Academic literature on the topic 'Grains de silt/clastes'

AbstractGeomorphic features and Pleistocene deposits on Huangshan have been attributed to glaciation. Recent reassessment questions this interpretation. As part of the reassessment, quartz sand grains from deposits identified as glacial boulder clays (till composed of boulders in a clay or silt matrix) were analyzed by scanning electron microscope for evidence of their sedimentary history. Surface textures found on the boulder-clay grains were compared with those on grains with known sedimentary histories including glacial, grus, colluvial, and alluvial grains. The analysis shows that the grains lack typical glacial textures. The surface textures present indicate a complex history. Nonuniformly weathered grain surfaces point to chemical weathering of the source rock. This is supported by the deep weathering of the nonquartz clasts in the sand-sized fraction as well as in boulders at the outcrops. The close correspondence in surface-texture frequencies with those of the alluvial grains indicates an alluvial component to the grains’ history. The similarity with the colluvial grains and the outcrops’ structures suggest an alluvial/colluvial origin for the deposits. The history indicated by the surface textures agrees with the recent reassessment of the geomorphic features and points to warm climatic conditions in east-central China for at least part of the Pleistocene.

<p>Determination of natural radioactivity has been carried out in surface and core agricultural soil samples collected from various sites in the Middle Governorate – Gaza Strip, Palestine. Mechanical and chemical analysis has been done to determine soil characteristics. Radon activity concentration measurements were carried out using solid state nuclear tracks detectors, Cr-39. The mechanical analysis results show that they belong to two classes, sandy loam and loamy sand. The sandy loam soil was observed in the eastern side of the study area, whereas the loamy sand was observed in western and middle parts. The radon concentration levels were higher in core samples and were proportionate to the soil depth. Also they were higher in sandy loam than loamy sand soil samples. The radon concentration levels had a positive correlation with fine grains (clay- to silt-size) of soil sample which translocated from upper to lower horizons of soil during its development. Additionally, there was a positive correlation with pH and water content, whereas a negative correlation was observed with organic matter and potassium contents. The positive correlation referred to a large specific surface of fine grains which were located in lower horizons of soil and were able to adsorb more water and consequently led to high radon concentration levels.</p>

AbstractThe results of grain size distribution of loess units are suitable for the study of past climate change. There are many methods for the analysis of the grain size, but clustering methods have not been used before. In this article, a new approach in the sediment research, the k-median method was used. This method separates the grain size classes of the youngest loess units of three loess-soil profiles in Poland: Biały Kościół, Złota and Tyszowce. In the analysis, only the content for the loess silt fraction (range from 4 to 63 µm) was used. This allowed eliminating the admixtures of sandy and clay fraction, considered as secondary material. For the purposes of this analysis, silt fractions were divided into smaller units using a 1/4 phi interval, resulting in 16 new subfractions. The grain size data from three profiles were combined into one data set. As a result, four classes with a similar internal of grain structure were obtained. The separated classes showed the sedimentological variability of the sediment well. It has been shown that the k-median method can be used to classify loess in a fast and objective way.

This article illustrates a multi-technique frontier approach for the provenance study of silt-size sediments. The mineralogical composition of low-density and heavy-mineral fractions of four samples of fine to very coarse silt deposited on the Bengal shelf was analyzed separately for six different grain-size classes by combining grain counting under an optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The geochemical composition was determined on both bulk-sediment samples and on their <5-μm classes. Such a “multiple-window” approach allowed capturing the full mineralogical information contained in each sample, as well as the size-dependent intra-sample variability of all compositional parameters. The comparison between grain-size distributions obtained by different methods highlighted a notable fallacy of laser granulometry, which markedly overestimated the size of the finest mode represented by fine silt and clay. As a test case, we chose to investigate sediments of the Bengal shelf, where detritus is fed from the Meghna estuary, formed by the joint Ganga and Brahmaputra Rivers and representing the largest single entry point of sediment in the world’s oceans. The studied samples show the typical fingerprint of orogenic detritus produced by focused erosion of collision orogens. Bengal shelf silt is characterized by a feldspatho-quartzose (F-Q) composition with a Q/F ratio decreasing from 3.0 to 1.7 with increasing grain size, plagioclase prevailing over K-feldspar, and rich transparent-heavy-mineral assemblages including mainly amphibole with epidote, and minor garnet and pyroxene. Such a detrital signature compares very closely with Brahmaputra suspended load, but mineralogical and geochemical parameters, including the anomalous decrease of the Q/F ratio with increasing grain size, consistently indicate more significant Ganga contribution for cohesive fine silt. The accurate quantitative characterization of different size fractions of Bengal shelf sediments represents an essential step to allow comparison of compositional signatures characterizing different segments of this huge source-to-sink system, from fluvial and deltaic sediments of the Himalayan foreland basin and Bengal shelf to the Bengal Fan.

