Age and depositional environment of the Draa Sfar massive sulfide deposit, Morocco

The Draa Sfar mineralization consists of two main stratabound orebodies, Sidi M’Barek and Tazacourt, located north and south of the Tensift River (“Oued Tessift”), respectively. Each orebody is comprised by at least two massive sulfide lenses. The hosting rocks are predominantly black shales, although minor rhyolitic rocks are also present in the footwall to the southern orebody. Shales, rhyolitic volcanic rocks, and massive sulfides are all included into the Sarhlef Series, which is recognized as one of the main stratigraphic units of the Moroccan Variscan Meseta. Hydrothermal activity related with an anomalous thermal gradient, together with a high sedimentation rate in a tectonically driven pull-apart marine basin, favored the accumulation of organic-rich mud in the deepest parts of the basin and the sedimentary environment suitable for massive sulfide deposition and preservation. This took place by replacement of the hosting unlithified wet mud below the sediment–water interface. Geochemical data suggest a sedimentary environment characterized by oxic water column and anoxic sediment pile with the redox boundary below the sediment–water interface. The low oxygen availability within the sediment pile inhibited oxidation and pyritization of pyrrhotite. Biostratigraphic analysis, based on the palynological content of the hosting black shales, restricts the age of the sulfides to the Asbian substage (mid-Mississippian). This age is consistent with earlier geochronological constraints.     

Impact evaluation on groundwater of the infiltration of an urban wastewater geopurification system placed over a detrital aquifer in a semiarid region (Spain)

Over a period of 4 years and 4 months, the geopurification installations at Dehesas de Guadix (Granada, Spain) were monitored to determine the impact on soil and groundwater of the controlled discharge of urban wastewater, and also to identify the best indicators of the entry of the recharged water into the aquifer. The installations are located in an area where the climate is Mediterranean sub-arid, with an average precipitation of less than 287 mm/year, and a rate of evapotranspiration that is almost three times greater. The system was controlled by determining the balance of majority nutrients and boron in the soil and in the groundwater, both at the points affected directly by the wastewater discharge and at others. The quantity of mass discharged was relatively large (COD 14,656 g/m², NO₃ 85 g/m², NO₂ 4 g/m², NH₄ 2,425 g/m², PO₄ 1,143 g/m², K 1,531 g/m², B 63 g/m²). It was observed that the elimination of nutrients within the soil (COD 97.5%, PO₄ 94.4%, K 59.17%, N _total 18.8%, B 12.69%) was very efficient except for the nitrogen, which nevertheless did not reach the groundwater, as it was eliminated at deep levels of the unsaturated zone. Only 12.69% of the boron was removed, and appreciable, increasing amounts of this element did reach the groundwater. Unexpectedly, none of the majority nutrients behaved as a reliable indicator of the impact on groundwater; despite this, the boron and the bicarbonate did clearly reflect the arrival of the recharged water, and are proposed as the best indicators.     

Intercomparison of coastal area morphodynamic models

Five different coastal area morphodynamic models have been set up to run on the same offshore breakwater layout and an intercomparison carried out on the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic output produced by each scheme. In addition, the predicted morphodynamics was checked against available laboratory and field data.It is concluded that the models are capable of producing realistic estimates for the dominant morphodynamic features associated with offshore breakwaters. Coupling of the wave, current and sediment transport components of each scheme is shown to yield bathymetry which attains a state of equilibrium, unlike models which are based on the initial transport field only.     

Spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of Jupiter during the 1987 opposition

Spectroscopic observations in the spectral region 6000–6600 » of major belts and zones of Jupiter have been carried out at Calar Alto Observatory (Spain) during the 1987 opposition, in support to the International Jupiter Watch Program. More than a hundred long-slit, medium resolution spectra have been taken at the coudé focus of the 1.52 m telescope. The longitudinal and latitudinal distribution of the equivalent widths of the methane and ammonia absorption bands at 6190 » and 6450 » have been investigated. Unlike the CH₄-6190 » band, the longitudinal distribution in the NH₃-6450 » band shows asymmetries in some of the Jovian regions analyzed, being the absorption greater at West than at East limbs. These results are interpreted in terms of inhomogeneous scattering models by the simultaneous variation of the NH₃ cloud optical thickness and its altitude level. The north-south scans show little latitudinal dependence on absorption in both methane and ammonia bands, although some relationship could be established between the absorption and relative continuum reflectivity variation.

