scholarly journals The Effect of Weathering on Salt Release from Coal Mine Spoils

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 760
Author(s):  
Melinda Hilton ◽  
Mandana Shaygan ◽  
Neil McIntyre ◽  
Thomas Baumgartl ◽  
Mansour Edraki
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Coal Mine ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Physical Weathering ◽  
Particle Size Fractions ◽  
Mine Spoils ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Three Samples ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Coal mine spoils have the potential to create environmental impacts, such as salt load to surrounding environments, particularly when exposed to weathering processes. This study was conducted to understand the effect of physical and chemical weathering on the magnitude, rate, and dynamics of salt release from different coal mine spoils. Five spoil samples from three mines in Queensland were sieved to three different particle size fractions (<2 mm, 2–6 mm, and >6 mm). Two samples were dispersive spoils, and three samples were nondispersive spoils. The spoils were subjected to seven wet–dry cycles, where the samples were periodically leached with deionised water. The rate, magnitude, and dynamics of solutes released from spoils were spoil specific. One set of spoils did not show any evidence of weathering, but initially had higher accumulation of salts. In contrast, broad oxidative weathering occurred in another set of spoils; this led to acid generation and resulted in physical weathering, promoting adsorption–desorption and dissolution and, thus, a greater release of salts. This study indicated that the rate and magnitude of salt release decreased with increasing particle size. Nevertheless, when the spoil is dispersive, the degree of weathering manages salt release irrespective of initial particle size. This study revealed that the long-term salt release from spoils is not only governed by geochemistry, weathering degree, and particle size but also controlled by the water/rock ratio and hydrological conditions of spoils.

ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER COLLECTED AFTER AN ERUPTION EPISODE OF THE POPOCATÉPETL VOLCANO

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 133-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. ALDAPE ◽  
J. FLORES M.
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Airborne Particulate ◽  
Size Fractions ◽  
Particle Size Fractions ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Popocatépetl Volcano ◽  
Popocatepetl Volcano

Samples of airborne particulate matter were collected in four sites along an east-west line from the Popocatépetl volcano after the eruption episode of June 30, 1997. The Popocatépetl volcano, with variable activity since it was known, is currently under low but continuous activity prolonged for almost one decade, with occasional moderate eruption episodes producing mainly fumes, ashes and volcanic dusts. The main objective of this study is to determine whether or not some elements have increased their presence in the atmosphere as a result of the volcanic activity, and also if some others, not usually found in urban aerosols, have appeared because of the same reason. In addition, the information obtained will be a source of scientific data for health risk assessment of the population exposed to volcanic emanations. The sample collection was performed on alternate days from July 10 to August 13 1997 in Puebla and Atlixco in Puebla State. Tlalpan within Mexico City, and Salazar in the State of Mexico. Two samples a day were taken in two periods: 7-19 h and 19-7 h. The samplers separated particles into two particle size fractions. PM25 and PM15. Elemental concentrations were determined by PIXE and the results obtained showed increased concentrations of mainly Ti and Fe in all sampling sites, thus indicating a long range transportation of volcanic dusts in both particle size fractions. Concentrations of Ti were found clearly above the average values of urban areas such as Mexico City, and although this element can be considered of low toxicity, the biological, metabolic and toxic effects on human beings are still under investigation.

scholarly journals Lithogenic hydrogen supports microbial primary production in subglacial and proglacial environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. e2007051117
Author(s):  
Eric C. Dunham ◽  
John E. Dore ◽  
Mark L. Skidmore ◽  
Eric E. Roden ◽  
Eric S. Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Enrichment Culture ◽  
Mineral Surfaces ◽  
Silicate Mineral ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Lag Times ◽  
Carbonate Catchment ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Life in environments devoid of photosynthesis, such as on early Earth or in contemporary dark subsurface ecosystems, is supported by chemical energy. How, when, and where chemical nutrients released from the geosphere fuel chemosynthetic biospheres is fundamental to understanding the distribution and diversity of life, both today and in the geologic past. Hydrogen (H2) is a potent reductant that can be generated when water interacts with reactive components of mineral surfaces such as silicate radicals and ferrous iron. Such reactive mineral surfaces are continually generated by physical comminution of bedrock by glaciers. Here, we show that dissolved H2 concentrations in meltwaters from an iron and silicate mineral-rich basaltic glacial catchment were an order of magnitude higher than those from a carbonate-dominated catchment. Consistent with higher H2 abundance, sediment microbial communities from the basaltic catchment exhibited significantly shorter lag times and faster rates of net H2 oxidation and dark carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation than those from the carbonate catchment, indicating adaptation to use H2 as a reductant in basaltic catchments. An enrichment culture of basaltic sediments provided with H2, CO2, and ferric iron produced a chemolithoautotrophic population related to Rhodoferax ferrireducens with a metabolism previously thought to be restricted to (hyper)thermophiles and acidophiles. These findings point to the importance of physical and chemical weathering processes in generating nutrients that support chemosynthetic primary production. Furthermore, they show that differences in bedrock mineral composition can influence the supplies of nutrients like H2 and, in turn, the diversity, abundance, and activity of microbial inhabitants.

