The objective of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which is planned to follow the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix lander to the surface of Mars, is to explore and assess quantitatively a site on Mars as a potential habitat for present or past life. Specific goals include an assessment of the past or present biological potential of the target environment and a characterization of i...

Both hydrogen and methane are consistently discharged in large quantities in hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Considering the vast number of these fields discovered or inferred, hydrothermal fluxes represent a significant input of H2 and CH4 to the ocean. Although there are lines of evidence of their abiogenic formati...

The siliceous shale oil and gas in Nadanhada terrane has been studied through field geological survey, geochemistry sedimentary petrology. results show that the area belongs to a good reservoir, rock is brittle suitable for exploitation. abundance of organic matter relatively high. From west east from south north, increases maturity decreases. dynamic metamorphism thermal contact rocks are grad...

Quantum mechanical electronic structure calculations are playing an increasingly useful role in many areas of mineralogy and geochemistry. This review introduces the density functional method for such calculations, gives an overview of the density functionals developed at the University of Minnesota, and summarizes selected applications using these density functionals that are relevant to miner...

EPA Agreement Number: R829515C003 Center Name and Institution of Center Director: Rocky Mountain Regional Hazardous Substance Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado Identifier used by Center for Project: Project 1 Title of Project: Redox Transformations, Complexation and Soil/Sediment Interactions of Inorganic Forms of As and Se in Aquatic Environments: Effects of Na...

The present review highlights the recent applications of mid-infrared spectroscopy and in particular of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFT) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and processing methods (e.g., deconvolution, derivative and chemometrics) to rapidly provide valuable information on soil composition and organic geochemistry. Research has demonstrated that both DRIFT and ATR tec...

1 State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3 Department of Civil Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA 4 College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China Correspondence to: C.-J. Lin ([email protected]...

The impact of pre-Columbian subsistence agriculture on soil nutrient cycling in the American tropics is poorly quantified. Paleolimnological research can address this deficit by documenting the temporal evolution of nutrient cycling in lake watersheds over different time scales. Here we describe our use of a chemical sequential extraction technique adapted from soil fertility research to discer...

The critical zone is defined as the life-sustaining region on and near Earth’s surface that is affected by the interaction of geologic, hydrologic, biologic, and atmospheric processes. Investigations into critical zone processes are needed to reveal how weathering transforms minerals, organic matter, solutions and gases to sustain life. Like all organisms, the health and character of grape vine...

the gulf of mannar, located between india and sri lanka, is a shallow embayment of the bay of bengal. the gulf, which has been declared a bio-reserve is a highly productive area endowed with rich marine fauna including corals. in order to study the origin and nature of the sediments and paleo-environment, 2.6 m length core was collected with 5cm interval at 1320m water depths. textural studies ...