Changes in Geotechnical Properties of Sediments from the Central Indian Basin Induced by Disturbance Experiment

During the Indian Deep-sea Environment Experiment (INDEX) conducted in the Central Indian Basin to simulate nodule mining activity, the sediments were physically disturbed, lifted from the seafloor, and then redeposited to study the effects of sediment redistribution on geological, chemical and biological characteristics of benthic environment. The first monitoring cruise, 44 months after the experiment, was part of long-term observations for restoration of conditions. This study describes the effects of the experiment on geotechnical properties of sediments measured in predisturbance, postdisturbance and monitoring phases. To compare the effects, sediment cores were collected from the same locations during the three phases. Siliceous, fine-grained sediments from the study area showed change in geotechnical properties induced due to the disturbance. Marginal increase in natural water content and significant reduction in undrained shear strength at the 0–5 cm sediment layer of cores from the tow zone during postdisturbance was observed. However, during the monitoring phase, an increase in shear strength and reduction in water content was noticed, which might indicate that the sediments are gradually acquiring predisturbance characteristics. The study also revealed that the meiofaunal density has a positive correlation with the water content, but a negative relationship with the shear strength of these siliceous sediments. Specific gravity of solids and porosity showed marginal change, whereas wet density remained unchanged.     

Physical Properties and their Relationship to Texture and Consolidation Effects in Pliocene-Quaternary Sediments from Madeira Abyssal Plain

Multi-sensor core logger data and index properties were measured onboard the JOIDES resolution during ODP Leg 157 and compared with grain size distribution and carbonate contents measured in the on-shore laboratory. Cored sediments are similar in grain size, but very variable in carbonate content. Magnetic susceptibility clearly defines the volcanic turbidite layers, whereas GRAPE density and acoustic velocity help to define the coarser (silty) bases of some organic or calcareous turbidite layers. Index properties are mostly controlled by consolidation effects.     

Geotechnical Investigation of the Titanic Wreck Site

Abstract

Recent marine forensic investigations have largely unravelled the sequence of events concerning the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic and its descent through nearly 3800 m of water to the seafloor on the morning of 15 April 1912. In particular, the velocity and attitude of the Titanic's bow section (at present lying upright, reasonably intact, and embedded by ～12 m at the prow) as it hit the bottom are of general interest to marine accident investigators. During the 1998 Titanic Science Expedition, a single sediment sample was retrieved from the seafloor (depth 20–30 cm) near the wreck by the deep water submersible, Nautile. Published geological studies suggest the seafloor in this area has remained largely undisturbed since 1912. Geotechnical analysis of the sediment sample reveals that the impact was probably a substantially undrained event and that the characteristic undrained shear strength of the sediment is ～25kPa within 10–16 m below the seafloor. A simple analytical model was used to calculate the embedment of a cuboid with dimensions and mass of the water-filled bow as a function of impact velocity, impact angle, and the undrained shear strength of the sediment. The results indicate the impossibility of a steep angle of impact and fast velocity. The most likely scenario is an impact velocity of 5–10 m/s at a fairly shallow angle (<40°), which corroborates the results of hydrodynamic investigations.     

Effects of Laboratory Consolidation on Petrophysical Properties of Fine-Grained Marine Sediments: Electron Microscopic Observations

Abstract

Pliocene-Recent marine sediments, recovered at site 1125 by ODP Leg 181 on the eastern New Zealand margin, were subjected to laboratory consolidation tests and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after consolidation test. The primary objective of this study is to document the effects of consolidation on microfabric and petrophysical properties. X-ray diffraction and grain-size distribution data indicate that the samples are mineralogically and texturally similar and thus are ideal for the present study on the role of consolidation solely on petrophysical properties. Porosity was measured before and after each consolidation test, and permeability was estimated indirectly based on the theoretical method. SEM photomicrographs show details of changes of pore geometry and distribution after the consolidation test that account for the porosity loss.     

Geotechnical Properties of Surface Sediments in the INDEX Area

Abstract

As a part of the environmental impact assessment studies, geotechnical properties of sediments were determined in the Central Indian Basin. The undrained shear strength and index properties of the siliceous sediments were determined on 20 box cores of uniform dimension collected from various locations in five preselected sites. The maximum core length encountered was 41 cm and most of the sediments were siliceous oozes consisting of radiolarian or diatomaceous tests. The shear strength measurements revealed that surface sediments deposited in recent times (0–10 cm) have a shear strength of 0–1 kPa; this value increases with depth, reaching 10 kPa at 40 cm deep. Older sediments have greater strength because of compaction. Water content varies in the wide range of 312–577% and decreases with depth. The clay minerals such as smectite and illite are dominant and show some control over water content. Wet density, specific gravity, and porosity do not indicate any notable variation with depth, thereby indicating a uniform, slow rate of sedimentation. The average porosity of sediments is 90.2%, specific gravity 2.18, and wet bulk density 1.12 g/cm³. Sediments exhibit medium to high plasticity characteristics, with the average plasticity index varying between 105% and 136%. Preliminary studies on postdisturbance samples showed an increase in natural water content and a decrease in undrained shear strength of sediments in the top 10- to 15-cm layer.     

