Green Shale Research Articles

Тектоно-седиментаційна еволюція передової частини насувної споруди Українських Карпат

For the first time in the Ukrainian Carpathians, the depths and tectono-sedimentation processes in the north-eastern part of the Outer Carpathian Basin (Skyba and Boryslav-Pokuttya units) have been restored on the base of sedimentological and microfaunistic studies. It was established that in the Cretaceous-Eocene time, the deep-water (near Calcite Compensation Depth) turbidite and similar sedimentation (turbidites with Bouma textures, grainites, debris-flow deposits), which periodically alternated with (hemi)pelagic sedimentation (red, green and black shales) was dominant here. Sedimentation took place on the continental margin of the the Carpathian branch of the Tethys, where deep-water fans were formed. Cretaceous-Eocene background red and green shales are enriched in buried in situ benthic foraminifera which are similar in taxonomic composition and morphological features to the microfauna of the Carpathian-Alpine and Atlantic regions (deep-water agglutinated foraminifera), which indicate lower bathyal – abyssal depths of flysch sedimentation. Latest Eocene Globigerina Marl horizon contains the foraminiferal assemblage with plankton dominance, which indicates a general shallowing of the Outer Carpathian Basin (middle-upper bathyal conditions above a calcite compensation depth). Oligocene – lowermost Miocene Menilite-Krosno and Polyanytsia formations were accumulated in the Skyba and Boryslav-Pokuttya sub-basins. In the Miocene, shallow-water molasses were accumulated here. Probably, the tectonic uproot of flysch deposits from its substrate and their synsedymentary thrusting towards the platform caused a significant shallowing of the Skyba and Boryslav-Pokuttya sub-basins starting from the latest Eocene. These processes reflected the growth of the Carpathian frontal nappes at the final orogen formation stage.

GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND FORMATION CONDITIONS OF THE CHELYABINSK GRANITOID MASSIF (SOUTHERN URALS)

The Chelyabinsk granitoid massif is located in the northern part of the East-Ural megazone and it is about 1100 km2 in area. It is an integral part of the Main granite belt of the Urals. The massif is one of polyformational, polychronous and is a close analogue of the granite-gneiss domes: Varlamovsky, Borisovsky, Yeremkinsky, Sanarsky (Kochkarsky anticlinorium) and Beloretsky (Bashkirsky meganticlinorium). Four main granitoid complexes are distinguished in the Chelyabinsk pluton by age and petrographic parameters: smolensky (Є?S) diorite-tonalite (migmatite), warshavsky (C2v) granite-granitegneiss, poletayevsky (C2pl) granodiorite-granite and kremenkulsky (P2kr) granite-leucogranite. It is established that smolensky granite-gneisses, warshavsky granites, poletaevsky granodiorites and granites belong to the tonalite-granodiorite formation. The first of them were formed in the intracontinental geodynamic setting, and the second and third - on the marginal continental setting. Warshavsky granite-gneisses are close to the granitemigmatite formation in petrogeochemical features, and the kremenkulsky leucogranites are close to granite. The geodynamic setting of their formation corresponded to the interior of the continents. The igneous group includes warshavsky granites and kremenkulsky leucogranites, in the quartz of which melt inclusions are established, as well as granodiorites and granites of the poletayevsky complex, having formation temperatures of 800 °C and 700 °C and a pressure of 6.1 and 4.3 kbar (abyssal zone), respectively based on the study of the chemical composition of biotite and garnet. The smolensky and warshavsky gneisses and migmatites apparently have a metasomatic genesis and subsequently underwent a transformation under the conditions of the green shale and epidote-amphibolite facies (400 - 460 °С and 490 - 510 °С

Re-Os Ages for the Kourki Porphyry Cu-Mo Deposits, North West Niger (West Africa): Geodynamic Implications

The study area is located at the southern end of the Gorouol greenstone belt, northwestern Niger. This region contains significant deposits of Copper and Molybdenum hosted in intrusive rocks metamorphosed in the green shale facies. This deposit was previously considered a porphyry system of Copper (Cu) and Molybdenum (Mo) without having been the subject of advanced research. The objective of this study is to confirm or refute this hypothesis and to date the mineralisation in an absolute manner in order to readjust the mineralising episode in the history of the West African Craton. The methodology used within the framework of this study is the isotopic dating by the Re-Os method carried out on the pyrites of the host rock. The results of this analysis give an age range between 2158 ± 50 Ma and 2110 ± 51 Ma for the Cu-Mo mineralisation. This age range represents the West African Craton scale to an episode of magmatic accretion. During this accretion, the subduction phenomena between the Crusts (Oceanic and Continental) would have been favourable for the formation of the Cu and Mo mineralisation of Kourki.