This study investigates the fines content influence on liquefaction potential of a single base sand mixed with three different essentially nonplastic silts through strain-controlled monotonic undrained triaxial compression tests. Confining stress (30 kPa) and deposition method (dry funnel deposition) were kept the same, while fines content was varied, to solely focus on how different silts and their contents influence the undrained response of the sand under comparable conditions. It was found that if the mean grain diameter ratio (D50-sand/d50-silt) of the sand grains to silt grains is sufficiently small, the liquefaction potential of the sand increases steadily with increasing fines content for the studied range (0%–20%). As D50-sand/d50-silt increases, the liquefaction potential of the silty sand might actually be less than the liquefaction potential of the clean sand. Test results also revealed that commonly used comparison bases (i.e., void ratio, intergranular void ratio, relative density) are not sufficient for assessing the influence of fines on liquefaction potential of silty sands. Finally, relative size of the silt grains should also be considered in geotechnical engineering practice in addition to content and plasticity of fines to characterize the influence of silt on liquefaction potential of sands.

Æolian dust deposits are known to be widespread in south-eastern Australia, with the dominant model being that of ‘parna’, an aggregated material comprising clay, calcium carbonate, and silt-sized quartz. Despite a general acceptance of the parna model, there is surprisingly little evidence of silt-sized clay aggregates remaining in parna profiles. To investigate a relatively pure æolian dust deposit within the proposed zone of parna distribution, we examined the various phases of 3 source-bordering sand dunes on the lower Lachlan River floodplain of south-western NSW. In each dune exists an upper-slope phase of coarse brown sand, a mid-slope layer of reddish, clay-enriched sand, and a lower-slope phase of coarse sand dominated by an accumulation of carbonate glaebules. Granulometric analyses of the clay-enriched phase(s) of each dune identified a conspicuous particle population in the 20–60 μm range, and another in the fine-silt/clay range (<10 μm). Mineralogical characterisation revealed an abundance of illite and kaolinite in the upper 2 dune phases, coupled with a minor amount of smectite, further suggesting an allochthonous æolian origin, as the surrounding floodplain is smectite-rich and relatively poor in illite. Micromorphological features within the clay-enriched phase, including abundant argillans and laminar bands of well-sorted fine quartz grains, indicate that this clay is a depositional feature, illuviated from surface horizons and re-deposited at depth. A similar illuvial origin is suggested by the fine crystalline nature of the calcium carbonate accumulation, ubiquitously coating the matrix mineral grains of the lower dune phase. No discrete clay aggregates were identified; however, all the assumed components of parna (silt-sized quartz grains, clay, and calcium carbonate) were identified, spatially separated within each dune. The consistency of these features among the 3 dunes indicates an analogous æolian dust accession, but it is not clear whether the clay component of this dust was transported as coatings on quartz grains, or as silt-sized clay aggregates accompanied by silt-sized quartz grains.

Abstract Two single-beam, seabed-classification systems, QTC VIEW Series IV and QTC VIEW Series V, were used to identify and map biosedimentary gradients in a mid-shelf area off Western Portugal. The survey area has a moderate slope, a depth ranging from 30 to 90 m along a 3.5-km axis perpendicular to the shoreline, and is characterized by smooth sedimentary and biological gradients. Ground truth for sediment grain size and macrofaunal communities was based on grab sampling at 20 sites. The sedimentary and biological data were analysed using classification and ordination techniques. The acoustic data were analysed with qtc impact software and classified into acoustic classes. The affinity groups obtained in each data set were mapped using a Geographics Information System. All showed good agreement and identified prevailing gradients along a northwest–southeast direction. Three acoustic classes were identified, corresponding to the predominant sediment types, namely fine sand with low silt and clay content, silty, very fine sand, and mud. A close relationship with benthic communities was also verified, although less marked because benthic communities continuously change along the northwest–southeast gradient. Overall, the acoustic system coupled with ground-truthing data was able to discriminate and characterize the various benthic biotopes in the survey area.

