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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Geology & the lithosphere > Economic geology
In this book, the authors discuss the structure, technology and applications of sapphire. Topics include the advances in machining technology of sapphire wafers; the growth and surface investigations of synthetic sapphire; laser-assisted micro-fabrication of sapphire; and the heat-physical processes of sapphire crystal growth by horizontal directed crystallisation.
Papers representing the Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the UISPP Commission on Flint Mining in Pre- and Protohistoric Times (Madrid, 14-17 October 2009).
During the past 10 years, the Oil industry in India has seen a
tremendous rise in exploration activity with several major E&P
companies generating vast amount of new geological and geophysical
data. The availability of such integrated data sets (gravity,
magnetic, seismic, drilled wells), especially in the deep offshore
basins, has led the authors to revisit earlier concepts and models
in order to redefine the tectonic framework of major offshore
basins along the Indian continental margins. The book covers the
stratigraphic evolution, play types and the classification of major
offshore basins both in shallow and deepwater environments. Features: * Incorporation of latest dataset (specially the seismic, gravity and magnetic) * Analogy of global offshore basins with India * Sedimentation and depositional history of Bengal fan and Indus fan * Redefinition of major tectonic framework of the margins * Exceleent high quality graphics that include: seismic sections, gravity-magnetic maps, conceptual geological models and new revised tectonic elements Benefits: * Comprehensive geological and geophysical demonstration of basin development and history in the light of petroleum prospectivity of the Continental Margins of India * Emerging concepts on rift-drift history of the Eastern Gondwanaland in the light of probable Mesozoic prospects hitherto little known in this part of the world * A deep insight of all major offshore prospective basins with illustrations and high resolution datasets otherwise not available to common readers * Useful as a textbook for petroleum professionals and as a reference book for marine geo-science researchers
This new and important book focuses on recent research from around the world on petroleum science including the origin and accumulation of petroleum (natural gas); petroleum (natural gas) geochemistry; reservoir engineering; rock mechanics/petrophysics; well logging, testing and evaluation; mathematical modelling; enhanced oil and gas recovery; petroleum (natural gas) geology; compaction/diagenesis; petroleum (natural gas) economics; drilling and drilling fluids; thermodynamics and phase behaviour, fluid mechanics in porous media and multi-phase flow; reservoir simulation; production engineering; formation evaluation; exploration methods.
This book examines the health effects of exposure to bentonite, kaolin, and selected clay minerals. Despite the ubiquitous exposure of the general population to low concentrations of montmorillonite and kaolinite, the main components of bentonite and kaolin, respectively, and other clay minerals, no data are available on its effects. Long-term occupational exposure to bentonite dust may cause structural and functional damage to the lungs, but currently available data do not conclusively establish a dose-response or even a cause-and-effect relationship..Long-term exposure to kaolin causes radiologically diagnosed pneumoconiosis but clear-cut deterioration of respiratory function and related symptoms occur only in cases with prominent radiological findings. In this respect, the composition of the non-kaolinite constituents of the clay is important. Bentonite, kaolin, and other clays often contain quartz, exposure to which is causally related to silicosis and lung cancer as well as to statistically significant increases in the incidence of or mortality from chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema. The extensive use of bentonite or kaolin in cosmetics has not been found to produce local or systemic adverse effects. Tests have also revealed that bentonite and kaolin have low toxicity to a wide variety of aquatic species. The biological effects of clay minerals result not only from their composition but also their particle size. In this respect, the decreasing rank order of quartz, kaolinite, and montmorillonite to damage lung tissue is consistent with their known relative active surface areas and surface chemistries.
One of the four elements of classical antiquity, water is central to the environment of our planet. In "Life's Matrix", Philip Ball writes of water's origins, history, and unique physical character. As a geological agent, water shapes mountains, canyons, and coastlines, and when unleashed in hurricanes and floods its destructive power is awesome. Ball's provocative exploration of water on other planets highlights the possibilities of life beyond Earth. "Life's Matrix" also examines the grim realities of depletion of natural resources and its effects on the availability of water in the twenty-first century.
