An integrated zircon geochronological, elemental geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic investigation was carried out on a suite of dioritic–granitic rocks at Zalute in the southern Great Xing’an Range (SGXR), NE China, in order to probe the source and petrogenesis of these granitoid rocks and further constrain the geodynamical setting of early Early Cretaceous magmatism. The results of Sensitive High-Resolution

Changes in stable chromium isotopes (denoted as δ53Cr) in ancient carbonate sediments are increasingly used to reconstruct the oxygenation history in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans through time. As a significant proportion of marine carbonate older than the Cambrian is microbially-mediated, the utility of δ53Cr values in ancient carbonates hinges on whether these sediments accurately capture the isotope

Tooeleite [Fe6(AsO3)4(SO4)(OH)4·4H2O] was synthesized and characterized to investigate its possible immobilization for arsenic in acidic and alkali environments by a long-term dissolution of 330 d. The synthetic tooeleite was platy crystallites of ~1μm across, giving the lattice parameters of a = 6.4758 Å, b = 19.3737 Å and c = 8.9170 Å. For the tooeleite dissolution, the dissolved arsenic concentration

Understanding the flow process of cemented tailings backfill (CTB) is important for successful pumping into underground stopes. This study examines the effects of solid content (SC), cement/tailings (c/t) ratio, and curing time (CT) on rheological and mechanical properties of CTB mixes. The slurry concentration of the mixes was 65, 67, and 69 wt. %, with c/t ratios ranging from 1:4 to 1:20. Unconfined

This experimental laboratory study examines the potential use of tire-derived aggregate (TDA) products as an additive to alleviate the inferior geotechnical properties of a subgrade deposit of clay soil with high expansivity. A total of ten mix designs—the unamended soil and nine soil–TDA blends prepared at 5%, 10% and 20% TDA contents (by dry mass) using three different TDA gradations/sizes—were examined

The structural chemistry of carbonates under mantle conditions facilitates our understanding of carbon recycling pathways in the earth’s interior. It also has impacts on the dynamics of mantle–slab interactions. Aragonite is a common calcium carbonate mineral in pelagic marine sediments. The structural chemistry of single-crystal aragonite during successive compression and the behavior of a structural

This paper presents a review of measurement while drilling (MWD) technology as applied to the mining industry, describes its development path, provides a global review of literature on this topic, and outlines further trends of development for research on MWD application in drilling and blasting (D&B) operations at mining enterprises. The current review serves as a starting point for anyone interested

Within due diligence concepts for raw material supply chains, the traceability of a shipment is a major aspect that has to be taken into account. Cassiterite and coltan are two so-called conflict minerals for which traceability systems have been established. To provide additional credibility to document-based traceability systems the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)

Turbidite-associated black shale of the Semanggol Formation is extensively distributed in the northwestern part of the Western Belt, Peninsular Malaysia. The black shale occurs as a dark grey to black and thick to medium-bedded deposit. It represents the distal part of submarine fan system (outer-fan) overlying interbedded sandstone to shale facies of the mid-fan and conglomeratic pebbly sandstone

The country or mine of origin is an important economic and societal issue inherent in the diamond industry. Consumers increasingly want to know the provenance of their diamonds to ensure their purchase does not support inhumane working conditions. Governments around the world reduce the flow of conflict diamonds via paper certificates through the Kimberley Process, a United Nations mandate. However

The mature transgressive Albian quartz sands in the Miechów Synclinorium contain a poor (<1%) heavy mineral suite consisting of tourmaline, rutile, garnet, staurolite, ilmenite, zircon, monazite, kyanite, and gahnite. The other minerals, especially those containing Fe and Ti (e.g., biotite), are subordinate. Over 512 tourmaline grains from seven outcrops in the Miechów Segment were analysed using electron

Geochemical and mineralogical characterization studies play an important role in the definition of mineral deposits. Each mineral system has a unique set of minerals with different chemical makeup and physical properties. Platinum-group elements (PGEs), for example, are scarce resources with many applications. The optimization of extraction process efficiency is therefore crucial to prevent resource

