High-Order Data-Driven Spatial Simulation of Categorical Variables

Mathematical Geosciences - Modern approaches for the spatial simulation of categorical variables are largely based on multi-point statistical methods, where a training image is used to derive...     

Energetic electron signatures of Saturn's smaller moons: Evidence of an arc of material at Methone

We present several energetic charged particle microsignatures of two Lagrange moons, Telesto and Helene, measured by the MIMI/LEMMS instrument. These small moons absorb charged particles but their effects are usually obscured by Tethys and Dione, the two larger saturnian satellites that occupy the same orbits. The scales and structures of these microsignatures are consistent with standard models for electron absorption from asteroid-sized moons in Saturn's radiation belts. In the context of these observations, we also examine the possibility that the 3 km Satellite Methone is responsible for two electron microsignatures detected by Cassini close to this moon's orbit. We infer that a previously undetected arc of material exists at Methone's orbit (R/2006 S5), we speculate how such a structure could form and what its physical characteristics and location could be. The origin of this arc could be linked to a possible presence of a faint ring produced by micrometeoroid impacts on Methone's surface, to E-ring dust clump formation at that distance or to temporary dust clouds produced by enceladian activity that spiral inwards under the effect of non-gravitational forces.     

High-Order Block Support Spatial Simulation Method and Its Application at a Gold Deposit

Mathematical Geosciences - High-order sequential simulation methods have been developed as an alternative to existing frameworks to facilitate the modeling of the spatial complexity of non-Gaussian...     

Processes forming and sustaining Saturn’s proton radiation belts

Saturn’s proton radiation belts extend over the orbits of several moons that split this region of intense radiation into several distinct belts. Understanding their distribution requires to understand how their particles are created and evolve. High-energy protons are thought to be dominantly produced by cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND). The source of the lower energies and the role of other effects such as charge exchange with the gas originating from Enceladus is still an open question. There is also no certainty so far if the belts exist independently from each other and the rest of the magnetosphere or if and how particles are exchanged between these regions. We approach these problems by using measurements acquired by the MIMI/LEMMS instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft. Protons in the range from 500 keV to 40 MeV are considered. Their intensities are averaged over 7 years of the mission and converted to phase space densities at constant first and second adiabatic invariant. We reproduce the resulting radial profiles with a numerical model that includes radial diffusion, losses from moons and interactions with gas, and a phenomenological source. Our results show that the dominating effects away from the moon sweeping corridors are diffusion and the source, while interactions with gas are secondary. Based on a GEANT4 simulation of the interaction of cosmic rays with Saturn’s rings, we conclude that secondary particles produced within the rings can only account for the high-energy part of the source. A comparison with the equivalent processes within Earth’s atmosphere shows that Saturn’s atmosphere can contribute to the production of the lower energies and might be even dominating at the higher energies. Other possibilities to supply the belts and exchange particles between them, as diffusion and injections from outside the belts, or stripping of ENAs, can be excluded.     

Quantitative Analysis of Mineral Resources for Strategic Planning: Implications for Australian Geological Surveys

A quantitative valuation study has been made of Australian state surveys with the specific goals of (1) establishing the 'worth' of current programs upgrading state government geoscientific information infrastructure, and (2) considering the results of the valuation in terms of strategic planning. The study has been done from the perspective of the community as a whole and has been undertaken in two phases reflecting the different objectives of Australian state surveys in terms of the exploration industry and government policy-making. This paper reports on the second part of this valuation process, measuring the impact of upgraded survey data on government mineral policy decision processes. The valuation methodology developed is a comparative approach used to determine net benefit foregone by not upgrading information infrastructure. The underlying premise for the geological survey study is that existing and upgraded data sets will have a different probability that a deposit will be detected. The approach used in the valuation of geoscientific data introduces a significant technical component with the requirement to model both favorability of mineral occurrence and probability of deposit occurrence for two different generations of government data. The estimation of mineral potential uses modern quantitative methods, including the U.S. Geological Survey three-part resource-assessment process and computer-based prospectivity modeling. To test the methodology mineral potential was assessed for porphyry copper type deposits in part of the Yarrol Province, central Queensland. Results of the Yarrol case study supports the strategy of the state surveys to facilitate effective exploration by improving accuracy and acquiring new data, as part of resource management. It was determined in the Yarrol Province case study that in going from existing to upgraded data sets the area that would be considered permissible for the occurrence of porphyry type deposits almost doubled. The implication of this result is that large tracts of potentially mineralized land would not be identified using existing data. Results of the prospectivity modeling showed a marked increase in the number of exploration targets and in target rankings using the upgraded data set. A significant reduction in discovery risk also is associated with the upgraded data set, a conclusion supported by the fact that known mines with surface exposure are not identified in prospectivity modeling using the existing data sets. These results highlight the absence in the existing data sets of information critical for the identification of prospective ground.Quantitative resource assessment and computer-based prospectivity modeling are seen as complementary processes that provide the support for the increasingly sophisticated needs of Australian survey clients. Significant additional gains to the current value of geoscientific data can be achieved through the in-house analysis and characterization of individual data sets, the integration and interpretation of data sets, and the incorporation of information on geological uncertainty.     

Conditional simulation of intrinsic random functions of orderk

Conditional simulation of intrinsic random functions of orderk is a stochastic method that generates realizations which mimic the spatial fluctuation of nonstationary phenomena, reproduce their generalized covariance and honor the available data at sampled locations. The technique proposed here requires the following steps: (i) on-line simulation of Wiener-Levy processes and of their integrations; (ii) use of the turning-bands method to generate realizations in Rⁿ; (iii) conditioning to available data; and (iv) verification of the reproduced generalized covariance using generalized variograms. The applicational aspects of the technique are demonstrated in two and three dimensions. Examples include the conditional simulation of geological variates of the Crystal Viking petroleum reservoir, Alberta, Canada.