Economic Risk in Hydrocarbon Exploration provides a total framework
for assessing the uncertainties associated with exploration risk
from beginning to end. Numerous examples with accompanying
microcomputer algorithms illustrate how to quantitatively approach
economic risk. The text compares detailed assumptions and models of
economic risk, and presents numerical examples throughout to
facilitate hands-on calculations using popular spread-sheet
packages on personal computers.
Fossil hydrocarbons form a continuous series
whose"heavy"members--heavy oils, bitumens, oil shale kerogens, and
coal--are important sources of conventional lighter fuels. These
hydrocarbons are much more abundant and easier to extract than
natural gas and oil. This book discusses the origins and
compositions of fossil hydrocarbons and shows how the"heavies"can
be chemically transformed into environmentally clean gas, liquid
transportation fuels, and an almost unlimited range of
petrochemicals.
Petroleum is not as easy to find as it used to be. In order to
locate and develop reserves efficiently, it's vital that geologists
and geophysicists understand the geological processes that affect a
reservoir rock and the oil that is trapped within it. This book is
about how and to what extent, these processes may be understood.
The theme of the book is the characterization of fluids in
sedimentary basins, understanding their interaction with each other
and with rocks, and the application of this information to finding,
developing and producing oil and gas. The first part of the book
describes the techniques, and the second part relates real-life
case histories covering a wide range of applications. Petroleum
geology, particularly exploration, involves making the best of
incomplete results. It is essentially an optimistic exercise. This
book will remove some of the guesswork.
Weak rocks encountered in open pit mines cover a wide variety of materials, with properties ranging between soil and rock. As such, they can provide a significant challenge for the slope designer. For these materials, the mass strength can be the primary control in the design of the pit slopes, although structures can also play an important role. Because of the typically weak nature of the materials, groundwater and surface water can also have a controlling influence on stability. Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design in Weak Rocks is a companion to Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design, which was published in 2009 and dealt primarily with strong rocks. Both books were commissioned under the Large Open Pit (LOP) project, which is sponsored by major mining companies. These books provide summaries of the current state of practice for the design, implementation and assessment of slopes in open pits, with a view to meeting the requirements of safety, as well as the recovery of anticipated ore reserves. This book, which follows the general cycle of the slope design process for open pits, contains 12 chapters. These chapters were compiled and written by industry experts and contain a large number of case histories. The initial chapters address field data collection, the critical aspects of determining the strength of weak rocks, the role of groundwater in weak rock slope stability and slope design considerations, which can differ somewhat from those applied to strong rock. The subsequent chapters address the principal weak rock types that are encountered in open pit mines, including cemented colluvial sediments, weak sedimentary mudstone rocks, soft coals and chalk, weak limestone, saprolite, soft iron ores and other leached rocks, and hydrothermally altered rocks. A final chapter deals with design implementation aspects, including mine planning, design implementation, monitoring, surface water control and closure of weak rock slopes. Key Features: Illustration of the best practice in modern open pit mines State of the art approaches for challenging designs Use of numerous case histories written by large-open pit operators to illustrate state of practice Individual chapters/sections written by leaders in the industry As with the other books in this series, Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design in Weak Rocks provides guidance to practitioners involved in the design and implementation of open pit slopes, particularly geotechnical engineers, mining engineers, geologists and other personnel working at operating mines.
A natural resource strategist investigates the growing global demand for rare metals and what it means to the environment and our future Our future hinges on a set of elements that few of us have even heard of. In this surprising and revealing book, David S. Abraham unveils what rare metals are and why our electronic gadgets, the most powerful armies, and indeed the fate of our planet depend on them. These metals have become the building blocks of modern society; their properties are now essential for nearly all our electronic, military, and "green" technologies. But their growing use is not without environmental, economic, and geopolitical consequences. Abraham traces these elements' hidden paths from mines to our living rooms, from the remote hills of China to the frozen Gulf of Finland, providing vivid accounts of those who produce, trade, and rely on rare metals. He argues that these materials are increasingly playing a significant role in global affairs, conferring strength to countries and companies that can ensure sustainable supplies. Just as oil, iron, and bronze revolutionized previous eras, so too will these metals. The challenges this book reveals, and the plans it proposes, make it essential reading for our rare metal age.
