The availability of lithium resources is of great significance for the development of modern technologies,as well as for civil and military industries.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a region known for its abundance of l...The availability of lithium resources is of great significance for the development of modern technologies,as well as for civil and military industries.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a region known for its abundance of lithium-rich salt lakes.However,the specific origin of lithium in these lakes is still unknown,which hinders the advancement of the lithium resource business in this region.To research this issue,this study involved the collection of 20 samples from Lakkor Co Salt Lake on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,encompassing samples of surface brine,cold springs,fresh lakes,and recharge rivers.The composition of anions and cations in these samples was determined.Furthermore,the analysis extensivelyutilizedthePiperthree-linediagram,Gibbs model,and ion proportion coefficient.The findings of this study indicate that as the moves from the recharge water system to salt lake,there is a transition in water type from strong carbonate to moderate carbonate and weak carbonate,as well as Na sulfate.This research based on a similar source of both lithium and boron,utilized ion correlation analysis and boron isotope study in the Lakkor Co area,and analyzed the source and transporting process of lithium.The main origin of lithium in Lakkor Co is the dissolution of lithiumrich rocks,recharge water systems,and deep hydrothermal fluids.These findings are highly significant in enhancing the foundational data of lithium-rich brine resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and are beneficial for assessing the future development of such deposits.展开更多
Electrochemical lithium extraction from salt lakes is an effective strategy for obtaining lithium at a low cost.Nevertheless,the elevated Mg:Li ratio and the presence of numerous coexisting ions in salt lake brines gi...Electrochemical lithium extraction from salt lakes is an effective strategy for obtaining lithium at a low cost.Nevertheless,the elevated Mg:Li ratio and the presence of numerous coexisting ions in salt lake brines give rise to challenges,such as prolonged lithium extraction periods,diminished lithium extraction efficiency,and considerable environmental pollution.In this work,Li FePO4(LFP)served as the electrode material for electrochemical lithium extraction.The conductive network in the LFP electrode was optimized by adjusting the type of conductive agent.This approach resulted in high lithium extraction efficiency and extended cycle life.When the single conductive agent of acetylene black(AB)or multiwalled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)was replaced with the mixed conductive agent of AB/MWCNTs,the average diffusion coefficient of Li+in the electrode increased from 2.35×10^(-9)or 1.77×10^(-9)to 4.21×10^(-9)cm^(2)·s^(-1).At the current density of 20 mA·g^(-1),the average lithium extraction capacity per gram of LFP electrode increased from 30.36 mg with the single conductive agent(AB)to 35.62 mg with the mixed conductive agent(AB/MWCNTs).When the mixed conductive agent was used,the capacity retention of the electrode after 30 cycles reached 82.9%,which was considerably higher than the capacity retention of 65.8%obtained when the single AB was utilized.Meanwhile,the electrode with mixed conductive agent of AB/MWCNTs provided good cycling performance.When the conductive agent content decreased or the loading capacity increased,the electrode containing the mixed conductive agent continued to show excellent electrochemical performance.Furthermore,a self-designed,highly efficient,continuous lithium extraction device was constructed.The electrode utilizing the AB/MWCNT mixed conductive agent maintained excellent adsorption capacity and cycling performance in this device.This work provides a new perspective for the electrochemical extraction of lithium using LFP electrodes.展开更多
Zabuye Salt Lake(ZSL)in Xizang is the only saline lake in the world with natural crystalline lithium carbonate.As it is an important lithium production base in China,any changes of this lake are concerning.Global clim...Zabuye Salt Lake(ZSL)in Xizang is the only saline lake in the world with natural crystalline lithium carbonate.As it is an important lithium production base in China,any changes of this lake are concerning.Global climate change(CC)has affected the hydrological conditions of glaciers,lakes,and ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau(TP).With the aim of monitoring dynamic hydrological changes in ZSL and Lunggar Glaciers(LG)to identify factors governing lake changes,and to estimate the potential damage to grasslands and salt pans,Landsat remote sensing(RS)and meteorological data were used to do a series of experiments and analysis.Firstly,according to the spectral characteristics(SC),salt lake,glaciers,grasslands,and salt pans around the salt lake were extracted by band calculation(BC).Secondly,basin and water areas of the expanded lake were estimated using a shuttle radar topography mission(SRTM)digital elevation model(DEM).Thirdly,comprehensive analyses of lake and glacier area changes,and regional meteorological factors(annual average temperature,annual precipitation,and evaporation)were performed,and the results show that ZSL expanded at a rate of 5.28 km^(2)/a,it is likely to continue expanding.Expansion was closely related to the large-scale melting of a glacier caused by rising temperatures.Continued lake expansion(LE)will exert different effects on surrounding grasslands and salt pans,7.84 km^(2)of grassland and 2.7 km^(2)of salt pan will be submerged with every meter of water increase in the lake.Similar prediction methods was used to monitor other lakes on the TP.Mami Co,Selin Co,and Chaerhan salt lakes all expanded at different rates,and may potentially cause different levels of potential harm to surrounding grasslands and roads.Our study contributes to salt lake research and demonstrates the superiority of RS technology for monitoring saline lakes.展开更多
The Qarhan Salt Lake(QSL)in western China is K-Sr-Li-B-Br-Rb multi-resource coexisting Quaternary brine deposits.Significant research efforts have been directed to the origin of K-Li resources and evolutionary history...The Qarhan Salt Lake(QSL)in western China is K-Sr-Li-B-Br-Rb multi-resource coexisting Quaternary brine deposits.Significant research efforts have been directed to the origin of K-Li resources and evolutionary history of the QSL.However,the study on the different sources,recharge processes,and differential distribution patterns for these resource elements in brine deposits is still inadequate.Therefore,we measured Li-B concentrations and H-O-Sr-B isotopic compositions of different waters(river,spring,and brine)from the QSL,combined with the reported K-Sr contents and multiple isotopes of waters,to discuss the recharge,source of K-Sr-Li-B and their spatial distributions,by analogy with other evaporite basins in the world.The results show that:(1)the K-Li-B-Sr elemental concentrations of brines and their spatial distribution in the QSL are diverse;(2)high K and Sr values are distributed in Dabuxun and Qarhan sections,respectively,which are controlled by Ca-Cl springs in the northern QSL;on the contrary,Li and B values are enriched in the Bieletan section and are charged by thermal springs in the Kunlun Mountains;(3)the formation and evolution of Ca-Cl and thermal springs constrain fundamentally on the recharge processes of K-Sr and Li-B elements in the terminal salt lakes of the Qaidam Basin(QB);(4)some analogues of recharge processes limit the resource elements of the QSL and other salt lakes(Da Qaidam,Lop Nur,Zhabuye,Atacama,and Guayatayoc)in the world provides a reference for the resource exploration in deep formation waters in the evaporite basins.展开更多
