Use of sample color to estimate oxidized Fe content in mine waste rock

 Color, a readily perceived feature of natural earth materials, including mine waste, often represents compositional variation as a result of oxidative processes involving Fe. Near surface samples from excavated trenches in a mine-waste rock pile were collected to investigate the relationship between color and contents of Fe, Cu, and S. The silt+clay fraction (<0.05 mm) was isolated from recognizable colored material of the bulk sample for determination of pH, total and extractable Fe and Cu, and bulk mineralogy. Rock fragments within the pile exhibited coatings of crystalline gypsum and amorphous Fe. These coatings result from weathering (secondary products) and play important roles in surface reactions of waste rock piles, such as adsorption of anions (SO₄ ^2–) or coprecipitation of Fe with Cu. The correlation between color (Hurst method) and extractable Fe was high. Although color is influenced by site conditions such as original mineral composition, materials handling, weathering conditions etc., the results suggest that color measurements may provide an inexpensive and rapid estimation for secondary iron compounds and associated sorbed elements. Received: 5 April 1998 · Accepted: 30 June 1998     

Carbonate weathering rates in the Jura Mountains, France-The influence of vegetation

In order to better understand what controls carbonate weathering rates, we report results from the Jura Mountains （East France）, an area exclusively composed of carbonate rocks. This region presents an altitude gradient increasing from 250 m to 1300 m. Over the basin, this gradient generates climatic contrasts of 5℃ and a runoff three times higher in altitude. This place offers a good opportunity for understanding the controlling factors of carbonate weathering. Contrary to thermodynamic calculations that predict the highest concentrations at low temperature, we observe that carbonate dissolution is two times higher at low elevation than in the mountains. This observation can only be explained by a variation in soil pCO2. In order to better constrain the observed variation in cation contents （principally Ca and Mg） of rivers, we used the ASPECTS ecological model （Rasse et al., 2001）. Based on both hourly climatic data, vegetation type and soil type, ASPECTS may reconstruct pCO2 in soil.     

An example of structural and metamorphic relationships in the Musgrave orogenic belt,central Australia

The western Musgrave Ranges are broadly divided into three groups of metamorphic rocks. A central granulite‐facies core is bounded on the north by rocks of amphibolite grade and on the south by rocks transitional between the granulite and amphibolite facies. Faults trending east‐west separate the three groups of rocks.

The detailed structural relationships between the granulites and the lower grade rocks are described and discussed. The granulites are structurally relatively simple and are characterised by the presence of a strong southwesterly‐plunging, mineral‐streaking lineation. In marked contrast, the transitional rocks are more complexly folded on a macroscopic scale and they also have a well‐developed mineral lineation plunging to the southeast. These two lineation orientations are considered to be directions of maximum elongation. The amphibolite‐facies rocks are also complexly folded and at least two lineations related to different phases of deformation have been recognized.

A suite of foliated and lineated dolerite dykes which occurs throughout the area inherited their fabric during a period of intense deformation and recrystallization, which resulted in the development of numerous mylonite zones.

It is suggested that the granulite‐facies rocks may represent a suite of cover rocks which have been thrust in a northerly direction over a pre‐existing amphibolite‐facies basement.     

Sur l'origine par altération du substratum schisteux de la minéralisation chlorurée des eaux d'une nappe côtière sous climat semi-aride (Chtouka-Massa,Maroc)

The origin of chloride ions in groundwater from the Chtouka-Massa plain (Morocco) was studied by using chemical and isotopic analyses of water, and petrographic and chemical analyses of rocks. It appears that the schist formation, which forms the basement of the studied aquifer, is the main source of the high Cl^? concentrations in groundwater. In these schists, chloride is, for a part, probably contained in biotites, and is released into groundwater through the weathering of these minerals. However, the exceptionally high chloride contents of these schists are difficult to explain if one does not assume that they also contain evaporitic-type minerals. To cite this article: S. Krimissa et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Sulfuric acid as a weathering agent of carbonate weathering constrained by δ^13C： Examples from Southwest China

Rock weathering by carbonic acid is one of the important atmosphere CO2 sequestration. Actually, it depends on whether carbonic acid or other acids as weathering agents, which is important to understand the model of global carbon cycle. For example, sulfuric acid derived from oxidation of pyrite takes part in the rock weathering, which might counteract one part of CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering. In this study, chemicals and carbon isotopic composition of waters were determined in the Beipan River, Guizhou. The δ^13C values of dissolved inorganic carbon in the province, Southwest China. The values of the samples range from -13.1‰ to -2.4‰, which show a good negative correlation with the equivalent ratio of [HCO3]/（[Ca^2＋＋Mg^2＋]） and a good positive correlation with the equivalent ratio of [SO4^2-]/（[Ca^2＋＋Mg^2＋]） and [SO4^2-]/[HCO3^-]. The relationships suggest that sulfuric acid took part in carbonate weathering. Acid rain is thus a significant source of sulfuric acid to the karstic rivers of Guizhou Province.     

Origin of PhosphoriteNodules of Lebedinsky Iron Deposit in Kursk Magnetic Anomaly （KMA） of the Russian Platform

INTRODUCTION TheKurskmagneticanomaly(KMA)coversnear ly120000km2andhasalengthof600kminSE NW direction,withawidthrangingfrom150kmto250 km.TheKMAbasinislimitedbytheDoneskPaleozoic massifinthesouthandthePrecambrianAzovsk podol skupliftinthesouth westanditsnorthernborderis markedbythecrystallinemassifupliftofVaronesh.0 c s TheLebedinskycomplexdepositislocatedinthecentral partoftheRussianplatformbetweenlatitude50°00′and50° 20′north,andlongitude34°00′and39°00′east,inthefron ti…