Constantly in the news and the subject of much public debate,
fracking, as it is known for short, is one of the most promising
yet controversial methods of extracting natural gas and oil. Today,
90 percent of natural gas wells use fracking. Though highly
effective, the process-which fractures rock with pressurized
fluid-has been criticized for polluting land, air, and water, and
endangering human health.
Under the Earth's surface is a rich array of geological resources, many with potential use to humankind. However, extracting and harnessing them comes with enormous uncertainties, high costs, and considerable risks. The valuation of subsurface resources involves assessing discordant factors to produce a decision model that is functional and sustainable. This volume provides real-world examples relating to oilfields, geothermal systems, contaminated sites, and aquifer recharge. Volume highlights include: A multi-disciplinary treatment of uncertainty quantification Case studies with actual data that will appeal to methodology developers A Bayesian evidential learning framework that reduces computation and modeling time Quantifying Uncertainty in Subsurface Systems is a multidisciplinary volume that brings together five major fields: information science, decision science, geosciences, data science and computer science. It will appeal to both students and practitioners, and be a valuable resource for geoscientists, engineers and applied mathematicians. Read the Editors' Vox: https: //eos.org/editors-vox/quantifying-uncertainty-about-earths-resources Reviews, The Leading Edge, SEG, May 2020 The subsurface medium created by geologic processes is not always well understood. The data we collect in an attempt to characterize the subsurface can be incomplete and inaccurate. However, if we understand the uncertainty of our data and the models we generate from them, we can make better decisions regarding the management of subsurface resources. Modeling and managing subsurface resources, and properly characterizing and understanding the uncertainties, requires the integration of a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines. Five case studies are outlined in the introductory chapter, which are used to demonstrate various methods throughout the book. The second chapter introduces the basic notions in decision analysis. Uncertainty quantification is only relevant within the decision framework used. Models alone do not quantify uncer-tainty, but do allow the determination of key variables that influ-ence models and decisions. Next, an overview of the various data science methods relevant to uncertainty quantification in the subsurface is provided. Sensitivity analysis is then covered, specifi-cally Monte Carlo-based sensitivity analysis. The next three chapters develop the Bayesian approach to uncertainty quantifica-tion, and this is the focus of the book. All of this is brought together in Chapter 8, which describes a solution regarding quantifying the uncertainties for each of the problems presented in the first chapter. The authors admit that it is not the only solution. No single solution fits all problems of uncertainty quantification. The results in this chapter allow the reader to see the previously described methods applied and how choices influence models and decisions. The final two chapters discuss various software components necessary to implement the strategies presented in the book and challenges faced in the future of uncertainty quantification. The book uses a number of relevant subsurface problems to explore the various aspects of uncertainty quantification. Understanding uncertainty, and how it affects modeling and decision outcomes, is not always straightforward. However, it is necessary in order to make good, consistent decisions. The book is not an easy read. Some portions require good mathematical understanding of the underlying principles. However, the book is well documented and organized. I would say that is not a good book for a beginner, but it is a good resource for someone to get a grounding to go further into the subject. I appreciate the authors putting together this book on a complex problem that is important to our industry. -- David Bartel, Houston, Texas
The fascinating, often surprising story of how a simple black rock altered the course of history, perfect for fans of Mark Kurlansky's Salt and Jeremy Paxman's Black Gold. 