The eastern margin of the Proterozoic Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan is host to several of the highest-grade unconformity-related (U/C-related) uranium deposits in the world. Many researchers agree that uranium deposition occurred due to oxidized basinal brines transporting uranium mixing with reducing fluids or interacting with reduced rock causing uranium to precipitate, although the source of the uranium is still an unresolved and highly debated subject. Boron isotopic signatures, preserved in refractory minerals such as tourmaline, can aid in determining the source of fluids and P-T conditions during crystallization whereas lithium isotopic fractionation is indicative of weathering, hydrothermal alteration, and/or igneous and metamorphic processes. For this study a suite of fresh to strongly altered basement samples were selected from multiple sites below the eastern Athabasca Basin to measure the bulk delta7Li, delta11B and Pb-Pb isotopic signatures. Kinetic modelling of the Li and B isotopic systems suggest that both systems are slightly conservative of their original fluid reservoir, and by calculating the Damkohler numbers (ND) it is predicted that delta11B will be more indicative of the fluid source whereas lithium isotopes will equilibrate over shorter distance. However, both isotopic systems will fractionate with large concentration changes. Significant variations were observed for both delta7Li and delta11B, delta7Li values ranged from 0 to 14 ‰, the range in delta7Li was interpreted to be representative of both partial melting of metasediments to form granitic pegmatites and hydrothermal fluids. In comparison the range for delta11B was much larger from -16 to +17‰, within the dataset there appeared to be regional isotopic differences but unfortunately this dataset was too small to determine regional isotopic patterns. For each region the delta11B for the pegmatites was often heavier than the metasedimentary samples suggesting a metasedimentary source for the granitic pegmatites. Elevated U concentrations and decreasing 207Pb/206Pb ratios in both altered and unaltered samples suggest radiogenic Pb and U are present both in the basement and in fluids transporting U through the basement. Partial digestion 207Pb/206Pb ratios range from the common 207Pb/206Pb ratios of 0.7 to radiogenic 207Pb/206Pb ratios of 0.1. The radiogenic 207Pb/206Pb are indicative of either resetting of residual material during fluid migration or radiogenic fluids sources interacting with the rocks of this study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from PDF file main screen (viewed on Feb. 19, 2010). A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geotechnical Engineering, [Department of] Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta. Includes bibliographical references.

The environmental impact of bitumen mining in the Athabasca region of Canada is of growing concern. Among these concerns is the need and difficulty to remediate and reclaim affected land, including tailing sands (TS), a byproduct of the hot water extraction used to separate bitumen from solid materials. Current reclamation methods consist of multiple steps and take several decades to be effective. The primary reason for the difficulty in reclaiming disturbed land is the harsh environment found within the TS combined with the scale of the problem. TS are extremely nutrient poor, having below-detectable levels of NPK and extremely low C and S. In addition to this TS have pHs outside of environmental normals, and are hydrophobic due to residual hydrocarbons. Previously, an endophytic fungus, Trichoderma harzianum strain TSTh20-1, was isolated from pioneer plants growing naturally on TS sites, and was found to promote plant growth on TS. In my study TSTh20-1 was also found to increase the rate of drought recovery, and to enhance seed germination rates on a variety of soils. Suitable application methods were explored for this endophyte, including seed coatings, granules, as well as direct application to plant/soil. Regardless of method, TSTh20-1 was found to successfully colonize the plants. Twenty-four species of grasses, forbs, and legumes were tested for their ability to grow on TS. The four most successful species (Trifolium repens, Bouteloua gracilis, Medicago sativa, and Elymus trachycaulus) were put into a seed mixture for use in experiments. In mesocosm-scale experiments, plant health and soil parameters were measured after 2 months of growth. Hydrocarbon analysis of the first mesocosm showed a 2.7-fold increase in total hydrocarbons when TSTh20-1 and plants were present, suggesting degradation of large hydrocarbons beyond the scope of the analysis. A repeat experiment using a different source of tailings did not yield this same result. This is most likely due using a source of tailings that had substantially different chemical characteristics. TSTh20-1 was also analyzed for its ability to produce plant hormones or siderophores, to increase peroxidase enzyme activity, to protect plants from reactive oxygen species, and to solubilize phosphate precipitates from soil. All of these are known mechanisms microbes use to promote plant growth.

