Investigation into Factors Affecting Roadway Deformation in the Selby Coalfield

The introduction of roofbolting in the UK coal mining industry has been well documented and is an example of reinforcement design utilizing a design by measurement or observational approach. This has involved detailed monitoring of rock strata movements and rockbolt loads at a large number of sites. Analysis of roadway deformation monitoring information from across the Selby coalfield provided an ideal opportunity of assessing how geological and stress variations affect the stability of reinforced coal mine roadways. Statistical analysis of this data has confirmed the detrimental effects of maximum horizontal stress direction and relatively weak roof geology on the magnitude of roof deformation. Further analysis has led to the development of a roof lithology index for assessing the quality of the immediate roof geology and the use of geological hazard analysis for providing useful information for the development of a stability index for assessing support requirements of existing and future roadways. This investigation has also verified previous observations regarding mechanisms controlling roadway deformational behaviour and highlights the importance of the site-specific nature of reinforcement design.     

Earthquakes,catastrophic sediment additions and the response of urban stream communities

Disturbance events can regularly impact stream ecosystems; however, large-scale catastrophic disturbances are rare. From September 2010 to September 2011 Christchurch City experienced over 8500 earthquakes including a magnitude 7.1. One consequence was catastrophic additions of silt and sand into waterways throughout the city. Of 161 km of permanent waterways, 102 km (63%) were affected by earthquake siltation. Benthic invertebrates and fish communities were compared across 16 streams with differing siltation. Invertebrate taxonomic richness decreased significantly (mean 17 taxa reduced to 10 taxa) and EPT taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) were removed entirely from streams receiving heavy siltation. Fish richness and density decreased significantly, with fish absent from some heavily silted streams. Many of these urban streams are sourced from springs and their stable flows and low gradient limit their ability to flush sediment. We predict that without human intervention there will be a long-term sediment legacy and it may take many years for these streams to recover from this catastrophic disturbance.     

Species composition,abundance and biomass of microphytoplankton in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight on the east coast of South Africa

Nearshore marine environments are influenced by an array of variables that can either be land-derived or of marine origin, and nearshore phytoplankton communities may differ in their taxonomic composition and biomass in response to such variables. The KwaZulu-Natal Bight (hereafter referred to as ‘the bight’) is an oligo-mesotrophic, nearshore oceanic environment, that is influenced by both terrestrial run-off and upwelling. A microphytoplankton survey of the bight conducted over several stations and depths and two seasons was conducted in order to ascertain species composition, abundance and biomass. Microphytoplankton abundance was generally low (a maximum of 180 000 cells l–1 was recorded) but differed considerably between sites and seasons. A total of 99 taxa of mainly Bacillariophyceae and some Dinophyceae, Prymnesiophyceae and Cyanophyceae were identified in the present study. In the central bight, higher abundance and biomass were measured in February (wet season), which may be a possible consequence of terrestrial nutrient inputs. In the northern and southern bight we measured higher abundance and biomass in August (dry season). Upwelling was not detected during the study, but an influence of terrestrial nutrient sources was detected at the coastal stations. Turbid conditions were specific to the site near the Thukela River mouth and possibly influenced abundance, biomass and species composition at this site. Historic data on microphytoplankton composition are scarce, but comparisons with surveys from the 1960s reveal that around 60% of the common diatoms recorded then also occurred in the present study. Small taxa [20–200 µm] dominated the microphytoplankton community. Community composition was fairly uniform throughout the bight in both seasons, dominated in general by Chaetoceros species, and on occasion co-dominated by Thalassionema nitzschioides and Dactyliosolen fragilissimus.     

The Development of a new Numerical Modelling Approach for Naturally Fractured Rock Masses

