South Wales

Carboniferous rocks in this region occur in a broadly east-west trending syncline, the core of which includes the South Wales and Pembrokeshire coalfields (Fig. 5.1). Tournaisian and Visean strata (Avon and Pembroke Limestone groups) represent deposition on a southward prograding carbonate ramp evolving into a carbonate shelf (Wright 1987), in a succession which shows similarities to that of the Bristol and Mendips areas (Chapter 6). The main outcrops, in south Pembrokeshire, Gower and the Vale of Glamorgan, occur along the southern periphery of the coalfields and are commonly affected by Variscan thrusting and folding. Thinner successions occur along what is termed the East Crop and North Crop of the South Wales Coalfield, where much of the Visean succession is absent due to sub-Namurian and intra-Visean unconformities. Namurian fluvio-deltaic deposits (Marros Group) flank the South Wales and Pembrokeshire coalfields. Much of the lower and middle Namurian succession is absent across the region, except in the west of the South Wales Coalfield where only small parts are absent beneath an intra-Namurian unconformity. Westphalian fluvio-lacustrine deposits (South Wales Coal Measures Group) form the South Wales and Pembrokeshire coalfields, located to the east and west of Carmarthen Bay, respectively. Westphalian to Stephanian Pennant alluvial facies (Warwickshire Group) occur in the core of the South Wales Coalfield syncline. Deposition of the South Wales Coal Measures and Warwickshire groups was probably laterally contiguous with those in the Bristol and Somerset coalfields (Chapter 6), but the Usk-Cowbridge High controlled and restricted sedimentation for much of the Carboniferous, with pre-Namurian uplift and erosion removing the Tournaisian and Visean succession. Later uplift is also believed to have caused attenuation of the Warwickshire Group in the east of the South Wales Coalfield. The lithostratigraphical nomenclature for the region is that of Waters et al. (2007; 2009)

An Economic Analysis of Costs Associated with Development of a Cell Salvage Program

BACKGROUND: The increasing cost of blood products and associated risks of transfusion have lead to a heightened interest in techniques which reduce or replace allogeneic blood transfusion. The use of cell salvage is being explored in a number of institutions. We present financial information which may be useful to institutions that are considering the addition of a cell salvage service. METHODS: A review of the cell salvage data from 2328 patients was used to estimate the average cost of a packed red blood cell unit equivalent processed by cell salvage equipment. In addition, an analysis was performed to assess the break-even point of establishing a cell salvage service. RESULTS: Initial capital outlay to establish a cell salvage service at this institution was $103,551. The annual fixed operating cost was$250,943. The average cost of transfusion of an allogeneic packed red blood cell unit was $200. For an equivalent cell salvage unit, the cost was$89.46. The payback period was 1.9 mo. CONCLUSION: This analysis suggests that cell salvage can be significantly less expensive than allogeneic blood. The cost of cell salvage in other institutions will vary depending upon case volume, expected levels of blood loss per case, and initial investment costs. A step-by-step formula is provided to assist in the evaluation of a cell salvage service in hospitals of various sizes

Lithostratigraphy of the Old Red Sandstone successions of the Anglo-Welsh Basin

This report presents a revised lithostratigraphy of the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin, prepared under the auspices of the British Geological Survey (BGS) Stratigraphical Framework Committee (SFC). The report provides a correlation of the successions in different parts of the basin and rationalises group and formation nomenclature for the outcrops of Old Red Sandstone in England and Wales. It is based on a previous discussion document (Barclay, unpublished MS, 2007) which presented options in a three-step approach towards rationalisation to a proposed single, standard scheme that can be applied to most of the Pridoli–Lochkovian succession (lower part of the Lower Old Red Sandstone) of the Anglo-Welsh Basin. The earlier discussion document was circulated among geologists with expertise in the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin in and outside the British Geological Survey. This version takes account of the suggestions for improvement and comments made during the consultation process. One significant change from previous classifications concerns the base of the Old Red Sandstone. There is a consensus that this should be placed at the base of the first major incoming of red- or green-bed (‘Old Red Sandstone’) terrestrial facies, thereby excluding the shallow marine Downton Castle Sandstone and Tilestones formations that have traditionally been included in the Old Red Sandstone. The report proposes the introduction of two new names and group status for the successions traditionally referred to as the Lower Old Red Sandstone and Upper Old Red Sandstone. The two successions are separated by the major, regional, cleavage-forming Acadian unconformity, and because of this, the authors have made a case for giving them supergroup status. However, they are here accorded group status in accordance with practice in the other Old Red Sandstone basins of the United Kingdom, both onshore and offshore. In nationwide standardisation, all the groups are informally referred to the as-yet undefined parent ‘Old Red Sandstone Supergroup’, although the authors propose that the term ‘Old Red Sandstone’ is best retained as a facies (or magnafacies) term. The Lower Old Red Sandstone is termed the Daugleddau Group and the Upper Old Red Sandstone is termed the Brecon Beacons Group

Uncertainty in mapped geological boundaries held by a national geological survey: eliciting the geologists' tacit error model

