Stratigraphy and correlation of the Manitou Falls formation, the Athabasca Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iida, Yoshimasa; Ikeda, Koki; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Yamada, Yasuo; Ito, Hiroaki; Goto, Junichi

1996-01-01

Manitou Falls formation is the thick strata of Proterozoic era that spread widely in the uranium deposit zone in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada (Athabasca basin). In order to study in detail underground geological structure by trial boring, it is necessary to distinguish and compare strata by dividing them into the units as small as possible. The Manitou Falls formation is composed of only sandstone and conglomerate, and it does not have simply identified, continuous strata like tuff and coal layers. In the Christie Lake B district located in Eastern Athabasca basin, the division of strata was carried out by utilizing the data of the changes in the volume ratio of conglomerate layer and maximum pebble size and natural radioactivity logging and based on the careful comparison among trial bores. As the result, this formation was divided into the units of 9 strata. As one of the methods of identifying each unit, the comparison of the power spectra of natural radioactivity logging data was attempted. By this means, it was found that the features in the periodicity of stratum accumulation are useful for identifying strata. The outline of the Manitou Falls formation, the location of the investigated district, the basic data for stratigraphy division, the stratigraphy division in Christie Lake B district and the results are reported. (K.I.)

Origin and composition of mineralizing fluids in the Athabasca Basin, Canada; Origine et composition des fluides mineralisateurs dans le Bassin de l'Athabasca, Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richard, A.; Cathelineau, M.; Boiron, M.Ch.; Cuney, M.; Mercadier, J. [G2R, Nancy-Universite, CNRS, CREGU, 54 - Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France); Milesi, J.P. [AREVA, BU Mines, Tour Areva, 92 - Paris La Defense (France)

2009-07-01

The authors report studies aimed at understanding mechanisms of concentration of uranium in the geological environment of the Athabasca Basin (Saskatchewan, Canada). They describe how two brines, a sodic one and a calcic one, circulated and mixed together while carrying uranium with exceptional and very heterogeneous concentrations. They show that these brines have a common origin and are formed by sea water evaporation, that the calcic brine formed itself by interaction between the sodic brine and platform rocks, and that the interactions of brines with platform rocks and minerals, water radiolysis, and bitumen synthesis have controlled the isotopic content in oxygen, hydrogen and carbon of these brines

Spatial and temporal patterns in trace element deposition to lakes in the Athabasca oil sands region (Alberta, Canada)

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Colin A.; Kirk, Jane L.; Muir, Derek C. G.; Wiklund, Johan A.; Wang, Xiaowa; Gleason, Amber; Evans, Marlene S.

2017-12-01

The mining and processing of the Athabasca oil sands (Alberta, Canada) has been occurring for decades; however, a lack of consistent regional monitoring has obscured the long-term environmental impact. Here, we present sediment core results to reconstruct spatial and temporal patterns in trace element deposition to lakes in the Athabasca oil sands region. Early mining operations (during the 1970s and 1980s) led to elevated V and Pb inputs to lakes located quality guidelines, and no spatial or temporal trends were observed in the frequency of guideline exceedence. Our results demonstrate that early mining efforts had an even greater impact on trace element cycling than has been appreciated previously, placing recent monitoring efforts in a critical long-term context.

Outcrop - core correlation and seismic modeling of the Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit, Fort McMurray area, northeast Alberta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hein, F.J. [Alberta Geological Survey, Calgary, AB (Canada); Langenberg, C.W.; Cotterill, D.C.; Berhane, H. [Alberta Geological Survey, Edmonton, AB (Canada); Lawton, D.; Cunningham, J. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada)

1999-11-01

A joint study between the Alberta Geological Survey and the University of Calgary was conducted which involved a detailed facies analysis of cores and outcrops from the Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit in Alberta`s Steepbank area. A unified facies classification for the deposit was developed. Larger scale facies associations were also determined, as well as proxy sonic logs for outcrops used in seismic modeling. The cores which were displayed exhibited detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic analysis of 10 outcrops in the area. 7 refs.

Changes in the areal extents of the Athabasca River, Birch River, and Cree Creek Deltas, 1950-2014, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Timoney, Kevin; Lee, Peter

2016-04-01

Deltas form where riverborne sediment accumulates at the interface of river mouths and their receiving water bodies. Their areal extent is determined by the net effect of processes that increase their extent, such as sediment accumulation, and processes that decrease their extent, such as erosion and subsidence. Through sequential mapping and construction of river discharge and sediment histories, this study examined changes in the subaerial extents of the Cree Creek and Athabasca River Deltas (both on the Athabasca River system) and the Birch River Delta in northern Canada over the period 1950-2014. The purpose of the study was to determine how, when, and why the deltas changed in areal extent. Temporal growth patterns were similar across the Athabasca and Birch River systems indicative of a climatic signal. Little or no areal growth occurred from 1950 to 1968; moderate growth occurred between 1968 and the early to mid-1980s; and rapid growth occurred between 1992 and 2012. Factors that affected delta progradation included dredging, sediment supply, isostatic drowning, delta front bathymetry, sediment capture efficiency, and storms. In relation to sediment delivered, areal growth rates were lowest in the Athabasca Delta, intermediate in the Birch Delta, and highest in the Cree Creek Delta. Annual sediment delivery is increasing in the Cree Creek Delta; there were no significant trends in annual sediment delivery in the Birch and Athabasca Deltas. There was a lag of up to several years between sediment delivery events and progradation. Periods of delta progradation were associated with low water levels of the receiving basins. Predicted climate-change driven declines in river discharge and lake levels may accelerate delta progradation in the region. In the changing ecosystems of northeastern Alberta, inadequate monitoring of vegetation, landforms, and sediment regimes hampers the elucidation of the nature, rate, and causality of ecosystem changes.

Differential effects of high atmospheric N and S deposition on bog plant/lichen tissue and porewater chemistry across the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

Science.gov (United States)

R. Kelman Wieder; Melanie A. Vile; Kimberli D. Scott; Cara M. Albright; Kelly J. McMillen; Dale H. Vitt; Mark E. Fenn

2016-01-01

Oil extraction and development activities in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of northern Alberta, Canada, release NOx, SOx, and NHy to the atmosphere, ultimately resulting in increasing N and S inputs to surrounding ecosystems through atmospheric deposition. Peatlands are a major feature of the northern Alberta landscape, with bogs covering 6-10% of the land area, and...

Radionuclide levels in fish from Lake Athabasca February 1993. Northern River Basins Study project report no.26

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smithson, G.

1993-12-01

The Northern River Basins Study was initiated through the 'Canada-Alberta-Northwest Territories Agreement Respecting the Peace-Athabasca-Slave River Basin Study, Phase II - Technical Studies' which was signed September 27, 1991. The purpose of the study is to understand and characterize the cumulative effects of development on the water and aquatic environment of the Study Area by coordinating with existing programs and undertaking appropriate new technical studies. This publication reports the method and findings of particular work conducted as part of the Northern River Basins Study. As such, the work was governed by a specific terms of reference and is expected to contribute information about the Study Area within the context of the overall study as described by the Study Final Report. This report has been reviewed by the Study Science Advisory Committee in regards to scientific content and has been approved by the Study Board of Directors for public release. It is explicit in the objectives of the Study to report the results of technical work regularly to the public. This objective is served by distributing project reports to an extensive network of libraries, agencies, organizations and interested individuals and by granting universal permission to reproduce the material. This report contains referenced data obtained from external to the Northern River Basins Study. Individuals interested in using external data must obtain permission to do so from the donor agency. (author). 47 refs., 9 tabs., 2 figs

Radionuclide levels in fish from Lake Athabasca February 1993. Northern River Basins Study project report no.26

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smithson, G [Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

1993-12-01

The Northern River Basins Study was initiated through the `Canada-Alberta-Northwest Territories Agreement Respecting the Peace-Athabasca-Slave River Basin Study, Phase II - Technical Studies` which was signed September 27, 1991. The purpose of the study is to understand and characterize the cumulative effects of development on the water and aquatic environment of the Study Area by coordinating with existing programs and undertaking appropriate new technical studies. This publication reports the method and findings of particular work conducted as part of the Northern River Basins Study. As such, the work was governed by a specific terms of reference and is expected to contribute information about the Study Area within the context of the overall study as described by the Study Final Report. This report has been reviewed by the Study Science Advisory Committee in regards to scientific content and has been approved by the Study Board of Directors for public release. It is explicit in the objectives of the Study to report the results of technical work regularly to the public. This objective is served by distributing project reports to an extensive network of libraries, agencies, organizations and interested individuals and by granting universal permission to reproduce the material. This report contains referenced data obtained from external to the Northern River Basins Study. Individuals interested in using external data must obtain permission to do so from the donor agency. (author). 47 refs., 9 tabs., 2 figs.

Assessing climate change impacts on fresh water resources of the Athabasca River Basin, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Narayan Kumar; Du, Xinzhong; Wang, Junye

2017-12-01

Proper management of blue and green water resources is important for the sustainability of ecosystems and for the socio-economic development of river basins such as the Athabasca River Basin (ARB) in Canada. For this reason, quantifying climate change impacts on these water resources at a finer temporal and spatial scale is often necessary. In this study, we used a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess climate change impacts on fresh water resources, focusing explicitly on the impacts to both blue and green water. We used future climate data generated by the Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis Regional Climate Model (CanRCM4) with a spatial resolution of 0.22°×0.22° (~25km) for two emission scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). Results projected the climate of the ARB to be wetter by 21-34% and warmer by 2-5.4°C on an annual time scale. Consequently, the annual average blue and green water flow was projected to increase by 16-54% and 11-34%, respectively, depending on the region, future period, and emission scenario. Furthermore, the annual average green water storage at the boreal region was expected to increase by 30%, while the storage was projected to remain fairly stable or decrease in other regions, especially during the summer season. On average, the fresh water resources in the ARB are likely to increase in the future. However, evidence of temporal and spatial heterogeneity could pose many future challenges to water resource planners and managers. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geology and salt deposits of the Michigan Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, K.S.; Gonzales, S.

1976-07-01

The Silurian-age Salina salt, one of the greatest deposits of bedded rock salt in the world, underlies most of the Michigan basin and parts of the Appalachian basin in Ohio. Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia. Interest in this salt deposit has increased in recent years because there may be one or more areas where it could be used safely as a repository for the underground storage of high-level radioactive wastes. The general geology of the Michigan basin is summarized and the major salt deposits are described in the hope that these data will be useful in determining whether there are any areas in the basin that are sufficiently promising to warrant further detailed study. Distribution of the important salt deposits in the basin is limited to the Southern Peninsula of Michigan

Assessment of multi-trophic changes in a shallow boreal lake simultaneously exposed to climate change and aerial deposition of contaminants from the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Summers, Jamie C; Kurek, Joshua; Rühland, Kathleen M; Neville, Erin E; Smol, John P

2017-08-15

The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) has been intensely developed for industrial bitumen extraction and upgrading since the 1980s. A paucity of environmental monitoring prior to development raises questions about baseline conditions in freshwater systems in the region and ecological responses to industrial activities. Further, climatic changes prompt questions about the relative roles of climate and industry in shaping aquatic ecosystems through time. We use aquatic bioindicators from multiple trophic levels, concentrations of petrogenic contaminants (dibenzothiophenes), and spectrally-inferred chlorophyll-a preserved in well-dated sediments of a closed-basin, shallow lake ~50km away from the main area of industry, in conjunction with climate observations, to assess how the biotic assemblages of a typical AOSR lake have changed during the past ~75years. We examine the contributions of the area's stressors in structuring aquatic communities. Increases in sedimentary measures of petrogenic contaminants provide clear evidence of aerial contaminant deposition from local industry since its establishment, while climate records demonstrate consistent warming and a recent period of reduced precipitation. Quantitative comparisons of biological assemblages from before and after the establishment of regional industry find significant (pshallow systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the Athabasca River and its tributaries

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Erin N.; Short, Jeffrey W.; Schindler, David W.; Hodson, Peter V.; Ma, Mingsheng; Kwan, Alvin K.; Fortin, Barbra L.

2009-01-01

For over a decade, the contribution of oil sands mining and processing to the pollution of the Athabasca River has been controversial. We show that the oil sands development is a greater source of contamination than previously realized. In 2008, within 50 km of oil sands upgrading facilities, the loading to the snowpack of airborne particulates was 11,400 T over 4 months and included 391 kg of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), equivalent to 600 T of bitumen, while 168 kg of dissolved PAC was also deposited. Dissolved PAC concentrations in tributaries to the Athabasca increased from 0.009 μg/L upstream of oil sands development to 0.023 μg/L in winter and to 0.202 μg/L in summer downstream. In the Athabasca, dissolved PAC concentrations were mostly snow, dissolved PAC concentrations were up to 4.8 μg/L, thus, spring snowmelt and washout during rain events are important unknowns. These results indicate that major changes are needed to the way that environmental impacts of oil sands development are monitored and managed. PMID:19995964

Syncrude's Aurora Mine : the key to future Athabasca oil sands development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kershaw, D.

1998-01-01

Syncrude's newest mine, the Aurora mine is located 35 km northeast of Syncrude's existing Mildred Lake plant, across the Athabasca River. It has a potential to produce more than 2.5 billion barrels of bitumen. Aurora will eventually consist of two surface mines, the Aurora North and Aurora South. Mining and extraction will occur at Aurora with the resulting bitumen transported as a froth by pipeline back to the existing plant for upgrading to Syncrude Sweet Blend. A total of 120 km of pipeline will be used. Syncrude has developed a new method of sending oilsand from its Athabasca deposit to the extraction plant. The company plans to phase out the dragline, bucketwheel reclaimer, and conveyor ore mining and delivery system in favour of shovel, truck, and hydrotransport technology. The advantages of hydrotransport include significant energy savings and considerably less plant infrastructure. A hydrotransport prototype is at work at Syncrude's base mine where it is responsible for 15 per cent of the production

Molecular weight distribution of Athabasca bitumen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Champagne, P J; Manolakis, E; Ternan, M

1985-03-01

A sample of whole Athabasca bitumen has been fractionated by preparative g.p.c. The weights of the fractions have been determined and their molecular weights measured by several methods. In contras to previously published data, consistent results were obtained using different solvents (THF, benzene/water) and using different techniques (v.p.o., f.p.d. and g.c.-m.s.). This has resulted in a accurate definition of the molecular weight distribution of Athabasca bitumen.

New understanding in genesis of uranium deposit Bashblak in tarim basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Mingkuan; Zhao Ruiquan

2000-01-01

Using metallogenic theory of hydrogenic uranium deposit and theory of oil-gas reduction, the author makes a re-recognition of the metallogenic mechanism of the biggest uranium deposit in Tarim basin--uranium deposit Bashblak in order to give some reference guide in the prospecting for in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits in the biggest intra-continental basin in China--Tarim basin

Discussion on metallogenic prospect of sandstone-type uranium deposit in Yabulai basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lianshe; Li Xiangping

2003-01-01

Based on characteristics of initial basin type and tectonic reworking process, this article analyses the distribution features of depositional system and subsequent alteration of the target horizon of sandstone-type uranium deposits in Yabulai basin. Guided by prognostic criteria of sandstone-type uranium deposits, authors suggest that the post-depositional tectonic reworking in the basin was quite intense, and uranium metallogenic prospects are unfavorable. However, the Lower Cretaceous in the paleo-slope at the middle of the basin does show certain metallogenic prospects for sandstone-type uranium deposits

Oil sands development and its impact on atmospheric wet deposition of air pollutants to the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynam, Mary M.; Dvonch, J. Timothy; Barres, James A.; Morishita, Masako; Legge, Allan; Percy, Kevin

2015-01-01

Characterization of air pollutant deposition resulting from Athabasca oil sands development is necessary to assess risk to humans and the environment. To investigate this we collected event-based wet deposition during a pilot study in 2010–2012 at the AMS 6 site 30 km from the nearest upgrading facility in Fort McMurray, AB, Canada. Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium deposition was (kg/ha) 1.96, 1.60 and 1.03, respectively. Trace element pollutant deposition ranged from 2 × 10"−"5 - 0.79 and exhibited the trend Hg < Se < As < Cd < Pb < Cu < Zn < S. Crustal element deposition ranged from 1.4 × 10"−"4 – 0.46 and had the trend: La < Ce < Sr < Mn < Al < Fe < Mg. S, Se and Hg demonstrated highest median enrichment factors (130–2020) suggesting emissions from oil sands development, urban activities and forest fires were deposited. High deposition of the elements Sr, Mn, Fe and Mg which are tracers for soil and crustal dust implies land-clearing, mining and hauling emissions greatly impacted surrounding human settlements and ecosystems. - Highlights: • Atmospheric event wet deposition was collected during a 21 month pilot study. • Major ion, anthropogenic and crustal element wet deposition was characterized. • Low precipitation depths attenuated major ion and anthropogenic element deposition. • Oil sands development, urban activities and forest fires contributed to deposition. - In the vicinity of oil sands, monitoring revealed that wet deposition of major ions (SO_4"2"−, NO_3"-, NH_4"+) was highest followed by S and Mg, the latter is a tracer for soil/crustal dust.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Yangtze River basin: Spatial pattern and source attribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Wen; Zhao, Yuanhong; Liu, Xuejun; Dore, Anthony J.; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Lei; Cheng, Miaomiao

2018-01-01

The Yangtze River basin is one of the world's hotspots for nitrogen (N) deposition and likely plays an important role in China's riverine N output. Here we constructed a basin-scale total dissolved inorganic N (DIN) deposition (bulk plus dry) pattern based on published data at 100 observational sites between 2000 and 2014, and assessed the relative contributions of different reactive N (N r ) emission sectors to total DIN deposition using the GEOS-Chem model. Our results show a significant spatial variation in total DIN deposition across the Yangtze River basin (33.2 kg N ha −1 yr −1 on average), with the highest fluxes occurring mainly in the central basin (e.g., Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, and Chongqing municipality). This indicates that controlling N deposition should build on mitigation strategies according to local conditions, namely, implementation of stricter control of N r emissions in N deposition hotspots but moderate control in the areas with low N deposition levels. Total DIN deposition in approximately 82% of the basin area exceeded the critical load of N deposition for semi-natural ecosystems along the basin. On the basin scale, the dominant source of DIN deposition is fertilizer use (40%) relative to livestock (11%), industry (13%), power plant (9%), transportation (9%), and others (18%, which is the sum of contributions from human waste, residential activities, soil, lighting and biomass burning), suggesting that reducing NH 3 emissions from improper fertilizer (including chemical and organic fertilizer) application should be a priority in curbing N deposition. This, together with distinct spatial variations in emission sector contributions to total DIN deposition also suggest that, in addition to fertilizer, major emission sectors in different regions of the basin should be considered when developing synergistic control measures. - Highlights: • Total DIN deposition fluxes showed a significant spatial variation in the

Nitrogen and sulphur deposition and the growth of Sphagnum fuscum in bogs of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melanie A. VILE

2010-08-01

Full Text Available One of the consequences of ongoing development of the oil sands reserve in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (56° 39' N, 111° 13' W is an increase in emissions of nitrogen (N and sulphur (S, with an attendant increases in regional atmospheric N and S deposition. Regional land cover across northeastern Alberta is a mixture of Boreal Mixedwood, Boreal Highlands, and Subarctic areas. Peatlands occupy between 22 and 66% of these natural regions, and the land cover of bogs varies between 6.7% in the Mixedwood Region to 46% in the Subarctic Region. Ombrotrophic bog ecosystems may be especially sensitive to atmospheric deposition of N and S. Across 10 ombrotrophic bog sites in the AOSR over four years (2005– 2008, we found no evidence of elevated deposition of NH4 +-N, NO3 –-N, total inorganic nitrogen (TIN; NH4 +-N plus NO3 –-N, or SO4 2–-S, with values measured using ion exchange resin collectors averaging 0.61 ± 04, 0.20 ± 0.01, 0.81 ± 0.04, and 1.14 ± 0.06 kg ha–1 y–1, respectively. Vertical growth and net primary production of Sphagnum fuscum, an indicator of elevated deposition, did not differ consistently across sites, averaging 11.8 ± 0.2 mm y–1 and 234 ± 3.3 g m–2 y–1, respectively, over the four years. Neither vertical growth nor net primary production of S. fuscum was correlated with growing season atmospheric N or S deposition. Our data provide a valuable benchmark of background values for monitoring purposes in anticipation of increasing N and S deposition over a broader geographic region within the AOSR.

Microbial processes in the Athabasca Oil Sands and their potential applications in microbial enhanced oil recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Harner, N K; Richardson, T L; Thompson, K A; Best, R J; Best, A S; Trevors, J T

2011-11-01

The Athabasca Oil Sands are located within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, which covers over 140,200 km(2) of land in Alberta, Canada. The oil sands provide a unique environment for bacteria as a result of the stressors of low water availability and high hydrocarbon concentrations. Understanding the mechanisms bacteria use to tolerate these stresses may aid in our understanding of how hydrocarbon degradation has occurred over geological time, and how these processes and related tolerance mechanisms may be used in biotechnology applications such as microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The majority of research has focused on microbiology processes in oil reservoirs and oilfields; as such there is a paucity of information specific to oil sands. By studying microbial processes in oil sands there is the potential to use microbes in MEOR applications. This article reviews the microbiology of the Athabasca Oil Sands and the mechanisms bacteria use to tolerate low water and high hydrocarbon availability in oil reservoirs and oilfields, and potential applications in MEOR.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Yangtze River basin: Spatial pattern and source attribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wen; Zhao, Yuanhong; Liu, Xuejun; Dore, Anthony J; Zhang, Lin; Liu, Lei; Cheng, Miaomiao

2018-01-01

The Yangtze River basin is one of the world's hotspots for nitrogen (N) deposition and likely plays an important role in China's riverine N output. Here we constructed a basin-scale total dissolved inorganic N (DIN) deposition (bulk plus dry) pattern based on published data at 100 observational sites between 2000 and 2014, and assessed the relative contributions of different reactive N (N r ) emission sectors to total DIN deposition using the GEOS-Chem model. Our results show a significant spatial variation in total DIN deposition across the Yangtze River basin (33.2 kg N ha -1 yr -1 on average), with the highest fluxes occurring mainly in the central basin (e.g., Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, and Chongqing municipality). This indicates that controlling N deposition should build on mitigation strategies according to local conditions, namely, implementation of stricter control of N r emissions in N deposition hotspots but moderate control in the areas with low N deposition levels. Total DIN deposition in approximately 82% of the basin area exceeded the critical load of N deposition for semi-natural ecosystems along the basin. On the basin scale, the dominant source of DIN deposition is fertilizer use (40%) relative to livestock (11%), industry (13%), power plant (9%), transportation (9%), and others (18%, which is the sum of contributions from human waste, residential activities, soil, lighting and biomass burning), suggesting that reducing NH 3 emissions from improper fertilizer (including chemical and organic fertilizer) application should be a priority in curbing N deposition. This, together with distinct spatial variations in emission sector contributions to total DIN deposition also suggest that, in addition to fertilizer, major emission sectors in different regions of the basin should be considered when developing synergistic control measures. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Oligocene Fluvio-Deltaic Depositional Environments Salin Sub-Basin, Central Myanmar

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, A.; Hall, R.

2017-12-01

A recent increase in accessibility for research in Myanmar has allowed rapid advancements in the understanding of the geology of the country. Evolving depositional environments can be reconstructed in largely unstudied Oligocene deposits of the Salin sub-basin, of the Central Myanmar Basin. Data has been collected through a fieldwork campaign to target well-exposed sediments along the western margin of the basin. The studied outcrops span approximately one hundred kilometres from north to south, and a series of sedimentary logs, palaeocurrent data, 2D panel diagrams, and samples for petrographical analysis have been collected and interpreted. The Oligocene formations studied include the Shwezetaw, Paduang, and Okhmintaung, each of which show a broadly southwards-trending fluvio-deltaic environment of deposition. Towards the north, the lower Rupelian Shwezetaw Formation comprises thick fluviatile sandstones which grade southwards through macrotidal-dominated fluvio-deltaic interbedded siltstones and rare sandstones, into marine sandstones. Overlying this, the upper Rupelian Paduang Formation grades rapidly from rare fluvial sandstones towards the north of the basin into deltaic and marine interbedded sandstones and siltstones to the south. This formation is more marine in nature, suggesting a minor transgression throughout the lower Oligocene. By the time of deposition of the Okhmintaung Formation in the Chattian the observed deposits solely represent a tidally-influenced deltaic depositional environment, with very little temporal variation, suggesting a stable sea level. Despite the relatively unchanging depositional environment, the formations are approximately 4000 m thick, suggesting that sedimentation kept pace with relatively rapid subsidence. This current study, which will combine depositional environment reconstruction, provenance, and sediment routing analysis, will provide important insights into both the tectonic setting and the huge sediment accumulation

Understanding the relationship : bitumen production and the Athabasca River

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daughney, S. [Hatch Ltd., Mississauga, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

This presentation discussed oil sands activities in relation to water use and the Athabasca River. Surface mining uses truck and shovel methods to extract shallow oil sands deposits comprised of bitumen, connate water, coarse sands, and clays. The process involves the use of significant amounts of fresh water. The bitumens are slurried at turbulent conditions in a hydrotransport line which directs the bitumens towards a froth treatment process and diverts coarse sand and fine tailings. The tailings are stored in ponds or used to construct dykes. Water trapped with tailings materials cannot be recycled, and must be replaced from fresh sources. Various consolidate and non-consolidated tailings strategies are being developed to address mature fine tailings (MFT) accumulations. Generic water balance analyses are conducted in order to determine the distribution of site water inputs and losses as well as to determine river water use intensity. A water management framework and tailings performance criteria has been developed for the lower Athabasca River. The framework has been designed to determine cautionary thresholds for the river. River water withdrawals are cumulative for all industries. Intakes may be restricted by 2012. Water from storage must be used to supplement available flow from the river. It was concluded that strategies must also be developed to meet tailings disposal requirements. tabs., figs.

Source Apportionment of Background PAHs in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta, Canada) Using Molecular Level Radiocarbon Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Jautzy, Josué J; Ahad, Jason M E; Hall, Roland I; Wiklund, Johan A; Wolfe, Brent B; Gobeil, Charles; Savard, Martine M

2015-08-04

The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial activity (i.e., oil sands mining) within the Athabasca watershed, however, forest fires and erosion of fossil fuel deposits within both the Athabasca and Peace watersheds are two potentially important natural sources of PAHs delivered to the PAD. Consequently, evaluating the environmental impact of mining activities requires a quantitative understanding of natural, background PAHs. Here, we utilize molecular-level natural-abundance radiocarbon measurements on an amalgamated sediment record from a Peace River flood-susceptible oxbow lake in the northern Peace sector of the PAD to quantitatively discriminate sources of naturally occurring alkylated PAHs (fossil and modern biomass). A radiocarbon mass balance quantified a predominantly natural petrogenic source (93% petrogenic, 7% forest fire) for alkylated PAHs during the past ∼50 years. Additionally, a significant petrogenic component determined for retene, a compound usually considered a biomarker for softwood combustion, suggests that its use as a unique forest fire indicator may not be suitable in PAD sediments receiving Peace watershed-derived fluvial inputs.

Digitization of uranium deposit information in basin. A new strategy of ISL sandstone-type uranium deposits exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan Chenglong

2006-01-01

The discovered ISL sandstone-type uranium deposits in the entire world are mostly blind deposits, many of them occur in bleak desert, gobi desert, and semi-hilly land area. Exploration methods for these deposits mainly depend on great and systematic drilling. There are many large-medium size Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary basins in northern China, and over twenty of them are thick overburden basins which are mostly the virgin land for ISL sandstone-type uranium deposit. Due to the comprehensive national power, geological background, uranium exploration ability, great and systematic drilling is not favorable for prospecting ISL sandstone-type uranium deposit in China. According to the exploration and prospecting experiences for mineral ore bodies at home and abroad, uranium information mapping based on geochemical survey of the basins is a new strategy for ISL sandstone-type uranium deposits. It is an economic, practical, fast and effective method, and has been manifested by the performing information digitization for oil and gas resources, gold mineral resources in China and the mapping of uranium information for whole Europe continent. (authors)

Origin and geochemistry of saline spring waters in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gue, Anita E.; Mayer, Bernhard; Grasby, Stephen E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Saline groundwater enters the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers in the AOSR via springs. • High TDS is due to subsurface dissolution of Devonian evaporites and carbonates. • Low δ 18 O values, and 3 H and 14 C data suggest some Laurentide glacial meltwater input. • Bacterial sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and CH 4 oxidation were identified. • Metal and PAH contents are reported; bitumen does not appear to be major influence. - Abstract: The geochemistry of saline spring waters in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in Alberta (Canada) discharging from Devonian carbonate rocks into the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers was characterized for major ions, trace elements, dissolved gases, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In addition, stable isotope analyses of H 2 O, SO 4 , dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), Sr, and CH 4 were used to trace the sources of spring waters and their dissolved solutes, and to identify subsurface processes affecting water chemistry. The spring waters had δ 18 O values as low as −23.5‰, suggesting they are composed of up to 75% Laurentide glacial meltwater. Tritium and radiocarbon age-dating results, analyzed for three spring waters, supported a glacial origin. The high salinity of the spring waters (TDS 7210–51,800 mg/L) was due to dissolution of Devonian evaporite and carbonate deposits in the subsurface. Spring waters were affected by bacterial (dissimilatory) sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and methane oxidation. Trace elements were present in spring waters at varying concentrations, with only one spring containing several predominant oil sands metals (As, Fe, Mo, Ni, Se, Zn) suggesting bitumen as a source. Five springs contained elements (Al, As, B, Fe, Se) at concentrations exceeding water quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. Seven PAHs were detected in spring waters (total PAH concentrations ranged from 7.3 to 273.6 ng/L), but most springs contained a maximum of two PAHs

Irradiation defects in clayey minerals in association with discordance-type uranium deposit; Les Defauts d'Irradiation dans les Mineraux argileux associes aux gisements d'Uranium de type Discordance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morichon, E.; Beaufort, D. [Universite de Poitiers, Laboratoire HydrASA, CNRS-FRE 3114, 86 - Poitiers (France); Morichon, E.; Allard, Th. [IMPMC, UMR 7590, 75 - Paris (France)

2009-07-01

Radioactivity generates defects in minerals and these defects are the witnesses of the presence of radio-elements, and therefore represent an interesting potential for uranium prospecting. Investigations made in the Athabasca basin in Canada reveal irradiation defects in very old clays (kaolinite, illite and sudoite) in the alteration halo of discordance-type uranium deposits. The authors comment the defect concentration variation among the different drillings. These differences show that hexavalent uranium circulated in the whole geological system

Total dissolved atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the anoxic Cariaco basin

Science.gov (United States)

Rasse, R.; Pérez, T.; Giuliante, A.; Donoso, L.

2018-04-01

Atmospheric deposition of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) is an important source of nitrogen for ocean primary productivity that has increased since the industrial revolution. Thus, understanding its role in the ocean nitrogen cycle will help assess recent changes in ocean biogeochemistry. In the anoxic Cariaco basin, the place of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program, the influence of atmospherically-deposited TDN on marine biogeochemistry is unknown. In this study, we measured atmospheric TDN concentrations as dissolved organic (DON) and inorganic (DIN) nitrogen (TDN = DIN + DON) in atmospheric suspended particles and wet deposition samples at the northeast of the basin during periods of the wet (August-September 2008) and dry (March-April 2009) seasons. We evaluated the potential anthropogenic N influences by measuring wind velocity and direction, size-fractionated suspended particles, chemical traces and by performing back trajectories. We found DIN and DON concentration values that ranged between 0.11 and 0.58 μg-N m-3 and 0.11-0.56 μg-N m-3 in total suspended particles samples and between 0.08 and 0.54 mg-N l-1 and 0.02-1.3 mg-N l-1 in wet deposition samples, respectively. Continental air masses increased DON and DIN concentrations in atmospheric suspended particles during the wet season. We estimate an annual TDN atmospheric deposition (wet + particles) of 3.6 × 103 ton-N year-1 and concluded that: 1) Atmospheric supply of TDN plays a key role in the C and N budget of the basin because replaces a fraction of the C (20% by induced primary production) and N (40%) removed by sediment burial, 2) present anthropogenic N could contribute to 30% of TDN atmospheric deposition in the basin, and 3) reduced DON (gas + particles) should be a significant component of bulk N deposition.

Using geological information to develop new exploration project for uranium deposits in Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Osamu

1992-01-01

Unconformity related uranium deposits which contain a large amount of resources with higher grades will be economically superior to other types of deposits. This paper presents the integrated use of geological information, which includes compilation data for the Precambrian geology in southern Africa and selected structural geologic data for some analogues of unconformity related uranium deposit in Canada (e.g. Key Lake deposit in Athabasca Basin) and the Precambrian rock hosted uranium deposit in Africa (e.g. Oklo-Munana, Rossing, Shinkolobwe and Dome deposits). Finally, some favourable geological terrains for unconformity related uranium deposit and the Precambrian rock hosted uranium deposit were selected on the basis of geological information. Further significant discoveries are likely in the following geological terrains. 1. Both the unconformity related and Oklo-Munana type deposits are favourable at (a) and (b). (a) the Lower Proterozoic Eburnian belts which are unconformably overlain by sequences of Kibaran and also the unmetamorphosed sequences in Pan-African. The age and paleoenvironment of the unmetamorphosed sequences in Pan-African is comparable to Kibaran. (b) the unmetamorphosed sequences in Eburnian. 2. The Rossing, Shinkolobwe and Dome type deposits are favourable at the Upper Proterozoic Pan-African Belts. (author)

Mass-movement deposits in the lacustrine Eocene Green River Formation, Piceance Basin, western Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Mercier, Tracey J.

2015-01-01

The Eocene Green River Formation was deposited in two large Eocene saline lakes, Lake Uinta in the Uinta and Piceance Basins and Lake Gosiute in the Greater Green River Basin. Here we will discuss mass-movement deposits in just the Piceance Basin part of Lake Uinta.

C-O-H-N fluids circulations and graphite precipitation in reactivated Hudsonian shear zones during basement uplift of the Wollaston-Mudjatik Transition Zone: Example of the Cigar Lake U deposit

Science.gov (United States)

Martz, Pierre; Cathelineau, Michel; Mercadier, Julien; Boiron, Marie-Christine; Jaguin, Justine; Tarantola, Alexandre; Demacon, Mickael; Gerbeaud, Olivier; Quirt, David; Doney, Amber; Ledru, Patrick

2017-12-01

Graphitic shear zones are spatially associated with unconformity-related uranium deposits that are located around the unconformity between the strata of the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic Athabasca Basin (Saskatchewan, Canada) and its underlying Archean to Paleoproterozoic basement. The present study focuses on basement-hosted ductile-brittle graphitic shear zones near the Cigar Lake U deposit, one of the largest unconformity-related U deposits. The goal of the study is to decipher the pre-Athabasca Basin fluid migration history recorded within such structures and its potential role on the formation of such exceptional deposit. Dominantly C-O-H(-N) metamorphic fluids have been trapped in Fluid Inclusion Planes (FIPs) in magmatic quartz within ductile-brittle graphitic shear zones active during retrograde metamorphism associated with the formation of the Wollaston-Mudjatik Transition Zone (WMTZ) between ca. 1805 and 1720 Ma. Such fluids show a compositional evolution along the retrograde path, from a dense and pure CO2 fluid during the earliest stages, through a lower density CO2 ± CH4-N2 (± H2O) fluid and, finally, to a very low density CH4-N2 fluid. Statistical study of the orientation, distribution, proportion, and chemical characterization of the FIPs shows that: i) CO2 (δ13CCO2 around - 9‰ PDB) from decarbonation reactions and/or partial water-metamorphic graphite equilibrium initially migrated regionally and pervasively under lithostatic conditions at about 500 to 800 °C and 150 to 300 MPa. Such P-T conditions attest to a high geothermal gradient of around 60 to 90 °C/km, probably related to rapid exhumation of the basement or a large-scale heat source. ii) Later brittle reactivation of the shear zone at around 450 °C and 25-50 MPa favored circulation of CO2-CH4-N2(± H2O) fluids in equilibrium with metamorphic graphite (δ13CCO2 around - 14‰) under hydrostatic conditions and only within the shear zones. Cooling of these fluids and the water uptake linked

Sedimentary facies and depositional environments of early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup basins, eastern North America

Science.gov (United States)

Smoot, J.P.

1991-01-01

The early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup consists of continental sedimentary rocks and basalt flows that occupy a NE-trending belt of elongate basins exposed in eastern North America. The basins were filled over a period of 30-40 m.y. spanning the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, prior to the opening of the north Atlantic Ocean. The sedimentary rocks are here divided into four principal lithofacies. The alluvial-fan facies includes deposits dominated by: (1) debris flows; (2) shallow braided streams; (3) deeper braided streams (with trough crossbeds); or (4) intense bioturbation or hyperconcentrated flows (tabular, unstratified muddy sandstone). The fluvial facies include deposits of: (1) shallow, ephemeral braided streams; (2) deeper, flashflooding, braided streams (with poor sorting and crossbeds); (3) perennial braided rivers; (4) meandering rivers; (5) meandering streams (with high suspended loads); (6) overbank areas or local flood-plain lakes; or (7) local streams and/or colluvium. The lacustrine facies includes deposits of: (1) deep perennial lakes; (2) shallow perennial lakes; (3) shallow ephemeral lakes; (4) playa dry mudflats; (5) salt-encrusted saline mudflats; or (6) vegetated mudflats. The lake margin clastic facies includes deposits of: (1) birdfoot deltas; (2) stacked Gilbert-type deltas; (3) sheet deltas; (4) wave-reworked alluvial fans; or (5) wave-sorted sand sheets. Coal deposits are present in the lake margin clastic and the lacustrine facies of Carnian age (Late Triassic) only in basins of south-central Virginia and North and South Carolina. Eolian deposits are known only from the basins in Nova Scotia and Connecticut. Evaporites (and their pseudomorphs) occur mainly in the northern basins as deposits of saline soils and less commonly of saline lakes, and some evaporite and alkaline minerals present in the Mesozoic rocks may be a result of later diagenesis. These relationships suggest climatic variations across paleolatitudes, more humid to the

An enhanced approach for the use of satellite-derived leaf area index values in dry deposition modeling in the Athabasca oil sands region.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Mervyn; Cho, Sunny; Spink, David; Pauls, Ron; Desilets, Michael; Shen, Yan; Bajwa, Kanwardeep; Person, Reid

2016-12-15

In the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of Northern Alberta, the dry deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds represents a major fraction of total (wet plus dry) deposition due to oil sands emissions. The leaf area index (LAI) is a critical parameter that affects the dry deposition of these gaseous and particulate compounds to the surrounding boreal forest canopy. For this study, LAI values based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite imagery were obtained and compared to ground-based measurements, and two limitations with the satellite data were identified. The satellite LAI data firstly represents one-sided LAI values that do not account for the enhanced LAI associated with needle leaf geometry, and secondly, underestimates LAI in winter-time northern latitude regions. An approach for adjusting satellite LAI values for different boreal forest cover types, as a function of time of year, was developed to produce more representative LAI values that can be used by air quality sulphur and nitrogen deposition models. The application of the approach increases the AOSR average LAI for January from 0.19 to 1.40, which represents an increase of 637%. Based on the application of the CALMET/CALPUFF model system, this increases the predicted regional average dry deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds for January by factors of 1.40 to 1.30, respectively. The corresponding AOSR average LAI for July increased from 2.8 to 4.0, which represents an increase of 43%. This increases the predicted regional average dry deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds for July by factors of 1.28 to 1.22, respectively. These findings reinforce the importance of the LAI metric for predicting the dry deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds. While satellite data can provide enhanced spatial and temporal resolution, adjustments are identified to overcome associated limitations. This work is considered to have application for other deposition model studies where

Analysis on sequence stratigraphy and depositional systems of Mangbang formation, upper tertiary in Longchuanjiang basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Zexuan; Yao Yifeng; Chen Yong; Li Guoxin

2004-01-01

Longchuanjiang basin is a small Cenozoic intramontane down-faulted basin. This paper, combining the Pliocene structure, the volcanic activities and the sedimentation of the basin, analyses the sequence stratigraphy and the depositional systems of Mangbang formation (the cover of the basin). Based on the analysis of depositional systems of Mangbang formation, the depositional pattern of Pliocene in Longchuanjiang basin is set up. It is suggested that because of the fast accumulation in early down-faulted zone during Pliocene time, the alluvial fan depositional system was dominated at that time. During the middle-late period, the alluvial fan entered the lake forming a combination of fan-fandelta-lacustrine depositional systems. Authors propose a view point that the formation of Mangbang formation sequence was constrained by multistage tectonic movement, and three structural sequences were established, and system tracts were divided. (authors)

Discussion on geological characteristics and types of uranium deposit of Mesozoic-cenozoic basin in Guangdong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Kesheng; Deng Shihua

1992-01-01

Systematic summary is briefly made of the distribution, classification, formation, regional geological setting, uranium deposit type, ore-controlling geological conditions of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin in Guangdong area, and on this basis it is proposed that there exist different ore-controlling conditions in different types of basin and different types of deposit can be formed in them, thus indicating the direction for exploration of the basin type uranium deposit from now on and expanding the prospect of ore-finding in the basins in Guangdong area

Uranium deposits: northern Denver Julesburg basin, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reade, H.L.

1978-01-01

The Fox Hills Sandstone and the Laramie Formation (Upper Cretaceous) are the host rocks for uranium deposits in Weld County, northern Denver Julesburg basin, Colorado. The uranium deposits discovered in the Grover and Sand Creek areas occur in well-defined north--south trending channel sandstones of the Laramie Formation whereas the sandstone channel in the upper part of the Fox Hills Sandstone trends east--west. Mineralization was localized where the lithology was favorable for uranium accumulation. Exploration was guided by log interpretation methods similar to those proposed by Bruce Rubin for the Powder River basin, Wyoming, because alteration could not be readily identified in drilling samples. The uranium host rocks consist of medium- to fine-grained carbonaceous, feldspathic fluvial channel sandstones. The uranium deposits consist of simple to stacked roll fronts. Reserve estimates for the deposits are: (1) Grover 1,007,000 lbs with an average grade of 0.14 percent eU 3 O 8 ,2) Sand Creek 154,000 lbs with an average grade of 0.08 percent eU 3 O 8 , and 3) The Pawnee deposit 1,060,000 lbs with an average grade of 0.07 percent eU 3 O 8 . The configuration of the geochemical cells in the Grover and Sand Creek sandstones indicate that uraniferous fluids moved northward whereas in the Pawnee sandstone of the Fox Hills uraniferous fluids moved southward. Precipitation of uranium in the frontal zone probably was caused by downdip migration of oxygcnated groundwater high in uranium content moving through a favorable highly carbonaceous and pyritic host sandstone

Study on metallogenetic prospect of interlayer oxidation zone sandstone type uranium deposit in Shanganning basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jinping

1998-01-01

As Compared with orogenic zone basin, which the interlayer oxidation zone sandstone type uranium deposits are found, the Shanganning basin a continental platform type basin is distinct either in the geodynamic background and the post-basin hydrogeological evolution or in the appearance of the metallogenetic dynamics-orogenesis. The prediction criteria summarized for interlayer oxidation zone type U-deposits in Middle Asia therefore can not be completely applied in such a basin. Based on analysis of the typical regional geological setting, the hydrogeology of the Meso-Cenozoic cover is studied in detail. Three hydrogeological cycles have been divided, and prospects of uranium deposits have been clarified and the most promising target have been proposed

Meteorology observations in the Athabasca oil sands region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Meteorological data was collected in the Athabasca oil sands area of Alberta in support of Syncrude' application for approval to develop and operate the Aurora Mine. Meteorology controls the transport and dispersion of gaseous and particulate emissions which are vented into the atmosphere. Several meteorological monitoring stations have been set up in the Fort McMurray and Fort McKay area. The study was part of Suncor's commitment to Alberta Environmental Protection to substantially reduce SO 2 emissions by July 1996. Also, as a condition of approval of the proposed Aurora Mine, the company was required to develop additional ambient air quality, sulphur deposition and biomonitoring programs. Background reports were prepared for: (1) source characterization, (2) ambient air quality observations, (3) meteorology observations, and (4) air quality monitoring. The following factors were incorporated into dispersion modelling: terrain, wind, turbulence, temperature, net radiation and mixing height, relative humidity and precipitation. 15 refs., 9 tabs., 40 figs

Investing for the future : Athabasca Oil Sands Trust 1998 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The Athabasca Oil Sand Trust was created in 1995 when a subsidiary of the Trust, Athabasca Oil Sands Investment Inc., acquired Alberta's 11.74 per cent working interest in the Syncrude Project, which is a joint venture involved in the mining and upgrading of bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands. The Trust is a closed-end investment trust which was created to provide an opportunity for direct public investment in Syncrude and oil sands development in northern Alberta. Syncrude, produced a record 76.7 million barrels of Syncrude Sweet Blend (SSB), and shipped its one billionth barrel on April 16, 1998. Another key achievement in 1998 was the investment the Syncrude Joint Venture Partners of almost half a billion dollars to maintain Syncrude's operations and pursue the Business Plan growth targets outlined in last year's report. By aggressively pursuing this capital investment program despite the current low oil prices, the Syncrude Joint Venture Partners expect to double SSB production to 155 million barrels per year by 2007. The Athabasca Trust's share of these capital expenditures to fuel the projected growth in production is about $ 70 million this year and the next. The report provides operating statistics on production, financial highlights and consolidated balance sheets for 1998, including operating expenditures, capital expenditures, and the usual notes to the consolidated financial statement. 10 tabs., 2 figs

Uranium deposits in the Beaverlodge area, northern Saskatchewan: their relationship to the Martin Group (Proterozoic) and the underlying basement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazimhaka, P.K.; Hendry, H.E.

1989-01-01

The rocks of the Martin Group crop out in an area 60 km by 50 km north of Lake Athabasca near Uranium City, northern Saskatchewan. This area has numerous uranium showings within a few kilometres of the unconformity below the Martin Group. Mineralization occurs in fault zones, in basement rocks and in sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Martin Group. Martin Group sediments accumulated in alluvial fans, braided streams, and ephemeral lakes. The thickest sequence (8 km to 10 km) is preserved in the Beaverlodge area, near Uranium City. The style of sedimentation changed through time as the basin evolved from deposition of conglomeratic detritus along fault scarps to the accumulation of silt in ephemeral lakes. The uneven nature of the sub-Martin unconformity surface, the lithotype of the lowermost conglomerates and breccias (Beaverlodge Formation), and the shape of the basin fill indicate deposition in fault-controlled basins. The earliest economic uranium mineralization in the rocks of the Martin Group was epigenetic. The mineralization was coeval with that in basement rocks. Economic mineralization in basement rocks and in the lowermost formation of the Martin Group is close to the unconformity. Epigenetic uranium mineralization thus appears to have resulted from processes that were related, in time and space, to either the formation of the unconformity or the deposition of the Martin Group or both. (author). 29 refs, 5 figs

The geology of the Cluff Lake uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harper, C.T.

1978-01-01

The uranium deposits discovered by Amok (Canada) Ltd. in the Cluff Lake area of northwestern Saskatchewan occur at or near the southern edge of the uplifted basement core of the Carswell circular structure. Two types of mineralization, distinguishable by their geological and structural setting and mineral paragenesis, have been recognized. The N-Claude type is characterized by a relatively simple mineral assemblage, consisting of uraninite or pitchblende with coffinite, and is accompanied by variable amounts of graphite and organic matter, and Fe, Cu, Pb and Mo sulphides. Both N and Claude orebodies occur within quartzofeldpathic gneisses of the basement core. On the other hand, the D-type ore has a complex mineral assemblage consisting of: uraninite, pitchblende, tucholite and coffinite, along with native gold and selenium; gold tellurides, and selenides of Pb, Bi, Ni and Co; sulphides of Fe, Cu and Pb; and organic matter. The D orebody occurs within carbonaceous shales at the base of the Athabasca Formation as well as in fault zones in regolithic quartzofeldspathic gneisses above the inverted unconformity. An age of 1050 m.y., which is consistent with a period (circa 1200-1000 m.y.) of widespread hydrothermal activity and uranium mineralization or reworking within and adjacent to the Athabasca Basin, has been obtained from uranium mineralization from the D orebody. Later reworking (circa 470 m.y.) of the mineralization occurred at the intersection of older mineralized shear zones with radial faults produced during meteorite impact. (auth)

As long as the rivers flow: Athabasca River knowledge, use and change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Candler, C.; Olson, R.; Deroy, S.

2010-11-01

This document is a report supported by specific information gathered by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and the Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN), and takes part in an Athabasca River Use and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) study conducted in 2010. The main objective was to provide a written submission, based on evidence, in order to effectively notify the crown about plans for managing industrial water withdrawals from the lower Athabasca River. The First Nations used the same methods, wrote their community reports as distinguished stand-alone documents and made the choice to present the ACFN and MCFN data in parallel with each other within the same document. The study provides information on the knowledge and uses of the Athabasca River by the community members. Context and background for the study can be found in the part A. It comprises a short discussion of the Treaty No.8 of 1899, the latter confirming the rights of First Nation people. The importance of boat transportation for the community members is mentioned, and a summary of the methods is given. The results of the ACFN and MCFN studies are given in part B and C. The reduction of the quantity and quality of the river has affected the practice of ACFN and MCFN aboriginal and treaty rights. The community perceptions of the changes of the river and how it has influenced their lifestyle is discussed. Some uses of the Athabasca river have been lost because of concerns regarding contamination associated with oil sands operations. The last part of the document provides an analysis of results and suggests two thresholds that define the ability of ACFN and MCFN members to practice their rights and access their territories. This document ends with recommendations for implementation of these thresholds. 22 refs., 12 maps.

As long as the rivers flow: Athabasca River knowledge, use and change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Candler, C.; Olson, R.; Deroy, S. [Firelight Group Research Cooperative, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2010-11-15

This document is a report supported by specific information gathered by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and the Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN), and takes part in an Athabasca River Use and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) study conducted in 2010. The main objective was to provide a written submission, based on evidence, in order to effectively notify the crown about plans for managing industrial water withdrawals from the lower Athabasca River. The First Nations used the same methods, wrote their community reports as distinguished stand-alone documents and made the choice to present the ACFN and MCFN data in parallel with each other within the same document. The study provides information on the knowledge and uses of the Athabasca River by the community members. Context and background for the study can be found in the part A. It comprises a short discussion of the Treaty No.8 of 1899, the latter confirming the rights of First Nation people. The importance of boat transportation for the community members is mentioned, and a summary of the methods is given. The results of the ACFN and MCFN studies are given in part B and C. The reduction of the quantity and quality of the river has affected the practice of ACFN and MCFN aboriginal and treaty rights. The community perceptions of the changes of the river and how it has influenced their lifestyle is discussed. Some uses of the Athabasca river have been lost because of concerns regarding contamination associated with oil sands operations. The last part of the document provides an analysis of results and suggests two thresholds that define the ability of ACFN and MCFN members to practice their rights and access their territories. This document ends with recommendations for implementation of these thresholds. 22 refs., 12 maps.

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF NEOGENE BASINS HOSTING BORATE DEPOSITS: AN OVERVIEW OF DEPOSITS AND FUTURE FORECAST, TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cahit HELVACI

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The geometry, stratigraphy, tectonics and volcanic components of the borate bearing Neogene basins in western Anatolia offer some important insights into on the relationship between basin evolution, borate formation and mode of extension in western Anatolia. Some of the borate deposits in NE-SW trending basins developed along the İzmir-Balıkesir Transfer Zone (İBTZ (e.g. Bigadiç, Sultançayır and Kestelek basins, and other deposits in the NE-SW trending basins which occur on the northern side of the Menderes Core Complex (MCC are the Selendi and Emet basins. The Kırka borate deposit occurs further to the east and is located in a completely different geological setting and volcanostratigraphic succession. Boron is widely distributed; including in soil and water, plants and animals. The element boron does not exist freely by itself in nature, but rather it occurs in combination with oxygen and other elements in salts, commonly known as borates. Approximately 280 boron-bearing minerals have been identified, the most common being sodium, calcium and magnesium salts. Four main continental metallogenic borate provinces are recognized at a global scale. They are located in Anatolia (Turkey, California (USA, Central Andes (South America and Tibet (Central Asia. The origin of borate deposits is related to Cenozoic volcanism, thermal spring activity, closed basins and arid climate. Borax is the major commercial source of boron, with major supplies coming from Turkey, USA and Argentina. Colemanite is the main calcium borate and large scale production is restricted to Turkey. Datolite and szaibelyite are confined to Russia and Chinese sources. Four Main borax (tincal deposits are present in Anatolia (Kırka, California (Boron, and two in the Andes (Tincalayu and Loma Blanca. Kırka, Boron and Loma Blanca have similarities with regard to their chemical and mineralogical composition of the borate minerals. Colemanite deposits with/without probertite and

Near-surface lithogeochemical halo as an aid to discovery of deeply buried unconformity-type uranium deposits, Athabasca Basin, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, L.A.

1987-01-01

Unconformity-type U deposits are being found to depths of more than 400 m where graphitic rocks underlie the Proterozoic sandstone unconformity. Exploration to date involves drilling weak electromagnetic conductors that reflect the graphitic basement. Geochemically detectable zones of alteration are reported for cross-sections through the Deilmann, Midwest, and McClean deposits. Well-developed anomalies lie vertically above the richest portion of the Cigar Lake deposit in an area 150 x 600 m and a weak anomaly in many elements continues over the 1800-m length that was sampled. Total and leachable U are 13 to 8 times background with maximum values of 53 and 26 ppm, respectively. Anomalies 50-100 m by 250-600 m in size are often displaced up to 100 m northeast of the 11B Zone of Dawn Lake. Both total and leachable U anomalies are 16 to 8 times background. By contrast, at the Wolf Lake deposit, only irregular variations occur for most of these elements. The unusual patterns may reflect post-alteration tectonism of the sandstone overlying the deposit as regional thrust faulting occurs nearby. Detection of near-surface lithogeochemical haloes using grids of shallow holes would facilitate discovery of deep deposits and reduce expensive, deep drilling. 12 refs.; 3 figs.; 2 tabs

Geochemical zoning around the McClean uranium deposits, Saskatchewan, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golightly, J.P.; Brummer, J.J.; Saracoglu

1983-01-01

The uranium mineralization of the McClean deposits can be described as belonging to two different facies; a more reduced sulphide-arsenide facies and a more oxidized hematite-'bleached' facies, superimposed on any one of three host rocks. The trace metals can be grouped according to their redox behaviour. Vanadium, Mo and U, occurring as oxides, form one group while Ni, Co, Zn, Cu and As, occurring as sulphides and/or arsenides, form intermediate and most reduced groups, respectively. The ratio of oxidized to reduced minerals can be represented by the ratio of U/Ni. This ratio can be used to estimate the variation of redox potential in the deposit at the time of deposition or alteration. A generalized Eh-pH diagram is used to qualitatively describe the significance of each mineral facies. The U/Ni ratio of the transition between the hematite and 'bleached' facies increases upwards. The phase diagram suggests that a possible cause is an upward decrease in pH and increase in Eh. Uranium analysis of the drill core shows that there is little movement of U into the overlying sandstones from basement rocks and regolith that contain no uranium deposits. Uranium in the Athabasca sandstone from these areas averages less than 1 ppm. However, where uranium zones have been found in the basement rocks, regolith and lower Athabasca sandstone, U values greater than 2-3 ppm consistently occur in the overlying sandstones at or near surface. Results suggest that target areas containing deeply buried uranium deposits could be defined by U analyses of the Athabasca sandstone from quite widely spaced holes of limited depth. (Auth.)

By lithology Zbruch deposits (Lower Sarmatian Nikopol manganese ore Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdanovich V.V.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Based on lithologic-paleogeographic study Zbruch layers of Nikopol manganese ore Basin sediments described lithological and genetic types of rocks and facies conditions of formation of deposits.

Performance of thermal solvent process in Athabasca reservoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Swapan [Marathon Oil (Canada)

2011-07-01

In the petroleum industry, due to depletion of conventional resources and high demand operators are looking into heavy oil and bitumen production. Different recovery methods exist, some of them based on heating the reservoir and others on the use of solvent. Thermal solvent process is a combination of both: a small amount of heat is used to maintain a solvent vapor phase in the reservoir. This process has advantages, solvent is mostly recycled which increases bitumen recovery efficiency and reduces the need for fresh solvent, but it also poses challenges, such as maintaining a vapor chamber and the fact that solvent solubility might be affected by heating. The aim of this paper is to discuss these issues. Simulations and field tests were conducted on bitumen in the the Athabasca region. This paper presented a thermal solvent process and its application's results in Athabasca reservoir.

Geologic appraisal of Paradox basin salt deposits for water emplacement

Science.gov (United States)

Hite, Robert J.; Lohman, Stanley William

1973-01-01

Thick salt deposits of Middle Pennsylvanian age are present in an area of 12,000 square miles in the Paradox basin of southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. The deposits are in the Paradox Member of the Hermosa Formation. The greatest thickness of this evaporite sequence is in a troughlike depression adjacent to the Uncompahgre uplift on the northeast side of the basin.The salt deposits consist of a cyclical sequence of thick halite units separated by thin units of black shale, dolomite, and anhydrite. Many halite units are several hundred feet thick and locally contain economically valuable potash deposits.Over much of the Paradox basin the salt deposits occur at depths of more than 5,000 feet. Only in a series of salt anticlines located along the northeastern side of the basin do the salt deposits rise to relatively shallow depths. The salt anticlines can be divided geographically and structurally into five major systems. Each system consists of a long undulating welt of thickened salt over which younger rocks are arched in anticlinal form. Locally there are areas along the axes of the anticlines where the Paradox Member was never covered by younger sediments. This allowed large-scale migration of Paradox strata toward and up through these holes in the sediment cover forming diapiric anticlines.The central or salt-bearing cores of the anticlines range in thickness from about 2,500 to 14,000 feet. Structure in the central core of the salt anticlines is the result of both regional-compression and flowage of the Paradox Member into the anticlines from adjacent synclines. Structure in the central cores of the salt anticlines ranges from relatively undeformed beds to complexly folded and faulted masses, in which stratigraphic continuity is undemonstrable.The presence of thick cap rock .over many of the salt anticlines is evidence of removal of large volumes of halite by groundwater. Available geologic and hydrologic information suggests that this is a relatively slow

Lithostratigraphy, depositional history and sea level changes of the Cauvery Basin, southern India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muthuvairvasamy Ramkumar

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The sedimentary sequence exposed in the erstwhile Tiruchirapalli district hosts a more or less complete geological record of the Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary period. Systematic field mapping, collation of data on the micro-meso scale lithology, sedimentary structures, petrography, faunal assemblage and facies relationships of these rocks, in the light of modern stratigraphic concepts, helped to enumerate the lithostratigraphic setup and depositional history of the basin. Spatial and temporal variations of the lithologies and revised stratigraphic units are presented in this paper. Many high frequency sea level cycles (presumably fourth or higher order which stack up to form third order sea level cycles (six in number, which in turn form part of second order cycles (two in number, including seven eustatic sea level peaks, have been recorded in this basin. Trend analysis of sea level curves indicates a gradual increase of the sea level from Barremian to Coniacian and a gradual decrease from Coniacian to Danian. Such lasting sea level trends had their influence on the sedimentation pattern and facies association. It is inferred that depositional bathymetry was maintained at a shallow-moderate level, primarily influenced by a lack of major subsidence during the depositional history of this basin. The study also revealed a prevalent simple basin filling process and dominant control by sea level changes, rather than tectonic movements over the depositional regime.

Analysis on metallogenetic conditions of sandstone-type uranium deposit in Minhe Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Minzhong; Wang Huaiwu

2002-01-01

Little uranium prospecting has been performed so far in Minhe basin. However, at the marginal areas of the basin uranium mineralizations and lots of aero-radioactive anomalies have been found before, and the basin shows some prospecting potential. Based on the regional geological setting, by means of interpretation of high-precision aero-magnetic, aero-radiometric and Bouguer gravimetric data, and combined with hydrodynamic, lithofacies-palaeographic and paleo-climatic analyses, authors make a comprehensive evaluation of metallogenic conditions for sandstone-type uranium deposits, and propose metallogenically favourable areas in the basin

Carbonate Channel-Levee Systems Influenced by Mass-Transport Deposition, Browse Basin, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlap, D.; Janson, X.; Sanchez-Phelps, C.; Covault, J. A.

2017-12-01

Submarine channels are primary conduits for clastic sediment transport to deep-water basins, thereby controlling the location of marine depocenters and sediment bypass. The evolution and depositional character of submarine channels have broad implications to sediment dispersal, sediment quality, and hydrocarbon exploration potential. Siliciclastic channel systems have been extensively studied in modern environments, seismic and outcrop; however, carbonate channel-levee deposits have only recently been explored. Here we utilize newly released high-resolution (90 Hz) seismic-reflection data from the Australian Browse Basin to document the influence of mass-transport complex (MTC) deposition on the stratigraphic architecture of carbonate channel-levee systems. The 2014 vintage seismic survey is 2500 km2 and hosts numerous large Miocene-age carbonate channel-levee complexes basinward of the shelf edge. Regional horizons and individual channel forms were mapped. Channels range from 200-300 m wide and are bounded by high-relief levee-overbank wedges (>100 ms TWTT). These channels extend across the survey area >70 km. The leveed-channels were sourced from middle and late Miocene slope gullies linked to platform carbonates. Slope-attached and locally derived MTC's are evident throughout the Miocene section likely related to periods of basin inversion and shelf-edge gully incision. We interpret that regionally extensive (>1000 km2) slope-attached MTC's can shut down a channel-levee system and trigger the initiation of a new system, whereas more locally derived (wasting and turbidity currents, which informs depositional models of carbonate slope systems and calls for re-evaluation of the controls on stratigraphic patterns in mixed siliciclastic-carbonate deep-water basins.

Analysis on depositional system and prospect of sandstone-type uranium deposits of Bayanhua formation in Yilemen basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Zexuan; Li Guoxin; He Fayang; Wei Yunjie

2002-01-01

Yilemen basin is a typical Mesozoic intra-mountain one. The author analyses characteristics of depositional system and the prospect of sandstone-type uranium deposit in the sedimentary cover of the Bayanhua Formation, Lower Cretaceous. Authors suggest that the conglomerate, sandstone-conglomerate and sandstone beds of braided stream and delta are favourable horizons for locating phreatic and interlayer oxidation zone sandstone-type uranium deposits, i.e. the northwestern side of Dalai uplifted zone, the Chagantaigebuqi narrow sag, and the southern area of Baolinbuqi

Application potential of sequence stratigraphy to prospecting for sandstone-type uranium deposit in continental depositional basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Shengxiang; Chen Zhaobo; Chen Zuyi; Xiang Weidong; Cai Yuqi

2001-01-01

Sequence stratigraphy has been widely used in hydrocarbon exploration and development, and great achievements have been achieved. However, its application to the prospecting for sandstone-type uranium deposits is just beginning. The metallogenic characteristics of sandstone-type uranium deposits and those of oil and gas are compared, and the relationship between sandstone-type uranium metallogenesis and the system tracts of sequence stratigraphy is studied. The authors propose that highest and system tracts are the main targets for prospecting interlayer oxidation zone type sandstone uranium deposits, and the incised valleys of low stand system tracts are favourable places for phreatic oxidation zone type sandstone uranium deposits, and transgressive system tracts are generally unfavorable to the formation of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits. Finally, the authors look ahead the application potential of sequence stratigraphy to the prospecting for sandstone-type uranium deposits in continental depositional basins

Inorganic nitrogenous air pollutants, atmospheric nitrogen deposition and their potential ecological impacts in remote areas of western North America (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Bytnerowicz, A.; Fenn, M. E.; Fraczek, W.; Johnson, R.; Allen, E. B.

2013-12-01

Dry deposition of gaseous inorganic nitrogenous (N) air pollutants plays an important role in total atmospheric N deposition and its ecological effects in the arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Passive samplers and denuder/ filter pack systems have been used for determining ambient concentrations of ammonia (NH3), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitric acid vapor (HNO3) in the topographically complex remote areas of the western United States and Canada. Concentrations of the measured pollutants varied significantly between the monitoring areas. Highest NH3, NO2 and HNO3 levels occurred in southern California areas downwind of the Los Angeles Basin and in the western Sierra Nevada impacted by emissions from the California Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay area. Strong spatial gradients of N pollutants were also present in southeastern Alaska due to cruise ship emissions and in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Canada affected by oil exploitation. Distribution of these pollutants has been depicted by maps generated by several geostatistical methodologies within the ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst (ESRI, USA). Such maps help to understand spatial and temporal changes of air pollutants caused by various anthropogenic activities and locally-generated vs. long range-transported air pollutants. Pollution distribution maps for individual N species and gaseous inorganic reactive nitrogen (Nr) have been developed for the southern portion of the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe Basin, San Bernardino Mountains, Joshua Tree National Park and the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. The N air pollution data have been utilized for estimates of dry and total N deposition by a GIS-based inferential method specifically developed for understanding potential ecological impacts in arid and semi-arid areas. The method is based on spatial and temporal distribution of concentrations of major drivers of N dry deposition, their surface deposition velocities and stomatal conductance values

General science on Cluff discovery: memory of a uranium-bearing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dardel, J.

2009-01-01

The author comments the different observations and interpretations made about the geological history and structure of the Athabasca Basin in Canada, and how the different bore holes gave different results in terms of presence of uranium. Findings illustrate the concept of uranium-bearing system which brings together geological factors which locally control the deposit genesis, and essential elements (source, transport, deposit) and chemical processes

Source rock contributions to the Lower Cretaceous heavy oil accumulations in Alberta: a basin modeling study

Science.gov (United States)

Berbesi, Luiyin Alejandro; di Primio, Rolando; Anka, Zahie; Horsfield, Brian; Higley, Debra K.

