1,208 research outputs found
Exploration for volcanogenic sulphide mineralisation at Benglog, north Wales
Exploration for volcanogenic sulphide mineralisation
around Benglog is one of three investigations
designed to assess the metallogenic potential
of the Ordovician Aran Volcanic Group.
Detailed geological mapping in the Benglog
area enabled an interpretation of the volcanic
environment, critical to such an assessment, to be
made. The eruptive rocks are acid and basic in
composition; the acid rocks are mostly ash-flow
tuffs derived from outside the area, whereas the
basic rocks have a local derivation. They are all
interbedded with dark grey or black silty mudstone
and were probably erupted in a submarine
environment. Contemporaneous dolerite sills were
intruded into wet sediment.
This environment was suitable for volcanogenic
exhalative sulphide deposits to form and indications
of a metallogenic horizon were found at the top
of the Y Fron Formation in the form of abundant
pyrite, minor pyrrhotite and minor base metal
enrichment.
Soil samples, analysed for copper, lead and
zinc, were collected and geophysical surveys were
carried out along eleven east-west trending traverse
lines 300 m apart across the volcanic succession.
Indications were found of minor vein mineralisation
at dolerite intrusion margins and locally along
faults. Very high chargeability and low resistivity
anomalies over mudstones did not spatially
coincide with geochemical anomalies in soil, but
the secondary redistribution of metals in soils and
variable thickness of overburden precluded
confident interpretation of the source of many
soil anomalies. Geochemical drainage data, in
conjunction with rock analyses, show strong
barium enrichment in mudstones which could be
volcanogenic in origin but related to two separate
eruptive episodes.
The findings of the survey were inconclusive.
An environment suitable for the formation of
volcanogenic exhalative sulphide deposits was
established, but the geochemical and geophysical
surveys located only minor vein mineralisation and
tenuous indications of other styles of mineralisation.
Recommendations are made for further work
Exact solutions of Dirac equation on (1+1)-dimensional spacetime coupled to a static scalar field
We use a generalized scheme of supersymmetric quantum mechanics to obtain the
energy spectrum and wave function for Dirac equation in (1+1)-dimensional
spacetime coupled to a static scalar field.Comment: 7 pages, Late
Water resource implications of the proposed Greenwood Community Forest
The implications for both water use and water quality of the proposed Greenwood Community
Forest (Nottinghamshire) are examined. Of the 44000 ha in the designated area, 2700 ha are
already afforested and under the proposals up to a further 10000 ha could become afforested.
This would change the forest cover of the Sherwood Sandstone outcrop from its present 10%
to 25-35%. This is a significant change in land use and will have implications for the
quantity and quality of recharge to the underlying aquifer
Mineral exploration in the Lower Palaeozoic rocks of south-west Cumbria. Part 1, regional surveys
The results of geochemical, geological and geophysical surveys over Lower Palaeozoic rocks in the
south-western part of Cumbria are given in two reports. This report (Part 1) describes the results of a
geochemical drainage survey and an examination of mineralised sites, and relates them to information
from new geological mapping and an assessment of regional geophysical data. Part 2 contains details
of follow-up surveys in the Black Combe inlier.
The geochemical drainage survey, involving the collection and analysis of heavy mineral concentrates
and stream sediment samples from 119 sites, found substantial antimony, arsenic, barium, bismuth,
copper, iron, lead, tin, tungsten and zinc anomalies. Gold was reported for the first time from this part
of the Lake District: small amounts were noted in panned concentrates from five sites. Other minerals
identified in panned concentrates included arsenopyrite, baryte, bismutite, bismuthinite, cassiterite,
chalcopyrite, cerussite, pyrite, pyromorphite, scheelite, sphalerite, stolzite and wolfram&e.
The examination of old workings and outcrops revealed many undocumented occurrences of quartzsulphide
vein-style mineralisation. The chemical analysis of samples taken from old workings and
other occurrences confirmed field observations that locally, particularly in the Black Combe area, this
mineralisation is polymetallic with variable amounts of arsenic, gold, bismuth, copper, lead, zinc and
in a few cases antimony, barium, cobalt, nickel, tungsten and tin. Iron mineralisation occurs both as
oxide (hematite) and sulphide deposits. Mercury was present in appreciable amounts in samples from
the High Brow pyrite mine.
The distribution of panned concentrate anomalies suggests that the vein-style mineralisation is
polyphase and that individual phases may be zoned. Highest zinc anomalies occur near Torver and the
highest lead on the west side of Black Combe. Tin and tungsten are restricted largely to the central
part of Black Combe, and the most prominent arsenic and bismuth anomalies are found in the same
area. Copper anomalies are widespread over the Skiddaw Group and the Borrowdale Volcanic Group.
