Retardation of Particle Evaporation from Excited Nuclear Systems Due to Thermal Expansion

Particle evaporation rates from excited nuclear systems at equilibrium matter density are studied within the Harmonic-Interaction Fermi Gas Model (HIFGM) combined with Weisskopf's detailed balance approach. It is found that thermal expansion of a hot nucleus, as described quantitatively by HIFGM, leads to a significant retardation of particle emission, greatly extending the validity of Weisskopf's approach. The decay of such highly excited nuclei is strongly influenced by surface instabilities

Ichnology, sedimentology, and orbital cycles in the hemipelagic Early Jurassic Laurasian Seaway (Pliensbachian, Cardigan Bay Basin, UK)

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordAn uncommonly continuous Lower Jurassic (uppermost Sinemurian and Pliensbachian) section (Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) Borehole, Cardigan Bay Basin, UK) comprises hemipelagic calcareous mudstone, wackestone/siltstone and subordinate packstone/sandstone. Some beds show bigradational grading, and their sedimentary structures are typical of contourite drift facies. On the basis of the long-term persistence and stability of the currents that formed these deposits, sedimentation was likely controlled by thermohaline-driven geostrophic contour currents circulating between the Boreal ocean and Peri-Tethys through the narrow and relatively deep Cardigan Bay Basin (Cardigan Bay Strait). Trace fossils are strongly dominated by Phycosiphon incertum, which was produced by opportunistic colonizers. Thalassinoides, Schaubcylindrichnus and Teichichnus are common, accompanied by less common Zoophycos, Planolites, Palaeophycus, Trichichnus and dwelling structures such as cf. Polykladichnus, Siphonichnus and Skolithos. The ichnofabrics are usually simple, which results from generally high rates of deposition, unstable, water-saturated soft-ground substrate, and the domination of well-adapted Phycosiphon, but there are also cyclic appearances of more complex ichnofabrics with dwelling structures, reflecting more stable bottom conditions. A new detailed analysis of the core has allowed cycles to be distinguished based on combination of ichnological and sedimentological features, pointing to distinct cyclicity of oceanographic mechanisms influenced by orbital forcing and driving the inferred fluctuations in benthic life conditions, controlled mainly by variation in contour current intensity and oxygenation of bottom water reflected by trace fossils. The ichnological cycles show four-order hierarchy, which can be attributed to the orbital cycles: precession and obliquity (4th order), short eccentricity (3rd order), and long eccentricity (2nd order). The longest (~ 2.5 Myr) 1st order cyclicity is attributable to the longer ‟grand orbital cycles” (period related to the Earth–Mars secular resonance), with long-term impacts on palaeoclimatic and oceanic circulation dynamics, and is recorded in large-scale changes in ichnodiversity, correlating with long-term changes of clay minerals and carbonate content. Possibly, there is also ~ 9 Myr cyclicity, expressed in observed modulation of frequency of precession cycles by eccentricity. Harmonic analysis of the cyclicity gives high confidence of orbital signals and allows refined estimation of duration of the Pliensbachian (~8.4 Myr) and the jamesoni (~2.8 Myr), ibex (~ 2.0 Myr), davoei (~ 0.47 Myr), margaritatus (~ 2.33 Myr) and spinatum zones (~ 0.8 Myr) with an overall stable sedimentation rate of 4.5–5.1 cm/kyr. Obtained durations show improved fit between 2nd–4th and 1st order cycle and removes the problem of an anomalously long duration and resulting much lower sedimentation rate for the spinatum Zone, previously obtained by other methods. A higher diversity of trace fossils is noticed in intervals enriched in smectite; most likely, this clay mineral occluded pore spaces and limited the competition from the opportunist Phycosiphon makers, allowing development of other, more specialized forms. The continuous, expanded ichnological record of deep-water hemipelagic/contour drift sediments is sensitive to climatic and oceanographic changes controlled by orbital cycles. The Cardigan Bay Strait played an important role in the Early Jurassic (at least Pliensbachian) oceanic circulation, providing a major link between the northern and southern part of the Laurasian Seaway (and in general between the Boreal and Peri-Tethys domains), funneling currents flowing from the north to the south.National Science Centre, PolandInternal Polish Geological InstituteNatural Environment Research Council (NERC

