64 research outputs found
Geophysical and geochemical investigations over the Long Rake, Haddon Fields, Derbyshire
Geophysical and geochemical investigations were
undertaken over the Long Rake at Haddon Fields,
Derbyshire in order to establish methods, or
combinations of methods, showing the best
response to the mineralisation. The mineralised
structure carries high concentrations of fluorite
with associated lead and zinc minerals and the
gangue minerals baryte and calcite. The ground
examined was relatively undisturbed with good
geological control from drill hole data.
Gravity and magnetic anomalies such as those
obtained over the Long Rake could have limited
applications for the indirect location of veins the
approximate position of which is known. Induced
polarisation, resistivity and electro-magnetic
measurements failed to produce anomalies which
could be directly attributed to the mineralisation
or its host structure. However, reconnaissance
mapping with very low frequency electro-magnetic
(VLF-EM) and Radiohm methods showed that,
over a large section of the survey area, the fluorspar
vein could be mapped by its association with
the subdrift shale/limestone contact.
The determination of a wide range of elements
in soils and tills showed that the more mobile
elements such as F and Zn are particularly useful
in detecting mineralisation over broad areas. Less
mobile elements tend to exhibit localised
disperson patterns which have applications in
precisely locating an orebody.
Elements enriched in soil above the Long Rake,
in areas of thin overburden, include Pb, Ba, Sr, Ca,
Zn, Rb and Th. Thickening cover towards the west
tends to mask anomalies of many elements above
the Rake, only Ba, Sr and Pb maintaining significant
contrast.
The collection of basal till samples was made
difficult by the occurrence of large limestone
boulders. However, results indicated that the
method has no advantage over soil geochemistry
in this environment, as geochemical contrast is
not improved. Levels of Ba and Ca were highly
variable and the concentration of Ba appeared to
be directly related to the sampling depth
Array optimisation for multichannel electrical resistivity tomography instruments
In recent years there has been considerable research into the selection of near-optimal arrays of electrode configurations that enhance the resolution of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) images. Several algorithms have been developed that select resistivity measurements based on their contribution to the cumulative sensitivity of the array (Furman et al., 2004; Hennig and Weller, 2005) or its model resolution matrix (Stummer et al. , 2004; Wilkinson et al., 2006a; 2006b). Homogeneous subsurface resistivity distributions were assumed for these studies, although better results can be obtained using the same algorithms if the resistivity distribution is known a priori (Anthansiou, 2006). When compared to standard arrays, such as dipole-dipole or Wenner-
Schlumberger, optimised arrays can substantially improve the resolution of the ERT image for the same number of measurements (Wilkinson et al., 2006b). The driver for researching array optimisation techniques has been the development of computer controlled ERT systems that can address arbitrary combinations of current and potential electrodes. Unfortunately all the published optimisation algorithms share a problem that is likely to impede their
wider use: the arrays that they produce are inherently âsingle channelâ (SC). Since they do not take advantage of the multichannel (MC) capability of
modern ERT instruments, the optimised arrays that they produce are rather inefficient to use compared to many standard arrays that are well suited to MC operation. However, we have developed a simple extension that constrains our previous algorithm to choose near-optimal configurations that also fit well into a MC measurement scheme. This extension could easily be adapted to work with the other optimisation schemes cited above
Non-invasive characterisation of road subgrade with towed-array capacitive resistivity imaging
A towed-array Capacitive Resistivity Imaging (CRI) system has been used in a controlled experiment to acquire multi-channel high-resolution ERT data on an asphalt road. Results from a CRI survey on a purpose-built trial road are discussed and compared to corresponding GPR profile data. It is demonstrated that CRI is particularly effective for the assessment of road subgrade condition. The technique is found to be sensitive to variations in moisture content and porosity in the subgrade layer, which can be used to distinguish areas of structural weakness in roadbeds. We conclude that CRI can be a valuable tool in pavement engineering as it provides complementary information to existing non-destructive testing techniques
The detection and tracking of mine-water pollution from abandoned mines using electrical tomography
Increasing emphasis is being placed on the environmental and societal impact of mining, particularly in the EU, where the environmental impacts of abandoned mine sites (spoil heaps and tailings) are now subject to the legally binding Water Framework and Mine Waste Directives.