There are a large number of lakes,rivers,and other natural water bodies distributed in the permafrost area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The changes in water bodies will affect the distribution of water resources ...There are a large number of lakes,rivers,and other natural water bodies distributed in the permafrost area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The changes in water bodies will affect the distribution of water resources in sur-rounding areas and downstream areas,resulting in environmental impact and bringing potential flood disasters,which will induce more serious issues and problems in alpine and high-altitude areas with a fragile habitat(such as the QTP in China).Generally,effective,reasonable,and scientific monitoring of large-scale water bodies can not only document the changes in water bodies intuitively,but also provide important theoretical reference for subsequent environmental impact prediction,and disaster prevention and mitigation in due course of time.The large-scale water extraction technology derived from the optical remote sensing(RS)image is seriously affected by clouds,bringing about large differences among the extracted water result products.Synthetic aperture radar(SAR)RS technology has the unique advantage characteristics of all-weather,all-day,strong penetration,and not being affected by clouds,which is hopeful in extracting water body data,especially for days with cloudy weather.The data extraction of large-scale water bodies based on SAR images can effectively avoid the errors caused by clouds that become prevalent at present.In this paper,the Hoh Xil Salt Lake on the QTP and its surrounding five lakes are taken as the research objects.The 2-scene Sentinel-1 SAR image data covering the whole area on 22 August 2022 was used to verify the feasibility of extracting water body data in permafrost zones.Furthermore,on 22 August 2022,the wealth here was cloudy,which made the optical RS images,e.g.,Sentinel-2 images full of clouds.The results show that:using the Sentinel-1 image and threshold segmentation method to extract water body data is efficient and effective with excellent results in permafrost areas.Concretely,the Sentinel-1 dual-polarized water index(SDWI),calculated by combining dual vertical–vertical(VV)polarized and verti-cal–horizontal(VH)polarized data is a useful index for water extraction and the result is better than each of the VV or VH polarized images.展开更多
Sergei Winogradsky illuminated revolutionary concepts and produced a tool to visualize complex microbial communities and their metabolisms over time:columns displaying aquatic consortia with variety of niches.We worke...Sergei Winogradsky illuminated revolutionary concepts and produced a tool to visualize complex microbial communities and their metabolisms over time:columns displaying aquatic consortia with variety of niches.We worked with museums in Utah to create Winogradsky columns that would highlight aesthetic properties of the Great Salt Lake(GSL)ecosystem,which has a salinity gradient from the freshwater wetlands to salt saturation.One column,constructed using haloarchaea-rich hypersaline brine and oolitic sand of the lake’s north arm,was enriched with nutrients,and resulted in the desired pink hue over time.After a seven-year maturation period,we examined the microbial taxa present in the water through 16 S/18 S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer(ITS)gene sequencing.A pigment analysis revealed an abundance of bacteriochlorophyll a.The presence of this pigment coupled with the DNA sequencing results,suggest that the haloarchaea that dominate the GSL brine,were not responsible for the pink coloration,but instead Gammaproteobacteria,especially Halorhodospira species.Among the eukaryotes,the lack of phytoplankton and the abundance of fungi were noteworthy observations.These data likely relate to the reduction of oxygen in a non-aerated sealed system over time.Our second exhibit had the goal of educating museum goers about the varying salinities of Great Salt Lake.Here we employed three distinct columns of water and sediment from this salinity gradient.Observations of these columns overtime gave us information about invertebrate communities in addition to the microbial consortia.Both installations taught us about comparing an artificial environment in a museum setting to the natural ecosystem.Taken together,we present the data collected and lessons learned from using Winogradsky columns in public spaces for teaching about an important saline lake.展开更多
China has unique salt lake resources, and they are distributed in the east of Eurasian salt lake subzone of the Northern Hemisphere Salt Lake Zone, mainly concentrated in the regions with modern mean annual precipitat...China has unique salt lake resources, and they are distributed in the east of Eurasian salt lake subzone of the Northern Hemisphere Salt Lake Zone, mainly concentrated in the regions with modern mean annual precipitation lower than 500 mm. This paper preliminarily reviews the progress made in salt lake research in China for the past 60 years. In the research of Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from salt lake sediments, a series of salts have been proposed to be indicators of paleoclimate, and have been well accepted by scholars. The chloride-sulfate depositional regions of the west Qaidam and the east Tarim have been revealed to be the drought center of China since the Quaternary, and more than 6 spreading stages of arid climate （salt forming） have been identified. Five pan-lake periods with highstands have been proved to exist during the late Quaternary on the Tibetan Plateau. In mineral resource prospecting and theories of the forming of salt deposits： the atlas （1：2500000） of hydrochemical zoning of salt lakes on the Tibetan Plateau has been compiled for the first time, revealing the zonal distribution and transition from carbonate type to chloride type from south to north and presenting corresponding mineral assemblages for different type of salt lakes; several large continental salt deposits have been discovered and the theory of continental potash deposition has been developed, including the salt deposition in deep basins surrounded by high mountains, the mineral deposition from multistage evolution through chains of moderate or shallow lakes with multilevels, the origin of potassium rich brines in gravel layers, and the forming of potassium deposits through the inheriting from ancient salt deposits, thus establishing the framework of ＂Continental Potash Deposition Theory＂; several new types of Mg-borate deposits have been discovered, including the ulexite and pinnoite bed in Da Qaidam Lake, Qinghai, the pinnoite and kurnakovite bed in Chagcam Caka, Tibet, the kurnakovite bed in Lake Nyer, and the corresponding model of borate deposition from the cooling and dissolution of boron rich brines was proposed based on principles of geology, physics and chemistry. The anti-floatation-cold crystallization method developed independently has improved the capacity of KCI production to 3 million tons per year for the Qarham, serving the famous brand of potash fertilizer products. One 1.2 million ton K-sulfate production line, the biggest in the world, has been built in Lop Nor, and K-sulfate of about 1.6 million tons was produced in 2015. Supported by the new technology, i.e. brine preparation in winter-cooling-solarization-isolation-lithium deposition from salt gradient solar pond＂ the highest lithium production base at Zabuye Lake （4421 m）, Tibet, has been established, which is the first lithium production base in China that reaches the year production of 5000 tons of lithium carbonate. The concept of Salt lake agriculture （Salt land agriculture） has been established based on the mass growth of Dunaliella and other bacillus-algae and the occurrence of various halophytes in saltmarsh and salt saline-alkali lands, finding a new way to increase arable lands and develop related green industry in salt rich environments. Finally this paper presents some new thoughts for the further research and development on salt science, and the further progress in salt science and technology will facilitate the maturing of the interdisciplinary science ＂Salinology＂.展开更多