'A passionate plea for a more considered way of treating the earth, its resources and its inhabitants' DAILY TELEGRAPH ____________________________________________________________ Coal has transformed societies, fueled economies, and expanded frontiers. It made China a twelfth-century superpower, inspired the writing of the Communist Manifesto, and helped the northern states win the American Civil War. Yet the mundane mineral that built our global economy has also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction. In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins three hundred million years ago and spans the globe. From the 'Great Stinking Fogs' of London to the rat-infested coal mines of Pennsylvania, from the impoverished slums of Manchester to the toxic city streets of Beijing, Coal is a captivating narrative about the simple black rock that helped build our modern world, but now endangers our future. ____________________________________________________________ 'Elegant and engaging . . . No subject is more important for understanding the recent past, and preparing for the future.' SUNDAY TIMES 'The incredible story of Britain's black goal.' DAILY MAIL 'Eloquent . . . unsparing . . . The relation between carbon and climate change has seldom been so clearly and readably explained.' SCOTSMAN 'As much about the growing scientific evidence of the damage coal causes to the environment as it is about the social history of the Industrial Revolution.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Freese wants readers to be clear about just how vital coal has been to our era of human development because she hopes to persuade us that it's time to enter a new one.' NEW YORK TIMES 'An absorbing book that never loses its grip.' NEW SCIENTIST 'Fascinating . . . It lingers hauntingly in the mind.' NEW STATESMAN 'As this human history of coal makes clear, there are no easy answers. . . A welcome contribution to the search for a sustainable energy economy.' NATURAL HISTORY
What happens to indigenous people when their homelands are declared by well-intentioned outsiders to be precious environmental habitats? In this revelatory book, Molly Doane describes how a rain forest in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca was appropriated and redefined by environmentalists who initially wanted to conserve its biodiversity. Her case study approach shows that good intentions are not always enough to produce results that benefit both a habitat and its many different types of inhabitants. Doane begins by showing how Chimalapas - translated as "shining rivers" - has been "produced" in various ways over time, from a worthless wasteland to a priceless asset. Focusing on a series of environmental projects that operated between 1990 and 2008, she reveals that environmentalists attempted to recast agrarian disputes - which actually stemmed from government-supported corporate incursions into community lands and from unequal land redistribution - as environmental problems. Doane focuses in particular on the attempt throughout the 1990s to establish a "Campesino Ecological Reserve" in Chimalapas. Supported by major grants from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), this effort to foster and merge agrarian and environmental interests was ultimately unsuccessful because it was seen as politically threatening by the state. By 2000, the Mexican government had convinced the WWF to redirect its conservation monies to the state government and its agencies. The WWF eventually abandoned attempts to establish an "enclosure" nature reserve in the region or to gain community acceptance for conservation. Instead, working from a new market-based model of conservation, the WWF began paying cash to individuals for "environmental services" such as reforestation and environmental monitoring.
This book looks at developments in oil shale which is the largest untapped domestic resource with the greatest potential to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Over 70% of the world's oil shale resources occur in the United States. These deposits contain over 1.5 trillion barrels of shale oil. If only 800 billion of this can be recovered, that alone would supply all of our current domestic petroleum needs for the next 100 years or more. The 2005 Energy Security Act demonstrated that the US government might finally encourage the development of these valuable oil shale resources. The nation's production of crude oil has been declining since the 1970s while its demand has continued to increase, making the country increasingly dependent on imported oil. However, there are lingering questions about our ability to produce shale oil in this country. Most of these questions discussed in this book, centre on key issues such as: (1) is the technology available and will it work on a large scale?; (2) can shale oil be produced profitably?; (3) can shale oil be produced in an environmentally responsible manner?; and (4) what are the socio-economic impacts going to be on the local regions where these developments occur? Oil shale requires an expensive, high-risk, long-lead time development program and the federal government controls most of the resource. They will therefore ultimately determine whether or not shale oil is ever produced at a level sufficient to improve our economic and national security.
Maximizing the use of our visible surface supplies in light of their greatest need in agriculture presents an enormous challenge throughout the world. New techniques in agricultural applications to preserve resources and increase yields are featured. Dams, lakes, and hydraulic features of surface water systems are amply covered, along with the importance of storm water management to growing communities.
