Grafton County Research Articles

The Keyes Mica Mines, Orange, Grafton County, New Hampshire

The Keyes Mica Mines, Orange, Grafton County, New Hampshire

Healthcare Options for People Experiencing Depression (HOPE*D): the development and pilot testing of an encounter-based decision aid for use in primary care

ObjectiveTo develop and pilot an encounter-based decision aid (eDA) for people with depression for use in primary care.DesignWe developed an eDA for depression through cognitive interviews and pilot tested it...

Nizamoffite, Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4, the Mn analogue of hopeite from the Palermo No. 1 pegmatite, North Groton, New Hampshire

Nizamoffite, ideally Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4, is a new mineral from the Palermo No.1 pegmatite in North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S.A. It formed as the result of secondary alteration of primary triphylite and associated sphalerite. The crystals occur as colorless prisms up to 1 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter. The prisms are elongated and lightly striated parallel to [001] and exhibit the forms {100}, {010}, {230}, {011}, {031}, and {111}. The mineral is transparent and has a white streak, vitreous luster, Mohs hardness of about 3½, brittle tenacity, irregular fracture, and three cleavages: perfect on {010}, good on {100}, and fair on {001}. The measured and calculated densities are 3.00(1) and 2.961 g/cm3, respectively. It is optically biaxial (−), α = 1.580(1), β = 1.590(1), γ = 1.591(1) (white light), 2 V meas = 28(1)°, and 2 V calc = 35°. Nizamoffite exhibits strong dispersion, r 4σ F ) contains corner-sharing zigzag chains of ZnO4 tetrahedra along [001]. The chains are connected by corner sharing with PO4 tetrahedra to form sheets parallel to {010}. Three of the four PO4 vertices link to ZnO4 tetrahedra in the sheet, while the fourth links to an octahedron between the sheets. Each octahedron links to one tetrahedron from each of two adjacent sheets, thereby linking the sheets in the [010] direction. The octahedron contains Zn in hopeite and Mn in nizamoffite.

Falsterite, Ca2MgMn2+2(Fe2+0.5Fe3+0.5)4Zn4(PO4)8(OH)4(H2O)14, a new secondary phosphate mineral from the Palermo No. 1 pegmatite, North Groton, New Hampshire

Falsterite, ideally Ca 2 MgMn 2+ 2 (Fe 2 0.5 Fe 3+ 0.5 ) 4 Zn 4 (PO 4 ) 8 (OH) 4 (H 2 O) 14 , is a new mineral from the Palermo No. 1 pegmatite in North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S.A., and also occurs at the Estes pegmatite quarry, Baldwin, Cumberland County, Maine, U.S.A. It formed as the result of secondary alteration of primary triphylite and associated sphalerite. The crystals occur as very thin greenish-blue plates and rectangular laths, up to 0.7 mm in length, but no more than a few micrometers thick. Laths are flattened on {010}, elongate along [100], and exhibit lamellar twinning. The mineral is transparent and has a very pale greenish-blue streak, vitreous luster, Mohs hardness of about 2, flexible tenacity, irregular fracture, and perfect cleavage on {010}. The measured and calculated densities are 2.78(3) and 2.837 g/cm 3 , respectively. It is optically biaxial (-), a = 1.575(10), b = 1.600(5), g = 1.610(5) (white light), 2V meas = 60(10), and 2V calc = 63.8. Falsterite exhibits strong dispersion, r > v. The optical orientation is X = b, Y ≈ a, Z ≈ c. Pleochroism is pronounced: X, Z = colorless to very pale yellow, Y = blue green; Y >> X ≈ Z. Electron-microprobe analyses (average of 7), with FeO and Fe 2 O 3 apportioned and H 2 O calculated on structural grounds, provided: CaO 6.36, MgO 2.13, MnO 8.10, ZnO 18.49, FeO 8.02, Fe 2 O 3 8.90, Al 2 O 3 0.02, P 2 O 5 31.81, H 2 O 16.17, total 100.00 wt%. The empirical formula (based on 50 O atoms) is Ca 2.02 Mg 0.94 Mn 2+ 2.04 Fe 2+ 1.99 Fe 2+ 1.99 Zn 4.05 P 7.99 O 32 (OH) 4 (H 2 O)14. The mineral dissolves very easily in cold, dilute HCl. Falsterite is monoclinic, P2 1 /c, with the unit-cell parameters: a = 6.3868(18), b = 21.260(7), c = 15.365(5) Å, b = 90.564(6), V = 2086.2(1.1) Å 3 , and Z = 2. The eight strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs in Å(I)(hkl)]: 12.86(34)(011); 10.675(100)(020); 4.834(12)(102,112); 4.043(18)(132); 3.220(25)(152); 3.107(14)(044); 2.846(19)(222); 1.596(14)(0·12·4). The structure of falsterite (R 1 = 6.42% for 714 F o > 4σF) contains edge-sharing chains of Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ O 6 octahedra and corner-sharing chains of ZnO 4 tetrahedra along [100]. These chains are linked to one another by PO4 tetrahedra, forming a sheet parallel to {010}. Mn 2+ O 6 octahedra and CaO 7 polyhedra also link to this sheet, resulting in a thick slab. The slabs are bridged in the [010] direction by edge-sharing dimers of MgO 6 octahedra, which link to the slabs by sharing edges with ZnO 4 tetrahedra in adjacent slabs. The structures of falsterite and schoonerite, while topologically quite different, share similar components and structural features.

