Characteristics of dust particles from the desert/Gobi area of northwestern China during dust-storm periods

The total suspended particle (TSP) samples were collected from seven urban cities in Gansu province in the periods of dust storms from January to April 2001. These dust events were characterized by about 1-3 days duration, NNW-, NW-, WNW-dominant wind directions, ~15.0 m/s 1-h average wind speeds and ~62.53 mg/m³ TSP levels. In the January-April period, the dust events in northwestern China were mainly induced by the high pressures over Xinjiang or over northwestern Mongolia and by depressions over eastern Asia. TSP samples were analyzed using a JSM-5600LV scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a KEVEX EDX and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry for examining morphologies and major components. In addition, soil samples, collected from 11different sites, were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence for their chemical components. The morphology of the dust particles showed a wide variety of types such as spherical shapes, irregular and sharp-edged shapes, etc., and contained crustal element oxides such as SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CaO, MgO, K₂O, Na₂O, and TiO₂, similar to the chemical components in the desert/Gobi areas. However, the concentrations of elements such as Cu, V, Pb, Zn and As were wider and higher than those in the soils of the desert/Gobi areas, and their ratios for TSP/desert and TSP/Gobi were about 3~14. The levels of these elements in the urban cities may not be influenced by the dust storms in the desert/Gobi areas, but may be contributed to by anthropogenic sources such as industrial tailings and some polluted materials.     

Geomorphologic approach for modelling the surface features of arid environments in a model of dust emissions: application to the Sahara desert

Abstract

Mineral dust emissions from arid regions are influenced by the surface features encountered in the source regions. These surface features control both the erosion threshold and the intensity of the dust flux. Recently, a soil-derived dust emission scheme has been designed in order to provide an explicit representation of the mineral dust accounting for the influence of the surface features on the dust emissions. This physical scheme has been validated with micro-scale field measurements. Its large scale application has required the development of additional relations to estimate the input parameters from more accessible data: the mean height and the covering rate of the roughness elements and the min-eralogical soil type. The determination of these surface data has been based on a geomorphologic approach which describes the surface features of arid areas in a 1 × l° grid. Inside each square degree, up to five different areas characterised by different surface features have been distinguished. However, these areas have not been located inside the square degree. Each area can be constituted by several combined surface features, including roughness, vegetation, granulometry. Five main types of landscapes and eight main types of surface features have been distinguished. This approach is based on the combination of various data, mainly topographical, geological maps and climatological analysis. In addition to the problem of scale transfer, the main constraints to obtain a quantitative assessment are the confidence level of the existing data and the number of parameters to document. On the opposite, with this method, the fine scale required by the dust modelling can be separated from the scale accessible by the mapping approach, of the order of the square degree. This method can also be easily improved by aggregating new data and can be extended to other deserts. An example of application is given for the north-west of the Algerian Sahara where the method has been elaborated. The data provided by the modelling of the surface have been used to simulate dust emissions for 1990, 1991 and 1992 over the central and western Sahara. Over these three years, the mean annual dust emission is about 760 Mt-year^?1 Although a significant interannual variability exists (mainly due to changes in the wind pattern), the most intensive emissions remain quite constant in terms of location. The percentage of agreement with satellite observations higher than 0.7 is 74 %, but only 32 % when using a model having a single threshold function for dust emission (i.e. the same surface feature for the whole Sahara) (cf. later Marticorena et al., 1997). © 2000 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS     

Quantification of the dry aeolian deposition of dust on horizontal surfaces: an experimental comparison of theory and measurements