Traditional sampling to monitor the impact of mining on surface waters and groundwater is laborious, expensive and often unrepresentative. In particular, sparse and infrequent borehole sampling may fail to capture the dynamic behaviour associated with important events such as flash flooding, mine-water break-out, and subsurface acid mine drainage. Current monitoring practice is therefore failing to provide the information needed to assess the socio-economic and environmental impact of mining on vulnerable eco-systems, or to give adequate early warning to allow preventative maintenance or containment. BGS has developed a tomographic imaging system known as ALERT ( Automated time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography) which allows the near real-time measurement of geoelectric properties "on demand", thereby giving early warning of potential threats to vulnerable water systems. Permanent in-situ geoelectric measurements are used to provide surrogate indicators of hydrochemical and hydrogeological properties. The ALERT survey concept uses electrode arrays, permanently buried in shallow trenches at the surface but these arrays could equally be deployed in mine entries or shafts or underground workings. This sensor network is then interrogated from the office by wireless telemetry (e.g: GSM, low-power radio, internet, and satellite) to provide volumetric images of the subsurface at regular intervals. Once installed, no manual intervention is required; data is transmitted automatically according to a pre-programmed schedule and for specific survey parameters, both of which may be varied remotely as conditions change (i.e: an adaptive sampling approach). The entire process from data capture to visualisation on the web-portal is seamless, with no manual intervention.
Examples are given where ALERT has been installed and used to remotely monitor (i) seawater intrusion in a coastal aquifer (ii) domestic landfills and contaminated land and (iii) vulnerable earth embankments. The full potential of the ALERT concept for monitoring mine-waste has yet to be demonstrated. However we have used manual electrical tomography surveys to characterise mine-waste pollution at an abandoned metalliferous mine in the Central Wales orefield in the UK. Hydrogeochemical sampling confirms that electrical tomography can provide a reliable surrogate for the mapping and long-term monitoring of mine-water pollution
Characterising sand and gravel deposits using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) : case histories from England and Wales
Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is a rapidly developing geophysical imaging technique that is now widely
used to visualise subsurface geological structure, groundwater and lithological variations. It is being increasingly used
in environmental and engineering site investigations, but despite its suitability and potential benefits, ERT has yet to
be routinely applied by the minerals industry to sand and gravel deposit assessment and quarry planning. The
principal advantages of ERT for this application are that it is a cost-effective non-invasive method, which can provide
2D or 3D spatial models of the subsurface throughout the full region of interest. This complements intrusive sampling
methods, which typically provide information only at discrete locations. Provided that suitable resistivity contrasts are
present, ERT has the potential to reveal mineral and overburden thickness and quality variations within the body of
the deposit.
Here we present a number of case studies from the UK illustrating the use of 2D and 3D ERT for sand and gravel
deposit investigation in a variety of geological settings. We use these case studies to evaluate the performance of ERT,
and to illustrate good practice in the application of ERT to deposit investigation. We propose an integrated approach
to site investigation and quarry planning incorporating both conventional intrusive methods and ERT
Detection of abandoned mineshafts using towed-array capacitive resistivity and real-time kinematic GPS navigation
The UK has a long history of mining but it was not until 1875 that the accurate mapping of mine workings and the submission of abandonment plans became a legal requirement. Where mineshafts are indicated on plans, they may be mislocated due to poor or inaccurate surveying. Consequently, the redevelopment of derelict land in the built environment frequently encounters potential geohazards, such as old adits, bell pits and shafts. These mining relics pose a serious risk to health and safety.
This paper demonstrates how the combination of modem geophysical survey techniques with state-of-the-art satellite-based positioning may assist in the detection of such features. Recent advances in these fields offer the possibility of using towed-array resistivity instruments in conjunction with highly accurate (sub-decimetre) real-time kinematic global positioning systems (RTKGPS). Here we describe the use of multi-offset towed-array capacitive resistivity (CR) with GPS navigation for mapping resistivity over a known mineshaft in the historic mining area of Bonsall Leys in Derbyshire, UK
Effects of old landfills on groundwater quality. Phase 2, investigation of the Thriplow landfill 1996â1997
Disused sand and gravel excavations overlying the major Chalk aquifer at Thriplow in Cambridgeshire have
been filled with domestic waste in two phases. One area (Phase 1) was filled between 1957â77 with little compaction
of the refuse and was left uncapped, while Phase 2 was deposited between 1981â87 and capped with
clay. Aerial photography and surface resistivity surveys indicate that the site geometry is complex, with several
phases of landfilling into excavations of differing depths. Drilling through the waste indicates that leachate production
and waste stabilisation proceed at different rates in capped and uncapped landfills. Analysis of leachate
obtained by centrifugation or squeezing appears to give more insight into the pollution potential than do leach
tests with distilled water. The Biological Methane Potential (BMP) of the waste appears to be related to the
quantity of decomposable material but the chemical oxygen demand (COD) values are distorted by the presence
of reduced metals. Too few boreholes have been drilled to define the leachate source in terms of its spatial distribution
and little is known of how its composition has changed with time. However, hydraulic conductivity measurements
on the landfill caps suggest that it is sufficiently permeable for all rainfall to potentially infiltrate the
waste.
