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Sample records for sand clay silt

  1. Silt-clay aggregates on Mars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greeley, R.

    1979-01-01

    Viking observations suggest abundant silt and clay particles on Mars. It is proposed that some of these particles agglomerate to form sand size aggregates that are redeposited as sandlike features such as drifts and dunes. Although the binding for the aggregates could include salt cementation or other mechanisms, electrostatic bonding is considered to be a primary force holding the aggregates together. Various laboratory experiments conducted since the 19th century, and as reported here for simulated Martian conditions, show that both the magnitude and sign of electrical charges on windblown particles are functions of particle velocity, shape and composition, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric composition, and other factors. Electrical charges have been measured for saltating particles in the wind tunnel and in the field, on the surfaces of sand dunes, and within dust clouds on earth. Similar, and perhaps even greater, charges are proposed to occur on Mars, which could form aggregates of silt and clay size particles. Electrification is proposed to occur within Martian dust clouds, generating silt-clay aggregates which would settle to the surface where they may be deposited in the form of sandlike structures. By analog, silt-clay dunes are known in many parts of the earth where silt-clay aggregated were transported by saltation and deposited as 'sand.' In these structures the binding forces were later destroyed, and the particles reassumed the physical properties of silt and clay, but the sandlike bedding structure within the 'dunes' was preserved. The bedding observed in drifts at the Viking landing site is suggested to result from a similar process involving silt-clay aggregates on Mars

  2. A Visual Basic program to classify sediments based on gravel-sand-silt-clay ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poppe, L.J.; Eliason, A.H.; Hastings, M.E.

    2003-01-01

    Nomenclature describing size distributions is important to geologists because grain size is the most basic attribute of sediments. Traditionally, geologists have divided sediments into four size fractions that include gravel, sand, silt, and clay, and classified these sediments based on ratios of the various proportions of the fractions. Definitions of these fractions have long been standardized to the grade scale described by Wentworth (1922), and two main classification schemes have been adopted to describe the approximate relationship between the size fractions.Specifically, according to the Wentworth grade scale gravel-sized particles have a nominal diameter of ⩾2.0 mm; sand-sized particles have nominal diameters from <2.0 mm to ⩾62.5 μm; silt-sized particles have nominal diameters from <62.5 to ⩾4.0 μm; and clay is <4.0 μm. As for sediment classification, most sedimentologists use one of the systems described either by Shepard (1954) or Folk (1954, 1974). The original scheme devised by Shepard (1954) utilized a single ternary diagram with sand, silt, and clay in the corners to graphically show the relative proportions among these three grades within a sample. This scheme, however, does not allow for sediments with significant amounts of gravel. Therefore, Shepard's classification scheme (Fig. 1) was subsequently modified by the addition of a second ternary diagram to account for the gravel fraction (Schlee, 1973). The system devised by Folk (1954, 1974) is also based on two triangular diagrams (Fig. 2), but it has 23 major categories, and uses the term mud (defined as silt plus clay). The patterns within the triangles of both systems differ, as does the emphasis placed on gravel. For example, in the system described by Shepard, gravelly sediments have more than 10% gravel; in Folk's system, slightly gravelly sediments have as little as 0.01% gravel. Folk's classification scheme stresses gravel because its concentration is a function of

  3. Non-cohesive silt turbidity current flow processes; insights from proximal sandy-silt and silty-sand turbidites, Fiordland, New Zealand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strachan, Lorna J.; Bostock, Helen C.; Barnes, Philip M.; Neil, Helen L.; Gosling, Matthew

    2016-08-01

    Silt-rich turbidites are commonly interpreted as distal marine deposits. They are associated with interlaminated clay and silt deposition from the upper and rear portions of turbidity currents. Here, multibeam bathymetry and shallow sediment core data from the intra-slope Secretary Basin, Fiordland, New Zealand, located laminar) flows that have undergone a variety of up-dip flow transformations. Most flows were initially erosive followed by deposition of partitioned 2- or 3- phase mixed mode flows that include high-density transitional and laminar flows that can be fore- or after-runners to low-density turbulent flow sections. Turbulence is inferred to have been suppressed in high-density flows by increasing flow concentration of both sands and silts. The very fine and fine sand modal grain sizes of sandy-silt and silty-sand turbidites are significantly coarser than classical abyssal plain silt turbidites and are generally coarser than overbank silt turbidites. While the low percentage of clays within Secretary Basin sandy-silt and silty-sand turbidites represents a fundamental difference between these and other silt and mud turbidites, we suggest these beds represent a previously undescribed suite of proximal continental slope deposits.

  4. Gas detection in sands of high silt-clay content in the Cook Inlet area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bettis, F.

    1976-01-01

    When a sand contains a large amount of silt and clay it is often difficult to detect zones that contain gas using only the Archie Saturation Relationship. However, gas may be detected in these shaly formations using certain quick-look techniques. Log examples of these are presented in this paper. The first quick-look technique is an overlay of the neutron log on a density log. The neutron log is shifted relative to the density log to make the two porosity curves track in shaly water sands. Gas-bearing intervals become readily apparent from separations of the two curves where the density porosity is reading higher than the shifted neutron porosity. The second is an overlay of a neutron log on the sonic interval-transit-time log. The sonic log is shifted so as to match the neutron log in average tight sands in the section. This method has proved to be more optimistic than the density-neutron overlay above. It will find the gas-bearing zones, but may result in testing a zone or two which is nonproductive. The third method, used when no neutron log has been run, is a crossplot of the difference, sonic porosity minus density porosity, versus gamma ray API units. This is the most unreliable of the three methods because of the difficulty of determining the end points and the slope of the line on the plot which separates the gas zones from the non-gas zones

  5. Investigation on the cohesive silt/clay-particle sediment via the coupled CFD-DEM simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, S.; Sun, H.; Sun, R.

    2017-12-01

    Sedimentation of silt/clay particles happens ubiquitously in nature and engineering field. There have been abundant studies focusing on the settling velocity of the cohesive particles, while studies on the sediment deposited from silt/clay irregular particles, including the vertical concentration profile of sediment and the various forces among the deposited particles are still lacking. This paper aims to investigate the above topics by employing the CFD-DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method) simulations. In this work, we simulate the settling of the mono- and poly- dispersed silt/clay particles and mainly study the characteristics of the deposited cohesive sediment. We use the bonded particles to simulate the irregular silt/clay aggregates at the initial state and utilize the van der Waals force for all micro-particles to consider the cohesive force among silt/clay particles. The interparticle collision force and the fluid-particle interaction forces are also considered in our numerical model. The value of the mean structural density of cohesive sediment obtained from simulations is in good agreement with the previous research, and it is obviously smaller than no-cohesive sediment because of the existence of the silt/clay flocs. Moreover, the solid concentration of sediment increases with the growth of the depth. It is because the silt/clay flocs are more easily to break up due to the gradually increased submerged gravity of the deposited particles along the depth. We also obtain the noncontacted cohesive force and contact force profiles during the sedimentation and the self-weight consolidation process. The study of the concentration profile and the forces among silt/clay sediment will help to give an accurate initial condition for calculating the speed of the reconsolidation process by employing the artificial loads, which is necessary for practical designs of the land reclamation projects.

  6. Wave liquefaction in soils with clay content

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirca, Özgür; Sumer, B. Mutlu; Fredsøe, Jørgen

    2012-01-01

    The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the influence of clay content (in silt-clay and sand-clay mixtures) on liquefaction beneath progressive waves. The experiments showed that the influence of clay content is very significant. Susceptibility of silt to liquefaction is increa...

  7. Fault creep and stress drops in saturated silt-clay gouge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bombolakis, E.G.; Hepburn, J.C.; Roy, D.C.

    1978-01-01

    An analysis of physicochemical processes in saturated silt-clay gouge indicates that this type of fault zone material can account for for the following phenomena: (1) the nonlinear mechanical behavior indicated by certain geophysical measurements along the San Andreas fault zone, (2) the low stress drops associated with earthquakes to several kilometers' depth, and (3) the recurrence of creep-induced instabilities at shallow depths along fault zones. A rheological model is described for a gouge consisting of colloidal size clay platelets with absorbed water, brittle silt size particles, and 'free' pore water. Recurrence of shallow earthquakes or accelerated creep is explained in the model by thixotropic hardening of the colloidal phase following shear deformation, i.e., by electrochemical reorientation of clay platelets from a dispersed structure to a face-to-edge type of structure during a quiescent period. The silt phase must support part of the effective mean stress for thixotropic hardening to occur at several kilometers' depth. The peak shear strength of the gouge in this case is expressed in functional form by S/sub p/=f[kappaP/sub e/+sigma-bar/sub c/ tan psi/sub e/; sigma-bar/sub s/ tan psi/sub s/], where kappa, P/sub e/, and psi/sub e/ are Hvorslev parameters; sigma-bar/sub c/ is the effective stress in the colloidal phase, acting normal to the shear zone; sigma-bar/sub s/ is the effective stress in the silt phase, acting normal to the shear zone; and psi/sub s/ is the 'friction angle' of the silt phase. The peak shear strength is time dependent owing to viscous type contacts between absorbed water layers surrounding the colloidal platelets. The time-dependent nature of S/sub p/ may be responsible for certain nonlinear behavior noted in fault zones and for the small stress drops associated with earthquakes occurring at several kilometers' depth

  8. Carbon saturation in the silt and clay particles in soils with contrasting mineralogy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Matus

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The silt and clay particles play a key role as stabilizing agents of soil organic carbon (SOC. Several lines of evidence indicate a theoretical maximum or C saturation in individual particles. In the present study, we hypothesized that a C fraction displaying linear accumulation relative to the SOC is not influenced by C saturation, while a fraction displaying an asymptotic relationship is regarded as saturated (Stewart et al., 2008. The aim of the present study was to compare the amount of C in the silt and clay sized fractions in temperate and subtropical cropping soils across a range of textures with different mineralogy. Twenty-one and 18 soil samples containing 1:1 and 2:1 clay of temperate soil from Chile under monoculture of maize (Zea maiz L. for at least 30 years and 9 subtropical soils from Mexico under maize and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cropping for 9 years having mixed clay were collected at 0-0.1 m. The SOC of 2:1 soils was significantly higher (14±0.5 g kg-1 dry soil than 1:1 soils (10±0.7 g kg-1. However, subtropical soils showed the highest values (59±0.5 g kg-1. A positive (P < 0.01 relationship was observed between the SOC and the C in the silt fraction (R2 0.80-0.97, P < 0.01. In contrast, the clay fraction remained constant or showed asymptotic behavior. We conclude that the silt fraction, unlike clay, showed no evidence of C saturation, while clay accumulates C to a maximum. On average, the 2:1 clay was saturated at 1-2 g C kg-1 and 1:1 at 1 g C kg-1, and subtropical soils at 14 g C kg-1.

  9. Parametric study of the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silt, and clay sediments: 1. Electromagnetic properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, J.Y.; Santamarina, J.C.; Ruppel, C.

    2010-01-01

    The marked decrease in bulk electrical conductivity of sediments in the presence of gas hydrates has been used to interpret borehole electrical resistivity logs and, to a lesser extent, the results of controlled source electromagnetic surveys to constrain the spatial distribution and predicted concentration of gas hydrate in natural settings. Until now, an exhaustive laboratory data set that could be used to assess the impact of gas hydrate on the electromagnetic properties of different soils (sand, silt, and clay) at different effective stress and with different saturations of hydrate has been lacking. The laboratory results reported here are obtained using a standard geotechnical cell and the hydrate-formed tetrahydrofuran (THF), a liquid that is fully miscible in water and able to produce closely controlled saturations of hydrate from dissolved phase. Both permittivity and electrical conductivity are good indicators of the volume fraction of free water in the sediment, which is in turn dependent on hydrate saturation. Permittivity in the microwave frequency range is particularly predictive of free water content since it is barely affected by ionic concentration, pore structure, and surface conduction. Electrical conductivity (or resistivity) is less reliable for constraining water content or hydrate saturation: In addition to fluid-filled porosity, other factors, such as the ionic concentration of the pore fluid and possibly other conduction effects (e.g., surface conduction in high specific surface soils having low conductivity pore fluid), also influence electrical conductivity.

  10. Discriminating silt-and-clay from suspended-sand in rivers using side-looking acoustic profilers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Scott A.; Topping, David J.; Williams, Cory A.

    2010-01-01

    techniques rely on measurements of ancillary properties that correlate with suspended-sediment concentration and particle size and thus require the collection of traditional samples for calibration. Through in situ deployments, these methods can provide the high temporal resolution that cannot be achieved through traditional sampling. Here we focus on the evaluation of acoustic profiling techniques (e.g. acoustic-Doppler sideways-looking profilers, or ADPs). One major advantage of acoustic profiling is the ability to concurrently measure water velocity (using Doppler-shift methods) and suspended-sediment concentration such that suspended-sediment flux can be directly computed using data from a single instrument. Acoustic-Doppler profilers have become popular for measuring water velocity and discharge in rivers, through both moving-boat operations and from fixed deployments such as bank-mounted sideways-looking instruments (Hirsch and Costa, 2004, Muste et al., 2007). The method presented herein is most suited to sideways-looking applications as a complement to the "index velocity" technique, whereby an index velocity from a sideways-looking instrument is related to the cross-section average velocity (determined from moving-boat discharge measurements) as a means for developing a continuous water-discharge record (Ruhl and Simpson, 2005). Topping et al. (2007) presented a method for discriminating silt-and-clay from suspended sand, using single frequency ADPs. This method takes advantage of the relations among acoustic backscatter, sediment-induced acoustic attenuation, suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), and particle size distribution (PSD). Backscatter is the amount of sound scattered back and received at the transducer while sediment-induced attenuation is the amount of sound scattered in other directions and absorbed by the sediment particles. Both of these parameters can be measured with an ADP, and their different dependencies on SSC and PSD allow for the

  11. Upper Pleistocene turbidite sand beds and chaotic silt beds in the channelized, distal, outer-fan lobes of the Mississippi fan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, C.H.; Twichell, D.C.; Schwab, W.C.; Lee, H.J.; Kenyon, Neil H.

    1992-01-01

    Cores from a Mississippi outer-fan depositional lobe demonstrate that sublobes at the distal edge contain a complex local network of channelized-turbidite beds of graded sand and debris-flow beds of chaotic silt. Off-lobe basin plains lack siliciclastic coarse-grained beds. The basin-plain mud facies exhibit low acoustic backscatter on SeaMARC IA sidescan sonar images, whereas high acoustic backscatter characteristic of the lobe sand and silt facies. The depth of the first sand-silt layer correlates with relative backscatter intensity and stratigraphic age of the distal sublobes (i.e., shallowest sand = highest backscatter and youngest sublobe). The high proportion (>50%) of chaotic silt compared to graded sand in the distal, outer-fan sublobes may be related to the unstable, muddy, canyon-wall source areas of the extensive Mississippi delta-fed basin slope. A predominace of chaotic silt in cores or outcrops from outer-fan lobes thus may predict similar settings for ancient fans.

  12. Scour at Vertical Piles in Sand-Clay Mixtures under Waves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dey, Subhasish; Helkjær, Anders; Sumer, B. Mutlu

    2011-01-01

    Marine sediments often contain sand-clay mixtures in widely varying proportions. This study presents the results of equilibrium scour and time variation of scour depths at circular piles embedded vertically in clay alone and sand-clay mixed beds under waves. Experiments were conducted in a wave...... flume with different proportions of sand-clay mixtures as bed sediments. Test results for the cases of steady current and sand alone under waves are used as references. The equilibrium scour depth reduces with an increase in clay proportion n (by weight) in a sand-clay mixture. Interestingly, the scour...

  13. Compressive Strength of Compacted Clay-Sand Mixes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faseel Suleman Khan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of sand to improve the strength of natural clays provides a viable alternative for civil infrastructure construction involving earthwork. The main objective of this note was to investigate the compressive strength of compacted clay-sand mixes. A natural clay of high plasticity was mixed with 20% and 40% sand (SP and their compaction and strength properties were determined. Results indicated that the investigated materials exhibited a brittle behaviour on the dry side of optimum and a ductile behaviour on the wet side of optimum. For each material, the compressive strength increased with an increase in density following a power law function. Conversely, the compressive strength increased with decreasing water content of the material following a similar function. Finally, the compressive strength decreased with an increase in sand content because of increased material heterogeneity and loss of sand grains from the sides during shearing.

  14. Gassmann Modeling of Acoustic Properties of Sand-clay Mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurevich, B.; Carcione, J. M.

    The feasibility of modeling elastic properties of a fluid-saturated sand-clay mixture rock is analyzed by assuming that the rock is composed of macroscopic regions of sand and clay. The elastic properties of such a composite rock are computed using two alternative schemes.The first scheme, which we call the composite Gassmann (CG) scheme, uses Gassmann equations to compute elastic moduli of the saturated sand and clay from their respective dry moduli. The effective elastic moduli of the fluid-saturated composite rock are then computed by applying one of the mixing laws commonly used to estimate elastic properties of composite materials.In the second scheme which we call the Berryman-Milton scheme, the elastic moduli of the dry composite rock matrix are computed from the moduli of dry sand and clay matrices using the same composite mixing law used in the first scheme. Next, the saturated composite rock moduli are computed using the equations of Brown and Korringa, which, together with the expressions for the coefficients derived by Berryman and Milton, provide an extension of Gassmann equations to rocks with a heterogeneous solid matrix.For both schemes, the moduli of the dry homogeneous sand and clay matrices are assumed to obey the Krief's velocity-porosity relationship. As a mixing law we use the self-consistent coherent potential approximation proposed by Berryman.The calculated dependence of compressional and shear velocities on porosity and clay content for a given set of parameters using the two schemes depends on the distribution of total porosity between the sand and clay regions. If the distribution of total porosity between sand and clay is relatively uniform, the predictions of the two schemes in the porosity range up to 0.3 are very similar to each other. For higher porosities and medium-to-large clay content the elastic moduli predicted by CG scheme are significantly higher than those predicted by the BM scheme.This difference is explained by the fact

  15. Deposition of Suspended Clay to Open and Sand-Filled Framework Gravel Beds in a Laboratory Flume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mooneyham, Christian; Strom, Kyle

    2018-01-01

    Pulses of fine sediment composed of sand, silt, and clay can be introduced to gravel bed rivers through runoff from burn-impacted hillslopes, landslides, bank failure, or the introduction of reservoir sediment as a result of sluicing or dam decommissioning. Here we present a study aimed at quantifying exchange between suspensions of clay and gravel beds. The questions that motivate the work are: how do bed roughness and pore space characteristics, shear velocity (u∗), and initial concentration (C0) affect clay deposition on or within gravel beds? Where does deposition within these beds occur, and can deposited clay be resuspended while the gravel is immobile? We examine these questions in a laboratory flume using acrylic, open-framework gravel, and armored sand-gravel beds under conditions of varying u∗ and C0. Deposition of clay occurred to all beds (even with Rouse numbers ˜ 0.01). We attribute deposition under full suspension conditions to be an outcome of localized protected zones where clay can settle and available pore space in the bed. For smooth wall cases, protection came from the viscous wall region and the development of bed forms; for the rough beds, protection came from separation zones and low-velocity pore spaces. Bed porosity was the strongest influencer of nondimensional deposition rate; deposition increased with porosity. Deposition was inversely related to u∗ for the acrylic bed runs; no influence of u∗ was found for the porous bed runs. Increases in discharge resulted in resuspension of clay from acrylic beds; no resuspension was observed in the porous bed runs.

  16. Dewatering Behaviour of Fine Oil Sands Tailings : An Experimental Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yao, Y.

    2016-01-01

    Oil sands tailings are a warm aqueous suspension of sand, silt, clay, residual bitumen and naphtha. The tailings are hydraulically transported and stored in tailing ponds where they segregate, with the sand settling from suspension forming beaches and the remaining tailings flowing to the middle of

  17. Influence of clay content on wave-induced liquefaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirca, V.S. Ozgur; Sumer, B. Mutlu; Fredsøe, Jørgen

    2014-01-01

    of measurements were carried out: (1) pore-water pressure measurements across the soil depth and (2) water-surface elevation measurements. These measurements were synchronized with video recordings of the liquefaction process from the side. The ranges of the various quantities in the experiments were wave height...... of silt and clay was not liquefied. Sand may become prone to liquefaction with the introduction of clay, contrary to the general perception that this type of sediment is normally liquefaction-resistant under waves. For instance, sand with d50 50:4 mmwas liquefied with CC510:8%, whereas sand with d50 50...

  18. A Classification of Clay-Rich Subaqueous Density Flow Structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hermidas, N.; Eggenhuisen, Joris T.; Jacinto, Ricardo Silva; Luthi, S.M.; Toth, Ferenc; Pohl, Florian

    2018-01-01

    This study presents a classification for subaqueous clay-laden sediment gravity flows. A series of laboratory flume experiments were performed using 9%, 15%, and 21% sediment mixture concentrations composed of sand, silt, clay, and tap water, on varying bed slopes of 6°, 8°, and 9.5°, and with

  19. [Carbon sequestration in soil particle-sized fractions during reversion of desertification at Mu Us Sand land.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jian Ye; Tong, Xiao Gang; Li, Zhan Bin; Fu, Guang Jun; Li, Jiao; Hasier

    2016-11-18

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of carbon sequestration in soil particle-sized fractions during reversion of desertification at Mu Us Sand Land, soil samples were collected from quicksand land, semifixed sand and fixed sand lands that were established by the shrub for 20-55 year-old and the arbor for 20-50 year-old at sand control region of Yulin in Northern Shaanxi Province. The dynamics and sequestration rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with sand, silt and clay were measured by physical fractionation method. The results indicated that, compared with quicksand area, the carbon content in total SOC and all soil particle-sized fractions at bothsand-fixing sand forest lands showed a significant increasing trend, and the maximum carbon content was observed in the top layer of soils. From quicksand to fixed sand land with 55-year-old shrub and 50-year-old arbor, the annual sequestration rate of carbon stock in 0-5 cm soil depth was same in silt by 0.05 Mg·hm -2 ·a -1 . The increase rate of carbon sequestration in sand was 0.05 and 0.08 Mg·hm -2 ·a -1 , and in clay was 0.02 and 0.03 Mg·hm -2 ·a -1 at shrubs and arbors land, respectively. The increase rate of carbon sequestration in 0-20 cm soil layer for all the soil particles was averagely 2.1 times as that of 0-5 cm. At the annual increase rate of carbon, the stock of carbon in sand, silt and clay at the two fixed sand lands were increased by 6.7, 18.1 and 4.4 times after 50-55 year-old reversion of quicksand land to fixed sand. In addition, the average percentages that contributed to accumulation of total SOC by different particles in 0-20 cm soil were in the order of silt carbon (39.7%)≈sand carbon (34.6%) > clay carbon (25.6%). Generally, the soil particle-sized fractions had great carbon sequestration potential during reversion of desertification in Mu Us Sand Land, and the slit and sand were the main fractions for carbon sequestration at both fixed sand lands.

  20. The Compressibility and Swell of Mixtures for Sand-Clay Liners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muawia A. Dafalla

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Sand-clay liners utilize expansive clay to act as a filler to occupy the voids in the sand and thus reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the mixture. The hydraulic conductivity and transfer of water and other substances through sand-clay mixtures are of prime concern in the design of liners and hydraulic barriers. Many successful research studies have been undertaken to achieve appropriate mixtures that satisfy hydraulic conductivity requirements. This study investigates compressibility and swelling properties of mixtures to ensure that they were acceptable for light structures, roads, and slabs on grade. A range of sand-expansive clay mixtures were investigated for swell and compression properties. The swelling and compressibility indices were found to increase with increasing clay content. The use of highly expansive material can result in large volume changes due to swell and shrinkage. The inclusion of less expansive soil material as partial replacement of bentonite by one-third to two-thirds is found to reduce the compressibility by 60% to 70% for 10% and 15% clay content, respectively. The swelling pressure and swell percent were also found significantly reduced. Adding less expansive natural clay to bentonite can produce liners that are still sufficiently impervious and at the same time less problematic.

  1. Induced polarization of clay-sand mixtures: experiments and modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okay, G.; Leroy, P.; Tournassat, C.; Ghorbani, A.; Jougnot, D.; Cosenza, P.; Camerlynck, C.; Cabrera, J.; Florsch, N.; Revil, A.

    2012-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. Frequency-domain induced polarization (IP) measurements consist of imposing an alternative sinusoidal electrical current (AC) at a given frequency and measuring the resulting electrical potential difference between two other non-polarizing electrodes. The magnitude of the conductivity and the phase lag between the current and the difference of potential can be expressed into a complex conductivity with the in-phase representing electro-migration and a quadrature conductivity representing the reversible storage of electrical charges (capacitive effect) of the porous material. Induced polarization has become an increasingly popular geophysical method for hydrogeological and environmental applications. These applications include for instance the characterization of clay materials used as permeability barriers in landfills or to contain various types of contaminants including radioactive wastes. The goal of our study is to get a better understanding of the influence of the clay content, clay mineralogy, and pore water salinity upon complex conductivity measurements of saturated clay-sand mixtures in the frequency range ∼1 mHz-12 kHz. The complex conductivity of saturated unconsolidated sand-clay mixtures was experimentally investigated using two types of clay minerals, kaolinite and smectite in the frequency range 1.4 mHz - 12 kHz. Four different types of samples were used, two containing mainly kaolinite (80% of the mass, the remaining containing 15% of smectite and 5% of illite/muscovite; 95% of kaolinite and 5% of illite/muscovite), and the two others containing mainly Na-smectite or Na-Ca-smectite (95% of the mass; bentonite). The experiments were performed with various clay contents (1, 5, 20, and 100% in volume of the sand-clay mixture) and salinities (distilled water, 0.1 g/L, 1 g/L, and 10 g/L NaCl solution). In total, 44 saturated clay or clay-sand mixtures were prepared. Induced polarization measurements

  2. IMPACT OF SAND DREDGING AND SILT EXTRACTION ACTIVITY ON RIVER AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS : A REVIEW

    OpenAIRE

    Vishal S. Gholap

    2016-01-01

    The present research work highlights the influences of sand dredging and extensive silt quarrying activity on rivers. The sand dredging activity and its impact on the river processes and other river environment have discussed in the present review paper. It has seen that most of the rivers and their processes are highly degraded and altered due to these activities. In India and almost in the regions of Maharashtra, the ground water is decreasing and such activities also invited the problems ...

  3. Relationship of bifenthrin sediment concentrations to grain size and total organic carbon in California waterbodies: implications for ecological risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Lenwood W; Anderson, Ronald D

    2014-12-01

    A summary analysis of data sets from six California waterbodies was conducted to determine the relationship of bifenthrin sediment concentrations to: % sand/gravel; % silt; % clay; % silt/clay and % total organic carbon (TOC). The relationship of TOC to % sand/gravel, % silt, % clay, and % silt/clay was also analyzed. Statistically significant and meaningful direct relationships were reported between bifenthrin and % TOC, % silt, % clay and % silt/clay while a significant and meaningful inverse relationship was reported between bifenthrin and % sand/gravel. A significant and meaningful inverse relationship was reported between % TOC and % sand/gravel, while a significant and meaningful direct relationship was reported between % TOC and % silt, % clay and % silt/clay. Significant bifenthrin sediment concentrations would not be expected in non-depositional (sand/gravel) areas which have been reported to be dominant in various streams in California's Central Valley and are also the preferred habitat for many benthic macroinvertebrate taxa.

  4. Practical technical solution for clay-contaminated sands used in concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Estephane Pierre

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Sand, whether natural or manufactured, shows in many instances varying degrees of high levels of clay contamination. This fact is encountered in different parts of the globe and can lead to serious problems in adjusting concrete mix proportions and requiring high water to cement ratios and/or high dosages of superplasticizers without necessarily meeting the workability requirements, even when the sand is previously washed with fresh water. In this paper, different types of sand from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC region are being screened, analysed for their clay contents and consequent effects on plastic concrete quality. A technical solution is being proposed based on engineered superplasticizers. A testing protocol has been established to verify the robustness of optimized mix designs demonstrating the performance of the admixture in terms of initial and extended workability. In particular, it will be demonstrated that the customized concrete admixtures constitute by themselves a stand-alone answer to the usage of clay-contaminated sands in concrete.

  5. Evaluation of sand reserves in del Plata City

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loureiro, J.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reserve of sand in the zone of del Plata city and beyond. This area is located in the S E edge of the department of San Jose near the mouth of Santa Lucia river. In this zone was identified the mantle of potentially exploitable sand which are based on their particle size, composition and depth of the limits cape. There are two powerful capes of sand separated by clay and silt

  6. Wave-induced ripple development in mixed clay-sand substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xuxu; Parsons, Daniel; Baas, Jaco H.; Mouazé, Dominique; McLelland, Stuart; Amoudry, Laurent; Eggenhuisen, Jorris; Cartigny, Matthieu; Ruessink, Gerben

    2016-04-01

    This paper reports on a series of experiments that aim to provide a fuller understanding of ripple development within clay-sand mixture substrates under oscillatory flow conditions. The work was conducted in the Total Environment Simulator at the University of Hull and constituted 6 separate runs, in which 5 runs were conducted under identical sets of regular waves (an additional run was conducted under irregular waves, but is not discussed in present paper). The bed content was systematically varied in its composition ranging from a pure sand bed through to a bed comprising 7.4% clay. A series of state-of-the-art measurements were employed to quantify interactions of near-bed hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and turbulence over rippled beds formed by wave action, during and after, each run. The experimental results demonstrate the significant influence of the amount of cohesive clay materials in the substrate on ripple evolution under waves. Most importantly, addition of clay in the bed dramatically slowed down the rate of ripple development and evolution. The equilibrium time of each run increased exponentially from 30 minutes under the control conditions of a pure sand bed, rising to ~350 minutes for the bed with the highest fraction of clay. The paper discusses the slower ripple growth rates with higher cohesive fractions, via an influence on critical shear, but highlights that the end equilibrium size of ripples is found to be independent of increasing substrate clay fraction. The suspended particles mass (SPM) concentration indicates that clay particles were suspended and winnowed by wave action. Additionally, laser granulometry of the final substrates verified that ripple crests were composed of pure sand layers that were absent at ripple troughs, reflecting a relatively higher winnowing efficiency at wave ripples crest. The winnowing process and its efficiency is inexorably linked to wave ripple development and evolution. The implications of the results

  7. Carbon sequestration in clay and silt fractions of Brazilian soils under conventional and no-tillage systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecília Estima Sacramento dos Reis

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The capacity of soils to sequestrate carbon (C is mainly related to the formation of organo-mineral complexes. In this study, we investigated the influence of soil management systems on the C retention capacity of soil with an emphasis on the silt and clay fractions of two subtropical soils with different mineralogy and climate. Samples from a Humic Hapludox and a Rhodic Hapludox, clayey soils cultivated for approximately 30 years under no-tillage (NT and conventional tillage (CT were collected from six layers distributed within 100-cm soil depth from each site and from an adjacent native forest. After the removal of particulate organic matter (POM, the suspension (<53 µm was sonicated, the silt and clay fractions were separated in accordance with Stokes' law and the carbon content of whole soil and physical fractions was determined. In the Humic Hapludox, the clay and silt fractions under NT showed a higher maximum C retention (72 and 52 g kg-1, respectively in comparison to those under CT (54 and 38 g kg-1, respectively. Moreover, the C concentration increase in both fractions under NT occurred mainly in the topsoil (up to 5 cm. The C retention in physical fractions of Rhodic Hapludox varied from 25 to 32 g kg-1, and no difference was observed whether under an NT or a CT management system. The predominance of goethite and gibbsite in the Humic Hapludox, as well as its exposure to a colder climate, may have contributed to its greater C retention capacity. In addition to the organo-mineral interaction, a mechanism of organic matter self-assemblage, enhanced by longer periods of soil non-disturbance, seems to have contributed to the carbon stabilization in both soils.

  8. Major soil classes of the metropolitan region of Curitiba (PR, Brazil: I - mineralogical characterization of the sand, silt and clay fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Christina Duarte Pires

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of most representative soils of the Region of Curitiba, Paraná State. Samples were collected at different depths. The results showed: (a the quartz was the only identified mineral at the silt and sand fractions. The dominant clay mineral was Kaolinite, with contents ranging from 676.7 to 820.8 g kg-1. The gibbsite was also an important constituent of the most weathered horizons and the hematite and goethite contents were low, mainly in the Histosol; (b at the C horizon of the Inceptisol, high intensity of vermiculite/smectite reflections were detected (X-ray diffraction, justifying the high capacity of expansion and contraction, normally showed for this soil horizon; (c was observed a good relation between pedogenetic degree and crystallographic mineral characteristics.Devido a grande importância dos minerais, notadamente aqueles da fração argila, sobre o planejamento de uso e sobre os impactos das atividades antrópicas, estudos detalhados da composição dos solos das regiões metropolitanas são imprescindíveis. Para avaliar as características mineralógicas e químicas de solos mais representativos da Região Metropolitana de Curitiba, estado do Paraná, foram coletadas amostras das classes Organossolo, Latossolo e Cambissolo, em diferentes profundidades. As frações areia, silte e argila foram estudadas por difratometria de Raios-X (DRX e a fração mais fina foi submetida a análise térmica e extrações químicas com oxalato de amônio (OA, ditionito-citrato-bicarbonato (DCB e solução de NaOH 5 mol L-1 fervente. As características cristalográficas da hematita (Hm, goethita (Gt, gibbsita (Gb e caulinita (Ct foram determinadas por DRX. Os resultados permitiram concluir que: (a o quartzo foi o único mineral identificado nas frações areia e silte. Na fração argila, verificou-se o predomínio de Ct, com teores variando de 661,7 a 820,8 g kg-1

  9. Determination of p-y Curves for Bucket Foundations in Silt and Sand Using Finite Element Modelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vethanayagam, Vinojan; Ibsen, Lars Bo

    slender than the tested piles. The suction bucket has a slenderness ratio of 0.5-1, thus its response is a rigid movement, where slender piles undergoes a flexible movement. Due to the importance of precise estimations, p-y formulations for suction buckets in drained and undrained silt are sought...... developed with use of finite element. In general the developed p-y formulations for the drained and undrained silt are fairly precise. Furthermore, the same method and basic formulation of the drained silt is applied to data of the drained sand from Østergaard et al. [2015]. The developed formulation...... herefore shows to be more versatile and precise than the formulation suggested by Østergaard et al. [2015]. The developed p-y formulations are functions of the effective vertical in-situ stress, soil stiffness, diameter of the bucket and the internal friction angle/the undrained shear strength....

  10. The Influence of SAND’s Gradation and Clay Content of Direct Sheart Test on Clayey Sand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wibisono, Gunawan; Agus Nugroho, Soewignjo; Umam, Khairul

    2018-03-01

    The shear strength of clayey-sand can be affected by several factors, e.g. gradation, density, moisture content, and the percentage of clay and sand fraction. The same percentage of clay and sand fraction in clayey-sand mixtures may have different shear strengths due to those factors. This research aims to study the effect of clay content on sand that cause the change of its shear strength. Samples consisted of different clay and sand fractions were reconstituted at a certain moisture content. Sand fractions varied from well-graded to poorly-graded sand. Shear strength was measured in terms of the direct shear test. Prior to the test, surcharge loads were applied to represent overburden pressures. Shear strength results and their components (i.e. Cohesion and internal angle of friction) were correlated with physical properties of samples (i.e. grading coefficient of curvature, coefficient of uniformity, and density). Results showed that samples classified as well-graded and dense sand had higher shear strength. In the other hand, the shear strengths decreased when the mixtures became poorly-graded and less dense. The inclusion of the clay fraction increased cohesion component and decreased internal angle of friction.

  11. Critical undrained shear strength of sand-silt mixtures under monotonic loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Bensoula

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This study uses experimental triaxial tests with monotonic loading to develop empirical relationships to estimate undrained critical shear strength. The effect of the fines content on undrained shear strength is analyzed for different density states. The parametric analysis indicates that, based on the soil void ratio and fine content properties, the undrained critical shear strength first increases and then decreases as the proportion of fines increases, which demonstrates the influence of fine content on a soil’s vulnerability to liquefaction. A series of monotonic undrained triaxial tests were performed on reconstituted saturated sand-silt mixtures. Beyond 30% fines content, a fraction of the silt participates in the soil’s skeleton chain force. In this context, the concept of the equivalent intergranular void ratio may be an appropriate parameter to express the critical shear strength of the studied soil. This parameter is able to control the undrained shear strength of non-plastic silt and sand mixtures with different densities.   Resumen Este estudio utiliza evaluaciones experimentales triaxiales con cargas repetitivas para desarrollar relaciones empíricas y estimar la tensión crítica de corte bajo condiciones no drenadas. El efecto de contenido de finos en la tensión de corte sin drenar se analizó en diferentes estados de densidad. El análisis paramétrico indica que, basado en la porosidad del suelo y las propiedades del material de finos, la tensión de corte sin drenar primero se incrementa y luego decrece mientras la proporción de finos aumenta, lo que demuestra la influencia de contenido de finos en la vulnerabilidad del suelo a la licuación. Una serie de las evaluaciones se realizó en  mezclas rehidratadas y saturadas de arena y cieno. Más allá del 30 % de los contenidos finos, una fracción del cieno hace parte principal de la cadena de fuerza del suelo. En este contexto, el concepto de porosidad equivalente

  12. Silt: 2 62 μm, 9 4φ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assallay, A. M.; Rogers, C. D. F.; Smalley, I. J.; Jefferson, I. F.

    1998-11-01

    The particles in finer-grained detrital sediments are usually composed of quartz. They fall into two size grades: sand (2 mm-62 μm) and silt (62 μm-2 μm). These size gradings conceal important geological processes since there are geological controls on both the quartz sand and silt populations. Sand nature is largely controlled by geochemical reactions, for example in cooling granite from which it is eventually released by weathering action. The quartz is among the last part of the rock system to solidify and the eutectic-like reaction which occurs ensures that the quartz exists as small crystalline units, each suffering considerable cooling and recrystallisation stresses. Silt is broken quartz, and has traditionally been considered to lack a specific geological control. The situation is confused by the large range of materials that fall into the size category, but there do seem to be distinguishable modes and possibly comminution limits within the 60 μm span. The controls operating in this size range are probably the critical concentration of `Moss' defects in the quartz particles. Moss postulated the formation of specific crystal defects in the quartz formed in granites. These affect sand formation and it is possible that they also control the mode size of silt particles. Within the silt range there may be several usefully definable populations, as Moss proposed for sand. The Quaternary appears to be a silt-rich period due to tectonic and glacial activity, but silt production is apparent throughout the sedimentary record. Very long-term silt producing processes are required. To produce silt in nature, on a large scale, very energetic processes are required. Many processes that are believed to generate silt particles have been listed. However, large-scale production is essentially due to glacial grinding, or to intense weathering processes in high, cold, tectonically active mountain regions. The region of High Asia (of crustal overlap) is a major generator of

  13. Gravel-Sand-Clay Mixture Model for Predictions of Permeability and Velocity of Unconsolidated Sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konishi, C.

    2014-12-01

    Gravel-sand-clay mixture model is proposed particularly for unconsolidated sediments to predict permeability and velocity from volume fractions of the three components (i.e. gravel, sand, and clay). A well-known sand-clay mixture model or bimodal mixture model treats clay contents as volume fraction of the small particle and the rest of the volume is considered as that of the large particle. This simple approach has been commonly accepted and has validated by many studies before. However, a collection of laboratory measurements of permeability and grain size distribution for unconsolidated samples show an impact of presence of another large particle; i.e. only a few percent of gravel particles increases the permeability of the sample significantly. This observation cannot be explained by the bimodal mixture model and it suggests the necessity of considering the gravel-sand-clay mixture model. In the proposed model, I consider the three volume fractions of each component instead of using only the clay contents. Sand becomes either larger or smaller particles in the three component mixture model, whereas it is always the large particle in the bimodal mixture model. The total porosity of the two cases, one is the case that the sand is smaller particle and the other is the case that the sand is larger particle, can be modeled independently from sand volume fraction by the same fashion in the bimodal model. However, the two cases can co-exist in one sample; thus, the total porosity of the mixed sample is calculated by weighted average of the two cases by the volume fractions of gravel and clay. The effective porosity is distinguished from the total porosity assuming that the porosity associated with clay is zero effective porosity. In addition, effective grain size can be computed from the volume fractions and representative grain sizes for each component. Using the effective porosity and the effective grain size, the permeability is predicted by Kozeny-Carman equation

  14. Download this PDF file

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    influences their usability in construction works. The grain size distributions show that ADET I is silty-clayey very gravelly sand, having 23% clay and silt. 47% sand and 30% gravel compositions. Similarly, ADET 2 could be described as gravelly silt-clayey sand with 36% clay and silt. 52% sand and 12% gravel compositions.

  15. Prediction of strain energy-based liquefaction resistance of sand-silt mixtures: An evolutionary approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baziar, Mohammad H.; Jafarian, Yaser; Shahnazari, Habib; Movahed, Vahid; Amin Tutunchian, Mohammad

    2011-11-01

    Liquefaction is a catastrophic type of ground failure, which usually occurs in loose saturated soil deposits under earthquake excitations. A new predictive model is presented in this study to estimate the amount of strain energy density, which is required for the liquefaction triggering of sand-silt mixtures. A wide-ranging database containing the results of cyclic tests on sand-silt mixtures was first gathered from previously published studies. Input variables of the model were chosen from the available understandings evolved from the previous studies on the strain energy-based liquefaction potential assessment. In order to avoid overtraining, two sets of validation data were employed and a particular monitoring was made on the behavior of the evolved models. Results of a comprehensive parametric study on the proposed model are in accord with the previously published experimental observations. Accordingly, the amount of strain energy required for liquefaction onset increases with increase in initial effective overburden pressure, relative density, and mean grain size. The effect of nonplastic fines on strain energy-based liquefaction resistance shows a more complicated behavior. Accordingly, liquefaction resistance increases with increase in fines up to about 10-15% and then starts to decline for a higher increase in fines content. Further verifications of the model were carried out using the valuable results of some downhole array data as well as centrifuge model tests. These verifications confirm that the proposed model, which was derived from laboratory data, can be successfully utilized under field conditions.

  16. Study of Dronino Iron Meteorite Weathering in Clay Sand Using Mössbauer Spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grigoriy A. Yakovlev

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Weathering products of two fragments of Dronino iron ungrouped meteorite found in the wet and drier clay sand were studied using X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution. The products of metal oxidation in the internal and external surface layers were different for both fragments. The weathering products in fragment found in the wet clay sand contain magnetite (Fe3O4, maghemite (γ-Fe2O3, goethite (α-FeOOH and probably ferrihydrite (5Fe2O3∙9H2O while those in fragment found in drier clay sand contained ferric hydrous oxides (FeOOH and siderite (FeCO3 mainly. Concretions found near the first fragment contain ferric hydrous oxides (FeOOH mainly. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

  17. The effect of clay content in sands used for cementitious materials in developing countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandes, V.A.; Purnell, P.; Still, G.T.; Thomas, T.H.

    2007-01-01

    The cost of building materials in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) is one of the single largest contributing factors to housing costs. They are often transported over relatively large distances at considerable expense. Local sands may contain significant amounts of clay, considered by local artisans to be detrimental to concrete strength; however, in an LEDC context, there is little evidence to support this. In this study, the compressive strength and workability of representative LEDC clay-contaminated concrete was determined. Clay-cement interactions were studied using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Different clays appeared to have fundamentally different effects on both workability and strength. No chemical interactions were detected. It was concluded that satisfactory concrete could be made from clay-contaminated sand

  18. Comparison of short-term and long-term performances for polymer-stabilized sand and clay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sepehr Rezaeimalek

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available A series of tests were carried out on sulfate rich, high-plasticity clay and poorly-graded natural sand to study the effectiveness of a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate based liquid polymer soil stabilizer in improving the unconfined compressive strength (UCS of freshly stabilized soils and aged sand specimens. The aged specimens were prepared by exposing the specimens to ultraviolet radiation, freeze-thaw, and wet-dry weathering. The polymer soil stabilizer also mitigated the swelling of the expansive clay. For clay, the observations indicated that the sequence of adding water and liquid polymer had great influence on the gained UCS of stabilized specimens. However, this was shown to be of little importance for sand. Furthermore, sand samples showed incremental gains in UCS when they were submerged in water. This increase was significant for up to 4 days of soaking in water after 4 days of ambient air curing. Conversely, the clay samples lost a large fraction of their UCS when soaked in water; however, their remaining strength was still considerable. The stabilized specimens showed acceptable endurance under weathering action, although sample yellowing due to ultraviolet radiation was evident on the surface of the specimens. Except for moisture susceptibility of the clay specimens, the results of this study suggested the liquid stabilizer could be successfully utilized to provide acceptable strength, durability and mitigated swelling.

  19. Anatomy of a shoreface sand ridge revisted using foraminifera: False Cape Shoals, Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Marci M.; McBride, Randolph A.

    2008-01-01

    Certain details regarding the origin and evolution of shelf sand ridges remain elusive. Knowledge of their internal stratigraphy and microfossil distribution is necessary to define the origin and to determine the processes that modify sand ridges. Fourteen vibracores from False Cape Shoal A, a well-developed shoreface-attached sand ridge on the Virginia/North Carolina inner continental shelf, were examined to document the internal stratigraphy and benthic foraminiferal assemblages, as well as to reconstruct the depositional environments recorded in down-core sediments. Seven sedimentary and foraminiferal facies correspond to the following stratigraphic units: fossiliferous silt, barren sand, clay to sandy clay, laminated and bioturbated sand, poorly sorted massive sand, fine clean sand, and poorly sorted clay to gravel. The units represent a Pleistocene estuary and shoreface, a Holocene estuary, ebb tidal delta, modern shelf, modern shoreface, and swale fill, respectively. The succession of depositional environments reflects a Pleistocene sea-level highstand and subsequent regression followed by the Holocene transgression in which barrier island/spit systems formed along the Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf not, vert, ~5.2 ka and migrated landward and an ebb tidal delta that was deposited, reworked, and covered by shelf sand.

  20. Sorption of Cesium on smectite-rich clays from the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic) and their mixtures with sand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vejsada, J; Jelínek, E; Randa, Z; Hradil, D; Prikryl, R

    2005-01-01

    Sorption is an important process for the transport of radionuclides through backfill materials in a radioactive waste underground repository. Within this study, sorption of Cs on selected Czech clay materials and their mixtures with sand was investigated by batch tests. The experiments were performed under oxic conditions at 25 degrees C. Synthetic groundwater as a liquid phase and unconditioned clays (as they were provided by their producer) were used to reach the natural conditions as close as possible. Distribution ratios (Rds) of Cs for all selected clays rise with increase of the clay fraction in clay/sand mixtures in agreement with previous works studying sorption behaviour of such mixtures. The rise of Rds is from 10(2) cm3 g(-1) for mixtures with 80% of sand to 10(3) cm3 g(-1) for pure clays. There are significant differences between natural and technologically modified clays.

  1. Effect of bovine manure on fecal coliform attachment to soil and soil particles of different sizes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guber, Andrey K; Pachepsky, Yakov A; Shelton, Daniel R; Yu, Olivia

    2007-05-01

    Manure-borne bacteria can be transported in runoff as free cells, cells attached to soil particles, and cells attached to manure particles. The objectives of this work were to compare the attachment of fecal coliforms (FC) to different soils and soil fractions and to assess the effect of bovine manure on FC attachment to soil and soil fractions. Three sand fractions of different sizes, the silt fraction, and the clay fraction of loam and sandy clay loam soils were separated and used along with soil samples in batch attachment experiments with water-FC suspensions and water-manure-FC suspensions. In the absence of manure colloids, bacterial attachment to soil, silt, and clay particles was much higher than the attachment to sand particles having no organic coating. The attachment to the coated sand particles was similar to the attachment to silt and clay. Manure colloids in suspensions decreased bacterial attachment to soils, clay and silt fractions, and coated sand fractions, but did not decrease the attachment to sand fractions without the coating. The low attachment of bacteria to silt and clay particles in the presence of manure colloids may cause predominantly free-cell transport of manure-borne FC in runoff.

  2. Characterization of oils sands thickened tailings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott, J.D.; Jeeravipoolvarn, S.; Donahue, R.; Ozum, B. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2008-07-01

    This presentation discussed the characterization of oils sands thickened tailings. The problem statement was defined as the fact that many laboratory procedures to characterize fine tailings do not take into account the extraction process, and instead use standardized laboratory tests. The purpose of this presentation was to demonstrate how different extraction processes affect the fine tailings geotechnical properties and water chemistry. Properties that were characterized included particle size analysis from hydrometer-sieve tests; per cent clay from methylene blue tests; per cent clay from mineralogy tests; Atterberg limits; water chemistry; and morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The presentation discussed the origin of fines (silt and clay) in tailings; where fine particles come from; tailings materials; mineralogy of tailings; the hydrometer-sieve test on fine tailings and thickened tailings; and the methylene blue test. It was concluded that the great majority of clay minerals in the tailings come from the clay-shale discontinuous seams and layers. For thickened tailings, the dispersed and non-dispersed hydrometer tests show considerable difference in the amount of clay size material. tabs., figs.

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    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    OLUWOLE

    included clay, silt, silt + clay and silt/clay ratio (SCR), whereas fine sand and saturated hydraulic conductivity were highly .... Semivariance was calculated using: ( ). ( ). ( ) (. ) .... outliers did not dominate the measure of central tendency. Shulka et ...

  4. An application of the multibeam sounder for seabed backscattering analysis

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chakraborty, B.; Raju, Y.S.N.

    signals are studied with the sediments like sand, clay and silt of smooth and rippled type. Study shows that the scattering effect is less with the sand bottom while compared with clay and silt type sediments...

  5. The Influences of a Clay Lens on the Hyporheic Exchange in a Sand Dune

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengpeng Lu

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A laboratory flume simulating a riverbed sand dune containing a low-permeability clay lens was constructed to investigate its influence on the quality and quantity of hyporheic exchange. By varying the depths and spatial locations of the clay lens, 24 scenarios and one blank control experiment were created. Dye tracers were applied to visualize patterns of hyporheic exchange and the extent of the hyporheic zone, while NaCl tracers were used to calculate hyporheic fluxes. The results revealed that the clay lens reduces hyporheic exchange and that the reduction depends on its spatial location. In general, the effect was stronger when the lens was in the center of the sand dune. The effect weakened when the lens was moved near the boundary of the sand dune. A change in horizontal location had a stronger influence on the extent of the hyporheic zone compared with a change in depth. The size of the hyporheic zone changed with the depth and position of the clay lens. There was a maximum of hyporheic extent with the lens at a depth of 0.1 m caused by changes of water flow paths.

  6. Water and solute transport in agricultural soils predicted by volumetric clay and silt contents

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karup, Dan; Møldrup, Per; Paradelo Pérez, Marcos

    2016-01-01

    tracer mass could be well fitted to an analytical solution to the classical convection-dispersion equation. Both cumulative tracer mass and concentration as a function of time were hereby reasonable well predicted from the simple inputs of bulk density, clay and silt contents, and applied tracer mass......Solute transport through the soil matrix is heterogeneous and greatly affected by soil texture, soil structure, and macropore networks. This study examined the relationship between tracer breakthrough characteristics, soil hydraulic properties, and basic soil properties. Hundred...... of the soil structure rather than the actual formation of macropores causing preferential flow. The arrival times of 5 % and up to 50 % of the tracer mass were found to be strongly correlated with volumetric fines content. The hereby predicted tracer concentration breakthrough points up to 50% of applied...

  7. Identification and stabilization methods for problematic silt soils : a laboratory evaluation of modification and stabilization additives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-07-01

    The instability and pumping response of non-plastic, high silt (and fine sand) soils was investigated. Common reagents, i.e., lime, lime-fly ash, Portland cement, and slag cement were included as admixtures with three high silt (and fine sand) soils....

  8. Estimation of bitumen and clay content in fine tailings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Motta Cabrera, S.C.; Bryan, J.; Kantzas, A.

    2007-01-01

    Fine tailings are the components of tailings ponds and the by-product of the oil sand extraction process, consisting mostly of water with small amounts of bitumen, sand, silts and clays. Because of the large volumes of tailings, an important environmental and production process issue involves the reduction of the remaining bitumen in the tailings stream. This paper presented the results of a study that used low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in order to estimate the bitumen, clay and water content of synthetic tailings samples. NMR is a non-destructive technique that is utilized to determine compositions of oil and brine emulsions and the viscosity of heavy oil and bitumen as well as in reservoir characterization, measuring properties such as permeability, porosity, mobile and immobile fluids, and fluid saturations. The study prepared and tested numerous samples with variable water, bitumen, sand and clay concentrations in the NMR tool under ambient conditions. Two qualities of water and bitumen were used to prepare the synthetic samples. Each type of water and bitumen was analyzed as a single substance and in a mixture with the typical solids found in tailings composition. These included kaolinite, illite, sodium montmorillonite and sand. These synthetic samples were analyzed using different mixing configurations, as a function of time and in two different NMR tools. It was concluded that NMR is a potential application for on-line determination of tailings streams composition. 18 refs., 3 tabs., 17 figs

  9. Characterization of sands and mineral clays in channel and floodplain deposits of Portuguesa river, Venezuela

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orlando José González Clemente

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In the main channel and floodplain of Portuguesa River were studied the mineralogical characteristics of sand and clay minerals respectively. The methodology consisted of X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis, for both mineral fractions. The results indicated the presence of mainly of quartz sands with minor amounts of chlorite, muscovite, calcite and feldspar which are considered quartz sand mature. Its origin is related to the source area and rework of soils and sediments of the floodplain. The clay fraction is characterized by the presence of 13 mineral crystalline phases consisting mainly of quartz, muscovite and chlorite, and clay minerals such as kaolinite, vermiculite, montmorillonite and nontronita. Its detrital origin may be due to mineral neoformation and inheritance. Therefore both mineral fractions consist mainly of quartz and kaolinite, which are essential components of the source area as well as the Quaternary alluvial deposits and the soils that make up the region.

  10. Methane Hydrate Formation and Dissociation in the Presence of Silica Sand and Bentonite Clay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumar Saw V.

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The formation and dissociation of methane hydrates in a porous media containing silica sand of different sizes and bentonite clay were studied in the presence of synthetic seawater with 3.55 wt% salinity. The phase equilibrium of methane hydrate under different experimental conditions was investigated. The effects of the particle size of silica sand as well as a mixture of bentonite clay and silica sand on methane hydrate formation and its dissociation were studied. The kinetics of hydrate formation was studied under different subcooling conditions to observe its effects on the induction time of hydrate formation. The amount of methane gas encapsulated in hydrate was computed using a real gas equation. The Clausius-Clapeyron equation is used to estimate the enthalpy of hydrate dissociation with measured phase equilibrium data.

  11. Mineralogia, química e estabilidade de agregados do tamanho de silte de solos da Região Sudeste do Brasil Mineralogy, chemistry and stability of silt-size aggregates of soils from the Southeast Region of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Carlos Tadeu Vitorino

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Com o objetivo de avaliar a relação da composição mineralógica e química do solo com a estabilidade de agregados do tamanho de silte, foram realizados estudos utilizando-se amostras de horizontes A e B de diversos solos da Região Sudeste do Brasil. Amostras de TFSA foram dispersas a 12.000 rpm por 20 minutos e a fração silte foi separada por esgotamento da fração argila, constituindo-se na fração denominada pseudo-silte, a qual foi sonificada, separando-se a fração argila desagregada (por sifonamento da fração silte propriamente dita. Estudos de correlação mostraram que as composições mineralógica e química dos solos têm efeito marcante na dispersão de argila, com reflexos na fração silte. Maiores teores de gibbsita refletem em maior estabilidade dos agregados do tamanho de silte ao passo que a caulinita proporciona efeito inverso. As formas de Al determinadas na fração pseudo-silte estão associadas à maior dificuldade de dispersão da fração argila dos solos.The objective of this work was to evaluate the relationship of soil mineralogical and chemical composition with stability of silt-size aggregates. The studies were carried out using samples of A and B horizons of some soils from the Southeast Region of Brazil. Fine-earth samples were dispersed at 12,000 rpm during 20 minutes and the silt fraction was separated through clay fraction drain, constituting the fraction named pseudo-silt, which was sonificated, separating the desegregated clay fraction (by sonication from the properly named silt fraction. Correlation analyses showed that the soil mineralogical and chemical compositions have marked influence upon clay dispersion, with reflections on the silt fraction. Higher amounts of gibbsite reflect in higher stability of silt-size aggregates, while the kaolinite promotes inverse effect. The Al forms determined on the pseudo-silt fraction are associated with higher difficult of dispersion of clay fraction of

  12. Small proportions of silt linked to distinct and predictable differences in marine macrofaunal assemblages on the continental shelf of the Pacific Northwest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henkel, S. K.; Politano, K. K.

    2017-07-01

    Increasing interest in offshore development has motivated intensified efforts to map the seafloor for marine spatial planning. However, surficial geologic maps do not accurately represent habitats for various species groups of concern. This study used a bottom-up approach to integrate macrofaunal densities and benthic conditions on the Pacific Northwest shelf to identify macrofaunal assemblages and associated habitat features. Benthic cores and water-column profiles were collected from 137 stations from 50 to 110 m depth. Analyses grouping stations based on both similar species abundances and benthic conditions resulted in six broad habitats. Within the sampled depth and latitudinal range, sediment characteristics were the primary structuring variable. A major break in assemblages was detected between sediment that had less than 1% silt/clay and those containing more than 1% silt/clay. Assemblages differed primarily in the bivalve species present and secondarily in polychaete species. Within the greater than and less than 1% silt/clay habitats, further discretization of assemblages was based mostly on differing abundances of characteristic bivalves and polychaetes associated with differing median grain sizes, which did not correspond to traditional definitions of fine or medium sand. These data show that a bottom-up methodology is necessary to discern habitats for macrofauna and that site-specific physical sampling is necessary to predict macrofaunal assemblage composition. However, if detailed sediment characteristics are known, macrofaunal assemblages may be predicted without time-intensive biological sampling and processing. These results also indicate that seemingly small sedimentary changes due to offshore installations may have measureable effects on the relative abundances and even the species composition of macrofauna.

  13. Permeability Characteristics of Compacted and Stabilized Clay with Cement, Peat Ash and Silica Sand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The present paper investigates the influence of stabilization with cement, peat ash, and silica sand on permeability coefficient (kv of compacted clay, using a novel approach to stabilize the clay with peat ash as a supplementary material of cement in the compacted and stabilized soil. In order to assess the mentioned influence, test specimens of both untreated and stabilized soil have been tested in the laboratory so that their permeability could be evaluated. Falling head and one dimensional consolidation tests of laboratory permeability were performed on the clay specimens and the chemical compositions of the materials as well as microstructure of the stabilized soil with 18% cement, 2% peat ash, and 5% silica sand were investigated, using X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy respectively. Results show that for soil stabilization with up to 8% cement content (of the dry weight of the soil, the average value of coefficient of permeability (kv is very close to that of untreated soil, whereas the kv value decreases drastically for 18% cement under identical void ratio conditions. It is further revealed that addition of 18% cement, 2% peat ash, and 5% silica sand had decreased the coefficient of permeability by almost 2.2 folds after 24 h, while about 1.7 folds increase was observed in coefficient of permeability once 13.5% of cement, 1.5% of peat ash, and 20% of silica sand were added. The partial replacement of cement with the 2% peat ash can reduce the consumption of cement for soil stabilization.

  14. Distribution of clay minerals in the process streams produced by the extraction of bitumen from Athabasca oil sands

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaminsky, H.A.W.; Etsell, T.H.; Ivey, D.G. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Materials Engineering; Omotoso, O. [Natural Resources Canada, Devon, AB (Canada). CETC

    2009-02-15

    The clay minerals present in the oil sands were studied with particular reference to how they are partitioned in bitumen ore during the extraction process. Bitumen production from surface-mined oil sands accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total bitumen production in Alberta. Every cubic meter of mined ore results in 1.3 cubic meters of mature fine tailings (MFT). The characteristic differences between the clay minerals that report to the froth versus the tailings streams were also examined to determine which minerals could impact different unit operations in the bitumen extraction process. X-ray diffraction and random powder samples were used to quantify the clay minerals. Particle size distribution and clay activity balances were also conducted. The degree of partitioning during the conditioning and flotation stages in a batch extractor was determined by the surface properties of the clay minerals. The water-continuous tailings stream was separated into fine and coarse tailings fractions through sedimentation. The study showed that bitumen-clay interactions may be dominated by kaolinite or iron oxides. Clays are responsible for the poor settling behaviour of MFTs. The clay minerals present in the oil sands include illite, illite-smectite, kaolinite, kaolinite-smectite, and chlorite. The close proximity of the tailings ponds to the Athabasca River and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission require that the ponds be reclaimed to a natural landscape before mine closure. In addition to its impact on fine tailings reclamation, clay mineralogy plays a role in extraction froth flotation and emulsion stability during froth treatment. The mineralogy of the froth solids was found to be different from the mineralogy of the middlings and tailings solids. 39 refs., 6 tabs., 6 figs.

  15. Water repellency of clay, sand and organic soils in Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. RASA

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Water repellency (WR delays soil wetting process, increases preferential flow and may give rise to surface runoff and consequent erosion. WR is commonly recognized in the soils of warm and temperate climates. To explore the occurrence of WR in soils in Finland, soil R index was studied on 12 sites of different soil types. The effects of soil management practice, vegetation age, soil moisture and drying temperature on WR were studied by a mini-infiltrometer with samples from depths of 0-5 and 5-10 cm. All studied sites exhibited WR (R index >1.95 at the time of sampling. WR increased as follows: sand (R = 1.8-5.0 < clay (R = 2.4-10.3 < organic (R = 7.9-undefined. At clay and sand, WR was generally higher at the soil surface and at the older sites (14 yr., where organic matter is accumulated. Below 41 vol. % water content these mineral soils were water repellent whereas organic soil exhibited WR even at saturation. These results show that soil WR also reduces water infiltration at the prevalent field moisture regime in the soils of boreal climate. The ageing of vegetation increases WR and on the other hand, cultivation reduces or hinders the development of WR.;

  16. Distribution, diversity and abundance of bacterial laccase-like genes in different particle size fractions of sediments in a subtropical mangrove ecosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Ling; Zhou, Zhi-Chao; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2015-10-01

    This study investigated the diversity and abundance of bacterial lacasse-like genes in different particle size fractions, namely sand, silt, and clay of sediments in a subtropical mangrove ecosystem. Moreover, the effects of nutrient conditions on bacterial laccase-like communities as well as the correlation between nutrients and, both the abundance and diversity indices of laccase-like bacteria in particle size fractions were also studied. Compared to bulk sediments, Bacteroidetes, Caldithrix, Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi were dominated in all 3 particle-size fractions of intertidal sediment (IZ), but Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were lost after the fractionation procedures used. The diversity index of IZ fractions decreased in the order of bulk > clay > silt > sand. In fractions of mangrove forest sediment (MG), Verrucomicrobia was found in silt, and both Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes appeared in clay, but no new species were found in sand. The declining order of diversity index in MG fractions was clay > silt > sand > bulk. Furthermore, the abundance of lacasse-like bacteria varied with different particle-size fractions significantly (p clay > silt in both IZ and MG fractions. Additionally, nutrient availability was found to significantly affect the diversity and community structure of laccase-like bacteria (p fractions (p < 0.05). Therefore, this study further provides evidence that bacterial laccase plays a vital role in turnover of sediment organic matter and cycling of nutrients.

  17. Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Jamestown area, Chautauqua County, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, H.R.; Stelz, W.G.; Belli, J.L.; Allen, R.V.

    1982-01-01

    This report is the sixth in a series of 11 map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together, the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southeastern Chautauqua County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, aquifer thickness, potentiometric-surface elevations and land use. The valley-fill deposits consist of alluvial silt and sand, glacial-outwash (sand and gravel), ice-contact sand and gravel, till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel beds have relatively high permeabilities whereas the till, silt and clay deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Water-table conditions prevail in u nconfined sand and gravel beds along the valley margin. Artesian conditions prevail in confined sand and gravel buried under silt and clay in the middle of the valley. Recharge occurs mainly along the margin of the valley, where the land surface is highly permeable and runoff from the hillsides is concentrated. The use of land overlying the aquifer is predominantly agricultural and residential with lesser amounts of commercial and industrial uses. (USGS)

  18. Permeability Characteristics of Compacted and Stabilized Clay with Cement, Peat Ash and Silica Sand

    OpenAIRE

    Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi; Leong Sing Wong

    2016-01-01

    The present paper investigates the influence of stabilization with cement, peat ash, and silica sand on permeability coefficient (kv) of compacted clay, using a novel approach to stabilize the clay with peat ash as a supplementary material of cement in the compacted and stabilized soil. In order to assess the mentioned influence, test specimens of both untreated and stabilized soil have been tested in the laboratory so that their permeability could be evaluated. Falling head and one dimension...

  19. Mineralogy and geotechnical characteristics of some pottery clay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mujib Olamide ADEAGBO

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The physical properties of soils, which are tremendously influenced by the active clay minerals in soil, are of great importance in geotechnical engineering. This paper investigates the clay-sized particles of the Igbara-Odo pottery clay, and compares results obtained with available data on the bulk sample, to determine their correlation and underline the dependence of the geotechnical properties of the bulk clay material on the clay-sized particles. The bulk clay sample consists of 52% sand-size particles, 21% silt and 27% clay. Analysis of the clay-sized particles and the bulk materials shows: specific gravity of 2.07 and 2.66, liquid limit of 91.0% and 33.0%, plastic limit of 27.5% and 14.3%, plasticity index of 63.5% and 18.7% and a linear shrinkage of 7.9% and 5.4%, for both clay-sized particles and bulk clay respectively. The activity value of the clay material (0.64 suggests the presence of Kaolinite and Ilite; and these were confirmed with X-Ray diffraction on the bulk sample and clay-sized particles. X-Ray diffraction patterns shows distinctive peaks which highlight the dominance of Kaolinite (with 8 peaks in the pottery clay sample for both clay-sized particles and bulk material; while traces of other clay minerals like Illite and Halloysite and rock minerals like Mica, Feldspar and Chrysotile were also found. These results suggest that the clay possesses high viability in the manufacturing of ceramics, refractory bricks, paper, fertilizer and paint. The clay material can be used as a subgrade in road construction, since it possesses low swelling characteristics.

  20. Environmental Assessment for Taxiway Whiskey Supplemental Projects at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Prince George’s County, Maryland

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-01

    are made of unconsolidated sand, gravel, silt, clay , and organic materials that overlay bedrock. The surficial geologic deposits range in thickness from...10 to 20 feet and include irregularly bedded cobbles, gravel, and fine sand that are mixed with silt and clay . Surface formations at JBA have largely...systems on JBA (e.g., natural gas, sanitary sewer, potable water) would be unaffected by the proposed action. 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences

  1. Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Ramapo and Mahwah rivers area, Rockland County, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Richard Bridge; Cadwell, D.H.; Stelz, W.G.; Belli, J.L.

    1982-01-01

    This report is the eighth in a series of 11 map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together, the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southeastern Rockland County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, aquifer thickness, water-table elevations, well yields, and land use. The valley-fill deposits consists of alluvial silt and sand, glacial outwash (sand and gravel), ice-contact sand and gravel, till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel beds have relatively high permeabilities, whereas the till, silt, and clay deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Water-table conditions prevail in unconfined sand and gravel along the Ramapo River valley and much of the Mahwah River valley. Artesian conditions prevail in confined sand and gravel buried under silt and clay and till in parts of the Mahway valley. The aquifer is recharged throughout, where the land surface is most permeable and is greatest along the margin of the valley, where runoff from the hillsides is concentrated. The use of land overlying the aquifer is predominantly commercial, agricultural and residential, with lesser industrial uses. (USGS)

  2. How do changes in bulk soil organic carbon content affect carbon concentrations in individual soil particle fractions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, X. M.; Drury, C. F.; Reynolds, W. D.; Yang, J. Y.

    2016-06-01

    We test the common assumption that organic carbon (OC) storage occurs on sand-sized soil particles only after the OC storage capacity on silt- and clay-sized particles is saturated. Soil samples from a Brookston clay loam in Southwestern Ontario were analysed for the OC concentrations in bulk soil, and on the clay (<2 μm), silt (2-53 μm) and sand (53-2000 μm) particle size fractions. The OC concentrations in bulk soil ranged from 4.7 to 70.8 g C kg-1 soil. The OC concentrations on all three particle size fractions were significantly related to the OC concentration of bulk soil. However, OC concentration increased slowly toward an apparent maximum on silt and clay, but this maximum was far greater than the maximum predicted by established C sequestration models. In addition, significant increases in OC associated with sand occurred when the bulk soil OC concentration exceeded 30 g C kg-1, but this increase occurred when the OC concentration on silt + clay was still far below the predicted storage capacity for silt and clay fractions. Since the OC concentrations in all fractions of Brookston clay loam soil continued to increase with increasing C (bulk soil OC content) input, we concluded that the concept of OC storage capacity requires further investigation.

  3. Bedform development in mixed sand-mud: The contrasting role of cohesive forces in flow and bed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baas, Jaco H.; Davies, Alan G.; Malarkey, Jonathan

    2013-01-01

    The majority of subaqueous sediment on Earth consists of mixtures of cohesive clay and cohesionless sand and silt, but the role of cohesion on the development and stability of sedimentary bedforms is poorly understood. The results of new laboratory flume experiments on bedform development in cohesive, mixed sand-mud beds are compared with the results of previous experiments in which cohesive forces in high concentration clay flows dominated bedform development. Even though both series of mixed sand-mud experiments were conducted at similar flow velocities, the textural and structural properties of the bedforms were sufficiently different to permit the designation of key criteria for identifying bedform generation under cohesive flows against bedform generation on cohesive substrates. These criteria are essential for improving bedform size predictions in sediment transport modelling in modern sedimentary environments and for the reconstruction of depositional processes in the geological record. The current ripples developing on the cohesive, mixed sand-mud beds, with bed mud fractions of up to 18%, were significantly smaller than equivalent bedforms in noncohesive sand. Moreover, the bedform height showed a stronger inversely proportional relationship with initial bed mud fraction than the bedform wavelength. This is in contrast with the bedforms developing under the cohesive clay flows, which tend to increase in size with increasing suspended clay concentration until the flow turbulence is fully suppressed. Selective removal of clay from the mixed beds, i.e., clay winnowing, was found to be an important process, with 82-100% clay entrained into suspension after 2 h of bedform development. This winnowing process led to the development of a sand-rich armouring layer. This armouring layer is inferred to have protected the underlying mixed sand-mud from prolonged erosion, and in conjunction with strong cohesive forces in the bed may have caused the smaller size of the

  4. Studies for determining drain solid flow in bed silt, using radioisotope techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, W.

