Plate tectonics,palaeoenvironments and limestone geomorphology in West-Central Britain

The variety of active, exhumed, and buried limestone landforms of northern England, North Wales, and the Isle of Man arises in part from the way in which Dinantian (Lower Carboniferous) sedimentation was affected by a tilt-block basement structure evolved during the closure of the Iapetus Ocean suture to the north, and partly to subsequent plate tectonic movements associated with the closure of the proto-Tethys ocean, the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and the Alpine orogeny. Landforms created during the Dinantian now form important exhumed and buried landscape features. The Permian half-graben structures of the eastern Irish Sea-Cheshire-Worcester Basins account for many of the contrasts between the upland karsts of the Pennines and the lowland karsts of coastal areas.     

Collapse of caves at shallow depth in Gaziantep city center,Turkey: a case study

This paper focuses on an investigation of the possible causes for the collapse of limestone caves in Gaziantep, Turkey. The city contains a lot of man-made caves, at a shallow depth, of various width and length. These caves were mainly excavated to provide work or storage space. As the city has been growing fast with increased population, many structures were constructed over these caves. Recently, two caves collapsed and five houses were damaged. These caves are all made of limestone and it was observed after the collapse that the limestone was saturated with water due to sewer pipe leakage and surface water. Tests were carried out on the limestone and it was determined that the compressive strength of limestone decreases by about 50% and the tensile strength decreased by about 80% when saturated with water. It was concluded that the reduced strength of the limestone combined with additional loads due to the factors mentioned above seem to be the main reason for these collapses.     

A model of the early evolution of karst aquifers in limestone in the dimensions of length and depth

A new model of the early evolution of limestone karst aquifers in the dimensions of length and depth is presented. In its initial state the aquifer consists of a rock massive with evenly spaced fractures of about 50 μm aperture widths with an hydraulic conductivity of 10⁻⁷ ms⁻¹. In addition to this a coarser network of prominent fractures with aperture widths of several 100 μm is also present. Boundary conditions of constant recharge 450 mm/year, or constant head from the input of allogenic streams are imposed. First the position of the water table in the aquifer is calculated, then dissolutional widening during a time step in all the fractures below the water table is found by use of the well-known nonlinear dissolution kinetics of limestone. This is iterated and the position of the water table as well as the fracture widths are found as a function of time. In the case of constant recharge to a karst plateau, the water table in any case drops to base level and conduits there propagate from the spring headwards. If constant head conditions are valid the position of the water table remains almost stable and conduits propagate along the water table from the input towards the spring. There is competition between conduit evolution along prominent fractures and along tight fissures close to the water table. In any case under constant head conditions one of these pathways wins, and early karst evolution is terminated by a breakthrough event with an explosive increase of the flow through the aquifer until constant head conditions break down. Depending on the boundary conditions of constant head or constant recharge or a combination of both it is possible to describe models of cave genesis, which have been derived from field evidence, such as the water table models of Swinnerton and Rhoades as well as the four-state model by Ford and Ewers (Can. J. Earth Sci., 15 (1978) 1783).     

pH值对长石溶解度及次生孔隙发育的影响

本文从长石溶解反应的机理及各离子形态在溶液中分布的热力学角度出发 ,论述了pH值对三个长石端员及高岭石在流体中溶解度的影响。在此基础上 ,进一步探讨了流体酸碱度对长石向高岭石转化和次生孔隙发育程度的制约 ,并提出了衡量次生孔隙发育程度的参数———转化系数D。     

Prediction of limestone solution rates from rainfall and runoff data: Some comments

Recent work by Láng (1977) on solutional erosion rates in limestone drainage basins in relation to rainfall contains serious errors and has a questionable logical basis. Although much sounder, Smith and Atkinson's (1976) work on erosion rates in relation to runoff also requires modification as it greatly overestimates erosion rates in two areas of New Zealand. Greater resolution could probably be obtained by relating autogenic runoff to the rate of solution by autogenic waters and by computing separate relationships for areas where solution takes place under open and closed system equilibrium conditions. These factors should be taken into account in the experimental design of future studies.     

