A highlight of environmental and engineering geology in Fargo, North Dakota, USA

Several unfavorable environmental and engineering geologic conditions exist in Fargo, North Dakota. Dominantly, the behavior of smectitic clays within the proglacial Lake Agassiz sediments of the Sherack and Brenna Formations creates subsoil instability beneath engineered structures in the Fargo area and slope instability within cutbank meanders of the Red River of the North. Unfavorable engineering geologic conditions encountered include: the elastic deformation of clayey glaciolacustrine soils, shrink-swell properties, inadequate bearing capacities, and mass movements. These conditions are responsible for structural failures including the Fargo Grain Elevator in 1955 and the Northern Pacific railroad grade. Bank failures along the Red River are common due to the inherent instability of Brenna Formation smectitic clays which are subject to plastic deformation in the subsurface, with resultant block failure of overlying Sherack Formation. Recent alluvial sediments due to typical fluvial action and the continued seasonal saturation of cutbank meanders within the floodplain also add to soil instability.     

Dissolved trace elements in river water: spatial distribution and the influencing factor, a study for the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China

Twenty-nine water samples were collected from different river channels of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectromonitor (ICP-MS) was used to measure concentrations of the trace elements in these samples. The results suggest that the average concentrations of rare earth elements in river water show an increasing trend from the West River, the North River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta, and the Shenzhen River to the East River. Relatively high concentrations of heavy metals appear in the East River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta and the Shenzhen River, while the West River and the North River have relatively low heavy metal concentrations. Trace element concentrations in samples collected near urban or industrial areas are much higher than those of samples collected from distant areas, away from urban and industrial areas. After natural conditions, human activities have significant influence on the trace element concentrations in river water. This trace element concentration’s spatial distribution in the river water from the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is actually an integrated effect of natural conditions and human activity.     

Morphometric analysis of a subtropical Andean basin (Tucumán, Argentina)

A morphometric analysis was done to determine the drainage characteristics of Lules River basin using land-sat imageries and topographical maps. This catchment was divided into seven sub-basins for the analysis: Liquimayo, Hoyada, Ciénaga, De Las Tablas, Siambón, Potrerillo and San Javier. Yungas ecoregion covers almost all the watershed. The drainage patterns of the sub-basins are dendritic and parallel. The basin includes seventh order stream and lower streams order mostly dominate the basin. The development of stream segments is affected by slope and local relief. The mean bifurcation ratio indicates that the drainage pattern is not much influenced by geological structures. The shape parameters also reveal the elongation of the basin and sub-basins.     

Ammonium regeneration in intertidal sediments of the Yangtze estuary during air-exposure

The influences of exposure to the atmosphere on ammonium cycle in the intertidal surface sediments were in situ studied with a geochemical approach at a typical station in the Yangtze Estuary during three tidal cycles in September 2003. During an about 8-h emersion period of each diurnal tide, six high-resolution vertical profiles of adsorbed and dissolved ammonium were measured. It was observed that both adsorbed and dissolved ammonium generally had an increasing trend in sediment cores during the exposure. The rate of ammonium regeneration in sediments was estimated using the accumulation amount of ammonium including adsorbed and soluble fractions during the daytime emersion. The calculation result showed that there was relatively high ammonification rate (˜500 nmol N cm⁻³ day⁻¹), which reflected that organic nitrogen in sediments was quickly decomposed with a residence time of ˜52.7 days. Due to the dramatic temperature difference observed in sediment profiles, free convection was considered an important mechanism of regulating the efflux of produced ammonium into overlying waters. The total estimated amount of regenerated ammonium was ˜1.35×10⁵ t N year⁻¹ in the intertidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary, which occupied 7.6% of the total inorganic nitrogen annually transported to the estuarine ecosystem.     

新疆卡拉麦里金矿带成矿规律及找矿预测

新疆卡拉麦里成矿带内地层较全、构造发育、岩浆活动频繁，志留系、泥盆系和石炭系在带内广泛发育，为本区主要含金地层．卡拉麦里深断裂严格控制区内侵入岩、次一级构造和矿产分布，构成岩浆侵入的主要通道，与此有关的次一级断层和裂隙则构成良好的赋存空间．卡拉麦里深大断裂纵贯全区，金成矿地质条件优越，沿走向Au异常、金矿床(点)成群成带分布，最后确定了7个金找矿远景区．     

滇西水成铀矿勘探综合测井成果

滇西龙川江盆地发现水成铀矿。本文借助地球物理综合测井技术，对龙川江盆地水成铀矿的成矿规律作有益分析和探讨。重点论述滇西水成铀成矿的成矿（沉积）环境及其成矿物征。     

乌江下游沿岸滑坡发育特征

乌江是黔东北和渝东南少数民族地区与外界联系的一条水上黄金通道。担负了流域内80％以上的客货运输量。满足了沿岸2000多万人民生产和生活必需品运输的需要。乌江下游的彭水县城至涪陵市是乌江进入长江航运的咽喉要道，沿岸广泛分布和频繁发生的滑坡严重地威胁着航运的安全。通过现场调查发现，在长约150km范围内，两岸共发育各类滑坡28个，发育线模数为0．187个／km。沿岸滑坡发育形式主要为岩石顺层滑坡和风化堆积层滑坡。沿岸滑坡具有群发性的分布特征，与地层岩性和河谷岸坡类型等密切相关。岩石顺层滑坡主要集中分布在顺向岸坡软、硬岩层相间地段。风化堆积层滑坡则主要分布在软岩地层及其风化物堆积的岸坡地段。构造变动、河流的切蚀作用及人类活动是滑坡发育形成的主要原因，暴雨和长时间降雨是滑坡发生的重要诱发因素。目前，多数滑坡处于稳定状态，少数滑坡受降雨及江水涨落的影响而处于周期性蠕动变形状态。三峡水库蓄水后，部分滑坡有复活的可能。     

三工河流域222团竖井排灌区潜水动态分析

222团地处三工河流域冲洪积细土平原下游,40多年来的农业生产灌溉,使灌区大部分地区处于潜水临界埋深以上,土壤次生盐渍化加剧.分析了灌区潜水埋深动态特征及其影响因素,就竖井排灌区地下水开采量与潜水埋深关系进行回归分析计算,建立了开采量预测模型.     

黄河聊城段侧渗分析研究

黄河在山东境内属地上河,常年补给两侧地下水,是沿河地带地下水资源的重要组成部分.依据黄河聊城段东阿县境内的艾山侧渗断面1986～1994年地下水位资料,在分析水文地质条件和地下水流态的基础上,应用水均衡原理分析计算导水系数T,并通过同位素示踪试验得到了验证.利用达西公式计算单侧年侧渗量,建立艾山水位、年径流-侧渗量关系,并与应量平衡法和地下水非稳定流公式计算的成果作了对照分析.     

塔里木河下游应急输水的水生态环境响应

塔里木河下游357km河道断流近30年,向塔里木河下游实施应急输水抢救生态环境,是世界范围内流域退化生态系统恢复与重建的稀有案例。以此为背景,在生态环境本底状况调查的基础上,通过大量的监测资料,应用河道水力学、地下水动力学以及植被生态学,以河道水量沿程消耗-地下水位动态变化-植物恢复为主线,摸清了水流在河道纵向、河道横向两侧和垂向剖面中的运移、转化和消耗规律,研究分析了应急输水的水生态环境三维响应特征和植被恢复效应。为创建和完善干旱区受损生态系统输水、修复与重建的评价体系打下基础,也为塔里木河流域综合治理提供技术支撑。