Aggregates : is there a need for indigenous production in England?

Quality of life in a modern society depends on having the right infrastructure, of the right quality, in the right places – housing, schools, hospitals, transport links, workplaces and recreation facilities. All these elements of the built environment require aggregates in their construction. However many people today fail to make the connection between their standard of living and the quarries that are required to provide that standard. With the opposition to mineral extraction becoming more vociferous and with increasing competition for land uses, this research project, funded through the Aggregates Levy, examined England’s true ‘need’ for aggregates together with the costs and benefits to society and the economy of indigenous supply. It also considered whether it is physically possible to import large quantities of aggregates and assessed the likely implications of doing so. The research found that the demand for aggregates is created by society’s desire for a high standard of living and that the true ‘need’ is to meet that demand. It determined that aggregates extraction directly contributes £810 million to the English economy and this outweighs the estimated environmental cost of indigenous extraction of approximately £445 million. England’s current aggregates requirement is more than double the existing port capacity for dry bulk cargoes and importing large quantities of aggregates would likely double the cost of this material, with serious consequences for downstream industries. There will continue to be a need to meet demand for aggregates and this will have to be provided mainly from indigenous sources for the foreseeable future

Biodiversity of nematode assemblages from the region of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, an area of commercial mining interest

BACKGROUND: The possibility for commercial mining of deep-sea manganese nodules is currently under exploration in the abyssal Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone. Nematodes have potential for biomonitoring of the impact of commercial activity but the natural biodiversity is unknown. We investigate the feasibility of nematodes as biomonitoring organisms and give information about their natural biodiversity. RESULTS: The taxonomic composition (at family to genus level) of the nematode fauna in the abyssal Pacific is similar, but not identical to, the North Atlantic. Given the immature state of marine nematode taxonomy, it is not possible to comment on the commonality or otherwise of species between oceans. The between basin differences do not appear to be directly linked to current ecological factors. The abyssal Pacific region (including the Fracture Zone) could be divided into two biodiversity subregions that conform to variations in the linked factors of flux to the benthos and of sedimentary characteristics. Richer biodiversity is associated with areas of known phytodetritus input and higher organic-carbon flux. Despite high reported sample diversity, estimated regional diversity is less than 400 species. CONCLUSION: The estimated regional diversity of the CCFZ is a tractable figure for biomonitoring of commercial activities in this region using marine nematodes, despite the immature taxonomy (i.e. most marine species have not been described) of the group. However, nematode ecology is in dire need of further study

Role of tumour necrosis factor gene polymorphisms (-308 and -238) in breast cancer susceptibility and severity

Introduction Genetic polymorphisms in the promoter region of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) gene can regulate gene expression and have been associated with inflammatory and malignant conditions. We have investigated two polymorphisms in the promoter of the TNF gene (-308 G>A and -238 G>A) for their role in breast cancer susceptibility and severity by means of an allelic association study. Methods Using a case–control study design, breast cancer patients (n = 709) and appropriate age-matched and sex-matched controls obtained from the Breast Screening Unit (n = 498) were genotyped for these TNF polymorphisms, using a high-throughput allelic discrimination method. Results Allele frequencies for both polymorphisms were similar in both breast cancer cases and controls. However, the -308 polymorphism was found to be associated with vascular invasion in breast tumours (P = 0.024). Comparison with other standard prognostic indices did not show any association for either genotype. Conclusions We demonstrated no association between the -308G>A polymorphism and the -238G>A polymorphism in the promoter region of TNF and susceptibility to breast cancer, in a large North European population. However, the -308 G>A polymorphism was found to be associated with the presence of vascular invasion in breast tumours

Relationship between X-ray and ultraviolet emission in 3C 273

In 3C 273, ultraviolet flux and X-ray flux measured by BATSE are not well correlated, contrarily to predictions of several models, unless the X-ray flux lags the UV emission by 1.75 yr. The absence of observed correlation at small lag cannot be due to spectral variability. A Comptonizing corona model is however compatible with all UV and X-ray observations covering the BATSE period.Comment: LaTeX, 4 pages, 6 figures. espcrc2.sty style file included. Poster contribution to the symposium "The Active X-ray Sky: Results from BepppoSAX and Rossi-XTE", Rome, October 199

United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook 2015: statistical data to 2014

The United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook is an annual publication providing comprehensive statistical data on minerals production, consumption and trade, and includes commentary on the UK's minerals industry. It contains: • essential guidance for decision makers • reliable and up–to–date information • authoritative commentary on current developments It is of value to all those interested in the many facets of Britain's minerals industry and its contribution to the national economy. This publication forms part of Britain's continuous mining and quarrying record

United Kingdom minerals yearbook 2014 : statistical data to 2013

The United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook is an annual publication providing comprehensive statistical data on minerals production, consumption and trade, and includes commentary on the UK's minerals industry. It contains: • essential guidance for decision makers • reliable and up–to–date information • authoritative commentary on current developments It is of value to all those interested in the many facets of Britain's minerals industry and its contribution to the national economy. This publication forms part of Britain's continuous mining and quarrying record

