Simulation of diagenesis and permeability variation in two-dimensional rock structure

A model is suggested to simulate the physical aspect of diagenesis in porous rocks. A bidisperse ballistic deposition model with relaxation of deposited grains is used to generate the porous structure. Sedimentation and erosion are allowed to restructure the pore space as a fluid flows through the rock. The effect of this restructuring of the pore space on permeability is studied. The Navier–Stokes equation is solved numerically by the finite difference method to determine the pressure and velocity distributions in the pore space. We find that though deposition is the dominant process in our model of diagenesis, reducing the porosity, the permeability may increase dramatically in some cases. These are when the erosion takes place at a single narrow constriction in the pore channel.     

Crustal Stress Measurement for Significant Project Construction and Its Application in Design

The hydrofracturing technique has developed into a reliable and practical method for determining the original three-dimensional crustal stress state of underground caverns,the load-bearing capacity of a high pressure cavern itself,and the high pressure hydraulic permeability of rock masses,and has also been extensively used in disposal of nuclear waste,long and deeply-buried traffic channels and high-pressure cavern engineering for hydraulic power plants.The practice shows that the comprehensive measurement of the physical parameters of the rock mass and taking full use of the wall rock load-bearing capacity to optimize the engineering design hold are very useful in ensuring the engineering safety and improving the design level.     

High-Frequency Hydroacoustic Monitoring in an Underground Iron Mine

The monitoring of the stability of old mines constitutes an important research objective for our institution, BRGM. The study reported here shows the contribution of high-frequency (>30 kHz) acoustic emissions to the detection of the damage within a rock mass, during an experiment within a pilot site of an old flooded iron mine. The experiment consisted of recording all the hydroacoustic events in a broad frequency band (between 30 Hz and 180 kHz), during 18 months. The monitoring network has been calibrated by a triggered block fall that made it possible to highlight a relationship between the occurrence of high-frequency/low-frequency hydroacoustic emissions and rock falls. The events recorded have been associated with the micro-failure of the rock mass near the roof, prior to the detachment of the blocks. This monitoring showed important high-frequency hydroacoustic activity, which may be associated with mechanical instabilities generated by the evolution of water pressure during the experiment. In conclusion, the high-frequency hydroacoustic activity appears to be a good indicator of instability and, therefore, this new technique constitutes a promising tool for monitoring abandoned underground cavities.     

Cooling rate effect as a cause of systematic overestimating of the absolute Thellier paleointensities: A cautionary note

Cooling rate (CR) effects on the intensity of thermoremanent magnetization has been documented for archaeomagnetic materials, where cooling in laboratory conditions is generally much faster compared to natural cooling rates. Since the latter condition also applies to many volcanic rocks, we have investigated in this study the influences of the CR on the determination of absolute paleointensity using recent basaltic rocks. We used magnetically and thermally stable samples mainly containing Ti-poor pseudo-singledomain titanomagnetites (the most widely used material for Thellier paleointensity experiments). These samples previously succeed in retrieving the strength of laboratory field intensities with the Coe’s version of the Thellier method in a simulated paleointensity experiment using similar cooling rates. Our experimental results indicate that the cooling rate effects produce systematic and significant overestimates of the absolute intensity up to 70%. The effect can be much larger than predicted by Neél theory for non-interacting single-domain grains.     

Sr isotope diversity of hot spring and volcanic lake waters from Zao volcano,Japan

The ratio of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr was measured from different water samples of thermal/mineral (hot spring as well as crater lake) and meteoric origins, in order to specify the location and to verify the detailed model of a volcano-hydrothermal system beneath Zao volcano. The ratio showed a trimodal distribution for the case of thermal/mineral water: 0.7052–0.7053 (Type A, Zao hot spring), 0.7039–0.7043 (Type B, Okama crater lake and Shin-funkiko hot spring), and 0.7070–0.7073 (Type C, Gaga, Aone, and Togatta hot springs), respectively. However, in comparison, the ratio was found to be higher for meteoric waters (0.7077–0.7079). The water from the central volcanic edifice (Type B) was found to be similar to that of nearby volcanic rocks in their Sr isotopic ratio. This indicates that the Sr in water was derived from shallow volcanic rocks. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio for water from the Zao hot spring (Type A) was intermediate between those of the pre-Tertiary granitic and the Quaternary volcanic rocks, thus suggesting that the water had reacted with both volcanic and granitic rocks. The location of the vapor–liquid separation was determined as the boundary of the pre-Tertiary granitic and the Quaternary volcanic rocks by comparing the results of this strontium isotopic study with those of Kiyosu and Kurahashi [Kiyosu, Y., Kurahashi, M., 1984. Isotopic geochemistry of acid thermal waters and volcanic gases from Zao volcano in Japan. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 21, 313–331.].     

断裂构造研究进展对工程地质学的启示

在长期地质作用下形成的岩体和岩体结构是工程地质学研究的基本内容，它们的形成和演化主要受控于构造作用，而系统地解析体所经历的构造作用是认知岩体结构，抽象和概括岩体工程地质模型的突破口，因此，重视和应用现代构造地质学研究的新理论，新方法必将会对岩体工程地质学研究起着重要的指导意义。本文系统总结了与工程地质研究相关的现代构造地质学理论和思维观的研究进展，在此基础上分析了这些理论方法对工程地质工作的启示和指导意义，希望起到抛砖引玉的作用。     

吉东火山岩型金矿地质特征及流体包裹体研究

通过对主要金矿床的流体包裹体 ,S、C、H和O同位素特征研究分析 ,认为金成矿的物化环境 :温度为 15 6～ 2 84℃、压力小于 6 6 0× 10 5Pa (深度不超过 2km) ;成矿流体具有富含H2 O、SO2 - 4、Cl- 和高K+的特点 ,是岩浆热液和大气降水的混合流体 ;成矿物质主要来源于火山 次火山岩     

南秦岭凤凰山地区元古代构造基底特征

依据在原划武当岩群中获得的 1 6 86± 4 5Ma (锆石U -Pb)同位素测年资料 ,结合岩石学、岩石地球化学及区域地层对比 ,从中解体出姚坪岩组。通过岩石学、岩石地球化学、构造特征、变质变形特征研究及形成环境探讨认为 :南秦岭凤凰山元古代武当岩群 (包括姚坪岩组、杨坪岩组 )变质火山岩系为古—中元古代时期多岛洋构造环境过渡基底建造 ;耀岭河岩组浅变质火山岩为本区Rodina事件的产物。该成果对南秦岭构造基底的组成、发展、演化研究具有重要意义。