The study of active and fossil hydrothermal systems shows clay minerals to be a fundamental tool for the identification and characterization of hydrothermal alteration facies. The occurrence and composition of hydrothermal alteration facies could provide useful information on the physicochemical conditions of the hydrothermal activity affecting a rock volume. In particular, clay minerals (i.e., smectite

The effects of curing temperature, blast furnace slag content, and Ms on the initial and final setting times, and compressive strengths of geopolymer paste and mortars are examined. The present work demonstrates that ambient-cured geopolymer pastes and mortars can be fabricated without requiring high alkalinity activators or thermal curing, provided that the ratios of Class F fly ash (40–90 wt%), blast

This study investigated the influence of different cooling regimes on the microstructure and consequent reactivity of belite-sulfoaluminate clinkers. The cement clinkers were synthesized by incorporating secondary raw materials, such as titanogypsum and bottom ash, to the natural raw materials. Clinker phases were determined by Rietveld quantitative phase analysis, while the distribution morphology

In order to study the liberation characteristics of different macerals in coal, one must improve the liberation degree of macerals in coal and promote the utilization of macerals based on their properties. Based on the idea of quick cooling to change the brittleness and toughness of different macerals, the characteristics of macerals in coal are studied here by liquid nitrogen quenching pretreatment

Naturally occurring biogenic pyrite has been found in Holocene fluvial aquifers in the Uphapee watershed, Macon County, Alabama. The electron microprobe (EMP) analysis showed that the pyrite grains contain 0.20–0.92 weight% of arsenic (As). The scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis confirmed a similar concentration of As in the pyrite that was consistent

Four kinetic models are studied as first-order reactions with flotation rate distribution f(k): (i) deterministic nth-order reaction, (ii) second-order with Rectangular f(k), (iii) Rosin–Rammler, and (iv) Fractional kinetics. These models are studied because they are considered as alternatives to the first-order reactions. The first-order representation leads to the same recovery R(t) as in the original

While the first part of this study took a detailed look at the properties, defects and classification of brown diamonds with deformation-related (DR) brown color and compared them to pink to purple to red diamonds, this second part covers diamonds with non-deformation-related (referred to as NDR in this study) brown color, including diamonds with treatment-induced brown color and synthetic brown diamonds

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is globally recognized as one of the environmental pollutants of the priority concern due to high concentrations of toxic metals and sulfates. More rigorous environmental legislation requires exploitation of effective technologies to remove toxic metals from contaminated streams. In view of high selectivity, effectiveness, durability, and low energy demands, the separation

Fire hazard assessment in coal mines is performed on the basis of concentrations of particular gases emitted from the heating coal deposit, but more precise criteria and indicators are needed to assess fire hazard properly—both during the temperature rise phase and in the coal bed cooling phase. In the paper the impact of coal grinding on hazard assessment of spontaneous fire development in the coal

The Ross(–Delamerian) Orogeny significantly impacted the formation of the tectonic structure of the Pacific Gondwana margin during the early Paleozoic era. Northern Victoria Land (NVL) in Antarctica preserves the aspect of the Ross Orogeny that led to the union of the Wilson (WT)–Bowers (BT)–Robertson Bay Terrane. The aspect of the Ross Orogeny in the NVL is characterized by subduction of oceanic domains

The Doig Phosphate Zone (DPZ) is a phosphate-bearing marine unit located at the base of the Doig Formation, in the Triassic section of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The DPZ has a maximum thickness of 90 m and extends across northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta. In this study, we characterize the significance and interpret the origin of apatite in the DPZ through mineralogical

Mineral surface wettability and its regulation by the adsorption of collectors have an important influence on the flotation performance. The adsorption behavior of C18 fatty acid with different unsaturation and its effect on rhodochrosite wettability was investigated with surface tension, contact angle, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. The results indicated that rhodochrosite hydrophobicity

