Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of Carbonate Rocks for Lime Industry in Ban Pong, Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand

One of the oldest lime manufactures in Chiang Mai Province is located in a hillside village, Ban Pong, Hang Dong District, the western part of Chiang Mai City. Villagers still have conserved traditional production methods using wood-fired kilns and the primary material selection, an Ordovician marble. There are 2 massive amounts of carbonate rocks distributed in Chiang Mai Province; Permian limestone and Ordovician marble. However, the Ordovician carbonate rocks in Ban Pong were selected to produce high-quality lime by their primitive method (man-made) for a long time. Petrographical studies suggest that the Ordovician rock samples show a granoblastic texture with a slightly foliation represents by mica flakes. They are made up mainly of calcite, with very small amounts of quartz, muscovite, talc, and opaque minerals that can be identified as marble. The mineral compositions are according to the value of CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, K2O, and Fe2O3 in whole-rock analysis by XRF. The geochemical data suggest that marble in the Ban Pong area has a high CaO ratio and contains small amounts of muscovite, quartz, talc, and opaque minerals that may reduce the decomposition temperature during the calcination process. The Ordovician marble in Ban Pong is an appropriate raw material for traditional lime manufacture to saving energy in the production system. HIGHLIGHTS Limestone has been a geologic material in the lime industry from the past to the presence of human society Villagers in Ban Pong (Chiang Mai Province, Thailand) selected the western Ordovician limestone mountains to produce lime by a primitive process instead of the eastern Permian limestone mountains The mineral- and chemical compositions of the Ordovician limestones were intensively analyzed to characterize the suitable raw materials for a primitive lime kiln The mineral composition indicated that the Ordovician limestone in this area is metamorphosed into an impure fine-grained marble GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Estimation of Seismic Wave Attenuation from 3D Seismic Data: A Case Study of OBC Data Acquired in an Offshore Oilfield

Previous studies performed in Abu Dhabi oilfields, United Arab Emirates, revealed the direct link of seismic wave attenuation to petrophysical properties of rocks. However, all those studies were based on zero offset VSP data, which limits the attenuation estimation at one location only. This is due to the difficulty of estimating attenuation from 3D seismic data, especially in carbonate rocks. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a workflow based on the centroid frequency shift method and Gabor transform which is optimized by using VSP data. The workflow was applied on 3D Ocean Bottom Cable seismic data. Distinct attenuation anomalies were observed in highly heterogeneous and saturated zones, such as the reservoirs and aquifers. Scattering shows significant contribution in attenuation anomalies, which is unusual in sandstones. This is due to the complex texture and heterogeneous nature of carbonate rocks. Furthermore, attenuation mechanisms such as frictional relative movement between fluids and solid grains, are most likely other important causes of attenuation anomalies. The slight lateral variation of attenuation reflects the lateral homogeneous stratigraphy of the oilfield. The results demonstrate the potential of seismic wave attenuation for delineating heterogeneous zones with high fluid content, which can substantially help for enhancing oil recovery.

Application of the Controlled Source Radiomagnetotellurics (CSRMT) in the Study of Rocks Overlying Kimberlite Pipes in Yakutia/Siberia

Тhe task of searching for kimberlite pipes in covered areas of the Yakutia kimberlite province is very difficult due to the significant heterogeneity of the rocks overlying kimberlite pipes. The overlying strata of terrigenous sediments contain rocks of the trap complex (dolerite sills, tuff bodies). We consider the results of the controlled source radiomagnetotelluric (CSRMT) soundings in Yakutia/Siberia. Due to the great thickness of the overlying rocks (near 100 m) and the relatively small horizontal sizes of kimberlite pipes (80–200 m), they cannot confidently be detected directly. An additional difficulty in identifying pipe anomalies is the presence of a layer of conductive carbonaceous siltstones in the overlying strata. Therefore, the main aim of the CSRMT surveys was the study of overlying rocks and the search for indirect indications of the presence of pipes. Possibilities to study the structure of dolerite sills located within overlying sediments and to map the top edge of hosting carbonate rocks are demonstrated using the CSRMT data. The pinching out of dolerite sills above pipes («windows in traps») and the lowering of the top edge of hosting rocks at pipes can be considered as indirect indications of the presence of pipes.