This open access book is an encyclopaedic analysis of the current and future energy system of the world's most populous country and second biggest economy. What happens in China impacts the planet. In the past 40 years China has achieved one of the most remarkable economic growth rates in history. Its GDP has risen by a factor of 65, enabling 850,000 people to rise out of poverty. Growth on this scale comes with consequences. China is the world's biggest consumer of primary energy and the world's biggest emitter of CO2 emissions. Creating a prosperous and harmonious society that delivers economic growth and a high quality of life for all will require radical change in the energy sector, and a rewiring of the economy more widely. In China's Energy Revolution in the Context of the Global Energy Transition, a team of researchers from the Development Research Center of the State Council of China and Shell International examine how China can revolutionise its supply and use of energy. They examine the entire energy system: coal, oil, gas, nuclear, renewables and new energies in production, conversion, distribution and consumption. They compare China with case studies and lessons learned in other countries. They ask which technology, policy and market mechanisms are required to support the change and they explore how international cooperation can smooth the way to an energy revolution in China and across the world. And, they create and compare scenarios on possible pathways to a future energy system that is low-carbon, affordable, secure and reliable.
In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins hundreds of millions of years ago and spans the globe. Prized as the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewellery out of it, coal has transformed societies, launched empires, and expanded frontiers. It made China an eleventh-century superpower, inspired the Communist Manifesto , and helped the North win the American Civil War. Yet coal's transformative power has come at tremendous cost, from the blackening of our lungs and skies, to the perils of mining, to global warming. Now updated with a new chapter describing the high-stakes conflict between coal's defenders and those working to preserve a livable climate, Coal offers a captivating history of the mineral that helped build the modern world but now endangers our future.
Over the past five hundred years, North Americans have increasingly relied on mining to produce much of their material and cultural life. From cell phones and computers to cars, roads, pipes, pans, and even wall tile, mineral-intensive products have become central to North American societies. As this process has unfolded, mining has also indelibly shaped the natural world and the human societies within it. Mountains have been honeycombed, rivers poisoned, forests leveled, and the consequences of these environmental transformations have fallen unevenly across North America. Drawing on the work of scholars from Mexico, the United States, and Canada, Mining North America examines these developments. It covers an array of minerals and geographies while bringing mining into the core debates that animate North American environmental history. Taken all together, the essays in this book make a powerful case for the centrality of mining in forging North American environments and societies.
In "Powering the Future," Nobel laureate Robert B. Laughlin transports us two centuries into the future, when we've ceased to use carbon from the ground--either because humans have banned carbon burning or because fuel has simply run out. Boldly, Laughlin predicts no earth-shattering transformations will have taken place. Six generations from now, there will still be soccer moms, shopping malls, and business trips. Firesides will still be snug and warm. How will we do it? Not by discovering a magic bullet to slay our energy problems, but through a slew of fascinating technologies, drawing on wind, water, and fire. "Powering the Future" is an objective yet optimistic tour through alternative fuel sources, set in a world where we've burned every last drop of petroleum and every last shovelful of coal. The Predictable: "Fossil fuels will run out." The present flow of crude oil out of the ground equals in one day the average flow of the Mississippi River past New Orleans in thirteen minutes. If you add the energy equivalents of gas and coal, it's thirty-six minutes. At the present rate of consumption, we'll be out of fossil fuels in two centuries' time. "We always choose the cheapest gas." From the nineteenth-century consolidation of the oil business to the California energy crisis of 2000-2001, the energy business has shown, time and again, how low prices dominate market share. Market forces--not green technology--will be the driver of energy innovation in the next 200 years. "The laws of physics remain fixed." Energy will still be conserved, degrade entropically with use, and have to be disposed of as waste heat into outer space. How much energy a fuel can pack away in a given space is fixed by quantum mechanics--and if we want to keep flying jet planes, we will need carbon-based fuels. The Potential: "Animal waste."If dried and burned, the world's agricultural manure would supply about one-third as much energy as all the coal we presently consume. "Trash." The United States disposes of 88 million tons of carbon in its trash per year. While the incineration of waste trash is not enough to contribute meaningfully to the global demand for energy, it will constrain fuel prices by providing a cheap supply of carbon." ""Solar energy."The power used to light all the cities around the world is only one-millionth of the total power of sunlight pouring down on earth's daytime side. And the amount of hydropump storage required to store the world's daily electrical surge is equal to only eight times the volume of Lake Mead. PRAISE FOR ROBERT B. LAUGHLIN "Perhaps the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Richard Feynman"--George Chapline, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory "Powerful but controversial."