Revisions to the stratigraphy of the Upper Ordovician Collingwood beds of Ontario—a potential oil shale

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1780-1790 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Russell ◽  
P. G. Telford

Preliminary results from a drilling programme aimed at evaluating the oil shale potential of the Whitby Formation (Upper Ordovician) of Ontario showed that the Craigleith Member of this unit possessed the greatest promise. However, some preliminary lithostratigraphic observations contradicted those of earlier workers, prompting a detailed analysis of the lithostratigraphy, log response, and organic geochemistry of this unit of organic-rich interbedded shale and limestone, also known informally as the "Collingwood shales." Previously grouped with overlying non-calcareous shales, these strata are found to be in gradational contact with underlying limestones of the Lindsay Formation. This, together with a sharp decrease in carbonate and organic carbon contents at their top, leads to their redefinition as the Collingwood Member of the Lindsay Formation. Analysis of subsurface data shows that the unit now termed the "Collingwood Formation" in well records does not contain any of the Collingwood strata as originally defined, and that the potential oil shales of the newly defined Collingwood Member have a significantly restricted distribution. The non-calcareous blue-grey shales previously referred to the upper part of the Whitby Formation are redefined as the Blue Mountain Formation, which is dominated by the brown and grey slightly organic and calcareous Rouge River Member only in the area east of Toronto.

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice B. Dusseault ◽  
Matthias Loftsson ◽  
David Russell

Samples of eastern black shale (Kettle Point oil shales, Ontario) were subjected to extensive mineralogical and geomechanical tests. We prove that the mineralogy, as measured by the ratio of quartz to illite, controls strength and deformation properties, and the organic material plays no significant role. The reason is that increasing clay content dilutes the rigid quartz–quartz grain contacts that are responsible for the high strengths and stiff behavior. Tests of temperature effects on point load strength of another low organic content oil shale confirm that organic matter is not important to mechanical properties in matrix-supported shales. Key words: shale, mineralogy, Brazilian test, triaxial strength, organic content, slake durability, thermogravimetry.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Dold ◽  
Herbst Michael ◽  
Weihermüller Lutz ◽  
Vereecken Harry

<p>The limitation of global warming to +1.5°C compared to preindustrial levels requires net-zero CO<sub>2</sub> emissions globally by mid-century and substantial removal of CO<sub>2</sub> thereafter. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils has been proposed as a potential mitigation strategy. Aim of this study is to quantify current carbon storage and emission reduction potential in agricultural soils, and assess the impact of mitigation measures in a prognostic modeling approach. The land surface model Community Land Model 5.0 (CLM) is used to assess soil carbon changes in agricultural soils in Germany. The simulation domain was set up with an 8 x 8 km grid across Germany using recent land use and soil texture maps, and parameters for major field crops. The model was spun up for ~1500 years with a 30-year climate dataset. Preliminary results show that spinup-derived organic carbon density (OCD, 0-188 cm) was significantly related to Soil Grid v2 OCD (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.82), but only weakly related to field-measured OCD (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.21). The simulated OCD values in the upper 32 cm soil layer were lower in Northwestern Germany compared to Soil Grids. This is probably due to the intensive use of organic amendment application in the region, and CLM5 lacks a subroutine for simulating organic carbon application. In a next step, carbon storage for different climate projections (regional EUR11 RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios) and management systems from 2020 - 2100 will be investigated. We will present preliminary results and discuss improvements of CLM5 to better represent agricultural soils.</p>


Author(s):  
Anson W. Mackay ◽  
Rebecca Lee ◽  
James M. Russell

Abstract Rwenzori Mountains National Park, which straddles the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, has experienced rapid glacier loss since the beginning of the twentieth century, yet there has been little investigation of aquatic biodiversity change in the park. This study presents a paleolimnological analysis from Lake Mahoma (2990 m asl), which is situated in the bamboo-forest transition zone. Diatom and organic geochemistry data from a 39-cm-long sediment core with a basal age of c. 1715 CE were compared with new analyses of previously published data from Lakes Bujuku (3891 m asl) and Lower Kitandara (3989 m asl), in the alpine zone. Comparisons were made to determine if aquatic ecosystem changes exhibited similar inter-lake patterns over the past ~ 150 years of climate warming and glacial recession, or if only local change was apparent. The diatom flora of Lake Mahoma is acidophilous, dominated by Aulacoseira ikapoënsis since at least the mid eighteenth century. In recent decades, the obligate nitrogen-heterotroph Nitzschia palea increased in importance, concurrent with declining δ15Norg values. We suggest that these late twentieth century changes were linked to regional warming and increased thermal stratification of Lake Mahoma. Regional comparisons of the Rwenzori lakes were done using existing organic geochemistry records (total organic carbon, C/N and δ13Corg) and through diatom compositional turnover analyses, and categorisation of species into one of four diatom growth morphology traits, or guilds: tychoplanktonic, high-profile, low-profile and motile. Over the past 150 years, all three lakes showed unidirectional, compositional diatom turnover, indicating that deterministic processes had affected diatom communities. Declining turnover at each site is broadly mirrored by an increase in tychoplanktonic taxa, along with concomitant declines in high-profile diatoms at Lake Mahoma, and low-profile diatoms at Lake Bujuku, and at least for the past 60 years, at Lower Kitandara. The interplay between diatom guilds at all sites is mainly a consequence of competition for available resources. Sediment organic carbon at all sites comes from both autochthonous and allochthonous sources, the relative abundances of which are influenced by the time elapsed since lakes had glaciers in their catchment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-bing Chang ◽  
Mo Chu ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Shu-xia Bai ◽  
Sheng-tao Wang ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Hutton ◽  
A.J. Kantsler ◽  
A.C. Cook ◽  
D.M. McKirdy