Initial results of coring at Prees, Cheshire Basin, UK (ICDP JET project): towards an integrated stratigraphy, timescale, and Earth system understanding for the Early Jurassic

This is the final version. Available on open access from Copernicus Publications via the DOI in this recordData availability: Full core scan data (https://doi.org/10.5285/91392f09-25d4-454c-aece-56bde0dbf3ba, BGS Core Scanning Facility, 2022) will be available after 1 November 2024 via the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) National Geoscience Data Centre (https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html#, last access: 12 October 2023). Downhole logging data (https://doi.org/10.5880/ICDP.5065.001​​​​​​​, Wonik, 2023) will be made available via the ICDP (https://www.icdp-online.org/projects/by-continent/europe/jet-uk/, last access: 12 October 2023). The JET Operational Report is published as Hesselbo et al. (2023); full information about the operational dataset, the logging dataset, data availability and the explanatory remarks is available on the ICPD-JET project website: https://www.icdp-online.org/projects/by-continent/europe/jet-uk/ (last access: 12 October 2023). A subset of data, additional biostratigraphic tables, and vector graphics files for Figs. 3–5 are included as the Supplement. Supplementary Data File 1 tabulates the corrected depth scale for Prees 2C. Supplementary Data File 2 summarizes the ammonite-based chronostratigraphy of the Prees 2 cores (ammonite identifications by Kevin N. Page). Supplementary Data File 3 summarizes the ammonite-based chronostratigraphy for the Hettangian to Early Pliensbachian of the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole (updated by Kevin N. Page). Supplementary Data File 4 tabulates the organic carbon-isotope ratios, TOC, and carbonate content of low-resolution samples taken at the Prees drill site; TOC and carbonate data are calculated using calibration based on portable XRF (Supplementary Data File 5) and a gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Supplementary Data File 6). Supplementary Data File 5 tabulates portable XRF results for bulk rock powders of low-resolution samples taken at the Prees drill site; uncertainties stated in the table are given for the fit to the raw data and do not reflect the true reproducibility of the data. Empty fields indicate values under the detection limit. Sample SSK116001 acted as a repeat sample which was measured 70 times over the course of the data acquisition to determine the repeatability and drift of the instrument. LE stands for “light elements”. Supplementary Data File 6 tabulates gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GS-IRMS) data (oxygen- and carbon-isotope ratios of carbonate as well as carbonate content calculated as calcite) for a set of 24 samples covering the entire core length and reflecting a representative spread of carbonate content. Comparison of GS-IRMS data with p-XRF data was used to create a calibration curve to calculate the carbonate (and TOC) content of all low-resolution samples. Supplementary Data File 7 tabulates pyrolysis data (Rock-Eval 6) for Prees 1 well cuttings and Wilkesley borehole samples. Supplementary Data File 8 contains vector graphics files (.svg) for Figs. 3–5.Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian–Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole drilled through 1967–1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2 m below surface (m b.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0 m b.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32 m (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7 % for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name “Prees Siltstone Member” is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in the Early Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organic carbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian and earliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4 % total organic carbon (TOC) is recorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1 % TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of ∼ 1 m, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminary results promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes.ICDPNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)German Research FoundationHungarian Scientific Research FundNational Science Centre, PolandPolish Geological Institut

Future energy mix and the role of CCS in Poland - conclusions from recent conferences in Germany and Poland

Recent conferences in Germany and Poland outlined future scenarios of energy mix and CCS in Poland.With CCS the emissions of CO2 can be reduced considerably, despite technical and economical challenges. Fossil fuels will maintain significant share in energy mix in next decades due to sufficient supply and relatively low prices, which will negatively influence the growth of renewable energy. Poland might play a major role in development of CCS, particularly in research and development (R&D). Industry should play a key role in implementation of new technologies, including CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) and CCU (Carbon Capture and Utility). Global agreements, international strategies and projects are necessary, while achievement of these are grim due to conflicting political and economical interests. Market-oriented approach (including universal carbon tax) is now more promising than technology-oriented one. The use of shale gas , is in general environmentally desirable way for Poland. Professional public communication and education is urgently needed due to an inherited deficit of social capital and irresponsible activity of some NGOs, often driven by particular interests

Storage of hydrocarbons in salt caverns — strategic significance and the use of salt brine as a medium for improvement of environment