No description available.

Several oil sands tailings from Suncor Energy Inc. were analysed with respect to the mobility and solubility of the petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminants. At sites where oil sands tailings materials have been disposed of and are covered with a growing medium, the PHCs from the tailings may slowly migrate into the reclamation cover, increasing their availability to the plants in the cover system, which could be detrimental to the development and establishment of the plant cover system. This study characterized the PHC content of the tailings and quantified the desorption and diffusion coefficients for F2 and F3 fraction PHCs. All tailings materials collected from Suncor were characterized for initial PHC content. Desorption coefficients were experimentally determined using batch tests for 9 tailings materials (MFT, LG MFT, PT MFT, Tailings Sand, P4 UB Surface, P4 UB Auger, 2:1 CT, 4:1 CT and 6:1 CT). The experimental results from the batch tests were fitted to a Langmuir hyperbolic isotherm model. Diffusion coefficients were determined by fitting the experimental results from a radial diffusion 1-dimensional experiment to a Finite Difference Model. Diffusion coefficients for F2 and F3 Fraction PHCs were developed for 7 tailings materials (MFT, LG MFT, PT MFT, Tailings Sand, 2:1 CT, 4:1 CT and 6:1 CT). The diffusion coefficients (D*) and the Langmuir desorption constants ( and ) developed from these experiments are included in Table A.1. The desorption coefficients resulting from this study are similar to those reported for the desorption of asphaltene, which is one of the components in oil sands tailings. The Langmuir isotherm model was found to be the best fit for the experimental desorption data; the Langmuir isotherm model is commonly used in sorption isotherms of organic chemicals. The results of the radial diffusion experiments agree with diffusion rates found by other researchers in similar porous media. More research may be needed to verify both of these preliminary results for the desorptive and diffusive transport of F2 and F3 PHC fractions in tailings. Tailings composition will continue to change as new technologies for fines settling and bitumen extraction are developed. The diffusion of PHCs from these new materials will need to be examined as it is probable that these changes will affect the transport and mobility of the contaminants.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Sept. 1, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Anthropogenic development is altering watersheds and threatening freshwater ecosystems and the resources therein. Direct impacts of industry including conversion of land cover and increased water withdrawals from rivers, compounded with indirect influences such as climate change, collectively affect the health and sustainability of freshwater ecosystems. Many studies have indicated a suite of ecological impacts that large-scale anthropogenic land use and development impose on the structure and function of riverine systems. The overarching goal of this thesis was to examine the potential impacts associated with land use disturbance and Oil Sands (OS) mining operations on fish community composition patterns in three rivers located in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR). Using historical data sets, this thesis attempted to evaluate disturbance-related patterns in fish community composition. Fish community-environmental relationships were investigated on a temporal scale, across which community composition could be constrained or altered by development. Structural and trait-based changes in fish community composition were analyzed to determine whether significant variation between levels of development (pre versus post) in the AOSR could be attributed to observed changes in fish community metrics. No significant difference in community composition patterns was observed between levels of development; however, there was a significant decline in fish species richness on a regional scale. The lack of significant results could be attributed to the limitations of the collected data, including temporal gaps, inconsistent sampling methods, and seasonal sampling inconsistencies. Furthermore, the scale of interpretation between individual tributaries and the regional datasets, demonstrates that studies of fish communities on a regional