No

The Fox River Belt forms a segment of the Circum-Superior Belt that comprises a series of ca. 1900 Ma volcanosedimentary belts located around the margins of the Superior Province. The Fox River Belt is a north-facing homoclinal sequence, composed of a rift-related sedimentary sequence, intercalated with thick sequences of komatiites and tholeiites, and intruded by mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Geological mapping, whole rock geochemistry and S, Nd- and Hf-isotope geochemistry of the magmatic and sedimentary units within the belt were used to obtain a better understanding of the magmatic and tectonic history of the belt and its relation with other segments of the Circum-Superior Belt. The compositional variation observed in the volcanic rocks (19% to 5% MgO) can be accounted for as the product of fractional crystallization. Trace element patterns as well as εNd and εHf values (-4 to +8 and +4 to +18 respectively) indicate that the magmatism within the belt was the product of partial melting of depleted mantle that was locally contaminated with sediments or gneiss. A plume origin for this melting event is proposed based on the high degree of partial melting, the large volume of magma, and the presence of a radiating dyke swarm. The 250 km long Fox River Sill appears to have behaved as a magma conduit during part of its history. Several intervals within the sill show enrichment and depletion of PGE. The KO Zone PGE-Cu-Ni mineralization (up to 5ppm PGE) formed from magmatic sulphides whose tenor was upgraded by the upward percolation of evolved intercumulus magma. Contaminated Lower Intrusions and the lower margin of the Fox River Sill are considered particularly prospective for hosting Ni- Cu-PGE mineralization.

The Fox River Belt forms a segment of the Circum-Superior Belt that comprises a series of ca. 1900 Ma volcanosedimentary belts located around the margins of the Superior Province. The Fox River Belt is a north-facing homoclinal sequence, composed of a rift-related sedimentary sequence, intercalated with thick sequences of komatiites and tholeiites, and intruded by mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Geological mapping, whole rock geochemistry and S, Nd- and Hf-isotope geochemistry of the magmatic and sedimentary units within the belt were used to obtain a better understanding of the magmatic and tectonic history of the belt and its relation with other segments of the Circum-Superior Belt. The compositional variation observed in the volcanic rocks (19% to 5% MgO) can be accounted for as the product of fractional crystallization. Trace element patterns as well as εNd and εHf values (-4 to +8 and +4 to +18 respectively) indicate that the magmatism within the belt was the product of partial melting of depleted mantle that was locally contaminated with sediments or gneiss. A plume origin for this melting event is proposed based on the high degree of partial melting, the large volume of magma, and the presence of a radiating dyke swarm. The 250 km long Fox River Sill appears to have behaved as a magma conduit during part of its history. Several intervals within the sill show enrichment and depletion of PGE. The KO Zone PGE-Cu-Ni mineralization (up to 5ppm PGE) formed from magmatic sulphides whose tenor was upgraded by the upward percolation of evolved intercumulus magma. Contaminated Lower Intrusions and the lower margin of the Fox River Sill are considered particularly prospective for hosting Ni- Cu-PGE mineralization.

No

No

No / Studies of Late Bronze Age exchange and communication networks in the northern Circum-Alpine region, and central Europe as a whole, have typically focused on routes across the Alps and the circulation of high-value manufactured goods from the Italian peninsula to central Europe. Some artefacts certainly support such a movement from north to south, such as amber from the north or Pfahlbauperlen from the Po Plain. However, such objects are far outweighed by the evidence for regional exchange routes in central Europe north of the Alps. Some of these routes extended as far as northern Germany and southern Scandinavia. Whether such exchange routes were direct or down-the-line is open to debate, but it is possible that specific objects known from Switzerland represent the personal possessions of migrant individuals. Over all, it is evident that Late Bronze Age lake-dwelling communities in Switzerland were significant bronze work manufacturing centres, exporting goods to varied communities and regions across central Europe, but with potentially limited exchange, transfer, and cross fertilization of styles and equipment between eastern and western Switzerland.