    1976-01-01

    A process for measuring solid flow in silt bed using isotopic technique is studied. Comparative studies for initial movement of grinded glass grains and sand grains is done. The development for determining the minimum mass of radioative grains of sand, used for flow evaluation is also studied. Further experiments in the field of reference confirm technological conditions for the method [pt

  5. Groundwater monitoring for remedial investigation in the Oriskany-Whitestown Sand Plain, Oneida County, New York

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kewer, R.P.; Birckhead, E.F.

    1992-01-01

    The 50-acre Whitestown Landfill is listed by NYSDEC as a Class 2 inactive hazardous waste disposal site. During Remedial Investigations, a 23-well groundwater monitoring system was installed, exploring Wisconsin age glaciofluvial deposits of the Oriskany-Whitestown sand plain. These were described in the late 19th century as deltaic sediments deposited in a proglacial lake. However, no recent studies and only limited subsurface data were available, prompting a two-phase installation program. The landfill is located above steep bluffs 70 feet above the Mohawk River and Oriskany Creek valleys. Beneath the landfill, Phase I identified a gradational sequence of coarse to fine deltaic sediments with glacial till. This sequence was partly eroded and overlain by alluvium and colluvium in the valleys. The landfill was constructed on surficial deposits of coarse fluviodeltaic gravel. These were underlain by deltaic deposits grading from sand to silt with depth, the lower silts comprising the uppermost aquifer. The silts made identification of the water table difficult during drilling and caused problems in meeting a stringent development criterion for turbidity. Phase I found that the saturated zone, up to 50 feet thick, is perched on glaciolacustrine clays and, locally, tills, which were the lower boundary of the system investigated. Partly influenced by the clays, groundwater and contaminant movement was to the adjoining valley, causing off-site impacts in the shallow alluvial/colluvial aquifer. Therefore, Phase 11 focused on characterizing flow and groundwater quality in the discharge area, particularly with respect to an adjacent residence and wetlands. Contamination was found to extend northward only as far as the Old Erie Canal, which parallels the base of the bluff. Only limited off-site involvement was documented which will be monitored in the post-closure period using the installed well system

  6. Modeling spatial variability of sand-lenses in clay till settings using transition probability and multiple-point geostatistics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessler, Timo Christian; Nilsson, Bertel; Klint, Knud Erik

    2010-01-01

    (TPROGS) of alternating geological facies. The second method, multiple-point statistics, uses training images to estimate the conditional probability of sand-lenses at a certain location. Both methods respect field observations such as local stratigraphy, however, only the multiple-point statistics can...... of sand-lenses in clay till. Sand-lenses mainly account for horizontal transport and are prioritised in this study. Based on field observations, the distribution has been modeled using two different geostatistical approaches. One method uses a Markov chain model calculating the transition probabilities...

  7. Testosterone sorption and desorption: Effects of soil particle size

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qi, Yong, E-mail: yqi01@unomaha.edu [Civil Engineering Dept., University of Nebraska-Lincoln at Omaha Campus, Omaha, NE 68182 (United States); Zhang, Tian C. [Civil Engineering Dept., University of Nebraska-Lincoln at Omaha Campus, Omaha, NE 68182 (United States); Ren, Yongzheng [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2014-08-30

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Smaller soil particles have higher sorption and lower desorption rates. • The sorption capacity ranks as clay > silt > sand. • Small particles like clays have less potential for desorption. • Colloids (clays) have high potential to facilitate the transport of hormones in soil–water environments. - Abstract: Soils contain a wide range of particles of different diameters with different mobility during rainfall events. Effects of soil particles on sorption and desorption behaviors of steroid hormones have not been investigated. In this study, wet sieve washing and repeated sedimentation methods were used to fractionate the soils into five ranges. The sorption and desorption properties and related mechanisms of testosterone in batch reactors filled with fractionated soil particles were evaluated. Results of sorption and desorption kinetics indicate that small soil particles have higher sorption and lower desorption rates than that of big ones. Thermodynamic results show the sorption processes are spontaneous and exothermal. The sorption capacity ranks as clay > silt > sand, depending mainly on specific surface area and surface functional groups. The urea control test shows that hydrogen bonding contributes to testosterone sorption onto clay and silt but not on sand. Desorption tests indicate sorption is 36–65% irreversible from clay to sand. Clays have highest desorption hysteresis among these five soil fractions, indicating small particles like clays have less potential for desorption. The results provide indirect evidence on the colloid (clay)-facilitated transport of hormones (micro-pollutants) in soil environments.

  8. Influence of clay particles on the transport and retention of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in quartz sand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Li; Tong, Meiping; Wang, Xueting; Kim, Hyunjung

    2014-07-01

    This study investigated the influence of two representative suspended clay particles, bentonite and kaolinite, on the transport of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) in saturated quartz sand in both NaCl (1 and 10 mM ionic strength) and CaCl2 solutions (0.1 and 1 mM ionic strength) at pH 7. The breakthrough curves of nTiO2 with bentonite or kaolinite were higher than those without the presence of clay particles in NaCl solutions, indicating that both types of clay particles increased nTiO2 transport in NaCl solutions. Moreover, the enhancement of nTiO2 transport was more significant when bentonite was present in nTiO2 suspensions relative to kaolinite. Similar to NaCl solutions, in CaCl2 solutions, the breakthrough curves of nTiO2 with bentonite were also higher than those without clay particles, while the breakthrough curves of nTiO2 with kaolinite were lower than those without clay particles. Clearly, in CaCl2 solutions, the presence of bentonite in suspensions increased nTiO2 transport, whereas, kaolinite decreased nTiO2 transport in quartz sand. The attachment of nTiO2 onto clay particles (both bentonite and kaolinite) were observed under all experimental conditions. The increased transport of nTiO2 in most experimental conditions (except for kaolinite in CaCl2 solutions) was attributed mainly to the clay-facilitated nTiO2 transport. The straining of larger nTiO2-kaolinite clusters yet contributed to the decreased transport (enhanced retention) of nTiO2 in divalent CaCl2 solutions when kaolinite particles were copresent in suspensions.

  9. Preconsolidation Pressure and Creep Settlements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorsen, Grete

    1995-01-01

    The paper describes results of geotechnical investigations carried out in order to estimate the state of consolidation in Holocene silt and clay sediments of unusual thickness. The clay and silt sediments are overlain by 30 meters of sand,  sedimented within the latest 1000 years. Results of oedo...

  10. Occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in organo-mineral particles of alluvial sandy soil profiles at a petroleum-contaminated site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Zhe [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China); Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2 (Canada); School of Environment, Renmin University of China, Zhongguancun Street 59, Beijing 100872 (China); Zeng, Fangang [School of Environment, Renmin University of China, Zhongguancun Street 59, Beijing 100872 (China); Xue, Nandong [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China); Li, Fasheng, E-mail: ligulax@vip.sina.com [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China)

    2012-09-01

    The occurrence and the distribution of 16 USEPA priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in two alluvial sandy soil profiles and in their four sizes of organo-mineral particles (< 2 {mu}m clay, 2-20 {mu}m silt, 20-200 {mu}m fine sand, and > 200 {mu}m coarse sand) beside a typical oil sludge storage site in eastern China. PAHs were mainly enriched in the surface soil (0-20 cm) and the concentrations declined in deeper soils, from 3.68 to 0.128 {mu}g/g in profile 1 and 10.8 to 0.143 {mu}g/g in profile 2 (dry wt.). The PAHs in the upper soil layers of this study site mainly came from combustion pollution, whereas in the lower soil layers petroleum contamination became the major source of PAHs. The content of different sized organo-mineral particles of this alluvial sandy soil decreased in the following order: fine sand > coarse sand > silt > clay. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that all the different sized soil fractions of this study site were dominated by quartz, calcite and feldspar. The particle surface became smoother with size increasing as shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized soil fractions. The highest PAH concentration was associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Soil organic matter (SOM) content, mineral composition and particle surface characteristics were suggested as three main factors affecting the distribution of PAHs in different sized organo-mineral particles. This study will help to understand the distribution and transport characteristics of PAHs in soil profiles at petroleum-contaminated sites. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized fractions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The highest PAH concentrations were associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Soil organic

  11. Dynamics of the microaggregate composition of chernozem in relation to changes in the content of organic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kryshchenko, V. S.; Zamulina, I. V.; Rybyanets, T. V.; Kravtsova, N. E.; Biryukova, O. A.; Golozubov, O. M.

    2016-06-01

    Monitoring of soil dispersivity and humus state has been performed in the stationary profile of ordinary chernozem in the Botanic Garden of the Southern Federal University in 2009-2014. The contents of physical clay and sand are almost stable in time, which indicates a quasi-static (climax) equilibrium in the soil. Another (reversible dynamic) process occurs simultaneously: seasonal and annual variation in the mass fractions of clay and silt in physical clay. Variations of humus content in the whole soil and in its physical clay are also observed on the background of seasonal changes in precipitation and temperature. A procedure has been developed for the analysis of the polydisperse soil system with consideration for the quasi-static and dynamic equilibriums. A two-vector coordinate system has been introduced, which consists of scales for changes in the contents of physical clay and physical sand in 100 g of soil and changes in the fractions of clay and silt in 100 g of physical clay. Co-measurements of two dispersivity series of soil samples—actual dynamic and calculated under quasi-static equilibrium (ideal)—have been performed. Dynamic equilibrium coefficients, which cumulatively reflect the varying proportions of physical clay and physical sand in the soil and the mass fractions of clay and silt in physical clay, have been calculated.

  12. Mineralogy of auriferous deposits of the quaternary deposits in the San Luis Province, Argentina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karlsson, A.; Ayala, R. . E mail: Karlsson@arnet.com.ar

    2004-01-01

    The objective of this work is to study the mineralogy of the sands and clays of the quaternary deposits in the San Luis Mountain, Argentina. A series of algorithms applied to the sand fraction has permitted to determine sedimentary discontinuities. The two micron fraction of the sediments has been studied by a quantification technique based on X-ray diffraction by means of oriented preparations and run with copper tube. These quaternary silts have received fluvial lateral contributions. The high cristalinidad of non expandibles and fireclay clay show the antique of the silts. The polygenic processes have generated a great variety of clay mineral species like a large quantities of illite and in lesser extend kaolinite and smectites. The illite was probably generated by diagenetic changes. The high cristalinidad of non expandibles and fireclay clay show the antique of the silts [es

  13. The effective stress concept in saturated sand-clay buffer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, J.; Oswell, J.M.; Gray, M.N.

    1992-01-01

    Tests were performed on mixtures of sand and bentonite, to investigate whether the behavior of the mixture can be expressed in terms of effective stresses, defined as the tensor difference between externally applied total stresses and pore water pressures measured outside the cell. Within acceptable bounds of experimental error, the tests show that effective stress can be used to describe consolidation and shear behaviour. However, because part of the effective stress in the clay is derived from net interparticle repulsive (unit) forces seated in diffuse double layers around aggregations of bentonite particles, the applicability of the concept has at this stage been restricted to conditions of constant volume (or possibly constant straining rate), constant chemistry, and constant temperature

  14. Numerical Evaluation on the Different Shapes of Gravelly Sand Columns to Increase the Loading Capacity of Soft Clay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meghzili Sif Allah

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Improvement on soft clay by the installation of stone column is one of the most popular methods followed worldwide. Different analytical and numerical solutions have already been developed for understanding the load transfer mechanism of soft soil reinforced with stone column. This study investigated a bearing capacity of the gravelly sand column, installed in soft clay bed at 15kpa of undrained shear strength. The column variable of length and diameter ratio at 7, 8 and 9 were evaluated. On top of that, the combination of two diameters in single column was tested and the uniform diameter was used as a control. In the numerical analysis, Mohrcoulomb model was adopted in the idealization of the behaviour of the gravelly sand column and soft clay materials. The results revealed that the optimum design that gave the highest loading capacity of the combination 11=12 of column diameter was the length and diameter ratio of 8.

  15. Vertical distribution of three namatode species in relation to certain soil properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodie, B B

    1976-07-01

    Population densities of Belonolaimus longicaudatus, Pratylenchus brachyurus, and Trichodorus christiei were determined from soil samples taken weekly in Tifton, Georgia during a 14-month period (except for April and May) at 15-cm increments to a depth of 105 cm. Belonolaimus longicaudatus predominately inhabited the top 30 cm of soil that was 87-88% sand, 6-7% silt, and 5-7% clay. No specimens were found below 60 cm where the soil was 76-79% sand, 5-6% silt, and 15-19% clay. Highest population densities occurred during June through September when temperature in the top 30 cm of soil was 22-25 C and soil moisture was from 9 to 20% by volume. Pratylenchus brachyurus was found at all depths, but population densities were greatest 45-75 cm deep where the soil was 78-79% sand, 6% silt, and 15-16% clay. In the months monitored, highest population densities occurred during March, June, and December when the soil temperature 45-75 cm deep was 14-17 C and soil moisture was 22-42%. Trichodorus christiei was found at all depths, but population densities were highest 30 cm deep where the soil was 83% sand, 5% silt, and 12% clay. Highest population densities occurred during December through March when the soil temperature 30 cm deep was 11-17 C and soil moisture was 18-23%.

  16. Decantation time of evaluation on bentonite clays fractionation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomes, J.; Menezes, R.R.; Neves, G.A.; Lira, H.L; Santana, L.N.L.

    2009-01-01

    Bentonite clays present a great number of industrial uses, from petroleum to pharmaceutics and cosmetic industry. The bentonite clay present particles with very fine particles that is responsible by the vast application of these materials. However, commercial clays present wide particle size distribution and a significant content of impurities, particularly quartz, in the form of silt and fine silt. So, the aim of this work is to analyze the effect of the stirring and decantation time in the deagglomeration, purification and size separation of the bentonite clay particles from Paraiba. The clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction and particle size distribution. Based on the results it was observed the decantation time give the elimination of the agglomerates formed by submicrometric particles. The uses of decantation column give separation of the fraction below 200nm. (author)

  17. Sediment Characterization in St. Alban's Bay, VT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nethercutt, S.; Manley, T.; Manley, P.

    2017-12-01

    St. Alban's Bay within Lake Champlain is plagued with harmful algal blooms. With future intensification due to climate change, a multidisciplinary program (BREE-Basin Resilience to Extreme Events) was initiated in 2016. In order to assess the mobilization of harmful nutrients from sediment resuspension events and riverine input, 74 sediment samples were collected in a grid fashion throughout St. Alban's Bay. Sediments were deflocculated and analyzed using a LA920 Horiba laser scattering particle size distribution analyzer to define the frequency of sediment sizes from clay to sand. Gridded surfaces of mean sortable silt percentage, silt percentage, sand percentage, and clay percentage were used to represent the sediment distribution of the region. A plot of diameter versus frequency showed the bimodal nature of some of the sediments, with one peak at about 10 microns diameter (silt) and the second at about 525 microns diameter (sand). The data showed an extremely low percentage of clay relative to that of sand and silt. The highest frequencies of sortable silt, which represents the most easily mobilized particle size, are found in the deepest areas of the bay, suggesting that these regions are where dominant bottom flow occurs. The high occurrence of sortable silt in the St. Alban's Bay does suggest that sediment mobilization, and therefore nutrient mobilization has the potential to occur. These data combined with high-resolution multibeam and hydrodynamic data will allow for future models of water flow and remobilization studies in the future.

  18. Environmental Assessment for Demolition and Disposal of Base Buildings and Facilities on Edwards Air Force Base, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-11-26

    shallow bedrock or several hundred feet of ancient sand, silt and clay lakebed deposits. Soil refers to the uppermost layers of surficial geologic...Some soils have a silt or clay component especially around the lakebeds where clay predominates. All soils at Edwards AFB have low organic carbon...Not Completed Completed 3-Jun-11 Initial survey completed. Confirmatory survey required. FY14 14 (A4) Sanitary Latrine (1965

  19. The Influence of Clay on the Rate of Decay of Amino Acid Metabolites Synthesized in Soils during Decomposition of Cellulose

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Lasse Holst

    1975-01-01

    caused by the treatments in the different soils was, however, not related to the amount of silt + clay, and a high content of this material did not protect organic material against the effect of the treatments. is concluded that the silt + clay fraction ensures stabilization of amino acid metabolites...... produced during the period of intense biological activity that follows the addition of decomposable, energy rich material to the soil. The amount of amino acid metabolites stabilized increased with increasing concentration of silt + clay, but the rate of decay of the amino acid material during later stages......14C-labelled cellulose was added to seven different soils containing silt + clay (particles

  20. Biodegradation of crude oil in different types of marine sediment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hii, Y.S.; Law, A.T.

    1999-01-01

    An active oil-oxidizing bacterium, named Nap C was isolated from the sediment sample of Port Dickson coastal area for this study. Nap C is a gram negative, rod shape marine bacterium. It forms spore when the condition is not favorable. Three different types of treated marine sediment; sand, silt and clay were used in this study. The degradation of Malaysian Tapis A crude oil in the different types of marine sediment were assessed. Silt type of marine sediment was found to sustain highest biodegradation compared to clay type and sand type. 8.6.67% of the Malaysian Tapis A crude oil was degraded in silt type of marine sediment within 10 days of incubation. Where as there were only 60% and 73% of the Malaysian Tapis A crude oil was degraded in sand and clay type of marine sediment respectively. Microbial biomass estimation in the sediment was estimated by indirect phospholipid enumeration technique. (author)

  1. Response characteristics of soil fractal features to different land uses in typical purple soil watershed.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bang-lin Luo

    Full Text Available As a fundamental characteristic of soil physical properties, the soil Particle Size Distribution (PSD is important in the research on soil moisture migration, solution transformation, and soil erosion. In this research, the PSD characteristics with distinct methods in different land uses are analyzed. The results show that the upper bound of the volume domain of the clay domain ranges from 5.743 μm to 5.749 μm for all land-use types. For the silt domain of purple soil, the value ranges among 286.852~286.966 μm. For all purple soil land-use types, the order of the volume domain fractal dimensions is D clayD silt(U>D sand (U>D sand and D silt>D silt(U>D sand>D sand(U, respectively. As it is compared with all Dvi, the D silt has the most significant correlativity to the soil texture and organic matter in different land uses of the typical purple soil watersheds. Therefore, Dsilt will be a potential indictor for evaluating the proportion of fine particles in the PSD, as well as a key measurement in soil quality and productivity studies.

  2. Water retention properties of stiff silt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Likar

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent research into the behaviour of soils has shown that it is in fact much more complex than can be described by the mechanics of saturated soils. Nowadays the trend of investigations has shifted towards the unsaturated state. Despite the signifiant progress that has been made so far, there are still a lot of unanswered questions related to the behaviour of unsaturated soils. For this reason, in the fild of geotechnics some new concepts are developed, which include the study of soil suction. Most research into soil suction has involved clayey and silty material, whereas up until recently no data have been available about measurements in very stiff preconsolidated sandy silt. Very stiff preconsolidated sandy silt is typical of the Krško Basin, where it is planned that some very important geotechnical structures will be built, so that knowledge about the behaviour of such soils at increased or decreased water content is essential. Several different methods can be used for soil suction measurements. In the paper the results of measurements carried out on very stiff preconsolidated sandy silt in a Bishop - Wesley double-walled triaxial cell are presented and compared with the results of soil suction measurements performed by means of a potentiometer (WP4C. All the measurement results were evaluated taking into account already known results given in the literature, using the three most commonly used mathematical models. Until now a lot of papers dealing with suction measurements in normal consolidated and preconsolidated clay have been published. Measurements on very stiff preconsolidated sandy silt, as presented in this paper were not supported before.

  3. Sediment transport processes in the Pearl River Estuary as revealed by grain-size end-member modeling and sediment trend analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tao; Li, Tuan-Jie

    2018-04-01

    The analysis of grain-size distribution enables us to decipher sediment transport processes and understand the causal relations between dynamic processes and grain-size distributions. In the present study, grain sizes were measured from surface sediments collected in the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent coastal areas. End-member modeling analysis attempts to unmix the grain sizes into geologically meaningful populations. Six grain-size end-members were identified. Their dominant modes are 0 Φ, 1.5 Φ, 2.75 Φ, 4.5 Φ, 7 Φ, and 8 Φ, corresponding to coarse sand, medium sand, fine sand, very coarse silt, silt, and clay, respectively. The spatial distributions of the six end-members are influenced by sediment transport and depositional processes. The two coarsest end-members (coarse sand and medium sand) may reflect relict sediments deposited during the last glacial period. The fine sand end-member would be difficult to transport under fair weather conditions, and likely indicates storm deposits. The three remaining fine-grained end-members (very coarse silt, silt, and clay) are recognized as suspended particles transported by saltwater intrusion via the flood tidal current, the Guangdong Coastal Current, and riverine outflow. The grain-size trend analysis shows distinct transport patterns for the three fine-grained end-members. The landward transport of the very coarse silt end-member occurs in the eastern part of the estuary, the seaward transport of the silt end-member occurs in the western part, and the east-west transport of the clay end-member occurs in the coastal areas. The results show that grain-size end-member modeling analysis in combination with sediment trend analysis help to better understand sediment transport patterns and the associated transport mechanisms.

  4. Microbial activity promoted with organic carbon accumulation in macroaggregates of paddy soils under long-term rice cultivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yalong; Wang, Ping; Ding, Yuanjun; Lu, Haifei; Li, Lianqing; Cheng, Kun; Zheng, Jufeng; Filley, Timothy; Zhang, Xuhui; Zheng, Jinwei; Pan, Genxing

    2016-12-01

    While soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and stabilization has been increasingly the focus of ecosystem properties, how it could be linked to soil biological activity enhancement has been poorly assessed. In this study, topsoil samples were collected from a series of rice soils shifted from salt marshes for 0, 50, 100, 300 and 700 years from a coastal area of eastern China. Soil aggregates were fractioned into different sizes of coarse sand (200-2000 µm), fine sand (20-200 µm), silt (2-20 µm) and clay (Soil properties were determined to investigate niche specialization of different soil particle fractions in response to long-term rice cultivation, including recalcitrant and labile organic carbon, microbial diversity of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities, soil respiration and enzyme activity. The results showed that the mass proportion both of coarse-sand (2000-200 µm) and clay (clay fractions (20-25 g kg-1), but was depleted in silt fractions (˜ 10 g kg-1). The recalcitrant carbon pool was higher (33-40 % of SOC) in both coarse-sand and clay fractions than in fine-sand and silt fractions (20-29 % of SOC). However, the ratio of labile organic carbon (LOC) to SOC showed a weakly decreasing trend with decreasing size of aggregate fractions. Total soil DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) content in the size fractions followed a similar trend to that of SOC. Despite the largely similar diversity between the fractions, 16S ribosomal gene abundance of bacteria and of archaeal were concentrated in both coarse-sand and clay fractions. Being the highest generally in coarse-sand fractions, 18S rRNA gene abundance of fungi decreased sharply but the diversity gently, with decreasing size of the aggregate fractions. The soil respiration quotient (ratio of respired CO2-C to SOC) was the highest in the silt fraction, followed by the fine-sand fraction, but the lowest in coarse-sand and clay fractions in the rice soils cultivated over 100 years, whereas the microbial

  5. Biogeochemical characteristics of the surface sediments along the western continental shelf of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Jacob, J.; Jayaraj, K.A.; Rehman, H.H.; Chandramohanakumar, N.; Balachandran, K.K.; Raveendran, T.V.; Joseph, T.; Nair, M.; Achuthankutty, C.T.

    (silt + clay) dom- inated north of 11.5 ◦ N during the late summer, where the average percentage was found to be 77.56 ± 20.18 and the average sand percentage was 19.30 ± 12.90 (Table 1). A dominance of sand (48.90 ± 34.22%) and silt (39.80 ± 35...

  6. Evaluation of Turf-Grass and Prairie-Vegetated Rain Gardens in a Clay and Sand Soil, Madison, Wisconsin, Water Years 2004-08

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selbig, William R.; Balster, Nicholas

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with a consortium of 19 cities, towns, and villages in Dane County, Wis., undertook a study to compare the capability of rain gardens with different vegetative species and soil types to infiltrate stormwater runoff from the roof of an adjacent structure. Two rain gardens, one planted with turf grass and the other with native prairie species, were constructed side-by-side in 2003 at two locations with different dominant soil types, either sand or clay. Each rain garden was sized to a ratio of approximately 5:1 contributing area to receiving area and to a depth of 0.5 foot. Each rain garden, regardless of vegetation or soil type, was capable of storing and infiltrating most of the runoff over the 5-year study period. Both rain gardens in sand, as well as the prairie rain garden in clay, retained and infiltrated 100 percent of all precipitation and snowmelt events during water years 2004-07. The turf rain garden in clay occasionally had runoff exceed its confining boundaries, but was still able to retain 96 percent of all precipitation and snowmelt events during the same time period. Precipitation intensity and number of antecedent dry days were important variables that influenced when the storage capacity of underlying soils would become saturated, which resulted in pooled water in the rain gardens. Because the rooftop area that drained runoff to each rain garden was approximately five times larger than the area of the rain garden itself, evapotranspiration was a small percentage of the annual water budget. For example, during water year 2005, the maximum evapotranspiration of total influent volume ranged from 21 percent for the turf rain garden in clay to 25 percent for the turf rain garden in sand, and the minimum ranged from 12 percent for the prairie rain garden in clay to 19 percent for the prairie rain garden in sand. Little to no runoff left each rain garden as effluent and a small percentage of runoff returned to the

  7. Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Corning area, Steuben County, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Todd S.; Belli, J.L.; Allen, R.V.

    1982-01-01

    This report is the seventh in a series of 11 map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together, the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southeastern Steuben County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, aquifer thickness, potentiometric-surface elevations, and land use. The valley-fill deposits consist of alluvial silt, sand, and gravel, glacial-outwash (sand and gravel), till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel beds have relatively high permeabilities, whereas the till and silt deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Water-table conditions prevail in unconfined sand and gravel along the valley margin. Artesian conditions are found locally in sand and gravel confined under silt and clay in the middle of the valley. Recharge occurs nearly everywhere on the valley floor, but principally along the margin of the valley, where highly permeable land surface conditions exist, and runoff from the hillsides is concentrated. The use of land overlying the aquifer is a mixture of residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial uses. (USGS)

  8. Wind erodibility of soils from North Darfur State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medani, G. H.; Mustafa, M. A.

    2003-01-01

    Wind erodibility of soils (WE) is a prime factor for the prediction, assessment and mapping of wind erosion. Hence, this study was undertaken to generate WE data and pertinent relationships for North Darfur State. Surface soil samples (0-3 cm) were collected from forty farms scattered all over the state. Non-erodible soil particles (NEP) (>0.84 mm in diameter), WE and various relevant physical and chemical soil properties were determined. Regression analysis showed that NEP significantly (p 2 =0.825), clay (r 2 =0.754), silt (r 2 =0.737) and clay/ (silt + sand) ratio (r 2 =0.663), and decreased with increase in sand (r 2 =0.761), (silt+sand) / clay ratio (r 2 =0.766) and (silt+sand) / (clay+organic matter) ratio (r 2 =0.811). The four basic soil properties and their ratios gave the reverse effects on WE with slightly lower coefficients of determinations. Although organic matter is a slightly better predictor of both NEP and WE than (Si+S)/ (C+OM) ratio, the latter is preferred because it integrates in addition to OM resilient soil properties. A multiple regression equation with a relatively high coefficient of determination (R 2 =0.830) may also be used for predicting NEP from knowledge of the four prime soil properties. These properties accounted for only 62% of the variation of WE, thus it is not recommended for prediction purposes. The determined wind erodibility groups correlated very well with those established else where.(Author)

  9. Research of Deformation of Clay Soil Mixtures Mixtures

    OpenAIRE

    Romas Girkontas; Tadas Tamošiūnas; Andrius Savickas

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this article is to determine clay soils and clay soils mixtures deformations during drying. Experiments consisted from: a) clay and clay mixtures bridges (height ~ 0,30 m, span ~ 1,00 m); b) tiles of clay and clay, sand and straw (height, length, wide); c) cylinders of clay; clay and straw; clay, straw and sand (diameter; height). According to the findings recommendations for clay and clay mixtures drying technology application were presented. During the experiment clay bridge bear...

  10. Changes in carbon stability and microbial activity in size fractions of micro-aggregates in a rice soil chronosequence under long term rice cultivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Genxing; Liu, Yalong; Wang, Ping; Li, Lianqinfg; Cheng, Kun; Zheng, Jufeng; Zhang, Xuhui; Zheng, Jinwei; Bian, Rongjun; Ding, Yuanjun; Ma, Chong

    2016-04-01

    Recent studies have shown soil carbon sequestration through physical protection of relative labile carbon intra micro-aggregates with formation of large sized macro-aggregates under good management of soil and agricultural systems. While carbon stabilization had been increasingly concerned as ecosystem properties, the mechanisms underspin bioactivity of soil carbon with increased carbon stability has been still poorly understood. In this study, topsoil samples were collected from rice soils derived from salt marsh under different length of rice cultivation up to 700 years from eastern China. Particle size fractions (PSF) of soil aggregates were separated using a low energy dispersion protocol. Carbon fractions in the PSFs were analyzed either with FTIR spectroscopy. Soil microbial community of bacterial, fungal and archaeal were analyzed with molecular fingerprinting using specific gene primers. Soil respiration and carbon gain from amended maize as well as enzyme activities were measured using lab incubation protocols. While the PSFs were dominated by the fine sand (200-20μm) and silt fraction (20-2μm), the mass proportion both of sand (2000-200μm) and clay (soil aggregates (also referred to aggregate stability). Soil organic carbon was found most enriched in coarse sand fraction (40-60g/kg), followed by the clay fraction (20-24.5g/kg), but depleted in the silt fraction (~10g/kg). Phenolic and aromatic carbon as recalcitrant pool were high (33-40% of total SOC) in both coarse sand and clay fractions than in both fine sand and silt fractions (20-29% of total SOC). However, the ratio of LOC/total SOC showed a weak decreasing trend with decreasing size of the aggregate fractions. Total gene content in the size fractions followed a similar trend to that of SOC. Bacterial and archaeal gene abundance was concentrated in both sand and clay fractions but that of fungi in sand fraction, and sharply decreased with the decreasing size of aggregate fraction. Gene abundance

  11. Elevated gas hydrate saturation within silt and silty clay sediments in the Shenhu area, South China Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiujuan; Hutchinson, Deborah R.; Wu, Shiguo; Yang, Shengxiong; Guo, Yiqun

    2011-01-01

    Gas hydrate saturations were estimated using five different methods in silt and silty clay foraminiferous sediments from drill hole SH2 in the South China Sea. Gas hydrate saturations derived from observed pore water chloride values in core samples range from 10 to 45% of the pore space at 190–221 m below seafloor (mbsf). Gas hydrate saturations estimated from resistivity (Rt) using wireline logging results are similar and range from 10 to 40.5% in the pore space. Gas hydrate saturations were also estimated by P wave velocity obtained during wireline logging by using a simplified three-phase equation (STPE) and effective medium theory (EMT) models. Gas hydrate saturations obtained from the STPE velocity model (41.0% maximum) are slightly higher than those calculated with the EMT velocity model (38.5% maximum). Methane analysis from a 69 cm long depressurized core from the hydrate-bearing sediment zone indicates that gas hydrate saturation is about 27.08% of the pore space at 197.5 mbsf. Results from the five methods show similar values and nearly identical trends in gas hydrate saturations above the base of the gas hydrate stability zone at depths of 190 to 221 mbsf. Gas hydrate occurs within units of clayey slit and silt containing abundant calcareous nannofossils and foraminifer, which increase the porosities of the fine-grained sediments and provide space for enhanced gas hydrate formation. In addition, gas chimneys, faults, and fractures identified from three-dimensional (3-D) and high-resolution two-dimensional (2-D) seismic data provide pathways for fluids migrating into the gas hydrate stability zone which transport methane for the formation of gas hydrate. Sedimentation and local canyon migration may contribute to higher gas hydrate saturations near the base of the stability zone.

  12. Performance of soft clay stabilized with sand columns treated by silica fume

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samueel Zeena

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In many road construction projects, if weak soil exists, then uncontrollable settlement and critical load carrying capacity are major difficult problems to the safety and serviceability of roads in these areas. Thus ground improvement is essential to achieve the required level of performance. The paper presents results of the tests of four categories. First category was performed on saturated soft bed of clay without any treatment, the second category shed light on the improvement achieved in loading carrying capacity and settlement as a result of reinforcing with conventional sand columns at area replacement ratio = 0.196. The third set investigates the bed reinforced by sand columns stabilized with dry silica fume at different percentages (3, 5 and 7% and the fourth set investigates the behavior of sand columns treated with slurry silica fume at two percentages (10 and 12%. All sand columns models were constructed at (R.D= 60%. Model tests were performed on bed of saturated soil prepared at undrained shear strength between 16-20 kPa for all models. For all cases, the model test was loaded gradually by stress increments up to failure. Stress deformation measurements are recorded and analyzed in terms of bearing improvement ratio and settlement reduction ratio. Optimum results were indicated from soil treated with sand columns stabilized with 7% dry silica fume at medium state reflecting the highest bearing improvement ratio (3.04 and the settlement reduction ratio (0.09 after 7 days curing. While soil treated with sand columns stabilized with 10% slurry silica fume provided higher bearing improvement ratio 3.13 with lower settlement reduction ratio of 0.57 after 7-days curing.

  13. Provenance of sands from the confluence of the Amazon and Madeira rivers based on detrital heavy minerals and luminescence of quartz and feldspar

    Science.gov (United States)

    do Nascimento, Daniel R.; Sawakuchi, André O.; Guedes, Carlos C. F.; Giannini, Paulo C. F.; Grohmann, Carlos H.; Ferreira, Manuela P.

    2015-03-01

    Source-to-sink systems are poorly known in tropical rivers. For the Amazonian rivers, the majority of the provenance studies remain focused on the suspended load, implying a poor understanding of the processes governing production and distribution of sands. In this study, we perform heavy mineral and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analysis to cover the entire spectrum (heavy and light minerals fraction) of 29 sand samples of the Lower Madeira river region (Amazon and Madeira rivers), of which the main goal was to find provenance indicators specific to these rivers. Despite the tropical humid climate, the sands of the Amazon and Lower Madeira rivers are rich in unstable heavy minerals as augite, hypersthene, green hornblende and andalusite. The Madeira river is highlighted by its higher content of andalusite, with source attributed to the Amazon Craton (medium-to-high grade metamorphic rocks), while the Amazon river, upstream of the Madeira river mouth, has a signature of augite and hypersthene, that suggests an Andean provenance (volcanic rocks). Sands from the Madeira river can be tracked in the Amazon river by the increasing concentration in andalusite. OSL analysis of the light minerals fraction was used as an index of feldspar concentration and sedimentary history of quartz grains. Lower feldspar concentration and quartz grains with longer sedimentary history (higher OSL sensitivity) also point to a major contribution of cratonic sources for the sands in the Madeira river. While the sands from the Lower Madeira would be mainly supplied by cratonic rocks, previous work recognised that suspended sediments (silt and clay) are derived from Andean rocks. Therefore, we interpret a decoupling between the sources of sand and mud (silt and clay) under transport in the Madeira river. Andean sands (rich in augite and hypersthene) would be trapped in the foreland zones of the Beni and Mamoré tributaries. In the Amazon river sands, the low OSL sensitivity of the

  14. Characterization of groundwater dynamics in landslides in varved clays

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van der Spek, J.E.; Bogaard, T.A.; Bakker, M.

    2013-01-01

    Groundwater dynamics may play a significant role in landslides. A detailed model is developed of the groundwater dynamics in landslides in varved clays in the Trieves area in the French Alps. The varved clays consist of a sequence of alternating silt and clay layers, covered by a colluvium layer and

  15. Deposit model for heavy-mineral sands in coastal environments: Chapter L in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Fey, David L.; Shah, Anjana K.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Hoefen, Todd M.

    2014-01-01

    This report provides a descriptive model of heavy-mineral sands, which are sedimentary deposits of dense minerals that accumulate with sand, silt, and clay in coastal environments, locally forming economic concentrations of the heavy minerals. This deposit type is the main source of titanium feedstock for the titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments industry, through recovery of the minerals ilmenite (Fe2+TiO3), rutile (TiO2), and leucoxene (an alteration product of ilmenite). Heavy-mineral sands are also the principal source of zircon (ZrSiO4) and its zirconium oxide; zircon is often recovered as a coproduct. Other heavy minerals produced as coproducts from some deposits are sillimanite/kyanite, staurolite, monazite, and garnet. Monazite [(Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4] is a source of rare earth elements as well as thorium, which is used in thorium-based nuclear power under development in India and elsewhere.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodson, P.V.

    2010-01-01

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

  17. Characterization of groundwater dynamics in landslides in varved clays

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van der Spek, J.E.; Bogaard, T.A.; Bakker, M.

    2013-01-01

    Groundwater dynamics may play a significant role in landslides. A detailed model is developed of the groundwater dynamics in landslides in varved clays in the Trièves area in the French Alps. The varved clays consist of a sequence of alternating silt and clay layers, covered by a colluvium layer and

  18. Macrobenthic communities of the coastal waters of Dabhol, west coast of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ingole, B.S.; Rodrigues, N.; Ansari, Z.A.

    Macrobenthic community of a shallow subtidal (5-20 m) muddy deposit off Dabhol was investigated. Sediment comprised mainly of silt and clay with less of sand. Dominance of clayey-silt fraction reflects on active flocculation of fine grain particles...

  19. Clays causing adhesion with tool surfaces during mechanical tunnel driving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spagnoli, G.; Fernández-Steeger, T.; Stanjek, H.; Feinendegen, M.; Post, C.; Azzam, R.

    2009-04-01

    During mechanical excavation with a tunnel boring machine (TBM) it is possible that clays stick to the cutting wheel and to other metal parts. The resulting delays in the progress of construction work, cause great economic damage and often disputes between the public awarding authorities and executing companies. One of the most important factors to reduce successfully the clay adhesion is the use of special polymers and foams. But why does the clay stick to the metal parts? A first step is to recognize which kind of clay mineralogy shows serious adhesion problems. The mechanical properties of clay and clay suspensions are primarily determined by surface chemistry and charge distribution at the interfaces, which in turn affect the arrangement of the clay structure. As we know, clay is a multi-phase material and its behaviour depends on numerous parameters such as: clay mineralogy, clay fraction, silt fraction, sand fraction, water content, water saturation, Atterberg limits, sticky limit, activity, cation exchange capacity, degree of consolidation and stress state. It is therefore likely that adhesion of clay on steel is also affected by these clay parameters. Samples of clay formations, which caused problems during tunnel driving, will be analyzed in laboratory. Mineralogical analyses (diffractometry, etc.) will be carried out to observe which minerals are responsible for adherence problems. To manipulate the physical properties, batch tests will be carried out in order to eliminate or reduce the adhesion on tool surfaces through variation of the zeta potential. Second step is the performance of vane shear tests on clay samples. Different pore fluid (distilled water, pure NaCl solution, ethanol and methanol) will be used to study the variation of the mechanical behaviour of clay depending on the dielectric constant of the fluids. This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the DFG (German Research Foundation) in the

  20. All rights reserved Evaluation of the Layering of Rock Strata and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF HORSFALL

    correlates with the observed dry and consolidated lateritic clay ... of consolidated laterite, gravel, sand, silt and clay having a high ... from the original hydrogeologic assessment report of ... the AGRL, provision of financial and material support.

  1. Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Endicott-Johnson City area, Broome County, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holecek, Thomas J.; Randall, A.D.; Belli, J.L.; Allen, R.V.

    1982-01-01

    This report is the tenth in a series of 11 map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on five maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together, the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southwestern Broome County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, aquifer thickness, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, potentiometric-surface altitude, and land use. The valley-fill deposits consist of alluvial silt and sand, glacial outwash (sand and gravel), ice-contact sand and gravel, till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel beds have relatively high permeabilities whereas the till, silt, and clay deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Water-table conditions are found in unconfined sand and gravel, whereas artesian conditions prevail within sand and gravel confined by silty deposits. Recharge occurs over the entire surface of the aquifer, due to permeable land-surface conditions, but is greatest along the margin of the valley, where runoff from the hillsides is concentrated, and near streams. The use of land overlying the aquifer is predominantly commercial and residential with lesser amounts of agricultural and industrial uses. (USGS)

  2. Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the South Fallsburgh-Woodbourne area, Sullivan County, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, H.R.; Dineen, R.J.; Stelz, W.G.; Belli, J.L.

    1982-01-01

    This report is the ninth in a series of map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southeastern Sullivan County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, aquifer thickness, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, potentiometric surface elevations, well yields, and land use. The valley-fill deposits consist of alluvial silt and sand, glacial outwash (sand and gravel), ice-contact sand and gravel, till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel beds have relatively high permeabilities whereas the till, silt, and clay deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Water-table conditions prevail in unconfined sand and gravel whereas artesian conditions prevail within sand and gravel confined by silty deposits. The aquifer is recharged throughout, where the land surface is most permeable and is greatest along the margin of the valley, where runoff from the hillsides is concentrated. The use of land overlying the aquifer is predominantly commercial, agricultural, and residential with lesser industrial uses. (USGS)

  3. ANALYSIS OF DEFORMED STATE STRUCTURES OF THE KYIV METRO RUNNING TUNNELS ON A TRANSITION ZONE FROM SPONDYLOV’S CLAY TO BUCHATSKIY SANDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. D. Petrenko

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. In the section of changes geotechnical conditions of spondylov’s clay to buchatskiy sands may have significant structural deformation of running tunnels. It is necessary to identify the cause of deformities develop ways to minimize and based modeling and calculations to prove the effectiveness of measures to reduce deformation.Methodology. To solve the analysis problem of the stress-strain state (SSS of the system «structure array» it was conducted the numerical simulation using the finite element method (FEM. On the basis of the obtained results the graphs were constructed and the dependencies were determined. Findings. The presence of weak water-saturated soils in tray of the tunnel on an area of transition from spondylov’s clay to buchatskiy sand causes significant increasing in strain construction of tunnels and general vibration liquefaction in soil basis. Also change the physical and mechanical characteristics of soils within the frames of tunnels influences on the level of strain state of most frames. Improved strain state settings of tunnels in areas of change soil characteristics of the array (especially at the bottom of casing can be achieved by chemical consolidation of weak soils. Composition of solutions for fixing the weak soils should be determined based on the study of grain size, porosity, and other parameters of physical and mechanical and physical and chemical characteristics of soils.Originality.The basic cause significant strain on transition zone from spondylov’s clay to buchatskiy sands is found, that is explained by saturated phenomenon vibration liquefaction basis under the tunnel.Practical value.The approaches to reduce the strain in the construction of running tunnels in the transition zone from spondylov’s clay to buchatskiy sands are developed, as well as in the area ofthe station «Glybochytska»the Kyiv Metro.

  4. Turnover of intra- and extra-aggregate organic matter at the silt-size scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    I. Virto; C. Moni; C. Swanston; C. Chenu

    2010-01-01

    Temperate silty soils are especially sensitive to organic matter losses associated to some agricultural management systems. Long-term preservation of organic C in these soils has been demonstrated to occur mainly in the silt- and clay-size fractions, although our knowledge about the mechanisms through which it happens remains unclear. Although organic matter in such...

  5. Demonstration of the Attributes of Multi-increment Sampling and Proper Sample Processing Protocols for the Characterization of Metals on DoD Facilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-01

    unconsolidated and interbedded sands and clays with minor amounts of gravel and shell fragments. Locally, the site geology consists of impermeable clays , silts...sand, which are well sorted and can contain up to 30% clay . These swale and slough deposits are locally perennially frozen with moderate to high ice...activities include travel, related lodging and meals , labor, and the shipment of samples off site. Unique to the costs associated with sampling activities

  6. Direct Push Optical Screening Tool for High Resolution, Real-Time Mapping of Chlorinated Solvent DNAPL Architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-07-01

    petroleum hydrocarbon fuels due to higher densities, lower viscosities , and increased weathering (mass depletion) of residual chlorinated solvent DNAPL...generally classified as stratified layers of fine sand and silt with few clay layers. A silt layer was penetrated consistently at a depth of about 45...e.g., stiff clays ) there is potential for the thickness of the dye interaction zone to increase to approximately 1-2 mm. Intuition suggests that this

  7. Direct Push Optical Screening Tool for High-Resolution, Real-Time Mapping of Chlorinated Solvent DNAPL Architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-01

    due to higher densities, lower viscosities , and increased weathering (mass depletion) of residual chlorinated solvent DNAPL compared to those other...demonstration area can be generally classified as stratified layers of fine sand and silt with few clay layers. A silt layer was penetrated consistently at...toxic and carcinogenic. Another potential issue evaluated was that in plastic soils (stiff clays for example) there is potential for the thickness of

  8. Quantifying the ability of environmental parameters to predict soil texture fractions using regression-tree model with GIS and LIDAR data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Greve, Mogens Humlekrog; Bou Kheir, Rania; Greve, Mette Balslev

    2012-01-01

    Soil texture is an important soil characteristic that drives crop production and field management, and is the basis for environmental monitoring (including soil quality and sustainability, hydrological and ecological processes, and climate change simulations). The combination of coarse sand, fine...... sand, silt, and clay in soil determines its textural classification. This study used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and regression-tree modeling to precisely quantify the relationships between the soil texture fractions and different environmental parameters on a national scale, and to detect...... precipitation, seasonal precipitation to statistically explain soil texture fractions field/laboratory measurements (45,224 sampling sites) in the area of interest (Denmark). The developed strongest relationships were associated with clay and silt, variance being equal to 60%, followed by coarse sand (54...

  9. Bacterial Preferences for Specific Soil Particle Size Fractions Revealed by Community Analyses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemkemeyer, Michael; Dohrmann, Anja B.; Christensen, Bent Tolstrup

    2018-01-01

    , while Gemmatimonadales preferred coarse silt, Actinobacteria and Nitrosospira fine silt, and Planctomycetales clay. Firmicutes were depleted in the sand-sized fraction. In contrast, archaea, which represented 0.8% of all 16S rRNA gene sequences, showed only little preference for specific PSFs. We...

  10. [Analysis of XRD spectral characteristics of soil clay mineral in two typical cultivated soils].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhi-Dan; Luo, Xiang-Li; Jiang, Hai-Chao; Li, Qiao; Shen, Cong-Ying; Liu, Hang; Zhou, Ya-Juan; Zhao, Lan-Po; Wang, Ji-Hong

    2014-07-01

    The present paper took black soil and chernozem, the typical cultivated soil in major grain producing area of Northeast, as the study object, and determinated the soil particle composition characteristics of two cultivated soils under the same climate and location. Then XRD was used to study the composition and difference of clay mineral in two kinds of soil and the evolutionary mechanism was explored. The results showed that the two kinds of soil particles were composed mainly of the sand, followed by clay and silt. When the particle accumulation rate reached 50%, the central particle size was in the 15-130 microm interval. Except for black soil profile of Shengli Xiang, the content of clay showed converse sequence to the central particle in two soils. Clay accumulated under upper layer (18.82%) in black soil profile while under caliche layer (17.41%) in chernozem profile. Clay content was the least in parent material horizon except in black profile of Quanyanling. Analysis of clay XRD atlas showed that the difference lied in not only the strength of diffraction peak, but also in the mineral composition. The main contents of black soil and chernozem were both 2 : 1 clay, the composition of black soil was smectite/illite mixed layer-illite-vermiculite and that of chernozem was S/I mixture-illite-montmorillonite, and both of them contained little kaolinite, chlorite, quartz and other primary mineral. This paper used XRD to determine the characteristics of clay minerals comprehensively, and analyzed two kinds of typical cultivated soil comparatively, and it was a new perspective of soil minerals study.

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

    KAUST Repository

    Farid, Asam M.; Khalid, Perveiz; Jadoon, Khan; Jouini, Mohamed Soufiane

    2014-01-01

    with clay-silt and dirty sand facies typical of lacustrine and flood plain environments. Streams arising from adjacent mountains have reworked these facies which have been eroded and replaced by gravel-sand facies along channels. It is concluded

  12. Effect of soil type on radionuclides in plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-12-01

    The research was undertaken to provide plant/soil concentration ratio (CR) data for uranium (U), thorium (Th) and lead (Pb) using crops and soils typical of Canada. A clay, a silt, a sand and an organic soil were used and spinach, potatoes, corn, blueberries, wild rice, barley and radish were grown. CR values decreased among the soils in the order sand > silt = clay > organic. CR values were lower in potato flesh than in potato peels, and usually lower in grains than in the associated stems. the geometric mean CR values for U, Th and Pb on a dry plant/dry soil basis were 0.013, 0.0022, and 0.0050, respectively

  13. Treatment for cracked and permeable Houston clay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vipulanandan, C.; Leung, M.

    1991-01-01

    In this study, the treatability of a field clay (obtained from Houston, Texas) and a clay-sand mixture to reduce their hydraulic conductivity was evaluated. Remolded field clay and clay-sand mixture with and without methanol contamination were treated to reduce their hydraulic conductivity by permeating very dilute grout solutions. The concentration of sodium silicate in the grout solution was 8%, while the solid content in the cement grout was 0.3%. The hydraulic conductivity of permeable Houston clay (hydraulic conductivity >10 -5 cm/sec) could be reduced to less than 10 -7 cm/sec (U.S. EPA limit for soil barriers) by permeating with a selected combination of grout solutions

  14. Analysis of Selected Enhancements for Soil Vapor Extraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-09-01

    1995 NR VOC 12 NM NMb b Berlin Harress 1989 Sand, silty lenses c-1,2-DCE, TCE, 24 c-1,2-DCE: >2 c-1,2-DCE: >0.440 Aquitard-clay PCE Bielefeld...Nordrhein Harress 1989 Fill, sand, silt PCE, TCE, TCA 11 PCE: 27; TCE: 4.3; TCA: 0.7 Total VOCs: 1.207 -Westfalen Aquitard-siltstone Munich, Bavaria... Harress 1989 Fill, gravel, sand PCE, TCE, TCA 4 PCE: 2.2; TCE: 0.4; TCA: PCE: 0.539; TCE: 0.012; Aquitard-clayey silt 0.15 TCA: 0.002 Nordrhein

  15. Plume persistence caused by back diffusion from thin clay layers in a sand aquifer following TCE source-zone hydraulic isolation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Beth L; Chapman, Steven W; Guilbeault, Martin A

    2008-11-14

    This paper concludes that back diffusion from one or a few thin clayey beds in a sand aquifer can cause contaminant persistence above MCLs in a sand aquifer long after the source zone initially causing the plume is isolated or removed. This conclusion is based on an intensive case study of a TCE contaminated site in Florida, with the processes evaluated using numerical modeling. At this site, the TCE DNAPL zone formed decades ago, and was hydraulically isolated by means of an innovative system performing groundwater extraction, treatment and re-injection. Treated water is re-injected in a row of injection wells situated a short distance downgradient of the extraction wells, creating a clean-water displacement front to efficiently flush the downgradient plume. This scheme avoids the creation of stagnation zones typical of most groundwater pump-and-treat systems, thereby minimizing the time for aquifer flushing and therefore downgradient cleanup. The system began operation in August 2002 and although the performance monitoring shows substantial declines in concentrations, detectable levels of TCE and degradation products persist downgradient of the re-injection wells, long after the TCE should have disappeared based on calculations assuming a nearly homogenous sand aquifer. Three hypotheses were assessed for this plume persistence: 1) incomplete source-zone capture, 2) DNAPL occurrence downgradient of the re-injection wells, and 3) back diffusion from one or more thin clay beds in the aquifer. After careful consideration, the first two hypotheses were eliminated, leaving back diffusion as the only plausible hypothesis, supported by detailed measurements of VOC concentrations within and near the clay beds and also by numerical model simulations that closely represent the field site hydrogeologic conditions. The model was also used to simulate a more generalized, hypothetical situation where more thin clayey beds occur in a sand aquifer with an underlying aquitard

  16. Occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in organo-mineral particles of alluvial sandy soil profiles at a petroleum-contaminated site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Zhe; Zeng, Fangang; Xue, Nandong; Li, Fasheng

    2012-01-01

    The occurrence and the distribution of 16 USEPA priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in two alluvial sandy soil profiles and in their four sizes of organo-mineral particles ( 200 μm coarse sand) beside a typical oil sludge storage site in eastern China. PAHs were mainly enriched in the surface soil (0–20 cm) and the concentrations declined in deeper soils, from 3.68 to 0.128 μg/g in profile 1 and 10.8 to 0.143 μg/g in profile 2 (dry wt.). The PAHs in the upper soil layers of this study site mainly came from combustion pollution, whereas in the lower soil layers petroleum contamination became the major source of PAHs. The content of different sized organo-mineral particles of this alluvial sandy soil decreased in the following order: fine sand > coarse sand > silt > clay. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that all the different sized soil fractions of this study site were dominated by quartz, calcite and feldspar. The particle surface became smoother with size increasing as shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized soil fractions. The highest PAH concentration was associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Soil organic matter (SOM) content, mineral composition and particle surface characteristics were suggested as three main factors affecting the distribution of PAHs in different sized organo-mineral particles. This study will help to understand the distribution and transport characteristics of PAHs in soil profiles at petroleum-contaminated sites. -- Highlights: ► PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized fractions. ► The highest PAH concentrations were associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. ► Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important factor to dominate the distribution of PAHs in this study site.

  17. Quantitative distribution of meiobenthos in the Gulf of Martaban, Myanmar Coast, north-east Andaman Sea.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ansari, Z.A.; Mehta, P.; Furtado, R.; Aung, C.; Pandiyarajan, R.S.

    .428 mg/10 cm2 in different sediment type and depth zone. Numerical abundance of meiofauna was high in fine silty clay and low in sandy bottom. Formation of three main clusters suggests the influence of dominant sediment texture of clayey sand sand silt...

  18. Flow dynamics at the origin of thin clayey sand lacustrine turbidites: Examples from Lake Hazar, Turkey

    KAUST Repository

    Hage, Sophie

    2017-04-18

    Turbidity currents and their deposits can be investigated using several methods, i.e. direct monitoring, physical and numerical modelling, sediment cores and outcrops. The present study focuses on thin clayey sand turbidites found in Lake Hazar (Turkey) occurring in eleven clusters of closely spaced thin beds. Depositional processes and sources for three of those eleven clusters are studied at three coring sites. Bathymetrical data and seismic reflection profiles are used to understand the specific geomorphology of each site. X-ray, thin sections and CT-scans imagery combined with grain-size, geochemical and mineralogical measurements on the cores allow characterisation of the turbidites. Turbidites included in each cluster were produced by remobilization of surficial slope sediment, a process identified in very few studies worldwide. Three types of turbidites are distinguished and compared with deposits obtained in flume studies published in the literature. Type 1 is made of an ungraded clayey silt layer issued from a cohesive flow. Type 2 is composed of a partially graded clayey sand layer overlain by a mud cap, attributed to a transitional flow. Type 3 corresponds to a graded clayey sand layer overlain by a mud cap issued from a turbulence-dominated flow. While the published experimental studies show that turbulence is damped by cohesion for low clay content, type 3 deposits of this study show evidence for a turbulence dominated mechanism despite their high clay content. This divergence may in part relate to input variables such as water chemistry and clay mineralogy that are not routinely considered in experimental studies. Furthermore, the large sedimentological variety observed in the turbidites from one coring site to another is related to the evolution of a sediment flow within a field scale basin made of a complex physiography that cannot be tackled by flume experiments.

  19. Investigating the settling dynamics of cohesive silt particles with particle-resolving simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Rui; Xiao, Heng; Sun, Honglei

    2018-01-01

    The settling of cohesive sediment is ubiquitous in aquatic environments, and the study of the settling process is important for both engineering and environmental reasons. In the settling process, the silt particles show behaviors that are different from non-cohesive particles due to the influence of inter-particle cohesive force. For instance, the flocs formed in the settling process of cohesive silt can loosen the packing, and thus the structural densities of cohesive silt beds are much smaller than that of non-cohesive sand beds. While there is a consensus that cohesive behaviors depend on the characteristics of sediment particles (e.g., Bond number, particle size distribution), little is known about the exact influence of these characteristics on the cohesive behaviors. In addition, since the cohesive behaviors of the silt are caused by the inter-particle cohesive forces, the motions of and the contacts among silt particles should be resolved to study these cohesive behaviors in the settling process. However, studies of the cohesive behaviors of silt particles in the settling process based on particle-resolving approach are still lacking. In the present work, three-dimensional settling process is investigated numerically by using CFD-DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method). The inter-particle collision force, the van der Waals force, and the fluid-particle interaction forces are considered. The numerical model is used to simulate the hindered settling process of silt based on the experimental setup in the literature. The results obtained in the simulations, including the structural densities of the beds, the characteristic lines, and the particle terminal velocity, are in good agreement with the experimental observations in the literature. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that the influences of non-dimensional Bond number and particle polydispersity on the structural densities of silt beds have been investigated separately

  20. Long-term continuous acoustical suspended-sediment measurements in rivers - Theory, application, bias, and error

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topping, David J.; Wright, Scott A.

    2016-05-04

    It is commonly recognized that suspended-sediment concentrations in rivers can change rapidly in time and independently of water discharge during important sediment‑transporting events (for example, during floods); thus, suspended-sediment measurements at closely spaced time intervals are necessary to characterize suspended‑sediment loads. Because the manual collection of sufficient numbers of suspended-sediment samples required to characterize this variability is often time and cost prohibitive, several “surrogate” techniques have been developed for in situ measurements of properties related to suspended-sediment characteristics (for example, turbidity, laser-diffraction, acoustics). Herein, we present a new physically based method for the simultaneous measurement of suspended-silt-and-clay concentration, suspended-sand concentration, and suspended‑sand median grain size in rivers, using multi‑frequency arrays of single-frequency side‑looking acoustic-Doppler profilers. The method is strongly grounded in the extensive scientific literature on the incoherent scattering of sound by random suspensions of small particles. In particular, the method takes advantage of theory that relates acoustic frequency, acoustic attenuation, acoustic backscatter, suspended-sediment concentration, and suspended-sediment grain-size distribution. We develop the theory and methods, and demonstrate the application of the method at six study sites on the Colorado River and Rio Grande, where large numbers of suspended-sediment samples have been collected concurrently with acoustic attenuation and backscatter measurements over many years. The method produces acoustical measurements of suspended-silt-and-clay and suspended-sand concentration (in units of mg/L), and acoustical measurements of suspended-sand median grain size (in units of mm) that are generally in good to excellent agreement with concurrent physical measurements of these quantities in the river cross sections at

  1. Evaluating process origins of sand-dominated fluvial stratigraphy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlin, E.; Hajek, E. A.

    2015-12-01

    Sand-dominated fluvial stratigraphy is often interpreted as indicating times of relatively slow subsidence because of the assumption that fine sediment (silt and clay) is reworked or bypassed during periods of low accommodation. However, sand-dominated successions may instead represent proximal, coarse-grained reaches of paleo-river basins and/or fluvial systems with a sandy sediment supply. Differentiating between these cases is critical for accurately interpreting mass-extraction profiles, basin-subsidence rates, and paleo-river avulsion and migration behavior from ancient fluvial deposits. We explore the degree to which sand-rich accumulations reflect supply-driven progradation or accommodation-limited reworking, by re-evaluating the Castlegate Sandstone (Utah, USA) and the upper Williams Fork Formation (Colorado, USA) - two Upper Cretaceous sandy fluvial deposits previously interpreted as having formed during periods of relatively low accommodation. Both units comprise amalgamated channel and bar deposits with minor intra-channel and overbank mudstones. To constrain relative reworking, we quantify the preservation of bar deposits in each unit using detailed facies and channel-deposit mapping, and compare bar-deposit preservation to expected preservation statistics generated with object-based models spanning a range of boundary conditions. To estimate the grain-size distribution of paleo-sediment input, we leverage results of experimental work that shows both bed-material deposits and accumulations on the downstream side of bars ("interbar fines") sample suspended and wash loads of active flows. We measure grain-size distributions of bar deposits and interbar fines to reconstruct the relative sandiness of paleo-sediment supplies for both systems. By using these novel approaches to test whether sand-rich fluvial deposits reflect river systems with accommodation-limited reworking and/or particularly sand-rich sediment loads, we can gain insight into large

  2. A mechanistic study of the uniform corrosion of copper in compacted clay-sand soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Litke, C.D.; Ryan, S.R.; King, F.

    1992-08-01

    The results of a study of the mechanism of uniform corrosion of copper under simulated nuclear fuel waste disposal conditions are presented. Evidence is given that suggests that the rate-controlling process is the transport of copper corrosion products away from the corroding surface. In the experiments described here, the copper diffused through a column of compacted clay-sand buffer. The properties of the buffer material, especially its ability to sorb copper species, are significant in determining the rate of uniform corrosion of copper. The evidence that copper diffusion is rate-controlling stems from the effect of γ-radiation on the tests. In the presence of γ-radiation, copper diffused farther along the column of compacted buffer material than in the unirradiated tests, but the corrosion rate was lower. These two effects can be best explained in terms of a slow copper-diffusion process. Irradiation is thought to reduce the extent of sorption of copper by the clay component of the buffer. This results in a more mobile copper species and a smaller interfacial flux of copper (i.e., a lower corrosion rate)

  3. Sugarcane Yield Response to Furrow-Applied Organic Amendments on Sand Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Mabry McCray

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Organic amendments have been shown to increase sugarcane yield on sand soils in Florida. These soils have very low water and nutrient-holding capacities because of the low content of organic matter, silt, and clay. Because of high costs associated with broadcast application, this field study was conducted to determine sugarcane yield response to furrow application of two organic amendments on sand soils. One experiment compared broadcast application (226 m3 ha−1 of mill mud and yard waste compost, furrow application (14, 28, and 56 m3 ha−1 of these materials, and no amendment. Another experiment compared furrow applications (28 and 56 m3 ha−1 of mill mud and yard waste compost with no amendment. There were significant yield (t sucrose ha−1 responses to broadcast and furrow-applied mill mud but responses to furrow applications were not consistent across sites. There were no significant yield responses to yard waste compost suggesting that higher rates or repeated applications of this amendment will be required to achieve results comparable to mill mud. Results also suggest that enhancing water and nutrient availability in the entire volume of the root zone with broadcast incorporation of organic amendments is the more effective approach for low organic matter sands.

  4. Total Stem and Merchantable Volume Equations of Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L. Karst. Growing on Former Farmland in Sweden

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tord Johansson

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available An equation was constructed to estimate the stem volume of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L. Karst. in 145 stands growing on former farmland in Sweden (Latitude 56–63° N. The mean total age was 40 ± 13 (range 17–91 years, the mean diameter at breast height (ob was 15 ± 4 (range 5–27 cm and the mean density was 1621 ± 902 (range 100–7600 stems ha−1. The equation which fits the data best used the diameter at breast height and total stem height as predictive variables. Merchantable volume equations for the estimation of commercial volume for any top diameter and bole length were developed. Soil types in the stands were sediments (coarse sand, fine sand and silt and heavy, medium and light clay, tills (sandy, fine sandy and silty and peat. The standing volume was calculated; the mean was 253 ± 103 (range 26–507 m3 ha−1 with a MAI (mean annual increment of 6.9±3.5 (range 1.3–16.7 m3 ha−1 year−1. There were statistically significant differences between MAI and coarse sand, sand and silt, light clay, peat and silty till soils. Spruce stands growing on silty tills had the lowest MAI (4.94 ± 2.27 m3 ha−1 year−1 and light clay, fine sand and silt and peat the highest (7.62 ± 4.24, 7.46 ± 3.33 and 8.67 ± 2.83 m3 ha−1 year−1.

  5. Hydrological indications of aeolian salts in mid-latitude deserts of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Hydrological indications of aeolian salts in mid-latitude deserts of northwestern China. B Q Zhu. Supplementary data. Figure S1. Photograph views of Quaternary and modern sediments of aeolian and lacustrine/fluvial facies that consisted of clay and sand/silt sand alternations in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts.

  6. The influence of clay particles on the hydraulic conductivity of sandy soils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fahmy, M.I.

    1961-01-01

    The relation between hydraulic conductivity and size of the sand particles and clay content was investigated in artificial mixtures of sand and clay and in natural soils, in four different ways in the laboratory and field.

    In the artificial mixtures coarse aggregates of illitic clay hardly

  7. Decantation time of evaluation on bentonite clays fractionation; Avaliacao do tempo de decantacao no fracionamento de argilas bentonitas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomes, J; Menezes, R R; Neves, G A; Lira, H L; Santana, L N.L., [Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), PB (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia de Materiais

    2009-07-01

    Bentonite clays present a great number of industrial uses, from petroleum to pharmaceutics and cosmetic industry. The bentonite clay present particles with very fine particles that is responsible by the vast application of these materials. However, commercial clays present wide particle size distribution and a significant content of impurities, particularly quartz, in the form of silt and fine silt. So, the aim of this work is to analyze the effect of the stirring and decantation time in the deagglomeration, purification and size separation of the bentonite clay particles from Paraiba. The clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction and particle size distribution. Based on the results it was observed the decantation time give the elimination of the agglomerates formed by submicrometric particles. The uses of decantation column give separation of the fraction below 200nm. (author)

  8. Differential erosion and the formation of layered yardangs in the Loulan region (Lop Nur), eastern Tarim Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yongchong; Xu, Lishuai; Mu, Guijin

    2018-02-01

    Yardangs are a type of wind-sculpted landform which generally form in hyper-arid regions. Several factors affect the development of yardangs, and the relative importance of these factors likely varies with differences in regional environmental factors. In the Loulan region of Lop Nur, wind dynamics are the principal factor affecting the development of yardangs. However, layered yardangs, which have undergone a unique form of differential erosion, are common in the region. These erosional landforms differ from typical yardangs which are eroded solely by abrasion and deflation. We conducted field and laboratory investigations of layered yardangs to determine their origin. The results indicate that there are two types of strata comprising the yardangs: uncompacted sand-silt layers, with a lower carbonate content; and compacted clay-silt layers, with a higher carbonate content. Both types of strata are horizontal and occur in alternating layers. This type of structure enables the wind to more easily erode the less resistant sand-silt layers at different heights, leaving the more resistant compacted clay-silt layers relatively intact. Eventually the undercut remnant clay-silt layers collapse once the weight of the suspended strata exceeds their elastic resistance (more than 90% of the fallen blocks have length/thickness ratios between 1.2 and 2.5). Therefore, in addition to wind dynamics, the lithology and structure of the strata are important factors affecting the development of the layered yardangs. This type of differential erosion accelerates the development of the yardangs in the Loulan region.

  9. Mineralogical and technology characterization of raw materials of clay used for ceramic blocks fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campos, N.Q.; Tapajos, N.S.

    2012-01-01

    In the state of Para, the red ceramic industry has several segments highly generators of jobs and a strong social appeal. With so many companies focused on this productive sector emerge, but many without any administration quality. Therefore, this study focused the technological and mineralogical characterization of the raw material used in the manufacture of ceramic blocks, by Ceramica Vermelha Company, located in the district of Inhangapi-PA. The raw material was obtained by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the present crystalline phases through an accurate and efficient procedure, where it was possible to identify the peaks relating to montmorillonite, illite and kaolinite clay in the sample, and kaolinite and quartz in the sample laterite. Another important result was the absorption of water, with average satisfactory according to the standards. According to a sieve analysis, the laterite the sand fraction showed a greater extent compared to the other, while the clay silt exceeding 80% was found to be too plastic material. The resistance to compression, the results were below the required by the standard, suggesting more accurate test methods. (author)

  10. Hydrometric characterization of the clays used in the manufacture of ceramic products in Ocaña, Norte de Santander

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Andrés García León

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Currently in Ocaña, Norte de Santander exists a great variety of natural deposits that can be used to manufacture products of masonry as they are blocks, tiles, bricks, tiles, among others; But the manufacturing companies obtain a lot of waste due to the lack of technological analysis of the raw material to forecast the behavior of the ceramic pastes and to improve the quality of the final product. Objective: In the present work the physical characterization by hydrometry of the clays used in one of the companies dedicated to the manufacture of H-10 blocks in Ocaña, Norte de Santander, was carried out. Methodology: The development of the research was carried out by performing physical tests on samples of clays with which the percentages of sands, silts, and clays were determined; Which were located in the Winkler diagram to identify the types of existing clays according to their texture and the type of product that can be made to be able to formulate a paste of ceramic material. Results: The results obtained show that the clays currently used by the company are in the minimum indexes for the elaboration of blocks, reason why the addition of other clays with which the adequate level of quality with which they comply the requirements established by current standards. Conclusions: It is indispensable to characterize the clays to optimize the production pulp and to avoid imperfections in the final product (Block H-10, thus evidently improving the environmental and economic resources of the company.

  11. Plant uptake of radionuclides and rhizosphere factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arie, Tsutomu; Gouthu, S.; Ambe, Shizuko; Yamaguchi, Isamu; Hirata, Hiroaki

    1999-01-01

    Influence of soil factors such as nuclide availability, pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and K + ), phosphate absorption coefficient (PAC), physical composition of soil (coarse sand, fine sand, silt, and clay), soil texture, and rhizosphere microbes on uptake of radionuclides by plants are studied. (author)

  12. Environmental Assessment of Proposed Mixed-Use Business Park on an Enchanced Use Lease at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    water from the local service providers; however, sanitary sewer services would be provided by GFAFB (Giltner 2013). Alternative 1 would include...utilizing the base include red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), clay - colored sparrow (Spizella pallida), and...USAF 2006a). The glacial deposits are composed of silts, clays , sand, and gravel generally 225 ft thick, comprised of approximately 95 ft of clay

  13. Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 2 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    to extensive review of official document of Abia State governments, ... Proportions of soil constituents (sand, silt, clay) are sometimes adjusted and .... painting of road median and kerbs, erosion control works, construction of roundabout and.

