Präparationstechnik für Aufbereitungsprodukte zur quantitativen erzmikroskopischen Untersuchung

Zusammenfassung Mikroskopische Anschliffe feinkörniger Aufbereitungsprodukte können nur dann quantitativ ausgewertet werden, wenn ihre Schliffqualität so hoch ist, daß auch feinste Partien sicher zu bestimmen sind. Daneben muß gewährleistet sein, daß die an der Schliffoberfläche erfaßten Körner die tatsächliche Verteilung der Mineralien der Probe repräsentieren. Diese Forderung kann nur durch zweckentsprechende Präparation, die dem eigentlichen Schleif- und Polierprozeß vorausgeht, erfüllt werden. Als günstigste Lösung erscheint es, das Korngemisch exakt als Einkornschicht zu präparieren und anschließend wie Stückproben anzuschleifen. Die Schliffe können dann nach den gleichen statistischen Gesetzmäßigkeiten ausgewertet werden, wie sie bei praktisch zweidimensionalen Dünnschliffen oder bei Streupräparaten nichtopaker Korngemische vorliegen.

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Quantitative examination of fine-grained ore dressing products depends on good quality of the sections and on whether very small particles and areas of grains can be determined. Besides, it must absolutely be guaranteed that the grains at the section surface represent the actual distribution of the minerals in the sample. This condition can only be realized by suitable grain mounting prior to grinding and polishing. The best method for this purpose appears to be the preparation of a mono-grain layer. The polished sections can then be examined according to the same statistical laws as two-dimensional thin sections or immersion-liquid slides of non-opaque mixtures of grains.

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Mitteilung Nr. 141 aus dem Forschungsinstitut für Aufbereitung der Deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Freiberg (Sachsen). Direktor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. H. Kirchberg.     

Todays knowledge of the solar EUV output and the future needs for more accurate measurements for aeronomy

In recent years discrepancies arose in the determination of the solar EUV output. It is difficult and often impossible to remove these discrepancies from the observational data reported so far. However, the EUV data show evidence for a strong variability during the Solar Cycle 20. The measuring methods applied so far create uncertainties of the order of ± 30% or less. Therefore, new methods have to be developed for more accurate measurements. Two approaches offer the possibility of overcoming todays shortcomings. With these methods the EUV indices will be measured with an accuracy better than 10%, using a simple spectrometer on a free-flying long-term mission with recalibration factors provided by short-term mission results e.g. from Soyuz or Spacelab.     

Une approche innovante pour modéliser la biodégradation des composés organochlorés volatils en aquifères poreux

The goal of this study was to develop an innovative chloroethene biodegradation module based on biological, thermodynamical and mechanistic concepts. The biodegradation scheme was based on the postulate that in each part of an aquifer only one degradation mechanism is dominant: the one involving the most energetic electron acceptor. Thus, the selection of the active degradation mechanism was a function of the concentration of different electron acceptors. Modified Monod-type kinetics was used in order to take into account the possible influence of some compounds on the biodegradation of a given organic compound. The numerical model developed was applied to a simple test case, whose results are presented here. To cite this article: F. Nex et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Decision-support systems for groundwater protection: innovative tools for resource management

Governmental authorities are forced by law to make decisions within the framework of European, national and regional directives in the fields of spatial planning, groundwater and environmental protection. These tasks can be supported by a decision-support system, which integrates data from various sources and helps to make decision processes more effective and transparent. Basic work for such a decision support system has been done in a transnational and interdisciplinary project (Interreg II C: KATER), including metadata definition, metadata system, cartographic tools and GIS tools. The direct integration of these tools and information in the decision process will be implemented in the next few years (project KATER II).     

Redistribution of HFSE elements during rutile replacement by titanite

Titanite growth at the expense of rutile during retrograde hydration of eclogite into amphibolite is a common phenomenon. We investigated an amphibolite sample from the Tromsø eclogite facies terrain in Northern Norway to gain insight into the trace element distribution between rutile and titanite during incomplete resorption of the rutile by titanite. Patchy compositional zoning of Al, Ti, and F in titanite relates to the presence of a fluid with variable Ti/Al and/or F during its growth. Laser ablation ICP–MS and electron microprobe data for high field strength elements (HFSE: Nb, Zr, Ta, and Hf) of rutile resorbed by titanite indicate a pronounced enrichment of these elements in the rim of a large single rutile crystal (~8 mm) and a systematic decrease towards uniform HFSE contents in the large core. HFSE contents of smaller rutile grains (~0.5 mm) and rutile inclusions (<100 μm) in the titanite overgrowth are similar or higher than in the rims of large rutile crystals. Element profiles from the rim inward demonstrate that HFSE enrichment in rutile is controlled by diffusion. HFSE ratios in diffusion-altered rutile show systematic variations compared with the uniform core composition of the large rutile. Modelling of Zr and Nb diffusion in rutile indicates that diffusion coefficients in rutile in fluid-dominated natural systems must be considerably higher than those determined experimentally at 1 bar in dry systems. Variations of HFSE contents in the newly formed titanite show no systematic spatial distribution. HFSE ratios in titanite and the rims of rutile are different, indicating different solid/fluid distribution coefficients in these minerals. Element fractionation by diffusion into the relict rutile and during fluid-mediated growth of new titanite could substantially change the HFSE budget of these minerals and could affect their use for geochemical tracing and other applications, such as Zr-based geothermobarometry.