Stratigraphical reinterpretation of Devonian strata underlying the Mons Basin based on cuttings from the Saint-Ghislain borehole, Hainaut, Belgium

It is revealed that the lowest 1010 m of the Saint-Ghislain borehole (-4393 to -5403 m), of which cuttings are available, constitutes a crucial source of information to investigate, amongst others, the deep geothermal potential within the Brabant Parautochthon, underlying the Mons Basin, Hainaut. The lithological succession of this interval was reconstructed based mainly on visual analysis and calcimetry of 852 cutting samples as well as four cored sections. Additionally, palynological, magnetic susceptibility and X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted in order to complement the dataset. The lower section of the investigated borehole sequence mainly consists of grey calcareous shale while the middle section is dominated by blue-grey shaly limestone and the upper section is mainly composed of green shale. Palynomorphs found at -5261 m suggest a latest Givetian–Early Frasnian age. A new lithostratigraphical interpretation of the deepest part of the Saint-Ghislain borehole is proposed. The lower calcareous shale from ‑5403 to ‑5100 m is interpreted as the Bovesse Formation (Lower Frasnian) and at its base possibly uppermost Givetian. The overlying limestones from -5100 to -4790 m can be attributed to the Rhisnes Formation (Upper Frasnian), and the green shale between ca. -4393 and -4790 m, to the Bois de la Rocq Member (Famennian). These results open new insights regarding the geological interpretation of the basement underlying the Mons Basin. They also present a promising approach and example regarding interpretations based on cuttings.

A Green Shale Inhibitor Developed from Lignin Sulfonate and the Mechanism Study

A Green Shale Inhibitor Developed from Lignin Sulfonate and the Mechanism Study

A late Caledonian tectono-thermal event in the Gaissa Nappe Complex, Arctic Norway: evidence from fine-fraction K‒Ar dating and illite crystallinity from the Digermulen Peninsula

ABSTRACTFine-fraction K‒Ar dating and illite crystallinity determination were applied on a peculiar pale olive green shale sample from the upper Ediacaran Indreelva Member (Stáhpogieddi Formation, Vestertana Group, Gaissa Nappe Complex) of the Digermulen Peninsula in Finnmark, Arctic Norway, to constrain the age and metamorphic conditions of tectono-thermal overprint. The <2 and <0.2 µm grain-size fractions are almost purely illite and yielded an illite crystallinity (expressed as the Kübler index) of 0.215 Δ° 2θ and 0.228 ∆° 2θ and K‒Ar ages of 403.9 ± 4.2 and 391.5 ± 4.0 Ma, respectively. The K‒Ar ages are interpreted to present late-stage thermal overprint under low epizonal conditions along a localised shear zone, likely post-dating the peak of metamorphism and cleavage generation on the Digermulen Peninsula. Thus, a later tectono-metamorphic event related to the late stage of the Scandian orogeny is locally recorded in the Gaissa Nappe Complex of the Caledonides of Finnmark. This late Scandian event was probably caused by orogenic extensional collapse and appears to have extended at least into Mid-Devonian time.

Detrital Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Provenance of the Sundance Formation, Western Powder River Basin, Wyoming