2012-01-01

The origin of the immense oil sand deposits in Lower Cretaceous reservoirs of the Western Canada sedimentary basin is still a matter of debate, specifically with respect to the original in-place volumes and contributing source rocks. In this study, the contributions from the main source rocks were addressed using a three-dimensional petroleum system model calibrated to well data. A sensitivity analysis of source rock definition was performed in the case of the two main contributors, which are the Lower Jurassic Gordondale Member of the Fernie Group and the Upper Devonian–Lower Mississippian Exshaw Formation. This sensitivity analysis included variations of assigned total organic carbon and hydrogen index for both source intervals, and in the case of the Exshaw Formation, variations of thickness in areas beneath the Rocky Mountains were also considered. All of the modeled source rocks reached the early or main oil generation stages by 60 Ma, before the onset of the Laramide orogeny. Reconstructed oil accumulations were initially modest because of limited trapping efficiency. This was improved by defining lateral stratigraphic seals within the carrier system. An additional sealing effect by biodegraded oil may have hindered the migration of petroleum in the northern areas, but not to the east of Athabasca. In the latter case, the main trapping controls are dominantly stratigraphic and structural. Our model, based on available data, identifies the Gordondale source rock as the contributor of more than 54% of the oil in the Athabasca and Peace River accumulations, followed by minor amounts from Exshaw (15%) and other Devonian to Lower Jurassic source rocks. The proposed strong contribution of petroleum from the Exshaw Formation source rock to the Athabasca oil sands is only reproduced by assuming 25 m (82 ft) of mature Exshaw in the kitchen areas, with original total organic carbon of 9% or more.

Radiation-induced defects in clay minerals, markers of the mobility of the uranium in solution in the unconformity-type uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morichon, E.

2008-10-01

This study presents the works driven on three groups of clay minerals (kaolins, illite, sudoite (di-tri-octahedral chlorites)) characteristics of the alteration halos surrounding unconformity-type uranium deposits, in order to reveal uranium paleo-circulations in the intra-cratonic meso-Proterozoic basins (1,2 - 1,6 Ga). Thanks to Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR), we were able to highlight the persistence of structural defects in kaolin-group minerals contemporaneous of the basin diagenesis, and demonstrate the existence of relatively stable defects in illites and sudoites contemporaneous of the uranium deposits setting. Thus, the main defect in illite (Ai centre) and the main defect in sudoite (As centre) are characterized by their g components such as, respectively, gt = 2,003 et g// = 2,051 for illite and gt = 2,008 et g// = 2,051 for sudoite. As the main defect in kaolins (kaolinite/dickite), the main defects in illite and sudoite are perpendicularly oriented according to the (ab) plane, on the tetrahedral Si-O bound. However, their thermal stabilities seem different. The observation of samples from different zones (background, anomal or mineralized) of the Athabasca basin (Canada) allowed to identify a parallel evolution between actual defects concentration measured in the different clay minerals and the proximity of the mineralisation zones. Consequently, clays minerals can be considered as potential plotters of zones where uranium-rich solutions have circulated. (author)

Chapter B: Regional Geologic Setting of Late Cenozoic Lacustrine Diatomite Deposits, Great Basin and Surrounding Region: Overview and Plans for Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Alan R.

2003-01-01

Freshwater diatomite deposits are present in all of the Western United States, including the Great Basin and surrounding regions. These deposits are important domestic sources of diatomite, and a better understanding of their formation and geologic settings may aid diatomite exploration and land-use management. Diatomite deposits in the Great Basin are the products of two stages: (1) formation in Late Cenozoic lacustrine basins and (2) preservation after formation. Processes that favored long-lived diatom activity and diatomite formation range in decreasing scale from global to local. The most important global process was climate, which became increasingly cool and dry from 15 Ma to the present. Regional processes included tectonic setting and volcanism, which varied considerably both spatially and temporally in the Great Basin region. Local processes included basin formation, sedimentation, hydrology, and rates of processes, including diatom growth and accumulation; basin morphology and nutrient and silica sources were important for robust activity of different diatom genera. Only optimum combinations of these processes led to the formation of large diatomite deposits, and less than optimum combinations resulted in lakebeds that contained little to no diatomite. Postdepositional processes can destroy, conceal, or preserve a diatomite deposit. These processes, which most commonly are local in scale, include uplift, with related erosion and changes in hydrology; burial beneath sedimentary deposits or volcanic flows and tuffs; and alteration during diagenesis and hydrothermal activity. Some sedimentary basins that may have contained diatomite deposits have largely been destroyed or significantly modified, whereas others, such as those in western Nevada, have been sufficiently preserved along with their contained diatomite deposits. Future research on freshwater diatomite deposits in the Western United States and Great Basin region should concentrate on the regional

Relative Impacts of Low Permeability Subsurface Deposits on Recharge Basin Infiltration Rates

Science.gov (United States)

Oconnell, P.; Becker, M.; Pham, C.; Rodriguez, G.; Hutchinson, A.; Plumlee, M.

2017-12-01

Artificial recharge of aquifers through spreading basins has become an important component of water management in semi-arid climates. The rate at which water can be recharged in these basins is limited by the natural vertical permeability of the underlying deposits which may be highly variable both laterally and vertically. To help understand hydrostratigraphic controls on recharge, a newly constructed basin was surveyed and instrumented. Prior to flooding the basin, lithology was characterized by shallow hand coring, direct push coring, ground penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity. After flooding, recharge was monitored through piezometers, electrical resistivity, and a network of fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS). The DTS network used temperature as a tracer to measure infiltration rate on 25 cm intervals both laterally and vertically. Several hundred paired DTS time series datasets (from fiber optic cables located at 0 and 0.5 meters below ground surface) were processed with the cross-wavelet transform (XWT) to calculate spatially and temporally continuous infiltration rates, which can be interpolated and animated to visualize heterogeneity. Time series data from 8-meter deep, vertically oriented DTS cables reveal depth intervals where infiltration rates vary. Inverted resistivity sections from repeated dipole-dipole surveys along the sidewall of a spreading basin exhibit a positive correlation with the distribution of relatively high and low infiltration rates, indicating zones of preferential downward (efficient) and lateral (inefficient) flow, respectively. In contrast to other monitored basins, no perching was observed in the vertically oriented DTS cables. The variation in recharge across the basin and the appearance of subsurface lateral flow can be explained in context of the alluvial depositional environment.

The Crownpoint and Churchrock uranium deposits, San Juan Basin, New Mexico: An ISL mining perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarn, D.W.

2001-01-01

The Crownpoint and Churchrock uranium deposits, San Juan Basin, New Mexico are currently being developed by Uranium Resources, Inc. (URI) and its subsidiary Hydro Resources, Inc. (HRI) with an anticipated start-up in 1998. Both deposits will be developed using advanced in situ leach (ISL) mining techniques. URI/HRI currently has about 14,583 t U (37.834 million pounds U 3 O 8 ) of estimated recoverable reserves at Crownpoint and Churchrock. at a cost less than $39/kg U ($15/lb U 3 O 8 ). The uranium endowment of the San Juan Basin is the largest of any province in the USA. In March, 1997, a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Crownpoint and Churchrock sites was completed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which recommends the issuance of an operating license. The FEIS is the culmination of a 9 year effort to license and develop the deposits. The Westwater Canyon Member of the Jurassic Morrison Formation is an arkosic, fine to coarse grained sandstone bounded by near basinwide confining clays deposited in a wet alluvial fan environment within the San Juan Basin. The primary, trend-ore deposits are hosted by the Westwater Canyon Member as humate-rich, syngenetic tabular deposits which were subsequently remobilized into roll fronts. Since deposition in the Jurassic, two phases of remobilization have occurred in the basin causing the formation of in situ leach amenable monometallic uranium rolls free of organic debris. Following in situ mining, ground water restoration of the Crownpoint and Churchrock mines is required to provide a water quality consistent with pre-mining baseline conditions. The development of in situ mining offers an environmentally sound and cost-effective method for uranium extraction. URI/HRI anticipates a production of 385-1,156 Tonnes U/year (1-3 million pounds U 3 O 8 ) from the New Mexico properties. (author)

Landslide deposit boundaries for the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Sobieszczyk, Steven

2010-01-01

This layer is an inventory of existing landslides deposits in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon (2009). Each landslide deposit shown on this map has been classified according to a number of specific characteristics identified at the time recorded in the GIS database. The classification scheme was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009). Several significant landslide characteristics recorded in the database are portrayed with symbology on this map. The specific characteristics shown for each landslide are the activity of landsliding, landslide features, deep or shallow failure, type of landslide movement, and confidence of landslide interpretation. These landslide characteristics are determined primarily on the basis of geomorphic features, or landforms, observed for each landslide. This work was completed as part of the Master's thesis "Turbidity Monitoring and LiDAR Imagery Indicate Landslides are Primary Source of Suspended-Sediment Load in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon, Winter 2009-2010" by Steven Sobieszczyk, Portland State University and U.S. Geological Survey.Data layers in this geodatabase include: landslide deposit boundaries (Deposits); field-verfied location imagery (Photos); head scarp or scarp flanks (Scarp_Flanks); and secondary scarp features (Scarps).The geodatabase template was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009).

Ambient air quality observations in the Athabasca oil sands region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Both Syncrude and Suncor have plans to develop new oil sands leases and to increase crude oil and bitumen recovery in the Athabasca oil sands region. In recognition of the effects that this will have on the environment, Suncor has proposed modifications to reduce SO 2 emissions to the atmosphere, while Syncrude plans to develop additional ambient air quality, sulphur deposition and biomonitoring programs. This report discussed the ambient air quality monitoring that was undertaken in the Fort McMurray-Fort McKay airshed. Twelve continuous ambient air quality stations and 76 passive monitoring stations are maintained in the region. Environment Canada maintains eight precipitation monitoring stations in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Source characterization, ambient air quality and meteorology observations, air quality monitoring, and air quality data from continuous sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, acid rain and particulates analyzers were reviewed. The documentation of all computer files used for the analysis of the air quality data is discussed in the Appendix. 47 refs., 39 tabs., 53 figs

Athabasca caribou landscape management options report : executive summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-05-15

The woodland caribou are listed as threatened under Alberta's Wildlife Act and the federal Species at Risk Act. The key factors that directly or indirectly affect the population size and distribution of woodland caribou population include habitat change due to wildfire or human land-use activities, predation and hunting. The Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan outlines a time line to progressively improve conditions for caribou in Alberta. The 2 main goals are to achieve self-sustaining woodland caribou populations and maintain the distribution of caribou in Alberta; and ensure that long-term habitat requirements for woodland caribou are met within Alberta's caribou range. The Athabasca Landscape Team conducted 2 analyses from which it developed management options. The first was a rating or relative risk to caribou persistence within 4 Athabasca ranges based on a series of 8 risk criteria, including both biological and land use factors. The second analysis conducted for each planning area involved simulation modeling using ALCES to forecast likely caribou populations and habitat conditions under 3 scenarios, including non-industrial, business and usual, and alternative futures. 1 tab.

Limited role for thermal erosion by turbulent lava in proximal Athabasca Valles, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Cataldo, Vincenzo; Williams, David A.; Dundas, Colin M.; Kestay, Laszlo P.

2015-01-01

The Athabasca Valles flood lava is among the most recent (Mars and was probably emplaced turbulently. The Williams et al. (2005) model of thermal erosion by lava has been applied to what we term “proximal Athabasca,” the 75 km long upstream portion of Athabasca Valles. For emplacement volumes of 5000 and 7500 km3and average flow thicknesses of 20 and 30 m, the duration of the eruption varies between ~11 and ~37 days. The erosion of the lava flow substrate is investigated for three eruption temperatures (1270°C, 1260°C, and 1250°C), and volatile contents equivalent to 0–65 vol % bubbles. The largest erosion depths of ~3.8–7.5 m are at the lava source, for 20 m thick and bubble-free flows that erupted at their liquidus temperature (1270°C). A substrate containing 25 vol % ice leads to maximum erosion. A lava temperature 20°C below liquidus reduces erosion depths by a factor of ~2.2. If flow viscosity increases with increasing bubble content in the lava, the presence of 30–50 vol % bubbles leads to erosion depths lower than those relative to bubble-free lava by a factor of ~2.4. The presence of 25 vol % ice in the substrate increases erosion depths by a factor of 1.3. Nevertheless, modeled erosion depths, consistent with the emplacement volume and flow duration constraints, are far less than the depth of the channel (~35–100 m). We conclude that thermal erosion does not appear to have had a major role in excavating Athabasca Valles.

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation inquiry : report on WAC Bennett Dam and damage to Indian Reserve no. 201 claim

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-03-01

Aspects of a claim regarding the WAC Bennett Dam in British Columbia and damage to Indian Reserve 201 are discussed. An inquiry was held to determine whether the Crown owes an outstanding obligation to the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation regarding damages sustained on their reserve as a result of the construction and operation of the dam. The claim alleges that the drying out of the Peace-Athabasca Delta severely affected the First Nation's treaty rights to hunt, trap and fish for food in the area. It was noted that the dam was constructed in the early 1960s before the establishment of mandatory environmental assessment procedures which are in place today to ensure that projects comply with certain safeguards and minimum standards. In 1971, the Peace-Athabasca Delta Project Group (PADPG) was established to review and to assess the environmental damage caused by the dam. The group was also advised to implement a strategy to mitigate the ongoing environmental deterioration in the Delta. It was concluded that Canada breached its statutory and fiduciary obligations to the Athabasca Chipewyan First nation by failing to take reasonable measures to prevent, to mitigate, or to seek compensation for unjustified infringement on its treaty rights and for environmental damages to IR 201. In this report the Commission recommends that the claim by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation be accepted for negotiation under Canada's specific claims policy. figs

Seismic Characterization of the Terrebonne Mini-basin, a Hydrate Rich Depositional System in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Dafov, L. N.; Eze, P. C.; Haines, S. S.; Graham, S. A.; McHargue, T.; Hosford Scheirer, A.

2017-12-01

Natural gas bearing hydrates are a focus of research as a potential source of energy and carbon storage because they occur globally in permafrost regions and marine sediment along every continent. This study focuses on the structural and stratigraphic architecture of the Terrebonne mini-basin, northwest Walker Ridge, Gulf of Mexico, to characterize the depositional architecture and to describe possible migration pathways for petroleum. Questions addressed include: a) continuity of sand layers b) effects of faulting and c) ponding versus fill and spill. To address these questions, seven of forty-two high resolution USGS 2D seismic lines were interpreted and then verified with WesternGeco 3D seismic data, yielding three qualitative models for the depositional environment of hydrate-bearing sand intervals. Deeper hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs were deposited as sheet-like turbidite lobes. Two shallower hydrate-bearing intervals display two possible depositional systems which form reservoirs- 1) sandy to muddy channel sealed laterally by muddy levees with associated sandy crevasse splays, and 2) ponded sandy lobes cut by channels filled with sand lags and mud. Additional observations in the 2D seismic include mass transport deposits and possible contourites. Salt movement facilitated mini-basin formation which was then ponded by sediment and followed by episodes of fill-and-spill and erosion. These seismic interpretations indicate periodic salt uplift. Overturn of salt along the northwestern edge of the basin resulted in thrust faults. The faults and erosional surfaces act as seals to reservoirs. The greatest volume of sandy reservoir potential occurs in sheet-like turbidite lobes with high lateral continuity, which facilitates updip migration of deep-sourced thermogenic gas along bedding surfaces. Channel levees serve as lateral seals to gas hydrate reservoirs, whereas faults, erosional surfaces, and shales provide vertical seals. Characterization of the Terrebonne

Advances in understanding the tectonic evolution of the Santa Rosalia Basin and its stratiform ore deposits: Results of the Baja Basins Research Experience for Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Niemi, T. M.; Busby, C.; Murowchick, J. B.; Martinez Gutierrez, G.; Antinao Rojas, J. L.; Graettinger, A.; Dorsey, R. J.

2017-12-01

Studies conducted during the three years of the Baja Basins REU program made progress toward solving a number of geologic questions in the Santa Rosalía Basin (SRB) of central Baja California. Geochemistry and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology on volcanic rocks within the SRB record the transition from subduction (13.32-9.95 Ma) to rifting (younger than 9.42 Ma) prior to deposition of the upper Miocene Boleo Formation. In contrast, magnesian andesite lavas and intrusions on the south margin of the SRB are dated at 6.1 +/- 0.3 Ma, and may have provided the heat engine for Boleo basin mineralization, which occurs in stratabound layers called "mantos". Mineralizing fluids in the Boleo Fm had near-neutral pH, evolved from a low Eh to more oxidizing conditions, were relatively low-temperature (near ambient T during manto ore deposition), and likely derived the Cu, Zn, Co, and Mn by leaching of mafic minerals in the volcanic rocks underlying the basin. Deposition of the ores was driven by oxidation as warm spring fluids vented to subaerial or near-shore marine environments, producing blankets of precipitated oxides interlayered with detrital fine to very coarse clastic beds. Integration of geologic map and fault data with detailed sedimentology and stratigraphic analysis provides evidence for syn-basinal tilting in two orthogonal directions during deposition of the Boleo Formation and Plio-Quaternary Tirabuzón, Infierno, and Santa Rosalia formations. Pronounced tilting toward the SE is revealed by southeastward thickening and coarsening of deposits in the Boleo Formation, and was synchronous with northeastward tilting and thickening due to slip on a network of NW-striking oblique normal faults. We hypothesize that the basin formed, subsided, and deformed as a pull-apart basin in a releasing step-over between two propagating transform faults that opened the late Miocene Gulf of California. The neotectonic evolution and uplift history of the SRB is documented through mapping of

Application of soil radon survey to searching for sandstone-type uranium deposit at western margin of Ordos basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanbin; Yin Jinshuang; Cui Yonghui

2006-01-01

On the basis of condition tests of soil radon survey at certain uranium deposit in Ordos basin, regional soil radon survey was carried but in a study area of western margin of Ordos basin. By processing of soil radon survey data, five anomalous areas with certain metallogenic potential have been delineated. Then, discovered anomalies have been interpreted and evaluated for providing important reference for further drilling work. Research results indicate that by soil radon survey, anomalies may be distinguished in a basin, and soil radon survey could be an important geochemical prospecting method for rapid evaluation of sandstone-type uranium deposit in basin areas. (authors)

Production of oil from Intermountain West tar sands deposits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glassett, J.M.; Glassett, J.A.

1976-03-01

Six tar sand deposits in the Intermountain West, each containing more than one billion barrels of oil in place, are identified. All of these deposits are in eastern Utah and contain a total of twenty-eight billion barrels of oil. The names of the six deposits arranged in descending order of desirability for large-scale surface-mining oil recovery operations are as follows: Sunnyside, Tar Sand Triangle, Asphalt Ridge, P.R. Spring, Circle Cliffs, and Hill Creek. An overview of each deposit is presented including geology, surface-mining variables, chemical processing variables, environmental aspects, and economics. A comparison of Utah tar sands and Athabasca, Alberta, Canada tar sands is also presented.

Deposition and diagenesis of the Brushy Basin Member and upper part of the Westwater Canyon member of the Morrison Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, T.E.

1986-01-01

The Brushy Basin Member and the upper part of the Westwater Canyon Member of the Morrison Formation in northwest New Mexico are nonmarine sedimentary rocks of Late Jurassic age. This stratigraphic interval consists of as many as four lithofacies deposited in fluvial and playa-lake environments. Lithofacies A is composed of crossbed feldspathic sandstone and was deposited by braided streams on an alluvial plain. Lithofacies B is composed of crossbedded feldspathic sandstone and tuffaceous mudstone, and was deposited by braided and anastomosing streams at the distal end of the alluvial plain. Lithofacies C is composed of calcareous, tuffaceous mudstone and was deposited on a mudflat between the alluvial plain and a playa lake. Lithofacies D is composed of zeolitic, tuffaceous mudstone and was deposited in a playa lake. The distribution of diagenetic facies in mudstones and tuffs in the Brushy Basin Member and upper part of the Westwater Canyon Member reflects the pH and salinity gradients common to fluvial/playa-lake systems. The abundant vitric ash in the sediments reacted to form montmorillonite in the fluvial facies. Calcite and montmorillonite were the reaction products where the fluvial and outermost playa facies met. Vitric ash reacted to form clinoptilolite and heulandite along the playa margins. In the center of the playa facies, analcime replaced clinoptilolite, an early zeolite. These early diagenetic minerals were replaced by albite, quartz, and mixed-layer illitemontmorillonite where the Brushy Basin Member and upper part of the Westwater Canyon Member have been deeply buried in the San Juan basin

Forecasting sandstone uranium deposits in oil-and-gas bearing basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pechenkin, I.

2014-01-01

The interrelation between oxidation and reduction processes in the carbonaceous strata of Paleogene age was first studied in the 1950s in deposit of the Fergana depression. The presence of pre-ore and post-ore epigenesis of petroleum series was established. Part of uranium mineralization was found to be covered with fluid oil. In the middle of the 1960s in the Sabirsay deposit (Uzbekistan) in primary red-coloured continental sediment of Cretaceous age were studied pre-ore reduction changes, which caused economic uranium mineralization in contrasting geochemical barrier. Further research showed that multidirectional epigenetic processes had changed repeatedly. Later, in the 1970s, American geologists studying uranium deposits in the oil-and-gas bearing Texas Plain reached similar conclusions. From their point of view, in the Benevides deposit the main zones of mineralization tend to be located near the boundary where the zones of oxidation in the strata wedge in, developing in epigenetically reduced formations. A second post-mineral reduction was registered in a number of rock bodies. The complexity of the processes is determined by the double role of hydrocarbon fluids and the products of their dissolution. On the one hand, bituminization of permeable strata as well as pyritization, chloritization, dolomitization and other alterations associated with it create favourable geochemical conditions of a reducing character for a subsequent concentration of ore and nonmetal raw materials. On the other hand, intrusion of bitumen and its dissolution in the aeration zone leads to the burial of the mineralization which formed earlier and disappearance of all traces of its formation (epigenetic oxidation zoning). Thus forecasting and subsequent prospecting become impeded. The established sequence of epigenetic alterations allows us to carry out specialized mapping in productive regions, uncovering hidden parts of epigenetic oxidation zoning and “buried” mineralization

Summary on uranium in Canada, 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruzicka, V.; LeCheminant, G.M.

1985-01-01

Field and laboratory investigations of recently discovered uranium occurrences and deposits have revealed that (a) the mineralization processes that formed the Cigar Lake deposit, Saskatchewan were similar to those reported for the McClean Lake deposit; (b) the recently discovered Boomerang Lake occurrence related to the sub-Thelon unconformity occurs in a geological environment similar to that hosting deposits related to the sub-Athabasca unconformity; (c) additional occurrences of mineralization similar to the Black Sturgeon Lake showing, Ontario, will be restricted to areas containing uraniferous igneous rocks adjacent to ferruginous metavolcanic rocks in areas affected by Keweenawan hydrothermal activity; (d) uranium occurrences in the Otish Basin, Labrador Trough, Central Mineral Belt of Labrador and the Nonacho Basin were formed by epigenetic processes

The relationship between depositional system and ore-formation of sandstone-type uranium deposits in Dongsheng area, Ordos basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Honggang; Ou Guangxi

2006-01-01

The analysis on depositional system plays a very important role in studying sandstone-type uranium deposits. Based on depositional system analysis and sequence stratigraphy, and through the study of depositional system characteristics and the spatial distribution of sedimentary facies, the evolution of sedimentary environments as well as the sequence stratigraphy of Zhiluo Formation in Dongsheng area, Ordos basin, authors have come to the following conclusions, (1) the spatial distribution of sand bodies is controlled by the planar distribution of sedimentary facies, which, in turn, affects the spatial distribution of ore-hosting sand bodies; (2) the evolution of sedimentary facies and sedimentary environments creates good lithofacies and lithological conditions favorable for interlayer oxidation; (3) the spatial lithologic combination of 'three layer structure' is controlled by sedimentary sequence. (authors)

Sedimentology and Reservoir Characteristics of Early Cretaceous Fluvio-Deltaic and Lacustrine Deposits, Upper Abu Gabra Formation, Sufyan Sub-basin, Muglad Rift Basin, Sudan

Science.gov (United States)

Yassin, Mohamed; Abdullatif, Osman; Hariri, Mustafa

2017-04-01

Sufyan Sub-basin is an East-West trending Sub-basin located in the northwestern part of the Muglad Basin (Sudan), in the eastern extension of the West and Central Africa Rift System (WCARS). The Early Cretaceous Abu Gabra Formation considered as the main source rock in the Muglad Basin. In Sufyan Sub-basin the Early Cretaceous Upper Abu Gabra Formation is the main oil-producing reservoir. It is dominated by sandstone and shales deposited in fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine environment during the first rift cycle in the basin. Depositional and post-depositional processes highly influenced the reservoir quality and architecture. This study investigates different scales of reservoir heterogeneities from macro to micro scale. Subsurface facies analysis was analyzed based on the description of six conventional cores from two wells. Approaches include well log analysis, thin sections and scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigations, grain-size, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the Abu Gabra sandstone. The cores and well logs analyses revealed six lithofacies representing fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine depositional environment. The sandstone is medium to coarse-grained, poorly to moderately sorted and sub-angular to subrounded, Sub-feldspathic arenite to quartz arenite. On macro-scale, reservoir quality varies within Abu Gabra reservoir where it shows progressive coarsening upward tendencies with different degrees of connectivity. The upper part of the reservoir showed well connected and amalgamated sandstone bodies, the middle to lower parts, however, have moderate to low sandstone bodies' connectivity and amalgamation. On micro-scale, sandstone reservoir quality is directly affected by textures and diagenesis.The XRD and SEM analyses show that kaolinite and chlorite clay are the common clay minerals in the studied samples. Clay matrix and quartz overgrowth have significantly reduced the reservoir porosity and permeability, while the dissolution of feldspars

Tectonic and sedimentological environments of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, with special reference to the Karoo Basin of South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Roux, J.P.

1985-01-01

The principal tectonic and sedimentological settings for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits are described. Back-arc basins filled with post-Silurian, fluvial sediments bordering subduction zone magmatic arcs of calc-alkaline composition are considered favourable tectonic environments. The basins should be closed to prevent excessive oxidation of the sediments. Uranium deposits are concentrated near basin rims in the transition zone between uplift and basin subsidence, because of favourable sedimentary facies in those areas. Syn- and post-depositional deformation could have affected the localisation of uranium ore-bodies, while intrusive centres or uplifted arcs commonly have surrounding aprons of potential host rocks. Stratigraphic zoning is also related to source area tectonics and can be used to predict favourable sedimentary environments. Sedimentological processes had a direct influence on the permeability and carbonaceous matter content of sandstones and therefore have often controlled the localisation of ore-bodies. (author)

Metallogenic geologic prerequisites of sandstone-type uranium deposits and target area selection. Taking Erlian and Ordos basins as examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Fazheng

2002-01-01

Sandstone-type uranium deposit is the main target of recent uranium prospecting and exploration. According to the metallogenic characteristics, sandstone-type uranium deposits are divided into three groups: paleo-channel type, interlayer oxidation zone type and phreatic interlayer oxidation type. The author makes an analysis on the geologic prerequisites of the three types of uranium deposits, the similarities and difference, and preliminarily summarizes genetic models of different types of uranium deposits. Finally, taking Erlian and Ordos basins as examples, the author makes an evaluation and a strategic analysis on the uranium metallogenic prospect of the above two basins

Discussion on the genesis and mineralization of sandstone type uranium deposit in the southern-central Longchuanjiang basin, western Yunnan province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Yuqi; Li Mangen

2002-01-01

The author mainly discusses the character of the depositional systems, geological structures and ore-bearing series in the south-central Longchuanjiang basin, and points out that the uranium mineralization is closely related to the two depositional discontinuities caused by the tectonic evolution. Based on the characteristics of uranium mineralization in the area, pitchblende, uranium blacks and phosphuranylite are discovered in No. 382 uranium deposit and radiometric super-micro-minerals in No. 381 deposit. The research on the uranium mineralization age in No. 382 deposit shows that the mineralization in the south-central part of the basin has genetically multi-staged

Depositional environment and sedimentary of the basinal sediments in the Eibiswalder Bucht (Radl Formation and Lower Eibiswald Beds), Miocene Western Styrian Basin, Austria

Science.gov (United States)

Stingl, K.

1994-12-01

The Eibiswald Bucht is a small subbasin of the Western Styrian Basin exposing sediments of Lower Miocene age. In the past the entire sequence exposed in the Eibiswalder Bucht has been interpreted as being of fluvial/lacustrine origin; here, results are presented of detailed sedimentological investigations that lead to a revision of this concept. The lowermost siliciclastic sedimentary unit of the Eibiswalder Bucht sequence is the Radl Formation. It is overlain by the Eibiswald Beds, which are subdivided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Eibiswald Beds. The Radl Formation and the Lower Eibiswald Beds are interpreted as a fan delta complex deposited along NNW-SSE striking faults. Based on the sedimentary facies this fan delta can be subdivided into a subaerial alluvial fan facies group, a proximal delta facies group and a distal delta/prodelta facies group. The Radl Formation comprises the alluvial fan and proximal delta facies groups, the Lower Eibiswald Beds the distal delta/prodelta facies group. The alluvial fan and the proximal delta consist of diverse deposits of gravelly flows. The distal delta/prodelta consists of wave-reworked, bioturbated, low density turbidites intercalated with minor gravelly mass flows. The prodelta can be regarded as as the basin facies of the small and shallow Eibiswalder Bucht, where marine conditions prevailed. The basin was probably in part connected with the Eastern Styrian Basin, the contemporary depositional environment of the Styrian Schlier (mainly turbiditic marine offshore sediments in the Eastern Styrian Basin). Analysis of the clast composition, in conjunction with the paleotransport direction of the coarse delta mass flows of the Radl Formation, shows that the source rocks were exclusively crystalline rocks ranging from greenschists to eclogites.

Processes in Environmental Depositional Systems and Deformation in Sedimentary Basins: Goals for Exoloration in Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Ochoa, J.

2005-05-01

Among the recent needs to establish new goals in the mexican energy industry to increase the petroleum reserves, has been necessary to recapitulate on some academic an operative concepts and definitions applied to the Petroliferous Basins Exploration; first of all, in order to understand the Petroleum System in given tectonophysical framework. The tectonophysical environment experienced by the petroliferous basin in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, merely in the Campeche Sound and adjacent terrestrial regions (Figure 1); has been the result of interaction among the tectonic plates, the Coco's Plate with impingement and subduction beneath the Northamerican Plate and the Yucatán Microplate and even in very deep connection with the oceanic crust of southwesternmost portion of the Gulf of Mexico and the one of the Caribbean sea beneath the gulf of Belize-Honduras. The tectonosedimentary effects in the Campeche Bay starting with the skeleton formed for the Cenozoic Era, kept simultaneous conditions in depositions and deformations because of strain, stress and collapse fields, acted through this Era up to the present day, as observed in the surface Aguayo et al, 1999 and Sandoval, 2000. The involved portions of the crust and its boundaries have also been performing the relative sinking of the mere southwestern centre of the Gulf of Mexico, and the rising of the southeastern lands of Mexico. In the middle contiguity are found the productive Tertiary basins of: Comalcalco, Macuspana, Salina del Itsmo, Campeche-Champoton and other in deep waters; all of them, in an arrangement of basins among distensive faulted blocks in echelon, falling down to the deep centre of the Gulf Sandoval, op cit. With this scenario and that ones of other basins, a recapitulation on concepts and definitions, has been made on the regional natural processes of the environmental depositional systems and on the basins analysis in the tectonophysical framework, in order to reflect on the

Northern Rivers Basins human health monitoring program : report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabos, S.

1999-04-01

The Northern River Basins Human Health Monitoring Program was established in 1994 to investigate the possible relationships between various environmental risk factors and the health of northern residents in the province. This report presents the initial analysis of the health program and examines the differences in health outcomes across the province and compares the Northern Rivers Basin Study (NRBS) area with the other areas of the province. A series of maps and graphs showed the prevalence of certain diseases and disorders within the Peace and Athabasca river basins. The focus of the report was on reproductive health, congenital anomalies, respiratory ailments, circulatory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and neurocognitive disorders. The study showed that compared to other areas of the province, the NRBS area had higher incidences of endometriosis, selected congenital anomalies, bronchitis, pneumonia, peptic ulcers and epilepsy. There were three potential exposure pathways to environmental contaminants. These were through ingestion of water or food, inhalation of air and through dermal exposure. refs., tabs., figs

Northern Rivers Basins human health monitoring program : report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabos, S. [Alberta Health, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Health Surveillance

1999-04-01

The Northern River Basins Human Health Monitoring Program was established in 1994 to investigate the possible relationships between various environmental risk factors and the health of northern residents in the province. This report presents the initial analysis of the health program and examines the differences in health outcomes across the province and compares the Northern Rivers Basin Study (NRBS) area with the other areas of the province. A series of maps and graphs showed the prevalence of certain diseases and disorders within the Peace and Athabasca river basins. The focus of the report was on reproductive health, congenital anomalies, respiratory ailments, circulatory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and neurocognitive disorders. The study showed that compared to other areas of the province, the NRBS area had higher incidences of endometriosis, selected congenital anomalies, bronchitis, pneumonia, peptic ulcers and epilepsy. There were three potential exposure pathways to environmental contaminants. These were through ingestion of water or food, inhalation of air and through dermal exposure. refs., tabs., figs.

Bird nesting on an Athabasca power line structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stedwill, R.J.

1989-01-01

SaskPower has recently completed its 400 km Athabasca power line, and is evaluating the predicted environmental impact of the line on the resident population of bald eagles and other raptors. During construction of the line, five major types of impact associated with the line were addressed. Minor route adjustments were made to by-pass nests of bald eagles and osprey to minimize impact of construction on breeding. The proximity of the power line to cliff faces and the north shore of lake Athabasca was maximized, and frequency of stream crossings and proximity to rapids were minimized. Route adjustments were made to ensure that the line was at least 1.6 km from bald eagle nest sites. As structures of the main 115 kV power line allow a minimum separation between conductors and grounded spars of 1.6 m, and between conductors of 4.6 m, electrocution was not considered to be a significant risk. However, on the 25 kV power line in regions of known bald eagle activity and in close proximity to bodies of water, provision was made for special structures to allow birds to perch without danger of electrocution. It was concluded that the resident population of raptors will probably be enhanced, particularly in areas not previously utilized. 8 refs., 5 figs

Geomorphology of crater and basin deposits - Emplacement of the Fra Mauro formation

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, R. H.; Oberbeck, V. R.

1975-01-01

Characteristics of continuous deposits near lunar craters larger than about 1 km wide are considered, and it is concluded that (1) concentric dunes, radial ridges, and braided lineations result from deposition of the collision products of ejecta from adjacent pairs of similarly oriented secondary-crater chains and are, therefore, concentrations of secondary-crater ejecta; (2) intracrater ridges are produced within preexisting craters surrounding a fresh primary crater by ricocheting and focusing of secondary-crater ejecta from the preexisting craters' walls; and (3) secondary cratering has produced many of the structures of the continuous deposits of relatively small lunar craters and is the dominant process for emplacement of most of the radial facies of the continuous deposits of large lunar craters and basins. The percentages of Imbrium ejecta in deposits and the nature of Imbrium sculpturing are investigated.

Deposition and diagenesis of the Hibernia member, Jeanne d'Arc Basin, offshore Newfoundland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitzgerald, C E

1987-01-01

The Jeanne d'Arc Basin was formed during Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous time by two episodes of rifting that caused repeated movement on one set of basin-forming faults. This resulted in up to 14 km of sediments, some of which contain huge reserves of hydrocarbons. The Hibernia member, the subject of this thesis, is a sandstone dominated zone within this basin-fill that contains a high proportion of the discovered hydrocarbons. Deposition of the Hibernia member is a result of two simultaneous and related events during Tithonian to Berriasian time: deep erosion of upthrown sides of the fault blocks, and a global eustatic rise of sea level. The provenance and depositional environment are interpreted from the examination of cores, cuttings, microfossils, and thin sections. The siliciclastics were derived from a southern source of sediments and sedimentary rocks that had an original metamorphic origin. They were deposited in a non-marine to brackish water environment of channels and associated floodplains in an anastomosed fluvial system. Rates of sedimentation and subsidence were high, and coupled with a contemporaneous eustatic sea level rise resulted in rapid aggradation and a thick sequence. The center of the basin currently has the highest geothermal gradient and thinnest oil window. Burial and thermal history curves show that the source rocks reached maturity first at the Ben Nevis well; early-formed hydrocarbons may have been lost during tectonic movements in Albian time. The source rocks underlying the Hibernia field are presently at peak oil-generating capability. Organic acids formed during the maturation of organic matter have produced excellent secondary porosity in the sandstones of the Hibernia field. However, at Ben Nevis, subsequent thermal degradation of carboxylic acids allowed late-stage cementation by ferroan calcite cement, destroying the reservoir porosity. 63 refs., 79 figs., 1 tab

Influences of structures on the interlayer oxidation zone sandstone-type uranium deposits on the southern margin of Yili basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Mou; Li Shengfu

2006-01-01

Based on geology and the theory of hydromorphic origin uranium deposit, structural conditions of uranium formation on the southern margin of Yili Basin are analyzed from two aspects of structural movements and deformation. It is suggested that the subsidiary structures caused by the neotectonic movement are the major factor that control and reform the interlayer oxidation zone sandstone-type uranium deposit, and the differences lie in the tectonics at the eastern and western section on the southern margin of Yili Basin. At the western section, because Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata are tilted by the subsidiary structures, some strata on the margin of the basin outcrop at the surface and suffer from the weathering and erosion, which is favorable for the formation of large size uranium deposits. But at the eastern section, the fault and fold are predominant, outcropping at the surface, cause the redistribution of the uranium, which is favorable for the formation of small size uranium deposits. (authors)

Development of water quality objectives and management systems for the lower Athabasca River in the oil sands area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noton, L.; McEachern, P.

2004-01-01

This paper addressed environmental concerns related to the increased oil sands activity along the lower Athabasca River in northeastern Alberta. The concerns include potential effects on water quality of the river even though wastewaters do not currently reach the Athabasca River, nor do they have any significant effects. However, as the industry expands, there is concern that releases of wastewater may increase significantly. A multi-stakeholder group called the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA) has addressed some of these environmental management issues in the Athabasca area by establishing a water quality task group that examines water quality protection and management activities. The task group intends to develop and recommend water quality objectives and management options on the lower Athabasca River. Their 4 part process includes: (1) defining the problem, (2) setting goals, (3) measuring performance, and (4) managing and adapting to potential impacts. The group has identified and defined about 35 water quality variables of potential concern. It has also identified the uses of water it wants to protect and intends to prevent the degradation of water quality. A plan for developing site specific water quality objectives has been established following a review of water quality guidelines. Performance will be measured using water quality models that simulate full development scenarios. The modelling work will be instrumental in designing management schemes for any potential impacts

Source of sulphur in the Ebro Basin (Northern Spain). Tertiary nonmarine evaporite deposits as evidenced by sulphur isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birnbaum, S.J.; Coleman, D.

1979-01-01

The Ebro Basin is an intermontane basin, located in northern Spain, filled with Tertiary (largely Oligocene and Miocene) elastic and chemical deposits. Sulphur isotopes are utilized to determine the source of sulphur in the sulphate deposits (predominantly gypsum with accessory thenardite, mirabolite and epsomite). Data obtained from Tertiary gypsum rocks produce a range of delta 34 S values from +9.16% to + 14.02% with a mean of +13.61%. Data obtained from Triassic gypsum rocks (in source area) produce a range from +13.73% to +15.14%, with a mean of +14.66%. Values for Tertiary marine water range from +18% to +24%. These data indicate a nonmarine origin for sulpur within the Tertiary sulphate rocks. The contribution of Triassic sulphur to the groundwater system, plus varying degrees of dilution by isotopically lighter (atmospheric and sulphide) sulphur, best explains the isotopic ratios observed in the Tertiary Basin deposits. (Auth.)

Depositional environment of a fan delta in a Vistulian proglacial lake (Skaliska Basin, north-eastern Poland

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Woronko Barbara

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The study reconstructed the environment of a fan delta filling the vast end depression of the Skaliska Basin, and its overlying aeolian deposits. The formation of the large fan delta is associated with the presence of an ice-dammed lake functioning during the retreat of the Vistulian Glaciation (MIS 2. The examined material was collected from five boreholes. Sediments were analysed for their granulometric composition and subjected to analyses of frosting and rounding of quartz grains. Grain size analysis showed that the fan delta deposits are built of sand sediments of very low lateral and vertical variability. The fan delta was supplied with fluvioglacial sediments. Accumulation of sediments occurred in shallow water with a very low-gradient slope. The exposed fan delta became a site conducive to aeolian processes after the lake waters fell and the Skaliska Basin depression dried. Dune deposits overlying the fan were affected by short-distance transport so they did not acquire features typical for aeolian deposits.

Depositional Record of the Bagua Basin, Northern Peru: Implications for Climate and Tectonic Evolution of Tropical South America

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, F.; George, S. W. M.; Williams, L. A.; Horton, B. K.; Garzione, C. N.

2015-12-01

The Andes Mountains exert critical controls on the climate, hydrology, and biodiversity of South America. The Bagua Basin, a low elevation (400-600 m) intermontane basin in northern Peru, offers a unique opportunity to study the ecological, climatic, and structural evolution of the western topographic boundary of the Amazonian foreland. Situated between the Marañon fold-thrust belt of the Western Cordillera and basement block uplifts of the Eastern Cordillera, the Bagua region contains a protracted, semi-continuous record of Triassic through Pleistocene sedimentation. Whereas Triassic-Cretaceous marine deposits were potentially related to extension and regional thermal subsidence, a Paleocene-Eocene shift to shallow marine and fluvial systems marks the onset of foreland basin conditions. Oligocene-Miocene sedimentation corresponds to a braided-meandering fluvial system with exceptional development of paleosols. In this study, we use new detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic and oxygen stable isotopic datasets to establish a chronology of pre-Andean and Andean processes within the Bagua Basin. Detrital zircon geochronology provides constraints on when the Western and Eastern cordilleras shed sediments into the basin. Syndepositional zircons within Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene strata provide key age control for a previously poorly constrained depositional chronology. Preliminary results suggest a dramatic provenance shift in which Paleocene deposits contain almost exclusively cratonic populations (500-1600 Ma) whereas Eocene deposits show a mix of syndepositional zircons from the magmatic arc, recycled Mesozoic zircons, and cratonic zircon populations. Oxygen stable isotopes (δ18O) of carbonate nodules from Neogene paleosols will help elucidate when the Eastern Cordillera became an orographic barrier intercepting moisture from the Amazon basin to the east. Together, these records will help uncover the history of tectonics and climate interaction in tropical South

Characteristics and model of sandstone type uranium deposit in south of Songliao basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Wenbin; Yu Zhenqing

2010-01-01

Through analyzing the uranium deposit tectonic environment, upper cretaceous sequence stratigraphy, depositional system, evolutionary characteristics of sand bodies, the effect of subsequent transformation and the characteristic of uranium deposit, the sandstone type uranium deposit in southern basin is different from typical interlayer oxidation zone sandstone type uranium deposit. The formation and evolution of sandstone-type uranium deposit are controlled by structure fensters; the favorable sedimentary facies type is braided river facies, and the ore body is braided river sand body. The size of uranium deposits is controlled by the local oxidation zone with the characteristics of sandstone type uranium deposit in partial oxidation zone. Uranium ore bodies which distribute in the roof wings of structure fenstes, and occur in gray layers between the upper and lower oxidation zone, showing tabular, and the plate of uranium ore body is controlled by the local oxidation zone. Based on the geological features of sandstone-type uranium deposits, the metallogenic model of local oxidation zones sandstone-type uranium deposits has been set up in the south of Songliao Baisn. (authors)

Dzhezkazgan and associated sandstone copper deposits of the Chu-Sarysu basin, Central Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Box, Stephen E.; Seltmann, Reimar; Zientek, Michael L.; Syusyura, Boris; Creaser, Robert A.; Dolgopolova, Alla

2012-01-01

Sandstone-hosted copper (sandstone Cu) deposits occur within a 200-km reach of the northern Chu-Sarysu basin of central Kazakhstan (Dzhezkazgan and Zhaman-Aibat deposits, and the Zhilandy group of deposits). The deposits consist of Cu sulfide minerals as intergranular cement and grain replacement in 10 ore-bearing members of sandstone and conglomerate within a 600- to 1,000-m thick Pennsylvanian fluvial red-bed sequence. Copper metal content of the deposits ranges from 22 million metric tons (Mt, Dzehzkazgan) to 0.13Mt (Karashoshak in the Zhilandy group), with average grades of 0.85 to 1.7% Cu and significant values for silver (Ag) and rhenium (Re). Broader zones of iron reduction (bleaching) of sandstones and conglomerates of the red-bed sequence extend over 10 km beyond each of the deposits along E-NE-trending anticlines, which began to form in the Pennsylvanian. The bleached zones and organic residues within them are remnants of ormer petroleum fluid accumulations trapped by these anticlines. Deposit sites along these F1anticlines are localized at and adjacent to the intersections of nearly orthogonal N-NW-trending F2synclines. These structural lows served to guide the flow of dense ore brines across the petroleum-bearing anticlines, resulting in ore sulfide precipitation where the two fluids mixed. The ore brine was sourced either from the overlying Early Permian lacustrine evaporitic basin, whose depocenter occurs between the major deposits, or from underlying Upper Devonian marine evaporites. Sulfur isotopes indicate biologic reduction of sulfate but do not resolve whether the sulfate was contributed from the brine or from the petroleum fluids. New Re-Os age dates of Cu sulfides from the Dzhezkazgan deposit indicate that mineralization took place between 299 to 309 Ma near the Pennsylvanian-Permian age boundary. At the Dzhezkazgan and some Zhilandy deposits, F2fold deformation continued after ore deposition. Copper orebodies in Lower Permian

Hydrothermal zebra dolomite in the Great Basin, Nevada--attributes and relation to Paleozoic stratigraphy, tectonics, and ore deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, S.F.; Hofstra, A.H.; Koenig, A.E.; Emsbo, P.; Christiansen, W.; Johnson, Chad

2010-01-01

In other parts of the world, previous workers have shown that sparry dolomite in carbonate rocks may be produced by the generation and movement of hot basinal brines in response to arid paleoclimates and tectonism, and that some of these brines served as the transport medium for metals fixed in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) and sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) deposits of Zn, Pb, Ag, Au, or barite. Numerous occurrences of hydrothermal zebra dolomite (HZD), comprised of alternating layers of dark replacement and light void-filling sparry or saddle dolomite, are present in Paleozoic platform and slope carbonate rocks on the eastern side of the Great Basin physiographic province. Locally, it is associated with mineral deposits of barite, Ag-Pb-Zn, and Au. In this paper the spatial distribution of HZD occurrences, their stratigraphic position, morphological characteristics, textures and zoning, and chemical and stable isotopic compositions were determined to improve understanding of their age, origin, and relation to dolostone, ore deposits, and the tectonic evolution of the Great Basin. In northern and central Nevada, HZD is coeval and cogenetic with Late Devonian and Early Mississippian Sedex Au, Zn, and barite deposits and may be related to Late Ordovician Sedex barite deposits. In southern Nevada and southwest California, it is cogenetic with small MVT Ag-Pb-Zn deposits in rocks as young as Early Mississippian. Over Paleozoic time, the Great Basin was at equatorial paleolatitudes with episodes of arid paleoclimates. Several occurrences of HZD are crosscut by Mesozoic or Cenozoic intrusions, and some host younger pluton-related polymetallic replacement and Carlin-type gold deposits. The distribution of HZD in space (carbonate platform, margin, and slope) and stratigraphy (Late Neoproterozoic Ediacaran-Mississippian) roughly parallels that of dolostone and both are prevalent in Devonian strata. Stratabound HZD is best developed in Ediacaran and Cambrian units, whereas

Polyphase deformation history and strain analyses of the post-amalgamation depositional basins in the Arabian-Nubian Shield: Evidence from Fatima, Ablah and Hammamat Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Hamimi, Zakaria; El-Fakharani, Abdelhamid; Abdeen, Mamdouh M.

2014-11-01

Post-amalgamation depositional basins Asir tectonic terrane. The Hammamat PADB is investigated in Wadi Umm Gheig, Wadi Allaqi and Wadi Hodein in the Egyptian Eastern Desert tectonic terrane. It is supposed that the Fatima is a basin controlled by dextral transcurrent shearing occurred along the NE-oriented Wadi Fatima Shear Zone and the Ablah is a strike-slip pull-apart basin, and both basins were believed to be deposited during and soon after the Nabitah Orogeny (680-640 Ma) that marked suturing of the Afif terrane with the oceanic ANS terranes to the west. They were affected by at least three Neoproterozoic deformation phases and show geometric and kinematic relationships between folding and thrusting. The Hammamat PADB is a fault-bounded basin affected by a NW-SE- to NNW-SSE-oriented shortening phase just after the deposition of the molasse sediments, proved by NW- to NNW-verging folds and SE- to SSE-dipping thrusts that were refolded and thrusted in the same direction. The shortening phase in the Hammamat was followed by a transpressional wrenching phase related to the Najd Shear System, which resulted in the formation of NW-SE sinistral-slip faults associated with positive flower structures that comprise NE-verging folds and SW-dipping thrusts. Strain results in the three studied PADBs are nearly consistent, indicating that they are correlated and underwent the same history of deformation. The ANOVA test indicates that there is no significant difference for the Vector mean and ISYM for the three PADBs. There is only a significant difference for the Harmonic mean (P-value < 0.05). A Post Hoc test (Shefee) shows that the difference exists between the Allaqi and the Umm Gheig's deformed polymictic conglomeratic pebbles of the Hammamat PADB.

Applicability of CO{sub 2}-based Vapex process to recover Athabasca bitumen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badamchi-Zadeh, A.; Maini, B.B.; Yarranton, H.W. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

2008-10-15

This paper described an experimental apparatus designed to test Vapex process performance in Athabasca bitumen. The study examined the effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) as a carrier gas for propane in the Vapex process. The procedure was designed to provide data on the compositional changes in the vapor chamber and solution gas, as well as to more accurately measure the density and viscosity of produced oil. A total of 4 Vapex experiments were conducted in a model packed with glass beads and saturated with Athabasca bitumen. Pure propane, and 2 different mixtures of CO{sub 2} and propane were used as solvents. The study examined stabilized live oil production rates; average fractions of the solvent in the produced oil, the density and viscosity of the produced oil, and the average composition of the solvent in the test vapor chamber. The compositional changes were mapped using an equations of state (EOS) model. The study demonstrated that the Vapex compositional path follows a multi-contact immiscible process that included condensing compositional gravity drainage. Results indicated that while pure propane is a more effective means of recovering Athabasca bitumens, non-condensable gases such as CO{sub 2} must be mixed with propane in order to ensure that the dew point pressure of the solvent remains above reservoir pressures. The study showed that CO{sub 2} can be used to effectively reduce the viscosity of bitumen in conjunction with propane. However, the phase behavior of solvent and bitumen systems in reservoir conditions must be characterized in order to select appropriate injection gas ratios. 17 refs., 3 tabs., 12 figs.

Metallogeny of the Paramillos de Uspallata Pb-Zn-Ag vein deposit in the Cuyo Rift Basin, Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Rubinstein, Nora A.; Carrasquero, Silvia I.; Gómez, Anabel L. R.; Ricchetti, Ana P. Orellano; D'Annunzio, María C.

2018-05-01

The Paramillos de Uspallata deposit, previously considered as genetically linked to a Miocene porphyry deposit, is located in the Mesozoic Cuyo Basin, which was formed during the beginning of the break-up of Gondwana. In the present study, both previous information and new geological, mineralogical, and isotopic data allowed outlining a new descriptive model for this deposit. Stratigraphic and structural controls allowed considering this deposit as contemporaneous with the Mesozoic rifting, with the mineralization resulting from a Pb-Zn stage followed by an Ag-Cu-Pb stage. The hydrothermal fluids were found to have low temperature and low to moderate salinity, and to result from the mixing between metamorphic and meteoric fluids, with the lead sourced by the igneous Paleozoic basement and the sulfur partly derived from a magmatic source. These characteristics allow describing Paramillos de Uspallata as Pb-Zn-Ag veins hosted in clastic sedimentary sequences genetically linked to a rift basin and redefining it as detachment-related mineralization.

Characteristics of uranium mineralization and depositional system of host sediments, Bayantala basin, Inner Mongolia autonomous region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Minqiang; Wu Rengui; Yu Dagan; Chen Anping; Shen Kefeng

2003-01-01

Based upon the research of basin fills at the Bayantala basin, the genetic facies of host sediments have been ascertained and the target beds and their range are delineated. The sand bodies of the Upper Member of Tengge'er Formation deposited in fan delta front is favorable to the formation of uranium mineralization of phreatic-interlayer oxidation. The Saihantala Fm deposited in fluvial system can be divided into Lower Member and Upper Member based on depositional microfacies and paleoclimate. The Lower Member of braided system is the most important target bed enriched in organic matter where basal-channel-type uranium mineralization occurs. Features of alteration and mineralization suggest that the early-stage and the late-stage uranium mineralization are related to phreatic oxidation and interlayer oxidation (roll-type) respectively. Meanwhile, the secondary reduction has superimposed over the earlier mineralization in the area caused by hydrocarbons raising along faults

Hydrogeology of an ancient arid closed basin: Implications for tabular sandstone-hosted uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanford, R.F.

1990-01-01

Hydrogeologic modeling shows that tabular-type uranium deposits in the grants uranium region of the San Juan basin, New Mexico, formed in zones of ascending and discharging regional ground-water flow. The association of either lacustrine mudstone or actively subsiding structures and uranium deposits can best be explained by the occurrence of lakes at topographic depressions where ground water having different sources and compositions is likely to converge, mix, and discharge. Ascending and discharging flow also explains the association of uranium deposits with underlying evaporites and suggests a brine interface. The simulations contradict previous suggestions that ground water moved downward in the mudflat

Deltaic Depositional Systems, Evolution Characteristics, and Petroleum Potential, Palaeogene Sub-Basin, South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuan; Wang, Hua; Zhang, Guotao

2015-04-01

Deltaic depositional systems are detailed characterized by morphology and facies in a Palaeogene continental sub-basin of Beibuwan Basin, South China Sea. Based on examination of 435 m of conventional cores from 30 wells, three major types of deltaic facies have been recognized: delta, beach and shoreface. Morphology and facies asymmetry between the down-drift and the up-drift sides present a typical asymmetric delta system:1) the down-rift, sourced primarily by the feeding river, are influenced by mixed river and wave processes. Deposits on this side are muddy and consist of barrier, bar, bay-fill, and bayhead delta facies with variable bioturbation intensity; 2)the up-rift, in contrast, is sourced by a second sediment source and typically consists of laterally continuous sandy beach and shoreface facies. Finally, two fundamentally different depositional models are established and reflect a different style of sequence stratigraphic patterns: 1) Multiple-stage faults slopes developed in the down-rift side feed fine grained sediment into two stages channelized front deltaic system; 2) Flexure slope break of the up-rift side, combining with deeper gradual slopes, conversely, feed coarser grained sediment from larger drainages into sandy beach and shoreface systems. Such a distinction has well explained the differentiation of the proven hydrocarbon reserves because the up-rift consists of well-sorted, mature, and laterally continuous homogeneous beach-shoreface reservoirs, whereas the down-rift, in contrast, is muddier and consists of less continuous, less mature, heterolithic reservoirs. The Delta asymmetry concepts and models don't only challenge the traditional definition of deltas in Fushan sub-basin, but also provides strong theoretical support for the future exploration. This process-based model may be applicable to many deep-water settings and provides a framework within which to interpret the stratigraphic and spatial distribution of these complex deposits.

Constraining the sedimentology and stratigraphy of submarine intraslope lobe deposits using exhumed examples from the Karoo Basin, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Spychala, Y. T.; Hodgson, D. M.; Flint, S. S.; Mountney, N. P.

2015-06-01

Intraslope lobe deposits provide a process record of the infill of accommodation on submarine slopes and their recognition enables the accurate reconstruction of the stratigraphic evolution of submarine slope systems. Extensive exposures of discrete sand-prone packages in Units D/E and E, Fort Brown Formation, Karoo Basin, South Africa, permit analysis of the sedimentology and stacking patterns of three intraslope lobe complexes and their palaeogeographic reconstruction via bed-scale analysis and physical correlation of key stratal surfaces. The sand-prone packages comprise tabular, aggradationally to slightly compensationally stacked lobe deposits with constituent facies associations that can be attributed to lobe axis, lobe off-axis, lobe-fringe and distal lobe-fringe environments. Locally, intraslope lobe deposits are incised by low aspect ratio channels that mark basinward progradation of the deepwater system. The origin of accommodation on the slope for lobe deposition is interpreted to be due to differential compaction or healing of scars from mass wasting processes. The stacking patterns and sedimentary facies arrangement identified in this study are distinct from those of more commonly recognized basin-floor lobe deposits, thereby enabling the establishment of recognition criteria for intraslope lobe deposits in other less well exposed and studied fine-grained systems. Compared to basin floor lobes, intraslope lobes are smaller in volume, influenced by higher degrees of confinement, and tend to show aggradational stacking patterns.

Athabasca tar sand reservoir properties derived from cores and logs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodhouse, R.

1976-01-01

Log interpretation parameters for the Athabasca Tar Sand Lease No. 24 have been determined by careful correlation with Dean and Stark core analysis data. Significant expansion of Athabasca cores occurs as overburden pressure is removed. In the more shaly sands the core analysis procedures remove adsorbed water from the clays leading to further overestimation of porosity and free water volume. Log interpretation parameters (R/sub w/ = 0.5 ohm . m and m = n = 1.5) were defined by correlation with the weight of tar as a fraction of the weight of rock solids (grain or dry weight fraction of tar). This quantity is independent of the water content of the cores, whereas porosity and the weight of tar as a fraction of the bulk weight of fluids plus solids (bulk weight fraction) are both dependent on water content. Charts are provided for the conversion of bulk weight fraction of fluids to porosity; grain weight fraction of fluids to porosity; log derived porosity and core grain weight tar to water saturation. Example results show that the core analysis grain weight fraction of tar is adequately matched by the log analyses. The log results provide a better representation of the reservoir fluid volumes than the core analysis data

Deposition, persistence and turnover of pollutants: first results from the EU project AquaTerra for selected river basins and aquifers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barth, J.A.C.; Steidle, D.; Kuntz, D.

2007-01-01

in laboratory studies with soils and aquifer material from selected sites. For sediment transport of contaminants, new flood sampling techniques revealed highest deposition rates of beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) in river sediments at hotspot areas on the Mulde River in the Bitterfeld region (Elbe Basin...... that range from biogeochemistry, environmental engineering, computer modelling and chemistry to socio-economic sciences. Field study areas are the river basins of the Ebro, the Meuse, the Elbe and the Danube as well as the 3-km(2) French catchment of the Brevilles Spring. Within the first 2 years...... of the project more than 1700 samples of atmospherically deposited particles, sediments, and water have been collected in the above-mentioned systems. Results show clear spatial patterns of deposition of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the highest rates in the Meuse Basin. For local inputs...

Correlation of Early Tertiary Terrestrial Deposits of the Amaga Basin, Cauca Depression, Colombian Andes

Science.gov (United States)

Sierra, G. M.; Sierra, G. M.; MacDonald, W. D.

2001-05-01

The Amaga Formation of the Amaga Basin preserves early Tertiary terrestrial deposits of many facies: channel, crevasse splay, paludal, flood plain, point bar, etc. These deposits lie between two major strike-slip fault zones, the Cauca and the Romeral in the Cauca Valley of the northern Andes of Colombia. Coal deposits characterize the lower part of the stratigraphic section; fine to medium clastic sediments otherwise dominate the sections. Within the basin, correlation between sections is difficult because various discontinuities interrupt the continuity of the strata. These include Tertiary intrusives, folding and faulting. Rapid lateral facies changes further complicate the correlations. Detailed studies on five stratigraphic sections are underway. Multiple methods of correlating sections are being used, including fluvial sequence stratigraphy in outcrops, architectural facies analysis, heavy mineral separates, grain-size and grain-ratio variations, paleocurrent directions, and magnetic property variations. Distinctive regional variations in magnetic anisotropic susceptibility indicate areas in which tectonic effects overprint sedimentary fabrics. The presence of secondary hematite and siderite is related to that overprinting. A major compositional break (identified by grain-ratio variations) has been found in the middle of the section. The integrated correlation results are summarized.

Study of southern CHAONAN sag lower continental slope basin deposition character in Northern South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Y.

2009-12-01

Northern South China Sea Margin locates in Eurasian plate,Indian-Australia plate,Pacific Plates.The South China Sea had underwent a complicated tectonic evolution in Cenozoic.During rifting,the continental shelf and slope forms a series of Cenozoic sedimentary basins,including Qiongdongnan basin,Pearl River Mouth basin,Taixinan basin.These basins fill in thick Cenozoic fluviolacustrine facies,transitional facies,marine facies,abyssal facies sediment,recording the evolution history of South China Sea Margin rifting and ocean basin extending.The studies of tectonics and deposition of depression in the Southern Chaonan Sag of lower continental slope in the Norther South China Sea were dealt with,based on the sequence stratigraphy and depositional facies interpretation of seismic profiles acquired by cruises of“China and Germany Joint Study on Marine Geosciences in the South China Sea”and“The formation,evolution and key issues of important resources in China marginal sea",and combining with ODP 1148 cole and LW33-1-1 well.The free-air gravity anomaly of the break up of the continental and ocean appears comparatively low negative anomaly traps which extended in EW,it is the reflection of passive margin gravitational effect.Bouguer gravity anomaly is comparatively low which is gradient zone extended NE-SW.Magnetic anomaly lies in Magnetic Quiet Zone at the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea.The Cenozoic sediments of lower continental slope in Southern Chaonan Sag can be divided into five stratum interface:SB5.5,SB10.5,SB16.5,SB23.8 and Hg,their ages are of Pliocene-Quaternary,late Miocene,middle Miocene,early Miocene,paleogene.The tectonic evolution of low continental slope depressions can be divided into rifting,rifting-depression transitional and depression stages,while their depositional environments change from river to shallow marine and abyssa1,which results in different topography in different stages.The topographic evolvement in the study

The uranium ore deposits of the pine creek geosyncline in North Territory, Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneuper, G.K.; Clasen, D.

1980-01-01

The geological history of the Pine Creek geosyncline is reviewed, and recent research findings and model assumption on the formation of uranium ore deposits are presented. The geological similarities between the Alligator River uranium ore district and the Athabasca Lake district in Saskatchewan, Canada, are pointed out. Present geographic and climatic differences between these two uranium districts and the consequences of these differences for uranium exploration are discussed. The uranium mining activities planned in Australia are illustrated by the example of the Ranger uranium deposit. (orig.) [de

Economic aspects of coal deposits exploration of the Ulug-Khem basin (Tuva

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lebedev V.I.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available in accordance with the article, 11 deposits coal on the territory of Tuva are accounted by State Reserves Register of the Russian Federation, the total profitable reserves are estimated at 1,12 billion tons whereof 936.6 thousand tons are dealt with as coking coals. The vast majority of explored deposits of coals of the republic are concentrated in the Ulugh-Khem basin, the total projected resources of which exceed 20 bill.t. It is substantiated that coking coal of the Ulugh-Khem basin is the most competitive resource of Tyva Republic. Low ash content, excellent caking index, low sulfur and phosphorus in coking coal of ranks GG and GZh indicate their high quality, according to these characteristics GG, GZh coal ranks take precedence over Kuznetsk and Pechora coals. About 70 bill.t of coking coal are annually mined in Russia, but there is a deficit on certain coal ranks. It is primarily related to internal prices increase for coking coal in Russia. According to forecasts of researchers coal deficit will rise up to 15–17 bill.t in the country.

