Chile has a rich, but poorly known history of placer gold mining. At present, this sector is almost nonexistent and there are some restrictions for its revival: disperse and partial information on existing resources and limited technical expertise to assess the potential of placer gold mine sites. This paper presents the background, methodology and results of the prioritization process of known prospects of this kind in Chile. This research was part of a publicly funded project aimed to incentivize the development of this industry. The ranking was carried out using the analytic hierarchy process, which allowed to include different quantitative and qualitative variables related to the economic potential, technical aspects, contextual viability and socioeconomic factors in the analysis. The results show that, despite the increasing relevance of environmental and community issues in mining development, the business potential and the economic/technical aspects are the main factors in the early selection of a site to advance in exploration and development activities. Both variables represented around 40% and 37% of weights in the final selection, respectively. In contrast, contextual viability and local socioeconomic impacts only accounted for the remaining 23%. This study also shows that the inclusion of experts with different backgrounds in the process enriches the analysis and does not significantly distort the final outcome of the prioritization. Finally, the relevance of using MCDM tools when assessing the attractiveness of mine sites for their development is highlighted, particularly when public funds for subsequent exploration activities are committed.
We present a methodology based on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the level set method for the continuous model updating of geological facies with respect to production data. Geological facies are modeled using an implicit surface representation and conditioned to production data using the ensemble Kalman filter. The methodology is based on Gaussian random fields used to deform the facies boundaries. The Gaussian random fields are used as the model parameter vector to be updated sequentially within the EnKF when new measurements are available. We show the successful application of the methodology to two synthetic reservoir models. 相似文献
High-resolution geochemical analysis of a 6-m-long sediment core from Zoñar Lake, southern Spain, provides a detailed characterization of major changes in lake and watershed processes during the last 4,000 years. Geochemical variables were used as paleolimnological indicators and complement Zoñar Lakes’s paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on sedimentological and biological proxies, which define periods of increasing allochthonous input to the lake and periods of dominant autochthonous sedimentation. Chemical ratios identify periods of endogenic carbonate formation (higher Ca/Al, Sr/Al and Ba/Al ratios), evaporite precipitation (higher S/Al, Sr/Al ratios), and anoxic conditions (higher Mo/Al, U/Th ratios and Eu anomaly). Higher productivity is marked by elevated organic carbon content and carbonate precipitation (Mg/Ca). Hydrological reconstruction for Zoñar Lake was based on sedimentological, mineralogical and biological proxies, and shows that lower lake levels are characterized by Sr-rich sediments (a brackish lake with aragonite) and S-rich sediments (a saline lake with gypsum), while higher lake levels are characterized by sediments enriched in elements associated with alumino-silicates (Al, K, Ti, Fe, trace and rare earth elements), reflecting fresher conditions. Geochemical indicators also mark periods of higher detrital input to the lake related to human activity in the watershed: (1) during the Iberian Roman Humid Period (650 BC–AD 300), around the onset of the Little Ice Age (AD 1400), during the relatively drier Post-Roman and Middle Ages (AD 800–1400), and over the last 50 years, due to mechanized farming practices. Heavy metal enrichment in the sediments (Cu and Ni) suggests intensification of human activities during the Iberian Roman Period, and the use of fertilizers during the last 50 years. 相似文献
We present a study of two short sediment cores recovered from Lago Enol, in the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberia. We inferred past climate conditions and anthropogenic impacts using geochemical and biological (pollen and diatoms) variables in the dated sequences, in conjunction with temperature and precipitation data collected since 1871 at meteorological stations in the region. The record provides evidence of environmental changes during the last 200 years. At the end of the Little Ice Age (~1800?C1875 AD) the region was characterized by an open landscape. Long-term use of the area for mixed livestock grazing in the mountains, and cultivation of rye during the nineteenth century, contributed to the expansion of grassland at the expense of forest. Warmer temperatures since the end of the nineteenth century are inferred from a change in diatom assemblages and development of the local forest. Socioeconomic transformation during the twentieth century, such as livestock changes related to dairy specialization, planting of non-native trees, mining activities, and management of the national park since its creation in 1918, caused profound changes in the catchment and in the lake ecology. The last several decades (~1970?C2007 AD) of the Lago Enol sediment record are strikingly different from previous periods, indicating lower runoff and increasing lake productivity, particularly since AD 2000. Today, the large number of tourists who visit the area cause substantial impacts on this ecosystem. 相似文献
Climate change might lead to large shifts in tourist flows, with large economic implications. This article simulates the effect
of future climate change by the 2080s on outdoor international tourism expenditure within Europe. The assessment is based
on the statistical relationship between bed nights and a climate-related index of human comfort, after accounting for other
determinants of bed nights such as income and prices. It is concluded that climate change could have significant impacts on
the regional distribution of the physical resources supporting tourism in Europe. For example, in summer, Southern Europe
could experience climate conditions that are less favourable to tourism than the current climate, while countries in the North
could enjoy better conditions. The economic effects of these changes are likely to be sizeable, albeit difficult to assess.
Crucially, they are shown to depend on tourists’ temporal flexibility with respect to holiday planning. The greater the prominence
of institutional rigidities such as school holidays, the larger the differences between winning and losing regions in terms
of economic impact. 相似文献
Large amounts of particles ejected from the nucleus surface are present in the vicinity of the cometary nuclei when comets
are near the Sun (at heliocentric distances ≤2 AU). The largest dust grains ejected may constitute a hazard for spatial vehicles.
We tried to obtain the bounded orbits of those particles and to investigate their stability along several orbital periods.
The model includes the solar and the cometary gravitational forces and the solar radiation pressure force. The nucleus is
assumed to be spherical. The dust grains are also assumed to be spherical, and radially ejected. We include the effects of
centrifugal forces owing to the comet rotation. An expression for the most heavy particles that can be lifted is proposed.
Using the usual values adopted for the case of Halley’s comet, the largest grains that can be lifted have a diameter about
5 cm, and the term due to the rotation is negligible. However, that term increases the obtained value for the maximum diameter
of the lifted grain in a significant amount when the rotation period is of the order of a few hours. 相似文献
The importance of particle-particle collisions in sediment saltation in the bed-load layer is analyzed herein by means of numerical simulation. The particle saltation theoretical/numerical model follows a Lagrangian approach, and addresses the motion of sediment particles in an open channel flow described by a logarithmic velocity profile. The model is validated with experimental data obtained from the literature. In order to evaluate the importance of the phenomenon, simulations with and without particle-particle collisions were carried out. Results for two different sediment concentrations are presented, namely 0.13% and 2.33%. For each concentration of particles, three different flow intensities were considered, and trajectories of two different particle sizes, within the sand range were computed. Changes in particle rotation, particle velocity, and angle of trajectory before and after particle-particle collisions appear to be relatively important at lower shear stresses, whereas they decrease in significance with increasing flow intensities. Analyses of the evolution in time of the second order moment of particle location suggest that inter-particle collisions introduce transverse diffusion in saltating particles in the span-wise direction. 相似文献