Impact of lightning on organic matter-rich soils: influence of soil grain size and organic matter content on underground fires

A detailed study was carried out on a piece of land that had been struck by lightning during the violent rainstorm that raged over the Island of S?o Miguel (Azores Archipelago) in late October 2006. Temperature and gas measurements (CO₂, CO, H₂S and CH₄) were performed in four study trenches, dug in an area of ∼3 m², where an underground fire had been initiated by the impact with a lightning stroke, followed by the emission of a column of gases and smoke. The soil under study was originally a well-pedogenized about 80 cm thick bed, made of volcanic clayey to silty tephra fallouts and contained 5.5–9.7% of organic matter. The underground fire was monitored for one week and revealed a peak release of 404 ppm CO and 3.4% CO₂ originating from a horizon located about 45 cm under the soil surface. Measurements of temperature, performed one week after the impact, indicated a maximum value of 326°C inside the soil, while 516.5°C were measured on the surface of a lava block interred about 20 cm under the surface. Subsequently, a stratigraphic and sedimentologic study proved the role of the grain-size of the soil and of the organic matter content of the different horizons of the impact area, in determining the ratio between anoxic/oxidised combustion conditions and in the progress of the process itself. It was also noticed that combustion was not total all over in the soil bed and that the process had slightly migrated toward SW during the observation period. The combustion process went on for about ten days, in spite of several other violent rainstorms, until it was artificially extinguished through the excavations made to obtain study trenches. This particular circumstance evidenced the potential natural hazard represented by this kind of atmospheric event, especially in a land where the volcanic nature of the soil may easily mislead inexperienced observers and, consequently, delay proper action.     

新鲜煤和氧化煤自燃倾向性的FTIR对比分析

利用傅立叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）分析技术,对乌达矿区低温氧化和新鲜煤样进行了红外光谱测试,通过两类煤样的特征官能团吸光度的对比分析．揭示了煤在氧化前后特征官能团的变化规律：氧化后的煤样中脂肪族和芳烃CH减少,酸酐C=O从无到有,芳烃骨架C=C基本不变,进而研究了其对煤自燃倾向性的影响。结果表明脂肪族和羟基含量越高,煤自燃倾向性越大。     

磷处理粉煤灰可作农业土壤磷源

粉煤灰(简称CCP或ash)具有改良土壤,增加植物产量的功能。此外,由于它特殊的多孔结构,也可用作吸纳并承载植物养分的载体。用NaH2PO4配制成含磷0.10mol/L浓度的溶液,对采自加拿大西安大略省Sarnia地区Lambton电厂的底灰(bottomash)进行振荡浸渍处理。结果表明,振荡浸渍66h后的粉煤灰中磷含量可达784×10-6。以磷处理粉煤灰、未进行磷处理的粉煤灰和石英砂按比例混合,作为基本生长介质进行玉米种植实验,其中实验配方设计为生长介质中含磷量分别为标准含磷浓度(50×10-6)的10%、25%、50%、75%和100%。生长26、34和46d后分别与不含磷的空白配方、施加含氮-磷-钾为0-20-0标准磷肥并控制磷含量为标准浓度(50×10-6)配方进行生物产量对比。生长实验结果表明,以磷处理粉煤灰供磷的生长介质,当含磷量为标准浓度的25%至100%时,其植物生长量就比添加标准浓度磷肥的配方好。种植46d后的生物生长量统计结果显示,含磷分别为标准浓度50%、75%和100%的实验介质中,玉米杆的鲜重较施标准磷肥介质中玉米分别增长39.46%、42.73%和46.13%;玉米杆干重依次增加29.71%、13.39%和28.87%;根鲜重平均增加16.62%;根干重平均增加14.03%。上述实验结果启示,粉煤灰可以很好地吸纳承载磷养分,并持续供给植物吸收生长,如果采用吸纳磷(或其他养分)的粉煤灰改良砂质土壤将有重要意义。     

北京市区春季燃烧源大气颗粒物的污染水平和影响因素

以大气中PM2.5和PM10为研究对象,于2005-03-13—25共7天的时间内,在中国地质大学(北京)测试楼顶、首钢焦化厂和首钢东门设立3个采样点进行采样监测。结果表明:PM2.5和PM10质量浓度的日变化呈现一定规律性,在不同时段PM2.5和PM10的质量浓度不尽相同,且变化较大,在特定时刻出现峰值,主要受污染源排放和气象因素的控制;PM2.5和PM10质量浓度随气温的升高而降低,这与高温有利于颗粒物扩散、低温容易形成逆温层有关;在一定的相对湿度范围内(以大气中水汽不发生重力沉降为界限),PM2.5和PM10质量浓度与相对湿度呈正相关关系;而当发生降水时,由于水滴的冲刷和附带作用,PM2.5和PM10质量浓度降低;PM2.5和PM10质量浓度与风级呈明显的负相关关系。通过北京市与国内8个省会城市的PM2.5和PM10质量浓度的对比,发现北京市PM2.5和PM10污染比较严重,PM2.5和PM10质量浓度分别超过了1996年中国制定的PM10排放标准和1997年美国EPA制定的PM2.5排放标准。     

