Estimation of Block Sizes for Rock Masses with Non-persistent Joints

Summary  Discontinuities or joints in the rock mass have various shapes and sizes. Along with the joint orientation and spacing, the joint persistence, or the relative size of the joint, is one of the most important factors in determining the block sizes of jointed rock masses. Although the importance of joint persistence on the overall rock mass strength has long been identified, the impact of persistence on rock strength is in most current rock mass classification systems underrepresented. If joints are assumed to be persistent, as is the case in most designs, the sizes of the rock blocks tend to be underestimated. This can lead to more removable blocks than actually exist in-situ. In addition, a poor understanding of the rock bridge strength may lead to lower rock mass strengths, and consequently, to excessive expenditure on rock support. In this study, we suggest and verify a method for the determination of the block sizes considering joint persistence. The idea emerges from a quantitative approach to apply the GSI system for rock mass classification, in which the accurate block size is required. There is a need to statistically analyze how the distribution of rock bridges according to the combination of joint orientation, spacing, and persistence will affect the actual size of each individual block. For this purpose, we generate various combinations of joints with different geometric conditions by the orthogonal arrays using the distinct element analysis tools of UDEC and 3DEC. Equivalent block sizes (areas in 2D and volumes in 3D) and their distributions are obtained from the numerical simulation. Correlation analysis is then performed to relate the block sizes predicted by the empirical equation to those obtained from the numerical model simulation. The results support the concept of equivalent block size proposed by Cai et al. (2004, Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 41(1), 3–19).     

Kinetic study of the kaolinite-mullite reaction sequence. Part I: Kaolinite dehydroxylation

The decomposition reaction of kaolinite has been investigated as a function of the defectivity of the starting material and the temperature of reaction. Time resolved energy-dispersive powder diffraction patterns have been measured using synchrotron radiation, both under a constant heating rate (heating rates from 10 to 100° C/min) and in isothermal conditions (in the temperature range 500 to 700° C). The apparent activation energy of the dehydroxylation process is different for kaolinites exhibiting a different degree of stacking fault density. The results of the analysis of the kinetic data indicate that the starting reaction mechanism is controlled by diffusion in the kaolinite particle. The diffusion process is dependent on the defective nature of both kaolinite and metakaolinite. At high temperatures, and at higher heating rates, the reaction mechanism changes and the resistance in the boundary layer outside the crystallites becomes the rate-limiting factor, and nucleation begins within the reacting particle. During the final stage of the dehydroxylation process the reaction is limited by heat or mass transfer, and this might be interpreted by the limited diffusion between the unreacted kaolinite domains and the metakaolinite matrix.     

Geochemistry and Crustal Evolution of Volcano-sedimentary Successions and Orthogneisses in the São Gabriel Block, Southernmost Brazil — Relics of Neoproterozoic Magmatic Arcs

Precambrian metaplutonic rocks of the São Gabriel block in southernmost Brazil comprise juvenile Neoproterozoic calc-alkaline gneisses (Cambaí Complex). The connection with associated (ultra-)mafic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (Palma Group) is not well established. The whole complex was deformed during the Brasiliano orogenic cycle. Both metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks as well as metaplutonic rocks of the Cambaí Complex have been sampled for geochemical analyses in order to get constraints on the tectonic setting of these rocks and to establish a tectonic model for the São Gabriel block and its role during the assembly of West-Gondwana. The major element compositions of the igneous rocks (Palma Group and Cambaí Complex) indicate a subalkaline character; most orthogneisses have a calc-alkaline chemistry; many metavolcanic rocks of the Palma Group show signatures of low-K tholeiitic volcanic arc basalts. Trace element data, especially Ti, Zr, Y, Nb, of most igneous samples from both the lower Palma Group and the Cambaí Complex indicate origin at plate margins, i.e., in a subduction zone environment. This is corroborated by relative enrichment in LREE, low contents of Nb and other high field strength elements and enrichment in LILE like Rb, Ba, and Th. The data indicate the possible existence of two suites, an oceanic island arc and a continental arc or active continental margin. However, some ultramafic samples of the lower Palma Group in the western São Gabriel block indicate the existence of another volcanic suite with intra-plate character which possibly represents relics of oceanic island basalts (OIB). Trace element data indicate contributions from andesitic to mixed felsic and basic arc sources for the metasedimentary rocks. The patterns of chondrite- and N-MORB-normalized spider diagrams resemble the patterns of the igneous rocks, i.e., LILE and LREE enrichment and HFS depletion. The geochemical signatures of most igneous and metasedimentary samples and their low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_t ratios suggest only minor contribution of old continental crust.A geotectonic model for the São Gabriel block comprises east-ward subduction and following accretion of an intra-oceanic island arc to the eastern border of the Rio de la Plata Craton at ca. 880 Ma, and westward subduction beneath the newly formed active continental margin between ca. 750 and 700 Ma. The São Gabriel block represents relics of an early Brasiliano oceanic basin between the Rio de la Plata and Kalahari Cratons. This ocean to the east of the Rio de la Plata Craton might be traced to the north and could possibly be linked with Neoproterozoic juvenile oceanic crust in the western Brasília belt (Goiás magmatic arc).     