Eight techniques to quantify the deposition of aeolian dust on horizontal surfaces were tested in a wind tunnel. The tests included three theoretical techniques and five measurement techniques. The theoretical techniques investigated were: the gradient technique, the inferential technique without grain-shape correction, and the inferential technique corrected for grain shape. The measuring techniques included the following surrogate surfaces: a water surface, a glass surface, a metal surface, a vertical array of metal plates, and an inverted frisbee filled with glass marbles. The efficiency of the techniques was investigated for the sediment as a whole (all grain sizes together) as well as for a large number of grain sizes extending from 1 to 104 μm. The surrogate surfaces showed more or less comparable catch efficiencies, although the water surface nearly always caught the highest quantities of dust and the marble-filled frisbee and the vertical array of metal plates the lowest quantities of dust. The dust fluxes calculated by theoretical methods were markedly different from those obtained by direct measurements. The fluxes calculated by the inferential technique approximated those of the direct measurements only for grain sizes between 30 and 40 μm. For smaller and coarser grains, deviations from the measured fluxes were high. The gradient method, in its turn, provided extremely low calculated fluxes for grains in all size classes investigated. The latter technique was not considered very reliable for the dust used in the tests.     

Relic permafrost structures in the Gobi of Mongolia: age and significance

Relict permafrost structures (ice-wedge casts and cryoturbation structures) are present in the Gobi of southern Mongolia. Luminescence dates of sediments are presented to constrain the age of formation of permafrost structures. These data show that there was a phase of permafrost development during the latter part of the Last Glacial (after about 22 to 15 ka) that resulted in cryoturbated sediments and ice-wedge casts. Furthermore, permafrost degradation occurred during late Pleistocene times (13–10 ka) and was absent during the early Holocene. These permafrost structures mark the southernmost evidence of permafrost in northern Asia during late Quaternary times and indicate that the mean annual air temperature was below approximately −6°C during their formation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

沙漠微生物矿化覆膜及其稳定性的现场试验研究

将微生物诱导矿化技术应用于原位沙漠覆膜的形成,使得流动沙丘经结皮固定而成为半固定、固定沙丘,从根本上阻断沙尘暴的源头。在内蒙古乌兰布和沙漠腹地选择两个微生物矿化试验区域（TP1和TP3）,分别用于两种不同矿化菌种诱导生成碳酸钙覆膜。研究沙漠微生物矿化覆膜的现场试验方法及工艺,对原位矿化覆膜的强度及其在沙漠环境中的长期稳定性进行跟踪检测。采用沙漠土中自行提取的葡萄球菌和传统的巴氏芽孢杆菌两种不同的微生物矿化菌种,通过现场贯入试验检测7、14、28、60、210 d后矿化覆膜沿深度发展的贯入阻力,并将覆膜厚度为2 cm处的平均贯入阻力换算成覆膜层强度,总结覆膜强度随时间的发展变化规律。现场观测结果显示,不同微生物菌种诱导生成的矿化覆膜均在试验的第4天开始形成,到第7天覆膜层具有稳定的强度和厚度,现场检测覆膜的平均厚度为2.0～2.5 cm,经自源葡萄球菌诱导生成的矿化覆膜（TP1）的强度是巴氏芽孢杆菌诱导生成的矿化覆膜（TP3）强度的1.05倍。当经历冬春交替后覆膜层强度都有不同程度的降低,明显地TP3较TP1区域表面剥落更为严重,第210天检测TP3的平均厚度为0.7～1.0 cm,覆膜强度较第7天时降低19%,覆膜内碳酸钙含量较第7天检测时降低15%～30%。而TP1在第210天时的强度较第7天时强度降低仅2%。因此,微生物诱导矿化技术可以应用于沙漠原位覆膜的形成,且沙漠自源葡萄球菌经诱导生成的矿化覆膜层具有更好的强度表现和稳定性。     

The carbon dioxide solubility in alkali basalts: an experimental study

Experiments were conducted to determine CO₂ solubilities in alkali basalts from Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli volcanoes. The basaltic melts were equilibrated with nearly pure CO₂ at 1,200°C under oxidizing conditions and at pressures ranging from 269 to 2,060 bars. CO₂ solubility was determined by FTIR measurements. The results show that alkalis have a strong effect on the CO₂ solubility and confirm and refine the relationship between the compositional parameter Π devised by Dixon (Am Mineral 82:368–378, 1997) and the CO₂ solubility. A general thermodynamic model for CO₂ solubility in basaltic melts is defined for pressures up to 2 kbars. Based on the assumption that O²⁻ and CO₃²⁻ mix ideally, we have:

