Comparison of laboratory and field electrical resistivity measurements of a gypsum rock for mining prospection applications

Geophysical surveys are frequently applied in mining prospection to detect the presence and volume of ore bodies of different nature.Particularly,in gypsum ore bodies exploitation,electrical resistivity measurements are usually the most used methodology.However,it has been observed that different electrical resistivity values can be obtained depending on geometrical features and composition of gypsum.Indeed,electrical resistivity of gypsum rocks depends on several parameters,such as gypsum purity,nature of secondary minerals,porosity,saturation and interstitial fluid properties.Saturation and hydrogeological setting,in particular,were recognized as the most influencing parameters.Hydrogeological conditions of gypsum rock masses are also very relevant for exploitability,safety conditions and economic feasibility and should be accurately known during the prospection and planning phases of the quarries.In this work,a relationship between electrical resistivity and saturation degree of gypsum is proposed.The possibility to estimate gypsum porosity with the use of this relationship is also investigated.The reliability of laboratory measurements is finally verified in comparison with field and modelled resistivity data.The reported results underline the potentiality of the proposed approach to obtain a reliable characterization of the studied ore body.

Mechanical properties of microcrystalline branching selenite gypsum samples and influence of constituting factors

The high sedimentological variability of gypsum rocks has the effect that a univocal characterization of this material is not easy to establish. This is particularly true from the geomechanical point of view: when the mechanical properties of gypsum rocks are requested, it is therefore necessary to undertake detailed characterization analyses. Common facies of gypsum was observed in the Upper Miocene evaporitic succession(Messinian Salinity Crisis) within the whole Mediterranean Basin. In this work, mechanical tests were conducted on a site-specific facies, represented by the microcrystalline branching selenite. The tested samples came from the Monferrato area(northwestern Italy). Uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)tests were performed in order to obtain reference mechanical parameters. More rapid and economic point load test(PLT) and ultrasonic pulse velocity(UPV) measurements were additionally performed to verify their applicability as complementary/alternative methods for site characterization. Rock-type specific PLT-UCS and UPV-UCS relationships were established. A wide dispersion of the mechanical parameters was observed due to the heterogeneities of the studied material. Consequently, compositional, textural and microstructural observations on selected samples were performed. Two main material classes were recognized based on average grain size and total gypsum content, underlining the significant influence of the grain sorting on the measured mechanical properties.

Analysis of Post-Burial Soil Developments of Pre-AD 79 Roman Paleosols near Pompeii(Italy)

The AD 79 eruption of Somma-Vesuvius completely buried the ancient landscape around Pompeii (Italy) to some extent conserving the pre-AD 79 Roman paleosols of the Sarno River plain. To estimate potential post-burial soil developments of these paleosols detailed soil liquid and solid phase analysis were carried out. Firstly, an in-situ soil hydrological monitoring was conducted within a pre-AD 79 paleosol in natural undisturbed stratification. The results show that soil water flow and nutrient transport from the overlying volcanic deposits into the pre-AD 79 paleosol take place. Secondly, to estimate their influence on the paleosol’s mineral soil properties, the solid phase of four pre-AD 79 paleosols and associated modern unburied soils were analysed and compared. By combining the data from the soil liquid and solid phase analysis, potential post-burial changes in the paleosols were estimated. Finally, a rise of the mean groundwater table was determined since AD 79. This distinguishes the Sarno River plain into two different zones of post-burial soil developments: 1) lower altitudes where formerly terrestrial paleosols are now influenced by groundwater dynamics and 2) higher altitudes where the paleosols are still part of the vadose zone and rather influenced by infiltration water or interflow. Thus, the mechanism of potential post-burial soil development being active in the pre-AD 79 paleosols is not uniform for the entire Sarno River plain but strongly depends on the paleotopographic situation.