It is generally accepted that geological line work, such as mapped boundaries, are uncertain for various reasons. It is difficult to quantify this uncertainty directly, because the investigation of error in a boundary at a single location may be costly and time consuming, and many such observations are needed to estimate an uncertainty model with confidence. However, it is recognized across many disciplines that experts generally have a tacit model of the uncertainty of information that they produce (interpretations, diagnoses, etc.) and formal methods exist to extract this model in usable form by elicitation. In this paper we report a trial in which uncertainty models for geological boundaries mapped by geologists of the British Geological Survey (BGS) in six geological scenarios were elicited from a group of five experienced BGS geologists. In five cases a consensus distribution was obtained, which reflected both the initial individually elicited distribution and a structured process of group discussion in which individuals revised their opinions. In a sixth case a consensus was not reached. This concerned a boundary between superficial deposits where the geometry of the contact is hard to visualize. The trial showed that the geologists' tacit model of uncertainty in mapped boundaries reflects factors in addition to the cartographic error usually treated by buffering line work or in written guidance on its application. It suggests that further application of elicitation, to scenarios at an appropriate level of generalization, could be useful to provide working error models for the application and interpretation of line work

Can nuclear weapons fallout mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch?

Many scientists are making the case that humanity is living in a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, but there is no agreement yet as to when this epoch began. The start might be defined by a historical event, such as the beginning of the fossil-fueled Industrial Revolution or the first nuclear explosion in 1945. Standard stratigraphic practice, however, requires a more significant, globally widespread, and abrupt signature, and the fallout from nuclear weapons testing appears most suitable. The appearance of plutonium 239 (used in post- 1945 above-ground nuclear weapons tests) makes a good marker: This isotope is rare in nature but a significant component of fallout. It has other features to recommend it as a stable marker in layers of sedimentary rock and soil, including: long half-life, low solubility, and high particle reactivity. It may be used in conjunction with other radioactive isotopes, such as americium 241 and carbon 14, to categorize distinct fallout signatures in sediments and ice caps. On a global scale, the first appearance of plutonium 239 in sedimentary sequences corresponds to the early 1950s. While plutonium is easily detectable over the entire Earth using modern measurement techniques, a site to define the Anthropocene (known as a Ògolden spikeÓ) would ideally be located between 30 and 60 degrees north of the equator, where fallout is maximal, within undisturbed marine or lake environments

National geological screening : the Pennines and adjacent areas

This report is the published product of one of a series of studies covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland commissioned by Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Ltd. The report provides geological information about the Pennines and adjacent areas region to underpin the process of national geological screening set out in the UK’s government White Paper Implementing geological disposal: a framework for the long-term management of higher activity radioactive waste (DECC, 2014). The report describes geological features relevant to the safety requirements of a geological disposal facility (GDF) for radioactive waste emplaced onshore and up to 20 km offshore at depths between 200 and 1000 m from surface. It is written for a technical audience but is intended to inform RWM in its discussions with communities interested in finding out about the potential for their area to host a GDF

National geological screening : Northern England region

This report is the published product of one of a series of studies covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland commissioned by Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Ltd. The report provides geological information about the Northern England region to underpin the process of national geological screening set out in the UK’s government White Paper Implementing geological disposal: a framework for the long-term management of higher activity radioactive waste (DECC, 2014). The report describes geological features relevant to the safety requirements of a geological disposal facility (GDF) for radioactive waste emplaced onshore and up to 20 km offshore at depths between 200 and 1000 m from surface. It is written for a technical audience but is intended to inform RWM in its discussions with communities interested in finding out about the potential for their area to host a GDF

The geological cycle of plastics and their use as a stratigraphic indicator of the Anthropocene

The rise of plastics since the mid-20th century, both as a material element of modern life and as a growing environmental pollutant, has been widely described. Their distribution in both the terrestrial and marine realms suggests that they are a key geological indicator of the Anthropocene, as a distinctive stratal component. Most immediately evident in terrestrial deposits, they are clearly becoming widespread in marine sedimentary deposits in both shallow- and deep-water settings. They are abundant and widespread as macroscopic fragments and virtually ubiquitous as microplastic particles; these are dispersed by both physical and biological processes, not least via the food chain and the ‘faecal express’ route from surface to sea floor. Plastics are already widely dispersed in sedimentary deposits, and their amount seems likely to grow several-fold over the next few decades. They will continue to be input into the sedimentary cycle over coming millennia as temporary stores – landfill sites – are eroded. Plastics already enable fine time resolution within Anthropocene deposits via the development of their different types and via the artefacts (‘technofossils’) they are moulded into, and many of these may have long-term preservation potential when buried in strata

Polarization transfer in the 4^{4}He(e⃗,e′p⃗3(\vec{e},e' \vec{p}^{3}H reaction

Polarization transfer in the 4He(e,e'p)3H reaction at a Q^2 of 0.4 (GeV/c)^2 was measured at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. The ratio of the transverse to the longitudinal polarization components of the ejected protons was compared with the same ratio for elastic ep scattering. The results are consistent with a recent fully relativistic calculation which includes a predicted medium modification of the proton form factor based on a quark-meson coupling model.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, 2 postscript figures, submitted to Physics Letters