This study uses detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology to investigate the provenance of the Jurassic Sundance Formation in the western Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Understanding the provenance of the Sundance Formation is critical as it was deposited during the transition from cratonic to synorogenic sedimentation derived from the Sevier-Laramide foreland. The Sundance in the western Powder River Basin consists of an oolitic limestone and green glauconitic sandstone at the base, green shales in the middle, and a yellow quartz arenite with coquina “oyster” beds at the top. U-Pb analyses of detrital zircons using LA-ICP-MS were conducted on two samples collected in the Bud Love Wildlife Habitat Management Area, 20 km northwest of Buffalo, WY. The two samples were taken from the upper and lower sandstone members of the Sundance Formation (n=289 concordant U-Pb zircon ages). The samples show a distinct difference in detrital zircon age spectra. The lower sandstone age spectrum ranges from 260-3172 Ma with 23% of the ages being Paleozoic, 71% being Proterozoic, and 6% being Archean. This lower stratum has detrital zircon age peaks at 343, 432, 686, 1039, 1431, 1662, 1748, 1941, 2433, and 3179 Ma. The lower sandstone shows an easterly Appalachian-Ouachita provenance, which persisted in the region beginning in the Carboniferous. In comparison to the upper strata, ages range from 157-2949 Ma and age peaks at 170, 243, 440, 545, 1082, 1467, 1681, and 1985 Ma. The maximum deposition age for the upper member is 160 Ma. Mesozoic aged grains make up 15.6% of the zircons, 14.7% were Paleozoic, 65.7% were Proterozoic, and 4% were Archean in age. The appearance of Mesozoic zircons in the upper sandstone marks the first significant appearance of westerly sourced zircons, and perhaps reflects the earliest uplift of the Sevier fold and thrust belt. Previous research has found this same signature in the Sundance but not in the underlying Triassic Chugwater Formation, resulting in a broad boundary of the change in sediment dispersal and the onset of the Sevier Orogeny between the Triassic and Jurassic. This study was conducted for a higher resolution to the provenance of the Sundance Formation and to further narrow the boundary of differing sedimentation from an eastern recycled to western synorogenic source.

Epithermal systems of the Torud–Chah Shirin district, northern Iran: Ore-fluid evolution and geodynamic setting

The Torud–Chah Shirin (TCS) ore district in northern Iran is defined by an NE alignment of Tertiary Ag-Au and base metal-rich epithermal systems, and it is part of the eastern Alborz orogenic belt of Iran. Intermediate- to high-sulfidation mineralization occurs as veins hosted by the Eocene−Oligocene volcanic, subvolcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. The TCS district is characterized by three fault system populations including ∼70°, ∼270°, and ∼340°−trending faults, and detailed structural mapping show that overall strike of the TCS vein system is 320°–340° but varies from ∼290° to ∼350°. The ∼N70°−trending faults are parallel to the Anjilow and Torud regional faults in the TCS ore district. Green- to grey-schist and metamorphosed dolomite and limestone are the oldest units (Ordovician–Silurian) in the TCS. Sedimentary rocks were initiated by limestone, dolomite and green shale in the Cretaceous and continued with conglomerate into the Paleocene (Fajan Formation). Magmatism mainly occurred sporadically from the Eocene to Oligocene (ca. 55–24 Ma), with two major episodes between early to middle Eocene (ca. 55 and 37 Ma, EME) and early to late Oligocene (ca. 34 and 24 Ma, ELO). Whole rock geochemical data of EME and ELO rocks of the TCS district shows a range from basalts to rhyolites with low-K calc-alkaline and shoshonitic affinity. Their rare earth elements (REEs) and high field strength elements (HFSE) signatures indicate the occurrence of a supra-subduction zone magmatism and all rocks have been sourced from the same parent melt. Samples from ELO display higher alkali contents compare with EME but have a similar trace element characteristics.Hydrothermal alteration is pervasive in volcanic and subvolcanic rocks but is mainly localized near the veins and ore zones. Alteration assemblages include quartz-sericite (±pyrite ± adularia), quartz-illite (kaolinite ± pyrite), carbonate-quartz and chlorite + calcite + epidote (propylitic). Homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions in the epithermal prospects is in range of 125–375 °C, and ore-forming fluids were mainly of magmatic-hydrothermal origin (e.g., Gandy and Abolhassani prospects), with some contributions from meteoric water. The epithermal prospects have more or less similar salinities, ranging from 2 to 18 wt% NaCl equiv., with a distinct cluster between 6 and 15 wt% NaCl equiv.Our shreds of evidence suggest that the EME and ELO calc-alkaline volcanic activity in TCS occurs occurred in tension fractures related to orthogonal plate convergence that postdates the NE-trending strike-slip regional faults, and plays an important role in the development of the epithermal prospects. Simultaneous with, or soon after crustal heating related to the magmatism, strike-slip faults movement may also have been critical in the ore-forming process, leading to trans-tension of local compressive forces, enhancement of crust-scale permeability, and promotion of mixing of ore-forming fluids.