Integrated prediction based on GIS for sandstone-type uranium deposits in the northwest of Ordos Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Shaoyang; Ke Dan; Hu Shuiqing; Guo Qingyin; Hou Huiqun

2005-01-01

The integrated prediction model of sandstone-type uranium deposits and its integrated evaluation methods as well as flow of the work based on GIS are studied. A software for extracting metallogenic information is also developed. A multi-source exploring information database is established in the northwest of Ordos Basin, and an integrated digital mineral deposit prospecting model of sandstone-type uranium deposits is designed based on GIS. The authors have completed metallogenic information extraction and integrated evaluation of sandstone-type uranium deposits based on GIS in the study area. Research results prove that the integrated prediction of sandstone-type uranium deposits based on GIS may further delineate prospective target areas rapidly and improve the predictive precision. (authors)

RESERVES IN WESTERN BASINS PART IV: WIND RIVER BASIN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert Caldwell

1998-04-01

Vast quantities of natural gas are entrapped within various tight formations in the Rocky Mountain area. This report seeks to quantify what proportion of that resource can be considered recoverable under today's technological and economic conditions and discusses factors controlling recovery. The ultimate goal of this project is to encourage development of tight gas reserves by industry through reducing the technical and economic risks of locating, drilling and completing commercial tight gas wells. This report is the fourth in a series and focuses on the Wind River Basin located in west central Wyoming. The first three reports presented analyses of the tight gas reserves and resources in the Greater Green River Basin (Scotia, 1993), Piceance Basin (Scotia, 1995) and the Uinta Basin (Scotia, 1995). Since each report is a stand-alone document, duplication of language will exist where common aspects are discussed. This study, and the previous three, describe basin-centered gas deposits (Masters, 1979) which contain vast quantities of natural gas entrapped in low permeability (tight), overpressured sandstones occupying a central basin location. Such deposits are generally continuous and are not conventionally trapped by a structural or stratigraphic seal. Rather, the tight character of the reservoirs prevents rapid migration of the gas, and where rates of gas generation exceed rates of escape, an overpressured basin-centered gas deposit results (Spencer, 1987). Since the temperature is a primary controlling factor for the onset and rate of gas generation, these deposits exist in the deeper, central parts of a basin where temperatures generally exceed 200 F and drill depths exceed 8,000 feet. The abbreviation OPT (overpressured tight) is used when referring to sandstone reservoirs that comprise the basin-centered gas deposit. Because the gas resources trapped in this setting are so large, they represent an important source of future gas supply, prompting studies

Ore-controlling mechanism of carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposits with down-faulted red basins in the southeast continental margin of Yangtze plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zilong; Qi Fucheng; He Zhongbo; Li Zhixing; Wang Wenquan; Yu Jinshui

2012-01-01

One of the important ore-concentrated areas of carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposits is the Southeast continental margin of Yangtze plate. Sedimentary-exogenously transformed type and sedimentary- hydrothermal superimposed transformed type uranium deposits are always distributed at or near the edge of down-faulted red ba sins. In this paper, the distributions of the deposits are analyzed with the relation to down-faulted red basins. The connective effect and ore-controlling mechanism are proposed of carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposits with marginal fractures of red basins. (authors)

Sediment-hosted micro-disseminated gold mineralization constrained by basin paleo-topographic highs in the Youjiang basin, South China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianming; Ye, Jie; Ying, Hanlong; Liu, Jiajun; Zheng, Minghua; Gu, Xuexiang

2002-06-01

The Youjiang basin is a Devonian-Triassic rift basin on the southern margin of the Yangtze Craton in South China. Strong syndepositional faulting defined the basin-and-range style paleo-topography that further developed into isolated carbonate platforms surrounded by siliciclastic filled depressions. Finally, thick Triassic siliciclastic deposits covered the platforms completely. In the Youjiang basin, numerous sediment-hosted, micro-disseminated gold (SMG) deposits occur mainly in Permian-Triassic chert and siliciclastic rocks. SMG ores are often auriferous sedimentary rocks with relatively low sulfide contents and moderate to weak alteration. Similar to Carlin-type gold ores in North America, SMG ores in the Youjiang basin are characterized by low-temperature mineral assemblages of pyrite, arsenopyrite, realgar, stibnite, cinnabar, marcasite, chalcedony and carbonate. Most of the SMG deposits are remarkably distributed around the carbonate platforms. Accordingly, there are platform-proximal and platform-distal SMG deposits. Platform-proximal SMG deposits often occur in the facies transition zone between the underlying platform carbonate rocks and the overlying siliciclastic rocks with an unconformity (often a paleo-karst surface) in between. In the ores and hostrocks there are abundant synsedimentary-syndiagenetic fabrics such as lamination, convolute bedding, slump texture, soft-sediment deformation etc. indicating submarine hydrothermal deposition and syndepositional faulting. Numerous fluid-escape and liquefaction fabrics imply strong fluid migration during sediment basin evolution. Such large-scale geological and fabric evidence implies that SMG ores were formed during basin evolution, probably in connection with basinal fluids. It is well known that basinal fluids (especially sediment-sourced fluids) will migrate generally (1) upwards, (2) towards basin margins or basin topographic highs, (3) and from thicker towards thinner deposits during basin evolution

Facies analysis, depositional environments and paleoclimate of the Cretaceous Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub - Basin, Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Shettima, B.; Abubakar, M. B.; Kuku, A.; Haruna, A. I.

2018-01-01

Facies analysis of the Cretaceous Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub -basin of the Northern Benue Trough northeastern Nigeria indicated that the Lower Bima Member is composed of alluvial fan and braided river facies associations. The alluvial fan depositional environment dominantly consists of debris flow facies that commonly occur as matrix supported conglomerate. This facies is locally associated with grain supported conglomerate and mudstone facies, representing sieve channel and mud flow deposits respectively, and these deposits may account for the proximal alluvial fan region of the Lower Bima Member. The distal fan facies were represented by gravel-bed braided river system of probably Scot - type model. This grade into sandy braided river systems with well developed floodplains facies, forming probably at the lowermost portion of the alluvial fan depositional gradient, where it inter-fingers with basinal facies. In the Middle Bima Member, the facies architecture is dominantly suggestive of deep perennial sand-bed braided river system with thickly developed amalgamated trough crossbedded sandstone facies fining to mudstone. Couplets of shallow channels are also locally common, attesting to the varying topography of the basin. The Upper Bima Member is characterized by shallow perennial sand-bed braided river system composed of successive succession of planar and trough crossbedded sandstone facies associations, and shallower channels of the flashy ephemeral sheetflood sand - bed river systems defined by interbedded succession of small scale trough crossbedded sandstone facies and parallel laminated sandstone facies. The overall stacking pattern of the facies succession of the Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub - basin is generally thinning and fining upwards cycles, indicating scarp retreat and deposition in a relatively passive margin setting. Dominance of kaolinite in the clay mineral fraction of the Bima Formation points to predominance of humid sub - tropical

Athabasca tar sands as a source of crude oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montgomery, D S

1964-01-01

A general review is presented of the variable nature of the Athabasca bituminous sand resource, and the chemical composition of the bitumen is given at various stages during the refining from raw material to finished products. The research conducted at the Mines Branch, Ottawa, on vapor-phase hydrogenation of coker distillates is described, emphasizing the effect of hydrogen pressure on the rate of catalyst deactivation. The quality of the hydrogenated products is described in general terms and some observations are made on the reasons why large-scale operation is essential if an economical process is to be achieved.

Comprehensive geophysical survey technique in exploration for deep-buried hydrothermal type uranium deposits in Xiangshan volcanic basin, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ke, D.

2014-01-01

According to recent drilling results, uranium mineralization has been found underground more than 1000 m deep in the Xiangshan volcanic basin, in where uranium exploration has been carried out for over 50 years. This paper presents a comprehensive geophysical survey technique, including audio magnetotelluric method (AMT), high resolution ground magnetic and radon survey, which aim to prospect deep-buried and concealed uranium deposits in Xiangshan volcanic basin. Based on research and application, a comprehensive geophysical technique consisting of data acquisition, processing and interpretation has been established. Concealed rock and ore-controlling structure buried deeper than 1000 m can be detected by using this technique. Moreover, one kind of anti-interference technique of AMT survey is presented, which can eliminate the interference induced by the high-voltage power lines. Result of AMT in Xiangshan volcanic basin is demonstrated as high-low-high mode, which indicates there are three layers in geology. The upper layer with high resistivity is mainly the react of porphyroclastic lava. The middle layer with low resistivity is metamorphic schists or dellenite whereas the lower layer with high resistivity is inferred as granite. The interface between middle and lower layer is recognized as the potential zone for occurrence of uranium deposits. According to the corresponding relation of the resistivity and magnetic anomaly with uranium ore bodies, the tracing model of faults and interfaces between the different rocks, and the forecasting model of advantageous area for uranium deposits have been established. In terms of the forecasting model, some significant sections for uranium deposits were delineated in the west of the Xiangshan volcanic basin. As a result, some achievements on uranium prospecting have been acquired. High grade economic uranium ore bodies have been found in several boreholes, which are located in the forecasted zones. (author)

"The Open Library at AU" (Athabasca University): Supporting Open Access and Open Educational Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Colin; Fabbro, Elaine

2015-01-01

To address challenges that learners, course creators, librarians and academics involved with OER and MOOCs are facing when looking for scholarly materials, Athabasca University Library has initiated the development of "the Open Library at AU." This open library is a full library website that provides easy access to open and free…

New morphological mapping and interpretation of ejecta deposits from Orientale Basin on the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Zachary R.; Osinski, Gordon R.; Tornabene, Livio L.

2018-01-01

Orientale Basin is one of the youngest and best-preserved multi-ring impact basins in the Solar System. The structure is ∼950 km across and is located on the western edge of the nearside of the Moon. The interior of the basin, which possesses three distinct rings and a post-impact mare fill, has been studied extensively using modern high-resolution datasets. Exterior to these rings, Orientale has an extensive ejecta blanket that extends out radially for at least 800 km from the basin rim in all directions and covers portions of both the nearside and farside of the Moon. These deposits, known as the Hevelius Formation, were first mapped using photographic data from the Lunar Orbiter IV probe. In this study, we map in detail the morphology of each distinct facies observed within the Orientale ejecta blanket using high resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Wide Angle Camera (WAC) and Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images and Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) elevation data. We identified 5 unique facies within the ejecta blanket. Facies A is identified as a region of hummocky plains located in a low-lying topographic region between the Outer Rook and Cordillera rings. This facies is interpreted to be a mix of crater-derived impact melt and km-scale blocks of ballistic ejecta and host rock broken up during the modification stage and formation of the Cordillera ring. Facies B is an inner facies marked by radial grooves extending outward from the direction of the basin center. This facies is interpreted as the continuous ballistic ejecta blanket. Facies C consists of inner and outer groupings of flat smooth-surfaced deposits isolated in local topographic lows. Facies D displays characteristic sinuous ridges and lobate extensions. Facies C and D are interpreted to be impact melt-rich materials, which manifest as flows and ponds. Our observations suggest that these facies were emplaced subsequent to the ballistic ejecta blanket - most likely during the modification

Gasification reactivities of cokes derived from Athabasca bitumen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, E.

1985-10-01

Gasification reactivities of cokes obtained from Athabasca bitumen by delayed coking and fluid coking were compared in fixed and fluidized bed systems. In both systems the C + O/sub 2/ reaction accounted for the most of converted carbon. The C + H/sub 2/O reaction proceeded to a smaller extent. The bulk reactivity of the fluid coke was higher than that of delayed coke, when comparing -20 to +60 mesh particles in fluidized bed and -14 to +20 mesh particles in fixed bed, respectively. However, the reactivity of the delayed coke expressed per unit of surface area was markedly higher than that of the fluid coke. 9 figs., 7 tabs., 6 refs. (A.V.)

Late Permian Palynology and depositional environment of Chintalapudi sub basin, Pranhita-Godavari basin, Andhra Pradesh, India

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Neerja; Pauline Sabina, K.; Aggarwal, Neha; Mahesh, S.

2014-01-01

The present study deals with the palynological dating, correlation and depositional setting of the sediments from bore cores MGP-11 and MGP-4 from Gauridevipet area of Chintalapudi sub-basin of Godavari master basin, south India. On the basis of palynological studies, three palynoassemblages have been identified, one in bore core MGP-11 a Faunipollenites (=Protohaploxypinus) and Striasulcites assemblage and two in bore core MGP-4; one is characterized by the dominance of striate bisaccates and Densipollenites and the other by Striatopodocarpites and Cresentipollenites palynoassemblages. The other stratigraphically significant taxa include Guttulapollenites hannonicus, Lunatisporites noviaulensis, Lunatisporites pellucidus, Densoisporites contactus, Chordasporites australiensis, Goubinispora spp., Lundbladispora microconata, Lundbladispora raniganjensis and Klausipollenites schaubergeri. The recovered taxa suggest a Late Permian, Lopingian age for these rocks. This interpretation is based on the correlation of the assemblages with similar assemblages from previous Gondwana studies chiefly Densipollenites magnicorpus Zone of Damodar Basin, India and Late Permian palynoassemblages from Africa, Antarctica, Australia and South America. On the basis of palaeobotanical affinity of the identified microflora it has been inferred that the peat forming plant community was composed mainly of gymnosperm pollen attributable to glossopterids, that includes striate and non-striate bisaccates and paucity of cordaites which includes monosaccates. Spores are subordinate and are derived from lycopsids (Lundbladispora, Densoisporites), sphenopsids (Latosporites) and filicopsids (Horriditriletes, Lophotriletes, Verrucosisporites, Osmundacidites, Leiotriletes, Callumispora, Brevitriletes and Microbaculispora) occurring in variable proportions. The dominance of subarborescent/arborescent vegetation suggests a development in a forest swamp probably in a small distant marginal part of the

Sources of atmospheric emissions in the Athabasca oil sands region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

An inventory of emissions for the Athabasca oil sands airshed that can be used as a basis for air quality assessments was presented. This report was prepared for the Suncor Steepbank Mine Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and for the Syncrude Aurora Mine EIA. Both Syncrude and Suncor have plans to develop new oil sands leases and to increase their crude oil and bitumen production. Suncor has proposed modifications to reduce SO 2 emissions to the atmosphere and Syncrude will develop additional ambient air quality, sulphur deposition and biomonitoring programs to ensure that environmental quality is not compromised because of atmospheric emissions associated with their operations. Major emission sources are controlled and monitored by regulatory statutes, regulations and guidelines. In this report, the following four types of emission sources were identified and quantified: (1) major industrial sources associated with Suncor's and Syncrude's current oil sands operations, (2) fugitive and area emission sources such as volatilization of hydrocarbons from tanks and tailings ponds, (3) other industrial emission sources in the area, including oil sands and non-oil sands related facilities, and (4) highway and residential emission sources. Emissions associated with mining operations include: SO 2 , NO x , CO, and CO 2 . The overall conclusion was that although there are other smaller sources of emissions that can influence air quality, there is no reason to doubt that Suncor and Syncrude oil sands operations are the major sources of emissions to the atmosphere. 13 refs., 12 tabs., 8 figs

Cover systems in the Athabasca oil sands : a summary of the Green Bullet and ten years of reclamation research at Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Kane, M. [O' Kane Consultants Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2010-02-15

This PowerPoint presentation discussed the use of a dry cover system over oil sand tailings as land reclamation strategy. Dry covers can range from a single layer of earthen material to several layers of different material types, including native soils, non-reactive tailings or waste rock, geosynthetic materials, and oxygen consuming organic materials. The 3 prototype covers used in the Athabasca deposit in northern Alberta include peat, glacial till and sedge-sphagnum open bog (SSOB). The hydraulic role of the covers was described. This presentation also described how the physical reclamation works, with particular reference to how the area is contoured to ensure proper drainage. Soil and vegetation assessments are undertaken to ensure the reclamation amendments are achieving the goals of the reclamation plan. tabs., figs.

Cover systems in the Athabasca oil sands : a summary of the Green Bullet and ten years of reclamation research at Syncrude Canada Ltd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Kane, M.

2010-01-01

This PowerPoint presentation discussed the use of a dry cover system over oil sand tailings as land reclamation strategy. Dry covers can range from a single layer of earthen material to several layers of different material types, including native soils, non-reactive tailings or waste rock, geosynthetic materials, and oxygen consuming organic materials. The 3 prototype covers used in the Athabasca deposit in northern Alberta include peat, glacial till and sedge-sphagnum open bog (SSOB). The hydraulic role of the covers was described. This presentation also described how the physical reclamation works, with particular reference to how the area is contoured to ensure proper drainage. Soil and vegetation assessments are undertaken to ensure the reclamation amendments are achieving the goals of the reclamation plan. tabs., figs.

Advanced characterisation of organic matter in oil sands and tailings sands used for land reclamation by Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS).

OpenAIRE

Mareike Noah; Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand; Heinz Wilkes

2012-01-01

The Athabasca region of northern Alberta, Canada, is home to deposits of oil sands containing vast amounts (~ 173 billion barrels) of heavily biodegraded petroleum. Oil sands are recovered by surface mining or by in situ steam injection. The extraction of bitumen from oil sands by caustic hot water processing results in large volumes of fluid tailings, which are stored in on-site settling basins. There the tailings undergo a compaction and dewatering process, producing a slowly densifying sus...

Sedimentological characteristics and depositional processes of sediment gravity flows in rift basins: The Palaeogene Dongying and Shahejie formations, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lei; Chen, Hongde; Zhong, Yijiang; Wang, Jun; Xu, Changgui; Chen, Anqing; Du, Xiaofeng

2017-10-01

Sediment gravity flow deposits are common, particularly in sandy formations, but their origin has been a matter of debate and there is no consensus about the classification of such deposits. However, sediment gravity flow sandstones are economically important and have the potential to meet a growing demand in oil and gas exploration, so there is a drive to better understand them. This study focuses on sediment gravity flow deposits identified from well cores in Palaeogene deposits from the Liaodong Bay Depression in Bohai Bay Basin, China. We classify the sediment gravity flow deposits into eight lithofacies using lithological characteristics, grain size, and sedimentary structures, and interpret the associated depositional processes. Based on the scale, spatial distribution, and contact relationships of sediment gravity flow deposits, we defined six types of lithofacies associations (LAs) that reflect transformation processes and depositional morphology: LA1 (unconfined proximal breccia deposits), LA2 (confined channel deposits), LA3 (braided-channel lobe deposits), LA4 (unconfined lobe deposits), LA5 (distal sheet deposits), and LA6 (non-channelized sheet deposits). Finally, we established three depositional models that reflect the sedimentological characteristics and depositional processes of sediment gravity flow deposits: (1) slope-apron gravel-rich depositional model, which involves cohesive debris flows deposited as LA1 and dilute turbidity currents deposited as LA5; (2) non-channelized surge-like turbidity current depositional model, which mainly comprises sandy slumping, suspended load dominated turbidity currents, and dilute turbidity currents deposited as LA5 and LA6; and (3) channelized subaqueous-fan depositional model, which consists of non-cohesive bedload dominated turbidity currents, suspended load dominated turbidity currents, and dilute turbidity currents deposited as LA2-LA5, originating from sustained extrabasinal turbidity currents

Paleocene calcareous nannofossils biostratigraphy from the Sergipe Sub-basin, northeastern Brazil: Implications for this depositional environment

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade Oliveira, Geize Carolinne Correia; de Oliveira, Rick Souza; Monte Guerra, Rodrigo; de Lima Filho, Mario Ferreira

2018-03-01

This study reports on the biostratigraphy of Paleocene calcareous nannofossils and paleoenvironmental inferences based on five wells drilled on the offshore portion of the Sergipe Sub-basin. Five biostratigraphic zones were defined for the Paleocene in zones of Brazilian continental margin basins N-305, N-307, N-330, N-340 and N-350, and four hiatuses were identified based on the absence of marker species. These hiatuses were interpreted as excavations originated by turbulent to hyperpycnal flows, revealing an important application of biostratigraphy to better understand depositional environments that are often limited by little variation in lithology or low variation in the well log patterns. In Paleoecological terms, the Sergipe Sub-basin, in the Paleocene, experienced geological and environmental events similar to those of other sedimentary basins on the eastern passive continental margin of Brazil, but has a more complete biostratigraphic record of calcareous nannofossils.

Controls on upper Campanian-Maastrichtian chalk deposition in the eastern Danish Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boussaha, Myriam; Thibault, Nicolas Rudolph; Anderskouv, Kresten

2017-01-01

% of the sediment. Sedimentation took place in deep water, below the photic zone and storm-wave base, and is characterized by decimetre to metre-scale variations in facies and trace fossil assemblages indicating repeated shifts in depositional environment. Integration of facies with published data on sea...... of accumulation rates and sea temperatures and is interpreted to represent a very broad set of deep water environmental conditions with an ample supply of calcareous nannofossil debris and intense bioturbation. Longer term shifts in deposition are best expressed by distribution of clay, flint and bioturbated...... micro-wackestone, bioturbated wackestone and laminated mudstone chalk facies, whereas the trace fossil assemblages appear less useful. The data set indicates overall shallowing over time with two distinctive events of clay influx to the basin during the late Campanian-earliest Maastrichtian and late...

An analysis of prominent prospect of in-situ sandstone type uranium deposits in Yanji basins group, Jilin province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Zhidong; Zhang Shuyi

2003-01-01

In Mesozoic-Cenozoic era, many medium-small-sized sedimentary basins had been formed in Yanbian draped-faulted region of Jilin Province. The basement of these basins is constituted of U-riched granite body produced during late Hercynian-early Yanshan period. Uranium-mineralization has been found in coal-bearing formation, oil-bearing formation and in tint layer of red formation. On the bases of analyzing of uranium source, geologic tectonic, paleoclimatology, paleogeography, hydrogeology and reconstruction, it is concluded that there is a prominent prospect to discover large in-situ sandstone-type uranium deposits in Yanji basins. (authors)

Application research on remote sensing geology of sandstone-type uranium deposit in Yili basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Huaiwu

2002-01-01

Based on remote sensing images and practical materials, and new ideas of laying particular emphasis on the research of regional geologic structures, and large in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits, applying the theory of plate tectonics, the author makes a comprehensive analysis on the uranium metallogenic environments, characteristics of regional geologic structures, the ore-controlling mechanism and factors, and uranium metallogeny. Authors propose that large interlayer oxidation zone sandstone-type uranium deposits are controlled by the combination of the stable block in Meso-Cenozoic compressive-shearing faulted subsided basin on the Yili multiphase massif in Tianshan paleo-island arc system, and the specific paleo-geographic environments and its' structural terrace'. The origin of hydrogenic sandstone-type uranium deposits is summarized by the authors as the 'mixing and neutralization' genetic model, and the 'eight ore-controlling factors merge into an organic whole' prospecting model. The above mentioned provides clear prospecting direction and new ideas for the forecasting direction for prospecting large sandstone-type uranium deposits

Interrelationship of density and lithological characteristics of intersaline deposits of the Pripyatskiy basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anpilogov, A.P.; Bulyga, V.Kh.; Ksenofontov, V.A.; Ur' yev, I.I.

1980-01-01

Based on materials of lithological study and zoning of the lower Zadonskiy, upper Zadonskiy and Yeletskiy deposits of the Pripyatskiy basin with regard for the depth of occurrence of the rocks, a map was compiled for isodensities of the intersaline complex. Variability in the values of density over the area and the total correspondence of the configuration of isodens to the extent of the lithological fields and the main geostructural elements are established.

Sedimentary architecture and depositional controls of a Pliocene river-dominated delta in the semi-isolated Dacian Basin, Black Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Jorissen, Elisabeth L.; de Leeuw, Arjan; van Baak, Christiaan G. C.; Mandic, Oleg; Stoica, Marius; Abels, Hemmo A.; Krijgsman, Wout

2018-06-01

Sedimentological facies models for (semi-)isolated basins are less well developed than those for marine environments, but are critical for our understanding of both present-day and ancient deltaic sediment records in restricted depositional environments. This study considers an 835 m thick sedimentary succession of mid-Pliocene age, which accumulated in the Dacian Basin, a former embayment of the Black Sea. Detailed sedimentological and palaeontological analyses reveal a regression from distal prodelta deposits with brackish water faunas to delta-top deposits with freshwater faunas. Sediments contain frequent hyperpycnal plumes and an enrichment in terrestrial organic material, ichnofossils and in situ brackish and freshwater faunas. Deltaic progradation created thin, sharply-based sand bodies formed by multiple terminal distributary channels, covering a wide depositional area. The system experienced frequent delta-lobe switching, resulting in numerous thin parasequences. Parasequences are overlain by erosive reddish oxidized sand beds, enriched in broken, abraded brackish and freshwater shells. These beds were formed after sediment starvation, on top of abandoned delta lobes during each flooding event. A robust magnetostratigraphic time frame allowed for comparison between the observed sedimentary cyclicity and the amplitude and frequency of astronomical forcing cycles. Our results indicate that parasequence frequencies are significantly higher than the number of time equivalent astronomical cycles. This suggests that delta-lobe switching was due to autogenic processes. We consider the observed facies architecture typical for a delta prograding on a low-gradient slope into a shallow, brackish, protected, semi-isolated basin. Furthermore, in the absence of significant wave and tidal influence, sediment progradation in such a protected depositional setting shaped a delta, strongly river-dominated.

Climatic controls on arid continental basin margin systems

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Amy; Clarke, Stuart; Richards, Philip; Milodowski, Antoni

2016-04-01

Alluvial fans are both dominant and long-lived within continental basin margin systems. As a result, they commonly interact with a variety of depositional systems that exist at different times in the distal extent of the basin as the basin evolves. The deposits of the distal basin often cycle between those with the potential to act as good aquifers and those with the potential to act as good aquitards. The interactions between the distal deposits and the basin margin fans can have a significant impact upon basin-scale fluid flow. The fans themselves are commonly considered as relatively homogeneous, but their sedimentology is controlled by a variety of factors, including: 1) differing depositional mechanisms; 2) localised autocyclic controls; 3) geometrical and temporal interactions with deposits of the basin centre; and, 4) long-term allocyclic climatic variations. This work examines the basin margin systems of the Cutler Group sediments of the Paradox Basin, western U.S.A and presents generalised facies models for the Cutler Group alluvial fans as well as for the zone of interaction between these fans and the contemporaneous environments in the basin centre, at a variety of scales. Small-scale controls on deposition include climate, tectonics, base level and sediment supply. It has been ascertained that long-term climatic alterations were the main control on these depositional systems. Models have been constructed to highlight how both long-term and short-term alterations in the climatic regime can affect the sedimentation in the basin. These models can be applied to better understand similar, but poorly exposed, alluvial fan deposits. The alluvial fans of the Brockram Facies, northern England form part of a once-proposed site for low-level nuclear waste decommissioning. As such, it is important to understand the sedimentology, three-dimensional geometry, and the proposed connectivity of the deposits from the perspective of basin-scale fluid flow. The developed

Lunar mare deposits associated with the Orientale impact basin: New insights into mineralogy, history, mode of emplacement, and relation to Orientale Basin evolution from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data from Chandrayaan-1

Science.gov (United States)

Whitten, J.; Head, J.W.; Staid, M.; Pieters, C.M.; Mustard, J.; Clark, R.; Nettles, J.; Klima, R.L.; Taylor, L.

2011-01-01

Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) image and spectral reflectance data are combined to analyze mare basalt units in and adjacent to the Orientale multiring impact basin. Models are assessed for the relationships between basin formation and mare basalt emplacement. Mare basalt emplacement on the western nearside limb began prior to the Orientale event as evidenced by the presence of cryptomaria. The earliest post-Orientale-event mare basalt emplacement occurred in the center of the basin (Mare Orientale) and postdated the formation of the Orientale Basin by about 60-100 Ma. Over the next several hundred million years, basalt patches were emplaced first along the base of the Outer Rook ring (Lacus Veris) and then along the base of the Cordillera ring (Lacus Autumni), with some overlap in ages. The latest basalt patches are as young as some of the youngest basalt deposits on the lunar nearside. M3 data show several previously undetected mare patches on the southwestern margins of the basin interior. Regardless, the previously documented increase in mare abundance from the southwest toward the northeast is still prominent. We attribute this to crustal and lithospheric trends moving from the farside to the nearside, with correspondingly shallower density and thermal barriers to basaltic magma ascent and eruption toward the nearside. The wide range of model ages for Orientale mare deposits (3.70-1.66 Ga) mirrors the range of nearside mare ages, indicating that the small amount of mare fill in Orientale is not due to early cessation of mare emplacement but rather to limited volumes of extrusion for each phase during the entire period of nearside mare basalt volcanism. This suggests that nearside and farside source regions may be similar but that other factors, such as thermal and crustal thickness barriers to magma ascent and eruption, may be determining the abundance of surface deposits on the limbs and farside. The sequence, timing, and elevation of mare basalt deposits

sedimentology, depositional environments and basin evolution

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Preferred Customer

ABSTRACT: The Inter-Trappean coal and oil shale-bearing sedimentation in the Delbi-Moye Basin ... accompanied by passive subsidence. ... margins, whereas the concentration of fine-grained clastic sediments and ..... concentrated at the marginal areas of the basin. .... faults favoured the accumulation of alluvial fan.

Characteristics of isotope geology of sandstone-type uranium deposit in Turpan-Hami Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanbin; Xia Yuliang; Lin Jinrong; Fan Guang

2003-01-01

This paper expounds the isotope characteristics of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposit of Shihongtan in the southwestern part of Turpan-Hami basin. The results suggest that uranium mineralization age of 48 ± 2 Ma and 28 ± 4 Ma are obtained. The ages of the porphyritic granite and gneissic granite from the southwestern area are 422 ± 5 Ma and 268 ± 23 Ma. The U-Pb age of clastic zircons from ore-bearing sandstone is 283 ± 67 Ma, which is corresponding to the age of gneissic granite of the provenance area indicating the material source of uraniferous sandstone.Based. The sources are uraniferous sandstone accumulated during the deposition and the uranium leached from provenance area rocks by weathering. (authors)

Reactivity of Athabasca residue and of its SARA fractions during residue hydroconversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verstraete, J.; Danial-Fortain, P.; Gauthier, T.; Merdrignac, I. [IFP-Lyon, Vermaison (France); Budzinski, H. [Bordeaux Univ. (France). ISM-LPTC, UMR CNRS

2009-07-01

Residue conversion processes are becoming increasingly important because of the declining market for residual fuel oil and a greater demand for middle distillates. Ebullated-bed hydroconversion is a commercially proven technology for converting heavy feedstocks with high amounts of impurities. The process enables the conversion of atmospheric or vacuum residues at temperatures up to 440 degrees C, and at liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) conditions in the range of 0.15 to 0.5 per hour. A 540 degrees C conversion of up to 80 weight per cent can be achieved under these conditions. This paper reported on a research study conducted at IFP Lyon in which the residue hydroconversion in a large-scale ebullated bed bench unit was investigated to determine the impact of operating conditions and feed properties on yield and product qualities. Hydrogen was added to the feed in the bench units to keep a high hydrogen partial pressure and favour the catalytic hydroconversion reactions. In a typical test, the reactor was fed with 50 g of feedstock and 0.45 g of crushed equilibrium industrial NiMo catalyst, pressurized hydrogen and quickly heated at the reaction temperature. This paper also discussed the conversion of Athabasca bitumen residue in the large-scale pilot plant and also in the small scale batch reactor. The effect of operating temperature and space velocity was examined. The reactivity of the saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes (SARA) fractions of the bitumen was studied separately in order to better understand the conversion mechanisms and reactivities. The Athabasca bitumen feed and SARA fractions were also analyzed in terms of standard petroleum analysis, SARA fractionation, elemental analysis, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 13C NMR. Hydroconversion experiments were conducted in the batch unit at different reaction temperatures and reaction times. A comparison of small-scale batch results with those obtained with the continuous large-scale bench

sedimentology, depositional environments and basin evolution

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Preferred Customer

ABSTRACT: The Inter-Trappean coal and oil shale-bearing sedimentation in the Delbi-Moye Basin took place in tectonically controlled grabens and half-grabens formed by extensional fault systems and accompanied by passive subsidence. The sedimentation history of the basin is related to the tectonic events that affected ...

Young (gold deposits and active geothermal systems of the Great Basin: Enigmas, questions, and exploration potential

Science.gov (United States)

Coolbaugh, Mark F.; Vikre, Peter G.; Faulds, James E.

2011-01-01

Young gold systems in the Great Basin (£ 7 Ma), though not as well studied as their older counterparts, comprise a rapidly growing and in some ways controversial group. The gold inventory for these systems has more than doubled in the last 5 years from roughly 370 tonnes (12 Moz) to 890 tonnes (29 Moz). Although these deposits are characterized by low grades, tonnages can be high and stripping ratios low, and they have been mined profitably, as exemplified by Florida Canyon and Hycroft. Active geothermal systems in the Great Basin also comprise a rapidly growing group, as evidenced by a number of recent discoveries of geothermal groundwater and a more than 50% increase in electricity production capacity from these systems in the last 5 years. Many young gold deposits are closely associated with active geothermal systems, suggesting that gold deposits may be forming today in the Great Basin. Measured or estimated geothermal reservoir temperatures commonly approach or exceed 200∞C, and other characteristics and processes (advanced argillic caps, hydrothermal eruption breccias) of these young deposits resemble those of nearby Tertiary precious metal deposits. Nonetheless, many young gold systems, especially in Nevada, are not associated with coeval igneous rocks. Similarly, almost all electricity-grade geothermal systems in Nevada are not associated with Quaternary silicic volcanic rocks, and have lower temperature gradients, lower 3He/4He ratios, and lower dissolved trace element concentrations than most magmatic-heated geothermal systems elsewhere in the world. The increasing economic significance of young gold deposits and active geothermal systems justifies more research to better understand their origins, particularly because in some aspects they remain enigmatic and controversial. Are young gold deposits in Nevada truly amagmatic, or have they received metal and fluid contributions from magmas deeper within the crust? Has gold in these deposits been

Meeting of the French geological society - Uranium: geology, geophysics, chemistry. Book of abstracts; Reunion de la Societe Geologique de France - Uranium: geologie, geophysique, chimie. Recueil des resumes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakari, A.A.; Mima, S.; Bidaud, A.; Criqui, P.; Menanteau, P.; David, S.; Pagel, M.; Chagnes, A.; Cote, G.; Courtaud, B.; Thiry, J.; Miehe, J.M.; Gilbert, F.; Cuney, M.; Bruneton, P.; Ewington, D.; Vautrin-Ul, C.; Cannizzo, C.; Betelu, S.; Chausse, A.; Ly, J.; Bourgeois, D.; Maynadie, J.; Meyer, D.; Clavier, N.; Costin, D.T.; Cretaz, F.; Szenknect, S.; Ravaux, J.; Poinssot, C.; Dacheux, N.; Durupt, N.; Blanvillain, J.J.; Geffroy, F.; Aparicio, B.; Dubessy, J.; Nguyen-Trung, C.; Robert, P.; Uri, F.; Beaufort, D.; Lescuyer, J.L.; Morichon, E.; Allard, T.; Milesi, J.P.; Richard, A.; Rozsypal, C.; Mercadier, J.; Banks, D.A.; Boiron, M.C.; Cathelineau, M.; Dardel, J.; Billon, S.; Patrier, P.; Wattinne, A.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Fabre, C.; Castillo, M.; Salvi, S.; Beziat, D.; Williams-Jones, A.E.; Trap, P.; Durand, C.; Goncalves, P.; Marquer, D.; Feybesse, J.L.; Richard, Y.; Orberger, B.; Hofmann, A.; Megneng, M.; Orberger, B.; Bouttemy, M.; Vigneron, J.; Etcheberry, A.; Perdicakis, M.; Prignon, N.; Toe, W.; Andre-Mayer, A.S.; Eglinger, A.; Jordaan, T.; Hocquet, S.; Ledru, P.; Selezneva, V.; Vendryes, G.; Lach, P.; Cuney, M.; Mercadier, J.; Brouand, M.; Duran, C.; Seydoux-Guillaume, A.M.; Bingen, B.; Parseval, P. de; Guillaume, D.; Bosse, V.; Paquette, J.L.; Ingrin, J.; Montel, J.M.; Giot, R.; Maucotel, F.; Hubert, S.; Gautheron, C.; Tassan-Got, L.; Pagel, M.; Barbarand, J.; Cuney, M.; Lach, P.; Bonhoure, J.; Leisen, M.; Kister, P.; Salaun, A.; Villemant, B.; Gerard, M.; Komorowski, J.C.; Michel, A.; Riegler, T.; Tartese, R.; Boulvais, P.; Poujols, M.; Gloaguen, E.; Mazzanti, M.; Mougel, V.; Nocton, G.; Biswas, B.; Pecaut, J.; Othmane, G.; Menguy, N.; Vercouter, T.; Morin, G.; Galoisy, L.; Calas, G.; Fayek, M.

2010-11-15

This document brings together the abstracts of the 39 presentations given at this meeting days on uranium, organized by the French geological society, and dealing with: 1 - Prospective study of the electronuclear technological transition; 2 - The front-end of the nuclear cycle: from the molecule to the process; 3 - Geophysics: recent changes; 4 - Use of well logging in uranium exploration; 5 - Genetical classification of thorium deposits; 6 - Genetical nomenclature of uranium sources; 7 - Uranium deposits linked to a Proterozoic discordance - retrospective; 8 - The use of spectral analysis techniques in uranium exploration: real-time mapping of clay alteration features; 9 - Development of functionalized silk-screened carbon electrodes for the analysis of uranium trace amounts; 10 - Study of the actinides solvation sphere in organic environment; 11 - Thermodynamic of uraniferous phases of interest for the nuclear cycle; 12 - Heap leaching of marginal minerals at Somair: from lab studies to the production of 700 t of uranium/year; 13 - Agglomeration phenomenology and role of iron in uranium heap leaching; 14 - Chloride uranyl complexes up to 300 deg. C along the saturation vapour curve: Raman spectroscopy analysis and metallogenic consequences; 15 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): vertical variability of argillaceous weathering; 16 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): contribution of irradiation defects in clays to the tracing of past uranium migrations; 17 - Uranium concentrations in mineralizing fluids of the Athabasca basin: analytical and experimental approach; 18 - Paleo-surfaces and metallic rooting: the autochthonous uranium of pre-Athabasca paleo-alterites, Canada; 19 - Distribution of argillaceous parageneses in the Imouraren deposit - Niger; 20 - Heat flux and radioelements concentration (U, Th, K) of precambrian basements: implications in terms of crust growth mechanisms, paleo

Meeting of the French geological society - Uranium: geology, geophysics, chemistry. Book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakari, A.A.; Mima, S.; Bidaud, A.; Criqui, P.; Menanteau, P.; David, S.; Pagel, M.; Chagnes, A.; Cote, G.; Courtaud, B.; Thiry, J.; Miehe, J.M.; Gilbert, F.; Cuney, M.; Bruneton, P.; Ewington, D.; Vautrin-Ul, C.; Cannizzo, C.; Betelu, S.; Chausse, A.; Ly, J.; Bourgeois, D.; Maynadie, J.; Meyer, D.; Clavier, N.; Costin, D.T.; Cretaz, F.; Szenknect, S.; Ravaux, J.; Poinssot, C.; Dacheux, N.; Durupt, N.; Blanvillain, J.J.; Geffroy, F.; Aparicio, B.; Dubessy, J.; Nguyen-Trung, C.; Robert, P.; Uri, F.; Beaufort, D.; Lescuyer, J.L.; Morichon, E.; Allard, T.; Milesi, J.P.; Richard, A.; Rozsypal, C.; Mercadier, J.; Banks, D.A.; Boiron, M.C.; Cathelineau, M.; Dardel, J.; Billon, S.; Patrier, P.; Wattinne, A.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Fabre, C.; Castillo, M.; Salvi, S.; Beziat, D.; Williams-Jones, A.E.; Trap, P.; Durand, C.; Goncalves, P.; Marquer, D.; Feybesse, J.L.; Richard, Y.; Orberger, B.; Hofmann, A.; Megneng, M.; Orberger, B.; Bouttemy, M.; Vigneron, J.; Etcheberry, A.; Perdicakis, M.; Prignon, N.; Toe, W.; Andre-Mayer, A.S.; Eglinger, A.; Jordaan, T.; Hocquet, S.; Ledru, P.; Selezneva, V.; Vendryes, G.; Lach, P.; Cuney, M.; Mercadier, J.; Brouand, M.; Duran, C.; Seydoux-Guillaume, A.M.; Bingen, B.; Parseval, P. de; Guillaume, D.; Bosse, V.; Paquette, J.L.; Ingrin, J.; Montel, J.M.; Giot, R.; Maucotel, F.; Hubert, S.; Gautheron, C.; Tassan-Got, L.; Pagel, M.; Barbarand, J.; Cuney, M.; Lach, P.; Bonhoure, J.; Leisen, M.; Kister, P.; Salaun, A.; Villemant, B.; Gerard, M.; Komorowski, J.C.; Michel, A.; Riegler, T.; Tartese, R.; Boulvais, P.; Poujols, M.; Gloaguen, E.; Mazzanti, M.; Mougel, V.; Nocton, G.; Biswas, B.; Pecaut, J.; Othmane, G.; Menguy, N.; Vercouter, T.; Morin, G.; Galoisy, L.; Calas, G.; Fayek, M.

2010-11-01

This document brings together the abstracts of the 39 presentations given at this meeting days on uranium, organized by the French geological society, and dealing with: 1 - Prospective study of the electronuclear technological transition; 2 - The front-end of the nuclear cycle: from the molecule to the process; 3 - Geophysics: recent changes; 4 - Use of well logging in uranium exploration; 5 - Genetical classification of thorium deposits; 6 - Genetical nomenclature of uranium sources; 7 - Uranium deposits linked to a Proterozoic discordance - retrospective; 8 - The use of spectral analysis techniques in uranium exploration: real-time mapping of clay alteration features; 9 - Development of functionalized silk-screened carbon electrodes for the analysis of uranium trace amounts; 10 - Study of the actinides solvation sphere in organic environment; 11 - Thermodynamic of uraniferous phases of interest for the nuclear cycle; 12 - Heap leaching of marginal minerals at Somair: from lab studies to the production of 700 t of uranium/year; 13 - Agglomeration phenomenology and role of iron in uranium heap leaching; 14 - Chloride uranyl complexes up to 300 deg. C along the saturation vapour curve: Raman spectroscopy analysis and metallogenic consequences; 15 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): vertical variability of argillaceous weathering; 16 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): contribution of irradiation defects in clays to the tracing of past uranium migrations; 17 - Uranium concentrations in mineralizing fluids of the Athabasca basin: analytical and experimental approach; 18 - Paleo-surfaces and metallic rooting: the autochthonous uranium of pre-Athabasca paleo-alterites, Canada; 19 - Distribution of argillaceous parageneses in the Imouraren deposit - Niger; 20 - Heat flux and radioelements concentration (U, Th, K) of precambrian basements: implications in terms of crust growth mechanisms, paleo

Uranium distribution and sandstone depositional environments: oligocene and upper Cretaceous sediments, Cheyenne basin, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nibbelink, K.A.; Ethridge, F.G.

1984-01-01

Wyoming-type roll-front uranium deposits occur in the Upper Cretaceous Laramie and Fox Hills sandstones in the Cheyenne basin of northeastern Colorado. The location, geometry, and trend of specific depositional environments of the Oligocene White River and the Upper Cretaceous Laramie and Fox Hills formations are important factors that control the distribution of uranium in these sandstones. The Fox Hills Sandstone consists of up to 450 ft (140 m) of nearshore marine wave-dominated delta and barrier island-tidal channel sandstones which overlie offshore deposits of the Pierre Shale and which are overlain by delta-plain and fluvial deposits of the Laramie Formation. Uranium, which probably originated from volcanic ash in the White River Formation, was transported by groundwater through the fluvial-channel deposits of the White River into the sandstones of the Laramie and Fox Hills formations where it was precipitated. Two favorable depositional settings for uranium mineralization in the Fox Hills Sandstone are: (1) the landward side of barrier-island deposits where barrier sandstones thin and interfinger with back-barrier organic mudstones, and (2) the intersection of barrier-island and tidal channel sandstones. In both settings, sandstones were probably reduced during early burial by diagenesis of contained and adjacent organic matter. The change in permeability trends between the depositional strike-oriented barrier sandstones and the dip-oriented tidal-channel sandstones provided sites for dispersed groundwater flow and, as demonstrated in similar settings in other depositional systems, sites for uranium mineralization

Na-Cl-Br systematics of fluid inclusions from Mississippi Valley-type deposits, Appalachian Basin: Constraints on solute origin and migration paths

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Kesler, S.E.; Martini, A.M.; Appold, M.S.; Walter, L.M.; Huston, T.J. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Furman, F.C. [Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States)

1996-01-01

This study evaluated Na-Cl-Br systematics of fluid inclusion-hosted brines in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits from the Appalachian Basin. Unlike other geochemical tracers such as lead and strontium isotopes which constrain metal sources, Na-Cl-Br systematics identify sources of brine salinity. Saline formation waters can vary systematically within and between basins with regard to their Na-Cl-Br compositions depending on the importance of halite dissolution relative to retention of subaerially evaporated seawater for the halogen budget. Oil field brine compositions from the Illinois and Appalachian basins are quite distinct in their Na-Cl-Br systematics. Compositions of saline fluid inclusions in MVT deposits generally are consistent with these regional differences. These results shed new light on the extent of regional flow systems and on the geochemical evolution of saline fluids responsible for mineralization. Nearly all fluid inclusions analyzed from the Appalachian MVT deposits have Na/Br and Cl/Br ratios less than modern seawater, consistent with ratios observed in marine brines involved in halite precipitation. The Na-Cl-Br systematics of the brines responsible for Appalachian MVT deposits may be inherited from original marine brines refluxed into the porous carbonate shelf sediments that host these deposits. The Cl/Br and Na/Br ratios of most fluid inclusion-hosted brines from Appalachian MVT sphalerites and fluorites fall into two compositional groups, one from the Lower Cambrian paleoaquifer and another from the Lower Ordovician paleoaquifer. Leachates from most MVT barite deposits form a third compositional group having lower Na/Br and Cl/Br ratios than the other two. Appalachian MVT leachate compositions differ significantly from those in MVT deposits in the Cincinnati arch-midcontinent region suggesting that these two MVT provinces formed from brines of different origin or flow path. 59 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Depositional environments and cyclicity of the Early Ordovician carbonate ramp in the western Tarim Basin (NW China)

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Guo, Chuan; Chen, Daizhao; Song, Yafang; Zhou, Xiqiang; Ding, Yi; Zhang, Gongjing

2018-06-01

During the Early Ordovician, the Tarim Basin (NW China) was mainly occupied by an extensive shallow-water carbonate platform, on which a carbonate ramp system was developed in the Bachu-Keping area of the western part of the basin. Three well-exposed typical outcrop sections of the Lower Ordovician Penglaiba Formation were investigated in order to identify the depositional facies and to clarify origins of meter-scale cycles and depositional sequences, thereby the platform evolution. Thirteen lithofacies are identified and further grouped into three depositional facies (associations): peritidal, restricted and open-marine subtidal facies. These lithofacies are vertically stacked into meter-scale, shallowing-upward peritidal and subtidal cycles. The peritidal cycles are mainly distributed in the lower and uppermost parts of the Penglaiba Formation deposited in the inner-middle ramp, and commonly start with shallow subtidal to intertidal facies followed by inter- to supratidal facies. In contrast, the subtidal cycles occur throughout the formation mostly in the middle-outer ramp and are dominated by shallow to relatively deep (i.e., intermediate) subtidal facies. The dominance of asymmetrical and incomplete cycles suggests a dominant control of Earth's orbital forcing on the cyclic deposition on the platform. On the basis of vertical facies and cycle stacking patterns, and accommodation changes illustrated by the Fischer plots from all studied sections, five third-order depositional sequences are recognized in the Penglaiba Formation. Individual sequences comprise a lower transgressive part and an upper regressive one. In shallow-water depositional environments, the transgressive packages are dominated by thicker-than-average subtidal cycles, indicating an increase in accommodation space, whereas regressive parts are mainly represented by thinner-than-average peritidal and subtidal cycles, denoting a decrease in accommodation space. In contrast, in intermediate to

Sedimentological analysis of the Estefaniense de Tineo basin (Asturias): example of coal deposits in alluvial fans. Analisis sedimentologico de la cuenca Estefaniense de Tineo (Asturias): ejemplo de depositos de carbon en abanicos aluviales

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Santos Garcia, J.A. (Empresa Nacional ADARO, Madrid (Spain))

1991-01-01

A sedimentological analysis of the Stephanian deposits of Tineo Basin is carried out. Three unities are established (Basal Breachs, Intermediate Unit and Conglomerate Unit) by means of lithological, mining and sedimentological criteria, which represent larger episodes in the filling of the basin. The first episode corresponds to the initial configuration of the basin, with coarse grained breccia deposits related to steep slopes (Basal Breccia). The second and more complex (Intermediate Unit), is represented by four larger sequences (stages from UI-1 to UI-4, La Prohida Zone) which show secondary tectonic pulsations. At this moment the sedimentation is carried out in several subbasins separated by palaeoreliefs or thresholds. The third episode corresponds to a strong reactivation of the northern edge of the basin, with deposition of the Conglomeratic Unit. The filling of the basin is assimilated to a pattern of alluvial fans in a tectonically-active basin, in which the coal deposition look place during calm (tranquil) periods when a large alluvial fan flanked by coalescent smaller sized fans developed along the northern margin of the basin. 24 refs., 9 figs.

Study on exploration theory and SAR technology for interlayer oxidation zone sandstone type uranium deposit and its application in Eastern Jungar Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Wei; Liu Dechang; Rui Benshan; Zhao Yingjun; Huang Xianfang; Huang Shutao

2001-01-01

Started with analyzing the features of metallogenetic epoch and space distribution of typical interlayer oxidation zone sandstone type uranium deposit both in China and abroad and their relations of basin evolution, the authors have proposed the idea that the last unconformity mainly controls the metallogenetic epoch and the strength of structure activity after the last unconformity determines the deposit space. An exploration theory with the kernel from new events to the old one is put forward. The means and method to use SAR technology to identify ore-controlling key factors are discussed. An application study in Eastern Jungar Basin is performed

Regional prognosis criteria for the sandstone type uranium deposits in interlayer oxidation zone and their application in the east of Junggar basin, Xinjiang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Deren; Bai Fengzhou; Lin Shuangxing

1995-01-01

Regional prognosis is of a very important role in the exploration work of the sandstone type uranium deposits of interlayer oxidation zone. This paper presents regional prognosis criteria on the basis of the authors' research in combination with the geological prediction in the east of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang (1:200000) which was jointly carried out with the Red Hill Geological Complex of the National Mineral Resources Commission of Uzbekistan Republic. It is advantageous to the exploration work of the sandstone type uranium deposits of interlayer oxidation zone in Meso-Cenozoic basins of China

Depositional History of the Western Amundsen Basin, Arctic Ocean, and Implications for Neogene Climate and Oceanographic Conditions

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Hopper, J. R.; Castro, C. F.; Knutz, P. C.; Funck, T.

2017-12-01

Seismic reflection data collected in the western Amundsen Basin as part of the Law of the Sea program for the Kingdom of Denmark show a uniform and continuous cover of sediments over oceanic basement. An interpretation of seismic facies units shows that the depositional history of the basin reflects changing tectonic, climatic, and oceanographic conditions throughout the Cenozoic. In this contribution, the Miocene to present history is summarized. Two distinct changes in the depositional environment are proposed, first in response to the development of a deep water connection between the Arctic and North Atlantic, and the second in response to the onset of perennial sea ice cover in the Arctic. In the early to mid-Miocene, a buildup of contourite deposits indicates a distinct change in sedimentation that is particularly well developed near the flank of the Lomonosov Ridge. It is suggested that this is a response to the opening of the Fram Strait and the establishment of geostrophic bottom currents that flowed from the Laptev Sea towards Greenland. These deposits are overlain by a seismic facies unit characterized by buried channels and erosional features. These include prominent basinward levee systems that suggest a channel morphology maintained by overbank deposition of muddy sediments carried by suspension currents periodically spilling over the channel pathway. These deposits indicate a change to a much higher energy environment that is proposed to be a response to brine formation associated with the onset of perennial sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean. This interpretation implies that the development of extensive sea ice cover results in a significant change in the energy environment of the ocean that is reflected in the depositional and erosional patterns observed. The lack of similar high energy erosional features and the presence of contourite deposits throughout most of the Miocene may indicate the Arctic Ocean was relatively ice-free until the very latest

Geologic-tectonic evolutional characteristics and prospecting potential for ISL-amenable sandstone-type uranium deposits; in Sichuan basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jianhua; Zhu Xiyang; Wang Sili; Wei Jisheng

2005-01-01

Through the analysis on geologic-tectonic evolution of Sichuan basin, authors of this paper suggest: because of the heterogeneity of the basin basement and cover structures resulting from the lateral dividing, those segments in the basin that experienced only weak tectonic activation, and those that were uplifted and eroded earlier have not been intensely deformed, and have not experienced long-period burying. Rocks in those segments are poorly consolidated and there exist conditions for the formation of large-area artesian slope at the transitional sites between uplifted and subsided areas, possessing favourable hydrogeologic conditions for long-term infiltration of groundwater. These areas must be the targets for prospecting for ISL-amenable sandstone-type uranium deposits. Correspondingly, the Triassic and Jurassic where loose sand bodies are hosted are prospecting target horizons for uranium. (authors)

Anastomosing river deposits: palaeoenvironmental control on coal quality and distribution, Northern Karoo Basin

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Cairncross, B

1980-01-01

Borehole data from an area close to the northern margin of the Karoo Basin 110 m thick coal reveal a bearing succession of the Vryheid Formation overlying Dwyka tillite. The lowermost sediments reflect processes of deglaciation with a complex array of glaciolacustrine, glaciofluvial and alluvial-outwash fan deposits. Above this paraglacial milieu, tundra-type peat bogs developed in inactive areas and account for the two thick basal coal seams (No. 1 and 2 seams). During accumulation of peat which was later to form the extensive No. 2 coal seam, active clastic sedimentation was confined to laterally restricted river channels which incised into the underlying peat. Lateral migration was inhibited by vegetation stabilized river banks and channel deposits are characterized by vertically accreted upward-fining cycles. Channel fill consists of coarse-grinder bedload sediment deposited in anastomosing streams. Flood episodes are marked by widespread, but thin (< 1 m), shale zones that intercalate with the channel sandstones. Both sandstone and shale units are completely enveloped by No. 2 coal seams. This clastic parting influences No. 2 coal seam distribution and ash content. 23 references

18O and 34S in the Upper Bartonium gypsum deposits of the Paris basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontes, J.C.; Letolle, R.

1976-01-01

Isotopic analyses ( 18 O and 34 S) of the Eocene gypsum from the Paris basin show a range beyond the normal Tertiary marine values. The possibility of a reduction process during diagenesis is discussed. A hypothesis of continental origin by leaching of Permotriassic deposits is proposed for this formation on the basis of a comparison of the isotopic contents recorded from Germany and eastern France

Depositional environment of near-surface sediments, King George Basin, Bransfield Strait, Antarctica

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Yoon, H. I.; Park, B. K.; Chang, S. K.; Han, M. W.; Oh, J. K.

1994-03-01

Four sediment cores were collected to determine the depositional environments of the King George Basin northeast of Bransfield Strait, Antarctica. The cored section revealed three distinct lithofacies: laminated siliceous ooze derived from an increased paleoproductivity near the receding sea-ice edges, massive muds that resulted from hemipelagic sedimentation in open water, and graded sediments that originated from nearby local seamounts by turbidity currents. Clay mineral data of the cores indicate a decreasing importance of volcanic activity through time. Active volcanism and hydrothermal activity appear to be responsible for the enrichment of smectite near the Penguin and Bridgeman Islands.

Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy of neoproterozoic Platform deposits in Adrar of Mauritania, Taoudeni basin, West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Benan, C. A. A.; Deynoux, M.

The Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic Taoudeni basin forms the flat-lying and unmetamorphosed sedimentary cover of the West African Craton. In the western part of this basin, the Char Group and the lower part of the Atar Group make up a 400-m-thick Neoproterozoic siliciclastic succession which rests on the Palaeoproterozoic metamorphic and granitic basement. Five erosional bounding surfaces of regional extent have been identified in this succession. These surfaces separate five stratigraphic units with lithofacies associations ranging from fluvial to coastal and fluvial-, tide-, or wave-dominated shallow marine deposits. Owing to their regional extent and their position within the succession, the erosive bounding surfaces correspond to relative sea-level falls, and accordingly the five stratigraphic units they bound represent allocyclic transgressive-regressive depositional sequences (S1-S5). Changes in the nature of the deposits forming the transgressive-regressive cycles reflect landward or seaward shifts of the stacked sequences. These successive relative sea-level changes are related to the reactivation of basement faults and tilting during rifting of the Pan-Afro-Brasiliano supercontinent 1000 m.y. ago. The stromatolite bearing carbonate-shale sequences which form the rest of the Atar Group mark the onset of a quiet period of homogeneous subsidence contemporaneous with the Pan-African I oceanization 800-700 m.y. ago.

Response of River Discharge to Changing Climate Over the Past Millennium in the Upper Mackenzie Basin: Implications for Water Resource Management

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, B. B.; Hall, R. I.; Edwards, T. W.; Jarvis, S. R.; Sinnatamby, R. N.; Yi, Y.; Johnston, J. W.

2009-05-01

Runoff generated from high elevations is the primary source of freshwater for western North America, yet this critical resource is managed on the basis of short instrumental records that encompass an insufficient range of climatic conditions. Like other streams that drain this part of the continent and flow across the northern Great Plains, where seasonal and extended intervals of water deficit are a natural element of the landscape, the Peace and Athabasca rivers provide water that is crucial for societal needs. Climate variability and rapidly increasing industrial development are, however, raising concerns over the future availability of water resources for continued economic growth in these watersheds and to maintain the integrity of aquatic ecosystems, including the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD). This is particularly acute for the Athabasca River because the Alberta oil sands industry remains dependent on its water for bitumen extraction. Here we report the effects of climate change over the past 1000 years on river discharge in the upper Mackenzie River system based on paleoenvironmental information from the PAD and Lake Athabasca. The delta landscape responds to hydroclimatic changes with marked variability, capturing systematic changes in ice-jam flood frequency and perched basin water balance. Lake Athabasca level appears to directly monitor overall water availability with the highest levels occurring in concert with maximum glacier extent during the Little Ice Age, and the lowest during the 11th century prior to medieval glacier expansion. Recent climate-driven hydrological change appears to be on a trajectory to even lower levels as high-elevation snow and glacier meltwater contributions both continue to decline. The temporal perspective offered by these paleohydrological reconstructions indicates that climatic changes over the past millennium have led to characteristic responses in the quantity and seasonality of streamflow generated from the hydrographic

Spatial and temporal distribution of ambient nitric acid and ammonia in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta

Science.gov (United States)

A. Bytnerowicz; W. Fraczek; S. Schilling; D. Alexander

2010-01-01

Monthly average ambient concentrations of gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonia (NH3) were monitored at the Athabasca Oils Sands Region (AOSR), Alberta, Canada, between May 2005 and September 2008. Generally, concentrations of both pollutants were elevated and highly variable in space and time. The highest atmospheric...

Hydrodynamic modeling in the Peace-Athabasca Delta for the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission

Science.gov (United States)

Bergeron, J.; Carter, T.; Langlois, S.; Leconte, R.; Peters, D.; Pietroniro, A.; Russell, M.; Saint-Jean, R.; Siles, G. L.; Trudel, M.

2017-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission aims to retrieve water levels elevations via satellite remote sensing. In anticipation of the launch, scheduled for 2021, multiple regions are selected for calibration/validation purposes. The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), a fresh water wetland complex located in the northeastern part of Alberta, Canada, is one of those regions. The PAD comprises numerous lakes and rivers, including Lake Mamawi and the Athabasca River presented in this study. Since it is a region of interest for many projects, including this one, the region has been monitored via multiple types of observations over time, including airborne LiDAR, water level, discharge, bathymetric surveys retrieved from traditional point-measurements tied to Global Positioning System and from an acoustic Doppler current profiler, and more recently, the airborne support instrument AirSWOT. Using a SWOT imagery simulator and a 2D hydrodynamic model (H2D2), we model the hydrologic steady-state conditions of Lake Mamawi and the Athabasca River, as well as the simulated SWOT imagery resulting from a virtual overpass. A digital terrain model derived from airborne LiDAR and bathymetric surveys, as well as water level and discharge measurements collected during the summers of 2016 and 2017, are used to provide a calibrated H2D2 model, from which simulated SWOT images are generated. The objectives of the research are to explore the capabilities of the simulated SWOT data to 1) calibrate and validate the H2D2 model over the PAD, and 2) to improve the water balance of the PAD in a synthetic context.

An assessment of ground-level ozone concentrations in the Athabasca oil sands region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Syncrude and Suncor have plans to develop new oil sands leases and to increase crude oil and bitumen recovery in the Athabasca oil sands region. A first air quality assessment was prepared as part of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board application, in order to evaluate the emissions and potential impacts associated with the development. The Pembina Institute raised several issues with respect to potential future changes in ambient ozone levels as a result of the Aurora Mine operations. In response to these concerns, another more rigorous assessment was conducted to predict future ground-level ozone concentrations in the Fort McMurray area. This report includes: (1) ambient air quality guidelines for ozone, (2) emissions inventory for dispersion modelling, (3) dispersion modelling methodology, and (4) predicted ambient ozone concentrations. Ground level ozone (O 3 ) concentrations result from anthropogenically produced ozone, and from naturally occurring ozone. Ozone is not directly emitted to the atmosphere from industrial sources, but is formed as a result of chemical reactions between NO x and VOCs, which are emitted from industrial sources within the Athabasca oil sands region. NO x and VOC emissions associated with the Aurora Mine operation are predicted to increase hourly average ozone concentrations in the Fort McMurray area by only 0.001 ppm. 17 refs., 18 tabs., 5 figs

Submarine landslides in Arctic sedimentation: Canada Basin

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Mosher, David C.; Shimeld, John; Hutchinson, Deborah R.; Lebedova-Ivanova, N; Chapman, C.

2016-01-01

Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean is the least studied ocean basin in the World. Marine seismic field programs were conducted over the past 6 years using Canadian and American icebreakers. These expeditions acquired more than 14,000 line-km of multibeam bathymetric and multi-channel seismic reflection data over abyssal plain, continental rise and slope regions of Canada Basin; areas where little or no seismic reflection data existed previously. Canada Basin is a turbidite-filled basin with flat-lying reflections correlateable over 100s of km. For the upper half of the sedimentary succession, evidence of sedimentary processes other than turbidity current deposition is rare. The Canadian Archipelago and Beaufort Sea margins host stacked mass transport deposits from which many of these turbidites appear to derive. The stratigraphic succession of the MacKenzie River fan is dominated by mass transport deposits; one such complex is in excess of 132,000 km2 in area and underlies much of the southern abyssal plain. The modern seafloor is also scarred with escarpments and mass failure deposits; evidence that submarine landsliding is an ongoing process. In its latest phase of development, Canada Basin is geomorphologically confined with stable oceanographic structure, resulting in restricted depositional/reworking processes. The sedimentary record, therefore, underscores the significance of mass-transport processes in providing sediments to oceanic abyssal plains as few other basins are able to do.

Geological characteristics and prospecting potential of sandstone-type uranium deposits in the north margin of Qaidam basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Lin; Song Xiansheng; Feng Wei

2012-01-01

The north margin of Qaidam Basin is composed with rift trough and Oulongbuluke landmass which is clamped by Qilian Mountain and Qaidam block Suture zone. The two activities provide a rich source of uranium for the basin area. The coal-bearing rocks as stratums of medium and lower Jurassic, is the main exploration target zones of sandstone-type uranium ore. Through geological survey and drilling, we think that the interlayer oxidation zone. being primary factors of sandstone-type uranium, can be divided into ancient type and modern type. The ancient interlayer oxidation zone type uranium deposit is the main prospecting types in the north margin of Qaidam Basin. Combined with analysis on geological conditions of sandstone-type uranium mineralization, we propose that eastern edge of Yuqia, southern edge of Lucao Mountain, Beidatan and northwest edge of Ulan depression are good prospects. (authors)

Hydrology of marginal evaporitic basins during the Messinian Salinity Crisis: isotopic investigation of gypsum deposits

Science.gov (United States)

El Kilany, Aida; Caruso, Antonio; Dela Pierre, Francesco; Natalicchio, Marcello; Rouchy, Jean-Marie; Pierre, Catherine; Balter, Vincent; Aloisi, Giovanni

2016-04-01

The deposition of gypsum in Messinian Mediterranean marginal basins is controlled by basin restriction and the local hydrological cycle (evaporation/precipitation rates and relative importance of continental vs marine water inputs). We are using the stable isotopic composition of gypsum as a proxy of the hydrological cycle that dominated at the moment of gypsum precipitation. We studied the Messinian Caltanissetta (Sicily) and Tertiary Piedmont (north western Italy) basins where we carried out a high-resolution isotopic study of gypsum layers composing gypsum-marl cycles. These cycles are thought to be the sedimentary expression of astronomical precession cycles, lasting approximately 20 kyr, during which the marginal basins experienced a succession of arid and a wet conditions. We determined the isotopic composition of gypsum hydration water (18O and D), of the sulphate ion (34S, 18O) and of Strontium (87/86Sr), all of which are potentially affected by the hydrological cycle. In our samples, the mother water from which gypsum precipitated is considerably lighter (-4.0 micro-scale. This is an essential step in interpreting the isotopic signals of gypsum because we can expect the 18O and D composition of Messinian continental input to be not too dissimilar from that of modern meteoric waters involved in diagenetic processes.

Tectonic and climatic controls on continental depositional facies in the Karoo Basin of northern Natal, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Brian R.

1986-02-01

The eastern Karoo Basin, South Africa, contains a thick sequence of terrigenous clastic sediments comprising a meanderbelt facies, braided channel facies divided into coarse and fine subfacies, fluviolacustrine facies and aeolian facies. Depositional trends and changes in fluvial style reflect a progressive increase in aridity of the climate under stable tectonic conditions, interrupted by two phases of source area tectonism and the development of fine and coarse clastic wedges of the braided channel subfacies; the latter signifying a short interlude of cool, wet conditions. The fine braided channel subfacies occurs in the upper part of the meanderbelt facies, which was deposited by ephemeral, meandering mixed-load streams of variable discharge and sinuosity, under dry, semi-arid climatic conditions. These deposited complex, internally discordant channel sands and well-developed levee deposits. Following deposition of the coarse braided channel subfacies semi-arid conditions returned and fluvial deposition was dominated by ephemeral, straight to slightly sinuous mixed load streams characterised by simple channel sand bodies. As the aridity of the climate increased, the streams became more localised and carried an increasing proportion of fines. Interbedded with and overlying the fluvial deposits is a mudstone-dominated lacustrine sequence grading up into aeolian sands suggesting a playa lake-type situation. The general absence of evaporites from these sediments is attributed to the fresh nature of the lake waters, as evidenced by the freshwater aquatic organisms and clay-mineral suite, the lack of adequate inflow for solute accumulation and the removal of dust impregnated by salts from the surface of the dry lake bed during the dry season by superheated, upward-spiralling columns of air. Broadly similar environments to the fluvio-lacustrine and aeolian facies sequence are to be found in the Lake Eyre Basin of central Australia and the Okavango "delta" of northern

Palaeontology of the upper Turonian paralic deposits of the Sainte-Mondane Formation, Aquitaine Basin, France

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neraudenau, D.; Saint Martin, S.; Battern, D.J.; Colin, J.P.; Daviero-Gomez, V.; Girard, V.; Gomez, B.; Nohra, Y.A.; Polette, F.; Platel, J.P.; Saint Martin, J.P.; Vullo, R.

