Handbook of Mathematical Geosciences

This Open Access handbook published at the IAMG's 50th anniversary, presents a compilation of invited path-breaking research contributions by award-winning geoscientists who have been instrumental in shaping the IAMG. It contains 45 chapters that are categorized broadly into five parts (i) theory, (ii) general applications, (iii) exploration and resource estimation, (iv) reviews, and (v) reminiscences covering related topics like mathematical geosciences, mathematical morphology, geostatistics, fractals and multifractals, spatial statistics, multipoint geostatistics, compositional data analysis, informatics, geocomputation, numerical methods, and chaos theory in the geosciences

Structure and Diagenesis in Upper Carboniferous Tight Gas Reservoirs in NW Germany

Upper Carboniferous sandstones are important tight gas reservoirs in Central Europe. This field-based study, conducted in a km-scale reservoir outcrop analog (Piesberg quarry, Lower Saxony Basin, NW Germany), focused on the diagenetic control on spatial reservoir quality distribution. Geothermometers were used to characterize a fault-related thermal anomaly. A prototype workflow based on terrestrial laser scanning is presented, which allowed for the automated detection and analysis of fractures

The measurement of snow depth and snow water equivalence in a Victorian alpine region using remote sensing

Snow is an important source of water. However, data is often lacking on the water content (snow water equivalence – SWE), extent and depth of the seasonal snow cover. This thesis presents research that determined the amount of water in a snow pack from snow depth and SWE in an areal manner using remote sensing and photogrammetry. Five field campaigns were undertaken within the Falls Creek Ski Resort, over 18 months, to establish a framework of positional points, collect snow data and acquire aerial imagery. A GPS survey was completed concurrent with the image capture of snow-covered terrain to obtain appropriate validation points of the snow surface and to coordinate photo control. Spectral reflectance measurements, supported by manual sampling of the snow surface, were collected in conjunction with snow surface GPS measurements. Digital photogrammetric methods were used to create digital elevation models (DEMs) of the snow surface and the terrain. The digital aerial photography was acquired with a ground sample distance of 8 cm. Derived DEM values have been consistently higher than GPS elevations (mean differences of 15 cm; standard deviation of 8 cm). Spectral reflectance signatures were used to infer the properties of snow, such as snow grain size. A prominent absorption feature (~1030 nm) of the snow reflectance was found to be highly correlated with grain size (r = 0.71, p <0.05) allowing for the estimation of SWE, at least for the snow surface. The potential of this methodology is to allow for the automated estimation of both snow depth and water content at a landscape scale

Life Sciences Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1996

This document includes information on all peer reviewed projects funded by the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Life Sciences Division during fiscal year 1996. This document will be published annually and made available to scientists in the space life sciences field both as a hard copy and as an interactive Internet web page

An integrated approach to span design in open stope mining

In order to develop an appropriate mine design, a thorough understanding of the rock mass conditions and its potential response to mining is required. Rock mass characterisation is a key component in developing models of the rock mass and its engineering behaviour, and relies on disparate data collected by exploration geologists, mine geologists, rock mechanics engineers and technicians, in a variety of formats. Optimal rock mass model development requires the effective integration of all data sources, which currently requires considerable effort in collecting, managing, collating, validating and analysing this data.The importance of understanding the spatial variability of rock mass conditions has been highlighted as a major issue. The traditional approach of using simplistic models of “average” rock mass conditions can lead to sub-optimal designs, which may result in unplanned additional costs or economic implications of dilution and ore loss. The design of stope and pillars should be optimised for the prevailing rock mass conditions in the various regions of the mine.Some of the existing design tools used for open stope design have shown poor reliability in their performance predictions. Though some may have been originally developed to assist in initial stope size selection (i.e. pre-feasibility and feasibility levels), they are potentially being inappropriately relied upon for detailed design. Consideration of large scale structures on stability and their influence on local rock mass conditions are also important aspects of open stope design that are commonly over-looked. There is a need to select design methodologies that are optimised for the stage of project development. It is also important to emphasise the iterative, evolutionary and interdisciplinary nature of open stope design.This thesis proposes a framework that attempts to integrate different rock mass characterisation models, numerical modelling and stope performance data to assist in improving the overall excavation design process. The key philosophy behind design optimisation is the continual reduction in uncertainty in collected data, analysis and design methods used with a view to improving the overall reliability of the design. A stope span design optimisation approach is proposed which attempts to ensure that the appropriate methodologies in data collection, data analysis, rock mass model formulation and stope design are utilised at relevant project stages in order to minimise uncertainty and maximise design reliability. The design optimisation approach recognises that the appropriateness of a particular design methodology is highly dependant on the availability of an appropriate rock mass model, which is in turn dependant on the availability of quality rock mass data. With respect to the design of spans in open stope mining, the key aims of the proposed integrated approach are to; • Assess the suitability of data for analysis • If data is unsuitable, assess the most appropriate data collection strategy • Assess the most appropriate approach to rock mass modelling • Assess the most appropriate design methodologies • Assess the reliability of the design criteria and quantify the potential economic impact of the design on the projectOptimisation of the design process also requires integration of state-of-the-art techniques in data collection, analysis, modelling and engineering analysis and design at the appropriate stage of project development. During development of this thesis a number of improvements have been proposed in key areas in the rock engineering design process which can be incorporated into the integrated approach, including; • A rock mass data model has been developed that assists in facilitating the ongoing rock mass characterisation process. The data model is capable of integrating rock mass data from various sources, which promotes sharing of data and avoids duplication of data collection efforts. The data model is able to query rock mass data, define relationships between data types, apply bias corrections, and perform basic analysis for use in subsequent detailed analysis and rock mass modelling. • An implicit based approach to spatial rock mass and deterministic discontinuity modelling can be employed to improve understanding of the spatial variability of rock mass parameters, inter-relationships between rock mass characteristics on their role in design. For example, understanding the influence of large-scale structures on rock mass characteristics and excavation performance. • Improved scale independent geometrical assessments of stope performance have been proposed that maximise the use of stope performance data. • An integrated back analysis framework has been presented that is able to account for structural complexity, scale and features that cannot be directly incorporated into linear elastic numerical modelling codes. • With regard to linear elastic back analyses, an number of improvements have been proposed, as well as a suggested method to assess appropriateness of continuum models based on discontinuity intensity and critical span

