Environmental Condition of Water Bodies in the Territory of an Oil–Gas Condensate Field (the Pechora Delta)

Chemical characteristics of the surface water and algae in lakes in the Seduiyakha River basin are presented. Specific features of components of limnetic ecosystems under the influence of anthropogenic factors in the territory of an oil–gas condensate field are shown. Ambiguous response of algal communities to changes in the aquatic environment is revealed.     

The state of aquatic ecosystems in the zone of hydrocarbon deposits in the middle Pechora basin according to data of hydrochemical and biological analyses

Data on water chemistry in water bodies and streams in Pechora basin in the territory of several gas-condensate deposits are presented. Diatom algae of periphyton and macrophytes are used to assess the effect of production facilities on aquatic ecosystems. The specific features of the structure of diatom complexes in streams subject to the effect of pollutants and accumulation of heavy metals in individual plant species in water bodies accumulating production wastes are shown.     

Structural state and differusion of impurities in natural quartz of different genesis

Impurity inhomogeneities and other structural defects have been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray microanalysis and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in untreated and heat-treated quartz samples of three genetic types: hydrothermal, pegmatitic and magmatic. The impurities present are Al, Na and H₂O, which occupy tetrahedral (Al³⁺) or interstitial (Na⁺, H₂O) positions in the quartz lattice. Impurities form imperfections of various degrees of segregation: from point defects to micropores with a gas-liquid content. Their size, form, density and distribution in the lattice depend on the formation conditions of the quartz, the presence of dislocations and plane defects serving as sinks for the impurity atoms, and the heat treatment regime. Experimental data indicate that gas-liquid inclusions of dimensions up to some microns are the result of impurity segregation during postcrystallizational cooling. Crystalline quartz amorphizes upon electron irradiation. A model of structural water explaining experimentally observed features of this phenomenon is proposed whereby the water molecule, represented as a dipole, enters microregions of the silica lattice with a high impurity content and there forms a bond between ‘defective’ [SiO₃]^2? and [AlO₄]^5? tetrahedra. On irradiation, the Si---O donor-acceptor bonds trap nonelastically scattered electrons and are ruptured as a result. The water released by this lattice discontinuity forms microbubbles that diffuse along sinks into the larger micropores thus further increasing their volume.     

Trace elements and cathodoluminescence of quartz in stockwork veins of Mongolian porphyry-style deposits

The combination of scanning electron microscope–cathodoluminescence (CL), fluid inclusion analysis and high-resolution electron probe microanalysis of Al, Ti, K and Fe in vein quartz has yielded results permitting a greater understanding of the complex mineralisation of the Central Oyu Tolgoi and Zesen Uul porphyry-style deposits, southern Mongolia. These data demonstrate the relationship between quartz precipitation, dissolution and ore deposition as the mineralising fluid chemistry changed through time. Four major quartz generations are identified in the A-type veins from the stockworks of both the Central Oyu Tolgoi (OTi to OTiv) and Zesen Uul deposits (ZUi to ZUiv). Despite differences in the associated alteration and mineralisation style, the observed CL textures and trace element signatures of the quartz generations are comparable between deposits. The OTi and ZUi stage formed both the primary network of A-type veins and pervasive silicification of the host rock. Using the Ti-in-quartz geothermometer, crystallisation temperatures for OTi and ZUi of between 598°C and 880°C are indicated. The main stage of sulphide mineralisation was accompanied by the dissolution of pre-existing quartz (OTi and ZUi) and precipitation of a weakly luminescent generation of quartz (OTii and ZUii) with a low Ti content, reflected in a calculated temperature drop from approximately 700°C to 340°C in Central Oyu Tolgoi and 445°C in Zesen Uul. OTii and ZUii stage quartzes show high and variable Al concentrations. The next stage of quartz in both deposits (OTiii and ZUiii) forms a fine network of veins in cracks formed in pre-existing quartz. OTiii and ZUiii quartz contain measurable fluid inclusions of moderate salinity (3–17.1 wt.% NaCl eq.), entrapped in the temperature range 256°C to 385°C. OTiii and ZUiii are not related to any sulphide mineralisation. The final OTiv and ZUiv stages are characterised by quartz–calcite micro-breccias that penetrate the A-type veins. Based on the calculated entrapment temperatures, the OTiv/ZUiv stage crystallised between 212°C and 335°C, and the quartz is characterised by elevated but variable Al and Fe contents. The CL and trace element signatures of the OTi to OTiii and ZUi to ZUiii stages of the two Mongolian porphyries show similar features to those observed in porphyry-style deposits from other regions. This suggests that a common sequence of quartz crystallisation occurs during the formation of early veins in many porphyry copper systems.