Scythian Burial-Mound 7 in the “Vodovod” Group in the Lower Reaches of the Dniester River

Materials obtained during investigation of Scythian burial-mound 7 in the “Vodovod” group in 2017 near the village of Glinoye in the Slobozia District on the east bank of the Lower Dniester are published here for the first time. The burial-mound contained five burials – four in pits and one in a catacomb. The burials in pits had been deposited at the turn of the 4th century BC and the catacomb burial dated from the first third of the 3rd century BC. The graves belonged to ordinary members of the community but contained a fairly distinctive range of grave goods. It was made up of weapons (arrowheads and an axe) and horse harness (a bit and a cheek-piece), vessels (a wooden dish, hand-moulded pot and a hand-moulded bowl), tools (knives, awls, a needle, spindle whorls and an abrasive tool) and jewellery (rings, a metal bracelet, beads, pendants made of shell, oolitic limestone and canine teeth of dogs). In addition tassel-holders, a bronze mirror and a flint strike-a-light were found. A bronze ring from burial 7/2 reflects La Tène influence and the hand-moulded cup from burial 7/4 reflects Thracian influence on the material culture of the Scythians in the North-West Pontic region. In general the funerary rite and range of grave goods demonstrate the transformation of Scythian culture during the second half of the 4th and first half of the 3rd century BC.

Modeling and Comparison of Data Obtained by GPR, for Geological / Structural Analysis of a Carbonated Ornamental Rock Quarry - Blocometry Validation - Case Study in Valinho De Fátima, Portugal

Portugal, in the continental and insular territory, has raw geological resources in diversity and quality that are materials for the manufacturing industries, particularly linked to the civil construction, architecture and public works with great weight in its exports, revealing to be one big producer of ornamental stones worldwide. In this industry, the presence of discontinuities, grain size, colour, textural anisotropy and porosity are factors that can determine the economic viability of the exploitations. For this, it is important to develop effective prospecting routines that allow the geological/structural fast analysis and economic potential assessment of the massifs and subsequent correct planning and dimensioning of the exploitations. This work intends to model and integrate data from the ground penetration radar (GPR), together with close-range photogrammetry, derived from an Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. The objective is to identify and determine the spatial distribution of the various elements by modelling the acquired data, as well as verifying the feasibility of the technical disassembly option adopted. We have used GPR as it is non-destructive, fast to deploy, survey, process and interpret. The acquired data were processed using the GPR-SLICE, where a 3D final dataset was obtained and interpreted. GPR and photogrammetric model was integrated and interpreted and validated with direct field observations. The model obtained showed in its upper part, an area corresponding to the presence of sludge from the cut of the rock, followed by a strip that corresponds to the oolitic limestone. Further down to the end of the block, the presence of oolitic limestone with crossed stratification is identifiable. There was a textural and structural correspondence between the GPR data and direct field observations. GPR did not reveal any major morphostructural discontinuity, validating the technical option of choosing the places where the cuts were made for their individualization, as the block was cut clean. The GPR and photogrammetry data integration method revealed to be complementary, where results were obtained easily, fast, and with centimeter accuracy. The same methodology presented, revealed to be cheap and effective for both localized studies and optimization of the overall quarry’s extraction plan and design.

Characterization of the microstructural components and corrosion-induced changes in the mechanical properties of oolitic limestone

The understanding of the variation of mechanical properties and microstructural changes of rocks due to chemical weathering is critical for prospection, extraction and storage of energy resources in the subsurface. Uniaxial and triaxial compression tests were conducted on fresh and chemically weathered oolitic limestone samples submerged in acidic solutions with pH5 and pH3 values for 30 and 50 days each. Results show that both, acid concentration and exposure period have a significant influence not only in changes of effective porosity, Young’s modulus and peak strength, but also in the development of stress-induced microstructures. While the change in effective porosity increased and the Young’s modulus decreased with exposure time, the peak strength decreased with exposure time and decreasing pH. Micro-fracturing, twinning, and rigid body rotation were the main mechanisms of the deformations observed. The highest density of microcracks and twinned grains were observed in samples subjected to longer exposure periods of time, suggesting that the exposure time constitutes an essential factor in rock softening. Microfracturing initiated at grain boundaries, where stress concentrations were higher. In agreement with previous work on limestone inelastic compaction, the mechanical contrast of allochemical components with respect to cement conditioned the spatial distribution of the microfractures.

A Simple Effective Method for Three-Dimensional Modelling of Cementation, Fracturing and Dissolution of Carbonate Rocks: Illustrated through Oolitic Limestone

Sandstones and many carbonates (e.g., oolitic limestone and other grainstones), comprise solid particulates (grains) and pores, which have a given pore network architecture relationship, and associated porosity—permeability values. Over time, through the process of diagenesis, the pore network architecture may be extensively altered. Changes can include compaction, particle deformation, cementation, dissolution and fracturing, with the pathway followed after deposition depending on factors such as the energy level, rate of burial, degree of biological activity, local heat flow, sediment composition, Eh, pH and the presence or absence of organic materials. Any method that provides a means of modelling changes is therefore highly desirable, in particular, allowing a prediction of changes in porosity and permeability with time. The current work illustrates a simple method that uses freely available open source image analysis software to model the development of cement phases within an oolitic limestone in three-dimensions. As well as cementation, it demonstrates the modelling of fracture development and dissolution processes, and records how porosity and permeability change during such processes.

The Minories Eagle: A New Sculpture from London's Eastern Roman Cemetery

ABSTRACTThe limestone sculpture of an eagle firmly clasping a serpent in its beak was recovered from within the eastern Roman cemetery of London on the last day of excavations at 24–26 Minories, EC3 in September 2013. The sculpture, which is dated stylistically to the late first or early second centurya.d., had been carefully buried within the backfill of a roadside ditch no later than the mid-second century. The Minories eagle is one of the finest and earliest examples of freestone sculpture from the London cemeteries and presumably adorned the tomb of a rich and important individual or family located nearby. Petrological analysis of the sculpture has revealed it is carved from oolitic limestone quarried from the south Cotswolds. The article presents the context of the findspot and a detailed description of the eagle sculpture with an in-depth discussion of the iconography of the image and the results of the petrological examination. The Supplementary Material available online (http://journals.cambridge.org/bri) presents an account of the site stratigraphy, integrated with the specialist finds and the environmental reports.