scholarly journals Arctic–alpine blockfields in the northern Swedish Scandes: late Quaternary – not Neogene

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. W. Goodfellow ◽  
A. P. Stroeven ◽  
D. Fabel ◽  
O. Fredin ◽  
M.-H. Derron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Physical Weathering ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

Abstract. Autochthonous blockfield mantles may indicate alpine surfaces that have not been glacially eroded. These surfaces may therefore serve as markers against which to determine Quaternary erosion volumes in adjacent glacially eroded sectors. To explore these potential utilities, chemical weathering features, erosion rates, and regolith residence durations of mountain blockfields are investigated in the northern Swedish Scandes. This is done, firstly, by assessing the intensity of regolith chemical weathering along altitudinal transects descending from three blockfield-mantled summits. Clay / silt ratios, secondary mineral assemblages, and imaging of chemical etching of primary mineral grains in fine matrix are each used for this purpose. Secondly, erosion rates and regolith residence durations of two of the summits are inferred from concentrations of in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al in quartz at the blockfield surfaces. An interpretative model is adopted that includes temporal variations in nuclide production rates through surface burial by glacial ice and glacial isostasy-induced elevation changes of the blockfield surfaces. Together, our data indicate that these blockfields are not derived from remnants of intensely weathered Neogene weathering profiles, as is commonly considered. Evidence for this interpretation includes minor chemical weathering in each of the three examined blockfields, despite consistent variability according to slope position. In addition, average erosion rates of ~16.2 and ~6.7 mm ka−1, calculated for the two blockfield-mantled summits, are low but of sufficient magnitude to remove present blockfield mantles, of up to a few metres in thickness, within a late Quaternary time frame. Hence, blockfield mantles appear to be replenished by regolith formation through, primarily physical, weathering processes that have operated during the Quaternary. The persistence of autochthonous blockfields over multiple glacial–interglacial cycles confirms their importance as key markers of surfaces that were not glacially eroded through, at least, the late Quaternary. However, presently blockfield-mantled surfaces may potentially be subjected to large spatial variations in erosion rates, and their Neogene regolith mantles may have been comprehensively eroded during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Their role as markers by which to estimate glacial erosion volumes in surrounding landscape elements therefore remains uncertain.

scholarly journals Localization and Surface Characterization by Zhurong Mars Rover at Utopia Planitia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Ding ◽  
Ruyi Zhou ◽  
Tianyi Yu ◽  
Haibo Gao ◽  
Huaiguang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Characterization ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Friction Angle ◽  
Parameter Analysis ◽  
Mars Rover ◽  
Slip Ratio ◽  
Physical Weathering ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Primary Localization

Abstract China’s first Mars rover, Zhurong, has successfully touched down on the southern Utopia Planitia of Mars at 109.925° E, 25.066° N, and since performed cooperative multiscale investigations with the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Here we present primary localization and surface characterization results based on complementary data of the first 60 sols. The Zhurong rover has traversed 450.9 m southwards over a flat surface with mild wheel slippage (less than 0.2 in slip ratio). The encountered crescent-shaped sand dune indicates a NE-SW local wind direction, consistent with larger-range remote-sensing observations. Soil parameter analysis based on terramechanics indicates that the topsoil has high bearing strength and cohesion, and its equivalent stiffness and internal friction angle are ~1390-5872 kPa∙m-n and ~21°-34° respectively. Rocks observed strewn with dense pits, or showing layered and flaky structures, are presumed to be involved in physical weathering like severe wind erosion and potential chemical weathering processes. These preliminary observations suggest great potential of in-situ investigations by the scientific payload suite of the Zhurong rover in obtaining new clues of the region’s aeolian and aqueous history. Cooperative investigations using the related payloads on both the rover and the obiter could peek into the habitability evolution of the northern lowlands on Mars.

scholarly journals Residual Doses in Recent Alluvial Sediments From the Ardenne (S Belgium)

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (-1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitri Vandenberghe ◽  
Cilia Derese ◽  
Geoffrey Houbrechts
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Dose Distributions ◽  
Alluvial Sediments ◽  
Particle Size Fractions ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
River Flood ◽  
Small Aliquot ◽  
Quartz Grains ◽  
Modern Sample

Residual Doses in Recent Alluvial Sediments From the Ardenne (S Belgium)We report on our first investigations into the potential of optical dating for determining the rate of river flood sedimentation in the Ardenne region (S Belgium). Two samples collected from a recent alluvial deposit were used to investigate the extent of resetting in different particle size fractions of quartz (4-11 μm, 63-90 μm, 90-125 μm, 125-180 μm, 180-212 μm and 212-250 μm) as well as in polymineral fine (4-11 μm) grains. Both samples show satisfactory OSL and IRSL characteristics. The IRSL signals from the polymineral fine grains yield an equivalent dose (De) of 3-4 Gy, while a Deof 0.3-0.6 Gy was measured using large aliquots of quartz. Small aliquot analyses of 63-90 μm and 212-250 μm quartz grains confirm that the coarser fraction contains more grains with lower De's. Furthermore, for a modern sample (< 3 years old), ~60% of the aliquots yields a Deconsistent with zero, indicating that these contain only well-bleached grains. These findings suggest that it might be possible to extract the true burial dose from dose distributions measured using small aliquots of coarse-grained (e.g. 212-250 μm) quartz.