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A cumulative index to the 1982 issues

This publication is a cumulative index to the abstracts contained in the Supplements 229 through 240 of Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing Bibliography. It includes three indexes: subject, personal author, and corporate source

Life Sciences Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1997

This document includes information on all peer reviewed projects funded by the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Life Sciences Division during fiscal year 1997. This document will be published annually and made available to scientists in the space life sciences field both as a hard copy and as an interactive internet web page

Measuring Behavior 2018 Conference Proceedings

These proceedings contain the papers presented at Measuring Behavior 2018, the 11th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research. The conference was organised by Manchester Metropolitan University, in collaboration with Noldus Information Technology. The conference was held during June 5th – 8th, 2018 in Manchester, UK. Building on the format that has emerged from previous meetings, we hosted a fascinating program about a wide variety of methodological aspects of the behavioral sciences. We had scientific presentations scheduled into seven general oral sessions and fifteen symposia, which covered a topical spread from rodent to human behavior. We had fourteen demonstrations, in which academics and companies demonstrated their latest prototypes. The scientific program also contained three workshops, one tutorial and a number of scientific discussion sessions. We also had scientific tours of our facilities at Manchester Metropolitan Univeristy, and the nearby British Cycling Velodrome. We hope this proceedings caters for many of your interests and we look forward to seeing and hearing more of your contributions

Experimental study on the hydro-mechanical behavior of soils improved using the CSM technology

Deep Mixing Methods (DMMs) can be regarded as constantly evolving technologies for improving soil properties in order to satisfy predefined design requirements. Their applications are very common in geotechnical engineering and, in some cases, they can be conveniently selected instead of more traditional techniques. Despite DMMs are customarily used to strengthen soft soils like peats, clays, and silts, they can also be used very effectively in various subsoil configurations for several purposes, as, for instance, in the case of soil liquefaction prevention or cut-off/retaining walls. Even if soil mixing practice has become very consolidated in geotechnical engineering and numerous researchers in the past have tried to develop predictive equations taking into account the more relevant factors affecting the strength of DM constructions, i.e. influence of binder, soil, mixing and curing conditions, there is still no widely applicable formula for the estimation of the field strength characterized by a reasonable level of accuracy. Predictions are normally based on the mechanical behaviour of laboratory prepared mixtures, which, most of the time, significantly differ from in-situ treated soils due to the specific mixing, curing, and subsoil conditions encountered at the site. Technical standards were recently developed to provide general guidelines for the production of good quality laboratory mixed soil samples. Similarly, other codes concerning the critical deep mixing site construction aspects were introduced in several counties in order to improve the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) programmes conceived to verify the treatment effectiveness. However, a direct correlation between laboratory and field mixing performance is still far from being described, probably owing to the lack of a sufficient number of well documented case histories. In this research, a comparison tool between laboratory and field procedures has been tentatively deduced from energetic considerations depending on mixing efforts transferred to the soil to be treated using different devices. This thesis mainly focuses on the results of a comprehensive experimental investigation carried out on treated soil mixtures collected from several worldwide jobsites in which the Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) technology was used. CSM, launched since 2003, is a recent and efficient system that, besides other DMMs, has the advantage of a high level of process control providing detailed information regarding the in-situ mixing method. The elaboration of these data, which significantly support the usual QA/QC procedures, has been used to define a new easily determinable site parameter closely related to the mixing efficacy, which, in turn, greatly influences the performance attained. As other DM methods, CSM produces some amount of spoil material, which is deemed to contain part of the binder introduced into the soil to activate hydration reactions once combined with both water and minerals in the ground. Since no estimation methods are available to evaluate the binder loss, an approximate amount of binding material is customarily added and mixed with the natural soil, hampering the performance prediction. To remedy this situation, a new formulation has been proposed to estimate the binder loss and to compute a more proper cement content. During the research activity, mechanical, hydraulic, mineralogical, and micro-structural tests were carried out in order to describe in detail the behaviour of the CSM treated material from different points of view and to acquire a reliable picture of the main factors affecting the relevant properties of stabilized soils. The obtained test results allowed to develop a new mathematical model for the evolution of the mechanical strength of granular and cohesive soils treated with the CSM technique as a function of the specific site conditions. The defined procedure has proved to be very effective in the major part of the case histories considered in this work