Investigation of a sequence of alternating sand and silt deposits formed in an ephemeral braided stream channel adjacent to the modem Caribou River, Yukon, revealed differences in the palynological spectra of the sediment types. Picea, Betula, Alnus, and Gramineae are more concentrated in the silt units, whereas Cyperaceae, Chenopodium, Lycopodium, and Ericaceae are preferentially concentrated in the sand strata. These distribution patterns reflect the hydrodynamic properties of the grains, in addition to environmental differences. Grains of Picea, Betula, and Alnus settle through still water at the same rates as silt-sized quartz particles and are therefore concentrated in the portion of the deposit derived from the stream's suspended load. Thus, increases in percentages of these palynomorphs with decreasing grain size may not reflect vegetation changes or climatic alterations but may be consequences of the hydrodynamic situation.

During investigations for a damsite on the Sand River, Alberta, an 80 m thick silt deposit in a valley some 500 m across was encountered. The most distinctive feature of the deposit is the uniformity of the silt, with thicknesses of up to 50 m occurring as a single layer uninterrupted by seams of significantly different material. The silt unit is believed to be the result of very uniform, prolonged depositional conditions in a subglacial river. The silt consists largely of silica grains between 10 and 60 μm, and although it contains clay, in some aspects its behaviour is close to that of sand.Evidence suggests that the present valley is a tunnel valley formed by meltwaters flowing through the underside of a glacier. The implications for the engineering geology of the damsite investigated are discussed and some geotechnical properties of this unusual silt deposit are presented, particularly as they affect settlement prediction. Key words: tunnel valley, glacial silt, earth dam, settlement, airphoto interpretation.

L’étude de la microstructure des roches est indispensable pour nos enjeux contemporains et futurs en matière d'énergie, d’ingénierie et de construction. D’autre part, cette étude permet de caractériser les processus de déformation géologique ayant conduit à l’état actuel des unités lithologiques. Les roches clastiques à grain fin, communément appelées "shales" en anglais, représentent environ deux-tiers de l’ensemble des roches sédimentaires. Les données 3D relatives aux grains de silt ou clastes inclus dans la matrice argileuse et poreuse de ce type de roche sont peu fréquentes. Ces données sont pourtant cruciales pour comprendre les propriétés anisotropes à l’échelle macroscopique mais aussi pour évaluer l’état de déformation de la matrice rocheuse. Mieux connaitre la microstructure de ces roches permettrait d’être prédictif quant à leurs propriétés mécaniques ou physiques indispensables pour les applications du secteur de l’énergie par exemple. La tomographie à rayons X (XCT) est une technique non destructive permettant d’obtenir une image 3D de la microstructure d'un objet. Une caractérisation géométrique directe des constituants des roches clastiques à grain fin est envisageable grâce à cette technique. Sur la base d'images XCT, cette thèse vise d’abord à développer des aspects méthodologiques pour étudier la fabrique de forme 3D des clastes ainsi que leur distribution spatiale. Ces aspects sont élaborés à partir de la méthode des moments d’inertie qui est appliquée sur les grains segmentés des images 3D numériques. Nous présentons ensuite des applications sur des roches à grain fin possédant une fabrique sédimentaire et sur des roches à grain fin déformées présentant une fabrique d’origine tectonique. Le premier volet applicatif de la thèse s’intéresse à une même unité lithologique ayant enregistrée différentes quantités de déformation. Des échantillons du bassin sud-pyrénéen et des échantillons issus d’un affleurement historique dans les Appalaches centrales ont été collectés. Nous apportons de nouvelles données sur l’évolution de la forme 3D des grains et des pores à l’échelle micrométrique et sur leur agencement dans la matrice rocheuse en fonction de la déformation. Les données obtenues permettent de discuter des mécanismes de déformation à l’échelle du grain des différentes phases minéralogiques. Cependant, la petite taille des échantillons imagés par XCT (≤ 2 mm de diamètre) soulève la question de la représentativité de ces analyses. Sur le chantier sud-pyrénéen, certains échantillons sont étudiés de manière plus approfondie pour vérifier l’homogénéité des résultats. Nous y montrons que les données XCT complètent les mesures indirectes pétrophysiques en permettant de décrire et de localiser les sous-fabriques intégrées dans une mesure globale de la fabrique. Les limites apparaissent lorsque la dimension caractéristique des structures de déformation avoisine la taille de l'échantillon imagé par XCT. Dans le second volet applicatif, des échantillons provenant de systèmes turbiditiques du bassin sud-pyrénéen sont analysés. Ces systèmes, lorsque déformés en tectonique compressive, présentent l’avantage d’enregistrer la même quantité de raccourcissement différemment exprimée dans les unités lithologiques qui les constituent. Les résultats obtenus à partir de la forme des clastes sont comparés à nos mesures magnétiques globales de la fabrique et montrent une bonne cohérence. La méthodologie présentée dans ce travail peut s’étendre à d'autres types de milieux poreux et granulaires pour une meilleure compréhension de l'influence de l'anisotropie structurale sur leurs propriétés macroscopiques et leur comportement mécanique
The study of the microstructure of rocks is essential for our contemporary and future challenges in energy, engineering and construction. Furthermore, this study allows us to characterize the geological deformation processes that led to the current state of geological formations. Fine-grained clastic rocks, commonly called "shales", represent about two-thirds of all sedimentary rocks. 3D data concerning silt-sized grains or clasts embedded in the porous clay-rich matrix of this type of rock are relatively scarce despite the fact that these data are crucial to understand the anisotropic properties of these rocks at the macroscale but also to evaluate the deformation state of the rock matrix. A better understanding of the microstructure of these rocks would allow us to predict their mechanical or physical properties, which are essential for applications in the energy sector, among others. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is a non-destructive technique providing a 3D image of the microstructure of any object. A direct geometric characterization of the constituents of fine-grained clastic rocks is possible with this technique. Based on XCT images, this thesis aims first to develop methodological aspects to study the 3D shape fabric of silt particles and their spatial distribution. The moments of inertia of segmented grains from 3D digital images are used for this development. We then present applications on fine-grained rocks with a sedimentary fabric and on deformed fine-grained rocks with a tectonic fabric. The first application part of the thesis focuses on the same lithologic unit having experienced different amounts of deformation. Samples from the South Pyrenean Basin and samples from a historical outcrop in the Central Appalachians were collected. We provide new data on the evolution of the 3D shape of grains and pores at the micrometer scale and their arrangement in the rock matrix with respect to the deformation intensity. The obtained data allow discussing the deformation mechanisms at the grain scale of the different mineralogical phases. However, the limited size of the imaged samples by means of XCT (≤ 2 mm diameter) raises the question of the representativeness of these analyses. On the South Pyrenean site, some samples are studied in more detail to evaluate the homogeneity of the results. We show that the XCT data complement the indirect petrophysical measurements by providing access to localized sub-fabrics that are integrated in a bulk measurement of the rock fabric. The limits are reached when the characteristic length of the deformation structures are on the order of the sample size imaged by XCT. In the second application part, samples from turbiditic systems of the South Pyrenean basin are analyzed. These systems, when deformed in compressive tectonic settings, record the same amount of shortening differently expressed in the various siliciclastic matrices. The results obtained from the shape data of the clasts are compared to our bulk magnetic fabric measurements and show a good consistency. The methodology presented in this work can be extended to other types of porous and granular media for a better understanding of the influence of fabric anisotropy on their macroscopic properties and mechanical behavior

