bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Natural geochemical concentrations and fluxes of Cu, Th and U in Finland
Authors: Tarvainen Timo , Hellmuth Karl-Heinz , Backman Birgitta 
Published: November 2007

Concentrations of U, Th and Cu were studied as a part of the coordinated IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) research project on ‘The use of selected safety indicators (concentrations; fluxes) in the assessment of radioactive waste disposal’. Uranium and Th served as analogues of radionuclides in the waste matrix (spent fuel) and Cu is a construction material in the Finnish disposal approach in granitic rock. Release and migration of these components through the geosphere to the biosphere is thought to be caused and influenced by corrosion, oxidation and dissolution and subsequent transport and retardation processes in groundwater in hydraulically conducting rock fractures.

The weathering rates for Cu, U and Th were calculated on the basis of the weathering rate of base cations and the concentrations of these elements in the parent soils. The mean weathering rate for Cu in till soils is 0.21 mg m
−2
a
−1
. The mean values of estimated weathering rates for Th and U are 0.17 mg m
−2
a
−1
and 0.054 mg m
−2
a
−1
, respectively.

Analytical data and flux measurements from groundwater monitoring of selected springs are used to calculate the quantity of dissolved elements discharging from the aquifer. Typical fluxes for five small springs were 0.023–0.46 kg Cu km
−2
a
−1
and 0.003–0.43 kg U km
−2
a
−1
. The estimated fluxes of Cu and U in headwater streams were calculated on the basis of concentration data and the rate of stream flow. The estimated fluxes in 30 streams are 0.44–1418 g/month for Cu and 0.08–285 g/month for U.

From the point of view of the use of natural elemental concentrations and fluxes as natural safety indicators in the evaluation of nuclear waste repository, the basis of this complementary or alternative concept has been corroborated by the results of this work. Elemental concentration data can be better understood in relation to the underlying geology and the prevailing geochemistry and by correlation to observed elemental fluxes. The comparison of the spatial distribution of elements in different matrices gives a qualitative estimation of the dominating fluxes.
Widespread correlation between different compartments indicates mobile element fluxes from the geosphere to the biosphere. Also fixation in sinks, in particular, for U was observed. The geochemical cycles are dominated by near-surface weathering processes. Fluxes are also controlled by small-scale, local groundwater flow patterns; contributions from greater depths were found to be negligible.
Environmental geochemistry at Red Mountain, an unmined volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit in the Bonnifield district,Alaska Range, east-central Alaska
Authors: Eppinger Robert G. , Briggs Paul H. , Dusel-Bacon Cynthia , Giles Stuart A. , Gough Larry P. , Hammarstrom Jane M. , Hubbard Bernard E. 
Published: November 2007

The unmined, pyrite-rich Red Mountain (Dry Creek) deposit displays a remarkable environmental footprint of natural acid generation, high metal and exceedingly high rare earth element (REE) concentrations in surface waters. The volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit exhibits well-constrained examples of acid-generating, metal-leaching, metal-precipitation and self-mitigation (via co-precipitation, dilution and neutralization) processes that occur in an undisturbed natural setting, a rare occurrence in North America. Oxidative dissolution of pyrite and associated secondary reactions under near-surface oxidizing conditions are the primary causes for the acid generation and metal leaching. The deposit is hosted in Devonian to Mississippian felsic metavolcanic rocks of the Mystic Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist.
Water samples with the lowest pH (many below 3.5), highest specific conductance (commonly >2500 μS/cm) and highest major- and trace-element concentrations are from springs and streams within the quartz–sericite–pyrite alteration zone. Aluminum, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Y, Zn and, particularly, the REEs are found in high concentrations, ranging across four orders of magnitude. Waters collected upstream from the alteration zone have near-neutral pH, lower specific conductance (370 to 830 μS/cm), lower metal concentrations and measurable alkalinities. Water samples collected downstream of the alteration zone have pH and metal concentrations intermediate between these two extremes. Stream sediments are anomalous in Zn, Pb, S, Fe, Cu, As, Co, Sb and Cd relative to local and regional background abundances. Red Mountain Creek and its tributaries do not, and probably never have, supported significant aquatic life.
The effects of acid mine drainage from an old mine in the Witbank Coalfield, South Africa
Authors: Bell F.G. , Hälbich T.F.J. , Bullock S.E.T. 
Published: November 2007