There are a number of common distributional patterns that have provided the foundations of our current knowledge of Neotropical biogeography. A distinctive pattern is the so-called \"circum-Amazonian distribution\", which expands across the forested lowlands south and east of Amazonia, the Andean foothills, the Venezuelan Coastal Range, and the Tepuis. To date, there is no clear understanding of the processes giving rise to this distribution. To understand the evolutionary history of taxa exhibiting this pattern it is necessary to test biogeographic hypotheses offering mechanistic explanations. Comparative phylogeography allows more accurate phylogeographic hypotheses for these taxa, as well as better population genetic parameters. Comprehensive comparative studies aiming at unraveling the evolutionary and biogeographic mechanisms underlying the circum-Amazonian distribution have not been conducted yet, and only scarce descriptive information has been published. Therefore, the objective of this work was to elucidate the historical and biogeographic mechanisms underpinning circum-Amazonian distribution by performing comparative genomic analyses of a group of Suboscine passerines. Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) were obtained for eight taxonomic groups to estimate population parameters and genealogical trees. For the Thamnophilidae species were inferred demographic histories with momi2. The best models of each taxon were analyzed in a comparative framework to relate them with previously proposed biogeographic hypotheses for the Neotropics and to propose plausible biogeographical scenarios for the circum-Amazonian pattern. The circum-Amazonian distributional pattern has two main phylogeographic units: an Andean (plus Central America region) and an eastern-forested region (Atlantic Forest ecoregion, forested areas around southeast of Amazonia), interconnected by a northern and southern corridor, allowing biotic interchanges between them (mainly from the southern) and hybridization. Species-tree analyses recovered (a) an Andean clade with two Andean subgroups in the northern Peru and central Andes, and (b) an eastern-forested clade including northern and central/southern Atlantic Forest subgroups. The demographic histories of the Thamnophilidae taxa suggest that diversification of the circum-Amazonian taxa have a strong influence of climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene, with interconnected refugia allowing phenotypic/genetic differentiation but maintaining a considerable level of gene flow during varying dry/cool and warm/humid periods. In addition, the results of this work opened interesting taxonomic questions about some taxa that could be covered in the future (T. ruficapillus/torquatus complex, Xiphocolaptes complex). / Existe um número de padrões de distribuição comuns que forneceram os fundamentos do nosso atual conhecimento da Biogeografia Neotropical. Um padrão distintivo é o chamado padrão de distribuição circum-Amazônico, apresentado por grupos filogeneticamente relacionados habitando as florestas de baixada ao sul-leste da Amazônia, as encostas úmidas dos Andes, a área costeira da Venezuela e os Tepuis. Atualmente não existe um entendimento claro dos processos que deram surgimento a este padrão de distribuição. Para compreender a história evolutiva dos táxons exibindo este tipo de padrão é necessário testar hipóteses biogeográficas que ofereçam explicações mecanicistas. A Genômica comparativa permite hipóteses filogeográficas mais exatas para estes táxons, assim como melhores parâmetros demográficos. Estudos comparativos abrangentes visando em esclarecer os mecanismos evolutivos e biogeográficos relacionados a distribuição circum-Amazônica não tem sido elaborados ainda, e só informação descritiva escassa tem sido publicada. Portanto, os objetivo fundamental do projeto foi elucidar os mecanismos históricos e biogeográficos subjacentes à distribuição circum-Amazônica desenvolvendo analises genômicos comparativos de um grupo de Passeriformes Suboscines. Dados do gene ND2 e de Elementos Ultraconservados (UCEs) foram obtidos de oito grupos taxonômicos para estimar parâmetros populacionais e arvores genealógicas. Histórias demográficas foram inferidas só para as espécies da família Thamnophilidae usando momi2. Os melhores modelos de cada táxon foram analisados num marco comparativo para relaciona-os ás hipóteses biogeográficas propostas para o Neotrópico e propor cenários possíveis para a distribuição circum-Amazônica. O padrão de distribuição circum-Amazônico possui duas unidades filogeográficas principais: uma unidade Andina (incluindo a região de Centro América) e uma segunda unidade incluindo as regiões florestais do leste (Mata Atlântica, áreas florestais ao sudeste da Amazônia). Estas unidades estão interconectadas por corredores ao norte e sul da distribuição, permitindo intercâmbios de biota entre elas (principalmente pelo corredor sul). SNAPP identificou o clado Andino subdividido em norte do Peru e central Andes, e um segundo clado das Florestas do Leste incluindo dois subgrupos, um do norte e outro do centro-sul da Mata Atlântica. As histórias demográficas dos Thamnophilidae sugerem que a diversificação na distribuição circum-Amazônica foi altamente influenciada pelas flutuações climáticas durante o Pleistoceno, com refúgios interconectados gerando diferenciação fenotípica/genética mas mantendo certo grau de fluxo gênico nos períodos secos/frios e quentes/húmidos. Adicionalmente, algumas questões taxonômicas sobre alguns táxons estudados que poderiam ser estudadas no em futuros estudos (o complexo T. ruficapillus/torquatus e o gênero Xiphocolaptes).

