Environmental Stability and Long-term Variability of Harpacticoid Copepod Assemblages

Harpacticoid copepods of the Chernaya Bay (White Sea) intertidal zone were collected in 45 surveys carried out from spring to autumn over a 25-year period (1996-2020) at three sites that differed in sediment properties. There were no significant long-term trends or seasonal cycles in total abundance. Regarding the species composition, the differences between sites were the most important source of variability over the whole period while the fine-scale (within-habitat) variability was low. Epibenthic species prevailed in fine silty sand, both burrowing and epibenthic species prevailed in medium sand, and interstitial and burrowing species prevailed in coarse sand. A comparison of the data on harpacticoid assemblages from a number of geographically remote loci corroborated the generality of this pattern. In the temporal dimension, the structure of each community was stable until the early 2000s, when the proportion of epibenthic, burrowing and interstitial species changed following changes in sediment properties (increasing siltation at sandy sites and decreasing siltation at the silty site). At each site, there was an increasing long-term trend in diversity (both in total richness and in expected species number). This increase was particularly apparent at sandy sites because of the appearance of epibenthic species. We suggest that sediment composition is the key factor determining the composition of harpacticoid assemblages in space and time. The “ecomorphological profile”, i.e., the proportion of species with different lifestyle and morphological traits, is a useful and informative indicator for describing and typifying these assemblages.

The Development of Practice in Permeation Grouting by using Fine-grained Cement Suspensions

Grouting includes a range of processes that involve the injection of wet or dry materials into the ground to provide improved engineering properties. Common aims are to increase strength or stiffness or to reduce permeability within the mass of ground treated. This paper, mainly, addresses permeation grouting for the improvement of soils, in terms of strengthening or reduction of permeability, and compensation grouting for the displacement of structures during subsurface exploration. The grouts used to make permeation grouting are suspensions and chemical solutions. The suspensions penetrate well into soils with granulometry up to coarse sand. On the contrary, the chemical solutions penetrate satisfactorily in finer formations up to fine sands or coarse sludges. Because some chemical solutions are toxic or generally harmful to the environment and humans, an effort has been made internationally in recent years to replace them with inorganic fine-grained suspensions.

Paleoenvironmental Conditions during the Paleocene–Eocene Transition Imprinted within the Glauconitic Giral Member of the Barmer Basin, India

The roughly 6 m thick limestone–green shale alternation within the lignite-bearing Giral Member of the Barmer Basin corresponds to a marine flooding event immediately after the Paleocene–Eocene transition. A detailed characterization of the glauconite using Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer and Field Emission Gun-Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM) reveals its origin in the backdrop of prevailing warm climatic conditions. The glauconite pellets vary from fine silt-sized to coarse sand-sized pellets, often reaching ~60% of the rock by volume. Mineralogical investigation reveals a ‘nascent’ to ‘slightly evolved’ character of the marginal marine-originated glauconite showing considerable interstratification. The chemical composition of the glauconite is unusual with a high Al2O3 (>10 wt%) and moderately high Fe2O3(total) contents (>15 wt%). While the K2O content of these glauconites is low, the interlayer sites are atypically rich in Na2O, frequently occupying ~33% of the total interlayer sites. The Mössbauer spectrum indicates 10% of the total iron is in ferrous form. High tetrahedral Al3+ of these glauconites suggests a high-alumina substrate that transformed to glauconite by octahedral Al-for-Fe substitution followed by the addition of K into the interlayer structure. The unusually high Na2O suggests the possibility of a soda-rich pore water formed by the dissolution of alkaline volcanic minerals. The Giral glauconite formation could have been a part of the major contributors in the Fe-sequestration cycle in the Early Eocene shelves. Warm climate during the Early Eocene time favored the glauconitization because of the enhanced supply of Fe, Al, and Si and proliferation of an oxygen-depleted depositional environment.

Effects of organic carbon content on in situ remediation time using steam–air injection

Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC) is a common phenomenon that poses health risks to both humans and animals. These halogenated hydrocarbons infiltrate into the soil matrices and form pools at the bottoms of the aquifers thus contaminating the groundwater sources. Thermally enhanced soil vapour extraction (TSVE) using steam–air injection has gained popularity as an alternative technique to remediate the saturated and vadose source zones contaminated with CHC. This technique has been successfully applied in the remediation of contaminated sites (brownfields, industrial sites) and groundwater. However, the presence of organic carbon (OC) contents within the soil matrices has not been intensively studied. This paper, therefore, intends to contribute toward increasing the understanding of the effects of OC on the remediation time using TSVE. A 2-D flume experimental model was conducted in VEGAS laboratory using coarse sand, fine sand and silty soil with 0, 1 and 2% addition of the activated carbon as OC to investigate the desorption time of PCE and TCE as CHC during TSVE extraction using steam–air injection. 100 kg of soil mixed with the activated carbon was treated with 50 g TCE and 50 g PCE and then remediated using TSVE. The remediation times were recorded and recovered CHC was documented. It was discovered that the presence of OC enhanced the adsorption of the CHC onto the soil matrices thereby increasing the time required for the complete remediation of the contaminant from the soil. An increase of OC by 1% resulted in desorption time by a factor of 4–7.

