Characterisation and preliminary quantification of the methane reservoir in a coastal sedimentary source: San Simón Bay,Ría de Vigo,NW Spain

Ría de Vigo is a river valley flooded by the sea, with a bay (San Simón Bay) at its innermost part. The accumulation of Holocene sediment in San Simón Bay has been studied by the integration of 1) large scale high resolution seismic data, and 2) detailed geochemical analysis of a gravity core. In San Simón Bay the majority of the seismic records are obscured by acoustic turbidity which represents gassy sediments, but on records from Rande Strait it is possible to distinguish two Quaternary seismic sequences; an Upper Pleistocene sequence (SQ1) and a Holocene sequence (SQ2). Only SQ2 is recognized in San Simón Bay where it is comprised of two seismic units; the upper unit represents the HST sediment, i.e. the period of highest sea level. A gravity core taken within the gassy zone at 10 m water depth provided 3.55 m of fine-grained sediments (muds) from the youngest seismic unit (4 m thick). Geochemical analysis show high values (4 to 10%) of TOC. Sediment and porewater analyses indicate a distinct sulphate–methane transition zone (SMTZ) between 60 and 80 cm where sulphate is depleted (to <1.7 mM) and methane increases (to >0.4 mM). The top of the acoustic turbidity (the gas front) at 80 cm corresponds to the lower limit of the SMTZ. The methane cannot have been derived from the underlying metamorphic and granitic rocks, but was probably derived by microbial degradation of the organic matter in the Holocene sediments. We estimate that the sediments of the Bay contain approximately 1.8 × 10⁶ m³ of organic carbon and 275 ton of methane.     

Chemosynthetic trophic support for the benthic community at an intertidal cold seep site at Mocha Island off central Chile

We analyzed C and N stable isotope ratios of benthic fauna and their potential food sources at an intertidal methane seep site and a control site without emanation at Mocha Island (central Chile). The objective was to trace the origin of the main food sources used by the local heterotrophic fauna, based on the hypothesis that chemosynthetic production could be partially fueling the local food web at the seep site. Food sources sampled at both sites included macroalgae, particulate organic matter and bacteria-like filaments found growing over the red algae Gelidium lingulatum within the areas of active methane release.     

定向羽状水平井在晋南沁水盆地煤层气开发应用中存在的问题

定向羽状水平井是指通过定向井、多分支水平井技术,由地面垂直向下钻至造斜点后以中、小曲率半径侧斜钻进目的煤层主水平井,再从主井两侧不同位置水平侧钻分支井,进而形成像羽毛状的多分支水平井。这一技术是一项复杂的系统工程,目前在中国煤层气领域还处在研究和试验阶段,尚未形成一系列成熟的工艺与技术。只有通过对国内现有的定向井、分支井、水平井钻井技术,井眼轨迹精确控制技术和煤储层保护技术进行整合,吸收国外的先进技术和管理经验,并进行实际工程研究和试验,将各种技术进行优化组合,逐步积累经验,不断地完善,最终才能形成一整套适合于中国煤层气地质特征的多分支羽状水平井技术。     

六盘水煤田煤层气赋存特征及有利区评价

近5年来,六盘水煤田多个区块的煤层气试采开发取得了较大突破,但其煤层气聚集单元多、勘探开发条件差异大,整体评价该区煤层气赋存特征及预测综合有利区对本区煤层气开发决策至关重要。研究区有22个主要含煤向斜,即煤层气聚集单元,不同煤层气聚集单元上二叠统含煤岩系具有单煤层厚度薄、顶底板封盖性好、煤层含气量高、地应力较大、煤体结构偏差、低孔低渗、储层超压频繁的共性特征,但在煤层气资源丰度、资源量、煤层累计厚度、构造、埋深、煤阶、试采效果、勘探程度和地面条件等方面差异较大,根据各煤层单元的共性与差异性确定了煤层气综合开发评价的3个二级指标（资源条件、储集条件和开发基础条件）及对应的9个三级指标,采用多层次模糊数学方法对22个煤层气聚集单元进行了有利区优选排序,优选出5个建议优先开发的煤层气单元、9个适合接替开发的煤层气单元及8个远景煤层气开发单元。     

南海神狐海域自生黄铁矿分布、形貌特征及其对甲烷渗漏的指示

自生黄铁矿是渗漏甲烷发生甲烷厌氧氧化和硫酸盐还原作用的产物之一,是海底甲烷渗漏活动的有效示踪剂。南海神狐海域是我国天然气水合物研究的重点区域,对神狐海域柱状沉积物中自生黄铁矿含量、分布、形貌等特征进行研究,结果发现自生黄铁矿的含量随深度增加而递增,存在两个异常富集峰段：在第一个黄铁矿富集峰段,黄铁矿以长条状为主,外形较粗,微晶形态以草莓状黄铁矿为主,且粒径均一;在第二个峰段主要以细长的条状黄铁矿为主,由带外壳结构的草莓球颗粒组成,晶粒大小不一,存在二次生长现象。另外还发现胶黄铁矿与自生黄铁矿共生。这些特征反映神狐海域沉积物中存在多期次的甲烷渗漏事件,高通量的甲烷渗漏发生在较浅的层位,可能发生甲烷的有氧氧化而变成缺氧环境,有利于黄铁矿富集在第一个峰段;较低的甲烷渗漏发生在较深的层位,甲烷厌氧氧化和硫酸盐还原作用而形成大量的黄铁矿保存在第二个峰段。因此,神狐海域沉积物中自生黄铁矿的异常富集可以作为地质历史时期甲烷渗漏通量和期次的指示矿物之一。     

