Interaction mechanism of the interface between a deep buried sand and a paleo-weathered rock mass using a high normal stress direct shear apparatus

In order to evaluate the feasibility of safe mining close to the contact zone under reduced security coal pillar conditions at a coal mine in eastern China, the interaction mechanism of the interface between deep buried sand and a paleo-weathered rock mass was investigated in the laboratory by direct shear testing. A DRS-1 high pressure soil shear testing machine and orthogonal design method were used in the direct shear tests. Variance and range methods were applied to analyze the sensitivity of each factor that has an influence on the mechanical characters of the interface. The test results show that the normal pressure is the main influencing factor for mechanical characteristics of the interface, while the lithological characters and roughness are minor factors; the shear stress against shear displacement curve for the interface shows an overall hyperbola relationship, no obvious peak stress and dilatancy was observed.When the normal pressure is 6 MPa, the shear strengths of interfaces with different roughness are basically the same, and when the normal pressure is more than 8 MPa, the larger the roughness of the interface, the larger will be the shear strength; the shear strength has a better linear relationship with the normal pressure, which can be described by a linear Mohr–Coulomb criterion.

Geochemical characteristics of Neogene sandstones of the East and West Siang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh,NE India:implications for source-area weathering,provenance,and tectonic setting

Sandstones from the Neogene Siwalik successions of the East and West Siang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh were analyzed to evaluate source-area weathering,provenance,and tectonic setting by using major,trace,and rare earth elements(REEs)as proxies.The sandstones are classified as lithic arenite and wacke arenite based on their mineralogical compositions.The values of different weathering indices such as Chemical Index of Alteration(CIA;60.93–89.86)and Chemical Index of Weathering(CIW;40–96.8)suggest moderate to intense weathering in the source area.The plot of Th/Sc versus Zr/Sc indicates enrichment of zircon by sediment sorting and/or recycling from a weathered source.The high positive correlation between Al2 O_(3) and K2 O points towards a strong influence of the constituent clay minerals on the major oxide composition of the sandstones.Petrographic analysis together with enriched LREE,flat HREE,negative Eu anomalies(Eu/Eu^(*)=0.47 to 0.90)in the chondrite-normalized diagrams,and the ratios of La/Sc,La/Co,Th/Sc,Th/Co,Cr/Th collectively suggests that the Neogene sediments were derived from felsic igneous and/or reworked sedimentary/metasedimentary sources in an upper continental crustal setting.The geochemical characteristics of the studied Neogene Siwalik sandstones indicate that the sediments were sourced from pre-Himalayan gneisses and granitoids together with metabasic rocks,which had formed in a passive margin tectonic setup.

A preliminary study on ore-forming environments of Xianglushan-type iron deposit and the weathering mineralization of Emeishan basalt in Guizhou Province, China

Xianglushan-type iron deposits are one of the new types of iron deposits found in the Weining Area of Western Guizhou. The iron-bearing rock system is a paleo-weathered crustal sedimentary(or accumulating) stratum between the top of the Middle-Late Permian Emeishan basalt formation and the Late Permian Xuanwei formation. Iron ore is hosted in the Lower-Middle part of the rock system. In terms of the genesis of mineral deposit, this type of deposit should be a basalt paleo-weathering crustal redeposit type, very different from marine sedimentary iron deposits or continental weathering crust iron deposits. Based on field work and the analytical results of XRD Powder Diffraction, Electron Probe, Scanner Electron Microscope, etc., the geological setting of the ore-forming processes and the deposit features are illustrated in this paper. The ore-forming environment of the deposit and the Emeishan basalt weathering mineralization are also discussed in order to enhance the knowledge of the universality and diversity of mineralization of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province(ELIP), which may be a considerable reference to further research for ELIP metallogenic theories, and geological research for iron deposits in the paleo-weathering crust areas of the Emeishan basalt,Southwestern, China.

Quantitative measurements on the paleo-weathering intensity of the loess-soil sequences and implication on paleomonsoon

The loess-soil sequences in northern China provide a near continuous record of Quaternary paleoclimate. The pedogenetic intensity of the sequences is closely linked with the variations of the East Asian summer monsoon. In this study, 2181 samples from the Changwu and Xifeng loess sections are analyzed and two high-resolution paleo-weathering timeseries of the last 1.2 Ma are generated, using the ratio of CBD extractable free Fe2O3 (FeD) versus the total iron (FeT). This new index is compared with micromorphological features, low-frequency magnetic susceptibility, frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility, and the Rb/Sr ratio[5,6]. The results suggest that the FeD/FeT ratio is able to better reflect the degree of soil development. Since the chemical weather-ing of loess in the Loess Plateau region mainly depends upon the summer precipitation and tem-perature under modern climate condition, which are closely associated with strength of summer monsoon, and the chemical weathering intensity of loess primarily reflects the variations of the summer monsoon circulation.