Storage of strategic hydrocarbon resources (petroleum, fuel and natural gas resources) in subsurface repositories (geologic structures) is a strategic necessity in countries largely dependent on oil and gas supply from abroad. Benefits of creating strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) and natural gas storage facilities for these countries are obvious: SPRs are a first line of defense against interruption in critical oil and natural gas supplies, and they provide economic security and increase regional stability. Easily accessible sites located near the nodes of existing pipelines, main industrial centers and NATO bases should be targeted for safe storage of liquid fuels, crude oil or gas. With little national storage capacity, Poland has been near extremis a few times due to interruptions in the flow of crude oil and natural gas. It is in the Polish national interest for the country to establish a Strategic Petroleum Reserve for liquid fuels and natural gas reserves, which would provide a cushion against the negative impacts of a hydrocarbon shortage on its economy and national security. The same problem concerns most of the new NATO member countries in Central and Eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary). These countries are potential beneficiaries of this project. Among them, only Poland is blessed with abundant geologic salt structures, i.e. thick bedded salts and salt domes. Therefore, Poland can provide storage capacity also for the NATO allies (and other EU members). The Department’s agent in this effort is the Polish Geological Institute (PGI), performing duties of the Polish Geological Survey. PGI established cooperation with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in the United States and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). The project was accepted and implemented as a short-term project in April 2005 (NATO-CCMS project EAP.CMS-PS 982185). The purpose of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of using subsurface salt deposit repositories for strategic oil, liquid fuel and gas storage, and for using generated brines to improve the ecological and environmental conditions of the Baltic Sea. The last expansion of NATO involves the necessity of developing new military bases, including the need for safe storage of logistic fuels. Occurrence of salt domes nearby most of the planned bases in Poland provides an excellent place for safe (both from the military and environmental point of view) storage of fuels. Only dry salt caverns (without use of salt brine, operated by pressurized nitrogen) will be applied for logistic fuel storage. Previous experimental studies had shown that some logistic fuels (including jet fuels) stored in salt caverns for five years did not change significantly as far as concerns their chemical and physical properties and they were still fully usable after five years of such storage. Construction of fuel repositories for NATO bases in salt domes also provides an environmental advantage. The traditional approach (adopted for example in the existing NATO "Minimum Military Requirement" and Capability Package- CP 22) uses steel tanks. However, surface steel tanks are exposed to natural weather hazards and potential terrorist attack - not mentioning their vulnerability to warfare attacks. Steel tanks hidden at a shallow depth (up to some 20 m) in the ground are much more expensive, although somewhat safer-the threats mentioned above are reduced. However, underground storage of fuel poses another threat - leakage of toxic fuel might be hazardous to groundwater supplies. Construction inexpensive repositories at a depth of several hundred meters, in naturally isolated rock salt, make them safe concerning any contamination of the environment and other threats. Above all, such repositories meet strategic requirements - they are practically immune to any warfare attack. Five salt domes in central Poland were indicated as the most suitable sites for logistic fuel repositories and preliminary geological assessment was prepared. In the future this project should gain more interest because of security issues and may warrant further investigation for Poland as well as other NATO countries. Construction of repositories in salt provides a substantial cost advantage (underground salt repositories are about 85% - 800 % less costly than traditional surface steel tanks). Moreover, storage of hydrocarbons in geologic structures is much safer from a strategic and ecological point of view. Most of the salt deposits considered for an SPR in Poland were formed in the Late Permian epoch. The proposed full scale project also addresses potential ecological problems connected with the by-product from leaching large salt caverns. Construction of large strategic petroleum repositories can produce tens of million of tons of salt brine. As the big petroleum repositories will likely be built at the Baltic Sea coast, this project involves a new paradigm concerning treatment and disposal of the excess salt brine. The salt brine can be used as an agent for re-cultivation of the Baltic sea-bottom where anoxic conditions prevail. Due to the influx of anthropogenic contaminants (industrial discharges, phosphate and nitrogen communal and agricultural pollutants, etc.), the periodic, natural influx of heavier and well-oxygenated waters from the North Sea can no longer cope with the negative effects of resulting eutrophication. This is by far the most severe ecological problem in the entire Baltic Sea region. It is proposed that diluted and oxygenated, but somewhat heavier than sea water salt brine be pumped through a pipeline directly to the deeper parts of the Baltic Sea. The enhanced (oxygenated) salt brine could serve to re-establish the life and improve the ecological environment in the Baltic Sea bottom, a positive environmental impact. This project may contribute to fulfillment of at least four of the general objectives of NATO-SPS projects- it reduces to a minimum the negative environmental impact of both civil and military repositories, it conducts regional studies including cross-border activities (particularly in the field of Baltic Sea protection), by building new repositories it can serve to prevent possible crises related to scarcity of energy resources from interruption of oil or gas supplies, and it addresses emerging risks to the environment by using salt brine as an agent contributing to biological recovery of the Baltic Sea

