Effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis, with emphasis on carbonate aquifers

 This article provides a critical synopsis of the effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis. Emphasis is placed on those aspects and processes that change porosity and permeability in carbonate aquifers, because they are of particular importance to human societies as sources of supplies of water for human consumption (drinking, irrigation) and of crude oil and natural gas. Diagenetic settings in carbonates as well as clastics are generally ill defined. This paper proposes a new comprehensive classification of diagenetic settings into near-surface, shallow-, intermediate-, and deep-burial diagenetic settings; hydrocarbon-contaminated plumes; and fractures. These settings are defined on the basis of mineralogy, petroleum, hydrogeochemistry, and hydrogeology. This classification is applicable to all sedimentary basins. Diagenesis is governed by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that include thermodynamic and kinetic constraints, as well as microstructural factors that may override the others. These factors govern diagenetic processes, such as dissolution, compaction, recrystallization, replacement, and sulfate–hydrocarbon redox-reactions. Processes such as cementation, dissolution, and dolomitization require significant flow of groundwater driven by an externally imposed hydraulic gradient. Other processes, such as stylolitization and thermochemical sulfate reduction, commonly take place without significant groundwater flow in hydrologically nearly or completely stagnant systems that are geochemically "closed." Two major effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis are enhancement and reduction of porosity and permeability, although groundwater flow can also leave these rock properties essentially unchanged. In extreme cases, an aquifer or hydrocarbon reservoir rock can have highly enhanced porosity and permeability due to extensive mineral dissolution, or it can be plugged up due to extensive mineral precipitation. Received, April 1998 · Revised, July 1998 · Accepted, September 1998     

Climato-limnological signals during the past 260 000 years in physical properties of bottom sediments from Lake Baikal

The St.16 core obtained from the Academician Ridge of Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia may span about 260 000 years, and some physical properties of the core samples are closely related to aquatic paleoproductivity and climatic change. The median of grain size, grain density, and water content fluctuate synchronously. They also are connected with change in the abundance of biogenic silica (diatoms). The physical parameters indicate that there were high aquatic productivity periods around interglacial periods (MIS 5 and 7; 70 000-125 000 yr B.P. and 180 000-250 000 yr B.P.). Comparatively large clastics were transported from outside of the lake through various routes (ice rafting, etc.) in addition to fluvial routes during the glacials or 'stadials. There are ca. 20 000 yr, 40 000 yr and 100 000 yr periods in the variations of physical properties. These are related to the three Milankovitch parameters of solar insolation.     

整地对栗钙土物理性质和杨树人工林苗木生长的影响

采用定位观测的方法,系统研究了不同整地规格对栗钙土的物理性质和杨树人工林苗木生长的影响.试验结果表明经整地后土壤物理性质总体上得到改善.但不同规格的整地对栗钙土土壤物理性质的改善程度和对杨树人工林苗木生长的促进作用是不同的.在当前的经济发展水平下,综合考虑整地后土壤物理性质的变化和苗木生长的实际效果,在栗钙土上应采用B规格的整地.     

The Equation of State of Lakes

In recent years, a number of workers have studied the stability of deep lakes such as Lake Tanganyika, Lake Baikal and Lake Malawi. In this paper, the methods that can be used to determine the effect that the components of lakes have on the equation of state are examined. The PVT properties of Lakes have been determined by using apparent molal volume data for the major ionic components of the lake. The estimated PVT properties (densities, expansibility and compressibilities) of the lakes are found to be in good agreement with the PVT properties (P) of seawater diluted to the same salinity. This is similar to earlier work that showed that the PVT properties of rivers and estuarine waters could also be estimated from the properties of seawater.The measured densities of Lake Tanganyika were found to be in good agreement (± 2 × 10^-6 g cm^-3) with the values estimated from partial molal properties and the values of seawater at the same total salinity (S_T = 0.568). The increase in the densities of Lake Tanganyika waters increased due to changes in the composition of the waters. The measured increase in the measured density (45 × 10^-6 g cm^-3) is in good agreement (46 × 10^-6 g cm^-3) with the values calculated for the increase in Na⁺, HCO₃ ^-, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Si(OH)₄.Methods are described that can be used to determine the conductivity salinity of lakes using the equations developed for seawater. By combining these relationships with apparent molal volume data, one can relate the PVT properties of the lake to those of seawater.     

