Effects of dry density and exchangeable cations on the diffusion process of sodium ions in compacted montmorillonite

As a part of the safety assessment of the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, the effects of dry density and exchangeable cations on the diffusion process of Na⁺ ions in compacted bentonite were studied from the viewpoint of the activation energy for diffusion. The apparent self-diffusion coefficients of Na⁺ ions in compacted Na-montmorillonite and in a Na- and Ca-montmorillonite mixture were determined by one-dimensional, non-steady diffusion experiments at different temperatures and dry densities. A unique change in activation energy as a function of dry density was found for the Na⁺ ions in compacted Na-montmorillonite. The activation energy suddenly decreased from 18.1 to 14.1 kJ mol^− 1 as the dry density increased from 0.9 to 1.0 Mg m^− 3, whereas it increased to 24.7 kJ mol^− 1 as the dry density increased to 1.8 Mg m^− 3. Examination of the effect of exchangeable cations on the activation energies determined that the activation energies were almost constant, approximately 25 kJ mol^− 1, for the montmorillonite specimens at a dry density of 1.8 Mg m^− 3. However, three different activation energy values were obtained at a dry density of 1.0 Mg m^− 3. These findings cannot be explained by the conventional diffusion model (the pore water diffusion model), which suggests that the predominant diffusion process alternates among pore water diffusion, interlayer diffusion, and external surface diffusion.     

Microbial-foraminiferal episodes in the Early Aptian of the southern Tethyan margin: ecological significance and possible relation to oceanic anoxic event 1a

Two regionally significant microbial-foraminiferal episodes (∼150 kyr each) occur within the Early Aptian shallow marine platform in Oman and throughout eastern Arabia. The stratigraphically lower of these two intervals is characterized by isolated or coalescent domes that share similarities with modern, open-marine stromatolites from the Exuma Cays, Bahamas. The upper interval is predominantly built by a problematic Lithocodium/Bacinella consortium in buildup and massive boundstone facies. Based on high-resolution chemostratigraphy, these shoalwater intervals are coeval with oceanic anoxic event 1a (OAE1a; Livello Selli). Field evidence demonstrates that the buildup episodes alternate with stratigraphic intervals dominated by rudist bivalves. This biotic pattern is also recognized in other coeval Tethyan sections and is perhaps a characteristic shoalwater expression of the OAE1a. The short-lived regional expansions of this microbial-foraminiferal out-of-balance facies cannot be explained by local environmental factors (salinity and oxygen level) alone and the buildup consortia do not occupy stressed refugia in the absence of grazing metazoans. Judging from recent analogues, the main fossil groups, i.e. microbial assemblages, macroalgae, larger sessile foraminifera, and rudist bivalves, all favoured elevated trophic levels but with different tolerance limits. The implication of this is that the influence of palaeofertility events, possibly related to OAE1a, on carbonate platform community structures must be investigated. The observations made in these coastal sections are a significant first step for the improved understanding of the Early Aptian period of biotic, oceanic and climatic change.     

中国海相油气田勘探实例之四 塔里木盆地塔河油田的发现与勘探

塔河油田位于塔里木盆地沙雅隆起阿克库勒凸起西部,目前井控含油气面积约1800km2。它发现于1990年,是我国发现的第一个陆上古生代海相大油田。2004年探明石油储量为5.3×108t,原油年产量为358×104t。油田的主要产层为奥陶系浅海台地—斜坡相碳酸盐岩,其盖层为下石炭统区域性泥岩和膏盐岩,油源为寒武系—下奥陶统碳酸盐岩烃源岩。岩溶储集体发育,油气藏圈闭类型多样。论述了油田的发现和勘探开发历程、油藏的地质特征、油气分布规律,以及寻找海相碳酸盐岩油气田的启示。     

Dissolution of Carbonate Sediments Under Rising <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Ocean Acidification: Observations from Devil’s Hole,Bermuda