  14. Distribution and abundance of benthic macroorganisms in and around Visakhapatnam Harbour on the east coast of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Musale, A.S.; Desai, D.V.; Sawant, S.S.; Venkat, K.; Anil, A.C.

    seasonal shift in the occurrence and dominance of macrobenthos. During post-monsoon, Cossura coasta was dominant followed by Nephtys dibranchis and amphipods. Sediment characteristics (sand, silt and clay), organic carbon and dissolved oxygen were...

  15. 40 CFR 230.11 - Factual determinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., particularly concentrations of constituents, amount of material, type of material (sand, silt, clay, etc.) and... sanitary landfill located in waters of the U.S. Activities to be conducted on fast land created by the...

  16. Three-dimensional simulation of flow, salinity, sediment, and radionuclide movements in the Hudson River estuary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onishi, Y.; Trent, D.S.

    1985-04-01

    The three-dimensional, finite difference model, FLESCOT simulates time-varying movements of flow, turbulent kinetic energy, salinity, water temperature, sediment, and contaminants in estuarine, coastal, and ocean waters. The model was applied to a 106-km (66-mi) reach of the Hudson River estuary in New York between Chelsea and the mouth of the river. It predicted the time-varying, three-dimensional distributions of tidal flow, salinity, three separate groups of sediments (i.e., sand, silt, and clay), and a radionuclide ( 137 Cs) in both dissolved and particulate (those sorbed by sediments) forms for over 40 days. The model also calculated riverbed elevation changes caused by sediment deposition and bed erosion, bed sediment size distribution and armoring, and distributions of the particulate 137 Cs sorbed by sand, silt, and clay in the bed

  17. U.S. Geological Survey ArcMap Sediment Classification tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Malley, John

    2007-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ArcMap Sediment Classification tool is a custom toolbar that extends the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop application to aid in the analysis of seabed sediment classification. The tool uses as input either a point data layer with field attributes containing percentage of gravel, sand, silt, and clay or four raster data layers representing a percentage of sediment (0-100%) for the various sediment grain size analysis: sand, gravel, silt and clay. This tool is designed to analyze the percent of sediment at a given location and classify the sediments according to either the Folk (1954, 1974) or Shepard (1954) as modified by Schlee(1973) classification schemes. The sediment analysis tool is based upon the USGS SEDCLASS program (Poppe, et al. 2004).

  18. Desorption of Sr 89, Co 60 and Cs 134 from Suez Canal bottom sediments (Port Tawfeek Area)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Assy, N.B.; Abdel-Fattah, A.T.; El-Shinawy, R.M.K.; Essa, M.W.A.

    1986-01-01

    Chemical and physical properties of Suez Canal Bottom Sediments (S.C.B.S) and seawater at Port Tawfeek, the south entrance of Suez Canal, were studied. The (S.C.B.S) was separated into its size fractions (natural sediment, sand, silt and clay). These different sediment fractions were allowed to be in equilibrium with Strontium 89, Cobalt 60 and Cesium 134 solutions. Desorption studies were carried out on these contaminated sediments. The release of Strontium 89 and Cesium 134 was found to be identical and the sequence of this release was as follows : sand> silt> natural sediment> clay. The effect of seawater is 6-8 times that of bidistilled water. In case of Cobalt 60 the above sequence was disturbed and the salinity effect was only 2 times that of bidistilled water. It was also found that Strontium and Cobalt were more easily desorbed from the sand fraction a behaviour which can be explained by their loose attachment to the crystal surface

  19. Assessing metal contamination in recent creek sediments using fractionation technique along Mumbai coast, India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Fernandes, L.L.; Nayak, G.N.

    nitrogen) and sediment components (sand, silt, clay). A sequential extraction procedure was also applied to understand the partitioning of trace metals among the different fractions of the sediment. Together with this data, pollution indices were also...

  20. Substrate deposit effect on the characteristic of an intertidal macroalgal community

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Imchen, T.

    Present study consists the effect of substrate deposit (silt, clay, sand, gravel and shards of shells) on the characteristic of an intertidal rocky shore macroalgae Macroalgal assemblage was segregated from substrate deposit in two stages Substrate...

  1. On the origin of calcite-cemented sandstones in the clearwater formation oil-sands, Alberta

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colquhoun, I.M.

    1999-01-01

    This thesis examined the formation of calcite-cemented sandstones in the Clearwater Formation within the Cold Lake and southern Primrose areas of the Alberta oil sands. Three stages of diagenesis have been recognized, both in the calcite-cemented sandstones and reservoir sands. Diagenesis of the Clearwater Formation in the Cold Lake and southern Primrose areas ended once the reservoir filled with hydrocarbons, but in the Cold Lake area, diagenesis of water-saturated sands likely continued after hydrocarbon emplacement. The reservoir sands in the formation contain a diverse clay mineral assemblage. In general, 0.7 nm clays dominate the diagenetic clay mineralogy of the Clearwater sands. Reservoir sands that contain large amounts of detrital clays and early diagenetic, grain-coating chlorite/smectite have significantly reduced bitumen-saturation. The presence of detrital and diagenetic smectitic clays complicates the removal of bitumen from the Clearwater formation using cyclic steam stimulation techniques because they swell during steam stimulation and reduce porosity and permeability of reservoir sands. Reservoir sands that contain kaolinite, feldspar and calcite react to form smectitic clays, which swell upon cyclic steam stimulation and further reduce porosity and permeability of reservoir sands. However, in the Cold Lake and Primrose areas, the dominant clay mineral is berthierine, which is associated with high calcite, which help to preserve porosity, permeability and bitumen saturation. The porous nature of bitumen-saturated, calcite-cemented sandstones that are laterally extensive could possibly provide a preferential path for steam to initiate calcite dissolution and produce significant concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide in injected fluids. It was noted that this may then precipitate as carbonate scale within the reservoir and could cause formation damage or affect production equipment. 207 refs., 9 tabs., 58 figs., 3 appendices.

  2. Distribution and origin of sediments on the northern Sunda Shelf, South China Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shi-Guo; Wong, H. K.; Luo, You-Lang; Liang, Zhi-Rong

    1999-03-01

    Seventy-seven surface sediment samples and core samples from the outer Sunda Shelf were analyzed and a number of seismic profiles of the shelf were interpreted. The bottom sediments could be divided into six types: terrigenous sand, biogenic sand, silt-sand, clay-silt-sand, clayey silt and coral reef detritus. Our seismic data showed a thick, prograding Pleistocene deltaic sequence near the shelf-break and a thin Holocene sedimentary layer on the outer shelf. Eleven thermoluminescence (TL) ages were determined. The oldest relict sediments were derived from Late Pleistocene deposits. Based on sediment types, ages, and origins, five sedimentary areas were identified: area of modern Mekong sediments; insular shelf area receiving modern sediments from small Borneo rivers; shelf area near the Natuna-Anambas islands in the southeastern Gulf of Thailand Basin off the Malay Peninsula; area of relict sediments on the outer shelf north of the Natuna Islands, and typical coral reefs and detritus sediments.

  3. Plant uptake of radionuclides and rhizosphere factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arie, Tsutomu; Gouthu, S.; Ambe, Shizuko; Yamaguchi, Isamu [Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Wako, Saitama (Japan); Hirata, Hiroaki

    1999-03-01

    Influence of soil factors such as nuclide availability, pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Ca{sup 2+}, Mg{sup 2+}, and K{sup +}), phosphate absorption coefficient (PAC), physical composition of soil (coarse sand, fine sand, silt, and clay), soil texture, and rhizosphere microbes on uptake of radionuclides by plants are studied. (author)

  4. 10Be in desert sands, falling dust and loess in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, C.D.; Beer, J.; Kubik, P.W.; Sun, W.D.; Liu, T.S.; Liu, K.X.

    2010-01-01

    Cosmogenic 10 Be is produced in the atmosphere, and deposits onto the surface of the earth mainly through wet precipitation and dust. Based on the analysis of 10 Be in Chinese loess, we believe that 10 Be in loess is composed of two components: locally precipitated atmospheric 10 Be, and windblown 10 Be adsorbed on the surface of silt grains. On the Loess Plateau, 10 Be concentrations in loess and paleosol range from (1.4 to 2.8) x 10 8 atoms/g and (2.7 to 4.5) x 10 8 atoms/g, respectively. To investigate the sources of 10 Be in loess, we measured 10 Be in sand grains from deserts in western China and falling dust from the deposition regions. The results show that the 10 Be concentrations in sand and dust are (1.1-5.1) x 10 7 atoms/g and (1.3-2.8) x 10 8 atoms/g, respectively. Loess and paleosol on the Loess Plateau both contain inherited 10 Be adsorbed on silt grains from dust; most of the windblown deposited loess materials do not directly come from the Gobi and other sand deserts, but mainly from the loess-desert transitional zones, which are characterized by silt and dust holding areas.

  5. Comparative study of organophilic clays to be used in the gas and petrol industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, S.C.G.; Queiroz, M.B.; Rodrigues, M.G.F.; Pereira, K.R.O.; Valenzuella- Diaz, F.R.

    2009-01-01

    The mixture oil/water occurs in the operations of production, transportation and refining, as well as during the use of its derivatives in the petroleum industry. This kind of water turns into a problem of how to be purified, and how to improve its quality. Researchers have been developed in order to find out water/oil separation processes that will be cheaper and more effective. One of the processes has been the use of organophilic clay utilized as a solver. This project studied two organophilic clays, Brasgel clay PA (sodic activated) and silt clay, which passed through a process of cation exchange with quaternary salt of ammonium cethyltrimethylammonium bromide by direct method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Foster's swelling in petroleum derivative. Foster's swelling was carried out with and without agitation in gasoline, diesel, toluene and lubricating oil. The results indicated the samples was organophilic materials, with improved efficiency of Brasgel clay in gasoline and diesel and when compared to silt clay in the test of capacity for adsorption and Foster's swelling, the results were similar to kerosene and lubricating oil. (author)

  6. Geological Investigations on Boulder-Clay of E. Groningen

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gijzel, van P.; Overweel, C.J.; Veenstra, H.J.

    1959-01-01

    In this article the results of a study on boulder-clay in the neighbourhood of Winschoten (N.E. Netherlands) are communicated (Chapter I). The underlying sediments of the boulder-clay in this area consist of fine preglacial sands and black clay. In the nuclei of the many drumlins a strongly

  7. Improving the geotechnical behavior of sand through cohesive admixtures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohie eldin Mohamed Afify Elmashad

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Irrigation projects in Egypt have been facing tremendous challenges, mostly is the scarcity of irrigation water. The current research presents the effect of different cohesive admixture on the conductivity of siliceous sand in general and its other geotechnical properties. Two different types of conventional swelling clay from (Toshka, 6th of October as well as bentonite were used to construct the irrigation canals and embankment. The results indicated that increase in the plasticity properties of the treated soil also decrease the permeability and infiltration. Moreover, the dry density of 2.08 t/m3 was obtained from sand and 20% 6th of October mixture, also the CBR of 31.20% were obtained from sand and 8% 6th of October mixture. Increasing the bentonite ratio increases the cohesion and decreasing the permeability. The swelling ratios of sand 6th of October Clay mixture is equal to 0.28%, and the fictitious stress at which the swelling ratio is nil, is equal to 16 kPa. Keywords: Sand, Swelling clay, Bentonite, Compaction test, Consolidation test, Triaxial test

  8. Physicochemical Characteristics of Soil from Selected Solid Waste ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ADOWIE PERE

    size distribution indicated an average of 83% sand, 11% clay and 5% silt, while the soil ... of his food, including water and even the air he ... wrong applications, utilization and consumption ... from municipal, domestic and industrial sources and.

  9. Lithostratigraphy and radiocarbon dates of the Akunoura-oki core from Nagasaki bay, western Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshikawa, Shusaku; Tsujimoto, Akira; Murakami, Akiko; Mitamura, Muneki; Nagaoka, Shinji; Yamazaki, Hideo

    2008-01-01

    The latest Pleistocene to Holocene deposits are distributed in Nagasaki Bay and its surrounding area. In this study, sedimentary facies and radiocarbon dates of the Akunoura-oki core were analyzed for clarifying lithostratigraphy and depositional environments of Nagasaki Bay in the Holocene. The depositional environments inferred from the core succession are as follows: The lower sandy silt and clay (Unit 1), 3.55 m thick, are estuary deposits showing rapid deposition (about 19 mm/yr); the middle gravelly sand and sand (Unit 2), 0.60 m thick, are sandy tidal-sandbar deposits, and deposited extremely slowly (about 0.1 mm/yr) during rapid rising stage of sea-level; the upper clay and silt (Unit 3), 5.32 m thick, are inner bay deposits of slow deposition (about 1.3 mm/yr) during a persistent highstand in sea-level. (author)

  10. Identification of discontinuous sand pulses on the bed of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, E. R.; Grams, P. E.; Buscombe, D.; Topping, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    Decades of research on alluvial sandbars and sand transport on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon has contributed to in-depth understanding of the sand budget and lead to management actions designed to rebuild eroded sandbars. However, some basic, but difficult to address, questions about the processes and rates of sand movement through the system still limit our ability to predict geomorphic responses. The coarse fraction of the bed is heterogeneous and varies among boulders, cobble, gravel, and bedrock. Sand covers these substrates in patches of variable size and thickness, fills interstices to varying degrees, and forms mixed sand/coarse bed configurations such as linear stripes. Understanding the locations of sand accumulation, the quantities of sand contained in those locations, and the processes by which sand is exchanged among depositional locations is needed to predict the morphological response of sandbars to management actions, such as the controlled flood releases, and to predict whether sandbars are likely to increase or decrease in size over long (i.e. decadal) time periods. Here, we present evidence for the downstream translation of the sand component of tributary sediment inputs as discontinuous sand pulses. The silt and clay (mud) fraction of sediment introduced episodically by seasonal floods from tributary streams is transported entirely in suspension and moves through the 400 km series of canyons in a few days. The sand fraction of this sediment, which is transported on the bed and in suspension, moves downstream in sand pulses that we estimate range in length from a few km to tens of km. Owing to the complex geomorphic organization, the sand pulses are not detectable as coherent bed features; each individual sand pulse is comprised of many isolated storage locations, separated by rapids and riffles where sand cover is sparse. The presence of the sand pulses is inferred by the existence of alternating segments of sand accumulation and depletion

  11. Recolonization of macrofauna in unpolluted sands placed in a polluted yachting harbour: A field approach using experimental trays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra-García, J. M.; García-Gómez, J. C.

    2009-01-01

    A field experiment using trays was conducted at Ceuta's yachting harbour, North Africa, to study the effect in recolonization of placing trays with unpolluted defaunate sediments (fine and gross sands with low contents of organic matter) inside an enclosed yachting harbour characterized by high percentages of silt and clay and high concentrations of organic matter. Sediment recolonization in the trays was mainly undertaken by the species living naturally at the yachting harbour, which recolonized both uncontaminated gross and fine sand trays (such as the crustaceans Corophium runcicorne, Corophium sextonae and Nebalia bipes, the mollusc Parvicardium exiguum and the polychaete Pseudomalacoceros tridentata). However, other species like the polychaetes Cirriformia tentaculata and Platynereis dumerilii, although also abundant in the yachting harbour, were unable to colonize the trays through transport of larvae and/or adults in the water column. The recolonization was very quick, and after the first month, the values of abundance, species richness, diversity and evenness were similar in the experimental trays and in the reference area (yachting harbour). Although the multivariate analysis showed that the species composition differed between the trays and the reference area, there were no significant differences in recolonization of gross and fine sands, indicating that other factors different from the granulometry are modulating the recolonization patterns.

  12. Acoustic characterization of seafloor habitats on the western continental shelf of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Chakraborty, B.; Mahale, V.; Navelkar, G.S.; Rao, B.R.; Desai, R.G.P.; Ingole, B.S.; Janakiraman, G.

    were analysed by pipette methods (Folk, 1968) for grain-size information in terms of sand, silt, and clay percentages, and the calcium carbonate content was determined using a Karbonate bomb (Table 1). Analyses of benthic habitats were carried out...

  13. Acid rock drainage passive remediation using alkaline clay: Hydro-geochemical study and impacts of vegetation and sand on remediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plaza, Fernando; Wen, Yipei; Liang, Xu

    2018-10-01

    Acid rock drainage (ARD) is one of the most adverse environmental problems of the mine industry, especially in regions with an abundance of coal refuse (CR) deposits (e.g. the Northern Appalachian Coalfield in the USA) where surface and ground waters are affected by this pollution due to the acidity and high content of sulfates and heavy metals. This study explores the effectiveness of the ARD passive remediation method using alkaline clay (AC) through a series of static and long-term kinetic laboratory experiments (over three years) complemented with field measurements and geochemical modeling. Two important issues associated with this passive and auto-sustainable ARD remediation method were investigated: 1) the hydrogeochemical study of the mixture in terms of the percentages of AC and CR, and, 2) impacts of vegetation cover and a saturated sand barrier on the remediation. Both the field measurements and the samples used for the experiments came from a local coal waste site. Through the analysis of the field measurements and the outcome of the laboratory experiments and the geochemical modeling, alkaline clay proved to be an effective remediation material for ARD, in terms of achieving a neutral pH in the leachate and immobilization of sulfate and metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Co. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the use of vegetation and a saturated sand barrier are beneficial. Vegetation acted as a phytoaccumulation/phytoextraction agent, causing an additional immobilization of metals. The saturated sand barrier blocked downward the oxygen and water diffusion, reducing pyrite oxidation rates. The proposed remediation approach ensures that the acidity consumption will likely occur before all the alkalinity is exhausted. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Late Quaternary changes in depositional processes along the western margin of the Indus Fan

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Govil, P.; Naidu, P.D.

    of coarse-grained sediments composed mostly of sand and silt. The sediments deposited from 375 ka to the present day comprise a pelagic sequence, consisting of pelagic material and clay. The major turbidity flow between 375 and 525 ka resulted...

  15. Feeding efficiency of Penaeus indicus and Metapenaeus dobsoni in different experimental substrata

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Devi, C.B.L.; Balasubramanian, T.; Iyer, H.K.; Kutty, M.K.

    Preying efficiency in the substrata of different concentrations of mud sand, silt and clay and also in mud from natural habitat was examined with respect to Penaeus indicus and Metapenaeus dobsoni in order to understand the factors in their natural...

  16. Treatment and conditioning of radioactive waste solution by natural clay minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Dessouky, M.I.; El-Massry, E.H.; Khalifa, S.M.; Aly, H.F.

    1999-01-01

    Natural inorganic exchangers. Was used to remove caesium, cobalt and europium using zinc sulfate as coagulant also different clay minerals. These calys include, feldrspare, aswanly, bentionite, hematite, mud, calcite, basalt, magnetite, kaoline sand stone, limonite and sand. The factros affecting the removal process namely PH, particle size, temperature and weight of the clay have been studied. Highest removal for Cs-137, Co-60 and Eu-152 and 154 was achived by asswanly and bentonite. Sand stone is more effective than the other clays. Removal of Cs-137 from low level waste solution is in the order the sequence, aswanly (85.5%)> bentonite (82.2%)> sandstone (65.4%). Solidified cement products have been evaluated to determine optimum conditions of mixing most sludges contained clays by testing mechanical strength and leaching rates of the waste products. The solidified waste forms were found more acceptable for handing, storage and ultimate disposal

  17. Sedimentological and geochemical investigations to understand source of sediments and processes of recent past in Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, Shabnam; Tiwari, Anoop Kumar; Nayak, G. N.; Bejugam, Purnima

    2018-03-01

    Three sediment cores collected from GL-1, V-1(Vetehiya) and L-6 lakes of Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica were studied for sediment components (sand, silt, clay, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, TOC/TN ratio and biogenic silica), major elements (Aluminium, Iron and Manganese) and trace metals (Chromium, Zinc, Lead, Cobalt, Cadmium and Nickel). High sand content in all the three cores revealed the release of coarser sediments through mechanical weathering in fluvio-glacial environment. Relatively, high biogenic silica along with high total organic carbon associated with high clay in some sections indicated high primary productivity due to the warming and exposure of the lakes to the ice-melt water influx. TOC/TN ratio for all the cores was found to be < 10 which indicated that the major source of organic matter was autochthonous. Metals were found to be strongly associated with clay and organic carbon in core V-1, with sand and clay in core L-6 while, with silt and organic matter in core GL-1 indicating their role in regulating the distribution of metals. Cadmium in lake GL-1 was found to be associated with total organic carbon and showed largely biogenic origin, while, Cd and Pb in lakes L-6 and V-1 were found to be of anthropogenic origin. All the other metals showed signatures of lithogenic origin.

  18. Factors influencing the natural regeneration of the pioneering shrub Calligonum mongolicum in sand dune stabilization plantations in arid deserts of northwest China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Baoli; McHugh, Allen David; Guo, Shujiang; Ma, Quanlin; Zhang, Jianhui; Zhang, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Weixing; Du, Juan; Yu, Qiushi; Zhao, Changming

    2018-03-01

    Calligonum mongolicum is a successful pioneer shrub to combat desertification, which is widely used for vegetation restoration in the desert regions of northwest China. In order to reveal the limitations to natural regeneration of C. mongolicum by asexual and sexual reproduction, following the process of sand dune stabilization, we assessed clonal shoots, seedling emergence, soil seed bank density, and soil physical characteristics in mobile and stabilized sand dunes. Controlled field and pot experiments were also conducted to assess germination and seedling emergence in different dune soil types and seed burial depths. The population density of mature C. mongolicum was significantly different after sand dune stabilization. Juvenile density of C. mongolicm was much lower in stabilized sand dunes than mobile sand dune. There was no significant difference in soil seed bank density at three soil depths between mobile and stabilized sand dunes, while the emergence of seedlings in stabilized dunes was much lower than emergence in mobile dunes. There was no clonal propagation found in stabilized dunes, and very few C. mongolicum seedlings were established on stabilized sand dunes. Soil clay and silt content, air-filled porosity, and soil surface compaction were significantly changed from mobile sand dune to stabilized dunes. Seedling emergence of C. mongolicm was highly dependent on soil physical condition. These results indicated that changes in soil physical condition limited clonal propagation and seedling emergence of C. mongolicum in stabilized sand dunes. Seed bank density was not a limiting factor; however, poor seedling establishment limited C. mongolicum's further natural regeneration in stabilized sand dunes. Therefore, clonal propagation may be the most important mode for population expansion in mobile sand dunes. As a pioneer species C. mongolicum is well adapted to propagate in mobile sand dune conditions, it appears unlikely to survive naturally in

  19. Microbial assimilation of 14C of ground and unground plant materials decomposing in a loamy sand and a clay soil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, P.; Ladd, J.N.; Amato, M.

    1996-01-01

    The influence of grinding plant materials on the microbial decomposition and the distribution of plant-derived carbon in soil was measured. Ground and unground, C-14-labelled subclover leaves (Trifolium subterraneum) were added to a loamy sand and clay soil and incubated for 42 d at 25 degrees C....

  20. A Visual Basic program to plot sediment grain-size data on ternary diagrams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poppe, L.J.; Eliason, A.H.

    2008-01-01

    Sedimentologic datasets are typically large and compiled into tables or databases, but pure numerical information can be difficult to understand and interpret. Thus, scientists commonly use graphical representations to reduce complexities, recognize trends and patterns in the data, and develop hypotheses. Of the graphical techniques, one of the most common methods used by sedimentologists is to plot the basic gravel, sand, silt, and clay percentages on equilateral triangular diagrams. This means of presenting data is simple and facilitates rapid classification of sediments and comparison of samples.The original classification scheme developed by Shepard (1954) used a single ternary diagram with sand, silt, and clay in the corners and 10 categories to graphically show the relative proportions among these three grades within a sample. This scheme, however, did not allow for sediments with significant amounts of gravel. Therefore, Shepard's classification scheme was later modified by the addition of a second ternary diagram with two categories to account for gravel and gravelly sediment (Schlee, 1973). The system devised by Folk (1954, 1974)\\ is also based on two triangular diagrams, but it has 21 categories and uses the term mud (defined as silt plus clay). Patterns within the triangles of both systems differ, as does the emphasis placed on gravel. For example, in the system described by Shepard, gravelly sediments have more than 10% gravel; in Folk's system, slightly gravelly sediments have as little as 0.01% gravel. Folk's classification scheme stresses gravel because its concentration is a function of the highest current velocity at the time of deposition as is the maximum grain size of the detritus that is available; Shepard's classification scheme emphasizes the ratios of sand, silt, and clay because they reflect sorting and reworking (Poppe et al., 2005).The program described herein (SEDPLOT) generates verbal equivalents and ternary diagrams to

  1. Remagnetization and Cementation of Unconsolidated Sediments in the Mallik 5L-38 Well (Canadian Arctic) by Solute Exclusion During Gas Hydrate Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, T. S.; Enkin, R. J.; Esteban, L.

    2007-05-01

    Bulk magnetic properties provide a sensitive measure of sedimentary diagenesis related to the stability and growth of gas hydrates. The deposit at Mallik (Mackenzie Delta, Canadian Arctic) occurs in unconsolidated Tertiary sands, but is absent in interstratified silt layers. A detailed sampling of the JAPEX/JNOC/GSC Mallik 5L-38 core tested the use of magnetic properties for detecting diagenetic changes related to the hydrate. Petrographic studies reveal that the sands are well sorted and clean, with quartz > chert >> muscovite and little fines content. Excepting a few rare bands of indurated dolomite in the midst of the gas hydrate zone, there is little or no cementation in the sands. Detrital magnetite is the dominant magnetic mineral, comprising up to a few percent of the sand grain population. In contrast, the muddier layers have a somewhat different detrital grain composition, richer in lithic (sedimentary and metamorphic) grains, feldspar, and clays. They are extensively diagenetically altered (to as much as 30- 40%) and cemented with carbonates, clays, chlorite and the iron sulphide greigite (the dominant magnetic mineral). The greigite is recognized by its isotropic creamy-white reflectance, cubic to prismatic habit, and characteristic tarnish to faintly bluish bireflectant mackinawite. Habits range from disseminated cubes and colliform masses to inflationary massive sulphide veins and clots. Rare detrital grains of magnetite were observed among the silt grains, but never in a reaction relationship or overgrown. Instead the greigite has nucleated separately, in tensional fractures and granular masses up to 4 mm across. In this particular sediment sequence, being so quartz and chert rich, there is insufficient local source for the introduced cements (calcite, dolomite, greigite, clays, jarosite), so ions must have been introduced by fluid flow. Magnetic studies reveal a bi-modal character related to the lithology (sands versus silts) and their magnetic

  2. Effects of sand compaction pile (SCP) driving on the strength of clay outside the improved area; Sand compaction pile no dasetsu ga jiban kairyo ikigai no nendo jiban no kyodo ni oyobosu eikyo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuda, H. [Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi (Japan); Takahashi, S. [Ministry of Transport, Tokyo (Japan); Fujiwara, K. [Penta-Ocean Construction Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Kitayama, N. [Fukken Co. Ltd., Hiroshima (Japan)

    1998-06-21

    This paper describes effects of the disturbance by the sand compaction pile (SCP) driving operations on the shear strength of clay outside the improved area and the border of region affected by the SCP driving. About 1,400 soil specimens were taken before and after the SCP driving inside and outside the improved area during the foundation improvement at Tokuyama-Shimomatsu Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Soil test data of the specimens and strength characteristics of disturbed clay specimens were investigated through the laboratory experiments. The results obtained are as follows. According to the multi-directional simple shear test results, the shear strength immediately after the cyclic shear decreased in 10 to 30% compared with that before the cyclic shear. When recompaction was conducted before the cyclic shear, however, it increased in 50% compared with that before the cyclic shear. The strength of clay decreased by the SCP driving even outside the improved area. When the internal frictional angle of clay, friction coefficient of the improved boundary and driving depth of SCP were determined, it was possible to estimate an area affected by the SCP driving using a combined sliding plane. 21 refs., 18 figs.

  3. Fuel consumption of tractor for different soil types in semi-arid regions; Consumo de combustivel de um trator agricola para diferentes tipos de solo em regioes semi-aridas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montanha, Gustavo K. [Universidade Estadual Paulista (FAC/UNESP), Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Fac. de Ciencias Agronomicas. Dept. de Engenharia Rural], E-mail: gmontanha@fca.unesp.br; Guerra, Saulo P.S. [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Gestao e Tecnologia Agroindustrial; Andrade-Sanchez, Pedro; Heun, John [The University of Arizona, Maricopa, AZ (United States); Monteiro, Leonardo A. [The University of Arizona (MAC/UA), Maricopa, AZ (United States). Maricopa Agricultural Center

    2010-07-01

    The appropriate use of agricultural machinery enables greater operational efficiency and higher productivity for the farmer. Some factors such as soil type can influence the fuel consumption, one of the biggest costs. This study aimed to compare the fuel consumption of a tractor operating in two different conditions of soil in semi-arid regions. The area used for testing is located in the city of Maricopa, in Arizona, belonging to 'The University of Arizona'. The area 1 is classified as sandy clay loam soil (52% sand, 35% clay, 13% silt). The area 2 is classified as a sandy loam soil (71% sand, 12% clay and 17% silt). The tractor 4 x 2 TDA, with 88 kw (120 hp) engine power equipped with auto pilot system and an implement for tillage were used in the experiment. A data acquisition system was installed in the tractor to collect the data generated by the GPS and fuel consumption sensor. The results showed significant statistical difference in fuel consumption between soil textures. (author)

  4. The aeolian sedimentation record of the Thar desert

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    the monsoon activity in the Thar varied significantly, from being minimal during the isotopic marine stages 4 and 2 ... oped over millennial scale and more, and that the aeolian ..... silt-and-clay-rich horizons within the aeolian sand units, with a ...

  5. Complex resistivity signatures of ethanol in sand-clay mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Personna, Yves Robert; Slater, Lee; Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios; Werkema, Dale D.; Szabo, Zoltan

    2013-01-01

    We performed complex resistivity (CR) measurements on laboratory columns to investigate changes in electrical properties as a result of varying ethanol (EtOH) concentration (0% to 30% v/v) in a sand–clay (bentonite) matrix. We applied Debye decomposition, a phenomenological model commonly used to fit CR data, to determine model parameters (time constant: τ, chargeability: m, and normalized chargeability: mn). The CR data showed a significant (P ≤ 0.001) time-dependent variation in the clay driven polarization response (~ 12 mrad) for 0% EtOH concentration. This temporal variation probably results from the clay–water reaction kinetics trending towards equilibrium in the sand–clay–water system. The clay polarization is significantly suppressed (P ≤ 0.001) for both measured phase (ϕ) and imaginary conductivity (σ″) with increasing EtOH concentration. Normalized chargeability consistently decreases (by up to a factor of ~ 2) as EtOH concentration increases from 0% to 10% and 10 to 20%, respectively. We propose that such suppression effects are associated with alterations in the electrical double layer (EDL) at the clay–fluid interface due to (a) strong EtOH adsorption on clay, and (b) complex intermolecular EtOH–water interactions and subsequent changes in ionic mobility on the surface in the EDL. Changes in the CR data following a change of the saturating fluid from EtOH 20% to plain water indicate strong hysteresis effects in the electrical response, which we attribute to persistent EtOH adsorption on clay. Our results demonstrate high sensitivity of CR measurements to clay–EtOH interactions in porous media, indicating the potential application of this technique for characterization and monitoring of ethanol contamination in sediments containing clays.

  6. Critical State of Sand Matrix Soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marto, Aminaton; Tan, Choy Soon; Makhtar, Ahmad Mahir; Kung Leong, Tiong

    2014-01-01

    The Critical State Soil Mechanic (CSSM) is a globally recognised framework while the critical states for sand and clay are both well established. Nevertheless, the development of the critical state of sand matrix soils is lacking. This paper discusses the development of critical state lines and corresponding critical state parameters for the investigated material, sand matrix soils using sand-kaolin mixtures. The output of this paper can be used as an interpretation framework for the research on liquefaction susceptibility of sand matrix soils in the future. The strain controlled triaxial test apparatus was used to provide the monotonic loading onto the reconstituted soil specimens. All tested soils were subjected to isotropic consolidation and sheared under undrained condition until critical state was ascertain. Based on the results of 32 test specimens, the critical state lines for eight different sand matrix soils were developed together with the corresponding values of critical state parameters, M, λ, and Γ. The range of the value of M, λ, and Γ is 0.803–0.998, 0.144–0.248, and 1.727–2.279, respectively. These values are comparable to the critical state parameters of river sand and kaolin clay. However, the relationship between fines percentages and these critical state parameters is too scattered to be correlated. PMID:24757417

  7. Adsorption of zinc and lead on clay minerals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarína Jablonovská

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Clays (especially bentonite, zeolite and quartz sand are widely used as landfill barriers to prevent contamination of subsoil and groundwater by leachates containing heavy metals. The sorption of zinc and lead on these clays was studied as a function of time and it was found that the initial 1 h our was sufficient to exchange most of the metal ions. The retention efficiency of clay samples of Zn2+ and Pb2+ follows the order of bentonite > zeolite> quartz sand. Whatever the clay sample, lead is retained more than zinc. The concentration of elements in the solution was followed by atomic adsorption spectrofotometry. Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus, previously isolated from the kaoline deposit Horna Prievrana was added into the clay samples to comparise the accumulation of Zn2+ and Pb2+ from the model solution. The study of heavy metal adsorption capacity of bacteria- enriched clay adsorbent showed a high retention efficiency for lead ions as comparised with zinc ions. Biosorption is considered a potential instrument for the removal of metals from waste solutions and for the precious metals recovery as an alternative to the conventional processes.

  8. Finite Element Barotropic Model for the Indian and Western Pacific OceanBasin: Tidal Model Data Comparisons and Sensitivities

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-11

    sediments (oozes and clays) CJ is set to 2.5x10- 3 as a default roughness. Relative sediment density s = 1.722 (dry bulk density by mass of sand , Rijn...dso and relative density s for each sediment type used in the calculation of CJ Sediment Type Gravel and coarser Sand Silt Ash and volcanic sand ...FUGAWI navigational charts allowed the tidal elevation to reach close to the measured M2 amplitude. Clearly, greater availability and quality of

  9. Sedimentological Characterization of a Deepwater Methane Hydrate Reservoir in Green Canyon 955, Northern Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meazell, K.; Flemings, P. B.

    2017-12-01

    Grain size is a controlling factor of hydrate saturation within a Pleistocene channel-levee system investigated by the UT-GOM2-1 expedition within the deepwater northern Gulf of Mexico. Laser diffraction and settling experiments conducted on sediments from 413-440 meters below the seafloor reveal the presence of two interbedded lithologic units, identified as a silty sand and a clayey silt, according Shepard's classification system. The sand-rich lithofacies has low density and high p-wave velocity, suggesting a high degree of hydrate saturation. Conversely, the clay and silt dominated lithofacies is characterized by a higher density and low p-wave velocity, suggesting low hydrate saturation. The sand-rich lithofacies is well-sorted and displays abundant ripple lamination, indicative of deposition within a high-energy environment. The clayey-silt is poorly-sorted and lacks sedimentary structures. The two lithofacies are interbedded throughout the reservoir unit; however, the relative abundance of the sand-rich lithofacies increases with depth, suggesting a potential decrease in flow energy or sediment flux over time, resulting in the most favorable reservoir properties near the base of the unit.

  10. [Effects of Long-term Implementation of the Flow-Sediment Regulation Scheme on Grain and Clay Compositions of Inshore Sediments in the Yellow River Estuary].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Miao-miao; Sun, Zhi-gao; Lu, Xiao-ning; Wang, Wei; Wang, Chuan-yuan

    2015-04-01

    Based on the laser particle size and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, 28 sediment samples collected from the inshore region of the Yellow River estuary in October 2013 were determined to discuss the influence of long-term implementation of the flow-sediment regulation scheme (FSRS, initiated in 2002) on the distributions of grain size and clay components (smectite, illite, kaolinite and chlorite) in sediments. Results showed that, after the FSRS was implemented for more than 10 years, although the proportion of sand in inshore sediments of the Yellow River estuary was higher (average value, 23.5%) than those in sediments of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow River, silt was predominated (average value, 59.1%) and clay components were relatively low (average value, 17.4%). The clay components in sediments of the inshore region in the Yellow River estuary were close with those in the Yellow River. The situation was greatly changed due to the implementation of FSRS since 2002, and the clay components were in the order of illite > smectite > chlorite > kaolinite. This study also indicated that, compared to large-scale investigation in Bohai Sea, the local study on the inshore region of the Yellow River estuary was more favorable for revealing the effects of long-term implementation of the FSRS on sedimentation environment of the Yellow River estuary.

  11. [Fractal features of soil particle size in the process of desertification in desert grassland of Ningxia, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Xin; An, Hui

    2017-10-01

    The variation of soil properties, the fractal dimension of soil particle size, and the relationships between fractal dimension of soil particle size and soil properties in the process of desertification in desert grassland of Ningxia were discussed. The results showed that the fractal dimension (D) at different desertification stages in desert grassland varied greatly, the value of D was between 1.69 and 2.62. Except for the 10-20 cm soil layer, the value of D gradually declined with increa sing desertification of desert grassland at 0-30 cm soil layer. In the process of desertification in de-sert grassland, the grassland had the highest values of D , the volume percentage of clay and silt, and the lowest values of the volume percentage of very fine sand and fine sand. However, the mobile dunes had the lowest value of D , the volume percentage of clay and silt, and the highest value of the volume percentage of very fine sand and fine sand. There was a significant positive correlation between the soil fractal dimension value and the volume percentage of soil particles 50 μm. The grain size of 50 μm was the critical value for deciding the relationship between the soil particle fractal dimension and the volume percentage. Soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) decreased gradually with increasing desertification of desert grassland, but soil bulk density increased gradually. Qualitative change from fixed dunes to semi fixed dunes with the rapid decrease of the volume percentage of clay and silt, SOM, TN and the rapid increase of volume percentage of very fine sand and fine sand, soil bulk density. Fractal dimension was significantly correlated to SOM, TN and soil bulk density. Fractal dimension 2.58 was a critical value of fixed dunes and semi fixed dunes. So, the fractal dimension of 2.58 could be taken as the desertification indicator of desert grassland.

  12. The survey and mapping of sand-boil landforms related to the Emilia 2012 earthquakes: preliminary results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Ninfo

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Sand boils, which are also known as sand blows or sand volcanoes, are among the most common superficial effects induced by high-magnitude earthquakes. These generally occur in or close to alluvial plains when a strong earthquake (M >5 strikes on a lens of saturated and unconsolidated sand deposits that are constrained between silt-clay layers [Ambraseys 1988, Carter and Seed 1988, Galli 2000, Tuttle 2001, Obermeier et al. 2005], where the sediments are converted into a fluid suspension. The liquefaction phenomena requires the presence of saturated and uncompacted sand, and a groundwater table near the ground surface. This geological–geomorphological setting is common and widespread for the Po Plain (Italy [Castiglioni et al. 1997]. The Po Plain (ca. 46,000 km2 represents 15% of the Italian territory. It hosts a population of about 20 million people (mean density of 450 people/km2 and many infrastructures. Thus, the Po Plain is an area of high vulnerability when considering the liquefaction potential in the case of a strong earthquake. Despite the potential, such phenomena are rarely observed in northern Italy [Cavallin et al. 1977, Galli 2000], because strong earthquakes are not frequent in this region; e.g., historical data report soil liquefaction near Ferrara in 1570 (M 5.3 and in Argenta 1624 (M 5.5 [Prestininzi and Romeo 2000, Galli 2000]. In the Emilia quakes of May 20 and 29, 2012, the most widespread coseismic effects were soil liquefaction and ground cracks, which occurred over wide areas in the Provinces of Modena, Ferrara, Bologna, Reggio Emilia and Mantova (Figure 1. […

  13. EFFECTS OF PLANT DENSITY AND NPK APPLICATION ON THE ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr. K.E. Law-Ogbomo

    and livestock industries. Nigeria is the ... planting density and NPK fertilizer application rate on the growth and yield of D. rotundata in ..... Clay (%). 10.90. 11.00. 22.60. Silt (%). 8.60. 11.00. 23.40. Sand (%). 80.50. 78.00 .... Institute of food and.

  14. Strength Properties of Aalborg Clay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Kirsten Malte; Nielsen, Benjaminn Nordahl; Augustesen, Anders Hust

    glacial time are characterised by the absence of this mussel. These deposits are named Aalborg Clay and Aalborg Sand. In the city of Aalborg, a fill layer superposes Aalborg Clay. This layer is at some places found to be 6m thick. This fill layer does not provide sufficient bearing capacity, which has...... resulted in many damaged buildings in Aalborg. To provide sufficient bearing capacity it is therefore necessary either to remove the fill or to construct the building on piles. Both methods imply that the strength of Aalborg Clay is important for the construction. This paper evaluates the strength...

  15. Rheology of oil sands slurries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chow, R.; Zhou, J. [Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Mineral Oil Sands Unit; Wallace, D. [Dean Wallace Consulting Inc., Beaumont, AB (Canada)

    2006-07-01

    This study focused on integrating rheology and colloid science to improve recovery of bitumen in surface mined oil sands. Factors that influence recovery, such as conditions of particle interaction, solids concentration and shear rate, were reviewed. In an effort to understand the rheological behaviour of clay-in-water suspensions, an elaborate procedure was developed to separate an inter-bedded clay layer from a site at Albian Sands Energy Inc. The variables were water chemistry, solids concentration, and shear rate. The research study was conducted at the Alberta Research Council with the support of the CONRAD Extraction Group. A controlled stress rheometer was used to provide the quantitative evaluations of the clay slurry properties. The research results indicate that the viscoelastic properties of the slurry are highly influenced by the shear history of the slurry, solids content, calcium concentration, and sample aging. Shear thinning behaviour was observed in all slurry samples, but the slurry viscosity increased with test time for a given shear rate. In order to classify the slurries, a method was developed to distinguish the gel strength. The slurries were then classified into 3 distinct patterns, including no gel, weak gel and strong gel. The evolution of the experimental protocols were described along with the current stability maps that correlate the domains of the gel strength according to the solids concentration, calcium ion content, and shear rate. It was concluded that the rheological properties of oil sands slurries influence bitumen recovery in commercial surface-mined oil sands operations. tabs., figs.

  16. Uptake study of some radionuclides by Suez Canal bottom sediment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Shinawy, R.M.K.; Abdel Fattah, A.T.; Essa, M.W.A.

    1986-01-01

    Chemical and physical analyses of Suez Canal bottom sediment at its south entrance (Port Taweffek) were carried out. The sediment was separated into its particle size fractions (clay, silt and sand). The different sediment fractions can be arranged with respect to their sorption capacity as follows: clay, natural sediment, sit and sand. The increase of pH results in small increase in the uptake reaching in some cases a maximum value of pH 6 or 8. More significant increase of uptake is observed when the carrier concentration is increased from 10 -6 to 10 -2 M/L

  17. Influence of Rice Husk Ash and Clay in Stabilization of Silty Soils Using Cement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Widjajakusuma Jack

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Soil stabilization is needed to enhance the strength of the soil. One popular method of soil stabilization is using cement. Due to the environmental issue, it is a need to reduce the application of cement and/or to replace partially the cement with other environmental-friendly compounds. One of these compounds is rice husk ash (RSA, which is agricultural wastes. The objective of this paper is to study the influence of RSA and clay as partial replacement to cement in soil stabilization of silt soil with high plasticity (MH using cement. The cement used was ordinary Portland cement, while the RHA was obtained by burning rice husk at temperature of 250°C. The MH soil is stabilized with 4% cement, 4% cement and 3% rice husk ash and 4% cement, 3 % RHA and 3 % clay. The various tests were conducted on the pure and stabilized soils. Results have indicated that application of 4% cement, 3 % RHA and 3 % clay as silt soil stabilization is more favorable in increasing soil strength and reducing brittle behaviour of soil.

  18. A new low-cost method of reclaiming mixed foundry waste sand based on wet-thermal composite reclamation

    OpenAIRE

    Fan Zitian; Liu Fuchu; Long Wei

    2014-01-01

    A lot of mixed clay-resin waste sand from large-scale iron foundries is discharged every day; so mixed waste sand reclamation in low cost and high quality has a great realistic significance. In the study to investigate the possibility of reusing two types of waste foundry sands, resin bonded sand and clay bonded sand which came from a Chinese casting factory, a new low-cost reclamation method of the mixed foundry waste sand based on the wet-thermal composite reclamation was proposed. The wast...

  19. Effect of clay content in rock on oil extraction under alkaline seam conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vezirov, D Sh; Gorbunov, A T; Kasimov, Sh A; Kashchavtsev, V E; Tairov, N D

    1978-01-01

    When oil beds are flooded with alkaline solutions, the alkaline concentration in the solution can be significantly reduced as a result of the interaction between clay and alkali. Large losses of alkali in the bed can render the flooding method ineffective. Experimental studies were conducted on porous media containing up to 25% clay at a constant permeability of 1 D in order to determine the oil extraction indices for clay-containing rock. Constant permeability is maintained by using clays, marshalite, and quartz sand in various proportions. Oil having a viscosity of 99.17 sP, and containing a large amount of surfactants, including 1.1% naphthenic acid, was extracted by fresh water and a 0.25% solution of NaOH. The extraction of oil by fresh water and NaOH solution from quartz sand indicated the advantage of using alkaline solutions. The extraction coefficient increased by 11% with the use of this method. As clay is added to the sand, the extraction coefficient decreases, and is reduced to 12.7% when the clay content reaches 25%. Nevertheless, a comparison of data obtained for quartz sand with fresh water on a porous medium containing 25% clay with an alkaline solution, indicates that the extraction coefficient is just 1.5% lower even in the presence of such a large amount of clay. Consequently, alkaline flooding should still be given preference over the usual methods under specific conditions and where the rock has a comparatively large amount of clay, in view of all the basic factors that influence the extraction process. The results obtained can be used for selecting alkaline concentration in evaluating the efficiency of flooding oil beds with alkaline solutions. 2 figures, 2 tables.

  20. Laboratory studies of dune sand for the use of construction industry in Sri Lanka

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Silva Jayawardena, Upali; Wijesuriya, Roshan; Abayaweera, Gayan; Viduranga, Tharaka

    2015-04-01

    With the increase of the annual sand demand for the construction industry the excessive excavation of river sand is becoming a serious environmental problem in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the possibility for an alternative to stop or at least to minimize river sand mining activities. Dune sand is one of the available alternative materials to be considered instead of river sand in the country. Large quantities of sand dunes occur mainly along the NW and SE coastal belt which belong to very low rainfall Dry Zone coasts. The height of dune deposits, vary from 1m to about 30 meters above sea level. The objective of this paper is to indicate some studies and facts on the dune sand deposits of Sri Lanka. Laboratory studies were carried out for visual observations and physical properties at the initial stage and then a number of tests were carried out according to ASTM standards to obtain the compressive strength of concrete cylinders and mortar cubes mixing dune sand and river sand in different percentages keeping a constant water cement ratio. Next the water cement ratio was changed for constant dune sand and river sand proportion. Microscopic analysis shows that the dune sand consist of 95 % of quartz and 5 % of garnet, feldspar, illmenite and other heavy minerals with clay, fine dust, fine shell fragments and organic matters. Grains are sub-rounded to angular and tabular shapes. The grain sizes vary from fine to medium size of sand with silt. The degree of sorting and particle size observed with dune sands are more suited with the requirement of fine aggregates in the construction industry. The test result indicates that dune sand could be effectively used in construction work without sieving and it is ideal for wall plastering due to its'-uniformity. It could also be effectively used in concrete and in mortars mixing with river sand. The best mixing ratio is 75% dune sand and 25% river sand as the fine aggregate of concrete. For mortar the mixing

  1. Live Site Demonstration Munitions Response Program Site UXO 01 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-11-01

    unconsolidated deposits of eolian sand, alluvial sands and gravels, and lacustrine silts, clays, and evaporates in playa lakes. The near-surface...adjacent lacustrine soils 27 of the playa lake (i.e., Mesquite Lake) and the outcropping quartz monzonite bedrock of the Bullion Mountains. The Bullion...the geophysical travelled between investigation grids. One target (320) was a no contact, meaning the dig team couldn’t find the particular item

  2. Transient electromagnetic mapping of clay units in the San Luis Valley, Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitterman, David V.; Grauch, V.J.S.

    2010-01-01

    Transient electromagnetic soundings were used to obtain information needed to refine hydrologic models of the San Luis Valley, Colorado. The soundings were able to map an aquitard called the blue clay that separates an unconfined surface aquifer from a deeper confined aquifer. The blue clay forms a conductor with an average resistivity of 6.9 ohm‐m. Above the conductor are found a mixture of gray clay and sand. The gray clay has an average resistivity of 21 ohm‐m, while the sand has a resistivity of greater than 100 ohm‐m. The large difference in resistivity of these units makes mapping them with a surface geophysical method relatively easy. The blue clay was deposited at the bottom of Lake Alamosa which filled most of the San Luis Valley during the Pleistocene. The geometry of the blue clay is influenced by a graben on the eastern side of the valley. The depth to the blue clay is greater over the graben. Along the eastern edge of valley the blue clay appears to be truncated by faults.

  3. EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF VARIABILITY IN PERMEABILITY OF SANDY SILT SOIL MIXED WITH FLY ASH IN PROPORTIONATE

    OpenAIRE

    Rasna Sharma*, Dr. M.K. Trivedi

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the experimental determination of variability in permeability of sandy silt soil by blending with fly ash. The grain size, porosity, structure of the soil, specific gravity of the soil, viscosity and temperature are important factors in varying the permeability of the soil. Permeability is the flow conduction property of the soil. The void ratio with in the soil plays a vital role in varying the permeability. By blending with finer grains like fly ash in the soil with sand...

  4. DISTRIBUTION OF METALS IN PARTICLE SIZE FRACTIONS IN SOILS OF TWO FORESTED CATENAS (SMOLENSK-MOSCOW UPLAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga Samonova

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The concentrations and distribution of Fe, Ti, Zr, Mn, Cu. Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, and Zn associated with various particle size fractions have been analyzed in soils of two forested catenas located in the middle Protva River basin on the Smolensk-Moscow Upland. The results showed that concentration of metals in a particular size fraction was defined by a complex of factors: element chemical properties, soil type, genesis of a soil horizon, and position in the catena. A clearly defined relationship between the fraction size and metal concentrations was found for Ti and Zr. The highest levels of Ti were found in coarse and medium silt, while Zr had its highest values only in coarse silt and, in some cases, in fine sand. Such metals as Fe, Mn, Co, Cu and Pb had high concentrations in sand, fine silt, and clay fractions depending on a soil type and a genetic horizon. The maximum load of Cr, Zn, and Ni (in the majority of cases was found in clay fraction. The minimum loads of Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, and Ni were found in the coarse silt fraction. Variation in concentrations of heavy metals differed depending on particle size. For most metals, the variations were decreasing from coarser to finer fractions.Key words: soils, heavy metals, grain-size fractionation, vertical and lateral distribution patterns

  5. Influence of clay mineralogy on clay based ceramic products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radzali Othman; Tuan Besar Tuan Sarif; Zainal Arifin Ahmad; Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Noor; Abu Bakar Aramjat

    1996-01-01

    Clay-based ceramic products can either be produced directly from a suitable clay source without the need further addition or such products can be produced from a ceramic body formulated by additions of other raw materials such as feldspar and silica sand. In either case, the mineralogical make-up of the clay component plays a dominating role in the fabrication and properties of the ceramic product. This study was sparked off by a peculiar result observed in one of five local ball clay samples that were used to reformulate a ceramic body. Initial characterisation tests conducted on the clays indicated that these clays can be classified as kaolinitic. However, one of these clays produced a ceramic body that is distinctively different in terms of whiteness, smoothness and density as compared to the other four clays. Careful re-examination of other characterisation data, such as particle size distribution and chemical analysis, failed to offer any plausible explanation. Consequently, the mineralogical analysis by x-ray diffraction was repeated by paying meticulous attention to specimen preparation. Diffraction data for the clay with anomalous behaviour indicated the presence of a ∼ 10A peak that diminished when the same specimen was re-tested after heating in an oven at 12O degree C whilst the other four clays only exhibit the characteristic kaolinite (Al sub 2 O sub 3. 2SiO sub 2. 2H sub 2 0) and muscovite peaks at ∼ 7A and ∼ 10A before and after heat treatment. This suggests the presence of the mineral halloysite (A1 sub 2 0 sub 3. 2SiO sub 2.4H sub 2 0) in that particular clay. This difference in mineralogy can be attributed to account for the variations in physical properties of the final product. Consequently, this paper reviews in general the precautionary measures that must be adhered to during any mineralogical investigation of clay minerals or clay-based materials. The common pitfalls during specimen preparation, machine settings and interpretation of

  6. Utilization of crushed clay brick in cellular concrete production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali A. Aliabdo

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this research program is to study the effect of using crushed clay brick as an alternative aggregate in aerated concrete. Two series of mixtures were designed to investigate the physico-mechanical properties and micro-structural analysis of autoclave aerated concrete and foamed concrete, respectively. In each series, natural sand was replaced with crushed clay brick aggregate. In both series results showed a significant reduction in unit weight, thermal conductivity and sound attenuation coefficient while porosity has increased. Improvement on compressive strength of autoclave aerated concrete was observed at a percentage of 25% and 50% replacement, while in foamed concrete compressive strength gradually decreased by increasing crushed clay brick aggregate content. A comparatively uniform distribution of pore in case of foamed concrete with natural sand was observed by scanning electron microscope, while the pores were connected mostly and irregularly for mixes containing a percentage higher than 25% clay brick aggregate.

  7. Reclaimability of the spent sand mixture – sand with bentonite – sand with furfuryl resin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Dańko

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction of new binding materials and new technologies of their hardening in casting moulds and cores production requires theapplication of reclamation methods adequate to their properties as well as special devices realizing tasks. The spent sands circulationsystem containing the same kind of moulding and core sands is optimal from the point of view of the expected reclamation results.However, in the face of a significant variability of applied technologies and related to them various reclamation methods, the need - of theobtained reclamation products assessment on the grounds of systematic criteria and uniform bases – arises, with a tendency of indicatingwhich criteria are the most important for the given sand system. The reclaimability results of the mixture of the spent moulding sand withGeko S bentonite and the spent core sand with the Kaltharz 404U resin hardened by acidic hardener 100 T3, are presented in the paper.Investigations were performed with regard to the estimation of an influence of core sands additions (10 –25% on the reclaimed materialquality. Dusts and clay content in the reclaim, its chemical reaction (pH and ignition loss were estimated. The verification of the reclaiminstrumental assessment was performed on the basis of the technological properties estimation of moulding sand with bentonite, where the reclaimed material was used as a matrix.

  8. Distribution of surficial sediment in Long Island Sound and adjacent waters: Texture and total organic carbon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poppe, L.J.; Knebel, H.J.; Mlodzinska, Z.J.; Hastings, M.E.; Seekins, B.A.

    2000-01-01

    The surficial sediment distribution within Long Island Sound has been mapped and described using bottom samples, photography, and sidescan sonar, combined with information from the geologic literature. The distributions of sediment type and total organic carbon (TOC) reveal several broad trends that are largely related to the sea-floor geology, the bathymetry, and the effects of modern tidal- and wind-driven currents. Sediment types are most heterogeneous in bathymetrically complex and shallow nearshore areas; the heterogeneity diminishes and the texture fines with decreasing bottom-current energy. Lag deposits of gravel and gravelly sand dominate the surficial sediment texture in areas where bottom currents are the strongest (such as where tidal flow is constricted) and where glacial till crops out at the sea floor. Sand is the dominant sediment type in areas characterized by active sediment transport and in shallow areas affected by fine-grained winnowing. Silty sand and sand-silt-clay mark transitions within the basin from higher- to lower-energy environments, suggesting a diminished hydraulic ability to sort and transport sediment. Clayey silt and silty clay are the dominant sediment types accumulating in the central and western basins and in other areas characterized by long-term depositional environments. The amount of TOC in the sediments of Long Island Sound varies inversely with sediment grain size. Concentrations average more than 1.9% (dry weight) in clayey silt, but are less than 0.4% in sand. Generally, values for TOC increase both toward the west in the Sound and from the shallow margins to the deeper parts of the basin floor. Our data also suggest that TOC concentrations can vary seasonally.

  9. Case studies of groundwater- surface water interactions and scale relationships in small alluvial aquifers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Love, Dave; de Hamer, Wouter; Owen, Richard J.S.; Booij, Martijn J.; Uhlenbrook, Stefan; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert; van der Zaag, Pieter

    2007-01-01

    An alluvial aquifer can be described as a groundwater system, generally unconfined, that is hosted in laterally discontinuous layers of gravel, sand, silt and clay, deposited by a river in a river channel, banks or flood plain. In semi-arid regions, streams that are associated with alluvial aquifers

  10. The impact of soil texture on the selection of nesting sites by the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The first granulometrical analysis of soil samples from nesting banks of the Malachite KingfisherAlcedo cristata is reported. In total 56 samples from the Kinshasa area were analysed. Three standardised particle size fractions were determined in all groups of samples (percentage of sand, clay and silt). Mean particle ...

  11. Geologic and Climatic Puzzleofihe Proterozoic S nowball.··.Ea·rt·h

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    excess CO2 from the atmosphere, initiating global cooling and eventually plunging the ... glacial ice cover melted the ice by greenhouse warming bringing ... Such deposits or 'tills' consist offine clay, silt or sand embedded with striated. ... Dropstones are large boulders transported by glaciers, which get dropped over tine ...

  12. Field-measured, hourly soil water evaporation stages in relation to reference evapotranspiration rate and soil to air temperature ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soil water evaporation takes critical water supplies away from crops, especially in areas where both rainfall and irrigation water are limited. This study measured bare soil water evaporation from clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam, and fine sand soils. It found that on average almost half of the ir...

  13. A new depositional model for sand-rich loess on the Buckley Flats outwash plain, northwestern Lower Michigan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyland, Kelsey E.; Schaetzl, Randall J.; Ignatov, Anthony; Miller, Bradley A.

    2018-04-01

    Loess was first studied in Michigan on the Buckley Flats, where outwash, overlain by ≈70 cm of loamy sediment, was originally interpreted as loess mixed with underlying sands. This paper re-evaluates this landscape through a spatial analysis of data from auger samples and soil pits. To better estimate the loamy sediment's initial textures, we utilized "filtered" laser diffraction data, which remove much of the coarser sand data. Textures of filtered silt data for the loamy sediment are similar to loess. The siltiest soils are found in the low-relief, central part of the Flats. Spatial analyses revealed that many silt fractions are nearly uniformly distributed, suggesting that the loess was not derived from a single source. The previous depositional model for the loamy mantle relied on loessfall followed by pedoturbation, but does not explain (1) the variation in sand contents across the Flats, or (2) the abrupt contact below the loamy mantle. This contact suggests that the outwash was frozen when the sediments above were deposited. Deep gullies at the western margins of the Flats were likely cut as permafrost facilitated runoff. Our new model for the origin of the loamy mantle suggests that the sands on the uplands were generated from eroding gullies and saltated onto the uplands along with loess that fell more widely. Sands saltating to the west of the Flats may have entrained some silts, facilitating loessfall downwind. At most sites, the loamy mantle gets increasingly silty near the surface, suggesting that saltation ended before loess deposition.

  14. Sub-surface Biogeochemical Characteristics and Its Effect on Arsenic Cycling in the Holocene Gray Sand Aquifers of the Lower Bengal Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devanita Ghosh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available High arsenic (As content in the fertile delta plains of West Bengal has been widely reported since the 1990s. The shallow gray sand aquifers (GSA deposited during the Holocene, are more commonly used as potable water sources, but they have high As levels. The release of As into groundwater is influenced by indigenous microbial communities metabolizing different organic carbon sources present in the GSA sediments. After pre-screening the groundwater for assessing their microbial phylogenetic diversity, two 50-m deep boreholes were drilled in the GSAs, and 19 sediment samples were recovered from each core. In each of these samples, grain-size distribution, sequential extraction, and quantification of trace metals and total extractable lipids were analyzed. The aquifer sediments consisted of medium to fine micaceous sand with clay lenses in between them; a thick clay layer occurred on top of both boreholes. Arsenic concentration in these sediments varied from 1.80 to 41.0 mg/kg and was mostly associated with the oxide and silicate-rich crystalline minerals. Arsenic showed a significant correlation with Fe in all fractions, suggesting the presence of Fe-(oxy-hydroxides bound As minerals. The diagnostic lipid biomarkers showed presence of compounds derived from higher plants (epicuticular waxes and microbial inputs. The biomarkers were abundant in clay and silt-rich layers. The samples indicated preferential preservation of n-alkanes over other functional compounds (e.g., alcohols and fatty acids, that are more reactive, and hence subject to further degradation. Sediments recovered from the borehole indicated the presence of Eustigmatophytes and vascular plant waxes that are mostly surface-derived. The sedimentary lipids also indicated the presence of complex petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. These compounds provide organic substrates, and support the preferential survival of specific microbial communities in these sediments.

  15. Investigation of soil properties for identifying recharge characteristics in the Lake Chad Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, M. L.; Ndunguru, G. G.; Adisa, S. J.; Lee, J.; Adegoke, J. O.; Goni, I. B.; Grindley, J.; Mulugeta, V.

    2009-12-01

    Lake Chad was once labeled as one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world, providing water and livelihood to over 20 million people. The lake is shared by six different countries; Chad Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Sudan. Since the 1970 to date, a significant decrease in the size of the lake has been observed with the use of satellite imagery. This shrinking of the lake has been blamed on global warming, population increase and poor water management by the agriculture industry for farming purpose for both plants and animals. While these can be all valid reasons for the decrease of Lake Chad, we see the need to examine environmental and hydrological evidence around the Lake Chad basin. This study was carried out from upper stream to lower stream leading from Kano to the Damatru region which is one of several water bodies that supply Lake Chad. Over seventy six sites were sampled for soil texture, bulk density and other physical properties to investigate recharge capacity of the basin especially along the stream. Soils were collected using a soil core and properly stored at 4 degrees Celsius. Soils were weighed and put to dry at 105 degrees for twenty four hours. Dry weight was recorded and bulk density was calculated. The wet sieve method was used to determine the particle size analysis. Soils were weighed to 10 grams and hydrogen peroxide added to separate particles. Samples were washed with water and put to dry overnight. Soils were reweighed and sieved to separate as course sand, fine sand and silt and clay. The data revealed that in the upstream, coarse sand continuously decreased while silt and clay continuously increased down toward the lake. At mid stream silt and clay had significantly higher values when compared to coarse sand and fine sand. In the lower stream, bulk density clearly decreased compared to the upper and mid streams. Correlations will be carried out to investigate the particle size analysis and bulk density with

  16. Influence of Amang (Tin Tailing) on Geotechnical Properties of Clay Soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zulfahmi, A.R.; Zuhairi, W.Y.W.; Raihan, M.T.; Sahibin, A.R.; Razi, I.W.M.; Tukimat, L.; Syakireen, Z.S.N.; Noorulakma, A.

    2012-01-01

    Amang or tin tailing is commonly found in the vicinity of disused mining area and responsible in downgrading the water quality, landscape and mechanical behaviour of soils. It was generated from extraction process of separating valuable metal from particular ore. This paper presents the geotechnical characteristics of amang-contaminated clay soil. The geotechnical properties of uncontaminated soils were studied in order to compare to that of amang contaminated soils. The base soil used in this study represents completely weathered horizon of meta sedimentary rock. Meanwhile, tin tailing sample was taken from the disused mine at Sungai Lembing, Pahang. The geotechnical characterisations of base soil and contaminated soils were determined based on consistency index, compaction behaviour, hydraulic conductivity and undrained shear strength (UU tests). Contaminated soil samples were prepared by adding 5, 10 and 20 % of tailing, based on dry weigh of the studied base soil. The results from the particle size distribution analysis showed that residual soil from meta sedimentary rock comprised 42.6 % clay, 32.2 % silt and 25.2 % sand whilst tailing was dominated by 98 % of sand fraction. XRD analysis indicated the presence of quartz, kaolinite and muscovite minerals in the studied soil. The specific gravity of soil used is 2.67 and the pH is 3.88. Tailing found to have higher specific gravity of 3.37. The consistency index of contaminated soils showed that liquid limit, wL and plastic limit, wP decreased with the increase in the percentage of tailing added to the soil samples. The value of maximum dry density, ρ dry max increased while optimum moisture content decreased due to the increase in tailing content in soil sample. The permeability of contaminated soil also increased with the increase in tailing contents ranged from 19.8 cm/ hr to 23.8 cm/ hr. The undrained shear strength, Cu, of contaminated soil decreased from 646 kPa (5 % of tailing) to 312 kPa (20 % of

  17. Relative Suitability Evaluation of Two Methods of Particle-Size Analysis for Selected Soils of Sudan Savanna of Nigeria

    OpenAIRE

    B. A. Lawal; B. R. Singh; G. A. Babaji; P. A. Tsado

    2013-01-01

    The two widely used methods base on the sedimentation principle (Bouyoucos hydrometer and International pipette) for particle-size analysis were comparatively evaluated on soils collected from various locations in Sudan savanna of Nigeria particularly from Sokoto and Zamfara States. The hydrometer method under-estimated the silt and over-estimated the clay content. Also, the hydrometer reading proved difficult and tended to submerge when floated for clay reading in the suspension of very sand...

  18. Technical Guidance Manual: Contaminant Flux Reduction Barriers for Managing Difficult-to-Treat Source Zones in Unconsolidated Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-20

    zone, the site must be:  Comprised of unconsolidated material (gravel, sand, silt, clay )  Have access around the source zone to building the...lower low permeability unit such as a clay to prevent up flow  For accessing the lower cost silica gel grouting technology, the hydraulic...hydraulic conductivity with sodium silicate grout.” (page 4-20).  Viscosities of typical grouts (Powers Figure 22.10)  Typical properties of Sodium

  19. Clay mineralogy of selected borehole sediments from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.K.; Peifer, D.W.; Rood, C.K.

    1992-04-01

    Smectite, 90 to 100% interstratified illite-smectite, chlorate, and kaolinite are identified in boreholes drilled in fluvial and alluvial fan deposits of the Plio-Pleistocene Livermore Formation in the vicinity of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Livermore. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe studies indicate the clays persist through 150 ft of gravels, sands, silts, and mudstones of the vadose zone to total drilling depths of 200 ft in the saturated zone. Scanning electron microscopy indicates that true clays (layer silicate only) comprise between 2 and 15 modal percent of the Livermore Formation. Authigenic and detrital smectite, 90% interlayered illite-smectite, and chlorate persist throughout the stratigraphic section; kaolinite occurs only in the upper 100 ft of the section and is absent below. Smectite comprises between 60 to 90% of the true (layer silicate only) clay fraction. Illite and kaolinite±chlorite abundances fluctuate between 10 to 30% and 10 to 20% of this fraction, respectively. Authigenic smectite, illite, and chlorate crystallize together with detrital phases; the authigenic component increases with depth. The relative percentages of clay minerals define unique mineralogical intervals, which can be correlated between boreholes. Pervasive microfractures and interconnected porosity are inherent in the finer sediments; the microfractures typically are 1 mm or less in width and are variably spaced. Voids and microfractures are conspicuously lined by clays. Porosity for the argillaceous sediments ranges between 23 and 40%; Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) specific surface area decreases variably from 40 m 2 /g near the surface to 15 m 2 /g at the 115-ft depth. Within the pelitic matrix, iron, iron-titanium, chromium, and manganese oxides are pervasive

  20. Dependence of the phosphate sorption capacity on the aluminium and iron in Finnish soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armi Kaila

    1963-12-01

    Full Text Available An attempt was made to study to what extent the capacity of the more or less acid soils in Finland to sorb phosphate may be explained on the basis of their content of aluminium and iron. The indicator of the phosphate sorption capacity was calculated on the basis of the Freundlich adsorption isotherm according to the procedure proposed by TERÄSVUORI (8. The material consisted of 390 samples from cultivated and virgin soils representing both topsoils and subsoils. The indicator of the phosphate sorption capacity, the coefficient k, varied in the present material from 40 to 1510. The mean values (with the confidence limits at the 95 per cent level were for the 109 samples of sand and fine sand soils 290 ± 17, for the 103 samples of loam and silt soils 201 ± 24, for the 151 clay soils 308 ± 20, and for the 27 humus soils 236 ± 41. The total linear correlation coefficients between k and the soil pH, and its contents of organic carbon or clay were low or negligible in most of the soil groups. The correlation of k with the content of aluminium extracted by Tamm’s acid ammonium oxalate was fairly close in the clay soils (r = 0.84***, lower in the sand and fine sand soils (r = 0.77***, and in the loam and silt soils, and in the humus soils it was rather poor (r = 0.65*** and 0.63*** resp.. The elimination of the effect of the ammonium oxalate soluble iron decreased the correlation in the two latter groups quite markedly (to 0.32** and 0.37 resp., while the corresponding decrease in the coefficients for the former groups was less significant (to 0.64*** and 0.75*** resp.. The elimination of the effect of the ammonium oxalate soluble aluminium, on the other hand, decreased the correlation coefficients between k and the ammonium oxalate soluble iron in the sand and fine sand soils from 0.59*** to 0.26**, in the loam and silt soils from 0.73*** to 0.54***, in the clay soils from 0.70*** to 0.51***, and in the humus soils from 0.68*** to 0.49*. The

  1. Physicochemical characteristics of radionuclides associated with sediment from a contaminated fresh water stream

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murdock, R.N.; Hemingway, J.D.; Jones, S.R.