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Resumen Se presentan los resultados obtenidos de las observaciones espectroscópicas de las principales zonas y cinturones de Júpiter realizadas durante la oposición de 1987 como una contribución al International Jupiter Watch Program. Las observaciones fueron llevadas a cabo haciendo uso del foco coudé del telescopio de 1.52 m del observatorio hispanoalemán de Calar Alto (España), habiéndose obtenido algo más de cien espectros, de resolución media, en la región espectral de 6000–6600 ». Se exponen los resultados de las anchuras equivalentes de las bandas de absorción del metano en 6190 » y del amoniaco en 6450 », estudiándose, al mismo tiempo, la distribución tanto longitudinal como latitudinal de las mismas. Mientras que los resultados para la banda del metano presentan un comportamiento simétrico en todas las regiones analizadas, las anchuras equivalentes para la banda NH₃-6450 » presentan un comportamiento asimétrico en algunas regiones del planeta, con una mayor absorción hacia el limbo del oeste que hacia el del este. Los resultados son interpretados en base a un modelo de scattering no homogéneo, variando, simultáneamente, el espesor óptico y la altitud de la nube de amoniaco. Los espectros tomados en la dirección norte-sur, aunque presentan una dependencia latitudinal pequeña en la absorción de las bandas mencionadas, sugieren una relación entre la absorción y las variaciones de reflectividad en el continuo.

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Also at Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario Fuentenueva, Granada, Spain.     

Map-Based Web Tools Supporting Climate Change Adaptation

This article discusses the state of the art in geovisualization supporting climate change adaptation. We reviewed twenty selected map-based Web tools, classified by their content and functionality, and assessed them by visual representations, interactive functions, information type, target audience, and how vulnerability and adaptation to climate change are addressed. Our study concludes that the tools (1) can be classified as data viewers with basic functionality and data explorers offering more sophisticated interactive functions; (2) mostly feature moderate or high richness of data content; and (3) predominantly target expert users.     

Tracing submarine groundwater discharge flux in Tolo Harbor,Hong Kong (China)

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important pathway for groundwater and associated chemicals to discharge to the sea. Groundwater levels monitored along a transect perpendicular to the shoreline are used to calculate SGD flux from the nearshore aquifer to Tolo Harbor, Hong Kong (China). The calculated SGD flux—recharge/discharge measured with Darcy’s Law methods—agrees well with estimates based on geo-tracer techniques and seepage meter in Tolo Harbor during previous studies. The estimated freshwater SGD is 1.69–2.0 m²/d at the study site and 0.3?±?0.04 cm/d for the whole of Tolo Harbor, which is comparable to the river discharge (0.25?±?0.07 cm/d) and precipitation (0.45?±?0.15 cm/d). The tide-driven SGD in the intertidal zone is 13.98–17.59 m²/d at the study site and 2.42?±?0.56 cm/d for the whole of Tolo Harbor. The SGD occurring in the subtidal zone and the bottom of Tolo Harbor is 3.12?±?4.63 cm/d. Fresh SGD accounts for ~5% of the total SGD, while the rest (~95%) is contributed by saline SGD driven by various forces. About 96% of the tide-driven SGD in the intertidal zone occurs in the ebbing tide period because the head difference between the groundwater level and sea level is great during this period. Tide-driven SGD in the spring tide is ~1.2 times that during neap tide. The tidal fluctuation amplitude and tide-driven SGD in the intertidal zone are positively correlated to each other; thus, a spring neap variation of the tide-driven SGD is observed.     

