Geothermal studies of the precambrian basement and phanerozoic sedimentary cover in Estonia and Finland

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1053471~S58*es

Ground-penetrating radar study of the Rahivere peat bog, eastern Estonia

The current case study presents results of the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiling at one of the Saadjärve drumlin field interstitial troughs, the Rahivere bog, eastern Estonia. The study was conducted in order to identify the bog morphology, and the thickness and geometry of the peat body. The method was also used to describe the applicability of GPR in the evaluation of the peat deposit reserve as the Rahivere bog belongs among the officially registered peat reserves. Fourteen GPR profiles, ~ 100 m apart and oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the depression, covering the bog and its surrounding areas, were acquired. In order to verify the radar image interpretation as well as to evaluate the velocity of electromagnetic waves in peat, a common source configuration was utilized and thirteen boreholes were drilled on the GPR profiles. A mean value of 0.036 m ns–1 corresponding to relative dielectric permittivity of 69.7 was used for the time–depth conversion. Radar images reveal major reflection from the peat–soil interface up to a depth of about 4 m, whereas drillings showed a maximum thickness of 4.5 m of peat. Minor reflections appear from the upper peat and mineral soil. According to the borehole data, undecomposed peat is underlain by decomposed one, but identifying them by GPR is complicated. Mineral soil consists of glaciolimnic silty sand in the peripheral areas of the trough, overlain by limnic clay in the central part. The calculated peat volumes (1 200 000 m3) were found to exceed the earlier estimation (979 000 m3) that was based solely on drilling data. Ground-penetrating radar, as a method that allows mapping horizontal continuity of the sub-peat interface in a non-destructive way, was found to provide detailed information for evaluating peat depth and extent

Geological settings of the protected Selisoo mire (northeastern Estonia) threatened by oil shale mining

The protected Selisoo mire in northeastern Estonia is located above valuable oil shale resources, partly in the permitted mining area. We describe in detail the geomorphology and geological setting of the mire to understand the natural preconditions for its formation, development and preservation. We used the LiDAR-based digital elevation model for relief analysis, mapped the peat thickness with ground-penetrating radar and described the Quaternary cover through corings. Ridges, oriented perpendicular to the generally southward-sloping terrain, and shallow depressions at the surface of mineral soil have influenced mire formation and its spatio-temporal dynamics. The Quaternary cover under the mire is thin and highly variable. Therefore the mire is hydro­geologically insufficiently isolated from the limestone bedrock that is drained by the nearby oil shale mine and consequently the mining activities approaching the mire may have a negative influence on the wetland and proposed Natura 2000 site. Natura 2000 type wetlands, both protected or currently outside the nature reserves, cover a significant portion of the prospective oil shale mining areas. The distribution and resilience of those sites may significantly influence further utilization of oil shale resources

Vertikaalsed maasoojussüsteemid

Õpiobjektis käsitletakse erinevate vertikaalsete maasoojussüsteemide olemust ning nende rajamist. Selgitavate tekstide juures olevad animatsioonid annavad lihtsustatud, kuid piltliku ettekujutuse vertikaalsete maasoojussüsteemide rajamise protsessist, avatud süsteemi mõjust ümbritsevale keskkonnale ning soojusvahetuse protsessist maasoojussüsteemide puhul

Groundwater modelling with FREEWAT program - from whom, to whom and why?

Suur osa Eesti geoloogiast on seotud kahe merega: Paleobalti mere ja tänase Balti ehk Läänemerega. Olles küll uurimisobjektiks geoloogidele, on nende merede jäljed osana meie elukeskkonnast nähtavad ja tajutavad ka koigile teistele. Paleobalti mere setetega puutub Eestis kaudselt kokku igaüks, kas tarbides siin polevkivist toodetud elektrit voi jalutades Tallinna vanalinnas lubjakivist ehitiste vahel. Nende kivimite olulisus Eestile, nende teaduslik, majanduslik ja kultuuriline väärtus on tihti arutlusteemadeks ka mitte-geoloogide seltskondades. Geoloogilises moistes väga noore Läänemere jälgedega kohtub aga jalutaja näiteks Kloogal voi Narva-Joesuus, minnes randa suplema üle vanadest rannavallidest lainetava metsaaluse voi ehk matkaja, kes Kassari saarel tabab end mottelt, kuidas ta küll kuiva jalaga saarele sai. Selle üle, kas ehk moni teinegi saar on maismaaga liitumas voi kellegi suvila tulevikus hoopis lainetuse küüsi jäämas, arutavad nii geoloogid, kliimauurijad kui ka kinnisvarahindajad

Carbonate cementation in the late glacial outwash and beach deposits in northern Estonia