    1993-01-01

    The relationships between concentrations of 241 Am, 137 Cs and 239,240 Pu and sediment particle size and geochemical species were examined for sediments taken from a freshwater stream contaminated by radioactive effluent from a low-level waste disposal site. Both 137 Cs and gross alpha concentrations were strongly correlated with the silt and clay content of the sediment, radionuclide concentrations following the order: clay>silt>sand. Positive correlations with organic content were also observed for both 137 Cs and gross alpha activity. These relationships, together with erosional and depositional characteristics obtained from streamflow data, largely explained the spatial variation in radionuclide concentrations in streambed sediments. Sequential extraction experiments showed that 137 Cs was mostly ''irreversibly'' bound to sediment particle, principally illitic clays, whereas 241 Am and 239,240 Pu were associated primarily with organic and oxy-hydroxy species within the sediments. (Author)

  2. Preliminary study of sand jets in water-capped artificial and real MFT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cai, J.; Zhu, D.; Rajaratnam, N. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2008-07-01

    A preliminary study of sand jets in water-capped artificial and real MFT was presented. Background information on oil sands tailing reclamation including water capping and sand capping were first discussed, followed by background information to the study, including non-Newtonian fluids and laponite clay, the artificial clay used mainly in small amounts as a rheology modifier in industrial fluids and materials. Although laponite clay is insoluble in water, it hydrates to make a clear and colourless colloidal, which is thixotropic and also behaves as a Bingham plastic fluid. The benefit of using gels made from laponite is the ability to see through to observe the physical processes in it. The objectives of the study were to examine the dynamics of sand jets in water-capped laponite gel and real MFT; improve the understanding of physical processes related to MFT and sand/slurry operations in tailings ponds; and find potential applications in recycling processed water and decommissioning of tailings ponds. It was concluded that it is much more difficult for jets to penetrate water-capped MFT due to larger yield stress in MFT. Future studies will focus on density correction, viscosity adjustment, and sensitivity analysis. tabs., figs.

  3. Effects of clay mineral type and organic matter on the uptake of radiocesium by pasture plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Souza, T.J.

    1980-10-01

    Studies were undertaken to examine the influence of interaction of clay minerals and organic matter on the uptake of radiocesium by two pasture plants, namely, ryegrass (Lolium italicum L) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L). The clay minerals used were bentonite (2.1 layer type) and kaolinite (1/1 layer type). Mixtures of clay and sand were prepared with 0.5, 10, 20 and 40 per cent clay and treated with organic matter (forest turf) at 0,5 and 10 per cent of the clay-sand mixtures. Results indicated that 134 Cs uptake by plants grown on the kaolinite-clay medium was greater than that on the bentonite-clay medium at a given organic matter level. Increasing the clay content of mixtures resulted in reduction in 134 Cs uptake by both plant species. The plant uptake of 134 Cs increased with additions of organic matter at a given clay content. (author)

  4. Geotechnical properties of deep-sea sediments from central Indian Ocean Basin

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Khadge, N.H.

    % as liquid limit and 103% as plastic limit. Average values of wet density, porosity and specific gravity are 1.21 x 10 super(6) g.m/3, 87%, and 2.35 respectively. Organic carbon content is less than 1% for both the cores. Sand, silt and clay contents are 16...

  5. Integrated Stable Isotope - Reactive Transport Model Approach for Assessment of Chlorinated Solvent Degradation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-01

    reported from the toe of the plume. The CSM of the Deep Plume proposed that the contaminants reside in mobile (sand) and immobile (clay and silt...transport: 50 years of artificial recharge in the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes ." Journal of Hydrology 454: 7-25. Kuder, T. and P. Philp (2013

  6. Watertightness of concrete tunnel structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Glerum, A.

    1982-01-01

    The Netherlands are situated in the delta. of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. Therefore the ground mainly consists.of sediments, such as sand, clay and silt. In certain regions peat layers of varying thickness are found. The high permeability of some of these materials and the fact that the

  7. Khnifiss Beach's Black Sand: Provenance and Transport Pathways Investigation Using Heavy Minerals' Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adnani, M.; Elbelrhiti, H.; Ahmamou, M.; Masmoudi, L.

    2014-12-01

    Arid areas in south of Morocco suffer from silting problem causing destruction of villages infrastructure, roads, agriculture land and oasis heritage. Black sand on Khnifiss beach near Tarfaya city (S-W Morocco) is marked by enrichment of heavy minerals. This later is an important fraction that could help to assess the provenance and transport pathways of sediment. The sand's origin investigation could be useful to fight against erosion and silting problems from the source of supply, to this end, mineralogical analysis was carried out in Khnifiss beach's sand using Optic Microscope and Scanning Electronic Microscope with dispersive energy (SEM- EDS), in addition to physico-chemical analysis provided by Electronic Microprobe. The results revealed: (i) a high grade of oxides (Rutile, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Ulvöspinel) in samples, (ii) silicates (Quartz, Clinopyroxene, feldspar, Zircon), (iii) phosphate (apatite) and (iv) carbonate (calcite). The dominance of iron oxides justifies the black sand's colour. Then, the mineral composition supposes interference between different origins: proximal source (Calcareous cliff) for calcite, distal sources of oxides and silicates are supposed to be eroded and carried by Drâa valley from granite and igneous rocks in Anti-Atlasic field. Another source supposed might be a proximal volcanic island (Canaries island).

  8. Observations on burrowing rates and comments on host specificity in the endangered mussel Lampsilis higginsi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylvester, J.R.; Holland, L.E.; Kamer, T.K.

    1984-01-01

    In preliminary laboratory studies, the endangered mussel Lampsilis higginsi was unable to burrow into rocky substrates, but did burrow into substrates comprised of silt, clay, sand, and/or pebble-gravel. Burrowing times were shortest in silt and longest in pebble-gravel. As judged by longevity of glochidial infection, walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) may be suitable hosts for the parasitic stage. When glochidia were placed in water without host fish, half had died after 48 hours, and all had died after 72 hours. (DBO).

  9. The relationship of metals, bifenthrin, physical habitat metrics, grain size, total organic carbon, dissolved oxygen and conductivity to Hyalella sp. abundance in urban California streams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Lenwood W; Anderson, Ronald D

    2013-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between Hyalella sp. abundance in four urban California streams and the following parameters: (1) 8 bulk metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, and Zn) and their associated sediment Threshold Effect Levels (TELs); (2) bifenthrin sediment concentrations; (3) 10 habitat metrics and total score; (4) grain size (% sand, silt and clay); (5) Total Organic Carbon (TOC); (6) dissolved oxygen; and (7) conductivity. California stream data used for this study were collected from Kirker Creek (2006 and 2007), Pleasant Grove Creek (2006, 2007 and 2008), Salinas streams (2009 and 2010) and Arcade Creek (2009 and 2010). Hyalella abundance in the four California streams generally declined when metals concentrations were elevated beyond the TELs. There was also a statistically significant negative relationship between Hyalella abundance and % silt for these 4 California streams as Hyalella were generally not present in silt areas. No statistically significant relationships were reported between Hyalella abundance and metals concentrations, bifenthrin concentrations, habitat metrics, % sand, % clay, TOC, dissolved oxygen and conductivity. The results from this study highlight the complexity of assessing which factors are responsible for determining the abundance of amphipods, such as Hyalella sp., in the natural environment.

  10. [Black carbon content and distribution in different particle size fractions of forest soils in the middle part of Great Xing'an Mountains, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jia Hui; Gao, Lei; Cui, Xiao Yang

    2017-10-01

    Soil black carbon (BC) is considered to be the main component of passive C pool because of its inherent biochemical recalcitrance. In this paper, soil BC in the middle part of Great Xing'an Mountains was quantified, the distribution of BC in different particle size fractions was analyzed, and BC stabilization mechanism and its important role in soil C pool were discussed. The results showed that BC expressed obvious accumulation in surface soil, accounting for about 68.7% in the whole horizon (64 cm), and then decreased with the increasing soil depth, however, BC/OC showed an opposite pattern. Climate conditions redistributed BC in study area, and the soil under cooler and moister conditions would sequester more BC. BC proportion in different particle size fractions was in the order of clay>silt>fine sand>coarse sand. Although BC content in clay was the highest and was enhanced with increasing soil depth, BC/OC in clay did not show a marked change. Thus, the rise of BC/OC was attributed to the preservation of BC particles in the fine sand and silt fractions. Biochemical recalcitrance was the main stabilization mechanism for surface BC, and with the increasing soil depth, the chemical protection from clay mineral gradually played a predominant role. BC not only was the essential component of soil stable carbon pool, but also took up a sizable proportion in particulate organic carbon pool. Therefore, the storage of soil stable carbon and the potential of soil carbon sequestration would be enhanced owing to the existence of BC.

  11. [Development and succession of artificial biological soil crusts and water holding characteristics of topsoil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Li; Chen, Xiao-Guo; Zhang, Gao-Ke; Lan, Shu-Bin; Zhang, De-Lu; Hu, Chun-Xiang

    2014-03-01

    In order to understand the improving effects of cyanobacterial inoculation on water retention of topsoil in desert regions, this work focused on the development and succession of biological soil crusts and water holding characteristics of topsoil after cyanobacterial inoculation in Qubqi Desert. The results showed that after the artificial inoculation of desert cyanobacteria, algal crusts were quickly formed, and in some microenvironments direct succession of the algal crusts to moss crusts occurred after 2-3 years. With the development and succession of biological soil crusts, the topsoil biomass, polysaccharides content, crust thickness and porosity increased, while the soil bulk density decreased. At the same time, with crust development and succession, the topsoil texture became finer and the percents of fine soil particles including silt and clay contents increased, while the percents of coarse soil particles (sand content) decreased proportionately. In addition, it was found that with crust development and succession, the water holding capacity and water content of topsoil showed an increasing trend, namely: moss crust > algal crusts > shifting sand. The water content (or water holding capacity) in algal and moss crusts were 1.1-1.3 and 1.8-2.2 times of those in shifting sand, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the water holding capacity and water content of topsoil were positively correlated with the crust biomass, polysaccharides content, thickness, bulk density, silt and clay content; while negatively correlated with the porosity and sand content. Furthermore, stepwise regression analysis showed that the main factor affecting water content was the clay content, while that affecting water holding capacity was the porosity.

  12. Clay preference and particle transport behavior of Formosan subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): a laboratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cai; Henderson, Gregg

    2014-12-01

    Although preference and utilization of clay have been studied in many higher termites, little attention has been paid to lower termites, especially subterranean termites. The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, can modify its habitat by using clay to fill tree cavities. Here, the biological significance of clay on C. formosanus was investigated. Choice tests showed that significantly more termites aggregated in chambers where clay blocks were provided, regardless of colony group, observation period, or nutritional condition (fed or starved). No-choice tests showed that clay had no observable effect on survivorship, live or dry biomass, water content, and tunneling activity after 33-35 d. However, clay appeared to significantly decrease filter paper consumption (dry weight loss). Active particle (sand, paper, and clay) transport behavior was observed in both choice and no-choice tests. When present, clay was preferentially spread on the substrate, attached to the smooth surfaces of the containers, and used to line sand tunnels. Mechanisms and potential application of clay attraction are discussed. © 2013 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  13. Linking measurements of biodegradability, thermal stability and chemical composition to evaluate the effects of management on soil organic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregorich, Ed; Gillespie, Adam; Beare, Mike; Curtin, Denis; Sanei, Hamed; Yanni, Sandra

    2015-04-01

    The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) as it relates to resistance to microbial degradation has important implications for nutrient cycling, emission of greenhouse gases, and C sequestration. Hence, there is interest in developing new ways to accurately quantify and characterise the labile and stable forms of soil organic C. Our objectives in this study were to evaluate and describe relationships among the biodegradability, thermal stability and chemistry of SOM in soil under widely contrasting management regimes. Samples from the same soil under permanent pasture, an arable cropping rotation, and chemical fallow were fractionated (sand: 2000-50 μm; silt: 50-5 μm, and clay: managements and that sand-associated organic matter was significantly more susceptible than that in the silt or clay fractions. Analysis by XANES showed accumulation of carboxylates and strong depletion of amides (protein) and aromatics in the fallow whole soil. Moreover, protein depletion was most significant in the sand fraction of the fallow soil. Sand fractions in fallow and cropped soils were, however, enriched in plant-derived phenols, aromatics and carboxylates compared to the sand fraction of pasture soils. In contrast, ketones, which have been identified as products of microbially-processed organic matter, were slightly enriched in the silt fraction of the pasture soil. These data suggest reduced inputs and cropping restrict the decomposition of plant residues and, without supplemental N additions, protein-N in native SOM is significantly mineralized in fallow systems to meet microbial C mineralization demands. Analytical pyrolysis showed distinct differences in the thermal stability of SOM among the size fractions and management treatments; it also showed that the loss of SOM generally involved dehydrogenation. The temperature at which half of the C was pyrolyzed showed strong correlation with mineralizable C and thus provides solid evidence for a link between the biological and

  14. Treatment and Conditioning of Radioactive Waste Solution by Natural Clay Minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Dessouky, M.I.; Abdel-Raouf, M.W.; El-Massry, E.H.; Khalifa, S.M.; Aly, H.F.

    1999-01-01

    Chemical precipitation processes have been used for the treatment of radioactive elements from aqueous solution. The volume reduction is not very great and storage facilities are expensive. There are some radionuclides which are so difficult to be precipitated by this common method, so they may be precipitated by adding solid materials such as natural inorganic exchangers. In this woek, improvement the removal of caesium, cobalt and europium with zinc sulfate as coagulant and different clay minerals have been investigated. These include, Feldespare, Aswanly, Bentionite, Hematite, Mud, Calcite, Basalt, Magnetite, Kaoline, Sand stone, Limonite and Sand. The parameters affecting the precipitation process such as pH, particle size, temperature and weight of the clay have been studied. The results indicate that, the highest removal for Cs-137, Co-60 and Eu-152 and154 by Asswanly, Bentonite and Sand stone is more than the other clays. Removal of Cs-137 from low level waste solution with these three natural clays took the sequence, Aswanly (85.5%) > Bentonite (82.2%) > Sandstone (65.4%). Solidified cement products have been evaluated to determine mechanical strength and leaching rates of the waste products. The solidified waste forms were found more acceptable for handling ,storage and ultimate disposal

  15. Naphtha interaction with bitumen and clays : a preliminary study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Afara, M.; Munoz, V.; Mikula, R. [Natural Resources Canada, Devon, AB (Canada). CANMET Western Research Centre

    2010-07-01

    This PowerPoint presentation described a preliminary study conducted to characterize naphtha interactions with bitumen and clays. Coarse tailings, fluid-fine tailings, and froth treatment tailings are produced as a result of surface mine oil sands operations. Solvents are used to produce the bitumens, but the actual fraction of the solvent that evaporates and contributes to VOCs from tailing ponds is poorly understood. This study examined the interactions between the solvent, bitumen and mineral components in froth treatment tails. The study was conducted with aim of quantifying the VOC or solvent escaping from the froth treatment tailings. Samples containing bitumen, clay, a bitumen-clay mixture, or MFT were spiked with 3000 ppm of solvent. The amount of naphtha released was monitored by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and flame ionization detection of the evolved gases. The results were expressed as a percentage of the total hydrocarbon peak area of the sample versus a control. Results of the study showed that the naphtha interacted more strongly with the bitumen than with kaolinite and the clay minerals from the oil sands. Although initial solvent evaporation was reduced in the presence of bitumens and clays, long-term solvent releases will need to be quantified. tabs., figs.

  16. Effects of Moisture Content on the Foundry Properties of Yola Natural Sand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Aondona IHOM

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The effect of moisture content of Yola natural sand has been studied. The moisture content was varied from 1 to 9%. The effect of the moisture content on the green compression strength, green permeability and bulk density was investigated. Particle size distribution of the natural sand, the grain fineness number, average grain size, grain shape and the clay content of the natural sand were also studied. 5% moisture gave the optimum green compression strength of 118.6KN/m2. The dry compression strength increased with moisture content, an optimum value of 4000KN/m2 was obtained at 9% moisture. The Yola natural sand had a grain fineness number of 88.05AFS, average grain size of 335.78 microns and a clay content of 26%. A sand mixture containing 5% moisture was prepared and used to produce a test casting with aluminium scraps, the test casting was sound.

  17. Suspended silt concentrations in the lower Olifants River (Mpumalanga and the impact of silt releases from the Phalaborwa Barrage on water quality and fish survival

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Buermann

    1995-08-01

    Full Text Available Silt loads in the Olifants and Sabie river systems inside the Kruger National Park, were monitored by collecting water samples every consecutive week for a period of 20 months. The variation in silt concentration, changes in selected physico-chemical water quality variables and fish mortalities during flushing (i.e. release of silt, by sluicing of the Phalaborwa Barrage, were also monitored. The Olifants River inside the Kruger National Park carried high silt loads in summer; in the dry season the suspensoid load was greatly reduced. A similar pattern was observed in the Sabie River, but the silt loads were generally lower. It was apparent that silt loads released from the Phalaborwa Barrage led to large variations in the natural silt loads of the Olifants River. These increased amounts of silt (25 000 mg/1 to >70 000 mg/1 caused drastic reductions in the dissolved oxygen concentration of the water, ranging from >6 mg/1 to 0 mg/1. Depending on the severity and duration of the flushing, fish succumb to such silt loads. These findings, as well as published information, indicate that the management strategy of flushing to improve storage capacity is ecological unacceptable. It is therefore suggested that the use of the Phalaborwa Barrage as a future reservoir should be critically re-evaluated.

  18. The effect of flocculant on the geotechnical properties of mature fine tailings : An experimental study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yao, Y.; Van Tol, A.F.; Van Paassen, L.A.

    2012-01-01

    When oil sands tailings are deposited in a tailing pond, they settle and segregate to create a layer of stagnant water on top that is reused in oil extraction and a dense mixture of clay, silt and water on the bottom which is referred to as mature fine tailings (MFT). Dewatering of MFT is a problem

  19. Sadhana | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The real and imaginary parts ( ε 1 and ε 2 ) of the complex dielectric constant () of sand, silt and clay with varied moisture content have been determined experimentally under laboratory conditions at 9.967 GHz. using infinite sample method. The values of ( ε 1 ) and ( ε 2 ) first increase slowly with moisture content upto a ...

  20. Description and analysis of the geohydrologic system in western Pinal County, Arizona

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardt, W.F.; Cattany, R.E.

    1965-01-01

    hydrologic bedrock unit, referred to in this report as the Casa Grande ridge. The ridge trends in a north-south direction from the Sacaton to the Silver Reef Mountains. The unconsolidated deposits constitute the main storage reservoir for ground water in western Pins/ County. The deposits are divided into four units---the local gravel unit, the lower sand and gravel unit, the silt and clay unit, and the upper sand and gravel unit--all of which are major water-yielding units except the silt and clay unit. The local gravel unit, which is present only in the western section of the lower Santa Cruz basin, ranges in thickness from 0 to nearly 1,000 feet and is generally a productive aquifer. The lower sand and gravel unit, Which is a heterogeneous mixture of sand, gravel, and clay, ranges in thickness from 0 to about 500 feet. Where the lower sand and gravel unit is overlain by the silt and clay unit, it generally contains water under artesian conditions; where it is not overlain by the silt and clay unit, it is indistinguishable from the upper sand and gravel unit, and the water is under water-table conditions. The silt and clay unit is the least permeable deposit of the unconsolidated alluvium, and ranges in thickness from 0 to about 2, 000 feet. Generally it is less productive than the other units of the unconsolidated alluvium, although it yields moderate amounts of water from numerous thin stringers and lenses of highly permeable sand and gravel. The upper sand and gravel unit is at the land surface in most of the area; it ranges in thickness from less than 50 to about 600 feet. The unit has the highest average permeability of all the unconsolidated alluvial units; however, the permeability of the unit varies vertically and laterally, which results in a wide range of well yields. As of 1964, the static water levels in most wells in the basin were still in the upper sand and gravel unit. However, the unit is being dewatered in most of the basin, and water levels in

  1. Decomposition of organic carbon in fine soil particles is likely more sensitive to warming than in coarse particles: an incubation study with temperate grassland and forest soils in northern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Fan; Huang, Yao; Sun, Wenjuan; Jiang, Guangfu; Chen, Yue

    2014-01-01

    It is widely recognized that global warming promotes soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition, and soils thus emit more CO2 into the atmosphere because of the warming; however, the response of SOC decomposition to this warming in different soil textures is unclear. This lack of knowledge limits our projection of SOC turnover and CO2 emission from soils after future warming. To investigate the CO2 emission from soils with different textures, we conducted a 107-day incubation experiment. The soils were sampled from temperate forest and grassland in northern China. The incubation was conducted over three short-term cycles of changing temperature from 5°C to 30°C, with an interval of 5°C. Our results indicated that CO2 emissions from sand (>50 µm), silt (2-50 µm), and clay (soils. The temperature sensitivity of the CO2 emission from soil particles, which is expressed as Q10, decreased in the order clay>silt>sand. Our study also found that nitrogen availability in the soil facilitated the temperature dependence of SOC decomposition. A further analysis of the incubation data indicated a power-law decrease of Q10 with increasing temperature. Our results suggested that the decomposition of organic carbon in fine-textured soils that are rich in clay or silt could be more sensitive to warming than those in coarse sandy soils and that SOC might be more vulnerable in boreal and temperate regions than in subtropical and tropical regions under future warming.

  2. PCE and BNS admixture adsorption in sands with different composition and particle size distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alonso, M.M.; Martínez-Gaitero, R.; Gismera-Diez, S.; Puertas, F.

    2017-01-01

    The choice of a superplasticiser (SP) for concrete is of great complexity, as it is well known that properties of the end product are related to admixture and its compatibility with concrete components. Very few studies have been conducted on the compatibility between SPs and the sand of mortars and concretes, however. Practical experience has shown that sand fineness and mineralogical composition affect water demand and admixture consumption. Clay-containing sand has been found also to adsorb SPs, reducing the amount available in solution for adsorption by the cement. This study analysed the isotherms for PCE and BNS superplasticiser adsorption on four sands with different fineness and compositions commonly used to prepare mortars and concretes. BNS-based SP did not adsorb on sands, while PCE-based admixtures exhibited variable adsorption depending on different factors. The adsorption curves obtained revealed that the higher the sand fineness, the finer the particle size distribution and the higher the clay material, the greater was PCE admixture adsorption/ consumption. [es

  3. PCE and BNS admixture adsorption in sands with different composition and particle size distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Alonso

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The choice of a superplasticiser (SP for concrete is of great complexity, as it is well known that properties of the end product are related to admixture and its compatibility with concrete components. Very few studies have been conducted on the compatibility between SPs and the sand of mortars and concretes, however. Practical experience has shown that sand fineness and mineralogical composition affect water demand and admixture consumption. Clay-containing sand has been found also to adsorb SPs, reducing the amount available in solution for adsorption by the cement. This study analysed the isotherms for PCE and BNS superplasticiser adsorption on four sands with different fineness and compositions commonly used to prepare mortars and concretes. BNS-based SP did not adsorb on sands, while PCE-based admixtures exhibited variable adsorption depending on different factors. The adsorption curves obtained revealed that the higher the sand fineness, the finer the particle size distribution and the higher the clay material, the greater was PCE admixture adsorption/ consumption.

  4. Sediment and 137Cs transport and accumulation in the Ogaki Dam of eastern Fukushima

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Susumu; Malins, Alex; Machida, Masahiko; Kitamura, Akihiro; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Masaaki

    2015-01-01

    The Ogaki Dam Reservoir is one of the principal irrigation dam reservoirs in the Fukushima Prefecture and its upstream river basin was heavily contaminated by radioactivity from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. For the purpose of environmental assessment, it is important to determine the present condition of the water in the reservoir and to understand the behavior of sediment-sorbed radioactive cesium under different modes of operation of the dam, as these factors affect further contamination of arable farmlands downstream of the reservoir through sediment migration. This paper addresses this issue with numerical simulations of fluvial processes in the reservoir using the two-dimensional Nays2D code. We distinguish three grades of sediment (clay, silt, and sand), as cesium adherence depends on sediment grain size and surface area. Boundary conditions for the simulations were informed by monitoring data of the upstream catchment and by the results from a separate watershed simulation for sediment transport into the reservoir. The performance of the simulation method was checked by comparing the results for a typhoon flood in September 2013 against field monitoring data. We present results for sediment deposition on the reservoir bed and the discharge via the dam under typical yearly flood conditions, for which the bulk of annual sediment migration from the reservoir occurs. The simulations show that almost all the sand and silt that enter into the reservoir deposit onto the reservoir bed. However, the locations where they tend to deposit differ, with sand tending to deposit close to the entrance of the reservoir, whereas silt deposits throughout the reservoir. Both sand and silt settle within a few hours of entering the reservoir. In contrast, clay remains suspended in the reservoir water for a period as long as several days, thus increasing the amount that is discharged downstream from the reservoir. Under the current operating mode of the dam

  5. Acid rock drainage passive remediation using alkaline clay and impacts of vegetation and saturated sand barrier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plaza, F.; Wen, Y.; Liang, X.

    2017-12-01

    Acid rock drainage (ARD) caused by abundance of coal refuse (CR) deposits in mining regions requires adequate treatment to prevent serious water pollution due to its acidity and high concentrations of sulfate and metals/metalloids. Over the past decades, various approaches have been explored and developed to remediate ARD. This study uses laboratory experiments to investigate the effectiveness and impacts of ARD passive remediation using alkaline clay (AC), a by-product of the aluminum refining process. Twelve column kinetic leaching experiments were set up with CR/AC mixing ratios ranging from 1%AC to 10%AC. Samples were collected from these columns to measure the pH, sulfate, metals/metalloids, acidity and alkalinity. Additional tests of XRD and acid base accounting were also conducted to better characterize the mineral phase in terms of the alkalinity and acidity potential. Based on the leachate measurement results, these columns were further classified into two groups of neutral/near neutral pH and acidic pH for further analysis. In addition, impacts of the vegetation and saturated sand layer on the remediation effectiveness were explored. The results of our long-term (more than three years in some cases) laboratory experiments show that AC is an effective ARD remediation material for the neutralization of leachate pH and immobilization of sulfate and metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Co. The CR/AC mixing ratios higher than 3%AC are found to be effective, with 10% close to optimal. Moreover, the results demonstrate the benefits of using vegetation and a saturated sand barrier. Vegetation acted as a phytoaccumulation/phytoextraction agent, causing an additional immobilization of metals. The saturated sand barrier blocked the oxygen and water diffusion downwards, leading to a reduction of the pyrite oxidation rate. Finally, the proposed remediation approach shows that the acidity consumption will likely occur before all the alkalinity is exhausted

  6. Investigation of the transport of actinide-bearing soil colloids in the soil-aquatic environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheppard, J.C.; Campbell, M.J.; Kittrick, J.; Cheng, T.

    1980-04-01

    Uranium-233 particle size dependent distribution ratios for the 10 to 60 range were determined for muscatine silt loam, Burbank loamy sand, Ritzville silt loam, Fuquay sand, and Idaho sandy clay. A mathematical method for the analysis of centrifuge data was developed to determine particle size dependent distribution ratio for the 10 to 60 nm range. Comparison of the distribution ratio data for the 0 to 60 nm particle size range strongly suggests that particles in the 1 to 10 nm (8000 to 50,000 MW) range play a dominate role. Since these particles are probably humic acid polymers, future research should be focused on humic acid complexing of radionuclides. A mathematical analysis is given to demonstrate the role of humic acid complexing in the transport of radionuclides in the soil-aquatic environment

  7. Modelling soil properties in a crop field located in Croatia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogunovic, Igor; Pereira, Paulo; Millan, Mesic; Percin, Aleksandra; Zgorelec, Zeljka

    2016-04-01

    Development of tillage activities had negative effects on soil quality as destruction of soil horizons, compacting and aggregates destruction, increasing soil erosion and loss of organic matter. For a better management in order to mitigate the effects of intensive soil management in land degradation it is fundamental to map the spatial distribution of soil properties (Brevik et al., 2016). The understanding the distribution of the variables in space is very important for a sustainable management, in order to identify areas that need a potential intervention and decrease the economic losses (Galiati et al., 2016). The objective of this work is study the spatial distribution of some topsoil properties as clay, fine silt, coarse silt, fine sand, coarse sand, penetration resistance, moisture and organic matter in a crop field located in Croatia. A grid with 275x25 (625 m2) was designed and a total of 48 samples were collected. Previous to data modelling, data normality was checked using the Shapiro wilk-test. As in previous cases (Pereira et al., 2015), data did not followed the normal distribution, even after a logarithmic (Log), square-root, and box cox transformation. Thus, for modeling proposes, we used the log transformed data, since was the closest to the normality. In order to identify groups among the variables we applied a principal component analysis (PCA), based on the correlation matrix. On average clay content was 15.47% (±3.23), fine silt 24.24% (±4.08), coarse silt 35.34% (±3.12), fine sand 20.93% (±4.68), coarse sand 4.02% (±1.69), penetration resistance 0.66 MPa (±0.28), organic matter 1.51% (±0.25) and soil moisture 32.04% (±3.27). The results showed that the PCA identified three factors explained at least one of the variables. The first factor had high positive loadings in soil clay, fine silt and organic matter and a high negative loading in fine sand. The second factor had high positive loadings in coarse sand and moisture and a high

  8. Monsoonal effects on beach and offshore sediments from kalbadevi bay, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra state, India.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Valsangkar, A.B.; Farnnades, D.

    environment. The beach sediment samples were obtained by push core method using 50 cm long different diameter acrylic core liners. The sampling was performed at dune, berm, hide tide (HT), mid tide (MT) and low tide (LT) areas of the beach in three seasons... are compared and the seasonal variations are discussed below. A) Beach sediments The major constituent of the beach sediment is sand followed by the silt and clay. Compared to HT, MT, and LT environment, variations in the sand content in dune and berm...

  9. Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing And Quantifying Cohesive Sediment Erosion Under Combined Current Wave Conditions: Project ER 1497

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    majority of contaminated sediments are a mixture of sand, silt, and clay . These sediments are often referred to as cohesive because, unlike pure sand...number:  2 18 p p c ρ d Sk f μ (2) where ρp is the particle density, dp is the particle diameter, µ is the dynamic viscosity , and fc is a...using the viscous timescale, 2τν ut =+ , where uτ is the friction velocity, and ν the kinematic viscosity , as t+ provides an estimate of the strain

  10. Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing and Quantifying Cohesive Sediment Erosion Under Combined Current-Wave Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    majority of contaminated sediments are a mixture of sand, silt, and clay . These sediments are often referred to as cohesive because, unlike pure sand...number:  2 18 p p c ρ d Sk f μ (2) where ρp is the particle density, dp is the particle diameter, µ is the dynamic viscosity , and fc is a...using the viscous timescale, 2τν ut =+ , where uτ is the friction velocity, and ν the kinematic viscosity , as t+ provides an estimate of the strain

  11. Can mud (silt and clay) concentration be used to predict soil organic carbon content within seagrass ecosystems?

    KAUST Repository

    Serrano, Oscar

    2016-09-07

    The emerging field of blue carbon science is seeking cost-effective ways to estimate the organic carbon content of soils that are bound by coastal vegetated ecosystems. Organic carbon (C-org) content in terrestrial soils and marine sediments has been correlated with mud content (i.e., silt and clay, particle sizes <63 mu m), however, empirical tests of this theory are lacking for coastal vegetated ecosystems. Here, we compiled data (n = 1345) on the relationship between C-org and mud contents in seagrass ecosystems (79 cores) and adjacent bare sediments (21 cores) to address whether mud can be used to predict soil C-org content. We also combined these data with the delta C-13 signatures of the soil C-org to understand the sources of Corg stores. The results showed that mud is positively correlated with soil C-org content only when the contribution of seagrass-derived C-org to the sedimentary C-org pool is relatively low, such as in small and fast-growing meadows of the genera Zostera, Halodule and Halophila, and in bare sediments adjacent to seagrass ecosystems. In large and long-living seagrass meadows of the genera Posidonia and Amphibolis there was a lack of, or poor relationship between mud and soil C-org content, related to a higher contribution of seagrass-derived C-org to the sedimentary C-org pool in these meadows. The relatively high soil C-org contents with relatively low mud contents (e.g., mud-C-org saturation) in bare sediments and Zostera, Halodule and Halophila meadows was related to significant allochthonous inputs of terrestrial organic matter, while higher contribution of seagrass detritus in Amphibolis and Posidonia meadows disrupted the correlation expected between soil C-org and mud contents. This study shows that mud is not a universal proxy for blue carbon content in seagrass ecosystems, and therefore should not be applied generally across all seagrass habitats. Mud content can only be used as a proxy to estimate soil C-org content for

  12. A review of WIPP [Waste Isolation Pilot Plant] repository clays and their relationship to clays of adjacent strata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krumhansl, J.L.; Kimball, K.M.; Stein, C.L.

    1990-12-01

    The Salado Formation is a thick evaporite sequence located in the Permian Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico. This study focuses on the intense diagenetic alteration that has affected the small amounts of clay, feldspar, and quartz washed into the basin during salt deposition. These changes are of more than academic interest since this formation also houses the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant). Site characterization concerns warrant compiling a detailed data base describing the clays in and around the facility horizon. An extensive sampling effort was undertaken to address these programmatic issues as well as to provide additional insight regarding diagenetic mechanisms in the Salado. Seventy-five samples were collected from argillaceous partings in halite at the stratigraphic level of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These were compared with twenty-eight samples from cores of the Vaca Triste member of the Salado, a thin clastic unit at the top of the McNutt potash zone, and with a clay-rich sample from the lower contact of the Culebra Dolomite (in the overlying Rustler Formation). These settings were compared to assess the influence of differences in brine chemistry (i.e., halite and potash facies, normal to hypersaline marine conditions) and sediment composition (clays, sandy silt, dolomitized limestone) on diagenetic processes. 44 refs., 11 figs., 5 tabs

  13. 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

  14. Retention and loss of water extractable carbon in soils: effect of clay properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Trung-Ta; Marschner, Petra

    2014-02-01

    Clay sorption is important for organic carbon (C) sequestration in soils, but little is known about the effect of different clay properties on organic C sorption and release. To investigate the effect of clay content and properties on sorption, desorption and loss of water extractable organic C (WEOC), two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, a loamy sand alone (native) or mixed with clay isolated from a surface or subsoil (78 and 96% clay) resulting in 90, 158 and 175 g clay kg(-1) soil. These soil treatments were leached with different WEOC concentrations, and then CO2 release was measured for 28 days followed by leaching with reverse osmosis water at the end of experiment. The second experiment was conducted to determine WEOC sorption and desorption of clays isolated from the loamy sand (native), surface soil and subsoil. Addition of clays isolated from surface and subsoil to sandy loam increased WEOC sorption and reduced C leaching and cumulative respiration in percentage of total organic C and WEOC added when expressed per g soil and per g clay. Compared to clays isolated from the surface and subsoil, the native clay had higher concentrations of illite and exchangeable Ca(2+), total organic C and a higher CEC but a lower extractable Fe/Al concentration. This indicates that compared to the clay isolated from the surface and the subsoil, the native clay had fewer potential WEOC binding sites because it had lower Fe/Al content thus lower number of binding sites and the existing binding sites are already occupied native organic matter. The results of this study suggest that in the soils used here, the impact of clay on WEOC sorption and loss is dependent on its indigenous organic carbon and Fe and/or Al concentrations whereas clay mineralogy, CEC, exchangeable Ca(2+) and surface area are less important. © 2013.

  15. phosphorus sorption in relation to soil grain size and geochemical

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Mgina

    use and landscape in the Simiyu and Kagera River basins were determined using the Langmuir ... determination of key soil properties that .... deviation) of selected soil properties in the Simiyu (S) and Kagera (K) basins. Particle size. % dry weight. Sample. %. Sand. % Silt. % Clay. pH. Al2O3. Fe2O3. CaO. Na2O. K2O. S1.

  16. Performance Evaluations of Three Silt Fence Practices Using a Full-Scale Testing Apparatus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Alan Bugg

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Erosion and sediment controls on construction sites minimize environmental impacts from sediment-laden stormwater runoff. Silt fence, a widely specified perimeter control practice on construction projects used to retain sediment on-site, has limited performance-based testing data. Silt fence failures and resultant sediment losses are often the result of structural failure. To better understand silt fence performance, researchers at the Auburn University-Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF have evaluated three silt fence options to determine possible shortcomings using standardized full-scale testing methods. These methods subject silt fence practices to simulated, in-field conditions typically experienced on-site without the variability of field testing or the limited application of small-scale testing. Three different silt fence practices were tested to evaluate performance, which included: (1 Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT Trenched Silt Fence, (2 ALDOT Sliced Silt Fence, and (3 Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (AL-SWCC Trenched Silt Fence. This study indicates that the structural performance of a silt fence perimeter control is the most important performance factor in retaining sediment. The sediment retention performance of these silt fence practices was 82.7%, 66.9% and 90.5%, respectively. When exposed to large impoundment conditions, both ALDOT Trench and Sliced Silt Fence practices failed structurally, while the AL-SWCC Trenched Silt Fence did not experience structural failure.

  17. Design and maintenance of a network for collecting high-resolution suspended-sediment data at remote locations on rivers, with examples from the Colorado River

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Ronald E.; Topping, David J.; Andrews, Timothy; Bennett, Glenn E.; Sabol, Thomas A.; Melis, Theodore S.

    2012-01-01

    Management of sand and finer sediment in fluvial settings has become increasingly important for reasons ranging from endangered-species habitat to transport of sediment-associated contaminants. In all rivers, some fraction of the suspended load is transported as washload, and some as suspended bed material. Typically, the washload is composed of silt-and-clay-size sediment, and the suspended bed material is composed of sand-size sediment. In most rivers, as a result of changes in the upstream supply of silt and clay, large, systematic changes in the concentration of the washload occur over time, independent of changes in water discharge. Recent work has shown that large, systematic, discharge-independent changes in the concentration of the suspended bed material are also present in many rivers. In bedrock canyon rivers, such as the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, changes in the upstream tributary supply of sand may cause large changes in the grain-size distribution of the bed sand, resulting in changes in both the concentration and grain-size distribution of the sand in suspension. Large discharge-independent changes in suspended-sand concentration coupled to discharge-independent changes in the grain-size distribution of the suspended sand are not unique to bedrock canyon rivers, but also occur in large alluvial rivers, such as the Mississippi River. These systematic changes in either suspended-silt-and-clay concentration or suspended-sand concentration may not be detectable by using conventional equal-discharge- or equal-width-increment measurements, which may be too infrequently collected relative to the time scale over which these changes in the sediment load are occurring. Furthermore, because large discharge-independent changes in both suspended-silt-and-clay and suspended-sand concentration are possible in many rivers, methods using water discharge as a proxy for suspended-sediment concentration (such as sediment rating curves) may not produce

  18. Organic carbon in sediments of the southwestern margin of India: Influence of productivity and monsoon variability during the Late Quaternary

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Kessarkar, P; Rao, V.P

    , with a zone of green black clayey silts at 200-230 cm interval (~32 14C ka) (Fig. 2). In core 39, silty clays are dominant through out the core. The sediments are moderate brown in colour between the core top and 30 cm (7 ka BP), light olive grey..., with higher proportions of sand around LGM and gradually decreasing proportions in the early Holocene and late Pleistocene sediments can be seen in Fig. 2. Clay content is higher in the early Holocene (11 ka BP - -7 ka BP) than in the late Holocene (up...

  19. Comparative characterization of the quaternary deposits of Northwest Peninsular Malaysia by wash boring and CPTU site investigation methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selamat, Mohamad R.; Rosli, Ros N.; Ramli, Muhd H.; Azmi, Mastura; Kumaravelu, Prakash; Govindasamy, Darvintharen

    2017-10-01

    A site investigation by wash boring method was carried out in the compound of the Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in Northwest Peninsular Malaysia. The subsurface soils of the region are known to be comprised of quaternary deposits including the prominent marine clays of the Gula formation. The conventional Standard Penetration Test, or SPT, was carried out for every 1.5m depth. The 18 disturbed samples collected were tested for grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, and specific gravity; and categorized according to the unified soil classification system. The results indicate low SPT numbers, or SPTN, i.e. SPTN8 for depths deeper than 12m. Samples from shallower than 12m were mostly classified as low plasticity clay, or CL, which represents the soft marine clay while the underlying materials were mostly sands, namely poorly graded sand, or SP, silty sand, or SM, clayey sand, or SC, and well graded sand, or SW. Another site investigation by the CPTU method was also carried out 5m from the wash boring position, penetrating the entire soft clay stratum, thus giving another marine clay characterization in addition to the one given by the first method. The CPTU results generally gave SPTN≤2 for depths lesser than 8m, 2≤;SPTN≤4 for depths between 8 and 12m, and SPTN=23 at 12.5m, where the CPTU test terminated. The CPTU method classified the soft materials as sensitive fine grains, clays, and clayey silts to silty clays. Thus the CPTU results did not agree very well with the conventional wash boring SPT results in terms of the SPTN obtained. Nevertheless both methods equally identified the prominent presence of the soft marine clay stratum in the top 12.5m and the underlying strong sandy bed with higher bearing capacity values.

  20. Mechanism of groundwater arsenic removal by goethite-coated mineral sand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cashion, J. D.; Khan, S. A.; Patti, A. F.; Adeloju, S.; Gates, W. P.

    2017-11-01

    Skye sand (Vic, Australia) has been considered for arsenic removal from groundwater. Analysis showed that the silica sand is coated with poorly crystalline goethite, hematite and clay minerals. Mössbauer spectra taken following arsenic adsorption revealed changes in the recoilless fraction and relaxation behaviour of the goethite compared to the original state, showing that the goethite is the main active species.

  1. Uranium distribution in relation to sedimentary facies, Kern Lake, California

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merifield, P.M.; Carlisle, D.; Idiz, E.; Anderhalt, R.; Reed, W.E.; Lamar, D.L.

    1980-04-01

    Kern Lake has served as a sink for drainage from the southern Sierra Nevada and, in lesser amounts, from the southern Temblor Range. Both areas contain significant uranium source rocks. The uranium content in Holocene Kern Lake sediments correlates best with the mud (silt and clay) fraction. It correlates less well with organic carbon. Biotite grains could account for much of the uranium in the sand fraction, and perhaps the silt fraction as well. The data suggest that fixation of uranium by adsorption on mineral grains is a dominant process in this lake system. Further work is required to determine the importance of cation-exchange of uranium on clays and micas and of organically complexed uranium adsorbed to mineral surfaces. These findings also raise the question of whether uranium transport down the Kern River occurs largely as uranium adsorbed to mineral surfaces

  2. Microbially-accelerated consolidation of oil sands tailings. Pathway I: changes in porewater chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddique, Tariq; Kuznetsov, Petr; Kuznetsova, Alsu; Arkell, Nicholas; Young, Rozlyn; Li, Carmen; Guigard, Selma; Underwood, Eleisha; Foght, Julia M

    2014-01-01

    Dispersed clay particles in mine tailings and soft sediments remain suspended for decades, hindering consolidation and challenging effective management of these aqueous slurries. Current geotechnical engineering models of self-weight consolidation of tailings do not consider microbial contribution to sediment behavior, however, here we show that microorganisms indigenous to oil sands tailings change the porewater chemistry and accelerate consolidation of oil sands tailings. A companion paper describes the role of microbes in alteration of clay chemistry in tailings. Microbial metabolism in mature fine tailings (MFT) amended with an organic substrate (hydrolyzed canola meal) produced methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Dissolution of biogenic CO2 lowered the pH of amended MFT to pH 6.4 vs. unamended MFT (pH 7.7). About 12% more porewater was recovered from amended than unamended MFT during 2 months of active microbial metabolism, concomitant with consolidation of tailings. The lower pH in amended MFT dissolved carbonate minerals, thereby releasing divalent cations including calcium (Ca(2+)) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) and increasing bicarbonate (HCO(-) 3) in porewater. The higher concentrations increased the ionic strength of the porewater, in turn reducing the thickness of the diffuse double layer (DDL) of clay particles by reducing the surface charge potential (repulsive forces) of the clay particles. The combination of these processes accelerated consolidation of oil sands tailings. In addition, ebullition of biogenic gases created transient physical channels for release of porewater. In contrast, saturating the MFT with non-biogenic CO2 had little effect on consolidation. These results have significant implications for management and reclamation of oil sands tailings ponds and broad importance in anaerobic environments such as contaminated harbors and estuaries containing soft sediments rich in clays and organics.

  3. Moisture distribution computed from electrical impedance tomographic data of a bentonite clay/sand material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strobel, G.S.

    1995-11-01

    Moisture contents values were calculated from electrical impedance-computed tomography measurements and compared with thermocouple psychrometer moisture values. The measurements were taken, in situ and under isothermal conditions, in a bentonite clay/sand packed borehole at the Underground Research Laboratory. Two sets of impedances moisture contents were calculated from the impedance valves--independent of each other. For one set, impedance measurements were fitted to the psychrometer moisture values in a least-squares fit to a generalized calibration curve and, for the second set, an impedance-moisture relationship from laboratory calibrations was applied. The impedance-computed moisture content data showed low scatter and the trends were consistent between the three sets of values. However, the moisture content data computed from the calibration curve were more consistent with those expected from physical arguments. The moisture values from the psychrometer readings were offset and, consequently, so were those produced after applying the fitting strategy. Internal redistribution of moisture appears to have had a more significant effect on the system than did inflow at the boundary. Inflow did cause a significant change but this was localized, during this period, to the outer ∼ 0.05 m of the test hole. No comment was made as to what internal processes caused these responses. (author) 9 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs

  4. Laboratory test on maximum and minimum void ratio of tropical sand matrix soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, B. A.; Marto, A.

    2018-04-01

    Sand is generally known as loose granular material which has a grain size finer than gravel and coarser than silt and can be very angular to well-rounded in shape. The present of various amount of fines which also influence the loosest and densest state of sand in natural condition have been well known to contribute to the deformation and loss of shear strength of soil. This paper presents the effect of various range of fines content on minimum void ratio e min and maximum void ratio e max of sand matrix soils. Laboratory tests to determine e min and e max of sand matrix soil were conducted using non-standard method introduced by previous researcher. Clean sand was obtained from natural mining site at Johor, Malaysia. A set of 3 different sizes of sand (fine sand, medium sand, and coarse sand) were mixed with 0% to 40% by weight of low plasticity fine (kaolin). Results showed that generally e min and e max decreased with the increase of fines content up to a minimal value of 0% to 30%, and then increased back thereafter.

  5. Effect of illite clay and divalent cations on bitumen recovery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, X. [SNC-Lavalin Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada); Repka, C. [Baker Petrolite Corp., Fort McMurray, AB (Canada); Xu, Z.; Masliyah, J. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Materials Engineering

    2006-12-15

    Nearly 35 per cent of Canada's petroleum needs can be met from the Athabasca oil sands, particularly as conventional sources of petroleum decline. The interactions between bitumen and clay minerals play a key role in the recovery process of bitumen because they affect bitumen aeration. The 2 clays minerals found in various oil sands extraction process streams are kaolinite and illite. In this study, doping flotation tests using deionized water and electrokinetic studies were performed to examine the effect of illite clays on bitumen recovery. The effect of magnesium ions was also examined and compared with calcium ions. This paper also discussed the effects of temperature and tailings water chemistry. The negative effect of illite clay on bitumen recovery was found to be associated with its acidity. Denver flotation cell measurements indicated that the addition of calcium or magnesium ions to the flotation deionized water had only a slight effect on bitumen recovery, but the co-addition of illite clay and divalent cations resulted in a dramatic reduction in bitumen recovery. The effect was more significant at lower process temperature and low pH values. Zeta potential distributions of illite suspensions and bitumen emulsions were measured individually and as a mixture to determine the effect of divalent cations on the interaction between bitumen and illite clay. The presence of 1 mM calcium or magnesium ions in deionized water had a pronounced effect on the interactions between bitumen and illite clay. Slime coating of illite onto bitumen was not observed in zeta potential distribution measurements performed in alkaline tailings water. When tests were conducted using plant recycle water, the combination of illite clay and divalent cations did not have an adverse effect on bitumen recovery. 25 refs., 3 tabs., 15 figs.

  6. Fate of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts within soil, water, and plant environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLaughlin, Stephen J; Kalita, Prasanta K; Kuhlenschmidt, Mark S

    2013-12-15

    Vegetative Filter Strips (VFS) have long been used to control the movement of agricultural nutrients and prevent them from reaching receiving waters. Earlier studies have shown that VFS also dramatically reduce both the kinetics and extent of Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) oocysts overland transport. In this study, we investigated possible mechanisms responsible for the ability of VFS to reduce oocyst overland transport. Measurement of the kinetics of C. parvum adhesion to individual sand, silt, and clay soil particles revealed that oocysts associate over time, albeit relatively slow, with clay but not silt or sand particles. Measurement of oocyst overland transport kinetics, soil infiltration depth, distance of travel, and adhesion to vegetation on bare and vegetated soil surfaces indicate that oocysts move more slowly, and penetrate the soil profile to a greater extent on a vegetated surface than on a bare soil surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate a small fraction of the oocysts become attached to vegetation at the soil-vegetation interface on VFS. These results suggest VFS function to reduce oocyst overland transport by primarily decreasing oocyst surface flow enough to allow penetration within the soil profile followed by subsequent adhesion to or entrapment within clay particle aggregates, and to a lesser extent, adhesion to the surface vegetation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Uranium in tertiary stream channels, Lake Frome area, South Australia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunt, D.A.

    1978-01-01

    Uranium exploration over a wide area of the Southern Frome Embayment, South Australia, has defined a number of Lower Tertiary fluvial palacochannels incised in older rocks. The buried channels contain similar stratigraphic sequences of interbedded sand, silt, and clay, probably derived from the adjacent uranium-rich Olary Province. Uranium mineralization is pervasive within two major palacochannels, and four small uranium deposits have been found in the basal sands of these channel sequences, at the margins of extensive tongues of limonitic sand. A genetic model is proposed suggesting formation by a uraniferous geochemical cell which migrated down the stream gradient and concentrated uranium on its lateral margins adjacent to the channel bank

  8. Influence of Clay Content, Mineralogy and Fabric On Radar Frequency Response of Aquifer Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, L. J.; Handley, K.

    High frequency electromagnetic methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and time domain reflectometry (TDR) are widely employed to measure water saturation in the vadose zone and water filled porosity in the saturated zone. However, previous work has shown that radar frequency dielectric properties are strongly influenced by clay as well as by water content. They have also shown that that the dielectric response of clay minerals is strongly frequency dependent, and that even a small proportion of clay such as that present in many sandstone aquifers can have a large effect at typi- cal GPR frequencies (around 100MHz). Hence accurate water content/porosity deter- mination requires clay type and content to be taken into account. Reported here are dielectric measurements on clay-sand mixtures, aimed at investigating the influence of clay mineralogy, particle shape, and the geometrical arrangement of the mixture constituents on GPR and TDR response. Dielectric permittivity (at 50-1000MHz) was measured for mixtures of Ottawa Sand and various clay minerals or clay size quartz rock flour, using a specially constructed dielectric cell. Both homogeneous and layered mixtures were tested. The influence of pore water salinity, clay type, and particle arrangement on the dielectric response is interpreted in terms of dielectric dispersion mechanisms. The appropriateness of var- ious dielectric mixing rules such as the Complex Refractive Index Method (CRIM) for determination of water content or porosity from field GPR and TDR data are dis- cussed.

  9. Basic exchangeable cations in Finnish mineral soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armi Kaila

    1972-09-01

    Full Text Available The content of exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and Na replaced by neutral ammonium acetate was determined in 470 samples of mineral soils from various parts of Finland, except from Lapland. The amount of all these cations tended to increase with an increase in the clay content, but variation within each textural class was large, and the ranges usually overlapped those of the other classes. The higher acidity of virgin surface soils was connected with a lower average degree of saturation by Ca as compared with the corresponding textural classes of cultivated soils. No significant difference in the respective contents of other cations was detected. The samples of various textural groups from deeper layers were usually poorer in exchangeable Ca and K than the corresponding groups of plough layer. The mean content of exchangeable Mg was equal or even higher in the samples from deeper layers than in the samples from plough layer, except in the group of sand soils. The percentage of Mg of the effective CEC increased, as an average, from 9 in the sand and fine sand soils of plough layer to 30 in the heavy clay soils; in the heavy clay soils from deeper layers its mean value was 38 ± 4 %. In the samples of plough layer, the mean ratio of Ca to Mg in sand and fine sand soils was about 9, in silt and loam soils about 6, in the coarser clay soils about 4, and in heavy clay about 2.

  10. Geomechanical properties of lime stabilized clayey sands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arabani, M.; Karami, M. Veis

    2007-01-01

    Clayey sands that have low plasticity, low compressibility and high strength under loads, are suitable as a base material for any engineering construction projects as well as for roads and building construction. Decrease of plasticity and compressibility as well as increase in strength of these materials can be obtained by many different methods. Of these methods, lime stabilization is a common, applicable, and easy to use approach that can improve geomechanical and geotechnical properties of clayey sand fills. In this study some important geomechanical properties and geotechnical properties of clayey sands including compressive strength, CBR and elastic plastic behavior are investigated. A range of gradations representative of those gradations found in situ in the north of Iran were selected for testing and samples were artificially rebuilt in the laboratory. The mixes were then stabilized with hydrated lime and cured. Different mechanical tests were performed on mature materials. The stress-strain behavior of lime-stabilized mixes was plotted and a parabolic function was used to estimate the trend of stress-strain behavior. The data show that there is a correlation among the results of uniaxial load test, tensile strength, and CBR of the tested specimens. Also, results of the unconfined compression test and the indirect tensile strength test show that an increase in clay content up to a certain percent, in the clay-sand fills, tends to increase the strength of the materials in compression as well as in tension. (author)

  11. Invasive plants on disturbed Korean sand dunes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kee Dae

    2005-01-01

    The sand dunes in coastal regions of South Korea are important ecosystems because of their small size, the rare species found in this habitat, and the beautiful landscapes they create. This study investigated the current vegetative status of sand dunes on three representative coasts of the Korean peninsula, and on the coasts of Cheju Island, and assessed the conditions caused by invasive plants. The relationships between the degree of invasion and 14 environmental variables were studied. Plots of sand dunes along line transects perpendicular to the coastal lines were established to estimate vegetative species coverage. TWINSPAN (Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis), CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis), and DCCA (Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis) were performed to classify communities on sand dunes and assess species composition variation. Carex kobomugi, Elymus mollis, and Vitex rotundifolia were found to be the dominant species plotted on the east, the west, and the peripheral coasts of Cheju Island, respectively. Vegetation on the south coast was totally extinct. The 19 communities, including representative C. kobomugi, C. kobomugi- Ixeris repens, C. kobomugi- Oenothera biennis, E. mollis, Lolium multiflorum- Calystegia soldanella, and V. rotundifolia- C. kobomugi, were all classified according to TWINSPAN. Oenothera biennis and L. multiflorum were exotics observed within these native communities. CCA showed that invasive native and exotic species distribution was segregated significantly, according to disturbance level, exotic species number, gravel, sand and silt contents, as well as vegetation size. It further revealed that human disturbance can strongly favor the settlement of invasive and exotic species. Restoration options to reduce exotic plants in the South Korean sand dune areas were found to be the introduction of native plant species from one sand dune into other sand dune areas, prohibition of building and the introduction of exotic

  12. Geochemistry of dark coastal heavy-mineral beaches sand (Annaba ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Acer

    3 Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam, ... Some beaches are characterized by a red-brownish sand colour, the Ain Achir and the ... The occurrence of clays has been determined using the methyl-blue method.

  13. Field test on sand compaction pile method with copper slag sand; Dosuisai slag wo mochiita SCP koho no shiken seko

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minami, K.; Matsui, H.; Naruse, E.; Kitazume, M. [Port and Harbour Research Inst., Kanagawa (Japan)

    1997-09-20

    This paper describes the sand compaction pile (SCP) method using copper slag sand. The SCP method is a method by which sand compaction piles are constructed in the ground, and improvement can be obtained in a short period. This method has been widely used even in the port areas for enhancing the bearing power of soft clay ground and the lateral resistance of sheet pile. A great deal of sand is required as a material. The sand requires high permeability, proper size distribution with less fine particle fraction content, easy compaction property with enough strength, and easy discharging property from the casing of construction machines as required properties. Recently, it becomes hard to secure proper sand materials. The copper slag sand is obtained from refining process of copper as a by-product which is quenched in water flow and crushed in water. The copper slag sand has higher particle density than that of sand, excellent permeability, and similar size distribution to that of sand. From compaction drainage triaxial compression test and permeability test, it was found that the mechanical properties of copper slag sand did not change by the crushing of grains with keeping excellent permeability. Through the test construction, applicability of the copper slag sand to the SCP method could be confirmed as an alternate material of sand. 17 refs., 9 figs., 4 tabs.

  14. Geosynthetic clay liners shrinkage under simulated daily thermal cycles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarabadani, Hamid; Rayhani, Mohammad T

    2014-06-01

    Geosynthetic clay liners are used as part of composite liner systems in municipal solid waste landfills and other applications to restrict the escape of contaminants into the surrounding environment. This is attainable provided that the geosynthetic clay liner panels continuously cover the subsoil. Previous case histories, however, have shown that some geosynthetic clay liner panels are prone to significant shrinkage and separation when an overlying geomembrane is exposed to solar radiation. Experimental models were initiated to evaluate the potential shrinkage of different geosynthetic clay liner products placed over sand and clay subsoils, subjected to simulated daily thermal cycles (60°C for 8 hours and 22°C for 16 hours) modelling field conditions in which the liner is exposed to solar radiation. The variation of geosynthetic clay liner shrinkage was evaluated at specified times by a photogrammetry technique. The manufacturing techniques, the initial moisture content, and the aspect ratio (ratio of length to width) of the geosynthetic clay liner were found to considerably affect the shrinkage of geosynthetic clay liners. The particle size distribution of the subsoil and the associated suction at the geosynthetic clay liner-subsoil interface was also found to have significant effects on the shrinkage of the geosynthetic clay liner. © The Author(s) 2014.

  15. Geopolymerisation of silt generated from construction and demolition waste washing plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lampris, C; Lupo, R; Cheeseman, C R

    2009-01-01

    Recycling plants that size, sort and wash construction and demolition waste can produce high quality aggregate. However, they also produce up to 80ton per hour of filter cake waste containing fine (waste and normally landfilled. This research investigated the potential to form geopolymers containing silt, which would allow this problematic waste to be beneficially reused as aggregate. This would significantly improve the economic viability of recycling plants that wash wastes. Silt filter cakes have been collected from a number of aggregate washing plants operating in the UK. These were found to contain similar aluminosilicate crystalline phases. Geopolymer samples were produced using silt and silt mixed with either metakaolin or pulverised fuel ash (PFA). Silt geopolymers cured at room temperature had average 7-day compressive strengths of 18.7MPa, while partial substitution of silt by metakaolin or PFA increased average compressive strengths to 30.5 and 21.9MPa, respectively. Curing specimens for 24h at 105 degrees C resulted in a compressive strength of 39.7MPa and microstructural analysis confirmed the formation of dense materials. These strengths are in excess of those required for materials to be used as aggregate, particularly in unbound applications. The implications of this research for the management of waste silt at construction and demolition waste washing plants are discussed.

  16. Grain Size Distribution in Mudstones: A Question of Nature vs. Nurture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schieber, J.

    2011-12-01

    Grain size distribution in mudstones is affected by the composition of the source material, the processes of transport and deposition, and post-depositional diagenetic modification. With regard to source, it does make a difference whether for example a slate belt is eroded vs a stable craton. The former setting tends to provide a broad range of detrital quartz in the sub 62 micron size range in addition to clays and greenschist grade rock fragments, whereas the latter may be biased towards coarser quartz silt (30-60 microns), in addition to clays and mica flakes. In flume experiments, when fine grained materials are transported in turbulent flows at velocities that allow floccules to transfer to bedload, a systematic shift of grain size distribution towards an increasingly finer grained suspended load is observed as velocity is lowered. This implies that the bedload floccules are initially constructed of only the coarsest clay particles at high velocities, and that finer clay particles become incorporated into floccules as velocity is lowered. Implications for the rock record are that clay beds deposited from decelerating flows should show subtle internal grading of coarser clay particles; and that clay beds deposited from continuous fast flows should show a uniform distribution of coarse clays. Still water settled clays should show a well developed lower (coarser) and upper (finer) subdivision. A final complication arises when diagenetic processes, such as the dissolution of biogenic silica, give rise to diagenetic quartz grains in the silt to sand size range. This diagenetic silica precipitates in fossil cavities and pore spaces of uncompacted muds, and on casual inspection can be mistaken for detrital quartz. In distal mudstone successions close to 100 % of "apparent" quartz silt can be of that origin, and reworking by bottom currents can further enhance a detrital perception by producing rippled and laminated silt beds. Although understanding how size

  17. Release of cadmium from clays and plant uptake of cadium from soil as affected by potassium and calcium amendments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haghiri, F.

    1976-01-01

    The effects of percent K and/or Ca saturations on the release of Cd from Cd-treated H-clays (kaolinite and illite) and on the Cd availability to plants from Cd-treated Canfield silt loam soil were determined. The concentration of Cd in the dialyzates from both kaolinite and illite clays increased as the percent of Ca or K saturation of the clays in the suspension decreased. The release of Cd from both clays was greater in the presence of Ca than K. In a separate experiment, the concentration of Cd in soybean shoots (Glycine max L. Merr.) ''Corsoy'' decreased with increasing percent Ca or K saturation of the soil. The results indicated that Cd uptake by soybeam shoots could be impaired to a great extent by K application

  18. Spectral Induced Polarization Signatures of Ethanol in Sand-Clay Medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    The spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) method has previously been investigated as a tool for detecting physicochemical changes occurring as result of clay-organic interactions in porous media. We performed SIP measurements with a dynamic signal analyzer (NI-4551) on laboratory ...

  19. The effects of physical separtation treatment on the removal of uranium from contaminated soils at Fernald: A bench-scale study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadler, K.G.; Krstich, M.A.

    1994-01-01

    A bench-scale treatability study incorporating the use of physical separation techniques and chemical dispersants/extractants was conducted on uranium contaminated soils at the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) site. The soils contained approximately 497 and 450 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of total uranium, respectively. Geotechnical characterization indicated that 77.4 and 74.6 percent of the soil was in the less that 50 micrometer (μm) size fraction for the ID-A and ID-B soils, respectively. An initial characterization effort indicated that uranium was distributed among all particle size fractions. After each soil was dispersed in water, it was noted that the uranium concentrated in the sand and clay fractions for the ID-A soil (1028 and 1475 mg kg -1 , respectively) and the clay fraction for ID-B soil (2710 mg kg -1 ). Four 1 millimolar (mM) sodium reagent solutions (sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and a sodium citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite mixture) and potable water were evaluated for effectiveness in dispersing each soil into single grain separates and extracting total uranium from each of the resulting particle size fractions. Dilute sodium solutions were more effective than water in dispersing the soil. The use of dispersants, as compared to water, on the less than 2 mm size fraction causes a shift in the distribution of uranium out of the sand fraction and into the silt and clay fractions for ID-A soil and into the clay fraction for the ID-B soil. Attrition scrubbing tests were conducted on the less than 2 mm size fraction for the ID-A and ID-B soils using water and three alkaline extraction solutions, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium carbonate/bicarbonate, and ammonium carbonate/bicarbonate. There was little difference among the chemical extractants on their effectiveness in removing uranium from the greater than 53 μm (sand) or less than 53 μm (silt and clay) soil fraction

  20. Seismic reflection and vibracoring studies of the continental shelf offshore central and western Long Island, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, W.M.; Albanese, J.R.; Coch, N.K.; Harsch, A.A.

    1999-01-01

    The ridge-and-swale topography on the continental shelf south of Fire Island, New York, is characterized by northeast-trending linear shoals that are shore attached and shore oblique on the inner shelf and isolated and shore parallel on the middle shelf. High-resolution seismic reflection profiles show that the ridges and swales occur independent of, and are not controlled by, the presence of internal structures (for example, filled tidal inlet channels, paleobarrier strata) or underlying structure (for example, high-relief Cretaceous unconformity). Grab samples of surficial sediments on the shelf south of Fire Island average 98% sand. Locally, benthic fauna increase silt and clay content through fecal pellet production or increase the content of gravel-size material by contribution of their fragmented shell remains. Surficial sand on the ridges is unimodal at 0.33 mm (medium sand, about 50 mesh), and surficial sand in troughs is bimodal at 0.33 mm and 0.15 mm (fine sand, about 100 mesh). In addition to seismic studies, 26 vibracores were recovered from the continental shelf in state and federal waters from south of Rockaway and Long Beaches, Long Island, New York. Stratigraphic and sedimentological data gleaned from these cores were used to outline the geologic framework in the study area. A variety of sedimentary features were noted in the cores, including burrow-mottled sections of sand in a finer silty-sand, rhythmic lamination of sand and silty-sand that reflect cyclic changes in sediment transport, layers of shell hash and shells that probably represent tempestites, and changes from dark color to light color in the sediments that probably represent changes in the oxidation-reduction conditions in the area with time. The stratigraphic units identified are an upper, generally oxidized, nearshore facies, an underlying fine- to medium-sand and silty-clay unit considered to be an estuarine facies, and a lower, coarse-grained deeply oxidized, cross-laminated pre

  1. [Soil particle size distribution and its fractal dimension among degradation sequences of the alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow River, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Mao-Hong; Lin, Hui-Long

    2014-03-01

    The alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow River is suffering serious deterioration. Though great efforts have been put into, the restoration for the degraded grassland is far from being effective, mainly due to poor understanding of the degradation mechanism of alpine meadow in this region. In order to clarify the formation mechanism of degradation grassland and provide the new ideas for restoration, degradation sequences of the alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow River were taken as target systems to analyze the soil particle size distribution, the fractal dimension of the soil particle size, and the relationship between soil erosion modulus and fractal dimension. The results showed that, with increasing grassland degradation, the percentage contents of clay increased while the percentage contents of silt sand and very fine sand showed a decreasing trend. The fractal dimension presented a positive correlation with clay among the degradation sequences while negative correlations were found with very fine sand and silt sand. The curvilinear regression of fractal dimension and erosion modulus fitted a quadratic function. Judged by the function, fractal dimension 2.81 was the threshold value of soil erosion. The threshold value has an indicative meaning on predicting the breakout of grazing-induced erosion and on restoration of the degraded grassland. Taking fractal dimension of 2.81 as the restoration indicator, adoption of corresponding measures to make fractal dimension less than 2.81, would an effective way to restore the degradation grassland.

  2. Description of gravity cores from San Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait, San Francisco Bay, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodrow, Donald L.; John L. Chin,; Wong, Florence L.; Fregoso, Theresa A.; Jaffe, Bruce E.

    2017-06-27

    Seventy-two gravity cores were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1990, 1991, and 2000 from San Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait, California. The gravity cores collected within San Pablo Bay contain bioturbated laminated silts and sandy clays, whole and broken bivalve shells (mostly mussels), fossil tube structures, and fine-grained plant or wood fragments. Gravity cores from the channel wall of Carquinez Strait east of San Pablo Bay consist of sand and clay layers, whole and broken bivalve shells (less than in San Pablo Bay), trace fossil tubes, and minute fragments of plant material.

  3. Sediment Dynamics in a Vegetated Tidally Influenced Interdistributary Island: Wax Lake, Louisiana

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-07-01

    12 18 νλ ε       1 3 4 0 (8) where ε is the turbulence kinetic energy dissipation and ν is the kinematic viscosity of water...dry white feldspar clay (DeLaune et al., 1983) was placed in two replicate 0.5 m × 0.5 m plots at each platform in January 2014. Each plot was marked...2). Each site is dominated by silt followed by clay and small (~5%) amounts of sand. Gravel comprised less than 0.1% of the samples measured and is

  4. Geology of the Integrated Disposal Facility Trench

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reidel, Steve P.; Fecht, Karl R.

    2005-01-01

    This report describes the geology of the integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) Trench. The stratigraphy consists of some of the youngest sediments of the Missoula floods (younger than 770 ka). The lithology is dominated sands with minor silts and gravels that are largely unconsolidated. The stratigraphy can be subdivided into five geologic units that can be mapped throughout the trench. Four of the units were deposited by the Missoula floods and the youngest consists of windblown sand and silt. The sediment has little moisture and is consistent with that observed in the characterization boreholes. The sedimentary layers are flat lying and there are no faults or folds present. Two clastic dikes were encountered, one along the west wall and one that can be traced from the north to the southwall. The north-south clastic dike nearly bifurcates the trench but the west wall clastic dike can not be traced very far east into the trench. The classic dikes consist mainly of sand with clay-lined walls. The sediment in the dikes is compacted to partly cemented and are more resistant than the layered sediments

  5. [Effect of suspended silt from dredging at Yangtze estuary on Brachionus plicatilis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jinqui; Xu, Zhaoli; Shi, Chun; Chen, Yaqu

    2002-07-01

    The effect of suspended silt from dredging at Yangtze estuary on Brachionus plicatilis was investigated by clonal culture (to construct life table) and population accumulative culture. The intrinsic increasing rate of the rotifer population was greatly reduced under different concentrations (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 mg.ml-1) of silt, from 29.6% to 64.1%, and to a maximum of 130.0%. The suspended silt affected population survival rate, rather than its reproduction rate. In accumulative culture, the densities of female, males, parthenogenetic eggs, and resting eggs in the population were not affected by silt. It was concluded that the presence of suspended silt should have a certain negative influence on the rotifer population in dredging Yangtze estuary.

  6. Demonstration of an In-Situ Friction-Sound Probe for Mapping Particle Size at Contaminated Sediment Sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    sedimentation according to the Stokes Law through pipettes (Plumb, 1981) or hydrometer (ASTM, 1988). Various optical techniques, electro-resistance (Coulter...used by the contracting laboratory (ASTM, 1998) is a combined mechanical sieving and hydrometer method. The sieves are used to quantify particle sizes...in the sand range (> 63 µm) and larger, and a sedimentation- hydrometer technique is used to quantify the silt and clay size ranges (< 63 µm

  7. Evaluation of Uncertainty in Constituent Input Parameters for Modeling the Fate of IMX 101 Components

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-05-01

    2) TREECS™ has a tool for estimating soil Kd values given Koc, the soil tex- ture (percent sand, silt, and clay ), and the percent organic matter...respectively. Mulherin et al. (2005) studied the stability of NQ in three moist, unsatu- rated soils under laboratory conditions. This study yielded a range...of the uncertain input properties (degrada- tion rates and water-to- soil and water-to-sediment adsorption partitioning distribution coefficients, or

  8. Evaluation of Flowable Fill Surface Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-11-01

    general, traditional flowable fill is a low- viscosity , grout-like, cementitious blend commonly composed of portland cement, fine aggregate, and water...93.7 45.0 19.6 % Finer No. 200 7.0 0.5 9.1 % Gravel 2.2 0.0 56.1 % Sand 90.8 99.5 34.8 % Silt 3.2 < 0.5 6.8 % Clay 3.8 < 0.5 2.3 Fineness Modulus

  9. Clay slurry and engineered soils as containment technologies for remediation of contaminated sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, J.R.; Dudka, S.; Miller, W.P.; Johnson, D.O.