Rare metal-polymetallic mineralization of Koshmansay ore field (Eastern Uzbekistan)

The Koshmansai ore field is located in the southern part of the granitoid Chatkal batholith, in its apical ledge and exocontact zones, in the Koshmansai river basin. The host environment of the granitoids is Lower Carboniferous carbonate rocks, which were primarily affected by intensive skarnification. Sedimentary-metamorphic and volcanics rocks and granitoids constitute the geological structure of the skarn rare-metal-polymetallic Koshmansai deposit. In the distribution of ore-forming and associated elе- ments in the mineral phases of skarn orebodies, their morphogenetic type plays a certain role. Thus, in bimetasomatic skarns, minerals accumulate more Cu, Zn, Ni, Te, Tl, Ge. In infiltration skarns, these are Ag, Pb, Bi, Cd, Sb, Co. Sulfide polymetallic mineralization in skarns is associated with quartz and calcite. The Koshmansai ore field has a distinct geochemical zoning, which can be subdivided into the Koshmansai rare- metal-polymetallic deposit at the upper levels of the ore field and the Nizhnekoshmansai rare-metal-copper ore occurrence at its lower levels. Nevertheless, orebodies formation proceeded in a similar thermodynamic environment, in the conditions of upper shielding at low temperature gradients, which makes it possible to consider the ore field as a single geochemical anomaly. The vertical geochemical zoning of ore-forming element halos determined by their concentration at the lower section levels of the Koshmansai deposit skarn orebodies suggests the expansion of its prospects in depth.

Differential Analysis of Volumetric Strain Method Characterization in the Context of Phase Change of Water in Carbonate Rocks

Modernized technological processes or increasing demands on building materials force the scientific community to analyze in more detail the suitability of individual raw materials and deposits. New or modernized research methodologies make it possible to better understand not only the geometrical structure of the pore space of materials but also the processes taking place in them and the interaction of many factors at the same time. Despite the extensive literature in the field of research on capillary-porous materials, scientists still face many challenges because not everything is known. Carbonate rocks are the most common (one-tenth of Earth’s crust) sedimentary rocks. Analysis of the test results obtained with the use of the modernized differentia analysis of volumetric strain (DAVS) methodology allows for a better adjustment of rock deposits to the products that can be produced from them. In this manner, it is possible that it will contribute to a more rational use of exhaustible rock deposits and not only carbonate ones. This research subject is of great importance for modern science, which was also noted in many of science publications.

Porosity of the porous carbonate rocks in the Jingfengqiao–Baidiao area based on finite automata

This study is based on the processing of computed microtomography images of rock samples. In this study, a finite automation is constructed using the grey value, red-green-blue (RGB) value and Euler number of polarized images of carbonate rocks from the Jingfengqiao–Baidiao area. The finite automaton is used to perform black and white binary processing of the polarized images of the carbonate rocks. The porosity of the carbonate rock is calculated based on the black and white binarization processing results of the polarized images of the carbonate rocks. The obtained porosity is compared with the carbonate porosity obtained by use of the traditional carbonate research method. When the two porosities are close, the image processing threshold of the finite automata is considered to be credible. Based on the finite automata established using the image processing threshold, the black and white binary images of the polarized images of the carbonate rocks are used to establish a rock pore image using I mage J2X. The polarized images of the carbonate rocks are classified according to their RGB values using the finite automata for the porosity classification, and the obtained images are used as textures to paste onto a cube to construct a three-dimensional data model of the carbonate rocks. This study also uses 16S rDNA analysis to verify the formation mechanism of the carbonate pores in the Jingfengqiao–Baidiao area. The results of the 16S rDNA analysis show that the pores in the carbonate rocks in the Jingfengqiao–Baidiao area are closely related to microorganisms, represented by denitrifying bacteria.