Salt lakes are a mirror of climatic changes and provide holographic records of environmental changes of lakes. According to a study of geological hazards in typical salt lake areas in China and other regions, the auth...Salt lakes are a mirror of climatic changes and provide holographic records of environmental changes of lakes. According to a study of geological hazards in typical salt lake areas in China and other regions, the authors explain how geological hazards in salt lake areas are caused by natural agents and how humans can seek benefits, avoid hazards and reduce losses on the premise that they have monitored and mastered the trend of salt lake changes in advance and even can store flood and recharge water in lakes and extract saline resources. The climate in western China is probably turning from warm-dry to warm-moist. The authors analyze the change trend of salt lakes sensu lato (with salinity≥0.3 wt% (NaCl)eq) and salt lakes sensu stricto (with salinity ≥3.5 wt% (NaCl)eq) in China in such climatic conditions and distinguish three types of salt lake areas (i.e. lake water rising type, lake water falling type and lake water rising and unstable type) according to the characteristics of lake water rising and shrinking. In order to conform to the climatic and lake changes in China's salt lake areas, the authors propose to add and improve hydrological and meteorological observation stations and integrate observations with remote sensing monitoring in important salt lake areas and set up multidisciplinary and interdepartmental basic projects to monitor and study recent climatic and environmental changes in salt lake areas of western China. Moreover, it is necessary to build additional flood-control and drought-preventing water conservancy facilities in key salt lake areas and work out measures for ecological protection in salt lake areas. Full consideration should be given to the influence of flooding when building saltfields and implementing capital projects.展开更多
The residues of salt lake brine from which potassium had been removed were used to extract Rb＋ and Cs＋ together with a sulphonated kerosene（SK） solution of 1.0 mol/L 4-tert-butyl-2-（α-methylbenzyl） phenol（t-BA...The residues of salt lake brine from which potassium had been removed were used to extract Rb＋ and Cs＋ together with a sulphonated kerosene（SK） solution of 1.0 mol/L 4-tert-butyl-2-（α-methylbenzyl） phenol（t-BAMBP）. Rb＋ and Cs＋ were enriched and separated effectively by precipitating Mg2＋ before extraction and by scrubbing out K＋ and Na＋ repeatedly before stripping. The effects of the volume ratio of organic phase to aqueous extraction phase（O/A）, alkalinity of aqueous phase（c（OH）-）, interference from K＋ and Mg2＋, and ratio the volume of organic phase to aqueous scrubbing phase（O/A′） were investigated. The experimental brine was extracted optimally by 5-stage extraction with 1.0 mol/L t-BAMBP in SK, c（OH-）=1 mol/L, and O/A=1：1. The scrubbing yield of rubidium was only about 10.5% when the extraction solvent was washed 3 times with 1×10-4 mol/L Na OH at O/A′=1：0.5. After 5-stage countercurrent extraction, the final extraction yields of Rb＋ and Cs＋ reached 95.04% and 99.80%, respectively.展开更多
Salt lake brine was reacted with activated aluminum-based alloys and lithium was precipitated.The effects of aluminum-based alloys on precipitating lithium were investigated and the reasonable alloy used to extract li...Salt lake brine was reacted with activated aluminum-based alloys and lithium was precipitated.The effects of aluminum-based alloys on precipitating lithium were investigated and the reasonable alloy used to extract lithium from brine was obtained.The effects of the mole ratio of Al to Li and Ca content of Al-Ca alloy,the initial concentration of lithiumion ion in solution,reaction temperature and reaction time on the adsorption rate of lithium were studied,and the optimized process parameters were determined.The results show that the mole ratio of Al to Li and Ca content of Al-Ca alloy and reaction temperature have great influences on the precipitation rate of lithium.The precipitation rate of lithium reaches 94.6% under the optimal condition,indicating that Al-Ca alloy is suitable for the extraction of lithium from salt lake brine.展开更多
The Lop Nur Salt Lake, located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China, has become a playa in the Quaternary. Rhombic in shape, the Lop Nur depression is mainly controlled by the NE-striking and nearly...The Lop Nur Salt Lake, located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China, has become a playa in the Quaternary. Rhombic in shape, the Lop Nur depression is mainly controlled by the NE-striking and nearly N-S-striking sets of faults. Since 1995, a superlarge brine potash deposit with potash resources of 2.50×10^8s t has been found in the Luobei subbasin in the northeastern part of the Lop Nur. We intensively studied the features and formation mechanism of faults inside the Lop Nur through satellite images, geomorphologic survey and continuous conductivity imaging and found seven subparallel graben faults formed under the action of nearly N 10° E principal compressional stress during deposition of the Lop Nur Salt Lake. These faults are up to 〉60 km long and 1-4 km wide and may extend downward for 1000 m or more. It is just under the action of these tensional faults that potash subbasius formed. The largest subbasin is the Luobei subbasin and the smaller ones are the Luoxi hollow, Erbei hollow and Tienan hollow. Investigation also indicates that the graben faults in the Lop Nur not only control the origin of the potash subbasins, but they themselves are also good brine reservoir structures, in which abundant potash-rich brines are stored. Therefore, The faults had played an important role in the potash formation of the Lop Nur.展开更多
In order to clarify the formation mechanism of linear dunes on the northern margin of Qarhan Salt Lake, northwestern China, we analyzed the grain-size and sorting parameters of the dune and interdune sands. The surfac...In order to clarify the formation mechanism of linear dunes on the northern margin of Qarhan Salt Lake, northwestern China, we analyzed the grain-size and sorting parameters of the dune and interdune sands. The surface sands （0-30 ram） from the dune base to the crest of both flanks and interdune corridors were sampled along transects from upwind to downwind through the dune field. The results indicated that the grain-size distribution differed at different positions between and within the dunes. The frequency curve for dune sands mainly showed a bimodal distribution, while the interdune sediments showed a trimodal distribution. The grain size distribution of the linear dunes showed a finer crest pattern, i.e. the crests were composed of sands that were generally finer, better sorted than those of base sands. In addition, at the dune field scale, the dune crest sands were tending to become much finer but sorting became worse along the downwind transects. However, the grain-size parameters of sediments in the interdune corridors showed no clear pattern. The results demonstrated that the grain size and sorting parameters exhibited a systematic change not only at the individual scale but also at the dune field scale. Our results quantitatively estimate the limited role of cohesive sediments on the formation of linear dune under unidirectional wind regime. More attention should be paid to a long-term wind regime observation, internal sedimentary structures and their formation ages.展开更多