    1997-01-01

    Clay Slurry and Engineered Soils are containment technologies for remediation of waste disposal sites where leaching, groundwater plumes and surface runoff of contaminants are serious ecological hazards to adjacent environments. This technology is a patent-pending process which involves the use of conditioned clay materials mixed with sand and water to form a readily pourable suspension, a clay slurry, which is either placed into a trench barrier system or allowed to de-water to create Engineered Soils. The Engineered Soil forms a layer impervious to water and air, therefore by inhibiting both water and oxygen from penetrating through the soil the material. This material can be installed in layers and as a vertical barrier to create a surface barrier containment system. The clay percentage in the clay slurry and Engineered Soils varies depending on site characteristics and desired performance standards. For example Engineered Soils with 1-2% of clay (dry wt.) had a hydraulic conductivity (K) of 10 -8 to 10 -1 cm/sec. Tests of tailing materials from a kyanite and pyrite mine showed that the clay slurry was effective not only in reducing the permeability of the treated tailings, but also in decreasing their acidity due to the inherent alkalinity of the clay. The untreated tailings had pH values in the range of 2.4 - 3.1; whereas, the effluent from clay and tailings mixtures had pH values in a slightly alkaline range (7.7-7.9). Pug-mills and high volume slurry pumps can be readily adapted for use in constructing and placing caps and creating Engineered Soils. Moreover, material on site or from a local sand supply can be used to create clay slurries and engineered soils. Clay materials used in cap construction are likewise readily available commercially. As a result, the clay slurry system is very cost effective compared to other capping systems, including the commonly used High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner systems

  10. Hydrothermal behaviour of sedimentary saponitic clays from Madrid Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuevas Rodriguez, J.

    1993-01-01

    The hydrothermal behavior of sedimentary saponitic clays from Madrid Basin has been investigated to assess their potential use as a buffer material in high level radioactive waste repositories. This paper deals with a review of several aspects that has been studied: the adsorption and irreversible fixation of K'+, the alteration in absence of potassium and the effects of heat and steam on textural properties of the smectitic clay. Experiments have covered temperatures up to 175 degree centigree with an excess of liquid water except on the last subject. Chemical and XRD analyses of final clay products and solutions indicates minor alteration of the saponite in the hydrothermal experiments either in the presence or absence of potassium. No illitization or chloritization processes seems to affect the smectite. Sepiolite was found to be largely dissolved at 175 degree centigree, a process that inhibited recrystallization or formation of illite observed when illite was present in significant amounts in starting materials. Accessory minerals (illite and sepiolite) accompanying as traces the saponitic material underwent and intense degradation at 175 degree centigree in absence of potassium. On the other hand, clay steamed at 200 degree centigree showed significant textural changes forming highly stable silt size aggregates which hindered the swelling abilities of the saponitic material, a fact that was previously observed in montmorillonites. (Author) 25 refs

  11. Researches on the Constitutive Models of Artificial Frozen Silt in Underground Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yugui Yang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The researches on the mechanical characteristic and constitutive models of frozen soil have important meanings in structural design of deep frozen soil wall. In the present study, the triaxial compression and creep tests have been carried out, and the mechanical characteristic of frozen silt is obtained. The experiment results show that the deformation characteristic of frozen silt is related to confining pressure under conventional triaxial compression condition. The frozen silt presents strain softening in shear process; with increase of confining pressure, the strain softening characteristic gradually decreases. The creep curves of frozen silt present the decaying and the stable creep stages under low stress level; however, under high stress level, once the strain increases to a critical value, the creep strain velocity gradually increases and the specimen quickly happens to destroy. To reproduce the deformation behavior, the disturbed state elastoplastic and new creep constitutive models of frozen silt are developed. The comparisons between experimental results and calculated results from constitutive models show that the proposed constitutive models could describe the conventional triaxial compression and creep deformation behaviors of frozen silt.

  12. Causes of sinks near Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, J.P.; Pool, D.R.; Konieczki, A.D.; Carpenter, M.C.

    1998-01-01

    Land subsidence in the form of sinks has occurred on and near farmlands near Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, USA. The sinks occur in alluvial deposits along the flood plain of the Santa Cruz River, and have made farmlands dangerous and unsuitable for farming. More than 1700 sinks are confined to the flood plain of the Santa Cruz River and are grouped along two north-northwestward-trending bands that are approximately parallel to the river and other flood-plain drainages. An estimated 17,000 m3 of sediment have been removed in the formation of the sinks. Thirteen trenches were dug to depths of 4-6 m to characterize near-surface sediments in sink and nonsink areas. Sediments below about 2 m included a large percentage of dispersive clays in sink areas. Sediments in nonsink areas contain a large component of medium- to coarse-grained, moderately to well sorted sand that probably fills a paleochannel. Electromagnetic surveys support the association of silts and clays in sink areas that are highly electrically conductive relative to sand in nonsink areas. Sinks probably are caused by the near-surface process of subsurface erosion of dispersive sediments along pre-existing cracks in predominantly silt and clay sediments. The pre-existing cracks probably result from desiccation or tension that developed during periods of water-table decline and channel incision during the past 100 years or in earlier periods.

  13. Applications of sand control technology in thermal recovery systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rensvold, R F

    1982-01-01

    The ever-increasing application of thermal methods to recover low gravity crude oil has warranted the review of existing sand control techniques relative to their compatibility with high temperature environments. The advantages and limitations of a large number of materials are considered. Carrying fluids, granular pack solids, clay stabilizers, and resin-coated pack sands are discussed. Resins used for in situ sand consolidation processes also are reviewed, and their suitability for application in a high temperature steam environment is evaluated. The effects of highly deviated boreholes on the placement of pressure packs also are considered. Full scale gravel pack model studies have provided valuable clues to the procedures and materials that help to create optimum pressure packs. 58 references.

  14. Intrinsic Problems In Determination Of Soil Texture In Calcareous Soils Of Arid Zones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mozna A. Ahmed

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed at studying the effect of removal of CaCO3 on the texture of the soil profile and that of the control section in some Aridisols of the Sudan. Sixty soil profiles were sampled from Shendi area latitude1636 and longitude 33 48 River Nile State Sudan. These soils were analyzed for CaCO3 and 20 of these profiles were found to be of relatively appreciable calcareousness and were therefore selected for this study. The following three weighted soil textures were determined 1 before any removal of the CaCO3 Texture1 2 after the removal of CaCO3 Texture2 3 after amending the texture by adding the clay sized CaCO3 to the silt fraction Texture 3. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among soil separates in the three textures except between clay of T2 and clay of T3 and among sand fractions in the three textures. That was not unexpected because the first texture included both mineral separates plus their equivalent size of CaCO3 the second texture included only the mineral separates in complete absence of CaCO3 while texture 3 was an amended texture. The change in the textural class amounted to 72 of the profiles. Statistical analysis in the weighted texture of the control section revealed that this texture was not affected except in two profiles. That could be attributed to the fact that the clay content of the soils of the study area did not fall at or near the boundary between any two major textural classes used in the Soil Taxonomy. The size of the CaCO3 was found in the order of clay size silt size sand size.

  15. Mineralogical characterization of a highly-weathered soil by the Rietveld Method Caracterização mineralógica de um solo altamente intemperizado pelo Método de Rietveld

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Maurício Brinatti

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The mineralogical characterization through mineral quantification of Brazilian soils by X-ray diffraction data using the Rietveld Method is not common. A mineralogical quantification of an Acric Ferralsol from the Ponta Grossa region, state of Paraná, Brazil, was carried out using this Method with X-Ray Diffraction data to verify if this method was suitable for mineral quantification of a highly-weathered soil. The A, AB and B3 horizons were fractioned to separate the different particle sizes: clay, silt, fine sand (by Stokes Law and coarse sand fractions (by sieving, with the procedure free of chemical treatments. X-ray Fluorescence, Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry, Infrared Spectroscopy and Mössbauer Spectroscopy were used in order to assist the mineral identification and quantification. The Rietveld Method enabled the quantification of the present minerals. In a general way, the quantitative mineralogical characterization by the Rietveld Method revealed that quartz, gibbsite, rutile, hematite, goethite, kaolinite and halloysite were present in the clay and silt fractions of all horizons. The silt fractions of the deeper horizons were different from the more superficial ones due to the presence of large amounts of quartz. The fine and the coarse sand fractions are constituted mainly by quartz. Therefore, a mineralogical quantification of the finer fraction (clay and silt by the Rietveld Method was successful.A caracterização mineralógica por meio da quantificação dos minerais presentes em solos brasileiros por difração de raios X usando o Método de Rietveld é, ainda, pouco comum. Neste trabalho foi realizada a quantificação mineralógica de um Latossolo Vermelho ácrico da região de Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil, utilizando o Método de Rietveld com dados de Difração de Raios X e também verificado se o método foi adequado na quantificação mineral de um solo altamente intemperizado. Os horizontes A

  16. Sand-Venting in the M5.7 Earthquake 3 Jan 2017 and in the Much Larger Penultimate Liquefaction Event with their Sedimentary Setting in an Upstream Valley of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta: Implications for Earthquake Hazard

    Science.gov (United States)

    McHugh, C.; Seeber, L.; Akhter, S. H.; Schenck, R. J.; Steckler, M. S.; Kumar, B.; Rajapara, H.; Shovon, A. K.; Singhvi, A. K.

    2017-12-01

    The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD) is near the cusp between Sunda subduction and Himalayan collision. Abundant water and fertile sediment support a huge population, but large earthquakes along these broad convergence boundaries have repeatedly caused widespread liquefaction and destruction. The 3 Jan 2017 M5.7 32 km deep (USGS) Ambassa (Tripura, India) earthquake accommodated down-dip extension of the Indian slab where it subducts eastward from the GBD below Burma. This is typical for current seismicity below and east of the GBD, although much larger and shallower thrust earthquakes are anticipated based on GPS. Generally, reported effects in the broad mesoseismal area seem consistent with hypocenter depth and the assigned max MMI V (USGS), but we found surprisingly intense damage and many liquefaction sites in the alluvial northern portion of the Dolai valley in Bangladesh, 36 km NNW of the epicenter. We trenched three liquefaction sites and completed a profile of ten 50m deep wells across the 5 km wide alluvial valley. Fluvial channel sands alternate with overbank silt/clay and organic clay layers suggesting frequent changes in river course, consistent with rapid post glacial sea-level rise, transgression, high-stand aggradation and differential tectonic uplift. The Dolai is one of several short low-relief synclinal valleys in the fold belt draining northward into the Sylhet Basin (NE part of the GBD) where they meet westward drainage richer in sediment. Rapid aggradation by this cross-drainage may have a damming effect and account for the current lacustrine/marshy conditions characteristic of the northern end of these synclinal valleys. Organic rich beds derived from such conditions could encourage overpressure and raise liquefaction potential. The 1.5 m deep trenches revealed fractures and clastic dykes <15 mm wide that fed the 2017 sand vents. Their orientations were N-S, subparallel to the valley and nearby river-banks and at high angle to the fold axes

  17. Adsorption - desorption equilibria of some radionuclides in sediment - sea water system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Assy, N.B.; Fattah, A.T.A.; El-Shinawy, R.M.K.; Essa, M.W.A.

    1991-01-01

    Chemical and physical properties of Suez Canal bottom sediments (SCBS) and sea water at port Tawfeek area, the south entrance of Suez canal, have been studied. The SCBS was separated into its size fractions (natural sediment, sand, silt and clay). These different sediment fractions were allowed to be in equilibrium with 89 Sr, 60 Co and 134 Cs solutions. Desorption studies were carried out on these contaminated sediments. (author) 16 refs.; 1 fig.; 1 tab

  18. Mountain Warfare and Cold Weather Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-29

    is important to determine whether the bottom is composed of sand, gravel, silt, clay , or rock and in what proportions. For more information see ATP...these planning factors by about two quarts per individual. 6-22. Water increases in viscosity in extreme cold weather, and therefore moves slower...In arctic conditions, fuel spilled on flesh can cause instant frostbite if the proper gloves are not worn. 6-32. Multi- viscosity oil (15W-40) is

  19. Soil washing and post-wash biological treatment of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils

    OpenAIRE

    Bhandari, Alok

    1992-01-01

    A laboratory scale study was conducted to investigate the treatability of petroleum contaminated soils by soil washing and subsequent biological treatment of the different soil fractions. In addition to soils obtained from contaminated sites, studies were also performed on soils contaminated in the laboratory. Soil washing was performed using a bench-scale soil washing system. Washing was carried out with simultaneous fractionation of the bulk soil into sand, silt and clay fractions. Cl...

  20. X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis of kaolins particle size fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia dos Santos

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Kaolins are common geological materials and have high concentrations of kaolinite as well as the clay fraction of tropical and subtropical soils of Brazil. The characterization of kaolin is a proxy of assessing the contribution of kaolinite to important soil chemical and mineralogical attributes. This study evaluated four kaolins (commercial kaolin A (CCA, commercial kaolin B (CCB, pink sandy kaolin A (CRA and green sandy kaolin A (CVA in the original form and after particle size separation into: sand (200-53 mm, coarse silt (53-20 m, fine silt (20-2 m, large clay (2-1m, medium clay (1-0.5 m and fine clay (<0.5m fractions. The minerals were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD and evaluated for crystallinity (kaolinite and halloysite through indexes Hughes and Brown, Amigó, Bramão and the dehydroxylation temperature. The physical fractionation was efficient to concentrate minerals in specific size fractions which were not identified in the original material. In CCA kaolin was concentrated one mineral which remains unidentified in fine fractions, in kaolin CRA, zircon was concentrated in the coarse silt and different silicates in the fine fractions, in kaolin CCB were concentrated kaolinite and a silicate in the medium and coarse clay fractions. The estimate by X-ray diffraction overestimated the amount of kaolinite and halloysite underestimated when compared to quantification by thermal gravimetric analysis The crystallinity index exhibit different behaviors depending on the mineralogy of each material, thus the correlation between the crystallinity of kaolinite and / or halloysite and other variables, may be compromised, especially in materials with distinct geological origins.

  1. Electrokinetic Enhanced Permanganate Delivery for Low Permeability Soil Remediation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, A. I.; Gerhard, J.; Reynolds, D. A.; Sleep, B. E.; O'Carroll, D. M.

    2016-12-01

    Contaminant mass sequestered in low permeability zones (LPZ) in the subsurface has become a significant concern due to back diffusion of contaminants, leading to contaminant rebound following treatment of the high permeability strata. In-situ remediation technologies such as in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) are promising, however, successful delivery of oxidants into silts and clays remains a challenge. Electrokinetics (EK) has been proposed as a technique that can overcome this challenge by delivering oxidants into low permeability soils. This study demonstrates the ability of EK to facilitate permanganate delivery into silt for treatment of trichloroethene (TCE). A two-dimensional sandbox was packed with alternate vertical layers of coarse sand and silt contaminated with high concentrations of aqueous phase TCE. Nine experiments were conducted to compare EK-enhanced in-situ chemical oxidation (EK-ISCO) to ISCO alone or EK alone. Frequent groundwater sampling at multiple locations combined with image analysis provided detailed mapping of TCE, permanganate, and manganese dioxide mass distributions. EK-ISCO successfully delivered the permanganate throughout the silt cross-section while ISCO without EK resulted in permanganate delivery only to the edges of the silt layer. EK-ISCO resulted in a 4.4 order-of-magnitude (OoM) reduction in TCE concentrations in the coarse sand compared to a 3.5 OoM reduction for ISCO alone. This study suggests that electrokinetics coupled with ISCO can achieve enhanced remediation of lower permeability strata, where remediation technologies for successful contaminant mass removal would otherwise be limited.

  2. Clay minerals behaviour in thin sandy clay-rich lacustrine turbidites (Lake Hazar, Turkey)

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Ouahabi, Meriam; Hubert-Ferrari, Aurelia; Lamair, Laura; Hage, Sophie

    2017-04-01

    Turbidites have been extensively studied in many different areas using cores or outcrop, which represent only an integrated snapshot of a dynamic evolving flow. Laboratory experiments provide the missing relationships between the flow characteristics and their deposits. In particular, flume experiments emphasize that the presence of clay plays a key role in turbidity current dynamics. Clay fraction, in small amount, provides cohesive strength to sediment mixtures and can damp turbulence. However, the degree of flocculation is dependent on factors such as the amount and size of clay particles, the surface of clay particles, chemistry and pH conditions in which the clay particles are dispersed. The present study focuses on thin clayey sand turbidites found in Lake Hazar (Turkey) occurring in stacked thin beds. Depositional processes and sources have been previously studied and three types were deciphered, including laminar flows dominated by cohesion, transitional, and turbulence flow regimes (Hage et al., in revision). For the purpose of determine the clay behavior in the three flow regimes, clay mineralogical, geochemical measurements on the cores allow characterising the turbidites. SEM observations provide further information regarding the morphology of clay minerals and other clasts. The study is particularly relevant given the highly alkaline and saline water of the Hazar Lake. Clay minerals in Hazar Lake sediments include kaolinite (1:1-type), illite and chlorite (2:1-type). Hazar lake water is alkaline having pH around 9.3, in such alkaline environment, a cation-exchange reaction takes place. Furthermore, in saline water (16‰), salts can act as a shield and decrease the repulsive forces between clay particle surfaces. So, pH and salt content jointly impact the behaviour of clays differently. Since the Al-faces of clay structures have a negative charge in basic solutions. At high pH, all kaolinite surfaces become negative-charged, and then kaolinite

  3. Sedimentary fabrics of the macrotidal, mud-dominated, inner estuary to fluvio-tidal transition zone, Petitcodiac River estuary, New Brunswick, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shchepetkina, Alina; Gingras, Murray K.; Zonneveld, John-Paul; Pemberton, S. George

    2016-03-01

    The study provides a detailed description of mud-dominated sedimentary fabrics and their application for the rock record within the inner estuary to the fluvial zone of the Petitcodiac River estuary, New Brunswick, Canada. Sedimentological characteristics and facies distributions of the clay- and silt-rich deposits are reported. The inner estuary is characterized by thick accumulations of interbedded silt and silty clay on intertidal banks that flank the tidally influenced channel. The most common sedimentary structures observed are parallel and wavy lamination, small-scale soft-sediment deformation with microfaults, and clay and silt current ripples. The tidal channel contains sandy silt and clayey silt with planar lamination, massive and convolute bedding. The fluvio-tidal transition zone is represented by interbedded trough cross-stratified sand and gravel beds with planar laminated to massive silty mud. The riverine, non-tidal reach of the estuary is characterized by massive, planar tabular and trough cross-stratified gravel-bed deposits. The absence of bioturbation within the inner estuary to the fluvio-tidal transition zone can be explained by the following factors: low water salinities (0-5 ppt), amplified tide and current speeds, and high concentrations of flocculated material in the water body. Notably, downstream in the middle and outer estuary, bioturbation is seasonally pervasive: in those locales the sedimentary conditions are similar, but salinity is higher. In this study, the sedimentological (i.e., grain size, bedding characters, sedimentary structures) differences between the tidal estuary and the fluvial setting are substantial, and those changes occur over only a few hundred meters. This suggests that the widely used concept of an extensive fluvio-tidal transition zone and its depositional character may not be a geographically significant component of fluvial or estuary deposits, which can go unnoticed in the study of the ancient rocks.

  4. Multisensor on-the-go mapping of readily dispersible clay, particle size and soil organic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debaene, Guillaume; Niedźwiecki, Jacek; Papierowska, Ewa

    2016-04-01

    Particle size fractions affect strongly the physical and chemical properties of soil. Readily dispersible clay (RDC) is the part of the clay fraction in soils that is easily or potentially dispersible in water when small amounts of mechanical energy are applied to soil. The amount of RDC in the soil is of significant importance for agriculture and environment because clay dispersion is a cause of poor soil stability in water which in turn contributes to soil erodibility, mud flows, and cementation. To obtain a detailed map of soil texture, many samples are needed. Moreover, RDC determination is time consuming. The use of a mobile visible and near-infrared (VIS-NIR) platform is proposed here to map those soil properties and obtain the first detailed map of RDC at field level. Soil properties prediction was based on calibration model developed with 10 representative samples selected by a fuzzy logic algorithm. Calibration samples were analysed for soil texture (clay, silt and sand), RDC and soil organic carbon (SOC) using conventional wet chemistry analysis. Moreover, the Veris mobile sensor platform is also collecting electrical conductivity (EC) data (deep and shallow), and soil temperature. These auxiliary data were combined with VIS-NIR measurement (data fusion) to improve prediction results. EC maps were also produced to help understanding RDC data. The resulting maps were visually compared with an orthophotography of the field taken at the beginning of the plant growing season. Models were developed with partial least square regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVMR). There were no significant differences between calibration using PLSR or SVMR. Nevertheless, the best models were obtained with PLSR and standard normal variate (SNV) pretreatment and the fusion with deep EC data (e.g. for RDC and clay content: RMSECV = 0,35% and R2 = 0,71; RMSECV = 0,32% and R2 = 0,73 respectively). The best models were used to predict soil properties from the

  5. A novel waste water cleanup, fines sequestration and consolidation technology for oil sands applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soane, D.; Ware, W.; Mahoney, R.; Kincaid, P. [Soane Energy LLC, Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2010-07-01

    This paper discussed a wastewater technology designed to rapidly sequester suspended fines and other pollutants from the tailings produced during oil sands processes. The technology can also be used to clarify existing tailings ponds, and is expected to help address growing environmental concerns over the remediation of oil sands tailings. The ATA system is comprised of the following 3 components: (1) an activator polymer, (2) a tether polymer, and (3) an anchor particle. A small dose of the activator polymer is added to the fine or mature tailings, which then causes the suspended clay fines to aggregate. The anchor particles are then coated with the tether polymer. The anchor particle is formed from sand derived from coarser tailings. The tether-bearing anchor particles bind to the aggregated clay fines in the activated tailings to form robust complexes that can easily be separated from the waste stream. Output streams from the ATA process include a clean water stream that can be reused in oil sands extraction processes; and a dewatered solid that can be used as landfill as well as in construction and reclamation applications. The sensible heat retained in the recycled water is expected to also reduce the energy requirements of the oil sands extraction process. 6 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  6. stabilisation of niger delta fat clay with blend of binders for subgrade

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HOD

    Construction of roads on fine-grained soils without any form of stabilisation is a major ... and Portland Cement (PC) to improve its plasticity, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and swell. .... sand, DCA, lateralite, and cement in stabilising a fat clay.

  7. DNAPL migration in a coastal plain aquifer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DiGuiseppi, W.H.; Jung, A.D.

    1995-01-01

    Soil and ground water at the Dover Gas Light Superfund Site, a former manufactured gas plant (1859 to 1948), are contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds. Contaminants of concern include light aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), and heavy aromatics, including naphthalene, acenaphthylene, phenanthrene, and benzo(a)pyrene. Although ground-water contaminant levels are elevated near the site, only naphthalene and acenaphthylene are present within an order of magnitude of their solubility limits, indicating the possibility of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) in the subsurface. The unconfined Columbia Aquifer, which is characterized by interfingering and discontinuous sand, silt, and clay Coastal Plain deposits, overlies a clay aquitard at a depth of 60 feet. The ground water beneath the intermediate clay horizon exhibited little or no contamination, even immediately downgradient from the site. The relationship between the more permeable granular sand horizons and the less permeable interfingering clay zones controls the migration of both the aqueous-phase contamination and the DNAPL. A detailed horizontal and vertical characterization of the subsurface stratigraphy was critical to the accurate interpretation of the extent and magnitude of contamination and the identification and delineation of DNAPL zones

  8. Two-fold sustainability – Adobe with sawdust as partial sand replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jokhio, Gul A.; Syed Mohsin, Sharifah M.; Gul, Yasmeen

    2018-04-01

    Adobe is a material that is economic, environment friendly, and provides better indoor air quality. The material required for the preparation of adobe include clay, sand, and sometimes straw or other organic materials. These materials do not require industrial processing or transportation, however, sand mining has been recently posing a threat to the environment. Therefore, to enhance the existing sustainability of adobe, sand can be partially or fully replaced by other waste materials. This approach will not only solve the problem of excessive sand mining, it will also address the issue of waste management. Sawdust is one such waste material that can be used to partially replace sand in Adobe. This paper presents the results of compressive and flexural test carried out on Adobe samples with partial sand replacement by sawdust. The results show that about 4% sand replacement by volume produces higher compressive strength, whereas the flexural strength reduces with the use of sawdust. However, since flexural strength is not a critical property for adobe, it is concluded that replacing sand with sawdust by about 4% of volume will be beneficial.

  9. Characterization of sand lenses and their role for subsurface transport in low-permeability clay tills

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessler, Timo Christian; Klint, K. E.; Nilsson, B.

    2011-01-01

    Glacial sediments dominate large parts of the geological topology in Denmark. They predominantly consist of lowpermeability tills, but fractures and sand-lenses constitute zones of enhanced permeability facilitating preferential flow. This study focuses on characterization of sand deposits with r...... the sand lenses in hydro-geological models to successfully characterize subsurface flow and transport, e.g. for remediation activities....

  10. Testing the ISP method with the PARIO device: Accuracy of results and influence of homogenization technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durner, Wolfgang; Huber, Magdalena; Yangxu, Li; Steins, Andi; Pertassek, Thomas; Göttlein, Axel; Iden, Sascha C.; von Unold, Georg

    2017-04-01

    The particle-size distribution (PSD) is one of the main properties of soils. To determine the proportions of the fine fractions silt and clay, sedimentation experiments are used. Most common are the Pipette and Hydrometer method. Both need manual sampling at specific times. Both are thus time-demanding and rely on experienced operators. Durner et al. (Durner, W., S.C. Iden, and G. von Unold (2017): The integral suspension pressure method (ISP) for precise particle-size analysis by gravitational sedimentation, Water Resources Research, doi:10.1002/2016WR019830) recently developed the integral suspension method (ISP) method, which is implemented in the METER Group device PARIOTM. This new method estimates continuous PSD's from sedimentation experiments by recording the temporal evolution of the suspension pressure at a certain measurement depth in a sedimentation cylinder. It requires no manual interaction after start and thus no specialized training of the lab personnel. The aim of this study was to test the precision and accuracy of new method with a variety of materials, to answer the following research questions: (1) Are the results obtained by PARIO reliable and stable? (2) Are the results affected by the initial mixing technique to homogenize the suspension, or by the presence of sand in the experiment? (3) Are the results identical to the one that are obtained with the Pipette method as reference method? The experiments were performed with a pure quartz silt material and four real soil materials. PARIO measurements were done repetitively on the same samples in a temperature-controlled lab to characterize the repeatability of the measurements. Subsequently, the samples were investigated by the pipette method to validate the results. We found that the statistical error for silt fraction from replicate and repetitive measurements was in the range of 1% for the quartz material to 3% for soil materials. Since the sand fractions, as in any sedimentation method, must

  11. Removal of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Environments Using Micelle-Clay Adsorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qurie, Mohannad; Khamis, Mustafa; Manassra, Adnan; Ayyad, Ibrahim; Nir, Shlomo; Scrano, Laura; Bufo, Sabino A.; Karaman, Rafik

    2013-01-01

    Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions under different conditions was investigated using either clay (montmorillonite) or micelle-clay complex, the last obtained by adsorbing critical micelle concentration of octadecyltrimethylammonium ions onto montmorillonite. Batch experiments showed the effects of contact time, adsorbent dosage, and pH on the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Langmuir adsorption isotherm fitted the experimental data giving significant results. Filtration experiments using columns filled with micelle-clay complex mixed with sand were performed to assess Cr(VI) removal efficiency under continuous flow at different pH values. The micelle-clay complex used in this study was capable of removing Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions without any prior acidification of the sample. Results demonstrated that the removal effectiveness reached nearly 100% when using optimal conditions for both batch and continuous flow techniques. PMID:24222757

  12. Fusion of arkosic sand by intrusive andesite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Roy A.

    1954-01-01

    An andesite dike in the Valles Mountains of northern New Mexico has intruded and partly fused arkosic sediments for a distance of 50 feet from its contacts. The dike is semi-circular in form, has a maximum width of about 100 feet, and is about 500 feet long. Small associated arcuate dikes are arranged in spiral fashion around the main dike, suggesting that they were intruded along shear fractures similar to those described by Burbank (1941). The fused rocks surrounding the andesite dike are of three general types: 1) partly fused arkosic sand, 2) fused clay, and 3) hybrid rocks. The fused arkosic sand consists of relict detrital grains of quartz, orthoclose, and plagioclase, imbedded in colorless glass containing microlites of tridymite, cordierite, and magnetite. The relict quartz grains are corroded and embayed by glass; the orthoclase is sanidinized and partly fused; and the plagioclase is inverted to the high temperature form and is partly fused. The fused clay, which was originally a mixture of montmorillonite and hydromica, consists primarily of cordierite but also contains needle-like crystals of sillimanite (?) or mullite (?). The hybrid rocks originated in part by intermixing of fused arkosic sediments and andesitic liquid and in part by diffusion of mafic constituents through the fused sediments. They are rich in cordierite and magnetite and also contain hypersthene, augite, and plagioclase. The composition of pigeonite in the andesite indicates that the temperature of the andesite at the time of intrusion probably did not exceed 1200?C. Samples of arkosic sand were fused in the presence of water in a Morey bomb at 1050?C. Stability relations of certain minerals in the fused sand suggest that fusion may have taken place at a lower temperature, however, and the fluxing action of volatiles from the andesite are thought to have made this possible.

  13. Characterization of Heat-treated Clay Minerals in the Context of Nuclear Waste Disposal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matteo, E. N.; Wang, Y.; Kruichak, J. N.; Mills, M. M.

    2015-12-01

    Clay minerals are likely candidates to aid in nuclear waste isolation due to their low permeability, favorable swelling properties, and high cation sorption capacities. Establishing the thermal limit for clay minerals in a nuclear waste repository is a potentially important component of repository design, as flexibility of the heat load within the repository can have a major impact on the selection of repository design. For example, the thermal limit plays a critical role in the time that waste packages would need to cool before being transferred to the repository. Understanding the chemical and physical changes, if any, that occur in clay minerals at various temperatures above the current thermal limit (of 100 °C) can enable decision-makers with information critical to evaluating the potential trade-offs of increasing the thermal limit within the repository. Most critical is gaining understanding of how varying thermal conditions in the repository will impact radionuclide sorption and transport in clay materials either as engineered barriers or as disposal media. A variety of repository-relevant clay minerals (illite, mixed layer illite/smectite, and montmorillonite), were heated for a range of temperatures between 100-1000 °C. These samples were characterized to determine surface area, mineralogical alteration, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Our results show that for conditions up to 500 °C, no significant change occurs, so long as the clay mineral remains mineralogically intact. At temperatures above 500 °C, transformation of the layered silicates into silica phases leads to alteration that impacts important clay characteristics. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Nation Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. SAND Number: SAND2015-6524 A

  14. Microbial metabolism alters pore water chemistry and increases consolidation of oil sands tailings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkell, Nicholas; Kuznetsov, Petr; Kuznetsova, Alsu; Foght, Julia M; Siddique, Tariq

    2015-01-01

    Tailings produced during bitumen extraction from surface-mined oil sands ores (tar sands) comprise an aqueous suspension of clay particles that remain dispersed for decades in tailings ponds. Slow consolidation of the clays hinders water recovery for reuse and retards volume reduction, thereby increasing the environmental footprint of tailings ponds. We investigated mechanisms of tailings consolidation and revealed that indigenous anaerobic microorganisms altered porewater chemistry by producing CO and CH during metabolism of acetate added as a labile carbon amendment. Entrapped biogenic CO decreased tailings pH, thereby increasing calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) cations and bicarbonate (HCO) concentrations in the porewater through dissolution of carbonate minerals. Soluble ions increased the porewater ionic strength, which, with higher exchangeable Ca and Mg, decreased the diffuse double layer of clays and increased consolidation of tailings compared with unamended tailings in which little microbial activity was observed. These results are relevant to effective tailings pond management strategies. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  15. Irrigation Alternatives to Meet Army Net Zero Water Goals

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-01

    Use of mulches  Appropriate maintenance BUILDING STRONG® Soil Additives/Amendments  Maximize soil moisture retention ► Compost to improve water...holding capacity ►Polyacrylamides to prolong soil moisture release ► Ideal soil texture (mix of clay, silt, and sand) maintained to adequate depths...BUILDING STRONG® Mulches  Organic ► Compost ►Shredded barks and other landscape wastes  Inorganic ►Gravel ►Rock ►Crumb rubber ►Fabrics and

  16. Bioaugmentation for Aerobic Bioremediation of RDX-Contaminated Groundwater

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-01

    sampling. The surface soil is characterized as a sandy loam soil (78% sand, 6% silt, 16% clay ) with a pH of 8.4, an organic carbon content of < 0.1...biomass is disposed of according to local ordinances (e.g., sterilized and directed into a municipal sanitary sewer). E.3. Use Information and...sterilized and directed into a municipal sanitary sewer). E.3. Use Information and Consumer Exposure Cultures are being used solely for field

  17. Diffusion of plutonium in mixtures of bentonite and sand at pH 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, H.D.; Oscarson, D.W.

    1991-04-01

    Apparent diffusion coefficients, D, were measured for Pu in compacted mixtures of bentonite and sand (soil) at 25 degrees C and pH 3. The clay content of the soil ranged from 10 to 100 wt% and the clay dry density, p c (the mass of clay divided by the combined volume of clay and voids), varied from about 0.5 to 1.6 Mg/m 3 . At a clay content of ≥25% and p c > 0.7 Mg/m 3 , D was not significantly affected by either clay content or density and ranged from 2 x 10 -13 to 7 x 10 -13 m 2 /s; at lower clay contents and densities, however, D was as much as an order of magnitude higher. In all systems, a small fraction of the Pu (<10%) migrated faster than the bulk of the Pu; this is attributed to a second stable species of Pu that has a greater mobility

  18. A remediation performance model for enhanced metabolic reductive dechlorination of chloroethenes in fractured clay till

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manoli, Gabriele; Chambon, Julie C.; Bjerg, Poul L.; Scheutz, Charlotte; Binning, Philip J.; Broholm, Mette M.

    2012-04-01

    A numerical model of metabolic reductive dechlorination is used to describe the performance of enhanced bioremediation in fractured clay till. The model is developed to simulate field observations of a full scale bioremediation scheme in a fractured clay till and thereby to assess remediation efficiency and timeframe. A relatively simple approach is used to link the fermentation of the electron donor soybean oil to the sequential dechlorination of trichloroethene (TCE) while considering redox conditions and the heterogeneous clay till system (clay till matrix, fractures and sand stringers). The model is tested on lab batch experiments and applied to describe sediment core samples from a TCE-contaminated site. Model simulations compare favorably to field observations and demonstrate that dechlorination may be limited to narrow bioactive zones in the clay matrix around fractures and sand stringers. Field scale simulations show that the injected donor is expected to be depleted after 5 years, and that without donor re-injection contaminant rebound will occur in the high permeability zones and the mass removal will stall at 18%. Long remediation timeframes, if dechlorination is limited to narrow bioactive zones, and the need for additional donor injections to maintain dechlorination activity may limit the efficiency of ERD in low-permeability media. Future work should address the dynamics of the bioactive zones, which is essential to understand for predictions of long term mass removal.

  19. Method of treatment of radioactive silts and soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varlakov, A.P.; Sobolev, I.A.; Barinov, A.S.; Dmitriev, S.A.; Karlin, S.V.; Flit, V.U.

    1997-01-01

    To solve the problem of silts and soils that are contaminated with radioactive and toxic substances, the following method has been developed at SIA RADON. The material is mixed with limestone and other components, including up to 70% (mass) of dried residue of liquid radioactive waste. The mixture is heated at 800 to 1,000 C, shredded, and used to form cement. This cementation process may be used to treat radioactive or other chemical waste. The work demonstrated that in the case of silts, for example, the product volume is reduced by a factor of 1.5 to 3 compared to the initial silts volume. A fast hardening, durable product is obtained, the quality of which is not inferior to that obtained by using the traditional binders. For some parameters, e.g., hardening rate and macroelement leaching, the current method is significantly better than the traditional cementation process. It has also been demonstrated that, over a wide range of parameters, when dry residue of liquid radioactive waste is used in the initial mixture, the part of NO x can be reduced to nitrogen, thereby reducing NO x emissions

  20. Hydraulic properties of domestic bentonite-sand mixture as a backfill material in the high-level waste repository

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Won Jin; Lee, Jae Owan; Kang, Chul Hyung [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

    2000-02-01

    This study is intended to investigate the effect of dry density and sand content on hydraulic conductivities of bentonite-sand mixtures. The hydraulic conductivities of bentonite-sand mixtures with dry densities of 1.6 and 1.8 Mg/m{sup 3} are lower than 10{sup -11} m/s if their sand contents are less than 70 wt%. However at the sand content of 90 wt%, the hydraulic conductivities increase sharply. In the case of sand contents not exceeding 70 wt%, the logarithm of the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite-sand mixture increase linearly with increasing sand content. The hydraulic conductivity of the mixture can be explained using 'effective clay dry density' concept. 16 refs., 21 figs., 5 tabs. (Author)

  1. Intelligent estimation of spatially distributed soil physical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwashita, F.; Friedel, M.J.; Ribeiro, G.F.; Fraser, Stephen J.

    2012-01-01

    Spatial analysis of soil samples is often times not possible when measurements are limited in number or clustered. To obviate potential problems, we propose a new approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) technique. This approach exploits underlying nonlinear relation of the steady-state geomorphic concave-convex nature of hillslopes (from hilltop to bottom of the valley) to spatially limited soil textural data. The topographic features are extracted from Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission elevation data; whereas soil textural (clay, silt, and sand) and hydraulic data were collected in 29 spatially random locations (50 to 75. cm depth). In contrast to traditional principal component analysis, the SOM identifies relations among relief features, such as, slope, horizontal curvature and vertical curvature. Stochastic cross-validation indicates that the SOM is unbiased and provides a way to measure the magnitude of prediction uncertainty for all variables. The SOM cross-component plots of the soil texture reveals higher clay proportions at concave areas with convergent hydrological flux and lower proportions for convex areas with divergent flux. The sand ratio has an opposite pattern with higher values near the ridge and lower values near the valley. Silt has a trend similar to sand, although less pronounced. The relation between soil texture and concave-convex hillslope features reveals that subsurface weathering and transport is an important process that changed from loss-to-gain at the rectilinear hillslope point. These results illustrate that the SOM can be used to capture and predict nonlinear hillslope relations among relief, soil texture, and hydraulic conductivity data. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  2. Reassessment and comparison of natural radioactivity levels in relation to granulometric contents of recently excavated major river sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramasamy, V.; Suresh, G.; Rajkumar, P.; Murugesan, S.; Mullainathan, S.; Meenakshisundaram, V.

    2012-01-01

    River sediment depositions on the bottom of rivers most frequently consist of sand and gravel particles, which make them particularly valuable for the building construction. Knowledge of radioactivity present in building material enables one to assess any possible radiological hazard to mankind by the use of such materials. The natural radionuclide ( 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K) contents have been analyzed for the recently excavated sediment samples of Cauvery, Vellar, Ponnaiyar and Palaru rivers with an aim of evaluating the radiation hazard nature. To know the radiological characteristics of the sediment, the different radiological parameters are calculated. Natural radioactivity level is higher in Palaru river and it is lower in Vellar river sediments. In all the rivers, concentration of 238 U is decreased, and concentrations of 232 Th and 40 K are increased towards the river mouth. Granulometric analysis shows that the sand is the main constituent in all the river sediment samples. Content of sand is gradually decreased, and contents of silt and clay are gradually increased towards the river mouth. Cluster analysis was carried out to find the similarity level between the radioactivity and granulometric measurements. The radioactivity level of all the four river sediments mainly depends upon the contents of silt and clay. Averages of the all calculated radiation hazard indices are lower than recommended level in Cauvery, Vellar and Ponnaiyar river sediments. Therefore, the sediment of the above rivers does not pose any significant radiological threat to the population when it is used as a building construction material. (author)

  3. Spatial distribution and longitudinal variation of clay minerals in the Central Indian Basin

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Valsangkar, A.

    in the Central Indian Basin (CIB). The average sand content in the basin is 3.8%, which decreases systematically and longitudinally to 0.3% towards south. The average illite and chlorite major clay mineral abundance also decrease southwards along the four...

  4. Effect of buffer strips and soil texture on runoff losses of flufenacet and isoxaflutole from maize fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milan, Marco; Ferrero, Aldo; Letey, Marilisa; De Palo, Fernando; Vidotto, Francesco

    2013-01-01

    The influence of buffer strips and soil texture on runoff of flufenacet and isoxaflutole was studied for two years in Northern Italy. The efficacy of buffer strips was evaluated on six plots characterized by different soil textures; two plots had Riva soil (18.6% sand, 63.1% silt, 18.3% clay) while the remaining four plots had Tetto Frati (TF) soil (37.1% sand, 57% silt, 5.9% clay). Additionally, the width of the buffer strips, constituted of spontaneous vegetation grown after crop sowing, was also compared for their ability to abate runoff waters. Chemical residues in water following runoff events were investigated, as well as their dissipation in the soil. After the first runoff events, concentrations of herbicides in water samples collected from Riva plots were as much as four times lower in waters from TF plots. On average of two growing seasons, the field half-life of flufenacet in the upper soil layer (5 cm) ranged between 8.1 and 12.8 days in Riva soil, 8.5 and 9.3 days in TF soil. Isoxaflutole field half-life was less than 1 day. The buffer strip was very affective by the uniformity of the vegetative cover, particularly, at the beginning of the season. In TF plots, concentration differences were generally due to the presence or absence of the buffer strip, regardless of its width.

  5. Migration of cesium-137 through sandy soil layer effect of fine silt on migration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Wadachi, Yoshiki

    1983-01-01

    The migration of 137 Cs through sandy soil layer was studied with consideration of the migration of fine silt by column method. It was found that a portion of fine silt migrated through the soil layer accompanying with 137 Cs. The mathematical migration model of 137 Cs involved the migration of fine silt through such soil layer was presented. This model gave a good accordance between calculated concentration distribution curve in sandy soil layer and effluent curve and observed those. So, this model seems to be advanced one for evaluating migration of 137 Cs in sandy soil layer with silt. (author)

  6. Effect of crude oil contamination on the engineering behavior of clay soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehman, H.; Abdoljaowad, S.N.

    2005-01-01

    Humans are, unintentionally or intentionally contaminating soil from different sources. The contaminated soil are not only a challenge for the environmentalists but also for geotechnical engineers. When contaminated by crude oil, the soil is subjected to a change in its engineering properties. The soil, which is mostly affected by its environment, is clay, being active electro-chemically. So, a comprehensive laboratory-testing program was performed to compare the engineering properties of an uncontaminated and a contaminated clay. Laboratory tests included all basic and advanced geotechnical tests along with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Crude oil was chosen as the contaminant. The clay was taken from the Al-Qatif area of the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The selected soil is considered to be highly expansive in nature. The comparison between uncontaminated and crude oil contaminated clay showed that there would be a significant change in the engineering behavior of the clay if it were contaminated by crude oil. The contaminated clay behaves more like sand, owing to the formation of agglomerates. The coarse-grained soil-like behavior was observed in the strength of the oil-contaminated clay. The contamination has affected the plasticity and the cation exchange capacity of the investigated clay. The swelling pressure of the contaminated clay is 1/3 of that of the uncontaminated clay while the swelling is almost the same. (author)

  7. Study of Usage Areas of Clay Samples of Asphaltite Quarries in Sirnak, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgin, Oyku

    2017-12-01

    The asphaltite of Sirnak, Turkey are in the form of 12 veins and their total reserves are anticipated to be approximately 200 million tons in a field of 25.000 hectares. The asphaltites at the Sirnak region are in the form of fault and crack fillings and take place together with clay minerals at their side rock. The main raw materials used in the production of cement are limestone, clay and marn known as sedimentary rocks. Limestone for CaO and clay minerals for SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3, which are the main compounds of clinker production, are the main raw materials. Other materials containing these four oxides like marn are also used as cement raw material. Conformity levels of the raw materials to be used in cement production vary according to their chemical compounds. The rocks to be used as clay mineral are evaluated by taking the rate of silicate and alumina into consideration. The soils suitable for brick-tile productions are named as sandy clay. Their difference from the ceramic clays is that they are richer in terms of iron, silica and carbonate. These soils are also known under the names such as clay, arid, alluvium, silt, loam and argil. Inside these soils, minerals such as quartz, montmorillonite, kaolinite, calcite, limonite, hidromika, sericite, illite, and chlorite are available. Some parts of the soils consist of clays in amorphous structure. Limestone parts, gypsums, organic substances and bulky rock residuals spoil the quality. The soils suitable for brick production may not be suitable for tile production. In this case, their sandy soils should be mixed up with the clays with fine granule structure which is high in plasticity. During asphaltite mining in Sirnak region, clays forming side rock are gathered at dump sites. In this study; SQX analyses of the clay samples taken from Avgamasya, Seridahli and Segürük asphaltite veins run in Sirnak region are carried out and their usage areas are searched.

  8. Sediment characteristics of the 2800 meter Atlantic nuclear waste disposal site: Radionuclide retention potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neiheisel, James

    1979-09-01

    The sediments of the abandoned 2800 meter Atlantic nuclear waste dumpsite have been analyzed for texture mineral composition, physical properties, cation exchange capacity and factors effecting sediment deposition, as part of an extensive program by the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate ocean disposal as an alternative nuclear waste disposal method. The sediments physical and chemical properties are evaluated in the light of the geologic setting for their potential role in retarding radionuclide leachate migration from the waste drums to the water column. The sediments are relatively uniform silty clays and clayey silts comprised of approximately one-third biogenous carbonate materials, one-third terrigenous materials and one-third clay minerals. The biogenous materials in the sand and upper silt-size fraction are predominantly foraminifera with minor amounts of diatoms while coccoliths dominate the finer silt and clay size fractions. The terrigenous materials in the course sediment fractions are predominantly quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica, glauconite, and heavy minerals. Clay minerals, of the clay-size fraction, in order of abundance, include illite, kaolinite, chlorite and montmorillonite. Relatively high cation exchange capacity in the sediment (15.2-25.4 meq/100g) is attributed to the clay minerals comprising approximately one-third of the sediment. Correspondingly high Kd values might also be expected as a result of sorption of radionuclides onto clay minerals with most favorable conditions related to pH, Eh, and other environmental factors. The biogenous fraction might also be expected to retain some strontium-90 by isomorphous substitution of this radionuclide for calcium. Diagnostic heavy minerals in the sand-size fraction reflect the source areas as predominantly the adjacent continental shelf, and provide important clues concerning the mechanisms effecting transport and deposition of the sediment. Longshore currents along the

  9. Mud-farming of fine oil sands tailings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yao, Y.; Tol van, F.; Paassen van, L.; Everts, B.; Mulder, A. [Delft Univ. of Technology, Delft (Netherlands). Dept. of Geotechnology

    2010-07-01

    This PowerPoint presentation discussed an experimental mud-farming technique for fine oil sands tailings. The technique was based on a sub-areal drying technique for dredging sludge developed in the Netherlands for Rotterdam harbour sediments. Between 1960 and 1985, the sludge was deposited in confined disposal sites on land. The sludge was converted to usable clay between 1970 and 1980. The polluted portion of the sludge is stored in a man-made disposal site. The sludge was deposited in thin layers. Stagnant water was then removed. The mud was then dewatered and reused. The sludge was furrowed with amphirol and disc wheels in order to accelerate the ripening process. The dredged material was re-used in a clay factory. The technique was applied to oil sands tailings in order to understand the suction behaviour, sedimentation behaviour, and precipitation deficit of the tailings. State changes of the sludge were monitored. No clear sedimentation phase was identified prior to consolidation. A comparison of material properties showed that the total amount of water to be extracted was more than the Rotterdam sludge, but the suction behaviour was similar. The precipitation deficit from mid-April until September will require a customized deposition strategy. Details and photographs of the experimental studies were included. tabs., figs.

  10. Method for preventing plugging of water wells by clay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blazhkov, V I

    1966-01-01

    A method is suggested for preventing the plugging of water-bearing sands by clay from drilling fluids. It consists in placing a cement plug in the upper nipple above the filter, in order to prevent its plugging during the installation. The drilling mud passes through the rinsing windows and fills the internal void of the filter column, thus preventing further percolation and plugging of the filter during its lowering. When a 2-filter column is lowered, the clay solution is pumped into the interval between the cement plug and the next filter; this is done gradually in proportion to the addition of new pipes. When the drilling mud level lowers in the annular space between the pipes, the mud cake, together with water-saturated sand, passes through the rinsing windows into the pipes and is removed to the surface by airlift or other methods. This procedure is described in detail, discussed for various conditions of well structure, and illustrated by schematic drawings. Its advantage is in the possibility of separate testing and production of all water-bearing zones in the well, and it does not require the use of pure water for well washing.

  11. Bacterial Preferences for Specific Soil Particle Size Fractions Revealed by Community Analyses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemkemeyer, Michael; Dohrmann, Anja B.; Christensen, Bent Tolstrup

    2018-01-01

    Genetic fingerprinting demonstrated in previous studies that differently sized soil particle fractions (PSFs; clay, silt, and sand with particulate organic matter (POM)) harbor microbial communities that differ in structure, functional potentials and sensitivity to environmental conditions....... To elucidate whether specific bacterial or archaeal taxa exhibit preference for specific PSFs, we examined the diversity of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes by high-throughput sequencing using total DNA extracted from three long-term fertilization variants (unfertilized, fertilized with minerals, and fertilized...

  12. Watertightness of concrete tunnel structures

    OpenAIRE

    Glerum, A.

    1982-01-01

    The Netherlands are situated in the delta. of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. Therefore the ground mainly consists.of sediments, such as sand, clay and silt. In certain regions peat layers of varying thickness are found. The high permeability of some of these materials and the fact that the groundwater table is generally only 1 m below ground level, make an adequate watertightness one of the main features of tunnel engineering in the Netherlands. Tunnels in Holland are both of the immers...

  13. Statistical evaluation of the influence of soil properties on recoveries and matrix effects during the analysis of pharmaceutical compounds and steroids by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvia, Marie-Virginie; Cren-Olivé, Cécile; Vulliet, Emmanuelle

    2013-11-08

    Numerous chemical products are dispersed in our environment. Many of them are recognized as harmful to humans and the ecosystem. Among these harmful substances are antibiotics and steroid hormones. Currently, very few data are available on the presence and fate of these substances in the environment, in particular for solid matrices, mainly due to a lack of analytical methodologies. Indeed, soil is a very complex matrix, and the nature and composition of the soil has a significant impact on the extraction efficiency and the sensitivity of the method. For this reason a statistical approach was performed to study the influence of soil parameters (clay, silt, sand and organic carbon percentages and cation exchange capacity (CEC)) on recoveries and matrix effects of various pharmaceuticals and steroids. Thus, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed when several substances were analyzed simultaneously, whereas a Pearson correlation was used to study the compounds individually. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first time such an experiment was performed. The results showed that clay and organic carbon percentages as well as the CEC have an impact on the recoveries of most of the target substances, the variables being anti-correlated. This result suggests that the compounds are trapped in soils with high levels of clay and organic carbon and a high CEC. For the matrix effects, it was shown that the organic carbon content has a significant effect on steroid hormones and penicillin G matrix effects (positive correlation). Finally, interaction effects (first order) were evaluated. This latter point corresponds to the crossed effects that occur between explanatory variables (soil parameters). Indeed, the value taken by an explanatory variable can have an influence on the effect that another explanatory variable has on a dependent variable. For instance, it was shown that some parameters (silt, sand) have an impact on the effect that clay content has on

  14. Rheological properties of sodium smectite clay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boergesson, L.; Hoekmark, H.; Karnland, O.

    1988-12-01

    The rheological properties of Na-smectite Mx-80 have been investigated by various laboratory tests. The investigations include determination of the hydraulic conductivity, the undrained stress-strain-strength properties, the creep properties, the compression and swelling properties in drained and undrained conditions and the undrained thermomechanical properties. Measurements have been made at different densities, clay/sand mixtures and pore water compositions. The influence of temperature, rate of strain and testing technique has also been considered. The investigation has led to a supply of basic data for the material models which will be used at performance calculations. The results have also increased the general understanding of the function of smectitic clay as buffer material. The microstructural behaviour has been considered at the validation of the different test results and the validity of the effective stress theory has been discussed. Comparisons with the properties of Ca-smectite have also been made. (orig.)

  15. Simulation Of Enhanced Reductive Dechlorination For Remediation Of Tce In A Fractured Clay System: A New Model Approach And Application To Field Site

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Manoli, Gabriele; Chambon, Julie Claire Claudia; Christiansen, Camilla Maymann

    2010-01-01

    with interspersed sand lenses and stringers. The transport model couples diffusion dominated transport in the clay matrix, with advective‐dispersive transport in the fractures and higher permeability sand lenses. The reactive model calculates sequential reductive dechlorination of TCE (trichloroethylene) to its...... a contamination of trichloroethylene located in a fractured clay till. The site is simulated using the model developed. Fracture geometry, site parameters and degradation rates are based on observations from the site and lab studies. The risk for drinking water is assessed and cleanup times are simulated using...

  16. Characteristic sediment and water column chlorophyll-a in the sea cucumber’s Paracaudina sp. habitat on the Kenjeran Water, Surabaya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widianingsih, W.; Zaenuri, M.; Anggoro, S.; Kusumaningrum, H. P.; Hartati, R.

    2018-03-01

    The study of characteristic sediment and water column chlorophyll-a has an important role in the sea cucumber habitat. Sediment chlorophyll-a represents a productivity primer for the benthic community. This research has a purpose to investigate characteristic sediment and water column chlorophyll-a on the Kenjeran water, Surabaya. Sediment samples were collected by the ekman grab for analysis, grain size and nutrient. The sample for sediment chlorophyll-a was taken by core sampler. The water samples were taken with Nansen Bottles. According to the research result, the values of sediment chlorophyll-a at station 10, 11 and 12 were higher than the other stations. In contrast, the value of chlorophyll-a in the column water had almost the same value for each station. The sediment chlorophyll-a value on clay and silt sediment type was higher than the fine sand and coarse sediment type. The suitable habitat characteristic for Paracaudina sp. was clay and silt sediment with sediment chlorophyll concentration ranging from 347.82 mg·m-2 to 1135.52 mg·m-2.

  17. Microbially-accelerated consolidation of oil sands tailings. Pathway II: solid phase biogeochemistry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tariq eSiddique

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Consolidation of clay particles in aqueous tailings suspensions is a major obstacle to effective management of oil sands tailings ponds in northern Alberta, Canada. We have observed that microorganisms indigenous to the tailings ponds accelerate consolidation of mature fine tailings (MFT during active metabolism by using two biogeochemical pathways. In Pathway I, microbes alter porewater chemistry to indirectly increase consolidation of MFT. Here, we describe Pathway II comprising significant, direct and complementary biogeochemical reactions with MFT mineral surfaces. An anaerobic microbial community comprising Bacteria (predominantly Clostridiales, Synergistaceae and Desulfobulbaceae and Archaea (Methanolinea/Methanoregula and Methanosaeta transformed FeIII minerals in MFT to amorphous FeII minerals during methanogenic metabolism of an added organic substrate. Synchrotron analyses suggested that ferrihydrite (5Fe2O3. 9H2O and goethite (α-FeOOH were the dominant FeIII minerals in MFT. The formation of amorphous iron sulfide (FeS and possibly green rust entrapped and masked electronegative clay surfaces in amended MFT. Both Pathways I and II reduced the surface charge potential (repulsive forces of the clay particles in MFT, which aided aggregation of clays and formation of networks of pores, as visualized using cryo-scanning electron microscopy. These reactions facilitated the egress of porewater from MFT and increased consolidation of tailings solids. These results have large-scale implications for management and reclamation of oil sands tailings ponds, a burgeoning environmental issue for the public and government regulators.

  18. Microbially-accelerated consolidation of oil sands tailings. Pathway II: solid phase biogeochemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddique, Tariq; Kuznetsov, Petr; Kuznetsova, Alsu; Li, Carmen; Young, Rozlyn; Arocena, Joselito M; Foght, Julia M

    2014-01-01

    Consolidation of clay particles in aqueous tailings suspensions is a major obstacle to effective management of oil sands tailings ponds in northern Alberta, Canada. We have observed that microorganisms indigenous to the tailings ponds accelerate consolidation of mature fine tailings (MFT) during active metabolism by using two biogeochemical pathways. In Pathway I, microbes alter porewater chemistry to indirectly increase consolidation of MFT. Here, we describe Pathway II comprising significant, direct and complementary biogeochemical reactions with MFT mineral surfaces. An anaerobic microbial community comprising Bacteria (predominantly Clostridiales, Synergistaceae, and Desulfobulbaceae) and Archaea (Methanolinea/Methanoregula and Methanosaeta) transformed Fe(III) minerals in MFT to amorphous Fe(II) minerals during methanogenic metabolism of an added organic substrate. Synchrotron analyses suggested that ferrihydrite (5Fe2O3. 9H2O) and goethite (α-FeOOH) were the dominant Fe(III) minerals in MFT. The formation of amorphous iron sulfide (FeS) and possibly green rust entrapped and masked electronegative clay surfaces in amended MFT. Both Pathways I and II reduced the surface charge potential (repulsive forces) of the clay particles in MFT, which aided aggregation of clays and formation of networks of pores, as visualized using cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These reactions facilitated the egress of porewater from MFT and increased consolidation of tailings solids. These results have large-scale implications for management and reclamation of oil sands tailings ponds, a burgeoning environmental issue for the public and government regulators.

  19. Substantiation of the hydrodynamic disintegration of hydraulic fluid’s mineral component of high-clay sand in precious metals placers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.P. Khrunina

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available General regularities and theoretical approaches determining hydroimpulsive effects on the mineral component of the hydraulic fluid are analyzed, with reference to the disintegration of high-clay sands of gold-bearing placers. Theoretical conclusions on the hydrodynamic effect on the solid component of the hydraulic fluid give insight into emerging processes in multicomponent media under hydrodynamic influences initiated by various sources of physical and mechanical influence. It is noted that the theoretical justification of the structurally complex hydrodynamic effect on the hydraulic fluid with the formation of phenomena arising from the collision of solid components with each other and obstacles includes the consideration of changes in such force characteristics as speed, pressure, flow power, and also changes in design parameters and characteristics of the environment. A conceptual approach is given to the theoretical substantiation of the disintegration of the hydraulic fluid’s mineral component using the example of the proposed installation. Calculation of economic indicators for the use of a hydrodynamic generator in comparison with processes based on known technologies has shown significant advantages of using the proposed installation, which can increase productivity and quality production indicators.

  20. Sedimentary controls on modern sand grain coat formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dowey, Patrick J.; Worden, Richard H.; Utley, James; Hodgson, David M.

    2017-05-01

    Coated sand grains can influence reservoir quality evolution during sandstone diagenesis. Porosity can be reduced and fluid flow restricted where grain coats encroach into pore space. Conversely pore-lining grain coats can restrict the growth of pore-filling quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones, and thus can result in unusually high porosity in deeply buried sandstones. Being able to predict the distribution of coated sand grains within petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find good reservoir quality. Here we report a modern analogue study of 12 sediment cores from the Anllóns Estuary, Galicia, NW Spain, collected from a range of sub-environments, to help develop an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of coated grains. The cores were described for grain size, bioturbation and sedimentary structures, and then sub-sampled for electron and light microscopy, laser granulometry, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The Anllóns Estuary is sand-dominated with intertidal sand flats and saltmarsh environments at the margins; there is a shallowing/fining-upwards trend in the estuary-fill succession. Grain coats are present in nearly every sample analysed; they are between 1 μm and 100 μm thick and typically lack internal organisation. The extent of grain coat coverage can exceed 25% in some samples with coverage highest in the top 20 cm of cores. Samples from muddy intertidal flat and the muddy saltmarsh environments, close to the margins of the estuary, have the highest coat coverage (mean coat coverage of 20.2% and 21.3%, respectively). The lowest mean coat coverage occurs in the sandy saltmarsh (10.4%), beyond the upper tidal limit and sandy intertidal flat environments (8.4%), close to the main estuary channel. Mean coat coverage correlates with the concentration of clay fraction. The primary controls on the distribution of fine-grained sediment, and therefore grain coat distribution, are primary sediment transport and deposition processes that

  1. Geophysics comes of age in oil sands development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bauman, P. [WorleyParsons Komex, Calgary, AB (Canada); Birch, R.; Parker, D.; Andrews, B. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics

    2008-07-01

    This paper discussed geophysical techniques developed for oil sands exploration and production applications in Alberta's oil sands region. Geophysical methods are playing an important role in mine planning, tailings containment, water supply, and land reclamation activities. Geophysics techniques are used to estimate the volume of muskeg that needs to be stripped and stored for future reclamation activities as well as to site muskeg piles and delineate the thickness of clay Clearwater formations overlying Cretaceous oil-bearing sands. 2-D electrical resistivity mapping is used to map river-connected deep bedrock Pleistocene paleovalleys in the region. Geophysical studies are also used to investigate the interiors of dikes and berms as well as to monitor salt migration within tailings piles. Sonic and density logs are used to create synthetic seismograms for mapping the Devonian surface in the region. The new applications included the calculation of bitumen saturation from surface sands and shales; muskeg thickness mapping; and non-intrusive monitoring of leachate plumes. Geophysical techniques included 2-D electrical resistivity imaging; transient electromagnetic (EM) technologies; ground penetrating radar; and high-resolution seismic reflections. Polarization, surface nuclear magnetic resonance and push-probe sensing techniques were also discussed. Techniques were discussed in relation to Alberta's Athabasca oil sands deposits. 4 refs.

  2. The migration of colloidal particles through glacial sand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrison, I.; Higgo, J.J.W.; Leader, R.; Noy, D.; Smith, B.; Wealthall, G.; Williams, G.M.

    1991-02-01

    Significant concentrations of colloids exist in groundwater and radionuclides may be associated with this colloidal material. This must be taken into consideration in any safety case for a radionuclide waste repository. This report describes column experiments with monodisperse latex beads. A selection of beads with diameters ranging from 0.055 μm to 0.6 μm, some plain and some with carboxyl groups attached, were passed through columns of glacial sand. The breakthrough curves and profiles on the sand columns were studied and will be used to develop and validate colloid migration models. The mobility depended on both size and charge, and the beads appeared to move ahead of a 36Cl tracer until they were trapped. After trapping movement was slow with plain beads appearing to be slightly more mobile than carboxylated beads. The beads were shown to sorb strongly on the fine clay particles in the sand and there was evidence to suggest that they moved with the fines rather than independently. (author)

  3. Mass Transfer Behavior of Perfluorinated Chemicals in Saturated Clay-rich Sands: A Laboratory-based Study on Fate and Transport in Groundwater and Sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, R. R.; Tick, G. R.; Abbott, J. B., III; Carroll, K. C.

    2017-12-01

    Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of emerging contaminants that pose a threat to the human health and the quality of groundwater, surface water, and drinking water supplies. This study aims to elucidate the primary physicochemical factors controlling the fate and transport of the PFAS contaminants, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), in groundwater. Physicochemical processes of intercalation, adsorption, and desorption were investigated for the retention of PFAS at different initial aqueous-phase concentrations in modified-natural sediments composed of sand (40/50 accusand; foc = 0.04% unmodified) with low, medium, and high organic carbon contents (foc = 10, 20, and 50%) and various pre-conditioned clay-fractions. Diffusional mass-transfer limitations were evaluated based on initial PFAS concentration, specific clay structure, and resulting contaminant intercalation (d-spacing changes). A series of short- (48 hr), medium- (7 day) and long-term (30 day) batch and column experiments were conducted to determine physicochemical processes as a function of compound chemistry, sediment geochemistry, sorbent crystalline structure, and contaminant/sediment contact-time. Physicochemical parameters, PFAS concentrations, and sediment characterization were conducted using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and furnace combustion analytical techniques. The results of PFAS contaminant transport, under the different conditions tested, provide a scientific contribution with application to the development of improved risk assessments, predictions of fate and transport, and more effective remediation strategies for emerging perfluorinated contaminants in soil and groundwater.

  4. Soil texture analysis revisited: Removal of organic matter matters more than ever

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schjønning, Per; Watts, Christopher W.; Christensen, Bent T.; Munkholm, Lars J.

    2017-01-01

    Exact estimates of soil clay (<2 μm) and silt (2–20 μm) contents are crucial as these size fractions impact key soil functions, and as pedotransfer concepts based on clay and silt contents are becoming increasingly abundant. We examined the effect of removing soil organic matter (SOM) by H2O2 before soil dispersion and determination of clay and silt. Soil samples with gradients in SOM were retrieved from three long-term field experiments each with uniform soil mineralogy and texture. For soils with less than 2 g C 100 g-1 minerals, clay estimates were little affected by SOM. Above this threshold, underestimation of clay increased dramatically with increasing SOM content. Silt contents were systematically overestimated when SOM was not removed; no lower SOM threshold was found for silt, but the overestimation was more pronounced for finer textured soils. When exact estimates of soil particles <20 μm are needed, SOM should always be removed before soil dispersion. PMID:28542416

  5. Substrate Composition and Depth Affect Soil Moisture Behavior and Plant-Soil Relationship on Mediterranean Extensive Green Roofs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Chenot

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The Mediterranean basin is extremely vulnerable to climate change, and one of the areas most impacted by human water demand. Yet the green roofs increasingly created both for aesthetic reasons and to limit pollution and urban runoff are themselves very water-demanding. Successful green roof installation depends on the establishment of the vegetation, and the substrate is the key element: it conserves water, and provides the nutrients and physical support indispensable for plant growth. Since typical Mediterranean plant communities require no maintenance, this study seeks to develop techniques for creating maintenance- and watering-free horizontal green roofs for public or private buildings in a Mediterranean context. The innovative aspect of this study lies in creating two soil mixes, fine elements (clay and silt and coarse elements (pebbles of all sizes, in two different thicknesses, to assess vegetation development. Monitoring of substrate moisture was carried out and coupled with local rainfall measurements during summer and autumn. As expected, substrate moisture is mainly influenced by substrate depth (the deeper, the moister and composition (the finer the particles (clays and silts, the higher the moisture content. Vegetation cover impacts moisture to a lesser extent but is itself affected by the composition and depth of the substrates. These results are subsequently discussed with relation to the issue of sustainable green roofs in Mediterranean climates. Considering applications of our results, for an optimal colonization of a Mediterranean vegetation, a substrate thickness of 15 cm composed mainly of fine elements (75% clay-silt and 25% pebble-sand would be recommended in green roofs.

  6. Transport and fate of engineered silver nanoparticles in aquifer media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adrian, Y.; Schneidewind, U.; Azzam, R.

    2016-12-01

    Engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in various consumer and medical products due to their antimicrobial properties. Their transport behavior in the environment is still under investigation. Previous studies have been focusing on the transport of AgNPs in test systems with pure quartz sand or top soil materials, but studies investigating aquifer material are rare. However, the protection of groundwater resources is an important part in the protection of human health and the assurance of future economic activities. Therefore, expert knowledge regarding the transport, behavior and fate of engineered nanoparticles as potential contaminants in aquifers is essential. The transport and retention behavior of two commercially available engineered AgNPs (one stabilized with a polymere and one with a surfactant) in natural silicate-dominated aquifer material was investigated in saturated laboratory columns. For the experiments a mean grain size diameter of 0.7 mm was chosen with varying silt and clay contents to investigate their effect on the transport behavior of the AgNPs. Typical flow velocities were chosen to represent natural conditions. Particle concentration in the effluent was measured using ICP-MS and the finite element code HYDRUS-1D was used to model the transport and retention processes. The size of the silver nanoparticles in the effluent was analyzed using Flow Field-Flow Fractionation. The obtained results show that silt and clay contents as well as the stabilization of the AgNPs control the transport and retention of AgNPs. Increasing breakthrough was observed with decreasing clay and silt content.

  7. Mineralogia e reserva de K de Cambissolos submetidos a diferentes manejos após derrubada e queima da floresta na Amazônia Meridional Mineralogy and K reserve of Cambisols submitted to different managements after slashing and burning of the forest in the Meridional Amazon, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandro Góis Orrutéa

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available As altas temperaturas ocorrentes durante a queima na floresta Amazônica podem induzir transformações mineralógicas da fração argila. Este trabalho objetivou avaliar as alterações mineralógicas nas frações areia, silte e argila e na reserva mineral de solos submetidos a diferentes manejos (11 anos de mata secundária, pastagem e café após a derrubada e queima de floresta nativa situada na Amazônia Meridional, município de Cacoal (RO. Uma área de floresta nativa ombrófila densa, com mesma feição pedológica, foi dividida em quatro partes, sendo três áreas submetidas ao corte e à queima e posteriormente cultivadas. Em cada manejo, os perfis de solos foram descritos e amostras dos horizontes A, AB, B1, 2B2 e 2BC foram coletadas para as análises mineralógicas das frações argila, silte e areia (difratometria de raios X e químicas da fração argila (extração de Fe com ditionito-citrato-bicarbonato - DCB e com oxalato de amônio - OA. Os teores de K não trocáveis foram determinados nas amostras de solo após extração com HNO3 1 mol L-1 fervente. Verificou-se o predomínio da caulinita na fração argila e alta reserva mineral de K nos solos, associada à ocorrência de mica nas frações argila, silte e areia. Os diferentes manejos não afetaram os teores de Fe2O3DCB e Fe2O3OA; por outro lado, o maior valor estimado para a relação entre os teores de goethita e hematita [Gt/(Gt+Hm] na fração argila no horizonte A da floresta indica uma possível transformação parcial de Gt em Hm durante a queima da floresta para a implantação dos manejos mata secundária, pastagem e café.The high soil temperatures that take place during the burning of the Amazon rainforest may induce soil mineralogical transformations. This study aimed to evaluate mineralogical changes in sand, silt and clay fractions and to assess K reserve of soils submitted to different managements (11 years of secondary forest, pasture and coffee plantation

  8. Changes of gas pressure in sand mould during cast iron pouring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Mocek

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a test method developed to measure changes of gas pressure in sand moulds during manufacture of iron castings. The pressure and temperature measurements were taken in the sand mould layers directly adjacent to the metal – mould interface. A test stand was described along with the measurement methodology. The sensors used allowed studying the fast-changing nature of the processes which give rise to the gas-originated casting defects. The study examined the influence of binders, clays and refining additives on the nature of the gas evolution process. The effect of the base sand type - quartz or olivine - on the nature of pressure changes was compared. The test stand design ensured the stability of technological parameters in the examined mould elements, and a repeatable process of making pilot castings. The main outcome was classification of sand mixtures in terms of pressure occurring during pouring of iron castings. The obtained results confirm the usefulness of the described method for testing gas pressure occurrence in a sand mould.