Contemporary and traditional localism: a conceptualisation of rural local food

The increasingly popular local food movement in the US has experienced wide-scale buy-in on behalf of the general public as well as in academic arenas. However, there have been recent efforts to critique this movement, typically for being inequitable and unfairly geared towards those with above-average financial means. In this article, I examine local food efforts and present a new conceptualisation of food localism. While geographically localised food consumption activities are taking place, some have ideological labels attached to them, whereas others do not. What I have termed contemporary and traditional localisms exist in the same physical but different social space. The contemporary local is represented by current local food initiatives and corresponding aspirations to support local farmers and to promote sustainability through local purchasing behaviour. The traditional local, on the other hand, is similar in that it represents food growing activities that are in close geographical proximity to consumption, but lacks the motivation associated with the contemporary local's programmatic literature; instead, it is guided by a motivation to obtain fresh and affordable food. I substantiate the contemporary/traditional localism framework with qualitative fieldwork findings from Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA, and describe the practical as well as conceptual implications of this framework.

Evaluating the uncertainty caused by Post Office Box addresses in environmental health studies: A restricted Monte Carlo approach

A Monte Carlo approach is used to evaluate the uncertainty caused by incorporating Post Office Box (PO Box) addresses in point‐cluster detection for an environmental‐health study. Placing PO Box addresses at the centroids of postcode polygons in conventional geocoding can introduce significant error into a cluster analysis of the point data generated from them. In the restricted Monte Carlo method I presented in this paper, an address that cannot be matched to a precise location is assigned a random location within the smallest polygon believed to contain that address. These random locations are then combined with the locations of precisely matched addresses, and the resulting dataset is used for performing cluster analysis. After repeating this randomization‐and‐analysis process many times, one can use the variance in the calculated cluster evaluation statistics to estimate the uncertainty caused by the addresses that cannot be precisely matched. This method maximizes the use of the available spatial information, while also providing a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty in that utilization. The method is applied to lung‐cancer data from Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA, in which the PO Box addresses account for more than half of the address dataset. The results show that less than 50% of the detected cluster area can be considered to have high certainty.

Combined interpretation of radar, hydraulic, and tracer data from a fractured-rock aquifer near Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, USA

An integrated interpretation of field experimental cross-hole radar, tracer, and hydraulic data demonstrates the value of combining time-lapse geophysical monitoring with conventional hydrologic measurements for improved characterization of a fractured-rock aquifer. Time-lapse difference-attenuation radar tomography was conducted during saline tracer experiments at the US Geological Survey Fractured Rock Hydrology Research Site near Mirror Lake, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA. The presence of electrically conductive saline tracer effectively illuminates permeable fractures or pathways for geophysical imaging. The geophysical results guide the construction of three-dimensional numerical models of ground-water flow and solute transport. In an effort to explore alternative explanations for the tracer and tomographic data, a suite of conceptual models involving heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity fields and rate-limited mass transfer are considered. Calibration data include tracer concentrations, the arrival time of peak concentration at the outlet, and steady-state hydraulic head. Results from the coupled inversion procedure suggest that much of the tracer mass migrated outside the three tomographic image planes, and that solute is likely transported by two pathways through the system. This work provides basic and site-specific insights into the control of permeability heterogeneity on ground-water flow and solute transport in fractured rock.

Radon (222Rn) in ground water of fractured rocks: a diffusion/ion exchange model.