2016-07-01

The upper Turonian lignite deposits of Sainte-Mondane, Dordogne (Aquitaine Basin, SW France), consist of clays bearing translucent, orange to red, amber micrograins. The amber exhibits different types of microbial inclusions. The clays contain several conifers including the genera Brachyphyllum, Frenelopsis and Glenrosa, and a few leaf fragments of eudicot angiosperms. Among the plant meso-fossils the occurrence of Costatheca, Spermatites and abundant, diverse, megaspores, including species of Ariadnaesporites, Bacutriletes, Echitriletes, Erlansonisporites, Maexisporites, Minerisporites and Verrutriletes, is noteworthy. Pollen grains of the Normapolles group are important components of the palynomorph assemblage. The clays were deposited in a calm, estuarine or lagoonal, muddy environment. The overlying lignitic sands contain large fossil wood pieces of the conifer Agathoxylon, small solitary corals, fragmentary oysters and pectinids, echinoid spines, a few teeth of marine selachians and bony fishes, but no amber is present. These sands were deposited in a high-energy coastal marine environment. (Author)

The development condition of longitudinal channels of a Lower Cretaceous formation and its perspective for sandstone type uranium deposits in the Erlian basin, northern China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, M.; Xu, Q.; Liu, W.; Song, J.; Chen, D.; Wei, S.

2014-01-01

The palaeochannel, which is classified as basal and interformational types on the basis of geological setting, is an important host for the sandstone type uranium deposit. Diversities exist in development conditions and uranium minerogenetic potential of the two types of palaeochanneles. The Erlian basin, about 105 km"2 and adjacent to channel-type uranium deposit provinces in Russia and Mongolia, is one of main uraniferous basins in the north of China. It is significant to research into development conditions of palaeochannels for uranium mineral exploration in the Erlian basin. 1. Geological background: The Erlian basin consists of five depressions which divide the basin and form alternations with uplifts and depressions. Sedimentary capping strata of the basin mainly is the Lower Cretaceous Bayanhua group (K1b) which consists of the Aershan group (K1ba), Tenger group (K1bt) and Saihan group (K1bs) from bottom to top. The Saihan group, which is the product in the phase of depression, is the most important uranous strata in the Erlian basin. 2. Development characteristic and condition of the longitudinal palaeochannel of the Saihan formation: Large-scale longitudinal multi-palaeochannels are identified in the center and northeast of the basin, such as the QiHaRiGeTu-SaiHanGaoBi palaeochannel (CH01), BaYanWuLa palaeochannel (CH02) and GaoLiHan palaeochanne l(CH03), et al., which character the length from several 10s of km to 100 km, width of several 10s of km and thickness of sand bodies from 20 m to 130 m, more or less. Palaeochannels of the Saihan formation are interformational type because the underlay is argillite at the top of the Tenggeer formation. Restrictive geological environments and conditions are necessary to form longitudinal channels and mainly are as follows: (1) the basin in the sustained step of depression; (2) sharp gradient (>5°?) in parts of sub-depressions and sufficient sedimentary supply from the upstream; (3) elongate erosional lowlands or

Sedimentary architecture and depositional controls of a Pliocene river-dominated delta in the semi-isolated Dacian Basin, Black Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jorissen, Elisabeth L.; de Leeuw, A.; van Baak, Christiaan G.C.; Mandic, Oleg; Stoica, Marius; Abels, Hemmo A.; Krijgsman, Wout

Sedimentological facies models for (semi-)isolated basins are less well developed than those for marine environments, but are critical for our understanding of both present-day and ancient deltaic sediment records in restricted depositional environments. This study considers an 835 m thick

Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits: Chapter P in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Ryan D.; Anderson, Eric D.

2018-05-17

Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits represent the largest repository of gold on Earth, largely due to the deposits of the Witwatersrand Basin, which account for nearly 40 percent of the total gold produced throughout Earth’s history. This deposit type has had a controversial history in regards to genetic models. However, most researchers conclude that they are paleoplacer deposits that have been modified by metamorphism and hydrothermal fluid flow subsequent to initial sedimentation.The deposits are found exclusively within fault-bounded depositional basins. The periphery of these basins commonly consists of granite-greenstone terranes, classic hosts for lode gold that source the detrital material infilling the basin. The gold reefs are typically located along unconformities or, less commonly, at the top of sedimentary beds. Large quartz pebbles and heavy-mineral concentrates are found associated with the gold. Deposits that formed prior to the Great Oxidation Event (circa 2.4 giga-annum [Ga]) contain pyrite, whereas younger deposits contain iron oxides. Uranium minerals and hydrocarbons are also notable features of some deposits.Much of the gold in these types of deposits forms crystalline features that are the product of local remobilization. However, some gold grains preserve textures that are undoubtedly of detrital origin. Other heavy minerals, such as pyrite, contain growth banding that is truncated along broken margins, which indicates that they were transported into place as opposed to forming by in situ growth in a hydrothermal setting.The ore tailings associated with these deposits commonly contain uranium-rich minerals and sulfides. Oxidation of the sulfides releases sulfuric acid and mobilizes various metals into the environment. The neutralizing potential of the tailings is minimal, since carbonate minerals are rare. The continuity of the tabular ore bodies, such as those of the Witwatersrand Basin, has allowed these mines to be the deepest in

Can Transport of Saharan Dust Explain Extensive Clay Deposits in the Amazon Basin? A Test Using Radiogenic Isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Andreae, M. O.; Abouchami, W.; Näthe, K.; Kumar, A.; Galer, S. J.; Jochum, K. P.; Williams, E.; Horbe, A. M.; Rosa, J. W.; Adams, D. K.; Balsam, W. R.

2012-12-01

The Bodélé Depression, located in the Southern Sahara, is a huge source of atmospheric dust and thus an important element in biogeochemical cycles and the radiative budget of Earth's atmosphere. Previous studies have shown that Saharan dust transport across the Atlantic acts as an important source of mineral nutrients to the Amazon rainforest. The Belterra Clay, which outcrops extensively across the Amazon Basin in Brazil, has been proposed to result from dry deposition of African dusts. We have investigated this hypothesis by measuring the radiogenic isotopic composition (Sr, Nd and Pb) of a suite of samples from the Belterra Clay, the Bodélé Depression, dusts deposits collected at various locations along the airmass transport trajectory, as well as loess from the Cape Verde Islands. Radiogenic isotope systems are powerful tracers of provenance and can be used to fingerprint dust sources and atmospheric transport patterns. Our results identify distinct isotopic signatures in the Belterra Clay samples and the African sources. The Belterra Clay display radiogenic Sr and Pb isotope ratios associated with non-radiogenic Nd isotope signatures. In contrast, Bodélé samples and dusts deposits show lower Pb isotope ratios, variable 87Sr/86Sr, and relatively homogeneous Nd isotopic compositions, albeit more radiogenic than those of the Belterra Clay. Our data show unambiguously that the Belterra Clay is not derived from African dust deposition, nor from the Andean chain, as originally suggested by W. Sombroek. Rather, isotopic compositions and Nd model ages are consistent with simple mixing of Archean and younger Proterozoic terranes within the Amazon Basin as a result of weathering and erosion under humid tropical conditions. Whether Saharan dusts contribute to the fertilization in the Amazon Basin cannot be ruled out, however, since the African dust isotopic signature is expected to be entirely overprinted by local sources. Radiogenic isotope data obtained on

Large-scale Mass Transport Deposits in the Valencia Basin (Western Mediterranean): slope instability induced by rapid sea-level drawdown?

Science.gov (United States)

Cameselle, Alejandra L.; Urgeles, Roger; Llopart, Jaume

2014-05-01

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) strongly affected the physiography of the Mediterranean margins at the end of the Miocene. The sharp sea-level fall gave a new configuration to the Mediterranean basin and created dramatic morphological and sedimentological changes: margins have been largely eroded whereas the deep basins accumulated thick evaporitic and detrital units. Amongst these detrital units, there are evidences on seismic reflection data for major large-scale slope failure of the Mediterranean continental margins. About 2700 km of seismic reflection profiles in the southwestern part of the Valencia Basin (Western Mediterranean) have enabled us the detailed mapping of distinctive Messinian erosional surfaces, evaporites and deep detrital deposits. The detrital deposits occur in a distinct unit that is made of chaotic, roughly-bedded or transparent seismic bodies, which have been mainly mapped in the basin domain. Locally, the seismic unit shows discontinuous high-amplitude reflections and/or an imbricate internal structure. This unit is interpreted to be formed by a series of Mass Transport Deposits (MTDs). Rapid drawdown has long been recognized as one of the most severe loadings conditions that a slope can be subjected to. Several large historical slope failures have been documented to occur due to rapid drawdown in dams, riverbanks and slopes. During drawdown, the stabilizing effect of the water on the upstream face is lost, but the pore-water pressures within the slope may remain high. The dissipation of these pore pressures in the slope is controlled by the permeability and the storage characteristics of the slope sediments. We hypothesize that the MTDs observed in our data formed under similar conditions and represent a large-scale equivalent of this phenomenon. Therefore, these MTDs can be used to put some constraints on the duration of the drawdown phase of the MSC. We have performed a series of slope stability analysis under rapid Messinian sea

Analysis of metallogenic conditions of sandstone type uranium deposits in interlayer oxidation zone in the northwest of Junggar basin, Xinjiang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Shuangxing

1997-01-01

From various aspects such as the basin structures, structure features of the sedimentary cover, lithofacies features of basin sediments, geochemical characteristics of sedimentary rocks, regional hydrogeologic conditions and epigenetic reworking of the sedimentary cover and so on, the author analyzes the metallogenic conditions of sandstone type uranium deposits in interlayer oxidation zone in the northwest of Junggar basin. The author proposes that the area has abundant uranium sources, and possesses favourable stratigraphic combinations for the development of interlayer oxidation zone. Secondarily oxidized sandstone bodies present universally at places from the source area to stream channel facies. Reducing beds and secondarily reducing barrier are developed at the front of the secondarily oxidized sandstone body. The tectonic features of the sedimentary cover indicate that the area belongs to a relatively-stable suborogenic region and possesses secondary mobilization and reworking conditions during the uplifting and contraction stage of the basin. Epigenetic metallization is evident in the sedimentary cover of the basin

Two-dimensional numerical modelling of sediment and chemical constituent transport within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashyap, Shalini; Dibike, Yonas; Shakibaeinia, Ahmad; Prowse, Terry; Droppo, Ian

2017-01-01

Flows and transport of sediment and associated chemical constituents within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River between Fort McMurray and Embarrass Airport are investigated using a two-dimensional (2D) numerical model called Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The river reach is characterized by complex geometry, including vegetated islands, alternating sand bars and an unpredictable thalweg. The models were setup and validated using available observed data in the region before using them to estimate the levels of cohesive sediment and a select set of chemical constituents, consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, within the river system. Different flow scenarios were considered, and the results show that a large proportion of the cohesive sediment that gets deposited within the study domain originates from the main stem upstream inflow boundary, although Ells River may also contribute substantially during peak flow events. The floodplain, back channels and islands in the river system are found to be the major areas of concern for deposition of sediment and associated chemical constituents. Adsorbed chemical constituents also tend to be greater in the main channel water column, which has higher levels of total suspended sediments, compared to in the flood plain. Moreover, the levels of chemical constituents leaving the river system are found to depend very much on the corresponding river bed concentration levels, resulting in higher outflows with increases in their concentration in the bed sediment.

Provenance and detrital zircon geochronologic evolution of lower Brookian foreland basin deposits of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, and implications for early Brookian tectonism

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Thomas; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Potter, Christopher J.; Donelick, Raymond A.

2015-01-01

The Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous part of the Brookian sequence of northern Alaska consists of syntectonic deposits shed from the north-directed, early Brookian orogenic belt. We employ sandstone petrography, detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis, and zircon fission-track double-dating methods to investigate these deposits in a succession of thin regional thrust sheets in the western Brooks Range and in the adjacent Colville foreland basin to determine sediment provenance, sedimentary dispersal patterns, and to reconstruct the evolution of the Brookian orogen. The oldest and structurally highest deposits are allochthonous Upper Jurassic volcanic arc–derived sandstones that rest on accreted ophiolitic and/or subduction assemblage mafic igneous rocks. These strata contain a nearly unimodal Late Jurassic zircon population and are interpreted to be a fragment of a forearc basin that was emplaced onto the Brooks Range during arc-continent collision. Synorogenic deposits found at structurally lower levels contain decreasing amounts of ophiolite and arc debris, Jurassic zircons, and increasing amounts of continentally derived sedimentary detritus accompanied by broadly distributed late Paleozoic and Triassic (359–200 Ma), early Paleozoic (542–359 Ma), and Paleoproterozoic (2000–1750 Ma) zircon populations. The zircon populations display fission-track evidence of cooling during the Brookian event and evidence of an earlier episode of cooling in the late Paleozoic and Triassic. Surprisingly, there is little evidence for erosion of the continental basement of Arctic Alaska, its Paleozoic sedimentary cover, or its hinterland metamorphic rocks in early foreland basin strata at any structural and/or stratigraphic level in the western Brooks Range. Detritus from exhumation of these sources did not arrive in the foreland basin until the middle or late Albian in the central part of the Colville Basin.These observations indicate that two primary provenance areas provided

Enhanced Seismic Imaging of Turbidite Deposits in Chicontepec Basin, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Chavez-Perez, S.; Vargas-Meleza, L.

2007-05-01

We test, as postprocessing tools, a combination of migration deconvolution and geometric attributes to attack the complex problems of reflector resolution and detection in migrated seismic volumes. Migration deconvolution has been empirically shown to be an effective approach for enhancing the illumination of migrated images, which are blurred versions of the subsurface reflectivity distribution, by decreasing imaging artifacts, improving spatial resolution, and alleviating acquisition footprint problems. We utilize migration deconvolution as a means to improve the quality and resolution of 3D prestack time migrated results from Chicontepec basin, Mexico, a very relevant portion of the producing onshore sector of Pemex, the Mexican petroleum company. Seismic data covers the Agua Fria, Coapechaca, and Tajin fields. It exhibits acquisition footprint problems, migration artifacts and a severe lack of resolution in the target area, where turbidite deposits need to be characterized between major erosional surfaces. Vertical resolution is about 35 m and the main hydrocarbon plays are turbidite beds no more than 60 m thick. We also employ geometric attributes (e.g., coherent energy and curvature), computed after migration deconvolution, to detect and map out depositional features, and help design development wells in the area. Results of this workflow show imaging enhancement and allow us to identify meandering channels and individual sand bodies, previously undistinguishable in the original seismic migrated images.

Remote sensing technology prospecting methods of interlayer oxidation zone type sandstone uranium deposit in Yili basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Xianfang; Huang Shutao; Pan Wei; Feng Jie; Liu Dechang; Zhang Jingbo; Xuan Yanxiu; Rui Benshan

1998-12-01

Taking Yili Basin as an example, remote sensing technology and method of interlayer oxidation zone type sandstone uranium deposit have systematically been summarized. Firstly, principle, methods and procedures of the second development of scientific experimental satellite photograph have been elaborated in detail. Three dimensional stereo simulation, display, and multi-parameters extraction have been recommended. Secondarily, the research is focused on prospective section image features in different type images and their geological implications and on establishing recognition keys of promising areas. Finally, based on above research results, three graded predictions, i.e. regional prospect, promising sections and favourable location in the deposit have been made step by step and reconnaissance and prospecting range are gradually reduced. The practice has indicated that breakthrough progress has been made in application to prospect prognosis of interlayer oxidation zone type sandstone uranium deposit and good verified results have been obtained

Metallogenic condition and regularity of inter layered oxidation zone-type sandstone uranium deposit in southwestern part of Turpan-Hami basin, Northwestern China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang Weidong; Chen Zhaobo; Chen Zuyi; Yin Jinshuang

2001-01-01

Regional geological surveying and drilling evaluation in recent years show that there are very large potential resources of sandstone-type uranium deposits in the southwestern part of Turpan-Hami basin. According to the characteristics of tectonic evolution and sedimentary cover of the basin, the evolution stages and types of the basin are divided, and the favorable development stages for the ore-bearing formation and the formation of uranium deposits in the evolution process are identified. The metallogenic conditions of uranium deposits are deeply discussed from four aspects: basic tectonics, paleoclimate evolution, hydrogeology and uranium source of the region. All these have laid an important foundation for accurate prediction and evaluation of uranium resources in this region. The research indicates that the uranium metallogeny is a process of long-term, multi-stage and pulsation. The authors try to ascertain the role of organic matter in concentrating uranium. The organic matter is of humic type in sandstone host-rock in the studied area, whose original mother material mainly belongs to terrestrial high plant. The maturity of the organic matter is very low, being in low-grade stage of thermal evolution. Correlation analysis and separation experiments show that uranium concentration is closely related with the organic matter, and the organic matter in uranium ore is mainly in the form of humic acid adsorption and humate. For this reason the total organic carbon content is often increased in the geochemical redox zone in epigenetic sandstone-type uranium deposits. It is suggested that the north of China is of great potential for sandstone-type uranium resources

Remote-sensing and geological information for prospective area selection of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposit in Songliao and Liaohe faulted-depressed basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Baoshan

1998-01-01

On the basis of remote-sensing information and geological environments for the formation of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits such as geomorphic features, distribution of drainage system, and paleo-alluvial (diluvial) fans and time-space distribution regularities of orehosting rocks and sandstone bodies in Songliao and Liaohe faulted-depressed basins, image features, tectonic patterns and paleo-geographic environment of the prospective areas are discussed for both basins, and based on a great number of petroleum-geological data and comparison analysis, a remote sensing-geological prospecting model for in-situ leachable sandstonetype uranium deposits in the region is established, providing indications for selection of prospective area

Climate and tectonic evolution of the Descanso-Yauri basin in the northernmost Altiplano: Archetype example of a 'lithospheric drip' basin

Science.gov (United States)

Kar, N.; Garzione, C. N.

2015-12-01

We present a new multiproxy Miocene-Pliocene paleoelevation record of the northernmost Altiplano plateau reconstructed from pollen, clumped isotope (TΔ47) and δ18Oc of sedimentary carbonates and leaf wax n-alkane δD signatures. The ~18Ma to ~9Ma deposits of our study area, Descanso-Yauri basin in southern Peru show 11 to 16ºC warmer than modern mean annual air temperature, low elevation vegetation pollen assemblage (dominated by Podocarpus), and an average precipitation δ18Omw (VSMOW) value of -8.3±2.0‰ (2σ). The ~5 to 4 Ma deposits in the Descanso-Yauri basin are characterized by herb and shrub vegetation and an average δ18O mw (VSMOW) value of -14.6±3.0‰ (2σ), indicative of an elevation and/or climate similar to modern conditions. Based on the multiproxy paleoclimate record, we interpret that there was a 2±1 km surface uplift between 9 and 5 Ma in the northernmost Altiplano plateau. Deformation history analysis through map scale structural investigation combined with provenance analysis from conglomerate clast composition and paleocurrents show that the thrusts bounding the NE side of the Descanso-Yauri basin were active until ˜9Ma. Deformation waned afterwards, and switched to an extensional deformation regime, coincident with decrease in subsidence rate from ˜0.2mm/year to ˜0.03mm/year. Depositional history reconstructed by facies analysis and stratigraphic correlation reveal that deposition in the basin began with transverse braided river systems that formed along the thrust front and gave way to a larger fluvial-lacustrine system until ˜4 Ma. The basin deposits show an overall fining upward trend from coarse clastic dominated, in the lower most parts of the basin fill to fluvial overbank and lacustrine mudstone and diatomite deposits in the middle-upper parts. The thickest deposits formed in the central part of the basin. Based on these depositional and deformational patterns, we infer that the Descanso-Yauri basin formed in response to a

Sedimentary Record of the Back-Arc Basins of South-Central Mexico: an Evolution from Extensional Basin to Carbonate Platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Sierra-Rojas, M. I.; Molina-Garza, R. S.; Lawton, T. F.

2015-12-01

The Lower Cretaceous depositional systems of southwestern Oaxaquia, in south-central Mexico, were controlled by tectonic processes related to the instauration of a continental arc and the accretion of the Guerrero arc to mainland Mexico. The Atzompa Formation refers to a succession of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, and limestone that crop out in southwestern Mexico with Early Cretaceous fauna and detrital zircon maximum depositional ages. The sedimentary record shows a transition from early fluvial/alluvial to shallow marine depositional environments. The first stage corresponds to juvenile fluvial/alluvial setting followed by a deep lacustrine depositional environment, suggesting the early stages of an extensional basin. The second stage is characterized by anabranched deposits of axial fluvial systems flowing to the NE-SE, showing deposition during a period of rapid subsidence. The third and final stage is made of tidal deposits followed, in turn, by abrupt marine flooding of the basin and development of a Barremian-Aptian carbonate ramp. We interpret the Tentzo basin as a response to crustal extension in a back-arc setting, with high rates of sedimentation in the early stages of the basin (3-4 mm/m.y), slower rates during the development of starved fluvial to tidal systems and carbonate ramps, and at the top of the Atzompa Formation an abrupt deepening of the basin due to flexural subsidence related to terrane docking and attendant thrusting to the west. These events were recorded in the back-arc region of a continental convergent margin (Zicapa arc) where syn-sedimentary magmatism is indicated by Early Cretaceous detrital and volcanic clasts from alluvial fan facies west of the basin. Finally, and as a response to the accretion of the Guerrero superterrane to Oaxaquia during the Aptian, a carbonate platform facing toward the Gulf of Mexico was established in central to eastern Oaxaquia.

Calibration of a PHREEQC-based geochemical model to predict surface water discharge from an operating uranium mill in the Athabasca Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahoney, J.; Ryan, F.

2014-01-01

A PHREEQC based geochemical model has been developed to predict impacts from the McClean Lake Mill discharges through three lakes in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. The model is primarily a mixing calculation that uses site specific water balances and water compositions from five sources: 1) two water treatment plants, 2) waters from pit dewatering wells, 3) run-off into the lakes from surface waters, 4) ambient lake compositions, and 5) precipitation (rain and snow) onto the pit lake surface. The model allows for the discharge of these waters into the first lake, which then flows into another nearby lake and finally into a third larger lake. Water losses through evaporation and the impact of subsequent evapoconcentration processes are included in the model. PHREEQC has numerous mass transfer options including mixing, user specified reactions, equilibration with gas and solid phases, and surface complexation. Thus this program is ideally suited to this application. Preparation of such a complicated model is facilitated by an EXCEL Spreadsheet, which converts the water balance into appropriately formatted mixing proportions and to prepare portions of the PHREEQC input file in a format directly useable by PHREEQC. This allows for a high level of flexibility, while reducing transcription errors. For each scenario, the model path involves mixing of the waters in the first lake, followed by evapoconcentration, equilibration of the resulting solution with gas phases, including carbon dioxide and oxygen and with minerals and surfaces. The resultant composition is mixed in the second lake with more surface water, lake water and precipitation, and then re-equilibrated. This water represents the flow into the final lake; further mixing/dilution is accommodated; chemical equilibration may also occur. Because of the numerous steps and processes that define the pathway, each annual step requires approximately 200 lines of input in PHREEQC. Models used in the initial

Slope-apron deposition in an ordovician arc-related setting: The Vuelta de Las Tolas Member (Suri Formation), Famatina Basin, northwest Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Mangano, M.G.; Buatois, L.A.

1997-01-01

The Ordovician Suri Formation is part of the infill of the Famatina Basin of northwest Argentina, which formed in an active setting along the western margin of early Paleozoic Gondwana. The lower part of this formation, the Vuelta de Las Tolas Member, records sedimentation on a slope apron formed in an intra-arc basin situated on a flooded continental arc platform. The coincidence of a thick Arenig-Llanvirn sedimentary succession and volcanic-plutonic arc rocks suggests an extensional or transtensional arc setting, and is consistent with evidence of an extensional regime within the volcanic arc in the northern Puna region. The studied stratigraphic sections consist of volcanic rocks and six sedimentary facies. The facies can be clustered into four facies associations. Association 1, composed of facies A (laminated siltstones and mudstones) and B (massive mudstones and siltstones), is interpreted to have accumulated from silty-muddy high-and low-density turbidity currents and highly fluid, silty debris flows, with subsequent reworking by bottom currents, and to a lesser extent, hemipelagic suspension in an open-slope setting. Facies association 2 is dominated by facies C (current-rippled siltstones) strata. These deposits are interpreted to record overbank sedimentation from fine-grained turbidity currents. Facies E (matrix-supported volcanic breccias) interbedded with andesitic lava units comprises facies association 3. Deposition was contemporaneous with subaqueous volcanic activity, and accumulated from cohesive debris flows in a coarse-grained wedge at the base of slope. Facies association 4 is typified by facies D (vitric fine-grained sandstones and siltstones) and F (channelized and graded volcanic conglomerates and breccias) deposits. These strata commonly display thinning-and fining-upward trends, indicating sedimentation from highly-concentrated volcaniclastic turbidity currents in a channelized system. The general characteristics of these deposits of fresh

Potential research money available from the Acid Deposition Program and Alberta Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Primus, C.L.

1992-01-01

It is exceedingly difficult to demonstrate definitive long-term changes in animal health as a result of acid-forming emissions from sour gas wells. A summary is presented of current research in Alberta, followed by the potential for research funding by the Alberta Government/Industry Acid Deposition Program (ADRP). The Alberta Environment research budget consists of four programs in addition to the ADRP: acid deposition effects research in the Athabasca oil sands; western and northern Canada long-range transport of air pollutants; departmental monitoring; and inhalation toxicology and animal health. Animal health research, although a component of the acid deposition issue, is beyond the mandate of Alberta Environment, and the ADRP members committee does not forsee becoming involved in the long-term and complex research required to address the effects of acid-forming emissions on livestock. Funds for additional animal health research must come from other government departments and agencies whose mandate covers this area

Araçatuba Formation: palustrine deposits from the initial sedimentation phase of the Bauru Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernandes Luiz A.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The Bauru Basin (Upper Cretaceous accumulated an essentially sandy continental sedimentary sequence. In a first desertic phase the basaltic substratum was covered by a widespread and homogeneous aeolian sand unit with minor loess intercalations. The substratum relief favored the formation of an endorheic drainage system under semi-arid climate, a process that started the development of the Araçatuba Paleoswamp. The palustrine deposits (Araçatuba Formation comprise siltstone and tipically greenish gray narrow tabular strata of sandstone cemented by carbonate. Moulds and gypsite and dolomite pseudomorphs were identified. The moulds seem to be genetically associated with desiccation cracks, root marks and climbing ripple lamination levels, that, on the whole, indicate calm shallow saline waters undergoing phases of subaerial exposition. At the boundaries of the study area, sand units may exhibit sigmoidal features and convolute bedding structure, which is characteristic of marginal deltaic deposits. The Araçatuba Formation is enclosed in and later overlaid by the aeolian deposits of the Vale do Rio do Peixe Formation.

Petroleum prospectivity of the Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Grantz, A.; Hart, P.E.

2011-01-01

Reconnaissance seismic reflection data indicate that Canada Basin is a remnant of the Amerasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean that lies south of the Alpha-Mendeleev Large Igneous Province, which was constructed on the northern part of the Amerasia Basin between about 127 and 89-75 Ma. Canada Basin is filled with Early Jurassic to Holocene detritus from the Mackenzie River system, which drains the northern third of interior North America, with sizable contributions from Alaska and Northwest Canada. Except for the absence of a salt- and shale-bearing mobile substrate Canada Basin is analogous to the Mississippi Delta and the western Gulf of Mexico. Canada Basin contains about 7 to >14 km of sediment beneath the Mackenzie Prodelta on the southeast, 6 to 7 km of sediment beneath the abyssal plain on the west, and roughly 5 or 6 million cubic km of sediment. About three fourths of the basin fill generates low amplitude seismic reflections, interpreted to represent hemiplegic deposits, and a fourth of the fill generates interbedded lenses to extensive layers of moderate to high amplitude reflections interpreted to represent unconfined turbidite and amalgamated channel deposits. Extrapolation from Arctic Alaska and Northwest Canada suggests that three fourths of the section in Canada Basin may contain intervals of hydrocarbon source rocks and the apparent age of the basin suggests that it contains three of the six stratigraphic intervals that together provided >90?? of the World's discovered reserves of oil and gas.. Worldwide heat flow averages suggest that about two thirds of Canada Basin lies in the oil or gas window. At least five types of structural or stratigraphic features of local to regional occurrence offer exploration targets in Canada Basin. These consist of 1) a belt of late Eocene to Miocene shale-cored detachment folds containing with at least two anticlines that are capped by beds with bright spots, 2) numerous moderate to high amplitude reflection packets

Facies-controlled reservoir properties in ramp-fan and slope-apron deposits, Miocene Puente Formation, Los Angeles basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyons, K.T.; Geving, R.L.; Suchecki, R.K.

1989-03-01

The Miocene Puente Formation in outcrops of the eastern Los Angeles basin is interpreted as a succession of slope-apron and ramp-fan deposits that accumulated in a prism-rise wedge. The principal depositional components of this dominantly base-of-slope and ramp system are ramp-fan channels and lobes, and slope-channel and slope-apron channel/interchannel deposits. Facies-specific textural, compositional, and diagenetic attributes observed in thin section assist in the classification of depositional facies. Specifically, occurrence of carbonate cement, clay mineralogy, and abundance of organic material vary as a function of component facies architecture of the depositional system. Slope and ramp-fan channel-fill sandstones are characterized by pervasive carbonate cements, including poikilotopic and fine-grained calcite, fine-grained and baroque dolomite, and minor siderite. Diagenetic clays predate carbonate cements, and dolomite predates coarser, void-filling calcite. Ramp-fan lobe and interchannel deposits are carbonate free but are rich in detrital clay and organic matter. Diagenetic clays include mixed-layer illite/smectite and kaolinite. Sediments deposited in slope-apron channel fill are virtually cement free except for small amounts of authigenic illite/smectite. Slope-apron interchannel deposits are characterized by high content of organic matter and clay-rich matrix. Potential reservoir characteristics, such as grain size, sorting, and abundance of depositional clay matrix, are related to the primary sedimentary properties of depositional architectural components in the ramp-fan and slope-apron system. Additional diagenetic modifications, without consideration of compaction, were controlled by precipitation reactions associated with fluid flow along pathways related to the depositional architectural framework.

U-Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronologic Constraints on Depositional Age and Sediment Source Terrains of the Late Paleozoic Tepuel-Genoa Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Griffis, N. P.; Montanez, I. P.; Isbell, J.; Gulbranson, E. L.; Wimpenny, J.; Yin, Q. Z.; Cúneo, N. R.; Pagani, M. A.; Taboada, A. C.

2014-12-01

The late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) is the longest-lived icehouse of the Phanerozoic and the only time a metazoan dominated and vegetated world transitioned from an icehouse climate into a greenhouse. Despite several decades of research, the timing, extent of glaciation and the location of ice centers remain unresolved, which prohibits reconstruction of ice volume. The Permo-Carboniferous sediments in the Tepuel-Genoa Basin, Patagonia contains a near complete record of sedimentation from the lower Carboniferous through lower Permian. Outsized clasts, thin pebble-rich diamictites and slumps represent the last of the late Paleozoic glacially influenced deep-water marine sediments in the Mojón de Hierro Fm. and the Paleozoic of Patagonia. U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons separated from slope sediments reveal groupings (20 myr bins, n≥5 zircons) with peak depositional ages of 420, 540 to 660 and 1040 Ma. Zircon age populations recovered from the Mojón de Hierro Fm. compare well with bedrock ages of the Deseado Massif of SE Patagonia, suggesting this may be a potential source of sediments. The maximum depositional age of the sediments is 306.05 ± 3.7 Ma (2σ) as determined by the median age of the two youngest concordant zircons that overlap in error. The youngest zircon from the analysis yields a 238U/206Pb age of 301.3 ± 4.5 Ma (2σ; MSWD = 2.3). Younger zircons from the analysis compare well with the age of granite bedrock exposed along the basin margin to the E-NE suggesting they may reflect a more proximal source. These data, which indicate a maximum age of late Carboniferous for the Mojón de Hierro Fm, provide the first geochemical constraints for the timing of final deposition of glaciomarine sediments in the Tepuel-Genoa Basin, and contributes to the biostratigraphic correlation of the late Paleozoic succession in Patagonia with other key LPIA basins that has thus far been hindered by faunal provincialism.

Quantification and Postglacial evolution of an inner alpine sedimentary basin (Gradenmoos Basin, Hohe Tauern)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Götz, J.

2012-01-01

laminated sediment) and the palynologic record (Pediastrum; requires freshwater environments) indicates lake existence. Radiocarbon ages obtained from the sediment cores (21 samples) indicate spatial and temporal variability of basin sedimentation. Sedimentation rates reach a maximum of 7.5 mm/a in the central part of the basin and start to decrease after 3.7 ka BP. Initial rates (1 - 2 mm/a) are significantly lower in the distal part of the basin before rising to a delayed peak which is interpreted as a ‘sedimentary wave’ advancing into the basin. Based on these findings a model of postglacial basin evolution is proposed. Total sediment storage amounts to 17.6 Mio m 3 . The largest part of this volume refers to debris cone storage (75 %) followed by lacustrine and fluvial deposits (20 %), a shallow layer of till underneath the present surface (8 %), as well as gravitational (5 %) and in situ sediments (1 %). Since debris cone deposits largely overly lacustrine/fluvial deposits the applied approach of ‘vertical landform clipping’ has been corrected for this effect increasing the portion of lacustrine/fluvial deposits to 30 % and reducing the share of debris cones deposits to 65 %. Whereas the gravitational process domain dominates sediment storage in the entire catchment, the majority of sediment in the basin refers to secondary deposits in the sediment cascade delivered by debris flow events. Postglacial rates of rockwall retreat are derived from these volumes for three different steep cirques draining into the basin. Corresponding rates reach values of up to 0.37/0.64 mm/a (3D/2D). Morphometric analyses of several catchments draining into the upper Möll revealed that Schober Range catchments (and in particular the Gradenbach catchment) are characterised by intense relief and large areas underlain by permafrost. However, even if rates of rockwall retreat would have been assumed to reach significantly higher values, they lie among the lower range of published rates

Seismic sequence stratigraphy and platform to basin reservoir structuring of Lower Cretaceous deposits in the Sidi Aïch-Majoura region (Central Tunisia)

Science.gov (United States)

Azaïez, Hajer; Bédir, Mourad; Tanfous, Dorra; Soussi, Mohamed

2007-05-01

In central Tunisia, Lower Cretaceous deposits represent carbonate and sandstone reservoir series that correspond to proven oil fields. The main problems for hydrocarbon exploration of these levels are their basin tectonic configuration and their sequence distribution in addition to the source rock availability. The Central Atlas of Tunisia is characterized by deep seated faults directed northeast-southwest, northwest-southeast and north-south. These faults limit inherited tectonic blocks and show intruded Triassic salt domes. Lower Cretaceous series outcropping in the region along the anticline flanks present platform deposits. The seismic interpretation has followed the Exxon methodologies in the 26th A.A.P.G. Memoir. The defined Lower Cretaceous seismic units were calibrated with petroleum well data and tied to stratigraphic sequences established by outcrop studies. This allows the subsurface identification of subsiding zones and thus sequence deposit distribution. Seismic mapping of these units boundary shows a structuring from a platform to basin blocks zones and helps to understand the hydrocarbon reservoir systems-tract and horizon distribution around these domains.

Facies and depositional model of Almada Canyon, Almada Basin, Bahia, Brazil; Facies e modelo deposicional do Canyon de Almada, Bacia de Almada, Bahia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Avila, Roberto Salvador Francisco; Souza Cruz, Carlos Emanoel de; Oliveira Filho, Jose Souto; Jesus, Candida Menezes de; Cesero, Pedro de; Dias Filho, Dorval Carvalho; Lima, Claudio Coelho de; Queiroz, Claudia Lima de; Santos, Saulo Ferreira; Ferreira, Eduardo Araripe [PETROBRAS, Santos, SP (Brazil). Unidade de Negocio de Exploracao]. E-mail: rdavila@petrobras.com.br

2004-11-01

In the continental portion of the Almada Basin outcrops of canyon filling deposits are represented by turbidite channels and associated facies from Urucutuca Formation. The canyon - semi-exhumated - eroded basement and pre-Cenomanian sedimentary rocks. The field study of the outcrops and cores obtained in adjacent perforations lead to the understanding of the facies and processes that controlled the deposition of these channeled turbidite that can be compared to the reservoirs of many oil fields in Brazil. The Almada canyon is a submarine conduct of tectonic origin that was enlarged by the repeated passing of turbidity currents. During the rift phase and the Albian period, compressive events reactivated old N E and N W faults in the basement as trans current fault systems. The continuation of these stresses, from the Cenomanian to the Maastrichtian, developed normal faults that controlled a submarine canyon that connected the continent, where an estuary was formed between the mountains, to the deep marine region of the basin. The canyon has received sediments brought by catastrophic fluvial floods coming from the surrounding mountains, which formed hyperpicnal flows that have evolved as turbidity currents, thus causing erosion of the substrate and carrying a huge volume of sediments to the basin. A part of that load was deposited in the canyon and formed turbidite channels filled by conglomerates, sandstones and shales. These moderately to highly efficient turbidite are intercalated to pro delta pelites and low density turbid plumes deposits, which have mostly been re mobilized as slump and debris flows (chaotic deposits). Pelites were accumulated mainly in the normal fluvial sedimentation phases, when the sandy sediment was retained next to the canyon head and were reworked by the tides on the upper part of the estuary. (author)

A fluvioglacial and gaciolacustrine deltaic depositional model for Permo-Carboniferous coals of the northeastern Karoo Basin, South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith G, Le Blanc; Eriksson, K A

1979-01-01

With the northward retreat of the late Palaeozoic Gondwana ice sheet a series of glacial valleys, partially filled with diamictite, dominated the landscape along the northern edge of the Karoo basin in South Africa. Consequent outwash sediments accumulated as fluvioglacial and glaciolacustrine deltaic deposits. Density underflow generated turbidity currents from which bottomset sediments were deposited. These comprise distal varved siltstones and shales, stratified pebbly-mudstone with dropstones, and proximal ripple drift cross-laminated sandstones and siltstones. Overlying outwash plain conglomerates and sandstones constitute the topset deposits. Upon abandonment of the outwash plain, shallow-rooted Arctic vegetation developed. Resulting peats exceeded 10 m in thickness and constituted precursors to coal seams in which variations in ash content are attributed to overbank splaying from recognisable anastomosing channels within the coal swamps. This study has illustrated a characteristic paraglacial sedimentation sequence, maximum depositional rates occur immediately after glacial retreat followed by decelerating sedimentation rates through time, leading finally to the development of extensive peats. (29 refs.)

Evaluation of Weights of Evidence to Predict Epithermal-Gold Deposits in the Great Basin of the Western United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raines, Gary L.

1999-01-01

The weights-of-evidence method provides a simple approach to the integration of diverse geologic information. The application addressed is to construct a model that predicts the locations of epithermal-gold mineral deposits in the Great Basin of the western United States. Weights of evidence is a data-driven method requiring known deposits and occurrences that are used as training sites in the evaluated area. Four hundred and fifteen known hot spring gold-silver, Comstock vein, hot spring mercury, epithermal manganese, and volcanogenic uranium deposits and occurrences in Nevada were used to define an area of 327.4 km 2 as training sites to develop the model. The model consists of nine weighted-map patterns that are combined to produce a favorability map predicting the distribution of epithermal-gold deposits. Using a measure of the association of training sites with predictor features (or patterns), the patterns can be ranked from best to worst predictors. Based on proximity analysis, the strongest predictor is the area within 8 km of volcanic rocks younger than 43 Ma. Being close to volcanic rocks is not highly weighted, but being far from volcanic rocks causes a strong negative weight. These weights suggest that proximity to volcanic rocks define where deposits do not occur. The second best pattern is the area within 1 km of hydrothermally altered areas. The next best pattern is the area within 1 km of known placer-gold sites. The proximity analysis for gold placers weights this pattern as useful when close to known placer sites, but unimportant where placers do not exist. The remaining patterns are significantly weaker predictors. In order of decreasing correlation, they are: proximity to volcanic vents, proximity to east-west to northwest faults, elevated airborne radiometric uranium, proximity to northwest to west and north-northwest linear features, elevated aeromagnetics, and anomalous geochemistry. This ordering of the patterns is a function of the quality

GEOLOGY AND DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF CAMPANO-MAASTRICHTIAN SEDIMENTS IN THE ANAMBRA BASIN, SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM FIELD RELATIONSHIP AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. E Salufu

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The study area lies within the Anambra Basin and it is made up of Enugu Shale, Mamu Formation, Ajali Sandstone, and Nsukka Formation. This study aimed at determining the geology and depositional environmental of these formations through field relationship and grain size distribution morphologic studies.The field data shows Enugu Shale as fissile, light grey with extraformational clast which graded into Mamu Formation whichis made up of shale, coal and sandy shale. It passes upward into Ajali Sandstone which is characterized by cross beds, Herringbonestructures and Ophiomorpha burrows. The youngest formation within the basin is Nsukka Formation.The granulometric study of Mamu Formation shows fine to medium grains, coarse, medium to fine grain for Mamu and Ajali Formation respectively. The standard deviation indicates poorly sorted. The kurtosis shows leptokurtic, platykurtic to very leptokurtic for both while the skewness values indicate positive and symmetrical in all except for Ajali Sandstone that is negatively skewed.The bivariate and the multivariate results reveal shallow marine and fluvial deposits for both Mamu Formation and Ajali Sandstone respectively. The paleocurrent direction of Ajali Sandstone indicates southwest while the provenance is northeast.The fissility of Enugu Shale suggests that it was deposited in low energy environment, distal to proximal lagoon environment.The presence of extraformatonal clast within Enugu Shale indicates fluvial incursion. However, the textural analysis of Mamu Formation suggests a sediment deposited in a low energy environment which favoured deposition of fine to medium size sediments that is, estuary environment. Textural result of Ajali Sandstone in the study area coupled with the field data such as Herring-bone structures, and Ophiomorpha burrows, revealed that Ajali Sandstone was deposited in a tidal environment probably littoral environment. While the light grey colour observed in the

Origins, characteristics, controls, and economic viabilities of deep- basin gas resources

Science.gov (United States)

Price, L.C.

1995-01-01

Dry-gas deposits (methane ???95% of the hydrocarbon (HC) gases) are thought to originate from in-reservoir thermal cracking of oil and C2+ HC gases to methane. However, because methanes from Anadarko Basin dry-gas deposits do not carry the isotopic signature characteristics of C15+ HC destruction, an origin of these methanes from this process is considered improbable. Instead, the isotopic signature of these methanes suggests that they were cogenerated with C15+ HC's. Only a limited resource of deep-basin gas deposits may be expected by the accepted model for the origin of dry-gas deposits because of a limited number of deep-basin oil deposits originally available to be thermally converted to dry gas. However, by the models of this paper (inefficient source-rock oil and gas expulsion, closed fluid systems in petroleum-basin depocenters, and most dry-gas methane cogenerated with C15+ HC's), very large, previously unrecognized, unconventional, deep-basin gas resources are expected. -from Author

Evaluation of the Gas Production Potential of Marine HydrateDeposits in the Ulleung Basin of the Korean East Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moridis, George J.; Reagan, Matthew T.; Kim, Se-Joon; Seol,Yongkoo; Zhang, Keni

2007-11-16

Although significant hydrate deposits are known to exist in the Ulleung Basin of the Korean East Sea, their survey and evaluation as a possible energy resource has not yet been completed. However, it is possible to develop preliminary estimates of their production potential based on the limited data that are currently available. These include the elevation and thickness of the Hydrate-Bearing Layer (HBL), the water depth, and the water temperature at the sea floor. Based on this information, we developed estimates of the local geothermal gradient that bracket its true value. Reasonable estimates of the initial pressure distribution in the HBL can be obtained because it follows closely the hydrostatic. Other critical information needs include the hydrate saturation, and the intrinsic permeabilities of the system formations. These are treated as variables, and sensitivity analysis provides an estimate of their effect on production. Based on the geology of similar deposits, it is unlikely that Ulleung Basin accumulations belong to Class 1 (involving a HBL underlain by a mobile gas zone). If Class 4 (disperse, low saturation accumulations) deposits are involved, they are not likely to have production potential. The most likely scenarios include Class 2 (HBL underlain by a zone of mobile water) or Class 3 (involving only an HBL) accumulations. Assuming nearly impermeable confining boundaries, this numerical study indicates that large production rates (several MMSCFD) are attainable from both Class 2 and Class 3 deposits using conventional technology. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates the dependence of production on the well design, the production rate, the intrinsic permeability of the HBL, the initial pressure, temperature and hydrate saturation, as well as on the thickness of the water zone (Class 2). The study also demonstrates that the presence of confining boundaries is indispensable for the commercially viable production of gas from these deposits.

U-Pb isotope systematics and compared evolution of uraniferous mineralizations in the Athabasca basin (Saskatchewan, Canada): Case of deposits from the Carswell and Cigar Lake structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippe, S.

1988-01-01

The aim of the study is to obtain geochronologic data on the formation of mineralizations, to define main processes for uranium remobilization and to replace these data in proposed model for deposit genesis and evolution [fr

Exploration and discovery of the Pine Ridge uranium deposits, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doelger, M.

2014-01-01

The Pine Ridge uranium deposits are named for a newly identified area between the Pumpkin Buttes and Southern Powder River Basin (PRB) mining districts. This regional prospect, covering nine contiguous townships, is northwest of the Cameco Smith Ranch mine and west of the Uranium One Allemand-Ross project in Converse County, Wyoming. Surface mapping and 350+ measured sections of well exposed outcrops have identified 250 target sandstones and contributed to a model of the complex braided stream channel architecture within the Eocene Watsatch and Paleocene Fort Union Formations. The uranium-bearing sandstones occur in 3- D bundles of vertically aggrading river systems flowing into the PRB from distant uranium source areas of the Granite Mountains to the west and the northern Laramie Range to the south. Large volumes of mudstone overbank and swamp facies separate the individual river systems laterally, resulting in greater vertical reservoir continuity from sandstones stacking. At least five major paleo river systems have been identified and named. High organic content, within the host formations, and rising veils of hydrocarbon gases from underlying oil and gas deposits have resulted in classic roll front uranium deposits in individual sandstones and intervals. Mineralization in stacked sandstone bundles several hundred feet thick show a crescent-shaped distribution within the shallow mineralized interval “attic”, the “cellar” at the base of the alteration cell, and the furthest basin-ward “front door”. World-class uranium resource potential has been identified along 208 miles of redox boundary string length mapped from the 1522 control points consisting of outcrop data, pre-existing uranium drilling, oil and gas wells, and proprietary drilling in 2012 and 2013 by Stakeholder. All data is managed in ARC VIEW GIS with 3-D capability, which will be demonstrated. Very few restrictions apply to the project area. Uranium holes are permitted solely by the

Loadings of polynuclear aromatic compounds and metals to the Athabasca River watershed by oil sands mining and processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodson, P.V.

2010-01-01

The contribution of oil sands operations to pollution in the Athabasca River has not yet been determined. Wastes from oil sands processes include recycled water, sand, silt, clay, bitumen, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) and metals. Upgrading processes can also release significant quantities of PAC and heavy metals. This paper discussed a study in which PAC and metals in the snow pack and river water of the Athabasca watershed were assessed. The study showed that the oil sands industry is a significant source of contamination. The equivalent of 600 T of bitumen was observed at sites within 50 km of oil sands upgrading facilities. The strongest contamination signals occurred during the summer months, which suggested that the surface run-off of contaminated water was related to recent oil sands developments. Samples taken from tributaries in watersheds with little or no development indicated that increased concentrations of oil sands related contaminants were not caused by natural erosion. The contaminants may contribute to higher levels of mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) in the flesh of fish and wildlife and increase toxicity to the embryos of spring-spawning fish.

Aluminium phosphate sulphate minerals (APS) associated with proterozoic unconformity-type uranium deposits: crystal-chemical characterisation and petrogenetic significance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaboreau, St.

2005-01-01

Aluminium phosphate sulfate minerals (APS) are particularly widespread and spatially associated with hydrothermal clay alteration in both the East Alligator River Uranium Field (Northern Territory, Australia) and the Athabasca basin (Saskatchewan, Canada), in the environment of proterozoic unconformity-related uranium deposits (URUD). The purpose of this study is both: 1) to characterize the nature and the origin of the APS minerals on both sides of the middle proterozoic unconformity between the overlying sandstones and the underlying metamorphic basement rocks that host the uranium ore bodies, 2) to improve our knowledge on the suitability of these minerals to indicate the paleo-conditions (redox, pH) at which the alteration processes relative to the uranium deposition operated. The APS minerals result from the interaction of oxidising and relatively acidic fluids with aluminous host rocks enriched in monazite. Several APS-bearing clay assemblages and APS crystal-chemistry have also been distinguished as a function of the distance from the uranium ore bodies or from the structural discontinuities which drained the hydrothermal solutions during the mineralisation event. One of the main results of this study is that the index mineral assemblages, used in the recent literature to describe the alteration zones around the uranium ore bodies, can be theoretically predicted by a set of thermodynamic calculations which simulate different steps of fluid-rock interaction processes related to a downward penetrating of hyper-saline, oxidizing and acidic diagenetic fluids through the lower sandstone units of the basins and then into the metamorphic basement rocks. The above considerations and the fact that APS with different crystal-chemical compositions crystallized in a range of fO 2 and pH at which uranium can either be transported in solution or precipitated as uraninite in the host-rocks make these minerals not only good markers of the degree of alteration of the

Gondwana basins and their coal resources in Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nehaluddin, M.; Sultan-ul-Islam, M.

1994-01-01

Fault bounded five Gondwana basins have been discovered in the north western Bangladesh. Among these basins show considerable amount of coal deposits. The Gondwana rocks are highly formed during the Permo-carboniferous diastrophism and later on acquired dynamic characters. In almost all basins, the Permian rocks overlie the Precambrian basement and underlie either the Tertiary or the Cretaceous sediments, structural, stratigraphic, and depositional history of these basins is more or less similar. The sedimentary sequences are composed of light to dark gray, fine to very coarse grained, sub angular to sub rounded felspathic sandstone, dark grey carbonaceous shale and sandstone, variegated conglomerate and thick coal seams (single seam max. 42.38m). The rocks are often alternated and bear the characteristics of cyclic sedimentation. The depositional environments varied from restricted drainage to open fluvial dominated low to moderate sinuous drainage system. The coal bearing basins were flanked by vegetated and swampy over bank. Age of these coals is suggested to be the late permian. Proved and probable reserves of coal in Jamalganj-Paharpur basin are 670 and 1,460 million metric tons, in Barapukuria basin 303 and 3899 million metric tons; in Barapukuria basin 303 and 389 million metric tons; and in Khalaspir basin 143 and 685 million metric tons respectively. The coal is high volatile, low sulphur, bituminous type. It can be used for different forms of thermal conversion. (author)

Clay minerals in uraniferous deposit of Imouraren (Tim Mersoi basin, Niger): implications on genesis of deposit and on ore treatment process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billon, Sophie

2014-01-01

Nigerian uraniferous deposits are located in carboniferous and Jurassic formations of Tim Mersoi basin. AREVA is shareholder of 3 mine sites in this area: SOMAIR and COMINAK, both in exploitation since 1960's and IMOURAREN, 80 km further South, whose exploitation is planned for 2015. Mineralization of Imouraren deposit is included in the fluvial formation of Tchirezrine 2 (Jurassic), composed of channels and flood plains. Facies of channel in-fillings range from coarse sandstones to siltstones, while overflow facies are composed of analcimolites. Secondary mineralogy was acquired during 2 stages: 1- diagenesis, with formation of clay minerals, analcime, secondary quartz and albites, and 2- stage of fluids circulations, which induced alteration of detrital and diagenetic minerals, formation of new phases and uranium deposition. A mineralogical zoning, at the scale of deposit resulted from this alteration. The heterogeneity of Tchirezrine 2, at the level of both facies and mineralogy, is also evidenced during ore treatment, as ore reacts differently depending on its source, with sometimes problems of U recovery. Ore treatment tests showed that analcimes and chlorites were both penalizing minerals, because of 1- the sequestration of U-bearing minerals into analcimes, 2- their dissolution which trends to move away from U solubilization conditions (pH and Eh) and to form numerous sulfates, and 3- problems of percolation. A detection method of analcime-rich ores, based on infrared spectroscopy, was developed in order to optimize ore blending and so to reduce negative effects during ore treatment process. (author)

The organic geochemistry characteristic simple analyse of Shihongtan sandstone-type uranium deposit in Turpan-Hami basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiao Haiming; Cai Jinfang; Shang Gaofeng; Song Zhe

2007-12-01

The Shihongtan uranium deposit in Turpan-Hami basin is an interlayer oxi- dized zone type sandstone uranium deposit. The deposit occurs in the coal-bear- ing detrital rocks of braided meandering steam facies in the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao formation. There is a great deal of organic matter in the ore-hosting bed. There is distinct content of organic carbon, soluble organic matter, acidolysis hydrocarbon in various geochemistry belt rock, and the maximum content in the ore belt. Organics carbon mother-material type is sapropelic humus, organic matter is under mature stage, Acidolysis hydrocarbon is coal-gas type. Uranium content in rock is positive correlativity to soluble organics and acidolysis hydrocarbon by statistical count, The role of organic matter in sandstone type uranium metallogenetic process is analysed, it is thought that material decomposed under oxygenic coalition is advantage to uranium dissolution and migration in groundwater, material decomposed and polymerized under oxygen-deficient condition forms reducing and adsorption geochemistry barrier for uranium precipitation, play a important role in uranium metallogenetic process. (authors)

Sediment Sources, Depositional Environment, and Diagenetic Alteration of the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin, USA: Nd, Sr, Li and U Isotopic Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, T. T.; Capo, R. C.; Gardiner, J. B.; Stewart, B. W.

2017-12-01

The organic-rich Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin, eastern USA, is a major target of natural gas exploration. Constraints on local and regional sediment sources, depositional environments, and post-depositional processes are essential for understanding the evolution of the basin. In this study, multiple proxies, including trace metals, rare earth elements (REE), the Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope systems, and U and Li isotopes were applied to bulk rocks and authigenic fractions of the Marcellus Shale and adjacent limestone/sandstone units from two locations separated by 400 km. The range of ɛNd values (-7.8 to -6.4 at 390 Ma) is consistent with a clastic sedimentary component derived from a well-mixed source of fluvial and eolian material of the Grenville orogenic belt. The Sm-Nd isotope system and bulk REE distributions appear to have been minimally affected by post-depositional processes, while the Rb-Sr isotope system shows evidence of limited post-depositional redistribution. While REE are primarily associated with silicate minerals (80-95%), REE patterns of sequentially extracted fractions reflect post-depositional alteration at the intergranular scale. Although the chemical index of alteration (CIA = 54 to 60) suggests the sediment source was not heavily weathered, Li isotope data are consistent with progressively increasing weathering of the source region during Marcellus Shale deposition. δ238U values in bulk shale and reduced phases (oxidizable fraction) are higher than those of modern seawater and upper crust. The isotopically heavy U accumulated in these authigenic phases can be explained by the precipitation of insoluble U in anoxic/euxinic bottom water. Unlike carbonate cement within the shale, the similarity between δ238U values and REE patterns of the limestone units and those of modern seawater indicates that the limestone formed under open ocean (oxic) conditions.

Gravity flow deposits of the Maceio Formation - Alagoas Basin, NE of Brazil; Depositos de fluxos gravitacionais da Formacao Maceio - Bacia de Alagoas, NE do Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arienti, Luci Maria [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES). Gerencia de Sedimentologia e Petrologia]. E-mail: arienti@petrobras.com.br

2006-05-15

This work deals with the Aptian rift section of Maceio Formation (Albian), Alagoas Basin, Northeast of Brazil, using data from outcrops and wells (Tabuleiro dos Martins Field). Studies of facies, process, depositional systems, facies tract and sequences were performed to characterize hyperpicnal turbidities; of which sediments were directly input by catastrophic river floods. Sequence stratigraphy concepts can be used for rift-section analysis, considering the concept of - climate systems tracts - and the result is an excellent correlation between deposit types and climate conditions. Transgressive system tracts (TTS) related to humid periods represent phases of high siliciclastic input into the basin, resulting on sandstone turbidity sequences, typically enriched by continental organic matter. In contrast, later high stand system tracts (LHST), corresponding to arid conditions, are dominated by muddy lacustrine deposits, enriched by algalic organic matter and showing mud cracks. Locally, low stand system tracts (LST) dominated by evaporites are found in restricted areas. Climate and tectonics were the main controlling factors of the architecture and frequency of the sequences. This study showed that an integrated approach, using outcrops and subsurface data, is a powerful tool to understand facies and depositional process, sequences and their stacking pattern on continental- rift deposits. (author)

Sediment deposition rate in the Falefa River basin, Upolu Island, Samoa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terry, James P.; Kostaschuk, Ray A.; Garimella, Sitaram

2006-01-01

The 137 Cs method was employed to investigate the recent historical rate of sediment deposition on a lowland alluvial floodplain in the Falefa River basin, Upolu Island, Samoa. Caesium stratigraphy in the floodplain sediment profile was clearly defined, with a broad peak at 145-175 cm depth. The measured rate of vertical accretion over the last 40 years is 4.0 ± 0.4 cm per year. This rate exceeds observations in humid environments elsewhere, but is similar to that recorded on other tropical Pacific Islands. Available flow data for the Vaisigano River in Samoa give a 'near-catastrophic' index value of 0.6 for flood variability. This is associated with the occurrence of tropical cyclones and storms in the Samoa area. Large floods therefore probably contribute to the high rate of floodplain sedimentation on Upolu Island. A small but growing body of evidence suggests that fluvial sedimentation rates on tropical Pacific islands are some of the highest in the world

Reconnaissance of promising areas for sandstone type uranium deposits in the Urmia-Naqadeh-Mahabad basin, NW Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Reza Hezareh

2018-04-01

mineralization and the same as the 8th subbasin there are known deposits of orogenic gold mineralization. 10. Charkeh (104 Km2. The rock units have the NW to SE trend. The anomalies of Zn, Mo, Sn, V, Ni, Au, As and Pb are reported but there is no evidence of mineralization. 11. Sheikh Ebrahim (38 Km2. The anomalies of Mo, Au, As and Pb are reported. The integration of the different layers shows that the prospecting area is suitable for future exploration of blind deposits. Geophysical data was processed and revealed those areas which have data. They can be classified into 5 different classes based on U and Th concentrations. The Hydrogeological data consist of EC, pH, Eh, DO and salinity. And the temperature was measured at the field by Sension 156 multimeter and was sent for ICP-MS analysis to the AMDEL and Applied Geological Research Center (Karaj laboratories. Two samples were obtained from each well by Widel et al.’s (1998 method. One sample was analyzed for Ca2+، Mg2+، Na+، K+، CO32-، HCO3-، SO42-and Cl- and the other samples were analyzed for major and trace elements. At each basin charge, the discharge and the trend of underground water were defined. Results The results revealed that this basin contains alkaline magmatic rocks such as alkaline rhyolite and tuff which are situated in reduced shale and continental volcanic clastic rocks and can be the source of uranium at the study area. Besides these rocks, tuffaceous sandstone, metamorphose sandstone and young alluvial by the reduction condition can be the suitable hosts for mineralization. Based on geological, geochemical, hydrogeological and geophysical data, the western basin is suitable for sandstone type uranium deposit and also there is some evidence of mineralization.

Preliminary Depositional and Provenance Records of Mesozoic Basin Evolution and Cenozoic Shortening in the High Andes, La Ramada Fold-Thrust Belt, Southern-Central Andes (32-33°S)

Science.gov (United States)

Mackaman-Lofland, C.; Horton, B. K.; Fuentes, F.; Constenius, K. N.; McKenzie, R.; Alvarado, P. M.

2015-12-01

The Argentinian Andes define key examples of retroarc shortening and basin evolution above a zone of active subduction. The La Ramada fold-thrust belt (RFTB) in the High Andes provides insights into the relative influence and temporal records of diverse convergent margin processes (e.g. flat-slab subduction, convergent wedge dynamics, structural inversion). The RFTB contains Mesozoic extensional basin strata deformed by later Andean shortening. New detrital zircon U-Pb analyses of Mesozoic rift sediments reveal: (1) a dominant Permo-Triassic age signature (220-280 Ma) associated with proximal sources of effective basement (Choiyoi Group) during Triassic synrift deposition; (2) upsection younging of maximum depositional ages from Late Triassic through Early Cretaceous (230 to 100 Ma) with the increasing influence of western Andean arc sources; and (3) a significant Late Cretaceous influx of Paleozoic (~350-550 Ma) and Proterozoic (~650-1300 Ma) populations during the earliest shift from back-arc post-extensional subsidence to upper-plate shortening. The Cenozoic detrital record of the Manantiales foreland basin (between the Frontal Cordillera and Precordillera) records RFTB deformation prior to flat-slab subduction. A Permo-Triassic Choiyoi age signature dominates the Miocene succession, consistent with sources in the proximal Espinacito range. Subordinate Mesozoic (~80-250 Ma) to Proterozoic (~850-1800 Ma) U-Pb populations record exhumation of the Andean magmatic arc and recycling of different structural levels in the RFTB during thrusting/inversion of Mesozoic rift basin strata and subjacent Paleozoic units. Whereas maximum depositional ages of sampled Manantiales units cluster at 18-20 Ma, the Estancia Uspallata basin (~50 km to the south) shows consistent upsection younging of Cenozoic populations attributed to proximal volcanic centers. Ongoing work will apply low-temperature thermochronology to pinpoint basin accumulation histories and thrust timing.

The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in the shallow northeastern Mexican foreland basins: Evidence for paleoseismic liquefaction, tsunami deposition, and Chicxulub ejecta

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Schulte, Peter; Smit, Jan; Deutsch, Alex; Friese, Andrea; Beichel, Kilian

2010-05-01

Understanding the depositional sequence and composition of impact ejecta is critical for the interpretation of timing and effects of the Chicxulub impact regarding the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Preliminary investigations have shown that the shallow La Popa and Parras foreland basins in northeastern Mexico both feature outstanding and continuous 3D exposures of the Chicxulub ejecta-rich, K-Pg boundary event deposit (Lawton et al., 2005). The m-thick sand-siltstone interval directly underlying the ejecta-rich mass flows shows evidence of slumping and liquefaction, locally leading to complete disorganization and disruption of the pre-impact late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence. The subsequent ejecta-rich sequence consists of an up to one m-thick basal carbonate-rich bed that discontinuously fills a valley-like topography. Besides abundant silicic and carbonate ejecta spherules (up to 50%) that are excellently preserved, this bed includes abundant mollusks and gastropod shells, as well as vertebrate bones and teeth. The conglomeratic bed is overlain by a series of alternating fine- to medium grained calcareous sandstones with shell debris and ejecta that were deposited by repeated currents / mass flow events incorporating varying source areas. Hummocky-cross-stratified strata that mark the return to a normal out-shelf depositional regime conformably overly these sandstones. We interpret this sequence as evidence for presumably seismic-induced sediment liquefaction followed by a series of impact-related tsunami deposits. The specific depositional sequence and Fe-Mg-rich ejecta composition as well as the petrography of the sandstones all closely link the K-Pg boundary sequence in the La Popa and Parras basin to the well-known deep-water K-Pg sites in the Gulf of Mexico (e.g. El Mimbral; Smit et al., 1996; Schulte and Kontny, 2005). Lawton, T.F., et al., 2005, Geology, v. 33, p. 81-84. Smit, J. et al., 1996, GSA Special Paper v. 307, p

Peat-accumulating depositional systems of Sarawak, East Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Staub, James R.; Esterle, Joan S.

1994-02-01

Many coal deposits originate in deltaic, estuarine, and coastal plain settings and a knowledge of interrelationships between the tectonic and depositional elements active at the time of sediment deposition is necessary to formulate basin scale models. The prograding coastal depositional systems of Sarawak all contain domed peat-accumulating environments in which low-ash, low-sulfur peats are being deposited in areas of active clastic siliciclastic sedimentation. These depositional systems are as large as 11,400 km 2 and individual peat deposits within systems are in excess of 20 m thick and 1000 km 2 in area. The geographic positions and drainage basin areas of each depositional system are controlled by fault and fold systems. Although prograding into the same receiving basin, individual system geomorphology is variable and ranges from a wave-dominated microtidal delta, to a wave-dominated meso- to macro-tidal delta/coastal plain system, to a tide-dominated macrotidal estuarine embayment along a 450 km stretch of coastline. System variation is a function of sediment supply, shelf and embayment geometry, wave climate, and tidal range. These factors, which control depositional system geomorphology, also control the resulting long axis orientation of the thick, domed peat deposits. The surface vegetation and internal characteristics of most domed peat deposits, however, are similar. Internal characteristics consist of basal high-ash, high-sulfur, degraded peats overlain by low-ash, low-sulfur, well preserved peats in vertical profile. These systems demonstrate variable responses to late Pleistocene/Holocene sea-level rise and, in these instances, the variation is most attributable to local differences in siliciclastic sediment supply, which is a function of the drainage basin area.

