The First Global Geological Map of Mercury

Science.gov (United States)

Prockter, L. M.; Head, J. W., III; Byrne, P. K.; Denevi, B. W.; Kinczyk, M. J.; Fassett, C.; Whitten, J. L.; Thomas, R.; Ernst, C. M.

2015-12-01

Geological maps are tools with which to understand the distribution and age relationships of surface geological units and structural features on planetary surfaces. Regional and limited global mapping of Mercury has already yielded valuable science results, elucidating the history and distribution of several types of units and features, such as regional plains, tectonic structures, and pyroclastic deposits. To date, however, no global geological map of Mercury exists, and there is currently no commonly accepted set of standardized unit descriptions and nomenclature. With MESSENGER monochrome image data, we are undertaking the global geological mapping of Mercury at the 1:15M scale applying standard U.S. Geological Survey mapping guidelines. This map will enable the development of the first global stratigraphic column of Mercury, will facilitate comparisons among surface units distributed discontinuously across the planet, and will provide guidelines for mappers so that future mapping efforts will be consistent and broadly interpretable by the scientific community. To date we have incorporated three major datasets into the global geological map: smooth plains units, tectonic structures, and impact craters and basins >20 km in diameter. We have classified most of these craters by relative age on the basis of the state of preservation of morphological features and standard classification schemes first applied to Mercury by the Mariner 10 imaging team. Additional datasets to be incorporated include intercrater plains units and crater ejecta deposits. In some regions MESSENGER color data is used to supplement the monochrome data, to help elucidate different plains units. The final map will be published online, together with a peer-reviewed publication. Further, a digital version of the map, containing individual map layers, will be made publicly available for use within geographic information systems (GISs).

Lunar and Planetary Geology

Science.gov (United States)

Basilevsky, Alexander T.

2018-05-01

Lunar and planetary geology can be described using examples such as the geology of Earth (as the reference case) and geologies of the Earth's satellite the Moon; the planets Mercury, Mars and Venus; the satellite of Saturn Enceladus; the small stony asteroid Eros; and the nucleus of the comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Each body considered is illustrated by its global view, with information given as to its position in the solar system, size, surface, environment including gravity acceleration and properties of its atmosphere if it is present, typical landforms and processes forming them, materials composing these landforms, information on internal structure of the body, stages of its geologic evolution in the form of stratigraphic scale, and estimates of the absolute ages of the stratigraphic units. Information about one body may be applied to another body and this, in particular, has led to the discovery of the existence of heavy "meteoritic" bombardment in the early history of the solar system, which should also significantly affect Earth. It has been shown that volcanism and large-scale tectonics may have not only been an internal source of energy in the form of radiogenic decay of potassium, uranium and thorium, but also an external source in the form of gravity tugging caused by attractions of the neighboring bodies. The knowledge gained by lunar and planetary geology is important for planning and managing space missions and for the practical exploration of other bodies of the solar system and establishing manned outposts on them.

A review of the geologic sections and the faunal assemblages of Aurelian Mammal Age of Latium (Italy) in the light of a new chronostratigraphic framework

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, F.; Nomade, S.; Pereira, A.; Petronio, C.; Salari, L.; Sottili, G.; Bahain, J.-J.; Boschian, G.; Di Stefano, G.; Falguères, C.; Florindo, F.; Gaeta, M.; Giaccio, B.; Masotta, M.

2018-02-01

The Aurelian Mammal Age for peninsular Italy was introduced on the basis of faunal assemblages mainly recovered at sites along the Via Aurelia west of Rome. These sites exposed a set of sedimentary deposits currently attributed to the Aurelia and to the Vitinia Formations correlated with MIS 9 and MIS 7, respectively. In the present paper we reconstruct the geologic-stratigraphic setting in the western sector of Rome within the wider context of glacio-eustatically controlled, geochronologically constrained aggradational successions defined for this region. We present a chronostratigraphic study based on dedicated field surveys, that, combined with five new 40Ar/39Ar ages and eighteen trace-element and EMP glass analyses of volcanic products, allow us to revise age and correlation with the Marine Isotopic Stages for 10 sites out of 12 previously attributed to the Aurelia Formation and the Torre in Pietra Faunal Unit. In particular, we demonstrate a MIS 13/MIS 11 age for several sections along the Via Aurelia between Malagrotta and Castel di Guido. Based on this new geochronological framework, the first occurrences of Canis lupus and Vulpes vulpes in Italy are antedated to MIS 11, within the Fontana Ranuccio Faunal Unit of the Galerian Mammal Age, consistent with the wider European context. This contribution is intended as the groundwork for a revision of the Middle Pleistocene Mammal Ages of the Italian peninsula, according to the improved chronostratigraphy of the geologic sections hosting the faunal assemblages.

Evaluating Boy Scout Geology Education, A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hintz, R. S.; Thomson, B.

2008-12-01

This study investigated geology knowledge acquisition by Boy Scouts through use of the Boy Scout Geology Merit Handbook. In this study, boys engaged in hands-on interactive learning following the requirements set forth in the Geology Merit Badge Handbook. The purposes of this study were to determine the amount of geology content knowledge engendered in adolescent males through the use of the Geology Merit Badge Handbook published by the Boy Scouts of America; to determine if single sex, activity oriented, free-choice learning programs can be effective in promoting knowledge development in young males; and to determine if boys participating in the Scouting program believed their participation helped them succeed in school. Members of a local Boy Scout Troop between the ages of 11 and 18 were invited to participate in a Geology Merit Badge program. Boys who did not already possess the badge were allowed to self-select participation. The boys' content knowledge of geology, rocks, and minerals was pre- and post-tested. Boys were interviewed about their school and Scouting experiences; whether they believed their Scouting experiences and work in Merit Badges contributed to their success in school. Contributing educational theories included single-sex education, informal education with free-choice learning, learning styles, hands-on activities, and the social cognitive theory concept of self-efficacy. Boys who completed this study seemed to possess a greater knowledge of geology than they obtained in school. If boys who complete the Boy Scout Geology Merit Badge receive additional geological training, their field experiences and knowledge acquired through this learning experience will be beneficial, and a basis for continued scaffolding of geologic knowledge.

Earth-Base: testing the temporal congruency of paleontological collections and geologic maps of North America

Science.gov (United States)

Heim, N. A.; Kishor, P.; McClennen, M.; Peters, S. E.

2012-12-01

Free and open source software and data facilitate novel research by allowing geoscientists to quickly and easily bring together disparate data that have been independently collected for many different purposes. The Earth-Base project brings together several datasets using a common space-time framework that is managed and analyzed using open source software. Earth-Base currently draws on stratigraphic, paleontologic, tectonic, geodynamic, seismic, botanical, hydrologic and cartographic data. Furthermore, Earth-Base is powered by RESTful data services operating on top of PostgreSQL and MySQL databases and the R programming environment, making much of the functionality accessible to third-parties even though the detailed data schemas are unknown to them. We demonstrate the scientific potential of Earth-Base and other FOSS by comparing the stated age of fossil collections to the age of the bedrock upon which they are geolocated. This analysis makes use of web services for the Paleobiology Database (PaleoDB), Macrostrat, the 2005 Geologic Map of North America (Garrity et al. 2009) and geologic maps of the conterminous United States. This analysis is a way to quickly assess the accuracy of temporal and spatial congruence of the paleontologic and geologic map datasets. We find that 56.1% of the 52,593 PaleoDB collections have temporally consistent ages with the bedrock upon which they are located based on the Geologic Map of North America. Surprisingly, fossil collections within the conterminous United States are more consistently located on bedrock with congruent geological ages, even though the USA maps are spatially and temporally more precise. Approximately 57% of the 37,344 PaleoDB collections in the USA are located on similarly aged geologic map units. Increased accuracy is attributed to the lumping of Pliocene and Quaternary geologic map units along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains in the Geologic Map of North America. The abundant Pliocene fossil collections

California Geological Survey Geologic Map Index

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — All the individual maps from the Geologic Atlas of California and the Regional Geologic map series have been georeferenced for display in a GIS (and viewable online...

Geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Big Bend National Park, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Page, W.R.; Turner, K.J.; Bohannon, R.G.; Berry, M.E.; Williams, V.S.; Miggins, D.P.; Ren, M.; Anthony, E.Y.; Morgan, L.A.; Shanks, P.W.C.; Gray, J. E.; Theodorakos, P.M.; Krabbenhoft, D. P.; Manning, A.H.; Gemery-Hill, P. A.; Hellgren, E.C.; Stricker, C.A.; Onorato, D.P.; Finn, C.A.; Anderson, E.; Gray, J. E.; Page, W.R.

2008-01-01

. Because the last geologic map of the entire BBNP was published in the 1960s, one of the primary goals of the USGS is to provide a new geologic map of BBNP at a scale 1:100,000; this work is ongoing among the USGS, NPS, the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and university scientists. This USGS Circular summarizes eight studies funded and primarily carried out by the USGS, but it is not intended to be a comprehensive reference of work conducted in BBNP. This Circular describes topical research of the recently completed interdisciplinary USGS project, which has provided information leading to a more complete understanding of the following topics in BBNP: Tectonic and geologic history (Chapters 1, 2, and 3), Age and formation processes of a skarn mineral deposit (Chapter 4), Geoenvironmental effects of abandoned mercury mines (Chapter 5), Age, source, and geochemistry of surface and subsurface water resources (Chapter 6), Isotopic tracing of food sources of bears (Chapter 7), and Geophysical characteristics of surface and subsurface geology (Chapter 8).Additional information and the geochemical and geophysical data of the USGS studies in BBNP are available on line at http://minerals.cr.usgs.gov/projects/big_bend/index.html.

Surficial Geology of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Crandell, Dwight Raymond

1969-01-01

Much of the ground surface around Mount Rainier volcano is directly underlain by loose geologic deposits that veneer the hard rock formations. Examples of these deposits are sand and gravel bars along the rivers, ridges of loose rock debris beside the glaciers, and sloping aprons of rock fragments beneath almost every cliff. Even though they are generally thin and inconspicuous when compared with the rock formations, these surficial deposits are clues to geologic events that have profoundly influenced the shape of the park's landscape. Thus, from the character and extent of glacial deposits one can judge the age and size of former glaciers that carved the cirques and deep canyons of the park; from the mudflows which streamed down nearly every valley one can infer the age and size of huge landslides of the past that helped determine Mount Rainier's present shape; and from the pumice deposits some of the volcano's recent eruptive activity can be reconstructed. The map (plate 1, in pocket) that accompanies this description of the surficial deposits of Mount Rainier National Park shows the location of the various geologic formations, and the explanation shows the formations arranged in order of their relative age, with the oldest at the bottom. The text describes the surficial deposits in sequence from older to younger. A discussion of the pumice deposits of the park, which were not mapped, is followed by a description of the formations shown on the geologic map. Inspection of the geologic map may lead the viewer to question why the surficial deposits are shown in more detail in a zone several miles wide around the base of the volcano than elsewhere. This is partly because the zone is largely near or above timberline, relatively accessible, and the surficial deposits there can be readily recognized, differentiated, and mapped. In contrast, access is more difficult in the heavily timbered parts of the park, and surficial deposits there are generally blanketed by a dense

Annual report 1982 of ZWO Laboratory of Isotope Geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-07-01

This report gives a brief account of the activities of the ZWO Laboratory of Isotope Geology during 1982. The main point of interest is the research for new possible applications of gas-mass spectrometry in geology. Kr and Xe turn out to be produced at the spontaneous fission of 238 U present in zirconium crystals. Mass-spectrometric isotope analysis has been carried out, resulting in a tentative age estimation. (Auth.)

Approaches for the accurate definition of geological time boundaries

Science.gov (United States)

Schaltegger, Urs; Baresel, Björn; Ovtcharova, Maria; Goudemand, Nicolas; Bucher, Hugo

2015-04-01

Which strategies lead to the most precise and accurate date of a given geological boundary? Geological units are usually defined by the occurrence of characteristic taxa and hence boundaries between these geological units correspond to dramatic faunal and/or floral turnovers and they are primarily defined using first or last occurrences of index species, or ideally by the separation interval between two consecutive, characteristic associations of fossil taxa. These boundaries need to be defined in a way that enables their worldwide recognition and correlation across different stratigraphic successions, using tools as different as bio-, magneto-, and chemo-stratigraphy, and astrochronology. Sedimentary sequences can be dated in numerical terms by applying high-precision chemical-abrasion, isotope-dilution, thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) U-Pb age determination to zircon (ZrSiO4) in intercalated volcanic ashes. But, though volcanic activity is common in geological history, ashes are not necessarily close to the boundary we would like to date precisely and accurately. In addition, U-Pb zircon data sets may be very complex and difficult to interpret in terms of the age of ash deposition. To overcome these difficulties we use a multi-proxy approach we applied to the precise and accurate dating of the Permo-Triassic and Early-Middle Triassic boundaries in South China. a) Dense sampling of ashes across the critical time interval and a sufficiently large number of analysed zircons per ash sample can guarantee the recognition of all system complexities. Geochronological datasets from U-Pb dating of volcanic zircon may indeed combine effects of i) post-crystallization Pb loss from percolation of hydrothermal fluids (even using chemical abrasion), with ii) age dispersion from prolonged residence of earlier crystallized zircon in the magmatic system. As a result, U-Pb dates of individual zircons are both apparently younger and older than the depositional age

Map showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geologic provinces of the Gulf of Mexico region

Science.gov (United States)

French, Christopher D.; Schenk, Christopher J.

2006-01-01

This map was created as part of a worldwide series of geologic maps for the U.S. Geological Survey's World Energy Project. These products are available on CD-ROM and the Internet. The goal of the project is to assess the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources of the world. Two previously published digital geologic data sets (U.S. and Caribbean) were clipped to the map extent, while the dataset for Mexico was digitized for this project. Original attributes for all data layers were maintained, and in some cases, graphically merged with common symbology for presentation purposes. The world has been divided into geologic provinces that are used for allocation and prioritization of oil and gas assessments. For the World Energy Project, a subset of those provinces is shown on this map. Each province has a set of geologic characteristics that distinguish it from surrounding provinces. These characteristics may include dominant lithologies, the age of the strata, and/or structural type. The World Geographic Coordinate System of 1984 is used for data storage, and the data are presented in a Lambert Conformal Conic Projection on the OFR 97-470-L map product. Other details about the map compilation and data sources are provided in metadata documents in the data section on this CD-ROM. Several software packages were used to create this map including: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) ArcGIS 8.3, ArcInfo software, Adobe Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, and Acrobat 6.0.

The Rb/Sr ages for granitoids of the Middle Chukotka: a new approach to the geological history of the region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efremov, S.V.; Kozlov, V.D.; Sandimirova, G.P.

2000-01-01

For studying the history of geological evolution of the Middle Chukotka in the Mesozoic by the method of Rb-Sr dating the age of granitoids in the region was determined. It was ascertained that the granitoids have different genetic nature, their formation involving the most intensive tectonic restructuring. Magmatism was manifested in two stages. Formation of the first stage granitoids (126-144 mln. years) relates to orogenesis, while that of the second stage granitoids (∼ 80 mln. years) - to the process of the Chukotka folded region activation [ru

Synthetic geology - Exploring the "what if?" in geology

Science.gov (United States)

Klump, J. F.; Robertson, J.

2015-12-01

The spatial and temporal extent of geological phenomena makes experiments in geology difficult to conduct, if not entirely impossible and collection of data is laborious and expensive - so expensive that most of the time we cannot test a hypothesis. The aim, in many cases, is to gather enough data to build a predictive geological model. Even in a mine, where data are abundant, a model remains incomplete because the information at the level of a blasting block is two orders of magnitude larger than the sample from a drill core, and we have to take measurement errors into account. So, what confidence can we have in a model based on sparse data, uncertainties and measurement error? Synthetic geology does not attempt to model the real world in terms of geological processes with all their uncertainties, rather it offers an artificial geological data source with fully known properties. On the basis of this artificial geology, we can simulate geological sampling by established or future technologies to study the resulting dataset. Conducting these experiments in silico removes the constraints of testing in the field or in production, and provides us with a known ground-truth against which the steps in a data analysis and integration workflow can be validated.Real-time simulation of data sources can be used to investigate crucial questions such as the potential information gain from future sensing capabilities, or from new sampling strategies, or the combination of both, and it enables us to test many "what if?" questions, both in geology and in data engineering. What would we be able to see if we could obtain data at higher resolution? How would real-time data analysis change sampling strategies? Does our data infrastructure handle many new real-time data streams? What feature engineering can be deducted for machine learning approaches? By providing a 'data sandbox' able to scale to realistic geological scenarios we hope to start answering some of these questions.

GEOLOGICAL ANDGEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAPPING ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS OF MOUNTAIN ALTAI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Y. Baryshnikov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the results of geological and geomorphological mapping of archaeological monument, mainly Paleolithic age, the location of which is confined to low-mountain spaces of the Mountain Altai. Using this mapping would greatly clarify the sequence of relief habitat of ancient people and more objectively determine the age characteristics of archaeological monument. 

Geological factors of deposit formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grushevoj, G.V.

1980-01-01

Geologic factors of hydrogenic uranium deposit formation are considered. Structural, formation and lithological-facies factors of deposit formation, connected with zones of stratal oxidation, are characterized. Peculiarities of deposit localization, connected with orogenic structures of Mesozoic and lenozoic age, are described. It is noted that deposits of anagenous group are widely spread in Paleozoic formations, infiltration uranium deposits are localized mainly in Cenozoic sediments, while uranium mineralization both anagenous and infiltration groups are widely developed in Mesozoic sediments. Anagenous deposits were formed in non-oxygen situation, their age varies from 200 to 55 mln years. Infiltration deposit formation is determined by asymmetric oxidation zonation, their age varies from 10 - 40 mln years to dozens of thousand years [ru

Digital Geologic Mapping and Integration with the Geoweb: The Death Knell for Exclusively Paper Geologic Maps

Science.gov (United States)

House, P. K.

2008-12-01

extremely useful accompaniment to compilation of field mapping efforts. It can also complement published geologic maps by vastly improving their comprehensibility when field photos, and specific notes can be viewed interactively with them. Other useful applications include GPS tracking/documentation of field traverses; invoking multiple geologic layers; 3-D visualizations of terrain and structure; and online collaboration with colleagues via blogs or wikis. Additional steps towards collaborative geologic mapping on the web may also enhance efficient and open sharing of data and ideas. Geologists are well aware that paper geologic maps can convey tremendous amounts of information. Digital geologic maps linked via a virtual globe with field data, diverse imagery, historical photographs, explanatory diagrams, and 3-D models convey a much greater amount of information and can provide a much richer context for comprehension and interpretation. They can also serve as an efficient, entertaining, and potentially compelling mechanism for fostering inspiration in the minds of budding (and aging) geologists.

Chemical composition and geological age of french pitchblendes and uraninite of Ivory Coast; Composition chimique et age geologique de pechblendes francaises et de l'uraninite de Cote d'Ivoire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chervet, M; Guillemin, M; Hemery, MME; Pellas, M [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay(France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1953-07-01

The determination of the geological age of the uraninite of Ivory Coast in particular, has a very big importance since it permits to date the granito-gneissic basement of this part of Africa and moreover it is one of the most former known uraninites. The emotion caused in some geologists surroundings by the announcement of the date, fixed to close to 2 billions of years for this part of Africa, incited us to make control our assessment by the isotope analysis of lead. Before the concordance really astonishing of the results gotten by two entirely different methods, the publication of our works could not be differed more. The geological age of the uraninite of Coast of Ivory determined to the Laboratory of Mineralogy is of 1933 millions of years: by the calculation given with the help of the logarithmic and based shape on the chemical analysis of the uraninite (precise dosages of U, Pb and Th); by the isotope analysis, this age is about: 1940 {+-} 20 millions of years. We conducted the same operations for several French pitchblendes as the Crousille, Bauzot, Bigay. (M.B.) [French] La determination de l'age geologique de l'uraninite de Cote d'Ivoire en particulier, a une tres grosse importance puisqu'elle permet de dater le socle granito-gneissique de cette partie de l'Afrique et de plus, c'est une des plus anciennes uraninites connues. L'emotion causee dans certains milieux de geologues par l'annonce de la date, fixee a pres de 2 milliards d'annees pour cette partie de l'Afrique, nous a incites a faire controler nos determinations par l'analyse isotopique du plomb. Devant la concordance vraiment etonnante des resultats obtenus par deux methodes entierement differentes, la publication de nos travaux ne pouvait plus etre differee. L'age geologique de l'uraninite de Cote d'Ivoire determine au Laboratoire de Mineralogie est de 1933 millions d'annees: par le calcul donne a l'aide de la forme logarithmique et base sur l'analyse chimique de l'uraninite (dosages precis de U

Basement geology of Taranaki and Wanganui basins, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortimer, N.; Tulloch, A.J.; Ireland, T.R.

1997-01-01

We present a revised interpretation of the basement geology beneath Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic Taranaki and Wanganui basins of central New Zealand, based on new petrographic, geochemical, and geochronological data from 30 oil exploration wells. Recently published structural and magnetic interpretations of the area assist in the interpolation and extrapolation of geological boundaries. Torlesse and Waipapa terranes have been identified in Wanganui Basin, and Murihiku Terrane in eastern Taranaki Basin, but Maitai and Brook Street terrane rocks have not been recognised. Separation Point Suite, Karamea Suite, and Median Tectonic Zone igneous rocks are all identified on the basis of characteristic petrography, geochemistry, and/or age. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon measurements on igneous samples from western Taranaki wells do not give precise ages but do provide useful constraints: Motueka-1 granite is latest Devonian - earliest Carboniferous; Tangaroa-1 and Toropuihi-1 are Carboniferous; and Surville-1 is Cretaceous (cf. Separation Point Suite). Our interpretation of sub-basin geology is compatible with previously observed onland relationships in the North and South Islands. (author). 47 refs., 6 figs

Geologic Mapping in the Hesperia Planum Region of Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Gregg, Tracy K. P.; Crown, David A.

2010-01-01

Hesperia Planum, characterized by a high concentration of mare-type wrinkle ridges and ridge rings, encompasses > 2 million square km in the southern highlands of Mars. The most common interpretation is that the plains were emplaced as "flood" lavas with total thicknesses of geologic mapping reveal that the whole of Hesperia Planum is unlikely to be composed of the same materials, emplaced at the same geologic time. To unravel these complexities, we are generating a 1:1.5M-scale geologic map of Hesperia Planum and its surroundings. To date, we have identified 4 distinct plains units within Hesperia Planum and are attempting to determine the nature and relative ages of these materials.

The State Geologic Map Compilation (SGMC) geodatabase of the conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Horton, John D.; San Juan, Carma A.; Stoeser, Douglas B.

2017-06-30

The State Geologic Map Compilation (SGMC) geodatabase of the conterminous United States (https://doi. org/10.5066/F7WH2N65) represents a seamless, spatial database of 48 State geologic maps that range from 1:50,000 to 1:1,000,000 scale. A national digital geologic map database is essential in interpreting other datasets that support numerous types of national-scale studies and assessments, such as those that provide geochemistry, remote sensing, or geophysical data. The SGMC is a compilation of the individual U.S. Geological Survey releases of the Preliminary Integrated Geologic Map Databases for the United States. The SGMC geodatabase also contains updated data for seven States and seven entirely new State geologic maps that have been added since the preliminary databases were published. Numerous errors have been corrected and enhancements added to the preliminary datasets using thorough quality assurance/quality control procedures. The SGMC is not a truly integrated geologic map database because geologic units have not been reconciled across State boundaries. However, the geologic data contained in each State geologic map have been standardized to allow spatial analyses of lithology, age, and stratigraphy at a national scale.

Geologic database for digital geology of California, Nevada, and Utah: an application of the North American Data Model

Science.gov (United States)

Bedford, David R.; Ludington, Steve; Nutt, Constance M.; Stone, Paul A.; Miller, David M.; Miller, Robert J.; Wagner, David L.; Saucedo, George J.

2003-01-01

The USGS is creating an integrated national database for digital state geologic maps that includes stratigraphic, age, and lithologic information. The majority of the conterminous 48 states have digital geologic base maps available, often at scales of 1:500,000. This product is a prototype, and is intended to demonstrate the types of derivative maps that will be possible with the national integrated database. This database permits the creation of a number of types of maps via simple or sophisticated queries, maps that may be useful in a number of areas, including mineral-resource assessment, environmental assessment, and regional tectonic evolution. This database is distributed with three main parts: a Microsoft Access 2000 database containing geologic map attribute data, an Arc/Info (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California) Export format file containing points representing designation of stratigraphic regions for the Geologic Map of Utah, and an ArcView 3.2 (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California) project containing scripts and dialogs for performing a series of generalization and mineral resource queries. IMPORTANT NOTE: Spatial data for the respective stage geologic maps is not distributed with this report. The digital state geologic maps for the states involved in this report are separate products, and two of them are produced by individual state agencies, which may be legally and/or financially responsible for this data. However, the spatial datasets for maps discussed in this report are available to the public. Questions regarding the distribution, sale, and use of individual state geologic maps should be sent to the respective state agency. We do provide suggestions for obtaining and formatting the spatial data to make it compatible with data in this report. See section ‘Obtaining and Formatting Spatial Data’ in the PDF version of the report.

Tsunami geology in paleoseismology

Science.gov (United States)

Yuichi Nishimura,; Jaffe, Bruce E.

2015-01-01

The 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Tohoku-oki disasters dramatically demonstrated the destructiveness and deadliness of tsunamis. For the assessment of future risk posed by tsunamis it is necessary to understand past tsunami events. Recent work on tsunami deposits has provided new information on paleotsunami events, including their recurrence interval and the size of the tsunamis (e.g. [187–189]). Tsunamis are observed not only on the margin of oceans but also in lakes. The majority of tsunamis are generated by earthquakes, but other events that displace water such as landslides and volcanic eruptions can also generate tsunamis. These non-earthquake tsunamis occur less frequently than earthquake tsunamis; it is, therefore, very important to find and study geologic evidence for past eruption and submarine landslide triggered tsunami events, as their rare occurrence may lead to risks being underestimated. Geologic investigations of tsunamis have historically relied on earthquake geology. Geophysicists estimate the parameters of vertical coseismic displacement that tsunami modelers use as a tsunami's initial condition. The modelers then let the simulated tsunami run ashore. This approach suffers from the relationship between the earthquake and seafloor displacement, the pertinent parameter in tsunami generation, being equivocal. In recent years, geologic investigations of tsunamis have added sedimentology and micropaleontology, which focus on identifying and interpreting depositional and erosional features of tsunamis. For example, coastal sediment may contain deposits that provide important information on past tsunami events [190, 191]. In some cases, a tsunami is recorded by a single sand layer. Elsewhere, tsunami deposits can consist of complex layers of mud, sand, and boulders, containing abundant stratigraphic evidence for sediment reworking and redeposition. These onshore sediments are geologic evidence for tsunamis and are called ‘tsunami deposits’ (Figs. 26

Geology and development: proceedings of the 40. Brazilian congress on geology; EXPOGEO 98 - Brazilian exposition of Geology. Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The proceedings of the 40. Brazilian Congress on Geology register relevant papers on the nuclear and energy areas. The papers devoted to the nuclear area covers the following subjects: geochronology; stratigraphy; geochemistry; age estimation; isotope dating; litogeochemistry; mineralization; uranium deposits; crystallization; environmental impacts related to the uranium mines and the non nuclear mining industries; petrogenesis; paleoclimatology; natural radioactivity; spectrometry; and the uranium extraction. The articles on the energy area are referent to the petroleum, coal and natural gas exploration; environmental impacts related to the oil spilling; and the history and the perspectives of the petroleum exploration in Brazil

The geological attitude

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, J.G.C.M.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses geological activity which takes place mainly in response to industrial and social pressures. Past geological reaction to these pressures profoundly altered popular conceptions of time, the Church, man, and the balance of nature. The present-day circumstances of geology are not essentially different from those of the past. Petroleum geology in North American illustrates the role of technology in determining the style and scope of geological work. Peaks of activity cluster obviously on the introduction from time to time of new instrumental capabilities (geophysical apparatus, for example), although not infrequently such activity is testing concepts or relationships perceived long before. Organic metamorphism and continental drift provide two examples. The petroleum industry now faces the dilemma of satisfying predicted demands for fuel, without doing irreparable injury to its environment of operation. Awareness of man's place in nature, which is a fundamental perception of geology, governs the geological attitude

Quantitative geological modeling based on probabilistic integration of geological and geophysical data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gulbrandsen, Mats Lundh

In order to obtain an adequate geological model of any kind, proper integration of geophysical data, borehole logs and geological expert knowledge is important. Geophysical data provide indirect information about geology, borehole logs provide sparse point wise direct information about geology...... entitled Smart Interpretation is developed. This semi-automatic method learns the relation between a set of data attributes extracted from deterministically inverted airborne electromagnetic data and a set of interpretations of a geological layer that is manually picked by a geological expert...

Quaternary coastal geology of Pernambuco State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominguez, J.M.L.; Silva Pinto Bittencourt, A.C. da; Andrade Nery Leao, Z.M. de; Azevedo, A.E.G. de

1990-01-01

This paper presents a geological map of Quaternary deposits occuring along the coast of the State of Pernambuco. These deposits comprise: 1. two sets of beach-ridge terraces of Pleistocene (120,000 years B.P.) and Holocene (5,000 years B.P.) age; 2. paleolagoonal deposits (5,140-6,030 years B.P.); 3. sandstone and coralgal reefs with ages spanning from 1,830 to 5,170 years B.P.; and 4, alluvial, freshwater swamp, and coralgal reefs with ages spanning from 1,830 to 5,170 years B.P.; and 4. alluvial, freshwater swamp, and mangrove swamp deposits of Holocene age. Eighteen new radiocarbon dates of paleolagoonal deposits, sandstone reefs, coral, coralline algae, and vermetid gastropod incrustations are also reported herein. (author)

One perspective on spatial variability in geologic mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Markewich, H.W.; Cooper, S.C.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses some of the differences between geologic mapping and soil mapping, and how the resultant maps are interpreted. The role of spatial variability in geologic mapping is addressed only indirectly because in geologic mapping there have been few attempts at quantification of spatial differences. This is largely because geologic maps deal with temporal as well as spatial variability and consider time, age, and origin, as well as composition and geometry. Both soil scientists and geologists use spatial variability to delineate mappable units; however, the classification systems from which these mappable units are defined differ greatly. Mappable soil units are derived from systematic, well-defined, highly structured sets of taxonomic criteria; whereas mappable geologic units are based on a more arbitrary heirarchy of categories that integrate many features without strict values or definitions. Soil taxonomy is a sorting tool used to reduce heterogeneity between soil units. Thus at the series level, soils in any one series are relatively homogeneous because their range of properties is small and well-defined. Soil maps show the distribution of soils on the land surface. Within a map area, soils, which are often less than 2 m thick, show a direct correlation to topography and to active surface processes as well as to parent material.

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1992

Science.gov (United States)

Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Till, Alison B.

1993-01-01

This collection of 19 papers continues the annual series of U.S. Geological Survey reports on the geology of Alaska. The contributions, which include full-length Articles and shorter Geologic Notes, cover a broad range of topics including dune formation, stratigraphy, paleontology, isotopic dating, mineral resources, and tectonics. Articles, grouped under four regional headings, span nearly the entire State from the North Slope to southwestern, south-central, and southeastern Alaska (fig. 1).In the section on northern Alaska, Galloway and Carter use new data on dune morphology and radiocarbon ages from the western Arctic Coastal Plain to develop a late Holocene chronology of multiple episodes of dune stabilization and reactivation for the region. Their study has important implications for climatic changes in northern Alaska during the past 4,000 years. In two papers, Dumoulin and her coauthors describe lithofacies and conodont faunas of Carboniferous strata in the western Brooks Range, discuss depositional environments, and propose possible correlations and source areas for some of the strata. Schenk and Bird propose a preliminary division of the Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic section in the central part of the North Slope into depositional sequences. Aleinikoff and others present new U-Pb data for zircons from metaigneous rocks from the central Brooks Range. Karl and Mull, reacting to a proposal regarding terrane nomenclature for northern Alaska that was published in last year's Alaskan Studies Bulletin, provide a historical perspective of the evolution of terminology for tectonic units in the Brooks Range and present their own recommendations.

Tacuari formation (Nov. Nom.): Lithostratigraphy, facies, environment, age and geological significance (Cerro Largo - Uruguay)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veroslavsky, G.; De Santa Ana, H.; Daners, G.

2006-01-01

The definition of the Tacuari formation is proposed to group a set of glacial and fossiliferous siliciclastic rock deposited during the Upper proterozoic in the northeast of Uruguay. Up to this paper these lithologies were included in the San Gregorio formation (Carboniferous - Permian - Norte Basin). However, Leiosphaeridia tenuissima, L, minutissima, Myxcocooides distola, M, siderophila, Soldadophycus bossil and S. major were recorded in these rocks.This finded motivated the accomplishment of geological surveys that allowed to ferify the glacial origin of the Tacuari formation, to define its stratigraphic relationships and to corroborate its affectation by the Sierra Ballena shear zone. Two association of facies were recognized in the Tacuari formation: the base is represented by facies association A (outwash plains), characterized diamictites, sandostones and pelites; at the top, the facies association B (glaciomarine) includes a package of rhythmites with dropstones. On account of the tectonic setting, nature of sedimentation, age, and fossils, the definition of Tacuari formation constitutes a novel contribution to the regional evolutionary model of the Upper proterozoic. discussion of posible stratigraphc correlations with other neoproterozoic units of Western wondwana is also attempted

Terrestrial analogs, planetary geology, and the nature of geological reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Victor R.

2014-05-01

Analogical reasoning is critical to planetary geology, but its role can be misconstrued by those unfamiliar with the practice of that science. The methodological importance of analogy to geology lies in the formulation of genetic hypotheses, an absolutely essential component of geological reasoning that was either ignored or denigrated by most 20th century philosophers of science, who took the theoretical/ experimental methodology of physics to be the sole model for all of scientific inquiry. Following the seminal 19th century work of Grove Karl Gilbert, an early pioneer of planetary geology, it has long been recognized that broad experience with and understanding of terrestrial geological phenomena provide geologists with their most effective resource for the invention of potentially fruitful, working hypotheses. The actions of (1) forming such hypotheses, (2) following their consequences, and (3) testing those consequences comprise integral parts of effective geological practice in regard to the understanding of planetary surfaces. Nevertheless, the logical terminology and philosophical bases for such practice will be unfamiliar to most planetary scientists, both geologists and nongeologists. The invention of geological hypotheses involves both inductive inferences of the type Gilbert termed “empiric classification” and abductive inferences of a logical form made famous by the 19th century American logician Charles Sanders Peirce. The testing and corroboration of geological hypotheses relies less on the correspondence logic of theoretical/ experimental sciences, like physics, and more on the logic of consistency, coherence, and consilience that characterizes the investigative and historical sciences of interpretation exemplified by geology.

Health benefits of geologic materials and geologic processes

Science.gov (United States)

Finkelman, R.B.

2006-01-01

The reemerging field of Medical Geology is concerned with the impacts of geologic materials and geologic processes on animal and human health. Most medical geology research has been focused on health problems caused by excess or deficiency of trace elements, exposure to ambient dust, and on other geologically related health problems or health problems for which geoscience tools, techniques, or databases could be applied. Little, if any, attention has been focused on the beneficial health effects of rocks, minerals, and geologic processes. These beneficial effects may have been recognized as long as two million years ago and include emotional, mental, and physical health benefits. Some of the earliest known medicines were derived from rocks and minerals. For thousands of years various clays have been used as an antidote for poisons. "Terra sigillata," still in use today, may have been the first patented medicine. Many trace elements, rocks, and minerals are used today in a wide variety of pharmaceuticals and health care products. There is also a segment of society that believes in the curative and preventative properties of crystals (talismans and amulets). Metals and trace elements are being used in some of today's most sophisticated medical applications. Other recent examples of beneficial effects of geologic materials and processes include epidemiological studies in Japan that have identified a wide range of health problems (such as muscle and joint pain, hemorrhoids, burns, gout, etc.) that may be treated by one or more of nine chemically distinct types of hot springs, and a study in China indicating that residential coal combustion may be mobilizing sufficient iodine to prevent iodine deficiency disease. ?? 2006 MDPI. All rights reserved.

Geological Mapping of the Lada Terra (V-56) Quadrangle, Venus

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, P. Senthil; Head, James W., III

2009-01-01

Geological mapping of the V-56 quadrangle (Fig. 1) reveals various tectonic and volcanic features and processes in Lada Terra that consist of tesserae, regional extensional belts, coronae, volcanic plains and impact craters. This study aims to map the spatial distribution of different material units, deformational features or lineament patterns and impact crater materials. In addition, we also establish the relative age relationships (e.g., overlapping or cross-cutting relationship) between them, in order to reconstruct the geologic history. Basically, this quadrangle addresses how coronae evolved in association with regional extensional belts, in addition to evolution of tesserae, regional plains and impact craters, which are also significant geological units of Lada Terra.

Geologic map of the Lada Terra quadrangle (V-56), Venus

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, P. Senthil; Head, James W.

2013-01-01

This publication provides a geological map of Lada Terra quadrangle (V–56), a portion of the southern hemisphere of Venus that extends from lat 50° S. to 70° S. and from long 0° E. to 60° E. V–56 is bordered by Kaiwan Fluctus (V–44) and Agnesi (V–45) quadrangles in the north and by Mylitta Fluctus (V–61), Fredegonde (V–57), and Hurston (V–62) quadrangles in the west, east, and south, respectively. The geological map of V–56 quadrangle reveals evidence for tectonic, volcanic, and impact processes in Lada Terra in the form of tesserae, regional extensional belts, coronae, and volcanic plains. In addition, the map also shows relative age relations such as overlapping or cross-cutting relations between the mapped geologic units. The geology observed within this quadrangle addresses (1) how coronae evolved in association with regional extensional belts and (2) how tesserae, regional plains, and impact craters, which are also significant geological units observed in Lada Terra quadrangle, were formed.

Geostatistical simulation of geological architecture and uncertainty propagation in groundwater modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Xiulan

parameters and model structures, which are the primary focuses of this PhD research. Parameter uncertainty was analyzed using an optimization tool (PEST: Parameter ESTimation) in combination with a random sampling method (LHS: Latin Hypercube Sampling). Model structure, namely geological architecture...... be compensated by model parameters, e.g. when hydraulic heads are considered. However, geological structure is the primary source of uncertainty with respect to simulations of groundwater age and capture zone. Operational MPS based software has been on stage for just around ten years; yet, issues regarding...... geological structures of these three sites provided appropriate conditions for testing the methods. Our study documented that MPS is an efficient approach for simulating geological heterogeneity, especially for non-stationary system. The high resolution of geophysical data such as SkyTEM is valuable both...

The Geological Survey of Canada Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowdon, J.A.

1985-01-01

The Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory of the Geological Survey of Canada began routine 14 C age determinations in 1961 using a 2 litre copper, proportional counter and CO 2 as the counting gas. This counter is operated routinely at a pressure of 2 atmospheres where the maximum dating limit is approximately 40 000 years using the 4σ criterion. In 1964 a 5 litre counter was put into operation. Routinely this counter is operated at a pressure of 1 atmosphere where its dating limit is approximately 40 000 years. When operated at 4 atmospheres its age limit increases to about 54 000 years. Organic samples are burned in a stream of oxygen and the CO 2 released is purified on passage through a series of chemicals and traps. Inorganic samples are dissolved in phosphoric acid. Up to the end of 1983 more than 3700 age determinations have been carried out on various types of sample material. Since 1963 twenty-three Geological Survey of Canada Date Lists have been published. The Laboratory also carries out a program of 14 C determinations of samples of known age for the purpose of assessing the accuracy of the method and learning more about the natural and man-made 14 C distribution and circulation in nature

Geology and bedrock engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-11-01

This book deals with geology of Korea which includes summary, geology in central part and southern part in Korea and characteristic of geology structure, limestone like geology property of limestone, engineered property of limestone, and design and construction case in limestone area. It also introduces engineered property of the cenozoic, clay rock and shale, geologic and engineered property of phyllite and stratum.

The U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS)—A master catalog and collections management plan for U.S. Geological Survey geologic samples and sample collections

Science.gov (United States)

,

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is widely recognized in the earth science community as possessing extensive collections of earth materials collected by research personnel over the course of its history. In 2006, a Geologic Collections Inventory was conducted within the USGS Geology Discipline to determine the extent and nature of its sample collections, and in 2008, a working group was convened by the USGS National Geologic and Geophysical Data Preservation Program to examine ways in which these collections could be coordinated, cataloged, and made available to researchers both inside and outside the USGS. The charge to this working group was to evaluate the proposition of creating a Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS), a centralized database that would (1) identify all existing USGS geologic collections, regardless of size, (2) create a virtual link among the collections, and (3) provide a way for scientists and other researchers to obtain access to the samples and data in which they are interested. Additionally, the group was instructed to develop criteria for evaluating current collections and to establish an operating plan and set of standard practices for handling, identifying, and managing future sample collections. Policies and procedures promoted by the GCMS would be based on extant best practices established by the National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. The resulting report—USGS Circular 1410, “The U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Collections Management System (GCMS): A Master Catalog and Collections Management Plan for U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Samples and Sample Collections”—has been developed for sample repositories to be a guide to establishing common practices in the collection, retention, and disposal of geologic research materials throughout the USGS.

New zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS ages and Hf isotope data from the Central Pontides (Turkey): Geological and geodynamic constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Çimen, Okay; Göncüoğlu, M. Cemal; Simonetti, Antonio; Sayit, Kaan

2018-05-01

The Central Pontides in northern Anatolia is located on the accretionary complex formed by the closure of Neotethyan Intra-Pontide Ocean between the southern Eurasian margin (Istanbul-Zonguldak Terrane) and the Cimmerian Sakarya Composite Terrane. Among other components of the oceanic lithosphere, it comprises not yet well-dated felsic igneous rocks formed in arc-basin as well as continent margin settings. In-situ U-Pb age results for zircons from the arc-basin system (öangaldağ Metamorphic Complex) and the continental arc (Devrekani Metadiorite and Granitoid) yield ages of 176 ± 6 Ma, 163 ± 9 Ma and 165 ± 3 Ma, respectively. Corresponding in-situ average (initial) 176Hf/177Hf initial ratios are 0.28261 ± 0.00003, 0.28267 ± 0.00002 and 0.28290 ± 0.00004 for these units and indicative of a subduction-modified mantle source. The new U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data from these oceanic and continental arc units together with regional geological constraints support the presence of a multiple subduction system within the Intra-Pontide Ocean during the Middle Jurassic.

Study on geology and geological structure based on literature studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Funaki, Hironori; Ishii, Eiichi; Yasue, Ken-ichi; Takahashi, Kazuharu

2005-03-01

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) is proceeding with underground research laboratory (URL) project for the sedimentary rock in Horonobe, Hokkaido. This project is an investigation project which is planned over 20 years. Surface-based investigations (Phase 1) have been conducted for the present. The purposes of the Phase 1 are to construct the geological environment model (geological-structural, hydrogeological, and hydrochemical models) and to confirm the applicability of investigation technologies for the geological environment. The geological-structural model comprises the base for the hydrogeological and hydrochemical models. We constructed the geological-structural model by mainly using data obtained from literature studies. Particulars regarding which data the model is based on and who has performed the interpretation are also saved for traceability. As a result, we explain the understanding of degree and the need of information on stratigraphy and discontinuous structure. (author)

Hydrogeological Properties of Geological Elements in Geological Model around KURT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kyung Woo; Kim, Kyung Soo; Koh, Yong Kwon; Choi, Jong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Institue, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-09-15

To develop site characterization technologies for a radioactive waste disposal research in KAERI, the geological and hydrogeological investigations have been carried out since 1997. In 2006, the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) was constructed to study a solute migration, a microbiology and an engineered barrier system as well as deeply to understand geological environments in in-situ condition. This study is performed as one of the site characterization works around KURT. Several investigations such as a lineament analysis, a borehole/tunnel survey, a geophyscial survey and logging in borehole, were used to construct the geological model. As a result, the geological model is constructed, which includes the lithological model and geo-structural model in this study. Moreover, from the results of the in-situ hydraulic tests, the hydrogeological properties of elements in geological model were evaluated.

Hydrogeological Properties of Geological Elements in Geological Model around KURT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kyung Woo; Kim, Kyung Soo; Koh, Yong Kwon; Choi, Jong Won

2012-01-01

To develop site characterization technologies for a radioactive waste disposal research in KAERI, the geological and hydrogeological investigations have been carried out since 1997. In 2006, the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) was constructed to study a solute migration, a microbiology and an engineered barrier system as well as deeply to understand geological environments in in-situ condition. This study is performed as one of the site characterization works around KURT. Several investigations such as a lineament analysis, a borehole/tunnel survey, a geophyscial survey and logging in borehole, were used to construct the geological model. As a result, the geological model is constructed, which includes the lithological model and geo-structural model in this study. Moreover, from the results of the in-situ hydraulic tests, the hydrogeological properties of elements in geological model were evaluated.

Geological Interpretation of the Structure and Stratigraphy of the A/M Area, Savannah River Site, South Carolina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wyatt, D. [Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States); Aadland, R.K.; Cumbest, R.J.; Stephenson, D.E.; Syms, F.H.

1997-12-01

The geological interpretation of the structure and stratigraphy of the A/M Area was undertaken in order to evaluate the effects of deeper Cretaceous aged geological strata and structure on shallower Tertiary horizons.

Geological Interpretation of the Structure and Stratigraphy of the A/M Area, Savannah River Site, South Carolina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyatt, D.; Aadland, R.K.; Cumbest, R.J.; Stephenson, D.E.; Syms, F.H.

1997-12-01

The geological interpretation of the structure and stratigraphy of the A/M Area was undertaken in order to evaluate the effects of deeper Cretaceous aged geological strata and structure on shallower Tertiary horizons

A compilation of 40Ar-39 and K-Ar ages: report 25

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunt, P.A.; Roddick, J.C.

1996-01-01

Twenty-three 40 Ar- 39 Ar age determinations (including two potassium-argon analyses) carried out by the Geological Survey of Canada are reported. Each age determination is accompanied by a description of the rock and mineral concentrate used; brief interpretative comments regarding the geological significance of each age are also provided where possible. The experimental procedures employed are described in outline. An index of all Geological Survey of Canada K-Ar age determinations published in this format has been prepared using NTS quadrangles as the primary reference. (author). 6 refs., 2 tabs., 1 fig

Geology and coal potential of Somaliland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M.Y. Ali [Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

2009-07-01

Geological field mapping along with available geological and drilling data suggest that Somaliland (Northwestern Somalia) has favourable stratigraphy and structure for coal deposits. Lignitic to sub-bituminous coal deposits with ages from Jurassic to Oligocene-Miocene occur in various locations across the country including Hed-Hed valley south of Onkhor, Guveneh hills north of Las Dureh and Daban Basin southeast of Berbera. However, the coal occurrence at Hed-Hed has both the greatest thickness and highest quality. These deposits have the potential to provide an important alternative fuel resource which could alleviate the growing shortage of traditional fuels and assist in reducing the country's dependence on imported energy. However, further investigation, including drilling and laboratory analyses, still needs to be carried out, particularly on the Upper Cretaceous coal seams to evaluate the quality and resource potential of the deposits.

Field Geology/Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Carlton; Jakes, Petr; Jaumann, Ralf; Marshall, John; Moses, Stewart; Ryder, Graham; Saunders, Stephen; Singer, Robert

1996-01-01

The field geology/process group examined the basic operations of a terrestrial field geologist and the manner in which these operations could be transferred to a planetary lander. Four basic requirements for robotic field geology were determined: geologic content; surface vision; mobility; and manipulation. Geologic content requires a combination of orbital and descent imaging. Surface vision requirements include range, resolution, stereo, and multispectral imaging. The minimum mobility for useful field geology depends on the scale of orbital imagery. Manipulation requirements include exposing unweathered surfaces, screening samples, and bringing samples in contact with analytical instruments. To support these requirements, several advanced capabilities for future development are recommended. Capabilities include near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, hyper-spectral imaging, multispectral microscopy, artificial intelligence in support of imaging, x ray diffraction, x ray fluorescence, and rock chipping.

Chemical, petrographic, and K-Ar age data to accompany reconnaissance geologic strip map from Kingman to south of Bill Williams Mountain, Arizona

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arney, B.; Goff, F.; Eddy, A.C.

1985-04-01

As part of a reconnaissance mapping project, 40 chemical analyses and 13 potassium-argon age dates were obtained for Tertiary volcanic and Precambrian granitic rocks between Kingman and Bill Williams Mountain, Arizona. The dated volcanic rocks range in age from 5.5 +- 0.2 Myr for basalt in the East Juniper Mountains to about 25 Myr for a biotite-pyroxene andesite. The date for Picacho Butte, a rhyodacite in the Mt. Floyd volcanic field, was 9.8 +- 0.07 Myr, making it the oldest rhyodacite dome in that volcanic field. Dated rocks in the Fort Rock area range from 20.7 to 24.3 Myr. No ages were obtained on the Precambrian rocks. Compositionally, the volcanic rocks analyzed range from alkali basalt to rhyolite, but many rocks on the western side of the map area are unusually potassic. The granites chosen for analysis include syenogranite from the Hualapai Mountains, a muscovite granite from the Picacho Butte area, and two other granites. The chemical and K-Ar age data and petrographic descriptions included in this report accompany the reconnaissance geologic strip map published as LA-9202-MAP by Goff, Eddy, and Arney. 9 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Global Journal of Geological Sciences

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global Journal of Geological Sciences is aimed at promoting research in all areas of Geological Sciences including geochemistry, geophysics, engineering geology, hydrogeology, petrology, mineralogy, geochronology, tectonics, mining, structural geology, marine geology, space science etc. Visit the Global Journal Series ...

Geologic map of the greater Denver area, Front Range urban corridor, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Trimble, Donald E.; Machette, Michael N.

1979-01-01

This digital map shows the areal extent of surficial deposits and rock stratigraphic units (formations) as compiled by Trimble and Machette from 1973 to 1977 and published in 1979 under the Front Range Urban Corridor Geology Program. Trimble and Machette compiled their geologic map from published geologic maps and unpublished geologic mapping having varied map unit schemes. A convenient feature of the compiled map is its uniform classification of geologic units that mostly matches those of companion maps to the north (USGS I-855-G) and to the south (USGS I-857-F). Published as a color paper map, the Trimble and Machette map was intended for land-use planning in the Front Range Urban Corridor. This map recently (1997-1999) was digitized under the USGS Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project. In general, the mountainous areas in the western part of the map exhibit various igneous and metamorphic bedrock units of Precambrian age, major faults, and fault brecciation zones at the east margin (5-20 km wide) of the Front Range. The eastern and central parts of the map (Colorado Piedmont) depict a mantle of unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age and interspersed outcroppings of Cretaceous or Tertiary-Cretaceous sedimentary bedrock. The Quaternary mantle comprises eolian deposits (quartz sand and silt), alluvium (gravel, sand, and silt of variable composition), colluvium, and a few landslides. At the mountain front, north-trending, dipping Paleozoic and Mesozoic sandstone, shale, and limestone bedrock formations form hogbacks and intervening valleys.

Research on geological disposal: R and D concept on geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The objective on geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes are to ensure the long term radiological protection of the human and his environment in accordance with current internationally agreed radiation protection principles. The principle of geological disposal is to settle the high-level wastes in deep underground so as to isolate them from the human and his environment considering the existence of groundwater. Japan is currently in the stage of assessing technical feasibility of geological disposal to the extent practicable. In accordance with the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) policy in 1989, PNC (Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation) has conducted the research and development on geological disposal in three areas: 1) studies of geological environment, 2) research and development of disposal technology, and 3) performance assessment study. (author)

Introductory Geology From the Liberal Arts Approach: A Geology-Sociology Linked Course

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, E. O.; Davis, E.

2008-12-01

Geology can be a hard sell to college students, especially to college students attending small, liberal arts institutions in localities that lack exaggerated topography. At these schools, Geology departments that wish to grow must work diligently to attract students to the major; professors must be able to convince a wider audience of students that geology is relevant to their everyday lives. Toward this end, a Physical Geology course was linked with an introductory Sociology course through the common theme of Consumption. The same students took the two courses in sequence, beginning with the Sociology course and ending with Physical Geology; thus, students began by discussing the role of consumption in society and ended by learning about the geological processes and implications of consumption. Students were able to ascertain the importance of geology in their daily lives by connecting Earth processes to specific products they consume, such as cell phones and bottled water. Students were also able to see the connection between seemingly disparate fields of study, which is a major goal of the liberal arts. As a theme, Consumption worked well to grab the attention of students interested in diverse issues, such as environmental science or social justice. A one-hour lecture illustrating the link between sociology and geology was developed for presentation to incoming freshmen and their parents to advertise the course. Initial response has been positive, showing an increase in awareness of geological processes among students with a wide range of interests.

Evaluating Geologic Sources of Arsenic in Well Water in Virginia (USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiffany VanDerwerker

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We investigated if geologic factors are linked to elevated arsenic (As concentrations above 5 μg/L in well water in the state of Virginia, USA. Using geologic unit data mapped within GIS and two datasets of measured As concentrations in well water (one from public wells, the other from private wells, we evaluated occurrences of elevated As (above 5 μg/L based on geologic unit. We also constructed a logistic regression model to examine statistical relationships between elevated As and geologic units. Two geologic units, including Triassic-aged sedimentary rocks and Triassic-Jurassic intrusives of the Culpeper Basin in north-central Virginia, had higher occurrences of elevated As in well water than other geologic units in Virginia. Model results support these patterns, showing a higher probability for As occurrence above 5 μg/L in well water in these two units. Due to the lack of observations (<5% having elevated As concentrations in our data set, our model cannot be used to predict As concentrations in other parts of the state. However, our results are useful for identifying areas of Virginia, defined by underlying geology, that are more likely to have elevated As concentrations in well water. Due to the ease of obtaining publicly available data and the accessibility of GIS, this study approach can be applied to other areas with existing datasets of As concentrations in well water and accessible data on geology.