Barium anomalies indicate that baryte mineralisation is weak and localised, occurring principally
within the Black Combe area and close to the Windermere Supergroup basal unconformity. Iron
oxides from host rocks and hematite mineralisation are responsible for local enrichments of iron,
antimony, arsenic and molybdenum in panned concentrates
Synthesis and Stoichiometry of MgB2
The system MgxB2 has been investigated to investigate possible
nonstoichiometry in MgB2. When synthesized at 850oC, MgB2 is a line compound
with a possible Mg vacancy content of about 1%. Small changes in lattice
constants as a function of starting composition result from grain interaction
stresses, whose character is different in the Mg-rich, near-stoichiometric, and
Mg-deficient regimes. A small linear decrease of the superconducting transition
temperature, Tc, in the Mg-rich regime results from accidental impurity doping.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physica C. 24 pages, 7 figure
Compounded perturbations in coastal areas: contrasting responses to nutrient enrichment and the regime of storm-related disturbance depend on life-history traits
1. Natural systems are exposed to compounded perturbations, whose changes in temporal
variance can be as important as those in mean intensity for shaping the structure of assemblages.
Specifically, climate-related physical disturbances and nutrient inputs due to natural
and/or anthropogenic activities occur concomitantly, but experimental tests of the simultaneous
effects of changes in the regime of more than one perturbation are generally lacking.
Filling this gap is the key to understand ecological responses of natural assemblages to
climate-related change in the intensity and temporal patterning of physical disturbance combined
with other global stressors.
2. Responses to factorial manipulations of nutrient enrichment, mean intensity and temporal
variability in storm-like mechanical disturbance were examined, using benthic assemblages of
tide-pools as model system.
3. Response variables were mean abundance values and temporal variances of taxa with different
life-traits. Consistent negative effects of disturbance intensity were observed for the mean
cover of long-living taxa (algal canopies and the polychaete Sabellaria alveolata), whose temporal
fluctuations were also reduced by more severe mechanical stress. More resilient taxa
(ephemeral algae, mostly green of the genus Ulva) increased under enriched conditions, particularly
when low-intensity events were irregularly applied over time. Opposite effects of disturbance
intensity depending on nutrient availability occurred on filamentous algae (e.g. red of
the genus Ceramium). This was probably due to the fact that, although nutrient enrichment
stimulated the abundance of both algal groups, when this condition was combined with relatively
mild physical disturbance the competitively superior ephemeral green algae tended to
become dominant over filamentous red algae. The same did not occur under high intensity of
disturbance since it likely damaged large, foliose fronds of Ulva-like forms more than small, filamentous
fronds of Ceramium-like forms. Grazers were positively affected by nutrients, likely
responding indirectly to more food available.
4. A direct relationship between the mean abundance of most organisms and their temporal
fluctuations was documented. However, all organisms persisted throughout the study, even
under experimental conditions associated to the largest temporal variation in their abundance,
likely due to their ability to resist to/quickly recover from, the applied perturbations. Therefore,
in systems with great recovery abilities of dominant organisms (e.g. rocky intertidal,
grasslands), effects of traits of the regime of disturbance and nutrient enrichment may modulate the fluctuations of populations not through the elimination and substitution of species,
but through changes in relative abundances of the same species. This contrasts with the
theory that temporal variation in abundance would be directly related to the risk of local
extinction. Present findings enable more accurate predictions of the consequences of climatic
and non-climatic scenarios on the biodiversity of marine and terrestrial systems sharing analogous
functional traits of organisms. Future more intense physical disturbances are expected to
exert negative effects on slow-growing/recovering species (e.g. habitat-formers) irrespectively of
the temporal patterning of the same disturbances and nutrient inputs. On the contrary, more
resistant species (e.g. encrusting algae on rocky shores or below-ground vegetation in grasslands)
are expected to benefit from intense physical disturbance. Species whose abundance is
more directly related to the availability of nutrients (e.g. filamentous and ephemeral algae or
herbs) are expected to generally increase under enriched conditions, but their ability to eventually
become dominant would depend on their ability to grow fast and attain cover large
enough to overwhelm any possible control of concomitant disturbance intensity on their abundance.