The sedimentary environments, morphology and formation of carbonate cement in the late glacial glaciofluvial outwash and beach deposits in northern Estonia are discussed. Cementation is observed in well-drained, highly porous carbonaceous debris-rich gravel and sand-forming, resistant ledges in otherwise unconsolidated sediments. The cemented units occur as laterally continuous layers or as isolated lenticular patches with thicknesses from a few centimetres to 3 m. The cement is found in two main morphologies: (1) cement crusts or coatings around detrital grains and (2) massive cement almost entirely filling interparticle pores and intraparticle voids. It is exclusively composed of low-Mg calcite with angular equant to slightly elongated rhombohedral and scalenohedral or prismatic crystals, which indicate precipitation from meteoric or connate fresh surface (glacial lake) water and/or near-surface groundwater under low to moderate supersaturation and flow conditions. The absence of organic structures within the cement suggests that cementation is essentially inorganic. The cement exhibits both meteoric vadose and phreatic features and most probably occurred close to the vadose–phreatic interface, where the conditions were transitional and/or fluctuating. Cementation has mainly taken place by CO2-degassing in response to fluctuations in groundwater level and flow conditions, controlled by the Baltic Ice Lake water level, and seasonal cold and/or dry climate conditions

Sample details on OSL data for aeolian sediments in north-eastern part of European Sand Belt

A compilation of previously published and unpublished absolute age (OSL and TL) determinations of aeolian sediments from the north-eastern part of European Sand Belt. Contains age, error, sampling depth, location etc. and a reference to data source. Coordinates of sampling locations for contemporary publications are taken from field observations (GPS), but older ones - published schematic maps. Data set is created according to schema of DATED-1 database (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.848117)

Late-Holocene relative sea-level changes and palaeoenvironment of the Pre-Viking Age ship burials in Salme, Saaremaa Island, eastern Baltic Sea

Two unique Pre-Viking Age ship burials were found from Salme village, Saaremaa Island, eastern Baltic Sea, containing remains of seven men in the smaller and 34 men in the larger ship. According to the archaeological interpretations, these ships belonged to a viking crew possibly from the Stockholm-Mälaren region, eastern Sweden. Geoarchaeological research was conducted in the area to reconstruct Late-Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) changes and shoreline displacement to provide environmental context to these burials. In this paper we present a Late-Holocene shore displacement curve for the Saaremaa Island and GIS-based palaeogeographic reconstructions for the Salme area. The curve shows an almost linear RSL fall from 5.5 to 0.8 m a.s.l. between 1000 BC and 1300 AD with an average rate of 2 mm/year. A slowdown in regression may be attributed to accelerated sea-level rise after the Little Ice Age and during the industrial period, being consistent with the tide-gauge measurements from the 20th century. Palaeogeographic reconstructions indicate the existence of a strait in the Salme area during the burial of the ships. The eastern part of the strait with water depth up to 2.8 m was about 80–100 m wide. The relatively steep and wind-protected shores in that part of the strait were probably the best places in the area for landing the viking ships. According to sedimentological evidence and diatom data, the narrowing of Salme palaeostrait occurred between 1270 and 1300 AD. Salme I and II ships were buried at 650–770 AD into the sandy-gravelly coastal deposits which had accumulated there in the open coastal zone about 710–450 years earlier. Reconstructions show that the ships were located about 2–2.5 m above coeval sea level and more than 100 m from the coastline. Thus, both ships were probably moved from the shore to the higher ground for burial

Discriminating between impact or nonimpact origin of small meteorite crater candidates : No evidence for an impact origin for the Tor crater, Sweden

Compared to intensive research on km-sized meteorite impact craters, fewer studies focus on smaller craters. The small craters are often hard or impossible to recognize using “classical” criteria like the presence of shatter cones, shocked quartz, and geochemical indicators. Therefore, a long list of candidate structures awaiting approval/disapproval of their origin has been formed over the last decades. One of them is the Tor structure in central Sweden. To test a hypothesis of an impact origin of this structure, we have performed topographical analysis, geophysical studies, 10Be exposure dating of boulders, and 14C dating of Tor-associated charcoal. None of the methods gave us a reason to claim the Tor structure is of impact origin. Thus, we support a recently suggested idea of Tor being formed by a grounded iceberg within a glacial lake

Quality-assurance of heat-flow data: The new structure and evaluation scheme of the IHFC Global Heat Flow Database

Since 1963, the International Heat Flow Commission has been fostering the compilation of the Global Heat Flow Database to provide reliable heat-flow data. Over time, techniques and methodologies evolved, calling for a reorganization of the database structure and for a reassessment of stored heat-flow data. Here, we provide the results of a collaborative, community-driven approach to set-up a new, quality-approved global heat-flow database. We present background information on how heat-flow is determined and how this important thermal parameter could be systematically evaluated. The latter requires appropriate documentation of metadata to allow the application of a consistent evaluation scheme. The knowledge of basic data (name and coordinates of the site, depth range of temperature measurements, etc.), details on temperature and thermal-conductivity data and possible perturbing effects need to be given. The proposed heat-flow quality evaluation scheme can discriminate between different quality aspects affecting heat flow: numerical uncertainties, methodological uncertainties, and environmental effects. The resulting quality codes allow the evaluation of every stored heat-flow data entry. If mandatory basic data are missing, the entry is marked accordingly. In cases where more than one heat-flow determination is presented for one specific site, and all of them are considered for the site, the poorest evaluation score is inherited to the site level. The required data and the proposed scheme are presented in this paper. Due to the requirements of the newly developed evaluation scheme, the database structure as presented in 2021 has been updated and is available in the appendix of this paper. The new quality scheme will allow a comprehensible evaluation of the stored heat-flow data for the first time