System identification of a concrete arch dam and calibration of its finite element model

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred near Pacoima Dam on 13 January 2001. An accelerometer array that had been upgraded after the Northridge earthquake recorded the motion with 17 channels on the dam and the dam–foundation interface. Using this data, properties of the first two modes are found from a system identification study. Modal properties are also determined from a forced vibration experiment performed in 2002 and indicate a significantly stiffer system than is estimated from the 2001 earthquake records. The 2001 earthquake, although small, must have induced temporary nonlinearity. This has implications for structural health monitoring. The source of the nonlinear behaviour is believed to be loss of stiffness in the foundation rock. A finite element model of Pacoima Dam is constructed and calibrated to match modal properties determined from the system identification study. A dynamic simulation of the 2001 earthquake response produces computed motions that agree fairly well with the recorded ones. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用多元地震属性预测测井特性

通过寻找井旁地震数据与测井曲线的关系,将这一关系应用到远离井的区域(只有地质数据,但无测井)来预测测井的有关特性,其方法有单属性分析和多属性分析[1]。本文通过实例描述了多属性分析的特点及预测结果。从单属性回归到多属性预测、再到神经网络预测过渡时,预测能力持续提高。同时对地震属性的选择和有效性进行了讨论,将结果应用到整个二维地震剖面上,能更好地确定井以外区域的测井特性。     

水对不同岩石声波速度影响的研究

通过分析不同成因类型岩石的声波速度,提出了水对不同岩石声波速度的影响,从岩石孔隙及隐微裂隙的发育程度及岩石的水理性质解释了在水的作用下岩石声波变化规律,利用这些规律可以初步判断岩石的隐微裂隙发育程度及水理性质。     

江苏省里下河(兴化-泰州)地区浅表沉积物特征及古地理环境演变

里下河地区浅部沉积物多为全新世中、晚期堆积,多数地区缺失全新世早期沉积。沉积物以淤泥质亚粘土、亚粘土、亚砂土,粉砂质淤泥、淤泥质粉砂、淤泥及泥炭为特征。沉积前的古地貌为四周高、中间低的碟形盆地。古气候经历了温湿—暖湿—温湿—温干的变化过程。区内曾有两次海侵,第一次海侵发生在全新世早中期,范围几乎遍及全区;第二次海侵发生在全新世晚期,规模小、范围窄、时间短,为海水沿江河倒灌、回溯形起。该区古环境自全新世以来经历了浅水海湾—古泻湖—湖沼地及平原的演变过程,最终形成现今河湖稠密的低凹平原。     

Residual strength of slip zones of large landslides in the Three Gorges area, China

Slip zones of the large landslides in the Three Gorges area are commonly composed of fine-grained soils with substantial amount of coarse-grained particles, particularly gravel-sized particles. In this study, residual strength of the soils from slip zones of these landslides were examined in relation to their index properties based on a survey of 170 landslides. It was found that laboratory-determined residual friction angle using gravel-free fraction of the disturbed soils from the slip zones was closely related to clay content, liquid limit and plasticity index. On the other hand, in-situ residual friction angle of these soils (i.e. including gravel fraction) showed very weak correlations with clay content and Atterberg limits, but was largely dependent on gravel and fines (clays + silts) contents, increasing with gravels and decreasing with fines, and displayed strong linear correlation with the ratio of gravel to fines contents. These observations indicate that among the index properties, clay content and Atterberg limits can be used to estimate residual strength of the soils finer than 2 mm, but they are not appropriate evaluate the residual strength of the soils containing considerable amount of gravel-sized particles. For the latter, particle size distribution (particularly the ratio of gravel to fines contents) appears to be a useful index. Additionally, it was found that there was no identifiable correlation between relative abundance of individual major clay minerals and residual friction angles of both gravel-free fraction of disturbed and in-situ soils, suggesting that influence of clay minerals on residual strength of these soils can not be simply evaluated based on their abundance.     

Salt weathering in dual-porosity building dolostones

The influence of rock fabric on physical weathering due to the salt crystallization of selected brecciated dolostones is discussed. These dual-porosity dolostones are representative of heterogeneous and anisotropic building rocks, and present highly complex and heterogeneous rock fabric features. The pore structure of the matrix and clasts is described in terms of porosity and pore size distribution, whereas the relative strength for each textural component is assessed using the Knoop hardness test. The whole characterisation process was carried out using the same samples as those used in the standard salt durability test (EN-12370), including connected porosity, the water saturation coefficient, fissure density, compressional wave velocity and waveform energy.

Results show the most important rock fabric elements to be considered are the matrix and clast properties and the nature of fissures. Firstly, a relatively weak matrix was the focus of major granular disintegration as it presents high porosity, low pore radius and reduced strength. Secondly, narrow micro-fissures appear to be important in the decay process due to the effectiveness of crystallization pressure generated by salt growth. On the contrary, macro-fissures do not contribute greatly to rock decay since they act as sinks to consume the high supersaturations caused by growth of large crystals. Additionally, an analysis of stress generated by crystallization was carried out based on the general situation of a lenticular crystal geometry. Finally, the relationships between whole petrophysical properties and durability were established using a principal component analysis. This analysis has clearly established that the durability of rocks affected by salt crystallization mechanisms diminishes in weaker and anisotropic rocks with high porosity and fissure density.