Rising atmospheric pCO₂ and ocean acidification originating from human activities could result in increased dissolution of metastable carbonate minerals in shallow-water marine sediments. In the present study, in situ dissolution of carbonate sedimentary particles in Devil’s Hole, Bermuda, was observed during summer when thermally driven density stratification restricted mixing between the bottom water and the surface mixed layer and microbial decomposition of organic matter in the subthermocline layer produced pCO₂ levels similar to or higher than those levels anticipated by the end of the 21st century. Trends in both seawater chemistry and the composition of sediments in Devil’s Hole indicate that Mg-calcite minerals are subject to selective dissolution under conditions of elevated pCO₂. The derived rates of dissolution based on observed changes in excess alkalinity and estimates of vertical eddy diffusion ranged from 0.2 mmol to 0.8 mmol CaCO₃ m⁻² h⁻¹. On a yearly basis, this range corresponds to 175–701 g CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹; the latter rate is close to 50% of the estimate of the current average global coral reef calcification rate of about 1,500 g CaCO₃ m⁻² year⁻¹. Considering a reduction in marine calcification of 40% by the year 2100, or 90% by 2300, as a result of surface ocean acidification, the combination of high rates of carbonate dissolution and reduced rates of calcification implies that coral reefs and other carbonate sediment environments within the 21st and following centuries could be subject to a net loss in carbonate material as a result of increasing pCO₂ arising from burning of fossil fuels.     

Reappraisal of early Paleogene CCD curves: foraminiferal assemblages and stable carbon isotopes across the carbonate facies of Perth Abyssal Plain

Bulk carbonate content, planktic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages, stable isotope compositions of bulk carbonate and Nuttallides truempyi (benthic foraminifera), and non-carbonate mineralogy were examined across ∼30 m of carbonate-rich Paleogene sediment at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 259, on Perth Abyssal Plain off Western Australia. Carbonate content, mostly reflecting nannofossil abundance, ranges from 3 to 80% and generally exceeds 50% between 35 and 57 mbsf. A clay-rich horizon with a carbonate content of about 37% occurs between 55.17 and 55.37 mbsf. The carbonate-rich interval spans planktic foraminiferal zones P4c to P6b (∼57–52 Ma), with the clay-rich horizon near the base of our Zone P5 (upper)—P6b. Throughout the studied interval, benthic species dominate foraminiferal assemblages, with scarce planktic foraminifera usually of poor preservation and limited species diversity. A prominent Benthic Foraminiferal Extinction Event (BFEE) occurs across the clay-rich horizon, with an influx of large Acarinina immediately above. The δ¹³C records of bulk carbonate and N. truempyi exhibit trends similar to those observed in upper Paleocene–lower Eocene (∼57–52 Ma) sediment from other locations. Two successive decreases in bulk carbonate and N. truempyi δ¹³C of 0.5 and 1.0‰ characterize the interval at and immediately above the BFEE. Despite major changes in carbonate content, foraminiferal assemblages and carbon isotopes, the mineralogy of the non-carbonate fraction consistently comprises expanding clay, heulandite (zeolite), quartz, feldspar (sodic or calcic), minor mica, and pyrolusite (MnO₂). The uniformity of this mineral assemblage suggests that Site 259 received similar non-carbonate sediment before, during and after pelagic carbonate deposition. The carbonate plug at Site 259 probably represents a drop in the CCD from ∼57 to 52–51 Ma, as also recognized at other locations.     

Experiment of pumping at constant-head: an alternative possibility to the sustainable yield of a well

The effects of constant-head pumping on a well over a period of 1 year have been monitored and the results used in the research of a potential alternative for the attainment of sustainable yield. Sustainable yield is frequently related to the response of drawdown during a pumping test at constant-rate, which sometimes involves a difficult choice of conceptual model to be used to analyse the pumping results. The experiment, carried out on a well that taps a fractured aquifer in Italy, recorded the aquifer’s response to pumping, compared with the response of springs. From the trends in discharge variation with time, the period and magnitude of the recharge and the stored water volume at the beginning of the depletion period can be evaluated, and the discharge rate during the same depletion period can be predicted. A sustainable yield can be derived based on the water volume extracted during the depletion period rather than on the prediction of drawdown over a long time. The experiment also highlights the stability of water quality extracted from the well, and where this criterion is important, in some cases, the constant-head pumping can represent an alternative method of groundwater exploitation.     