碳硅泥岩型铀矿成矿特征,形成机理及找矿前景的讨论

伊勒门盆地是典型的中新生代山间盆地。文中分析了盆地盖层下白垩统巴彦花组的沉积体系特征及砂岩型铀矿找矿远景。认为辫状河、三解洲砾岩、砂砾央及砂岩层是寻找潜水层间氧化带砂岩型铀矿的有利层位，初步确定达来隆起带北西侧、查干台格布其狭长凹陷带及包林布其南部地区3片潜水层间氧化带砂岩型铀矿远景区。     

Sulfur Isotopic Study of the Toyoha Deposit, Hokkaido, Japan Comparison between the Earlier-Stage and the Later-Stage Veins

Abstract: The sulfur isotopic ratios (δ³⁴S) of ore minerals from the Toyoha deposit, Hokkaido, one of the largest Pb–Zn–Ag polymetallic vein-type deposits in Japan, were studied. More than 90% of the δ³⁴S values of the studied sulfide minerals collected from the Toyoha deposit range from +5 to +9%, with an average of approximately +7% irrespective of the mineral species, veins, elevations, depth, mineralization stages and mineral assemblages. Relatively uniform δ³⁴S values obtained in this study suggest that the reduced aqueous sulfur species predominated over the oxidized sulfur in the ore solution throughout the mineralization stages. Thus, the source of sulfur for the ore sulfides is postulated to be magmatic.
The temperature obtained from the fluid inclusion study and the temperature of the sulfur isotopic geothermometer are not consistent. This suggests that each mineral precipitated under disequilibrated conditions with respect to the sulfur isotope.
The change in redox conditions presumably encountered between the mineralization stages did not account for the isotopic fluctuations since the isotopic exchanges between the oxidized and reduced aqueous sulfurs are much slower than the rate of oxidation of the ore solution.     

DISCUSSION: ‘HYDROLOGICAL MODEL OF PEAT-MOUND FORM WITH VERTICALLY VARYING HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY’ BY ADRIAN C. ARMSTRONG

In this comment we argue that the premise on which the peat mound model developed by Armstrong (Earth Surface Process and Landforms, 1995, 20 , 473–477) is based, that hydraulic conductivity shows an exponential decline with depth in bog peats, is unsound. Empirical evidence in the literature for such an exponential decline is less sound than Armstrong suggests. In addition, Armstrong's suggestion that the hypothesis of Baird and Gaffney (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 1995, 20 , 561–566) supports an exponential decline is shown to be erroneous.     

Effet de la teneur en eau d'un sol sur la réduction bactérienne d'oxydes de fer

Iron-reducing activity of autochthonous bacteria from two temporary hydromorphic soils is evaluated by the study of iron reductive dissolution, as a function of water content. The release of ferrous iron in solution is coupled to the mineralization of soil organic carbon. Water soil saturation is not necessary for iron reductive dissolution, since the highest dissolution is obtained for a wet, but not water-saturated soil (100% of water holding capacity WHC), and dissolution is also very high in a soil at 75% WHC. To cite this article: S.J. Stemmler et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Ruthenium-ion-catalyzed oxidation of asphaltenes and oil-source correlation of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tahe oilfields in the Tarim Basin, NW China

The identification of marine source rocks in the Tarim Basin is debated vigorously. The intention of this paper is to investigate the asphahenes in heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields and Well TD2 with ruthenium-ions-catalyzed oxidation technique (RICO), in order to explore its role in oil-oil and oil-source correlations, The RICO products included n-alkanoic acids, α,ω-di-n-alkanoic acids, branched alkanoic acids, tricyclic terpanoic acids, hopanoic acids, gammacerane carboxylic acid , regular sterane carboxylic acids and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids. The n-alkyl chains and biomarkers bounded on the asphaltenes were of unsusceptibility to biodegradation. The distribution and absolute concentrations of n-alkanoic acids in the RICO products of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields are different from those of Well TD2. The biomarkers bounded on the asphahenes, especially steranes, have a distribution trend similar to that of the counterparts in saturates. The sterane carboxylic acids and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids in the RICO products of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tahe oilfields, dominated by C30 sterane and C31 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids, respectively, are significantly different from those of the heavy oils of Well TD2, whose dominating sterane and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids are C28 sterane and C29 4-methylsterane acids, respectively. The RICO products of the asphaltenes further indicate that the Middle-Upper Ordovician may be the main source rocks for heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields.