Weathering process at the natural fission reactor of Bangombé

 The uranium deposits in the basin of Franceville (Gabon) host the only natural fission reactors known in the world. Unique geological conditions favoured a natural fission reaction 2 Ga ago. This was detected by anomalous isotopic compositions of uranium and rare earth elements (REE), which are produced by the fission reaction. In total, 16 reactor zones were found. Most of them are mined out. The reactor zone of Bangombé, is only 10–11 m below the surface. This site has been influenced by surface weathering processes. Six drill cores have been sampled at the site of the reactor zone of Bangombé during the course of the study and only one drill core (BAX 08) hit the core of the reactor. From these data and previous drilling campaigns, the reactor size is estimated to be 10 cm thick, 2–3 m wide and 4–6 m long. The migration of fission products can be traced by the anomalous isotope ratios of REE because of the fission process. The ¹⁴⁹Sm/¹⁴⁷Sm ratio close to the reactor zone is only 0.28 (normal: 0.92) because of the intense neutron capture of ¹⁴⁹Sm and subsequent transmutation, whereas ¹⁴⁷Sm is enriched by the fission reaction. Similar changes in isotopic patterns are detectable on other REE. The isotope ratios of Sm and Nd of whole rock and fracture samples surrounding the reactor indicate that fission-genic REE migrated only a few decimetres above and mainly below the reactor zone. Organic matter (bitumen) seems to act as a trap for fission-genic REE. Additional REE-patterns show less intense weathering with increasing depth in the log profile and support a simple weathering model. Received: 26 November 1999 · Accepted: 2 May 2000     

Natural environmental changes and human impact reflected in sediments of a high alpine lake in Switzerland

From the high alpine Sägistalsee (1935 m a.s.l.), 13.50 m of continuously laminated sediments comprising the last 9050 years, were analyzed. Even though Sägistalsee is a high elevation site, human-induced environmental changes start as early as 4300 cal. BP and leave a clearly detectable signal in the mineralogy of the sediments, which is much stronger than the signal from natural environmental changes that occurred before this time. Variations in the physical and mineralogical sediment properties of this clastic sequence reflect erosional changes in the catchment, where almost pure limestone contrasts with carbonaceous, quartz-bearing marl, and shist. The calcite/quartz (Cc/Qz) ratio was found to be most indicative of these changes, which occurred around AD 1850 and at 650, 2000, 3700, and 6400 cal. BP. The first four are interpreted as erosion events, which are related to human-induced changes in the vegetation cover and land use. We associate them to the recent development of tourism and grazing, the medieval intensification of pasturing, Roman forest clearance, and Bronze Age forest clearance, respectively. The Cc/Qz-ratio increases significantly within less than 100 years during these events, reflecting the erosion of unweathered or poorly weathered soils. The time intervals in between are characterized by a gradually decreasing Cc/Qz-ratio and reflect the stabilization or formation of new soils. Only the change at 6400 cal. BP, which represents the initial gradual stabilization of the catchment, is related to the immigration of Picea abies.     

Re-exposed basement landforms in the Disko region, West Greenland — disregarded data for estimation of glacial erosion and uplift modelling

Classifications of large-scale landscapes in Greenland have traditionally been based on type and intensity of glacial erosion, with the general idea that present landforms are mainly the result of erosion from ice sheets and glaciers. However, on southern Disko and in areas offshore in Disko Bugt, a basement surface has preserved remnants of weathered gneiss and pre-Paleocene landforms, recently exhumed from Paleocene basalt. Isolated hills and lineaments have been mapped in a digital terrain model and aerial photographs. Offshore have hills been mapped from seismic lines. The medium size bedrock forms on southern Disko as tors, clefts and roche moutonées have been studied in the field. Remnant saprolites were inventoried, sampled and analysed according to grain size and clay mineralogy. The basement surface retains saprolites up to 8 m thick in close relation to the cover rocks. The landforms in the basement rocks belong essentially to an etched surface only slightly remodelled by glacial erosion and, below the highest coastline, also by wave action. The outline of hills is governed by two lineament directions, ENE–WSW representing the schistocity of the gneiss and NW–SE fracture zones. These structures are thus interpreted to have been exploited by the deep weathering while the frequent N–S lineaments have not and thus might be younger. Main ice-flow has been from the NE and has resulted in plucking of SW facing lee sides, however the resulting bedrock forms are mainly controlled by structures and orientation of joints. The identification of re-exposed sub-Paleocene etch forms on Disko and the hills of similar size offshore, forming a hilly relief, have implications for identification of a hilly relief south of Disko Bugt, its relation to younger planation surfaces as well as for conclusions of uplift events.     