scale can elucidate different states of community change, implying that local controls can play a role in species presence/absence. An assessment of the features and patterns of the hydrograph that could explain variation in fish communities was constrained due to dataset and subsequent methodological limitations. Currently, there is an inability to link changes (historical) to hydrologic regimes, land use or development within these systems, and how they have impacted fish communities therein due to inconsistencies in the methods and sampling during most of the pre-development and for a portion of post- development time span (until 2009). Long-term, standardized community monitoring will be critical to gain a greater understanding of how land management practices affect fish communities and what kind of ecosystem management can mitigate impacts to streams, rivers and the biota therein. Further recommendations were made from synthesizing these findings in conjunction with relevant literature and are intended to provide an improved understanding of the long-term cumulative changes within these systems and to help guide and improve future monitoring plans in the AOSR. / Graduate

This project’s goal is to evaluate the use of groundwater Rn as a tool for the search of deeply buried U deposits. To do so, the concentrations of major cations, anions, Rn, 4He, and 3H were measured in groundwater. Additionally, the abundance, composition, and distribution of radionuclides (U, Ra, 206Pb, 207Pb, 208Pb), were measured in soil and sandstone above the Denison Mines’ Phoenix Deposit (located at a depth of ~450 m). Rn was extracted from groundwater using mineral oil, and higher groundwater Rn radioactivity (average 0.13 Bq/g of water, n=10) was found in drill holes within ~100 meters of the Phoenix Deposit’s surface projection than in distal holes (average 0.072 Bq/g of oil, n=4). High Rn radioactivity is independent of the drill holes’ intersection with U ore, indicating that drilling did not transport significant amounts of Rn or parent isotopes to shallow depths. The water table is commonly within the Dunlop Member of the Athabasca sandstones, and groundwater Rn is positively correlated with average U concentrations obtained by modified aqua regia digestion of sandstones (analytical code 2AMS at the Saskatchewan Research Council) and also positively correlated with U in three-acid digestion of sandstones (analytical code 3AMS at the Saskatchewan Research Council). Diffusion models show Rn cannot travel significant distances, and so Rn is likely produced in MFd from the in-situ decay of U and Ra. 226Ra radioactivity was measured for B horizon soil samples (n=39) and sandstone samples (n=20) after a HCl leach followed with BaSO4 precipitation. An extraction efficiency for Ra of 28.2%±3.8%. was determined by comparing the soil BaSO4 precipitation procedure against unprocessed soils. Ra radioactivity in B horizon soil is lower than expected from U contents determined with INAA. Ra radioactivity is comparable to the values expected from INAA U concentrations (n=17) in sandstone, with exception to 4 Dunlop Member samples and 2 samples in the Read Formation and Bird Member. Ra in 4 of 5 samples in the Dunlop Member are 10-50% overabundant, perhaps resulting from Ra percolating downwards from soil. The proposed interpretation is consistent with lower than expected Ra radioactivity of B horizon soil. Ra is 260% and 420% overabundant in the two samples from the Read Formation and the Bird Member (1 each), suggesting upward migration of Ra from the U deposit. Low solute concentration and a neutral-weakly alkaline pH of shallow groundwater in the study area appears to prevent significant travel of Ra ions through groundwater by means of ion absorption competition. Pb isotopic compositions were determined using an ICP-MS for sandstones and soil via three different leaches; 0.02 N HBr, 2.7 N HCl, and concentrated HBr. Overall, Pb isotopic compositions of MFd (n=5) and B horizon (n=10) are similar, supporting the percolation of acidic surface waters through soil. One sample from RD (among 4 samples) show high 206Pb, suggesting an upward migration of 206Pb from the deposit. The ratios of 4He/3He in ground water ranged between 0.95-1.07; typical of groundwater-atmosphere interaction. The lateral flow of groundwater at deep levels can explain the absence of higher 4He/3He.