This paper for the first time reveals high-resolution core records of Zabuye Salt Lake in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to 1346 samples taken continuously, relatively accurate 14^C, U-series dis...This paper for the first time reveals high-resolution core records of Zabuye Salt Lake in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to 1346 samples taken continuously, relatively accurate 14^C, U-series disequilibrium and ESR ages have been obtained, thus revealing that the lake core ages from 0 to 83.63 m of hole SZK02 are -800 to over 128 ka. In the paper, the lake core sedimentary characteristics （including the lithologies and mineral assemblages） are analyzed in detail and correlated with ostracod assemblages I to XX and sporopollen zones A to I, and on the basis of an integrated analysis of the δ^18O values of authigenic calcium-magnesium carbonate and environmental proxies of minerals, sporopollen and microfossils in the lake core, a correlation has been made of oxygen isotope change between this lake core and the Greenland GISP2 and GRIP and Guliya ice cores, and the climate of Zabuye Salt Lake since 128 ka BP is divided into the last interglacial stage （including substages e, d, c, b and a） of oxygen isotope stage （OIS） 5, early glacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 4, interglacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 3, late glacial stadial of the last glacial stage or Last Glacial Maximum of OIS 2 and postglacial state of OIS 1; in addition, 6 Heinrich （H6-H1） events, Younger Dryas event and 8.2 ka BP cold event have been recognized.展开更多
Lithium in nature mainly exists in the forms of solid minerals and ionic liquid.More than 150 lithium minerals exist,which are mainly pegmatite mineral including triphane,lithionite and petalite.Liquid lithium mainly
We studied the sedimentary characteristics of a Paleocene-Eocene salt lake in the Jiangling Depression through field core observation,thin section identification,scanning electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction anal...We studied the sedimentary characteristics of a Paleocene-Eocene salt lake in the Jiangling Depression through field core observation,thin section identification,scanning electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction analysis.On the basis of sedimentary characteristics we have summarized the petrological and mineralogical characteristics of the salt lake and proposed 9 types of grade IV salt rhythms.The deposition shows a desalting to salting order of halite-argillaceous-mudstone-mud dolostonemud anhydrock-glauberite-halite.The relationship among grade IV rhythms,water salinity and climate fluctuations was analyzed.Based on the analysis of the relationship between boron content and mudstone color and by combining the mineralogy and sedimentary environment characteristics,we propose that the early and late Paleocene Shashi Formation in the Jiangling Depression was a paleolacustrine depositional environment with a high salt content,which is a representation of the shallow water salt lake depositional model.The middle Paleocene Shashi Formation and the early Eocene Xingouzui Formation were salt and brackish sedimentary environments with low salt content in a deep paleolake,which represents a deep salt lake depositional model.展开更多
The Qaidam Basin is a large intermontane depression in Qinghai Province,China,which located on the northern margin of the Tibet plateau,and surrounded by the Qilian,Kunlun and Aljun mountains which rise to more than 5...The Qaidam Basin is a large intermontane depression in Qinghai Province,China,which located on the northern margin of the Tibet plateau,and surrounded by the Qilian,Kunlun and Aljun mountains which rise to more than 5000m.Some 27 salt lakes occur within the basin,occupying an area of approximately 1500 km2.Additionally,there are extensive areas of dry playas.Together,the playas and salt lakes cover about one quarter of the total basin area.Whereas the western展开更多
Several cracks were found on the surface of the concrete foundations that support the steel towers of the Luohe （漯河）-Huaiyung （淮阳） high-voltage electricity transmission line that is 20 years old and situated i...Several cracks were found on the surface of the concrete foundations that support the steel towers of the Luohe （漯河）-Huaiyung （淮阳） high-voltage electricity transmission line that is 20 years old and situated in an inland salt lake environment in North China. To analyze the deterioration mechanism that led to this condition, field investigations were carried out and several tests were conducted on the soil and the affected concrete, including XRD （X-ray diffraction）, electric probe analysis, and chemical analysis. The results show that the concentration of sulfates is very high （0. 39% wt. -0.67% wt. ） in both the surrounding soil and the material around the coarse aggregates inside the concrete. Hence, sulfate attack could be one of the main causes of concrete deterioration. The percentage of sulfates in the surface layer of the concrete was higher than that in the inner layers of the concrete. The sulfates penetrate into the concrete and react with the hydrates of cement to form ettringite （AFt）, which leads to increase in the volume and cracking of the concrete.展开更多
The mineral rock salts present in the Mahai Salt Lake of the Qaidam basin exhibit high solubilities in water. In addition, the multicomponent underground brine exhibits a high salinity and is easily precipitated. In t...The mineral rock salts present in the Mahai Salt Lake of the Qaidam basin exhibit high solubilities in water. In addition, the multicomponent underground brine exhibits a high salinity and is easily precipitated. In the natural state, brine transport in the brine layer is extremely slow, and the brine is in a relatively stable chemical equilibrium state with the rock salt media. However, during mining, both the seepage and the chemical fields fluctuate significantly, thereby disrupting the equilibrium and leading to variations in the chemical composition and dynamic characteristics of the brine. Therefore, we selected underground brine from the Mahai Salt Lake, collecting a total of 183 brine samples over three stages of mining（i.e., the early stage of underground brine extraction, the initial stage of mining, and the later stage of mining）. Using a range of analytical techniques, the chemical dynamics of the underground brine water and its evolution were systematically studied. We found that evaporation and enrichment were the main mechanisms of underground brine evolution in the Mahai Salt Lake, with cation exchange and mineral dissolution/precipitation being key factors in determining the dynamic characteristics and evolution of the brine.展开更多
The Badain Jaran Desert is the second largest desert in China with tallest sand dunes on the earth.In contrast to the extremely dry climate,there are about 100 lakes spreading regularly over the depressions among high