Household dust and street sediment as an indicator of recent heavy metals in atmospheric emissions: a case study on a previously heavily contaminated area

Determination of the origin of heavy metals in the household dust and street sediment in a previously heavily contaminated area was carried out. The main question addressed was the origin of heavy metals in dry and wet air deposits measured in the environmental monitoring programme of the community of Celje. There are two possible sources: present atmospheric emissions by industries in Celje and dusting of previously heavily contaminated soil. Determination of the present emissions was done on the basis of a method based on enrichment factor calculations. Samples of soil, street sediment and household dust in the contaminated area and in a non-contaminated sampling point were analysed. Expected heavy metal concentrations in household dust and street sediment in the previously heavily polluted area according to the level of measured soil contamination were calculated. Expected and measured values were compared to detect possible present atmospheric emissions. The data show higher enrichment with elements related to ironworking activities (Fe, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni) in household dust and street sediment, according to the concentrations in the soil in the vicinity of ironworks in comparison to the reference point. Similar observations can be made at the sampling point, east of a factory producing TiO₂-based white pigment for Ti, because emissions from it are expected. In contrast, the same trend is not observed for elements related to pollution problems in Celje (Cd, Zn, Pb). This indicated that street sediment and household dust might be a good tracer of present atmospheric emissions, despite the fact that the environment was previously highly contaminated. The method yields good results, which fit very well with expectations.     

The effect of deformation on the TitaniQ geothermobarometer: an experimental study

We performed high strain (up to 47 %) axial compression experiments on natural quartz single crystals with added rutile powder (TiO₂) and ~0.2 wt% H₂O to investigate the effects of deformation on the titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) geothermobarometer. One of the objectives was to study the relationships between different deformation mechanisms and incorporation of Ti into recrystallized quartz grains. Experiments were performed in a Griggs-type solid-medium deformation apparatus at confining pressures of 1.0–1.5 GPa and temperatures of 800–1,000 °C, at constant strain rates of 1 × 10^?6 or 1 × 10^?7 s^?1. Mobility of Ti in the fluid phase and saturation of rutile at grain boundaries during the deformation experiments are indicated by precipitation of secondary rutile in cracks and along the grain boundaries of newly recrystallized quartz grains. Microstructural analysis by light and scanning electron microscopy (the latter including electron backscatter diffraction mapping of grain misorientations) shows that the strongly deformed quartz single crystals contain a wide variety of deformation microstructures and shows evidence for subgrain rotation (SGR) and grain boundary migration recrystallization (GBMR). In addition, substantial grain growth occurred in annealing experiments after deformation. The GBMR and grain growth are evidence of moving grain boundaries, a microstructure favored by high temperatures. Electron microprobe analysis shows no significant increase in Ti content in recrystallized quartz grains formed by SGR or by GBMR, nor in grains grown by annealing. This result indicates that neither SGR nor moving grain boundaries during GBMR and grain growth are adequate processes to facilitate re-equilibration of the Ti content in experimentally deformed quartz crystals at the investigated conditions. More generally, our results suggest that exchange of Ti in quartz at low H₂O contents (which may be realistic for natural deformation conditions) is still not fully understood. Thus, the application of the TitaniQ geothermobarometer to deformed metamorphic rocks at low fluid contents may not be as straightforward as previously thought and requires further research.     