In recent years, Canada's previously stable energy economy has undergone a series of remarkable changes. The early seventies, and particularly the dramatic OPEC price increases of 1973, have marked the advent of a new era in energy policy. Canadian governments seem unwilling to accept the fact that national net self-sufficiency in energy, particularly in oil, may well be a thing of the past. Thus, mammoth energy projects have been proposed or undertaken by industry and government alike, in a desperate attempt to reduce dependence on foreign sources of supply. This new sense of urgency has led to unprecedented co-operation between government and industry, while increasing the traditional tension amongst different levels of government. Typical both of the novel pattern of development and of the unusual government-industry alliance is the Syncrude project, the latest attempt at exploiting the Alberta oil sands. This paper investigates the potential role that the oil sands might play in Canada's energy future. Mora specifically, the economics of Syncrude itself are analysed, and conclusions of a general nature are based on this case study. In section 1, the reader is introduced to the topic through a description of the oil sands, a review of currently available recovery and refining methods, and a short history of oil sands development. Sections 2 and 3 constitute the main body of the paper, dealing first with the expected costs and benefits of the Syncrude project and, second, with the likely macroeconomic consequences. Finally, section -i explores the implications of more substantial oil sands development, compares the various techniques that might be employed in the future, and discusses the oil sands' role in the national energy policy. The conclusions of the paper have several dimensions. With regard to the cost-benefit analysis, Syncrude as a whole seems to be a rather marginal venture. Particularly interesting is the manner in which the returns are distributed among the various consortium members, as alberta and the private industry participants are subsidized by Ontario and the federal government. Although consideration of sunk costs at the time of Syncrude's "go" decision somewhat improves the basic economic picture, an analysis of risk and uncertainty demonstrates how sensitive returns are with respect to several unknown parameters. Some of the special arrangements of royalty and taxation that distinguish Syncrude from the petroleum industry in general are quantified, thus demonstrating the extent to which this project is being subsidized relative to others. Also, a crude appraisal of the scale economies in oil sands development is attempted. On the macroeconomic side, a dynamic simulation model of Syncrude is incorporated into RDX2, an aggregate econometric model of the Canadian economy. This enables an appraisal of the likely consequences that oil sands development may have for the national economy. The major conclusion is that such projects can hardly be justified on the basis of their aggregate effects, if the cost-benefit results are unfavourable. In the final section, an analysis of more intensive oil sands development (several Syncrude-size plants) shows that the present government-industry arrangements are unlikely to apply to future oil sands ventures. Thus, private industry will probably be dissuaded from engaging in further surface-mining schemes, pending some major cost-rsducing technological breakthrough and/or a substantial increase in the relative price of oil. Although similar financial and technical problems currently haunt 'in situ' development, it is believed that this recovery method will play a greater part in the oil sands' future. Finally, some critical remarks are included on the national energy policy and the governments' handling of Syncrude. An attempt is made to analyze why Ottawa, Alberta and Ontario decided to join the companies in an obviously marginal and risky undertaking. Sy results suggest that little, if any, analysis preceded either the federal or the Ontario government's decision to participate in the project. In this regard, I conclude that Syncrude could set a dangerous precedent for the future management of the country's resources. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Mechanically interacting fault systems on Earth are often associated with groundwater flow (e.g. Curewitz and Karson, 1997) by facilitating water storage and flow through fracture conduits before, during, and after seismic events (e.g. Sibson, 1975). Similar associations between interacting fault segments and fluid flow are present on Mars (Davatzes and Gulick, 2007a). The Cerberus Fossae compose a system of elongate topographic lows, a portion of which coincides with the source region of the outflow channel Athabasca Valles. The Cerberus Fossae and source area were mapped using Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) daytime IR mosaics and Context camera (CTX) images to establish spatial relations of structural features. Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) elevation data were plotted to construct the depth profiles of the fossae to test the hypothesis that the Cerberus Fossae are normal fault-bounded graben. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images were mapped for fractures within the fault damage zones with the degree of fracture plotted as a function of distance along strike. This plot established the spatial relations between fractures, mechanically interacting fossae segments, and Athabasca Valles. The depth profiles of the Cerberus Fossae are consistent with the displacement distribution of terrestrial normal faults with a surface expression consistent with fault propagation from depth and mechanical interaction among segments. Similarly, regions of interpreted mechanical interaction indicated by slip distribution and segment overlap correspond to increased fracture intensity and density. On Earth, such regions of mechanical interaction tend to have high fracture intensity (e.g. Davatzes et al., 2005), are associated with hydrothermal fluid flow (Curewitz and Karson, 1997), and have evidence of extensive long-term fluid flow as evidenced by diagenetic alterations (Eichhubl et al., 2004). Higher fracture intensities and densities near the head of Athabasca Valles as a proxy for increased permeability provide a potential mechanism and a necessary condition for the localized fluid flux necessary to supply the outflow channel. Thus, I conclude the Cerberus Fossae are mechanically interacting normal fault-bounded graben with highly permeable damage zones that would act to quickly dewater an aquifer resulting in the carving of Athabasca Valles. / Geology