originate from the stratosphere and therefore present a seasonal dependency. Abrupt and important inputs of ³⁶Cl from the stratosphere indeed yield sharp increases of the recorded concentrations during the spring-summer. We also show that a too short sampling period might bias the determined ³⁶Cl fallout rate. To smooth the seasonal and sporadic bursts of ³⁶Cl, a minimum of 6 months sampling period is required. A mean ³⁶Cl fallout rate of (77 ± 21) atoms m⁻² s⁻¹ can be deduced from our study, which is 45% higher than the modelled value. This discrepancy suggests more studies aiming at measuring the ³⁶Cl fallout rate worldwide are necessary.     

珠江口盆地西江凹陷南部文昌组层序地层及沉积体系研究

珠江口盆地西江凹陷南部包括两个相邻洼陷:西江36洼和番禺4洼,钻探结果却揭示了截然不同的油气勘探前景,其中,番禺4洼探明储量已过亿吨,而西江36洼却未有商业发现,导致勘探上对西江36洼烃源潜力有所顾虑.为了揭示这种差异油气地质条件产生的原因,亟待开展两个洼陷的对比研究.以主要烃源层系文昌组为切入点,通过开展精细的层序-...     

Refinement of the late Quaternary geologic history of Erebus volcano,Antarctica using Ar/Ar and Cl age determinations

Six new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and three cosmogenic ³⁶Cl age determinations provide new insight into the late Quaternary eruptive history of Erebus volcano. Anorthoclase from 3 lava flows on the caldera rim have ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of 23 ± 12, 81 ± 3 and 172 ± 10 ka (all uncertainties 2σ). The ages confirm the presence of a second, younger, superimposed caldera near the southwestern margin of the summit plateau and show that eruptive activity has occurred in the summit region for 77 ± 13 ka longer than previously thought. Trachyte from “Ice Station” on the eastern flank is 159 ± 2 ka, similar in age to those at Bomb Peak and Aurora Cliffs. The widespread occurrences of trachyte on the eastern flank of Erebus suggest a major previously unrecognized episode of trachytic volcanism. The trachyte lavas are chemically and isotopically distinct from alkaline lavas erupted contemporaneously in the summit region < 5 km away.     

湖南仁里稀有金属矿田36号伟晶岩地球化学特征、成矿时代及其意义

位于幕阜山岩体西南缘的仁里稀有金属矿田是近年来华南地区新发现的一处重要花岗伟晶岩型稀有金属矿产地,铌钽矿体赋存于岩体内外接触带伟晶岩中,具有明显成矿分带性.文章选取仁里矿床岩体内接触带36号伟晶岩脉为研究对象,开展伟晶岩的地球化学及云母Ar-Ar年代学研究,探讨其与花岗岩围岩成因关系及岩体内接触带伟晶岩的成岩成矿时代,以丰富仁里矿田稀有金属成矿作用研究.研究表明,36号伟晶岩具高硅(w(SiO2)为72.87％～76.21％)、高铝(w(Al2O3)为13.69％～15.14％)、低钙镁铁、相对富碱(w(Na2O+K2O)为6.59％～8.33％)、(高钾)钙碱性及过铝质特征;微量元素总体富集Nb、Ta、Hf、U等高场强元素(HFSE),相对亏损Ba、Sr等离子亲石元素(LILE);稀土元素总量(ΣREE)13.95×10-6～71.63×10-6,轻稀土元素富集,重稀土元素亏损,具壳源特征.白云母Ar-Ar坪年龄为早白垩世(136.6±1.4)Ma,成矿作用发生于仁里矿田稀有金属大规模成矿的早阶段.地球化学及矿物学特征显示,36号伟晶岩与花岗岩围岩具有良好的演化关系,结合野外观察现象及成岩年龄,认为36号伟晶岩为花岗质岩浆侵位后残余岩浆结晶分异的产物,母岩为中粗粒片麻状黑云母二长花岗岩.     

柴北缘地区天然气40Ar/36Ar特征及其地质意义

测试并分析了柴北缘各油气田的14个天然气样品的氦、氩稀有气体同位素比值,并进行了气源对比。研究发现,柴北缘天然气40Ar/36Ar值分布在951～1712,平均1098,多数样品40Ar/36Ar较通常认为源于侏罗系的天然气40Ar/36Ar明显偏高,研究认为本区不存在幔源高40Ar/36Ar流体的介入,储层年代效应也不可能造成天然气40Ar/36Ar明显偏高,因此柴北缘天然气40Ar/36Ar明显偏高,主要是由于源岩年代积累效应引起的。据估算,气源岩年龄分布范围为164.7～460.8Ma,平均为345.1Ma,可能多数来源于石炭系。这一认识得到了柴北缘广泛分布有石炭系源岩和已发现源于石炭系原油的支持。柴北缘石炭系天然气的发现预示了柴北缘石炭系是一个新的油气勘探层系,从而拓展了柴北缘天然气勘探领域。     

A new hypothesis about the surface circulation in the eastern basin of the mediterranean sea

In time, the circulation of the Atlantic Water (AW) in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea has been described differently, according to two major representations. The historical one, which began with the scheme from Nielsen in 1912 and has been refined up to the 1980s, favours a counterclockwise circulation in the whole basin, with AW flowing in its southern part as a broad flow off Libya and Egypt (from the Ionian to the Levantine subbasins), then continuing along Middle-East and Turkey before flowing back westwards. The more recent one, issued in the 1990s, favours a clockwise circulation in the northern part of the Ionian continuing offshore across the basin from the Cretan to the central part of the Levantine as the so-called “Mid-Mediterranean Jet”. This jet is depicted then as splitting both clockwise in the southeastern part of the basin and counterclockwise off Turkey (where this representation agrees with the former). Because the recent representation cannot be considered as a refinement of the historical ones, we have been interested in understanding why a given data set available to everybody is interpreted in such different ways.In the Algerian subbasin, the combined use of satellite infrared images and a significant amount of in situ data sets (hydrology and both Eulerian and Lagrangian current measurements) allowed us to solve a similar controversy. Therefore, we examined the circulation features in the eastern basin, undertaking the detailed analysis of 1000 daily and weekly composite images spanning the period 1996–2000, and of monthly composite images available since 1985. Whenever in situ observations were available, we have confronted them with the satellite thermal signatures and have shown that both are consistent. This paper focuses on the overall (basin scale) results while the detailed ones are published in an other paper. The new scheme we propose is basically a refined version of the historical ones: the circulation of AW is counterclockwise in the whole eastern basin but it is more constrained alongslope than previously thought, and the broadening historically schematised appears to be due to intense mesoscale eddies mainly generated by the instability of this circulation.