Alcohol’s effect on the hydraulic conductivity of consolidated clay

Centrifuge tests were carried out to determine the effect of different alcohols and one glycol on a thin consolidated disc of clay. The evolution of changes in the clay hydraulic conductivity with time was investigated and other structural changes due to chemical attack were monitored. The findings presented here demonstrate that the hydraulic conductivity of the clay appear to be generally related to the polarity of the chemicals and the dielectric constant, with the exception of butanol. In the case of butanol at low flow rate and low stress level, the action of the chemical caused the clay to crack, with a consequent large increase in flow. This effect on the clay hydraulic conductivity could be used for improving pollution remediation especially when alcohols are associated with gasoline.     

低渗透油藏超前注水合理时机理论研究

从油藏工程的角度,以低渗透-特低渗透油层物理实验结果为基础,描述了低渗透油藏弹塑性储层特征,推导了低渗透油藏产能表达式.从油藏物质守恒原理出发,建立了低渗透油藏水驱开发指标概算的方法,提出了一种低渗透油藏超前注水合理时机的计算方法,并从理论上进行了验证,研究了低渗透油藏超前注水合理时机与渗透率的关系.结果表明,低渗透油藏存在一个超前注水合理时机,且随着渗透率的增加,最佳超前注水时间缩短.研究结果对于低渗透、特低渗透油藏的超前注水开发,具有很好的指导意义.     

BaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript>: high-temperature crystal structures and the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pmcn</Emphasis>→<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>3<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis> phase transition at 811°C

The temperature (T) evolution of the barium carbonate (BaCO₃) structure was studied using Rietveld structure refinements based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction and a powdered synthetic sample. BaCO₃ transforms from an orthorhombic, Pmcn, α phase to a trigonal, R3m, β phase at 811°C. The orthorhombic BaCO₃ structure is isotypic with aragonite, CaCO₃. In trigonal R3m BaCO₃, the CO₃ group occupies one orientation and shows no rotational disorder. The average <Ba–O> distances increase while the <C–O> distances decrease linearly with T in the orthorhombic phase. After the 811°C phase transition, the <Ba–O> distances increase while C–O distances decrease. There is also a significant volume change of 2.8% at the phase transition.     

Earthquake-induced soft-sediment deformation structures in the Mesoproterozoic Wumishan Formation,North China,and their geologic implications

Soft-sediment structures are key to defining seismites. Two soft-sediment deformation horizons, bounded by undeformed carbonate strata, have been found in the Wumishan Formation in the Jumahe region, 175 km southwest of Beijing. One is in the lowest part of Wumishan Formation; and the other is in the uppermost part of Litho-member I. The soft-sediment structures in these two horizons fall into three categories: mould-and-sag structures, hydraulic shatterings and liquefaction dikes. The mould-and-sag structures are divided into two types: one developed in tidal-flat sediments, accompa-nied by many liquefaction-related structures and characterized by autochthonous post-earthquake sediments in sags, and the other type developed in deep-water environments, is not associated with liquefaction structures, and is overlain immediately by seismogenic tsunamites. The hydraulic shat-terings are composed of pockets of fluidization conglomerate, sand intrusions, and syndepositional faults. The liquefaction dikes fall into two categories: hydraulic-fracturing dikes and lateral-spreading dikes. The former are steep, planar, and pinch out upwards. The latter are snake-like and characterized by no diapir-related drag structures in surrounding rocks. Examination of the attitudes and strati-graphic positions of these structures suggests that these soft-sediment structures are seismogenic, and consequently, are seismites. Most seismites in the Wumishan Formation are developed near the former western, margin fault of Yanliao rift. This occurrence suggests that they could be related to movements on this fault. Other geological implications are discussed.     

Possible resetting of quartz OSL signals during earthquakes—Evidence from late Pleistocene injection dikes, Dead Sea basin, Israel

Clastic dikes are formed either by passive deposition of clastic material into pre-existing fissures (depositional dikes), or by fracturing and injection of clastics during earthquakes (injection dikes). We proposed to use optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to distinguish between the two modes of formation and hypothesized that (1) depositional dikes filled from above show OSL ages younger than the host rock; and (2) injection dikes filled from below show the same OSL ages as that of the host rock. We studied the mechanisms of clastic-dike formation and their ages within the seismically active Dead Sea basin, where hundreds of dikes crosscut the late Pleistocene (70–15 ka) lacustrine sediments of the Lisan Formation. Field observations and analysis of magnetic tensors show unequivocally that most of these dikes were emplaced by injection, inferred to be due to seismically triggered fluidization–liquefaction during earthquakes. Twenty-eight samples were collected from the Lisan source material and dikes that, based on field observations, are unmistakably either depositional dikes or injection dikes.

Quartz single aliquot OSL ages of the source Lisan layers are between 43 and 34 ka, and are typical for the Lisan Formation. The ages of both depositional and injection dikes are between 15 and 17 ka, younger than the Lisan host rock. Depositional dikes show a highly scattered distribution of single grain ages, suggesting several episodes of infill. Single grain ages of injection dikes are of latest Pleistocene to Holocene, and do not contain recently bleached grains that infiltrated from above. These results imply that the OSL signals were reset at the time of fluidization–liquefaction and buildup of fluid pressure within the injection dikes. If this resetting mechanism has a physical ground, then OSL dating is an important tool for constraining the ages of earthquake-induced injection dikes and recovering paleoseismic data from them.     

