China Geology最新文献

{"title":"Distributions and risk assessment of heavy metals in solid waste in lead-zinc mining areas and across the soil, water body, sediment and agricultural product ecosystem in their surrounding areas","authors":"Zhi-qiang Wu ,&nbsp;Hai-ying Li ,&nbsp;Liu-yan Lü ,&nbsp;Guo-jun Liang ,&nbsp;Ting-ting Wu ,&nbsp;Jiang-xia Zhu","doi":"10.31035/cg2024036","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2024036","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To identify the root causes of heavy metal contamination in soils as well as prevent and control such contamination from its sources, this study explored the accumulation patterns and ecological risks of heavy metals like Cd and Pb in solid waste in mining areas and across the water body, sediment, soil and agricultural product ecosystem surrounding the mining areas. Focusing on the residual solid waste samples in lead-zinc deposits in a certain area of Guizhou Province, along with samples of topsoils, irrigation water, river sediments, and crops from surrounding areas. This study analyzed the distributions of eight heavy metals, i.e., Cd, As, Cr, Hg, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni, in the samples through field surveys and sample tests. Furthermore, this study assessed the contamination levels and ecological risks of heavy metals in soils, sediments, and agricultural products using methods such as the single-factor index, Nemerow composite index, and potential ecological risk assessment. The results indicate that heavy metals in the solid waste samples all exhibited concentrations exceeding their risk screening values, with 60% greater than their risk intervention values. The soils and sediments demonstrate slight and moderate comprehensive ecological risks of heavy metals. The single-factor potential ecological risks of heavy metals in both the soil and sediment samples decreased in the order of Hg, Cd, Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Cr, and Ni, suggesting the same sources of heavy metals in the soils and sediments. Most of the agricultural product samples exhibited over-limit concentrations of heavy metals dominated by Cd, Pb, Ni, and Cr, excluding Hg and As. The agricultural product assessment using the Nemerow composite index reveals that 35% of the agricultural product samples reached the heavy metal contamination level, implying that the agricultural products from farmland around the solid waste dumps have been contaminated with heavy metals. The eight heavy metals in the soil, sediment, and agricultural product samples manifested high coefficients of variation (CVs), indicating pronounced spatial variability. This suggests that their concentrations in soils, sediments, and agricultural products are significantly influenced by human mining activities. Additionally, the agricultural products exhibit strong transport and accumulation capacities for Cd, Cu, and Zn.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"8 1","pages":"Pages 92-106"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143157009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mesozoic multi-direction collision tectonic evolution of the Ordos Basin, China: Insights from the detrital zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He analyses","authors":"Yin Chen ,&nbsp;Jian-guo Li ,&nbsp;Lu-lu Chen ,&nbsp;Hua-lei Zhao","doi":"10.31035/cg20230068","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg20230068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Ordos Basin (OB) in the western part of the North China Craton (NCC), was located at the jointed area of multi-plates and has recorded the Mesozoic tectonic characteristics. Its tectonic evolution in the Mesozoic is significant to understand the tectonic transformation of the northern margin of the NCC. In this work, the detrital zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He chronological system were analyzed in the northern part of the OB, and have provided new evidence for the regional tectonic evolution. The (U-Th)/He chronological data states the weighted ages of 240–235 Ma, 141 Ma with the peak distribution of 244 Ma, 219 Ma, 173 Ma, 147–132 Ma. The thermal evolution, geochronological data, and regional unconformities have proved four stages of regional tectonic evolution for the OB and its surroundings in the Mesozoic: (1) The Late Permian-Early Triassic; (2) the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic; (3) the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous; (4) the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleogene. It is indicated that the multi-directional convergence from the surrounding tectonic units has controlled the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the OB. Four-stage tectonic evolution reflected the activation or end of different plate movements and provided new time constraints for the regional tectonic evolution of the NCC in the Mesozoic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"8 1","pages":"Pages 141-158"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143157011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nickel extraction from nickel laterites: Processes, resources, environment and cost","authors":"Zhen-fang Zhang ,&nbsp;Wei-bo Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhen-guo Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiu-fa Chen","doi":"10.31035/cg2024124","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2024124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the development of the new energy industry and the depletion of nickel sulfide ore resources, laterite nickel ore has become the main source of primary nickel, and nickel for power batteries has become a new growth point in consumption. This paper systematically summarizes the processes, parameters, products, recovery rates, environmental indicators, costs, advantages, disadvantages and the latest research progress of mainstream nickel extraction processes from laterite nickel ore. It also provides a comparative analysis of the environmental impact and economic efficiency of different nickel extraction processes. It is found that the current nickel extraction processes from laterite nickel ore globally for commercial production mainly include the RKEF process for producing ferronickel and the HPAL process