  9. Interpretation of Piezocones in Silt, Using Cavity Expansion and Critical State Methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bakmar, Christian LeBlanc; Randolph, M. F.

    2008-01-01

    was simulated using cylindrical cavity expansion in conjunction with a plasticity model formulated within the framework of critical state soil mechanics. The results readily explain the low cone tip resistance measured in silt sediments; this is a derived effect of the silt having a large slope of the critical...... state line, resulting in rather weak and compressible behaviour at high mean effective stresses....

  10. Influence of Biochar on Deposition and Release of Clay Colloids in Saturated Porous Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haque, Muhammad Emdadul; Shen, Chongyang; Li, Tiantian; Chu, Haoxue; Wang, Hong; Li, Zhen; Huang, Yuanfang

    2017-11-01

    Although the potential application of biochar in soil remediation has been recognized, the effect of biochar on the transport of clay colloids, and accordingly the fate of colloid-associated contaminants, is unclear to date. This study conducted saturated column experiments to systematically examine transport of clay colloids in biochar-amended sand porous media in different electrolytes at different ionic strengths. The obtained breakthrough curves were simulated by the convection-diffusion equation, which included a first-order deposition and release terms. The deposition mechanisms were interpreted by calculating Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek interaction energies. A linear relationship between the simulated deposition rate or the attachment efficiency and the fraction of biochar was observed ( ≥ 0.91), indicating more favorable deposition in biochar than in sand. The interaction energy calculations show that the greater deposition in biochar occurs because the half-tube-like cavities on the biochar surfaces favor deposition in secondary minima and the nanoscale physical and chemical heterogeneities on the biochar surfaces increase deposition in primary minima. The deposited clay colloids in NaCl can be released by reduction of ionic strength, whereas the presence of a bivalent cation (Ca) results in irreversible deposition due to the formation of cation bridging between the colloids and biochar surfaces. The deposition and release of clay colloids on or from biochar surfaces not only change their mobilizations in the soil but also influence the efficiency of the biochar for removal of pollutants. Therefore, the influence of biochar on clay colloid transport must be considered before application of the biochar in soil remediation. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  11. [Dynamic changes of surface soil organic carbon and light-fraction organic carbon after mobile dune afforestation with Mongolian pine in Horqin Sandy Land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Wen; Li, Yu-qiang; Wang, Shao-kun; Feng, Jing; Su, Na

    2011-08-01

    This paper studied the dynamic changes of surface (0-15 cm) soil organic carbon (SOC) and light-fraction organic carbon (LFOC) in 25- and 35-year-old sand-fixing Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations in Horqin Sandy Land, with a mobile dune as a comparison site. After the afforestation on mobile dune, the content of coarse sand in soil decreased, while that of fine sand and clay-silt increased significantly. The SOC and LFOC contents also increased significantly, but tended to decrease with increasing soil depth. Afforestation increased the storages of SOC and LFOC in surface soil, and the increment increased with plantation age. In the two plantations, the increment of surface soil LFOC storage was much higher than that of SOC storage, suggesting that mobile dune afforestation had a larger effect on surface soil LFOC than on SOC.

  12. SEAFLOOR SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND HEAVY MINERAL OCCURENCES AT BETUMPAK CAPE AND ADJACENT AREA, BANGKA STRAIT, BANGKA BELITUNG PROVINCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohendi Rohendi

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Thirty seafloor of sediment samples have been taken by using gravity corer and grab sampler at Betumpak Cape, and adjacent area of Bangka Belitung. The result of grain size analyses show that there are four sediment units: gravelly sand, gravelly muddy sand, silt and silty sand. Identification of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM image on several samples shows the presence of clay mineral such as smectite, alunite, chlorite etc., may resulted from plagioclase weathering of granite. Based on heavy mineral analyses, its highest content is found at MTK-27 (northwest of Betumpak Cape. High content of apatite (0.94% wt and 1.07% wt is found on coarse sand fractions (115-170 mesh at MTK-29 (northeast Ular Cape and MTK-30 (north of Ular Cape. Generally, the heavy mineral accumulation is occurred on medium sand fraction (60-80 mesh as magnetite (7.86% wt, ilmenite (4.9% wt and zircon (1.32% wt. Based on these data, it shows that heavy mineral is accumulated on medium to coarse sand.

  13. Effect of part replacement of silica sand with carbon black on composite properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adeosun, B.F.; Olaofe, O.

    2003-01-01

    We have reported the properties of natural rubber filled with locally available materials (Adu et al 2000). The effect of local clay, limestone, silica sand and charcoal on the properties of natural rubber has been examined. Results have shown detrimental effects of silica sand on the properties of natural rubber compound. It has been reported that when silica is used as a part for part replacement of carbon black, the heat build up the composite decreased whilst tear resistance improved. Results revealed that within the filler content range used in the present work, the hardness, modulus, and tensile strength of composites loaded with silica sand/carbon black showed enhanced magnitude over the composite loaded singly with silica sand. These parameters generally increased with increasing carbon black content in the composite. New area of use requiring moderate level of tensile strength, hardness and modulus (as in soles of shoes and engine mounts) is therefore opened up for silica sand.(author)

  14. The effect of clay amendment on substrate properties and growth of woody plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomáš Meisl

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This work deals with the effect of two clay products differing in particle size distribution on properties of growing substrate and on growth of containerized woody plants in substrates amended with these clay products. Fine and coarse clay were added to a peat substrate, each at two rates. The peat substrate without clay was used as a control. The substrates were tested in experiments with two woody ornamentals (Thuja occidentalis ’Smaragd’ and Prunus cistena. Chemical and physical properties of the substrates were measured according to European Standards before planting. Proportion of water categories differing in availability to the plants were calculated from retention curves measured on the sand box. Properties of substrates in containers with and without plants were evaluated in the same way at the end of the culture. Clay addition changed chemical and physical properties of the tested substrates in terms: available nutrients content, particle density, bulk density, total pore volume, easy available water, water buffering capacity, air capacity, and shrinkage. The effect of fine clay was much stronger. In comparison with the clear effect of clay addition on the substrate chemical and physical properties, the effect on the growth and quality of model woody plants was not so explicit.

  15. Measurements of α-emitting plutonium and americium in the intertidal sands of west Cumbria, UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eakins, J.D.; Morgan, A.; Baston, G.M.N.; Pratley, F.W.; Strange, L.P.; Burton, P.J.

    1990-01-01

    Samples of surface sand and sand cores were collected from intertidal regions of west Cumbria between Silloth and Walney Island (including the Duddon Estuary) between 1982 and 1984 and analysed for 238 Pu, 239+240 Pu and 241 Am. Generally, more than 95% of the α-emitting transuranic nuclides were associated with the sand and less than 5% with entrained silt. The greatest concentrations of both plutonium and americium were found at Braystones. Concentrations declined with distance from the Sellafield Works. The largest actinide deposits occurred at Drigg (320 and 720 kBq m -2 of 239+240 Pu and 241 Am respectively). The integrated deposits in intertidal sand between Silloth and Walney Island were about 4.2 and 7.0 TBq respectively, which represent about 1% of the total α-emitting activity discharged to sea from Sellafield Works up to 1982. The corresponding value for the Duddon Estuary is about 0.3%. Only on beaches close to Sellafield did levels of man-made α-emitters exceed those of natural α-emitting nuclides. The radiological consequences of the intertidal inventory of plutonium and americium are shown to be very small and much less than from the seafood pathway. (author)

  16. Neoformation of clay in lateral root catchments of mallee eucalypts: a chemical perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verboom, William H.; Pate, John S.; Aspandiar, Mehrooz

    2010-01-01

    Background and Aims A previous paper (Annals of Botany 103: 673–685) described formation of clayey pavements in lateral root catchments of eucalypts colonizing a recently formed sand dune in south-west Western Australia. Here chemical and morphological aspects of their formation at the site are studied. Methods Chemical and physical examinations of soil cores through pavements and sand under adjacent heath assessed build-up of salts, clay and pH changes in or below pavements. Relationships of root morphology to clay deposition were examined and deposits subjected to scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Xylem transport of mineral elements in eucalypt and non-eucalypt species was studied by analysis of xylem (tracheal) sap from lateral roots. Key Results The columns of which pavements are composed develop exclusively on lower-tier lateral roots. Such sites show intimate associations of fine roots, fungal filaments, microbiota and clay deposits rich in Si, Al and Fe. Time scales for construction of pavements by eucalypts were assessed. Cores through columns of pavemented profiles showed gross elevations of bulk density, Al, Fe and Si in columns and related increases in pH, Mg and Ca status in lower profiles. A cutting through the dune exhibited pronounced alkalinity (pH 7–10) under mallee woodland versus acidity (pH 5–6·5) under proteaceous heath. Xylem sap analyses showed unusually high concentrations of Al, Fe, Mg and Si in dry-season samples from column-bearing roots. Conclusions Deposition of Al–Fe–Si-rich clay is pivotal to pavement construction by eucalypts and leads to profound chemical and physical changes in relevant soil profiles. Microbial associates of roots are likely to be involved in clay genesis, with parent eucalypts supplying the required key mineral elements and carbon sources. Acquisition of the Al and Fe incorporated into clay derives principally from hydraulic uplift from ground water via deeply

  17. Analysis of the eukaryotic community and metabolites found in clay wall material used in the construction of traditional Japanese buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitajima, Sakihito; Kamei, Kaeko; Nishitani, Maiko; Sato, Hiroyuki

    2010-01-01

    Clay wall (tsuchikabe in Japanese) material for Japanese traditional buildings is manufactured by fermenting a mixture of clay, sand, and rice straw. The aim of this study was to understand the fermentation process in order to gain insight into the ways waste biomass can be used to produce useful materials. In this study, in addition to Clostridium, we suggested that the family Nectriaceae and the Scutellinia sp. of fungi were important in degrading cell wall materials of rice straw, such as cellulose and/or lignin. The microorganisms in the clay wall material produced sulfur-containing inorganic compounds that may sulfurate minerals in clay particles, and polysaccharides that give viscosity to clay wall material, thus increasing workability for plastering, and possibly giving water-resistance to the dried clay wall.

  18. Sedimentological and Scanning Electron Miscroscopic Descriptions of Afowo Oil Sand Deposits, South Western Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akinmosin A

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Sedimentological and scanning electron microscopic analyses of some shallow reservoir tar sand samples in parts of Southwestern Nigeria were carried out with the aim of characterizing the reservoir properties in relation to bitumen saturation and recovery efficiency. The production of impregnated tar from the sands requires the reservoir to be of good quality. A total of thirty samples were collected at different localities within the tar sand belt (ten out of these samples were selected for various reservoir quality analyses based on their textural homogeneity. The result of particle size distribution study showed that bulk of the sands is medium – coarse grained and moderately sorted. The grain morphologies are of low to high sphericity with shapes generally sub-angular to sub-rounded, implying that the sands have undergone a fairly long transportation history with depositional energy having a moderate to high velocity. The quartz content was made up of about 96% of the total mineralogical components; the sediments of the Afowo Formation can be described to be mineralogically and texturally stable. The result of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM analysis revealed that the oil sands contained minerals which had been precipitated and occurred as pore filling cement; these minerals include sheet kaolinite, block kaolinite, vermiform kaolinite, pyrite crystals and quartz. The SEM images also showed micro-pores ranging from 0.057µm to 0.446µm and fractures. The study showed that the clay minerals contained in the Afowo reservoir rocks were mainly kaolinite. Kaoline unlike some other clays (e.g Montimorillonite does not swell with water, hence it is not expected to have any negative effects on the reservoir quality, especially during enhanced oil recovery operations.

  19. Use of x-ray radiographic methods in the study of clay liners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malone, P.G.; May, J.H.; Brown, K.W.; Thomas, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    X-ray radiography has been widely used in soil investigation to study the distribution of layers in soil cores and the effects of changing conditions (loading or impact) on soil structure. X-ray radiographic techniques also can be useful in studying clays or clay soils used in liners. Laboratory investigations were undertaken to demonstrate that X-ray radiographic techniques could be used to detect density and soil structure changes that usually accompany variations in hydraulic conductivity of clay liners. An example of a real-time test of a simulated bentonite and sand, liner attacked with acid lead nitrate and examples of radiographic examination of clay soil (non-calcareous smectite) samples that have been permeated by lead acetate or lead nitrate are presented. The changes in density and structure can be related to changes observed in hydraulic conductivity during permeation. X-ray radiography easily can be applied to field samples of soil or clay liner materials to detect density and structural changes that occur as the liner and permeating fluid interact. X-ray techniques have applications in both understanding failure mechanisms and forecasting liner performance

  20. Premature distress of a pavement on expansive black cotton soil in the Horn of Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mgangira, Martin B

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available be noted that the field investigation was car- ried out at the end of the wet season. Table 1. Physical properties of the subgrade Property Unit Value Range Specific gravity - 2.43 – 2.45 Percent clay % 18 - 73 Percent silt % 25 -70 Percent sand...; Nwaiwu & Nuhu 2006 and others in Nelson & Miller 1992, to men- tion a few). The basis for the determination of the swelling potential differ, but generally range from methods based on the Plasticity Index, to those that include placement conditions...

  1. Stabilization of the dyke on the north bank of the La Grande 1 hydroelectric complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massiera, M.; Tournier, J-P.

    2000-01-01

    Special design features required in constructing a 2444 m long dyke on the north bank of the La Grade River at the site of the La Grande 1 hydroelectric power project are described. The special features involved construction of a downstream bank and upstream stabilization berms to avoid the occurrence of potentially dangerous retrogressive slides. These special features were deemed essential due to the presence of sensitive marine clay, covered with deltaic sand and silt and river sand deposits. The paper highlights the geotechnical and hydrogeological conditions of the northern terrace, and describes the different construction phases of stabilizing the river bank. Control of groundwater pressures in the lower aquifer with relief wells is emphasized. 9 refs., 1 tab., 17 figs

  2. Silt and gas accumulation beneath an artificial recharge spreading basin, Southwestern Utah, U.S.A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heilweil, V.M.; Solomon, D.K.; Ortiz, G.

    2009-01-01

    Sand Hollow Reservoir in southwestern Utah, USA, is operated for both surface-water storage and artificial recharge to the underlying Navajo Sandstone. The total volume of estimated artificial recharge between 2002 and 2007 is 85 million cubic meters (69,000 acre-feet). Since 2002, artificial recharge rates have generally been declining and are inversely correlated with the increasing surface area of the reservoir. Permeability testing of core samples retrieved from beneath the reservoir indicates that this decline may not be due to silt accumulation. Artificial recharge rates also show much seasonal variability. Calculations of apparent intrinsic permeability show that these variations can only partly be explained by variation in water viscosity associated with seasonal changes in water temperature. Sporadic seasonal trends in recharge rates and intrinsic permeability during 2002-2004 could be associated with the large fluctuations in reservoir elevation and wetted area. From 2005 through 2007, the reservoir was mostly full and there has been a more consistent seasonal pattern of minimum recharge rates during the summer and maximum rates during the autumn. Total dissolved-gas pressure measurements indicate the presence of biogenic gas bubbles in the shallow sediments beneath the shallower parts of Sand Hollow Reservoir when the water is warmer. Permeability reduction associated with this gas clogging may contribute to the decrease in artificial recharge rates during the spring and summer, with a subsequently increasing recharge rates in the autumn associated with a decline in volume of gas bubbles. Other possible causes for seasonal variation in artificial recharge rates require further investigation.

  3. Laboratory-scale study of possible use of residual sludge from glass sand beneficiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prikryl, Richard; Weishauptova, Zuzana; Zach, Jaroslav; Kozlovcev, Petr

    2016-04-01

    Beneficiation of quartz sand from sedimentary deposits for glass sands results in significant amounts of under-size fraction, a sludge rich in clay minerals. This sludge is considered as a waste and is returned in mined-out spaces for a simple rehabilitation, which is also the case of one of the largest glass sand production areas in the Czech Republic. The amount of produced waste sludge in the studied area (glass sand works in Provodín area, Bohemian Cretaceous Basin) is about 20 kt per year. In the recent study, we have focused on possible employment of this waste material for three applications: (1) a clay component in a raw material mixture for making of hydraulic lime, (2) a kaolinite absorbent, and (3) a geotechnical material. The sampled sludge was primarily analysed for mineralogical and chemical composition, mechanical and physical properties, the specific surface area, and parameters of pore space. X-ray analysis proved the presence of kaolinite, illite (both WCI and PCI), quartz, and accessory microcline. According to silicate analysis, the material is composed of SiO2 (80.52 wt. %), Al2O3 (11.36 wt. %), and K2O (2.14 wt. %). For its potential use as an artificial admixture for hydraulic lime production, the studied material was mixed with pure limestone in ratio of 10, 15, 20, and/or 25 wt. %. The experimental mixtures were burnt in the temperature range from 850 to 1,200°C. XRD was employed for the detection of newly formed phases showing formation of hydraulic phase such as C2S, C3A, C4AF starting from the 1050°C burning temperature. Peak burning temperature significantly influenced amount of individual phases in the burnt product. Second possible mode of use of the investigated waste material focused on its application as a sorbent. Pore space and specific surface area characteristics (SBET 7.4 sq. m/g) range this material to the group of low grade kaolinite-dominated adsorbents. Thermal treatment (burning of raw waste material at temperatures of

  4. The art of screening : Effectiveness of silt screens

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Radermacher, M.; Van der Goot, F.; Rijks, D.C.; De Wit, L.

    2013-01-01

    One of the potential environmental issues associated with dredging in the marine environment is the increase of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) by generation and dispersion of sediment plumes. This can be mitigated by source control or by the installation of containment barriers like silt

  5. Settling fluxes and ecotoxicological risk assessment of fine sedimentary metals in Tema Harbour (Ghana).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botwe, Benjamin O; Nyarko, Elvis; Lens, Piet N L

    2018-01-01

    Sediment traps were deployed in the Tema Harbour to estimate the settling fluxes of silt-clay particles and associated metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Hg, Sn and As) and characterise their potential ecotoxicological risks. The mean daily settling fluxes of the silt-clay particles and associated metals ranged from 42.7 to 85.0gm -2 d -1 and 1.3×10 -2 to 49.4mgm -2 d -1 , respectively, and were characterised by large fluctuations at each station. The silt-clay and metal fluxes strongly correlated, indicating the important role of the silt-clay particles in metal transport and distribution in the harbour. Geochemical indices indicated anthropogenic influences on the harbour as the Pb, Cr, Zn, Hg, Sn and As content in the settling silt-clay particles exceeded their average crustal concentrations. Sediment quality guidelines indicated these metals pose appreciable ecotoxicological risks, particularly As. Increasing temporal trends in As necessitates increased pollution control efforts at the harbour. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Development of clay characterization methods for use in repository design with application to a natural Ca bentonite clay containing a redox front

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karnland, O.; Pusch, R.

    1990-12-01

    Natural smectite clays in the form of 'true' bentonites formed from volcanic ash, or resulting from in-situ weathering of rock, are suitable for a number of sealing options in repositories, both as tightening component of sand/clay backfills and as highly efficient buffer for embedment of canisters, as well as for fracture sealing. The price and quality, in terms of smectite content and type of smectite, vary considerably and an optimum choice of clay for use in repositories has to be based on quantitative quality data. This requires characterization of the clay material for which a test scheme has been worked out. It comprises determination of the granulometrical, chemical, and mineralogical compositions, as well as of certain physical properties. Recent research shows the importance of the type of smectite for the longevity of buffers in repository environment, beidellite being less favourable and saponite superior to montmorillonite, which is the most common smectite species. The test scheme hence includes means of distinguishing between various smectite minerals. The influence of accessory minerals on the chemical integrity of both the smectite and the canister material requires identification also of such minerals, for which the scheme is useful as well. The report summarizes the various test procedures and gives data from application of the scheme to samples from a natural Ca bentonite containing a redox front. This study suggests that a significant part of the iron in the clay fraction is in the form of Fe 2+ in octahedral positions of the montmorillonite of unoxidized natural clay and that it is converted to Fe 3+ on oxidation. Part of the iron is probably in the form of the Fe 2+ Fe 3+ hydroxy compounds that give the unoxidized clay its bluish colour, while they can be assumed to be transformed to yellowish FeOOH forms on oxidation. (author)

  7. Modelling the relationship between soil color and particle size for soil survey in Ferralsol environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Kone

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Soil texture is an important property for evaluating its inherent fertility especially by using pedo-transfers functions requiring particle size data. However, there is no existing quantitative method for in situ estimation of soil particle size, delaying judgement of soil chemical properties in the field. For this purpose, laboratory particle size analyses of 1028 samples from 281 Ferralsol profiles, located between latitudes 7º N and 10º N in Côte d’Ivoire and their respective colour notation by Munsell chart were used to generate prediction models. Multiple Linear Regression Analysis by Group was processed to identify clay, sand and silt contents in the soil based on color hue (2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, and 10YR and Chroma (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The evaluation was conducted for each horizon coded as H1 (0-20 cm, H2 (20-60 cm, H3 (60-80 cm and H4 (80-150 cm and used as grouping variables. Highly significant (P< 0.001 models were identified for clay and sand. These models were used to estimate successfully clay and sand contents for other Ferralsol samples by comparing calculated and measured mean using the null hypothesis of difference and Tukey’s tests. They were accurate for at all depths, except 80 - 150 cm, for sand in 10YR soils. The method was deemed appropriate for in situ estimation of soil particle size contents in Ferralsol environment for improving reconnaissance agricultural soil surveys.

  8. Moisture and temperature in a proppant-enveloped silt block of a recharge dam reservoir: Laboratory experiment and 1-D mathematical modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anvar Kacimov

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mosaic 3-D cascade of parallelepiped-shaped silt blocks, which sandwich sand- lled cracks, has been discovered in the eld and tested in lab experiments. Controlled wetting-drying of these blocks, collected from a dam reservoir, mimics field ponding-desiccation conditions of the topsoil layer subject to caustic solar radiation, high temperature and wind, typical in the Batinah region of Oman. In 1-D analytical modelling of a transient Richards’ equation for vertical evaporation, the method of small perturbations is applied, assuming that the relative permeability is Avery-anov’s 3.5-power function of the moisture content and capillary pressure is a given (measured function. A linearized advective dispersion equation is solved with respect to the second term in the series expansion of the moisture content as a function of spatial coordinates and time. For a single block of a nite thickness we solve a boundary value problem with a no- ow condition at the bottom and a constant moisture content at the surface. Preliminary comparisons with theta-, TDR- probes measuring the moisture content and temperature at several in-block points are made. Results corroborate that a 3-D heterogeneity of soil physical properties, in particular, horizontal and vertical capillary barriers emerging on the interfaces between silt and sand generate eco-niches with stored soil water compartments favourable for lush vegetation in desert conditions. Desiccation significantly increases the temperature in the blocks and re-wetting of the blocks reduces the daily average and peak temperatures, the latter by almost 15°C. This is important for planning irrigation in smartly designed soil substrates and sustainability of wild plants in the region where the top soil peak temperature in the study area exceeds 70°C in Summer but smartly structured soils maintain lash vegetation. Thee layer of dry top-blocks acts as a thermal insulator for the subjacent layers of wet blocks that

  9. A Study of Clay-Epoxy Nanocomposites Consisting of Unmodified Clay and Organo Clay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham Edward

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Clay-epoxy nanocomposites were synthesized from DGEBA resin and montmorillonite clay with an in-situ polymerization. One type of untreated clay and two types of organo clay were used to produce the nanocompsoites. The aims of this study were to examine the nanocomposite structure using different tools and to compare the results between the unmodified clay and modified clays as nanofillers. Although diffractogram in reflection mode did not show any apparent peak of both types of materials, the transmitted XRD (X-Ray Difraction graphs, DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter analysis and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope images revealed that the modified clay-epoxy and unmodified clay-epoxy provides different results. Interestingly, the micrographs showed that some of the modified clay layers possessed non-exfoliated layers in the modified clay-epoxy nanocomposites. Clay aggregates and a hackle pattern were found from E-SEM images for both types of nanocomposite materials. It is shown that different tools should be used to determine the nanocomposite structure.

  10. The Suitability Of Local Quartz Sand In The Production Of Bath Crucibles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. O. Okpanachi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The suitability of local quartz sand in the production of bath crucibles is a study that was carried out in order to impart overall strength on bath crucibles hence reduce breakages during fettling. Therefore this research constitutes a study to enhance the efficiency of production of bath crucibles by addition of quartz sand in slip preparation. The steps taken in the beneficiation of quartz sand for the production of bath crucibles are comminution which entails crushing and milling classification washing liquid dispersion sizing and reduction of iron content by magnetic separation. The slip contains materials like plastic clay feldspar kaolin talc sodium silicate water quartz sand etc. These were all milled in the ball mill for slip production casting and fettling glazing and sintering to get final bath crucibles as the end products. Quartz sand is used in a variety of products essentially as raw material for the foundry casting and glass industries and also in chemicals water filtration and ceramics the heat resistance nature of quartz sand makes it an excellent refractory substance for these industrial processes. Slip can be prepared for production of bath crucibles without the inclusion of quartz sand however the addition of quartz sand is needed to improve the mechanical performance of the slip in the production of bath crucibles.

  11. Hydrogeology and water quality of the North Canadian River alluvium, Concho Reserve, Canadian County, Oklahoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, C.J.

    1998-01-01

    A growing user population within the Concho Reserve in Canadian County, Oklahoma, has increased the need for drinking water. The North Canadian River alluvium is a reliable source of ground water for agriculture, industry, and cities in Canadian County and is the only ground-water source capable of meeting large demands. This study was undertaken to collect and analyze data to describe the hydrogeology and ground-water quality of the North Canadian River alluvium within the Concho Reserve. The alluvium forms a band about 2 miles long and 0.5 mile wide along the southern edge of the Concho Reserve. Thickness of the alluvium ranges from 19 to 75 feet thick and averages about 45 feet in the study area. Well cuttings and natural gamma-ray logs indicate the alluvium consists of interfingering lenses of clay, silt, and sand. The increase of coarse-grained sand and the decrease of clay and silt with depth suggests that the water-bearing properties of the aquifer within the study area improve with depth. A clay layer in the upper part of the aquifer may be partially responsible for surface water ponding in low areas after above normal precipitation and may delay the infiltration of potentially contaminated water from land surface. Specific conductance measurements indicate the ground-water quality improves in a northern direction towards the terrace. Water-quality properties, bacteria counts, major ion and nutrient concentrations, trace-element and radionuclide concentrations, and organic compound concentrations were measured in one ground-water sample at the southern edge of the Concho Reserve and comply with the primary drinking-water standards. Measured concentrations of iron, manganese, sulfate, and total dissolved solids exceed the secondary maximum contaminant levels set for drinking water. The ground water is a calcium sulfate bicarbonate type and is considered very hard, with a hardness of 570 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate.

  12. DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC CARBON IN DIFFERENT SOIL FRACTIONS IN ECOSYSTEMS OF CENTRAL AMAZONIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean Dalmo de Oliveira Marques

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Organic matter plays an important role in many soil properties, and for that reason it is necessary to identify management systems which maintain or increase its concentrations. The aim of the present study was to determine the quality and quantity of organic C in different compartments of the soil fraction in different Amazonian ecosystems. The soil organic matter (FSOM was fractionated and soil C stocks were estimated in primary forest (PF, pasture (P, secondary succession (SS and an agroforestry system (AFS. Samples were collected at the depths 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100, 100-160, and 160-200 cm. Densimetric and particle size analysis methods were used for FSOM, obtaining the following fractions: FLF (free light fraction, IALF (intra-aggregate light fraction, F-sand (sand fraction, F-clay (clay fraction and F-silt (silt fraction. The 0-5 cm layer contains 60 % of soil C, which is associated with the FLF. The F-clay was responsible for 70 % of C retained in the 0-200 cm depth. There was a 12.7 g kg-1 C gain in the FLF from PF to SS, and a 4.4 g kg-1 C gain from PF to AFS, showing that SS and AFS areas recover soil organic C, constituting feasible C-recovery alternatives for degraded and intensively farmed soils in Amazonia. The greatest total stocks of carbon in soil fractions were, in decreasing order: (101.3 Mg ha-1 of C - AFS > (98.4 Mg ha-1 of C - FP > (92.9 Mg ha-1 of C - SS > (64.0 Mg ha-1 of C - P. The forms of land use in the Amazon influence C distribution in soil fractions, resulting in short- or long-term changes.

  13. Soil classification based on cone penetration test (CPT) data in Western Central Java

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apriyono, Arwan; Yanto, Santoso, Purwanto Bekti; Sumiyanto

    2018-03-01

    This study presents a modified friction ratio range for soil classification i.e. gravel, sand, silt & clay and peat, using CPT data in Western Central Java. The CPT data was obtained solely from Soil Mechanic Laboratory of Jenderal Soedirman University that covers more than 300 sites within the study area. About 197 data were produced from data filtering process. IDW method was employed to interpolated friction ratio values in a regular grid point for soil classification map generation. Soil classification map was generated and presented using QGIS software. In addition, soil classification map with respect to modified friction ratio range was validated using 10% of total measurements. The result shows that silt and clay dominate soil type in the study area, which is in agreement with two popular methods namely Begemann and Vos. However, the modified friction ratio range produces 85% similarity with laboratory measurements whereby Begemann and Vos method yields 70% similarity. In addition, modified friction ratio range can effectively distinguish fine and coarse grains, thus useful for soil classification and subsequently for landslide analysis. Therefore, modified friction ratio range proposed in this study can be used to identify soil type for mountainous tropical region.

  14. An Investigation into the Use of Manufactured Sand as a 100% Replacement for Fine Aggregate in Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martins Pilegis

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Manufactured sand differs from natural sea and river dredged sand in its physical and mineralogical properties. These can be both beneficial and detrimental to the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. This paper presents the results of a laboratory study in which manufactured sand produced in an industry sized crushing plant was characterised with respect to its physical and mineralogical properties. The influence of these characteristics on concrete workability and strength, when manufactured sand completely replaced natural sand in concrete, was investigated and modelled using artificial neural networks (ANN. The results show that the manufactured sand concrete made in this study generally requires a higher water/cement (w/c ratio for workability equal to that of natural sand concrete due to the higher angularity of the manufactured sand particles. Water reducing admixtures can be used to compensate for this if the manufactured sand does not contain clay particles. At the same w/c ratio, the compressive and flexural strength of manufactured sand concrete exceeds that of natural sand concrete. ANN proved a valuable and reliable method of predicting concrete strength and workability based on the properties of the fine aggregate (FA and the concrete mix composition.

  15. An Investigation into the Use of Manufactured Sand as a 100% Replacement for Fine Aggregate in Concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pilegis, Martins; Gardner, Diane; Lark, Robert

    2016-06-02

    Manufactured sand differs from natural sea and river dredged sand in its physical and mineralogical properties. These can be both beneficial and detrimental to the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. This paper presents the results of a laboratory study in which manufactured sand produced in an industry sized crushing plant was characterised with respect to its physical and mineralogical properties. The influence of these characteristics on concrete workability and strength, when manufactured sand completely replaced natural sand in concrete, was investigated and modelled using artificial neural networks (ANN). The results show that the manufactured sand concrete made in this study generally requires a higher water/cement (w/c) ratio for workability equal to that of natural sand concrete due to the higher angularity of the manufactured sand particles. Water reducing admixtures can be used to compensate for this if the manufactured sand does not contain clay particles. At the same w/c ratio, the compressive and flexural strength of manufactured sand concrete exceeds that of natural sand concrete. ANN proved a valuable and reliable method of predicting concrete strength and workability based on the properties of the fine aggregate (FA) and the concrete mix composition.

  16. Strontium 90 in silts of the Dnieper cascade water reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romanenko, V.D.; Kuz'menko, M.I.; Matvienko, L.P.; Klenus, V.G.; Nasvit, O.I.

    1989-01-01

    The change of strontium-90 content in water and silts of the Dnieper cascade water reservoirs was analyzed. It was shown, that decrease of strontium-90 content in water in time connected basically with ion exchange adsorption of strontium-90 by residues. A high sorption ability of residues made it possible for radioisotopes to reduce sharply their concentration along depth of soils. The highest concentration of radioisotopes was in the upper layers, enriched by silt. It was ascertained, that strontium-90 migration along depth of residues took place rapidly in the Kiev's water reservoir. Down the cascade strontium-90 content reduced in lower layers of residues as well as in upper layers. 4 tabs

  17. Cordão Formation: loess deposits in the southern coastal plain of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RENATO P. LOPES

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Loess consists of silt-dominated sediments that cover ~10% of the Earth's surface. In southern South America it occurs in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, and its presence in southern Brazil was never studied in detail. Here is proposed a new lithostratigraphic unit, Cordão Formation, consisting of loess deposits in the southern Brazilian coastal plain. It consists of fine-very fine silt with subordinate sand and clay, found mostly in lowland areas between Pleistocene coastal barriers. These sediments are pale-colored (10YR hue and forms ~1,5-2,0 meter-thick stable vertical walls. The clay minerals include illite, smectite, interstratified illite/smectite and kaolinite, the coarser fraction is mostly quartz and plagioclase. Caliche and iron-manganese nodules are also present. The only fossils found so far are rodent teeth and a tooth of a camelid (Hemiauchenia paradoxa. Luminescence ages indicate that this loess was deposited in the latest Pleistocene, between ~30 and 10 kyrs ago, and its upper portion was modified by erosion and accumulation of clay and organic matter in the Holocene. The estimated accumulation rate was ~630 g/m2/year. The probable source of this loess is the Pampean Aeolian System of Argentina and it would have been deposited by the increased aeolian processes of the last glacial.

  18. Sand-RAPG combination simulating fertile clayey soil (Part I to IV)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azzam, R.; El-Hady, O.A.; Lotfy, A.A.; Hegela, M.

    1983-01-01

    I. Radiation Preparation of RAPG. Sites of co-ordination and reinforcement are dominated in reclaimer ameliorator polymeric gel (RAPG). It is a modified acrylonitrile base multifunction polymer grafted upon a binder of worthless cellulosic agricultural discard. It varies chemically from non-ionic through anionic and cationic to ampholite. The hydroproperty of the gel is similarly controlled. Thus, RAPG can be tailored for any soil texture under various climatic conditions. II. Structure Stability and Maintenance. Sinai dune sand is treated with non-ionic and anionic RAPGs at rates varying from 0.05 to 0.2 wt.%. The stability increased with RAPG anionicity and application rate. The structure formed maintained three cycles of complete destruction and re-formation without significant changes in erosion index. The resistance of sand-RAPG combination to breakdown by tillage, as well as to wind and water erosion, is practically proved. This is in addition to the beneficial changes in bulk density, void ratio and microporosity, which were also achieved. III. Water Preservation. Inshas sandy soil treated by RAPG is compared with fertile clayey soil. The water-holding capacity and retention at different suctions are increased. The available water to plants in treated sand has reached 15 times that of the control, and even exceeded clay by 11%. Water losses by evaporation and leaching as well as deep percolation are all reduced to a minimum. IV. Plantation and Nutritional Status. Pepper seed germination, growth and dry matter are increased in the sand-RAPG combination relative to fertile clayey soil. The optimum rate and anionicity of RAPG are determined. This increases water-use efficiency to twice that of the fertile clayey soil. Macro- and micro-nutrient uptake have also increased. Thus, fertilizer use efficiency is increased by almost three times over that of clay. These factors lead convincingly to the conclusion that RAPG furnishes adequate conditions for sandy soil

  19. Cacao Crop Management Zones Determination Based on Soil Properties and Crop Yield

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Perla Silva Matos de Carvalho

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The use of management zones has ensured yield success for numerous agricultural crops. In spite of this potential, studies applying precision agricultural techniques to cacao plantations are scarce or almost nonexistent. The aim of the present study was to delineate management zones for cacao crop, create maps combining soil physical properties and cacao tree yield, and identify what combinations best fit within the soil chemical properties. The study was conducted in 2014 on a cacao plantation in a Nitossolo Háplico Eutrófico (Rhodic Paleudult in Bahia, Brazil. Soil samples were collected in a regular sampling grid with 120 sampling points in the 0.00-0.20 m soil layer, and pH(H2O, P, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, H+Al, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, SB, V, TOC, effective CEC, CEC at pH 7.0, coarse sand, fine sand, clay, and silt were determined. Yield was measured in all the 120 points every month and stratified into annual, harvest, and early-harvest cacao yields. Data were subjected to geostatistical analysis, followed by ordinary kriging interpolation. The management zones were defined through a Fuzzy K-Means algorithm for combinations between soil physical properties and cacao tree yield. Concordance analysis was carried out between the delineated zones and soil chemical properties using Kappa coefficients. The zones that best classified the soil chemical properties were defined from the early-harvest cacao yield map associated with the clay or sand fractions. Silt content proved to be an inadequate variable for defining management zones for cacao production. The delineated management zones described the spatial variability of the soil chemical properties, and are therefore important for site-specific management in the cacao crop.

  20. Effect of soil properties on Hydraulic characteristics under subsurface drip irrigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wangtao; Li, Gang

    2018-02-01

    Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is a technique that has a high potential in application because of its high efficiency in water-saving. The hydraulic characteristics of SDI sub-unit pipe network can be affected by soil physical properties as the emitters are buried in soils. The related research, however, is not fully explored. The laboratory tests were carried out in the present study to determine the effects of hydraulic factors including operating pressure, initial soil water content, and bulk density on flow rate and its sensitivity to each hydraulic factor for two types of SDI emitters (PLASSIM emitter and Heping emitter). For this purpose, three soils with contrasting textures (i.e., light sand, silt loam, and light clay) were repacked with two soil bulk density (1.25 and1.40 g cm-3) with two initial soil water content (12% and 18%) in plexiglass columns with 40 cm in diameter and 40 cm in height. Drip emitters were buried at depth of 20 cm to measure the flow rates under seven operating pressures (60, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, and 370 kPa). We found that the operating pressure was the dominating factor of flow rate of the SDI emitter, and flow rate increased with the increase of operating pressure. The initial soil water content and bulk density also affected the flow rate, and their effects were the most notable in the light sand soil. The sensitivity of flow rate to each hydraulic factor was dependent on soil texture, and followed a descending order of light sand>silt loam>light clay for both types of emitters. Further, the sensitivity of flow rate to each hydraulic factor decreased with the increase of operating pressure, initial soil water content, and bulk density. This study may be used to guide the soil specific-design of SDI emitters for optimal water use and management.

  1. Fractal Feature of Particle-Size Distribution in the Rhizospheres and Bulk Soils during Natural Recovery on the Loess Plateau, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Zilin; Zhang, Chao; Liu, Guobin; Qu, Dong; Xue, Sha

    2015-01-01

    The application of fractal geometry to describe soil structure is an increasingly useful tool for better understanding the performance of soil systems. Only a few studies, however, have focused on the structure of rhizospheric zones, where energy flow and nutrient recycling most frequently occur. We used fractal dimensions to investigate the characteristics of particle-size distribution (PSD) in the rhizospheres and bulk soils of six croplands abandoned for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 years on the Loess Plateau of China and evaluated the changes over successional time. The PSDs of the rhizospheres and the fractal dimensions between rhizosphere soil and bulk soils during the natural succession differed significantly due to the influence of plant roots. The rhizospheres had higher sand (0.05–1.00 mm) contents, lower silt (soils during the early and intermediate successional stages (1–15 years). The fractal dimensions of the rhizosphere soil and bulk soil ranged from 2.102 to 2.441 and from 2.214 to 2.459, respectively, during the 30-year restoration. Rhizospheric clay and silt contents and fractal dimension tended to be higher and sand content tended to be lower as abandonment age increased, but the bulk soils had the opposite trend. Linear regression analysis indicated that the fractal dimensions of both the rhizospheres and bulk soils were significantly linearly correlated with clay, sand, organic-carbon, and total-nitrogen contents, with R 2 ranging from 0.526 to 0.752 (Psoil and bulk soil. The fractal dimension was a sensitive and useful index for quantifying changes in the properties of the different soil zones. This study will greatly aid the application of the fractal method for describing soil structure and nutrient status and the understanding of the performance of rhizospheric zones during ecological restoration. PMID:26368339

  2. Comparison of braided-stream depositional environment and uranium deposits at Saint Anthony underground mine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baird, C.W.; Martin, K.W.; Lowry, R.M.

    1980-01-01

    United Nuclear's Saint Anthony mine, located in the Laguna district, produces uranium ore from the Jackpile sandstone unit of the Morrison Formation. The Jackpile sediments were deposited in a fluvial environment characterized by aridity, gentle slope, distant source area, and limited flow volume. Resultant stratigraphy consists of an intricate assemblage of trough and tabular cross-stratification grading to near massive bedding at some locations. Interbedded with the Jackpile sands are green mudstones and siltstones that commonly display irregular thicknesses of less than 2 ft and that are laterally discontinuous. Major penecontemporaneous and postdepositional alteration of originally deposited sands, silts, and clays includes: 1) infiltration and filling of interstices by kaolinitic clays; 2) mobilization and relocation of organic carbonaceous material; and 3) geochemical alteration of mineral constituents and fixation of uranium ions in organic carbonaceous material. Mineralized zones of economic volume display a spatial relationship to bedding features indicative of loosely packed sand deposited in dune and trough foresets. This relationship indicates possible permeability control by initial stratigraphy upon the flow of mineralizing solutions. Additionally, the low-energy foreset environment facilitates the accumulation of low-specific-gravity carbonaceous material necessary for interaction with mineralizing solutions. Large volumes of loosely packed foreset sands accumulate in transverse bars in braided-stream environments. These structures have a great potential for conducting large volumes of mineralizing fluids and hosting economic quantities of uranium ore

  3. [Research on characteristics of soil clay mineral evolution in paddy field and dry land by XRD spectrum].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhi-dan; Li, Qiao; Luo, Xiang-li; Jiang, Hai-chao; Zheng, Qing-fu; Zhao, Lan-po; Wang, Ji-hong

    2014-08-01

    The present paper took the typical saline-alkali soil in Jilin province as study object, and determinated the soil clay mineral composition characteristics of soil in paddy field and dry land. Then XRD spectrum was used to analyze the evolutionary mechanism of clay mineral in the two kinds of soil. The results showed that the physical and chemical properties of soil in paddy field were better than those in dry land, and paddy field would promote the weathering of mineral particles in saline-alkali soil and enhance the silt content. Paddy field soil showed a strong potassium-removal process, with a higher degree of clay mineral hydration and lower degree of illite crystallinity. Analysis of XRD spectrum showed that the clay mineral composition was similar in two kinds of soil, while the intensity and position of diffraction peak showed difference. The evolution process of clay mineral in dry land was S/I mixture-->vermiculite, while in paddy field it was S/I mixture-->vermiculite-->kaolinite. One kind of hydroxylated 'chlorite' mineral would appear in saline-alkali soil in long-term cultivated paddy field. Taking into account that the physical and chemical properties of soil in paddy field were better then those in dry land, we could know that paddy field could help much improve soil structure, cultivate high-fertility soil and improve saline-alkali soil. This paper used XRD spectrum to determine the characteristics of clay minerals comprehensively, and analyzed two'kinds of land use comparatively, and was a new perspective of soil minerals study.

  4. Recycling of Clay Sediments for Geopolymer Binder Production. A New Perspective for Reservoir Management in the Framework of Italian Legislation: The Occhito Reservoir Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molino, Bruno; De Vincenzo, Annamaria; Ferone, Claudio; Messina, Francesco; Colangelo, Francesco; Cioffi, Raffaele

    2014-07-31

    Reservoir silting is an unavoidable issue. It is estimated that in Italy, the potential rate of silting-up in large reservoirs ranges from 0.1% to 1% in the presence of wooded river basins and intensive agricultural land use, respectively. In medium and small-sized reservoirs, these values vary between 0.3% and 2%. Considering both the types of reservoirs, the annual average loss of storage capacity would be of about 1.59%. In this paper, a management strategy aimed at sediment productive reuse is presented. Particularly, the main engineering outcomes of an extensive experimental program on geopolymer binder synthesis is reported. The case study deals with Occhito reservoir, located in Southern Italy. Clay sediments coming from this silted-up artificial lake were characterized, calcined and activated, by means of a wide set of alkaline activating solutions. The results showed the feasibility of this recovery process, optimizing a few chemical parameters. The possible reuse in building material production (binders, precast concrete, bricks, etc. ) represents a relevant sustainable alternative to landfill and other more consolidated practices.

  5. Recycling of Clay Sediments for Geopolymer Binder Production. A New Perspective for Reservoir Management in the Framework of Italian Legislation: The Occhito Reservoir Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Molino

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Reservoir silting is an unavoidable issue. It is estimated that in Italy, the potential rate of silting-up in large reservoirs ranges from 0.1% to 1% in the presence of wooded river basins and intensive agricultural land use, respectively. In medium and small-sized reservoirs, these values vary between 0.3% and 2%. Considering both the types of reservoirs, the annual average loss of storage capacity would be of about 1.59%. In this paper, a management strategy aimed at sediment productive reuse is presented. Particularly, the main engineering outcomes of an extensive experimental program on geopolymer binder synthesis is reported. The case study deals with Occhito reservoir, located in Southern Italy. Clay sediments coming from this silted-up artificial lake were characterized, calcined and activated, by means of a wide set of alkaline activating solutions. The results showed the feasibility of this recovery process, optimizing a few chemical parameters. The possible reuse in building material production (binders, precast concrete, bricks, etc. represents a relevant sustainable alternative to landfill and other more consolidated practices.

  6. Evaluation of filter fabrics for use in silt fences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-01-01

    The study reported was initiated to develop tests simulating field conditions that could be used to develop information for the formulation of specifications for use in purchasing filter fabrics to be used to construct silt fences. Fifteen fabrics we...

  7. Spatial prediction of Soil Organic Carbon contents in croplands, grasslands and forests using environmental covariates and Generalized Additive Models (Southern Belgium)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chartin, Caroline; Stevens, Antoine; van Wesemael, Bas

    2015-04-01

    Providing spatially continuous Soil Organic Carbon data (SOC) is needed to support decisions regarding soil management, and inform the political debate with quantified estimates of the status and change of the soil resource. Digital Soil Mapping techniques are based on relations existing between a soil parameter (measured at different locations in space at a defined period) and relevant covariates (spatially continuous data) that are factors controlling soil formation and explaining the spatial variability of the target variable. This study aimed at apply DSM techniques to recent SOC content measurements (2005-2013) in three different landuses, i.e. cropland, grassland, and forest, in the Walloon region (Southern Belgium). For this purpose, SOC databases of two regional Soil Monitoring Networks (CARBOSOL for croplands and grasslands, and IPRFW for forests) were first harmonized, totalising about 1,220 observations. Median values of SOC content for croplands, grasslands, and forests, are respectively of 12.8, 29.0, and 43.1 g C kg-1. Then, a set of spatial layers were prepared with a resolution of 40 meters and with the same grid topology, containing environmental covariates such as, landuses, Digital Elevation Model and its derivatives, soil texture, C factor, carbon inputs by manure, and climate. Here, in addition to the three classical texture classes (clays, silt, and sand), we tested the use of clays + fine silt content (particles < 20 µm and related to stable carbon fraction) as soil covariate explaining SOC variations. For each of the three land uses (cropland, grassland and forest), a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was calibrated on two thirds of respective dataset. The remaining samples were assigned to a test set to assess model performance. A backward stepwise procedure was followed to select the relevant environmental covariates using their approximate p-values (the level of significance was set at p < 0.05). Standard errors were estimated for each of

  8. Transient electromagnetic study of basin fill sediments in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bultman, M.W.; Gray, F.

    2011-01-01

    The Upper San Pedro River Basin in Mexico and the United States is an important riparian corridor that is coming under increasing pressure from growing populations and the associated increase in groundwater withdrawal. Several studies have produced three-dimensional maps of the basin fill sediments in the US portion of the basin but little work has been done in the Mexican portion of the basin. Here, the results of a ground-based transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico are presented. These basin fill sediments are characterized by a 10-40 m deep unsaturated surficial zone which is composed primarily of sands and gravels. In the central portion of the basin this unsaturated zone is usually underlain by a shallow clay layer 20-50 m thick. Beneath this may be more clay, as is usually the case near the San Pedro River, or interbedded sand, silt, and clay to a depth of 200-250 m. As you move away from the river, the upper clay layer disappears and the amount of sand in the sediments increases. At 1-2 km away from the river, sands can occupy up to 50% of the upper 200-250 m of the sediment fill. Below this, clays are always present except where bedrock highs are observed. This lower clay layer begins at a depth of about 200 m in the central portion of the basin (250 m or more at distances greater than 1-2 km from the river) and extends to the bottom of most profiles to depths of 400 m. While the depth of the top of this lower clay layer is probably accurate, its thickness observed in the models may be overestimated due to the relatively low magnetic moment of the TEM system used in this study. The inversion routine used for interpretation is based on a one-dimensional geologic model. This is a layer based model that is isotropic in both the x and y directions. Several survey soundings did not meet this requirement which invalidates the inversion process and the resulting interpretation at these locations. The results from these

  9. Measurements of. alpha. -emitting plutonium and americium in the intertidal sands of west Cumbria, UK

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eakins, J.D.; Morgan, A.; Baston, G.M.N.; Pratley, F.W.; Strange, L.P.; Burton, P.J. (UKAEA Harwell Lab. (UK). Environmental and Medical Science Div.)

    1990-01-01

    Samples of surface sand and sand cores were collected from intertidal regions of west Cumbria between Silloth and Walney Island (including the Duddon Estuary) between 1982 and 1984 and analysed for {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239+240}Pu and {sup 241}Am. Generally, more than 95% of the {alpha}-emitting transuranic nuclides were associated with the sand and less than 5% with entrained silt. The greatest concentrations of both plutonium and americium were found at Braystones. Concentrations declined with distance from the Sellafield Works. The largest actinide deposits occurred at Drigg (320 and 720 kBq m{sup -2} of {sup 239+240}Pu and {sup 241}Am respectively). The integrated deposits in intertidal sand between Silloth and Walney Island were about 4.2 and 7.0 TBq respectively, which represent about 1% of the total {alpha}-emitting activity discharged to sea from Sellafield Works up to 1982. The corresponding value for the Duddon Estuary is about 0.3%. Only on beaches close to Sellafield did levels of man-made {alpha}-emitters exceed those of natural {alpha}-emitting nuclides. The radiological consequences of the intertidal inventory of plutonium and americium are shown to be very small and much less than from the seafood pathway. (author).

  10. JOINTS AND SYN-SEDIMENTARY FAULTS NETWORKS IN MARINE CLAYS AND MUDSTONES. Importance for Radwaste storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnould, M.

    2009-12-01

    There is a number of marine clays, mudstones, marls, 100 to 200 m thick, showing smectites, mixed layers illite/smectite, with a small percentage of organic matter and sulphides with a variable clay, silt, and carbonate content. I published (Arnould , 2006) examples from Lower Cambrian to Miocene in age and from the Baltic shore to Spain in Europe. Observations were made mostly in quarries and pits down to more than 40 m and in underground research laboratories (URL). Only visible on fresh cuts amongst a variety of fissures there is always a network of joints. Schematically one family is the bedding (horizontal) the two others are normal to the bedding and orthogonal between them. The orientations of vertical joints are different from the orientations of pits and quarries’s walls. The networks are intrinsic. It was first well described by Skempton & al (1969) in Eocene London Clay. Joints are matt in texture, clean, without filling or cement. The order of magnitude of their linear dimensions is decimeter to meter. It is necessary to start from the original sediment: mud. Deposited in flakes mud has a bee’s nest microscopic structure. Each nest is full of water. Hence mud may have a water content up to 300%, reported to its dry weight. Paradoxically mud is impervious. As proposed by Cosgrove (2001) progressive but discontinuous hydraulic fracturing could be the origin of vertical joints, with drainage upwards and compaction of the sediment. Geological observations show that ioints are formed during the sedimentation process. There is also a world literature concluding at the necessary early fracturing of mudstones and marls hosts of sand dykes. Very few faults are identified in field observations and on exploration logs. But it is obvious that drainage and compaction of mud over thousands square kilometers induced differential settlements with many syn-sedimentary non tectonic faults constituting another discontinuity network. These faults inside the same

  11. Analysis of total iodine in soils of some agro-ecological zones of Ghana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwakye, P.K.; Osei-Agyeman, K.; Frimpong, K.A.; Adams, A.B.; Okae-Anti, D.

    2004-10-01

    Iodine is beneficial in human nutrition and to a lesser extent in plant nutrition. Availability of this element in the soil is thought to be via ocean-atmosphere precipitation, iodine minerals and redistribution by vegetation, but very little is known about levels of iodine in Ghanaian soils. We analyzed for the content of total iodine alongside pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, sand, silt and clay in top soils of selected agro-ecological zones. These soils occur at various locations spanning from the coastline to the far interior. Variations in nutrient elements were attributed to diverse parent materials from which these soils originated and the complex interactions of organic matter, type of clay, acidity-alkalinity and leaching processes. The soils recorded low total iodine content of 0.08 - 3.92 μg g - 1. There was a decreasing trend of iodine from the coastal zone inwards in the order of 1.85, 0.84 and μg g - 1 for the coastal savanna, semi-deciduous rainforest and Guinea savanna agro-ecological zones respectively. Iodine very weakly negatively correlated with C and N and showed a moderate positive correlation with clay content and moderate negative correlations with pH and sand content. (author)

  12. Taxonomia de solos desenvolvidos sobre depósitos sedimentares da Formação Solimões no Estado do Acre Taxonomy of soils developed under sedimentary deposits from Solimões Formation in Acre state, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago de Andrade Bernini

    2013-01-01

    soils were analyzed by morphology, particle size (sand, silt and clay, exchangeable cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and Al3+, potential acidity (H+Al, P assimilable, pH (water and KCl, specific surface, sulfuric attack (Fe, Al, Ti and Si oxides, and mineralogy (sand, silt and clay. The soils were classified according to the Brazilian System of Soil Classification (SiBCS, 2006 and a classification considering the peculiarities of the soils was proposed. The soils have a low degree of pedogenetic development, with minerals of high activity in the clay fraction, and the presence of primary minerals such as feldspar and plagioclase in the sand and silt fractions. The soils were classified according to the current SiBCS as Argissolo Vermelho Álitico plíntico (P1, Argissolo Acinzentado Distrófico plíntico (P2 e Cambissolo Háplico Ta Eutrófico típico (P3.

  13. Soil Microbes and soil microbial proteins: interactions with clay minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spence, A.; Kelleher, B. P.

    2009-01-01

    Bacterial enumeration in soil environments estimates that the population may reach approximately 10 1 0 g - 1 of soil and comprise up to 90% of the total soil microbial biomass. Bacteria are present in soils as single cells or multicell colonies and often strongly adsorb onto mineral surfaces such as sand and clay. The interactions of microbes and microbial biomolecules with these minerals have profound impacts on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. (Author)

  14. Physically based method for measuring suspended-sediment concentration and grain size using multi-frequency arrays of acoustic-doppler profilers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topping, David J.; Wright, Scott A.; Griffiths, Ronald; Dean, David

    2014-01-01

    As the result of a 12-year program of sediment-transport research and field testing on the Colorado River (6 stations in UT and AZ), Yampa River (2 stations in CO), Little Snake River (1 station in CO), Green River (1 station in CO and 2 stations in UT), and Rio Grande (2 stations in TX), we have developed a physically based method for measuring suspended-sediment concentration and grain size at 15-minute intervals using multifrequency arrays of acoustic-Doppler profilers. This multi-frequency method is able to achieve much higher accuracies than single-frequency acoustic methods because it allows removal of the influence of changes in grain size on acoustic backscatter. The method proceeds as follows. (1) Acoustic attenuation at each frequency is related to the concentration of silt and clay with a known grain-size distribution in a river cross section using physical samples and theory. (2) The combination of acoustic backscatter and attenuation at each frequency is uniquely related to the concentration of sand (with a known reference grain-size distribution) and the concentration of silt and clay (with a known reference grain-size distribution) in a river cross section using physical samples and theory. (3) Comparison of the suspended-sand concentrations measured at each frequency using this approach then allows theory-based calculation of the median grain size of the suspended sand and final correction of the suspended-sand concentration to compensate for the influence of changing grain size on backscatter. Although this method of measuring suspended-sediment concentration is somewhat less accurate than using conventional samplers in either the EDI or EWI methods, it is much more accurate than estimating suspended-sediment concentrations using calibrated pump measurements or single-frequency acoustics. Though the EDI and EWI methods provide the most accurate measurements of suspended-sediment concentration, these measurements are labor-intensive, expensive, and

  15. Soft-sediment deformation in a tectonically active area: The Plio-Pleistocene Zarzal Formation in the Cauca Valley (Western Colombia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuwerth, Ralph; Suter, Fiore; Guzman, Carlos A.; Gorin, Georges E.

    2006-04-01

    The Plio-Pleistocene Zarzal Formation corresponds to fluvio-lacustrine sediments deposited in an intramontane depression within the Colombian Andes, associated with the Cauca-Romeral Fault System. It crops out mainly in the Cauca Valley where numerous field sections have permitted the mapping of the vertical and lateral lithological variations. Lacustrine deposits of sands, silts, clays and diatomites are interbedded with fluvial sand and gravel beds and fluvio-volcanic mass flows derived from the volcanic Central Cordillera. Numerous soft-sediment deformation structures are encountered in this formation, particularly in fine- to medium-grained sands, silts and clays: load structures (load casts, flame structures, pseudonodules), water escape structures (water escape cusps, dish-and-pillar and pocket-and-pillar structures), soft-sediment intrusions (clastic sills and dykes), disturbed laminites, convolute laminations, slumps and synsedimentary faulting. Deformation mechanisms and driving forces are related essentially to gravitational instabilities, dewatering, liquidization and brittle deformations. Field and regional geological data show that most of these deformations are related to seismicity and can be interpreted as seismites. This area has a geological and recent seismic history and outcrops show both syn- and post-depositional faulting related to the transpressional regime of this part of the Colombian Andes, which generates strike-slip faults and associated local normal faults. The drainage pattern within the Zarzal Formation shows the signature of neotectonics. Moreover, the fine to coarse-grained sands of the Zarzal Formation are lithologies prone to liquefaction when affected by seismic waves. The intercalation of the deformed intervals within undisturbed strata confirms the catastrophic nature of the events. Finally, the large areal extent of the deformations and the type of structures are compatible with seismites. Consequently, the existence of

  16. Non-Fluvial Controls of Erosion, Sediment Transport and Fluvial Morphology in a mid-Atlantic Piedmont Watershed, White Clay Creek, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, K.; Affinito, R. A.; Pizzuto, J. E.; Stotts, S.; Henry, T.; Krauthauser, M.; O'Neal, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    Quantifying contemporary sediment budgets is essential for restoration and ecosystem management of mid-Atlantic watersheds, but relevant processes and controls are poorly understood. In the 153 km2 White Clay Creek watershed in southeastern Pennsylvania, longitudinal profiles reflect migration of knickpoints though bedrock over Quaternary timescales. In bank exposures along stream valleys, saprolite, bedrock, and matrix-supported cobbly and bouldery diamicton (likely colluvial) commonly underlie finer-grained clay, silt, sand, and gravel deposits of valley floor depositional environments. Overbank sedimentation rates were quantified by measuring the thickness of sediment deposited over the roots of floodplain trees. The sampled trees range in age from 25-270 years with median sediment accumulation rates of approximately 2 mm/yr (range 0-10 mm/yr). Rates of bank retreat (measured from historical aerial imagery or root-exposure dendrochronology) vary from 6-36 cm/yr, with median rates of 10 cm/yr. While bank erosion rates are subject to a variety of controls, including channel curvature, the density of riparian trees, and freeze-thaw processes, the strongest influence appears to be the grain size and thickness of bouldery diamicton exposed along the toes of retreating banks. Cobbles and boulders supplied by eroding diamicton also mantle the bed of the channel, such that 33- 80% of the bed material remains immobile at bankfull stage. A conceptual model of fluvial processes and sediment budgets for these channels must account for the watershed's history of changing climate, tectonics, and land use, requiring mapping of bedrock, colluvium, former mill dam sediments, and other non-alluvial deposits and controls. Efforts to apply hydraulic geometry principles (requiring a precise adjustment to contemporary hydraulic and sediment regime) or to treat these channels as traditional "threshold" rivers are unlikely to be successful.

  17. Identification and Purification of Nyalo River Silica Sand as Raw Material for the Synthesis of Sodium Silicate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aini, S.; Nizar, U. K.; NST, A. Amelia; Efendi, J.

    2018-04-01

    This research is on identification and purification of silica sand from Nyalo River. It will be used as a raw material for synthesis of sodium silicate. Silica sand was separated from clay by washing it with water, and then the existing alumina and iron oxide were removed by soaking the silica sand with 1 M HNO3 solution. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the silica sand with X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence revealed that, silica sand existed in quartz form and contained a small amount of impurity oxide such as Al2O3, K2O, MgO, CaO, Fe2O3 with percentage below the minimum threshold. The percentages of silica were 80.59% before purification. After three purificationsteps the silica percentage become 98.38%. It exceedsthe minimum threshold of silica percentage for industry.So, the silica sand from Nyalo River has high potency as a raw material for sodium silicate synthesizing.

  18. Creating a soil-like profile for plant growth using tailings sand and fine tails

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, X.; Fung, M. P. Y.

    1996-01-01

    Development of a technology to create stable aggregates with a soil-like profile capable of supporting a stable plant community, was discussed as the major challenge and primary task in restoring oil sands processing wastes, and in re-creating a self-sustaining ecosystem. A procedure for creating a soil-like profile using oil sands mining wastes, was described. Clay and water content were critical factors in the aggregation procedure. A study to evaluate the physical, chemical and biological properties of these soils and their suitability as a plant growth medium is currently underway. 6 refs., 3 figs

  19. Role of Sediment Size and Biostratinomy on the Development of Biofilms in Recent Avian Vertebrate Remains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph E. Peterson

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Microscopic soft tissues have been identified in fossil vertebrate remains collected from various lithologies. However, the diagenetic mechanisms to preserve such tissues have remained elusive. While previous studies have described infiltration of biofilms in Haversian and Volkmann's canals, biostratinomic alteration (e.g., trampling, and iron derived from hemoglobin as playing roles in the preservation processes, the influence of sediment texture has not previously been investigated. This study uses a Kolmogorov Smirnov Goodness-of-Fit test to explore the influence of biostratinomic variability and burial media against the infiltration of biofilms in bone samples. Controlled columns of sediment with bone samples were used to simulate burial and subsequent groundwater flow. Sediments used in this study include clay-, silt-, and sand-sized particles modeled after various fluvial facies commonly associated with fossil vertebrates. Extant limb bone samples obtained from Gallus gallus domesticus (Domestic Chicken buried in clay-rich sediment exhibit heavy biofilm infiltration, while bones buried in sands and silts exhibit moderate levels. Crushed bones exhibit significantly lower biofilm infiltration than whole bone samples. Strong interactions between biostratinomic alteration and sediment size are also identified with respect to biofilm development. Sediments modeling crevasse splay deposits exhibit considerable variability; whole-bone crevasse splay samples exhibit higher frequencies of high-level biofilm infiltration, and crushed-bone samples in modeled crevasse splay deposits display relatively high frequencies of low-level biofilm infiltration. These results suggest that sediment size, depositional setting, and biostratinomic condition play key roles in biofilm infiltration in vertebrate remains, and may influence soft tissue preservation in fossil vertebrates.

  20. MAPPING SPATIAL MOISTURE CONTENT OF UNSATURATED AGRICULTURAL SOILS WITH GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Shamir

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Soil subsurface moisture content, especially in the root zone, is important for evaluation the influence of soil moisture to agricultural crops. Conservative monitoring by point-measurement methods is time-consuming and expensive. In this paper we represent an active remote-sensing tool for subsurface spatial imaging and analysis of electromagnetic physical properties, mostly water content, by ground-penetrating radar (GPR reflection. Combined with laboratory methods, this technique enables real-time and highly accurate evaluations of soils' physical qualities in the field. To calculate subsurface moisture content, a model based on the soil texture, porosity, saturation, organic matter and effective electrical conductivity is required. We developed an innovative method that make it possible measures spatial subsurface moisture content up to a depth of 1.5 m in agricultural soils and applied it to two different unsaturated soil types from agricultural fields in Israel: loess soil type (Calcic haploxeralf, common in rural areas of southern Israel with about 30% clay, 30% silt and 40% sand, and hamra soil type (Typic rhodoxeralf, common in rural areas of central Israel with about 10% clay, 5% silt and 85% sand. Combined field and laboratory measurements and model development gave efficient determinations of spatial moisture content in these fields. The environmentally friendly GPR system enabled non-destructive testing. The developed method for measuring moisture content in the laboratory enabled highly accurate interpretation and physical computing. Spatial soil moisture content to 1.5 m depth was determined with 1–5% accuracy, making our method useful for the design of irrigation plans for different interfaces.

  1. Role of sediment size and biostratinomy on the development of biofilms in recent avian vertebrate remains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Joseph E.; Lenczewski, Melissa E.; Clawson, Steven R.; Warnock, Jonathan P.

    2017-04-01

    Microscopic soft tissues have been identified in fossil vertebrate remains collected from various lithologies. However, the diagenetic mechanisms to preserve such tissues have remained elusive. While previous studies have described infiltration of biofilms in Haversian and Volkmann’s canals, biostratinomic alteration (e.g., trampling), and iron derived from hemoglobin as playing roles in the preservation processes, the influence of sediment texture has not previously been investigated. This study uses a Kolmogorov Smirnov Goodness-of-Fit test to explore the influence of biostratinomic variability and burial media against the infiltration of biofilms in bone samples. Controlled columns of sediment with bone samples were used to simulate burial and subsequent groundwater flow. Sediments used in this study include clay-, silt-, and sand-sized particles modeled after various fluvial facies commonly associated with fossil vertebrates. Extant limb bone samples obtained from Gallus gallus domesticus (Domestic Chicken) buried in clay-rich sediment exhibit heavy biofilm infiltration, while bones buried in sands and silts exhibit moderate levels. Crushed bones exhibit significantly lower biofilm infiltration than whole bone samples. Strong interactions between biostratinomic alteration and sediment size are also identified with respect to biofilm development. Sediments modeling crevasse splay deposits exhibit considerable variability; whole-bone crevasse splay samples exhibit higher frequencies of high-level biofilm infiltration, and crushed-bone samples in modeled crevasse splay deposits display relatively high frequencies of low-level biofilm infiltration. These results suggest that sediment size, depositional setting, and biostratinomic condition play key roles in biofilm infiltration in vertebrate remains, and may influence soft tissue preservation in fossil vertebrates.

  2. Effect of substitution of sand stone dust for quartz and clay in triaxial ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Few quartz grains (20–40μm) are associated with circumferential cracks around them. Keywords. Environmental pollutant; sand stone dust; ceramic tiles; pavement block; vitrification; ... increased risk of tuberculosis. Moreover, exposure ..... Health. 14 94. Hamano K, Nakagawa Z and Hasegawa M 1992 J. Ceram. Soc. Jap.

  3. Dust deposition in southern Nevada and California, 1984-1989: Relations to climate, source area, and source lithology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reheis, Marith C.; Kihl, Rolf

    1995-05-01

    Dust samples collected annually for 5 years from 55 sites in southern Nevada and California provide the first regional source of information on modern rates of dust deposition, grain size, and mineralogical and chemical composition relative to climate and to type and lithology of dust source. The average silt and clay flux (rate of deposition) in southern Nevada and southeastern California ranges from 4.3 to 15.7 g/m2/yr, but in southwestern California the average silt and clay flux is as high as 30 g/m2/yr. The climatic factors that affect dust flux interact with each other and with the factors of source type (playas versus alluvium), source lithology, geographic area, and human disturbance. Average dust flux increases with mean annual temperature but is not correlated to decreases in mean annual precipitation because the regional winds bring dust to relatively wet areas. In contrast, annual dust flux mostly reflects changes in annual precipitation (relative drought) rather than temperature. Although playa and alluvial sources produce about the same amount of dust per unit area, the total volume of dust from the more extensive alluvial sources is much larger. In addition, playa and alluvial sources respond differently to annual changes in precipitation. Most playas produce dust that is richer in soluble salts and carbonate than that from alluvial sources (except carbonate-rich alluvium). Gypsum dust may be produced by the interaction of carbonate dust and anthropogenic or marine sulfates. The dust flux in an arid urbanizing area may be as much as twice that before disturbance but decreases when construction stops. The mineralogic and major-oxide composition of the dust samples indicates that sand and some silt is locally derived and deposited, whereas clay and some silt from different sources can be far-traveled. Dust deposited in the Transverse Ranges of California by the Santa Ana winds appears to be mainly derived from sources to the north and east.

  4. Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mislevy, P.; Blue, W.G.; Roessler, C.E.; Martin, F.G.