The interaction of recovery and environmental conditions: An analysis of the outer shelf edge of western North America during the early Triassic

Biotic recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction was complex and uneven, with prior studies typically revealing a long, drawn-out recovery that was either delayed for some interval, or was subdued and stepwise in nature. Examples of rapid recovery at the outcrop scale cloud this narrative and point to the importance of environmental stresses in determining the timing and shape of recovery. The Union Wash Formation at the Darwin locality (east-central California) contains at least 3 recovery intervals that terminate with the onset of deleterious conditions and therefore offers a means to examine the relationship between environmental stress and recovery. The first recovery is manifested as bioturbated (ii = 5–6), shallow marine micritic limestones that contain small diameter (2–4 mm) Thalassinoides burrows that form complex networks. This interval is overlain by 650.5 m of laminated mudstone that signal deleterious environmental conditions. The second recovery interval begins directly above seafloor precipitate-bearing micritic limestones that make up the lowermost 130 m of the upper member of the Union Wash Formation and is marked by the occurrence of a 3 m-thick interval containing sphinctozoan sponges, an intervening ~1 m-thick laminated (ii = 1) micritic limestone, and an overlying, 5 m-thick bivalve-rich and bioturbated calcareous siltstone (ii = 4–5) that contains Chrondrites trace fossils. This interval is overlain by 18 m of laminated green shale (ii = 1) that signifies another incursion of anoxic waters. The third recovery interval is represented by a 30 m-thick unit that includes beds of micritic limestone, fossiliferous limestone containing transported fossil grains (including bivalves, microgastropods, sphinctozoan sponges, microgastropods, flat clams, and terebratulid brachiopods), flat pebble conglomerate and vermicular limestone. The results of this study, therefore, point to an uneven recovery within the Union Wash Formation, in which an initially robust recovery in the lower member deteriorated across the remainder of the study section. Areas exposed to persistent environmental stress, therefore, demonstrate protracted and complex recoveries. Study localities located within the habitable zone instead exhibit accelerated recoveries during the post-extinction interval and are indicative of an environmental bias in the form of persistent favorable conditions. The most accurate measures of post – extinction recovery, therefore, are those that examine biotic trends over a broad geographic area, and, as a result, incorporate the role of environmental stress in determining when and how life recovered from the Permian – Triassic mass extinction.

Batocrinidae (Crinoidea) from the Lower Mississippian (lower Viséan) Fort Payne Formation of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama: systematics, geographic occurrences, and facies distribution

AbstractThe Batocrinidae are characteristic faunal elements in Lower Mississippian shallow-marine settings in North America. Recent delineation of objectively defined genera allows a reexamination of batocrinid species and their distribution in the Fort Payne Formation (early Viséan, late Osagean), a well-studied array of carbonate and siliciclastic facies. The Fort Payne batocrinid fauna has 14 species assigned to six genera, plus hybrid specimens.Magnuscrinus spinosus(Miller and Gurley, 1895a) is reassigned to its original placement inEretmocrinus. Hybrid specimens (Ausich and Meyer, 1994) are regarded asEretmocrinus magnificus×Eretmocrinus spinosus.Macrocrinus casualisis the dominant species ofMacrocrinusin the Fort Payne, andM.mundulusandM.strotobasilarisare recognized in the Fort Payne Formation for the first time.Magnuscrinus cumberlandensisn. sp. is named, 13 species are designated as junior synonyms, the name for the hybrid specimens is changed toEretmocrinus magnificus×Eretmocrinus spinosus, and the previous occurrences of two species in the Fort Payne are rejected. The Eastern Interior Seaway was a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic setting with both shallow- and deep-water epicontinental sea facies ranging from relatively shallow autochthonous green shales to deep-water turbidite facies.Dizygocrinuswas restricted to shallow-water carbonate and siliciclastic facies,Eutrochocrinuswas restricted to shallow-water carbonate facies, andMagnuscrinuswas restricted to deep-water facies. Species distributions varied fromAbatocrinus steropes,Alloprosallocrinus conicus,Macrocrinus mundulus, andUperocrinus nashvillae, which occurred throughout the Eastern Interior Seaway, to species that were restricted to a single facies.Eretmocrinus magnificus,Alloprosallocrinus conicus, andUperocrinus robustuswere the dominant batocrinids in the Fort Payne Formation.UUID:http://zoobank.org/703aafd8-4c73-4edc-9870-e2356e2d28b8