Inherent properties of a soil determine the extent to which that soil will erode. These properties are soil texture, soil structure, soil permeability, and the amount of soil organic matter. Soil texture consists of a mixture of soil particle sizes of sand, silt, and clay. Soil texture is also related to water movement into the soil [infiltration] and water movement through a soil (permeability). Sand grains are large and difficult to move; however, they are easily detached. Clay particles often stick together and therefore are difficult to detach; however, once detached the clays remain suspended and are easily carried and separated from the original soil mass by water. Silt is intermediate in size between sand and clay, but silt is both easily detached and easily transported. Thus, any soil that has large amounts of silt will erode easily. Infiltration. Water moves into and within a soil through the large macropores and only a very limited amount in the small micropores. Sandy soils have many large pores allowing water to move into the soils by infiltration. Conversely, clay soils have many microspores through which water passes only very slowly. Therefore, during a moderate storm, runoff and erosion would be greater from a soil with more fine textured clays than from a soil where coarse texture dominates. Permeability. Once water enters a soil, it flows within the soil. The extent of internal movement of water in a soil is the permeability of that soil. A soil aggregate is a soil granule or soil crumb consisting of a number of soil grains, that is, silt or clay, held together by a cementing substance. Aggregation is the condition of a soil having many individual aggregates. Soils that have many large stable aggregate are more permeable and are difficult to detach and erode. An aggregate has stability when it is not broken easily by water. Soil aggregates help keep the soil receptive to rapid infiltration of water and keep water from moving over the soil and eroding it.