-- "Financial Times"" "" Laughlin's] company ... is inspirational." --"New Scientist"
When seven-year-old Dave Lowell was camped out at his father's mine in the hills of southern Arizona in 1935, he knew he had found his calling. ""Life couldn't get any better than this,"" he recalls. ""I didn't know what science was, but wisps of scientific thought were already working into my plan."" So began the legendary career of the engineer, geologist, explorer, and international businessman whose life is recounted in his own words in this captivating book. An Arizona native with family roots in territorial times, Lowell grew from modest beginnings on a ranch near Nogales to become a major world figure in the fields of minerals, mining, and economic geology. He has personally discovered more copper than anyone in history and has developed multibillion-dollar gold and copper mines that have changed the economies of nations. And although he has consulted for corporations in the field of mining, he has largely operated as an independent agent and explorer, the architect of his own path and success. His life's story unfolds in four stages: his early education in his field, on-the-job learning at sites in the United States and Mexico, development of exploration strategies, and finally, the launch of his own enterprises and companies. Recurring themes in Lowell's life include the strict personal, ethical, and tactical policies he requires of his colleagues; his devotion to his family; and his distaste for being away from the field in a corporate office, even to this day. The magnitude of Lowell's overall success is evident in his list of mine discoveries, as well as in his scientific achievements and the enormous respect his friends and colleagues have had for him throughout his lengthy career, which he continues to zealously pursue.
This book represents new structural-chemical minerals of A.A. Godovikov which reflects the latest data on communication of the chemical composition with structure and properties of minerals, conditions of their formation, their paragenesis. The following features lay its basis: a) the numerous, often not considered earlier chemical signs on which chemical properties of minerals, conditions of their formation or paragenesis may depend; b) the determined consistent patterns of communication between chemical compounds structure and fundamental properties of the elements forming them; c) regularities of structure change and properties of minerals depending on physical and chemical parameters of formation or environment systems. This systemati considers real associations, differences in physical and chemical parameters at which minerals are forming and existing. In this systematic sometimes the preference is given to the last signs because all natural associations aren't casual in an arrangement of minerals, so they formed as a result of difficult and longtime selection. The properties of minerals are coordinated with their structure, formation conditions. The transition conditions from one taxon to another both at one level and at its deepenings are accurately formulated. The primary type of a chemical bond was accepted as leading sign of five highest taxons. The lowest taxons were allocated on: a) the mineral belongings to izodesmichesky or anizodesmichesky connections; b) the type of anion, cation; c) the coordination number of an anionoobrazovatel; d) the size of CX; e) the type of the structure. The signs which are in the basis for systematization give the chance to find the place for new mineral types in the tables, to change the place of mineral in connection with specification of its formula or structure. They also allow to distinguish new taxons for the new mineral types representing chemical compounds, earlier not known in nature. Thus this systematic is not a stiffened representation but the developing system.
Gold Panning California is the premiere reference source for anyone who is interested in getting started or continuing their gold prospecting in California. Containing accurate, up-to-date prospecting information for all known panning areas in California. The write-ups for each locale include driving directions, GPS coordinates, historical information, land ownership restrictions, full-color photos, and geological background. Features include: *Full-color images *GPS coordinates *Geology basics *Tools of the trade for every level of collector *Rules and regulations *Polishing, preserving, crafting, and displaying your treasures |
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