Zabuye Salt Lake in Tibet,China is a carbonate-type salt lake,which has some unique characteristics that make it different from other types of salt lakes.The lake is at the latter period in its evolution and contains ...Zabuye Salt Lake in Tibet,China is a carbonate-type salt lake,which has some unique characteristics that make it different from other types of salt lakes.The lake is at the latter period in its evolution and contains liquid and solid resources.Its brine is rich in Li,B,K and other useful minor elements that are of great economic value.We studied the concentration behavior of these elements and the crystallization paths of salts during isothermal evaporation of brine at 15℃and 25℃.The crystallization sequence of the primary salts from the brine at 25℃is halite（NaCl）→aphthitalite （3K_2SO_4·Na_2SO_4）→zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3）→trona（Na_2CO_3·NaHCO_3·2H_2O）→thermonatrite （Na_2CO_3·H_2O）→sylvite（KCl）,while the sequence is halite（NaCl）→sylvite（KCl）→trona （Na_2CO_3·NaHCO_3·2H_2O）→zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3）→thermonatrite（Na_2CO_3·H_2O）→aphthitalite （3K_2SO_4·Na_2SO_4） at 15℃.They are in accordance with the metastable phase diagram of the Na~＋,K~＋-Cl^-, CO_3^（2-）,SO_4^（2-）-H_2O quinary system at 25℃,except for Na_2CO_3·7H_2O which is replaced by trona and thermonatrite.In the 25℃experiment,zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3） was precipitated in the early stage because Li_2CO_3 is supersaturated in the brine at 25℃,in contrast with that at 15℃,it precipitated in the later stage.Potash was precipitated in the middle and late stages in both experiments,while boron was concentrated in the early and middle stages and precipitated in the late stage.展开更多
基金supported by Shaanxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars(2022JC)NSFC(41930863,42173023)The Science and Technology Plan Project of Qinghai Province Incentive Fund 2023。
文摘The availability of lithium resources is of great significance for the development of modern technologies,as well as for civil and military industries.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a region known for its abundance of lithium-rich salt lakes.However,the specific origin of lithium in these lakes is still unknown,which hinders the advancement of the lithium resource business in this region.To research this issue,this study involved the collection of 20 samples from Lakkor Co Salt Lake on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,encompassing samples of surface brine,cold springs,fresh lakes,and recharge rivers.The composition of anions and cations in these samples was determined.Furthermore,the analysis extensivelyutilizedthePiperthree-linediagram,Gibbs model,and ion proportion coefficient.The findings of this study indicate that as the moves from the recharge water system to salt lake,there is a transition in water type from strong carbonate to moderate carbonate and weak carbonate,as well as Na sulfate.This research based on a similar source of both lithium and boron,utilized ion correlation analysis and boron isotope study in the Lakkor Co area,and analyzed the source and transporting process of lithium.The main origin of lithium in Lakkor Co is the dissolution of lithiumrich rocks,recharge water systems,and deep hydrothermal fluids.These findings are highly significant in enhancing the foundational data of lithium-rich brine resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and are beneficial for assessing the future development of such deposits.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52072322)the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province,China(Nos.23GJHZ0147,23ZDYF0262,2022YFG0294,and 2019-GH02-00052-HZ)。
文摘Electrochemical lithium extraction from salt lakes is an effective strategy for obtaining lithium at a low cost.Nevertheless,the elevated Mg:Li ratio and the presence of numerous coexisting ions in salt lake brines give rise to challenges,such as prolonged lithium extraction periods,diminished lithium extraction efficiency,and considerable environmental pollution.In this work,Li FePO4(LFP)served as the electrode material for electrochemical lithium extraction.The conductive network in the LFP electrode was optimized by adjusting the type of conductive agent.This approach resulted in high lithium extraction efficiency and extended cycle life.When the single conductive agent of acetylene black(AB)or multiwalled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)was replaced with the mixed conductive agent of AB/MWCNTs,the average diffusion coefficient of Li+in the electrode increased from 2.35×10^(-9)or 1.77×10^(-9)to 4.21×10^(-9)cm^(2)·s^(-1).At the current density of 20 mA·g^(-1),the average lithium extraction capacity per gram of LFP electrode increased from 30.36 mg with the single conductive agent(AB)to 35.62 mg with the mixed conductive agent(AB/MWCNTs).When the mixed conductive agent was used,the capacity retention of the electrode after 30 cycles reached 82.9%,which was considerably higher than the capacity retention of 65.8%obtained when the single AB was utilized.Meanwhile,the electrode with mixed conductive agent of AB/MWCNTs provided good cycling performance.When the conductive agent content decreased or the loading capacity increased,the electrode containing the mixed conductive agent continued to show excellent electrochemical performance.Furthermore,a self-designed,highly efficient,continuous lithium extraction device was constructed.The electrode utilizing the AB/MWCNT mixed conductive agent maintained excellent adsorption capacity and cycling performance in this device.This work provides a new perspective for the electrochemical extraction of lithium using LFP electrodes.
基金Supported by the Academician Workstation Projects of the Institute of Mineral Resources,Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences(Nos.HE 2205,HE 2206,KK 2012)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42172332)+1 种基金the China Geological Survey Project(No.DD 20221684)the Basic Research Projects of the Institute of Mineral Resources,Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences(No.KK 2102)。
文摘Zabuye Salt Lake(ZSL)in Xizang is the only saline lake in the world with natural crystalline lithium carbonate.As it is an important lithium production base in China,any changes of this lake are concerning.Global climate change(CC)has affected the hydrological conditions of glaciers,lakes,and ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau(TP).With the aim of monitoring dynamic hydrological changes in ZSL and Lunggar Glaciers(LG)to identify factors governing lake changes,and to estimate the potential damage to grasslands and salt pans,Landsat remote sensing(RS)and meteorological data were used to do a series of experiments and analysis.Firstly,according to the spectral characteristics(SC),salt lake,glaciers,grasslands,and salt pans around the salt lake were extracted by band calculation(BC).Secondly,basin and water areas of the expanded lake were estimated using a shuttle radar topography mission(SRTM)digital elevation model(DEM).Thirdly,comprehensive analyses of lake and glacier area changes,and regional meteorological factors(annual average temperature,annual precipitation,and evaporation)were performed,and the results show that ZSL expanded at a rate of 5.28 km^(2)/a,it is likely to continue expanding.Expansion was closely related to the large-scale melting of a glacier caused by rising temperatures.Continued lake expansion(LE)will exert different effects on surrounding grasslands and salt pans,7.84 km^(2)of grassland and 2.7 km^(2)of salt pan will be submerged with every meter of water increase in the lake.Similar prediction methods was used to monitor other lakes on the TP.Mami Co,Selin Co,and Chaerhan salt lakes all expanded at different rates,and may potentially cause different levels of potential harm to surrounding grasslands and roads.Our study contributes to salt lake research and demonstrates the superiority of RS technology for monitoring saline lakes.