Ground waters from fractured igneous and high-grade sialic metamorphic rocks frequently have elevated activity of dissolved radon (222Rn). A chemically based model is proposed whereby radium (226Ra) from the decay of uranium (238U) diffuses through the primary porosity of the rock to the water-transmitting fracture where it is sorbed on weathering products. Sorption of 226Ra on the fracture surface maintains an activity gradient in the rock matrix, ensuring a continuous supply of 226Ra to fracture surfaces. As a result of the relatively long half-life of 226Ra (1601 years), significant activity can accumulate on fracture surfaces. The proximity of this sorbed 226Ra to the active ground water flow system allows its decay progeny 222Rn to enter directly into the water. Laboratory analyses of primary porosity and diffusion coefficients of the rock matrix, radon emanation, and ion exchange at fracture surfaces are consistent with the requirements of a diffusion/ion-exchange model. A dipole-brine injection/withdrawal experiment conducted between bedrock boreholes in the high-grade metamorphic and granite rocks at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States (42 degrees 56'N, 71 degrees 43'W) shows a large activity of 226Ra exchanged from fracture surfaces by a magnesium brine. The 226Ra activity removed by the exchange process is 34 times greater than that of 238U activity. These observations are consistent with the diffusion/ion-exchange model. Elutriate isotopic ratios of 223Ra/226Ra and 238U/226Ra are also consistent with the proposed chemically based diffusion/ion-exchange model.

Time‐lapse imaging of saline‐tracer transport in fractured rock using difference‐attenuation radar tomography

Accurate characterization of fractured‐rock aquifer heterogeneity remains one of the most challenging and important problems in groundwater hydrology. We demonstrate a promising strategy to identify preferential flow paths in fractured rock using a combination of geophysical monitoring and conventional hydrogeologic tests. Cross‐well difference‐attenuation ground‐penetrating radar was used to monitor saline‐tracer migration in an experiment at the U.S. Geological Survey Fractured Rock Hydrology Research Site in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Radar data sets were collected every 10 min in three adjoining planes for 5 hours during each of 12 tracer tests. An innovative inversion method accounts for data acquisition times and temporal changes in attenuation during data collection. The inverse algorithm minimizes a combination of two functions. The first is the sum of weighted squared data residuals. Second is a measure of solution complexity based on an a priori space‐time covariance function, subject to constraints that limit radar‐attenuation changes to regions of the tomograms traversed by high difference‐attenuation ray paths. The time series of tomograms indicate relative tracer concentrations and tracer arrival times in the image planes; from these we infer the presence and location of a preferential flow path within a previously identified zone of transmissive fractures. These results provide new insights into solute channeling and the nature of aquifer heterogeneity at the site.

Borehole sampling of fracture populations-compensating for borehole sampling bias in crystalline bedrock aquifers, Mirror Lake, Grafton County, New Hampshire

Abstract The clustering of orientations of hydraulically conductive fractures in bedrock at the Mirror Lake, New Hampshire fractured rock study site was investigated by comparing the orientations of fracture populations in two subvertical borehole arrays with those mapped on four adjacent subvertical roadcuts. In the boreholes and the roadcuts, the orientation of fracture populations appears very similar after borehole data are compensated for undersampling of steeply dipping fractures. Compensated borehole and pavement fracture data indicate a northeast-striking population of fractures with varying dips concentrated near that of the local foliation in the adjacent rock. The data show no correlation between fracture density (fractures/linear meter) and distance from lithologic contacts in both the boreholes and the roadcuts. The population of water-producing borehole fractures is too small (28 out of 610 fractures) to roadcuts. The population comparisons. However, the orientation of large aperture fractures (which contains all the producing fractures) contains two or three subsidiary clusters in orientation frequency that are not evident in stereographic projections of the entire population containing all aperture sizes. Further, these subsidiary orientation clusters do not coincide with the dominant (subhorizontal and subvertical) regional fracture orientations.

Borehole sampling of fracture populations—compensating for borehole sampling bias in crystalline bedrock aquifers, Mirror Lake, Grafton County, New Hampshire

In 1978, brine leakage occurred in a mining panel at IMC Kalium operation in Colonsay, Saskatchewan. Stringent controls were immediately imposed to control the inflow; with further investigative and remediation work in 1981–1982 and in 1984–1985. The work involved investigative diamond drilling, grouting, instrumentation and backfilling. The instrumentation program was designed to gather information on the grout/backfill system as a mechanism of brine flow control and to monitor the long term stability of the inflow area. The result of this extensive work was the successful control of the inflow. As important, the instrumentation program gave valuable information which permitted a sound and rational engineering decision for complete abandonment of the area. This paper describes the instrumentation planning and design process, the rationale for selecting the rock mechanical instrumentation, the reasons for their placement, the data communication system, the data recorded and interpretation.