Researches on tectonic uplift and denudation with relation to geological disposal of HLW in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiwara, Osamu; Sanga, Tomoji; Moriya, Toshifumi

2005-01-01

This paper reviews the present state of researches on tectonic uplift and denudation, and shows perspective goals and direction of future researches from the viewpoint of geological disposal of HLW in Japan. Detailed history of tectonics and denudation in geologic time scale, including the rates, temporal and spatial distributions and processes, reconstructed from geologic and geomorphologic evidences will enable us to make the geological predictions. Improvements of the analytic methods for the geological histories, e.g. identification of the tectonic and denudational imprints and age determinations, are indispensable for the accurate prediction. Developments of the tools and methodologies for assessments of the degree and extension of influences by the tectonic uplift, subsidence and denudation on the geological environments such as ground water flows are also fundamental problem in the study field of the geological disposal of HLW. Collaboration of scientific researches using the geological and geomorphological methods and applied technology, such as numerical simulations of ground water flows, is important in improving the safety and accuracy of the geological disposal of HLW. (author)

Geological research for public outreach and education in Lithuania

Science.gov (United States)

Skridlaite, Grazina; Guobyte, Rimante

2013-04-01

Successful IYPE activities and implementation of Geoheritage day in Lithuania increased public awareness in geology. A series of projects introducing geology to the general public and youth, supported by EU funds and local communities, were initiated. Researchers from the scientific and applied geology institutions of Lithuania participated in these projects and provided with the geological data. In one case, the Lithuanian Survey of Protected Areas supported the installation of a series of geological exhibitions in several regional and national parks. An animation demonstrating glacial processes was chosen for most of these because the Lithuanian surface is largely covered with sedimentary deposits of the Nemunas (Weichselian) glaciation. Researchers from the Lithuanian Geological Survey used the mapping results to demonstrate real glacial processes for every chosen area. In another case, 3D models showing underground structures of different localities were based on detailed geological maps and profiles obtained for that area. In case of the Sartai regional park, the results of previous geological research projects provided the possibility to create a movie depicting the ca. 2 Ga geological evolution of the region. The movie starts with the accretion of volcanic island arcs on the earlier continental margin at ca. 2 Ga and deciphers later Precambrian tectonic and magmatic events. The reconstruction is based on numerous scientific articles and interpretation of geophysical data. Later Paleozoic activities and following erosion sculptured the surface which was covered with several ice sheets in Quaternary. For educational purpose, a collection of minerals and rocks at the Forestry Institute was used to create an exhibition called "Cycle of geological processes". Forestry scientists and their students are able to study the interactions of geodiversity and biodiversity and to understand ancient and modern geological processes leading to a soil formation. An aging

Geology of the Yucca Mountain Region, Chapter in Stuckless, J.S., ED., Yucca Mountain, Nevada - A Proposed Geologic Repository for High-Level Radioactive Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J.S. Stuckless; D. O'Leary

2006-01-01

Yucca Mountain has been proposed as the site for the Nation's first geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. This chapter provides the geologic framework for the Yucca Mountain region. The regional geologic units range in age from late Precambrian through Holocene, and these are described briefly. Yucca Mountain is composed dominantly of pyroclastic units that range in age from 11.4 to 15.2 Ma. The proposed repository would be constructed within the Topopah Spring Tuff, which is the lower of two major zoned and welded ash-flow tuffs within the Paintbrush Group. The two welded tuffs are separated by the partly to nonwelded Pah Canyon Tuff and Yucca Mountain Tuff, which together figure prominently in the hydrology of the unsaturated zone. The Quaternary deposits are primarily alluvial sediments with minor basaltic cinder cones and flows. Both have been studied extensively because of their importance in predicting the long-term performance of the proposed repository. Basaltic volcanism began about 10 Ma and continued as recently as about 80 ka with the eruption of cones and flows at Lathrop Wells, approximately 10 km south-southwest of Yucca Mountain. Geologic structure in the Yucca Mountain region is complex. During the latest Paleozoic and Mesozoic, strong compressional forces caused tight folding and thrust faulting. The present regional setting is one of extension, and normal faulting has been active from the Miocene through to the present. There are three major local tectonic domains: (1) Basin and Range, (2) Walker Lane, and (3) Inyo-Mono. Each domain has an effect on the stability of Yucca Mountain

Natural climate variations in a geological perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikkelsen, N.; Kuijpers, A.

2001-01-01

The climate is constantly changing, and it has been changing throughout the geological history of the Earth. These natural changes have shown a variability with frequencies from millions of years to just a few hundreds or tens of years. Some of the variations have been rather dramatic - shifting from globally uniform and hot climates to regular ice ages - whereas other changes have been less spectacular. All natural climate variations have an impact on the physical and biological systems of the Earth - and on mankind and culture during the last hundred thousand years. In this chapter we shall discuss the natural climate changes that has taken place during the geological history of the Earth and comment on the impact of these changes on the cultural evolution of mankind with special emphasis on Greenland. (LN)

Geological exploration of Angola from Sumbe to Namibe: A review at the frontier between geology, natural resources and the history of geology

Science.gov (United States)

Masse, Pierre; Laurent, Olivier

2016-01-01

This paper provides a review of the Geological exploration of the Angola Coast (from Sumbe to Namibe) from pioneer's first geological descriptions and mining inventory to the most recent publications supported by the oil industry. We focus our attention on the following periods: 1875-1890 (Paul Choffat's work, mainly), 1910-1949 (first maps at country scale), 1949-1974 (detailed mapping of the Kwanza-Namibe coastal series), 1975-2000, with the editing of the last version of the Angola geological map at 1:1 million scale and the progressive completion of previous works. Since 2000, there is a renewal in geological fieldwork publications on the area mainly due to the work of university teams. This review paper thus stands at the frontier between geology, natural resources and the history of geology. It shows how geological knowledge has progressed in time, fueled by economic and scientific reasons.

Quantifying uncertainty of geological 3D layer models, constructed with a-priori geological expertise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gunnink, J.J.; Maljers, D.; Hummelman, J.

2010-01-01

Uncertainty quantification of geological models that are constructed with additional geological expert-knowledge is not straightforward. To construct sound geological 3D layer models we use a lot of additional knowledge, with an uncertainty that is hard to quantify. Examples of geological expert

Southeastern Regional geologic characterization report. Volume 1. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This report presents available geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in central Maryland; noncoastal Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; and northern Georgia. For each of the states within the Southeastern Region, information is provided on the geological disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening. The geological factor and variables include deep mines and quarries, rock mass extent, postemplacement faulting, suspected Quaternary faulting, seismicity, rock and mineral resources, major ground-water discharge zones, ground-water resources, state of stress, thickness of rock mass, and thickness of overburden. Information is presented on the age, areal extent, shape, composition, texture, degree and type of alteration, thickness, and structural features associated with each rock body or complex. Regional seismic and tectonic information is presented, including patterns of earthquake occurrence, earthquake magnitudes, horizontal ground accelerations, and vertical crustal movements. Also included are discussions of the rock and mineral deposits or mines located within or near crystalline bodies; ground-water resources and regional hydrology; postulated changes in climate and the associated effects; and landforms, surface processes, and surficial materials on or near the rock bodies

Geology and mineral occurences of braquiantidinal do Lontra - GO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macambira, J.B.

1983-01-01

This work involved the geological mapping (in the scale 1:60.000) of an area of 800 square kilometers in the nortwestern part of the state of Goias, near and east of the Araguaia river. Based on the stratigraphy, metamorphism, geochronology, magmatism and mineral deposits hypotheses on the geological evolution of the region are discussed. The area studied belongs to the Precambrian Araguaia Fold Belt. The oldest rocks identified are trondhjemitic gneisses and on these rocks was deposited a sedimentary sequence with minor volcanics of a geosynclinal type. The stratigraphic column of Abreu (1978) was adopted with minor modifications. The basement, of transamazonic age (2000 Ma), consists mostly of gneiss, migmatite, granite gneiss and amphibolite. The metasediments belongs to the lower unit (Estrondo Group) of the Supergroup Baixo Araguaia. The Estrondo Group, of brasilian age (600 Ma), consists in the area of the lowermost Morro do Campo Formation, mainly quartzite and amphibolite, which give the high relief of the brachyanticlines of Lontra and Ramal do Lontra.(author)

Geologic evolution of the SE.23 Sheet - Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, A.D.C.; Fonseca, E.G. da; Braz, E.R.C.

1987-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis of the geologic evolution in the Belo Horizonte Sheet comprising an area about 281.210 Km 2 . Rb-Sr and K-Ar isotope dating methods are used for age estimation of geologic deposits. The geologic evolution of the cratonic area is reflected by a stable central nucleus surrounded by marginal orogenic belts. In the central area were recognized greenstone belts structures involved by granite terrains and bordered by a granulitic region. The framework of the Sao Francisco Craton involves events of metamorphism, granitogenesis, sedimentary, volcanism and plutonism developed in the Early to Late Proterozoic. The stratigraphic column is complemented by Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous continental deposits belonging to Parana-Basin. (M.V.M.)

MUSEUM GEOLOGI DAN PRASEJARAH DI MAKASSAR DENGAN PENDEKATAN ARSITEKTUR HIGH TECH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saefullah Saefullah

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstrak—Indonesia kaya akan sumber daya geologi yang terdiri dari batuan, mineral dan bahan tambang. Berbicara mengenai geologi sangat erat kaitannya dengan zaman prasejarah.karena belum ditemukannya bukti-bukti tertulis dari zaman prasejarah tersebut, keterangan mengenai zaman ini diperoleh melalui bidang-bidang seperti paleontologi, astronomi, biologi, geologi, antropologi, dan arkeologi pentingnya melestarikan dan menjaga peninggalan-peninggalan prasejarah. Sehingga akan menumbuhkan rasa tanggungjawab terhadapnya. Hal ini sejalan dengan tugas Direktorat Jendral Kebudayaan Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudyaaan Indonesia dalam laporan kinerjanya .yang mengemukakan bahwa sisa-sisa peninggalan sejarah penting dipelihara sebagai pelajaran hidup bagi generasi berikutnya.Tujuan penelitian menyusun suatu landasan konseptual desain perancangan Museum Geologi dan prasejarah dengan pendekatan arsitektur high-tech, menerapkan system Double fasade, Ligth Pipe dan system fotovoltaic pada bangunan, mengaplikasikan intelegent system pada utilitas pada bangunan.Hasil Laporan ini adalah mendesain bangunan museum geologi dan prasejarah di Makassar dengan pendekatan arsitektur high-tech. Kata Kunci :Museum geologi, prasejarah, high-tech Abstract-Indonesia is rich geological resources consisting of rocks, minerals and minerals. Talking about the geology is very closely related to prehistoric times because of not finding written evidence from prehistoric times, the information concerning this age obtained through fields like paleontology, astronomy, biology, geology, anthropology, and archeology importance of preserving and maintaining prehistoric relics. So will foster a sense of responsibility to it. This is in line with the duties of the Directorate General of Culture Ministry of Education and Indonesian culture in its performance report which suggested that the remains of important historical remains preserved as a living lesson for the next generation. The

Geologic map of the Hasty Quadrangle, Boone and Newton Counties, Arkansas

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Mark R.; Murray, Kyle E.

2004-01-01

This digital geologic map compilation presents new polygon (for example, geologic map unit contacts), line (for example, fault, fold axis, and structure contour), and point (for example, structural attitude, contact elevations) vector data for the Hasty 7.5-minute quadrangle in northern Arkansas. The map database, which is at 1:24,000-scale resolution, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic, tectonic, and stratigraphic interest. The Hasty quadrangle is located in northern Newton and southern Boone Counties about 20 km south of the town of Harrison. The map area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Ordovician, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian age that were mildly deformed by a series of normal and strike-slip faults and folds. The area is representative of the stratigraphic and structural setting of the southern Ozark Dome. The Hasty quadrangle map provides new geologic information for better understanding groundwater flow paths in and adjacent to the Buffalo River watershed.

Surficial Geologic Map of the Worcester North-Oxford- Wrentham-Attleboro Nine-Quadrangle Area in South- Central Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Byron D.; Stone, Janet R.; DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary L.

2008-01-01

The surficial geologic map layer shows the distribution of nonlithified earth materials at land surface in an area of nine 7.5-minute quadrangles (417 mi2 total) in south-central Massachusetts (fig. 1). Across Massachusetts, these materials range from a few feet to more than 500 ft in thickness. They overlie bedrock, which crops out in upland hills and in resistant ledges in valley areas. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of their lithologic characteristics (such as grain size and sedimentary structures), constructional geomorphic features, stratigraphic relationships, and age. Surficial materials also are known in engineering classifications as unconsolidated soils, which include coarse-grained soils, fine-grained soils, or organic fine-grained soils. Surficial materials underlie and are the parent materials of modern pedogenic soils, which have developed in them at the land surface. Surficial earth materials significantly affect human use of the land, and an accurate description of their distribution is particularly important for water resources, construction aggregate resources, earth-surface hazards assessments, and land-use decisions. The mapped distribution of surficial materials that lie between the land surface and the bedrock surface is based on detailed geologic mapping of 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles, produced as part of an earlier (1938-1982) cooperative statewide mapping program between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Public Works (now Massachusetts Highway Department) (Page, 1967; Stone, 1982). Each published geologic map presents a detailed description of local geologic map units, the genesis of the deposits, and age correlations among units. Previously unpublished field compilation maps exist on paper or mylar sheets and these have been digitally rendered for the present map compilation. Regional summaries based on the Massachusetts surficial geologic mapping

Geological heritage of Morocco

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elhadi, H.; Tahiri, A.

2012-01-01

Full text: The soil and subsoil of Morocco are rich in geological phenomena that bear the imprint of a history that goes back in time more than 2000 million years. Very many sites geologically remarkable exposed in accessible outcrops, with good quality remain unknown to the general public and therefore deserve to be vulgarized. It is a memory to acquaint to the present generations but also to preserve for future generations. In total, a rich geological heritage in many ways: Varied landscapes, international stratotypes, various geological structures, varied rocks, mineral associations, a huge procession of fossiles, remnants of oceanic crust (ophiolites) among oldests ones in the world (800my), etc... For this geological heritage, an approach of an overall inventory is needed, both regionally and nationally, taking into account all the skills of the earth sciences. This will put the item on the natural (geological) potentialities as a lever for sustainable regional development. For this, it is necessary to implement a strategy of ''geoconservation'' for the preservation and assessment of the geological heritage.

The Etendeka lavas SWA/Namibia: geology, chemistry and spatial and temporal relationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, J.S.; Erlank, A.J.; Duncan, A.R.; Miller, R.McG.; Rex, D.C.

1981-01-01

The paper discusses a geologic survey on the Etendeka lavas in South West Africa/Namibia with special attention to the geology, chemistry and spatial and temporal relationships in the area. K/Ar age data indicate that the bulk of the Etendeka lavas are about 120 m.y. old. In the study use was also made of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 143 Nd/ 144 Nd, 206 Pb/ 204 Pb, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb isotope ratios

Geological Services Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Researchers use computed tomography (CT) scanners at NETL’s Geological Services Laboratory in Morgantown, WV, to peer into geologic core samples to determine how...

Geology of Mars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soderblom, L.A.

1988-01-01

The geology of Mars and the results of the Mariner 4, 6/7, and 9 missions and the Viking mission are reviewed. The Mars chronology and geologic modification are examined, including chronological models for the inactive planet, the active planet, and crater flux. The importance of surface materials is discussed and a multispectral map of Mars is presented. Suggestions are given for further studies of the geology of Mars using the Viking data. 5 references

Traverse across the Nelspruit batholith and the geology of the excursion route between Sabie and Witbank

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robb, L.J.; Anhaeusser, C.R.

1981-01-01

A geologic survey was done on the traverse across the Nelspruit batholith and the geology of the excursion route between Sabie and Witbank. Rubidium isotopes, strontium 86 and strontium 87 were used to determine the rock age. The petrogenetic aspects relating to the Nelspruit batholith were also studied

History of geological disposal concept (3). Implementation phase of geological disposal (2000 upward)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masuda, Sumio; Sakuma, Hideki; Umeki, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Important standards and concept about geological disposal have been arranged as an international common base and are being generalized. The authors overview the concept of geological disposal, and would like this paper to help arouse broad discussions for promoting the implementation plan of geological disposal projects in the future. In recent years, the scientific and technological rationality of geological disposal has been recognized internationally. With the addition of discussions from social viewpoints such as ethics, economy, etc., geological disposal projects are in the stage of starting after establishment of social consensus. As an international common base, the following consolidated and systematized items have been presented as indispensable elements in promoting business projects: (1) step-by-step approach, (2) safety case, (3) reversibility and recovery potential, and (4) trust building and communications. This paper outlines the contents of the following cases, where international common base was reflected on the geological disposal projects in Japan: (1) final disposal method and safety regulations, and (2) impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident on geological disposal plan. (A.O.)

Conduct of Geologic Field Work During Planetary Exploration: Why Geology Matters

Science.gov (United States)

Eppler, Dean B.

2010-01-01

The science of field geology is the investigative process of determining the distribution of rock units and structures on a planet fs surface, and it is the first-order data set that informs all subsequent studies of a planet, such as geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, or remote sensing. For future missions to the Moon and Mars, the surface systems deployed must support the conduct of field geology if these endeavors are to be scientifically useful. This lecture discussed what field geology is all about.why it is important, how it is done, how conducting field geology informs many other sciences, and how it affects the design of surface systems and the implementation of operations in the future.

Geology's Impact on Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Pizzorusso, Ann

2017-04-01

Most people consider geology boring, static and difficult. The fields of astronomy and physics have "rebranded" themselves with exciting programs formatted so as to be readily understandable to the general public. The same thing can be done for geology. My research on geology's influence on other disciplines has resulted in a book, Tweeting da Vinci, in which I was able to show how geology affected Italy's art, architecture, medicine, religion, literature, engineering and just about everything else. The reaction to the book and my lectures by both students and the general public has been very positive, including four gold medals, with reviews and comments indicating that they never knew geology could be so exciting. The book is very user friendly, packed with facts, full-color photos, paintings, sketches and illustrations. Complex aspects of geology are presented in an easily understandable style. Widely diverse topics—such as gemology, folk remedies, grottoes, painting, literature, physics and religion—are stitched together using geology as a thread. Quoting everyone from Pliny the Elder to NASA physicist Friedemann Freund, the work is solidly backed scholarship that reads as easily as a summer novel. The book can be used in classes such as physics, chemistry, literature, art history, medicine, Classical Studies, Latin, Greek and Italian. By incorporating a "geologic perspective" in these courses, it can be perceived as a more "all encompassing" discipline and encourage more students to study it. The lectures I have given on college campuses have resulted in students seeing their own majors from a different perspective and some have even signed up for introductory geology courses. One college organized summer course to the Bay of Naples based on the book. We followed the geology as well as the culture of the area and the students were profoundly moved. To encourage dialog, the book is linked to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This has enabled followers from

Environmental geology and hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Nakić, Zoran; Mileusnić, Marta; Pavlić, Krešimir; Kovač, Zoran

2017-10-01

Environmental geology is scientific discipline dealing with the interactions between humans and the geologic environment. Many natural hazards, which have great impact on humans and their environment, are caused by geological settings. On the other hand, human activities have great impact on the physical environment, especially in the last decades due to dramatic human population growth. Natural disasters often hit densely populated areas causing tremendous death toll and material damage. Demand for resources enhanced remarkably, as well as waste production. Exploitation of mineral resources deteriorate huge areas of land, produce enormous mine waste and pollute soil, water and air. Environmental geology is a broad discipline and only selected themes will be presented in the following subchapters: (1) floods as natural hazard, (2) water as geological resource and (3) the mining and mineral processing as types of human activities dealing with geological materials that affect the environment and human health.

Brazil Geologic Basic Survey Program - Barbacena - Sheet SF.23-X-C-III -Minas Gerais State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandalise, L.A.

1991-01-01

The present report refers to the Barbacena sheet (SF.23-X-C-III) systematic geological mapping, on the 1:10,000 scale, related to the Levantamentos Geologicos Basicos do Brasil Program - PLGB, carried out by CPRM for the DNPM. Integrated to geochemical and geophysical surveys, the geological mapping not only yielded geophysical and geochemical maps but a consistent to the 1:100.000 scale Metallogenetic/Provisional one as well. The geological mapping carried out during the Project has really evidenced that samples of distinct stratigraphic units had been employed to define the one and only isochrone. However geochronologic Rb/Sr dating performed during the geological mapping phase evidenced Archean ages for rocks of the Sao Bento dos Torres Metamorphic Suite (2684 ± 110 m.y.) and ages of about 2000 m.y. for the Ressaquinha Complex rocks. An analysis of crustal evolution patterns based on geological mapping, gravimetric survey data, aeromagnetometry and available geochronologic data is given in the Chapter 6, Part II, in the test. Major element oxides, trace-elements and rare-earths elements were analysed to establish parameters for the rocks environment elucidation. Geochemical survey was carried out with base on pan concentrated and stream sediments distributed throughout the sheet. (author)

The British Geological Survey's Lexicon of Named Rock Units as Online and Linked Data

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, T.

2012-12-01

The British Geological Survey's Lexicon of Named Rock Units provides freely accessible definitions and supplementary information about geological units of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and their associated continental shelf. It is an online database that can be searched at www.bgs.ac.uk/Lexicon/. It has existed since 1990 (under different names) but the database and user interface have recently been completely redesigned to improve their semantic capabilities and suitability for describing different styles of geology. The data are also now freely available as linked data from data.bgs.ac.uk/. The Lexicon of Named Rock Units serves two purposes. First, it is a dictionary, defining and constraining the geological units that are referenced in the Survey's data sets, workflows, products and services. These can include printed and digital geological maps at a variety of scales, reports, books and memoirs, and 3- and 4-dimensional geological models. All geological units referenced in any of these must first be present and defined, at least to a basic level of completeness, in the Lexicon database. Only then do they become available for use. The second purpose of the Lexicon is as a repository of knowledge about the geology of the UK and its continental shelf, providing authoritative descriptions written and checked by BGS geoscientists. Geological units are assigned to one of four themes: bedrock, superficial, mass movement and artificial. They are further assigned to one of nine classes: lithostratigraphical, lithodemic intrusive, lithodemic tectono-metamorphic, lithodemic mixed, litho-morpho-genetic, man-made, age-based, composite, and miscellaneous. The combination of theme and class controls the fields that are available to describe each geological unit, so that appropriate fields are offered for each, whether it is a Precambrian tectono-metamorphic complex, a Devonian sandstone formation, or a Devensian river terrace deposit. Information that may be recorded

Charles Lyell and scientific thinking in geology

Science.gov (United States)

Virgili, Carmina

2007-07-01

Charles Lyell (1797-1875) was born at Kinnordy, Scotland. His father, an amateur botanist, and his grandfather, a navigator, gave him very soon a taste for the observation of the Nature. He went to the Oxford University to study classical literature, but he also followed the geological course of William Buckland. After having been employed as jurist for some years, in 1827 he decided on a career of geologist and held the chair of geology of the King's College of London, from 1831 on. He was a contemporary of Cuvier, Darwin, von Humboldt, Hutton, Lavoisier, and was elected 'membre correspondant' of the 'Académie des sciences, France', in January 1862. Charles Lyell is one of the eminent geologists who initiated the scientific thinking in geology, in which his famous volumes of the Principles of Geology were taken as the authority. These reference volumes are based on multiple observations and field works collected during numerous fieldtrips in western Europe (principally Spain, France, and Italy) and North America. To his name are attached, among others: ( i) the concept of uniformitarism (or actualism), which was opposed to the famous catastrophism, in vogue at that time, and which may be summarized by the expression "The present is the key to the past"; ( ii) the division of the Tertiary in three series denominated Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene, due to the study of the age of strata by fossil faunas; ( iii) the theory according to which the orogenesis of a mountain chain, as the Pyrenees, results from different pulsations on very long time scales and was not induced by a unique pulsation during a short and intense period. The uniformity of the laws of Nature is undeniably a principle Charles Lyell was the first to state clearly and to apply to the study of the whole Earth's crust, which opened a new era in geology.

Tracing Biosignature Preservation of Geothermally Silicified Microbial Textures into the Geological Record.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Kathleen A; Lynne, Bridget Y; Handley, Kim M; Jordan, Sacha; Farmer, Jack D; Guido, Diego M; Foucher, Frédéric; Turner, Susan; Perry, Randall S

2015-10-01

New Zealand and Argentine (Late Jurassic-Recent) siliceous hot-spring deposits (sinter) reveal preservation pathways of environmentally controlled, microbe-dominated sedimentary facies over geological time scales. Texturally distinctive, laminated to thinly layered, dense and vertically oriented, microtubular "palisade" fabric is common in low-temperature (geological events. A systematic approach was used to characterize palisade fabric in sinters of different ages to refine tools for recognizing biosignatures in extreme environments and to track their long-term preservation pathways into the geological record. Molecular techniques, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, petrography, and lipid biomarker analyses were applied. Results indicate that microbial communities vary at the micron scale and that early and rapid silicification is paramount to long-term preservation, especially where minimal postdepositional disturbance follows fossilization. Overall, it appears that the most robust biomarkers of fossil microbial activity in hot-spring deposits are their characteristic macro- and microtextures and laser micro-Raman identified carbon. Studies of Phanerozoic geothermal deposits with mineralized microbial components are relevant analogs for Precambrian geobiology because early life is commonly preserved as microbial microfossils and biofilms in silica, some of it hydrothermal in origin. Yet the diagenetic "movie" has already been run. Hence, studying younger sinters of a range of ages provides an opportunity to "play it again" and follow the varied influences on biosignatures into the deep-time geological record.

Geology of the Yucca Mountain Region, Chapter in Stuckless, J.S., ED., Yucca Mountain, Nevada - A Proposed Geologic Repository for High-Level Radioactive Waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J.S. Stuckless; D. O' Leary

2006-09-25

Yucca Mountain has been proposed as the site for the Nation's first geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. This chapter provides the geologic framework for the Yucca Mountain region. The regional geologic units range in age from late Precambrian through Holocene, and these are described briefly. Yucca Mountain is composed dominantly of pyroclastic units that range in age from 11.4 to 15.2 Ma. The proposed repository would be constructed within the Topopah Spring Tuff, which is the lower of two major zoned and welded ash-flow tuffs within the Paintbrush Group. The two welded tuffs are separated by the partly to nonwelded Pah Canyon Tuff and Yucca Mountain Tuff, which together figure prominently in the hydrology of the unsaturated zone. The Quaternary deposits are primarily alluvial sediments with minor basaltic cinder cones and flows. Both have been studied extensively because of their importance in predicting the long-term performance of the proposed repository. Basaltic volcanism began about 10 Ma and continued as recently as about 80 ka with the eruption of cones and flows at Lathrop Wells, approximately 10 km south-southwest of Yucca Mountain. Geologic structure in the Yucca Mountain region is complex. During the latest Paleozoic and Mesozoic, strong compressional forces caused tight folding and thrust faulting. The present regional setting is one of extension, and normal faulting has been active from the Miocene through to the present. There are three major local tectonic domains: (1) Basin and Range, (2) Walker Lane, and (3) Inyo-Mono. Each domain has an effect on the stability of Yucca Mountain.

South Louisiana Enhanced Oil Recovery/Sequestration R&D Project Small Scale Field Tests of Geologic Reservoir Classes for Geologic Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hite, Roger [Blackhorse Energy LLC, Houston, TX (United States)

2016-10-01

The project site is located in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, approximately 26 miles due east of Baton Rouge. This project proposed to evaluate an early Eocene-aged Wilcox oil reservoir for permanent storage of CO₂. Blackhorse Energy, LLC planned to conduct a parallel CO₂ oil recovery project in the First Wilcox Sand. The primary focus of this project was to examine and prove the suitability of South Louisiana geologic formations for large-scale geologic sequestration of CO₂ in association with enhanced oil recovery applications. This was to be accomplished through the focused demonstration of small-scale, permanent storage of CO₂ in the First Wilcox Sand. The project was terminated at the request of Blackhorse Energy LLC on October 22, 2014.

Geologic mapping of Kentucky; a history and evaluation of the Kentucky Geological Survey--U.S. Geological Survey Mapping Program, 1960-1978

Science.gov (United States)

Cressman, Earle Rupert; Noger, Martin C.

1981-01-01

In 1960, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey began a program to map the State geologically at a scale of 1:24,000 and to publish the maps as 707 U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Maps. Fieldwork was completed by the spring of 1977, and all maps were published by December 1978. Geologic mapping of the State was proposed by the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers in 1959. Wallace W. Hagan, Director and State Geologist of the Kentucky Geological Survey, and Preston McGrain, Assistant State Geologist, promoted support for the proposal among organizations such as Chambers of Commerce, industrial associations, professional societies, and among members of the State government. It was also arranged for the U.S. Geological Survey to supply mapping personnel and to publish the maps; the cost would be shared equally by the two organizations. Members of the U.S. Geological Survey assigned to the program were organized as the Branch of Kentucky Geology. Branch headquarters, including an editorial staff, was at Lexington, Ky., but actual mapping was conducted from 18 field offices distributed throughout the State. The Publications Division of the U.S. Geological Survey established a cartographic office at Lexington to prepare the maps for publication. About 260 people, including more than 200 professionals, were assigned to the Branch of Kentucky Geology by the U.S. Geological Survey at one time or another. The most geologists assigned any one year was 61. To complete the mapping and ancillary studies, 661 professional man-years were required, compared with an original estimate of 600 man-years. A wide variety of field methods were used, but most geologists relied on the surveying altimeter to obtain elevations. Surface data were supplemented by drill-hole records, and several dozen shallow diamond-drill holes were drilled to aid the mapping. Geologists generally scribed their own maps, with a consequent saving of publication costs

Northeastern Regional geologic characterization report. Volume 1. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This report presents available geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. For each of the states within the Northeastern Region, information is provided on the geologic disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening. The geologic factor and variables include deep mines and quarries, rock mass extent, postemplacement faulting, suspected Quaternary faulting, seismicity, rock and mineral resources, major ground-water discharge zones, ground-water resources, state of stress, thickness of rock mass, and thickness of overburden. Information is presented on age, areal extent, shape, composition, texture, degree and type of alteration, thickness, and structural features associated with each rock body or complex. Regional seismic and tectonic information is presented, including patterns of earthquake occurrence, earthquake magnitudes, horizontal ground accelerations, and vertical crusal movements. Also included are discussions of the rock and mineral deposits or mines located within or near crystalline bodies; ground-water resources and regional hydrology; postulated changes in climate and the associated effects; and landforms, surface processes, and surficial materials on or near the rock bodies. A discussion is also presented on the relationship between the US Department of Energy (DOE) Siting Guidelines (10 CFR 960) and the geologic disqualifying factor and regional screening variables to be used in the region-to-area screening process

Geologic setting and chemical characteristics of hot springs in central and western Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Thomas P.; Barnes, Ivan; Pattan, William Wallace

1973-01-01

Numerous hot springs occur in a variety of geologic provinces in central and western Alaska. Granitic plutons are common to all the provinces and the hot springs are spatially associated with the contacts of these plutons. Of 23 hot springs whose bedrock geology is known, all occur within 3 miles of a granitic pluton. The occurrence of hot springs, however, appears to be independent of the age, composition, or magmatic history of the pluton.

Geologic Framework Model (GFM2000)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

T. Vogt

2004-01-01

The purpose of this report is to document the geologic framework model, version GFM2000 with regard to input data, modeling methods, assumptions, uncertainties, limitations, and validation of the model results, and the differences between GFM2000 and previous versions. The version number of this model reflects the year during which the model was constructed. This model supersedes the previous model version, documented in Geologic Framework Model (GFM 3.1) (CRWMS M and O 2000 [DIRS 138860]). The geologic framework model represents a three-dimensional interpretation of the geology surrounding the location of the monitored geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain. The geologic framework model encompasses and is limited to an area of 65 square miles (168 square kilometers) and a volume of 185 cubic miles (771 cubic kilometers). The boundaries of the geologic framework model (shown in Figure 1-1) were chosen to encompass the exploratory boreholes and to provide a geologic framework over the area of interest for hydrologic flow and radionuclide transport modeling through the unsaturated zone (UZ). The upper surface of the model is made up of the surface topography and the depth of the model is constrained by the inferred depth of the Tertiary-Paleozoic unconformity. The geologic framework model was constructed from geologic map and borehole data. Additional information from measured stratigraphic sections, gravity profiles, and seismic profiles was also considered. The intended use of the geologic framework model is to provide a geologic framework over the area of interest consistent with the level of detailed needed for hydrologic flow and radionuclide transport modeling through the UZ and for repository design. The model is limited by the availability of data and relative amount of geologic complexity found in an area. The geologic framework model is inherently limited by scale and content. The grid spacing used in

Geologic Framework Model (GFM2000)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

T. Vogt

2004-08-26

The purpose of this report is to document the geologic framework model, version GFM2000 with regard to input data, modeling methods, assumptions, uncertainties, limitations, and validation of the model results, and the differences between GFM2000 and previous versions. The version number of this model reflects the year during which the model was constructed. This model supersedes the previous model version, documented in Geologic Framework Model (GFM 3.1) (CRWMS M&O 2000 [DIRS 138860]). The geologic framework model represents a three-dimensional interpretation of the geology surrounding the location of the monitored geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain. The geologic framework model encompasses and is limited to an area of 65 square miles (168 square kilometers) and a volume of 185 cubic miles (771 cubic kilometers). The boundaries of the geologic framework model (shown in Figure 1-1) were chosen to encompass the exploratory boreholes and to provide a geologic framework over the area of interest for hydrologic flow and radionuclide transport modeling through the unsaturated zone (UZ). The upper surface of the model is made up of the surface topography and the depth of the model is constrained by the inferred depth of the Tertiary-Paleozoic unconformity. The geologic framework model was constructed from geologic map and borehole data. Additional information from measured stratigraphic sections, gravity profiles, and seismic profiles was also considered. The intended use of the geologic framework model is to provide a geologic framework over the area of interest consistent with the level of detailed needed for hydrologic flow and radionuclide transport modeling through the UZ and for repository design. The model is limited by the availability of data and relative amount of geologic complexity found in an area. The geologic framework model is inherently limited by scale and content. The grid spacing used in the

Development of JNC geological disposal technical information integration system for geological environment field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Makoto; Ueta, Shinzo; Ohashi, Toyo

2004-02-01

Enormous data on geology, geological structure, hydrology, geochemistry and rock properties should be obtained by various investigation/study in the geological disposal study. Therefore, 'JNC Geological Disposal Technical Information Integration System for Geological Environment Field' was developed in order to manage these data systematically and to support/promote the use of these data for the investigators concerned. The system is equipped with data base to store the information of the works and the background information of the assumptions built up in the works on each stage of data flow ('instigative', → 'data sampling' → interpretation' → conceptualization/modeling/simulation' → 'output') in the geological disposal study. In this system the data flow is shown as 'plan' composed of task' and 'work' to be done in the geological disposal study. It is possible to input the data to the database and to refer data from the database by using GUI that shows the data flow as 'plan'. The system was installed to the server computer possessed by JNC and the system utilities were checked on both the server computer and client computer also possessed by JNC. (author)

Geological and geotechnical limitations of radioactive waste retrievability in geologic disposals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stahlmann, Joachim; Leon-Vargas, Rocio; Mintzlaff, Volker; Treidler, Ann-Kathrin [TU Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

2015-07-01

The capability of retrieving radioactive waste emplaced in deep geological formations is nowadays in discussion in many countries. Based on the storage of high-level radioactive waste (HAW) in deep geological repositories there is a number of possible scenarios for their retrieval. Measurements for an improved retrieving capability may impact on the geotechnical and geological barriers, e.g. keeping open the access drifts for a long period of time can result in a bigger evacuation damage zone (EDZ) in the host rock which implies potential flow paths for ground water. Nevertheless, to limit the possible scenarios associated to the retrieval implementation, it is necessary to take in consideration which criteria will be used for an efficient monitoring program, while clearly determining the performance reliability of the geotechnical barriers. In addition, the integrity of the host rock as geological barrier has to be verified. Therefore, it is important to evaluate different design solutions and the most appropriate measurement methods to improve the retrievability process of wastes from a geological repository. A short presentation of the host rocks is given is this paper.

Structural geologic study of southeastern Missouri

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satterfield, I.R.; Ward, R.A.

1978-01-01

A geologic map at 1:62,500 scale was prepared of the Cretaceous (Mesozoic) and Tertiary (cenozoic) sediments and seven major units were recognized with emphasis on faulting. Faulted sediments of Pliocene age (possibly Pleistocene) were observed and younger units are suspected to be involved. Data from hand-augered holes plus water well data were logged and plotted. The feasibility of using physical data (size analysis and pH) as a correlation tool for determining structural disturbance in loess deposits was established

Regional and site geological frameworks : proposed Deep Geologic Repository, Bruce County, Ontario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raven, K.; Sterling, S.; Gaines, S.; Wigston, A. [Intera Engineering Ltd., Ottawa, ON (Canada); Frizzell, R. [Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is conducting geoscientific studies on behalf of Ontario Power Generation into the proposed development of a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for low and intermediate level radioactive waste (L and ILW) at the Bruce site, near Tiverton, Ontario. This paper presented a regional geological framework for the site that was based on a review of regional drilling; structural geology; paleozoic stratigraphy and sedimentology; a 3D geological framework model; a DGR geological site characterization model; bedrock stratigraphy and marker beds; natural fracture frequency data; and formation predictability. The studies have shown that the depth, thickness, orientation and rock quality of the 34 rock formations, members or units that comprise the 840 m thick Paleozoic bedrock sequence at the Bruce site are very uniform and predictable over distances of several kilometres. The proposed DGR will be constructed as an engineered facility comprising a series of underground emplacement rooms at a depth of 680 metres below ground within argillaceous limestones. The geoscientific studies are meant to provide a basis for the development of descriptive geological, hydrogeological and geomechanical models of the DGR site that will facilitate environmental and safety assessments. 11 refs., 3 tabs., 9 figs.

Geologic data for borehole ERDA-9, Eddy County, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, C.L.

1981-01-01

Borehole ERDA-9 is an exploratory well drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico to evaluate and test salt beds for disposal of nuclear wastes. The drilling was done between April 28 and June 4, 1976. Lithologic and stratigraphic details of the geologic section in ERDA-9 are described herein. The selection includes: (1) the Mescalero caliche and the Gatuna Formation of Pleistocene age, (2) the Santa Rosa Sandstone of Triassic age, and (3) the Dewey Lake Red Beds, the Rustler Formation, the Salado Formation, and part of the Castile Formation; all of Permian age

A statistical method for estimating rates of soil development and ages of geologic deposits: A design for soil-chronosequence studies

Science.gov (United States)

Switzer, P.; Harden, J.W.; Mark, R.K.

1988-01-01

most probable age. The statistical variability of the ML-estimated calibration curve is assessed by a Monte Carlo method in which simulated data sets repeatedly are drawn from the distributional specification; calibration parameters are reestimated for each such simulation in order to assess their statistical variability. Several examples are used for illustration. The age of undated soils in a related setting may be estimated from the soil data using the fitted calibration curve. A second simulation to assess age estimate variability is described and applied to the examples. ?? 1988 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

A compilation of {sup 40}Ar-{sup 39} and K-Ar ages: report 25

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, P A [Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Roddick, J C

1997-12-31

Twenty-three {sup 40}Ar-{sup 39}Ar age determinations (including two potassium-argon analyses) carried out by the Geological Survey of Canada are reported. Each age determination is accompanied by a description of the rock and mineral concentrate used; brief interpretative comments regarding the geological significance of each age are also provided where possible. The experimental procedures employed are described in outline. An index of all Geological Survey of Canada K-Ar age determinations published in this format has been prepared using NTS quadrangles as the primary reference. (author). 6 refs., 2 tabs., 1 fig.

Assessing correlations between geological hazards and health outcomes: Addressing complexity in medical geology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wardrop, Nicola Ann; Le Blond, Jennifer Susan

2015-11-01

The field of medical geology addresses the relationships between exposure to specific geological characteristics and the development of a range of health problems: for example, long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water can result in the development of skin conditions and cancers. While these relationships are well characterised for some examples, in others there is a lack of understanding of the specific geological component(s) triggering disease onset, necessitating further research. This paper aims to highlight several important complexities in geological exposures and the development of related diseases that can create difficulties in the linkage of exposure and health outcome data. Several suggested approaches to deal with these complexities are also suggested. Long-term exposure and lengthy latent periods are common characteristics of many diseases related to geological hazards. In combination with long- or short-distance migrations over an individual's life, daily or weekly movement patterns and small-scale spatial heterogeneity in geological characteristics, it becomes problematic to appropriately assign exposure measurements to individuals. The inclusion of supplementary methods, such as questionnaires, movement diaries or Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers can support medical geology studies by providing evidence for the most appropriate exposure measurement locations. The complex and lengthy exposure-response pathways involved, small-distance spatial heterogeneity in environmental components and a range of other issues mean that interdisciplinary approaches to medical geology studies are necessary to provide robust evidence. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Geologic map of the Ponca quadrangle, Newton, Boone, and Carroll Counties, Arkansas

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Mark R.; Murray, Kyle E.

2003-01-01

This digital geologic map compilation presents new polygon (i.e., geologic map unit contacts), line (i.e., fault, fold axis, and structure contour), and point (i.e., structural attitude, contact elevations) vector data for the Ponca 7 1/2' quadrangle in northern Arkansas. The map database, which is at 1:24,000-scale resolution, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic, tectonic, and stratigraphic interest. The Ponca quadrangle is located in Newton, Boone, and Carroll Counties about 20 km southwest of the town of Harrison. The map area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Ordovician, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian age that were mildly deformed by a series of normal and strike-slip faults and folds. The area is representative of the stratigraphic and structural setting of the southern Ozark Dome. The Ponca quadrangle map provides new geologic information for better understanding groundwater flow paths and development of karst features in and adjacent to the Buffalo River watershed.

Geologic distributions of US oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This publication presents nonproprietary field size distributions that encompass most domestic oil and gas fields at year-end 1989. These data are organized by geologic provinces as defined by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists' Committee on Statistics of Drilling (AAPG/CSD), by regional geographic aggregates of the AAPG/CSD provinces, and Nationally. The report also provides partial volumetric distributions of petroleum liquid and natural gas ultimate recoveries for three macro-geologic variables: principal lithology of the reservoir rock, principal trapping condition and geologic age of the reservoir rock, The former two variables are presented Nationally and by geographic region, in more detail than has heretofore been available. The latter variable is provided Nationally at the same level of detail previously available. Eighteen tables and 66 figures present original data on domestic oil and gas occurrence. Unfortunately, volumetric data inadequacy dictated exclusion of Appalachian region oil and gas fields from the study. All other areas of the United States known to be productive of crude oil or natural gas through year-end 1989, onshore and offshore, were included. It should be noted that none of the results and conclusions would be expected to substantively differ had data for the Appalachian region been available for inclusion in the study

AEGIS geologic simulation model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foley, M.G.

1982-01-01

The Geologic Simulation Model (GSM) is used by the AEGIS (Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems) program at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory to simulate the dynamic geology and hydrology of a geologic nuclear waste repository site over a million-year period following repository closure. The GSM helps to organize geologic/hydrologic data; to focus attention on active natural processes by requiring their simulation; and, through interactive simulation and calibration, to reduce subjective evaluations of the geologic system. During each computer run, the GSM produces a million-year geologic history that is possible for the region and the repository site. In addition, the GSM records in permanent history files everything that occurred during that time span. Statistical analyses of data in the history files of several hundred simulations are used to classify typical evolutionary paths, to establish the probabilities associated with deviations from the typical paths, and to determine which types of perturbations of the geologic/hydrologic system, if any, are most likely to occur. These simulations will be evaluated by geologists familiar with the repository region to determine validity of the results. Perturbed systems that are determined to be the most realistic, within whatever probability limits are established, will be used for the analyses that involve radionuclide transport and dose models. The GSM is designed to be continuously refined and updated. Simulation models are site specific, and, although the submodels may have limited general applicability, the input data equirements necessitate detailed characterization of each site before application

Geologic map of the Bateman Spring Quadrangle, Lander County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Ramelli, Alan R.; Wrucke, Chester T.; House, P. Kyle

2017-01-01

This 1:24,000-scale geologic map of the Bateman Spring 7.5-minute quadrangle in Lander County, Nevada contains descriptions of 24 geologic units and one cross section. Accompanying text includes full unit descriptions and references. This quadrangle includes lower Paleozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Roberts Mountain allochthon, Miocene intrusive dikes, alluvial deposits of the northern Shoshone Range piedmont, and riverine deposits of the Reese and Humboldt rivers.Significant findings include: refined age estimates for the Ordovician-Cambrian Valmy Formation and Devonian Slaven Chert, based on new fossil information; and detailed mapping of late Quaternary fault traces along the Shoshone Range fault system.

Global Journal of Geological Sciences: Editorial Policies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Focus and Scope. Global Journal of Geological Sciences is aimed at promoting research in all areas of geological Sciences including Petrology, Mineralogy, geophysics, hydrogeology, Engineering geology, Petroleum geology, Palaeontology, environmental geology, Economic geology, etc.

Assessment of effectiveness of geologic isolation systems: the AEGIS geologic simulation model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foley, M.G.; Petrie, G.M.

1981-02-01

Assessment of the post-closure performance of a nuclear waste repository has two basic components: the identification and analysis of potentially disruptive sequences and the pattern of geologic events and processes causing each sequence, and the identification and analysis of the environmental consequences of radionuclide transport and interactions subsequent to disruption of a repository. The AEGIS Scenario Analysis Task is charged with identifying and analyzing potenially disruptive sequences of geologic events and processes. The Geologic Simulation Model (GSM) was developed to evaluate the geologic/hydrologic system surrounding an underground repository, and describe the phenomena that alone, or in concert, could perturb the system and possibly cause a loss of repository integrity. The AEGIS approach is described in this report. It uses an integrated series of models for repository performance analysis; the GSM for a low-resolution, long-term, comprehensive evaluation of the geologic/hydrologic system, followed by more detailed hydrogeologic, radionuclide transport, and dose models to more accurately assess the consequences of disruptive sequences selected from the GSM analyses. This approach is felt to be more cost-effective than an integrated one because the GSM can be used to estimate the likelihoods of different potentially disruptive future evolutionary developments within the geologic/hydrologic system. The more costly consequence models can then be focused on a few disruptive sequences chosen for their representativeness and effective probabilities

Geological studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1999

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Larry P.; Wilson, Frederic H.

2001-01-01

The collection of nine papers that follow continue the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigative reports in Alaska under the broad umbrella of the geologic sciences. The series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports presented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from various parts of the State (fig. 1), serving to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation's needs for earth-science information in Alaska.

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)

North Central Regional geologic characterization report. Volume 1. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This report presents available geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For each of the states within the North Central Region, information is provided on the geologic disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening. The geologic factor and variables include deep mines and quarries, rock mass extent, post-emplacement faulting, suspected Quaternary faulting, seismicity, rock and mineral resources, major groundwater discharge zones, groundwater resources, state of stress, thickness of rock mass, and thickness of overburden. Information is presented on age, areal extent, shape, composition, texture, degree and type of alteration, thickness, and structural features associated with each rock body or complex. Regional seismic and tectonic information is presented, including patterns of earthquake occurrence, earthquake magnitudes, horizontal ground accelerations, and vertical crustal movements. Also included are discussions of the rock and mineral deposits or mines located within or near crystalline rock bodies; groundwater resources and regional hydrology; postulated changes in climate and the associated effects; and landforms, surface processes, and surficial materials on or near the rock bodies. A discussion is also presented of the relationship between the US Department of Energy Siting Guidelines (10 CFR 960) and the geologic disqualifying factor and regional screening variables to be used in the region-to-area screening process. 43 figs., 15 tabs

Deep storage of radioactive waste from a geological point of view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venzlaff, Helmut

2015-01-01

For a deep storage of radioactive waste geologists gave their preference to salt prior to other rock complexes such as clay or granite. Major deposits from pure rock salt are particularly suitable to safely seal radioactive wastes from the biosphere because due to their plasticity they are free from fissures in which liquids and gases could circulate and because their thermal conductivity is higher than of other rocks. The geological stability of salt domes can be shown by their geological evolution. Thus the salt dome in Gorleben was formed 100 million years ago and is older than the Atlantic, the Alps or the ascent of the low mountain range. During this long period it survived ocean floods, mountain formations, earthquakes, volcanism and ice ages without considerably changing its shape. There are no geological reasons, why it should not remain stable during the next million years.

Deep storage of radioactive waste from a geological point of view

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venzlaff, Helmut [Federal Institute for Geo-Sciences and Raw Materials, Hannover (Germany)

2015-08-15

For a deep storage of radioactive waste geologists gave their preference to salt prior to other rock complexes such as clay or granite. Major deposits from pure rock salt are particularly suitable to safely seal radioactive wastes from the biosphere because due to their plasticity they are free from fissures in which liquids and gases could circulate and because their thermal conductivity is higher than of other rocks. The geological stability of salt domes can be shown by their geological evolution. Thus the salt dome in Gorleben was formed 100 million years ago and is older than the Atlantic, the Alps or the ascent of the low mountain range. During this long period it survived ocean floods, mountain formations, earthquakes, volcanism and ice ages without considerably changing its shape. There are no geological reasons, why it should not remain stable during the next million years.

77 FR 19032 - Geological Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Geological Survey Announcement of National Geospatial Advisory Committee Meeting AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National.... Geological Survey (703-648-6283, [email protected] ). Registrations are due by April 13, 2012. While the...

Geologic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wayland, T.E.; Rood, A.

1983-01-01

The modern Great Divide Basin is the end product of natural forces influenced by the Green River lake system, Laramide tectonism, and intermittent volcanic events. It ranks as one of the most complex structural and stratigtaphic features within the Tertiary basins of Wyoming. Portions of the Great Divide Basin and adjoining areas in Wyoming have been investigated by applying detailed and region exploration methods to known uranium deposits located within the Red Desert portions of the basin. Geologic field investigations conducted by Bendix Field Engineering Corporaton (Bendix) were restricted to reconnaissance observations made during infrequent visits to the project area by various Bendix personnel. Locations of the most comprehensive field activities are shown in Figure II-1. The principal source fo data for geologic studies of the Red Desert project area has been information and materials furnished by industry. Several hundred holes have been drilled by various groups to delineate the uranium deposits. Results from Bendix-drilled holes at selected locations within the project area are summarized in Table II-1. Additional details and gross subsurface characteristics are illustrated in cross sections; pertinent geologic features are illustrated in plan maps. Related details of continental sedimentation that pertain to the Wyoming Basins generally, and the project area specificially, are discussed in subsections of this Geologic Studies section

Fundamentals of Structural Geology

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard, David D.; Fletcher, Raymond C.

2005-09-01

Fundamentals of Structural Geology provides a new framework for the investigation of geological structures by integrating field mapping and mechanical analysis. Assuming a basic knowledge of physical geology, introductory calculus and physics, it emphasizes the observational data, modern mapping technology, principles of continuum mechanics, and the mathematical and computational skills, necessary to quantitatively map, describe, model, and explain deformation in Earth's lithosphere. By starting from the fundamental conservation laws of mass and momentum, the constitutive laws of material behavior, and the kinematic relationships for strain and rate of deformation, the authors demonstrate the relevance of solid and fluid mechanics to structural geology. This book offers a modern quantitative approach to structural geology for advanced students and researchers in structural geology and tectonics. It is supported by a website hosting images from the book, additional colour images, student exercises and MATLAB scripts. Solutions to the exercises are available to instructors. The book integrates field mapping using modern technology with the analysis of structures based on a complete mechanics MATLAB is used to visualize physical fields and analytical results and MATLAB scripts can be downloaded from the website to recreate textbook graphics and enable students to explore their choice of parameters and boundary conditions The supplementary website hosts color images of outcrop photographs used in the text, supplementary color images, and images of textbook figures for classroom presentations The textbook website also includes student exercises designed to instill the fundamental relationships, and to encourage the visualization of the evolution of geological structures; solutions are available to instructors

A SKOS-based multilingual thesaurus of geological time scale for interopability of online geological maps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ma, X.; Carranza, E.J.M.; Wu, C.; Meer, F.D. van der; Liu, G.

2011-01-01

The usefulness of online geological maps is hindered by linguistic barriers. Multilingual geoscience thesauri alleviate linguistic barriers of geological maps. However, the benefits of multilingual geoscience thesauri for online geological maps are less studied. In this regard, we developed a

Database system of geological information for geological evaluation base of NPP sites(I)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, C. B.; Choi, K. R.; Sim, T. M.; No, M. H.; Lee, H. W.; Kim, T. K.; Lim, Y. S.; Hwang, S. K.