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Normalized Atmospheric Deposition for 2002, Nitrate (NO3)

Science.gov (United States)

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average normalized (wet) deposition, in kilograms per square kilometer multiplied by 100, of Nitrate (NO3) for the year 2002 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). Estimates of NO3 deposition are based on National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) measurements (B. Larsen, U.S. Geological Survey, written. commun., 2007). De-trending methods applied to the year 2002 are described in Alexander and others, 2001. NADP site selection met the following criteria: stations must have records from 1995 to 2002 and have a minimum of 30 observations. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Normalized Atmospheric Deposition for 2002, Total Inorganic Nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average normalized atmospheric (wet) deposition, in kilograms per square kilometer multiplied by 100, of Total Inorganic Nitrogen for the year 2002 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of selected Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). Estimates of Total Inorganic Nitrogen deposition are based on National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) measurements (B. Larsen, U.S. Geological Survey, written. commun., 2007). De-trending methods applied to the year 2002 are described in Alexander and others, 2001. NADP site selection met the following criteria: stations must have records from 1995 to 2002 and have a minimum of 30 observations. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Attributes for MRB_E2RF1 Catchments by Major River Basins in the Conterminous United States: Normalized Atmospheric Deposition for 2002, Ammonium (NH4)

Science.gov (United States)

Wieczorek, Michael; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2010-01-01

This tabular data set represents the average normalized (wet) deposition, in kilograms per square kilometer multiplied by 100, of ammonium (NH4) for the year 2002 compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment of the Major River Basins (MRBs, Crawford and others, 2006). Estimates of NH4 deposition are based on National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) measurements (B. Larsen, U.S. Geological Survey, written. commun., 2007). De-trending methods applied to the year 2002 are described in Alexander and others, 2001. NADP site selection met the following criteria: stations must have records from 1995 to 2002 and have a minimum of 30 observations. The MRB_E2RF1 catchments are based on a modified version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ERF1_2 and include enhancements to support national and regional-scale surface-water quality modeling (Nolan and others, 2002; Brakebill and others, 2011). Data were compiled for every MRB_E2RF1 catchment for the conterminous United States covering New England and Mid-Atlantic (MRB1), South Atlantic-Gulf and Tennessee (MRB2), the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy (MRB3), the Missouri (MRB4), the Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf (MRB5), the Rio Grande, Colorado, and the Great basin (MRB6), the Pacific Northwest (MRB7) river basins, and California (MRB8).

Heliborne time domain electromagnetic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, S.

2009-01-01

Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD), are using heliborne and ground time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) system for the exploration of deep seated unconformity type uranium deposits. Uranium has been explored in various parts of the world like Athabasca basin using time domain electromagnetic system. AMD has identified some areas in India where such deposits are available. Apart from uranium exploration, the TDEM systems are used for the exploration of deep seated minerals like diamonds. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is involved in the indigenous design of the heliborne time domain system since this system is useful for DAE and also it has a scope of wide application. In this paper we discuss about the principle of time domain electromagnetic systems, their capabilities and the development and problems of such system for various other mineral exploration. (author)

Late Tertiary and Quaternary geology of the Tecopa basin, southeastern California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hillhouse, J.W.

1987-12-31

Stratigraphic units in the Tecopa basin, located in southeastern California, provide a framework for interpreting Quaternary climatic change and tectonism along the present Amargosa River. During the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, a climate that was appreciably wetter than today`s sustained a moderately deep lake in the Tecopa basin. Deposits associated with Lake Tecopa consists of lacustrine mudstone, conglomerate, volcanic ash, and shoreline accumulations of tufa. Age control within the lake deposits is provided by air-fall tephra that are correlated with two ash falls from the Yellowstone caldera and one from the Long Valley caldera. Lake Tecopa occupied a closed basin during the latter part, if not all, of its 2.5-million-year history. Sometime after 0.5 m.y. ago, the lake developed an outlet across Tertiary fanglomerates of the China Ranch Beds leading to the development of a deep canyon at the south end of the basin and establishing a hydrologic link between the northern Amargosa basins and Death Valley. After a period of rapid erosion, the remaining lake beds were covered by alluvial fans that coalesced to form a pediment in the central part of the basin. Holocene deposits consist of unconsolidated sand and gravel in the Amargosa River bed and its deeply incised tributaries, a small playa near Tecopa, alluvial fans without pavements, and small sand dunes. The pavement-capped fan remnants and the Holocene deposits are not faulted or tilted significantly, although basins to the west, such as Death Valley, were tectonically active during the Quaternary. Subsidence of the western basins strongly influenced late Quaternary rates of deposition and erosion in the Tecopa basin.

Facies and depositional environments for the coquinas of the Morro do Chaves Formation, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, defined by taphonomic and compositional criteria

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Ana Carolina Tavares

Full Text Available Lacustrine carbonate rocks form important hydrocarbon accumulations along the Brazilian continental margin, some of which are contained in oil fields in which coquinas are one of the main reservoirs (viz. Campos Basin. The complexity and heterogeneity of these deposits make them a challenge in terms of reservoir description. For the necessary classification and paleoenvironmental interpretation of the coquinas, it is essential to evaluate many aspects including biological (such as carbonate productivity, sedimentological (energy regime in the depositional environment, transport of bioclasts, terrigenous supply, taphonomic (fragmentation of shells, abrasion and diagenetic processes. The facies analysis applied in this study is considered a more appropriate classification approach to understand these coquinas, since it is more flexible and comprehensive than the existing classifications for carbonate rocks. The material investigated here consists of rock samples of the coquinas from the Atol Quarry of the Morro do Chaves Formation (Barremian/Aptian, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin. These rocks that crop out in the Atol quarry complex can be considered as a case study for similar coquinas reservoirs found in the Brazilian continental margin basins. Six sedimentary facies were described, using the main taphonomic (fragmentation of shells and compositional (presence of micrite and siliciclastic matrix features as a diagnostic criteria. Two carbonate facies, two mixed carbonate-siliciclastic facies and two siliciclastic facies (mudstones were identified. From the facies succession, combined with a review of the literature on the subject, the following depositional paleoenvironments were defined: high-energy lake platform, lacustrine delta in a high-energy lake platform and lake-centre. In this paper, a new facies model for the studied coquinas succession is proposed.

Athabasca--special report No. 1, we are progressing on schedule

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moss, A E

1966-09-01

Since April of 1964 when the government of Alberta gave permission for the production of crude oil from the Athabasca Tar Sands, construction of a $240 million oil sands venture has been progressing according to schedule. This plant will be capable of processing 45,000 bbl of crude oil per day and will require the mining of approximately 135,000 tons of material per day. The scheduled completion date for this project is Sept. 1967. This huge project consists of the construction of various plant units and service facilities, preparation of the mine for production, construction of a highway and a multi- million dollar bridge, and the design and construction of a 16-in. pipeline 266 miles in length. A shortage of experienced engineers, supervisors, and skilled tradesmen has been the largest problem. In spite of the many problems encountered, approximately 50% of the construction has now been completed and the plant will be completed on schedule.

Using biofilms and grazing chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) to determine primary production, nitrogen stable isotopic baseline and enrichment within wetlands differing in anthropogenic stressors and located in the Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frederick, K.; Ciborowski, J.J. [Windsor Univ., Windsor, ON (Canada); Wytrykush, C.M. [Syncrude Canada Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2009-07-01

This presentation reported on a study that investigated the effects of oil sands process materials (OSPM) and construction disturbances on primary production and nitrogen stable isotope enrichment in reclaimed and reference wetlands at oil sands mines in the Athabasca basin. Productivity and food web analyses were instrumental in evaluating the succession and viability of reclaimed wetlands. Primary production was estimated through chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations and biomass. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope ratios were used to identify energy sources, storage and the magnitude and direction of energy transfer within food webs. The objectives were to determine primary productivity, the N baseline, and N enrichment from biofilms and grazing invertebrates colonizing artificial substrates immersed in the water column of two OSPM-affected, two constructed reference and two natural reference wetlands. The lower biomass and Chl a concentrations in OSPM-affected and constructed wetlands suggests that both anthropogenic disturbance and OSPM have an adverse effect on primary productivity and overall wetland function.

Aerobic Biofilms Grown from Athabasca Watershed Sediments Are Inhibited by Increasing Concentrations of Bituminous Compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, John R.; Sanschagrin, Sylvie; Roy, Julie L.; Swerhone, George D. W.; Korber, Darren R.; Greer, Charles W.

2013-01-01

Sediments from the Athabasca River and its tributaries naturally contain bitumen at various concentrations, but the impacts of this variation on the ecology of the river are unknown. Here, we used controlled rotating biofilm reactors in which we recirculated diluted sediments containing various concentrations of bituminous compounds taken from the Athabasca River and three tributaries. Biofilms exposed to sediments having low and high concentrations of bituminous compounds were compared. The latter were 29% thinner, had a different extracellular polysaccharide composition, 67% less bacterial biomass per μm2, 68% less cyanobacterial biomass per μm2, 64% less algal biomass per μm2, 13% fewer protozoa per cm2, were 21% less productive, and had a 33% reduced content in chlorophyll a per mm2 and a 20% reduction in the expression of photosynthetic genes, but they had a 23% increase in the expression of aromatic hydrocarbon degradation genes. Within the Bacteria, differences in community composition were also observed, with relatively more Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria and less Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes in biofilms exposed to high concentrations of bituminous compounds. Altogether, our results suggest that biofilms that develop in the presence of higher concentrations of bituminous compounds are less productive and have lower biomass, linked to a decrease in the activities and abundance of photosynthetic organisms likely due to inhibitory effects. However, within this general inhibition, some specific microbial taxa and functional genes are stimulated because they are less sensitive to the inhibitory effects of bituminous compounds or can degrade and utilize some bitumen-associated compounds. PMID:24056457

A special kind of sandstone-type uranium deposit related to Jurassic palaeochannel systems in the northeastern Ordos Basin, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ziying; Fang Xiheng; Xia Yuliang; Sun Ye; Jiao Yangquan; Chen Anping; Zhang Ke

2010-01-01

Dongsheng sandstone-type uranium deposit is a large one discovered in recent years in the northeastern Ordos Basin, China. It is a special kind of sandstone-type uranium deposit,different from other ordinary sandstone-type deposits because of its unique signatures. It is generally controlled by a transitional zone between greenish and grayish sandstones, both of those two kinds of sandstones now indicate reduced geochemical environments. The greenish color of the palaeo-oxidized sandstones mainly results from chloritization and epidotization related to oil and gas secondary reduction processes. The deposit genetically is different from ordinary sandstone uranium deposits,which is of more complex origin,undergoing not only palaeo-oxidization mineralization process, but also oil-gas fluid and hydrothermal reworking processes. It is spatially related to Jurassic Zhiluo Formation with braided palaeo channel systems. The uranium mineralization zone with higher grade usually exists in the branching area of the distributary channels of main braided streams, whose sandstone heterogeneity shows a transfer sedimentary facies from the braided stream sedimentary system to the braided delta sedimentary system. Statistical results show that medium and fine-grained sandstones are the most favorable rock types for uranium mineralization. (authors)

Constraining the sedimentology and stratigraphy of submarine intraslope lobe deposits using exhumed examples from the Karoo Basin, South Africa

OpenAIRE

Flint, Stephen; Hodgson, David; Spychala, Yvonne; Mountney, Nigel

2017-01-01

Intraslope lobe deposits provide a process record of the infill of accommodation on submarine slopes and their recognition enables the accurate reconstruction of the stratigraphic evolution of submarine slope systems. Extensive exposures of discrete sand-prone packages in Units D/E and E, Fort Brown Formation, Karoo Basin, South Africa, permit analysis of the sedimentology and stacking patterns of three intraslope lobe complexes and their palaeogeographic reconstruction via bed-scale analysis...

Recent Warming, Rather than Industrial Emissions of Bioavailable Nutrients, Is the Dominant Driver of Lake Primary Production Shifts across the Athabasca Oil Sands Region.

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Jamie C Summers

Full Text Available Freshwaters in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR are vulnerable to the atmospheric emissions and land disturbances caused by the local oil sands industry; however, they are also affected by climate change. Recent observations of increases in aquatic primary production near the main development area have prompted questions about the principal drivers of these limnological changes. Is the enhanced primary production due to deposition of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus from local industry or from recent climatic changes? Here, we use downcore, spectrally-inferred chlorophyll-a (VRS-chla profiles (including diagenetic products from 23 limnologically-diverse lakes with undisturbed catchments to characterize the pattern of primary production increases in the AOSR. Our aim is to better understand the relative roles of the local oil sands industry versus climate change in driving aquatic primary production trends. Nutrient deposition maps, generated using geostatistical interpolations of spring-time snowpack measurements from a grid pattern across the AOSR, demonstrate patterns of elevated total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and bioavailable nitrogen deposition around the main area of industrial activity. However, this pattern is not observed for bioavailable phosphorus. Our paleolimnological findings demonstrate consistently greater VRS-chla concentrations compared to pre-oil sands development levels, regardless of morphological and limnological characteristics, landscape position, bioavailable nutrient deposition, and dibenzothiophene (DBT-inferred industrial impacts. Furthermore, breakpoint analyses on VRS-chla concentrations across a gradient of DBT-inferred industrial impact show limited evidence of a contemporaneous change among lakes. Despite the contribution of bioavailable nitrogen to the landscape from industrial activities, we find no consistency in the spatial pattern and timing of VRS-chla shifts with an industrial fertilizing signal

Association of the Purana basins and the middle Proterozoic mobile belts in peninsular India: implications on targeting uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kale, V.S.

1995-01-01

The disparate Archaean Cratonic Nuclei of the Indian peninsular shield coalesced together through late Archaean - Palaeoproterozoic accretionary tectonic events. The subsequent Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic sequences are preserved either in the Purana basins or in the middle Proterozoic mobile belts (MPMB). The latter contain deformed and metamorphosed supracrustal sequences; and can be ascribed to compressive tectonic regimes. The Purana basins on the other hand represent shallow marine, epicratonic, passive-margin sequences deposited in an extensional tectonic regime. Major deformational events and metamorphism of the MPMB are known to have taken place around 1600 ±200 Ma and 900 ± 100 Ma. These two periods coincide with the ages of initiation and major intrabasinal breaks in the growth of the Purana basins. The contemporary juxtapositioning of these two dissimilar tectonic regimes in peninsular India, is examined within the framework of the available data on them and the current models of Proterozoic tectonics. Its implications on uranium mineralization and possible regions for targeting exploration activities are discussed on this basis. (author). 112 refs., 4 figs

Reconstruction of a saline, lacustrine carbonate system (Priabonian, St-Chaptes Basin, SE France): Depositional models, paleogeographic and paleoclimatic implications

Science.gov (United States)

Lettéron, Alexandre; Hamon, Youri; Fournier, François; Séranne, Michel; Pellenard, Pierre; Joseph, Philippe

2018-05-01

A 220-m thick carbonate-dominated succession has been deposited in shallow-water, saline lake environments during the early to middle Priabonian (MP17A-MP18 mammal zones) in the Saint-Chaptes Basin (south-east France). The palaeoenvironmental, paleoclimatic and palaeogeographic significance of such saline lake carbonates has been deciphered on the basis of a multi-proxy analyses including: 1) depositional and diagenetic features; 2) biological components (molluscs, benthic foraminifera, characean gyrogonites, spores and pollens); 3) carbon and oxygen stable isotopes; 4) trace elements; and 5) clay mineralogy. Five stages of lacustrine system evolution have been identified: 1) fresh-water closed lake under dry climate (unit U1); 2) fresh to brackish water lacustrine deltaic system with a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation under relatively wet climatic conditions (unit U2); 3) salt-water lacustrine carbonate system under humid climatic setting (unit U3); 4) evaporitic lake (unit U4); and 5) closed lake with shallow-water carbonate sedimentation under subtropical to Mediterranean climate with dry seasons (unit U5). Upper Eocene aridification is evidenced to have started as early as the earliest Priabonian (unit U1: MP17A mammal zone). A change from humid to dryer climatic conditions is recorded between units U3 and U4. The early to middle Priabonian saline lake is interpreted as an athalassic (inland) lake that have been transiently connected with neighboring salt lakes influenced by seawater and/or fed with sulfates deriving from recycling of evaporites. Maximum of connection with neighboring saline lakes (Mormoiron Basin, Camargue and Central grabens, Hérault Basin) likely occurred during unit U3 and at the base of unit U5. The most likely sources of salts of these adjacent basins are: 1) Triassic evaporites derived from salt-diapirs (Rhône valley) or from paleo-outcrops located east of the Durance fault or offshore in the Gulf of Lion; or 2) marine

Cenozoic North American Drainage Basin Evolution, Sediment Yield, and Accumulation in the Gulf of Mexico Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Galloway, W.; Ganey-Curry, P. E.

2010-12-01

The Cenozoic fill of the Gulf of Mexico basin contains a continuous record of sediment supply from the North American continental interior for the past 65 million years. Regional mapping of unit thickness and paleogeography for 18 depositional episodes defines patterns of shifting entry points of continental fluvial systems and quantifies the total volume of sediment supplied during each episode. Eight fluvio-deltaic depocenters, named for geographic similarities to entry points and drainage basins of modern rivers, are present. From southwest to northeast, they are the Rio Bravo, Rio Grande, Guadalupe, Colorado, Houston-Brazos, Red, Mississippi, and Tennessee axes. Sediment volume was calculated from hand-contoured unit thickness maps compiled from basin-wide well and seismic control. Using a GIS algorithm to sum volumes within polygons bounding interpreted North American river contribution, the total extant volume was then calculated. General compaction factors were used to convert modern volume to quantitative approximations of total grain volume. Grain volume rate of supply for each depositional episode was then calculated. Values vary by more than an order of magnitude. Supply rate has commonly varied by two-fold or more between successive depositional episodes. Sediment supply is a significant, independent variable in development of stratigraphic sequences within the Gulf basin. Paleogeographic maps of the continental interior for eleven Cenozoic time intervals display the evolving and complex interplay of intracontinental tectonism, climate change, and drainage basin evolution. Five tectono-climatic eras are differentiated: Paleocene late Laramide era; early to middle Eocene terminal Laramide era; middle Cenozoic (Late Eocene—Early Miocene) dry, volcanogenic era; middle Neogene (Middle—Late Miocene) arid, extensional era; and late Neogene (Plio—Pleistocene) monsoonal, epeirogenic uplift era. Sediment supply to the GOM reflects the interplay of (1

Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Hurwitz, Shaul; McGeehin, John P.

2016-01-01

To explore the timing of hydrothermal activity at the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) in Yellowstone National Park, we obtained seven new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon 14C ages of carbonaceous material trapped within siliceous sinter. Five samples came from depths of 15-152 cm within the Y-1 well, and two samples were from well Y-7 (depths of 24 cm and 122 cm). These two wells, at Black Sand and Biscuit Basins, respectively, were drilled in 1967 as part of a scientific drilling program by the U.S. Geological Survey (White et al., 1975). Even with samples as small as 15 g, we obtained sufficient carbonaceous material (a mixture of thermophilic mats, pollen, and charcoal) for the 14C analyses. Apparent time of deposition ranged from 3775 ± 25 and 2910 ± 30 14C years BP at the top of the cores to about 8000 years BP at the bottom. The dates are consistent with variable rates of sinter formation at individual sites within the UGB over the Holocene. On a basin-wide scale, though, these and other existing 14C dates hint that hydrothermal activity at the UGB may have been continuous throughout the Holocene.

Eocene Unification of Peruvian and Bolivian Altiplano Basin Depocenters

Science.gov (United States)

Saylor, J.; Sundell, K. E.; Perez, N.; Karsky, N.; Lapen, T. J.; Cárdenas, J.

2017-12-01

Paleogene evolution of the Altiplano basin has been characterized as a flexural foreland basin which developed in response to magmatic and thrust loading along its western margin. Research focused in southern Peru and Bolivia points to broadly synchronous foredeep deposition in a basin assumed to be have been contiguous from at least 14°-23°S. We investigated Paleogene strata exposed on the southwestern margin of Lake Titicaca near the Peru/Bolivia border in order to establish sediment dispersal systems, sediment sources, and the chronology of deposition. A data set of >1,000 paleocurrent measurements throughout the section consistently indicates a western sediment source. The results of detrital zircon mixture modeling are consistent with derivation from Cretaceous volcanic sources, and Cretaceous and Ordovician sedimentary strata exposed in the Western Cordillera. These results confirm previous models in which sedimentary sources for the Altiplano basin are dominated by the Western Cordillera throughout the Paleogene. The detrital zircon signatures from strata in this stratigraphic section where paleocurrent orientation is well constrained provide a benchmark for future research seeking to determine sediment sources for the Altiplano basin. However, refined chronologies based on detrital zircon U-Pb maximum depositional ages (MDAs) point to development of at least two Paleocene depocenters in Peru and Bolivia separated by a zone of nondeposition or erosion in southern Peru. The basal Muñani Formation in southern Peru yields MDAs of 36.9-40.2 Ma, which requires revision of the previously determined middle Paleocene onset of deposition. The Muñani Formation overlies the Vilquechico Group which has been biostratigraphically determined to range from Campanian-Maastrichtian (or possibly Paleocene, 60 Ma). The revised chronology for the Muñani Formation requires a disconformity of at least 20 Myr during which deposition continued in both the Peruvian and Bolivian

Proterozoic intracontinental basin: The Vindhyan example

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

basins display marked similarities in their lithology, depositional setting and stratigraphic architecture. (Naqvi and Rogers 1987). This note sum- marises the stratigraphy, stratal architecture, sed- imentology and geochronology of the Vindhyan. Supergroup occurring in the Son valley region. (figure 1). 2. The Vindhyan basin.

Evolution of tertiary intermontane fluvial system of Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores, R.M.; Ethridge, F.G.

1985-01-01

Exploration and development of economic coal and uranium deposits of the Tertiary Fort Union and Wasatch Formations provided data related to the evolution of depositional systems in the Powder River Basin. In ascending order, the Paleocene Fort Union Formation consists of the Tullock, Lebo, and Tongue River Members. The overlying Eocene Wasatch Formation consists of the conglomeratic Kingsbury and Moncrief Members and laterally equivalent finer grained deposits. Evolution of fluvial deposition in the basin was determined from sandstone percent maps. A high proportion of sandstones in the Tullock Member and combined Tongue River Member and Wasatch Formation formed in interconnected east-west and north-south belts. The east-west belts represent alluvial fans, as well as braided and meandering tributary streams. The north-south belts reflect meandering and anastomosing trunk streams fed by basin margin tributaries. The sandstones of the Lebo Shale show east-west trends and represent deposits of fluvio-deltaic systems that filled a western, closed-lacustrine basin. The lake in this basin may have formed during localized subsidence along the Buffalo deep fault. These contrasting styles of fluvial deposition were largely controlled by extrabasinal and intrabasinal tectonics associated with Laramide orogeny

Variability of mineral dust deposition in the western Mediterranean basin and south-east of France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Vincent

2016-07-01

than 80 % of the major dust deposition events are recorded at only one station, suggesting that the dust provenance, transport and deposition processes (i.e. wet vs. dry of dust are different and specific for the different deposition sites in the Mediterranean studied area. The results tend to indicate that wet deposition is the main form of deposition for mineral dust in the western Mediterranean basin, but the contribution of dry deposition (in the sense that no precipitation was detected at the surface is far from being negligible, and contributes 10 to 46 % to the major dust deposition events, depending on the sampling site.

Identifying high-grade uranium deposits in the Proterozoic basins of India- a challenge to exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahadevan, T.M.

1995-01-01

The favorability factors that bestow on the Proterozoic formation of India, a potential to host high grade uranium deposits are discussed in the light of the known features of the new class of unconformity- related and strata bound uranium deposits. The need to reorient several past approaches is emphasised and it is suggested that future programmes must avail of the constraining benefits of a spectrum of geophysical, geochemical, and sedimentological studies in the choice of target areas for detailed exploration and development. A synthesis of geological and geochemical data with such geophysical features as magnetic and gravity anomalies, velocity structure, seismic reflectivity, electrical conductivity, and radioactivity can effectively lead to relatively more favourable exploration targets. Such efforts may lead to the generation of more than one model of the deep basinal features, which then provide wider options for drilling and proving of ore bodies. The alternative to the above approach is saturation drilling, which is a costly and time-consuming process and, therefore, very often self-defeating. (author). 28 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

Petroleum prospectivity of the Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Grantz, Arthur; Hart, Patrick E.

2012-01-01

Reconnaissance seismic reflection data indicate that Canada Basin is a >700,000 sq. km. remnant of the Amerasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean that lies south of the Alpha-Mendeleev Large Igneous Province, which was constructed across the northern part of the Amerasia Basin between about 127 and 89-83.5 Ma. Canada Basin was filled by Early Jurassic to Holocene detritus from the Beaufort-Mackenzie Deltaic System, which drains the northern third of interior North America, with sizable contributions from Alaska and Northwest Canada. The basin contains roughly 5 or 6 million cubic km of sediment. Three fourths or more of this volume generates low amplitude seismic reflections, interpreted to represent hemipelagic deposits, which contain lenses to extensive interbeds of moderate amplitude reflections interpreted to represent unconfined turbidite and amalgamated channel deposits.Extrapolation from Arctic Alaska and Northwest Canada suggests that three fourths of the section in Canada Basin is correlative with stratigraphic sequences in these areas that contain intervals of hydrocarbon source rocks. In addition, worldwide heat flow averages suggest that about two thirds of Canada Basin lies in the oil or gas windows. Structural, stratigraphic and combined structural and stratigraphic features of local to regional occurrence offer exploration targets in Canada Basin, and at least one of these contains bright spots. However, deep water (to almost 4000 m), remoteness from harbors and markets, and thick accumulations of seasonal to permanent sea ice (until its possible removal by global warming later this century) will require the discovery of very large deposits for commercial success in most parts of Canada Basin. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Athabasca University: Conversion from Traditional Distance Education to Online Courses, Programs and Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Davis

2001-01-01

Full Text Available In its 30 years of operation, Athabasca University has witnessed the full impact of the growth of online distance education. Its conversion from mixed media course production and telephone/ mail tutoring to a variety of electronic information and communication technologies has been heterogeneous across disciplines and programs. Undergraduate programs in business, computing, and some social science programs have largely led the conversion, and all graduate programs have, since their inception, employed various features of online delivery. The parallel conversion of student services has been equally important to the effectiveness of these processes. The implications of this approach for the quality of offerings, support systems, costing, and the primary mandate of the University (which is to remove barriers, not create them are discussed.

Discussion on spatial emplacement of exogenic-epigenetic infiltration-type uranium deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Fengmin

2005-01-01

Exogenic-epigenetic infiltration-type uranium deposit is a kind of deposit with large resources, low exploitation cost, and less environmental pollution being the recent important prospecting target in China. Prospecting practice for uranium during recent decade indicates that the metallogenic model and prospecting-evaluation criteria obtained from sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in Middle Asia are not applicable to the case in China. China is a country which has been subject to intense neotectonism, and Meso-Cenozoic basins in China have experienced various tectonic reworking. According to the spatial relation to orogenic belts sedimentary basins may be divided into: basins in orogenic belt; basins near orogenic belt and basins with weak tectonic activation far away from orogenic belt. Then, based on the structural features, basins may be further divided into corresponding subtypes. The author discusses the favourability of each type basin for the formation of exogenic-epigenetic uranium mineralization, as well as the paleo-climatic conditions for uranium ore-formation. Then, the author proposes that, for small intracontinental basins recharged by natural groundwater, the arid climatic period is not totally a favourable factor for uranium ore-formation, it even could be an unfavourable factor. In contrast, basins located in humid climatic region may be advantageous to uranium ore-formation. For improving the prospecting efficiency, a metallogenic model for exogenic-epigenetic infiltration uranium deposits and corresponding prospecting-evaluation criteria suitable for geologic situation of China have to be established as soon as possible. (authors)

The geochemistry of claystone-shale deposits from the Maastritchian Patti formation, Southern Bida basin, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O Okunlola

2012-07-01

Full Text Available An inorganic geochemical study of a claystone and shale sequence from the Patti Formation around Ahoko in the Southern Bida basin, Nigeria, was carried out to determine the basin's depositional conditions,provenance and tectonics. Representative samples underwent mineralogical and geochemical analysis involving major, trace and rare earth element analysis.Mineralogical studies using X-ray diffraction analysis revealed prominent kaolinite, dickite and illite peaks; accessory minerals included quartz and microcline. Major element abundance showed thatthe shale samples had SiO2 (61.26%, Al2O3 (16.88% and Fe2O3 (3.75% constituting more than 79% of bulk chemical composition whilst claystone samples contained SiO2 (67.79%, Al2O3 (17.81% andFe2O3 (1.67%. Higher SiO2, Ba, Sr, V, and Nb concentrations were observed in claystone samples rather than shale whereas the shale samples were observed to be more Zr-, Ni- and Zn-enriched than theclaystone ones. The shale and claystone samples showed slightly light rare earth enrichment and slightly flat heavy rare earth depleted patterns having a negative Eu and Tm anomaly. High TiO2 and Rb/K2Ovalues also indicated that the shale and claystone samples were matured. Geochemical parameters such as U, U/Th, Ni/Co and Cu/Zn ratios indicated that these shales were deposited in oxic conditions; theAl2O3/TiO2 ratio suggested that intermediate igneous rocks were probable source rocks for the shales, while mafic rocks were suggested as being source rocks for the claystone. However, the La/Sc, Th/Sc, Th/Co ratios and shales and claystone plots revealed that they came within the range given for felsic rocks as provenance, thereby suggesting mixed provenace for the sediments. A passive-margin tectonic settingwas adduced for the sedimentary sequences.

Uranium geology and chemistry, programme and book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patrice Bruneton; Cathelineau, Michel; Richard, Antonin; Mercadier, Julien; Boiron, Marie-Christine; Cuney, Michel; Beaufort, D.; Patrier, P.; Goncalves, Philippe; Trap, Pierre; Van Lichtervelde, Marieke; Jeanneret, Pauline; Marquer, Didier; Feybesse, Jean-Louis; Paquette, Jean-Louis; Mercadier, Julien; Annesley, Irvine R.; Austmann, Christine L.; Creighton, Steve; Eglinger, Aurelien; Vanderhaeghe, Olivier; Andre-Mayer, Anne-Sylvie; Cuney, Michel; Goncalves, Philippe; Durand, Cyril; Feybesse, Jean-Louis; Zeyen, Hermann; Beres, Jan; Pessel, Marc; Gaffet, Stephane; Rousset, Dominique; Senechal, Guy; Dargent, Maxime; Dubessy, Jean; Caumon, Marie-Camille; Trung, Chinh-Nguyen; Richard, Antonin; Montel, Jean-Marc; Peiffert, Chantal; Leborgne, Romain; Seydoux-Guillaume, Anne-Magali; Montel, J.M.; Bingen, B.; Bosse, V.; De Parseval, Ph.; Janots, Emilie; Wirth, Richard; Reiller, Pascal E.; Marang, Laura; Jouvin, Delphine; Benedetti, Marc F.; Clavier, N.; Costin, D.T.; Mesbah, A.; Dacheux, N.; Poinssot, C.; Raimbault, Louis; Mercadier, Julien; Cuney, Michel; Moncoffre, Nathalie; Marchand, Benoit; Perrat-Mabillon, Angela; Gine, A.; Saint-Bezar, B.; Benedicto, A.; Wattinne, A.; Andre, G.; Bonnetti, Christophe; Bourlange, Sylvain; Malartre, Fabrice; Benedicto, Antonio; Liu, Xiaodong; Cretaz, F.; Szenknect, S.; Descostes, M.; Dacheux, N.; Othmane, Guillaume; Allard, Thierry; Menguy, Nicolas; Vercouter, Thomas; Morin, Guillaume; Esteve, Imene; Calas, Georges; Fayek, Mostafa; Barbarand, Jocelyn; Drot, Romuald; Grare, Alexis; Reyx, Jean; Pagel, Maurice; Brouand, Marc; Zakari, Aziz; Bidaud, Adrien; Toe, Wilfried; Milesi, Jean-Pierre; Carrouee, Simon; Moyen, Jean-Francois; Schmitt, Jean-Michel; Brouand, Marc; Bouzid, Majda; Langlais, Valerie; Hocquet, Sebastien; Munara, A.; Boulvais, P.; Carpentier, C.; Ajjabou, Leila; Ledru, Patrick; Fiet, Nicolas; Hocquet, Sebastien; Royer, Jean-Jacques; Fiet, N.; Oppeneau, T.; Berestnev, N.; Merembayev, T.; Parize, Olivier; Aouami, I.; Nedjari, A.; Mahaman, T.; Sanguinetti, H.; Uri, Freddy; Beaufort, Daniel; Riegler, Thomas; Lescuyer, Jean-Luc; Wollenberg, Peter; Dardel, Jacques; Bourgeois, Damien; Maynadie, Jerome; Meyer, Daniel; Courtaud, B.; Auger, F.; Thiry, J.; Fakhi, S.; Fait, E.; Outayad, R.; Mouflih, M.; Voque Romero, I.; Manjon, Guillermo; Ben Mansour, M.; Bouih, A.; Nourreddine, A.; El Hadi, H.; Mokhtari, Hamid; Gourgiotis, Alkiviadis; Bassot, Sylvain; Simonucci, Caroline; Diez, Olivier; Mifsud, Aurelie; Martin-Garin, Arnaud; Coppin, Frederic; Dejeant, Adrien; Galoisy, Laurence; Calas, Georges; Phrommavanh, Vannapha; Descostes, Michael; Wattine-Morice, Aurelia; Belieres, Michel; Ben Simon, Rose; Schmitt, Jean-Michel; Thiry, Medard; Megneng, Melissa; Orberger, Beate; Hofmann, Axel; Wirth, Richard; Dumas, Paule; Sandt, Christophe; Hicks, Nigel; Tudryn, Alina; Tartese, Romain; Boulvais, Philippe; Poujol, Marc

2011-11-01

; 17 - U distribution and valence in phosphorites; 18 - Nuclear industry and a 'uranium peak'?; 19 - Geologic context of the primary U deposits of the Damara orogenic belt (Namibia): from the migmatitic source to the plutonic deposit; 20 - U distribution in an Archean granite: from the batholith to the thin section; 21 - Mineralogical, geochemical and hydrochemical zoning of a roll-front in Kazakhstan: recent data and interpretations; 22 - Carbonated facies in silico-clastic series of roll-type U deposits of Kazakhstan: mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic data; 23 - 3D modeling of Muyunkum uraniferous deposit, Kazakhstan; 24 - From the stratigraphic model to the 3D geologic modeling of roll-front systems in Kazakhstan; 25 - U deposits in the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the Franceville basin (Gabon); 26 - From Talak to Teleflak (Madaouela, Arlit Niger): analysis of the key events for the understanding of the evolution of the region during the Visean and of the related mineralizations in the Guezouman; 27 - Contribution of clays in the understanding of the sedimentary context at the base of the Athabasca basin in the Shea Creek deposit area (W Athabasca, Saskatchewan, Canada); 28 - Clayey weathering and related uraniferous mineralizations along the Kiggavik-Andrew Lake structural cluster (Nunavut, Canada); 29 - About the U deposits of rhyolitic origin: Xiangshan /Jiangxi (China), Sierra Pena Blanca/ Chihuahua (Mexico) and Lodeve/Herault (France); 30 - U and Th L/L extraction: role of water in their solvation sphere in organic environment; 31 - New uranium concentrate precipitation process to increase the bulk concentrate density; 32 - Grain-size study of natural phosphates from Morocco 'Oulad Abdoun Basin': distribution, quantifying of natural radionuclides and genesis implication; 33 - Phosphoric acid uranium content valorization; 34 - Development of a direct coupling system between an instrumented column and an ICP-MS: application to uranium migration in a

Neoproterozoic rift basins and their control on the development of hydrocarbon source rocks in the Tarim Basin, NW China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guang-You; Ren, Rong; Chen, Fei-Ran; Li, Ting-Ting; Chen, Yong-Quan

2017-12-01

The Proterozoic is demonstrated to be an important period for global petroleum systems. Few exploration breakthroughs, however, have been obtained on the system in the Tarim Basin, NW China. Outcrop, drilling, and seismic data are integrated in this paper to focus on the Neoproterozoic rift basins and related hydrocarbon source rocks in the Tarim Basin. The basin consists of Cryogenian to Ediacaran rifts showing a distribution of N-S differentiation. Compared to the Cryogenian basins, those of the Ediacaran are characterized by deposits in small thickness and wide distribution. Thus, the rifts have a typical dual structure, namely the Cryogenian rifting and Ediacaran depression phases that reveal distinct structural and sedimentary characteristics. The Cryogenian rifting basins are dominated by a series of grabens or half grabens, which have a wedge-shaped rapid filling structure. The basins evolved into Ediacaran depression when the rifting and magmatic activities diminished, and extensive overlapping sedimentation occurred. The distributions of the source rocks are controlled by the Neoproterozoic rifts as follows. The present outcrops lie mostly at the margins of the Cryogenian rifting basins where the rapid deposition dominates and the argillaceous rocks have low total organic carbon (TOC) contents; however, the source rocks with high TOC contents should develop in the center of the basins. The Ediacaran source rocks formed in deep water environment of the stable depressions evolving from the previous rifting basins, and are thus more widespread in the Tarim Basin. The confirmation of the Cryogenian to Ediacaran source rocks would open up a new field for the deep hydrocarbon exploration in the Tarim Basin.

The red bed-type and sandstone-type uranium deposits in the inland basins of the northwest China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhilong.

1988-01-01

On the basis of the study on the relationship between the red bed-type and sandstone-type uranium deposits in the inland basins of the northwest China, a classification of red beds based on sedimentary facies and redding origin is presented. Red beds in the inland badins can be divided into six types: 1. alluvial plain and 2. shallow lake red beds formed at the stage of continental disintegration; 3. fluvial alluvial red bed, 4. delta plain and 5. desert red beds formed at the diagenetic-epigenetic stage; 6. spattered red (secondaty red beds) formed at the hypergenic weathering stage. According to the characteristics, structural environments of these six types of red beds, and changes of various geochemical characteristic values (Eh, pH, Th/U, Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ , Sr/Ba, etc.) from host rocks to different kinds of red beds , the relationship between these values and sandstone-type uranium deposits was determined. it is an open system, the mobile uranium is easily leached, thus it is unfavoutable for mineralization; but when the rock reddens at the diagenetic epigenetic stage (closed system) that is favourable for mineraizaltion, the mobile uranium can be concentrated to form uranium deposits

The Agost Basin (Betic Cordillera, Alicante province, Spain): a pull-apart basin involving salt tectonics

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-Martín, Manuel; Estévez, Antonio; Martín-Rojas, Ivan; Guerrera, Francesco; Alcalá, Francisco J.; Serrano, Francisco; Tramontana, Mario

2018-03-01

The Agost Basin is characterized by a Miocene-Quaternary shallow marine and continental infilling controlled by the evolution of several curvilinear faults involving salt tectonics derived from Triassic rocks. From the Serravallian on, the area experienced a horizontal maximum compression with a rotation of the maximum stress axis from E-W to N-S. The resulting deformation gave rise to a strike-slip fault whose evolution is characterized progressively by three stages: (1) stepover/releasing bend with a dextral motion of blocks; (2) very close to pure horizontal compression; and (3) restraining bend with a sinistral movement of blocks. In particular, after an incipient fracturing stage, faults generated a pull-apart basin with terraced sidewall fault and graben subzones developed in the context of a dextral stepover during the lower part of late Miocene p.p. The occurrence of Triassic shales and evaporites played a fundamental role in the tectonic evolution of the study area. The salty material flowed along faults during this stage generating salt walls in root zones and salt push-up structures at the surface. During the purely compressive stage (middle part of late Miocene p.p.) the salt walls were squeezed to form extrusive mushroom-like structures. The large amount of clayish and salty material that surfaced was rapidly eroded and deposited into the basin, generating prograding fan clinoforms. The occurrence of shales and evaporites (both in the margins of the basin and in the proper infilling) favored folding of basin deposits, faulting, and the formation of rising blocks. Later, in the last stage (upper part of late Miocene p.p.), the area was affected by sinistral restraining conditions and faults must have bent to their current shape. The progressive folding of the basin and deformation of margins changed the supply points and finally caused the end of deposition and the beginning of the current erosive systems. On the basis of the interdisciplinary results

Delayed coking studies on Athabasca bitumen and Cold Lake heavy oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Govindhakannan, J.; Khulbe, C. [National Centre for Upgrading Technology, Devon, AB (Canada); Natural Resources Canada, Devon, AB (Canada). CanmetENERGY

2009-07-01

This poster highlighted the results of a study that quantified the delayed coking product yields of Athabasca bitumen and Cold Lake heavy oil. It also investigated the effect of operating pressure and feed rates on product yield and quality. The effect of pressure on conversion of sulphur and nitrogen was also examined. Experimental results revealed that the yield of liquid products decreases and the yields of coke and gases increase as the operating pressure increases. Sulphur and nitrogen conversions increase with increasing pressure. In this study, the yield and quality of delayed coking products were not influenced by the variation in feed rates. It was concluded that feed rate changes do not significantly affect the yield and quality of delayed coking products because the residual liquid and coke trapped in the coker drum reside there for a duration that approaches infinity, compared to much smaller average residence time for vapor-phase compounds. tabs., figs.

The Portland Basin: A (big) river runs through it

Science.gov (United States)

Evarts, Russell C.; O'Connor, Jim E.; Wells, Ray E.; Madin, Ian P.

2009-01-01

Metropolitan Portland, Oregon, USA, lies within a small Neogene to Holocene basin in the forearc of the Cascadia subduction system. Although the basin owes its existence and structural development to its convergent-margin tectonic setting, the stratigraphic architecture of basin-fill deposits chiefly reflects its physiographic position along the lower reaches of the continental-scale Columbia River system. As a result of this globally unique setting, the basin preserves a complex record of aggradation and incision in response to distant as well as local tectonic, volcanic, and climatic events. Voluminous flood basalts, continental and locally derived sediment and volcanic debris, and catastrophic flood deposits all accumulated in an area influenced by contemporaneous tectonic deformation and variations in regional and local base level.

Phanerozoic environments of black shale deposition and the Wilson Cycle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Trabucho-Alexandre

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The spatial and temporal distribution of black shales is related to the development of environments in which they accumulate and to a propitious combination of environmental variables. In recent years, much has been done to improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind the temporal distribution of black shales in the Phanerozoic and of the environmental variables that result in their deposition. However, the interpretation of ancient black shale depositional environments is dominated by an oversimplistic set of three depositional models that do not capture their complexity and dynamics. These three models, the restricted circulation, the (open ocean oxygen minimum and the continental shelf models, are an oversimplification of the variety of black shale depositional environments that arise and coexist throughout the course of a basin's Wilson Cycle, i.e. the dynamic sequence of events and stages that characterise the evolution of an ocean basin, from the opening continental rift to the closing orogeny. We examine the spatial distribution of black shales in the context of the Wilson Cycle using examples from the Phanerozoic. It is shown that the geographical distribution of environments of black shale deposition and the position of black shales in the basin infill sequence strongly depend on basin evolution, which controls the development of sedimentary environments where black shales may be deposited. The nature of the black shales that are deposited, i.e. lithology and type of organic matter, also depends on basin evolution and palaeogeography. We propose that in studies of black shales more attention should be given to the sedimentary processes that have led to their formation and to the interpretation of their sedimentary environments.

SEDIMENTATION AND BASIN-FILL HISTORY OF THE PLIOCENE SUCCESSION EXPOSED IN THE NORTHERN SIENA-RADICOFANI BASIN (TUSCANY, ITALY: A SEQUENCE-STRATIGRAPHIC APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IVAN MARTINI

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Basin-margin paralic deposits are sensitive indicators of relative sea-level changes and typically show complex stratigraphic architectures that only a facies-based sequence-stratigraphic approach, supported by detailed biostratigraphic data, can help unravel, thus providing constraints for the tectono-stratigraphic reconstructions of ancient basins. This paper presents a detailed facies analysis of Pliocene strata exposed in a marginal key-area of the northern Siena-Radicofani Basin (Tuscany, Italy, which is used as a ground for a new sequence-stratigraphic scheme of the studied area. The study reveals a more complex sedimentary history than that inferred from the recent geological maps produced as part of the Regional Cartographic Project (CARG, which are based on lithostratigraphic principles. Specifically, four sequences (S1 to S4, in upward stratigraphic order have been recognised, each bounded by erosional unconformities and deposited within the Zanclean-early Gelasian time span. Each sequence typically comprises fluvial to open marine facies, with deposits of different sequences that show striking lithological similarities.The architecture and internal variability shown by the studied depositional sequences are typical of low-accommodation basin-margin settings, that shows: i a poorly-developed to missing record of the falling-stage systems tract; ii a lowstand system tract predominantly made of fluvio-deltaic deposits; iii a highstand system tract with substantial thickness variation between different sequences due to erosional processes associated with the overlying unconformity; iv a highly variable transgressive system tract, ranging from elementary to parasequential organization.

Stratigraphy and Evolution of Delta Channel Deposits, Jezero Crater, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Goudge, T. A.; Mohrig, D.; Cardenas, B. T.; Hughes, C. M.; Fassett, C. I.

2017-01-01

The Jezero impact crater hosted an open-basin lake that was active during the valley network forming era on early Mars. This basin contains a well exposed delta deposit at the mouth of the western inlet valley. The fluvial stratigraphy of this deposit provides a record of the channels that built the delta over time. Here we describe observations of the stratigraphy of the channel deposits of the Jezero western delta to help reconstruct its evolution.

The depositional setting of the Late Quaternary sedimentary fill in southern Bannu basin, Northwest Himalayan fold and thrust belt, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Farid, Asam; Khalid, Perveiz; Jadoon, Khan Zaib; Jouini, Mohammed Soufiane

2014-10-01

Geostatistical variogram and inversion techniques combined with modern visualization tools have made it possible to re-model one-dimensional electrical resistivity data into two-dimensional (2D) models of the near subsurface. The resultant models are capable of extending the original interpretation of the data to depict alluvium layers as individual lithological units within the 2D space. By tuning the variogram parameters used in this approach, it is then possible to visualize individual lithofacies and geomorphological features for these lithologic units. The study re-examines an electrical resistivity dataset collected as part of a groundwater study in an area of the Bannu basin in Pakistan. Additional lithological logs from boreholes throughout the area have been combined with the existing resistivity data for calibration. Tectonic activity during the Himalayan orogeny uplifted and generated significant faulting in the rocks resulting in the formation of a depression which subsequently has been filled with clay-silt and dirty sand facies typical of lacustrine and flood plain environments. Streams arising from adjacent mountains have reworked these facies which have been eroded and replaced by gravel-sand facies along channels. It is concluded that the sediments have been deposited as prograding fan shaped bodies, flood plain, and lacustrine deposits. Clay-silt facies mark the locations of paleo depressions or lake environments, which have changed position over time due to local tectonic activity and sedimentation. The Lakki plain alluvial system has thus formed as a result of local tectonic activity with fluvial erosion and deposition characterized by coarse sediments with high electrical resistivities near the mountain ranges and fine sediments with medium to low electrical resistivities towards the basin center.

Tertiary stratigraphy and basin evolution, southern Sabah (Malaysian Borneo)

Science.gov (United States)

Balaguru, Allagu; Nichols, Gary

2004-08-01

New mapping and dating of strata in the southern part of the Central Sabah Basin in northern Borneo has made it possible to revise the lithostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of the area. The recognition in the field of an Early Miocene regional unconformity, which may be equivalent to the Deep Regional Unconformity recognised offshore, has allowed the development of a stratigraphic framework of groups and formations, which correspond to stages in the sedimentary basin development of the area. Below the Early Miocene unconformity lies ophiolitic basement, which is overlain by an accretionary complex of Eocene age and a late Paleogene deep water succession which formed in a fore-arc basin. The late Paleogene deposits underwent syn-depositional deformation, including the development of extensive melanges, all of which can be demonstrated to lie below the unconformity in this area. Some localised limestone deposition occurred during a period of uplift and erosion in the Early Miocene, following which there was an influx of clastic sediments deposited in delta and pro-deltaic environments in the Middle Miocene. These deltaic to shallow marine deposits are now recognised as forming two coarsening-upward successions, mapped as the Tanjong and Kapilit Formations. The total thickness of these two formations in the Central Sabah Basin amounts to 6000 m, only half of the previous estimates, although the total stratigraphic thickness of Cenozoic clastic strata in Sabah may be more than 20,000 m.

Morphostructural characterization of the Charco basin and its surrounding areas in the Chihuahua segment of north Mexican Basin and Range Province

Science.gov (United States)

Troiani, Francesco; Menichetti, Marco

2014-05-01

The Chihuahua Basin and Range (CBR) is the eastern branch of the northern Mexican Basin and Range Province that, from a morphostructural point of view, presently is one amongst the lesser-known zones of the southern portion of the North America Basin and Range Province. The study area covers an approximately 800 km2-wide portion of the CBR and encompasses the fault-bounded Charco basin and its surrounding areas. The bedrock of the area pertains to the large siliceous-igneous province of the Sierra Madre Occidental and consists of volcanoclastic rocks including Oligocene dacite, rhyolite, rhyolitic tuffs, and polimitic conglomerates. The region is characterized by a series of NW-SE oriented valleys delimited by tilted monoclinal blocks bounded by high angle, SW-dipping, normal faults. Abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins are the main morphological elements of the area. The valleys correspond to structural grabens filled with Plio-Pleistocene continental sediments. These grabens are about 10 km wide, while the extensional fault system extend over a distance of more than 15 km. The mountain ranges are in most cases continuous over distances that range from 10 to 70 km including different branches of the extensional and transfer faults. The morphogenesis is mainly erosive in character: erosional landforms (such as rocky scarps, ridges, strath-terraces, erosional pediment, reverse slopes, landslide scar zones, litho-structural flat surfaces) dominate the landscape. In contrast, Quaternary depositional landforms are mainly concentrated within the flat valleys or basins. The Quaternary deposits consist of wide alluvial fans extending to the foot of the main ridges, fluvial and debris-slope deposits. The morphostructural characterization of the area integrated different methodologies, including: i) geomorphological and structural field analyses; ii) remote sensing and geo-morphometric investigations

Tectonic setting of Cretaceous basins on the NE Tibetan Plateau: Insights from the Jungong basin

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, W.H.; Kirby, E.; Dewen, Z.; Jianhui, L.

2012-01-01

Quantifying the Cenozoic growth of high topography in the Indo-Asian collision zone remains challenging, due in part to significant shortening that occurred within Eurasia before collision. A growing body of evidence suggests that regions far removed from the suture zone experienced deformation before and during the early phases of Himalayan orogenesis. In the present-day north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, widespread deposits of Cretaceous sediment attest to significant basin formation; however, the tectonic setting of these basins remains enigmatic. We present a study of a regionally extensive network of sedimentary basins that are spatially associated with a system of SE-vergent thrust faults and are now exposed in the high ranges of the north-eastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau. We focus on a particularly well-exposed basin, located ~20km north of the Kunlun fault in the Anyemaqen Shan. The basin is filled by ~900m of alluvial sediments that become finer-grained away from the basin-bounding fault. Additionally, beds in the proximal footwall of the basin-bounding fault exhibit progressive, up-section shallowing and several intraformational unconformities which can be traced into correlative conformities in the distal part of the basin. The observations show sediment accumulated in the basin during fault motion. Regional constraints on the timing of sediment deposition are provided by both fossil assemblages from the Early Cretaceous, and by K-Ar dating of volcanic rocks that floor and cross-cut sedimentary fill. We argue that during the Cretaceous, the interior NE Tibetan Plateau experienced NW-SE contractional deformation similar to that documented throughout the Qinling-Dabie orogen to the east. The Songpan-Ganzi terrane apparently marked the southern limit of this deformation, such that it may have been a relatively rigid block in the Tibetan lithosphere, separating regions experiencing deformation north of the convergent Tethyan margin from regions deforming

Tectonic-stratigraphic evolution of Cumuruxatiba Basin - Brazil; Evolucao tectono-estratigrafica da Bacia de Cumuruxatiba

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lobato, Gustavo; Fernandes, Flavio L.; Silva, Eric Zagotto; Ferreira Neto, Walter Dias [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Lab. de Modelagem Multidisciplinar de Bacias Sedimentares; Ribeiro, Juliana [Agencia Nacional do Petroleo, Gas Natural e Biocombustiveis (ANP), Brasilia, DF (Brazil)

2008-07-01

In recent years, the exploratory interest on Cumuruxatiba Basin has been inconstant, with modest discoveries of oil. Aiming to deepen the geological knowledge of the basin and in order to attract the interest of oil companies, the ANP (National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels) signed contract with COPPE/UFRJ for carrying out an analysis basin project. The project was developed by the Basin Analysis Multidisciplinary Modeling Laboratory (Lab2M/UFRJ) in the period 2006/2007, and was with the main objective outline the main structural and seismo-stratigraphic features of the basin, and in an integrated and multidisciplinary way, build a model of its sedimentation and tectono-stratigraphic evolution. This paper presents the results of the regional seismic mapping, aided by well and potential methods data. The stratigraphic succession the basin has been divided into genetic units (UN-B, UN-C e UN-D) corresponding to second order depositional sequences, they are: UN-B, corresponding by a rift and sag-rift siliciclastic deposits, plus the Aptian evaporitic deposits; UN-C, characterized by carbonatic deposits, and shelf related sediments; and UN-D, corresponding by a final transgressive (siliciclastic) - regressive (mix) cycle, between Cenomanian and actual days. (author)

Event sedimentation in low-latitude deep-water carbonate basins, Anegada passage, northeast Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

Chaytor, Jason D.; ten Brink, Uri S.

2015-01-01

The Virgin Islands and Whiting basins in the Northeast Caribbean are deep, structurally controlled depocentres partially bound by shallow-water carbonate platforms. Closed basins such as these are thought to document earthquake and hurricane events through the accumulation of event layers such as debris flow and turbidity current deposits and the internal deformation of deposited material. Event layers in the Virgin Islands and Whiting basins are predominantly thin and discontinuous, containing varying amounts of reef- and slope-derived material. Three turbidites/sandy intervals in the upper 2 m of sediment in the eastern Virgin Islands Basin were deposited between ca. 2000 and 13 600 years ago, but do not extend across the basin. In the central and western Virgin Islands Basin, a structureless clay-rich interval is interpreted to be a unifite. Within the Whiting Basin, several discontinuous turbidites and other sand-rich intervals are primarily deposited in base of slope fans. The youngest of these turbidites is ca. 2600 years old. Sediment accumulation in these basins is low (−1) for basin adjacent to carbonate platform, possibly due to limited sediment input during highstand sea-level conditions, sediment trapping and/or cohesive basin walls. We find no evidence of recent sediment transport (turbidites or debris flows) or sediment deformation that can be attributed to the ca. M7.2 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake whose epicentre was located on the north wall of the Virgin Islands Basin or to recent hurricanes that have impacted the region. The lack of significant appreciable pebble or greater size carbonate material in any of the available cores suggests that submarine landslide and basin-wide blocky debris flows have not been a significant mechanism of basin margin modification in the last several thousand years. Thus, basins such as those described here may be poor recorders of past natural hazards, but may provide a long-term record of past oceanographic

Controlled Source Audio Magneto Telluric (CSAMT) studies for uranium exploration in Durgi area, Palnad sub-basin, Cuddapah basin, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Indresh; Kumar, S. Vijaya; Ramesh Babu, V.; Kumar, B.V.L.; Dash, J.K.; Chaturvedi, A.K.

2017-01-01

Cuddapah basin is known for hosting unconformity proximal uranium deposits viz., Lambapur, Peddagattu, Chitirial and Koppunuru along the northern margin of the basin. It is well known that these deposits are mostly associated with basement granitoids in Srisailam Sub-basin, and with cover sediments in Palnad subbasin where basement topography and fault/fracture system influence the fluid flow causing basement alteration and ore deposition. Geological setup, surface manifestation of uranium anomalies and association of the hydro-uranium anomalies near Durgi area in southern part of the Palnad sub-basin, have prompted detail investigation by geophysical methods to probe greater depths. Controlled Source Audio Magneto Telluric (CSAMT) survey conducted over five decades of frequency (0.1-9600 Hz) delineated the various lithounits of Kurnool and Nallamalai Groups along with their thicknesses as there exist an appreciable resistivity contrast. Interpretation of CSAMT sounding data are constrained by resistivity logs and litholog data obtained from the boreholes drilled within the basin indicated three to four layered structure. Sub-surface 2-D and 3-D geo-electrical models are simulated by stitching 1-D layered inverted resistivity earth models. Stitched 1-D inverted resistivity sections revealed the unconformity between the Kurnool Group and Nallamalai Group along with basement undulations. The faults/fractures delineated from the CSAMT data corroborated well with the results of gravity data acquired over the same area. Simulated 3-D voxel resistivity model helped in visualising the faults/fractures, their depth extent, thickness of the Banganapalle quartzite and basement configuration. Integrated interpretation of CSAMT, gravity and borehole data facilitated in delineating the unconformity and the structural features favourable for uranium mineralisation in deeper parts of the Palnad sub-basin. (author)

Mineralogical and isotopic data on two hydrothermal uranium deposits located in the Permian volcano-sedimentary basin of Collio Orobico (Bergamasc Alps): occurrence of a Cretaceous U mobilization phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippe, S.; Lancelot, J.R.; Girod, M.; Mercadier, H.; Villemaire, C.

1987-01-01

The U deposits of Novazza and Val Vedello are located close to the unconformity with the South-Alpine basement. The ignimbrites adjacent to the Novazza deposit have undergone a pervasive hydrothermal alteration. For this deposit, the study of the micas provides crystallization temperatures ranging from 540 0 C to 350 0 C. These micas do not show a zonal distribution with respect to the mineralized bodies. In the neighbouring barren basin, the mica crystallization temperatures at 200 0 C suggest a post-magmatic evolution very different. The U-Pb data on zircons were made for ignimbrites collected in the Novazza mine and in the barren basin. They allow to propose a multi-episodic evolution model taking into account a mixing of two populations of zircons: a small amount of Precambrian zircons located in basement xenoliths within the ignimbrites, and a large proportion of zircons having crystallized in the ignimbrites, which are supposed to have been emplaced about 280 My ago. The U-Pb data suggest a phase of U concentration, during Cretaceous times. For each deposit, this age does not seem to be related to the ages of fault motions. Different hypothesis concerning the genesis of Novazza and Val Vedello deposits are discussed which take into account the paleotemperature data on micas, the ore paragenesis and the U-Pb data obtained on U-mineralizations [fr

Hydrothermal Fe-Si-Mn oxide deposits from the Central and South Valu Fa Ridge, Lau Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Zhilei; Zhou Huaiyang; Yang Qunhui; Sun Zhixue; Bao Shenxu; Yao Huiqiang

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The Fe-Mn crust in the HHF has seawater contribution, whereas the Fe-Si oxide in the MHF is dominated by hydrothermal fluid → The Nd isotope of diffuse flow Fe-Si-Mn deposits indicates the obvious hydrothermal origin. → The Mn/Fe ratio in hydrothermal deposit may be a good indicator of propagating activities of the Valu Fa Ridge. - Abstract: A series of samples from the Hine Hina hydrothermal field (HHF) and the Mariner hydrothermal field (MHF) in the Central and Southern Valu Fa Ridge (VFR), Lau Basin were examined to explain the source origin and formation of the hydrothermal Fe-Si-Mn oxide deposits. The mineralogy was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Moessbauer spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). For the Fe-Mn oxide crusts in the HHF, varying amounts of volcanic fragments and some seawater contributions were recognized, along with higher concentrations of Mn, Al, Co, Ni, Zn, Sr, Mo, elevated ΣREE and negative Ce anomalies. In contrast, the Si-rich oxide samples of the MHF were enriched in Cu, Pb and Ba, indicative of proximity to a hydrothermal jet. Moreover, conductive cooling of hydrothermal fluid evoked the Si-rich deposit formation in the MHF. The Sr, Nd and Pb isotope data provided further constraints regarding the source and formation of the Fe-Si-Mn deposits in the VFR by showing that the samples of the HHF are a mixture of three components, namely, hydrothermal fluid, seawater and volcanic materials, whereas the samples of the MHF were dominated by hydrothermal fluids. The seawater had a minor influence on the Nd isotope data, and the Pb isotope data exhibited a close association with the substrate rock and preformed volcaniclastic layers in this area. The occurrence of relatively high Mn/Fe ratios in the hydrothermal deposits of this area may be a good indicator of the propagating activities of the VFR over geological time.

Organic petrology, mineralogy and depositional environment of the Kipra lignite seam, Maritza-West basin, Bulgaria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kostova, Irena [Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Sofia University ' ' St. Kliment Ohridski' ' , 1000, Sofia (Bulgaria); Zdravkov, Alexander [Department of Economic Geology, University of Mining and Geology ' ' St. Ivan Rilski' ' , 1700, Sofia (Bulgaria)

2007-08-01

The aim of the present study is to provide additional information about the properties and depositional environment of the Kipra lignite seam, which was deposited during the regressive stage of development of the Maritza-West basin. Petrographical and mineralogical data, along with ash yields and sulphur contents of 24 samples from a seam profile, have been used to study the vertical variation of the depositional settings during peat accumulation and subsequent coalification. The Kipra lignite is characterized by high ash yields and sulphur contents. It formed in a rheotrophic, low-lying mire with alkaline pH value. Vegetation with low preservation potential dominated within the palaeomire. During peat formation, frequent changes of the water level controlled the depositional environment. During the deposition of units 1 and 2, high water energy caused the transportation of high amounts of inorganic material into the mire, resulting in the formation of weakly gelified mineral-rich lignite. The organic matter from units 3 and 4 is characterized by enhanced gelification, which probably reflects the decreasing energy of the system. Good positive correlation between sulphur contents and the GI values was established in units 4, indicating that the gelification of the tissues was probably mainly controlled by the bacterial activity. In contrast, the gelification of the samples from unit 3 of the Kipra seam was probably governed by the redox conditions. The organic matter deposited under relatively wet conditions, in which the thermal and oxidative destruction of the tissues, was limited. A variety of major, minor and accessory minerals are present in Maritza-West lignite. The mineral composition is dominated mainly by pyrite, gypsum and calcite, and to a lesser extent limonite, quartz, kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite, chlorite and plagioclase. Jarosite, hematite, halloysite, mica, K-feldspar, aragonite, siderite, and dolomite were also determined in very low

Perspective and resource evaluation and metallogenic studies on sandstone-type uranium deposit in Qianjiadian depression of Songliao Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuliang, Xia; Jinrong, Lin; Ziying, Li; Shengxiang, Li; Hanbin, Liu; Zhiming, Wang; Guang, Fan [Beijing Research Inst. of Uranium Geology, Beijing (China); Jiwei, Zheng; Zhenji, Li; Mingyu, Zhang [Liaohe Oil Field, Panjin (China)

2003-07-01

The geotectonic evolution history of the southeastern part of Songliao Basin has been clearly described and it is pointed out that both of the provenance rocks and evolution features of the studied area are favorable to the formation of U-rich sandstone bodies, development of interlayered oxidation and providing uranium source for mineralization. Yaojia Formation in Qianjiadian depression has been found out to be the favorable target ore bed for looking for sandstone-type uranium deposit. On the basis of analysis of metallogenetic conditions, the perspective target area has been circled and a sandstone-type uranium deposit with a certain amounts of uranium tonnages has been discovered. The achievements and data have been gotten in the following aspects: constitution and features of ore-forming beds and sandstone bodies, uranium existence forms and mineralogical and chemical compositions of the ores, associated elements and their economic values for comprehensive mining. The study of metallogenetic features and mechanism of the uranium deposit suggested that pre-enrichment of uranium during the depositional-diagenetic stage provide a good basis for uranium mineralization, and hereafter interlayered oxidation as well as oil-gas reduction processes played a decisive role to uranium mineralization. U-Pb isotopic studies indicate that the ores have two isochron ages of 53{+-}3 Ma and 7.0{+-}0 Ma, corresponding to the periods of arid and semiarid paleo-climates which are favorable to interlayered oxidation development and uranium mineralization. It is concluded that the Qianjiadian sandstone-type uranium deposit is genetically related to interlayered oxidation and secondary reduction of oil-gas. The metallogenic model of Qianjiadian uranium deposit was set up. (authors)

Perspective and resource evaluation and metallogenic studies on sandstone-type uranium deposit in Qianjiadian depression of Songliao Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Yuliang; Lin Jinrong; Li Ziying; Li Shengxiang; Liu Hanbin; Wang Zhiming; Fan Guang; Zheng Jiwei; Li Zhenji; Zhang Mingyu

2003-01-01

The geotectonic evolution history of the southeastern part of Songliao Basin has been clearly described and it is pointed out that both of the provenance rocks and evolution features of the studied area are favorable to the formation of U-rich sandstone bodies, development of interlayered oxidation and providing uranium source for mineralization. Yaojia Formation in Qianjiadian depression has been found out to be the favorable target ore bed for looking for sandstone-type uranium deposit. On the basis of analysis of metallogenetic conditions, the perspective target area has been circled and a sandstone-type uranium deposit with a certain amounts of uranium tonnages has been discovered. The achievements and data have been gotten in the following aspects: constitution and features of ore-forming beds and sandstone bodies, uranium existence forms and mineralogical and chemical compositions of the ores, associated elements and their economic values for comprehensive mining. The study of metallogenetic features and mechanism of the uranium deposit suggested that pre-enrichment of uranium during the depositional-diagenetic stage provide a good basis for uranium mineralization, and hereafter interlayered oxidation as well as oil-gas reduction processes played a decisive role to uranium mineralization. U-Pb isotopic studies indicate that the ores have two isochron ages of 53±3 Ma and 7.0±0 Ma, corresponding to the periods of arid and semiarid paleo-climates which are favorable to interlayered oxidation development and uranium mineralization. It is concluded that the Qianjiadian sandstone-type uranium deposit is genetically related to interlayered oxidation and secondary reduction of oil-gas. The metallogenic model of Qianjiadian uranium deposit was set up. (authors)

Slope and basinal deposits adjacent to isolated carbonate platforms in the Indian Ocean: Sedimentology, geomorphology, and a new 1.2 Ma record of highstand shedding

Science.gov (United States)

Counts, J. W.; Jorry, S.; Jouet, G.