By combining the palynologic, lithologic and published geophysical data a stratigraphic division into three main sedimentary units representing major stages in the development of post-glacial sedimentary environments in the southeastern and central parts of the Barents Sea has been substantiated. Unit 3 presumably characterizes proglacial environments of the early deglaciation (tentatively older than 15 ka) and is represented by relatively fine-grained, dark grey sediment matrix with numerous coarse terrigenous clasts. The unit contains low in diversity and concentration pollen assemblage, which is dominated by reworked, mostly Mesozoic pollen and sparse dinocysts of a cryophylic species Islandinium var. minutum. Unit 2 represents later deglacial conditions (estimated ca 12-15 ka) and is composed of finely laminated, grey to brownish sandy/silty muds with coarse clasts interpreted as iceberg-rafted debris. It is characterized by pollen assemblage zone with a low concentration of plant remains, a significant proportion of reworked pre-Cenozoic microfossils and club mosses among spores as well as a high percentage of dwarfBetula, Poaceae and Artemisia Islandinium var. minutum dominates among the aquatic palynomorphs. Unit 1, younger than ca 12 ka, is composed of soft, olive-grey mud with traces of bioturbations and spots of hydrotroilite at the top or sandy-silty mud within the South-Novozemelskii Trough and sand with inclusions of pebbles and broken shells within the Kanin Plateau. Three pollen assemblage zones correspond to it. They are marked by a high percentage of birch and pine pollen, an increased share of pollen of spruce and alder, as well as Sphagnum mosses and ferns. Constant presence of sparse pollen of broad-leaved plants in combination with peak values of Operculodinium centrocarpum and Spiniferites sp. testify the enhancement of Atlantic water influence upon the studied regions.

The Ivar Aasen (IA) oilfield is located on the Gudrun Terrace on the eastern flank of the Viking Graben in the Norwegian North Sea. The field was discovered in 2008. The reservoir is located within a sedimentary sequence of Mid-Jurassic to Late-Triassic age, which consists of shallow marine to fluvial, alluvial, floodplain and lacustrine deposits overlying a regionally extensive, fractured calcrete interval. The sequence exhibits a complex mineral composition and is heterogeneous at a scale below that of a logging sensor. Shale layers, re-deposited shale and what was first believed to be redeposited calcrete fragments present in various forms throughout the sequence. Looking more in depth to XRD and XRF data and contrasting Fe concentration in the dolomite, it is also possible to explain some of the carbonate deposits through other processes. Extensive data acquisition in the form of advanced wireline logs and coring with analysis performed in “geopilot” wells before production start, enabled a novel thin bed formation evaluation technique based on the modified Thomas-Stieber method (Johansen et al. 2018). The method increased the in-place oil volumes within the Triassic reservoir zone internally named Skagerrak 2. This led to several improvements and a modified drainage strategy of Ivar Aasen. Several good producers were placed in the complex net of the Skagerrak 2 Formation. Results from these producers have encouraged development of an even more marginal and complex net, deeper into the Triassic sedimentary sequence. Therefore, another “geopilot” was drilled into the deeper Triassic sediments, internally named as the Alluvial Fan. This zone exhibits conglomerate clasts in a matrix varying between clay, silt, feldspars, and very fine to very coarse sand fractions, grading towards gravel. Previously, this zone was considered to be mostly non-net. Applying the same interpretation method as for Skagerrak 2, the Alluvial Fan promised economic hydrocarbon volumes. The latest geopilot proved producible hydrocarbons, and subsequently a producer was also successfully placed in this part of the reservoir. Production data and history matching from the beginning of production have for a long while established the previous increase of IA Triassic oil volumes published in 2018. Advanced studies of mineralogy and spectroscopy (Johansen et al. 2019) have indicated that a significant amount of the previously interpreted dolomite, could be reinterpreted as ferroan dolomite. The latter is a heavier mineral that increases the matrix density, hence also the total porosity. The additional findings described provided another necessary first-order correction to further enhance the evergreen geomodel. This paper describes this methodology which resulted in improved petrophysics and reservoir properties of the Alluvial Fan, yet again demonstrating the value of advanced wireline logs and detailed analysis that in total impacts the IA reserve volumes in a significant manner. Repeated success with the applied spectroscopy data and the thin bed methodology used today (Johansen et al. 2018), has resulted in even the deeper Braid Plain Formation becoming of economic interest. It is expected to lie within the oil zone in an upthrow block in the northern part of the IA field and could be developed into the next target.