On size and boundary effects in scaled model blasts spatial problems

This paper addresses size and boundary effects on wave propagation, fracture pattern development and fragmentation in small scale laboratory-size specimens for model blasting. Small block type specimens are centre-line loaded by linear explosive charges and supersonically detonated. Using elastic wave propagation theory and fracture mechanics it is shown that the type of boundary conditions which prevail at the outer boundary of the cylinder control the extension of bore-hole cracking and fragmentation within the body of the cylinder. In the case of a composite block where a cylindrical core of different material is embedded, the level of fracturing and fragmentation is controlled by the separation of the interface which in turn depends on the relative dimensions of the core and the block. The most important parameter is the ratio between the length of the pulse (space-wise or time-wise) and the characteristic dimensions of the models, i.e. in this case the dimensions of the core and the mantel. Stress wave superposition effects occur in the corner sections of the mantel. Theoretical results are in good agreement with recent experimental findings.     

自燃煤有机地球化学特征研究

通过有机地球化学研究，发现神府、焦坪、灵武三种自燃煤的ＣＨ２Ｃｌ２抽提率、族组分组成、有机地球化学参数有较大的差别。色谱曲线表现为两种类型，即单峰型和双峰型。生物标志物组合也有较大的差别。由于这种有机地球化学特征的不同，导致了自燃煤的自燃属性的不同。因而，有机地球化学方法可以用于自燃煤的研究。     

Sulfur Concentration in Geochemical Reference Materials by Solution Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry

With implications for the origin of ore deposits, redox state of the atmosphere, and effects of volcanic outgassing, understanding the sulfur cycle is vital to our investigation of Earth processes. However, the paucity of sulfur concentration measurements in silicate rocks and the lack of well‐calibrated reference materials with concentrations relevant to the rocks of interest have hindered such investigations. To aid in this endeavour, this study details a new method to determine sulfur concentration via high mass resolution solution inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). The method is based on an aqua regia leach, involving relatively rapid sample preparation and analysis, and uses small test portion masses (< 50 mg). We utilised two independently prepared standard solutions to calibrate the analyses, resulting in 4% accuracy, and applied the method to eight geochemical reference materials. Measurements were reproducible to within ~ 10%. Sulfur concentrations and isotopes of six reference materials were measured additionally by elemental analyser‐combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry to independently evaluate the accuracy of the ICP‐MS method. Reference materials that yielded reproducible measurements identical to published values from other laboratories (JGb‐1, JGb‐2 and MAG‐1) are considered useful materials for the measurement of sulfur. Reference materials that varied between studies but were reproducible for a given test portion perhaps suffer from sample heterogeneity and are not recommended as sulfur reference materials.     

Forward simulation of coal fire model by transient electromagnetic method with electrical source

Uncontrolled coal fires are natural disasters that may cause mineral loss and environmental damage. The traditional loop source transient electromagnetic method can effectively detect the low-resistivity region of coal fires, but its detection efficiency is not so good for high-resistivity regions. In view of this limitation, a technique based on electrical source transient electromagnetics is proposed in this paper to detect high-resistivity regions in the spontaneous combustion process of coal. Considering the complex geometry of the coal fire area, an unstructured tetrahedral grid is used in this study to realize the spatial discretization of the model, and solve the electromagnetic field based on a vector finite element algorithm. Numerical analysis is used to investigate methods for detecting coal fires and the characteristics of effective anomalies are further examined to provide guidance for practical detection.     

重庆万盛煤矸石山自燃爆炸型滑坡碎屑流成因探讨

2 0 0 4 - 0 5 - 0 5重庆万盛胡家沟煤矸石山发生滑坡碎屑流灾害。灾害发生时,伴随巨大的响声和刺鼻气味,约2 0×10 4m3 煤矸石碎屑以极高初始速度崩滑而下,滑体横扫运动途中一切障碍,垂直坡降32 0m ,水平运动距离6 0 0m。造成重大人员和财产损失。通过实地考察和实验研究,作者认为煤矸石山中硫铁矿和碳氧化物升温,煤矸石山自燃、内部热量大量积聚所导致的煤矸石山的爆炸,是使大量矸石脱离矸石山形成此次煤矸石高速滑坡碎屑流灾害的主要原因     

Magnetic properties as indicators of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes at the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14

In geoarchaeological studies, there is an issue with distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic signals in pedological paleoarchives. With the pedostratigraphy of the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14, this issue is reflected by problems with the determination of features of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes. This issue was addressed by means of a thorough analysis of the magnetic properties of paleosols accompanied by micromorphological observations. Most of the humic samples were shown to be a result of pedogenesis, but two samples (a Paleolithic hearth sample and a sample from paleosol IIc) had features of intensely burnt material. The difference in the typical intensity of large-scale (natural or human-induced) and local-scale anthropogenic fire allowed for suggesting that the magnetic properties of the burnt sample were the result of an anthropogenically controlled fire event, that is, a hearth. This study shows that the magnetic properties of paleosols can be used to differentiate anthropogenic activity, in particular—burning, from pedogenic processes. This indicator is especially helpful in finding disturbed combustion features when the hearth structure is lost. This methodology used to demonstrate the local human-induced pyrogenic effect at the Upper Paleolithic site can contribute to the discussion of the niche construction effect of human activities in the Pleistocene.