Boreholes outside the landfill penetrate the Upper and Lower Chalk, and identify the Melbourn Rock and underlying
Plenus Marls at the junction of the two formations about 20 m below ground level (bgl). Surface resistivity
surveys using the BGS RESCAN system, confirm aerial photographs of the extent of the landfill and also
suggest that leachate has migrated beyond the base of the landfill. Evidence of leachate migration in pre-existing
screened boreholes completed above and below the Plenus Marls suggests that leachate is flowing above the
Plenus Marls. Hydraulic head measurements whilst drilling a borehole to the base of the lower Chalk approx. 70
m bgl revealed the potential for upward groundwater flow through the Plenus Marls. Thus, previously-drilled
boreholes penetrating the Plenus Marls are expected to recharge upwards into the shallow aquifer above the
Plenus Marls diluting any leachate in the upper aquifer and distorting the flow regime. Several of these boreholes
have subsequently been modified to stem the flow across the Plenus Marls.
One borehole down-gradient to the west of the site revealed a large thickness of drift composed of both sand and
clay rich material. This suggests the existence of a buried channel, the hydrogeological significance of which has
yet to be assessed.
Groundwater chemistry appears to be influenced by three major factors. (a) the landfill leachate (b) the composition
of shallow groundwater in the top 10 m of the Chalk, and (c) the composition of water from the Lower
Chalk. Limited groundwater monitoring data appear to display a cyclic variation in chloride concentration. The
origin for this is not clear but it may correlate with cyclic variations in groundwater levels when the water table
rises into the waste. Cyclic flushing of the landfill may release leachate into the aquifer giving rise to pulses of
chloride. Alternatively changes in chloride may arise by the changing direction of groundwater flow which as yet
has not been assessed.
A conceptual hydrogeological model in which flow is limited to above the Plenus Marls has been used to
develop a more appropriate groundwater flow and solute transport model. However, the model lacks data on
aquifer properties, on contaminant inputs concentrations, fluxes and spatial variations, and there is a paucity of
monitoring data for calibration. Nonetheless preliminary transport modelling using an equivalent porous medium
approach shows that an effective porosity of about 5% best fits the regional data. Since this is much less than the
total porosity of about 40% for the Chalk, it would appear that only part of the Chalk is available for flow but
that matrix diffusion could play an important role in leachate attenuation. Discrete fracture modelling using the
FRACTRAN code has allowed some scoping to be made of the hydraulic properties of the aquifer by comparison
with chloride hydrographs, but these again need to be better conditioned by in-situ measurement of fracture
distributions and transmissivities.
A number of additional activities are required to improve the understanding of flow and contaminant transport at
the site. These include better spatial definition of the waste distribution, improved data on the hydraulic properties
of the Chalk aquifer, and the use of automatic monitoring to record temporal changes in groundwater chemistry
and groundwater levels
Study of the lineshape of the chi(c1) (3872) state
A study of the lineshape of the chi(c1) (3872) state is made using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected in pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV with the LHCb detector. Candidate chi(c1)(3872) and psi(2S) mesons from b-hadron decays are selected in the J/psi pi(+)pi(-) decay mode. Describing the lineshape with a Breit-Wigner function, the mass splitting between the chi(c1 )(3872) and psi(2S) states, Delta m, and the width of the chi(c1 )(3872) state, Gamma(Bw), are determined to be (Delta m=185.598 +/- 0.067 +/- 0.068 Mev,)(Gamma BW=1.39 +/- 0.24 +/- 0.10 Mev,) where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Using a Flatte-inspired model, the mode and full width at half maximum of the lineshape are determined to be (mode=3871.69+0.00+0.05 MeV.)(FWHM=0.22-0.04+0.13+0.07+0.11-0.06-0.13 MeV, ) An investigation of the analytic structure of the Flatte amplitude reveals a pole structure, which is compatible with a quasibound D-0(D) over bar*(0) state but a quasivirtual state is still allowed at the level of 2 standard deviations
An appraisal of the VLF ground resistivity technique as an aid to mineral exploration
To assist the Department of Industry Mineral
Reconnaissance Program (DIMRP) limited research
has been undertaken to provide guidelines on new
geophysical prospecting systems, field techniques
and general exploration methodology.
A short study has been made of the ground
VLF resistivity (VLF-R) method to assess its
potential for mineral prospecting and geological
mapping. Field trials confirm that the method is
well suited for mapping broad mineralised zones,
flat lying conductors of limited lateral extent, or
abrupt changes in conductivity associated with
geological contacts. In resistive terrains the method
offers distinct operational advantages over galvanic
resistivity methods. The principal disadvantages of
the technique relate to interpretational ambiguities
associated with the complex behaviour of surface
impedance at VLF and the fact that the operator
has no effective control over the depth of investigation.
Theoretical model studies show that too
small and too large a penetration can both result
in non-detection of a resistive target, but that
excessive penetration will not seriously affect the
resolution of conductive targets
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