United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook 2013 : statistical data to 2012

The compilers of this volume are grateful for the help received from the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Crown Estate Commissioners, The Crown Mineral Agent, the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Isle of Man Department of Trade and Industry. They would also like to acknowledge the valuable assistance given by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics, the UK Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau, the Mineral Products Association, The Coal Authority and the numerous companies that have generously provided additional information

Proximal lava drainage controls on basaltic fissure eruption dynamics

Hawaiian basaltic eruptions commonly initiate as a fissure, producing fountains, spattering, and clastogenic lava flows. Most fissures rapidly localize to form a small number of eruptive vents, the location of which may influence the subsequent distribution of lava flows and associated hazards. We present results from a detailed field investigation of the proximal deposits of episode 1 of the 1969 fissure eruption of Mauna Ulu, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i. Exceptional preservation of the deposits allows us to reconstruct vent-proximal lava drainage patterns and to assess the role that drainage played in constraining vent localization. Through detailed field mapping, including measurements of the height and internal depth of lava tree moulds, we reconstruct high-resolution topographic maps of the pre-eruption ground surface, the lava high-stand surface and the post-eruption ground surface. We calculate the difference in elevation between pairs of maps to estimate the lava inundation depth and lava drainage depth over the field area and along different segments of fissure. Aerial photographs collected during episode 1 of the eruption allow us to locate those parts of the fissure that are no longer exposed at the surface. By comparing with the inundation and drainage maps, we find that fissure segments that were inundated with lava to greater depths (typically 1–6 m) during the eruption later became foci of lava drainage back into the fissure (internal drain-back). We infer that, in these areas, lava ponding over the fissure suppressed discharge of magma, thereby favouring drain-back and stagnation. By contrast, segments with relatively shallow inundation (typically less than ~ 1 m), such as where the fissure intersects pre-eruptive topographic highs, or where flow away from the vent (outflow) was efficient, are often associated with sub-circular vent geometries in the post-eruption ground surface. We infer that these parts of the fissure became localization points for ongoing magma ascent and discharge. We conclude that lava inundation and drainage processes in basaltic fissure eruptions can play an important role in controlling their localization and longevity

Minerals information for Europe: developments towards a more consistent future

Access to data and information relating to the current and potential supply of minerals in Europe is of fundamental importance to policy-makers at all levels of government and also to the European manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. However, the availability of data across the individual countries of Europe is variable and the quality of those data is inconsistent. Whilst statistical data on the production and trade of minerals has been compiled by the British Geological Survey (BGS) for many years, no dataset existed for mineral resources, reserves or exploration activities at a European level. A two year project called ‘Minerals Intelligence Network for Europe’ (Minerals4EU) aimed to begin the process of addressing these data gaps by bringing together all the available statistical data relating to mineral production, trade, resources, reserves, exploration and, for the first time, mineral-based secondary materials into the most comprehensive European Minerals Yearbook ever attempted. This new Yearbook was delivered digitally via an innovative EU Knowledge Data Platform which also included the compilation of spatial data relating to the location of mineral deposits across many countries of Europe. This paper includes basic facts about the Minerals4EU project, highlights some of the features of the Yearbook and provides examples of the available statistical data from 40 European countries. The project involved the collaboration of 31 organisations across 26 different nationalities and in itself provided valuable lessons in how disparate countries and cultures can work together towards a common aim. There is still much work to do in this area but at least the process has begun

From empire to enterprise: 100 years of history through mineral extraction statistics

In 1913, the average annual wage in the UK was £72, the British Empire was approaching its peak in size and 162 million tonnes of iron ore was produced worldwide. The latter figure appears to be a huge quantity but 100 years later, in 2012, this had increased to nearly 3000 million tonnes, a 1700 per cent increase. However, the rate of production increase during the century has not been smooth, with output nearly trebling since 2001 alone. Perhaps it is not surprising that consumption and production of most minerals have increased over the last 100 years,but which ones have experienced the most dramatic changes? Is it the so called ‘critical’ or ‘technology’ metals used in an array of modern devices such as mobile phones and photovoltaic cells, or the more common, bulk minerals such as coal or iron ore? Furthermore, how have the principal producing countries changed over time? The British Geological Survey (BGS) is one of only two organisations globally that has the data to address these questions. A team at the BGS collects, analyses and publishes mineral production data by country for more than 70 commodities. The BGS dataset contains continuous annual data from 1913 and in 2014 the BGS published its 100th year of data. This paper examines the variations in the production of minerals between 1913 and 2012, as reflected in the BGS data. Human development, innovation and enterprise have evolved dramatically over the last century and are clearly reflected in global mineral production statistics. Particular sectors such as aerospace, the automotive industry and technological developments are used to illuminate trends and highlight significant changes that have occurred over the past 100 years