Structural and petrological evidence for the continuation of the Isfahan fault system across the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone of central Iran

The Isfahan fault system, a north-trending, dextral strike-slip fault across the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone, represents the boundary between the northwestern and the southeastern parts of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone and it terminates in the north at the southern boundary of the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone. This paper focuses on the continuation of the Isfahan fault system across the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone north of Isfahan city. The Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic assemblage belt is located along the active margin of the Iranian plate and the Arabian plate. The Karkas fault strikes nearly north-south, has a length of about 40 km, a normal component of movement, and it truncates the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone. Due to the location of this fault and the mechanism similar to the Isfahan fault system, the Karkas fault can be considered a continuation of the Isfahan fault system that has been displaced dextrally by the southwestern bordering faults of the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone. The unique juxtaposition association of the Silurian volcanic rocks in the Urumieh-Dokhtar zone, near the Karkas fault, provides an important evidence regarding the major role of this fault in the geological evolution of the region. The Silurian volcanic rocks outcrop in two districts of the study area and generally are composed of basalts. The alkaline basalt composition is determined from mineralogy and immobile elements geochemistry. The geotectonic setting diagrams classified the Silurian volcanic rocks as the within plate basalts. Thus, an intracontinental rifting under extensional tectonic regime can be inferred as the setting that controlled formation of these volcanic rocks. They were created by an alkaline to transitional magmas generated due to low partial melting at depth. The alkaline basalts were most likely derived from an asthenosphere-dominated mantle source due to extension and partial melting. The north trending extensional faults affected thinned overlying continental lithosphere in the Paleozoic era, facilitating magma penetration and eruption.     

First record of 1.2 Ga quartz dioritic magmatism in the Archaean Yilgarn Craton,Western Australia,and its significance

Farming of southern bluefin tuna in South Australia currently contributes to more than 30% of the value of the aquaculture production in Australia. This study investigated the natural sedimentary setting of the area designated for this important industry in coastal waters off Port Lincoln, and explored the links between the natural distribution of sediments and potential environmental effects and risks to the industry. Sediments were mostly composed of poorly sorted silts and fine sands, predominantly skeletal remains of carbonate-secreting organisms. The contribution of plankton to the organic matter remaining in the sediments was calculated to be in excess of 80% using concentration-dependent stable-isotope mixing models. An erosional area was identified south of Rabbit Island where sediments contained up to 50% siliciclastic material, grainsize distributions were better sorted and coarser, and organic carbon and total nitrogen contents were very low. In contrast, deeper waters north of Cape Donington were identified as a depocentre for fine sediments, which contained organic matter levels twice those elsewhere in the region despite the extremely high carbonate contents (>80%). The heavier stable isotopic signature of nitrogen suggested that this organic matter comprised a greater fraction of weathered components, probably advected to the area by suspended and bedload transport. This local variability of sediment characteristics in the farming zone suggests that the benthic assimilative capacity of farmed sites will depend on their location. Wastes from pens located south of Rabbit Island in particular are likely to be quickly winnowed out by wave and tidal action. These pens are also less likely to be affected by resuspension of fine sediments that might be associated with unusually severe storms.     

