Journal of China University of Geosciences最新文献

This article focuses on the process of rock creep damage and micro-damage evolution properties of gray green mudstone under impacting disturbance load conditions for the first time using the real time computerized tomography (CT) testing technique. The results indicate that axial load comes into limit strength neighborhood, rock micro-crack links into larger crack, creep rate increases in a short time, larger plastic deformation happens; this is called disturbance accelerating creep stage. When rock is within limit strength neighborhood, there occurs creep micro-damage under smaller disturbance load. When disturbance load is larger, rock directly enters into disturbance accelerating creep stage, failure occurs instantaneously. On the basis of experimental research, the CT scanning method was used to describe the creep micro-damage of soft rock, also helpful in the prediction of roadways' service life and evaluation of geotechnical engineering stability.

Quantitative analysis of radiolarian preservation in surface sediments from different regional environments of the South China Sea (SCS) is discussed in this article for illustrating their relationship. The results show that species diversity and abundance of radiolarian in the surface sediment increase with water depth, indicating no obvious dissolution of radiolarian shell in the deep SCS. Upwelling activity and volcanic eruption are both in favor of radiolarian propagation, and cause the settlement enrichment of radiolarian shell. Whereas, an abnormal reduced radiolarian fauna in deeper slope sediment may result from the remain of turbid flow that brings sediments from shallow area, such as shelf and upper slope. Radiolarian species are mainly composed of tropic-subtropic types, and include some cold or polar species, which indicates that a mistake in paleoceanographic analysis should arise from the monospecific index. However, synthesis radiolarian indexes in sediments may well respond to the ecologic and depositional environments in the SCS.

Current oil saturation in the Moxizhuang Oil Field in central Junggar basin was evaluated by logging interpretation and measured on core samples, and the paleo-oil saturation in both the pay zones and water zones was investigated by grain-containing-oil inclusion (GOI) analysis. The pay zones in this field have low oil saturation and display low resistivity and small contrast between pay zones and water zones, and are classified as low-porosity, low oil saturation, and low resistivity reservoirs. Both the current low oil-saturation pay zones and the water zones above 4 365 m have high GOI values (up to 38%), suggesting high paleo-oil saturation. The significant difference between current oil saturation from both logging interpretation and core sample measurement and paleo-oil saturation indicated by GOI analysis suggests that this low oil-saturation field evolved from a high oil-saturation pool. Lateral re-migration and spill of formally trapped oil owing to changes in structural configuration since Neogene was the most plausible mechanism for oil loss in the Moxizhuang Oil Field. The combined effects of differential accumulation in the charge phase and the differential re-migration and spill of accumulated oil in Neogene are responsible for the complicated correlation between residual oil saturation and porosity/permeability of the reservoir sandstones and the distribution of low oil-saturation pay zones and paleo-oil zones (current water zones).

The Lower Triassic in Chaohu area, Anhui Province, China, is well developed and its sequence is typical in South China. After a brief introduction of the Induan-Olenekian boundary of Chaohu, this article presents some new data on conodonts. More than ten times of conodont samplings and investigations have recovered thousands of conodont specimens, which are especially rich in the Induan-Olenekian boundary strata at the West Pingdingshan Section in Chaohu City, Anhui Province. The most distinctive forms are the conodonts of the Neospathodus dieneri group and N. waageni group. The first occurrence of N. waageni eowaageni, which is regarded as the indicator of the Induan-Olenekian boundary, is situated at 40.49 m above the base of Yinkeng Formation. Some key conodonts and seven new specimens are introduced.

This study was conducted to distinguish the compositions and provenance of sandstones and siltstones in the Ek₁–Es₃ members of Huimin depression. The samples have been analyzed for petrographic, major element and selected trace element compositions (including REE). The results show that the sandstones from the first member of Kongdian Formation (Ek₁) have higher quartz compositions than those from the fourth member (Es₄) and the third member (Es₃) of Shahejie Formation. The alkali feldspar/plagioclase ratio in the A-CN-K diagrams decreases in the order Ek₁>Es₄>Es₃, which suggests that the Ek₁ member had a more alkali feldspar-rich granitoid source and more intense weathering of the source than the Es₄ and Es₃ members. The mineral distributions in the A-CN-K diagrams also indicate that the sandstones and siltstones in the three members underwent K-metasomatism. Extrapolation of the sandstones and siltstones back to the plagioclase-alkali feldspar line in the A-CN-K diagram suggests a high average plagioclase to alkali feldspar ratio in the provenance (tonalite to granite). In addition, the chemical index of weathering (CIW) and chemical index of alteration (CIA) parameters of the sandstones and siltstones suggest that the weathering of the first cycle material was intense, and the CIW decreases in the order Ek₁>Es₄>Es₃. Trace element ratios suggest all the sedimentary rocks were mostly derived from granitoids. Elemental ratio plots (e.g., Th/Sc vs. Eu/Eu*) of sandstones and siltstones suggest a mix of a granodiorite-tonalite source as a source of the sandstones and siltstones. The sandstones and siltstones of Es₃ and Es₄ members also contain higher Eu/Eu* and lower Th/Sc ratios than the sandstones and siltstones of Ek₁ member. As is consistent with the petrography, it suggests that the sandstones and siltstones of Es₃ and Es₄ members are derived from a source with less granite and more granodiorite-tonalite than the sandstones and siltstones of Ek₁ member.

Great change, associated with global warming, has occurred at the Hailuogou glacier, Mt. Gongga, China, since the early 20th century. Various data indicate that the glacier has retreated 1 822 m in the past 106 years, with an annual mean retreat of 17.2 m, and the front elevation has risen by 300 m since 1823. Comparison of glacier variations and temperature fluctuations in China and the Northern Hemisphere, over the last 100 years, indicates that glacier retreat stages occurred during the warm phase, and vice versa. Mass balance records during 1959/60-2003/04 have shown that the glacier has suffered a constant mass loss of snow and ice. The accumulated mass balance, −10.83 m water equivalent, indicates an annual mean value of −0.24 m water equivalent. The correlation between the mass balance and temperature is significant, which also indicates that climate warming is the crucial cause of glacier loss. Local hydrological and climatic data demonstrate that runoff from the glacier has been increasing both seasonally and annually. The correlation analysis and trend analysis indicate that ice and snow melted water is the main cause of an increase in the runoff. As the climate has become warmer, changes in the glacier surface morphology have obviously occurred. These include a decrease in glacier thickness, enlargement of glacial caves, and reduction of the size of clefts on the glacier surface. The ablation period has lengthened and the ablation area has expanded. A variety of factors thus provide evidence that the Hailuogou glacier has suffered a rapid loss of snow and ice as a result of climatic warming.