Trends in U.S. Recoverable Coal Supply Estimates and Future Production Outlooks     

Mikael Höök  Kjell Aleklett 《Natural Resources Research》2010,19(3):189-208

The geological coal resource of the U.S. is abundant and proved coal reserves are listed as the world’s largest. However, the reserves are unevenly distributed and located in a small number of states, giving them major influence over future production. A long history of coal mining provides detailed time series of production and reserve estimates, which can be used to identify historical trends. In reviewing the historical evolution of coal reserves, one can state that the trend here does not point toward any major increases in available recoverable reserves; rather the opposite is true due to restrictions and increased focus on environmental impacts from coal extraction. Future coal production will not be entirely determined by what is geologically available, but rather by the fraction of that amount that is practically recoverable. Consequently, the historical trend toward reduced recoverable amounts is likely to continue into the future, with even stricter regulations imposed by increased environmental concern. Long-term outlooks can be created in many ways, but ultimately the production must be limited by recoverable volumes since coal is a finite resource. The geologic amounts of coal are of much less importance to future production than the practically recoverable volumes. The geological coal supply might be vast, but the important question is how large the share that can be extracted under present restrictions are and how those restrictions will develop in the future. Production limitations might therefore appear much sooner than previously expected.  相似文献   

Timing and genesis of base-metal mineralisation in black shales of the Upper Permian Ravnefjeld Formation,Wegener Halvø, East Greenland     

Mikael?PedersenEmail author  Jesper?K.?Nielsen  Adrian?J.?Boyce  Anthony?E.?Fallick 《Mineralium Deposita》2003,38(1):108-123

Bituminous mud shales of the Upper Permian Ravnefjeld Formation (Zechstein 1 equivalent) are mineralised with zinc, lead and copper within a ca. 50 km² area on Wegener Halvø in central East Greenland. The occurrence of base-metal sulphides in shale nodules cemented prior to compaction indicates an early commencement of base-metal mineralisation. In other cases, post-compactional sulphide textures are observed. Homogeneous lead isotope signatures of galena and sphalerite from the shales (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 18.440–18.466; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 16.554–16.586; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 38.240–38.326) suggest that all base metals were introduced during a single hydrothermal event. Therefore, post-compactional textures are believed to result from recrystallisation of early diagenetic sulphides during deep burial in the Upper Cretaceous to Tertiary. Lead isotope signatures of galena hosted in Upper Permian carbonate build-ups are relatively heterogeneous compared to those of the shale-hosted sulphides. The observed relations indicate a shared lead source for the two types of mineralisation, but different degrees of homogenisation during mineralisation. This suggests that lead was introduced to the carbonate rocks and black shales during two separate events. δ³⁴S of base-metal sulphides in the Ravnefjeld Formation lie between –12 and –4‰, whereas synsedimentary and early diagenetic pyrite in unmineralised shales in general have δ³⁴S between –47 and –16.5‰. Early diagenetic pyrite in the Wegener Halvø area in general has δ³⁴S 15 to 20‰ higher than the same pyrite morphotype in Triaselv in the western part of the basin. This relatively high δ³⁴S can be explained by extensive microbial sulphate reduction within persistent euxinic (super-anoxic) bottom waters under which supply of isotopically light seawater sulphate (and disproportionation of intermediate sulphur compounds) was restricted. The sulphur in the base-metal sulphides is believed to represent sulphide-dominated pore water, enriched in ³⁴S due to preferential removal of ³²S by sulphate-reducing bacteria and precipitation of diagenetic pyrite in the near-seafloor environment. We suggest that the sulphide-dominated pore water was trapped in the shale formation prior to introduction of base-metal-bearing fluids through fractures in the underlying carbonates, and that sulphide precipitation took place when the two fluids met. δ³⁴S values of carbonate-hosted base-metal sulphides fall within the same range as the shale-hosted ones. The relationship between barite and sulphides and evidence for pre-mineralisation entrapment of liquid hydrocarbons in the carbonates suggest that the sulphide in this case is derived by in-situ thermochemical sulphate reduction (TSR). Measured fractionation between sulphide and sulphate ranges from 18.5 to 24.4‰, suggesting temperatures of TSR around 70 to 100 °C. Vitrinite reflectance measurements in mineralised shale samples are all between 1.7 and 2.0%, except for samples taken close to a Tertiary dyke giving ca. 3.0%. Vitrinite reflectance data are comparable to previously published data from unmineralised shale samples in the area and could not be proven to correlate with the degree of mineralisation. This indicates that any early hydrothermal effect has been overprinted later, probably during deep burial in the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary as previously proposed.  相似文献   

Dormancy in freshwater zooplankton: Induction,termination and the importance of benthic-pelagic coupling   总被引：10，自引：0，他引：10  

Mikael?Gyllstr?mEmail author  Lars-Anders?Hansson 《Aquatic Sciences - Research Across Boundaries》2004,66(3):274-295

  相似文献   

Temporal behavior of manganese and iron in a sandy coastal sediment exposed to water column anoxia     

Erik?KristensenEmail author  Kim?Dyrberg?Kristiansen  Mikael?Hjorth?Jensen 《Estuaries and Coasts》2003,26(3):690-699

The influence of bottom water anoxia on manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and sulfur (S) biogeochemistry was examined in defaunated sandy sediment from Kærby Fed, Denmark, under controlled laboratory incubations. The initial narrow peaks and steep gradients in solid Mn(IV) and Fe(III) as well as porewater Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ observed in the upper 2–5 cm of the sediment indicate rapid metal reduction-oxidation cycles under oxic conditions in the overlying water. The fe zones were generally displaced about 0.5 cm downward compared with the Mn zones due to differences in reactivity. Mn(IV) was reduced and gradually disappeared first (within 10 d) when the sediment was exposed to anoxia followed by reduction and disappearance of Fe(III) (day 7 to 18). The associated loss of Mn²⁺ to the overlying water was most rapid during the first 15 d, whereas the Fe²⁺ efflux initiated around day 10, and after a few days with modest rates the efflux peaked around day 20. A considerable portion of the total Mn (26%) and Fe (23%) inventory initially present in the sediment was lost by efflux after about 1 mo of anoxia. The ability of the sediment to retain upward diffusion of H₂S gradually disappeared in a temporal pattern closely related to the changes in pool size of the reactive Mn and Fe present. The total metal pool in Kærby Fed sediment prevented H₂S release to the overlying water for at least a month of anoxia. It is speculated that external supplies from the overlying water allows a rapid refuelling of surface Mn and Fe oxides in the field when oxic conditions returns between periods of anoxia.  相似文献