唐山市曹妃甸地区大气降尘矿物学特征及环境意义——以华北理工大学校区为例

大气降尘矿物学特征研究具有重要的环境学意义。文章以华北理工大学校区采集样品为例,应用激光粒度分析仪、扫描电镜、X射线粉末衍射、电感耦合等离子体质谱等对河北省唐山市曹妃甸地区大气降尘矿物学特征进行了初步分析研究。结果表明,曹妃甸地区大气降尘粒径较粗,颗粒物包括块状、柱状、片状、球状及不规则粒状集合体,主要由石英、长石、石膏、云母、绿泥石、角闪石、白云石、方解石和赤铁矿等矿物组成;降尘样品中Cr、Cu、Zn、As、Cd、Pb等重金属元素含量均较高。研究分析表明,降尘样品中硅酸盐矿物主要源自地面扬尘,而石膏、方解石等碳酸盐矿物可能为环境中的次生矿物,样品中重金属污染主要来源于燃煤、工矿企业生产排放和少部分汽车尾气排放。     

The solubility of fluorite in hydrothermal solutions,an experimental study

The solubility of fluorite in NaCl solutions increases with increasing temperature at all ionic strengths up to about 100°C. Above this temperature, the solubility passes through a maximum and possibly a minimum with increasing temperature at NaCl concentrations of 1.0M or less, and increases continuously with increasing temperature at NaCl concentrations above 1.0M. At any given temperature, the solubility of fluorite increases with increasing salt concentration in NaCl, KCl and CaCl₂ solutions. The solubility follows Debye-Hückel theory for KCl solutions. In NaCl and CaCl₂ solutions, the solubility of fluorite increases more rapidly than predicted by Debye-Hückel theory: the excess solubility is due to the presence of NaF^c, CaF⁺, and possibly of Na₂F⁺. The solubility of fluorite in NaCl-CaCl₂ and in NaCl-CaCl₂-MgCl₂ solutions is controlled by the common ion effect and by the presence of NaF^c, CaF⁺, and MgF⁺. The solubility of fluorite in NaCl-HCl solutions increases rapidly with increasing initial HCl concentration; the large solubility increase is due to the presence of HF^c. It seems likely that complexes other than those identified in this study rarely play a major role in fluoride transport and fluorite deposition at temperatures below 300°C.     

Sandstone degradation: an experimental study of accelerated weathering

The investigated rock material belongs to the group of upper cretaceous quader sandstones which are very important construction stones in Poland and Germany. The mineral composition of the rocks is relatively uniform??they are quartzose sandstones. The most important feature is their good workability and comparatively high weathering resistance. Still, regardless of the apparent resemblance, the observations carried on buildings and monuments show differences in weathering processes. The undertaken test was an attempt to verify the proposed before rock classification, performed on the basis of parameterization of porosimetric cumulative intrusion volume curves. The aim of the experiment was the evaluation of the sandstone petrography (including the structure, texture and porosity of the rock) influence on the weathering process. The modelling of accelerated weathering was conducted in Chamber for Ageing Acceleration, where some weather circumstances were simulated (insolation, rain and frost). As the result of the weathering experiment it could be stated that the dominant mechanism of the sandstones deterioration was granular disintegration and weight loss as a consequence of sample destruction. The most important factor influencing rock deterioration is rock texture, especially the character of grain contacts. The effective porosity is a requisite of potential for the stone to take in and hold water, and hence of resistance to weathering. In case of silica-cemented sandstones, the deciding criterion influencing weathering resistance is pore structure. In case of sandstones with clay cement, the most important is mineral composition of the rock.     

利用高铝粉煤灰合成β-Sialon粉体的实验研究

在N2气氛中以粉煤灰为原料,采用碳热还原氮化工艺制备了β-Sialon粉体,研究了碳含量、合成反应温度、保温时间和氮气流量等因素对生成物物相的影响。在添加适量Al2O3、C含量23%、氮气流量2L/min、合成温度1450℃、保温时间为6h的条件下,可获得Z=3的纯晶相β-Sialon粉体,粒度均一,形态规则。β-Sialon粉体粒径在1～3μm之间,形态与结晶程度受合成条件影响。在不同的制备条件下,所合成的产物为β-Sialon和Al N、β-SiC、Si3N4、Al6Si2O13、O’-Sialon、α-Al2O3、Si O2等的混合物。并对高铝粉煤灰合成β-Sialon的反应过程进行了分析。     

The causes and petrological significance of cathodoluminescence emissions from alkali feldspars