The Palaeo-Kambaniru river mouth, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia: A record of strongly seasonal catastrophic flow in a monsoon-controlled deltaic complex

The Kambaniru River valley near the city of Waingapu preserves a thick succession of coarse-grained fluvial-deltaic sediment deposited during the Late Pleistocene. This succession incises through a thick uplifted coral reef terrace succession and records intervals of highly episodic flow events during the last glacial interval. The occurrence of intraclastic, coarse sand/gravel matrix olistostromes in several areas attests to the occasionally catastrophic nature of flow in the ancestral Kambaniru River. Small to moderate-sized coral-rich reefs and laterally restricted reef terraces occur on delta-front conglomerate successions at multiple horizons through the study interval. These reefs record both intervals of low flow as well as periodic river-mouth avulsion episodes. Comparison of radiometric dates obtained from pelecypod and coral material from both deltaic successions and laterally adjacent coral reef terrace intervals indicates that uplift/subsidence history of the terraces differs from that of the valley and that correlation between the two should be taken with care.

Stratigraphy of the Lorette Cave (Rochefort, Belgium): Study of the “gours suspendus” section

The Lorette Cave contains a wide variety of deposits within various stratigraphical contexts. This cave is a part of the complex underground meander cut-off of the Wamme and Lomme rivers, between some swallow-holes along their two talwegs near On, Jemelle and Rochefort, and the general resurgence at Eprave. The Lorette Cave is embedded within the Givetian limestone formations of the Calestienne. This cave displays the first part with a labyrinthic structure. Some parts of the cave galleries are affected by recent tectonic activity, which dislocates some galleries and provokes collapses. The second part of the cave comprises the West Gallery, which contains the most complete sedimentary series. The “gours suspendus” (hanging gours) section is located at the western end of the gallery. The cave contains numerous and rich detrital deposits. The oldest sedimentary unit is a diamictite found in several galleries (e.g. Galerie Fontaine-Bagdad, Salle du Cataclysme). It is composed of large decametric-sized quartz and sandstone pebbles coming from the erosion of the Lower Devonian formations of the Ardenne. This deposit is older than the U/Th dating limit, i.e. 350 ka. The West Gallery exposes an area of collapsed blocks and ends in a vast room. This gallery is filled with a thick fluvial series of upper Pleistocene age and capped by speleothems of Tardiglacial to Holocene age. The large terminal chamber is clogged by flooded pits. A tributary gallery shows a sedimentary series in a subsiding pit, the “Fosse aux Lions” (Lions’ Pit). These deposits are interstratified diamictite interbedded between two fluvial units, the upper part of which displays oblique stratifications. The dating of a summit stalagmite places this set at 120 ka. The present paper analyses a section made in the southern flank of the terminal room, close to the junction with the West Gallery: the “gours suspendus” section. A large part of this section consists of a complex fluvial deposit disconformably resting on top of a compact lower clay formation. This fluvial deposit is stratified, comprising mostly diamictites interstratified with thin levels of gravel and clay. It is capped by an upper clay unit and sealed by a flowstone. Thin strata of finer-grained size sediments (coarse sand), as well as clay lenses, occur within the lower clay. The diamictites indicate a torrential origin of the sediment. At the base, just above the lower clay, some sandy channelling strata testify that one or several fluvial deposition episodes occurred. Then, torrential and probably very short-living events are separated by decantation phases. The pebbles and smaller particles are made of quartz, sandstone and muscovite that most probably originated in the Lower Devonian formations. The “gours suspendus” section provides a new illustration of the succession of sedimentation and erosion phases in Belgian caves. It is now well demonstrated that speleothems grow mainly during temperate to hot and humid climatic phases and detrital infills are deposited in caves during cold/glacial phases. The physical erosion of sediments with ravine formations should be placed in the climatic history of the region. A gullying by a coarse detrital formation like that of the new section is due to a powerful heavy loaded current. The deposits within caves were therefore available, which can only occur during a cold phase due to the absence of continuous vegetation cover. The sand and clay levels interstratified between levels of pebbles indicate nevertheless distinguished flow regimes. However, this torrential lava in the new section seems different from the old diamictite. The deposition of the sedimentary units in the West Gallery seemingly happened during a glacial–interglacial transition. This sedimentological study sets a future perspective for dating flowstones and stalagmites at the top of or embedded within the deposit levels in order to propose a more robust chronological frame for the evolution dynamics of the cave infilling of the Lorette Cave in relation to the climatic history of the region.

