Earth Subsurface

The traditional subsurface rock characterization technique includes collection of field samples and subsequent analysis in the laboratory for both mineralog-ical and chemical data. A borehole or penetrometer sampler initially collects 

---

Resources for Potash Fertilizers. Potassium is the seventh most abundant element in the earth s cmst. The raw materials from which postash fertilizer is derived are principally bedded marine evaporite deposits, but other sources include surface and subsurface brines. Both underground and solution mining are used to recover evaporite deposits, and fractional crystallization (qv) is used for the brines. The potassium salts of marine evaporite deposits occur in beds in intervals of haUte [14762-51-7] NaCl, which also contains bedded anhydrite [7778-18-9], CaSO, and clay or shale. The K O content of such deposits varies widely (see Potassium compounds). 

Subsurface Fluid Pressure (Pore Pressure Gradient). The total overburden pressure is derived from the weight of the materials and fluids that lie above any particular depth level in the earth. Of interest to the petroleum industry are the sedimentary rocks derived from deposits in water, particularly, in seawater. Such sedimentary rocks contain rock particle grains and saline water within the pore spaces. Total theoretical maximum overburden pressure, P (Ib/ft-), is... 

It is now generally accepted that microorganisms are ubiquitous in the deep subsurface, although, as noted, not all strata are biologically active.85 Microorganisms have adapted to the complete range of environmental conditions that exist on and below the Earth s surface. They have been observed at pressures up to 1760 kg/cm2 (25,000 psi), temperatures up to 100°C, and salt concentrations up to 300,000 mg/L.86... 

Langmuir, D., Controls on the amounts of pollutants in subsurface waters, Earth Miner. Sci., 42, 9-13, 1972. 

Many geochemical processes occur in which a fluid remains in contact with a gaseous phase. The gas, which could be the Earth s atmosphere or a subsurface gas reservoir, acts to buffer the system s chemistry. By dissolving gas species from the buffer or exsolving gas into it, the fluid will, if reaction proceeds slowly enough, maintain equilibrium with the buffer. 

Military and civilian applications large-scale earth moving, subsurface excavation, mineral extraction from underground... 

Seismic techniques, the reflection and refraction of sound or shock waves propagated through the earth, are also used to reveal details of the structure and interrelationship of various layers in the subsurface. The shock or sound waves record densities in the earth s surface that may indicate an oil or gas reservoir. Explosive charges or vibration devices are used to impart the required shock wave. 

In addition to silica and clay minerals, the subsurface contains a variety of minerals (e.g., oxides, carbonates), which may react with organic and inorganic contaminants. GiUces (1990), summarizing the properties of the metal oxides in earth... 

The earth s subsurface is not at complete thermodynamic equilibrium, but parts of the system and many species are observed to be at local equilibrium or, at least, at a dynamic steady state. For example, the release of a toxic contaminant into a groundwater reservoir can be viewed as a perturbation of the local equilibrium, and we can ask questions such as. What reactions will occur How long will they take and Over what spatial scale will they occur Addressing these questions leads to a need to identify actual chemical species and reaction processes and consider both the thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions. 

Contaminants may reach the subsurface in a gaseous phase, dissolved in water, as an immiscible hquid, or as suspended particles. Contaminant partitioning in the subsurface is controlled by the physicochemical properties and the porosity of the earth materials, the composition of the subsurface water, as well as the properties of the contaminants themselves. While the physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the subsurface sohd phase define the retention capacity of contaminants, the porosity and aggregation stams determine the potential volume of liquid and air that are accessible for contaminant redistribution among the subsurface phases. Enviromnental factors, such as temperature and water content in the subsurface prior to contamination, also affect the pollution pattern. 

Under natural conditions, contaminants often reach the earth s surface as a mixture of (potentially) toxic chemicals, having a range of physicochemical properties that affect their partitioning among the gaseous, liquid, and solid phases. As a consequence, contaminant retention properties in the subsurface are highly diverse. Contaminants may reach the subsurface from the air, water, or land surface. 

Potentially toxic compounds in the subsurface, such as Cd ", Pb ", or Hg ", which are generally found in very low concentrations, are considered soft cations (Buffle 1988). These ions have strong affinity to intermediate and soft ligands and therefore bond to them covalently. Borderline cations, which embrace transition metals like Cu and Ztfexhibit affinity for the soft cations as well as for alkaline-earth compounds. The order of donor atom affinity for soft metals is O < N < S. Functional groups present in subsurface organic matter that show affinity for soft and borderline metals are shown in Table 14.2. 

Figure 16. Shallow surface crack at the outer radius of a sharp V2T bend on 80,000 psi steel sheet (top). Corresponding subsurface concentration of REM oxysulfides and sulfides in a slab cross section near the surface. The parent ingot was treated with 5 lbs of rare earth silicide per ton of ingot steel (bottom). The bottom picture is from a Baumann print or sulfur print, not sensitive to the oxides and thus eliminating the argument of reoxidation as main cause of surface defects in REM treated steels. Magnification, 2.5X-...

The Earth s oceans reveal an abundance of water that corresponds to —1/1000 of the planet s mass. Mars, too, once had liquid water that sculpted its surface, and water ice still resides at its poles and in its subsurface at high latitudes. The high D/H ratio in the atmosphere of Venus suggests that it once may have contained water in similar abundance to the Earth. Even Mercury, baking in the Sun s glare, appears to have water ice at its poles. The amounts of water in the terrestrial planets are modest, relative to the amounts of water in gas- and ice-rich planets in the outer solar system, but the importance of water for planetary habitability demands that we discuss how the inner planets got their water. 

---