The cathodoluminescence (CL) of a variety of alkali feldspars from South Greenland has been examined in an attempt to understand the causes of the CL and its petrological significance. Analytical methods have included CL spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to correlate the presence of certain CL emissions to the presence of certain trace element and point defects. Where possible, blue and red luminescent fractions of the same rock samples have been separated and analysed separately. Blue CL appears to relate to the presence of electron holes on bridging oxygens, particularly on the Al-O-Al bridge, as determined from EPR studies. No correlation with other proposed activators for blue CL such as Eu²⁺, Ga³⁺ or Ti⁴⁺ was observed. Some blue luminescent feldspars also have an emission in the infra-red (IR), invisible during normal visible CL petrography. The red and IR CL emissions correspond to features in EPR spectra attributed to Fe³⁺ and support previous suggestions that Fe³⁺ is related to this emission. However, our studies indicate that the visible red CL relates specifically to Fe³⁺ on the T1 site, whereas the equivalent CL from disordered feldspars lies in the IR. The difference between red and IR CL emissions therefore relates to the state of Fe³⁺ order across the tetrahedral sites. These data allow more meaningful interpretations of CL as a petrographic tool in alkali feldspar-bearing rocks. Received: 5 March 1998 / Accepted: 23 November 1998     

土壤、大气尘中晶体的组成及其物源指示意义——以长沙、株洲和湘潭地区为例

基于长沙、株洲和湘潭地区大气尘(可吸入颗粒和近地表积尘)和表层土壤的X-射线衍射(XRD)分析数据,采用微量相鉴定方法获得的结果显示,大气尘和表层土壤中包含石英、石膏、方解石、白云石、硫酸镉等自然矿物及SiS_2、NiTi、Cd_3As_2、FeOCl等非自然源晶体。比较了长沙、株洲、湘潭地区大气尘与表层土壤的晶体组成,分析了大气尘矿物及非自然源晶体的空间分布,探讨了其环境指示意义。     

Calcium diffusivity in alumino-silicate garnets: an experimental and ATEM study

Concentration gradients in calcium are common in metamorphic or magmatic garnets and can be used to determine the timescales of geological processes. However, the kinetics of Ca diffusion in garnet is poorly constrained and experimental studies have to date yielded widely varying diffusion coefficients. In this paper, we describe a new method for generating diffusion profiles in garnet. We incorporated polished and compositionally homogeneous garnet seeds in a finely ground powder of clinopyroxene and garnet. During the experiments (1.3 GPa, 1,050–1,250°C, and ƒO₂ ≤ the graphite-O₂ buffer), the mineral powder partially melted, recrystallized, and formed a 10–50 μm wide overgrowth zone of compositionally distinct garnet around the seeds. Long duration experiments generated measurable relaxation profiles at these seed/overgrowth interfaces. We performed analytical transmission electron microscope traverses across the interfaces in each experiment. Thirteen usable compositional profiles were obtained with characteristic distances of diffusion ranging from 300 to 1,000 nm. From these profiles, Ca–(Fe, Mg) interdiffusion coefficients were retrieved using an analytical solution for the diffusion equation and the data were cast in an Arrhenius relation. Linear regression of the data yields an activation energy Q _{Ca–(Fe, Mg)} equal to 188 ± 48 kJ mol⁻¹ and a frequency factor D ₀ equal to 6.6 × 10⁻¹⁴ m² s⁻¹. Within the compositional range studied, the composition of garnet has no major effect on the Ca–(Fe, Mg) interdiffusion coefficient. The very slow diffusion rate of Ca is in agreement with natural observations indicating that Ca diffuses more slowly than Fe and Mg. The Ca diffusion coefficients derived from this study are not model-dependent and can be used to determine the durations of geological events from Ca relaxation profiles in natural garnets.