Geology of the Victor Kimberlite, Attawapiskat, Northern Ontario, Canada: cross-cutting and nested craters

The pipe shapes, infill and emplacement processes of the Attawapiskat kimberlites, including Victor, contrast with most of the southern African kimberlite pipes. The Attawapiskat kimberlite pipes are formed by an overall two-stage process of (1) pipe excavation without the development of a diatreme (sensu stricto) and (2) subsequent pipe infilling. The Victor kimberlite comprises two adjacent but separate pipes, Victor South and Victor North. The pipes are infilled with two contrasting textural types of kimberlite: pyroclastic and hypabyssal-like kimberlite. Victor South and much of Victor North are composed of pyroclastic spinel carbonate kimberlites, the main features of which are similar: clast-supported, discrete macrocrystal and phenocrystal olivine grains, pyroclastic juvenile lapilli, mantle-derived xenocrysts and minor country rock xenoliths are set in serpentine and carbonate matrices. These partly bedded, juvenile lapilli-bearing olivine tuffs appear to have been formed by subaerial fire-fountaining airfall processes.

The Victor South pipe has a simple bowl-like shape that flares from just below the basal sandstone of the sediments that overlie the basement. The sandstone is a known aquifer, suggesting that the crater excavation process was possibly phreatomagmatic. In contrast, the pipe shape and internal geology of Victor North are more complex. The northwestern part of the pipe is dominated by dark competent rocks, which resemble fresh hypabyssal kimberlite, but have unusual textures and are closely associated with pyroclastic juvenile lapilli tuffs and country rock breccias±volcaniclastic kimberlite. Current evidence suggests that the hypabyssal-like kimberlite is, in fact, not intrusive and that the northwestern part of Victor North represents an early-formed crater infilled with contrasting extrusive kimberlites and associated breccias. The remaining, main part of Victor North consists of two macroscopically similar, but petrographically distinct, pyroclastic kimberlites that have contrasting macrodiamond sample grades. The juvenile lapilli of each pyroclastic kimberlite can be distinguished only microscopically. The nature and relative modal proportion of primary olivine phenocrysts in the juvenile lapilli are different, indicating that they derive from different magma pulses, or phases of kimberlite, and thus represent separate eruptions. The initial excavation of a crater cross-cutting the earlier northwestern crater was followed by emplacement of phase (i), a low-grade olivine phenocryst-rich pyroclastic kimberlite, and the subsequent eruption of phase (ii), a high-grade olivine phenocryst-poor pyroclastic kimberlite, as two separate vents nested within the original phase (i) crater. The second eruption was accompanied by the formation of an intermediate mixed zone with moderate grade. Thus, the final pyroclastic pipe infill of the main part of the Victor North pipe appears to consist of at least three geological/macrodiamond grade zones.

In conclusion, the Victor kimberlite was formed by several eruptive events resulting in adjacent and cross-cutting craters that were infilled with either pyroclastic kimberlite or hypabyssal-like kimberlite, which is now interpreted to be of probable extrusive origin. Within the pyroclastic kimberlites of Victor North, there are two nested vents, a feature seldom documented in kimberlites elsewhere. This study highlights the meaningful role of kimberlite petrography in the evaluation of diamond deposits and provides further insight into kimberlite emplacement and volcanism.     

A methodology for locating the original quarries used for constructing historical buildings: application to Málaga Cathedral, Spain

It is often necessary to locate the original quarry which supplied the stone for a particular historical building. This stones could be used for future restoration work and for testing in the laboratory (artificial aging tests, physical properties determination, control of the efficacy of conservation treatments, etc.). Generally, reviewing historical documentation gives information about the geographical setting of quarries and location of the stones in the monument, but this information needs to be proved by field and laboratory studies. The comparative study of stone from quarries and monuments should basically include the following: (1) mineralogical and petrographical studies; (2) the chemical analysis of major, minor and trace elements; (3)stable isotopes determinations; (4) physical properties of quarry materials and unweathered building stone (water absorption, ultrasound transmission velocity, porosity and porous system, density, bulk density, compressive strength, etc.). This methodology was applied to Málaga Cathedral stones represented in the main façade, towers, and the western zone of the terrace, which, according to historical literature, came from Almayate (Miocene–Pliocene limestones) and Cerro Coronado (Permotriassic sandstone) in Málaga. The conclusion of the comparative study carried out on quarries and building stones was consistent with the information available from the historical documentation.     

