Surface chemical analysis in coal preparation research: complementary information from XPS and ToF-SIMS

The application of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to coal surface characterisation for preparation research is described. Progress towards the acquisition of complementary surface chemical information by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is also discussed. Surface-based beneficiation techniques such as flotation are assuming greater importance as the proportion of fines in raw coal increases due to the proliferation of high capacity mining methods. A necessary condition for the floatability of a coal particle is adequate hydrophobicity, and the degree of hydrophobicity of the flotation concentrate is one factor influencing the ease with which its dewatering can be affected. The hydrophobicity of a coal is very difficult to measure directly because of microporosity, and it is often necessary to deduce the degree of hydrophobicity from a knowledge of the surface chemistry. XPS is able to provide sufficient analytical data to allow relative levels of hydrophobicity to be estimated. In principle, ToF-SIMS should be able to supply additional information enabling refinement of such estimates; however, there are insufficient data at present to allow the ionic fragments detected to be related to specific functional groups at the coal surface.     

A Study on Organic Inclusions in Clastic Reservoir Rocks and Their Application to the Assessment of Oil and Gas Accumulations

Terrigenous clastic reservoir rocks are widespread in China,and nearly all the industrial oil and gas accumulations in eastern China occur in the clastic rocks.The study shows that organic inclusions are mostly distributed in the secondary fissures and pores which were ormed in the process of oil-rock interaction,rather than in the cements or secondary enlargements. The organic inclusions are dominantly organic gas-rich or are composed of pure hydrocarbons.Homogenization temperatures range mainly from 120℃ to 130℃，which shows a relatively high maturity of organic matter.Vertical and horizontal temperature changes provide the grounds for the investigation of basin evolution and thermal fluid-kinetics-model.Fluorescence spectral characteristics o the organic inclusions indicate that oils and gases in the area studied probably have experienced two-stage or two-time migration.Micro-fluorescence rescearch is one of the effective approaches to oil/source correlation and oil migration-stage determination.The abundance and occurrence of organic inclusions is one of the indicators of oil and gas abundance and accumulation in rock layers.With the help of other informatio,organic inclusions can provide the basis for the prospective assessment of oil and gas in clastic reservoir rocks.     

基于GIS的孔隙水文地质层三维空间离散方法

针对自然界中孔隙水文地质层空间分布的不连续性与厚度分布的不均匀性,研究基于GIS的孔隙水文地质层三维空间离散实现的技术路线,提出基于GIS的孔隙水文地质层不规则六面体元的三维空间离散方法.该法不仅能最大限度地保证不规则六面体元中水文地质层类型的一元性,而且可充分利用GIS的空间分析与数据的自动提取功能,快速提取各个计算结点上空间位置坐标与各类计算参数,大大缩短水文地质模型空间离散与相关数据文件组织所需的时间,提高地下水三维有限差分数值模拟的时效性,具有较高的实用价值.     

Exhumation rates and age of metamorphism in the Sanbagawa belt: new constraints from zircon fission track analysis

Zircon fission track dating and track length analysis in the high‐grade part of the Asemigawa region of the Sanbagawa belt demonstrates a simple cooling history passing through the partial annealing zone at 63.2 ± 5.8 (2 σ) Ma. Combining this age with previous results of phengite and amphibole K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating gives a cooling rate of between 6 and 13 °C Myr^?1, which can be converted to a maximum exhumation rate of 0.7 mm year^?1 using the known shape of the P–T path. This is an order of magnitude lower than the early part of the exhumation history. In contrast, zircon fission track analyses in the low‐grade Oboke region show that this area has undergone a complex thermal history probably related to post‐orogenic secondary reheating younger than c. 30 Ma. This event may correlate with the widespread igneous activity in south‐west Japan around 15 Ma. The age of subduction‐related metamorphism in the Oboke area is probably considerably older than the generally accepted range of 77–70 Ma.     

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Paleosols are recurrent features in alluvial successions and provide information about past sedimentary dynamics and climate change. Through sedimentological analysis on six sediment cores, the mud-dominated succession beneath the medieval ‘Two Towers’ of Bologna was investigated down to 100 m depth. A succession of weakly developed paleosols (Inceptisols) was identified. Four paleosols (P1, P2, P3 and PH) were radiocarbon-dated to 40–10 cal ka bp . Organic matter and CaCO₃ determinations indicate low groundwater levels during soil development, which spanned periods < 5 ka. The development and burial of soils, which occurred synchronously in the Bologna region and in other sectors of the Po Plain, are interpreted to reflect climatic and eustatic variations. Climatic oscillations, at the scale of the Bond cycles, controlled soil development and burial during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (P1 and P2). Rapid sea-level oscillations probably induced soil development at the MIS 3/2 transition (P3) and favored burial of PH after 10 ka bp . Weakly developed paleosols in alluvial successions can provide clues to millennial-scale climatic and environmental variations. In particular, the paleosol-bearing succession of the Po Plain represents an unprecedent record of environmental changes across the Late Pleistocene (MIS 3 and 2) in the Mediterranean region.     