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Dept. of Chemistry) / Fly ash and AMD samples were characterised by standard analytical methods for selection of the test materials. Active treatment by means of mixing fly ash with AMD in beakers and a large tank at pre-determined ratios have shown that fly ash is capable of neutralising AMD and increasing the pH beyond neutral values, which optimises the removal of heavy metals and ions. The trend was: the more fly ash added the quicker was the reaction time and higher the pH values achieved. Iron was reduced by as much 99 % in beaker scale experiments via Fe(OH)3 precipitation at pH values >4.0. A 99 % decrease in aluminium concentration was observed which was attributed to the precipitation of primarily gibbsite and various other mineral phases at pH values >5.5. As the pH increases, sulphate is adsorbed via Fe(OH)3 and gypsum precipitation at elevated pH. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was excellent, achieving 98 % attenuation with beaker scale experiments and 1:1 fly ash:AMD ratio. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was comparable to membrane and ion exchange systems and exceeded the performance of limestone treatment. Except for the larger volumes of fly ash needed to neutralise the AMD, fly ash proved to be a feasible and cost efficient alternative to limestone treatment. Fly ash produced competing results to limestone concerning acidity removal and sulphate attenuation. The comparison highlighted the advantages of utilising fly ash in comparison to limestone and demonstrated its cost effectiveness. The results of this study have shown that fly ash could be successfully applied for the neutralisation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and effectively attenuate the sulphate load in the treated water. The critical parameters to this technology are the variations of chemical composition and mineralogy of fly ash, which could influence the pH, contact time of the neutralisation reaction, and the same is true if the AMD quality varies. / South Africa

<p>Fly ash and AMD samples were characterised by standard analytical methods for selection of the test materials. Active treatment by means of mixing fly ash with AMD in beakers and a large tank at pre-determined ratios have shown that fly ash is capable of neutralising AMD and increasing the pH beyond neutral values, which optimises the removal of heavy metals and ions. The trend was: the more fly ash added the quicker was the reaction time and higher the pH values achieved. Iron was reduced by as much 99 % in beaker scale experiments via Fe(OH)3 precipitation at pH values &gt / 4.0. A 99 % decrease in aluminium concentration was observed which was attributed to the precipitation of primarily gibbsite and various other mineral phases at pH values &gt / 5.5. As the pH increases, sulphate is adsorbed via Fe(OH)3 and gypsum precipitation at elevated pH. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was excellent, achieving 98 % attenuation with beaker scale experiments and 1:1 fly ash:AMD ratio. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was comparable to membrane and ion exchange systems and exceeded the performance of limestone treatment. Except for the larger volumes of fly ash needed to neutralise the AMD, fly ash proved to be a feasible and cost efficient alternative to limestone treatment. Fly ash produced competing results to limestone concerning acidity removal and sulphate attenuation. The comparison highlighted the advantages of utilising fly ash in comparison to limestone and demonstrated its cost effectiveness. The results of this study have shown that fly ash could be successfully applied for the neutralisation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and effectively attenuate the sulphate load in the treated water. The critical parameters to this technology are the variations of chemical composition and mineralogy of fly ash, which could influence the pH, contact time of the neutralisation reaction, and the same is true if the AMD quality varies.</p>

<p>Fly ash and AMD samples were characterised by standard analytical methods for selection of the test materials. Active treatment by means of mixing fly ash with AMD in beakers and a large tank at pre-determined ratios have shown that fly ash is capable of neutralising AMD and increasing the pH beyond neutral values, which optimises the removal of heavy metals and ions. The trend was: the more fly ash added the quicker was the reaction time and higher the pH values achieved. Iron was reduced by as much 99 % in beaker scale experiments via Fe(OH)3 precipitation at pH values &gt / 4.0. A 99 % decrease in aluminium concentration was observed which was attributed to the precipitation of primarily gibbsite and various other mineral phases at pH values &gt / 5.5. As the pH increases, sulphate is adsorbed via Fe(OH)3 and gypsum precipitation at elevated pH. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was excellent, achieving 98 % attenuation with beaker scale experiments and 1:1 fly ash:AMD ratio. Sulphate attenuation with fly ash was comparable to membrane and ion exchange systems and exceeded the performance of limestone treatment. Except for the larger volumes of fly ash needed to neutralise the AMD, fly ash proved to be a feasible and cost efficient alternative to limestone treatment. Fly ash produced competing results to limestone concerning acidity removal and sulphate attenuation. The comparison highlighted the advantages of utilising fly ash in comparison to limestone and demonstrated its cost effectiveness. The results of this study have shown that fly ash could be successfully applied for the neutralisation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and effectively attenuate the sulphate load in the treated water. The critical parameters to this technology are the variations of chemical composition and mineralogy of fly ash, which could influence the pH, contact time of the neutralisation reaction, and the same is true if the AMD quality varies.</p>