For this study, the properties of a large sample of various types of brown diamonds with a deformation-related (referred to as “DR” in this work) color were studied to properly characterize and classify such diamonds, and to compare them to pink to purple to red diamonds. The acquisition of low temperature NIR spectra for a large range of brown diamonds and photoexcitation studies combined with various

Slags coming from stainless steel (SS) and ferrochromium (FeCr) production generally contain between 1 and 10% Cr, mostly present in entrapped metallic particles (Fe–Cr alloys) and in spinel structures. To recover Cr from these slags, magnetic and gravity separation techniques were tested for up-concentrating Cr in a fraction for further processing. In case of SS slag and low carbon (LC) FeCr slag

Every mining operation is followed by a beneficiation process aimed at delivering quality materials to the transformation industry. Mainly, in order to separate valuable minerals from gangue in mineral processing, the crushing and grinding of extracted ore are crucial operations for the following separation steps. Comminution is the most energy-consuming operation in mining, and the quality of the

The Rietveld method using X-ray powder diffraction data was applied to selected skarn samples for quantitative determination of the present minerals. The specimens include garnet, clinopyroxene–garnet, plagioclase–clinopyroxene–wollastonite–garnet, plagioclase–clinopyroxene–wollastonite, plagioclase–clinopyroxene–wollastonite–epidote, and plagioclase–clinopyroxene skarns. The rocks are coarse- to fine-grained

Polyacrylamides (PAM) are used as flocculants in the copper-molybdenum mining industry to improve the settling rate of flotation tailings. These types of reagents are recirculated to flotation in the water that is recovered from the thickeners, and as a result of this practice they can cause depression of flotation of some important minerals such as molybdenite. The objective of this work was to study

The Bigrlyi deposit is a tabular, sandstone-hosted, uranium–vanadium deposit of Carboniferous age located in the Ngalia Basin of central Australia. The deposit is similar to the continental, fluvial Saltwash-type of sandstone-hosted U-V deposits which are well known from the Colorado Plateau, USA. Most mineralization at Bigrlyi occurs as thin, multiple-stacked, stratiform lenses at the base of fluvial

The high world demand for iron ores opposed to the rapid exhaustion of high-grade deposits from the main producing regions around the world has motivated the search and/or improvement of beneficiation routes, which enable the economic use of iron formations previously considered marginal ores, which have the potential to considerably increase mineable reserves due to their large volume. In this study

The removal of salicylic acid (SA) and ibuprofen (IB) by sorption onto HDTMA-modified montmorillonite (HM) and zeolite (HZ) was investigated at pH 7. The single sorption data were fitted well by the Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin−Radushkevich (DR), and Polanyi−Dubinin−Manes (PDM) models (R2 > 0.94). The sorption affinity of Freundlich and the maximum sorption capacity of Langmuir and PDM models of pharmaceuticals

Miocene tuffs preserved in argillaceous sediment interbedded with lacustrine successions are commonly encountered throughout the Dinarides Lake System (DLS) in south-eastern Europe. In this contribution the volcanic glass degradation and co-genetic Mn-Fe precipitation were studied in a 14.68 Ma felsic tuff from DLS Livno-Tomislavgrad Basin. Microbial activity has been involved in both reactions thus

The mechanisms at different pH for the stabilization of arsenic (As) in mine tailings (MTs) using steelmaking slag were investigated using laboratory experiments. Two types of steelmaking slag were used in the experiments. Ca-slag has high pH and high calcium oxide content due to its short period of aging. In contrast, Fe-slag is oxidized for a long time and is richer in Fe than in Ca. The As-contaminated

The application of thermal methods, such as Rock−Eval 6 pyrolysis or differential thermal analysis, provides complex information about sediment and rock properties, including thermal behaviour, degree of maturity, alteration of organic matter, and high temperature combustion synthesis mineral products. In this study, thermal methods included experiments on the thermokinetics of modern deep-sea sediments

