Strategies for sustainable development of the small-scale gold and diamond mining industry of Ghana

The small-scale gold and diamonds mining industry is of great importance to Ghana. Since its regularization in 1989 the sector has produced and sold over 1.5 million troy ounces of gold and 8.0 million carats of diamonds. During the same period the sector also provided direct employment to over 100,000 people and improved the socioeconomic life of many individuals and communities. However, these were largely achieved at a cost to the environment in areas where mining is carried out and there is the need to develop the industry in a sustainable manner. This paper looks at the developments in the small-scale gold and diamonds mining industry in Ghana and proposes some strategies on how the concepts of sustainable development could be applied to the industry.     

城市地铁暗挖施工地层变形机理及控制实践

笔者结合深圳地铁一期工程的某些暗挖标段工程及地质条件 ,在土层性质试验研究的基础上 ,深入分析了地层大变形机理及其主要影响因素 ,由此确定了地层大变形控制的原则和技术措施。在施工中 ,应用地层变形控制原则及相应的综合技术措施后 ,使地层变形大幅度降低 ,满足了地表环境保护的要求 ,取得了预期的效果     

Microbial cycling of iron and sulfur in acidic coal mining lake sediments

Lakes caused by coal mining processes are characterized by low pH, low nutrient status, and high concentrations of Fe(II) and sulfate due to the oxidation of pyrite in the surrounding mine tailings. Fe(III) produced during Fe(II) oxidation precipitates to the anoxic acidic sediment, where the microbial reduction of Fe(III) is the dominant electron-accepting process for the oxidation of organic matter, apparently mediated by acidophilic Acidiphilium species. Those bacteria can reduce a great variety of Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides and reduce Fe(III) and oxygen simultaneously which might be due to the small differences in the redox potentials under low pH conditions. Due to the absence of sulfide, Fe(II) formed in the upper 6 cm of the sediment diffuses to oxic zones in the water layer where itcan be reoxidized by Acidithiobacillus species. Thus, acidic conditions are stabilized by the cycling of iron which inhibits fermentative and sulfate-reducing activities. With increasing sediment depth, the amount of reactive iron decrease, the pH increases above 5, and fermentative and as yet unknown Fe(III)-reducing bacteria are also involved in the reduction of Fe(III). Sulfate is reduced apparently by the activity of spore-forming sulfate reducers including new species of Desulfosporosinus that have their pH optimum similar to in situconditions and are not capable of growth at pH 7. However, generation of alkalinity via sulfate reduction is reduced by the anaerobic reoxidation of sulfide back to sulfate. Thus, the microbial cycling of iron at the oxic-anoxic interface and the anaerobic cycling of sulfur maintains environmental conditions appropriate for acidophilic Fe(III)-reducing and acid-tolerant sulfate-reducing microbial communities.     

The Role of Soil Organic Carbon in Maintaining Surface Elevation in Rapidly Subsiding U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Marshes

Subsidence is a primary factor governing marsh deterioration in Mississippi River deltaic plain coastal marshes. Marsh surface-water level relationships are maintained primarily through soil organic matter accumulation and inorganic sediment input. In this study we examined the role of soil organic matter accumulation in maintaining marsh elevation in a brackish Spartina patens marsh. Measured rates of soil organic accumulation were compared to plant biomass production and soil respiration (carbon dioxide and methane emission) at the study sites. The study demonstrated the importance of plant biomass production to soil organic carbon accumulation in maintaining viable Spartina patens marshes in sediment-deficient coastal environments. The role of Mississippi River freshwater reintroduction in maintaining conditions for organic accretion is discussed.     

建筑物塌陷损坏评价的物元模型及其应用

矿产采掘和地下水资源开采造成的地表塌陷是一类较为严重的地质灾害,地表的塌陷必然会对依附于地球表层的建筑物造成不同程度的损害,建筑物损害的量化评价是地表塌陷损害工程评估的一项重要内容。本文应用可拓学的理论和方法,基于可拓学中的可拓集合变换和相关函数分析法,给出了受塌陷影响建筑物损害评价的经典域物元和节域物元,并建立了建筑物损害量化评价的物元模型。通过具体的计算示例说明了该方法的应用步骤,并对该方法的合理性进行了验证,为建筑物塌陷损坏评价提供一种新的方法。     

黄冈市矿业经济布局研究

文章针对黄冈市矿业经济发展的需要，在充分考虑黄冈市地区经济发展，矿产资源分布，矿业经济合理布局的必要性的基础上，对黄冈市矿业经济布局作了详细深入研究，提出了“一个中心，四个矿业规划区，五类开发矿种，十个矿业基地”的布局构架，为该市矿业经济发展提供了明确的发展思路，并指出了发展重点，也为政府宏观调控和矿政管理提供了依据。     

我国矿业"走出去"风险勘探问题分析与建议

根据我国资源条件和经济发展的需要以及获取国外资源的方式进行比较分析得知，我国非常有必要到国外进行风险勘探。虽然我国经历了多年境外风险勘探的实践和探索，但是步伐缓慢，在实践中面临很多问题。对此，作者提出了我国境外风险勘探问题的建议。     

PROFILE: Hungry Water: Effects of Dams and Gravel Mining on River Channels

/ Rivers transport sediment from eroding uplands to depositional areas near sea level. If the continuity of sediment transport is interrupted by dams or removal of sediment from the channel by gravel mining, the flow may become sediment-starved (hungry water) and prone to erode the channel bed and banks, producing channel incision (downcutting), coarsening of bed material, and loss of spawning gravels for salmon and trout (as smaller gravels are transported without replacement from upstream). Gravel is artificially added to the River Rhine to prevent further incision and to many other rivers in attempts to restore spawning habitat. It is possible to pass incoming sediment through some small reservoirs, thereby maintaining the continuity of sediment transport through the system. Damming and mining have reduced sediment delivery from rivers to many coastal areas, leading to accelerated beach erosion. Sand and gravel are mined for construction aggregate from river channel and floodplains. In-channel mining commonly causes incision, which may propagate up- and downstream of the mine, undermining bridges, inducing channel instability, and lowering alluvial water tables. Floodplain gravel pits have the potential to become wildlife habitat upon reclamation, but may be captured by the active channel and thereby become instream pits. Management of sand and gravel in rivers must be done on a regional basis, restoring the continuity of sediment transport where possible and encouraging alternatives to river-derived aggregate sources.KEY WORDS: Dams; Aquatic habitat; Sediment transport; Erosion; Sedimentation; Gravel mining     

再论西安地裂缝的时空观及现实意义

本文依据西安地裂缝的时空观，讨论了地裂缝的发展趋势、地裂缝的对策等热点问题，提出融西安地裂缝研究于广阔的时空环境中、正确评价其微观形态，是深化西安地裂缝研究的唯一正确之路。     

采掘诱发地震的成因及对策

根据煤或岩体的赋存特征及采动后的受力特点，将采矿及掘进等工程进行过程中诱发的地震灾害分为三类，即完整煤岩体受压应力作用的失稳、顶底板受拉应力型地震及断层走滑受剪型诱发地震。文章在分别分析其成因的基础上，研究了采矿诱发三种类型地震的发生条件，提出了防治发生诱发地震的对策。