Acid mine drainage seeping from an abandoned mine in the Witbank Coalfield has flowed into a nearby stream, the Blesbokspruit, which is a tributary of the Olifants River. The amount of precipitation over the mine area which sinks into the mine has been greatly increased by associated subsidence features. There is a time lag between the maximum precipitation and the maximum flow of acid mine drainage from the mine of several months. The water issuing from the mine has a low pH, high electrical conductivity and high total dissolved solids. It has severely impaired the quality of the waters of the Blesbokspruit. The heavy metals concentrations of the stream water are well above the levels set by the South African standards. In addition, there is a high concentration of heavy metals in the stream sediments and in algal mats which occur at the seepage points. Salts have been precipitated from the acidified waters, one of the chief of which is jarosite. Formation of ferrihydrite is associated with the algal mats.
Four decantation ponds constructed in the headwaters of this stream have had no effect on the pollution. Indeed, the concentration of aluminium in the waters exiting from the ponds is higher.
The Blesbokspruit flows through a wetland and on leaving the concentration of some heavy metals has been reduced. This presumably is attributable to the sorption capacity of the high organic content of the sediments in the wetland. Nonetheless, the quality of the water is not improved sufficiently for it to be acceptable, even with the dilution effect of the entry of water from an uncontaminated stream downstream of the wetland.
The effects of storage conditions on the sulphur speciation in geological material
Authors: Czerewko M.A. , Cripps J.C. , Reid J.M. , Duffell C.G. 
Published: November 2007

The corrosion of galvanized steel buriedstructures and the deterioration of buriedconcrete structures are problems attributed to the presence of sulphate and sulphide species in the structural backfill and natural ground surrounding the buried structures.
Avoidance of these problems depends on reliable chemical testing of samples of the materials in the first instance. However, the results of tests may be incorrect because of oxidation of sulphur minerals during sample storage. Results are presented in this paper of aninvestigation carried out into the effects that different storage conditions have on the sulphur species, particularly oxidation of pyrite and growth of gypsum. The findings show that pyrite oxidation will occur withinstorage periods of weeks to months affecting subsequent chemical test results for sulphur species. In this paper guidance on suitable storage and testing protocols is provided.
Geomorphological roulette for engineers and planners: some insights into an old game
Authors: Brunsden D. 
Published: November 2007

Engineers have always appreciated that a civil engineering project should be based on a clear understanding of the geomorphology of the site of the proposed works. It is an old ‘game’!
However, although it is good practice to take full account of the morphology and processes of the landscape during an investigation there is a tendency to restrict the work to basic mapping and identification of features rather than a true understanding of the site in space and time. Particular criticisms are that not enough attention is paid to the effects of landform change, the identification of inherited material conditions, the frequency and magnitude of processes and the nature of risk. Ways of improving the service are identified.
It is suggested that future work should be based on a full understanding of the conceptual basis for modern geomorphology. In the past thirty years there has been a revolution in the theoretical basis of the subject as well as a remarkable improvement in the technical capability. A major statement is therefore made on the nature of geomorphology and this is then summarized as a possible conceptual basis for application to engineering and planning.
The theme of the paper will be illustrated by a description of the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvements Scheme in West Dorset which is in the design stage and has been based on a full understanding of the geomorphology and geology of the area and the employment of a Geo-Team at all stages of the project.
Materials surveys and investigation for the Kainji Dam project, Northern Nigeria
Authors: Hitchen Charles Stanfield 
Published: November 2007

Summary
The Kainji Dam across the river Niger is the largest engineering project currently being constructed in Africa south of the Sahara and is due to be completed at the end of 1968.
Following a short reference to geological conditions, a description is given of the investigation and assessment of the indigenous materials available for the building of this dam and its associated works, comprising rock, gravel, sand and earth.
The paper demonstrates the way design was adapted to make the most effective and efficient use of these local materials and, hence, the prior need for their quantity and quality to be precisely established.
Consolidation characteristics of some kate Pleistocene periglacial metastable soils of East Kent
Authors: Fookes Peter George , Best Robert 
Published: November 2007

Summary
Metastable partially saturated soils are those which on wetting under load undergo a sudden decrease of void ratio, i.e. a structural collapse. One of the most important soils of this group is loess, a silty quartzose sediment of uniform grading. Loess has attracted interest in the past because of its unusual mode of formation associated with wind transport, and its unusual behaviour as an engineering material. It has extremely widespread occurrence outside Britain but only occurs to any extent in small areas in east Kent and has only been reported occasionally from elsewhere in Britain.
The paper deals principally with the geotechnical and mineralogical characteristics of east Kent loess and some comparison is drawn with loess from various world-wide locations. The geotechnical behaviour supports the conclusions made from earlier geological observation which leave little room for doubt that the Kent loess is a true loess of periglacial origin. A coarser grained poorly sorted glacial solifluxion soil from Kent was also examined and found to be metastable. Because material of this type is fairly common this observation could have significant engineering implications.
Geological factors in the design and construction of the Ffestiniog Pumped Storage Scheme, Merioneth, Wales
Authors: Anderson John Graham Comrie 
Published: November 2007