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Autocyclic behaviour of fan deltas: an analogue experimental study

Fan deltas are excellent recorders of fan‐building processes because of their high sedimentation rate, particularly in tectonically active settings. Although previous research focuses mainly on allogenic controls, there is clear evidence for autogenically produced storage and release of sediment by flume and numerical modelling that demands further definition of characteristics and significance of autogenically forced facies and stratigraphy. Analogue experiments were performed on fan deltas with constant extrinsic variables (discharge, sediment supply, sea‐level and basin relief) to demonstrate that fan‐delta evolution consists of prominent cyclic alternations of channellized flow and sheet flow. The channellized flow is initiated by slope‐induced scouring and subsequent headward erosion to form a channel that connected with the valley, while the removed sediment is deposited in a rapidly prograding delta lobe. The resulting decrease in channel gradient causes a reduction in flow strength, mouth‐bar formation, flow bifurcation and progressive backfilling of the channel. In the final stage of channel filling, sheet flow coexists for a while with channellized flow (semi‐confined flow), although in cycle 1 this phase of semi‐confined flow was absent. Subsequent autocyclic incisions are very similar in morphology and gradient. However, they erode deeper into the delta plain and, as a result, take more time to backfill. The duration of the semi‐confined flow increases with each subsequent cycle. During the period of sheet flow, the delta plain aggrades up to the ‘critical’ gradient required for the initiation of autocyclic incision. This critical gradient is dependent on the sediment transport capacity, defined by the input conditions. These autogenic cycles of erosion and aggradation confirm earlier findings that storage and release of sediment and associated slope variation play an important role in fan‐delta evolution. The erosional surfaces produced by the autocyclic incisions are well‐preserved by the backfilling process in the deposits of the fan deltas. These erosional surfaces can easily be misinterpreted as climate, sea‐level or tectonically produced bounding surfaces.     

Pullout capacity of multi-plate horizontal anchors in sand: an experimental study

Acta Geotechnica - A horizontal anchor is a structural member designed to resist the vertical pullout forces and ensure the stability of structures like the tower foundations, masts and bridges....     

A possibility for tracing infiltration fronts by temperature in sand dunes: an experimental study

Knowledge of the mechanisms of water infiltration in sand dunes and wadis is a key to understanding the hydrological conditions in arid and semiarid regions. To trace infiltration processes in sand dunes, an artificial rainfall infiltration experiment was conducted in a typical sand dune in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Thermal sensors and tensiometers were set at two sites, a rainfall test site and a natural site, at depths of 10, 30, 60, 120, and 200 cm, respectively. For a start, the variations in temperature between the sites were compared with tension as well as soil water at the same depths. Field observations showed that the temperature of the sand dunes at the rain experimental site was affected more strongly by air temperature than that at the natural site, which means that temperature distribution in the sand dune has a very close relation with the water content. Then, the scheme combined with temperature difference and moving average was tested in tracing the temperature variation with movement of the infiltration front. It was found that the vertical temperature correlated well with the water movement in the sand dune, from which the average velocity of infiltration was estimated at 3 cm/h.     

Analysis of the microclimate and CO2 flux characteristics in arid desert wetland ecosystem in summer: A case study in Xihu desert wetland,Dunhuang, China

Xihu desert wetland is an important and unusual environment in China or even in the world. However, until now, little research has been focused on the microclimate and CO₂ flux characteristics in this area. This paper reports the characteristics of daily variations of microclimate and CO₂ flux in the Dunhuang Xihu desert wetland, based on data observed in the desert wetland during a period of continuous fine weather in summer 2012. Results indicate that the characteristics of the micrometeorology were significantly affected by the land–lake breeze during the study period, and updrafts were prevalent in this region. The friction wind speed and the vertical velocity were much greater than those in the Maqu grasslands. The energy budget was strongly imbalanced: the latent heat flux was significantly higher than the sensible flux. The daily mean values of total solar radiation and net radiation were larger than those in Maqu grasslands and Jinta oasis. There was a temperature inversion and inverse humidity gradient in the atmospheric surface layer at night. The desert wetland ecosystem was a carbon sink during the whole of the observation period, and the maximum rate of carbon absorption usually occurred at about 11:00 hr each day in this region.