Alkaline activation of mortars made from solid construction waste [Activación alcalina de morteros fabricados a partir de residuos sólidos de construcción]

In the present investigation the influence of the percentage by weight of replacement of portland cement (PC) by recycled concrete powder (RCP), alkaline activated, in percentages of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%, was evaluated. which were selected from construction rubble left in the Buenos Aires spa, Víctor Larco Herrera district, Trujillo province. After being washed, they went to the grinding and sieving process (400 mesh), using only the through material. Specimens were manufactured according to the ASTM C-109 standard for the compression test in cement mortars, for the alkaline solution NaOH (4M) was used. The mortars obtained were cured in an oven at 70 ° C for 72 hours, and subsequently the curing was completed at room temperature, for a total time of 28 days. The results of the average compression test were 12.15 MPa, in the case of the PC mortar and 14.25 MPa in the best case (PC mortar and RCP-10%), the increase being 17.28%. The mix design using coarse sand and binder was kept constant at (3: 1), while the water / cement ratio (w / c) was 0.6 in all cases. The reason for the increase in compressive strength is due to the reaction between the RCP particles, alkaline solution and the calcium hydroxide produced during the hydration of the cement particles, which generate gels (CASH), which occupy the spaces left by the hydration process of the aforementioned cement particles, as they need calcium hydroxide. For all cases of the compression test, a total of 10 repetitions were carried out.

Control of glacial and fluvial environments in the Ny-Alesund region, Arctic

Ny-Alesund, located in Svalbard, Arctic exhibits complex topography and geomorphic features evolved by various sedimentary environments under direct control of climate and tectonics. The controls of glacial and fluvial environments were analyzed on the basis of field documentation of geomorphic features evolved by small valley glaciers (Vestre brogger and Midre loven) and streams originating from it. These terrestrial valley glaciers are characterized by convex wrinkled surface, crevasses, bergchrunds, supraglacial streams, longitudinal debris strips, lateral moraines, recessional moraines, hummocky moraines, thrust moraines, convex longitudinal profile with breaks in slope, fractures and joints. The glacial deposits are made up of very poorly sorted clast to matrix supported boulders with varying sizes of clast, matrix and gravels. The matrix supported facies underlain by clast supported facies indicate the increasing energy of the glacier and so the cold climate. The bi-modal palaeocurrent pattern of moraines suggests two prominent directions for the movement of glaciers in the past under direct control of tectonic activity. The granulometric analysis of the streams indicate moderately sorted medium to coarse sand. The mean grain size decreases from origin to the middle reaches of the river and increases towards its mouth. The percentage of the finer sediments decreases and coarser fragments increases in the downstream direction. The results of the granulometric parameters which are contrary to the normal fluvial system are due to the control of tectonic activity. The present study provides the basic characteristics and activity of the glacial and fluvial environments the interpretation of, which explains the control of tectonic activity in this region.

Nitrogen Migration and Transformation Mechanism in the Groundwater Level Fluctuation Zone of Typical Medium

Because of the nitrogen pollution problem in groundwater, the migration conversion mechanism of nitrogen in groundwater level fluctuations was analyzed. Technology and methods through indoor experiments and theoretical analysis were used to study coarse sand, medium sand, and fine sand groundwater level fluctuation in the aeration zone and saturated zone under the situation of nitrogen distribution characteristics, revealing groundwater level fluctuation with the nitrogen migration mechanism. The experimental results showed that the variation range of the nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−−N) concentration with the water level is medium sand > fine sand > coarse sand. The ammonium nitrogen (NH4+−N) concentration showed a downward trend after water level fluctuations, and there were more apparent fluctuations in coarse sand and medium sand. The nitrite nitrogen (NO2−−N) in coarse sand and medium sand first increased the water level and then gradually reached a balance. The sampling points below the water level in fine sand showed a downward trend with fluctuation of the water level, and then gradually reached equilibrium. The results provide a scientific basis for the remediation and treatment of soil and groundwater pollution.

Geochronology and palaeoclimatic context of submerged siliciclastic beachrock formation in the western Mediterranean Sea

This article describes the geomorphological and petrological characteristics of 19 submerged beachrocks located on the north Catalan coast (western Mediterranean Sea). Their length ranges between 8 and 1039 m, their width between 1.5 and 86.5 m and their thickness between 0.4 and 3.25 m. They are siliciclastic beachrocks consisting of well-rounded gravels with a very coarse sand matrix, and they have a low proportion of bioclasts (<1%). Cementation occurred in the swash zone and adjacent foreshore due to the precipitation of high magnesium calcite. From absolute dates (14C and optically stimulated luminescence) and anthropic artifacts, three phases of formation attributable to the Late Holocene were identified. Phase I corresponds to the warm and humid Roman Period and was recorded at a level below -3.75 m mean sea level (MSL). Phase II corresponds to the warm and arid Medieval Climate Anomaly and was recorded at +0.25 m to -2.5 m MSL. Phase III corresponds to the Little Ice Age and Industrial Period and was recorded at levels ranging from +0.5 m to -3.0 m MSL. Good temporal correspondence between the chronology of the cementation phases and warm and/or dry palaeoclimatic conditions can be established.