2002-01-01

This study aims to provide database system for site suitability analyses of geological information and a processing program for domestic NPP site evaluation. This database system program includes MapObject provided by ESRI and Spread 3.5 OCX, and is coded with Visual Basic language. Major functions of the systematic database program includes vector and raster farmat topographic maps, database design and application, geological symbol plot, the database search for the plotted geological symbol, and so on. The program can also be applied in analyzing not only for lineament trends but also for statistic treatment from geologically site and laboratory information and sources in digital form and algorithm, which is usually used internationally

OneGeology Web Services and Portal as a global geological SDI - latest standards and technology

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, Tim; Tellez-Arenas, Agnes

2014-05-01

The global coverage of OneGeology Web Services (www.onegeology.org and portal.onegeology.org) achieved since 2007 from the 120 participating geological surveys will be reviewed and issues arising discussed. Recent enhancements to the OneGeology Web Services capabilities will be covered including new up to 5 star service accreditation scheme utilising the ISO/OGC Web Mapping Service standard version 1.3, core ISO 19115 metadata additions and Version 2.0 Web Feature Services (WFS) serving the new IUGS-CGI GeoSciML V3.2 geological web data exchange language standard (http://www.geosciml.org/) with its associated 30+ IUGS-CGI available vocabularies (http://resource.geosciml.org/ and http://srvgeosciml.brgm.fr/eXist2010/brgm/client.html). Use of the CGI simpelithology and timescale dictionaries now allow those who wish to do so to offer data harmonisation to query their GeoSciML 3.2 based Web Feature Services and their GeoSciML_Portrayal V2.0.1 (http://www.geosciml.org/) Web Map Services in the OneGeology portal (http://portal.onegeology.org). Contributing to OneGeology involves offering to serve ideally 1:1000,000 scale geological data (in practice any scale now is warmly welcomed) as an OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standard based WMS (Web Mapping Service) service from an available WWW server. This may either be hosted within the Geological Survey or a neighbouring, regional or elsewhere institution that offers to serve that data for them i.e. offers to help technically by providing the web serving IT infrastructure as a 'buddy'. OneGeology is a standards focussed Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and works to ensure that these standards work together and it is now possible for European Geological Surveys to register their INSPIRE web services within the OneGeology SDI (e.g. see http://www.geosciml.org/geosciml/3.2/documentation/cookbook/INSPIRE_GeoSciML_Cookbook%20_1.0.pdf). The Onegeology portal (http://portal.onegeology.org) is the first port of call for anyone

Relative estimation of the mineral ages using uranium migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danis, A.

1990-01-01

Using the uranium fission track micro mapping technique the correlation between the age and uranium migration from inclusions was studied. It is shown that during geological time, as function of the mineral, its age and its uranium migration speed, the pattern of the track, clusters corresponding to the uranium inclusions got a typical feature. Thus for a bulk polished geological sample it is possible to establish an age succession of the constituent minerals as a function of the track cluster patterns. Also, it is shown that knowing the migration speed of the uranium in a mineral it is possible to estimate the age of this mineral by measuring the migration distance on the micro mapping. (Author)

Bedrock geology Forsmark. Modelling stage 2.3. Description of the bedrock geological map at the ground surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephens, Michael B.; Bergman, Torbjoern (Geological Survey of Sweden, Uppsala (Sweden)); Isaksson, Hans (GeoVista AB, Luleaa (Sweden)); Petersson, Jesper (SwedPower AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

2008-12-15

A description of the bedrock geological map of the ground surface at the Forsmark site is presented here. This map is essentially a 2D model for the distribution of different types of rock unit on this surface. Besides showing the distribution of these rock units, the bedrock geological map also displays the distribution of some deformation zones that intersect the ground surface. It also presents information bearing on the position and form of outcrops, the location and projection of boreholes drilled during the site investigation programme, subordinate rock types, the occurrence of abandoned mines or exploration prospects, measurements of ductile structures in outcrops, inferred form lines, key minerals, and the occurrence of mylonite and cataclastic rock. Bedrock data from outcrops and excavations, airborne and ground magnetic data and information from the uppermost part of boreholes have all been used in the construction of the geological map. The description has also made use of complementary analytical data bearing on the composition and age of the rocks as well gamma-ray spectrometry and gravity data. Uncertainty in the position of the boundaries between rock units over the mapped area are addressed in a qualitative manner. Four model versions of the bedrock geological map have been delivered to SKB's GIS database (bedrock geological map, Forsmark, versions 1.1, 1.2, 2.2 and 2.3) at different times during the site investigation programme. The Forsmark area is situated along the coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Uppland, Sweden, in a region where the overall level of ductile strain in the bedrock is high. This high-strain region extends several tens of kilometres across the WNW-ENE to NW-SE strike of the rocks in this part of the Fennoscandian Shield. At Forsmark, the coastal region is composed partly of high-strain belts, which formed under amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions, and partly of tectonic lenses, where the bedrock is also affected by

Bedrock geology Forsmark. Modelling stage 2.3. Description of the bedrock geological map at the ground surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, Michael B.; Bergman, Torbjoern; Isaksson, Hans; Petersson, Jesper

2008-12-01

A description of the bedrock geological map of the ground surface at the Forsmark site is presented here. This map is essentially a 2D model for the distribution of different types of rock unit on this surface. Besides showing the distribution of these rock units, the bedrock geological map also displays the distribution of some deformation zones that intersect the ground surface. It also presents information bearing on the position and form of outcrops, the location and projection of boreholes drilled during the site investigation programme, subordinate rock types, the occurrence of abandoned mines or exploration prospects, measurements of ductile structures in outcrops, inferred form lines, key minerals, and the occurrence of mylonite and cataclastic rock. Bedrock data from outcrops and excavations, airborne and ground magnetic data and information from the uppermost part of boreholes have all been used in the construction of the geological map. The description has also made use of complementary analytical data bearing on the composition and age of the rocks as well gamma-ray spectrometry and gravity data. Uncertainty in the position of the boundaries between rock units over the mapped area are addressed in a qualitative manner. Four model versions of the bedrock geological map have been delivered to SKB's GIS database (bedrock geological map, Forsmark, versions 1.1, 1.2, 2.2 and 2.3) at different times during the site investigation programme. The Forsmark area is situated along the coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Uppland, Sweden, in a region where the overall level of ductile strain in the bedrock is high. This high-strain region extends several tens of kilometres across the WNW-ENE to NW-SE strike of the rocks in this part of the Fennoscandian Shield. At Forsmark, the coastal region is composed partly of high-strain belts, which formed under amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions, and partly of tectonic lenses, where the bedrock is also affected by

Operation environment construction of geological information database for high level radioactive waste geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Peng; Gao Min; Huang Shutao; Wang Shuhong; Zhao Yongan

2014-01-01

To fulfill the requirements of data storage and management in HLW geological disposal, a targeted construction method for data operation environment was proposed in this paper. The geological information database operation environment constructed by this method has its unique features. And it also will be the important support for HLW geological disposal project and management. (authors)

GeoSciML version 3: A GML application for geologic information

Science.gov (United States)

International Union of Geological Sciences., I. C.; Richard, S. M.

2011-12-01

orientation (e.g. 'miarolitic cavities'). The Earth material package allows for the description of both individual components, such as minerals, and compound materials, such as rocks or unconsolidated materials. Provision is made for alteration, weathering, metamorphism, particle geometry, fabric, and petrophysical descriptions. Mapped features describe the shape of the geological features using standard GML geometries, such as polygons, lines, points or 3D volumes. Geological events provide the age, process and environment of formation of geological features. The Earth Resource section includes features to represent mineral occurrences and mines and associated human activities independently. This addition allows description of resources and reserves that can comply with national and internationally accepted reporting codes. GeoSciML v3 is under consideration as the data model for INSPIRE annex 2 geologic reporting in Europe.

Geologic map of the upper Arkansas River valley region, north-central Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Kellogg, Karl S.; Shroba, Ralph R.; Ruleman, Chester A.; Bohannon, Robert G.; McIntosh, William C.; Premo, Wayne R.; Cosca, Michael A.; Moscati, Richard J.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2017-11-17

This 1:50,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey geologic map represents a compilation of the most recent geologic studies of the upper Arkansas River valley between Leadville and Salida, Colorado. The valley is structurally controlled by an extensional fault system that forms part of the prominent northern Rio Grande rift, an intra-continental region of crustal extension. This report also incorporates new detailed geologic mapping of previously poorly understood areas within the map area and reinterprets previously studied areas. The mapped region extends into the Proterozoic metamorphic and intrusive rocks in the Sawatch Range west of the valley and the Mosquito Range to the east. Paleozoic rocks are preserved along the crest of the Mosquito Range, but most of them have been eroded from the Sawatch Range. Numerous new isotopic ages better constrain the timing of both Proterozoic intrusive events, Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary intrusive events, and Eocene and Miocene volcanic episodes, including widespread ignimbrite eruptions. The uranium-lead ages document extensive about 1,440-million years (Ma) granitic plutonism mostly north of Buena Vista that produced batholiths that intruded an older suite of about 1,760-Ma metamorphic rocks and about 1,700-Ma plutonic rocks. As a result of extension during the Neogene and possibly latest Paleogene, the graben underlying the valley is filled with thick basin-fill deposits (Dry Union Formation and older sediments), which occupy two sub-basins separated by a bedrock high near the town of Granite. The Dry Union Formation has undergone deep erosion since the late Miocene or early Pliocene. During the Pleistocene, ongoing steam incision by the Arkansas River and its major tributaries has been interrupted by periodic aggradation. From Leadville south to Salida as many as seven mapped alluvial depositional units, which range in age from early to late Pleistocene, record periodic aggradational events along these streams that are

Draft Geologic Disposal Requirements Basis for STAD Specification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ilgen, Anastasia G. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hardin, Ernest [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-03-25

This document provides the basis for requirements in the current version of Performance Specification for Standardized Transportation, Aging, and Disposal Canister Systems, (FCRD-NFST-2014-0000579) that are driven by storage and geologic disposal considerations. Performance requirements for the Standardized Transportation, Aging, and Disposal (STAD) canister are given in Section 3.1 of that report. Here, the requirements are reviewed and the rationale for each provided. Note that, while FCRD-NFST-2014-0000579 provides performance specifications for other components of the STAD storage system (e.g. storage overpack, transfer and transportation casks, and others), these have no impact on the canister performance during disposal, and are not discussed here.

Semantic Web-based digital, field and virtual geological

Science.gov (United States)

Babaie, H. A.

2012-12-01

in the stack assembles a set of polygonal (e.g., formation, member, intrusion), linear (e.g., fault, contact), and/or point (e.g., sample or measurement site) geological elements. These feature classes, represented in domain ontologies by classes, have their own sets of property (attribute, association relation) and topological (e.g., overlap, adjacency, containment), and network (cross-cuttings; connectivity) relationships. Since geological mapping involves describing and depicting different aspects of each feature class (e.g., contact, formation, structure), the same geographic region may be investigated by different communities, for example, for its stratigraphy, rock type, structure, soil type, and isotopic and paleontological age, using sets of ontologies. These data can become interconnected applying the Semantic Web technologies, on the Linked Open Data Cloud, based on their underlying common geographic coordinates. Sets of geological data published on the Cloud will include multiple RDF links to Cloud's geospatial nodes such as GeoNames and Linked GeoData. During mapping, a device such as smartphone, laptop, or iPad, with GPS and GIS capability and a DBpedia Mobile client, can use the current position to discover and query all the geological linked data, and add new data to the thematic layers and publish them to the Cloud.

Planetary Geologic Mapping Handbook - 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, K. L.; Skinner, J. A.; Hare, T. M.

2009-01-01

Geologic maps present, in an historical context, fundamental syntheses of interpretations of the materials, landforms, structures, and processes that characterize planetary surfaces and shallow subsurfaces (e.g., Varnes, 1974). Such maps also provide a contextual framework for summarizing and evaluating thematic research for a given region or body. In planetary exploration, for example, geologic maps are used for specialized investigations such as targeting regions of interest for data collection and for characterizing sites for landed missions. Whereas most modern terrestrial geologic maps are constructed from regional views provided by remote sensing data and supplemented in detail by field-based observations and measurements, planetary maps have been largely based on analyses of orbital photography. For planetary bodies in particular, geologic maps commonly represent a snapshot of a surface, because they are based on available information at a time when new data are still being acquired. Thus the field of planetary geologic mapping has been evolving rapidly to embrace the use of new data and modern technology and to accommodate the growing needs of planetary exploration. Planetary geologic maps have been published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1962 (Hackman, 1962). Over this time, numerous maps of several planetary bodies have been prepared at a variety of scales and projections using the best available image and topographic bases. Early geologic map bases commonly consisted of hand-mosaicked photographs or airbrushed shaded-relief views and geologic linework was manually drafted using mylar bases and ink drafting pens. Map publishing required a tedious process of scribing, color peel-coat preparation, typesetting, and photo-laboratory work. Beginning in the 1990s, inexpensive computing, display capability and user-friendly illustration software allowed maps to be drawn using digital tools rather than pen and ink, and mylar bases became obsolete

Geology of the Horse Range Mesa quadrangle, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Cater, Fred W.; Bush, A.L.; Bell, Henry; Withington, C.F.

1953-01-01

The Horse Range Mesa quadrangle is one of eighteen 7 1/2-minute quadrangles covering the principal carnotite-producing area of southwestern Colorado. The geology of the quadrangles was mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Atomic Energy Commission as part of a comprehensive study of carnotite deposits. The rocks exposed in the eighteen quadrangles consist of crystalline rocks of pre-Cambrian age and sedimentary rocks that range in age from late Paleozoic to Quaternary. Over much of the area the sedimentary rocks are flat lying, but in places the rocks are disrupted by high-angle faults, and northwest-trending folds. Conspicuous among the folds are large anticlines having cores of intrusive salt and gypsum. Most of the carnotite deposits are confined to the Salt Wash sandstone member of the Jurassic Morrison formation. Within this sandstone, most of the deposits are spottily distributed through an arcuate zone known as the "Uravan Mineral Belt". Individual deposits range in size from irregular masses containing only a few tons of ore to large, tabular masses containing many thousands of tons. The ore consists largely of sandstone selectively impregnated and in part replaced by uranium and vanadium minerals. Most of the deposits appear to be related to certain sedimentary strictures in sandstones of favorable composition.

The Folding and Fracturing of Rocks: A milestone publication in Structural Geology research

Science.gov (United States)

Lisle, Richard; Bastida, Fernando

2017-04-01

In the field of structural geology, the textbook written by John G Ramsay in 1967, reprinted in 2004 and translated into Spanish and Chinese, is the one that has made the greatest research impact. With citations exceeding 4000 (Google Scholar) it far surpasses books by other authors on the subject, with this figure only being approached by his later book Modern Structural Geology (Ramsay and Huber 1983). In this paper we consider the factors that account for the book's success despite the fact that it is a research-level text beyond the comfort zone of most undergraduates. We also take stock of other measures of the book's success; the way it influenced the direction subsequent research effort. We summarize the major advances in structural geology that were prompted by Ramsay's book. Finally we consider the book's legacy. Before the publication of the book in 1967 structural geology had been an activity that had concentrated almost exclusively on geological mapping aimed at establishing the geometrical configuration of rock units. In fact, Ramsay himself has produced beautiful examples of such maps. However, the book made us aware that the geometrical pattern is controlled by the spatial variation of material properties, the boundary conditions, the deformation environment and the temporal variation of stresses. With the arrival of the book Structural Geology came of age as a modern scientific discipline that employed a range of tools such as those of physics, maths and engineering as well as those of geology.

Engineering geology and environmental protection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sergeev, E M

1979-01-01

A classification is made of the anthropogenic processes in the environment into global, local, universally distributed, zonal, regional, and essentially local processes. Engineering geology is defined as the principal science concerned with the study of the geological medium which in turn involves the study of fossil fuel geology. 22 references.

Geology Field Trips as Performance Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Callan

2009-01-01

One of the most important goals the author has for students in his introductory-level physical geology course is to give them the conceptual skills for solving geologic problems on their own. He wants students to leave his course as individuals who can use their knowledge of geologic processes and logic to figure out the extended geologic history…

Mercury's Early Geologic History

Science.gov (United States)

Denevi, B. W.; Ernst, C. M.; Klima, R. L.; Robinson, M. S.

2018-05-01

A combination of geologic mapping, compositional information, and geochemical models are providing a better understanding of Mercury's early geologic history, and allow us to place it in the context of the Moon and the terrestrial planets.

Geology of Uruguay review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Rifas, C.

2011-01-01

This work is about the Uruguay geology review.This country has been a devoted to breeding cattle and agriculture.The evolution of geological knowledge begun with Dr. Karl Walther who published 53 papers between 1909 and 1948.

Geologic map of the Big Delta B-2 quadrangle, east-central Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Warren C.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Roberts, Paul; Smith, Moira; Gamble, Bruce M.; Henning, Mitchell W.; Gough, Larry P.; Morath, Laurie C.

2003-01-01

New 1:63,360-scale geologic mapping of the Big Delta B-2 quadrangle provides important data on the structural setting and age of geologic units, as well as on the timing of gold mineralization plutonism within the Yukon-Tanana Upland of east-central Alaska. Gold exploration has remained active throughout the region in response to the discovery of the Pogo gold deposit, which lies within the northwestern part of the quadrangle near the south bank of the Goodpaster River. Geologic mapping and associated geochronological and geochemical studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining and Water Management, provide baseline data to help understand the regional geologic framework. Teck Cominco Limited geologists have provided the geologic mapping for the area that overlies the Pogo gold deposit as well as logistical support, which has lead to a much improved and informative product. The Yukon-Tanana Upland lies within the Tintina province in Alaska and consists of Paleozoic and possibly older(?) supracrustal rocks intruded by Paleozoic (Devonian to Mississippian) and Cretaceous plutons. The oldest rocks in the Big Delta B-2 quadrangle are Paleozoic gneisses of both plutonic and sedimentary origin. Paleozoic deformation, potentially associated with plutonism, was obscured by intense Mesozoic deformation and metamorphism. At least some of the rocks in the quadrangle underwent tectonism during the Middle Jurassic (about 188 Ma), and were subsequently deformed in an Early Cretaceous contractional event between about 130 and 116 Ma. New U-Pb SHRIMP data presented here on zircons from the Paleozoic biotite gneisses record inherited cores that range from 363 Ma to about 2,130 Ma and have rims of euhedral Early Cretaceous metamorphic overgrowths (116 +/- 4 Ma), interpreted to record recrystallization during Cretaceous west-northwest-directed thrusting and folding. U-Pb SHRIMP dating of monazite from a Paleozoic

Rubidium-strontium and uranium-lead isotopic age studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loveridge, W.D.

1980-01-01

Rubidium-strontium whole rock isochron ages and initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios and uranium-lead ages on zircon from suites of samples selected from localities across Canada are presented. Descriptions of the geological probelms and interpretations of the measured ages are included. Laboratory age determination methods and techniques are described or referenced. (auth)

Geologic mapping procedure: Final draft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

Geologic mapping will provide a baseline record of the subsurface geology in the shafts and drifts of the Exploratory Shaft Facility (ESF). This information will be essential in confirming the specific repository horizon, selecting representative locations for the in situ tests, providing information for construction and decommissioning seal designs, documenting the excavation effects, and in providing information for performance assessment, which relates to the ultimate suitability of the site as a nuclear waste repository. Geologic mapping will be undertaken on the walls and roof, and locally on the floor within the completed At-Depth Facility (ADF) and on the walls of the two access shafts. Periodic mapping of the exposed face may be conducted during construction of the ADF. The mapping will be oriented toward the collection and presentation of geologic information in an engineering format and the portrayal of detailed stratigraphic information which may be useful in confirmation of drillhole data collected as part of the surface-based testing program. Geologic mapping can be considered as a predictive tool as well as a means of checking design assumptions. This document provides a description of the required procedures for geologic mapping for the ESF. Included in this procedure is information that qualified technical personnel can use to collect the required types of geologic descriptions, at the appropriate level of detail. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Rubidium-strontium and uranium-lead isotopic age studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loveridge, W.D.

1981-01-01

The results of five Rb-Sr isotopic age studies predominantly on whole-rock samples, and six U-Pb studies on zircon monazite concentrates are presented. Descriptions of the geological problems and interpretations of the measured ages are included. Laboratory age determination methods and techniques are described or referenced

Geological events in submerged areas: attributes and standards in the EMODnet Geology Project

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorentino, A.; Battaglini, L.; D'Angelo, S.

2017-12-01

EMODnet Geology is a European Project which promotes the collection and harmonization of marine geological data mapped by various national and regional mapping projects and recovered in the literature, in order to make them freely available through a web portal. Among the several features considered within the Project, "Geological events and probabilities" include submarine landslides, earthquakes, volcanic centers, tsunamis, fluid emissions and Quaternary faults in European Seas. Due to the different geological settings of European sea areas it was necessary to elaborate a comprehensive and detailed pattern of Attributes for the different features in order to represent the diverse characteristics of each occurrence. Datasets consist of shapefiles representing each event at 1:250,000 scale. The elaboration of guidelines to compile the shapefiles and attribute tables was aimed at identifying parameters that should be used to characterize events and any additional relevant information. Particular attention has been devoted to the definition of the Attribute table in order to achieve the best degree of harmonization and standardization according to the European INSPIRE Directive. One of the main objectives is the interoperability of data, in order to offer more complete, error-free and reliable information and to facilitate exchange and re-use of data even between non-homogeneous systems. Metadata and available information collected during the Project is displayed on the Portal (http://www.emodnet-geology.eu/) as polygons, lines and points layers according to their geometry. By combining all these data it might be possible to elaborate additional thematic maps which could support further research as well as land planning and management. A possible application is being experimented by the Geological Survey of Italy - ISPRA which, in cooperation with other Italian institutions contributing to EMODnet Geology, is working at the production of an update for submerged areas

Geologic Map of the Thaumasia Region, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Dohm, Janes M.; Tanaka, Kenneth L.; Hare, Trent M.

2001-01-01

objective is to determine the distribution and ages of valleys. In our study, we incorporated detailed photogeologic mapping, comprehensive crater statistics (table 1), and geologic, paleotectonic, and paleoerosional Geographic Information System (GIS) databases. Sheets 1–3 show geologic units, faults and other significant structures, and valleys, respectively. To help unravel the complex geologic history of the Thaumasia region, we transferred the highly detailed geologic unit, paleotectonic, and paleoerosional information of sheets 1–3 into a multilayered GIS database for comparative analysis. The geologic information was transferred from hard copy into a digital format by scanning at 25 micron resolution on a drum scanner. The 2-bit scanned image was then converted to an x,y coordinate system using ARC/INFO's vectorization routine. The geologic unit, structural, and erosional data were transformed into the original map projection, Lambert Conformal. The average transformation root mean square error was 0.25 km (acceptable for the Thaumasia map base at 1:5,000,000 scale). After transformation, the features were properly attributed and tediously checked. Once digitized, the map data can be transformed into any map projection depending on the type of data analysis. For example, the equal-area sinusoidal projection was used for determining the precise area of geologic units (table 1). In addition to the geologic map and its attendant stratigraphic section, correlation chart, and description of map units, we include text sections that clarify the histories and temporal, spatial, and causal relations of the various geologic units and landforms of the Thaumasia region. The geologic summary section defines the sequence of major geologic events.

Geology

Data.gov (United States)

Kansas Data Access and Support Center — This database is an Arc/Info implementation of the 1:500,000 scale Geology Map of Kansas, M­23, 1991. This work wasperformed by the Automated Cartography section of...

Major episodes of geologic change - Correlations, time structure and possible causes

Science.gov (United States)

Rampino, Michael R.; Caldeira, Ken

1993-01-01

Published data sets of major geologic events of the past about 250 Myr (extinction events, sea-level lows, continental flood-basalt eruptions, mountain-building events, abrupt changes in sea-floor spreading, ocean-anoxic and blackshale events and the largest evaporite deposits) have been synthesized (with estimated errors). These events show evidence for a statistically significant periodic component with an underlying periodicity, formally equal to 26.6 Myr, and a recent maximum, close to the present time. The cycle may not be strictly periodic, but a periodicity of about 30 Myr is robust to probable errors in dating of the geologic events. The intervals of geologic change seem to involve jumps in sea-floor spreading associated with episodic continental rifting, volcanism, enhanced orogeny, global sea-level changes and fluctuations in climate. The period may represent a purely internal earth-pulsation, but evidence of planetesimal impacts at several extinction boundaries, and a possible underlying cycle of 28-36 Myr in crater ages, suggests that highly energetic impacts may be affecting global tectonics. A cyclic increase in the flux of planetesimals might result from the passage of the Solar System through the central plane of the Milky Way Galaxy - an event with a periodicity and mean phasing similar to that detected in the geologic changes.

The geology and geophysics of the Oslo rift

Science.gov (United States)

Ruder, M. E.

1981-01-01

The regional geology and geophysical characteristics of the Oslo graben are reviewed. The graben is part of a Permian age failed continental rift. Alkali olivine, tholefitic, and monzonitic intrusives as well as basaltic lavas outline the extent of the graben. Geophysical evidence indicates that rifting activity covered a much greater area in Skagerrak Sea as well as the Paleozoic time, possibly including the northern Skagerrak Sea as well as the Oslo graben itself. Much of the surficial geologic characteristics in the southern part of the rift have since been eroded or covered by sedimentation. Geophysical data reveal a gravity maximum along the strike of the Oslo graben, local emplacements of magnetic material throughout the Skagerrak and the graben, and a slight mantle upward beneath the rift zone. Petrologic and geophysical maps which depict regional structure are included in the text. An extensive bibliography of pertinent literature published in English between 1960 and 1980 is also provided.

Practical aspects of geological prediction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mallio, W.J.; Peck, J.H.

1981-01-01

Nuclear waste disposal requires that geology be a predictive science. The prediction of future events rests on (1) recognizing the periodicity of geologic events; (2) defining a critical dimension of effect, such as the area of a drainage basin, the length of a fault trace, etc; and (3) using our understanding of active processes the project the frequency and magnitude of future events in the light of geological principles. Of importance to nuclear waste disposal are longer term processes such as continental denudation and removal of materials by glacial erosion. Constant testing of projections will allow the practical limits of predicting geological events to be defined. 11 refs

Exploring the Relationship between Students' Understanding of Conventional Time and Deep (Geologic) Time

Science.gov (United States)

Cheek, Kim A.

2013-07-01

Many geologic processes occur in the context of geologic or deep time. Students of all ages demonstrate difficulty grasping this fundamental concept which impacts their ability to acquire other geoscience concepts. A concept of deep time requires the ability to sequence events on an immense temporal scale (succession) and to judge the durations of geologic processes based on the rates at which they occur. The twin concepts of succession and duration are the same ideas that underlie a concept of conventional time. If deep time is an extension of conventional time and not qualitatively different from it, students should display similar reasoning patterns when dealing with analogous tasks over disparate temporal periods. Thirty-five US students aged 13-24 years participated in individual task-based interviews to ascertain how they thought about succession and duration in conventional and deep time. This is the first attempt to explore this relationship in the same study in over 30 years. Most students successfully completed temporal succession tasks, but there was greater variability in responses on duration tasks. Conventional time concepts appear to impact how students reason about deep time. The application of spatial reasoning to temporal tasks sometimes leads to correct responses but in other instances does not. Implications for future research and teaching strategies are discussed.

OneGeology- A Global Geoscience Data Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, M.; Komac, M.; Duffy, T.; Robida, F.; Allison, M. L.

2014-12-01

OneGeology (1G) is an initiative of Geological Survey Organisations (GSOs) around the globe that dates back to 2007. Since then, OneGeology has been a leader in developing geological online map data using GeoSciML- an international interoperability standard for the exchange of geological data. Increased use of this new standard allows geological data to be shared and integrated across the planet among organisations. One of the goals of OneGeology is an exchange of know-how with the developing world, shortening the digital learning curve. In autumn 2013 OneGeology was transformed into a Consortium with a clearly defined governance structure, making it more transparent, its operation more sustainable and its membership more open where in addition to GSOs, other types of organisations that create and use geoscience data can join and contribute. The next stage of the OneGeology initiative is focused on increasing the openness and richness of that data from individual countries to create a multi-thematic global geological data resource about the rocks beneath our feet. Authoritative geoscience information will help to mitigate natural disasters, explore for resources (water, minerals and energy) and identify risks to human health on a planetary scale with the aim of 1G to increase awareness of the geosciences and their relevance among professionals and general public- to be part of the solution. We live in a digital world that enables prompt access to vast amounts of open access data. Understanding our world, the geology beneath our feet and environmental challenges related to geology calls for accessibility of geoscience data and the OneGeology Portal (portal.onegeology.org) is the place to find them.

Geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste and geological environment in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Kazuhiko; Seo, Toshihiro; Yshida, Hidekazu

2001-01-01

The geological environment has two main functions in terms of ensuring the safety of geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. One relates to the fundamental long-term stability of the site and the other to the properties of the host rock formations and groundwaters which facilitate the emplacement of the engineered barrier system and act as a natural barrier. In this connection, the feasibility of selecting a geological environment in Japan which is appropriate for geological disposal was discussed, based on findings obtained from case studies and field measurements. Considering long-term stability of the site, it is important to understand the effects and spatial distributions of the natural phenomena such as fault movement, volcanic activity, uplift/denudation and climatic/sea-level changes. Fault movement and volcanic activity are relatively localized phenomena, and can be avoided by considering only areas that are sufficiently remote from existing volcanoes and major active faults for these phenomena to have a negligible probability of causing significant effects. Uplift/denudation and climatic/sea-level changes are gradual phenomena and are more ubiquitous. It is, nevertheless, possible to estimate future trends by extrapolating the past changes into the future, and then to identify areas that may not be affected significantly by such phenomena. Considering the properties of the host rocks and groundwaters, it can be understood, from the presently available data, that deep groundwater in Japan generally flows slowly and its chemistry is in a reduced state. The data also suggest that deep rock masses, where the ground temperature is acceptably low and the rock pressure is almost homogeneous, are widely located throughout Japan. Based on the examination of the geological environment in Japan, it is possible to discuss the requirements for the geological environment to be considered and the investigations to be performed during the site selection

Radiogenic age and isotopic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrish, R.R.

1990-01-01

This is one of an annual collection of reports presenting data from the Geochronology Section of the Continental Geoscience Division of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). The main purpose of this collection is to make geochronological and other radiogenic isotope data produced by the section available promptly to the geological community. Reports make full presentation of the data, relate these to field settings and make comparatively short interpretations. Other geochronological and isotope data produced in the laboratory but published in outside journals or separate GSC publications are summarized at the end of this report. Reports in this issue cover methods for Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic analyses; 40 Ar- 39 Ar ages for the New Quebec Crater and for basaltic rocks; U-Pb ages for a differentiated mafic sill in the Ogilvie Mountains, plutonic rocks in the Contwoyto-Nose Lakes are, zircons from the Anton Complex, the Clinton-Colden gabbro-anorthosite intrusion, the Himag plutonic suite, the Campbell granite, the Central Gneiss Belt, Silurian granites, a metarhyolite, plagiogranite and gabbro, and the Wage shear zone; Rb-Sr ages for granitic rocks; K-Ar and Rb-Sr geochronology of granites; a compilation of K-Ar ages; ages of archean and proterozoic mylonites and pre-Misi granitoid domes; and reconnaissance geochronology of Baffin Island

Geological site selection studies in Precambrian crystalline rocks in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuorela, P.

1988-01-01

In general geological investigations made since 1977 the Finnish crystalline bedrock has been determined to be suitable for the final disposal of the spent nuclear fuel. Regional investigations have been mainly based on already existing geological studies. Special attention has been paid on the international geological Finland as the Baltic Shield is stiff and stable and situated far outside the zones of volcanic and seismic activity. The present day crustal movements in Finland are related to landuplift process. Movements and possible faults in the bedrock follow fracture zones which devide the bedrock into mosaiclike blocks. As compared to small scale geological maps the bedrock blocks are often indicated as large granite rock formations which are less broken than the surrounding rocks, though the age of granite formations is at least 1500 millions of years. The large bedrock blocks (20-300 km 2 ) are divided to smaller units by different magnitudes of fractures and these smaller bedrock units (5-20 km 2 ) have been selected for further site selection investigations. At the first stage of investigations 327 suitable regional bedrock blocks have been identified on the basis of Landsat-1 winter and summer mosaics of Finland. After two years of investigations 134 investigation areas were selected inside 61 bedrock blocks and classified to four priority classes, the three first of which were redommended for further investigations. Geological criteries used in classification indicated clear differences between the classes one and three, however all classified areas are situated in large rather homogenous bedrock blocks and more exact three dimensional suitability errors may not be observed until deep bore holes have been made

Geostatistics: a common link between medical geography, mathematical geology, and medical geology.

Science.gov (United States)

Goovaerts, P

2014-08-01

Since its development in the mining industry, geostatistics has emerged as the primary tool for spatial data analysis in various fields, ranging from earth and atmospheric sciences to agriculture, soil science, remote sensing, and more recently environmental exposure assessment. In the last few years, these tools have been tailored to the field of medical geography or spatial epidemiology, which is concerned with the study of spatial patterns of disease incidence and mortality and the identification of potential 'causes' of disease, such as environmental exposure, diet and unhealthy behaviours, economic or socio-demographic factors. On the other hand, medical geology is an emerging interdisciplinary scientific field studying the relationship between natural geological factors and their effects on human and animal health. This paper provides an introduction to the field of medical geology with an overview of geostatistical methods available for the analysis of geological and health data. Key concepts are illustrated using the mapping of groundwater arsenic concentration across eleven Michigan counties and the exploration of its relationship to the incidence of prostate cancer at the township level.

Environmental geophysics: Locating and evaluating subsurface geology, geologic hazards, groundwater contamination, etc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, A.K.

1994-01-01

Geophysical surveys can be used to help delineate and map subsurface geology, including potential geologic hazards, the water table, boundaries of contaminated plumes, etc. The depth to the water table can be determined using seismic and ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods, and hydrogeologic and geologic cross sections of shallow alluvial aquifers can be constructed from these data. Electrical resistivity and GPR data are especially sensitive to the quality of the water and other fluids in a porous medium, and these surveys help to identify the stratigraphy, the approximate boundaries of contaminant plumes, and the source and amount of contamination in the plumes. Seismic, GPR, electromagnetic (VLF), gravity, and magnetic data help identify and delineate shallow, concealed faulting, cavities, and other subsurface hazards. Integration of these geophysical data sets can help pinpoint sources of subsurface contamination, identify potential geological hazards, and optimize the location of borings, monitoring wells, foundations for building, dams, etc. Case studies from a variety of locations will illustrate these points. 20 refs., 17 figs., 6 tabs

Planetary Geologic Mapping Handbook - 2010. Appendix

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, K. L.; Skinner, J. A., Jr.; Hare, T. M.

2010-01-01

Geologic maps present, in an historical context, fundamental syntheses of interpretations of the materials, landforms, structures, and processes that characterize planetary surfaces and shallow subsurfaces. Such maps also provide a contextual framework for summarizing and evaluating thematic research for a given region or body. In planetary exploration, for example, geologic maps are used for specialized investigations such as targeting regions of interest for data collection and for characterizing sites for landed missions. Whereas most modern terrestrial geologic maps are constructed from regional views provided by remote sensing data and supplemented in detail by field-based observations and measurements, planetary maps have been largely based on analyses of orbital photography. For planetary bodies in particular, geologic maps commonly represent a snapshot of a surface, because they are based on available information at a time when new data are still being acquired. Thus the field of planetary geologic mapping has been evolving rapidly to embrace the use of new data and modern technology and to accommodate the growing needs of planetary exploration. Planetary geologic maps have been published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1962. Over this time, numerous maps of several planetary bodies have been prepared at a variety of scales and projections using the best available image and topographic bases. Early geologic map bases commonly consisted of hand-mosaicked photographs or airbrushed shaded-relief views and geologic linework was manually drafted using mylar bases and ink drafting pens. Map publishing required a tedious process of scribing, color peel-coat preparation, typesetting, and photo-laboratory work. Beginning in the 1990s, inexpensive computing, display capability and user-friendly illustration software allowed maps to be drawn using digital tools rather than pen and ink, and mylar bases became obsolete. Terrestrial geologic maps published by

Geology and petrology of alkaline Massif from Ilha de Vitoria, Sao Paulo State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motoki, A.

1986-01-01

Geological and petrological studies of the Vitoria Island Alkaline Complex, State of Sao Paulo, have been carried out by means of photo interpretation; field work, thin section studies, whole-rock chemical analysis, x-ray diffractometry, EPMA mineral analysis, and K-Ar and Rb-Sr dating. Radiometric dating indicates a late Cretaceous age for the Vitoria Island Alkaline Complex, which is concordant with the ages of other neighbouring alkaline bodies. (author)

Geological history of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niini, Heikki

1989-01-01

Uranium is widely distributed in continental geological environments. The order of magnitude of uranium abundance in felsitic igneous rocks is 2-15 ppm, whereas it is less than 1 ppm in mafic rocks. Sedimentary rocks show a large range: from less than 0.1 ppm U in certain evaporites to over 100 ppm in phosphate rocks and organogenic matter. The content of U in seawater varies from 0.0005 to 0.005 ppm. The isotopic ratio U-238/U-235 is presently 137.5+-0.5, having gradually increased during geological time. The third natural isotope is U-234. On the basis of three fundamental economic criteria for ore reserves assessment (geological assurance, technical feasibility, and the grade and quantity of the deposits), the author finally comes to the following conclusions: Although the global uranium ores are not geologically renewable but continuously mined, they still, due to exploration and technical development, will tend to progressively increase for centuries to come

Assessment of radon exposure in Austria based on geology and settlement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruber, Valeria; Seidel, Claudia

2008-01-01

In Austria a fundamental radon indoor data net (about 40 000 measurements) exists. These radon indoor data are standardized and provide averaged political communities' values. This data net should be enhanced by soil gas measurements with regard to geological conditions, to avoid averaging and influences by political boundaries. Different geological units (characterized by geology, geochemical conditions, mineralogy, geophysics) will be surveyed regarding radon concentration by soil gas measurements and estimated to their potential radon hazard. To assess the radon exposure of the population geological units are selected which are either existing settlement areas or potential ones. So this survey can also provide a basis for land use planning. In this paper results of first studies for this purpose are shown. 160 soil gas measurements were carried out in different soil and sediment deposits originating from different ice age glacier movements in the Alps. These deposits are popular settlement areas, and indoor radon levels of some 1000 Bq/l were detected. 50 % of the results of soil gas radon measurements were above 60 kBq/m 3 , 18 % above 120 kBq/m 3 , which is likely to exceed the indoor radon standard of 400 Bq/l according to the Austrian standard ONORM S 5280-2. Higher radon activity concentrations were found in older ice ages, because of further progressed weathering. The radon soil gas measurements were carried out in different seasons to verify seasonal variations, and other parameters like Ra-226, Ra-228 activity concentration in soils, radon emanation factor, soil permeability and soil moisture were determined and related to the radon activity concentration. According to the example of this study, further soil gas measurements will be carried out in selected geological units. Additional research on the impact of actual dwelling and inhabitation situation on public exposure due to radon in Austria is being done currently. The soil gas radon measurement data

The geology of the Falkland Islands

OpenAIRE

Aldiss, D.T.; Edwards, E.J.

1999-01-01

This report is complementary to the 1:250 000 scale geological map of the Falkland Islands compiled in 1998. The report and map are products of the Falkland Islands Geological Mapping Project (1996-1998). Geological observation and research in the Islands date from 1764. The Islands were visited during two pioneering scientific cruises in the 19th century. Subsequently, many scientists visited en route to the Antarctic or Patagonia. Geological affinities to other parts of the sout...

OneGeology - Access to geoscience for all

Science.gov (United States)

Komac, Marko; Lee, Kathryn; Robida, Francois

2014-05-01

OneGeology is an initiative of Geological Survey Organisations (GSO) around the globe that dates back to Brighton, UK in 2007. Since then OneGeology has been a leader in developing geological online map data using a new international standard - a geological exchange language known as 'GeoSciML'. Increased use of this new language allows geological data to be shared and integrated across the planet with other organisations. One of very important goals of OneGeology was a transfer of valuable know-how to the developing world, hence shortening the digital learning curve. In autumn 2013 OneGeology was transformed into a Consortium with a clearly defined governance structure, making its structure more official, its operability more flexible and its membership more open where in addition to GSO also to other type of organisations that manage geoscientific data can join and contribute. The next stage of the OneGeology initiative will hence be focused into increasing the openness and richness of that data from individual countries to create a multi-thematic global geological data resource on the rocks beneath our feet. Authoritative information on hazards and minerals will help to prevent natural disasters, explore for resources (water, minerals and energy) and identify risks to human health on a planetary scale. With this new stage also renewed OneGeology objectives were defined and these are 1) to be the provider of geoscience data globally, 2) to ensure exchange of know-how and skills so all can participate, and 3) to use the global profile of 1G to increase awareness of the geosciences and their relevance among professional and general public. We live in a digital world that enables prompt access to vast amounts of open access data. Understanding our world, the geology beneath our feet and environmental challenges related to geology calls for accessibility of geoscientific data and OneGeology Portal (portal.onegeology.org) is the place to find them.

Association between mapped vegetation and Quaternary geology on Santa Rosa Island, California

Science.gov (United States)

Cronkite-Ratcliff, C.; Corbett, S.; Schmidt, K. M.

2017-12-01

Vegetation and surficial geology are closely connected through the interface generally referred to as the critical zone. Not only do they influence each other, but they also provide clues into the effects of climate, topography, and hydrology on the earth's surface. This presentation describes quantitative analyses of the association between the recently compiled, independently generated vegetation and geologic map units on Santa Rosa Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park in Southern California. Santa Rosa Island was heavily grazed by sheep and cattle ranching for over one hundred years prior to its acquisition by the National Park Service. During this period, the island experienced significant erosion and spatial reduction and diversity of native plant species. Understanding the relationship between geology and vegetation is necessary for monitoring the recovery of native plant species, enhancing the viability of restoration sites, and understanding hydrologic conditions favorable for plant growth. Differences in grain size distribution and soil depth between geologic units support different plant communities through their influence on soil moisture, while differences in unit age reflect different degrees of pedogenic maturity. We find that unsupervised machine learning methods provide more informative insight into vegetation-geology associations than traditional measures such as Cramer's V and Goodman and Kruskal's lambda. Correspondence analysis shows that unique vegetation-geology patterns associated with beach/dune, grassland, hillslope/colluvial, and fluvial/wetland environments can be discerned from the data. By combining geology and vegetation with topographic variables, mixture models can be used to partition the landscape into multiple representative types, which then be compared with conceptual models of plant growth and succession over different landforms. Using this collection of methods, we show various ways that that Quaternary geology

Geological investigations for geological model of deep underground geoenvironment at the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Tagami, Masahiko; Amano, Kenji; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Kurihara, Arata; Yamada, Yasuhiro; Koike, Katsuaki

2013-01-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is performing a geoscientific research project, the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) project, in order to establish scientific and technological basis for geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. The MIU is located in crystalline rock environment, in Mizunami City, central Japan. Field investigations include geological mapping, reflection seismic surveys, several borehole investigations and geological investigations in the research galleries to identify the distribution and heterogeneity of fractures and faults that are potential major flowpaths for groundwater. The results of these field investigations are synthesized and compiled for the purpose of geological modeling. The field investigations indicate that the Main Shaft at the MIU intersected low permeability NNW oriented faults. A high permeability fracture zone in the granite, a significant water inflow point, was observed in the Ventilation Shaft. Development of the geological model focusing 3D spatial relationships at different scales and evolution of the geoenvironment are underway. This paper describes geological investigations applied in the MIU project, focusing on the evaluation of their effectiveness to understand for deep underground geoenvironment. (author)

Stratigraphy and geologic history of Mercury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spudis, P.D.; Guest, J.E.

1988-01-01

The geologic evolution of Mercury based on the Mariner-10 mission data is discussed. As reconstructed through photogeological analysis of global geologic relations of rock-stratigraphic units, Mercury's geologic history is shown to involve intensive early impact bombardment and widespread resurfacing by volcanic lavas. Evidence is presented to indicate that this volcanic activity essentially ended as much as 3 Gyr ago, with most of the major geologic events being completed within the first 1 to 1.5 Gyr of Mercurian history

Stratigraphy and geologic history of Mercury

Science.gov (United States)

Spudis, Paul D.; Guest, John E.

1988-01-01

The geologic evolution of Mercury based on the Mariner-10 mission data is discussed. As reconstructed through photogeological analysis of global geologic relations of rock-stratigraphic units, Mercury's geologic history is shown to involve intensive early impact bombardment and widespread resurfacing by volcanic lavas. Evidence is presented to indicate that this volcanic activity essentially ended as much as 3 Gyr ago, with most of the major geologic events being completed within the first 1 to 1.5 Gyr of Mercurian history.

Spectra of Earth-like Planets through Geological Evolution around FGKM Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Rugheimer, S.; Kaltenegger, L.

2018-02-01

Future observations of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres will occur for planets at different stages of geological evolution. We expect to observe a wide variety of atmospheres and planets with alternative evolutionary paths, with some planets resembling Earth at different epochs. For an Earth-like atmospheric time trajectory, we simulate planets from the prebiotic to the current atmosphere based on geological data. We use a stellar grid F0V to M8V ({T}{eff}=7000–2400 K) to model four geological epochs of Earth's history corresponding to a prebiotic world (3.9 Ga), the rise of oxygen at 2.0 Ga and at 0.8 Ga, and the modern Earth. We show the VIS–IR spectral features, with a focus on biosignatures through geological time for this grid of Sun-like host stars and the effect of clouds on their spectra. We find that the observability of biosignature gases reduces with increasing cloud cover and increases with planetary age. The observability of the visible O2 feature for lower concentrations will partly depend on clouds, which, while slightly reducing the feature, increase the overall reflectivity, and thus the detectable flux of a planet. The depth of the IR ozone feature contributes substantially to the opacity at lower oxygen concentrations, especially for the high near-UV stellar environments around F stars. Our results are a grid of model spectra for atmospheres representative of Earth's geological history to inform future observations and instrument design and are available online at http://carlsaganinstitute.org/data/.

A Geospatial Information Grid Framework for Geological Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Liang; Xue, Lei; Li, Chaoling; Lv, Xia; Chen, Zhanlong; Guo, Mingqiang; Xie, Zhong

2015-01-01

The use of digital information in geological fields is becoming very important. Thus, informatization in geological surveys should not stagnate as a result of the level of data accumulation. The integration and sharing of distributed, multi-source, heterogeneous geological information is an open problem in geological domains. Applications and services use geological spatial data with many features, including being cross-region and cross-domain and requiring real-time updating. As a result of these features, desktop and web-based geographic information systems (GISs) experience difficulties in meeting the demand for geological spatial information. To facilitate the real-time sharing of data and services in distributed environments, a GIS platform that is open, integrative, reconfigurable, reusable and elastic would represent an indispensable tool. The purpose of this paper is to develop a geological cloud-computing platform for integrating and sharing geological information based on a cloud architecture. Thus, the geological cloud-computing platform defines geological ontology semantics; designs a standard geological information framework and a standard resource integration model; builds a peer-to-peer node management mechanism; achieves the description, organization, discovery, computing and integration of the distributed resources; and provides the distributed spatial meta service, the spatial information catalog service, the multi-mode geological data service and the spatial data interoperation service. The geological survey information cloud-computing platform has been implemented, and based on the platform, some geological data services and geological processing services were developed. Furthermore, an iron mine resource forecast and an evaluation service is introduced in this paper.

Geomorphology and Geology of the Southwestern Margaritifer Sinus and Argyre Regions of Mars. Part 2: Crater Size-frequency Distribution Curves and Geomorphic Unit Ages

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, T. J.; Pieri, D. C.

1985-01-01

In assessing the relative ages of the geomorphic/geologic units, crater counts of the entire unit or nearly the entire unit were made and summed in order to get a more accurate value than obtainable by counts of isolated sections of each unit. Cumulative size-frequency counts show some interesting relationships. Most of the units show two distinct crater populations with a flattening out of the distribution curve at and below 10 km diameter craters. Above this crater size the curves for the different units diverge most notably. In general, the variance may reflect the relative ages of these units. At times, however, in the larger crater size range, these curves can overlap and cross on another. Also the error bars at these larger sizes are broader (and thus more suspect), since counts of larger craters show more scatter, whereas the unit areas remain constant. Occasional clusters of relatively large craters within a given unit, particularly one of limited areal extent, can affect the curve so that the unit might seem to be older than units which it overlies or cuts.

The laboratories of geological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This educational document comprises 4 booklets in a folder devoted to the presentation of the ANDRA's activities in geological research laboratories. The first booklet gives a presentation of the missions of the ANDRA (the French agency for the management of radioactive wastes) in the management of long life radioactive wastes. The second booklet describes the approach of waste disposal facilities implantation. The third booklet gives a brief presentation of the scientific program concerning the underground geologic laboratories. The last booklet is a compilation of questions and answers about long-life radioactive wastes, the research and works carried out in geologic laboratories, the public information and the local socio-economic impact, and the storage of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations. (J.S.)

Geoethics and Forensic Geology

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Laurance

2017-04-01

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), Initiative on Forensic Geology (IFG) was set up in 2011 to promote and develop the applications of geology to policing and law enforcement throughout the world. This includes the provision of crime scene examinations, searches to locate graves or items of interest that have been buried beneath the ground surface as part of a criminal act and geological trace analysis and evidence. Forensic geologists may assist the police and law enforcement in a range of ways including for example; homicide, sexual assaults, counter terrorism, kidnapping, humanitarian incidents, environmental crimes, precious minerals theft, fakes and fraudulent crimes. The objective of this paper is to consider the geoethical aspects of forensic geology. This includes both delivery to research and teaching, and contribution to the practical applications of forensic geology in case work. The case examples cited are based on the personal experiences of the authors. Often, the technical and scientific aspect of forensic geology investigation may be the most straightforward, after all, this is what the forensic geologist has been trained to do. The associated geoethical issues can be the most challenging and complex to manage. Generally, forensic geologists are driven to carry-out their research or case work with integrity, honesty and in a manner that is law abiding, professional, socially acceptable and highly responsible. This is necessary in advising law enforcement organisations, society and the scientific community that they represent. As the science of forensic geology begins to advance around the world it is desirable to establish a standard set of principles, values and to provide an agreed ethical a framework. But what are these core values? Who is responsible for producing these? How may these become enforced? What happens when geoethical standards are breached? This paper does not attempt to provide all of the answers, as further work

49 CFR 801.59 - Geological records.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Geological records. 801.59 Section 801.59... PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION Exemption From Public Disclosure § 801.59 Geological records. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(9), records concerning geological wells are exempt from public disclosure. ...

Geologic Map of the State of Hawai`i

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrod, David R.; Sinton, John M.; Watkins, Sarah E.; Brunt, Kelly M.

2007-01-01

About This Map The State's geology is presented on eight full-color map sheets, one for each of the major islands. These map sheets, the illustrative meat of the publication, can be downloaded in pdf format, ready to print. Map scale is 1:100,000 for most of the islands, so that each map is about 27 inches by 36 inches. The Island of Hawai`i, largest of the islands, is depicted at a smaller scale, 1:250,000, so that it, too, can be shown on 36-inch-wide paper. The new publication isn't limited strictly to its map depictions. Twenty years have passed since David Clague and Brent Dalrymple published a comprehensive report that summarized the geology of all the islands, and it has been even longer since the last edition of Gordon Macdonald's book, Islands in the Sea, was revised. Therefore the new statewide geologic map includes an 83-page explanatory pamphlet that revisits many of the concepts that have evolved in our geologic understanding of the eight main islands. The pamphlet includes simplified page-size geologic maps for each island, summaries of all the radiometric ages that have been gathered since about 1960, generalized depictions of geochemical analyses for each volcano's eruptive stages, and discussion of some outstanding topics that remain controversial or deserving of additional research. The pamphlet also contains a complete description of map units, which enumerates the characteristics for each of the state's many stratigraphic formations shown on the map sheets. Since the late 1980s, the audience for geologic maps has grown as desktop computers and map-based software have become increasingly powerful. Those who prefer the convenience and access offered by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can also feast on this publication. An electronic database, suitable for most GIS software applications, is available for downloading. The GIS database is in an Earth projection widely employed throughout the State of Hawai`i, using the North American datum of

Geologic map of the Frisco quadrangle, Summit County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Kellogg, Karl S.; Bartos, Paul J.; Williams, Cindy L.

2002-01-01

New 1:24,000-scale geologic mapping along the Interstate-70 urban corridor in western Colorado, in support of the USGS Central Region State/USGS Cooperative Geologic Mapping Project, is contributing to a more complete understanding of the stratigraphy, structure, tectonic evolution, and hazard potential of this rapidly developing region. The 1:24,000-scale Frisco quadrangle is near the headwaters of the Blue River and straddles features of the Blue River graben (Kellogg, K.S., 1999, Neogene basins of the northern Rio Grande rift?partitioning and asymmetry inherited from Laramide and older uplifts: Tectonophysics, v. 305, p. 141-152.), part of the northernmost reaches of the Rio Grande rift, a major late Oligocene to recent zone of extension that extends from Colorado to Mexico. The Williams Range thrust fault, the western structural margin of the Colorado Front Range, cuts the northeastern corner of the quadrangle. The oldest rocks in the quadrangle underlie the Tenmile Range and include biotite-sillimanite schist and gneiss, amphibolite, and migmatite that are intruded by granite inferred to be part of the 1,667-1,750 Ma Routt Plutonic Suite (Tweto, Ogden, 1987, Rock units of the Precambrian- basement in Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1321-A, 54 p.). The oldest sedimentary unit is the Pennsylvanian Maroon Formation, a sequence of red sandstone, conglomerate, and interbedded shale. The thickest sequence of sedimentary rocks is Cretaceous in age and includes at least 500 m of the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The sedimentary rocks are intruded by sills and dikes of dacite porphyry sills of Swan Mountain, dated at 44 Ma (Marvin, R.F., Mehnert, H.H., Naeser, C.W., and Zartman, R.E., 1989, U.S. Geological Survey radiometric ages, compilation ?C??Part five?Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming: Isochron/West, no. 53, p. 14-19. Simmons, E.C., and Hedge, C.E., 1978, Minor-element and Sr-isotope geochemistry of Tertiary stocks, Colorado mineral belt

From printed geological maps to web-based service oriented data products - strategies, foundations and problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebner, M.; Schiegl, M.; Stöckl, W.; Heger, H.

