Iron-bearing phyllosilicate minerals help establish the hydrogeological and geochemical conditions of redox transition zones because of their small size, limited hydraulic conductivity, and redox buffering capacity. The bioreduction of soluble U(VI) to sparingly soluble U(IV) can promote the reduction of clay-Fe(III) through valence cycling. The reductive precipitation of U(VI) to uraninite was...

Much oil spill research has focused on fertilizing hydrocarbon oxidising bacteria, but a primary limitation is the rapid dilution of additives in open waters. A new technique is presented for bioremediation by adding nutrient amendments to the oil spill using thin filmed minerals comprised largely of Fullers Earth clay. Together with adsorbed N and P fertilizers, filming additives, and organocl...

[1] This paper examines the ferrous and ferric iron mineralogy of rocks inferred from 246 visible/near-infrared (430–1010 nm) multispectral observations made by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit’s Pancam on its traverse from its landing site to its second Winter Haven location. Principal component, correspondence analyses, and a sequential maximum angle convex cone technique were used to identi...

Introduction: Numerous studies at the Riotinto mining district have focused on astrobiology, sulfates and extremophilic microbial communities in the highly acidic aqueous environments [1-3]. In contrast, this project investigates past acidic alteration of nearby volcanic rocks. The present study covers a variety of alteration pathways that may influence volcanic protoliths, with the specific ty...

Widespread detection of phyllosilicates (clay minerals) in Noachian (>3.5 Ga) terrains on Mars and their paucity in younger terrains have led to the hypothesis that Noachian conditions were more clement than the colder, drier conditions that have since followed. However, recent clay detections in several Hesperian impact craters suggest that fluvial transport and alteration were possible after ...

Regional differences in clay mineralogy are found in British Lower Palaeozoic slate belts formed during Caledonian terrane amalgamation. Extensional basins in Wales, the northern Lake District and the Isle of Man are characterized by a greater diversity of species in clay mineral assemblages. Slates that evolved in these basins contain both the Kand Na-rich products of the 2:1 dioctahedral reac...

There is high demand for roadway support in coal mines for the swelling soft rocks. As high strength steel sets can be taken as an effective alternative to control large deformation in this type of rocks, based on an original set, three new sets, including a floor beam set, a roof and floor beams set, and a roof and floor beams and braces set, are proposed in this research. In order to examine ...

I t is well recognized that the trace element content of soils and associated grassland or forage may, under certain conditions of farming practice, influence the health of livestock and the economics of agricultural production. There is also evidence, though mainly empirical, that disease in man may at times be related to the trace metal status of the environment in which he lives. The prime s...