Summary. An approach for modelling fractured rock masses has been developed which has two main objectives: to maximise the quality of representation of the geometry of existing rock jointing and to use this within a loading model which takes full account of this style of jointing. Initially the work has been applied to the modelling of mine pillars and data from the Middleton Mine in the UK has been used as a case example. However, the general approach is applicable to all aspects of rock mass behaviour including the stress conditions found in hangingwalls, tunnels, block caving, and slopes. The rock mass fracture representation was based on a combination of explicit mapping of rock faces and the synthesis of this data into a three-dimensional model, based on the use of the FracMan computer model suite. Two-dimensional cross sections from this model were imported into the finite element computer model, ELFEN, for loading simulation. The ELFEN constitutive model for fracture simulation includes the Rotating Crack, and Rankine material models, in which fracturing is controlled by tensile strength and fracture energy parameters. For tension/compression stress states, the model is complemented with a capped Mohr-Coulomb criterion in which the softening response is coupled to the tensile model. Fracturing due to dilation is accommodated by introducing an explicit coupling between the inelastic strain accrued by the Mohr-Coulomb yield surface and the anisotropic degradation of the mutually orthogonal tensile yield surfaces of the rotating crack model. Pillars have been simulated with widths of 2.8, 7 and 14 m and a height of 7 m (the Middleton Mine pillars are typically 14 m wide and 7 m high). The evolution of the pillar failure under progressive loading through fracture extension and creation of new fractures is presented, and pillar capacities and stiffnesses are compared with empirical models. The agreement between the models is promising and the new model provides useful insights into the influence of pre-existing fractures. Further work is needed to consider the effects of three-dimensional loading and other boundary condition problems.     

Remediation of a major acid mine drainage point source discharge restores headwater connectivity for a diadromous native fish

Rivers receiving acid mine drainage (AMD) are frequently depauperate in fish and impacts may extend long distances downstream. AMD inputs may form chemical barriers for migratory species and isolate fish in unimpacted headwaters. We investigated the response of a diadromous fish, kōaro (Galaxias brevipinnis), to remediation of an AMD tributary in a 5th order river in New Zealand. A 2005 survey indicated limited recruitment of kōaro in the river likely due to the chemical barrier of AMD. By 2010, water treatment in the contaminated tributary had raised pH from a median value of 4.3 to 6 and reduced metals in the lower river, notably aluminium from a median of 2.48 to 0.41?mg/L. In 2012, kōaro density had increased by an order of magnitude relative to 2005. Furthermore, a greater proportion of juvenile fish were present. These results indicate that large-scale remediation of discharges can reverse the impacts of AMD on fish migration.     

大别造山带北缘后碰撞富钾火山岩：地球化学与岩石成因

大别造山带北缘晚中生代富钾火山岩分布在磨子潭-晓天断裂以北的上叠式火山盆地中，主要为一套以钾玄岩-粗安岩-安粗岩-粗面岩为主体的中偏碱性岩石组合，晚期出现少量碱性火山岩。化学成分上具有富碱、富钾、贫钛、氧化系数较高等特点。岩石的Rb、Ba、Th、Pb等大离子亲石元素含量高，富轻稀土，La/Nb、Ba/Nb及LREE/HREE比值高，并且有显著的Nb、Ti负异常和Pb正异常，而铕异常则不明显。富钾火山岩的Isr值较高（=0.70872-0.70895）,εNd(t)值显著偏低（=-14.62--18.51）。根据对岩石产出动力地质背景及地球化学特征的综合分析，结合同位素组成的混合模拟，表明本区富钾火山岩最可能起源于受俯冲陆壳析出流体交代作用所形成的富集地幔（EM I）的部分熔融。     

龙镇地区花岗岩锆石U-Pb年龄和Hf同位素及地质意义

龙镇地区花岗岩位于大、小兴安岭的结合部,属于兴安地块与松嫩地块中的A-I型花岗岩带;该区各岩体岩石类型基本相同,主要为花岗闪长岩和二长花岗岩,地球化学特征显示为高钾钙碱性系列的I型花岗岩。花岗岩中锆石的LA-ICP-MSU-Pb年代学分析结果表明,正达山岩体形成于320～315Ma,模拉布山岩体形成于169±3Ma,朝阳林场岩体形成于187～171Ma。这些花岗质岩浆的就位分别与古生代时期古亚洲洋闭合过程中的块体拼合作用及中生代古太平洋的构造演化有关。Hf同位素成分特征表明,两期花岗岩的源岩均为新元古代-显生宙期间亏损地幔来源的火成岩。结合已发表的Sr-Nd-Hf同位素资料,本文认为兴安地块大陆地壳增生的时间主要为新元古代-显生宙,这与松嫩地块一致,而明显晚于额尔古纳地块的地壳增生时间(中-新元古代),从而揭示了它们不同的地壳演化历史。     

Improvements in the integration of remote sensing and rock slope modelling

Natural Hazards - Forests are always dangerous to fire in China’s forested regions, and forest fire hazard has long been a serious issue in China. Zhejiang province is one of the key forest...