2012-04-01

The Geological Survey of Austria is legally obligated by the INSPIRE directive to provide data that fall under this directive (geology, mineral resources and natural risk zones) to the European commission in a semantically harmonized and technically interoperable way. Until recently the focus was entirely on the publication of high quality printed cartographic products. These have a complex (carto-)graphic data-model, which allows visualizing several thematic aspects, such as lithology, stratigraphy, tectonics, geologic age, mineral resources, mass movements, geomorphology etc. in a single planar map/product. Nonetheless these graphic data-models do not allow retrieving individual thematic aspects since these were coded in a complex portrayal scheme. Automatic information retrieval is thus impossible; and domain knowledge is necessary to interpret these "encrypted datasets". With INSPIRE becoming effective and a variety of conceptual models (e.g. GeoSciML), built around a semantic framework (i.e. controlled vocabularies), being available it is necessary to develop a strategy and workflow for semantic harmonization of such datasets. In this contribution we demonstrate the development of a multistage workflow which will allow us to transform our printed maps to semantically enabled datasets and services and discuss some prerequisites, foundations and problems. In a first step in our workflow we analyzed our maps and developed controlled vocabularies that describe the thematic content of our data. We then developed a physical data-model which we use to attribute our spatial data with thematic information from our controlled vocabularies to form core thematic data sets. This physical data model is geared towards use on an organizational level but builds upon existing standards (INSPIRE, GeoSciML) to allow transformation to international standards. In a final step we will develop a standardized mapping scheme to publish INSPIRE conformant services from our core datasets

A geologic analysis of the Side-Looking Airborne Radar imagery of southern New England

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Paul T.

1975-01-01

Analysis of the side looking airborn radar imagery of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island indicates that radar shows the topography in great detail. Since bedrock geologic features are frequently expressed in the topography the radar lends itself to geologic interpretation. The radar was studied by comparisons with field mapped geologic data first at a scale of approximately 1:125,000 and then at a scale of 1:500,000. The larger scale comparison revealed that faults, minor faults, joint sets, bedding and foliation attitudes, lithology and lithologic contacts all have a topographic expression interpretable on the imagery. Surficial geologic features were far less visible on the imagery over most of the area studied. The smaller scale comparisons revealed a pervasive, near orthogonal fracture set cutting all types and ages of rock and trending roughly N40?E and N30?W. In certain places the strike of bedding and foliation attitudes and some lithologic Contacts were visible in addition to the fractures. Fracturing in southern New England is apparently far more important than has been previously recognized. This new information, together with the visibility of many bedding and foliation attitudes and lithologic contacts, indicates the importance of radar imagery in improving the geologic interpretation of an area.

Proposals of geological sites for L/ILW and HLW repositories. Geological background. Text volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

On April 2008, the Swiss Federal Council approved the conceptual part of the Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories. The Plan sets out the details of the site selection procedure for geological repositories for low- and intermediate-level waste (L/ILW) and high-level waste (HLW). It specifies that selection of geological siting regions and sites for repositories in Switzerland will be conducted in three stages, the first one (the subject of this report) being the definition of geological siting regions within which the repository projects will be elaborated in more detail in the later stages of the Sectoral Plan. The geoscientific background is based on the one hand on an evaluation of the geological investigations previously carried out by Nagra on deep geological disposal of HLW and L/ILW in Switzerland (investigation programmes in the crystalline basement and Opalinus Clay in Northern Switzerland, investigations of L/ILW sites in the Alps, research in rock laboratories in crystalline rock and clay); on the other hand, new geoscientific studies have also been carried out in connection with the site selection process. Formulation of the siting proposals is conducted in five steps: A) In a first step, the waste inventory is allocated to the L/ILW and HLW repositories; B) The second step involves defining the barrier and safety concepts for the two repositories. With a view to evaluating the geological siting possibilities, quantitative and qualitative guidelines and requirements on the geology are derived on the basis of these concepts. These relate to the time period to be considered, the space requirements for the repository, the properties of the host rock (depth, thickness, lateral extent, hydraulic conductivity), long-term stability, reliability of geological findings and engineering suitability; C) In the third step, the large-scale geological-tectonic situation is assessed and large-scale areas that remain under consideration are defined. For the L

Radiogenic age and isotopic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This is one of an annual collection of reports presenting data from the Geochronology Section of the Continental Geoscience Division of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). The main purpose of this collection is to make geochronological and other radiogenic isotope data produced by the section available promptly to the geological community. Reports make full presentation of the data, relate these to field settings and make comparatively short interpretations. Other geochronological and isotope data produced in the laboratory but published in outside journals or separate GSC publications are summarized at the end of this report. Reports in this issue give U-Pb zircon ages for rocks in Newfoundland, Yukon Territory, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories; present a compilation of K-Ar ages; and discuss Precambrian activity in New Brunswick, the geochronology of rock from the Northwest Territories, and reconnaissance Nd studies of rocks from the Northwest Territories. (figs., tabs., refs.)

Intelligent Learning for Knowledge Graph towards Geological Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yueqin Zhu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Knowledge graph (KG as a popular semantic network has been widely used. It provides an effective way to describe semantic entities and their relationships by extending ontology in the entity level. This article focuses on the application of KG in the traditional geological field and proposes a novel method to construct KG. On the basis of natural language processing (NLP and data mining (DM algorithms, we analyze those key technologies for designing a KG towards geological data, including geological knowledge extraction and semantic association. Through this typical geological ontology extracting on a large number of geological documents and open linked data, the semantic interconnection is achieved, KG framework for geological data is designed, application system of KG towards geological data is constructed, and dynamic updating of the geological information is completed accordingly. Specifically, unsupervised intelligent learning method using linked open data is incorporated into the geological document preprocessing, which generates a geological domain vocabulary ultimately. Furthermore, some application cases in the KG system are provided to show the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed intelligent learning approach for KG.

Lidar-revised geologic map of the Des Moines 7.5' quadrangle, King County, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Tabor, Rowland W.; Booth, Derek B.

2017-11-06

This map is an interpretation of a modern lidar digital elevation model combined with the geology depicted on the Geologic Map of the Des Moines 7.5' Quadrangle, King County, Washington (Booth and Waldron, 2004). Booth and Waldron described, interpreted, and located the geology on the 1:24,000-scale topographic map of the Des Moines 7.5' quadrangle. The base map that they used was originally compiled in 1943 and revised using 1990 aerial photographs; it has 25-ft contours, nominal horizontal resolution of about 40 ft (12 m), and nominal mean vertical accuracy of about 10 ft (3 m). Similar to many geologic maps, much of the geology in the Booth and Waldron (2004) map was interpreted from landforms portrayed on the topographic map. In 2001, the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium obtained a lidar-derived digital elevation model (DEM) for much of the Puget Sound area, including the entire Des Moines 7.5' quadrangle. This new DEM has a horizontal resolution of about 6 ft (2 m) and a mean vertical accuracy of about 1 ft (0.3 m). The greater resolution and accuracy of the lidar DEM compared to topography constructed from air-photo stereo models have much improved the interpretation of geology, even in this heavily developed area, especially the distribution and relative age of some surficial deposits. For a brief description of the light detection and ranging (lidar) remote sensing method and this data acquisition program, see Haugerud and others (2003). 

Some problems of geologic relations between the Amazon craton and east margins fold belts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, F.F.M. de

1986-01-01

This paper deals with some geologic problems related to the limits between the Amazon craton and the fold belts developed at its margins during the Precambrian. These limits are diversified but clearly recognized. To the north, the Araguaia-Tocantins fold belt, of presumed Middle Proterozoic age, is separated from the cratonic block by a deep marginal fracture zone permeated by mafic and ultramafic rocks. The geologic, magmatic and aeromagnetic characteristics of this zone point out the presence of deep faults, supposed to be of Middle Proterozoic age. The southern Paraguay fold belt constitutes and accurated zone of linear structures supposed to be of Late Proterozoic development. Despite the great increase of knowledge during the last ten years many tectonic, stratigraphic and geochronologic problems remain unsolved. The aim of this paper is to point out some of these problems and suggest specific studies to solve them. (author)

Study on the development of geological environmental model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujimoto, Keiichi; Shinohara, Yoshinori; Ueta, Shinzo; Saito, Shigeyuki; Kawamura, Yuji; Tomiyama, Shingo; Ohashi, Toyo

2002-03-01

The safety performance assessment was carried out in potential geological environment in the conventional research and development of geological disposal, but the importance of safety assessment based on the repository design and scenario considering the concrete geological environment will increase in the future. The research considering the link of the major three fields of geological disposal, investigation of geological environment, repository design, and safety performance assessment, is the contemporary worldwide research theme. Hence it is important to organize information flow that contains the series of information process form the data production to analysis in the three fields, and to systemize the knowledge base that unifies the information flow hierarchically. The purpose of the research is to support the development of the unified analysis system for geological disposal. The development technology for geological environmental model studied for the second progress report by JNC are organized and examined for the purpose of developing database system with considering the suitability for the deep underground research facility. The geological environmental investigation technology and building methodology for geological structure and hydro geological structure models are organized and systemized. Furthermore, the quality assurance methods in building geological environment models are examined. Information which is used and stored in the unified analysis system are examined to design database structure of the system based on the organized methodology for building geological environmental model. The graphic processing function for data stored in the unified database are examined. furthermore, future research subjects for the development of detail models for geological disposal are surveyed to organize safety performance system. (author)

Geologic youth of galapagos islands confirmed by marine stratigraphy and paleontology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hickman, C S; Lipps, J H

1985-03-29

Six distinctive types of fossiliferous marine deposits occur on the Galádpagos Islands that provide evidence for the age of emergence of the islands above sea level and hence a maximum age for the islands' terrestrial biota. These subtidal to supratidal deposits include (i) volcanic tuffs with fossils, (ii) limestones and sandstones interbedded with basalt, (iii) terrace deposits, (iv) beach rock, (v) supratidal talus deposits, and (vi) recently uplifted tidal and subtidal rocks and sand. With the exception of (vi), the deposits were previously assigned ages varying from Miocene to Pleistocene, but all are less than about 2 million years old. This age, together with independently determined geologic ages, indicate that the islands emerged from the sea relatively recently and that all evolution of the islands' unique terrestrial biota occurred within the past 3 to 4 million years.

Geology of the North Sea and Skagerrak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michelsen, O. [ed.

1995-12-31

The Marine Geology Unit of the Department of Earth Sciences organized the second Marine Geology symposium at Aarhus University, 7-8 October 1993. The intention was to bring together people working especially with the geology of the North Sea and Skagerrak. Approximately 60 people from different Danish and Norwegian institutions attended the symposium. 28 oral presentations were given and 2 posters presented. A large range of geological topics was covered, embracing biostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, sedimentology and structural geology. The majority of the presentations dealt with Quaternary geology and Cenozoic sequence stratigraphy, but also Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous stratigraphy was treated. Studies from the major part of the Danish sector were presented, spanning from Bornholm to the central North Sea, and further into the Norwegian North Sea sector. (au)

Geology at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Both advocates and critics disagree on the significance and interpretation of critical geological features which bear on the safety and suitability of Yucca Mountain as a site for the construction of a high-level radioactive waste repository. Critics believe that there is sufficient geological evidence to rule the site unsuitable for further investigation. Some advocates claim that there is insufficient data and that investigations are incomplete, while others claim that the site is free of major obstacles. We have expanded our efforts to include both the critical evaluations of existing geological and geochemical data and the collection of field data and samples for the purpose of preparing scientific papers for submittal to journals. Summaries of the critical reviews are presented in this paper

Geology behind nuclear fission technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhana Raju, R.

2005-01-01

Geology appears to have played an important role of a precursor to Nuclear Fission Technology (NFT), in the latter's both birth from the nucleus of an atom of and most important application as nuclear power extracted from Uranium (U), present in its minerals. NFT critically depends upon the availability of its basic raw material, viz., nuclear fuel as U and/ or Th, extracted from U-Th minerals of specific rock types in the earth's crust. Research and Development of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (NFC) depends heavily on 'Geology'. In this paper, a brief review of the major branches of geology and their contributions during different stages of NFC, in the Indian scenario, is presented so as to demonstrate the important role played by 'Geology' behind the development of NFT, in general, and NFC, in particular. (author)

Characteristics of Chinese petroleum geology. Geological features and exploration cases of stratigraphic, foreland and deep formation traps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Chengzao [PetroChina Company Limited, Beijing (China)

2012-07-01

The first book of this subject in the recent 10 years. ''Characteristics of Chinese Petroleum Geology: Geological Features and Exploration Cases of Stratigraphic, Foreland and Deep Formation Traps'' systematically presents the progress made in petroleum geology in China and highlights the latest advances and achievements in oil/gas exploration and research, especially in stratigraphic, foreland and deep formation traps. The book is intended for researchers, practitioners and students working in petroleum geology, and is also an authoritative reference work for foreign petroleum exploration experts who want to learn more about this field in China.

Radar, geologic, airborne gamma ray and Landsat TM digital data integration for geological mapping of the Estrela granite complex (Para State)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunha, Edson Ricardo Soares Pereira da

2002-01-01

This work is focused on the geotectonic context of the Carajas Mineral Province, Amazon Craton, which represents the most important Brazilian Mineral Province and hosts iron, cooper, gold, manganese and nickel deposits. At the end of Archean age, during the techno-metamorphic evolution, moderated alkaline granitoids were generated, such as, Estrela Granite Complex (EGC). This work has used digital integration products with the purpose of study the granite suite, its host rock, and the surrounded area. The digital integrated data were gamma-ray and geological data with satellite images (SAR-SAREX e TM-Landsat). The geophysics data, originally in 32 bits and grid format, were interpolated and converted to 8 bits images. The geological data (facies map) was digitalized and converted to a raster format. The remote sensing images were geometrically corrected to guarantee an accuracy on the geological mapping. On the data processing phase, SAR images were digital integrated with gamma-ray data, TM-Landsat image and the raster facies map. The IHS transformation was used as the technique to integrate the multi-source data. On the photogeological interpretation, SAR data were extremely important to permit the extraction of the main tectonic lineaments which occur on the following directions: +/- N45W, +/- N70W, +/- NS, +/- N20E, +/- N45E e +/- N75E. This procedure was done both in analogic and automatic form, being the automatic process more useful to complement information in the extracting process. Among the digital products generated, SAR/GAMA products (uranium, thorium and total count) were the ones that give the most important contribution. The interpretation of the SAR/GAMA's products added to the field campaign have allowed to map the limits of units that occur in the region and four facies of the Estrela Granite Complex were detected. The origin of the granite suite might be related to a magmatic differentiation or to distinct intrusion pulses. The use of the

Research on geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uchida, Masahiro

2011-01-01

The aims of this research are to develop criteria for reviewing acceptability of the adequacy of the result of Preliminary and Detailed Investigations submitted by the implementor, and to establish a basic policy to secure safety for safety review. In FY 2010, 13 geology/climate related events for development of acceptance criteria for reviewing the adequacy of the result of Preliminary and Detailed Investigations were extracted. And the accuracy of geophysical exploration methods necessary for the Preliminary Investigation was evaluated. Regarding the research for safety review, we developed an idea of safety concept of Japanese geological disposal, and analyzed basic safety functions to secure safety. In order to verify the groundwater flow evaluation methods developed in regulatory research, the hydrological and geochemical data at Horonobe, northern Hokkaido were obtained, and simulated result of regional groundwater flow were compared with measured data. And we developed the safety scenario of geology/climate related events categorized by geological and geomorphological properties. Also we created a system to check the quality of research results in Japan and other countries in order to utilize for safety regulation, and developed a database system to compile them. (author)

Public perceptions of geology

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Hazel; Stewart, Iain; Anderson, Mark; Pahl, Sabine; Stokes, Alison

2014-05-01

Geological issues are increasingly intruding on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Whether it be onshore exploration and extraction of oil and gas, deep injection of water for geothermal power or underground storage of carbon dioxide and radioactive waste, many communities across Europe are being faced with potentially contested geological activity under their backyard. As well as being able to communicate the technical aspects of such work, geoscience professionals also need to appreciate that for most people the subsurface is an unfamiliar realm. In order to engage communities and individuals in effective dialogue about geological activities, an appreciation of what 'the public' already know and what they want to know is needed, but this is a subject that is in its infancy. In an attempt to provide insight into these key issues, this study examines the concerns the public have, relating to geology, by constructing 'Mental Models' of people's perceptions of the subsurface. General recommendations for public engagement strategies will be presented based on the results of selected case studies; specifically expert and non-expert mental models for communities in the south-west of England.

Russian geological education in the world market (the case of Russian State Geological Prospecting University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasily Ivanovich Lisov

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Higher geological education in Russia and in MSGPI-RSGPU specific. It - engineering. The mineral deposits determine the development of the global industry and foreign trade. Growing global demand for the profession of geologists and mining engineers. Training of foreign students in Russia has its own geopolitical and economic importance. In Russia a strong resource-based economy. It attracts students from developing countries. MGRI-RSGPU is the leading universities training specialists for mining. The article presents data about the University and types of education. Shown scientific and educational problems in higher education. This article discusses the prospects for the promotion of Russian higher geological education at the world market of educational services. The increasing role of new scientific and technological achievements in mining, enhanced environmental as well as staff requirements is revealed. Given that the leading schools in the mining industry, in addition to Russia, are formed in Canada, Germany, USA, Australia, Great Britain, many developing countries rich in natural resources, have begun to form their own national centers for training in this area. Under such competitive conditions Russian geological education maintains its own niche. Recognition of this is the active participation of Russian universities in the creation and development of the World Forum of sustainable development of mineral universities (WFURS, described in the article. The main factors of competitiveness that led to leading positions of Russian State Geological Prospecting University in system of the Russian geological education are described. Particular attention is paid to the international activities of Russian higher educational institutions including Geological Prospecting University. The basic statistics (both in the context of the country, and in the field of foreign undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at this university is provided. The

Geological aspects of radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobera, P.

1985-01-01

Geological formations suitable for burying various types of radioactive wastes are characterized applying criteria for the evaluation and selection of geological formations for building disposal sites for radioactive wastes issued in IAEA technical recommendations. They are surface disposal sites, disposal sites in medium depths and deep disposal sites. Attention is focused on geological formations usable for injecting self-hardening mixtures into cracks prepared by hydraulic decomposition and for injecting liquid radioactive wastes into permeable rocks. Briefly outlined are current trends of the disposal of radioactive wastes in Czechoslovakia and the possibilities are assessed from the geological point of view of building disposal sites for radioactive wastes on the sites of Czechoslovak nuclear power plants at Jaslovske Bohunice, Mochovce, Dukovany, Temelin, Holice (eastern Bohemia), Blahoutovice (northern Moravia) and Zehna (eastern Slovakia). It is stated that in order to design an optimal method of the burial of radioactive waste it will be necessary to improve knowledge of geological conditions in the potential disposal sites at the said nuclear plants. There is usually no detailed knowledge of geological and hydrological conditions at greater depths than 100 m. (Z.M.)

Geological hazard monitoring system in Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Gaprindashvili, George

2017-04-01

Georgia belongs to one of world's most complex mountainous regions according to the scale and frequency of Geological processes and damage caused to population, farmlands, and Infrastructure facilities. Geological hazards (landslide, debrisflow/mudflow, rockfall, erosion and etc.) are affecting many populated areas, agricultural fields, roads, oil and gas pipes, high-voltage electric power transmission towers, hydraulic structures, and tourist complexes. Landslides occur almost in all geomorphological zones, resulting in wide differentiation in the failure types and mechanisms and in the size-frequency distribution. In Georgia, geological hazards triggered by: 1. Activation of highly intense earthquakes; 2. Meteorological events provoking the disaster processes on the background of global climatic change; 3. Large-scale Human impact on the environment. The prediction and monitoring of Geological Hazards is a very wide theme, which involves different researchers from different spheres. Geological hazard monitoring is essential to prevent and mitigate these hazards. In past years in Georgia several monitoring system, such as Ground-based geodetic techniques, Debrisflow Early Warning System (EWS) were installed on high sensitive landslide and debrisflow areas. This work presents description of Geological hazard monitoring system in Georgia.

Maps showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geological provinces of South America

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, C. J.; Viger, R.J.; Anderson, C.P.

1999-01-01

This digitally compiled map includes geology, geologic provinces, and oil and gas fields of South America. The map is part of a worldwide series on CD-ROM by World Energy Project released of the U.S. Geological Survey . The goal of the project is to assess the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources of the world and report these results by the year 2000. For data management purposes the world is divided into eight energy regions corresponding approximately to the economic regions of the world as defined by the U.S. Department of State. South America (Region 6) includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyuna, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Geological data integration techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-09-01

The objectives of this Technical Committee are to bring together current knowledge on geological data handling and analysis technologies as developed in the mineral and petroleum industries for geological, geophysical, geochemical and remote sensing data that can be applied to uranium exploration and resource appraisal. The recommendation for work on this topic was first made at the meeting of the NEA-IAEA Joint Group of Experts on R and D in Uranium Exploration Techniques (Paris, May 1984). In their report, processing of integrated data sets was considered to be extremely important in view of the very extensive data sets built up over the recent years by large uranium reconnaissance programmes. With the development of large, multidisciplinary data sets which includes geochemical, geophysical, geological and remote sensing data, the ability of the geologist to easily interpret large volumes of information has been largely the result of developments in the field of computer science in the past decade. Advances in data management systems, image processing software, the size and speed of computer systems and significantly reduced processing costs have made large data set integration and analysis practical and affordable. The combined signatures which can be obtained from the different types of data significantly enhance the geologists ability to interpret fundamental geological properties thereby improving the chances of finding a significant ore body. This volume is the product of one of a number of activities related to uranium geology and exploration during the past few years with the intent of bringing new technologies and exploration techniques to the IAEA Member States

Provincial geology and the Industrial Revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Veneer, Leucha

2006-06-01

In the early nineteenth century, geology was a new but rapidly growing science, in the provinces and among the gentlemen scientists of London, Oxford and Cambridge. Industry, particularly mining, often motivated local practical geologists, and the construction of canals and railways exposed the strata for all to see. The most notable of the early practical men of geology was the mineral surveyor William Smith; his geological map of England and Wales, published in 1815, was the first of its kind. He was not alone. The contributions of professional men, and the provincial societies with which they were connected, are sometimes underestimated in the history of geology.

Titan's methane cycle and its effect on surface geology

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, R. M.; Peckyno, R. S.; Le Gall, A. A.; Wye, L.; Stofan, E. R.; Radebaugh, J.; Hayes, A. G.; Aharonson, O.; Wall, S. D.; Janssen, M. A.; Cassini RADAR Team

2010-12-01

Titan’s surface geology reflects surface-atmospheric interaction in ways similar to Earth’s. The methane cycle on Titan is a major contributor to the formation of surface features such as lakes, seas, rivers, and dunes. We used data from Cassini RADAR to map the distribution and relative ages of terrains that allow us to determine the geological processes that have shaped Titan’s surface. These SAR swaths (up to Titan flyby T64) cover about ~45% percent of the surface, at a spatial resolution ranging from 350 m to about >2 km. The data are distributed over a wide latitudinal and longitudinal range, enabling some conclusions to be drawn about the global distribution and significance of processes. They reveal a geologically complex surface that has been modified by all the major geologic processes seen on Earth. In this paper, we update the geologic unit map that used flybys up to T30 (Lopes et al., 2010, Icarus, 205, 540-558), representing ~20% of the surface. We find that the overall correlations found previously still hold given more than double the areal coverage. In terms of global areal distribution, both dunes and mountainous terrains (including Xanadu) cover more area (respectively 9.2% and 14.6% of the observed area) than other identified geologic units. In terms of latitudinal distribution, dunes and hummocky, mountainous terrains are located mostly at low latitudes (less than 30 degrees), with no dunes being present above 60 degrees. Channels formed by fluvial activity are present at all latitudes, but lakes filled with liquid are found at high latitudes only (above 60 degrees). Impact structures are mostly located at low latitudes, with no confidently identified craters above 60 degrees latitude, possibly indicating that more resurfacing has occurred at higher latitudes. Putative cryovolcanic features, consisting mostly of flows, are not ubiquitous and are mostly located in the areas surrounding Xanadu. We examine temporal relationships between

Integrated path towards geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchard, R.; Delaytermoz, A.

2004-01-01

Among solutions to contribute to CO 2 emissions mitigation, sequestration is a promising path that presents the main advantage of being able to cope with the large volume at stake when considering the growing energy demand. Of particular importance, geological storage has widely been seen as an effective solution for large CO 2 sources like power plants or refineries. Many R and D projects have been initiated, whereby research institutes, government agencies and end-users achieve an effective collaboration. So far, progress has been made towards reinjection of CO 2 , in understanding and then predicting the phenomenon and fluid dynamics inside the geological target, while monitoring the expansion of the CO 2 bubble in the case of demonstration projects. A question arises however when talking about sequestration, namely the time scale to be taken into account. Time is indeed of the essence, and points out the need to understand leakage as well as trapping mechanisms. It is therefore of prime importance to be able to predict the fate of the injected fluids, in an accurate manner and over a relevant period of time. On the grounds of geology, four items are involved in geological storage reliability: the matrix itself, which is the recipient of the injected fluids; the seal, that is the mechanistic trap preventing the injected fluids to flow upward and escape; the lower part of the concerned structure, usually an aquifer, that can be a migration way for dissolved fluids; and the man- made injecting hole, the well, whose characteristics should be as good as the geological formation itself. These issues call for specific competencies such as reservoir engineering, geology and hydrodynamics, mineral chemistry, geomechanics, and well engineering. These competencies, even if put to use to a large extent in the oil industry, have never been connected with the reliability of geological storage as ultimate goal. This paper aims at providing an introduction to these

Geological Corrections in Gravimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Mikuška, J.; Marušiak, I.

2015-12-01

Applying corrections for the known geology to gravity data can be traced back into the first quarter of the 20th century. Later on, mostly in areas with sedimentary cover, at local and regional scales, the correction known as gravity stripping has been in use since the mid 1960s, provided that there was enough geological information. Stripping at regional to global scales became possible after releasing the CRUST 2.0 and later CRUST 1.0 models in the years 2000 and 2013, respectively. Especially the later model provides quite a new view on the relevant geometries and on the topographic and crustal densities as well as on the crust/mantle density contrast. Thus, the isostatic corrections, which have been often used in the past, can now be replaced by procedures working with an independent information interpreted primarily from seismic studies. We have developed software for performing geological corrections in space domain, based on a-priori geometry and density grids which can be of either rectangular or spherical/ellipsoidal types with cells of the shapes of rectangles, tesseroids or triangles. It enables us to calculate the required gravitational effects not only in the form of surface maps or profiles but, for instance, also along vertical lines, which can shed some additional light on the nature of the geological correction. The software can work at a variety of scales and considers the input information to an optional distance from the calculation point up to the antipodes. Our main objective is to treat geological correction as an alternative to accounting for the topography with varying densities since the bottoms of the topographic masses, namely the geoid or ellipsoid, generally do not represent geological boundaries. As well we would like to call attention to the possible distortions of the corrected gravity anomalies. This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract APVV-0827-12.

Geology and paleontology of the Santa Maria district, California

Science.gov (United States)

Woodring, W.P.; Bramlette, M.N.

1950-01-01

Stratigraphy, paleontology, and geologic history.-A basement' consisting of igneous rocks of the Jurassic(?) Franciscan formation and sediments of the Upper Jurassic Knoxville formation, and formations of Tertiary and Quaternary age are exposed in the Santa Maria district. The outcrop section, exclusive of the Franciscan, has a maximum thickness of about 10,000 feet, the subsurface section about 27,000 feet. At no locality, however, is either outcrop or subsurface section as thick as the total maxima for the formations.

Geology Before Pluto: Pre-encounter Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, J. M.

2014-12-01

Pluto, its large satellite Charon, and its four small known satellites represent the first trans-Neptunian Kuiper Belt objects populating the outer-most solar system beyond the gas giant planets to be studied in detail from a spacecraft (New Horizons). A complete picture of the solar nebula and solar system formation cannot be confidently formulated until representatives of this group of bodies at the edge of solar space have been examined. The Pluto system is composed of unique, lunar- and intermediate-sized objects that can tell us much about how objects with volatile icy compositions evolve. Modeling of the interior suggests that geologic activity may have been significant to some degree, and observations of frost on the surface could imply the need for a geologic reservoir for the replenishment of these phases. However, these putative indicators of Pluto's geologic history are inconclusive and unspecific. Detailed examination of Pluto's geologic record is the only plausible means of bridging the gap between theory and observation. In this talk I will examine the potential importance of these tentative indications of geologic activity and how specific spacecraft observations have been designed and used to constrain the Pluto system's geologic history. The cameras of New Horizons will provide robust data sets that should be immanently amenable to geological analysis of the Pluto system's landscapes. In this talk, we begin with a brief discussion of the planned observations by the New Horizons cameras that will bear most directly on geological interpretability. Then I will broadly review major geological processes that could potentially operate on the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. I will first survey exogenic processes (i.e., those for which energy for surface modification is supplied externally to the planetary surface): impact cratering, sedimentary processes (including volatile migration), and the work of wind. I will conclude with an assessment of the

Geology Before Pluto: Pre-Encounter Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Jeffrey M.

2014-01-01

Pluto, its large satellite Charon, and its four known satellites represent the first trans-Neptunian Kuiper Belt objects populating the outer-most solar system beyond the gas giant planets to be studied in detail from a spacecraft (New Horizons). A complete picture of the solar nebula, and solar system formation cannot be confidently formulated until representatives of this group of bodies at the edge of solar space have been examined. The Pluto system is composed of unique lunar- and intermediate-sized objects that can tell us much about how objects with volatile icy compositions evolve. Modeling of the interior suggests that geologic activity may have been to some degree, and observations of frost on the surface could imply the need for a geologic reservoir for the replenishment of these phases. However, the putative indicators of Pluto's geologic history are inconclusive and unspecific. Detailed examination of Pluto's geologic record is the only plausible means of bridging the gap between theory and observations. In this talk I will examine the potential importance of these tentative indications of geologic activity and how specific spacecraft observations have been designed and used to constrain the Pluto system's geologic history. The cameras of New Horizons will provide robust data sets that should be immanently amenable to geological analysis of the Pluto System's landscapes. In this talk, we begin with a brief discussion of the planned observations by New Horizons' cameras that will bear most directly on geological interpretability. Then I will broadly review major geological processes that could potentially operate of the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. I will first survey exogenic processes (i.e., those for which energy for surface modification is supplied externally to the planetary surface): impact cratering, sedimentary processes (including volatile migration) and the work of wind. I will conclude with an assessment of prospects for endogenic activity

INTURGEO: The international uranium geology information system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-09-01

The International Uranium Geology Information System (INTURGEO) is an international compilation of data on uranium deposits and occurrences. The purpose of INTURGEO is to provide a clearinghouse for uranium geological information that can serve for the better understanding of the worldwide distribution of uranium occurrences and deposits. The INTURGEO system is by no means complete for all regions of the world. Data have been available principally from the WOCA countries. INTURGEO currently covers 6,089 occurrences and deposits in 96 countries of which 4,596 occurrences in 92 countries are presented here. The information presented in this publication is a very brief, one line synopsis of deposits and occurrences, and has been collected from literature and through questionnaires sent directly to IAEA Member States. None of the information contained in the INTURGEO database was derived from confidential sources although there are many entries which come from the internal files of Member States and are not directly available in the general literature. The uniformity of the INTURGEO data presented in this report has depended heavily on the data provided by Member States. Basic information includes the deposit or occurrence name, the mining district, the tectonic setting, the geological type, status, size, host-rock type, age of mineralization and bibliographic references. The data contained in the maps of the atlas include all reported occurrences of uranium above the anomaly level. The categories of occurrence and deposit status includes: Anomaly; occurrences of unknown status; occurrences; prospects; developed prospects; subeconomic deposits; economic deposits; mines; inactive mines; depleted mines. A microcomputer version of INTURGEO on 21 Megabyte Bernoulli disks is available. 5 tabs, 102 maps

A Geospatial Information Grid Framework for Geological Survey

OpenAIRE

Wu, Liang; Xue, Lei; Li, Chaoling; Lv, Xia; Chen, Zhanlong; Guo, Mingqiang; Xie, Zhong

2015-01-01

The use of digital information in geological fields is becoming very important. Thus, informatization in geological surveys should not stagnate as a result of the level of data accumulation. The integration and sharing of distributed, multi-source, heterogeneous geological information is an open problem in geological domains. Applications and services use geological spatial data with many features, including being cross-region and cross-domain and requiring real-time updating. As a result of ...

Microcomputer-Controlled Reader Systems for Archaeological and Geological TL Dating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøtter-Jensen, Lars; Mejdahl, V.

1984-01-01

Two fully automated TL reader systems for TL dating and a manually operated reader for research purpose were put into operation during 1982-3. All systems are controlled by HP-85 or HP-86 microcomputers; thus flexibility in selection of measurement parameters, calculation of TL signals and displa...... the archaeological and geological ages. The principle of the measurement procedures are described, and dating results are presented to illustrate the performance of the systems...

Geologic reconnaissance of the Hot Springs Mountains, Churchill County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Voegtly, Nickolas E.

1981-01-01

A geologic reconnaissance of the Hot Springs Mountains and adjacent areas, which include parts of the Brady-Hazen and the Stillwater-Soda Lake Known Geothermal Resource Areas, during June-December 1975, resulted in a reinterpretation of the nature and location of some Basin and Range faults. In addition, the late Cenozoic stratigraphy has been modified, chiefly on the basis of radiometric dates of volcanic rocks by U.S. Geological Survey personnel and others. The Hot Springs Mountains are in the western part of the Basin and Range province, which is characterized by east-west crustal extension and associated normal faulting. In the surrounding Trinity, West Humboldt, Stillwater, and Desert Mountains, Cenozoic rocks overlie ' basement ' rocks of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic age. A similar relation is inferred in the Hot Springs Mountains. Folding and faulting have taken place from the late Tertiary to the present. (USGS)

Geological Study and Regional Development of Mamberamo Raya Disctrict of Papua Province, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Tonggiroh, Adi; Asri Jaya, HS; Ria Irfan, Ulva

2018-02-01

The goverment of Mamberamo Raya district was established through Act No. 19 of 2007 dated 15 March 2007 as part of the administrative area of Papua Province. The administrative age of this district is relatively young requires hard work of all components in facing development challenges so that necessary strategic steps of vision and mission of regional development to achieve ideal conditions of spatial which as direction of the desired embodiment in the future. Regional development covers all technical aspects including the geological aspect that the area is located on the morphology of the mountains and Mamberamo watershed. Strategic steps require policy as an action to achieve the goal with the elaboration of operational steps to realize the welfare of peoples equally and sustainably according to the potential physiogeography of Mamberamo watershed. The geological aspect as the consideration of technical that this region belongs to the regional tectonic which is divided into the difference of fault in the north there is Yapen fault and in the south is Mamberamo-Gauttier Fault and also a consideration on the stratigraphic structure of various rock types including the dominance of sedimentary rocks. This study examines geological aspects as an element of earth science in spatial planning in Mamberamo district, especially Kasonaweja and Burmeso. The analysis is presented based on field data, in the form of geographical map data of geological structure, geological map, and earthquake data described by cluster pattern indicating regional motion relationship and rock characteristics that make up Mamberamo watershed. It finds land characteristics controlled by geological structures, rock arrangements and landforms in response to landslide, flood and seismic changes.

A spatial database of bedding attitudes to accompany Geologic map of the greater Denver area, Front Range Urban Corridor, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Trimble, Donald E.; Machette, Michael N.; Brandt, Theodore R.; Moore, David W.; Murray, Kyle E.

2003-01-01

This digital map shows bedding attitude symbols display over the geographic extent of surficial deposits and rock stratigraphic units (formations) as compiled by Trimble and Machette 1973-1977 and published in 1979 (U.S. Geological Survey Map I-856-H) under the Front Range Urban Corridor Geology Program. Trimble and Machette compiled their geologic map from published geologic maps and unpublished geologic mapping having varied map unit schemes. A convenient feature of the compiled map is its uniform classification of geologic units that mostly matches those of companion maps to the north (USGS I-855-G) and to the south (USGS I-857-F). Published as a color paper map, the Trimble and Machette map was intended for land-use planning in the Front Range Urban Corridor. This map recently (1997-1999), was digitized under the USGS Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project (see cross-reference). In general, the mountainous areas in the west part of the map exhibit various igneous and metamorphic bedrock units of Precambrian age, major faults, and fault brecciation zones at the east margin (5-20 km wide) of the Front Range. The eastern and central parts of the map (Colorado Piedmont) depict a mantle of unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age and interspersed outcroppings of Cretaceous or Tertiary-Cretaceous sedimentary bedrock. The Quaternary mantle is comprised of eolian deposits (quartz sand and silt), alluvium (gravel, sand, and silt of variable composition), colluvium, and few landslides. At the mountain front, north-trending, dipping Paleozoic and Mesozoic sandstone, shale, and limestone bedrock formations form hogbacks and intervening valleys.

County digital geologic mapping. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hess, R.H.; Johnson, G.L.; dePolo, C.M.

1995-12-31

The purpose of this project is to create quality-county wide digital 1:250,000-scale geologic maps from existing published 1:250,000-scale Geologic and Mineral Resource Bulletins published by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG). An additional data set, based on current NBMG research, Major and Significant Quaternary and Suspected Quaternary Faults of Nevada, at 1:250,000 scale has also been included.

County digital geologic mapping. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hess, R.H.; Johnson, G.L.; dePolo, C.M.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this project is to create quality-county wide digital 1:250,000-scale geologic maps from existing published 1:250,000-scale Geologic and Mineral Resource Bulletins published by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG). An additional data set, based on current NBMG research, Major and Significant Quaternary and Suspected Quaternary Faults of Nevada, at 1:250,000 scale has also been included

Geologic Resource Evaluation of Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Hawai'i: Part I, Geology and Coastal Landforms

Science.gov (United States)

Richmond, Bruce M.; Cochran, Susan A.; Gibbs, Ann E.

2008-01-01

Geologic resource inventories of lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are important products for the parks and are designed to provide scientific information to better manage park resources. Park-specific geologic reports are used to identify geologic features and processes that are relevant to park ecosystems, evaluate the impact of human activities on geologic features and processes, identify geologic research and monitoring needs, and enhance opportunities for education and interpretation. These geologic reports are planned to provide a brief geologic history of the park and address specific geologic issues forming a link between the park geology and the resource manager. The Kona coast National Parks of the Island of Hawai'i are intended to preserve the natural beauty of the Kona coast and protect significant ancient structures and artifacts of the native Hawaiians. Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site (PUHE), Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (KAHO), and Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park (PUHO) are three Kona parks studied by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Team in cooperation with the National Park Service. This report is one of six related reports designed to provide geologic and benthic-habitat information for the three Kona parks. Each geology and coastal-landform report describes the regional geologic setting of the Hawaiian Islands, gives a general description of the geology of the Kona coast, and presents the geologic setting and issues for one of the parks. The related benthic-habitat mapping reports discuss the marine data and habitat classification scheme, and present results of the mapping program. Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site (PUHE) is the smallest (~86 acres) of three National Parks located on the leeward Kona coast of the Island of Hawai'i. The main structure at PUHE, Pu'ukohola Heiau, is an important historical temple that was built during 1790-91 by King Kamehameha I

Geologic Map of MTM 35337, 40337, and 45337 Quadrangles, Deuteronilus Mensae Region of Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Chuang, Frank C.; Crown, David A.

2009-01-01

Deuteronilus Mensae, first defined as an albedo feature at lat 35.0 deg N., long 5.0 deg E., by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and International Astronomical Union (IAU) nomenclature, is a gradational zone along the dichotomy boundary in the northern mid-latitudes of Mars. The boundary in this location includes the transition from the rugged cratered highlands of Arabia Terra to the northern lowland plains of Acidalia Planitia. Within Deuteronilus Mensae, polygonal mesas are prominent along with features diagnostic of Martian fretted terrain, including lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill, and concentric crater fill. Lobate debris aprons, as well as the valley and crater fill deposits, are geomorphic indicators of ground ice, and their concentration in Deuteronilus Mensae is of great interest because of their potential association with Martian climate change. The paucity of impact craters on the surfaces of debris aprons and the presence of ice-cemented mantle material imply young (for example, Amazonian) surface ages that are consistent with recent climate change in this region of Mars. North of Deuteronilus Mensae are the northern lowlands, a potential depositional sink that may have had large standing bodies of water or an ocean in the past. The northern lowlands have elevations that are several kilometers below the ancient cratered highlands with significantly younger surface ages. The morphologic and topographic characteristics of the Deuteronilus Mensae region record a diverse geologic history, including significant modification of the ancient highland plateau and resurfacing of low-lying regions. Previous studies of this region have interpreted a complex array of geologic processes, including eolian, fluvial and glacial activity, coastal erosion, marine deposition, mass wasting, tectonic faulting, effusive volcanism, and hydrovolcanism. The origin and age of the Martian crustal dichotomy boundary are fundamental questions that remain unresolved at the

A Refined Astronomically Calibrated 40Ar/39Ar Age for Fish Canyon Sanidine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rivera, Tiffany; Storey, Michael; Zeeden, Christian

2011-01-01

Intercalibration between the astronomical and radio-isotopic dating methods provides a means to improving accuracy and reducing uncertainty of an integrated, multi-chronometer geologic timescale. Here we report a high-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the Fish Canyon sanidine (FCs) neutron fluence...... sanidine age of 0.7674±0.0022 Ma (2σ, external errors) is indistinguishable from the ID-TIMS U/Pb zircon age (0.7671±0.0019 Ma). The consistency between the astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar sanidine age and U/Pb zircon age for this Quaternary unit suggests that agreement between these two radio-isotopic...... dating techniques is now achievable at better than±0.3% (2σ) in the youngest part of geologic time (

How do we know about Earth's history? Constructing the story of Earth's geologic history by collecting and interpreting evidence based scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruthford, Steven; DeBari, Susan; Linneman, Scott; Boriss, Miguel; Chesbrough, John; Holmes, Randall; Thibault, Allison

2013-04-01

Beginning in 2003, faculty from Western Washington University, Skagit Valley Community College, local public school teachers, and area tribal college members created an innovative, inquiry based undergraduate geology curriculum. The curriculum, titled "Energy and Matter in Earth's Systems," was supported through various grants and partnerships, including Math and Science Partnership and Noyce Teacher Scholarship grants from the National Science Foundation. During 2011, the authors wrote a geologic time unit for the curriculum. The unit is titled, "How Do We Know About Earth's History?" and has students actively investigate the concepts related to geologic time and methods for determining age. Starting with reflection and assessment of personal misconceptions called "Initial Ideas," students organize a series of events into a timeline. The unit then focuses on the concepts of relative dating, biostratigraphy, and historical attempts at absolute dating, including uniformitarianism, catastrophism, Halley and Joly's Salinity hypothesis, and Kelvin's Heat Loss model. With limited lecture and text, students then dive into current understandings of the age of the Earth, which include radioactive decay rates and radiometric dating. Finally, using their newfound understanding, students investigate a number of real world scenarios and create a timeline of events related to the geologic history of the Earth. The unit concludes with activities that reinforce the Earth's absolute age and direct students to summarize what they have learned by reorganizing the timeline from the "Initial Ideas" and sharing with the class. This presentation will include the lesson materials and findings from one activity titled, "The Earth's Story." The activity is located midway through the unit and begins with reflection on the question, "What are the major events in the Earth's history and when did they happen?" Students are directed to revisit the timeline of events from the "Initial Ideas

Geology of the Huntsville quadrangle, Alabama

Science.gov (United States)

Sanford, T.H.; Malmberg, G.T.; West, L.R.

1961-01-01

The 7 1/2-minute Huntsville quadrangle is in south-central Madison County, Ala., and includes part of the city of Hunstville. The south, north, east, and west boundaries of the quadrangle are about 3 miles north of the Tennessee River, 15 1/2 miles south of the Tennessee line, 8 miles west of the Jackson County line, and 9 miles east of the Limestone County line. The bedrock geology of the Huntsville quadrangle was mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the city of Hunstville and the Geological Survey of Alabama as part of a detailed study of the geology and ground-water resources of Madison County, with special reference to the Huntsville area. G. T. Malmberg began the geologic mapping of the county in July 1953, and completed it in April 1954. T. H. Sanford, Jr., assisted Malmberg in the final phases of the county mapping, which included measuring geologic sections with hand level and steel tape. In November 1958 Sanford, assisted by L. R. West, checked contacts and elevations in the Hunstville quadrangle; made revisions in the contact lines; and wrote the text for this report. The fieldwork for this report was completed in April 1959.

Geological disposal: security and R and D. Security of 'second draft for R and D of geological disposal'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiotsuki, Masao; Miyahara, Kaname

2003-01-01

The second draft for R and D of geological disposal (second draft) was arranged in 1999. The idea of security of geological disposal in the second draft is explained. The evaluation results of the uncertainty analysis and an example of evaluation of the effect of separation nuclear transmutation on the geological disposal are shown. The construction of strong engineered barrier is a basic idea of geological disposal system. Three processes such as isolation, engineering countermeasures and safety evaluation are carried out for the security of geological disposal. The security of geological environment for a long time of 12 sites in Japan was studied by data. Provability of production and enforcement of engineered barrier were confirmed by trial of over pack, tests and the present and future technologies developed. By using the conditions of reference case in the second draft, the evaluation results of dose effects in the two cases: 1) 90 to 99% Cs and Sr removed from HLW (High Level radioactive Waste) and 2) high stripping ratio of actinium series are explained. (S.Y.)

Radiogenic age and isotopic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This is one of an annual collection of reports presenting data from the Geochronology Section of the Continental Geoscience Division of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). The main purpose of this collection is to make geochronological and other radiogenic isotope data produced by the section available promptly to the geological community. Reports make full presentation of the data, relate these to field settings and make comparatively short interpretations. Other geochronological and isotope data produced in the laboratory but published in outside journals or separate GSC publications are summarized at the end of this report. Report 5 contains 24 papers from most regions of Canada, but particularly from British Columbia. The Geochronology Laboratory has, over the years, provided substantial U-Pb dating for the Cordilleran Division of the Geological Survey of Canada in Vancouver, and the results of a number of these studies are presented this year. A compilation of K-Ar ages is given. (figs., tabs., refs.)

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve: Geologic resources inventory report

Science.gov (United States)

Hults, Chad P.; Neal, Christina

2015-01-01

This GRI report is a companion document to previously completed GRI digital geologic map data. It was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new fieldwork in association with its preparation. Sections of the report discuss distinctive geologic features and processes within the park, highlight geologic issues facing resource managers, describe the geologic history leading to the present-day landscape, and provide information about the GRI geologic map data. A poster illustrates these data. The Map Unit Properties Table summarizes report content for each geologic map unit.

Geology and petrology of Lages Alkaline District, Santa Catarina State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheibe, L.F.

1986-01-01

A 1:100.000 geological map shows the main outcrops, covering about 50 Km 2 , of the leucocratic alkaline rocks, ultra basic alkaline rocks, carbonatites and volcanic breccias which intruded the Gondwanic sedimentary rocks within a short time interval and characterize the Alkaline District of Lages. Chemical analyses of 33 whole-rock samples confirm the petrographic classification, but the agpaitic indexes, mostly below 1.0, do not reflect the mineralogical variations of the leucocratic alkaline rocks adequately. Partial REE analyses indicate that the light as well as the heavy rare earth contents decrease from the basic to the more evolved rocks, the La/Y ratio remaining approximately constant. Eleven new K/Ar ages from porphyritic nepheline syenites porphyritic phonolites, ultra basic alkaline rocks and pipe-breccias, together with six already available ages, show a major concentration in the range 65 to 75 Ma, with a mode at ca. 70 Ma. But one Rb/Sr whole-rock reference isochron diagram gives an age of 82+-6 Ma for the agpaitic phonolites of the Serra Chapada, which are considered younger than the miaskitic porphyriric nepheline syenites. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of 0.705-0.706 are compatible with a sub continental mantelic origin, devoid of crustal contamination. A petrogenetic model based on subtraction diagrams and taking into consideration the geologic, petrographic, mineralogic and petrochemical characteristics of the alkaline rocks of Lages consists of limited partial melting with CO 2 , contribution of the previously metasomatized upper mantle, in a region submitted to decompression. (author)

Geocongress 84: 20. Geological congress of the Geological Society of South Africa. Abstracts: Pt. 1. General

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

Various aspects of the geology, geochemistry and geophysics of the geologic deposits in South Africa are dealt with. Uranium and thorium resources are included in this. There are also chapters on stratigraphy, petrology and petrochemistry

Geology of Cardiff and Faraday Townships

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hewitt, D F

1960-12-31

The area described in this report lies at the centre of the Haliburton-Bancroft uranium district in Ontario, where prospecting and mining have been carried out for over 50 years. The report describes the area`s physiography, natural resources, general geology (Precambrian metasedimentary, plutonic, and granitic and syenitic rocks), structural geology, and economic geology. The latter section includes descriptions of occurrences, claims, mines, and mineral properties, including the principal uranium properties in the area.

Presumption of the distribution of the geological structure based on the geological survey and the topographic data in and around the Horonobe area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Toshihiro; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki

2015-06-01

The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project, a comprehensive research project investigating the deep underground environment in sedimentary rock, is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) at Horonobe-cho in Northern Hokkaido, Japan. One of the main goals of the URL project is to establish techniques for investigation, analysis and assessment of the deep geological environment. JAEA constructed the geologic map and the database of geological mapping in Horonobe-cho in 2005 based on the existing literatures and 1/200,000 geologic maps published by Geological Survey of Japan, and then updated the geologic map in 2007 based on the results of various investigations which were conducted around the URL as the surface based investigation phase of the URL project. On the other hand, there are many geological survey data which are derived from natural resources (petroleum, natural gas and coal, etc.) exploration in and around Horonobe-cho. In this report, we update the geologic map and the database of the geological mapping based on these geological survey and topographical analysis data in and around the Horonobe area, and construct a digital geologic map and a digital database of geological mapping as GIS. These data can be expected to improve the precision of modeling and analyzing of geological environment including its long-term evaluation. The digital data is attached on CD-ROM. (J.P.N.)

Complex geologic characterization of the repository environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harper, T R [British Petroleum Research Center, Sunberry, England; Szymanski, J S

1982-01-01

The present basis for characterizing geological environments is identified in this paper, and the additional requirements imposed by the need to isolate high-level waste safely are discussed. Solutions to these additional requirements are proposed. The time scale of concern and the apparent complexity of the required multidisciplinary approach are identified. It is proposed that an increased use of the geologic record, together with a recognition that all geologic processes operate within an interdependent system, be a key feature in geologic characterization of deep repositories.

Three-dimensional Geological and Geo-mechanical Modelling of Repositories for Nuclear Waste Disposal in Deep Geological Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahland, Sandra; Hofmann, Michael; Bornemann, Otto; Heusermann, Stefan

2008-01-01

To prove the suitability and safety of underground structures for the disposal of radioactive waste extensive geo-scientific research and development has been carried out by BGR over the last decades. Basic steps of the safety analysis are the geological modelling of the entire structure including the host rock, the overburden and the repository geometry as well as the geo-mechanical modelling taking into account the 3-D modelling of the underground structure. The geological models are generated using the special-construction openGEO TM code to improve the visualisation an d interpretation of the geological data basis, e.g. borehole, mine, and geophysical data. For the geo-mechanical analysis the new JIFE finite-element code has been used to consider large 3-D structures with complex inelastic material behaviour. To establish the finite-element models needed for stability and integrity calculations, the geological models are simplified with respect to homogenous rock layers with uniform material behaviour. The modelling results are basic values for the evaluation of the stability of the repository mine and the long-term integrity of the geological barrier. As an example of application, the results of geological and geo-mechanical investigations of the Morsleben repository based on 3-D modelling are presented. (authors)

Preliminary geologic map of the Black Mountain area northeast of Victorville, San Bernardino County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Paul

2006-01-01

The Black Mountain area is in the Mojave Desert about 20 km northeast of Victorville, California. The geology of this area is of interest primarily for its excellent exposures of the early Mesozoic Fairview Valley Formation, a sequence of weakly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks including a thick, commercially important unit of limestone conglomerate that has been mined for cement at Black Mountain Quarry for several decades. Recent geochronologic work has shown that the Fairview Valley Formation is probably of Early Jurassic age. This preliminary geologic map of the Black Mountain area depicts the stratigraphic and structural relations of the Fairview Valley Formation and the associated rocks, most notably the overlying Sidewinder Volcanics of Early(?), Middle, and Late(?) Jurassic age. The map is based on new field studies by the author designed to clarify details of the stratigraphy and structure unresolved by previous investigations. The map is considered preliminary because the ages of some geologic units critical for a satisfactory understanding of the stratigraphic and structural framework remain unknown. The map area also includes a segment of the Helendale Fault, one of several faults of known or inferred late Cenozoic right-lateral displacement that make up the Eastern California Shear Zone. The fault is marked by aligned northeast-facing scarps in Pleistocene or older alluvial deposits and the underlying bedrock units. Relations in the map area suggest that right-lateral displacement on the Helendale Fault probably does not exceed 2 km, a conclusion compatible with previous estimates of displacement on this fault based on relations both within and outside the Black Mountain area.

Description of geological data in SKBs database GEOTAB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stark, T.