The Tertiary oil-shale deposits at Rundle in Queensland and of the Green River Formation in the western USA, together with Mesozoic deposits such as those at Julia Creek in Queensland, offer prospects of competitive recovery cost through the use of large-scale mining methods or the use of in situ processing.A framework for the classification of oil shales is proposed, based on the origin and properties of the organic matter. The organic matter in most Palaeozoic oil shales is dominantly large, discretely occurring algal bodies, referred to as alginite A. However, Tertiary oil shales of northeastern Australia are chiefly composed of numerous very thin laminae of organic matter cryptically-interbedded with mineral matter. Because the present maceral nomenclature does not adequately encompass the morphological and optical properties of most organic matter in oil shales, it is proposed to use the term alginite B for finely lamellar alginite, and the term lamosites (laminated oil shales) for oil shales which contain alginite B as their dominant organic constituent. In the Julia Creek oil shale the organic matter is very fine-grained and contains some alginite B but has a higher content of alginite A and accordingly is assigned to a suite of oil shales of mixed origin.Petrological and chemical techniques are both useful in identifying the nature and diversity of organic matter in oil shales and in assessing the environments in which they were formed. Such an understanding is necessary to develop exploration concepts for oil shales.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Wang

<p>Natural organic matter (NOM) played an important role in the riverine and global carbon cycle. In order to evaluate the impact of river discharge and anthropogenic activities on the spatio-temporal variability of NOM content and sources in Lancang River, China, a comprehensive study was conducted in two years from the head to the leave-boundary section. As results, the DOC value ranged among 0.91-2.80 mg/L, with sharp decrease in the middle reaches and downstream. While the SOC value significantly enhanced along the water flow, varied from 0.06% to 3.54%. The isotopic composition of organic carbon (δ13C) suggested that predominant contribution of NOM is C3 plants in the upper reach, algae and soil organic matter in the middle reach, and aquatic plants in the downstream. EEM-PARAFAC results proved that NOM in Lancang River is mainly terrestrial organic carbon, while in situ microbial transformed NOM is very low. Moreover, the sharp increase of dissolved CO2 concentration in the lower reaches confirmed the strong respiration of microorganisms due to the higher DO and water temperature, thus resulted in the significantly different fluctuations of DOC and SOC.</p>


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. Herron ◽  
Jim Grau ◽  
Susan L. Herron ◽  
Robert L. Kleinberg ◽  
Malka Machlus ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajal Sharma ◽  
George R Dix ◽  
J FV Riva

Comparison of litho-, bio-, and chemostratigraphy in two cores from the northeastern margin of the Michigan Basin (Manitoulin Island) and from within the Ottawa Embayment (eastern Ontario) identifies interbasinal differences of Late Ordovician platform foundering linked to Taconic orogenesis. Graptolite biostratigraphy defines an east-to-west younging (late Edenian to early Maysvillian) of platform burial. A regional unconformity likely caps the platform succession. In both basins, an increased supply of mafic material appears during the final stages of platform collapse, with the accumulation of organic-rich (<8%), petroliferous shales (Collingwood Member — Michigan Basin; Eastview Member — Ottawa Embayment). Both units preserve evidence for deposition coincident with increased dysoxic to possible anoxic bottom-water conditions, but the Collingwood Member accumulated under a relatively stable paleoceanographic environment. Rhythmic interbedding with platform limestone in eastern Ontario, combined with evidence for fluctuating paleoproductivity, suggests the depositional environment of the Eastview Member was more sensitive to higher order controls affiliated with tectonic, oceanographic, and (or) sea level variation. Such interbasinal differences likely reflect a greater rate of subsidence in the Manitoulin region transforming platform sedimentation to a distal ramp facies. In eastern Ontario, a lesser rate of subsidence maintained a shallower water, but open margin, setting. Burial of the Upper Ordovician platform, as preserved in eastern Ontario, occurred during peak dysoxic conditions, with deposition of a hemipelagic facies (Billings Formation) that marks the peak supply of clay-size mafic-derived sediment. Bottom-water ventilation occurred only with appearance of abundant Taconic-derived distal turbidites. An equivalent hemipelagic facies appears to be absent from the Manitoulin region. However, equivalent resedimented deposits are represented by the Blue Mountain Formation.


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