Medical geology：new relevance in the earth sciences

The interdisciplinary fieldresponds to the need to betterof “Medical Geology“ understand the relationships between human health and our surrounding environment. The influence of earth resources, natural environmental factors and land-use on human health has long been recognized, dating back to ancient Rome and Peru‘s Inca civilization. Today links between the natural environment and health can be found throughout the world. This review introduces the historical context of this particular type of research, contrasts the direct geological and indirect natural hazard influences on healthas a framework of study, elaborates on pathways of elemental accumulation in the body and provides examples of specific geochemical behaviours and diseases that are often associated with either too much or not enough of certain elements which comprise the Earth.     

类山关溶洞探奇

举世闻名的娄山关,屹立在巍巍群山之中,横阻于川黔道口。古人曾用“马头高白日,树梢挂云间”的诗句赞美它的雄伟险峻;游客称赞它兼有华山之险要,峨眉之秀丽。其实,从娄山关至桐梓一带,还是我省著名的岩溶地区之一。那里岩溶洞穴发育,首屈一指的要算娄山关观音;     

南极冰退与深圳湾北岸海平面变化的地质记录

南极冰层的冰量为２４．５×１０６ｋｍ３，占地球总冰量的９０％以上，南极冰川进退控制着全球海平面变化和气候波动。酉部南极乔治王岛第四纪冰碛与湖积剖面记录了近１２０００ａ来南极曾于距今１１０００ａ，９０００ａ和６１００ａ出现过３次快速的冰消过程，近６０００ａ来是一小幅度冷暖交替的气候波动过程。深圳湾北岸潮间带堆积是在近６０００ａ以来发育的，堆积物的环境记录表明，海平面呈周期性升降变化，波动周期平均为６７０ａ，低海面时期发生于距今５５００—４９００ａ，３９００—３６００ａ，２４００—２２００ａ和１３００—１２００ａ。相邻低海面间则是海面上升时期，每一升降周期的海平面变化幅度为８０ｃｍ左右，近１００ａ的现代增温，海平面处于上升阶段，上升速率为２—３ｍｍ·ａ（－１）。     

《洞穴探测、研究、开发与保护——全国洞穴学术会议论文选集（一）》日前正式出版

由中国地质科学院岩溶地质研究所、中国地质学会洞穴专业委员会陈伟海、朱德浩、朱学稳编纂的《洞穴探测、研究、开发与保护——全国洞穴学术会议论文选集（一）》（以下简称《选集》）日前已由地质出版社正式出版发行。     

泥石流堆积物的粒度分布及其分形结构

泥石流堆积物主要由砾石、砂砾、粉粒和粘粒组成,组成泥石流堆积物的颗粒级配变幅很大,从直径大于数十米的巨砾到肉眼难以看见的几微米的胶体微粒均有分布,大小颗粒粒径之比可达106—107。泥石流堆积物颗粒具有明显的自相似性和无标度区间。本文以小江流域多处泥石流堆积物为研究对象,采用图解法全面分析了泥石流堆积物的粒度组成特征,根据分形理论计算了泥石流堆积物颗粒的分维值,对泥石流堆积物的分形特征进行探讨,并与泥石流堆积物粒度特征相联系,发现分维很好的反映了泥石流堆积物颗粒组成及其粒度分布特征。将泥石流堆积物颗粒分维与泥石流的粘性、形成年代等性质相联系,以找出它们彼此之间的关系。     

洞穴完井工艺在寿阳地区煤层气钻井中的应用

洞穴完井工艺包括钻井、完井、排水采气等工序,为提高煤层渗透率,最大限度的保证煤层气解析与运移,洞穴完井一般要求有效井径3-4m,及一定范围的破碎带。远东能源公司为开采寿阳地区15#煤层中的煤层气,部署了4口生产井．其井身设计为三开结构。钻井主要设备为T685WS顶驱车载钻机及多台不同型号的空压机,采用潜孔锤冲击钻进．以空气、空气泡沫为冲洗介质,钻进至15#目标煤层底板以下46m处完钻,然后利用可伸缩式扩孔器进行扩孔。在扩孔至距三开井底8～10m时．开始采用空气和清水憋压,通过瞬间释放压力,使煤层坍塌,如此反复,至造穴直径达到要求。由于严格按照技术标准及操作流程作业,采取的技术措施合理,4口井均已顺利投入生产,增产效果显著。可见该种洞穴完井技术的应用,不仅可以保护煤层原生结构及环境,并且还能减少煤层气射孔、压裂等环节的费用．对于煤层气井施工具有重要的经济意义。     