2017-12-01

Newly analyzed bathymetric, seismic, and core data from carbonate-topped seamounts in the Mozambique Channel reveals a variety of depositional processes and products operating on platform slopes and adjacent basins. Mass transport complexes (including turbidites and debrites), leveed channel systems with basin-floor fans, and contourites are imaged in high resolution in both seafloor maps and cross-section, and show both differences and similarities compared with platform slopes in the Bahamas and elsewhere. In some, though not all, platforms, increased sedimentation can be observed on the leeward margins, and slope rugosity may be asymmetric with respect to prevailing wind direction. Deposition is also controlled by glacial-interglacial cycles; cores taken from the lower slopes (3000+ m water depth) of carbonate platforms reveal a causative relationship between sea level and aragonite export to the deep ocean. δ18O isotopes from planktonic and benthic foraminifera of two 27-meter cores, reveal a high-resolution, continuous depositional record of carbonate sediment dating back to 1.2 Ma. Sea level rise, as determined by correlation with the LR04 benthic stack, is coincident with increased aragonite flux from platform tops. Gravity flow deposits are also affected by platform flooding—the frequency of turbidite/debrite deposits on pinnacle slopes increases during highstand, although such deposits are also present during glacial episodes. The results reported here are the first record of highstand shedding in the southern Indian Ocean, and provide the longest Quaternary sediment record to date in the region, including the Mid-Brunhes transition (MIS 11) that serves as an analog for the current climate conditions. In addition, this is the first study to describe sedimentation on the slopes of these platforms, providing an important point of comparison that has the potential to influence source-to-sink carbonate facies models.

Lithostratigraphy and depositional environments in the Waterberg-Erongo area, central Namibia, and correlation with the main Karoo Basin, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Holzförster, Frank; Stollhofen, Harald; Stanistreet, Ian G.

1999-07-01

The dissected landscape of the Waterberg-Erongo area, central Namibia, exposes Karoo-equivalent strata deposited in basins that occur throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Although many are of economic interest, including coal-bearing strata, their depositional history is not well understood. This study of the Waterberg-Erongo area provides detailed lithostratigraphical data, which suggest sedimentation from the late Early Triassic to the Early Jurassic in a fault-bounded depository. Subsidence and sediment supply were controlled predominantly by the northeast-southwest trending Waterberg-Omaruru Fault Zone, which defines the northwestern margin of the depository. Facies development and thickness distribution of the Karoo strata in the Waterberg-Erongo area, perhaps the most continuous of any of the Karoo basins, indicate a northeastwardly-migrating depocentre alongside that fault, in response to major extensional movements in the early pre-South Atlantic rift zone. Periodic fault movements repeatedly caused basinward progradation of the alluvial facies, which are reflected by stacked fining-upward cycles in the lithological record. On a broader scale, the results of this study suggest that the northward propagation of the rift zone between Southern Africa and South America, was partially accommodated by transfer lineaments. Local depocentres developed along these lineaments, such as those in the Waterberg-Erongo area, with localised enhanced subsidence greater than that revealed in other Namibian onshore exposures, dominated by the rifting itself.

A foundation for the future: building an environmental monitoring system for the oil sands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowdeswell, L.; Dillon, P.; Ghoshal, S.; Miall, A.; Rasmussen, J.; Smol, J.P.

2010-12-01

In September, 2010, important concerns regarding the impacts of oil sand industry on the environment in the Lower Athabasca River Basin resulted in the creation of the oil sands advisory panel. This panel was set up to examine and evaluate the existing system for research and monitoring and identify strengths and weaknesses regarding water monitoring in the Lower Athabasca River Basin and connected waterways. In this report, the panel provides important elements to guide the monitoring of water quality and quantity. The panel has identified several organizations or individuals contributing to the research and monitoring of the Athabasca River system but also points out in the document that the research has not yet led to a consensus regarding the impacts of oil sands development on the environment. It has also been observed that no standardized data management system has been put in place to facilitate the access to data for interested parties. Important weaknesses in the existing monitoring system were identified by the panel. The advisory panel recommended the implementation of a credible and transparent, comprehensive and adaptive monitoring program, through a collaborative work between relevant jurisdictions and stakeholders. 50 refs.

Late Quaternary stratigraphy, sedimentology, and geochemistry of an underfilled lake basin in the Puna (north-west Argentina)

Science.gov (United States)

McGlue, Michael M.; Cohen, Andrew S.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Kowler, Andrew L.

2013-01-01

Depositional models of ancient lakes in thin-skinned retroarc foreland basins rarely benefit from appropriate Quaternary analogues. To address this, we present new stratigraphic, sedimentological and geochemical analyses of four radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from the Pozuelos Basin (PB; northwest Argentina) that capture the evolution of this low-accommodation Puna basin over the past ca. 43 cal kyr. Strata from the PB are interpreted as accumulations of a highly variable, underfilled lake system represented by lake-plain/littoral, profundal, palustrine, saline lake and playa facies associations. The vertical stacking of facies is asymmetric, with transgressive and thin organic-rich highstand deposits underlying thicker, organic-poor regressive deposits. The major controls on depositional architecture and basin palaeogeography are tectonics and climate. Accommodation space was derived from piggyback basin-forming flexural subsidence and Miocene-Quaternary normal faulting associated with incorporation of the basin into the Andean hinterland. Sediment and water supply was modulated by variability in the South American summer monsoon, and perennial lake deposits correlate in time with several well-known late Pleistocene wet periods on the Altiplano/Puna plateau. Our results shed new light on lake expansion–contraction dynamics in the PB in particular and provide a deeper understanding of Puna basin lakes in general.

Interannual Variability in Dust Deposition, Radiative Forcing, and Snowmelt Rates in the Colorado River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Skiles, M.; Painter, T. H.; Deems, J. S.; Barrett, A. P.

2011-12-01

Dust in snow accelerates snowmelt through its direct reduction of albedo and its further reduction of albedo by accelerating the growth of snow effective grain size. Since the Anglo expansion and disturbance of the western US that began in the mid 19th century, the mountain snow cover of the Colorado River Basin has been subject to five-fold greater dust loading. Here we present the impacts of dust deposition onto alpine snow cover using a 7-year energy balance record at the alpine and subalpine towers in the Senator Beck Basin Study Area (SBBSA), San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, USA. We assess the radiative and hydrologic impacts with a two-layer point snow energy balance snowmelt model that calculates snowmelt and predicts point runoff using measured inputs of energy exchanges and snow properties. By removing the radiative forcing due to dust, we can determine snowmelt under observed dusty and modeled clean conditions. Additionally, we model the relative response of melt rates to simulated increases in air temperature. Our modeling results indicate that the number of days that dust advances retreat of snow cover and cumulative radiative forcing are linearly related to total dust concentration. The greatest dust radiative impact occurred in 2009, when the highest observed end of year dust concentrations reduced visible albedo to less than 0.35 during the last three weeks of snowcover and snow cover duration was shortened by 50 days. This work also shows that dust radiative forcing has a markedly greater impact on snow cover duration than increases in temperature in terms of acceleration of snowmelt. We have completed the same analysis over a 2-year energy balance record at the Grand Mesa Study plot (GMSP) in west central Colorado, 150 km north of SBBSA. This new location allows us to assess site variability. For example, at SBBSA 2010 and 2011 were the second and third highest dust deposition years, respectively, but 2010 was a larger year with 3

Variation of properties of clayey minerals and associated phases about uranium deposits related to proterozoic discordances; Variation des proprietes des mineraux argileux et des phases associees autour des gisements d'uranium lies aux discordances Proterozoiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beaufort, D.; Patrier, P.; Laverret, E.; Gaboreau, St.; Billault, V. [HYDRASA, Universite de Poitiers-CNRS, 86 - Poitiers (France); Quirt, D. [AREVA Resources Canada AREVA Resources Canada Inc., Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

2009-07-01

The authors propose explanations for the clayey alteration which surrounds uranium deposits related to proterozoic discordances as it is noticed in Canada (Athabasca) and Australia (Kombolgie). The observed mineral sequences are interpreted as the product of an increasing interaction between infiltrated diagenetic acid and oxidising solutions on the one hand, and platform rocks on the other hand, at temperatures between 150 and 200 C. These interpretations are based on crystallographic and crystallochemical investigations

Recognition of depositional sequences and stacking patterns, Late Devonian (Frasnian) carbonate platforms, Alberta basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, J.H.; Reeckmann, S.A.; Sarg, J.F.; Greenlee, S.M.

1987-05-01

Six depositional sequences bounded by regional unconformities or their correlative equivalents (sequence boundaries) have been recognized in Late Devonian (Frasnian) carbonate platforms in the Alberta basin. These sequences consist of a predictable vertical succession of smaller scale shoaling-upward cycles (parasequences). Parasequences are arranged in retrogradational, aggradational, and progradational stacking patterns that can be modeled as a sediment response to relative changes in sea level. Sequence boundaries are recognized by onlap onto underlying shelf or shelf margin strata. This onlap includes shelf margin wedges and deep marine onlap. In outcrop sections shelf margin wedges exhibit an abrupt juxtaposition of shallow water facies over deeper water deposits with no gradational facies changes at the boundaries. High on the platform, subaerial exposure fabrics may be present. The shelf margin wedges are interpreted to have formed during lowstands in sea level and typically exhibit an aggradational stacking pattern. On the platform, two types of sequences are recognized. A type 1 cycle occurs where the sequence boundary is overlain by a flooding surface and subsequent parasequences exhibit retrogradational stacking. In a type 2 cycle the sequence boundary is overlain by an aggradational package of shallow water parasequences, followed by a retrogradational package. These two types of sequences can be modeled using a sinusoidal eustatic sea level curve superimposed on thermo-tectonic subsidence.

Athabasca--special report No. 2, sand behavior key to operation size

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daly, W J

1966-09-01

Before production of the crude oil from the Athabasca tar sands could be initiated, a feasibility and economic study based on field test work was made. It was concluded that the project was technically feasible and a plant could be constructed for approximately $137 million, but that the engineering design must be preceded by a field test program, laboratory work, and by ground surveys. A test program, using the hot water recovery process and sized to handle 3 tons of sand per hour, was begun in Oct. 1963. As the test program proceeded, the unit was frequently renovated as capacity was increased from 3 tons to finally 10 tons per hour. Included in the tests was the determination of the effect that raw bitumen pools (indicated by the government coring program) would have on production operations. It was determined that no problems would arise from this situation because no such pools could be found and were considered not to be in existence. The test model was successful in clearly illustrating the principles to use in the overall layout, which is approximately 50% complete.

Total and methyl mercury concentrations in sediment and water of a constructed wetland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oswald, Claire J.; Carey, Sean K.

2016-01-01

In the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in northeastern Alberta, Canada, oil sands operators are testing the feasibility of peatland construction on the post-mining landscape. In 2009, Syncrude Canada Ltd. began construction of the 52 ha Sandhill Fen pilot watershed, including a 15 ha, hydrologically managed fen peatland built on sand-capped soft oil sands tailings. An integral component of fen reclamation is post-construction monitoring of water quality, including salinity, fluvial carbon, and priority pollutant elements. In this study, the effects of fen reclamation and elevated sulfate levels on mercury (Hg) fate and transport in the constructed system were assessed. Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in the fen sediment were lower than in two nearby natural fens, which may be due to the higher mineral content of the Sandhill Fen peat mix and/or a loss of Hg through evasion during the peat harvesting, stockpiling and placement processes. Porewater MeHg concentrations in the Sandhill Fen typically did not exceed 1.0 ng L −1 . The low MeHg concentrations may be a result of elevated porewater sulfate concentrations (mean 346 mg L −1 ) and an increase in sulphide concentrations with depth in the peat, which are known to suppress MeHg production. Total Hg and MeHg concentrations increased during a controlled mid-summer flooding event where the water table rose above the ground surface in most of the fen. The Hg dynamics during this event showed that hydrologic fluctuations in this system exacerbate the release of THg and MeHg downstream. In addition, the elevated SO 4 2− concentrations in the peat porewaters may become a problem with respect to downstream MeHg production once the fen is hydrologically connected to a larger wetland network that is currently being constructed. - Highlights: • A constructed fen peatland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region was studied. • Total and methyl mercury concentrations in fen sediment and waters

The depositional setting of the Late Quaternary sedimentary fill in southern Bannu basin, Northwest Himalayan fold and thrust belt, Pakistan

KAUST Repository

Farid, Asam M.

2014-07-10

Geostatistical variogram and inversion techniques combined with modern visualization tools have made it possible to re-model one-dimensional electrical resistivity data into two-dimensional (2D) models of the near subsurface. The resultant models are capable of extending the original interpretation of the data to depict alluvium layers as individual lithological units within the 2D space. By tuning the variogram parameters used in this approach, it is then possible to visualize individual lithofacies and geomorphological features for these lithologic units. The study re-examines an electrical resistivity dataset collected as part of a groundwater study in an area of the Bannu basin in Pakistan. Additional lithological logs from boreholes throughout the area have been combined with the existing resistivity data for calibration. Tectonic activity during the Himalayan orogeny uplifted and generated significant faulting in the rocks resulting in the formation of a depression which subsequently has been filled with clay-silt and dirty sand facies typical of lacustrine and flood plain environments. Streams arising from adjacent mountains have reworked these facies which have been eroded and replaced by gravel-sand facies along channels. It is concluded that the sediments have been deposited as prograding fan shaped bodies, flood plain, and lacustrine deposits. Clay-silt facies mark the locations of paleo depressions or lake environments, which have changed position over time due to local tectonic activity and sedimentation. The Lakki plain alluvial system has thus formed as a result of local tectonic activity with fluvial erosion and deposition characterized by coarse sediments with high electrical resistivities near the mountain ranges and fine sediments with medium to low electrical resistivities towards the basin center. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

The Eastern delta-fan deposits on the Granada Basin as tectonic indicators of the Sierra Nevada uplift (Betic Cordillera, South Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Roldán, Francisco Javier; Azañon, Jose Miguel; Mateos, Rosa Maria

2014-05-01

A geological mapping in detail of the Eastern sector of the Granada Basin (South Spain) reveals two different groups of Gilbert delta-fans related to the Sierra Nevada uplift. The first group, in the southern part and with a surface of 6 km2, has three major coarsening-upward sequences. They are composed of very coarse deposits, those of conglomerates, sands and silts. Progradational strata units to the basin have been observed. The dominantly fluvial facies association has locally developed shallow marine foreset deposits (partially with reef colonization) as well as topset red soils (Dabrio, et al., 1978; Braga et a., 1990; García-García, et al., 1999) . All the sequences are discordant over marine facies (calcarenites) dated over 8,26 Ma (Late Tortonian). The second group, in the northern part and with an extension of 12 km2, has similar characteristics, but some of the boulders have ostreids and lamellibranchs species which reveal their former position in a previous marine environment. The Sierra Nevada uplift caused the remobilization of these boulders, being transported by debris-flow inside the delta-fan bodies (García-García, et al., 2006). The dating of ostreids shells with Sr techniques reveals ages over 7,13, 6,61 and 5,45 Ma, from the lower to the upper delta-fan deposits, which are related to the three main sequences observed and with three major tectonic pulses during the Late Miocene. These interpretations are in agreement with apatite fision-track studies carried out in some boulders of these coarse delta-fan deposits (Clark and Dempster, 2013). They reveal a detailed record of Neogene denudation from the Sierra Nevada basement and with uplift periods between 5,45Ma- 2 Ma. The latest pulses affected the delta-fan sediments given rise to new fan systems in the Granada Basin (Alhambra Formation). The thoroughly study of the Miocene delta-fan sediments allows us to conclude that they were related to a sin-sedimentary tectonic activity linked to the

The uranium ore deposits in Ciudad Rodrigo Phyllites. about the possibility of new deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mingarro Martin, E.; Marin Benavente, C.

1969-01-01

The main features of the genesis of uranium deposits of the Fe mine type, are discussed in this paper. Pitchblende ore is related with phyllites bearing organic material and with geomorphological level, fossilized by eocene sediments. As a result, new uranium ore deposits are possible under Ciudad Rodrigo tertiary basin, tertiary cover depth being little more than three hundred feet. (Author)

Analysis on metallogenic conditions of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits in kelulun region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mingyue, Feng [Beijing Research Inst. of Uranium Geology, Beijing (China)

1999-07-01

On the basis of comprehensively analyzing metallogenic conditions of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits, the author discusses regional geologic background, characteristics of the basement and sedimentary cover of Kelulun basin and Huchawula-Hulun Lake basin, and the metallogenic potential of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits is proposed.

Analysis on metallogenic conditions of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits in kelulun region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Mingyue

1999-01-01

On the basis of comprehensively analyzing metallogenic conditions of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits, the author discusses regional geologic background, characteristics of the basement and sedimentary cover of Kelulun basin and Huchawula-Hulun Lake basin, and the metallogenic potential of paleochannel sandstone type uranium deposits is proposed

Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the Noamundi-Koira basin iron ore deposits (India)

Science.gov (United States)

Mirza, Azimuddin; Alvi, Shabbar Habib; Ilbeyli, Nurdane

2015-04-01

India is one of the richest sources of iron ore deposits in the world; and one of them is located in the Noamundi-Koira basin, Singhbhum-Orissa craton. The geological comparative studies of banded iron formation (BIF) and associated iron ores of Noamundi-Koira iron ore deposits, belonging to the iron ore group in eastern India, focus on the study of mineralogy and major elemental compositions along with the geological evaluation of different iron ores. The basement of the Singhbhum-Orissa craton is metasedimentary rocks which can be traced in a broadly elliptical pattern of granitoids, surrounded by metasediments and metavolcanics of Greenstone Belt association. The Singhbhum granitoid is intrusive into these old rocks and to younger, mid Archaean metasediments, including iron formations, schists and metaquartzites and siliciclastics of the Precambrian Iron Ore Group (Saha et al., 1994; Sharma, 1994). The iron ore of Noamundi-Koira can be divided into seven categories (Van Schalkwyk and Beukes 1986). They are massive, hard laminated, soft laminated, martite-goethite, powdery blue dust and lateritic ore. Although it is more or less accepted that the parent rock of iron ore is banded hematite jasper (BHJ), the presence of disseminated martite in BHJ suggests that the magnetite of protore was converted to martite. In the study area, possible genesis of high-grade hematite ore could have occurred in two steps. In the first stage, shallow, meteoric fluids affect primary, unaltered BIF by simultaneously oxidizing magnetite to martite and replacing quartz with hydrous iron oxides. In the second stage of supergene processes, deep burial upgrades the hydrous iron oxides to microplaty hematite. Removal of silica from BIF and successive precipitation of iron resulted in the formation of martite- goethite ore. Soft laminated ores were formed where precipitation of iron was partial or absent. The leached out space remains with time and the interstitial space is generally filled

Experimental study of simultaneous Athabasca bitumen recovery and upgrading using ultradispersed catalysts injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashemi, R.; Pereira, P. [University of Calgary (Canada)

2011-07-01

As the demand for oil is continuously increasing, the need for unconventional resources is rising. Oil extraction from bitumen and heavy oil reservoirs requires advanced techniques in order to decrease the viscosity of the oil. To increase the recovered original oil in place (OOIP) of a reservoir and decrease refining costs, new techniques to upgrade oil in situ are being developed. The current study investigates the use of ultra-dispersed (UD) submicronic catalysts to decrease oil viscosity. The experiment involved the injection of the catalyst and hydrogen gas in a sand pack saturated with Athabasca bitumen. Analysis was carried out by building recovery curves, and by comparing the oil recovery from the catalyzed process with that of catalyst-free processes. The study demonstrated that the oil recovered from the new technique had higher API gravity and lower viscosity, indicating the success of the in situ upgrading process.

Facies architecture of heterolithic tidal deposits : The Holocene Holland Tidal Basin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donselaar, M.E.; Geel, C.R.

2007-01-01

The size, shape and spatial position of lithofacies types (or facies architecture) in a tidal estuarine basin are complex and therefore difficult to model. The tidal currents in the basin concentrate sand-sized sediment in a branching pattern of tidal channels and fringing tidal flats. Away from the

Applying reaction condition index to predict sandstone type uranium deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Gongxin; Liu Jinhui; Cheng Hai

2002-01-01

On the basic of the explanation of reaction condition index, the deduction of reaction condition index calculation principle, the hydrogeological setting in Gongpoquan basin in Baishan, Gansu province and the study of reaction condition index of its water source point, the north Luotuoquan area in Gongpoquan basin seems to be a favourable place for sandstone type uranium deposit, and the prospect area for sandstone type uranium deposit is delimitated

Tracking the source of mineralisation in the Tampere Basin (southern Finland), insights from structure, sedimentology and geophysics studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moreau, Julien; Torvela, Taija; Kalliomäki, Henrik

2013-01-01

The ancient basins are of a wide interest to geoscientists as they archive the early development of plate tectonics, life, and ore-bearing systems. Several basins, especially those involving volcanic-derived materials, contain ore and mineral deposits. The formation of these ores is often related...... marginal basin, and the mechanics of and strain distribution during its subsequent closure. In order to investigate the deposition, the tectonic deformation and the fluid migration, geological mapping of a key area of the basin has been performed. In addition, georadar reflection profiles have been...... covered. This study highlighted several sulphide-rich horizon within the basal succession of the basin infill. The sulphides are either in relation with tectonic structures or with genuinely clay-rich deposits. The studied succession shows a progressive deepening of the basin through time with facies...

Evidence of synsedimentary microbial activity and iron deposition in ferruginous crusts of the Late Cenomanian Utrillas Formation (Iberian Basin, central Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

García-Hidalgo, José F.; Elorza, Javier; Gil-Gil, Javier; Herrero, José M.; Segura, Manuel

2018-02-01

Ferruginous sandstones and crusts are prominent sedimentary features throughout the continental (braided)-coastal siliciclastic (estuarine-tidal) wedges of the Late Cenomanian Utrillas Formation in the Iberian Basin. Crust types recognized are: Ferruginous sandy crusts (Fsc) with oxides-oxyhydroxides (hematite and goethite) concentrated on sandstone tops presenting a fibro-radial internal structure reminding organic structures that penetrate different mineral phases, suggesting the existence of bacterial activity in crust development; Ferruginous muddy crusts (Fmc) consisting of wavy, laminated, microbial mats, being composed mainly of hematite. On the other hand, a more dispersed and broader mineralization included as Ferruginous sandstones with iron oxides and oxyhydroxides (hematite and goethite) representing a limited cement phase on these sediments. The presence of microbial remains, ferruginous minerals, Microbially-induced sedimentary structures, microbial laminites and vertebrate tracks preserved due to the presence of biofilms suggest firstly a direct evidence of syn-depositional microbial activity in these sediments; and, secondly, that iron accumulation and ferruginous crusts development occurred immediately after deposition of the host, still soft sediments. Ferruginous crusts cap sedimentary cycles and they represent the gradual development of hard substrate conditions, and the development of a discontinuity surface at the top of the parasequence sets, related to very low sedimentary rates; the overlying sediments record subsequent flooding of underlying shallower environments; crusts are, consequently, interpreted as boundaries for these higher-order cycles in the Iberian Basin.

Nature of the Campano-Maastrichtian Sub-Basins in the Gongola ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The main structural features of the western part of Gongola Basin from E-W, are the N-S, NE-SW and NW-SE trending faults. These series of faults controll the basin subsidence and deposition of the Campano-Maastrichtian succession in the Dukku, Akko and Bashar sub-basins.The lateral and vertical facies variation within ...

Regional paleohydrologic and paleoclimatic settings of wetland/lacustrine depositional systems in the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic), Western Interior, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Dunagan, S.P.; Turner, C.E.

2004-01-01

During deposition of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, water that originated as precipitation in uplands to the west of the Western Interior depositional basin infiltrated regional aquifers that underlay the basin. This regional groundwater system delivered water into the otherwise dry continental interior basin where it discharged to form two major wetland/lacustrine successions. A freshwater carbonate wetland/lacustrine succession formed in the distal reaches of the basin, where regional groundwater discharged into the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which was a smaller structural basin within the more extensive Western Interior depositional basin. An alkaline-saline wetland/lacustrine complex (Lake T'oo'dichi') formed farther upstream, where shallower aquifers discharged into the San Juan/Paradox Basin, which was another small structural basin in the Western Interior depositional basin. These were both wetlands in the sense that groundwater was the major source of water. Input from surface and meteoric water was limited. In both basins, lacustrine conditions developed during episodes of increased input of surface water. Inclusion of wetlands in our interpretation of what had previously been considered largely lacustrine systems has important implications for paleohydrology and paleoclimatology. The distal carbonate wetland/lacustrine deposits are well developed in the Morrison Formation of east-central Colorado, occupying a stratigraphic interval that is equivalent to the "lower" Morrison but extends into the "upper" Morrison Formation. Sedimentologic, paleontologic, and isotopic evidence indicate that regional groundwater discharge maintained shallow, hydrologically open, well oxygenated, perennial carbonate wetlands and lakes despite the semi-arid climate. Wetland deposits include charophyte-rich wackestone and green mudstone. Lacustrine episodes, in which surface water input was significant, were times of carbonate and siliciclastic deposition in scarce deltaic

Evaluation of the Cerro Solo nuclear ore, province of Chubut. Geological characteristics of the deposit and of the basin. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benitez, A.F.; Fuente, A.; Maloberti, A.; Landi, V.A.; Bianchi, R.E.; Marveggio de Bianchi, N.; Gayone, M.R.

1993-01-01

The Cerro Solo uranium ore deposit, is located 420 km west from Trelew city, Chubut province, in the extra-andean. The geologic environment belongs to the northwest edge portion of the intracratonic San Jorge Gulf Basin. The uraniferous district is named Pichinanes Ridge district. The mineralization lies 25 to 130 m depth, and is hosted by Los Adobes formation aged Aptian-Albian, made up by conglomerates, sandstones, coarse-sandstones and less abundant siltstones and claystones. The Cerro Solo ore deposit that belongs to the sandstone type-uranium occurrences are lenticular or tabular shaped, associated with organic material and pyrite, generally roughly parallel to the bedding (Trend-Type). The uranium minerals are uraninite and coffinite associated with organic material and pyrite, and frequently hematite, goethite, calcite, siderite and barite are observed. (Author)

Recent exploration progresses on sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in north-western China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Z.

2014-01-01

The metallogenic target selection using multiple exploration techniques and drilling program for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits have been intensively carried out for recent years, and big progresses on new discoveries of uranium reserve/resource have been made in the Mesozoic sedimentary basins such as in Yili, Ordos etc. in North-western China The Yili basin is a depression one within the Tianshan Mountain belt in the western part of China. Its basement is composed of Proterozoic-Paleozoic metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and covers of Mesozoic sediments. The early-middle Jurassic Shuixigou Group is major uranium-productive beds which are composed of three Formations such as Badaowan, Sangonghe, Xisanyao and eight sedimentary cycles. Uranium deposits are found in the south margin of the Basin and controlled by the redox zone. The combined exploration techniques of detailed sedimentary facies study, Rn-survey, high-precision magnetic and soil geochemical and seismic surveys have been successfully used to have locate the potential targets and mineralization zones. The enlargement of uranium reserve/resources in the known deposits and new resources in the selected new targets and cycles have been achieved through further drilling programs. The Ordos basin is a large Meso-Cenozoic basin developed in North China Platform, with its size of approximately 250,000 km"2 and is well known as an important “energy resources basin” because of abundance of coal, oil and gas deposits. The Dongsheng sandstone type uranium deposit is a large one discovered in recent years in northeastern Ordos basin. It is a special kind of sandstone type uranium deposit, different from other ordinary sandstone type deposits because of its unique signatures. It is generally controlled by a transitional zone between greenish and grayish sandstones, both of those two kinds of sandstones now indicate reduced geochemical environments. The greenish color of the paleooxidized sandstones mainly

A preliminary analysis and assessment of hydrogeological conditions for in-situ leach mining of sandstone-type uranium deposit in northern Ordos basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Fazheng; Zhao Jinfeng; Chang Baocheng; Gao Junyi

2006-01-01

A systematic analysis and assessment on hydrogeologic condition, the lithology and hydrogeologic structure of ore-hosting aquitfers, hydrodynamic condition, hydrochemical characteristics at a sandstone-type uranium deposit in northern Ordos basin is made in this paper. It has been concluded, that hydrogeologic condition in the study area is favorable, meeting the requirements for in-situ leach mining of the deposit. Aimed at the low artesian pressure head and low water output and based on the results of pumping-injection tests which led to the significant increase of water output, a technical scheme of pressured water injection has been proposed to artificially raise the artesian pressure head and increase the output of groundwater to satisfy the requirements of in-situ leach mining. (authors)

Large landslides, composed of megabreccia, interbedded in Miocene basin deposits, southeastern Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Krieger, Medora Louise Hooper

1977-01-01

The landslides in the Kearny and El Capitan Mountain quadrangles, Pinal and Gila Counties, Ariz., are tabular or lens like masses of megabreccia enclosed in Miocene basin deposits. The megabreccias within individual slide blocks are composed of pervasively brecciated Precambrian and younger formations that remain in normal stratigraphic sequence, indicating that each landslide moved as a fairly coherent mass. The megabreccias consist of fresh, mostly angular rock fragments in a comminuted matrix of the same composition as the fragments. The matrix ranges in amount from sparse to abundant. Where the matrix is sparse, the fragments fit tightly with little or no rotation. Locally fragments are rotated but not moved far; most units within a slide block are lithologically homogeneous. The Kearny landslides are conformably interbedded in steeply east-dipping playa and alluvial deposits. They form map units from a few tens of meters to nearly 4 km long and from less than 1 to 270 m wide. Narrow ridges expose sections through the landslides at about right angles to the direction of movement. The upper (proximal) ends have been eroded; the lower (distal) ends are buried. The El Capitan landslide dips very gently southward. Although partly dissected during erosion of the enclosing alluvial and lakebed deposits, its approximate original outline is still preserved. It forms a thin sheet, 5-15 m thick and at least 3.8 km long; the maximum outcrop width, near its distal end, is about 1.5 km. The Kearny landslides show little evidence of having exerted differential pressure on the underlying soft playa and alluvial deposits, and the contacts with the underlying sediments have little relief. The distal end of the El Capitan landslide, on the other hand, has considerable relief. As the landslide came to an abrupt stop, the end plowed into the underlying sediments, compressing them into fol9.s and forming sandstone dikes. The source of the El Capitan landslide is a well

Sedimentary deposition and reflux of phosphorus (P in the Eastern Gotland Basin and their coupling with P concentrations in the water column

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sven Hille

2005-12-01

Full Text Available In order to describe the role of sedimentary processes for the phosphorus (P cycle in the open Baltic Proper, P deposition and reflux were quantified for the predominately anoxic sediments of the Eastern Gotland Basin. The study is based on investigations of 53 surface sediment samples and pore water samples from 8 sediment cores. The average P deposition rate was estimated at 0.20 g ± 0.18 g -2 yr-1, the fluctuation being due to variable bulk sediment deposition rates. P refluxes were estimated by applying Fick's First Law of Diffusion. A fairly good positive correlation between sedimentary P deposition and P release was obtained. P release from sediments by diffusion exceeds net P deposition by a factor of 2. This suggests that 2/3 of the deposited gross P is recycled in the sediments and released back into the water column; only 1/3 remains in the sediment permanently. A budget calculation demonstrates that the released dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP accounts for the observed increase in DIP concentrations in the deep water during periods of stagnation, which is noticeable even at the surface P concentrations. Under such conditions and with the present remediation conditions it is not possible to freely manage P concentrations in the water column on short time scales.

Estimation of vanadium water quality benchmarks for the protection of aquatic life with relevance to the Athabasca Oil Sands region using species sensitivity distributions.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiffer, Stephanie; Liber, Karsten

2017-11-01

Elevated vanadium (V) concentrations in oil sands coke, which is produced and stored on site of some major Athabasca Oil Sands companies, could pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems in northern Alberta, Canada, depending on its future storage and utilization. In the present study, V toxicity was determined in reconstituted Athabasca River water to various freshwater organisms, including 2 midge species (Chironomus dilutus and Chironomus riparius; 4-d and 30-d to 40-d exposures) and 2 freshwater fish species (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Pimephales promelas; 4-d and 28-d exposures) to facilitate estimation of water quality benchmarks. The acute toxicity of V was 52.0 and 63.2 mg/L for C. dilutus and C. riparius, respectively, and 4.0 and 14.8 mg V/L for P. promelas and O. mykiss, respectively. Vanadium exposure significantly impaired adult emergence of C. dilutus and C. riparius at concentrations ≥16.7 (31.6% reduction) and 8.3 (18.0% reduction) mg/L, respectively. Chronic toxicity in fish presented as lethality, with chronic 28-d LC50s of 0.5 and 4.3 mg/L for P. promelas and O. mykiss, respectively. These data were combined with data from the peer-reviewed literature, and separate acute and chronic species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were constructed. The acute and chronic hazardous concentrations endangering only 5% of species (HC5) were estimated as 0.64 and 0.05 mg V/L, respectively. These new data for V toxicity to aquatic organisms ensure that there are now adequate data available for regulatory agencies to develop appropriate water quality guidelines for use in the Athabasca Oil Sands region and elsewhere. Until then, the HC5 values presented in the present study could serve as interim benchmarks for the protection of aquatic life from exposure to hazardous levels of V in local aquatic environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3034-3044. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

The relationship between uranium distribution and some major crustal features in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darnley, A.G.

1982-01-01

The availability of reconnaissance scale geochemical maps for large areas of Canada enables spatial associations between major crustal structures and surface uranium content to be identified. Maps of the distribution of uranium for an area greater than 2 million km 2 compiled from airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data are supplemented by maps for uranium, based on stream and lake sediment and some bore hole sampling. These are examined in relation to gravity, aeromagnetic and geological maps. The radioelement distribution can be related in detail to exposed bedrock and surface geology, but in addition there is evidence of the control of uranium distribution by major structural features which are marked by granitoids containing elevated levels of radioelements; several of these granitoids are associated with large negative Bouguer gravity anomalies. The distribution of such granitoids appears to be related to 'megashears', as in the case of the South Mountain batholith in Nova Scotia, or zones of tension. A belt of uranium enrichment, the Athabasca axis which is characterized by uraniferous granitoids with negative Bouguer gravity anomalies and associated tension faulting extends 2500 km northeastward from Edmonton, Alberta to the Melville Peninsula. This structure passes under the Athabasca basin which contains many large uranium deposits. (author)

Oklo natural fission reactor program. Progress report, April 1-August 31, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curtis, D.B.

1980-12-01

An interim report has been published on the redistribution of uranium, thorium, and lead in samples representing several million cubic meters of sandstone and metamorphosed sediments in the Athabasca Basin which is located in the northwest corner of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The region of study includes zones of uranium mineralization at Key Lake. Mineralization occurs at the unconformity between the Athabasca sandstone and the underlying metasediments and in fault zones within the metasediments. Lead isotopes record a radiometric age of 1300 +- 150 m.y. in samples from above and below the unconformity. This age probably reflects the time of deposition of the sandstones and an associated redistribution of uranium and/or lead in the underlying rocks. Many of the samples have been fractionated with respect to radiogenic lead and the actinide parent elements since that time. Sandstones and altered rocks from the region above the unconformity have been a transport path and are a repository for lead. In contrast, mineralized rocks are deficient in radiogenic lead and must be an important source of lead in the local geologic environment. Samples from Oklo reactor zone 9 and nearby host rocks have been prepared for isotopic analyses of ruthenium, molybdenum, uranium and lead

Geochemistry of the Late Paleozoic cherts in the Youjiang Basin: Implications for the basin evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huang Hu

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the major and rare earth element compositions of siliceous deposits from the Upper Devonian Liujiang Formation, Lower Carboniferous Luzhai Formation, Lower–Middle Permian Sidazhai Formation and Tapi Formation, which are widely distributed as bedded cherts in the interplatform basinal successions of the Youjiang Basin. The Liujiang Formation and Luzhai Formation cherts generally have high Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.38–0.94 and are non-hydrothermal cherts. These cherts are generally characterized by moderately negative Ce anomalies and high Y/Ho values relatived to PAAS, indicating that the Youjiang Basin might have evolved into an open rift basin during the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Ziyun generally have high Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.60–0.78, suggesting negligible contribution from a hydrothermal component. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Hechi and the Tapi Formation cherts from Malipo generally have low Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.09–0.41, indicating an intense hydrothermal input. Relatived to the Sidazhai Formation cherts, the Tapi Formation cherts have higher Ce/Ce* values (0.68±0.19 and lower Y/Ho values (41.83±13.27, which may be affected by the terrigenous input from the Vietnam Block. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Ziyun and Hechi exhibit negative Ce anomalies (0.43±0.12, 0.33±0.17, respectively with high Y/Ho values (57.44±16.20, 46.02±4.27, respectively, resembling the geochemical characteristics of open-ocean basin cherts. These cherts were deposited on a passive continental margin adjacent to the Babu branch ocean, which may have contributed to upwelling. Detailed spatial studies on geochemical characteristics of the Late Paleozoic cherts can unravel the evolution of the Youjiang Basin.

Stratigraphic Evolution of Brazos-Trinity Basin IV, Western Gulf of Mexico: Preliminary Results of IODP Expedition 308

Science.gov (United States)

Pirmez, C.; Behrmann, J.; Flemings, P. B.; John, C.

2005-12-01

IODP Expedition 308 drilled three sites across Brazos-Trinity Basin IV, at the terminal end of a system of four salt-withdrawal intra-slope basins offshore Texas. A 175 m thick succession of sand-rich turbidite fans, mass-transport deposits and hemipelagic sediments was deposited within the last ~120 ka in Basin IV, as recorded at Site U1320. Pre-fan deposits dating back to MIS 6 form a conformable succession of laminated and bioturbated clays, deposited from distal turbidity currents and/or river plumes. The pre-fan succession is capped by a hemipelagic clay interpreted to represent the high stand of sea level during MIS 5e. The basal turbidite deposits in the basin are mud-rich, with the exception of the very first turbidity currents to enter the basin. This initial pulse, possibly derived from failure of older shelf edge deposits, accumulated an ~8 m thick sand-rich interval. A pause in turbidity current influx lasted 30 to 40 kyrs, beginning a few thousand years before ash layer Y8 dated at 84 ka and the Emiliana huxleyi acme. During MIS 3 to MIS 2 sand-rich fans containing 5-25 m thick packets of very fine to lower medium sand beds accumulated up to 130 m of sediments. A 2-3 m thick microfossil-rich clay marks the end of turbidity current influx into the basin during the Holocene. The sedimentary record of Brazos-Trinity Basin IV shows that the accumulation of turbidites in the terminal end of this source to sink depositional system reflects a complex interaction between the availability of material and the initiation of flows at the source near the shelf edge, the interaction of turbidity currents with complex slope topography, and the effects of salt tectonics and flow processes on modifying this topography. The initial results indicate that sealevel changes alone cannot explain the sedimentation patterns observed in the basin.

Designing an Interactive OER Course Development at Athabasca University Based on ODL Principles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongxin Yan

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Failure rates in first year calculus courses are high in most post-secondary institutions across North America and other parts of the world. This Inukshuk-funded open education project involved the development of five stand-alone pre-calculus learning modules. The design and revision phases of this project occurred between the fall of 2007 and late spring of 2009. These modules were designed to support learners enrolled in first year calculus by providing just-in-time instruction in five areas: algebraic operations, factorization, polynomials and rational expressions, radical expressions, linear and quadratic equations. One of the major challenges of the project was developing dynamic activities that could support the display of a variety of mathematical formulas. To this end an open source Flash-based authoring tool was developed called the Athabasca University Tutor Authoring Tool (AUTAT. This paper explores the design and development of the AUTAT based on the needs assessment and design principles discussed.

The Athabasca Granulite Terrane and Evidence for Dynamic Behavior of Lower Continental Crust

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Dumond, Gregory; Williams, Michael L.; Regan, Sean P.

2018-05-01

Deeply exhumed granulite terranes have long been considered nonrepresentative of lower continental crust largely because their bulk compositions do not match the lower crustal xenolith record. A paradigm shift in our understanding of deep crust has since occurred with new evidence for a more felsic and compositionally heterogeneous lower crust than previously recognized. The >20,000-km2 Athabasca granulite terrane locally provides a >700-Myr-old window into this type of lower crust, prior to being exhumed and uplifted to the surface between 1.9 and 1.7 Ga. We review over 20 years of research on this terrane with an emphasis on what these findings may tell us about the origin and behavior of lower continental crust, in general, in addition to placing constraints on the tectonic evolution of the western Canadian Shield between 2.6 and 1.7 Ga. The results reveal a dynamic lower continental crust that evolved compositionally and rheologically with time.

Hydrate-bearing Submarine Landslides in the Orca Basin, Gulf of Mexico

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Sawyer, D.; Mason, A.; Cook, A.; Portnov, A.; Hillman, J.

2017-12-01

The co-occurrence of submarine landslides and hydrate-bearing sediment suggests that hydrates may play a role in landslide triggering and/or the mobility and dynamic characteristics of the submarine landslide. In turn, the removal of large sections of seafloor perturbs the hydrate stability field by removing overburden pressure and disturbing the temperature field. These potential hydrate-landslide feedbacks are not well understood. Here we combine three-dimensional seismic and petrophysical logs to characterize the deposits of submarine landslides that failed from hydrate-bearing sediments in the Orca Basin in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The Orca Basin contains a regionally mappable bottom simulating reflector, hydrate saturations within sands and muds, as well as numerous landslides. In addition, the Orca Basin features a well-known 123 km2 anoxic hypersaline brine pool that is actively being fed by outcropping salt. Lying at the bottom of the brine pool are deposits of submarine landslides. Slope instability in the Orca Basin is likely associated with near-seafloor salt tectonics. The most prominent landslide scar observable on the seafloor has a correlative deposit that now lies at the bottom of the brine pool 11.6 km away. The headwall is amphitheater-shaped with an average height of 80 meters and with only a minor amount of rubble remaining near the headwall. A total of 8.7 km3 of material was removed and deposited between the lower slopes of the basin and the base of the brine pool. Around the perimeter of the landslide headwall, two industry wells were drilled and well logs show elevated resistivity that are likely caused by gas hydrate. The slide deposits have a chaotic seismic facies with large entrained blocks and the headwall area does not retain much original material, which together suggests a relatively mobile style of landslide and therefore may have generated a wave upon impacting the brine pool. Such a slide-induced wave may have sloshed

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen to the Baltic Sea in the period 1995–2006

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J. Bartnicki

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The EMEP/MSC-W model has been used to compute atmospheric nitrogen deposition into the Baltic Sea basin for the period of 12 yr: 1995–2006. The level of annual total nitrogen deposition into the Baltic Sea basin has changed from 230 Gg N in 1995 to 199 Gg N in 2006, decreasing 13 %. This value corresponds well with the total nitrogen emission reduction (11 % in the HELCOM Contracting Parties. However, inter-annual variability of nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea basin is relatively large, ranging from −13 % to +17 % of the averaged value. It is mainly caused by the changing meteorological conditions and especially precipitation in the considered period. The calculated monthly deposition pattern is similar for most of the years showing maxima in the autumn months October and November. The source allocation budget for atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea basin was calculated for each year of the period 1997–2006. The main emission sources contributing to total nitrogen deposition are: Germany 18–22 %, Poland 11–13 % and Denmark 8–11 %. There is also a significant contribution from distant sources like the United Kingdom 6–9 %, as well as from the international ship traffic on the Baltic Sea 4–5 %.

Geological principles of exploration for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Roux, J.P.

1982-10-01

Although the importance of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits has seemingly faded in recent years due to the discovery of large, high -grade deposits elsewhere, a forecasted energy shortage in the near future will probably necessitate a new look at sedimentary basins as a source of uranium. Back-arc basins adjacent to calcalkaline source areas are especially favourable if they are filled with fluvial, post-Devonian sediments. Syn- and post-depositional tectonics play an important role in the sedimentation-mineralisation process and should be investigated. The oxidation-reduction state of the sandstones is a valid prospecting tool. Sedimentological environments govern the permeability and vegetal matter content of sandstones and directly control uranium mineralisation

Palynostratigraphy, palynofacies and depositional environment of a lignite-bearing succession at Surkha Mine, Cambay Basin, north-western India

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Monga Priyanka

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper reports palynology and palynofacies studies of lignite-bearing sediments exposed in an opencast mine succession at Surkha, Bhavnagar District, in the coastal region of Gujarat, India. The study examined the relationships between the palynoflora, sedimentary organic matter and environment at the time of deposition of lignite and associated sediments. Based on dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy, the sedimentary succession is dated as early Eocene (Ypresian. Palynofacies studies helped reveal the palaeoenvironmental fluctuations. The dominance of angiosperm pollen grains, freshwater algae, microthyraceous fungi and a large share of land debris in the lower part of the succession suggests a freshwater swamp environment of deposition for the basal lignite facies. Two cenozones - Matanomadiasulcites maximus and Lakiapollis ovatus - were identified in the lower lignite facies, determined from the dominance of these pollen grains in the palynological assemblages. The presence of angiosperm pollen grains and pteridophyte spores in the carbonaceous shale horizon above the lignite facies indicates a change in the depositional regime from freshwater swamp to lagoonal. This was identified as the Arecipites wodehousei cenozone due to its numerical abundance in the assemblage. Dinoflagellate cyst abundance and diversity, and microforaminiferal test linings along with well-sorted terrestrial debris in the mudstone in the upper part of the succession suggest a more open marine estuarine type of depositional environment. The Homotryblium complex along with Cordospheridium fibrospinosum, Kenleyia sp., and Thalassiphora pelagica dinoflagellate cysts are the main representatives of this zone, determined as the Homotryblium tenuispinosum cenozone. The changing depositional settings (freshwater swamp-lagoonal-estuarine along the vertical succession indicate a marine transgression in this region. Results from palynological studies of early Palaeogene

Extensional Tectonic Regime of Garut Basin based on Magnetotelluric Analysis

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Lina Handayani

2014-07-01

Full Text Available DOI: 10.17014/ijog.v8i3.162Garut Basin are is part of Bandung-Garut Greater Basin (Bandung Zone characterized by a large basin surrounded by mountain ranges. Active volcanoes had distributed their material as pyroclastic deposits around the outer border of the zone and as lava flow deposit separating the two basins. Bouguer gravity anomaly data had also indicated the presence of several low anomaly closures at about the area of Bandung and Garut Basins that were surrounded by high gravity anomaly zones. Two magnetotelluric surveys were completed to acquire the subsurface model that might explain the tectonic evolution of studied area. The first stage was characterized sby the presence of horst - graben structures that might imply an extensional regime of the area. The next stage of evolutionwas indicated by the horizontal layering correlated to the relative non-active tectonic. In addition, a most recent structure that appeared near the surface might suggest a possible extension force as the current stage.

Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of the eastern and central Alaska Range: Progressive basin development and deformation in a suture zone

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Ridgway, K.D.; Trop, J.M.; Nokleberg, W.J.; Davidson, C.M.; Eastham, K.R.

2002-01-01

Analysis of late Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary basins, metamorphic rocks, and major faults in the eastern and central Alaska Range documents the progressive development of a suture zone that formed as a result of collision of an island-arc assemblage (the Wrangellia composite terrane) with the former North American continental margin. New basin-analysis, structural, and geochronologic data indicate the following stages in the development of the suture zone: (1) Deposition of 3-5 km of Upper Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous marine strata (the Kahiltna assemblage) recorded the initial collision of the island-arc assemblage with the continental margin. The Kahiltna assemblage exposed in the northern Talkeetna Mountains represents a Kimmeridgian-Valanginian backarc basin that was filled by northwestward-flowing submarine-fan systems that were transporting sediment derived from Mesozoic strata of the island-arc assemblage. The Kahiltna assemblage exposed in the southern Alaska Range represents a Valanginian-Cenomanian remnant ocean basin filled by west-southwestward-flowing submarine-fan systems that were transporting sediment derived from Paleozoic continental-margin strata uplifted in the along-strike suture zone. A belt of retrograde metamorphism and a regional anticlinorium developed along the continental margin from 115 to 106 Ma, roughly coeval with the end of widespread deposition in the Kahiltna sedimentary basins. (2) Metamorphism of submarine-fan deposits of the Kahiltna basin, located near the leading edge of the island-arc assemblage, occurred at ca. 74 Ma, as determined from a new U-Pb zircon age for a synkinematic sill. Coeval with metamorphism of deposits of the Kahiltna basin in the southern part of the suture zone was development of a thrust-top basin, the Cantwell basin, in the northern part of the suture zone. Geologic mapping and compositional data suggest that the 4 km of Upper Cretaceous nonmarine and marginal marine sedimentary strata in this basin

Tectonically controlled sedimentation: impact on sediment supply and basin evolution of the Kashafrud Formation (Middle Jurassic, Kopeh-Dagh Basin, northeast Iran)

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Sardar Abadi, Mehrdad; Da Silva, Anne-Christine; Amini, Abdolhossein; Aliabadi, Ali Akbar; Boulvain, Frédéric; Sardar Abadi, Mohammad Hossein

2014-11-01

The Kashafrud Formation was deposited in the extensional Kopeh-Dagh Basin during the Late Bajocian to Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) and is potentially the most important siliciclastic unit from NE Iran for petroleum geology. This extensional setting allowed the accumulation of about 1,700 m of siliciclastic sediments during a limited period of time (Upper Bajocian-Bathonian). Here, we present a detailed facies analysis combined with magnetic susceptibility (MS) results focusing on the exceptional record of the Pol-e-Gazi section in the southeastern part of the basin. MS is classically interpreted as related to the amount of detrital input. The amount of these detrital inputs and then the MS being classically influenced by sea-level changes, climate changes and tectonic activity. Facies analysis reveals that the studied rocks were deposited in shallow marine, slope to pro-delta settings. A major transgressive-regressive cycle is recorded in this formation, including fluvial-dominated delta to turbiditic pro-delta settings (transgressive phase), followed by siliciclastic to mixed siliciclastic and carbonate shoreface rocks (regressive phase). During the transgressive phase, hyperpycnal currents were feeding the basin. These hyperpycnal currents are interpreted as related to important tectonic variations, in relation to significant uplift of the hinterland during opening of the basin. This tectonic activity was responsible for stronger erosion, providing a higher amount of siliciclastic input into the basin, leading to a high MS signal. During the regressive phase, the tectonic activity strongly decreased. Furthermore, the depositional setting changed to a wave- to tide-dominated, mixed carbonate-siliciclastic setting. Because of the absence of strong tectonic variations, bulk MS was controlled by other factors such as sea-level and climatic changes. Fluctuations in carbonate production, possibly related to sea-level variations, influenced the MS of the siliciclastic

Palynology of Lower Palaeogene (Thanetian-Ypresian) coastal deposits from the Barmer Basin (Akli Formation, Western Rajasthan, India): palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tripathi, S.K.M.; Kumar, M.; Srivastava, D. [Birbal Sahni Instititue of Paleobotany, Lucknow (India)

2009-03-15

The 32-m thick sedimentary succession of the Paleocene-Eocene Akli Formation (Barmer basin, Rajasthan, India), which is exposed in an open-cast lignite mine, interbed several lignite seams that alternate with fossiliferous carbonaceous clays, green clays and widespread siderite bands and chert nodules. The palynofloral assemblages consist of spore, pollen and marine dinoflagellate cysts that indicate a Thanetian to Ypresian age. The assemblage is dominated by angiospermic pollen and specimens showing affinity with the mangrove Palm Nypa are also very abundant. The Nypa-like pollen specimens exhibit a wide range of morphological variation, some of the recorded morphotypes being restricted to this Indian basin. Preponderance of these pollen taxa indicates that the sediments were deposited in a coastal swamp surrounded by thick, Nypa-dominated mangrove vegetation. The dispersed organic matter separated from macerated residues indicates the dominance of anoxic conditions throughout the succession, although a gradual transition to oxic conditions is recorded in the upper part.

The advance of Kos Plateau Tuff ignimbrite into the marine realm of the Kalymnos Basin, SE Aegean Sea.

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Markakis, Emmanouil; Anastasakis, George

2013-04-01

The 161 ka Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT) eruption is considered to be the largest explosive Quaternary event in the eastern Mediterranean. It produced pumice rafts followed by "non-welded ignimbrites" that are up to 30m thick, especially widespread on Kos island and covering an area of > 80 Km2 that includes mainly islands and present marine regions. Pyroclastic flows travelled from the proposed vent, that lies between and around Yali and Nisyros islands, across present land and sea, the total volume of the tuff has been estimated as at least 100km3. KPT products principally consist of rhyolitic ash and pumice. Post 2010 Athens University oceanographic missions have mapped the seafloor around the volcanic islands of the SE Aegean Sea. Here we present new data on seafloor morphology and Upper Quaternary seafloor stratigraphy of the Kalymnos basin that extends over an area over 70km2 and map the advance and deposition of the KPT that was previously unknown in this region. The Kalymnos basin is roughly triangular in shape and essentially consists of two sedimentation depocenters: a) a roughly elliptical 400 m deep northern segment that is developed sub-parallel to Kalymnos Island and its W-SW shelf; b) a rather physiographically complex western sector developed NE of Astipalea island and reaching depths of over 620m. High resolution sparker profiles from the west Kos-Kalymnos shelf reveal an outstanding seismic stratigraphy of stacked and prograded coastal clinoform packets capped by erosional transgressive surfaces that record Quaternary eustatic lowstands deposits of sea level with clinoforms developing during forced regression and the erosional surfaces during transgression. We show that a massive gravity flow deposit is intercalated with the shelf sediments. Above it low sea level MIS 6 and 2 sedimentary sequences are fully developed and below stage 8-10 sediments are erratically preserved over stages 12 and 16 sediments. This gravity flow deposit swept across the shelf

Sequence stratigraphy, sedimentary systems and petroleum plays in a low-accommodation basin: Middle to upper members of the Lower Jurassic Sangonghe Formation, Central Junggar Basin, Northwestern China

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Feng, Youliang; Jiang, Shu; Wang, Chunfang

2015-06-01

The Lower Jurassic Junggar Basin is a low-accommodation basin in northwestern China. Because of low subsidence rates and a warm, wet climate, deposits of the Central subbasin of the Junggar Basin formed from fluvial, deltaic, shallow lake facies. Sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary systems of the Lower Jurassic members of the Sangonghe Formation (J1s) were evaluated by observing cores, interpreting wireline logs and examining seismic profiles. Two third-order sequences were recognized in the strata. The distribution of the sedimentary systems in the systems tracts shows that tectonic movement, paleorelief, paleoclimate and changes in lake level controlled the architecture of individual sequences. During the development of the lowstand systems tract (LST), the intense structural movement of the basin resulted in a significant fall in the water level in the lake, accompanied by rapid accommodation decrease. Braided rivers and their deltaic systems were also developed in the Central Junggar Basin. Sediments carried by braided rivers were deposited on upward slopes of the paleorelief, and braid-delta fronts were deposited on downward slopes. During the transgressive systems tract (TST), the tectonic movement of the basin was quiescent and the climate was warm and humid. Lake levels rose and accommodation increased quickly, shoal lines moved landward, and shore- to shallow-lake deposits, sublacustrine fans and deep-lake facies were deposited in shallow- to deep-lake environments. During the highstand systems tract (HST), the accommodation no longer increased but sediment supply continued, far exceeding accommodation. HST deposits slowly formed in shallow-lake to meandering river delta-front environments. Relatively low rates of structural subsidence and low accommodation resulted in coarse-grained successions that were fining upward. Deposits were controlled by structural movement and paleorelief within the LST to TST deposits in the Central subbasin. Fine- to medium

Basin geodynamics and sequence stratigraphy of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic deposits of Southern Tunisia

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Carpentier, Cédric; Hadouth, Suhail; Bouaziz, Samir; Lathuilière, Bernard; Rubino, Jean-Loup

2016-05-01

Aims of this paper are to propose a geodynamic and sequential framework for the late Triassic and early Jurassic of and south Tunisia and to evidence the impact of local tectonics on the stratigraphic architecture. Facies of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic of Southern Tunisia have been interpreted in terms of depositional environments. A sequential framework and correlation schemes are proposed for outcrops and subsurface transects. Nineteen middle frequency sequences inserted in three and a half low frequency transgression/regression cycles were evidenced. Despite some datation uncertainties and the unknown durations of Lower Jurassic cycles, middle frequency sequences appear to be controlled by eustasy. In contrast the tectonics acted as an important control on low frequency cycles. The Carnian flooding was certainly favored by the last stages of a rifting episode which started during the Permian. The regression accompanied by the formation of stacked angular unconformities and the deposition of lowstand deposits during the late Carnian and Norian occured during the uplift and tilting of the northern basin margins. The transpressional activity of the Jeffara fault system generated the uplift of the Tebaga of Medenine high from the late Carnian and led to the Rhaetian regional angular Sidi Stout Unconformity. Facies analysis and well-log correlations permitted to evidence that Rhaetian to Lower Jurassic Messaoudi dolomites correspond to brecciated dolomites present on the Sidi Stout unconformity in the North Dahar area. The Early-cimmerian compressional event is a possible origin for the global uplift of the northern African margin and Western Europe during the late Carnian and the Norian. During the Rhaetian and the early Jurassic a new episode of normal faulting occured during the third low frequency flooding. This tectonosedimentary evolution ranges within the general geodynamic framework of the north Gondwana margin controlled by the opening of both

Carbon dynamics, food web structure and reclamation strategies in Athabasca oil sands wetlands (CRFAW)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciborowski, J.; Dixon, G.; Foote, L.; Liber, K.; Smits, J.

2010-01-01

This abstract provided details of the Carbon Dynamics, Food Web Structure and Reclamation Strategies in Athabasca Oil Sands Wetlands (CFRAW) program, a collaboration between oil sands industry partners and university laboratories. CFRAW researchers are investigating the effects of mine tailings and process waters on the development, health, and function of wetland communities in post-mining landscapes. The aim of the program is to accurately predict how quickly the reclaimed wetlands will approach conditions seen in reference wetland systems. The program is also examining the effects of hydrocarbons as a surrogate source of carbon after they are metabolized by bacteria. The biological uptake, pathways, and movement through the food web of materials used by the biota in constructed wetlands are also being studied. Flux estimates will be used to determine if wetlands amended with peat will maintain their productivity. A conceptual model of carbon pathways and budgets is also being developed.

Exotic clasts, debris flow deposits and their significance for reconstruction of the Istebna Formation (Late Cretaceous - Paleocene, Silesian Basin, Outer Carpathians)

Science.gov (United States)

Strzeboński, Piotr; Kowal-Kasprzyk, Justyna; Olszewska, Barbara

2017-08-01

The different types of calcareous exotic clasts (fragments of pre-existing rocks), embedded in the Paleocene siliciclastic deposits of the Istebna Formation from the Beskid Mały Mountains (Silesian Unit, Western Outer Carpathians), were studied and differentiated through microfacies-biostratigraphical analysis. Calcareous exotics of the Oxfordian- Kimmeridgian age prevail, representing a type of sedimentation comparable to that one documented for the northern Tethyan margin. The Tithonian exotic clasts (Štramberk-type limestones), which are much less common, were formed on a carbonate platform and related slope. The sedimentary paleotransport directions indicate the Silesian Ridge as a main source area for all exotics, which were emplaced in the depositional setting of the flysch deposits. The exotics constitute a relatively rare local component of some debrites. Proceedings of the sedimentological facies analysis indicate that these mass transport deposits were accumulated en-masse by debris flows in a deep-water depositional system in the form of a slope apron. Exotics prove that clasts of the crystalline basement and, less common, fragments of the sedimentary cover, originated from long-lasting tectonic activity and intense uplift of the source area. Mass transport processes and mass accumulation of significant amounts of the coarse-grained detrital material in the south facial zone of the Silesian Basin during the Early Paleogene was due to reactivation of the Silesian Ridge and its increased denudation. Relative regression and erosion of the emerged older flysch deposits were also forced by this uplift. These processes were connected with the renewed diastrophic activity in the Alpine Tethys.

Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Pelotas Basin

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Zerfass, Geise de Santana dos Anjos, E-mail: geise.zerfass@petrobras.com.br [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS/CENPES/PDGEO/BPA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Americo Miguez de Mello; Chemale Junior, Farid, E-mail: fchemale@unb.br [Universidade de Brasilia (UnB), DF (Brazil). Instituto de Geociencias; Moura, Candido Augusto Veloso, E-mail: candido@ufpa.br [Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA), Belem, PA (Brazil). Centro de Geociencias. Dept. de Geoquimica e Petrologia; Costa, Karen Badaraco, E-mail: karen.costa@usp.br [Instituto Oceanografico, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Kawashita, Koji, E-mail: koji@usp.br [Unversidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas Geocronologicas

2014-07-01

Strontium isotope data were obtained from foraminifera shells of the Pelotas Basin Tertiary deposits to facilitate the refinement of the chronostratigraphic framework of this section. This represents the first approach to the acquisition of numerical ages for these strata. Strontium isotope stratigraphy allowed the identification of eight depositional hiatuses in the Eocene-Pliocene section, here classified as disconformities and a condensed section. The reconnaissance of depositional gaps based on confident age assignments represents an important advance considering the remarkably low chronostratigraphic resolution in the Cenozoic section of the Pelotas Basin. The recognition of hiatuses that match hiatuses is based on biostratigraphic data, as well as on global events. Furthermore, a substantial increase in the sedimentation rate of the upper Miocene section was identified. Paleotemperature and productivity trends were identified based on oxygen and carbon isotope data from the Oligocene-Miocene section, which are coherent with worldwide events, indicating the environmental conditions during sedimentation. (author)

Proximal Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact deposits in the Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, Alan R.; Boynton, Willam V.

1990-01-01

Trace element, isotopic, and mineralogic studies indicate that the proposed impact at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary occurred in an ocean basin, although a minor component of continental material is required. The size and abundance of shocked minerals and the restricted geographic occurrence of the ejecta layer and impact-wave deposits suggest an impact between the Americas. Coarse boundary sediments at sites 151 and 153 in the Colombian Basin and 5- to 450-meter-thick boundary sediments in Cuba may be deposits of a giant wave produced by a nearby oceanic impact.

Constraining the physical properties of Titan's empty lake basins using nadir and off-nadir Cassini RADAR backscatter

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelides, R. J.; Hayes, A. G.; Mastrogiuseppe, M.; Zebker, H. A.; Farr, T. G.; Malaska, M. J.; Poggiali, V.; Mullen, J. P.

2016-05-01

We use repeat synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations and complementary altimetry passes acquired by the Cassini spacecraft to study the scattering properties of Titan's empty lake basins. The best-fit coefficients from fitting SAR data to a quasi-specular plus diffuse backscatter model suggest that the bright basin floors have a higher dielectric constant, but similar facet-scale rms surface facet slopes, to surrounding terrain. Waveform analysis of altimetry returns reveals that nadir backscatter returns from basin floors are greater than nadir backscatter returns from basin surroundings and have narrower pulse widths. This suggests that floor deposits are structurally distinct from their surroundings, consistent with the interpretation that some of these basins may be filled with evaporitic and/or sedimentary deposits. Basin floor deposits also express a larger diffuse component to their backscatter, which is likely due to variations in subsurface structure or an increase in roughness at the wavelength scale (Hayes, A.G. et al. [2008]. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, 9). We generate a high-resolution altimetry radargram of the T30 altimetry pass over an empty lake basin, with which we place geometric constraints on the basin's slopes, rim heights, and depth. Finally, the importance of these backscatter observations and geometric measurements for basin formation mechanisms is briefly discussed.

Variation in forearc basin development along the Sunda Arc, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

van der Werff, W.

The present forearc basin configuration along the Sunda Arc initially appears to have been controlled by extension and differential subsidence of basement blocks in response to the late Eocene collision of India with Asia. The late Oligocene increase in convergence between the South-east Asian and Indian Plates associated with a new pulse of subduction, resulted in basement uplift and the formation of a regional unconformity that can be recognized along the entire Sunda Arc. From the early to late Miocene, the Sumba and Savu forearc sectors along the eastern Sunda Arc may have been characterized by forearc extension. Submarine fan deposition on the arcward side of the evolving accretionary prism represents the first phase in forearc basin deposition. These fans were subsequently covered by basin and slope sediments derived from the evolving magmatic arc. Structural response to increased late Miocene compression varied along strike of the Sunda Arc. North of Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa, the incipient collision between Australia and the western Banda Arc caused back-arc thrusting and basin inversion. Towards the south of Java, an increase in both the size of the accretionary prism and convergence rates resulted in uplift and large scale folding of the outer forearc basin strata. Along the west coast of Sumatra, increased compression resulted in uplift along the inner side of the forearc along older transcurrent faults. Uplift of West Sumatra was followed by the deposition of a westward prograding sequence of terrigenous sediments that resulted in the development of a broad shelf. Initial forearc basin subsidence relates to the age of the subducting oceanic lithosphere, on top of which the basin is situated. Along the western Sunda Arc, both fexural loading of the evolving accretionary prism, and across arc strike-slip faulting represent additional factors that result in forearc subsidence.

Late Guadalupian evolution of the Delaware Basin: insights from stable isotope and trace element geochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, B.; Kerans, C.

2017-12-01

Accurate characterization of mixed carbonate and evaporite deposits requires an understanding of basin-scale physical, chemical, and biological processes. In these settings, carbonate geochemistry often responds to changes in the prevailing conditions in the water column. It follows that the geochemical record presents a potential aid for interpretation of depositional systems provided that it is relatively free of diagenetic overprint. This is seldom the case in shallow-water settings as processes such as meteoric diagenesis and early dolomitization obscure or erase the original geochemical signal. Fine grained deep-water sediments are more likely to retain their original geochemical characteristics. If reliable shelf-to-basin correlations can be established, then basinal deposits provide critical data not only for the interpretation of deep water environments, but overall basin evolution as well. This study examines variations in trace element and stable isotope geochemistry from the Delaware Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. Interpretation of geochemical data within a pre-existing shelf-to-basin stratigraphic framework suggests a link between basin water chemistry and sea level changes during the entirety of the Guadalupian. This link is supported analogies to modern silled basins where changes in sea level and thus recharge across the sill can control nutrient input, circulation, and bottom water oxygenation. In light of these relationships, the filling of the Delaware Basin with basin-centered evaporites at the end of the Guadalupian likely represents the culmination of a more gradual, cyclic evolution towards basin restriction. Ongoing work will continue to focus on tying regional-scale changes in basin water chemistry to the combined geochemical and physical sedimentological records.