for producing intermediate products. The former accounts for about 80% of laterite nickel ore production. Compared to each other, the investment cost per ton of nickel metal production capacity for the RKEF is about 43000$, with an operational cost of about 16000$ per ton of nickel metal and a total nickel recovery rate of 77%–90%. Its products are mainly used in stainless steels. For the HPAL process, the investment cost per ton of nickel metal production capacity is about 56000$, with an operational cost of about 15000 $ per ton of nickel metal and a total nickel recovery rate of 83%–90%. Its products are mainly used in power batteries. The significant differences between the two lies in energy consumption and carbon emissions, with the RKEF being 2.18 and 2.37 times that of the HPAL, respectively. Although the use of clean energy can greatly reduce the operational cost and environmental impact of RKEF, if RKEF is converted to producing high Ni matte, its economic and environmental performance still cannot match that of the HPAL and oxygen-enriched side-blown processes. Therefore, it can be inferred that with the increasing demand for nickel in power batteries, HPAL and oxygen-enriched side blowing processes will play a greater role in laterite nickel extraction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"8 1","pages":"Pages 187-213"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143157013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of ecological geological vulnerability in Mu Us Sandy Land based on GIS and suggestions of ecological protection and restoration","authors":"Jian-yu Liu ,&nbsp;Hong-feng Nie ,&nbsp;Liang Xu ,&nbsp;Chun-lei Xiao ,&nbsp;Wei Li ,&nbsp;Guo-li Yuan ,&nbsp;Yan-peng Huang ,&nbsp;Xin-yang Ji ,&nbsp;Tian-qi Li","doi":"10.31035/cg20230027","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg20230027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eco-geological vulnerability assessment is a significant research topic within the field of eco-geology, but it remains poorly studied. The Mu Us Sandy Land, located in the central part of the farming-pastoral ecotone in northern China, plays a critical role in maintaining the ecological security pattern in this region. However, this sandy land also faces severe sandy desertification and ecological degradation. This study conducted a regional eco-geological vulnerability assessment of the Mu Us Sandy Land using a comprehensive index evaluation method based on eco-geological theories and survey results. To construct an appropriate index system for the eco-geological vulnerability assessment of the Mu Us Sandy Land, the study considered the sandy land's unique characteristics and identified 15 factors of five categories, namely geology, meteorology, soil, topography, and vegetation. The paper calculated the comprehensive weights of all the indices using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy weight method (EWM). Furthermore, it established the eco-geological vulnerability index (EGVI) and obtained the assessment results. The results showed that the eco-geological vulnerability of the Mu Us Sandy Land gradually intensifies from east to west, manifested as vulnerable eco-geological conditions overall. Specifically, extremely vulnerable zones are found in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the study area, highly vulnerable zones in the western and southern parts, moderately vulnerable zones in the central part, and slightly and potentially vulnerable zones in the eastern and southern parts. Areas with high spatial autocorrelations include the northern Uxin Banner - Otog Banner - Angsu Town area, the surrounding areas of Hongdunjie Town in the southeastern part of the study area, the Hongshiqiao Township - Xiaohaotu Township area, Otog Front Banner, and Bainijing Town, which should be prioritized in the ecological conservation and restoration. Additionally, the paper proposed suggestions for the ecological conservation and restoration of county-level administrative areas in the study area. Overall, the findings provide a valuable reference for the ecological conservation and restoration of the Mu Us Sandy Land and other desert areas in arid and semi-arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"8 1","pages":"Pages 117-140"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143157010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research hotspot and trend of plant water use in karst: Based on a bibliometric analysis from 1984 to 2022","authors":"De-gen Zhu ,&nbsp;Jing Ning ,&nbsp;Hui Yang ,&nbsp;Jun-bing Pu ,&nbsp;Jian-hua Cao ,&nbsp;Meng-xia Zhou ,&nbsp;Mitja Prelovšek ,&nbsp;Nataša Ravbar","doi":"10.31035/cg2023134","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2023134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on the ecohydrological processes of terrestrial plants is a frontier field comprising ecology, hydrology and global change research, yielding the key theoretical foundations of ecohydrology. In karst areas, due to its unique geological background, the karst landscape is strongly developed, with high bedrock exposure, high permeability, fragmented soils, shallow soils, and high spatial heterogeneity, resulting in very limited water storage for plant uptake and growth in rock fissures and shallow soils. Therefore, water conditions are an important ecological factor influencing plant growth. To comprehensively understand the current progress and development trends in plant water use research focusing on karst areas, this paper uses the VOSviewer software to analyze the literature on plant water use in karst areas between 1984 and 2022. The results showed that: (1) Research on plant water use in karst areas has developed rapidly worldwide, and the number of relevant studies in the literature have increased year by year, which together means that it is attracting more and more attention. (2) The investigation of plant water sources, geological background of karst areas, seasonal arid tropical climates, the relationship between <em>δ</em>¹³C values and plant water use efficiency, karst plant water use in karst savannas and subtropical areas, and ecosystems under climate change yields the knowledge base in this field. (3) Most studies in this area focus on the division of water sources of plants in karst areas, the