Phyllosticta multicorniculata on Abies spp. in the Northeastern U.S.

Several needle blight fungi affect natural regeneration and Christmas tree plantations of Abies spp. in northeastern North America. Of these, Phyllosticta multicorniculata Bissett & Palm has been reported from A. balsamea (L.) Mill. in Ontario and Prince Edward Island, and from A. concolor (Gordon & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr. in Wisconsin (1). In Quebec, P. multicorniculata was reported as an endophyte on symptomless needles of A. balsamea (2). In 1994, we collected this fungus in Grafton County, NH, defoliating lower branches of A. balsamea Christmas trees. In July and August 1996, we examined infected A. concolor Christmas trees in Lamoille County, VT. In July, approximately 50% of the 1996 needle complement on the lower 1 m of the crowns was infected and by August the incidence of infection on these branches increased to 75 to 100%. Less severe blighting occurred up to 1.5 m. Dead needles of the 1995 complement bore abundant, mostly empty, pycnidia of P. multicorniculata. The dead and dying distal ends of the 1996 needle complement bore abundant pycnidia of P. multicorniculata in various stages of maturation. This is the first report of this pathogen on Abies spp. in the northeastern U.S. The conidia from actively-sporulating pycnidia bore more numerous and longer appendages (1 to 16, average 7, up to 38 µm long) than the dried herbarium specimens of various ages used in the species description (1 to 5, up to 7 µm long) (1), or similarly reported from culture (2).

Use of a Square‐Array Direct‐Current Resistivity Method to Detect Fractures in Crystalline Bedrock in New Hampshire

AbstractAzimuthal square‐array direct‐current (dc) resistivity soundings were used to detect fractures in bedrock in the Mirror Lake watershed in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Soundings were conducted at a site where crystalline bedrock underlies approximately 7 m (meters) of glacial drift. Measured apparent resistivities changed with the orientation of the array. Graphical interpretation of the square‐array data indicates that a dominant fracture set and (or) foliation in the bedrock is oriented at 030° (degrees). Interpretation of crossed square‐array data indicates an orientation of 027° and an anisotropy factor of 1.31. Assuming that anisotropy is due to fractures, the secondary porosity is estimated to range from 0.01 to 0.10.Interpretations of azimuthal square‐array data are supported by other geophysical data, including azimuthal seismic‐refraction surveys and azimuthal Schlumberger dc‐resistivity soundings at the Camp Osceola well field. Dominant fracture trends indicated by these geophysical methods are 022° (seismic‐refraction) and 037° (dc‐resistivity). Fracture mapping of bedrock outcrops at a site within 250 m indicates that the maximum fracture‐strike frequency is oriented at 030°.The square‐array dc‐resistivity sounding method is more sensitive to a given rock anisotropy than the more commonly used Schlumberger and Wenner arrays. An additional advantage of the square‐array method is that it requires about 65 percent less surface area than an equivalent survey using a Schlumberger or Wenner array.

A Century of Adjustments in a New Hampshire Back Area

This paper undertakes to present a study of a back country area in which agriculture has declined for many years until it has now almost disappeared. The first section briefly relates to adjustments from 1800 to date, the middle part to a description of present conditions, and the last to certain aspects of future adjustments. In the land-utilization study for which the data were collected, the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station has emphasized a description of present problems in this area with a view to the formation of state land policies. The historical aspects have received attention only incidentally, but they become intriguing as one works on the problems involved in this back area of an old settled country. The area under consideration is located in western New Hampshire in southern Grafton County and has been declining in agricultural importance and in population for nearly a hundred years. Adjustments are still in process. A present land-use map of the state indicates many areas in which no commercial agriculture appears. Some of these areas, such as the large one in the north, are mountainous and were never cleared and settled. Other sections were once thickly populated and farmed, but have declined greatly in population and farming activity since the Civil War. Such an area is the rather large space in southern Grafton County, back from the Connecticut River and comprising portions of fourteen towns. Data taken from H. F. Walling's map printed in 1860 indicate the roads and location of farmsteads at that time. The roads pierced nearly every section, and farmsteads were fairly evenly distributed. Only rough mountainous areas were untouched. Abandonment of certain locations had begun as early as 1840, and probably the roads and farm-

A Study of Land Utilization in Grafton County

A Study of Land Utilization in Grafton County