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits: Chapter Y in Global mineral resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Zientek, Michael L.; Wintzer, Niki E.; Hayes, Timothy S.; Parks, Heather L.; Briggs, Deborah A.; Causey, J. Douglas; Hatch, Shyla A.; Jenkins, M. Christopher; Williams, David J.; Zientek, Michael L.; Hammarstrom, Jane M.; Johnson, Kathleen M.

2015-12-14

A qualitative mineral resource assessment of sediment-hosted stratabound copper mineralized areas for undiscovered copper deposits was performed for 10 selected areas of the world. The areas, in alphabetical order, are (1) Belt-Purcell Basin, United States and Canada; (2) Benguela and Cuanza Basins, Angola; (3) Chuxiong Basin, China; (4) Dongchuan Group rocks, China; (5) Egypt–Israel–Jordan Rift, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan; (6) Maritimes Basin, Canada; (7) Neuquén Basin, Argentina; (8) Northwest Botswana Rift, Botswana and Namibia; (9) Redstone Copperbelt, Canada; and (10) Salta Rift System, Argentina. This assessment (1) outlines the main characteristics of the areas, (2) classifies known deposits by deposit model subtypes, and (3) ranks the areas according to their potential to contain undiscovered copper deposits.

Geometry of the proximal part of the modern turbidite depositional system of the Carapebus Formation, Campos Basin: a model for reservoir heterogeneities; Geometria da porcao proximal do sistema deposicional turbiditico moderno da Formacao Carapebus, Bacia de Campos; modelo para heterogeneidades de reservatorio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machado, Luis Claudio Ribeiro; Kowsmann, Renato Oscar; Almeida Junior, Waldemar de; Murakami, Celso Yoshihito; Schreiner, Simone; Miller, Dennis James; Piauilino, Pedro Orlando Vasconcelos [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Exploracao e Producao. Unidade de Servico Submarino]. E-mail: machadolc@petrobras.com.br

2004-11-01

The deep-water marine sedimentary environment of the Cenozoic of the Campos Basin is examined at the modern sea floor, where it can be better understood. This environment is responsible for the genesis of the turbidite systems of the Carapebus Formation, the reservoirs that hold more than 90% of Brazil's petroleum reserves. The study was developed with the records of regional side-scan sonar, swath bathymetry, sub-bottom profiler data, standard multichannel 3D seismic surveys and piston cores covering almost the entire basin. After leaving the Almirante Camara Canyon, the turbiditic flows erode the muddy debris apron surrounding the continental slope and begin to deposit thick layers of clean sand into a big trough in water depths of 1800 m to 3000 m. The trough is 3.5 km wide, 150 m deep, 150 km long, and is formed by a chain of salt withdrawal mini-basins. In some places the sea floor is flat enough to develop today a depositional lobe, in all aspects analogous to the best, geologically ancient petroleum reservoirs in the basin. Aspects of the system: 1) the arcosean sands are brought by the river, cross the shelf, the incised valley, the canyon, and deposit as turbidites - they do not originate from a collapse of the continental slope; 2) a wide muddy debris apron surrounds the continental slope (slope apron), and represents a huge volume of sediment in the Campos Basin ; 3) the turbidites do not develop a submarine fan, but are deposited in an elongated trough formed by salt tectonics; 4) the turbidite beds, both in the lobe or in the trough, are not deposited during a single episode, but in multiple events over significant geologic time in which small channels which brought the turbidites avulse and meander along the entire depositional area, building a single amalgamated bed; 5) classic channel-levees are not present because this system comprises a sandy braid plain and the levees are as sandy as the channel; 6) a hierarchical depositional model for bulb

Dazai super-large uranium-bearing germanium deposit in western Yunnan region metallogenic geological conditions and prospect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Yanrong; Yuan Qingbang; Li Yonghua; Zhang Ling; Dai Jiemin

1995-05-01

The Dazai super-large uranium-bearing germanium deposit is located in Bangmai Fault Basin, Western Yunnan, China. The basin basement is migmatitic granite and the cover is miocene coal-bearing clastics, Bangmai Formation. The basin development had undergone faulted rhombus basin forming, synsedimentary structure-developing and up-lifted-denuded stages. Synsedimentary faults had controlled distribution of sedimentary formation and lithofacies, and uranium and germanium mineralization. Germanium ore-bodies occur mainly in master lignite-bed of lower rhythmite. Hosted germanium-lignite is taken as main ore-type. Germanium occurs in vitrinite of lignite in the form of metal-organic complex. The metallogenetic geological conditions of the deposit are that ground preparation is uplift zone-migmatitic granite-fault basin-geothermal anomaly area, rich and thick ore-body is controlled by synsedimentary fault, peat-bog phase is favorable to accumulation for ore-forming elements, and unconformity between overlying cover and underlying basement is a channel-way of mineralizing fluid. A multiperiodic composite, being regarded sedimentation and diagenesis as a major process, uranium and germanium ore deposit has been formed through two mineralization. Four prospecting areas have been forecasted and two deposits have been accordingly discovered again. Technical-economic provableness shows that the deposit is characterized by shallow-buried, rich grade, large scale, easy mining and smelting. (9 figs.)

Preliminary three-dimensional geohydrologic framework of the San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin, Santa Barbara County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Cromwell, G.; Sweetkind, D. S.; O'leary, D. R.

2017-12-01

The San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin is a rural agricultural area that is heavily dependent on groundwater to meet local water demands. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working cooperatively with Santa Barbara County and Vandenberg Air Force Base to assess the quantity and quality of the groundwater resources within the basin. As part of this assessment, an integrated hydrologic model that will help stakeholders to effectively manage the water resources in the basin is being developed. The integrated hydrologic model includes a conceptual model of the subsurface geology consisting of stratigraphy and variations in lithology throughout the basin. The San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin is a relatively narrow, east-west oriented valley that is structurally controlled by an eastward-plunging syncline. Basin-fill material beneath the valley floor consists of relatively coarse-grained, permeable, marine and non-marine sedimentary deposits, which are underlain by fine-grained, low-permeability, marine sedimentary rocks. To characterize the system, surficial and subsurface geohydrologic data were compiled from geologic maps, existing regional geologic models, and lithology and geophysical logs from boreholes, including two USGS multiple-well sites drilled as part of this study. Geohydrologic unit picks and lithologic variations are incorporated into a three-dimensional framework model of the basin. This basin (model) includes six geohydrologic units that follow the structure and stratigraphy of the area: 1) Bedrock - low-permeability marine sedimentary rocks; 2) Careaga Formation - fine to coarse grained near-shore sandstone; 3) Paso Robles Formation, lower portion - sandy-gravely deposits with clay and limestone; 4) Paso Robles Formation, middle portion - clayey-silty deposits; 5) Paso Robles Formation, upper portion - sandy-gravely deposits; and 6) recent Quaternary deposits. Hydrologic data show that the upper and lower portions of the Paso Robles Formation are

Palaeoenvironmental changes across the Danian–Selandian boundary in the North Sea Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clemmensen, Anne; Thomsen, Erik

2005-01-01

cores from Storebælt in the eastern part of the North Sea Basin, we have reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental changes across the boundary. The benthic foraminiferal faunas belong to the “Midway-type fauna”. They are extremely rich and more than 260 taxa have been recognized. Q-mode cluster analysis......, the sea bottom conditions became colder and more acidic. This resulted in partial dissolution of the carbonates and the deposition shifted from marl to clay. Comparison with records from the Western Pyrenees, the Nile Basin and the eastern North America suggests that sea-level changes across the Danian......The Danian–Selandian boundary (not, vert, similar60 Ma) marks the cessation of 40 million years of carbonate deposition in the North Sea Basin and a shift to siliciclastic deposition. On the basis of variations in lithology, benthic and planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils in three...

Depositional conditions for the Kuna Formation, Red Dog Zn-PB-Ag-Barite District, Alaska, inferred from isotopic and chemical proxies

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Craig A.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Burruss, Robert A.; Slack, John F.

2015-01-01

Water column redox conditions, degree of restriction of the depositional basin, and other paleoenvironmental parameters have been determined for the Mississippian Kuna Formation of northwestern Alaska from stratigraphic profiles of Mo, Fe/Al, and S isotopes in pyrite, C isotopes in organic matter, and N isotopes in bulk rock. This unit is important because it hosts the Red Dog and Anarraaq Zn-Pb-Ag ± barite deposits, which together constitute one of the largest zinc resources in the world. The isotopic and chemical proxies record a deep basin environment that became isolated from the open ocean, became increasingly reducing, and ultimately became euxinic. The basin was ventilated briefly and then became isolated again just prior to its demise as a discrete depocenter with the transition to the overlying Siksikpuk Formation. Ventilation corresponded approximately to the initiation of bedded barite deposition in the district, whereas the demise of the basin corresponded approximately to the formation of the massive sulfide deposits. The changes in basin circulation during deposition of the upper Kuna Formation may have had multiple immediate causes, but the underlying driver was probably extensional tectonic activity that also facilitated fluid flow beneath the basin floor. Although the formation of sediment-hosted sulfide deposits is generally favored by highly reducing conditions, the Zn-Pb deposits of the Red Dog district are not found in the major euxinic facies of the Kuna basin, nor did they form during the main period of euxinia. Rather, the deposits occur where strata were permeable to migrating fluids and where excess H2S was available beyond what was produced in situ by decomposition of local sedimentary organic matter. The known deposits formed mainly by replacement of calcareous strata that gained H2S from nearby highly carbonaceous beds (Anarraaq deposit) or by fracturing and vein formation in strata that produced excess H2S by reductive dissolution of

Determination of danger categories of chisel waste, which are made by investigation and operation of oil-and-gas deposits in the Caspian Sea basin by calculation method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Gadzhiyev

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this article there is undertaken the attempt to define danger categories of the chisel solutions formed at investigation and operation of oil-and-gas deposits in Caspian sea basin by making calculations. Definition of a danger category was made in view of their initial structure and at various stages of drilling.

A risk-based approach for identifying constituents of concern in oil sands process-affected water from the Athabasca Oil Sands region.

Science.gov (United States)

McQueen, Andrew D; Kinley, Ciera M; Hendrikse, Maas; Gaspari, Daniel P; Calomeni, Alyssa J; Iwinski, Kyla J; Castle, James W; Haakensen, Monique C; Peru, Kerry M; Headley, John V; Rodgers, John H

2017-04-01

Mining leases in the Athabasca Oil Sands (AOS) region produce large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) containing constituents that limit beneficial uses and discharge into receiving systems. The aim of this research is to identify constituents of concern (COCs) in OSPW sourced from an active settling basin with the goal of providing a sound rational for developing mitigation strategies for using constructed treatment wetlands for COCs contained in OSPW. COCs were identified through several lines of evidence: 1) chemical and physical characterization of OSPW and comparisons with numeric water quality guidelines and toxicity endpoints, 2) measuring toxicity of OSPW using a taxonomic range of sentinel organisms (i.e. fish, aquatic invertebrates, and a macrophyte), 3) conducting process-based manipulations (PBMs) of OSPW to alter toxicity and inform treatment processes, and 4) discerning potential treatment pathways to mitigate ecological risks of OSPW based on identification of COCs, toxicological analyses, and PBM results. COCs identified in OSPW included organics (naphthenic acids [NAs], oil and grease [O/G]), metals/metalloids, and suspended solids. In terms of species sensitivities to undiluted OSPW, fish ≥ aquatic invertebrates > macrophytes. Bench-scale manipulations of the organic fractions of OSPW via PBMs (i.e. H 2 O 2 +UV 254 and granular activated charcoal treatments) eliminated toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia (7-8 d), in terms of mortality and reproduction. Results from this study provide critical information to inform mitigation strategies using passive or semi-passive treatment processes (e.g., constructed treatment wetlands) to mitigate ecological risks of OSPW to aquatic organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploration potential of the Eocene deposits in central Romanian block sea off shore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tambrea, D; Raileanu, A; Barbuliceanu, N; Borosi, V.

2002-01-01

Full text:The study area comprises the Eocene Istria Depression bounded by Peceneaga- Camena and Heracleea faults, in front of North Dobrogea Orogene and Central Dobrogea, in the Romanian Black Sea offshore. The analysis of 100 two- dimensional (2D) seismic lines and two- three dimensional (3D) seismic surveys and well data has permitted to outline that the geo dynamic evolution of Eocene basins has led to the deposition of carbonate- sliciclastic turbidity, porous carbonate shelf margin reservoir deposits, and muddy carbonate turbiditic source rocks that present new Eocene petroleum targets. The main Eocene sub basin located in Iris-Venus area is deep, rhombic shaped, del imitated by normal faults, and may be connected with the strike-slip deformation component of Peceneaga- Camena fault. The next sub basin, located on West Lebeda area may be considered a cross- fault extensional zone. In the following sub basin East Lebada- Minerva area, normal faults generated a tectonic corridor characterized by high subsidence rate and local submarine/sub aerial intra slope topographic high. The last sub basin localized in Histria is a ponded one and captured highly organic matter rich muddly carbonate turgidities. In all sub basins, there is a progression from structure control to sediment control deposition

Lithofacies palaeogeography of the Carboniferous and Permian in the Qinshui Basin, Shanxi Province, China

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Long-Yi Shao

2015-10-01

The Xiashihezi, Shangshihezi, and Shiqianfeng Formations consist mainly of red mudstones with thick-interbedded sandstones. During the deposition of these formations, most areas of the basin were occupied by a fluvial channel, resulting in palaeogeographic units that include fluvial channel zones and flood basins. The fluvial channel deposits consist mainly of relatively-thick sandstones, which could have potential for exploration of tight sandstone gas.

Lacustrine-humate model for primary uranium ore deposits, Grants Uranium Region, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner-Peterson, C.E.

1985-01-01

Two generations of uranium ore, primary and redistributed, occur in fluvial sandstones of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in the San Juan basin; the two stages of ore formation can be related to the hydrologic history of the basin. Primary ore formed soon after Morrison deposition, in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, and a model, the lacustrine-humate model, is offered that views primary mineralization as a diagenetic event related to early pore fluid evolution. The basic premise is that the humate, a pore-filling organic material closely associated with primary ore, originated as humic acids dissolved in pore waters of greenish-gray lacustrine mudstones deposited in the mud-flat facies of the Brushy Basin Member and similar K shale beds in the Westwater Canyon Member. During compaction associated with early burial, formation water expelled from lacustrine mudstone units carried these humic acids into adjacent sandstone beds where the organics precipitated, forming the humate deposits that concentrated uranium. During the Tertiary, much later in the hydrologic history of the basin, when Jurassic sediments were largely compacted, oxygenated ground water flowed basinward from uplifted basin margins. This invasion of Morrison sandstone beds by oxidizing ground waters redistributed uranium from primary ores along redox boundaries, forming ore deposits that resemble roll-front-type uranium ores. 11 figures

Depositional System Transition from Braided River to Tide Dominated Delta-A Case Study of the MPE3 Block in the Eastern Venezuelan Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wensong; Chen, Heping; Xu, Fang; Meng, Zheng; Li, Yonghao

2017-04-01

The Eastern Venezuelan basin is a world-class petroliferous area, with the sedimentary environment controlled by the interaction between the Caribbean plate and the American plate. Based on interpretation of 3D seismic data, description of electrical well-logging facies and analysis of the sedimentary phenomena on the cores, we distinguished different types of sedimentary associations and clarified the evolution progress of the sedimentary system in the study area, the MPE3 Block. We put forward that depositional system in the study area changed from braided river in the early Miocene to tide dominated delta in the middle Miocene. Paralleled with sedimentary progress, the depositional hydrodynamic mechanism altered from the inertia dominated setting into the buoyancy dominated setting. During the middle Miocene, the tidal effect obviously reworked and formed tidal bars and tidal channels, both severing as the sedimentary framework. From the perspective of the tectonic movement, the study area varied from the foreland stage during the early Miocene to the compression and inverse stage during the middle Miocene. At the same time, the study area located in the southern part of the foreland basin began to extend and marine transgression occurred due to the tectonic extensional movement. We pointed out that critical factors influencing the transition from braided river to tidal dominate delta include palaeogeomorphology, sea level fluctuation, feeder system and the distance to catchment area.

Mass balance for lead in the California South Coast Air Basin: An update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lankey, R.L.; Davidson, C.I.; McMichael, F.C.

1998-01-01

A mass balance for lead for the year 1989 in the South Coast Air Basin has inputs to the atmosphere of 600 ± 190 kg/day and outputs of 580 ± 160 kg/day, showing rough agreement. Stationary sources are responsible for only about 5% of the total lead emissions. The bulk of the lead is emitted from vehicles using leaded gasoline (37%) and unleaded gasoline (15%), as well as from resuspension of previously deposited lead on roads (43%). Over half of the total emitted lead deposits on roads and nearby soil, while about one-third is carried out of the basin by wind. A small amount, less than 10%, is deposited on surfaces throughout the basin. These percentages are approximately the same as those in a mass balance for the same region calculated for 1972, when lead emissions from leaded gasoline were about a factor of 70 greater than leaded gas emissions in 1989. When the lead emissions re used as inputs o a simple continuously stirred flow reactor model for the basin, reasonable, agreement is obtained between calculated and measured concentrations

Atmospheric deposition and environmental quality in Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosello, R.

1993-01-01

For Italy's Po River hydrological basin, artificial reservoirs have a great importance; water reserve is about 1600 million cubic meters for the hydroelectric reservoirs and about 76 million cubic meters for irrigation. Relevant to studies on water quality and acidification in the Po River Basin, this paper reviews some aspects of research on atmospheric deposition, i.e., geographical variability, long term trends, and effects on surface waters

A basin on an unstable ground: Correlation of the Middle Archaean Moodies Basin, Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnemueller, Frank; Heubeck, Christoph; Kirstein, Jens; Gamper, Antonia

2010-05-01

The 3.22 Ga-old Moodies Group, representing the uppermost part of the Barberton Supergroup of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), is the oldest well-exposed, relatively unmetamorphosed, quartz-rich sedimentary unit on Earth. Moodies facies (north of the Inyoka Fault) were thought to be largely of alluvial, fluvial, deltaic or shallow-marine origin (Anhaeusser, 1976; Eriksson, 1980; Heubeck and Lowe, 1994) and in its upper part syndeformational. However, units can only locally be correlated, and the understanding of the interplay between Moodies sedimentation and deformation is thus limited. We mapped and measured Moodies units in the northern BGB. They partly consist of extensive turbiditic deepwater deposits, including graded bedding, flame structures, and slumped beds, interbedded with jaspilites. These contrast with shallow-water environments, south-facing progressive unconformities and overlying alluvial-fan conglomerates along the northern margin of the Saddleback Syncline further south. The palaeogeographic setting in which late BGB deformation was initiated therefore appears complex and cannot be readily explained by a simple southward-directed shortening event. In order to constrain Moodies basin setting before and during late-Moodies basin collapse, we correlated ~15 measured sections in the northern and central BGB. Most units below the Moodies Lava (MdL, ca. 3230.6+-6 Ma) can be correlated throughout although facies variations are apparent. Above the Moodies Lava, coarse-grained units can only be correlated through the Eureka Syncline and the Moodies Hills Block but not with the Saddleback Syncline. Fine-grained and jaspilitic units can be correlated throughout the northern BGB. Moodies below-wavebase deposition occurred largely north of the Saddleback Fault. The observations are consistent with a pronounced basin compartmentalization event following the eruption of the MdL which appeared to have blanketed most of the Moodies basin(s) in middle Moodies

Evolution of the east-central San Jose del Cabo basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

McTeague, M. S.; Umhoefer, P. J.; Schwennicke, T.; Ingle, J. C.; Cortes Martinez, M.

2006-12-01

The San Jose del Cabo basin at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula records the early tectonic evolution of the west side of the Gulf of California. This study focused on the east central margin of the basin. The basal La Calera Formation unconformably overlies Cretaceous granite and consists of conglomerate, pebbly sandstone and conglomerate, and sandstone deposited in alluvial fans and fan-deltas. Deposition of the La Calera Formation was from ca. 9-14 Ma. The lower member of the Trinidad Formation was deposited beginning ca. 9-13 Ma and consists of sandstone, mudstone, and shelly mudstone deposited in nearshore and estuarine environments. These age estimates are based on sedimentation rates and foraminifera and coccoliths from the NN 11A nannozone (7.4 8.6 Ma, GTS 2004). The middle member of the Trinidad Formation consists of deeper water mudstones deposited by turbidity currents and suspension settling in a shelf to slope and conglomerates deposited by submarine debris flows on the shelf. The basin began earlier than previously thought. The oldest marine rocks are ca.9-13 Ma, while sedimentation on the east side began at ca. 9-14 Ma, synchronous with estimates of initiation of offset on the San Jose del Cabo fault. The Zapote fault is a down-to-the-east normal and sinistral-oblique fault that exposes a wedge of granite and older strata in the footwall to the west. The fault was active during sedimentation in the late Miocene and possibly later. The fault divides the study area into an eastern hanging wall subbasin and western footwall subbasin. The eastern subbasin formed an embayment in the eastern margin of the Cabo basin. A regional flooding surface (ca. 8 Ma) can be correlated across the fault that marks a major marine incursion. Depositional systems evolved rapidly from coarse-grained terrestrial systems to fine-grained marine and estuarine systems. The Cabo basin provides an excellent analogue for comparison with offshore basins, which are

Evolution of the Paleogene succession of the western Himalayan foreland basin

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B.P. Singh

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The Paleogene succession of the Himalayan foreland basin is immensely important as it preserves evidence of India-Asia collision and related records of the Himalayan orogenesis. In this paper, the depositional regime of the Paleogene succession of the Himalayan foreland basin and variations in composition of the hinterland at different stages of the basin developments are presented. The Paleogene succession of the western Himalayan foreland basin developed in two stages, i.e. syn-collisional stage and post-collisional stage. At the onset, chert breccia containing fragments derived from the hanging walls of faults and reworked bauxite developed as a result of erosion of the forebulge. The overlying early Eocene succession possibly deposited in a coastal system, where carbonates represent barriers and shales represent lagoons. Up-section, the middle Eocene marl beds likely deposited on a tidal flat. The late Eocene/Oligocene basal Murree beds, containing tidal bundles, indicate that a mixed or semi-diurnal tidal system deposited the sediments and the sedimentation took place in a tide-dominated estuary. In the higher-up, the succession likely deposited in a river-dominated estuary or in meandering rivers. In the beginning of the basin evolution, the sediments were derived from the Precambrian basement or from the metasediments/volcanic rocks possessing terrains of the south. The early and middle Eocene (54.7–41.3 Ma succession of the embryonic foreland possibly developed from the sediments derived from the Trans-Himalayan schists and phyllites and Indus ophiolite of the north during syn-collisional stage. The detrital minerals especially the lithic fragments and the heavy minerals suggest the provenance for the late Eocene/Oligocene sequences to be from the recycled orogenic belt of the Higher Himalaya, Tethyan Himalaya and the Indus-suture zone from the north during post-collisional stage. This is also supported by the paleocurrent

Systematic logging utilizing a log sheet designed for drill core descriptions. An example in uranium exploration activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasao, Eiji; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Iida, Yoshimasa

2000-01-01

We describe the log sheets used during uranium exploration activities for unconformity-related uranium deposits by JNC. The purpose of using the logging sheets is to standardize the objects which all geologists must observe and for data quality assurance. The log sheets are a three-part set describing basement lithology, sandstone lithology and geotechnics. We devised our own log sheets to describe both the sandstone and the underlying basement rock when we started exploration in Athabasca Basin, Canada. We modified the sheets to gain a better understanding of the geological features related to uranium mineralization, and made final improvements to satisfy required quality based on the criteria of descriptive objects and accuracy. Use of the log sheets resulted in effective performance of core logging and improvement in the display of data. (author)

Origin, transport and deposition of leaf-wax biomarkers in the Amazon Basin and the adjacent Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Häggi, Christoph; Sawakuchi, André O.; Chiessi, Cristiano M.; Mulitza, Stefan; Mollenhauer, Gesine; Sawakuchi, Henrique O.; Baker, Paul A.; Zabel, Matthias; Schefuß, Enno

2016-11-01

Paleoenvironmental studies based on terrigenous biomarker proxies from sediment cores collected close to the mouth of large river systems rely on a proper understanding of the processes controlling origin, transport and deposition of biomarkers. Here, we contribute to the understanding of these processes by analyzing long-chain n-alkanes from the Amazon River system. We use the δD composition of long-chain n-alkanes from river bed sediments from the Amazon River and its major tributaries, as well as marine core-top samples collected off northeastern South America as tracers for different source areas. The δ13C composition of the same compounds is used to differentiate between long-chain n-alkanes from modern forest vegetation and petrogenic organic matter. Our δ13C results show depleted δ13C values (-33 to -36‰) in most samples, indicating a modern forest source for most of the samples. Enriched values (-31 to -33‰) are only found in a few samples poor in organic carbon indicating minor contributions from a fossil petrogenic source. Long-chain n-alkane δD analyses show more depleted values for the western tributaries, the Madeira and Solimões Rivers (-152 to -168‰), while n-alkanes from the lowland tributaries, the Negro, Xingu and Tocantins Rivers (-142 to -154‰), yield more enriched values. The n-alkane δD values thus reflect the mean annual isotopic composition of precipitation, which is most deuterium-depleted in the western Amazon Basin and more enriched in the eastern sector of the basin. Samples from the Amazon estuary show a mixed long-chain n-alkane δD signal from both eastern lowland and western tributaries. Marine core-top samples underlying the Amazon freshwater plume yield δD values similar to those from the Amazon estuary, while core-top samples from outside the plume showed more enriched values. Although the variability in the river bed data precludes quantitative assessment of relative contributions, our results indicate that long

Preliminary discussion on uranium metallogenic models of China's in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jindai; Xu Gaozhong; Chen Anping; Wang Cheng

2005-01-01

By comprehensively analyzing metallogenic environments and main ore-controlling factors of important uranium metallogenic regions of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits at the southern margin of Yili basin, at the south-western margin of Turpan-Hami basin and in the northeastern Ordos basin, the authors of this paper discuss the metallogenic models of China's in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium deposits, and suggest that the interlayer oxidation zone type uranium deposits in Yili and Turpan-Hami basins are basically controlled by favourable structures, sedimentary formations and interlayer oxidation zone, and are characterized by multistage uranium concentration, namely the uranium pre-concentration of ore-hosting sedimentary formation, the uranium ore-formation in the stage of supergenic epigenetic reworking, and the further superimposition enrichment of post-ore tectonic activity. However, the interlayer oxidation zone type uranium deposit in the northeastern Ordos was formed after the formation of the secondary reduction. So, paleo-interlayer oxidation zone type uranium mineralization has the mineralization size much greater than the former two. (authors)

CORAL ASSEMBLAGES AND BIOCONSTRUCTIONS ADAPTED TO THE DEPOSITIONAL DYNAMICS OF A MIXED CARBONATE-SILICICLASTIC SETTING: THE CASE STUDY OF THE BURDIGALIAN BONIFACIO BASIN (SOUTH CORSICA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARCO BRANDANO

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Coral bioconstructions associated with mixed carbonate-siliciclastic settings are known to be strongly controlled by coastal morphology and paleotopography. A striking example is represented by the different types of coral bioconstructions and coral-rich deposits of the Cala di Labra Formation deposited in the coastal environment of the Bonifacio Basin (Corsica, France during the Early Miocene. Detailed mapping on photomosaics allowed accurate documentation of the internal organization of coral deposits as well as lateral and vertical facies relationships. Four types of coral bioconstructions (CB  and one reworked coral deposits (RCD have been recognized. The CB are represented by sigmoidal cluster reefs, coral carpets and skeletal conglomerates rich in corals. The RCD occurs in lens-shaped bodies intercalated within clinoforms composed of bioclastic floatstones and coarse packstones. The investigated bioconstructions can be contextualised in a coastal environment. In the upper shoreface corals developed in association with the oyster Hyotissa, above bioclastic conglomerates sourced by ephemeral streams and erosion of the granitic coastline. In the lower shoreface corals formed sigmoidal bioconstructions interpreted as cluster reefs, whereas  coral carpets developed during a relative sea-level rise related to the middle Burdigalian transgressive phase. The reworked coral deposits can be interpreted as lobe-shaped deposits of coarse-grained bioclastic submarine fans formed at the base of the depositional slope of an infralittoral prograding wedge system.

Hydrologic controls on radiogenic Sr in meltwater from an alpine glacier system: Athabasca Glacier, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arendt, C.A.; Stevenson, E.I.; Aciego, S.M.

2016-01-01

Filtered subglacial meltwater samples were collected daily during the onset of melt (May) and peak melt (July) over the 2011 melt season at the Athabasca Glacier (Alberta, Canada) and analyzed for strontium-87/strontium-86 ("8"7Sr/"8"6Sr) isotopic composition to infer the evolution of subglacial weathering processes. Both the underlying bedrock composition and subglacial water–rock interaction time are the primary influences on meltwater "8"7Sr/"8"6Sr. The Athabasca Glacier is situated atop Middle Cambrian carbonate bedrock that also contains silicate minerals. The length of time that subglacial meltwater interacts with the underlying bedrock and substrate is a predominant determining factor in solute concentration. Over the course of the melt season, increasing trends in Ca/K and Ca/Mg correspond to overall decreasing trends in "8"7Sr/"8"6Sr, which indicate a shift in weathering processes from the presence of silicate weathering to primarily carbonate weathering. Early in the melt season, rates of carbonate dissolution slow as meltwater approaches saturation with respect to calcite and dolomite, corresponding to an increase in silicate weathering that includes Sr-rich silicate minerals, and an increase in meltwater "8"7Sr/"8"6Sr. However, carbonate minerals are preferentially weathered in unsaturated waters. During the warmest part of a melt season the discharged meltwater is under saturated, causing an increase in carbonate weathering and a decrease in the radiogenic Sr signal. Likewise, larger fraction contributions of meltwater from glacial ice corresponds to lower "8"7Sr/"8"6Sr values, as the meltwater has lower water–rock interaction times in the subglacial system. These results indicate that although weathering of Sr-containing silicate minerals occurs in carbonate dominated glaciated terrains, the continual contribution of new meltwater permits the carbonate weathering signal to dominate. - Highlights: • Glacial meltwater "8"7Sr/"8"6Sr used to

Hydrogeologic Framework and Ground Water in Basin-Fill Deposits of the Diamond Valley Flow System, Central Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Tumbusch, Mary L.; Plume, Russell W.

2006-01-01

The Diamond Valley flow system, an area of about 3,120 square miles in central Nevada, consists of five hydrographic areas: Monitor, Antelope, Kobeh, and Diamond Valleys and Stevens Basin. Although these five areas are in a remote part of Nevada, local government officials and citizens are concerned that the water resources of the flow system eventually could be further developed for irrigation or mining purposes or potentially for municipal use outside the study area. In order to better understand the flow system, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Eureka, Lander, and Nye Counties and the Nevada Division of Water Resources, is conducting a multi-phase study of the flow system. The principal aquifers of the Diamond Valley flow system are in basin-fill deposits that occupy structural basins comprised of carbonate rocks, siliciclastic sedimentary rocks, igneous intrusive rocks, and volcanic rocks. Carbonate rocks also function as aquifers, but their extent and interconnections with basin-fill aquifers are poorly understood. Ground-water flow in southern Monitor Valley is from the valley margins toward the valley axis and then northward to a large area of discharge by evapotranspiration (ET) that is formed south of a group of unnamed hills near the center of the valley. Ground-water flow from northern Monitor Valley, Antelope Valley, and northern and western parts of Kobeh Valley converges to an area of ground-water discharge by ET in central and eastern Kobeh Valley. Prior to irrigation development in the 1960s, ground-water flow in Diamond Valley was from valley margins toward the valley axis and then northward to a large discharge area at the north end of the valley. Stevens Basin is a small upland basin with internal drainage and is not connected with other parts of the flow system. After 40 years of irrigation pumping, a large area of ground-water decline has developed in southern Diamond Valley around the irrigated area. In this part of Diamond

Paleolimnological assessment of nutrient enrichment on diatom assemblages in a priori defined nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited lakes downwind of the Athabasca Oil Sands, Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen R. Laird

2017-04-01

Full Text Available As the industrial footprint of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR continues to expand, concern about the potential impacts of pollutants on the surrounding terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems need to be assessed. An emerging issue is whether recent increases in lake production downwind of the development can be linked to AOSR activities, and/or whether changing climatic conditions are influencing lake nutrient status. To decipher the importance of pollutants, particularly atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen (Nr, and the effects of climate change as potential sources of increasing lake production, lakes from both within and outside of the nitrogen deposition zone were analyzed for historical changes in diatom assemblages. Lake sediment cores were collected from a priori defined nitrogen (N - and phosphorus (P - limited lakes within and outside the N plume associated with the AOSR. Diatom assemblages were quantified at sub-decadal resolution since ca. 1890 to compare conditions prior to oil sands expansion and regional climate warming, to the more recent conditions in each group of lakes (Reference and Impacted, N- and P-limited lakes. Analyses of changes in assemblage similarity and species turnover indicates that changes in diatom assemblages were minimal both within and across all lake groups.  Small changes in percent composition of planktonic taxa, particularly small centric taxa (Discostella and Cyclotella species and pennate taxa, such as Asterionella formosa and Fragilaria crotonensis, occurred in some of the lakes. While these changes were consistent with potential climate effects on algal growth, water column stability and other factors; the timing and direction of biotic changes were variable among sites suggesting that any apparent response to climate was lake dependent. The absence of a consistent pattern of diatom changes associated with receipt of reactive nitrogen or intrinsic nutrient-limitation status of the lake

Late Pleistocene sea-level changes recorded in tidal and fluvial deposits from Itaubal Formation, onshore portion of the Foz do Amazonas Basin, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isaac Salém Alves Azevedo Bezerra

Full Text Available ABSTRACTThe Pleistocene deposits exposed in the Amapá Coastal Plain (onshore portion of the Foz do Amazonas Basin, northeastern South America were previously interpreted as Miocene in age. In this work, they were named as "Itaubal Formation" and were included in the quaternary coastal history of Amazonia. The study, through facies and stratigraphic analyses in combination with optically stimulated luminescence (single and multiple aliquot regeneration, allowed interpreting this unit as Late Pleistocene tidal and fluvial deposits. The Itaubal Formation, which unconformably overlies strongly weathered basement rocks of the Guianas Shield, was subdivided into two progradational units, separated by an unconformity related to sea-level fall, here named as Lower and Upper Units. The Lower Unit yielded ages between 120,600 (± 12,000 and 70,850 (± 6,700 years BP and consists of subtidal flat, tide-influenced meandering stream and floodplain deposits, during highstand conditions. The Upper Unit spans between 69,150 (± 7,200 and 58,150 (± 6,800 years BP and is characterized by braided fluvial deposits incised in the Lower Unit, related to base-level fall; lowstand conditions remained until 23,500 (± 3,000 years BP. The studied region was likely exposed during the Last Glacial Maximum and then during Holocene, covered by tidal deposits influenced by the Amazon River.

Groundwater recharge estimates in the Athabasca and Cold Lake oil sands areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacMillan, G.J.; Smith, A.D.

2009-01-01

Groundwater recharge estimates for the Cold Lake and Athabasca oil sands region were presented. New oil sands projects planned for the future will require approximately 150,000 m 3 per day of groundwater. Regulators and public agencies are now investigating the potential impacts of oil sands operations on both shallow groundwater and surface water in the region. Maximum yields from the aquifers are also being estimated. Measurements are currently being taken to determine transmissivity, hydraulic pressure, storage potential and leakage. Numerical models are currently used to determine saturated zone recharge estimates and water table fluctuations. Isotope tracers are also being used to determine where groundwater flow potential is vertical as well as to determine correction factors for hydrogeological and geochemical conditions at each site. Darcy's Law is used to determine heat flow in the groundwater aquifers. To date, the studies have demonstrated that drilling fluids have been recovered at groundwater sites. Wells are often installed near water supply and supply well networks. It was concluded that new water wells will need to be completed at various depths. Data were presented for aquifers and nest wells. refs., tabs., figs

Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in the uppermost Aptian to lowermost Albian transgressive deposits of the Chihuahua basin (Mexico)

Science.gov (United States)

Blanc, E.J.-P.; Blanc-Aletru, M. -C.; Mojon, P.-O.

1998-01-01

Several levels of soft-sediment deformation structures (s.-s.d.s.) cut by synsedimentary normal faults have been observed in the transition beds between the "Las Vigas" and "La Virgen" formations (Cretaceous) in the northeastern part of the Chihuahua basin in Mexico. These structures consisted of four kinds of motifs (floating breccias, flame-like structures, large pillow structures, and wavy structures). They are restricted to five "stratigraphie" levels (Z1-Z5) and surrounded by undeformed beds in fluvio-lacustrine and tidal deposits and can be traced over a distance of several hundred meters. This deformation is interpreted to have resulted from the combined effects of liquidization and shear stress in soft-sediments due to local earthquakes in the area which could have been generated during the rifting stage of the Chihuahua basin. New constraints placed on the age of the "Las Vigas" Formation (bracketed by Late Aptian charophytes at the bottom and colomiellids of late Aptian to earliest Albian age at the top) suggest that this synrift tectonism lasted at least until the end of the Aptian. ?? Springer-Verlag 1998.

Uranium deposits of Gabon and Oklo reactors. Metallogenic model for rich deposits of the lower proterozoic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauthier-Lafaye, F.

1986-05-01

The geology of the Franceville basin (Gabon) is examined: stratigraphy, tectonics and geodynamics. The mobile zone of the Ogooue is specially studied: lithology, metamorphism and tectonics, isotopic geochronologic data are given. The different uranium deposits are described. A whole chapter is devoted to the study of Oklo natural nuclear reactor. A metallogenic model is proposed evidencing conditions required for deposit genesis. Tectonics, microstructures sedimentology, organic matter, diagenesis and uraniferous mineralizations are examined [fr

Sedimentology of the Westwater Canyon and Brushy Basin Members, Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Colorado Plateau, and relationship to uranium mineralization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner-Peterson, C.E.

1987-01-01

The Westwater Canyon Member was deposited by eastward-flowing, high energy, intermittent streams that drained a source area of diverse lithologies. Multi-channel river systems exhibited only minor downstream changes, most notably a slight increase in the amount of lateral accretion deposition. During deposition of the overlying Brushy Basin Member, a large saline, alkaline lake developed in an area that encompasses both the San Juan basin and the Paradox basin. Alteration of airborne volcanic ash that became incorporated in the lake sediments resulted in a lateral zonation of authigenic minerals that resembles the zonation characteristic of Cenozoic saline, alkaline lakes. The lake, named Lake T'oo'dichi, is the largest and oldest saline, alkaline lake known. Localization of primary uranium ore in the Grants uranium region, New Mexico, is more related to depositional facies in the Brushy Basin Member than to any special attribute of the host sandstones in the Westwater Canyon Member. Coincidence of depositional facies in the Brushy Basin Member with ore distribution and ore-related alteration patterns in the Westwater Canyon Member suggests a model in which humic acids originated in pore waters of smectitic mudstones of the Brushy Basin Member and moved downward into the underlying sandstones of the Westwater Canyon Member. Here, the humic acids precipitated to form humin layers that subsequently concentrated uranium from ground water to form the orebodies

Development of the Cerro solo deposit and uranium favorability of the San Jorge Gulf Basin, province of Chubut

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navarra, P.R.; Benitez, A.F.

1997-01-01

In the future the uranium exploration activities of CNEA would tend to improve the knowledge of geology and uranium favorability; to perform prospection tasks, and research and development in exploration technologies, to contribute to be in a position to meet the requirements of the country in the long term. On the other hand, a strong growth of nuclear capacity is expected in the first two decades of the next century. Based on its promising grade, the Cerro Solo uranium ore deposit was selected in 1990 by the CNEA to carry out an assessment project. The intensive exploration level was accomplished, as follows: definition of general characteristics of the main orebodies; detailed geologic studies; estimation of resources with adequate data; and preliminary selection of mining-milling methods to estimate the potential profitability of the project. The deposit belongs to the sandstone type. The mineralized layers are distributed into the fluvial sandstones and conglomerates of the cretaceous Chubut Group, lying 50 to 130 m deep Resources of the deposit, with an average grade of 0.3% U, in tonnes of recoverable uranium at costs of up to $80/kg U, are: Reasonable Assured Resources (RAR): 800 t U, Estimated Additional Resources, Category I (EAR-I): 2100 t U. Follow-up drilling programmes are being performed at present in some of the target sites defined in the paleochannel that hosts the Cerro Solo deposit, in order to establish the hypothetical resources of the area. The sites were determined as a result of the exploration that CNEA conducted in the Pichinan uranium district. Recently a regional research project was formulated, for the detailed exploration in the San Jorge Gulf Basin, where the Chubut Group is distributed. 17 refs, 4 figs

Late Paleozoic SEDEX deposits in South China formed in a carbonate platform at the northern margin of Gondwana

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Wenhong Johnson; Zhou, Mei-Fu; Liu, Zerui Ray

2018-05-01

SEDEX sulfide deposits hosted in black shale and carbonate are common in the South China Block. The Dajiangping pyrite deposit is the largest of these deposits and is made up of stratiform orebodies hosted in black shales. Sandstone interlayered with stratiform orebodies contains detrital zircon grains with the youngest ages of 429 Ma. Pyrite from the orebodies has a Re-Os isochron age of 389 ± 62 Ma, indicative of formation of the hosting strata and syngenetic pyrite ores in the mid-late Devonian. The hosting strata is a transgression sequence in a passive margin and composed of carbonaceous limestone in the lower part and black shales in the upper part. The ore-hosting black shales have high TOC (total organic carbon), Mo, As, Pb, Zn and Cd, indicating an anoxic-euxinic deep basin origin. The high redox proxies, V/(V + Ni) > 0.6 and V/Cr > 1, and the positive correlations of TOC with Mo and V in black shales are also consistent with an anoxic depositional environment. The Dajiangping deposit is located close to the NE-trending Wuchuan-Sihui fault, which was active during the Devonian. The mid-late Devonian mineralization age and the anoxic-euxinic deep basinal condition of this deposit thus imply that the formation of this deposit was causally linked to hydrothermal fluid exhalation in an anoxic fault-bounded basin that developed in a carbonate platform of the South China Block. The regional distribution of many Devonian, stratiform, carbonaceous sediment-hosted sulfide deposits along the NE-trending fault-bounded basins in South China, similar to the Dajiangping deposit, indicates that these deposits formed at a basin developed in the passive margin setting of the South China Block during the Devonian. This environment was caused by the break-up and northward migration of the South China Block from Gandwana.

Coking of residue hydroprocessing catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, M.R.; Zhao, Y.X. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; McKnight, C.A. [Syncrude Canada Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada); Komar, D.A.; Carruthers, J.D. [Cytec Industries Inc., Stamford, CT (United States)

1997-11-01

One of the major causes of deactivation of Ni/Mo and Co/Mo sulfide catalysts for hydroprocessing of heavy petroleum and bitumen fractions is coke deposition. The composition and amount of coke deposited on residue hydroprocessing catalysts depends on the composition of the liquid phase of the reactor. In the Athabasca bitumen, the high molecular weight components encourage coke deposition at temperatures of 430 to 440 degrees C and at pressures of 10 to 20 MPa hydrogen pressure. A study was conducted to determine which components in the heavy residual oil fraction were responsible for coking of catalysts. Seven samples of Athabasca vacuum residue were prepared by supercritical fluid extraction with pentane before being placed in the reactor. Carbon content and hydrodesulfurization activity was measured. It was concluded that the deposition of coke depended on the presence of asphaltenes and not on other compositional variables such as content of nitrogen, aromatic carbon or vanadium.

Developmental geology of coalbed methane from shallow to deep in Rocky Mountain basins and in Cook Inlet-Matanuska Basin, Alaska, USA and Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, R.C.; Flores, R.M.

1998-01-01

The Rocky Mountain basins of western North America contain vast deposits of coal of Cretaceous through early Tertiary age. Coalbed methane is produced in Rocky Mountain basins at depths ranging from 45 m (150 ft) to 1981 m (6500 ft) from coal of lignite to low-volatile bituminous rank. Although some production has been established in almost all Rocky Mountain basins, commercial production occurs in only a few. despite more than two decades of exploration for coalbed methane in the Rocky Mountain region, it is still difficult to predict production characteristics of coalbed methane wells prior to drilling. Commonly cited problems include low permeabilities, high water production, and coals that are significantly undersaturated with respect to methane. Sources of coalbed gases can be early biogenic, formed during the early stages of coalification, thermogenic, formed during the main stages of coalification, or late stage biogenic, formed as a result of the reintroduction of methane-gnerating bacteria by groundwater after uplift and erosion. Examples of all three types of coalbed gases, and combinations of more than one type, can be found in the Rocky Mountain region. Coals in the Rocky Mountain region achieved their present ranks largely as a result of burial beneath sediments that accumulated during the Laramide orogeny (Late Cretaceous through the end of the eocene) or shortly after. Thermal events since the end of the orogeny have also locally elevated coal ranks. Coal beds in the upper part of high-volatile A bituminous rank or greater commonly occur within much more extensive basin-centered gas deposits which cover large areas of the deeper parts of most Rocky Mountain basins. Within these basin-centered deposits all lithologies, including coals, sandstones, and shales, are gas saturated, and very little water is produced. The interbedded coals and carbonaceous shales are probably the source of much of this gas. Basin-centered gas deposits become overpressured

An appraisal of the Permian palaeobiodiversity and geology of the Ib-River Basin, eastern coastal area, India

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Shreerup; Saxena, Anju; Singh, Kamal Jeet; Chandra, Shaila; Cleal, Christopher J.

2018-05-01

The Ib-River Basin situated in the east coastal area of India, in Odisha State is a south-eastern part of the Mahanadi Master Basin. A large number of plant macrofossils belonging to the Glossopteris flora were described and documented between 2006 and 2010 from various localities of the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations of this basin. The floral components representing leaves, roots and fructifications in these assemblages belong to the Lycopodiales, Equisetales, Sphenophyllales, Filicales, Cordaitales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales, Coniferales and Glossopteridales. In the present study, all the available data pertaining to the biological remains, petrological analyses as well as the geology of this basin are reviewed and analyzed to deduce and reconstruct the biostratigraphy, palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironment and the landscape of this basin during Permian time in general and during the deposition of Barakar (Artinskian - Kungurian) and Lower Kamthi (Lopingian) formations in particular. The floral composition suggests the prevalence of a temperate climate with a slight change from warm moist to warm dry conditions during the deposition of the Barakar Formation and warm and humid during the deposition of Lower Kamthi sediments. Distribution of various plant groups in the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations have been shown to depict the biodiversity trends. Vegetational reconstructions during the deposition of the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations around the Ib-River Basin have also been attempted based on all the fossil records from this area. The status of unclassified Barakar and Kamthi formations has been redefined. Apart from megafloristics, the palynology of the basin is also discussed. Possible marine incursions and marine marginal environment in the Ib-Basin during Permian are overtly summarized on the basis of records of acritarchs, typical marine ichnofossils and evidences of wave activity in Lower Gondwana sediments of this Basin.

Sampling and analysis plan for the 116-C-5 retention basins characteristic dangerous waste determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, R.G.; Dunks, K.L.

1996-03-01

Cooling water flow from the rear face of the 100-B and 100-C reactors was diverted to large retention basins prior to discharge to the Columbia River. These retention basins delayed the release of the reactor coolant for decay of the short-lived activation products and for thermal cooling. Some of the activation products were deposited in sludge that settled in the basins and discharge lines. In addition, some contamination was deposited in soil around the basins and associated piping. The sampling objective of this project is to determine if regulated levels of leachable lead are present in the abrasive materials used to decontaminate the retention basin tank walls, in the material between the tank base plate and the concrete foundation, and in the soils immediately surrounding the perimeter of the retention basins. Sampling details, including sampling locations, frequencies, and analytical requirements, are discussed. Also described is the quality assurance plan for this project

Genesis of copper-lead mineralization in the regionally zoned Agnigundala Sulfide Belt, Cuddapah Basin, Andhra Pradesh, India

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, H. N.; Bandyopadhyay, Sandip

2018-03-01

Shallow marine sandstone-shale-carbonate sedimentary rocks of the Paleoproterozoic northern Cuddapah basin host copper (Nallakonda deposit), copper-lead (Dhukonda deposit), and lead mineralization (Bandalamottu deposit) which together constitute the Agnigundala Sulfide Belt. The Cu sulfide mineralization in sandstone is both stratabound and disseminated, and Pb sulfide mineralization occurs as stratabound fracture filling veins and/or replacement veins within dolomite. Systematic mineralogical and sulfur, carbon, and oxygen isotope studies of the three deposits indicate a common ore-fluid that deposited copper at Nallakonda, copper-lead at Dhukonda, and lead at Bandalamottu under progressive cooling during migration through sediments. The ore-fluid was of low temperature (water sulfate produced sulfide for ore deposition. It is envisaged that basal red-bed and evaporite-bearing rift-related continental to shallow marine sediments might have acted as the source for the metals. Rift-related faults developed during sedimentation in the basin might have punctured the ore-fluid pool in the lower sedimentary succession and also acted as conduits for their upward migration. The ore-bearing horizons have participated in deformations during basin inversion without any recognizable remobilization.

Beyond Naphthenic Acids: Environmental Screening of Water from Natural Sources and the Athabasca Oil Sands Industry Using Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrow, Mark P; Peru, Kerry M; Fahlman, Brian; Hewitt, L Mark; Frank, Richard A; Headley, John V

2015-09-01

There is a growing need for environmental screening of natural waters in the Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada, particularly in the differentiation between anthropogenic and naturally-derived organic compounds associated with weathered bitumen deposits. Previous research has focused primarily upon characterization of naphthenic acids in water samples by negative-ion electrospray ionization methods. Atmospheric pressure photoionization is a much less widely used ionization method, but one that affords the possibility of observing low polarity compounds that cannot be readily observed by electrospray ionization. This study describes the first usage of atmospheric pressure photoionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (in both positive-ion and negative-ion modes) to characterize and compare extracts of oil sands process water, river water, and groundwater samples from areas associated with oil sands mining activities. When comparing mass spectra previously obtained by electrospray ionization and data acquired by atmospheric pressure photoionization, there can be a doubling of the number of components detected. In addition to polar compounds that have previously been observed, low-polarity, sulfur-containing compounds and hydrocarbons that do not incorporate a heteroatom were detected. These latter components, which are not amenable to electrospray ionization, have potential for screening efforts within monitoring programs of the oil sands.

Depositional conditions of the coal-bearing Hirka Formation beneath ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This work focuses on the relationship between the coal deposition and explosive volcanism of the Miocene basin, NW central Anatolia, Turkey. The coal-bearing Hirka Formation was deposited over the Galatian Andesitic Complex and/or massive lagoonal environments during the Miocene. The investigated lignite is a high ...

Contrasting Permo - Carboniferous Evolution of Resita and Sirinia - Presacina Basins (South Carpathians, Romania); an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatu, M.; Seghedi, I.; Nutu, L. M.; Nicolae, I.

2009-04-01

Two important Permo-Carboniferous molasses basins Resita and Sirinia - Presacina occur in Romanian Banat (south-western part of Carpathian chain), unconformable overlie the Getic and Danubian domains with different pre-Variscan and Variscan geodynamic history. They show differences in their lithology reflecting various geotectonic settings and evolutions. In the Resita domain the Upper Carboniferous deposits (Westphalian - Stephanian in age, according to the previous paleobotanic and palynological data) are important in volume and they contain terrigeneous siliciclastic rocks represented by sandy - conglomerate and argillaceous - sandy rocks variable in thickness with siltstone, carbonaceous shale and coal beds interlayering. There are not volcanic rocks present in Upper Carboniferous of Resita domain. In contrast with Resita in the Sirinia - Presacina basins the Upper Carboniferous deposits are volumetrically more restrictive. These deposits transgresively overlie pre-Sudetian formations and consist of continental - lacustrine terrigeneous formations, rarely associated with limnic carbonatic rocks. In this association the alternating conglomerate, siliceous sandstone, siltstone and clay with lens - like coal inter-layers prevails. In two small areas Dragosela - Tulinecea - Camenita (in the western part) and Baia Noua - Cucuiova (in the eastern part) the terrigeneous deposits are associated with basaltic andesite and andesite rocks with alkaline affinity. In both of these basins the Lower Permian deposits (according to the paleobotanic data) unconformably overlie the Upper Carboniferous formations and/or pre-Sudetian basements. The Lower Permian deposits in the Resita basin occur in two superposed formations (Nastaseanu, 1987): (1) Walchia Beds dominated by black argillaceous shales, slightly bituminous with rare sandy-conglomerate interlayers and (2) Red Beds composed by sandy-conglomerate deposits with some argillaceous intercalations, all red in color, with

Age and paragenesis of mineralisation at Coronation Hill uranium deposit, Northern Territory, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Karin; Meffre, Sebastien; Davidson, Garry

2014-06-01

Coronation Hill is a U + Au + platinum group elements deposit in the South Alligator Valley (SAV) field in northern Australia, south of the better known unconformity-style U East Alligator Rivers (EAR) field. The SAV field differs from the EAR by having a more complex basin-basement architecture. A volcanically active fault trough (Jawoyn Sub-basin) developed on older basement and then was disrupted by renewed faulting, before being buried beneath regional McArthur Basin sandstones that are also the main hanging wall to the EAR deposits. Primary mineralisation at Coronation Hill formed at 1607 ± 26 Ma (rather than 600-900 Ma as previously thought), and so it is likely that the SAV was part of a single west McArthur Basin dilational event. Most ore is hosted in sub-vertical faults and breccias in the competent volcanic cover sequence. This favoured fluid mixing, acid buffering (forming illite) and oxidation of Fe2+ and reduced C-rich assemblages as important uranium depositional mechanisms. However, reduction of U in fractured older pyrite (Pb model age of 1833 ± 67 Ma) is an important trap in diorite. Some primary ore was remobilised at 675 ± 21 Ma to form coarse uraninite + Ni-Co pyrite networks containing radiogenic Pb. Coronation Hill is polymetallic, and in this respect resembles the `egress'-style U deposits in the Athabascan Basin (Canada). However, these are all cover-hosted. A hypothesis for further testing is that Coronation Hill is also egress-style, with ores formed by fluids rising through basement-hosted fault networks (U reduction by diorite pyrite and carbonaceous shale), and into veins and breccias in the overlying Jawoyn Sub-basin volcano-sedimentary succession.

Depositional History and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Middle Ordovician Yeongheung Formation (Yeongweol Group), Taebaeksan Basin, mid-east Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yoo Jin; Kwon, Yi Kyun

2017-04-01

composition ratio of siliciclastic materials dominated facies in the upper part of the Yeongheung Formation. The Middle1 subunit is pervasively recognized by subaerial exposures facies (carbonate breccia, paleosol), whereas the Middle2 subunit is similar to the Middle1 subunit except for the absence of subaerial exposure features. The Western subunit lost some of its primary sedimentary structure and texture in comparison to other subunits, because of the active recrystallization, metamorphism, structural deformation and carbonate diagenesis. This study reveals depositional history and refines sequence stratigraphy of the Yeongheung Formation, promoting understanding of the basin evolution of the Yeongweol Group.

Unlocking the hydrocarbon potential of the eastern Black Sea basin. Prospectivity of middle Miocene submarine fan reservoirs by seismic sequence stratigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gundogan, Coskun; Galip, Ozbek; Ali, Demirer

2002-01-01

Full text : The objective of this paper is to present present depositional characteristics and hydrocarbon prospectivity of the middle Miocene submarine basin floor fan deposits from the exploration stand point of view by using seismic data available in the offshore eastern Black Sea basin. This basin is a Tertiary trough formed as a continuation of the Mesozoic oceanic basin. The hydrocarbon potential of the basin is believed to be high in the Tertiary section because of the existence of the elements necessary for generation, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbon. A sequence stratigraphic study has been carried out by using 2-d seismic data in the Turkish portion of the eastern Black Sea basin. The objective of the study was to determine periods of major clastic sediment influxes which might lead to identify good reservoir intervals and their spatial distribution in this basin. All basic seismic sequence stratigraphic interpretation techniques and seismic facies analysis were used to identify times of these sand rich deposition periods. Sequence stratigraphy and seismic facies analysis indicate that the basinal areas of the middle Miocene sequences were dominated mainly by submarine fan complexes introduced in the lowstand stages and pelagic sediments deposited during the transgressive and highstand stages. It was proposed that Turkish portion of this basin which is one of the best frontier exploration area with its high potential left in the world, is glimpsing to those looking for good future exploration opportunities.

Hydrotreating and hydrocracking of Athabasca bitumen derived heavy gas oils using NiMo catalyst supported on titania modified alumina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferdous, D.; Bakhshi, N.N.; Dalai, A.K.; Adjaye, J. [Saskatchewan Univ., Saskatoon, SK (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratories]|[Syncrude Canada Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

Different NiMo catalysts supported on titania modified Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were synthesized and characterized in an effort to study the hydrodenitrigenation (HDN) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of different gas oils derived from Athabasca bitumen. The Al{sub x}O{sub 3} supports were modified by incorporating up to 9 wt per cent titanium (Ti). All modified supports as well as fresh and spent catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, pore volume and pore diameter, XRD, TPR, TPD and SEM. A trickle-bed reactor using 3 different gas oils from the Athabasca bitumen was used to test the initial activity of these catalysts. The 3 oils were light gas oil (LGO), heavy gas oil (HGO) and blended gas oil having 50 per cent LGO and 50 per cent HGO. The study showed that nitrogen conversion increased for all the gas oils when Ti was incorporated into the alumina. With an increase in Ti concentrations from 0 to 6 wt per cent, nitrogen conversion increased from 57-69.5 wt per cent, 75-80.2 wt per cent, 83-91.5 wt per cent and for LGO, HGO and blended, respectively. Nearly 86 wt per cent sulphur conversion was obtained for all Ti concentrations for LGO, while HGO and blended sulphur conversions were in the range of 96-97 wt per cent. Detailed hydrotreating and hydrocracking of HGO was then performed using the 6 wt per cent Ti modified catalyst because it achieved the maximum nitrogen conversion. This paper also presented the temperature, pressure and liquid hourly space velocity for this catalyst along with the maximum nitrogen and sulphur conversions. Results were compared with those of commercial catalysts. tabs., figs.

Reinterpretation of Halokinetic Features in the Ancestral Rocky Mountains Paradox Salt Basin, Utah and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, J. A.; Giles, K. A.; Rowan, M. G.; Hearon, T. E., IV

2016-12-01

The Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado is a foreland basin formed in response to flexural loading by the Pennsylvanian-aged Uncompaghre uplift during the Ancestral Rocky Mountain orogen. Thick sequences of evaporites (Paradox Formation) were deposited within the foreland basin, which interfinger with clastic sediments in the foredeep and carbonates around the basin margin. Differential loading of the Pennsylvanian-Jurassic sediments onto the evaporites drove synsedimentary halokinesis, creating a series of salt walls and adjacent minibasins within the larger foreland basin. The growing salt walls within the basin influenced patterns of sediment deposition from the Pennsylvanian through the Cretaceous. By integrating previously published mapping with recent field observations, mapping, and subsurface interpretations of well logs and 2D seismic lines, we present interpretations of the timing, geometry, and nature of halokinesis within the Paradox Basin, which record the complex salt tectonic history in the basin. Furthermore, we present recent work on the relationships between the local passive salt history and the formation of syndepositional counter-regional extensional fault systems within the foreland. These results will be integrated into a new regional salt-tectonic and stratigraphic framework of the Paradox Basin, and have broader implications for interpreting sedimentary records in other basins with a mobile substrate.

Detailed measured sections, cross sections, and paleogeographic reconstructions of the upper cretaceous and lower tertiary nonmarine interval, Wind River Basin, Wyoming: Chapter 10 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.

2007-01-01

Detailed measured sections and regional stratigraphic cross sections are used to reconstruct facies maps and interpret paleogeographic settings for the interval from the base of Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Formation to top of lower member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. The Mesaverde Formation spans the time during which the Upper Cretaceous seaway retreated eastward out of central Wyoming in Campanian time and the initial stages of the Lewis transgression in earliest Maastrichtian time. This retreat stalled for a considerable period of time during deposition of the lower part of the Mesaverde, creating a thick buildup of marginal marine sandstones and coaly coastal plain deposits across the western part of the basin. The Lewis sea transgressed into the northeast part of Wind River Basin, beginning in early Maastrichtian time during deposition of the Teapot Sandstone Member of the Mesaverde Formation. The Meeteetse Formation, which overlies the Teapot, was deposited in a poorly-drained coastal plain setting southwest of the Lewis seaway. The Lewis seaway, at maximum transgression, covered much of the northeast half of the Wind River Basin area but was clearly deflected around the present site of the Wind River Range, southwest of the basin, providing the first direct evidence of Laramide uplift on that range. Uplift of the Wind River Range continued during deposition of the overlying Maastrichtian Lance Formation. The Granite Mountains south of the basin also became a positive feature during this time. A rapidly subsiding trough during the Maastrichtian time formed near the presentday trough of the Wind River Basin in which more than 6,000 feet of Lance was deposited. The development of this trough appears to have begun before the adjacent Owl Creek Mountains to the north started to rise; however, a muddy facies in the upper part of Lance in the deep subsurface, just to the south, might be interpreted to indicate that the

Contribution to the stratigraphy of the onshore Paraiba Basin, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rossetti, Dilce F.; Valeriano, Marcio M., E-mail: rossetti@dsr.inpe.br [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil). Divisao de Sensoriamento Remoto; Goes, Ana M.; Brito-Neves, Benjamim B. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias; Bezerra, Francisco H.R.; Ochoa, Felipe L. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Exatas e da Terra. Departamento de Geologia

2012-06-15

Several publications have contributed to improve the stratigraphy of the Paraiba Basin in northeastern Brazil. However, the characterization and distribution of sedimentary units in onshore areas of this basin are still incomplete, despite their significance for reconstructing the tectono- sedimentary evolution of the South American passive margin. This work provides new information to differentiate among lithologically similar strata, otherwise entirely unrelated in time. This approach included morphological, sedimentological and stratigraphic descriptions based on surface and sub-surface data integrated with remote sensing, optically stimulated luminescence dating, U+Th/He dating of weathered goethite, and heavy mineral analysis. Based on this study, it was possible to show that Cretaceous units are constrained to the eastern part of the onshore Paraiba Basin. Except for a few outcrops of carbonatic-rocks nearby the modern coastline, deposits of this age are not exposed to the surface in the study area. Instead, the sedimentary cover throughout the basin is constituted by mineralogically and chronologically distinctive deposits, inserted in the Barreiras Formation and mostly in the Post-Barreiras Sediments, of early/middle Miocene and Late Pleistocene-Holocene ages, respectively. The data presented in this work support tectonic deformation as a factor of great relevance to the distribution of the sedimentary units of the Paraiba Basin. (author)

Contribution to the stratigraphy of the onshore Paraiba Basin, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossetti, Dilce F.; Valeriano, Marcio M.; Goes, Ana M.; Brito-Neves, Benjamim B.; Bezerra, Francisco H.R.; Ochoa, Felipe L.

2012-01-01

Several publications have contributed to improve the stratigraphy of the Paraiba Basin in northeastern Brazil. However, the characterization and distribution of sedimentary units in onshore areas of this basin are still incomplete, despite their significance for reconstructing the tectono- sedimentary evolution of the South American passive margin. This work provides new information to differentiate among lithologically similar strata, otherwise entirely unrelated in time. This approach included morphological, sedimentological and stratigraphic descriptions based on surface and sub-surface data integrated with remote sensing, optically stimulated luminescence dating, U+Th/He dating of weathered goethite, and heavy mineral analysis. Based on this study, it was possible to show that Cretaceous units are constrained to the eastern part of the onshore Paraiba Basin. Except for a few outcrops of carbonatic-rocks nearby the modern coastline, deposits of this age are not exposed to the surface in the study area. Instead, the sedimentary cover throughout the basin is constituted by mineralogically and chronologically distinctive deposits, inserted in the Barreiras Formation and mostly in the Post-Barreiras Sediments, of early/middle Miocene and Late Pleistocene-Holocene ages, respectively. The data presented in this work support tectonic deformation as a factor of great relevance to the distribution of the sedimentary units of the Paraiba Basin. (author)

Potash: a global overview of evaporate-related potash resources, including spatial databases of deposits, occurrences, and permissive tracts: Chapter S in Global mineral resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Orris, Greta J.; Cocker, Mark D.; Dunlap, Pamela; Wynn, Jeff C.; Spanski, Gregory T.; Briggs, Deborah A.; Gass, Leila; Bliss, James D.; Bolm, Karen S.; Yang, Chao; Lipin, Bruce R.; Ludington, Stephen; Miller, Robert J.; Słowakiewicz, Mirosław

2014-01-01

Potash is mined worldwide to provide potassium, an essential nutrient for food crops. Evaporite-hosted potash deposits are the largest source of salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form, including potassium chloride, potassium-magnesium chloride, potassium sulfate, and potassium nitrate. Thick sections of evaporitic salt that form laterally continuous strata in sedimentary evaporite basins are the most common host for stratabound and halokinetic potash-bearing salt deposits. Potash-bearing basins may host tens of millions to more than 100 billion metric tons of potassium oxide (K2O). Examples of these deposits include those in the Elk Point Basin in Canada, the Pripyat Basin in Belarus, the Solikamsk Basin in Russia, and the Zechstein Basin in Germany.