Ranking of Placer Gold Prospects in Chile Through Analytic Hierarchy Process

Chile has a rich, but poorly known history of placer gold mining. At present, this sector is almost nonexistent and there are some restrictions for its revival: disperse and partial information on existing resources and limited technical expertise to assess the potential of placer gold mine sites. This paper presents the background, methodology and results of the prioritization process of known prospects of this kind in Chile. This research was part of a publicly funded project aimed to incentivize the development of this industry. The ranking was carried out using the analytic hierarchy process, which allowed to include different quantitative and qualitative variables related to the economic potential, technical aspects, contextual viability and socioeconomic factors in the analysis. The results show that, despite the increasing relevance of environmental and community issues in mining development, the business potential and the economic/technical aspects are the main factors in the early selection of a site to advance in exploration and development activities. Both variables represented around 40% and 37% of weights in the final selection, respectively. In contrast, contextual viability and local socioeconomic impacts only accounted for the remaining 23%. This study also shows that the inclusion of experts with different backgrounds in the process enriches the analysis and does not significantly distort the final outcome of the prioritization. Finally, the relevance of using MCDM tools when assessing the attractiveness of mine sites for their development is highlighted, particularly when public funds for subsequent exploration activities are committed.

     

Prototype measurements and small-scale model tests of wave overtopping at shallow rubble-mound breakwaters: the Ostia-Rome yacht harbour case

The paper presents the comparison between the results of small-scale model tests and prototype measurements of wave overtopping at a rubble-mound breakwater. The specific structure investigated is the west breakwater of the yacht harbour of Rome at Ostia (Italy) and is characterized by a gentle seaward slope (1/4) and by a long, shallow foreshore. The laboratory tests firstly aimed at carefully reproducing two measured storms in which overtopping occurred and was measured. The tests have been carried out in two independent laboratories, in a wave flume and in a wave basin, hence using a two-dimensional (2-D) and a three-dimensional (3-D) setup. In the 2-D laboratory tests no overtopping occurred during the storm reproductions; in the 3-D case discharges five to ten times smaller than those observed in prototype have been measured. This indicates the existence of model and scale effects. These effects have been discussed on the basis of the results of several parametric tests, which have been carried out in both laboratories, in addition to the storm reproductions, varying wave and water level characteristics. Final comparison of all the performed tests with 86 prototype measurements still suggests the existence of scale and model effects that induce strong underestimation of overtopping discharge at small scale. The scale reproduction of wave breaking on the foreshore, together with the 3-D features of the prototype conditions and the absence of wind stress in the laboratory measurements, have been individuated as the main sources of scale and model effects. The paper also provides a comparison between the data and a largely used formula for wave overtopping discharges in the presence of structures similar to the one at hand. The suitable value of a roughness factor that appears in that formula is investigated and good agreement is found with other recent researches on rubble-mound breakwaters.     

The last deglaciation in the Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains,northern Spain)

A sedimentological and geochemical study of the Lago Enol sequence (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain), together with detailed geomorphological mapping, provides a first record of glacier evolution and climate change over the last 40 ka in the Picos de Europa National Park. The Enol glacier retreated from its maximum extent prior to 40 ka BP as demonstrated by the onset of proglacial lacustrine sedimentation in two glaciated depressions: the Comella hollow to the north (before 40 ka BP) and the Lago Enol (before 38 ka BP). These results support previous evidence that the maximum extent of southern European glaciers occurred earlier than in northern Europe. Alternation of homogeneous and laminated proglacial sediments during the glacier retreat illustrate a dynamic glacial evolution during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (40–26 ka BP). A slight warming is detected at 26 ka ago with the change from proglacial sediments (in a lake located in contact to the glacier) to glaciolacustrine sedimentation (in a non‐contact or distal lake). Finally, the onset of organic‐rich sediments took place at 18 ka ago. This last transition occurred in two phases, similarly to the North Atlantic Last Termination, suggesting a link between North Atlantic Deep Water formation oscillations and palaeohydrological variability in the Cantabrian Mountains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Earth surface slide movement at Soledad

The Earth surface slide movement at Soledad is a mountain-slide type of movement. Estimations of the thickness of the layer which is moving range between 10 and 100 m. There is no proof that the movement is water induced, but it could be influenced by the water household. The slope of the slide area is H: D = 1: 2.

The height difference in the moving area studied, according to this paper, is 1 km. The actual rate of movement is about 12 cm/yr.