Petrology of Lamproites from Smoky Butte, Montana

Hyalo-armalcolite-phlogopite lamproites and sanidine-phlogopitelamproites occurring at Smoky Butte, Montana are rocks formedfrom rapidly quenched, high temperature, uncontaminated lamproiticmagma. Petrographic variations are attributable to differentcooling histories of several batches of compositionally identicalmagma. Compared with other occurrences of lamproite, the rocksare unusually rich in TiO₂ and are characterized by the presenceof abundant armalcolite and the most TiO₂-rich phlogopites yetfound in this paragenesis. Compositional data are given fortitanian phlogopite, olivine, diopside, titanian potassian richterite,armalcolite, sanidine, analcite, and glass. The mafic mineralsare Al-deficient and exhibit very little compositional variation.Original leucite has been pseudomorphed by sanidine or analcite.The latter mineral was probably formed at the same time thatthe glass lost K, and gained Na, during alteration by groundwater.All of the lamproites are strongly enriched in Ta, Hf, and thelight REE (La /Yb = 162–280), and have high MgO and Crcontents. Mineralogical, geochemical, and previously publishedisotopic data are combined in developing a petrogenetic modelwhich suggests that these lamproites were derived from an ancient(2.5 Ga) doubly metasomatized harzburgitic source, and thatthey represent relatively primitive lamproites which were intrudedat near-liquidus temperatures.     

A geochemical assessment of the middle and lower Mvoti river system,KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

This paper presents one of the first investigations into the geochemical enrichment of the middle and lower Mvoti river system. Chemical elements are naturally present in aquatic sediments, but their concentrations tend to rise to potentially toxic levels via both natural and anthropogenic processes. This study evaluated the concentrations of aluminum, arsenic, boron, barium, cadmium, calcium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorous, selenium, silicon, strontium, titanium, vanadium and zinc, using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The levels of elements present were used to assess their spatial distribution within the river and to determine the contamination factors and enrichment factors for each element. The pollution load index (PLi) is another contributing parameter that was calculated to determine the degree of pollution at each site. The results indicate that the sediments of the Mvoti are low to moderately polluted and deteriorating with time (average PLi value of 5.19), and that a major contributing factor to this contamination is natural sources.     

Validation of parameterized convective fluxes with DIAMOD

Summary A diagnostic model (DIAMOD) for the atmosphere over Europe is use at the University of Vienna. Central parameters in each diagnostic column (horizontal resolution 100 km, time resolution 12 hours) are the vertical moisture plus heat flux (the total convective heat fluxh) and the vertical rain flux (r); both are functions of pressure. In this study DIAMOD is applied to validate the output of a forecast model for the simulation of acid deposition (EURAD) which is in use at the University of Cologne. The basic equations of both DIAMOD and EURAD models are summarized with emphasis on the sub-gridscale hydrologic components.First, the nontrivial problem of validating model output versus observations is discussed. Two different validation techniques based upon the budget equations are indentified. The fully prognostic technique compares the forecast of EURAD for the total verification period with the corresponding DIAMOD output. The semiprognostic validation technique involves only one-time-step tendencies. Neither yields an exact correspondence between EURAD and DIAMOD; however, the semiprognostic technique comes somewhat closer to the ideal of an objective validation. The quantities investigated are: The fields, the time tendencies and the fluxesh andr.Second, EURAD is validated versus DIAMOD with both techniques for the EUMAC Joint Wet Case (the Chernobyl episode) in April 1986; the output fields include selected profiles ofh(p) over France (a moist night situation) and over Greece (a dry day situation). The comparison demonstrates for both that the EURAD forecasts are acceptable for ther-fluxes but are relatively poor for theh-fluxes. Reasons for the differences are discussed.With 11 Figures