1988-01-01

Measurements for the characterization of geological, geophysical, hydrogeological and hydrochemical condition have been performed since 1977 in specific site investigation as well as for geoscientific projects. The database comprises four main groups of data volumes. These are: geological data, geophysical data, hydrogeological data, and hydrochemical data. In the database, background information from the investigations and results are stored on-line on the VAX 750, while raw data are either stored on-line or on magnetic tapes. This report deals with geological data and describes the dataflow from the measurements at the sites to the result tables in the database. All of the geological investigations were carried out by the Swedish Geological Survey, and since July 1982 by Swedish Geological Co, SGAB. The geological investigations have been divided into three categories, and each category is stored separately in the database. The are: surface factures, core mapping, and chemical analyses. At SGU/SGAB the geological data were stored on-line on-line on a PRIME 750 mini computer, on microcomputer floppy disks or in filed paper protocols. During 1987 the data files were transferred from SGAB to datafiles on the VAX computer. In the report the data flow of each of the three geological information categories are described separately. (L.E.)

USGS National Geologic Map Database Collection

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior — The National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB) is a Congressionally mandated national archive of geoscience maps, reports, and stratigraphic information. According to...

Evaluation of geologic and geophysical techniques for surface-to-subsurface projections of geologic characteristics in crystalline rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-07-01

Granitic and gneissic rock complexes are being considered for their potential to contain and permanently isolate high-level nuclear waste in a deep geologic repository. The use of surface geologic and geophysical techniques has several advantages over drilling and testing methods for geologic site characterization in that the techniques are typically less costly, provide data over a wider area, and do not jeopardize the physical integrity of a potential repository. For this reason, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify appropriate surface geologic and geophysical techniques that can be used to characterize geologic conditions in crystalline rock at proposed repository depths of 460 to 1,220 m. Characterization parameters such as rock quality; fracture orientation, spacing; and aperture; depths to anomalies; degree of saturation; rock body dimensions; and petrology are considered to be of primary importance. Techniques reviewed include remote sensing, geologic mapping, petrographic analysis, structural analysis, gravity and magnetic methods, electrical methods, and seismic methods. Each technique was reviewed with regard to its theoretical basis and field application; geologic parameters that can be evaluated; advantages and limitations, and, where available, case history applications in crystalline rock. Available information indicates that individual techniques provide reliable information on characteristics at the surface, but have limited success in projections to depths greater that approximately 100 m. A combination of integrated techniques combines with data from a limited number of boreholes would significantly improve the reliability and confidence of early characterization studies to provide qualitative rock body characteristics for region-to-area and area-to-site selection evaluations. 458 refs., 32 figs., 14 tabs

IAEA safeguards for geological repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moran, B.W.

2005-01-01

In September. 1988, the IAEA held its first formal meeting on the safeguards requirements for the final disposal of spent fuel and nuclear material-bearing waste. The consensus recommendation of the 43 participants from 18 countries at this Advisory Group Meeting was that safeguards should not terminate of spent fuel even after emplacement in, and closure of, a geologic repository.' As a result of this recommendation, the IAEA initiated a series of consultants' meetings and the SAGOR Programme (Programme for the Development of Safeguards for the Final Disposal of Spent Fuel in Geologic Repositories) to develop an approach that would permit IAEA safeguards to verify the non-diversion of spent fuel from a geologic repository. At the end of this process, in December 1997, a second Advisory Group Meeting, endorsed the generic safeguards approach developed by the SAGOR Programme. Using the SAGOR Programme results and consultants' meeting recommendations, the IAEA Department of Safeguards issued a safeguards policy paper stating the requirements for IAEA safeguards at geologic repositories. Following approval of the safeguards policy and the generic safeguards approach, the Geologic Repository Safeguards Experts Group was established to make recommendations on implementing the safeguards approach. This experts' group is currently making recommendations to the IAEA regarding the safeguards activities to be conducted with respect to Finland's repository programme. (author)

Geological remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Charlotte; Rivard, Benoit; de Souza Filho, Carlos; van der Meer, Freek

2018-02-01

Geology is defined as the 'study of the planet Earth - the materials of which it is made, the processes that act on these materials, the products formed, and the history of the planet and its life forms since its origin' (Bates and Jackson, 1976). Remote sensing has seen a number of variable definitions such as those by Sabins and Lillesand and Kiefer in their respective textbooks (Sabins, 1996; Lillesand and Kiefer, 2000). Floyd Sabins (Sabins, 1996) defined it as 'the science of acquiring, processing and interpreting images that record the interaction between electromagnetic energy and matter' while Lillesand and Kiefer (Lillesand and Kiefer, 2000) defined it as 'the science and art of obtaining information about an object, area, or phenomenon through the analysis of data acquired by a device that is not in contact with the object, area, or phenomenon under investigation'. Thus Geological Remote Sensing can be considered the study of, not just Earth given the breadth of work undertaken in planetary science, geological features and surfaces and their interaction with the electromagnetic spectrum using technology that is not in direct contact with the features of interest.

The geological carbon cycle and the global warming / climate debate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, F.

2013-01-01

The extensively cited seasonal carbon cycle describes the size and the annual fluxes between the temporary reservoirs (ocean, atmosphere, biosphere and soils). Compared with these large annual fluxes (approx. 200 GtC/y) the human contribution seems to be of minor amount and is currently (2011) in the range of 4-5%. However, in the geological carbon cycle, which describes the nearly equal amounts of input (volcanoes etc.) and output (sediments) into and from the temporary reservoirs, the human contribution has now reached 30-50 times the average natural level (9.5 Gt C/y versus ca. 0.2-0.3Gt C/y). In the long-term range (1-10x106y), the variable, but much smaller net imbalance between these geological sources und sinks was responsible for the atmospheric CO2-level in the last 400 My (since then comparable temporary reservoirs exist) and influenced via the various feedbacks the climate on earth. In nearly 95% of this long time the climate system was in (nearly) equilibrium conditions and changes occurred extremely slow. Whenever a certain range of higher rate of change of these driving forces were reached, it had - together with other effects - severe influence on the evolution of life, causing 5 large and many minor 'geological accidents'. Based on isotope geochemistry and a fairly good time resolution by orbitally tuned cyclostratigraphy (astrochronology) in the sedimentary record, we are able to quantify these rates of change with reasonable errors. It turns out that the present rate of change - caused by the C-based fossil energy use - is one to two orders of magnitude more rapid than these severe events (impacts excluded) in the earth system. A vast amount of data is available from the ice age cycles. Climate geology (e.g. the group of M. Sarnthein) made considerable progress in understanding the related geological/oceanic processes and proposed a reasonably constrained mass balance of CO2 during the last cycle, which could help us to understand the future

Mapping urban geology of the city of Girona, Catalonia

Science.gov (United States)

Vilà, Miquel; Torrades, Pau; Pi, Roser; Monleon, Ona

2016-04-01

A detailed and systematic geological characterization of the urban area of Girona has been conducted under the project '1:5000 scale Urban geological map of Catalonia' of the Catalan Geological Survey (Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya). The results of this characterization are organized into: i) a geological information system that includes all the information acquired; ii) a stratigraphic model focused on identification, characterization and correlation of the geological materials and structures present in the area and; iii) a detailed geological map that represents a synthesis of all the collected information. The mapping project integrates in a GIS environment pre-existing cartographic documentation (geological and topographical), core data from compiled boreholes, descriptions of geological outcrops within the urban network and neighbouring areas, physico-chemical characterisation of representative samples of geological materials, detailed geological mapping of Quaternary sediments, subsurface bedrock and artificial deposits and, 3D modelling of the main geological surfaces. The stratigraphic model is structured in a system of geological units that from a chronostratigrafic point of view are structured in Palaeozoic, Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary and Anthropocene. The description of the geological units is guided by a systematic procedure. It includes the main lithological and structural features of the units that constitute the geological substratum and represents the conceptual base of the 1:5000 urban geological map of the Girona metropolitan area, which is organized into 6 map sheets. These map sheets are composed by a principal map, geological cross sections and, several complementary maps, charts and tables. Regardless of the geological map units, the principal map also represents the main artificial deposits, features related to geohistorical processes, contours of outcrop areas, information obtained in stations, borehole data, and contour

3D Geological modelling of the Monfrague synform: a value added to the geologic heritage of the National Park

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gumiel, P.; Arias, M.; Monteserin, V.; Segura, M.

2010-01-01

3D geological modelling of a tectonic structure called the Monfrague synform has been carried out to obtain a better insight into the geometry of this folding structure. It is a kilometric variscan WNW-ESE trending fold verging towards north and made up by a Palaeozoic sequence (Ordovician-Silurian).This structure with its lithology make up the morphology and the relief of the Park. The Monfrague synform is an asymmetrical folding structure showing southern limb dipping steeply to the south (reverse limb) what is well observed in the Armorican Quartzite at the Salto del Gitano. However, northern limb dips gently (less than 40 degree centigrade) to the south (normal limb). 3D geological modelling has been built on the basis of the geological knowledge and the structural interpretation, using 3D GeoModeller. (www.geomodeller.com). In this software, lithological units are described by a stratigraphic pile. A major original feature of this software is that the 3D description of the geological space is achieved through a potential field formulation in which geological boundaries are isopotential surfaces, and their dips are represented by gradients of the potential. Finally, it is emphasized the idea that a 3D geologic model of these characteristics, with its three-dimensional representation, together with suitable geological sections that clarify the structure in depth, represents a value added to the Geologic Heritage of the National Park and besides it supposes an interesting academic exercise which have a great didactic value. (Author)

Ontology-aided annotation, visualization and generalization of geological time-scale information from online geological map services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ma, X.; Carranza, E.J.M.; Wu, C.; Meer, F.D. van der

2012-01-01

Geological maps are increasingly published and shared online, whereas tools and services supporting information retrieval and knowledge discovery are underdeveloped. In this study, we developed an ontology of geological time scale by using a RDF (Resource Description Framework) model to represent

Ontology-aided annotation, visualization and generalization of geological time scale information from online geological map services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ma, Marshal; Ma, X.; Carranza, E.J.M; Wu, C.; van der Meer, F.D.

2012-01-01

Geological maps are increasingly published and shared online, whereas tools and services supporting information retrieval and knowledge discovery are underdeveloped. In this study, we developed an ontology of geological time scale by using a Resource Description Framework model to represent the

Venus: Preliminary geologic mapping of northern Atla Regio

Science.gov (United States)

Nikishin, A. M.; Burba, G. A.

1992-01-01

A preliminary geologic map of C1 sheet 15N197 was compiled according to Magellan data. Northern Atla Regio is dominantly a volcanic plain with numerous volcanic features: radar-bright and -dark flows and spots, shield volcanos, volcanic domes and hills with varied morphology, and coronalike constructions. Tesserae are the oldest terrains semiflooded by plain materials. There are many lineated terrains on this territory. They are interpreted as old, partly buried ridge belts. Lineated terrains have intermediate age between young plains and old tesserae. Ozza Mons and Sapas Mons are the high shield volcanos. The prominent structure of northern Atla Regio is Ganis Chasma rift. The rift dissected the volcanic plain and evolved nearly contemporaneously with Ozza Mons shield volcano. Ganis Chasma rift valley is highly fractured and bounded by fault scarps. There are a few relatively young volcanic features in the rift valley. The rift originated due to 5-10 percent crustal extension and crustal subsidence according to analysis of fracturing and rift valley geometry. Ganis Chasma is characterized by rift shoulder uplifts. Geological structures of Alta Regio and Beta Regio are very similar as assumed earlier.

Preliminary geology of eastern Umtanum Ridge, South-Central Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goff, F.E.

1981-01-01

The basalt stratigraphy and geologic structures of eastern Umtanum Ridge have been mapped and studied in detail to help assess the feasibility of nuclear waste terminal storage on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. Eastern Umtanum Ridge is an asymmetric east-west-trending anticline of Columbia River basalt that plunges 5 degrees eastward into the Pasco Basin. Geologic mapping and determination of natural remanent magnetic polarity and chemical composition reveal that flows of the Pomona and Umatilla Members (Saddle Mountains Basalt), Priest Rapids and Frenchman Springs Members (Wanapum Basalt), and Grande Ronde Basalt were erupted as fairly uniform sheets. The Wahluke and Huntzinger flows (Saddle Mountains Basalt) fill a paleovalley cut into Wanapum Basalt. No evidence was found to indicate Quaternary-age movement on any structures in the map area. The basalt strata on the south limb of the Umtanum anticline display relatively little tectonic deformation since Miocene-Pliocene time. Thus, the buried south flank of Umtanum Ridge may provide an excellent location for a nuclear waste repository beneath the Hanford Site.

Preliminary geology of eastern Umtanum Ridge, South-Central Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goff, F.E.

1981-01-01

The basalt stratigraphy and geologic structures of eastern Umtanum Ridge have been mapped and studied in detail to help assess the feasibility of nuclear waste terminal storage on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. Eastern Umtanum Ridge is an asymmetric east-west-trending anticline of Columbia River basalt that plunges 5 degrees eastward into the Pasco Basin. Geologic mapping and determination of natural remanent magnetic polarity and chemical composition reveal that flows of the Pomona and Umatilla Members (Saddle Mountains Basalt), Priest Rapids and Frenchman Springs Members (Wanapum Basalt), and Grande Ronde Basalt were erupted as fairly uniform sheets. The Wahluke and Huntzinger flows (Saddle Mountains Basalt) fill a paleovalley cut into Wanapum Basalt. No evidence was found to indicate Quaternary-age movement on any structures in the map area. The basalt strata on the south limb of the Umtanum anticline display relatively little tectonic deformation since Miocene-Pliocene time. Thus, the buried south flank of Umtanum Ridge may provide an excellent location for a nuclear waste repository beneath the Hanford Site

Long-term characteristics of geological conditions in Japan. Pt. 1. Fundamental concept for future's prediction of geological conditions and the subjects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Kazuhiro; Chigira, Masahiro.

1997-01-01

It is very important to evaluate the long-term stability of geological conditions such as volcanic activity, uplift-subsidence, earthquakes, faulting and sea level change when the long-term safety performance of HLW geological disposal is investigated. We proposed the extrapolation method using the geological date obtained in the geologic time of the last 500 ka to predict the future's tectonic movements in Japan. Furthermore, we extract geological conditions that would affect the long-term safety of HLW geological disposal with regard to direct and indirect radionuclide release scenarios. As a result, it was concluded that volcanic activity and tectonic movements including faulting and uplift-subsidence, should be considered and their surveying system and evaluating method should be developed. (author)

Geology for a changing world 2010-2020-Implementing the U.S. Geological Survey science strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Gundersen, Linda C.S.; Belnap, Jayne; Goldhaber, Martin; Goldstein, Arthur; Haeussler, Peter J.; Ingebritsen, S.E.; Jones, John W.; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Thompson, Robert S.; Back, Judith M.

2011-01-01

This report describes a science strategy for the geologic activities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the years 2010-2020. It presents six goals with accompanying strategic actions and products that implement the science directions of USGS Circular 1309, 'Facing Tomorrow's Challenges-U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017.' These six goals focus on providing the geologic underpinning needed to wisely use our natural resources, understand and mitigate hazards and environmental change, and understand the relationship between humans and the environment. The goals emphasize the critical role of the USGS in providing long-term research, monitoring, and assessments for the Nation and the world. Further, they describe measures that must be undertaken to ensure geologic expertise and knowledge for the future. The natural science issues facing today's world are complex and cut across many scientific disciplines. The Earth is a system in which atmosphere, oceans, land, and life are all connected. Rocks and soils contain the answers to important questions about the origin of energy and mineral resources, the evolution of life, climate change, natural hazards, ecosystem structures and functions, and the movements of nutrients and toxicants. The science of geology has the power to help us understand the processes that link the physical and biological world so that we can model and forecast changes in the system. Ensuring the success of this strategy will require integration of geological knowledge with the other natural sciences and extensive collaboration across USGS science centers and with partners in Federal, State, and local agencies, academia, industry, nongovernmental organizations and, most importantly, the American public. The first four goals of this report describe the scientific issues facing society in the next 10 years and the actions and products needed to respond to these issues. The final two goals focus on the expertise and

Ontological Encoding of GeoSciML and INSPIRE geological standard vocabularies and schemas: application to geological mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardo, Vincenzo; Piana, Fabrizio; Mimmo, Dario; Fubelli, Giandomenico; Giardino, Marco

2016-04-01

Encoding of geologic knowledge in formal languages is an ambitious task, aiming at the interoperability and organic representation of geological data, and semantic characterization of geologic maps. Initiatives such as GeoScience Markup Language (last version is GeoSciML 4, 2015[1]) and INSPIRE "Data Specification on Geology" (an operative simplification of GeoSciML, last version is 3.0 rc3, 2013[2]), as well as the recent terminological shepherding of the Geoscience Terminology Working Group (GTWG[3]) have been promoting information exchange of the geologic knowledge. There have also been limited attempts to encode the knowledge in a machine-readable format, especially in the lithology domain (see e.g. the CGI_Lithology ontology[4]), but a comprehensive ontological model that connect the several knowledge sources is still lacking. This presentation concerns the "OntoGeonous" initiative, which aims at encoding the geologic knowledge, as expressed through the standard vocabularies, schemas and data models mentioned above, through a number of interlinked computational ontologies, based on the languages of the Semantic Web and the paradigm of Linked Open Data. The initiative proceeds in parallel with a concrete case study, concerning the setting up of a synthetic digital geological map of the Piemonte region (NW Italy), named "GEOPiemonteMap" (developed by the CNR Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, CNR IGG, Torino), where the description and classification of GeologicUnits has been supported by the modeling and implementation of the ontologies. We have devised a tripartite ontological model called OntoGeonous that consists of: 1) an ontology of the geologic features (in particular, GeologicUnit, GeomorphologicFeature, and GeologicStructure[5], modeled from the definitions and UML schemata of CGI vocabularies[6], GeoScienceML and INSPIRE, and aligned with the Planetary realm of NASA SWEET ontology[7]), 2) an ontology of the Earth materials (as defined by the

Thermoluminescence studies in geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sankaran, A.V.; Sunta, C.M.; Nambi, K.S.V.; Bapat, V.N.

1980-01-01

Even though the phenomenon of thermoluminescence is well studied, particularly over last 3 decades, its potentialities in the field of geology have not been adequately evaluated. In this report several useful applications of TL in mineralogy, petrogenesis, stratigraphy, tectonics, ore-prospecting and other branches have been identified with particular emphasis to the Indian scene. Important areas in the country that may provide the basic material for such studies are indicated at the end along with brief geological or mineralogical accounts. (auth.)

Advances in planetary geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-06-01

The surface of Mars displays a broad range of channel and valley features. There is as great a range in morphology as in scale. Some of the features of Martian geography are examined. Geomorphic mapping, crater counts on selected surfaces, and a detailed study of drainage basins are used to trace the geologic evolution of the Margaritifer Sinus Quandrangle. The layered deposits in the Valles Marineris are described in detail and the geologic processes that could have led to their formation are analyzed

Geologic Interpretation of Data Sets Collected by Planetary Analog Geology Traverses and by Standard Geologic Field Mapping. Part 1; A Comparison Study

Science.gov (United States)

Eppler, Dean B.; Bleacher, Jacob F.; Evans, Cynthia A.; Feng, Wanda; Gruener, John; Hurwitz, Debra M.; Skinner, J. A., Jr.; Whitson, Peggy; Janoiko, Barbara

2013-01-01

Geologic maps integrate the distributions, contacts, and compositions of rock and sediment bodies as a means to interpret local to regional formative histories. Applying terrestrial mapping techniques to other planets is challenging because data is collected primarily by orbiting instruments, with infrequent, spatiallylimited in situ human and robotic exploration. Although geologic maps developed using remote data sets and limited "Apollo-style" field access likely contain inaccuracies, the magnitude, type, and occurrence of these are only marginally understood. This project evaluates the interpretative and cartographic accuracy of both field- and remote-based mapping approaches by comparing two 1:24,000 scale geologic maps of the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF), north-central Arizona. The first map is based on traditional field mapping techniques, while the second is based on remote data sets, augmented with limited field observations collected during NASA Desert Research & Technology Studies (RATS) 2010 exercises. The RATS mission used Apollo-style methods not only for pre-mission traverse planning but also to conduct geologic sampling as part of science operation tests. Cross-comparison demonstrates that the Apollo-style map identifies many of the same rock units and determines a similar broad history as the field-based map. However, field mapping techniques allow markedly improved discrimination of map units, particularly unconsolidated surficial deposits, and recognize a more complex eruptive history than was possible using Apollo-style data. Further, the distribution of unconsolidated surface units was more obvious in the remote sensing data to the field team after conducting the fieldwork. The study raises questions about the most effective approach to balancing mission costs with the rate of knowledge capture, suggesting that there is an inflection point in the "knowledge capture curve" beyond which additional resource investment yields progressively

Bedrock Geologic Map of Woodstock, Vermont

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Digital Data from VG06-4 Thompson, P. J., 2006, Bedrock Geologic Map of Woodstock, Vermont: VGS Open-File Report VG06-4, scale 1:24,000. The bedrock geologic map...

Digital geologic map in the scale 1:50 000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kacer, S.; Antalik, M.

2005-01-01

In this presentation authors present preparation of new digital geologic map of the Slovak Republic. This map is prepared by the State Geological Institute of Dionyz Stur as a part of the project Geological information system GeoIS. One of the basic information geologic layers, which will be accessible on the web-site will be digital geologic map of the Slovak Republic in the scale 1: 50 000

Albedo Neutron Dosimetry in a Deep Geological Disposal Repository for High-Level Nuclear Waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Bo; Becker, Frank

2017-04-28

Albedo neutron dosemeter is the German official personal neutron dosemeter in mixed radiation fields where neutrons contribute to personal dose. In deep geological repositories for high-level nuclear waste, where neutrons can dominate the radiation field, it is of interest to investigate the performance of albedo neutron dosemeter in such facilities. In this study, the deep geological repository is represented by a shielding cask loaded with spent nuclear fuel placed inside a rock salt emplacement drift. Due to the backscattering of neutrons in the drift, issues concerning calibration of the dosemeter arise. Field-specific calibration of the albedo neutron dosemeter was hence performed with Monte Carlo simulations. In order to assess the applicability of the albedo neutron dosemeter in a deep geological repository over a long time scale, spent nuclear fuel with different ages of 50, 100 and 500 years were investigated. It was found out, that the neutron radiation field in a deep geological repository can be assigned to the application area 'N1' of the albedo neutron dosemeter, which is typical in reactors and accelerators with heavy shielding. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Radioactive waste disposal in geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gera, F.

1977-01-01

The nuclear energy controversy, now raging in several countries, is based on two main issues: the safety of nuclear plants and the possibility to dispose safely of the long-lived radioactive wastes. Consideration of the evolution of the hazard potential of waste in function of decay time leads to a somewhat conservative reference containment time in the order of one hundred thousand years. Several concepts have been proposed for the disposal of long-lived wastes. At the present time, emplacement into suitable geological formations under land areas can be considered the most promising disposal option. It is practically impossible to define detailed criteria to be followed in selecting suitable sites for disposal of long-lived wastes. Basically there is a single criterion, namely; that the geological environment must be able to contain the wastes for at least a hundred thousand years. However, due to the extreme variability of geological settings, it is conceivable that this basic capability could be provided by a great variety of different conditions. The predominant natural mechanism by which waste radionuclides could be moved from a sealed repository in a deep geological formation into the biosphere is leaching and transfer by ground water. Hence the greatest challenge is to give a satisfactory demonstration that isolation from ground water will persist over the required containment time. Since geological predictions are necessarily affected by fairly high levels of uncertainty, the only practical approach is not a straight-forward forecast of future geological events, but a careful assessment of the upper limits of geologic changes that could take place in the repository area over the next hundred thousand years. If waste containment were to survive these extreme geological changes the disposal site could be considered acceptable. If some release of activity were to take place in consequence of the hypothetical events the disposal solution might still be

Geologic sources of energy

Science.gov (United States)

Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Price, Raymond A.; Scholl, David W.; Stone, David B.

2017-01-01

This chapter describes the exploration, development, and geologic setting of petroleum resources (including tar sands), coal resources (including coalbed methane), and geothermal energy resources of the Northern Cordillera.For petroleum resources, the chapter describes: (1) the history of petroleum development and production, first for Alaska and then for the Canadian Cordillera; and (2) generalized basin analysis geologic settings for the six major petroleum basins that are illustrated in summary maps and cross sections. Subsequent sections of the chapter describe the nature and geologic setting of tar sand resources, geothermal energy resources, and coal resources. The area distribution of the energy resources of the region are depicted in the Energy Resources Map that has multiple layers that can be displayed in various arrangements. Employing this map in a separate window while reading the text will be greatly beneficial. Many geographic names are employed in the descriptions throughout this chapter. While reading this chapter, viewing the Geographic Regions Layer of the Energy Resources Map, as needed, will be valuable.

GDA (Geologic Data Assistant), an ArcPad extension for geologic mapping: code, prerequisites, and instructions

Science.gov (United States)

,

2006-01-01

GDA (Geologic Data Assistant) is an extension to ArcPad, a mobile mapping software program by Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) designed to run on personal digital assistant (PDA) computers. GDA and ArcPad allow a PDA to replace the paper notebook and field map traditionally used for geologic mapping. GDA allows easy collection of field data.

Study on radon geological potential of Beijing city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qingcheng; Wu Xinmin; Liu Yujuan; Yang Yaxin; Zhang Ye

2009-01-01

According to elemental geochemistry in Beijing, the uranium content in the area was measured, and distribution of radon concentration was predicted. Based on the uranium-radium equilibrium coefficient, porosity and diffusion coefficient, which were either measured or calculated, the radon geological potential of Beijing city was studied using γ-ray spectroscopy or mass spectroscopy and certain models were used to calculate the relation between radon geological potential and lithology and geological structure. The results showed that radon geological potential of Beijing city could be divided into four zones, tend of every zone coincides with the main structure, and the potential values nearly relate with geological factors. (authors)

Geologic Field Database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarina Hribernik

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to present the field data relational database, which was compiled from data, gathered during thirty years of fieldwork on the Basic Geologic Map of Slovenia in scale1:100.000. The database was created using MS Access software. The MS Access environment ensures its stability and effective operation despite changing, searching, and updating the data. It also enables faster and easier user-friendly access to the field data. Last but not least, in the long-term, with the data transferred into the GISenvironment, it will provide the basis for the sound geologic information system that will satisfy a broad spectrum of geologists’ needs.

Constructing a large-scale 3D Geologic Model for Analysis of the Non-Proliferation Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagoner, J; Myers, S

2008-04-09

We have constructed a regional 3D geologic model of the southern Great Basin, in support of a seismic wave propagation investigation of the 1993 Nonproliferation Experiment (NPE) at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The model is centered on the NPE and spans longitude -119.5{sup o} to -112.6{sup o} and latitude 34.5{sup o} to 39.8{sup o}; the depth ranges from the topographic surface to 150 km below sea level. The model includes the southern half of Nevada, as well as parts of eastern California, western Utah, and a portion of northwestern Arizona. The upper crust is constrained by both geologic and geophysical studies, while the lower crust and upper mantle are constrained by geophysical studies. The mapped upper crustal geologic units are Quaternary basin fill, Tertiary deposits, pre-Tertiary deposits, intrusive rocks of all ages, and calderas. The lower crust and upper mantle are parameterized with 5 layers, including the Moho. Detailed geologic data, including surface maps, borehole data, and geophysical surveys, were used to define the geology at the NTS. Digital geologic outcrop data were available for both Nevada and Arizona, whereas geologic maps for California and Utah were scanned and hand-digitized. Published gravity data (2km spacing) were used to determine the thickness of the Cenozoic deposits and thus estimate the depth of the basins. The free surface is based on a 10m lateral resolution DEM at the NTS and a 90m lateral resolution DEM elsewhere. Variations in crustal thickness are based on receiver function analysis and a framework compilation of reflection/refraction studies. We used Earthvision (Dynamic Graphics, Inc.) to integrate the geologic and geophysical information into a model of x,y,z,p nodes, where p is a unique integer index value representing the geologic unit. For seismic studies, the geologic units are mapped to specific seismic velocities. The gross geophysical structure of the crust and upper mantle is taken from regional surface

Study on geologic structure of hydrogenic deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The problem of studying geologic structure of hydrogenic uranium deposits developed by underground leaching (UL), is elucidated. Geologic maps of the surface are used to characterize engineering and geologic conditions. Main geologoic papers are maps drawn up according to boring data. For total geologic characteristic of the deposit 3 types of maps are usually drawn up: structural maps of isohypses or isodepths, lithologic-facies maps on the horizon and rhythm, and maps of epigenetic alterations (geochemmcal). Besides maps systems of sections are drawn up. Problems of studying lithologic-facies and geohemical peculiarities of deposits, epigenotic alterations, substance composition of ores and enclosing rocks, documentation and core sampting, are considered in details

Constructing a Geology Ontology Using a Relational Database

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, W.; Yang, L.; Yin, S.; Ye, J.; Clarke, K.

2013-12-01

In geology community, the creation of a common geology ontology has become a useful means to solve problems of data integration, knowledge transformation and the interoperation of multi-source, heterogeneous and multiple scale geological data. Currently, human-computer interaction methods and relational database-based methods are the primary ontology construction methods. Some human-computer interaction methods such as the Geo-rule based method, the ontology life cycle method and the module design method have been proposed for applied geological ontologies. Essentially, the relational database-based method is a reverse engineering of abstracted semantic information from an existing database. The key is to construct rules for the transformation of database entities into the ontology. Relative to the human-computer interaction method, relational database-based methods can use existing resources and the stated semantic relationships among geological entities. However, two problems challenge the development and application. One is the transformation of multiple inheritances and nested relationships and their representation in an ontology. The other is that most of these methods do not measure the semantic retention of the transformation process. In this study, we focused on constructing a rule set to convert the semantics in a geological database into a geological ontology. According to the relational schema of a geological database, a conversion approach is presented to convert a geological spatial database to an OWL-based geological ontology, which is based on identifying semantics such as entities, relationships, inheritance relationships, nested relationships and cluster relationships. The semantic integrity of the transformation was verified using an inverse mapping process. In a geological ontology, an inheritance and union operations between superclass and subclass were used to present the nested relationship in a geochronology and the multiple inheritances

Resources for Teaching About Evolution from the U.S. Geological Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, L. C.

2001-12-01

As a scientific research agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is in an ideal position to provide scientific information and resources to educators. The USGS is not a curriculum developer, nor an expert in pedagogy, yet the USGS does have a wealth of scientific information on subjects such as fossils, geologic time, biological resources and plate tectonics that naturally come in to play in the teaching of evolution. Among USGS resources are the general interest pamphlets Geologic Time, Dinosaurs: Facts And Fiction, Our Changing Continent, and Fossils Rocks, and Time, and its accompanying poster, Fossils Through Time. In addition to printed versions, the pamphlets are available at no cost on the Internet at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/. The popular booklet, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html, touches on evolution-related subjects such as Alfred Wegener's use of fossils to develop his theory of continental drift, "polar" dinosaur fossils found in Australia, marine fossils in the rocks of the Himalayas, and the use of fossil ages to determine rates of plate motions. Paleontological research at the USGS is highlighted on the Internet at http://geology.er.usgs.gov/paleo/. The web site includes links to technical publications, profiles of scientists, a geologic time scale, a glossary, information on important fossil groups, and a list of non-USGS references on fossils: all very useful to educators. A wealth of biological information and data can be found in the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), a multi-agency collaborative program led by the USGS. In addition to data on the Nation's biological resources, the NBII web site http://www.nbii.gov/ includes a section on systematics and scientific names (helpful for illustrating the evolutionary relationships among living organisms), and links to non-USGS curriculum materials. A fact sheet, Unveiling the NBII as a Teaching

Geologic hazards in the region of the Hurricane fault

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, W.R.

1997-01-01

common in southwestern Utah where it has damaged roads, canal embankments, and water-retention structures. Several unexplained sinkholes near the town of Hurricane possibly are the result of collapse of subsurface volcanic features. Geologic formations associated with slope failures along or near the Hurricane fault include rocks of both Mesozoic and Tertiary age. Numerous landslides are present in these materials along the Hurricane Cliffs, and the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation is commonly associated with slope failures where it crops out in the St. George Basin. Steep slopes and numerous areas of exposed bedrock make rock fall a hazard in the St. George Basin. Debris flows and debris floods in narrow canyons and on alluvial fans often accompany intense summer cloudburst thunderstorms. Flooded basements and foundation problems associated with shallow ground water are common on benches north of the Santa Clara River in the city of Santa Clara. Stream flooding is the most frequently occurring and destructive geologic hazard in southwestern Utah. Since the 1850s, there have been three major riverine (regional) floods and more than 300 damaging flash floods. Although a variety of flood control measures have been implemented, continued rapid growth in the region is again increasing vulnerability to flood hazards. Site-specific studies to evaluate geologic hazards and identify hazard-reduction measures are recommended prior to construction to reduce the need for costly repair, maintenance, or replacement of improperly placed or protected facilities.

Geologic map of Big Bend National Park, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Kenzie J.; Berry, Margaret E.; Page, William R.; Lehman, Thomas M.; Bohannon, Robert G.; Scott, Robert B.; Miggins, Daniel P.; Budahn, James R.; Cooper, Roger W.; Drenth, Benjamin J.; Anderson, Eric D.; Williams, Van S.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this map is to provide the National Park Service and the public with an updated digital geologic map of Big Bend National Park (BBNP). The geologic map report of Maxwell and others (1967) provides a fully comprehensive account of the important volcanic, structural, geomorphological, and paleontological features that define BBNP. However, the map is on a geographically distorted planimetric base and lacks topography, which has caused difficulty in conducting GIS-based data analyses and georeferencing the many geologic features investigated and depicted on the map. In addition, the map is outdated, excluding significant data from numerous studies that have been carried out since its publication more than 40 years ago. This report includes a modern digital geologic map that can be utilized with standard GIS applications to aid BBNP researchers in geologic data analysis, natural resource and ecosystem management, monitoring, assessment, inventory activities, and educational and recreational uses. The digital map incorporates new data, many revisions, and greater detail than the original map. Although some geologic issues remain unresolved for BBNP, the updated map serves as a foundation for addressing those issues. Funding for the Big Bend National Park geologic map was provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program and the National Park Service. The Big Bend mapping project was administered by staff in the USGS Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, Colo. Members of the USGS Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center completed investigations in parallel with the geologic mapping project. Results of these investigations addressed some significant current issues in BBNP and the U.S.-Mexico border region, including contaminants and human health, ecosystems, and water resources. Funding for the high-resolution aeromagnetic survey in BBNP, and associated data analyses and

Canadian geologic isolation program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyne, P.J.

1976-01-01

The Canadian geologic isolation program is directed at examining the potential of (1) salt deposits and (2) hard rock as repositories for radioactive wastes. It was felt essential from the inception that alternative host rocks be evaluated over a fairly large geographical area. The studies on salt deposits to date are based on existing geological information and have identified the areas that show some potential and merit further study. The factors considered include depth, thickness and purity of the deposit, overlying aquifers, and the potential for gas and oil exploration as well as potash recovery. The studies on hard rock are restricted to plutonic igneous rocks in the Ontario part of the Canadian Shield. Because geological information on their nature and extent is sparse, the study is limited to bodies that are well exposed and for which information is available.for which information is available. Field studies in the next two seasons are aimed at mapping the fault and joint patterns and defining the geologic controls on their development. In 1977 and 1978, two or three of the more favorable sites will be mapped in greater detail, and an exploratory drilling program will be established to determine the extent of fracturing at depth and the hydrology of these fractures. Conceptual designs of mined repositories in hard rock are also being made with the hope of identifying, at an early stage in this program, special problems in hard-rock repositories that may require development and study

Geology and Design: Formal and Rational Connections

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksson, S. C.; Brewer, J.

2016-12-01

Geological forms and the manmade environment have always been inextricably linked. From the time that Upper Paleolithic man created drawings in the Lascaux Caves in the southwest of France, geology has provided a critical and dramatic spoil for human creativity. This inspiration has manifested itself in many different ways, and the history of architecture is rife with examples of geologically derived buildings. During the early 20th Century, German Expressionist art and architecture was heavily influenced by the natural and often translucent quality of minerals. Architects like Bruno Taut drew and built crystalline forms that would go on to inspire the more restrained Bauhaus movement. Even within the context of Contemporary architecture, geology has been a fertile source for inspiration. Architectural practices across the globe leverage the rationality and grounding found in geology to inform a process that is otherwise dominated by computer-driven parametric design. The connection between advanced design technology and the beautifully realized geo natural forms insures that geology will be a relevant source of architectural inspiration well into the 21st century. The sometimes hidden relationship of geology to the various sub-disciplines of Design such as Architecture, Interiors, Landscape Architecture, and Historic Preservation is explored in relation to curriculum and the practice of design. Topics such as materials, form, history, the cultural and physical landscape, natural hazards, and global design enrich and inform curriculum across the college. Commonly, these help define place-based education.

Radiometic methods in geologic age determination. 2. rev. ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wendt, I.; Schoell, M.

1986-01-01

This book is to furnish geoscientists with an overview of the common methods of radiometric age determination, their bases and spheres of application. The first chapters outline the theoretical basis of the procedure in readily understandable form. This presentation omits complicated mathematical derivations in favour of illustrative graphs. The application of the different methods and interpretation of the results are discussed with reference to practical examples. (orig./PW) [de

Planetary geology

CERN Document Server

Gasselt, Stephan

2018-01-01

This book provides an up-to-date interdisciplinary geoscience-focused overview of solid solar system bodies and their evolution, based on the comparative description of processes acting on them. Planetary research today is a strongly multidisciplinary endeavor with efforts coming from engineering and natural sciences. Key focal areas of study are the solid surfaces found in our Solar System. Some have a direct interaction with the interplanetary medium and others have dynamic atmospheres. In any of those cases, the geological records of those surfaces (and sub-surfaces) are key to understanding the Solar System as a whole: its evolution and the planetary perspective of our own planet. This book has a modular structure and is divided into 4 sections comprising 15 chapters in total. Each section builds upon the previous one but is also self-standing. The sections are:  Methods and tools Processes and Sources  Integration and Geological Syntheses Frontiers The latter covers the far-reaching broad topics of exo...

Geologic and well-construction data for the H-10 borehole complex near the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, southeastern New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, J.G.; Drellack, S.L. Jr.

1983-01-01

The H-10 borehole complex, a group of three closely spaced boreholes, is located 4 miles southeast of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in west-central Lea County, New Mexico. The holes were drilled during August and October 1979 to obtain geologic and hydrologic data to better define the regional ground-water-flow system. The geologic data presented in this report are part of a site-characterization study for the possible storage of defense-associated radioactive wastes within salt beds of the Salado Formation of Permian age. The geologic data include detailed descriptions of cores, cuttings, and geophysical logs. Each borehole was designed to penetrate a distinct water-bearing zone: H-10a (total depth 1318 feet) was completed just below the Magenta Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation of Permian age; H-10b (total depth 1398 feet) was completed just below the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation; and H-10c (total depth 1538 feet) was completed below the Rustler Formation-Salado Formation contact. The geologic units penetrated in borehole H-10c are surficial alluvium and eolian sand of Holocene age (0 to 5 feet); the Mescalero caliche (5 to 9 feet) and the Gatuna Formation (9 to 90 feet) of Pleistocene age: formations in the Dockum Group (Chinle Formation, 90 to 482 feet and Santa Rosa Sandstone, 482 to 658 feet) of Late Triassic age; and the Dewey Lake Red Beds (658 to 1204 feet), the Rustler Formation (1204 to 1501 feet), and part of the Salado Formation (1501 to 1538 feet), all of Permian age. The sections of the Rustler and Salado Formations penetrated by borehole H-10c are complete and contain little or no evidence of dissolution of halite and associated rocks, indicating that the eastward-moving dissolution within the Rustler or on top of the Salado, found west of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, has not reached the H-10 site

36 CFR 902.59 - Geological and geophysical information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Geological and geophysical information. 902.59 Section 902.59 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE DEVELOPMENT... Geological and geophysical information. Any geological or geophysical information and data (including maps...

Uruguayan South Geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillemain, H.

1980-01-01

This monograph is about the sedimentary geological formation in the southern of Uruguay. According to the previous Gondwana studies there are several concordances between the Uruguayan and Brazilian ground.

Semantics-informed cartography: the case of Piemonte Geological Map

Science.gov (United States)

Piana, Fabrizio; Lombardo, Vincenzo; Mimmo, Dario; Giardino, Marco; Fubelli, Giandomenico

2016-04-01

In modern digital geological maps, namely those supported by a large geo-database and devoted to dynamical, interactive representation on WMS-WebGIS services, there is the need to provide, in an explicit form, the geological assumptions used for the design and compilation of the database of the Map, and to get a definition and/or adoption of semantic representation and taxonomies, in order to achieve a formal and interoperable representation of the geologic knowledge. These approaches are fundamental for the integration and harmonisation of geological information and services across cultural (e.g. different scientific disciplines) and/or physical barriers (e.g. administrative boundaries). Initiatives such as GeoScience Markup Language (last version is GeoSciML 4.0, 2015, http://www.geosciml.org) and the INSPIRE "Data Specification on Geology" http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/Data_Specifications/INSPIRE_DataSpecification_GE_v3.0rc3.pdf (an operative simplification of GeoSciML, last version is 3.0 rc3, 2013), as well as the recent terminological shepherding of the Geoscience Terminology Working Group (GTWG) have been promoting information exchange of the geologic knowledge. Grounded on these standard vocabularies, schemas and data models, we provide a shared semantic classification of geological data referring to the study case of the synthetic digital geological map of the Piemonte region (NW Italy), named "GEOPiemonteMap", developed by the CNR Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Torino (CNR IGG TO) and hosted as a dynamical interactive map on the geoportal of ARPA Piemonte Environmental Agency. The Piemonte Geological Map is grounded on a regional-scale geo-database consisting of some hundreds of GeologicUnits whose thousands instances (Mapped Features, polygons geometry) widely occur in Piemonte region, and each one is bounded by GeologicStructures (Mapped Features, line geometry). GeologicUnits and GeologicStructures have been spatially

The geologic evolution of the planet Mars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masson, P.

1982-01-01

A brief summary of our knowledge on the Martian geology is presented here based on the results published by the members of Mariner 9 and Viking Orbiter Imaging Teams, the NASA Planetary Geology Principal Investigators and the scientists involved in the Mars Data Analysis Program. A special emphasis is given to the geologic evolution (volcanism and tectonism) related to our knowledge on the internal structure of the planet

Safety assessment of HLW geological disposal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naito, Morimasa

2006-01-01

In accordance with the Japanese nuclear program, the liquid waste with a high level of radioactivity arising from reprocessing is solidified in a stable glass matrix (vitrification) in stainless steel fabrication containers. The vitrified waste is referred to as high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and is characterized by very high initial radioactivity which, even though it decreases with time, presents a potential long-term risk. It is therefore necessary to thoroughly manage HLW from human and his environment. After vitrification, HLW is stored for a period of 30 to 50 years to allow cooling, and finally disposed of in a stable geological environment at depths greater than 300 m below surface. The deep underground environment, in general, is considered to be stable over geological timescales compared with surface environment. By selecting an appropriate disposal site, therefore, it is considered to be feasible to isolate the waste in the repository from man and his environment until such time as radioactivity levels have decayed to insignificance. The concept of geological disposal in Japan is similar to that in other countries, being based on a multibarrier system which combines the natural geological environment with engineered barriers. It should be noted that geological disposal concept is based on a passive safety system that does not require any institutional control for assuring long term environmental safety. To demonstrate feasibility of safe HLW repository concept in Japan, following technical steps are essential. Selection of a geological environment which is sufficiently stable for disposal (site selection). Design and installation of the engineered barrier system in a stable geological environment (engineering measures). Confirmation of the safety of the constructed geological disposal system (safety assessment). For site selection, particular consideration is given to the long-term stability of the geological environment taking into account the fact

Geologic mapping of Northern Atla Regio on Venus: Preliminary data

Science.gov (United States)

Nikishin, A. M.; Burba, G. A.

1993-01-01

The Northern part of Atla Regio within the frame of C1-formate Magellan photo map 15N197 was mapped geologically at scale 1:8,000,000. This is a part of Russia's contribution into C1 geologic mapping efforts. The map is reproduced here being reduced about twice. The map shows that the Northern Atla area is predominantly a volcanic plain with numerous volcanic features: shield volcanoes, domes and hills with various morphology, corona-like constructions, radar bright and dark spots often with flow-like outlines. Relatively small areas of tessera occurred in the area are mainly semi-flooded with the plain material. Tesserae are considered to be the oldest terrains within the map sheet. There are many lineated terrains in the region. They are interpreted as the old, almost-buried tesserae (those with crossed lineaments) or partly buried ridge belts (those with parallel lineaments). These lineated terrains have an intermediate age between the young volcanic plains and the old tessera areas. Two prominent high volcanic shields are located within the region - Ozza Mons and Sapas Mona. The most prominent structure in Northern Atla is Ganis Chasma rift. The rift cuts volcanic plain and is considered to be under formation during approximately the same time with Ozza Mons shield. Ganis Chasma rift valley is highly fractured and bounded with fault scarps. Rift shoulder uplifts are typical for Ganis Chasma. There are few relatively young volcanic features inside the rift valley. The analysis of fracturing and rift valley geometry shows the rift originated due to 5-10 percent crustal extention followed by the crustal subsidence. The age sequence summary for the main terrain types in the region is (from older to younger ones): tesserae; lineated terrains with crossed lineaments; lineated terrains with parallel lineaments; volcanic plains; and prominent volcanic shields and Ganis Chasma rift valley. The geologic structure of Atla Regio as it appeared now with the Magellan high

25 CFR 211.56 - Geological and geophysical permits.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Geological and geophysical permits. 211.56 Section 211.56... FOR MINERAL DEVELOPMENT Rents, Royalties, Cancellations and Appeals § 211.56 Geological and geophysical permits. Permits to conduct geological and geophysical operations on Indian lands which do not...

Hydromechanical coupling in geologic processes

Science.gov (United States)

Neuzil, C.E.

2003-01-01

Earth's porous crust and the fluids within it are intimately linked through their mechanical effects on each other. This paper presents an overview of such "hydromechanical" coupling and examines current understanding of its role in geologic processes. An outline of the theory of hydromechanics and rheological models for geologic deformation is included to place various analytical approaches in proper context and to provide an introduction to this broad topic for nonspecialists. Effects of hydromechanical coupling are ubiquitous in geology, and can be local and short-lived or regional and very long-lived. Phenomena such as deposition and erosion, tectonism, seismicity, earth tides, and barometric loading produce strains that tend to alter fluid pressure. Resulting pressure perturbations can be dramatic, and many so-called "anomalous" pressures appear to have been created in this manner. The effects of fluid pressure on crustal mechanics are also profound. Geologic media deform and fail largely in response to effective stress, or total stress minus fluid pressure. As a result, fluid pressures control compaction, decompaction, and other types of deformation, as well as jointing, shear failure, and shear slippage, including events that generate earthquakes. By controlling deformation and failure, fluid pressures also regulate states of stress in the upper crust. Advances in the last 80 years, including theories of consolidation, transient groundwater flow, and poroelasticity, have been synthesized into a reasonably complete conceptual framework for understanding and describing hydromechanical coupling. Full coupling in two or three dimensions is described using force balance equations for deformation coupled with a mass conservation equation for fluid flow. Fully coupled analyses allow hypothesis testing and conceptual model development. However, rigorous application of full coupling is often difficult because (1) the rheological behavior of geologic media is complex

WIPP site and vicinity geological field trip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaturvedi, L.

1980-10-01

The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) is conducting an assessment of the radiological health risks to people from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). As a part of this work, EEG is making an effort to improve the understanding of those geological issues concerning the WIPP site which may affect the radiological consequences of the proposed repository. One of the important geological issues to be resolved is the timing and the nature of the dissolution processes which may have affected the WIPP site. EEG organized a two-day conference of geological scientists, titled Geotechnical Considerations for Radiological Hazard Assessment of WIPP on January 17-18, 1980. During this conference, it was realized that a field trip to the site would further clarify the different views on the geological processes active at the site. The field trip of June 16-18, 1980 was organized for this purpose. This report provides a summary of the field trip activities along with the participants post field trip comments. Important field stops are briefly described, followed by a more detailed discussion of critical geological issues. The report concludes with EEG's summary and recommendations to the US Department of Energy for further information needed to more adequately resolve concerns for the geologic and hydrologic integrity of the site

The development of safeguards for geological repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Meer, K.

2009-01-01

Traditionally, research and development on geological repositories for High Level Waste (HLW) focuses on the short- and long-term safety aspects of the repository. If the repository will also be used for the disposal of spent fuel, safeguards aspects have to be taken into account. Safety and safeguards requirements may be contradictory; the safety of a geological repository is based on the non-intrusion of the geological containment, while safeguards require regular inspections of position and amount of the spent fuel. Examples to reconcile these contradictory requirements are the use of information required for the safety assessment of the geological repository for safeguards purposes and the adaptation of the safeguards approach to use non-intrusive inspection techniques. The principles of an inspection approach for a geological repository are now generally accepted within the IAEA. The practical applicability of the envisaged inspection techniques is still subject to investigation. It is specifically important for the Belgian situation that an inspection technique can be used in clay, the geological medium in which Belgium intends to dispose its HLW and spent fuel. The work reported in this chapter is the result of an international cooperation in the framework of the IAEA, in which SCK-CEN participates

Surficial Geologic Map of the Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky, Area

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, David W.; Lundstrom, Scott C.; Counts, Ronald C.; Martin, Steven L.; Andrews, William M.; Newell, Wayne L.; Murphy, Michael L.; Thompson, Mark F.; Taylor, Emily M.; Kvale, Erik P.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2009-01-01

The geologic map of the Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky, area depicts and describes surficial deposits according to their origin and age. Unconsolidated alluvium and outwash fill the Ohio River bedrock valley and attain maximum thickness of 33-39 m under Diamond Island, Kentucky, and Griffith Slough, south of Newburgh, Indiana. The fill is chiefly unconsolidated, fine- to medium-grained, lithic quartz sand, interbedded with clay, clayey silt, silt, coarse sand, granules, and gravel. Generally, the valley fill fines upward from the buried bedrock surface: a lower part being gravelly sand to sandy gravel, a middle part mostly of sand, and a surficial veneer of silt and clay interspersed with sandy, natural levee deposits at river's edge. Beneath the unconsolidated fill are buried and discontinuous, lesser amounts of consolidated fill unconformably overlying the buried bedrock surface. Most of the glaciofluvial valley fill accumulated during the Wisconsin Episode (late Pleistocene). Other units depicted on the map include creek alluvium, slackwater lake (lacustrine) deposits, colluvium, dune sand, loess, and sparse bedrock outcrops. Creek alluvium underlies creek floodplains and consists of silt, clayey silt, and subordinate interbedded fine sand, granules, and pebbles. Lenses and beds of clay are present locally. Silty and clayey slackwater lake (lacustrine) deposits extensively underlie broad flats northeast of Evansville and around Henderson and are as thick as 28 m. Fossil wood collected from an auger hole in the lake and alluvial deposits of Little Creek, at depths of 10.6 m and 6.4 m, are dated 16,650+-50 and 11,120+-40 radiocarbon years, respectively. Fossil wood collected from lake sediment 16 m below the surface in lake sediment was dated 33,100+-590 radiocarbon years. Covering the hilly bedrock upland is loess (Qel), 3-7.5 m thick in Indiana and 9-15 m thick in Kentucky, deposited about 22,000-12,000 years before present. Most mapped surficial

Status and development of deep geological repository in Slovak republic from geological point of view

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jozef Franzen

2007-01-01

Full Text Available During the operation of Slovak NPPs, production of approximately 2,300 metric tons of spent fuel expressed as heavy metal (18,654 spent fuel assemblies is expected. In addition, about 5000 metric tons of radioactive waste unfit for near surface repository at Mochovce and destined for a deep geological disposal. The safe and long-term solution of back-end fuel cycle is so highly required.One of the most favorable solutions is Deep Geological Repository (DGR. The site for a DGR, along with repository design and the engineered barrier system must ensure long-term safety of the disposal system.A preliminary set of site-selection criteria for a DGR was proposed in Slovakia, based on worldwide experience and consistent with IAEA recommendations. Main groups of criteria are: 1 geological and tectonic stability of prospective sites; 2 appropriate characteristics of host rock (lithological homogeneity, suitable hydrogeological and geochemical conditions, favourable geotechnical setting, absence of mineral resources, etc.; 3 conflict of interests (natural resources, natural and cultural heritage, protected resources of thermal waters, etc..Based on the previous geological investigations, three distinct areas (five localities were determined as the most prospective sites for construction of a DGR so far. Three of them are built by granitoids rock (Tribeč Mts., Veporske vrchy Mts. and Stolicke vrchy Mts., other consist of sedimentary rock formations (Cerova vrchovina Upland and Rimavska kotlina Basin. Objective for the next investigation stage is to perform more detailed geological characterization of the prospective sites.

The Study of Groundwater Age in Semarang Area Considering Beta Activityof Tritium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

F, Wisjachudin; Agus-Sulistiyono; Fajar-Budi Haendrapratikto

2000-01-01

The groundwater age in Semarang regency, they are Genuk, Pedurungan,North Semarang, Urban Semarang, Mijen, Mangkang, Manyaran, Tembalang, Sekaranconsidering tritium content inside has been done. Tritium content ingroundwater given pretreatment that is enriching tritium content usingsynthesize technique by benzene synthesizer (H 2 O converted into C 6 H 6 ).Tritium activity in C 6 H 6 was analyzed using liquid scintillation counterPackard 2000 CA/LL. Optimum condition of volume ratio between cocktail(picofluor) and sample solution is reached ratio of 10 : 10. Efficiencydetection (ε) = 42.16 %, while merit factor = 1.981.10 5 . From twolocations that can be detected show that analysis on groundwater age onManyaran location (damar formation) is younger than Urban Semarang (alluviumsediment), which is match to geological analysis considering geological layershows that on geology layer of volcanic breksi layer is younger than damarformation area and the oldest is the alluvium sediment area. (author)

25 CFR 212.56 - Geological and geophysical permits.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Geological and geophysical permits. 212.56 Section 212.56... FOR MINERAL DEVELOPMENT Rents, Royalties, Cancellations, and Appeals § 212.56 Geological and geophysical permits. (a) Permits to conduct geological and geophysical operations on Indian lands which do not...

Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii: Geological hazards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staub, W.P.; Reed, R.M.

1995-03-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on geologic hazards during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. The US Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice withdrawing its Notice of Intent to prepare the HGP-EIS. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. This report presents a review of current information on geologic hazards in the Hawaiian Islands. Interrelationships among these hazards are discussed. Probabilities of occurrence of given geologic hazards are provided in various regions where sufficient geologic or historical data are available. Most of the information contained herein is compiled from recent US Geological Survey (USGS) publications and USGS open-file reports related to this project. This report describes the natural geologic hazards present in the area and does not represent an assessment of environmental impacts. Geologic hazards originate both onshore and offshore. Onshore geologic hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, surface rupture, landslides, uplift and subsidence occur mainly on the southern third of the island of Hawaii (hereinafter referred to as Hawaii). Offshore geologic hazards are more widely distributed throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Examples of offshore geologic hazards are submarine landslides, turbidity currents, and seismic sea waves (tsunamis).

Assessment of effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems. The development and application of a geologic simulation model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foley, M.G.; Petrie, G.M.

1982-03-01

The Geologic Simulation Model (GSM) developed under the Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) project at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Department of Energy is a quasi-deterministic process-response model which simulates the development of the geologic and hydrologic systems of a ground-water basin for a million years into the future. Effects of natural processes on the ground-water hydrologic system are modeled principally by rate equations. The combined effects and synergistic interactions of different processes are approximated by linear superposition of their effects during discrete time intervals in a stepwise-integration approach. The completed AEGIS GSM was used to generate 500 Monte Carlo simulations of the behavior of the geologic/hydrologic system affecting a hypothetical repository in the Pasco Basin over the next million years. These simulations used data which were not subjected to a review adequate to the needs of a real site performance assessment. However, the general care used in generating the data, and the overall behavior of the GSM suggest that the results are plausible at this time

Preliminary geologic map of the Fontana 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Douglas M.; Digital preparation by Bovard, Kelly R.

2003-01-01

Open-File Report 03-418 is a digital geologic data set that maps and describes the geology of the Fontana 7.5’ quadrangle, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California. The Fontana quadrangle database is one of several 7.5’ quadrangle databases that are being produced by the Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP). These maps and databases are, in turn, part of the nation-wide digital geologic map coverage being developed by the National Cooperative Geologic Map Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). General Open-File Report 03-418 contains a digital geologic map database of the Fontana 7.5’ quadrangle, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various elements of the geologic map. 2. A Postscript file (fon_map.ps) to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram (CMU), a Description of Map Units (DMU), and an index map. 3. An Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file (fon_grey.eps) created in Adobe Illustrator 10.0 to plot the geologic map on a grey topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units (CMU), a Description of Map Units (DMU), and an index map. 4. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. the Readme file; includes in Appendix I, data contained in fon_met.txt b. The same graphics as plotted in 2 and 3 above.Test plots have not produced precise 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat page size setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Where known, grain size is indicated on the map by a subscripted letter or letters following

Unraveling African plate structure from elevation, geoid and geology data

Science.gov (United States)

Chardon, Dominique; Bajolet, Flora; Robert, Alexandra; Rouby, Delphine

2014-05-01

The aim of our project is to simulate the long-wavelength, flexural isostatic response of the African plate to sediment transfers due to Meso-Cenozoic erosion - deposition processes in order to extract the residual topography driven by mantle dynamics. Our work will be based on the reconstruction and subtraction of two continental-scale erosional-depositional surfaces of Eocene and Late Cretaceous ages and their offshore extensions. The first step of our project consists in computing crustal and lithospheric maps of the African plate considering its various crustal geological components (cratons, mobile belts, basins, rifts and passive margins of various ages and strengths). In order to consider these heterogeneities, we compute a 2D distribution of crustal densities and thermal parameters from geological data and use it as an input of our modeling. We combine elevation and geoid anomaly data using a thermal analysis, following the method of Fullea et al. (2007) in order to map crustal and lithospheric thicknesses. In this approach, we assume local isostasy and consider a four-layer model made of crust and lithospheric mantle plus seawater and asthenosphere. In addition, we compare our results with crustal thickness datasets compiled from bibliography, existing global models such as CRUST 1.0, and tomographic lithospheric models. The obtained crustal thicknesses range from 30 to 45km, with the thickest crust confined to the northern part of the West African Craton, the Kaapvaal craton, and the Congo cuvette. The crust in the East African Rift appears unrealistically thick (40-45 km) as it is not isotatically compensated, highlighting the dynamic effect of the African superswell. The thinnest crust (30-35km) follows a central East-West trend coinciding with Cretaceous rifts and the Cameroon volcanic line. Pan-African mobile belts yield intermediate values of ca. 35-40 km. The lithosphere reaches 250 km beneath cratons, but remains globally thin (ca. 150-180 km

Internet-based information system of digital geological data providing

Science.gov (United States)

Yuon, Egor; Soukhanov, Mikhail; Markov, Kirill

2015-04-01

One of the Russian Federal аgency of mineral resources problems is to provide the geological information which was delivered during the field operation for the means of federal budget. This information should be present in the current, conditional form. Before, the leading way of presenting geological information were paper geological maps, slices, borehole diagrams reports etc. Technologies of database construction, including distributed databases, technologies of construction of distributed information-analytical systems and Internet-technologies are intensively developing nowadays. Most of geological organizations create their own information systems without any possibility of integration into other systems of the same orientation. In 2012, specialists of VNIIgeosystem together with specialists of VSEGEI started the large project - creating the system of providing digital geological materials with using modern and perspective internet-technologies. The system is based on the web-server and the set of special programs, which allows users to efficiently get rasterized and vectorised geological materials. These materials are: geological maps of scale 1:1M, geological maps of scale 1:200 000 and 1:2 500 000, the fragments of seamless geological 1:1M maps, structural zoning maps inside the seamless fragments, the legends for State geological maps 1:200 000 and 1:1 000 000, full author's set of maps and also current materials for international projects «Atlas of geological maps for Circumpolar Arctic scale 1:5 000 000» and «Atlas of Geologic maps of central Asia and adjacent areas scale 1:2 500 000». The most interesting and functional block of the system - is the block of providing structured and well-formalized geological vector materials, based on Gosgeolkart database (NGKIS), managed by Oracle and the Internet-access is supported by web-subsystem NGKIS, which is currently based on MGS-Framework platform, developed by VNIIgeosystem. One of the leading elements

Economic geology of the Bingham mining district, Utah, with a section on areal geology, and an introduction on general geology

Science.gov (United States)

Boutwell, J.M.; Keith, Arthur; Emmons, S.F.

1905-01-01

The field work of which this report represents the final results was first undertaken in the summer of the year 1900. This district had long been selected by the writer as worthy of special economic investigation, as well on account of the importance of its products as because of its geological structure and the peculiar relations of its ore deposits. It was not, however, until the summer mentioned above that the means at the disposal of the Survey, both pecuniary and scientific, justified its undertaking. As originally planned, the areal or surface geology was to have been worked out by Mr. Keith, who had already spent many years in unraveling the complicated geological structure of the Appalachian province, while Mr. Boutwell, who had more recently become attached to the Survey, was to have charge of the underground geology, or a study of the ore deposits, under the immediate supervision of the writer. When the time came for actually taking the field, it was found that the pressure of other work would not permit Mr. Keith to carry out fully the part allotted to him, and in consequence a part of his field work has fallen to Mr. Boutwell. Field work was commenced by the writer and Mr. Boutwell early in July, 1900. Mr. Keith joined the party on August 10, but was obliged to leave for other duties early in September. Mr. Boutwell carried on his field work continuously from July until December, taking up underground work after the snowfall had rendered work on the surface geology impracticable. The geological structure had proved to be unexpectedly intricate and complicated, so that, on the opening of the field season of 1901, it was found necessary to make further study in the light of results already worked out, and Mr. Boutwell spent some weeks in the district in the early summer of 1901. His field work that year, partly in California and partly in Arizona, as assistant to Mr. Waldemar Lindgren, lasted through the summer and winter and well into the spring of 1902

Applications of in situ cosmogenic nuclides in the geologic site characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosse, J.C.; Harrington, C.D.

1995-01-01

The gradual buildup of rare isotopes from interactions between cosmic rays and atoms in an exposed rock provides a new method of directly determining the exposure age of rock surfaces. The cosmogenic nuclide method can also provide constraints on erosion rates and the length of time surface exposure was interrupted by burial. Numerous successful applications of the technique have been imperative to the complete surface geologic characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential high level nuclear waste repository. In this short paper, we summarize the cosmogenic nuclide method and describe with examples some the utility of the technique in geologic site characterization. We report preliminary results from our ongoing work at Yucca Mountain

Iowa Bedrock Geology

Data.gov (United States)

Iowa State University GIS Support and Research Facility — The bedrock geologic map portrays the current interpretation of the distribution of various bedrock stratigraphic units present at the bedrock surface. The bedrock...

Environmental geology of Harrison Bay, northern Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, J.D.; Thrasher, G.P.

1982-01-01

The surficial and shallow subsurface geology of Harrison Bay on the Beaufort Sea coast was mapped as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's prelease evaluation for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 71. During the 1980 summer season, approximately 1600 km of multisensored, high-resolution geophysical profile data were collected along a rectangular grid with 4.8 km line spacing. Interpretation of these data is presented on five maps showing bathymetry, sea-floor microrelief, ice-gouge characteristics, Holocene sediment thickness, and geologic structure to depths of approximately 1000 m. On a broad scale, the seafloor is shallow and almost flat, although microrelief features produced by sediment transport and ice-gouge processes typically vary up to several meters in amplitude. Microrelief bedforms related to hydraulic processes are predominant in water depths less than 12 m. Microrelief caused by ice gouging generally increases with water depth, reaching a maximum of 2 m or more in water depths beyond the 20 m isobath. This intensely gouged area lies beneath the shear zone between the seasonal landfast ice and the mobile polar ice pack. The thickness of recent (Holocene) sediment increases offshore, from 2 m near the Colville River delta to 30 m or more on the outer shelf. The thin Holocene layer is underlain by a complex horizon interpreted to be the upper surface of a Pleistocene deposit similar in composition to the present Arctic Coastal Plain. The base of the inferred Pleistocene section is interpreted to be a low-angle unconformity 100 m below sea level. Beneath this Tertiary-Quaternary unconformity, strata are interpreted to be alluvial fan-delta plain deposits corresponding to the Colville Group and younger formations of Late Cretaceous to Tertiary age. Numerous high-angle faults downthrown to the north trend across the survey area. With few exceptions, these faults terminate at or below the 100 m unconformity, suggesting that most tectonism

Geological investigations for the South African nuclear waste repository facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hambleton-Jones, B.B.; Levin, M.; Andersen, N.J.B.; Brynard, H.J.; Toens, P.D.

1984-02-01

The selection of the Vaalputs site on the arid Bushmanland Plateau in the northwestern Cape of the Republic of South Africa for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste was based on a national screening phase program involving socio-economic and geological criteria. Regional geohydrological studies over an area of 27,000 km 2 and a detailed study over 1,300 km 2 indicated that in general the groundwater is saline and that Vaalputs and environs was the most favourable area. The groundwater table lies between 30 and 45 m below the surface, with 14 C ages between 2,500 and 9,000 years old in the immediate vicinity. The geology of Vaalputs consists of Proterozoic granites, gneisses, metasediments, and noritoids of the 1,050 Ma Namaqualand Metamorphic Complex. Upper cretaceous kimberlitic and basaltic intrusions occur locally. Overlying these basement rocks surficial upper Tertiary to Recent argillaceous sediments occur in the Vaalputs basin. The sediments consist of aeolian sand, calcrete, fluvial sandy to gritty clay, white kaolinised clay and very weathered basement rocks. It is in these rocks that the low-level waste trenches will be located. Extensive airborne geophysical surveys, such as aeromagnetics, INPUT, and infrared thermal line scanning, were undertaken to assist in the evaluation of the regional and local subsurface geology. Ground geophysical surveys included refraction seismics, electromagnetics, magnetics, borehole radiometrics and resistivity. Geohydrological modelling of the unsaturated and saturated zones is in progress

Application of Laser Scanning for Creating Geological Documentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buczek Michał

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A geological documentation is based on the analyses obtained from boreholes, geological exposures, and geophysical methods. It consists of text and graphic documents, containing drilling sections, vertical crosssections through the deposit and various types of maps. The surveying methods (such as LIDAR can be applied in measurements of exposed rock layers, presented in appendices to the geological documentation. The laser scanning allows obtaining a complete profile of exposed surfaces in a short time and with a millimeter accuracy. The possibility of verifying the existing geological cross-section with laser scanning was tested on the example of the AGH experimental mine. The test field is built of different lithological rocks. Scans were taken from a single station, under favorable measuring conditions. The analysis of the signal intensity allowed to divide point cloud into separate geological layers. The results were compared with the geological profiles of the measured object. The same approach was applied to the data from the Vietnamese hard coal open pit mine Coc Sau. The thickness of exposed coal bed deposits and gangue layers were determined from the obtained data (point cloud in combination with the photographs. The results were compared with the geological cross-section.

Geology in coal resource utilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, D.C.

1991-01-01

The 37 papers in this book were compiled with an overriding theme in mind: to provide the coal industry with a comprehensive source of information on how geology and geologic concepts can be applied to the many facets of coal resource location, extraction, and utilization. The chapters have been arranged to address the major coal geology subfields of Exploration and Reserve Definition, Reserve Estimation, Coalbed Methane, Underground Coal Gasification, Mining, Coal Quality Concerns, and Environmental Impacts, with papers distributed on the basis of their primary emphasis. To help guide one through the collection, the author has included prefaces at the beginning of each chapter. They are intended as a brief lead-in to the subject of the chapter and an acknowledgement of the papers' connections to the subject and contributions to the chapter. In addition, a brief cross-reference section has been included in each preface to help one find papers of interest in other chapters. The subfields of coal geology are intimately intertwined, and investigations in one area may impact problems in another area. Some subfields tend to blur at their edges, such as with reserve definition and reserve estimation. Papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

Geology and rare earth (RE) metals in air Gegas area, South Bangka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambang Soetopo

2013-01-01

Rare Earth (RE) is a valuable commodity both for industry and for the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). In RE chemical bonds present in the phosphate (P) are the mineral monazite, xenotime, zircon minerals associated with cassiterite, magnetite, ilmenite, rutile, anatase, apatite, quartz and feldspar sand deposits are found in alluvial river or beach placer. RE deposits in monazite, zircon, xenotime in the Air Gegas of South Bangka area is an alluvial river that has the ease of exploration and mining. Geologically, monazite, xenotime and zircon minerals are from Klabat Granite aged Jurassic. The used method are the observation of geology, radioactivity measurement, sampling, laboratory analysis (microscopic and XRF). Results showed that the geology of the area Air Gegas of Tanjung Genting Formation consists of sandstone, clay (Early Triassic), Klabat Granite (Late Jurassic-Early Triassic) and Alluvial sediments (Quaternary). Alluvial monazite containing 0.071 to 3.574%, zircon from 0.172 to 10.376%, xenotime from 0.15 to 3.023% of the weight of MB from 10.73 to 168.072 grams. The presence of rare earth (RE) metals is derived from the mineral monazite, xenotime, zircon that was derived from granitic rocks of Klabat. Rare earth (RE) distributed in the eastern part of the study area which occupies the valley of the river. (author)

Summary on several key techniques in 3D geological modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Gang

2014-01-01

Several key techniques in 3D geological modeling including planar mesh generation, spatial interpolation, and surface intersection are summarized in this paper. Note that these techniques are generic and widely used in various applications but play a key role in 3D geological modeling. There are two essential procedures in 3D geological modeling: the first is the simulation of geological interfaces using geometric surfaces and the second is the building of geological objects by means of various geometric computations such as the intersection of surfaces. Discrete geometric surfaces that represent geological interfaces can be generated by creating planar meshes first and then spatially interpolating; those surfaces intersect and then form volumes that represent three-dimensional geological objects such as rock bodies. In this paper, the most commonly used algorithms of the key techniques in 3D geological modeling are summarized.

Bureau of Economic Geology. 1978 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-01-01

Bureau research programs and projects are designed to address many of the State's major concerns in the areas of geologic, energy, mineral, land, and environmental resouces. Research programs incorporate geologic concepts that will build toward an understanding of a specific resource and its impact on human activities. In addition to resource assessments in uranium, lignite, and geopressured geothermal energy, the Bureau continued research into analysis of governmental policy related to energy. Systemic geologic mapping, coastal studies, basin analysis projects, and investigations in other areas of economic geology further indicate the range of research programs carried forward in 1978. Specifically, research on mineral resources and land resources, coastal studies, hydrogeology, basin studies, geologic mapping, and other research (tektites and meteorites, carboniferous of Texas, depositional environments of the Marble Falls Formation, Central Texas) are reported. The establishment of the Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute is followed. Contracts and grant support and contract reports are listed. The publications eminating from the Bureau are listed. Services rendered by the Bureau and personnel information are included. (MCW)

Geological disposal of radioactive waste. Safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This Safety Requirements publication is concerned with providing protection to people and the environment from the hazards associated with waste management activities related to disposal, i.e. hazards that could arise during the operating period and following closure. It sets out the protection objectives and criteria for geological disposal and establishes the requirements that must be met to ensure the safety of this disposal option, consistent with the established principles of safety for radioactive waste management. It is intended for use by those involved in radioactive waste management and in making decisions in relation to the development, operation and closure of geological disposal facilities, especially those concerned with the related regulatory aspects. This publication contains 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of human health and the environment; 3. The safety requirements for geological disposal; 4. Requirements for the development, operation and closure of geological disposal facilities; Appendix: Assurance of compliance with the safety objective and criteria; Annex I: Geological disposal and the principles of radioactive waste management; Annex II: Principles of radioactive waste management

Developing a Relationship Between LIBS Ablation and Pit Volume for In Situ Dating of Geologic Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Devismes, D.; Cohen, B. A.; Gillot, P.-Y.

2015-01-01

In planetary exploration, in situ absolute geochronology is an important measurement. Thus far, on Mars, the age of the surface has largely been determined by crater density counting, which gives relative ages. These ages can have significant uncertainty as they depend on many poorly constrained parameters. More than that, the curves must be tied to absolute ages to relate geologic timescales on Mars to the rest of the solar system. Thus far, only the lost lander Beagle 2 was designed to conduct absolute geochronology measurements, though some recent attempts using MSL Curiosity show that this investigation is feasible (Reference Farley here) and should be strongly encouraged for future flight.

"Carta geologica totius Poloniae, Moldaviae, Transilvaniae et partis Hungariae et Valachiae" by S. Staszic and its importance for European geology and geological cartography

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Czarniecki, S.; Grigelis, A.; Kozák, Jan; Narebski, W.; Wójcik, Z.

-, č. 6 (2008), s. 81-101 ISSN 1507-0557 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30120515 Keywords : history of geology * geological cartography * Stanislaw Wawrzyniec Staszic Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

Comparing Geologic Data Sets Collected by Planetary Analog Traverses and by Standard Geologic Field Mapping: Desert Rats Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Wanda; Evans, Cynthia; Gruener, John; Eppler, Dean

2014-01-01

Geologic mapping involves interpreting relationships between identifiable units and landforms to understand the formative history of a region. Traditional field techniques are used to accomplish this on Earth. Mapping proves more challenging for other planets, which are studied primarily by orbital remote sensing and, less frequently, by robotic and human surface exploration. Systematic comparative assessments of geologic maps created by traditional mapping versus photogeology together with data from planned traverses are limited. The objective of this project is to produce a geologic map from data collected on the Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) 2010 analog mission using Apollo-style traverses in conjunction with remote sensing data. This map is compared with a geologic map produced using standard field techniques.

The role of radiometric dating method in field of the archaeology and geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wisjachudin Faisal

2009-01-01

The role of radiocarbon dating method in the field of geology and archaeology and 210 Pb dating in the field of geology has been done. Radiocarbon dating method is a dating method with a maximum age restriction is 45,000 years old. This study is to review dating methods by using synthesis process that uses radioactive carbon ( 14 C) in the sample which is converted to benzene ( 14 C 6 H 6 ) and counted by liquid scintillation counter, while 210 Pb dating method is that dating based on the measurement of 210 Pb activity. This dating is special for sediments sample, with the maximum age of 150 years old. Some samples in the environment around the archaeological research and the geological site have been successfully carried out by radiocarbon dating analysis. Radiocarbon dating can also provide data as a contribution to support research on paleotsunami, so it can be used to estimate probability of the occurrence of tsunami in the future, while for 210 Pb method dating has done research on the sedimentation rate as well as research on the existence of harmful algal (harmful algal bloom, HAB) sample in the sediments which is very dangerous to the environment and has been examined in certain areas. From the results of the study indicate that radiocarbon dating which based on the counting of the activity of 14 C, in the future experts of radiocarbon dating is prefer to use of “modern” radiocarbon dating or radiocarbon dating by using mass spectrometry based on cyclotron method, because samples needed and standard deviation of the results relatively much smaller. (author)

SRS Geology/Hydrogeology Environmental Information Document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denham, M.E.

1999-01-01

The purpose of the Savannah River Site Geology and Hydrogeology Environmental Information Document (EID) is to provide geologic and hydrogeologic information to serve as a baseline to evaluate potential environmental impacts. This EID is based on a summary of knowledge accumulated from research conducted at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and surrounding areas

SRS Geology/Hydrogeology Environmental Information Document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denham, M.E.

1999-08-31

The purpose of the Savannah River Site Geology and Hydrogeology Environmental Information Document (EID) is to provide geologic and hydrogeologic information to serve as a baseline to evaluate potential environmental impacts. This EID is based on a summary of knowledge accumulated from research conducted at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and surrounding areas.

Geologic and well-construction data for the H-8 borehole complex near the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, southeastern New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, J.G.; Drellack, S.L.

1982-01-01

The H-8 complex, a group of three closely-spaced boreholes, is located 9 miles south of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern Eddy County, New Mexico. The holes were drilled during July, August, and September of 1979 to obtain geologic and hydrologic data to better define the regional ground-water-flow system. The geologic data presented in this report are part of a site-characterization study for the possible disposal of defense-associated radioactive wastes within salt beds of the Salado Formation of Permian age. The geologic data include detailed descriptions of cores, cuttings, and geophysical logs. Each borehole was designed to penetrate a distinct water-bearing zone: H-8a (total depth 505 feet) was completed just below the Magenta Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation of Permian Age; H-8b (total depth 624 feet) was completed just belows the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation; and H-8c (total depth 808 feet) was completed just below the Rustler Formation-Salado Formation contact. The geologic units penetrated in borehole H-8c are surficial alluvium and eolian sand of Holocene age (0-4 feet); the Mescalero caliche (4-10 feet) and Gatuna Formation (10-153 feet) , both of Pleistocene age; and the Dewey Lake Red Beds (153-399 feet), the Rustler Formation (399-733 feet), and part of the Salado Formation penetrated by borehole H-8c is composed of residue from dissolution of halite and associated rocks, and the hydration of anhydrite to gypsum, indicating that the eastward-moving dissolution front on top of the Salado, found just to the west of the WIPP site, has reached the H-8 site. (USGS)

Geologic and well-construction data for the H-9 borehole complex near the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, southeastern New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Drellack, S.L.; Wells, J.G.

1982-01-01

The H-9 complex, a group of three closely spaced boreholes, is located 5.5 miles south of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in east-central Eddy County, New Mexico. The holes were drilled during July, August, and September 1979 to obtain geologic and hydrologic data to better define the regional ground-water-flow system. The geologic data presented in this report are part of a site-characterization study for the possible storage of defense-associated radioactive wastes within salt beds of the Salado Formation of Permian age. The geologic data include detailed descriptions of cores, cuttings, and geophysical logs. Each borehole was designed to penetrate a distinct water-bearing zone: H-9a (total depth 559 feet) was completed just below the Magenta Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation; H-9b (total depth 708 feet) was completed just below the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation; H-9c (total depth 816 feet) was completed below the Rustler Formation-Salado Formation contact. The geologic units penetrated in borehole H-9c are eolian sand of Holocene age (0-5 feet); the Gatuna Formation of Pleistocene age; (5-25 feet); and the Dewey Lake Red Beds (25-455 feet), the Rustler Formation (455.791 feet), and part of the Salado Formation (791-816 feet), all of Permian age. Three sections (494-501 feet, 615-625 feet, 692-712 feet) in the Rustler Formation penetrated by borehole H-9c are composed of remnant anhydrite (locally altered to gypsum) and clay and silt residue from the dissolution of much thicker seams of argillaceous and silty halite. This indicates that the eastward-moving dissolution within the Rustler Formation, found just to the west of the WIPP site, is present at the H-9 site. (USGS)

Nagra technical report 14-02, geological basics - Dossier III - Long-term geological developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnellmann, M.; Madritsch, H.

2014-01-01

This dossier is the third of a series of eight reports concerning the safety and technical aspects of locations for the disposal of radioactive wastes in Switzerland. Dossier III takes a look at long-term geological developments. Developments in the topography and river networks of northern Switzerland over the past five million years are looked at. Data and information derived from high-resolution models and compilations of gravel deposition, glacier developments and moraines are reviewed. Tectonic developments, seismological aspects and erosion are discussed. Their consequences for the long-term geological developments in the proposed depository areas are looked at

A new algorithm for coding geological terminology

Science.gov (United States)

Apon, W.

The Geological Survey of The Netherlands has developed an algorithm to convert the plain geological language of lithologic well logs into codes suitable for computer processing and link these to existing plotting programs. The algorithm is based on the "direct method" and operates in three steps: (1) searching for defined word combinations and assigning codes; (2) deleting duplicated codes; (3) correcting incorrect code combinations. Two simple auxiliary files are used. A simple PC demonstration program is included to enable readers to experiment with this algorithm. The Department of Quarternary Geology of the Geological Survey of The Netherlands possesses a large database of shallow lithologic well logs in plain language and has been using a program based on this algorithm for about 3 yr. Erroneous codes resulting from using this algorithm are less than 2%.

Use of space applications for geologic research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Presnukhin, V I

1981-01-01

Overview of literature published in USSR during 1969-1977 shows broad potential and effectiveness for using satellite imaging of earth in the geologic sciences: geomorphology, tectonics, engineering geology, and searh for useful ore and minerals.

Technical reliability of geological disposal for high-level radioactive wastes in Japan. The second progress report. Part 1. Geological environment of Japan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-11-01

Based on the Advisory Committee Report on Nuclear Fuel Cycle Backend Policy submitted to the Japanese Government in 1997, JNC documents the progress of research and development program in the form of the second progress report (the first one published in 1992). It summarizes an evaluation of the technical reliability and safety of the geological disposal concept for high-level radioactive wastes (HLW) in Japan. The present document, the part 1 of the progress report, describes first in detail the role of geological environment in high-level radioactive wastes disposal, the features of Japanese geological environment, and programs to proceed the investigation in geological environment. The following chapter summarizes scientific basis for possible existence of stable geological environment, stable for a long period needed for the HLW disposal in Japan including such natural phenomena as volcano and faults. The results of the investigation of the characteristics of bed-rocks and groundwater are presented. These are important for multiple barrier system construction of deep geological disposal. The report furthermore describes the present status of technical and methodological progress in investigating geological environment and finally on the results of natural analog study in Tono uranium deposits area. (Ohno, S.)

Study on the development of geological environmental model. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujimoto, Keiichi; Shinohara, Yoshinori; Saito, Shigeyuki; Ueta, Shinzo; Ohashi, Toyo; Sasaki, Ryouichi; Tomiyama, Shingo

2003-02-01

The safety performance assessment was carried out in imaginary geological environment in the conventional research and development of geological disposal, but the importance of safety assessment based on the repository design and scenario considering the concrete geological environment will increase in the future. The research considering the link of the major three fields of geological disposal, investigation of geological environment, repository design, and safety performance assessment, is the contemporary worldwide research theme. Hence it is important to organize information flow that contains the series of information process from the data production to analysis in the three fields, and to systematize the knowledge base that unifies the information flow hierarchically. The information flow for geological environment model generation process is examined and modified base on the product of the research of 'Study on the development of geological environment model' that was examined in 2002. The work flow diagrams for geological structure and hydrology are modified, and those for geochemical and rock property are examined from the scratch. Furthermore, database design was examined to build geoclinal environment database (knowledgebase) based on the results of the systemisation of the environment model generation technology. The geoclinal environment database was designed and the prototype system is build to contribute databased design. (author)

The use of U.S. Geological Survey CD-ROM-based petroleum assessments in undergraduate geology laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Eves, R.L.; Davis, L.E.; Dyman, T.S.; Takahashi, K.I.

2002-01-01

Domestic oil production is declining and United States reliance on imported oil is increasing. America will be faced with difficult decisions that address the strategic, economic, and political consequences of its energy resources shortage. The geologically literate under-graduate student needs to be aware of current and future United States energy issues. The U.S. Geological Survey periodically provides energy assessment data via digitally-formatted CD-ROM publications. These publications are free to the public, and are well suited for use in undergraduate geology curricula. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 1995 National Assessment of United States Oil and Gas Resources (Digital Data Series or DDS-30) (Gautier and others, 1996) is an excellent resource for introducing students to the strategies of hydrocarbon exploration and for developing skills in problem-solving and evaluating real data. This paper introduces the reader to DDS-30, summarizes the essential terminology and methodology of hydrocarbon assessment, and offers examples of exercises or questions that might be used in the introductory classroom. The USGS contact point for obtaining DDS-30 and other digital assessment volumes is also provided. Completing the sample exercises in this report requires a copy of DDS-30.

Evaluations for draft reports on geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, Keisuke; Igarashi, Hiroshi

2002-10-01

This report summarizes the results of the technical evaluations on two reports which are named as 'Overview of the Geological Disposal Facility' and Considerable Factors on Selection of Potential Sites for Geological Disposal' drafted by NUMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan). The review of each draft report has been referred to committee (held on 9th September, 2002) and working group (held on 1st October, 2002) which were organized in order to confirm a progress of implementation of geological disposal by government. (author)

Geological study of radioactive waste repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyama, Takahiro; Kitano, Koichi

1987-01-01

The investigation of the stability and the barrier efficiency of the deep underground radioactive waste repositories become a subject of great concern. The purpose of this paper is to gather informations on the geology, engineering geology and hydrogeology in deep galleries in Japan. Conclusion can be summarised as follows: (1) The geological structure of deep underground is complicated. (2) Stress in deep underground is greatly affected by crustal movement. (3) Rock-burst phenomena occur in the deep underground excavations. (4) In spite of deep underground, water occasionally gush out from the fractured zone of rock mass. These conclusion will be useful for feasibility study of underground waste disposal and repositories in Japan. (author)

Brine flow in heated geologic salt.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhlman, Kristopher L.; Malama, Bwalya

2013-03-01

This report is a summary of the physical processes, primary governing equations, solution approaches, and historic testing related to brine migration in geologic salt. Although most information presented in this report is not new, we synthesize a large amount of material scattered across dozens of laboratory reports, journal papers, conference proceedings, and textbooks. We present a mathematical description of the governing brine flow mechanisms in geologic salt. We outline the general coupled thermal, multi-phase hydrologic, and mechanical processes. We derive these processes governing equations, which can be used to predict brine flow. These equations are valid under a wide variety of conditions applicable to radioactive waste disposal in rooms and boreholes excavated into geologic salt.

"The Oceans" not Withstanding: Scripps Geological-Geophysical Expeditions of the Golden Age

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, R. L.

2002-12-01

"The Oceans: Their Physics, Chemistry, and General Biology," fully recognized and promoted the inherent unity of oceanography, the field itself, and of all components of the oceanic world. It covered well the wet pieces. However, except for sedimentary studies of the California borderland and reconnaissances of the Arctic, Mediterranean, and the South Atlantic, little was presented that could be parent to today's portrayals of marine geology and geophysics. The advances in those areas in the 1950's, 1960's, and early 1970's, by SIO scientists and those of several other institutions resulted from extended expeditionary studies, essential on-the-job field training of confident very young chief scientists, dogged pushing of traditional rough sampling methods to their limits, and the invention and lateral prompt application of precise electronic timing and sensing devices to shipboard observation of deep ocean seafloor/crustal elements. SIO's multifaceted expeditions of those years were conceived, planned and often lead by graduate students making thesis observations, assisted by their fellows as "warm bodies," perhaps with more senior staff scientists making specific collections at key localities. Education was real-time: discovering--reflection--discussion, and mutual tutoring. The principal factor that made such operation scientifically and educationally successful was SIO's then Director, Roger Revelle, a benevolent and trusting, but very perceptive, godfather.

K-Ar geology, geochemistry and geochronology from the Maria River region dikes, Parana State southeastern part, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva Junior, Renato Oliveira da; Dall'Agnol, Roberto; Oliveira, Elson Paiva de

1996-01-01

The paper synthesizes the geological, petrographical, geochemical and geochronological data from the Maria River region dikes, situated at the southeastern part of the Para State, Brazil. It identifies five groups of dikes and determines the age of these dikes, through the Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) methodology

Archives: Journal of Mining and Geology

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 1 - 13 of 13 ... Archives: Journal of Mining and Geology. Journal Home > Archives: Journal of Mining and Geology. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 1 - 13 of 13 ...

Israel Geological Society, annual meeting 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amit, R.; Arkin, Y.; Hirsch, F.

1994-02-01

The document is a compilation of papers presented during the annual meeting of Israel Geological Society. The document is related with geological and environmental survey of Israel. It discusses the technology and instruments used to carry out such studies. Main emphasis is given to seismology, geochemical analysis of water, water pollution and geophysical survey of rocks

Advances in planetary geology, volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-07-01

This publication is a continuation of volume 1; it is a compilation of reports focusing on research into the origin and evolution of the solar system with emphasis on planetary geology. Specific reports include a multispectral and geomorphic investigation of the surface of Europa and a geologic interpretation of remote sensing data for the Martian volcano Ascreaus Mons

Geologic mapping of the Hekla volcano (Iceland) using integrated data sets from optic and radar sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Wever, Tobias; Loercher, Gerhard

1994-12-01

During the MAC-Europe campaign in June/July 1991 different airborne data sets (AIRSAR, TMS and AVIRIS) were collected over Iceland. One test site is situated around the Hekla-volcano in South Iceland. This area is characterised by a sequence of lava flows of different ages together with tuffs and ashes. This case study shall contribute to demonstrate the potential of MAC-Europe data for geological mapping. The optical- and the SAR data was analysed separately to elaborate the preferences of the different sensors. An approach was carried out to process an image representing the advantages of the respective sensors in only one presentation. The synergetic approach improves the separation of geological units clearly by combination of two completely different data sets due to the utilisation of spectral bands in the visible and infrared region on one side and on the other side in the microwave region. Beside the petrographical information extracted from optical data using spectral signatures the combination includes physical information like roughness and dielectricity of a target. The geologic setting of the test area is characterised by a very uniform petrography hence the spectral signatures are showing only little variations. Due to this fact, the differentiation of geological units using optical data is limited. The additional use of SAR data establishes the new dimension of the surface roughness which improves the discrimination clearly. This additional parameter presents a new information tool about the state of weathering, age and sequence of the different lava flows. The NASA/JPL AIRSAR system is very suitable for this kind of investigation due to its multifrequency and polarimetric capabilities. The three SAR frequencies (C-, L- and P-Band) enable the detection of a broad range of roughness differences. These results can be enhanced by comprising the full scattering matrix of the polarimetric AIRSAR data.

On methodical problems in estimating geological temperature and time from measurements of fission tracks in apatite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonckheere, R.

2003-01-01

The results of apatite fission-track modelling are only as accurate as the method, and depend on the assumption that the processes involved in the annealing of fossil tracks over geological times are the same as those responsible for the annealing of induced fission tracks in laboratory experiments. This has hitherto been assumed rather than demonstrated. The present critical discussion identifies a number of methodical problems from an examination of the available data on age standards, borehole samples and samples studied in the framework of geological investigations. These problems are related to low- ( 60 deg. C) annealing on a geological timescale and to the procedures used for calculating temperature-time paths from the fission-track data. It is concluded that it is not established that the relationship between track length and track density and the appearance of unetchable gaps, observed in laboratory annealing experiments on induced tracks, can be extrapolated to the annealing of fossil tracks on a geological timescale. This in turn casts doubt on the central principle of equivalent time. That such uncertainties still exist is in no small part due to an insufficient understanding of the formation, structure and properties of fission tracks at the atomic scale and to a lack of attention to the details of track revelation. The methodical implications of discrepancies between fission track results and the independent geological evidence are rarely considered. This presents a strong case for the re-involvement of track physicists in fundamental fission track research

GIS-technologies as a mechanism to study geological structures

Science.gov (United States)

Sharapatov, Abish

2014-05-01

Specialized GIS-technologies allow creating multi-parameter models, completing multi-criteria optimisation tasks, and issues of geological profile forecasts using miscellaneous data. Pictorial and attributive geological and geophysical information collected to create GIS database is supplemented by the ERS (Earth's Remote Sensing) data, air spectrometry, space images, and topographic data. Among the important tasks are as follows: a unification of initial geological, geophysical and other types of information on a tectonic position, rock classification and stratigraphic scale; topographic bases (various projectures, scales); the levels of detail and exhaustibility; colors and symbols of legends; data structures and their correlation; units of measurement of physical quantities, and attribute systems of descriptions. Methods of the geological environment investigation using GIS-technology are based on a principle of the research target analogy with a standard. A similarity ratio is quantitative estimate. A geological forecast model is formed by structuring of geological information based on detailed analysis and aggregation of geological and formal knowledge bases on standard targets. Development of a bank of models of the analyzed geological structures of various range, ore-bearing features described by numerous prospecting indicators is the way to aggregate geological knowledge. The south terrain of the Valerianovskaya structure-facies zone (SFZ) of the Torgai paleo-rift structure covered with thick Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks up to 2,000m is considered a so-called training ground for the development of GIS-technology. Parameters of known magnetite deposits located in the north of the SFZ (Sarybaiskoye, Sokolovskoye, etc.) are used to create the standard model. A meaning of the job implemented involves the following: - A goal-seeking nature of the research being performed and integration of the geological, geo-physical and other data (in many cases, efforts of the

The Role of Geologic Mapping in NASA PDSI Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D. A.; Skinner, J. A.; Radebaugh, J.

2017-12-01

Geologic mapping is an investigative process designed to derive the geologic history of planetary objects at local, regional, hemispheric or global scales. Geologic maps are critical products that aid future exploration by robotic spacecraft or human missions, support resource exploration, and provide context for and help guide scientific discovery. Creation of these tools, however, can be challenging in that, relative to their terrestrial counterparts, non-terrestrial planetary geologic maps lack expansive field-based observations. They rely, instead, on integrating diverse data types wth a range of spatial scales and areal coverage. These facilitate establishment of geomorphic and geologic context but are generally limited with respect to identifying outcrop-scale textural details and resolving temporal and spatial changes in depositional environments. As a result, planetary maps should be prepared with clearly defined contact and unit descriptions as well as a range of potential interpretations. Today geologic maps can be made from images obtained during the traverses of the Mars rovers, and for every new planetary object visited by NASA orbital or flyby spacecraft (e.g., Vesta, Ceres, Titan, Enceladus, Pluto). As Solar System Exploration develops and as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, the importance of geologic mapping will increase. In this presentation, we will discuss the past role of geologic mapping in NASA's planetary science activities and our thoughts on the role geologic mapping will have in exploration in the coming decades. Challenges that planetary mapping must address include, among others: 1) determine the geologic framework of all Solar System bodies through the systematic development of geologic maps at appropriate scales, 2) develop digital Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based mapping techniques and standards to assist with communicating map information to the scientific community and public, 3) develop

Geological Effects on Lightning Strike Distributions

KAUST Repository

Berdahl, J. Scott

2016-05-16

Recent advances in lightning detection networks allow for detailed mapping of lightning flash locations. Longstanding rumors of geological influence on cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning distribution and recent commercial claims based on such influence can now be tested empirically. If present, such influence could represent a new, cheap and efficient geophysical tool with applications in mineral, hydrothermal and oil exploration, regional geological mapping, and infrastructure planning. This project applies statistical analysis to lightning data collected by the United States National Lightning Detection Network from 2006 through 2015 in order to assess whether the huge range in electrical conductivities of geological materials plays a role in the spatial distribution of CG lightning. CG flash densities are mapped for twelve areas in the contiguous United States and compared to elevation and geology, as well as to the locations of faults, railroads and tall towers including wind turbines. Overall spatial randomness is assessed, along with spatial correlation of attributes. Negative and positive polarity lightning are considered separately and together. Topography and tower locations show a strong influence on CG distribution patterns. Geology, faults and railroads do not. This suggests that ground conductivity is not an important factor in determining lightning strike location on scales larger than current flash location accuracies, which are generally several hundred meters. Once a lightning channel is established, however, ground properties at the contact point may play a role in determining properties of the subsequent stroke.

Wave Propagation in Jointed Geologic Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antoun, T

2009-12-17

Predictive modeling capabilities for wave propagation in a jointed geologic media remain a modern day scientific frontier. In part this is due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the complex physical processes associated with the transient response of geologic material, and in part it is due to numerical challenges that prohibit accurate representation of the heterogeneities that influence the material response. Constitutive models whose properties are determined from laboratory experiments on intact samples have been shown to over-predict the free field environment in large scale field experiments. Current methodologies for deriving in situ properties from laboratory measured properties are based on empirical equations derived for static geomechanical applications involving loads of lower intensity and much longer durations than those encountered in applications of interest involving wave propagation. These methodologies are not validated for dynamic applications, and they do not account for anisotropic behavior stemming from direcitonal effects associated with the orientation of joint sets in realistic geologies. Recent advances in modeling capabilities coupled with modern high performance computing platforms enable physics-based simulations of jointed geologic media with unprecedented details, offering a prospect for significant advances in the state of the art. This report provides a brief overview of these modern computational approaches, discusses their advantages and limitations, and attempts to formulate an integrated framework leading to the development of predictive modeling capabilities for wave propagation in jointed and fractured geologic materials.

Geology of the Harper Quadrangle, Liberia

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, M.R.; Chidester, A.H.; Baker, M.G.W.

1974-01-01

As part of a program undertaken cooperatively by the Liberian Geological Survey (LGS) and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), under the sponsorship of the Government of Liberia and the Agency for International Development, U. S. Department of State, Liberia was mapped by geologic and geophysical methods during the period 1965 to 1972. The resulting geologic and geophysical maps are published in ten folios, each covering one quadrangle (see index map). The first systematic mapping in the Harper quadrangle was by Baker, S. P. Srivastava, and W. E. Stewart (LGS) at a scale of 1:500,000 in the vicinity of Harper in the southeastern, and of Karloke in the northeastern part of the quadrangle in 1960-61. Brock and Chidester carried out systematic mapping of the quadrangle at a scale of 1:250,000 in the period September 1971-May 1972; the geologic map was compiled from field data gathered by project geologists and private companies as indicated in the source diagram, photogeologic maps, interpretation of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, field mapping, and ground-based radiometric surveys in which hand-held scintillators were used. R. W. Bromery, C. S. Wotorson, and J. C. Behrendt contributed to the interpretation of geophysical data. Total-intensity aeromagnetic and total-count gamma radiation maps (Behrendt and Wotorson, in press a, b), and unpublished data derived from those maps, including the near-surface and the regional magnetic components and aeromagnetic/radiometric correlations, were used in the interpretation.

Impact, and its implications for geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marvin, U.B.

1988-01-01

The publication of seminal texts on geology and on meteoritics in the 1790s, laid the groundwork for the emergence of each discipline as a modern branch of science. Within the past three decades, impact cratering has become universally accepted as a process that sculptures the surfaces of planets and satellites throughout the solar system. Nevertheless, one finds in-depth discussions of impact processes mainly in books on the Moon or in surveys of the Solar System. The historical source of the separation between meteoritics and geology is easy to identify. It began with Hutton. Meteorite impact is an extraordinary event acting instantaneously from outside the Earth. It violates Hutton's principles, which were enlarged upon and firmly established as fundamental to the geological sciences by Lyell. The split between meteoritics and geology surely would have healed as early as 1892 if the investigations conducted by Gilbert (1843-1918) at the crater in northern Arizona had yielded convincing evidence of meteorite impact. The 1950s and 1960s saw a burgeoning of interest in impact processes. The same period witnessed the so-called revolution in the Earth Sciences, when geologists yielded up the idea of fixed continents and began to view the Earth's lithosphere as a dynamic array of horizontally moving plates. Plate tectonics, however, is fully consistent with the geological concepts inherited from Hutton: the plates slowly split, slide, and suture, driven by forces intrinsic to the globe

Some problems on remote sensing geology for uranium prospecting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Tinghuai.

1988-01-01

Remote sensing is a kind of very effective method which can be used in all stages of geological prospecting. Geological prospecting with remote sensing method must be based on different genetic models of ore deposits, characteristics of geology-landscape and comprehensive analysis for geophysical and geochemical data, that is, by way of conceptual model prospecting. The prospecting results based on remote sensing geology should be assessed from three aspects such as direct, indirect and potential ones

Geology of the Curimatau medium region (Paraiba State, Brazil) and the emplacement of the Dona Ines granite associated to the Brasiliano transcurrent shear zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borges, Sergio Vieira Freire

1996-01-01

In an area of about 700 Km 2 located in the northeast of Paraiba State and having as main point the town of Dona Ines, a geologic/structural mapping, a gravimetric survey and radiometric dating using the Rb/Sr method in whole rock and Sm.Nd model ages were undertaken in order to study and to understand the geology of this portion of terrain, the emplacement of the Dona Ines granitoids and its relationship with the enclosing rocks and the deformation acting at the time of the intrusion. The age of the pluton of Dona Ines was determined by the Rb/Sr whole rock method as 560 ± 20 Ma (end of Brasiliano Cycle in the region). Sm.Nd model ages in granitoids of Araras, Belem and Dona Ines have revealed paleoproterozoic ages for their crustal sources, as indicated by the negative ε nd of this rock

Geologic investigation :an update of subsurface geology on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Hart, Dirk (GRAM, Inc.)

2003-06-01

The objective of this investigation was to generate a revised geologic model of Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) incorporating the geological and geophysical data produced since the Site-Wide Hydrogeologic Characterization Project (SWHC) of 1994 and 1995. Although this report has certain stand-alone characteristics, it is intended to complement the previous work and to serve as a status report as of late 2002. In the eastern portion of KAFB (Lurance Canyon and the Hubbell bench), of primary interest is the elevation to which bedrock is buried under a thin cap of alluvium. Elevation maps of the bedrock top reveal the paleodrainage that allows for the interpretation of the area's erosional history. The western portion of KAFB consists of the eastern part of the Albuquerque basin where bedrock is deeply buried under Santa Fe Group alluvium. In this area, the configuration of the down-to-the-west, basin-bounding Sandia and West Sandia faults is of primary interest. New geological and geophysical data and the reinterpretation of old data help to redefine the location and magnitude of these elements. Additional interests in this area are the internal stratigraphy and structure of the Santa Fe Group. Recent data collected from new monitoring wells in the area have led to a geologic characterization of the perched Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater system and have refined the known limits of the Ancestral Rio Grande fluvial sediments within the Santa Fe Group. Both the reinterpretation of the existing data and a review of the regional geology have shown that a segment of the boundary between the eastern and western portions of KAFB is a complicated early Tertiary (Laramide) wrench-fault system, the Tijeras/Explosive Ordnance Disposal Area/Hubbell Spring system. A portion of this fault zone is occupied by a coeval ''pull-apart'' basin filled with early Tertiary conglomerates, whose exposures form the ''Travertine Hills''.

Geologic Variable Associated with Height of Yellow-Poplar Stand in the Bald Mountains of North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

W. Henry McNab; Carl E. Merschat

1990-01-01

Quartz grain size and mylonitization, geologic variables determined fromrocks on sites, were associated with total height of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) standsand may be of value as independent variables in modeling tree growth from site characteristics. A predictive model containing quartz grain site and stand age accounted for about 54% of the...

Geologic Mapping Results for Ceres from NASA's Dawn Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D. A.; Mest, S. C.; Buczkowski, D.; Scully, J. E. C.; Raymond, C. A.; Russell, C. T.

2017-12-01

NASA's Dawn Mission included a geologic mapping campaign during its nominal mission at dwarf planet Ceres, including production of a global geologic map and a series of 15 quadrangle maps to determine the variety of process-related geologic materials and the geologic history of Ceres. Our mapping demonstrates that all major planetary geologic processes (impact cratering, volcanism, tectonism, and gradation (weathering-erosion-deposition)) have occurred on Ceres. Ceres crust, composed of altered and NH3-bearing silicates, carbonates, salts and 30-40% water ice, preserves impact craters and all sizes and degradation states, and may represent the remains of the bottom of an ancient ocean. Volcanism is manifested by cryovolcanic domes, such as Ahuna Mons and Cerealia Facula, and by explosive cryovolcanic plume deposits such as the Vinalia Faculae. Tectonism is represented by several catenae extending from Ceres impact basins Urvara and Yalode, terracing in many larger craters, and many localized fractures around smaller craters. Gradation is manifested in a variety of flow-like features caused by mass wasting (landslides), ground ice flows, as well as impact ejecta lobes and melts. We have constructed a chronostratigraphy and geologic timescale for Ceres that is centered around major impact events. Ceres geologic periods include Pre-Kerwanan, Kerwanan, Yalodean/Urvaran, and Azaccan (the time of rayed craters, similar to the lunar Copernican). The presence of geologically young cryovolcanic deposits on Ceres surface suggests that there could be warm melt pockets within Ceres shallow crust and the dwarf planet remain geologically active.

Digital Geologic Map of New Mexico - Formations

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The geologic map was created in GSMAP at Socorro, New Mexico by Orin Anderson and Glen Jones and published as the Geologic Map of New Mexico 1:500,000 in GSMAP...

Impact of Geological Changes on Regional and Global Economies

Science.gov (United States)

Tatiana, Skufina; Peter, Skuf'in; Vera, Samarina; Taisiya, Shatalova; Baranov, Sergey

2017-04-01

Periods of geological changes such as super continent cycle (300-500 million years), Wilson's cycles (300-900 million years), magmatic-tectonic cycle (150-200 million years), and cycles with smaller periods (22, 100, 1000 years) lead to a basic contradiction preventing forming methodology of the study of impact of geological changes on the global and regional economies. The reason of this contradiction is the differences of theoretical and methodological aspects of the Earth science and economics such as different time scales and accuracy of geological changes. At the present the geological models cannot provide accurate estimation of time and place where geological changes (strong earthquakes, volcanos) are expected. Places of feature (not next) catastrophic events are the only thing we have known. Thus, it is impossible to use the periodicity to estimate both geological changes and their consequences. Taking into accounts these factors we suggested a collection of concepts for estimating impact of possible geological changes on regional and global economies. We illustrated our approach by example of estimating impact of Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 on regional and global economies. Based on this example we concluded that globalization processes increase an impact of geological changes on regional and global levels. The research is supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Projects No. 16-06-00056, 16-32-00019, 16-05-00263A).

Geologic repositories for radioactive waste: the nuclear regulatory commission geologic comments on the environmental assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Justus, P.S.; Trapp, J.S.; Westbrook, K.B.; Lee, R.; Blackford, M.B.; Rice, B.

1985-01-01

The NRC staff completed its review of the Environmental Assessments (EAs) issued by the Department of Energy (DOE) in December, 1984, in support of the site selection processes established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA). The EAs contain geologic information on nine sites that DOE has identified as potentially acceptable for the first geologic repository in accordance with the requirements of NWPA. The media for the sites vary from basalt at Hanford, Washington, tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, bedded salt in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas and Paradox Basin, Utah, to salt domes in Mississippi and Louisiana. Despite the diversity in media there are common areas of concern for all sites. These include; structural framework and pattern, rates of tectonic and seismic activity, characterization of subsurface features, and stratigraphic thickness, continuity and homogeneity. Site-specific geologic concerns include: potential volcanic and hydrothermal activity at Yucca Mountain, potential hydrocarbon targets and deep basalt and sub-basalt structure at Hanford, and potential dissolution at all salt sites. The NRC comments were influenced by the performance objectives and siting criteria of 10 CFR Part 60 and the environmental protection criteria in 40 CFR Part 191, the applicable standards proposed by EPA. In its review the NRC identified several areas of geologic concern that it recommended DOE re-examine to determine if alternative or modified conclusions are appropriate

Geological aspects of acid deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bricker, O.P.

1984-01-01

The general pattern of rain falling on the earth and reacting with the materials of the lithosphere (the weathering reactions so familiar to every beginning geology student) began soon after the earth was formed and has continued to the present. Anthropogenic additions to the natural acidic components of the atmosphere have increased since the time of the industrial revolution until they now rival or exceed those of the natural system. The severity of the environmental perturbations caused by these anthropogenic additions to the atmosphere has become a hotly debated topic in scientific forums and in the political arena. The six chapters in this book address various aspects of the acid deposition phenomenon from a geological perspective. It is hoped that the geological approach will be useful in bringing the problem more clearly into focus and may shed light on the geochemical processes that modify the chemical composition of acid deposition after it encounters and reacts with the materials of the lithosphere

Disribution and interplay of geologic processes on Titan from Cassini radar data

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, R.M.C.; Stofan, E.R.; Peckyno, R.; Radebaugh, J.; Mitchell, K.L.; Mitri, Giuseppe; Wood, C.A.; Kirk, R.L.; Wall, S.D.; Lunine, J.I.; Hayes, A.; Lorenz, R.; Farr, Tom; Wye, L.; Craig, J.; Ollerenshaw, R.J.; Janssen, M.; LeGall, A.; Paganelli, F.; West, R.; Stiles, B.; Callahan, P.; Anderson, Y.; Valora, P.; Soderblom, L.