基金Supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(No.2019 QZKK 0805)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.U 21 A 2018)the Foundation of Department of Qinghai Science&Technology(No.2020-ZJ-T 06)。
文摘The Qarhan Salt Lake(QSL)in western China is K-Sr-Li-B-Br-Rb multi-resource coexisting Quaternary brine deposits.Significant research efforts have been directed to the origin of K-Li resources and evolutionary history of the QSL.However,the study on the different sources,recharge processes,and differential distribution patterns for these resource elements in brine deposits is still inadequate.Therefore,we measured Li-B concentrations and H-O-Sr-B isotopic compositions of different waters(river,spring,and brine)from the QSL,combined with the reported K-Sr contents and multiple isotopes of waters,to discuss the recharge,source of K-Sr-Li-B and their spatial distributions,by analogy with other evaporite basins in the world.The results show that:(1)the K-Li-B-Sr elemental concentrations of brines and their spatial distribution in the QSL are diverse;(2)high K and Sr values are distributed in Dabuxun and Qarhan sections,respectively,which are controlled by Ca-Cl springs in the northern QSL;on the contrary,Li and B values are enriched in the Bieletan section and are charged by thermal springs in the Kunlun Mountains;(3)the formation and evolution of Ca-Cl and thermal springs constrain fundamentally on the recharge processes of K-Sr and Li-B elements in the terminal salt lakes of the Qaidam Basin(QB);(4)some analogues of recharge processes limit the resource elements of the QSL and other salt lakes(Da Qaidam,Lop Nur,Zhabuye,Atacama,and Guayatayoc)in the world provides a reference for the resource exploration in deep formation waters in the evaporite basins.
基金funded by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)program,grant number 2019QZKK0905the National Natural Science Foundation of China,grant number 42272339,42201162,42101121the Research Project of the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soils Engineering,grant number SKLFSE-ZQ-58,SKLFSE-ZT-202203,SKLFSE-ZY-20.
文摘There are a large number of lakes,rivers,and other natural water bodies distributed in the permafrost area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The changes in water bodies will affect the distribution of water resources in sur-rounding areas and downstream areas,resulting in environmental impact and bringing potential flood disasters,which will induce more serious issues and problems in alpine and high-altitude areas with a fragile habitat(such as the QTP in China).Generally,effective,reasonable,and scientific monitoring of large-scale water bodies can not only document the changes in water bodies intuitively,but also provide important theoretical reference for subsequent environmental impact prediction,and disaster prevention and mitigation in due course of time.The large-scale water extraction technology derived from the optical remote sensing(RS)image is seriously affected by clouds,bringing about large differences among the extracted water result products.Synthetic aperture radar(SAR)RS technology has the unique advantage characteristics of all-weather,all-day,strong penetration,and not being affected by clouds,which is hopeful in extracting water body data,especially for days with cloudy weather.The data extraction of large-scale water bodies based on SAR images can effectively avoid the errors caused by clouds that become prevalent at present.In this paper,the Hoh Xil Salt Lake on the QTP and its surrounding five lakes are taken as the research objects.The 2-scene Sentinel-1 SAR image data covering the whole area on 22 August 2022 was used to verify the feasibility of extracting water body data in permafrost zones.Furthermore,on 22 August 2022,the wealth here was cloudy,which made the optical RS images,e.g.,Sentinel-2 images full of clouds.The results show that:using the Sentinel-1 image and threshold segmentation method to extract water body data is efficient and effective with excellent results in permafrost areas.Concretely,the Sentinel-1 dual-polarized water index(SDWI),calculated by combining dual vertical–vertical(VV)polarized and verti-cal–horizontal(VH)polarized data is a useful index for water extraction and the result is better than each of the VV or VH polarized images.
基金Supported by the NASA Utah Space Grant Consortium and Preston Chiaro。
文摘Sergei Winogradsky illuminated revolutionary concepts and produced a tool to visualize complex microbial communities and their metabolisms over time:columns displaying aquatic consortia with variety of niches.We worked with museums in Utah to create Winogradsky columns that would highlight aesthetic properties of the Great Salt Lake(GSL)ecosystem,which has a salinity gradient from the freshwater wetlands to salt saturation.One column,constructed using haloarchaea-rich hypersaline brine and oolitic sand of the lake’s north arm,was enriched with nutrients,and resulted in the desired pink hue over time.After a seven-year maturation period,we examined the microbial taxa present in the water through 16 S/18 S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer(ITS)gene sequencing.A pigment analysis revealed an abundance of bacteriochlorophyll a.The presence of this pigment coupled with the DNA sequencing results,suggest that the haloarchaea that dominate the GSL brine,were not responsible for the pink coloration,but instead Gammaproteobacteria,especially Halorhodospira species.Among the eukaryotes,the lack of phytoplankton and the abundance of fungi were noteworthy observations.These data likely relate to the reduction of oxygen in a non-aerated sealed system over time.Our second exhibit had the goal of educating museum goers about the varying salinities of Great Salt Lake.Here we employed three distinct columns of water and sediment from this salinity gradient.Observations of these columns overtime gave us information about invertebrate communities in addition to the microbial consortia.Both installations taught us about comparing an artificial environment in a museum setting to the natural ecosystem.Taken together,we present the data collected and lessons learned from using Winogradsky columns in public spaces for teaching about an important saline lake.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China and joint foundation(grants DD20160054 and 21422036)projects of China Geological Survey(grants U1407207)
文摘China has unique salt lake resources, and they are distributed in the east of Eurasian salt lake subzone of the Northern Hemisphere Salt Lake Zone, mainly concentrated in the regions with modern mean annual precipitation lower than 500 mm. This paper preliminarily reviews the progress made in salt lake research in China for the past 60 years. In the research of Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from salt lake sediments, a series of salts have been proposed to be indicators of paleoclimate, and have been well accepted by scholars. The chloride-sulfate depositional regions of the west Qaidam and the east Tarim have been revealed to be the drought center of China since the Quaternary, and more than 6 spreading stages of arid climate （salt forming） have been identified. Five pan-lake periods with highstands have been proved to exist during the late Quaternary on the Tibetan Plateau. In mineral resource prospecting and theories of the forming of salt deposits： the atlas （1：2500000） of hydrochemical zoning of salt lakes on the Tibetan Plateau has been compiled for the first time, revealing the zonal distribution and transition from carbonate type to chloride type from south to north and presenting corresponding mineral assemblages for different type of salt lakes; several large continental salt deposits have been discovered and the theory of continental potash deposition has been developed, including the salt deposition in deep basins surrounded by high mountains, the mineral deposition from multistage evolution through chains of moderate or shallow lakes with multilevels, the origin of potassium rich brines in gravel layers, and the forming of potassium deposits through the inheriting from ancient salt deposits, thus establishing the framework of ＂Continental Potash Deposition Theory＂; several new types of Mg-borate deposits have been discovered, including the ulexite and pinnoite bed in Da Qaidam Lake, Qinghai, the pinnoite and kurnakovite bed in Chagcam Caka, Tibet, the kurnakovite bed in Lake Nyer, and the corresponding model of borate deposition from the cooling and dissolution of boron rich brines was proposed based on principles of geology, physics and chemistry. The anti-floatation-cold crystallization method developed independently has improved the capacity of KCI production to 3 million tons per year for the Qarham, serving the famous brand of potash fertilizer products. One 1.2 million ton K-sulfate production line, the biggest in the world, has been built in Lop Nor, and K-sulfate of about 1.6 million tons was produced in 2015. Supported by the new technology, i.e. brine preparation in winter-cooling-solarization-isolation-lithium deposition from salt gradient solar pond＂ the highest lithium production base at Zabuye Lake （4421 m）, Tibet, has been established, which is the first lithium production base in China that reaches the year production of 5000 tons of lithium carbonate. The concept of Salt lake agriculture （Salt land agriculture） has been established based on the mass growth of Dunaliella and other bacillus-algae and the occurrence of various halophytes in saltmarsh and salt saline-alkali lands, finding a new way to increase arable lands and develop related green industry in salt rich environments. Finally this paper presents some new thoughts for the further research and development on salt science, and the further progress in salt science and technology will facilitate the maturing of the interdisciplinary science ＂Salinology＂.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China grant 49833010Project of Special Funds for Public Interests Research of the Ministry of Science and Technology grant 2001DIA 10020.