PECULIAVITIES OF TRANSFORMATION OF ORGANIC MATTERIN CARBONACEOUS ROCKS OF THE UKRAINIAN CRYSTAL SHILD

The main features of the transformation of organic matter (OM) of three facies of metamorphism (the facies of green shales, amphibolite and granulite facies) on the example of the Ukrainian crystal shield are discussed. The area of distribution and content of OM in high-carbon ancient rocks is characterized, the composition of primary sedimentary rocks, the processes of accumulation of biophilic elements during the transformation of OM are reconstructed.

The occurrence of a shallow-water &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Ammobaculoides&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; assemblage in the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) Dhruma Formation of Central Saudi Arabia

Abstract. We report the occurrence of an Ammobaculoides-dominated assemblage in the lowermost member of the Middle Jurassic Dhruma Formation exposed west of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new species Ammobaculoides dhrumaensis n.sp. is described from the green shale of the D1 unit (also known as the Balum Member) of the Dhruma Formation, which has been assigned an early Bajocian age based on ammonites. Our new finding constitutes the oldest reported worldwide occurrence of the agglutinated foraminiferal genus Ammobaculoides Plummer, 1932.

An orthothecid hyolith with a digestive tract from the early Cambrian of Bornholm, Denmark

The hyolith assemblage from the early Cambrian of Bornholm, Denmark, shows a higher diversity than contemporary assemblages in Baltoscandia. The most common species in the Green Shales (Læså Formation, Norretorp Member, Cambrian Stage 3), is Hyolithes [=Hyolithus] (Orthotheca) johnstrupi Holm, 1893. A specimen of this species shows a well-preserved and almost complete digestive tract, folded into an approximately 22 mm long chevron-like structure comprised of at least 20 arcuate loops on the ventral side and a flattened, gently sinuous to straight anal tube on the dorsal side. The thin, phosphatic outer shell layer of the conch is crushed under the digestive tract due to compaction while the digestive tract is preserved in three dimensions and appears undisturbed. The shape of the digestive tract is similar to that of the middle Cambrian Guduguwan hardmani (Etheridge) from Australia and the lower Cambrian specimens from Russia described by Meškova & Sysoev. The Danish specimen is probably an adult, lending support to the idea that the orthothecid digestive tract becomes more complex during ontogeny. Hyolithus (Orthotheca) johnstrupi is revised and here referred to Circotheca Sysoev, 1958.

A clastic-evaporitic deposit from the Cretaceous of northeastern Mexico: La Mula-La Virgen transition

Units from La Mula and La Virgen formations outcrop in central Coahuila in northeastern Mexico. During the Early Cretaceous this sedimentary succession was deposited between the Coahuila and the Tamaulipas blocks as a transitional ramp succession that later became the Sabinas Basin. For years, the lack of fossils in La Virgen Formation has prevented a precise age resolution. This work provides new biostratigraphic data from Potrero de Menchaca, a representative locality that records a siliciclastic-carbonate transition from the clastic La Mula Formation and the evaporites from La Virgen Formation. The microfacies association indicates the presence of foraminiferan representatives of Choffatella decipiens and Charentia sp. in close association with the rare green alga Thaumotoporella parvovesiculifera, a few mollusk bioclasts and other algal fragments that gradually increase in size as the evaporitic succession become more frequent. In addition to the microfossils reported, a significant contribution of this work includes a preliminary geochemical analysis from the preceding green shales from La Mula Formation, which are reported from the first time for this locality and holds high potential for provenance studies.