The Role of Seal and Source Rocks in Fluid-rock Interactions and their Reservoir Effects within the Carbonate Deep Burial Realm

Discoveries of deep high-quality carbonate reservoirs challenged the general understanding on the evolution of porosity decreasing with depth. New mechanisms of pore generation and preservation in the deep realm require to be proposed. Dolostones in the Feixianguan and Dengying Formations experienced maximum depths in excess of 8000 m, but still retained high porosity. Petrographic observation and homogenization temperatures help to identify products of deep fluid-rock interactions, visual and experimental porosity were used to quantify reservoir effects, the distribution of products finally being plotted to unravel the mechanisms. Th data reveal that thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR), burial dissolution and quartz cementation are typical deep fluid-rock interactions. The SO42? of residual porewater sourced from the evaporative dolomitizing fluid was supplied for TSR in the hydrocarbon column, the TSR-inducing calcite cements were homogeneously dispersed in the hydrocarbon column. Quartz cementation was caused by the increasing acidity and Si-rich residual porewater in the oil column. Burial dissolution is forced by organic acid and limited in oil–water contact. This study suggests that seal and source rocks not only play important roles in hydrocarbon accumulation, but also have a general control on the deep fluid-rock interactions and porosity evolution in the deep burial realm.     

25～75℃酸性NaCl溶液中方铅矿的溶解动力学

在25～75℃、pH=0.43～2.45的1mol/LNaCl溶液中进行了方铅矿的溶解动力学实验。发现在远平衡条件下,方铅矿的溶解速率r与氢离子活度犤H+犦呈线性关系,溶解速率方程(速率定律)为:r=k犤H+犦,即对H+而言,溶解反应为一级。其中速率常数k为2.344×10-7mol/m2·s(25℃)、1.380×10-6mol/m2·s(50℃)、7.079×10-6mol/m2·s(75℃)。溶解反应的活化能为43.54kJ/mol,方铅矿的溶解机理为表面化学反应,速率决定步骤为表面配合物的离解。     

Organic carbon inputs,common ions and degassing: rethinking mixing dissolution in coastal eogenetic carbonate aquifers

Caves deliver freshwater from coastal carbonate landscapes to estuaries but how these caves form and grow remains poorly understood. Models suggest fresh and salt water mixing drives dissolution in eogenetic limestone, but have rarely been validated through sampling of mixing waters. Here we assess controls on carbonate mineral saturation states using new and legacy geochemical data that were collected in vertical profiles through three cenotes and one borehole in the Yucatan Peninsula. Results suggest saturation states are primarily controlled by carbon fluxes rather than mixing. Undersaturation predicted by mixing models that rely on idealized end members is diminished or eliminated when end members are collected from above and below actual mixing zones. Undersaturation due to mixing is limited by CO₂ degassing from fresh water in karst windows, which results in calcite supersaturation. With respect to saline groundwater, controls on capacity for mixing dissolution were more varied. Oxidation of organic carbon increased pCO₂ of saline groundwater in caves (pCO₂ = 10^–2.06 to 10^–0.96 atm) relative to matrix porosity (10^–2.39 atm) and local seawater (10^–3.12 atm). The impact of increased pCO₂ on saturation state, however, depended on the geochemical composition of the saline water and the magnitude of organic carbon oxidation. Carbonate undersaturation due to mixing was limited where gypsum dissolution (Cenote Angelita) or sulfate reduction (Cenote Calica) increased concentrations of common ions (Ca²⁺ or HCO₃^?, respectively). Maximum undersaturation was found to occur in mixtures including saline water that had ion concentrations and ratios similar to seawater, but with moderately elevated pCO₂ (Cenote Eden). Undersaturation, however, was dominated by the initial undersaturation of the saline end member, mixing was irrelevant. Our results add to a growing body of literature that suggests oxidation of organic carbon, and not mixing dissolution, is the dominant control on cave formation and enlargement in coastal eogenetic karst aquifers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水电工程坝基岩体溶蚀程度对坝体不均匀沉降影响分析

水电站坝基岩体发生溶蚀以后会对大坝的稳定性带来较大的影响,本文以工程实例为依托,利用三维数值分析技术,分析计算了坝基岩体不同溶蚀程度对坝体不均匀沉降的影响。结果表明:当坝基岩体强烈溶蚀、中等溶蚀、轻微溶蚀以后,坝顶处的最大位移分别达到10cm、5.5cm、4cm。坝基岩体溶蚀程度越高,坝体各处不均匀沉降的程度越严重。在相同的溶蚀程度下,坝踵处的不均匀沉降程度最严重,坝顶处不均匀沉降程度次之,坝趾处不均匀沉降程度相对最小。