Estimation of net theoretical excavation rates in concrete and sandstone

Abstract

The estimation of excavation rates in specific geological and geotechnical conditions is one of the most delicate aspects for mining and geotechnical operations particularly offshore. Many models have been developed to study the effectiveness of a drilling tool in contact with the ground. In this article, the results of laboratory cutting tests on concrete specimens are shown. The comparison of the results of laboratory tests with different predictive models, helped to identify the most representative models. The models were then used to study in more detail, the effectiveness of the excavation tools through a parametric analysis. The research helped to define how to obtain rubrics, which can estimate the theoretical net cutting production of an excavation machine, when the power of its engines is known, or to evaluate, when the requested net cutting production is available, the power that the cutting machine must have. The findings were also applied to a sandstone previously investigated. The results are based on theoretical models and cannot be used on geomaterials with the same (or similar) geotechnical properties.     

沉积结构面及其对岩体力学性质的影响

基于沉积结构面的成因类型,通过理论分析和实验研究,分析了沉积结构面的变形与破坏特征,研究了沉积结构面力学特征及其力学效应,提出了弱面型层理、层系或层系组界面和岩层面以及不整合面均为沉积构造弱面,这些弱面对沉积岩体力学性质产生重要的影响。分析了沉积岩体沿层面方向和垂直层面方向岩体力学性质的差异性。研究表明,垂直层面方向的纵波速度和弹性模量要比平行层面方向低;平行层面方向的抗拉强度要大于垂直层面方向;而平行层面方向的抗压强度与凝聚力小于垂直层面方向。沉积岩体易于产生垂直于结构面方向的张性破坏和沿结构面方向的剪切破坏,在采动影响下顶板岩体易于沿岩层层面产生离层破坏现象,这进一步揭示了沉积结构面变形与破坏机制。      

Hydrological response of abandoned agricultural soils along a climatological gradient on metamorphic parent material in southern Spain

The hydrological and erosive response of the Mediterranean eco‐geomorphologic system has showed a very variable and complex behaviour depending on several factors: topography, geology, vegetation pattern, soil properties, land use management, etc. Climate is a key factor due to the great spatial and temporal variability. This research was carried out over different micro‐environments representative from five hillslopes localized in the Littoral Bethic Mountains in the south of Spain. The results of 20 experiments with rainfall simulations on micro‐plots (0.24 m²) and the differences of the incidence of some biotic and abiotic factors in the eco‐geomorphologic system from semi‐arid, dry‐Mediterranean and sub‐humid sites are exposed. Runoff, soil moisture and sediment were measured before, during and after the experiments. The results have shown rock fragments disposition on soil surface and vegetation seem to be the main factors that control the hydrological and erosive response at the micro‐plot‐scale of the experiments. Embedded rock fragments are the most important soil surface property because they reduce the infiltration. Whilst vegetation increases it what is more influential on the hydrological and erosive response of micro‐environments at more arid sites. We have also observed that there are micro‐environment particularities which play a more important role than the localization in the climatic gradient at micro‐plot scale. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Complex relationships between salt type and rock properties in a durability experiment of multiple salt–rock treatments

A laboratory salt weathering experiment was performed using five salts to attack eight types of rocks to determine the relative significance of rock durability and salt aggressivity to salt crystallization damage. The influence of individual rock properties on the salt susceptibility of the rocks was also evaluated. To study the relation between pore characteristics, salt uptake, and damage, the pre‐ and post‐experiment pore size distributions of the rocks were also examined. It is observed that both salt type and rock properties influenced the damage pattern. The durability ranking of the rocks became significantly altered with the salt type while the variation in salt efficacy ranking with rock type was less pronounced. Of the five salts used, sodium chloride and aluminium sulfate were invariably ineffective with all rock types while sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate, and magnesium sulfate, were markedly more effective in damaging most types of rock used. Of the rock properties investigated, the microporosity (of pores smaller than 0·05 or 0·1 µm) showed the most significant influence on deterioration of the rocks associated with salt crystallization, whereas microporosity of pores smaller than 5 µm played a more important role in salt uptake. Pore size distribution was thus the key factor controlling salt uptake and damage. Rocks with a large number of pores (<5 µm) and a high proportion of pores (<0·05 or 0·1 µm) were particularly susceptible to salt crystallization damage. However, anomalies arose that could not be explained in terms of rock properties or salt efficacy alone. Overall, the relative influences of salt type/efficacy and rock type/properties on salt damage propensity were not clear enough to draw a reasonable conclusion. Salt crystallization damage appears to be influenced by the individual interactions between salts and rocks, which could explain the anomalous results. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deriving depths of deep chlorophyll maximum and water inherent optical properties: A regional model

The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclosed inland sea with case-2 waters near the coast. A comprehensive set of optical data was collected during three cruises in June, August, and September 2005 in the Bohai Sea. The vertical profile measurements, such as chlorophyll concentration, water turbidity, downwelling irradiance, and diffuse attenuation coefficient, showed that the Bohai Sea was vertically stratified with a relative clear upper layer superimposed on a turbid lower layer. The upper layer was found to correspond to the euphotic zone and the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) occurs at the base of this layer. By tuning a semi-analytical model (24 and 25) for the Bohai Sea, we developed a method to derive water inherent optical properties and the depth of DCM from above-surface measurements. Assuming a ‘fake’ bottom in the stratified water, this new method retrieves the ‘fake’ bottom depth, which is highly correlated with the DCM depth. The average relative error between derived and measured values is 33.9% for phytoplankton absorption at 440 nm, 25.6% for colored detrital matter (detritus plus gelbstoff) absorption at 440 nm, and 24.2% for the DCM depth. This modified method can retrieve water inherent optical properties and monitor the depth of DCM in the Bohai Sea, and the method is also applicable to other stratified waters.