绵阳地区白垩系岩石风化过程的生态效应

论述了四川绵阳地区白垩系七曲寺组砂岩、泥岩风化过程的信息动态及其对森林植被的生态效应，为长江上游水土保持防护林提供开发信息。     

承德避暑山庄砂岩文物的基本性质和风化机理

世界文化遗产地承德避暑山庄内有大量的砂岩文物。在长期风化作用下,很多砂岩文物发生了严重的风化病害,亟须保护。通过现场调查,发现避暑山庄砂岩文物的风化病害主要为开裂、剥落、粉化、生物寄生等。通过室内测试,得出了该砂岩的矿物学、岩石学性质和物理、力学性质。在此基础上,分析了该砂岩的风化机理,认为钙质胶结物的溶解、干湿交替和盐分结晶膨胀是造成该砂岩粉化、剥落风化的主要原因。相关研究为该砂岩文物的修复保护提供科学支撑。     

长白山天池火山天文峰期黄色浮岩成因研究

长白山天池火口北侧天文峰之上,一套醒目的黄色浮岩引起广泛的关注,其颜色成因问题更是讨论的热点。本文通过野外地质调查、显微形貌和地球化学分析等方法,探索了黄色浮岩的颜色成因问题,并对此次喷发活动（天文峰期喷发）有了更进一步的认识。黄色浮岩与其下部灰白色浮岩应为同一期喷发所形成,两者成分一致且特征相似。黄色浮岩初始颜色为灰白色,后期受所处环境（降水丰富）与本身气孔特征的影响,浮岩内发生了元素析出和元素沉淀的过程。首先,浮岩内Si与H₂O结合形成弱硅酸（H₂SiO₃）,而大气中CO₂与H₂O结合形成弱碳酸（H₂CO₃）,在弱酸环境下火山玻璃逐渐析出Si、K、Al、Ca和Fe等阳离子,而析出的元素易溶于水的部分被流水带走,难溶于水的Fe与Al富集并粘附在火山玻璃壁上,同时由于Fe可与H₂O络合形成黄色的Fe的水合物（Fe₂O₃·nH₂O）,而Al与H₂O络合形成凝胶状白色水合物（Al₂O₃·nH₂O）,两者混合形成了黄色胶状物粘附在火山玻璃壁上,改变了浮岩原本的灰白色,形成了黄色浮岩。因此,天文峰期浮岩的黄色是由于后期风化淋滤作用所造成,属于次生色。本研究提高了对火山喷发堆积物风化淋滤作用过程的认识,也为其他地区相似颜色变化问题的讨论提供了借鉴。

     

工程地质学的一个新课题关于岩石风化速度的定量研究

岩石风化是一种常见的地质现象。有关的研究成果也很多,但岩石风化速度定量的研究成果却是风毛麟角。实际上关于石质文物的长期保护和石质工程长期稳定性等研究都十分需要它的支持,原因也许在于在自然条件下难以有足够长的时间进行岩石风化实验。本文将讨论有关岩石风化速度定量研究的重要性,并提出相应的研究方法,以推动这一新的研究课题的开展。     

Airborne gamma-ray spectrometry to quantify chemical erosion processes

Airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data (uranium, potassium and thorium contents) reveal geochemical heterogeneities within the monolithological Hyrôme watershed (ca. 150 km²) in the Armorican massif (western France). Our observations and computations provide important constraints on the spatial distribution and the associated magnitudes of chemical erosion processes at the scale of a small watershed. Two distinct, partially preserved, weathering profiles exhibit a strong correlation between regolith evolution and airborne-derived K/Th ratios, suggesting that the variability is linked to supergene processes. Using both airborne data and laboratory measurements on rock samples, the total net export of potassium has been estimated at 422 ± 50 kg/m² and the chemical weathering rate of potassium at 17 ± 2 kg/km²/a.     

砂岩风化晕厚度在广东晚更新世测年中的应用

广东地区河流阶地和冲积扇沉积物中砂岩砾石风化晕随时间增厚。风化晕生长速度呈指数衰减,并拟合于下列公式:T 1485D4.13这里T=时间,以年表示,D=沉积物表部约50块砾石风化晕厚度的加权平均值,以毫米表示。利用风化晕厚度确定出广东地区河流第一和第二级阶地分别为1000—13300年和8600—26500年,肇庆盆地北部山前地带第Ⅰ和第Ⅱ级冲积扇分别为51500年和24400年。同时,在构造地貌变形分析的基础上,估算出本区三条主要北东向断裂带在晚更新世—中全新世的垂直断层作用速度为0.6—1.6毫米/年,中全新世甚或晚更新世晚期以来的活动速度极小     

准噶尔盆地滴西地区石炭系火山岩储集性能分布规律研究

火山岩储集性能分布的非均质性非常强,探索其分布规律成为火山岩油气勘探的难点和重要任务。本文以实际岩心及其分析化验等资料为基础,从滴西地区取心最佳储集性能段、最差储集性能段、风化壳储集性能分布模式、薄层熔岩储集性能分布模式、厚层熔岩储集性能分布模式等方面总结了石炭系火山岩储集性能的垂向分布规律,同时分析了储集性能的平面分布情况。火山熔岩储集性能在垂向上的分布差异,成岩阶段主要受岩相的影响,后期主要受构造作用及风化溶蚀作用等的影响。受成岩阶段岩相的影响,溢流相上部亚相和下部亚相均有可能形成较好的储集性能。与碎屑岩互层的薄层熔岩常具有较好的储集性能。与碎屑岩互层的厚层熔岩段的底部储集性能可能较好,其次是顶部,而中部常沦落为储集性能相对较差的位置。风化壳的风化粘土层、强风化带、中等风化带、弱风化带、未风化带5个垂向分带结构中,中等风化带往往具备相对最佳的储集条件。应用W风化指数新型工具对火山岩进行风化程度评估显示,准噶尔盆地火山岩具有多期风化的特征,并残留有大量未风化、轻微风化及中等风化的火山岩,这其中不乏储集性能优良的岩性段。从平面分布来看,研究区域火山岩储集性能具有强烈的各向异性特征,常表现为局部富集,快速变迁,随机分布。