If, such as in the present examined system, virtually all organisms can persist, over the
temporal scale of the experiment, under any combination of physical disturbance and nutrient
availability, the resulting overall diversity is not predicted to change drastically. Nevertheless,
low-intensity events evenly distributed and high-intensity events irregularly distributed appear
as the conditions supporting the highest richness of taxa, independently of the availability of
nutrients
Synthesis of 3-D coronal-solar wind energetic particle acceleration modules
1. Introduction Acute space radiation hazards pose one of the most serious risks to future human and robotic exploration. Large solar energetic particle (SEP) events are dangerous to astronauts and equipment. The ability to predict when and where large SEPs will occur is necessary in order to mitigate their hazards. The Coronal-Solar Wind Energetic Particle Acceleration (C-SWEPA) modeling effort in the NASA/NSF Space Weather Modeling Collaborative [Schunk, 2014] combines two successful Living With a Star (LWS) (http://lws. gsfc.nasa.gov/) strategic capabilities: the Earth-Moon-Mars Radiation Environment Modules (EMMREM) [Schwadron et al., 2010] that describe energetic particles and their effects, with the Next Generation Model for the Corona and Solar Wind developed by the Predictive Science, Inc. (PSI) group. The goal of the C-SWEPA effort is to develop a coupled model that describes the conditions of the corona, solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and associated shocks, particle acceleration, and propagation via physics-based modules. Assessing the threat of SEPs is a difficult problem. The largest SEPs typically arise in conjunction with X class flares and very fast (\u3e1000 km/s) CMEs. These events are usually associated with complex sunspot groups (also known as active regions) that harbor strong, stressed magnetic fields. Highly energetic protons generated in these events travel near the speed of light and can arrive at Earth minutes after the eruptive event. The generation of these particles is, in turn, believed to be primarily associated with the shock wave formed very low in the corona by the passage of the CME (injection of particles from the flare site may also play a role). Whether these particles actually reach Earth (or any other point) depends on their transport in the interplanetary magnetic field and their magnetic connection to the shock
Mineral exploration in the Cockermouth area, Cumbria. Part 2: follow-up surveys
This report describes the results of geochemical, geological and geophysical surveys across three
small areas of Carboniferous and Lower Palaeozoic rocks along the northern margin of the English
Lake District. The areas were chosen from the appraisal of regional-scale survey data described by
Cooper et al. (1991). In two of the areas, Ruthwaite and Tallentire, the objective was to provide
more information on the extent and magnitude of fracture-controlled epigenetic baryte and base
metal mineralisation. In the third area, at Whitrigg, brief surveys were carried out to aid the
interpretation of unexplained geochemical and geophysical anomalies found during two projects
carried out under the Mineral Exploration and Investment Grants Act (MEIGA).
At Ruthwaite, where a mine formerly worked baryte from a fault separating Lower Palaeozoic and
Carboniferous rocks, surface indications of further baryte mineralisation were found. Soil analyses
indicated that mineralisation may be present along the continuation of the faultline worked at
Ruthwaite and in the Eycott Volcanic Group rocks to the south of it. In this area relatively small,
but in some circumstances perhaps economically attractive, deposits of baryte may be present
under drift cover.
In the Tallentire Hill area, geological mapping followed by traverse-based soil sampling showed
that fracture-controlled mineralisation is widespread in the Carboniferous (Dinantian and
Namurian) rocks. The fracture fillings consist dominantly of baryte, often accompanied by
carbonate, with traces of copper and mercury. Where seen at surface the fracture fillings are too
small, patchy and low-grade to be of any economic importance. Baryte mineralisation also occurs
locally as patchy impregnations in sandstones. These are considered to be epigenetic deposits
related to the fracture-controlled mineralisation. Trial geophysical surveys suggested that electrical
methods may be useful in determining the extent of the mineralised sandstone. There is a
possibility that more extensive baryte deposits may be present in the limestone succession
underlying the mineralised sandstones.
In the Whitrigg area, Carboniferous rocks are separated from Lower Palaeozoic rocks of the
Eycott Volcanic Group by the easterly-trending Boundary Fault and north-westerly-trending
Bothel Fault. Evidence from an old mineral working and the results of a soil survey indicate that
patchy, epigenetic, fracture-controlled baryte and base metal mineralisation occurs along the
Bothel Fault and, locally, in the adjacent rocks. A feature of this mineralisation is the presence of
mercury, which is most abundant in a sample of brecciated and altered rock from the Eycott
Volcanic Group. Prominent base metal in soil anomalies discovered by MEIGA-funded projects
near Stangerhill are not associated with barium anomalies. It was concluded that these soil
anomalies are most likely to be caused by secondary concentration in overburden, and that the
source of metals may be a sub-cropping metalliferous horizon within the Carboniferous succession
or, more probably, fracture-controlled mineralisation.
Trial geophysical surveys carried out in all three areas indicated that in ground free of artificial
sources the VLF(EM) and conductivity mapping methods could be useful for tracing faults beneath
drift and providing information on drift thickness. Closely-spaced soil sampling proved effective for
detecting mineralisation in areas where the drift cover is thin, and a trial soil-gas survey showed
that this technique could also be useful for tracing faults beneath drift
Anomalous c-axis charge dynamics in copper oxide materials
Within the t-J model, the c-axis charge dynamics of the copper oxide
materials in the underdoped and optimally doped regimes is studied by
considering the incoherent interlayer hopping. It is shown that the c-axis
charge dynamics is mainly governed by the scattering from the in-plane
fluctuation. In the optimally doped regime, the c-axis resistivity is a linear
in temperatures, and shows the metallic-like behavior for all temperatures,
while the c-axis resistivity in the underdoped regime is characterized by a
crossover from the high temperature metallic-like behavior to the low
temperature semiconducting-like behavior, which are consistent with experiments
and numerical simulations.Comment: 6 pages, Latex, Three figures are adde
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