Recent discoveries have demonstrated that the surfaces of Mars, Ceres and other celestial bodies, as well as asteroids and comets, are characterized by the presence of ammonium-bearing minerals. A careful study of remote data compared with the analyses of more accurate laboratory data might allow a better remote characterization of planetary bodies. In this paper, the reflectance spectra of some ammoniated

We investigated the microstructures of five ice core samples from the Styx Glacier, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Evidence of dynamic recrystallization was found in all samples: those at 50 m mainly by polygonization, and those at 170 m, largely by grain boundary migration. Crystallographic preferred orientations of all analyzed samples (view from the surface) typically showed a single cluster

Here, we report a long-lived ms time scale decay luminescing in the near infrared >800 nm present in productions of ‘white’ colourless, facetted yittrium stabilized cubic zirconia and observed using time-gated imaging. The spectrum of the strong luminescing feature also has characteristics of Neodymium (Nd3+) and has a multiexponential decay behaviour. Real-time detection of cubic zirconia mounted

During the last decades, layered structures have attracted particular and increasing interest due to the multitude of outstanding properties exhibited by their representatives. Particularly common among their archetypes, with a significant number of mineral and synthetic species structural derivatives, is that of litharge. In the current paper, we report the structural studies of two later rare-earth

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. Ruby as a natural gemstone has an early history in which its colorful properties [...]

In order to investigate the influence of the ion exchange process on the permeability of rare earth ore bodies in the leaching process, a laboratory-scale comparative experiment with ammonium sulfate solution and deionized (DI) water as leaching solutions is conducted. Compared with the DI water leaching test, the permeability coefficient of the rare earth ore sample leached by the ammonium sulfate

The characteristics of Au partitioning in a multiphase, multicomponent hydrothermal system at 450 °C and 1 kbar pressure were obtained using experimental and computational physicochemical modelling and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis. Sphalerite and magnetite contained 0.1–0.16 ± 0.02 µg/g Au and coexisted with galena and bornite which contained up to

Alkali-activated materials are an emerging technology that can serve as an alternative solution to ordinary Portland cement. Due to their alkaline nature, these materials are inherently more electrically conductive than ordinary Portland cement, and have therefore seen numerous applications as sensors and self-sensing materials. This review outlines the current state-of-the-art in strain, temperature

The alkaline igneous rocks of the Chompolo field (Aldan shield, Siberian craton), previously defined as kimberlites or lamproites, are more correctly classified as low-Ti lamprophyres. The emplacement age of the Ogonek pipe (137.8 ± 1.2 Ma) and the Aldanskaya dike (157.0 ± 1.6 Ma) was obtained using 40Ar/39Ar K-richterite dating. The Chompolo rocks contain abundant xenocrysts of mantle minerals (chromium-rich

Abundant fluorites occur in the Shihuiyao rare metal (Nb-Ta-Rb) deposit in Inner Mongolia of NE China, and they can be classified by their occurrence into three types. Type I occurs disseminated in greisen pockets of albitized granite. Type II occurs in the skarn zone between granite and carbonate host rocks, and it can be subdivided into different subtypes according to color, namely dark purple (II-D)

The crystal chemistry of carnotite (prototype formula: K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O) occurring in mine wastes collected from Northeastern Arizona was investigated by integrating spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses. Raman spectroscopy confirms that the uranyl vanadate phase present in the mine waste is carnotite, rather than the rarer polymorph vandermeerscheite. X-ray diffraction

The synthesis methods used to produce todorokite (10 Å manganate, OMS-1) and birnessite (7 Å manganate), which are abundant in marine manganese nodules, have been studied to confirm whether pure mineral phases can be obtained and to compare their physicochemical characteristics. The physicochemical characteristics of todorokite and its precursor Na–birnessite can vary widely based on the precursors

The present study focuses on manganese-containing inclusions identified in late-Antique glass tesserae, light brown/amber and purple in colour, from Padova (Italy), in order to clarify the nature of these inclusions, never identified in glass mosaics until now, and provide new insights on the production technologies of such kinds of tesserae. Multi-methodological investigations on manganese-containing

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. Rocks affected by pressure–temperature conditions in the transitional field between diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism make up large domains of the Earth’s upper continental and oceanic crust [...]

