Impact cratering - a review,with special reference to the economic importance of impact structures and the Southern African impact crater record

Only since several decades has impact cratering been recognized as an important surface process on all planetary bodies in the Solar System. However, as the process has not yet been effectively introduced into geological curricula, it is necessary to inform a wider public about its importance for (i) planetary formation and (ii) evolution, (iii) the understanding of this process as a geological process, (iv) the terrestrial impact crater record and its limitations, and (v) the recognition criteria for terrestrial impact structures, as well as (vi) the need of improvement of the impact cratering record in the light of the potential danger of an impact catastrophe on this planet. It is, particularly for developing countries, of interest to examine the economic and educational-environmental potential of impact structures. That it is possible to carry out an effective, low-budget geological investigation of impact structures within a Second World environment is demonstrated by the discussion of the progress that has been made in recent years with regard to the Southern African impact crater record. Several recommendations on how to improve, on the one hand, the terrestrial impact crater record and, on the other, their general working situation by activation of workers in Developing Countries are discussed.     

The American whale oil industry: A look back to the future of the American petroleum industry?

The American whaling industry rose from humble beginnings off Long island to become an international giant. In its peak year, 1846, 735 ships and 70,000 people served the industry. As whale stocks and reserves decreased, whalers were forced to go farther and farther from their New England home ports. Voyages became longer, and risks on required return-on-investment became higher. The easy money of Atlantic and Pacific whaling was no more: the only remaining profitable ventures were to Arctic and Antarctic waters. Many ships returned empty, if at all. in 1871, most of the Arctic whaling fleet was crushed by early winter ice and lost. This calamity, in conjunction with the long-term diminishing whale stocks, the diversion of investment capital to more profitable ventures, and the discovery, development, and refinement of abundant petroleum crude oil, struck the death blow to the American whaling industry. By 1890, only 200 whaling vessels were at work, and by 1971, no American commercial whaling ship sailed the world's oceans.It is apparent that no single event caused the final, rapid decline. However, a single calamity, in an already stressed industry, that was self-insured and commercially interlinked, precipitated the end. Today's American petroleum industry, although adopting some principles of the American whaling industry, also has embraced other activities such as work process reengineering and customer alliances, which may preempt, or postpone, a similar catastrophic demise.     

Analysis of the effect of geology, soil properties, and land use on groundwater quality using multivariate statistical and GIS methods

The regional survey of groundwater used as a small water supply system was performed to know the effect of geology, soil properties and land use on groundwater quality at Nonsan City, Korea. A total of 126 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed at the study area. The multivariate statistical methods, principal components analysis and discriminant analysis, and GIS technique were used for the quantitative interpretation of groundwater quality. The study area is mainly composed of Precambrian gneiss, Jurassic granite, and Cretaceous volcanics, and metasedimentary rocks of the Ogcheon zone. The land use was grouped as paddy, upland, grassland, resident, point source, industrial area, and water system. The soil properties were classified as 4 major groups, Entisols, Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Ultisols, by the degree of development, and reclassified as 11 subgroups. The modified and simplified geologic map, soil map, and land use map were made by using ARCGIS soft-ware. The area of geology, soil property, and land use affecting the groundwater quality for each well were also calculated by ARCGIS soft-ware to acquire the quantitative parameters for multivariate statistical analysis. The monitoring results of groundwater in the study area showed that 13%-21% of the groundwater samples exceeded the portable water guideline and the main causes were turbidity, bacteria, arsenic and nitrate-N. The spatial distribution of each component showed the close relationship between groundwater quality and geology reflecting the topography, land use.     

Engineering geological studies and tunnel support design at Sulakyurt dam site, Turkey

This paper presents the results of engineering geological investigations and tunnel support design studies, carried out at the Sulakyurt dam site, northeast of Ankara, Turkey. The Sulakyurt dam will be used for flow control and water storage for irrigation projects. Studies were carried out both in the field and the laboratory. Field studies include engineering geological mapping, intensive discontinuity surveying, core drilling and sampling for laboratory testing. The diversion tunnel will be driven in rock mass, consisting of granite and diorite. Empirical, analytical and numerical methods were combined for safe tunnel design. Rock mass rating (RMR), Rock mass quality (Q) and Geological strength index (GSI) systems were used for empirical rock mass quality determination, site characterization and support design. The convergence–confinement method was used as analytical method and software called Phase², a 2D finite element program, was utilized as numerical method. According to the results acquired from the empirical, analytical and numerical methods, tunnel stability problems were expected in both granite and diorite rock masses. The support system, suggested by empirical methods, was applied and the performance of suggested support system was evaluated by means of numerical modelling. It was concluded that the suggested support systems were adequate, since after applying the suggested support system to granite and diorite, tunnel deformation and the yielded elements around the tunnel decreased significantly. Thus, it is suggested that for more reliable support design empirical, numerical and analytical methods should be combined.     

遥感技术在煤炭地质中的应用现状及前景

介绍了遥感技术在煤炭资源调查和评价、煤矿区地质灾害调查和评估、生态环境及污染调查评价和监测以及煤矿三维可视化仿真规划系统建设方面的应用研究现状及所取得的主要成果，并结合遥感技术的发展方向，展望了其在煤炭地质中的应用前景。     

皖中泥质岩工程性质探讨

历来对半胶结泥质岩风化等级划分都带有许多主观性,从而影响提承载力,有的规范要求可不对半胶结岩石进行风化程度划分,但有时要对这些岩石进行工程地质细分,从而准确确定各分层的承载力与摩阻力。统计了合肥、六安、淮南、安庆地区等大量实践资料,用标准贯入击数、重型圆锥触探实验击数等原位测试手段来划分泥质岩风化等级,并对泥质岩的承载力与摩阻力等工程地质性质做出了评价。     

论运城市地下水超采与保护策略

本文论述了2002年运城市地下水超采状况及其引起的环境地质等一系列问题.并遵循可持续发展的思想,提出了地下水资源保护的几点意见.     

地学自由曲面径向基函数网络重建的详细算法

径向基函数(RadialBasisFunction,简称RBF)神经网络是一种理想的地学离散数据网格化工具,能够适应各种不同分布形式和边界条件的数据,收敛速度较快,可以逼近任何复杂曲面。这里详细介绍了RBF神经网络的算法。适当径向基函数的形式和偏差系数是使用RBF神经网络作地学曲面重建的关键。大量的实际数据验证结果表明,当选用Gauss型径向基函数时,一般可获得比较理想的网格化效果,同时具备"曲面平滑"和"拟合度高"的特点。     

盐城凹陷朱家墩气田综合化探异常及其地质意义

用酸解烃、顶空气、吸附丝及甲烷碳同位素方法对盐城凹陷朱家墩气田进行了综合油气化探测量,建立了该区这几种方法指标的化探异常模式,在总结已知油气区异常规律的基础上,优化化探方法及指标组合并运用于未知区域,圈定了油气远景靶区。探讨了地表化探异常与石油地质特征的关系,为化探异常的地质解释提供了可借鉴的思路。