    1991-01-01

    A split-fold field experiment was conducted to study forage and grain yield, forage quality, plant nutrient concentrations, changes in soil nutrients, and 226 Ra contents of four grain crops in various rotations. The crop rotations (1) corn (Zea mays L. Jacques 247)-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. Cargil 205), (2) sunflower-grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L, Moench Northrup King Savanna 5), (3) soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. Williams 80)-grain sorghum, and (4) grain sorghum-soybean (University of Florida V-1) were grown on a dry phosphatic clay with and without a 50-mm surface layer of quartz-sand tailings. Results show that corn and grain sorghum produced highest forage yields and highest grain yields per harvest, respectively. Soybean harvested for forage (Crop 1) contained the highest crude protein and in vitro organic matter digestibility. Concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe in most of the forages were adequate for the diets of beef cattle, while those of Mn, Cu and Zn were low. Mehlich I-extractable soil, Ca, and Mg were considered very high and changed little over the 4-yr production period. Application of 50 mm of sand tailings tended to increase Mehlich I-extractable P, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Fe. Radium-226 concentration in the forage of all grain crops averaged 8.5 Bq kg -1 , which was about 17 times higher than that in the grain of the same crops. Concentrations of 226 Ra in the forage and grain were 1.1% and 0.09% of the concentration in clay respectively. These data indicate that phosphatic clays can be a valuable resource for the production of corn and sorghum grain that contain low concentrations of 226 Ra

  5. Boundary between Soil and Saprolite in Alisols in the South of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabrício de Araújo Pedron

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Despite numerous studies conducted on the lower limit of soil and its contact with saprolite layers, a great deal of work is left to standardize identification and annotation of these variables in the field. In shallow soils, the appropriately noting these limits or contacts is essential for determining their behavior and potential use. The aims of this study were to identify and define the field contact and/or transition zone between soil and saprolite in profiles of an Alisol derived from fine sandstone and siltstone/claystone in subtropical southern Brazil and to subsequently validate the field observations through a multivariate analysis of laboratory analytical data. In the six Alisol profiles evaluated, the sequence of horizons found was A, Bt, C, and Cr, where C was considered part of the soil due to its pedogenetic structure, and Cr was considered saprolite due to its rock structure. The morphological properties that were determined in the field and that were different between the B and C horizons and the Cr layer were color, structure, texture, and fragments of saprolite. According to the test of means, the properties that support the inclusion of the C horizon as part of the soil are sand, clay, water-dispersible clay, silt/clay ratio, macroporosity, total porosity, resistance to penetration, cation exchange capacity, Fe extracted by DCB, Al, H+Al, and cation exchange capacity of clay. The properties that support the C horizon as a transition zone are silt, Ca, total organic C, and Fe extracted by ammonium oxalate. Discriminant analysis indicated differences among the three horizons evaluated.

  6. Suitability of a South African silica sand for three-dimensional printing of foundry moulds and cores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nyembwe, Kasongo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Applications of three-dimensional printing (3DP to metal casting include, among other things, the direct manufacturing of foundry moulds and cores in refractory materials such as silica sand. The main properties of silica sand that are essentially related to the traditional moulding and core-making processes are: size distribution, clay content, pH, acid demand, and refractoriness. The silica sand used for 3DP must also be appropriately selected for the layer-based manufacturing process involved in 3DP. Properties such as grain size distribution, grain surface morphology, angularity, flowability, and recoating abilities have a particular importance when determining sand suitability. Because of these extra requirements, only a limited range of available foundry silica sands can be used for 3DP processes. The latter situation explains the scarcity and high cost of suitable silica sands, thus contributing to the relatively high operational costs of the 3DP processes for the production of sand moulds and cores. This research paper investigates the suitability of a locally-available silica sand for use in a Voxeljet VX1000 3DP machine. The local silica sand was assessed and compared with an imported silica sand recommended by the manufacturer of 3DP equipment in terms of foundry characteristics and recoating behaviour. The study shows that, despite the differences between the characteristics of the two silica sands, the local sand could be considered a suitable alternative to imported sand for rapid sand casting applications.

  7. Sedimentary environments of east and west Flower Garden Banks area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scanlon, Kathryn M.; Ackerman, S.D.; Rozycki, J.E.

    2005-01-01

    A summary of the sediment analyses, indicating weight percentages of gravel, sand, silt, and clay size particles and CaCO3 content, is given in Table 1. The complete analytical data are available as downloadable Excel files and in an ArcView project on a CD-ROM (Scanlon et al., 2003) or can be downloaded without charge from a USGS publications web site (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-002). The complete analytical data consist of 70 fields, including weight percentages of size classes for phi units from 0 to 11, means, modes, skewness, kurtosis, and other statistical data. 

  8. Characterization of clays used in red ceramic in Sergipe State, Brazil; Caracterizacao das argilas utilizadas na producao de ceramica vermelha no estado de Sergipe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prado, C.M. de O.; Junior, F.S., E-mail: carolina.mangieri@itps.se.gov.br [Instituto Tecnologico e de Pesquisas do Estado de Sergipe (ITPS), SE (Brazil); Nascimento, J.M. do; Barreto, C.A. [Companhia de Desenvolvimento Industrial do Estado de Sergipe (CODISE), SE (Brazil); Bertolino, L.C.; Franca, S.C.A. [Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Alves, J. do P.H. [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), SE (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    Clays materials from Sergipe State were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and fluorescence, particle size and plasticity. Predominant minerals in twenty two samples were kaolinite, halloysite and quartz. Chemical composition ranges were: SiO{sub 2} 49,5-77,1; Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} 10,4-28,3; Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} 1,0-10,2; TiO{sub 2} 0,4-1,2; P{sub 2}O{sub 5} 0,04-0,2; CaO 0,03-7,9; MgO 0,1-3,2; Na{sub 2}O 0,04-2,3; K{sub 2}O 0,7-3,8 found predominantly in the silt fraction. Plasticity ranged from 19,9 to 30,1%. Results allowed clay materials deposits to be arranged in categories such as: melting sources, quartz sources and those with higher iron oxides concentrations. These categories can be used for selecting clays for ceramic production. (author)

  9. Cesium-137 in soil texture fractions and its impact on Cesium-137 soil-to-plant transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerzabek, M.H.; Mohamad, S.A.; Mueck, K.

    1992-06-01

    Field studies at two sites contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout showed 137 Cesium (Cs) soil-to-plant transfer factors in wheat, rye and potato. Transfer values ranged from 0.0017 (potato tuber) to 0.07 (wheat straw). Generally transfer coefficients in cereal grains and potato tubers were significantly below the values of the shoots. A comparison of the two sites led to the conclusion that for all plants investigated 137 Cs transfer factors were higher in Lower Austria (Calcic Chernozem) than in Upper Austria (Eutric Cambisol). The specific activities of the texture fractions of the two soil types increased from sand to silt and clay. In the Calcic Chernozem the ratio of the 137 Cs activity in the silt fraction to the total activity in the soil was considerably higher than in the Eutric Cambisol. At the same time extractability of 137 Cs from the silt fraction of the latter soil was clearly lower. Both results mainly were attributed to the differences between the soils according to the organic matter content of the silt fractions, the Calcic Chernozem being seven times higher. Therefore, the differences in the 137 Cs-soil-to-plant transfer can be attributed partly to these soil characteristics. (authors)

  10. Transient Electromagnetic Soundings Near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, San Luis Valley, Colorado (2006 Field Season)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitterman, David V.; de Sozua Filho, Oderson A.

    2009-01-01

    Time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) soundings were made near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado to obtain subsurface information of use to hydrologic modeling. Seventeen soundings were made to the east and north of the sand dunes. Using a small loop TEM system, maximum exploration depths of about 75 to 150 m were obtained. In general, layered earth interpretations of the data found that resistivity decreases with depth. Comparison of soundings with geologic logs from nearby wells found that zones logged as having increased clay content usually corresponded with a significant resistivity decrease in the TEM determined model. This result supports the use of TEM soundings to map the location of the top of the clay unit deposited at the bottom of the ancient Lake Alamosa that filled the San Luis Valley from Pliocene to middle Pleistocene time.

  11. Geohydrology of the High Energy Laser System Test Facility site, White Sands Missile Range, Tularosa Basin, south-central New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basabilvazo, G.T.; Nickerson, E.L.; Myers, R.G.

    1994-01-01

    The Yesum-HoHoman and Gypsum land (hummocky) soils at the High Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF) represent wind deposits from recently desiccated lacustrine deposits and deposits from the ancestral Lake Otero. The upper 15-20 feet of the subsurface consists of varved gypsiferous clay and silt. Below these surfidai deposits the lithology consists of interbedded clay units, silty-clay units, and fine- to medium-grained quartz arenite units in continuous and discontinuous horizons. Clay horizons can cause perched water above the water table. Analyses of selected clay samples indicate that clay units are composed chiefly of kaolinire and mixed-layer illite/ smectite. The main aquifer is representative of a leaky-confined aquifer. Estimated aquifer properties are: transmissivity (T) = 780 feet squared per day, storage coefficient (S) = 3.1 x 10-3, and hydraulic conductivity (K) = 6.0 feet per day. Ground water flows south and southwest; the estimated hydraulic gradient is 5.3 feet per mile. Analyses of water samples indicate that ground water at the HELSTF site is brackish to slightly saline at the top of the main aquifer. Dissolved-solids concentration near the top of the main aquifer ranges from 5,940 to 11,800 milligrams per liter. Predominant ions are sodium and sulfate. At 815 feet below land surface, the largest dissolved-solids concentration measured is 111,000 milligrams per liter, which indicates increasing salinity with depth. Predominant ions are sodium and chloride.

  12. A granulometry and secondary mineral fingerprint of chemical weathering in periglacial landscapes and its application to blockfield origins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodfellow, Bradley W.

    2012-12-01

    A review of published literature was undertaken to determine if there was a fingerprint of chemical weathering in regoliths subjected to periglacial conditions during their formation. If present, this fingerprint would be applied to the question of when blockfields in periglacial landscapes were initiated. These blocky diamicts are usually considered to represent remnants of regoliths that were chemically weathered under a warm, Neogene climate and therefore indicate surfaces that have undergone only a few metres to a few 10s of metres of erosion during the Quaternary. Based on a comparison of clay and silt abundances and secondary mineral assemblages from blockfields, other regoliths in periglacial settings, and regoliths from non-periglacial settings, a fingerprint of chemical weathering in periglacial landscapes was identified. A mobile regolith origin under, at least seasonal, periglacial conditions is indicated where clay(%) ≤ 0.5*silt(%) + 8 across a sample batch. This contrasts with a mobile regolith origin under non-periglacial conditions, which is indicated where clay(%) ≥ 0.5*silt(%) - 6 across a sample batch with clay(%) ≥ 0.5*silt(%) + 8 in at least one sample. A range of secondary minerals, which frequently includes interstratified minerals and indicates high local variability in leaching conditions, is also commonly present in regoliths exposed to periglacial conditions during their formation. Clay/silt ratios display a threshold response to temperature, related to the freezing point of water, but there is little response to precipitation or regolith residence time. Lithology controls clay and silt abundances, which increase from felsic, through intermediate, to mafic compositions, but does not control clay/silt ratios. Use of a sedigraph or Coulter Counter to determine regolith granulometry systematically indicates lower clay abundances and intra-site variability than use of a pipette or hydrometer. In contrast to clay/silt ratios, secondary

  13. A pedological investigation of soils associated with rocks of the Ventersdorp supergroup in the western Transvaal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viljoen, J.N.J.

    1987-01-01

    The objective of this study was the collecting of information pertaining to soils overlying the rocks of the Ventersdorp Supergroup and an evaluation of the influence of these rocks on soil formation. The area studied was divided into six sub-areas, and one or two sample areas were allocated to each of these sub-areas. In each sample area the soil was studied in catenary sequence. Profile pits were described and samples taken for physical and chemical analyses. The sand fraction was separated into light and heavy mineral fractions. The surface of quartz grains were studied with a petrographic microscope and the aid of an electron microscope. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the mineralogy of the silt and light mineral fractions and a number of selected clay mineral samples. The following characteristics were observed despite the universal presence of wind transported material: epidote, angular quartz grains with undulatory extinction as well as a high percentage silt, coarse and medium sand and fragments of amygdaloids. Aeolian sand in variable amounts is present in all the profiles, and is an important factor affecting the genesis of the soil. Aeolian sand of different ages was possibly distributed and deposited during dry phases in the Quaternary. The influence of aeolian sand on soil formation was evaluated on the basis of mineralogy, grain size distribution, surface characteristics and undulatory extinction of quartz grains as well as soil morphology. The weathering products of different origin were subsequently mixed in situ by bioturbation. The present soil mantle is a product of a number of processes associated with climatic changes in the past, the present climate and mixtures of parent materials of different origin

  14. Estimating Penetration Resistance in Agricultural Soils of Ardabil Plain Using Artificial Neural Network and Regression Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gholam Reza Sheykhzadeh

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Penetration resistance is one of the criteria for evaluating soil compaction. It correlates with several soil properties such as vehicle trafficability, resistance to root penetration, seedling emergence, and soil compaction by farm machinery. Direct measurement of penetration resistance is time consuming and difficult because of high temporal and spatial variability. Therefore, many different regressions and artificial neural network pedotransfer functions have been proposed to estimate penetration resistance from readily available soil variables such as particle size distribution, bulk density (Db and gravimetric water content (θm. The lands of Ardabil Province are one of the main production regions of potato in Iran, thus, obtaining the soil penetration resistance in these regions help with the management of potato production. The objective of this research was to derive pedotransfer functions by using regression and artificial neural network to predict penetration resistance from some soil variations in the agricultural soils of Ardabil plain and to compare the performance of artificial neural network with regression models. Materials and methods: Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples (n= 105 were systematically taken from 0-10 cm soil depth with nearly 3000 m distance in the agricultural lands of the Ardabil plain ((lat 38°15' to 38°40' N, long 48°16' to 48°61' E. The contents of sand, silt and clay (hydrometer method, CaCO3 (titration method, bulk density (cylinder method, particle density (Dp (pychnometer method, organic carbon (wet oxidation method, total porosity(calculating from Db and Dp, saturated (θs and field soil water (θf using the gravimetric method were measured in the laboratory. Mean geometric diameter (dg and standard deviation (σg of soil particles were computed using the percentages of sand, silt and clay. Penetration resistance was measured in situ using cone penetrometer (analog model at 10

  15. Methodological spot of establishing silt deposit concentration in Serbian rivers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragićević Slavoljub

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent methodology of sampling and establishing silt deposit concentration in Serbian rivers is associated to numerous deficiencies. Daily concentrations of this type of river deposit on the most of the hydrological gauges were obtained on the base of only one measurement, which takes into consideration the matter of representative ness of those samples. Taking the samples of deposit in one point on the profile is little bit problematic because of dispersion of the obtained results. Very important matter is the question of choice of the sampling location. This analyses of data may lead to serious spots in calculating total carried deposit. From the above mentioned reasons, we decided to take precise measurements of silt deposit concentration as well as to establish methodological spots of measurements. The results of these measurements are analyzed and presented in this paper.

  16. Sedimentation in a Submarine Seamount Apron at Site U1431, International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349, South China Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dadd, K. A.; Clift, P. D.; Hyun, S.; Jiang, T.; Liu, Z.

    2014-12-01

    massive structure, poor sorting, and reverse-graded bases. The upper part of the apron grades back into the background clay, silt and nannofossil ooze sedimentation with minor volcaniclastic sand and silt.

  17. Deep horizons: Soil Carbon sequestration and storage potential in grassland soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Sallan, Gemma; Schulte, Rogier; Lanigan, Gary J.; Byrne, Kenneth A.; Reidy, Brian; Creamer, Rachel

    2016-04-01

    Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) enhances soil fertility, holding nutrients in a plant-available form. It also improves aeration and water infiltration. Soils are considered a vital pool for C (Carbon) sequestration, as they are the largest pool of C after the oceans, and contain 3.5 more C than the atmosphere. SOC models and inventories tend to focus on the top 30 cm of soils, only analysing total SOC values. Association of C with microaggregates (53-250 μm) and silt and clay (40 °C. Through a wet sieving procedure, four aggregate sizes were isolated: large macroaggregates (>2000 μm); macroaggregates (250-2000 μm); microaggregates and silt & clay. Organic C associated to each aggregate fraction was analysed on a LECO combustion analyser. Sand-free C was calculated for each aggregate size. For all soil types, 84% of the SOC located in the first 30 cm was contained inside macroaggregates and large macroaggregates. Given that this fraction has a turnover time of 1 to 10 years, sampling at that depth only provides information on the labile fraction in soil, and does not consider the longer term C sequestration potential. Only when looking at the whole profile, two clear trends could be observed: 1) soils with a clay increase at depth had most of their C located in the silt and clay fractions, which indicate their enhanced C sequestration capacity, 2) free-draining soils had a bigger part of their SOC located in the macroaggregate fractions. These results indicate that current C inventories and models that focus on the top 30 cm, do not accurately measure soil C sequestration potential in soils, but rather the more labile fraction. However, at depth soil forming processes have been identified as a major factor influencing C sequestration potential in soils. This has a major impact in further quantifying and sustaining C sequestration into the future. Soils with a high sequestration potential at depth need to be managed to enhance the residence time to contribute to future

  18. Analyzing the Sand-fixing Effect of Feldspathic Sandstone from the Texture Characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, lu; Ban, Jichang

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this research was aimed to study the sand fixing effect of feldspathic sandstone in Mu Us Sandy Land, to provide a scienticic basis for desertification control, soil and water conservation and development of farming there. Methods of mixing feldspathic sandstone and aeolian sandy soil according to 1: 0, 1: 1, 1: 2, 1: 5, and 0: 1 mass ratioes, the graded composition and characteristics were studied with laser particle size analyzer. The result showed that these features of sand-based, loosely structured, easy to wind erosion of aeolian sandy soil were changed before feldspathic sandstone and aeolian sandy soil compounding. The <0.05 mm particle mass increased with feldspathic sandstone mass increasing. The texture presented this kind of change from sand to sandy loam to loam to silt loam. The small particle size distribution, good homogeneity and other features of aeolian sandy soil were improved to a certain degree, and the particle size distribution became broad before feldspathic sandstone and aeolian sandy soil compounding. The particle grading was continuous, and the grading characteristic was good when m(F): m(S) was 1: 5(Cu was 54.71 and Cc was 2.54) or when m(F): m(S) was 1: 2(Cu was 76.21, Cc was 1.12). The conclusion is that feldspathic sandstone has sand-fixing effect in texture characteristics, which heightens with feldspathic sandstone mass increasing, and when the mass ratio of feldspathic sandstone: aeolian sandy soil is 1: 2 or 1: 5 which compound better.

  19. The influence of clay minerals on acoustic properties of sandstones

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, Olav

    1997-12-31

    This thesis aims to provide better understanding of the relationship between the acoustic properties and the petrophysical/mineralogical properties in sand-prone rock. It emphasizes the influence of clay minerals. The author develops a method to deposit clay minerals/mineral aggregates in pore space of a rigid rock framework. Kaolinite aggregates were flushed into porous permeable Bentheimer sandstone to evaluate the effect of pore filling minerals on porosity, permeability and acoustic properties. The compressional velocity was hardly affected by the clay content and it was found that the effect of minor quantities of pore filling minerals may be acoustically modelled as an ideal suspension, where the pore fluid bulk modulus is modified by the bulk modulus of the clay minerals. The influence of clays on acoustic velocities in petroleum reservoir rocks was investigated through ultrasonic measurements of compressional- and shear-waves on core material from reservoir and non-reservoir units on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The measured velocities decrease as the porosity increases, but are not strongly dependent on the clay content. The measured velocities are less dependent on the petrophysical and lithological properties than indicated by previous authors and published mathematical models, and stiffness reduction factors are introduced in two of the models to better match the data. Velocities are estimated along the wellbores based on non-sonic well logs and reflect well the actual sonic log well measurements. In some wells the compressional velocity cannot be modelled correctly by the models suggested. Very high compressional wave anisotropy was measured in the dry samples at atmospheric conditions. As the samples were saturated, the anisotropy was reduced to a maximum of about 30% and decreases further upon pressurization. Reservoir rocks retrieved from 2500 m are more stress dependent than those retrieved from less than 200 m depth. 168 refs., 117 figs., 24

  20. Radon-prone areas in the Lombard plain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sesana, Lucia; Polla, Giancarla; Facchini, Ugo; De Capitani, Luisa

    2005-01-01

    This paper reports the results of indoor radon measurements carried out in the Lombard plain. The aim of this study, which is based on the geological context, was to identify radon high-risk areas. The underlying geology has been established by means of the available stratigraphies giving a schematic representation of the sites in which either occurrence of gravel or silt and clay predominate with depths ranging from 0 to 50 m. Radon measurements were performed in a sample of 411 one-family houses in seven villages located in the southern area of Bergamo and Brescia. The findings indicate that when the substrate is dominated by clay, radon concentration for dwellings on the ground floor are low, whereas a strong predominance of underlying gravel mixed up in sand gives in winter months high radon flux from underground

  1. Radon-prone areas in the Lombard plain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sesana, Lucia [Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria, 16 - 20133 Milan (Italy)]. E-mail: lucia.sesana@unimi.it; Polla, Giancarla [Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria, 16 - 20133 Milan (Italy); Facchini, Ugo [Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria, 16 - 20133 Milan (Italy); De Capitani, Luisa [Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Via Botticelli, 23 - 20133 Milan (Italy)

    2005-07-01

    This paper reports the results of indoor radon measurements carried out in the Lombard plain. The aim of this study, which is based on the geological context, was to identify radon high-risk areas. The underlying geology has been established by means of the available stratigraphies giving a schematic representation of the sites in which either occurrence of gravel or silt and clay predominate with depths ranging from 0 to 50 m. Radon measurements were performed in a sample of 411 one-family houses in seven villages located in the southern area of Bergamo and Brescia. The findings indicate that when the substrate is dominated by clay, radon concentration for dwellings on the ground floor are low, whereas a strong predominance of underlying gravel mixed up in sand gives in winter months high radon flux from underground.

  2. A study on the characteristics of silt loading on paved roads in the Seoul metropolitan area using a mobile monitoring system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Sehyun; Jung, Yong-Won

    2012-07-01

    This study is considered the first attempt to apply a mobile monitoring system to estimating silt loading on paved roads in a megacity such as the Seoul metropolitan area. Using a mobile monitoring system developed in 2005, we estimated silt loadings on representative paved roads in the Seoul metropolitan area, including the city of Incheon, over a period of 3 yr. The temporal and spatial characteristics of silt loading were investigated for the carefully selected roads that may reflect the characteristics of the cities of Seoul and Incheon. In this study, changes in the average silt loading values were investigated in terms of land use, the temporal resolution of data acquisition (i.e., seasonal, daily, three-hour scale), the road width or number of lanes, and rainfall, which may affect the characteristics of the average silt loading significantly. It was found that the advantages of using the mobile monitoring system are its ability to obtain a large quantity of silt loading data in a short period of time and over a wide area and its ability to create a silt loading map showing the relative magnitude of silt loading in relation to a specific location, which makes it possible to easily locate hot spots.

  3. Hydraulic fracture considerations in oil sand overburden dams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cameron, R.; Madden, B.; Danku, M. [Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, AB (Canada)

    2008-07-01

    This paper discussed hydraulic fracture potential in the dry-filled temporary dams used in the oil sands industry. Hydraulic fractures can occur when reservoir fluid pressures are greater than the minimum stresses in a dam. Stress and strain conditions are influenced by pore pressures, levels of compaction in adjacent fills as well as by underlying pit floor and abutment conditions. Propagation pressure and crack initiation pressures must also be considered in order to provide improved hydraulic fracture protection to dams. Hydraulic fractures typically result in piping failures. Three cases of hydraulic fracture at oil sands operations in Alberta were presented. The study showed that hydraulic fracture failure modes must be considered in dam designs, particularly when thin compacted lift of dry fill are used to replace wetted clay cores. The risk of hydraulic fractures can be reduced by eliminating in situ bedrock irregularities and abutments. Overpressure heights, abutment sloping, and the sloping of fills above abutments, as well as the dam's width and base conditions must also be considered in relation to potential hydraulic fractures. It was concluded that upstream sand beaches and internal filters can help to prevent hydraulic fractures in dams in compacted control zones. 5 refs., 16 figs.

  4. Sulfur biogeochemistry of oil sands composite tailings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warren, Lesley; Stephenson, Kate [Earth Sciences, McMaster University (Canada)], email: warrenl@mcmaster.ca; Penner, Tara [Syncrude Environmental Research (Canada)

    2011-07-01

    This paper discusses the sulfur biogeochemistry of oil sands composite tailings (CT). The Government of Alberta is accelerating reclamation activities on composite tailings. As a CT pilot reclamation operation, Syncrude is currently constructing the first freshwater fen. Minor unpredicted incidents with H2S gas released from the dewatering process associated with these reclamations have been reported. The objective of this study is to ascertain the connection between microbial activity and H2S generation within CT and to assess the sulfur biogeochemistry of untreated and treated (fen) CT over seasonal and annual timescales. The microbial geochemical interactions taking place are shown using a flow chart. CT is composed of gypsum, sand, clay and organics like naphthenic acids and bitumen. Sulfur and Fe cycling in mining systems and their microbial activities are presented. The chemistry and the processes involved within CT are also given along with the results. It can be said that the diverse Fe and S metabolizing microorganisms confirm the ecology involved in H2S dynamics.

  5. Validating Experimental Bedform Dynamics on Cohesive Sand-Mud Beds in the Dee Estuary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baas, Jaco H.; Baker, Megan; Hope, Julie; Malarkey, Jonathan; Rocha, Renata

    2014-05-01

    Recent laboratory experiments and field measurements have shown that small quantities of cohesive clay, and in particular 'sticky' biological polymers, within a sandy substrate dramatically reduce the development rate of sedimentary bedforms, with major implications for sediment transport rate calculations and process interpretations from the sedimentary record. FURTHER INFORMATION Flow and sediment transport predictions from sedimentary structures found in modern estuaries and within estuarine geological systems are impeded by an almost complete lack of process-based knowledge of the behaviour of natural sediments that consist of mixtures of cohesionless sand and biologically-active cohesive mud. Indeed, existing predictive models are largely based on non-organic cohesionless sands, despite the fact that mud, in pure form or mixed with sand, is the most common sediment on Earth and also the most biologically active interface across a range of Earth-surface environments, including rivers and shallow seas. The multidisciplinary COHBED project uses state-of-the-art laboratory and field technologies to measure the erosional properties of mixed cohesive sediment beds and the formation and stability of sedimentary bedforms on these beds, integrating the key physical and biological processes that govern bed evolution. The development of current ripples on cohesive mixed sediment beds was investigated as a function of physical control on bed cohesion versus biological control on bed cohesion. These investigations included laboratory flume experiments in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory (Bangor University) and field experiments in the Dee estuary (at West Kirby near Liverpool). The flume experiments showed that winnowing of fine-grained cohesive sediment, including biological stabilisers, is an important process affecting the development rate, size and shape of the cohesive bedforms. The ripples developed progressively slower as the kaolin clay fraction in the sandy substrate

  6. Radon diffusion in candidate soils for covering uranium mill tailings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silker, W.B.; Kalkwarf, D.R.

    1983-04-01

    Diffusion coefficients were measured for radon in 34 soils that had been identified by mill personnel as candidate covers for their tailings piles in order to reduce radon emission. These coefficients referred to diffusion in the total pore space of the soils. They were measured in the laboratory by a steady-state method using soil columns compacted to greater than 80% of their Proctor maximum packing densities but with moisture contents generally less than would be expected at a tailings site. An empirical equation was used to extrapolate measured coefficients to value expected at soil-moisture contents representative of tailings sites in the western United States. Extrapolated values for silty sands and clayey sands ranged from 0.004 to 0.06 cm 2 /s. Values for inorganic silts and clays ranged from 0.001 to 0.02 cm 2 /s

  7. Clay membrane made of natural high plasticity clay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foged, Niels; Baumann, Jens

    1998-01-01

    Leachate containment in Denmark has through years been regulated by the DIF Recommendation for Sanitary Landfill Liners (DS/R 466). It states natural clay deposits may be used for membrane material provided the membrane and drainage system may contain at least 95% of all leachate created throughout...... ion transport as well as diffusion.Clay prospection for clays rich in smectite has revealed large deposits of Tertiary clay of very high plasticity in the area around Rødbyhavn on the Danish island Lolland. The natural clay contains 60 to 75% smectite, dominantly as a sodium-type. The clay material...... has been evaluated using standardised methods related to mineralogy, classification, compaction and permeability, and initial studies of diffusion properties have been carried out. Furthermore, at a test site the construction methods for establishing a 0.15 to 0.3m thick clay membrane have been tested...

  8. Clay membrane made of natural high plasticity clay:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foged, Niels; Baumann, Jens

    1999-01-01

    Leachate containment in Denmark has throughout the years been regulated by the DIF Recommendation for Sanitary Landfill Liners (DS/R4669. It states that natural clay deposits may be used as membrane material provided the membrane and drainage system contains at least 95% of all leachate created...... into account advective ion transport as well as diffusion. Clay prospecting for clays rich in smectite has revealed large deposits of Tertiary clay of very high plasticity in the area around Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland. The natural clay contains 60-75% smectite, dominantly as a sodium......-type. The clay material has been evaluated using the standardized methods related to mineralogy, classification, compaction and permeability, and initial studies of diffusion properties have been carried out. Furthermore, at a test site the construction methods for establishing a 0.15-0.3 m thick clay membrane...

  9. Thermal volume changes in clays and clay-stones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delage, P.; Sulem, J.; Mohajerani, M.; Tang, A.M.; Monfared, M.

    2012-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. The disposal of high activity exothermic radioactive waste at great depth in clay host rocks will induce a temperature elevation that has been investigated in various underground research laboratories in Belgium, France and Switzerland through in-situ tests. Thermal effects are better known in clays (in particular Boom clay) than in clay-stone (e.g. Opalinus clay and Callovo-Oxfordian clay-stone). In terms of volume changes, Figure 1 confirms the findings of Hueckel and Baldi (1990) that volume changes depend on the over-consolidation ratio (OCR) of the clay. In drained conditions, normally consolidated clays exhibit plastic contraction when heated, whereas over-consolidated clay exhibit elastic dilation. The nature of thermal volume changes in heated clays obviously has a significant effect on thermally induced pore pressures, when drainage is not instantaneous like what occurs in-situ. Compared to clays, the thermal volume change behaviour of clay-stones is less well known than that of clays. clay-stone are a priori suspected to behave like over-consolidated clays. In this paper, a comparison of recent results obtained in the laboratory on the drained thermal volume changes of clay-stones is presented and discussed. It is difficult to run drained mechanical tests in clay-stones like the Opalinus clay and the Callovo-Oxfordian clay-stone because of their quite low permeability (10 -12 - 10 -13 m/s). This also holds true for thermal tests. Due to the significant difference in thermal expansion coefficient between minerals and water, it is necessary to adopt very slow heating rate (0.5 - 1 C/h) to avoid any thermal pressurization. To do so, a new hollow cylinder apparatus (100 mm external diameter, 60 mm internal diameter) with lateral drainages reducing the drainage length to half the sample thickness (10 mm) has been developed (Monfared et al. 2011). The results of a drained cyclic thermal test carried out on

  10. Shear strength of clay and silt embankments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-09-01

    Highway embankment is one of the most common large-scale geotechnical facilities constructed in Ohio. In the past, the design of these embankments was largely based on soil shear strength properties that had been estimated from previously published e...

  11. Soil and Crop management: Lessons from the laboratory biosphere 2002-2004

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverstone, S.; Nelson, M.; Alling, A.; Allen, J.

    During the years 2002 and 2003, three closed system experiments were carried out in the "Laboratory Biosphere" facility located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The program involved experimentation with "Hoyt" Soy Beans, USU Apogee Wheat and TU-82-155 sweet potato using a 5.37 m2 soil planting bed which was 30 cm deep. The soil texture, 40% clay, 31% sand and 28% silt (a clay loam), was collected from an organic farm in New Mexico to avoid chemical residues. Soil management practices involved minimal tillage, mulching and returning crop residues to the soil after each experiment. Between experiment #2 and #3, the top 15 cm of the soil was amended using a mix of peat moss, green sand, humates and pumice to improve soil texture, lower soil pH and increase nutrient availability. Soil analyses for all three experiments are presented to show how the soils have changed with time and how the changes relate to crop selection and rotation, soil selection and management, water management and pest control. The experience and information gained from these experiments are being applied to the future design of the Mars On Earth facility.

  12. [Effect of Long-term Fertilizer Application on the Stability of Organic Carbon in Particle Size Fractions of a Paddy Soil in Zhejiang Province, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Xia-li; Lu, Kou-ping; Sun, Tao; Zhang, Xiao-kai; He, Li-zhi; Wang, Hai-long

    2015-05-01

    Effects of chemical fertilizers and organic manure on the soil organic carbon (SOC) content in particle size fractions of paddy soil were investigated in a 17-year long-term fertilization field experiment in Zhejiang Province, China. The inherent chemical composition of silt- and clay-associated SOC was evaluated with solid-state 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Compared to CK (no fertilizer treatment), NPKRS (NPK fertilizers plus rice straw) , NPKOM (NPK fertilizers plus organic manure) , NPK (NPK fertilizers) and OM (organic manure alone) treatments significantly (P fertilizers alone, combined application of organic amendments and NPK fertilizers facilitated the storage of newly sequestered SOC in silt- and clay-sized fractions, which could be more conducive to the stability of SOC. Based on 13C-NMR spectra, both silt and clay fractions were composed of Alkyl-C, O-alkyl-C, Aromatic-C and carbonyl-C. Changes in the relative proportion of different C species were observed between silt and clay fractions: the clay fraction had relatively more Alkyl-C, carbonyl-C and less O-alkyl-C, Aromatic-C than those in the silt fraction. This might be ascribed to the fact that the organic matter complexed with clay was dominated by microbial products, whereas the silt appeared to be rich in aromatic residues derived from plants. The spectra also showed that the relative proportion of different C species was modified by fertilization practices. In comparison with organic amendments alone, the relative proportion of Alkyl-C was decreased by 9.1%-11.9% and 13.7%-19.9% under combined application of organic amendments and chemical fertilizers, for silt and clay, respectively, and that of O-alkyl-C was increased by 2.9%-6.3% and 13.4%-22.1%, respectively. These results indicated that NPKOM and NPKRS treatments reduced the decomposition rate of SOC. The aromaticity, hydrophobicity and, hence, chemical recalcitrance of silt- and clay-associated SOC in the NPK fertilizer treatments were lower than

  13. Three Sisters Dam: Investigations and monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slopek, R.J.; Courage, L.J.R.; Keys, R.A.

    1990-01-01

    The geotechnical investigations, monitoring and interpretation of data associated with the evaluation of the Three Sisters Dam, which has been suffering from excessive seepage and is in need of enhancement, are outlined. The Three Sisters Dam is located in the continental ranges of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, impounding the Spray Reservoir, and is founded on 60 m of interbedded sand, gravel, silt and clay layers. The computer code PC-SEEP was used to evaluate seepage. Details are provided of drilling, ground-penetrating radar surveys, seismic surveys, penstock inspection, sinkhole activity, piezometer monitoring, silt wells, settlement monuments, and tailrace monitoring. The intensive investigations of the foundations showed that they consist of a complex formation of interfingered stratified layers and leases of talus and glaciofluvial deposits. Due to the depth and nature of these materials drill hole penetration was limited to the use of the Becker hammer. This equipment successfully delineated the major soil horizons of the foundation. The continued information attained from inspection, drilling, testing, radar surveys, seismic work, monitoring of piezometers, leakage, silt wells and settlement monuments indicated that there are no large voids within the foundation of the dam. 2 refs., 12 figs

  14. Statistical Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Multi-Elements in an Island Arc Region: Complicating Factors and Transfer by Water Currents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atsuyuki Ohta

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The compositions and transfer processes affecting coastal sea sediments from the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean are examined through the construction of comprehensive terrestrial and marine geochemical maps for western Japan. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA suggests that the elemental concentrations of marine sediments vary with particle size, and that this has a greater effect than the regional provenance of the terrestrial material. Cluster analysis is employed to reveal similarities and differences in the geochemistry of coastal sea and stream sediments. This analysis suggests that the geochemical features of fine sands and silts in the marine environment reflect those of stream sediments in the adjacent terrestrial areas. However, gravels and coarse sands do not show this direct relationship, which is likely a result of mineral segregation by strong tidal currents and the denudation of old basement rocks. Finally, the transport processes for the fine-grained sediments are discussed, using the spatial distribution patterns of outliers for those elements enriched in silt and clay. Silty and clayey sediments are found to be transported and dispersed widely by a periodic current in the inner sea, and are selectively deposited at the boundary of different water masses in the outer sea.

  15. Process water treatment in Canada's oil sands industry : 2 : a review of emerging technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, E.W.

    2008-01-01

    This review was conducted to identify candidate treatment technologies for treating oil sands process water. The oil sands industry in Canada uses large volumes of fresh water in order to extract bitumen deposits. The development of process water treatment technologies has become a critical issue for the industry, particularly as oil sand production is expected to triple in the next decade. However, treatment technologies must be adapted to consider the fouling potential of bitumens and fine clays as well as the effect of alkaline process water on treatment performance. The review included developments in chemical modifications to membranes and adsorbents designed to improve pollutant removal and reduce fouling; hybridization technologies designed to enhance the biological treatment of toxic feedwaters; recent advances in photocatalytic oxidation technologies for organic compounds; and new designs for large-scale treatment wetlands for polluted waste waters. It was concluded that major knowledge gaps must be optimized and preliminary studies must be conducted in order to understand how the treatment technologies will be affected by the chemical and physical characteristics of oil sands process water. 188 refs., 8 tabs

  16. The mass balance of soil evolution on late Quaternary marine terraces, northern California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merritts, Dorothy J.; Chadwick, Oliver A.; Hendricks, David M.; Brimhall, George H.; Lewis, Christopher J.

    1992-01-01

    Mass-balance interpretation of a soil chronosequence provides a means of quantifying elemental addition, removal, and transformation that occur in soils from a flight of marine terraces in northern California. Six soil profiles that range in age from several to 240,000 yr are developed in unconsolidated, sandy-marine, and eolian parent material deposited on bedrock marine platforms. Soil evolution is dominated by (1) open-system depletion of Si, Ca, Mg, K, and Na; (2) open-system enrichment of P in surface soil horizons; (3) relative immobility of Fe and Al; and (4) transformation of Fe, Si, and Al in the parent material to secondary clay minerals and sesquioxides. Net mass losses of bases and Si are generally uniform with depth and substantial, in some cases approaching 100 percent; however, the rate of loss of each element differs markedly, causing the ranking of each by relative abundance to shift with time. Loss of Si from the sand fraction by dissolution and particle-size diminution, from about 100 percent to less than 35 percent over 240 ky, mirrors a similar gain in the silt and clay size fractions. The Fe originally present in the sand fraction decreases from greater than 80 percent to less than 10 percent, whereas the amount of Fe present in the clay and crystalline oxyhydroxide fractions increases to 25 percent and 70 percent, respectively.

  17. Radionuclides in intertidal sands and sediments from Morecambe Bay to the Dee estuary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carpenter, R.C.; Burton, P.J.; Strange, L.P.; Pratley, F.W.

    1991-05-01

    Surface and core samples of intertidal sediments have been collected from the coastline from Morecambe Bay to the Dee Estuary. The sampling took place between October 1987 and July 1989. Caesium-137 was determined by high resolution gamma spectrometry and plutonium isotopes and americium-241 were determined by alpha spectrometry following radiochemical separations. Samples were also sieved to obtain a particle size distribution of the deposits. A wide range of radionuclide activities have been determined depending on the distance from Sellafield and, more importantly, the proportion of clay plus silt ( 239+240 Pu and 241 Am activity discharged by Sellafield up to the end of 1988. The measured activities generally represent a small fraction of the Generalised Derived Limits (GDL's) for marine sediments. (author)

  18. Influence green sand system by core sand additions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Špirutová

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Today, about two thirds of iron alloys casting (especially for graphitizing alloys of iron are produced into green sand systems with usually organically bonded cores. Separation of core sands from the green sand mixture is very difficult, after pouring. The core sand concentration increase due to circulation of green sand mixture in a closed circulation system. Furthermore in some foundries, core sands have been adding to green sand systems as a replacement for new sands. The goal of this contribution is: “How the green sand systems are influenced by core sands?”This effect is considered by determination of selected technological properties and degree of green sand system re-bonding. From the studies, which have been published yet, there is not consistent opinion on influence of core sand dilution on green sand system properties. In order to simulation of the effect of core sands on the technological properties of green sands, there were applied the most common used technologies of cores production, which are based on bonding with phenolic resin. Core sand concentration added to green sand system, was up to 50 %. Influence of core sand dilution on basic properties of green sand systems was determined by evaluation of basic industrial properties: moisture, green compression strength and splitting strength, wet tensile strength, mixture stability against staling and physical-chemistry properties (pH, conductivity, and loss of ignition. Ratio of active betonite by Methylene blue test was also determined.

  19. Mineralogical and Micro-fabric investigation of the Sandy Facies of Opalinus Clay (Mont Terri)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaufhold, Annette; Siegesmund, Siegfried; Dohrmann, Reiner; Graesle, Werner; Plischke, Ingo

    2013-01-01

    In the field of geological disposal of radioactive waste in many countries argillaceous formations are considered as potential host rock. For the understanding of the long-term behaviour of clay host rock, it is important to understand the interaction between mechanical behaviour, micro-fabric, and mineral composition. Previous publications showed that particularly the carbonate content and the arrangement of the carbonate grains (as cement in the matrix or as shells) determines the mechanical strength of Opalinus Clay and Callovo-Oxfordian Clay specimens, respectively. Klinkenberg et al. (2009) studied the shaly facies of Opalinus Clay, however, the actual deposit is planned to be built in the sandy facies of Opalinus Clay. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relation between micro-fabric, mineral composition, and mechanical properties of different samples derived from the sandy facies (BLT-A2). Image analysis showed that the carbonates in the sandy facies mainly occur as 1) matrix which in turn acts as cement. Carbonates also occur 2) in the fine sand fraction and 3) biogenic carbonates as traces. The carbonates of the sandy facies, therefore, appear to be similar to the carbonates of the Callovo-Oxfordian Clay with respect to their possible influence on failure strength. The mechanical testing showed that the shear strength increases with increasing carbonate content. This phenomenon was also observed for the samples of the Callovo-Oxfordian Clay, while the opposite relation was found for the shaly facies of the Opalinus Clay. Preliminary results presented here, indicate that the sandy facies (drilling BLT-A2) and Callovo-Oxfordian Clay show similar mechanical properties - in detail: 1) Micro-fabric: carbonates predominate in the matrix, 2) Mineralogy: high carbonate content and 3) Mechanical testing: shear strength increases with increasing carbonate content, where the type of carbonates which controls the increase of strength has to be

  20. Analysis of the variability of some properties of a semi-deciduous forest soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okae-Anti, D.; Ogoe, J.I.

    2003-05-01

    The formation of soils in any region is influenced by many factors such as the parent materials and the secondary materials derived from them, the vegetation and the history of land use. These factors vary from place to place and they contribute to the spatial variation in properties of the soil. Quantification of the magnitude, location and causes of spatial variability is an essential but insufficient ingredient of soil surveys. We took soil samples from the 0-20 cm depth covering soils in the Asuansi-Akroso-Nta-Ofin compound association (Lixisol, Cambisol and Fluvisol association) at the study site, following the nested balanced hierarchical sampling technique. This covered distances between 100 and 0.80 m. Standard laboratory analyses were performed to quantify the selected properties, namely, pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, exchangeable potassium and content of sand, silt and clay. Classical statistics and geostatistical procedures were performed on the data and models fitted to the variability patterns. Physical and the more stable properties such as sand, silt and clay were fitted with spherical variogram models. These models indicate a high level of spatial dependence and therefore such properties may be said to be fairly stable in the field. On the contrary, chemical properties such as exchangeable potassium, were fitted with exponential variogram models, indicating that these properties were less stable and showed dependence over longer distances. The scale of variation of the properties ranged between 35 m - 62 m. The degree of uncertainty associated with time and space can be reduced by improved documentation of field variability using the tools of geostatistics. (author)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-10-01

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

  2. Influence of physical and chemical properties of different soil types on optimal soil moisture for tillage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Zebec

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Soil plasticity is the area of soil consistency, i.e. it represents a change in soil condition due to different soil moisture influenced by external forces activity. Consistency determines soil resistance in tillage, therefore, the aim of the research was to determine the optimum soil moisture condition for tillage and the influence of the chemical and physical properties of the arable land horizons on the soil plasticity on three different types of soil (fluvisol, luvisol and humic glaysol. Statistically significant differences were found between all examined soil types, such as the content of clay particles, the density of packaging and the actual and substitution acidity, the cation exchange capacity and the content of calcium. There were also statistically significant differences between the examined types of soil for the plasticity limit, liquid limit and the plasticity index. The average established value of plasticity limit as an important element for determining the optimal moment of soil tillage was 18.9% mass on fluvisol, 24.0% mass on luvisol and 28.6% mass on humic glaysol. Very significant positive direction correlation with plasticity limits was shown by organic matter, clay, fine silt, magnesium, sodium and calcium, while very significant negative direction correlation was shown by hydrolytic acidity, coarse sand, fine sand and coarse silt. Created regression models can estimate the optimal soil moisture condition for soil cultivation based on the basic soil properties. The model precision is significantly increased by introducing a greater number of agrochemical and agrophysical soil properties, and the additional precision of the model can be increased by soil type data.

  3. Background levels of some trace elements in weathered soils from the Brazilian Northern region Valores de referência de alguns elementos-traço em solos intemperizados da região Norte brasileira

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Souza Fadigas

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Soils formed from the Barreiras Group sediments, located mainly along the coast of Brazil Northern and Northeastern regions, generally present low concentrations of iron oxides and total organic carbon, high quantities of quartz in the sand fraction, and kaolinitic clay mineralogy. The objective of the present study was to quantify the pseudo total concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn and Fe in Xhantic Udox and Xhantic Udult soils derived from these sediments. The reference sites were covered by native vegetation and located in the States of Pará and Amapá, Brazil. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to determine correlations between soil parameters and the levels of these metals. The best correlation was obtained between Fe, Mn, clay, and silt contents, and Cd, Co, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni. A correlation between pH and these metal levels was not found. Clay and sand contents showed a negative inverse correlation with the metal levels,of same magnitude but with a different sign; this was the reason for excluding one of the parameters in the regression model. In general, the contents of the elements were lower than those found in soils formed from other parent materials. The Mn content was included in the model of multiple linear regression for Cd and Co, due to its association with these last metals. Silt level showed to have a significant influence in the equations for Cr and Co, which is attributed to the presence of clay minerals and Fe and Mn oxides in ferruginous and clay aggregates of silt size. The equations obtained in this paper, are useful to predict, in general terms, the amounts of those heavy metals in an unknown soil sample, if the soil material were not contaminated or affected by land usage. Thus, they may be applied to evaluate soil contamination by the studied heavy metals.Solos formados a partir de sedimentos do Grupo Barreiras apresentam, em geral, baixos teores de ferro, mineralogia caulinítica, elevadas

  4. Variations of streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity before and after a flood season

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Guangdong; Shu, Longcang; Lu, Chengpeng; Chen, Xunhong; Zhang, Xiao; Appiah-Adjei, Emmanuel K.; Zhu, Jingsi

    2015-11-01

    The change of vertical hydraulic conductivity ( K v) before and after a flood season is crucial in understanding the long-term temporal variation of streambed permeability. Therefore, in this study, a detailed K v field investigation was conducted at an in-channel site within the Dawen River, China, before and after a flood season. In-situ falling-head permeameter tests were performed for the determination of K v. The tests were conducted using a 10 × 10 grid, at five different depths. In total, 871 valid K v values from layers 1-5 were obtained. The Kruskal-Wallis test on these K v values before and after the flood season shows they belonged to different populations. The sediments before the flood season primarily consisted of sand and gravel, whereas after the flood season, patchy distribution of silt/clay occurred in the sandy streambed and silt/clay content increased with the increasing depth; under the losing condition during flooding, downward movement of water brought fine particles into the coarse sediments, partially silting the pores. Accordingly, the K v values after the flood season had a smaller mean and median, and a higher level of heterogeneity, compared to those before the flood season. Additionally, the distribution pattern in K v across the stream differed before and after flood season; after the flood season, there was an increasing trend in K v from the south bank to the north bank. Overall, the contrasts of K v before and after the flood season were predominantly subject to the infiltration of fine particles.

  5. Dry Deposition from Sahara Sources Regions of Western Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Douaiba

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Sahara dust storms during March 2004 have attracted much attention from the dust-research community due to their intensity, wide coverage, and endurance. In the present work, the dry deposition mechanisms of mineral dust are analysed during an event on the 3 March 2004 over the Northwest African coast. This particular case was chosen based on the strong dry removal that occurred, rendering it ideal for examining the deposition processes. The simulation of synoptic conditions and dry deposition of four dust particles including clay, small silt, large silt, and sand was performed with Eta model, coupled with a desert dust cycle module. The results have been compared with surface data from weather stations in North Africa, data of dry metals from stations located in Gran Canaria, and various satellite images such as European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer for the period in question.

  6. Heavy metal pollution decreases microbial abundance, diversity and activity within particle-size fractions of a paddy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Junhui; He, Feng; Zhang, Xuhui; Sun, Xuan; Zheng, Jufeng; Zheng, Jinwei

    2014-01-01

    Chemical and microbial characterisations of particle-size fractions (PSFs) from a rice paddy soil subjected to long-term heavy metal pollution (P) and nonpolluted (NP) soil were performed to investigate whether the distribution of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) regulates microbial community activity, abundance and diversity at the microenvironment scale. The soils were physically fractionated into coarse sand, fine sand, silt and clay fractions. Long-term heavy metal pollution notably decreased soil basal respiration (a measurement of the total activity of the soil microbial community) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) across the fractions by 3-45% and 21-53%, respectively. The coarse sand fraction was more affected by pollution than the clay fraction and displayed a significantly lower MBC content and respiration and dehydrogenase activity compared with the nonpolluted soils. The abundances and diversities of bacteria were less affected within the PSFs under pollution. However, significant decreases in the abundances and diversities of fungi were noted, which may have strongly contributed to the decrease in MBC. Sequencing of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis bands revealed that the groups Acidobacteria, Ascomycota and Chytridiomycota were clearly inhibited under pollution. Our findings suggest that long-term heavy metal pollution decreased the microbial biomass, activity and diversity in PSFs, particularly in the large-size fractions. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Interaction of petroleum mulching, vegetation restoration and dust fallout on the conditions of sand dunes in southwest of Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azoogh, Liela; Khalili moghadam, Bijan; Jafari, Siroos

    2018-06-01

    In the past half-century, petroleum mulching-biological fixation (PM-BF) practices have been employed to stabilize sand dunes in Iran. However, the effects of PM-BF practices on the attributes of sand dunes and the dispersion of heavy metals of mulch have been poorly understood. To this end, three regions treated with PM-BF for 5, 20, and 40 years and a control region with no PM-BF were studied. Samples of soil properties were taken at the depths of 0-10 cm and 10-50 cm, with three replications, in Khuzestan Province. The results showed that PM-BF practices promoted the restoration of vegetation cover in the sand dunes. In addition, these practices increased the deposition of dust particles, gradually increasing the magnitudes of palygorskite and smectite clays over time. The interactions between dust deposition and PM-BF practices significantly altered the chemical and physical properties of the dunes. PM-BF practices increased soil organic matter (184-287%), cation exchangeable capacity (142-209%), electrical conductivity (144-493%), clay content (134-196%), and penetration resistance (107-170%) compared to the region with no PM-BF practices. Furthermore, petroleum mulching significantly increased the amount of Ni (1.19%), Cd (1.55%), Pb (1.08%), Cu (1.34%), Zn (1.38%), Mn (1.66%), and Fe (1.15%). However, in the long term, these elements will probably leach linearly as a consequence of an increase in organic matter and soil salinity in the light texture of sand dunes.

  8. Silt fences: An economical technique for measuring hillslope soil erosion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter R. Robichaud; Robert E. Brown

    2002-01-01

    Measuring hillslope erosion has historically been a costly, time-consuming practice. An easy to install low-cost technique using silt fences (geotextile fabric) and tipping bucket rain gauges to measure onsite hillslope erosion was developed and tested. Equipment requirements, installation procedures, statistical design, and analysis methods for measuring hillslope...

  9. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF PROCESSING OF DUMP SAND-CLAY MIXES BY THE CENTRIFUGAL AND SHOCK CRUSHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Vorobev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Results of experimental research of processing of centrifugal and shock crushing of dump sandy-clay mixes are given. Use of products of processing of received mixes in foundry production and in production of asphalt concrete mixes allows to exclude transportation of the mix to dumping.

  10. Modeling root length density of field grown potatoes under different irrigation strategies and soil textures using artificial neural networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahmadi, Seyed Hamid; Sepaskhah, Ali Reza; Andersen, Mathias Neumann

    2014-01-01

    ) of the eight input variables: soil layer intervals (D), percentages of sand (Sa), silt (Si), and clay (Cl), bulk density of soil layers (Bd), weighted soil moisture deficit during the irrigation strategies period (SMD), geometric mean particle size diameter (dg), and geometric standard deviation (σg......). The results of the study showed that all the nine ANN models predicted the target RLD values satisfactorily with a correlation coefficient R2>0.98. The simplest and most complex ANN architectures were 3:2:1 and 5:5:1 consisting of D, SMD, dg, and D, Bd, SMD, σg, dg as the input variables, respectively. Low...

  11. Leaching of Contamination from Stabilization/Solidification Remediated Soils of Different Texture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burlakovs, Juris; Kasparinskis, Raimonds; Klavins, Maris

    2012-09-01

    Development of soil and groundwater remediation technologies is a matter of great importance to eliminate historically and currently contaminated sites. Stabilization/solidification (S/S) refers to binding of waste contaminants to a more chemically stable form and thus diminishing leaching of contamination. It can be performed using cement with or without additives in order to stabilize and solidify soil with the contamination in matrix. A series of experiments were done to determine leaching properties of spiked soils of different texture bound with cement. Results of experiments showed, that soil texture (content of sand, silt and clay particles) affects the leaching of heavy metals from stabilized soils.

  12. Clay Play

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Liz; Steffan, Dana

    2009-01-01

    This article describes how to use clay as a potential material for young children to explore. As teachers, the authors find that their dialogue about the potential of clay as a learning medium raises many questions: (1) What makes clay so enticing? (2) Why are teachers noticing different play and conversation around the clay table as compared to…

  13. Geochemical evidence for airborne dust additions to soils in Channel Islands National Park, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhs, D.R.; Budahn, J.R.; Johnson, D.L.; Reheis, M.; Beann, J.; Skipp, G.; Fisher, E.; Jones, J.A.

    2008-01-01

    There is an increasing awareness that dust plays important roles in climate change, biogeochemical cycles, nutrient supply to ecosystems, and soil formation. In Channel Islands National Park, California, soils are clay-rich Vertisols or Alfisols and Mollisols with vertic properties. The soils are overlain by silt-rich mantles that contrast sharply with the underlying clay-rich horizons. Silt mantles contain minerals that are rare or absent in the volcanic rocks that dominate these islands. Immobile trace elements (Sc-Th-La and Ta-Nd-Cr) and rare-earth elements show that the basalt and andesite on the islands have a composition intermediate between upper-continental crust and oceanic crust. In contrast, the silt fractions and, to a lesser extent, clay fractions of the silt mantle have compositions closer to average upper-continental crust and very similar to Mojave Desert dust. Island shelves, exposed during the last glacial period, could have provided a source of eolian sediment for the silt mantles, but this is not supported by mineralogical data. We hypothesize that a more likely source for the silt-rich mantles is airborne dust from mainland California and Baja California, either from the Mojave Desert or from the continental shelf during glacial low stands of sea. Although average winds are from the northwest in coastal California, easterly winds occur numerous times of the year when "Santa Ana" conditions prevail, caused by a high-pressure cell centered over the Great Basin. The eolian silt mantles constitute an important medium of plant growth and provide evidence that abundant eolian silt and clay may be delivered to the eastern Pacific Ocean from inland desert sources. ?? 2007 Geological Society of America.

  14. Clay Mineralogy of AN Alluvial Aquifer in a Mountainous, Semiarid Terrain, AN Example from Rifle, Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, W. C.; Lim, D.; Zaunbrecher, L. K.; Pickering, R. A.; Williams, K. H.; Navarre-Sitchler, A.; Long, P. E.; Noel, V.; Bargar, J.; Qafoku, N. P.

    2015-12-01

    Alluvial sediments deposited along the Colorado River corridor in the semi-arid regions of central to western Colorado can be important hosts for legacy contamination including U, V, As and Se. These alluvial sediments host aquifers which are thought to provide important "hot spots" and "hot moments" for microbiological activity controlling organic carbon processing and fluxes in the subsurface. Relatively little is known about the clay mineralogy of these alluvial aquifers and the parent alluvial sediments in spite of the fact that they commonly include lenses of silt-clay materials. These lenses are typically more reduced than coarser grained materials, but zones of reduced and more oxidized materials are present in these alluvial aquifer sediments. The clay mineralogy of the non-reduced parent alluvial sediments of the alluvial aquifer located in Rifle, CO (USA) is composed of chlorite, smectite, illite, kaolinite and quartz. The clay mineralogy of non-reduced fine-grained materials at Rifle are composed of the same suite of minerals found in the sediments plus a vermiculite-smectite intergrade that occurs near the bottom of the aquifer near the top of the Wasatch Formation. The clay mineral assemblages of the system reflect the mineralogically immature character of the source sediments. These assemblages are consistent with sediments and soils that formed in a moderately low rainfall climate and suggestive of minimal transport of the alluvial sediments from their source areas. Chlorite, smectite, smectite-vermiculite intergrade, and illite are the likely phases involved in the sorption of organic carbon and related microbial redox transformations of metals in these sediments. Both the occurrence and abundance of chlorite, smectite-vermiculite, illite and smectite can therefore exert an important control on the contaminant fluxes and are important determinants of biogeofacies in mountainous, semiarid terrains.

  15. Ball clay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Virta, R.L.

    2001-01-01

    Part of the 2000 annual review of the industrial minerals sector. A general overview of the ball clay industry is provided. In 2000, sales of ball clay reached record levels, with sanitary ware and tile applications accounting for the largest sales. Ball clay production, consumption, prices, foreign trade, and industry news are summarized. The outlook for the ball clay industry is also outlined.

  16. Radiocesium distribution in aggregate-size fractions of cropland and forest soils affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koarashi, Jun; Nishimura, Syusaku; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Matsunaga, Takeshi; Sato, Tsutomu; Nagao, Seiya

    2018-08-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused serious radiocesium ( 137 Cs) contamination in soils in a range of terrestrial ecosystems. It is well documented that the interaction of 137 Cs with soil constituents, particularly clay minerals, in surface soil layers exerts strong control on the behavior of this radionuclide in the environment; however, there is little understanding of how soil aggregation-the binding of soil particles together into aggregates-can affect the mobility and bioavailability of 137 Cs in soils. To explore this, soil samples were collected at seven sites under different land-use conditions in Fukushima and were separated into four aggregate-size fractions: clay-sized (fractions were then analyzed for 137 Cs content and extractability and mineral composition. In forest soils, aggregate formation was significant, and 69%-83% of 137 Cs was associated with macroaggregates and sand-sized aggregates. In contrast, there was less aggregation in agricultural field soils, and approximately 80% of 137 Cs was in the clay- and silt-sized fractions. Across all sites, the 137 Cs extractability was higher in the sand-sized aggregate fractions than in the clay-sized fractions. Mineralogical analysis showed that, in most soils, clay minerals (vermiculite and kaolinite) were present even in the larger-sized aggregate fractions. These results demonstrate that larger-sized aggregates are a significant reservoir of potentially mobile and bioavailable 137 Cs in organic-rich (forest and orchard) soils. Our study suggests that soil aggregation reduces the mobility of particle-associated 137 Cs through erosion and resuspension and also enhances the bioavailability of 137 Cs in soils. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Water balance of two earthen landfill caps in a semi-arid climate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khire, M.V.; Benson, C.H.; Bosscher, P.J.

    1997-01-01

    Water balance data are presented that were obtained from two earthen cap test sections located in a semi-arid region. The test sections were constructed on a municipal solid waste landfill in East Wenatchee, Washington, USA. One test section represents a traditional resistive barrier, and is constructed with a compacted silty clay barrier 60 cm thick and a vegetated silty clay surface layer 15 cm thick. The other test section represents a capillary barrier and has a sand layer 75 cm thick overlain by a 15-cm-thick vegetated surface layer of silt. Extensive hydrological and meteorological data have been collected since November 1992. Unsaturated hydraulic properties of soils, hydrologic parameters, and vegetation have been extensively characterized. Results of the study show that capillary barriers can be effective caps in semi-arid and arid regions. They are also cheaper to construct and can perform better than traditional resistive barriers

  18. Estimated sand and gravel resources of the South Merrimack, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, 7.5-minute quadrangle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutphin, D.M.; Drew, L.J.; Fowler, B.K.

    2006-01-01

    A computer methodology is presented that allows natural aggregate producers, local governmental, and nongovernmental planners to define specific locations that may have sand and gravel deposits meeting user-specified minimum size, thickness, and geographic and geologic criteria, in areas where the surficial geology has been mapped. As an example, the surficial geologic map of the South Merrimack quadrangle was digitized and several digital geographic information system databases were downloaded from the internet and used to estimate the sand and gravel resources in the quadrangle. More than 41 percent of the South Merrimack quadrangle has been mapped as having sand and (or) gravel deposited by glacial meltwaters. These glaciofluvial areas are estimated to contain a total of 10 million m3 of material mapped as gravel, 60 million m3 of material mapped as mixed sand and gravel, and another 50 million m3 of material mapped as sand with minor silt. The mean thickness of these areas is about 1.95 meters. Twenty tracts were selected, each having individual areas of more than about 14 acres4 (5.67 hectares) of stratified glacial-meltwater sand and gravel deposits, at least 10-feet (3.0 m) of material above the watertable, and not sterilized by the proximity of buildings, roads, streams and other bodies of water, or railroads. The 20 tracts are estimated to contain between about 4 and 10 million short tons (st) of gravel and 20 and 30 million st of sand. The five most gravel-rich tracts contain about 71 to 82 percent of the gravel resources in all 20 tracts and about 54-56 percent of the sand. Using this methodology, and the above criteria, a group of four tracts, divided by narrow areas sterilized by a small stream and secondary roads, may have the highest potential in the quadrangle for sand and gravel resources. ?? Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006.

  19. Analyze of waves dynamic over an intertidal mudflat of a sandy-gravely estuarine beach - Field survey and preliminary modeling approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morio, Olivier; Sedrati, Mouncef; Goubert, Evelyne

    2014-05-01

    As well as marine submersion or erosive phenomena, clay-silted sediment in-filling on estuarial and bay beaches are a main issue in these human-attractive areas. Coupled sandy/gravely and clay/silty intertidal areas can be observed in these particular coastal areas, depending of rivers characteristic (discharge of particle, water flow), ocean dynamics (wave exposure, current) and sediments sources. All around the world, sandy/gravely beaches are exposed to punctual or continuous input clay sediments. Vilaine estuary, Bay of Arcachon and Bay of Seine in France, Plymouth Bay in UK and also Wadden Sea in Deutschland are few examples of muddy/sandy coupled or mixed system. The beach of Bétahon (Ambon town, Brittany - France) is located on the external Vilaine estuary and is an example of this issue. This meso-macrotidal intermediate (low tide terrace) beach presents heterogeneous sediments. The upper intertidal zone is composed by sand and gravel and characterized by a steep slope. A very gentle slope characterized the lower part of the beach and is constituted by silt and clay. Clay/sand limit is characterized by a decimetric erosion cliff of mudflat along the beach. In order to understand bed variations and sediment transport of this complex heterogeneous beach, a well understanding of wave dynamic across the beach is necessary. This study focus on wave dynamics over the beach, using field observations and MIKE 21 3D wave numerical model. This paper is a preliminary approach of an upcoming global understanding of this estuarial beach behavior. Swell from deep-sea to near-shore area is modeled over a 100 km² area and real wind, deep sea wave characteristic, river water flow and tidal level are defined as open boundary conditions for the regional model. This last one is based on multiple bathymetric surveys over the last 50 years. Local model, triangular mesh gridded to 5 meters, covering Bétahon beach , is based on topographic and photographic survey of the mudflat

  20. Impact of clay mineral on air oxidation of PAH-contaminated soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biache, Coralie; Kouadio, Olivier; Lorgeoux, Catherine; Faure, Pierre

    2014-09-01

    This work investigated the impact of a clay mineral (bentonite) on the air oxidation of the solvent extractable organic matters (EOMs) and the PAHs from contaminated soils. EOMs were isolated from two coking plant soils and mixed with silica sand or bentonite. These samples, as well as raw soils and bentonite/soil mixtures, were oxidized in air at 60 and 100 °C for 160 days. Mineralization was followed by measuring the CO2 produced over the experiments. EOM, polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC), including PAH, contents were also determined. Oxidation led to a decrease in EOM contents and PAH concentrations, these diminutions were enhanced by the presence of bentonite. Transfer of carbon from EOM to insoluble organic matter pointed out a condensation phenomenon leading to a stabilization of the contamination. Higher mineralization rates, observed during the oxidation of the soil/bentonite mixtures, seem to indicate that this clay mineral had a positive influence on the transformation of PAC into CO2.

  1. Influence of shaly sands on continuous steam injection oil recovering method; Influencia de areias argilosas na recuperacao de petroleo por injecao de vapor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbosa, J.M.D.; Rodrigues, M.A.F.; Galvao, E.R.V.P.; Barillas, J.L.M.; Mata, W.; Dutra Junior, T.V. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    Steam flooding is one of the most used thermal recovery methods in Northeast Brazil, because of high occurrence of heavy oil reservoir. In this process, the oil into the reservoir is heated while reduces, substantially, its viscosity and improves the production. This process can be affected by various parameters, including reservoir heterogeneity and the presence of clay. This work studied the influence of the presence of shaly sand layers in the reservoir for this type of recovery. The studied models were synthetics, but the used reservoir data can be extrapolated to real situations of Potiguar Basin. The influence of reservoir parameters in this process is quite important to the oil industry, and some of them were tested, such as the horizontal permeability of the reservoir and clay, the vertical/horizontal permeability ratio, the influence of capillary pressure of shaly sand and how all heterogeneities are allowed to affect in the oil productivity. In this study the parameter of greater influence in the oil recovery was the horizontal permeability, and the configuration of the layer of clay and other parameters affected least the process. (author)

  2. High-Resolution 3-D Mapping of Soil Texture in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adhikari, Kabindra; Bou Kheir, Rania; Greve, Mette Balslev

    2013-01-01

    Soil texture which is spatially variable in nature, is an important soil physical property that governs most physical, chemical, biological, and hydrological processes in soils. Detailed information on soil texture variability both in vertical and lateral dimensions is crucial for proper crop...... and land management and environmental studies, especially in Denmark where mechanized agriculture covers two thirds of the land area. We modeled the continuous depth function of texture distribution from 1958 Danish soil profiles (up to a 2-m depth) using equal-area quadratic splines and predicted clay......, silt, fine sand, and coarse sand content at six standard soil depths of GlobalSoilMap project (0–5, 5–15, 15–30, 30–60, 60–100, and 100–200 cm) via regression rules using the Cubist data mining tool. Seventeen environmental variables were used as predictors and their strength of prediction was also...

  3. Airborne dust transport to the eastern Pacific Ocean off southern California: Evidence from San Clemente Island

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhs, D.R.; Budahn, J.; Reheis, M.; Beann, J.; Skipp, G.; Fisher, E.

    2007-01-01

    Islands are natural dust traps, and San Clemente Island, California, is a good example. Soils on marine terraces cut into Miocene andesite on this island are clay-rich Vertisols or Alfisols with vertic properties. These soils are overlain by silt-rich mantles, 5-20 cm thick, that contrast sharply with the underlying clay-rich subsoils. The silt mantles have a mineralogy that is distinct from the island bedrock. Silt mantles are rich in quartz, which is rare in the island andesite. The clay fraction of the silt mantles is dominated by mica, also absent from local andesite, and contrasts with the subsoils, dominated by smectite. Ternary plots of immobile trace elements (Sc-Th-La and Ta-Nd-Cr) show that the island andesite has a composition intermediate between average upper continental crust and average oceanic crust. In contrast, the silt and, to a lesser extent, clay fractions of the silt mantles have compositions closer to average upper continental crust. The silt mantles have particle size distributions similar to loess and Mojave Desert dust, but are coarser than long-range-transported Asian dust. We infer from these observations that the silt mantles are derived from airborne dust from the North American mainland, probably river valleys in the coastal mountains of southern California and/or the Mojave Desert. Although average winds are from the northwest in coastal California, easterly winds occur numerous times of the year when "Santa Ana" conditions prevail, caused by a high-pressure cell centered over the Great Basin. Examination of satellite imagery shows that easterly Santa Ana winds carry abundant dust to the eastern Pacific Ocean and the California Channel Islands. Airborne dust from mainland North America may be an important component of the offshore sediment budget in the easternmost Pacific Ocean, a finding of potential biogeochemical and climatic significance.

  4. Treatment of radioactive silts and soils with organic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobolev, I.A.; Barinov, A.S.; Dmitriev, S.A.; Lifanov, F.A.; Varlakov, A.P.; Karlin, S.V.

    1997-01-01

    Moscow SIA RADON is developing the ''Clinker'' method to treat radioactive silts and grounds. The ''Clinker'' method consists of radioactive silt (ground) mixed with lime and other components. This mixture is calcined at 800 to 1000 o C. The product is ground to a surface area size of 2500 to 4500 cm 2 /g, mixed with water at a water-to-cement ratio not less than 0.25, and aged to form a solid monolith. The ''Clinker'' method was compared to the traditional cementation methods. The ''Clinker'' method reduces the final volume and enhance the strength characteristics of the final product. The ''Clinker'' cement compound has higher hardening rate. Preliminary data show that it has higher cold resistance, sulfate and leaching corrosion durability in comparison to one prepared by the traditional cementation method. The range of applicability of the ''Clinker'' method is increased by the possibility of treating materials containing up to 80% (mass) of organic materials, such as turf, flora and fauna decomposition products, and manmade material, including natural materials, such as petroleum products and polymers. In addition, the ''Clinker'' method does not require expensive waste binders, i.e., cement. The ''Clinker'' cement can be used for cementation of other radioactive waste. (author)

  5. A new and improved methodology for qualitative and quantitative mineralogical analysis of Boom Clay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeelmaekers, E.; Vandenberghe, N.; Honty, M.; De Craen, M.; Derkowski, A.; Van Geet, M.