methods of studying the water use sources of plants, and the water use strategies and efficiency of plants. (4) Future research will focus on how plant water use in karst areas is influenced by Earth's critical zones, climate change, and ecohydrological separation. These studies will provide a key scientific basis for guiding ecological restoration and promoting sustainable development in karst areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"8 1","pages":"Pages 214-229"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143157014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis and prediction of glacier evolution trend (2020–2100) in Northern Xinjiang","authors":"Xi-yong Sun ,&nbsp;Yang Jiao ,&nbsp;Qian-li Ma ,&nbsp;Jing-hui Fan ,&nbsp;Xiao-min Du ,&nbsp;Jia-feng Liu ,&nbsp;Shao-qiang Wang ,&nbsp;Wen-chen Hu","doi":"10.31035/cg2023005","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2023005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glaciers, as “solid reservoirs”, are precious resources in arid areas. The study of glaciers is of great significance to the sustainable development and management of agriculture and the economy in northern Xinjiang. The area of glacier distribution on the 1963 topographic map data, 1975 MSS data, 2000 ETM data, 2008 CBERS-2 data, 2014 and 2018 ETM+ were collected as secondary data. According to the remote sensing survey, the glacier areas in Northern Xinjiang are identified during 1963–2018. Based on the evolution of glacier area in the past 55 years, and using two scenarios, the average annual decrease area of a region during the whole 1963–2018 and the period with the minimum reduction area, the glacier areas of Southern Tianshan Mountains, Western Tianshan Mountains, Eastern Tianshan Mountains, the Sawuer Mountains and Altai Mountains in Northern Xinjiang, and the whole northern Xinjiang in 2030, 2040, 2050, and 2100 are examined and predicted. In 2100, the glacier area in Northern Xinjiang may decrease by 43%–59%.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 661-671"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial Committee of China Geology","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2096-5192(24)00150-2","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2096-5192(24)00150-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 807-810"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular structure characterization of middle-high rank coal via 13C NMR, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy","authors":"Xiao-ming Ni ,&nbsp;Jing-shuo Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiao-kai Xu ,&nbsp;Bao-yu Wang","doi":"10.31035/cg2022135","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2022135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance carbon spectroscopy (¹³C-NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments were carried out to determine the existence of aromatic structure, heteroatom structure and fat structure in coal. MS (materials studio) software was used to optimize and construct a 3D molecular structure model of coal. A method for establishing a coal molecular structure model was formed, which was “determination of key structures in coal, construction of planar molecular structure model, and optimization of three-dimensional molecular structure model”. The structural differences were compared and analyzed. The results show that with the increase of coal rank, the dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes in coal is continuously enhanced, and the content of heteroatoms in the aromatic ring decreases. The heteroatoms and branch chains in the coal are reduced, and the structure is more orderly and tight. The stability of the structure is determined by the π-π interaction between the aromatic rings in the nonbonding energy E_N. Key Stretching Energy The size of E_B determines how tight the structure is. The research results provide a method and reference for the study of the molecular structure of medium and high coal ranks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 702-713"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discovery of tuff in Wujiaping Formation of Upper Permian in the northern Sichuan Basin: Implications for the termination of Emeishan Large Igneous Province","authors":"Yu Yu ,&nbsp;Xiao-liang Deng","doi":"10.31035/cg2023142","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2023142","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 801-802"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142721443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation and mapping of water erosion and soil loss: Application of Gavrilovic erosion potential model (EPM) using GIS and remote sensing in the Assif el mal Watershed, Western high Atlas","authors":"Kabili Salma ,&nbsp;Algouti Ahmed ,&nbsp;Algouti Abdellah ,&nbsp;Ezzahzi Salma","doi":"10.31035/cg2023058","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2023058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water erosion is a serious problem that leads to soil degradation, loss, and the destruction of structures. Assessing the risk of erosion and determining the affected areas has become crucial in order to understand the main factors influencing its evolution and to minimize its impacts. This study focuses on evaluating the risk of erosion in the Assif el mal watershed, which is located in the High Atlas Mountains. The Erosion Potential Model (EPM) is used to estimate soil losses depending on various parameters such as lithology, hydrology, topography, and morphometry. Geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques are employed to map areas with high erosive potential and their relationship with the distribution of factors involved. Different digital elevation models are also used in this study to highlight the impact of data quality on the accuracy of the results. The findings reveal that approximately 59% of the total area in the Assif el mal basin has low to very low potential for soil losses, while 22% is moderately affected and 19.9% is at high to very high risk. It is therefore crucial to implement soil conservation measures to mitigate and prevent erosion risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"7 4","pages":"Pages 672-685"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}