Summary
The Ffestiniog Pumped Storage Scheme, in Merioneth, the first in Britain, is situated on Upper Cambrian and Ordovician sediments and metasediments, on Ordovician volcanics and fine-grained intrusions and on a granite laccolite. The nature and structure of these rocks and the glacial history were major factors in the choice of site and in the design and construction of works which include two large dams, deep vertical shafts, pressure tunnels and penstocks, and a power station of 360 MW capacity.
The presence of a glaciated rock-lip of Ordovician igneous rocks located the upper dam site, but the effects of glacial drag necessitated deeper excavation than expected; faulting also had to be taken into account. Twin 640 ft vertical shafts pass down through the igneous rocks into Ordovician sediments. Four pressure tunnels and the power station site were excavated in flaggy Upper Cambrian rocks, subject to a varying degree of meta-morphism; in spite of well-marked bedding and cleavage and the presence of several faults (forecast from site investigation) these strata proved satisfactory both mechanically and hydraulically. Hornfelsed sediments provided sound foundations at shallow depth for the Lower Dam; deeper excavation was necessary in granite cut by minor faults and intrusions and affected by weathering.
Site exploration included nearly 4000 ft of core boring.
No new geological views are put forward but observations are recorded bearing on the relation of the granite to its aureole, on the nature of the Ordovician volcanics and intrusions, on the Cambrian/Ordovician boundary and on the fault and joint systems.
Topographical and petrographical variation of road aggregates and the wet skidding resistance of tyres
Authors: Williams Arthur Roger , Lees Geoffrey 
Published: November 2007

Summary
Previous workers have noted variations in skid resistance value of aggregates of similar trade-group categorization and of similar petrographical grouping, due to detailed mineralogical and petrographical changes. Some further examples are noted and, with particular reference to limestone aggregates the cause of these variations is discussed, together with the question of blending aggregates of different polishing characteristics with the aim of achieving certain desired levels of skid resistance.
The topographical characteristics of aggregates of various type, natural and artificial and at various states of polish, have been studied by means of the Stereoscan electron microscope and related to petrographical detail, and to geological, crushing and polishing history.
The effect of different states of polish of a particular roadstone surface on the wet skidding resistance of rubber compounds is shown to be of the same order of magnitude as that encountered in testing a surface of a given state of polish with rubber compounds of poor and good wet-grip properties.
The Cornish greenstones: their physical properties and use in engineering
Authors: Hawkes Jan Robert , Cratchley Charles Roger 
Published: November 2007

Summary
This note contains a brief account of the stratigraphy and mineralogy of the Cornish greenstones. Data obtained from ultrasonic, uniaxial compressive strength, Young's Modulus and wet and dry density tests are given for four greenstone types ranging from unmeta-morphosed to completely recrystallized contact-altered material. Differences in the results seem to reflect fairly closely the particular mineralogical and textural features of each sample. Commonly the greenstones are extremely tough rocks. Some of the implications of this fact are discussed with regard to site engineering problems, but more specifically with reference to past and present utilization and to the future potential greenstones could have as the raw material for engineering surface plates.
The behaviour of a soft recent sediment under embankment loadings
Authors: James Peter Michael 
Published: November 2007

Summary
The behaviour under load of a thick deposit of normally consolidated recent sediments in north-west Malaya was studied by means of full-scale trial embankments. Two parallel embankments of 9 ft and 11 ft in height, with slopes averaging one vertical to two horizontal and lengths of about 200 ft were constructed. The soft foundation soils were investigated and instrumented, and provided the following information:

(1)The
in-situ
three-dimensional permeability of the stratum was some two to three orders of magnitude higher than the vertical permeability computed from laboratory tests.

(2) Consolidation settlements beneath the embankments were therefore extremely rapid and largely completed within two or three months of the end of construction, in contrast to periods of years predictable from oedometer tests.
(3) There appeared to be a reduction in the permeability of the soft foundation soils under-going settlement as well as an increase in strength of the soils, the latter occurring largely during the early consolidation stages.

(4) The major part of the settlement is believed to be provided by secondary consolidation of the soft soils, a process which is still continuing at the time of writing. Normal consolidation theory for settlement predictions is shown to be applicable only for loads below a certain threshold level. Some laboratory and field values of the coefficient of secondary consolidation,
C
α
, are quoted and the application of this parameter is briefly discussed.