    2010-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. A good knowledge of the mineralogy of any host formation studied for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, is a prerequisite for understanding the geochemical environment which will determine the migration and retention behaviour of radionuclides. In this respect, the Boom Clay mineralogical composition has been extensively studied last decades as reference host formation (e.g. ARCHIMEDEARGILE project, OECD-NEA clay catalogue report) with the aim to provide reliable data for a safety assessment. However, a comparison of the available literature data clearly showed a serious discrepancy among studies, not only in the quantitative, but also in the qualitative mineralogical composition of the Boom Clay (SAFIR II). The reason for such a huge disagreement could be related, among others, to variable grain size distributions of the studied samples (sample heterogeneity) and differences in the methodological approaches. In particular, the unambiguous characterisation of clay minerals and the quantification of mixed-layer phases appeared as an everlasting problem. This study is aimed at achieving a consensus on the qualitative and quantitative mineralogical data of the Boom Clay using the most advanced techniques currently available in the clay science. A new sampling campaign was performed in such a way that samples are (20 in total) more or less regularly distributed over Boom Clay Formation, ensuring that variations in the grain size distributions due to silty clay-clayey silt layers alternations are accounted for. The novel concept based on an analysis at two levels was applied: (1) bulk rock and (2) clay fraction analysis. (1) A bulk rock analysis consists of conventional XRD analysis with the identification of the principal mineral phases. As a next step, the bulk rock was mixed with a ZnO internal standard and experimental diffraction patterns of randomly oriented powders were analyzed using &apos

  6. In-situ remediation of TCE by ERD in clay tills. Feasibility and performance of full-scale application insights gained through an integrated investigative approach for 2 sites

    OpenAIRE

    Broholm, Mette Martina; Damgaard, Ida; Chambon, Julie Claire Claudia; Manoli, Gabriele; Pade, Dorte Moon; Christiansen, Camilla Maymann; Binning, Philip John; Westergaard, Claus; Tsitonaki, Aikaterini; Christophersen, Mette; Kerrn-Jespersen, Henriette; Bjerg, Poul Løgstrup

    2012-01-01

    Background/Objectives. Remediation of trichloroethene (TCE) in clay and other low permeabil-ity geologic media, where groundwater flow occurs preferentially in higher permeability sand lenses or fractures, is a significant challenge. At older sites, much of the contaminant mass is pre-sent as a sorbed phase in the matrix due to matrix diffusion. The principal challenge for in situ remediation in clay is to achieve effective contact between contaminant and bioremediation addi-tives (e.g., orga...

  7. Physico-chemistry and geochemistry of Balengou clay deposit (West Cameroon) with inference to an argillic hydrothermal alteration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tassongwa, Bernard; Eba, François; Njoya, Dayirou; Tchakounté, Jacqueline Numbem; Jeudong, Narcisse; Nkoumbou, Charles; Njopwouo, Daniel

    2017-09-01

    Field description and sampling along two pits, granulometry, Atterberg limits, mineralogical (XRD, FTIR, DSC & TGA) and geochemical analyses of the Balengou clays help to determine their characteristics and the genesis of the deposit. The mineralogical composition is comprised of halloysite-kaolinite, quartz, montmorillonite, hematite, anatase, feldspar, zircon, chromite, and apatite. Gibbsite and illite occur at the shallow and deep depth, respectively. Dikes of sand-poor clays contain also cristobalite and tridymite. Pairs of elements Rb-Ba, Rb-Sr, Nb-Ta, Ta-Zr, TiO2-Zr display good positive correlations (R2 > 0.85). REE patterns are highly fractionated (LaN up to 3312, LaN/YbN: 19-10) and are marked by deep Ce and Eu negative anomalies. Immobile element canonical ratios indicate that the protoliths were commendite/pantelerite, rhyolite and dacite, or their plutonic equivalents. Mineralogical and geochemical features lead to the suggestion that the clays derived from an advanced argillic hydrothermal alteration.

  8. Beberapa sifat fisika kimia tanah yang berpengaruh terhadap model kecepatan infiltrasi pada tegakan mahoni jabon dan trembesi di Kebun Raya Purwodadi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agung Sri Darmayanti

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The research was conducted at the Purwodadi Botanical Gardens in three areas covered by the dominant vegetation Mahoni(Swietenia macrophylla, Jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba and trembesi (Samanea saman in January to May 2012. The purpose of thisstudy was to obtain a model infi ltration rate (cm/h that was infl ued by physical and chemical properties of the soil that exist under thevegetation. Physical and chemicalparameters of soil chemical properties is observed macropore (%, organic matter (%, percentage ofthe fraction silt (%, sand(%, and clay(%, and bulk density (BD (g/cm3. The six factors are thought to differ indirectly because of thespecifi cation and morphology of the dominant plant species shelter. Data infi ltration was collected by using the ring infi ltrometer, whilemacroporosity tested with metylen blue method, the properties of the other physical chemical factortested by laboratory of Departmentof Soil, Brawijaya University. The model derived from the analysis of the regression equation using SPSS software version 17.0. Thestudy produced three different models of infi ltration rate on each plot different, they were Y = - 15,8 + 17,3 X1 - 1,09 X2 + 1,53 X3 +0,001 X4 - 21,3 X6 (Mahoni's plot;Y = - 108 + 53,0 X1 - 0,68 X2 + 5,27 X3 - 0,470 X4 + 59,7 X6 (Jabon's plot; Y = - 20,1 + 17,4X1 - 1,06 X2 + 1,57 X3 + 0,082 X4 - 21,6 X6 (Trembesi's plot. Y= Infi ltration rate (cm/h, X1= macropore (%, X2= organic matter(%, percentage of the fraction silt (% (X3, sand (% (X4, and X6= bulk density (g/cm3. In the equation not found factor X5 (clayfraction helped form a model because of multicollinearity analysis obtained by assuming that the clay fraction still contains a linearrelationship (correlated with other variables.

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

    KAUST Repository

    Farid, Asam M.

    2014-07-10

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

  10. Comparaison de diverses méthodes de dosage des argiles d'un sable de gisement. Dosage des argiles Comparison of Different Methods of Determining Clays in a Reservoir Sand. Quantitative Analysis of Clays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yvon J.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available Les argiles d'un sable de gisement, concentrées dans la fraction de diamètre Phi Oil, gas and geothermal reservoirs all contain clayey fractions no matter how small they may be. This has been blamed whenever operating or producing problems arise. It may be revealed by phenomena of mechanical resistance, permeability or interfacial properties (ion exchange, adsorption, etc. . Tests to understand such phenomena then go via the quantitative mineralogical analysis of the clays present. This analysis must also be looked at in terms of methods. It is subjected to constraints of cost, instrumentation, competence or deadlines. This article proposes:(a A so-called conventional route (Dejou et al, 1977 based on chemical and weighted analyses. (b An overall assessment method of the clay phase by difference (determination of two nonclay species. (c A method based on the statistical processing of microanalytic data obtained by an electronic microprobe. The material examined was a quartzose arenite made up mainly of quartz, jarosite, orthoclase, plagioclases, calcite, dolomite, muscovite, kaolinite, illite, montmorillonite, interstratified illite-montmorillionite, iron oxyhydroxides and accessory minerals such as rutile, zircon, garnet, tourmaline and hydroxylapatite. The arenite was subjected to an ultrasonic treatment (Letelier, 1986 to recover pellicular or weakly cemented clays. After this treatment, all the free clays were found in the < 40 m fraction which were used for the measurements. The so-called conventionalmethod is based on the associating of multiple techniques that are normally used for analyzing clays. They include X-ray diffraction, TDA, TGA, selective dissolution, CEC, adsorption of various reagents and gravimetric separations. They have been reviewed by Dejou et al (1977. The results they give depend on the grain size, chrystallochemistry, presence of amorphous elements and especially the typical chemical compositions assigned to the

  11. Sorption of activation products on London clay and Dungeness aquifer gravel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baston, G.M.N.; Berry, J.A.; Littleboy, A.K.; Pilkington, N.J.

    1992-01-01

    The sortpion of a series of activation-product radionuclides onto London clay and Dungeness aquifer gravel from the nuclear reactor sites at Bradwell and Dungeness, has been examined. Batch sorption and through-diffusion experiments with clay determined chlorine as the chloride ion to be effectively non-sorbing; calcium to be weakly sorbing, whereas cobalt, nickel, niobium and samarium were moderately to strongly sorbing and silver was strongly sorbing. Distribution ratios (R D values) for Nb, Sm and Ag were found to have a strong dependence on the liquid-solid separation technique employed. The presence of high concentrations of calcium hydroxide led to lower values of R D for radioactive Ca but higher R D values for Sm and Ag. The sorption of Ni showed no apparent dependence on groundwater composition at low levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The values of R D for Co decreased as the DOC content was increased by addition of humic materials. Batch sorption studies with aquifer gravel demonstrated that Ca is weakly sorbing whereas Nb, Ag and Eu are moderately to strongly sorbing. R D values for Ca and for Ag under neutral pH conditions show little sensitivity to the liquid/solid separation technique used. However, R D values for Nb and Eu under neutral pH conditions and for Ag in alkaline solution (pH = 11 - 12) show a marked effect. The aquifer gravel was found to be highly inhomogeneous unlike the clay and sorption was greatest on samples with a high proportion of sand, reflecting the clay mineral content. (orig.)

  12. Investigation of Water Holding Capacity of Sugarcane Mulch for Sand Dune Stabilization in Ahvaz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Jamili

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Wind erosion is one of the most serious problems in southwest Iran. Fine-grained structure of sand dunes with not enough strong composition and their low moisture retention property make them susceptible to wind erosion. They lack organic matter and are considered inherently of low fertility (Ahmadi, 2002. Studies have shown that non-erodible materials which include bentonite clay (Diouf et al., 1990, ureamelamine formaldehyde and urea–formaldehyde with 0.25% sodium chloride (Lahalih and Ahmed, 1998, acids, enzymes, lignosulfonates, polymers, tree resins (Santoni et al., 2001, waterborne polymer emulsion (Al-Khanbashi and Abdalla, 2006, polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl acetate emulsion (Newman et al., 2005; Han et al., 2007, ash and polyacrylamide (Yang and Zejun, 2012.have significant potential in reducing wind erosion The area under farming of sugarcane in Khuzestan, Iran, is more than 130,000, ha. Vinasse and Filter Kike are two organic ingredients of sugarcane residues which are generated as byproduct materials insugarcane processing. In recent years these residues have been released into the environment and cause it regarded as water pollutant. Over 800,000 m3 of Vinasse is annually stored in each agro-industry. Vinasse also is rich in K, Ca, and Mg with moderate amounts of P and N,and non toxic complexes or heavy metals. Filter Kike is another residue produced in huge amounts by the agro-industry that is composed of cellulosic substances, CaCO3, N, P, K, organic matter, and clay. Therefore, the objective of this research is to investigate the effect of sugarcane mulch on water holding capacity in soil. This study is performed to evaluate the feasibility of using sugarcane residues inproduce of ecofriendly mulches for environmental use. In order of achieving these goals, Vinase, Filter Cake, and clay soil from near the sand dunes were used as sugarcane mulches. Further comparison between traditional oil mulches and

  13. Quality-assured evaluation of effective porosity using fit-for-purpose estimates of clay-mineral volume fraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worthington, Paul F.

    2010-05-01

    Reservoirs that contain dispersed clay minerals traditionally have been evaluated petrophysically using either the effective or the total porosity system. The major weakness of the former is its reliance on "shale" volume fraction ( Vsh) as a clay-mineral indicator in the determination of effective porosity from well logs. Downhole clay-mineral indicators have usually delivered overestimates of fractional clay-mineral volume ( Vcm) because they use as a reference nearby shale beds that are often assumed to comprise clay minerals exclusively, whereas those beds also include quartzitic silts and other detritus. For this reason, effective porosity is often underestimated significantly, and this shortfall transmits to computed hydrocarbons in place and thence to estimates of ultimate recovery. The problem is overcome here by using, as proxy groundtruths, core porosities that have been upscaled to match the spatial resolutions of porosity logs. Matrix and fluid properties are established over clean intervals in the usual way. Log-derived values of Vsh are tuned so that, on average, the resulting log-derived porosities match the corresponding core porosities over an evaluation interval. In this way, Vsh is rendered fit for purpose as an indicator of clay-mineral content Vcm for purposes of evaluating effective porosity. The method is conditioned to deliver a value of effective porosity that shows overall agreement with core porosity to within the limits of uncertainty of the laboratory measurements. This is achieved through function-, reservoir- and tool-specific Vsh reduction factors that can be applied to downhole estimates of clay-mineral content over uncored intervals of similar reservoir character. As expected, the reduction factors can also vary for different measurement conditions. The reduction factors lie in the range of 0.29-0.80, which means that in its raw form, log-derived Vsh can overestimate the clay-mineral content by more than a factor of three. This

  14. Clay Houses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedro, Cathy

    2011-01-01

    In this article, the author describes a project designed for fourth-graders that involves making clay relief sculptures of houses. Knowing the clay houses will become a family heirloom makes this lesson even more worth the time. It takes three classes to plan and form the clay, and another two to underglaze and glaze the final products.

  15. Effect of Soil Use and Coverage on the Spectral Response of an Oxisol in the VIS-NIR-MIR Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier M. Martín-López

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the spectral responses obtained from a Typic Red Hapludox (oxisol were analyzed under different uses and occupations: Ficus elastica cultivation, Citrus + Arachis association cultivation, transitional crops, forest, Mangifera indica, Anacardium occidentale, Elaeis guineensis (18 years, Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria brizantha, and Musa × paradisiaca + Zea mays at the La Libertad Research Center in the department of Meta in Colombia (4°04′ North latitude, 73°30′ West longitude, 330 MAMSL. Sampling was performed with four random replicates of the horizon A and B to determine the contents of organic carbon (CO, pH, exchangeable acidity (Ac. I, cation exchange capacity (Cc, P, Ca, Mg, K, Na, sand, lime, and clay and spectral responses were obtained in the visible band (VIS, near infrared (NIR, and infrared (MIR for each sample under laboratory conditions. A comparison was made between the obtained spectra, determining the main changes in soil properties due to their use and coverage. Variation of soil characteristics such as color, organic carbon content, presence of ferrous compounds, sand, silt, and clay content and mineralogy allow the identification of the main spectral changes of soils, demonstrating the importance of the use of reflectance spectroscopy as a tool of comparison and estimation between physical-chemical properties of the soils.

  16. Stabilization of the bank upstream on the north shore of the La Grande-1 installation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massiera, M.

    1998-01-01

    As part of the completion of the La Grande-1 project, construction of a 2,444 m long dyke was required on the north bank of the La Grande River. Sensitive marine clay, covered with deltaic and river sand and silt deposits was discovered which required special design features such as stabilization of the river bank, to avoid the possibility of disastrous retrogressive slides. This paper describes the geotechnical conditions of the northern terrace and the options available for stabilizing the river bank. Different phases of the construction of the stabilization dyke, including the excavated trench across the terrace, the instrumentation installed and the control measures taken, are also outlined. 8 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs

  17. Multi-point injection demonstration for solidification of shallow buried waste at Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-10-01

    The multi-point injection (MPI) technology is a precision, high-velocity jetting process for the in situ delivery of various agents to treat radiological and/or chemical wastes. A wide variety of waste forms can be treated, varying from heterogeneous waste dumped into shallow burial trenches to contaminated soils consisting of sands/gravels, silts/clays and soft rock. The robustness of the MPI system is linked to its broad range of applications which vary from in situ waste treatment to creation of both vertical and horizontal barriers. The only major constraint on the type of in situ treatment which can be delivered by the NTI system is that agents must be in a slurry form

  18. Overview of the evolution of clay mineralogy in the Gulf of Mexico: implications for regional climate and drainage history of the Mississippi and Brazos-Trinity Rivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adatte, T.; John, C. M.; Flemings, P. B.; Behrmann, J.

    2005-12-01

    In this paper we present the overview and preliminary results of the analysis of clay minerals in two mini basins drilled during IODP Expedition 308. The goal of our project is to explore the vertical and temporal trends in clay mineralogy in the Ursa Basin and the Brazos-Trinity basin #4. The Brazos-Trinity basin was the sink for sands and clays carried by the Brazos and Trinity Rivers, while the Ursa basin was the sink for sediments carried by the Mississippi river. Reconstructing clay minerals (phyllosilicates turbidity current deposition (controlled mainly by sea-level changes and thus glacio-eustasy). Finally, a major focusing point of Expedition 308 was sediment physical properties in an overpressured basin. Because each clay mineral specie has a specific average grain sizes, physical properties and cation exchange capacity, the clay mineral composition of the sediment investigated here (dominated by clay-sized particles) may partly control how these sediments react to changes in pressure and temperature. Thus, clay mineral data could contribute to our understanding of the physical properties of the sediments in overpressured basins, and collaborations with geotechnical scientist are planned.

  19. Predicting Soil-Water Characteristics from Volumetric Contents of Pore-Size Analogue Particle Fractions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Møldrup, Per; Tuller, Markus

    *-model) for the SWC, derived from readily available soil properties such as texture and bulk density. A total of 46 soils from different horizons at 15 locations across Denmark were used for models evaluation. The Xw-model predicts the volumetric water content as a function of volumetric fines content (organic matter...... and clay). It performed reasonably well for the dry-end (above a pF value of 2.0; pF = log(|Ψ|), where Ψ is the matric potential in cm), but did not do as well closer to saturated conditions. The Xw*-model gives the volumetric water content as a function of volumetric content of particle size fractions...... (organic matter, clay, silt, fine and coarse sand), variably included in the model depending on the pF value. The volumetric content of a particular soil particle size fraction was included in the model if it was assumed to contribute to the pore size fraction still occupied with water at the given p...

  20. The Study of Abundance of Soil Minerals on Micro Toposequen of Karst Gunungsewu Pegunungan Selatan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djoko Mulyanto

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Landform of Gunungsewu karst topography dominated by positive forms consists of hills and negative forms of dolines. On the micro toposequen of karst, most of dolines dominated by red soils which hue 2.5 YR – 5 YR, whereas on hills by soils which hue 5 YR – 7.5 YR. The aim of research was to study of soil minerals status on karst micro toposequent. Results showed that soil minerals of sand fraction on dolines dominated by quartz, opaque, and iron concretion, whereas on hills dominated by labradorite, and mafic minerals. Clay minerals on doline dominated by kaolinite whereas on hills by halloysite. The high concentration of kaolinite, quartz, opaque and iron concretions of soils on dolines appropriate with degree of soil weathering which in a line with decreasing of soil pH, silt/ clay ratio, and hue of soils on dolines redder than hue of soils on hills. The origin of soil parent material suggested come from volcanic materials.

  1. Complexities within distal sheet turbidite deposits: case study 160,000ka Icod Turbidite, Moroccan Turbidite System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, James; Wynn, Russell

    2010-05-01

    coarse silt or (2) removal of previously deposited silt by erosion of a post-depositional mudflow associated with mudcap remobilisation. Further to the stacked subunit facies and grain-size breaks, there are additional complexities to the deposit. An omission of a typical Bouma Ta facies is observed, replaced with a thick well-developed banded Bouma Tb, representing density sorting and flow fractionation of dense basaltic clasts and >100μm foraminifera. Above developing ripple laminations associated with Bouma Tc development is a 0.2-0.5m thick convolute laminated sand. This convoluted sand represents increasing shear stress across developing ripples. Grain-size analysis and ITRAX x-radiographs highlighted an additional process within the mudcaps of the Icod turbidite within the Agadir Basin. The mudcap thickens towards the base of incline from the Agadir Basin to the Selvage Islands. Within the cores with an over-thickened mudcap, the mudcap contained silt contortions. X-radiographs using ITRAX further displayed these contorted silts in the mudcaps. Grain-size analysis was used to confirm the presence of silt and poor sorting through the regions of contortions. These contorted muds have a debritic fabric, and could represent post-depositional remobilisation of the accumulative suspended clay fraction as a mudflow, as it was settling on a gradient and destabilising. This presentation will show the complexities present in even distal sheet turbidites, and that detailed multidisciplinary studies are required to unravel the mechanisms at work during their deposition. Pearce, T.J., & Jarvis I. 1992. Composition and provenance of turbidite sands: Late Quaternary, Madeira Abyssal Plain. Rothwell, R.G., Pearce, I., & Weaver, P.P.E. 1992. Late Quaternary evolution of the Madeira Abyssal Plain, Canary Basin, NE Atlantic. Basin Research, vol.4, no.2, p.103-131. Watts, A.B., & Masson, D.G. 1995. A giant landslide on the north flank of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Journal of

  2. The systems containing clays and clay minerals from modified drug release: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Luís Alberto de Sousa; Figueiras, Ana; Veiga, Francisco; de Freitas, Rivelilson Mendes; Nunes, Lívio César Cunha; da Silva Filho, Edson Cavalcanti; da Silva Leite, Cleide Maria

    2013-03-01

    Clays are materials commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry, either as ingredients or as active ingredients. It was observed that when they are administered concurrently, they may interact with drugs reducing their absorption. Therefore, such interactions can be used to achieve technological and biopharmaceutical advantages, regarding the control of release. This review summarizes bibliographic (articles) and technological (patents) information on the use of systems containing clays and clay minerals in modified drug delivery. In this area, formulations such natural clay, commercial clay, synthetic clay, composites clay-polymers, nanocomposites clay-polymers, films and hidrogels composites clay-polymers are used to slow/extend or vectorize the release of drugs and consequently they increase their bioavailability. Finally, this review summarizes the fields of technology and biopharmaceutical applications, where clays are applied. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Mineralogical variation in the size fractions of a Ranong kaolin, southern Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pisutha-Arnond, Visut; Phuvichit, Suraphol; Leepowpanth, Quanchai

    A representative crude Ranong kaolin from the Thungkla-Ranong mine was separated into > 2 mm (granule), 2-1 mm (very coarse sand), 1-0.5 mm (coarse sand), 0.5-0.25 mm (medium sand), 0.25-0.125 mm (fine sand), 0.125-0.062 mm (very fine sand) and 62-28, 28-14, 17-7, 7-4, 4-2, 2-1 and dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). Kaolin group minerals were differentiated by using XRD in combination with various chemical and heat treatments together with TEM, SEM and DTA. The Ranong kaolin consists predominantly of tubular halloysite, poorly crystallized kaolinite and quartz with minor amounts of mica and K-feldspars. Other trace constituents include gibbsite, tourmaline, zircon and colored impurities (i.e. extractable iron hydroxide coating on clay mineral surface). The kaolin minerals are found in all size fractions by which their contents and halloysite/kaolinite ratios increase as the particle sizes become finer. Quartz and mica are also detected in almost all size fractions. They are, however, more abundant with coarsening particle size. Gibbsite, K-feldspar and tourmaline are mainly concentrated in the fine sand to silt size fractions. Crystallinity of kaolin minerals as measured by XRD varied moderately with size. Relatively pure kaolin minerals, predominantly halloysite and kaolinite, can be obtained in the particle size below 1 or 2 μm.

  4. Transient electromagnetic soundings in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, near the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge (field seasons 2007, 2009, and 2011)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitterman, David V.

    2017-06-13

    Transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings were made in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, to map the location of a blue clay unit as well as to investigate the presence of suspected faults. A total of 147 soundings were made near and in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and an additional 6 soundings were made near Hansen Bluff on the eastern edge of the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge. The blue clay is a significant hydrologic feature in the area that separates an unconfined surface aquifer from a deeper confined aquifer. Knowledge of its location is important to regional hydrological models. Previous analysis of well logs has shown that the blue clay has a resistivity of 10 ohm-meters or less, which is in contrast to the higher resistivity of sand, gravel, and other clay units found in the area, making it a very good target for TEM soundings. The top of the blue clay was found to have considerable relief, suggesting the possibility of deformation of the clay during or after deposition. Because of rift activity, deformation is to be expected. Of the TEM profiles made across faults identified by aeromagnetic data, some showed resistivity variations and (or) subsurface elevation relief of resistivity units, suggestive of faulting. Such patterns were not associated with all suspected faults. The Hansen Bluff profile showed variations in resistivity and depth to conductor that coincide with a scarp between the highlands to the east and the floodplain of the Rio Grande to the west.

  5. Environmental Impacts of Sand Exploitation. Analysis of Sand Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Dan Gavriletea

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Sand is an indispensable natural resource for any society. Despite society’s increasing dependence on sand, there are major challenges that this industry needs to deal with: limited sand resources, illegal mining, and environmental impact of sand mining. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to present an overview of the sand market, highlighting the main trends and actors for production, export and import, and to review the main environmental impacts associated with sand exploitation process. Based on these findings, we recommend different measures to be followed to reduce negative impacts. Sand mining should be done in a way that limits environmental damage during exploitation and restores the land after mining operations are completed.

  6. Sorption and migration of 137Cs attached to organic materials of tea in silty clay soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuecel, H.; Oezmen, A.

    1996-01-01

    The effect of the organic material of tea on the adsorption behavior of 137 Cs on the silty clay soil has been examined by batch experiments, using 137 Cs extracted tea contaminated by the Chernobyl accident, with water. The variation of K d values was studied as a function of contact time and a volume-solid ratio (V/m). The equilibrium time of 137 Cs extracted from the tea is slower by 9 times than that of 137 Cs + ions for the silty clay soil. The V/m ratio did not affect the 137 Cs adsorption strongly. The sorption of 137 Cs extracted form the tea in terms of the distribution coefficient K d is higher (a factor of 2.5) than that of 137 Cs + ions. This result indicates that 137 Cs-complexes with organic materials of tea are much sorbed than 137 C + ions on the silty clay soil. The migration of 137 Cs extracted from the tea in the silty clay soil has been studied under a steady flow of tea-extract by using a soil zone apparatus. The 137 Cs concentrations contained in both effluent fractions and in soil samples were measured using a HPGe detector. The distribution patterns of 137 Cs in the layers of the soil zone were obtained as one- and two-dimensional. The migration of 137 Cs extracted from the tea in soil is mainly influenced by flow. The results indicate that the migration of 137 Cs-complexes with organic materials and 137 Cs adsorbed fine silts cannot be described by such a K d based on ion-exchange reactions, but it is important to consider the moving mechanism of particulates besides ion-exchange reactions. (Author)

  7. Proglacial Groundwater Flux and Storage in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavez, D.; McKenzie, J. M.; Baraer, M.; Mark, B. G.

    2012-12-01

    As tropical glaciers continue to rapidly retreat in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, dry-season water resources are becoming more dependent on groundwater baseflow. Therefore, understanding the flux and storage of proglacial groundwater is necessary to forecast how groundwater storage can offset decreasing water resources. Recent studies of the Rio Santa Watershed, which drains the western slopes of the Cordillera Blanca, have identified that groundwater is the largest contributor to outflow from many watersheds during the dry season and that the flux of groundwater is temporarily available (clay to silt sized glaciolacustrine material at each drill site. This layer was typically less than 5 m in thickness and had a low hydraulic conductivity (clay layer were water bearing units of course material (either well-sorted sand/gravel or talus deposits) with an average hydraulic conductivity of 10-5 m/s. Additionally numerous discontinuous sand lenses and localized glaciofluvial gravel deposits were observed within the clay layer. The glaciolacustrine deposits behave as confining units that were capable of generating localized artesian conditions in the coarse grain units. The occurrence of the clay units adjacent to the main stream channels suggests that the flatness of the valley floors is not the result of river meander. The coarse grained units have the potential to act as important aquifers with significant groundwater storage and flow. Our preliminary findings indicate that the course grained units are important hydrogeological conduits with the ability to buffer low flow conditions in proglacial streams during the dry season. We present a new schematic model of how groundwater moves through these important proglacial environments, providing temporal storage of glacial meltwater and precipitation.

  8. Interaction between clay-based shaft seal components and crystalline host rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Priyanto, D.; Dixon, D.; Man, A.

    2010-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. The Government of Canada has accepted the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's (NWMO) recommendation of Adaptive Phased Management (APM) as the long-term management approach for Canada's used nuclear fuel. APM ultimately involves the isolation and containment of used nuclear fuel deep in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR). On completion of waste emplacement operation and during repository closure, shaft seals, comprising clay-based shaft seal components, will be installed at strategic locations, such as where significant fracture zones (FZs) are located. The primary function of a shaft seal is to limit and prevent short-circuiting of the groundwater flow regime via the shaft. Currently, at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Underground Research Laboratory (URL) a full-scale shaft seal is being constructed at the intersection of a low dipping thrust fault called FZ 2 as part of the overall URL decommissioning activities. Both crystalline rock and sedimentary rock are considered potentially suitable host rocks formations for a DGR. This paper presents the results of numerical simulation of a shaft seal installed in moderately to sparsely fractured crystalline rock (MFR). The shape and thickness of the shaft seal modelled for a DGR in this exercise are similar to the shaft seal at the URL, but in the modelling exercise it is given a larger diameter (i.e. 7.30 m) equal to the assumed diameter of a production shaft of a repository. The seal consists of a blended bentonite-sand (BS) component that is constrained between two massive concrete seals. Dense backfill (DBF) materials are installed above and below the concrete seals (CS). The concrete seals are keyed into the access shaft to better anchor the concrete units in place and in order to restrain the swelling of the bentonite-sand component of the seal as it hydrates. The reference geosphere in the proposed work is MFR similar to the rock conditions

  9. Oil sands mine pit wall design and performance at Syncrude

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cameron, R.; Danku, M; Purhar, G. [Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, AB (Canada)

    2008-07-01

    This study conducted slope stability analyses in order to compare pit performance at an oil sands mine with results from computerized simulations using conventionally known soil parameters. Ranges included fully-drained to fully-saturated piezometric conditions; full-peak strength conditions; fully-softened peak conditions; residual shear strength conditions; and undrained shear strength considerations. Pit wall designs were reviewed and a history of marine clay layers at the mine was presented. Assumed overburden fall-down limits were considered. Shovel overburden slope angles were calculated. An analysis of the review suggested that steeper pit walls provide less room for error and have a higher rate of failures. Incised pleistocene channels, joint and fracture areas as well as higher piezometric level areas also impacted on slope performance. Failed areas influenced ore volumes and led to productivity reductions below 50 per cent. It was concluded that the overburden portions of the oil sands mine ranged between 4H:1V to 5H:1V due to haul roads and the timing of top-bench pushbacks. Future plans for the mine must consider ore inventories, haul road requirements; running surface requirements; and ramping accesses. Future slopes at the oil sands mine will be buttressed with overburden and tailings storage areas, while longer-term slopes will be flattened. 6 refs., 2 tabs., 11 figs.

  10. Rheology and zeta potential of cement pastes containing calcined silt and ground granulated blast-furnace slag

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Safi, B.

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to analyse the re-use of dam silt as a supplementary binder for self-compacting concrete (SCC. When burnt, silt becomes more reactive because the kaolin it contains is converted into metakaolin. Portland cement, calcined or burnt silt and ground granulated blast furnace slag were used in this research. Cement pastes were prepared with blends containing two or three of these materials. The replacement ratio for burnt silt in both cases was 10 % and 20 % by cement weight and the ratio for the slag was a constant 30 % by weight of the blend. Rheological and zeta potential tests were conducted to evaluate paste electrokinetics and rheological behaviour. The findings showed that burnt silt is apt for use as an addition to cement for SCC manufacture.

    En el presente trabajo se ha analizado la posibilidad de utilizar los lodos procedentes de embalses como adición en la fabricación del hormigón autocompactante (HAC. Con la calcinación, estos materiales se vuelven más reactivos debido a la transformación en metacaolín, del caolín que forma parte de su composición. Las materias primas empleadas en esta investigación son: cemento Pórtland, lodos de embalse calcinados y escorias granuladas de horno alto. Se prepararon pastas de cemento con mezclas que contenían dos o tres de estos materiales. El porcentaje de reemplazo de los lodos calcinados osciló entre el 10 y el 20 % en peso del cemento, mientras que el de la escoria fue del 30 % en peso de la mezcla. Se llevaron a cabo ensayos reológicos y de potencial zeta para evaluar el comportamiento electrocinético y reológico de las distintas pastas. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, una vez calcinados, los lodos de embalse son aprovechables como adición al cemento con destino a la preparación de HAC.

  11. Modelling of the thermomechanical behaviour of saturated clays: application to the radioactive wastes disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahbaoui, A.

    1995-01-01

    During the waste disposal of containers, the clay barriers of backfill and the confining medium, which is essentially composed of clay, are submitted to heavy thermal stresses which induce volume change and can result in material failure. The clay, composed of solid skeleton, adsorbed water, and free water, is submitted to physico-chemical interactions which influence its thermomechanical behaviour, itself quits different from granular media such as sand. The principal factor responsible for this response is the effect of temperature on the clays water. Thus, the loss of special structure of adsorbed water and the increase in thickness of the diffused double-layer provoke microstructural rearrangement mechanisms of particles. Those mechanisms are strongly correlated with the mechanical state of material. When it is highly over-consolidated, an irreversible swelling occurs during thermal cycle, accompanied by a breaking up of the particles and a permanent expansion of meso-pores. The greater the OCR, the more important the thermal swelling. When the material is normally consolidated, the particles settle during heating under the external stress, which results in a denser rearrangement of the material. With a slight over-consolidated material, all the intermediate stages between the above mechanisms can be reached. However, cooling produces only a weak reversible compression characterising the thermal contraction of the components. Those microscopic phenomena have been used to elaborate a macroscopic thermomechanical model based on the Cam-Clay and the Hujeux Models. The model formulation includes a thermal softening, on one hand, by the reduction of the mechanical yield surface f c and the translation of the thermal yield surface f T (PTL), and, on the other hand, an irreversible thermal expansive volumetric strain. This approach of the problem was tested along various thermomechanical paths and especially on the laboratory tests, on the expansive and non expansive

  12. Geochemical of clay formations : study of Spanish clay REFERENCE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turrero, M. J.; Pena, J.

    2003-01-01

    Clay rocks are investigated in different international research programs in order to assess its feasibility for the disposal of high level radioactive wastes. This is because different sepcific aspects: they have low hydraulic conductivity (10''-11-10''-15 m/s), a high sorption capacity, self-sealing capacity of facults and discontinuities and mechanical resistance. Several research programs on clay formations are aimed to study the chemistry of the groundwater and the water-rock reactions that control it: e. g. Boom Clay (Mol, Belgium), Oxford Clay /Harwell, United Kingdom), Toarcian Clay (Tournemire, France), Palfris formation (Wellenberg, Switzerland), Opalinus Clay (Bure, France). Based on these studies, considerable progress in the development of techniques for hydrologic, geochemical and hydrogeochemical characterization of mudstones has been accomplished (e. g. Beaufais et al. 1994, De Windt el al. 1998. Thury and Bossart 1999, Sacchi and Michelot 2000) with important advances in the knowledge of geochemical process in these materials (e. g. Reeder et al. 1993, Baeyens and Brandbury 1994, Beaucaire et al. 2000, Pearson et al., 2003).Furtermore, geochemical modeling is commonly used to simulate the evolution of water chemistry and to understand quantitatively the processes controlling the groundwater chemistry (e. g. Pearson et al. 1998, Tempel and Harrison 2000, Arcos et al., 2001). The work presented here is part of a research program funded by Enresa in the context of its R and D program. It is focused on the characterization of a clay formation (reference Argillaceous Formation, RAF) located within the Duero Basin (north-centralSpain). The characterisation of th ephysical properties,, fluid composition, mineralogy, water-rock reaction processes, geochemical modelling and sorption properties of the clays from the mentioned wells is the main purpose of this work. (Author)

  13. Sorption of activation products on London clay and Dungeness aquifer gravel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baston, G.M.N.; Berry, J.A.; Littleboy, A.K.; Pilkington, N.J. (AEA Decommissioning and Radwaste, Harwell Lab. (United Kingdom))

    1992-01-01

    The sortpion of a series of activation-product radionuclides onto London clay and Dungeness aquifer gravel from the nuclear reactor sites at Bradwell and Dungeness, has been examined. Batch sorption and through-diffusion experiments with clay determined chlorine as the chloride ion to be effectively non-sorbing; calcium to be weakly sorbing, whereas cobalt, nickel, niobium and samarium were moderately to strongly sorbing and silver was strongly sorbing. Distribution ratios (R[sub D] values) for Nb, Sm and Ag were found to have a strong dependence on the liquid-solid separation technique employed. The presence of high concentrations of calcium hydroxide led to lower values of R[sub D] for radioactive Ca but higher R[sub D] values for Sm and Ag. The sorption of Ni showed no apparent dependence on groundwater composition at low levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The values of R[sub D] for Co decreased as the DOC content was increased by addition of humic materials. Batch sorption studies with aquifer gravel demonstrated that Ca is weakly sorbing whereas Nb, Ag and Eu are moderately to strongly sorbing. R[sub D] values for Ca and for Ag under neutral pH conditions show little sensitivity to the liquid/solid separation technique used. However, R[sub D] values for Nb and Eu under neutral pH conditions and for Ag in alkaline solution (pH = 11 - 12) show a marked effect. The aquifer gravel was found to be highly inhomogeneous unlike the clay and sorption was greatest on samples with a high proportion of sand, reflecting the clay mineral content. (orig.).

  14. Thermal conductivity tests on buffermasses of bentonite/silt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knutsson, S.

    1977-09-01

    The investigation concerns the thermal conductivity of the bentonite/quartz buffer mass suggested as embedding substance for radioactive canisters. The first part presents the theoretical relationships associated with the various heat transfer mechanisms in moist granular materials. Chapter 3 describes the author's experimental determination of the thermal conductivity of the buffer mass. The tested mass consisted of 10 percent (by weight) bentonite and 90 percent natural silt. Four tests were made with different water content values and degree of water saturation. A comparison between the measured and calculated thermal conductivities is given. It is shown that the conductivity can be calculated with an accuracy of +-20 percent. (author)

  15. Simulation of Sediment and Cesium Transport in the Ukedo River and the Ogi Dam Reservoir during a Rainfall Event using the TODAM Code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Onishi, Yasuo; Yokuda, Satoru T.; Kurikami, Hiroshi

    2014-03-28

    The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011 caused widespread environmental contamination. Although decontamination activities have been performed in residential areas of the Fukushima area, decontamination of forests, rivers, and reservoirs is still controversial because of the economical, ecological, and technical difficulties. Thus, an evaluation of contaminant transport in such an environment is important for safety assessment and for implementation of possible countermeasures to reduce radiation exposure to the public. The investigation revealed that heavy rainfall events play a significant role in transporting radioactive cesium deposited on the land surface, via soil erosion and sediment transport in rivers. Therefore, we simulated the sediment and cesium transport in the Ukedo River and its tributaries in Fukushima Prefecture, including the Ogaki Dam Reservoir, and the Ogi Dam Reservoir of the Oginosawa River in Fukushima Prefecture during and after a heavy rainfall event by using the TODAM (Time-dependent, One-dimensional Degradation And Migration) code. The main outcomes are the following: • Suspended sand is mostly deposited on the river bottom. Suspended silt and clay, on the other hand, are hardly deposited in the Ukedo River and its tributaries except in the Ogaki Dam Reservoir in the Ukedo River even in low river discharge conditions. • Cesium migrates mainly during high river discharge periods during heavy rainfall events. Silt and clay play more important roles in cesium transport to the sea than sand does. • The simulation results explain variations in the field data on cesium distributions in the river. Additional field data currently being collected and further modeling with these data may shed more light on the cesium distribution variations. • Effects of 40-hour heavy rainfall events on clay and cesium transport continue for more than a month. This is because these reservoirs slow down the storm-induced high

  16. CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW HIGHWAY EMBANKMENT ON THE SOFT CLAY SOIL TREATMENT BY STONE COLUMNS IN MALAYSIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    QASIM A. ALJANABI

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available To continue of the second phase of the East Coast Expressway between Kuantan and Kula Terengganu in Malaysia system innovative solution are required. In this new phase there are embankment region has been subjected to extensive soft clay soil. These comprise typically of clayey silts of very high water content and undrained shear strengths in the range of 8 to 11 kPa to depths of up to 8m. To support an embankment height of up to 12 m, were filled and thereafter Vibro Replacement treatment was carried out to treat the very soft soil. Extensive instrumentation using rod settlement gauges, inclinometers and piezometers were installed to monitor the performance of the Vibro Replacement treatment. This paper reports on aspects of design, installation and the measured results from the instrumentation scheme.

  17. Application of micron X-ray CT based on micro-PIXE to investigate the distribution of Cs in silt particles for environmental remediation in Fukushima Prefecture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ishii, Keizo, E-mail: keizo.ishii@qse.tohoku.ac.jp [Research Center for Remediation Engineering of Environments Contaminated with Radioisotopes, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Hatakeyama, Taisuke; Itoh, Shin; Sata, Daichi [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Ohnuma, Tohru; Yamaguchi, Toshiro; Arai, Hiromu; Arai, Hirotsugu [Research Center for Remediation Engineering of Environments Contaminated with Radioisotopes, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Matsuyama, Shigeo; Terakawa, Atsuki; Kim, Seong-Yun [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

    2016-03-15

    We used X-ray computed tomography (CT) using characteristic X-rays produced in micro-particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to investigate the internal structure of silt particles and develop new methods to decontaminate soil containing radioactive cesium. We obtained 3D attenuation coefficient images of silt particles with a diameter of approximately 100 μm for V K and Cr K X-rays. Owing to the absorption edges of the Cs L-shell, the differences between the V K and Cr K X-ray images revealed the spatial distribution of Cs atoms in the silt particles. Cs atoms were distributed over the surfaces of the silt particles to a thickness of approximately 10 μm. This information is useful for the decontamination of silt contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

  18. Production of high quality water for oil sands application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beaudette-Hodsman, C.; Macleod, B. [Pall Corp., Mississauga, ON (Canada); Venkatadri, R. [Pall Corp., East Hills, NY (United States)

    2008-10-15

    This paper described a pressurized microfiltration membrane system installed at an oil sands extraction site in Alberta. The system was designed to complement a reverse osmosis (RO) system installed at the site to produce the high quality feed water required by the system's boilers. Groundwater in the region exhibited moderate total suspended solids and high alkalinity and hardness levels, and the RO system required feed water with a silt density index of 3 or less. The conventional pretreatment system used at the site was slowing down production due to the severe fouling of the RO membranes. The new microfiltration system contained an automated PVDF hollow fiber microfiltration membrane system contained in a trailer. Suspended particles and bacteria were captured within the filter, and permeate was sent to the RO unit. Within 6 hours of being installed, the unit was producing water with SDI values in the range of 1.0 to 2.5. It was concluded that the microfiltration system performed reliably regardless of wide variations in feed water quality and flow rates. 3 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs.

  19. Re-Evaluating the Geological Evidence for Late Holocene Marine Incursion Events along the Guerrero Seismic Gap on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas A Bianchette

    Full Text Available Despite the large number of tsunamis that impact Mexico's Pacific coast, stratigraphic studies focusing on geological impacts are scanty, making it difficult to assess the long-term risks for this vulnerable region. Surface samples and six cores were taken from Laguna Mitla near Acapulco to examine sedimentological and geochemical evidence for marine incursion events. Sediment cores collected from behind the beach barrier are dominated by intercalated layers of peat and inorganic sediments, mostly silt and clay, with little or no sand. Sand- and shell-rich clastic layers with high levels of sulfur, calcium, and strontium only occur adjacent to the relict beach ridge remnants near the center of the lagoon. With the exception of one thin fine sand layer, the absence of sand in the near-shore cores and the predominance of the terrigenous element titanium in the inorganic layers, evidently eroded from the surrounding hillslopes, suggests that these large-grained intervals do not represent episodic marine incursions, but rather were likely formed by the erosion and redeposition of older marine deposits derived from the beach ridge remnants when water levels were high. These results do not support the occurrence of a large tsunami event at Laguna Mitla during the Late Holocene.

  20. Re-Evaluating the Geological Evidence for Late Holocene Marine Incursion Events along the Guerrero Seismic Gap on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bianchette, Thomas A; McCloskey, Terrence A; Liu, Kam-Biu

    2016-01-01

    Despite the large number of tsunamis that impact Mexico's Pacific coast, stratigraphic studies focusing on geological impacts are scanty, making it difficult to assess the long-term risks for this vulnerable region. Surface samples and six cores were taken from Laguna Mitla near Acapulco to examine sedimentological and geochemical evidence for marine incursion events. Sediment cores collected from behind the beach barrier are dominated by intercalated layers of peat and inorganic sediments, mostly silt and clay, with little or no sand. Sand- and shell-rich clastic layers with high levels of sulfur, calcium, and strontium only occur adjacent to the relict beach ridge remnants near the center of the lagoon. With the exception of one thin fine sand layer, the absence of sand in the near-shore cores and the predominance of the terrigenous element titanium in the inorganic layers, evidently eroded from the surrounding hillslopes, suggests that these large-grained intervals do not represent episodic marine incursions, but rather were likely formed by the erosion and redeposition of older marine deposits derived from the beach ridge remnants when water levels were high. These results do not support the occurrence of a large tsunami event at Laguna Mitla during the Late Holocene.

  1. Coupling a basin erosion and river sediment transport model into a large scale hydrological model: an application in the Amazon basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buarque, D. C.; Collischonn, W.; Paiva, R. C. D.

    2012-04-01

    This study presents the first application and preliminary results of the large scale hydrodynamic/hydrological model MGB-IPH with a new module to predict the spatial distribution of the basin erosion and river sediment transport in a daily time step. The MGB-IPH is a large-scale, distributed and process based hydrological model that uses a catchment based discretization and the Hydrological Response Units (HRU) approach. It uses physical based equations to simulate the hydrological processes, such as the Penman Monteith model for evapotranspiration, and uses the Muskingum Cunge approach and a full 1D hydrodynamic model for river routing; including backwater effects and seasonal flooding. The sediment module of the MGB-IPH model is divided into two components: 1) prediction of erosion over the basin and sediment yield to river network; 2) sediment transport along the river channels. Both MGB-IPH and the sediment module use GIS tools to display relevant maps and to extract parameters from SRTM DEM (a 15" resolution was adopted). Using the catchment discretization the sediment module applies the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation to predict soil loss from each HRU considering three sediment classes defined according to the soil texture: sand, silt and clay. The effects of topography on soil erosion are estimated by a two-dimensional slope length (LS) factor which using the contributing area approach and a local slope steepness (S), both estimated for each DEM pixel using GIS algorithms. The amount of sediment releasing to the catchment river reach in each day is calculated using a linear reservoir. Once the sediment reaches the river they are transported into the river channel using an advection equation for silt and clay and a sediment continuity equation for sand. A sediment balance based on the Yang sediment transport capacity, allowing to compute the amount of erosion and deposition along the rivers, is performed for sand particles as bed load, whilst no

  2. Dust dynamics in off-road vehicle trails: Measurements on 16 arid soil types, Nevada, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goossens, Dirk; Buck, Brenda

    2009-08-01

    Soil analyses and measurements with the Portable In Situ Wind Erosion Laboratory (PI-SWERL) were conducted on 16 soil types in an area heavily affected by off-road vehicle (ORV) driving. Measurements were performed in ORV trails as well as on undisturbed terrain to investigate how ORV driving affects the vulnerability of a soil to emit PM10 (particlestrail affects those properties of the topsoil that determine its capability to emit PM10. Also, recommendations are given for adequate management of ORV-designed areas. The type of surface (sand, silt, gravel, drainage) is a key factor with respect to dust emission in an ORV trail. Trails in sand, defined in this study as the grain size fraction 63-2000microm, show higher deflation thresholds (the critical wind condition at which wind erosion starts) than the surrounding undisturbed soil. Trails in silt (2-63microm) and in drainages, on the other hand, have lower deflation thresholds than undisturbed soil. The increase in PM10 emission resulting from the creation of a new ORV trail is much higher for surfaces with silt than for surfaces with sand. Also, the creation of a new trail in silt decreases the supply limitation in the top layer: the capacity of the reservoir of emission-available PM10 increases. For sand the situation is reversed: the supply limitation increases, and the capacity of the PM10 reservoir decreases. Finally, ORV trails are characterized by a progressive coarsening of the top layer with time, but the speed of coarsening is much lower in trails in silt than in trails in sand or in drainages. The results of this study suggest that, to minimize emissions of PM10, new ORV fields should preferably be designed on sandy terrain rather than in silt areas or in drainages.

  3. Sorption of Cesium on smectite-rich clays from the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic) and their mixtures with sand

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vejsada, J.; Jelínek, E.; Řanda, Z.; Hradil, David; Přikryl, R.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 62, č. 1 (2005), s. 91-96 ISSN 0969-8043 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : cesium * sorption * batch method * distribution ratios * clays Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.757, year: 2005

  4. Comprehensive review of geosynthetic clay liner and compacted clay liner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankar, M. Uma; Muthukumar, M.

    2017-11-01

    Human activity inevitably produces waste materials that must be managed. Some waste can be reused. However many wastes that cannot be used beneficially must be disposed of ensuring environmental safety. One of the common methods of disposal is landfilling. The most common problems of the landfill site are environmental degradation and groundwater contamination caused by leachate produced during the decomposition process of organic material and rainfall. Liner in a landfill is an important component which prevent leachate migration and prevent groundwater contamination. Earthen liners have been widely used to contain waste materials in landfill. Liners and covers for municipal and hazardous waste containment facilities are often constructed with the use of fine-grained, low plasticity soils. Because of low permeability geosynthetic clay liners and compacted clay liners are the main materials used in waste disposal landfills. This paper summaries the important geotechnical characteristics such as hydraulic conductivity, liquid limit and free swell index of geosynthetic clay liner and compacted clay liner based on research findings. This paper also compares geosynthetic clay liner and compacted clay liner based on certain criteria such as thickness, availability of materials, vulnerability to damage etc.

  5. Petrogenesis of cataclastic rocks within the San Andreas fault zone of Southern California U.S.A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawford Anderson, J.; Osborne, Robert H.; Palmer, Donald F.

    1980-08-01

    This paper petrologically characterizes cataclastic rocks derived from four sites within the San Andreas fault zone of southern California. In this area, the fault traverses an extensive plutonic and metamorphic terrane and the principal cataclastic rock formed at these upper crustal levels is unindurated gouge derived from a range of crystalline rocks including diorite, tonalite, granite, aplite, and pegmatite. The mineralogical nature of this gouge is decidedly different from the "clay gouge" reported by Wu (1975) for central California and is essentially a rock flour with a quartz, feldspar, biotite, chlorite, amphibole, epidote and oxide mineralogy representing the milled-down equivalent of the original rock. Clay development is minor (less than 4 wt. %) to nonexistent and is exclusively kaolinite. Alterations involve hematitic oxidation, chlorite alteration on biotite and amphibole, and local introduction of calcite. Electron microprobe analysis showed that in general the major minerals were not reequilibrated with the pressure—temperature regime imposed during cataclasis. Petrochemically, the form of cataclasis that we have investigated is largely an isochemical process. Some hydration occurs but the maximum amount is less than 2.2% added H 2O. Study of a 375 m deep core from a tonalite pluton adjacent to the fault showed that for Si, Al, Ti, Fe, Mg, Mn, K, Na, Li, Rb, and Ba, no leaching and/or enrichment occurred. Several samples experienced a depletion in Sr during cataclasis while lesser number had an enrichment of Ca (result of calcite veining). Texturally, the fault gouge is not dominated by clay-size material but consists largely of silt and fine sand-sized particles. An intriguing aspect of our work on the drill core is a general decrease in particulate size with depth (and confining pressure) with the predominate shifting sequentially from fine sand to silt-size material. The original fabric of these rocks is commonly not disrupted during the

  6. Laboratory Study of the Influence of Substrate Type and Temperature on the Exploratory Tunneling by Formosan Subterranean Termite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bal K. Gautam

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Using two-dimensional foraging arenas, laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the effect of soil type, soil moisture level and ambient temperature on the exploratory tunneling by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. In choice arenas consisting of two substrate types having two moisture levels each, and conducted at a constant temperature of 22 °C, a significantly greater proportion of termites aggregated in sand than in sandy loam. Similarly, the length of excavated tunnels was also increased in sand. In a given substrate, termite aggregation or tunnel length did not differ between 5% and 15% moisture levels. In no-choice tests, where three different substrates (sand, sandy loam and silt loam were tested at two temperatures (22 °C and 28 °C, excavations were significantly greater in sand than either sandy loam or silt loam at 22 °C. Fewer primary tunnels were constructed in sandy loam than in sand and fewer branched tunnels than either in sand or silt loam. No significant difference in either tunnel length or number of primary or branched tunnels was found between these two temperatures.

  7. Imaging and locating paleo-channels using geophysical data from meandering system of the Mun River, Khorat Plateau, Northeastern Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nimnate, P.; Thitimakorn, T.; Choowong, M.; Hisada, K.

    2017-12-01

    The Khorat Plateau from northeast Thailand, the upstream part of the Mun River flows through clastic sedimentary rocks. A massive amount of sand was transported. We aimed to understand the evolution of fluvial system and to discuss the advantages of two shallow geophysical methods for describing subsurface morphology of modern and paleo-channels. We applied Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to characterize the lateral, vertical morphological and sedimentary structures of paleo-channels, floodplain and recent point bars. Both methods were interpreted together with on-sites boreholes to describe the physical properties of subsurface sediments. As a result, we concluded that four radar reflection patterns including reflection free, shingled, inclined and hummocky reflections were appropriated to apply as criteria to characterize lateral accretion, the meandering rivers with channel-filled sequence and floodplain were detected from ERT profiles. The changes in resistivity correspond well with differences in particle size and show relationship with ERT lithological classes. Clay, silt, sand, loam and bedrock were classified by the resistivity data. Geometry of paleo-channel embayment and lithological differences can be detected by ERT, whereas GPR provides detail subsurface facies for describing point bar sand deposit better than ERT.

  8. Part of the green plan : suppliers are helping the coal and oil sands industries to address environmental concerns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabourin, M.

    2009-09-15

    The Canadian coal and oil sands industries operate in one of the most stringent environmental regulatory frameworks found in the world. The purpose of the strict regulations is to ensure that Canadian energy resources are developed safely, responsibly and efficiently. Their primary objectives involve the protection of water supplies and aquatic life. This article discussed how suppliers are helping the coal and oil sands industries address environmental concerns. Several examples were provided. In terms of water protection and management, EBA Engineering Consultants has helped mining companies comply with strict environmental regulations and has assisted them in obtaining the necessary permits and establishing monitoring programs. In terms of containment, the Layfield Group's silt and sediment control products has helped prevent fine soil particles from running off into and clouding local water courses. In terms of land reclamation and remediation, IW Kuhn Environmental Ltd., has provided soil remediation services, including re-vegetation using hydroseeding which involves the sowing of seeds with a hosed jet of water. This article also discussed the many green technology products that have been developed and commercialized by EarthRenew for application in coal and oil sands projects. Their patented waste renew facilities can process and cook manures, biosolids or green wastes into organic fertilizers that could be used in land repair applications. 5 figs.

  9. Clay dispersibility and soil friability – testing the soil clay-to-carbon saturation concept

    OpenAIRE

    Schjønning, P.; de Jonge, L.W.; Munkholm, L.J.; Moldrup, P.; Christensen, B.T.; Olesen, J.E.

    2011-01-01

    Soil organic carbon (OC) influences clay dispersibility, which affects soil tilth conditions and the risk of vertical migration of clay colloids. No universal lower threshold of OC has been identified for satisfactory stabilization of soil structure. We tested the concept of clay saturation with OC as a predictor of clay dispersibility and soil friability. Soil was sampled three years in a field varying in clay content (~100 to ~220 g kg-1 soil) and grown with different crop rotations. Clay ...

  10. Sand transportation and reverse patterns over leeward face of sand dune

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hong; Dun, Hongchao; Tong, Ding; Huang, Ning

    2017-04-01

    Sand saltation has complex interactions with turbulent flow and dune form. Most models of wind-blown sand consider ideal circumstances such as steady wind velocity and a flat surface, and the bulk of data on wind flow and sand transport over an individual dune has focused mostly on the influence of dune shape or inter-dune space on the wind flow, neglecting the effect of morphology on sand saltation, particularly airflow and sand transportation over the leeward slope. Wind flow structures over the leeward slope of sand dunes have a fundamental influence on the organization of sand dunes. In order to understand sand dune dynamics, lee face airflow and sediment transportation should be paid more attention. Previous field observations could not measure turbulent flow structure well because of the limited observation points and the influence of experiment structure on wind field. In addition, the reverse sand particles over leeward face could not be collected by sand trap in field. Numerous field observations could not measure turbulent flow structure because of the limited observation points and the influence of experimental structures on the wind field. In addition, the reverse transport of sand particles over leeward face could not be collected by sand traps in field. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the turbulent flow structure and sand transport pattern over the leeward slope. A numerical model of sand saltation over slope terrain is constructed, which also considers the coupling effects between air flow and sand particles. The large eddy simulation method is used to model turbulent flow. Sand transport is simulated by tracking the trajectory of each sand particle. The results show that terrain significantly alters the turbulent air flow structure and wind-blown sand movement, especially over the leeward slope. Here, mass flux increases initially and then decreases with height in the reversed flow region in the direction of wind flow, and the mass flux

  11. Etude de l'impact des barrages sur la réduction des transports sédimentaires jusqu'à la mer par approche paléohydrologique dans la basse vallée de la Medjerda

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotti, Fatma; Dezileau, Laurent; Mahé, Gil; Habaieb, Hamadi; Bentkaya, Malik; Dieulin, Claudine; Amrouni, Oula

    2018-04-01

    The sedimentary contributions of the Medjerda to the coastal zone are poorly measured, and there is no chronicle of observations. In this context, the sediment monitoring appears indispensable for the quantification of sediment transport at the outlet. This study focuses on the largest watershed in Tunisia, the Wadi Medjerda (23 600 km2). The main objective of this work is to assess the reduction of sediment transport following anthropogenic intensification on the basin, especially since the construction of many large dams. In order to collect information on actual deposits over several years, the paleo-hydrological approach was applied through the study of sediment cores sampled in the low valley meanders on alluvial terraces, after the last dam (Sidi Salem, the largest water storage capacity over the basin), but before the estuary to avoid marine influence and near a hydrological station (Jdaida). The sedimentary deposits of the river provide key information on the past sedimentary inputs. A visible succession of sedimentary layers corresponding to the deposits of successive floods on the study site has been determined and the history of the sedimentary contributions of the Medjerda is reconstructed by this approach. The thickest layers of sedimentary deposits are related to exceptional events. They are mainly concentrated on the lower part of the core and are mainly composed of sands. The first 1.2 m of the core from the bottom upward relates to 10 years of river discharges, as can be determined from the 137Cs datation. The next upward 1.05 m of core relates to the following 20 years of discharges, up to 1981, date of the construction of the Sidi Salem dam, and is composed of a mix of sand, silts and clays. The last 75 cm of core near the surface is only composed of clays with thin silt bands, and relates to a period of 32 years. We thus observe that there is no more sand deposits in the river bed since the construction of the Sidi Salem dam. The deficit of

  12. The Marlborough Deep Wairau Aquifer sustainability review 2008 : isotopic indicators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morgenstern, U.; van der Raaij, R.W.; Trompetter, V.; McBeth, K.

    2008-01-01

    The Deep Wairau Aquifer (DWA) consists of several relatively thin water bearing layers at depths generally greater than 150 m separated by thick confining layers and was therefore thought to be relatively isolated from surface hydrological processes, with little pumping induced effects on spring flows and shallow aquifers. However, because the DWA partially underlies fully allocated shallower Southern Valleys Aquifers it is critical to understand the dynamics (recharge, flow) of the DWA. Recent aquifer testing revealed that the DWA is hydraulically linked to the Southern Valley Benmorven Aquifer and that most wells penetrating the DWA are hydraulically linked. The aquifers of the Wairau Plain are formed by a series of glacial and alluvial outwash deposits laid down by the Wairau River. Bore logs indicate that the aquifer contains thin water-bearing layers within the mixed strata. These layers come under artesian pressure towards the east. The Wairau Gravels are overlain by a sequence of glacial outwash and fluvial gravels interspersed with marine deposits. Immediately above the Wairau Gravels lies the Speargrass Formation consisting of poorly sorted glacial outwash gravels, sand and clay deposits. This formation has greater permeability than the Wairau Gravels. Above the Speargrass Formation lie highly permeable postglacial fluvial gravels, sand and silt deposits from the Wairau and tributary rivers known as the Rapaura Formation. Towards the coast, the alluvial gravels are overlain by marine and estuarine deposits of sand, silt and clay known as the Dillons Point Formation. Chemistry and isotope samples were analysed over time from various DWA wells to obtain information on changes in source and age of water with continued abstraction. All DWA water samples are tritium-free indicating that there is no young water influx yet intercepted by any of the sampled wells. Radiocarbon repeat measurements indicate that the water source is changing towards older water with

  13. Secondary wastes and treatment of effluents from leaching of uranium from soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ally, M.R.; Wilson, J.H.; Francis, C.W.

    1993-01-01

    The Department of Energy's Feed Materials and Production Center at Fernald, Ohio has over two million cubic meters of soil contaminated with Uranium which must be cleaned. Soil characterization studies show that Uranium is unevenly distributed between the clay, sand and silt fractions. This paper examines the option of using leaching agents to remove Uranium from the soil and the treatment of secondary wastes. Results of the effects of various leachants in removing Uranium and the complications of co-leaching minerals/organic matter that are important for maintaining soil integrity and structure shall be discussed. Candidate leachants must remove the Uranium level below 35pCi/g of soil and produce a secondary waste that is amenable to on-site treatment at reasonable cost

  14. The influence of arbuscular mycorrhizae on root precision nutrient foraging of two pioneer plant species during early reclamation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boldt-Burisch, Katja; Naeth, M. Anne

    2017-04-01

    On many post mining sites in the Lusatian Mining District (East Germany) soil heterogeneity consists of sandy soil with embedded clay-silt fragments. Those clays silt fragments might act as nutrient hotspots. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in an infertile ecosystem could enhance a plant's ability to selectively forage for those nutrients and thus to improve plants nutrient supply. In our study we investigated whether silt-clay fragments within a sandy soil matrix induced preferential root growth of Lotus corniculatus and Calamagrostis epigeios, whether arbuscular mycorrhizae influenced root foraging patterns, and to what extent selective rooting in clay silt fragments influenced plant growth were addressed in this research. Soil types were sterile and non-sterile sandy soil and clay-silt fragments. Treatments were with and without arbuscular mycorrhizae, with and without soil solution, and soil solution and mycorrhizal inoculum combined. Root biomass, root density and intraradical fungal alkaline phosphatase activity and frequency were determined in fragments relative to sandy soil. Furthermore, temporal relationship of number of roots in fragments and plant height was assessed. Lotus corniculatus showed strong selective rooting into fragments especially with those plants treated with commercial cultivated arbuscular mycorrhizae; Calamagrostis epigeios did not. Without arbuscular mycorrhizae, L. corniculatus growth was significantly reduced and selective rooting did not occur. Selective rooting induced significant growth spurts of L. corniculatus. Roots in fragments had higher fungal alkaline phosphatase activity suggesting that mycorrhizal efficiency and related plants phosphorus supply is enhanced in roots in fragments. The application of cultivated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi significantly and quickly influenced root foraging patterns, especially those of L. corniculatus, suggesting mycorrhizae may also enhance the ability of other plants to selectively forage

  15. Multiscale Micromechanical Modeling of Polymer/Clay Nanocomposites and the Effective Clay Particle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Nuo; Boyce, Mary C.; Parks, David M.; Manovitch, Oleg; Rutledge, Gregory C.; Lee, Hojun; McKinley, Gareth H.

    2003-03-01

    Polymer/clay nanocomposites have been observed to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties at low weight fractions (Wp) of clay. Continuum-based composite modeling reveals that the enhanced properties are strongly dependent on particular features of the second-phase ¡°particles¡+/-; in particular, the particle volume fraction (fp), the particle aspect ratio (L/t), and the ratio of particle mechanical properties to those of the matrix. However, these important aspects of as-processed nanoclay composites have yet to be consistently and accurately defined. A multiscale modeling strategy was developed to account for the hierarchical morphology of the nanocomposite: at a lengthscale of thousands of microns, the structure is one of high aspect ratio particles within a matrix; at the lengthscale of microns, the clay particle structure is either (a) exfoliated clay sheets of nanometer level thickness or (b) stacks of parallel clay sheets separated from one another by interlayer galleries of nanometer level height. Here, quantitative structural parameters extracted from XRD patterns and TEM micrographs are used to determine geometric features of the as-processed clay ¡°particles¡+/-, including L/t and the ratio of fp to Wp. These geometric features, together with estimates of silicate lamina stiffness obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, provide a basis for modeling effective mechanical properties of the clay particle. The structure-based predictions of the macroscopic elastic modulus of the nanocomposite as a function of clay weight fraction are in excellent agreement with experimental data. The adopted methodology offers promise for study of related properties in polymer/clay nanocomposites.

  16. Clay intercalation and influence on crystallinity of EVA-based clay nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhary, D.S.; Prasad, R.; Gupta, R.K.; Bhattacharya, S.N.

    2005-01-01

    Various polymer clay nanocomposites (PCNs) were prepared from ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) with 9, 18 and 28% vinyl acetate (VA) content filled with different wt.% (2.5, 5 and 7.5) of a Montmorillonite-based organo-modified clay (Cloisite[reg] C15A and C30B). The PCNs were prepared using melt blending techniques. Morphological information regarding intercalation and exfoliation were determined by using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). WAXS and TEM confirmed that increasing the VA content was necessary to achieve greater clay-polymer interaction as seen from the comparatively higher intercalation of clay platelets with 28% VA. The effect of addition of clay on the development and the modification of crystalline morphology in EVA matrix was also studied using WAXS and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). Results are presented showing that the addition of clay platelets does not increase the matrix crystallinity but the morphology was significantly modified such that there was an increase in the 'rigid' amorphous phase. Mechanical properties were also evaluated against the respective morphological information for each specimen and there are indications that the level of clay-polymer interaction plays a significant role in such morphological modification, and in such a way that affects the final PCN mechanical properties which has wide and significant applications in the packaging industries

  17. Clay Dispersibility and Soil Friability-Testing the Soil Clay-to-Carbon Saturation Concept

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schjønning, Per; de Jonge, Lis Wollesen; Munkholm, Lars Juhl

    2012-01-01

    Soil organic carbon (OC) influences clay dispersibility, which affects soil tilth conditions and the risk of vertical migration of clay colloids. No universal lower threshold of OC has been identified for satisfactory stabilization of soil structure. We tested the concept of clay saturation with OC...... as a predictor of clay dispersibility and soil friability. Soil was sampled 3 yr in a field varying in clay content (∼100 to ∼220 g kg−1 soil) and grown with different crop rotations. Clay dispersibility was measured after end-over-end shaking of field-moist soil and 1- to 2-mm sized aggregates either air......-dried or rewetted to −100 hPa matric potential. Tensile strength of 1- to 2-, 2- to 4-, 4- to 8-, and 8- to 16-mm air-dried aggregates was calculated from their compressive strength, and soil friability estimated from the strength–volume relation. Crop rotation characteristics gave only minor effects on clay...

  18. [Development of APSIM (agricultural production systems simulator) and its application].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Yuying; Nan, Zhibiao; Bellotti, Bill; Robertson, Michael; Chen, Wen; Shao, Xinqing

    2002-08-01

    Soil-crop simulator model is an effective tool for providing decision on agricultural management. APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator) was developed to simulate the biophysical process in farming system, and particularly in the economic and ecological features of the systems under climatic risk. The current literatures revealed that APSIM could be applied in wide zone, including temperate continental, temperate maritime, sub-tropic and arid climate, and Mediterranean climates, with the soil type of clay, duplex soil, vertisol, silt sandy, silt loam and silt clay loam. More than 20 crops have been simulated well. APSIM is powerful on describing crop structure, crop sequence, yield prediction, and quality control as well as erosion estimation under different planting pattern.

  19. SBR Brazilian organophilic/clay nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guimaraes, Thiago R.; Valenzuela-Diaz, Francisco R.; Morales, Ana Rita; Paiva, Lucilene B.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this work is the obtaining of SBR composites using a Brazilian raw bentonite and the same bentonite treated with an organic salt. The clays were characterized by XRD. The clay addition in the composites was 10 pcr. The composites were characterized by XRD and had measured theirs tension strength (TS). The composite with Brazilian treated clay showed TS 233% higher than a composite with no clay, 133% higher than a composite with Cloisite 30B organophilic clay and 17% lower than a composite with Cloisite 20 A organophilic clay. XRD and TS data evidence that the composite with Brazilian treated clay is an intercalated nanocomposite. (author)

  20. Field test of plutonium and thorium contaminated clay soils from the Mound Site using the ACT*DE*CON Process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, J.O.; Swift, N.A.; Church, R.H.; Neff, R.A.

    1998-01-01

    A treatability test was run during the summer and fall of 1997 to demonstrate the effectiveness of ACT*DE*CON for removing plutonium and thorium from the clay soils around Mound. ACT*DE*CON is a proprietary solution patented by Selentec. The process utilized a highly selective dissolution of the contaminants by the use of a chemical wash. The pilot scale process involved pretreatment of the soil in an attrition scrubber with ACT*DE*CON solution. This blended solution was then passed through a counter-current extraction chamber where additional contact with ACT*DE*CON solution occurred, followed by a rinse cycle. During this process sand was added to aid contact of the solution with the soil particles. The sand is removed during the rinse step and reused. The chelating agent is separated from the contaminant and recycled back into the process, along with the reverse osmosis permeate. The resulting solution can be further treated to concentrate the contaminant. Three different types of environmental soils were tested -- plutonium and thorium contaminated soils with the natural clay content, and plutonium contaminated soils with a high percentage of fine clay particles. The goal of these tests was to reduce the plutonium levels from several hundreds of pCi/g to between 25 and 75 pCi/g and the thorium from a couple hundred pCi/g to less than 5 pCi/g. The results of these four tests are presented along with a discussion of the operating parameters and the lessons learned relating to full scale implementation at Mound as well as other potential applications of this process