Carbon and oxygen isotope constraints on fluid sources and fluid–wallrock interaction in regional alteration and iron-oxide–copper–gold mineralisation, eastern Mt Isa Block, Australia

The source of metasomatic fluids in iron-oxide–copper–gold districts is contentious with models for magmatic and other fluid sources having been proposed. For this study, δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C ratios were measured from carbonate mineral separates in the Proterozoic eastern Mt Isa Block of Northwest Queensland, Australia. Isotopic analyses are supported by petrography, mineral chemistry and cathodoluminescence imagery. Marine meta-carbonate rocks (ca. 20.5‰ δ ¹⁸O and 0.5‰ δ ¹³C calcite) and graphitic meta-sedimentary rocks (ca. 14‰ δ ¹⁸O and −18‰ δ ¹³C calcite) are the main supracrustal reservoirs of carbon and oxygen in the district. The isotopic ratios for calcite from the cores of Na–(Ca) alteration systems strongly cluster around 11‰ δ ¹⁸O and −7‰ δ ¹³C, with shifts towards higher δ ¹⁸O values and higher and lower δ ¹³C values, reflecting interaction with different hostrocks. Na–(Ca)-rich assemblages are out of isotopic equilibrium with their metamorphic hostrocks, and isotopic values are consistent with fluids derived from or equilibrated with igneous rocks. However, igneous rocks in the eastern Mt Isa Block contain negligible carbon and are incapable of buffering the δ ¹³C signatures of CO₂-rich metasomatic fluids associated with Na–(Ca) alteration. In contrast, plutons in the eastern Mt Isa Block have been documented as having exsolved saline CO₂-rich fluids and represent the most probable fluid source for Na–(Ca) alteration. Intrusion-proximal, skarn-like Cu–Au orebodies that lack significant K and Fe enrichment (e.g. Mt Elliott) display isotopic ratios that cluster around values of 11‰ δ ¹⁸O and −7‰ δ ¹³C (calcite), indicating an isotopically similar fluid source as for Na–(Ca) alteration and that significant fluid–wallrock interaction was not required in the genesis of these deposits. In contrast, K- and Fe-rich, intrusion-distal deposits (e.g. Ernest Henry) record significant shifts in δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C towards values characteristic of the broader hostrocks to the deposits, reflecting fluid–wallrock equilibration before mineralisation. Low temperature, low salinity, low δ ¹⁸O (<10‰ calcite) and CO₂-poor fluids are documented in retrograde metasomatic assemblages, but these fluids are paragenetically late and have not contributed significantly to the mass budgets of Cu–Au mineralisation.     

In situ X-ray diffraction study of an aluminous phase in MORB under lower mantle conditions

In situ X-ray diffraction study was conducted to identify the crystal structure of the “Al-phase”, which was previously reported to form in basaltic compositions at pressures and temperatures of the uppermost part of the lower mantle. Le Bail whole-pattern fitting method was adopted to investigate the structure of the Al-phase under high pressure and temperature as well as ambient conditions. Observed patterns were satisfactorily fitted using the “hexagonal phase” with space group P6₃/m (plus minor amount of garnet) under both of these conditions. On the other hand, the calcium ferrite structure model proposed in some earlier studies based on quench experiments yielded profile-fitting results at significantly lower confidence levels, particularly at simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions, suggesting that this phase may not form in oceanic crust materials subducted in the uppermost lower mantle. The difference in densities of hexagonal and calcium ferrite phases, however, is only ~1% under pressures and temperatures of the uppermost part of the lower mantle conditions, which yields a negligible effect on the bulk density of the subducted oceanic crust.     

西天山科克苏河一带中新元古代碳酸盐岩沉积环境

新疆特克斯县科克苏河一带中—新元古代地层碳酸盐岩极为发育,但研究程度低,长期以来以群代组。通过1∶5万区调工作对本区基本层序调查和相分析,将该套地层解体。指出中—新元古代地层碳酸盐岩形成于“构造碳酸盐台地”的沉积环境,同时对角砾状灰岩的成因进行了探讨。     

Molar-Tooth构造成因争论分析

综述了Molar-Tooth的时空分布及其形态特征,Molar-Tooth为元古代时期全球性的一种构造现象.其成因,地质学家们已争论了一个多世纪,直到今天还未取得一致的认识.归纳前人的研究成果,初步认为Molar-Tooth的成因与藻类等生物活动有关.