2010-01-01

The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper is providing an unprecedented view of Titan's surface geology. Here we use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image swaths (Ta-T30) obtained from October 2004 to December 2007 to infer the geologic processes that have shaped Titan's surface. These SAR swaths cover about 20% of the surface, at a spatial resolution ranging from ~350 m to ~2 km. The SAR data are distributed over a wide latitudinal and longitudinal range, enabling some conclusions to be drawn about the global distribution of processes. They reveal a geologically complex surface that has been modified by all the major geologic processes seen on Earth - volcanism, tectonism, impact cratering, and erosion and deposition by fluvial and aeolian activity. In this paper, we map geomorphological units from SAR data and analyze their areal distribution and relative ages of modification in order to infer the geologic evolution of Titan's surface. We find that dunes and hummocky and mountainous terrains are more widespread than lakes, putative cryovolcanic features, mottled plains, and craters and crateriform structures that may be due to impact. Undifferentiated plains are the largest areal unit; their origin is uncertain. In terms of latitudinal distribution, dunes and hummocky and mountainous terrains are located mostly at low latitudes (less than 30 degrees), with no dunes being present above 60 degrees. Channels formed by fluvial activity are present at all latitudes, but lakes are at high latitudes only. Crateriform structures that may have been formed by impact appear to be uniformly distributed with latitude, but the well-preserved impact craters are all located at low latitudes, possibly indicating that more resurfacing has occurred at higher latitudes. Cryovolcanic features are not ubiquitous, and are mostly located between 30 degrees and 60 degrees north. We examine temporal relationships between units wherever possible, and conclude that aeolian and fluvial

Distribution and interplay of geologic processes on Titan from Cassini radar data

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, R.M.C.; Stofan, E.R.; Peckyno, R.; Radebaugh, J.; Mitchell, K.L.; Mitri, Giuseppe; Wood, C.A.; Kirk, R.L.; Wall, S.D.; Lunine, J.I.; Hayes, A.; Lorenz, R.; Farr, Tom; Wye, L.; Craig, J.; Ollerenshaw, R.J.; Janssen, M.; LeGall, A.; Paganelli, F.; West, R.; Stiles, B.; Callahan, P.; Anderson, Y.; Valora, P.; Soderblom, L.

2010-01-01

The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper is providing an unprecedented view of Titan's surface geology. Here we use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image swaths (Ta-T30) obtained from October 2004 to December 2007 to infer the geologic processes that have shaped Titan's surface. These SAR swaths cover about 20% of the surface, at a spatial resolution ranging from ???350 m to ???2 km. The SAR data are distributed over a wide latitudinal and longitudinal range, enabling some conclusions to be drawn about the global distribution of processes. They reveal a geologically complex surface that has been modified by all the major geologic processes seen on Earth - volcanism, tectonism, impact cratering, and erosion and deposition by fluvial and aeolian activity. In this paper, we map geomorphological units from SAR data and analyze their areal distribution and relative ages of modification in order to infer the geologic evolution of Titan's surface. We find that dunes and hummocky and mountainous terrains are more widespread than lakes, putative cryovolcanic features, mottled plains, and craters and crateriform structures that may be due to impact. Undifferentiated plains are the largest areal unit; their origin is uncertain. In terms of latitudinal distribution, dunes and hummocky and mountainous terrains are located mostly at low latitudes (less than 30??), with no dunes being present above 60??. Channels formed by fluvial activity are present at all latitudes, but lakes are at high latitudes only. Crateriform structures that may have been formed by impact appear to be uniformly distributed with latitude, but the well-preserved impact craters are all located at low latitudes, possibly indicating that more resurfacing has occurred at higher latitudes. Cryovolcanic features are not ubiquitous, and are mostly located between 30?? and 60?? north. We examine temporal relationships between units wherever possible, and conclude that aeolian and fluvial/pluvial/lacustrine processes are the

Environmental Resources of Selected Areas of Hawaii: Geological Hazards (DRAFT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staub, W.P.

1994-06-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on geologic hazards during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice in the Federal Register on May 17, 1994 (Fed Regis. 5925638) withdrawing its Notice of Intent (Fed Regis. 575433) of February 14, 1992, to prepare the HGP-EIS. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated This report presents a review of current information on geologic hazards in the Hawaiian Islands. Interrelationships among these hazards are discussed. Probabilities of occurrence of given geologic hazards are provided in various regions where sufficient geologic or historical data are available. Most of the information contained herein is compiled from recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publications and open-file reports. This report describes the natural geologic hazards present in the area and does not represent an assessment of environmental impacts. Geologic hazards originate both onshore and offshore. Onshore geologic hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, surface rupture, landslides, uplift, and subsidence occur mainly on the southern third of the island of Hawaii (hereinafter referred to as Hawaii). Offshore geologic hazards are more widely distributed throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Examples of offshore geologic hazards are submarine landslides, turbidity currents, and seismic sea waves (tsunamis). First, overviews of volcanic and earthquake activity, and details of offshore geologic hazards is provided for the Hawaiian Islands. Then, a more detailed discussion of onshore geologic hazards is presented with special emphasis on the southern third of Hawaii and the east rift

Old Geology and New Geology

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Released 28 May 2003Mangala Vallis one of the large outflow channels that channeled large quantities of water into the northern lowlands, long ago on geological timescales. This valley is one of the few in the southern hemisphere, as well as one of the few west of the Tharsis bulge. A closer look at the channel shows more recent weathering of the old water channel: the walls of the channel show small, dark slope streaks that form in dusty areas; and much of the surrounding terrain has subtle linear markings trending from the upper left to the lower right, which are probably features sculpted and streamlined by the wind. Geology still shapes the surface of Mars today, but its methods over the eons have changed.Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6, Longitude 209.6 East (150.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Synthetic Study on the Geological and Hydrogeological Model around KURT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kyung Woo; Kim, Kyung Su; Koh, Yong Kwon; Choi, Jong Won

2011-01-01

To characterize the site specific properties of a study area for high-level radioactive waste disposal research in KAERI, the several geological investigations such as surface geological surveys and borehole drillings were carried out since 1997. Especially, KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) was constructed to understand the further study of geological environments in 2006. As a result, the first geological model of a study area was constructed by using the results of geological investigation. The objective of this research is to construct a hydrogeological model around KURT area on the basis of the geological model. Hydrogeological data which were obtained from in-situ hydraulic tests in the 9 boreholes were estimated to accomplish the objective. And, the hydrogeological properties of the 4 geological elements in the geological model, which were the subsurface weathering zone, the log angle fracture zone, the fracture zones and the bedrock were suggested. The hydrogeological model suggested in this study will be used as input parameters to carry out the groundwater flow modeling as a next step of the site characterization around KURT area

The geology of Piz Pian Grand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, M.; Staeuble, J.

1987-01-01

Nagra has identified four potential sites for a repository for low- and intermediate-level waste. Exploration work is already underway at Oberbauenstock (UR) and Piz Pian Grand (GR). As part of the investigations in the Piz Pian Grand area, geological surface mapping was carried out between 1984 and 1987. Since the data obtained is still being evaluated, it would be premature to draw any interpretative conclusions at this stage. On the other hand, some of the most significant observations of this work can be summarised here. As a first step, the geological framework in which these investigations are to be seen should be defined. Observations will then be made on the rock content (lithology) and geometric structure (structural geology) of the area. (author) 6 figs

The 16th International Geological Congress, Washington, 1933

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, C.M.

2009-01-01

In 1933, the International Geological Congress (IGC) returned to the United States of America (USA) for its sixteenth meeting, forty-two years after the 5th IGC convened in Washington. The Geological Society of America and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supplied the major part of the required extra-registration funding after the effects of the Great Depression influenced the 72th U.S. Congress not to do so. A reported 1, 182 persons or organizations, representing fifty-four countries, registered for the 16 th IGC and thirty-four countries sent 141 official delegates. Of the total number of registrants, 665 actually attended the meeting; 500 came from the USA; and fifteen had participated in the 5th IGC. The 16 th Meeting convened in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Building from 22 to 29 July. The eighteen half-day scientific sections-orogenesis (four), major divisions of the Paleozoic (three), miscellaneous (three), batholiths and related intrusives (two), arid-region geomorphic processes and products (one), fossil man and contemporary faunas (one), geology of copper and other ore deposits (one), geology of petroleum (one), measuring geologic time (one), and zonal relations of metalliferous deposits (one)-included 166 papers, of which fifty (including several of the key contributions) appeared only by title. The Geological Society of Washington, the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines hosted or contributed to evening presentations or receptions. Twenty-eight of the 16th IGC's thirty new guidebooks and one new USGS Bulletin aided eight pre-meeting, seven during-meeting, and four post-meeting field trips of local, regional, or national scope. The remaining two new guidebooks outlined the USA's structural geology and its stratigraphic nomenclature. The 16th IGC published a two-volume monograph on the world's copper resources (1935) and a two-volume report of its proceedings (1936).

Surficial geologic map of the Mount Grace-Ashburnham-Monson-Webster 24-quadrangle area in central Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Janet R.

2013-01-01

The surficial geologic map shows the distribution of nonlithified earth materials at land surface in an area of 24 7.5-minute quadrangles (1,238 mi2 total) in central Massachusetts. Across Massachusetts, these materials range from a few feet to more than 500 ft in thickness. They overlie bedrock, which crops out in upland hills and as resistant ledges in valley areas. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of their lithologic characteristics (such as grain size and sedimentary structures), constructional geomorphic features, stratigraphic relationships, and age. Surficial materials also are known in engineering classifications as unconsolidated soils, which include coarse-grained soils, fine-grained soils, and organic fine-grained soils. Surficial materials underlie and are the parent materials of modern pedogenic soils, which have developed in them at the land surface. Surficial earth materials significantly affect human use of the land, and an accurate description of their distribution is particularly important for assessing water resources, construction-aggregate resources, and earth-surface hazards, and for making land-use decisions. This work is part of a comprehensive study to produce a statewide digital map of the surficial geology at a 1:24,000-scale level of accuracy. This report includes explanatory text (PDF), quadrangle maps at 1:24,000 scale (PDF files), GIS data layers (ArcGIS shapefiles), metadata for the GIS layers, scanned topographic base maps (TIF), and a readme.txt file.

Surficial geologic map of the Norton-Manomet-Westport-Sconticut Neck 23-quadrangle area in southeast Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Byron D.; Stone, Janet R.; DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary L.; Kincare, Kevin A.

2012-01-01

The surficial geologic map shows the distribution of nonlithified earth materials at land surface in an area of 23 7.5-minute quadrangles (919 mi2 total) in southeastern Massachusetts. Across Massachusetts, these materials range from a few feet to more than 500 ft in thickness. They overlie bedrock, which crops out in upland hills and as resistant ledges in valley areas. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of their lithologic characteristics (such as grain size and sedimentary structures), constructional geomorphic features, stratigraphic relationships, and age. Surficial materials also are known in engineering classifications as unconsolidated soils, which include coarse-grained soils, fine-grained soils, and organic fine-grained soils. Surficial materials underlie and are the parent materials of modern pedogenic soils, which have developed in them at the land surface. Surficial earth materials significantly affect human use of the land, and an accurate description of their distribution is particularly important for assessing water resources, construction aggregate resources, and earth-surface hazards, and for making land-use decisions. This work is part of a comprehensive study to produce a statewide digital map of the surficial geology at a 1:24,000-scale level of accuracy. This report includes explanatory text (PDF), quadrangle maps at 1:24,000 scale (PDF files), GIS data layers (ArcGIS shapefiles), metadata for the GIS layers, scanned topographic base maps (TIF), and a readme.txt file.

Use of geo-scientific arguments in the Nirex phased geological repository concept: illustrative desk study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, S.; Breen, B.; Knight, L.

2007-01-01

A desk study recently undertaken by Nirex used data, collected from now-ceased investigations of the Sellafield site (west Cumbria, UK) undertaken in the 1990's, to consider the implications of locating the Nirex Phased Geological Repository Concept (PGRC) in deep rock formations present at the west Cumbrian coast that contain brines in a slow-moving groundwater flow system. Work undertaken brought together geochemical data and interpretation [1], addressing some questions that were posed during active Sellafield investigations concerning the distribution, composition, origin and age of the brine. The desk study also considered geochemical evidence that has a bearing on understanding the hydrodynamic stability of the brine, noting that it has been investigated in a zone where there are quite sharp changes in physical and chemical groundwater conditions over rather short distances; the simplified hypothesis that this brine is 'very old and virtually immobile' is considered. Other important parts of the scientific framework that provide complementary knowledge and insights were utilised for this desk study; physical hydrogeology and numerical modelling, basinal geology, structure and rock properties, and mineralogy were integrated with geochemistry to develop an understanding of the behaviour of the groundwater system in the study region in terms of its evolution to present day, and its potential future behaviour. Semi-quantitative and qualitative comparison between hydrodynamic and geochemical estimates of water ages are reported. The main assumptions and simplifications in each case that affect the degree of comparability are described in that report, and the consistencies and inconsistencies are discussed and reconciled as far as possible. Geochemical ages for time since recharge of the water in the brine are upwards of 1.6 million years. A probable maximum age of 10 million years is inferred from an assumption about how groundwater history might be coupled to

Bedrock geology Forsmark. Modelling stage 2.3. Implications for and verification of the deterministic geological models based on complementary data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephens, Michael B. (Geological Survey of Sweden, Uppsala (Sweden)); Simeonov, Assen (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden)); Isaksson, Hans (GeoVista AB, Luleaa (Sweden))

2008-12-15

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company is in the process of completing site descriptive modelling at two locations in Sweden, with the objective to site a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. At Forsmark, the results of the stage 2.2 geological modelling formed the input for downstream users. Since complementary ground and borehole geological and geophysical data, acquired after model stage 2.2, were not planned to be included in the deterministic rock domain, fracture domain and deformation zone models supplied to the users, it was deemed necessary to evaluate the implications of these stage 2.3 data for the stage 2.2 deterministic geological models and, if possible, to make use of these data to verify the models. This report presents the results of the analysis of the complementary stage 2.3 geological and geophysical data. Model verification from borehole data has been implemented in the form of a prediction-outcome test. The stage 2.3 geological and geophysical data at Forsmark mostly provide information on the bedrock outside the target volume. Additional high-resolution ground magnetic data and the data from the boreholes KFM02B, KFM11A, KFM12A and HFM33 to HFM37 can be included in this category. Other data complement older information of identical character, both inside and outside this volume. These include the character and kinematics of deformation zones and fracture mineralogy. In general terms, it can be stated that all these new data either confirm the geological modelling work completed during stage 2.2 or are in good agreement with the data that were used in this work. In particular, although the new high-resolution ground magnetic data modify slightly the position and trace length of some stage 2.2 deformation zones at the ground surface, no new or modified deformation zones with a trace length longer than 3,000 m at the ground surface have emerged. It is also apparent that the revision of fracture orientation data

Bedrock geology Forsmark. Modelling stage 2.3. Implications for and verification of the deterministic geological models based on complementary data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, Michael B.; Simeonov, Assen; Isaksson, Hans

2008-12-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company is in the process of completing site descriptive modelling at two locations in Sweden, with the objective to site a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. At Forsmark, the results of the stage 2.2 geological modelling formed the input for downstream users. Since complementary ground and borehole geological and geophysical data, acquired after model stage 2.2, were not planned to be included in the deterministic rock domain, fracture domain and deformation zone models supplied to the users, it was deemed necessary to evaluate the implications of these stage 2.3 data for the stage 2.2 deterministic geological models and, if possible, to make use of these data to verify the models. This report presents the results of the analysis of the complementary stage 2.3 geological and geophysical data. Model verification from borehole data has been implemented in the form of a prediction-outcome test. The stage 2.3 geological and geophysical data at Forsmark mostly provide information on the bedrock outside the target volume. Additional high-resolution ground magnetic data and the data from the boreholes KFM02B, KFM11A, KFM12A and HFM33 to HFM37 can be included in this category. Other data complement older information of identical character, both inside and outside this volume. These include the character and kinematics of deformation zones and fracture mineralogy. In general terms, it can be stated that all these new data either confirm the geological modelling work completed during stage 2.2 or are in good agreement with the data that were used in this work. In particular, although the new high-resolution ground magnetic data modify slightly the position and trace length of some stage 2.2 deformation zones at the ground surface, no new or modified deformation zones with a trace length longer than 3,000 m at the ground surface have emerged. It is also apparent that the revision of fracture orientation data

Deep geological disposal research in Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninci Martinez, Carlos A.; Ferreyra, Raul E.; Vullien, Alicia R.; Elena, Oscar; Lopez, Luis E.; Maloberti, Alejandro; Nievas, Humberto O.; Reyes, Nancy C.; Zarco, Juan J.; Bevilacqua, Arturo M.; Maset, Elvira R.; Jolivet, Luis A.

2001-01-01

Argentina shall require a deep geological repository for the final disposal of radioactive wastes, mainly high-level waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel produced at two nuclear power plants and two research reactors. In the period 1980-1990 the first part of feasibility studies and a basic engineering project for a radioactive high level waste repository were performed. From the geological point of view it was based on the study of granitic rocks. The area of Sierra del Medio, Province of Chubut, was selected to carry out detailed geological, geophysical and hydrogeological studies. Nevertheless, by the end of the eighties the project was socially rejected and CNEA decided to stop it at the beginning of the nineties. That decision was strongly linked with the little attention paid to social communication issues. Government authorities were under a strong pressure from social groups which demanded the interruption of the project, due to lack of information and the fear it generated. The lesson learned was: social communication activities shall be carried out very carefully in order to advance in the final disposal of HLW at deep geological repositories (author)

The geology of the Romuvaara area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anttila, P.; Paulamaeki, S.; Lindberg, A.; Paananen, M.; Pitkaenen, P.; Front, K.

1990-12-01

Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) is preparing for the final disposal of spent uranium fuel from the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant deep in the Finnish bedrock. The report presents a summary of the geological conditions at Romuvaara in Kuhmo, which was one of the five areas selected in 1987 for the preliminary site investigations. The Romuvaara site and its surroundings belong to the Archaean basement complex, the age of the oldest parts of which is over 2800 Ma. The bedrock consists mainly of migmatic banded gneisses (tonalite, leucotonalite and mica gneiss). These rock types are intersected by granodiorite and metadiabase dykes. Proterozoic metadiabases represent the youngest rock unit in the area. Except for the metadiabase, the rocks have undergone a multiphase Archaean deformation. The bedrock structures are interpreted as representing six deformation phases, after which sharp faults developed during at least four further movement phases

10 CFR 51.67 - Environmental information concerning geologic repositories.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Environmental information concerning geologic repositories... information concerning geologic repositories. (a) In lieu of an environmental report, the Department of Energy... connection with any geologic repository developed under Subtitle A of Title I, or under Title IV, of the...

Hanford Site Guidelines for Preparation and Presentation of Geologic Information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lanigan, David C.; Last, George V.; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Thorne, Paul D.; Webber, William D.

2010-04-30

A complex geology lies beneath the Hanford Site of southeastern Washington State. Within this geology is a challenging large-scale environmental cleanup project. Geologic and contaminant transport information generated by several U.S. Department of Energy contractors must be documented in geologic graphics clearly, consistently, and accurately. These graphics must then be disseminated in formats readily acceptable by general graphics and document producing software applications. The guidelines presented in this document are intended to facilitate consistent, defensible, geologic graphics and digital data/graphics sharing among the various Hanford Site agencies and contractors.

Three-dimensional geologic model of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, south-central Oklahoma

Science.gov (United States)

Faith, Jason R.; Blome, Charles D.; Pantea, Michael P.; Puckette, James O.; Halihan, Todd; Osborn, Noel; Christenson, Scott; Pack, Skip

2010-01-01

The Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of south-central Oklahoma encompasses more than 850 square kilometers and is the principal water resource for south-central Oklahoma. Rock units comprising the aquifer are characterized by limestone, dolomite, and sandstones assigned to two lower Paleozoic units: the Arbuckle and Simpson Groups. Also considered to be part of the aquifer is the underlying Cambrian-age Timbered Hills Group that contains limestone and sandstone. The highly faulted and fractured nature of the Arbuckle-Simpson units and the variable thickness (600 to 2,750 meters) increases the complexity in determining the subsurface geologic framework of this aquifer. A three-dimensional EarthVision (Trademark) geologic framework model was constructed to quantify the geometric relationships of the rock units of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer in the Hunton anticline area. This 3-D EarthVision (Trademark) geologic framework model incorporates 54 faults and four modeled units: basement, Arbuckle-Timbered Hills Group, Simpson Group, and post-Simpson. Primary data used to define the model's 54 faults and four modeled surfaces were obtained from geophysical logs, cores, and cuttings from 126 water and petroleum wells. The 3-D framework model both depicts the volumetric extent of the aquifer and provides the stratigraphic layer thickness and elevation data used to construct a MODFLOW version 2000 regional groundwater-flow model.

Geology--hydrology of Avery Island Salt Dome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacoby, C.H.

1977-07-01

After a review of the geology of the Gulf Coast salt domes, the geology (geomorphology and tectonics) and hydrology of Avery Island Dome, 10 miles south-southwest of New Iberia, Louisiana, were studied in detail. Rock mechanics were studied using grouts and piezometers. 17 figs

Publications - Geospatial Data | Alaska Division of Geological &

Science.gov (United States)

from rocks collected in the Richardson mining district, Big Delta Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division Island 2009 topography: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Miscellaneous Publication , Geologic map of portions of the Livengood B-3, B-4, C-3, and C-4 quadrangles, Tolovana mining district

Medical Geology: a globally emerging discipline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bunnell, J.E.; Finkelman, R.B.; Centeno, J.A.; Selinus, O. [Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC (United States)

2007-07-01

Medical Geology, the study of the impacts of geologic materials and processes on animal and human health, is a dynamic emerging discipline bringing together the geoscience, biomedical, and public health communities to solve a wide range of environmental health problems. Among the Medical Geology described in this review are examples of both deficiency and toxicity of trace element exposure. Goiter is a widespread and potentially serious health problem caused by deficiency of iodine. In many locations the deficiency is attributable to low concentrations of iodine in the bedrock. Similarly, deficiency of selenium in the soil has been cited as the principal cause of juvenile cardiomyopathy and muscular abnormalities. Overexposure to arsenic is one of the most widespread Medical Geology problems affecting more than one hundred million people in Bangladesh, India, China, Europe, Africa and North and South America. The arsenic exposure is primarily due to naturally high levels in groundwater but combustion of mineralized coal has also caused arsenic poisoning. Dental and skeletal fluorosis also impacts the health of millions of people around the world and, like arsenic, is due to naturally high concentrations in drinking water and, to a lesser extent, coal combustion. Other Medical Geology issues described include geophagia, the deliberate ingestion of soil, exposure to radon, and ingestion of high concentrations of organic compounds in drinking water. Geoscience and biomedical/public health researchers are teaming to help mitigate these health problems as well as various non-traditional issues for geoscientists such as vector-borne diseases.

Microfloral assemblage, age and paleoenvironment of the Upper ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Microfloral assemblage, age and paleoenvironment of the Upper Cretaceous Patti Formation, southeastern Bida Basin, Nigeria. OJ Ojo, SO Akande. Abstract. No Abstract. Journal of Mining and Geology Vol. 44 (1) 2008: pp. 71-82. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD ...

The seabed geomorphology and geological structure of the Firth of Lorn, western Scotland, UK

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, John; Arosio, Riccardo; Dove, Dayton; Anderton, Roger; Bradwell, Tom

2014-05-01

We present recently collected swath bathymetry from the Firth of Lorn. 553km2 of data were collected during 2012-2013 as part of the INIS Hydro project (Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland Hydrographic Survey). The inshore waters covered by this survey represent a priority area for the renewable industry, shipping and tourism and encompass a number of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) including for rocky reef habitat. Surprisingly, given this interest, this project is the first comprehensive bathymetric survey of the area. This region of near shore continental shelf is revealed as a predominantly bedrock-dominated seabed, characterised by a series of narrow, stratigraphically constrained basins eroded into the Proterozoic and Palaeozoic-age bedrock. The principal basement of the region is composed of deformed Dalradian-age metasediments overlain unconformably by ?Silurian-age Old Red Sandstones and lavas. The resistant, uneroded igneous extrusives have formed raised rock platforms. Most strikingly the central region of the Firth of Lorn is dominated by an up to 150m high vertical cliff extending for approximately 20km. The origin of this prominent feature, here termed the Insh Fault, is not well understood however it may have resulted from a combination of Dalradian-age faulting and erosion of exposed softer metasediments in the central basin. Extensive seabed faulting also occurs; possibly as Dalradian-age syn-sedimentary faults. Carboniferous and Tertiary-age minor intrusives are common throughout the region in particular the Tertiary-age dolerite dyke swarms can be traced for many kilometres, exposed on the sediment-free bedrock surfaces. The survey region includes the Corryvreckan Whirlpool and Great Race, beneath the tidal flows of which there are active submarine sand dunes. Evidence for past glaciation is widespread and well preserved in the Firth of Lorn with preserved moraines and over-deepened basins common across the area. Initial geological and

Ecological geology environmental assessment of open-pit mines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Shuangfa; Jiang Xue

2010-01-01

In this paper, there is a detail description of ecological geology environmental assessment of open-pit mines, including method, process and results. We took ecological geology environmental assessment work on the base of the results of some open-pit mines such as extremely low content magnetite in Hebei Province, inducted and summarized the ecological geology environment quality. The results are reasonable. It provides basic data for the second mines programming in Hebei Province. (authors)

CHUVARDINSKY’S ANTIGLACIAL (GENERALIZED GEOLOGICAL CONCEPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. K. Skufyin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Based on the analytical study of V. G. Chuvardinsky’s monographs on the revision of the generally accepted glacial theory, the authors of the review concluded that there was convincing evidence of a fault-tectonic origin of ‘ice-exaration’ relief of the Baltic Shield. Developed by Chuvardinsky, a radically new methodology of boulder prospecting of ore deposits not only refuted the old glacial theory, but also led to the discovery of copper-nickel deposits, a new apatite alkaline massif, promising manifestation of copper-nickel ore, platinum group metals, native gold, chromite and other mineral resources. A thorough drilling of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica for the international project determined the absence of boulder material over the entire thickness of the ice, only pulverulent and fine particles (mainly volcanic ash were found in the ice. Bottom ice layers are immobilised, their function is preservation of the geological surface. V. G. Chuvardinsky far outstripped western and Russian scientists in the field of Earth Sciences. His field studies on the Baltic Shield not only refuted the mighty glacial theory, but also created and substantiated a new geological concept instead. Professor V. Z. Negrutsa was quite right when he wrote in his review on Chuvardinsky’s work (journal Geomorfologiya, 2003, no. 1, ‘Evidence of Chuvardinsky about tectonic origin of geological and geomorphological features traditionally associated with the Quaternary glaciation is so obvious and reproducible both by field observations and by geological modeling that is presented irrefutable and undeniable in its essence’. In general, assessing the scientific significance of V. G. Chuvardinsky’s works, it can be stated that his work would have done honour to research institutes of geological and geographical orientation according to the level of study of the geological material and the value of his field studies. His books present the material for

Thermochronological constraints on the Cambrian to recent geological evolution of the Argentina passive continental margin

Science.gov (United States)

Kollenz, Sebastian; Glasmacher, Ulrich A.; Rossello, Eduardo A.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Schad, Sabrina; Pereyra, Ricardo E.

2017-10-01

Passive continental margins are geo-archives that store information from the interplay of endogenous and exogenous forces related to continental rifting, post-breakup history, and climate changes. The recent South Atlantic passive continental margins (SAPCMs) in Brazil, Namibia, and South Africa are partly high-elevated margins ( 2000 m a.s.l.), and the recent N-S-trending SAPCM in Argentina and Uruguay is of low elevation. In Argentina, an exception in elevation is arising from the higher topography (> 1000 m a.s.l.) of the two NW-SE-trending mountain ranges Sierras Septentrionales and Sierras Australes. Precambrian metamorphic and intrusive rocks, and siliciclastic rocks of Ordovician to Permian age represent the geological evolution of both areas. The Sierras Australes have been deformed and metamorphosed (incipient - greenschist) during the Gondwanides Orogeny. The low-temperature thermochronological (LTT) data (history of the Gondwanides and the Mesozoic and Cenozoic South Atlantic geological evolution. Upper Carboniferous zircon (U-Th/He)-ages (ZHe) indicate the earliest cooling below 180 °C/1 Ma. Most of the ZHe-ages are of Upper Triassic to Jurassic age. The apatite fission-track ages (AFT) of Sierras Septentrionales and the eastern part of Sierras Australes indicate the South Atlantic rifting and, thereafter. AFT-ages of Middle to Upper Triassic on the western side of the Sierras Australes are in contrast, indicating a Triassic exhumation caused by the eastward thrusting along the Sauce Grande wrench. The corresponding t-T models report a complex subsidence and exhumation history with variable rates since the Ordovician. Based on the LTT-data and the numerical modelling we assume that the NW-SE-trending mountain ranges received their geographic NW-SE orientation during the syn- to post-orogenic history of the Gondwanides.

The geology of the Vaalputs radioactive waste disposal site, with implications for granite-charnockite relationships and crustal evolution in western Namaqualand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreoli, M.A.G.; Brynard, H.J.; Anderson, N.J.B.; Hart, R.J.; Moore, J.M.; Welke, H.

1990-01-01

The Precambrian geology of the Valputs site is characterized by extensive sheets of Spektakel Suite syntectonic granite gneisses. Experimental methods used for the geological evaluation of the Vaalputs site included semi-regional and site-specific mapping. All main rock types were petrologically and geochemically classified. In addition, preliminary Rb-Sr whole-rock ages were calculated for the main lithotypes, together with Sm-Nd dating. The investigations for the licensing of the Vaalputs site have revealed numerous intriguing aspects of the crustal history in southwestern Namaqualand. 10 refs

Southeastern Regional Geologic Characterization Report. Executive summary. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This Executive Summary of the final Southeastern Regional Geologic Characterization Report (RGCR) is issued primarily for public information purposes, and provides a general overview of the report. The complete RGCR presents available regional geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in central Maryland; noncoastal Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; and northern Georgia. For each of the states within the Southeastern Region, information is provided on the geologic disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening

Innovative progress and sustainable development of remote sensing for uranium geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Dechang; Zhao Yingjun; Ye Fawang

2009-01-01

The paper reviewes the innovative process of remote sensing for the uranium geology in Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG), discusses the science and technology progress of uranium geology due to remote sensing technique, and the way how to keep sustainable development of the remote sensing for uranium geology so as to play an important role in the uranium geology in the future. (authors)

Software development for geologic information management system on open-pit production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, K.; Tian, A.; Ren, Z.; Pang, Y. [China University of Mining and Technomogy, Xuzhou (China). College of Mineral and Energy Resources

2001-09-01

A software, including geological data gathering and processing, deposit modelling, reserves calculating and mine map plotting, for geologic information management of open-pit production was developed. Based on the interactive technique, CAD, the object-oriented simulation, and the characteristics of geologic structures, all the geologic information databases and geologic mapping sub-systems have been established for open-pit production, planning and management. 6 refs., 1 fig.

A Knowledge-Driven Geospatially Enabled Framework for Geological Big Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Wu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Geologic survey procedures accumulate large volumes of structured and unstructured data. Fully exploiting the knowledge and information that are included in geological big data and improving the accessibility of large volumes of data are important endeavors. In this paper, which is based on the architecture of the geological survey information cloud-computing platform (GSICCP and big-data-related technologies, we split geologic unstructured data into fragments and extract multi-dimensional features via geological domain ontology. These fragments are reorganized into a NoSQL (Not Only SQL database, and then associations between the fragments are added. A specific class of geological questions was analyzed and transformed into workflow tasks according to the predefined rules and associations between fragments to identify spatial information and unstructured content. We establish a knowledge-driven geologic survey information smart-service platform (GSISSP based on previous work, and we detail a study case for our research. The study case shows that all the content that has known relationships or semantic associations can be mined with the assistance of multiple ontologies, thereby improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of geological information discovery.

X-ray fluorescence in geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutra, C.V.; Gomes, C.B.

1990-01-01

This work is about the X-ray fluorescence aplication in geology. It's showing the X-ray origin and excitation. About the instrumentation this work shows the following: X-ray tubes, colimators, analysers crystals, detectors, amplifiers, pulse height selector, and others electronic components. By X-ray fluorescente are done quantitative and qualitative geological analysis and this work shows this analysis and its detection limits. The problems determination is the example. In this work was done yet the comparative analysis of the various instrumental methods in geochemistry. (C.G.) [pt

Introductory Geological Mapwork--An Active Learning Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Drennan, Gillian R.; Evans, Mary Y.

2011-01-01

First year Geology students at the University of the Witwatersrand experience problems with both three-dimensional and "four-dimensional" (or time) visualization when attempting to interpret geological maps. These difficulties have been addressed by the introduction of hands-on modeling exercises, which allow students to construct…

Geology and ground water in north-central Santa Cruz County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Michael J.

1980-01-01

North-central Santa Cruz County is underlain mainly by folded sedimentary rocks of Tertiary and Cretaceous age that have been highly fractured by movements in the San Andreas fault system. Ground water is stored in fractures within shale and mudstone formations and in intergranular pore spaces within fine- to very fine-grained sandstone and siltstone formations. Fewer than 10% of the wells yield more than 15 gallons of water per minute. The water in most wells is moderately hard to very hard, is generally of a sodium bicarbonate or calcium bicarbonate type, and commonly has excessive concentrations of iron or manganese. Of the many geologic units in the study area, only the Purisima Formation of Pliocene age has the potential to sustain well yields greater than 100 gallons per minute. (USGS)

Pilot monitoring program: geologic input for the hillslope component (includes a discussion of Caspar Creek geology and geomorphology)

Science.gov (United States)

T. E. Spittler

1995-01-01

The California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology (DMG) is submitting this report and accompanying maps to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) to fulfill Interagency Agreement number 8CA38400, Pilot Monitoring Program -- Geologic Input for the Hillslope Component. Under this agreement, DMG has assisted CDF in the...

Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of Planetary Geologic Mappers, San Antonio, TX, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Bleamaster, Leslie F., III (Editor); Tanaka, Kenneth L.; Kelley, Michael S.

2009-01-01

Topics covered include: Geologic Mapping of the Beta-Atla-Themis (BAT) Region of Venus: A Progress Report; Geologic Map of the Snegurochka Planitia Quadrangle (V-1): Implications for Tectonic and Volcanic History of the North Polar Region of Venus; Preliminary Geological Map of the Fortuna Tessera (V-2) Quadrangle, Venus; Geological Map of the Fredegonde (V-57) Quadrangle, Venus; Geological Mapping of the Lada Terra (V-56) Quadrangle, Venus; Geologic Mapping of V-19; Lunar Geologic Mapping: A Preliminary Map of a Portion of the LQ-10 ("Marius") Quadrangle; Geologic Mapping of the Lunar South Pole, Quadrangle LQ-30: Volcanic History and Stratigraphy of Schr dinger Basin; Geologic Mapping along the Arabia Terra Dichotomy Boundary: Mawrth Vallis and Nili Fossae, Mars; Geologic Mapping Investigations of the Northwest Rim of Hellas Basin, Mars; Geologic Mapping of the Meridiani Region of Mars; Geology of a Portion of the Martian Highlands: MTMs -20002, -20007, -25002 and -25007; Geologic Mapping of Holden Crater and the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava Outflow System; Mapping Tyrrhena Patera and Hesperia Planum, Mars; Geologic Mapping of Athabaca Valles; Geologic Mapping of MTM -30247, -35247 and -40247 Quadrangles, Reull Vallis Region, Mars Topography of the Martian Impact Crater Tooting; Mars Structural and Stratigraphic Mapping along the Coprates Rise; Geology of Libya Montes and the Interbasin Plains of Northern Tyrrhena Terra, Mars: Project Introduction and First Year Work Plan; Geology of the Southern Utopia Planitia Highland-Lowland Boundary Plain: Second Year Results and Third Year Plan; Mars Global Geologic Mapping: About Half Way Done; New Geologic Map of the Scandia Region of Mars; Geologic Mapping of the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars and the Northern Lowland Plains of Venus; Volcanism on Io: Insights from Global Geologic Mapping; and Planetary Geologic Mapping Handbook - 2009.

Office of Geologic Repositories issues hierarchy for a mined geologic disposal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-08-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has indicated that the identification of the issues that must be resolved to complete licensing assessments of site and design suitability is an important step in the licensing process. The issues hierarchy developed by the Office of Geologic Repositories (OGR) for the mined geologic disposal system (MGDS) are based on the issues-hierarchy concept presented in the Mission Plan. Specific questions are encompassed by the general issue statements in the OGR issues hierarchy. The OGR issues hierarchy is limited to the issues related to the siting and licensing requirements of applicable federal regulations and does not address the requirements of other regulations, functional or operating requirements for the MGDS, or requirements for the integration and the design/operational efficiency of the MGDS. 4 figs

Modelling geological uncertainty for mine planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, M

1980-07-01

Geosimplan is an operational gaming approach used in testing a proposed mining strategy against uncertainty in geological disturbance. Geoplan is a technique which facilitates the preparation of summary analyses to give an impression of size, distribution and quality of reserves, and to assist in calculation of year by year output estimates. Geoplan concentrates on variations in seam properties and the interaction between geological information and marketing and output requirements.

Geologic-SURFICIAL62K-Sand and gravel pits

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — The GeologicSurficial_SURFICIAL data consists of surficial geologic features as digitized from the 1:62,500 15 minute series USGS quadrangle map sheets, compiled by...

Geological characteristics of granite type uranium deposits in middle of Inner Mongolia in comparison with south China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Gui

2012-01-01

Granites extensively distributed in middle of Inner Mongolia and South China, namely Caledonian, Hercynian and Yanshanian. Some of the intrusive are composed of granites which belong to different ages. Some of the uranium deposits were found inside the granite bodies or in sedimentary rocks and meta sedimentary rocks along the exocontact zone. Granite rock was comparing in middle Inner Mongolia and South China, including Uranium ore-forming geological conditions. ore-forming process and Ore-controlling factors. Think the Uranium ore-forming geological conditions is similar; ore-forming process is mainly for low-mid temperature hot liquid; Uranium ore bodies (uranium mineralization) was controlled by fracture. Explain granite type uranium mineralization potential is tremendous in middle of Inner Mongolia. (author)

A Knowledge-Driven Geospatially Enabled Framework for Geological Big Data

OpenAIRE

Liang Wu; Lei Xue; Chaoling Li; Xia Lv; Zhanlong Chen; Baode Jiang; Mingqiang Guo; Zhong Xie

2017-01-01

Geologic survey procedures accumulate large volumes of structured and unstructured data. Fully exploiting the knowledge and information that are included in geological big data and improving the accessibility of large volumes of data are important endeavors. In this paper, which is based on the architecture of the geological survey information cloud-computing platform (GSICCP) and big-data-related technologies, we split geologic unstructured data into fragments and extract multi-dimensional f...

Assessment of effectiveness of geologic isolation systems. Geologic-simulation model for a hypothetical site in the Columbia Plateau. Volume 2: results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foley, M.G.; Petrie, G.M.; Baldwin, A.J.; Craig, R.G.

1982-06-01

This report contains the input data and computer results for the Geologic Simulation Model. This model is described in detail in the following report: Petrie, G.M., et. al. 1981. Geologic Simulation Model for a Hypothetical Site in the Columbia Plateau, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington. The Geologic Simulation Model is a quasi-deterministic process-response model which simulates, for a million years into the future, the development of the geologic and hydrologic systems of the ground-water basin containing the Pasco Basin. Effects of natural processes on the ground-water hydrologic system are modeled principally by rate equations. The combined effects and synergistic interactions of different processes are approximated by linear superposition of their effects during discrete time intervals in a stepwise-integration approach

Assessment of effectiveness of geologic isolation systems. Geologic-simulation model for a hypothetical site in the Columbia Plateau. Volume 2: results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foley, M.G.; Petrie, G.M.; Baldwin, A.J.; Craig, R.G.

1982-06-01

This report contains the input data and computer results for the Geologic Simulation Model. This model is described in detail in the following report: Petrie, G.M., et. al. 1981. Geologic Simulation Model for a Hypothetical Site in the Columbia Plateau, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington. The Geologic Simulation Model is a quasi-deterministic process-response model which simulates, for a million years into the future, the development of the geologic and hydrologic systems of the ground-water basin containing the Pasco Basin. Effects of natural processes on the ground-water hydrologic system are modeled principally by rate equations. The combined effects and synergistic interactions of different processes are approximated by linear superposition of their effects during discrete time intervals in a stepwise-integration approach.

The Geological Grading Scale: Every million Points Counts!

Science.gov (United States)

Stegman, D. R.; Cooper, C. M.

2006-12-01

The concept of geological time, ranging from thousands to billions of years, is naturally quite difficult for students to grasp initially, as it is much longer than the timescales over which they experience everyday life. Moreover, universities operate on a few key timescales (hourly lectures, weekly assignments, mid-term examinations) to which students' maximum attention is focused, largely driven by graded assessment. The geological grading scale exploits the overwhelming interest students have in grades as an opportunity to instill familiarity with geological time. With the geological grading scale, the number of possible points/marks/grades available in the course is scaled to 4.5 billion points --- collapsing the entirety of Earth history into one semester. Alternatively, geological time can be compressed into each assignment, with scores for weekly homeworks not worth 100 points each, but 4.5 billion! Homeworks left incomplete with questions unanswered lose 100's of millions of points - equivalent to missing the Paleozoic era. The expected quality of presentation for problem sets can be established with great impact in the first week by docking assignments an insignificant amount points for handing in messy work; though likely more points than they've lost in their entire schooling history combined. Use this grading scale and your students will gradually begin to appreciate exactly how much time represents a geological blink of the eye.

Developing medical geology in Uruguay: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mañay, Nelly

2010-05-01

Several disciplines like Environmental Toxicology, Epidemiology, Public Health and Geology have been the basis of the development of Medical Geology in Uruguay during the last decade. The knowledge and performance in environmental and health issues have been improved by joining similar aims research teams and experts from different institutions to face environmental problems dealing with the population's exposure to metals and metalloids and their health impacts. Some of the Uruguayan Medical Geology examples are reviewed focusing on their multidisciplinary approach: Lead pollution and exposed children, selenium in critically ill patients, copper deficiency in cattle and arsenic risk assessment in ground water. Future actions are also presented.

Developing Medical Geology in Uruguay: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelly Mañay

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Several disciplines like Environmental Toxicology, Epidemiology, Public Health and Geology have been the basis of the development of Medical Geology in Uruguay during the last decade. The knowledge and performance in environmental and health issues have been improved by joining similar aims research teams and experts from different institutions to face environmental problems dealing with the population’s exposure to metals and metalloids and their health impacts. Some of the Uruguayan Medical Geology examples are reviewed focusing on their multidisciplinary approach: Lead pollution and exposed children, selenium in critically ill patients, copper deficiency in cattle and arsenic risk assessment in ground water. Future actions are also presented.

Popularizing Geological Education among Civil Engineering Students

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiang-jun; Zhou, Ying

2012-01-01

The sustainable development of an economy and a society cannot be realized without the help of modern geoscience. Engineering geology knowledge is necessary on a civil engineering construction site to ensure the construction work goes smoothly. This paper first discusses the importance of geoscience, especially the study of engineering geology.…

DIGITAL GEOLOGIC MAP OF SHERMAN QUADRANGLE, NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS (CD-ROM)

Science.gov (United States)

This compact disc contains digital data sets of the surficial geology and geologic faults for the 1:250,000-scale Sherman quadrangle, North Central Texas, and can be used to make geologic maps, and determine approximate areas and locations of various geologic units. The source d...

Bedrock Geologic Map of the Hinesburg Quadrangle, Vermont

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Digital Data from Thompson, P., Thompson, T.B., and Doolan, B., 2004, Bedrock Geology of the Hinesburg quadrangle, Vermont. The bedrock geologic map data at a scale...

Crosscutting Development- EVA Tools and Geology Sample Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Exploration to all destinations has at one time or another involved the acquisition and return of samples and context data. Gathered at the summit of the highest mountain, the floor of the deepest sea, or the ice of a polar surface, samples and their value (both scientific and symbolic) have been a mainstay of Earthly exploration. In manned spaceflight exploration, the gathering of samples and their contextual information has continued. With the extension of collecting activities to spaceflight destinations comes the need for geology tools and equipment uniquely designed for use by suited crew members in radically different environments from conventional field geology. Beginning with the first Apollo Lunar Surface Extravehicular Activity (EVA), EVA Geology Tools were successfully used to enable the exploration and scientific sample gathering objectives of the lunar crew members. These early designs were a step in the evolution of Field Geology equipment, and the evolution continues today. Contemporary efforts seek to build upon and extend the knowledge gained in not only the Apollo program but a wealth of terrestrial field geology methods and hardware that have continued to evolve since the last lunar surface EVA. This paper is presented with intentional focus on documenting the continuing evolution and growing body of knowledge for both engineering and science team members seeking to further the development of EVA Geology. Recent engineering development and field testing efforts of EVA Geology equipment for surface EVA applications are presented, including the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATs) field trial. An executive summary of findings will also be presented, detailing efforts recommended for exotic sample acquisition and pre-return curation development regardless of planetary or microgravity destination.

Northeastern Regional Geologic Characterization Report: executive summary. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This Executive Summary of the final Northeastern Regional Geologic Characterization Report (RGCR) is issued primarily for public information purposes and provides a general overview of the report. The complete RGCR presents available regional geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. For each of the states within the Northeastern Region, information is provided on the geologic disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening. 5 refs., 3 figs

The geological thought process: A help in developing business instincts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Epstein, S.A. [Dean Witter Reynolds, New York, NY (United States)

1995-09-01

Since the beginning of modern-day geology it has been understood that the present is the key to the past. However, when attempting to apply current geological models one discovers that there are no exact look-alikes. Thus, the geological discipline inherently accepts modifications, omissions, and relatively large margins of error compared with engineering. Geologists are comfortable in a world of non-unique solutions. Thus the experience in working with numerous geological settings is extremely critical in selecting the most reasonable geological interpretations, often by using a composite of specific models. One can not simply replace a dynamic geologist`s life-time of experiences and geologic instinct with simply a book-smart young upstart. Petroleum corporations accept geologic risk and manage it by drilling numerous wells in various geological provenances. Oil corporations have attempted to quantify and manage risk by using Monte Carlo simulations, thus invoking a formal discipline of risk. The acceptance of risk, results in an asset allocation approach to investing. Asset allocators attempt to reduce volatility and risk, inherently understanding that in any specific time interval anything can happen. Dollar cost averaging significantly reduces market risk over time, however it requires discipline and commitment. The single most important ingredient to a successful investing plan is to assign a reasonable holding period. Historically, a majority of the investment community demands instant gratification causing unneeded anxiety and failure. As in geology nothing can replace experience.

Iapetus: Tectonic structure and geologic history

Science.gov (United States)

Croft, Steven K.

1991-01-01

Many papers have been written about the surface of Iapetus, but most of these have discussed either the nature of the strongly contrasting light and dark materials or the cratering record. Little has been said about other geologic features on Iapetus, such as tectonic structures, which would provide constraints on Iapetus' thermal history. Most references have suggested that there is no conclusive evidence for any tectonic activity, even when thermal history studies indicate that there should be. However, a new study of Iapetus' surface involving the use of stereo pairs, an extensive tectonic network has been recognized. A few new observations concerning the craters and dark material were also made. Thus the geology and geologic history of Iapetus can be more fully outlined than before. The tectonic network is shown along with prominent craters and part of the dark material in the geologic/tectonic sketch map. The topology of crater rims and scarps are quite apparent and recognizable in the different image pairs. The heights and slopes of various features given are based on comparison with the depths of craters 50 to 100 km in diameter, which are assumed to have the same depths as craters of similar diameter on Rhea and Titania.

Geologic Reconnaissance and Lithologic Identification by Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

remote sensing in geologic reconnaissance for purposes of tunnel site selection was studied further and a test case was undertaken to evaluate this geological application. Airborne multispectral scanning (MSS) data were obtained in May, 1972, over a region between Spearfish and Rapid City, South Dakota. With major effort directed toward the analysis of these data, the following geologic features were discriminated: (1) exposed rock areas, (2) five separate rock groups, (3) large-scale structures. This discrimination was accomplished by ratioing multispectral channels.

K-Ar ages of the Neogene volcanic rocks from the Oshamambe district, southwestern Hokkaido

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Kazuya; Shibata, Ken; Ishida, Masao

1988-01-01

Oshamanbe district is on the northern extension of the so-called green tuff district in northeastern Japan, and the sedimentary rocks in a sea area and volcanic rocks from Miocene to Pleistocene widely distribute. The authors carried out the geological survey of this district, and published the results as the geological features in Oshamanbe district. The volcanic rocks distributing in this district range from andesite to dacite and rhyolite. Their lithofacies are mostly volcanic breccia and tuff breccia, accompanied by lava and dikes. This time, the measurement of the age of these volcanic rocks was carried out, and the stratigraphical table made by the authors was investigated. It is considered that those age values offer important information for determining the age of the Setana formation. The outline of the geological features, the samples for the measurement, the method of measurement of Ar isotopic ratio and K, and the results of measurement are reported. As the results, 4.38 - 4.47 Ma were obtained for Garogawa volcanic rocks, and 2.59 Ma for Shamanbesan volcanic rocks. The period of sedimentation of the Setana formation was from the latter period of Pliocene to pleistocene. (Kako, I.)

Status report on the geology of the Oak Ridge Reservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatcher, R.D. Jr.; Lemiszki, P.J.; Foreman, J.L. (Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences); Dreier, R.B.; Ketelle, R.H.; Lee, R.R.; Lee, Suk Young (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)); Lietzke, D.A. (Lietzke (David A.), Rutledge, TN (United States)); McMaster, W.M. (McMaster (William M.), Heiskell, TN (United States))

1992-10-01

This report provides an introduction to the present state of knowledge of the geology of the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and a cursory introduction to the hydrogeology. An important element of this work is the construction of a modern detailed geologic map of the ORR (Plate 1), which remains in progress. An understanding of the geologic framework of the ORR is essential to many current and proposed activities related to land-use planning, waste management, environmental restoration, and waste remediation. Therefore, this report is also intended to convey the present state of knowledge of the geologic and geohydrologic framework of the ORR and vicinity and to present some of the available data that provide the basic framework for additional geologic mapping, subsurface geologic, and geohydrologic studies. In addition, some recently completed, detailed work on soils and other surficial materials is included because of the close relationships to bedrock geology and the need to recognize the weathered products of bedrock units. Weathering processes also have some influence on hydrologic systems and processes at depth.

Japanese issues on the future behavior of the geological environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Kaz; Nakatsuka, Noboru; Ishimaru, Tsuneari

1994-01-01

Comprehending and predicting the future states of the geological environment is very important in ensuring a safe geological disposal of high level radioactive wastes (HLW). This paper is one in a series of studies required to ascertain the existence of a geologically stable area in Japan over the long term. In particular, interest is focussed on the aspect of accumulating data on behavior patterns of selected natural phenomena which will enable predictions of future behavior of geological processes and finding of areas of long term stability. While this paper limits itself to the second and part of the third step, the overall flow-chart of study on natural processes and events which may perturb the geological environment entails three major steps. They include: (i) identification of natural processes and events relevant to long term stability of geological environment to be evaluated; (ii) characterization of the identified natural processes and events; and (iii) prediction of the probability of occurrence, magnitude and influence of the natural processes and events which may perturb the geological environment. (J.P.N)

Status report on the geology of the Oak Ridge Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatcher, R.D. Jr.; Lemiszki, P.J.; Foreman, J.L.; Lietzke, D.A.; McMaster, W.M.

1992-10-01

This report provides an introduction to the present state of knowledge of the geology of the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and a cursory introduction to the hydrogeology. An important element of this work is the construction of a modern detailed geologic map of the ORR (Plate 1), which remains in progress. An understanding of the geologic framework of the ORR is essential to many current and proposed activities related to land-use planning, waste management, environmental restoration, and waste remediation. Therefore, this report is also intended to convey the present state of knowledge of the geologic and geohydrologic framework of the ORR and vicinity and to present some of the available data that provide the basic framework for additional geologic mapping, subsurface geologic, and geohydrologic studies. In addition, some recently completed, detailed work on soils and other surficial materials is included because of the close relationships to bedrock geology and the need to recognize the weathered products of bedrock units. Weathering processes also have some influence on hydrologic systems and processes at depth

Bedrock Geologic Map of the Bristol, VT Quadrangle

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Digital data from VG13-1 Kim, J, Weber, E, and Klepeis, K, 2013, Bedrock Geologic Map of the Bristol, VT Quadrangle: Vermont Geological Survey Open File Report...

Deterministic geologic processes and stochastic modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rautman, C.A.; Flint, A.L.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that recent outcrop sampling at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, has produced significant new information regarding the distribution of physical properties at the site of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository. consideration of the spatial variability indicates that her are a number of widespread deterministic geologic features at the site that have important implications for numerical modeling of such performance aspects as ground water flow and radionuclide transport. Because the geologic processes responsible for formation of Yucca Mountain are relatively well understood and operate on a more-or-less regional scale, understanding of these processes can be used in modeling the physical properties and performance of the site. Information reflecting these deterministic geologic processes may be incorporated into the modeling program explicitly using geostatistical concepts such as soft information, or implicitly, through the adoption of a particular approach to modeling

Geological aspects of the nuclear waste disposal problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laverov, N.P.; Omelianenko, B.L.; Velichkin, V.I.