文摘Salt lakes are a mirror of climatic changes and provide holographic records of environmental changes of lakes. According to a study of geological hazards in typical salt lake areas in China and other regions, the authors explain how geological hazards in salt lake areas are caused by natural agents and how humans can seek benefits, avoid hazards and reduce losses on the premise that they have monitored and mastered the trend of salt lake changes in advance and even can store flood and recharge water in lakes and extract saline resources. The climate in western China is probably turning from warm-dry to warm-moist. The authors analyze the change trend of salt lakes sensu lato (with salinity≥0.3 wt% (NaCl)eq) and salt lakes sensu stricto (with salinity ≥3.5 wt% (NaCl)eq) in China in such climatic conditions and distinguish three types of salt lake areas (i.e. lake water rising type, lake water falling type and lake water rising and unstable type) according to the characteristics of lake water rising and shrinking. In order to conform to the climatic and lake changes in China's salt lake areas, the authors propose to add and improve hydrological and meteorological observation stations and integrate observations with remote sensing monitoring in important salt lake areas and set up multidisciplinary and interdepartmental basic projects to monitor and study recent climatic and environmental changes in salt lake areas of western China. Moreover, it is necessary to build additional flood-control and drought-preventing water conservancy facilities in key salt lake areas and work out measures for ecological protection in salt lake areas. Full consideration should be given to the influence of flooding when building saltfields and implementing capital projects.
基金Project(20606008)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(11070210)supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China
文摘The residues of salt lake brine from which potassium had been removed were used to extract Rb＋ and Cs＋ together with a sulphonated kerosene（SK） solution of 1.0 mol/L 4-tert-butyl-2-（α-methylbenzyl） phenol（t-BAMBP）. Rb＋ and Cs＋ were enriched and separated effectively by precipitating Mg2＋ before extraction and by scrubbing out K＋ and Na＋ repeatedly before stripping. The effects of the volume ratio of organic phase to aqueous extraction phase（O/A）, alkalinity of aqueous phase（c（OH）-）, interference from K＋ and Mg2＋, and ratio the volume of organic phase to aqueous scrubbing phase（O/A′） were investigated. The experimental brine was extracted optimally by 5-stage extraction with 1.0 mol/L t-BAMBP in SK, c（OH-）=1 mol/L, and O/A=1：1. The scrubbing yield of rubidium was only about 10.5% when the extraction solvent was washed 3 times with 1×10-4 mol/L Na OH at O/A′=1：0.5. After 5-stage countercurrent extraction, the final extraction yields of Rb＋ and Cs＋ reached 95.04% and 99.80%, respectively.
基金Project(U1407137)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Salt lake brine was reacted with activated aluminum-based alloys and lithium was precipitated.The effects of aluminum-based alloys on precipitating lithium were investigated and the reasonable alloy used to extract lithium from brine was obtained.The effects of the mole ratio of Al to Li and Ca content of Al-Ca alloy,the initial concentration of lithiumion ion in solution,reaction temperature and reaction time on the adsorption rate of lithium were studied,and the optimized process parameters were determined.The results show that the mole ratio of Al to Li and Ca content of Al-Ca alloy and reaction temperature have great influences on the precipitation rate of lithium.The precipitation rate of lithium reaches 94.6% under the optimal condition,indicating that Al-Ca alloy is suitable for the extraction of lithium from salt lake brine.
文摘The Lop Nur Salt Lake, located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China, has become a playa in the Quaternary. Rhombic in shape, the Lop Nur depression is mainly controlled by the NE-striking and nearly N-S-striking sets of faults. Since 1995, a superlarge brine potash deposit with potash resources of 2.50×10^8s t has been found in the Luobei subbasin in the northeastern part of the Lop Nur. We intensively studied the features and formation mechanism of faults inside the Lop Nur through satellite images, geomorphologic survey and continuous conductivity imaging and found seven subparallel graben faults formed under the action of nearly N 10° E principal compressional stress during deposition of the Lop Nur Salt Lake. These faults are up to 〉60 km long and 1-4 km wide and may extend downward for 1000 m or more. It is just under the action of these tensional faults that potash subbasius formed. The largest subbasin is the Luobei subbasin and the smaller ones are the Luoxi hollow, Erbei hollow and Tienan hollow. Investigation also indicates that the graben faults in the Lop Nur not only control the origin of the potash subbasins, but they themselves are also good brine reservoir structures, in which abundant potash-rich brines are stored. Therefore, The faults had played an important role in the potash formation of the Lop Nur.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171010, 41130533, 41301003)
文摘In order to clarify the formation mechanism of linear dunes on the northern margin of Qarhan Salt Lake, northwestern China, we analyzed the grain-size and sorting parameters of the dune and interdune sands. The surface sands （0-30 ram） from the dune base to the crest of both flanks and interdune corridors were sampled along transects from upwind to downwind through the dune field. The results indicated that the grain-size distribution differed at different positions between and within the dunes. The frequency curve for dune sands mainly showed a bimodal distribution, while the interdune sediments showed a trimodal distribution. The grain size distribution of the linear dunes showed a finer crest pattern, i.e. the crests were composed of sands that were generally finer, better sorted than those of base sands. In addition, at the dune field scale, the dune crest sands were tending to become much finer but sorting became worse along the downwind transects. However, the grain-size parameters of sediments in the interdune corridors showed no clear pattern. The results demonstrated that the grain size and sorting parameters exhibited a systematic change not only at the individual scale but also at the dune field scale. Our results quantitatively estimate the limited role of cohesive sediments on the formation of linear dune under unidirectional wind regime. More attention should be paid to a long-term wind regime observation, internal sedimentary structures and their formation ages.