Sedimentological profile of the pre-Callovian (Jurassic) siliciclastic deposits in the Cianowice 2 borehole (near Kraków, Poland)

W otworze Cianowice 2 (okolice Krakowa), bezpośrednio na niezgodności erozyjnej ze zmetamorfizowanymi łupkami neoproterozoiku (ediakaru), a pod węglanowymi utworami jury środkowej (keloweju), występuje ponad 20-metrowy kompleks utworów silikoklastycznych (brekcje, zlepieńce, piaskowce, mułowce z podrzędnymi wkładkami węgli, syderytów i margli). Wykonane w czterech próbkach analizy palinologiczne pozwoliły uzyskać stosunkowo ubogi zespół miosporowy o szerokim zasięgu stratygraficznym, niedający rozstrzygających rezultatów, potwierdzający bardzo ogólnie jedynie jurajski wiek utworów (Jadwiga Ziaja, inf. ustna). Pozycja stratygraficzna tych utworów nie jest jasna – mogą one należeć zarówno do wczesnej jury, do środkowej jury, jak i obu tych epok, a najniższe warstwy grubookruchowe mogą być jeszcze starsze i reprezentować późny trias. Cały nawiercony kompleks silikoklastyczny został podzielony na pięć wyraźnych sukcesji. W poszczególnych sukcesjach dominują podrzędne cykle proste o ziarnie (i energii przepływu) malejący ku górze. Sukcesja 1 składa się z brekcji i zlepieńców o nieuporządkowanej strukturze, co wskazuje na spływy mułowe (soliflukcyjne), przechodzące być może w spływy wodne w środowisku stożków aluwialnych. Sukcesja 2 składa się z pięciu cykli prostych piaszczysto-mułowcowych, ze śladami wegetacji roślinnej, utworzonych na równi rzecznej. Sukcesja 3 składa się w całości z mułowców o genezie jeziorno-bagiennej, z licznymi śladami wegetacji roślinnej i węglami w stropie. Sukcesje 4 i 5 to ponownie sukcesje złożone z cykli prostych o genezie rzecznej. Cały profil badanych utworów silikoklastycznych wykazuje peneplenizację żywej początkowo rzeźby obszarów źródłowych i ciągły spadek energii procesów depozycyjnych ku górze aż do stropu sukcesji 3 z węglami, a następnie ponowny nawrót równi rzecznej. Poszczególne sukcesje są oddzielone powierzchniami nieciągłości (przeważnie erozyjnymi, jedynie spąg sukcesji 3 ma charakter odpowiednika powierzchni mogącej być korelatywną powierzchnią transgresji), które mogą stanowić regionalne powierzchnie korelacyjne (zwłaszcza dolne granice sukcesji 1, 3 i 5). Sukcesje o dolnych granicach erozyjnych mogą odpowiadać sekwencjom depozycyjnym. Porównania regionalne otworu wiertniczego Cianowice 2 z otworem Parkoszowice 58 BN położonym ok. 40 km na północny zachód skłaniają do uznania tych utworów wstępnie za jurę dolną (najprawdopodobniej pliensbach–toark), grubookruchowe utwory sukcesji 1 w spągu otworu mogą reprezentować także wiek późnotriasowy. Do czasu uzyskania bardziej precyzyjnych danych biostratygraficznych lub chemostratygraficznych nie można potwierdzić tego z całą pewnością ponad stwierdzenie, że są to utwory jurajskie starsze od keloweju.In the Cianowice 2 borehole (located in the vicinity of Kraków), straight on the erosional unconformity on the top of metamorphosed Neo-Proterozoic (Ediacaran) shales and below carbonate deposits of Callovian, 20 meters thick interval of siliciclastic rocks has been encountered. The siliciclastic rocks are composed of conglomerates, sandstones, mudstones and subordinate intercalations of coal, siderite and marls. Stratigraphical position of this interval can be inferred based on poorly-preserved miospore assemblage, spanning relatively long geological time (Jadwiga Ziaja, pers. comm.) – it can represent either Early or Middle Jurassic, or both of those epochs, while the lowermost coarse-grained package can be even of an older, i.e. Triassic age. The interval was subdivided into 5 well-distinguished sedimentary successions, separated by bounding surfaces, mostly of erosional character – only succession 3 starts with sharp lithological contrast between sandy deposits and overlying mudstones, which reflects flooding and rapid retrogradation (either lacustrine or lagoonal). All these bounding surfaces (particularly bottoms of successions 1, 3 and 5) are of regional correlative significance-erosional bounding surfaces can represent sequence boundaries, while bottom of the succession 3 can represent correlative surface of a transgression. In each succession, except for the lowermost one, subordinate fining-upward cycles are dominating. They represent diminishing-upward energy of transport. The succession 1 is composed of breccia and conglomerates with chaotic structure, indicative of mudflow – dominated fans, possibly passing into alluvial fans and back to the mudflow fan again in the top. There is a marked lithological contrast (possibly connected also with considerable hiatus) between the coarse-grained deposits of succession 1 and following successions built of fine-grained sandstones, siltstones, mudstones and claystones. The succession 2 is composed of five fining-upward cycles, indicative of fluvial environment (fluvial plain), with traces of plant vegetation. The succession 3 is entirely composed of mudstones of lacustrine origin, with numerous traces of plant vegetation, siderite concretions and bands and coals at the top. Successions 4 i 5 again contain typical fining-upward fluvial cycles with traces of plant vegetation. The overall profile shows peneplanation of a landscape and continuous diminishing of energy of sedimentary processes up to the top of succession 3 marked with coals. Then, fluvial sedimentation returned. Regional comparison of the Cianowice 2 borehole with borehole Parkoszowice 58 BN, located some 40 km to NW tends to suggest the Early Jurassic (most probably Pliensbachian–Toarcian) age of the profile (the lowermost coarse-grained part can be of a Triassic age), but until more reliable biostratigraphical or chemostratigraphical evidences are obtained, these more detailed interpretations of stratigraphical division remain tentative