1994-06-01

For the successful solution of the high-level waste (HLW) problem in Russia one must take into account such factors as the existence of the great volume of accumulated HLW, the large size and variety of geological conditions in the country, and the difficult economic conditions. The most efficient method of HLW disposal consists in the maximum use of protective capacities of the geological environment and in using inexpensive natural minerals for engineered barrier construction. In this paper, the principal trends of geological investigation directed toward the solution of HLW disposal are considered. One urgent practical aim is the selection of sites in deep wells in regions where the HLW is now held in temporary storage. The aim of long-term investigations into HLW disposal is to evaluate geological prerequisites for regional HLW repositories

Geology and religion - historical perspective and current problems

Science.gov (United States)

Kölbl-Ebert, Martina

2010-05-01

Today, when referring to the relationship between geology and religion, people usually at once think of Christian (and other) fundamentalists and their chronic palaeontological illiteracy leading to Creationism, to Intelligent Design, and a distrust of science in general among them most prominently geology, palaeontology and evolutionary biology. Thus the relationship of geology and religion is usually considered to be under strain. In former times things used to be quite different, and for most of human history the observation of geological phenomena and the acquisition of geological expertise was intimately connected with religious ideas. The Judeo-Christian sense of a finite Earth history prepared the ground for accepting the Earth's different strata as testimony to the development of our globe through time. It was this religious, theological framework, from which the early geology started to evolve. However, with increasing observations there was a growing mismatch between what was expected according to ancient, scriptural authorities and the actual data. The release of geology from religious connotations or associations was a development closely connected with the Enlightenment, when geology and religion started to drift apart not with a violent rupture but in a subtle and sometimes circuitous manner. However, outside the group of people with geological expertise, not all was smooth and peaceful, and some conservative clergymen as well as laypersons were rather shocked by the new ideas that came with geology: the immensity of the timescale, a dynamic Earth, not just a ruin shaped by the Deluge, and a dynamic biology too with the Darwinian theory of evolution, which was founded in part on palaeontological evidence and the assumption of a long geological time scale. Nevertheless and interestingly the Creationism we face today is a rather recent phenomenon influenced by a number of motives, most of them philosophical and theological in nature. And so, the current

Historical foundations of chemical geology and geochemistry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manten, A.A.

1966-01-01

Roughly, the name chemical geology has been used for as long as chemistry has been applied in geology; the name geochemistry was introduced by Schönbein, in 1838. Whereas initially the names were often regarded as synonymous, in our century there is a tendency to make a distinction between the two

A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Swezey, Christopher S.; Seefelt, Ellen L.; Parker, Mercer

2018-03-09

Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island in Chatham County, Georgia, within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province. The island lies near the mouth of the Savannah River, and consists of small mounds (hummocks), salt marshes, and sediment dredged from the river. A 1,017-foot (ft) (310-meter [m])-deep core drilled at Cockspur Island in 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey revealed several sedimentary units ranging in age from 43 million years old to present. Sand and mud are present at drilling depths from 0 to 182 ft (56 m), limestone is present at depths from 182 ft (56 m) to 965 ft (295 m), and glauconitic sand is present at depths from 965 ft (295 m) to 1,017 ft (310 m). The limestone and the water within the limestone are referred to collectively as the Floridan aquifer system, which is the primary source of drinking water for the City of Savannah and surrounding communities. In addition to details of the subsurface geology, this fact sheet identifies the following geologic materials used in the construction of Fort Pulaski: (1) granite, (2) bricks, (3) sandstone, and (4) lime mud with oyster shells.

Iowa Geologic Sampling Points

Data.gov (United States)

Iowa State University GIS Support and Research Facility — Point locations of geologic samples/files in the IGS repository. Types of samples include well cuttings, outcrop samples, cores, drillers logs, measured sections,...

Research on geological disposal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

The aims of this research are to develop criteria for reviewing reliability and suitability of the result from Preliminary Investigations to be submitted by the implementer, and to establish a basic policy for safety review. For development of reliability and suitability criteria for reviewing the result of Preliminary Investigations, we evaluated the uncertainties and their influence from limited amount of investigations, as well as we identified important procedures during investigations and constructions of models, as follows: (1) uncertainties after limited amount of geological exploration and drilling, (2) influence of uncertainties in regional groundwater flow model, (3) uncertainties of DFN (Discrete Fracture Network) models in the fractured rock, (4) analyzed investigation methods described in implementer's report, and (5) identified important aspects in investigation which need to be reviewed and follow QA (Quality Assurance). For development of reliability and suitability criteria for reviewing the result of Detailed Investigations, we analyzed important aspects in investigation which supplies data to design and safety assessment, as well as studied the applicability of pressure interference data during excavation to verify hydrogeological model. Regarding the research for safety review, uncertainties of geologic process in long time-scale was studied. In FY2012, we started to evaluate the structural stabilities of concrete and bentonite in disposal environment. Finally, we continued to accumulate the knowledge on geological disposal into the database system. (author)

Geologic Map of the San Luis Quadrangle, Costilla County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Machette, Michael N.; Thompson, Ren A.; Drenth, Benjamin J.

2008-01-01

The map area includes San Luis and the primarily rural surrounding area. San Luis, the county seat of Costilla County, is the oldest surviving settlement in Colorado (1851). West of the town are San Pedro and San Luis mesas (basalt-covered tablelands), which are horsts with the San Luis fault zone to the east and the southern Sangre de Cristo fault zone to the west. The map also includes the Sanchez graben (part of the larger Culebra graben), a deep structural basin that lies between the San Luis fault zone (on the west) and the central Sangre de Cristo fault zone (on the east). The oldest rocks exposed in the map area are the Pliocene to upper Oligocene basin-fill sediments of the Santa Fe Group, and Pliocene Servilleta Basalt, a regional series of 3.7?4.8 Ma old flood basalts. Landslide deposits and colluvium that rest on sediments of the Santa Fe Group cover the steep margins of the mesas. Rare exposures of the sediment are comprised of siltstones, sandstones, and minor fluvial conglomerates. Most of the low ground surrounding the mesas and in the graben is covered by surficial deposits of Quaternary age. The alluvial deposits are subdivided into three Pleistocene-age units and three Holocene-age units. The oldest Pleistocene gravel (unit Qao) forms extensive coalesced alluvial fan and piedmont surfaces, the largest of which is known as the Costilla Plain. This surface extends west from San Pedro Mesa to the Rio Grande. The primary geologic hazards in the map area are from earthquakes, landslides, and localized flooding. There are three major fault zones in the area (as discussed above), and they all show evidence for late Pleistocene to possible Holocene movement. The landslides may have seismogenic origins; that is, they may be stimulated by strong ground shaking during large earthquakes. Machette and Thompson based this geologic map entirely on new mapping, whereas Drenth supplied geophysical data and interpretations.

Exploring the assessment of geological observation with design research

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, John Y.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the assessment of geological observation through the development and field testing of performance tasks. The study addressed a central challenge in geoscience education: for students to observe the world around them and make real-world connections. Yet, there existed no cohesive research approach for the study of observation in geoscience education. The research goal was to understand the assessment of geological observation. The design research of geological observation encountered the situation where few performance assessments existed and few domain-specific learning theories were available. Design research is suited to inquiries in which a domain of learning is unexplored and the phenomena needs to be supported in the classroom in order to study it. This dissertation addressed one general research question and four subquestions: (RQ) How should geological observation be assessed? (S1) What role did perception play in assessing students' geological observations? (S2) What role did explanation play in assessing students' geological observations? (S3) What role did gestures play in assessing students' geological observations? (S4) Were there performance differences between the first and second trial of the GO Inquire prototype with fourth graders? Students were supported in making geological observations with three performance tasks: GO Inquire stamp task, Cutting task, and Fieldguide task. The data set for this study consisted of student response data, videorecordings, and participant observations from seven field tests across one fourth and one fifth grade class. Three data-analytic methods, qualitative coding, item-difficulty analysis, and non-parametric comparisons, were utilized based on four mixed-method data analysis strategies: typology development, data transformation, extreme case analysis, and data consolidation. Analysis revealed that assessment should take into account the separation of visual from verbal

The Mizunami underground research laboratory in Japan - programme for study of the deep geological environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakuma, Hideki; Sugihara, Kozo; Koide, Kaoru; Mikake, Shinichiro

1998-01-01

This paper is an overview of the PNC's Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory project in Mizunami City, central Japan. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory now will succeed the Kamaishi Mine as the main facility for the geoscientific study of the crystalline environment. The site will never be considered as a site for a repository. The surface-based investigations, planned to continue for some 5 years commenced in the autumn 1997. The construction of the facility to the depth of 1000 m is currently planned to: Develop comprehensive investigation techniques for geological environment; Acquire data on the deep geological environment and to; Develop a range of engineering techniques for deep underground application. Besides PNC research, the facility will also be used to promote deeper understanding of earthquakes, to perform experiments under micro-gravity conditions etc. The geology of the site is shortly as follows: The sedimentary overburden some 20 - 100 m in thickness is of age 2 - 20 million years. The basement granite is approx. 70 million years. A reverse fault is crosscutting the site. The identified fault offers interesting possibilities for important research. Part of the work during the surface-based investigations, is to drill and test deep boreholes to a planned depth up to 2000 m. Based on the investigations, predictions will be made what geological environment will be encountered during the Construction Phase. Also the effect of construction will be predicted. Methodology for evaluation of predictions will be established

Natural analogues: studies of geological processes relevant to radioactive waste disposal in deep geological repositories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russel, A.W. [Bedrock Geosciences, Auenstein (Switzerland); Reijonen, H.M. [Saanio and Rickkola Oy, Helsinki (Finland); McKinley, I.G. [MCM Consulting, Baden-Daettwil (Switzerland)

2015-06-15

The geological disposal of radioactive wastes is generally accepted to be the most practicable approach to handling the waste inventory built up from over 70 years accumulation of power production, research-medical-industrial and military wastes. Here, a brief overview of the approach to geological disposal is presented along with some information on repository design and the assessment of repository post-closure safety. One of the significant challenges for repository safety assessment is how to extrapolate the likely long-term (i.e. ten thousand to a million years) behaviour of the repository from the necessarily short term data from analytical laboratories and underground rock laboratories currently available. One approach, common to all fields of the geosciences, but also in such diverse fields as philosophy, biology, linguistics, law, etc., is to utilise the analogue argumentation methodology. For the specific case of radioactive waste management, the term 'natural analogue' has taken on a particular meaning associated with providing supporting arguments for a repository safety assessment. This approach is discussed here with a brief overview of how the study of natural (and, in particular, geological) systems can provide supporting information on the likely long-term evolution of a deep geological waste repository. The overall approach is discussed and some relevant examples are presented, including the use of uranium ore bodies to assess waste form stability, the investigation of native metals to define the longevity of waste containers and how natural clays can provide information on the stability of waste tunnel backfill material. (authors)

Natural analogues: studies of geological processes relevant to radioactive waste disposal in deep geological repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russel, A.W.; Reijonen, H.M.; McKinley, I.G.

2015-01-01

The geological disposal of radioactive wastes is generally accepted to be the most practicable approach to handling the waste inventory built up from over 70 years accumulation of power production, research-medical-industrial and military wastes. Here, a brief overview of the approach to geological disposal is presented along with some information on repository design and the assessment of repository post-closure safety. One of the significant challenges for repository safety assessment is how to extrapolate the likely long-term (i.e. ten thousand to a million years) behaviour of the repository from the necessarily short term data from analytical laboratories and underground rock laboratories currently available. One approach, common to all fields of the geosciences, but also in such diverse fields as philosophy, biology, linguistics, law, etc., is to utilise the analogue argumentation methodology. For the specific case of radioactive waste management, the term 'natural analogue' has taken on a particular meaning associated with providing supporting arguments for a repository safety assessment. This approach is discussed here with a brief overview of how the study of natural (and, in particular, geological) systems can provide supporting information on the likely long-term evolution of a deep geological waste repository. The overall approach is discussed and some relevant examples are presented, including the use of uranium ore bodies to assess waste form stability, the investigation of native metals to define the longevity of waste containers and how natural clays can provide information on the stability of waste tunnel backfill material. (authors)

Geology of Venus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basilevsky, A.T.; Head, J.W. III.

1988-01-01

This paper summarizes the emerging picture of the surface of Venus provided by high-resolution earth-based radar telescopes and orbital radar altimetry and imaging systems. The nature and significance of the geological processes operating there are considered. The types of information needed to complete the picture are addressed. 71 references

Generalized surficial geologic map of the Fort Irwin area, San Bernadino: Chapter B in Geology and geophysics applied to groundwater hydrology at Fort Irwin, California

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, David M.; Menges, Christopher M.; Lidke, David J.; Buesch, David C.

2014-01-01

The geology and landscape of the Fort Irwin area, typical of many parts of the Mojave Desert, consist of rugged mountains separated by broad alluviated valleys that form the main coarse-resolution features of the geologic map. Crystalline and sedimentary rocks, Mesozoic and older in age, form most of the mountains with lesser accumulations of Miocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks. In detail, the area exhibits a fairly complex distribution of surficial deposits resulting from diverse rock sources and geomorphology that has been driven by topographic changes caused by recent and active faulting. Depositional environments span those typical of the Mojave Desert: alluvial fans on broad piedmonts, major intermittent streams along valley floors, eolian sand dunes and sheets, and playas in closed valleys that lack through-going washes. Erosional environments include rocky mountains, smooth gently sloping pediments, and badlands in readily eroded sediment. All parts of the landscape, from regional distribution of mountains, valleys, and faults to details of degree of soil development in surface materials, are portrayed by the surficial geologic map. Many of these attributes govern infiltration and recharge, and the surface distribution of permeable rock units such as Miocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks provides a basis for evaluating potential groundwater storage. Quaternary faults are widespread in the Fort Irwin area and include sinistral, east-striking faults that characterize the central swath of the area and the contrasting dextral, northwest-striking faults that border the east and west margins. Bedrock distribution and thickness of valley-fill deposits are controlled by modern and past faulting, and faults on the map help to identify targets for groundwater exploration.

Geology of high-level nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roxburgh, I.S.

1988-01-01

The concept of geological disposal is set out by describing the major rock types in terms of their ability to isolate high-level nuclear waste. The advantages and problems posed by particular rock formations are explored and the design and construction of geological repositories is considered, along with the methods used to estimate their safety. It gives special consideration to the use of sea-covered rock and sediment as well as the on-land situation. Throughout the book the various principles and problems inherent in geological disposal are explained and illustrated by reference to a multitude of European and North American case studies, backed up by a large number of tables, figures and an extensive bibliography

Geodiversity: Exploration of 3D geological model space

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, M. D.; Jessell, M. W.; Ailleres, L.; Perrouty, S.; de Kemp, E.; Betts, P. G.

2013-05-01

The process of building a 3D model necessitates the reconciliation of field observations, geophysical interpretation, geological data uncertainty and the prevailing tectonic evolution hypotheses and interpretations. Uncertainty is compounded when clustered data points collected at local scales are statistically upscaled to one or two points for use in regional models. Interpretation is required to interpolate between sparse field data points using ambiguous geophysical data in covered terranes. It becomes clear that multiple interpretations are possible during model construction. The various interpretations are considered as potential natural representatives, but pragmatism typically dictates that just a single interpretation is offered by the modelling process. Uncertainties are introduced into the 3D model during construction from a variety of sources and through data set optimisation that produces a single model. Practices such as these are likely to result in a model that does not adequately represent the target geology. A set of geometrical ‘geodiversity’ metrics are used to analyse a 3D model of the Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia after perturbing geological input data via uncertainty simulation. The resulting sets of perturbed geological observations are used to calculate a suite of geological 3D models that display a range of geological architectures. The concept of biodiversity has been adapted for the geosciences to quantify geometric variability, or geodiversity, between models in order to understand the effect uncertainty has models geometry. Various geometrical relationships (depth, volume, contact surface area, curvature and geological complexity) are used to describe the range of possibilities exhibited throughout the model suite. End-member models geodiversity metrics are classified in a similar manner to taxonomic descriptions. Further analysis of the model suite is performed using principal component analysis (PCA) to determine

Nurture of human resources for geological repository program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiwara, A.

2004-01-01

The Japanese geological repository program entered the implementing stage in 2002. At the implementing stage of the program, different sectors need various human resources to conduct their functions. This paper discusses a suitable framework of nurture of the human resources to progress the geological repository program. The discussion is based on considering of specific characters involved in the program and of the multidisciplinary knowledge related to geological disposal. Considering the specific characters of the project, two types of the human resources need to be nurtured. First type is the core persons with the highest knowledge on geological disposal. They are expected to communicate with the various stakeholders and pass down the whole knowledge of the project to the next generation. Another is to conduct the project as the managers, the engineers and the workers. The former human resources can be developed through the broad practice and experience in each sector. The latter human resources can be effectively developed by training of the fundamental knowledge on geological disposal at training centers as well as by conventional on-the-job training. The sectors involved in the program need to take their own roles in the nurture of these human resources. (author)

Rock solid: the geology of nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, Elspeth.

1990-01-01

With a number of nuclear submarines and power stations due to be decommissioned in the next decade, stores of radioactive waste, and arguments about storage increase. Whatever the direction taken by the nuclear industry in Britain, the legacy of waste remains for the foreseeable future. Geology is at the heart of the safety argument for nuclear wastes. It is claimed that rocks should act as the main safety barrier, protecting present and future generations from radiation. Rock Solid presents a clear, accessible and up to date account of the geological problems involved in building a nuclear waste repository. The author describes the geology of some of the possible UK repository sites (Sellafield, Dounreay, Altnabreac, Billingham), explains how sites are investigated (including computer models), and finally considers the crucial question: 'would geological containment of radioactive waste actually work?'. (author)

High resolution reservoir geological modelling using outcrop information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Changmin; Lin Kexiang; Liu Huaibo [Jianghan Petroleum Institute, Hubei (China)] [and others

1997-08-01

This is China`s first case study of high resolution reservoir geological modelling using outcrop information. The key of the modelling process is to build a prototype model and using the model as a geological knowledge bank. Outcrop information used in geological modelling including seven aspects: (1) Determining the reservoir framework pattern by sedimentary depositional system and facies analysis; (2) Horizontal correlation based on the lower and higher stand duration of the paleo-lake level; (3) Determining the model`s direction based on the paleocurrent statistics; (4) Estimating the sandbody communication by photomosaic and profiles; (6) Estimating reservoir properties distribution within sandbody by lithofacies analysis; and (7) Building the reservoir model in sandbody scale by architectural element analysis and 3-D sampling. A high resolution reservoir geological model of Youshashan oil field has been built by using this method.

The U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center

Science.gov (United States)

Kestay, Laszlo P.; Vaughan, R. Greg; Gaddis, Lisa R.; Herkenhoff, Kenneth E.; Hagerty, Justin J.

2017-07-17

In 1960, Eugene Shoemaker and a small team of other scientists founded the field of astrogeology to develop tools and methods for astronauts studying the geology of the Moon and other planetary bodies. Subsequently, in 1962, the U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Astrogeology was established in Menlo Park, California. In 1963, the Branch moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, to be closer to the young lava flows of the San Francisco Volcanic Field and Meteor Crater, the best preserved impact crater in the world. These geologic features of northern Arizona were considered good analogs for the Moon and other planetary bodies and valuable for geologic studies and astronaut field training. From its Flagstaff campus, the USGS has supported the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space program with scientific and cartographic expertise for more than 50 years.

Pb, Sr and Nd isotope geological characteristics and its evolution of Jianchaling rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pang Chunyong; Chen Minyang; Xu Wenxin

2003-01-01

It has been a long time debatable subject on the raw material source and its genesis of Jianchaling ultrabasic rock, because the original rock phases, the original mineral compositions, texture and structure, even part of the chemical components of the rocks had been changed completely after many periods and phases of metamorphism. According to the content of Pb, Rb, Sr, Nd elements and their Pb, Sr, Nd isotope compositions of the rocks, together with the isotope geological age of late magmatic activities, the authors analyze the evolution of Pb, Sr, Nd isotope compositions, The inferred initiate Nd isotope ratio of ultrabasic rocks is 0.510233, lower than that of meteorite unity at a corresponding period, its ε Nd(T)>O; The initiate Sr ratios inferred by the isotope geological age ranges from 0.702735 to 0.719028; Projecting the lead isotope compositions on the Pb tectonic evolution model, the result indicates that the raw material of Jianchaling ultrabasic rock coming from the deplete upper mantle. The ultrabasic magma which enrich of Mg, Ni and less S intruded the crust and formed the Jianchaling ultrabasic rock at late Proterozoic era (927 Ma±). The forming time of serpentinite is mostly equal to the granitoid intruding time, showing the intrusion o flate acidic magma caused a large scale alteration of the ultrabasic rocks and formed the meta-ultrabasic phase rock observed today. (authors)

Safeguards for geological repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fattah, A.

2000-01-01

Direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel in geological repositories is a recognised option for closing nuclear fuel cycles. Geological repositories are at present in stages of development in a number of countries and are expected to be built and operated early next century. A State usually has an obligation to safely store any nuclear material, which is considered unsuitable to re-enter the nuclear fuel cycle, isolated from the biosphere. In conjunction with this, physical protection has to be accounted for to prevent inadvertent access to such material. In addition to these two criteria - which are fully under the State's jurisdiction - a third criterion reflecting international non-proliferation commitments needs to be addressed. Under comprehensive safeguards agreements a State concedes verification of nuclear material for safeguards purposes to the IAEA. The Agency can thus provide assurance to the international community that such nuclear material has been used for peaceful purposes only as declared by the State. It must be emphasised that all three criteria mentioned constitute a 'unit'. None can be sacrificed for the sake of the other, but compromises may have to be sought in order to make their combination as effective as possible. Based on comprehensive safeguards agreements signed and ratified by the State, safeguards can be terminated only when the material has been consumed or diluted in such a way that it can no longer be utilised for any nuclear activities or has become practicably irrecoverable. As such safeguards for nuclear material in geological repositories have to be continued even after the repository has been back-filled and sealed. The effective application of safeguards must assure continuity-of-knowledge that the nuclear material in the repository has not been diverted for an unknown purpose. The nuclear material disposed in a geological repository may eventually have a higher and long term proliferation risk because the inventory is

Several issues of uranium geology exploration facilities decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lu; Lu Caixia; Sheng Qing; Zhuang Jingqi; Xie Shujun; Liao Yunxuan

2013-01-01

The environmental protection completion acceptance review work of uranium geology exploration facilities 'llth five-year plan' decommissioned and remediation projects is introduced. Some questions related to norms and standards for uranium geology exploration facilities decommissioning and remediation, scheme of decommissioning and remediation, process inspection and acceptance of project and so on are discussed, and corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward, Some references can be provided for the later development of uranium geological exploration facility '12th five-year plan' decommissioning and remediation projects. (authors)

Structure and dating errors in the geologic time scale and periodicity in mass extinctions

Science.gov (United States)

Stothers, Richard B.

1989-01-01

Structure in the geologic time scale reflects a partly paleontological origin. As a result, ages of Cenozoic and Mesozoic stage boundaries exhibit a weak 28-Myr periodicity that is similar to the strong 26-Myr periodicity detected in mass extinctions of marine life by Raup and Sepkoski. Radiometric dating errors in the geologic time scale, to which the mass extinctions are stratigraphically tied, do not necessarily lessen the likelihood of a significant periodicity in mass extinctions, but do spread the acceptable values of the period over the range 25-27 Myr for the Harland et al. time scale or 25-30 Myr for the DNAG time scale. If the Odin time scale is adopted, acceptable periods fall between 24 and 33 Myr, but are not robust against dating errors. Some indirect evidence from independently-dated flood-basalt volcanic horizons tends to favor the Odin time scale.

A test of the 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum technique on some terrestrial materials

Science.gov (United States)

Lanphere, M.A.; Brent, Dalrymple G.

1971-01-01

40Ar/39Ar age spectra were determined for 10 terrestrial rock and mineral samples whose geologic history is known from independent evidence. The spectra for six mineral and whole rock samples, including biotite, feldspar, hornblende, muscovite, and granodiorite, that have experienced post-crystallization heating did not reveal the age of crystallization in any obvious way. Minima in the spectra, however, give reasonable maximum ages for reheating and high-temperature maxima can be interpreted as minimum crystallization ages. High-temperature ages of microcline and albite that have not been reheated are approximately 10% younger than the known crystallization age. Apparently there are no domains in these feldspars that have retained radiogenic 40Ar quantitatively. Spectra from two diabase samples that contain significant quantities of excess argon might mistakenly be interpreted as spectra from reheated samples and do not give the age of emplacement. The 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum technique may be a potentially valuable tool for the study of geologic areas with complex histories, but the interpretation of age spectra from terrestrial samples seems to be more difficult than suggested by some previous studies. ?? 1971.

Spatial Digital Database for the Geologic Map of Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, George W.; MacLeod, Norman S.; Miller, Robert J.; Raines, Gary L.; Connors, Katherine A.

2003-01-01

Introduction This report describes and makes available a geologic digital spatial database (orgeo) representing the geologic map of Oregon (Walker and MacLeod, 1991). The original paper publication was printed as a single map sheet at a scale of 1:500,000, accompanied by a second sheet containing map unit descriptions and ancillary data. A digital version of the Walker and MacLeod (1991) map was included in Raines and others (1996). The dataset provided by this open-file report supersedes the earlier published digital version (Raines and others, 1996). This digital spatial database is one of many being created by the U.S. Geological Survey as an ongoing effort to provide geologic information for use in spatial analysis in a geographic information system (GIS). This database can be queried in many ways to produce a variety of geologic maps. This database is not meant to be used or displayed at any scale larger than 1:500,000 (for example, 1:100,000). This report describes the methods used to convert the geologic map data into a digital format, describes the ArcInfo GIS file structures and relationships, and explains how to download the digital files from the U.S. Geological Survey public access World Wide Web site on the Internet. Scanned images of the printed map (Walker and MacLeod, 1991), their correlation of map units, and their explanation of map symbols are also available for download.

The geology of Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

Swezey, Christopher; Haynes, John T.; Lambert, Richard A.; White, William B.; Lucas, Philip C.; Garrity, Christopher P.

2015-01-01

Burnsville Cove is a karst region in Bath and Highland Counties of Virginia. A new geologic map of the area reveals various units of limestone, sandstone, and siliciclastic mudstone (shale) of Silurian through Devonian age, as well as structural features such as northeast-trending anticlines and synclines, minor thrust faults, and prominent joints. Quaternary features include erosional (strath) terraces and accumulations of mud, sand, and gravel. The caves of Burnsville Cove are located within predominantly carbonate strata above the Silurian Williamsport Sandstone and below the Devonian Oriskany Sandstone. Most of the caves are located within the Silurian Tonoloway Limestone, rather than the Silurian-Devonian Keyser Limestone as reported previously.

Digital Geologic Map of New Mexico - Volcanic Vents

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The geologic map was created in GSMAP at Socorro, New Mexico by Orin Anderson and Glen Jones and published as the Geologic Map of New Mexico 1:500,000 in GSMAP...

Encoding of Geological knowledge in the GeoPiemonte Map Data Base

Science.gov (United States)

Piana, Fabrizio; Lombardo, Vincenzo; Mimmo, Dario; Barale, Luca; Irace, Andrea; Mulazzano, Elia

2017-04-01

In modern digital geological maps and geo-database, namely those devoted to interactive WebGIS services, there is the need to make explicit the geological assumptions in the process of the design and compilation of the Map Geodatabase. The Geodatabase of the Piemonte Geological Map, which consists of several thousands of Geologic Units and Geologic Structures, was designed in a way suitable for linking the knowledge of the geological domain at hand to more general levels of knowledge, represented in existing Earth Sciences ontologies and in a domain ontology (OntoGeonous), specifically designed for the project, though with a wide applicability in mind. The Geologic Units and Geologic Structures of the GeoPiemonte Map have been spatially correlated through the whole region, referring to a non-formal hierarchical scheme, which gives the parental relations between several orders of Geologic Units, putting them in relations with some main Geologic Events. The scheme reports the subdivisions we did on the Alps-Apennines orogenic belt (which constitutes the Piemonte geological framework) on which the architecture of the GeoDB relied. This contribution describes how the two different knowledge levels (specific domain vs. general knowledge) are assimilated within the GeoPiemonte informative system, providing relations between the contents of the geodatabase and the encoded concepts of the reference ontologies. Initiatives such as GeoScience Markup Language (GeoSciML 4.01, 2016 (1) and INSPIRE "Data Specification on Geology" (an operative simplification of GeoSciML, last version is 3.0, 2013) (2), as well as the recent terminological shepherding of the Geoscience Terminology Working Group (GTWG), provided us the authoritative standard geological source for knowledge encoding. Consistency and interoperability of geological data were thus sought, by classifying geologic features in an ontology-driven Data Model, while objects were described using GeoSciML controlled

The Geology of Pluto and Charon Through the Eyes of New Horizons

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Jeffrey M.; McKinnon, William B.; Spencer, John R.; Howard, Alan D.; Schenk, Paul M.; Beyer, Ross A.; Nimmo, Francis; Singer, Kelsi N.; Umurhan, Orkan M.; White, Oliver L.;

The geology of Pluto and Charon through the eyes of New Horizons.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Jeffrey M; McKinnon, William B; Spencer, John R; Howard, Alan D; Schenk, Paul M; Beyer, Ross A; Nimmo, Francis; Singer, Kelsi N; Umurhan, Orkan M; White, Oliver L; Stern, S Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Cathy B; Weaver, Harold A; Young, Leslie A; Binzel, Richard P; Buie, Marc W; Buratti, Bonnie J; Cheng, Andrew F; Cruikshank, Dale P; Grundy, Will M; Linscott, Ivan R; Reitsema, Harold J; Reuter, Dennis C; Showalter, Mark R; Bray, Veronica J; Chavez, Carrie L; Howett, Carly J A; Lauer, Tod R; Lisse, Carey M; Parker, Alex Harrison; Porter, S B; Robbins, Stuart J; Runyon, Kirby; Stryk, Ted; Throop, Henry B; Tsang, Constantine C C; Verbiscer, Anne J; Zangari, Amanda M; Chaikin, Andrew L; Wilhelms, Don E

2016-03-18

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed the complex geology of Pluto and Charon. Pluto's encounter hemisphere shows ongoing surface geological activity centered on a vast basin containing a thick layer of volatile ices that appears to be involved in convection and advection, with a crater retention age no greater than ~10 million years. Surrounding terrains show active glacial flow, apparent transport and rotation of large buoyant water-ice crustal blocks, and pitting, the latter likely caused by sublimation erosion and/or collapse. More enigmatic features include tall mounds with central depressions that are conceivably cryovolcanic and ridges with complex bladed textures. Pluto also has ancient cratered terrains up to ~4 billion years old that are extensionally faulted and extensively mantled and perhaps eroded by glacial or other processes. Charon does not appear to be currently active, but experienced major extensional tectonism and resurfacing (probably cryovolcanic) nearly 4 billion years ago. Impact crater populations on Pluto and Charon are not consistent with the steepest impactor size-frequency distributions proposed for the Kuiper belt. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Bayesian phylogenetic estimation of fossil ages.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Alexei J; Stadler, Tanja

2016-07-19

Recent advances have allowed for both morphological fossil evidence and molecular sequences to be integrated into a single combined inference of divergence dates under the rule of Bayesian probability. In particular, the fossilized birth-death tree prior and the Lewis-Mk model of discrete morphological evolution allow for the estimation of both divergence times and phylogenetic relationships between fossil and extant taxa. We exploit this statistical framework to investigate the internal consistency of these models by producing phylogenetic estimates of the age of each fossil in turn, within two rich and well-characterized datasets of fossil and extant species (penguins and canids). We find that the estimation accuracy of fossil ages is generally high with credible intervals seldom excluding the true age and median relative error in the two datasets of 5.7% and 13.2%, respectively. The median relative standard error (RSD) was 9.2% and 7.2%, respectively, suggesting good precision, although with some outliers. In fact, in the two datasets we analyse, the phylogenetic estimate of fossil age is on average less than 2 Myr from the mid-point age of the geological strata from which it was excavated. The high level of internal consistency found in our analyses suggests that the Bayesian statistical model employed is an adequate fit for both the geological and morphological data, and provides evidence from real data that the framework used can accurately model the evolution of discrete morphological traits coded from fossil and extant taxa. We anticipate that this approach will have diverse applications beyond divergence time dating, including dating fossils that are temporally unconstrained, testing of the 'morphological clock', and for uncovering potential model misspecification and/or data errors when controversial phylogenetic hypotheses are obtained based on combined divergence dating analyses.This article is part of the themed issue 'Dating species divergences using

The Geology of the Marcia Quadrangle of Asteroid Vesta: Assessing the Effects of Large, Young Craters

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, David A.; Denevi, Brett W.; Mittlefehldt, David W.; Mest, Scott C.; Schenk, Paul M.; Yingst, R. Aileen; Buczowski, Debra L.; Scully, Jennifer E. C.; Garry, W. Brent; McCord, Thomas B.;

230Th/234U age of a Mousterian site in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarcz, H.P.; Blackwell, B.

1983-01-01

The 230 Th/ 234 U dating method has been used to determine the age of a travertine layer in the Pech 1 cave of Sarlat, South-West France. The reported age of 123 +- 15 kyr is consistent with deposition of this travertine during isotope state 5e, the warmest substage of the last inter-glacial. It is shown that this result is consistent with geological and paleontological estimates of the age of sediments filling the cave. (U.K.)

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

Radionuclide migration in geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbreau, A.; Heremans, R.; Skytte Jensen, B.

1980-01-01

Radioactive waste disposal into geological formation is based on the capacity of rocks to confine radioactivity for a long period of time. Radionuclide migration from the repository to the environment depends on different mechanisms and phenomena whose two main ones are groundwater flow and the retention and ion-exchange property of rocks. Many studies are underway presently in EEC countries concerning hydrodynamic characteristics of deep geological formations as well as in radionuclide retention capacity and modelling. Important results have already been achieved which show the complexity of some phenomena and further studies shall principally be developed taking into account real conditions of the repository and its environment

Use of Geological Lineaments Results in Groundwater Exploration ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Locating aquifiers in Precambrian crystalline rocks offers major problems unless areas of intense weathering or fracturing are targeted. These normally occur along geological lineaments which can be identified during groundwater exploration. Major geological lineaments were identified in the Zomba area, southern Malawi ...

Geologic studies in the Sierra de Pena Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes-Cortes, Ignacio Alfonso

The Sierra del Cuervo has been endowed with uranium mineralization, which has attracted many geological studies, and recently the author was part of a team with the goal of selecting a site of a radioactive waste repository. The first part of the work adds to the regional framework of stratigraphy and tectonics of the area. It includes the idea of a pull apart basin development, which justifies the local great thickness of the Cuervo Formation. It includes the regional structural frame work and the composite stratigraphic column of the Chihuahua Trough and the equivalent Cretaceous Mexican Sea. The general geologic features of the NE part of the Sierra del Cuervo are described, which include the folded ignimbrites and limestones in that area; the irregular large thicknesses of the Cuervo Formation; and the western vergence of the main folding within the area. Sanidine phenocrystals gave ages of 54.2 Ma and 51.8 Ma ± 2.3 Ma. This is the first time these dates have been reported in print. This age indicates a time before the folded structures which outcrop in the area, and 44 Ma is a date after the Cuervo Formation was folded. The Hidalgoan orogeny cycle affected the rocks between this lapse of time. Since then the area has been partially affected by three tensional overlapped stages, which resulted in the actual Basin and Range physiography. The jarosite related to the tectonic activity mineralization has been dated by the Ar-Ar method and yields an age of 9.8 Ma. This is the first report of a date of mineralization timing at Pena Blanca Uranium District in the Sierra del Cuervo. These are some of the frame work features that justify the allocation of a radioactive waste repository in the Sierra del Cuervo. An alluvial fan system within the Boquilla Colorada microbasin was selected as the best target for more detailed site assessment. The study also included the measurement of the alluvium thicknesses by geoelectric soundings; studies of petrography and weathered

Geologic map of the Fraser 7.5-minute quadrangle, Grand County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Shroba, Ralph R.; Bryant, Bruce; Kellogg, Karl S.; Theobald, Paul K.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2010-01-01

The geologic map of the Fraser quadrangle, Grand County, Colo., portrays the geology along the western boundary of the Front Range and the eastern part of the Fraser basin near the towns of Fraser and Winter Park. The oldest rocks in the quadrangle include gneiss, schist, and plutonic rocks of Paleoproterozoic age that are intruded by younger plutonic rocks of Mesoproterozoic age. These basement rocks are exposed along the southern, eastern, and northern margins of the quadrangle. Fluvial claystone, mudstone, and sandstone of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, and fluvial sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone of the Lower Cretaceous Dakota Group, overlie Proterozoic rocks in a small area near the southwest corner of the quadrangle. Oligocene rhyolite tuff is preserved in deep paleovalleys cut into Proterozoic rocks near the southeast corner of the quadrangle. Generally, weakly consolidated siltstone and minor unconsolidated sediments of the upper Oligocene to upper Miocene Troublesome Formation are preserved in the post-Laramide Fraser basin. Massive bedding and abundant silt suggest that loess or loess-rich alluvium is a major component of the siltstone in the Troublesome Formation. A small unnamed fault about one kilometer northeast of the town of Winter Park has the youngest known displacement in the quadrangle, displacing beds of the Troublesome Formation. Surficial deposits of Pleistocene and Holocene age are widespread in the Fraser quadrangle, particularly in major valleys and on slopes underlain by the Troublesome Formation. Deposits include glacial outwash and alluvium of non-glacial origin; mass-movement deposits transported by creep, debris flow, landsliding, and rockfall; pediment deposits; tills deposited during the Pinedale and Bull Lake glaciations; and sparse diamictons that may be pre-Bull Lake till or debris-flow deposits. Some of the oldest surficial deposits may be as old as Pliocene.

Geologic structure of Semipalatinsk test site territory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ergaliev, G.Kh.; Myasnikov, A.K.; Nikitina, O.I.; Sergeeva, L.V.

2000-01-01

This article gives a short description of the territory of Semipalatinsk test site. Poor knowledge of the region is noted, and it tells us about new data on stratigraphy and geology of Paleozoic layers, obtained after termination of underground nuclear explosions. The paper contains a list a questions on stratigraphy, structural, tectonic and geologic formation of the territory, that require additional study. (author)

Collection and analysis of existing information on applicability of investigation methods for estimation of beginning age of faulting in present faulting pattern

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doke, Ryosuke; Yasue, Ken-ichi; Tanikawa, Shin-ichi; Nakayasu, Akio; Niizato, Tadafumi; Tanaka, Takenobu; Aoki, Michinori; Sekiya, Ayako

2011-12-01

In the field of R and D programs of a geological disposal of high level radioactive waste, it is great importance to develop a set of investigation and analysis techniques for the assessment of long-term geosphere stability over a geological time, which means that any changes of geological environment will not significantly impact on the long-term safety of a geological disposal system. In Japanese archipelago, crustal movements are so active that uplift and subsidence are remarkable in recent several hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the long-term geosphere stability taking into account a topographic change caused by crustal movements. One of the factors for the topographic change is the movement of an active fault, which is a geological process to release a strain accumulated by plate motion. A beginning age of the faulting in the present faulting pattern suggests the beginning age of neotectonic activities around the active fault, and also provides basic information to identifying the stage of a geomorphic development of mountains. Therefore, the age of faulting in the present faulting pattern is important information to estimate a topographic change in the future on the mountain regions of Japan. In this study, existing information related to methods for the estimation of the beginning age of the faulting in the present faulting pattern on the active fault were collected and reviewed. A principle of method, noticing points and technical know-hows in the application of the methods, data uncertainty, and so on were extracted from the existing information. Based on these extracted information, task-flows indicating working process on the estimation of the beginning age for the faulting of the active fault were illustrated on each method. Additionally, the distribution map of the beginning age with accuracy of faulting in the present faulting pattern on the active fault was illustrated. (author)

Geological and Petrographic Characteristics of Kimberlite Pipes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. N. Zinchuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Studies of the geological structure and petrochemical composition of the Siberian Platform kimberlites indicated complexity, diversity of geological, tectonic, and paleogeographic situations, which must be considered for proper prospecting-exploration for diamonds in each area of investigation. Information about petrochemical composition of potential diatremes, hosting, and overlying sedimentary and magmatic formations is an important prerequisite for prospecting of kimberlite deposits in different geologic-tectonic conditions. The most attention should be paid to typomorphic specific features of primary and secondary minerals of diatremes. Each diamondiferous region is characterized by a certain set of typomorphic associations of kimberlites primary and secondary minerals. The diamonds with ultrabasic association of solid phase inclusions (olivine, chrome-spinel, pyrope, etc. dominate in majority of kimberlite pipes.

Determining probabilities of geologic events and processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, R.L.; Mann, C.J.; Cranwell, R.M.

1985-01-01

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently published a probabilistic standard for releases of high-level radioactive waste from a mined geologic repository. The standard sets limits for contaminant releases with more than one chance in 100 of occurring within 10,000 years, and less strict limits for releases of lower probability. The standard offers no methods for determining probabilities of geologic events and processes, and no consensus exists in the waste-management community on how to do this. Sandia National Laboratories is developing a general method for determining probabilities of a given set of geologic events and processes. In addition, we will develop a repeatable method for dealing with events and processes whose probability cannot be determined. 22 refs., 4 figs

Geomediations in the Anthropocene: Fictions of the Geologic Turn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alla Ivanchikova

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In both literature and philosophy, geologic matter has been imagined as a vector of extending perception and analysis into the territory of not only the nonhuman, but also the non-living, challenging the very distinctions between life and non-life, agile and inert matter. Recently, the debates over the concept of the Anthropocene amplified our fascination with the geologic, bringing into view the inescapable bond of human and Earth’s history. The article probes the possibilities of the geologic turn through two short stories published in the era of the Anthropocene debates—Margaret Atwood’s ‘Stone Mattress’ (2013 and A.S. Byatt’s ‘A Stone Woman’ (2003. The stories’ interest in a geologic setting, their staging of human-mineral intimacies, and their geologically-infused aesthetics position these two stories as fictions of the geologic turn. I examine how these writers—through reconfiguring the relations between bios and geos, human and nonhuman—forge alternatives to an extractive relation to the geos, as well as refuse to accept the figure of Earth as either an inert object or a victim. In this reframing, they also exemplify feminist critique of the imagined unity of ‘Anthropos’ that is named by the Anthropocene thinkers.

Revised draft: Southeastern Regional geologic characterization report. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-11-01

This report presents available geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. For each of the states within the southeastern region, information is provided on the disqualifying factor and the screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening. These factors and variables include hydrologically significant natural resources, rock mass extent, postemplacement faulting, suspected Quaternary faulting, seismicity, rock and mineral resources, major ground-water discharge zones, water resources, ground-water salinity, and state of stress. Information is presented on the age, areal extent, shape, thickness of overburden, composition, texture, degree and type of alteration, and structural features associated with each rock body or complex. Regional seismic and tectonic information is presented, including patterns of earthquake occurrence, earthquake magnitudes, horizontal ground accelerations, and vertical crustal movements. Also included are discussions of the rock and mineral deposits or mines located within or near crystalline bodies; groundwater resources and regional hydrology; postulated changes in climate and the associated effects; and landforms, surface processes, and surficial materials on or near the subject rock bodies. A discussion of the relationship between the DOE Siting Guidelines and the geologic disqualifying factor and regional screening variables to be used in the region-to-area screening process is also presented

Proceedings of the 14. Symposium on Geology from Northeast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

Works on geology, including topics about sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, geomorphology, environmental, hydrogeology, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, geotectonics and structural geology are described in this symposium. (C.G.C.)

North Central Regional Geologic Characterization Report. Executive summary. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-08-01

This Executive Summary of the final North Central Regional Geologic Characterization Report (RGCR) is issued primarily for public information purposes and provides a general overview of the report. The complete RGCR presents available regional geologic information pertinent to siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste in crystalline rock in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For each of the states within the North Central Region, information is provided on the geologic disqualifying factor and the geologic regional screening variables to be used in region-to-area screening

Developing, deploying and reflecting on a web-based geologic simulation tool

Science.gov (United States)

Cockett, R.

2015-12-01

Geoscience is visual. It requires geoscientists to think and communicate about processes and events in three spatial dimensions and variations through time. This is hard(!), and students often have difficulty when learning and visualizing the three dimensional and temporal concepts. Visible Geology is an online geologic block modelling tool that is targeted at students in introductory and structural geology. With Visible Geology, students are able to combine geologic events in any order to create their own geologic models and ask 'what-if' questions, as well as interrogate their models using cross sections, boreholes and depth slices. Instructors use it as a simulation and communication tool in demonstrations, and students use it to explore concepts of relative geologic time, structural relationships, as well as visualize abstract geologic representations such as stereonets. The level of interactivity and creativity inherent in Visible Geology often results in a sense of ownership and encourages engagement, leading learners to practice visualization and interpretation skills and discover geologic relationships. Through its development over the last five years, Visible Geology has been used by over 300K students worldwide as well as in multiple targeted studies at the University of Calgary and at the University of British Columbia. The ease of use of the software has made this tool practical for deployment in classrooms of any size as well as for individual use. In this presentation, I will discuss the thoughts behind the implementation and layout of the tool, including a framework used for the development and design of new educational simulations. I will also share some of the surprising and unexpected observations on student interaction with the 3D visualizations, and other insights that are enabled by web-based development and deployment.

Proceedings of the 7. Symposium on geology from southeastern Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This document presents papers on the following subjects: regional geology of the proterozoic and fanerozoic, metallic and non metallic resources, tectoni-sedimentary evolution of the eastern margin Brazil basins and petroleum geology applied to the Santos, Campos and Espirito Santo basins, engineering and environmental geologies, ornamental rocks/building materials/mineral waters/industrial ores

Environmental geology in the United States: Present practice and future training needs

Science.gov (United States)

Lundgren, Lawrence

Environmental geology as practiced in the United States confronts issues in three large areas: Threats to human society from geologic phenomena (geologic hazards); impacts of human activities on natural systems (environmental impact), and natural-resource management. This paper illustrates present U.S. practice in environmental geology by sampling the work of 7 of the 50 state geological surveys and of the United States Geological Survey as well. Study of the work of these agencies provides a basis for identifying avenues for the training of those who will deal with environmental issues in the future. This training must deal not only with the subdisciplines of geology but with education to cope with the ethical, interdisciplinary, and public-communication aspects of the work of the environmental geologist.

Study on synthesis of geological environment at Horonobe area. A technical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toida, Masaru; Suyama, Yasuhiro; Shiogama, Yukihiro; Atsumi, Hiroyuki; Abe, Yasunori; Furuichi, Mitsuaki

2003-03-01

The objective of the Horonobe Under Ground Research Project includes enhancing reliability of disposal techniques and safety assessment methods which are based on data on deep underground geological environment obtained by surface explorations and models for geological environment developed using those data. In this study, through development of conceptual models of geological environment based on those data, the flows from data collection to modeling, which have been conducted independently for each geological environment of geology/geological structure, hydrogeology, geochemistry of groundwater and rock mechanics, were synthesized, and a systematic approach including processes from investigation of geological environment to its modeling was established, which is expected to ensure objectivity and traceability of the design and safety assessment of a disposal system. This study is also a part of a program that includes an iterative process in which geological models would be developed and revised repeatedly through the Horonobe Under Ground Research Project and development of geological environment investigation techniques. The results of the study are summarized as follows: (1) Models based on current knowledge were developed; conceptual geology/geological structural model, conceptual hydrogeological model, conceptual geochemical model of groundwater, and conceptual rock mechanical model, (2) Information of data flow and interpretation in the modeling process were synthesized into an data flow which includes knowledge on historical geology and palaeogeology in addition to four models shown above in terms of safety assessment, and (3) Based on modeling processes and syntheses of data flow shown above, tasks that should be considered were organized and suggestions of investigation program were provided for the next phase. (author)

Preserving Geological Samples and Metadata from Polar Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Grunow, A.; Sjunneskog, C. M.

2011-12-01

description, collector, rock age, formation, section location, multimedia images as well structural data, field observations, logistics, surface features, etc. The metadata are entered into a commercial, museum based database called EMu. The AMGRF houses more than 25,000m of deep-sea cores and drill cores as well as nearly 3,000 meters of rotary cored geological material from Antarctica. Detailed information on the sediment cores including location, sediment composition are available in cruise reports posted on the AMGRF web-site. Researchers may access the sample collections through the online websites (http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/emuwebusprr and http://www.arf.fsu.edu). Searches may be done using multiple search terms or by use of the mapping feature. The on-line databases provide an essential resource for proposal preparation, pilot studies and other sample based research that should make fieldwork more efficient.

Preliminary Geological Survey on the Proposed Sites for the New Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, In Cheol; Ha, J. J.; Oh, K. B.

2010-12-01

· Performing the preliminary geological survey on the proposed sites for the new research reactor through the technical service · Ordering a technical service from The Geological Society of Korea · Contents of the geological survey - Confirmation of active fault - Confirmation of a large-scale fracture zone or weak zone - Confirmation of inappropriate items related to the underground water - Confirmation of historical seismicity and instrumental earthquakes data · Synthesized analysis and holding a report meeting · Results of the geological survey - Confirmation of the geological characteristics of the sites and drawing the requirements for the precise geological survey in the future

Uncertainties in the geological disposal for high-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xiaodong; Wang Changxuan

2008-01-01

Geological disposal, referring to the disposal of high-level solid radioactive waste in a facility located underground in a stable geological formation, was considered the most favourable methods to provide long term isolation of the radionuclides in the waste from the biosphere, and was adopted by IAEA and the developed nations with nuclear facilities. Over 50 years studies have been proved the technical feasibility of geological disposal for radioactive waste. However, there are many subjective and objective uncertainties on development, operation and closure of a geological disposal facility. For providing flexibility in responding to new technical information, advances in waste management and materials technologies, and in enabling social, economic and political aspects to be addressed, it is necessary to evaluate the uncertainties for all the R and D steps of a geological disposal program. (authors)

Information collection and analysis of geological characterization and evaluation technology and application to geological characterization study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamura, Hideki; Noda, Masaru; Nishikawa, Naohito; Sato, Shoko; Tanaka, Tatsuya

2003-03-01

Tono Geoscience Center (TGC) of Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute has been conducting the Regional Groundwater Investigation and Mizunami Underground Laboratory (MIU) Project in order to develop investigation technologies and evaluation methods of geological environment. At present, towards the next progress reporting on research and development for geological disposal of HLW in Japan, based on the existing research and development results, the projects which are conducted by TGC are required for promoting smoothly and efficiently with regard to the current Japanese HLW program. According to such situation, for planning of the geological environment investigation and research at TGC and the next progress reporting, this study has investigated and summarizes overseas environmental impact assessments for final disposal, overseas site characterization and site selection, and overseas research plan of underground research laboratories. Based on the results of investigation, some technologies which have possibility to be applied to the MIU Project have been studied. Also overseas quality assurance programs have been investigated, and examples of the application of their concepts to MIU project have been considered. (author)

Optimal sampling schemes applied in geology

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Debba, Pravesh

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Methodology 6 Results 7 Background and Research Question for Study 2 8 Study Area and Data 9 Methodology 10 Results 11 Conclusions Debba (CSIR) Optimal Sampling Schemes applied in Geology UP 2010 2 / 47 Outline 1 Introduction to hyperspectral remote... sensing 2 Objective of Study 1 3 Study Area 4 Data used 5 Methodology 6 Results 7 Background and Research Question for Study 2 8 Study Area and Data 9 Methodology 10 Results 11 Conclusions Debba (CSIR) Optimal Sampling Schemes applied in Geology...

Ultrapotassic rocks geology from Salgueiro region, Pernambuco state, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva Filho, A.F. da; Guimaraes, I.P.

1990-01-01

The Cachoeirinha-Salgueiro belt has Proterozoic age and is located in the Borborema Province, NE Brazil. The ultrapotassic rocks from Salgueiro region intrudes the Cachoeirinha-Salgueiro belt rocks. The ultrapotassics from Salgueiro region constitutes of three units; Serra do Livramento pluton, and two dyke swarms called respectively beige alkali feldspar granites and green alkali feldspar syenite/quartz-syenite. The Serra do Livramento pluton shows E-W direction, boudin shape, width between 0,15 and 2,10 km, and it is intruded into metamorphic rocks and into the Terra Nova complex. Detailed geological mapping at the Serra das Duas Irmas allowed us to establish the dyke swarm chronology. The mapping reveals seven intrusion episodes, into the Terra Nova pluton, of green alkali feldspar syenite/quartz-syenite and five episodes of bege alkali feldspar granite. They alternate between them in space and time, and there are evidence that they were intruded under the tectonic control of the Pernambuco lineament. A systematic whole-rock Rb-Sr geochronology was done in the green alkali feldspar syenite/quartz-syenite, and an age of 514,8 ± 20,3 Ma was obtained. The initial ratio is 0,710615 + 0,000441. The age obtained shows small error and an initial ratio compatible with a strong crustal contamination. (author)

Native American Students' Understanding of Geologic Time Scale: 4th-8th Grade Ojibwe Students' Understanding of Earth's Geologic History

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Younkyeong; Karahan, Engin; Roehrig, Gillian

2016-01-01

Geologic time scale is a very important concept for understanding long-term earth system events such as climate change. This study examines forty-three 4th-8th grade Native American--particularly Ojibwe tribe--students' understanding of relative ordering and absolute time of Earth's significant geological and biological events. This study also…

Preliminary report on the geology of the Lakeview uranium area, Lake County, Oregon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)