Integration of spectral, spatial and morphometric data into lithological mapping: A comparison of different Machine Learning Algorithms in the Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq

Lithological mapping in mountainous regions is often impeded by limited accessibility due to relief. This study aims to evaluate (1) the performance of different supervised classification approaches using remote sensing data and (2) the use of additional information such as geomorphology. We exemplify the methodology in the Bardi-Zard area in NE Iraq, a part of the Zagros Fold – Thrust Belt, known for its chromite deposits. We highlighted the improvement of remote sensing geological classification by integrating geomorphic features and spatial information in the classification scheme. We performed a Maximum Likelihood (ML) classification method besides two Machine Learning Algorithms (MLA): Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) to allow the joint use of geomorphic features, Band Ratio (BR), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), spatial information (spatial coordinates) and multispectral data of the Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite. The RF algorithm showed reliable results and discriminated serpentinite, talus and terrace deposits, red argillites with conglomerates and limestone, limy conglomerates and limestone conglomerates, tuffites interbedded with basic lavas, limestone and Metamorphosed limestone and reddish green shales. The best overall accuracy (∼80%) was achieved by Random Forest (RF) algorithms in the majority of the sixteen tested combination datasets.

Cretaceous sedimentation in the outer Eastern Carpathians: Implications for the facies model reconstruction of the Moldavide Basin

The mid Cretaceous is characterized by high eustatic sea-levels with widespread oxic conditions that made possible the occurrence of globally correlated Oceanic Red Beds. However, very often, these eustatic signals have been overprinted by local tectonics, which in turn resulted in Lower Cretaceous closed and anoxic basins, as in the Eastern Carpathians. There, the black shale to red bed transition occurs in the latest Albian up to the early Cenomanian. Although earlier studies discussed the large-scale basin configuration, no detailed petrography and sedimentology study has been performed in the Eastern Carpathians. This paper describes the Hauterivian to Turonian lithofacies and interprets the depositional settings based on their sedimentological features. The studied sections crop out only in tectonic half windows of the Eastern Carpathians, part of the Vrancea Nappe. The lithofacies comprises black shales interbedded with siderites and sandstones, calcarenites, marls, radiolarites and red shales. The siliciclastic muddy lithofacies in general reflects accumulation by suspension settling of pelagites and hemipelagites in anoxic (black shale) to dysoxic (dark gray and gray to green shales) and oxic (red shales) conditions. The radiolarites alternate with siliceous shales and are considered as evidence of climate changes. The sandstones represent mostly low and high-density turbidite currents in deep-marine lobes, as well as channel/levee systems. The source area is an eastern one, e.g., the Eastern Carpathians Foreland, given the abundance of low grade metamorphic clasts. The Hauterivian – lower Albian sediments are interpreted as deep-marine, linear and multiple sourced mud dominated systems deposited in a mainly anoxic to dysoxic basin. The anoxic conditions existed in the early to late Albian, but sedimentation changed to a higher energy mud/sand-dominated submarine channels and levees. This coarsening upwards tendency is interpreted as the effect of the Aptian to Albian compressional tectonics of the Carpathians. The deepening of the Moldavide Basin from the Cenomanian is most probably linked to a significant sea-level rise.

Middle Eocene clay from Goset Abu Khashier: Geological assessment and utilization with drinking water treatment sludge in brick manufacture

This investigation aims to study the physico-ceramic properties of bricks that were made from the Goset Abu Khashier clay (Qarara Formation, Middle Eocene deposits, El-Minia, Egypt) replaced with 15–60wt% drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS). The Qarara Formation deposits located in the east bank of the Nile River between Beni Suef and El-Minia Governorates, belong to the Middle Eocene deposits. The Qarara Formation deposits in the Goset Abu Khashier area contain several million tons of clay deposits. The Qarara Formation is composed of a grey to green shale (silty clay) grading upward to marl and limestone. The clay contains kaolinite (29wt%), montmorillonite (20wt%), albite (27wt%) and quartz (23wt%). The clay contains a high content of silica (49.41wt%) and a low content of alumina (19.77wt%) with considerable amounts of Fe2O3 (11.37wt%) and fluxing oxides (3.7wt%). Clay bricks containing 15–60wt% DWTS were fired at a temperature of 700–1000°C. The ceramic properties of bricks were determined according to the ASTM specifications. The phase composition of bricks was determined by XRD, FTIR and SEM techniques. It was investigated that the incorporation of DWTS in the body of clay bricks moderates the ceramic properties of fired bricks to be in agreement with the limiting values that were recommended for traditional bricks. XRD results illustrated that dehydration of kaolinite and the formation of metakaolinite facilitates vitrification and contributes to brick densification. FTIR results showed the formation of a wollastonite phase and indicated that increasing DWTS content facilitates the persistence of a vitrified phase. SEM micrographs illustrated that the porosity and densification of brick matrix was affected by the formation of amorphous vitreous phases and decreased with DWTS contents. It is recommended that the replacement of examined clay by 15–30wt% of DWTS is considered as the appropriate percentage for building bricks production and minimizes environmental impacts due to DWTS disposal into water bodies.