Our study is aimed at reconstructing the Palaeozoic–early Mesozoic plate tectonic development of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in central and southeast Mongolia (Gobi). We use sandstone provenance signatures including laser ablation U-Pb ages of detrital zircons, their epsilon hafnium isotope signatures, and detrital framework grain analyses. We adopt a well-established terran subdivision of central

The mineralogy of surface crusts and efflorescent salts of two old abandoned tailings (Xochula and Remedios) of the mining district of Taxco, Guerrero, was studied by short-wave infrared spectroscopy (SWIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemistry of the selected samples was studied with induced coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Principal mineralogy is

Mining activity produces a series of wastes that must be treated to avoid environmental pollution. In addition, some of these mining wastes still contain metallic elements that are interesting for their extraction with new less expensive techniques and that can work with low mineral grades, such as hydrometallurgy. This study evaluates the suitability of Copper recovery in mining wastes, coming from

The construction of road infrastructure is one of the most polluting activities that exists today. Therefore, the use of waste from other industries is an excellent solution, since it reduces the consumption of raw materials, reduces CO2 emissions and avoids the disposal of waste in a landfill. In this study, electric arc furnace slag, cellulose fibers from the papermaking industry and bitumen emulsion

This work aimed to investigate the origin of different red hues of Roman copper-based red opaque glass sectilia, to shed light on the production technology behind them. This objective was achieved by the depth study of the samples of glass sectilia, which decorated the villa of co-Emperor Lucius Verus (161–169 AD). These were selected for analysis due to their abundance, the certainty of their date

We present new data on the tectonic evolution of north-eastern Siberia using an integrated provenance analysis based on U–Pb detrital zircon dating and sandstone petrography of Devonian sedimentary strata. Our petrographic data suggest that Upper Devonian sandstones of north-eastern Siberia were derived from a local provenance, supported by the widespread distribution of ca. 1900–2000 Ma magmatic events

The refractory nature of zircon to temperature and pressure allows even a single zircon grain to preserve a rich history of magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal processes. Isotopic dating of micro-domains exposed in cross-sections of zircon grains allows us to interrogate this history. Unfortunately, our ability to select the zircon grains in a heavy mineral concentrate that records the most geochronologic

The high-pressure behavior of wardite, NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4·2H2O (a = 7.0673(2) Å, c = 19.193(9) Å, Sp. Gr. P41212), has been investigated by in-situ single-crystal synchrotron diffraction experiments up to 9 GPa, using a diamond anvil cell under quasi-hydrostatic conditions. This phosphate does not experience any pressure-induced phase transition, or anomalous compressional behavior, within the pressure-range

Pavement maintenance is an essential activity for maintaining the quality of the pavements. It is common for the ageing pavement to present problems of friction, so a proper solution must be provided. In this work, electric arc furnace slags are incorporated in slurry surfacing to provide adequate friction with this technique. The electric arc furnace slag was studied with physical, chemical, and mechanical

This paper presents an attempt to evaluate the suitability of oil palm shell (OPS) and rubberized OPS (ROPS), an alternative bio-material, as reinforcement in kaolin. OPS was surface coated with rubber, and its water absorption potential was studied in 5 media involving water and kaolin samples (with different water contents). The water absorption data measured in the laboratory was used as an indirect

The addition of ferrous sulfate as a depressant for Ca-bearing minerals such as calcite and fluorite during scheelite flotation was investigated to recover scheelite from tungsten mine tailings, using Hallimond-tube flotation tests, zeta-potential measurement and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses. The flotation tests indicate that the selectivity of scheelite recovery was the largest over