Early‐middle Holocene land snail shell stable isotope record from Grotta di Latronico 3 (southern Italy)

This paper compares stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) records of early–middle Holocene land snail shells from the archaeological deposits of Grotta di Latronico 3 (LTR3; southern Italy) with modern shell isotopic data. No substantial interspecific variability was observed in shell δ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸Os) of modern specimens (Pomatias elegans, Cornu aspersum, Eobania vermiculata, Helix ligata and Marmorana fuscolabiata). In contrast, interspecific shell δ¹³C (δ¹³Cs) variability was significant, probably due to different feeding behaviour among species. The δ¹⁸Os values of living land snails suggest that species hibernate for a long period during colder months, so that the signal of ¹⁸O‐depleted winter rainfall in their δ¹⁸Os is lost. This suggests that δ¹⁸Os and δ¹³Cs values of Pomatias elegans from this archaeological succession provide valuable clues for seasonal (spring–autumn) climatic conditions during the early–middle Holocene. The δ¹⁸Os values of fossil specimens are significantly lower than in modern shells and in agreement with other palaeoclimatic records, suggesting a substantial increase of precipitation and/or persistent changes in air mass source trajectories over this region between ca. 8.8 cal ka BP and 6.2–6.7 ka ago. The δ¹³Cs trend suggests a transition from a slightly ¹³C‐enriched to a ¹³C‐depleted diet between early and middle Holocene compared to present conditions. We postulate that this δ¹³Cs trend might reflect changes in the C3 vegetation community, potentially combined with other environmental factors such as regional moisture increase and the progressive decrease of atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

煤田资料的铀矿二次开发技术及其找矿意义——以二连盆地ZS煤田铀矿点的发现为例

在中国北方主要盆地铀矿地质调查工作中,煤田自然伽马异常作为主要矿化信息和找矿线索,为一系列铀矿床(点)的快速发现奠定了坚实基础。为进一步提高煤田资料铀矿二次开发的高效性和准确性,运用水成铀矿理论,以中国二连盆地ZS煤矿区典型铀矿点的发现为例,初步探讨了煤田资料的铀矿二次开发技术,提出了"异常筛选与选区分析、原位验证与环境判别、等时地层格架建立与沉积体系分析、综合分析与靶区定位"四位一体的煤矿区铀矿地质调查模式。这对中国北方含煤盆地铀矿地质调查工作提供了新的找矿思路和技术路线,具有较重要的指导意义。     

Anthropogenic impacts on nitrogen fixation rates between restored and natural Mediterranean salt marshes

To test the effects of site and successional stage on nitrogen fixation rates in salt marshes of the Venice Lagoon, Italy, acetylene reduction assays were performed with Salicornia veneta‐ and Spartina townsendii‐vegetated sediments from three restored (6–14 years) and two natural marshes. Average nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) rates ranged from 31 to 343 μmol C₂H₄·m^?2·h^?1 among all marshes, with the greatest average rates being from one natural marsh (Tezze Fonde). These high rates are up to six times greater than those reported from Southern California Spartina marshes of similar Mediterranean climate, but substantially lower than those found in moister climates of the Atlantic US coast. Nitrogen fixation rates did not consistently vary between natural and restored marshes within a site (Fossei Est, Tezze Fonde, Cenesa) but were negatively related to assayed plant biomass within the acetylene reduction samples collected among all marshes. Highest nitrogen fixation rates were found at Tezze Fonde, the location closest to the city of Venice, in both natural and restored marshes, suggesting possible site‐specific impacts of anthropogenic stress on marsh succession.     

Recent Trends in Geography Education in Louisiana

Geography at elementary and middle schools in Louisiana, USA., remains a social studies strand along with civics, economics, and history, with no state-required geography course at any level. But because schools may require more geography than the state standard, this research examines the extent to which K–12 students are exposed to geography in Louisiana, using an electronic survey and an interview with state department of education officials. Results suggest that geography remains underemphasized, but the 2011 implementation of new social studies standards, the Advanced Placement Human Geography course, and other initiatives offer promise for more geographically literate Louisiana citizens.     

软岩隧道中双层初期支护的应力情况分析

两水隧道穿越的地层主要岩性为炭质千枚岩,地质情况较差,围岩破碎度高,节理发育。自2009年两水隧道开工建设以来,隧道工程问题层出不穷,出现了初期支护开裂、破坏,甚至出现二衬开裂、掉块,仰拱隆起等严重的隧道结构破坏现象,施工进度缓慢。在进口桩号为DK359+712～ DK359+742段采用双层初期支护和单层二次衬砌的支护方式,取得了良好的效果。通过应力情况分析为炭质千枚岩隧道的支护选型提供了依据。