Geochemical enrichment of metals in sediments and their relation with the organic carbon

ABSTRACTThis article aims to assess the concentrations of zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) and the organic matter (OM) content in different depth samples of sediments produced in this river basin of the Mãe d'Água dam. The sampling was carried out in June 2014, and four sediment cores in pre-defined points of the dam were sampled. A core sampler ‘Piston Core’ was used for the extraction of sediment cores. The sediments with fraction less than 63 μm were destined to the chemical analysis for the verification of the presence and concentration of trace elements: Ni and Zn. The acid digestion methodology employed is the EPA 3050, adopted by the US Environment Protection Agency, and the analyses were carried out in duplicates and for quality control we used two reference materials of the US Geological Survey: Green River Shale (SGR-1b) and Cody Shale (SCO-1). With the results obtained, all samples showed concentrations of Zn and Ni above the local background value and growth patterns, demonstrating the existence of enrichment of the sediments by these elements. The levels of OM when correlated at concentrations of Zn and Ni showed the growing enrichment in the sediment cores analysed, confirming the high affinity of these elements with the sediment compounds of fraction organic.

Petroleum source-rock potential of the Piranj oil field, Zagros basin

Zagros basin constitutes one of the most prolific hydrocarbon producing habitats and the second largest basin in the Middle East. The Piranj oil field is part of The Middle Cretaceous–Early Miocene Petroleum System in Zagros basin and southwest of Iran. This study mainly focuses on organic matter characterization and thermal history of two potential source rock's name Gurpi and Pabdeh formations. To evaluate the candidate source rocks, 50 cuttings and core samples of these rock units from well M-11 (the only well drilled up to the probable source rocks) were analysed, using Rock-Eval pyrolysis and organic petrography. In addition, 1D basin modelling and reconstruction of burial history were applied to analyse the thermal history of these source rocks. The green shale, limestone and marls of Pabdeh formation with average 2.52%wt Total Organic Matter (TOC) and Hydrogen Index (HI) higher than 250 is more favourite source rock in comparison with dark shale and limestone of Gurpi formation by 1.8%wt and HI < 300. Moreover, Pabdeh formation can be classified generally as fair to very good source rocks, with kerogens of type II, while Gurpi formation contain mostly kerogens of type II/III. The average values of Vitrinite reflectance (VR) (from 0.44% to 1.23%) indicate that samples from the well M-11 have reached maturities corresponding to early to peak oil generation. Reconstruction of the thermal history suggests various steady heat flow values (53–91 mW/m2) resulted in the best fit between the observed and the calculated bottom hole temperatures (BHT) and Vitrinite reflectance (VR) in the model. Rock-Eval pyrolysis results and Vitrinite reflectance (VR) suggest that the most of samples are in the early mature to mature stage of hydrocarbon generation. Furthermore, according to the modelling results, petroleum generation from the studied source rocks has began after deposition of related seal-rocks and formation of traps which ensures entrapment and preservation of migrated hydrocarbon.

Facies development and paleoenvironment of the Hajajah Limestone Member, Aruma Formation, central Saudi Arabia

The Campanian Hajajah Limestone Member of the Aruma Formation was formed during two regressive episodes. Each of them formed of three depositional facies, from base to top: 1) intra-shelf basin facies, made up of fossiliferous green shale and mudstone with ostracods and badly preserved foraminifers. 2) fore-reef facies, consists of hard, massive, marly coralline limestone. The upper part is rich with low divers, badly to moderate preserved, solitary and colonial corals, and, 3) back reef and near-shore facies, consists of fossiliferous sandy dolomitized, bioturbated limestone with abundant reworked corals, bivalves, gastropods, and aggregate grains. On the basis of field observations, micro-and macrofossils and microfacies analysis, the Hajajah Limestone Member was deposited in distal marine settings below storm wave base in a low-energy environment changed upward to fore-reef framework in an open marine environment with moderate to high energy conditions and terminated with shallow marine facies with accumulation of skeletal grains by storms during regression.