Geological museums and theme parks - mainspring of education, development and business

Geodiversity is an important part of environmental and national assets as it plays a fundamental role in contributing to sustainable development. However, it remains one of the least recognised and valued, largely because its attractiveness is still not fully appreciated. Earth sciences inspires our awareness and knowledge. Traditionally, geological museums collected fossils, rocks, minerals and archaeological objects, first to serve the scientific community and then to perform various educational functions for non-specialists. Currently, natural museums frequently became large theme parks, presenting in situ original fossils, models and applying variety of multimedia technologies. On the other hand, such large educational centres serve as nuclei for geoparks (a geopark means a clearly defined territory, which includes a particular geological heritage and a sustainable territorial development strategy supported by a program to promote preserving the geological heritage and development, including the economic one). Therefore, geological museums, theme parks and geoparks work together and they have direct impact on the territory by influencing its inhabitants' living conditions and environment. The objective is to promote geological knowledge and simultaneously to enable the inhabitants to reappropriate the value of the geological heritage and actively participate in the cultural revitalization of a given territory as a whole. Examples from China and Poland show how it can be done, irrespectively of scale and character of naturalmonuments and geodiversity

The first Early Jurassic ammonite find in central Poland

Tragophylloceras cf. loscombi (Sowerby) has been found in the Kaszewy 1 borehole (central Poland), in the Upper Pliensbachian strata (Margaritatus Zone, Subnodosus Subzone), assigned to the Drzewica Formation. Hitherto, all ammonite finds in the epicontinental Lower Jurassic in Poland have been restricted to Western Pomerania (NW Poland). This find points to a wider extent of the transgressive event occurring in the late Margaritatus Zone, following widespread regression at the beginning of this zone. Rapid and pronounced sea level changes in the early Late Pliensbachian confirms the hypothesis linking these changes with glacioeustasy