文摘This paper for the first time reveals high-resolution core records of Zabuye Salt Lake in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to 1346 samples taken continuously, relatively accurate 14^C, U-series disequilibrium and ESR ages have been obtained, thus revealing that the lake core ages from 0 to 83.63 m of hole SZK02 are -800 to over 128 ka. In the paper, the lake core sedimentary characteristics （including the lithologies and mineral assemblages） are analyzed in detail and correlated with ostracod assemblages I to XX and sporopollen zones A to I, and on the basis of an integrated analysis of the δ^18O values of authigenic calcium-magnesium carbonate and environmental proxies of minerals, sporopollen and microfossils in the lake core, a correlation has been made of oxygen isotope change between this lake core and the Greenland GISP2 and GRIP and Guliya ice cores, and the climate of Zabuye Salt Lake since 128 ka BP is divided into the last interglacial stage （including substages e, d, c, b and a） of oxygen isotope stage （OIS） 5, early glacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 4, interglacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 3, late glacial stadial of the last glacial stage or Last Glacial Maximum of OIS 2 and postglacial state of OIS 1; in addition, 6 Heinrich （H6-H1） events, Younger Dryas event and 8.2 ka BP cold event have been recognized.
文摘Lithium in nature mainly exists in the forms of solid minerals and ionic liquid.More than 150 lithium minerals exist,which are mainly pegmatite mineral including triphane,lithionite and petalite.Liquid lithium mainly
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program)(No.20011CB403007)the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China(Nos.41502089,41202059)+1 种基金the Central Public Welfare Scientific Research Basic Scientific Research Business Expenses(No.K1415)the Geological Survey(No.1212010011808)
文摘We studied the sedimentary characteristics of a Paleocene-Eocene salt lake in the Jiangling Depression through field core observation,thin section identification,scanning electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction analysis.On the basis of sedimentary characteristics we have summarized the petrological and mineralogical characteristics of the salt lake and proposed 9 types of grade IV salt rhythms.The deposition shows a desalting to salting order of halite-argillaceous-mudstone-mud dolostonemud anhydrock-glauberite-halite.The relationship among grade IV rhythms,water salinity and climate fluctuations was analyzed.Based on the analysis of the relationship between boron content and mudstone color and by combining the mineralogy and sedimentary environment characteristics,we propose that the early and late Paleocene Shashi Formation in the Jiangling Depression was a paleolacustrine depositional environment with a high salt content,which is a representation of the shallow water salt lake depositional model.The middle Paleocene Shashi Formation and the early Eocene Xingouzui Formation were salt and brackish sedimentary environments with low salt content in a deep paleolake,which represents a deep salt lake depositional model.
文摘The Qaidam Basin is a large intermontane depression in Qinghai Province,China,which located on the northern margin of the Tibet plateau,and surrounded by the Qilian,Kunlun and Aljun mountains which rise to more than 5000m.Some 27 salt lakes occur within the basin,occupying an area of approximately 1500 km2.Additionally,there are extensive areas of dry playas.Together,the playas and salt lakes cover about one quarter of the total basin area.Whereas the western
基金This paper is supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2005038542)and National"973"Project(No.2001CB610704-3).
文摘Several cracks were found on the surface of the concrete foundations that support the steel towers of the Luohe （漯河）-Huaiyung （淮阳） high-voltage electricity transmission line that is 20 years old and situated in an inland salt lake environment in North China. To analyze the deterioration mechanism that led to this condition, field investigations were carried out and several tests were conducted on the soil and the affected concrete, including XRD （X-ray diffraction）, electric probe analysis, and chemical analysis. The results show that the concentration of sulfates is very high （0. 39% wt. -0.67% wt. ） in both the surrounding soil and the material around the coarse aggregates inside the concrete. Hence, sulfate attack could be one of the main causes of concrete deterioration. The percentage of sulfates in the surface layer of the concrete was higher than that in the inner layers of the concrete. The sulfates penetrate into the concrete and react with the hydrates of cement to form ettringite （AFt）, which leads to increase in the volume and cracking of the concrete.
基金the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41672243,41877198)
文摘The mineral rock salts present in the Mahai Salt Lake of the Qaidam basin exhibit high solubilities in water. In addition, the multicomponent underground brine exhibits a high salinity and is easily precipitated. In the natural state, brine transport in the brine layer is extremely slow, and the brine is in a relatively stable chemical equilibrium state with the rock salt media. However, during mining, both the seepage and the chemical fields fluctuate significantly, thereby disrupting the equilibrium and leading to variations in the chemical composition and dynamic characteristics of the brine. Therefore, we selected underground brine from the Mahai Salt Lake, collecting a total of 183 brine samples over three stages of mining（i.e., the early stage of underground brine extraction, the initial stage of mining, and the later stage of mining）. Using a range of analytical techniques, the chemical dynamics of the underground brine water and its evolution were systematically studied. We found that evaporation and enrichment were the main mechanisms of underground brine evolution in the Mahai Salt Lake, with cation exchange and mineral dissolution/precipitation being key factors in determining the dynamic characteristics and evolution of the brine.
文摘The Badain Jaran Desert is the second largest desert in China with tallest sand dunes on the earth.In contrast to the extremely dry climate,there are about 100 lakes spreading regularly over the depressions among high
基金supported by project of K0722 from the Institute of Mineral Resources,Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
文摘Zabuye Salt Lake in Tibet,China is a carbonate-type salt lake,which has some unique characteristics that make it different from other types of salt lakes.The lake is at the latter period in its evolution and contains liquid and solid resources.Its brine is rich in Li,B,K and other useful minor elements that are of great economic value.We studied the concentration behavior of these elements and the crystallization paths of salts during isothermal evaporation of brine at 15℃and 25℃.The crystallization sequence of the primary salts from the brine at 25℃is halite（NaCl）→aphthitalite （3K_2SO_4·Na_2SO_4）→zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3）→trona（Na_2CO_3·NaHCO_3·2H_2O）→thermonatrite （Na_2CO_3·H_2O）→sylvite（KCl）,while the sequence is halite（NaCl）→sylvite（KCl）→trona （Na_2CO_3·NaHCO_3·2H_2O）→zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3）→thermonatrite（Na_2CO_3·H_2O）→aphthitalite （3K_2SO_4·Na_2SO_4） at 15℃.They are in accordance with the metastable phase diagram of the Na~＋,K~＋-Cl^-, CO_3^（2-）,SO_4^（2-）-H_2O quinary system at 25℃,except for Na_2CO_3·7H_2O which is replaced by trona and thermonatrite.In the 25℃experiment,zabuyelite（Li_2CO_3） was precipitated in the early stage because Li_2CO_3 is supersaturated in the brine at 25℃,in contrast with that at 15℃,it precipitated in the later stage.Potash was precipitated in the middle and late stages in both experiments,while boron was concentrated in the early and middle stages and precipitated in the late stage.