scholarly journals Fire-induced rock spalling as a mechanism of weathering responsible for flared slope and inselberg development

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Buckman ◽  
Rowena H. Morris ◽  
Robert P. Bourman
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Physical Weathering ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
Central Australia ◽  
In Fire ◽  
New Hypothesis ◽  
Primary Agent ◽  
Semi Arid

AbstractInselbergs, such as Uluru in central Australia, are iconic landscape features of semi-arid and deeply denuded continental interiors. These islands of rock are commonly skirted by steep, overhanging cliffs (flared slopes) at ground level. The weathering processes responsible for formation of flared slopes and steep-sided inselbergs in flat, planated landscapes are enigmatic. One model emphasizes sub-surface weathering followed by denudation and excavation of saprolite to expose the unweathered bedrock while other models advocate slope development under subaerial conditions at ground level. We present a new hypothesis that identifies wildfire as a primary agent of flared slope development via fire-induced rock spalling around the periphery of inselbergs. Widespread fire-spalling following the 2019–2020 Australian fires illustrates that this is a common form of physical weathering in fire-prone environments but its effects are particularly evident in semi-arid regions where lateral fire-spalling dominates over fluvial and chemical weathering to create flared slopes and steep-sided inselbergs.

scholarly journals Landslides as geological hotspots of CO<sub>2</sub> to the atmosphere: clues from the instrumented Séchilienne landslide, Western European Alps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Nevers ◽  
Julien Bouchez ◽  
Jérôme Gaillardet ◽  
Christophe Thomazo ◽  
Laeticia Faure ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Pyrite Oxidation ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Geological Time Scale ◽  
Gypsum Dissolution ◽  
Physical Weathering ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Weathering Processes

Abstract. This study makes use of a highly instrumented active landslide observatory (9 years of data) in the French Alps, the Séchilienne slope. Using a combination of major element chemistry and isotopes ratios (87Sr / 86Sr, δ34S) measured in different water types of the stable and unstable part of the Séchilienne instability to assess the contribution of the different lithologies of the slope and the chemical weathering mechanisms. Chemical and isotopic ratios appear useful to characterize weathering processes and the origin of waters and their flowpaths through the massif. A mixing model allows us to allocate the different major elements to different sources and quantify the involvement sulfuric and carbonic acids as a source of protons. As a consequence of the model, we are able to show that the instability creates favorable and sustained conditions for the production of sulfuric acid by pyrite oxidation by supplying reactive surfaces. We clearly identify the contribution of gypsum dissolution to the sulfate budget in the landslide. We are also able to refine the pre-existing hydrogeological views on the local water circulation and water flow paths in the instability but showing the hydrological connectivity of the different zones. Overall, our results show that the Séchilienne landslide, despite its role in accelerating rock chemical and physical weathering, acts, at a geological time scale (i.e. at timescales longer that carbonate precipitation in the ocean) as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere. If generalizable to other instable zones in mountain ranges, this study illustrates the complex coupling between physical and chemical erosion and climate. The study also highlights the importance of deciphering between sulfite oxidation and gypsum dissolution as a source of sulfate ions to rivers, particularly in mountain ranges.

scholarly journals Land use, spatial heterogeneity of organic matter, granulometric fractions and metal complexation in reservoir sediments

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaís Fabiane Gomes Martins ◽  
Karen de Souza Ferreira ◽  
Bárbara Rani-Borges ◽  
Ivan Edward Biamont-Rojas ◽  
Sheila Cardoso-Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Particle Size ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Land Use Classification ◽  
Size Fractions ◽  
Particle Size Fractions ◽  
Strategic Coordination ◽  
Environmental Protection Area ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Abstract Aim This study aimed to evaluate land use, distribution of particle size fractions, organic matter (OM) and perform a metal quantification liable to complexation in the Itupararanga Reservoir (São Paulo, Brazil). This aquatic ecosystem is used for water supply and energy generation and is constantly subjected to anthropogenic impacts that alter its physical and chemical characteristics. Methods In a single campaign, samples of surface sediment (10 cm) were collected from nine sampling stations, in triplicate, along the reservoir. The collection was carried out with a “Lenz” type bottom sampler. The physicochemical variables, including the quantification of the metals copper, chromium, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc, were evaluated by basic descriptive statistics techniques combined with geostatistics and the use of remote sensing. Results All along the reservoir the sediment is predominantly organic and water depth interfered directly in the OM concentration and particle size distribution. Therefore, heterogeneity was observed regarding OM contents, particle size fractions and metals, with the exception of chromium, and the three zones of the reservoir proved to be distinct from each other. The land use classification showed the real situation of the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) and the results indicate that the central portion is more subject to anthropic impacts, while the dam region has high levels of metals, probably originated from the activities in the reservoir’s surroundings. Conclusions The soil erosion in the reservoir’s region shows the lack of efficiency in the Itupararanga EPA’s management, being needed a strategic coordination among the municipalities to enhance its conservation.

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