Geophysical techniques for exploration of concealed uranium deposits in the Gwalior basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudhary, Kalpan; Singh, R.B.

2004-01-01

There is no direct geophysical method for the exploration of concealed uranium ore. Scope of geophysics for this in the Gwalior basin comprises delineating the basement topography, demarcation or zones of intense fracturing intersecting the unconformities and to identify the presence of carbonaceous rocks, specially in the graben-like structures. These geophysical problems have been successfully solved in other places by employing IP, resistivity, SP and gravity techniques for basement mapping, identification of fracture zone/shear zone, delineation of electrical conductors like carbonaceous rocks and sulphides. Three such case histories are presented here that include: a). basement and shear/fracture zone mapping in the Vindhyan basin north of Son-Narmada lineament, b). delineation of conductive zone (proved to be carbon phyllite) in the Mahakoshal Group of Kanhara area of Sonbhadra district, UP and c). Identification of a conductive zone, proved to be sulphide body, within the Mahakoshal group in the Gurharpahar area of Sidhi and Sonbhadra districts of MP and UP respectively. In the context of exploration for concealed uranium in the Gwalior basin, it is suggested to employ IP, resistivity, SP, gravity and magnetic methods for delineation of conductive zones like carbonaceous rocks, basement topography, including the graben like structures, fracture zone, geological boundaries and demarcation of the basin boundary. (author)

Acid rain and nitrogen deposition in a sub-tropical watershed (Piracicaba): ecosystem consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krusche, A.V.; Camargo, P.B. de; Cerri, C.E.; Ballester, M.V.; Lara, L.B.L.S.; Victoria, R.L.; Martinelli, L.A.

2003-01-01

Poorly buffered sandy soils may result in acidification problems for forests in this basin. - High levels of wet N and acidic deposition were measured in southeast Brazil. In this study we addressed the sensitivity of water bodies and soils to acidification and N deposition in the Piracicaba River basin (12,400 km 2 ). Average acid neutralization capacity (ANC) at 23 river sampling sites varied from 350 to 1800 μeq l -1 . Therefore, rivers and streams in the Piracicaba basin are well buffered, if the lower limit of 200 μeq l -1 is assumed as an indication of poorly buffered waters. ANC is increased by untreated wastewaters discarded into rivers and streams of the region. Average NO 3 concentrations varied from 20 to 70 μeq l -1 . At the most polluted river sites, NO 3 concentration is not highest, however, probably due to NO 3 reduction and denitrification. Most of the nitrogen in streams is also provided by wastewaters and not by wet deposition. The majority of the soils in the basin, however, are acidic with a low base cation content and high aluminum concentration. Therefore, soils in this basin are poorly buffered and, in areas of forest over sandy soils, acidification may be a problem

Evaporite deposition in a shallow perennial lake, Qaidam basin, western China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schubel, K.A.; Lowenstein, T.K. (SUNY, Binghampton, NY (United States)); Spencer, R.J. (Univ. of Calgary, Alberta (Canada)); Pengxi, Z. (Institute of Salt Lakes, Xining (China))

1991-03-01

Evaporites accumulate in ephemeral saline-pans, shallow perennial lakes or lagoons, and deep perennial systems. Continuous brine trench exposures of Holocene evaporites from the Qaidam basin provide criteria for the recognition of shallow perennial lake sediments. Based on Landsat photographs, lateral extent of beds (at least 7 km), and sequence thicknesses (maximum 2.5 m), the paleolake is interpreted to have been less than 2.5 m deep and at least 120 km{sup 2} in area. Sediments consist of laminated siliciclastic mud overlain by mud-halite couplets (mm- to cm-scale layers), which represent one vertical shallowing- and concentrating-upwards sequence. The basal laminite marks the onset of deposition in this shallow perennial paleolake. Syndepositional halite textures and fabrics in the overlying mud-halite couplets include cumulates, rafts, and chevrons, draped by mud laminae, and halite layers truncated by horizontal dissolution surfaces (increasing in frequency upwards). Paleolake brines, determined from fluid inclusion melting temperatures, are Na-Mg-Cl-rich and evolve from 0.84 m Mg{sup 2} to 1.52 m Mg{sup 2+} (near the surface). Combinations of the following criteria may be used for the recognition of shallow, nonstratified, perennial lake sediments: lateral continuity of layers; muds undisrupted by subaerial exposure; vertical bottom-growth of halite; halite layers conformably overlain by mud; halite layers truncated by nonuniformly spaced horizontal dissolution surfaces; erosional scours and channels filled with cross-laminated gypsum, halite, and siliciclastic sand and mud; and salinity fluctuations over small stratigraphic intervals within an overall concentrating-upwards sequence.

Basement and climate controls on proximal depositional systems in continental settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ventra, D.

2011-01-01

This doctoral dissertation discusses the sedimentology and dynamics of selected, modern and ancient clastic depositional systems (alluvial fans and colluvial aprons) at continental basin margins. The focus on single depositional systems gave the opportunity to devote particular attention to

Precessional control of Sr ratios in marginal basins during the Messinian Salinity Crisis?

Science.gov (United States)

Topper, R. P. M.; Lugli, S.; Manzi, V.; Roveri, M.; Meijer, P. Th.

2014-05-01

Based on 87Sr/86Sr data of the Primary Lower Gypsum (PLG) deposits in the Vena del Gesso basin—a marginal basin of the Mediterranean during the Messinian Salinity Crisis—a correlation between 87Sr/86Sr values and precessional forcing has recently been proposed but not yet confirmed. In this study, a box model is set up to represent the Miocene Mediterranean deep basin and a connected marginal basin. Measurements of 87Sr/86Sr in the Vena del Gesso and estimated salinity extrema are used to constrain model results. In an extensive analysis with this model, we assess whether coeval 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations could have been forced by precession-driven changes in the fresh water budget. A comprehensive set of the controlling parameters is examined to assess the conditions under which precession-driven 87Sr/86Sr variations occur and to determine the most likely setting for PLG formation. Model results show that precession-driven 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations in marginal basins are produced in settings within a large range of marginal basin sizes, riverine strontium characteristics, amplitudes of precessional fresh water budget variation, and average fresh water budgets of both the marginal and deep basin. PLG deposition most likely occurred when the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection was restricted, and the average fresh water budget in the Mediterranean was significantly less negative than at present day. Considering the large range of settings in which salinities and 87Sr/86Sr fluctuate on a precessional timescale, 87Sr/86Sr variations are expected to be a common feature in PLG deposits in marginal basins of the Mediterranean.

Movement of water infiltrated from a recharge basin to wells.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Leary, David R; Izbicki, John A; Moran, Jean E; Meeth, Tanya; Nakagawa, Brandon; Metzger, Loren; Bonds, Chris; Singleton, Michael J

2012-01-01

Local surface water and stormflow were infiltrated intermittently from a 40-ha basin between September 2003 and September 2007 to determine the feasibility of recharging alluvial aquifers pumped for public supply, near Stockton, California. Infiltration of water produced a pressure response that propagated through unconsolidated alluvial-fan deposits to 125 m below land surface (bls) in 5 d and through deeper, more consolidated alluvial deposits to 194 m bls in 25 d, resulting in increased water levels in nearby monitoring wells. The top of the saturated zone near the basin fluctuates seasonally from depths of about 15 to 20 m. Since the start of recharge, water infiltrated from the basin has reached depths as great as 165 m bls. On the basis of sulfur hexafluoride tracer test data, basin water moved downward through the saturated alluvial deposits until reaching more permeable zones about 110 m bls. Once reaching these permeable zones, water moved rapidly to nearby pumping wells at rates as high as 13 m/d. Flow to wells through highly permeable material was confirmed on the basis of flowmeter logging, and simulated numerically using a two-dimensional radial groundwater flow model. Arsenic concentrations increased slightly as a result of recharge from 2 to 6 µg/L immediately below the basin. Although few water-quality issues were identified during sample collection, high groundwater velocities and short travel times to nearby wells may have implications for groundwater management at this and at other sites in heterogeneous alluvial aquifers. Ground Water © 2011, National Ground Water Association. Published 2011. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Mineralization of the ancient hydrogeological conditions in the northeast of Ordos basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Junyi

2012-01-01

Ordos basin, North East, to the Eocene as a turning point, in the generation of the ancient hydrogeological conditions have distinct changes experienced at least two ancient evolution of hydrogeological conditions, that is closed in the early flow into basin Late open drain basin. Closed in the early period of the inner flow basin, since the purpose of layer deposition, the direction of the ancient hydrodynamic interlayer oxidation is consistent with the direction of oxidation. Hydrogeological conditions of the ancient point of view, in the Ordos basin, North East looking for interlayer oxidation zone type uranium has a guiding role. (author)

The Hei River Basin in northwestern China - tectonics, sedimentary processes and pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Rudersdorf, Andreas; Nottebaum, Veit; Schimpf, Stefan; Yu, Kaifeng; Hartmann, Kai; Stauch, Georg; Wünnemann, Bernd; Reicherter, Klaus; Diekmann, Bernhard; Lehmkuhl, Frank

2014-05-01

The Hei River Basin (catchment area of c. 130,000 km²) is situated at the transition between the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and the southern slopes of Gobi-Tien-Shan. As part of the northwestern Chinese deserts, the Ejina Basin (Gaxun Nur Basin) constitutes the endorheic erosion base of the drainage system. The basin - hosting the second largest continental alluvial fans in the world, is tectonically strongly shaped by the Gobi belt of left-lateral transpression. The tectonic setting in combination with competing climatic driving forces (Westerlies and summer/winter monsoon currents) has supported the formation of a valuable long-time sediment archive comprises at least the last 250,000 yrs. of deposition. It is composed by the interplay of eolian, fluvial and lacustrine sedimentation cycles and today is dominated by widespread (gravel) gobi surfaces, insular dune fields and shallow evaporitic playa areas. Thus, it provides excellent conditions to investigate tectonic evolution and Quaternary environmental changes. Recently, geomorphological, geophysical, neotectonic and mineralogical studies have enhanced the understanding of the environmental history and the modern depositional environment. Moreover, the role of the Hei River Basin as an important source area of silt particles which were later deposited on the Chinese Loess Plateau is evaluated. Therefore, a 230 m long drill core, sediment sections and ca. 700 surface samples throughout the whole catchment and basin were analyzed. Instrumental and historical seismicity are very low, but the proximity to active fault zones and dating irregularities in earlier publications indicate evidence for deformation in the study area. Despite flat topography, indications of active tectonics such as fault-related large-scale lineations can be observed. Seismically deformed unconsolidated lacustrine deposits (seismites), presumably of Holocene age, are evident and must be related to the nearby faults. The upper

Multicomponent seismic reservoir characterization of a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) heavy oil project, Athabasca oil sands, Alberta

Science.gov (United States)

Schiltz, Kelsey Kristine

Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is an in situ heavy oil recovery method involving the injection of steam in horizontal wells. Time-lapse seismic analysis over a SAGD project in the Athabasca oil sands deposit of Alberta reveals that the SAGD steam chamber has not developed uniformly. Core data confirm the presence of low permeability shale bodies within the reservoir. These shales can act as barriers and baffles to steam and limit production by prohibiting steam from accessing the full extent of the reservoir. Seismic data can be used to identify these shale breaks prior to siting new SAGD well pairs in order to optimize field development. To identify shale breaks in the study area, three types of seismic inversion and a probabilistic neural network prediction were performed. The predictive value of each result was evaluated by comparing the position of interpreted shales with the boundaries of the steam chamber determined through time-lapse analysis. The P-impedance result from post-stack inversion did not contain enough detail to be able to predict the vertical boundaries of the steam chamber but did show some predictive value in a spatial sense. P-impedance from pre-stack inversion exhibited some meaningful correlations with the steam chamber but was misleading in many crucial areas, particularly the lower reservoir. Density estimated through the application of a probabilistic neural network (PNN) trained using both PP and PS attributes identified shales most accurately. The interpreted shales from this result exhibit a strong relationship with the boundaries of the steam chamber, leading to the conclusion that the PNN method can be used to make predictions about steam chamber growth. In this study, reservoir characterization incorporating multicomponent seismic data demonstrated a high predictive value and could be useful in evaluating future well placement.

Application of the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method to Late Miocene-Pliocene sequences in the northern Danube Basin (Pannonian Basin System): Confirmation of heterochronous evolution of sedimentary environments

Science.gov (United States)

Šujan, Michal; Braucher, Régis; Kováč, Michal; Bourlès, Didier L.; Rybár, Samuel; Guillou, Valéry; Hudáčková, Natália

2016-02-01

Authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method was applied to lacustrine, deltaic and alluvial sequences of the northern Danube Basin (Pannonian Basin System), to bridge the insufficiency of geochronological data for the Late Miocene to Pliocene period. The measurements of 51 samples (both lacustrine and floodplain), ranging from 11.6 to 0.95 Ma are consistent with the existing magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data standing mainly on the evolution degree of endemic mollusk fauna, mammals and dinocysts. This agreement confirms our assumption that the incoming beryllium fluxes remained constant over the studied time period and thus that the two initial 10Be/9Be ratios determined in actual Holocene/Late Pleistocene sediments (lacustrine and floodplain) are valid for these environments. The obtained ages indicate gradual progradation of the deltaic depositional systems across the Danube Basin with a clear time-transgressional character, replacing basin floor and shelfal environments. Deltaic sedimentation occurred firstly in the north at foothills of the Western Carpathians from 11.0 Ma, and changed to the alluvial environment after 10.5 Ma. At the same time (~ 10.5 Ma), the paleo-Danube deltaic system draining the Eastern Alps entered the study area from the Vienna Basin situated on the West. Later, the deltaic systems were merged in the central part of the basin and reached its southeastern margin at ~ 9.4 Ma. Regression of the Lake Pannon from the southernmost part of the study area is evidenced after 8.7 Ma. Alluvial deposition of meandering rivers lasting until 6.0-5.0 Ma followed and was interrupted by the early Pliocene basin inversion. Sedimentation of braided streams took place during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene, reflecting uplift of mountains surrounding the basin margins. This study documents the powerful potential of the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method and its reliability in a basin with complicated tectonic and sedimentary history. It demonstrates that

An evolving magmatic-hydrothermal system in the formation of the Mesozoic Meishan magnetite-apatite deposit in the Ningwu volcanic basin, eastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wen-Hao; Jiang, Man-Rong; Zhang, Xiao-Jun; Xia, Yan; Algeo, Thomas J.; Li, Huan

2018-06-01

The Meishan iron deposit contains 338 Mt of iron-ore reserves at 39% Fe and represents the largest magnetite-apatite deposit in the Ningwu Basin of eastern China. Controversy has long existed about whether this deposit had a hydrothermal or iron-oxide melt origin. Iron mineralization is genetically related to plutons that are composed of gabbro-diorite, which were emplaced at 130 ± 1 Ma. These rocks have SiO2 contents of 51.72-54.60 wt%, Na2O contents of 3.47-4.04 wt%, K2O contents of 2.02-2.69 wt%, and K2O/Na2O ratios of 0.51-0.73. These rocks are enriched in LILEs and LREEs and depleted in Nb, Ta, and Ti, which indicates that the magma originated through partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle source in a subduction environment. A pattern of decreasing initial Sr isotopic ratios and increasing εNd(t) values with time in Early Cretaceous magmatic rocks of the Ningwu Basin may indicate incorporation of increasing proportions of asthenospheric mantle material into the source magma, which is consistent with the processes of lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric upwelling in eastern China related to Mesozoic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Two stages of magnetite are found in the gabbro-diorite: (1) early-crystallized magnetite as euhedral-subhedral crystals in larger clinopyroxene crystals, and (2) later-crystallized magnetite and accompanying ilmenite grains in the voids between plagioclase and clinopyroxene crystals. The formation of magnetite before clinopyroxene, combined with the results of Fe-Ti oxide geothermometry and analysis of magnetite V content, indicates that the oxygen fugacity of the source magma was greater than ΔFMQ +2.2 at an early stage (>640 °C) but decreased to ΔFMQ -2.66 as abundant magnetite crystallized at a later stage (∼489 °C). The early crystallization of magnetite at a high oxygen fugacity does not support a Fenner evolution trend for the primitive magma and diminishes the likelihood of liquid immiscibility

The geology and hydrocarbon possibilities of the Triassic-Jurassic Fundy Basin, eastern Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wade, J.A.; Fensome, R.A. [Geological Survey of Canada, Dartmouth, NS (Canada). Atlantic Geoscience Centre; Brown, D.E. [Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, Halifax, NS (Canada)

1997-09-01

The development of the Mesozoic sedimentary basins beneath the waters of the eastern coast of North America was discussed. These basins have been linked to the rifting of the central part of Pangaea during Mid and Late Triassic time that ended in the formation of a series of grabens extending from Florida to The Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of them being the Bay of Fundy Basin which is about 16,500 square kilometres in size. Onshore and offshore geologic mapping and seismic interpretations have shown their age range to be from the Mid Triassic Anisian or Ladinian to Mid Jurassic. Up to 12 km of Mesozoic rocks were deposited in the basin with up to 9 km still present. The depositional history of the area was described. The two areas with greatest hydrocarbon potential are the Bay of Fundy and the Chignecto subbasins.

Flood-dominated fluvio-deltaic system: a new depositional model for the Devonian Cabeças Formation, Parnaíba Basin, Piauí, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiza Corral M.O. Ponciano

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The depositional model of the Cabeças Formation is re-evaluated in the context of the Devonian paleogeography of the Parnaíba Basin, and with particular reference to similarities between the formation's facies associations on the eastern border of the basin and the flood-dominated fluvio-deltaic system facies that have been discussed in recent literature. The widespread occurrence and nature of sigmoidal clinoforms (with asymptotic cross-stratification and climbing ripples of the Cabeças Formation are here considered as strong evidence of flood-influenced depositional settings. Sandy strata of the Passagem Member, in the vicinity of Pimenteiras and Picos (Piauí State, are interpreted as the distal part of fine-grained mouth-bar deposits interbedded with delta-front sandstone lobes showing hummocky cross-stratification. Richly fossiliferous levels, with diverse megainvertebrates and plant cuticles, occur within the delta-front lobes and the distal mouth-bar deposits, reflecting continuation of shallow marine conditions.O modelo deposicional da Formação Cabeças é reinterpretado no presente estudo com base no contexto paleogeográfico da Bacia do Parnaíba durante o Devoniano e na similaridade entre as fácies encontradas na Formação Cabeças com as fácies características dos sistemas flúvio-deltaicos dominados por inundações. O tipo das clinoformas sigmoidais (com estratificação cruzada assintótica e laminação cruzada cavalgante, e a sua predominância na Formação Cabeças, são consideradas como as principais evidências da influência de inundações nesta unidade. Depósitos do Membro Passagem, localizados nos arredores das cidades de Pimenteiras e Picos, são interpretados como o componente distal de um tipo de barra de desembocadura com a predominância de arenitos finos a conglomeráticos, intercalados com lobos arenosos tabulares de frente deltaica com estratificação cruzada hummocky. Diversos intervalos fossil

A review of silver-rich mineral deposits and their metallogeny

Science.gov (United States)

Graybeal, Frederick T.; Vikre, Peter

2010-01-01

Mineral deposits with large inventories or high grades of silver are found in four genetic groups: (1) volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), (2) sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX), (3) lithogene, and, (4) magmatichydrothermal. Principal differences between the four groups relate to source rocks and regions, metal associations, process and timing of mineralization, and tectonic setting. These four groups may be subdivided into specific metal associations on ternary diagrams based on relative metal contents. The VMS deposits rarely contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz). Grades average 33 g/t Ag. Variable Ag- Pb-Zn-Cu-Au ± Sn concentrations are interpreted as having been derived both from shallow plutons and by leaching of the volcanic rock pile in regions of thin or no continental crust and the mineralization is syngenetic. Higher silver grades are associated with areas of abundant felsic volcanic rocks. The SEDEX deposits rarely contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz). Grades average 46 g/t Ag. Silver, lead, and zinc in relatively consistent proportions are leached from sedimentary rocks filling rift-related basins, where the continental crust is thin, and deposited as syngenetic to diagenetic massive sulfides. Pre-mineral volcanic rocks and their detritus may occur deep within the basin and gold is typically absent. Lithogene silver-rich deposits are epigenetic products of varying combinations of compaction, dewatering, meteoric water recharge, and metamorphism of rift basin-related clastic sedimentary and interbedded volcanic rocks. Individual deposits may contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz) at high grades. Ores are characterized by four well-defined metal associations, including Ag, Ag-Pb-Zn, Ag-Cu, and Ag-Co-Ni-U. Leaching, transport, and deposition of metals may occur both in specific sedimentary strata and other rock types adjacent to the rift. Multiple mineralizing events lasting 10 to 15 m.y., separated by as much as 1 b.y., may occur in a single basin

Aluminium phosphate sulphate minerals (APS) associated with proterozoic unconformity-type uranium deposits: crystal-chemical characterisation and petrogenetic significance; Les sulfates phosphates d'aluminium hydrates (APS) dans l'environnement des gisements d'uranium associes a une discordance proterozoique: caracterisation cristallochimique et signification petrogenetique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaboreau, St

2005-07-01

Aluminium phosphate sulfate minerals (APS) are particularly widespread and spatially associated with hydrothermal clay alteration in both the East Alligator River Uranium Field (Northern Territory, Australia) and the Athabasca basin (Saskatchewan, Canada), in the environment of proterozoic unconformity-related uranium deposits (URUD). The purpose of this study is both: 1) to characterize the nature and the origin of the APS minerals on both sides of the middle proterozoic unconformity between the overlying sandstones and the underlying metamorphic basement rocks that host the uranium ore bodies, 2) to improve our knowledge on the suitability of these minerals to indicate the paleo-conditions (redox, pH) at which the alteration processes relative to the uranium deposition operated. The APS minerals result from the interaction of oxidising and relatively acidic fluids with aluminous host rocks enriched in monazite. Several APS-bearing clay assemblages and APS crystal-chemistry have also been distinguished as a function of the distance from the uranium ore bodies or from the structural discontinuities which drained the hydrothermal solutions during the mineralisation event. One of the main results of this study is that the index mineral assemblages, used in the recent literature to describe the alteration zones around the uranium ore bodies, can be theoretically predicted by a set of thermodynamic calculations which simulate different steps of fluid-rock interaction processes related to a downward penetrating of hyper-saline, oxidizing and acidic diagenetic fluids through the lower sandstone units of the basins and then into the metamorphic basement rocks. The above considerations and the fact that APS with different crystal-chemical compositions crystallized in a range of fO{sub 2} and pH at which uranium can either be transported in solution or precipitated as uraninite in the host-rocks make these minerals not only good markers of the degree of alteration of the

Uranium deposit types and resources of Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, L.; Cuney, M.

2014-01-01

The uranium-related activities in Argentina begun in the 1950s and, as a result of the systematic exploration, several types of deposits have been discovered since then: volcanic and caldera-related, sandstone-hosted, vein spatially related to granite (intragranitic and perigranitic) and surficial. The deposits that have been the focus of the most important uranium exploitations are the ones that belong to the volcaniclastic type. These are localized in Permian formations associated with synsedimentary acid volcanism in the Sierra Pintada district (Mendoza province). The volcanic and caldera related type is also present in the Laguna Colorada deposit (Chubut province) located in the San Jorge basin (Cretaceous). Several important uranium mineralisations have been identified in Cretaceous fluvial sandstones and conglomerates, among which the most relevant is the Cerro Solo deposit (Chubut province) that corresponds to the paleochannel structure subtype. Other subtypes of sandstone model have been studied. For instance, the Don Otto deposit (Salta province), located in the Salta Group Basin (Cretaceous - Tertiary), belongs to the tabular U-V subtype. The roll front subtype can be also found in the Los Mogotes Colorados deposit (La Rioja province) which is hosted by Carboniferous continental sandstones. The uranium mineralisations in veins and disseminated episyenites within peraluminous leucogranites of the Sierras Pampeanas (Cordoba and San Luis provinces) represent other types of existing deposits. These granites are Devonian – Carboniferous and the related deposits are comparable to those from the Middle European Variscan. There are also other vein-type uranium deposits located in metamorphic basement in the periphery of high potassium calcalkaline granites (Sierras Pampeanas of Catamarca and La Rioja provinces), where the mineralisation control is mainly structural. The current uranium identified resources of the country are approximately 24,000 tU in the

Sedimentary Evolution of Marginal Ganga Foreland Basin during the Late Pleistocene

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, R.; Srivastava, P.; Shukla, U. K.

2017-12-01

Ganga foreland basin, an asymmetrical basin, was formed as result of plate-plate collision during middle Miocene. A major thrust event occurred during 500 ka when upper Siwalik sediments were uplifted and the modern Ganga foreland basin shifted towards craton, making a more wide and deep basin. The more distal part of this basin, south of axial river Yamuna, records fluvial sedimentary packages that helps to understand dynamics of peripheral bulge during the late Quaternary. Sedimentary architecture in conjunction with chemical index of alteration (CIA), paleocurrent direction and optically stimulated dating (OSL) from 19 stratigraphic sections helped reconstructing the variations in depositional environments vis-à-vis climate change and peripheral bulge tectonics. Three major units (i) paleosol; (ii) cratonic gravel; (iii) interfluve succession were identified. The lower unit-I showing CIA values close to 70-80 and micro-morphological features of moderately well-developed pedogenic unit that shows development of calcrete, rhizoliths, and mineralized organic matter in abundance. This is a regional paleosols unit and OSL age bracketed 200 ka. This is unconformably overlain by unit-II, a channelized gravel composed of sub-angular to sub-rounded clasts of granite, quartz, quartzite, limestone and calcrete. The gravel have low CIA value up to 55, rich in vertebrate fossil assemblages and mean paleocurrent vector direction is NE, which suggesting deposition by a fan of a river draining craton into foreland. This unit is dated between 100 ka and 54 ka. The top unit-III, interfluve succession of 10-15 m thick is composed of dark and light bands of sheet like deposit of silty clay to clayey silt comprises sand lenses of red to grey color and displaying top most OSL age is 12 ka. The basal mature paleosol signifies a humid climate developed under low subsidence rate at >100 ka. After a hiatus represented by pedogenic surface deposition of unit-II (gravel) suggests uplift

Oceanic ferromanganese deposits: Future resources and past-ocean recorders

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Banakar, V.K.; Nair, R.R.; Parthiban, G.; Pattan, J.N.

decades following the Mero's publication witnessed global "Nodule Rush". The technological leaders of those years like US, Germany, Japan, France, New-Zealand, and USSR have conducted major scientific expeditions to the Central Pacific to map...-Mn-(Cu+Ni+Co) in ferromanganese deposits from the Central Indian Ocean (Source: Jauhari, 1987). OCEANIC FERROMANGANESE DEPOSITS 45 DISTRIBUTION The nodules occur invariably in almost all the deep-sea basins witnessing low sedimentation rates. But abundant ore grade deposits...

Evolution of sedimentary architecture in retro-foreland basin: Aquitaine basin example from Paleocene to lower Eocene.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, Carole; Lasseur, Eric; Guillocheau, François; Serrano, Olivier; Malet, David

2017-04-01

The Aquitaine basin located in south western Europe, is a Pyrenean retro-foreland basin. Two main phases of compression are recorded in this retro-foreland basin during the Pyrenean orogeny. A first upper Cretaceous phase corresponding to the early stage of the orogeny, and a second one usually related to a Pyrenean paroxysmal phase during the middle Eocene. During Paleocene to lower Eocene deformations are less pronounced, interpreted as a tectonically quiet period. The aim of the study is to better constrain the sedimentary system of the Aquitaine basin during this period of Paleocene-lower Eocene, in order to discuss the evolution of the sedimentary architecture in response of the Pyrenean compression. This work is based on a compilation of a large set of subsurface data (wells logs, seismic lines and cores logs) represented by isopachs and facies map. Three main cycles were identified during this structural quiet period: (1) The Danian cycle, is recorded by the aggradation of carbonate reef-rimmed platform. This platform is characterized by proximal facies (oncoid carbonate and mudstone with thalassinoides) to the north, which leads to distal deposit facies southern (pelagic carbonate with globigerina and slump facies) and present a significant thickness variation linked to the platform-slope-basin morphology. (2) The upper Selandian-Thanetian cycle follows a non-depositional/erosional surface associated with a Selandian hiatus. The base of this cycle marked the transition between the last reef rimmed platform and a carbonate ramp. The transgressive cycle is characterized by proximal lagoon facies to the north that leads southward to distal hemipelagic facies interfingered by turbiditic Lowstand System Tracks (LST). The location of these LST is strongly controlled by inherited Danian topography. The regressive cycle ends with a major regression associated with an erosional surface. This surface is linked with a network of canyons in the north, an important

Use of pre-industrial floodplain lake sediments to establish baseline river metal concentrations downstream of Alberta oil sands: a new approach for detecting pollution of rivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiklund, Johan A; Hall, Roland I; Farwell, Andrea J; George Dixon, D; Wolfe, Brent B; Edwards, Thomas WD

2014-01-01

In the Alberta oil sands region, insufficient knowledge of pre-disturbance reference conditions has undermined the ability of the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP) to detect pollution of the Athabasca River, because sampling began three decades after the industry started and the river naturally erodes oil-bearing strata. Here, we apply a novel approach to characterize pre-industrial reference metal concentrations in river sediment downstream of Alberta oil sands development by analyzing metal concentrations in sediments deposited in floodplain lakes of the Athabasca Delta during 1700–1916, when they were strongly influenced by Athabasca River floodwaters. We compared results to metal concentrations in surficial bottom sediments sampled by RAMP (2010–2013) at downstream sites of the Athabasca River and distributaries. When normalized to lithium content, concentrations of vanadium (a metal of concern in the oil sands region) and other priority pollutants (Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) in nearly all of the RAMP river sediment samples lie below the upper 95% prediction interval linearly extrapolated from the river-derived lake sediments. Assuming the RAMP protocols obtained recently deposited sediment, this indicates that the metal concentrations in downstream Athabasca River sediment have not increased above pre-disturbance levels. Reference conditions derived from the lake sediment data were used to develop profiles of metal residual concentrations versus time for the RAMP river sediment data, which provides an excellent tool for decision-makers to identify and quantify levels of metal pollution for any given sample, and to monitor for future trends. We recommend that the approach be applied to resurrect the utility of RAMP data at other river sampling locations closer to the development, and for ongoing risk assessment. The approach is also readily transferable to other rivers where insufficient pre-disturbance reference data impairs an ability to

Frequency and sources of basin floor turbidites in alfonso basin, Gulf of California, Mexico: Products of slope failures

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Yajimovich, Oscar E.; Gorsline, Donn S.; Douglas, Robert G.

2007-07-01

Alfonso Basin is a small margin basin formed by extensional tectonics in the actively rifting, seismically active Gulf of California. The basin is centered at 24°40' N and 110° 38' W, and is a closed depression (maximum depth 420 m) with an effective sill depth of about 320 m (deepest sill), a width of 20 km and length of 25 km. Basin floor area below a depth of 350 m is about 260 km 2. The climate is arid to semiarid but was wetter during the early (ca. 10,000-7000 Calendar years Before Present [BP]) and middle Holocene (ca. 7000-4000 Cal. Years BP). Basin-wide turbidity currents reach the floor of Alfonso Basin at centennial to millennial intervals. The peninsular drainages tributary to the basin are small and have maximum flood discharges of the order of 10 4m 3. The basin-floor turbidites thicker than 1 cm have volumes of the order of 10 6m 3 to 10 8m 3 and require a much larger source. The largest turbidite seen in our cores is ca. 1 m thick in the central basin floor and was deposited 4900 Calendar Years Before Present (BP). Two smaller major events occurred about 1500 and 2800 Cal. Years BP. Seismicity over the past century of record shows a clustering of larger epicenters along faults forming the eastern Gulf side of Alfonso Basin. In that period there have been four earthquakes with magnitudes above 7.0 but all are distant from the basin. Frequency of such earthquakes in the basin vicinity is probably millennial. It is concluded that the basin-wide turbidites thicker than 1 cm must be generated by slope failures on the eastern side of the basin at roughly millennial intervals. The thin flood turbidites have a peninsular source at centennial frequencies.

Plio-quaternary deposits in the Eastern Rharb (Nw Morocco): Electrosequential characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Al Mazini, Imane; Mridekh, Abdelaziz; Kili, Malika; El Mansouri, Bouâbid; El Bouhaddioui, Mohamed; Magrane, Bouchaib

2018-02-01

The Rharb basin, of which our study area is part, is located at the western extremity of the south Rif corridor. It corresponds to a subsiding zone that appeared in the Upper Miocene, between two major structural domains: the Rif to the north and east and the Meseta domain to the south. The eastern part of this basin is characterized by a Plio-Quaternary continental fill. Its geographical position and its structural and paleo-environmental contexts are reflected by a great facies heterogeneity. This work aims to image the subsurface structure and to characterize the distribution mode of Plio-Quaternary deposits of the eastern Rharb. The use of a database consisting of geo-electrical cross sections, hydrogeological drilling and wireline logging integrated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) allowed us to establish a new three-dimensional model of the top of the Mio-Pliocene substratum, new geo-electrical cross sections, as well as the isopach maps of lower, intermediate, upper and superficial geo-electric interval. This approach allowed us to characterize the Plio-Quaternary deposits of the study area and to highlight the effects of the tectonic regime and the relative sea level fluctuations on the sequential organization of these deposits. Our new model shows the development of prograding, aggrading and retrograding parasequences denoting the existence of autogenic mechanisms in the organization of plio-quaternary deposits of the eastern part of the Rharb basin. Therefore, it opens new perspectives for the exploration of water resources and monitoring their quality throughout the basin.

Sedimentary history and economic geology of San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, J.A.; LeLeit, A.J.; Spencer, C.W.; Ullrich, R.A.

1981-01-01

The San Juan Basin contains up to 15,000 ft of sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Cambrian to Recent. The earliest development of the area as a sedimentary basin or trough apparently took place in Pennsylvanian time, and the basin was maintained, with changing rates of subsidence and filling, through the remainder of geologic time. During the Early Paleozoic, sedimentation was dominated by marine transgressions across the northwestern flank of the regional Transcontinental Arch. The Late Paleozoic history was strongly influenced by tectonism related to development of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains Uplifts and associated downwarping. The Early Mesozoic is characterized by fluvial and eolian environments, interrupted periodically by thin marine transgressive deposits of nearshore redbeds. The final Mesozoic event was the widespread Late Cretaceous marine transgression which deposited a thick cyclic sequence of marine gray shale and sandstone, with interbedded coal. Late Tertiary regional uplift and resulting volcanism were accompanied by a regional dissection of the area by stream systems that evolved into the present drainage pattern of superposed streams. The sedimentary history is directly related to the occurrence of economic deposits in the basin. Major reserves of petroleum and gas are in Cretaceous and Pennsylvanian rocks, coal in Cretaceous, and uranium in Jurassic and Cretaceous. Abstract only

Tectonostratigraphic history of the Neogene Maimará basin, Northwest Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Galli, Claudia I.; Coira, Beatriz L.; Alonso, Ricardo N.; Iglesia Llanos, María P.; Prezzi, Claudia B.; Kay, Suzanne Mahlburg

2016-12-01

This paper presents the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Maimará Basin and explores the relationship between the clastic sediments and pyroclastic deposits in the basin and the evolution of the adjacent orogeny and magmatic arc. The sedimentary facies in this part of the basin include, in ascending order, an ephemeral fluvial system, a deep braided fluvial system and a medial to distal ephemeral fluvial system. We interpret that Maimará Formation accumulated in a basin that has developed two stages of accumulation. Stage 1 extended from 7 to 6.4 Ma and included accelerated tectonic uplift in the source areas, and it corresponds to the ephemeral fluvial system deposits. Stage 2, which extended from 6.4 to 4.8 Ma, corresponds to a tectonically quiescent period and included the development of the deep braided fluvial system deposits. The contact between the Maimará and Tilcara formations is always characterized by a regional unconformity and, in the study area, also shows pronounced erosion. Rare earth element and other chemical characteristics of the tuff intervals in the Maimará Formation fall into two distinct groups suggesting the tuffs were erupted from two distinct late Miocene source regions. The first and most abundant group has characteristics that best match tuffs erupted from the Guacha, Pacana and Pastos Grandes calderas, which are located 200 and 230 km west of the study area at 22º-23º30‧S latitude. The members the second group are chemically most similar to the Merihuaca Ignimbrite from the Cerro Galán caldera 290 km south-southwest of the studied section. The distinctive geochemical characteristics are excellent tools to reconstruct the stratigraphic evolution of the Neogene Maimará basin from 6.4 to 4.8 Ma.

New insights on the Marseille-Aubagne Oligocene basins (France)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nury, D.; Villenueve, M.; Azrithac, P.; Gartner, A.; Linneann, U.; Chateauneuf, J. J.

2016-10-01

The Marseille-Aubagne Basins, which extend from Marseille to Roquevaire, occupy more than fifty per cent of the Marseille-Aubagne geological map, with approximately one million people living in this area. Despite this geological importance they are still poorly known. The first synthetic view was delivered in the 1935 geological map. Studied by Bonifay, the Quaternary deposits have been included in the 1969 geological map. Nevertheless, the Oligocene formations remained unmodified until Nury, who provided a lot of very detailed stratigraphic data. New studies have been carried out in the frame of the third issue of the 1:50,000 geological map. These studies allow us to distinguish between three different basins: the ''Jarret basin'' in the northern part, the ''Prado basin'' in the southwestern part and the ''Aubagne basin'' in the eastern part. Each of them contains its own stratigraphic succession, including several formations from the Rupelian to the Chattian. Globally, the Lower to Upper Rupelian formations are tectonically deformed, whilst deposits from the Latest Rupelian to the Latest Chattian show only slight deformation. Thus, two main geodynamic stages have been distinguished: the first beginning with the Early Oligocene extensive regime leading to the opening of NNE-SSW troughs all over the European platform and, the second, beginning with a NNW-SSE extensive regime coeval with the Western Mediterranean rifting. The key point that separates these two stages from each other is a possible Late Rupelian compressive regime. To sum up, this basin can be considered as a natural archive for the Oligocene events. Therefore, these basins should be considered as master pieces for the Oligocene palaeogeographic and geodynamic reconstructions. (Author)

Provenance and geochronological insights into Late Cretaceous-Paleogene foreland basin development in the Subandean Zone and Oriente Basin of Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Gutierrez, E. G.; Horton, B. K.; Vallejo, C.

2017-12-01

The tectonic history of the Oriente foreland basin and adjacent Subandean Zone of Ecuador during contractional mountain building in the northern Andes can be revealed through integrated stratigraphic, geochronological, structural, and provenance analyses of clastic sediments deposited during orogenesis. We present new maximum depositional ages and a comprehensive provenance analysis for key stratigraphic units deposited in the western (proximal) Oriente Basin. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages were obtained from Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic clastic formations from exposures in the Subandean Zone. The sampled stratigraphic intervals span critical timeframes during orogenesis in the Ecuadorian Andes. Cenozoic formations have poorly defined chronostratigraphic relationships and are therefore a primary target of this study. In addition, the newly acquired U-Pb age spectra allow clear identification of the various sediment source regions that fed the system during distinct depositional phases. Maximum depositional ages (MDA) were obtained for five samples from three formations: the Tena (MDA=69.6 Ma), Chalcana (MDA=29.3 Ma), and Arajuno (MDA= 17.1, 14.2, 12.8 Ma) Formations, placing them in the Maastrichtian, early Oligocene, and early-middle Miocene, respectively. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages identify clear signatures of at least four different sources: craton (1600-1300 Ma, 1250-900 Ma), Eastern Cordillera fold-thrust belt (600-450 Ma, 250-145 Ma), Western Cordillera magmatic arc (age spectra of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene type sections allow us to recognize variations in the contribution of each recognized source over time. We identify recycled material with two dominant peak ages (1250-900 Ma and 600-450 Ma), material derived from the adjacent uplifted orogen or recycled from foredeep sediments incorporated into the deforming wedge. Finally, an apparent unroofing event is inferred from a 250-145 Ma age peak in the Plio-Pleistocene Mesa-Mera Formation revealing the

Large-scale depositional characteristics of the Ulleung Basin and its impact on electrical resistivity and Archie-parameters for gas hydrate saturation estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel, Michael; Collett, Timothy S.; Kim, H.-S.; Bahk, J.-J.; Kim, J.-H.; Ryu, B.-J.; Kim, G.-Y.

2013-01-01

Gas hydrate saturation estimates were obtained from an Archie-analysis of the Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) electrical resistivity logs under consideration of the regional geological framework of sediment deposition in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, of Korea. Porosity was determined from the LWD bulk density log and core-derived values of grain density. In situ measurements of pore-fluid salinity as well as formation temperature define a background trend for pore-fluid resistivity at each drill site. The LWD data were used to define sets of empirical Archie-constants for different depth-intervals of the logged borehole at all sites drilled during the second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2). A clustering of data with distinctly different trend-lines is evident in the cross-plot of porosity and formation factor for all sites drilled during UBGH2. The reason for the clustering is related to the difference between hemipelagic sediments (mostly covering the top ∼100 mbsf) and mass-transport deposits (MTD) and/or the occurrence of biogenic opal. For sites located in the north-eastern portion of the Ulleung Basin a set of individual Archie-parameters for a shallow depth interval (hemipelagic) and a deeper MTD zone was achieved. The deeper zone shows typically higher resistivities for the same range of porosities seen in the upper zone, reflecting a shift in sediment properties. The presence of large amounts of biogenic opal (up to and often over 50% as defined by XRD data) was especially observed at Sites UBGH2-2_1 and UBGH2-2_2 (as well as UBGH1-9 from a previous drilling expedition in 2007). The boundary between these two zones can also easily be identified in gamma-ray logs, which also show unusually low readings in the opal-rich interval. Only by incorporating different Archie-parameters for the different zones a reasonable estimate of gas hydrate saturation was achieved that also matches results from other techniques such as pore-fluid freshening

STRATIGRAPHIC EVOLUTION, PALEOENVIRONMENTS AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIALS OF THE BENUE/DAHOMEY BASINS, NIGERIAN AND POTIGUAR/CEARA BASINS, NE BRAZIL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akande, S.O; Adekeye, O.A.; Oj, O.J; Erdtmann, B.D.; Koutsokous, E.I.

2004-01-01

The stratigraphy, facies relationship and paleoenvironment of selected West African and the Brazillian rift basins permit the recognition of at least two major petroleum systems apart from the prolific Niger Delta petroleum system. The Lower Cretaceous fluivio-lacustrine petroleum system and Upper Cretaceous to Lower Tertiary, marine dominated petroleum system. Our combined studies of the stratigraphic, structural framework, paleoenvironment and time-space relationships of the petroleum systems in the Benue/Dahomey and the Potiguar/Ceara basins indicated that rifting and subsequent drifting during the opening of the South Atlantic controlled subsidence, sediment deposition and facies associations in individual basins. Whereas in the Potiguar/Ceara basins, the best developed source rocks are within the Neomacin-Aptian fluvio- lacustrine sequence of the Pendencia and Alagamar Formations which generated reserved hydrocarbon in the Acu Formation, empirical evidence for this petroleum system in the contiguous Benue/Dahomey basins are only based on the geochemical characteristics of the lower parts of the Bima Formation and the Abeokuta Group. In contrast, the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary marine petroleum system, which is constrained by poor development of reservoirs in the Potiguar/Ceara basin is productive in the Benue/Dahomey basins where source rocks, reservoir and sealing facies occur at this interval. Considering the recent hydrocarbon discoveries of the East Niger basin, the Doba (southern Chad), the Muglad basin (southern Sudan) sourced from the fluvio-lacustrine rift sequences, we suggest that this petroleum system needs more detailed exploration and has some potentials in the Benue/Dahomey frontier basins

Tectonic control on turbiditic sedimentation: The Late Cretaceous-Eocene successions in the Sinop-Boyabat Basin of north-central Turkey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janbu, Nils Erik

2004-07-01

The aim of this study: Tectonics is widely recognized by geologists as the single most important factor controlling the development, filling and deformation of sedimentary basins. In general terms, the role of tectonics seems rather ''obvious'' to most geologists, because we know reasonably well as what tectonics ''can do'' as the agent of structural deformation. Therefore, the role of tectonics is often invoked as a kind of ballpark variable - as the obvious cause of ''subsidence'' or ''uplift'' - and seems to some authors even too obvious to mention. Relatively little attempt has been in sedimentological and stratigraphic studies to recognize as to what effects exactly the tectonic activity had on sedimentation in a particular basin. The principal aim of the present study has been to improve our understanding of how tectonic activity can affect deep-water turbiditic sedimentation in a particular basin, including its ''external'' influences (basin geometry, basin-margin configuration, sediment source/supply and relative sea-level change) and ''internal'' effects (basin-floor subsidence, seafloor deformation). Foreland basins are some of the most active tectonically, and the Sinop- Boyabat Basin is a fascinating case of a rift converted into a foreland basin and increasingly deformed. Summary of papers: The main part of the field study, concerned with the sedimentology and facies analysis of the turbiditic succession, is summarized in Papers 1-3, which put special emphasis on the physical character and morphodynamic evolution of the depositional systems and on the tectonic control on their development. Paper 4 focuses on the frequency distribution of bed thickness data collected by detailed logging of various turbiditic assemblages: siliciclastic deposits of nonchannelized currents (lobe and overbank facies); siliciclastic deposits of poorly confined, aggradational channels; siliciclastic deposits of well-defined sinuous channels nested into channel complexes; and

Searching for Ancient Lakebeds in Ladon Basin, Mars and Implications for Future Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Colón, A. M.; Miranda, C.; Milliken, R.

2017-12-01

It is well known from terrestrial studies that clay-rich rocks, and lacustrine mudstones in particular, are efficient at trapping, binding, and preserving organic matter through geologic time. This has also been demonstrated on Mars, where the Curiosity rover has detected organics in ancient mudstones in Gale crater. A number of other potential ancient lake sites have been proposed as landing sties for the Mars 2020 rover, including regions within the Ladon Basin and Valles system. In this study we map of the distribution of clay deposits in the Uzboi-Morava-Ladon (ULM) System, a system thought to have been a series of lakes interconnected by channels, and assess how these hydrous minerals relate to topography, adjacent fluvial networks, and the overall stratigraphy of basin deposits. We use CTX images and near-IR spectral reflectance data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM instrument to independently map morphological and mineralogical features within Ladon. We find a number of occurrences of stratified, light-toned outcrops within the basin, but individual outcrops are small even at the scale of CTX images and are concentrated in several locations in the basin. Some light-toned outcrops are associated with clay minerals, but in general the light-toned appearance appears to be a poor proxy for clay distribution. CRISM data reveal that some clay-bearing regions are visually indistinct from adjacent clay-poor terrains. Some of the best examples of stratified, clay-bearing rocks are found in Ladon Valles, where they occur in terraces. In general, the stratigraphic, topographic, and morphologic evidence do not preclude a lacustrine origin, but there is no diagnostic evidence to support this interpretation either. The clay-bearing and light-toned deposits within Ladon basin may instead reflect deposition in an alluvial/fluvial system that post-dates the peak period of inferred lacustrine activity in the ULM system.

Metallogenesis and metallogenic model of Nuheting uranium deposit in Erlian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hongjun; Kuang Wenzhan

2010-01-01

Based on the study on geological characteristics, metallogesis and geochemical features in Nuheting uranium deposit, it is considered that the deposit belongs to syn-sedimentary and epigenetic reworking type. The deposit position was controlled by the lake area developed during Erlian period in Late Cretaceous. The metallognesis has experienced three stages, they are syn-sedimentary metallogenesis, epigenetic reworking metallogenesis and exogenic metallogenesis. The ore-forming ages are respectively 85 Ma, (41±5)Ma and 6-13 Ma. Based on the summary of metallogenic geological features,metallogenesis and geochemical features, the metallogenic model of Nuheting uranium deposit has been established. (authors)

The Novo Okno copper deposit of olistostrome origin (Bor, Eastern Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonijević Ivan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The copper deposit Novo Okno, uncovered at present, with non-ore and ore clasts of massive sulphides (from 0.5 to 50 m3 in size, has many distinctive features that indicate its olistostrome origin. The deposit is chaotic in structure, unstratified, with the lower surface unconformable over the underlying parent rock of the basin. It is a lens-like body, with the longer axis directed east and west, variable in thickness from 15 to 28 metres, about 335 metres long and less than 140 metres wide. These and other characteristics of the body indicate a unified, reworked, olistostrome copper deposit formed from primary ore bodies of the Bor mineral deposit and vulcanite, destroyed by volcanic explosion into blocks and rocks of Turonian age and extrusion and concurrent deposition on the land surface. Gravitational massive sliding of the consolidated rocks down the slopes of the volcanic relief and chaotic accumulation of ore and non-ore clasts (olistoliths in a marine basin evolved in the Upper Turonian and the Lower Senonian.

A review of stratigraphy and sedimentary environments of the Karoo Basin of South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, R. M. H.

The Karoo Supergroup covers almost two thirds of the present land surface of southern Africa. Its strata record an almost continuous sequence of continental sedimentation that began in the Permo-Carboniferous (280 Ma) and terminated in the early Jurassic 100 million years later. The glacio-marine to terrestrial sequence accumulated in a variety of tectonically controlled depositories under progressively more arid climatic conditions. Numerous vertebrate fossils are preserved in these rocks, including fish, amphibians, primitive aquatic reptiles, primitive land reptiles, more advanced mammal-like reptiles, dinosaurs and even the earliest mammals. Palaeoenvironmental analysis of the major stratigraphic units of the Karoo sequence demonstrates the effects of more localised tectonic basins in influencing depositional style. These are superimposed on a basinwide trend of progressive aridification attributed to the gradual northward migration of southwestern Gondwanaland out of polar climes and accentuated by the meteoric drying effect of the surrounding land masses. Combined with progressive climatic drying was a gradual shrinking of the basin brought about by the northward migration of the subducting palaeo-Pacific margin to the south. Following deposition of the Cape Supergroup in the pre-Karoo basin there was a period of uplift and erosion. At the same time the southern part of Gondwana migrated over the South Pole resulting in a major ice-sheet over the early Karoo basin and surrounding highlands. Glacial sedimentation in both upland valley and shelf depositories resulted in the basal Karoo Dwyka Formation. After glaciation, an extensive shallow sea remained over the gently subsiding shelf fed by large volumes of meltwater. Black clays and muds accumulated under relatively cool climatic conditions (Lower Ecca) with perhaps a warmer "interglacial" during which the distinctive Mesosaurus-bearing, carbonaceous shales of the Whitehill Formation were deposited

The giant Carlin gold province: A protracted interplay of orogenic, basinal, and hydrothermal processes above a lithospheric boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Emsbo, P.; Groves, D.I.; Hofstra, A.H.; Bierlein, F.P.

2006-01-01

Northern Nevada hosts the only province that contains multiple world-class Carlin-type gold deposits. The first-order control on the uniqueness of this province is its anomalous far back-arc tectonic setting over the rifted North American paleocontinental margin that separates Precambrian from Phanerozoic subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Globally, most other significant gold provinces form in volcanic arcs and accreted terranes proximal to convergent margins. In northern Nevada, periodic reactivation of basement faults along this margin focused and amplified subsequent geological events. Early basement faults localized Devonian synsedimentary extension and normal faulting. These controlled the geometry of the Devonian sedimentary basin architecture and focused the discharge of basinal brines that deposited syngenetic gold along the basin margins. Inversion of these basins and faults during subsequent contraction produced the complex elongate structural culminations that characterize the anomalous mineral deposit "trends." Subsequently, these features localized repeated episodes of shallow magmatic and hydrothermal activity that also deposited some gold. During a pulse of Eocene extension, these faults focused advection of Carlin-type fluids, which had the opportunity to leach gold from gold-enriched sequences and deposit it in reactive miogeoclinal host rocks below the hydrologic seal at the Roberts Mountain thrust contact. Hence, the vast endowment of the Carlin province resulted from the conjunction of spatially superposed events localized by long-lived basement structures in a highly anomalous tectonic setting, rather than by the sole operation of special magmatic or fluid-related processes. An important indicator of the longevity of this basement control is the superposition of different gold deposit types (e.g., Sedex, porphyry, Carlin-type, epithermal, and hot spring deposits) that formed repeatedly between the Devonian and Miocene time along the trends

Link between Neogene and modern sedimentary environments in the Zagros foreland basin

Science.gov (United States)

Pirouz, Mortaza; Simpson, Guy; Bahroudi, Abbas

2010-05-01

The Zagros mountain belt, with a length of 1800 km, is located in the south of Iran and was produced by collision between the Arabian plate and the Iran micro plate some time in the early Tertiary. After collision, the Zagros carbonate-dominated sedimentary basin has been replaced by a largely clastic system. The Neogene Zagros foreland basin comprises four main depositional environments which reflect the progressive southward migration of the deformation front with time. The oldest unit - the Gachsaran formation - is clastic in the northern part of the basin, but is dominated by evaporates in southern part, being deposited in a supratidal Sabkha-type environment. Overlying the Gachsaran is the Mishan formation, which is characterized by the Guri limestone member at the base, overlain by marine green marls. The thickness of the Guri member increases dramatically towards the southeast. The next youngest unit is the Aghajari Formation which consists of well sorted lenticular sandstone bodies in a red silty-mudstone. This formation is interpreted as representing the floodplain of dominantly meandering rivers. Finally, the Bakhtiari formation consists of mainly coarse-grained gravel sheets which are interpreted to represent braided river deposits. Each of these Neogene depositional environments has a modern day equivalent. For example, the braided rivers presently active in the Zagros mountains are modern analogues of the Bakhtiari. In the downstream direction, these braided rivers become meandering systems, which are equivalents of the Aghajari. Eventually, the meandering rivers meet the Persian gulf which is the site of the ‘modern day' Mishan shallow marine marls. Finally, the modern carbonate system on the southern margin of Persian Gulf represents the Guri member paleo-environment, behind which Sabkha-type deposits similar to the Gachsaran are presently being deposited. One important implication of this link between the Neogene foreland basin deposits and the

Tectono-sedimentary analysis using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: a study of the terrestrial and freshwater Neogene of the Orava Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Łoziński, Maciej; Ziółkowski, Piotr; Wysocka, Anna

2017-10-01

The Orava Basin is an intramontane depression filled with presumably fine-grained sediments deposited in river, floodplain, swamp and lake settings. The basin infilling constitutes a crucial record of the neoalpine evolution of the Inner/Outer Carpathian boundary area since the Neogene, when the Jurassic-Paleogene basement became consolidated, uplifted and eroded. The combination of sedimentological and structural studies with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements provided an effective tool for recognition of terrestrial environments and deformations of the basin infilling. The lithofacies-oriented sampling and statistical approach to the large dataset of AMS specimens were utilized to define 12 AMS facies based on anisotropy degree (P) and shape (T). The AMS facies allowed a distinction of sedimentary facies ambiguous for classical methods, especially floodplain and lacustrine sediments, as well as revealing their various vulnerabilities to tectonic modification of AMS. A spatial analysis of facies showed that tuffites along with lacustrine and swamp deposits were generally restricted to marginal and southern parts of the basin. Significant deformations were noticed at basin margins and within two intrabasinal tectonic zones, which indicated the tectonic activity of the Pieniny Klippen Belt after the Middle Miocene. The large southern area of the basin recorded consistent N-NE trending compression during basin inversion. This regional tectonic rearrangement resulted in a partial removal of the southernmost basin deposits and shaped the basin's present-day extent.

Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Grotzinger, J. P.; Gupta, S.; Malin, M. C.; Rubin, D. M.; Schieber, J.; Siebach, K.; Sumner, D. Y.; Stack, K. M.; Vasavada, A. R.; Arvidson, R. E.; Calef, F.; Edgar, L.; Fischer, W. F.; Grant, J. A.; Griffes, J.; Kah, L. C.; Lamb, M. P.; Lewis, K. W.; Mangold, N.; Minitti, M. E.; Palucis, M.; Rice, M.; Williams, R. M. E.; Yingst, R. A.; Blake, D.; Blaney, D.; Conrad, P.; Crisp, J.; Dietrich, W. E.; Dromart, G.; Edgett, K. S.; Ewing, R. C.; Gellert, R.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Kocurek, G.; Mahaffy, P.; McBride, M. J.; McLennan, S. M.; Mischna, M.; Ming, D.; Milliken, R.; Newsom, H.; Oehler, D.; Parker, T. J.; Vaniman, D.; Wiens, R. C.; Wilson, S. A.

2015-10-01

The landforms of northern Gale crater on Mars expose thick sequences of sedimentary rocks. Based on images obtained by the Curiosity rover, we interpret these outcrops as evidence for past fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine environments. Degradation of the crater wall and rim probably supplied these sediments, which advanced inward from the wall, infilling both the crater and an internal lake basin to a thickness of at least 75 meters. This intracrater lake system probably existed intermittently for thousands to millions of years, implying a relatively wet climate that supplied moisture to the crater rim and transported sediment via streams into the lake basin. The deposits in Gale crater were then exhumed, probably by wind-driven erosion, creating Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp).

Sandstone-type uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Austin, S.R.; D'Andrea, R.F. Jr.

1978-01-01

Three overall factors are necessary for formation of uranium deposits in sandstone: a source of uranium, host rocks capable of transmitting uranium-bearing solutions, and a precipitant. Possible sources of uranium in sandstone-type deposits include groundwaters emanating from granitic highlands, arkosic sediments, tuffaceous material within or overlying the host rocks, connate fluids, and overlying black shales. The first three sources are considered the most likely. Host rocks are generally immature sandstones deposited in alluvial-fan, intermontane-basin or marginal-marine environments, but uranium deposits do occur in well-winnowed barrier-bar or eolian sands. Host rocks for uranium deposits generally show coefficients of permeability on the order of 1 to 100 gal/day/ft 2 . Precipitants are normally agents capable of reducing uranium from the uranyl to the uranous state. The association of uranium with organic matter is unequivocal; H 2 S, a powerful reductant, may have been present at the time of formation of some deposits but may go unnoticed today. Vanadium can serve to preserve the tabular characteristics of some deposits in the near-surface environment, but is considered an unlikely primary precipitant for uranium. Uranium deposits in sandstone are divided into two overall types: peneconcordant deposits, which occur in locally reducing environments in otherwise oxidized sandstones; and roll-type deposits, which occur at the margin of an area where an oxidized groundwater has permeated an otherwise reduced sandstone. Uranium deposits are further broken down into four subclasses; these are described

Origin and evolution of the Seattle Fault and Seattle Basin, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, S.Y.; Potter, C.J.; Armentrout, J.M.

1994-01-01

Analysis of seismic reflection data reveals that the Seattle basin (Washington) is markedly asymmetric and consists of ~9-10 km of Eocene and younger deposits. The basin began as a discrete geologic element in the late Eocene (~40 Ma), the result of a reorganization in regional fault geometry and kinematics. In this reorganization, dextral offset on the Puget fault southeast of Seattle stepped eastward, and the Seattle fault began as a restraining transfer zone. North-vergent reverse or thrust faulting on the Seattle fault forced flexural subsidence in the Seattle basin to the north. Offset on the Seattle fault and subsidence of the Seattle basin have continued to the present. -Authors

Uranium prospection methods illustrated with examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valsardieu, C.

1985-01-01

Uranium exploration methods are briefly reviewed: aerial (radiometric, spectrometric), surface (mapping, radiometric, geophysical, geochemical), sub-surface (well logging, boring) and mining methods in the different steps of a mine project: preliminary studies, general prospecting, detailed prospecting deposit area and deposit estimation. Choice of methods depends strongly on geographic and geologic environment. Three examples are given concerning: an intragranitic deposit Limousin (France), a deposit spatially related to a discordance Athabasca (Canada) and a sedimentary deposit Manyingee (Western Australia) [fr

Pollutant deposition impacts on lichens, mosses, wood and soil in the Athabasca oil sands area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pauls, R.W.; Abboud, S.A.; Turchenek, L.W.

1996-01-01

A study was conducted to monitor the accumulation and impact on the environment of emissions from oil sands processing plants. SO 2 , H 2 S, NO x and hydrocarbon concentrations in the air were monitored. Syncrude Canada Ltd. conducted surveys to determine elemental levels in lichens and mosses. The objective of the study was to monitor the pattern of accumulation of emissions by oil sand plants in, and their effects on, lichens and mosses, and examine changes in wood induced by soil acidity. The moss, lichen and wood samples were analyzed for total elemental content. Soils were analyzed for pH, soluble sulphate and other properties related to soil acidity and soil composition. Little or no evidence was found to indicate that wood tissue chemistry has been affected by atmospheric deposition of substances originating from oil sands plants. These results led to the inference that no large changes in soil acidity have resulted from oil sands plant emissions either. 66 refs., 21 tabs., 124 figs

Detailed north-south cross section showing environments of deposition, organic richness, and thermal maturities of lower Tertiary rocks in the Uinta Basin, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.

2014-01-01

The Uinta Basin of northeast Utah has produced large amounts of hydrocarbons from lower Tertiary strata since the 1960s. Recent advances in drilling technologies, in particular the development of efficient methods to drill and hydraulically fracture horizontal wells, has spurred renewed interest in producing hydrocarbons from unconventional low-permeability dolomite and shale reservoirs in the lacustrine, Eocene Green River Formation. The Eocene Green River Formation was deposited in Lake Uinta, a long-lived saline lake that occupied the Uinta Basin, the Piceance Basin to the east, and the intervening Douglas Creek arch. The focus of recent drilling activity has been the informal Uteland Butte member of the Green River Formation and to a much lesser extent the overlying R-0 oil shale zone of the Green River Formation. Initial production rates ranging from 500 to 1,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day have been reported from the Uteland Butte member from horizontal well logs that are as long as 4,000 feet (ft);. The cross section presented here extends northward from outcrop on the southern margin of the basin into the basin’s deep trough, located just south of the Uinta Mountains, and transects the area where this unconventional oil play is developing. The Monument Butte field, which is one of the fields located along this line of section, has produced hydrocarbons from conventional sandstone reservoirs in the lower part of the Green River Formation and underlying Wasatch Formation since 1981. A major fluvial-deltaic system entered Lake Uinta from the south, and this new line of section is ideal for studying the effect of the sediments delivered by this drainage on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Green River Formation. The cross section also transects the Greater Altamont-Bluebell field in the deepest part of the basin, where hydrocarbons have been produced from fractured, highly overpressured marginal lacustrine and fluvial reservoirs in the Green River, Wasatch

Study on integrated evaluation of sandstone-hosted uranium metallogenic potential in southern Yili basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Shaoyang; Ke Dan; Xu Jianguo; Zheng Enjiu; Li Shengxiang

2008-01-01

Plenty of geological data have been accumulated during mineral resource survey in China; under the guidance of new metallogenic theories, it is an important task of how to use these data most effectively for the new cycle uranium survey. In this paper, the flow of establishing the integrated mineral deposits prospecting model for sandstone-hosted uranium deposits is put forward. Based on studying geologic, hydrogeologic and regional geophysical field characteristics of representative uranium deposits No. 512 in southern Yili basin, its multi-source information descriptive model has been established, from which 512-type integrated prospecting models of sandstone-hosted uranium orefield and deposits are summarized. According to the established integrated prospecting models, the metallogenic information extraction of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits has completed in the study area. Finally, the integrated quantitative evaluation of sandstone-hosted uranium metallogenic potential is performed by using the evidence weighing method to integrate middle scale multi-source metallogenic information in the southern Yili basin, and good prediction effect is obtained. (authors)

Brushy Basin drilling project, Cedar Mountain, Emergy County, Utah

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiloh, K.D.; McNeil, M.; Vizcaino, H.

1980-03-01

A 12-hole drilling program was conducted on the northwestern flank of the San Rafael swell of eastern Utah to obtain subsurface geologic data to evaluate the uranium resource potential of the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation (Jurassic). In the Cedar Mountain-Castle Valley area, the Brushy Basin Member consists primarily of tuffaceous and carbonaceous mudstones. Known uranium mineralization is thin, spotty, very low grade, and occurs in small lenticular pods. Four of the 12 drill holes penetrated thin intervals of intermediate-grade uranium mineralization in the Brushy Basin. The study confirmed that the unit does not contain significant deposits of intermediate-grade uranium

Applying and improving a sedimentary facies model for exploration of stratigraphic traps in the Austrian Molasse basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hinsch, R.; Kofler, N. [Rohoel-Aufsuchungs AG (RAG), Vienna (Austria); Hubbard, S. [Calgary Univ., Calgary (Canada). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics

2007-09-13

In the Molasse foreland basin of Upper Austria gas is produced from deep-water sandstones and conglomerates of the Puchkirchen and basal Hall formations (Oligocene-Lower Miocene). The basin is mature, with >750 wells drilled by RAG to date. An extensive 3-D seismic reflection dataset that covers much of the paleo-basin foredeep has been acquired in the study area over the last 15 years. Seismic stratigraphic analysis has revealed that deepwater sedimentation in the basin was dominated by a channel belt up to 5 km wide that transported sediment derived from the Central and Eastern Alps eastward along the basin axis (Linzer, 2001; de Ruig, 2003). Based on these findings, a detailed sedimentary facies model has been developed, outlining several distinct depositional elements that reveal numerous possible stratigraphic trap types (de Ruig and Hubbard, 2006). This depositional model is currently being applied and tested in exploration and refined by ongoing research. Channel abandonment and migration are important processes that resulted in stratigraphic configurations consisting of coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates overlain by channel and overbank mudstones. This represents ideal reservoir architecture, including porous reservoir facies sealed by impermeable deposits. Additional stratigraphic trapping conditions can result from special spatial arrangements of depositional elements, for example a sandstone-filled tributary channel that is sealed by an overlying mudstone-filled abandonment channel. Recognizing and further improving such stratigraphic trapping configurations are important for future exploration in Upper Austria, where most of the structural traps have been drilled. (orig.)