(5) The normally consolidated sediments showed several characteristics typical of over-consolidation.
The results of the trial were invaluable in the design of further embankments in the area, and in avoiding installation of unwarranted measures such as sand drains.
A mineralogical investigation of a spoil heap at Yorkshire Main Colliery
Authors: Spears David Alan , Taylor Roy Kenneth , Till Roger 
Published: November 2007

Summary
A spoil heap at Yorkshire Main Colliery has been investigated to determine whether or not the material buried within the heap is being weathered. Samples have been obtained from a borehole through the tip, and control samples from underground. The observed breakdown of the underground samples upon exposure has been related to the material in the spoil heap. It would appear that after the initial, relatively rapid physical breakdown, the material has changed little. Mineralogical and chemical analyses show that the level of chemical weathering does not increase with depth in the spoil heap. There appears to have been little movement of water through the spoil heap. Chemical analyses of the ground-water also shows no evidence for weathering. Small changes have been recorded with depth, but in all cases these are believed to be due to original variations in the material at the time of tipping.
The stability of a valley side in weathered shale
Authors: West John Michael , Moseley Michael Paul , Bennett Donovan Harry 
Published: November 2007

Summary
The paper describes a detailed investigation carried out at Abersychan near Pontypool, South Wales, to determine the stability of a valley side prior to multi-storey development. A routine investigation revealed the presence of deeply weathered and disturbed shales beneath variable drift deposits, and despite the absence of visual evidence of slip at that time, initial calculations indicated a case of marginal stability. A rigorous investigation was then authorized to examine the stability of the site in detail, and this confirmed a case approximating to limiting equilibrium. The shear strength of the shale was found to be related to its mineralogical content and to be independent of its flocculated structure, which had not been destroyed by weathering. The use of standard classification tests to describe the true nature of such a soil was found to be unreliable. The information obtained from the two investigations was used to formulate a scheme of anchored reinforced concrete diaphragm walls capable of supporting multi-storey buildings and stabilizing the slope.
A sparker survey used to select a marine dam site in Hong Kong
Authors: Fanshawe Hew George , Watkins Mervyn David 
Published: November 2007

Summary
An additional large reservoir will soon be needed in Hong Kong and the only suitable sites are for dams founded in the sea, similar to the recently completed Plover Cove dam. A sparker reflection survey has been carried out to compare three sites. To assist the interpretation, boreholes and drillholes were completed at possible centre-lines.
Results show that Pleistocene valleys were eroded deeply below present sea level and were subsequently infilled. Soft marine sediments cover compact alluvium above bedrock. The earth/rock fill dams would probably be founded on alluvium and the main object of the investigation was to find suitable foundation levels.
The sparker survey gave far more geological information than would have been obtained from exploratory holes drilled at the equivalent cost. The results were accurate enough to produce relative capital cost/capacity curves for the reservoir sites.
A preliminary report on new photogeological studies to detect unstable natural slopes
Authors: Watson Ian 
Published: November 2007

1. Preliminary study

A P
reliminary
investigation of the stability problems of natural slopes in Southern England was carried out in 1968/69 using air photographs in conjunction with existing literature and a limited field study. General photoreconnaissance included the study of slopes consisting of the Inferior Oolite overlying the Lias south of Leicester, but with special attention to the scarp face of the Cotswold Hills between Broadway and Bath, the Lower Greensand overlying the Weald clay on the escarpment south and west of Sevenoaks in Kent and the Upper Greensand overlying the Gault on the Isle of Wight and in Dorset.

This study indicated that instability on slopes consisting of a clay overlain by a bed of significantly greater permeability was widespread enough to merit special attention. The following hypothesis was suggested to define the scope of further investigation.
2. Hypothesis and explanation

The hypothesis states:

wherever precipitation is sufficiently high, slopes consisting of a clay overlain by a bed of significantly greater competency and/or mass permeability, are likely to be actively degraded by mass movement (e.g. PL la-lf).

(In this context the following should be noted:
1. Competent and incompetent are used as relative terms. Competent materials are considered to be strong, to have a low deformability and to have brittle characteristics of failure. Incompetent materials are considered to be relatively weaker than competent materials, to have lower shear strengths, a higher deformability and to fail in a plastic way.
2. Mass permeability is taken to include both permeability and
The use of resistivity logging to estimate borehole yield from a matrix-conducting sandstone
Authors: Worthington Paul Francis 
Published: November 2007

Summary
Borehole resistivity methods have been used to study the Bunter Sandstone aquifer of north-west Lancashire. The results of water-resistivity and ‘normal’ logging surveys are discussed. Using the determined distribution of ground-water resistivity an average formation factor is calculated for each well. This quantity is shown to be affected by conduction of the sandstone matrix, a phenomenon which is used to estimate hydraulic conductivity at borehole sites as follows. Within a limited section of the aquifer, values of hydraulic conductivity calculated from pump-test data are correlated with formation factors corrected for several assumed levels of matrix conduction. The most significant correlation furnishes an empirical relationship which permits the interpolation of hydraulic conductivity in terms of the resistivity data. Estimated values of hydraulic conductivity at the sites of unlogged wells are generally at least as accurate as those obtained directly from interpolated hydrological parameters. The possible extension of the method to predict potential well yields is briefly indicated.