Breadcrust bombs as indicators of Vulcanian eruption dynamics at Guagua Pichincha volcano,Ecuador

Vulcanian eruptions are common at many volcanoes around the world. Vulcanian activity occurs as either isolated sequences of eruptions or as precursors to sustained explosive events and is interpreted as clearing of shallow plugs from volcanic conduits. Breadcrust bombs characteristic of Vulcanian eruptions represent samples of different parts of these plugs and preserve information that can be used to infer parameters of pre-eruption magma ascent. The morphology and preserved volatile contents of breadcrust bombs erupted in 1999 from Guagua Pichincha volcano, Ecuador, thus allow us to constrain the physical processes responsible for Vulcanian eruption sequences of this volcano. Morphologically, breadcrust bombs differ in the thickness of glassy surface rinds and in the orientation and density of crack networks. Thick rinds fracture to create deep, widely spaced cracks that form large rectangular domains of surface crust. In contrast, thin rinds form polygonal networks of closely spaced shallow cracks. Rind thickness, in turn, is inversely correlated with matrix glass water content in the rind. Assuming that all rinds cooled at the same rate, this correlation suggests increasing bubble nucleation delay times with decreasing pre-fragmentation water content of the melt. A critical bubble nucleation threshold of 0.4–0.9 wt% water exists, below which bubble nucleation does not occur and resultant bombs are dense. At pre-fragmentation melt H₂O contents of >∼0.9 wt%, only glassy rinds are dense and bomb interiors vesiculate after fragmentation. For matrix glass H₂O contents of ≥1.4 wt%, rinds are thin and vesicular instead of thick and non-vesicular. A maximum measured H₂O content of 3.1 wt% establishes the maximum pressure (63 MPa) and depth (2.5 km) of magma that may have been tapped during a single eruptive event. More common H₂O contents of ≤1.5 wt% suggest that most eruptions involved evacuation of ≤1.5 km of the conduit. As we expect that substantial overpressures existed in the conduit prior to eruption, these depth estimates based on magmastatic pressure are maxima. Moreover, the presence of measurable CO₂ (≤17 ppm) in quenched glass of highly degassed magma is inconsistent with simple models of either open- or closed-system degassing, and leads us instead to suggest re-equilibration of the melt with gas derived from a deeper magmatic source. Together, these observations suggest a model for the repeated Vulcanian eruptions that includes (1) evacuation of the shallow conduit during an individual eruption, (2) depressurization of magma remaining in the conduit accompanied by open-system degassing through permeable bubble networks, (3) rapid conduit re-filling, and (4) dome formation prior to the subsequent explosion. An important part of this process is densification of upper conduit magma to allow repressurization between explosions. At a critical overpressure, trapped pressurized gas fragments the nascent impermeable cap to repeat the process.     

First macroseismic map with geological background (composed by L.H. Jeitteles)

The little-known work by Ludwig Heinrich Jeitteles (1830–1883) on the 1858 Žilina strong earthquake in the Carpathian Mountains is commemorated and analysed. Besides his detailed macroseismic analysis of the earthquake — including the construction of isoseismal lines according to local macroseismic reports — Jeitteles was the first to superimpose the macroseismic field over a generalized geological map, which enabled him to describe the earthquake effects in relation to the geological structure of the affected region. These achievements allow us to acknowledge L.H. Jeitteles as one of founding fathers of seismological research of midnineteen century.     

Shaking hazard compatible methodology for probabilistic assessment of permanent ground displacement across earthquake faults

A methodology for probabilistic hazard assessment of permanent displacement across faults caused by earthquake rupture is presented, compatible with region specific models for ground shaking hazard in California, developed earlier by the authors and coworkers. Assessment of permanent dislocations across faults is important for the design and retrofit of highway bridges and tunnels crossing faults, as well as for other lifelines crossing faults, such as aqueducts, water and gas lines, etc. The methodology is illustrated for two strike-slip faults (prototypes of Class A and Class B faults in California), for 50 years exposure. The illustrations show that, for given seismic moment rate, the hazard estimates are quite sensitive to how the seismic moment is distributed over earthquake magnitudes. They also show that the hazard is small even for very small levels of displacement, in contrast to ground shaking hazard, which is due to the fact that only one fault contributes to the hazard and not every event on that fault necessarily affects the site.     

SPH-based numerical investigation of mudflow and other complex fluid flow interactions with structures

The understanding of mudflow–structure interactions and debris–flow structure interactions is of paramount importance for the rational design of technical countermeasures. However, to date, only a limited number of studies have investigated this subject. We propose here a numerical approach to this topic using a 2D vertical numerical model based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. First, we will test the capacity of the model to simulate unsteady free-surface flows of water and viscoplastic fluid in comparison to laboratory experiments. Then, we will use it prospectively, based on a series of simulations of Bingham fluid free-surface propagations, to determine the momentum reduction resulting from the presence of a simple obstacle perpendicular to the direction of propagation and to determine the characteristics of stresses applied to this obstacle in terms of peak pressure and evolution over time.