Attenuation of aqueous metal transport at two natural acid rock drainage occurrences in the Yukon Territory, Canada

Naturally acidic drainage associated with pyritic black shale has been observed in many locations in the Yukon Territory. While not necessarily linked to known mineral deposits, most of these natural acid rock drainage occurrences show elevated dissolved concentrations of trace elements, especially zinc, nickel, copper, cadmium and arsenic. Based on field observations, microbial investigation, chemical analyses and geochemical modeling, the fate and transport of potentially deleterious elements at two natural acid drainage occurrences with slightly different settings are examined. The Macintosh Creek is a small, acidic stream （pH 2.98-3.40）, 2 km long, located in the Macmillan Pass area of east-central Yukon amidst known sedimentary exhalative massive sulfide mineralization but remains undisturbed by exploration activities. Its trace metal content is apparently derived from groundwater discharges, which gave as much as 5.0, 2.5, 0.7, 0.13 and 0.03 mg/L ofZn, Ni, Cu and As, respectively. Interaction and sorption reactions with algal mats, biofilms and iron oxyhydroxides appear to be the dominant mechanisms attenuating aqueous contaminant transport along the stream. Cryogenic precipitation further consolidates the ferricrete formation and reduces the mobility of the sorbed metals. The tributaries of the Engineering Creek along the Dempster Highway in northern Yukon drain through a series of dolomite, phyllite, argillite, limestone, black shale, sandstone and conglomerate with no known concentration of mineralization. In this area, the water chemistry fully reflects the local geology with acidic streams invariably associated with black shale occurrences. Groundwater seeps in the headwaters area of the km-180 Creek completely enclosed in black shale gave pH 3.0 and as much as 148, 39, 2.9 and 9.1 mg/L of Zn, Ni, Cu and As, respectively. Sorption with iron oxyhydroxide and organic matter appear to dominate the attenuation of contaminant transport along the stream. However, once entered into carbonate-dominated terrains, secondary carbonate minerals exercise additional geochemical control on the local water chemistry as a result of neutralization.     

Naturally acidic and metalliferous waters at unmined volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the Bonnifield mining district, Alaska Range, east-central Alaska

The Bonnifield district hosts 26 tmmined volcanogenic massive sulfide （VMS） occurrences. Environmental geochemical samples of water and stream sediment were collected at several occurrences, concentrating on the two best-exposed and largest deposits, Red Mountain （RM） and Sheep Creek （SC）. Limited samples were also collected at the poorly exposed WTF deposit. The deposits are Late Devonian to Early Mississippian, and are hosted by felsic metavolcanic and carbonaceous schist members of the Totatlanika Schist or Keevy Peak Fm. Spring and stream waters at RM and SC have pH values commonly 〈3.5 （as low as 2.4 at RM and 2.5 at SC）, high conductivity （up to 11000 μS/cm）, and very high （Is to 100s mg/L） dissolved contents of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Pb. Waters at RM are characterized by extremely high REE contents （summed REE median 3200 μg/L, n=33）. At both RM and SC, pyrite oxidation and dissolution produce low pH waters that interact with and dissolve bedrock minerals, resulting in acidic, metal-laden, naturally degraded streams that are mostly devoid of aquatic life. Ferricrete is common. In contrast, WTF barely produces a surficial environmental footprint, mostly due to topography and relief. RM and SC are well exposed in the areas of relatively high relief, and both exhibit extensive areas of quartz-sericite-pyrite-alteration. While WTF shares many of the same deposit-and alteration characteristics, it is concealed by tundra in a large, nearly flat area. Surface water at WTF is absent and outcrops are sparse. Even though WTF is roughly the same size as Red Mountain （both around 3 million tonnes） and has similar base- and precious-metal grades, the surficial geochemical manifestation of WTF is minimal. However, exposure through mining of the altered, mineralized rock at WTF potentially could initiate the same processes of pyrite oxidation, acid generation, and mineral dissolution that are observed naturally at RM and SC.     

中国岩溶洞穴数据库建设研究

为了有效地保护和利用洞穴这一具有多方面价值的、不可再生的国土资源而建立了中 国岩溶洞穴数据库,首期完成900个洞穴数据建库工作。数据库中含有图、文、声、 像等方面的数字化信息,数据容量2500MB,作为非商业数据,可通过授权共享,为 科研机构、旅游行业和公众提供服务。